England

Bookouture Blog Tour for HOME IS WHERE THE LIES LIVE by Kerry Wilkinson

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I love a twisty thriller and this one had me reading it straight through! I wanted to figure out what each of these characters were up to and who was hiding what. It reminded me of a Shari Lapena read, if you enjoy her novels (I do!). When I read these novels, I just want to move to England and live in one of these neighborhoods (but no murders, please!). And no, I did not figure it all out. And look at that author bio. This author is on a roll!! He’s definitely one to watch.

Thank you for my copy, for letting me participate in the tour, and for giving me the opportunity to share this one with readers!

Book Description:

Even the most perfect home can hide shocking secrets. But on this peaceful street, is one of them dangerous enough to kill for?

Young married couple Heidi and Freddie just moved to Huntington Grove. All the neighbours see they are friendly and polite but why is one door in their house always locked?

Across the street, Willow tries not to argue with her teenage daughter – even as her marriage is falling apart. And where does her husband really go each night, leaving the bed beside her cold?

Feeling lonely, she always waves hello to single dad Dylan next door. His wife died in a tragic murder. The culprit was never found. It’s no surprise there are rumours he was involved…

On a beautiful sunny day, it’s time for the whole street to gather for a summer party. Everyone plasters on a fake smile. But soon the picnic tables will be overturned, sirens will blare – and one of the residents will be marched away in police handcuffs.

Everyone at the party will be questioned. But everyone will lie…And with every household hiding something, who has a secret big enough to kill for?

An absolutely addictive psychological thriller that proves you can never really know what goes on behind closed doors. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Shari Lapena and The Perfect Marriage.

Author Bio:

Kerry Wilkinson is from the English county of Somerset but has spent far too long living in the north. It’s there that he’s picked up possibly made-up regional words like ‘barm’ and ‘ginnel’. He pretends to know what they mean.

He’s also been busy since turning thirty: his Jessica Daniel crime series has sold more than a million copies in the UK; he has written a fantasy-adventure trilogy for young adults; a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter and the standalone thriller, Down Among The Dead Men.

https://kerrywilkinson.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KerryWilkinsonBooks/
https://twitter.com/kerrywk

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Kerry Wilkinson here: https://www.bookouture.com/kerry-wilkinson

Buy Link: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0DLP7KZ12social

Blog Tour for Verity Bright’s A MIDWINTER MURDER

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If you know me, you know I love a good, historical mystery, and this series with Lady Eleanor is so fun to read. It reminds me of an Agatha Christie – lots of good suspects and everyone is gathering on estates and such in England in the past. Plus Lady Eleanor has a sweet doggo – what’s there not to like?

It’s hard to believe that this title is number 20 in the series. I have read them in order as they came out, but you can read them as stand alones, too. This one had a Christmas theme — fun reading!

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!

Here’s the scoop:

Homemade baubles, reindeer-shaped cookies and snowy walks across the rolling moors… but Lady Swift’s festive plans are ruined when a body turns up!

Winter 1924. When Lady Eleanor Swift unexpectedly finds herself a guest of the reclusive Duke of Auldwyke, she’s determined to enjoy Christmas with all the trimmings at his sprawling manor house. And that includes kisses under the mistletoe and cozying up by the fire with her fiancé, dashing detective Hugh Seldon.

Instead, the season of goodwill turns frosty as she finds the Duke’s studious secretary, Mr Porritt, dead in the storeroom. Clasped in his chilly hand is a golden pendant in the shape of a rose. The Duke denies ever having seen the necklace before. But Eleanor can see the lies in his eyes… Did it belong to his mysteriously absent wife?

Hugh and Eleanor must ditch relaxing with hot cocoa in favour of interviewing the Duke’s holiday guests. Every suspect has a secret they’d kill to keep: the socialite with the false name, the Sir with a questionable inheritance and the husband hiding a crack in his marriage.

As the blizzard outside rages, Auldwyke Hall becomes cut off. Trapped by the snow, Eleanor and Hugh must skate around the increasingly secretive Duke to unwrap the identity of the killer. But does the answer to the secretary’s murder lie with a ghost of Christmas past? And when an attempt is made on the Duke’s life too, they realise the killer is closer than they think…

A gripping and twisty Golden Age murder mystery set in a country house on the Yorkshire moors, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss!

Author Bio:

Confident woman at office with laptop computer, mobile phone, and schedule notebook.Gradients, Blending tool, Clipping mask is used.

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

https://twitter.com/BrightVerity

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Verity Bright here: https://www.bookouture.com/verity-bright

Buy Link: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0DH4SVQ3Wsocial

Bookouture Blog Tour for Fliss Chester’s Death in the Mayfair Hotel

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I absolutely adore this fun cozy mystery series set in the 1920’s. Cressida is always bumping onto trouble and I love that she goes everywhere with her little pug, Ruby. There’s always a lively cast of characters in each story and it will keep you guessing! I also love “holiday reads”, set during the holiday season.

Are you a fan of Rhys Bowen’s Lady Georgie (Royal Spyness series)? If so, you will certainly enjoy this series by Fliss Chester!

Book Description:

In a candlelit ballroom, London’s most fashionable amateur sleuth, Cressida Fawcett, is dancing the night away in her sparkling silk dress. It’s a night Cressida will never forget. Because outside the window, there’s a body under the falling snow…

Christmas Eve, 1925. The Honourable Cressida Fawcett is delighted to attend an exclusive ball at London’s glamorous Mayfair Hotel. When she steps out into the moonlit courtyard with her little pug Ruby wrapped in her furs, she is thrilled to see a dashing man propose to her best pal under the swirling snowflakes. But instead of squealing ‘yes’, Dotty lets out a terrified scream…

Because floating in the fountain, with her long blonde hair rippling in the ice-cold water, is the body of their dear friend Lady Victoria Beaumont.

It’s clear the wealthy young beauty was murdered, whacked over the head with a bottle of champagne. Would Victoria’s elderly husband Lord Beaumont kill his wife over rumours of her younger beau? Or did someone clobber Victoria to prevent her producing an heir for the Beaumont fortune?

A snowstorm prevents the authorities from arriving, and just as Cressida searches for clues, she finds herself locked inside a large wicker hamper. Why does the scent of the hamper’s smoky luxury tea remind her of the crime scene? And will a suspiciously rotund Ruby follow her snuffly nose and find Cressida in the nick of time?

Trapped in the hotel with a killer lurking among the guests, will Cressida lose someone dear to her heart? And when she finds a clue among the Christmas crackers, can Cressida solve her most mysterious case yet?

The perfect cozy whodunnit for a cold winter’s night. Fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss won’t be able to put this down!

Author Bio:

Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter.

https://www.instagram.com/flisschester/

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Fliss Chester here: https://www.bookouture.com/fliss-chester

Buy Link: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CZPCRZS2social

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!

Bookouture Blog Tour for Katie Gayle’s Murder on a Country Walk

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I LOVE this series – cozy mysteries featuring Julia Bird, former social worker, single older woman, and dog lover! In this one a body is found off a cliff near a popular walking trail and Julia is sure that it is not an accident. I actually didn’t figure this one out in advance either.

Thank you for my copy and for having me on the tour!

Book Description:

Julia Bird loves a walk in the countryside. There’s nothing quite like the fresh air and green rolling hills of the Cotswolds to clear your head. Unless you come across a dead body, that is…

When the local Berrywick vet, Dr Eve Davies, is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, the police believe it’s nothing more than a tragic accident, but Julia isn’t so sure. Just a few days earlier when she took her dog, Jake, to the vets, Dr Eve said she believed something awful was about to happen. It turns out she was right…

But who would want the beloved village vet dead? Was it her mother Kay, a down-and-out gambler who stands to inherit her unwedded daughter’s home? Was it her assistant Olga, who was close to getting fired? Or was it her cut-throat tennis partner Will, with whom Dr Eve had an argument shortly before she took a tumble? And who is the stranger skulking around Berrywick peering into people’s windows?

When a second body appears in the exact spot where Dr Eve was found, Julia knows it can’t be a coincidence. Both victims were pushed off the cliff, but why? Should Julia let sleeping dogs lie, or will she be like a dog with a bone to find the murderer?

A totally gripping and charming cosy mystery set in the English countryside. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands will love the Julia Bird Mysteries.

Author Bio:

Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. 

https://www.facebook.com/KatieGayleWriter

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Katie Gayle here: https://www.bookouture.com/katie-gayle

Buy Link: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CY6BCMFNsocial

Bookouture Blog Tour for GIRL NEXT DOOR by Karen King

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Nothing says summer like a suspenseful read you can’t put down! This was a great read and I kept thinking how it’d make a super engaging limited series on Netflix. It felt a bit like a Harlan Coben mystery. It kept me up for two nights until I finished it. I did like the ending as well!

Book Description:

My darling son is accused of attacking the girl next door. He would never do this… Would he?

I have the perfect family: my loving, devoted partner. Our sons, so thoughtful and affectionate despite their teenage angst. But everything changes when our friendly neighbours move in.

Their daughter Rachel is so pretty and bubbly. Her giggles float over our garden fence. I can see our boys are falling for her, fighting for her affection.

Then Rachel falls from her bedroom window. Her life is hanging in the balance. And to my horror, her parents think my son Jacob pushed her.

I know my sensitive son would never do such a thing, but he is hiding something. A mother always knows, doesn’t she? And who is spreading nasty rumours in our neighbourhood about me and my partner, about history repeating itself?

Then I find Rachel’s broken sunflower necklace in my home, and my world falls apart. It’s unbearable, but I must face the truth. Someone’s child is fighting for their life. And someone in my family hurt her.

With Rachel at death’s door, is Jacob in terrible danger too? And how far will I have to go to protect him?

A totally unputdownable and thrilling psychological suspense novel with a gasp-out-loud twist. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Clare Mackintosh and K.L. Slater.

Author Bio:

Karen King was born in Birmingham and has always enjoyed reading and writing. She’s been published for over thirty years, in a variety of genres for both children and adults. She loves writing about the complexities of relationships. Her first three books for Bookouture were romances where relationships came right, she has now turned to the darker side of relationships, writing two psychological thrillers about relationships that go badly wrong. Karen now lives in Spain where she loves to spend her non-writing time exploring the quaint local towns with her husband, Dave, when she isn’t sunbathing or swimming in the pool, that is.

https://karenkingauthor.com/

https://www.instagram.com/karenkingauthor/

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Karen King here: https://www.bookouture.com/karen-king

Buy Link: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0D274VT3Gsocial

Thank you for the opportunity to read and take part in this tour!

The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly

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I somehow overlooked this title in my Net Galley list, but I’m SO glad I discovered it! I loved this story of a group of women who, over many years, are connected by their love and dedication to a garden on an English estate. Such a lovely story and such memorable characters! I love Julia Kelly’s writing; this story reminded me of another beloved author: Kate Morton. If you enjoy this type of historical fiction, don’t miss it!

Thank you for my review e-galley!

Description

From the author of the international bestseller The Light Over London and The Whispers of War comes a poignant and unforgettable tale of five women living across three different times whose lives are all connected by one very special place.

Present day: Emma Lovett, who has dedicated her career to breathing new life into long-neglected gardens, has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to restore the gardens of the famed Highbury House estate, designed in 1907 by her hero Venetia Smith. But as Emma dives deeper into the gardens’ past, she begins to uncover secrets that have long lain hidden.

1907: A talented artist with a growing reputation for her ambitious work, Venetia Smith has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer to industrialists, solicitors, and bankers looking to show off their wealth with sumptuous country houses. When she is hired to design the gardens of Highbury House, she is determined to make them a triumph, but the gardens—and the people she meets—promise to change her life forever.

1944: When land girl Beth Pedley arrives at a farm on the outskirts of the village of Highbury, all she wants is to find a place she can call home. Cook Stella Adderton, on the other hand, is desperate to leave Highbury House to pursue her own dreams. And widow Diana Symonds, the mistress of the grand house, is anxiously trying to cling to her pre-war life now that her home has been requisitioned and transformed into a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers. But when war threatens Highbury House’s treasured gardens, these three very different women are drawn together by a secret that will last for decades.

In this sweeping novel reminiscent of Kate Morton’s The Lake House and Kristin Harmel’s The Room on Rue Amélie, Julia Kelly explores the unexpected connections that cross time and the special places that bring people together forever.

HTP Blog Tour for BEYOND SUMMERLAND by Jenny Lecoat

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I’m taking part today in the blog tour for Beyond Summerland, an engaging and somewhat intense read of post-WWII. Jean’s father has been arrested for owning (and using) a radio during German occupation in the Channel Islands, and she is trying to keep her and her mother’s life together while they search for where he might be. This is complicated by secrets that more than one person are trying to keep. This is a memorable read and beautifully written. Lecoat’s writing is wonderfully evocative of time and place. I had read her first novel The Girl from the Channel Islands in 2021.

Description

“From the explosive opening to the profound ending, Beyond Summerland is a wonder of storytelling. With a rich setting and secrets shimmering at the core of the narrative, Jenny Lecoat offers up everything we seek in historical fiction.”–Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea

In her spellbinding new novel, New York Times bestselling author Jenny Lecoat explores the secrets and lies in a small community recovering from war, and the two young women at the center of a volatile mystery.

The German occupation is over. The Channel Islands, the only captured territory within the British Isles, are finally liberated. But the people of Jersey are left as scarred as the landscape. No longer a “summerland” holiday paradise, the island now boils with tension as locals seek revenge on anyone suspected of collaborating with the enemy during the war.

Nineteen-year-old Jean Parris, still adjusting to this fractious peace, is shocked to learn that Hazel, a teacher who lives over her dad’s shop, may be responsible for her father’s wartime arrest. Hazel denies all accusations but has reasons to conceal what really happened.

As rumors of Hazel’s guilt swell to a fury, Jean discovers new clues that suggest there were other, more sinister factors at play. When Hazel learns of Jean’s own ruinous secret, the women form an unexpected bond that sets them apart from the rest of Jean’s family and the frenzied demands for retribution. But in the end, Jean’s need to know the truth about her father may consume everything she once believed about her home, her family and herself.

About the Author

Jenny Lecoat was born in the Channel Islands where, only sixteen years earlier, Nazis had deported members of her family to concentration camps for resistance activities. Following an early career in stand-up comedy and writing features for magazines and newspapers, she became a screenwriter. Her feature film Another Mother’s Son, about her family’s experiences during the Occupation, was released in the UK in 2017. The Girl from the Channel Islands was her first novel.

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!

Bookouture Blog Tour for MURDER IN MAYFAIR by Verity Bright

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I love this series of cozy mysteries featuring Lady Eleanor. If you enjoy Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series, or Fliss Chester’s historical mysteries, you would most probably enjoy this series as well! They are always well-plotted and clever, and you can read them as stand-alones or all in order. I have not read all of them but have enjoyed the ones I have read. Of course I enjoy just about anything that takes place in England and is historical!

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!

Here’s the scoop on this installment!

Tea and cake at The Ritz, a stolen pearl necklace and a missing dead body… Lady Swift is back on the case!

Lady Eleanor Swift has been eagerly awaiting her trip in a hot air balloon to take in London’s amazing sights. But what she witnesses instead is a murder! From way up high she sees man in a dark coat shoot another man dead, but by the time she arrives back on the ground, Eleanor can find no trace of the body. Just the broken piece of a pearl necklace clasp, trodden into the dirt.

Back at The Ritz hotel, over afternoon tea, Eleanor’s old friend Lady Philomena Chadwick confides in her about a scandalous theft. Lady Chadwick is certain someone on her staff has stolen her priceless pink pearl necklace. Eleanor is immediately suspicious when the description matches the jewellery she spotted at the crime scene.

Much to her butler Clifford’s amusement, Eleanor goes undercover as a governess in the Chadwick’s sparkling Mayfair mansion. As she sets about questioning the disgruntled staff, she uncovers a treasure trove of gossip. But how do a secret love affair, a flirty footman with a fondness for spying, and a housemaid hiding a nightly visitor connect to the murder?

And when Eleanor’s beau, Detective Hugh Seldon, is brought in to investigate a string of further robberies in Park Lane, Eleanor is certain that Chadwick House is hiding the unlikeliest gang of jewel thieves below stairs…

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but will this necklace get Eleanor killed before she uncovers the hidden gem she needs to crack the case?

Murder in Mayfair is a totally gripping and twisty Golden Age whodunnit set in London, perfect for fans of T.E. Kinsey, Agatha Christie and Catherine Coles!

And who is Verity Bright??

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s. You can buy the first book in the series, A Very English Murder, on Amazon now.

Bookouture Blog Tour for YOU, ME, HER by Sue Watson

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I always love the books I get through Bookouture and this one was no exception. Nothing says “summer” like a suspenseful, thriller that I have to actually lie around in bed until almost noon so that I can read it in one sitting. Yes, I cannot lie. Could. Not. Stop. Reading. (Thank goodness my family is able to care for themselves quite adequately!).

Here’s the scoop:

Book Description:

Three people. One marriage. One murder.

YOU: My handsome husband Tom. You’ve given me everything – our beautiful son and our perfect new seaside home. I want to trust you, but I know you haven’t been honest about why you really wanted to move here. I haven’t been honest with you either…

ME: I make a secret promise as Tom kisses me and pours a glass of ice-cold wine to toast the first night in our dream house: I’m going to forget about his past. For the sake of our son, I’ll keep this family together, no matter what.

HER: Chloe is the only friend I’ve made since the move. I love our long lunches, even though she asks prying questions about my marriage. Tom hates me spending time with her, but I ignore his warning to stay away. I’ve seen the way he looks at her. It’s better to keep your enemies close…

You may think you know what’s going on in my marriage, but you’ll be wrong. Only three things are true: Someone is a liar. Someone is in danger. Someone is a killer.

Fans of The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and The Girl on the Train will love this absolutely jaw-dropping psychological thriller. With twist after twist, you won’t be able to put this book down!

Author Bio: (I love this picture. I just want to sit down and have a cup of tea with Ms. Watson and chat about her books).

Sue Watson was a journalist on national magazines and newspapers before becoming a TV producer with the BBC.
Now a USA Today bestselling author, Sue explores the darker side of life, writing psychological thrillers with big twists.
Originally from Manchester, she now lives with her family in leafy Worcestershire where much of her day is spent writing – and procrastinating. Her hobby is eating cake while watching diet and exercise programmes from the sofa, a skill she’s perfected after many years of practice.

http://www.suewatsonbooks.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sue.watson.39501
https://www.instagram.com/suewatsonbooks/
https://twitter.com/suewatsonwriter

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Sue Watson here: https://www.bookouture.com/sue-watson

Buy Link: (not affiliated with BBNB)

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CZ4VTRZGsocial

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!

Happy Reading!!

The Last Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal

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I love the Maggie Hope series by Susan Elia MacNeal, so I was thrilled to get the latest installment. These mysteries are so interesting as I learn a lot about espionage during WWII. I love the character of Maggie and how she is a strong, independent woman and so smart! Susan MacNeal has great pacing in her works and is definitely a writer who does her research.

Here’s the scoop — and is this really the LAST book in this series??? I guess we will wait and see….

Description

All will be revealed in this no-holds-barred finale of the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated Maggie Hope series as the intrepid spy teams up with fashion designer—and possible double agent—Coco Chanel to bring down the physicist behind Nazi Germany’s nuclear program.

“Intrepid Maggie Hope’s high-stakes mission is fraught with danger and moral questions. . . . A heartfelt story.”—Cara Black, New York Times bestselling author of Three Hours in Paris

Maggie Hope has come a long way since she was Mr. Churchill’s secretary. In the face of tremendous danger, she’s learned espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance. But things are different now that she has so much to lose, including the possibility of a family with John Sterling, the man who’s long held her heart.

British Intelligence has ordered Maggie to assassinate Werner Heisenberg, the physicist who may deliver a world-ending fission bomb for Germany. She’s shaken. An assassination is unlike anything she has ever done. How can the Allies even be sure Nazi Germany has a bomb? Determined to gather more information, Maggie travels to Madrid, where Heisenberg is visiting for a lecture.

At the same time, couturier Coco Chanel, a spy in her own right with ambiguous loyalties, has requested a mysterious meeting with the British ambassador in Madrid—and has requested Maggie join them. As the two play a dangerous game of cat and mouse, Maggie tries to get a better understanding of Heisenberg, but is faced with betrayal and a threat more terrifying than losing her own life.

Maggie desperately wants to find her happily-ever-after, but as the war reaches a fever pitch, the stakes keep rising. Now, more than ever, the choices she makes will reverberate around the globe, touching everyone she loves—with fateful implications for the future of the free world.

So so so good!!! Thank you for my review copy!