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Sunday, 31 July 2022

Annihilation (The Spread #6) by Iain Rob Wright

 


Description:

"The end of the end has begun...

Aaron Cartwright and his friends have walked through hell and come out of the other end changed in ways they could never have imagined. But they are still human. They are still prepared to fight.

And fight they must as mankind's deadly enemy unleashes a new weapon designed to end humanity once and for all.

In order to stop the extinction of all life on Earth, Aaron must do something next to impossible. Return home and face the enemy one last time. He will just have to hope that home still exists."

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Well, we have come to the end of the series and I have to admit, I am a little sad.  What a series this has been!  You might have thought it would get a little stale by book 6 but let me tell you, this is definitely not the case.  

Book 6 continues to follow Aaron and his friends fighting against an alien invader to prevent the destruction of the earth however, aliens are not the only dangers they encounter so be warned!  Not everyone or everything is as it seems and, as is usual with Mr Wright's work, no one is safe.

I have become totally and utterly invested in the characters in this series; I have seen them grow and develop, at their best and their worst and I am sad to come to the end but what a perfect ending it is.

This is a gripping series and one I would highly recommend you read from the start.  I suppose you could just drop in with this book but why on earth would you?!?! You would be missing out on so, so much.

Once again, 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!


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


Liar Liar by L.G. Davis [Audiobook]

 


Narrated by Tanya Eby

Description from Goodreads:

"He swore he would always protect me, that he would take my darkest secret to the grave. But I’m starting to think he hasn’t told me his…

My husband and I are the dream couple: deeply in love, the envy of all our friends and neighbours. He surprises me with flowers, I make him his favourite meals and prepare picnics to enjoy with our son. It’s little gestures like this that keep our romance alive.

But nobody knows how frightened I am at night. Oliver promises he’ll keep me safe, but I can’t stop feeling like someone from my past is watching me. Coming for me. I could have sworn I saw someone watching me through the window, lurking in the shadows across the street. As I triple check that the doors are locked, and kiss my son goodnight, I’m terrified that someone knows my unspeakable secret, and that soon everything I love will be taken away…

And when my husband comes home with blood on his hands on the same night our neighbour goes missing, I realise I am not the only one hiding a terrible secret.

We are both lying. But when the truth finally comes to light, who will survive?"

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I really quite enjoyed listening to this audiobook and as I was in my car a lot over a couple of days, was able to finish it in pretty quick time.

The plot is captivating and although it is a tad unbelievable, it's like one of those cheesy chat shows that you can't stop watching and you find yourself shouting at the tv!  Well, all I can say is that it's a good job I was in my car and not on a train whilst listening to this otherwise I would have got some very strange looks!

The characters are well developed - I actually didn't like any of them very much apart from Mason, however, for this book, I'm not sure it mattered to me.  The pace was quick and it's full of tension from start to finish and the gradual reveal of the "unspeakable secret" added to this. 

The narrator was good however, there were times when her voice became a little stilted and robotic which was a little annoying and disappointing.

Overall, I think this works really well as an audiobook and if you like delving into the secrets and lies of a very dysfunctional family, I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to Liar Liar and to share my thoughts.

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Connect with the author:





The Collective by Alison Gaylin

 


Description from Goodreads:

"Just how far will a grieving mother go to right a tragic wrong?

Camille Gardner is a grieving—and angry—mother who, five years after her daughter’s death, is still obsessed with the privileged young man she believes to be responsible.

When her rash actions attract the attention of a secret group of women—the collective—Camille is drawn into a dark web where these mothers share their wildly different stories of loss as well as their desire for justice in a world where privilege denies accountability and perpetrators emerge unscathed. Fueled by mutual rage, these women orchestrate their own brand of justice through precise, anonymous, complexly plotted and perfectly executed revenge killings, with individual members completing a specific and integral task in each plan.

As Camille struggles to comprehend whether this is a role-playing exercise or terrifying reality, she must decide if these women are truly avenging angels or monsters. Becoming more deeply enmeshed in the group, Camille learns truths about the collective—and about herself—that she may not be able to survive."

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A very satisfying tale of revenge that I raced through in quick time.

Unfortunately, we have all heard of cases where a child is abused or found dead, murdered or killed by someone else and the person thought to have committed that atrocity walks free.  We all feel for the parents but what would you do if that parent was you?  Would you want revenge and how far would you go?

Camille is that parent; her only child is gone and her marriage has ended. 

Grief has no time scale and after five years, the pain is still as raw, if not more so as the person she believed murdered her beautiful daughter is walking free and getting on with their lives.  She has to do something but what?  

Enter the collective ... a secret online group of mainly mothers who will help you get the justice you feel you deserve by working together.

Camille now has purpose but how far will she go?

With a great plot and interesting characters written at a pace that was quite slow at first but increased as the story developed, this book is a great thriller and certainly had me gripped from the start waiting to see how it all turned out.

Thank you must go to The Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Collective and share my views.

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Connect with the author:







Sunday, 24 July 2022

Journeyman (Raven Series #2) [Audiobook] by Heather Atkinson

 




Narrated by Annie Cartwright

Description from Goodreads:

"Bad things stalk the wanderer who's lost his way.

Raven's adopted father One Eye has disappeared while wandering through Scotland. She and her brother Damon hit the road, intent on tracking him down.

One Eye has been attacked by his nemesis, who he thought was dead. Forced to hide out in a small village on the Isle of Skye and unable to escape thanks to an injured ankle, he fakes amnesia to avoid the police's awkward questions. When one of the locals is murdered he becomes prime suspect. In order to clear his name, One Eye needs to track down the real killer. He just hopes he can stay alive long enough to find them.

For protection, he calls in a couple of friends who owe him but will their presence only make a dangerous situation even more deadly?"

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Having listened to and thoroughly enjoyed the first in the series, Raven, I was intrigued to see what further escapades the assassin/bounty hunter was going to get mixed up in.

Now Raven was good but Journeyman is better!

Damien, Raven's brother, receives a coded message from their father One-Eye (aka Nik) that means he is in trouble.  Unable to contact him and with only a vague idea of where he was going, they set out to try and track him down somewhere in Scotland.

One-Eye is being tracked by a killer from his past who he thought was dead.  He is injured and has to 'hide out' in a small Scottish village on the Isle of Skye.  Whilst recovering, One-Eye is getting to know the eclectic residents of the village when one of them is found murdered but who did it and why?

With good, strong characters, loads of action, a great and unexpected twist and quite a few laugh-out-loud moments, this was a really enjoyable listen and I look forward to the next in the series.

The narrator does a great job with all the different characters; she really had her work cut out with this one and did it well.

Thank you to W.F. Howes Ltd and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to Journeyman and share my thoughts.

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Connect with the author:



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Other books by Heather Atkinson I have read and reviewed:






The Apartment Upstairs by Lesley Kara

 



Description from Goodreads:

"Scarlett's aunt lived - and was brutally murdered - in the apartment upstairs. But Scarlett is determined that life should return to some kind of normal, even if that means living with just a ceiling between her and the scene of such a devastating crime. After all, this is her home. She's safe here. Isn't she?

Dee is busy balancing her job as a funeral director with organizing an event to mark the disappearance of her best friend, ten years ago. So she's got enough on her plate without worrying about the threatening messages that are appearing on her company's Facebook page.

When Scarlett approaches Dee about planning her aunt's funeral, an unexpected link between them emerges. Together, the two women could uncover secrets that have long been buried. Even while someone wants to stop them digging . . ."

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Let me give you a piece of advice; if you have never read one of Lesley Kara's books, get yourself to your usual book supplier or library and put it right by picking yourself one (or more!)  You will not regret it because each and every one is unique and enthralling and The Apartment Upstairs is no different.

This is yet another cracker by Lesley Kara.

Would you want to live in a house where a beloved family member was brutally murdered?  I don't think I could but Scarlett is clearly stronger than I am.  Not only has she moved back into her flat beneath where her Aunt Rebecca was murdered by her partner who then committed suicide, but she is having to organise the funeral and manage the debilitating condition, ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis).

Dee is the owner of the 'alternative' funeral directors Scarlett contacts to make arrangements for her aunt's funeral.  Dee has struggles of her own; as well as her own personal circumstances, her best friend went missing almost 10 years ago and she is organising an event to keep her in the public consciousness.  

Little do Scarlett and Dee realise but their lives are going to become intertwined in the most unexpected and shattering way.

There is creeping sense of tension and unease from the very beginning which continues throughout and which had me gripped desperate to know what was going to happen but I definitely didn't see that ending coming ... and what a great ending it is!

With strong characters, a good pace and an engaging and enthralling plot that had me guessing, this is a book that I devoured quickly and one which I have no hesitation in recommending to those who enjoy a character-driven, gripping thriller.

Thanks go to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Apartment Upstairs and share my views.

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Connect with the author:


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Other books by Lesley Kara I have read and reviewed: