Book after Book

By Jack Jordan Published by Corvus Synopsis: Rejected by her family and plagued by insomnia, Rose Shaw is on the brink . But one dark evening she collides with a man running through the streets, who quickly vanishes. The only sign he ever existed - a journal dropped at Rose's feet. She begins to obsessively dedicate her sleepless nights to discovering what happened to Finn Matthews, the mysterious author of the journal. Why was he convinced someone wanted to kill him? And why, in the midst of a string of murders, won't the police investigate his disappearance? Rose is determined to uncover the truth. But she has no idea what the truth will cost her… How did this book end up in my hands? I read a 10-part serialisation of the book via The Pigeonhole ahead of publication. Was it a page-turner? Indeed it was. As the pieces started coming together (almost literally), I could hardly wait for the release of the next instalment in the serialisation. Having to pace myself...

By Uzma Jalaluddin Published by Corvus Synopsis: Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been overtaken by a demanding teaching job. Her boisterous Muslim family, and numerous (interfering) aunties, are professional naggers. And her flighty young cousin, about to reject her one hundredth marriage proposal, is a constant reminder that Ayesha is still single. Ayesha might be a little lonely, but the one thing she doesn't want is an arranged marriage. And then she meets Khalid... How could a man so conservative and judgmental (and, yes, smart and annoyingly handsome) have wormed his way into her thoughts so quickly? As for Khalid, he's happy the way he is; his mother will find him a suitable bride. But why can't he get the captivating, outspoken Ayesha out of his mind? They're far too different to be a good match, surely… How did this book end up in my hands? I read this as part of a serialisation by The Pigeonhole . W...

By Caroline Bond Published by Corvus   Synopsis: Cassie and Erin are sisters. They are close - in age, looks and personality - but there is one crucial difference: Cassie is adopted.  At seventeen, Cassie sets out to find her birth mother. She is hungry for the truth, but she discovers her adoption was far more complicated than even she could have imagined. In uncovering her past identity Cassie learns her adoptive parents have kept a terrible secret from her her whole life, which now threatens to destroy everything she has ever held dear. How did this book end up in my hands? I loved The Second Child , Caroline Bond’s debut novel, so much that I requested a review copy of her second book as soon as I heard about it… and my wish was kindly granted! Was it a page-turner? Looking back, I can say that it was, yes. I must admit, however, that it took me some time to get into it. At first I didn’t feel a connection with any of the characters, apart from Erin, and this...

By Stina Jackson Translated by Susan Beard Published by Corvus Synopsis: Three years ago, Lelle's daughter went missing in a remote part of Northern Sweden. Lelle has spent the intervening summers driving the Silver Road under the midnight sun, frantically searching for his lost daughter, for himself and for redemption. Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Meja arrives in town hoping for a fresh start. She is the same age as Lelle's daughter was - a girl on the brink of adulthood. But for Meja, there are dangers to be found in this isolated place. As autumn's darkness slowly creeps in, Lelle and Meja's lives are intertwined in ways, both haunting and tragic, that they could never have imagined. How did this book end up in my hands? I read its serialisation on The Pigeonhole a few months ago. Was it a page-turner? I liked the book from the beginning but it took me a few instalments to become totally gripped by the narrative. Once I reached that stage, I couldn’...

By Kate London Published by Corvus Synopsis: When a teenage boy steps out of the shadows of Gallowstree Lane and asks a passer-by for help, it's already too late. His life is bleeding out on the London street.  The murder threatens to derail Operation Perseus, a cover police investigation into the Eardsley Bluds, an organised criminal network. Detective Kieran Shaw can't and won't allow that to happen. But fifteen-year-old Ryan has other ideas. He's witnessed the death of his best friend, and now he wants someone to pay… As loyalties collide, a chain of events is triggered that threatens everyone with a connection to Gallowstree Lane.  How did this book end up in my hands? This was another successful serialisation via The Pigeonhole . Was it a page-turner? Definitely, yes. I probably would have read it much quicker if I had had a physical copy in my hands. However, I’m glad I didn’t because I was slightly out of my depth in the world of police investigati...

By Holly Seddon Published by Corvus Books Synopsis: Alex is sinking. Slowly but surely, she's cut herself off from everything but her one true love - drink. Until she's forced to write a piece about a coma ward, where she meets Amy. Amy is lost. When she was fifteen, she was attacked and left for dead in a park. Her attacker was never found. Since then, she has drifted in a lonely, timeless place. She's as good as dead, but not even her doctors are sure how much she understands.  Alex and Amy grew up in the same suburbs, played the same music, flirted with the same boys. And as Alex begins to investigate the attack, she opens the door to the same danger that has left Amy in a coma… How did this book end up in my hands? The author was incredibly kind and offered to send me a copy of her debut novel after our second Q&A together. There are some absolute stars out there! Was it a page-turner? OMG, yes! I alternated reading my physical copy of the book with ...

By Holly Seddon Published by Corvus Books Synopsis: Robin and Sarah weren't the closest of twins. They weren't even that similar. But they loved each other dearly. Until, in the cruellest of domestic twists, they were taken from one another.  Now, in her early 30s, Robin lives alone. Agoraphobic and suffering from panic attacks, she spends her days pacing the rooms of her house. The rest of the time she watches - watches the street, the houses, the neighbours. Until one day, she sees something she shouldn't… And Sarah? Sarah got what she wanted - the good-looking man, the beautiful baby, the perfect home. But she's just been accused of the most terrible thing of all. She can't be around her new family until she has come to terms with something that happened a long time ago. And to do that, she needs to track down her twin sister. But Sarah isn't the only person looking for Robin. As their paths intersect, something dangerous is set in mot...

By Helen Hoang Published by Corvus Books Synopsis: It's high time for Stella Lane to settle down and find a husband - or so her mother tells her. This is no easy task for a wealthy, successful woman like Stella, who also happens to have Asperger's. Analyzing data is easy; handling the awkwardness of one-on-one dates is hard. To overcome her lack of dating experience, Stella decides to hire a male escort to teach her how to be a good girlfriend. Faced with mounting bills, Michael decides to use his good looks and charm to make extra cash on the side. He has a very firm no repeat customer policy, but he's tempted to bend that rule when Stella approaches him with an unconventional proposal.  T he more time they spend together, the harder Michael falls for this disarming woman with a beautiful mind, and Stella discovers that love defies logic. How did this book end up in my hands? I won a copy of this book ahead of its publication date. If I hadn’t won it, however, ...

By Lexie Elliott Published by Corvus Books Synopsis: She appears, lithe and tanned, by the swimming pool one afternoon. Severine - the girl next door. It was supposed to be a final celebration for six British graduates, the perfect French getaway, until she arrived. Severine's beauty captivates each of them in turn. Under the heat of a summer sky, simmering tensions begin to boil over - years of jealousy and longing rising dangerously to the surface. And then Severine disappears. A decade later, Severine's body is found at the farmhouse. For Kate Channing, the discovery brings up more than just unwelcome memories. As police suspicion mounts against the friends, Kate becomes desperate to resolve her own shifting understanding of that time. But as the layers of deception reveal themselves, Kate must ask herself - does she really want to know what happened to the French girl? How did this book end up in my hands? The publisher sent me this book in exchange of my hones...

By Holly Seddon Published by Corvus Books Synopsis: Fearing eternal singledom, childhood friends Kate and Paul make the age-old vow that if they don't find love by thirty, they will marry each other.  Years later, with the deadline of their 30th birthdays approaching, the unlikely couple decide to keep their teenage promise. After all, they are such good friends. Surely that's enough to make a marriage?  Now, on the eve of their 10th wedding anniversary, they will discover that love between men and women is more complex, and more precarious, than they could ever have imagined. As Kate struggles with a secret that reaches far into their past, will the couple's vow become the very thing that threatens their future? How did this book end up in my hands? I won a copy of this book ahead of publication date. I am lucky, aren’t I? Was it a page-turner? This is one of those books I couldn’t put down for too long. I have had the pleasure of reading quite a few books l...

By Eithne Shortall Published by Corvus Synopsis: Grace sees her boyfriend Henry everywhere. In the supermarket, on the street, at the graveyard. Only Henry is dead. He died two months earlier, leaving a huge hole in Grace's life and in her heart. But then Henry turns up to fix the boiler one evening, and Grace can't decide if she's hallucinating or has suddenly developed psychic powers. Grace isn't going mad - the man in front of her is not Henry at all, but someone else who looks uncannily like him. The hole in Grace's heart grows ever larger. Grace becomes captivated by this stranger, Andy - to her, he is Henry, and yet he is not. Reminded of everything she once had, can Grace recreate that lost love with Andy, resurrecting Henry in the process, or does loving Andy mean letting go of Henry? How did this book end up in my hands? I won this novel in a competition online ahead of publication date and I was super happy because it sounded right up my str...

By Sanjida Kay Published by Corvus Synopsis: Lizzie Bradshaw. A student from the Lake District, forced to work away from home, who witnesses a terrible crime. But who will ultimately pay the price? Emma Taylor. A mother, a wife, and a woman with a dangerous secret. Can she keep her beloved family safely together? Stella Taylor. A disaffected teenager, determined to discover what her mother is hiding. But how far will she go to uncover the truth? And one man, powerful, manipulative and cunning, who controls all their destinies. How did this book end up in my hands? I won this book in a competition and I can’t believe how lucky I was to be able to read it before its publication date on May 3 rd . Was it a page-turner? I became more and more involved as the book progressed until I reached a point when going to sleep was not an option until I had read the last page. I loved it because it’s one of those books that invite you to make your own guesses and predi...

Today is an awesome publication day as you can now find all these gorgeous books both in shops and online... Congratulations to authors Araminta Hall , Sanjida Kay , Eithne Shortall , Rutendo Tavengerwei and Christina Patterson , whose books hit the shelves today: Our Kind Of Cruelty , My Mother’s Secret , Grace after Henry , Hope is our Only Wing and The Art of not Falling Apart . I would also like to thank Corvus Books , Arrow Publishing , Hot Key Books and Atlantic Books for making this all happen. There will soon be a lot of grateful and satisfied readers around! Whether you were lucky to read an advance copy or you are planning on buying one or all of these thrilling books, I’d like to hear from you in the comments below or on Twitter !

Publication day is here and you can now find The Second Child both in bookshops and online.  Please join me to express a big congratulations to a great debut author, Caroline Bond , and to all those who have supported her on her publishing journey - from her agent at Greene & Heaton to the team at Corvus and her family. To celebrate in style, Corvus are giving one of you the chance to win a copy of The Second Child . How exciting is that?! All you have to do is follow me on Twitter and retweet the competition post by 15/04. Comments left here below will count as extra entries (one per person). Good luck! In the meantime, you can find my review of the book here and my interview with Caroline here . Enjoy and - as always - I'd love to know your thoughts!

Caroline Bond ’s debut novel, The Second Child , will be published on March 22 nd by Corvus Books but I was lucky enough to receive a proof to read ahead of this date. What can I say about it? You’re in for a treat! The Second Child is about families and the bonds that keep them together. The book opens with Sarah and Phil waiting for a geneticist’s results. ‘ Mr Berill knows our future because he has looked into our past ’ is my favourite quote from the first chapter, where these doting parents find out that their teenage daughter, Lauren, is not their biological child. Two questions come immediately to mind… Whose child is Lauren? Where is their biological daughter? The questions that this book attempts to answer are many more. How do you cope with life-changing truths? Is truth always the best course of action? What are families? What makes us the persons we are? Are our relationships as strong as we think they are? The Second Child is an emotional rollercoaster. I smi...