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

Mailbox Monday - January 10th

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week (or month). I post my new books on the last Monday of the month (very late with my December post). It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday Blog

 

 Happy Monday!

 

It's been a while since I last posted a Monday update. Christmas has come and gone and we are in the middle of a very humid summer. Dot has been enjoying the pool and we even got Jay in for a swim today. He usually sits on the edge because he doesn't like to get wet.

 

I couldn't resist this Christmas themed toilet paper. The ultimate in Christmas decor 😀

 

  

 

Every night we go for a walk along a path beside the creek and the last few nights we have been lucky to see an abundance of wildlife; turtles, water dragons, skinks, blue-tongue lizards and ducks. 

 

 

 

After all the worry with Covid and not knowing whether our daughter's wedding would be able to go ahead, or not, we were very lucky to be in a Covid free window and the wedding went off beautifully. It was an unusually cold summer's day but it didn't rain so that's a plus. The setting was gorgeous with the surrounds lush and green and the dining area open to the outside.

We spent New Years Eve at home watching the festivities and fireworks on TV. This seemed the safest option as Covid had started it's rampage through Sydney.

Books I've received for review, purchased new, bought second hand and received as gifts

 

         

 

         

 

 
 

Do any of the above peak your interest? What has arrived in your mailbox lately?

Book Review: 138 Dates by Rebekah Campbell

 138 Dates

by

Rebekah Campbell

 

The true story of one woman's search for everything

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Imprint: A&U New Zealand

 

Publication date: 2nd July 2021

 

Genre: Non Fiction / Memior

 

Pages: 416

 

RRP $29.99AUD 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via DMCPR Media.

 

About the book

 

 On the outside, Rebekah Campbell has an enviable life. She is founder of hot Sydney startup Posse.com, writes a popular blog and gives inspirational talks at conferences for female entrepreneurs.

But when she turns off the light each night, she is alone and terrified of the future. She knows that what's important to her isn't money or startup glory or social media followers. She wants love. She wants a family.

And she is stuck. She hasn't been on a date in ten years. She's too embarrassed to list herself on the internet and can't bear the risk of getting rejected.

She decides to act. She'll take the tactics she's learnt building companies and apply them to finding a man. Her epic journey will take her on dates with 138 different men in Sydney, New York and San Francisco, while at the same time confronting the immense challenges of launching a business.

She'll face exhaustion, humiliation and heartbreak; she'll meet some strange and dangerous characters. And she will strip herself of the ego and expectations that have been holding her back. She will not stop.

138 Dates proves that the end is always worth the effort.

 

My review

 

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Not being the target audience and all.

 

If you follow Rebekah on social media you know how this turns out but this little spoiler didn't affect my reading pleasure.

 

Rebekah is open and honest as she takes on finding love as she would a business venture, organising do's and don'ts lists and practically interviewing her dates. 

I did find her quite judgemental and not very warm when she was on the dates. She was all business.  

I admire her tenacity as she goes on 138 different dates and I enjoyed all the descriptions of the different restaurants and meals she had. 

 

As she combines looking for love with the stress of running a start-up, Rebekah talks a lot about her business and work although I still feel she played down how stressful and time consuming starting your own business is.

 

I really enjoyed this candid and entertaining look at dating in your mid thirties and the call out not to give up on your dreams. However, I feel the real take out was Rebekah's acceptance of herself. It's hard to find love when you don't love yourself.

 

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

 About the author

 

Rebekah Campbell is the co-founder of Hey You, a mobile app used by more than one million Australians to order and pay at cafes. She has kept a blog about her experiences as an entrepreneur which was named 'Best Business Blog' by Smart Company and became a New York Times column in 2012. Rebekah writes a monthly opinion piece for AFR BOSS Magazine and has contributed to MamaMia, Women's Agenda and Stuff. She is a high-profile public speaker who spoke at TEDx Sydney and numerous events for Business Chicks. Rebekah was named a Woman of Influence in 2015 and APEC Young Woman Innovator. She is currently the host and curator of the City of Sydney's virtual event series 'Reboot', supporting 18,000 Sydney business owners to recover from the impact of COVID 19. Rebekah's personal passion is her everything which she finds at the end of this book.  

 

 

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.

Wrap-up of my 2021 Reading Challenges - Let's see how I went!

It's that time of year when we look back over our challenge pledges and see how we went.

You can read my 2021 sign up post HERE

My first one was the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge 

I signed up for the EMU level

Read and review 24 titles written by Australian Authors of which at least 10 of those authors are female, at least 10 of those authors are male, and at least 10 of those authors are new to you; Fiction or non-fiction, at least 4 different genre.

My completed challenge was:
58 x Female authors, 10 x Male authors, 40 x New to me authors, 8 x Genres. With a total of 68 books read.

 

I am a bit disappointed with my male Australian authors this year and will endeavour to increase this in 2022.

 

You can see the full list of books HERE 

 

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Next up was the Australian Women Writers Challenge 

 

 

 

I nominated to read and review 30 books for this challenge.

My completed challenge was 58 books read and reviewed.

You can see the full list of books HERE

 

_______________________________________________________

 

This was my second year with the Non Fiction readers challenge.

 

 

There were three challenge levels and I joined Nipper level

 Nonfiction Nipper : Read 3 books, from any category

 

I read four Non Fiction books but they only fit into 2 of the categories listed.

You can see my list of books HERE 

 

__________________________________________________________________

This was my second year with the Historical Fiction challenge hosted by The Intrepid Reader

 

 There were 6 different reading levels and I will joined:

 Renaissance Reader - 10 books.

 

I completed this challenge by reading 12 books.

You can see my list of books HERE 

 

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 New to me in 2021 was the Cloak & Dagger Challenge 

 

 

There were 5 levels and I signed up for the lowest level:

Amateur sleuth 5 - 15 books

 

I completed this challenge by reading 20 books.

You can see my list of books HERE 

 

📗📘📙📗📘📙📗📘📙📗📘📙📗📘📙📗📘📙📗📘📙

 

 Well that's a wrap for 2021. I will be dropping some of my challenges in 2022 as they are very time consuming adding all the links. However I have found a couple of new ones that look like fun.
Look out for my 2022 challenge sign up post coming soon!

 

#AussieAuthor2021   #AWW2021  #HistFic2021 #2021ReadNonFic #cloakanddaggerchallenge  

 

 

Goodreads: Year in Books Meme 2021

 

 

This is my year in books 2021!

 

I read 26,618 pages over 109 books 

________________________________________________________

Longest book                                                     Shortest book

576                                                                     20

pages                                                                  pages

 

                                                    

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Average book length in 2021 was 241 pages 

 

____________________________________________________________

Most popular                                                                          Least popular

321,215                                                                                   0

people also shelved                                                               People also shelved

 

________________________________________________________________

 

My average rating for 2021 was 4.3 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

________________________________________________

 

 My favourite book of 2021 was....  

 

I read 109 books in 2021 of which 49 were 5 star reads.
I have to admit of those 5 star reads 14 were children’s books. I can't really pick a stand out favourite this year, I loved so many.

_______________________________________________

The year in books meme is hosted by Bite Into Books so head over and see her post. Why not join in and post a link to your year in books.   

 

======================================================

 

 I read 67 books by Australian authors and of these 56 were female authors.

I big thanks to everyone who supported my blog, my subscribers, readers, those that left a comment and the wonderful publishers and authors who supply the books for reviews and giveaways.

I'm looking forward to more great books, reviews, giveaways, memes and bookish tags during 2022.  

 

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

 

 

Book Review: The Fossil Hunter by Tea Cooper

 The Fossil Hunter

by

Tea Cooper

 

A rare fossil, an unsolved mystery, a trail into the past....

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Imprint: HQ Fiction

 

Publication date: 27th October 2021

 

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

Pages: 384

 

RRP: $32.99 AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

About the book

 

Wollombi, The Hunter Valley 1847

The last thing Mellie Vale remembers before the fever takes her is running through the bush as a monster chases her - but no one believes her story. In a bid to curb Mellie's overactive imagination, her benefactors send her to visit a family friend, Anthea Winstanley. Anthea is an amateur paleontologist with a dream. She is convinced she will one day find proof the great sea dragons - the ichthyosaur and the plesiosaur - swam in the vast inland sea that millions of years ago covered her property at Bow Wow Gorge, and soon Mellie shares that dream for she loves fossil hunting too...

1919
When Penelope Jane Martindale arrives home from the battlefields of World War 1 with the intention of making her peace with her father and commemorating the death of her two younger brothers in the trenches, her reception is not as she had hoped. Looking for distraction, she finds a connection between a fossil at London's Natural History museum and her brothers which leads her to Bow Wow Gorge. But the gorge has a sinister reputation - 70 years ago people disappeared. So when PJ uncovers some unexpected remains, it seems as if the past is reaching into the present and she becomes determined to discover what really happened all that time ago...

 

My review

 

It was such a lovely coincidence that I picked up The Fossil Hunter to read after I had just returned from a weekend in Wollombi. This made the setting so easy to picture even though i had seen it over 100 years after the book is set I feel nothing much has really changed in this small town.

 

The Fossil Hunter is a dual time-line narrative with both time-lines (1847 &  1919) set in the past.

Tea Cooper's main characters are women interested in paleontology which was regarded as a strange pastime and was even cause for many rumours to morph and grow as the years passed.

 

I enjoyed how Cooper made paleontology interesting and even a little exciting. It is something I had never really thought about before.

What starts as an intriguing story of paleontology and finding fossils and possibly dinosaur bones soon turns to a compelling mystery.

 

There are times when we find questions in the second timeline which are yet to be played out in the first. I found myself eagerly reading not willing to put the book down until the final twist as Cooper adds elements of mystery and intrigue to the story. 

 

The Fossil Hunter is another fabulous read from Tea Cooper. Compelling, interesting and wonderfully immersive.

 

My rating 4.5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

 
 

 

About the author

 

Tea Cooper writes Australian contemporary and historical fiction. In a past life she was a teacher, a journalist and a farmer. These days she haunts museums and indulges her passion for storytelling.

 

https://www.teacooperauthor.com/ 

 

 

 

Challenges Entered: Australian Women Writers Challenge AWW2021

 

                                   Aussie Author Challenge #Aussieauthor21

                                   

                                   Historical Fiction Challenge