Reading Stuff 'n' Things

Her Perfect Twin by Sarah Bonner

💥💥💥 Published date 20-January-2022 💥💥💥

Description from Goodreads:

"When Megan discovers photographs of her estranged identical twin sister on her husband's phone, she wants answers.

Leah already has everything Megan has ever wanted. Fame, fortune, freedom to do what she wants. And when Megan confronts Leah, an argument turns to murder.

The only way Megan can get away with killing her twin is to become her.

But then lockdown hits. How can she continue living two lives? And what happens if someone else knows her secret too?"

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Well, I think I can safely say that I absolutely loved this book. Yes it might be a little implausible but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless and it's a great, deliciously dark and twisty debut.

This is one of those books that has you wondering what the heck is going to happen next and then you keep reading it into the night to find out only for another twist to come along or bombshell dropped - I found it hard to put down.

I'm not even going to try and sum up the plot but will say it includes Covid, domestic violence, controlling and coercive behaviour, gaslighting, sex and violence so if this isn't your thing, you might not want to pick this one up.

With great characters, excellent pacing with plenty of tension and twists, this is a book I have no problem recommending and my thanks must go to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Sunday, 16 January 2022

The Hidden Village (Wartime Holland Book 1) [Audiobook] by Imogen Matthews

Narrated by Antonia Whillans

Description:

"A Nazi soldier slams his rifle into her father’s head. From her hiding place, Sofie stifles a scream as tears roll down her face. Suddenly she can’t take it any more. ‘Stop, stop!’ she sobs, rushing out and pushing the soldier away. And then freezes, as he snarls and whips the gun round to point at her…

Holland, 1943: the Nazis are in occupation. German soldiers patrol the streets, and each week more families disappear without trace, never to be seen again. So when armed soldiers storm Sofie’s house and threaten her father at gunpoint, she knows their time – and luck – has run out.

Fleeing in the middle of the night to hide in a neighbour’s secret attic, the constant threat of a German raid means they can’t stay long. So Sofie’s parents make the heart-rending decision to send their daughter away. Concealed in the woods is a secret village, built by the town as a haven for Jewish families like Sofie’s. Remote, cold and bleak, yet filled with the hopeful laughter of children playing, it is the one place Sofie has the chance to live.

But rumours of the hidden village have been swirling, and the Nazis are determined to find it. As soldiers patrol the woods in ever-greater numbers, snow cuts the villagers off from the outside world and starvation sets in. Sofie knows what she must do, even though it means putting herself in danger. And when the worst happens, Sofie is faced with a terrible decision – save the village, or save herself…"

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This is an engaging and compelling story of what life was like in a small village in Holland during World War II. It is a fictional story but is based on real events.

There is a palpable sense of tension throughout; you really get a sense of the fear amongst a village population trying to keep their fellow human beings, who just happen to be Jewish and the odd downed airman, safe from the clutches of the Nazis whilst putting their own lives and the lives of their families at significant risk.

The story is told through the eyes of various villages of different ages and of Dutch and Jewish perspectives. This really helps to provide a full picture of what life was like for each of the individuals at this horrendous time; the bravery of them all astounds me. Amongst all this, is a look into "normal" life and the trials and tribulations of trying to survive in occupied and war-torn Holland.

The story moves on at a fairly good pace. I listened to the audio version of this book and realised that I was on tenterhooks all the time knowing that something could happen at any moment but not knowing what. I must applaud the narrator; there are quite a few characters, male and female, young and old, but she did a great job.

If I have one gripe it's that I felt it ended rather suddenly and, I feel, left some things unfinished - maybe there is a Book 2 to come? If so, I would be interested in reading/listening to find out more.

My thanks must go to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill by C.S. Robertson

💥💥💥 due to be published 20-January-2022 💥💥💥

Description from Goodreads:

"Death is not the end.

For Grace McGill, it's only the beginning.

When people die alone and undiscovered, it's her job to clean up what's left behind - whether it's clutter, bodily remains or dark secrets.

When an old man lies undetected in his flat for months, it seems an unremarkable life and an unnoticed death.

But Grace knows that everyone has a story and that all deaths mean something more."

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Well, this is like no book I have read before and most definitely in a good way and whilst, in my honest opinion, I don't think the cover does it justice, please don't let it put you off.

I'm sure we have all read or heard about those very sad situations where someone dies and lies undiscovered for days, weeks or even months and have wondered what their story is and why they died so alone in the world; this is a story that unlocks some of that mystery but from a very unique perspective - the cleaner who removes all evidence of that lonely death.

Grace McGill is that cleaner. She does a job that very few people would want to do and she is good at it but there is more to Grace than meets the eye; she is an extremely interesting and complex character that is, what some might call, slightly odd but I found her fascinating.

Things plod on at a fairly sedate pace where we get to know Grace, her background, her foibles and eccentricities. She goes into great detail how she sets about cleaning a scene, which some might find a little too descriptive, and how she tries to get to know the person and their story.

One such death has her intrigued and she sets on a path to find out more and this is where the story and action really begins and just about half way through, there is a totally unexpected and jaw-dropping moment which totally surprised and shocked me and completely shifted the book into something else and I was hooked until the end racing through the pages to find out what was going to happen next.

This is like no other book I have read before; it's a little bit strange with a quirky but endearing main character and a unique story that I would recommend to others who enjoy reading things that are a little bit different from the usual.

I have never read anything by this author before but will definitely be looking out for him in the future and I must thank Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Zombie: A Horror Novel (The Cursed Manuscripts) by Iain Rob Wright

💥💥💥 due to be published 31-Jan-2022 💥💥💥

Description:

"On December 21, 2012, according to the Mayan Calendar, the world was supposed to end. It didn't. But on that day, 113 mysterious manuscripts were discovered around the world, each one written in blood by an unknown author. After several dozen unexplained deaths befell the finders of said manuscripts, a decision was made to lock them up for good in a secret vault beneath the Vatican. It is said that anyone who reads the stories will die, and as such they are now referred to as 'The Cursed Manuscripts.'

In December 2020, new manuscripts started turning up around the world. 'Zombie' was one of them.

MANUSCRIPT ID: 12/20-02 (ZOMBIE).

Details below.

Manuscript 12.20-02, discovered June 2021 in Stoke, United Kingdom, by teenager, Kyle Smith, who found it abandoned on the seat of a bus. Kyle Smith was hit by a car and killed two days later. The following text was found written on an unsent text message found on his phone. There was no recipient.

After a terrible night of arguing, young married couple, Laura and Danny, drive home with their daughter, Rose, asleep in the back seat. Danny is drunk, and shouldn't be driving at all, but Laura keeps quiet about it. She always keeps quiet. There's no point making her husband angry. That would only make things worse.

But things are about to get much much worse.

What happens next will put Laura's strained marriage to the ultimate test as she and Danny find themselves broken down in the middle of the night on a lonely road. Their only hope for survival is to stay inside the car, because that's the only way to avoid the cannibalistic maniacs outside trying eat them."

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I have loved reading horror books since I was a wee teenager and whilst I don't read as many nowadays, I do enjoy a Zombie-fest every now and again and here we have yet another cracker from Iain Rob Wright, who is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors to satisfy my horror fix.

What I like about Iain's books is that it's not just about the blood and gore, there is a good story behind it and interesting and believable characters and although they may not always react logically, it does make things interesting.

Zombie is a quick read but there's a lot packed into it. It's full of tension and heart-in-the-mouth moments as you would expect in this genre and if you don't like violence, I would give this a miss but for me, I am looking forward to more instalments in this story to see where it goes.

Well written and a great pace, this is a book that will appeal to lovers of the Zombie stories and horror books in general.

My thanks must go to Iain for accepting me into his "street team" and for providing me with an advance copy in return for comments and an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Connect with the author:

Website where you can get 6, yes 6, books for free!!

Witch: A Horror Novel (The Cursed Manuscripts)

Instagram

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Other books by Iain Rob Wright that I have read and reviewed:

The Hill (The Spread #1)

The Village (The Spread #2)

The Stand (The Spread #3)

The Road (The Spread #4)

End Play (Sarah Stone / Major Crimes Unit #3)

Terminal (Sarah Stone / Major Crimes Unit #4)

2389: A Space Horror Novel

The Room Upstairs

Sam (Damienverse #1)

The Housemates (Damienverse #4)

Sea Sick (Damienverse #5 / Ravaged World Trilogy #1)

Ravage (Damienverse #6 / Ravaged World Trilogy #2)

Savage (Damienverse #7 / Ravaged World Trilogy #3)

Dark Ride

Escape

Sunday, 9 January 2022

The German Wife [Audiobook] by Debbie Rix

Narrated by Tamsin Kennard

💥💥💥 due to be published 13-January-2022 💥💥💥

Description from Goodreads:

"Germany, 1939: Annaliese is a doctor’s wife, living in an elegant grey stone house with ivy creeping over the balcony. But when her husband is ordered to work at the Dachau labour camp, her ordinary life is turned upside down by the horrors of war. And Annaliese finds herself in grave danger when she dares to fight for love and freedom…

America, 1989: Turning the pages of the newspaper, Annaliese gasps when she recognizes the face of a man she thought she’d never see again. It makes her heart skip a beat as a rush of wartime memories come back to her. As she reads on, she realizes the past is catching up with her. She must confront a decades-old secret – or risk losing everything…

Germany, 1942: Annaliese’s marriage is beginning to crumble. Her husband, Hans, has grown cold and secretive since starting his new job as a doctor at Dachau. When a tall, handsome Russian prisoner named Alexander is sent from the camp to work in their garden, lonely Annaliese finds herself drawn to him as they tend to the plants together. In snatched moments and broken whispers, Alexander tells her the truth about the shocking conditions at the camp. Horrified, Annaliese vows to do everything she can to save him.

But as they grow closer, their feelings for each other put them both in terrible danger. And when Annaliese falls pregnant she has to make an impossible decision between protecting herself and saving the love of her life… "

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This book is a departure from my usual but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I usually read crime/thriller books but I do have an interest in the World Wars and this sounded like something a bit different so I took a punt and I definitely wasn't disappointed.

With strong characters, a riveting story line blended between real events and fiction, this book had me hooked from the very beginning to the very end. It's a story of love and survival set amongst the horrors of World War II. It's told from the German perspective and provides an illuminating insight into what life was like for a German SS Officer sent to Dachau in order to further his medical experiments and his wife. I'm not going to lie, this is a tough read in parts as you would expect from the subject matter but it's not overly gratuitous.

This book is filled with moral dilemmas and whilst I didn't want to like or sympathise with any of the main characters, I found myself torn and asking myself the question "what would you have done in the same situation?" I absolutely do not condone in any way, shape or form, the horrors inflicted by the Nazis on their fellow human beings but this book does make you question what you would have done had you been in their shoes. I would hope to think that I would make different choices in the beginning but hindsight is a wonderful thing!

This is a story about love and hope amongst horror and fear and one that I would recommend to others who enjoy this genre.

I must give a shout out to the narrator, Tamsin Kennard, her voice absolutely drew me in completely and was perfect for this book.

Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Slow Burn (Dan Shepherd #17)

Standing Alone (Matt Standing #2) by Stephen Leather

💥💥💥 published 06-January-2022 💥💥💥

Description from Goodreads:

"How can you follow orders if those orders are to kill a friend?

A Navy SEAL has gone rogue, selling his skills to the highest bidder as a professional assassin.

Ryan French no longer cares who he kills so long as the price is right.

His former bosses want him taken down, but they're not prepared to get their hands dirty so they need a Brit to do the job.

SAS trooper Matt "Lastman" Standing is a lethal killing machine with experience in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Plus he's worked with French in the past. It's not a mission he wants, but Standing made a bad choice in his past and it has come back to haunt him.

Now he's hunting French in the lawless Wild West forests of Humboldt County, where the US produces most of its legal - and illegal - cannabis.

But French isn't the only predator in the wilderness - there are Mexican cartels, Russian Mafia and Hungarian gangsters - and Standing has to overcome them all to get to his target."

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I am a huge fan of Mr Leather's Dan "Spider" Shepherd series and although I haven't read the first in this series (how the heck did I miss that!!!!), I was pretty sure I was in for a treat and I wasn't wrong.

Matt "Lastman" Standing is being blackmailed to do a job for "The Pool", a shady organisation; his mission is to hunt down and assassinate Ryan French, an ex-Navy Seal who hires himself out to the highest bidder. This is not going to be an easy mission and Matt finds himself in the depths of the wilderness in western America knee deep in cannabis and up to his neck in trouble within a very short period of time.

With excellent and strong characters, an immersive plot and full of action, this is a great story. I also learnt a heck of a lot about cannabis farming - not that it'll do me much good but it was interesting nonetheless.

I very much look forward to reading more in this series and my thanks must go to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Other books by Stephen Leather I have read and reviewed:

Short Range (Dan Shepherd #16)

Penalties

Spider Shepherd: SAS The Sandpit

Natural Selection (A Spider Shepherd Short Story)

The Devil Inside (The Lachlan Maclean Thriller Series # 2)

Description from Goodreads:

"‘There’s bodies raining from the sky and the city is tearing itself in two...’

A decade after the events on Gruinard Island, Lachlan Maclean thought he’d succeeded in making a better life for himself and his young family. But he was mistaken.

First, it was the desperate homeless and pitiful junkies, who had seemingly jumped from drab Glasgow sky-scrapers. Callous indifference was the reaction from a city struggling to make sense of the global pandemic.

When an asylum-seeker was next, followed by a promising young para-athlete, it became obvious they’d been thrown to their deaths. There was only mild interest from the media.

Glasgow had more important things to think about, it was the start of the football season.

But when fans of bitter rivals, Celtic and Rangers, suffer a similar gruesome fate, the city finally wakes up to the fact there is a maniac on the loose.

Now the city is in an uproar. Violent crime and mass disorder events spiral into anarchy, the papers start screaming for answers, yet the police have no leads.

It’s time for an unholy alliance to return to the blood-splattered streets of Glasgow.

A millionaire albino killer, an ice-blonde assassin, an ex-gang boss and a retired police inspector are forced to work together to battle a foe who will stop at nothing to satisfy a thirst for revenge."

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Not having read the first in this series, I really wasn't sure what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised.

This book is full of strong characters that grow on you as the story develops. They are a disparate bunch of people from various walks of life but they work well together. It did take me a while to get to grips with the story; it was quite confusing to begin with but I think that's because I haven't read the first in the series however, I stuck with it and found it quite absorbing the more it developed.

Full of action and tension, this is a good read and I look forward to reading more in the series so thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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