More End of 2021 Mini Reviews. There is a favourite in here!

If you saw my last post, you will have seen that I read a lot of books in 2021, but I didn’t manage to review them all. So these few days of posts will be mini reviews of some of the books that I read but hadn’t reviewed until now. They were read over the past year, so my reviews will be shorter than normal, but I will give you the jist of what I thought of each of them.

The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall

Published May 4th 2021 by St. Martin’s Griffin

• Goodreads
• Amazon

I buddy read this book with Irena, and what a fun time we had with this one. We both agreed that this was one of the best books we’ve read in 2021. It was easy to read, funny and a really pleasant surprise from an author that was new to us both.

Sophie is a professional Bridesmaid, people hire her to be their Bridesmaid and to ensure that their Wedding goes perfectly. Yes, she pretends to be whoever the customer / Bride wants them to be, and she ensures she plays the perfect Bridesmaid and that the Weddings go exactly as planned, sometimes even edging her clients in the right direction if they seem a bit lost in all the planning.

Sophie is hired by Lady Victoria, to be Bridesmaid for her daughter Cordelia. Cordelia does not feel this is necessary and here is where the fun starts. Cordelia is hilarious and does her best to throw a spanner in all Sophie’s plans and asks her to do the weirdest things.

If you have seen and enjoyed the film ’27 Dresses’, then you will love this book even more. That film was fab, this book is even better in my opinion.

Definitely among my top books of 2021. I look forward to reading more from Katy Birchall in 2022.

Romance By The Book by Sarah Ready

Published September 14th 2021 by Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC

• Goodreads
• Amazon

This book appealed to me because of the title and the blurb. Book loving, librarian Jessie has loved Gavin since she was a child. She lives in a town called Romeo, where there is a psychic who can predict people’s soul mates. Of course Jessie is over the moon to hear that the guy she has loved for so long is her actual soul mate, but the problem is that he is already engaged. So, Jessie makes plans (based on literary romantic scenarios) to show Gavin that they are soul mates.

I liked that this was escapism, easy reading. The plans that Jessie came up with were stereotypical ideas of romance, but the way she went about them were amusing.

The book was predictable, but then most romance books are, so that wasn’t a problem. I found it a little strange that we hear about Jessie’s friends in the first few chapters, but when it comes to putting her plans into action, she enlists the help of a group of older ladies from the library. I wonder if this was for amusement factor? Though to me, it made it a little unrealistic. I would have liked to hear more from her friends.

This is book 3 in the ‘Soul Mates in Romeo’ series. I hadn’t read book 1 or 2, and I think there were enough spoilers in book 3 that I wouldn’t go back to previous books. But this did work ok as a standalone.

I buddy read this book with Irena, and we both enjoyed the book and the discussions that we had while reading it. A nice easy read, with a few chuckles and a predictable ending.

Let me know any of your favourite books of 2021, I’m always looking for recommendations to add to my reading list.

 

Book Review: Survive The Night, by Riley Sager.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Dutton Books for my copy of this book. I had heard very good things about this Author, and having not read any books by Sager yet, I wanted to give this book a go.

Description:

It’s November 1991. George H. W. Bush is in the White House, Nirvana’s in the tape deck, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer.

Josh Baxter, the man behind the wheel, is a virtual stranger to Charlie. They met at the campus ride board, each looking to share the long drive home to Ohio. Both have good reasons for wanting to get away. For Charlie, it’s guilt and grief over the murder of her best friend, who became the third victim of the man known as the Campus Killer. For Josh, it’s to help care for his sick father. Or so he says. Like the Hitchcock heroine she’s named after, Charlie has her doubts. There’s something suspicious about Josh, from the holes in his story about his father to how he doesn’t seem to want Charlie to see inside the car’s trunk. As they travel an empty highway in the dead of night, an increasingly worried Charlie begins to think she’s sharing a car with the Campus Killer. Is Josh truly dangerous? Or is Charlie’s suspicion merely a figment of her movie-fueled imagination?

What follows is a game of cat-and-mouse played out on night-shrouded roads and in neon-lit parking lots, during an age when the only call for help can be made on a pay phone and in a place where there’s nowhere to run. In order to win, Charlie must do one thing–survive the night.

Published June 29th 2021 by Dutton Books.

My Thoughts:

Well this book takes place over one night, as could be guessed from the title. From receiving my copy to beginning to read it, I didn’t read too many reviews or re read the blurb. So I went in a little blind. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was set in 1991, which meant no mobile phones or internet. It was nice to revisit this time, and I have to say it makes thrillers seem more dangerous as you can’t just call for help on your phone.

The plot begins with the main character Charlie, we learn that her best friend has been murdered on a night out. Charlie feels guilty and wants to leave campus and get home. As she isn’t able to drive herself home she looks for a travel buddy to car share with. Here enters Josh. The majority of the story is between these two characters and told from their points of view.

Because the chapters are written from the two main characters point of view, I got a good sense of who they both are. Personally I didn’t like Charlie and after the first few chapters, any sympathy that I had for her was gone. I found her to be one of the most stupid characters I have ever read about. She made terrible decisions concerning her own safety and I don’t think this was due to lack of common sense I think she just decided to do stupid things. Charlie was a very frustrating character to me. The only positive part of her that I liked was that she used a lot of movie references. These were entertaining and helped to get a better idea of who she was and why she was as she is.

Josh on the other hand was a bit more interesting. I had a few theories about who he was while I read the chapters. I won’t say too much about that because it would lead to spoilers. The writing was easy to read and flowed well.

As we were reading this as part of a book club we ended up reading it much faster than we initially planned.

Overall I have to say that sadly I was a bit disappointed with this book. All the chapters lasted the one night, but then at the very end goes years to the future and tells us what happened there. Again I found Charlie to be continuing to make bad decisions.

I wouldn’t be against reading another book by this author as the writing style and the idea of the plot was good. I just felt to strongly that the decisions made were a little ridiculous. There was also a part of Charlie’s character where she had what she called ” movies in her mind” . It was left unclear whether this was a mental health condition or just part of Charlie’s coping mechanism. ( perhaps it’s the same thing?) I would have liked the epilogue to make this a bit clearer as I felt it was quite a big part of the story that wasn’t explored and explained to the reader enough.

Links:

• Amazon
• Goodreads

 

Book Review: The Dating Game by Sandy Barker. #LoveIsland

Thank you to publishers One More Chapter, Author Sandy Barker and Netgalley for my advanced reader copy of this book.

Description

The must-read romantic comedy for fans of Laura Jane Williams, Sophie Ranald and Sophie Kinsella.

‘Hilarious and highly original’
Julie Houston, bestselling author of A Village Affair

Once upon a time, twelve women joined the hottest reality TV show looking for love. Except one had a secret identity . . .

Abby Jones is a serious writer. Or at least she will be, one day. Right now, she spends her time writing recaps of reality television under a secret identity.

When a recap for The Stag – the must-watch dating show – goes viral, her editor thinks she should be on set, writing the drama as it happens. The good news: the next season will be filmed in Sydney. Sun, sea and a glamorous trip abroad, this could be Abby’s big break.

The bad news: the producers don’t just want Abby to write the recaps, they want her to be on the show. Abby can’t think of anything worse than being undercover and followed around by cameras. But her career depends on it, and when she meets gorgeous producer Jack, Abby begins to wonder if this job might not be so bad after all 

Expected publication: September 10th 2021 by One More Chapter

My Thoughts:

I read The Dating Game while Love Island UK was on, and I admit that Love Island is my shameful, guilty pleasure. While watching and also reading through the chapters of The Dating Game, I wondered about the insides of these types of reality shows. If you’re like me in that you don’t really take these shows at face value and often wonder at the inner workings of the shows, then this is the book for you!

The Dating Game is a book where our lovable main character Abigail is a writer for a magazine. She has a pseudo name, which is quite clever – Anatasia Flabbergaster. Abby wants to be a serious writer, but for now she has to just write recaps of reality tv shows. That is until she has the “opportunity” to be on one of these shows as an undercover writer.

As the pages turn we see Abby as one of the twelve “Does” on a show where Daniel the “Stag” has to date each one and find his “true love”. So many ” ” ” ” “, but all necessary. I think the idea of the show is similar to The Batchelor, but I haven’t watched this show, so I cant be sure.

Anyway, The Dating Game was light hearted, amusing, showed us a wide array of characters and was just an all round good read. One of my favourite parts of the book was the relationships between the twelve girls who were staying in Stag Manor. It did really remind me of the reality shows I see on tv, where the girls become good friends but all the while supposed to be competing against each other. We meet some nice girls and some not so nice. So the fun and games kept up throughout between all the varying personalities.

I started this review by saying Love Island is a shameful, guilty pleasure of mine. I can say openly that The Dating Game was neither shameful, nor guilty. It was pure pleasurable reading.

• Amazon
• Goodreads

 

Book Review: Boyfriend by the Book, By Laura Briggs.

Thank you to Author Laura Briggs for my copy of Boyfriend by the Book. The novel is a self-published  contemporary romance novel.

 

Description: 

Jodi Nichols isn’t the most romantic girl on the planet. She doesn’t get mushy over fictional love stories, or picture herself getting swept away by a handsome hero. She’s much too grounded in reality—and much too busy working as a concierge at the luxurious Regent hotel. Helping customers is Jodi’s passion in life, and while romance may be on the back burner for now, she is nursing a little crush on Levi, the cute and friendly deliveryman for the hotel packages. And unless she’s imagining things, Levi feels the same way about her.

But Jodi’s friends think she’s turning into a lonely workaholic. They try to fix her love life, buying her a copy of the bestselling relationship guide that claims women can find true love by channelling the wisdom of famous storybook heroines. Jodi thinks it sounds crazy—no way is she acting like Jane Eyre or Lizzie Bennet to find a man! But when Levi suddenly grows distant and Jodi’s chances with him seem to fizzle before her eyes, she wonders if her friends might have a point after all. Disheartened and lonely, she decides to give the so-called relationship guide a whirl, with unexpected consequences.

Before you can say ‘Pride and Prejudice’, Jodi is up to her neck in handsome, brooding men that seem too much like fictional heroes to be true. Her attempts to think like the greatest heroines in romance lead her to meet everything from a modern Mr. Rochester to an angsty Heathcliff, and even a Darcy-esque novelist. But when a former crush re-enters her life in the form of a modern day Romeo, Jodi wonders if there might be something to this ‘inner heroine’ thing after all. Now, if she could just stop thinking about Levi, then maybe her happy-ever-after will fall into place…or is something still missing from Jodi’s storybook romance?

Boyfriend by the Book is a perfect feel good read for curling up with on a rainy day or a summer afternoon, with lots of laughs and surprises to keep the reader turning pages!

 

Indie Published July 19th 2016

MyThoughts:

This book captivated my attention from the first page to the very last, I loved it. It is the cutest story I have read in a while. With the good influence of classic books mixed in with good old easy read chick lit, its perfect for an lazy day feel good read.

Jodi is single, and all her friends are happily coupled up. So when one of her friends who works in a bookshop finds a book, which all the friends agree will help Jodi find love, the fun begins. They describe her as ‘romantically challenged”. So Jodi has to find her inner Heroine in order to find her beloved Hero and happily ever after. 

I liked Jodi straight off, she describes her home as:

“…a jumble of books, magazine collages……..big stuffed armchairs and my chintz sofa with its brightly coloured pillows..”.

And then later on in the book, Jodi mentions that she is reading ‘Anne of Green Gables‘!! Then I really wanted to be her BFF! 

I really enjoyed reading how Laura and her friends try to encourage Jodi’s inner Jane Eyre so that she can capture the heart of her very own Mr Rochester or Mr Darcy The book is funny, sweet, cute and thoroughly enjoyable. This is easy reading chick lit at its very best.

This is the first book I have read of Laura Briggs, but I will now be looking out for more. This book was self published and is brilliant. A five pink stars read for me!

The links below show you where to find the book, the Author, and there is also a link whereby you can read the first chapter. I absolutely recommend this book to all chick lit lovers and especially those that enjoy a bit of light classical book talk.

Links:

Twitter/PaperDollWrites

Blog page to read the first chapter HERE!

Paperdollwrites.blogspot.com

GOODREADS

AMAZON.COM

AMAZON.CO.UK

 

Author Biography:

Laura Briggs’ first stories were written in crayon about a rooster named Henry–but she was pretty young at the time, so it’s understandable. She eventually graduated to writing more complex plot lines and characters and writing her stories on a laptop. She tends to write stories with a romance theme, but as a reader she has a soft spot for mysteries, including those by Agatha Christie and Mary Roberts Rinehart. She also enjoys books by Jane Austen, Anne Tyler, Amy Tan, and too many others to name. In her free time, she likes to experiment with new recipes and tries to landscape her yard (a never-ending project).

 

 

Book Review: Summer at The Comfort Food Cafe, by Debbie Johnson.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Impulse for my copy of this book. I would also like to thank Irena from BookDustMagic  for recommending this book to me. Irena has been a lovely bookish friend to me over the past while and I hope we can keep swapping book recommendations and continue our bookish chat. Thanks Irena. 

Description:

The brand new book from best-selling author Debbie Johnson will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you raid the pantry in the middle of the night…

The Comfort Food Cafe is perched on a windswept clifftop at what feels like the edge of the world, serving up the most delicious cream teas; beautifully baked breads, and carefully crafted cupcakes. For tourists and locals alike, the ramshackle cafe overlooking the beach is a beacon of laughter, companionship, and security – a place like no other; a place that offers friendship as a daily special, and where a hearty welcome is always on the menu.

For widowed mum-of-two Laura Walker, the decision to uproot her teenaged children and make the trek from Manchester to Dorset for the summer isn’t one she takes lightly, and it’s certainly not winning her any awards from her kids, Nate and Lizzie. Even her own parents think she’s gone mad.

But following the death of her beloved husband David two years earlier, Laura knows that it’s time to move on. To find a way to live without him, instead of just surviving. To find her new place in the world, and to fill the gap that he’s left in all their lives.

Her new job at the cafe, and the hilarious people she meets there, give Laura the chance she needs to make new friends; to learn to be herself again, and – just possibly – to learn to love again as well.

For her, the Comfort Food Cafe doesn’t just serve food – it serves a second chance to live her life to the full…

Kindle Edition, 293 pages

Published April 29th 2016 by HarperImpulse

My Thoughts:

It was the name of this book that attracted me straight away. I love books that are foodie focused. I haven’t read any books by this Author before, but I had an idea of what to expect by the name, cover and blurb. The cover is just lovely isn’t it?

The book begins with Laura and her two children still grieving after the death of their Husband / Dad. Laura applies for a summer job in Dorset at The Comfort Food Cafe, this means leaving their home in Manchester for the summer. 

The way the cafe was described totally lived up to my expectations, it sounds like a really beautiful place and a lovely place to work and enjoy the summer. With its bookshelves, board games, photos and pictures, one which says:

“We will assume you want your hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream, unless you appear to be dead”

Laura meets all kinds of fantastically weird and wonderful people during her stay, and although we meet quite a few sideline characters, they are all easily memorable and add a little extra to the story. 

The idea of The Comfort Food Cafe, is as it sounds to provide comfort food for all the customers. I was hoping that the comfort food would be a much larger part of the book, with loads of foodie descriptions, perhaps a few examples of cake recipes and Laura baking. This was my only disappointment with this book. I wanted more food!!! I don’t know if this is just me being a greedy chocoholic, and the rest of you would find food talk irrelevant? But this is my review, so there! ;-). One of Laura’s treats which sounds amazing is her chocolate bar milk shakes, I would definitely try one of those if I could go to the cafe.

There were many humorous moments in the book too, one in particular involving her underwear. If you read it, look out for that scene! And another where she mentions, ‘The Grand Old Duke of York’, which I will remember myself!! Even Jimbo the dog does things to make us chuckle.

“….he got off his lead at a campsite in Scotland and threw himself right into the swimming pool, splash in the middle of an aquarobics class”

One of the side characters that I liked was Becca, Laura’s sister, a care free single girl, with such a warmth and sisterly love. If there is another book about the developments at The Comfort Food Cafe, it would be nice to hear more from Becca.

This book was heart warming, funny and reminded me that there is always hope. Regardless of what happens in life, there is comfort food, friends, family and the beach!

Links:

GOODREADS

AMAZON.CO.UK

AMAZON.COM

Twitter/debbiemjohnson

debbiejohnsonauthor.com

While I was reading this book, I entered a Harper Impulse giveaway, and was lucky enough to win 4 more Debbie Johnson books. Have you read any of these? What did you think?

 

 

Book Review: A Stranger’s House by Clare Chase.

‘A Stranger’s House‘ is Clare Chase’s second novel. I was very happy when I heard that it had been published, as I really loved her first one. Therefore setting the scale of my hopes for her second! Clare’s first book ‘So You Think You Know Me’ was brilliant. You can read my review of it HERE!

But now for my thoughts on her latest release…..I loved it. 

 

Description:

What if you were powerless to protect the person you cared about most?

When Ruby finds out that her partner has done the unforgivable, she has no option but to move out of their home. With nowhere else to go, a job house-sitting in Cambridge seems like the perfect solution.

But it’s soon clear the absent owner hurts everyone he gets close to, and Ruby’s faced with the fallout. As violent repercussions unfold, her instinct is to investigate: it’s a matter of self-preservation. And besides, she’s curious…

But Ruby’s new boss, Nate Bastable, has his eye on her and seems determined to put a stop to her sleuthing. Is he simply worried for the welfare of a member of staff, or is there something altogether more complicated – and potentially dangerous – at play?

Publisher: Choc Lit (12 Feb. 2016)

 

My Thoughts:

The lead character in this book is Ruby, after splitting with her partner finds herself in a difficult situation with nowhere to go. She takes on a job as a house sitter. I have often thought a house sitter would be a great job – paid for living and keeping an eye on a house that you don’t have to pay any bills for, and usually really nice houses! After reading this book, I am a bit more sceptical! This house led to a lot of stressful encounters for Ruby. Great idea for a crime mystery though! 

This book leads us through Ruby and Nate’s point of view. Ruby is a great character, the Author has put enough detail and thought into Ruby that I could understand her thoughts and movements. Ruby is a writer and her investigations about her books show through in her interest into the mysteries she encounters in A Stranger’s House. She is brave yet emotional. If she weren’t emotional after all she had been through, the character wouldn’t have worked I think.  

Nate is a great character too, I didn’t understand him as easily as I did Ruby. I think the Author did this on purpose so that we are left guessing throughout the story. A side line character is Ruby’s friend Steph. I wasn’t as keen on her. I don’t think she was there for Ruby as much as she should have been. But as a side line character maybe we were only supposed to see glimpses of her?

I like that this story was based in Cambridge, you can tell the the Author is writing where she knows very well. I haven’t ever been to Cambridge, but I would re read this book if I were to visit. Although I enjoy crime books set in America, I always find the British based ones that tiny bit more relate-able.

There were twists and turns of suspense throughout this novel. It is a page turner to make me suspect everyone. But I didn’t guess until the last few chapters, just before Nate and Ruby. However, I had the insight of hearing the surrounding story which Nate and Ruby did not, despite Ruby’s investigating. As I think back over the book there are clue’s throughout, which made the ‘light bulb’s’ go on in my head as I considered them.

The Author’s imagination to create full rounded characters and great plot lines is what will keep me reading Clare Chase’s books even without knowing the synopsis. The expectations are set high for your third book Clare! Keep writing please!

 

 

Links:

GOODREADS

AMAZON.COM

AMAZON.CO.UK

Twitter/ClareChase_

ClareChase.com

 

 

Book Review: Out of the Darkness by Katy Hogan.

I would like to give many thanks to Author Katy Hogan for my copy of this book. I had read a few reviews of her book before I received it and it seemed to be very popular. I was happy to read this and to see for myself what I thought. On the back of Katy’s book it says:

“A person is like a candle’, he said ‘ The wick is the body, the flame is the soul, bringing light into the world”.

Katy also sent me a candle and a beautiful postcard / bookmark with butterflies on. As I read the book, I found this items so appropriate, thoughtful and enlightening. This is a truly beautiful book, and I am so glad that Katy asked me to review it. 

 

Description:

DOES EVERYTHING IN LIFE HAPPEN PURELY BY CHANCE? OR ARE WE GUIDED TOWARDS PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP US IN OUR HOUR OF NEED?
Following the sudden death of her beloved mother, Jessica Gibson’s world falls apart. But after meeting a man who seems heaven-sent, she starts to feel she has something to live for again, and soon discovers that their connection holds far more significance than she could ever have imagined. And when Jessica strikes an unlikely bond with Alexandra Green, the two new friends are taken on an emotional journey into the world of the supernatural, where psychic mediums pass on messages from beyond the grave. What — or who — is causing the strange goings-on in Alex’s home? What secret is she keeping from Jessica? And who is the young woman who so badly needs their help? In a series of surprising twists and turns, the pieces of the puzzle finally fall into place and a mystery is unwittingly solved — with life-changing consequences for all involved.
‘Out of the Darkness’ is an uplifting tale of friendship and redemption; of love and loss. And life…after death.

My Thoughts:

This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. It has feeling, emotion, love, loss and friendship of the truest kind. When I first started to read this, I was a little hesitant that it was going to be to sad, but I am so glad I read it. After the initial first chapter where Jessica is so eaten up by her grief, we see the start of the whole story coming together. We meet Alex who has her own concerns, and then we see the relationships between the characters develop. There are three main characters in this book, and in each one we can see their pain but also their incredible ability to love. 

There was one part in this book, that made me miss a breathe for a moment. It took me totally by surprise and it was a key element to the story which for me brought it all together. This was the moment in the book where I knew it was a 5 star read and I would be thinking about it long after I had finished reading. There are many aspects which got me thinking in this book, aside from the characters and the plot. For me, this made me think about fate, and a saying that I was once told by someone special:

“What’s for you, won’t go by you!”

As I read, the images on the cover of the book became more and more relevant, and although I liked the cover before I read the book, I really like it now that I have finished reading it. 

The Author is a very talented and empathetic writer, her descriptive words create such images in the readers minds that I was totally encapsulated into this story and into Jessica and Alex’s lives. Katy Hogan speaks with true spiritual wisdom, and her words will bring comfort to many who read this book. Just one example of many:

“Distance is merely physical, she reflected. If you are close in your hearts, close in a spiritual sense, then no matter how far the distance, you are still together – always”

There is so much I could say about this book, but I want to finish this review with a song that will forever make me think of this book. If you have read you will know. If you haven’t read, GO READ! 

 

Links:

GOODREADS

AMAZON.COM

AMAZON.CO.UK

Twitter/KatyHogan

 

 

The Death of Anyone, by D J Swykert. Book Review and Author’s Inspiration!

This is a book that I have been intrigued about, I love crime and legal thrillers. I was excited when the Author D J Swykert asked if I would be interested in reading and reviewing his book. Of course I did! Thank you DJ. And guess what…..

I was so intrigued by the main discussion point of this book that I asked the Author to write me a guest post on familial DNA and what the legalities are and how this influenced his creativity and inspiration for this book. You can read this at the end of my post, after my review. Its really interesting!

Description:

Detroit homicide Detective Bonnie Benham has been transferred from narcotics for using more than arresting and is working the case of the killer of adolescent girls. CSI collects DNA evidence from the scene of the latest victim, which has not been detected on the other victims. But no suspect turns up in the FBI database. Due to the notoriety of the crimes a task force is put together with Bonnie as the lead detective, and she implores the D.A. to authorize an as yet unapproved type of a DNA Search in an effort to identify the killer. Homicide Detective Neil Jensen, with his own history of drug and alcohol problems, understands Bonnie’s frailty and the two detectives become inseparable as they track this killer of children.

Published February 25th 2013 by Melange Books, LLC

MyThoughts:

This book interested me straight away from the blurb when the Author told us that an ‘as yet unapproved type of DNA search’ is requested to be used. I really enjoy legal / criminal /mystery type books, especially when you know the Author knows his stuff. DJ Swykert really did his homework with this novel! This book is filled with gritty crime scenes, detectives trying to work out what was going on and who was the criminal despite there seemingly being no leads. But what about this ethical DNA evidential dilemma? Bonnie has to convince her boss’s that is it a good idea, but is it ethical? and does the end justify the means? 

“They do this as policy in the UK, but it’s not common practice here in the states. There are only two states, California and Colorado, that even have a policy on it…..”

We follow Bonnie as the hardcore detective on this case, and Jensen who becomes more than just a cop to Bonnie! We also have Lagrow who is Bonnie’s partner. Bonnie’s character is really well developed, we get a great insight into her mind and why she does the things that she does. She has had her challenges in life, but this just equates to the reader seeing her as a ‘real’ and believable character.

“Knowing something and accepting something are two different things.”

The book was fast paced, a real page turner that I just wanted to keep reading. You know the kind whereby, you think I’ll just finish this chapter, but as you finish it another twist of excitement, wonder, intrigue happens and then you just need to read another one! Swykert is very vivid and descriptive in his words, I would say this book is not for the timid types. His descriptions of the victims of these crimes are beyond my imagination in the evilness of humans! How somebody can do these awful crimes is beyond me, and it is a comforting thought (for me to believe) that this is only fiction! However saying that, the crime force that are working to find and capture this criminal are bad assed, tough guys! Bonnie makes a great point when she says:

“Maybe that’s why we’ve never had any contact with aliens, they take one look at what’s going on down here and head back into outer space…”

Aside from reading the book, I was really interested in the facts of familial DNA, and through a few emails, the Author explained to me how he came across it and how it came as inspiration for his book. I am very pleased to be able to share this information with you all, and hope that you will find it as interesting as I do.

From the Author about familial DNA and his inspiration for A Death of Anyone

 Unique DNA Search Catches the Grim Sleeper

By DJ Swykert.

The underlying theme in The Death of Anyone, Melange Books, poses the Machiavellian question: Does the end justify the means? Bonnie Benham, the lead detective in my story, has her own answer. But the legality of this question will be answered in a real life courtroom in the California trial of a serial killer dubbed by the media: The Grim Sleeper. Lonnie David Franklin, the Grim Sleeper, was caught because his son’s DNA was the closest match to DNA collected at the crime scenes in the database.

Investigating Franklin’s son led them to investigate Lonnie Franklin. But there was no direct DNA evidence that linked Lonnie to the crime scene until they obtained a sample from him after his arrest. Lonnie Franklin will be the first person in the U.S. to ever stand trial for murder based on this type of evidence, and its admissibility issues will be thoroughly tested by defense attorneys.

 Only two states at this time, California and Colorado, have a written policy concerning the use of Familial DNA in an investigation. The admission of Familial DNA, with its potential Fourth Amendment violations, has never been tested in court. The California trial of Lonnie David Franklin will become a landmark case for the future use of Familial DNA Searches by law enforcement agencies nationwide.

This is an update on the legal progress of the trial. Franklin was arrested on July 7, 2010, The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office charged him with ten counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and special circumstance allegations of multiple murders in the cases. A grand jury indictment was issued on March 23, 2011. The Grim Sleeper has been resting comfortably in jail since his arrest awaiting trial; the large quantity of evidence in this case, some dating back thirty years, has caused a lengthy pretrial discovery.

The trial was originally scheduled to begin the summer of 2014, but was put on hold. It was rescheduled for June 30, 2015, but that didn’t happen. On Monday August 17, 2015, at a pretrial hearing, the trial was rescheduled for October 14, 2015, which also didn’t happen. The trial finally began on February 16th, 2016 and is currently in the defense phase.

I first heard of the technique while working as a 911 operator in 2006. It came up in conversation with officers. I thought at the time it would make an interesting premise for a book. I began writing the mystery some three years later after leaving the department. I had just finished editing a first draft of The Death of Anyone in the summer 2010 when news of The Grim Sleeper’s capture in Los Angeles was released. I read with interest all the information pouring out of L.A. regarding the investigation and the problems confronting prosecutors. All of which are explored in The Death of Anyone. 

In my fictional story Detroit Detective Bonnie Benham has been transferred from working undercover in narcotics to homicide and is working the case of a killer of adolescent girls. She is a straight forward investigator who describes herself as a blonde with a badge and a gun. CSI collects DNA evidence from the scene of the latest victim, which had not been detected on the other victims. But no suspect turns up in the FBI database. Due to the notoriety of the crimes a task force is put together with Bonnie as the lead detective, and she implores the D.A. to use an as yet unapproved type of a DNA Search in an effort to identify the killer. 

The Death of Anyone is available on the Melange Books website and also on Amazon.com in Kindle and print formats.

Bio:

DJ Swykert is a former 911 operator writing and living in the Cincinnati area. His work has appeared in The Tampa Review, Detroit News, Coe Review, Monarch Review, the Newer York, Lunch Ticket, Gravel, Zodiac Review, Barbaric Yawp and Bull. His books include Children of the Enemy, Sweat Street, Alpha Wolves, The Pool Boy’s Beatitude and Maggie Elizabeth Harrington. You can find him at: www.magicmasterminds.com/djswykert. He is a wolf expert

LINKS:

GOODREADS

AMAZON.COM

AMAZON.CO.UK

Twitter/djswykert

 

Have you read any of DJ Swykert’s books? are you going to? Have you heard of familial DNA before? Tell me your thoughts, I would love to hear from you. 

 

 

Book Review & Giveaway: A Death in the Valley by John Gruffydd.

Thank you to publishers Austin Macauley for my copy of this book. I was particularly interested when they got in touch with this book as it is a crime thriller based in the valleys of Wales, which is where I am from. Keep reading to see what I thought of it….

 

Description:

Told from the perspective of Gareth, an honest loyal retired solicitor, this is a mystery in the best tradition with twists and turns that keep you turning pages until the end. John Gruffydd takes you with Gareth, asking; is anyone as they first seem? Who can he trust? Can he trust his own instincts? Showing great understanding of police and legal processes, Gruffydd also shows such insight into human nature that you will start to look into your own heart to question, if it were me, what would I do?

 

My Thoughts:

I was intrigued by the blurb of this book, especially when it said :

“…..you will start to look into your own heart to question, if it were me, what would I do?” – I was watching out for the parts that made me consider what I would do…

The story follows Gareth, a retired solicitor as he is asked to take on another case as it involves people he knew and worked with. The story is mainly based in Pentreglo, where within the first chapter I was gripped by the characters and the wonder of what is going on here!?

The book does a great job of making you wonder who do you trust? and do you really know people? There were multiple characters within the book who could bring out different emotions within me as the reader – compassion, anger, sadness and laughter. The plot of this book takes us from a little Welsh village to Cardiff and then Spain. There were twists that I didn’t see coming and I was left guessing right until the end who was the untrustworthy one! This is just the kind of book that I love, one where you can tell the Author has experience of the tale he writes, I suspect that Gruffydd has done some legal work in his time. He kept us suspended until the end, but gave us enough storyline and information so that we can consider every character and are they really as they come across. I totally see what the Author means when he wrote:

‘is anyone as they seem?‘ – I have to say I did suspect the ‘criminal’, but then I considered everyone, so I cannot claim to have guessed the twist! 

I love John Gruffydd’s style of writing, he writes so eloquently but he adds in real comedy within his characters. I found his main character Gareth so funny, even though ‘Gareth’ wasn’t trying to be funny, I think he seemed to me to be a grumpy older man who thinks a lot! He did make me laugh! I haven’t read a thriller that has made me laugh before, so I really applaud Gruffydd for this and I would certainly read more of his work just based on his writing style. 

“….she had commented that they were arriving in dribs and drabs. That was enough to set me off, and pedantic as ever, I had demanded to know whether we were a drib or a drab”

Another part of this book and Author that I loved was I could tell his nationality so openly and obviously (to me), as he scattered in Welsh colloquial language. This was so nice. If you don’t understand Welsh, don’t worry, it is obvious what he means. However if you are Welsh I really recommend this book. 

“You come here with your posh voice and fancy manners treating me as if I’m twp”

I really enjoyed this book, it was full of suspense, quick witted humour and a lovely dose of Welsh-ness! I absolutely recommend it. 

The generous Author and publishers at Austin MaCauley have let me host a giveaway whereby I can offer 5 paperback copies of this book. I am going to giveaway 3 from my rafflecopter giveaway and 2 from my Twitter account. If you think this book sounds good, enter my giveaways and wish yourself luck. I’d love to hear the winners thoughts on the book. Good luck readers! 

Links:

GOODREADS

AMAZON.CO.UK

AMAZON.COM

Twitter – AustinMacauley

www.austinmacauley.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Competition now closed, the winners are Donna @choconwaffles,  Florence,  Dawn @3obriens Rhonda @rhondareads Liz @Cvr_2_Cvr . Congratulations, I hope you all enjoy the book. I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

Do you like the sound of this book? Have you read any books based in Wales or in your home town? Do you think you will pick this book up? Let me know your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

Mini Review: Purple, Silver, Olive, Orange: A Short Story by Helen Smith

Mini Review. 

As you might know, I enjoy reading short stories every now then to break up the longer novels. I like a quick beginning, middle and an end. This book was offered as a free download on Amazon, as part of Helen’s newsletter. I think at the moment, it is available for 99p.

Description:

An entertaining short story set in a futuristic England, Purple, Silver, Olive, Orange is a bite-sized introduction to Helen Smith’s writing.

Sarah wanted a sensitive, poetic, romantic boyfriend who would bring her flowers. Ryan ticks all the boxes. So why isn’t Sarah happy?

 

My Thoughts:

This was a really intriguing read. The description was quite vague so I didn’t really know what to expect. The title, description and cover didn’t give much away. Actually I really liked this, as I went into the book not knowing what to expect, but was very pleasantly surprised. 

We hear of the two characters Sarah and Ryan who are in a relationship. We are not sure how long they have been together or at what stage it is at. They get a visitor who shakes things up a bit for them.

The clue is in the description, but I just browsed over that…… Futuristic!  

I haven’t read any of Helen Smith’s books before, but this bite sized read had shown me that I like her writing style. I have read other reviews on the book where people have said ‘there’s a message to appreciate what you have’. I guess you could see this, but I just wanted a quick read that was a bit quirky, and that’s exactly the way I took it. 

Have you read this, or any of Helen Smith’s books? If you have please recommend me the best one? If you haven’t what do you think of the sound of this little treat?

 

Links:

GOODREADS

AMAZON.CO.UK

AMAZON.COM

Twitter

HelenSmithBooks.com