Flash Book Giveaway: A Family of Strangers by Fiona Lowe

 Thanks to the generosity of Harlequin Australia I have one uncorrected proof copy of A Family of Strangers to giveaway.

 

A Family of Strangers

by

Fiona Lowe

 

 About the book

 

With a coveted promotion dangling within reach, the last thing Addy Topic needs to do is waste precious time singing in Rookery Cove's choir. But when she's reminded how much music meant to her late mother, she can't say no. The building pressure raises the ghosts that sent her running from Rookery Cove years earlier - memories she's spent decades keeping hidden, silencing them with work, alcohol and sex.

For Stephanie Gallagher, Rookery Cove was meant to be a new beginning in the slow lane. A place where she and her husband can embrace community, parenthood and evenly share the load. But the sea-change is changing everything. How much longer can they survive as a family?

Brenda Lambeck is finding her feet after the death of her husband when her best friend, convinces her to join the choir. Beloved as a grandmother, Brenda is determined to mend the fraught relationship she has with her daughter, Courtney. But is that even possible when she continues to lie?

In the wake of a spectacular betrayal, three women are forced to face the uncompromising truths about the choices that have shaped their relationships with those they love most. The consequences will shatter their lives and all they hold dear. After such a disaster is rebuilding even possible?

 

Giveaway:

I have one uncorrected proof copy of A family of Strangers to give away.

 

Enter via the form below. (Open to Australian addresses only). Entries close at Midnight on 31st March 2022.

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced HERE

 

 

 

Winners of a copy of The Midnight Library announced!!

 

Once again thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for copies of The Midnight Library. I had a total of 374 entries. The giveaway closed on the 28th February 2022 and the winners were randomly selected (using Random org). 

Congratulations to........   Helen E & Rosemarie P

The winners have been notified and have seven days to provide a mailing address.

 

Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

 

Book giveaway: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Buy Books, Jigsaw Puzzles & Board Games Australia

The Reading Nook features some of the best books, board games and jigsaw puzzles online. The store features some of the best selling fiction and non-fiction books in Australia. They also have an extensive range of puzzles online Australia with great brands like Ravensburger, Clementoni, Mindbogglers, Holdson and many others. Their board games collections feature some of the best selling games in Australia like Cards Against Humanity, Monopoly, Articulate, Cluedo and many other leading games. They offer 1 day dispatch process times with a low shipping rate of $9.95 to any Australian address - shipped from their warehouse just outside of Sydney on the Central Coast. 

 

Thanks to the generosity of The Reading Nook online bookstore I have a great #giveaway today for 1 of 2 paperback copies of:

 

The Midnight Library

by

Matt Haig

 

 Blurb

'Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices... Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?'

A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

 

 

 

Giveaway:

Thanks to The Reading Nook I have two copies of The Midnight Library to giveaway.

Enter via the form below. (Open to Australian addresses only). Entries close at midnight on 28th February 2022. 

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winners were announced HERE

 

 

Winners of a copy of Murder Most Fancy by Kellie McCourt announced!!

 

A huge thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for 1 of 2 copies of Murder Most Fancy.  I had a massive 329 entries and I am trying to source more giveaways for my subscribers. The giveaway closed on the 19th February and the winners were randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to........   Anita & Jo Burke

 

 The winners have been notified and have seven days to provide a mailing address.

 Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

I have another giveaway running now for

Book Review & Giveaway: Murder Most Fancy by Kellie McCourt

Murder Most Fancy

by

Kellie McCourt 

 

She really didn't mean to become a detective....

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Imprint: HQ Fiction

 

Publication date: 5th January 2022 

Series: Indigo #2

 

Genre: Mystery

 

Pages: 464

 

RRP: $29.99 AUD

 

Format read: Uncorrected Advanced Copy

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review

 

Socialite turned unwilling sleuth Indigo-Daisy-Violet-Amber Hasluck-Royce-Jones-Bomberg is back again in this madcap murder mystery.

In Murder Most Fancy Indigo literally falls over a body in her grandmother's garden. The man by all appearances looks to be homeless and Grandmother's neighbour, Dame Elizabeth Holly, asks Indigo and her personal assistant Esmerelda to unearth the man's identity so she can give him a decent burial. As the pair use their unconventional means of investigation the mystery thickens, and could someone be trying to kill them?

 

I haven't read the first book in this series, Heiress on Fire and I didn't feel like I had missed anything, so I would say this reads well as a standalone.

Murder Most Fancy is a fun read filled with humour and wry wit. A diverse cast of characters combine to deliver a story that's not all about high society and name dropping. Indigo is well portrayed as the overindulgent rich girl. However, she is perfectly offset with her sidekick Esmerelda, who is laid-back and unassuming. 

I found it hard to get a hold on Esmerelda's character. She was a whole bunch of contradictions. She quite often had no idea what was going on around her but she was street wise, tech savvy and intelligent. I think Kellie McCourt has done a wonderful job of writing such a complex character and I am sure she will be the favourite of many readers.

 

I loved the way each character had a partnering character with an opposite personality; Indigo and Esmerelda, also the two grandmothers, with Indigo's grandmother firm and no nonsense whilst Dame Elizabeth was softer and manipulated with kindness, showing opposites can get along and make lasting friendships.

At times I found the story was a bit too wordy however this could be easily overlooked when the wordiness was so funny.

Murder Most Fancy is an addictive murder mystery filled with a diverse cast of likeable characters and shenanigans that will have you laughing out loud.

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Credit: Harper Collins

 Kellie McCourt has worked as a national and international television anchor, scriptwriter, producer and reporter. Kellie is also an experienced print journalist and magazine editor.

She has a double BA in Journalism and Creative Writing from Curtin University, studied journalism in SE Asia and completed a postgrad scholarship program at UNSW. Alas, her mother is still waiting for her to 'get a real job', like a lawyer. Or an accountant.

Kellie had a misspent youth as a wayward socialite, and loves shoes, friends, reading, shoes and baked goods.

Kellie is passionate about creating entertaining, gender empowering stories. She lives in Sydney with her two amazing young daughters, and two poodles. 

 

Giveaway

 

I have two copies of Murder Most Fancy to give away to two lucky readers.

Entry is open to Australian addresses only and close at midnight on 19th February 2022.

Entry via the form below. 

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winners were announced HERE

 

 

Winner of a copy of Unforgiven by Sarah Barrie announced!!

 

Once again I would like to thank everyone who entered my giveaway for a copy of Unforgiven.  The giveaway closed on the 20th January and the winner was randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to........   Billyjean

The Instagram winner was @jocelyn_maree

 

 The winner has been notified and has seven days to provide a mailing address.

 Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

Giveaways coming soon....

Coming in February...

 

Book Review & Giveaway: Unforgiven by Sarah Barrie

 Unforgiven

by

Sarah Barrie

 

Once a victim, she's now a vigilante

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Imprint: HQ Fiction

 

Publication date: 1st December 2021

 

Genre: Crime Fiction

 

Pages: 496

 

RRP: $29.99AUD

 

Format read: Uncorrected advance copy

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

About the book

 

Lexi Winter is tough, street-smart and has stood on her own two feet since childhood, when she was a victim of notorious paedophile the Spider. All she cares about now is a roof over her head and her long-term relationship with Johnny Walker. She isn't particular about who she sleeps with ... as long as they pay before leaving.

Lexi is also an ace hacker, tracking and entrapping local paedophiles and reporting them to the cops. When she finds a particularly dangerous paedophile who the police can't touch, she decides to gather enough evidence to put him away. Instead, she's a witness to his death ...

Detective Inspector Rachael Langley is the cop who cracked the Spider case, 18 years earlier - but failed to protect Lexi. Now a man claiming to be the real Spider is emulating his murderous acts, and Rachael is under pressure from government, media and her police colleagues. Did she get it wrong all those years ago, or is this killer a copycat?

Lexi and Rachael cross paths at last, the Spider in their sights ... but they may be too late ...

 

My review

 

Unforgiven takes place over a three week period but the action is so full on it feels much longer.

Told through first person narration by Lexi, former victim now vigilante paedophile hunter. I feel this type of narrative gives the reader  a more personal look at Lexi, how she feels and why she acts the way she does. An alternating third person narrative is also given for DI Rachael Langley. The alternating narratives keep the story moving at a fast pace.

 

I did find the content of child abuse, paedophilia and child murder deeply disturbing and very hard to read at times.

 

Barrie highlights the complexity of the dark web with its numerous hidden portals and the difficulty police have with breaking into these sites and making arrests before they close down.

As Rachael and her team try to catch a deadly paedophile calling himself The Spider they are hampered by the stretched resources of police and community services and the limited power they have to act on information received.

 

Barrie does add a little humour into what is otherwise a dark read with Lexi's neighbour Dawny who has a few tricks up her sleeve when Lexi is in  need of help. Dawny was a fun character and a warning to us all to never underestimate the old lady who lives across the road. 

 

Unforgiven is a gripping, tension filled read that exposes the fragility of children and the extraordinary work of the people trying to protect them.

 

My rating 4.5 / 5   ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

 

About the author

 

Photo: Goodreads

 Sarah Barrie is the author of eight novels, including her bestselling print debut Secrets of Whitewater Creek, the Hunters Ridge trilogy and the Calico Mountain trilogy. In a past life, while gaining degrees in arts, science and education, Sarah worked as a teacher, a vet nurse, a horse trainer and a magazine editor, before deciding she wanted to write novels. About the only thing that has remained constant is her love of all things crime.Her favourite place in the world is the family property, where she writes her stories overlooking mountains crisscrossed with farmland, bordered by the beauty of the Australian bush, and where, at the end of the day, she can spend time with family, friends, a good Irish whiskey and a copy of her next favourite book. 

 

 

Giveaway

 

Thanks to Harper Collins I have two additional copies of Unforgiven to giveaway. One here on my blog and one on Instagram @theburgeoningbookshelf  You can enter both. Australian addresses only. Giveaway closes at midnight EDST on 20th January 2022. 

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winners were announced HERE

Winners in my latest Giveaways announced!!

 Once again I would like to thank everyone who entered my giveaways for a copies of Once Burnt, Twice Shy, The Last Thing He Told Me and The LaVonda Robinette Double Set. The giveaways closed on the 8th December, 28th December and 7th January respectively and the winners were randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to ................... Sharon who won a copy of Once Burnt, Twice Shy

Congratulations to .................. Jodie K & Tracy M who won copies of The Last Thing He Told Me

 

 

 

Congratulations to .............. Bronze Toes, Ros, Kylie H & DonnaRae  who won copies of the LaVonda Robinette sets.

 

 Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

Book Review & Giveaway: What LaVonda Robinette Did Next by Kirsten Maron

 What LaVonda Robinette Did Next

by

Kirsten Maron

 

Can she still get away with murder?

 

Publisher: Self Published

Publication date: 30th May 2021 

 

Genre: Cosy Crime / Humour

 

Pages: 470

 

RRP: $21.34 AUD (AmazonAU)

 

Format read: Paperback 

 

Source: Courtesy of the author

 

About the book

 

Three years have passed since the events that led LaVonda Robinette to murder. And yes, there are still plenty of people in her life giving her grief, including her ex-husband, her new neighbour, and a rather unwelcome character from her past.

But surely there are better ways, more creative outlets, for LaVonda to manage her frustrations than by committing murder?

Well, perhaps.

When she is faced with an unusual proposal, LaVonda must make one of the most difficult decisions in her life. A decision that has serious consequences and will force her to decide just how far she is willing to go to protect herself and her family.

Can she bring herself to kill someone in cold blood? Does she still have what it takes? Can LaVonda Robinette really go through with committing another murder?

Perhaps she already has.

 

My review:

 

In What LaVonda Robinette Did Next, LaVonda is back with her murderous thoughts in the sequel to What Would LaVonda Robinette Do? 

Kirsten Maron has delivered another outrageously funny story starring the morally skewed LaVonda Robinette. I think this second book is even better than the first book!!

Can LaVonda's family get any more crazy? Oh yes they can!

LaVonda has started her own cleaning business and as she gets to know some of her clients she comes to think there are some people who don't deserve to be on this earth.

LaVonda takes it upon herself to put the wrongs of the world right. A one woman vigilante and fabulous anti-hero.

A chance encounter with a former workmate leaves LaVonda with a moral dilemma and every situation she tries to sort out leaves her further in trouble.

"..there was a reason she hadn't bothered to keep in touch with any of her old workmates; they were all a little boring and annoying. And heaven knows, LaVonda had enough annoying people in her life without cultivating more."

LaVonda is menopausal, cranky and intolerant and can't understand why people have to be so irritating.

Maron has a witty and sharp sense of humour and clever observance of people's foibles and pet hates. I found myself agreeing with LaVonda more than once.

LaVonda's wild imagination and internal monologue had me laughing out loud.

I found myself eagerly reading to find out what LaVonda would do next and I had to force myself not to skip a few pages and read forward as the suspense built.

Kirsten Maron includes a host of diverse characters and I liked that their diversity wasn't the main focus. They are portrayed as any other character, their sexuality or disability does not override the plot.

With What LaVonda Robinette Did Next Kirsten Maron has proven herself in the cosy crime / humour genre. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

Kirsten Maron writes fictional stories and What Would LaVonda Robinette Do? is her second completed book. Don't bother looking for her first book; she decided she hated the ending and scrapped the whole thing.

Kirsten has been creating stories since she first learned to write and at the age of six won her first literary and only award with a cunning retelling of Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are.

The frustrations of middle-age provided Kirsten with the authorial fuel for writing her second book, but of course, unlike LaVonda, she would never actually murder anyone.

Kirsten lives in rural NSW with her husband and several bossy kangaroos. She is currently working on her third novel; a sequel called What LaVonda Robinette Did Next.

 

Challenges Entered: Australian Women Writers Challenge AWW2021

 

                                   Aussie Author Challenge #Aussieauthor21

 

 

Thanks to the outstanding generosity of the author I have 4 double sets of the books to give away. 

 

GIVEAWAY 

This giveaway is now closed and the winners were announced HERE

Book Giveaway: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Thanks to the generosity of The Reading Nook online bookstore I have a great #giveaway today for 1 of 2 paperback copies of:

 

The Last Thing He Told Me

by

Laura Dave

 

 

 Blurb:

 

We all have stories we never tell.
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her.

Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.

As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered; as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss; as a US Marshal and FBI agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.

Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future. One neither Hannah nor Bailey could have anticipated.

 

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Giveaway:

Enter via the form below. (Open to Australian addresses only). Entries close at midnight on 28th December 2021. 

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winners Jodie K & Tracy M were announced HERE

 

Book Review & Giveaway: Once Burnt, Twice Shy by Karly Lane

 Once Burnt, Twice Shy

by

Karly Lane

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Publication date: 30th November 2021

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Rural Romance

 

Pages: 348

 

RRP: $29.99

 

Format read: Paperback 

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

About the book

 

Recently divorced mother-of-two Samantha Murphy agrees to house-sit for her parents for a few weeks-but when the house involves several hundred acres of farming and livestock, it's a little more involved than the usual job. Sam left the family farm years ago for a more exciting, glamorous life on the Sunshine Coast, but now that her kids have grown up and moved out, she's at a crossroads.

Jack Cameron was in love with Sam when they were teenagers, and she broke his heart when she left town at eighteen. Their lives moved along similar paths-both marrying, having families and getting divorced-but in very different locations. Now that Sam is back, they begin to realise that there are unresolved feelings between them.

As catastrophic fires roar destructively through the local farming community, Sam has no choice but to evacuate her parents' farm. But worse is still to come: Jack is reported missing and Sam is forced to prepare for the worst news.

 

My review

 

Karly Lane once again brings her characters into our homes and into our hearts.

 

In Once Burnt, Twice Shy we get a front line look at the devastating fires that scorched Australia in the summer of 2019 - 2020. A tribute to our unsung heroes, the Rural Fire Service and it's hundreds of volunteer fire fighters who put their lives in danger to save the lives and livelihoods of people everywhere.

 

 I liked that Karly stayed away from the politics of it all and concentrated on the characters and the community. Set on the mid-north coast of NSW the fires are described as if we are there amidst the action and I could feel the anxiety as Sam readied the farm to leave as the fire approached. Lane passionately communicates the devastation of losing a family home that has been passed down through the generations and the insurmountable amount of work to rebuild; new fencing, sheds, livestock and all this came after a long drough that ahd already caused financial stress.

 

Most farmers were also volunteer fire fighters working the farm as well as fighting fires. A lot of the farmers find it hard to ask for help. They are hard working and self sufficient, getting on with the job and holding their emotions in.

Karly Lane adds humour which I feel is needed in these stories of hardship. It doesn't take away from the drama it just lightens the book up a bit.

 

Once Burnt, Twice Shy is however a romance so the main characters and their budding relationship is a large focus in the story. Sam is back home in Burrumba, it doesn't matter how long you've been gone, where you grew up is always home. She is there to attend the family farm while her parents take a much anticipated holiday.

Sam reunites with neighbour and high school boyfriend Jack. It's been 30 years but the spark is still there. Lane raises realistic circumstances as road blocks in Jack and Sam's ongoing relationship. The two main characters in this story are middle-aged with teenaged children which gives for a whole set of drama in a new relationship.

 

Once Burnt, Twice Shy is an engaging second chance romance rich in issues relevant to rural communities.

 

Karly's books are my go to! I eagerly await every new release and I feel Karly puts a little of herself in every book which makes it all the more engaging.

 

5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

   

About the author

Karly Lane lives on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. Proud mum to four children and wife of one patient mechanic, she is lucky enough to spend her day doing the two things she loves most - being a mum and writing stories set in beautiful rural Australia.

 

https://www.instagram.com/karly_lane_author/ 

 

 

Challenges Entered: Australian Women Writers Challenge AWW2021

 

                                   Aussie Author Challenge #Aussieauthor21

 

Giveaway

 

 Thanks to Allen & Unwin I have one paperback copy of Once Burnt, Twice Shy to giveaway to one lucky entrant. Australian addresses only. Entry via the form below.

Entries close at Midnight AEST  8th December 2021

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winner Sharon was announced HERE

Winners in my latest paperback Giveaways announced!!

 

 Once again I would like to thank everyone who entered my giveaways for a copies of Deception Creek and The Curlew's Eye. The giveaways closed on the 12th November and 14th November respectively and the winners were randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to ...........  Richard Harrison who won a copy of Deception Creek.

 

 Congratulations to ...........  Leanne   who won a copy of The Curlew's Eye.

 The winners have been notified and have seven days to provide a mailing address.

 Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

I have more giveaways coming.

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review & Giveaway: Deception Creek by Fleur McDonald

 Deception Creek

by

Fleur McDonald

 

When secrets from the past threaten, loyalties are questioned

 

 Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Publication date: 2nd November 2021

 

Series: Detective Dave Burrows 

 

Genre: Rural crime

 

Pages: 376

 

RRP: $ 29.99AU

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

About the book

 

Emma Cameron, a recently divorced farmer and a local in Barker, runs Deception Creek, the farm that three generations of her family have owned before her. Every day Emma pushes herself hard on the land, hoping to make ten-year-old memories of a terrible car accident disappear. And now there are more recent nightmares of an ex-husband who refuses to understand how much the farm means to Emma.

When criminal Joel Hammond is released from jail and heads home to Barker, Detective Dave Burrows and his officer Senior Sergeant Jack Higgins are on high alert. Joel has a long and sorry history with many of the townsfolk and they are not keen to see him home to stay.

Not all of the Barker locals want to see Joel run out of town though. Some even harbour doubts about Joel's conviction. The town finds itself split down the middle, families pitted against each other with devastating outcomes.

 

My review

 

I simply can't get enough of Detective Dave Burrows! This series is one I will definitely keep on my shelf to read again.

 

Joel Hammond is back in town after nine years in prison. His parents have passed away and Barker is the only home he knows. Joel wants a quiet  life but the residents of barker have long memories and a penchant for bearing grudges.

 

Emma having recently celebrated her divorce thinks it may be time to start dating again when an old friend, she shared a tragedy with in the past, comes to visit and clearly shows his interest in her and the farm.

 

Deception Creek is another suspense filled rural crime novel. Characters I have come to know and love reappear in this story and I gained a little more insight into their personalities.

 

Zara the investigative journalist and girlfriend of police officer Jack Higgins again has a major roll in this novel as she works along side Dave and Jack.

Fleur McDonald again features PTSD and the importance of counseling. Through Joel, who is still professing his innocence, we see the difficulty to adjust to everyday lofe after being in prison.

Dave Burrows is always cool and calm, keeping his feelers out for any trouble but never taking sides or judging anyone.

The mysteries start to build as an accidental death 29 years ago is questioned.

McDonald includes themes of white collar crime, online blackmail and long held secrets, mixing these with everyday farming techniques to give her books a true Australian flavour.

Fleur McDonald knows how to add mystery into every element of the story leaving her readers eagerly turning the pages.

 

My rating  5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

After growing up on a farm near Orroroo in South Australia, Fleur McDonald’s first job was jillarooing in the outback. She has been involved in agriculture all her life, including helping manage a 8000-acre station for twenty years. Today she and her two children, along with a Jack Russell and her energetic kelpie, Jack, live in Esperance, Western Australia, 

 

Giveaway

 

Thanks to Allen & Unwin I have one paperback copy of Deception Creek to giveaway to one lucky entrant. Australian addresses only.

 

This giveaway is closed - the winner was announced here