No Mercy by Martina Cole

No Mercy by Martina Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over a few days

Pages - 436

Publisher - Headline

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Family always comes first. Until now.

Get ready for the ultimate summer read with the explosive new novel from Sunday Times No.1 bestseller and 'undisputed queen of crime writing' ( Guardian ) Martina Cole.

Diana Davis has been head of the family business since the death of her husband, an infamous bank robber. She's a woman in a man's world, but no one messes with her.

Her only son, Angus, is a natural born villain, but he needs to earn Diana's trust before she'll allow him into the business.

Once he's proved he has the brains to run their clubs in Marbella, he is given what he's always wanted. It's the beginning of a reign of terror that knows no bounds.

But Angus has a blind his wife, Lorna, and their three kids, Angus Junior, Sean and Eilish. And as the next generation enters the business, Angus has a painful truth to learn. Even when it comes to family, he must show no mercy...


My Review

Diana Davis is a woman to be reckoned with. In the world of drugs/crime/violence it isn't known for having women in the face leagues. Diana has proven herself time and time again and her eldest Angus is desperate to make his own mark in the game & butts heads a bit with mother dearest. We span across the years as Angus becomes a face in his own right, has his own family & faces the threats & issues that comes with the territory of drugs, violence and crime.

It has been a wee while since I read Cole & I don't know why, i do enjoy her books. For anyone not familiar with her work the characters are gritty, grim, shady, violent, some are very loyal and almost all swear like troopers. This book, like some of the others, features some dark themes that others may find triggering, SA, abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, mental health, murder, violence etc.

Short chapters which I love, characters that you love to hate, action and skulduggery costly afoot or the threat of. I will be checking to see what others I have still to read and getting them. If you want to leave behind your own world and submerge into the gritty no holds barred world of criminals then look no further, 4/5.

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The Family Business by Alex Kane

This is my first blog tour for Zooloos Blog Tours and what a book to start with. We have followed Alex Kane since she was writing under her own name and The Family Business is a belter! For my stop on the tour I have my, as always, non spoiler review, enjoy.

About the author

Alex Kane is a psychological thriller writer who lives in Glasgow. She is a huge fan of the genre, with her favourite authors in the genre being Lisa Hall, BA Paris and Sarah Stovell. If she is not writing, she can be found playing with her cat, reading, or drinking tea and/or gin (sometimes all of the above).

Buy link from Amazon UK click HERE

The Family Business by Alex Kane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 368

Publisher - Hera Books

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

Blood's thicker than water... and they're not afraid to spill it

Donnie Black. Charming, successful… and utterly terrifying, he rules the Glasgow underworld with an iron fist. Nothing - or no one - will stop him and he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty to grow his fortune.

Layla Black. She’s been married to Donnie for twenty years, enjoying the lavish world he has worked hard to create. But behind the perfect image Layla is crumbling, numbing her pain with alcohol. But Layla doesn’t know the secrets Donnie keeps – and the truth will send her spiralling.

Louise Bellshaw. She’s young, beautiful and innocent. She’s charmed by Donnie’s sweet words, and believes she’s found true love. But Louise doesn’t know her dream man has plans that will turn her life into a nightmare.

As the three collide, no one can predict how family ties will turn to bloodshed. Because you’ll do anything for the ones you love, won’t you?

A dark, twisty and totally gripping thriller set in the heart of Glasgow gangland - fans of Mandasue Heller and Kimberley Chambers won't be able to put this down.



My Review

Hello Glasgow, meet Donnie Black - we first meet him as a young teen and quickly get the measure of his character. Skip on to him as an adult, the loss of his father and taking over the empire with his brother, making his mark on things. His wife Layla, sweet Layla had no idea back then what she was getting into and loses herself in a cloud of booze to cope with her life. Layla has no idea just how bad Donnie is and Donnie is about to get his hands even dirtier.

I do think Kane goes from strength to strength, I read her first book and have a few others on the tbrm. Gangland, turf wars, a gangster wanting to prove himself just as good as his old man and getting into darker avenues. He really is scum, he manipulates, exploits, uses people because to him they are commodities, a means to an end.

The book looks at some really dark aspects of humanity, human trafficking, violence, murder, drugs, family all of the dark and dangerous goings on and it is set in Glasgow! I love when a book takes place somewhere you know or have been, for me it adds a bit of something.

The family business looks at how some people test loyalty, have none, destroy anything, risk everything and the good old actions and consequences. It is hard to go into without spoilers and I don't do spoilers. The book is bursting with action, shocking behaviour, redemption, emotional, abuse, violence and absolute breath holding moments, 4.5/5 for me this time. I need to bump the rest of them up my tbrm. I hope she brings us more set in the city of Glasgow!

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The Score by Kerry Kaya

The Score: A gritty, gripping gangland thriller from Kerry Kaya for 2021 by Kerry Kaya
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 394

Publisher - Boldwood Books

Source - NetGalley

Blurb from Goodreads

Twenty years ago, Fletch avenged the gangland killing of his younger brother, Spencer and accepted his guilt. But his actions meant he had to leave his precious children, Austin and Kitty to fend for themselves. He thought they would be looked after...

Served his time…

Now a free man, Fletch returns to find his family in chaos, devastated by his prolonged incarceration. Kit is married to notorious gangster Rosco Taylor, while Austin seems hell bent on doing everything he can to create a turf war.

Fletch knows he has to do something to get his kids under control, but he also knows that the seeds of this disaster were planted long ago by his own reckless actions.

Now Fletch is back and it’s time to settle the score.



My Review

I have loved gangland/gangster type books for years but have never read Kaya before, until this one. I am currently struggling with my reading mojo, personal life stuff, but this managed to yank me out for a bit. Fletch done his crime (avenged his wee brother) and now he is out, he left behind his mrs and two young kids, a boy and a girl. A twenty year stretch is a long time but he left plenty to ensure his family would be set. His girl moved on and his kids grew up, Fletch has no idea what has went down in his absence and not everyone is happy Fletch is out.

Oooft if you don't like swearing, violence and shady characters (what do you expect from gangland fiction) then these type of books aren't for you. We open with a brutal torture and quickly get a feel for the characters. Kit and Austin, Fletch's grown up kids are in the life Fletch wanted them to be clear of. His best mate Stevie has kept so much from him, protected him, and now Fletch is out he is finding out just how deep in the life his "kids" are.

Family drama, drugs, murder, violence, love, lies - add a bit of spice - welcome to "The Score". There is a lot of family drama, Kit and Austin react very differently to their dad being out, there are some very shady characters and the drama keeps on coming.

I really needed something like this, just pure escapism from my life into others. Underworld, drugs, shade, like walking into a different world. Gritty, dangerous, noone is safe, everyone is out for themselves in this type of world but for some, family is everything, 4.5/5 for me. This was my first dance with this author, it won't be my last, will defo be checking out her back catalogue. The Score is out the 28th of this month but you can pre-order on Amazon UK now.

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Queenie by Kimberley Chambers

Queenie by Kimberley Chambers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - Every second able over 3 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Harper Collins

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

SHE WAS MADE IN THE EAST END . . .

For young Queenie, life in the backstreets of Whitechapel was a lesson in survival – Hitler’s bombs hit those with nothing the hardest. When danger strikes close to home, Queenie finds an ally in Mrs O’Leary, whose two sons are the kingpins of the East End. But while the O’Learys are the light in Queenie’s life, fate has a different path in store.

AND MEN ARE WHAT THEIR MOTHERS MAKE THEM . . .

Now married to the useless Albie Butler, Queenie is raising her children to fight their own battles. If the O’Learys taught her anything, it was that surviving meant doing whatever you had to, no questions asked, and family always comes first. The Butler boys will make sure their mother’s name becomes East End legend.

MEET QUEENIE.
THIS IS HER STORY.



My Review

If you are a Chambers fan then I have no need to say how long some of us hoped and waited for this book. If you are new to her writing then as this is Queenie's story, a prequel, here is as good a place to start as any. However, it is no secret I LOVE the Butler book's and whilst they have predominantly been about the boys, Queenie was always there. Now, with this book, we learn her story, how she came to be the woman we met over those books and that immovable relationship with her boys, particularly Vinny.

It is the time just before the war (world war 2) when it isn't quite kicked off yet. Queenie and Viv are close as close can be. We get a look at their lives, with their parents and poverty and pre war and then the steps taken during the war that have long reaching effects on Queenie.

It is so hard to go into it without spoiling anything and we do not do spoilers. We get to see Queenie as a child, a teen and adulthood. Events that lead to shaping her as a person and seeing why family is absolutely everything to Queenie, particularly her boys and her sister. At times she is hard to understand, I couldn't fathom some of her choices/actions. Others you get it, you get why she is the way she is and who she becomes.

I have loved the Butlers since i read the first book, I will need to go back and re read the rest of the series, they are always the first books of Chambers I recommend to people. Think the Kray brothers but there are three instead of two. In Queenie we meet their mum as a child, becoming a woman and how their story begins.

If you enjoy the previous books you will love this one. If anything instead of quenching your thirst it only has you wanting more. I always have the fear picking up a Chambers book because I loved the ones so much that came before so you figure, how long can you keep churning out fresh books, keep packing punches and keep the reader on their toes? yet she does it, every single time and has done it again, 5/5 for me this time. Do I want another Butler book? HELL YES, I do so hope we get another and will be patiently waiting for the next book, Butler related or not!

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The Sting by Kimberley Chambers

The Sting by Kimberley Chambers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 448

Publisher - Harper Collins

Source - Pre ordered from Amazon

Blurb from Goodreads

TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS



Best friends Tommy Boyle and Scratch always had each other’s backs. Dragged up in care, and cruelly betrayed by everyone they trusted, they made a pact to fight their way out of the gutter – together.



TWO SIDES OF THE LAW



Old loyalties die hard on the streets of London. Tommy throws his lot in with the notorious Darling family – even if it means leaving Scratch to the wolves. She’s destined for a different path, reinventing herself as copper Kim Regan.



ONE DEADLY SHOWDOWN



Now they’re on opposite sides of the law. Running Operation Sting, Kim will rip the heart out of the Darling’s empire – and only her old pal Tommy stands in her way.



As gritty and dangerous as the London streets in which it’s set, this is No.1 bestseller Kimberley Chambers at her best. Get ready for a shocking read with a STING in the tail . . .



My Review

The prologue opens in 1972 and we hear from Tommy Boyle, first person narrative before we head into third person narrative. The book does this for each part of the story, each new part we hear from Tommy and then straight into the tale. Tommy has a rough upbringing, a house with violence, alcohol and abuse. When something happens to shake Tommy's world his home and family are taken from him and when things seem they can't get any worse Tommy is betrayed in the worst possible way. Ending up in care he meets Scratch another kid who has been abused, passed from pillar to post - the two bond becoming friends for life. We skip to them being adults, Tommy is a big name in the crime world and Kim aka Scratch is now a cop. Bad blood from the past and a chance at getting even who will come out on top?

I always pick up a Chambers book with trepidation, I LOVE her books, not read one I didn't like and always wait impatiently for the next. BUT when the author smashes it each time you can't help but worry if this will be the one that isn't as great.......totally unfounded AGAIN. Chambers has a knack for bringing alive characters that draw you in, creating settings that have you living and breathing the time period with an authentic feel.

Always gritty crime, violence, family and gangsters but this book gives us something else, new, and touches on some hard hitting subjects. Domestic abuse, infidelity, child abuse and there is some sexual abuse, nothing is in depth but enough is hinted at or briefly nodded at so the reader knows exactly what has happened without horrific details. I think sometimes in crime we can be saturated with every horrific gory detail, The Sting is not that type of book. The emphasis is very much on relationships and the struggles these two kids have and how they end up how they are as adults, actions and consequences. You know what you are getting with these type of books but The Sting caught me unawares and hit me with the emotionals. I think it is an absolute testament to the authors writing skills that after so many books she can still keep it fresh and surprise the reader. It isn't too often I read a crime book and get the feels, I did with this book. As with the others, I started it and wanted to sink it in one sitting, I got vested in the characters so quickly and gasped out loud a few times. 5/5 for me, it isn't many times you can say you feel for the "bad guy" but I think reading these books you do get to glimpse the other side of the coin and how they get to be the people they become and in The Sting how we can never really outrun our past or decisions! An absolute belter of a read, emotional roller coaster, action packed and for me hooked from the opening chapters!

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Backstabber by Kimberley Chambers

Backstabber by Kimberley Chambers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 480

Publisher - Harper Collins

Blurb from Goodreads

The final thrilling showdown between the Mitchells and the Butlers. This is Kimberley Chambers at her heart-stopping best!


There’s never a dull moment in the Butler family and when Vinny starts to receive mysterious packages containing dead creatures, it can only mean one thing… someone is out for blood.


For a long time, Vinny Butler and Eddie Mitchell ruled their manors from a respectful distance. Now they’re doing business together and their family has just been united in a way they never expected.


But after one murder too many things start to unravel. The past comes back to haunt both families, and it will be the downfall of one of them.


Will it be the Mitchells or the Butlers who get what’s coming to them?


Who is the backstabber?



My Review

The Butlers & The Mitchell's together in one book! Vinny Senior and Eddie are working together in a joint venture, business for both families is pretty sweet. Now they are receiving threatening quotes accompanied by some disgusting packages, someone wants revenge but who is their target?

As always, when I pick up a Chambers book I do so initially with trepidation, when you have loved the previous books you can't help but worry the new one won't be as gripping. Unfounded fears good people, two dangerous families teaming up together for one huge finale. Action packed from page one, I actually gasped at the opening scene, why just why?!?! There went my day and if I hadn't had things to do I would have devoured it in one straight sitting. Death, families, love, betrayal, relationships, terror, mental health, sex & violence are only some of the themes covered in this book, as always bad language features so if you are unfamiliar with Chambers work be prepared.

Both families have had many enemies over the years, questionable behavior and choices by our characters, deaths aplenty so who is after one of our main characters and why? The writing and for why will keeping you going page after page, Chambers weaves a web of terror, fierce loyalty and opens a world to readers that most average Joe's could never imagine experiencing let alone glimpsing. Fast paced, engaging and finally the chickens are coming home to roost, if you haven't read the previous Butler & Mitchell series you really must before reading this one. Two fantastic series coming together, fans will not be left disappointed an explosive 5/5 for me. Hats off to Chambers for pulling off yet another amazing page turner, my first 5 star of 2017. Thanks so much to Harper Collins and Fliss for sending me and ARC of this!

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The Feud by Kimberley Chambers

The Feud by Kimberley Chambers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - on and off for 2 days

Pages - 480

Publisher - Preface Publishing

Blurb from Amazon

On one side are the Mitchells, a notorious underworld mob from East London's Canning Town. They have an iron in every fire and will resort to intimidation and violence to get what they want. When Stanley Smith's lovely young daughter, Jessica, announces that she is to marry Eddie, the son of mob boss Harry Mitchell, Stanley is horrified, but too afraid to stand in their way.

On the other side are the O'Haras. The Mitchells' biggest rivals are a travelling family who live in nearby Stratford. They compete with the Mitchells for pub protection and the two families hate each other.

Caught between these two families at war, are two innocent children, who will grow up to love the wrong people and spark the last terrible act in the long-running feud. 1988 was a happy year in many people's lives. Some called it The Rave Year, others The Second Summer of Love. For Eddie Mitchell and his family it is neither. 1988 is the year in which his whole dangerous, violent world explodes around him.


My Review

The first book in a trilogy of the Mitchell's and the O'Hara's, when Jimmy O'Hara slashes Eddie, Eddie retaliates by beating Jimmy half to death with a baseball bat, there in is born a feud that lasts a life time. Both have kids and go their separate ways however fate brings both families together in a way neither could imagine with life changing consequences.

Oooooh what a kick to a new series, the main focus starts with the Mitchell's, their kids, growing empires and family, close and extended. The O'Hara's come in via their son Jed, a cocky young chappy with the looks and chat to snare any female that comes into his path. Forbidden love often draws people together and in the land of gangsters it is no different, a love kicks off a chain of events no one could foresee.

As well as the usual Chambers is well known for, gritty crime, bad language, murders and sex this one has a representative of the times. Set in the 80's we see homophobia and racism raise its ugly head so most assuredly not for the easily offended. I was delighted to find I hadn't read this series and have the other two to batter through, I would have read this in one sitting had work and Christmas prep not got in the way. Definitely in my top 2016 reads, 5/5 for me this time, I am a huge Chambers fan and can't wait to get into the next installment!

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Disboey by Jacqui Rose

Disobey by Jacqui Rose
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Publisher - Avon

Pages - 368

Blurb from Goodreads

Bad things are going down in Soho. Someone’s going to have to pay the price…

Alfie Jenkins breaks a lot of rules. When he sets up an illegal casino in Soho there’s bad will all round and soon Alfie and those closest to him become embroiled in an all-out war with a dangerous gang.

Unfortunately this gang is a deadly enemy to have. When Alfie’s teenage niece Chloe is kidnapped and there are rumours she’s been enslaved in a sex gang it becomes a terrifying race against time to save her. Will Alfie be able to right wrongs, build bridges and protect his family, whatever the cost?


My Review

There are a few main characters within this tale to be honest, Alfie Jenkins is just one of them and the catalyst to all the terror that follows. Alfie has been known to break the rules, behave selfishly and care about number one only, this time his actions will touch everyone he cares about. When he disobeys the rules he brings down the rein of terror of the Chinese Triads and soon the people of Soho and those closest to Alfie will pay.

This is a dark and gritty story of how one person can break a respected pact between "The Faces" of Soho and the Triads. A girl looking for acceptance and love after being rejected for years by her family, comes to her last hope, her uncle Alfie looking for acceptance. However Chloe-Jane tends to have trouble follow her and soon gets herself caught up in her own problems as well as uncle Alfies. The bond between family and friendships will be pushed to the limit, can Alfie redeem himself or will he prove to the selfish, lying and dangerous individual he has proven to be thus far.

A story filled with bad language, treachery, friendship, prostitution, violence, anger, murder and mayhem to name but a few of the issues covered in this book. There is a lot of testosterone, name calling and questionable actions of some of the key players in this story. Despite that it is an engaging and gritty story that draws you in and leaves each chapter hard to put down as you want to know what happens next to each of the characters. Whilst there are many dark elements to it, there is also some light and happiness, that even in the midst of hardship and horror, bravery and good can still be found. 3/5 for me this time, thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. I have read this author before and met some of the characters, I would advise reading those before picking this one up. You can read this as a stand alone however I think knowing the background of some of the characters will add to your enjoyment.

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