Tag: Thriller

Blog Tour Review: One: Rage Vengeance Murder – K. J. McGillick

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Today’s blog tour post features my review of One: Rage Vengeance Murder by K. J. McGillick, the last book in the Path of Deception and Betrayal series. You may have gathered at this point that I am a huge fan of this author and her books. She writes crime thrillers so well that they keep you hooked chapter after chapter! If you haven’t seen any of my reviews or heard anything about the Path of Deception and Betrayal series, here’s a link to my last review of the second book in the series, Two.

Once again, let me say thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising the tour, as well as the author for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

 

One: Rage Vengeance Murder – K. J. McGillick

Goodreads – One: Rage Vengeance Murder

A stolen life. A Faustian bargain. Prey becomes predator.

Azar Abed is out for revenge for the life Dr. Adrian Armond stole from her. No matter what the cost. Adrien Armond will stop at nothing to recover the massive fortune Azar Abed embezzled from him. Neither will walk away until the other is dead. Someone’s going to die, that is for certain.

Personal revenge gets caught up in a bio-terror plot to crash the world’s economy as darkness spirals into darkness and terror is the order of the day. Azar Abed and Adrien Armond are on a collision course that could have catastrophic consequences on a global scale.

Who will kill who first? Will it be enough? Can anyone stop the bio-terror plot to destroy the world’s economy that is already in motion? Does anyone have enough humanity left even to try?

Set against a backdrop of Washington, DC, ONE is a heart pounding-psychological thriller pitting greed against greed in a cat-and-mouse game where vengeance is the only prize. It can be read as a standalone, or as the conclusion to events begun in its predecessor, TWO. It concludes the Path of Deception and Betrayal series.

 

Purchase Links – Amazon UK     Amazon US

 

My Thoughts…

Events from previous books come together in a near-catastrophic crescendo in this last instalment of the series. One is a twisty tale with a sharp focus on the destructive nature of two corrupt individuals, each out for revenge against the other. One has harvested organs from those desperate enough to seek favour and a better life, all for financial gain. The other is plotting to unleash dangerous bio-weapons on the population of Earth, culling the planet of useless mouths that drain on society and gain from a stock market crash.

I was sucked into the story quickly. K J McGillick’s writing is very easy and enjoyable to read. I have pointed something out with every book I have reviewed, but for a good reason. Her medical, legal and art history knowledge shines through throughout her novels. I have the advantage of working in an investments industry, so I particularly enjoyed the economical aspects of the plot. In my opinion, you don’t need any advanced knowledge of the topics brought up; I think it is all explained simply.

One: Rage Vengeance Murder maintains the use of multiple character perspectives to bring together the thriller narrative. Overall, I think we actually get a greater insight into the minds of the corrupt individuals in this final book of the series. I personally feel their characters get a little more exposure to the reader than the previous books. Since the narrative is driven by them, I actually really enjoyed this! We have been introduced to all of the characters previously; I already felt I had somewhat of a rapport with them going into the book.

I had no idea how K. J. McGillick was going to pull together all the threads of this tale, but I was impressed by the ending. I didn’t anticipate it at all, which for me is a sure sign of a great thriller mystery novel!

 

Author Bio

K. J. McGillick was born in New York and once she started to walk she never stopped running. But that’s what New Yorker’s do. Right? A Registered Nurse, a lawyer now author.

As she evolved so did her career choices. After completing her graduate degree in nursing, she spent many years in the university setting sharing the dreams of the enthusiastic nursing students she taught. After twenty rewarding years in the medical field she attended law school and has spent the last twenty-four years as an attorney helping people navigate the turbulent waters of the legal system. Not an easy feat. And now? Now she is sharing the characters she loves with readers hoping they are intrigued by her twisting and turning plots and entertained by her writing

 

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/KJMcGillickauthor/

Kathleen McGillick

@KJMcGillickAuth

http://www.kjmcgillick.com/

https://twitter.com/KJMcGillickAuth

https://www.goodreads.com/Kmcgillick

Reading List – February 2020

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January passed by in a whirlwind – I can’t believe I am here sharing my next monthly TBR already! Aside from one DNF, January was a good month for me! I managed to read 7 books in their entirety, as well as finish an audiobook from last year! I’m hoping for an equally productive February. I have already started this month’s TBR, so fingers crossed!

What am I reading this month? I have a number of blog tours lined up, as well as a couple more books on the list that will contribute to my Beat the Backlist challenge.

 

One – K. J. McGillick

Goodreads – One

A stolen life. A Faustian bargain. Prey becomes predator.

Azar Abed’s veiled memories of her childhood were too dark and traumatic to revive. Raised by the man who murdered her mother she moves through life numb and emotionally bankrupt. That is until her father goes one step too far. With the help of his business partner, Dr. Adrien Armond, her father implements a plan to steal her life to save his own. Their downfall? Her survival.

Her obsession to extract retribution leads her into a dark abyss of rage. Azar and her lover devise a plan to upend global economies but her need for vengeance compels her to take it one step further. Biological weapons of mass destruction are on her agenda and innocent bystanders become collateral damage. Would the few that see it coming have the resources to stop the plan already in motion.

 

One is the first book I have picked up this month… and with good reason! I’m taking part in theblog tour for this third instalment in the Path of Deception and Betrayal. On Saturday. Yep, it’s coming around quickly, although in fairness I’m making reasonable progress with it. I just read the previous book Two in a matter of days, so I’m sure I’ll have this read in no time!

I can’t wait to see how this particular series ends and how all the novels tie together!

 

The Mentor – Lee Matthew Goldberg

Goodreads – The Mentor

Kyle Broder has achieved his lifelong dream and is an editor at a major publishing house.

When Kyle is contacted by his favorite college professor, William Lansing, Kyle couldn’t be happier.

Kyle has his mentor over for dinner to catch up and introduce him to his girlfriend, Jamie, and the three have a great time. When William mentions that he’s been writing a novel, Kyle is overjoyed. He would love to read the opus his mentor has toiled over.

Until the novel turns out to be not only horribly written, but the most depraved story Kyle has read.

After Kyle politely rejects the novel, William becomes obsessed, causing trouble between Kyle and Jamie, threatening Kyle’s career, and even his life. As Kyle delves into more of this psychopath’s work, it begins to resemble a cold case from his college town, when a girl went missing. William’s work is looking increasingly like a true crime confession.

Lee Matthew Goldberg’s The Mentor is a twisty, nail-biting thriller that explores how the love of words can lead to a deadly obsession with the fate of all those connected and hanging in the balance.

 

Doesn’t this thriller sound fantastic? Well, I think so and that’s what matters! I am also reading The Mentor as part of a blog tour this month. This particular tour is a first for me, as I haven’t toured with Blackthorn Book Tours before.

I’m looking forward to delving into this sinister-sounding novel and finding out just how well the novel lives up the synopsis! I’ll be sure to let you know.

 

The Girl from the Workhouse – Lynn Johnson

Goodreads – The Girl from the Workhouse

Even in the darkest of times, she never gave up hope.

Staffordshire, 1911. Ginnie Jones’s childhood is spent in the shadow of the famous Potteries, living with her mother, father and older sister Mabel. But with Father’s eyesight failing, money is in short supply, and too often the family find their bellies aching with hunger. With no hope in sight, Ginnie is sent to Haddon Workhouse.

Separated from everything she has known, Ginnie has to grow up fast, earning her keep by looking after the other children with no families of their own. When she meets Clara and Sam, she hopes that she has made friends for life… until tragedy strikes, snatching away her newfound happiness.

Leaving Haddon three years later, Ginnie finds work as a mouldrunner at the Potteries, but never stops thinking about her friends in the workhouse – especially Sam, now a caring, handsome young man. When Sam and Ginnie are reunited, their bond is as strong as ever – until Sam is sent to fight in WW1. Faced with uncertainty, can Ginnie find the joy that she’s never had? Or will her heart be broken once again?

An emotional, uplifting and nostalgic family saga that will make you smile, while tugging on your heart-strings. Fans of Sheila Newbury, Kitty Neale and Sheila Riley will love this beautiful read.

 

I was drawn to signing up for the blog tour for this book as it is a completely new topic of historical fiction that I haven’t explored before. I am definitely diversifying more in what time periods I pick up (although I still have my favourites and I make no apology for it either). Books around the second World War tend to be my preference rather than the first, so it will make for an interesting change I hope!

 

Unborn – Rachel McLean

Goodreads – Unborn

America, 2026.
Feminism has been defeated.
Equality is a memory.
And abortion has been criminalized.

Three women find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Kate, carrying the child of a sexual predator. Grace, whose baby will be born with a fatal deformity. And Cindee: abused, abandoned and pregnant.

Their punishment will fit their crime.

Can these three very different women come together to fight an oppressive system and win their freedom?

Find out by reading Unborn, a chilling dystopia combined with a gripping legal thriller.

 

I hope my reasons for signing up to this blog tour are unusual. I imagine they will be. When I read the synopsis, I knew I had to read the book and share my thoughts on it as 1) I enjoy dystopian novels and legal thrillers and 2) I think I’ll have a unique perspective on the book.

Unborn is a dystopian novel that tackles the idea of a society that denies women the right to terminate a pregnancy. Abortion has been legal in the UK for over 50 years and around 45 in the US. What if I told you that where I live, abortion was made legal last year. The Isle of Man Abortion Reform Law only came into effect in May 2019 – prior to that, it was illegal. Yeah.

I’m sure you’ve already gathered I am going to have some things to say about that. You’ll have to wait for my review post for more.

 

City of Stairs – Robert Jackson Bennett

Goodreads – City of Stairs

The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutalizing millions — until its divine protectors were killed. Now, Bulikov’s history has been censored and erased, its citizens subjugated. But the surreal landscape of the city itself, forever altered by the thousands of miracles its guardians once worked upon it, stands as a haunting reminder of its former supremacy.

Into this broken city steps Shara Thivani. Officially, the unassuming young woman is just another junior diplomat sent by Bulikov’s oppressors. Unofficially, she is one of her country’s most accomplished spies, dispatched — along with her terrifying “secretary”, Sigrud — to solve a murder.

But as Shara pursues the killer, she starts to suspect that the beings who ruled this terrible place may not be as dead as they seem, and that Bulikov’s cruel reign may not yet be over.

A tale of vast conspiracies, dead gods, and buried histories, City of Stairs is at once a gripping spy novel and a stunningly original work of fantasy.

 

City of Stairs will (I hope) be the second book I read that will contribute to my Beat The Backlist challenge. I am trying to fit in at least two books a month that will go towards this challenge. Since I am trying to read 25 this year and I DNF’d one last month, I am going to have to squeeze a couple more in at some point though.

I really like the sound of City of Stairs – elements of it remind me a little of Brandon Sanderson’s Elantris. I like to go back to fantasy novels after reading some different things. It’s by far my favourite genre. I couldn’t read it all the time like I used to; it gets boring. I do like to go back to it regularly though. I added City of Stairs to the TBR in January 2015. Five years is too long to take to get around to a book…

 

Good Omens – Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

Goodreads – Good Omens

‘Armageddon only happens once, you know. They don’t let you go around again until you get it right.’

People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. But what if, for once, the predictions are right, and the apocalypse really is due to arrive next Saturday, just after tea?

You could spend the time left drowning your sorrows, giving away all your possessions in preparation for the rapture, or laughing it off as (hopefully) just another hoax. Or you could just try to do something about it.

It’s a predicament that Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon now finds themselves in. They’ve been living amongst Earth’s mortals since The Beginning and, truth be told, have grown rather fond of the lifestyle and, in all honesty, are not actually looking forward to the coming Apocalypse.

And then there’s the small matter that someone appears to have misplaced the Antichrist…

 

I haven’t read a book by Terry Pratchett for months now! I love his humour and I have heard a lot of good things about this book! I’m going to be totally honest; I’m reading it because Terry Pratchett had a hand in it. I haven’t had the best experience with Neil Gaiman’s books in the past, but we’ll see how this combination works. I’m sure I’ll have plenty to say about it once I have read it! Do you think I should tag the authors in my review when it goes live?

A bit of a salty joke I know, but no author should be too big to think that getting tagged in reviews is beneath them. All publicity (especially free publicity) is good, right? For those that haven’t heard about it, there have been arguments on Twitter lately about the appropriateness of tagging authors in book reviews. One of these authors doesn’t want to be tagged in reviews. They obviously think they’re too good for it. The other is dead, so no prizes for guessing who I’m talking about!

That’s the list set for the month! I would love to get the chance to squeeze in another book if I can since I have set myself such a lofty reading challenge target. The beauty of it is that if I do get this far, I can pick up anything I want based on my mood! I do tend to be quite regimented in my book choice, but I do enjoy picking up something on a whim from time to time.

What books are you reading during February?

 

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Blog Tour Review: Two – K. J. McGillick

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Good morning everyone! It’s Monday, the start of a brand new week and today I am sharing my review of Two by K. J. McGillick. I have read many books by this author and loved every single one so far. I read the first book in this series, A Path of Deception and Betrayal in June last year.

Before I get into my review of Two, I’d like to say a huge thank you to both Rachel’s Random Resources and K. J. McGillick for the opportunity to take part in this tour!

 

Two: Mind Games and Murder

Goodreads – Two

Her husband wants her locked away in a psychiatric facility. His business partner wants her dead.

Trust. Who do we place our trust in every day? Family members, friends and people who we turn to for help, doctors. But what if the doctor you placed your trust in had secrets? Dark secrets. So many secrets.

Isabella Armond is an ordinary Parisian woman with a comfortable life — until a shocking discovery shatters her perfect world. As her husband’s behavior becomes increasingly unstable, Isabella slowly realizes all the signs point to the fact he is not who he appears to be. Is he a respected Cardio-thoracic surgeon with a thriving Paris medical practice helping people? Or is he leading a double life which involves the international trafficking of black market organs? Greed, blood money, and psychopath are the terms she learns are associated with a man she thought she knew.

Forced to delve deeper into her husband’s secret life, she makes discoveries that will make her question everything she believed forcing her to face an impossible decision. She is desperate to uncover the truth, but once you know something, it can’t be unknown. The more she learns, the more she wishes she knew nothing at all.

When the sun dims, your second self shall disappear. Consequences not of her making were nipping at her heels. Tick. Tock.

 

Purchase Links – Amazon UK     Amazon US

 

My Thoughts…

Two is a dark psychological thriller that has you on tenterhooks just from the synopsis. How do you cope with the realisation that the man you thought you knew and loved hides half of his life from you? When Isabella discovers Adrien’s clandestine activities and what it means for her, her world comes tumbling down.

The plotlines of K. J. McGillick’s novels are all expertly outlined to draw you in and unravelled gradually and Two is no exception. Two may be 332 pages long, but I flew through it in three days. Every chapter sparks a new suspicion or unveils something new, compelling you to read on!

All of the novels I have read by the author have an underpinning storyline that dabbles in the criminal and legal dealings of art forgery. It’s clearly a subject she knows a lot about and that really shines through in her narratives. Before I read any of her books I knew precious little about the industry and the risks/costs of forgeries. It goes to show you learn something new every day!

I really enjoy how these books can be read individually, or, if you appreciate a series, a wider plotline runs underneath it all. I personally am I a huge fan of books in a series, and the complexity of the underpinning plot is a huge selling point for me. A lot of the characters from previous books overlap as well. I like the familiarity that comes with the overlap and it makes the series all the more cohesive.

If you enjoy sinister psychological thrillers with mystery and organised crime elements, then Two and the whole of the Path of Deception and Betrayal series is definitely for you! I am also reviewing the next book of the series, One, next month. I can’t wait to see where that instalment takes us!

 

Author Bio

K. J. McGillick was born in New York and once she started to walk she never stopped running. But that’s what New Yorker’s do. Right? A Registered Nurse, a lawyer now author.

As she evolved so did her career choices. After completing her graduate degree in nursing, she spent many years in the university setting sharing the dreams of the enthusiastic nursing students she taught. After twenty rewarding years in the medical field she attended law school and has spent the last twenty-four years as an attorney helping people navigate the turbulent waters of the legal system. Not an easy feat. And now? Now she is sharing the characters she loves with readers hoping they are intrigued by her twisting and turning plots and entertained by her writing

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/KJMcGillickauthor/

Kathleen McGillick

@KJMcGillickAuth

http://www.kjmcgillick.com/

https://twitter.com/KJMcGillickAuth

https://www.goodreads.com/Kmcgillick

Blog Tour Promo: The Profit Motive – David Beckler

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Hello and welcome to today’s blog tour promotional post for The Profit Motive by David Beckler. If you like thriller novels then this just might be the next book to add to your reading list! I would have loved to read this for the tour, but having already signed up to a number of other tours, I couldn’t manage it! I have downloaded a sample of the book and added it to my own TBR list.

Would you like to learn more?

 

The Profit Motive – David Beckler

Mason & Sterling are back in a hard-boiled international thriller! Perfect for fans of Mark Dawson, J. B. Turner, Lee Child and David Baldacci…

How do you deal with an implacable foe in an alien land…?

Manchester, England, and Wenzhou, China, 2001

When firefighter Adam Sterling arrives at the scene of a horrific car crash, little does he imagine it will lead him back to his mother’s homeland.

Kate, the woman he pulls from the wreckage, needs his help. Her father has been left for dead after a hit-and-run, in Wenzhou, China.

She suspects it wasn’t an accident and so does Jie Gang, the senior policeman investigating the case, and whose efforts are obstructed from on high.

When events escalate, Kate employs Adam and Byron Mason, Adam’s best friend and fellow former Royal Marine, to go with her to China.

Catapulted into an alien environment, and unable to trust anyone, Mason and Sterling face escalating challenges.

The struggle becomes personal, and Adam has to confront a ruthless enemy determined to destroy him and Kate.

THE PROFIT MOTIVE is the second crime novel in the Mason & Sterling thriller series: gritty, hard-boiled page-turners with an urban setting.

 

Purchase Link – mybook.to/TheProfitMotive

 

Author Bio

I write fast-paced action thrillers populated with well-rounded characters.

Born in Addis Ababa in 1960, I spent my first eight years living on an agricultural college in rural Ethiopia where my love of reading developed. After dropping out of university I became a firefighter and served 19 years before leaving to start my own business.

I began writing in 2010 and use my work experiences to add realism to my fiction.

The Mason and Sterling series centre on two ex-Royal Marines, Byron who now runs a security company and Adam who is a firefighter. A strong cast of characters support my protagonists. Long Stop Books published Brotherhood, the first novel in the series, in September 2019 and will be publishing the second, The Profit Motive, on December 16th 2019. Brotherhood is set in Manchester and The Profit Motive in Manchester and Wenzhou, China.

I live in Manchester, my adopted home since 1984. In my spare time I try to keep fit—an increasingly difficult undertaking—listen to music, socialise and feed my voracious book habit.

Social Media Links

Website: www.davidbeckler.co.uk

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@DavidBeckler1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8364947.David_Beckler

Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/david-beckler

Blog Tour: Guest Post – Zach Abrams

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I’m running late as I dash across the concourse of Glasgow Central Station, hoping to reach my train before the doors close. The weather outside is atrocious and it’s difficult to keep my footing on the slippery wet tiles.

In the distance, rushing in my direction, I see a young lady lose her balance. One of her arms clutches her bag while the other flails the air, but to no avail. She spins out of control. Her hip crashes against a solid bench before she crumples to the ground. Her shoe is broken. She nurses injuries to her hip, her ankle and her pride. She looks pained and bewildered.

Should I offer assistance? Already, the chance of me reaching my train, before it leaves, is slight and it’s diminishing by the second.

I’m spared the dilemma of choosing. A young man arrives first and helps her to her feet. Is he a good Samaritan? Well, Glasgow is renowned as a friendly city. His arm is around her waist and I see words pass between them as they stagger off together towards a coffee stall.

What has just happened? An unfortunate mishap, undoubtedly, but what follows? Has there been a reuniting of friends, a meeting of strangers, the start of a romance, or something more sinister; the prelude to an abduction? If you’re writing a story, then it can be anything you want to imagine.

Something similar to this happened and I took in the scene. Although I wasn’t aware of it making a major impact on me, I must have noted the incident in the back of my head, because I recalled the event as I was writing my thriller, ‘133 Hours’.

Perhaps it was influenced by a dream, but I awoke one morning with the concept of a book I wanted to write. The story begins with my protagonist being shocked to realise she’s been missing for over five days with no recollection of where she’s been or of anything that’s happened to her. As my thoughts developed, preparing to start writing, I had a vivid recollection of the station incident. I thought a fictionalised version would make the perfect opening for my story.

I’m like everyone else: I witness and experience different things every day and some I find significant enough to tuck away in my memory. On rare occasions, I’ll make notes. However, often, I’m not even aware that I’m doing it, as I watch an incident or an event of everyday life. It could be something which amuses or shocks me, or maybe a simple observation of how things are. I store the image away, somewhere in my grey matter. Most of it will be forgotten or discarded, but every so often, I recollect a gem which fits perfectly into something I want to write.

My book, ‘133 Hours’ is written in the first person present tense. Because of this, the event had to be turned around. Instead of being the observer, I had to imagine being the unfortunate young lady who experiences the fall. Being a not so young male, it was a challenge to write an entire book from the viewpoint of a twenty-five-year-old female. It required a lot of consultation, a lot of research and a lot of imagination. I hope my readers are satisfied by the result.

 

133 Hours – Zach Abrams

Arriving at work to find she’s lost more than five-and-a-half days (133 hours), Briony Chaplin, has no recollection of where she’d been or what had happened to her. She is distraught. Has she been ill, or had a breakdown, or could she have been drugged and abducted?

Doubting her own sanity, Briony is fearful of what she’ll find. Yet she’s driven to discover the truth. When she trawls her memories, she’s terrified by visions, believing she may have been abused and raped.

Assisted by her friends Alesha and Jenny, and supported by a retired detective, she’s determined to learn where she’s been and why.

Purchase Links:  http://mybook.to/133    Amazon UK     Amazon US

 

Author Bio 

Having the background of a successful career in commerce and finance, Zach Abrams has spent many years writing reports, letters and presentations and it’s only fairly recently he started writing novels. “It’s a more honourable type of fiction,” he declares.

Writer of the Alex Warren Murder Mystery series, set in Scotland, Zach has also written the psychological thriller ‘Ring Fenced’ and the financial thriller ‘Source’, as well as collaborating with Elly Grant on a book of short stories.

Zach is currently producing a non-fiction series to help small businesses -using the collective title ‘Mind Your Own Business’. The first, ‘So, You Think You Want to be a Landlord’ is already available.

Social Media Links –

Website : http://zachabrams.wix.com/zach-abrams
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zach-Abrams-author-463346010364540/
Twitter: @authorway

 

Sunday Summary – 19th January 2020

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Hello, bookworms! It’s the end of another week, so of course, it’s time for another Sunday Summary post!

It’s been quite a busy week with plenty of blog tour posts to keep you entertained. On Monday I published my review of Million Eyes, a sci-fi conspiracy thriller novel. If you like science-fiction with elements of time travel, then I definitely recommend checking out my review!

Tuesday’s post was also a review, this time for The Violinist’s Apprentice by Isabella Mancini. This book also has elements of time travel but differs from Million Eyes in that it has a more historical fiction feel, with a focus on Italy in 1660 throughout.

I took a break from reviews on Friday and shared a First Lines Friday post. I featured a book that is on my TBR from a well-known author I am looking forward to trying!

Then on Saturday, I shared yet another review; this post was sharing my thoughts on a book read last month, Sixty Minutes by Tony Salter. This particular book is an exciting contemporary psychological thriller with a diverse variety of characters.

 

Books Read

Two was the first book I finished this week. I had not long started this book as of last week’s Sunday Summary post, but this didn’t take me long to read. Being familiar with a number of the characters from previous books made this really easy to get into. K J McGillick also has a really easy-to-read style of writing, so it’s no wonder I blitzed this.

The next book I picked up was A Crown in Time by Jennifer Macaire. I’ve read several books of hers in the last year or so, but A Crown in Time is a new interlinking series with a common theme to The Time for Alexander books, being time travel governed via the Tempus University. I actually finished reading this yesterday and I really enjoyed the focus of a different time period (the Crusades). The main character of the books couldn’t be more different from each other either. It was refreshing!

I started reading Gardens of the Moon yesterday as well. The oldest book on my TBR has finally been picked up. Seriously, I added this to my list over five years ago now – it’s overdue, majorly! I’m currently 11% of the way through the book, which is about sixty-odd pages.

I’ve listened to more of Darkdawn this week and even put in half an hour to an hour in the evenings before going to bed for a change. I did it on a whim on Friday night and it was actually a great way to wind down before going to sleep. So much so, I did it again on Saturday night too! Now, don’t try to tell me I’m not a twenty-something-year-old woman with an exciting nightlife, okay?!

 

Books Discovered

I’ve been pretty good this week and only added one book to my TBR. Following my blog post for Tony Salter’s Sixty Minutes, I added his debut novel to my reading list. I really like the sound of it and since I enjoyed the writing style of Sixty Minutes, I think I’ll enjoy this one too!

 

Coming Up…

I’m back on the blog tour blitz next week! My first post is scheduled for tomorrow, so we’re jumping straight into it! I’m excited to be sharing a guest post written by Zach Abrams about his book, 133 Hours. You may recall I reviewed another book of his, Ring Fenced, not too long ago! I would have liked to read and review 133 Hours too, however, I already had a lot of reviews for other blog tours I’d agreed to at this point.

I’m sharing a second blog tour post on Tuesday. I know – so many tours lately! I can’t help myself, honestly. This post is a promo, as again, I had no more time for reviews. This post will be featuring a book called The Profit Motive by David Beckler.

That’s me done for blog tours this week, so I’ll be sharing a lighter, fun post on Friday. It’s time to take a look at the TBR again and feature the next book on the list. This week’s book is a historical fiction novel with a sinister mystery plotline in the plague-ridden city of London.

 

Top Blog Posts of the Week

https://comfortreads13.wordpress.com/2020/01/16/book-review-long-bright-river-by-liz-moore-new-release/

 

And that’s a wrap for today’s Sunday Summary post! What have you been reading?

 

 

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Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: Sixty Minutes – Tony Salter

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I’m really pleased to be taking part in the blog tour for Sixty Minutes by Tony Salter today! The synopsis piqued my interest immediately. I also enjoyed reading something a little different and getting different perspectives on the run-up to a catastrophic event.

Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for organising the tour and to the author for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

 

Sixty Minutes – Tony Salter

Goodreads – Sixty Minutes

Five different people. Five separate lives. Sixty minutes to bind them for ever.

Hassan, Jim, Shuna, Dan and Nadia come from very different worlds. If life were straightforward, their paths would never cross. But our lives are rarely that simple and, as the clock ticks away the minutes of a single hour on a July morning, fate draws all five together in a headlong rush towards disaster.

Who are the heroes and who are the villains?

Tony Salter’s latest novel leaves us guessing right up to the last page.

 

Purchase Links – Amazon UK     Amazon US

 

My Thoughts…

One hour. That’s the difference between a normal day in the normal life of five very different characters, and disaster. As the minutes while away we learn about what brings the characters together in the epic race against time.

I enjoyed how the chapters are headed as the time of day on the approach to “the event” and divided between each of the main characters. Dividing the narrative in that way builds tension, without making each chapter too long. It also means we can keep track of each of the characters as there aren’t large gaps between their movements.

There’s a great deal of diversity between each of the main characters. Their different backgrounds, upbringing and life experiences have their consequences. Each character and their history is distinguishable from the other and explored individually without preference or bias. They are all told equally well and are well developed, enhancing the story. In addition to the five main characters, there are a plethora of supporting characters that pull everything together. The premise is a simple one, but written brilliantly to maximise the drama!

Even as a contemporary psychological thriller, Sixty Minutes has a lot to say that’s relevant to today’s society. It’s a tale of humanity, desperation and despair, but also of hope, unsung heroism and a fighting spirit to carry on despite adversity. I’m deliberately not saying anything about the characters of the story as I wouldn’t want to spoil it for anyone! For me, it was the element of mystery and vagueness of the synopsis that drew me in. There will be no spoiling the surprise for anyone else here.

I really enjoyed Sixty Minutes and I will definitely be reading some of Tony Salter’s other novels. I have already added his debut novel, Best Eaten Cold to the TBR!

 

Giveaway to Win 5 x PB copies of Sixty Minutes (Open INT)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494327/

Author Bio

Tony’s latest thriller, Sixty Minutes, was released on 29th August 2019. Tony is the author of bestselling psychological thriller, Best Eaten Cold. He writes pacy contemporary thrillers which explore different themes, but all share Tony’s thought-provoking plots and richly-painted characters. Sixty Minutes is his fourth novel.

His second novel, The Old Orchard – a gripping family thriller – was published on the 7th of November 2017 and the sequel to Best Eaten Cold, – Cold Intent – was published in November 2018. Highlights of his early career include (in no particular order) three years as an oilfield engineer in the Egyptian desert, twelve years managing record companies for EMI Music in Greece, India and across Eastern Europe, running a caravan site in the South of France and being chauffeur to the French Consul in Sydney.

Having survived the Dotcom boom, he went on to be a founder of the world’s largest website for expatriates, a major music publisher and a successful hotel technology business. In amongst this, Tony found the time to backpack around the world twice (once in his twenties and once in his fifties), learn six languages (including Norwegian and Greek) and to find a beautiful Norwegian wife. He now lives in Oxfordshire and writes full-time. He has recently turned sixty and is married with three children and five grandchildren.

You can find out more about Tony at www.tonysalter.com

Social Media Links

https://twitter.com/TonyOxford

https://www.facebook.com/tonysalterauthor/

https://www.instagram.com/tonysalter2017/

 

First Lines Friday – 17/01/2020

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I haven’t shared a First Lines Friday post in just over a month. Wow! What with Christmas and New Year, this type of post has been on hold on my blog. However, for a few weeks at least we are back! Today’s featured book is one that I picked up a good while ago from work, of all places. Someone had a sort through of their books and brought them in to see if anyone else wanted them.

I was good actually in just picking up this one! I have heard great things about this author, for reasons I hope will become apparent. It’s written by a renowned author and I wanted to try one of their books to see if I’ll be interested in the rest!

Anyway, let’s jump into the opening paragraph. Can you guess what, or who, it is?

 

My name is Sebastian Rudd, and though I am a well-known street lawyer, you will not see my name on billboards, on bus benches, or screaming at you from the yellow pages. I don’t pay to be seen on television, though I am often there. My name is not listed in any phone book. I do not maintain a traditional office. I carry a gun, legally, because my name and face tend to attract attention from the type of people who also carry guns and don’t mind using them. I live alone, usually sleep alone, and do not possess the patience and understanding to maintain friendships. The law is my life, always consuming and occasionally fulfilling. I wouldn’t call it a “jealous mistress” as some forgotten person once so famously did. It’s more like an overbearing wife who controls the check-book. There’s no way out.

 

 

Shall we find out what it is?

 

Rogue Lawyer – John Grisham

Goodreads – Rogue Lawyer

On the right side of the law. Sort of.

Sebastian Rudd is not your typical street lawyer. He works out of a customized bulletproof van, complete with Wi-Fi, a bar, a small fridge, fine leather chairs, a hidden gun compartment, and a heavily armed driver. He has no firm, no partners, no associates, and only one employee, his driver, who’s also his bodyguard, law clerk, confidant, and golf caddy. He lives alone in a small but extremely safe penthouse apartment, and his primary piece of furniture is a vintage pool table. He drinks small-batch bourbon and carries a gun.

Sebastian defends people other lawyers won’t go near: a drug-addled, tattooed kid rumored to be in a satanic cult, who is accused of molesting and murdering two little girls; a vicious crime lord on death row; a homeowner arrested for shooting at a SWAT team that mistakenly invaded his house.  Why these clients? Because he believes everyone is entitled to a fair trial, even if he, Sebastian, has to cheat to secure one. He hates injustice, doesn’t like insurance companies, banks, or big corporations; he distrusts all levels of government and laughs at the justice system’s notions of ethical behavior.

Sebastian Rudd is one of John Grisham’s most colorful, outrageous, and vividly drawn characters yet. Gritty, witty, and impossible to put down, Rogue Lawyer showcases the master of the legal thriller at his very best.

 

Purchase links: Amazon UK     Amazon US     Waterstones

 

Did you enjoy today’s First Lines Friday post and extract of Rogue Lawyer? Is it on your list to read as well? Let me know in the comments!

 

 

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***Please note this post contains affiliate links, meaning that I will earn a small commission on purchases made through them. If you like what you read and are interested in purchasing a copy of the book(s) featured in this post, please consider using these links and supporting a book blogger!

Thank you!***

 

Blog Tour Review: Million Eyes – C. R. Berry

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Today’s post is the second post of January’s blog tour season here at Reviewsfeed! I’ve signed up to no less than eight blog tours this month – there are just so many great books I want to feature! As always, before I jump into my review for Million Eyes by C. R. Berry, I’d like to thank Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising the tour!

Million Eyes

Goodreads – Million Eyes

How do you fight an enemy who has a million eyes?

What if we’re living in an alternate timeline? What if the car crash that killed Princess Diana, the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower, and the shooting of King William II weren’t supposed to happen?

Ex-history teacher Gregory Ferro finds evidence that a cabal of time travellers is responsible for several key events in our history. These events all seem to hinge on a dry textbook published in 1995, referenced in a history book written in 1977 and mentioned in a letter to Edward III in 1348.

Ferro teams up with down-on-her-luck graduate Jennifer Larson to get to the truth and discover the relevance of a book that seems to defy the arrow of time. But the time travellers are watching closely. Soon the duo are targeted by assassins willing to rewrite history to bury them.

Million Eyes is a fast-paced conspiracy thriller about power, corruption and destiny.

 

Purchase Links – Elsewhen Press      Amazon UK     Amazon US

 

Trailer 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOLjecCfNSo

https://youtu.be/VzgW-oOOCj0

 

My Thoughts…

I’ve really enjoyed science-fiction and time travel-related novels lately. Once I would have said this was one of “my” genres, but the one I read the least. That’s not proving the case at the moment! I’ve read a number of great science-fiction novels and I think that is spurring me on to read more.

Million Eyes combines science-fiction and historical-fiction through its alternate timeline/time-travel premise and that works really well for me! They are both genres I read a lot of independently of each other. Now, I’ve read quite a few novels where the two genres overlap and I just love it! Add in the conspiracy thriller element to the novel as well and it makes for a brilliant read!

Million Eyes is a technology giant. Phones, televisions, laptops… you name it, they make it. Their products are consumed on masse and it has made them a very rich and powerful entity. That’s not the only technology they have created, however, and it’s certainly not all available to the public. When their biggest secret is sent back through time, they’ll do anything to get it back.

I really enjoyed how this story touches base with many different time periods throughout history. Each of the time periods has been chosen carefully so readers will be familiar with them. Even non-history readers are at least aware of The Black Death, The Wars of the Roses and most recently, the death of Princess Diana. Personally, I really enjoyed how this story involved the mystery of the Princes in the Tower and their disappearance.

Alternate timeline novels can get confusing if not written very well but this was definitely not the case with Million Eyes. It’s very clear as to when history has veered from its normal course. That said, the story also cleverly loops on itself and interacts with history as we know it, making you think that some of these events were always meant to happen.

I’m glad that this is the first book of a trilogy and I can’t wait to see the future books of the series published!

 

Author Bio

C.R. Berry caught the writing bug at the tender age of four and has never recovered. His earliest stories were filled with witches, monsters, evil headteachers, Disney characters and the occasional Dalek. He realised pretty quickly that his favourite characters were usually the villains. He wonders if that’s what led him to become a criminal lawyer. It’s certainly why he’s taken to writing conspiracy thrillers, where the baddies are numerous and everywhere.

After a few years getting a more rounded view of human nature’s darker side, he quit lawyering and turned to writing full-time. He now works as a freelance copywriter and novelist and blogs about conspiracy theories, time travel and otherworldly weirdness.

He was shortlisted in the 2018 Grindstone Literary International Novel Competition and has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Storgy, Dark Tales, Theme of Absence and Suspense Magazine. He was also shortlisted in the Aeon Award Contest, highly commended by Writers’ Forum, and won second prize in the inaugural To Hull and Back Humorous Short Story Competition.

He grew up in Farnborough, Hampshire, a town he says has as much character as a broccoli. He’s since moved to the “much more interesting and charming” Haslemere in Surrey.

Social Media Links –

Website: https://crberryauthor.wordpress.com

http://millioneyes.co.uk/

https://gregoryferro.home.blog/

https://twitter.com/CRBerry1

https://www.facebook.com/CRBerry1/

 

Sunday Summary – 12/01/2020

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It’s Sunday again guys! Where does the week go? You know what that means though – it’s time for another Sunday Summary post!

I arrived a little late to the party on sharing my reading list for January. I had a number of year-end review posts I wanted to share last week, which I did. So, I didn’t get around to sharing my monthly TBR until Monday this week.

On Tuesday, I finished the last of my 2019 posts by sharing my top reads of the year! Unfortunately, I couldn’t include all 30 of my five-star reviews, so I managed to narrow it down to four standalone books and one trilogy. Not bad going really.

Friday’s post was a promo feature post for an author and series I have featured previously here on Reviewsfeed. Victory Day is the latest book in the Battle Ground series by Rachel Churcher, set in a dystopian UK post-Brexit and Scottish Independence.

 

Also, as a side note, I hit 1000 blog subscribers this week! Now I’ve said that, it had best not go down haha! It does fluctuate, but I have proof – here! I promise it happened and I am so happy!

 

Books Read

Last week was absolutely mad. I had a few shorter reads, as well as coming to the end of one audiobook and starting another. There’s less content this week, but I’m still really happy with my reading progress. I’m still two books ahead of schedule for my Goodreads challenge and in good stead to complete my TBR for the month!

Picking up where I left off in last week’s Sunday Summary, I have been reading Agricola’s Bane by Nancy Jardine. I was 16% through the book as of last Sunday and I finished this one on Friday. After reading this I was really excited to find out that this isn’t the end of the series, so that’s a bonus too!

Yesterday I started my current read, Two by K. J McGillick. Not long ago I read and reviewed the first book in this trilogy. This second book has loose ties to the first book and characters in common, so it’s good in that it’s easy to understand how it follows on. Equally, you don’t have to remember each and every detail of it because the important stuff is summarised as well. As always, I am really enjoying this and I’m looking forward to sharing my review later this month!

Oh, Darkdawn. I’ve really enjoyed listening to this audiobook this week. A lot of the threads from the previous books are all finally coming together and it’s great! I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the narrative style. I still have 18 and a half glorious hours to go until the conclusion. Question is, so I savour or devour them?

 

Books Discovered

 

I have been good as gold and not added a single book to the TBR this week. Neither have I bought any. Do I get a gold medal because that really is an achievement!

 

Coming Up…

 

Next week, my blog is going to be full of blog tour posts and reviews. I’m taking part in three tours over the course of the next week and my first post is tomorrow. In tomorrow’s review, I am sharing my thoughts on a time-travel conspiracy thriller novel, Million Eyes. That post is all scheduled and will be published in the morning, so I hope you can take a moment to have a read!

My next blog tour post will be shared on Tuesday. In this post I am also publishing a review; however, this one is for The Violinist’s Apprentice. This book also has elements of time travel, so if you like this kind of thing then my blog content will definitely be up your street!

I’ll take a brief break on reviews to share a more casual post on Friday. It’s been so long since I drafted one of my regular First Lines Friday/Shelf Control posts that I couldn’t remember which of the two I wrote last. I last shared a Shelf Control on the 20th December, so this week I’ll prepare a First Lines Friday post and try to encourage you to add another book to the TBR. Like you need help with that, bookish friends!

I’m back with a book review on Saturday as well guys! Thankfully I read some of these books last month to make my life easier, and Sixty Minutes was one of those books. I’ve had plenty of time to get my thoughts together for this review and I’ll be sharing them with you then.

Last, but certainly not least, we’ll be back here again this time next week with another Sunday Summary post.

 

Top Blog Posts of the Week

https://thebelgianreviewer.wordpress.com/2020/01/01/10-most-anticipated-reads-of-2020/

http://readerdad.co.uk/2020/01/07/the-god-game-by-danny-tobey/

https://theorangutanlibrarian.wordpress.com/2020/01/12/best-books-of-the-last-decade/

https://bibliophagistreviews.wordpress.com/2020/01/12/book-review-to-be-taught-if-fortunate-by-becky-chambers/

That’s all from me in this week’s update! What have you been reading?

 

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