Lost girls by Angela Marsons

Lost Girls by Angela Marsons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 465

Publisher - Zaffre

Source - Book shop

Blurb from Goodreads

Two girls go missing. Only one will return.
The couple that offers the highest amount will see their daughter again. The losing couple will not. Make no mistake. One child will die.

When nine-year-old best friends Charlie and Amy disappear, two families are plunged into a living nightmare. A text message confirms the unthinkable; that the girls are the victims of a terrifying kidnapping.

And when a second text message pits the two families against each other for the life of their children, the clock starts ticking for D.I. Kim Stone and the squad.

Seemingly outwitted at every turn, as they uncover a trail of bodies, Stone realises that these ruthless killers might be the most deadly she has ever faced. And that their chances of bringing the girls home alive, are getting smaller by the hour…

Untangling a dark web of secrets from the families’ past might hold the key to solving this case. But can Kim stay alive long enough to do so? Or will someone’s child pay the ultimate price?



My Review

This is book three in the series, whilst you could get away with reading this as a standalone I would suggest reading the previous two. One it will give you better knowledge of the team, dynamics, relationships and two the books are fantastic, book two is one of my fav this year.

So, two little girls go missing, best friends, parents are besties and it is quickly established it is an organised kidnap. If that isn't horrific enough the families are played against each other and forced to make a horrific decision. Stone is in charge, feathers are ruffles, two innocent lives are at stake and Stone won't rest until she gets the girls home.

As with Marson's previous books the chapters are short, I love it! We hear from Stone, the investigation and the bad guys. One is a sick, twisted and evil individual, guys there is animal torture, homophobia, violence, brutality and not for the faint hearted. It is a grabbing story, as with the previous books it all kicks off really quickly and you are soon absorbed. What is going to happen to the kids, how will Stone fair against such evil, what is the motive, what is the end game?

Marson's is one of those authors you can help but be delighted to come across, I want to devour all her books but also keep them because there are only four left to read. Engaging, challenging and all absorbing, do not pick this up before bed thinking you will only read one chapter, or any of her books as you will be up all night reading. They hook me in, I love Stone, she is such a great character, flawed but so loyal and has a strong purpose/sense of what is right and wrong, loyalty and I bloody love her and her wee dogs relationship. 4.5/5 for me this time, book four is sitting on my shelves and if I don't get the others for my birthday I will absolutely be ordering them. A fantastic creation of characters, she just needs to learn to write faster :D

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Our road trip

So if you follow on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram you will know we took miss paws on her first ever road trip and ticked a few things off her bucket list. Trixie is seventeen, has a lot of health problems and we had to come home on an emergency flight in March as we thought we were going to loose her as she took unwell. I tell you, the trip up north, the country air fair agreed with her. She was up on counters (I haven't seen her do that in years!), actually sprinted three times in one morning and played chasing a light reflection.





She gets really car sick, she was only sick once on the way up and not at all on the drive home. I think the travel cage really seems to help. Look at her wee harness!








I took a fair few books, mostly hardback and my kindle and now catching up with the reviews and prepping blog tours I have agreed to before focusing on work stuff. My foot is getting better and whilst going through intense physio hoping to get back to work soon!





Because I now have the boot off and focusing on the exercises we managed to go a decent walk whilst we were up there. An abandoned building is normally all shut off. This time they have opened a wee path you can walk in to go in so I was delighted to get a wee nosey through it. No miss paws this time and we got caught in the rain but it was so worth it, I love abandoned buildings and whilst we couldn't go inside properly and I certainly couldn't climb anyway I was delighted to get so close.


The sky pictures, if you follow my instagram you will know how much I love them, managed to get a fair few snaps.











We always go up to the tourist shops at John O'Groats and I buy a bookmark, sweets or a book. I saw this and couldn't resist. I used to collect coins as a kid, now it is books/bookmarks and look, a wee wren (I think) on the farthing so I HAD to buy it.





Miss paws is exhausted but I think she had a great trip, I certainly needed a few days away, just some down time, recharge and it is lovely seeing family. I think we will keep up trying to get kitty to see a bit more of the outdoors (she is an indoor cat) as she coped so well out and about. Climbing furniture like a kitten, on the beach and up on her first wall looking like a boss!





So, that has been our adventures, 370 piccys by the way just from the phone - she is the most photographed kitty in the world. Happy 1st of August, I am looking forward to the new shark movie Meg (may even get a chance to re read the book before we see it), it is my birthday this month, I am looking forward to seeing some of my fav humans. Being stuck indoors so much and seeing so little people has been horrific for a gab a minute social butterfly like me. So I am just going to draw the winner for July's comp and I will get August's giveaway prepped and ready to go. Have an amazing August you guys, a fresh new month.

Dragged to the Depths by Cheryl Elaine Blog Tour

Today is my stop on the blog tour for "Dragged to the Depths" by Cheryl Elaine. My stop features my wee review, if you like legends and romance you will love this book!


Dragged to the Depths: A Cherry Laine Fantasy by Cheryl Elaine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - Kindle

Publisher - AAH Publishing

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Tormented with grief after losing her father, Emilia journeyed to her gran's, in a desperate attempt to escape the memories surrounding her. But once there, she found little rest and respite on the remote Orkney islands after discovering a supernatural world under the sea.

The gods, goddesses and unfamiliar species of Mother Earth's oceanic lands welcomed her with open arms - particularly Erox, the love of Emilia's life. Her eyes were opened to the greed and hatred of her fellow mortals; it wasn't a question of whether she was simply following destiny - she knew the path to RESET was one she could not ignore.

Erox smiled before giving Emilia a lingering kiss. She didn't hesitate, and gave herself freely to the vortex before heading into the unknown. Could she save herself, let alone everyone else on the planet?

Dragged to the Depths will lead readers into a magical world full of secrets, legacies and adventure. An apocalyptic love story for those who believe there's someone for everyone, somewhere...



My Review

Guys, first thing to say is this is not normally a book I would read but it is set in Orkney and it has mystical sea creatures. I LOVE mythical creatures, we grew up with tales of selkies, mermaids and magical creatures in the waters so this piqued my interest. Emilia heads to the Orkney islands with her mother who is struggling with addiction after a bereavement. Emilia's gran Rose takes over her care and allows Emilia to process her own grief, loss and sadness. This is what draws Erox to Emilia, he knows it is a love that cannot be however both cannot deny the powerful draw of love and give into their feelings. Obstacles in their way, barriers you can only imagine and their union kicks off events that had consequences for the world as we know it.

There is a lot going on in this book, teenage angst, grief, dealing with an addict mother, removal of everything she knows. Personal growth, going through her own emotions and loss then encountering someone unlike anyone she has ever met. Experiencing love for the first time and having to process who Erox is, what he represents and how he fits in our world.

The magical world Emilia encounters was for me enveloping in a world I first met when I was a kid so it conjured up lots of memories for me. I think the location for the story was well chosen, Scottish waters have many a myth to them and it goes perfect with the magical world Elaine creates.

Mythical creatures, love, sacrifice, power, greed, magic, family, relationships are just some of the themes in the book. I love the world created, younger characters can put me off a bit especially when it is a deep love kicking everything off but I soon settled in and couldn't put the book down. Initially you think you can guess exactly where the story is going, soon enough I had the rug pulled out from under me, gripped, not knowing what was coming next. It is a mixed bag, immersing the reader almost from the get go and managing to surprise (I actually gasped out loud at one particular plot twist) engage and compel the reader page after page. 4.5 out of 5 for me this time, this is actually my first by this author, I have another from her but in a different genre, I will be bumping it up the TBRM. Thanks to Shell for asking me to join the tour and for bringing a wee gem of a read my way I most likely would have over looked. I think I need to go digging through my books or order some Scottish myths and legends, I forgot how much I enjoyed stuff like this!

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Please check out the other stops on the blog tour as everyone has different content.

The Mist by Stephen King

The Mist by Stephen King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 176

Publisher - Scribner

Source - Gift from O/H

Blurb from Goodreads

In the wake of a summer storm, terror descends...David Drayton, his son Billy, and their neighbor Brent Norton join dozens of others and head to the local grocery store to replenish supplies following a freak storm. Once there, they become trapped by a strange mist that has enveloped the town. As the confinement takes its toll on their nerves, a religious zealot, Mrs. Carmody, begins to play on their fears to convince them that this is God’s vengeance for their sins. She insists a sacrifice must be made and two groups—those for and those against—are aligned. Clearly, staying in the store may prove fatal, and the Draytons, along with store employee Ollie Weeks, Amanda Dumfries, Irene Reppler, and Dan Miller, attempt to make their escape. But what’s out there may be worse than what they left behind.

This exhilarating novella explores the horror in both the enemy you know—and the one you can only imagine.


My Review

I seen the movie years ago so I knew the story and I think I got this mixed up with another book but still knew the jist. A mist comes and with it some unimaginable horrors, we see a group of survivors trapped within a supermarket. Glass windows, fog covering the sight to outside, pack mentality kicks in and it is only a matter of time before "they" get in.

This is such an atmospheric read, claustrophobic, terrifying, they are stuck indoors, the crowd eventually split over what they feel is right and should be done. When pulled from "civilisation" and their lives at risk sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.

The monsters are horrific, the killings brutal, the breakdown of humanity equally as frightening because you can believe it. Tense, gory, King has a way with words and you find yourself turning the lights up and having a look out your window to make sure there is no strange fog coming. My issue with it, as with a few of King's books is how he wraps it up, I also wanted to know definitively what happened to some other aspects but overall I enjoyed it 3.5/5 for me this time. I really need to re watch the movie and I heard there is another version so I need to track that down and maybe re read afterwards.

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Evil Games by Angela Marsons

Evil Games by Angela Marsons
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 435

Publisher - Bonnier Zaffre

Source - Book shop

Blurb from Goodreads

When a rapist is found mutilated in a brutal attack, Detective Kim Stone and her team are called in to bring a swift resolution. But, as more vengeful killings come to light, it soon becomes clear that there is someone far more sinister at work. With the investigation quickly gathering momentum, Kim finds herself exposed to great danger and in the sights of a lethal individual undertaking their own twisted experiment. Up against a sociopath who seems to know her every weakness, each move she makes could be deadly. As the body count starts to mount, Kim will have to dig deep to stop the killing. And this time—it's personal.


My Review

Detective Kim Stone is back and this time she has a killer who will put her through her paces and address things Kim would rather be kept firmly closed in a box! When a rapist is found murdered it seems a relatively straight forward case but something isn't sitting right with Stone. Add to this she has two little girls who have been sexually abused by their father and she is adamant he should pay. When another murder happens and both have a loose common link Kim is pushed to bring justice and keep her team focused. But what do you do when you suspect someone and no one else is buying your theory?

Oh you guuuuuuuuuys! This is book two in a series and whilst I really liked book one I loved book two. A "bad guy" who you find out very quickly their identity and why they are doing what they are doing, smart, position of power and absolutely ruthless, a typical sociopath with their own agenda. Stone is a pretty fabulous character, goes with her gut and gets peoples character relatively quickly, she is smart. closed off and very work focused. We know she has a past, we know she deals with it in her own way and to some people that makes for the ultimate challenge.

This is very much a cat and mouse game, good and evil, police versus bad guy. It has action from the very start, it covers some subjects that some readers will find hard going, sexual abuse, child pornography (it does not go into any kind of graphic detail but it does cover it), emotional manipulations and harm of very vulnerable individuals.

I think what makes this so compelling is you hear of cases on the news, you know professionals and services are involved in anyone experiencing a trauma and if someone in a position of trust abuses that it is terrifying. This book absolutely highlights the darker sides of some humans but in Stone we have a fantastic strong character. She is flawed, she has a past but she is so focused on her job and an absolute advocate of upholding the law, righteousness and justice I just love her. There is also a scene in the book that shows a tender side to her that just made me love it/her even more. I am a sucker for things like that and sorry to be vague but I don't do spoilers and as soon as you read it you will know what part I am referring to. In book one we also got a wee bit of an intro into Kim's past, we get more insight into that and why she is the way she is, I do like when books refer back to or link into stuff from the previous book.

Grabbed from the first pages and more than once I was just going to have one more chapter then would read something, gasp, sit bolt upright, adjust the pillow because I knew I wasn't putting the book down anytime soon. In actual fact I was up until 5am finishing this book as I couldn't end it at that chapter. Sometimes you read something and once you get to the end of that scene you can close off for the night, I would get to the end and HAVE to get right into the next, I NEEDED to know. 5/5 for me this time, one of my best reads this year, I have the next two books on my tbrm, I will be buying the rest of the series, I absolutely love this series, Marson's is fast becoming on of my new fav authors!

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No Ordinary Girl by Cheryl Elaine

No Ordinary Girl: Mind : tainted. Body : broken. Revenge; in motion... by Cheryl Elaine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 3 hours

Pages - 179

Publisher - AAH Publishing

Source - Review copy/bought an ecopy from Amazon

Blurb from Goodreads

What started out as a night of celebration for Aimee soon turned into a nightmare. Snatched by cruel, sadistic monsters - the worst creatures mankind has ever produced - she’s thrown into a metal container, among other victims too frightened to make a single sound.

The game-keepers force everyone to play. They deliver torment and pain in equal measure. Every hunter has their own agenda and reasons to maim and torture.

Detective Johnson is one step away from catching the killers. Wrestling with his instincts as a father to serve justice his own way, this is no ordinary case for him. Can he stop the vile sadists before they damage more young girls, as well as his own daughter?

Aimee’s ordeal within the compound brings her to the conclusion that she’s no ordinary girl. But can she hang onto her sanity long enough to escape? And will she find a different way to play?

This crime thriller will keep you riveted. It’s no ordinary story.

Please note: contains graphic content.



My Review

Aimee and friend Kelly are heading out to celebrate in the hottest spot in town, what turns into flirting, drinks and joy becomes a hell neither could have imagined. Trapped and split up Aimee finds herself in a situation we only see in the worst kind of movie, she is now a pawn in a game for some of the sickest human beings imaginable. Where chances are slim to none for escape, Aimee has to get her head around what has happened to her, what is coming and start to plan how to survive.

Guys this is the second book I have read by this author, the other one is a completely different genre, it won't be my last! Very quickly the book becomes dark, depraved and you want to put the book down to get away from the horror but compelled to turn page after page. This is not a read for the faint hearted, think Hostel meets SAW and you are just starting to scratch the surface. Human life means nothing, rape, mutilation, brutality, horror are all just part and parcel for the game, human life is expendable and the supply is plentiful.

It isn't just horrific acts although there are plenty so be prepared. We have police investigation, survival, coping mechanisms, self preservation, the impact something like this has on human behaviour from different aspects. Those investigating, the families, the players, the victims and those who know it is only a matter of time before it is their turn. For such a wee book there is a lot going on, back stories on the bad guys and how the innocents react when in this kind of situation you can only imagine.

Stomach churning, bokey and you know the face you make when folk rip their nails down a blackboard am pretty sure I made that face more than once. I cannot believe this is a debut novel, you would think she had been perfecting her art for years. If you like a book that pushes you, horrifies, hooks, makes you uneasy but compels to keep going then look no further, 4.5 for me this time. This is absolutely one of the authors to keep an eye on and I do so hope this is just the start of the stories for the detective.

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An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena Blog Tour

Today is my turn on the blog tour for the fantastic "An Unwanted Guest" by Shari Lapena, please check out the other stops on the tour as everyone offer different content and it is a great book. I also think the banner for this blog tour may be my favorite ever, I love how all the lights come on for each room, bloody fabulous!











An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 304

Publisher - Bantam Press

Source - Random Things review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

We can’t choose the strangers we meet.

As the guests arrive at beautiful, remote Mitchell’s Inn, they’re all looking forward to a relaxing weekend deep in the forest, miles from anywhere. They watch their fellow guests with interest, from a polite distance.

Usually we can avoid the people who make us nervous, make us afraid.

With a violent storm raging, the group finds itself completely cut off from the outside world. Nobody can get in – or out. And then the first body is found . . . and the horrifying truth comes to light. There’s a killer among them – and nowhere to run.

Until we find ourselves in a situation we can’t escape. Trapped.





My Review

Welcome to the Mitchell Inn, a wee hotel out of the way and a storm is raging! Two friends and a few couples escape to the inn to work on their own issues. When a body turns up and there is no way to get out or communicate it soon turns into a cabin fever picture with a killer on the loose.

EEEEK so lets talk location, it all takes place in The Mitchell Inn, I am so gutted this isn't a real place, I would have love to go there minus the killing. It is old fashioned, unique, no wifi, a wee retreat type place, an ice bar, sitting room and a library bliss. Add to that they are snowed in so really if it hadn't ended up all murderous it would be a bloody perfect location.

Gwen & her friend Riley, David is a lawyer and travelling alone, Lauren & Ian are a couple, Beverly & Henry are married this weekend is to fix their marriage and Dana and Matthew are newly engaged and wedding planning. All have their own issues, all are looking forward to their time away, none realising nothing will ever be the same again after this weekend.

So, it starts off relatively gentle, we just get to know all the visitors, the hotel is small and with the weather it is a tiny skeleton staff running it. I have to say, normally the small stories getting to know the characters I am a bit meh, these guys we get in bite size as it moves to the next visitors. I found myself getting immersed quickly and not wanting to move on to anyone else for every person I was reading. It isn't that huge things happen immediately but Lapena writes in such a way you want to get to know the characters more. When the first body appears the story takes on a new feel and as the characters start to freak out you can help but feel the tension and suspect everyone. It is all a bit cabin fever and as you turn page after page, more than once, I was holding my breath. What is happening, who is next, who is the bad guy, I found myself going through it like an old Murder She Wrote = suspect them all, trust no one!

I really enjoyed this, pulled in quickly, experiencing the terror and tension with the characters and fully engaging with it as it all unfolds. I have read this author before and I think there is only one more of hers I need to get. I was kept guessing the whole time and I love when a book does that to you, absolutely a testament to the authors ability to weave a tale and keep you on your toes, 4/5 for me this time. Thanks so much to Random Things Tours for giving me the opportunity to read this and remind me how much I enjoy Lapena's writing!

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