Review - The Surrogate by Tania Carver

The Surrogate by Tania Carver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

A shocking double-murder scene greets Detective Inspector Philip Brennan when he is called to a flat in Colchester. Two women are viciously cut open and laying spreadeagled, one tied to the bed, one on the floor. The woman on the bed has had her stomach cut into and her unborn child is missing.

But this is the third time Phil and his team have seen such an atrocity. Two other pregnant women have been killed in this way and their babies taken from them. No-one can imagine what sort of person would want to commit such evil acts.

When psychologist Marina Esposito is brought in, Phil has to put aside his feelings about their shared past and get on with the job. But can they find the killer before another woman is targeted?

My Review

A killer is targeting pregnant woman and wants one thing from them, the baby. The story starts with a double murder, brutal in it's ferocity and nature. The police enlist the help of Marina Esposito, a profiling psychologist whose last interaction with the team still haunts her and this case will take all of her focus and dedication.

It is a very busy story, lots of different ties and links going on. I felt like this was book number two as it kept referring back to Marina's last case she worked on with them and how it had a huge impact on her and DI Phil Brennan's relationship. It eventually explains it out what happened but until it does you feel your missing quite a vital part of what happened between them.

The subject matter of someone removing unborns from their mothers stomach and what follows after is quite horrific, the details aren't the most gruesome I have read but due to what it is it does make for unsettling reading. It is a good crime story with lots going on and a decent introduction to this author's writing however for me there was something lacking which is why I am giving it a three. I did enjoy the story and a lot of my questions where answered but there was some things left out or not explained so 3/5 for me and I will read more by this author.

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A.R.C Lost Angel by Mandasue Heller

Lost Angel by Mandasue Heller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

Combining grit and glamour, this thriller set in Manchester's criminal underworld is a spellbinding story of young love and old scores Many years ago, Johnny Conroy was forced into a shotgun wedding with a Manchester gangster's daughter. He's never even begun to love her, but can't leave without being killed by her vicious father. He turns out to be a success in the car-theft business, with a used car lot that provides both cover and a way to fence the cars. But now his daughter Angel--the best thing in his life--is 16, and history seems to be repeating itself when she falls for one of his employees. Ryan is a nice boy, and he really loves Angel, but there are secrets that could destroy the happiness of Johnny and his daughter, and they are about to come out.

My Review

Johnny Conroy is a jack the lad who finds he has bitten off more than he can chew when he pursues the local gangsters daughter, he is forced to marry her or be maimed or killed by her dad. Fast forward to present day and his daughter Angel is 15 and in the same situation as her mum was and history seems to be repeating itself but this time there are skeletons in the closet that could ruin the whole family.

What a brilliant read, I could have devoured it in one sitting but other things have happened. The book follows Johnny's life from a careless teenager to an adult with a teenage daughter himself. His struggles within his family, his wife who by the end of the book I absolutely hated, his family and his career from being a lackey to a well respected business man in their community.

It is a total page turner, good paced, action, lies, secrets, betrayal. It has the usual sex, bad language and drugs. If you like Manadasue Heller's previous books you will love this one, I don't claim to have read them all but of the ones I have this is my favorite. It was going to be a 4 star rating until just under the last quarter of the book which became explosive with secrets revealed and all loose ends tied up and I love my books like that. 5/5 for me and a massive thank you to the publisher Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to review this. Lost Angel is out on the 12th of April 2012.

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A.R.R - Fire Baptized by Kenya Wright

Fire Baptized by Kenya Wright

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

Since the 1970s humans have forced supernaturals to live in caged cities. Silver brands embedded in their foreheads identify them by species: a full moon for Vampires, a crescent moon for Shifters, a pair of wings for Fairies, and the list goes on, for each supernatural species has been tagged and categorized by humans.

Lanore Vesta is marked with a silver X, the brand of Mixbreeds, second-class citizens shunned by society. She stays to herself, revealing her ability to create fire only during emergencies. All she wants to do is graduate college and stop having to steal to survive. But when she stumbles upon a murder in progress, she catches the attention of a supernatural killer. Now all she wants is to stop finding dead bodies in her apartment.

Enlisting help from her Were-cheetah ex-boyfriend MeShack and a new mysterious friend named Zulu, she is steered through the habitat’s raunchy nightlife. But their presence sometimes proves to be more burden than help, as they fight for her attention.

While the corpses pile up, and the scent of blood fills the air, Lanore is left wondering: will she find the psycho or die trying?

My Review

Lanore is our main character, a mixie (like a half breed between a demon and fairy) who stumbles across a murder on her way home and becomes the target of the murderer who leaves her "items" at her home. Lanore has a whole host of issues going on, wanting to rescue every helpless being, better herself with education and deal with MeShack who she grew up with but also has romantic unresolved issues with and Zulu who is super hot and stirs up emotions in herself she would rather not have to deal with.

It is a pretty busy book! There is all the different breeds going on, Supes, were-dogs, were-jaguar, were-leopard, habbies, purebloods. As much as I liked this story I often found it confusing as there were so many breeds to try and contend with and some of them change into something else. I think what would make it better (for me personally) is the next book(s) that follow or any updates on this maybe an index with all the different breeds and terms and a short description of them so you can keep yourself right. There were also a few terms that had me puzzled, motherpounder being one as in context I thought it could be motherf**cker but there is plenty of swearing so I am not sure if I have picked it up wrong or this is just a new word being tried out.

The story has the main murder but also lots of other stories wound into it, Meshack and Lanores background and growing up (touched on briefly), their love affair (again briefly referred to), Zulu's story with Lanore - I could go on and on. It certainly makes for an interesting read and there is always something going on. The story isn't for the easily offended or light hearted as there is lots of sex, drugs, violence, murder and thats just the beginning. I found this writers style nice and good to read it was just all the new species and terms I struggled with and think this could be easily sorted and would certainly add to my enjoyment of the series. 3/5 for me and I would read the next installment. I would like to thank the author for introducing me to their work and giving me the chance to read it. These views are entirely my own.

This book is available in print from Amazon.co.uk for £8.50 or £1.96 on the kindle.

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New Search Function

So I noticed on a few blogs there is an option to search, which means you don't have to trawl through lots of different posts to find a review of an author or book you might want. I thought that would be excellent as I find myself having to go to Goodreads, find the book that way, find the month I reviewed it and then come back here and scroll through all of that month (it's long and boring).

So after much searching I have found the search function and managed to add it on here so now when you want to know if I have reviewed an author or book you just type it into the search button (left hand side), top(ish) of the page and it will search my whole blog for you.

I am delighted and hope you appreciate it too. As always suggestions are always welcome and if I can fix or add something I will. You know by now how to get in touch.

Review - Blue Monday by Nicci French

Blue Monday by Nicci French

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Blurb from goodreads

The stunning first book in a new series of psychological thrillers introducing an unforgettable London psychotherapist

Frieda Klein is a solitary, incisive psychotherapist who spends her sleepless nights walking along the ancient rivers that have been forced underground in modern London. She believes that the world is a messy, uncontrollable place, but what we can control is what is inside our heads. This attitude is reflected in her own life, which is an austere one of refuge, personal integrity, and order.

The abduction of five-year-old Matthew Farraday provokes a national outcry and a desperate police hunt. And when his face is splashed over the newspapers, Frieda cannot ignore the coincidence: one of her patients has been having dreams in which he has a hunger for a child. A red-haired child he can describe in perfect detail, a child the spitting image of Matthew. She finds herself in the center of the investigation, serving as the reluctant sidekick of the chief inspector.

Drawing readers into a haunting world in which the terrors of the mind have spilled over into real life, Blue Monday introduces a compelling protagonist and a chilling mystery that will appeal to readers of dark crime fiction and fans of In Treatment and The Killing.


My review

This is the first book in a series (the rest to follow), Frieda Klein is a psychotherapist who ends up taking on a patient from another doctor and notices similarities between what he has been fantasizing about and a child who has gone missing. Soon a whole tangled web unfolds and a connection to a missing child from 20 years back ties in with this recent disappearance.

I have read a few Nicci French books and really liked them but I struggled so much with this one for a few reasons. Firstly I don't normally mind typos or mistakes but there seemed to be a lot in this book which put me off pace a bit. The chapters are confusing in that the detectuve is speaking to someone then there is a small gap (page break) and the "the first punch missed his jaw and landed on his neck". Leading us onto a different scene and it happens quite a bit, another time it is someone describing sounds and just words and you have to re read and go back to figure out who it is and the scene has changed.

Freida's character also annoyed me as she seemed very indecisive and always seeking out colleagues and double checking her findings and asking for advice. I would have loved to have seen a strong minded able woman in this role. She was also contradictory in that she would be needing advice and questioning constantly but then go to her boss (ex boss) and tell him off or give advice then go back into pupil mode. The inconsistency really irked me as did they way her and the detective interacted with each other, it was very flat and forced and almost childish in some points.

Most of the twists for me weren't really twists as I could see them coming which is a first for me although there was one I was Oh My God as I didn't see it coming but overall I didn't like this book much at all. I do like this author and would read the next book if it came into my possession but I wouldn't be rushing out to get it so 2/5 for me. That said some people loved it so it seems we have another marmite book so give it a go and see which side you fall on.

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Great Book Day :D

Firstly my fab husband said I could have anything I wanted today, he was buying (all I could think was Waterstones) so I ended up getting pjs, a wee dress for our coming holiday and books of course. This is a big deal as hubby always moans I have too many, and I have the kindle plus all the books that come in from review requests. Below is the books I got

Tania Carver is a new author for me so I got the first two books in the series, below is the blurb for the first one:

A shocking double-murder scene greets Detective Inspector Philip Brennan when he is called to a flat in Colchester. Two women are viciously cut open and laying spreadeagled, one tied to the bed, one on the floor. The woman on the bed has had her stomach cut into and her unborn child is missing. But this is the third time Phil and his team have seen such an atrocity. Two other pregnant women have been killed in this way and their babies taken from them. No-one can imagine what sort of person would want to commit such evil acts. When psychologist Marina Esposito is brought in, Phil has to put aside his feelings about their shared past and get on with the job. But can they find the killer before another woman is targeted?

And Simon Kernick I have read before although I picked them more for hubby than me.

The second fab book part of today is I have been picked as a World Book Night Giver and I got my first choice :D Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. I am so delighted and this will be my first time taking part. I plan on passing out 1 or 2 on here and distributing the rest at work.

Review - The Christian Zombie Killers Handbook by Jeff Kinley

The Christian Zombie Killers Handbook: Slaying the Living Dead Within by Jeff Kinley

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Blurb From the back cover

Ben Forman was just an ordinary guy, a young professional starting his first job and falling in love with his girlfriend. Living in the outskirts of a southern city, he didn't think the zombie activity so common in the major cities would hit so close to home. But it was becoming clear that the mysterious infection reanimating the dead would soon be a worldwide epidemic.

My Review

Well from reading the above blurb I assumed this book was purely a zombie novel with a Christian slant on it, that maybe the virus was battled with faith along with the usual zombie ways. It couldn't be further from it and I suppose it is my fault for not researching it better before reviewing.

The book is split into episodes and chapters, episode one which is the start of the zombie story followed by chapter one which is the author discussing where and how we are drawn to wickedness and a brief history of it. We also visit the initial start of sinning with Adam, Eve and the serpent, I actually enjoyed this wee story as it has been many years since I read it or heard it.

The rest of the book is episodes (back to the story) and then chapters with the author telling stories and observations he has had and made over the years, scripture and bible quotes. The zombie story was quite thin and I felt the characters quite weak and not very likable. Had I known the book was going to be so split and focused more on religion I may have liked it better however I went into it thinking it was a great new spin on a zombie war with religion as a tool against them. I really struggled to get through it and although some of the side stories in the chapters were interesting and thought provoking it just wasn't for me so 2/5 for this one.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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