In the face of hardship, two women learn how to rise up again under the bright side of the stars in A Certain Kind of Starlight, the next audiobook from USA Today bestselling author Heather Webber, “the queen of magical small-town charm” (Amy E. Reichert)
Everyone knows that Addie Fullbright can’t keep a secret. Yet, twelve years ago, as her best friend lay dying, she entrusted Addie with the biggest secret of all. One so shattering that Addie felt she had to leave her hometown of Starlight, Alabama, to keep from revealing a devastating truth to someone she cares for deeply. Now she’s living a lonely life, keeping everyone at a distance, not only to protect the secret but also her heart from the pain of losing someone else. But when her beloved aunt, the woman who helped raise her, gets a shocking diagnosis and asks her to come back to Starlight to help run the family bakery, Addie knows it’s finally time to go home again.
Tessa Jane Wingrove-Fullbright feels like she’s failing. She’s always been able to see the lighter side of life but lately darkness has descended. Her world is suddenly in shambles after a painful breakup, her favorite aunt’s unexpected health troubles, and because crushing expectations from the Wingrove side of her family are forcing her to keep secrets and make painful choices. When she’s called back to Starlight to help her aunt, she’s barely holding herself together and fears she’ll never find her way back to who she used to be.
Under the bright side of the stars, Addie and Tessa Jane come to see that magic can be found in trusting yourself, that falling apart is simply a chance to rise up again, stronger than ever, and that the heart usually knows the best path through the darkness.
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW
Addie and Tessa Jane are half-sisters, but they barely know each other. Kept apart by the manipulations of others, they are both called back to Starlight, Alabama, when their Aunt Bean’s health worsens. Connected by the amazing Starlight field, a field created by a fallen star that glows with its own special auroras in the evening, Tessa Jane and Addie begin to grow closer. But secrets and a manipulative relative who wants the field for himself threaten to drive both of them away from Starlight once again, and for good.
I just love Heather Webber’s books. I adore small-town fiction, and that little touch of magic she throws in just adds that special ingredient to make the story even more fascinating. This one was no exception. The entire cast of characters comes alive, and I felt like a part of this town. As an added treat, a flock of starlings becomes an important character of its own. There are sweet romances and lessons learned throughout the book. Each chapter is headed by baking tips from Aunt Bean, who owns the town bakery. This is a story filled with heartache and disappointment, but also love. It is a lesson about family, and what makes a real family. It is a lesson about people, and how some can surprise, and others disappoint and even harm, whether they are related to you or not. I loved every bit of this magical story, and I can’t wait to read her next one.
The audiobook narrators, Hallie Ricardo and Stephanie Willis, did a great job of conveying all the emotions and portraying the varied characters in this special town.
A Certain Kind of Starlight will be released on July 23, 2024.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Heather Webber (aka Heather Blake) is the author of more than twenty-five novels and has been twice nominated for an Agatha Award. She loves to read, drink too much coffee and tea, birdwatch, crochet, and bake. She currently lives near Cincinnati, Ohio, and is hard at work on her next book. She can be found online at www.heatherwebber.com and www.heatherblakebooks.com.
Thank you to That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting Top Ten Tuesday. This week’s topic is a freebie from topics in the past. I chose “books from my favorite genre.” My top ten Historical Fiction reads are below. What I love about Historical Fiction is that there can be a mystery, romance, fantasy, and even science fiction woven in. Some of these books below have mixes of all of that.
Yes, Jodi Taylor writes Time Travel books, but they are packed with history. The St. Mary’s Chronicles follows a group of expert, and hilarious, historians around the timeline, and every book has more than one history lesson.
This was Amy Lynn Green’s debut novel. It is 100% epistolary (comprised of letters, notes, articles, etc.) and set in a US Army POW camp for German prisoners in Minnesota.
This is the first novel in Gail Meath’s cozy mystery series, The Jax Diamond Mysteries. It is set in 1920s New York and features Ace, the German Shepherd.
This is the first book of the Lady of Letters mysteries. It is set in Victorian London and revolves around a countess who secretly pens an advice column and investigates mysteries.
It is 1947, and Minister Peters is getting ready to board a train called The Dawn Lightning in South Carolina. Despite his name, he is not a minister. He is headed out of the South and towards a new life. The passengers he meets on the train will change his life forever.
This is a fabulous cozy mystery series that includes Julia Child as a supporting character.
This is the first book in Ashley Weaver’s series about a family of safecracking criminals turn spies during WWII.
In 1952, Bertha gets a chance to try out for The Workington Sweet Peas, part of the All American Girls Baseball League. Meanwhile her father is being investigated by the UnAmerican Activities Committee and Bertha’s family is forced to move.
This is a multi-timeline novel set around The Overtoun Bridge, an actual place where dogs inexplicably jump to their deaths.
This is Christian fiction set in the mountains of Kentucky in the early 20th Century. It reminds me a lot of Christy by Catherine Marshall, but is also unique and original.
Question of the Day: What is your favorite genre? Answer in the comments below.
It only took a moment for everything to go wrong. A little girl is hurt, but who is to blame?
I’m so happy as I walk to pick up my seven-year-old son from the birthday party. It’s his first since we moved here, and I know he’s found it hard settling in. Just as I’ve found it hard to make friends among the mothers at the school gates. But as I turn the corner, my heart stops when I see an ambulance.
I start to run. My son, is all I can think. I have to find my son.
As I race into the garden, desperately searching for my blue-eyed little boy, a fellow parent turns to me, her finger pointed. The words out of her mouth make my blood run cold.
“Your son did this. This is your fault.”
Surely that can’t be true? My son can be difficult, but I’d know if he was capable of hurting someone… Wouldn’t I?
As a little girl is lifted onto a stretcher, I feel my world come crashing down. My heart cracks in two for this poor child, her devastated family. Because there’s no coming back from this. An innocent girl has been hurt. My son is being blamed. But I’m his mother, and I’ll do whatever it takes to find out what really happened…
A totally gripping and emotional novel about trust, female friendship and betrayal. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Susan Lewis.
BOOK REVIEW
This is a compelling story that shows the power of words, and how they can hurt. It shows the consequences of making assumptions and excluding people based on what you think you might know. And through almost every single character, it shows how appearances can be deceiving. The characters are well developed and are woven together into a story of an elementary school where status matters and everyone gathers around the “perfect Mom.” And it shows the people left on the edges, those who do not appear to be as unflawed as the clique of Moms that presides over the school.
My only slight criticism is that the story moves a little slowly in the beginning. But the power of spoken words, and how they can cause catastrophe whether they are true or not, is so well laid out here that it makes this book an important read.
my rating is 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 on sites with no half-star option.
I received a free copy of this book from Bookouture via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives.
Mothers talk about impossible choices. But, as I look at my daughter in a hospital bed, her red hair fanning out around her, my heart feels literally torn in two. Should I risk my son’s life to save my daughter, or keep my little boy safe and watch my precious girl slip away?
My darling daughter Tara has a rare form of cancer and there’s nothing I can do. At eleven years old, she’s already been so brave, but my sweet girl is hanging on by her fingernails. She has one last chance: a bone marrow transplant from her little brother. But nine-year-old Callum has an autoimmune disease, and there’s a chance it will put him at risk.
It’s life or death for one of my children and I have to make this decision alone.
I wish there was someone by my side to help me and my family through this terrible time. But life has hit us so hard recently. A few months ago, my beloved husband died in a tragic accident and now I might lose Tara too. All I want to do is to protect my children: so much has been taken from us already. I hope for a miracle, but my daughter is running out of days, and I have to choose.
If I make the wrong choice, will I lose one of my precious children forever?
Totally heartbreaking and gripping fiction about parenting, loss and finding light in the darkest of times. If you love Jodi Picoult, Kate Hewitt and Jojo Moyes, this novel will stay in your heart forever.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alison Ragsdale writes contemporary women’s fiction novels set in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, her homeland. They are emotionally charged stories about family, love, loss, forgiveness, and finding new ways to happiness despite life’s toughest challenges.
Ragsdale’s novels are heart-wrenching tales of family dynamics and relationships, inspired by the extraordinary in the every-day. For more information, previews of upcoming books, and signings, sign up for the Highlanders Club newsletter at www.alisonragsdale.com.
A former marketing executive, originally from Edinburgh, Alison now lives near Washington D.C. with her husband and dogs. She was educated in England and holds an MBA from Leicester University.
For more information on upcoming books go to her website.
Thank you to Bookouture for the opportunity to read An Impossible Choice and provide a review. Childhood cancer is one of the most heartbreaking situations to read about. It is difficult to get through without tears, and I didn’t. Honour has experienced so much loss already, having lost her husband in an accident. Now her daughter is fighting cancer, and possibly her brother can save her, but the needed bone marrow transplant will put him at risk too. This is a choice no parent wants to face.
This is an extremely touching and heartbreaking read. It is hard to fathom what a parent has to go through when their child has cancer, and Honour has already experienced one shattering loss. Honours desperation, guilt, and the hardships a parent has to go through when their child has cancer are all honestly portrayed by the author. The moments when Honour has to tell both her children, who have just lost their father, the bad news, are perfectly done. I like the fact that the families of cancer patients need help, and the way the help was offered and accepted was heartfelt. This is a compelling story with a sad topic and a surprise that will shake you up. I received a free copy of this book from Bookouture. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
My review is 4.5 stars, round up to five on sites with no half-star option.
I reviewed Books 2 and 3 of The Mender Trilogy for the May edition of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society. See my reviews below, as well as a Q&A with the author.
Book 2: The Captive
This is book 2 of The Mender series. Eva is a time traveler, originally sent to this world to “correct its timeline.” In this installment, Eva has abandoned her original mission, set for March 1836, and is living with her new husband, Jim, among the Comanche. But while she tries to adapt to tribal life, she knows her old partner, Tophe, will be coming to complete her original task—kill Francisca Alavez, the “Angel of Goliad,” and change the result of the Texans’ war for Independence from Mexico.
This is a well-researched novel set mostly amid a Comanche tribe in 1835 and 1836. Marchman has done a good job of portraying the way the Comanche lived at that time. The customs, language, and practices of the tribe are very well described. Eva’s struggles include living in a polygamous society, dealing with the fact that women were mainly relegated to taking care of the home, and observing that captives were not always well treated. Her biggest challenge is knowing the possible future and not using her ability to change current events or remove herself from that time altogether. Her romance with Jim, who was raised by the Comanche and sees things very differently than she does, is complex and intriguing. Her ultimate decisions and the plans she makes set the stage for the final book in the trilogy. As always, the author is very honest about the brutality people can inflict on each other and the imperfect nature of every human being. Recommended to fans of time travel fiction, Native American history, and US history. This book is not a standalone, and the series should be read in order.
BOOK 3: The Guardian
This is the third book in the Mender Trilogy. Eva was a Mender, a fixer of time, for the cult Lux Libera, but she is now living in 1836 Texas with her husband Jim, a white man raised by the Comanche, and his tribe. She was originally sent back in time to change the course of history, but for months she has been waiting for her former partner, Tophe, to arrive. She sets out on a journey to intercept Tophe and convince him to abandon his mission. Meanwhile, in the midst of difficult circumstances, Jim finds himself joining the New Orleans Greys and fighting for the independence of Texas from Mexico.
This riveting series continues, as Eva tries to stop Tophe from killing the Angel of Goliad, Francisca Alavez, and changing history. The events leading up to Texas’s Declaration of Independence, in March 1836, are portrayed so vividly that the reader feels as if they are there. Eva’s friend, Pump, is an amazing character, and he continues his important role in this series as he helps her face the truth and expand her time-traveling abilities. The history in this third book is again so well researched, and the time-travel aspect adds many exciting possibilities. The author does an amazing job of combining historical fiction with touches of science fiction in a compelling way. Creative twists, engaging characters, and a fascinating story make this a great end to the trilogy. This book is not a standalone; it is recommended that the reader start with Book 1, The Mender.
Below please see my Q&A with Author Jennifer Marchman
I really enjoyed this series, especially your take on time travel and realistic descriptions of Comanche life. Thinking back on the series, what were your favorite scenes to write?
When Eva Creases the Horses in Book 2 was probably my favorite scene to write. It’s the scene I read aloud for audiences, and action scenes are really thrilling to create. While you’re writing, you’re really there, more so than when you are reading the work of another author. Honestly, I could probably list every action scene, or scene with heightened emotions, as my favorite to write. It’s the visceral experience of it. It’s almost too painful for me to reread my books now that they are published. I feel echoes of what I felt before, and there is a stab in my heart. But I think I most enjoyed writing Jim. I’m in love with him, frankly, and I liked discovering how he ticked; I liked making him laugh.
I knew almost nothing about the Comanche before reading your books, and now I feel I have a better understanding of their way of life in the 1830s and before. Was your goal to teach as well as tell a fascinating story? That’s what I feel you did here.
I wouldn’t say that teaching was my goal. Actually, I’d say that teaching wasn’t a goal at all. I think writing to educate is the quickest way to lose the story and bog the reader in details. But authenticity was a crucial goal for me, and educating the reader becomes a natural byproduct of that. All the details of a historical period need to serve a purpose in order to be included. When Eva creases the horses, it’s a compelling scene, but it’s not there just to include a cool factoid about being able to stun a horse with a precise bullet above the spine. It’s there because Jim is irrationally obsessed with his status among the People, and Eva’s ability to get him a new stallion in such an unusual way may help him regain his place.
My favorite historical fiction books are those rich in detail; I want to feel like I am inhabiting that time and space while I’m reading. And it’s got to be accurate, or you will lose me. That’s the experience I want for my readers. I want them to feel like they are there, that if they google something to see if it is true or visit the Comanche Museum in Lawton, OK, they’ll feel a familiarity. Even though my primary goal isn’t to educate, if I hear from a reader that I sent them off into rabbit holes of research *and* they came back excited to read more of my story, I take that as a huge compliment. I did something righ
Was the main character Eva’s personality based on anyone you know?
Ha! Me. But a better me. I think I grew stronger as a person as I wrote her. She makes the choices I would make, but I remember as I was writing her, I would think, “Man, she’s being such a doormat. What would someone who is not a doormat do?” I learned from her. She exposed me to myself in such a way that I could improve. We don’t get to edit our lives in real-time like we do when we write, but I gained some clarity about myself that, I hope, I have integrated into my current self.
Funnily enough, one of my later beta readers felt that she made “bad” decisions. I wish now that I had asked him which ones! But it was a rare chance to hear someone else’s unvarnished, impersonal opinion about someone (fictional, of course) who was so close to me as to be myself. I said to myself at the time, “Huh, interesting. Good to know. I don’t see her that way. I wonder why?” I didn’t judge her as making good or bad decisions, just natural ones.
My favorite character was Pump. Who is your favorite character in the series?
Oh, that’s a hard question. Which child is my favorite child? Pump is the only character I truly based on someone I know. He doesn’t know that he is Pump, and I will never tell him! I love Pump because he is that wise, compassionate father figure who really, really sees you, that you wish you had in your life — that I wish I had in my life! He’s not always right; he’s fallible in his own ways, but he’s seen a lot, and he can see through Eva, straight to her heart. What a blessing to have someone like that, even if only for a short time.But my favorite… I am very, very fond of Rʉtsima, but he feels like a good friend. As I said, I’m in love with Jim; Eva is close to my heart; Pump’s like my imaginary Dad. I can’t choose between the three; they feel like family.
Do you have any plans to include time travel in future books you are writing?
Yes, definitely. I created a multiverse where I can travel anywhere. Anywhen, anyhow! How could I pass that up? Pump’s origin story is swirling in the back of my mind. I also wonder what happened to Sakura and Enrique.
What is the one thing you would like readers to take away from this series?
That we’re all just human beings. That the Comanches weren’t bad, that the Anglos weren’t bad, that the Mexicans weren’t bad. That notions of good and bad (in such simplistic, black-and-white categorizations) are irrelevant and anti-helpful. They’re just not true. We’ve all been traumatized at some point by someone, but the flip of that coin is that we ourselves, at some point, have traumatized someone else, and often without even realizing it. We’re all walking around a bit blind and deaf, operating from scripts we inherited from our families, seeing the world through only one set of finite eyes.
Real love is unconditional. That’s not to say we stay in terminally unhealthy relationships, or that we have a license to act how we please with no regard for others, or that we don’t have to do our own homework of making amends and healing our own hearts so that we can love the person in front of us better. It means that real love is so much more than the notions of romantic love many people would define it as. I’ve never read a book where the main male protagonist has committed the acts Jim has committed and remains the love interest. I’m sure others must exist, but it’s rare enough to be uncommon. A romantic subplot of that nature is not really done, and though I have content warnings, I have gotten a bad review for it. Those scenes are not gratuitous, and I was open-eyed when I published them. They push the envelope precisely because I wanted to ask: What does real love look like? What does forgiveness look like? What does it mean to be a good person? Those are the themes I want people to ponder. I didn’t realize I was writing about those things until I was in the middle of the project (this trilogy kind of wrote itself), but that is what I want readers to take away from this series.
Thank you, Jennifer, for visiting us today.
Thanks so much, Bonnie! I really enjoyed answering your questions, and I’m so glad you enjoyed my books!
PURCHASE LINK
Click on the image to purchase the whole Mender Trilogy
FROM THE AUTHOR: The most talked-about wedding is quickly approaching, and PI Jax Diamond is on top of the world. The tuxedos are freshly pressed and hanging in their closets. His good friend is busy decorating the nightclub for a glorious reception, and the newspaper reporters are anxiously waiting to print the front-page headlines. Even Ace, his courageous canine partner and best man, is prancing around, anxious for the event to begin.
The only thing missing is the bride.
Three days before the wedding, a group of mastermind criminals pull off the biggest diamond heist the city has ever seen, but that’s not the only gem they steal. And boy, do they have their hands full.
Every police officer from Albany to Washington is summoned to work around the clock, hunting down the culprits. Will they find Laura in time to save her life, so she can take her vows
BOOK REVIEW
It’s Book 7 of the Jax Diamond Mysteries, wedding bells are ringing, and Laura and Carla have disappeared! It’s obvious that foul play is afoot. Jax and Tim are hot on the trail, but Laura knows some tricks of her own.
It’s the seventh book of this beloved series, and Jax and Laura are finally making it official…if they can get to the altar. The beginning of this book absolutely blew me away. So unexpected. And the ending is touching and joyful. Laura’s extensive mechanical knowledge would not have been considered “feminine” at that time, and I love that about her. Her ingenuity often saves the day. She is beautiful and can sing, but she has a lot of other tricks up her sleeve. Her desperate, under-pressure tactic involving a telephone was unique and inspiring. I love the main cast and their close relationship. And of course, Ace is a scene-stealer. This is a great end to the Jax Diamond Mysteries series. Or is it?
Bonnie: Is this the last book in the Jax Diamond series?
Gail: I honestly haven’t decided yet. I have an idea for book #8, and the series has gone so well, but sometimes it’s best to leave on a high note. I thought I’d leave it up to the readers, and already I have votes for at least one more book. I’ll probably write it…already, I miss the characters.
Bonnie: How do you feel Jax has changed since Book 1?
Gail: In the beginning, Jax was a loner except for his good friendship with Tim, a police officer, and his very special bond with Ace. He didn’t have a past. He never looked to the future. He held a few grudges and didn’t trust anyone else. Laura, his Broadway star sweetheart, was hugely influential in bringing him out of his shell and learning to trust again. So, too, was his renewed friendship with Orin Marino and reuniting with his parents.
Bonnie: Can you pick some of your favorite moments throughout the series?
Gail: That’s a tough question, but I think the absolute most fun I had was writing about Laura and Ace going undercover behind Jax’s back in Framed, Book 2. That’s when we discover Orin isn’t who we thought. Another favorite is Two of a Kind, The Beginning novella where Jax and Ace meet when Ace is just a puppy.
Bonnie: Besides Ace, Jax, and Laura, my favorite character is Orin Marino. Which character is your favorite outside of the big three?
Gail: It’s funny. I never intended for Orin to become a loveable ‘gangster’. It just happened, and I’ve got to agree with you. If I do write another book, I want him to have a happy ending!
Bonnie: I know you have a new series coming out soon. Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Gail: I’m currently writing the first book in a new series that takes place during the 1930s glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood. It stars Vivian Steele, a widowed fashion designer, and Preston Stone, Hollywood’s most beloved playboy, who reluctantly team up to solve some very high-profile mysteries. It’ll have a great cast of characters ranging from the rich and famous to Bella, the Boston Terrier, and a few other endearing folks.
Thanks Gail for answering my questions, as always!
A surprise question for Gail: Any chance of an Orin Marino spinoff series?
Welcome to It’s Monday! What are you Reading? It’s hosted by Kathryn from Book Date. This is a weekly event to share what we’ve read in the past week and what we hope to read, plus whatever else comes to mind.
WHAT AM I READING NOW
I’m reading the final ARC of The Diamonds by Gail Meath. It’s Book 7 of the Jax Diamond series, and it’s out May 15th. You’ll soon see a Q&A with Gail along with my review.
JUST FINISHED
This is the story of a Manhattan family from 1912 to 1965. I read it for The Historical Novel Society so I can’t give my impressions until it is published on August 1st. You can read more about it on Amazon.
NEXT UP
(From Amazon) Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help—including the daughter of her estranged best friend—Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair.
GENERAL UPDATE
DINANT, BELGIUM
Really beautiful town that I visited this past weekend. I was taking pictures from the Citadel, where there is a museum. Dinant is the home of the Saxophone! My pictures are slow to upload today, so I’ll post more about this later.
How about you? How was your week? What are you reading?
This book is so powerful and so beautifully written that it just took my breath away. There are strong themes of friendship, family, and kindness to others. The question that came into my mind about one of the characters was: Is he evil or just completely damaged beyond repair? The difficult theme of spousal abuse is also prevalent throughout the book. The friendship between Junie and Philomena is one of love, kindness, and sacrifice, and speaks to what true friends will do for one another.
Anyone who wants to read a book featuring strong women in difficult situations, or anyone who enjoys beautiful writing, will enjoy this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Zooloo’s Book Tours. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fran Clark writes Women’s Fiction, both contemporary and historical. Her first novel was published by Indigo Dreams in 2014. In the same year she achieved a Distinction in her Creative Writing MA from Brunel University. In 2016 she was shortlisted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize. In February 2024, her Island Secrets Book Series will be published, starting with Holding Paradise Book 1.
Originally from London, Fran moved to the English countryside with her musician husband. A musician herself, Fran teaches vocals and leads a local choir. She has two sons.
Fran also writes under the pseudonym, Rosa Temple, writing contemporary fiction and published by HQ Digital and Simon & Schuster UK.
This is an exciting, heart-pounding thriller with an intriguing premise. Nina is in a not-so-great relationship, which also comes with a rude and ungrateful “stepdaughter.” Then the son she gave up years ago shows up on her doorstep. Is he the key to a new life?
The story is full of twists and turns. The present tense is used, and that’s not my favorite, but it works here. The author uses a plot twist that’s been famously used before, but they give appropriate credit to that work within the story, which I appreciated. The secrets, lies, intrigue, and action are woven well together. Readers should hold onto their hats, the edges of their seats, and possibly their hearts. Overall, this is a compelling psychological thriller that fans of that genre will enjoy.
I received a free copy of this book via Zooloo’s book tours. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Iain Maitland is the author of three previous psych thrillers for Inkubator Books: The Soulmate, The Perfect Husband and The Girl Downstairs.
Iain is also the author of two memoirs, Dear Michael, Love Dad, a book of letters written to his eldest son who experienced depression and anorexia, and (co-authored with Michael) Out Of The Madhouse.
He has also written a semi-autobiographical novel, The Old Man, His Dog & Their Longest Journey.
He is an Ambassador for Stem4, the teenage mental health charity. He talks regularly about mental health issues in schools and colleges and workplaces.
Below are three mini-reviews, From three stars to five, in order. The reviews are short and to the point. For a book description and purchase options, you can click on each cover.
This one never came completely together for me. There is too much telling and not enough showing, which I know is common for Steel’s novels, but did not work here. A major terrorist attack on New York is mentioned but not too closely explored. Kate was the most complex character, in my opinion, and managed to elevate this book a bit.
All in all, it’s not my favorite Steel novel, but I love most of her work.
I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
This is a really clever continuation of The Secret Staircase series, as Tempest and her crew are back, creating illusions in homes and finding themselves in the middle of mysteries. When a former client is killed in their building by a booby-trapped door, Tempest is on the case, trying to exonerate her company and another surprise suspect.
Although this is part of a series, it easily stands alone as the author does a good job of catching the reader up on events. The cast of characters is fun and intriguing, and the story has plenty of twists and turns.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
I’ve always been intrigued by books about The Blitz and books about libraries/book clubs. Since this is a combination of the two, I figured it was a “can’t miss.” novel. I was right. Compelling characters and true-to-life descriptions will transport you to 1940 London as you peruse a book in the underground tunnels while bombs drop overhead. Highly recommend.
I received a free copy of this book from the publishers. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
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