#Blogtour For My Sins by S.C. Cunningham

It’s my turn on the Blogtour For My Sins by S.C. Cunningham.

About the Author

Having worked in the worlds of sport, music, celebrity management, and law enforcement (CID Crime Investigator, Major Crime Team Intel Analyst, Wanted & Absconder Unit), Cunningham creates psychological thrillers with a skilled mix of fuelled tension, dark humor, and pulsating passion, offering a fresh level of sincerity and authority, rare in fiction. – The David Trilogy: The Penance List, Unfinished Business, For My Sins. Find out more about the author here 

About the book

An addictive mix of ‘Lock Stock’, ‘RocknRolla’, ‘Killing Eve’, and ‘Line of Duty’.  

Knowing his days are numbered, a seasoned criminal finds his life calling, to expose and cull the sordid underbelly of the world’s elite. Delicious, charming, cunning, avenging, David Howard escapes prison and agrees to an MI6 deal, to close down a high-profile trafficking ring in exchange for his freedom – setting a thief to catch a thief. 

 With a target on his back, he’s helped by a rogue police unit, working behind the scenes to right cases that fall through the courts’ fingers. In an unlikely coupling, they share a goal… and will risk everything to attain it. 

 A page-turning, cheeky, thought-provoking, at times laugh-out-loud, contemporary psycho-thriller, that comes with a warning. Caution: Adult language, sex, violence, triggers. 

Review

This is the third part in the David trilogy, and although this can absolutely be read as a standalone book I would recommend reading the first two in the series to get the gist of the main character and his motivations. A life burdened by trauma, pain and abuse results in a man determined to salve the wounds with satisfaction of revenge.

It’s crass and the sexual overtures can seem a little gratuitous at times, although it’s part of the driver when it comes to the main character. The abuse and trauma is what made David into the man and monster he is today, the question is whether he is actually the vigilante he thinks he is or just another criminal who takes pleasure from the chaos, pain and destruction he causes.

It wasn’t really my cup of tea – I prefer the vigilante revenge premise with a deeper and cleaner sense of justice. When the person taking out the bad guys is equally as seedy, regardless of why, it becomes a bit of no characters to connect with situation.

Buy For My Sins at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : ‎S C Cunningham pub date 15 Feb. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogBlitz Fabergé by Jo Fenton

It’s a pleasure to take part in the BlogBlitz for Fabergé by Jo Fenton.

About the Author

Jo Fenton grew up in Hertfordshire, UK. She devoured books from an early age, particularly enjoying adventure books, school stories and fantasy. She wanted to be a scientist from aged six after being given a wonderful book titled “Science Can Be Fun”. At eleven, she discovered Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer, and now has an eclectic and much loved book collection cluttering her home office.

Jo combines an exciting career in Clinical Research with an equally exciting but very different career as a writer of psychological thrillers.

When not working, she runs (very slowly), and chats to lots of people. She lives in Manchester with her husband, youngest son, a Golden Retriever/Husky cross and a tankful of tropical fish. She is an active and enthusiastic member of two writing groups and a reading group. Follow Fenton on @jl_fenton on Twitter, Visit jofenton137.com

About the book

Heist. Abduction. Blackmail. – Manchester detective Becky White and her friends at the White Knight Detective Agency take on a case involving the theft of a multi-million-pound Fabergé egg. 

Events quickly escalate, and they find themselves dealing with unscrupulous villains who will stop at nothing – not even at kidnapping or murder – to achieve their goals. Can Becky solve the mystery before her hidden enemies catch up with her?

Review

This is the third book in the Becky White series, and with this particular set of characters I think there will be plenty more. It can be read as a standalone, although I would suggest reading the previous books to get the gist of the characters and how they have reached this point.

It’s a fast-paced crime read. The author has used multiple storylines to engage and deliver. The egg becomes the distraction, as the rest is of the story is woven around it. Multiple threads with an eye on a variety of people.

The book starts with the theft of an object that is kept under lock and key – a myth of an object, which makes it all the more valuable. The kind of object that is irreplaceable, kept hidden from the world to be revealed by the actions of a clever thief. There is so much action surrounding the egg that one could start to wonder whether it is all a rather well organised ploy to distract from other events and people.

On a side-note: I would probably consider becoming a tealeaf if a genuine Fabergé egg was involved, they are a thing of beauty indeed.

It’s a crime read with a hint of global criminal combined with the cosy vibe of the close-knit characters and their relationships. The amusing, the pleasant and the ruthlessness of greed, vengeance and crime mixed in for good measure. It will be interesting to see where the series goes next.

Buy Fabergé at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Darkstroke books pub date 6 Mar. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

Enter the Giveaway to Win a Faberge mouse mat and notebook (Open to UK Only)

Click here to Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway

 *Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box above.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.*

#Blogtour The Close by Jane Casey

 It’s a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Close by Jane Casey. The Close  – The 10th Maeve Kerrigan novel.

About the Author

Jane Casey has written twelve crime novels for adults and three for teenagers. Married to a criminal barrister, she’s got the inside track on some of the country’s most dangerous offenders, giving her writing an unsettlingly realistic feel.

This authenticity has made her novels international bestsellers and critical successes. They have been nominated for several awards and in 2015 Jane won both the Mary Higgins Clark Award and Irish Crime Novel of the Year for The 

Stranger You Know and After the Fire, respectively. In 2019, Cruel Acts was chosen as Irish Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. It was a Sunday Times bestseller. Born in Dublin, Jane now lives in southwest London with her family. Follow @JaneCaseyAuthor on Twitter

About the book

At first glance, Jellicoe Close seems to be a perfect suburban street – well-kept houses with pristine lawns, neighbours chatting over garden fences, children playing together. But there are dark secrets behind the neat front doors, hidden dangers that include a ruthless criminal who will stop at nothing.

It’s up to DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent to uncover the truth. Posing as a couple, they move into the Close, blurring the lines between professional and personal as never before.

And while Maeve and Josh try to gather the evidence they need, they have no idea of the danger they face – because someone in Jellicoe Close has murder on their mind.

Review

When Maeve is called to the scene of an unexplained death it becomes fairly obvious that she is unable to give the investigation her full attention. Distracted and on edge, as she plays a kind of dancing eggshells game with her colleagues, she has to pull herself together to solve a mysterious death. 

The undercover operation to catch a killer appears to be a simple sleuthing task, but there are reminders that someone will do anything to keep their business and their murderous antics a secret forever.

On a last note – Maeve spends far too much time obsessing over the potential love interest. Consumed by it would be the correct word. It’s a massive plot line, but personally I prefer the strong woman figures out she doesn’t necessarily need him as an emotional and love support system. Perhaps in the next book there could be a healthy step away from him.

It’s a dark domestic crime with psychological undertones. A crime read infused with relationship and fractured romance woes. The blurring of professional and personal lines both distracts the police in their endeavour to find the killer, and pushes them beyond the normal perimeters of their investigation.

Definitely an invigorating read with memorable characters the reader simultaneously wants to root for and shake vigorously, and those are always the best kind of reads.

Buy The Close at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HarperCollins │pub date 2nd March 2023│Hardback | Ebook | Audio. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Twist of Fate by D.L. Mark

 It’s a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Twist of Fate by D.L. Mark – a crime steeped in something dark and sinister.

About the Author

D.L. Mark spent more than fifteen years as a journalist, including seven years as a crime reporter with the Yorkshire Post. His writing is heavily influenced by the court cases he covered: the jaded police officers; incompetent investigators; the inertia of the justice system and the grief of those touched by tragedy. He writes psychological suspense thrillers and historical novels, plus the DS McAvoy series (as David Mark). Follow D.L. Mark at @davidmarkwriter and davidmarkwriter.co.uk.

About the book

She says he’s a victim. They say he’s a killer. – When an armed man massacres several people in central London, Claudine witnesses the whole thing. To her horror, one of the victims is her brother, Jethro.

Riven by grief, Claudine retreats to the house in the Fens where she and Jethro grew up. When the police contact her, she is left reeling when they tell her Jethro orchestrated the attack.

Why would a gentle, if troubled, middle-aged man cause such bloodshed – and why would he include himself in the list of victims?

Claudine finds herself down a rabbit hole of mystery, caught up in Jethro’s research on a medieval cult. If she can’t solve the riddle in time, more people will die… and the darkness will claim her too.

Review

How are the vicious events linked to frightening episode a few decades ago? What does a murderous squelching presence have in common with the bloody massacre in central London.

A surprise visit between siblings, albeit an unwilling one from Claudine’s perspective, turns into a nightmare that changes her life forever. Does it make her more open and susceptible to what is out there? When she starts digging into the truth behind the tragic events she finds out things she isn’t ready to take on board and certainly doesn’t comprehend.

It’s dark crime thriller with elements of supernatural and a tinge of horror. The power of self persuasion or something more evil this way comes? A story where innocence is merely a face to wear in public while the voice and atmosphere of evil lurks in plain sight just waiting to emerge the world in darkness.

I recommend also reading books by this author under the slightly changed other name he publishes under – definitely worth a gander. The DS McAvoy series is very good.

Buy Twist of Fate at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Head of Zeus: pub date 02 March 2023 – Paperback * £9.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Death And The Conjuror by Tom Mead

It’s my turn on the Blogtour Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead.

About the Author

Tom Mead is a UK crime fiction author specialising in locked-room mysteries. He is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the International Thriller Writers’ Organization. His debut novel is Death and the Conjuror, featuring magician-detective Joseph Spector.

Tom’s acclaimed short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and Lighthouse among others. Several of his pieces have also been anthologized, including ‘Heatwave’ in The Best Crime Stories of the Year 2021 (ed. Lee Child). He lives in Derbyshire. Follow @TomMeadAuthor on Twitter, Visit tommeadauthor.com

About the book

An enthralling locked-room murder mystery inspired by crime fiction of the Golden Age, Death and the Conjuror is the debut novel by acclaimed short-story writer Tom Mead.

1936, London. A celebrity psychiatrist is discovered dead in his locked study. There seems to be no way a killer could have escaped unseen. There are no clues, no witnesses, and no evidence of the murder weapon. Stumped by the confounding scene, Inspector Flint, the Scotland Yard detective on the case, calls on retired stage magician turned part-time sleuth Joseph Spector.

Spector has a knack for explaining the inexplicable, but even he finds that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye. As he and the Inspector interview the colourful cast of suspects, they uncovered no shortage of dark secrets – or motives for murder. And when a second murder occurs, this time in an impenetrable elevator, they realise the crime wave will become even more deadly unless they can catch the culprit soon.

Review

This is the first in the series about Joseph Spector, the magician of indeterminable age – legend has it (Joseph suggests) that it may be many years. It sort of gives him an air of mystery and perhaps even a shimmer of darkness.

Is that what others can feel instinctively, especially the people who are up to no good. A bit of projection going on there methinks. Either way the aura that the old magician surrounds himself with, either consciously or subconsciously, plays a major role in the way the characters interact and the story unfolds.

The story about a famous psychiatrist and how he meets his death by third party in a locked room. No murderer, no weapon, just a very confusing mystery in need of an expert in the guise of a magician. Who better to see beyond the veil of the most intricate deception?

What’s not to like about a locked room scenario? When the readers has to to backtrack and remember all the clues to figure out the who and whydunnit. Spector is a main character who promises to deliver more from his past, his skills and of course the illusions and magic. Kudos for the epilogue – just the right way and right words to end the story. 

Buy Death and the Conjuror at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Head of Zeus — an Aries Book, pub date 2 Feb. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour A Stolen Memory by David Beckler

Antonia Conti returns in the explosive sequel to A Long Shadow! Don’t miss A Stolen Memory by David Beckler.

About the Author

Born in Addis Ababa in 1960, David Beckler spent his first eight years living on an agricultural college in rural Ethiopia where his love of reading developed. After dropping out of university he became a firefighter and served nineteen years before leaving to start his own business. David began writing in 2010 and uses his work experiences to add realism to his fiction. 

The first in his Antonia Conti series, A Long Shadow, was inspired by David’s concerns about the growing role corruption and privatisation play in public life, and was published in October 2022. David lives in Manchester, his adopted home since 1984. Follow @DavidBeckler1 on Twitter, Visit davidbeckler.com

About the book

London, the near future. GRM, a shadowy company running private prisons, has introduced a programme to alter prisoners’ memories, removing those that led to their criminal behaviour. When journalist Antonia Conti hears rumours that the technology has deadly side effects, she decides to investigate.

Antonia has looked into GRM’s corrupt dealings with the government before – and she knows they are merciless. It’s not long before she finds herself narrowly escaping a horrific car accident that leaves a whistle blower dead. 

She enlists her old friend DI Russell Chapman to check out the supposed ‘accident,’ and discovers that he’s already investigating three other deaths that appear suspiciously linked to her own investigations.

But the deeper Antonia probes, the more her friends and colleagues are at risk. Whatever sinister experiments GRM are conducting, they are determined to keep them secret – by any means necessary. Can Antonia and Chapman thwart them before anyone else loses their mind – or their life? 

Review

Looking for solutions when it comes to criminal behaviour, seems like such an obvious thing to back and support. The current methods or justice system doesn’t appear to be working – time for new solutions, right. The idea sounds very dystopian and a way to address quite a few deviant and violent behaviours. Erase the memories, reduce triggers that cause the behaviours – it all seems so simple.

Yeh, aside from the fact nothing is ever that easy I’m sure it would be a very profitable venture for any company. The real problem is that if you can manipulate people that easily, and their behaviour, then someone is going to use the technology for nefarious purposes. Enter this premise stage left.

This is the sequel to A Long Shadow, and I think it is fair to say both Conti and the author are just getting started. Corruption, greed and power is a very deep and endless source of material. The question is how Antonia is going to keep herself from being swallowed up by the pit.

The author gives us the kind of premise that can become a bit of a moral dilemma, in the sense that a lot of people could be persuaded to ignore the clear negative aspects of this idea and the collateral damage, because of the profit margin and many ways this can used to control, but also because the conscience of the do-gooders in society will be easily swayed by an easy-fix. A little bit like when everyone thought a lobotomy was an insta-fix for every and any illness.

This main character is getting a bit of a reputation for being fearless and relentless. Can’t wait to see where this series goes next.

Buy A Stolen Memory at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher Thomas & Mercer, pub date 19th January 2023 | £8.99 | Paperback Original. Buy at Amazon com.

#Review Exiles by Jane Harper

Yet another fantastic read and great story by Jane Harper!

About the Author

Jane Harper is the author of four internationally bestselling Australian mysteries, including The Dry. Her books are published in 40 territories and have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide.

Jane has won numerous top awards including the CWA Gold Dagger, the British Book Awards Crime and Thriller Book of the Year and the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year. The 2021 movie adaptation of The Dry, starring Eric Bana, is one of the highest grossing Australian films of all time.

Jane worked as a print journalist for 13 years in both Australia and the UK, and now lives in Melbourne with her husband, daughter and son. Follow @janeharperautho on Twitter

About the book

A mother disappears from a busy festival on a warm spring night. Her baby lies alone in a pram, her mother’s possessions surrounding her, waiting for a return which never comes. A year later, Kim Gillespie’s absence still casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather to welcome a new addition to the family.

Joining the celebrations on a rare break from work is federal investigator Aaron Falk, who begins to suspect that all is not as it seems.

As he looks into Kim’s case, long-held secrets and resentments begin to come to the fore, secrets that show that her community is not as close as it appears. Falk will have to tread carefully if he is to expose the dark fractures at its heart, but sometimes it takes an outsider to get to the truth…

Review

A young baby abandoned in a pram in full view of everyone at a festival – mother gone and there are no clues to her whereabouts. Aaron Falk just happens to be one of the few witnesses to the events of that evening, and unfortunately the missing woman is connected to the family of good friends of his. 

When he returns a year later and the family jogs memories in the hope of an explanation he realises that there are a few things niggling him, he just can’t quite figure out what they are.

Very much a Holmesian fallacy at play here – I couldn’t think of a better scenario when the solution is absolutely directly linked to eliminating the impossible. The solution and truth is evident from the very beginning, and I couldn’t decide whether that was intentional. It was the only clear possibility no matter which way everyone turned and searched. Was the story really about creating the frame for Falk to view his life in a different way?

The author creates an epi-centre, but the actual story is the surrounding area. Waves of emotions, complex relationship structures, memories and moments of energy and self that Kim has left in the wake of her mysterious disappearance.

I loved it, but then I do enjoy the way Harper writes and plots – I still think about The Lost Man a lot. It’s the very specific way the author draws in the environment, the characters and the plot in equal measures. Simultaneously the way the story is fiction and reality – the kind of plot that you recognise in the people and world around you.

Buy Exiles at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Macmillan; pub date 2nd Feb. 2023. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via MacMillan.

#Blogtour Hell Hath No Fury by Geoff Major

 It’s my turn on the BlogTour Hell Hath No Fury by Geoff Major.

About the Author

This is Geoff Major’s second book. His first – Deadline – was published in 2020. Writing is his hobby, which he fits in-between full-time work, family, and completing unusual fundraising challenges. For more information, visit geoffmajor.info. He lives in Yorkshire, with his wife and their dog. Follow @GradusPrimus on Twitter, @primusgradus on Instagram 

About the book

They changed her life forever. Did they really think they could get away with it? – Evie Perry was a high-class escort whose way of life was abruptly and cruelly shattered by two drunken men. Stella Kendrick’s husband committed suicide and left her with a legal battle and a debt of £6m, but he leaves her a message with the names of three men on it. Daniella Maddox is a world-class barrister, assigned to an indefensible case for a corrupt client, but one she must win to save her own life. 

Unbeknownst to them, fate has woven their lives into a twisted web.

Detective Sergeant Alan Armitage is mystified when he attends the scene of a triple murder, but he is very quickly joined in his hunt for the killer by Detective Sergeant Steve Denton from The Met, and Detective Sergeant Bob Williams from North Yorkshire CID. 

Along with Detective Constable Rachael Jones, they have to uncover who the murderer is and why they are killing people across the country. Their task is made even more difficult because a criminal known to most simply as The Broker gets closer to banking millions every time his team commits another murder.

Review

With three very different women, scenarios and eventually chains of crimes, it’s hard to see what they could possibly have in common. Money, power – secrets? It’s a fast paced often brutal tale that often reminds the reader just how unsavoury the world can be.

It was interesting how the author didn’t really feel the need to present the reader with any sympathetic characters. They all range somewhere from sorta okay to completely irredeemable, even the collateral damage and victim aren’t the kind of characters you feel empathy for. The exception might be the police officers who have to work together to solve the crimes, but first they have to recognise where some of the crimes might have a connection.  

Perhaps a reminder that there is no such thing as lily white and that we all have secrets. The perfect exterior everyone presents to the world can easily hide the crumbling interior. The story also serves as a reminder that there are plenty in society who believe others are expendable and only exist to fulfil their needs and wants.

It’s a story about betrayal, revenge, power and greed. Death and destruction are strong motivators when the roots of anger and need for vengeance have become part of the fabric of your being.

Buy Hell Hath No Fury at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Grosvenor House Publishing, pub date 19 Jan. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour First Degree Murder by M.J. Weatherall

It’s my turn on the Blogtour First Degree Murder by M. J. Weatherall.

About the Author 

M. J. Weatherall is one of those people who loves writing but always struggles to write about herself. She always feel like she’s bragging (which in and of itself sounds like a brag according to her). 

She is a young author from Sheffield who moved to the Lake District to get her BSc (Hons) degree in Outdoor Adventure and Environment. More recently she has qualified as a primary school teacher and is now fulfilling her calling as an educator. 

M. J. loves climbing, kayaking and spending all her spare time in nature. A lifelong bookworm, she takes pride in growing her book knowledge (an asset to any pub quiz team to be sure!). She likes to think that she’s a fun person to be around…at the very least, her cat seems to think so. Follow @mj_weatherall on Twitter or @mj.weatherall/ on Instagram

About the book

From the author of Silent Is The Crown! 

Matty Darcy is a Criminology and Psychology student in the quaint university village of Ambleside. She has survived the normal dramas of student life such as shared living, assignments, heartbreak and friendships. But this year takes the drama to a whole new level when her fellow students start mysteriously dying.

Matty takes it upon herself to catch the killer with the help of local Police Officer, and heartthrob, P.C Nicholas Wilde and her ex-boyfriend Dean. It is a race against the clock to work out who’s killing students, and why.

Matty soon finds out more than she has bargained for… enough to make her the next target!

Review

The future is ambitious and bright, even if life as a student can be both frustrating and fun all at the same time. What Matty doesn’t expect is for her slightly chaotic life, which is also pulsing with opportunity and potential, to be turned upside down when students start dropping like flies.

It’s a novella length read. It felt a little like a YA meets non-slaughter and more sleuthing Scream scenario. The main character evolves as the story progresses – in both deduction skills and her ability to deduce human actions and traits.

Come on Matty, yes it’s a release and it certainly helps to move the story along, but my goodness leaving handwritten accounts for just anyone to find – that’s a bit of a liability isn’t it? Just saying. If this is going to be a regular occurrence then perhaps work on keeping things in the mind databank.

It’s a story that has the potential to be a series, with a a focus on the young adult market or with a set of characters that grows with the mysteries. 

Buy First Degree Murder at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Blossom Spring Publishing, pub date 23 Nov. 2022. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Strays by Janeen Leese-Taylor

 It’s my turn on the Blogtour Strays by Janeen Leese-Taylor.

About the Author

Janeen is an Irish author born and raised on the scenic Causeway Coast. Curious, and with a great love for adventure, Jan spent her childhood climbing trees and talking to her imaginary friends, many of whom have now found a home in her writing.

She has a bachelor’s degree in advertising and works for gaming companies around the world. She is a lover of all things fantasy and aims to bring some magic to the places that she visits in her writing. Portstewart, Dublin and Chester City each feature prominently in both her travels and her writing, and her stories often draw from real life places that have captured her heart.

As an ultramarathon runner, Jan often writes on the go, using her trusty phone and stylus to craft scenes that come to her after hours on her feet. 

She lives with her husband, Liam, their Border Collie-Cross, Zarya, and their Guinea Pig, (Peek-A) Boo, who they all fear will one day take over the world! Follow @InkAndSmudge on Twitter. @inkandsmudgebooks/ on Instagram or JLeeseTaylorAuthor on Facebook

About the book

A murder without evidence, a secret that could topple society and a cop with a bit of a coffee habit!

Three things were certain in the mind of Officer Theodore Night: One: There’s a serial killer loose in Portstewart. Two: His new friend is a werewolf. Three: He’s in way over his head

When bloody paw prints at a crime scene leads Officer Night to consider the impossible, he must rely not only on his years of investigative experience, but on the local werewolf pack, for help. An unlikely friendship gives Night the edge he needs to prevent an all-out war. Has Blair, the mysterious barista from Bean and Gone, caused him to bite off more than he can chew?

Review

Officer Theo Night – always willing to lend a helping hand even if it means putting himself in danger. He also has the habit of collecting strays, both the four-legged and the two-legged kind, sometimes a combination of both.

Hot on the heels of a vicious killer, someone or something that likes to annihilate entire families, is out there causing mayhem and Theo is determined to find them. It seems like the wrong time to be picking up young men in distress, especially when his home is filled with a pack of protective family members led by a small alpha with a mega attitude.

Side note – sometimes less is more when it comes to describing a person, perhaps to differentiate one speaker from the other and to ensure the reader knows who is speaking. The flow of dialogue and the story becomes stunted by the repeated use of – the smaller man, the dark-haired man for example.

Urban-fantasy with a mystery/crime vibe, and to top it off it’s also LGBTQ – It ticks plenty of boxes, that’s for sure. It has the potential to be an interesting series, as the author hones her skills and delves deeper into that vein of creativity.

Buy Strays at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : ‎Blossom Spring Publishing; pub date 17 Nov. 2022. Buy at Amazon com.