Getting To Know...Tara Lyons

Today I am really happy to bring you Tara Lyons on Getting To Know... author of In The Shadows and co-author of The Caller.

Your solo debut novel, In The Shadows, is a crime novel; have you always wanted to write crime fiction?What draws you to it?

I've always wanted to write, that's for sure, but I didn't know it was going to be crime fiction. The story of In The Shadows was brewing in my mind for some time and it just developed that way. Although it's not that surprising really because I love to read crime/thriller fiction and watch a multitude of crime TV programmes. 

Is there a lot of research that goes into the police procedure side of your writing? If there is, do you enjoy it?

Not so much for In The Shadows because it's more of a crime/thriller novel than police procedural, but yes I did have to research things and check some facts. The Caller is very police procedural and needed quite a bit of research - but I love that side of things. I've always had a passion for learning, understanding new things and talking to experts in their fields. I find it fascinating. 

You've just co-authored The Caller with M.A. Comley, which is the first in a new crime series. What is it like working with another author? How do you make your writing styles and ideas fit together?

I've loved working with Mel (M.A. Comley) because she is such an inspirational indie author. While our ideas and tastes are similar, we did find some differences in our styles. Communication is the key, and that worked well for Mel and I - we were honest and constructive while working on The Caller. We also devoted a lot of time to editing the book so it felt like a seamless read. 

Both In The Shadows and your new crime series have strong detective characters. Do you have a favourite detective from film/tv/books or history?

I'm a huge fan of DI Jack Frost (A Touch of Frost) and Jessica Fletcher (Murder She Wrote) - I think I have my Grandad to thank for that as we used to watch them religiously when I was younger - but they've always stuck in my head as brilliant characters. If I come across a re-run on TV now I have to watch them. In terms of books - I'm a huge fan of DI Lorne Simpkins in M.A. Comley's Justice series, DI Kim Stone by Angela Marsons and DI Damen Brook by Steven Dunne. 

If The Organised Crime Team Series became a TV show, who would you like to see playing DI Angie North?

Ooh, good question... I love people to make their own mind up about how they visualise a character... but, since watching Line of Duty, I think I would love to see Angie played by someone like Vicky McClure, feisty but fair - we'd just have to dye her hair!

When you're writing do you have a favourite place to sit or a certain routine that you follow?

I only have one option really, and that's the little office I've made myself in my bedroom. As much as I'd love to, I'm not someone who can pitch up in a coffee shop and type away thousands of words. I'd get distracted people watching and drinking tea. So, I need a quiet area (as quiet as possible with a toddler in the house) at my desk and away I go...

What is your favourite part of being an author?

When a reader gets in touch with me to say they enjoyed my book... it really doesn't get better than that. I completely understand you can't please everyone and that you are going to have people read your book and not connect with it - or sadly, completely hate it. But to then read a review or have an email/tweet/Facebook message from someone to say they really understood the character or loved where the story took them... well, that's what makes me want to sit at my computer for hours at a time. 

When you're not writing, what would we find you doing?

Looking after my three year-old son - so probably in the park, the local swimming pool or cinema or even stuck in the ball pit at a wacky warehouse. I'm in awe of the amount of energy he has and wish I could keep up!

Do you have a favourite author?

In the short, no. I read so many different genres and in the past year alone had read so many new authors, I couldn't possibly choose... 

What can we look forward to from you next?

I have notes galore and so many projects I've started that all seem to the simmering and vying for my attention. Some reviews have suggested they'd like to see DI Denis Hamilton return so at the moment I think I want to continue down that route. However, as I just said I read a lot of genres, so understand that readers want different things from books at different stages in their lives... so there could be more from me in terms of that, watch this space.

Thank you so much to Tara for joining me and answering my questions! I'll certainly be looking forward to any new works in the future!

For places to find out more about Tara and her books you can check out

Tara's author Facebook Page
Tara's blog
Sign up to Tara's newsletter

To pick up a copy of In The Shadows click here

To pick up a copy of The Caller click here

Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer

With all the excitement of my new feature, I just realised that I hadn't done a review post for mine and F's most recent buddy read which we finished at the end of July, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, We've moved onto our next read and we've gone back to the classics, choosing The Count Of Monte Cristo and I have to say since starting reading it, so many people have got in touch with me to say that it is their favourite book! 

Anyhoo onto the review:

Following on from reading Iced (see my review here) we weren't sure if reading another book aimed at younger people was a good idea, but we went ahead anyway. 

Artemis Fowl is I believe somewhere between middle grade (children's) and YA as a genre and I feel sadly that it's one I should have read when I was younger as it just didn't work for me and I love a lot of YA and middle grade books. I think my nearly eight year old will love it, so I will definitely pass it on to her when she's finished her current reads. 

Apart from Butler, I really didn't particularly like any of the characters. Artemis was ok, but he just didn't feel like a fully formed character yet to me. Me and F discussed the possibility in the next books that they age like in Harry Potter and so the characters may become more formed and the story as a whole may become more "grown up" as the series goes along - If this does happen please do let me know! 

The story itself is very well written and cleverly plotted, I just didn't engage as much as I would have liked. I am personally not a fan of fairies having technology as well as magic. To me it takes away some of the "magic" of it all. It was however very clever and I think I would have really enjoyed it when I was younger. 

Overall it was an ok book and I will probably pick up the next book in the future or read with my Nerdling just to see where the story goes from here. 

We started this book on the 18th of July 2016 and finished it on the 29th of July 2016.

I gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads. 

The Things You Do For Love by Rachel Crowther - Blog Tour Guest Post

Today I am very excited to bring a guest post from Rachel Crowther, author of The Things You Do For Love as part of the blog tour. So without further ado I'll hand over to Rachel!

What Would I Tell My Daughter About Life And Motherhood?

I went back to work when my first daughter was 11 weeks old, as a junior paediatrician
working an 82-hour week. Overnight I was transported from the sleepy, milky world of new
motherhood to the glare and noise of the hospital, rushing to deliveries in the maternity
unit where I’d given birth less than three months before and trying to save the lives of other
women’s babies who’d been born ‘flat’ (deadpan medical slang for purple and floppy and
not breathing). I spent long days and nights trying to get drips into premature babies on
SCBU, dealing with five-year- olds with leukaemia and their traumatised families and
toddlers with severe asthma in A&E.

I felt horribly inadequate, both as a doctor without enough experience to manage the
medical challenges, and as a mother who felt acutely the suffering of every child and its
parents – AND, of course, as a mother whose own tiny baby was at home with a
childminder. The sick children I encountered at work, whose parents longed for them to be
well and out of hospital, made me feel that the ideal of the family safely and happily at
home was what mattered most in the world – and although I was helping to promote it for
other people, I was doing it at the expense of that experience for myself and my daughter.

After six months, I moved, with relief, into a part-time role in community paediatrics. But
when I found myself spending whole days at home alone with my nine-month- old daughter,
I was at sea all over again. I had no idea what you did all day with a baby, and the pleasures
I’d longed for during those tough months in the paediatric wards seemed like a myth. I felt
I’d failed as a doctor and a mother: I was disappointed in myself, and furious with the world
for tripping me up twice over.

Things got better, of course. I made new friends; I enjoyed my new job; I fell in love with my
daughter again. She was the most amiable and easygoing of children, and on my bleaker
mornings I remembered to give thanks for the fact that neither of us was in hospital. But
even so, I couldn’t help feeling that my relationship with her had been tainted.

So when I got pregnant again, I hoped, guiltily, that I could get it right this time. And in some
ways things WERE easier, even though I vomited every single day of that pregnancy and
struggled to keep up my sessions at work. She was a delightful baby too, and life settled
down into a new, almost serene equilibrium after she was born.

But did the contrast between their early months make a jot of difference to my relationship
with either of my daughters in the long run? Of course it didn’t. Even my memories of them
as babies aren’t very different, and there are just as many photographs of each, just as
many details of their first smiles and words and steps in my diaries. After three more babies, the only insight I can offer is that children – especially babies – regard the circumstances of
their lives as normal, whatever they are.

But as my daughters have grown up, I have often wondered whether, or how, my
experience of life – especially of work and motherhood – might be helpful to them. They are
very different people to me, and they live in a different age. Given how fast the world
changes – socially, politically, financially, culturally – and how different the parameters of
our daughters’ lives are from ours, just how relevant is our experience to them? What can
any of us say to our daughters to help them negotiate the big wide world?

Well, mothers can certainly give their daughters something to judge themselves against,
identifying what they admire and aspire to, and what they would want to do differently.
Every mother’s life is, perhaps, the ‘beta model’ for her daughters: a rough draft they can
improve on.

And talking of rough drafts, stories are – as in so many areas of life – perhaps the best way
to inform and guide and illuminate. Every child loves stories about ‘before I was born’ or
‘when I was a baby’, and most families have a repertoire of good stories and bad stories,
cautionary tales and epic family sagas, ancestral myths that have lost sight of the strict truth
behind them. Narrating our lives is something we humans do naturally – and long before
books were invented, parents invented stories for their children, too. Stories that warned
about the dangers of their world, perhaps, or emphasised the moral values of their society.

Some families pass things on in written form – a family Bible, or a recipe book. Women are
often the keepers of these traditions, and there may be more to them than the words on
the page suggest. In her wonderful article ‘La soupe aux poireaux’, Marguerite Duras writes
about recipes for leek soup being handed down through generations of French women. At
first sight this might look like a way for mothers to pass on a particular way of doing things,
and to reinforce the place of women as domestic and subservient – as makers of soup. But,
Duras says, the secret message of this tradition is about the transformative power of the
female line. The collective history and knowledge shared by women in a family can provide
a space for reflection and re-evaluation: it can be a springboard to help us reclaim
womanhood and motherhood as powerful, creative, life-affirming forces.

So yes, we should share our experiences of life with our daughters. We should tell them the
stories of our failures and triumphs, let them into our secrets, and pass on our recipes for
gravy or chocolate cake or leek soup. We should tell them about their babyhood, too, give
them the start of their own story and encourage them to find their own way to live out the
rest of it, in the hope that they will transform not just their own lives, but ours too.

Photo credit to Roger Smeeton

About Rachel Crowther

Rachel Crowther is a doctor who worked for the NHS for 20 years and the mother of five children. She dabbled in creative writing between babies and medical exams, until an Arvon course prompted her to take it more seriously. She’s also a keen musician and cook. The Things You Do For Love is her second novel.

The Things You Do For Love synopsis

An elite surgeon with a brilliant but philandering husband, Flora Macintyre has always defined herself by her success in juggling her career and her marriage. Until, all at once, she finds herself with neither.

Retired and widowed in the space of a few months, Flora is left untethered. In a moment of madness, she realises there's nothing to stop her running away to France.

But back home her two daughters - the family she's always loved, but never had the time to nurture - are struggling. Lou is balancing pregnancy with a crumbling relationship, while her younger sister, Kitty, begins to realise she may have to choose between love and her growing passion for music.

And even as the family try to pull together, one dark secret could still tear them all apart...

Getting To Know...Kate Moloney

Today we are Getting To Know Kate Moloney of Bibliophile Book Club, Reviewer and buyer of ALL THE BOOKS (seriously check out her monthly book hauls!) 

Have you always been a big reader or has that come about as you've got older?

I used to read a lot when I was younger. I remember having a shelf above my bed and it was lined

the whole way across with Enid Blyton books. I would go to bed at night and secretly turn the light

back on (Sorry mom and dad!!!) to keep reading for longer! My reading definitely waned as I got

older, especially with school and college as the required reading was enough at the time! The only

books I remember reading during school were the Harry Potter series! Since having my kids I've

found reading to be my saviour. After my first was born, I devoured the Twilight series (and I'm not

afraid to admit that!) and then progressed to crime books. When my daughter was born in 2014 I

read loads because her big brother was in school and I had loads of time to myself early on with

her napping etc!

Your wonderful blog, Bibliophile Book Club, is dedicated to all things books. What was it that inspired you to start it up?

Wonderful?! Thanks Helen! I'm pretty sure that I had been boring my family and friends senseless

on social media talking about books so my cousin suggested that I try blogging as a way to talk

about books. I'm not the best at expressing myself so to be able to do it on a platform where I

could essentially be anonymous was brilliant! I'm pretty sure most people would only recognise my eyebrow and kindle as that has been my profile picture on social media!  I've only been blogging

for 2 years but it has been the best fun. I love being able to rave about books I love, sharing them

with readers and finding hidden gems! Book blogging is such a friendly community as well and I'm

so lucky to have made some friends for life through our shared love of books!

Obviously you love reading, but what other hobbies do you have?

Oh gosh! Does shopping for books count? Or reading marathons?!  I'm not going to say I don't

have time for other hobbies, as that would be a lie. Reading and blogging is just my thing! I'm not a

sporty person, so you won't find me chasing a football or anything like that.

Have you ever considered being an author yourself?

I was asked this recently! I've often thought about it, and I have a few ideas written down that I

have yet to come across in books. Clearly they would be crime/thriller related because that is all I

read! However, English has never been my strong point. I was useless with creative writing when I

was at school so I don't think I'd ever be able to translate what's in my head on to paper if I'm honest.

On average how many books do you read in a year? Do you set yourself an annual goal?

I use Goodreads and they give you the option of setting a yearly target so I try to set mine to an

attainable goal. In 2014, I managed to read 75 books, which was easy to do as I had been on

maternity leave before I had my daughter. I figured with a newborn I'd set 2015's target to 80 just in

case I didn't have enough to do, but I managed to read them all as we have a great sleeper!

This year I set my target at 75 books because I didn't want to be under pressure, but at the time of

writing this I'm reading my 104th book of the year and it's only July!

Do you have a favourite place to curl up and read?

I love to read in bed! It's the only uninterrupted time that I get to read without anyone needing

something done! The kids are tucked up in bed, my husband is reading too, so it's just nice to read

a bit before sleep. Failing that, I like to curl up in a corner of the couch with tea/coffee depending

on the time of the day if I get a few minutes to myself, but let's be honest, with 2 kids that doesn't

happen often!

Do you know how many books that you own in total?

In total, I have no idea. But I did count up my TBR today, and there are seven hundred and

seventeen books on my TBR between physical books and Kindle books. 717! That's madness! The

majority of these books are my own personal buys, as opposed to read and reviews for the blog,

so it's not too bad, but it's still a lot. If you want total books, I'm pretty sure you could double 717

and it would be close enough to what I have here!

Do you have a specific way that your organise your bookshelves?

I do and I don't! I have a bookcase and a shelved dresser side by side! On the bookcase is ALL of

the crime/psychological thrillers etc that I can fit and the same again on the dresser shelves. On

top of the dresser is all of the non-crime books I have (plus my Harlan Coben and Jonathan

Kellerman collections) so biographies, sci-fi and so on! I know what goes where so I guess that's

all that matters!

The biggest question to ask a reader...paperbacks, hardbacks or e-books?

This can be such a loaded question depending on who you ask. For me personally, I don't

discriminate. A book is a book so however you choose to read it is personal preference. Reading is

reading, whether it's a book or a screen, it shouldn't matter.

Do you have a favourite author?

I have many, and therein lies the problem! It's really hard to just pick one! At the moment, I am

loving Ragnar Jónasson's Dark Iceland series (ANYONE that follows me on Twitter will know that

as I'm all fangirly emojis about his books!), I love Lee Child's Jack Reacher series and await every

instalment like an impatient child. Elizabeth Haynes because she wrote one of my all time

favourite books, Into The Darkest Corner. Chris Carter, James Carol, Jack Kerley for their pace

and gore factor! Linwood Barclay, Harlan Coben, Jonathan Kellerman and John Sandford all have

superb books! Robert Bryndza, Angela Marsons, and Tom Bale too! See, now I can't stop naming

favourites!

Thank you so much to Kate for answering my questions, it's been really fun reading all your answers! I really recommend people checking out Bibliophile Book Club and Kate's reviews on there.

You can connect with Kate on:

Bibliophile Book Club Website
Bibliophile Book Club Facebook Page
Twitter @BibliophileBC
Instagram - bibliophilebookclub

Imperium Omni: Captain's Edition - Matthew S Thomas

I received a copy of Imperium Omni: Captain's Edition direct from the author Matthew S Thomas in exchange for an honest review.

Imperium Omni is a fantasy story based on an RPG (role playing game) board game and I have to say I felt that it really worked. The writing was really well done and rich in detail, The world building was immersive and I could really picture myself with the characters.

To make it work for readers who play RPGs, there are certain symbols at important spots throughout the story, which you can then go to the section at the back of the book for more details. If you're not a RPG player or only play casually like myself, then you can just read on past these symbols and nothing is taken away from the story itself. As a side note, I think the author would make an awesome DM (Dungeon Master) if he plays D&D!

I really like the main character Shadow, a half elf, and I thought he was really rounded, though at times he spoke far more than necessary. We follow him on his first assignment as an Explorer and he is excited to start having adventures and seeing the world while completing his duty. He meets a whole cast of characters on the way, some a lot nicer than others as well as a love interest which feels a little forced, but it may become more natural in the next book.

The only thing I would say is that the chapters are far too long in this book, there are 468 pages and only 5 chapters. The author does explain in the introduction why they have done this, but I much prefer faster paced, shorter chapters to keep me reading. I also hate putting a book down at an unnatural break.

Overall though a really enjoyable read and one I would recommend, I will also be reading the next book in the series when that comes out.

I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads

Getting To Know...Marie Campbell

Today I am kicking off my new feature Getting To Know... with the absolutely lovely Marie Campbell, author of Baby published in July 2016.  

Your book, Baby, is a psychological thriller, is there something that draws you to that genre or did the story just take you there?

Psychological thrillers are my absolute favourite books to read, so it just came naturally to me to write in that genre. I tend to find that there is a dark side to whatever I write!

Baby is set in Edinburgh, where you live, what is it about this city that you love?

I’m originally from the North East of England and moved to Edinburgh around eight years ago – my partner’s from Edinburgh and we decided to move up here. We live in the south of Edinburgh, with our five-year- old son. I’m from a small town, so moving to a capital city was a big change, but an exciting one. What I really like is the fact that you can be in the city centre, the countryside or the beach within a short drive of home. I love the different seasons here – the city really comes alive in the summer, especially at Festival time, and in the winter, Princes Street is amazing, with the winter wonderland, Christmas markets and New Year fireworks. It has palaces, castles and breath-taking scenery and architecture on the doorstep. I chose to set Baby in Edinburgh because I wanted to get the details right – whether it was the route of a particular bus, or how long it would take to walk somewhere, or the view from a particular spot.

As well as being an author, you also run your own proofreading business, can you tell me more about the process and how long it takes?

I took a career break from my job as a civil servant when I had my son. I’ve always been interested in proofreading and editing, and many of my roles involved this. I decided to do some formal training and set up a business from home, which works well with my family commitments. The process and time vary, depending on what I am working on and the client’s requirements. I’ve proofread books, essays, CVs – I like the variety that this job brings.

  

Did you always want to be an author, or was there something else you wanted to be growing up?

I went to university with the intention of being a teacher. I think, like many people at that age, I was unsure of what I wanted to do, and teaching seemed a good option. However, I found it wasn’t for me, and left my course with the intention of doing something different the following year. But then I got a job, and started working in the civil service, where I did a huge variety of things from working out National Insurance contributions to staff training. I’ve always written (although there have been periods of a few years when I’ve not written a word) but didn’t have the confidence to write a book. When I was 40, I decided to do a creative writing course. I loved it, so I did another one. After a novel-writing course, I had a very rough version of the book that was to become Baby. I love to write and it is something I can’t ever imagine not doing. 

When you’re not reading or writing what would we find you doing?

I know we chatted earlier about my proofreading work – I spend a lot of time working on developing my business. My real job is bringing up my son – although he starts school this year so maybe then I’ll get further on with book number two! I love exploring Edinburgh and the surrounding areas – my son loves finding new playparks and castles. I enjoy eating out and trying out the new bars and restaurants Edinburgh has to offer. I also head down the A1 to visit family and friends in my home town regularly.

Do you have a set routine or a favourite place to write?

I always carry a notebook and pen, and make notes whenever and wherever I am, but my main writing is done on an evening, usually at the kitchen table. I fit it in when I can, and although I try to set myself a daily word target, that doesn’t always work out! I like the process of getting a first draft done, then going back over it many times to try to get it just right.

If you could give your younger self any advice about your writing journey, what would it be?

As I mentioned earlier, there have been lengthy periods when I haven’t written because life got in the way. I suppose I would tell my younger self to have more confidence and just write.

Apart from writing, do you have any other hidden talents?

Unfortunately not. Although I am really quite good at Lego…

Do you have a favourite author?

I couldn’t pick just one favourite, but Stephen King is one of them. I read everything he wrote when I was young, and more recently, his book On Writing has been a brilliant source of guidance. I also love Nicci French, Kate Atkinson, Gillian Flynn and Erin Kelly. I really like reading books by new authors.

What can we expect from you in the future?

I’ve started writing my second novel. It’s another thriller, with a theme of revenge. 

Thank you so much to Marie for answering my questions and kicking off my new blog feature! I really hope everyone enjoys reading Marie's answers as much as I did.

You can connect with Marie Campbell in the following ways:

Writer Website 
Proofreading Website
Author Facebook Page
Twitter @mariecampbell72
Author Newsletter Sign Up

And to pick up a copy of Baby - click here

Book synopsis

When Michael Stanton goes to work one day and doesn’t come back, everyone – friends, family, police – thinks his pregnant girlfriend Jill should accept he’s left her. After all, he’s done it before. But Jill just won’t believe that Michael would walk away from her and their unborn child. Increasingly desperate and alone, she’s determined to find him. Just where is Michael? What Jill doesn’t know is that his beautiful ex, Anna, wants him back, and won’t take no for an answer. And it isn’t just him she wants… In a maze of captivity, sexual tension and dark desire, Michael battles with his feelings. Does he really want his normal life back, or could there be a future with the woman who terrifies, controls and fascinates him? Baby is a compelling, sexy, disturbing and unforgettable thriller.

Unquiet Souls by Liz Mistry - Meet The Matchmaker

Today is my turn on the Unquiet Souls by Liz Mistry blog tour and I am very excited to be bringing you the third extract from Unquiet Souls, the first book in an exciting new series! To read the first extract Meet DI Gus McGuire check out Crime Thriller Girl's blog here and to read the second extract DI Gus McGuire Laid Bare check out From First Page To Last's blog here.

Meet The Matchmaker

Sunday, 12pm, Cambridge 2003

The Matchmaker inhaled deeply each time he pulled himself up: chin to the bar, toes pointed,
naked sweaty torso rigidly straight, the smell of his own perspiration creating an almost sexual
pleasure, spurring him on to complete each agonising repetition. Finally, he was done.
Dropping gracefully to the floor, he towelled his soaking body and, frowning at the silent phones
on his desk, walked through to the ensuite. A cursory two-minute shower, clean clothes and he
was back at his desk.


Leaning back in the soft leather chair he waited, his impatience betrayed only by the jig of
his right knee and his fingertip’s measured tap on the polished mahogany desk. It had taken
years, combined with the creation of his ‘Decompression Room’, to finesse this level of self-
control.


He pumped the number into a safe phone and waited. The idiot still wasn’t answering.
Deliberately, he replaced the phone on the desk. His fingers and knee continued their languid
dance, but his breathing was strained. Leaning over he pressed a button. Immediately, relaxing
music filled the room. Eyes closed, hands resting on his abdomen he allowed the calm to
embrace him until his anger receded.


Finally, pulling his chair closer to the desk, he looked at his computer. The order form was
on the screen. Granted the client had made a particularly difficult request but, he’d also paid
handsomely for their delivery agreement. Now, three days before the due date the acquisition
form remained unvalidated. The client was becoming nervous. So was he and, to make matters
worse, The Provider was uncontactable. Not acceptable… not acceptable at all. It was
beginning to look like the delivery would fail or, at the very least, be delayed. The resultant
financial loss would be catastrophic, to say nothing of the damage to their reputation.


The phone rang three times before he answered. “Speak.”
It wasn’t the voice he’d expected but, nonetheless, the call was important.
“Client 21 has returned damaged goods again.”
The Matchmaker frowned and pulled the relevant file up on his computer. “That’s becoming
an issue.” He listened. “You’re right. Client 21 is becoming careless and arrogant, putting us
all at risk. We’ll make him pay.”
The Facilitator laughed. “Yeah, hit him where it hurts most…in his pocket.”
The Matchmaker considered the Client’s file before responding. “I think a £100,000 damage
fee should teach him. No more supplies till he’s settled, ok?” Hanging up, he typed a note on the
file and glared at the silent phone.


How amazing does that sound! Unquiet Souls is published by Bloodhound Books.

Do make sure you check out the rest of the blog tour -

Contact The Author

Twitter - @LizCrimeWarp

FB - @LizMistrybooks

Website - https://lizmistrycrimewriter.wordpress.com/

Email - lizbmistry@yahoo.co.uk

Bloodhound Books Website - http://www.bloodhoundbooks.com/

A Single Drop Of Perfect Blog Tour - Jessikah Hope Stenson

A Single Drop Of Perfect is a collection of five short stories and I think each one is definitely its own drop of perfect.

This is Jessikah's debut collection of stories but you would never tell with the maturity and quality of her writing. Each story is crafted wonderfully and there is so much detail that you don't feel lacking in anything even though the story is short. Sometimes in collections of stories, there are maybe one or two that you don't feel hold up with the rest, but that is certainly not the case with this collection.

Each story has characters that you can relate to on some level and you can certainly imagine yourself in their places in some of the stories at least. The characters are very human and you feel like you know them as you follow their story.

I think the stand out story for me was Wounds in which an eight year old girl suffers a dog attack, but there is so much more to it than that. As a mum myself I really empathised with Helen the main character and would have probably acted in the exact same way in the same situation. In fact I may not have acted as calmly!

I also really think What Isla Did stood out as well, the story unravels around you and as you're reading you realise more and more about what has happened, It really gets it's hooks into you.

A Single Drop of Perfect is wonderfully written quick read that will surprise you with each story. This is a definite recommendation from me.

I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the blog tour!

As part of the blog tour I received an e-book copy of A Single Drop of Perfect directly from the author.

Photo Credit https://www.facebook.com/JamesAlexanderHallPhotography/

Books I Read And Some Exciting News - July 2016

Wow I can't believe it's August already! This year is definitely just flying by. July was quite a light month of reading for me, between being very busy - just yesterday we visited Peveril Castle to enjoy their medieval day and then went over to the St Anne's Kite Festival, feeling a little slumpy and planning something super exciting for my blog I don't seem to have read as much. I have however done a blog review for almost everything I have read this month so that was a bonus (there are a couple more to be completed and I will link once they're up too).

August is another busy one on the blog with some blog tours and plenty of reviews as usual. I have big news though, I will have a new feature that I have been planning and getting ready (I really need an extra 10 hours a day!) and it will be called Getting To Know... and I have some absolutely fabulous authors and book bloggers lined up who have answered questions for me. I'm really excited about this, a lot of work has gone into this and I really hope you all like it!

So onto the books I did read in July

1. The Iliad by Homer - 2 Stars
2. Everyday Monsters by Lauren Christopher - 5 Stars
3. The Girl From The Sea by Shalini Boland - 5 Stars
4. Harvest Festival by Karl Drinkwater - 5 Stars
5. Iced by Karen Marie Moning - 2 Stars
6. Nomad by James Swallow - 5 Stars
7. Crossbones by Stefan M. Nardi - 5 Stars
8. Batman: Long Shadows by Judd Winick - 4 Stars
9. A Single Drop Of Perfect And Other Stories by Jessikah Hope Stenson - 5 Stars
10. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer - 3 Stars

I'm really hoping to get a lot more read in August as I don't want t get stuck in a slump for too long. My buddy reader and I will be starting our new book this week and I'm hoping that going back to our classics after having a more contemporary break will be inspiration.

What have you read this month? Anything that you'd recommend? Have you read any of the books I have, what did you think of them?

Iced - Karen Marie Moning

For our latest buddy read we decided to take a break from the classics following how hard work The Iliad was and got inspired by my post on book series I hadn't completed yet to carry on with a series we hadn't finished. We discovered that we were both up to the exact same point in the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning - Iced.

Before I get into the review about Iced I just want to say that I absolutely adore the first five books in this series concentrating on Mac and my book husband Jericho Barrons. I recommend it to everyone and have been doing so for years. When Iced came out I was pregnant and moving so I just never got round to reading it though I had bought it at release. 

I was so disappointed in this book. I didn't like Dani in the previous books, so having a book with her as the main character was never going to be good for me, but I love Karen Marie Moning's (from here on out to be called KMM) writing so I thought I'd get past it. Spoiler alert, I didn't. 

I'm going to try not to be too spoilery because this is the sixth book in a series, but I am going to give my thoughts on certain things.

The Fever Series is NOT a YA series, never has been, never will be; so having a fourteen year old main character just made KMM's job a lot harder and it really shows. Dani ends up being the lust object (I refuse to call it love for two out of the three people) for three grown men/fae. Now they say age is just a number etc and in olden times she'd be married with kids by this age, but you just aren't allowed to forget how old she is. Her age must be mentioned at least every other page and the way she talks, I'm convinced isn't how any fourteen year old would talk. In the previous book she admitted to watching porn, but she will only call sex "boinking" which just doesn't fit at all. Also there's a lot of talk about being her first even though she repeatedly says that it isn't going to happen, It all just feels so creepy to me. 

The story itself, while well written, just didn't hold any interest for me at all. I found myself not really not caring who or what the big bad was, I just wanted to get to the end and honestly the last chapter is the best part and makes me excited about the next book. 

F had the same problems as me and after a few days of our usual 20 pages a day, we decided to up it to 50 pages a day just to get through it. 

Though I really didn't like this book I will continue with the series as I know it goes back to concentrating on Mac and Barrons and all this will be worth it. Also do not let this put you off trying the first five books, nothing will change my mind on how awesome they are. 

We started reading this book on the 4th of July 2016 and finished it on the 15th of July 2016.

I gave this book 2 stars on Goodreads. 

Crossbones - Stefan M. Nardi

I received an e-book copy of Crossbones direct from the author Stefan M. Nardi in exchange for an honest review.  

Honestly all I was going to write for this review was PIRATES and MAGIC! I mean, what else can you want from a fantasy book? 

In all seriousness though, I wasn't 100% sure that pirates and magic would work well together but boy, was I wrong! (Not a fan of Peter Pan, Jake and The Neverland Pirates however is good). I really think it works incredibly well and it is really well balanced. 

The story follows the brothers Dean and Eldric, both pirates who have their own magical powers. The book jumps straight into the action and immediately showcases the characters of both Dean and Eldric. Dean is the older brother, confidence verging on cocky, but with just enough charm that you can't help but smiling. Eldric is the younger brother, he has a bit more of a serious head on his shoulders. Their relationship is wonderful and you can tell they really love each other. I definitely like portrayals of strong sibling bonds. 

The book goes from one bit of action to the next, barely pausing to let the characters catch a moment to relax. This is where my only complaint about the book comes in, it's too short. I like a huge world and lots of good description in my fantasy novels, but Crossbones is very short for a fantasy. The story, world and character building however does not suffer for the book being shorter, it is just my selfishness of wanting more and wanting to know more about the whole world because I enjoyed it so much, 

Overall an exceptionally enjoyable read and a well constructed story. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series as I definitely want to learn more about Dean and Eldric and I also want to know what will happen after the climax of the first book, lives have been changed irreparably. 

I started reading this book on the 9th of July 2016 and I finished it on the 18th of July 2016.

I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.