Blog Tour ; Whatever it takes by Heaton Wilson @rararesources

 

Whatever It Takes

DCI Jane Birchfield is facing a series of personal challenges: a rocky relationship with her partner, her mum hardly talks to her; and her boss and mentor is critically ill, which means she is having to cover his post as well as her own. Then she has to take charge of the toughest of murder investigations.

Jamie Castleton is found dead, seemingly frozen in position at a computer in a grubby internet cafe in the Manchester suburb of Ashbridge. Enquiries reveal he was a self employed tech consultant and a computer expert, so what was he doing in there?

The more Jane and her team dig under the surface, the more the evidence points to one of Manchester's biggest companies, Greaves, and its super-wealthy boss, Graeme Hargreaves. This leads Jane into a sordid underworld, and a surprise twist in the investigation forces her to face up to an event in her own past, that she has kept buried for 25 years.

Slowly, but surely, the net tightens around the suspects, but can she stay objective, and can she keep herself, her team, and her relationship, together, and bring the killer to justice? For Jane it has become a personal crusade, but in this race against time there is far more at stake than she ever imagined.

Purchase Link - https://linktr.ee/heaton

My thoughts 

A story that will keep you at the edge of you seat!!!

DCI Jane Birchfield and her team is at it again and this time the case is even more dangerous. When a young hacker Jamie Castelton is realized dead at an internet cafe, his mom Irene expects foul play. As revelations are made DCI Jane realises that she is spearheading a murder investigation. Meanwhile on the home front, her relationship with her partner Allan is on the rocks due to her busy work schedule and her mentor lays dying at hospital. Could Jane handle it all. Especially as the murder investigation is revealing some shocking results.

If you are a crime novel fan like I am you would truly love this story by Heaton Wilson.

The writing was very well executed. I especially liked how the murder was not your typical type of murder how Jamie died added to the intrigue in my opinion. The heroine DCI Jane was a very realistic character. Apart from the murder investigation we had a picture of her personal life and got to experience a bit of what it is like for a female holding a big position as she had. Jane handled it well though.

The investigation had me on edge because while reading I had so many thoughts swirling in my brain as to who did it? What was Jamie up to? Why did they kill him? And who was Beavis and in the end let me tell you I did not expect that. I loved every minute of this story. It made me relax on a day when I needed a good story to read. So if you like mystery, intrigue and drama check this one out.

Thanks to Rachel Random Resources for allowing me to be a part of this tour.

Author Bio –  I have been a newspaper journalist, a postman, a public relations officer, a consultant, an actor, a director, a playwright. And I have always kept writing.

I always felt I could write a novel. And I did! The first book in my crime fiction series featuring DCI Jane Birchfield, Every Reason, came out in 2016.  Whatever It Takes was published in 2021; and the third book (which follows on where Whatever It Takes ends) is nearing completion.

I'm from Manchester but now live on the Isle of Wight, where the sea is never far away. It's the perfect place to be creative, and to walk the dogs.

Social Media Links –  @kkevvin

http://facebook.com/heatonwilson

 

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Trini Girl Reads Book Haul

 

BOOK HAUL

Hi everyone!!!

Just checking in. 

I have not been blogging much lately because I have been swamped with work and a course of study which I will be completing soon. After which I will have more time to bring to you some incredible book reviews and also share my thoughts on books sent to me by authors. As you may or may not know ,June is Read Caribbean month,  and to celebrate the wonderful works of literature from the Caribbean diaspora I will be reading and reviewing one or two Caribbean novels.  There is a lot to look forward to on Trini Girl Reads in the coming months so stay tuned and happy reading!!! Feel free to comment and let me know if you read any of these.....

Francica

Trini Girl Reads 

Book Review: Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo

Book Review

Synopsis:

This celebrated, unforgettable first novel, shortlisted for the prestigious Women's Prize for Fiction and set in Nigeria, gives voice to both husband and wife as they tell the story of their marriage--and the forces that threaten to tear it apart.

Yejide and Akin have been married since they met and fell in love at university. Though many expected Akin to take several wives, he and Yejide have always agreed: polygamy is not for them. But four years into their marriage--after consulting fertility doctors and healers, trying strange teas and unlikely cures--Yejide is still not pregnant. She assumes she still has time--until her family arrives on her doorstep with a young woman they introduce as Akin's second wife. Furious, shocked, and livid with jealousy, Yejide knows the only way to save her marriage is to get pregnant, which, finally, she does--but at a cost far greater than she could have dared to imagine. An electrifying novel of enormous emotional power, Stay With Me asks how much we can sacrifice for the sake of family.

My thoughts 

4/5 ⭐

Did you ever have a book on your TBR list for years and you just keep delaying to read it. This was the situation with Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo. All I can say that this is hands down one of my favorites so far for 2021.

Akin and Yejide a couple since college are having problems with fertility. The story begins with an intervention from Akin's family who is suggesting he takes on a second wife. Little does everyone know there is more to this couple's infertility that meets the eye. Yejide goes through a wave of emotions sadness, rage and even a mental breakdown. When she finally becomes pregnant however, everything is not as it seems....

This novel was not a long one but so impactful. I love how the author spoke to the issue of infertility which is a situation faced by many couples and society's view on it from an African standpoint. The role of Akin's brother Dotun was very important in the book because what he represented was the length that some persons would go to protect secrets. I also like how the story set in the 1980s also depicted the politics of the time and the effect it had on families. 

I wanted to write this review to not giveaway too much of the story because I want persons to read this. It was absolutely brilliant. As women many of us could relate to what Yejide has to go through with infertility in a society that blames the female for not being able to produce children.  You will feel many emotions while reading this. I was not able to put it down.

This was a great story indeed. A good book club book.

About the Author 

Ayobami Adebayo's stories have appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies, and one was highly commended in the 2009 Commonwealth short story competition. She holds BA and MA degrees in Literature in English from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife. She also has an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia where she was awarded an international bursary for Creative Writing. Ayobami has been the recipient of fellowships and residencies from Ledig House, Hedgebrook, Threads, Ebedi Hills and Ox-Bow.
STAY WITH ME- UK (Canongate, March 2017), Nigeria (Ouida Books, April 2017), US (Knopf, August 2017), KENYA (Kwani?, August 2017) is her debut novel.

Book Blitz: Lakeside retreat by Shyla Colt

 

 

Title: Lakeside Retreat
Author: Shyla Colt
Genre: Multicultural Romance, Interracial Romance
Publication Date: May 18^th, 2021
Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

Blurb:

Settle down with a wife or lose his position as a future partner in the family law firm. The stakes are high, and the terms are clear for playboy bachelor Angel Garcia. Forced to choose between a ball and chain and being cut off, he makes a plan to have his cake and eat it, too ... a contract marriage.

 

Green witch Clarabelle King has always dreamed of taking over Whispering Acres. The lakeside retreat is a family legacy. When she finds out from her grandparents that they’re one hundred thousand dollars in debt, and the bank is ready to foreclose, she’s forced to resort to desperate measures. One powerful manifestation spell sends her on a path straight out of a soap opera.

 

Has fate conspired to bring them together, or will they simply fulfill their contract and go their separate ways?

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USA Today Bestselling author Shyla Colt is a chaos wrangler, chronic crafter, and imaginary friend collector. The mom of two and a wife road trips with her weird brood when she’s not taking on a new hobby or bingeing on spooky podcasts and documentaries. She writes strong women with sass, plenty of nerdy tendencies, and the intriguing intense males who love them.

Author Links: 

Amazon | Goodreads | ReaderGroup | Twitter

Facebook | Bookbub | Instagram | Website

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Book Review: The Day She Died S.M. Freedman # AudioBook

About the book:

After a traumatic head injury, Eve questions every memory and motive in this mind-bending psychological thriller.


Eve Gold’s birthdays are killers, and her twenty-seventh birthday proves to be no different. But for the up-and-coming Vancouver artist, facing death isn’t the real shock — it’s what comes after.


Recovering from a near-fatal accident, Eve is determined to return to the life she’s always wanted: a successful artistic career, marriage to the man who once broke her heart, and another chance at motherhood. But brain damage leaves her forgetful, confused, and tortured by repressed memories of a deeply troubled childhood, where her innocence was stolen one lie — and one suspicious death — at a time.


As the dark, twisted pages unfold, Eve must choose between clinging to the lies that helped her survive her childhood and unearthing the secrets she buried long ago.

My Review
3.5 ⭐

This is only the second time I listened to an audiobook in my life because I was not sure if I would ever like listening to a book over reading the words. Now I know that audiobooks can be just as and even more exciting than reading. 

The Day She Died by SM Freedman was indeed a Psychological Thriller. 

Eve, a victim of a terrible accident is plagued by what appears to be memory loss because of trauma caused by head injuries. While recovering, Eve keeps remembering key events from her childhood especially what happened to Sarah, her best friend. This is indeed a book you need to read till the end because it took quite a turn. 

Lee was such an important, well written character in the book.. You just wanted to believe that Lee was a good person and that he truly loved Eve. I just could not wrap my head around Donna at all, why was she treating Eve with such hate?? But you know what? In the end I really felt for her.. What was amazing is how similar events shaped both mother and daughter's lives more than they realized. Button bless her heart was your typical grandmother just trying to keep her small family together with love. Sarah! Sarah! Sarah! I was on edge waiting to hear what happened to her and my God that part really made me emotional.

I really enjoy meaningful stories like this. So rich with entertainment and a strong message. 

Thanks very much to Netgalley for this audiobook. ARC. I loved it.

Book Tour: Love Behind Enemy Lines by Jeanette Anderson @bookreviewcrew

 

Blurb:

Before the Security Fence divided them, and suicide bombers and airstrikes destroyed their lives, Palestinian Jannah al-Jarbouni and Israeli, Efron Oved, were friends.

After years of separation, Efron, now twenty-two and an Israeli soldier, finds Jannah being transported from an Israeli prison. He reaches out to win her trust, but with every fiber of Jannah’s soul, down to the marrow aching in her bones, she has vowed that the Israelis will pay for killing her family.

When Jannah must decide whether to get medical aid for Efron to save his life, or turn him in for a prisoner exchange, which will inevitably include torture, they become trapped indoors. The one-time friends struggle with how they will survive amid spies, murders, and kidnappings, and ultimately rise above the lies and betrayal to find peace.

A Palestinian bomber, suicide recruiter, and terrorist may hold the secret to freeing Jannah from her dark abyss of revenge. But that revelation will force her to choose between letting the man live who massacred her family and dying herself.

My thoughts:

"Her people were the bleakest people on earth, she thought. There was no waking from the nightmares. They were real. The rest of the world knew nothing about their suffering, nor could they understand."

This book shook me to the core. What an important work of art.

Jeanette Anderson takes the reader to a situation where few can relate and wrote it so well that you  were able to feel every emotion, the hurt, the pain, the despair, the desperation, the joy and the love experienced by every single character. 

This book illustrated what it would be like to live in a country that is divided along ethnic lines and the effects it has on the people. Jannah was depicted as fearless in some parts of the book but as the story progressed we read that she became vulnerable which is what I think happens to most faced by the horrors of living in a nation void of peace and carrying the hurt of loosing loved ones. The role Efron played was quite interesting to read. I think it is the best way I can describe him without giving it all away.

 I actually felt the most emotion for Besan, her situation being in jail pregnant and then what happened to her next really touched my heart.  the situation spoke to many issues including the treatment of women in the prison system. Zamill (I do not want to give away the whole story), but for those reading the book or who may have read it, I understood completely many of his actions and why he acted in that way. It is indeed difficult to find peace when everyone is seeking vengeance.  

Profound!!! And great in every way. This is a good read. 

Well done!!!!

Meet Jeanette Anderson:

Born in the California, Bay area, I'm in love with the ocean and try get to the beach someplace around the world at least once a year. I enjoy hiking and bicycling. I never thought I'd get to college, see a UFO or visit the city of Pompeii, but I've done them all. Ours is a blended family of eight children and their spouses, fourteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild, making it a very long dinner table during the holidays. Years ago, I was steering down the steep, windy lane from the Sundance Ski Resort when my heart began to pound. The car behind me had closed the gap between us on the mountainside. Maybe he was a psychopath who would drive me off the road, attack and stab me to death. Maybe I was being chased by my handsome lover who had begged me not to leave him, was aching to hold me in his arms and wouldn't let me go. Maybe it was both. My hands froze on the steering wheel when at the T-junction the suspicious driver pulled up beside me. When he turned in the opposite direction, and the chase was over, I decided it was time. As an accomplished and published ghost writer with over twenty-five years of experience, my subconscious was calling me to enter the world of fiction. Its been a wonderful adventure to follow that voice. 

Get social with Jeanette: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Pinterest

Website: https://jeanetteanderson.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeanette.j.anderson.9

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jeanette_Ander

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjjanderson/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jeanette1229

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jeanetteomemer/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55932798-love-behind-enemy-lines?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=bDzeEoXWcF&rank=1

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BOOK BLITZ: One Night in Spain by Shyla Colt

 

 

Title: One Night in Spain
Author: Shyla Colt
Genre: Multicultural Romance, Second Chance Romance
Editor: There for You Editing
Cover Designer: Covers In Color
Publisher: Inspired Ink
Publication Date: May 3^rd, 2021
Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

Blurb:

The minute he laid eyes on Deandra at his brother’s engagement party, Diego Garcia was smitten. The older woman with voluptuous curves, and an enchanting laugh, drew him in like bees to honey. The week-long destination wedding in Spain was his chance to win her over and show her that age truly is nothing more than a number. The Garcia family was known for their curse. Once they meet the one, no other woman exists. Now, he has to prove to Deandra what he feels is more than lust.

 

History professor Deandra Little found the young lawyer’s interest flattering, but she didn’t see how their life would meld. That didn’t mean she saw anything wrong with a little bump and grind in paradise, so she let the charmer take her to bed. More than passion was made on their trip, and now a baby will make three in eight months. Torn between wanting to believe the fantasy Diego is selling and her need to build a firm foundation for their child, Deandra has plenty to consider.

 

Will they be co-parents or more by the time their bouncing bundle arrives?

NOW LIVE!

USA Today Bestselling author Shyla Colt is a chaos wrangler, chronic crafter, and imaginary friend collector. The mom of two and a wife road trips with her weird brood when she’s not taking on a new hobby or bingeing on spooky podcasts and documentaries. She writes strong women with sass, plenty of nerdy tendencies, and the intriguing intense males who love them.

Author Links: 

Amazon | Goodreads | ReaderGroup | Twitter

Facebook | Bookbub | Instagram | Website

NOW LIVE!

BLOG TOUR: SHOOTING STARS OVER BLUEBELL CLIFF by DELLA GALTON @rararesources

 

Shooting Stars Over Bluebell Cliff

There's someone out there for everyone... you just need to know where to look...

All NEW from bestselling author Della Galton.

Unlucky in love Poppy Allen is the producer of a brand-new TV show, ‘Date for a Day’ – think ‘Take Me Out’ meets ‘It’s a Knockout’!

Lovelorn contestants must perform a series of seaside challenges to win the hand of the starring lady and a 'Date for a Day'.

Left heartbroken when Stephen, her childhood sweetheart eloped with her best friend on her hen night - Poppy has no plans to risk her own heart again. Besides, she’s far too busy filming contestants against the backdrop of the beautiful Bluebell Cliff Hotel and the stunning Jurassic Dorset coastline.

However, when sabotage on set threatens to stop shooting, Poppy discovers soulmates can be found in the most unexpected places...

My thoughts.

This was a feel good story, a perfect book to read when you want to kick back and relax.

The writing by Della Galton was very good. I liked the description of the setting especially because it is important I think for authors to paint a vivid picture of places and events so that the reader can have a clear picture.

Poppy was a very well written character, from very early on she struck me as a young woman who was driven, and had a love for family. I liked how the family connection was also woven into the story and that she was moving on after that major heartbreak. The concept of the reality show "Date for a Day' was quite an interesting element. The events that sought to hinder shooting as well as the unexpected twist of fate made for an overall enjoyable experience.

What I can say is that if you are looking for that book to just escape with, Shooting Stars over Bluebell Cliff is that story. 

Very light and enjoyable!!!! 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

Author Bio:

Della Galton is the author of 15 books, including Ice and a Slice. She writes short stories, teaches writing groups and is Agony Aunt for Writers Forum Magazine. She lives in Dorset. Della launched her new fiction series set around The Bluebell Cliff Hotel with Boldwood in April 2020.

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DailyDella/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DellaGalton

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dellagalton/

Newsletter Sign Up Link: http://bit.ly/DellaGaltonNewsletter

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/della-galton

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