Saturday 21 October 2017

Anything You Do Say by Gillian McAllister




Gone Girl meets Sliding Doors in this edge-of-your-seat thriller

Joanna is an avoider. So far she has spent her adult life hiding bank statements and changing career aspirations weekly.

But then one night Joanna hears footsteps on the way home. Is she being followed? She is sure it's him; the man from the bar who wouldn't leave her alone. Hearing the steps speed up Joanna turns and pushes with all of her might, sending her pursuer tumbling down the steps and lying motionless on the floor.

Now Joanna has to do the thing she hates most - make a decision. Fight or flight? Truth or lie? Right or wrong?


Title: Anything You Do Say
Author: Gillian McAllister
Published By:  Penguin Random House
Publication Date:  19th October 2017
Links: UK:  Amazon   


Our Review

Wow what a page turner of a book with a huge moral dilemma.
Joanna is a happily married woman who leads a very simple life. During a night out with her friend Laura she is sexually harassed and when she is walking home feeling threatened she does something which changes her life for ever..
That's where the dilemma comes into it. Should she call the police or run and keep quiet. This book cleverly divides at this point and we get to find out the consequences of both actions as the book switches from reveal and conceal.
Both avenues are heart and gut wrenching as we see the affect that both sides have on her relationship with her husband, friends and colleagues but most of all on her.
I really felt sorry for Joanna for making the mistake in the first place as she was terrified and she was a victim too but she never really got any sympathy for that.
It's a brilliant and very interesting book which shows the power of love and will also have you questioning your own moral compass. What would you do?

Seriously unputdownable.

Thanks to Penguin for the arc which I have reviewed voluntarily.

Sincerely
Book Angel x


About the Author 



Gillian McAllister has been writing for as long as she can remember. She graduated with an English degree and lives in Birmingham where she now works as a lawyer. Her debut novel Everything But The Truth was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller.. You can find her on Twitter @gillianmauthor.



Friday 20 October 2017

The Surrogate by Louise Jensen

She can give you everything you want... But can you trust her?
Kat and her husband Nick have tried everything to become parents. All they want is a child to love but they are beginning to lose hope. Then a chance encounter with Kat’s childhood friend Lisa gives them one last chance.

Kat and Lisa were once as close as sisters. The secrets they share mean their trust is for life... Or is it?

Just when the couple’s dream seems within reach, Kat begins to suspect she’s being watched and Nick is telling her lies.

Are the cracks appearing in Kat’s perfect picture of the future all in her head, or should she be scared for the lives of herself and her family?

How far would you go, to protect everything you love?

From the no. 1 bestselling author of The Sister and The Gift, this is an unputdownable psychological thriller which asks how far we will go to create our perfect family. Fans of The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl will be utterly hooked.

Title: The Surrogate
Author: Louise Jensen
Published By: Bookouture
Publication Date: 27th Sept 2017
Links: UK: Amazon  US: Amazon


Our Review



Forget Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train as this Psychological thriller by Louise Jensen will keep you awake at night.

The tension builds dramatically as the pace of the novel increases and some of the twists literally took my breath away.

Kat and Lisa had been friends since they were small until something awful happens. When Lisa turns up in Kat's life again their reminiscing is not all pleasant.
The history of their relationship unfolds gradually through the book as does that of Kat's husband Nick and eventually all the pieces of the puzzle click together.
Kat and Nick's relationship becomes very complicated as paranoia sets in.
There are so many twists and turns in this book which I had tried to guess and actually got them all wrong so it was a great challenge of a read.

This is the first of Louise's books that I've read but I'll be sure to catch up with The Sister and The Gift as soon as I can. I hope to one day see this book made into a film as there is plenty of suspense and action in it.

Sincerely
Book Angel x

About the Author



Louise is a USA Today Bestselling Author, and lives in Northamptonshire with her husband, children, madcap dog and a rather naughty cat.

Louise's first two novels, The Sister and The Gift, were both International No.1 Bestsellers, and have been sold for translation to sixteen countries. The Sister was nominated for The Goodreads Awards Debut of 2016. Louise's third psychological thriller, The Surrogate, is out now.

Louise loves to hear from readers and writers and can be found at www.louisejensen.co.uk, where she regularly blogs flash fiction.

Monday 9 October 2017

My Favourite Things by Sue Moorcroft




Food

Savoury would be a juicy fillet steak, with chips (the kind with no calories). Sweet is easy. CHOCOLATE, the darker the better. Nutty chocolate is an especial weakness.


Drink
I love champagne. I keep it as a treat and enjoy it so cold and dry it makes my ears hurt. Champagne’s association with celebrations is a lovely secondary benefit, reminding me of publication days, new contracts and getting to #1 on Amazon last Christmas.


Film
Brassed Off. I don’t know if anybody else remembers this cult classic about a brass band but the humour and poignancy always got to me. Ewan McGregor and Pete Postlethwaite had fantastic roles.


Book
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. The first book I read that was intended for adults. I watched the film with Dad and he said he had the book in his bookcase. I was hooked on the work of Nevil Shute for life.



Author
I’ve chosen Linda Howard from a thousand possibilities more-or-less because she came to my mind first.




Character
Sam from Suzanne Brockmann’s Gone Too Far. He’s a fantastic hero, a bad-boy in many ways but a force for good. OK, and, you got me, he’s a navy SEAL.


Song
It was so hard to choose but I’ve gone for Girls & Boys by Good Charlotte because I think the lyrics are funny, clever and oh-too-true, all about girls liking cars and money and boys laughing at girls when they’re not funny.


Holiday destination

Malta. I was brought up there for several years and think of it as my second home.



Animal

Dog. I don’t have one of my own now but I sometimes ‘borrow’ Puppy-in-law, who belongs to my son and his girlfriend.



Place to write.
My study, although I can manage it travelling, too. And often do, because I love to travel.





Season
Summer. I’m a heat freak and don’t think I’ve ever complained about sunshine.


Tradition
A big family meal between Christmas and New Year, which I frequently host. I’m extremely lucky with my extended family as we like each other and like to spend time together.


Inspirational quote
‘The harder I work, the luckier I get.’ Variations have been attributed to various people but it’s one of my guiding principles.


Thing in the whole world
Watching a great Formula 1 race, in silence, with cold white wine and a bar of chocolate.


Thank you so much for joining us today Sue and for sharing your favourite things, Wishing you lots of luck for the new book.


Sincerely
Book Angel x



Author Bio

Bestselling author Sue Moorcroft writes contemporary fiction with occasionally unexpected themes. The Christmas Promise rose to #1 in the Amazon Kindle chart and Just for the Holidays was an Amazon bestseller, too. The Wedding Proposal, Dream a Little Dream and Is this Love? were all nominated for Readers’ Best Romantic Read Awards and Darcie’s Dilemma for Readers’ Best Short Romance. Love & Freedom won a Best Romantic Read Award and Dream a Little Dream was nominated for a RoNA. Sue’s a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner, a past vice chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and editor of its two anthologies.



Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles and writing ‘how to’.



Sue’s new book: The Little Village Christmas

(published as an ebook on 6 October, paperback/audio 2 November)


Available now from Amazon




Twitter @suemoorcroft

Instagram: suemoorcroftauthor

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Author Q & A Viv Brown



Would you leave a very young child at home on their own – knowing that terrible things can happen in the blink of an eye? Lily, who is not yet three years old, wakes up alone with only her cuddly toy for company. She is hungry, afraid of the dark, can’t use the phone, and has been told never to open the door to strangers…
In the flat downstairs, a lonely and elderly woman keeps herself to herself but wonders at the cries coming from upstairs. Lily’s grandmother frets that she can no longer see her granddaughter since the child’s parents separated. Lily’s father hasn’t seen her for a while. He’s been abroad, absorbed in his new job and his new girlfriend…
A young woman lies in a coma in hospital – no one knows her name or who she is, but in her silent
dreams, a little girl is crying for her mummy…
And for Lily, time is running out.


Title:  LILY ALONE
Author: Vivien Brown
Published by: Harper Impulse
Publication Date: Ebook already available
                             Paperback 5th October 2017
Link:  UK:  Amazon


Author Q & A

Welcome to Sincerely Book Angels Viv, can you tell us..

What was the inspiration behind this novel? 
I used to work in banking and accountancy – boring! But ever since my own twins were born almost 30 years ago, I have worked with young children – as a childminder, a language support assistant helping young Asian kids who speak no English prepare for school, and then as an outreach worker in libraries and children’s centres, bringing the magic of books and stories into children’s lives. It is fascinating to watch how babies and pre-school children develop in such a short time, with increasing skills, confidence and independence. But what if a toddler was suddenly left all alone? How would they cope? What would they think and feel? What would they be scared of? How aware would they be of basic household dangers? The germ of my idea came from those thoughts.


Did you always want to be a writer? 
I never considered writing as a potential career, but it was always something I loved to do, starting with poems, then venturing into short stories before tackling longer fiction – all in my spare time. Learning to become a competent and successful writer, able to earn enough to live, can take a long time and many never achieve it, and it is only now that I am at home full-time and with a small income from elsewhere that I have felt able to do what I love most.


How did it feel when your first novel was published? 
My first (self-published) novel, ‘Losing Lucy’, and my second, ‘How To Win Back Your Husband’ (both written as Vivien Hampshire) were only in ebook format. It was lovely knowing they were out there in the world and people were reading my work, but I am so looking forward to ‘Lily Alone’ coming out in paperback. At last, a real paper book to hold in my hand! I don’t drink so champagne is out, but I will probably celebrate with chocolate.


Can you please tell us a little about your publishing story. 
I sold my first short story to Woman’s Weekly in 1993, under my then name of Vivien Hampshire, and have since had around 140 stories published in a variety of women’s mags. I also wrote articles for professional childcare and nursery magazines for a long time, and turned my hobby of cryptic crosswords into a ‘How to’ book which has sold really well. My first go at novel writing won me the annual ‘Best Opening to a Novel competition’ in The Mail on Sunday, although the finished novel never found a home. I self-published a short ebook novel, and then joined the Romantic Novelists Association (RNA) New Writers Scheme four years ago. Both of the novels I wrote under their guidance have now been published.



Have you ever had writer's block? If so how did you overcome it? 
There are certainly days when I don’t feel like writing or find other things to do, but that is pure procrastination, not writer’s block! If I have a deadline or a story nagging at me to be written, I just get on with it.


What motivates you to keep writing? 
I just love writing and can’t imagine a time when I will ever stop. It’s not for the money, or the fame, both of which are thin on the ground! It’s for me.


What three pieces of advice would you give to an aspiring writer? 
1. It doesn’t come easy. You have to keep on trying no matter how much rejection you meet along the way. If you believe in what you are doing, never give up.

2. Meet other writers, join local groups, attend courses and conferences, join any relevant writers associations like the RNA. You will learn the craft, find opportunities and make valuable contacts. And when times are bad, other writers understand!

3. Try not to give your work away. Payment isn’t everything, and it may not equate to much per hour, but it acknowledges your time and sweat! No other profession would be expected to work for nothing.


What are you reading at the moment? 
I have been bingeing on Milly Johnson for the last few weeks, I especially loved ‘The Queen of Wishful Thinking’. Milly manages to create fictional places with casts of very likeable characters, and some horrible baddies too! You just know everything will work out in the end. I like Veronica Henry for similar reasons.


If your book was made into a film what song would you choose for the opening credits? 
All by myself, by Celine Dion


Who would you choose to play your favourite character in the film of your book? 
My favourite character is a short and dumpy elderly widow called Agnes. She lives alone with just a cat for company and has terrible arthritis in her knees. She reminds me of my own granny. I think Judi Dench might do a good job!


What is your next book about? 
It is another domestic drama, set in two time periods, charting the long history of a failing marriage from the 1970s to the present day, alongside the current lives of the grown-up children. We are still very much at the editing stage so no news yet of when it might be published.


And now think about the books you've read and just give the first one that comes into your head for our quickfire 'Which book round.'

Which book has made you:

Laugh out loud? ‘Barmy’, by Victoria Wood, including some of her hilarious early ‘Acorn Antiques’ TV scripts.

Cry your heart out?

A children’s picture book called ‘Tadpole’s Promise’, by Jeanne Willis. A tadpole and a caterpillar fall in love, but when they grow up and change into a frog and a butterfly they don’t recognise each other… and frogs eat butterflies!

Want to read it again?
‘Sense and Sensibility’, by Jane Austen. All human emotion is here!

Think more?
A really good dictionary. I love discovering new words and what they mean.

Wish it would be made into a film?

‘The Queen of Wishful Thinking’, by Milly Johnson. Romance, domestic violence, and the world of antiques. It would make a great TV drama or series.

Shocked?
‘I Let You Go’, by Clare Mackintosh, The absolute best book I read last year and with an amazing twist and some truly shocking scenes. 

Scared? I never read horror or anything that would keep me awake at night!


Thank you so much for joining us on our blog today and good luck with the book.

Sincerely
Book Angel x




About the Author


Vivien Brown lives in Uxbridge, on the outskirts of London, with her husband and two cats. After a career in banking and accountancy and the birth of her twin daughters, she gave up working with numbers and moved into working with words and has never looked back.