Showing posts with label S.K. Tremayne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label S.K. Tremayne. Show all posts

Friday, June 29, 2018

The Tip of My Wish List: It's Pre-Order Madness!

If you're anything like me you've got a book wish list so long there is no way you will ever be able to read through it all. And, on top of that, it's never ending because you just can't stop adding more books to it! To try and organize myself I'm sharing 5 books from my wish list that I'm most excited to get to, usually with a common theme, on the last Friday of each month. I know a number of excellent bloggers who will be doing similar posts and I'll be sure to link to their posts as well so you can see all the goodies we're excited about and, hopefully, add a few new books to your own wish list. I'll also link the titles to Goodreads where you can read reviews and find the various ways to purchase a copy of the books if they sound like your style. I really hope you enjoy and let me know if you've read any of these or have others you would add to the list.
 
I very rarely pre-order books as I never seem to find the time to read the books right when they come out. However I recently noticed that I had in fact pre-ordered a number of books from some of my favorite authors, and thus a wish list post was born! I am so excited for these books to come in and am counting down the days for all of them!
 
 
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Why did you do that to me Mummy, don’t you love me?


Kath lives with her husband Adam and daughter Lyla in a desolate stone longhouse deep in Dartmoor National Park. She likes her life the moors are beautiful, if bleak and she counts herself as happy, even if they struggle with money, and work, and her daughter's shyness.

But one day Kath wakes up from a coma, with a vague memory of a near-fatal car accident. She hugs her daughter close, likewise her husband Adam. But there’s something wrong. Adam seems furious with her and Lyla is acting evermore strangely. They should be delighted to see her alive, snatched from certain death. But they won't meet her gaze

Then Kath learns that the car crash wasn't an accident, and her whole life collapses into a world of panic, and danger.



Watching You


Gripping psychological suspense from the number one bestselling author of Then She Was Gone, as what begins as an innocent crush develops into a dangerous infatuation.


You’re back home after four years working abroad with a brand new husband in tow.

You’re keen to find a place of your own. But for now you’re living with your big brother, camped out in his spare bedroom.

And then – quite unexpectedly – you meet the man next door.

He’s the head teacher of the local high school. He’s twice your age. And he’s devastatingly attractive.
Soon you find you’re watching him. All the time.

But what you don’t know is that someone is watching you.

Or that what has started as an innocent crush is quickly turning into an obsession as dark as it is deadly.


Family secrets, illicit passion and an unexplained murder lie at the heart of Lisa Jewell’s gripping new novel. 




The Clockmaker's Daughter


A rich, spellbinding new novel from the author of The Lake House—the story of a love affair and a mysterious murder that cast their shadow across generations, set in England from the 1860's until the present day.


My real name, no one remembers.
The truth about that summer, no one else knows.


In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor in rural Oxfordshire. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe’s life is in ruins.

Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist’s sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.

Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets?


Told by multiple voices across time, The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a story of murder, mystery, and thievery, of art, love and loss. And flowing through its pages like a river, is the voice of a woman who stands outside time, whose name has been forgotten by history, but who has watched it all unfold: Birdie Bell, the clockmaker’s daughter.



Daughters of the Lake


The ghosts of the past come calling in a spellbinding heart-stopper from the “Queen of the Northern Gothic.”


After the end of her marriage, Kate Granger has retreated to her parents’ home on Lake Superior to pull herself together—only to discover the body of a murdered woman washed into the shallows. Tucked in the folds of the woman’s curiously vintage gown is an infant, as cold and at peace as its mother. No one can identify the woman. Except for Kate. She’s seen her before. In her dreams…

One hundred years ago, a love story ended in tragedy, its mysteries left unsolved. It’s time for the lake to give up its secrets. As each mystery unravels, it pulls Kate deeper into the eddy of a haunting folktale that has been handed down in whispers over generations. Now, it’s Kate’s turn to listen.

As the drowned woman reaches out from the grave, Kate reaches back. They must come together, if only in dreams, to right the sinister wrongs of the past.


A Spark of Light


The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.

After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.

But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester disguised as a patient, who now stands in the cross hairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.

Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day.


Jodi Picoult—one of the most fearless writers of our time—tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation . . . and, hopefully, understanding.


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Check out these lovely blogs for more books to add to your wish list(updated as they become available):


Holly at 2 Kids and Tired
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Magdalena at A Bookish Swede
 


Monday, July 17, 2017

Review: The Fire Child by S.K. Tremayne

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub. Date: March 28th, 2017
Pages: 400

Genres: Mystery/Psychological Thriller/Suspense


Synopsis



THE PERFECT HUSBAND. THE PERFECT STEPSON. THE PERFECT LIE?


When Rachel marries dark, handsome David, everything seems to fall into place. Swept from single life in London to the beautiful Carnhallow House in Cornwall, she gains wealth, love, and an affectionate stepson, Jamie.

But then Jamie's behavior changes, and Rachel's perfect life begins to unravel. He makes disturbing predictions, claiming to be haunted by the specter of his late mother - David's previous wife. Is this Jamie's way of punishing Rachel, or is he far more traumatized than she thought?

As Rachel starts digging into the past, she begins to grow suspicious of her husband. Why is he so reluctant to discuss Jamie's outbursts? And what exactly happened to cause his ex-wife's untimely death, less than two years ago? As summer slips away and December looms, Rachel begins to fear there might be truth in Jamie's words:

"You will be dead by Christmas."


What Did I Think About the Story?



I really enjoyed S.K. Tremayne's debut novel, The Ice Twins, when I read it a few years ago and was so excited when the lovely Tiffany Sanchez from Grand Central Publishing reached out to me to see if I was interested in receiving a copy of this newest novel for review. Yes please!! From the synopsis I just knew I was going to be in for another really creepy treat. And, having finished it, I'm happy to say I was correct! The Fire Child once again presents a sinister setting by the turbulent sea and creates an atmosphere of confusion and dread that sends chills down your spine.

One of the best parts of the novel is the fact that each chapter opens up with a countdown to Christmas day. This is wonderful for building up the feeling of impending dread and urgency and helped the story from dragging towards the beginning/middle as the author sought to properly develop the characters' backstories. The story is quite long at 400 pages and there are a few points along the way that allowed the overall sense of impending doom to drop away, but overall this countdown to possible death really kept me turning the pages to see if Rachel's life was truly in danger.

The characters are pretty perfect as far as suspenseful mysteries go as well. They are all so very damaged, each and every one of them, and the full extent of that damage and the lies they tell to hide their secrets slowly unfurls as the story progresses, picking up speed right towards the end. I absolutely loved this as it kept me from guessing the outcome. There's some mental illness involved, lots of bold-faced lying, and some pretty heavy subterfuge going on so that you're never quite sure if what you are reading is really what the characters are experiencing, or if what they are saying is true or not, at least until the final shoe drops and you're able to finally see how all the pieces fall into place. 

Something else I love is the fact that Tremayne has an incredible ability to showcase beautiful yet terrifying landscapes and to make these inanimate, natural elements take on a life of their own and feel almost alive. In this novel our ramshackle and dangerous buildings are long abandoned iron mines and tunnels (as opposed to a dilapidated cottage as in The Ice Twins) and this combined with the thick forest surrounding the mansion and the vicious sea surrounding that leads to an overall feeling of isolation and suffocation. The mansion itself is amazingly detailed and it was so much fun going along with Rachel as she explored what had once been the servants areas and the old monastery ruins that the house is built around and on top of. The entire setting feels haunted, with creaks, whispers (was it the wind?), and dark shadows abounding, and this serves to push already disturbed people over the edge into hysteria. I, for one, had the best time watching that descent!

The Fire Child is wonderful, atmospheric suspense and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good gothic mystery. While there was some lagging in the middle and I didn't feel it needed to be quite as long as it was, overall it was a delightful way to spend the hours and I am still a firm fan of Tremayne's writing.  


What Did I Think About the Cover?



I think it fits the story perfectly! It evokes the stormy, sinister feeling that hangs over the whole narrative and is the exact picture I have in my head of the location and youngest character (tossing, freezing seaside with Jamie running off to the dangerous mines on the property). I love it!


My Rating: 4.0/5.0



Thank you to Tiffany Sanchez and Grand Central Publishing for a free copy of The Fire Child in exchange for an honest review! Continue below for more information about the author and where you can purchase a copy.
 
 

Praise for The Fire Child

 
 
"Tremayne...does a terrific job of building suspense until events reach their climax in the midst of a violent storm." - Library Journal       
 
 

Buy the Book

       
 
 

About the Author   

 
 
S. K. Tremayne is a bestselling novelist and award-winning travel writer, and a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines around the world. Tremayne has two daughters, and lives in London.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Release Day Spotlight on The Fire Child by S.K. Tremayne + Giveaway!!

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub. Date: March 28th, 2017
Pages: 400

Genres: Mystery/Psychological Thriller/Suspense


THE PERFECT HUSBAND. THE PERFECT STEPSON. THE PERFECT LIE?


When Rachel marries dark, handsome David, everything seems to fall into place. Swept from single life in London to the beautiful Carnhallow House in Cornwall, she gains wealth, love, and an affectionate stepson, Jamie.

But then Jamie's behavior changes, and Rachel's perfect life begins to unravel. He makes disturbing predictions, claiming to be haunted by the specter of his late mother - David's previous wife. Is this Jamie's way of punishing Rachel, or is he far more traumatized than she thought?

As Rachel starts digging into the past, she begins to grow suspicious of her husband. Why is he so reluctant to discuss Jamie's outbursts? And what exactly happened to cause his ex-wife's untimely death, less than two years ago? As summer slips away and December looms, Rachel begins to fear there might be truth in Jamie's words:

"You will be dead by Christmas."

 
"Tremayne...does a terrific job of building suspense until events reach their climax in the midst of a violent storm." - Library Journal       
 
 

Buy the Book          

       
 
 

About the Author   

 
 
S. K. Tremayne is a bestselling novelist and award-winning travel writer, and a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines around the world. Tremayne has two daughters, and lives in London.
 
 

It's Giveaway Time!! 

 
 
Thanks to Tiffany Sanchez at Grand Central Publishing I have two (2!) copies of The Fire Child to giveaway today (US/CAN only)! All you have to do is enter your name and email address on the giveaway form HERE. Please be sure to leave both your name and your email on the form so I can contact you if you are my winner (no email address, no entry!). For extra entries you can follow the blog in various ways (links are on the right hand sidebar) and leave the name/email you follow with on the form. That's it!

 
I'll use a random number generator to pick two winners on April 4th, 2017 and will announce the winner here as well as email the winners. The winners will then have 48 hours to respond to my email with their full mailing address. If you have already won this giveaway on another site please let me know so I can pick a new winner and give someone else a chance to win a copy of this great book.

Good Luck!!
 
 
 
 
 
 


Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Review: The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne

The Ice Twins: A Novel
S.K. Tremayne
Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: May 19th, 2015
ISBN: 1455586056 / 9781455586059
 
Psychological Mystery/Thriller
 
 

Synopsis

 
 
 In the tradition of The Girl on the Train comes the UK bestseller THE ICE TWINS, a terrifying psychological thriller with a twisting plot worthy of Gillian Flynn.


One of Sarah's daughters died. But can she be sure which one?


A year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, Angus and Sarah Moorcroft move to the tiny Scottish island Angus inherited from his grandmother, hoping to put together the pieces of their shattered lives.

But when their surviving daughter, Kirstie, claims they have mistaken her identity--that she, in fact, is Lydia--their world comes crashing down once again.


As winter encroaches, Angus is forced to travel away from the island for work, Sarah is feeling isolated, and Kirstie (or is it Lydia?) is growing more disturbed. When a violent storm leaves Sarah and her daughter stranded, they are forced to confront what really happened on that fateful day.


What Did I Think About the Story?



Maybe it's just me, but I've always found identical twins to be somewhat creepy (truly, no offence to any identical twins out there, I'm purely going by their depiction in movies such as The Shining and the fact that I've read they seem to have an intense connection to each other's inner worlds, finishing each other's sentences, laughing together without saying a word, etc. I haven't, in fact, ever met true identical twins). So, when I read the synopsis of this novel and saw that it involved a surviving identical twin that might not be who they thought she was, I knew I wanted to read this book! Having now finished I'm very glad I did, because it not only has the central mystery of who is the surviving twin but adds a heavy dose of marital strife, secrets that should never have been hidden and even a nice dash of the paranormal.


The novel begins with Angus and Sarah Moorecroft trying desperately to move their family away from London to his ancestral home on a tiny, isolated island in the inner Hebrides near Skye.  Not only are they trying to move on from the horrible death of one of their young twin daughters a little over a year ago but they are also trying to find a fresh start for their crumbling marriage and a way out of the serious financial debt they have found themselves in. Solution: move the family to the rundown cottage on the beautiful yet treacherous "Thunder Island" right before the horrific winter weather blows in. Maybe not the best idea but off they go!


Right from the get-go it is quite clear there are a lot of issues within this family, above and beyond the death of their daughter. Both Angus and Sarah are keeping secrets and resentments from each other, both of which will come into play as the story progresses. On top of all this is the fact that, when Sarah tells her surviving twin daughter, Kirstie, that they are moving she tells her mother that she is not Kirstie but actually Lydia, the dead daughter! Well, needless to say, Sarah is quite disturbed by this news but decides not to say anything to her husband (a pattern for these two) and tries to get to the bottom of which daughter actually died and then get her surviving daughter the help she needs to move on from this tragedy. Sarah has no idea that Angus knows something regarding his daughter's identity confusion as well and is on his own mission to put to rights his family.


Once they move to the island the story really picks up. I was amazed at how well the author transported the reader to this often gloomy yet gorgeous environment and how she kind of makes the island and the dilapidated cottage its own character (and an intensely creepy one at that). You are always waiting for something to creep up behind the characters or materialize out of nowhere...the entire environment just feels haunted! Then we add an intensely confused and disturbed young girl and her broken parents to the mix and you can't help but feel chilled as the author slowly reveals the truth behind what the characters have been hiding from us through to an ending I never saw coming!


Now finished with the novel I'm still not completely sure I know all the facts of what happened and, to be honest, that is part of the charm of this novel. You've got these very flawed people, including a confused and disturbed young girl (from the descriptions and actions I kept picturing one of the twins from the movie Village of the Damned, if one of the twins died and left the other alone and bereft) and more secrets and lies than can be counted and at the end of the day, who really knows all of what happened. Anyone looking for an interesting family drama that takes place at a beautiful yet dangerous location and that has an overlaying feeling of dread and fright will find much to enjoy in The Ice Twins.


What Did I Think About the Cover? 



I'm not a fan. It reminds me of the beginning of all the Marvel comic book movies and doesn't really fit the somewhat sinister feeling of the novel. It does, however, represent the fractured state of the characters so I give it points for that.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0


 
Thank you to Tiffany Sanchez at Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a free copy of The Ice Twins in exchange for an honest review!
 
 
 

Praise for The Ice Twins

 
 
“Richly evocative and profoundly eerie, The Ice Twins is a mesmerizing story of grief, loss, and betrayal set against a backdrop that’s as beautiful as it is haunted, just like the tragic family at the story’s center.”—Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia
 
 
 
“Unbearably gripping and suspenseful.”—Sophie Hannah, international bestselling author of The Wrong Mother and The Dead Lie Down
 
 
“Chilling and utterly compulsive . . . As the action plays out in the claustrophobic confines of the cold, creepy island, it builds to an incredibly tense and shiver inducing conclusion.”—The Sunday Mirror (UK)
 
“The next Gone Girl . . . [An] eerie literary spine-chiller.”—Sunday Times Travel Magazine (U.K.)
 
“Very eerie”—Marie Claire (UK) (A “Must Read” selection)
 
 

About the Author

 

S. K. Tremayne is a bestselling novelist, award-winning travel writer, and a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines around the world. Born in Devon, the author now lives in London.