Book Extract: A Good Man by PJ McIlvaine
I’m pleased to be welcoming PJ McIlvaine to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, A Good Man.
He wants to remember. He’ll wish he could forget . . .
Decades after a brutal childhood trauma, a famous novelist finds his life shattered once again, in this unsettling psychological mystery thriller.
Brooks Anderson should now be enjoying life, but the persistent nightmares and sleepwalking still haunt him.
As hard as he’s tried, he can’t run away from the defining event of his life: the senseless murders of his mother and brother during a vacation in Montauk, which left the eight-year-old Brooks the sole survivor of the carnage and in a catatonic state. He buried his pain and eventually overcame his demons.
But now an unscrupulous journalist is threatening to twist the truth by digging up the past. To prove his innocence and exorcise his demons, Brooks must dig into his own psyche and the events of that fateful summer. His pursuit of the truth soon leads Brooks down a slippery slope that challenges everything—and will bring him face-to-face with the real monster of Montauk . . .
PJ McIlvaine has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.
Warning: Language.
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Brooks believes that he’s a good father. He loves his children and they have all the material comforts. He’s fiercely protective of them. After the childhood tragedy that robbed him of his mother and older brother, he won’t even take them to the beach—too many bad memories. But here, after his young daughter is savagely mauled, Brooks feels small and powerless. Once again, he failed.
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Book Extract & Review: The Trap by Ava Glass
I’m very excited to be welcoming Ava Glass to Novel Kicks today and the blog tour for her latest book, The Trap.
Edinburgh. The 50th annual G7 Summit is being hosted by the UK, and intelligence agent Emma Makepeace, has less than a week to decode, defuse and disable a deadly threat to the leaders of the free world.
The Russians are in town and Emma and her team know a high-profile assassination is being planned. But who is their target? And who is the assassin?
There is only one way to find out. Emma must set a trap using herself as bait.
From the majesty of the Scottish Highlands to Europe’s most lavish hotels, using private jets, phone taps, and her training and instincts honed by three years hunting Russian spies, Emma Makepeace must trick her way into the moneyed, champagne-fuelled playground of the super-rich in order to trap the killer.
But Emma doesn’t count on liking her target, or the fact that he might actually fall for her, and with the clock ticking and her cover wearing increasingly thin, danger looms over her. One false move and they could both be dead.
I’ve reviewed The Trap below but first, Ava and Penguin have shared extracts from The Trap with us today. We hope you enjoy it.
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This Extract is from Chapter 2 of The Trap by Ava Glass, published by Penguin Cornerstone on August 1st 2024.
As the two men shook hands, Emma stood stiffly; her mouth had gone dry. The man talking to Ripley was the most important person in British Intelligence. His real name was Giles Templeton-Ward but to everyone in the country he was known, as all heads of MI6 always had been known, simply as ‘C’.
‘Glad you could get here so quickly. The situation is developing.’ C spoke quietly. His accent was nearly identical to Ripley’s, making him a product of Eton or Harrow and then Oxford, undoubtedly.
by Book Extract: When You Were Mine by Emma-Claire Wilson
I’m so excited to be welcoming Emma-Claire Wilson to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, When You Were Mine
One mistake could change their lives forever…
My life is a mess. My marriage is falling apart, and I’d hoped the arrival of our baby girl would bring us closer together. Yet, as she grows, I see less of a resemblance to my husband, stirring unsettling questions.
I was hoping a visit from my friend, Victoria would bring some stability. With her seemingly perfect life in Spain, she embodies hope for a brighter future.
But our reunion has taken an unexpected turn. And when a shock diagnosis shakes our family further, Victoria doesn’t know it yet, but she might just hold the key to saving our family.
But if I want her to help, a big secret has to come out. Revealing the truth risks everything – my marriage, our friendship, our families. Can we weather this storm, or will it shatter us beyond repair?
An emotional and powerful novel of motherhood, friendship and what family means to us all. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult and Susan Lewis.
Emma-Claire has kindly shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.
Warning: Strong Language.
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This extract is from the very beginning of the novel when we meet Nicole. Nicole is in her 40’s, battling with a newborn baby and an eight-year-old young son. Life isn’t exactly going how she thought it was, she had hoped to be moved over to sunnier climes by now, but a ‘surprise’ pregnancy scuppered her plans. With the mundane aspects of life keeping her going, how long can she cling on to the fraying pieces of strings that seem to be holding her family, and her marriage, together.
ONE
Nicole
Dundee – October 2022
I scrabble around, my hand searching in the darkness for something I know is there, but I just can’t find. It’s a dance with the devil that I play every damn day – Lucifer in the form of white goods.
The washing machine. My nemesis. I refuse to let him win this time; I will not stick my head inside the hole of doom.
by Book Extract: The Song Of Youth by Effrosyni Moschoudi
I’m very excited to be welcoming Effrosyni Moschoudi back to Novel Kicks and to wish her a happy publication day for her latest novel, The Song of Youth.
Emilia wished to be young again… and then, it happened.
Emilia Paschos is feeling distraught on her 45th birthday. Believing that she’s lost out on life, she makes a wish to be young again. Next, a mysterious gypsy called Esmera offers her the chance to become younger at will, simply by singing a song. Soon, unexpected news sweeps Emilia off to the island of Milos with an opportunity to start her life anew.
A nosy neighbor, a flirtatious ex, and an obnoxious cousin cause trouble, but then two strange girls, Elise and Chloe, turn up and begin to help in miraculous ways, being just as magical as Esmera. They are all angels, except Emilia has no idea…
Being young again whenever she wishes it makes Emilia feel exuberant, but it pales in comparison to the way Andreas, a handsome widower and newly established restauranteur on the island, makes her feel. Together, they rescue a puppy, and now she feels like she is being rescued too.
Because Andreas, who is in his 50s, has eyes only for the real her, not for her younger self. The only problem is, her angelic gift keeps expiring in the most awkward moments!
How much longer can she keep her secret? And, what will she choose? The exhilarating gift of youth… or the sweetness of love?
Effrosyni has shared an extract with us today. We hope that you enjoy.
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Emilia wobbled her arms in front of the mirror. No chicken wings. Tight and perfect. Oh, I had missed you so much!’ Grinning with elation, she lifted her arms to kiss them both successively. She leaned closer to the mirror, her fingertips on every nook and cranny of her face and neck and all over her features. Spotless. Perfect. Wrinkle-free. This is a miracle! She was so excited now that she had to bite her lips to keep from screaming or thinking out loud. She couldn’t say too much. The guy could hear.
by Book Extract: The Lost Queen by Carol Mcgrath
I’m excited to be welcoming Carol McGrath to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, The Lost Queen.
1191 and the Third Crusade is underway . . .
It is 1191 and King Richard the Lionheart is on crusade to pitch battle against Saladin and liberate the city of Jerusalem and her lands. His mother, the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine and his promised bride, Princess Berengaria of Navarre, make a perilous journey over the Alps in midwinter. They are to rendezvous with Richard in the Sicilian port of Messina.
There are hazards along the way – vicious assassins, marauding pirates, violent storms and a shipwreck. Berengaria is as feisty as her foes and, surviving it all, she and Richard marry in Cyprus. England needs an heir. But first, Richard and his Queen must return home . . .
The Lost Queen is a thrilling medieval story of high adventure, survival, friendship and the enduring love of a Queen for her King.
Carol has shared an extract from The Lost Queen with us today. We hope you enjoy it.
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Chapter Two
October 1190
The Palace of Pamplona, Navarre Berengaria
by Book Club
