Book Review “A Mother’s War” by Helen Parusel

BOOK REVIEW (BLOGTOUR) NO: 191

WW2 Historical Novel

Length : 353 pages

Publisher : Boldwood Books

SYNOPSIS/BOOK BLURB & purchase links

A forbidden romance in occupied Norway…

Narvik, 1940. After Laila awakens to the sight of warships in the fjord, it isn’t long before she turns resistor to the brutal Nazi regime. She is horrified when local girls begin affairs with enemy soldiers, yet against her own principles, she finds herself falling in love with German soldier, Josef.

Josef is not like the others. He becomes involved in helping her and the locals with resistance activities, risking his life on more than one occasion.

But then Laila finds out she is pregnant. With Josef sent to the Russian front, and Laila cast out by her family, she turns to a home for women which promises to care for her and her unborn child. But instead, she finds herself caught in a system of evil far beyond what she thought possible…

Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/MothersWarsocial

REVIEW ~ NIKI PRESTON ~ 5 STARS

Well what can I say about this phenomenal debut book by Helen Parusel other than, Go and buy a copy right now! The End 🙂

A Mother’s war is a superbly written book about the occupation of Norway during WW2. This is not a topic I know an awful lot about so it made a change to read another new viewpoint based on the war. I fell in love with Laila, the main character and her utter hatred of the occupation and everything it is doing to her country and her people. She wants to help the resistance but also knows she must keep her family safe. Then against all her deep rooted beliefs she falls in love with a German soldier and her life changes more than she could ever have expected. She is beautifully written character and we get to know her well. Her feelings, her thoughts, her desires are all so realistic that I became really invested in her and just wanted her to be safe.

The Lebensborn program was a fascinating part of this book and one that I had heard of but again didn’t really know that much about it. The things that happen to the mother’s and children here, on the suffice appear to be good. They are fed and looked after but scratch beneath the suffice as Laila does and all is definitely not as it seems. Babies disappear, babies are adopted against the mother’s wishes and a whole host of other unjust and undignified events occur that pushes Laila to her limit. Laila is a woman who puts others before herself and she needs to get out of the awful Lebensborn program. Does she manage to escape? Can she keep her baby? Will her family accept her back after the worst betrayal? Well no spoilers so you really do need to buy this book. It is truly a sublime read that creates a picture of beauty, sadness, lose and the ability to overcome. I LOVED IT!

Author Bio –

I am from London but now live in Hamburg, Germany with my husband and daughter. I gave English lessons to retired Germans for twenty years and became intrigued by many of their wartime stories. My mother comes from Linz, Austria and I spent my summer holidays there for years which inspired my next novel. I have always loved reading and writing, and now finally have the time to devote to writing.

Social Media Links –  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelenParusel 

With Thanks for the Advance Copy to ……………..

Rachel Gilbey

Helen Parusel

Boldwood Books

###############################

Advertisement

Book Review “His Mother’s Lies” by JA Andrews

BOOK REVIEW (BLOGTOUR) NO: 190

Psychological Thriller

Standalone

Length : 274 pages

Publisher : JA Andrews

SYNOPSIS/BOOK BLURB & purchase links

I married her son, but he couldn’t see her evil…

Charlotte’s dream wedding to Ethan was the happiest day of her life. She knew his mother, Anna, loved her only son, but her overbearing nature starts driving Charlotte insane. Ethan always claimed his mother accepted her as part of the family, but her gut instincts couldn’t be wrong.

To help the happy couple save for their first house together, Anna presents an offer they can’t refuse with a rent-free room in the family home. This is when Charlotte suspects Anna wants her boy back for good. Convinced she is out to destroy their marriage; Charlotte has a surprise that was about to bring them closer together or rip their relationship apart.

As tensions mount and Anna digs her claws in, Charlotte discovers a hidden family secret, but Anna’s manipulative nature ensures no one would believe her. Charlotte must survive a wave of cruelties and play the most vindictive mother-in-law she’s ever encountered at her own sinister game if her marriage is to survive a mother who can’t let go of the past.

Anna will stop at nothing to get what she wants…

Purchase Links

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BSTJY28R

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSTJY28R

REVIEW ~ NIKI PRESTON ~ 4 STARS

A great read that is a classic tale of she said/she said. Mother-in Law pitted against her new Daughter-in-law. Anna does not like Charlotte. She does not like the fact that Charlotte has taken away her son even less. She’s out to prove this is not a marriage made in heaven and she will end it. No matter what. Truly a vile Mother-in law who needs taking down a peg or two, is Charlotte the woman to do it? Will she just lose everything? More importantly who will Ethan believe?

The characters are created with a brilliant reality that I’m sure a few people can empathise with. Family feuds can be devastating and JA Andrews really draws us in. He has captivated the emotions with in this family perfectly. You really feel sorry for Charlotte but can also see some, just some of Anna’s feelings and poor Ethan is trying so hard to not become the man in the middle even though he absolutely is. There is plenty of suspense that is totally believable. This really could happen to any family, if you have a slightly unhinged mother. I thoroughly enjoyed His Mother’s Lies and I’m sure any Psychological thriller lovers will love it to.

Author Bio –

JA Andrews is from Devon in the UK and is the author of gripping twisty psychological thrillers. As well as writing fiction, he enjoys reading a mix of genres, watching reality TV and spending time with family and friends…

With Thanka for the Advance Copy to ……………………………

Rachel Gilbey

JA Andrews

###############################

Book Review “The Vanishing of Class 3B” by Jackie Kabler

BOK REVIEW (BLOGTOUR) NO: 189

Thriller

Standalone

Length : 353 pages

Publisher : One More Chapter

SYNOPSIS/BOOK BLURB &purchase links

One spring morning, a bus full of children and their teachers from a Cotswolds primary school head off on a much-anticipated day trip.

But as night falls and the well-heeled parents – one or two of them famous, as well as wealthy – wait at the school to collect their weary offspring, it soon becomes clear that something has gone very wrong.

The children and their teachers simply do not come back.

What’s happened doesn’t seem possible.

How can an entire class of children simply vanish?

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vanishing-Class-3B-bestselling-breath-taking-ebook/dp/B0B9SFVY9W

US – https://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-Class-3B-bestselling-breath-taking-ebook/dp/B0B9SFVY9W

REVIEW ~ NIKI PRESTON ~ 5 STARS

What an epic thriller The Vanishing of Class 3B is! A very different take from the run of the mill type thriller and I absolutely devoured every single page. You really become invested in these families whose children have been taken and nobody knows how or indeed why. Perhaps there is a link to the families or is it just a straight forward kidnap for ransom?

I chopped and changed as to who I thought might be involved and let me tell you, until it’s laid out on a plate I did not guess who the kidnapper/s might be. Everyone of the parents seems to have a secret that they are desperate not to tell. They begin to lose faith in the police and seemingly go rogue and reveal things to each other that they never thought they’d ever say out loud. But whose secret is the worst? Who amongst them has the biggest secret?

The tense nature of the parents relationships is told brilliantly well. We see them stand together and fall apart. A well crafted thriller that will keep you up needing to know who on earth has carried out this dastardly deed and will we find out why? Was it really worth it?

A truly brilliant read that kept me rapidly page turning and left me thinking “Wow, that was exceptional” A worthy 5 star read.

Author Bio – Jackie Kabler is an Amazon number one and USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers, including The Perfect Couple, Am I Guilty?, The Happy Family and The Murder List. Her novels have sold nearly a million copies around the world and have been translated into eight languages. Previously she worked as a newspaper reporter and then in television news for twenty years, including nearly a decade on GMTV. She later appeared on BBC and ITV news, presented a property show for Sky, hosted sports shows on Setanta Sports News and worked as a media trainer for the Armed Forces. She now combines writing with working as a presenter on shopping channel QVC. Jackie lives in Gloucestershire with her husband.

Social Media Links –

Twitter @jackiekabler

Instagram @officialjackiekabler

With Thanks for the Advance Copy to ……………….

Rachel Gilbey

Jackie Kabler

One More Chapter

#############################

Book Review “A Contest to Kill For” by E.V.Hunter

BOOK REVIEW (BLOGTOUR) NO 188

Hopgood Hall Murder Mystery Book 2

Length : 295 pages

Publisher : Boldwood Books

SYNOPSIS/BOOK BLURB &purchase links

The competition is fierce….

Desperate to try and rebuild the reputation of Hopgood Hall, owners Alexi Ellis and Cheryl and Drew Hopgood agree to host a realty TV baking show, spearheaded by their arrogant but enigmatic head chef Marcel Gasquet. Hopefully the ratings will bring in bookings to the struggling hotel and Cosmo, Alexi’s antisocial feral cat, is hoping to get a starring role too!

The temperature is high…

Fiery and hot-headed, Marcel’s antics makes for brilliant television, but off-screen trouble is brewing. One of the contestants, femme fatale Juliette Hammond, makes it clear that she will do anything to secure the winning prize – even if it means sweetening up the prima donna chef.

The results are deadly!

So when Juliette is found dead, all eyes turn to Marcel. Has his fiery French temper got the better of him or has someone else fallen victim to Juliette’s devious ways?

With the reputation of the hotel in tatters and Marcel’s liberty on the line, Alexi needs answers and fast.  And the only person she can turn to for help is her old friend and private eye Jack Maddox.  Jack’s working his own case, but he can’t refuse Alexi and he knows more than anyone that this murder could cost them everything!

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/ContestToKillForsocial

REVIEW ~ NIKI PRESTON ~ 5 STARS

Starting Book 2 in this fabulous series was like getting under a warm blanket and getting ready to see what shenanigans Cosmo the sleuthing cat is going to get up to this time. Obviously he’s not really a sleuthing cat but he has great cat senses and knows who he likes and who is is going to scare half to death. He’s absolutely part of the team. I love this cat and I want him.

Alexi has now invested in her friends hotel and they are hoping to make more money by hosting a cooking contest TV show. Then all hell breaks loose when one of the contestants turns up dead. She is not the most liked person and seems to have been working her way through the male production team as well as the uppity chef Marcel, in the hopes of swaying the final decision and make her a winner. Now she is dead and poor Marcel is suspect number one. Will Alexi and Jack uncover the truth in time? Is there more going on here than a murder to solve?

I really enjoy these cosy murder mysteries by E.V.Hunter. She creates a great plotline that you can get involved with, you can almost sleuth alongside Alexi and Jack. I thoroughly enjoyed the clues as the story evolves and little snippets get dropped here and there. I changed my mind so many times as to who the murderer was I almost didn’t believe the reveal when it came. How could I have been so wrong? I enjoyed the relationship between Alexi and Jack and I really wanted to take Alexi aside and say “Go for it, he’s gorgeous, he clearly cares and he is sooooo much better than slimy Patrick” Will she? won’t she? I’m saying nothing 🙂 except this is a fabulous read and the perfect summer nights on the patio with a glass of something good kind of book so I highly recommend you invest in a new series and ENJOY ! I promise you will.

Author Bio –

Evie Hunter has written a great many successful regency romances as Wendy Soliman and is now redirecting her talents to produce dark gritty thrillers for Boldwood. For the past twenty years she has lived the life of a nomad, roaming the world on interesting forms of transport, but has now settled back in the UK.

Social Media Links –  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/wendy.soliman.author

Twitter https://twitter.com/Wendyswriter

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

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/EvieHunter Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/evie-hunter-572c1816-05f2-47c2-9c13-6d10a229670b

With Thanks for the Advance Copy to ……………..

Rachel Gilbey

E.V.Hunter

Boldwood Books

############################

Book Review “Changing Times at Harpers” by Rosie Clarke

BOOK REVIEW (BLOGTOUR) NO: 187

Book 7 in The Harpers Emporium Series

Length : 341 pages

Publisher : Boldwood Books

SYNOPSIS/BOOK BLURB &purchase links

London Spring 1920

Harpers is beginning to flourish once more after the end of the war but for Sally Harper the problems continue.

Husband Ben is moody, sometimes distant, and she feels he is shutting her out at home and at work, but why?

It takes a terrible tragedy to make them realise their love and respect is still true.

The ladies and girls who work at Harpers continue to battle with problems in their own lives.

Marion is still trying to reach her war-damaged husband and Lilly is battling with her pain and shame.

It’s a period of transition for all.

The doors of Harpers are busy welcoming new and returning staff whilst bidding a fond farewell to others.

This is the beginning of a new era and there is a fresh buzz of excitement in the air.

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/ChangingTimessocial

REVIEW ~ NIKI PRESTON ~ 4 STARS

Another great addition to the ever unfolding world of Harpers Emporium. Now in peacetime after WW1 the men are returning and the women are absolutely not going to give up their work places that have kept them going through the war years. Some of the men are beginning to show signs of shell shock and some haven’t returned at all.

As always these characters are brilliantly written and are strong, with high morals and caring personalities. There is a fair amount of sadness in this book but it really highlights the horrors of war and how hard it impacted on some of these well loved characters. There is jealously, love, sadness, friendships and promises of marriage.

I thoroughly enjoyed this instalment and I feel that Harpers will go on from strength to strength.

Rosie Clarke is a #1 bestselling saga writer whose most recent books include The Mulberry Lane series. She has written over 100 novels under different pseudonyms and is a RNA Award winner. She lives in Cambridgeshire.

Social Media Links –

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rosie-clarke-119457351778432/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnneHerries

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/RosieClarkeNews Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rosie-clarke

With Thanks for the Advance Copy to …..

Rachel Gilbey

Rosie Clarke

Boldwood Books

#################################

Book Review “Death on Cromer Beach” by Ross Greenwood

BOOK REVIEW (BLOGTOUR) NO: 186

Crime Series DS Knight Book 1

New Series

Length : 450 pages

Publisher : Boldwood Books

SYNOPSIS/BOOK BLURB & purchase links

A brutal double murder on a Norfolk beach horrifies the town of Cromer. The way the victims died is chilling and so Norfolk’s Major Investigation Team task DS Ashley Knight to manage the case.

It soon becomes clear that the murders were carefully planned and the finger of suspicion points to an organised crime gang, but as the evidence mounts, a far more sinister theory emerges.

Ashley has been allocated a young but opinionated partner in Hector Fade, and sparks soon fly. Annoyingly for Ashley, Hector is no pushover and looks destined for great things.  When the pair delve into the case, they struggle to understand who would inflict such suffering on their victims and hope the crime is a one off from a deranged and dangerous individual. But then another body is found.

There’s a killer on the loose who wants them to believe that the beach has a memory. They must be caught, or others will meet their end by the sea.

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3X6tT2V

REVIEW ~ NIKI PRESTON ~ 5 STARS

As an avid Ross Greenwood reader I have to admit I was gutted when the DI Barton series ended. No way could another great police man/woman live up to Barton. Hah how wrong was I? Very very wrong. Enter the brilliantly, slightly damaged yet flippin’ awesome DS Ashley Knight.

Ross Greenwood is the master of creating suspenseful intrigue without going over board on pointless faff. He writes superbly sensitive topics, in this case mental health with care and consideration. He makes you feel that he has properly researched the topic before jumping in. This was very evident in another of Greenwoods books, Canaries in the Coalmine. A great and thought provoking book. A must read in my opinion.

Anyway back to Death on Cromer Beach. As I was saying there is no messing about, Ross gets straight to the plot and opens with two gruesome murders which quickly leads to another and weird rhymes going on about 7 and the sea and heaven and its all very perplexing. The team built around DS Knight are great and we get to know them really well and how they gel. I must admit I really liked the rather pompous, fast track officer Hector Fade. He clearly has a sharp mind and gets Knight to open up about why she returns to the seemingly quiet seaside town of Cromer. I know Cromer well and it was great to read about the area and clearly I actually didn’t know it as well as I thought. It is definitely not all old people and happy families on a summer holiday. It has its dark underside and Greenwood has crafted an excellent new Crime series that I can not wait to follow. A rival to Barton and no mistake.

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3X6tT2V

Author Bio –

Ross Greenwood is the author of crime thrillers. Before becoming a full-time writer he was most recently a prison officer and so worked everyday with murderers, rapists and thieves for four years. He lives in Peterborough.

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ross.greenwood.756

Twitter: https://twitter.com/greenwoodross

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rossg555/

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/RossGreenwoodnews

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ross-greenwood

With Thanks for the Advance Copy to ……………..

Rachel Gilbey

Ross Greenwood

Boldwood Books

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Book Review “The Ex Wife” By Amanda Ashby and Sally Rigby

BOOK REVIEW (BLOGTOUR) NO: 185

Psychological Thriller

Standalone

Length : 318 pages

Publisher : Boldwood Books

SYNOPSIS/BOOK BLURB & purchase links

My life was perfect until she came along. Norah.

Younger, prettier and about to marry my own ex-husband, they are a walking cliché.

I hate her. I hate them both.

She’s taken everything from me – my husband, my life, my home – but I refuse to allow her to take Cassie, my beautiful daughter. That’s a step too far.

Now I’ve discovered that Norah plans to have a baby of her own and that causes me no end of problems. She could destroy everything and reveal my deepest, darkest secrets.

That can never be allowed to happen.

No matter what it costs…

A brand new psychological thriller that will keep you guessing till the end! Perfect for fans of Sue Watson, Nina Manning, Shalini Boland

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3IaIhSM

REVIEW ~ NIKI PRESTON ~ 5 STARS

Wowsers what an utterly chilling and spine tingling thriller. Just epic, awesome and down right amazing! can you tell I loved it?

Anyway on to the book. These ladies are excellent writers and make the perfect thriller writing combo. They’ve created a superb plot that just flows at the right pace. One minute you’re reading about a family and all the usual ups and downs of divorce, new step parent, teenage angst and a bitter ex wife. Alice was blindsided by husband wanting, for her a sudden divorce and now here he is about to marry his much younger and beautiful cliché wife to be Norah. Then Alice finds out they are trying for IVF and Alice loses the plot and begins to act in a very odd manner. Why is Alice so flustered by the news?

Every single character is wonderfully crafted with good bits and bad bits, like us all, which really makes them all believable and you start to think, “crikey there by the grace of God go I” How easy it would be to get caught up in the dreadful situation Alice finds herself. The pace picks up steadily and boy by the end you’re left reeling from the final reveal! Its truly outstanding and you never see it coming. Brilliant book that I urge everyone to read.

Author Bio –

Amanda Ashby and Sally Rigby are a crime writing partnership. Both authors live in New Zealand, have been friends for eighteen years and agree about everything (except musicals). They decided to collaborate on a psychological thriller which they then entered into a competition, run by Boldwood, and which they won!

Social Media Links –  

Amanda: FB – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065224701706 IG: https://www.instagram.com/authoramandaashby/

Sally: FB – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100062304114984 IG: https://www.instagram.com/sally.rigby.author/

Joint IG: https://www.instagram.com/amandarigbybooks/

With Thanks for the Advance Copy to ……………

Rachel Gilbey

Amanda Ashby and Sally Rigby

Boldwood Books

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Book Review “End Game” By Liz Mistry

BOOK REVIEW (BLOGTOUR) NO: 184

Police Procedural Thriller

Series, Book 6 Detective Nikki Parekh

Length : 363 pages

Publisher : HQ Digital

SYNOPSIS/BOOK BLURB & purchase links

End Game

Four dead bodies. One missing person. Let the game begin.

When an anonymous tip-off leads Detective Nikki Parekh and DS Sajid Malik to the sprawling Salinger estate, Nikki’s senses are on high alert. The brutal murder of all four members of the Salinger family has shocked the sleepy Bradford village to the core.

A mother, father, daughter, and son. . .  all killed in exactly the same way – whilst sat around the coffee table, playing a game of monopoly.

But Nikki notices that there are five pieces on the board. One of the players is missing… Did they manage to escape the killer, or was the killer part of the game?

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/End-Game-absolutely-procedural-Detective-ebook/dp/B0BSWNHX66/

US – https://www.amazon.com/End-Game-absolutely-procedural-Detective-ebook/dp/B0BSWNHX66/

REVIEW ~ NIKI PRESTON ~ 4 STARS

If you love a great, gritty explosive Police Procedural thriller then absolutely give End Game a read. It’s set at a fabulous pace that keeps you involved from the off. This is book 6 in the Nikki Parekh series but I feel it worked well as a standalone too. Liz Mistry gives you enough back detail to work out the team and how they work together.

The initial murder scene is brutal, with the deaths of a whole family whilst playing monopoly. However there appears to have been a fifth guest that has disappeared. Are they the murderer? Have they managed to escape the attack? more importantly, who are they and where are they?

If this isn’t enough to grab you then there is also the fact that the Salinger family lost another daughter, Marnie, many years before the family are viciously murdered. There are many secrets lying within this family, their friends, businesses and love lives.

The relationship between Nikki and her trusty sidekick Saj is brilliantly crafted. They know each inside out and work superbly well together. They hold the whole together with a strength that just carries the whole plot to its accomplished end.

Author Bio –

Born in Scotland made in Bradford sums up LIZ MISTRY’s life. Over thirty-five years ago she moved from a small village in West Lothian to Yorkshire to get her teaching degree. Once here, Liz fell in love with three things: curries, the rich cultural diversity of the city… and her Indian husband (not necessarily in this order). Now thirty years, three children, Scumpy, the cat, and a huge extended family later, Liz uses her experiences of living and working in the inner city to flavour her writing. Her gritty crime fiction police procedural novels set in Bradford embrace the city she describes as ‘Warm, Rich and Fearless’, whilst exploring the darkness that lurks beneath.

Having struggled with severe clinical depression and anxiety for many years, Liz often includes mental health themes in her writing. She credits the MA in Creative Writing she took at Leeds Trinity University with helping her find a way of using her writing to navigate her ongoing mental health struggles. Liz’s PhD research contributes significantly to debates concerning issues of inclusion and diversity of representation within the most socially engaged genre of contemporary crime fiction Being a debut novelist in her fifties was something Liz had only dreamed of and she counts herself lucky, whilst pinching herself regularly to make sure it’s all real.

You can contact Liz via her website https://www.lizmistry.com/

Social Media Links –

Twitter @LizMistryAuthor https://twitter.com/LizMistryAuthor

Facebook @LizMistrybooks https://www.facebook.com/LizMistrybooks  

Website https://www.lizmistry.com

With Thanks for The Advance Copy to ………………………

Rachel Gilbey

Liz Mistry

HQ Digital

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Book Review “For My Sins” by S C Cunningham

BOOK REVIEW (BLOGTOUR) NO: 183

The David Trilogy

Series

Length : 421

Publisher : Independently published

SYNOPSIS/BOOK BLURB

For My Sins 

An addictive mix of ‘Lock Stock’, ‘RocknRolla’, ‘Killing Eve’, and ‘Line of Duty’.  

Knowing his days are numbered, a seasoned criminal finds his life calling, to expose and cull the sordid underbelly of the world’s elite. Delicious, charming, cunning, avenging, David Howard escapes prison and agrees to an MI6 deal, to close down a high-profile trafficking ring in exchange for his freedom – setting a thief to catch a thief. 
 
With a target on his back, he’s helped by a rogue police unit, working behind the scenes to right cases that fall through the courts’ fingers. In an unlikely coupling, they share a goal… and will risk everything to attain it. 
 
A page-turning, cheeky, thought-provoking, at times laugh-out-loud, contemporary psycho-thriller, that comes with a warning. 
 
CAUTION 
Adult language, sex, violence, triggers. 
 

REVIEW ~ NIKI PRESTON ~ 4 STARS

As this is a trilogy I feel you really do need to read the others first. Book 3 does work well as a standalone but to get the full experience I would recommend reading all of the series.

For my Sins is a darkly compelling read with a fast pace that is often quite funny alongside the twists and darkness. A great combo and very different, A book that you don’t realise you’re speeding through as it’s holding your attention intensely throughout.

Classed as a psycho thriller that does tackle some topics that some may find triggering so take note of the warnings. I however found it epic and wished I had known about the series before. There is violence and plenty of swearing but it absolutely does belong in a story of this nature. Dark, gruesome, intense, funny and most of all superbly engaging.

Having worked in the worlds of sport, music, celebrity management, and law enforcement (CID Crime Investigator, Major Crime Team Intel Analyst, Wanted & Absconder Unit), Cunningham creates psychological thrillers with a skilled mix of fuelled tension, dark humor, and pulsating passion, offering a fresh level of sincerity and authority, rare in fiction. 
 
THE DAVID TRILOGY 
The Penance List 
Unfinished Business 
For My Sins 

Social Media Links –  

https://linktr.ee/AuthorSCCunningham

With Thanks for The Advance Copy to ……………….

Rachel Gilbey

S C Cunningham

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Book Review “The Assistant” by Amanda Reynolds

BOOK REVIEW (BLOGTOUR) NO : 182

Psychological Thriller

Standalone

Length : 342 pages

Publisher : Boldwood Books

SYNOPSIS/BOOK BLURB & purchase links

The Assistant

I know many things about Larissa.

I know what she eats, which must-have brands she applies to her face, and the price of each carefully selected ‘piece’ in her multi-million-pound home in Belgravia.

Because Ris, as she is known to her many followers, likes to share.

And now I’m here, in her home, watching her every move.

Entrusted with her secrets and running her diary from the bijou basement flat, I’m on hand to fulfil Ris’ every need. Her right-hand woman. But what she doesn’t know is why I’m really here.

I’ve put a lot on the line to get this job, and now my plan can begin.

I’ve waited long enough.

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3Wa9SY2

REVIEW ~ NIKI PRESTON ~ 3.5 STARS

The Assistant holds plenty of intrigue with the format being a set of interviews told my the main protagonist, Gail. We get a look inside the lives of the rich and bored. A self important woman, Ris who feels she needs a PA to run her life although her life revolves around, nails, hair and any other number of pampering. She broke up a marriage and is now the wife of a millionaire and laps up the lifestyle.

The characters are strongly written, especially Gail. I did take me a bit of time to get into the book but once I found my way around the interview concept it certainly held my attention. I wanted to know exactly what Gail was after. What was it about Ris that pushed Gail on to try and bring her down. The tension at times is palpable and I found Amanda Reynolds has created a great read that makes you jump between disliking Gail or really seeing everything from her point of view. Once you figure out who is saying what in the interviews you can settle in for a great read.

Author Bio –

Amanda Reynolds is the bestselling psychological suspense author whose debut novel, Close To Me, was adapted as a major six-part TV series for Channel 4 in 2021. Previously published by Headline, her books have been translated into multiple languages. Amanda lives near Cheltenham.

Social Media Links

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

Twitter https://twitter.com/amandareynoldsj

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ajreynolds2/

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amanda-reynolds 

With Thanks for the Advance Copy to ……….

Rachel Gilbey

Amanda Reynolds

Boldwood Books

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~