#Review of The Transcendent Tide by Doug Johnstone @doug_johnstone @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours #BlogTour

The Transcendent Tide
By Doug Johnstone

Review by Louise Cannon

For those following the Enceladons Trilogy, this is the grand finale, of what has been a rather urgently relevant, yet entertaining read that’s just got better and better, with this final one being one of the best. Even if you aren’t into sci-fi, which isn’t a huge genre read for me, it has much more than aliens. There’s humanity and eco-awareness too.
Discover the blurb and my review below. thanks to being on the Random T. Tours blog tour and Orenda for supplying the book. Please note, all opinions are my own.

Blurb

It’s been eighteen months since the Enceladons escaped the clutches of an American military determined to exterminate the peaceful alien creatures.

Lennox and Vonnie have been lying low in the Scottish Highlands, Ava has been caring for her young daughter Chloe, and Heather is adjusting to her new life with Sandy and the other Enceladons in the Arctic Ocean, off the coast of Greenland. But fate is about to bring them together again for one last battle.

When Lennox and Vonnie are visited by Karl Jensen, a Norwegian billionaire intent on making contact with the Encedalons again, they are wary of subjecting the aliens to further dangers. But when word arrives that Ava’s daughter has suffered an attack and might die without urgent help, they reluctantly make the trip to Greenland, where they enlist the vital help of local woman Niviaq.

It’s not long before they’re drawn into a complex web of lies, deceit and death. What is Karl’s company really up to? Why are sea creatures attacking boats? Why is Sandy acting so strangely, and why are polar bears getting involved?

Profound, ambitious and immensely moving, The Transcendent Tide is the epic conclusion to the Encedalons Trilogy – a final showdown between the best and worst of humanity, the animal kingdom and the Encedalons. The future of life on earth will be changed forever, but not everyone will survive to see it…

Review

The Transcendent Tide couldn’t be more timely, with a certain US President kicking off, greedily looking at Greenland, one of the most important and vital countries to save planet earth, if left virtually untouched. I’ve always reckoned that nature will always win-out, not humans in the end and this book is a fine example of nature vs humans and makes stark points of why we need to work with, not always against it. Who will win, can there be any winners, will anything turn out alright in the end?

What Doug Johnstone has created is a deeply profound trilogy, which has grown even deeper still come this final book. The way he gets the most important points across, mixed with a bit of entertainment, is done to a highly skilled quality. It’s thought-provoking and intelligently done, so that, if you’re worldly aware, you can join the dots between the events that are happening in the book to what’s happening in the world with the ideas of certain world politicians.

There are twists and turns, secrets and lies which forms some of the entertaining parts of the book, not that this dilutes any of the important points, it does however add to the readability of the plot.

I highly recommend The Transcendent Tide and the previous 2 books in the trilogy.

#Review by Lou of From Crime Scenes to Cruise Ships – Navigating life’s troubled waters with resilience and hope by Dr. Rhona Morrison @rhonamorrisonauthor @RandomTTours #BlogTour #NonFiction #Memoir

From Crime Scenes to Cruise Ships

Navigating life’s troubled waters with resilience and hope
By Dr. Rhona Morrison

Review written by:
Louise Cannon – Bookmarks and Stages

Dr Rhona Morrison was a respected Forensic Psychiatrist and is also known for the bestselling book, I Don’t Talk To Dead Bodies. In this new book, she talks in a warm, hopeful manner about being at the crossroads of life that instantly draws you in.
Thanks to Right Book Press and Random T. Tours for a gifted copy of the book, I have the pleasure to share the blurb and my review with you, which you can find below.
All opinions are my own.

Blurb

What if your biggest challenge became your greatest adventure?

One day, Dr Rhona Morrison was a respected forensic psychiatrist planning for retirement. The next, on her birthday, she became a widow, stepping into an uncertain and unplanned future alone. But as Rhona soon discovered, an ending can also be a beginning – if you grasp the opportunities life presents.

In this warm, witty, and inspiring memoir, Rhona shares how she navigated the twists and turns of her loss and subsequent reinvention, transforming her grief into opportunity. From launching an art business and writing her first book, I Don’t Talk to Dead Bodies, to becoming a cruise ship lecturer and embarking on global adventures, she tackled each step with an open heart. Along the way, she discovered unexpected joys, new passions, and a renewed sense of purpose.

From Crime Scenes to Cruise Ships is an uplifting story of resilience, reinvention and embracing the unknown. Whether you’re facing loss, retirement, or a major life shift, Rhona’s journey is a reminder that even when life feels uncertain, you still have the power to shape your future. It may not look like you once imagined, but it can still be rich with meaning, adventure and possibility.

Your story isn’t over; the next chapter is waiting. So, let’s turn the page and step into what comes next – together.

Review

Dr. Rhona Morrison shows that life doesn’t stand still, not even after you’ve lost the love of your life, your life partner. She lost her husband and one day found herself on a very different, perhaps unexpected path in her life as she ends on a cruise ship.
It’s a rather wisely written memoir, that really touches your heart and soul. On the page, anyway, she has this clever ability to draw you in closer to her, to her life story and care about it. It isn’t just merely the content of her life story that does this, and some of it is indeed heart-rendering, it’s the way it’s written and presented too, including the way she frames her life and work, through the good and the more challenging times.

The book is frank and from the prologue, made me want to sit in on one of her talks, it truly sounds fascinating as she explains a bit about her profession and also her inner-self. From the start, I warmed to her. She then rewinds time a bit to her husband, the empty chair and more… I smiled about the 32 Edinburgh Fringe shows. That is impressive and more than me in my limited time. I have to add here, that I like that later in the book, she mentions seeing Kevin Quantum, a fabulous magician, whom I too have had the pleasure to review, interview and meet.

She talks frankly about the stages of grief and how they were for her, whilst smartly acknowledging that it can be different for other people. Still, there’s a lot that people can gain from her opening up like this. Throughout the book, she tells quite a bit about herself in terms of personality, struggles, the ‘human condition’ side really, amongst some of the really positive, cool human life stuff of lecturing/giving talks where lots of people listen to her, seeing some people who are also making their name out there.

There’s a lot of heart-warming content written too, when it comes to friendships and the activities they do. The adventures sound immense!

Dr. Rhona Morrison is inspirational in how she navigates life, even when huge changes occur and cross-roads are presented, she shows there is a way forward.

Crime Scenes to Cruise Ships is fascinating, entertaining and gives bags of hope in a very well articulated book. Whether you’re on the verge of retirement or not, perhaps at a cross-road in life or wanting something new to read, this book caters for it all.

#Review by Lou of The Serial Killer’s Party by Amy Cunningham @Sarah_Goodwin_Author @PenguinUKBooks @RandomTTours #SerialKillersParty #Thriller #Summer #Holiday #Party

The Serial Killer’s Party
By Amy Cunningham

Review written by Louise Cannon

Picture a hot summer’s day. An invitation to a luxury event. The contrast of the Norwegian Fjords with the deep forest. The cool blue of the water. The splatter of red blood…
Check out the blurb and review below… if I survive the invitation to the party of the year…

Blurb

Welcome to the party of the year.
You’ve been invited to an exclusive, luxury event in Norway, hosted by a billionaire. Your moment has finally arrived. But you’re not going for the canapes and champagne. You’re going for revenge.

Where anything is possible.
You’ve spent months preparing for this moment. Because you know that beneath the host’s polished public persona, he’s a vicious killer who has murdered several innocent people, including your sister.

Even murder…
Then a guest dies in mysterious circumstances, and you begin to wonder… is this a trap? Why does it feel like you’re being watched? And will you ever escape?

*** Everyone is talking about The Serial Killer’s Party! ***

Review

Revenge is the order of the day. The host of the luxurious party of the year isn’t all as you would think. What unfolds is summer vibes that turns into mystery and revenge. It has you on-edge a bit with the characterisations of the rich and the bordering on how far someone is prepared to go to get what they want. This adds a compelling nature and bite to the otherwise, cosy summer feel to the book.
Amelia’s story is an interesting one and you can feel her emotions, which leads to understanding her within the immersive, beautiful environment readers find her in.

There is some pockets of suspense with a mysterious disappearance, which adds some intrigue for a while. It isn’t a constant suspense, but I didn’t feel it needed to be, particularly.

I found the book improved and became more compelling and intriguing the further it went on.

It’s a good, well-written book that sits well on a beach or lounging in the garden during the summer holiday period. It’s an invitation you would like to say yes to and be immersed into a darker world in a holiday destination thriller book.

I would read another book by this author.

#Review by Lou of The Pod Couple by Adam Leigh #AdamLeigh @RandomTTours #podcasts in #book form #ContemporaryFiction #RomanticFiction

The Pod Couple
By Adam Leigh

Podcasts. They’re still big business, containing all sorts of interesting insights into humans. The Pod Couple very cleverly sets itself up like this, but in book form, letting you see all sorts of aspects of life, especially love and the human condition.

Blurb

When Chloe Adams embarked on the publicity tour for her new book, she didn’t expect to appear on a live radio interview alongside Joe Harris promoting his memoir on the same subject.

Relationships.

They had last met years ago when Chloe abruptly ended theirs. Now a successful journalist, she is married to an equally ambitious film director, while Joe, still single, has struggled to move on.

The spiky reunion leads to an offer they can’t refuse – hosting a podcast about failed relationships – and three months later they launch Ex-Communicate, exploring other people’s heartbreak while tiptoeing around their own complicated history. Their on-air chemistry makes the podcast a rapid hit, but as their professional success grows, they’re forced to confront the feelings they’ve buried for over a decade. Soon they realise there is a price to pay for discussing their emotions so openly in the pursuit of downloads.

The Pod Couple is a witty examination of our cultural obsession with failed relationships, exploring the uncomfortable truth that time rarely heals. It just makes things more complicated.

‘Wickedly clever and gloriously sharp’

Rob Rinder, author and broadcaster

The Pod Couple interestingly allows readers to glean over the culturally popular reasons why people may tune into a podcast and why we like hearing about relationships. The storytelling comes across at times as brutally honest when it comes to relationships, parenting duties and more… perhaps some readers will recognise the feelings of all or part of the elements.

The exploration and directions the books take you into, in-terms of human nature and the way the characters relate to each other is compelling, especially as they dig into their pasts that then holds something for their present and perhaps their future. It’s also honest how it doesn’t sugar coat failed relationships and how time is not necessarily a healer.

This cleverly written book is rather refreshing and one to give a try this summer.

#Review of The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney @LiamMcIlvanney – @@BloodyScotland Longlisted for #McIlvanneyPrize @RandomTTours #BlogTour #ScottishNoir #PsychologicalThriller #TheGoodFather

The Good Father
By Liam McIlvanney

The Good Father, at time of writing this review has been longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize (William McIlvanney that is) at Bloody Scotland. Having just read it, I can see, with such strong writing, why it’s on such a prestigious list. Readers of crime/psychological thrillers are in for a treat. Check out the blurb below and then my review to discover more…

Blurb

‘Heart-stopping and heart-rending, this is Liam McIlvanney’s best novel yet’ VAL MCDERMID

WHEN A CHILD DISAPPEARS, NO SECRET IS SAFE . . .

Gordon and Sarah Rutherford are normal, happy people with rich, fulfilling lives. They have a son they adore, a house on the beach and a safe, friendly community in a picture-postcard town.

Until, one day, Bonnie the Labrador comes in from the beach alone. Their son, Rory, has gone – the only trace left behind is a single black sandal.

Their lives don’t fall apart immediately. While there’s still hope, they dig deep and try to carry on.

But as desperation mounts, arms around shoulders become fingers pointed – at friends, family, strangers, each other. Without any answers, only questions remain. Who can they trust? How far will they go to find out what happened to Rory?

And the deadliest question of all: what could be worse than your child disappearing?

When the truth begins to emerge, they find themselves in a world they could barely have imagined.

‘Beautifully written, this is easily one of the finest crime novels I’ve read in a very long time’C.M. EWAN

Review

The writing stops you in your tracks right from the start. It grabs your attention in a way that makes you want to drop everything else that you’re perhaps supposed to do and read on.

Readers meet Robert Rutherford and before his name is even mentioned, there’s a sinister feel just before the blow of full-on directness in behaviour. His and Sarah’s son has gone missing. There’s the usual finger-pointing at the parents and the seaside town wanting to move on. There is also, however some strikingly beautifully, yet heart-wrenching passages of overwhelming sadness and despair and how that can feel. You go on a very emotionally charged journey with them, following them every step of the way to try and find out what happened to Rory. As you do so, you also see other people’s perspectives too, which is interesting as is the time-lapses. You also see the lengths people will go to in such a situation and feel the tensions mount. Who is trustworthy and who is not?

There are some shocking twists, clearly not written just for the shock factor, but really work in-line with the storyline and yet also keep you hooked in. There are a few hard-hitting themes that bring current topics to the forefront and are addressed very well.

The Good Father is a strongly written emotional psychological thriller for summer that entrances and captivates into a seaside town with sinister activity.

#Review by Lou of Be Here Now by Paul Carroll @paulcarrollink @RandomTTours #books #music #festivals #Oasis #OasisLive

Be Here Now
By Paul Carroll

Review written by Lousie Cannon

Oasis Fans Assemble….. BritPop Fans….. Assemble! Be Here Right Now is a novel taking you into the music festival world and the headliners – Oasis.
Today I am delighted to be on the Random T. Tours blog tour, so go ahead and check out the blurb and my review below…

Blurb

Makes Woodstock ’99 and Fyre look like Sunday school outings

When Oasis reform for a one-off gig on a wind turbine eco-island in the middle of the North Sea, it’s billed as the greenest live music event of all time.

The stakes are high for all involved, but it turns out some of the festivalgoers have bigger personal problems to deal with than the survival of the planet.

Rachel, for one, on a trial break from her husband. The gang of four middle-aged Manc mates trying to re-capture their youth. Not to mention a bunch of activists who plan to disrupt the gig.

Can such an ambitious event live up to the hype? (And has anybody checked the weather forecast?)

Pack your windbreaker, grab your solar charger and get ready to party like it’s the end of the world.

Review

As you get ready for the Oasis reunion of 2025, Be Here Now zooms you forward to a reunion also no one wants to miss in 2029.

The chapters are, like the title, of Oasis songs, which really will take you Half A World Away from your own lives for a bit as it provides the perfect escape.

Follow Rachel into the dizzying world of her life as she prepares for a road trip to see her favourite manc band. She is taking a break from her other half, so what better way to do that go to the reunion of a lifetime.

Not all goes to plan. Much like today, music bands and soloists are looking at greener gigs and green glamping pod type accommodation for fans to stay in. The climate and how to save the world isn’t the only immediate problem on people’s minds…

Paul Carroll writes about the very human situations of why and how people decide to go to gigs and the baggage that people have in their personal lives. The festival-goers are worth reading about and delving into their lives.

The anticipation for Oasis to be on stage at the festival is high as is the rising tensions between the different characters, not to mention people trying to disrupt the event and have a hope it can’t really go any further. There’s also the question of the weather…

To find out what happens at a festival behind and in-front of the scenes and if the reunion of a lifetime is all that is promised, you need to read the book.

This is without a doubt a book to push up your tbr (to be read) pile this summer.