#blogtour #MrsNarwhal’sDiary @LouiseWalters12 @damppebbles #SJNorbury #damppebblesblogtours

Today on my blog I have the pleasure of sharing my review from one of the gems that the amazing publisher Louise Walters has brought to life through her skills and hard work . One of only twelve books she has nurtured and helped the authors to achieve the goal of getting their books published. Having read other books she has published I knew there would be a treat waiting for me and there was. Once you have read my review for this book I highly recommend that you not only buy it but check go out other books that Louise has on her website.

BOOK BLURB

It was Woman’s Hour who suggested I keep a diary. They said it was good for mental health, and I must say I did feel much less frazzled after writing everything down yesterday. The frustrations were all still there, but somehow smoothed out – as if by a really good steam iron.”

Mrs Narwhal is overwhelmed. Her husband, Hugh, is unkind and unhappy – working every hour at a job he hates to save the ancestral home he never wanted. Then there’s Hugh’s sister, Rose, who’s spurned her one true love, and ricochets from crisis to crisis; and not to mention two small boys to bring up safely in a house that could crumble around their ears at any moment…

When Hugh’s pride receives a fatal blow, and he walks out, Mrs Narwhal is plunged into a crisis of both heart and home. With help from Rose she sets out to save the house her husband couldn’t. But can she save her marriage? And does she really want Hugh back?

Funny, charming, and moving, Mrs Narwhal’s Diary is an irresistible story which will enchant and delight its readers.

BOOK REVIEW

Mrs Narwhal is a woman on the edge, she is juggling keeping her family happy, a home over their head and with a husband who seems to want to bury his head in the sand. Writing her thoughts down seems to give her a release for all the frustrations she is feeling and for her to help put things into some sort of order. The home she shares with Hugh has been in the family for many generations but time has proven a bad bedfellow for it and its crumbling around them. How on earth can she keep it viable with little or no income and does she even want to. Her sister in law Rose is going through her own issues but helping Mrs Narwhal with her home has given her a new purpose.

What a wonderfully enjoyable way to spend a wet afternoon being a spectator to the life of the Narwhal family. The book just ambled along through the life and tribulations that Mrs Narwhal faced as her life seemed to take a huge nose dive. Yet she came out fighting to a certain extent and wont allow it all to swamp her. Mrs Narwhal is a ferocious, indomitable character and no matter what life is throwing at her she seems to come in to her own as events threaten to overtake her. The book seemed to me to be a more grown up version of the Bridget Jones style of books. It’s funny, easy reading and full of snippets of joy at the small things that fill everyone’s day. The sitting out at night watching the stars, rolling your kids in a barrel and standing up for what you feel is best for those you love. Life might throw up a lot of issues but coming through them can make you stronger in yourself and in the life you share with others. Should you be doubting that then this book will help reaffirm your belief that even on the darkest days the sun will shine once again.

My thanks to Emma Welton for having me on the blog tour and to Louise Walters for bringing the book to us the readers.

STAR RATING 5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

S J Norbury lives in Herefordshire with her family. Mrs Narwhal’s Diary is her first novel.

 

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3aDOjKw

Book Depository: https://bit.ly/3xscUMc

Waterstones: https://bit.ly/2R5p3pt

WHSmith: https://bit.ly/2QZkOMq

Foyles: https://bit.ly/3gHJMKX

Nook: https://bit.ly/3aEgMQf

Blackwells: https://bit.ly/3tXM1xk

#BLOGTOUR #TheFinalTwist @JefferyDeaver @HarperFiction @fictionpubteam @RandomTTours #ColterShaw

Today on my blog I have the pleasure of sharing my review of the latest Colter Shaw book THE FINAL TWIST by the international bestselling author Jeffery Deaver. As always was not disappointed for the author delivers yet another scorching read. Find out my thoughts as you read on.

BOOK BLURB

Twist left.

Unique Investigator Colter Shaw is searching for the answer to his father’s final, posthumous riddle. It will lead him to evidence that will topple the secretive espionage company, BlackBridge.

Twist right.

He believes BlackBridge to be responsible for his father’s murder and brother’s disappearance. They can outmanoeuvre anyone, as the long trail of bodies behind them can confirm. But they haven’t yet met Colter Shaw.

Don’t slip up.

This time the stakes are huge – the fate of a nation is in Colter’s hands. He must find the solution as to why his father died – but to do that he needs to stay alive…

BOOK REVIEW

Colter Shaw is a loner , he travels the country in a camper van or by bike solving mysteries for a price. Raised by parents who taught him and his siblings how to survive at all costs he now has given himself the task of hunting down the truth behind his fathers death. While hunting for clues he takes on a missing persons case and as both searches heat up he finds help from the unlikeliest of sources. Will he finally put to rest the ghost of his father ? Will the clues lead him to what he seeks or will the truth elude him yet again. Those he his up against run a huge corporation that will stop at nothing to beat him to the truth even murder is not beyond their remit. Can Colter prove elusive and devious enough to stay beyond their reach ?

There are a lot of questions thrown up there yet to find the answers you need to read the book as spoilers are a no no. An explosive thriller straight from the pen of a master story teller. One who can conjure from his imagination characters that will come to life across the pages of his books. Characters that appear fully formed from the first page, he has no need to nurture them through several escapades before we the reader click with them. They seem to burst from his mind and onto the pages to engage the reader with their courage, ethics , morals and ability to have us empathise with them. Colter is one such a character , a man with faults yet they are outweighed by all he does to help those around him. An action packed, seat of your pants thriller that keeps you not only glued to the pages but offers up yet another satisfying chapter in the characters life so far. I look forward to more afternoons curled up with Colter Shaw as the series grows and more adventures dog his footsteps.

My thanks to Anne Cater for having me on the tour and Netgalley for my copy of the book. As always they are my own thoughts and opinions on the book.

STAR RATING 5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeffery Deaver is the No.1 international bestselling author of more than thirty novels, three collections of short stories, and a nonfiction law book. His books are published in 150 countries worldwide, selling 50 million copies.

His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. He’s received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world.

A former journalist, folksinger, and attorney, he was born outside of Chicago and has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from Fordham University.

#blogtour #JourneyToParadise @PGreenless @arrowpublishing @PenguinUKBooks @HardmanSwainson

BOOK BLURB

Singapore, 1948

 

When Miranda steps onto the pier with her husband Gerry at Singapore she hopes that this will be a fresh start; a chance to run from her darkest secret, and heal the scars from her past.

 

Gerry’s new role at the British foreign office affords a certain kind of lifestyle; a beautiful house, servants, and invites the best parties in town. But life in Singapore feels worlds apart from Miranda’s beloved home in England. True friends are hard to find in ex-pat society, and with Gerry spending all his time at work or drinking at the club, she loses hope that Singapore would save their marriage. So when Miranda meets kind-hearted Nick Wythenshaw, when volunteering at the local hospital, she begins to realise the depth of her own unhappiness, and dares to hope for more…

 

Meanwhile, riots are erupting across the region, and Singapore is becoming an increasingly dangerous place to be British. As the danger draws ever closer to home, Miranda must make the toughest decision she has ever had to face – to choose between duty and happiness, and risk ruin.

BOOK REVIEW

A boat journey to a whole new world and hopefully a fresh start is what Miranda is about to embark on with her husband Gerry. Leaving behind a cold and blustery England for a new lie in exotic Singapore. A life of heat and new friends awaits after the six weeks at sea. Gerry has a job in the foreign office and she will be a lady of leisure with plenty of time to make friends and be a hostess for her husband. Miranda leaves behind a secret and takes with her a broken heart. Will Singapore be the cure her heart needs to mend and move on , she can only hope it is. Amongst her new friends and neighbours she meets a young doctor trying to do his best amongst the poor amid harsh conditions and little funding. Helping him out at his clinic seems to be helping Miranda move on. Yet her moving on come to means so much more than mending her broken heart it means analysing herself and the life she has and is she really living her best life.

For a few miserable wet hours in England I was transported to the exotic , humid world of Miranda in Singapore. Amongst the heat and lushness of her surroundings I spent my time cocooned from the pout side world. This is a wonderful love story set against a time of upheaval and decorum that restricted those involved. Women couldn’t discuss their feelings and their husbands tried to dictate their lives especially in the eyes of society. Miranda was trapped in her own despair and eventually her marriage with seemingly no hope left. Yet love can conquer mountains or in this case life in general and blossom with new roots with another. A tranquil book that will keep you enchanted and engrossed . A book I binge read in an afternoon where even the fella’s grouching at the tv could not pierce my blissful bubble of reading.

My thanks to Isabelle Ralph for inviting me on the tour and Netgalley for my copy of the book. As always they are my own thoughts and opinions on the book.

STAR RATING 4

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paula Greenlees has an undergraduate degree in English and European Thought and Literature, and a Masters Degree in Creative Writing. She spent three years living in Singapore surrounded by the history and culture that provided the inspiration for her first novel, Journey to Paradise.

#blogtour #Geiger @ZaffreBooks #GustafSkordeman @Tr4cyF3nt0n

BOOK BLURB

The landline rings as Agneta is waving off her grandchildren. Just one word comes out of the receiver: ‘Geiger’.

For decades, Agneta has always known that this moment would come, but she is shaken. She knows what it means.

Retrieving her weapon from its hiding place, she attaches the silencer and creeps up behind her husband before pressing the barrel to his temple.

Then she squeezes the trigger and disappears – leaving behind her wallet and keys.

The extraordinary murder is not Sara Nowak’s case. But she was once close to those affected and, defying regulations, she joins the investigation. What Sara doesn’t know is that the mysterious codeword is just the first piece in the puzzle of an intricate and devastating plot fifty years in the making . . .

Praise for Geiger:

‘Exciting, extremely clever, incredible. An instant classic.’ – TOM MARCUS, author of SOLDIER SPY

‘An astonishing, assured and terrifying debut . . . Remarkable’ – DAVID YOUNG, author of STASI CHILD

‘Tense enough that your muscles will ache by the end’ – HELEN FIELDS, author of PERFECT REMAINS

‘An intriguing masterpiece that keeps you guessing right to the end’ – Jo, Netgalley Reviewer

*Translated from Swedish by Ian Giles*

BOOK REVIEW

One seemingly innocuous word has the power to spark the ignition to a turn of events that has been years in the making. Agneta answers the phone after waving her family off to hear the code word that will see her life explode around her. After kissing her husband goodbye she kills him then disappears leaving no clues to the who or why Stellan was murdered. Enter Sara a childhood friend of the family and now a police officer working the vice squad. Feeling compelled to uncover the truth she goes her own way to squirrel out clues to the whole sorry affair. What she uncovers will take her on a journey back in time to not only her childhood but also the former lives of those involved.

A slow burning thriller that sets out to keep the reader not only engrossed but ignorant of the truth until the very end. With two very strong female leads it tells the story from both sides of the coin. The killer and the hunter, how they have come to this time in their lives and what has shaped their destinies. It peels away the story inches at a time to give the reader a fully immersive experience of the plot. The author gives us insights into the mindset of the women as the case moves foreword so we know what their motivations are for what they are doing. As the story heads towards its climax the pace picks up and its intensity increases. A gripping debut novel that will tempt those who enjoyed books in the style of ‘ I AM PILGRIM ‘ .

My thanks to Tracy Fenton and Netgalley for my copy of the book, as always they are my own thoughts and opinions on the book.