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Stella Gallagher is madly in love with Paolo when he drops a bombshell: his visa is about to expire and he will be deported. He proposes and Stella is torn by the tragedy of her past. Can she overcome the past (and her future mother in law!) in order to create the future of love and happiness?

Stella never wanted to get married and have children but now the thought of losing Paolo makes her accept his proposal. His mother arrives from Italy with the family engagement ring and wants to take over the wedding plans, creating several comedic scenes. Stella agrees to have the wedding in Italy leading to lost passports, a forgotten wedding dress and a frantic trip across Europe.

She fears that her friendship with her best friend is struggling while Carmen deals with her father with dementia, her family business and her hopes for her own relationship. This leads to tension between the two women and adds an extra subplot to the book. I could see both perspectives and understand the frustrations and concerns that each woman is dealing with.

The tone of the book is warm and light hearted despite the tragedy that Stella has experienced. There is plenty of humour as she battles with her future mum in law Rosalia. There are serious moments where Carmen deals with classist and racist attitudes but this is handled sensitively to convey abhorrance.

Promises at Indigo Bay is the second book in the Blue Hills series by Ellyn Oaksmith and I have not read the first. It therefore works perfectly well as a standalone novel but I now want to catch up on the first to see how Carmen and Evan got together.

Book Description:

Our life together meant more to me than he could possibly imagine. I just wanted another night. I thought I knew what was coming. A proposal. If only it had been that simple.

Things are finally working out for Stella Gallagher. Unlucky in love and faced with limited options in her small town, she was beginning to give up on romance altogether, until mysterious Italian Paolo Gentillo moved to Chelan…

Paolo is smart, kind, gorgeous and, most importantly, they’re completely obsessed with each other: Stella has finally found her match. Everything would be perfect, except there are things she hasn’t told Paolo—she doesn’t know how he’s going to feel about her when he finds out about her past…

So when Paolo proposes, Stella panics: it’s way too soon. She wants to be with him, but suddenly they’re talking about forever. He doesn’t even know the real her, she’s scared to face up to her secret, and she’s never felt so alone. Is the damage from her past going to threaten her chance at a perfect future?

A heart-warming story about learning to trust in yourself and the people you love, Promises at Indigo Bay will show you that it’s never too late to try for your happy ending. For fans of Robyn Carr, Carolyn Brown and Debbie Macomber.

Author Bio:

Ellyn Oaksmith is the USA Today and Kindle bestselling author of the Blue Hills Series, featuring the Alvarez family.

After graduating from Smith College and attaining her MFA from The American Film Institute, Ellyn began her writing career as an award-winning screenwriter in Hollywood. Her books explore the same themes as her screenplays: grit, humor, family and love.

Ellyn lives on one of Seattle’s many hills with her husband and spends as much time as possible on the water as part of a competitive rowing team.

https://ellynoaksmith.com/

https://www.facebook.com/EllynOaksmith

https://www.instagram.com/ellynoaksmith/

https://twitter.com/ellynoaksmith

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Two year old Abi disappears from her home one morning and is not seen again. A year later her desperate parents have a new baby but their life is still haunted by their guilt about their lost daughter. A housewarming party at their neighbours is the last place they want to go but the night dredges up secrets that could solve the mystery of Abi’s disappearance…

The Housewarming is a very tense and gripping psychological drama. It is often uncomfortable to read as the emotion is palpable for all characters. As a parent, the thought of losing a child especially when you could be to blame, is absolutely unbearable.

Tension is there from the very start as Ava discovers the open front door and empty pushchair. I have panicked losing my kids for a few seconds during soft play or in a shop so I can imagine the fear.

The narrative style was a little tricky for me to engage with at times as the perspective moves from present to past and back again. I would have preferred a whole chapter of flashback but this way represented the churning emotional viewpoint of the characters so I understand why it was used.

We see multiple perspectives which allows us to witness the effect of the child’s disappearance on Ava and Matt’s friends and neighbours. This gives clues to their behaviour and hint that something sinister may have occurred. The conclusion to The Housewarming was heartbreaking for all of the characters but as a reader left me satisfied that the loose ends had all been resolved.

I have now read several of S.E. Lynes other books (including The Women, The Lies We Hide, and Can You See Her? which I described as a masterpiece) and was beyond thrilled to receive a mention in the acknowledgements: thank you!

S.E. Lynes Media Kit:

Title:                   The Housewarming

Author:     S.E. Lynes

Publication Day:  Oct 23rd 2020

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B08F273DPRSocial

Apple: http://ow.ly/31x350AQ3EL

Kobo: http://ow.ly/Xo0h50AQ3CV

Google: http://ow.ly/gIK950AQ3Hg

Description:

Everyone is going to the housewarming party.
All the same people who lived on the street the day Abi vanished…
Will her mother finally learn the truth?

Ava only left her daughter in the pushchair for five minutes. The buckle was fastened, and she was sure it was safe. But when she came downstairs, the door was open and Abi was gone – she walked down the road, past the Lovegoods’ house, and was never seen again.

A year later, the Lovegoods are planning their long-anticipated housewarming party. Ava doesn’t want to go. She can’t bear to look down that end of the road, to see the place where Abi vanished, and she doesn’t want to spend time with people who don’t share her grief. Her husband Matt persuades her: he’s worried about her. A night out might do her good.

But as her friends and neighbours chat, and the drink and gossip flows, Ava learns something new about the day she has re-lived a thousand times. A throwaway comment which could change everything.

Ava thought she knew every last detail of that day.

She’s about to find out she was wrong…

Brilliantly dark and moving suspense fiction for fans of Gillian Flynn, Claire McGowan and Lisa Jewell, The Housewarming will have your pulse racing and your heart in your mouth from start to finish.

Author Bio:

Former BBC Producer, S.E. Lynes is the Amazon best selling author of ‘intelligent and haunting’, ‘beautifully written’ psychological thrillers, VALENTINA, MOTHER, THE PACT, THE PROPOSAL, THE WOMEN, THE LIES WE HIDE, CAN YOU SEE HER? and her latest novel, THE HOUSEWARMING, available for pre-order NOW.

After completing her MA, Lynes taught creative writing at Richmond Adult Community College for over ten years. She now combines writing, mentoring and lecturing.

She has also published three children’s books in Italy: IL LEOPARDO LAMPO, LA COCCODRILLA INGAMBA, and the bilingual LA SCIMMIA SPIRITOSA/THE FUNNY MONKEY, all available at Amazon.it

Author Social Media Links:

Facebook: S E Lynes Author
Twitter: @SELynesAuthor
Instagram: @S E Lynes Author

Marco Venetti is a priest with a past. One of passion and peril. Now he is settled into his church life until one day his former love Elena arrives to give confession. Her family are being held hostage and she wants absolution for the crimes that will result from her efforts to free them. Marco jumps into action to save Elena and becomes embroiled in a conspiracy to counter a plot to murder the pope.

It has been a while since I’ve read an action thriller and I really enjoyed it! The mission makes completely compelling reading and the tension built over the course of the book.

Marco’s spirituality and the realism of his human nature were explored convincingly. I also loved the words of wisdom from the pope in relation to the battle against terrorism and the state of the world today. Marco feels torn between his faith and his feelings. He is a really likeable character who does what is right but not always easy, and appreciates the nuances of his actions. His awareness of the consequences for himself and the world make his decision making processes interesting.

The European settings were enjoyable and the lack of a British or American lead made this book feel quite unique. The inclusion of a black pope and the Nigerian Boko Haram added another dimension to the book which felt inspired and original. The ethical and moral dynamic resonates through the events of the book. Religion and politics are inextricably connected and explored in a sensitive way.

The Vatican Conspiracy was a tense and interesting thriller. There is plenty of scope for future books and I look forward to reading more from Peter Vogenkamp soon…

PETER HOGENKAMP Media Kit:

Title: The Vatican Conspiracy

Author:  Peter Hogenkamp

PUBLICATION DAY: October 20th 2020

BUY LINK:

 Amazon: https://geni.us/B08D6NVWB1Social

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Description:

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned…” Marco Venetti has heard the words thousands of times before. But this is a cry for help, not absolution—and soon Marco finds himself racing against time to foil a conspiracy aimed at the heart of the Vatican…

It is an ordinary day in Marco Venetti’s quiet coastal parish—but the woman who’s come to confess is not ordinary. Marco has always been drawn to beautiful Elena, and she brings news that will shatter his peace.

Elena’s sister and daughter have been kidnapped, to force her to bring a gang of ruthless men into the country—if she doesn’t, her family will be brutally killed. But if she obeys, many more innocents will die… In her desperation she turns to Marco, knowing his time in the military has given him the skills she needs. Determined to protect her, Marco draws on the violent past he has tried to forget.

A terrifying battle on a rocky island offshore leaves no survivors. But after the last man is dead, Marco finds a note on one of the men’s bodies, a map that reveals their ultimate goal: a deadly terrorist attack on the Vatican City itself.

Marco and Elena find themselves racing to reach the Vatican City, and stop the deadly threat against the pope. But Marco quickly realises that his mission isn’t over. Accompanied by a CIA assassin, Marco must prevent a deadly weapon falling into the wrong hands or see a truly apocalyptic outcome. Once more he must confront his own darker nature, and decide whether a man of God can justify going to war…

For fans of Joel C. Rosenberg, Tom Clancy and Steven Konkoly, The Vatican Conspiracy is a non-stop explosive thriller of betrayal, revenge and world-shaking conspiracy.

Author Bio:

Peter Hogenkamp was born in upstate New York and attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. (Go Crusaders!) He graduated in 1986 and was exiled to Europe for three years by his premedical adviser, for which he will be grateful the rest of his days. Spending the next three years – supposedly – teaching chemistry and algebra in Salzburg, Austria, he traveled extensively, drank a lot of beer and made many a lifelong friend. In his travels, he found dozens of great places for scenes in a thriller: castles perched on cliffs; monasteries tucked away in alpine valleys; villages built above rocky coastlines; cities soaked in history. When he isn’t writing or hiking with his strong-willed Cairn Terrier, Hermione, Peter practices medicine with his lovely wife, Lisa (who does most of the heavy lifting), hosts Your Health Matters, which airs on cable television, streams on YouTube and sounds off on podcast, and tends to the needs of his four children.

Author Social Media Links:

WEBSITE: peterhogenkampbooks.com

TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/phogenkampVT

FACEBOOK:   https://www.facebook.com/peterhogenkampbooks

Alexa’s life is torn apart when her sister is accused of murdering patients at the hospital where she works as a nurse. Carrie is living with Alexa and husband Perry folowing the break down of her marriage and Alexa’s mental health concerns. She helps out with childcare for Alexa’s one year old Florence. But with one of the victims being a baby, can Alexa still trust her own sister around her precious daugher…?

I found myself absolutely gripped by the plot of The Girl She Wanted. Alexa’s dilemma and fears for her child are realistic and I think most readers would identify with her battle to trust her sister in light of the unfolding events at the hospital.

Alexa and her husband are already at odds as he feels Carries has outstayed her welcome. But Alexa relies on her sister and is afraid to leave the house without her sister to support her. We don’t find out about the cause of Alexa’s anxiety until two thirds of the way through the book and it is heartbreaking.

The style of writing is interesting as we have chapters from Alexa’s first person perspective so see the effect of the accusations on her family and emotions. Other chapters are written in the third person to show the police investigation and the other family members and witnesses. This led me to be completely unsure about who Alexa could trust.

The Girl She Wanted is a great psychological thriller.

I have previously reviewed some of K.L. Slater’s other books including Little Whispers, Single, and Finding Grace.

Book Description:

What if my sister is unstable and everyone can see it but me? What was she really doing standing over Florence’s cot in the middle of the night?

Alexa has always looked up to her older sister Carrie. Carrie lives in Alexa’s family home, and adores her one-year-old niece Florence. Alexa doesn’t know how they would cope without her. So when Carrie is suspended from her job as a senior nurse, accused of the most terrible crime, Alexa reels in disbelief. Alexa knows how caring Carrie is, and as she watches Florence gurgling and cooing whenever Carrie is around, she knows her little girl is in safe hands.

Alexa’s husband doesn’t trust Carrie. He wants her out of the house, unable to ignore what people are saying about her. But when he suggests that Carrie could be a danger to their daughter, Alexa shuts him out. Nobody will ever come between her and her sister.

Then Florence is hurt while in Carrie’s care and Alexa at last starts to wonder. Alexa has always wanted to protect Carrie from the past they have hidden. But does Alexa know what Carrie wants? And will the secret that has kept the sisters together now destroy her little girl?

A completely gripping rollercoaster of a read about the darkness families hide behind closed doors. Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will be hooked on The Girl She Wanted.

Author Bio:

For many years, Kim sent her work out to literary agents but never made it off the slush pile. At the age of 40 she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in Creative Writing.

Before graduating, she received five offers of representation from London literary agents which was, as Kim says, ‘a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’

Kim is a full-time writer and lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac.

https://www.facebook.com/KimLSlaterAuthor/

https://twitter.com/KimLSlater

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