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Bel is made redundant and when she arrives back home she finds her partner with another woman. She leaves immediately with no plan except to head for her sister in Scotland…

A Gift From The Cottage By The Loch is the fourth book in the Loch Cameron series (I have previusly read and reviewed the third book, The Diary from the Cottage by the Loch).

Bel’s day goes from bad to worse. But on reflection, she realises that she didn’t like her job or her boyfriend anyway! Loch Cameron provides a tranquil background to heal her heart and consider the future. She has lost sight of herself, her dreams and ambitions. I felt sorry for her but also thought she was making excuses by blaming others for her lack of strength.

The book is full of warmth despite the big issues of infidelity and unemployment. Bel’s sister Sally and her wife Bess were my favourite characters, full of love for each other but always willing to help out and care for others. There is an instant and obvious chemistry with gardener and biker Christian. I enjoyed their first meeting and how it set up the antagonism and humour that then continues to define their friendship with the possibility of romance.

A Gift From The Cottage By The Loch is a warm and sweet book about fresh starts and self discovery.

MEDIA PACK

Book: A Gift from the Cottage by the Loch

Author: Kennedy Kerr

Pub Day:  Feb 28th 2024

Buy Link(s):

https://geni.us/B0CP3YPYLFsocial

About the Book: 

Turning to face the glittering loch, Bel clasps the worn notepaper tightly in her hand. Will these hastily scrawled words, written decades ago, destroy the new life in the Highlands she’s risked her heart for?

When Bel Tipton catches her husband cheating on her, the devastating betrayal sends her running to her sister Sally in the beautiful village of Loch Cameron. Bel needs Sally’s warm laugh and sage advice now more than ever, and she knows curling up with her on the sofa and gossiping late into the night will make her feel whole again.

Bel did not expect her rented cottage overlooking the loch to come with handsome gardener Christian McDougal,and she’s determined to be unmoved by his flirty smile and broad shoulders. The last thing she needs is another man she can’t trust. But when Bel sees an empty storefront on the high street for rent, it’s Christian who notices how her eyes light up. He encourages her to set up a business in the village and she realises he’s everything her ex was not.

Then Bel hears a rumour in town that Christian is not all he seems. And, clearing out her store, she finds a collection of letters tied with a worn blue ribbon stashed on a high shelf in the back room. The letters reveal a devastating secret that shook the village generations ago, and Christian’s family are at the heart of it…

Will trusting Christian with her already fragile heart mean Bel loses everything once again? Or is Christian and the village of Loch Cameron the gift she needs to turn her life around?

Fans of Susanne O’Leary, Debbie Macomber and Pamela Kelley will be utterly swept away by this gripping page-turner about family secrets from USA Today bestseller Kennedy Kerr.

Author Bio

Kennedy Kerr is a USA Today Bestselling fiction author. She adores beaches, lochs and stone circles, and loves writing about small communities, mysteries and family secrets. She has a very cuddly cat called Twinkle who spends her days sleeping: Kennedy aspires to having Twinkle’s nap schedule one day.

Kennedy also loves cooking and baking all types of food, which is almost as much fun as eating it. Her favourite foods include (but are not limited to) Indian food, Victoria sponge, breakfast pastries with coffee and sushi. The only thing she’s not particularly keen on is artichoke, and she’d eat it, anyway.

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kennedykerrauthor

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/KennedyKerr5

Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/kennedykerrauthor/

Bookouture Email Sign Up: https://www.bookouture.com/kennedy-kerr

TRIGGER WARNING: Nazi ideology and anti-semitism

Paris during WW2, Brigitte and her daughter Sophie are Jews living in terror as the Nazis invade their beautiful city. Present day, Sophie has Alzheimer’s and her daughter Esther is notified when a discovery is made in a Parisian apartment…

The Last Day In Paris is a dual timeline novel set during WW2 and in the present day.

Esther is struggling as a single parent in the present day while her mum has dementia. Unexpectedly she receives a phone call from an art dealer in Pairs who claims to have found something that Esther needs to see urgently. A painting and letter have been found hidden by Esther’s grandmother Brigitte during WW2 as she tried to protect her husband’s artistic legacy.

The book is written from multiple perspectives to show a variety of characters and experiences. The bravery of individuals in the face of the horror of Nazi brutality is inspiring. Danger is never far away in the past timeline but hope continues to glimmer in the darkness as love stays constant. It is the emotional details that really stay with you after completing the book. Esther may not have been traumatised in the same way as her mother and grandmother but holding a family together after divorce is also powerful emotionally.

The historical and geographical details brings the plot and characters to life, and has clearly been well researcged. This is the first book in a new series so there are some plot strands that are not concluded in preparation for the future novels.

The Last Day In Paris is an engaging and vividly descriptive dual timeline book.

Book Description:

Author Bio:

Suzanne Kelman is a 2015 Academy of Motion Pictures Nicholl Finalist, Multi-Award-Winning Screenwriter and a Film Producer. As well as working in film she is also an International Amazon Bestselling Fiction Author of the Southlea Bay Series – The Rejected Writers’ Book Club, Rejected Writers Take the Stage and The Rejected Writers’ Christmas Wedding. Born in the United Kingdom, she now resides in Washington State.

https://www.suzannekelmanauthor.com/

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https://twitter.com/suzkelman

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Suzanne Kelman here: https://www.bookouture.com/suzanne-kelman

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CP9QV3VZsocial

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

Armed robberies that end in multiple deaths, an abduction and a later murder. The FBI are called in and Agent Beth Katz is on the case, desperately trying to find clues before the latest abductee is killed…

Dark Hearts is the third book in the Beth Katz series (the first two books are Dark Angel and Shadow Angel).

I have to be honest and say that I LOVE Beth! She is a killer herself but has a vocation protecting the innocent by whatever means possible whilst staying undetected herself. Her skewed and dangerous psychology alongside her police work is just fascinating. The tension of the case versus her own natural instincts create a great plotline. There are also plenty of connections and characters for fans of D.K. Hood’s Kane and Alton series.

The case featured in this book seems quite straight forward at the start as Beth traces leads about robberies. Local police have mishandled the past cases and evidence has been missed. Now she is frantic to preserve any clues and find justice as well as prevent more crimes being committed. Beth has to balance her natural proclivities against her professional persona as well as negotiating revelations about her partner.

The majority of the book is written to show the detectives’ perspective and investigation. There are a few chapters which give us the victims’ and killer’s viewpoint which serves to build the tension and our anticipation as well as our hope that Beth succeeds in wreaking her revenge. The pace of the writing is quite fast and the chapters are mostly short which drives the plot along quickly.

Dark Hearts is a tense and dramatic crime thriller with a fab lead character.

MEDIA PACK

Book: Dark Hearts 

Author: D.K. HOOD

Pub Day:  Feb 26th 2024

Buy Link: https://geni.us/B0CNS46RC6social

About the book: 

Under a thick canopy of pine trees, Cassidy Wilder frantically searches for a hiding place. Her breath catches in her mouth as she hears heavy footsteps. She says a silent prayer, but she knows he’s closing in on her. She knows it’s too late…

When a robbery at a local store ends with multiple deaths and the abduction of sixteen-year-old schoolgirl Cassidy Wilder, FBI agent Beth Katz and her partner Dax Styles are called in. Visiting Cassidy’s family home just a couple of blocks away from the quiet little store where she went missing, Beth’s heart breaks as she talks to her grieving parents and promises to find their daughter.

Looking at CCTV footage, Beth is horrified to see how calm the killer is as he shoots everyone in the store before forcing the terrified Cassidy to follow him into his truck. Then Beth uncovers multiple robberies just like this one, where all witnesses are killed and a young girl is taken. All of the victims are taken at night and found dead the following morning, so Beth knows time is running out to save Cassidy.

When Cassidy’s lifeless body is discovered dumped on a busy highway near a patch of forest, Beth is devastated. And as more girls go missing, she fears the murderer is escalating. A breakthrough finally comes when she finds a name written in blood next to one of the bodies. Beth knows she’s close to catching the killer and is determined to stop any more lives from being taken—even if it means serving her own form of justice. Will she be able to resist the urge to take a life herself? Or will she become the killer’s next victim?

Perfect for fans of Robert Dugoni, Lisa Regan and Melinda Leigh, this absolutely nail-biting new crime series from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, D.K. Hood, is sure to keep you up all night!

Author Bio

D.K Hood is THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY, and #1 AMAZON MILLION COPY Bestselling Author of the Kane and Alton Series.

D.K’s spine chilling, fast paced serial killer thrillers revolve around Sheriff Jenna Alton and her ex- special forces Deputy, Dave Kane. As the main characters fight crime, their secret pasts are never far away. Set in and around the fictional backwoods town of Black Rock Falls, Montana, known locally as Serial Killer Central, D.K ‘s imagery takes the reader into the scenes with her. Given the title “Queen of Suspense” by her reviewers, D.K ‘s writing style offers her readers a movie style, sizzling fast thrill ride.

NEW SERIES: SPECIAL AGENT BETH KATZ-

Beth is a serial killer working for the FBI. By day she is a dedicated agent and by night she becomes the notorious Tarot Killer and hunts down vicious serial killers, who have slipped through the net of justice. With her handsome mountain man partner,

Agent Dax Styles, they fight crime by walking a very thin line of the law.

Social Media Links 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DKHood_Author

Website: http://www.dkhood.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dkhoodauthor/

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Lily Drew is struggling to adapt to her lover’s betrayal, her daughter’s death and her son’s estrangement. Now she is planning a dangerous revenge attack…

Her Feud is the 7th book to feature the organised criminal gang centred around the Drew family and their associates. I think it would be beneficial to read the books in order as personal plotlines have developed over the course of the series.

Lily has been through a lot and needs to juggle her family life and the gang she runs which are inseparable. She finds it difficult to trust after recent events and her heart is broken as her family is divided.

I found the pace to be quite slow for the first third. There isn’t a lot of action to begin with as we are advised of the characters’ relationships and they make plans for later events. However, there is plenty of drama and emotion as the characters try to adjust to developments in their personal and professional lives which are dangerously intertwined.

Tension is created and sustained well, whilst the characters are vividly portrayed and brought to life. This is the last book in the series which is a shame for fans as they have become embroiled in the Drews’ lives.

Her Feud is a dramatic gang crime thriller with a strong family and emotional thread.

MEDIA PACK 

Title:  Her Feud

Author:     Emma Tallon 

Publication day: Fb 27th 2024

Buy link(s)

https://geni.us/B0CPLZ52NRsocial 

Description:

Fans of Martina Cole and Kimberley Chambers will love this nail-biting gangland crime thriller from bestselling author Emma Tallon.

Family is everything to Lily Drew and she’s always battled to keep hers together. But following the death of her only daughter, Ruby, and after losing her son, Connor, to a rival firm, Lily feels like everything she’s fought so hard to protect is about to fall apart: and when a turf war between two rival gangs starts on the Drew’s doorstep, Lily must pick a side…

The right choice could take the firm to a whole new level and bring her beloved son back into the fold. But get it wrong and her empire could come crashing down, and all of their lives could be in danger.

When Lily makes a bold decision and goes up against the most powerful firm in the city, she puts all of her men on the case. But the job goes wrong, and when one of London’s most dangerous crime bosses comes after the family, hellbent on revenge, Lily’s heart pounds. Did she just put everyone she loves in danger? And when the bitter feud ends, what will be left of the Drews??

Author Bio:

Emma Tallon is a British author of gripping, gritty, organised crime thrillers. With a number of bestsellers published by Bookouture since early 2017, Emma continues to write full time and has many ideas in the pipeline for future novels.

For more information on Emma or to join her mailing list, please go to: www.emmatallon.com

Author Social Media Links:

Madeline wants a divorce. Greg agrees to cooperate but has a plan to delay the proceedings in order to win back his wife and daughter…

The Custody Battle is a family drama about divorce proceedings.

Madeline has decided she wants a divorce and nothing will stop her. But Greg is going to try his best! They both want the best for their daughter Lola but things turn nasty as they compete to be the best parent. Secrets are ready to be revealed…

Initially, I thought Madeline was quite selfish. She hints that she has met someone else but is keeping this quiet so that the divorce can proceed quickly. Greg is completely blindsided by her announcement that their marriage is over and his kneejerk reaction is to fight to save his family. Lawyers and therapists soon get involved and both sides battle to sway opinion. My sympathy for Greg started to wane as his selfishness is also revealed.

The book is written through the alternating first person perspectives of Madeline and Greg so we are privy to their personal thoughts and feelings as the plot develops. This is extremely effective in aligning us with each character in turn so we perceive the other’s actions as unreasonable. I thought the representation of the family was realistic and the competition to ‘win’ the divorce felt authentic. It was so easy to see both sides and the value both of them added to the marriage yet how this was skewed during the divorce proceedings.

The Custody Battle is a vividly dramatic tale of divorce.

The Custody Battle: A completely gripping and addictive domestic suspense novel

“What’s going to happen to me?” my little girl asks, clutching her teddy bear tight. “Daddy and I love you,” I reply. “Nothing is going to change.” But I was so wrong. How far will I have to go to keep my darling daughter?

When Greg and I first decided to separate, we promised to keep it civil for our daughter Lola. So when she stopped wanting to hug me, I thought Lola was just struggling with the divorce. Then she started screaming at me, calling me a liar, and I could hear Greg in her words. I’m certain he’s trying to turn our baby against me.

He’s determined to dig up dirt on me, to make the court think I’m a terrible mother… But two can play that game.

So when he reveals the worst thing I have ever done, my heart pounds in my chest. Because I know Greg’s deep dark secrets, too. But the more we each try to win, the harder it is to turn back. Now I’m terrified that we’ve put Lola in terrible danger…

By the time we realise what we’ve done, will it be too late for us to save her, or ourselves?

A completely gripping dark domestic suspense novel about a family tearing themselves apart, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth.

https://geni.us/B0CP8932MQcover

Ellie Monago is the pen name of an acclaimed novelist and practicing therapist. She’s also a wife and mother, and when you add it all up, she doesn’t wind up with much time for hobbies. But she’s an avid tennis fan, a passionate reader of both fiction and nonfiction—especially memoir (nothing’s as juicy as the truth!)—and she relishes a good craft cocktail.