Tuesday 22 August 2017

The Fox of Cordovia: The Rebel Series Book 3 by Linda Weaver Clarke (2017)




In this swashbuckling romance, a sinister plot has just been uncovered and its up to a former patriot and a young nurse to discover who is behind it. Caroline is engaged to the future mayor of Laketown, a man of influence and greatly respected. But all that changes when she overhears a conspiracy behind closed doors. After being discovered, she runs for her life. Caroline needs to report her findings, but whom can she trust? When she asks Jesse Conover for help, the adventure begins.



Review 



I loved this book. It is full of adventure, drama, intrigue and suspense. We've got kidnapping plots, pirate ships, daring rescues and romance.
The author weaves an exciting tale and a sweet romance together in a way that will appeal to all readers and is suitable from age 12 up.

I realised when I started this book that I hadn't read the second in the series however, each book contains its own story without any cliffhangers and they can be enjoyed as stand alone novels.

Buy Links Amazon UK    
              Amazon US 
           Book Depository

Sunday 20 August 2017

On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service: A Royal Spyness Mystery, Book 11 by Rhys Bowen (2017) Narrated by Katherine Kellgren (2017)










A delightful new Royal Spyness Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Crowned and Dangerous.

When royal sleuth Georgie Rannoch receives a letter from her dearest friend Belinda, who’s in an Italian villa awaiting the birth of her illegitimate baby, she yearns to run to her side. If only she could find a way to get there! But then opportunity presents itself in a most unexpected way—her cousin the queen asks her to attend a house party in the Italian Lake Country. The Prince of Wales AND the dreadful Mrs. Simpson have been invited, and Her Majesty is anxious to thwart a possible secret wedding.

What luck! A chance to see Belinda, even if it is under the guise of stopping unwanted nuptials. Only that’s as far as Georgie’s fortune takes her. She soon discovers that she attended finishing school with the hostess of the party—and the hatred they had for each other then has barely dimmed. Plus, she needs to hide Belinda’s delicate condition from the other guests. And her dashing beau, Darcy is (naturally) working undercover on a dangerous mission. Then her actress mother shows up, with a not-so-little task to perform. With all this subterfuge, it seems something is bound to go horribly wrong—and Georgie will no doubt be left to pick up the pieces when it does.





Review 





Another charming escapade for Georgie and Darcy. Belinda's predicament gets resolved nicely at the end and I hope there's a HEA for her soon. The murder mystery is quite intriguing, there were plenty of suspects to choose from and keep you guessing.
The narration of this series is very good. I love the performance for Belinda but the one I'm not keen on is Darcy as he sounds too feminine and his Irish accent is dodgy.

I have enjoyed every single book in this series and if you haven't started it yet I highly recommend it....making sure to start at book one.
Buy Links Audible   Book Depository

Tuesday 15 August 2017

One Wish Away: Djinn Empire Book 1 by Ingrid Seymour (2017) Narrated by Lisa Angelini (2017)


Publisher's Information

An Amazon Bestselling series with 130+ 5-star reviews.

Romance is overrated. Marielle has had it with boys, especially after her ex turned vile. That is until Faris comes along with his deep, dark eyes and tantalizing secrets. Inevitably, he draws her in, even though she's been warned not to trust him.

But when attempts on her life begin, Marielle suspects Faris. His seductive ways and stalking episodes are a dead giveaway, right? Her heart falls into turmoil. Should she run into his arms or run away in fear? Desperately, she tries to find answers, but what she finds is a powerful monster who wants to torture her for mere pleasure's sake.

Because Marielle is right in the middle of an ancient battle between two immortal Djinn. They both want something from her.

One, her devotion. The other one, her life.

One Wish Away is a young adult paranormal series that will appeal to lovers of Hush Hush, Twilight, and the Fallen series.

Review 


I would recommend this book teens and up who like paranormal romance.

This was a fun, light read as I haven't read any Djinn themed stories before and the concept was totally new to me. I liked the characters and Marielle grew on me as she became less angry at the world around her and made selfless choices with her wishes.
I enjoyed all the teen drama at college. There was plenty of drama as Marielle faced intimidation from both real world people and others from the magical realm.
The story was very entertaining and held my attention throughout. The little touch of romance was lovely and I look forward to following on with the rest of the series.

I listened to the audio version and it is very well performed by the narrator, Lisa Angelini

Buy Links Amazon UK       Audible

Thursday 10 August 2017

You Don't Know Me by Imran Mahmood (2017)




Publisher's Information
It's easy to judge between right and wrong - isn't it?
Not until you hear a convincing truth.
Now it's up to you to decide...

An unnamed defendant stands accused of murder. Just before the Closing Speeches, the young man sacks his lawyer, and decides to give his own defence speech.
He tells us that his barrister told him to leave some things out. Sometimes, the truth can be too difficult to explain, or believe. But he thinks that if he's going to go down for life, he might as well go down telling the truth.
There are eight pieces of evidence against him. As he talks us through them one by one, his life is in our hands. We, the reader - member of the jury - must keep an open mind till we hear the end of his story. His defence raises many questions... but at the end of the speeches, only one matters:
Did he do it?

PRAISE FOR YOU DON'T KNOW ME
'An original take on a courtroom drama that puts the reader in the position of the jury. Superb character-driven fiction. Masterful' Guardian
'Startlingly original, stunning, superbly executed' DAILY MAIL
'A rollercoaster ride' GUARDIAN
'An exciting first novel, highly original, cleverly plotted and convincingly written' LITERARY REVIEW
'You Don't Know Me is a brave debut by a barrister... an impressively original courtroom drama' THE TIMES
'You'll never guess the ending' THE SUN
'A daring concept executed to perfection, a hypnotic and authentic voice, and questions for us to answer as people and readers' LEE CHILD
'An eye-opening, slick and compulsive thriller with an important message and unique writing' ADAM DEACON, actor, writer, rapper, director - star of Kidulthood and Adulthood


Review
 

I loved the fact that the story is told via 'audio transcripts' from the trial. There is only one voice and it is that of the defendant's.


I was hooked by the entire story line but I didn't have any emotional reaction nor did I feel overly sympathetic to the defendant and his circumstances although he does spin a fantastic tale.
I did enjoy the book a lot and wouldn't hesitate in recommending it.



I have noticed from talking to other readers that they didn't like the way the book ended. However, it is worth pointing out that the blurb clearly states that the reader IS the jury in this book. So, have a listen and decide for yourself....Guilty or not guilty?


I also listened to the audio version of this book and the narration is brilliant. 

 LISTEN TO THE FIRST CHAPTER FREE  from Audible UK

 Or you can download the whole book HERE