#botbs

[donaldtheduckdad]

(There's nothing better to wake up, stay in bed AND WATCH THE NEW DUCKTALES EP)

[donaldtheduckdad]

Fenton is beautiful and perfect. The only thing I didn't like was what they did to Darkwing.

The one and only Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera turned out to be all I wanted and expected him to be! I am so happy! :D He is adorkable, ambitious, enthusiastic, smart, he’s trying his best and he wants to help everyone etc. (I COULD RAMBLE FOR DAYS OK I LOVE HIM SO MUCH) Gyro should better start learning to appreciate his intern (AND FINALLY CALL HIM BY HIS NAME)

And Lin does a great job voicing him! (she said, as a total LMM fan)

I kinda like what they did to Darkwing, it was so good to see and hear him again! X) (and I think we shouldn’t worry; the DT crew told us that the second time we’ll see DW appear in the show, we’re gonna understand why they made this decision… and honestly I am still convinced that LP just randomly filmed DW in action and just calls it a TV series XD)

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

First Gone Girl by L.T. Vargus & Tim McBain

Charlotte Winters #1

 Charlotte “Charlie” Winters is back in her childhood home after almost a decade away. Her reason for being there is not fully given but there are inklings provided. At first, reading the synopsis, I thought that Charlie was a police detective, but she is really more of a private investigator and has been for several years in Seattle before returning home. She is currently working in her Uncle Frank’s private investigation office and has mixed feelings about being back in Michigan.

 The prologue sets the stage for the missing persons case, The next chapter had me quickly pondering who the characters were and how they would impact the case Charlie will ultimately agree to pursue. The missing person case Charlie accepts soon triggers memories of her past and the loss of her twin sister, provides interaction with old friends from high school, provides flashbacks to past events in her life, provides information related to Charlie’s backstory, and ultimately provides an intriguing thriller with a bad guy to catch in hopes of saving a young girl’s life.  

 What I liked:

* Charlie: an interesting character with an interest in seeking to provide recompense or justice for victims.

* Not knowing what to think of Allie and her relationship with Charlie

* Learning more about Charlie’s backstory although I believe there is much more to learn

* Zoe: I hope to see more of her in the future as she and Charlie work cases that overlap

* Uncle Frank: I charmer with a bit of a rough edge – do hope he is there for many more books in the series

* Will: I would like to hear more about him. He seems to be a lawyer dedicated to his clients’ best interests

* The twists and turns that occurred in the pursuit of the kidnapper-murderer

* Some of the red herrings – there was more than one

* Reading a story that introduced me to new authors

* knowing that there will be a book two to look forward in the future

 What I did not like:

* Knowing that such crimes occur more often than we would like to believe

* Amber’s parents

* The double standard related to bending the law that Charlie had depending on whether it was her or someone else doing the bending

* Knowing I will have to wait awhile to find out what happens next

 Did I like this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series/by these authors? Definitely

 Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 4-5 Stars

    BLURB

 Down the beach, she can just make out the rusting hulk of the Ferris wheel through the dawn mist. The hairs prickle on her neck as she drags her focus back to the chestnut hair fanned out in the shallow water at her feet, to the grains of sand decorating the beautiful girl’s white cheeks like freckles. Detective Charlie Winters never thought she’d find herself back on Salem Island, but she’s forced home re-open the wound that never healed: her sister was abducted from the small town when they were teenagers. But now a family friend needs her help to find her missing daughter, Kara. Searching Kara’s messy, poster-covered bedroom, Charlie finds more questions than answers. Did Kara run away, or was she snatched? She’s clearly been keeping secrets from her family—but don’t all teenagers? A little black matchbook hidden in a jewellery box is Charlie’s only lead, but the seedy nightclub it comes from proves to be nothing but a dangerous dead end. Until Charlie is approached by a second distraught mother whose daughter has also vanished. Forced at every turn to relive the trauma she ran away from, Charlie’s blood runs cold when a girl’s body is discovered in the exact spot on the water’s edge where the last trace of her sister was found. It’s clear someone is taunting Charlie, but with other innocent girls’ lives at risk, she has no choice but to take the bait…

An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller that will leave you gasping for breath. Fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Lisa Regan will need to sleep with the lights on!   

 L.T. Vargus

Tim McBain

Author Bio:

 L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain are the authors of the Violet Darger series and The Scattered and the Dead series among others, which have collectively tallied over a million downloads. Their book, Dead End Girl, peaked at #3 in the US Kindle charts and has remained in the top 10 in multiple sub-categories since it was published in 2017.  

 https://ltvargus.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ltvargusbooks/  

https://twitter.com/ltvargus  

 Buy Links:

 Amazon: https://bit.ly/3m81ebE

Apple: https://apple.co/2NQmRh3

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2BNOBzU

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2YEEhmW

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The Man I Married by Elena Wilkes

 Dark disturbing psychological thriller that left me wondering at the end of the book. So many times, I wanted to shake Lucy then sit her down and have a LONG talk with her about…a LOT of things. I kept thinking, “You are thirty-four, well respected in your field, capable, see the truth in others…wake up!” I will be thinking about this book for a while.

 What I liked: * The introduction to Lucy as she met soon to be paroled Simon

* The respect Lucy had at work

* Being intrigued by the way Lucy and Paul met at the pub

* The slow unveiling of the backstories of both Lucy and Paul

* The building chill I felt as the story progressed

* The questions I had throughout the story – what was real and what was not

* Wondering what I would have done faced with a similar situation

  What I did not like:

* The manipulation and how easily it was accomplished

* Did and did not like that I wasn’t SURE that I knew what REALLY had happened when I finished the last page.

 Did I like this book? I believe I did…though it was definitely different

Would I read more by this author? Yes

 Thank you to NetGalley, Hera Books and BOTBS for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 4 Stars

   BLURB

 You love him. You’ll do anything for him. But do you really know him? This is the story of Lucy and Paul. They met. They fell deeply in love. They got married. Lucy thought that she had everything she wanted. Until she found the photograph from Paul's past life, read the text messages he's so desperately trying to hide. Until she uncovered Paul’s darkest secrets. Now Lucy realizes she doesn’t really know her husband. She doesn’t know if she can trust her own mind. She doesn’t know the lengths Paul would go to keep his perfect life. And worst of all, she doesn’t know that she’s in danger... A gripping, dark psychological thriller with an absolutely nail-biting ending that will keep you hooked - the perfect read for fans of Behind Closed Doors, Mark Edwards, and Lisa Jewell.

    AUTHOR BIO

 Elena Wilkes grew up in Walsall in the West Midlands. After eighteen years of working in H.M Prisons, she emigrated to New Zealand. She now lives in Shropshire. ‘The Man I Married’ is the author’s debut novel and will be published by Hera Books in August 2020.

Twitter: @Elenathrillers

Facebook: @elenawilkesthrillers

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Snow Light by Danielle Zinn

 The first scene is just after a Christmas party in Dresden. Detective Inspector Nathaniel Thomas has a wake up call on his way home that leads to big changes in his life. One year later and working in Crottendorf he is called to the marketplace where a body has been staged on a pyramid. As Christmas is coming soon decorations are up for the holidays and one of them is the wooden pyramid with carved figures. And thus, begins the search to solve the riddle of who, what, when, where and why in regard to the body on the pyramid.

 What I liked:

* Nathaniel sometimes called Thomas: a big man with a heavy load to carry. He is guardian for his friend’s daughter when David travels, acting constable for the town and rather mired in what happened a year before.

* Ann Collins: a difficult to get along with Detective Sergeant sent from Dresden to “help” with the case. I liked and understood her more and more as the book progressed

* Sky: a precocious eleven-year-old girl nearing her twelfth birthday – she tests the limits regularly but has a heart of gold.

* The police procedural aspects of the story

* The twists and turns as the story unfolded

* Nathaniel’s willingness to act as guardian to Sky and his ability to do it well

* The community and how it played into the story

* The secret divulged that was the catalyst for the murder

* That I felt I was there

* It was believable and realistic and made me think

* Finding out that Crottendorf exists and googling to learn  more about it

* Reading about the tradition of lights in the windows

* The healing I felt took place toward the end

* Wondering if perhaps Nathaniel and Ann would work together in the future (is there a series in the making?)

* All of it really except

 What I didn’t like:

* That some people are evil and get away with it for much too long

* Having to leave the characters behind wondering what will happen in their lives next.

 Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Definitely

 Thank you to the author and BOTBS for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 5 Stars

   Book Description:

 When Detective Inspector Nathaniel Thomas encounters a man attacking a young woman in a local park, the DI is unable to save her. Out of guilt, Thomas quits his job at Homicide Headquarters and relocates to the tiny village of Crottendorf, where he regains control of himself and begins to enjoy life again. However, a year later, all the guilt and shame of the park incident re-emerges when a local hermit, Ethan Wright, is murdered with an unusual weapon and left on display in the centre of the village. For Thomas, the situation gets worse when Detective Sergeant Ann Collins, a colleague from his past, appears to help with the case. But things become complicated when the victim’s identity is put into question. Who is the victim? And why was he murdered? Whilst Thomas and Collins find themselves trying to solve the unusual case, they may have more in common than they could have ever imagined.  

  Author Bio:

 Danielle holds a BA (Hons) degree in Business and Management from New College Durham/UK and has settled down in Leipzig/Germany, where she works as a Financial Controller at an IT Consultancy.

Born and raised in a small village in the Ore Mountains/Germany Danielle was introduced to the world of English literature and writing from an early age on through her mother – an English teacher.

Her passion for sports, especially skiing and fencing, stems from her father’s side. Danielle draws her inspiration for writing from long walks in the country with her partner as well as circumnavigating the globe and visiting friends scattered all over the world.

Mix everything together and you get “Snow Light”, a detective mystery combining a stunning wintry setting in the Ore Mountains with unique traditions, some sporty action and lots of suspense.

Find Danielle Zinn on:

Twitter: @DanielleZinn4             https://twitter.com/daniellezinn4 

Facebook: Danielle.zinn.7           https://www.facebook.com/danielle.zinn.7

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The Disappearance of Timothy Dawson

The Granville Series #1

 Tommy Dawson’s father disappeared when he was two years old. At sixteen he wants to know where he went and/or what might have happened to him. With only a few clues in hand he begins to search even though he has been warned off by more than one person. His home life leaves a lot to be desired with an addict for a mother and an older brother keeping their mother company in her vices. Tommy’s saving grace is named Kirsten and she has been his best friend for years. The quest to find his father or what happened to him is the basis of this story. The twists and turns filled with some scary moments and people provided a great read and one that would work equally well for the YA or older crowd.

 Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

 Thank you to the author and BOTBS for the book  ~ This is my honest review.

 5 Stars

  BLURB

 If you were searching for answers about the mysterious disappearance of your father, but were warned that pulling at that thread would put you in grave danger... would you pull at it anyway? A turbulent seaside town holds a dark secret. Terror reigns in the form of drug king pin, Smiler, whose core business is to exploit the vulnerable. Hope is all but non existent. Tommy Dawson has believed for most of his life that his dad, Timothy, ran out on him when he was just two years old, leaving him to grow up in survival mode with his mum and brother, who had become more focussed on their drug habits than his welfare. That's until information comes to light which suggests that his dad's disappearance isn't all it seems. Tommy and his trusted sidekick, Kirsten, embark upon a quest to uncover the truth, taking them to the darkest corners of Granville and uncovering shocking secrets that will reveal the town's disturbing underbelly. The Disappearance of Timothy Dawson is a Young Adult fiction, with dark themes that expose sinister secrets. It takes place in a poor, forgotten seaside town in the north of England, called Granville-upon-sea, a place that was once glorious is now rife with drugs and poverty. The story is a coming of age mystery, following the journey of Tommy, a likeable chap that's been dealt an unfair hand in life. His mum and brother are addicts and he is left for the most part to fend for himself. The mystery of his father's whereabouts hadn't bothered him at all until, bit by bit, information surfaces suggesting maybe his dad didn't just leave them after all. As the story unfurls, the plot takes a dark turn and Tommy, along with his friends, must face evil head on in order to expose the truth. "A gritty mystery that'll knock your socks off! Kept me guessing until the very end." "More twists and turns than a rollercoaster ride, the inherent danger keeps you wanting more!" "Gripping, intense, sinister and mystifying!" *Please note: story contains occasional explicit language and some adult themes with references to drugs and sexual abuse, but is without graphic detail.

AUTHOR BIO

My name is Nathan Parker, a 32-year-old father of one from Blackpool, Lancashire. I’m recently married to my beautiful wife, Nadina, so beautiful in fact, let’s just say it’s a good job I have my sense of humour to rely on. Family has always been central to my universe, but since becoming a dad I feel as though life makes far more sense than it used to. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with Sonny, my son who is 18 months old – watching him develop and learn brings me a joy I never thought was possible. With any luck, one child may become two – or more – as the years go by.

I’m proud of the fact I was born and raised, schooled and now live and work in sunny Blackpool. Despite its perception as a town with challenges – a perception which is accurate on many fronts – in my thirty-two years I have seen and experienced community, resilience, strength and good times in this town.

I am a Youth Worker by trade, graduating from Canterbury Christ Church University with a first-class BA honours degree in Youth Work and Community Learning and Development. For ten plus years I have worked alongside young people experiencing some of life’s toughest challenges and, although now working at a strategic level, I work hard to support and empower the young people of Blackpool and the Fylde Coast to create their own stories, with informed choices, broadening horizons and challenging inequality within the systems young people are bound.

My journey into writing began officially in 2017 when I was tasked with making a creative pledge to myself, to write it down and tell the workshop within which the task was set – which I’ve since learned meant I was 90% more likely to see it through… sneaky devils! The pledge I set myself was to write a short story. Fast forward 12 months and I self-published my first novel; The Disappearance of Timothy Dawson, The First Book in the Granville Series. A fictional ‘anytown’ but certainly shaped from my knowledge of Blackpool.

The book enabled me to tell a story which was burning inside me; a tale inspired by personal and professional experiences told with realism through a world of fiction. My writing style is to take real life adversity, emotion and grit and weave it into stories filled with twists and turns, relatable characters and places which feel familiar to most.

I would say I’ve always loved to read, which wouldn’t be too far from the truth. I began my childhood as an avid reader, although it wasn’t the classics which hooked me in – ten year old Nathan was more of a Goosebumps fan. And I still read now; with a common, nightly routine of a few chapters before bed. My current read is Michael Connelly’s The Poet. 

However, there was a huge void in my teens. A black hole within which books, reading and writing didn’t feature. School, Sports, Friendships, Hormones, whatever it was, I stopped reading and it wasn’t until my dad encouraged me to read again in my early twenties to help address a sleeping problem that I picked up To Kill a Mockingbird and fell in love with books all over again. 

Truth is, I believe if the stories I write were available to fifteen-year-old me, I never would have stopped reading. I needed real life, I needed danger and I needed topical issues which explained life to me – adversity, relationships, risk and reward. This is what I strive for in my writing. I have been privileged in many ways in my life, but I have also seen and experienced challenges which I seek to harness and weave into my writing, so that one day a young reader may pick up my book and find connection, comfort or hope.

My debut novel The Disappearance of Timothy Dawson was shortlisted for Lancashire Book of the Year 2019, a feat which I am so very proud of. The best part? The book prompted young people – young men in particular – to become passionate about reading. Am I the most qualified, technical writer in the world? Certainly not. But I believe my stories are raw, relatable and real and there is a gap in the young adult fiction market, which needs filling. 

I’m currently working on the second book in the series and am enjoying working alongside schools, delivering talks and workshops to students looking at motivating the next generation to pick up a pen, or a book and allow their minds to wander.

Twitter: @parker_book • Instagram: @parker_book

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

One Fatal Night by Hélene Fermont

 Fast-paced twisted story that had me wondering what would happen next. Beginning to read I knew that revenge was the basis of this story…and in some ways it was…but there was a whole lot more than that involved in this novella. Even though Astrid wanted revenge for her mother’s murder at first she began to question whether or not her information related to the murder was as accurate as she thought it was. In a book about revenge, murder, loss, dysfunctional families, rags to riches successes, crime syndicates and more this book was jam packed with interesting well-crafted characters, a plot that twisted and turned with surprises throughout that left me thinking I had the answers only to have the plot twist again. Definitely a page turner!

 What I liked:

* The setting in Norway

* The twists, turns and surprises

* The mystery of who killed Ingrid and why

* The mystery of who Astrid’s father might be

* How clues were eked out related to the pasts of many of the characters

* That there was more to the characters than first supposed

* That eventually the bad guys met justice

* That there was a happily ever after for at least one couple

 What I did not like:

* The bad guys

* That so many in the story had difficult childhoods

 Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

 Thank you to the author and BOTBS Publicity for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 4 Stars

BLURB

One woman’s quest for revenge unearths a fatal secret from her past.

Astrid Jensen holds one man responsible for her mother’s suicide, and she’ll do whatever’s necessary to get close to Daniel Holst and destroy his life – even if it means sleeping with him to gain his trust. Astrid knows he’s not who he pretends to be. But before she can reveal his dark secret, people from her mother’s past start turning up dead, and it looks like she and Daniel are next. In order to survive, she might have to put her trust in the man she has hated for so long.

Daniel Holst has worked hard to climb into Norway’s most elite and glamorous circles, and he’s not about to let any woman bring him down. But when a psychopathic killer starts murdering people from his shadowy past, he discovers that the only person who might be able to save him is the woman who wants to destroy him.

As Astrid digs deeper into her past, she uncovers secrets long buried and realizes everything she once believed is based on lies. What began as a quest to avenge her mother’s death becomes a desperate struggle for survival and leads to the truth about what happened one fatal night ten years ago—and the surprising mastermind behind the most recent murders.

AUTHOR BIO

 Hélene is an Anglo-Swedish fiction author currently residing in her home town of Malmo, Sweden, after relocating back from London after 20 years.

Her thrilling character-driven psychological fiction novels are known for their explosive, pacy narrative and storylines.

Hélene is the proud author of four novels – One Fatal Night, Because of You, We Never Said Goodbye and His Guilty Secret.

SM links:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/helenefermont

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenefermont/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/helenefermontwriter/

https://www.helenefermont.com/one-fatal-night

[cathygeha]

C O V E R   R E V E A L

REVIEW COMING SOON

Book Description:

 One woman’s quest for revenge unearths a fatal secret from her past.

Astrid Jensen holds one man responsible for her mother’s suicide, and she’ll do whatever’s necessary to get close to Daniel Holst and destroy his life – even if it means sleeping with him to gain his trust. Astrid knows he’s not who he pretends to be. But before she can reveal his dark secret, people from her mother’s past start turning up dead, and it looks like she and Daniel are next. In order to survive, she might have to put her trust in the man she has hated for so long.

Daniel Holst has worked hard to climb into Norway’s most elite and glamorous circles, and he’s not about to let any woman bring him down. But when a psychopathic killer starts murdering people from his shadowy past, he discovers that the only person who might be able to save him is the woman who wants to destroy him.

As Astrid digs deeper into her past, she uncovers secrets long buried and realizes everything she once believed is based on lies. What began as a quest to avenge her mother’s death becomes a desperate struggle for survival and leads to the truth about what happened one fatal night ten years ago—and the surprising mastermind behind the most recent murders.