Soil - Jamie Kornegay

"It begins as a simple dream.

An idealistic environmental scientist moves his wife and young son off the grid, to a stretch of river bottom farmland in the Mississippi hills, hoping to position himself at the forefront of a revolution in agriculture.

Within a year, he is ruined.

When a corpse appears on his family's property, the farmer is convinced he's being set up. And so begins a journey into a maze of misperceptions and personal obsessions, as the farmer, his now-estranged wife, a predatory deputy, and a backwoods wanderer, all try to uphold a personal sense of honour.

By turns hilarious and darkly disturbing, Soil traces one man's apocalypse to its epic showdown in the Mississippi mudflats."

When the tag line of a book states, "The Coen Brothers meets Crime and Punishment - with a Mississippi twist", you kind of know it's going to be a good one. For me, this one was a slow burner - at first I was picking it up here and there and reading a chapter at a time, when it suddenly hooked me and wouldn't let me go. Jay's spiral further and further into his paranoia makes for uncomfortable reading in some places, where as in others the Fargo-esque twists and turns of the story did make me laugh out loud in places, ("Leavenger shot that dog himself after she come up pregnant with his own man-pups", had me sniggering like a child). 

Some parts may leave the reader feeling a little uncomfortable and in some places downright grossed out (for want of a better word) but Jamie Kornegay is a fantastic writer, and has created a darkly funny tale of murder, accusation and paranoia with some crazy-funny dialogue thrown in for good measure. If you liked Fargo you'll love Soil.

Soil is out now and you can get it here (and I highly recommend you do):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Soil-Jamie-Kornegay

*I received an review copy from the publisher via Bookbridgr*

The Truth Will Out - Jane Isaac

"Everything's going to be okay." 
"What if it's not?"

Suddenly, she turned. For a split second she halted, her head inclined.

"Naomi, what is it?"

She whisked back to face Eva.

"There's somebody in the house..."

Eva is horrified when she witnesses an attack on her best friend. She calls an ambulance and forces herself to flee Hampton, fearing for her own safety. DCI Helen Lavery leads the investigation into the murder. With no leads, no further witnesses and no sign of forced entry, the murder enquiry begins.

Slowly, the pieces of the puzzle start to come together. But as Helen inches towards solving the case, her past becomes caught up in her present.

Someone is after them both. Someone who will stop at nothing to get what they want. And as the net starts to close around them, can Helen escape her own demons as well as helping Eva to escape hers?"

I love a good police procedural and this novel from Jane Isaac didn't disappoint. The best thing about being a book blogger is that you quite often end up discovering authors that might have passed you by otherwise, and I hadn't heard of Jane before until I caught up with her on Twitter.  The story starts with fairly shocking scenes in which Eva witnesses an attack on her best friend, and this marks the start of an exhausting ride for lead detective Helen Lavery (and for us!).

I really enjoyed this, plenty of twists and turns and horrible characters that are dealt with excellently. I like Jane's writing - it is clear and flowing, (nothing worse than 'clunky' writing, especially in a thriller!) and her characters are strong. A solid four star read for me and I am looking forward to reading more from Jane.

The Truth Will Out is out now and you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Truth-Will-Out-Jane-Isaac-ebook

*I was lucky enough to receive a copy from the author*

New Habits - Eleanor Stewart

"The sequel to the popular Kicking the Habit! When Eleanor Stewart abandoned her vows and her life as a nun, she found herself in the middle of the swinging Sixties – and soon joined in. Boyfriends, parties, and mini-skirts took the place of silence and restraint, as she pursued her career as a midwife and the men she met with equal commitment. Troubled by her relationship with her mother, and what she saw as a growing estrangement from her faith, she finally falls in love and settles down – only to discover her past catching up with her, as she faces infertility. But with her husband at her side, they battle to adopt two children. Will the dream of a happy family, that drove her out of the convent, finally come true?"

I LOVED this book. Eleanor Stewart is totally not what I was expecting as an ex-nun - she is funny, feisty and a little bit wild and if I had been around then I would have wanted to go for a drink with her. Eleanor's story is a no-holds-barred, honest account of her time in Portsmouth and Chichester, following her departure from her convent in Liverpool, (and she spent time in Southsea, where I lived in a student house many moons ago). At times it is a little shocking (and maybe slightly cringe-y for her children, Eleanor is very frank regarding her past!), but there are some real heart-breaking moments, which Eleanor deals with delicately and with real compassion. In all, a really beautiful story - the relationship between Eleanor and her husband is told with real honesty, from the moment they meet until the day they become adoptive parents. Truly inspiring, and with a real happy ending.

New Habits is out now and you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Habits-Eleanor-Stewart-ebook

*I was lucky enough to receive a copy from the publisher as part of the Blog Tour*

The Girl in the Red Coat - Kate Hamer

"Carmel Wakeford becomes separated from her mother at a local children's festival, and is found by a man who claims to be her estranged grandfather. He tells her that her mother has had an accident and that she is to live with him for now. As days become weeks with her new family, 8-year-old Carmel realises that this man believes she has a special gift...

While her mother desperately tries to find her, Carmel embarks on an extraordinary journey, one that will make her question who she is - and who she might become."

This was completely not what I expected from a story surrounding a kidnapping - in fact, I don't think anything in this story was what I was expecting. This was a haunting, heartbreaking novel of loss and discovery - and is difficult to review without spoilers. What I will say, is that Kate Hamer has created some truly stunning characters, with the power to evoke the strongest emotions. Carmel broke my heart over and over, as did Beth, and "Gramps" made me feel uncomfortable to the point of nausea in some places. 

While I wouldn't say that this is your typical "thriller", it kept me gripped from the first page to the very last, and if you are looking for a story with an unusual plot and strong, well-written characters, that you will be completely unable to put down, then The Girl in the Red Coat comes highly recommended. A perfect book club choice.

The Girl in the Red Coat is out now and you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Red-Coat-Kate-Hamer

*I received an ARC through the publisher and Netgalley*

Ivy Lane - Cathy Bramley

"Tilly Parker needs a fresh start, fresh air and a fresh attitude if she is ever to leave the past behind and move on with her life. As she seeks out peace and quiet in a new town, taking on a plot at Ivy Lane allotments seems like the perfect solution.

But the friendly Ivy Lane community has other ideas and gradually draw Tilly in to their cosy, comforting world of planting seedlings, organizing bake sales and planning seasonal parties.

As the seasons pass, will Tilly learn to stop hiding amongst the sweetpeas and let people back into her life – and her heart?"

Ahhhhhh Tilly. I just wanted to scoop her up and give her a big squeeze. Every so often a character appears in your bookish life that just melts your heart, and that is Tilly. She is sweet, kind and  thoughtful, but terrified of life after what can only be described as a really, reallllllly crappy time. 

All of the characters that appear in Ivy Lane are easy to relate to and very easy to become attached too - Cathy's writing is warm and refreshing, and if I was guaranteed to meet people like the folks of Ivy Lane allotments then I'd have my name on the list like a shot. Instead I'll have to make do with my patch at the bottom of the garden, with only my chickens and rowdy children for company. 

Ivy Lane is a gorgeous tale of friendships, love, trust and learning to move on - please, PLEASE read it, if only for the warm, fuzzy feeling I guarantee you'll have by the end. And to make things even better, I've heard that Cathy is writing a follow-on book, telling the story of a minor character from Ivy Lane. (YAY! I want to be on the blogger list for that one!)

Ivy Lane is out now and you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ivy-Lane-Cathy-Bramley-ebook

*I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from Sarah Harwood at Transworld Books*

Stranger Child - Rachel Abbott

"One Dark Secret. One act of revenge. 

When Emma Joseph met her husband David, he was a man shattered by grief. His first wife had been killed outright when her car veered off the road. Just as tragically, their six-year-old daughter mysteriously vanished from the scene of the accident. 

Now, six years later, Emma believes the painful years are behind them. She and David have built a new life together and have a beautiful baby son, Ollie. 
Then a stranger walks into their lives, and their world tilts on its axis. 
Emma’s life no longer feels secure. Does she know what really happened all those years ago? And why does she feel so frightened for herself and for her baby? 

When a desperate Emma reaches out to her old friend DCI Tom Douglas for help, she puts all their lives in jeopardy. Before long, a web of deceit is revealed that shocks both Emma and Tom to the core. 

They say you should never trust a stranger. Maybe they’re right."

I heart Rachel Abbott SO MUCH, so I was absolutely chuffed as nuts to receive an ARC of Stranger Child. If you have read Rachel's previous books, then you will already be familiar with the characters in this novel, and if you're anything like me, you'll already be emotionally attached to them. This is probably the hardest review to write EVER, without giving away any spoilers! All I can tell you is what's in the blurb above - and that there are epic plot twists in there. So epic in fact, that once I finished reading I had to message Rachel just to squeal at her regarding the twists (sorry Rachel! x). Even though I guessed the major plot twist at about three-quarters of the way through, this by no means detracted from the rest of the story - I spent the remaining quarter crossing my fingers that things were going to go the way I wanted them to. That's all I can tell you without ruining it for you all. Just go and buy it. Now. And then sit and squeal all the way through to the end. 

Stranger Child is out now and you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stranger-Child-Rachel-Abbott-ebook

One Night, One Secret, Two Friends - Sasha Lane

"We all want the fairy tale, don’t we? To fall in love with the perfect guy, be proposed to in the most romantic way while being presented with a gorgeous ring the size of a rock, and then plan the dream wedding before living happily ever after. But in reality do we really want that kind of public display of emotion? In a world where romance has morphed into online dating, Skype, and communicating via social media while multitasking, do we still want the sanctity of a marriage proposal carried out in a traditional and somewhat old-fashioned way? 

Emma Storey is thirty-two trying to balance her love life, friends and work. She has been in a relationship with Chris for two years and is eagerly anticipating his proposal over a romantic meal. But the proposal doesn't go quite to plan and Emma's world is flipped upside down. To make matters worse, Emma’s best friend, Sophie, is full of the joys of a new relationship with her new man, Connor, whom Emma is yet to meet. 

Emma’s mother – homely housewife turned sophisticated divorcée businesswoman – persuades Emma to take a few days’ respite from the situation and visit her in New York. But two weeks later Emma is still feeling sorry for herself, so her two work friends, Jenny and Lola, take her out. There she meets a cute guy at the bar, who introduces himself as Johnny. He easily charms a drunken Emma back to his apartment for ‘coffee’ but this proves to have devastating consequences. 

Emma is then forced to keep her secret or risk losing everything."

I quite enjoyed this novel, more than I was expecting to. Emma's story is pretty unusual, and quite scary in some places, however I did think that it could have been a little more refined. For me, Connor was just not frightening enough. Although he was definitely not a very pleasant person, I do think the author could have taken his nastiness even further and created even more drama. In some places the writing was little clunky (for want of a better word!), and maybe a little more editing could have been done to make things a little bit sharper. That said, I still didn't stop reading, and although it was fairly slow paced at the beginning, the little asides in italics after every few chapters kept me hooked enough to see what the end result was going to be. 

I'm going to give 3 stars for One Night, it would have been higher but I would have liked to see the characters be a little more fleshed out - I wanted to know a bit more about Connor and Sophie. Also, there were a few typos and a few blank pages, however the book is self published so I was expecting a few little glitches. I will be looking out for more by Sasha Lane.

One Night, One Secret, Two Friends is out now and you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Night-Secret-Two-Friends-ebook

*I was kindly given my copy by the author*