#Review By Lou of The Teacher – A DS Cross Thriller By Tim Sullivan @TimJRSullivan @AriesFiction @HoZ_Books #TheTeacher #Thriller #CrimefictionSeries #DSGeorgeCrossSeries #Thriller

The Teacher
By Tim Sullivan

I am totally captivated by the DS Cross series and so far, each one has had great, unique characterisation, especially of the neuro-diverse detective and with captivating, strong storylines. Each book in this series can also be read as a stand-alone book. Discover the blurb and my full review below…

Blurb

He’s a victim. But is he innocent?

THE BODY
In a village in South West England, an elderly man is found dead in his home. The angle of his neck says he fell down the stairs. The stab wound on his body tells a different story.

THE EVIDENCE
In the weeks before his murder, Alistair Moreton changed. He usually kept himself to himself, but people swear there was someone in the house when they checked on him, that there was a reason he wouldn’t let them inside.

THE PUNISHMENT
Moreton made people’s lives a misery, from his neighbours to his ex-pupils. While DS George Cross’s list of suspects is long, every victim deserves justice.

But in all of Alistair’s years, there was something important he never learned:

If you go through life making enemies, don’t be surprised when they teach you a lesson.

Perfect for fans of MW Craven, Peter James and Joy Ellis, The Teacher is part of the DS George Cross thriller series, which can be read in any order.

Review

DS Cross is on the autism spectrum and the characterisation, within the writing is terrifically done, with much believability. In my paid work, I work with many autistic children and have done for many years.
In DS Cross you see it makes relationships within the workplace and working methods different from other books in this genre which adds a unique layer. The writing conveys it all very well and draws you to him. We also get insights into the team he works with and their life situations.

In a sleepy village, where everything should be perfect, with everything and everyone going about their routines, smoothly, not all is well. A body is discovered…
Alistair Moreton was a headteacher and not a well-liked one. The emotions are evocative and strong, when it comes to him.
There are plenty of motives for readers to be suspicious of.
The setting and premise makes The Teacher, even more intriguing and may have headteachers wondering if they’re well-liked or not and sitting on the edge of their seats.

Amongst the darkness of the crime, there is some great humour that lifts it all brilliantly.

This is a book and, indeed, series that I highly recommend. Personally, I am loving reading it and each book that comes out, excites me.

#Review of The Collapsing Wave By Doug Johnstone @doug_johnstone @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours #BlogTour #Fantasy #CrimeFiction

The Collapsing Wave
By Doug Johnstone

The Collapsing Wave is the sequel to critically acclaimed book – The Space Between Them, which was also featured on BBC2’s bookish programme, In-Between The Covers. The author, Doug Johnston also writes the crime series, The Skelfs, also to great acclaim. It laces sci-fi with crime and is a great one to try, even if, like me, this is not your usual genre to read. It has something for everyone.
Find out more in the blurb below and my review as today I am on the
Random T. Tours/Orenda Books Blog Tour, in-exchange of an honest review.

Blurb

Ava, Lennox and Heather make contact with alien Sandy and head for a profound confrontation … The awe-inspiring, exquisitely moving sequel to The Space Between Us, as seen on BBC Two’s Between the Covers.

_________________

Six months since the earth-shattering events of The Space Between Us, the revelatory hope of the aliens’ visit has turned to dust and the creatures have disappeared into the water off Scotland’s west coast.

Teenager Lennox and grieving mother Heather are being held in New Broom, a makeshift US military base, the subject of experiments, alongside the Enceladons who have been captured by the authorities.

Ava, who has given birth, is awaiting the jury verdict at her trial for the murder of her husband. And MI7 agent Oscar Fellowes, who has been sidelined by the US military, is beginning to think he might be on the wrong side of history.

When alien Sandy makes contact, Lennox and Heather make a plan to escape with Ava. All three of them are heading for a profound confrontation between the worst of humanity and a possible brighter future, as the stakes get higher for the alien Enceladons and the entire human race…

Sequel to the bestselling The Space Between Us, The Collapsing Wave is an exquisite, epic first-contact novel, laced with peril and populated by unforgettable characters, and the awe-inspiring book we all need right now…

Review

Sci-fi isn’t often my cup of tea, but as I sat, sipping my tea, reading the book and pondering the review, The Enceladons Trilogy is turning out pretty well. It turned out to be a good thing to return to Lennox, Ava, Heather and alien, Sandy. The fact that it’s just 6 months later than the first time we meet them is great for finding out what’s going and just enough time has passed by for things to have shifted a bit.

Ava adds a bit of mystery as she is awaiting trial for the murder of her husband.
MI7 is a mysterious government agency and Oscar Fellowes is one very interesting character to read. You think he’s one thing, a government diktat and then you wonder that he may have a conscience after all, or is it just because he’s been side-lined by the ‘powers-at-be?’ It’s interesting watching someone in such a position, swither whether they are on the right-side of history or not and wonder what direction will be chosen.

The Collapsing Wave is gripping and fast-paced as it weaves and infuses the real world with the alien one. It uses a lot of societal issues, which grounds the novel and allows it to breath with relevancy. For example, there’s plenty that reflects society and how some people are welcoming to others, whilst there are those who are not. How some people attempt irreparable harm because power has gone to their head and those who do weird experiments and other are quite the opposite.
It becomes quite a deep, thought-provoking book. One where the sci-fi isn’t the main aspect at all, although is far from lost, it just has a lot more to it than alien worlds.
The Collapsing Wave brings some hope and there are strong friendship bonds throughout, giving a bit of the feel-good factor.

#Review By Lou of Miss Cat By Jean-Luc Fromental and Joelle Jolivet @thamesandhudson #GraphicNovel #MissCat #MiddleGrade #ReadingForPleasure #BlogTour @RandomTTours

Miss Cat (Graphic Novel)
By Jean-Luc Fromental and Joelle Jolivet

Graphic Novels have been on a rise and rise for years, with certain series now being firm favourites of children and teens alike. They, especially encourage reading for those who don’t think that’s for them and are termed “reluctant readers” and show a different type of book to add to the pile of the more exuberant, proficient readers.
Miss Cat is a great mystery for the young middle-grade readers.
Discover the blurb and my review of the first in a brand new series in this genre below.
Thanks to the publisher and authors, I also have a couple of pages and the cover to show you. You’ll see them as you go down this blog post.

Synopsis

The first book in an irresistible new graphic novel series for young readers, featuring a cool detective dressed in her cat-ear hoodie.
Meet Miss Cat, a private eye with ears on her hat and a nose for mystery!
Mr Titula, a sad old man, comes to see Miss Cat at the old dairy shop she uses as an
office. Someone has kidnapped his canary, Harry, his pride and joy! He begs the young detective to find him.
So, Miss Cat sets on the trail of Harry and a strange couple, the sultry Doris and the aggressive Jean-Pøl, a talking dog.
What could they be trying to hide? And could the senile Titula and the dashing Titus the Magnificent, a magician with extraordinary powers, be the same person?
Miss Cat, who thinks she’s a cat and hides underneath a large hoodie with cat ears, is a perfect new heroine to encourage children to read. With a Scandi-noir mood, Joëlle Jolivet’s dynamic illustrations and Jean-Luc Fromental’s thrilling plot and irresistible dialogues whisk young readers through Miss Cat’s crime-solving adventures!

Review

Miss Cat is quite the private eye, all clad in her cat-like hoodie. It’s a story that entertains and is quite the magical page-turner, with short chapters for 7-10 year olds, with its intriguing characters. There’s Miss Cat, a human who has set-up a detective agency and wears a cat-like outfit. She has dealings with Olaf the talking octopus, a member of the Octopus 6, Wolfgang who’s a talking dog and Maximus and Doris who are humans.

The book is entertaining with its mystery of a talking canary being bird-napped, magic and humour. You get a really good feel for the captivating characters in what’s great story-telling. What do the digits mean? Why are they so important to some of the characters? There’s goodies and baddies and a whole lot of fun for readers.

All is well-illustrated in a fun way, original way, that builds a good amount of atmosphere in what becomes a good page-turner.
It will leave children wanting more…

It would sit well with anyone’s collection of graphic novels, from schools to libraries to personal collections.
This is certainly one for children to look out for.
I’d certainly review more, given the opportunity.
The second will be ‘The Gnome’s Nightmare’.

#Review By Lou of The Love Interest By Victoria Walters @Vicky_Walters @BoldWoodBooks #BlogTour #RomFic #Romcom #RomanticComedy #RespectRomFic

The Love Interest
By Victoria Walters

Review written by Louise Cannon

Swoon, have a laugh and take the plunge like Mr Darcy into The Love Interest, perhaps avoiding the water, Dip into the blurb and my review below. Her other books encompass The Summer at the Kindness Cafe and Murder at the Summer Fete, which I also recommend, and others.
Today is my turn on the Rachel’s Random Resources/BoldWood Books Blog Tour.
All opinions are my own and as ever, with no spoilers.

Blurb

No man can be as good as the one in your imagination…

Librarian Liv Thomas has always dreamed of writing a romance novel. But she’s stuck when it comes to creating a romantic hero – sadly – lacking anyone in real life to base him on.

When her brother suggests his best friend stay in their shared flat for a few weeks, she can’t believe her bad luck. Aiden Rivers is irritating and pushes all her buttons. Worst of all, he’s gorgeous, has a sexy accent and reminds her of her all-time favourite character Mr Darcy.

Liv finds herself unexpectedly inspired and the leading man in her novel begins to bear an uncanny resemblance to Aiden. He can never find out though: she’d never live it down. Because Aiden can only ever be her love interest in the pages of her book – and definitely not in real life… right?!

A laugh-out-loud enemies to lovers rom com, perfect for those who spend far too much time thinking about Mr Darcy coming out of the lake!

Review

The Love Interest is a fun rom-com. Maybe libraries can be romantic places after all. Maybe libraries can spark the imagination and aspiration. Maybe librarians aren’t old and stuffy as can be perceived.

Librarian, Liv has read many books and recommended just as many. Now she dreams of creating her own book for those shelves, the hands that touch them and the eyes that read them. She is an aspiring romantic novelist, but is discovering she has no substance to her loveable rogue, the hero of the piece.

As for her brother, you don’t know whether to yell at him or hug him. I mean, he left Aiden Rivers, one of the most irritating men ever to stay with her and yet becomes her muse as she writes and writes a character who may just become someone resembling one people will want to read. Just shows that even the most annoying of people may spark something into life, even when you may have an instinct to kick them out.
If you’ve read Pride and Prejudice and seen the 90’s film version, then you really get the sense of what Aiden sounds like, basically in my head, a bit like Colin Firth.

Victoria Walters has created characters you want to see how it ends up, especially whether writing on a page can ever translate into real life in good-terms.

It’s worth taking the plunge into The Love Interest for warm-hearted entertainment. It isn’t hilarious all the time, but there are enough laughs and it is a good read to jolly life along and make those happy endorphins leap around and fill you with happiness.

Buy Link:
Waterstones WH Smith

#Review By Lou of The Island of Dreams By Helen McGinn @knackeredmutha @boldwoodbooks #RomFic #ContemporaryFiction #RomanticFiction @rararesources #BlogTour

The Island of Dreams
By Helen McGinn

Review written by Louise Cannon (Lou)

Today is my turn on the Rachel Random Resources/Boldwood Books blog tour for newly published book – The Island of Dreams.
I heard Helen McGinn was writing books and was intrigued. Now, I have the lovely opportunity to review one.
On a rare time when not volunteering, I manage to catch her on Saturday Kitchen with her wine etc recommendations. If she’s reading this, I like that she is also a fan of rose wine.
She has written The Island of Dreams, an uplifting, romantic novel, perfect for Valentines Day, whether you’re coupled up or not.
Discover more in the blurb and then my review below.

Blurb

Martha is the youngest of three sisters and, in her mid-thirties, has the dubious honour of being the only one to call off a wedding at the last moment.

Now, feeling as if she’ll be single forever, and trying to keep her low opinion of her sister Iris’s fiancé to herself for risk of looking bitter, Martha needs a change of scene.

When she is given the opportunity of a holiday to Paxos it seems too good to turn down, though the idea of travelling alone is daunting. And when the trip to the Greek island gets complicated, Martha wonders if this has all been a mistake.

But soon the island and its residents start to work their magic on Martha, and when she meets single father Harry and his adorable son Milo, a new way of living is revealed in contrast with the drab routine of her life back home. How can Martha leave behind the warmth of the people, the freedom and the fun, not to mention Harry and Milo when it’s time for her to go home…

Let Helen McGinn magic you away to a world of sunshine and serenity, romance and relaxation. Perfect for fans of Erica James, Carol Kirkwood and Karen Swan.

Review

Check out that cover! Place yourself under that hat and seeing the horizon. It is intriguing to see what life holds, in a wistful way.
Meet Martha, she’s boldly called off her wedding last minute and she lands a holiday to Paxos, even though she finds it daunting to travel alone. Personally, having travelled alone, I wanted to sit her down and tell her she would be fine and everything that seems difficult about it, works out in the end. She’s a likeable character who is easy to root for. To give her, her dues, Paxos does sound challenging. Overpriced and unreliable (sounds like the UK) transport makes everything harder than it should be, especially when alone. Prior to this life change, you can totally sympathise as to why she seeks a change of life and jumps at the opportunity to do it.

Whilst in Paxos, readers are treated to beautiful scenery and interesting people within the community.
Helen McGinn captures the sense of a place and personalities of people rather well.

The Island of Dreams is pure escapism! It’s got a warm and uplifting, relaxed feel, but with a certain amount of urgency to keep turning those pages to see where the characters end up.

I recommend cracking open the wine (or whatever your tipple is) and feel the sunshine, even if it’s only in book form.
It’s a relaxing read with pure escapism away from any worries about real life and the outside world for a while. It’s well-worth the time to read for the magical time of imagining elsewhere.

#Review By Lou of The List Of Suspicious Things By Jennie Godfrey @jennieg_author @penguinrandom @HutchHeinemann #PenguinCornerstone #CrimeFiction

The List of Suspicious Things
By Jennie Godfrey

The List of Suspicious Things is ideal for Book Clubs and independent reading. It’s a fascinating and dark time of the 1970’s in politics and one of the most infamous serial killers to hit Yorkshire, but also a chance to reminisce with the fashions of the day in this emotive book. Find out more in the blurb and then my review below.
Thanks first to Penguin Randomhouse/Cornerstone for the book in-exchange of an honest review.

Yorkshire, 1979

Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South.

Because of the murders.

Leaving Yorkshire and her best friend Sharon simply isn’t an option, no matter the dangers lurking round their way; or the strangeness at home that started the day Miv’s mum stopped talking.
Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all?

So, Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a list of all the suspicious people and things down their street. People they know. People they don’t.

But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighbourhood, within their families – and between each other – than they ever thought possible.

What if the real mystery Miv needs to solve is the one that lies much closer to home?
THE PERFECT DEBUT NOVEL TO DISCUSS IN BOOK CLUBS

Review

The book whisks readers back to Margaret Thatcher’s 1970’s Britain and the bleak time of the Yorkshire Ripper, when women were terrified, and rightly so.

The List of Suspicious Things is told through the eyes of Miv. She’s a kid on a mission to solve the murders. She and great friend, Sharon decide to make a list of people they find suspicious. They’re typical kids who know the news, taken it to heart and curiosity gets to them as they try, in their own wee way to help to solve the case. As time passes by, as shown in the chapters, you can see her begin to grow-up.

The strength of friendships and community binds this book tightly together in an uplifting way that weaves through the darker themes as the 1970’s rumbles on and Sutcliffe is on the loose. I read it with an understanding of how the 1970’s was and I feel that’s the best way to read it as there are of course a number of things that aren’t so easily acceptable these days. It keeps it real and that’s a great quality for this particular book. For many, there will be an air of nostalgia, some of which continued through to the 80’s and 90’s like fruity lipgloss/balms, styles of jeans etc.

The author, Jennie Godfrey makes the 1970’s come to life, whether you lived through them or not. I did not and that did not matter. I felt transported there, through her thorough and beautiful way of writing as you navigate your way through twists and turns, discovering secrets, a pulling together of community, friendship and trends.