Monday 15 June 2015

Review: The Stories We Don't Tell by Melissa Thayer inc giveaway







The Stories We Don’t Tell by Melissa Thayer 
Published by: Booktrope Publishing
Publication date: May 15th 2014
Stars: 4 ****


The Blurb

“Growing up had stolen the truth of us.”

A life worth living is a life worth sharing. Growing up in a small town in Montana not worth a name, that kind of life is not one Nick can manage, let alone comprehend. When fate gives him an existence he can barely recognize, he searches for meaning in the future he wishes existed, and attempts to escape a past that cannot be told, save for in the pages of a faded memory.

Melissa Thayer’s lyrical and poignant debut novel, part confession and part wistful longing, is an incisive look at love and loss, and what remains of a soul that is dashed against the rocky shorelines of hope.


My Thoughts


Normally if I saw that a book was only 120 pages long I wouldn't bother reading it as I would assume that there wouldn't be enough time to tell a story or for me to connect with the characters. I would feel that the end would come far to quickly. However that wasn't the case with The Stories We Don't Tell which I found to be a simple but beautiful story that looks at love and the yearning and longing that accompanies it when we let the love slip through our fingers.

Our central characters are Nick & Emma, childhood friends who develop into something more except the death of Nick's mother when he is a teenager means that he is unable to stay in a relationship with Emma. Throughout the book he pulls her in and pushes her away, they are like magnets who are drawn back together time & time again as the years go by.

The difference between Nick & Emma is that whilst Nick is left wallowing floating through life not knowing in which direction he is headed, Emma really develops as a character and begins to take control of her life making a future for herself. Does that future include Nick?

The Stories We Don't Tell is a story that is rammed full of emotions as we experience everything from teenage angst to grief, it is a real rollercoaster of a read that took me back to me own teenage love and left me wondering how that might have turned out if things hadn't ended the way they did. Melissa Thayer has a really way with words and had me so caught up in Nick and Emma's lives willing Nick to do the right thing by Emma.

Between our souls runs a riverbed we both stream through. She is my depth. I am only surface without her
Short & sweet as they say and this was a truly sweet and powerful read that I would highly recommend.

Check out the rest of Melissa's tour over on Xpresso Book Tours

About The Author

Sin City native Melissa Thayer writes fiction that touches upon the timeless truths of the human condition in poignant and thought-provoking ways. She enjoys writing about people and connecting readers with her characters.

She currently lives in Washington with her husband, daughter, and three cats.

THE STORIES WE DON’T TELL is her debut novel.




Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)

  • One signed copy of The Stories We Don't Tell



a Rafflecopter giveaway


Friday 5 June 2015

Review: For All To See by Megan Mitcham inc giveaway




For All To See by Megan Mitcham
(Bureau #1) 

Publication date:
April 1st 2015
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
Stars: 4 ****

The Blurb

Pristine waters and purified evil.

Two by two, dark-haired beauties vanish only to reappear as hanging, plundered corpses. The Virgin Islands boast diamond-white beaches, lush green mountains, a rich cultural heritage—and a brutal killer.
Three years on the “Field-Dresser” case and Special Agent Nathan Brewer is days away from catching the bastard—if he can convince a certain brunette to trust him. Only the woman is more likely to take a casual stroll on the surface of the sun.

After fleeing her troubles in the United States for the quiet life of a school teacher on the island of Tortola, Madelyn Garrett never imagined she’d be fixated upon by pure evil.
In a fight for her life—with a dwindling number of friends—she must rely on her cunning and Nathan’s skills for survival.


My Thoughts

I'm so happy to be a part of the blog tour for Megan Mitcham's new book For All All To See hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. You can check out the tour schedule here.

As I have mentioned many times before I am a sucker for a new crime series so I was really pleased to be able to read For All To See the first book in Megan Mitcham's new romantic suspense series Bureau. I've never read anything by Megan before but after reading the blurb it sounded like the kind of romantic suspense I enjoy so I dove right in. 

For All To See starts out with two friends on a night out, two women having a good time, one makes it home - the other doesn't. So begins a gripping story set against a beautiful backdrop that brings us face to face with a truly sadistic serial killer 'the Field-Dresser'. The only problem with the killer is that everyone assumes that he is already behind bars all except for FBI Special Agent Nathan Brewer who is determined to bring this killer to justice. Even more so when he realised that Madelyn Garrett who he has very quickly started to fall for is most likely the next victim.

Madelyn, is the female protagonist in For All To See and she hides a past that she doesn't want anyone to know about. A past that has hardened her heart and made her distrust men, a past that has sent her scuttling to the Virgin Islands so that she can find some peace and live a relatively simple life. Things had been pretty peaceful for her until the night that her best friend Nicole disappears and eventually turns up brutally murder. Madelyn's distrust comes right to the forefront as she begins to suspect all those around her but at the same time she doesn't truly recognise the danger she is in. Can she learn to trust Nathan? 

I loved both Madelyn & Nathan as characters. Madelyn is a strong independent woman who shows so much grit and determination and it is wonderful to see how Nathan brings out her softer side. Nathan is a great male lead, strong, good-looking and dependable and there is just the right amount of sexual tension between the couple.

Told from a 3rd person POV, For All To See has plenty of tension that builds to a frenzy as our killer gets a little too close to Madelyn. We are told the story through both Madelyn and Nathan occasionally getting a little look into the mind of the 'Field-Dresser' which just adds to the tension as you try to work out who he is.

A wonderful romantic suspense novel that is a little gorier than most but that is how I like them. Megan's writing reminds me a little of Sandra Brown & I am looking forward to reading book two in the series 'Painted Walls.

About The Author

Megan was born and raised among the live oaks and shrimp boats of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where her enormous family still calls home. She attended college at the University of Southern Mississippi where she received a bachelor’s degree in curriculum, instruction, and special education. For several years Megan worked as a teacher in Mississippi. She married and moved to South Carolina and worked for an international non-profit organization as an instructor and co-director.

In 2009 Megan fell in love with books. Until then, books had been a source for research or the topic of tests. But one day she read Mercy by Julie Garwood. And Oh Mercy, she was hooked!

Megan lives in Southern Arkansas where she pens sizzling suspense novels.


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Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)

  • $10 Amazon Gift Card


a Rafflecopter giveaway