Thursday, June 4, 2026

BLOG TOUR - The People Next Door



DESCRIPTION:

Dear Neighbour. I know who you are. I know what you did…


After that summer, I swore I’d never come back to Clover Lane. But when my aunt left us her house, I couldn’t say no. The last in a neat row of houses with white fences and countryside views, it was the life I’d always dreamed of for my family. They deserved it, even if I didn’t.


As the last boxes are unpacked and neighbours drop by to welcome us, I see the sparkle back in my daughter Morgan’s eyes and know we’re safe. I won’t ever let her near the woods where my best friend went missing, but welcome gifts and a coffee date with my neighbours have me feeling like we belong here. But then the first letter arrives, and my perfect new life shatters…


Suddenly, I notice curtains twitch as I unload the car and I find myself looking over my shoulder every time I leave the house. When more letters arrive and rumours poison the street, I start double-locking the doors at night. How much do I really know about the people next door? Are my children safe? Is there anyone I can trust?


Someone in this close-knit community thinks they know what happened that summer. I know they’re wrong, but my worst fear is realised when the last letter drops: Morgan is missing… 


If you loved reading The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and The Girl on the Train, you will devour this absolutely jaw-dropping psychological thriller from Carla Kovach.


BUY LINKS: 
Title:   The People Next Door
Author:  Carla Kovach 
Publisher:  Bookouture 
Genre:   Psychological Thriller
Format:  ALC and Kindle ARC 
Narrators:  Tamsin Kennard, Annette Chown
Length:   8 hrs 56 mins
No. of Pages:   345
Date of Publication:   June 2, 2026
My Rating:   5 Stars

MY THOUGHTS:

It should be a fresh start for Gemma and her family when she inherits a house from her aunt. The property is located on Clover Lane, a place Gemma had once vowed never to return to. Still, she hopes the move will be a positive change, especially for her daughter Morgan.

Unfortunately, the peaceful new beginning Gemma envisions quickly proves to be anything but. A traumatic event from her past continues to haunt her, and almost as soon as she returns, she begins receiving disturbing letters. Their contents are unsettling, and for reasons Gemma cannot fully explain, she becomes convinced that Morgan is in danger. She repeatedly warns her daughter never to enter the woods. Sadly, the woods are the very place where Gemma’s life changed forever.

I loved the setup of this story and the emotional depth created through its shifting points of view. Gemma’s fear and anxiety are palpable throughout, while teenage Morgan’s determination to uncover the truth and solve the mystery surrounding her mother’s past adds an engaging layer of tension. Their first-person narratives give the story a strong emotional impact and keep the reader invested in both perspectives.

Gemma also has a young daughter, Quinn, an energetic toddler. I appreciated how Gemma navigated the growing uncertainty around Morgan while remaining fiercely protective of Quinn. Then there is her relationship with her husband, Ethan. While Gemma believes their marriage is unshakable, there are even more concerning issues then it comes to their marriage.

Carla Kovach has crafted another compelling and immersive thriller. It was incredibly easy to step into both Gemma’s and Morgan’s shoes as the mystery unfolded. The audiobook narrators, Tamsin Kennard and Annette Chown, delivered outstanding performances, bringing both protagonists vividly to life and enhancing the emotional intensity of the story.

Whether she is captivating readers with her Detective Gina Harte series or keeping them on edge with her standalone novels, Carla Kovach consistently delivers gripping, character-driven suspense. The People Next Door is another strong example of her talent for creating tension, mystery, and unforgettable characters.

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carla has been writing seriously since her mid-thirties. She started by writing stage plays which led to her producing and directing her own full length piece of theatre. After that, she decided to write films and books where she began by self-publishing. In the past, she has acted in a few indie films and has also co-owned a photography and video production company. 


Right now, she is a full time crime and thriller author living in Worcester with her husband, Nigel and Poppy the cat.


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Monday, June 1, 2026

BLOG TOUR - Mystery at the Wedding



DESCRIPTION:

The wedding was meant to unite two warring families. But when it ends in murder, Eve Mallow must solve the crime and save the day! 


The Dennings and the Cadys have been at war for years – ever since Russell Cady and Marcus Denning fell out and the business they built together fell apart. But now Russell’s daughter and Marcus’s son are tying the knot… and hopefully bringing peace.


Except that someone’s sent Eve Mallow a warning along with her wedding invitation: watch out for trouble. But even she didn’t expect to find the father of the bride dead in his bed before he can walk his daughter down the aisle. So who’s ruined the big day? Is it Marcus, his former enemy? His two older children, who fought with him before he died? Or the woman Eve saw weeping, who swears they never met?


Eve is left with a bouquet of mismatched clues to piece together: the umbrellas left out on a sunny day, Russell’s missing camera, and his threat to change his will. And when a second mysterious death puts the icing on the cake, Eve makes her own vow – death will not part the happy couple. But can she track down the killer, or will the wedding bells ring for her funeral instead? 


A perfectly puzzling murder mystery which will have you turning the pages till the surprising solution! Fans of Emylia Hall, Fiona Leitch and Agatha Christie will adore Clare Chase.


BUY LINK:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0G3X4B73Msocial



Title:   Mystery at the Wedding
Author:  Clare Chase
Series:  An Eve Mallow Mystery Book #16
Publisher:  Bookouture 
Genre:   Cozy Mystery 
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:  314
Date of Publication: June 1, 2026
My Rating:  5 Stars 

MY THOUGHTS:

Weddings are meant to celebrate the union of two people and the joining of their families. Unfortunately, the long-standing feud between the bride’s father and the groom’s father makes this wedding anything but harmonious. When Eve Mallow receives an invitation to the event, she is unsettled by its ominous wording. Her unease only deepens when she experiences dark, foreboding dreams the night before the ceremony.

Eve’s chilling premonitions prove to be well-founded. When the father of the bride is found dead, she is left with far more questions than answers. Once again, Eve steps beyond her role as an obituary writer and finds herself investigating a murder. As a wedding guest turned amateur detective, she puts her well-honed research skills to good use. After all, her reputation for digging into people’s histories while preparing obituaries provides the perfect cover for asking questions.

It quickly becomes clear that things do not add up at the scene of the crime. Determined to uncover the truth, Eve begins a thorough investigation, carefully piecing together clues and motives. The urgency of her search intensifies when another suspicious death occurs, making it clear that a killer is still at large.

Mystery at the Wedding is an engaging and entertaining cozy mystery filled with family tensions, hidden secrets, and plenty of twists. Clare Chase keeps the pacing brisk and the suspects plentiful, making it difficult to determine who can be trusted. Eve Mallow remains a charming and resourceful sleuth, and her latest case provides another enjoyable blend of mystery, intrigue, and amateur detective work. Fans of cozy mysteries will find this to be a satisfying and suspenseful addition to the series.

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


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Clare Chase writes classic mysteries. Her aim is to take readers away from it all via some armchair sleuthing in atmospheric locations.

Like her heroines, Clare is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in settings as diverse as Littlehey Prison and the University of Cambridge, in her home city. She’s lived everywhere from the house of a lord to a slug-infested flat and finds the mid-terrace she currently occupies a good happy medium.

As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.

You can find Clare's website and blog at www.clarechase.com

Social Media
Website: www.clarechase.com 
Bookouture email signup: https://www.bookouture.com/clare-chase






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Wednesday, May 27, 2026

BLOG TOUR - The Summer Share

Title:  The Summer Share
Author:  Jenn McKinlay
Publisher:  Berkley
Genre:   Romance
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   368
Date of Publication:  May 26, 2026
My Rating:   4 Stars
DESCRIPTION:

When two misfits discover they’ve inherited the same beach house, sparks fly in the most unexpected ways, in this hilarious and heartfelt rom-com from the New York Times bestselling author of Summer Reading.

Free-spirited travel influencer Hannah Spencer has spent five years touring the country in her vintage van, alone save for her hulking Great Dane, Dude. Until an unexpected inheritance from her pops has Hannah thinking about putting down roots in Cape Split, North Carolina, where she’s the new owner of a worse-for-wear seaside beach house. Or, rather, fifty percent of one. Turns out Simon O’Malley inherited the other half from his gramps.

As Simon and Hannah spend the summer tag-teaming repairs on the crumbling cottage, they discover it was once home to a timeless love story. As their own relationship shifts from enemies to friends to lovers, they begin to wonder if the house’s romantic past might be a good omen for their future together. But there’s one problem—Simon is set on selling the property at the end of the summer.

For Hannah, the Split isn’t like anyplace she’s ever been, and Simon isn’t like any man she’s ever known—she doesn’t want to let this new life go. She just needs Simon to see their budding relationship and this newfound community in the same way, or their first summer share might also be their last.


MY THOUGHTS:

Jenn McKinlay’s The Summer Share is a warm and inviting heartfelt romance filled with family secrets, emotional healing, and the charm of small-town coastal life. Hannah Spencer has spent the last five years documenting her van-life adventures through vlogging, but she is finally ready to settle down, something that she can now do, especially after inheriting her grandfather’s beach house. When she arrives, however, she discovers she is not the sole heir. Simon O’Malley has inherited the other half of the property, and the two are required to live together for two months before they can sell it…assuming they can tackle the endless repairs first.

Neither Hannah nor Simon is thrilled by the arrangement, but both deeply loved their grandfathers and are determined to honor their wishes. What begins as an inconvenient situation slowly becomes something far more meaningful. Through hard work, shared memories, and unexpected discoveries, they uncover secrets about their grandfathers that only deepen their admiration and love for them. Along the way, feelings between Hannah and Simon also begin to bloom.  

The central conflict arises because Hannah wants to keep the beach house while Simon is determined to sell. What makes this especially compelling is that Simon’s reasons are far from selfish. In one of the novel’s most touching aspects, his motivations add an extra layer of compassion and emotional depth to the story. As Hannah and Simon grow closer to their grandfathers’ friends and neighbors, the novel takes on an inviting hometown feel that perfectly complements the romance. Overall, The Summer Share is a sweet and emotionally satisfying story about love, family, second chances, and discovering where you truly belong.

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jenn McKinlay is the award-winning New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of several mystery and romance series. Her work has been translated into multiple languages in countries all over the world. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets, and her husband’s guitars.


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BLOG TOUR - Girl in the Mist



DESCRIPTION:

Her entire body shakes as she runs through the mist, barely keeping her screams bottled inside. She finds somewhere safe to hide, but the image of the figure dressed head-to-toe in black flashes through her mind. Someone is coming for her…


When reports come in of an attack on a group of friends on the grounds of an abandoned summer camp, Detective Morgan Brookes races to the scene. Seeing a body in the lake, she throws herself into the freezing water, but the boy’s battered face and blue lips are evidence that she is far too late. With his killer at large, and one young girl missing, a desperate search ensues.


Everyone in town believes the camp is haunted, but not a soul knew the teens had ventured there to look for ghosts. The only witness was the caretaker, and his filthy, dilapidated house puts the whole team on edge. But when Morgan meets the girl who survived, trembling in her hospital bed, and hears about a female figure she saw in the mist, a shiver runs through her. Is this the young girl’s imagination running wild, the killer, or another victim?


With rain flooding Rydal Falls, washing away all evidence and reducing visibility in the camp, Morgan must throw everything she has into unravelling this mystery and finding the young girl lost in the mist. But will the twisted killer stalking the mountains get there first?


Nail-biting, twisty and impossible to put down. If you love gripping thrillers from Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine, you’ll be absolutely hooked!


BUY LINK:

Title:   Girl in the Mist
Author: Helen Phifer
Series:  Detective Morgan Brookes #18
Publisher:  Bookouture
Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:  286
Date of Publication:  May 27, 2026
My Rating:   5 Stars

MY THOUGHTS:

The curiosity of three teens leads them into dreadful trouble. One girl barely escapes with her life, a boy drowns in a lake, and the third teen vanishes without a trace. Detective Morgan Brookes springs into action immediately. Upon arriving at the scene and spotting the body in the lake, Morgan dives in herself, desperately attempting to save him, though tragically her efforts are in vain.

What drew the teens there in the first place? They had been exploring an abandoned camp rumored to be haunted, hoping to prove that ghosts truly existed there. The only person living on the property is the caretaker, making him a key suspect in Morgan’s eyes. Still, her instincts tell her there is more to the story, and the search for the missing teen quickly becomes the priority.

The surviving girl is left traumatized and hospitalized, utterly convinced that she saw a mysterious mist that night. Her fear alone is enough to send chills down Morgan’s spine. What really happened at the camp? And can the third teen be found alive? With freezing rain, flooding, and worsening weather conditions destroying potential evidence, Morgan and her team face an uphill battle in uncovering the truth.

The Girl in the Mist by Helen Phifer is another riveting installment in this compelling series. While each book can certainly work as a standalone, fans of police procedurals will get the most enjoyment from reading the series in order. The evolving dynamics between Morgan and her team add tremendous depth to the stories, especially her relationship with Ben. As both Morgan’s boss and her partner, this brings an added layer of tension and emotional complexity that continues to strengthen the series with every book.

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
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Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Review - Storm Warning

Title:  Storm Warning
Author:  James Byrne
Series:   Dez Limerick #4
Publisher:   Minotaur Books
Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   400
Date of Publication:   May 26, 2026
My Rating:   4 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Dez Limerick has his considerable skills pushed to the limit when, to rescue a friend, he has to get to—and get into—a state of the art facility on full lockdown, with considerable forces determined to stop him.

Desmond Aloysius Limerick—'Dez' to all who know him—is a man with a shadowy past, certain hard-to-replicate skills, and a reputation as a good man to have when the going gets tough. Dez is doing his best to enjoy his retirement, wandering the country, doing what interests him, and occasionally helping friends when they find themselves needing any of his particular skills—mundane or extraordinary. For Dez was trained as a 'gatekeeper' - someone who can open any door, keep it open, and control who does and does not go through.

It's those skills that are now in demand when the State Department comes calling looking for his help. A multinational scientific research facility on the coast of Newfoundland has gone dark, the facility on full lockdown, and no one can get in or out. No one knows what is going on, but it can't be good. And a close friend of Dez is presumed locked inside the facility along with everyone else.

Even getting to the facility is an insurmountable challenge. The weather has flights grounded, some shadowy group is doing everything they can to impede the rescue team's progress, and hidden enemies are embedded in the rescue team. But anyone who thinks this is more than one man can face has never met Dez Limerick.


MY THOUGHTS:

When it comes to accessing impossible locations, there’s no better man to call than Dez Limerick. He’s proven himself to be the ultimate gatekeeper. He is a specialized operative who can navigate any situation, combination, door, and more. Dez is truly hero material. While he’s undoubtedly a kind person, his wit and skills demonstrate his strength and power.


In Storm Warning, Dez is approached by the FBI’s HRT to find a way into a Canadian research facility that’s impenetrable and inaccessible to everyone else. But Dez hasn’t encountered any obstacles yet. Whether it’s powerful enemies or dangerous weather conditions, nothing can deter him from achieving his goal.

If Dez isn’t rescuing someone, breaking into the impossible, or entertaining whoever he is drawn to, he takes music gigs - yet another measure of insane talent. 

Dez is a captivating protagonist. Prepare for intriguing plots set at breakneck speed and excitement in this book, as well as the previous books in the series, The Gatekeeper, Deadlock, and Chain Reaction. 

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




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