Sunday, February 1, 2026

BLOG TOUR - The Vicar’s Daughter at the Lodging House


DESCRIPTION:

London, 1940. When Jess Gresham arrives in the capital, she’s completely out of her depth. With bombs falling and a heartbreaking family lie about her beloved sister to get to the bottom of, can she find the help she needs at a Mayfair lodging house?

When Jess discovers the letter from her older sister Charlottetucked into an old typewriter, her world is shaken. It’s dated two days after their father, the vicar, said she died. How could he lie about that? Desperate to uncover the truth, Jess must find her sister. The London location in her sister’s letter is her only clue…


Leaving her quiet life in the country as a vicar’s daughter behind, now Jess is in the city in wartime, her gas mask slung around her shoulder. Her one refuge is her room at a Mayfair lodging house with two other girls. Wealthy Betony is all style and charm, but she’s trying to shake her aristocratic airs and graces. Irish nurse Grace with her easy smile is much more down to earth, but Jess is certain she’s keeping a secret…


With war throwing the three girls together, can Jess’s new friends help find her missing sister, despite the secrets between them? Or will they be torn apart for good?


An totally emotional and gripping historical novel, perfect for fans of Jean Grainger, Lisa Wingate and Diney Costeloe.


BUY LINK:

Title:  The Vicar’s Daughter at the Lodging House
Author:  Natalie Meg Evans
Series:   The Wartime Lodging House Book 2
Publisher:  Bookouture
Genre:   Historical Fiction 
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   326
Date of Publication:   January 30, 2026
My Rating:   4 Stars

MY THOUGHTS:

Set in 1940, The Vicar’s Daughter at the Lodging House opens with a startling discovery for Jess Gresham: a letter hidden inside an old typewriter, written by her twin sister, Charlotte. The shock deepens when Jess realizes the letter is dated two days after Charlotte was believed to have died. Even more unsettling is the London address mentioned in the letter. Desperate for answers, Jess leaves her father’s rural home and heads to London, determined to uncover the truth, even hoping against hope to find Charlotte.

Accustomed to a quiet life in the countryside while war rages on, Jess finds London to be overwhelming and unfamiliar. Before she can begin her search, she must secure both lodging and employment. She soon finds a room in a lodging house, where she quickly forms connections with two women, Grace and Betony, who become important figures in her new life.

As the second book in the Wartime Lodging House trilogy, this novel follows The Irish Nurse at the Lodging House, which focused on Grace’s story. Now that Jess’s journey has been told, I’m eagerly anticipating Betony’s story in the next installment.

World War II historical fiction can be emotionally demanding, with its depictions of curfews, air raids and bomb shelters. These elements naturally tug at the heartstrings, and Natalie Meg Evans handles them with care and authenticity. Having enjoyed several of her novels, I continue to admire how she brings history and personal stories together, and I very much look forward to reading more of her work.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Natalie Meg Evans has been an art student, actor, PR copywriter, book-keeper and bar tender but always wanted to write. A USA Today best-seller and RITA nominee, she is author of four published novels which follow the fortunes of strong-minded women during the 1930s and 40s. Fashion, manners and art are the glass through which her characters’ lives are viewed. Each novel is laced with passion, romance and desire. Mystery is never far away.


An avid absorber of history – for her sixth birthday she got a toy Arthurian castle with plastic knights – Natalie views historical fiction as theatre for the imagination. Her novels delve behind the scenes of a prestige industry: high fashion, millinery, theatre, wine making. Rich arenas for love and conflict. Most at home in the English countryside, Natalie lives in rural Suffolk. She has one son.


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Friday, January 30, 2026

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW - My Husband’s Wife

Title:   My Husband’s Wife
Author:  Alice Feeney
Publisher:  Flatiron Books/Macmillan Audio
Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers
Format:  Audio ALC
Length:  8 hrs 58 mins
No. of Pages:  320
Date of Publication:  January 30, 2026 
Rating:   5 Stars
DESCRIPTION:

The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists is back with a psychological masterpiece that will leave you questioning everything you know about love, identity, and revenge.

Eden Fox, an artist on the brink of her big break, sets off for a run before her first exhibition. When she returns to the home she recently moved into, Spyglass, an enchanting old house in Hope Falls, nothing is as it should be. Her key doesn’t fit. A woman, eerily similar to her, answers the door. And her husband insists that the stranger is his wife.

One house. One husband. Two women. Someone is lying.

Six months earlier, a reclusive Londoner called Birdy, reeling from a life-changing diagnosis, inherits Spyglass. This unexpected gift from a long-lost grandmother brings her to the pretty seaside village of Hope Falls. But then Birdy stumbles upon a shadowy London clinic that claims to be able to predict a person's date of death, including her own. Secrets start to unravel, and as the line between truth and lies blurs, Birdy feels compelled to right some old wrongs.

My Husband’s Wife is a tangled web of deception, obsession, and mystery that will keep you guessing until the last page. Prepare yourself for the ultimate mind-bending marriage thriller and step inside Spyglass – if you dare – to experience a story where nothing is as it seems.

Link to purchase the book

MY THOUGHTS:

“Hearts that get broken can mend.”

“The past is a stalker following us throughout our lives. Never completely out of sight. Never far away enough to forget to fear.”

“Guilt is a thief that will steal everything if you let it catch up with you.”

Eden Fox has gone on a run. When she returns home a short while later, things aren’t quite right at her house in in Hope Falls called Spyglass. In fact, things couldn’t be more wrong. Her key doesn’t fit in the lock, another woman answers the door and her husband, Harrison Wolfe, claims that the woman who answered the door is his wife, not Eden Fox.

Is Eden Fox the rightful owner of Spyglass? If so, who is the woman there, and why does everything in the home then point to the other woman being married to her husband? 

Spyglass has a very unusual history. In fact, decades before, the then owner of Spyglass, Birdie, was popularly known as the woman who died twice. More than that, when Birdie discovers her terminally ill diagnosis, goes to an intriguing clinic in London that is said to have the ability to predict the exact date of one’s death. So, Birdie wants to let go of life on her own terms, and so she puts faith in the clinic.

Quite obviously there is a connection between Birdie of the past and whatever strange phenomenon that Eden is now facing. The police are no help to Eden, and thus the drama continues. This story is full of that drama, but also secrets and lies that bind the past with the present.

Factor in this thrilling story an even more thrilling audiobook. Not only was the narration by three brilliant voice actors utterly compelling, the drama in the story remained at a high ebb from beginning to end. Then factoring the creepy element between Birdy’s story and what is happening to Eden, I couldn't’ put this book down. 

Many thanks to Flatiron Books/Macmillan Audio and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Alice Feeney is a New York Times million-copy bestselling author. Her books have been translated into over thirty-five languages, and have been optioned for major screen adaptations. Including His & Hers which is being made into major TV series by Netflix. 

Alice was a BBC journalist for fifteen years, and now lives in Devon with her family. 

Beautiful Ugly is her seventh novel.

web | x



Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

BLOG TOUR - Silenced Sisters


DESCRIPTION:

Thunder rattles the windows of the deserted hotel. Morgan spots the young girl on the floor, her dark hair fanned out and covered in shattered glass. Lightning strikes, illuminating the blood on every surface.

Following an emergency call in the middle of a fierce storm, Detective Morgan Brookes arrives at Keswick Manor, a crumbling, empty hotel in the Lake District, where she finds the dead body of a young woman. She recognises her bright blue eyes instantly. Lauren Williams’ body is still warm to the touch, a knife protruding out of her chest, just like the one that killed her sister, Lydia, one month ago. But the killer in that case is dead…

Morgan can’t imagine the horror Lauren went through as she combs the scene; a broken radio on the stairs suggest she was running from someone. Lauren knew her sister was murdered, did she know she was next? Grief-stricken, Morgan sets to work on Lydia’s case files and refuses to sleep until she’s uncovered any small clue she missed. But by the time she discovers they had another sister, the poor girl is reported missing, her pink car found abandoned in the local woods surrounded by overgrown brambles.

When Morgan spots a police identification number scribbled in the family’s old police files, she realises that one of her colleagues has been lying to her. The idea that someone at HQ is in league with a serial killer would send terrifying shockwaves through Rydal Falls, but Morgan can think of no other explanation. Can she save the final sister and catch this killer as a terrifying countdown begins? Or with evil closer than she thinks, watching Morgan’s every move, is she already in too much danger?

Fans of Angela Marsons, Lisa Regan and Rachel Abbott will devour this unforgettable rollercoaster crime thriller late into the night.


Title:   Silenced Sisters
Author: Helen Phifer
Series:  Detective Morgan Brookes #17
Publisher:  Bookouture
Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:  293
Date of Publication:  January 29, 2026
My Rating:   5 Stars

MY THOUGHTS:

Seventeen books in, and this series remains as captivating as ever. In Silenced Sisters, Detective Morgan Brooks is faced with a case that quickly becomes both chilling and personal. When she realizes the latest victim is the sister of a woman murdered just about a month earlier, her urgency to catch the killer intensifies. Morgan knows she must reexamine every clue she thought she understood.

The first victim, Lydia Williams, was murdered in a very specific way. Now her sister, Lauren, has been killed in the exact same manner. With another sister still alive, Morgan feels the pressure of time closing in. Every detail matters, and one missed connection could be fatal.

As Morgan digs deeper, the case becomes far more sensitive and disturbing than she ever anticipated. The evidence she uncovers is shocking, and when a connection emerges that could only point to someone within the police force itself, the stakes rise dramatically. Who among her own colleagues could be responsible for such brutal crimes?

Since the previous installment, Gone in the Night, left several questions unanswered, I recommend reading at least book 16 before starting Silenced Sisters for the full impact. Both books are intense, gripping, and impossible to put down, all which have become qualities that have become hallmarks of this series. When you also factor in the personal stories, you will easily see that Silenced Sisters delivers exactly what readers have come to expect from Helen Phifer: relentless suspense, high emotional stakes, and a story that keeps you turning pages late into the night.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Helen Phifer is the bestselling writer of the hugely popular Detective Morgan Brookes series. As well as the Lucy Harwin, Beth Adams and Maria Miller series of books.
Her debut novel The Ghost House featuring Annie Graham went on to be a global bestseller.
She lives in the busy town of Barrow-in-Furness surrounded by miles of coastline and a short drive from the glorious English Lake District. Her favourite hobbies include reading, chasing the Aurora Borealis when it puts in an appearance, visiting Salem, watching the sunset, the moon rise and drinking coffee.
Helen loves reading books that scare the heck out of her and is eternally grateful to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Herbert and Graham Masterton for scaring her senseless in her teenage years, and to Alice Hoffman’s beautiful stories for inspiring her love of all things witchy and to write fantasy novels alongside her crime thrillers.
Or find her over at www.helenphifer.com
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Friday, January 23, 2026

BLOG TOUR - The Doctor



DESCRIPTION:

Is he the perfect man or the perfect liar?


From the moment I first see Doctor Drew Devlin, I want him to be mine. Drew is the perfect man – he’s charming, handsome and wealthy. And I need the security that comes from being with someone like him. I’m at my lowest point and I have nothing to lose; this is my chance to escape my troubled past. So I’m going to stop at nothing to ensure that Drew marries me…


Whatever it takes, I will become the doctor’s wife.


Except when I get closer to Drew, I realise the doctor isn’t who he says he is. He’s hiding a dangerous secret.


But so am I…


From the number one bestselling author of The Doctor’s Wife, this is a totally gripping and page-turning psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the final jaw-dropping twist. Perfect for fans of John Marrs, T.M Logan and Freida McFadden.


BUY LINK:

Title:  The Doctor
Author:  Daniel Hurst
Publisher:  Bookouture
Genre:   Psychological Thriller
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   291
Date of Publication:   January 23, 2026
My Rating:   4 Stars

MY THOUGHTS:
Teary-eyed and devastated after a breakup, Fern receives life-changing advice from a kindly stranger: becoming a doctor’s wife is the key to happiness. Before she knows it, Fern finds herself swept into the orbit of the charming and handsome Dr. Drew Devlin. Fern’s her life begins to shift in ways she never expected.

The Doctor is the fifth book in Daniel Hurst’s The Doctor Wife series, but it works beautifully as a starting point. As a prequel, it introduces both Fern and Drew and reveals how their relationship began. Having not read the earlier books, I loved starting at the beginning of their story. It immediately made me want to pick up the rest of the series.

Fern begins this novel deeply disenchanted with life, but as it turns out, Drew is carrying his own heavy burdens. Early in his medical career, he made a decision that now leaves him vulnerable to blackmail. As he and Fern plan their wedding, Drew becomes increasingly desperate, torn between paying off the blackmailer and giving Fern the wedding she’s so excited about. The tension builds steadily as his secrets threaten to unravel everything they’re building together.

Readers familiar with the series may already know that at least one of these characters eventually ends up behind prison bars. As a newcomer, that knowledge only heightened the suspense for me. This was a fast-paced, addictive read that I genuinely couldn’t put down—and I’m thrilled that I can dive straight into the rest of the series thanks to Kindle Unlimited.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Daniel Hurst is an Amazon number one bestselling author of fast-paced psychological thrillers. His most popular titles include The Doctor’s Wife, which reached number one in the UK Kindle store in February 2023, The Couple’s Revenge, The Couple in the Cabin and The Perfect Nurse. 

Daniel prides himself on writing fast-paced, twist-filled stories with jaw-dropping endings and he loves engaging with his readers.



Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

BLOG TOUR - Two Wives

  


DESCRIPTION:

Two wives. One husband. A deadly secret…


My daughter’s latest drawing lies on the kitchen island and I smile as I see the three stick figures under the words My family. My husband Oliver left for work early, so it’s just me and my precious daughter at home. Until I hear the sound of a removals van pulling up to the house next door.


Sneaking a peek through the blinds, my heart catches in my throat as I come face to face with my new neighbour – the one person I wished to never see again. Oliver’s ex-wife, Carla, stares back at me, and the slight curl of her lip proves that she isn’t here to make friends.


Oliver owns the house next door, so why did he let her move so close to us? And why didn’t he tell me? What other secrets has he been keeping from me?


When I try to talk to Oliver that evening, he quickly shuts me down, telling me I’m worrying over nothing. But I know him well enough to see the worried look on his face as he gazes towards Carla’s house…


Oliver is up to something. And so is Carla. But they don’t know I have secrets of my own, and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to keep them.


And, days later, when police race to our house one evening, you might think you know what’s happened, but you’d be wrong. After all, nothing is what it seems behind closed doors… 


An absolutely pulse-pounding psychological thriller, which is perfect for fans of The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and You, Me, Her.


BUY LINKS:


Title:  Two Wives
Author:  Helen H. Durrant   
Publisher:  Bookouture
Genre:   Psychological Thriller
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   284
Date of Publication:   January 21, 2026
My Rating:   4 Stars

MY THOUGHTS:

Two Wives by Helen H. Durrant centers on three principal characters: Eve, Carla, and Jane. Eve is married to Oliver, and together they have a four-year-old daughter, Maisie. When Jane is hired as Maisie’s nanny, it quickly becomes apparent that she may have had an ulterior motive for taking the job.

That suspicion grows as Jane’s backstory unfolds. Not only does she have no prior nanny experience, but she also shares a past with Oliver. Adding to the tension is Carla, Oliver’s ex-wife, who moves in next doorr and clearly has her own agenda. And then there is Oliver himself, a thoroughly unlikable character who comes across as despicable almost from the very first scene.

As a nana who spends a great deal of time with her grandchildren, I struggled with Maisie’s portrayal. She seemed far too sophisticated for a four-year-old, which made her character feel inauthentic. I might have connected with her role more had I listened to the audiobook, but on the page, it felt off.

This is a character-driven domestic thriller that raised several questions for me early on: Why would an ex-wife choose to live next door to her former husband and his new family? Who exactly was Jane, and how pivotal would her role become? And, ultimately, which character was I meant to root for? While Jane’s motives were intriguing, Carla’s role proved equally compelling, and it was interesting to see how the three women were connected.

Athough this wasn’t a story I loved, it was a quick read with enough twists to keep me engaged, culminating in a shocking conclusion that will likely surprise many readers.


Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Helen is married with two daughters, five grandchildren and one great grandchild. She lives in the North West of England amid the beautiful, rugged scenery of the Pennine foothills. When Helen was close to retirement, she made the decision to give writing a go. At first, she tried romance but couldn’t get off the starting block, so crime it was. For her first novel, she spent weeks deciding on the main character’s name and once she had it, she was off and running, writing the first novel, then a sequel then a third in quick succession. From the off Helen loved writing, making up stories and getting to know the characters who spring from her imagination. She feels like she actually knows these people, what makes then tick and what drives them. Helen is many years retired and although her family tell her to put her feet up, she can’t give up writing. Ever since that first book it’s become an obsession.





Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)