Monthly Archives: January 2025

The Commuter by Emma Curtis – REVIEW

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Today I’m reviewing The Commuter by Emma Curtis.

Here’s the blurb

I used to dread rush hour. Now I live for it…

Rachel wakes from a coma to discover her controlling husband has been killed, and the police suspect her of involvement.

But all Rachel can recall from the last few weeks are tantalising flashes of a fellow commuter. A man whose name she doesn’t know.

A man who has disappeared without a trace.

Now Rachel is a wealthy widow and the vultures are circling, wanting her in prison for murder, or failing that … dead.

Can Rachel discover the truth in time to save herself?

Review

I attended a boo k talk last year and The Commuter was suggested as a book to pick up and an author to watch, so I immediately put it on my TBR.

Rachel awakes from a coma to find out her husband is dead.. but she has no memory of the events that led up to that faithful day. She’s lucky to be alive but this is just the start of a spiral of events for Rachel as she unravels to truth!

We quickly learn that some instinctively don’t trust Rachel.. although she couldn’t have been there at the time her husband died… there’s gaps in her story that even Rachel can’t fill..

Things go from bad to worse when her husbands will is read and it’s not what everyone is expecting… if anything it raises more questions and causes more tension.

We start to learn more about Rachel and the what happened in the run up as bits of memories come back.. like a puzzle for Rachel to put together.

The quickly see her husband wasn’t exactly an innocent…his daughter is not very likeable and there was someone else in Rachel’s life.. but who.. and what does it mean.. is there a connection?

What unfolds is a very clever and complex plot that ultimately led to an untimely death.

I really enjoyed the flow as the story moves from current day, back to the past as Rachel’s memory returns.

The flow allowed for development of the characters at a natural pace, nothing felt forced or out of place.. the development just matches the flow perfectly in pace and made it a super engrossing read,

Character wise.. and the twists.. wow.. I don’t say it often but I really didn’t know what would happen next and I was hooked. I don’t want to spoil it but Rachel is really put through it!

When to bed each night I was excited for my own commute the next day just so I could pick up the book again!

What made this book such a gripping thriller was the main characters amnesia, as it allowed the author to take the story so many directions… and those twists were gob smacking!

This was more first foray into the authors work but it won’t be my last!.

Well worth grabbing a copy… 5/5  stars

To find our more head to Goodreads or Amazon!

The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh – REVIEW

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Today I’m reviewing The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh

Here’s the blurb

IN A VILLAGE WITH THIS MANY SECRETS, A MURDER IS JUST THE BEGINNING . . .


On New Year’s Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests.

He’s celebrating the success of his lakeside holiday homes, and has generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbours.

By midnight, Rhys will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.

On New Year’s Day, DC Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects.

She grew up in the tiny community, so the murder suspects are her neighbours, friends and family – and Ffion has her own secrets to protect.

With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn’t who wanted Rhys dead . . . but who finally killed him.

Review

The Last Party came highly recommend so I picked up a copy to see what the fuss was all about.

Rhys Lloyd seems to have everything, famous and popular… so lets find out why he’s just been found dead!

DC Ffion Morgan, a local cop, is assigned the case but is quickly forced to team up with DC Leo Brady from the Cheshire Constabulary. Cross boarder relations… and as it happens.. oh I’ll not spoil it but I loved that the author managed to immediately make the characters more personable and real.

It becomes apparent that Rhys’s death wasn’t without foul play.. but who was involved and why?

There’s quite a bit of animosity surrounding this little lakeside community Rhys setup, locals and those they see as outsiders, does that have anything to do with it?

Well as it happens and as the case progresses we learn pretty much everyone has a secret.. not all relate to Rhys but it’s a complex wab of lies and deceit..

It’s more of a struggle too for Ffion who knows all the locals.. some are friends even.. but is there more to it?

The plot is very addictive and messes with your mind.. just when you think the mist is clearing another snippet of info becomes apparent which throws everything up in the air again!

The Last Party is a very clever tale of misdirection and intrigue. There’s subplots leading to conflicting thoughts you need to muddle through which was fascinating.. it’s soooo clever how the story unfolds and when the truth comes out it wasn’t what I expected.

Being a small community you learn quickly about the lives of the residents and the complicated.. or sometimes not so complicated relationships.. by unravelling at a steady pace it allows you to really get to grips with the tale.

The tale of me was made rather unique too being set on the boarder of Wales and England which opened this up to more possibilities and complex work relationships. Leo’s boss for example..no spoilers.. even with a solid plot there was time to devote to character development which added to the story rather than distracting me from the main plot. Being the first in the series the setup allows the author many directions to take so I’ll be interested to see what happens next.

5/5 Stars

To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon.

BLOG TOUR – Betrayal of Mercia by MJ Porter

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for Betrayal of Mercia by MJ Porter!

Here’s the blurb

A King in crisis, a Queen on trial, a Kingdom’s survival hangs in the balance.

Londonia, AD835
The deadly conspiracy against the children of Ealdorman Coenwulf is to be resolved. Those involved have been unmasked and arrested. But will justice prevail?

While the court convenes to determine the conspirator’s fate, King Wiglaf’s position is precarious. His wife, Queen Cynethryth, has been implicated in the plot and while Wiglaf must remain impartial, enemies of the Mercia still conspire to prevent the full truth from ever being known.

As Merica weeps from the betrayal of those close to the King, the greedy eyes of Lord Æthelwulf, King Ecgberht of Wessex’s son, pivot once more towards Mercia. He will stop at nothing to accomplish his goal of ending Mercia’s ruling bloodline.

Mercia once more stands poised to be invaded, but this time not by the Viking raiders the so fear.

Can Icel and his fellow warriors’ triumph as Mercia once more faces betrayal from within?

Review

Is this really book 7 in the series already?? So much has happened to Icel yet it feels like only yesterday we met the young boy, supported by his Uncle, trying to find his place in life!

What’s in store next? Well the deadly conspiracy against the children of Ealdorman Coenwulf was uncovered with the help of Icel and now it’s time for those involved to pay the price.. this includes the Queen!!

Mercia has been forced to not only fight enemies from far afield.. but also those close to home and this is a major concern for all those involved.. King Wiglal.. and Mercia want justice..

The Wessex King and his men won’t let this lie though and Mercia is hit with even more betrayal and death as the tale unfolds.

I don’t want to spoil the plot for anyone but let’s just say the case against the Queen isnt as open and shut as the King would like and she still holds some power…and she’s not as helpless as it may seem.

I really found it fascinating to learn of a person’s worth during such instances, and that being in a position of power almost certainly made you trustworthy.. and the words of the common man/woman almost useless unless someone of power would speak of their worth. It really added the depth to that particular section of the story and added an extra umph when we are so used to excitement of battles and blood being the main focus.

Oh and don’t worry the battles are to come as things come to fruition and Wessex make their move.

Character depth and development was spot on as usual. Being on book 7 it’s credit to the author that they manage to keep adding naturally flowing detail into such a pivotal plot. I really love the little tit bits of the past thrown in too, memories on Icel’s uncle, the burning of Icel’s hand for example. These were great little ways for a new reader to be brought into the tale but also exciting for those devoted to the series as we have the chance to reminisce.

MJ Porter has a talent for historical fiction and this ever clearer when you see the shear amount of characters involved in the tale, which must have taken meticulous planning to not mix up names at pivotal points. I love Porter’s style too, I’ll be the first to admit names can be hard to retain in novels such as this are they aren’t names used in todays world.. but Porter manages to introduce what feels like natural pause points when the reader can reflect, and really absorb what is being told.

I’ve never really liked King Wiglaf but in this instalment It really showed him in a different light… the question is will he figure out who Icel really is and his family links? The King is kind to him now but if he see’s him as a threat to the throne will he be so kind?

How long can Icel hide the truth…

Without spoiling things I can honestly say this instalment is the best yet, flow is effortlessly perfect and the plot excruciatingly riveting.. I’m just glad I have the commute to work to enjoy the tale as I didn’t want to put this one down!

5/5 Stars

My thanks go to the author, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for having me on the tour

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/BetrayalofMercia

Why not follow the tour?

Author Bio –

MJ Porter is the author of many historical novels set predominantly in Seventh to Eleventh-Century England, and in Viking Age Denmark. They were raised in the shadow of a building that they believed housed the bones of long-dead Kings of Mercia – so their writing destiny was set. The first novel in their new Anglo-Saxon series for Boldwood Son of Mercia was published in February 2022.

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