What Goes Around by Michael Wendroff ~Blog Tour

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Publication Date: 10th October 2024

Genre: Thriller

Summary:

EVIL HAS MANY FACES

Chilling murders terrorize a town and bring together two detectives to face the hardest tasks of their lives. Jack Ludlum, who relies on his brawn to get things done, is now paired with his archenemy, Jill Jarred, a brilliant investigator with keen intuition. As they delve into the secret world of incels and white supremacists, and conflict between local authorities and the FBI rages, a media frenzy further complicates the mission.

Is there a serial killer on the loose? Or something entirely different? Will the detectives' clashing personalities be their undoing, or can they unite to stop the killer before they kill each other?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Partners in Crime Book Tours, Head of Zeus and Michael Wendroff for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.

The blurb of this book had me hooked, i always love a thriller when we have clashing personalities from the off it brings something extra to it. You often focus less on the case and then miss things making the end more of a surprise than normal because you focus on the developing working relationship.
I really liked out two MC's Jack and Jill, they are really strong characters and when they are on the page they dont half take up space. And when they are working well together they control situations and even though that element of jeopardy is often there you know that they will handle whatever is thrown at them.
Michael Wendroff's writing is fantastic, it draws you into the story and makes you want to keep reading. Something that threw me a little at first was the shortness of the chapters, some being as short as a paragraph and others being a few pages at best but i actually really enjoyed that. It made it feel like you were progressing through the story at a really good pace, it also made it easy to keep saying "oh just one more chapter..." and find yourself reading half a dozen more at least.
I really enjoyed Jack and Jills partnership, their different ways of working really complimented each other and i enjoyed watching them start to work together and use each others strengths instead of constantly trying to compete and id really like to see them working on another case together.

Krystina xx

A Scandal in Mayfair by Katharine Schellman~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publication Date: 20 Aug. 2024

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary:

Fans of Bridgerton will delight in this Regency-era mystery featuring an intrepid sleuth, plenty of intrigue, and a touch of romance. London, 1817. The London Season is beginning once more, and Lily Adler's return to her home on Half Moon Street feels different this year. No longer a recent widow, she has a life and friends waiting for her. Lily also has new responsibilities in the form of her protegee Amelia, the sister of her longtime friend Jack Hartley, who is escaping her own brush with scandal and murder. It doesn't take long for Lily's growing reputation as a lady of quality who can discreetly find what is missing or solve what is puzzling to bring a desperate young woman to her doorstep. But helping her means unraveling a tangled web of family secrets. Soon, a missing will, a dead body and the threat of blackmail leave Lily facing danger every way she turns. The glittering society of Mayfair conceals many secrets, and the back alleys of London hide even more. Lily Adler will need to find the connection between them quickly if she wants to stop a killer before it's too late.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Partners in Crime Book Tours, Crooked Lane Books and Katharine Schellman for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
I was instantly hooked when I started reading this, I was so drawn to Lily from the first moment she stepped onto the page and I wanted to get to know her more. I really regret not having read the other books in this series first, not because I needed them to read this because it works really well as a standalone but because I wished I'd seen the progression of the growing relationship between Lilly and Jack. I loved watching them come to terms with their feelings and realising how the other felt, it was really well done over the course of the book. Sometimes it's done too quickly so I really enjoyed the pace it happened at.
Lily isn't the only fantastic female character in this book, it's filled with really strong brilliantly crafted women who each are vital to the book in their own way. I really think I'd happily read a book solely about any of them, they each have so much to explore individually I think.
I really loved the writing style of this book, i really can't wait to read more books by this author. She has a really great way of pacing her books so you just keep wanting to turn the page and find out where you're being led to next.
I can't wait for, hopefully, the next book in this series and meanwhile I'll go back and read the others to keep myself occupied.

Krystina xx

Zero Ri$k by Simon Hayes ~ Blog Tour

 Publisher: The Rubriqs Press Limited

Publication Date: 25th May 2024

Genre: Thriller

Summary:

When customer complaints on Christmas Eve about tenfold inflated bank balances herald not early gifts, nor a botched system upgrade, but the most sophisticated cyber attack in history, National Bank Chief Operating Officer Rob Tanner finds himself in the eye of a ‘Black Swan’ storm no one predicted, but anyone could have anticipated

____________________________________

23 December 2024… Rob Tanner should have been enjoying a rare day off from his life-consuming work as Chief Operating Officer at one of the country’s largest banks. But a panicked phone call from a senior colleague forces him to put his Christmas plans on ice: more than a thousand of the bank’s accounts have seen their balances increased by a factor of ten. Exactly ten.

Tanner enlists the help of brilliant American cyber security expert Ashley Markham, but the attacks only worsen: bank balances rise remorselessly and spread to all the nation’s banks. The only clues to the hacker’s intentions are cryptic daily emails, centred on Hieronymus Bosch’s medieval representation of the seven deadly sins—and packed with colourful artistic and cultural references—taunting Tanner and the newly incumbent Prime Minister, James Allen.

With financial markets—and the very world as he knows it—on the brink of collapse, Tanner races against the clock to decode not just the bizarre emails but their deeper meaning, and the implications for who he can really trust. All the while, his former boss “The Toad” is seeking revenge... and answers of his own.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Literally PR, The Rubriqs Press Limited and Simon Hayes for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
Ok so this is a thriller so this is a no spoilers review, which isn't saying much because I do try and always do no spoiler reviews but this is all about the writing and nothing about the plot because I really do want you all to read it for yourselves!
I got the teaser of this at Christmas from Literally PR and practically flew through that first 80 pages, getting to the end of it really annoyed actually that I had to wait until May to read the rest! But it was definitely worth the wait but boy was I surprised by the length of it when it came 780 pages! But if I'm honest I barely noticed the length once I got into it and that didn't take long, much like the Teaser I felt like I flew through it in record time ( it was probably the best part of a week but it didn't feel that long) and the length is defiantly needed to get across all the different layers to this story. It has so many different issues woven through the story that made it an enjoyable read that kind of felt like it was still making your brain work in a way that it normally doesn't when reading a fiction book. Simon Hayes's writing style is so enjoyable and easy to read that I was drawn in so quickly, like I said I read the teaser so quickly because I was hooked from page one. And from reading the first 80 pages I had ideas of who I thought had done it which made waiting to find out who it was so frustrating, but when I got to find out I thought it was worth waiting for, but I won't tell you if my ideas were right.
I really enjoyed the pacing of the book, I thought it was spot on. The emails from the hacker were absolutely one of my favourite parts, i loved the riddles they threw in and I stopped at each one to see if I could puzzle out what they were trying to tell Rob/The Toad.
I've really enjoyed this and I definitely can't wait to see what Simon Hayes writes next.

Krystina xx

One Of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole ~Blog Tour

 Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Publication Date: 25th April 2024

Genre: Thriller

Summary:

Years after a breakdown and a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder derailed her historical preservationist career, Kenetria Nash and her alters have been given a second chance they can’t refuse: a position as resident caretaker of a historic home. Having been dormant for years, Ken has no idea what led them to this isolated Hudson River island, but she’s determined not to ruin their opportunity.

Then a surprise visit from the home’s conservation trust just as a Nor’easter bears down on the island disrupts her newfound life, leaving Ken trapped with a group of possibly dangerous strangers—including the man who brought her life tumbling down years earlier. When he turns up dead, Ken is the prime suspect.

Caught in a web of secrets and in a race against time, Ken and her alters must band together to prove their innocence and discover the truth of Kavanaugh Island—and their own past—or they risk losing not only their future, but their life.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, William Morrow Paperbacks and Alyssa Cole for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
This had me hooked, I seriously didn't want to put it down! I'll admit it took me a chapter to get used to all the changing of the different Headmates, and I used the Bad Day System list at the front of the book a lot to keep track of who was who but after a while it was automatic. And I loved how Alyssa Close signified the different conversations occurring, she made it so clear and easy to follow so I always knew when Ken was talking internally to a Headmate without having to think about it.
Much like with the getting used to the headmates bit it took me a chapter or two to get into this book, we start off with Ken waking up and not knowing what's going on so we have the same issues and find out what situation she's in with her rather than having any prior knowledge which made it a slow start for me. I really loved all the journal entries from the different Headmates, it really helped solidify them as individuals and to some extent Ken as well because they are all parts of her whilst still being completely different characters.
If I'm honest I think what I enjoyed most about this was getting to know Ken, the headmates and more about  Dissociative Identity Disorder through the book than the thriller aspect, though the journal entries from Grace I adored and I really wished we had more of them.
I have not read anything by Alyssa Cole before this and based on this I think I need to dive into her back catalogue because her writing style is fantastic and I'm pretty sure I'm going to love the rest of her books too.

Krystina xx

Knights,Witches and The Missing by R.M.Schultz ~Blog Tour

Publisher: Independently published 

Publication Date: 10th July 2022

Genre: mystery/thriller/fantasy

Summary:

The children of Hillsvale are disappearing.

Over three decades ago the first child was lost and could not be found. Now, in the past year, twenty children have gone missing.

There are no traces left behind by these children and no clues. The locals claim the old wood spirit is stealing their children, but no one has ever seen this ghost or been able to track it. Most believe it is a legend.

Calec of the Woods is summoned to assist the people of Hillsvale. Along with Serileen, Calec must uncover who or what is behind the abductions. And with magic returning to the world with the reemergence of the ancient sky sea, anything is possible.

Neither Calec nor Serileen could imagine what terrors stalk this land and them or what they will have to face with the people of Hillsvale to unravel all of the village's ancient secrets.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Love Books Tours and R.M Schultz for having me on this tour and sending me the book.

 I feel like this review might sound a little bit of a repeat of the last two of this series but I just completely adore reading the series and seeing how the world the R.M Schultz has created expands.Every time we get to step into Calec and Serileen's world we get to wander further out from settings we already know and into the unknown with them but this time we get to have interactions with characters already known to us. I found it really interesting to see how the dynamics between Calec and the King and to some degree the jester have changed since book one, it was really good to see Calec standing up for himself in a way he wouldn't have two books ago. I think he's much more comfortable with his chosen path than he was as a knight and it shows in how he interacts with people from that past life of his, and the lessons he learned from being a knight have stood him in good stead with the investigations he's undertaken.
I've really enjoyed seeing how Calec and Serileen's relationship has grown over the past two books, and how they've compromised in how that relationship is. Calec is very much someone who believes in marriage and would happily marry Serileen but the way she grew up and how relationships are between the people of the woods that's not really what happens. And there are other parts I'd happily talk about but you know I hate adding in spoilers so I will behave and not type it!
I think every book in the series is better than the last and the lore and world-building are fantastic so I'm very much looking forward to starting book four but I'm trying to pace myself because I don't want to get to the end of the published books before the new one comes out at the end of this year!

Krystina xx

 

Hazard Night by Laura Vaughan~Blog tour

 Publisher:  Corvus

Publication Date: 1st February 2024

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Summary:

Cleeve College is not for everyone...

When Eve's husband is appointed housemaster at his old boarding school, Cleeve College, she gives up her life in London to join him. But the isolation and loss of autonomy threaten both her happiness and her marriage.

The arrival of Fen, an enigmatic artist and wife of the new Classics teacher, is a welcome distraction. Fen doesn't play by the rules, and she and Eve enter into a game of escalating dares, disrupting the delicate balance of school life.

Then, the morning after Hazard Night, a tradition that allows the students to run wild and play pranks for one day, a body is found. Someone has been murdered. And it seems everyone has something to hide...

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rachels Random Resources, Corvus and Laura Vaughan for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
I really loved the sound of this book, the blurb sounded intriguing and I was looking forward to reading
a good thriller. Unfortunately, I didn't really get the thriller aspect of this book, I mean the only bit that was thriller-like was not finding out who the murderer was until the last 5 pages and I get a murder to solve is crime/thriller but it didn't feel like an adult crime/thriller book. It sort of read like a YA thriller, the writing style and to some degree the content felt juvenile, maybe it was because it was set in a secondary school but it was missing something for me. I did enjoy getting the story told from the two different Points of View, Alice and Eve being in very different situations within the school meant they both had interesting perspectives of what was going on. I never really connected with either of our main characters though, I felt none of that need to keep reading to see what would happen to them next which meant that the drive to finish the book wasn't there. I did finish it and to be honest, quite quickly, I read the majority of it in a day as the writing style is quite an easy one to read. From the title and blurb I'd expected to have a lot more of the book focused on Hazard Night and I was slightly disappointed to find it took up such a small amount of the book.
It was an easy read but ultimately it wasn't really for me but if you like a hint of dark academia with your crime, this might just be for you.

Krystina xx

Knights,Necromancers and Murder by R. M. Schultz~Blog Tour

Publisher: Independently published

Publication Date: 12th March 2022

Genre: Fantasy/mystery/thriller

Summary:

Murders are occurring in a fantastical city by the sea.

For over a year these events have plagued Red Pike’s Landing. And no one has been able to find the killer who takes all the fingernails of their victims and tucks them into bed.

Witnesses are unreliable … but for good reason. Perhaps magic lies at the heart of these deeds and covers the Necromancer’s tracks.

Calec of the Woods is called upon for aid. And Serileen, Calec’s witch lover, must accompany him while harboring a dark secret of her own.

The closer Calec comes to the Necromancer, the faster he must solve this mystery or he and Serileen will become the Necromancer’s next victims.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Love Books Tours and R.M Schultz for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.

So I dived into this as soon as I finished book one in the series, I couldn't wait to see where Calec went next and what kind of mystery he'd encounter. And I'm pleased to say I wasn't disappointed, we get to have the frankly brilliant team of Calec and Serileen working together to uncover the Necromancer in Red Pikes Landing and pull at some threads a little closer to home too. I found this book a lot quicker to read than the last one, it had a lot less world-building in it but also we were finding out about this new city at the same time as our two MC's so it wasn't filling in blanks just for us readers which I felt flowed really well and i enjoyed how it was done. I liked that we flipped to different characters' points of view occasionally, it was nice to get snippets from other, secondary characters and see their backstories filed out a little and how it played into our main path.
I really loved seeing how Calec and Serileen's relationship had developed in the time between this book and the previous one, you ended book one with a promise of there being more to them and I enjoyed seeing how that had fleshed out. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it grows over the next few books, as I'm assuming it will but you never know because I don't know how the timeline changes from this book to the next but I'm very much looking forward to finding that out.
Again I've really enjoyed R.M Schultz's writing style, it's very easy to step completely into the world he's created. It's a brilliant Mystery Thriller with that element of fantasy that I've just fallen in love with reading.

Krystina xx

 

Blood on the Broadcast by SDW Hamilton~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Shannon Hamilton

Publication Date: 2nd February 2024

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Summary:

A Locked Room. An Improbable Murder.

When Private Investigator Jacob Kincaid is approached by mystery podcaster Natalie Amato, he senses a case that matters may have finally fallen across his desk.

The former journalist hires Jacob to investigate the death of a colleague, convinced what was initially written off by police as an accident, was actually murder.

With an unlikely crime and a cult of Ireland’s elite watching from the shadows, Jacob must navigate an increasingly deadly case to get the answers he needs and where every new truth uncovered puts his life, and Natalie's, at risk.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Love Books Tours and SDW Hamilton for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
I do enjoy a good locked-room mystery and I've really enjoyed reading this one, I mean it's also driven me mad for the majority of the book too. From chapter 3 I was trying to figure out how they might have killed her in a locked room, I even sat discussing it over dinner with my husband and we had various theories, most of which Jacob also had so that meant I sat trying to think of some he hadn't for a bit. I'm not going to give away any spoilers and tell you anything about how they did it but it wasn't what I expected and it was kind of a mix of some of the different ideas my husband and I had.
I loved the writing style, it kept me hooked i never read just a few pages it was always quite a few chapters and I pretty much sped-read it in a day and a half. I liked how Natalie and Jacob worked together and the chemistry they have with one another and I'm so glad that we get to see more of them and that working relationship in the next few books, I definitely will be keeping an eye out for them!

Krystina xx

A Soul for a Soul by Carol Wyer ~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 30th January 2024

Genre:Crime/Thriller

Summary:

The syndicate have taken everything from her. It’s time to take them down―or die trying.

DCI Kate Young never meant to shoot Superintendent John Dickson at the reservoir that night―even if, as a scheming corrupt cop and head of the shady syndicate, he probably had it coming. But now Kate has photographic evidence that someone else knows her terrible secret…

Tormented by guilt and the voices of the dead, Kate is desperate to unmask the rest of the corrupt officers before her own sins catch up with her. When DI Harriet Khatri, awaiting trial for the murder of Kate’s mentor, claims she was framed by Dickson’s syndicate, Kate reluctantly agrees to help in the hope of finding answers.

Meanwhile, DI Emma Donaldson finds herself on the hunt for a double murderer―a man who incapacitates his victims with a powerful narcotic called Devil’s Breath. Desperate to measure up to her role-model boss, Emma finds herself hurled into the deep end in more ways than one…

While Kate’s grip on reality wavers and the syndicate closes in, and with the mystery killer taking a special interest in Emma, could this be the case that defeats both detectives?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Zooloos Book Tours, Thomas & Mercer and Carol Wyer for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.

So I didn't realise this was the fifth book in the Detective Kate Young series, I assumed it was the first book of the series and when I realised it wasn't I did worry I might not have the context required to hit the ground running with this book. But I didn't need to worry everything I needed to know about Kate and her situation was brilliantly explained without me feeling like I was getting a full-on "what happened last episode" kind of moment. Now I have to admit I haven't completely finished this book so I can't comment on the end, not that I'd add in any spoilers anyway, but I can see myself easily finishing it this evening because it's just so engaging I really want to know if DI Khatri has been framed and if Kate will bring down the syndicate it's just got me hooked from the first few chapters. I've really enjoyed getting the multiple views so far, While Kate is clearly our MC I really like reading Emma's chapters, she's just such a likeable person and you're really cheering her on to get the outcome she wants from the case.
I've found Carol Wyer's writing style so easy to get caught up in, it's so free-flowing and immersive that the only way I've been jolted out of reading is by a member of my household interrupting me, there's not been a moment where something happens that seems out of place and brings me out of the world she's created.
I really can't wait to read the rest of this series, I know I'll be heading backwards and to some degree, I'll know what's going to happen but the writing is so fantastic that I don't mind that one bit.

Krystina xx

Survivor's Guilt by Robyn Gigl~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Verve Books

Publication Date: 7 Dec. 2023

Genre: Legal Thriller

Summary:

The death of millionaire businessman Charles Parsons seems like a straightforward suicide. There's no sign of forced entry or struggle in his lavish New Jersey mansion - just a single gunshot wound from his own weapon.

But days later, a different story emerges. Computer techs pick up a voice recording that incriminates Parsons' adoptive daughter, Ann, who duly confesses and pleads guilty.

After the case is brought to her attention by an unlikely source, Erin McCabe and her law partner, Duane Swisher, soon realise that pieces of Ann's story don't fit together. Ann clearly knows more than she\'s willing to share, even if it means a life sentence. Who is she protecting, and why?

As their investigation deepens, Erin and Swish find themselves caught in a web of human exploitation, unchecked greed, and murder - before learning the horrifying truth...

Review:
Firstly thank you to Verve Books and Robyn Gigl for having me on this tour and sending me the book.
I didn't realise that this was part of a series when I picked it up but I didn't feel like that made a difference. I feel like I got all the background information that I needed to know/was relevant from the first book fed to me when it became relevant to this story. I felt drawn in from the first couple of chapters, wanting to unravel the threads that Erin was pulling at with her, it made it hard to put the book down! 
It was interesting to have the chapters on Erin's personal life too, to see her struggles with how her being transgender affected her family and romantic relationships it was good to see that expressed so well in the book and I loved that she had people who accepted and loved her for who she was and ignored the label others would put on her.
It's a really well-written thriller, I enjoyed seeing how Erin and Duane worked through the case and how they each have their sort of specialities. The story is well crafted and you can tell that Robyn Gigl knows her stuff when it comes to this subject so I definitely would have no problems picking up another book of hers when I'm in the mood for a legal thriller.

Krystina xx

What Happened At The Abbey by Isobel Blackthorn~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Independently published

Publication Date: 19th September 2023

Genre: Historical Thriller

Summary:

When Ingrid flees a violent husband to become a housekeeper in the Scottish Highlands, she discovers the family she works for has a much darker history than her own.

Who haunts Strathbairn? Why are the adult McCleod children at each other’s throats? And why does the youngest sneak off at night? As Ingrid searches for answers, she grows ever more fearful that her husband will track her down.

Set in late 19th century Scottish Highlands, WHAT HAPPENED AT THE ABBEY is a gothic mystery brimming with intrigue, ghostly drama, and family secrets.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rachels Random Resources and Isobel Blackthorn for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
I've really enjoyed this book so far, the first chapter was really intriguing and it made me want to keep reading to untangle all these threads that had already been woven around Ingrid. She's a rather interesting main character, aside from knowing from the blurb why she's now the housekeeper at Strathbairn we know very little about her and the way she's been written does make you want to know more. But from what we do know I think Ingrid is a strong woman to have been able to leave her husband and that clearly she might need that strength in this new role. All the characters I've met so far are really well described, I gain an instant mental image of them from the description and it sort of helps to visualise the encounters Ingrid has with them. You instantly are able to understand from her interactions that not everything is as it seems with her new role but also that something is off with this family, and that seems to centre around Miles. 
It is a really well-written book and although I've not finished it yet I am looking forward to finishing it and finding out what the deal is with Miles and what the family are hiding.

Krystina xx

Taken to the Hills by S J Richards~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Apple Loft Press 

Publication Date: 12th September 2023

Genre:Crime/Thriller

Summary:

Abductions and murder are not what ex-DCI Luke Sackville expected when he left the police after tragedy struck his family.

Luke’s return to the workplace was meant to be a soft landing but when a woman vanishes after being accused of taking bribes, he is assigned a disparate team and tasked with tracking her down.

Their search becomes more urgent when her disappearance is linked to the death of a second woman. When a third goes missing the hunt becomes a race against time. Luke’s return to work presents him with the most challenging case of his career as the murder victims mount.

Murder and intrigue are peppered with humour in this fast-paced crime thriller set in and around the beautiful city of Bath in the southwest of England.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Love Books Tours, Apple Loft Press and S J Richards for having me on this tour and sending me the book.
Another debut thriller that made it onto my reading list for this year has blown me away! I was hooked on needing to know what was happening from the first page and didn't put the book down til id found out, which meant I read this in a day! Let's start off in true me style by talking about the cover, it gives the perfect slightly creepy thriller vibes and, having had a quick peak at books two and three they have the same brilliant look to them, I already know they are going to look fab on my shelf(but shhh I'm a book buy ban so tell no one lol)
Chapter 1 had me hooked but then didn't make sense til later in the book and I loved that suddenly it just clicked into place, and that happened at various different spots throughout the book. I took the red herrings offered and ran with them thinking that I knew who the killer was but I did not see the actual killer coming at all, and looking back we had hints but they were tiny little sprinkles of a hint and I took the red herring instead!
I absolutely loved Luke's team, like he said on paper they make no sense but they work so well together it's fantastic and I can't wait for more cases for them to work on, I think they will just gel even more as time goes on and we'll get some fantastic workplace banter coming into play.
I'm now eagerly awaiting books 2 and 3 to see if I'm right and how they handle whatever gets thrown at them.

Krystina xx

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Verve Books

Publication Date: 26th September 2023

Genre: Horror

Summary:

For the past two decades, Maeve has worked hard to build a normal life in New York City, where she keeps everything - and everyone - at a safe distance. When Andrea suddenly reappears, Maeve regains the only true friend she's ever had. Soon she's spending more time at Andrea's remote Catskills estate than in her own cramped apartment. Maeve doesn't even mind that her cousin's wealthy work friends clearly disapprove of her single lifestyle. After all, Andrea has made her fortune in the fertility industry - baby fever comes with the territory. What worries Maeve is that the more she immerses herself in Andrea's world, the more her long-buried memories flood to the surface. But confronting the terrors of her childhood may be the only way for Maeve to transcend the nightmare still to come...

Review:
Firstly thank you to Verve Books and Anne Heltzel for having me on this tour and sending me the book.
The cover for this book is suitably creepy to fit with its horror tag, but personally, i didn't feel like it was a horror read. Don't get me wrong this is most definitely a well-written book and Anne Heltzel's use of language is brilliant throughout but I didn't get the horror vibe. I found it an easy-to-read book, I whizzed through it but i also clocked what was going to happen by chapter 4 and honestly, I kept reading to see how right I was. I missed any of the twists that normally come with a thriller. Now it could be that I'm unintentionally comparing it to another thriller with a motherhood cult at its centre that had me second-guessing myself at all turns and had such a twist that I exclaimed out loud at it and therefore Just Like Mother comes out lacking in comparison. 
I enjoyed the character development though and Maeve's piecing it all together, and I quite liked the flashbacks to their childhood. It was interesting to see their dynamic as children and how, despite the gap they had of not knowing each other, they easily fell back into that dynamic.
Despite not getting the horror vibe from this book I would happily read something by Anne Heltzel again, she has a really good writing style that I found easy to read.

Krystina xx

The Trail by M.A Hunter~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 8th September 2023

Genre:Crime

Summary:

Sometimes it's best to let the past stay buried...

Thirty years ago, Jess's mother, Nora, disappeared while on a charity hike in the US. The devastating loss has afflicted Jess well into her adult life and even inspired her decision to become an investigative journalist.

So when Jess receives an anonymous tip telling her that remains have been recovered in the spot her mother disappeared, she wastes no time in jumping on a plane.

They say the Appalachian Mountains have secrets, but as she begins to ask around, she learns that the locals do too. But no matter how much they lie, she is determined to find the truth - even if it will irrevocably change her future.

Someone wants to keep the past buried. And they will stop at nothing to keep Jess as quiet as the tranquil mountain trail itself...

Review:
Firstly thank you to Racehls Random Resources, Boldwood Books and M.A Hunter for having me on this tour and for sending me the book.
Now as this is a crime book I'm going to give as little away as possible in this review, you know I like to try not to spoil it so you all go buy and read the book!
This was such an easy-to-read book, I read it in a day because it kept me hooked I really wanted to know what happened to Nora and I had various ideas of what it could have been, but what did happen was not on my list.
 I enjoyed the alternating chapters but I have to say I enjoyed the Nora chapters far more than the Jess ones, I'm not sure I could say why but I think it's because I found Jess a tad annoying at times. Jess came across as very selfish and quite irresponsible from the off and whilst I can definitely understand her need to find out what happened to her mum her attitude left a lot to be desired.
Every Nora entry made me feel like the AT trail was getting creepier and I actually worried for her I knew she had gone missing from the off so it felt odd to worry. But I think that's just the mark of good writing.
I so enjoyed reading this but I didn't like the ending, it felt too neat and I don't know I think expected more drama to the ending.
I do know I'll be picking up more books by M.A. Hunter though, I very much enjoyed the writing style and it kept me reading even though I didn't like the MC most of the time.

Krystina xx

A Marriage to Murder For by E.V. Hunter~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 7th September 2023

Genre: Crime

Summary:

The high society wedding…

Social media influencer Crystabel Hughes is determined her wedding to Giles Preston Smythe will be the talk of the town. No matter the cost or the upset, nothing will stop this wedding!

A cheating groom…

But for Alexi Ellis and the rest of the staff at Hopgood Hall, Crystabel’s demands are becoming increasingly extreme. And when Alexi spots the groom getting up close and personal with one of the bridesmaids, she fears trouble is only a bouquet toss away.

A killer bride caught red-handed?

And Alexi’s fears are confirmed when the groom is found dead on the night before the wedding, stabbed through the heart - the person holding the dagger. his beloved bride-to be Crystabel.

Hopgood Hall doesn’t need any more bad press, but the race is on to find the killer and close the case before Crystable live streams her dilemma.

Can Alexi, Jack and Cosmo find out why Giles was killed? And, more importantly, can they stop the killer before they strike again?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rachels Random Resources, Boldwood Books and EV Hunter for having me on this tour and sending me the book.
I was completely hooked on this book before I had even got to the end of chapter one, I did not want to put it down(thankfully I had the day to read it uninterrupted) and I enjoyed reading every page.
It was really well written, I instantly connected with and loved Alexi, her relationship with Jack was lovely, I enjoyed reading from both perspectives. And they worked well together as a crime-solving team, they each had their strengths and both had opportunities to use them, and the fact that the local police seemed quite fine with them helping was amusing to read and see play out.
Shockingly I had no idea who the killer was! Normally I have some kind of inkling of who it might be but id dismissed the killer early on in favour of someone else stupidly, though I blame the good writing and not my being oblivious to the signs.
I had no idea it was part of a series when I started reading it, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it anything that I might have needed to know from the previous books was slipped into this one so you definitely don't need to read them in order. But I do plan on going back and reading the other two whilst I eagerly await more in this series.

Krystina xx

Murder on the Farm by Kate Wells~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 4th September 2023

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Summary:

Lambing season always brings the unexpected… But no one expected murder

Jude Gray never thought she’d find herself widowed and running a working farm full-time, but here she is, living in the small Malvern village her husband Adam spent most of his life in.

After a particularly gruelling lambing season, she is looking forward to some time off, but there’s no rest for the wicked, especially when she finds the body of one of Adam’s oldest friends on her farm.

Unimpressed with the local constabulary's efforts, Jude starts an investigation of her own. But as the body count rises, danger creeps ever closer to Malvern Farm.

A killer is on the prowl. And all that stands in their way is one woman – and her dog.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rachels Random Resources, Boldwood Books and Kate Wells for having me on this tour and sending the book to me.
It was a very slow start to this book I actually read a few chapters and put it down again for a few days because it was such a slow start I didn't have that want to keep reading that I usually have with crime/thriller books.
It was a well-written book but I felt it lay a little flat, I kept reading but I had no want or need to know what was going to happen. Even in the bits where Jude was in jeopardy, I didn't feel worried if she would be fine, I had no sense of concern for her.
I did enjoy the puzzles throughout the story and the subplot of the stolen goods, I liked following that throughout the book. And I did like that the ending tied everything up nicely, we got everything explained and any loose threads were woven back in it felt like a good ending to what had happened.

Krystina xx

Blood Sisters by Rebecca Frost~Blog Tour

Publisher: Aesthetic Press

Publication Date: 22nd August 2023

Genre:  Thriller

Summary:

For almost a decade now, Brent Wright has been in prison for the killing of seven women - unless the surviving twin sister of one of his victims is right and Brent didn't kill anyone at all.

If the theory is true, a presumed survivor of his is more dangerous than anyone could have imagined. No one will be entirely satisfied or safe until they find out for certain.

Review:

 Firstly thank you to ZooLoos Book Tours, Aesthetic Press and Rebecca Frost for having me on this tour and sending me the book.
I've thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I love a good thriller and this is definitely a good thriller!
As always I'll do my best to avoid spoilers so you have a reason to pick it up and read it.
I love the dynamic between Nessa and Josh and how you gradually learn about their relationship in a sort of drip-feed manner, getting bits of backstory filled in at just the right moment. It was nice to have bits from Josh's point of view at critical moments but there was no obvious subtitle or heading to let you know you'd changed the narrator it was just an easy flow from one to the other. I enjoyed the writing style a heck of a lot, Normally I don't like the switch without it being clearly mentioned but it just seemed to work so well.
It kept me on my toes, I kept getting left turns I wasn't expecting which made me so engrossed with the book that I didn't want to put it down. If it hadn't been for the school holidays I suspect this one have been a read-it-in-one-sitting kind of book.
The ending had everything tied up, which was really nice and I enjoyed the sort of sum-up created into one conversation between two characters, I also enjoyed their development together and how their relationship altered over the course of the book.
This was a really well-thought-out and written book and I definitely plan to read more by Rebecca Frost in the future.

Hopefully, I've said enough to make you want to pick this one up without giving anything away.

Krystina xx