It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #SundayPost #SundaySalon

 

Linking to: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at BookDate; Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer; and the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz

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Life…

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I had my second dose of Phizer a few hours ago, and so far so good, except my arm is surprisingly sore every time I move. Regardless I am relieved to have the protection given the explosion of Delta in NSW. So far there has been no trace in our regional area but I think it likely it will eventually escape the Greater Sydney cordon, there are unfortunately too many moron’s who have no compunction in flaunting the rules.

Other than that, it’s been a fairly ordinary week. Aleah & I are still watching Grimm, and I’m just about finished with Killjoys, which I loved. I’ve no idea what I’m going to watch next.

We’ve been watching bits of the Olympics too, I enjoy gymnastics and diving, my husband mainly watches archery and shooting, but we watched some skateboarding and BMX riding too because we were curious about what it would be like as an Olympic sport. Have you been watching?

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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…

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All Her Fault by Andrea Mara

Gun To The Head by Keith Banks

The Last Guests by J.P. Pomare

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New Posts…

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Review: The Children’s Secret by Nina Monroe

Review: All Her Fault by Andrea Mara

Review: Gun to the Head by Keith Banks

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What I’m Reading This Week…

 

The fire took everything – except two women’s fighting spirits. A sweeping, big-hearted Australian family saga for readers of Judy Nunn and Victoria Purman. 7 February, 1967. Walls of flame reduce much of Tasmania to ash.

Young schoolteacher Catherine Turner rushes to the Huon Valley to find her family’s apple orchard destroyed, her childhood home in ruins and her brother dead. Despite her father’s declaration that a woman will never run the orchard, Catherine resolves to rebuild the family business.

After five sons, Catherine’s friend and neighbour, Annie Pearson, is overjoyed by the birth of a much longed for daughter. As Annie and her husband Dave work to repair the damage to their orchard, Dave’s friend Mark pitches in, despite the fact that Annie wants him gone. Mark has moved his family to the valley to escape his life in Melbourne, but his wife has disappeared leaving chaos in her wake and their young son Charlie in Mark’s care.

Catherine becomes fond of Charlie, whose strange upbringing has left him shy and withdrawn. However, the growing friendship between Mark and Catherine not only scandalises the small community but threatens a secret Annie is desperate to keep hidden.

Through natural disasters, personal calamities and the devastating collapse of the apple industry, Catherine, Annie and those they love battle to save their livelihoods, their families and their secrets.

xxxxxxx

He heard a voice, someone calling out in the distance, followed by a loud fluttering of birds.  Bailey looked up just in time to see a body falling from the sky …

Investigative journalist John Bailey is doing his best to turn his life around after losing the woman he loved. He has a new job. He’s given up the drink. He even has a dog.

But then Federal Police raid his home with a warrant granting them unprecedented powers to take anything they want, including all his electronic devices and passwords. When Bailey protests, they threaten to put him in a prison cell.

Someone wants to stop Bailey doing what he does best – exposing the truth. He has been investigating the rise of a global white supremacist group and suspects that a notorious neo-Nazi in the United States has been directing deadly racist attacks on Sydney’s streets.

When the body of one of his key sources washes up on a nearby beach, it’s clear Bailey and anyone helping him have become targets. Bailey reaches out to a ruthless old friend – CIA veteran, Ronnie Johnson – to lure the enemy from the shadows.

An enemy who thought they were untouchable. Until now …

xxxxxxx

 

Early in life Bella Sorensen discovers the world is made only for men. They own everything: jobs, property, wives. But Bella understands what few others do: where women are concerned, men are weak.

A woman unhampered by scruples can take from them what she wants. And so Bella sets out to prove to the world that a woman can be just as ruthless, black-hearted and single-minded as any man.

Starting with her long suffering husband, Mads, Bella embarks on a killing spree the like of which has never been seen before nor since.

And through it all her kind, older sister Nellie can only watch in horror as Bella’s schemes to enrich herself and cut down the male population come to a glorious, dreadful fruition . . .

Based on the true story of Belle Gunness whose murderous rampage began in Chicago in 1900, Triflers Need Not Apply is a novelistic tour de force exploring one woman’s determination to pay men back for all they have taken.

xxxxxx

 

If you encounter the Black Wind while out there at sea, all you can do is race back to shore. There’s no predicting it, no sailing it, no living with it. And if you’re a Dempsey, it can play tricks on your mind. . .

On the Tasman Peninsula, nestled amidst the largest sea-cliffs in the southern hemisphere, is Shacktown. Here the Dempsey family have run a drug ring for generations, using the fishing industry and the deadly Black Wind as cover. But when thirteen-year-old Forest Dempsey walks out of the ocean, bruised and branded, everything is imperilled – because Forest has been believed dead for the last seven years.

Mackerel Dempsey, out of jail on strict bail conditions, is trying to change his fate, doing his best to keep out of trouble before his next court date. His cousin Ahab has renounced the family altogether, in favour of working to keep the town and its fragile tourism economy safe. But in their search for answers about Forest, both Mackerel and Ahab can’t help but be drawn back into the underworld. What on earth happened to the boy all those years ago? And does it have anything to do with the infamous drug kingpin Blackbeard, who is rumoured to be moving in on Shacktown?

When secrets long thought buried at sea wash up on shore, generations of the Dempsey family must stand up for what they believe in, even if it means sacrificing everything. But in the gritty fight between right and wrong, blood isn’t always thicker than water, and everyone is at risk of being pulled under…

From the bestselling breakout author of The Bluffs comes a heart-stopping new thriller set on the rugged coast of Tasmania about modern-day pirates, family bonds and betrayals, and the hidden dangers that lurk in the deep…

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Thanks for stopping by!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #SundayPost #SundaySalon

 

Linking to: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at BookDate; Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer; and the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz

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Life…

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Uneventful, but somehow busy.

Have you ever got stuck when writing a review? It seems to be happening to me more often lately. I draft and edit in an endless loop sometimes trying to put together something coherent, and I’m never even sure I manage it. I seem to get stuck in my own head, and the more I try to force it the worse it gets. And because I don’t like to get too far ahead without having a review done, my reading suffers. I’m not sure if I’m asking for advice or simply indulging myself with a pity party.

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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…

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Lives Like Mine by Eve Verde

The Children’s Secret by Nina Monroe

About Us by Sinead Moriarty

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New Posts…

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Review: The Newcomer by Laura Elizabeth Woollett

Review: The Wattle Seed Inn by Leonie Kelsall

Review: Lives Like Mine by Eva Verde

Review: About Us by Sinead Moriarty

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What I’m Reading This Week…

 

ONE MISSING BOY.

Marissa Irvine arrives at 14 Tudor Grove, expecting to pick up her young son Milo from his first playdate with a boy at his new school. But the woman who answers the door isn’t a mother she recognises. She isn’t the nanny. She doesn’t have Milo. And so begins every parent’s worst nightmare.

FOUR GUILTY WOMEN.

As news of the disappearance filters through the quiet Dublin suburb and an unexpected suspect is named, whispers start to spread about the women most closely connected to the shocking event. Because only one of them may have taken Milo – but they could all be blamed . . .

IN A COMMUNITY FULL OF SECRETS, WHO IS REALLY AT FAULT?

xxxxxxx

 

My life as a tactical cop. The impact. The aftermath.

From the bestselling author of Drugs, Guns & Lies, comes Keith’s story of what it was really like to be a tactical police officer in the violent and corrupt eighties

‘Fear and exhilaration are blood brothers; that’s what drives risk. I should have been careful what I wished for.’

Keith Banks was a member of the Queensland Police Force when not everyone with a badge could be trusted.

After serving as an undercover cop and declining an opportunity to participate in a lucrative and totally corrupt enterprise, Keith found himself sidelined from the Drug Squad. In 1984 he was transferred to the Taringa Criminal Investigation Branch as a Detective Senior Constable. That had its moments, but he wanted more. He missed the adrenaline charge of his days as an undercover cop. He discovered that rush again when, ultimately, he became one of the first full-time members of the Tactical Response Group.

This was challenging and dangerous work. Not only did Keith find himself facing off against some of Australia’s most brutal criminals, but he also had to confront the demons of constantly living on the edge, of finding that fine line between good and bad where violence was normal.

Raw and confronting, Gun to the Head exposes a world of policing that few have lived.

xxxxxxx

 

A DEADLY PROSECUTOR

They call him the King of Death Row. Randal Korn has sent more men to their deaths than any district attorney in the history of the United States.

A TWISTED RITUALISTIC KILLING

When a young woman, Skylar Edwards, is found murdered in Buckstown, Alabama, a corrupt sheriff arrests the last person to see her alive, Andy Dubois. It doesn’t seem to matter to anyone that Andy is innocent.

A SMALL TOWN BOILING WITH RAGE

Everyone in Buckstown believes Andy is guilty. He has no hope of a fair trial. And the local defense attorney assigned to represent him has disappeared.

A FORMER CON-ARTIST

Hot shot New York lawyer Eddie Flynn travels south to fight fire with fire. He plans to destroy the prosecutors case, find the real killer and save Andy from the electric chair.

But the murders are just beginning.

Is Eddie Flynn next?

xxxxxx

 

Newlyweds Lina and Cain don’t make it out to their vacation home on gorgeous Lake Tarawera as often as they’d like, so when Cain suggests they rent the property out on weekends, Lina reluctantly agrees. While the home has been special to her family for generations, their neighbors are all signing up to host renters, and frankly, she and Cain could use the extra money. What could go wrong? And at first, Lina is amazed at how quickly guests line up to spend a weekend–and at how much they’re willing to pay. 

But both Lina and Cain have been keeping secrets, secrets that won’t be kept out by a new alarm system or a locked cupboard. When strange things begin happening on their property, and a visit takes a deadly turn, Lina becomes convinced that someone out there knows something they shouldn’t–and that when they come for her, there will be nowhere left to hide.

xxxxxx

 

February, 1967. Walls of flame reduce much of Tasmania to ash.

Young schoolteacher Catherine Turner rushes to the Huon Valley to find her family’s apple orchard destroyed, her childhood home in ruins and her brother dead. Despite her father’s declaration that a woman will never run the orchard, Catherine resolves to rebuild the family business.

After five sons, Catherine’s friend and neighbour, Annie Pearson, is overjoyed by the birth of a much longed for daughter. As Annie and her husband Dave work to repair the damage to their orchard, Dave’s friend Mark pitches in, despite the fact that Annie wants him gone. Mark has moved his family to the valley to escape his life in Melbourne, but his wife has disappeared leaving chaos in her wake and their young son Charlie in Mark’s care.

Catherine becomes fond of Charlie, whose strange upbringing has left him shy and withdrawn. However, the growing friendship between Mark and Catherine not only scandalises the small community but threatens a secret Annie is desperate to keep hidden.

Through natural disasters, personal calamities and the devastating collapse of the apple industry, Catherine, Annie and those they love battle to save their livelihoods, their families and their secrets.

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Thanks for stopping by!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #SundayPost #SundaySalon

 

Linking to: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at BookDate; Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer; and the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz

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Life…

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So there is a silver lining to the Greater Sydney stay at home orders for me, my daughter will be staying with us an extra week or two as all face to face classes have been cancelled so there is no point to her returning to campus. Restrictions remain unchanged in our area as Delta has not yet spread north which means masks, social distancing and check-ins are mandatory but we aren’t under lockdown. Last weekend I was unexpectedly able to get my first dose of the vaccine, and my husband will get his this weekend. My next dose is August.

Said daughter has also made us terribly proud by earning High Distinctions in every class of her first semester! Given not only that it’s been her first time living away from home, but she’s also endured the upset caused by the pandemic, and being surrounded by flooding, her achievement is monumental!

With the boys back at school this week I’ve also had time to try and catch up on my reading & reviewing commitments. I say try, because I was almost back on track when five books which are all due for release at the end of July showed up in the post  on Thursday. I actually could quite comfortably read 15 books in the 13 days that remain of the month, I just can’t review that many because I’m just so slow at writing them!

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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…

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Catch Us The Foxes by Nicola West

The Other Side of Beautiful by Kim Lock

When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham

The Newcomer by Laura Elizabeth Woollett

The Wattle Seed Inn by Leonie Kelsall

Lives Like Mine by Eva Verde

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New Posts…

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Review: The Husbands by Chandler Baker

Review: You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

Review: Catch Us The Foxes by Nicola West

Review: The Other Side of Beautiful by Kim Lock

Review: When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham

Bookish Bounty

 

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What I’m Reading This Week…

 

THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS ASKING.

BUT THEY’RE NOT TELLING . . .

At a children’s party . . .

Nothing ever happens in a sleepy American town like Middlebrook. Until the shocking events of one hot Saturday afternoon when, at a back-to-school party, nine children sneak off to a barn. And one child is shot by another.

In the media storm that sweeps the nation . . .

The press are asking questions. About the type of parents who let their children play unsupervised in a house with guns. About how damaged a child must be to commit this kind of atrocity.

In the ensuing police investigation . . .

Two questions are the most urgent, and the most baffling. Of the nine children who were present in that barn, which one actually pulled the trigger?

And why are the others staying silent?

Incredibly gripping and gorgeously written, this is a spellbinding novel that asks how far we’ll go to protect our children, and how we can come together when so much divides us.

xxxxxx

 

Three couples. One therapist’s couch …

Alice and Niall used to be lovers, best friends and parents, in that order. Now they’re no longer on the same page or even reading from the same book.

Ann thought when she and Ken retired, it would be their second spring. Instead, it feels more like an icy winter.

Orla is falling in love with boyfriend Paul, but her complicated past makes her unsure if she can ever be intimate with anyone.

Three couples find themselves telling a stranger about the most private part of their lives – their hopes, their disappointments, their awkward realisations.

Can they learn to be honest with each other? And what life-changing decisions will be made when they do?

xxxxxxx

ONE MISSING BOY.

Marissa Irvine arrives at 14 Tudor Grove, expecting to pick up her young son Milo from his first playdate with a boy at his new school. But the woman who answers the door isn’t a mother she recognises. She isn’t the nanny. She doesn’t have Milo. And so begins every parent’s worst nightmare.

FOUR GUILTY WOMEN.

As news of the disappearance filters through the quiet Dublin suburb and an unexpected suspect is named, whispers start to spread about the women most closely connected to the shocking event. Because only one of them may have taken Milo – but they could all be blamed . . .

IN A COMMUNITY FULL OF SECRETS, WHO IS REALLY AT FAULT?

xxxxxxx

My life as a tactical cop. The impact. The aftermath.

From the bestselling author of Drugs, Guns & Lies, comes Keith’s story of what it was really like to be a tactical police officer in the violent and corrupt eighties

‘Fear and exhilaration are blood brothers; that’s what drives risk. I should have been careful what I wished for.’

Keith Banks was a member of the Queensland Police Force when not everyone with a badge could be trusted.

After serving as an undercover cop and declining an opportunity to participate in a lucrative and totally corrupt enterprise, Keith found himself sidelined from the Drug Squad. In 1984 he was transferred to the Taringa Criminal Investigation Branch as a Detective Senior Constable. That had its moments, but he wanted more. He missed the adrenaline charge of his days as an undercover cop. He discovered that rush again when, ultimately, he became one of the first full-time members of the Tactical Response Group.

This was challenging and dangerous work. Not only did Keith find himself facing off against some of Australia’s most brutal criminals, but he also had to confront the demons of constantly living on the edge, of finding that fine line between good and bad where violence was normal.

Raw and confronting, Gun to the Head exposes a world of policing that few have lived.

xxxxxx

 

A DEADLY PROSECUTOR

They call him the King of Death Row. Randal Korn has sent more men to their deaths than any district attorney in the history of the United States.

A TWISTED RITUALISTIC KILLING

When a young woman, Skylar Edwards, is found murdered in Buckstown, Alabama, a corrupt sheriff arrests the last person to see her alive, Andy Dubois. It doesn’t seem to matter to anyone that Andy is innocent.

A SMALL TOWN BOILING WITH RAGE

Everyone in Buckstown believes Andy is guilty. He has no hope of a fair trial. And the local defense attorney assigned to represent him has disappeared.

A FORMER CON-ARTIST

Hot shot New York lawyer Eddie Flynn travels south to fight fire with fire. He plans to destroy the prosecutors case, find the real killer and save Andy from the electric chair.

But the murders are just beginning.

Is Eddie Flynn next?

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Thanks for stopping by!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #SundayPost #SundaySalon

 

Linking to: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at BookDate; Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer; and the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz

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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…

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You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

The Newcomer by Laura Elizabeth Woollett

The Other Side of Beautiful by Kim Lock

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What I’m Reading This Week…

 

Three aching hearts, a ramshackle country pub and a tangled web of secrets.

PR executive Gabrielle Moreau knows she has an easy life, but when her business partner claims she lacks career passion she takes ownership of a dilapidated pub in a tiny riverside settlement to prove she can be a success without falling back on her privilege.

Eighteen months ago, Settlers Bridge stonemason Hayden Paech had it all: a job he loved, good mates and a close family. All he needed was the right woman to come along, and he was ready to settle down. But one poor choice stole that chance and he’ll never risk caring for anyone again.

Living at Wurruldi Hotel for … goodness, so many years, Ilse has seen more changes of ownership than she can recall. Clinging to her failing memories, she’s tired of trying to protect the property her grandparents built. With the arrival of the elegant Gabrielle Moreau, however, it seems that finally an owner may recognise the importance of recapturing the grace and dignity of Ilse’s past.

For Ilse to find peace, Hayden forgiveness and Gabrielle her true passion, three aching hearts must reveal their secrets.

xxxxxx

 

Some secrets you try to hide. Others you don’t dare let out … Twin Peaks meets The Dry in a deliciously dark and twisted tale that unravels a small town

Ambitious young journalist Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson would do anything to escape the suffocating confines of her small home town. While begrudgingly covering the annual show for the local paper, Lo is horrified to discover the mutilated corpse of Lily Williams, the reigning showgirl and Lo’s best friend. Seven strange symbols have been ruthlessly carved into Lily’s back. But when Lo reports her grisly find to the town’s police chief, he makes her promise not to tell anyone about the symbols. Lo obliges, though it’s not like she has much of a choice – after all, he is also her father.

When Lily’s murder makes headlines around the country and the town is invaded by the media, Lo seizes the opportunity to track down the killer and make a name for herself by breaking the biggest story of her life.

What Lo uncovers is that her sleepy home town has been harbouring a deadly secret, one so shocking that it will captivate the entire nation. Lo’s story will change the course of her life forever, but in a way she could never have dreamed of.

xxxxxx

 

Mother. To three small children, their heritage dual like hers. 

Daughter. To a mother who immigrated to make a better life but has been rejected by her chosen country.

Wife. To a man who loves her but who will not defend her to his intolerant family.

Woman: Whose roles now define her and trap her in a life she no longer recognises… 

Meet Monica, the flawed heroine at the heart of LIVES LIKE MINE.

With her three children in school, Monica finds herself wondering if this is all there is. Despite all the effort and the smiles, in the mirror she sees a woman hollowed out from putting everyone else first, tolerating her in-laws’ intolerance, and wondering if she has a right to complain when she’s living the life that she has created for herself.

Then along comes Joe, a catalyst for change in the guise of a flirtatious parent on the school run. Though the sudden spark of their affair is hedonistic and oh so cathartic, Joe soon offers a friendship that shows Monica how to resurrect and honour the parts of her identity that she has long suppressed. He is able to do for Monica what Dan has never managed to, enabling her both to face up to a past of guilty secrets and family estrangements, and to redefine her future.

xxxxxx

 

THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS ASKING.

BUT THEY’RE NOT TELLING . . .

At a children’s party . . .

Nothing ever happens in a sleepy American town like Middlebrook. Until the shocking events of one hot Saturday afternoon when, at a back-to-school party, nine children sneak off to a barn. And one child is shot by another.

In the media storm that sweeps the nation . . .

The press are asking questions. About the type of parents who let their children play unsupervised in a house with guns. About how damaged a child must be to commit this kind of atrocity.

In the ensuing police investigation . . .

Two questions are the most urgent, and the most baffling. Of the nine children who were present in that barn, which one actually pulled the trigger?

And why are the others staying silent?

Incredibly gripping and gorgeously written, this is a spellbinding novel that asks how far we’ll go to protect our children, and how we can come together when so much divides us.

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Thanks for stopping by!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #SundayPost #SundaySalon

 

Linking to: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at BookDate; Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer; and the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz

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Life…

Sorry I’m late!

With all the children home my routine has gone out the window, in a good way though really. We’ve been playing board games every afternoon this past week from after lunch until dinner basically (mainly Munchkin: Critical Role) and after dinner my daughter and I have have been binging on Grimm, which I have to stream from my iPad so I can’t work as I usually would at the same time (I do all my blogging on my iPad). I feel a bit guilty cause it means I’ve barely read a thing but it’s worth it to spend time with them. 

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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…

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Lily’s Little Flower Shop by Lisa Darcy

The Others by Mark Brandi

The Husbands by Chandler Baker

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New Posts…

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Review: Yours Cheerfully by A.J. Pearce

Review: Lily’s Little Flower Shop by Lisa Darcy

Review: The Others by Mark Brandi

2021 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight #6

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What I’m Reading This Week…

 

TWO FRIENDS

TEN SUMMER TRIPS

THEIR LAST CHANCE TO FALL IN LOVE

12 SUMMERS AGO: Poppy and Alex meet. They hate each other, and are pretty confident they’ll never speak again.

11 SUMMERS AGO: They’re forced to share a ride home from college and by the end of it a friendship is formed. And a pact: every year, one vacation together.

10 SUMMERS AGO: Alex discovers his fear of flying on the way to Vancouver.

Poppy holds his hand the whole way.

7 SUMMERS AGO: They get far too drunk and narrowly avoid getting matching tattoos in New Orleans.

2 SUMMERS AGO: It all goes wrong.

THIS SUMMER: Poppy asks Alex to join her on one last trip. A trip that will determine the rest of their lives.

You and Me on Vacation is a love story for fans of When Harry Met Sally and One Day. Get ready to travel the world, snort with laughter and – most of all – lose your heart to Poppy and Alex.

xxxxxx

There’s no such thing as a perfect victim.

In a hotel room on a sleepy Pacific island, Judy Novak waits. And worries. It isn’t the first time 29-year-old problem child Paulina has kept her mother waiting. But Judy can’t ignore the island’s jagged cliffs and towering pines — or the dread that Paulina has finally acted on her threats to take her own life.

When Paulina’s body is discovered, Judy’s worst fears seem confirmed. Only, Paulina didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.

So begins a thorny investigation, wherein every man on the island is a suspect yet none are as maligned as Paulina: the captivating newcomer known for her hard drinking, disastrous relationships, and habit of walking alone.

But, above all, Paulina is her mother’s daughter. And death won’t stop Judy Novak from fighting for Paulina’s life.

xxxxxx

 

Meet Mercy Blain, whose house has just burnt down. Unfortunately for Mercy, this goes beyond the disaster it would be for most people: she hasn’t been outside that house for two years now.

Flung out into the world she’s been studiously ignoring, Mercy goes to the only place she can. Her not-quite-ex-husband Eugene’s house. But it turns out she can’t stay there, either.

And so begins Mercy’s unwilling journey. After the chance purchase of a cult classic campervan (read tiny, old and smelly), with the company of her sausage dog, Wasabi, and a mysterious box of cremated remains, Mercy heads north from Adelaide to Darwin.

On the road, through badly timed breakdowns, gregarious troupes of grey nomads, and run-ins with a rogue adversary, Mercy’s carefully constructed walls start crumbling. But what was Mercy hiding from in her house? And why is Eugene desperate to have her back in the city? They say you can’t run forever…

xxxxxx

 

Philomena ‘Phil’ McCarthy is a promising young officer in the London Metropolitan police.

But everything changes when she is called to the scene of a domestic assault. Unbeknownst to her, the abuser is a decorated detective and Phil’s efforts to protect his girlfriend – Tempe Brown – from violence result in Phil being unjustly struck from the force.

In the fallout, Phil begins to teach Tempe self-defence and they strike up a tentative friendship. Tempe is thoughtful and sweet, and within a matter of weeks the two women are inseparable – talking, socialising and confiding their deepest secrets in one another. But something isn’t right. Sinister things keep happening and, when a body is discovered, Phil realises that Tempe is hiding deadly secrets of her own. Secrets she is willing to kill for . . .

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Thanks for stopping by!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #SundayPost #SundaySalon

 

Linking to: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at BookDate; Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer; and the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz

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Life…

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My husband thought I was overreacting when I asked him to take Friday off work to go and pick Aleah up from university in Sydney, a day early, for her mid term break, but I was vindicated when on Saturday, Sydney and it’s surrounds were given stay at home orders for two weeks because of the spread of the Delta strain. So she’s home with us, though it may be that she will be stuck here for longer than expected depending on if lockdown is extended.

We are about 400km north of Sydney and so stay at home orders don’t apply here at the moment, though masks inside non residential buildings are mandated for the first time since May in 2020. Some of our plans for the school holidays have been curtailed as a result, but frankly I’m happy to have a full house again, at least until they all start bickering.

 

It’s the last Monday of the month so time for a challenge update!

Nonfiction Reader Challenge 6/12

Australian Women Writers Challenge 48/50

Aussie Author Challenge 13/20

Historical Fiction Challenge  14/25

Books In Translation Challenge 1/4

What’s in a Name Challenge 5/6

Cloak and Dagger Challenge 23/25

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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…

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Echolalia by Briohny Doyle

Who Gets To Be Smart by Bri Lee

Someone I Used To Know by Paige Toon

The Heights by Louise Candlish

Yours, Cheerfully by A.J. Pearce

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New Posts…

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Review: Echolalia by Briohny Doyle

Review: Who Gets To Be Smart by Bri Lee

Review: Someone I Used To Know by Paige Toon

Review: The Heights by Louise Candlish

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What I’m Reading This Week…

 

On his eleventh birthday, Jacob’s father gives him a diary. To write about things that happen. About what he and his father do on their farm. About the sheep, the crop, the fox and the dam. But Jacob knows some things should not be written down. Some things should not be remembered.

The only things he knows for sure are what his father has taught him. Sheltered, protected, isolated. But who is his father protecting him from? And how far will his father go to keep the world at bay?

All too soon, Jacob will learn that, sometimes, people do the most terrible things.

From the bestselling author of WIMMERA and THE RIP comes an unforgettable novel that explores the darkness in our world with the light only a child can find.

xxxxxxx

 

How far will a woman go to get a little more help from her husband?

Recently, Nora has started to feel that ‘having it all’ comes with a price, one her husband doesn’t seem to be paying quite so heavily. She loves Hayden, but why is it that, however hard men work, their wives always seem to work that little bit harder?

When their house-hunting takes them to an affluent suburban neighbourhood, Nora’s eyes are opened to a new world. Here, the wives don’t make all the sacrifices. Here, the husbands can remember the kids’ schedules, and iron and notice when the house needs dusting.

But when she becomes involved in a wrongful death case involving one of the local residents, Nora begins to suspect that there’s a dark secret at the heart of this perfect world.

One which might just be worth killing for . .

xxxxxx

 

There’s no such thing as a perfect victim.

In a hotel room on a sleepy Pacific island, Judy Novak waits. And worries. It isn’t the first time 29-year-old problem child Paulina has kept her mother waiting. But Judy can’t ignore the island’s jagged cliffs and towering pines — or the dread that Paulina has finally acted on her threats to take her own life.

When Paulina’s body is discovered, Judy’s worst fears seem confirmed. Only, Paulina didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.

So begins a thorny investigation, wherein every man on the island is a suspect yet none are as maligned as Paulina: the captivating newcomer known for her hard drinking, disastrous relationships, and habit of walking alone.

But, above all, Paulina is her mother’s daughter. And death won’t stop Judy Novak from fighting for Paulina’s life.

xxxxxx

 

TWO FRIENDS

TEN SUMMER TRIPS

THEIR LAST CHANCE TO FALL IN LOVE

12 SUMMERS AGO: Poppy and Alex meet. They hate each other, and are pretty confident they’ll never speak again.

11 SUMMERS AGO: They’re forced to share a ride home from college and by the end of it a friendship is formed. And a pact: every year, one vacation together.

10 SUMMERS AGO: Alex discovers his fear of flying on the way to Vancouver.

Poppy holds his hand the whole way.

7 SUMMERS AGO: They get far too drunk and narrowly avoid getting matching tattoos in New Orleans.

2 SUMMERS AGO: It all goes wrong.

THIS SUMMER: Poppy asks Alex to join her on one last trip. A trip that will determine the rest of their lives.

You and Me on Vacation is a love story for fans of When Harry Met Sally and One Day. Get ready to travel the world, snort with laughter and – most of all – lose your heart to Poppy and Alex.

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Thanks for stopping by!

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #SundayPost #SundaySalon

 

Linking to: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at BookDate; Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer; and the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz

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Life…

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I’m still not fully recovered from whatever flu variant this beastie is, I’ve been incredibly tired all week. Though I’ve just about managed to get caught up on my review schedule, I didn’t achieve much else.

My daughter has her mid year exams and then she’ll be coming home from uni for three weeks this Friday, which I’m looking forward to. The boys also start two weeks of school holidays, my eldest son in particular has had a heavy load of assignments and assessments this term so he is looking forward to the break. I’ve spent a good part of the weekend helping him to put together a costume suitable for delivering a Hamlet soliloquy that counts for a large part of his grade on Tuesday.

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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…

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Mirror Man by Fiona McIntosh

Digging Up Dirt by Pamela Hart

Falling by T.J. Newman

The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey

Echolalia by Briohny Doyle

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New Posts…

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Review: Mirror Man by Fiona McIntosh

Review: Digging Up Dirt by Pamela Hart

Review: Falling by T.J. Newman

Review: The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey

Bookshelf Bounty

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What I’m Reading This Week…

 

When Lily misses out on a well-deserved promotion the day her boyfriend is offered a job overseas, she faces a choice: should she embrace an ex-pat life, or follow her childhood dream and become a florist?

Deciding to follow her heart, she moves to the coast and decides to start again. But fitting into the tight-knit community proves harder than she expected.

As she navigates new friendships, financial worries, and the pull of returning to her city life, she learns how flowers can bring her the happiness she’s been looking for.

And when romance appears on the horizon, Lily realizes she can’t commit until she reconciles her mistakes.

Can she overcome her past and learn the true meaning of love?

xxxxxx

 

So much can change in half a lifetime…

Then

At fifteen, George is the foster brother Leah never asked for. As the angry, troubled boy struggles to come to terms with his circumstances, Leah finds herself getting drawn closer to him.

Theo’s wealthy family have mysteriously pulled him out of boarding school and he’s now enrolled at the local state school with Leah and George. When their worlds collide that summer, the three teenagers form a bond they believe will be unbreakable. But life doesn’t always go to plan…

Now

Shocking news brings Leah back to Yorkshire, baby daughter in tow. But Emilie’s father Theo isn’t with them, and George has unexpectedly returned. After half a lifetime, have they healed the scars of their pasts? Will coming back home set their hearts in a different direction?

xxxxxxx

 

He thinks he’s safe up there.

But he’ll never be safe from you.

The Heights is a tall, slender apartment building among the warehouses of Shad Thames, its roof terrace so discreet you wouldn’t know it existed if you weren’t standing at the window of the flat directly opposite. But you are. And that’s when you see a man up there – a man you’d recognize anywhere. He’s older now and his appearance has subtly changed, but it’s definitely him.

Which makes no sense at all since you know he has been dead for over two years.

You know this for a fact.

Because you’re the one who killed him.

xxxxxxx

 

London, November 1941. Following the departure of the formidable Henrietta Bird from Woman’s Friend magazine, things are looking up for Emmeline Lake as she takes on the challenge of becoming a young wartime advice columnist. Her relationship with boyfriend Charles (now stationed back in the UK) is blossoming, while Emmy’s best friend Bunty, still reeling from the very worst of the Blitz, is bravely looking to the future. Together, the friends are determined to Make a Go of It.

When the Ministry of Information calls on Britain’s women’s magazines to help recruit desperately needed female workers to the war effort, Emmy is thrilled to be asked to step up and help. But when she and Bunty meet a young woman who shows them the very real challenges that women war workers face, Emmy must tackle a life-changing dilemma between doing her duty and standing by her friends.

Every bit as funny, heartwarming, and touching as Dear Mrs. Bird, Yours Cheerfully is a celebration of friendship—a testament to the strength of women and the importance of lifting each other up, even in the most challenging times.

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Thanks for stopping by!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #SundayPost #SundaySalon

 

Linking to: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at BookDate; Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer; and the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz

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Life…

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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…

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Written in Bone by Sue Black

Nancy Business by R.W.R. McDonald

Love, In Theory by Elodie Cheesman

Magpie’s Bend by Maya Linnell

Mirror Man by Fiona McIntosh

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New Posts…

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Review: Written in Bone by Sue Black

Blog Tour Review: Nancy Business by R.W.R. McDonald

WIN A COPY OF Nancy Business by R.W.R. McDonald

Review: Love, In Theory by Elodie Cheesman

Review: Magpie’s Bend by Maya Linnell

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What I’m Reading This Week…

 

November, 1921. Edward VIII, Prince of Wales and future ruler of India, is arriving in Bombay to begin a four-month tour. The Indian subcontinent is chafing under British rule, and Bombay solicitor Perveen Mistry isn’t surprised when local unrest over the royal arrival spirals into riots. But she’s horrified by the death of Freny Cuttingmaster, an eighteen-year-old female Parsi student, who falls from a second-floor gallery just as the prince’s grand procession is passing by her college.

Freny had come for a legal consultation just days before her death, and what she confided makes Perveen suspicious that her death was not an accident. Feeling guilty for failing to have helped Freny in life, Perveen steps forward to assist Freny’s family in the fraught dealings of the coroner’s inquest. When Freny’s death is ruled a murder, Perveen knows she can’t rest until she sees justice done. But Bombay is erupting: as armed British secret service march the streets, rioters attack anyone with perceived British connections and desperate shopkeepers destroy their own wares so they will not be targets of racial violence. Can Perveen help a suffering family when her own is in danger?

xxxxxx

 

You just boarded a flight to New York.

There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard.

What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped.

For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die.

The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane.

Enjoy the flight

xxxxxxx

 

What could drive a mother to do the unthinkable?

Before: Emma Cormac married into a perfect life but now she’s barely coping. Inside a brand new, palatial home, her three young children need more than she can give. Clem, a wilful four year old, is intent on mimicking her grandmother; the formidable matriarch Pat Cormac. Arthur is almost three and still won’t speak. At least baby Robbie is perfect. He’s the future of the family. So why can’t Emma hold him without wanting to scream?

Beyond their gleaming windows, a lake vista is evaporating. The birds have mostly disappeared, too. All over Shorehaven, the Cormac family buys up land to develop into cheap housing for people they openly scorn.

After: The summers have grown even fiercer and the Cormac name doesn’t mean what it used to. Arthur has taken it abroad, far from a family unable to understand him. Clem is a young artist who turns obsessively to the same dark subject. Pat doesn’t even know what legacy means now. Not since the ground started sinking beneath her.

Meanwhile, a nameless woman has been released from state care. She sticks to her twelve-step program, recites her affirmations, works one day at a time on a humble life devoid of ambition or redemption. How can she have an after when baby Robbie doesn’t?

xxxxxxx

 

Bri Lee, best-selling and award-winning author of Eggshell Skull, asks Who gets to be smart? in this forensic and hard-hitting exploration of knowledge, power and privilege.

In 2018 Bri Lee’s brilliant young friend Damian was named a Rhodes Scholar, an apex of academic achievement. When she goes to visit him and takes a tour of Oxford and Rhodes House, she begins questioning her belief in a system she has previously revered, as she learns the truth behind what Virginia Woolf described almost a century earlier as the ‘stream of gold and silver’ that flows through elite institutions and dictates decisions about who deserves to be educated there. The question that forms in her mind drives the following two years of conversations and investigations: who gets to be smart?

Interrogating the adage, ‘knowledge is power’, and calling institutional prejudice to account, Bri once again dives into her own privilege and presumptions to bring us the stark and confronting results. Far from offering any ‘equality of opportunity’, Australia’s education system exacerbates social stratification. The questions Bri asks of politics and society have their answers laid bare in the response to the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, COVID-19, and the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.

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Thanks for stopping by!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #SundayPost #SundaySalon

 

Linking to: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at BookDate; Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer; and the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz

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Life…

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I finally succumbed to the lurgy my children have passed among themselves and have been ill with the flu [not Covid] since early last week. I accept some of the blame, I put off getting the flu shot because the case numbers have been low since hygiene and distancing measures have been enacted for the pandemic, and somehow forgot I had teenage boys who adhere to neither. I spent practically three days sleeping and while the oozing and aches have eased, I’m left with a cough and some vertigo, which makes reading really difficult since text keeps moving.

So I have to apologise if I didn’t drop by during the past week, hopefully I’ll be doing better this week.

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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…

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Still by Matt Nable

Written In Bone by Sue Black

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New Posts…

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Review: The Nancy’s by R.W.R. McDonald

Review: Still by Matt Nable

2021 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight #5

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What I’m Reading This Week…

 

Tippy, Uncle Pike and Devon are back for another camp cozy crime mystery from the award-winning author of The Nancys.

It’s been four months since Tippy, Uncle Pike and Devon were together for Christmas. Now back for the first anniversary of Tippy’s father’s death, the Nancys are reformed when Riverstone is rocked by an early morning explosion that kills three people and destroys the town hall.

A new case is born and the Nancys re-form. Is the accused bomber really guilty? Is there a second bomber? And if so, does that mean a threat to destroy Riverstone Bridge is real? And is asparagus a colour? Once again, it is up to the Nancys to go against the flow and ignore police advice to get to the truth.

It’s great to be back in Nancy business again, but this time it’s all different. Uncle Pike and Devon can’t agree on anything and Tippy is learning hard truths about the world and the people she loves the most. Can the Nancys stay together to do their best work and save the town? Or will the killer strike again? When everyone is right, does that make you wrong? And can Tippy ever trust anyone again?

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On the streets of England, a hunter is on the loose.

The highly anticipated new crime thriller in the DCI Jack Hawksworth series.

‘There is a connection, Jack. Find it, or you’ll never find him.’Police are baffled by several deaths, each unique and bizarre in their own way – and shockingly brutal. Scotland Yard sends in its crack DCI, the enigmatic Jack Hawksworth, who wastes no time in setting up Operation Mirror. His chief wants him to dismiss any plausibility of a serial killer before the media gets on the trail.

With his best investigative team around him, Jack resorts to some unconventional methods to disprove or find a link to the gruesome deaths. One involves a notorious serial killer from his past, and the other, a smart and seductive young journalist who’ll do anything to catch her big break.

Discovering he’s following the footsteps of a vigilante and in a race against time, Jack will do everything it takes to stop another killing – but at what personal cost for those he holds nearest and dearest?

By the bestselling author of Bye Bye Baby and Beautiful Death come this heart-stopping new thriller

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Renovations are hell. And that’s before you find the body beneath the floorboards. An intriguing mystery from a stylish new voice in crime fiction, for readers of Kerry Greenwood and Holly Throsby.

When your builder finds bones under the floor of your heritage home, what do you do? For TV researcher Poppy McGowan, the first step is to find out if the bones are human (which means calling in the cops and delaying her renovations) or animal (which doesn’t).

Unfortunately, ‘help’ comes in the form of Dr Julieanne Weaver, archaeologist, political hopeful, and Poppy’s old enemy. She declares the bones evidence of a rare breed of fat-tailed sheep, and slaps a heritage order on the site. The resultant archaeological dig introduces Poppy to Tol Lang, the best-looking archaeologist she’s ever met – and also Julieanne’s boyfriend.

When Julieanne is found murdered in Poppy’s house, both she and the increasingly attractive Tol are considered suspects – and so Poppy uses her media contacts and news savvy to investigate other suspects. Did Julieanne have enemies in the right-wing Australian Family party, for which she was seeking preselection, or in the affiliated Radiant Joy Church? Or at the Museum of New South Wales, among her rivals and ex-boyfriends? And who was her secret lover?

Can Poppy save herself, and Tol … and finally get her house back?

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Thanks for stopping by!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR @thebookdate #SundayPost @Kimbacaffeinate #SundaySalon @debnance I’m reading #NancyBusiness by @rwrmcdonald #MirrorMan by @FionaMcIntosh #DiggingUpDirt by @PamelaHart

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #SundaySalon #Sunday Post

 

Linking to: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at BookDate; Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer; and the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz

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Life…

It’s been a quiet week.

It’s nearly officially the start of winter here (June 1st) and the weather is getting chilly. I unearthed my handful of long warm pants midweek, only to find the waist bands had perished in all of them. Despite my non existent sewing skills I decided to replace the elastic, it took me an entire day, and I have a bruised thumb from continually pushing the elastic (attached to a safety pin) through the casings, but the minute I put on my absolutely favourite pair, which I’ve had for nearly thirty years, it was all worth it!

Aside from my binging on the TV series Nikita after it came up in a post last week on Tessa Talks Books, hubby, I, and the only kid who voluntarily spends time in the same room as us, discovered two new-to-us trivia/quiz shows. ‘Insert Name Here’ is a British show hosted by Sue Perkins, and the Australian show ‘Think Tank’ hosted by Paul McDermott. We prefer game shows like these that have a comic bent, rather than overstylised productions like The Weakest Link or The Chase, though we do like Jeopardy too. We’ve actually been on quite the quiz show kick recently, Spicks and Specks, an Australian music quiz show hosted by Adam Hills, is back on air after a long hiatus, and we’ve been catching up with Hard Quiz hosted by Tom Gleeson too.

(* If you don’t live in Australia and have a VPN you can watch all of these on ABC iView, or see bits and pieces on YouTube)

What’s your favourite quiz/trivia show?

 

It’s the last Monday of the month so time for a challenge update!

Nonfiction Reader Challenge 6/12

Australian Women Writers Challenge 42/50

Aussie Author Challenge 11/20

Historical Fiction Challenge  12/25

Books In Translation Challenge 1/4

What’s in a Name Challenge 5/6

Cloak and Dagger Challenge 16/25

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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…

Flash Jim by Kel Richards

The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter

You Had It Coming by B.M. Carroll

The Girl Remains by Katherine Firkin

The Nancy’s by R.W.R. McDonald

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New Posts…

Review: Flash Jim by Kel Richards

Review: The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter

Review: You Had It Coming by B.M. Carroll

Review: The Girl Remains by Katherine Firkin

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What I’m Reading This Week…

 

Darwin, Summer, 1963.

The humidity sat heavy and thick over the town as Senior Constable Ned Potter looked down at a body that had been dragged from the shallow marshland. He didn’t need a coroner to tell him this was a bad death. He didn’t know then that this was only the first. Or that he was about to risk everything looking for answers.

Late one night, Charlotte Clark drove the long way home, thinking about how stuck she felt, a 23-year-old housewife, married to a cowboy who wasn’t who she thought he was. The days ahead felt suffocating, living in a town where she was supposed to keep herself nice and wait for her husband to get home from the pub. Charlotte stopped the car, stepped out to breathe in the night air and looked out over the water to the tangled mangroves. She never heard a sound before the hand was around her mouth.

Both Charlotte and Ned are about to learn that the world they live in is full of secrets and that it takes courage to fight for what is right. But there are people who will do anything to protect themselves and sometimes courage is not enough to keep you safe.

xxxxxxx

 

When 24-year-old lawyer Romy learns that she is at her ‘optimal stopping point’ (the mathematically designated point at which one should select the next ‘best person’ who comes along in order to have the best chance at happily ever after), she knows it’s time to get serious about her love life.

Ruthlessly rational, with a belief in data over destiny, Romy knows that reliability and consistency are dependable options, while passion and lust are transitory and only bring pain and disillusionment.

That’s why sensible Hans the engineer is the right choice, as opposed to graphic designer James who exhibits the kind of behaviour that has got her into trouble before. Isn’t he?

The twenty-first century may have brought technological advances in how we communicate, but this warm and funny novel shows us that the search for love is as fraught as ever.

xxxxxxx

 

From the author of All That Remains, a tour through the human skeleton and the secrets our bones reveal.

In her memoir All That Remains, internationally renowned forensic anthropologist and human anatomist Dame Sue Black recounted her life lived eye to eye with the Grim Reaper. During the course of it, she offered a primer on the basics of identifying human remains, plenty of insights into the fascinating processes of death, and a sober, compassionate understanding of its inescapable presence in our existence, all leavened with her wicked sense of humor.

In her new book, Sue Black builds on the first, taking us on a guided tour of the human skeleton and explaining how each person’s life history is revealed in their bones, which she calls “the last sentinels of our mortal life to bear witness to the way we lived it.” Her narrative follows the skeleton from the top of the skull to the small bones in the foot. Each step of the journey includes an explanation of the biology—how the bone is formed in a person’s development, how it changes as we age, the secrets it may hold—and is illustrated with anecdotes from the author’s career helping solve crimes and identifying human remains, whether recent or historical. Written in Bone is full of entertaining stories that read like scenes from a true-life CSI drama, infused with humor and no-nonsense practicality about the realities of corpses and death.

xxxxxxx

 

Lara McIntyre and journalist Toby Paxton are thrust into the limelight when an accident puts the beating heart of their community in jeopardy.

The small country town of Bridgefield can’t manage without their general store and post office, but Lara can’t stomach the idea of out-of-town buyers running it into the ground either.

With the help of the close-knit community, they rally together to save the general store. Featuring a black tie ball, a fun run, a magpie called Vegemite and a snake-chasing kelpie called Basil, Magpie’s Bend is a story about rural lives, family, love and letting go.

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Thanks for stopping by!