Sweetpea by C J Skuse

Sweetpea by C.J. Skuse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 384

Publisher - HQ

Source - Gift from O/H

Blurb from Goodreads

The last person who called me ‘Sweetpea’ ended up dead…

I haven’t killed anyone for three years and I thought that when it happened again I’d feel bad. Like an alcoholic taking a sip of whisky. But no. Nothing. I had a blissful night’s sleep. Didn’t wake up at all. And for once, no bad dream either. This morning I feel balanced. Almost sane, for once.

Rhiannon is your average girl next door, settled with her boyfriend and little dog…but she’s got a killer secret.

Although her childhood was haunted by a famous crime, Rhinannon’s life is normal now that her celebrity has dwindled. By day her job as an editorial assistant is demeaning and unsatisfying. By evening she dutifully listens to her friend’s plans for marriage and babies whilst secretly making a list.

A kill list.

From the man on the Lidl checkout who always mishandles her apples, to the driver who cuts her off on her way to work, to the people who have got it coming, Rhiannon’s ready to get her revenge.

Because the girl everyone overlooks might be able to get away with murder…




My review

Rhiannon is working as an editorial assistant for a newspaper, once Rhiannon was the news, front page now she can't get a chance to write something proper. But Rhiannon has bigger issues than bitchy colleagues and a crappy set of stories to write. Rhiannon is a killer, brutal but always in control, well almost always. Every day she has a list of people she could kill, if an opportunity presents itself she takes it all whilst juggling her own problems. A boyfriend who is playing away, work colleagues who either don't value her or can see through her mask, Rhiannon needs to up her game. Especially when some of her "activities" have started to make the news themselves.

You know from the offset who the killer is, sure it tells you in the blurb. We hear from Rhiannon in first person narrative so we know her thoughts/feelings/insights which some will love some will hate, I enjoyed it. The warnings, if you are easily offended this is not the book for you. Graphic sexual references, crude, dirty ooft she has a mouth on her that would make a sailor blush. Brutal killings, infidelity, sex, violence, unpc humour, she is hilarious at points but it is one of those you laugh and think oh I shouldn't. I will check out more by this author, if bad language, brutal gutter mouth and unpc humour makes you uncomfortable then this isn't the book for you. If you don't mind a book that pushes it, rude, crude, funny, brutal then this one ticks the boxes for you. 4/5 for me this time!

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Bring Me Back by B A Paris Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the newest offering by B A Paris "Bring Me Back". Please check out the other blog tour stops on the poster as you find, generally, all stops offer different content.





I have to include a picture of the book itself, the page ridges were yellow and I think small touches like that, matching the ink on the cover just draws you immediately to it.





Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 384

Publisher - HQ

Source - Advanced Review Copy

Blurb from Goodreads

A young British couple are driving through France on holiday when they stop for gas. He runs in to pay, she stays in the car. When he returns her car door has been left open, but she's not inside. No one ever sees her again.

Ten years later he's engaged to be married; he's happy, and his past is only a tiny part his life now. Until he comes home from work and finds his new wife-to-be is sitting on their sofa. She's turning something over in her fingers, holding it up to the light. Something that would have no worth to anyone else, something only he and she would know about because his wife is the sister of his missing first love.

As more and more questions are raised, their marriage becomes strained. Has his first love somehow come back to him after all this time? Or is the person who took her playing games with his mind?



My Review

Lets kick it off by saying I have read the author's previous books and really enjoyed them. I think she had a unique voice in her writing that draws you in quickly. We meet Finn McQuaid, talking about the night his girlfriend disappeared 12 years ago and the statement he gave the poilce, admitting it was not quite the truth! What a way to open a book eh, I am super nosey so needed to know why wasn't it the truth, why did he lie or omit details and of course what happened to his girlfriend Layla. We flip to the present day, Finn has moved on and has a new partner that may raise a fair few eyebrows. We flip from present to past, back and forth getting an insight into Finn's world, what things were like in the before and now with the past catching up.

Paris creates a great suspense, thrilling atmosphere, teasing the readers with snippets of details and you know very quickly something isn't right, but what? The chapters are relatively short which is great for dipping in and out however, if like me, one chapters turns into ten you will just race through. I wouldn't advise reading this if you are just wanting one chapter before bed as you will have a late night for sure.

There are three main characters really, Ellen the new(ish) partner of Finn, Finn himself and Layla, despite being missing she is still very there especially in the then throwbacks. We learn the kind of man Finn is, what he has endured and how Layla going missing has shaped him as a man. The breakdown of characters psych as they experience what I can only describe as a type of cat and mouse game and how that impacts not only on them but their relationships and interactions to those around them.

As I said I do really enjoy Paris's writing, I do hope her next book is already being penned and we don't have to wait too long for it. All the books are standalone's and I think Paris is an author for watching, she creates characters that despite liking or hating them you are left wanting more and more. I really enjoyed this book, 4.5 out of 5 for me, if you like page turners and being kept on your toes I think you will love this!

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