BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: The Visitors Book by Sophie Hannah

The Visitors Book

by Sophie Hannah

on Tour November 1 - December 17, 2016

A collection of spine-tingling ghost stories from one of today's most acclaimed suspense novelists. In this small but perfectly formed collection of supernatural short stories, bestselling author, Sophie Hannah, takes the comforting scenes of everyday life and imbues them with a frisson of fear. Why is a young woman so unnerved by the presence of a visitors book in her boyfriend’s inner-city home? And whose spidery handwriting is it that fills the pages? Who is the strangely courteous boy still lingering at a child’s tenth birthday party when all the parents have gathered their children and left? And why does the presence of a perfectly ordinary woman in a post office queue leave another customer pallid and quaking with fear?

Book Details:

Genre: Short Stories, Thriller
Published by: Witness Impulse
Publication Date: November 1st 2016
Number of Pages: 120
ISBN: 0062562126 (ISBN13: 9780062562128)
Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 Barnes & Noble 🔗 Goodreads 🔗

Review: There are four stories in this collection, as well as excerpts from two of the author's novels. My favorite story in this collection was "Justified True Belief,"  which I thought at the start had to do with a woman who was seeing ghosts....but I turned out to be wrong.

Again, all the stories are well written and suspenseful, with twists at the end.  Perfect for a quick afternoon read.

** I received a free copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and I received no compensation for this. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Five stars

Learn More:

Sophie Hannah is the New York Times-bestselling author of numerous psychological thrillers, which have been published in 27 countries and adapted for television, as well as The Monogram Murders, the first Hercule Poirot novel authorized by the estate of Agatha Christie.

Catch Up with Sophie Hannah on her Website 🔗 & Twitter 🔗!

Tour Participants:

Enter for a chance to WIN!

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Sophie Hannah and Witness Impulse. There will be 5 US winners of one (1) eBook copy of The Visitor’s Book by Sophie Hannah. The giveaway begins on November 1st and runs through January 2nd, 2017.

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BOOK TOUR: Jericho (Lauren Reardon #2) by Alex Gordon

Inside the Book:
Title: Jericho 

Author: Alex Gordon 

Publisher: Harper Voyager 

Genre: Supernatural 

Format: Ecopy/Paperback

For readers of Deborah Harkness, J.D. Horn, Lev Grossman, and any supernatural thriller, a young witch must risk death and damnation to defeat a powerful ancient evil in Alex Gordon's follow-up to the masterful debut Gideon.

In unearthing her father’s secret past, Lauren Reardon discovered a shocking truth about herself. She is a Child of Endor, a sect of witches who believe they are the guardians of the “thin places”—areas across the globe where evil can seep through the divide between the worlds separating the living and the restless dead. At any time, she can be called upon to close one of these breaches and prevent demons from infiltrating our realm. When Lauren has a disturbing vision of an Oregon forest, she is drawn back to the familiar woods of the misty Pacific Northwest to investigate.

Locals had long whispered about an abandoned logging camp known as Jericho—of the strange disappearances and eerie sounds heard in the woods deep in the night. But these ghost stories only hint at the true evil lurking within the camp’s dilapidated buildings, a primeval malevolence far more terrifying than Lauren’s darkest imaginings. And now, Lauren must face this evil, even if it takes her life . . . even if it costs her soul.

Review:  I absolutely LOVED the first book in this series, Gideon, so I could hardly wait to start reading this one. Unfortunately, it just didn't grab me in the same way.  There was almost no paranormal action for a large part of the book, which is what I was really looking for in the plot. The antagonist didn't really make a lot of sense to me, as we didn't seem to get much background on how she got to be in the situation she was in.

I still love the character of Lauren, but I hope her next adventure will be more like her first and less like this one. I wanted to be scared of the antagonist, as I was in Gideon, but the author just never got me there this time.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Three stars

 

Meet the Author

Alex Gordon resides in the Midwest. When she isn’t working, she enjoys watching sports and old movies, running, and playing with her dogs. She dreams of someday adding the Pacific Northwest to the list of regions where she has lived.

Wintergreen by Mari Biella

BOOK INFORMATION

Genre: Mystery, supernatural

• File Size: 715 KB
• Print Length: 95 pages
• Publisher: Mari Biella 
• Publication Date: November 27, 2015
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
• Language: English
• ASIN: B018O2Y6UA

Synopsis: The past never dies…

When journalist Cat Armistead visits the small village of Wintergreen over Christmas, she thinks that staying in the peaceful English countryside will give her a chance to relax. Her illusions are shattered, however, when a local businessman, Hugo Montbray, is found dead in a wooded area near the village.

As Cat delves into the mystery she finds that Montbray was a man with many enemies, and that his death might not have been accidental. Her search for the truth uncovers local and family rivalry, broken trust, and even a touch of the supernatural. And, as if that weren’t enough, Cat reluctantly finds herself being drawn to Jake Fernsby, the detective who is investigating Montbray’s death.

However, Cat’s interest in the case has not gone unnoticed – and, in investigating it, she might have put herself in grave danger.

A cozy crime mystery set around Christmastime, Wintergreen is the perfect read for long winter evenings.

Review: This was a wonderful mystery, although I'm not sure I would agree with the synopsis about it being a cozy mystery, but I suppose that is up to each individual reader.  To me, it read more like an old-fashioned, traditional British crime novel.

Misgivings about the genre aside, this was a very interesting story. Along with the murder mystery, there was a side story of paranormal activity, as well as a family curse and a budding romance. 

The numerous twists in the murder plot kept me guessing right up until the final reveal, which is just the way I like it. I'm hoping to read more mysteries like this one from the author in the future.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Four stars

About the author

Mari Biella was born in Wiltshire, England, of Anglo-Welsh parentage. Growing up in a small town, she took refuge in books. The progression from reading to writing seemed entirely natural, and the result was a deluge of terrible juvenilia, which has, mercifully, all been destroyed.

These days Mari lives in Northern Italy. She'll read just about anything she can get her hands on, but she particularly loves fantasy, the supernatural, horror and historical novels. She writes because she loves writing, and has a day job because it's a grim necessity. Pressures of work allowing, she enjoys gardening, cooking, and embellishing an already tortuously complicated fantasy world.

The Ravine by Robert Pascuzzi

Book Information

Genre: Supernatural mystery and suspense

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Hope Messenger, LLC (March 19, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615982999
• ISBN-13: 978-0615982991

Synopsis: Are you ready to explore and question your own views on faith, hope, forgiveness and the afterlife? 

On a typical weekday morning in a peaceful suburb of Akron, Ohio, the town awakens to discover that Rachel Turner and her son, Evan have been brutally murdered during the night. A short while later, Danny Turner is found in his car at the bottom of a ravine, after having taken his own life. Any explanation as to why a loving father and husband would suddenly commit a series of such heinous crimes has gone to the grave with the accused.

The mystery only deepens as the details of the murders emerge, and evidence of premeditation as well as Danny’s hidden past are revealed.

Subsequently, Rachel’s closest friend, Carolyn Bianci, sinks into a deep depression, while her husband, Mitch, copes with his despair by attempting to uncover the facts of the crime. Eventually they encounter Joanna Larson, a fascinating woman who possesses extraordinary spiritual gifts. Through Joanna, the truth about the events that took place the night of the murders are unveiled. The answers Mitch and Carloyn get are beyond their human understanding.

Inspired by true events, The Ravine is a story of faith, forgiveness, and most of all, the restoration of hope—even for the most seemingly unredeemable among us. 

Review: I chose to read this book because I had heard that it was a Christian book, based on a true story, and with themes of forgiveness and hope.  While it does focus on forgiveness and hope, much of the "theology" presented is not supported by the Christian beliefs I have held for most of my life.

Regardless of that issue, I still found this to be a story worth reading. Reading about the events which led up to the horrific crime, and then about the aftermath, where friends and family tried to deal with what happened and to understand why was heartbreaking. When it came to the portion of the story regarding Joanna, however, I found it difficult to accept. Including her in the story is what caused my rating to drop from four to three stars. In my opinion, her character pulled the story toward the occult more than the religious.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**


Rating: Three stars

About the author

Robert Pascuzzi is an entrepreneur, husband and father from the Midwest whose comfortable existence was shattered due to a horrendous crime that impacted him and his family. In the wake of that tragedy, he was led on a spiritual journey that challenged his core beliefs. Compelled to share what he learned, this book was born.

Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1), Wendy Higgins

Synopsis: What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Thoughts: A very well written beginning to this trilogy. Anna's mother was an angel, and her father is a demon, making her one of the famed Nephilim. Having good and evil combined makes for some difficult situations for her. I can't wait to read the other two books, just as soon as I can get them from the library.