Random Acts of Unkindness by Jacqueline Ward

                                                      RELEASE DAY BLITZ 

Summary:
How far would you go to find your child?

DS Jan Pearce has a big problem. Her fifteen year old son, Aiden, is missing. Jan draws together the threads of missing person cases spanning fifty years and finds tragic connections and unsolved questions.

Bessy Swain, an elderly woman that Jan finds dead on her search for Aiden, and whose own son, Thomas, was also missing, may have the answers.

Jan uses Bessy's information and her own skills and instinct to track down the missing boys. But is it too late for Aiden?

Set in the North West of England, with the notorious Saddleworth Moor as a backdrop, Random Acts of Unkindness is a story about motherhood, love and loss and how families of missing people suffer the consequences of major crimes involving their loved ones.

Random Acts of Unkindness is the first in the DS Jan Pearce series of novels.

                                                       Information about the Book
                                                     
                                                        Title: Random Acts of Unkindness
                                                        Author: Jacqueline Ward
                                                        Release Date: 21st June 2016
                                                        Genre: Adult Crime/Thriller
                                                        Publisher: Kindle Press
                                                        Format: Ebook

Goodreads Link

Amazon Link

                                                         Author Information

Jacqueline Ward writes short stories, novels and screenplays. She has been writing seriously since 2007 and has had short stories published in anthologies and magazines. Jacqueline won Kindle Scout in 2016 and her crime novel, Random Acts of Unkindness, will be published by Amazon Publishing imprint Kindle Press. Her novel SmartYellowTM was published by Elsewhen Press in 2015 and was nominated for the Arthur C Clarke Award in 2016. Jacqueline is a Chartered psychologist who specializes in narrative psychology, gaining a PhD in narrative and storytelling in 2007. She lives in Oldham, near Manchester, with her partner and their dog.

Website: http://www.jacquelineward.co.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JacquiAnnC

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JACauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8426429.Jacqueline_Ward

I will be taking part in the blog tour for Random Acts of Unkindness and posting my review on July 18th.

                      Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff 

Lotto and Mathilde marry young, this is their story. Beautifully described are their dreams, their struggles, their ambitions and their friendships. But Fates and Furies is a book of two halves, Fates is Lotto's story. Everything is from his point of view, his wants, his desires, his thoughts. And then we have Furies, Mathilde's version of the very same story. The same life but seen through her eyes, told by her soul. 

I must admit to faltering a little at the beginning, the story didn't grab me by the hand and make me disappear into it's narrative. However, I'm very glad I persevered, If I hadn't I'd have missed out on a wonderful novel full of drama, personality and heart. Yes, there were times I could have happily slapped a character or two, but that just acknowledges the sheer brilliance of the writer. They became more than fictional beings and made me angry, made me cry, made me want to step into the book and shake some sense into them. 

I read the second half of the book in one sitting. Mathilde made me feel more than I wanted to. I have realised that you don't have to love a character, you don't have to agree with them, and think the way they do; once you understand them, once you have heard their history and had a glimpse into their reasons why, then that is all you need to make you care.

Fates and Furies is an intriguing story that takes the reader on a remarkable, thrilling and original journey.

I received a copy of this book from goodreads in exchange for an honest review.


isbn: 97817851501142
Author: Lauren Groff
Publisher: William Heinemann London
Publication date: September 15th 2015

A Line is a Dot that went for a Walk illustrated by Jo Fernihough

                                                        This book is gorgeous! 

I am not a talented artist, in fact, I'd go as far as to say, I'm not very good at drawing at all. I worry about getting things wrong, about my attempts at creativity being laughable. However, A Line is a Dot that went for a Walk, allowed me to reconnect with my inner child, it reminded me what it was like to grab a pencil, pen, crayon and just draw.

The opening pages with the colour wheel made me want to reach for the tin of colouring pencils and include a rainbow of colours in my picture. I loved the imagination used on each page, the guidance,  draw a line... happily skipping, the freedom to just let go and have fun. 

A Line is a Dot that went for a Walk, is a key. A key that opens the part of you that is full of imagination and inspiration, full of freedom and colours, full of fun! 

From turning scribbles and shapes into a picture, to adding faces to eyebrows, this book is inspirational, and will encourage you to let your drawings fly!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


isbn: 9781910552162
Publisher: Michael O Mara Books
Published: 11th February 2016

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

                Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt 

The year is 1644. In a small town called Black Springs Katherine van Wyler is accused of witchcraft and duly found guilty. She is cruelly punished and sentenced to death. Fast forward to present day and Katherine is still walking the streets of Black Springs; wrapped in chains, eyes and mouth stitched closed, she haunts this cursed town, from which there is no escape. 

The story is told from four points of view. We have Tyler, a teenager who has had enough of the restrictions of living in a hexed community. Tyler's dad, Steve, a doctor who feels guilty for bringing his family to live in Black Springs and whose conscious doesn't allow him to agree with many of the town's ideals. Griselda, a broken woman who worships the witch out of fear. And Grim, who is in charge of surveillance, and keeping the town quarantined. 

The towns people are scared of the witch, and try at all costs to keep her existence a secret from the rest of the world.  They know that her eyes and mouth should never be opened, for that would bring about unimaginable peril. 

Hex is a terrifying book! Katherine has stayed with me and has wandered through my nightmares, trailing horror and destruction in her wake. As we get to know the characters and the story builds, so does the dread and fear. This is a fantasy horror story, that will chill you to the bone. 

However, it isn't just the supernatural aspect that gnawed away at me, that had me staring into the night with questions and fear racing through my mind. What I found more alarming were the human reactions, the mass hysteria that made people behave in an unforgivable way. When people who knew right from wrong turned a blind eye out of fear, when friends and neighbours lashed out at each other, instead of coming together against their common enemy. In out darkest hour are we all truly capable of evil? 


I received a copy of Hex from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.



isbn: 978144479215
Publisher: Hodder Books 
Published in the UK: 28th April 2016
This is a translation, written and previously published in Dutch.

Slenderman, Slenderman, Take This Child by Lee McGeorge

                                      Slenderman, Slenderman, Take This Child
                                                      by Lee McGeorge   

                                                       

Jemima Collins is twelve years old when she loses a parent in a tragic accident. She's heartbroken, feeling abandoned, alone... what she doesn't know is that a monster is watching her. As Slenderman slithers his way into Jemima's life, sanity and reason are slowly left behind. What ensues is disaster, destruction and death.

                                              ****************************

Imagine your worst nightmare, now combine it with the most grim and spine chilling horror movie you have ever seen and you still won't have reached the sheer terrifying heights of Slenderman, Slenderman, Take  This Child.

Lee McGeorge has introduced Slenderman to a mythos of  his own creating The Twelve of Darkness. By combining the legend with aspects of the occult he has created a story so dark and disturbing, you'll need to sleep with the lights on.

The one aspect of this story that I found too disturbing was the sexual element. It had it's place in the story, and I can understand why it was there, but I found certain pages very distressing to read. However, despite this I still found this book intriguing, a fascinating read. 

I received a copy of Slenderman, Slenderman, Take This Child from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Nod by Adrian Barnes

                    Nod by Adrian Barnes

As soon as I read the premise for 'Nod' I knew that I needed to read it. So, when I received a copy from Titan Books I was very excited and this book did not disappoint. 

Vancouver is the chosen city to play out this nightmare, but what we're seeing on a small scale is happening worldwide! 

One night, almost no one in the world falls asleep. The few that do, all share the same golden dream. This happens again the following night, and so the terror and panic begins. WHAT is happening to the world's population? HOW can it be fixed? 

After six day of sleep deprivation, psychosis will set in, and after four weeks, the body will die. Terrifying statistics, especially when this is happening to you! A bizarre new world emerges, one were law and order are absent, and chaos and fear reign. 

Paul, our narrator, is a writer, and he is one of the few that are still able to sleep. It's through his eyes that we see this new world, through him that we recoil from the inevitable madness and decay and tremble at the unavoidable fear that accompanies this new reality.


This isn't a lighthearted read, there is a darkness to this story. An honest look into the soul of mankind, into how quickly we can turn into a relentless pack, baying for blood but never really knowing why. If we can so rapidly lose our humanity, do we ever really own it to begin with, or is it just a front that we use to make ourselves more comfortable in our own skin, and to look better to others? One of the things I love about Nod is just how much it made me, and is still making me think. It also made me realise just how fragile our reality really is! 

Would I be a Paul, a Sleeper, drawn to the golden dream? Or would I be one of the masses, heading unavoidably towards madness and death? How would I fit into this apocalyptic world? 

I've never read anything like this before, fascinating, intriguing and more than a bit horrifying. An extraordinary authentic read that will have me returning to it time and time again. 

Oh, and if you have the opportunity to read the author's essay My Cancer is as Strange as my Fiction, then please do so. ( but make sure you prepare your heart first )


isbn: 9781783298228
publisher: Titan Books 
publication date: 15th September 2015 
( originally published in 2012 by Bluemoose books )

I received a copy from Titan Books in exchange for an honest review. 

The Sport of Kings by C.E.Morgan

      The Sport of Kings by C.E.Morgan

The Forges are one of the oldest and proudest families in Kentucky, John Henry's son decides to step away from family tradition and turn the family's crop farm into a horse breeding farm. Henry and his daughter Henrietta strive to breed the perfect horse, but Henrietta has to ask herself if this is the life she desires, or if there is something else she wants for herself. 

Enter Allmon Shaughnessy, and an African-American man fresh from prison, he has a magic touch with horses, but is damaged by his past. Together the three of them will strive to create a new future, one where their horse Hellsmouth, is a champion but while they are fighting to design perfection, their histories are snapping at their heels trying to bring them down. 

                                      *************************************

When I received an advance reader copy of this book I was unsure. Horse breeding and horse racing? Not my usual interests. HOWEVER, I couldn't have been more wrong! This is one of  most beautifully written books I have ever read.  Rich with description and content, The Sport of Kings is a Majestic Masterpiece. 

From the opening paragraph that see's Henry Morgan running away from his father through the corn fields, to the inevitable cataclysmic end, I was captivated. 

This is a novel that presents to us the circle of life, the struggles humans face in this world we have created and a story of those strong enough to attempt to step off the inexorable path the circumstances of their birth put them upon and strike out towards a future of their own choosing. 

Journeying through this book I could feel the dust from the barns on my skin, I could smell the hay, see  Hellmouth's sublime perfection, hear the hooves of the horses racing, and taste the rich warm whiskey on my tongue. Every moment invaded my senses, drawing me mind, body and soul into the adventure. 

I admit there are parts that are difficult to read, the racism, aggression, sheer nastiness and disregard for human life teared at my heart. But every moment of this journey with Henry, Henrietta and Allmon is worth the heartache. Nothing I write could ever do this book justice, so please read it and discover for yourself the intensity and beauty that is The Sport of Kings.


isbn: 9780007313266
publisher: 4th Estate Books 
publication date: 5 May 2016