#Review By Lou of The Secret Keepers By Tilly Bagshawe @tillybagshawe_author @harpercollinsuk @RandomTTours #TheSecretKeepers #BlogTour

The Secret Keepers
By Tilly Bagshawe

The Secret Keepers is the latest book by Tilly Bagshawe. It’s perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley. Tilly Bagshawe has been writing for a long time and this is the first I’ve read of hers. I am glad I read The Secret Keepers and I am sure it won’t be my last.
Check out the blurb below and my review.

Blurb

Sweeping from the French Riviera to the wind-blown Cornish cliffs, lose yourself in this spellbinding novel about one golden family – and a devastating secret that binds them, forever…

Year after idyllic year, the Challant family retreat to their summer house on the glittering French Riviera.

Until one stormy night in 1928 when a local boy suffers a fatal accident in the grounds. Overnight, it becomes a place of ghosts.

As time unspools, those dark memories loosen their grip on the four Challant children. And yet the local whispers about that night never quieten, calling them back to the house on the Riviera.

A family secret lies waiting in the past.

But dare they unlock the truth?

Review

Unlock scandalous secrets and enter the 1920’s and meet the Challant family in their luxurious retreat in France. Money can’t buy the perfect life. Events happen, such as a fatal accident and then there’s no telling what this sparks… unless you read the book. Nothing is hidden forever and secrets are always there, just lying in wait to be discovered. People remember things, tongues wag and whispers become noisier. Some of the family are happy enough to return to the French Riviera and others, not quite so much. There’s quite a bit to unravel to reach the truth of what’s really happened on such a fatal night, making it a compelling read as the air becomes quite mysterious.

The Secret Keepers is a book to easily lose yourself in the locations of France, Switzerland and Cornwall and become entangled in the characters lives and agendas.

About the Author

Tilly Bagshawe is the internationally bestselling author of nineteen previous novels and has written for newspapers and magazines including the Sunday Times, Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph. She lives in London with her husband and 4 children.

#Review By Lou of The Rabbits By A.A. Milne @farragobooks #AAMilne #Satire #TheRabbits @RandomTTours #Historical #BlogTour

The Rabbits
By A.A. Milne

Mention AA Milne and the first things that usually come to people’s mind is Winnie the Pooh and his friends in Hundred Acre Wood and Christopher Robin. AA Milne didn’t only write children’s books, he also wrote for adults. The Rabbits was originally serialised in Punch Magazine. It has been all re-published in a book, which I have the privilege to review for part of The Random T. Tours blog tour. What I think you may also find interesting is a bit more about A.A. Milne, so I’ve included a bit after my review.

Blurb

Pre-war halcyon days captured in a series of comic sketches, the ‘Rabbits’ offer the purest of escapism – and possibly A. A. Milne’s most distinctive work

The adventures of a group of friends, pre-war, with far too much time on their hands.

The Rabbits, as they call themselves, are Archie Mannering, his sister Myra, Samuel Simpson, Thomas of the Admiralty, Dahlia Blair and the narrator, with occasional guests. Their conversation is almost entirely frivolous, their activity vacillates between immensely energetic and happily lazy, and their social mores are surprisingly progressive.

Originally published as sketches in Punch, the Rabbits’ escapades are a charming portrait of middle-class antics on the brink of being shattered by World War I, and fail entirely to take themselves seriously.

Review

The Rabbits was a surprising read. Not having read any of A.A. Milne’s adult material before, this intrigued me, after all I, like so many children grew up with his Winnie the Pooh stories and his poetry, such as Now We Are Six and loved them.

The Rabbits is a look at the middle classes just before world war one fully broke out, more at a time when the world was on the brink of war. There are friendships sharing past-times, playing sports such as crickets and eccentricities in personalities; it’s quite a study into this period of time, brought to readers with humour.

It reads like it is serialised in a magazine, which brings a different feel from your typical novel and yet still works rather well, once you’ve got used to the feel and style of it.

At a time where, yet again the world seems so uncertain, this book brings lightness and a time to relax and be transported to a different time and have a laugh at good wit. A.A. Milne turns out to be quite the satirical comedy writer and it’s enjoyable.
It’s quite poignant in a way, knowing what we know, that these were the last easy-going sunny days before the world grew darker as war broke out.
Let your mind wander to times gone by. It’s a very enjoyable read.

A.A. Milne wanted to be known for more than just his creation of Winnie The Pooh and now, all these years later, hopefully he will be. It truly is worth reading.

About The Author

A. A. Milne (Alan Alexander) is best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, but was also an accomplished writer of fiction for grown-ups.

Prior to the First World War he worked as a young man as Assistant Editor of Punch magazine.

After leaving the army, he began to write plays, short stories and novels; and then later works for children, including the poetry collection When We Were Very Young and the storybook Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926.

Milne continued to be a prolific writer until his death in 1956.

#Review By Lou of Leave No Trace By Jo Callaghan @JoCallaghanKat @simonschusterUK #LeaveNoTrace #Thriller @RandomTTours

Leave No Trace
By Jo Callaghan

Leave No Trace is a different crime book. Humans and AI come together. Check out the blurb and my review below as part of the Random T. Tours blog tour.
I didn’t read much acclaimed, In A Blink Of The Eye first and I felt that it was fine to read this as a stand-alone or of course, read after that.

Blurb

DCS Kat Frank and AIDE Lock return in the provocative new thriller from the author of In the Blink of an Eye.

One detective driven by instinct, the other by logic.
It will take both to find a killer who knows the true meaning of fear . . .

When the body of a man is found crucified at the top of Mount Judd, AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI Detective – and DCS Kat Frank are thrust into the spotlight as they are given their first live case.

But with the discovery of another man’s body – also crucified – it appears that their killer is only just getting started. With the police warning local men to be vigilant, the Future Policing Unit is thrust into a hostile media frenzy as they desperately search for connections between the victims. But time is running out for them to join the dots and prevent another death.

For if Kat and Lock know anything, it’s that killers rarely stop – until they are made to.

Review

Leave No Trace is almost futuristic in that one detective is human and the other is AI, except nowadays, this feels closer than ever and even the original creator of AI is now questioning certain aspects of its unleashing. An AI detective feels just a step or two further than that of what we see today.

Leave No Trace is a very well-written, thought-provoking book. You can tell for awhile that the AI is perhaps not perfect within the detective creation, but mixed in with humans, it feels increasingly humanistic as though your brain almost accepts it and I think that’s down to the great quality of the writing, until you remember that it’s AI and this is what makes it interesting for society and readers. It adds many questions for the real world about how far AI could go and how far humans perhaps want it to go and the impacts. It’s quite an exploration of it in this crime series.

The mystery itself is intriguing and some of the book is set out like an interview, which adds an immersive quality. Time is running out for the detectives to solve the case as there’s the danger of more murders. It’s a challenging, rather dark case because how do you solve a murder, when seemingly there’s no trace to collect clues from?
For the answer, you’ll need to find out by reading the book.

Overall it’s a very good read, in its style, including its short, sharp sentences, especially at the beginning and the compelling twists of the plot.
It’s thought-provoking nature beyond the page.

#Review of The Collapsing Wave By Doug Johnstone @doug_johnstone @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours #BlogTour #SciFi #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, Between The Covers. The author, Doug Johnstone 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.

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.

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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 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

_________________

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.