Nicki's book blog

The Leaving Party by Lesley Sanderson "Someone knows my secret. They’re in my home, they're at my party, and they’re making me pay for it." Ava has received a black rose on an anniversary each year. We don’t know what happened other than an accident. She is about to leave and begin a new life in New York with her fiance Ben - the engagement being something she hasn’t told Lena about yet. Again on the mat sits the box that holds another black rose. She doesn’t know who the sender is. She just has to get through her leaving party and a meal the following evening then she can escape. Alternate chapters take us back to 2205 with Ava, Lena, Gareth and other friends- and how their relationships developed- or not. The current chapters are told from either Lena or Ava’s point of view, each with their own secrets. A tension is built between the pages. Who is sending the roses and why.? There are several suspects and I kept alternating who I thought

The Evil Beneath- AJ Waines- psychological thriller Juliet is a psychoanalyst and has her private patients as well as working at an abortion clinic. She dumped her boyfriend Andrew as “there were three of them in the relationship” Whisky being the third partner. Twenty years ago Juliet and her family lost her brother after a house fire and she has missed Luke ever since. She receives a text from an unknown number telling her to be in a certain place at a certain time. She arrives to find that a body has been found by one of the bridges over the river. She later realises that the body is wearing her clothes- ones she took to a charity shop . When more bodies and more connections are found Juliet wonders who on earth is targeting her and why. Oooh!! I quickly got into this and wanted to devour it. There is that skill of writing that gives the tension in the pages and a lead character that you take to easily. That slightly sense of unease as you perhaps realis

The Dead Trilogy- Andrew Barrett- Crime (Roger Conniston books 1-3) “When fighting a killer becomes a battle for revenge” £3.99 for all three books :  https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B082GKGFD1/?fbclid=IwAR3CM50e6MgLJcyQ3WzY4srVZmu0Rdigb6sCW9d-rXV0GFlSrUhfos_BFGI + Bonus Material: An Introduction from Andrew Barrett Reasons and Methodology Character Biography Things of Note The Theme of Each Book A Detailed Synopsis of Each book A Long Time Dead  – the earliest version, from October 2000.  This is a link to your own downloadable ebook. Book one: A Long Time Dead A wonderful insight into SOCO/ CSI as we are now more familiar with from TV and film. We learn of the acronyms and skills that are used to capture the evidence as the story unfolds. This is the first in the series and the characters are getting established. A promotion is up for grabs. Some are sure of getting it whilst others are quaking in their shoes- either because they might get

When We Say Goodbye by Michelle Vernal - Familes/ bereavement "Can you love when all seems lost?" Ellie has just bought herself a house. Years ago it was her grandparents house and she has happy memories there. It’s been a tough time of late as her partner Sam was involved in a serious road traffic accident and is now laying in a coma with machines doing most things for him. She needs a project to occupy her free time and take her mind off things. The house had earthquake damage and with the help of her aunt and uncle she has been able to buy it. A book about life and the traumas many of us go through and how life does still go on, we just have to realise and acknowledge it and get out there and live. “Just” not an easy thing to do at all. A book of hope and an uplifting read to make you think about how precious now is. One life live it. I was so moved my this I wanted to include it here: They say memories are golden well maybe that is tr

The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen by Cass Grafton and Ada Bright - time travel/women’s fiction “ Because a world without Mr Darcy? It's not worth living in!” Rose lives in Bath and works for James letting properties. She is a huge Jane Austen fan and her friend Morgan has come over from the states to enjoy the festival with her. Rose keeps seeing a shy woman who is very often dressed in period costume but reticent to engage in talk. She discovers that she lives in the flat above and when one day the smoke alarm is going off incessantly Rose goes up to help and discovers a room full of antiques and almost perfect copy writing of Austen herself. She soon realises that this actually is Jane Austen and soon the pair are trapped in the modern world due to a dog who has pinched the article that allowed Jane to travel through time. The small issue is that Jane hasn’t yet written her famous novel and so Mr Darcy doesn’t yet exist or anything rel

The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen by Cass Grafton and Ada Bright - Time travel/women’s fiction “ Because a world without Mr Darcy? It's not worth living in!” Rose lives in Bath and works for James letting properties. She is a huge Jane Austen fan and her friend Morgan has come over from the states to enjoy the festival with her. Rose keeps seeing a shy woman who is very often dressed in period costume but reticent to engage in talk. She discovers that she lives in the flat above and when one day the smoke alarm is going off incessantly Rose goes up to help and discovers a room full of antiques and almost perfect copy writing of Austen herself. She soon realises that this actually is Jane Austen and soon the pair are trapped in the modern world due to a dog who has pinched the article that allowed Jane to travel through time. The small issue is that Jane hasn’t yet written her famous novel and so Mr Darcy doesn’t yet exist or anything