Book Tour: THE WIDOW written by Fiona Barton

THE WIDOW

by Fiona Barton

A loving husband or a heartless killer . . . She’d know, wouldn’t she?

How well can you really know someone? What secrets live within a marriage? These are two of the questions at the heart of Fiona Barton’s stunning debut novel, a haunting psychological thriller with one of the most fascinating unreliable narrators in recent fiction.Certain to cause a stir in literary circles on both sides of the Atlantic, THE WIDOW (New American Library Hardcover; February 16, 2016; $26.00; 978-1-101-99026-1) is drawing comparisons to recent thriller successes Before I Go To Sleep and Gone Girl. The sales teams at Penguin behind The Girl on the Train and The Silent Wife are comparing THE WIDOW to both.

A British journalist who has worked for the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph among other UK publications, Barton recently shared the inspiration for THE WIDOW: “As a journalist, I spent a lot of time in court. In the big cases—notorious and terrible crimes that led the news—I would find myself watching the wives of those standing in the dock and wondering what they really knew, or allowed themselves to know.”  Kate Waters, the reporter in the novel, is a composite of several journalists Barton has known, including herself. “I have been where Kate’s been—on the doorstep, interviewing difficult subjects, minding interviewees at hotels.”

In THE WIDOW, Jean Taylor is the wife of a man who may be a monster. Though never convicted, Glen Taylor was the prime suspect in a horrible crime that captivated people across England and had camera crews camping out on the Taylors’ front lawn. Now, a week after Glen’s death, journalist Kate Waters shows up at Jean’s door, like so many others before, seeking answers—and the scoop of a lifetime. Though Jean kept quiet during the media circus surrounding the trial, she is finally ready to break her silence.

The desperate search for answers—both in the past and the present—takes shape through the interlocking narratives of the widow, the journalist, and the detective who never forgot the case. Each has a story to tell, but some might be more truthful than others. Their stories converge in a shocking ending that will leave readers everywhere eager to share and discuss THE WIDOW.

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About the author:

Fiona Barton lived for many years in London where she worked as a senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at The Daily Telegraph, and as chief reporter at The Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the National Press Awards. Since leaving her job in 2008 to volunteer in Sri Lanka, Barton has trained and worked with exiled and threatened journalists all over the world. Born in Cambridge, England, she now lives in southwest France with her husband and is currently at work on a second book.

Visit Fiona Barton online at fionabartonauthor.com and on Twitter @figbarton

Improved Book Review: Immortal Hunter by Kait Ballenger

Immortal Hunter (Execution Underground #2)  written by Kait Ballenger

Publisher	Harlequin	Date Published	April 1, 2014
Pages	384	Overall Rating	4 stars
Genre		Romance, Paranormal
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David Aronwitz, a specialized exorcist, has been the target of demonic assassins for as long as he can remember, with his specialized talents, he joins the Execution Underground. His talent and specialization are such that hellspawn fear his name. Regardless, he was just like everyone else in that he fell in love, madly in love, with Allsùn O’Hare. Only to discover later that not only was she the love of his life, but she is part fae. During their relationship, Allsùn unknowingly gave a very special part of herself to David, which wound up protecting her. In the end, David is forced to make one of the most difficult decisions of his life.

While I enjoyed the book there were times when the characters fell rather flat, as if they weren’t fully fleshed out or thought through and the simplest road at the time was taken. There also comes a point where quite a bit of information is thrown at you at once. This makes it difficult and a struggle to understand given the amount of information, which is given. However, once you get over that and manage to get the information all straight, it flows much easier. Also, while it was filled with suspense and action there was very little with blood, guts and gore, although there is some. However, not enough to make me uncomfortable or cause me to not want to finish the book. Rather than overwhelming the reader with a large amount of any of it Ms. Ballenger managed it to be tastefully written, and not over the top. It’s difficult that razor’s edge between too much and not enough. Kait Ballenger definitely pulls it off with style. Overall, there really wasn’t much I didn’t like about the book.

Since this was actually the second book in the series, I loved how the back story was shared but not all at once. It was given a little bit at a time. It was these minor details, which made the characters more realistic and easier to relatate. In the end, I was so engrossed and addicted to the book I couldn’t put it down, and read it at every opportunity. I would definitely recommend Immortal Hunter to my friends, especially those who enjoy paranormal action with a twist of romance thrown in for good measure, especially the House of Night series.

I received a free copy of Immortal Hunter (Execution Underground #2) from Harlequin in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Thank You for Your Patience

I know I'm taking a while to get these reviews written and posted. I'm working as quickly as I can. I have everything prepared to write them, it's simply taking me longer to write them than I anticipated. For that I am sorry.

I'm also trying to catch up on the reading I have, let's just say plenty of. {lol}

I'm also working on visiting other blogs and adding them to my list on the sidebar. So while it may appear that I've given up on this blog, I assure you that I haven't. Everything is simply taking me longer than I had originally hoped and planned.

Please be patient with me and don't go away. I'm working my way back. I promise. :-)

Book Review: Seized by Elizabeth Heiter

Seized

Author:     Elizabeth Heiter
Publisher:    Harlequin
Release Date:12/29/2015
ISBN - 13:    9780778318620
Review:   4 stars

Evelyn Baine is an FBI agent within the BAU department questioning her place and purpose as a  Profiler, since solving the case of her missing childhood best friend, Cassie. After meeting with Lee Cartwright, who is incarcerated for making and detonating his own specific bomb creations, about bombs which seem to be copy cat bombs of those he used. As she leaves the Montana State Prison, she is confronted by a fellow FBI Agent, Jen Martinez, asking Evelyn for quick Profiler’s opinion on what she believes to be a cult called the “Butler Compound”. Next this Evelyn knows she finds herself in trouble within the Butler Compound, despite her instincts telling her to stay away.

I have many good things to say about Seized, however, I have one issue. While before the book begins Heiter is kind enough to give a cheat sheet of the various acronyms for the different branches which she will use throughout the book. However, unless an explanation is given while reading the book, and occasionally she does, you will have to flip forward to the beginning of the book to look up what the acronym means.

What I love about Seized is very basic. It was a captivating book, which I had a very difficult time putting down until I had it finished. I was sucked into the storyline from the very beginning until the very end. After one storyline was finished, I honestly did not see how Heiter was able to continue the book without filing the rest of the book with drivel. I was pleasantly surprised that she was able to keep the story line going without focusing on one single plot.

Overall, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review Seized. It was full of twists and turns and simply a joy to read. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys thriller and or mystery genres but are looking for books without either genre being too intense.

Book Review: Unleashing Mr. Darcy by Teri Wilson

Unleashing Mr. Darcy

Author:     Teri Wilson
Publisher:    Harlequin HQN
Release Date:12/31/2013
ISBN - 13:    978-0-373-77835-5
Review:    4 stars

Unleashing Mr. Darcy is a playful take off Pride and Prejudice, which I’ll admit I’ve never read. Elizabeth Scott is for the most part happy raising and showing her Cavalier King Spaniel, Bliss, in dog shows. Everything in her life is moving along, with a few bumps in the road, until she meets the mysterious, Mr. Donovan Darcy.

There were plenty of things I enjoyed about Unleashing Mr. Darcy, however, I do have a few issues. I would have liked to see the ending a little tighter. I felt that it was left hanging. Yes, it was finished. Yes, there was an ending. I’m not denying any of that. It simply felt the ending was rushed, as if Ms. Wilson needed to end the book and took the easiest, most obvious way out. Also, while she used to dog shows repeatedly in the book she never really explained what was going on. So keeping up with the dog shows part of the book was a little difficult.

While I have my issues with the novel, there were also things I enjoyed. I loved the witty banter between Donovan and Elizabeth. The things he would do try and win her trust. I enjoyed the twist by using the dog shows, even if I didn’t understand everything that went on during the shows. I was completely sucked in by the story line. I couldn’t put it down once I started because even though it was predictable, I couldn’t wait to read what would happen next.

Although Unleashing Mr. Darcy was somewhat predictable and had it’s issues, overall, I really enjoyed reading it, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a laid back, feel good book. Something that can be read in a few days with little drama and no suspense involved.

Improving on My Reviews

Looking at the book review I posted the other day, it sucks and needs redone desperately. It's nowhere near the book reviews I used to write. I need to see if I still have my template for reviews somewhere and get back to being serious about this.

I miss reading the books, being trusted by an author or a publishing company to read and give my honest review. Hopefully, I am able to get back to where I was, and my reviews are well received, by friends, family, authors and publishers alike.

Here's hoping. Both that I can find my template and I can remember how to write a decent review. *crosses fingers*

Book Review: Immortal Hunter by Kait Ballenger

While Immortal Hunter, by Kait Ballenger, seemed rather slow going and predictable in the beginning, it quickly became a book I could not stop reading. The suspense and action (what little there actually was) was slow to build, which is always nice to read. Rather than dumping a large amount of either suspense or action on the reader. While there was a fair amount  of gore it was tastefully written, and not over the top. The gore itself never made me feel uncomfortable or as if I wanted to stop reading, which is impressive. It's difficult to walk that razor's edge between too much and not enough. Kait Ballenger definitely pulls it off with style.

I was so engrossed in the novel I couldn't put it down. Definitely a novel I would recommend to my friends.