Book Extract: House of Twisted Shadows By J.H.Mann
It’s so exciting to be welcoming J.H.Mann to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his latest book, House of Twisted Shadows.
A HOUSE ON THE EDGE
A DAUGHTER DRIVEN TO OBSESSION
A FORBIDDEN LOVE
Winter 1962. Amelia Tremayne has spent the past ten years in London trying to forget the lonely clifftop house where her father was killed. Tyler House was built shortly before the Second World War on Cornwall’s stormy coast by a wealthy German outsider. Its most unsettling feature is a vast glass dome that bends the light, casting twisted, elongated shadows across the walls.
Amelia’s father, Douglas Tremayne, a noted historian, was researching a controversial book about Tyler House’s Nazi origins – and its links to powerful figures in the local community.
As Amelia begins to uncover the truth about her father’s death, she is pulled into a web of buried secrets – and into a forbidden love that could destroy everything she holds dear.
INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY.
J.H.Mann has shared an extract from House of Twisted Shadows with us today. You know the drill… grab that drink, find that comfortable chair and enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
Amelia Tremayne has returned to the lonely clifftop estate of Tyler House to uncover the secrets behind her father’s death. Convinced that vital papers were blown from the collapsing house during a recent landslip, she risks everything to recover them before they are lost forever…
She stuffed her hands in her pockets and strode through snow flurries to the abandoned cliff footpath, past a handwritten sign: ‘Danger. Path closed.’ Far below, a cold sea heaved and dragged at the rocks. She started down at once, not giving herself time for second thoughts.
The top of the path was choked with riotous bushes and rough grass. Nobody had been mad enough to use this path for years. Parts of it had fallen away, leaving precipitous drops. Amelia slipped and slid downwards, grabbing hold of thorny brambles to keep her balance. The route was even worse than she expected – overgrown, crumbling and slick with ice. Below, waves, flecked with spume, crashed and roared.
Halfway down, she tripped on a rock and pitched forward. A gorse bush provided a lifesaving handhold. It scratched and ripped her hands, but she clung on grimly, coming to a halt, sprawled across the path, her left side bruised. She sat up trembling, her breathing short and fast. For a few moments, the world was nothing but the ragged pull of her breath and the thud of her heart. That had been close.
Go back?
No.
by 
A Moment With… Dr Martyn Pritchard
I am pleased to welcome Dr Martyn Pritchard to Novel Kicks as we shine a light on his book, A Painkiller to Die For. It’s celebrating one year since its publication.
It was difficult for Will Jeavons to imagine just how his life could possibly get any better. Having overcome a traumatic childhood, he had gone on to study molecular pharmacology and win tenure as a lecturer at his beloved Cambridge University. But his life was soon to become better still, the CEO of a biotech company. Will’s unique research led to the discovery of a non-addictive drug for chronic pain. A remarkable solution for the opioid epidemic which had claimed the life of his mother.
Will’s flourishing company was subsequently acquired, and this was when he first met Celeste Simmonds. The beguiling Celeste would steer Will away from his earlier hedonistic, womanising lifestyle. However, the only way he could ensure the success of his drug was to bury key safety data which could have led to the clinical trials being terminated.
Clinical trials which resulted in the husband of Lydia Goldberg falling into a deep coma. It was Lydia’s scientific training which led her to discover Will’s fraudulent cover-up. She was determined to seek vengeance and concocted an elaborate honeytrap and a decision for Will to make. A career ending confession or being submitted to a life-threatening game of Russian roulette.
To talk about his experience with writing, it’s over to you, Martyn.
Why write novels? Why ‘A Painkiller to Die For’? A reasonable enough question, I suppose, to ask a career scientist who only passed his English Language O-level after two attempts. As with most novelists, I imagine, it was a combination of events which made me open up my laptop some 25 years ago and type those first few words. Those early efforts in the noughties amounted to a rather disjointed first 100 pages or so which were almost completely rewritten when Covid came along and the free time I needed to dive back into the book.
The overall premise remained pretty much the same, but the book turned out to be very different to what I had originally imagined all those years ago. ‘A Practical Arrangement’ was my first novel and came out towards the end of 2023 but not under my name! I used the nom de plume of Verity Trevethan as my assumption was that those few who ended up reading the book would give bad reviews. Poor Verity could shoulder the blame. But there were a few readers who wrote very generous commentaries and so Verity was outed to my family soon after publication (they never even knew I was writing a book!).
by Book Review: If Could Be With You By M W Arnold
I am so happy to welcome M W Arnold back to Novel Kicks as we take part in the blog tour for If Could Be With You.
May 1944, it’s the build-up to D-Day, for which the girls of the Air Transport Auxiliary Mystery Club are busy delivering the aircraft sorely needed, and the search goes on for a Nazi spy, who has information which cannot be allowed to get into the enemies hands.
For one of the girls, her husband in badly burned after his Mosquito is shot down, bringing the war closer to home than it’s ever been before.
With danger at every corner, the girls unbreakable bond is put to the test like never before. Through it all, they stand firm, taking all the war can throw at them, before daring it to try again.
*****
The girls of the ATA are back, and they have new challenges to face. When two of the girls hear devastating news, one is fighting old memories, and the hunt for a Nazi spy intensifies, the gang must pull together as D-Day approaches.
Oh, it’s so good to be back with the girls of the Air Transport Auxiliary Mystery Club. I know I have said this before in other reviews from this series, but it really is like going back to visit old friends and being welcomed with open arms. It’s for this reason that I always jump at the chance to join the blog tours for the Broken Wings series and why I couldn’t wait to get started – and it’s a chance to welcome Mick Arnold back to Novel Kicks too.
by Book Review: Escape to the Turquoise Seas By Carrie Walker
Is there a better way to kick off a new week than by welcoming Carrie Walker to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Escape to the Turquoise Seas? No, I don’t think there is either.
Kat Brennan has always been the work-hard, play-harder type, navigating single life in London and the chaos of her job at Northstar PR. So when Excalibur Cruises invite her aboard to pitch for their account, she jumps at the chance to prove to her boss she’s indispensable… and to finally relax a little.
But the last person she wants to get stuck on a boat with is industry hotshot Leo Kendrick, the CEO of rival agency Amplify – and Kat’s nemesis. When Leo bagged a coveted marketing internship 15 years ago, Kat vowed never to let him win anything again. She is not about to break that promise, even if Leo has become a distractingly attractive opponent.
As the Esmerelda sails the seas, from the Azores to Lisbon via Madeira, the two agencies must battle it out to present the best pitch. But in such close quarters, the sea might not be the only thing rocking the boat…
PERFECT for fans of:
Forced proximity
Enemies-to-lovers
Workplace romance
A dash of spice
Beachy destinations
*****
Kat has always loved her life. She’s living in London, working at Northstar PR and doesn’t necessarily mind that she’s single. However, when she hears that her biggest account, Excalibur Cruises, are considering another agency, she and her colleague, Heidi, go into crisis mode. They agree to go on a cruise in order to know the product they are pitching for. What Kat doesn’t count on is seeing her PR nemesis, Leo, who also happens to be on the cruise. Can Kat and Leo bury the hatchet, or will there be trouble at sea?
I have been a fan of Carrie Walker since reading the previous novel in this series, Escape To The Northern Lights. Don’t worry. You can read Escape to the Turquoise Seas as a standalone. I couldn’t wait to get started on the latest instalment in the Holiday Romance series and was honoured to be part of its blog tour.
by Book Extract: Ten to the 405 By Kevin R. Andrade
It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Kevin R. Andrade to Novel Kicks as we shine a light on his book, Ten to the 405. When disgraced investigative journalist Jake Hansen accepts a missing person case in Los Angeles, he uncovers a conspiracy linking organized crime, political corruption, and a powerful family determined to keep its secrets buried.
Kevin has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
INT. TROTTER’S TAVERN- BACK BAR AREA- MORNING
JAKE HANSEN, 35, a half-Latino and half-white male is asleep on the bar top of the dark tavern. Jake is smart, funny and a lovable rogue but also a disaster of a person. He lies on his back with one leg off of the bar. Jake has two black eyes and scrapes on his face with puffy red eyes.
A 60-inch TV above the bar is on.
INSERT TELEVISION – NEWS CONFERENCE
MAYOR ALEX VILA, 45, a handsome Latino male, dressed in a sharp suit, speaks behind a podium. To the right of Alex Vila is LILY VILA, 35, his beautiful wife. She wears a stunning green dress.
ALEX VILA
(ON TV)
I wish I could answer that question, Rick, but it really is premature.
Jake, groaning, opens his eyes and looks at the television.
JAKE
(Grumbling)
Asshole.
REPORTER
(O.S. On TV)
by Book Club
