No More Tomorrows by Olivia Lockhart & Hal Lambert - #bookreview #blogtour

The door creaked as it begrudgingly opened. A flurry of dust, mingled in history, flew up from the unacknowledged mail gathered around its base, and I cringed at the sound. It had taken quite a shove from both me and Linda to get it moving, but then, I guess it hadn't been in regular use for some time...

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It has recently come to my attention that I must make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from Rachel's Random Resources. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.

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The Blurb

Two eras. One aching heart.

1917 – At Cambridge University, American scholar Harry Turchin never expects to lose himself to desire. But Annie Mackenzie—soft-spoken, grieving, and luminous—claims his heart from their very first kiss. Their love is swift, fierce, and intoxicating. Married just days before Harry is sent to war, their passion is ripped apart when the trenches claim everything he knows, and Harry is thrown into a future that should not exist.

1967 – The free-spirited sixties are alive with rhythm, rebellion, and possibility. Harry awakens to a world he doesn’t recognise—and to Annalise Taylor, as bold and captivating as the era itself. Brilliant, independent, and achingly alive, she rouses a desire he thought belonged solely to the past. 

Caught between the love he was ripped away from and the passion he cannot resist, Harry is torn between two women, two lives, and two versions of forever. Because time will not bend twice … Or will it?

Sweeping from the blood-soaked battlefields of World War One to the fevered nights of the swinging sixties, No More Tomorrows is a sensual time-slip romance about desire, devotion, and the devastating power of love that refuses to be bound by time.

My Review

This book has a dual timeline and moves between the past and the present seamlessly.

The main character, Harry Turchin, has time-travelled from the battlefields of World War One in 1917 to the swinging 1960s. In the earlier part of the novel we meet American student Harry as he marries Annie just days before he leaves to fight on the front.

Believed to be missing in action by Annie, Harry actually finds himself transported to 1967. Disorientated, Harry is taken in by a French farmer and his wife who nurse him back to health. Eventually, he returns to England to search for Annie. There, he is befriended by Annalise, who had previously found and read Harry's letters to Annie in the attic, so already knows something of his past.

This was a lovely book to read and I could empathise with Harry's dilemma. Stuck in the future with the passionate and feisty Annalise, who is helping him to find Annie, it isn't too long before the chemistry between him and Annalise becomes apparent. He asks himself whether he is betraying Annie by loving Annalise.

The chapters are narrated by both Harry and Annalise in turn. Both were strong and distinct voices, and I adored them both as characters. They were each a product of their times and the authors did a great job of contrasting the roles of men and women in the two time periods. They were both easy to engage with as characters and I was rooting for them all the way.

The question of whether Harry would somehow return to the past and thus to his wife, Annie, was in the air throughout. I couldn't predict which way this book would go until the final pages. Neither could I decide if I wanted Harry to stay and love Annalise or whether I wanted him to return to his past to be with his wife and baby.

This was a lovely historical romance with a time-travel element and I enjoyed reading it very much. I highly recommend it.

Book Details

ISBN: 979 8272427007

Publisher:  Independently published

Formats:  e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  410 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Olivia Lockhart (Livvie to her friends) is an English author who can’t quite decide if she wants to write contemporary romance, historical romance, or paranormal romance. So she writes them all, because it HAS to be romance!

She loves to write about the underdog, the one who got away, the bits of love stories we can all relate to.

When not writing she can be found drinking wine, cuddling with her beloved pooch, or with her head in a book.

You can also find Olivia at:

Instagram

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(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

The Puppet Maker by Jenny O'Brien - #BookReview #BlogTour

... The rhyme burrowed through his mind, following the trail of ancient tracks and tunnels forged by countless repetitions, all on the knee of his mam, her golden web of finely spun hair tickling his cheek as she sang ditty after ditty in her breathy, slightly off-key voice.

Mammy had sewn too, he remembered, licking the end of the string before twisting it between grubby fingers and aiming at the large eye of the sailor's needle. She'd knit and sew in the evenings, while they grouped together in their cosy home, the perfect little family. As a memory it was one of his favourites, but then he didn't have that many to compare it to...

***

The scrap of paper looked as if it had been torn from a diary. The words written in faint pencil. The letters rounded, almost childlike: Please look after her. Her life and mine depend on you not trying to find me. 

 

When Detective Alana Mack arrives at Clonabee police station, in a small Irish seaside town on the outskirts of Dublin, she doesn't expect to find a distressed two-year-old girl sobbing on the floor. Abandoned in a local supermarket, the child tells them her name is Casey. All Alana and her team have to go on is a crumpled note begging for someone to look after her little girl. This mother doesn't want to be found. 

 

Still recovering from a terrible accident that has left Alana navigating a new life as a wheelchair user, Alana finds herself suddenly responsible for Casey while trying to track down the missing mother and solve another missing person's case… a retired newsagent who has seemingly vanished from his home.

 

Forced to ask her ex-husband and child psychiatrist Colm for help, through Forensic Art Therapy, Alana discovers that whatever darkness lies behind the black windows in Casey's crayon drawing, the little girl was terrified of the house she lived in. 

 

Then a bag of human remains is found in a bin, and a chilling link is made – the DNA matches Casey's. 

 

Alana and her team must find the body and make the connection with the missing newsagent fast if she is to prevent another life from being taken. But with someone in her department leaking confidential details of the investigation to the media, can Alana set aside her emotional involvement in this case and find Casey’s mother and the killer before it's too late? 

 

Heart-pounding and totally addictive, The Puppet Maker is the first in the Detective Alana Mack series that will have fans of Ann Cleeves, Angela Marsons and LJ Ross racing through the pages late into the night. 

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The Puppet Maker is the first book in a series featuring Detective Alana Mack. This is defintiely a series which I intend to continue with.

The main character, who calls herself Alan, offers something a little different to the usual detective trope. She is disabled and confined to a wheelchair, and observing the way in which she struggles to delegate tasks to other members of her team was interesting. She clearly wanted to be at the front line but has to accept her own limitations and vulnerabilities. She was an interesting character and one that I look forward to getting to know better.

It was well written, and I enjoyed the dual narrative as it switched between Alan and one of the other characters, Penny who is at the crux of the story. The author understands her characters well, and it is this that makes them so easy to engage with.

I felt the plot had a cinematic quality and could well imagine this being adapted into a television series. Whilst there were some gruesome elements to the story (it is a murder story after all) it never felt gratuitous and the author handled her plot with intelligence and skill.

Set in an area just outside of Dublin the author portrayed the environment well. 

It is an excellent start to the series and I look forward to reading more from this author.

ISBN: 978 1805080268

Publisher:  Storm Publishing 

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  296 (paperback)

About the Author:

Born in Dublin, Jenny O'Brien moved to Wales and then Guernsey, where she tries to find time to write in between working as a nurse and ferrying around 3 teenagers. 

In her spare time she can be found frowning at her wonky cakes and even wonkier breads. You'll be pleased to note she won't be entering Bake-Off.

She's also an all-year-round sea swimmer.

Jenny is represented by Nicola Barr of The Bent Agency and published by Storm Publishing and HQ Digital (Harper Collins).

(ARC and all media courtesy of Rachel's Random Reads)

(all opinions are my own)

Blood Libel by Michael Lynes - #BookReview

 

Deep in the heart of the night and I am alone in my cell. Sleep will not grace me with its balm. A single candle sputters, its light flickering across this parchment where I transcribe the secrets I dare not share with anyone, except you. I began this testimony two months ago having no one to confide in. The confession stall is far too dangerous. I must finish this entry before Lauds; it might be my last. I'll discover the verdict of my earthly masters in a few hours. Then I may not have much longer to wait for the heavenly father's judgment...

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1495 Seville, Andalusia.

Can Isaac find the real killer to save his best friend from execution?

The Inquisition is determined to execute heretics like Isaac - those who practice Judaism in secret. Friends and family are arrested and set against each other. Isaac's best friend is accused of heresy, and he is forced to choose between him and his own family. King Ferdinand offers to help him - can Isaac trust him? As the mystery unravels what secrets will Isaac uncover about himself, his friends, and his family?

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This is the first in the Isaac Alvarez series and if this book is anything to judge by I am in for a treat with the rest of the series.

This well written novel, which is set at the end of the fifteenth century, portrays a time in Seville during the infamous Spanish inquisition. I was gripped by the story and could hardly wait to get back to it between each reading session.

It has clearly been extensively researched and provided me with much food for thought. It was a problematic period in history and whilst I previously had a basic knowledge of this period from other sources, this book brought alive how fearful people must have been during this time.

I liked Isaac's character as well as the rest of his family. They were well drawn, and the author did a good job in portraying them.

The dual narrative between Isaac and Friar Alonso added another perspective to the story and elevated it to the next level. Friar Alonso's writings throughout the book added an apparent authenticity to the story, and they were interesting to read.

This book is educational as well as being a great read. It challenges the reader to think about the levels that a person will go to protect their family. Consequently, family is a strong theme in this book, and I can hardly wait to see how this develops in the next book, The Heretic's Daughter. Although, I read this book independently I am on a blog tour for the next two books so my reviews will be coming up soon.

I highly recommend this book to historical fiction readers and to those who enjoy religious history.

ISBN: 978 1739117399

Publisher:  Romaunce Books

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  288 (paperback)

About the Author:

Michael writes historical mysteries and has a particular interest in early 16th century Andalucia. He is fascinated by the interplay between cultures, globalization and religious intolerance of the period. The Isaac Alvarez mysteries are set against this rich background. He won a prize for his fiction at the 2020 Emirates Literature Festival and is an alumna of the Faber Academy’s Writing a Novel course.

Michael is originally from London but currently lives in Dubai with his family.

(book courtesy of the publisher)

(author media courtesy of the authors website https://www.michaellynes.com/)

(all opinions are my own)