Nicki's book blog

The Man I Married by Elena Wilkes -psychological thriller "You love him. You’ll do anything for him. But do you really know him?" Lucy has met Paul as she literally bumped into him in a pub. He is a psychologist whom she sometimes sees at work as she is a probation officer. One of her cases is getting rather close to her and she is having to pull back for her own safety. Meanwhile her relationship with the rather mercurial Paul is whizzing along and she finds things about his past that then just disappear. She realises that she really doesn’t know him and hasn't even met any of his friends. With Paul and Gould (the ex-con) her life is beginning to be on a knife edge. Who is telling the truth and can she trust Paul? Ooooh!! This is one of those books where the tension nicely builds and you have that sense of unease that something isn’t quite right. Why would a boyfriend hide things and deny things from his past? Surely a foundation of truth which is wha

The Last Thing She Did-Kate Mitchell -psychological thriller Roisin learns a secret from her dying father that the mother she never knew was in England. She was raised by him and her grandmother, her mother apparently unable to look after her when she was small and hence her father rescued her and brought her back to Ireland with him. Meanwhile Sylvia works at a garage forecourt. One day there is an armed robbery and as well as money a little girl is taken hostage. The CCTV was damaged the night before and the boss has said to Sylvia to note anything untoward. Doing her sudoku she only realises at the last minute when the robbers car has been parked by the carwash out of sight. Sylvia feels she should do more and tries to help the police who are only suspicious of her actions. Her and her husband are laden with debt. There is mention of a son, no longer around and it appears that things changed at the same time. Sylvia drinks to help calm her and to help

You Let Him In by JA Andrew s -psychological thriller   The only thing she was guilty of was trusting him " Michael is keeping things from his wife. He is working hard but it isn't enough for the lifestyle he wants. soon he will tell her everything but not yet. First he has to secure this deal which will make life easier and be the start to putting things right. Micheal goes to his meeting and there is a hit and run and he is killed. His wife Jenny is obviously devastated and focuses on their young son Daniel. She can't stop thinking that his wedding ring is missing and when some friends mention Michael being seen handing over some cash to some less than salubrious characters, Jenny begins to wonder how much she really knew about her husband. Her in-laws are rather more than helpful and despite having her own mother she calls her mother in law “mum”. She quickly finds a credit card bill for over £5000 that previously she knew nothing abo

The Last Charm - Ella Allbright-womens contemporary fiction A little late to the party on this one but one to savour and really enjoy just when I needed a tonic of a read. Leila receives a charm bracelet on the eve of her eleventh birthday and then finds out that her mother has walked out leaving her and her father to fend for themselves. The house is sold and they move away but not before staying with her grandfather for a few days which is when she first meets Jake. Jake has moved into her old house with his violent father and timid mother and has discovered Leilas pictures and art on the walls of her bedroom and her secret one under the bed. Time passes and Leila occasionally receives charms for her bracelet often just in an envelope marked “L”   and believes that they are from her mother showing she may not be around but still thinks of her. In truth they are from Jake but he hasn;t found the opportunity to tell her and as time goes on doesn’t want

The Mersey Girls by Sheila Riley- Urban historical fiction " not everything is as it seems and love and luck are rarely on the same side." Evie looks after her brother and sister since their father murdered their mother and is now serving time having been classed as insane. She has known Danny since they were small but believes he is stepping out with Suzie, someone known for slacking and gossiping. When Danny very nearly runs over Evie as she slips off a pavement she learns the truth and things change. Not least in that she gets a new job at the haulage firm where Danny works so that she is much nearer home and her family. Danny’s sister Grace is an entertainer on a cruise ship and was engaged to the cast director until she found him “engaged” in other activities. He seemed to care little when she broke things off and she found friendship in Bruce, the son of the ship's owners. This is the second in the series but happily stands alone (I

The Greatest Of Enemies by B R Maycock- chick lit/ rom com     “Get ready for fireworks as two women with very different personalities become housemates!” (book 2 of a series but can be read as a stand alone) Holly is away and Bex has settled nicely into Abbeyfield, happily finding her feet round the place. Louise arrives unaware of Holly’s absence and with nowhere else to stay pretty much invites herself to stay at the flat with Bex. Thereby lies a clash of personalities. One a health conscious nutritionist and the other a cake freak and food blogger who believes in letting her hair down a little every now and again. A story of two personalities sharing one small space and at times other parts of their lives. Of how we all adapt and then maybe change to circumstances and see other life through the eyes of others . A fun lighthearted look at life in a shortish read and one to make you smile For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blog

This Side of Death by Andrew Barrett- Crime    **Giveaway ****   "This Side of Death. When the past comes back to hunt you. " Eddie is back! On arriving at a murder scene Eddie thinks he recognises the victim but can’t quite place him. Back at the office he has received a tatty handwritten badly spelt note saying “your going to die tonight”. Eddie has had lots of these sorts of threats before however there is something that rankles about this one and he is now on his metal. On arriving home the pieces slot into place and an old flame materialises. The flame is now highly fuelled and dangerous and is after  him come what may. I love Eddie- he’s the character that says what we all think but are too polite to put into words. His humour is brilliant- I loved “Officer Dibble” and one of the characters that has a very sharp, clever wit. Andy’s not too bad either with “Eddie used an angle grinder on the burnt pans” made me spit out my coffee

Epitaph- Anita Waller- Crime Just love Anita’s books! Doris and her friend Wendy are off on their holidays. Being spritely over seventies they are off around a tour of celebrity graves, not everyone's choice but certainly “a thing”. Just before they leave Doris receives a letter which puts her world slightly out of orbit and to settle her mind she asks her friend if they can do a slight detour whilst away. One thing leads to another and soon there is a murder and a missing woman to investigate. This is a standalone book but does have characters from the Kat and Mouse series in it- Doris is one of the investigators in the agency Connections run by Kat and Mouse. Doris has found a new family of sorts and soon finds things are rather amiss. Her investigative nose and Wendy’s talent for being Miss Marple are put to use in this wonderful story . I love Doris, she is someone you would want to know and have in your corner- an extraordinary woman. This lef