Wednesday, 16 November 2022

Mega End of Year - Nine Book Giveaway

As postage prices rise it's getting harder to offer giveaways so I'm doing a massive end of year giveaway. I am hoping to source new giveaways from publishers in 2023 so I won't need to foot the postage bill.

I have some fabulous books on this list. Some are brand new and some lightly read. All would be great holiday reads.

Enter for as many books as you like... and Good Luck. 


The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci

Every day without fail, Travis Devine puts on a cheap suit, grabs his faux-leather briefcase, and boards the 6:20 commuter train to Manhattan, where he works as an entry-level analyst at the city’s most prestigious investment firm. In the mornings, he gazes out the train window at the lavish homes of the uberwealthy, dreaming about joining their ranks. In the evenings, he listens to the fiscal news on his phone, already preparing for the next grueling day in the cutthroat realm of finance.

Then one morning Devine’s tedious routine is shattered by an anonymous email: She is dead.

Sara Ewes, Devine’s coworker and former girlfriend, has been found hanging in a storage room of his office building—presumably a suicide, prompting the NYPD to come calling on him. If that wasn’t enough, Devine receives another ominous visit, a confrontation that threatens to dredge up grim secrets from his past in the Army unless he participates in a clandestine investigation into his firm.

This treacherous role will take Travis from the impossibly glittering lives he once saw only through a train window, to the darkest corners of the country’s economic halls of power…where something rotten lurks. And apart from this high-stakes conspiracy, there’s a killer out there with their own agenda, and Devine is the bullseye

 Bad Habits by Sarah Evans & The Bone Ranger by Louisa Bennet (sent together)

 

A freezer full of body parts is the tip of the criminal iceberg for Perth cop Eve Rock.

The festive season has spawned a spate of murders, robberies and abductions, which actually reassures Eve that others' bad habits far exceed her own. It also gives her a watertight excuse to avoid hanging out with her dysfunctional family while spending time with her two gorgeous colleagues and would-be lovers, Quinn Fox and his son Adam. A win-win situation.

Butchered bodies used for questionable purposes, a murdered man in a skip, a brazen multi-million dollar haul from a high-end jewellers and posh art gallery are all in a day's work for Eve and her team.

Now usually Eve relishes getting stuck into solving crimes, but she's not so keen when she's the target and the boundaries between work and home become nastily blurred.

But who is trying to kill her this time? And why? And who are the strange people wandering around her temporary digs late at night? And why is her mum the nun acting more weird than usual?

And why is she such a pushover when it comes to the men in her life?


All will be revealed - but only if Eve can survive to work everything out.

Monty, the adorable, food-obsessed Golden Retriever will do anything for his owner, Detective Constable Rose Sidebottom.

Of course, as these things go, Monty is no ordinary dog and Rose is no ordinary hooman.

Monty's super-smart nose and network of unique informers, and Rose's uncanny ability to spot liars make them a funny and formidable team.

When Rose is on sick leave a stranger begs for their help to find a missing person. The case soon becomes a murder investigation, and Rose's boss warns her not to interfere.

But, when dogs start disappearing too, Monty and Rose have no choice but to track down the culprits by doing what they do best - together.

The Tilt by Chris Hammer (ARC)

Newly-minted homicide detective Nell Buchanan returns to her home town, annoyed at being assigned a decades-old murder - a 'file and forget'.

But this is no ordinary cold case, as the discovery of more bodies triggers a chain of escalating events in the present day. As Nell starts to join the pieces together, she begins to question how well she truly knows those closest to her. Could her own family be implicated in the crimes?

The nearer Nell comes to uncovering the secrets of the past, the more dangerous the present becomes for her, as she battles shadowy assailants and sinister forces. Can she survive this harrowing investigation and what price will she have to pay for the truth?


I have two copies of Deception Creek by Fleur McDonald to give away.

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

Five Bush Weddings by Clare Fletcher

As a photographer, Stevie’s been to enough bush weddings to last a lifetime. When’s it going to be all about her?

With her ex soon to be married, her mum back on the dating scene, and her best friend threatening to settle down with the Most Boring Man Alive, Stevie is feeling left behind.

To top it off, her old uni mate Johnno West, whom she hasn’t seen for years, keeps turning up as best man at Stevie’s jobs. And he is looking so good.

Perhaps their youthful pact – that if they were both still single in their early thirties they’d get together – is not so crazy after all?

Then the enigmatic Charlie Jones walks into the frame …

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult (ARC)

Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father's beekeeping business.

Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.

And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .

Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Keeping Up Appearances by Tricia Stringer

As tensions simmer in a small country town, three women are going to need more than CWA sausage rolls and can-do community spirit to put things right. From a bestselling Australian author comes a delightful novel full of practical wisdom and dry humour that examines female friendship, buried secrets and why honesty is (usually) the best policy.

Privacy is hard to maintain in Badara, the kind of small Australian country town where everyone knows everyone else's business. So discovers single mum Paige when she and her three children arrive from the city seeking refuge. Paige's only respite from child care and loneliness is the Tuesday gym club, where she had feared the judgement of the town matriarchs, but she is met only with generosity and a plethora of baked goods. Besides, both the brusque Marion and her polished sister-in-law Briony are too busy dealing with their own dramas to examine hers.

Well-to-do farmer's wife and proud mother Briony is in full denial of her family's troubles. Even with her eldest daughter's marriage in ruins and her son Blake's recent bombshell. Suddenly Briony and husband Vince have a full house again - and the piles of laundry aren't the only dirty linen that's about to be aired.

For Marion, the unearthing of a time capsule - its contents to be read at the Celebrate Badara weekend - is a disaster. She was only a teenager when she wrote down those poisonous words, but that doesn't mean she won't lose friends and family if they hear what she really thinks of them - especially as the letter reveals their darkest secrets to the world.

When the truth comes out for Badara, keeping up appearances may no longer be an option for anyone ...

 

This giveaway will close at 6pm on 24th November 2022 and the winners will be notified by email. 

This giveaway is now closed and the winners were:

 Catherine B, Richard H, Donna R, Sharah Mc, Rachael, Billyjean, Leanne, Warrick W

Wednesday, 9 November 2022

Book Review: The Vet's Country Holiday by Lily Malone

 Even though The Vet's Country Holiday is book 4 in the Chalk Hill series it reads perfectly as a stand alone. I've been reading the books out of order and have no problem with knowing what's going on. Some characters pop in and out of other books and there may be small spoilers but nothing major.
 
One by-the-numbers accountant plus one irrepressible city girl equals one tricky equation
 
Title: The Vet's Country Holiday
Author: Lily Malone
Series: Chalk Hill #4
Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Publication date: 30th March 2022
Genre: Contemporary / Rural Romance
Pages: 373
RRP: $29.99AU
Format: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

My review of The Vet's Country Holiday

Lily Malone's The Vet's Country Holiday was just the book I needed to get me out of a reading slump.
I raced through the story and loved everything about it. The small town of Chalk Hill in country Western Australia is instantly appealing with its beautifully described scenery and friendly townsfolk. 

Isabella Passmore is house sitting, and dog sitting, for Taylor and Abe while the have a much deserved holiday.
Isabella (Izzy) would have to be my most favourite character ever. She's a bit awkward and is always getting herself into sticky situations which was quite humorous, but mostly I loved her kind outspokenness. She gently forces people to open up and she's not afraid to speak her feelings.

Accountant Elliot Fields is back in Chalk Hill to help his parents with the financial side of their new cafe and water ski business. A years old tragedy has caused Elliot to close himself off from everyone, including his family but Izzy is not going to let him get away from expressing his most feared thoughts.
Izzy and Elliot were perfect together! Their relationship started out as fun as they were both only in Chalk Hill for a short time and knew they had a life and job to go back to.

The Vet's Country Holiday is a story about openness, forgiveness and moving on. It is full of fun and laugh out loud moments but it also brought a tear to my eye on occasions.

Lily's ability to take a real life event and expand on it with the 'what ifs', to show how different life may have been, highlights her exceptional story telling ability.
The Vet's Country Holiday is funny, engaging and heartwarming. A story bursting with country charm.

If you are after a story to captivate and delight, you can't go past The Vet's Country Holiday.
 
My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Lily Malone is a journalist and freelance writer who discovered after years of writing facts for a living, writing romance was much more fun.

Lily juggles writing with the needs of a young family, and when she isn’t writing, she likes gardening, walking, wine, and walking in gardens (sometimes with wine).

 
 

Tuesday, 8 November 2022

Book Review: The Pocket Wife by Susan Crawford

 One challenge I entered at the beginning of the year, and really wanted to achieve, was the MountTBR challenge hosted by My Reader's Block. The plan was to read 12 books That had been on my bookshelves from 2019 or earlier. The Pocket Wife is book number 6.

Title: The Pocket Wife
Author: Susan Crawford
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Publication date: 1st April 2015
Genre: Crime / Mystery 
Pages: 304
Format: Uncorrected paperback 
Source: Won
 

My review of The Pocket Wife 

When Celia Steinhauser is found murdered in her own home it sends friend and neighbour Dana Catrell into a frenzied spiral of paranoia and hallucination. She was the last person to see Celia alive but all she can remember is the few too many drinks they had and then passing out at home...... and the blurry photo Celia showed her of her husband with another woman.
 
Jack Moss is called out on a murder case, he's due home for his and his wife's anniversary dinner but the murdered woman's name sounds familiar. He is sure it's one of his son's teachers. He can't not take the case.
 
The story is told through the dual narrative of Dana Catrell and Jack Moss and is a fast paced frenetic read. Dana's thoughts are all over the place. She has flashes here and there, some from the present and some from her past. Everything clashes and swirls around. Her turmoil is so well portrayed!

I don't know anything about mental illness but I felt that Susan Crawford got all the aspects right with Dana's flashes, paranoia, hallucinations, ups and downs. It was crazy just trying to keep up with her!
Jack Moss was an interesting character, his second wife had just left him. He came across as a bit vague and muddled but he could read people well and had an instinct for liars. His thoughts kept wandering off to his wife and his first marriage.

I couldn't get enough of this story as the number of prospective perpetrators rose and Dana's mind reeled out of control. I had no idea if she or even one of the other suspects murdered Celia. Everyone had something to hide and all  were lying or lying by omission.
The mystery component of the story was compelling. I wouldn't say it was a thriller but it was definitely a page-turning mystery.

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐



Stay tuned, I have a big book giveaway coming soon!!!

Monday, 31 October 2022

Book Review: The Castaways of Harewood Hall by Karen Herbert

The Castaways of Harewood Hall
by
Karen Herbert
 
a devilish dog, a curious cat and skulduggery in the basement...
 
Publisher: Fremantle Press
Publication date: 1st September 2022
Genre: Crime / Mystery
Pages: 216
RRP: $32.99AU
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

My review of The Castaways of Harewood Hall

Harewood Hall is a retirement village home to an eclectic group of residents who believe retirement from paid work doesn't mean retirement from life.

The narrative switches between some of the residents of the village, the manager, staff member Josh and even the resident cat, Harley, gets his point of view in this humorous and quirky tale.

Kind-hearted Josh rescues some research mice and hides them in Harewood Hall basement. Manager Fiona diligently deals with residents concerns about tree trimming, a spike in water usage and an unsafe retaining wall. Drama abounds when some residents decide to fix things themselves. Paul is the mediator, Martin the fixer and Joyce the organiser.

The Castaways of Harewood Hall is a delightful, light read bursting with a whole cast of likeable characters all with their own quirks and pet projects.
The mystery tends to take second stage to the goings on of the characters, human and non human.

I loved Harley's (the cat) point of view as he wandered from resident to resident, aloof but also a huge part of the village.
Missing money, mysterious deliveries  and a couple of red herrings make this novel an entertaining read. In Harewood Hall nothing goes unnoticed.

I've read a couple of retirement village novels that were hugely entertaining but unbelievable with the over-the-top high-jinks. Harewood Hall is tremendously engaging and believable.

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐


About the author

Karen Herbert has worked in age care, disability services, higher education, Indigenous land management, social housing and the public sector, and is a board member of The Intelife Group, Advocare Inc., and President of the fellowship of Australian Writers WA. Born in Geraldton, Karen now lives in Perth with her husband.
 
 

Friday, 28 October 2022

Book Review: The Proxy Bride by Zoë Boccabella

 The Proxy Bride
by
Zoë Boccabella 
 
Imagine marrying someone you've never met.....
 
Publication date: 7th September 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 432
RRP: $32.99AUD
Format read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 
My review of The Proxy Bride
 
The Proxy Bride is a dual timeline narrative with the present day set in 1984 and the historical side starting from 1939 and continuing through the second world war.
 
Many men who immigrated from Italy to Australia and started farming in country towns had no chance of meeting a prospective wife so arrangements were made with their family back home to send a bride. It wasn't proper for unmarried women to travel alone so the women were married by proxy and then sent by ship to a man and a land they had never seen. This is how Gia and Taddeo became husband and wife.

Sixteen-year-old Sofie spends the school holidays at her grandmother nonna's house in rural southern Queensland. Sofie was sullen and reticent, taken from all her friends in Brisbane, and she wasn't going to go easy on Gia, her nonna. Sofie's characterization was perfect and I could easily imagine a 16 year old sulking over having to spend the holidays with her grandmother. As the two spend time together cooking (all the recipes are in the back of the book) they start to talk and Sofie learns Gia's story. Her life, her loves and her tragedies.

This story was quite emotional as Gia describes her arrival in Australia, how the Italian community were spurned by locals, the atrocities that happened during WWII, the men interned and women left to fend for themselves.
There is also a mystery surrounding Sofie's father, a secret that has followed Sofie all her life and a topic her mother refuses to talk about.

The Proxy Bride is brimming with family and love and the food that ties it all together. Boccabella highlights the volatility of the fruit growing industry, raging prejudices during the 1940's, forbidden love and the strength and perseverance of the women who came to call Australia home.
There is much to love in Zoë Boccabella's latest novel.
 
My rating 5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 
About the author
 
Zoë Boccabella is an Australian author who writes fiction and non-fiction and whose books have been much-acclaimed, shortlisted for both popular and literary awards and sold internationally. Her writing is influenced by her migrant ancestry, spoken histories and recipes handed-down, alongside travels in Europe and Australia. She lives in Brisbane, Australia.

 

 


Wednesday, 26 October 2022

Book Review: The Tilt by Chris Hammer

The Tilt 
by
Chris Hammer 
 
THE DARKEST SECRETS LIE CLOSEST TO HOME 
 
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Publication date: 5th October 2022
Series: Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan #2
Genre: Crime Fiction
Pages: 488
Format read: Uncorrected Paperback
Source: Courtesy of Better Reading Preview
 
My review of The Tilt
  
The Tilt is another atmospheric and well crafted novel by bestselling Australian author Chris Hammer.  
Set on the NSW/Victorian border Hammer’s descriptions of the area, the forests, creeks, isolation and tranquillity are beautifully written, immersing the reader in the setting.
 
Tulong may be a small town where everyone knows each other but small town secrets can be buried for decades.

The story takes off at a fast pace as a man is being pursued through the forest and a woman plans to sabotage a dam. These two mysteries are at the back of your mind throughout the book.
 
Recently promoted to Homicide, Nell Buchanan is given a cold case when a skeleton is unearthed near her old home town. With long held feuds and family secrets this case could be closer to home than Nell could ever have imagined!
 
The story is told through multiple narrative styles; Jimmy Waters statement running from his childhood in the 40’s to the 70’s, Tess Waters in 1973 and the present day investigation by Nell. I enjoyed each era of the story; Jimmy’s childhood attending the cattle and supporting his family while his father was at war and Tessa’s story in 1973 was so quintessentially 70’s, the cars, the music, the language. It was all so spot on!
 
The mysteries build throughout with a few unexpected twists to round off an excellent read. The Tilt is the second Nell Buchanan novel however reads well as a standalone.  

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 
About the author
 
Chris Hammer is a leading Australian author of crime fiction. His first book, Scrublands, was an instant bestseller when it was published in mid-2018. It won the prestigious UK Crime Writers Association John Creasy Award for a debut crime novel in 2019 and was shortlisted for various awards in Australia and the United States.

Scrublands
has been sold into translation in several foreign languages and is being developed for television. His follow up books - Silver (2019), Trust (2020) and Treasure & Dirt (2021) - are also bestsellers and all have been shortlisted for major literary prizes.

Before turning to fiction, Chris was a journalist for more than thirty years, dividing his career between covering Australian federal politics and international affairs. He reported from more than 30 countries on six continents with SBS TV, while in Canberra, roles included chief political correspondent for The Bulletin, senior writer for The Age and Online Political Editor for Fairfax.

Chris has also written two non-fiction books The River (2010) and The Coast (2012). He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master's degree in international relations from the Australian National University.
 
 

Saturday, 22 October 2022

Book Review: The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci

 The 6:20 Man
by
David Baldacci
 
IT'S TIME TO CATCH A KILLER..... 
 
Publication date: 28th June 2022
Genre: Crime / Mystery 
Pages: 432
RRP: $34.99AUD
Format read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

My review of The 6:20 Man
 
I'm a late comer to David Baldacci's novels. My first reads being the Atlee Pine series. This series was full of hard hitting action and compelling plots. A hard act to follow!
Subsequently I was a little disappointed in The 6:20 Man.
 
Travis Devine is an ex-Army Ranger now working a dead-end finance job at a top investment bank; a self imposed punishment for past sins. 
When a close friend and fellow employee dies mysteriously Devine starts to investigate and becomes embroiled in a world of greed, power and murder.
 
I found none of the finance and technical talk interested me but I really enjoyed the descriptions of Manhattan and the diverse characters, especially German born white-hat hacker Will Valentine, these were probably the highlights of the book for me.
The plot starts off slow but does escalate in pace as the murders increase, the mystery intensifies and the twists keep coming.
 
You will need to suspend your disbelief to truly appreciate this action packed thriller set in the high finance world of Manhattan.
 
Now that Travis Devine has found a new calling I am keen to see where this will take him.
 
Going by other reviews, dedicated fans of Baldacci are loving The 6:20 Man. Are you a Baldacci fan? Did you love this book? Let me know what you thought? Maybe I was just expecting too much. 🤷
 
My rating 3 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐
 
 About the author
 
David Baldacci is one of the world's bestselling and favourite thriller writers. A former trial lawyer with a keen interest in world politics, he has specialist knowledge in the Us political system and intelligence service, and his first book, Absolute Power, became an instant international bestseller, with the movie starring Clint Eastwood a major box office hit. He has since written more than forty bestsellers featuring, most recently, Amos Decker, Aloysius Archer, Atlee Pine and John Puller. David is also the co-founder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across the US.