#Bookouture

[jenmedsbookreviews]

A Country Wedding Murder by Katie Gayle

Today I am delighted to share my review of the latest Julia Bird mystery from Katie Gayle, A Country Wedding Murder @KatieGayleBooks @bookouture #books #bookreview #booksontour #acountryweddingmurder #juliabird #bookstagram #booksofinstagram

I am delighted to share my review of A Country Wedding Murder, the latest book in the Julia Bird Mysteries series by Katie Gayle. I’ve really loved this series, a wonderful bit of crime laden escapism, and my thanks to publisher Bookouture for the early copy and for the tour invite. Here’s what it’s all about: Source: NetgalleyRelease Date: 13 March 2024Publisher: Bookouture Continue reading A…

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Pray for Her by Holly S. Roberts

Detective Eve Bennett #3

Strong addition to a compelling series ~ Couldn’t put it down!

What I liked:

* Eve: strong, intelligent, raised in the FLDS religious cult- escaped with the help of her mother, survivor, haunted by her past, supported by and supportive of her team, in a relationship with Clyde, confronts more than one abuser from her past, really like her * Clyde: ex-sniper, seasoned homicide detective, strong, intelligent, quiet, divorced, patient, wise, excellent at his job, there for Eve at work and outside of work, committed to the team and to Eve * Collin, Ray, Bina, and Tamm: the rest of Eve’s team chosen for their skills, personalities, backgrounds, and what they bring as individuals to make the team strong

* The team bond that is developing and how strong it proved to be when one team member was injured

* Seeing the cult through Eve’s memories and experiences as she applied this information to solving the case

* The police procedural aspects of the case and how the team managed to break through to get the answers they needed

* That some of those in the cult managed to escape * Being able to “hate” the bad guys

* Hoping there will be another book in the series and wondering what it will be about

What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like

* Thinking about how difficult it would be to live in an FLDS cult and “stay sweet”

Did I like this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

The little girl trembles as a pair of dark eyes watch her every move. She’s been told to dig a hole big enough for a body and her heart races as she wonders who it’s for. She wants to run, but she knows she’ll be caught. So she fights back tears and begins to dig… When police stop a car in the small town of Hilldale, they shudder as they pop the trunk and look inside. Covered in thick plastic, the body of a man lies totally still. In the car sit two women and a twelve-year-old girl, all refusing to speak. As Detective Eve Bennet is called in to investigate, she’s struck by the women’s calm demeanor. No stranger to the secretive local community, Eve knows the women won’t speak to her, but she’s sure she can get the young girl to tell her what happened. When twelve-year-old Beth finally opens up and begs for help, Eve’s blood runs cold. If the man in the trunk is an eminent member of the local church, as Beth says he is, they could all be in serious danger. But Eve will stop at nothing to make sure Beth is safe, and when her search leads to a family home on a quiet little street, the last thing she expects is to come face to face with someone from her own dark past. Will she face her demons and unravel the truth behind the man in the trunk? And can she save herself and Beth from the evil that haunts their lives? An absolutely thrilling crime novel from a USA Today bestselling author, perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot and Lisa Regan. You’ll be hooked from the very first page!

[annarellix]

Murder at the Highland Castle By Helena Dixon (A Miss Underhay Mystery #14)

A majestic castle by a Scottish loch, a glass of whisky by a roaring fire, stockings hung by the chimney… and a body? It’s a midwinter murder for Kitty Underhay! Winter, 1935. Lightly dusted with snow and nestled on the edge of a sweeping Scottish loch, Finnglach Castle looks positively magical. Kitty Underhay, her husband Matt and their beloved dog Bertie are delighted to be celebrating the new year with a Hogmanay party, but just after midnight, a shot rings out across the grounds…

Their host, Lord Barlas, is dead, murdered in the snow. The killer’s footprints have vanished and the gun is missing. With the snow-covered castle completely cut off, and a killer in their midst, Kitty and Matt need to work fast to find the culprit before someone else ends up dead. As the weather worsens, the guests begin discussing dark Highland stories about evil spirits. But with an anxious daughter, a new wife set to inherit a fortune and a suspicious spiritual adviser, Kitty is sure the killer is close at hand. Can she, Matt and Bertie sniff out the treacherous culprit in time for haggis and whisky or will they find themselves skating on dangerously thin ice?

Buy Link(s): https://geni.us/B0CDHGNWHYsocial

My Review:

What’s not to love in a mystery novel set at Christmas time, in an manor in the Highland, with a cast of characters that would be perfect in a Golden Age Novel, and some gothic elements?

I can find no fault and I loved this novel. I was grabbed since they arrive in the Highland and couldn’t stop reading until I read the last page in the novel.

There are secrets, twists, surprises and a lot of entertaining moments in this novel. Kitty and Matt are a great couple and I love their stories.

This one is a very good one as it’s entertaining and a page turner.

Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Author:

Helena Dixon splits her time between the Black Country and Devon. Married to the same man for over thirty-five years she has three daughters, a cactus called Spike, and a crazy cockapoo. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel and housework. She was winner of The Romance Prize in 2007 and Love Story of the Year 2010 as Nell Dixon. She now writes historical 1930's set cozy crime. 

Social Media

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

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/NellDixon

Website: http://www.nelldixon.com

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

Bookouture Email Sign Up: https://www.bookouture.com/helena-dixon

[kkecreads]

2025 Update

Hello friends! I hope this holiday season is finding you well and warm. As we plummet at a breakneck speed toward 2025, I have made some decisions about my reading and review schedule starting January 1, 2025. As of January 1, 2025 I will only be reading for authors I’ve read for previously. I will not be accepting new projects with new authors. Between working full time and going to university…

[clairekreads]

A Midwinter Murder by Verity Bright @brightverity @bookouture #booksontour #bookreview #amidwintermurder #ladyeleanorswift

Happy Saturday! Today I’m joining the #BooksOnTour for Verity Bright’s 20th Lady Eleanor Swift novel, A Midwinter Murder. Continue reading A Midwinter Murder by Verity Bright @brightverity @bookouture #booksontour #bookreview #amidwintermurder #ladyeleanorswift

[bargainsleuthbooks]

A Midwinter Murder (Eleanor Swift #20) by Verity Bright #BookReview #Bookouture #Audiobook #ARCReview #CozyMystery #HistoricalFiction

Intrepid Golden Age sleuth Eleanor Swift is back with a holiday mystery, the 20th book in the series. What a delightful cozy Golden Age mystery! #BookReview #AMidwinterMurder #NetGalley #Bookblogger #Booksky #CozyMystery #VerityBright #Bookouture

Intrepid Golden Age sleuth Eleanor Swift is back with a holiday mystery, the 20th book in the series. Most books mentioned in my reviews can be found at the affiliate links below. (Amazon US) (Kindle Unlimited) (Amazon CA) (Amazon UK)  (AbeBooks) (Barnes & Noble) (Booksamillion)  (Audible.com) (Audiobooks.com) Want to help some of my local indie bookstores? Try Bookshop.org–Book Stop or Lion’s…

[mercyfulbooks]

Her Secret Revenge

Title: Her Secret Revenge Author: Cole Baxter Publisher: Bookouture Original Publication Date: July 23rd, 2024 Source: NetGalley – Ebook Genre: Thriller Anna is at her wit’s end. Her useless husband, Paul, has just spent most of their savings in Las Vegas because he “needed a break”. A break from what exactly?: Doing nothing?!? She can’t take it anymore, but just when she decides their…

[doodlesink]

The Antique Store Detective by Clare Chase -- A Book Review

Happy Tuesday!  The Antique Store Detective by Clare Chase will be out on August 7.  Pop by to read my frank review of the first A Bella Winter Mystery.  Happy Reading!

https://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-antique-store-detective-by-clare.html

[womenusingwords]

Forbidden Girl

The details… Title ‏ : ‎ Forbidden Girl Author ‏ : ‎ Kristen Zimmer Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bookouture Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 2, 2024 Available formats ‏ : ‎ ebook, paperback, audiobook File size ‏ : ‎ 1460 KB Print length ‏ : ‎ 265 pages Audio length ‏ : ‎ 7 hours, 13 minutes; narrated by Stephanie Cannon, KellyBurke Genre ‏ : ‎ romantic thriller Themes: love, rebellion, self-discovery,…

[howdidthatbookend]

Sue Watson | The New Wife

The Book:  The New Wife by Sue WatsonPublished November 19, 2021 by BookoutureDate read: November 7, 2023 The Characters:  Georgie and her son SamTim and Helen and their daughters, Lauren and KateSam and Lauren are married, Lauren is dead ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4 out of 5. Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon This page contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made…

[jenmedsbookreviews]

36 Hours by Angela Marsons

Today on the blog I am delighted to share my thoughts on the brand new Kim Stone thriller from Angela Marsons, 36 Hours Link in bio #angelamarsons @bookouture #books #bookreview #36hours #bookstagram #crimefiction #kimstone

Oh happy day. Another Kim Stone thriller to delight us all and I’m sharing my thoughts on the book today as part of the tour. My thanks to publisher Bookouture for the advance copy, and to Kim Nash for the tour invite. Here’s what it’s all about: Source: NetgalleyRelease Date: Continue reading 36 Hours by Angela Marsons

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Remember Her Name by Lisa Regan

Detective Josie Quinn #21

Another riveting read that shares a bit more of Josie’s life with us ~ Great addition to the series!

What I liked: * The prologue with Josie new on the job and how that gruesome case eventually plays into the present

* Josie: homicide detective, survivor with huge backstory in the previous books, wife to Noah, strong, resilient, intelligent, team player, compartmentalizes, and the main character of this series

* Noah: police department lieutenant, Josie’s husband, calm, wise, good leader, sees the big picture, there for Josie in more ways than one

* Catching up with characters from previous books in the series

* The glimpse into Josie’s biological family, how they are doing, and the engagement proposal scene

* Kyle Turner: hired after Finn’s death, difficult, inappropriate, glued to his phone, seems a misfit for the team…but also seems to have a backstory I want to hear

* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing

* The police procedural aspects

* The murder mystery with its twists, turns, clues, red herrings, and eventual reveal of who the killer was, the motivation of the murders, and some interesting details that tied the story all together

* Thinking about if/when Josie and Noah might or might not adopt and how it will impact their lives

* Wondering if some of the side characters will eventually end up with romantic partners and more on-page time in the series (Luke, Sawyer, Kyle, Misty, Gretchen…

* Everything except…

What I didn’t like: * Who and what I was meant not to like

* The killer and a few others in on the killings

* The tie-in to corrupt cops and lawyers in the past and how easy it was for them to get away with things

Did I like this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

BLURB

Her heart stutters as she draws closer. A woman’s fingertips curl over the boat’s edge. Dark crimson blood clashes with the faded blue peeling paint beneath. They’re too late, the beautiful woman within has been dead for some time… Detective Josie Quinn lifts the baby from the pram, holding her close and gently soothing her. Josie scours the scene for the sweet little girl’s mother, but the park is deserted. Glancing down, something catches her eye. Nestled amongst the child’s soft pink blankets is a polaroid photo, the corner smudged with blood. The search for Cleo Tate has Josie and her team in a chokehold; the abandoned newborn needs her mother, and every second counts now lab results show the blood belongs to her. The blurred photo of a body of water is Josie’s only lead. But what does it mean? And where was it taken? The answer is just within reach, but with Cleo’s husband lying about his movements that day, Josie can’t see it. Then it finally Cold Heart Creek, a crime scene from Josie’s past that she will never forget. Josie is terrified by what she finds Cleo’s body, cold as ice, with a second photo of a new location. A twisted killer is playing a devilish game. And when Josie finds a second innocent victim at the site of a different case she solved, she begins to suspect that she herself is at the very heart of it. But why? As more bodies and more photos follow, Josie must dig deep into the secrets and mistakes of her past to get one step ahead. The link between these women is key to cracking the case. Someone wants revenge, and won’t stop until their story is told, and no one involved is left breathing. Can Josie stop them before any more precious lives are taken? And just what will it cost her? Buckle-up for a totally twisted serial-killer thriller that will keep you flipping pages until dawn. This unputdownable crime thriller from an Amazon, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author is perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.

[annarellix]

The Altar Girls by Patricia Gibney (Detective Lottie Parker #13)

The little girl looked like an angel in her thin white robe, her long black hair spread around her head like a dark halo on the snow. Her hands rested on her chest, fingers interlaced as if she had fallen asleep while praying. But she would never wake up again…

When Detective Lottie Parker receives news that a child’s body has been found in the frozen grounds of the cathedral, a shiver runs down her spine. She’s terrified it will be eight-year-old Willow Devine, reported missing that morning. But when she arrives at the cathedral, holding a photo of Willow with her blonde ponytail and gap-toothed smile, she gets a terrible shock. The body is a young girl, wrapped in a white shroud, a rosary clutched in her frozen fingers. But her hair is dark, not fair. This girl isn’t Willow but another eight-year-old, Naomi. Desperate to find a connection between the two girls and to find Willow before it is too late, Lottie speaks to the girls’ families and discovers that both girls were altar servers at the cathedral. The charismatic priest Father Maguire has a watertight alibi for the time the girls went missing, but Lottie suspects the confused old lady traumatised by the discovery of Naomi’s body is hiding something… A day later, Willow’s little body is found wrapped in a white robe in the snowy grounds of a church across town. Lottie is devastated, convinced now that she can’t trust anyone, least of all the girls’ parents. Why did Willow’s mother claim the girls didn’t know each other? And why are there no photos of Naomi in her mother’s shabby house? But when a little boy from the choir goes missing too, Lottie realises she must spread her net wider. Can she stop this twisted killer before another precious life is stolen?

Buy Link: Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CDC4V8W7social

My Review: This novel grabbed me at the first page and let me go when I reached the end. It moved, made me feel for all the victims root for Lottie, her family, and hope that Sergio could be back to a loving home. Sometimes I felt the cold, the chilly atmosphere and how the characters were damaged and hurt. It’s a tense and fast paced story, a story that moved me and I felt a lot of rage as there’s a lot of victims but some are more hurt by the adults’ choices The excellent storytelling and the short chapter made me turn pages and it was a bad case of just-another-chapter as there was a new surprising twist any time I wanted to stop reading Patricia Gibney delivers another story that keeps hooked. Moving, heartbreaking and entertaining. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Author Patricia is the million-copy bestselling author of the DI Lottie Parker series. She yearned to be a writer after reading Enid Blyton and Carolyn Keene and even wanted to be Nancy Drew when she grew up. She has now grown up (she thinks) but the closest she’s come to Nancy Drew is writing crime! In 2009, after her husband died, she retired from her job and started writing seriously. Fascinated by people and their quirky characteristics, she always carries a notebook to scribble down observations. Patricia also loves to paint in watercolour and lives in the Irish midlands with her children.

https://patriciagibney.com/ https://www.facebook.com/trisha460/ https://twitter.com/trisha460 https://www.instagram.com/patricia_gibney_author/

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Patricia Gibney here: https://www.bookouture.com/patricia-gibney

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you'll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

[kkecreads]

2025 Update

Hello friends! I hope this holiday season is finding you well and warm. As we plummet at a breakneck speed toward 2025, I have made some decisions about my reading and review schedule starting January 1, 2025. As of January 1, 2025 I will only be reading for authors I’ve read for previously. I will not be accepting new projects with new authors. Between working full time and going to university…

[clairekreads]

King Of Blood (Book 4 of Masks Of Under) by Kathryn Ann Kingsley @vodriel @bookouture #booksontour #extract #masksofunder

[bargainsleuthbooks]

A Christmas Romance in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft #BookReview #Bookouture #ARCReview #ContemporaryRomance

Is it too early to talk about Christmas? Sorry, not sorry, I delved into A Christmas Romance in the Scottish Highlands. This modern retelling of Cinderella ticked all the boxes for me. #BookReview #Bookouture #ChristmasRomance #ScottishHighlands

I’ve been MIA for a few weeks due to a lot of personal reasons, but luckily for you, I recently found some time to write up more book reviews. Most books mentioned in my reviews can be found at the affiliate links below or try your local library! (Amazon US) (Kindle Unlimited) (Amazon CA) (Amazon UK)  (AbeBooks) (Barnes & Noble) (Booksamillion)  (Audible.com)…