Vampires of Moscow – Caedis Knight

I have the great privilege today to be kicking off the blog tour for the first book in what promises to be a very exciting new fantasy series, Blood Web Chronicles by Caedis Knight. Many thanks to Caedis for providing me with a copy of the book. What better day is there than Halloween for me to introduce you all to the Vampires of Moscow!

BLURB:

Saskia de la Cruz is a Verity Witch – her only magic being that she can tell the truth from a lie.

As an investigative reporter for The Blood Web Chronicle, the biggest news outlet on the paranormal dark Blood Web, Saskia spends her days cracking twisted para cases hoping that someday, some case, will bring her closer to finding her missing sister.

In snowy Moscow drained corpses of illegal workers have begun to turn up, with hundreds more reported missing. When Saskia is sent on assignment to investigate an oligarch Vampire crime ring that might be behind the deaths, she plans to get in out of the city’s frozen grasp quickly…preferably with her neck intact.

But beautiful ballet dancer Konstantin Volkov and his wildcard brother Lukka complicate things. The vampire brothers have their own reasons for solving the string of murders, reasons that conflict with Saskia’s mission. Soon, Saskia finds herself enmeshed in the city’s glittering web of crime, passion, and violence, where truths and lies are one and the same.

With vibrant characters, page-turning suspense and steamy romance, this new series has been dubbed by early readers as “a fun crime-solving sexual adventure across Europe.”

Co-authored by two established fantasy authors Jacqueline Silvester and N.J Simmonds, and set across a christmassy Moscow, Vampires of Moscow is the first book in The Blood Web Chronicles series. Perfect for fans of Crescent City, True Blood and Veronica Mars. 

PURCHASE LINKS:

Vampires of Moscow, and the prequel novella, Sirens of Los Angeles are out in ebook now, and you can order your copies below.

Vampires of Moscow – Amazon US

Sirens of Los Angeles – Amazon US

Vampires of Moscow – Amazon UK

Sirens of Los Angeles – Amazon UK

The paperbacks of both books will be released on 13th November (come back then to find out my thoughts on Sirens of Los Angeles).

REVIEW:

Let’s kick this review off with a little disclaimer – I am a huge fan of N J Simmonds’ and Jacqueline Silvester’s books when they are writing individually, so when I heard that they were teaming up to write a whole series of books, well, to say I was a bit excited would be a major understatement. In fact, it’s pretty safe to say that Vampire of Moscow and Sirens of Los Angeles were among the books I was most looking forward to this year. No pressure there then ladies! Whenever a book is so hotly anticipated, I always feel a bit nervous going in because there is always so much potential for it not to live up to my (possibly unrealistic) expectations. But, I am pleased to say that Vampires of Moscow exceeded them all on so many levels. It is funny, and dramatic, and steamy, and many other adjectives! If this is an indicator for the rest of the series, then we have a lot of thrilling books and sexy paranormals to look forward to!

Blood Web Chronicles introduces a fascinating magic system with a hierarchy of witches dictated by their very specific skillsets. Saskia, our protagonist for the series, is a lowly Verity Witch – something which seemingly embarrasses her mother, but means she has the perfect talent for her job as an investigative reporter. In Saskia, we are presented with a fierce, passionate woman who knowingly hurls herself towards danger in the pursuit of a story, rather than unwittingly stumbling into it. This made a refreshing change from a lot of urban fantasy novels where you often find a female character in need of rescuing. She makes her fair share of mistakes, but on the whole manages to get herself out of sticky situations in ingenious ways.

The Volkov brothers are vampires for grown ups. Twilight this is most definitely not. These boys have a bite and they aren’t afraid to use it – for good and for bad. For cold-blooded killers, they are red hot! Hedonistic Lukka felt a bit brash for my tastes at first but I fell hard for brooding Konstantin from the very first encounter, although this may be partly because I had a sneaky peak at the author’s inspiration for each of these characters. Throw in the fact that he is a ballet dancer and I was 100% under his spell before I had read more than a few pages. I love the ballet and Swan Lake is one of my favourites. It would be a dream come true to see it at the Bolshoi, especially in a (very) private box. I am not sure any version that I saw would be quite like Saskia’s experience though!

If you like your vamps more Spike than Angel, more Northman than Cullen, then the Volkovs are the boys for you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Caedis Knight is the pen name of two established fantasy authors, Jacqueline Silvester and N J Simmonds.

Silvester began her career in screenwriting and lived all over the world before going on to pen her highly successful YA series, Wunderkids.

Spanish Londoner Simmonds’ background was originally in marketing before writing her fantasy series The Indigo Chronicles, along with various Manga stories and writing collaborations.

Together, they created Blood Web Chronicles – their first paranormal romance series set in Europe. Great friends and avid travellers, you can find them whizzing between one another’s homes in Germany and the Netherlands, or having Zoom calls to excitedly plot Saskia’s next humorous sexy adventure.

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Make sure you check out the fab blogs joining me on tour for this great book!

The Purple Shadow – Christopher Bowden

Today’s review is for literary mystery, The Purple Shadow, by Christopher Bowden. My thanks to Christopher for providing me with a copy of the book, and to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be a part of the tour.

BLURB:

In the years before the war, Sylvie Charlot was a leading light in Paris fashion with many friends among musicians, artists and writers.  Now she is largely forgotten.  Spending time in Paris during a break in his acting career, Colin Mallory sees a striking portrait of Sylvie.  Some think it is a late work by Édouard Vuillard but there is no signature or documentary evidence to support this view.

The picture has some unusual qualities, not least the presence of a shadow of something that cannot be seen.  Perhaps the picture was once larger.  Colin feels an odd sense of connection with Sylvie, who seems to be looking at him, appealing to him, wanting to tell him something.  Despite a warning not to pursue his interest in her portrait, he is determined to find out more about the painting, who painted it, and why it was rt this view.hidden for many years.  

Colin’s search takes him back to the film and theatre worlds of Paris and London in the 1930s – and to a house in present-day Sussex.  As he uncovers the secrets of Sylvie’s past, her portrait seems to take on a life of its own.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amazon France

REVIEW:

Although this is the second book by Christopher Bowden that I have read, I must confess that I had forgotten what a skilled writer he is. He has a beautiful way with words that drew me in to the historic streets of Paris in a way that made me feel I was walking them with Colin. I have had the pleasure of visiting Paris on a couple of occasions, and reading The Purple Shadow made me wish I was back there, exploring all the wonderful spots that Colin discovers.

I could see Sylvie’s portrait so clearly along with the mysterious, potentially malevolent, purple shadow within it. The descriptions of this and the changing facial expressions give the portrait a Dorian Gray-esque character all of its own within the story. The whole mystery of the portrait felt like it could have been the plot of one of the noir films that Charles Kent starred in himself, and I loved the symmetry that this gave to the story.

The attention to detail in this book is wonderful and I enjoyed every second of reading it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Christopher Bowden lives in south London. He is the author of six colour-themed novels, which have been praised variously by Andrew Marr, Julian Fellowes, Sir Derek Jacobi, and Shena Mackay.

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Make sure you visit the other blogs taking part in the tour for this book.

One Step Behind – Lauren North

Today’s review is of Lauren North’s psychological thriller, One Step Behind. Many thanks to Lauren and Random House for my copy of the book which I received via NetGalley.

BLURB:

Jenna is a wife, a mother, a doctor. She’s also the victim of a stalker.

Every time she leaves her house, she sees him. Disturbing gifts are left at her door. Cruel emails are sent to her colleagues. She has no idea who this man is but she feels powerless against him.

Until the day he is brought into her hospital after a serious accident, and Jenna is given the chance to find out once and for all why this man is tormenting her. Now, the power is all hers.

But how many lines is she willing to cross to take back control of her life?

REVIEW:

When I am not reading fantasy books, my other favourite genre has to be psychological thrillers, and I am always on the lookout for books from this genre that offer something a little bit different. One Step Behind is just such a book, and is one that I read cover to cover in just one sitting. Once I started reading, I simply couldn’t stop until I knew who was terrorising Jenna and why.

Lauren North captures the terror that victims of stalking must feel in a way that will probably have me looking over my shoulder and double checking the back seat of my car for a while. Throughout the book there is an insidious paranoia about all men that the author has created to reflect how Jenna must feel, and this made me distrustful of each of the male characters at one point or another.

One Step Behind is a brilliantly constructed psychological thriller that just goes to show that you never know who can be trusted and who is just hiding behind a public persona.

One Step Behind is out now and you can buy your copy here.

You can read more about Lauren and her books on Goodreads

If I Could Say Goodbye – Emma Cooper

Today I am reviewing If I Could Say Goodbye by Emma Cooper. My thanks to Emma and Headline for my copy of this book which I received via NetGalley.

BLURB:

A heart-warming and uplifting story about love, loss and finding the strength to say goodbye, from the author of The First Time I Saw You.

Jennifer Jones’ life began when her little sister, Kerry, was born. So when her sister dies in a tragic accident, nothing seems to make sense any more.

Despite the support of her husband, Ed, and their wonderful children, Jen can’t comprehend why she is still here, while bright, spirited Kerry is not.

When Jen starts to lose herself in her memories of Kerry, she doesn’t realise that the closer she feels to Kerry, the further she gets from her family.

Jen was never able to say goodbye to her sister. But what if she could?

Would you risk everything if you had the chance to say goodbye?

REVIEW:

Emma Cooper’s books always tug at the heart-strings, and just reading the blurb, it was clear to see that this was another one that would have me reaching for the tissue box. If I Could Say Goodbye is a heart-breaking look at Jen’s struggle to deal with witnessing the death of her sister. As she battles to deal with the guilt she feels about Kerry’s death, Jen’s behaviour becomes more and more reckless as her mental health spirals.

As hard as Jen’s experiences are, it is Ed’s story that really got to me. He is grieving too but with the additional pain of watching Jen derail and not knowing how to help her. At times his utter bafflement adds a light touch of humour, but it gets more and more heart-breaking as the book progresses and he starts to realise how Jen’s behaviour is affecting the kids. I know from experience how hard it is to watch the people you love suffer and not be able to do a thing about it, and Emma Cooper captures this beautifully and gently.

If you have read Emma’s previous books, just keep your eye out for Ed and Jen’s trip to the cinema – I think there is something there that you will enjoy.

If I Could Say Goodbye is out now and you can buy your copy here.

You can read more about Emma Cooper and her other books on Goodreads.

The Stolen Sisters – Louise Jensen

Time for another Louise Jensen review (yes, you guessed it, I love her!), with her latest thriller, The Stolen Sisters. Many thanks to HQ for my copy of the book which I received via NetGalley.

BLURB:

Three little girls missing. One family torn apart…

Leah’s perfect marriage isn’t what it seems but the biggest lie of all is that she’s learned to live with what happened all those years ago. Marie drinks a bit too much to help her forget. And Carly has never forgiven herself for not keeping them safe.

Twenty years ago these three sisters were taken. What came after they disappeared was far worse. It should have brought them together, but how can a family ever recover?

Especially when not everyone is telling the truth . . . 

REVIEW:

I am sure I say it every time I review one of Louise’s books that she just gets better and better, and with every new book she releases, I have a new favourite. The Stolen Sisters is no exception to this, and in my opinion is Louise’s best book yet.

Told in turns by sisters Carly and Leah, the story of the Sinclair sisters slowly unfolds with Carly’s chapters recounting the events surrounding their abduction, and Leah picking the story up in the present day, when fresh fears surround them. At just 13 at the time of their abduction,  you can feel the terror in Carly’s chapters, and how responsible she feels for keeping 8 year old twins, Leah and Marie safe. Their experiences are almost unimaginable and yet Louise captures them in such a way that you feel you are right there with them. As we catch up with the now grown up sisters in Leah’s chapters, the long-term damage of their ordeal becomes apparent as they each battle their own demons and struggle with their own secrets.

As harrowing as the details of the abduction are, it is the aftermath and the fact that their experiences have driven the sisters apart rather then pulling them closer together that is truly devastating. They all just seem so broken and alone.

As the story unfolds and the extent of the betrayals suffered by each of the sisters is revealed, my heart just broke for them time and time again.

Always the master of a great thriller, Louise introduces a depth of emotion to this book that makes it so much more than just a psychological thriller. 

The Stolen Sisters is out now and you can order your copy here.

You can find out all about Louise’s other brilliant books on Goodreads.

Lady in Red – Tessa Buckley

As part of the birthday celebrations for Tessa Buckley’s middle grade detective story, Lady in Red, I am delighted to be able to share an extract from the book with you all. Many thanks to Tessa for allowing me to do this, and to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in the festivities.

BLURB:

Pursuing the truth can be a dangerous game…

School’s out for the summer, and Eye Spy Investigations have a new case – looking for Lady in Red, a lost masterpiece by Victorian painter, Gabriel Pascoe.

The clock is ticking for Alex and Donna, because the artist’s house, Acacia Villa, where their friend Jake lives, is due to be demolished, and vital clues may be destroyed. And Alex has an additional problem: he is terrified of snakes, and Jake has a pet snake called Queenie…

As the twins pursue their enquiries, they come up against the man who wants to demolish Acacia Villa. But Mr Mortimer is the godfather of their baby half-sister, Sophie, and criticising him could open up family rifts, which have only just healed.

Then Queenie goes missing, setting in motion a disastrous train of events that will turn the search for Lady in Red into the twins’ most dangerous case yet.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

iBooks

Matador

EXTRACT:

Jake’s snake, Queenie, has been accidentally left behind in his old home, which is scheduled for demolition. The children find a way into the house to try and find the snake before the demolition men arrive, but will they be too late?

Just then, I heard a faint rumble from the road at the front, followed by silence. Was it the sound of a vehicle stopping outside the house? Leaving the other three to try and capture Queenie, I slipped out of the door and into the room opposite, which had a small window overlooking the street.

Sure enough, there were Mortimer’s two thugs in the front garden, but at least there was no sign of Mortimer himself. Baldie was locking the gates behind them, while Mr Muscle was walking purposefully towards the front door of No 3. He was struggling with a large piece of equipment, which was a bit like the drills that workmen use to dig up the road. It looked as if it could do a great deal of damage, and we needed to get out of the house before they started using it.

I dashed back into the bedroom. “Mortimer’s men have just entered the house next door with some sort of power drill. We need to leave now!”

Everyone ignored me. They were all focused on trying to reach the snake. Donna was frantically pulling bits of plasterboard off the pile of debris, so the snake wouldn’t be hidden from view, while Miles opened up the carrying box and Jake knelt nearby, ready to pounce when Queenie became visible. Then I started to hear noises from next door. I put my ear to the wall to try and work out what was going on. The sound of footsteps got gradually nearer, until eventually it sounded as if the men were on the other side of the bedroom wall, on the same level as us.

I was starting to get really worried. “Hurry up, Jake!” I begged. Then, just as a very noisy power tool started up next door, the snake shot out from underneath the pile of debris and started to slither over my foot. I had never seen her move so fast before – she must have been spooked by the sudden noise – and I only had a split second to make a decision: grab the snake, so we could all get out of the house before anything awful happened, or let her escape and risk wasting precious minutes trying to recapture her. Instinct took over, and I grabbed Queenie firmly with both hands.

As the others helped me bundle her into the snake box and snap the lid shut, the walls and ceiling of the room began to shake, and the floor started to reverberate.

“Come on, let’s go!” I shouted. I didn’t care if the men heard me, I just wanted to get out of there. Then, as Donna and I ran out of the room, followed by Jake carrying the box with the snake, there was an ear-splitting noise from overhead, and the ceiling caved in on top of us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tessa Buckley was an inveterate scribbler as a child, and spent much of her time writing and illustrating stories. After studying Interior Design, she spent fifteen years working for architects and designers. She took up writing again after her young daughter complained that she couldn’t find enough adventure stories to read. This led, in 2016, to the publication of Eye Spy, the first in a series for 9-12 year olds about two teen detectives. There are now two more books in the series: Haunted, which was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2017, and Lady in Red. She lives by the sea in Essex and recently completed an Open University arts degree.

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Wild Skies – Lexi Rees (Audiobook)

I have the pleasure today of taking part in the one day blog blitz for the audiobook of Wild Skies, book two in the Relic Hunters series by Lexi Rees. Many thanks to Lexi for providing me with a copy of this audiobook, and to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in the blitz.

BLURB:

After delivering the pearl, Finn and Aria thought life would return to normal.

But with the survival of the clans still in peril, they must continue their quest.

Can they find the next relic before the forces of evil?

Not everyone is who they appear to be, and time is running out …

PURCHASE LINKS:

Audible UK

Audible US

REVIEW:

Regular readers will know that I am a big fan of Lexi Rees and her Relic Hunters series, and have previously read and reviewed Wild Skies in ebook format. You can read my review here. As much as I enjoy reading these books myself, there is something about them that just clicks for me as an audiobook. Whether it is experiencing the sense of adventure brought to life from the page, or nostalgic feelings of when my parents used to read me a bedtime story, I can’t say, but something about it just makes me feel warm and comforted.

Lexi Rees incorporates her own love of sailing and horse riding across the Relic Hunter series, and her passion for these activities really shines through.

Once again, Chris Devon brings the characters alive beautifully, and I particularly loved his characterisation of Rahfi. Rahfi was a particular favourite of mine when I was reading Wild Skies, and Chris just seemed to capture his essence perfectly.

I am eagerly awaiting the next instalment of the Relic Hunters adventures and know that I will be both reading and listening to it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lexi Rees was born in Scotland but now lives down south. She writes action-packed adventures brim full of witch-doctors, fortune-tellers, warriors and smugglers, combining elemental magic with hints of dystopia. She also writes fun activity books for children.

Her fantasy adventure, Eternal Seas, was awarded a “loved by” badge from LoveReading4Kids. The sequel, Wild Sky, is available now.

She’s passionate about developing a love of reading and writing in children and, as well as her Creative Writing Skills workbook, she has an active programme of school visits and other events, is a Book PenPal for three primary schools, and runs a free online #kidsclub and newsletter which includes book recommendations and creative writing activities.

In her spare time, she’s a keen crafter and spends a considerable amount of time trying not to fall off horses or boats.

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GIVEAWAY:

Win the children’s adventure series, the Relic Hunters, on Audible, including both Eternal Seas PLUS Wild Sky. Total listening time of almost 8 hours.

Free UK or UK audible code.

https://kingsumo.com/g/adafwc/join-the-relic-hunters

Betrayal – Lilja Sigurðardóttir

Today I am joining the epic blog tour for Betrayal by Lilja Sigurðardóttir. Many thanks to Lilja and Orenda Books for providing me with a copy of this book, and to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in the tour.

BLURB:

Burned out and traumatised by her horrifying experiences around the world, aid worker Úrsula has returned to Iceland. Unable to settle, she accepts a high-profile government role in which she hopes to make a difference again.

But her first day in the post, Úrsula promises to help a mother seeking justice for her daughter, who had been raped by a policeman, and life in high office soon becomes much more harrowing than Úrsula could ever have imagined. A homeless man is stalking her – but is he hounding her, or warning her of some danger? And the death of her father in police custody so many years ago rears its head once again.

As Úrsula is drawn into dirty politics, facing increasingly deadly threats, the lives of her stalker, her bodyguard and even a witchlike cleaning lady intertwine. Small betrayals become large ones, and the stakes are raised even higher…

The award-winning internationally bestselling author Lilja Sigurðardóttir returns with Betrayal, a relevant, powerful, fast-paced thriller about the world of politics, police corruption and misogyny that feels just a little bit to real…

PURCHASE LINKS:

REVIEW:

I seem to have had a little spate lately of reading books by Icelandic authors, and whilst I have enjoyed them all, I have sometimes struggled to connect with the characters, and have found the plots to be more event driven than emotion driven. I love books where characters really get under my skin and Lilja Sigurðardóttir has achieved this wonderfully in Betrayal. Each character is so deeply fleshed out, with their own secrets and reasons for their actions, their own secret suffering, that they just leapt of the page at me. That said, I found that although I warmed to each of the female characters in different ways, I was distrustful of almost all the male characters – whether this is because of the fact that there was more than one story thread relating to violence against women, or if it speaks more to my own frame of mind while reading, I am unsure. 

The story unfolds through the very different perspectives of the government minister, the bodyguard, the cleaner, the wife of a policeman accused of rape, and the apparently homeless chap. These people and their lives seemed so far removed from each other that it made me wonder how the separate threads would tie up, and this made for intriguing reading. These mysteries about how all these different personalities from so many walks of life would turn out to be interconnected drew me into the book so deeply and refused to release me from their grasp until the very last page.

Betrayal is the first book by Lilja Sigurðardóttir that I have read, but I know it will not be the last.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Icelandic crime writer Lilja Sigurdardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written four crime novels, including Snare, Trap, and Cage, making up the Reykjavik Noir trilogy, which have hit bestseller lists worldwide. The film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. She lives in Reykjavik with her partner.

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Don’t forget to have a look at the other blogs taking part in this blog tour.

Stonechild – Kevin Albin

I am joining the blog tour for YA novel Stonechild by Kevin Albin today, and I am delighted to be able to share an extract of the book with you all. Many thanks to Kevin for allowing me to do this, and to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part on the tour.

BLURB:

Where do we go to when we die? Imagine human consciousness embedded in the molecules of a statue. So, when the statues of London come to life, it is a spectacle like non other, and they come with a specific message, and an offer we cannot refuse.

As the world reels in this wonder of science and religion, Molly Hargreaves has other plans and she sets out to prove that things are not as they seem.

Chased, captured and confined, Molly confronts the statues and her own fears. But who can she convince? The people are welcoming, the Government has succumbed, and the police try to act, but how do you shoot stone and metal? Be prepared to be run ragged around London on a mystery worthy of the great Sherlock Holmes.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon

EXTRACT:

Just a few statues have come to life in London. They are delivering their message on conservation but also chatting with the crowd, describing what life was like in their day and answering the many questions about life after death. 

Like many people in London, Nico was not born in Britain. He was Italian, and a short man of stocky build with a bulbous nose, and used his hands as much as his mouth, when speaking. He usually dressed in a tee-shirt, even when it was cold, and he worked a stall on Westminster Bridge selling tourist type things: badges and enamelled plates, umbrellas and Union flags, stickers and postcards of London, laughing, chattering plastic teeth and policemen’s helmets. Being a foreigner himself, Nico appreciated why tourists bought these mementos. He did a good trade.

He also had a prime position, on a corner of a busy street and directly underneath a popular tourist attraction, Boudicca, the Queen of the Iceni.

With all the business of statues coming alive, people had gathered looking for any movement in this famous statue: a swish of a horse’s tail, a turn of a chariot wheel, or for one of her daughters to cover a breast after all these years of exposure. Nico was very happy with the increase in trade.

A tourist had asked, “Are you not worried about her coming to life, dropping down and crushing your stall?”

“Nah,” said Nico. “We’ve come to an agreement, in the interest of good business, of course.”

It was about midday when there was a swish of a horse’s tail. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I served 25 years with the police in the UK, eight years of which were with a tactical firearms team. In 2002, I took a career change, and retrained as an International Mountain Leader working across the globe guiding on mountaineering trips and expeditions.

I have led many trips to the jungles of Borneo, my favourite destination, an enchanting place that has sadly seen much deforestation. My trips were based on education and conservation.

In 2011, I won the Bronze in the Wanderlust Magazine World Guide Awards for my work..

It was whilst working on a corporate training day in London, when I pictured a statue coming to life to give my clients the answer to the clue they were working on. The rest grew from there.

My hope is that my writing will continue to spread the word on conservation and protection of all species.

I live in France.

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A word puzzle for the readers of Stonechild and with a prize to be drawn on the 10th December, which is Human Rights Day. Here’s the link with all the details https://kevin-albin.com/book-kevin-albin/puzzle-time-for-readers-of-stonechild/ 

Don’t forget to visit all the other blogs taking part on this tour for more information about Stonechild.

The Death Of The Sentence – Richard Doyle

I have something a little different for everyone today as I join the blog tour for The Death of the Sentence by Richard Doyle. Many thanks to Richard for providing me with my copy of the book, and to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in the tour.

BLURB:

The death of the sentence is the debut role of the writer; the plight of the poetry pamphlet; an inventive homage; science in the novel; science fiction in the real world; prose spaceship and singular music; both fun-

Simple in style yet steeped in emotion, I recommend The death of the sentence for poetry newbs and aficionados alike – Dystopic.co.uk

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

REVIEW:

The Death of the Sentence is a short poetry pamphlet of just 24 pages long. Don’t let it’s diminutive size fool you though – this is still a collection of poems that pack a punch, especially for the writers among us. I found the writing to be of a very different style to the types of poetry I have read in the past, but the poems really do seem to put into words the jumbled thought processes that I go through as a writer trying to get words onto the page.

“The Poem That Brought Me Hope” was exactly what I needed to read on the day that I picked up this book. As the title suggests, it really is a little ray of hope in the dark times we have all been through this year.

“The Only Novel I Could Ever Write” perfectly describes the current state of my own novel. In fact, all of the “novel” poems felt incredibly relatable to me and I would heartily recommend this pamphlet to writers both struggling and successful, as something that will help you through those tricky days when your life is full of plot holes, but your brain is empty of words.  And on the days you need a smile and stiff drink, check out “The Multifarious Moons of Saturn.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Richard Doyle is an old-school SF fan who began writing seriously in 2001. He has a Diploma in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and collaborated on a book in 2006. He has had poems published in the UK poetry magazines Orbis and Sarasvati and  is a regular member of the Bristol Stanza Poetry Group.

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Don’t forget to visit the other blogs taking part in this tour for more thoughts on Richard’s poetry.