I’m a big fan of Maverick Children’s Books and would like to thank them for a copy of Froggy Day by Heather Pindar and illustrated by Barbara Bakos in return for an honest review.

Froggy Day will be published tomorrow, 28th September 2018, and is available for purchase here.

Froggy Day

When the weather woman says it’s going to be “very froggy” she means it!

There are frogs on the streets, on the bus, in the supermarket and even in school!

Everything has gone hopping mad!

How will people live with all these frogs?

My Review of Froggy Day

The weather forecast is for a very froggy day!

I loved this funny and engaging children’s read. Froggy Day is such a beautifully produced book with vibrant illustrations that not only enhance the story, but that are in a style that appeals to adults and children alike. I loved the frogs in the shops.

I thought the story was smashing as the froggy situations are ones that children can identify with so that there is a familiarity as well as a running joke of such unusual weather. Settings contain the town and the country so that children in all locations can feel included. The diversity of people such as having Jan in a hard hat as a construction worker gives perfect subliminal messages to children too.

As usual for me when reviewing children’s books, I can’t help commenting on the educational aspects and Froggy Day is just great. I love the playing with language so that children are encouraged to experiment with sounds and to have fun with language. I like the way the story ends because children can develop oracy as they predict what might happen with the weather the next day. I think there’s great educational value for numeracy in the illustrations too as children could count how many frogs they find.

Froggy Day is funny, fun and engaging. It would be brilliant for home or classroom reading and I can imagine children wanting to read it, or have it read to them, over and over again. It’s a smashing children’s book that I heartily recommend.

About Heather Pindar

After growing up in Yorkshire, Heather studied German at university, and then settled in London for many years. She recently moved with her partner David to live in Guildford where she can spend more time cycling and walking, and riding her cheeky grey horse, Finty.

Heather has over twenty years’ experience as a teacher; she currently works part time in a Primary School in South London. She finds the children’s brilliant imaginations and love of stories are her biggest inspiration for writing picture books.

You can follow Heather on Twitter @HeatherPindar.

About Barbra Bakos

Barbara, and I grew up in Budapest and  can’t remember a time when she wasn’t drawing. She  graduated as an animation director at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest.

You can find out more here and you can also follow illustrator Barbara on Twitter @barbrabakos.

My enormous thanks to Helen Lewis for inviting me to be part of the launch celebrations for The Love Detective by Angela Dyson. I’m thrilled to be able to share an extract with you today.

Published by Troubador today 27th September 2018, The Love Detective is available for purchase here.

The Love Detective

The first in a hilarious new series featuring a regular girl set down a path strewn with misadventures and murder to her destiny as `The Love Detective’.

Clarry is 26, attractive, funny – and on the road to nowhere. Living a makeshift existence as a waitress, she knows life should be led with some sort of plan, but unfortunately planning is something she needs to get around to.

Enter her best friend Laura with a seemingly simple request: check out Simon, estate agent and new boyfriend, to make sure he really is interested in Laura and not the solicitor help she can provide. Clarry is no detective, unless you count tracking down where her next tip is coming from. Still, what harm could a little amateur sleuthing do?

With the aid of Flan, a glamorous septuagenarian, Flan’s lover, and a cast of colourful characters from the restaurant she works at, Clarry plunges into the investigation with a few pitfalls, pratfalls and a dodgy moment where she’s mistaken as a pole dancer (and not in a good way). It isn’t until 1) she discovers that Simon’s a two-timing creep, and 2) in a sinister turn, she uncovers an evil criminal enterprise, that she realises amateur sleuthing is not for the faint of heart!

Cynical and yet romantic, Clarry is an unlikely heroine that readers will both identify and fall in love with. Her misadventures and comical outlook mesh brilliantly with a thrilling story that will appeal to readers of romance, crime and chick lit. Set to be the first in an entertaining new series, you don’t need to follow the clues to know The Love Detective is one book you don’t want to miss out on!

An Extract from the Love Detective

And then, without indicating, the van suddenly swung a left disappearing around a corner. In pursuit, I picked up speed and swerved after it, only to find that it had come to a halt right on the bend. Urgently, I pressed down hard on the brake pedal but it was too late, I was going to ram straight into it. Forcing myself back into my seat as if somehow, magically, the movement of my body could prevent collision with the rear of the other vehicle, I ground my foot down again and pulled desperately at the handbrake. The wheels spun for what seemed a very long minute but in reality could only have been a few seconds. My old Renault rocked violently on its axis but I had missed hitting the van, and with only inches to spare.

I took a long, ragged breath. Nausea threatened and briefly I closed my eyes trying to force it down. Instantly, I opened them again at the sound of the van door being opened. The driver was getting out. I could see now that his bomber jacket was of shiny leather and that he was in his thirties with black receding hair, I registered, in my rear-view mirror, something small and white that floated out and down from the van’s nearside window, to land amongst the scrubby grass that lined the edge of the kerb. Somebody in that van had thrown out a piece of paper.

(And now I need to know what happens next!)

About Angela Dyson

Angela Dyson ditched her London life and downsized her home to move to the sticks in Surrey, to follow her dream to become a professional author. She loves to write but to pay the bills (Angela soon discovered that utility companies, bank managers and landlords aren’t known for their generosity and understanding natures,) she had to squeeze the writing in with working for a living. Some of the jobs to which she only gave half her attention have included working for a recording studio and a record label, running a building maintenance company where pretty much the only upside was getting to boss a lot of men about all day, doing a bit of plus size modelling (strictly clothes on) and, for one memorable summer, making a living reading palms on a Greek Island.

You can follow Angela on Twitter @AngelaDysonAuth, visit her website and find her on Facebook.

My enormous thanks to Sarah Calder at Harper Collins for a surprise copy of The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan in return for an honest review.

The Christmas Sisters will be published by HQ, an imprint of Harper Collins, on 1st November 2018 and is available for preorder here.

The Christmas Sisters

It’s not what’s under the Christmas tree, but who’s around it that matters most.

All Suzanne McBride wants for Christmas is her three daughters happy and at home. But when sisters Posy, Hannah and Beth return to their family home in the Scottish Highlands, old tensions and buried secrets start bubbling to the surface.

Suzanne is determined to create the perfect family Christmas, but the McBrides must all face the past and address some home truths before they can celebrate together . . .

My Review of The Christmas Sisters

The McBride sisters spend most of their time avoiding one another, but Christmas this year might be different.

Why on earth haven’t I read Sarah Morgan’s books before? I may have been on holiday in scorching temperatures when I immersed myself in this book but The Christmas Sisters proves that smashing, feel-good fiction can be read and thoroughly enjoyed at any time of the year.

Although all the women in the story are well rounded and realistic characters, it was Posy whom I enjoyed reading about the most. I loved the fact that she was feisty, independent and yet still bound by family ties so that I identified with her completely. The men in the story, Luke, Jason, Adam and Stewart, play a slightly reduced role but form a perfect backdrop for Suzanne, Hannah, Beth and Posy making the narrative beautifully well balanced and immensely satisfying. The blending of the American and Scottish elements also adds to the huge enjoyment gained in reading The Christmas Sisters.

The plot is lovely. Readers might expect a happy ever after ending from this kind of women’s fiction, but the journey to the denouement is humorous, well constructed and romantic. I thought the italicised asides lent just the right level of extra detail so that I felt included in the story; especially when some of the characters didn’t have the information or detail I had. As well as levity, however, there are some weighty themes to explore too so that The Christmas Sisters prompts the reader to ponder family and relationships, trust and guilt and, most importantly, to consider what, or rather who, really is important in life.

I’m probably going to sound sexist here but I swear there isn’t a woman alive who has prepared for a family Christmas would wouldn’t find echoes of themselves and their loved ones in The Christmas Sisters. It is an absolute joy to me that Sarah Morgan gives her readers the permission to step back and not strive for unrealistic perfection whilst simultaneously entertaining them royally. This book is joyful, touching and a jolly good read!

About Sarah Morgan

Sarah Morgan is a USA Today bestselling author of romance and women’s fiction. She has sold over 16 million copies of her books and is a 3-time winner of the prestigious RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America.

Sarah lives near London with her family and when she isn’t writing or sprawled on the sofa reading, she likes to spend time outdoors walking or riding her mountain bike. She still can’t believe she is lucky enough to be paid for doing a job where she makes things up.

You can find out more by joining Sarah’s mailing list by visiting her website. You can follow her on Facebook Twitter @SarahMorgan_ and on Instagram.

It’s always so good to meet new to me authors and today I’m delighted to welcome writer Nancy Boyarsky to Linda’s Book Bag to tell me all about one of her books.

Staying in with Nancy Boyarsky

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Nancy. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me. Tell me, which of your books have you brought to tell me about this evening and why have you brought it?

I brought my new book, Liar Liar, with me because was published yesterday, and I’m very excited about it.

(I bet! And a Happy Publication Day for yesterday Nancy!)

It was challenging and, in the end, a lot of fun to write because my fearless sleuth, Nicole, shows a new aspect of herself, one she doesn’t like. She becomes an accomplished liar, although not to the extent of the other main players in the book. She struggles with the guilt she feels lying to her fiancé about her continuing involvement in a murder case. Josh, she now realizes, is overly protective in a way that stifles her instinct for righting a terrible injustice. He doesn’t want her anywhere near the murder trial, especially since it’s a high profile story that attracts huge attention from the media and paparazzi.

In my previous mystery, The Bequest, Nicole herself was the target of the tabloids to such an extent that she had to hide out to escape them (as well as a murder threat).

(This sounds incredibly exciting.)

Delving into this story bought up some interesting questions: Do we ever really know the whole truth? Do we each have our version of past events? I enjoyed writing about the push-pull between the truth and lies and how difficult it is for other people to figure out what really happened.

(Oh yes! I’m always fascinated about the way we can construct our own truths. I think I’d really enjoy this series and Liar Liar in particular Nancy.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Liar Liar?

If you love mysteries, you’ll find yourself caught up in a fast-moving, character-driven story that tunes in on today’s headline stories. It begins with a rape accusation that escalates and turns deadly. The plot unfolds with a number of twists and surprises. Basically this is a who-done-it. female-sleuth story; we know fairly early on who didn’t do it. As the plot progresses, it’s clear that many involved are not telling the truth. Even Nicole, finds herself lying when her fiancé objects to her looking into the murder that he feels could put her in danger. I put in several court-room scenes, but kept them short and to the point. You can expect the action to keep going all the way to the end.

(It sounds great.)

What else have you brought along and why? 

Because mysteries are addictive, I’ve brought along a big plate of amazing brownies baked by my friend Charlotte, along with munchies, including roasted mixed nuts, guacamole and chips.

(Now, if you’re going to bring along those kind of snacks, you can come again Nancy!)

I’ve also brought my technical advisors, Cathy Watkins, a P.I. and my brother-in-law Jeff, a criminal defense attorney, because they’re fun to talk to.

(We’d better give them a chance to join in then!)

And finally, I’ve brought a couple of bottles of Pino Grigio, so everyone can relax and have a good time.

It’s been so interesting finding out about Liar Liar, Nancy. Thank you for staying in with me. I’ve really enjoyed our evening. Now, let’s pour Cathy and Jeff a drink…

Liar Liar

Nicole Graves finds herself in the crosshairs when she reluctantly agrees to babysit a witness in a high-profile rape trial. Mary Ellen Barnes is suing her university’s star quarterback for rape when the authorities won’t act. In the court of public opinion, Mary Ellen appears to be the quintessential, pious, good girl. But her lies and mysterious comings and goings lead Nicole to suspect that she’s not what she seems.

It isn’t just Mary Ellen who’s acting suspiciously. No one wants to own up to the truth in Liar Liar, not even Nicole, whose fiance; begs her not to look into the case. But when the witness goes missing during the trial, Nicole is caught up in a tangle of lies that turns deadly. After the investigator assigned to the case fails to do his job, Nicole is determined to find the killer on her own, no matter the risks.

Published by Light Messages Publishing, Liar Liar is available for purchase through the links here.

About Nancy Boyasky

Before turning to mysteries, Nancy coauthored Backroom Politics, a New York Times notable book, with her husband, Bill Boyarsky. She has written several textbooks on the justice system as well as articles for publications including the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, and McCall’s. She also contributed to political anthologies, including In the Running, about women’s political campaigns. In addition to her writing career, she was communications director for political affairs for ARCO.

Liar Liar: A Nicole Graves Mystery is Nancy Boyarsky’s third novel. The Swap, her first in the series, received the Eric Hoffer Award for Literary Excellence. The Bequest, the second Nicole mystery  received five stars from Kirkus Reviews.

You can find out more about Nancy by visiting her website, or finding her on Facebook.

Although I’ve always heard wonderful things about Jennie Ensor’s writing and her first novel Blind Side, I’ve never actually read her before so I’m delighted to put that right today and share my review of The  Girl in His Eyes. My grateful thanks to Jennie for sending me an early copy in return for an honest review. As I was unable to take part in the launch blog tour because I was (due to be) away I’ve been desperate to share my review for weeks.

Published by Bloodhound on 18th September 2018 The Girl in His Eyes is available for purchase here.

The Girl In His Eyes

Her father abused her when she was a child. For years she was too afraid to speak out. But now she suspects he’s found another victim…

Laura, a young woman struggling to deal with what her father did to her a decade ago, is horrified to realise that the girl he takes swimming might be his next victim. Emma is twelve – the age Laura was when her father took away her innocence.

Intimidated by her father’s rages, Laura has never told anyone the truth about her childhood. Now she must decide whether she has the courage to expose him and face the consequences.

Can Laura overcome her fear and save Emma before the worst happens?

My Review of The Girl In His Eyes

Laura hides a secret about her father Paul that could just affect others too.

When I first saw the subject matter of The Girl In His Eyes I wasn’t sure if this book would be for me, but Jennie Elsor writes so effectively that I found myself drawn into the book immediately and I found it hard to tear myself away. What she does so well is to present difficult concepts with searing clarity so that the reader is compelled to read on and find out what happens.

The plot is fast paced and exciting, weaving in and out of the three perspectives of Laura, Paul and Suzanne, but this isn’t the most gripping aspect of The Girl In His Eyes. Rather, it is Jennie Ensor’s creation of character and examination of human psychology that so ensnares the reader. Whilst I frequently wanted to scream at Laura and Suzanne for their responses to Paul at times, I understood exactly why they behaved the way they did so that it made me question much about what happens in cases like the storyline in real life and to doubt my own very firmly held beliefs about how I might behave in similar circumstances.

Paul is a magnificent creation. He’s vile and depraved but simultaneously ordinary and charming so that it is easy to see how men like him survive in life and convince themselves and others that their lives are acceptable. I thought the way Jennie Ensor explored how the consequences of background and childhood so influence us as adults was brilliantly handled. It is no wonder to me that Laura takes on the job she does for example.

The themes in The Girl In His Eyes are uncomfortable and unsettling. Some of the writing is quite explicit, but never gratuitously so. I think some readers may find these elements hard to deal with if their experiences have been similar, because the quality of the writing is so good, but I also think The Girl In His Eyes is a book all should read. It’s riveting reading, albeit uncomfortable at times, but it tackles the subject of abuse so brilliantly because it shows the ease with which a man can justify his actions and how those closest to him can accept them too. The concept of deception at all levels underpins this book and fascinates the reader.

The Girl In His Eyes disturbs, shocks and disconcerts. It is also convincing, captivating and all too credible. It’s a book I won’t forget in a hurry.

About Jennie Ensor

A Londoner with Irish heritage, Jennie Ensor began her writing career as a journalist, obtaining a Masters in Journalism (winning two awards) and covering topics from forced marriages to accidents in the mining industry. She is keenly interested in social issues, which often creep into her novels, stories and poems.

Jennie Ensor’s debut novel Blind Side was published by Unbound Digital in 2016; a second novel The Girl In His Eyes, a psychological thriller with echoes of Nabokov’s Lolita, will be published by Bloodhound Books in September 2018.

Her poetry has appeared in many literary publications, most recently Ink Sweat and Tears. In January 2018 her short story The Gift was placed in the Top 40 of the Words and Women UK national prose competition. In her spare time, she sings in a chamber choir and dreams of becoming a hermit or perhaps kayaking an impossibly long river.

You can find out more by following Jennie on Twitter @Jennie_Ensor, finding her on Facebook and visiting her website.

One of the ways I got in to blogging was by reading and reviewing middle grade books for one of the big publishing houses with a view to see whether they might be good as classroom readers, so when a new middle grade book comes along I’m always interested, especially if it takes me off on some travels too. Today I’m delighted to be featuring an author of middle grade books, Sherry Ellis, as she stays in with me to chat about one of her books.

Staying in with Sherry Ellis

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Sherry. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Thanks for having me as a guest. I’m so excited to be here!

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I brought Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China because I’m in the mood for an exotic ghost story.

(I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to ghost stories Sherry, but I think I can manage a middle grade book!)

What can we expect from an evening in with Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China? 

This is a book for young middle grade readers. It’s about two kids having the adventure of their lives: traveling through the Earth to China, encountering a ghost, and embarking on a treasure hunt.   And if that isn’t enough, they’re going to learn something about the language, history, and culture of China. Did I say, “learn?” Oh my!

(This sounds brilliant. I haven’t been to China on my travels yet so I could go vicariously with the children!)

What else have you brought along and why?

I have a whole bag of goodies which will enhance the reading experience. We’ll need to string up these red Chinese lanterns and hang them around the room. Then we’ll dim the lights. Adding to the ambience will be this music of the mournful erhu. (You’ll find out what that is when you read the book.) Once the stage is set, it’s time to read.

Afterward, we can have a snack of Jiaozi–Chinese dumplings. I brought all the ingredients. We can follow the recipe that’s in the book. Then we’ll wash it down with some yummy boba tea.

(Oh, you’re definitely my kind of guest Sherry. Reading, food and tea. What could be better?)

Thanks so much for staying in with me to tell me all about Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China. I’ve really enjoyed our evening.

Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China

You can’t dig a hole to China!

Squirt doesn’t believe Bubba can dig a hole to China. But when the hole swallows them, the kids find themselves in Xi’an, China, surrounded by Terracotta Warriors.

It gets worse when the ghost of the first emperor of China appears. He tells them they can’t go home until they find his missing pi. The kids don’t know where to begin until they meet a girl and her grandmother who promise to help find the pendant.

Soon they realize they are being followed. And they are no closer to finding the missing pi. Will Bubba and Squirt ever make it back home?

Published by Dancing Lemur Press on 4th September 2018 Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China is available for purchase on ITunes, Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and BAM.

About Sherry Ellis

Sherry Ellis is an award-winner author and professional musician who plays and teaches the violin, viola, and piano. When she is not writing or engaged in musical activities, she can be found doing household chores, hiking, or exploring the world. Ellis, her husband, and their two children live in Atlanta, Georgia.

You can find out more about Sherry on her blog and website, by following her on Twitter @513sherrye and by finding her on Facebook.

Having just returned home from a trip to Bali, Indonesia and what should have been Hong Kong but typhoon Mangkuk stopped that bit of the holiday, what could be better than to head off again, albeit vicariously, and travel to Michigan as I stay in with Barbara Stark-Nemon today?

Staying in with Barbara Stark-Nemon

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Barbara. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me this evening. Which of your books have you brought along?

Thank you for the invite, Linda, and I’ve brought my new novel, Hard Cider, which came out on September 18.  Here in Michigan, where I live, we are just rolling into apple harvest season— the days are noticeably shorter, the nights beginning to cool, so it seemed like a great time to bring you a book about a woman’s dream to create hard cider along the shores and dunes of Lake Michigan that she loves.

(It’s certainly heading toward autumn isn’t it? A slightly belated Happy Hard Cider Publication day Barbara.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Hard Cider?

Hard Cider’s main character, Abbie Rose, has reckoned with infertility, a complicated family, a career, a long marriage, and now wants to pursue her cider-making dream.  The appearance of a young woman with a shocking secret threatens to derail Abbie’s plan, along with her sense of who her family really is.  Along the way of Abbie’s attempt to overcome a number of obstacles, the reader will learn much about growing cider apples and making the hard stuff!  I like to say this is a “what if” book— what if some of the circumstances that actually happened to me had turned out very differently..

(Sounds great Barbara! I think life is filled with ‘what if’ moments.)

I recently received this review of Hard Cider that spoke to me as much about this new genre I’ve written in, as it did about my book. (My previous novel, Even in Darkness is historical fiction) I loved this!

From Macsbooks…Women’s Contemporary Fiction is not a genre into which I often delve. The scenarios in the book either are so far from my wheelhouse that I cannot relate, or they mirror my own problems so closely that there is no escape or joy in the reading for me. However, because I absolutely adore hard cider, I had to give this book a try. What a wonderful surprise I had in store for me within the covers of this book! …… I was drawn into the story as I related more and more to Abbie and her life. I, too, began an “adventure” at mid-life, one that had no support from my immediate family. Watching as Abbie grew as a woman and as an entrepreneur helped me to see how I, too, could grow and change. It is, in essence, a “coming of age” story for women in the 21st century.

(This is such a lovely review. You must be so thrilled to receive it.)

Surprise at the unexpected but fulfilling way our lives turn out, despite hurdles, is an important theme in both my books.

(And an important theme in life I think!)

What else have you brought along and why?

There’s a lot of research that went into writing Hard Cider.  Who knew that the bottles hard cider comes in are called ‘growlers’.  Here’s a photo of my local cidery’s growler.  I love the name of my favorite of their brews— Smackintosh!   I fell in love with hard cider many years ago when I lived and worked in England.

(Hmm – I notice the one you’ve brought is empty!)

Thank you so much for staying in with me to tell me all about Hard Cider Barbara. I think it sounds like such a lovely read and I wish you every success with it.

Hard Cider

Abbie Rose Stone’s acquired wisdom runs deep, and so do her scars. She has successfully navigated the shoals of a long marriage, infertility, challenging children, and a career.

Now it’s her turn to realize her dream: producing hard apple cider along the northern shores of Lake Michigan that she loves.

She manages to resist new versions of the old pull of family dynamics that threaten to derail her plan–but nothing can protect her from the shock a lovely young stranger delivers when she exposes a long-held secret.

In the wake of this revelation, Abbie must overcome circumstances that severely test her self-determination, her loyalties, and her understanding of what constitutes true family.

Published by She Writes Press on 18th September 2018, Hard Cider is available for purchase here.

About Barbara Stark-Nemon

Barbara Stark-Nemon, author of the award-winning novel Even in Darkness lives, writes, cycles, swims, does fiber art, and gardens in Ann Arbor and Northport, Michigan. An undergraduate degree in English Literature and Art History and a Masters in Speech-language Pathology from the University of Michigan led to a teaching and clinical career working with deaf children. Barbara writes novels, short stories, and essays.

You can find out about Barbara by visiting her website and finding her on Facebook and Instagram. You can also follow Barbara on Twitter @bstarknemon.

I have been fortunate to meet Dani Atkins on several occasions but I have to confess to never having read one of her books so, having heard such wonderful things about them, I was determined to put that right.  My enormous thanks to the lovely folk at Simon and Schuster and Books and the City for my copy of Dani’s While I was Sleeping in return for an honest review.

Published by Simon and Schuster, While I Was Sleeping is available for purchase through these links.

While I Was Sleeping

What if someone else was living your happy ever after?

When Maddie wakes up in a hospital bed, she can’t remember anything about what happened to her or what has changed.

She just remembers she was about to be married and had everything to look forward to.

But it seems life has become a lot more complicated while she has been asleep …

My Review of While I was Sleeping

Maddie’s wedding plans are about to be altered.

Wow! Reading While I Was Sleeping made me feel as if my heart had been ripped out, torn into tiny pieces and jammed back into my chest irreparably changed.

This is going to be a book that is impossible to review accurately and effectively as I really don’t want to spoil the story for other readers . Consequently, I’m not going to focus too much about the plot except to say that While I Was Sleeping has some surprises along the way, much humour, searing honesty and a depth of emotion that is unparalleled. I was so fortunate that I was able to read it in one sitting on a long haul flight as Dani Atkins has crafted a tale that I couldn’t tear myself from. I was so entirely absorbed that I had no notion of what was happening around me.

The limited and beautifully defined cast of characters means that the reader becomes intimately involved with them, living alongside Maddie, Chloe and Ryan as their lives intersect with an intensity that is almost too much to bear at times. My own loyalties fluctuated between them all until I was as emotionally invested in the outcomes as they were themselves.

While I Was Sleeping is so skilfully written. Dani Atkins is fabulously clever in being an impartial persona behind Maddie and Chloe’s voices so that I found my loyalties vacillated frequently, perfectly mirroring what was happening in the book.

I thought the way the relationships were presented was utterly magnificent, as were all the themes of love, loyalty, nature, nurture, health and grief.

I am aware that this review is slightly vague, but I truly feel that more detail might spoil for others a tear jerking, heart rending story that hit me like a sledge hammer and left me emotionally wrung out. What I will say is that I thought While I Was Sleeping was completely fantastic and you should read it for yourself to find out why.

About Dani Atkins

Dani Atkins was born in London, and grew up in Cockfosters, Hertfordshire. She moved to a small village in 1984, where she has lived ever since in a 350-year-old cottage with her husband, two (now grown-up) children, one Siamese cat and a very soppy Border Collie.

Dani has been writing for fun all her life, but following the 2013 publication of her novel Fractured (published as Then and Always in the US), has made writing her full-time career. Her other novels include The Story of Us (2014); Our Song (2016); Perfect Strangers (a standalone eBook novella published in December 2016) and This Love (2017). In 2018 This Love won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award at the RoNAs ceremony in London. Her new novel, While I Was Sleeping, was published in August 2018.

You can find Dani on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @AtkinsDani.

My enormous thanks to the lovely Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books for sending me a copy of L V Hay’s Do No Harm in return for an honest review.

Do No Harm is available for purchase through the links here.

Do No Harm

Till death do us part…

After leaving her marriage to jealous, possessive oncologist Maxwell, Lily and her six-year-old son have a second chance at happiness with headteacher Sebastian. Kind but vulnerable, Sebastian is the polar opposite of Maxwell, and the perfect match for Lily. After a whirlwind romance, they marry, and that’s when things start to go wrong…

Maxwell returns to the scene, determined to win back his family, and events soon spiral out of control. Lily and Sebastian find themselves not only fighting for their relationship, but also their lives…

Chilling, dark and terrifying, Do No Harm is a taut psychological thriller and a study of obsession, from one of the most exciting new voices in crime fiction.

My Review of Do No Harm

Maxwell is determined to upstage his ex-wife Lily’s marriage to Sebastian but this will only be the start of their problems.

Oh my word. What a super study of obsession and control from L V Hay in Do No Harm. I so enjoyed this read.

Perfectly and competently plotted, Do No Harm is fluidly and smoothly written so that it feels like a top class read. I guessed who had done what straight away – and then, of course, with such clever writing, had to keep changing my mind as L V Hay wrong footed me at every turn. This is a genuinely twisty story with surprises and shocks coming thick and fast. I thought the short chapters added a breathless pace too.

I loved the characterisation and because the focus is on Lily, Denny, Sebastian, Maxwell and Fran with few extraneous people, there’s a smashing level of intensity that enhances the obsessive theme of Do No Harm. At times I wanted to shake Lily even whilst I understood the reasons for her actions.

I also felt horribly fascinated by the way L V Hay shows how obsession can take over a person’s life and how easy it is to control and manipulate those around us. She illustrates perfectly the injustice of life and the ease with which we can be taken over by others.

Do No Harm is a brilliantly entertaining read, and I found its impact lasted well after I had turned the final page. It left my belief in human nature shaken and disturbed. I thoroughly recommend it.

About L V Hay

Lucy V. Hay is a novelist, script editor and blogger who helps writers via her Bang2write consultancy. She is the associate producer of Brit Thrillers Deviation (2012) and Assassin (2015), both starring Danny Dyer. Lucy is also head reader for the London Screenwriters’ Festival and has written two non-fiction books, Writing & Selling Thriller Screenplays, and its follow-up Drama Screenplays.

Lucy lives in Devon with her husband, three children, six cats and five African Land Snails.

You can find out more by following L V Hay on Twitter @LucyVHayAuthor, visiting her website. You’ll also find her on Facebook.

My grateful thanks to Millie Seaward at Little Brown for a surprise copy of The Ruin by Dervla Mc Tiernan in return for an honest review.

Published by Sphere, an imprint of Little Brown, The Ruin is available for purchase here.

The Ruin

February 1993

On his first week on the job, Garda Cormac Reilly responds to a call at a decrepit country house to find two silent, neglected children waiting for him – fifteen-year-old Maude and five-year-old Jack. Their mother lies dead upstairs.

March 2013

Twenty years later, Cormac has left his high-flying career as a detective in Dublin and returned to Galway. As he struggles to navigate the politics of a new police station, Maude and Jack return to haunt him.

What ties a recent suicide to the woman’s death so long ago? And who among his new colleagues can Cormac really trust?

My Review of The Ruin

Rookie police officer Cormac Reilly little realises how far into the future his first case will reverberate.

I really enjoyed The Ruin and feel the explanation of the title given by the author fits the smashing contents of this book perfectly, but I don’t want to spoil the story by saying too much about why!

Cormac Reilly is a fabulously well developed and interesting character whom the reader warms to instantly. Dervla McTiernan has such a sophisticated and easy style to read and I loved the way Cormac’s back story is drip fed into The Ruin but isn’t entirely revealed so that there will be so much to enjoy in any future book with him at the centre. I felt I was meeting someone who will become a firm friend and I already care about what happens to him because he didn’t feel like a character in a book, but rather someone I knew personally.

Both plot and sub plot in The Ruin are elegantly constructed and weave together in a beautifully orchestrated dance. The themes of abuse and corruption, sadly only too familiar in recent history, provide a depth that adds extra dimensions that elevate The Ruin above just another police procedural story into a satisfying and layered read that really attracts the reader’s attention. I frequently felt an emotional response as I read. I love it when a book makes me exclaim ‘No! Don’t do that’ as I become so engrossed in what is happening. Dervla Mc Tiernan has the ability to do that to her readers in spades. The variety of sentence construction and the overall quality of the writing makes for spell binding reading. Again, I’m not going to spoil the plot for other readers by saying much about it. Just believe me when I say it’s a cracker!

The Ruin may be a debut novel, but it is so assured, so interesting and so entertaining that I may just have found a new favourite author in Dervla McTiernan. I urge you to discover her too!

About Dervla McTiernan

Dervla McTiernan was born in County Cork, Ireland to a family of seven. She studied corporate law at the National University of Ireland, Galway and the Law Society of Ireland, and practiced as a lawyer for twelve years. Following the global financial crisis she moved with her family to Western Australia, where she now works for the Mental Health Commission. She lives in Perth with her husband and two children.

Find out more about Dervla by following her on Twitter @DervlaMcTiernan and visiting her website. You’ll also find her on Facebook.