DRIVEN BY DECEIT by Georgia Rose @GeorgiaRoseBook

 4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)

On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I'd read the other books in the series so I knew it was coming!

In a Nutshell: Crazy woman moves into a village and causes mayhem

Driven by Deceit is the 5th book in the series A Shade Darker, an everyday story of country life in the fictional village of Melton, which enjoys more than its fair share of drama and colourful characters.

Laura runs a stable, and lives a fairly happy, quiet life, until a certain person from her past appears out of the blue, and causes a stir.  Soon, Laura and her friends are drawn into a the dark, deceptive web of Ms Cecelia Clark.  But why is she there?  What is she up to?

Cecelia is certainly a larger than life character and I enjoyed reading about her machinations - the story is a cracking yarn with never a dull moment!  

I always appreciate the structure of Georgia Rose's books; she knows exactly when to reveal the right amount of backstory to keep you interested.  I also very much liked the horse stuff - I know nothing of the equine world, so found the detail about how the stable was run, etc, most interesting.

I look forward to the next book!

A STOLEN FUTURE by Georgia Rose @georgiarosebook

 4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I'd already read the previous books in the series

In a Nutshell: An antagonist who doesn't realise who he's dealing with...

Well, this was a fun romp!  Book 4 in the A Shade Darker series, which tells the individual stories of various characters living in the fictional village of Melton - this time we turn to Alice, the conscientious right-hand woman of the owner of a local construction company.

Alice's life seems, at the outset, closed and a little depressing.  She's a widow of not quite fifty, but gives the impression of someone much older, possibly living half a century ago.  She has given her life to her work, is liked and appreciated by her colleagues, but has nothing else in her life; she still 'talks to' her husband, who died when she was young.

Her world is turned upside down when her beloved boss dies and is replaced by his thoroughly objectionable son, Rex.  As the story moves along, one gets the impression that there is more to Rex and his mother's unveiled dislike for Alice.  Trouble is, they don't know who Alice used to be, or anything about her background.  That when she decides to take charge, she knows exactly what to do...

I had fun guessing possible outcomes while I was reading this (I was wrong, every time!).  It's very 'readable'; the characters are somewhat larger than life, and there's a darkly comedic air to the story because of this.  Nice twist at the end ... and so it all made sense.  A revelation!

My Top Fifteen Books of 2024

 

 

  It's that time again...

I intended to do a Top Ten, but as usual when making my list it grew too long - you know how it is!  The books I've chosen were not necessarily published in 2024, but I read them this year.  If any of them pique your interest, please click the title for my review and universal links to Amazon and Goodreads.

I've listed them in the order I read them, aside from the last five, to which I awarded my rare and very special 5 Gold Stars.😊  I hope you see something that appeals, as I highly recommend them all!

The Drau River Flows to Siberia: The Victims of Victory

by Marina Osipova

The story of two people who survived Stalin's Siberian gulags, and the fate of the Cossacks under the care of the Allies in WWII.

I, Richard Plantagenet : Book 2 Loyaulte Me Lie 

by J P Reedman

The later life of Richard III

Hard to Forgive 

by Georgia Rose

Third book in the 'A Shade Darker' series.  A woman alone, a life lived in obsession and regret...

Pride & Pestilence 

by Carol Hedges

Book 11 of the Victorian Detectives murder mystery series

Live and Let 

by Judith Barrow

A short, amusing memoir, much of it about holiday lets.

Psittacide 

by Zeb Haradon

The crazy political arena of 2172, Book 2 in the Disposable Soma series

A Boundary of Stones 

by Millie Thom

The story of Eyam, the Derbyshire village that famously isolated itself during the 17th Century bubonic plague, stopping it from spreading to neighbouring villages.

Local Gods 

by Mark Hurst

An assassin who needs to lie low discovers strange happenings in the village of Little Baddington...

Operation Tulip 

by Deborah Swift

Working for the resistance in Nazi occupied Holland, 1944

The Queen's Avenger 

by Anna Legat

The story of a monk who supported Mary, Queen of Scots, through all she suffered.

*

5 GOLD Stars

All Quiet on the Western Front 

by Erich Maria Remarque

A young German man's experiences in World War I  

A Matter of Time 

by Judith Arnopp

The life of Henry VIII in his own words, from the Anne of Cleves era until his death.

The Swan Maiden 

by Gemma Lawrence

Book 2 of The Surface and the Deep, the story of Anne of Cleves.

Moments of Consequence 

by Thorne Moore

Short stories, dark themes.  Mostly.

Size Always Matters 

by Sally Cronin

Comprehensive guide to weight loss, exercise, nutrition and so much more.

HARD TO FORGIVE by Georgia Rose @georgiarosebook

 5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I'd already read another in the series.  This is Book 3 of A Shade Darker.

In a Nutshell: A woman alone, a life lived in obsession and regret...

I've read a few of Georgia Rose's books over the years.  I liked the last one in this series, the most enjoyable Shape of Revenge, but this is a different class, by far the best thing she's written.  Loved it!

Dora Smith is 69 and lives alone in the cosy village of Melton, in which all these books are set.  It's a close community, with all the advantages and drawbacks this brings, and Dora is involved yet sets herself slightly apart from her neighbours.  She has secrets; conflicting in her head is a riot of heartbreak, loss, obsession and a sense of isolation that she reveals to no one.  Sometimes she wears it well, and is content in her life.  Other times the ghosts from the past as well as the present crowd in, tearing her sanity apart.

This is a short novel, probably around 50-60k words, which is just right for the story.  Early in the book we're taken back in time to see Dora as a young woman and experience the tragedies that befell her - I found this absolutely gripping.  Yet there was another surprise I didn't expect, near the end.  The end itself made me need to know more.  What happens to her?  Hopefully we will see Dora again in another instalment of this twelve-book series.

So skilfully written is Dora's first person narrative that - even though she lives in her own head, rarely looking out - it allows the reader to see what the other people in the village think about her, opinions of which she is probably unaware.  So clever!  All the way through, Dora reminded me of Susan the vicar's wife in Alan Bennett's Bed Among The Lentils - if you like his Talking Heads monologues you'll love this, though it's considerably darker.

Well done, Georgia Rose, and I look forward to the next book!

SHAPE OF REVENGE by Georgia Rose @GeorgiaRoseBook #TuesdayBookBlog

 4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: Recommendation from a trustworthy source!

In a Nutshell: Book 2 in the A Shade Darker crime thriller series, all set in the fictional village of Melton.

A Shade Darker is a great idea for a series - I believe there will be 12 novels, all stories being connected though each a stand-alone.  Quite a challenge for any writer; having not yet read Book #1, I am in the perfect position to confirm that, as far as Book #2 is concerned, it is one to which Ms Rose has risen admirably!

Shape of Revenge centres around Sharon Beesley, the owner of the local village shop.  She's a terrific character; horribly self-centred and self-righteous, blinkered, unable to 'read the room' whilst believing herself to be so perceptive.  She (thinks she) completely rules the roost in her household, with husband Eric tightly reined into humdrum subservience and daughter Daisy following whatever path Sharon deems suitable.  Of course, both Eric and Daisy have all sorts of stuff going on, not least of all in their individual heads, about which Sharon does not have a clue.

I so enjoyed reading the inner workings of Sharon's pernickety little mind; seeing a character's view of the world whilst knowing it to be utterly skewed is always so entertaining.  The book is most 'reader-friendly', flowing along in such a way that the pages just have to be turned.  I've noticed when reading another book by this author that she is a master of structure, revealing details at just the right time and making all events fit together perfectly.  This is so important in a book of this type, with its secrets, lies, smoke and mirrors, and themes of dastardly revenge, abduction and faked identities.

I don't know if this was intentional, but most of the way through, I felt that it had an element of dark comedy, a genre so popular at the moment with shows like Why Women Kill, You, The Flight Attendant and films such as Promising Young Woman.  The way that some of Sharon's antics were written, as well as those of secondary character Ella, definitely had this feel to it.  Somewhat tongue-in-cheek.  It worked, anyway!

PARALLEL LIES by Georgia Rose @GeorgiaRoseBook #NewRelease

4 out of 5 stars

*New Release*

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

Blurb 

‘My name is Madeleine, Madeleine Ross. It is a name chosen with thought and because it is classy, and that is what is needed here…’

Madeleine Ross has life exactly as she planned it.
Cosy cottage, friendly village, satisfying job.
Company… when she wants it.

It’s an enviable existence for an independent young woman, and one she’s keen to protect.

Enter Daniel – strong, dependable and a danger to everything she’s built. He’s not something she was looking for, but hearts can’t be controlled and maybe, just maybe he might be worth letting into hers.

But, all is not what it seems. Because Madeleine is hiding a lifetime of secrets. Deep secrets.

And they never stay buried for ever.

Her darkest secret returns, like the proverbial bad penny. He is her first love, shadowy, dangerous, the baddest of bad boys. No matter how far she runs, or how well she hides, she can never escape him.

Or her past.

Here he is, on her doorstep, with a proposition she is powerless to resist but which could devastate the future she hoped to have.

Can Madeleine satisfy the old love while keeping the new?

You can’t always get what you want but, desperate to preserve the life she has worked so hard for, Madeleine is willing to risk everything to prove that she can.

My Review

How I discovered this book: I've got to know the author via the Twitter writers community, and was interested to read her new release ~ here she is on Twitter.

Parallel Lies falls in the genres of mystery and romantic suspense.  The main character is Madeleine Ross, who lives in one of those BBC Sunday night drama type villages, where she fits in very well ... or so it seems.  Right from the start, we realise that there is more to her than meets the eye, that she has big secrets about her identity.  She's an interesting though not a particularly likeable character, often cold, cynical and critical, which was a plus point for me; I admire any author who has the confidence to make her main character someone the reader will not necessarily warm to, and I enjoyed her astute observations about the pretensions and social hierarchy of the villagers.  

Because of the shocking and traumatic events in Maddy's past, she holds people at a distance.  She does not form romantic attachments but finds partners for emotionless sex amongst regulars at her local gym; one can only imagine the conversations in the men's changing rooms. Then again, part of her charm is that she cares little for what people think, or so she would have us believe; that she tries to convince us of this speaks otherwise.  And then the man appears who will turn her heart on its head....

I gave a big round of applause for the way in which the mystery unfolds; the information is fed to the reader at the right time, in exactly the right amounts, to hold the reader's interest and make them wonder what's round the next corner.  Just when Madeleine's new life seems to be on the up, a love from her past arrives. He knows everything about her and threatens to insert a particularly malicious set of spanners into the works.

There were some elements about the novel that stretched feasibility for me, but, of course, disbelief suspension ceilings vary from person to person, and mine is probably lower than most.  Recommended readers: anyone who likes an artfully unravelling mystery, heists, plenty of love life shenanigans and a fair few unexpected turns of event.  

About the author

Georgia Rose is a writer and the author of the romantic and suspenseful Grayson Trilogy books: A Single Step, Before the Dawn and Thicker than Water. Her fourth novel, Parallel Lies, encompasses crime along with her usual blending of genre.

Georgia has never found a TV series to beat her all-time favourite, ER, and nowadays only Game of Thrones or Ray Donovan stand any chance of keep her attention for any period of time. Her background in countryside living, riding, instructing and working with horses has provided the knowledge needed for some of her storylines; the others are a product of her passion for people watching and her overactive imagination!

All at 99p (and couple of free ones)! Great books for under £1 each ~ genuine recommendations

I've got something for anyone currently spending their book budget on Christmas shopping ~ all the books listed below are permanently under £1!  They're genuine recommendations, books I've enjoyed and rated highly, not just a random selection of cheapies.  A click on the title will (in most cases) take you to my review, which includes buy links to Amazon.  A couple I have not reviewed on this blog, in which case the link will just go to Amazon.

I've also included links to the books of my own that are permanently on sale at 99p, and a couple that are permanently free, too :)


First, some outstanding historical fiction: The Bastard Princess by Gemma Lawrence.  The early years of Elizabeth I.

Wonderful short stories set in Suffolk: Sandlands by Rosy Thornton

Gangster thrills and spills in LA: Hollywood Shakedown by Mark Barry.

**FREE from Feb 25-27!**
My novella about three writers struggling to make it, with a few moral dilemmas: Best Seller 

Doesn't get any funnier than this!  Barb Taub's memoir of her travels in India ~ Do Not Wash Hands In Plates

More short stories, this time set in zombie apocalypse ~ a terrific collection, and I've read all the other books in the series, too! Broken Stories by Kate L Mary. 

The first part of the highly acclaimed romantic suspense/mystery Grayson trilogy by Georgia Rose: A Single Step

And more excellent short stories: What Tim Knows by Wendy Janes

My novella Round and Round: one woman, four men, and a guardian angel.  It's one of those 'what would have happened if I'd taken the other path' stories! 

Epic fantasy ~ the first part of the Storm trilogy by Antony Lavisher ~ Whispers of a Storm

 
I loved this Brexit thriller novella by Joel Hames: Brexecution

My two novels about a rock band, and various love triangles: Dream On and Full Circle

 
Very good long short story about a life not lived: Doppelganger by Jenny Twist

...and another long short story, this one a psychological thriller, very good indeed. The Kindness of Neighbours by Matthew Iden.

Great memoir about life on the waterways ~ Watery Ways by Val Poore. 

Last of all, my own collection of short stories: Nine Lives.

These two are permanently FREE!

Wonderful classic The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Witch hunts in the 17th century ~ this is an awesome novelette length prelude to the main book: Blackwater by Alison Williams

 Hope you find something here that appeals :)

THE JOKER by Georgia Rose

4 out of 5 stars

Short story

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

The Joker is a short story, an ingenious idea I've only seen done a couple of times before, and like very much: it's a deeper look into the background of one of the characters from Georgia Rose's series of romantic suspense/mystery novels, The Grayson Trilogy, though it can be read as a stand alone, or introduction to the series.

Will is a troubled man with a past in the military, and difficulty in finding contentment back in the 'real' world.  Flashbacks of his experiences and his reluctance to form meaningful relationships hold him back, but might he manage to break through that barrier?  A one night stand gives him hope for the future. 

This is an enjoyable hour's read and the end, especially, will certainly pique the reader's interest about the mysterious Grayson; I liked how she was introduced in the final section.  The insight into Will's mind is artfully written, and the lack of speech marks in the conversation works well, for the most part; this is always a risky device to use, but in this case it does a nice job of adding to Will's feeling of detachment.  

Love, mystery and horses :)

 

A SINGLE STEP by Georgia Rose

4 out of 5 stars

Romantic Suspense, Mystery

Originally posted on Amazon UK HERE on 12 June 2014
On Amazon.com HERE

A Single Step will appeal to readers who like a straight romance novel, and interest is added with an element of mystery to the story too; unanswered questions arise quite early on.

The novel is quite slow in parts but I think that, for the most part, the author got away with that; what struck me in the first chapter was that nothing much was happening, and there was a fair bit of minute detail, but it WASN'T BORING!! - which is the mark of a good storyteller, isn't it? The main character, Emma, has suffered a great tragedy, and I thought this was extremely well illustrated, quite heart-rending and very real. Quite outstanding, actually - shows real talent. You'll have to read it!

I didn't particularly warm to Emma and found her a little too dour, but that's just personal taste; perhaps the fact that I found her so means that she was well-written; this is no light romance!

I thought the story was well structured, and it will be interesting to see how Ms Rose's skill develops in the next part of the trilogy.