Review: Truly Madly Amy by Kerry Wilkinson

It is the end of school and Joe has been offered a job at the local summer camp. Life at home hasn't been so great for young Joe since the passing of his father. His mother is suffering from depression, and her "bad" days outweigh the good days.

Although the job at camp is "uncool" and doesn't pay much money, it is an escape from hope and an escape from boredom.

Jo meets Amy at the camp, and it's love and first sight. Witnessing Joe fumble his way through asking her on a date, and trying to impress her are quite entertaining, and as a reader I felt I was reminiscing with my own summer childhoods.

This book is a light easy read, and extremely enjoyable. The perfect book to read to fill in some downtime. Jo the main character had me laughing and crying alongside him, it was very well written.

5 Stars: It was amazing. It was compelling, well-researched, entertaining and/or moving and often complex. I will definitely want to read more books by this author.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for my advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen

This is a bland book, I truly don't know why I bothered with it until the end.   The only thing it had going for it was the suspense of the story, I wanted to find out what happened in the end.

I feel the story needs improvement in the depth of it characters, and descriptive nature of setting scenes etc.  It felt more like the author was rushing to put the story into words, but didn't spend the time setting the scene or the characters.

The story is something like the TV series "The Bachelor".   In this case the contestants are on a reality TV Show called "The Catch" where single women, go on dates with one man and at the end of the show he chooses one of these women to be his "wife".   

There are multiple narrators for the novel, each narrator is for a different character which is well done, or it would have been hard to follow otherwise.

Each women is competing for Jeremy's attention, but in reality they all have their reasons to be on the show, whether it be to promote their own business, gain more followers on social media, or even just to go on an all expenses paid holiday.

When the contestants go to a remote island to go glamping, one night all hell brakes loose.   One of the ladies goes missing, then there is a loud metallic bang heard that can be heard across the whole island, which could possibly be a car accident.    More people start to go missing, and the island is not as it seems.

Thankyou to Netgalley, RB Media and Recorded Books for my advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Black River by Matthew Spencer

 I loved the familiarity of this book.   The book is set in Western Sydney, the scenes and settings are so real and familiar to me, having lived in this area myself.

The body of a teenage girl, has been discovered on the grounds of a prestigious boys private school in North Parramatta.   She's dead,  wrapped in plastic.    

The body is linked to the "Gladesville" serial killer, where multiple victims were murdered, and found wrapped in plastic at their place of residence.

The investigation is undertaken by Detective Riley, who enlists the assistance of a journalist who is an ex student of the boys private school.   His familiarity of the school and the way it operates and his investigative nature, could be a big asset in solving the case, or he could possibly be a suspect himself.

This novel is possibly one of the best thriller's I have read recently.  The suspense, there is absolutely no chance of guessing or predicting who the killer would be.  There is no romantic rendezvous  the middle of the book, as most crime novels seem to add these days.  It is 100% pure crime thriller!

Special thanks to Tracey Allen author of Carpe Librum Blog for my copy which I won in one of her giveaways, courtesy of Allen & Unwin Publishers

4 Stars: I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who like the genre. I will definitely want to read more books by this author.

Review: The Unbelieved by Vikki Petraitis

 

A disturbing thriller, that unfortunately is "believable"

Vikki Petraitis tells the story of Senior Detective Antigone Pollard. Detective Pollard was working a rape victim case in Melbourne that became too close to her heart. When the case was wrapped up, and escape from the tragedy and shock that this case held over her, Detective Pollard moved to the small town she had grown up in, to stay in her grandmother's farm house.

Not long after Detective Pollard has moved in, things go from bad to worse in this small town, where everybody knows each other, and secrets are kept.

Detective Pollard is on her way home from work, and stops at the bar for a quiet drink. Before too long she is being hit on, by a drunk old timer, who doesn't want to take no for an answer. A tall, handsome looking stranger diffuses the situation for her and offers to buy her a drink, they chat for a bit, and then she starts to feel tired and a little woozy/sick. Detective Pollard excuses herself and makes her way to her car, stumbling and tripping.

The events of this evening, lead Detective Pollard on a series of investigations, leading into suspected date rape druggings, which have been reported and previously ruled out, as the girls were apparently dressed "asking for trouble" or where only crying rape, as they were in relationships and "their boyfriends had found out"

"So you believed the the alleged rapists over the alleged victim?" Jane's voice took on an indignant pitch. "Girls lie sometimes." I nodded . And rapists lie all the time"

As Detective Pollard's investigations into these investigations continue, she becomes a target herself. She is being threatened by her boss, is threatened at her home, and is labelled as a liar by the Mayor and others in authority in the town.

Even with her back against the wall. Detective Pollard is determined to find out the truth of what is going on in this small town, even if it costs her, her own life.

Thankyou to Better Reading for my advanced copy, in return I offer my honest review.

4 Stars: I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who like the genre. I will definitely want to read more books by this author

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Review: The Kimono Tattoo by Rebecca Copeland

 

This is a wonderful modern day thriller, which touches on the heritage and customs of Japan.

The Narrator, Theresa Bakken, was simply brilliant.   Her pace of reading was relaxing and steady, it allowed the listener to take in all the details and really picture the scene in their mind.   Her tones with smooth and angelic.   

The story is set in Kyoto Japan, Ruth who is of American Heritage but now calls Japan home after a marriage breakdown in the US.  Ruth works as a translator, translating Japanese novels into English, and is studying Japanese dance in her spare time.

One evening, Ruth receives a knock at her door by a well dressed stranger  and is requested to translate a new novel by a famous author, who has disappeared from society for the past few years.     Ruth is intrigued by the mystery and also persuaded by the money she is offered in return as well as her love for the author's previous works, that she decides to take on the job, even though it is a breach of her employment contract to take on outside work.

The translation of this new novel, puts Ruth in a dangerous situation, things just do not make sense.   Ruth translates the first chapter, and then mysteriously the events in the novel are transpiring in real life, right before her.   People are being murdered, Ruth is being followed by shady characters, things go missing from Ruth's house, and then Ruth gets caught up in the middle of it all.    

Thank you NetGalley and Brother Mockingbird for this audio book. This book was available to purchase from 26 April, 2022

5 Stars: It was amazing. It was compelling, well-researched, entertaining and/or moving and often complex. I will definitely want to read more books by this author

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Review: Smoky Joe's Cafe by Bryce Courtenay

 

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Thommo is a returned vet from Vietnam, and is damaged with PTSD and multiple undiagnosed skin conditions, of which the Department of Vet Affairs denies is a result of the war. Thommo has nightmares from the war, has violent outbursts, and struggles to fit into normal civilian life.

"I'm a bloody coward. Oh shit, what am I gunna do? I'm a heap o' shit. They give me a medal. I let me best mate die, took the ditch for meself and they give me a fucking medal! A lousy medal."

Thommo has married his childhood sweetheart, and life is not going well for them. Between the nightmares and the outbursts, Thommo is hanging together by a thread, his marriage is on the rocks, and his only care in life is the welfare of his wife and young daughter.

Thommo's and his wife Wendy have a little girl together, Anna who is sick with cancer, leukaemia. Anna's only chance of survival is a bone marrow transport, not only are the costs of the surgery horrendous, but the hope of finding a donor match is next to impossible.

Thommo's old Platoon captain, reaches out to him, to organise a reunion of sorts, he asks if it can be held at Thommos' cafe (Smokey Joe's Cafe) which his wife inherited, when her father passed away.

Thommo's Platoon with the assistance of Wendy's fighting spirit, hitch a plan in an attempt to save little Anna's life.

"No more government, no more handouts and being thought of as bludgers working the system. We're helping ourselves, doing it our way and, as I said, it feels fucking wonderful"

I found the book to be a fast paced quick read. Bryce Courtenay does what Bryce does best, he has written a wonderful Australian Historical Fiction.

5 Stars: It was amazing. It was compelling, well-researched, entertaining and/or moving and often complex. I will definitely want to read more books by this author.