Review & Giveaway: Half Moon Bay by Helene Young

Title: Half Moon Bay

Author: Helene Young

Published: Penguin May 2013

Read an Extract

Status: Read from May 22 to 23, 2013 { Courtesy Netgalley/the publisher}

My Thoughts:

With the wonderful balance of action, intrigue and romance which Helene Young always gets exactly right, Half Moon Bay is an exciting and engaging novel.

When the small community of Half Moon Bay is threatened by a corrupt Lord Mayor, international photojournalist Ellie Wilding returns to her home town determined to stop him. It doesn’t take long for Ellie to uncover evidence of kick backs and blackmail but she is shocked to discover that O’Sullivan may also be complicit in a drug ring involving Asian casino operators, Afghani warlords, Australian ex-soldiers and the death of her older sister Nina, a journalist, three years before and half a world away.
Nick Lawson is stunned to find Ellie in the midst of the protests against the land development in Half Moon Bay. Working undercover, the ICAC operation he is managing could be compromised if Ellie recognises him as the soldier who was present in Afghanistan when her older sister Nina, a journalist, was shot and killed.
As Ellie continues to investigate the links between her sister, an old friend and the corruption in her home town, she has no idea of the danger she is in and Nick, desperate to keep her safe from harm, will have to tell her everything, except the truth.

Moving between war torn Afghanistan, a small Australian coastal town and the ‘big smoke, Half Moon Bay is a fast paced, tension filled adventure. With consummate skill the author has developed a plot that is believable but not entirely predictable. I really enjoyed the way in which the story begins as if a fairly transparent case of greed but deepens into a complex web of crime involving corruption, drug running, kidnapping and murder.

Ellie is a capable, independent and strong protagonist. She is willing to fight for what she believes in and ignores attempts at threats and intimidation, but not to the point of fool hardiness. I love that Young’s heroines don’t take TSTL (too stupid to live) chances, and when the situation deteriorates, Ellie acts sensibly to minimise the risks to herself and others.

The romance between Ellie and Nick is complicated by a shared past that Ellie doesn’t even remember. Nick however has never been able to forget the bravery and resourcefulness Ellie showed while trying desperately to save her sister’s life. After failing to protect Nina in Afghanistan, Nick will do anything to ensure Ellie’s safety but given his status as the ‘enemy’ with regards to the land deal, her general suspicion of him and his inability to share the truth of his connection to the whole mess, earning her trust could be an impossible task.

Once I began Half Moon Bay I was reluctant to put it down, caught up in it’s exhilarating tale of romance and suspense. It was no less than I expected though from award winning author Helene Young. Half Moon Bay is a fantastic page turner and one I recommend you add to your must read shelf.

For details on how to win a signed copy of Half Moon Bay, view Helene’s guest post published at Book’d Out earlier today – CLICK HERE

Available to Purchase

@PenguinBooks Au I  @BoomerangBooks I @Booktopia I @AmazonKindle

via Booko

Find Helene at

Website I Blog I Facebook I Twitter

AWW Feature & Giveaway: Helene Young and Half Moon Bay

Welcome Helene Young!

I am thrilled to welcome back Helene Young to Book’d Out today, celebrating the release of her fourth book, Half Moon Bay. Helene has previously been a guest here at Book’d Out  andI  had the pleasure of meeting her last year.

Helene’s previous award winning novels, Shattered Sky, Wings of Fear and Burning Lies formed a loosely linked trilogy and earned her the title of most popular romantic suspense author by the Romance Readers of Australia (ARRA) in 2010 and 2011. My review of Half Moon Bay has been published HERE. In the meantime enjoy catching up with Helene and enter for your chance to win a signed copy of Half Moon Bay. Read on…

This Floating Writer’s Life.

The last twelve months has seen four significant milestones come and go. I had a change of job within the airline, which gave me more time at home with hubbie and hound.

Capt G took extended long service leave in November to coincide with his 55^th birthday, which also gave him a whole lot more time at home – a husband underfoot is a dangerous distraction…

We bought a 40 ft catamaran called Roo Bin Esque (named because she’s a voluptuous sexy French Boat with a couple of irreverent Australian sailors and dog aboard.)

Finally, we packed the contents of our house, along with several thousand books, into a shipping container and embarked on a sea change which we’ve been planning for fifteen years. (You can see the photos of our month’s journey north from Brisbane to Cairns on my blog.)

So now I’m a writer afloat with a new view from my window and a different rhythm to the day. It’s a little bit like camping as daylight hours dictate what you do. Sure we have a great big generator that makes lots of noise and produces beautiful 240 volts to run all the modern appliances, but who wants noise if you can have tranquility instead. I’ve always been a sparrow, up with first light, but now more than ever we wake with the sunrise and settle with the sunset.

It’s so much simpler than a house yet so much more labour intensive.  When we’re at sea there’s a dinghy to launch every time we want to go ashore. If the motors are on there’s a flurry of activity with water to make, batteries to charge, clothes to wash and decks to scrub. The fridge freezer demands to be defrosted every five days and the salt spray coats everything in a hazy layer.  Zeus, the long suffering Wonder Staffy, has to have a walk ashore twice a day since there’s not much play room on a boat, and besides those walks can be an adventure all of their own!

When we’re in a marina, there are people to chat to, chores to be done and a never-ending list of maintenance tasks.  Things we take fore granted like internet connection can prove to be fickle. We had several spots without internet or phone access on our sail north. They were the most peaceful days, but it took me a while to stop obsessively checking for service…

So how will all this affect my writing? I’m hoping for more down time to write. Half Moon Bay was released yesterday and my wonderful publishers would like the next completed manuscript in by mid-August. I’m working on it, but the view can be distracting and I find myself hurrying to find the camera and snap off another photo.

The upside is the inspiration in the scenery and people we meet.  For now I’ll soak up the ambience knowing there’s another significant milestone in a couple of weeks. Funny, but I don’t feel a day over twenty-five!

To go into the draw for a signed copy of Half Moon Bay tell us what you’d like to do if you could have a change from your current lifestyle in the comments. Would you be a tree changer or a backpacker, a sea change or jillaroo?

Competition closes Thursday 12 pm 30^th May and the winner will be announced on the 31^st May. Open worldwide

About Half Moon Bay

Ellie Wilding has been running from her past, but when the residents of Half Moon Bay call for help she knows it’s finally time to return home.  As an international photojournalist, she’s used to violence in war zones, but she’s shocked when it erupts in the sleepy hamlet on the north coast of New South Wales, threatening all she holds dear.

Battle-weary Nicholas Lawson walked away from his military career leaving unfinished business. In a coastal backwater, that decision returns to haunt him. He remembers all too vividly his last lethal assignment in Afghanistan when Ellie’s sister, Nina, was shot and killed. Ellie’s been in his dreams ever since, even if she doesn’t remember him…

As a storm rages and floodwaters rise, Ellie struggles to save her community. But who can she trust? Nick Lawson, the dangerously attractive stranger with secrets, or an old friend who’s never let her down?

Available to Purchase

@PenguinBooks Au I  @BoomerangBooks I @Booktopia I @AmazonKindle

via Booko

Find Helene at

Website I Blog I Facebook I Twitter

Review: Dark Horse by Honey Brown

Title: Dark Horse

Author: Honey Brown

Published: Penguin Australia April 24th 2013

Status: Read from April 22 to 23, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher}

Read an extract

My Thoughts:

Having read After the Darkness last year I thought I knew what to expect from Honey Brown and while I was rewarded with a compelling story of psychological suspense, the shocking twist in the tale of Dark Horse took me by surprise.

After a messy divorce and the reluctant sale of her property Sarah Barnard can’t face a day of forced celebration with her parents and so just after dawn on Christmas morning, she packs supplies and canters into the bush upon her beloved horse, Tansy. Distracted, Sarah doesn’t notice the change in the weather until a torrent of water is rushing towards her. With no way to retreat, Sarah and Tansy are forced to seek higher ground and take refuge at the site of an old bushranger’s hut in the midst of being renovated. Resigned to waiting for rescue, Sarah establishes camp, content in her solitude, but then a man calls to her from the darkness, and Sarah is no longer alone.

From the moment Heath whistles to Sarah from the edge of the campsite I believed I knew the path the story would take but the twist in the plot left me breathless, catching me unaware. In hindsight the clues are there in the story, hiding, at times, in plain sight, but Brown masterfully plays on the reader’s expectations and with careful, but never obvious, manipulation, subverts the truth.

Sarah’s reason for being on the mountain is seemingly clear while Heath is the enigma. He appears untruthful, giving vague answers to even the simplest of questions and as Sarah’s suspicion of him grows, so does ours. The tension builds as Sarah battles her intense attraction to Heath, who is young, fit and handsome, even though she suspects him to be dangerous. Brown skillfully develops a relationship between Sarah and Heath that is, if not entirely understandable, feasible, despite the obvious contradictions.

The sense of unease that permeates the narrative comes not only from the situation but is also carefully cultivated by Brown as she creates a disquieting landscape of thick fog, unstable ground and howling winds. Lashed by rain and in danger of flooding, the mountain is a threatening presence. Sarah and Heath’s battle against the elements, and their isolation, heightens the suspense whilst enforcing intimacy with the need to keep dry and warm.

Once begun, I found it impossible to put Dark Horse aside. The pace is compelling, the tension superb and the plot veers into a breathtaking twist. Dark Horse is a finely crafted, stunning psychological thriller that I can’t recommend strongly enough.

Available to Purchase

@PenguinAU I BoomerangBooks I @Booktopia I @Amazon Kindle

via Booko

 

Review & Giveaway: Sweet Damage by Rebecca James

Title: Sweet Damage

Author: Rebecca James

Published: Allen and Unwin April 2013

Read an excerpt

Status: Read from March 27 to 28, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy Allen & Unwin}

My Thoughts:

Sweet Damage is the second novel by Rebecca James. Her first, Beautiful Malice, gained international success for it’s chilling story of twisted friendship.

In Sweet Damage, Tim, an easy going, twenty something kitchen hand who has been staying on his ex-girlfriends couch since his return from an overseas trip. When she insists he finds his own space he is thrilled to find an inexpensive room in a large house in the leafy Australian suburb of Fairlight. The only catch is his young, agoraphobic enigmatic housemate, and landlord, Alice, who is not only haunted by unspeakable tragedy, but perhaps something altogether more sinister.

I was immediately drawn to the premise of Sweet Damage, tantalised by the gothic overtones and the promise of a chilling mystery and I was barely a quarter of the way through when the first wave of shivers rolled over me. It wasn’t the last time I felt that tingle of dread, the measured pace allows the suspense to build as the narrative weaves in and out of the past and present, before twisting unexpectedly.

Anna is such an interesting protagonist, and the ambiguity surrounding her character plays beautifully into the suspense. Her agoraphobia, her secretiveness and her difficulty interacting with Tim suggests she has something to hide and as strange things begin to happen in the house, it is understandable that Tim suspects her, especially since she is unable to deny any wrongdoing.

Tim is a little wary of Anna and her odd behaviour but with the arrogance of youth he is not really threatened by the odd occurrences at Fairview. Tim is more concerned with his on again/off again relationship with Lilla, his ex-girlfriend, with whom he admits an obsession. However Anna ignites his protective instinct and he is drawn to her vulnerability which contrasts so vividly with Lilla’s brash personality.

The writing is finely crafted to create an atmospheric and gripping story of psychological suspense. Several suspects move in and out of the frame as the mystery unfolds. As the story reaches it’s climax I thought perhaps Anna and Tim piece things together perhaps a little too quickly but the final confrontation is shocking and not everyone will see it coming.

I devoured Sweet Damage in a few hours, it is an easy yet engrossing read. I think it can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages (16 and up) and recommend it to those who enjoy spine tingling suspense.

Earlier today I posted a Q&A with Rebecca, make sure you take a look!

Sweet Damage is available for purchase

@Allen & Unwin I @BoomerangBooks I @Booktopia I @Amazon Kindle

via Booko

ENTER TO WIN

Allen & Unwin is offering my Australian readers the opportunity to win

1 of 3 print editions of Sweet Damage

To enter

ENTRIES CLOSED

Entries close April 21st. Winner is drawn via Random.org

AWW Feature: Q&A with Rebecca James, author of Sweet Damage

Welcome Rebecca James!

I am delighted to feature Rebecca James at  Book’d Out today and talk a little about her newest release, Sweet Damage. Rebecca James was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1970 and grew up in various different places throughout New South Wales, including Bourke, Sydney, Wellington and Bathurst. During her twenties Rebecca worked as a waitress, an English teacher in both Indonesia and Japan, a bartender, and (most memorably) a mini-cab telephone operator in London. During her thirties Rebecca spent most of her time having babies, she has four sons, and helping her partner run a small kitchen business in Canberra.

Rebecca’s first novel Beautiful Malice (Allen & Unwin 2010), a young adult psychological thriller, placed Highly Commended in the 2010 FAW (Fellowship of Australian Writers) Christina Stead Award and became a international best seller.

Sweet Damage is a compelling story of suspense that  I devoured within hours. My review is available HERE and I have three copies to giveaway, for now I am going to let Rebecca tell you more about her fabulous new novel, read on…

Q&A with Rebecca James

Q: Can you give us the ‘elevator pitch’ for Sweet Damage?

Rebecca: Laid back surfer Tim Ellison can’t believe  his luck when he scores a cheap room to rent in a  Sydney mansion. The only catch is his new flatmate, Anna London:  withdrawn  and agoraphobic she’s not exactly easy to make friends with. When strange and terrifying things start happening in the house, Tim wonders if he’s made a mistake taking the room and soon he’s caught up the tragic mystery of Anna’s past and the discovery of secrets both shocking and horrific.

Q: What was the first element of inspiration for creating Sweet Damage?

Rebecca: I was thinking about anxiety and agoraphobia and how having a person who’s basically  trapped in a house had a lot of potential for a story. And then I started thinking about how a lot of people view mental illnesses like agoraphobia, how they see it as a weakness, a failure. I thought it would be interesting to narrate most of the story from Tim’s perspective – a well-meaning but slightly insensitive guy who is completely baffled by Anna’s situation, her inability to leave the house. That was the basic set-up and then I had to put Tim and Anna under a whole lot of pressure and create a big mystery and lot of twisty plot elements to keep readers guessing and turning the pages.

Q:  Sweet Damage is written in the first person view from a young male,  did his gender pose any difficulties for you as you wrote?

Rebecca: Sometimes, yes! In my first draft my editor made the comment that Tim at times sounded like a 40 year old woman rather than a young man in his twenties. In redrafting I had to be really conscious not to let my voice override his, make sure he wasn’t thinking the way I would in his situation.

Q:  Is Fairview, the house in which Anna and Tim live,  based on a real location?

Rebecca: The location is real but the house itself is a product of my imagination. I know Fairlight the suburb pretty well, as I’ve lived there myself (in a small flat, not a mansion!) and my grandmother used to live in the very street – Lauderdale Avenue – in which I set the book.

Q:  What draws you to the young adult /psychological thriller genre?

Rebecca: I didn’t set out to write YA fiction. When I was writing my first book, BEAUTIFUL MALICE, I wasn’t thinking about categories or genres at all. It wasn’t until I started looking for an agent that I had to start thinking of how to pitch it. Interestingly, Beautiful Malice sold as a YA book in most territories, but as an adult book in others. in fulfilling my contract (BEAUTIFUL MALICE sold in a two-book deal) I had to try and write a book with similar crossover appeal – and so I hope SWEET DAMAGE is the same as BEAUTIFUL MALICE in that it will appeal to both teens and adults.

I’m definitely drawn to psychological thrillers. I think it must be my favourite genre in both books and movies. I enjoy the element of suspense and I always love it when there’s a completely unexpected twist that you don’t see coming.

Q: Do you and your sister, Wendy (The Mistake) talk about your writing with each other?

Rebecca: Yes, we do. We read each other’s manuscripts and give feedback. We talk about plot and characters and pacing and style – all the elements of novel-writing basically.

Q: Name three of your favourite novels by Australian women writers

Rebecca: It’s difficult to name only three  and I find it hard to list favourites as I don’t tend to think of books in that way. So I’m going to list three books that kept me thinking about the characters  and the writing long after I closed the last page.

OUT OF THE SILENCE by my sister Wendy is a book I couldn’t get out of my head for a long while. Maggie’s plight really brought home to me how dreadful and unfair life could be for women before feminism made abortion possible. Her story’s a great reminder how important feminism has been for women (and still is) and how much we’re now able to take for granted. (OUT OF THE SILENCE has just been republished as an ebook by Momentum press so you can now buy it from Amazon).

THE SPARE ROOM by Helen Garner is another book that resonated for me. I love Helen Garner’s ability to apply a her sharp critical lens to the domestic life of ordinary people. She’s honest about people’s motivations, and their small pettinesses and there’s a courage and beauty in that honesty that I really admire.

I also love Liane Moriarty’s work, particularly WHAT ALICE FORGOT (I haven’t read her latest yet, but intend to remedy that very soon). Liane Moriarty reminds me a bit of Anne Tyler in that she’s fundamentally kind to her characters. She shows people in all their flawed glory without being judgemental or superior, which is, I think, a great novelistic skill. The idea that people can be both flawed and lovable, that life is sticky and complicated, and that people can surprise themselves in both good and bad ways, is, for me, a recurring message of her work.  Her books somehow make me feel more optimistic and cheerful.

Q. What is your preference?

• Coffee/Tea or other? Tea.
• Beach/Pool or River? Beach. But I love pools too. And rivers.
• Slacks/Jeans or Leggings? Jeans. (Slacks? No way! They sound so old -ladyish!)
• Butterfly/Tiger or Giraffe? Giraffe. They have cute faces. Though I don’t know what I’d do with one.
• Swing/Slide or Roundabout? Actually the thought of either makes me a feel a bit queasy. I’d rather just sit on a bench seat and read, thanks very much!

You can connect with Rebecca James at

Blog I Facebook I Twitter

Sweet Damage is available for purchase

@Allen & Unwin I @BoomerangBooks I @Booktopia I @Amazon Kindle

via Booko

A special edition of Beautiful Malice, with a preview of Sweet Damage, is currently available from Allen & Unwin

Review: The Midnight Dress by Karen Foxlee

 

 

Title: The Midnight Dress

Author: Karen Foxlee

Published UQP February 2013

Status: Read from March 14 to 15, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher}

My Thoughts:

Will you forgive me if I tell you the ending?

The Midnight Dress begins with a girl waiting anxiously in the darkness, the sounds of the town celebrating echoing in the distance, wondering what she will say when he comes for her. This is the girl that will disappear, the girl wearing the midnight dress.

The narrative shifts between the present, as a Detective searches for the missing girl, and the past as present as the midnight dress comes to be. Rose arrives in the small northern Queensland town of Paradise with her alcoholic father, is befriended by Pearl despite her reluctance and with the Harvest Parade celebration imminent agrees to work with the eccentric Edie Baker to create a dress for the occasion. A midnight dress of deep navy blue, mourning lace and glass beads, hand sewn by Rose while she listens to the stories Edie has to share.

I saw The Midnight Dress labeled as ‘rural Australian gothic’ (I am not really sure where – sorry about that) and thought it the perfect description. It has many of the elements associated with the genre – a wild, isolated landscape, a crumbling house, an illicit love affair, a lurking sense of something ‘other’.

The suspense is finely crafted, despite the intertwining narrative that foreshadows the grief and loss. There is a haunted quality that reminds me of The Picnic at Hanging Rock, it has that sense of an inexorable slide towards tragedy, of menace waiting to take advantage of innocence.

The Midnight Dress is beautifully written with a lyrical rhythm and evocative language. I felt as though I could step inside Edie Baker’s house, crowded with decaying junk, mildewed fabric and lost dreams. Gaze upon the looming mountain covered with dense forest, a waterfall burbling in the distance as the sweat of tropical humidity trickles uncomfortably down my spine. Spy on Pearl’s flirtation with Paul amongst the tiny, musty rooms of the book exchange.

Despite the teenage protagonist I would say this novel exceeds the boundaries of young adult fiction, it is more than a coming of age tale even as it delves into the angst of adolescence. The Midnight Dress is compelling, a story of loss, of yearning and dark enchantment and leaves me eager to read more from Karen Foxlee.

Available to Purchase

@UQP I  @Boomerang Books I @Booktopia

via Booko

Preorder for US release @Amazon

Review: Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Title: Hysteria

Author: Megan Miranda

Published: Bloomsbury February 2013

Read an Excerpt

Status: Read from January 24 to 27, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy BloomsburyANZ}

My Thoughts:

With it’s intriguing premise, and having enjoyed Megan Miranda’s debut novel, Fracture, I had been looking forward to reading Hysteria.

Mallory remembers fear, and blood, so much blood, but very few of the details about the night she killed her boyfriend. Though the consensus is she acted in self defense, her parents can barely look at her and his family stalks her in the streets. To escape the condemnation Mallory agrees to go to boarding school, hoping that she will also leave behind the vivid flashes of horror that haunts her.

Hysteria starts strongly and builds around Mallory’s inability to recall the circumstances that led to Brian bleeding out on her kitchen floor. Anxious, ashamed and guilt-ridden, when the nightmares that plague her each night begin to bleed into her waking life she is certain that her dead boyfriend is seeking revenge. Miranda’s artfully slow reveal of details kept me off balance, just as I was convinced a ghost would reveal itself it would retreat in the cold light of day. I enjoyed this uncertainty, the blurring between reality and dream and the ever present sense of unease.

The author also creates another layer of mystery involving the school headmaster’s son and his cousin who trade in nasty secrets. Their hidden agenda becomes tangled in Mallory’s fear and confusion with deadly results.

I have to admit that in some ways I felt the author succumbed to the YA fiction stereotypes she deftly avoided in Fracture – a love triangle, a beautiful blonde mean girl, a quirky, super supportive best friend and minimal adult supervision. For me these elements weakened what is otherwise a well crafted and creative plot.

Hysteria is in essence a psychological thriller but it straddles the genres of contemporary mystery and paranormal fiction and should appeal to young adult fans of both.

Available To Purchase

@BloomsburyANZ  I@BoomerangBooks I @Booktopia I @Amazon Kindle

Via Booko

@Bloomsbury I @AmazonUS I @BookDepository

Review: Two Evils by P.J. Tracy

 

Title: Two Evils (Monkeewrench #6}

Author: P.J. Tracy

Published: Michael Joseph Penguin Australia January 2013

Synopsis: When a missing teenage girl is found dead in a parking lot, her throat slashed, it’s only the beginning. Their discovery leads police directly to the bodies of two young immigrants killed in their run down apartment. The next morning three more men are found dead in the street nearby.  Welcome to summer in the city. None of it makes any sense. But as Minneapolis Police Department homicide detectives Magozzi and Rolseath struggle to establish what’s happened, they realise that the deaths may not be as random as they first appear. Nor, it seems, were they simply an isolated, freak twenty-four hours of violence in the Twin Cities.  As the killings continue, Magozzi and Rolseath turn to maverick computer analyst Grace McBride for help. But Grace’s contribution to the investigation depends on her staying alive long enough to provide it. And as the evidence mounts, piece by piece, it reveals terrifying intent. Ultimately, it forces the two detectives to make a dreadful choice: down which path does the lesser of two evils lie . .

Status: Read on January 20, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy Penguin Australia}

My Thoughts:

Two Evils, (also known as Off the Grid – a title that makes much more sense) is the sixth installment of mother and daughter writing team,  P.J. Tracy’s ‘Monkeewrench’ series featuring Grace McBride and her team of eccentric computer software developers who regularly find themselves embroiled in murder and mayhem, assisting the Minneapolis PD.

Homicide Detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are baffled by a spate of murders in an area of Minneapolis known as Little Mogadishu. At first glance the cases seem unrelated except for a single piece of evidence found at each crime scene, a date, October 31st, circled in red. In the midst of the busy investigation Grace McBride appears after a three month absence asking Magozzi for a favour, one that eventually exposes a shocking plan of nation-wide violence.

Two Evils combines police procedural with action, mystery and a touch of romance. Though the plot is fairly predictable, seemingly separate cases merge in a clever manner to reveal a complex network of terrorists, vigilantes and law enforcement. Tension swirls around the main plot but really comes into its own in the climax, though I thought the ending a bit abrupt, even if the epilogue provides a nice little twist. There were moments I felt the plot was marred by the inexplicable behaviours of some of its characters – for example an experienced retired FBI agent who runs into a forest filled with enemy snipers targeting him.

It was quickly obvious that I was missing a great deal of background that would have connected me to the characters in this story. Grace has a complicated personal background, she and Magozzi have some sort of history and the Monkeewrench team are computer geeks but with a handy cache of weapons available at short notice. Unfamiliar with the finer nuances of personality and relationships, I wasn’t very invested in their story which detracted from my interest overall.

I don’t think Two Evils is the book to start with if you haven’t read any of the previous installments. This series seems to require an investment in the characters to complement the plot and without it unfortunately falls fairly flat.

Available To Purchase

@Penguin Australia I @BoomerangBooks I @Booktopia I @Amazon Kindle

via Booko

as Off the Grid

@AmazonUS I @BookDepository

AWW Feature: Q&A with Kathryn Ledson

Welcome Kathryn Ledson!

I am happy to introduce Kathryn Ledson , the debut  author of Rough Diamond, to my readers today. Kathryn Ledson shares her time between Melbourne and Aireys Inlet on Victoria’s stunning west coast, where she lives with her husband and dog. In 2006, Kathryn abandoned her corporate career and returned to study with relief and a great sense of homecoming. This novel – her first – is the result.

Rough Diamond introduces Australia’s own Stephanie Plum – the unforgettable Erica Jewell, in a funny, romantic, and action-packed caper. The shock ending to Erica Jewell’s marriage left a huge hole in her bank balance and a bigger one in her heart. And now her life goals make a very short list: no surprises, no debt and, definitely, no men. That is, until she finds one bleeding to death in her Melbourne garden one stormy Friday night. Jack Jones is a man whose emotional wounds are more life-threatening than the bullet in his shoulder. Under orders, he recruits Erica to his secret team of vigilantes, and Erica suspects her safe, predictable world is about to be turned upside down. And she’s absolutely right!

You can read why I though Rough Diamond was such a great story HERE, but first learn a little more about Kathryn and her exciting debut…

Q&A  with Kathryn Ledson

Q: What five words best describe Rough Diamond?

Kathryn: “Kick-arse Aussie romance” (Only 4 words but I love this quote by author Favel Parrett. So perfect!)

Q. What was the first element of the novel to inspire you?

Kathryn: The romance between Jack and Erica, definitely.

Q. How would you describe your heroine, Erica Jewell?

Kathryn: Erica’s got guts but just doesn’t know it yet. And she’s a bit confused about what she wants. She’s so used to being bossed around by her mother, husband, boss, best friend, Jack of course and even her new cat! I think subconsciously she wants things in her life that will challenge her, toughen her up. That said, Erica still eludes me. I seem to know exactly what Jack will think and do in any situation, but she surprises me constantly.

Q. Which scene was the most fun to write?

Kathryn: That’s a definite toss up between the dinner with Jack at Erica’s parents, and the Australia Day barby at Jack’s. In both, I had no idea what would happen when I started writing them. I didn’t mean for Erica to be such a hussy (as her mother calls her) but she’s not good with champagne, you know. I did find myself laughing out loud at some spots, then clamping my hand over my mouth, looking around to see if anyone was watching me laugh at my own work. Is that allowed, do you think?

Q. As a debut author, what part of the process of being published has surprised you the most?

Kathryn: The fact that it’s still my work. I had no idea what to expect, but somehow I thought Penguin might just give my manuscript to a brilliant editor who would tell me exactly what needed to be done. But that’s not at all what happened – at the end it was up to me. There was a LOT of editing work needed (especially structural – my weakness), and I had to perform under the watchful eye and very clever guidance of my publisher, editor and coach, Belinda Byrne. Happy days! I adore editing. Anyway, I’m constantly surprised and impressed by the whole process. They’re so very professional at Penguin. And I love that because, if nothing else, I hope that I come across that way – professional. I did want to say also that although no-one’s holding any secrets about it – the publishing business – it does seem to be a bit of an enigma that unpublished writers want to understand.

Q: What’s next for Erica (and Jack?)

Kathryn: In the sequel, Emerald Island, Erica is testing herself in a very big way. Jack is missing-in-action in a dangerous, war-ravaged country called Saint Sebastian in the Timor Sea. No-one will do anything about it. No-one will even acknowledge his existence, let alone the fact that he’s disappeared. Before she knows it, Erica’s on a plane to go find him.

Q.  Name your three favourite novels by Australian Women writers?

A:            Ah! Shelleyrae, only three? What to choose? OK. Let me say this. I’m loving the rural genre right now; being immersed in the savage beauty of our landscape, learning about its inhabitants – human and otherwise. I’m in awe of the amazing women who have time to write these fabulous stories when I know what else they must do. For example, as I write this, I know that Margareta Osborn (Bella’s Run) is fighting to protect her home, family and livestock from bushfire. When she and other women like her aren’t dealing with the horrors the Aussie climate throws at our farmers, they’re delivering calves or getting children to school or volunteering as ambos or for the CFA. They’re riding motor bikes and driving trucks and fixing fences. They are awesome. Phew. I hope that somehow answers that question? By the way, I adored Elyne Mitchell’s Silver Brumby series when I was a kid; anyone else who loved those novels should keep an eye on Jennifer Scoullar’s work.

Q. What is your preference?

• Coffee/Tea or other?
  • TEA PLEASE – good old English breakfast.
• Beach/Pool or River?
  • Umm. Beach to walk on, river to sit beside, pool to swim in.
• Slacks/Jeans or Leggings?
  • Whatever’s comfiest.
• Butterfly/Tiger or Giraffe?
  • TIGER! – from a distance.
• Swing/Slide or Roundabout?
  • Slide – swings and roundabouts are vomit-inducing.

Rough Diamond is available from today in print and ebook at

@Penguin Australia I @BoomerangBooks I @Booktopia I @Amazon Kindle

via Booko

Read an extract

You can find Kathryn at

Website I Facebook I Twitter

Review: Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman

Title: Cover of Snow

Author: Jenny Milchman

Published: Ballantine January 2013

Synopsis: Waking up one wintry morning in her old farmhouse nestled in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, Nora Hamilton instantly knows that something is wrong. When her fog of sleep clears, she finds her world is suddenly, irretrievably shattered: Her husband, Brendan, has committed suicide. The first few hours following Nora’s devastating discovery pass for her in a blur of numbness and disbelief. Then, a disturbing awareness slowly settles in: Brendan left no note and gave no indication that he was contemplating taking his own life. Why would a rock-solid police officer with unwavering affection for his wife, job, and quaint hometown suddenly choose to end it all? Having spent a lifetime avoiding hard truths, Nora must now start facing them. Unraveling her late husband’s final days, Nora searches for an explanation—but finds a bewildering resistance from Brendan’s best friend and partner, his fellow police officers, and his brittle mother. It quickly becomes clear to Nora that she is asking questions no one wants to answer. For beneath the soft cover of snow lies a powerful conspiracy that will stop at nothing to keep its presence unknown . . . and its darkest secrets hidden.

Status: Read on January 21, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy Random House/Netgalley}

My Thoughts:

Cover of Snow begins as Nora Hamilton stumbles from her bed and finds her husband, Brendan, has hung himself. Nora is devastated, she thought he was happy, that they were happy. Desperate for answers, Nora begins to ask questions she had never thought to ask before, discovering her husband kept secrets from her, secrets the townspeople, including her husband’s colleagues on the police force, would rather stay hidden.

The narrative of Cover of Snow reminds me of an arthouse film with moody lighting, scenes that finish abruptly and unexpected shifts in perspective. It’s disconcerting yet it does contribute to the broken, eerie atmosphere of the novel. The perspective shifts between Nora’s first person and the third person point of view that gives some insight into the other characters and their motivations.

Nora is an odd character, despite her distressing circumstances, sympathy for her wears thin after a while. Her investigations into her husband’s death are vague and unfocused, she stumbles upon clues she can’t seem to put together, makes choices that seem nonsensical. While this plays into the shock and confusion she is feeling after her husband’s suicide, it is also frustrating.

Of the supporting characters, only Duggar (rhymes with cougar) is portrayed with any real depth though his Autism means he remains somewhat of an enigma. The police Chief, Nora’s family and even Ned are little more than archetypes, which to be fair, is probably all they need to be. I would have liked to have understood Brendan’s mother a little more, and Brendan himself.

The finest part of the novel is the evocative atmosphere. Set in the depths of mid winter in a small town in the Adirondacks, the chill seeps from the pages. The snow is suffocating, blinding, covering up the secrets of the town, burying them from sight. The wind rages, the cold is deadly and it reinforces the sense of isolation and entrapment.

Cover of Snow is a disturbing thriller, its flaws just edged out by its strengths. I thought this was an intriguing debut novel from an author to watch.

Available To Purchase

@RandomHouse US I @Amazon I @BookDepository