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The Shadow Man – Review

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Author: Helen Fields

Release Date: February 4, 2021

Book Blurb: Elspeth, Meggy and Xavier are locked in a flat. They don’t know where they are, and they don’t know why they’re there. They only know that the shadow man has taken them, and he won’t let them go.
 
Desperate to escape, the three of them must find a way out of their living hell, even if it means uncovering a very dark truth.
 
Because the shadow man isn’t a nightmare. He’s all too real.
 
And he’s watching.

My thoughts:

I LOVED this,  and was lucky enough to have the time to luxuriate in the enjoyment of it.  Does that sound weird luxuriating in the horror and thrills of a book? 

We meet the shadow man pretty early on,  and slowly throughout the book Elspeth, Meggy and Xavier are introduced.

There are 2 other supporting characters, which make up some crucial parts.

Over all this book is a great read,  the intensity builds well right to the end

A Solid 5 star book.

Disclosure: I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Where to Buy: You can pre-order this book through my affiliate link here .

Another Mrs B Book Review – The Vine Witch

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Author: Luanne G Smith

Publisher: 47North

Release Date: October 1st 2019

Book Blurb:

For centuries, the vineyards at Château Renard have depended on the talent of their vine witches, whose spells help create the world-renowned wine of the Chanceaux Valley. Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcière Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.

Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.

What do I reckon & my rating:

The concept of a Vine Witch is an interesting one, instead of a traditional winemaker this town has a series of vine witches who use their craft to coax the best wine from the grapes.

Each Vine Witch works for a winery.

The main character of this story is Elena. Recently released from a curse she finds her way back to her winery to find there have been some changes. She also wants revenge on the person that cursed her.

I really enjoyed this book and finding out more about the world that the vine witches live in. I wondered a few times what time period the book was set in.

There’s a great love story and themes of friendship and dastardly villains in the book and I recommend giving it a chance.

Disclosure: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Where to buy: If you want to buy this book, click my affiliate code here

Book Review – The Forger and the Thief

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Author: Kirsten McKenzie

Publisher: Squabbling Sparrows Press

Release Date: July 31 2020

Book Blurb:

A wife on the run, a student searching for stolen art, a cleaner who has lined more than his pockets, a policeman whose career is almost over, and a guest who should never have received a wedding invite. Five strangers, entangled in the forger’s wicked web.

In a race against time, and desperate to save themselves and all they hold dear, will their secrets prove more treacherous than the ominous floodwaters swallowing the historic city?

Dive into a world of lies and deceit, where nothing is as it seems on the surface…

My thoughts: 5 people, an epic flood, fantastic history and some scary villians make an epic mix.

Due to end of year busyness I wasn’t able to sit and luxuriate in this book like I usually would. The way Kirsten has woven the story and written the characters meant I didn’t have to wonder about where I was up to and what the characters were doing. The book stayed with me it was THAT GOOD.

Disclosure: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Where to Buy: If you would like to buy this book (and I wholeheartedly recommend you do) you can find it through my affiliate link here.

Another Mrs B Book Review – If I never met you

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If I never met you

Author Mhairi McFarlane

Book Blurb:

Laurie and Jamie have the perfect office romance
(They set the rules via email)

Everyone can see they’re head over heels
(They staged the photos)

This must be true love
(They’re faking it)

When Laurie is dumped by her partner of eighteen years, she’s blindsided. Not only does she feel humiliated, they still have to work together.

So when she gets stuck in the lift with handsome colleague Jamie, they hatch a plan to stage the perfect romance. Revenge will be sweet…

What do I reckon: 

Laurie (our main character) has been a relationship with Dan for almost 20 years.  She’s happy, she has good friends, a good job and a home that her and Dan own and live in together.

One night, all that changes and suddenly Laurie is alone.  Soon Laurie and a work colleague hatch a plan for Laurie to get some normality and confidence back in her life. 

The book is set in Manchester.  The use of Social media kept in style with current times.  The characters are all likable and it was a great way to relax and forget about real life for a minute. 

I enjoyed this book.  There were a few twists and turns which kept me interested.

Disclosure: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Where to buy. You can buy this book from my amazon affiliate link here.

Fly Like A Bird. Another Mrs B book review.

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The main character Ivy Taylor has been raised all her life by her grandmother, Violet. As Ivy grows up we learn about her extended family (2 Uncles and 2 cousins) her friends and the relationship she has with her grandmother.

They live in a small town in Iowa called Coffey. The timeline of the book covers 1959 – 1986.

As Ivy grows she learns her grandmother might be keeping some secrets about what happened to her parents.

The author does not dwell on the every day ins and outs of life in a small town. The author also ties up all story lines of the many characters, which I liked.

I would say this book is a coming of age tale as well as a mystery. There are some scenes of domestic violence and discussion of murder. It was all within context of the story so it wasn’t much of an issue.

I also think this book could have had a little more romance in it.

All in all a good read and I give it 4/5 stars.

I received this book from netgalley and I am giving this review voluntarily.