June/July Book Haul
I’ve acquired some fantastic books recently. My TBR pile has never looked so good. I wanted to share some of the titles with you.
Mount by Jilly Cooper (Bantam Press, 8th September 2016. Review copy received.)
Rupert Campbell-Black is back!
I was so excited to receive this book in the post. Riders was such a guilty pleasure of mine and Rupert is the bad boy we all hate to love. He’s of course been in other novels but this is the first time he has taken centre stage for a while.
Mount sees an older Campbell-Black but is he wiser? This new book from Jilly brings together old and new characters and is set in the competitive world of flat racing.
Fans of Jilly Cooper… there is not long to wait.
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (MacMillan, May 2015)
This book was recently a pick for one of the subscription boxes I subscribe to. The cover is so wonderfully atmospheric and almost gothic. The plot sounds so interesting I just couldn’t resist buying it.
Faith is searching through the belongings of her recently deceased father and discovers a strange tree. The tree only grows healthy fruit if you whisper a lie to it. In return, once the fruit is consumed, it will deliver a hidden truth to the person who has eaten it.
The bigger the lie, the bigger the truth and the more people believe it.
This book sounds so ace and right up my street. I am looking forward so much to reading it.
by 
Book Review: You And Me Always by Jill Mansell
Headline Review, June 2016
Lily’s always been surrounded by love.
Ever since her mother died, she’s been cared for by friends who are as close as any family.
Coral, her mum’s best friend; Patsy, her old babysitter – and even Dan, Patsy’s incorrigible younger brother – have always been there for her.
But when she chance comes to meet the man who was the love of her mother’s life, Lily knows she has to take it. Getting to know him could change everything, and not just for Lily…
I really didn’t think it would be possible for this sparkling author to top ‘Three Amazing Things About You’. If you haven’t read that one of Jill’s yet, then make that the next one you read after ‘You and Me, Always’, before the movie comes out! Well, maybe not, but someone really should turn it into one.
Sorry, I digress. ‘You and Me, Always’ is top-notch writing and un-put-down-able reading. If, like me, you see a blurb that mentions a movie star or someone fleeing something, that always starts an alarm bell ringing, but no need to worry here. Jill’s characters are always well thought out and the character of Eddie is nicely believable, things don’t even veer towards pie-in-the-sky world when the story deals directly with the world of celebrities.
by Latest Book Releases: 14th July 2016
Yey it’s Thursday which means more book releases. This week is a great one too.
On The Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher (Sphere, 14th July 2016.)
The premise for this book sounds so brilliant (and I am kind of annoyed I didn’t think of it.) I’ve been looking forward to reading this book and so I am pleased it’s been released today. Plus this cover is just gorgeous.
Your soul is too heavy to pass through this door,
Leave the weight of the world in the world from before
Evie Snow is eighty-two when she quietly passes away in her sleep, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. It’s the way most people wish to leave the world but when Evie reaches the door of her own private heaven, she finds that she’s become her twenty seven- year-old self and the door won’t open. Evie’s soul must be light enough to pass through so she needs to get rid of whatever is making her soul heavy. For Evie, this means unburdening herself of the three secrets that have weighed her down for over fifty years, so she must find a way to reveal them before it’s too late. As Evie begins the journey of a lifetime, she learns more about life and love than she ever thought possible, and somehow , some way, she may also find her way back to her long lost love…
The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter (Century, 14th July 2016.)
The Kept Woman is the latest novel in the Will Trent series.
A body is discovered in an empty Atlanta warehouse. It’s the body of an ex-cop, and from the moment Special Agent Will Trent walks in he knows this could be the most devastating case of his career. Bloody footprints leading away from the scene reveal that another victim – a woman – has left the scene and vanished into thin air. And, worst of all, the warehouse belongs to the city’s biggest, most politically-connected, most high-profile athlete – a local hero protected by the world’s most expensive lawyers. A local hero Will has spent the last six months investigating on a brutal rape charge.
But for Will – and also for Dr Sara Linton, the GBI’s newest medical examiner – the case is about to get even worse. Because an unexpected discovery at the scene reveals a personal link to Will’s troubled past. The consequences will wreak havoc on his life and the lives of those he loves, those he works with, and those he pursues.
But Sara’s scene-of-the-crime diagnosis is that they only have a few hours to find the missing woman before she bleeds out . . .
by Blog Tour: Whyte Lies by KC Acton – Writing Process and Review
I’m pleased to be welcoming KC Acton to Novel Kicks today and the blog tour for her novel, Whyte Lies. This is the first novel in the Whyte Lies series and introduces us to DCI Faith Whyte.
About Whyte Lies:
The perfect family? Or the perfect lie? Gunshots ring out on the sweltering summer air, shattering the peaceful silence. The stench of exhaust fumes and burning rubber fill the humid breeze as the car’s wheels spin against the embankment.
In front of the car, a girl lies hunched, her blonde hair stained red. Her light summer dress is torn. She’s missing a sandal. Part of her wishes she were dead. Inside the car, the girl’s father is slumped over the steering wheel. Behind him, the girl’s mother lies motionless.
The forest is eerily quiet, silenced by the violence, while the shadows of the trees protect the carnage. Crime and justice are Detective Faith Whyte’s business. Murder is her speciality. Faith thinks she has seen it all, until she investigates the brutal killing of a family in Killarney National Park. However, the killer is closer than she thinks, and Faith must open her eyes before someone else becomes the victim of a dark and deadly mind.
Faith has spent a lifetime running, but the past is about to catch up with her. Now, she must surrender to the present and trust her instincts more than ever. What happens when the present collides with the secrets of the past?
I’ve reviewed the book below but first, KC Acton talks us through her writing process and what she thinks makes a good thriller…
I’ve just published my first book, Whyte Lies, and am almost finished the first draft of my second book, Whyte Heat, so I suppose I’m still experimenting with my writing process. I try to focus on getting a certain number of words written per day, for me that’s usually around 2,000 words. I tend to write better in the late morning because it takes a while for my brain to get going. No matter how much sleep I get, I usually wake up feeling like I’ve been smacked in the face with a frying pain. Needless to say, I am not a morning person! I usually can’t manage much more than a few muttered words until I’ve downed my second coffee–the stronger, the better.
by Latest Book Releases: 8th July 2016
It’s time for another set of great book releases. I am looking forward to reading pretty much all of these. How about you?
The Sister by Louise Jensen (Bookouture, 5th July 2016.)
This book sounds fantastic. I have already downloaded my copy and will be reading it as soon as possible. I like books with a twist.
‘I did something terrible Grace. I hope you can forgive me …’
Grace hasn’t been the same since the death of her best friend Charlie. She is haunted by Charlie’s words the last time she saw her, and in a bid for answers, opens an old memory box of Charlie’s. It soon becomes clear that there was a lot she didn’t know about her best friend.
When Grace starts a campaign to find Charlie’s father, Anna, a girl claiming to be Charlie’s sister steps forward. For Grace, finding Anna is like finding a new family and soon Anna has made herself very comfortable in Grace and boyfriend Dan’s home.
But something isn’t right. Things disappear, Dan’s acting strangely and Grace is sure that someone is following her. Is it all in Grace’s mind? Or as she gets closer to discovering the truth about both Charlie and Anna, is Grace in terrible danger?
There was nothing she could have done to save Charlie … Or was there?
Sunshine and Secrets (Book One of Willow Cottage) by Bella Osborne (Released on Kindle by Avon 7th July 2016.)
This has just got its Kindle release and is the second book to be released recently by Bella Osborne. I’ve got my copy and if it’s anything like A Family Holiday, it’s going to be fantastic.
Beth is running away. With her young son Leo to protect, Willow Cottage is the lifeline she so desperately needs. Overlooking the village green in a beautiful Cotswolds idyll, Beth sees a safe place for little Leo.
When she finally uncovers the cottage from underneath the boughs of a weeping willow tree, Beth realises this is far more of a project than she bargained for and the locals are more than a little eccentric! A chance encounter with gruff Jack, who appears to be the only male in the village under thirty, leaves the two of them at odds but it’s not long before Beth realises that Jack has hidden talents that could help her repair more than just Willow Cottage.
Over the course of four seasons, Beth realises that broken hearts can be mended, and sometimes love can be right under your nose…
by Book Club
