#Bookouture

A Year at Appleyard Farm by Emma Davies **Book Review** @bookouture

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Happy Friday all!

What’s your favorite season? Well no matter what it is, this book covers them all!🍂

My Thoughts

Four seasons of fabulous stories. Emma Davies has seamlessly spun together four heartwarming tales. Winter brings us Freya, mistletoe, magic, and second chances. Spring brings us Mary, curses, inspiration, and new beginnings. Summer brings us Willow, ice cream, premonitions, and change. Autumn brings us Laura, flowers, weddings, and new love. Four delightful stories bound together by delightful characters and a charming apple farm.

Freya really was the thread that held all the stories together and I really liked her as a character. The setting of this small town and this gorgeous apple farm was perfect. I generally don’t like short stories/Novellas but I liked how these were all woven together. Freya, Mary, Willow, and Laura were all smart strong spunky women we would all love for a friend. All the colorful side characters added so much texture to the stories. There were also lots of yummy treats in the story. I especially loved Willow’s ice cream, I am seriously craving some right now. A lovely story for all seasons.

This book in emojis 🎄 🍎 🖌 👶🏼 🍨 🍓 💐 🐕‍🦺

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

Down a winding lane lined with strawberry trees and wildflowers lies Appleyard Farm, a beautiful orchard in the English countryside. And in a little farmhouse in the furthest corner, a young woman has a difficult decision to make…

 

Life on Appleyard Farm is all Freya Sherbourne has ever known. Having spent her childhood playing in the emerald green meadows and berry picking until sunset, Freya intends to call the farmhouse home forever. But when her father suddenly passes away and Appleyard Farm goes up for sale, Freya’s world comes crashing down.

 

Holding back the tears, she starts packing boxes while waiting for a buyer. Now the river no longer sparkles, and the apples taste a little less sweet. Until Freya learns the exciting news that her best friends Merry and Willow are moving nearby to open a local shop. And when someone from her past re-emerges, handsomer than ever and offering to mend the cracks in her broken heart, Freya’s eyes begin to twinkle once again.

 

But falling in love is scary, especially when you don’t know what the future holds. And when Freya discovers that her new love has been keeping a secret, one that threatens both their fragile relationship and the farm, she risks losing everything.

 

With the clock ticking, will Freya choose to follow her heart or save the farm? Or can she find a way to do both?

 

Told in four parts, this is a gorgeous story about love, friendship and new beginnings. Fans of Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Debbie Johnson should grab a cup of hot chocolate, curl up on the sofa and prepare to be carried away!

 

A Year at Appleyard Farm was previously published as four short stories: Merry Mistletoe, Spring Fever, Gooseberry Fool, and Blackberry Way.

  

About the Author 

After a varied career, Emma Davies once worked for a design studio where she was asked to provide a fun and humorous (and not necessarily true) anecdote for their website. She wrote the following: ‘I am a bestselling novelist currently masquerading as a thirty something mother of three.’ Well the job in the design studio didn’t work out but she’s now a forty something mother of three and is happy to report the rest of her dream came true.

After many years as a finance manager she now writes full time and is far happier playing with words than numbers. She lives with her husband, three children, and two guinea pigs in rural Shropshire where she writes in all the gaps in between real life. It’s a county she adores, her love of its beautiful people and landscapes providing endless inspiration for her books, and in fact the only thing that would make Shropshire more idyllic is if it were by the sea. 

 

Author Social Media Links: 


Pop over to her website www.emmadaviesauthor.com where, amongst other things, you can read about her passion for Pringles and singing loudly in the car. You can also wave to her on twitter @EmDaviesAuthor / https://twitter.com/EmDaviesAuthor or find her on Facebook (a little too often than is good for her): https://www.facebook.com/emmadaviesauthor/

And So It Begins by Rachel Abbott **Book Review** @bookouture

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Happy weekend my friends!

Wow does time fly while you’re reading good books! Cannot believe this is the last weekend of August? Although I must admit I’m waiting for the cooler weather, it’s been a very hot August for sure!🥵

My Thoughts

Masterfully manipulative. This was one twisted thriller chock-full of unreliable, unlikable, unbelievable characters. The book kicks off with a gory scene, Sergeant Stephanie King enters a residence and discovers two bloody bodies in a bed. One victim is alive and one victim is dead. Then the story bounces back two life with Mark and Evie. Mark is an eccentric photographer and Evie rescued him from his depression after the death of his first wife. Marks older sister Cleo has always been overprotective when it comes to Mark and she does not have a good feeling about Evie. A little psychological thriller… a little police procedural… a little quart room drama… a lot twisted….

This was a definite addictive read with plenty of potential bad guys. At no time during the story did I completely trust anyone, not even the detectives. The story is told from multiple perspectives so there is no doubt that each character has their own agenda going on. There is also a lot of misdirection and manipulation going on. Loved how this thriller also blended in the police investigation and the court case. I am purposely being vague because I certainly wouldn’t want to spoil this for you. A well told compelling thriller with a surprising end.

This book in emojis 📸 👶🏼 🧩 🔪

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

‘A truly compelling, twisty, enthralling and satisfying read… Absolutely AMAZING!’ Angela Marsons, #1 bestselling author of Silent Scream 

When I met Mark, I knew I had to make him mine. Thoughtful and sensitive, Mark lived in the most breath-taking house I’d ever seen – all glass and perched on the clifftop, with mesmerizing views across the waves below. It was where his first wife had died tragically, but it would be our promising new start. 

When our gorgeous daughter Lulu was born, our perfect life was complete. But then I started having accidents at home. A broken hand… a black eye… Mark’s sister thought I was doing it for attention, but she had no idea how scared I was of who I had become. 

If I told you what my life with Mark has turned into, I doubt you would believe it. But I need you to listen because you’re the only hope Lulu and I have left. And if I can make you see the truth, then maybe there’s a chance I can save my precious daughter… 

A book so twisty you won’t be able to put it down. From the four-million-copy bestselling author, And So It Begins is an absolutely gripping read for fans of The Girl on the Train and The Woman in the Window.

 

About the Author

Rachel Abbott was born just outside Manchester, England, and spent most of her working life as the Managing Director of an interactive media company. After her company was sold in 2000, she fulfilled a lifelong ambition of buying and restoring a property in Italy. She now splits her time between homes in Italy and Alderney, where she writes full time and has just completed her sixth novel.

Author Social Media Links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelAbbott

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelAbbott1Writer/

Website: https://www.rachel-abbott.com/

 

Summer at Hope Haven by Kristin Harper **Book Review** @bookouture

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Happy Wednesday all!

This was such a beautiful story with such a gorgeous setting. I would love to visit Dune Island one day.🐠

My Thoughts

Beautiful story. Gorgeous setting. All the feels. Kristin Harper has vividly woven together a tale of grief, hope, and heart. Emily has lost her family to tragedy and her fiancé to another woman. Faced with a long summer away from her job in academia she decides to return to her family cottage on Dune Island. She begins to regret her choice when the cottage starts bringing up too many painful memories. BUT Emily decides it is time for her to face her past not to mention she has volunteered to paint a mural in the local hospital. When she meets the affable good looking doctor Luke there is a definite attraction, but Emily is not ready to open her heart to anyone.

This was a sweet emotional slow burn romance, but the setting stole the show. This gorgeous island was so vividly described I could… feel the sand between my toes… smell the allure of the sea… hear the crash of the waves… taste the salt in the air…. Emily was such a lovely character. My heart broke for her for what she had gone through and my heart sword for her as she fought to get her life back. Lucas was a great guy and I really was hoping Emily and he would find their way to one another. The side characters were great and there were a few secrets and twists that were unexpected. This book was an absolute treat packed with all the feels.

This book in emojis 🖌 🎣 🎨 🐠 🏊‍♀️ 🏄🏻‍♂️ 🤰🏻 ♟

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

Making her way up the cedar-lined driveway, tears fill her eyes at the sight of the cottage’s faded trim and peeling turquoise shutters. Taking a deep breath, she grasps the heart-shaped iron door handle and steps inside the once-happy childhood home she’s been avoiding. It is time to face up to the past…

When Emily’s fiancé walks out on her while she’s still grieving the loss of her family in a terrible accident, she escapes back to Hope Haven on the remote Dune Island, where her family vacationed every summer. Emily hopes that fixing up the house will also mend her broken heart, but the cottage holds more than just bittersweet childhood memories. Emptying her father’s antique writing desk, Emily finds a letter that reveals a devastating secret about her parents.

With a head full of questions that can never be answered, it seems like returning to the island was the worst decision Emily ever made… until she meets Lucas Socorro, saltwater dripping from his dark curls after a surf session. As they take long walks on the soft sand, and talk late into the firefly-lit night, Emily wonders if Dr Luke—as the kids in the hospital call him—could be the one to help her heal. With Luke holding her hand, delving into her family’s painful past is a little easier.

Painting the gloomy cottage walls the colour of seashells, and revamping her grandmother’s flea-market furniture, Emily starts to feel she might call Dune Island home for good—and that she could build that home right here with Luke. But when Emily’s family secret spreads through a network of local gossips, her fragile heart breaks all over again. Luke is the only one who could have started the rumours. Was she wrong to trust him so easily?

As the sun sets behind the dunes, Emily has a difficult decision to make. Does she pack her bags and leave the island for good? Or take a risk that Hope Haven has everything she’s been looking for?

A beautiful and emotional read that will make you long to feel the sand beneath your feet. Perfect for fans of Nancy Thayer, Tracy Brogan and Mary Alice Monroe.  

About the Author

Ever since she was a young girl, there were few things Kristin liked more than creative writing and spending time on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with her family. Eventually (after a succession of jobs that bored her to tears), she found a way to combine those two passions by becoming a women’s fiction author whose stories occur in oceanside settings. While Kristin doesn’t live on the Cape year-round, she escapes to the beach whenever she can. 

@KHarperAuthor
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Some Like It Greek by Sue Roberts **Book Review** @bookouture

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Happy Friday book people!

This was such a fun book! Loved traveling through the pages to France, Italy, and Greece.🚐

My Thoughts

Sun, sand, and a camper van. Sue Roberts descriptive storytelling always whisks me away to exotic locations. I could feel the wind in my hair, the sand in my toes, the sun on my skin. I could smell the salt from the sea, the spices of the food, and the gas from the camper van. Anna is at a crossroads, her beloved father has just passed away and she has accepted an offer of voluntary redundancy from her job. When she is cleaning out her fathers house she runs across a postcard of a gorgeous beach in Greece as well as a map of the trip her father took many years ago. Thinking there is no time like the present, Anna invites her elderly neighbor Demi who is from Greece to take on this adventure with her. So the two load up the camper van and the journey begins. France, Switzerland, Greece, or Bust.

This book was so fun! Loved traveling all these places through the pages of this book. Anna and Demi were such great characters. Anna had such a free spirit and Demi was so spirited. Loved how these women were over three decades apart yet so similar. They both had great emotional stories and loads of growth throughout the book. Demi confronts her past and Anna re-invents her future. There was also a splash of romance in the story that warmed my heart.

This book in emojis 🚐 🛣 🏔 🇬🇷 🍻 ⛴

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

There’s nothing like a summer escape. A sun-kissed story about living life to the full.

In the month from hell, incurable optimist Anna has lost her father and her job, and her trademark smile is dimming. Clearing out her dad’s house, she discovers a postcard of a beautiful sandy beach and a map with a route plotted to the Greek island of Kefalonia. With an empty summer stretching ahead, Anna’s eyes stray to her father’s old camper van. Next thing she knows, she’s hitting the road with friend Demi in tow, on a course from Salford to Skala!

Over one unforgettable summer, Anna and Demi make their rickety way along the sparkling Mediterranean coast, the hot sun shining down on their frequent mishaps with cheerful local characters. It’s the trip of a lifetime, and the scent of lemons in the air – as well as an unexpected romance – are just what Anna needs to awaken her inner Greek goddess.

But there are big surprises in store when they arrive at the island paradise, which could change both women’s lives forever. And as summer comes to an end, Anna has to decide whether she has had enough of the Greek life, or whether this is only just the beginning…

A joyful, hilarious summer read, perfect for fans of Carole Matthews, Jenny Colgan and Sophie Kinsella.

About the Author

Sue Roberts lives in Lancashire with her long term partner Derek and has had a lifelong love of writing, encouraged by winning a school writing competition at the age of 11.

She always assumed that ‘one day’ she would write a book, always having a busy household and a job, the idea remained firmly on the back burner but never forgotten.

The inspiration for her first novel came to her on a holiday to a Greek village. Her daughters had left home and suddenly the time had come to write that book!

https://twitter.com/suerobertsautho

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The Perfect Hideaway by Alys Murray **Book Review** @bookouture

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Happy Monday!

We are in the middle of the hottest and longest heatwave in the past decade here in Southern California! It’s going to be over 100° all week! Is 2020 over yet? Once again I am thankful for books and even more thankful I can read inside with the AC on! 🥵

My Thoughts

Hopeful and happy. Flirty and fun. Alys Murray’s sweet small town romances will touch your heart and make you smile. This is the third book in the Full Bloom Farm series, but it can without a doubt be read as a standalone. Annie loves to make other people happy. Now that she has successfully made a love match for sisters Harper and May it is their oldest sister Rose’s turn. But Rose is not a willing participant in Annie’s matchmaking shenanigans. Not to mention that Annie seems to only set up Rose with her mortal enemies. Annie needing a little more insight into the small town dynamics Annie bribes news reporter George to help her out. George agrees only because he is convinced that there is a story to be told about Annie and her wealthy brother Luke.

This was a whimsical enemies to lovers story. Both Annie and George were likable characters with tragic passs. I loved their chemistry, their banter, and their tender moments. I was really hoping they could both put down their walls and find love. This was a delightful story that just made me feel good!

this book in emojis 💐🐐 🐶 🌳 📰 📱

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

Annie Martin is thrilled to have moved from the hectic buzz of L.A. to the small town of Hillsboro, Northern California, where the most happening bar only plays honky-tonk and nowhere does a good matcha latte. But the best thing about Hillsboro? The Anderson sisters. At their noisy family dinners, Annie can almost forget the mistakes she made back in the city, trying to fit in.

Annie has repaid the sisters’ friendship with some obvious-but-effective matchmaking and now there’s only one Anderson still looking for love. But Rose is surprisingly prickly about an enforced happy-ever-after, and when a meticulously planned meet-cute ends drenched in the town fountain, Annie realizes this project calls for someone with a deeper knowledge of the Hillsboro bachelors.

Local reporter and all-around grouch George Barnett has been a thorn in Annie’s side since she came to town. He knows all too well that everyone has secrets and he thinks the story of why social media darling Annie Martin swapped stilettos for sneakers might be the scoop that makes his career. Annie is sure her skeletons are under triple lock and key, so she offers him an exclusive, if he’ll help her find a match for Rose.

But the more George and Annie try to control the love lives around them, the less they’re able to sway their own hearts. As Annie’s infectious laugh begins to bring down George’s barrier of surliness, can he open his heart and let her in for real? And can Annie be brave enough to trust the man who could be her future, with the secrets of her past?

A heart-warming story of friendship and finding love in the most unlikely of places, fans of Robyn Carr, Debbie Macomber and Carolyn Brown will adore The Perfect Hideaway.  

About the Author

Alys Murray is an author who writes for the romantic in all of us. Though she graduated with a degree in Drama from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a Master’s in Film Studies from King’s College London, her irrepressible love of romance led her to a career as an author, and she couldn’t be happier to write these stories! Currently splitting time between her home state of Louisiana and London, she enjoys kissing books, Star Wars, and creating original pie recipes for all of her books. Tobey Maguire is her Spider-Man. 
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Save Her Soul by Lisa Regan **Book Review** @bookouture @lisalregan

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Happy Friday all!

Wow this week went fast! Today…. Josie Quinn… that’s all I need to say.

My Thoughts

Lisa Regan is the queen of crime thrillers! Josie Quinn is back in the ninth installment of this stellar series. Each book in the series is bursting with tension, atmosphere, brilliant storytelling, fascinating characters, twists, turns, and thrills. This book kicks off with Josie and Gretchen involved in a water rescue. Denton is in the midst of epic rain storms and the city is rapidly flooding. This really offered the perfect ominous atmospheric setting for this mystery. While in the middle of the water rescue Josie discovers a dead body. The body had been buried for over 16 years and the flooding has brought it to the surface. Turns out the dead woman is someone Josie went to high school with and the kicker she’s wearing Josie’s dead husband ray’s baseball jacket. This mystery drags up many pieces of Josie’s past. A dead body, a hairdresser, a drug dealer, A mysterious caller, floodwaters, gunshots, protests, DNA, and an orange cat.

Once again I was 100% invested in figuring out the mystery in the story. Love Josie and all the other characters in these books. Josie has had so much growth throughout the series. I hated to see her drug back into the past dealing with not only The ghost of Ray, but also her terrible supposed mother. My only complaint with the story is that once again poor Noah had to play second string to Ray. I mean I really like them together and I think Noah is really good for Josie, but man I almost want him to call her out sometimes. Another spectacular installment in this series with an ending that took me by surprise.

This book in emojis 💦 🐱 ☔️ 💊 🔎 🧬 ⚾️

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

Josie flinches as she takes in the faded blue sports jacket wrapped around the girl they just pulled from the water. Josie knew someone who’d once owned that jacket. He had died in her arms five years ago.

 

Heavy rain pours on the small town of Denton causing the riverbanks to break and the body of a young girl to float quietly to the surface. With no crime scene to examine, the odds are against Detective Josie Quinn and her team. Mercifully, the victim’s body is perfectly preserved, right down to the baseball patch on the jacket she was wearing. Josie can’t hide her devastation—her dead ex-husband, Ray, owned one just like it.

 

Following the trail back to her high school, Josie identifies the girl as Beverly Urban, a troubled student rumored to have been dating Ray before she left town for good. It looks like a tragic accident until the autopsy reveals a bullet in her head and the heart-breaking secret she was keeping.

 

Josie visits the salon where Beverly’s mother used to work, believing she was at the heart of a terrible scandal around the time her daughter’s life was taken. With the Denton wives remaining tight-lipped, Josie’s only hope is a secret meet-up with a terrified woman willing to talk. But she is murdered moments before giving Josie crucial information. It’s clear that someone is prepared to keep on killing to stop the truth from getting out.

 

Digging deep into memories of her own past with Ray is the only advantage Josie has on this twisted killer… but at what cost?

 

Another jaw-dropping crime thriller from an Amazon, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author that will have you absolutely gripped from page one. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.

About the Author

Lisa Regan is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal bestselling author and Amazon bestselling crime novelist.  She has a bachelor’s degree in English and Master of Education Degree from Bloomsburg University.  She is a member of Sisters In Crime, Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter. Find out more at her website: www.lisaregan.com

 

Author Social Media Links: 

 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Lisa-Regan-189735444395923/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Lisalregan

WEBSITE: www.lisaregan.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6443334.Lisa_Regan

Beyond the Horizon by Ella Carey **Cover Reveal** @bookouture

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Happy Tuesday all!

Got to love a cover reveal and this one is gorgeous! And the book sounds divine!🛩

About the Book

Suddenly, it became hard to breathe and the sound of the engine throbbed in Eva’s head. The plane crashed and skidded. She heard the wail of sirens. The last thing she remembered was pulling her body across the tarmac an inch at a time—before her world went black.

Sweetwater, Texas, 1943. Eva has always wanted to fly away. She jumps at the chance to train with the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots and help the war effort, even if the days are exhausting, the southern nights sweltering. When she’s in the air, it’s all worthwhile: her heart soars, as close to infinity as you can get. And since she met handsome Jack, she has someone to fly back to. But on one dangerous night, everything goes wrong. When she awakes, her body is broken and her memory is gone…

Los Angeles, 1977. Eva seems like a normal married woman with a family to be proud of. When she woke up after that terrible night—a blank in her memory—Jack was smiling down at her. But so many decades later, Eva is still searching for answers about the night that changed her life forever. Why have letters to her fellow pilots gone unanswered for thirty years? What really happened on her last flight?

Ever since that catastrophic crash, Eva has lived with the worst fear imaginable: did she do something terrible enough to make her friends cut her off? Increasingly overcome by frightening flashbacks, where she is fighting to escape from a tiny cockpit filled with smoke as her plane falls to the ground, she desperately tries to uncover the truth. But are some secrets best left buried in the past?

From bestselling author Ella Carey comes a sweeping story, inspired by true events, about the brave, forgotten female pilots who helped America win the war. A story you will never forget, and one that will always stay in your heart.

This book was first published in 2019.  

About the Author

Ella Carey is the international bestselling author of The Things We Don’t Say, Secret Shores, From a Paris Balcony, The House by the Lake, and Paris Time Capsule. Her books have been published in over fourteen languages, in twelve countries, and have been shortlisted for ARRA awards. A Francophile who has long been fascinated by secret histories set in Europe’s entrancing past, Ella has degrees in music, nineteenth-century women’s fiction, and modern European history. She lives in Melbourne with her two children and two Italian greyhounds who are constantly mistaken for whippets.

Ella loves to connect with her readers regularly through her facebook page and on her website.

http://www.ellacarey.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ellacareyauthor/
https://twitter.com/Ella_Carey

Pre-order Links:
Amazon:
Apple:
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Have a lovely day! XOXO Berit🌻

The New Girlfriend by Sheryl Browne **Book Review** @bookouture

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TGIF lovely book people!

This was one twisted thriller! This might be the best yet from Sheryl Browne!

My Thoughts

What a book! Sheryl Browne this might be your best yet! Fast paced. Addictive. Twisted. Unpredictable. With a draw dropping ending. Cassie is devastated when her only son Josh is tragicly killed. When Kim shows up claiming to be Josh’s girlfriend Cassie is skeptical but so wants it to be true because Kim also has a baby she claims to be josh’s. Now Cassie has something to keep living for, but what’s up with these creepy messages. Someone seems to know everything about Cassie’s past and if the truth comes out Cassie’s future will be completely destroyed.

This book started off simply enough but then… BAM! Things went sideways and got complicated real quick. It was clear that both Cassie and Kim were hiding things. In fact everyone in this book seem to be hiding something with the exception of Adam. The narrative bounces back-and-forth in time. We see the events taking place after josh’s death as well as how the relationship developed between Josh and Kim. I’m not even certain I necessarily liked any of the characters in this book, but I sure did want to know what the heck was going on. Was Cassie going crazy? Was Kim honest? A riveting read with a ending that definitely shocked me! Well played Miss Browne!

This book in emojis 🚇 📱 👶🏼 📲 🧬

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***🤯

About the Book

Some secrets are more dangerous than others.

Cassie once did something so bad she’s never spoken about it since.

When her beloved son, Josh, dies suddenly in a tragic accident, Cassie is overcome with grief. And, as she cries on her husband’s shoulder, her phone lights up with a message that terrifies her.

I know what you did and I’m going to make you pay.

Somebody from Cassie’s past has found her and they want everyone to know just what kind of a woman she is.

As Cassie struggles to keep the message from her husband, someone knocks on the door of their perfect family home and Cassie discovers she isn’t the only person keeping secrets. Before her stands her son’s girlfriend – a girlfriend Cassie didn’t know about.

And when Cassie closes the door behind the new girlfriend, she has no idea who she has just let into her life. Her biggest secret is about to be revealed. And you won’t believe what Cassie does next…

A truly gripping page-turner that will keep you reading well into the night, The New Girlfriend is perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, My Lovely Wife and Gone Girl.  

About the Author

Sheryl Browne writes psychological thriller and edgy contemporary fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and awarded a Red Ribbon by The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies, where she completed her MA in Creative Writing. 

To find out more about Sheryl’s novels, go to www.facebook.com/SherylBrowne.Author/ or follow @SherylBrowne on Twitter. To find out more about Sheryl, go to www.sherylbrowne.com

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Another Woman’s Child by Kerry Fisher **Book Review** @bookouture

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Hello book friends!

Today I’m excited to share with you my review for this emotional story. Kerry Fisher always invokes the tears.

My Thoughts

Thoughtful and compelling. Real and emotional. Once again Kerry Fisher tugged at my heart strings and brought me to tears with her authentic storytelling. When I first read the blurb to the story I thought there is no way I’m taking someoneelse’s child if they were going to disrupt the lives of my own. The reason I bring this up is I completely judged the situation wrong, and I think this was very ironic given the subject matter of the story. Jo and Ginny are best friends so when Ginny is on her deathbed and asks Jo to take care of her teenage son Victor, Jo agrees. Unfortunately this might not be the best situation for Victor. Jo’s daughter Phoebe is a wild child and they live in a small close minded town. So now not only has Victor lost his mother, but he is half black living in a less than welcoming community with a highly dysfunctional family. Will this family be able to come together for Victor? Or will a secret break everything wide-open?

The book did get off to a little bit of a slow start, but after a few chapters I found myself completely invested. Jo seemed very real to me even though I didn’t always agree with her actions. Daughter Phoebe was a lot of work and husband Patrick was useless. Victor was a great kid and my heart was pulled towards him the entire story. I found the behavior of some of the mothers in the story so frustrating yet unfortunately so true. Always so quick to blame other people’s kids for their own kid’s behavior. Jo spent so much time worrying what other people thought at her own family’s detriment. There was a sense of authenticity to this book and I thought the realities of privilege and racism were well handled. Another well told story from one of the best.

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

Could you take in your best friend’s child, even if it risked destroying your own family?

Jo had thought that her life – and her heart – was full. With a busy job, a husband and a teenage daughter who is going off the rails, keeping her life running smoothly had already felt hard enough.

But now Jo sits at the funeral of her best friend Ginny, crushed by the loss of a friendship that had endured for thirty years: from college and their first days at work through to settling down and raising their own children.

Against her husband’s wishes, Jo has made a life-changing decision: to take in Ginny’s teenage son Victor and raise him as her own. Despite her misgivings, Jo feels she had no choice: Ginny was a single parent and Victor had no other family who could take care of him.

But Victor’s arrival is about to break open the fragile cracks that were already forming on the surface of Jo’s family life and in her small rural community… and expose a secret that has remained hidden for many years, with devastating consequences.

From the bestselling author of The Silent Wife and The Woman I Was Before, Another Woman’s Child is an unputdownable and heartbreaking read about the secrets we keep from our families, and the sacrifices we are willing to make for those we love. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.  

About the Author

Kerry Fisher is a million-copy bestselling author. She writes women’s contemporary fiction, is a USA Today bestseller and her books have been translated into twelve languages. She was born in Peterborough, studied French and Italian at the University of Bath and spent several years living in Spain, Italy and Corsica. After returning to England to work as a journalist, she eventually abandoned real life stories for the secrets of fictional families. She lives in Surrey with her husband, and a naughty Lab/Schnauzer called Poppy, who joins in the huge dances of joy when her young adult children come home. 
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Have a great day filled with books! XOXO Berit💕

Who’s Next? by Chris Merritt **Cover Reveal** @bookouture

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Coming September 11, 2020

About the Book

Stumbling to the ground, he claws at the earth around him, trying to stabilise himself, but his attacker is on him in seconds. As he stares at the lights of the bustling streets on the other side of the park gates, he doesn’t even have time to yell for help before everything goes black.

When the body of wealthy businessman Charles Stott is found dead on Wimbledon Common, covered in bruises just feet away from his luxury home, Detective Dan Lockhart is called to investigate the shocking scene. Examining the sickeningly disfigured body before him, Lockhart knows he’s dealing with a brutal killer and, as he bends down to take a closer look, he notices something on the victim’s neck: a small, crudely drawn symbol in black ink. It seems the murderer has marked his victim, but why? Dan needs to get inside the perpetrator’s mind, so he contacts psychologist Dr Lexi Green.

As the ensuing media circus puts pressure on Dan and Lexi’s investigation, another victim is found and the headlines are quick to report a serial killer is on the loose. The body of a successful lawyer has been discovered in a park with the same purple bruising and hand-drawn symbol on his neck. Dan fears that more victims will follow.

As the case intensifies, Dan uncovers a new lead on his missing wife, Jess, who disappeared eleven years ago. Determined to follow it up, he must choose between tracking down a serial murderer and finding Jess. Can he make the impossible decision before the killer strikes once more?

Fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Cara Hunter will love this thrilling new series from Chris Merritt. From an explosive start to a heart-stopping finale, you will not want to put this book down!

About the Author

Hello! I’m a British author whose crime thrillers combine psychology, suspense, and characters you care about.

All my novels are set in London, where I live. My first trilogy starred Zac Boateng and Kat Jones, two detectives motivated by family, who tackle organised crime and police corruption. LAST WITNESS, the second Boateng and Jones book, reached #13 in the UK Kindle chart in 2019.

My second series features detective Dan Lockhart – an ex-soldier with a missing wife – and psychologist Dr Lexi Green, an American living in London. These novels are darker, more psychological serial-killer cases, with romantic relationships as a central theme.

I began writing fiction in 2014, after previous careers as a diplomat, based in Iraq and Jerusalem, and later as a psychologist working with victims and perpetrators of crime. I specialised in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which sparked my interest in telling stories about how people cope when faced with extreme adversity.

Now, I spend most of my time writing novels and drinking coffee while *thinking* about writing novels. When I’m not writing, I love climbing and playing basketball.

You can find out more about my work at www.cjmerritt.co.uk or follow me on Twitter @DrCJMerritt