Tash's Book of the Month
Welcome to Tash's Book of the Month, the fabulous fiesta where I dive into a new read each month and spill the juicy deets with my no-holds-barred review! But here’s the scoop: if a book and I didn’t click, I’m not shoving it in your face. I totally respect the blood, sweat, and tears that go into crafting (and actually finishing!) a book. Just because it wasn’t my cup of tea doesn’t mean it won’t dazzle someone else! So, buckle up for a sunny spot dedicated to celebrating literary treasures and must-read masterpieces!
JULY
THE BEHEADING GAME Rebecca Lehmann
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Beheading Game by Rebecca Lehmann
I recently met a lovely woman in Waterstones when I popped in for some help in finding current books that I could possibly use as comparative titles for my new book and she recommended The Beheading Game. If it hadn’t been for her, I would probably never have picked it up and that would have been an absolute travesty.
This book is outstanding and I truly, honestly, did not want it to end.
The Beheading Game is a historical fantasy, and we follow Anne Boleyn as she wakes up in an arrow box after her execution…minus her head. Don’t panic though, it’s in the chest with her, all she needs to do it get out of the confines of the box and re-attach her head…I love a capable woman.
Anne’s set on revenge (oh Henry, Henry, Henry) for her murder. It is a fantasy, hence the reattachment of her head, but you can’t help getting swept along with it. All she has to do now is make her way back to him which isn’t easy.
It’s not only brilliantly written, but also beautifully written. Rebecca Lehmann’s writing is like watching silk curtains billow in the wind. Magical and enthralling and before you know it, you are completely in Tudor England.
If I could give this book 10 out of 5 stars I would.
BLURB
When Anne Boleyn wakes up after her execution she finds she is not yet ready for death. She has unfinished business with the king who had her murdered and is determined to secure her daughter, Elizabeth’s, future. She escapes the tower, sews her head back on, and sets out on a quest for justice.
But Anne’s path will not run smoothly as she encounters the dangers of London and the countryside, and rumours start to swirl about sightings of her ghost. Luckily for her, she will find help from a chance meeting with fenlander Alice, who offers her the possibility of a different future.
The Beheading Game takes you into the heart and mind of one of the most talked-about women of all time and finally gives her the chance to tell her side of the story.
Tash's BOTM: After dark
Any recommendation here are intended for an 'adult audience'. If you don't like spice (some are going to be so spicy you might even spontaneously combust) so reading will be at your own discretion and therefore, I won't be taking the blame is you are shocked/offended/or unprepared.
For those not of a nervous nature....enjoy....but only after dark!
JULY
SECRETS AND LIES by Kitty dB
Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Secrets and Lies by Kitty dB
For obvious reasons I can’t review my own book, but I thought I’d tell you about how I came up with the story.
I was doing my weekly shop in Tesco one Sunday and as normal, I’d hardly slept the night before. As I was leaving, I stopped at the in-store Costa and waited in line for a coffee. As is my way, when I have nothing to do, I started drifting off into ‘staring land’ and I watched as the girl making the coffee stood on her tip toes as she grabbed cups.
She was dressed all in black and had her blonde hair in a ponytail. And that was it, I started running lines in my head of this person (who became Lucie) making coffee and by the time I got back to my car, I was scribbling notes into my phone.
The writer Harlen Coben says look around you, take notice of everything, everyone, and that’s what happened that day.
Lucie was suddenly a person, but who was she? I’ve always been interested in the criminal underworld, and I wanted Lucie’s family to be part of that world.
Most of the books I have spent the last twenty years reading are romance books (obviously the spicy kind) and the vast majority are set in the US, and I wanted to bring those worlds together in opposites attract way. Lucie came from a family of criminals and I wanted my MMC, Jack, to be in law enforcement, and I chose to make him FBI.
I’m not really a plotter but I thought of the story line and expanded as I wrote…once I had a beginning, a middle and an end, all I had to do was fill in the gaps...even if it took me YEARS to complete.
Like most authors, I would never say my first book is the best out there but I’m very proud of this. Writing a book had been a long-held dream and publishing it was incredible.
My book has some 'spicy' moments but I personally rate it no more than three chillies on the naughty scale.
BLURB
Lucie
I was happy being lost; it was, after all, on my terms. Meeting Jack was not part of my plan. Nor was falling in love with him. But when the unexpected happens, will he pull out all the stops to find me?
Jack
Months after living out of the country, I was tired. I wanted to rest. Who knew the girl in the coffee shop would have me chasing her down the street? But it turns out, Lucie turned out to be the love of my life and now I find myself travelling across Europe to save her.
Lucie is happily living her new life; hiding in anonymity from her family’s criminality and still grieving the death of her mother, when she meets Jack. Jack who is firmly on the right side of the law.
When Lucie receives a coded message in the middle of the night telling her to return home, she slips from Jack’s bed and his life.
But fate has other ideas for Lucie and Jack. A tearful reunion becomes a nightmare when Lucie is kidnapped. Secrets and lies are revealed and it’s a race against time for Jack to find her.
You think this is just another love story. You’re wrong. It’s a story of deliberately being lost but having no control when it happens again.
It’s a story of betrayal and paying the price for the mistakes made by those closest to you.
It’s a story of a race against time to find the one you love.
Tash's own book
Secrets and Lies
Just in case you are interested in reading my book, you can order via the link on Amazon. It’s available in paperback, kindle e-book and KU (if you know, you know!). I’m told it’s good… but you can always find out for yourself. Please do consider leaving a review as for newbie authors’ it’s a really great way of getting our books out there.
So what’s it about?
Lucie
I was happy being lost; it was, after all, on my terms. Meeting Jack was not part of my plan. Nor was falling in love with him. But when the unexpected happens, will he pull out all the stops to find me?
Jack
Months after living out of the country, I was tired. I wanted to rest. Who knew the girl in the coffee shop would have me chasing her down the street? But it turns out, Lucie turned out to be the love of my life and now I find myself travelling across Europe to save her.
Lucie is happily living her new life; hiding in anonymity from her family’s criminality and still grieving the death of her mother, when she meets Jack. Jack who is firmly on the right side of the law.
When Lucie receives a coded message in the middle of the night telling her to return home, she slips from Jack’s bed and his life.
But fate has other ideas for Lucie and Jack. A tearful reunion becomes a nightmare when Lucie is kidnapped. Secrets and lies are revealed and it’s a race against time for Jack to find her.
You think this is just another love story. You’re wrong. It’s a story of deliberately being lost but having no control when it happens again.
It’s a story of betrayal and paying the price for the mistakes made by those closest to you.
It’s a story of a race against time to find the one you love.
