Blog Tour Review-Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

Publisher: Berkley

Published: March 17, 2020

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Source: E-ARC

Rating: 3 stars

GOODREADS

Blurb:
Sharp Objects meets My Lovely Wife in this tightly drawn debut that peels back the layers of the most complicated of mother-daughter relationships...

For the first eighteen years of her life, Rose Gold Watts believed she was seriously ill. She was allergic to everything, used a wheelchair and practically lived at the hospital. Neighbors did all they could, holding fundraisers and offering shoulders to cry on, but no matter how many doctors, tests, or surgeries, no one could figure out what was wrong with Rose Gold.

Turns out her mom, Patty Watts, was just a really good liar.

After serving five years in prison, Patty gets out with nowhere to go and begs her daughter to take her in. The entire community is shocked when Rose Gold says yes.

Patty insists all she wants is to reconcile their differences. She says she's forgiven Rose Gold for turning her in and testifying against her. But Rose Gold knows her mother. Patty Watts always settles a score.

Unfortunately for Patty, Rose Gold is no longer her weak little darling...

And she's waited such a long time for her mother to come home.

Review:
This has to be one the creepiest books I’ve read this year. Granted, we’re only so many days into the new year but still—THIS IS ONE THE CREEPIEST (and dare I say grossest?) BOOKS I’VE READ THIS YEAR. Sorry, but it bears repeating. At the end, I was left feeling majorly uncomfortable. If truth be told, the whole entire book make me feel that way.

Told in alternate POVs—Rose Gold and Patty—in past and present. We are told the story of Rose Gold in the aftermath of her mother going to prison for five years. Then the present and after prison in Patty’s own voice. Being stuck in these two characters was a doozy and as I mentioned before, a bit uncomfortable. But I was hooked. It reminded me of the Gypsy Blanchard case. When I saw the documentary to that, I got the same sick feeling I got while reading this.

I had to know all the secrets the book was bound to tell us—and the only way to do that was to keep reading. The story was interesting enough to keep my mind occupied the entire time. The lovely mother and daughter duo were unreliable ad they come—both had secrets and agendas only known to them. I didn’t know what else to think except for the fact that they were as unpleasant as they seemed.

In the end, the story held its own and kept my attention throughout. There were only a handful of times that I had to stop reading because some things were just a little too much for me. To some it might not be a big deal, but for me, it just made me feel gross inside. If you're looking for a thriller to read this year, let this one be put on the top of your list. It may have been a little predictable at times, but it was good read.

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are subjective but my own.

Buy the book:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

About the author:
Stephanie Wrobel grew up in Chicago but has been living in the UK for the last three years with her husband and dog, Moose Barkwinkle. She has an MFA from Emerson College and has had short fiction published in Bellevue Literary Review. Before turning to fiction, she worked as a creative copywriter at various advertising agencies.

Darling Rose Gold (US & Canada)/The Recovery of Rose Gold (UK) is her first novel, coming March 17, 2020.

Have you read The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanan

I listened to The Wife Between US last year on audio. It was trippy, thrilling, and absolutely bonkers! It had everything you could want in a thriller and more. That ending… If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading it, I recommend doing so now. Then come back and comment what you thought about the whole thing in the comments below.

Published: January 9, 2018

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Check out what reviewers are saying here!

Blurb:

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous ex-wife.
You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement – a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love.
You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle.
Assume nothing.

Twisted and deliciously chilling, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's The Wife Between Us exposes the secret complexities of an enviable marriage - and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

Read between the lies. 

Buy the book:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

About the authors:

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen are the co-authors of the blockbuster New York Times bestseller, THE WIFE BETWEEN US, as well as the forthcoming, AN ANONYMOUS GIRL. AN ANONYMOUS GIRL has been optioned for a television series by eOne, with Sarah and Greer executive producing. THE WIFE BETWEEN US has been optioned for film by Amblin Entertainment, with Sarah and Greer screenwriting the adaptation.

Review—The Glass Forest by Cynthia Swanson

Publisher: Touchstone 

Published: February 6, 2018

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Source: E-ARC

Rating: 3 Stars

GOODREADS

Blurb:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Bookseller comes a gripping literary suspense novel set in the 1960s about a deeply troubled family and three women who will reveal its dark truths.

In the autumn of 1960, Angie Glass is living an idyllic life in her Wisconsin hometown. At twenty-one, she’s married to charming, handsome Paul, and has just given birth to a baby boy. But one phone call changes her life forever.

When Paul’s niece, Ruby, reports that her father, Henry, has committed suicide, and that her mother, Silja, is missing, Angie and Paul drop everything and fly to the small upstate town of Stonekill, New York to be by Ruby’s side.

Angie thinks they’re coming to the rescue of Paul’s grief-stricken young niece, but Ruby is a composed and enigmatic seventeen-year-old who resists Angie’s attempts to nurture her. As Angie learns more about the complicated Glass family, staying in Henry and Silja’s eerie and ultra-modern house on the edge of the woods, she begins to question the very fabric of her own marriage.

Through Silja’s flashbacks, Angie’s discovery of astonishing truths, and Ruby’s strategic dissection of her parents’ state of affairs, a story of love, secrets, and ultimate betrayal is revealed.

Review:
Hmm...that was not at all what I expected. I’d like to point out that if you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller/mystery aspect, you aren’t going to get it with this book. It’s achingly slow. To the point I almost stopped reading a few times. The twists are interesting but way too predictable. The ending left me...jarred. I have to say, The Glass Forest is creepy as hell. 

The storyline follows Angie, a 21 year old newlywed and mother, Ruby, a teenager and child of our last narrator, Silja. Silja and Angie are sister-in-laws to the charming and Cary Grant look-a-like, Paul and Henry. There are so many secrets surrounding these characters and one thing I truly did love about it, was the fact that it was so character driven. It was just too slow for my liking. 

There’s so much I could say about the book but it’s hard when anything I do write and say could potentially ruin the book for you, if you do plan on reading. The author writes very well, and great enough to keep my interest. While it wasn’t as fast as I would have liked, it still was decent. Let me know what you think about the book below! And if you finished hit up my email so we can discuss. 

*Thank you the publisher for providing a copy for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Buy the Book:
Amazon
Amazon UK

About the Author:
Cynthia Swanson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Bookseller, which is soon to be a motion picture starring Julia Roberts. An Indie Next selection and the winner of the 2016 WILLA Award for Historical Fiction, The Bookseller is being translated into over a dozen languages. Cynthia's second novel, The Glass Forest, released from Touchstone / Simon & Schuster in February 2018. She lives with her family in Denver, Colorado.

Review—Just Between Us by Rebecca Drake

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Published: January 9, 2017

Genre: Suspense 

Source: Finished copy 

Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads

Blurb:
Four suburban mothers and friends conspire to cover up a deadly crime in this heart-stopping novel of suspense in the tradition of Lisa Scottoline and Lisa Unger.
Alison, Julie, Sarah, Heather. Four friends living the suburban ideal. Their jobs are steady, their kids are healthy. They’re as beautiful as their houses. But each of them has a dirty little secret, and hidden behind the veneer of their perfect lives is a crime and a mystery that will consume them all.
Everything starts to unravel when Alison spots a nasty bruise on Heather’s wrist. She shares her suspicions with Julie and Sarah, compelling all three to investigate what looks like an increasingly violent marriage. As mysterious injuries and erratic behavior mount, Heather can no longer deny the abuse, but she refuses to leave her husband. Desperate to save her, Alison and the others dread the phone call telling them that she’s been killed. But when that call finally comes, it’s not Heather who’s dead. In a moment they’ll come to regret, the women must decide what lengths they’ll go to in order to help a friend.

Just Between Us is a thrilling glimpse into the underbelly of suburbia, where not all neighbors can be trusted, and even the closest friends keep dangerous secrets. You never really know what goes on in another person’s mind, or in their marriage.

Review:

“This is the way of fate—all of these pieces that must slot into place, one leading to the other, a progression toward a conclusion that seems inevitable only after the fact.”

O. M. G. That was seriously messed up—but in a good way! I knew once I’d been contacted to read and review the book, that I would enjoy it. ‘Just Between Us’ tells the story of four friends that are tested when they notice one of their friends is in need of saving. What happens when said friend doesn’t want any help being saved? More importantly, the question begs to be answered—what would you do as a human being if you noticed someone you love was being hurt? Things are not always what they seem.

“You never know what happens behind closed doors.”

This quote in the story is very true, I’ve come to find. Do we ever really know someone? Like truly know everything? In this particular thriller, we follow Allison, Sarah, Julie, and Heather. These four became friends and bonded over their love of coffee and having children around the same age. One day, Allison, being the observant one, notices bruises that look very much like finger marks on Heather’s wrist. Which could only mean one thing—she’s being abused. It’s confirmed when Heather makes up a bogus excuse as to why it’s there. Cue Allison, Julie, and Sarah all becoming deeply suspicious.

There’s even more proof as the weeks go by. The three friends want nothing more to help their damsel in distress. But again, you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. Then one night changes absolutely everything. Who can the women trust? Are they being watched? So many questions that I just had to get to the bottom of! I felt like I was reading the adult version to Pretty Little Liars, except with a better story line. (This is not a knock on PPL, I love those books too!)

I stayed up all night to read. It was one of those instances where I knew I would love the book from the very first page. Overall, I think readers will love this fast-paced thriller that keeps you on your toes. The novel touches heavily on friendship. I liked that a lot. It showed us all the high and lows that come when people are faced with tragedy. While a bit predictable at times, I was still surprised with the ending revelations. I now feel like I need a new suspense novel to tide me over until I get my fix!

“We are all the damned and we are all the saved.”

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Buy the Book:

Amazon 

Amazon UK

About the Author:
Rebecca Drake moves to hardcover with her breakout psychological thriller ONLY EVER YOU. She is the author of three other suspense novels, DON’T BE AFRAID, THE NEXT KILLING, and THE DEAD PLACE, as well as the short story, Loaded, which was featured in PITTSBURGH NOIR. She is a Penn State grad and an instructor in Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction M.F.A. program. A native New Yorker, Rebecca has also lived in Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Qatar and currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and two children.

Review- THE PASSENGER by Lisa Lutz

 

Publisher: Simon & Shuster

Pub.Date: March 1, 2016

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Source: Print ARC from publisher 

Rating: 3.5 Stars

GOODREADS

Blurb:

From the author of the New York Timesbestselling Spellman Files series, Lisa Lutz’s latest blistering thriller is about a woman who creates and sheds new identities as she crisscrosses the country to escape her past: you’ll want to buckle up for the ride!

In case you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it...

Forty-eight hours after leaving her husband’s body at the base of the stairs, Tanya Dubois cashes in her credit cards, dyes her hair brown, demands a new name from a shadowy voice over the phone, and flees town. It’s not the first time.

She meets Blue, a female bartender who recognizes the hunted look in a fugitive’s eyes and offers her a place to stay. With dwindling choices, Tanya-now-Amelia accepts. An uneasy―and dangerous―alliance is born.

It’s almost impossible to live off the grid today, but Amelia-now-Debra and Blue have the courage, the ingenuity, and the desperation, to try. Hopscotching from city to city, Debra especially is chased by a very dark secret…can she outrun her past?

With heart-stopping escapes and devious deceptions, The Passenger is an amazing psychological thriller about defining yourself while you pursue your path to survival. One thing is certain: the ride will leave you breathless. 

Review-

'The Passenger' is one of those books that has an unreliable narrator. You don't know what or who to believe, and the main character only lets you know what they want you to know. In this case, our MC is a woman by the name of Tanya, who flees her home, after her husband falls from a flight stairs and dies. Tanya then works on changing her whole identity and moves to get away from who we think she is.

Because Tanya has been keeping secrets. The reader is then left in the dark and taken on a while ride as "Tanya" takes on several different identities. The most prominent to me was when she met "Blue". Another woman who sees a kind of brokenness in "Tanya" as she sees in herself. Blue...was an interesting character. In fact, she kind of scared me at times. In the end, she did become a character that I felt was very well written and multidimensional. 

I think that reviewing this book is a bit hard because I feel if I say too much, I may give things away and spoil the story for potential readers. The plot twists are done with clever thoughtfulness that will take you on a wild ride. The last time I felt so unsure of a main character was when I read 'The Girl on the Train' and that one took me for a doozy. 

While Tanya was also a multidimensional character, I couldn't bring myself to like or trust her. I don't know if this is exactly what the author wants or not, but if so, job well done! Overall, I really enjoyed this suspenseful masterpiece full of so much uncertainty. I think booklovers alike will also enjoy 'The Passenger' and all of its glory into the deception. Where you won't know what hit you when you finally learn the truth. 

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Buy the Book:

Amazon- http://amzn.to/1oUfjLH

Amazon UK- http://amzn.to/1RgYPnb (March 15, 2016)

About the author:

Lisa Lutz is the New York Times bestselling author of the six books in the Spellman series, How to Start a Fire, Heads you Lose (with David Hayward), and the children's book, How to Negotiate Everything (illustrated by Jaime Temairik). Her latest book, The Passenger, a psychological thriller, will be published March 2016 by Simon and Schuster. Lutz has won the Alex award and has been nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel.

Although she attended UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, the University of Leeds in England, and San Francisco State University, she still does not have a bachelor's degree. Lisa spent most of the 1990s hopping through a string of low-paying odd jobs while writing and rewriting the screenplay Plan B, a mob comedy. After the film was made in 2000, she vowed she would never write another screenplay. Lisa lives in the Hudson Valley, NY.

Review: The Widow by Fiona Barton

Publisher: NAL

Pub. Date: February 16, 2016

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Source: Print ARC

Rating: 4 Stars

GOODREADS

Blurb:
 For fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, an electrifying thriller that will take you into the dark spaces that exist between a husband and a wife.

When the police started asking questions, Jean Taylor turned into a different woman. One who enabled her and her husband to carry on, when more bad things began to happen...

But that woman’s husband died last week. And Jean doesn’t have to be her anymore.

There’s a lot Jean hasn’t said over the years about the crime her husband was suspected of committing. She was too busy being the perfect wife, standing by her man while living with the accusing glares and the anonymous harassment.

Now there’s no reason to stay quiet. There are people who want to hear her story. They want to know what it was like living with that man. She can tell them that there were secrets. There always are in a marriage.

The truth—that’s all anyone wants. But the one lesson Jean has learned in the last few years is that she can make people believe anything…

Review:
I didn't expect The Widow to be quite so dark but that's what I got. Fair warning, this is about a woman standing by her husband after he's accused of kidnapping a beautiful little girl, Bella. It's also about the disgusting but very realistic look at predators on the Internet. The reason I want to give you a fair warning though, is because the husband, Glen, not only is he accused of the kidnapping but the guy is into disturbing images of child pornagraphy. He likes the type of porn where a woman will dress up as a child... No other commented needed. It all speaks for itself.

Throughout the novel, we get to see most of book through the eyes of his wife, Jean, who knows something is wrong but let's herself get charmed out of it when Glen blames everyone but himself for the deplorable images he likes to see and watch. But see that she truly believes he's innocent. Is he? Could her husband truly be this big of a monster? To prey on baby girls? More importantly, if this was your husband, would you be able to stand by his side every step of the way despite the fact that the world thinks of him as a child killer; a pedophile?

I was on the edge of my seat pretty much through the whole book. At one point I believed I knew what had happened. I was wrong, in a way. But some of my suspicions were confirmed towards the end of the book. To say I was beyond disgusted is an understatement. This kind of stuff isn't really that eye opening to me but with the internet you just never know. It's the perfect place for child predators to hide behind and do the things that they do. Things I won't allow myself to imagine.

The early reviews are saying the book is an equivalent to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train; The Widow definitely delivers but in its own right. I will say that the tone does match those two books in which they all will keep you reading until the very end. I liked the fact that we also got see things from the reporter, detective, and Bella's mom's point of view. It let us see all different kinds of angles of the book.

I, one hundred percent believe, that The Widow will be a fan favorite. You'll get to delve into the human mind and see the darker parts when it comes to sex, marriage, and deadly desires.

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Buy the Books!

Amazon

Amazon UK

About the Author:

My career has taken some surprising twists and turns over the years. I have been a journalist - senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at The Mail on Sunday, where I won Reporter of the Year at the National Press Awards, gave up my job to volunteer in Sri Lanka and since 2008, have trained and worked with exiled and threatened journalists all over the world.

But through it all, a story was cooking in my head.

The worm of this book infected me long ago when, as a national newspaper journalist covering notorious crimes and trials, I found myself wondering what the wives of those accused really knew – or allowed themselves to know.

It took the liberation of my career change to turn that fascination into a tale of a missing child, narrated by the wife of the man suspected of the crime, the detective leading the hunt, the journalist covering the case and the mother of the victim.

Much to my astonishment and delight, The Widow is available now in the UK, and around the world in the coming months.

However, the sudden silence of my characters feels like a reproach and I am currently working on a second book.

My husband and I are living the good life in south-west France, where I am writing in bed, early in the morning when the only distraction is our cockerel, Sparky, crowing.

Review- DARKEST BEFORE DAWN (KGI, #10) by Maya Banks

Publisher: Berkeley 

Pub. Date: October 27, 2015

Genre: Romantic Suspense 

Source: Print ARC

Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads- http://bit.ly/1LV4RIc

Blurb:

THE ALL-NEW KGI NOVEL from the “incredibly awesome" (Jaci Burton) #1 New York Times bestselling author of When Day Breaks.

The Kelly Group International (KGI): A super-elite, top secret, family-run business.
Qualifications: High intelligence, rock-hard body, military background.
Mission: Hostage/kidnap victim recovery. Intelligence gathering. Handling jobs the U.S. government can’t...

The enigmatic Hancock has been both opponent and ally to the KGI teams for as long as they've known him. Always working a deep game, Hancock's true allegiance has never been apparent, but one thing is for certain—he never lets anything get in the way of duty.

But now, his absolute belief in the primacy of his ultimate goal is challenged by a captive he's been ordered to guard, no matter how much she suffers in her prison. She's the only woman who's ever managed to penetrate the rigid walls surrounding his icy heart, but will he allow his perplexing feelings for the beautiful victim to destroy a mission he's spent years working to complete or will he be forced to sacrifice her for “the greater good.”

Review:

The only other KGI book I've read is The Darkest Hour, which I absolutely adored. I instantly fell in love with all the characters. Darkest Before Dawn was action packed until the very end, not overly romantic, and hella hard to put down. Hancock is...all man; lethal and downright vicious. Obviously, that makes him very sexy. I enjoyed being able to get to know him more in this book. 

Honor, the main female of the story was not my favorite of characters, but I still liked her well enough. I feel like her character was too perfect...she had no flaws. I wasn't able to connect with her for that reason alone. Honor is a relief working, working in the cusps of the Middle East; war zone area. The clinic that she's been working at was bombed by terrorists, leaving Honor alone, hungry, 
and in pain. 

Enter Hancock. Hancock and his team have been sent to rescue Honor but once he finds her, he doesn't take her home to safety like she thought. Instead, he has other plans that involve putting Honor at risk. The more find he spends with her, the more his wall starts to break down enough to start letting her in. Will these two characters be able to beat the odds? 

Overall, i think the story was a thrilling ride until the very end. New and old readers of the series will fall apart then fall in love when they read this epic story of learning to let go and let in. 

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Buy links:

Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/ohnrepf

Amazon Mass Market Paperback: http://tinyurl.com/nb6ll6p

Nook: http://tinyurl.com/qy3cr2a

B&N Mass Market Paperback: http://tinyurl.com/q2eum4f

iBooks: http://tinyurl.com/o4sosjz

BAM: http://tinyurl.com/oes3o9b

IndieBound: http://tinyurl.com/p6eq9s5

Google: http://tinyurl.com/njj2ffk

About the Author:

Maya Banks is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today and international bestselling author of over 50 novels. A wife and mother of three, she lives in Texas.

Blog Tour Review + Giveaway: THE BONES OF YOU by Debbie Howells

Publisher: Kensington

Publication: June 30, 2015

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Source: e-Arc

Rating: 4 Stars

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1RraDWu

Blurb:
A stunning, wonderfully assured psychological thriller that evokes Gillian Flynn and Alice Sebold, The Bones of You revolves around a young girl’s murder and one woman’s obsession with uncovering the secrets in an idyllic English village.

I have a gardener’s inherent belief in the natural order of things. Soft‑petalled flowers that go to seed. The resolute passage of the seasons. Swallows that fly thousands of miles to follow the eternal summer.

Children who don’t die before their parents.

When Kate receives a phone call with news that Rosie Anderson is missing, she’s stunned and disturbed. Rosie is eighteen, the same age as Kate’s daughter, and a beautiful, quiet, and kind young woman. Though the locals are optimistic—girls like Rosie don’t get into real trouble—Kate’s sense of foreboding is confirmed when Rosie is found fatally beaten and stabbed.

Who would kill the perfect daughter, from the perfect family? Yet the more Kate entwines herself with the Andersons—graceful mother Jo, renowned journalist father Neal, watchful younger sister Delphine—the more she is convinced that not everything is as it seems. Anonymous notes arrive, urging Kate to unravel the tangled threads of Rosie’s life and death, though she has no idea where they will lead.

Weaving flashbacks from Rosie’s perspective into a tautly plotted narrative, The Bones of You is a gripping, haunting novel of sacrifices and lies, desperation and love.

Review:
 "Everyone has a destiny. Rosie told me she knows what hers is. She's known for awhile. She told me she's going to die."

I'm a huge fan of a good thriller and for the most part I really enjoyed this book. It had a bit of a slow start and I'll admit that the in the beginning the constant switching of pov would confuse me. It just felt like the booked jumped around an awful lot. Usually I can read different pov that switch suddenly with no problem what so ever, but in this case it made it difficult for me to read. Maybe the e-arc that I had made the book's formatting unbearable but for a second there I wasn't sure I would even be able to finish the book.

Thank goodness I did! The second half of the book was much better in my opinion and had some gasp-worthy moments. I guessed pretty early on who I thought the killer was but I think that the author may want us to know who it is from the very beginning. It was still shocking all the same when it finally came to light what really happened that fateful night. I'll even admit I shed a tear or two. I'm definitely one of those readers who feels very deeply when reading, so when I read about what happened, it broke my heart. The Bones of You deals with abuse; emotional, physical, and some sexual. At times it was hard to read because victims of any type of abuse is just a touchy subject for me personally. It hit a huge nerve that made me angry.

Rosie, the young girl who has gone missing, is one of the pov's that we follow. Although we go back in time and see what her life was like growing up. It wasn't such a great life. Rosie saw things that no child should ever have to see and she had things happen to her that should have never happened to her either. But it did. From the outside looking in, she and her family have the perfect life. Everyone knows though, that there is no such thing as perfect. Along with Rosie, we meet Kate. And it's up to her to help figure out what it is that happened to Rosie. Along the way, we see and learn that things aren't always what they seem. At all.

Overall, I think this was a great book. It's full of easy enough characters to like and the plot was just right. I look forward to reading more from the author. I hope that she has more thrillers coming out because I'm always looking for the next one to read that will keep me up reading at all hours of the night.

*Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a copy for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

AUTHOR Q&A WITH DEBBIE HOWELLS:

1.       When did you start writing?

I began writing in earnest about five years ago, women’s fiction which was what I liked to read.  But I also wanted to write books that addressed more serious real-life issues as well.  I think with Wildflowers I achieved that. It’s had some wonderful reviews on Amazon, but though 6 agents asked to read the full manuscript, no-one actually took me on.

The Bones of You is a change of genre.  How did you come to write it?

I’d put everything I had into Wildflowers and it came so close, but not close enough.  I knew then I had to write something different.  Everyone says, write about what you know about.  I think that’s true, but I think also, you have to appeal to the market.  That said, I don’t think it’s possible to write without your heart one hundred per cent in it.

Were you surprised with the reaction you got from agents and publishers?

Completely blown away!  It was beyond my wildest dreams.  There are phone calls and emails from that time that I will never, ever forget.  When you’ve worked so hard for so long, battled rejection but kept going anyway, to reach the point where I’m being published is something I’m so excited about – and enormously grateful for.

 
What advice do you have for other writers?

There are so many brilliant, unpublished writers out there.  Finding an agent and a publisher mean you have to write a good book, but it takes luck, too - in spadefuls -  to hit the right person with the right idea when the market’s right… It’s also a massively subjective industry.  What one person loves, another wouldn’t give the time of day to.  And no-one can predict tomorrow’s bestsellers.

If you can’t find an agent to take you on, consider self-publishing.  A number of authors have had huge success this way and in any case, you learn from it.  Then keep writing – the next book, the one after.  If you don’t, you’ll never know...

 
Have you written your next book?

I finished it just before Christmas.  It’s another psychological thriller about not just what we hide from other people, but from ourselves, too.  It’s about a washed-up lawyer and a woman he used to love, who’s suspected of a murder.  He’s determined to prove her innocence but an overdose has left her in a coma. As well as a thriller, it’s also a love story. 

 


Buy Links:
Amazon US- http://amzn.to/1LNbOvt
Amazon UK- http://amzn.to/1KBd1ZQ

About the Author:
Debbie self-published three commercial women's fiction novels before writing The Bones of You, her first psychological thriller.
She now writes full time from her home, in a small West Sussex village where she lives with her family.

Head here for the giveaway: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/bb0ebfb15/

ARC Review: Duplicity by N.K. Traver

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Expected Publication Date: March 17, 2015

Genre: Cyber thriller

Source: Print ARC

Rating: 4 Stars

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK

in private, 17-year-old Brandon hacks bank accounts for thousands of dollars just for the hell of it. In public, he looks like any other tattooed bad boy with a fast car and devil-may-care attitude. He should know, he’s worked hard to maintain that façade. With inattentive parents who move cities every two years, he’s learned not to get tangled up in friends and relationships. So he’ll just keep living like a machine, all gears and wires.

Then two things shatter his carefully-built image: Emma, the kind, preppy girl who insists on looking beneath the surface — and the small matter of a mirror reflection that starts moving by itself. Not only does Brandon’s reflection have a mind of its own, but it seems to be grooming him for something— washing the dye from his hair, yanking out his piercings, swapping his black shirts for … pastels. Changes he can’t explain to his classmates, who think he’s having an identity crisis, and certainly not to nosy Emma. Then Brandon’s reflection tells him: it thinks it can live his life better, and it’s preparing to trade places.                 

                           

And when it pulls Brandon through the looking-glass, not only will he need all his ill-gotten hacking skills to escape, but he’ll have to face some hard truths about who he’s become. Otherwise he’ll be stuck in a digital hell until he’s old and gray, and Emma and his parents won't even know he's gone.

Review:
Duplicity is a fast-paced and witty novel. Brandon is a super hacker and he doesn't care about anything or anybody. Especially Emma, the girl who he may or may not have feelings for deep down inside. What happens when you feel as if you're constantly hallucinating? Such as seeing you're reflection in the mirror blinking or when the said reflection starts changing you. Clearly you aren't in your right mind, yeah? Well, Brandon is being stalked and it's scaring the living crap outta him.

The reflection, who Brandon calls Obran(other Brandon) is slowly trying to prepare Brandon for "the trade". What does that even mean? You find out later on in the book "why" Brandon's reflection is moving all on its own. Once that part of the story hits, it starts getting all hacker talk and I'll admit...I didn't understand some things. Okay, I didn't understand a lot of things. But it didn't stop me from reading and turning the pages. In all honesty, I couldn't turn them fast enough. I found a story told from the "bad-boy" pov refreshing.

Brandon has piercings everywhere, tattoos, and he has the attitude to match being a bad boy. There's some underlining vulnerability though with a hint of wanting to be noticed. Particularly by his parents, who don't seem to act as parents should. I loved that we got to see the story from his pov. Brandon is unique and isn't all as bad as he may seem. Then there's the beautiful Emma, who cares too much for a boy that won't allow himself to feel the same.

Going into the book, I had no idea how much I was going to love it. When reading the synopsis, it's not really a book that I'd normally read but it truly surprised me. The whole concept isn't one that I found totally believable but I was still entertained. If you're looking for a great read, try Duplicity from this debut author. Yes, I said it, this is the author's first book! I look forward to reading more from Travers.

Review copy received from publishers for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

Early Reviews:

"I absolutely loved this novel! Original. Pitch perfect voice. A stunning debut. I'm jealous. N.K. Traver knocks it out of the park. A must read. I. Could. Not. Put. It down.” —Roland Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Peak and the I, Q series

“N.K. Traver's Duplicity is an intriguing, fast-paced read. It's the dark, malevolent-mirror-filled soul baby of Tron and The Matrix that I never knew I wanted. Don't miss it!” —Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood

“Duplicity is an incredibly unique, fast-paced debut. I've never read a story quite like it! With a clever writing style and satisfying hints of humor, N.K. Traver knocks this one out of the park! I can't wait to have a copy of it on my shelf. This is a great debut that will be sure to suck in both male and female readers. It kept me thinking, even after I finished the last page.” —Lindsay Cummings, author of The Murder Complex
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a freshman at the University of Colorado, N.K. Traver decided to pursue Information Technology because classmates said, “no one could make a living,” with an English degree. It wasn’t too many years later Traver realized it didn’t matter what the job paid—nothing would ever be as fulfilling as writing. Programmer by day, writer by night, it was only a matter of time before the two overlapped. N.K. Traver lives in Colorado.

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