They Had It Coming by Nikki Smith #TheyHadItComing @Mrssmithmunday @PenguinUKBooks @nikkismithauthor.bsky.social #BookReview

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer . . .

Nate and Layla, Jude and Sophie. They've been a four for as long as they can remember: fancy dinners, dancing 'til dawn . . . Even living and working together.

So when Nate and Layla suddenly quit their lives and move to Bali, with its white sands and exotic beach clubs, Jude and Sophie are their first visitors. Anything to escape their life in London.

But as the two couples reunite, cracks begin to show.

Which is hardly surprising; they've been lying to each other for years.

And now, it's time for revenge.

They Had it Coming by Nikki Smith was published on 22 May 2025 by Penguin. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

They Had It Coming is one of those juicy, sun-drenched thrillers that lures you in with beautiful beaches and close friendships… then slowly reveals the dark undercurrents hiding just beneath the surface. Nikki Smith has a real talent for taking a glamorous setting and turning it into something wonderfully unsettling.

The story follows two long-time couple-friends; Nate and Layla, Jude and Sophie, whose lives have been entangled for years. When Nate and Layla suddenly relocate to Bali, their friends are quick to follow for what they assume will be a fun holiday. However, nothing about this getaway is as sunny as the setting suggests. As the cocktails flow and old memories bubble up, you can feel the tension tightening and tightening. 

Nikki Smith’s writing is sharp, inviting, and full of sly little details that make you constantly question what you think you know. Each character is flawed in a very human way, and watching the group dynamics unravel is both addictive and uncomfortable. She builds suspense with a slow burn that never drags; I was eagerly flipping the pages to see who’s hiding what and how far they’ll go to protect their secrets.

What I really love is the way the author explores friendship: the kind you outgrow, the kind you cling to out of habit, and the kind that becomes toxic without anyone noticing until it's too late. It’s a thriller, but it’s also a careful look at the power shifts and silent resentments that can rot relationships from the inside.

If you enjoy twisty psychological suspense set against a stunning backdrop, with messy characters, layered motives, and a delicious sense of dread, this one is absolutely worth packing in your beach bag.

A fun, tense, and compulsively readable tale of secrets, lies, and the revenge that’s been a long time coming.

Nikki Smith worked in finance until 2017, when a 'now or never' moment prompted her to
apply for the Curtis Brown Creative writing course. 

She is the author of five novels and co-host of the podcast In Suspense. 

She lives in Guildford with her family and loves to travel, ideally somewhere hot and sunny.

www.nikkismithauthor.com

Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage by Kim Nash BLOG TOUR #LifeBeginsatheCornishCottage @KimTheBookworm @BoldwoodBooks @kimthebookworm.bsky.social #Giveaway #Win #Competiton #Prize

 

When Tom Sullivan returns to the quiet village of Sandpiper Shore, Emma can hardly believe her eyes. She hasn’t seen him since they played Romeo and Juliet in their school play – a lifetime ago, before real heartbreak, and long before she ever imagined life as a widow.

The last thing she wants is to relive the past, especially with someone who once made her teenage heart flutter. But when Emma agrees to put on a charity pantomime to raise money for the air ambulance service that helped her late husband, she’s thrown firmly back into Tom’s path.

As rehearsals begin and the local community rallies around her, Emma finds unexpected joy in bringing people together – and a surprising connection with Tom that feels far too real to ignore. Maybe it’s time for Emma to become the leading lady in her own life, not just for the show, but for herself.

Full of warmth, humour and heart, this is a story about letting go and discovering that it’s never too late to take a chance on love.

Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage by Kim Nash was published by Boldwood Books on 31 October 2025. I have one paperback copy to give away today, as part of this Blog Tour, jointly organised by Random Things Tours, Compulsive Readers, Rachel's Random Resources and Zooloo's Book Tours.
Entry is simple, just fill out the competition widget in the blog post. UK entries only please. 

GOOD LUCK! 

Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage

Kim Nash is an author of uplifting, romantic, feel-good fiction, having wanted to write books since she was a little girl. 

She works as both Digital Publicity Director for publisher Bookouture. 

She lives in Staffordshire with her son Ollie and English Setter rescue dog Roni. 

When she's not working or writing, Kim can be found walking her dog and reading, as well as running a book club in Staffordshire and organising local and national reader/author events

Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke BLOG TOUR #HerManyFaces @niccicloke @harvillbooks @RandomTTours #BookReview

 

When four influential members of London’s most exclusive private club are poisoned, a young waitress is charged with their murder after being caught fleeing the scene of the crime. As the trial grips the nation, five men begin to question how well they really knew her.

There’s her father, who remembers the sweet girl growing up in Devon; her childhood friend, who is swept up in her fascination with conspiracy theories; her lover, who wants to distance himself from a young woman with an obsession; her barrister, who knows she’s hiding something; and the journalist investigating the case, who is convinced he knows exactly who she is: a cold-blooded killer.

Five men. Five stories. But are you ready to hear hers?

Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke was originally published in hardback in July 2025 by Harvill Secker. The paperback is published in April 2026. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours blog tour. 

Her Many Faces is a taut, character-driven psychological thriller that drew me in from its opening scene and refused to let go. Nicci Cloke builds her story around a compelling structure: five different men, each convinced they know the “real” Katie, the young waitress accused of murdering four high-profile members of an exclusive London club. What unfolds is a layered portrait of their perception, their bias, and of how frail and uncertain their memories can be.

The author’s great strength is the use of voice. Each narrator brings their own emotional baggage, blind spots, and motives, and the contrast between their accounts creates a gripping puzzle. The novel excellently explores various themes; class, power, and media storytelling without ever slowing the pace. Katie herself remains deliberately distant, vague and elusive, this elevates the tension and the author constantly invites the reader to question whether Katie is misunderstood, manipulative, or something far more complex.

The atmosphere is vivid and unsettling, the courtroom drama blends so well with intrigue, and psychological suspense. The author keeps the narrative tight and the reveals are so well-timed, creating a strong sense of unease as the men’s stories start to clash.

If you enjoy thrillers that focus on character psychology, unreliable narrators, and the blurred lines between truth and narrative, Her Many Faces delivers a satisfying and thought-provoking read. It’s the kind of book that leaves you questioning not just the characters, but your own assumptions as well.

A fabulous read, highly recommended by me. 

Nicci Cloke is an author and editor based in Cambridgeshire. 

Her novels have been published in twelve languages and she previously worked at Faber Academy – and as a cocktail waitress

www.niccicloke.com

X @niccicloke

Instagram @niccicloke

The French Guesthouse by Isabelle Broom #TheFrenchGuesthouse @Isabelle_Broom @HodderBooks @hodderbooks.bsky.social #BookReview

 

Sometimes the only way to rebuild is to face the past you tried to escape...

On the night Fliss loses everything - her beloved hotel ravaged by fire and fiancé exposed as a cheat - she receives devastating news: her estranged mother has died. They hadn't spoken in fifteen years and Fliss has stayed away for her own self-preservation.

Summoned to a dilapidated guesthouse in France for the reading of the will, Fliss is stunned to discover she has been left all her mother's possessions. But the inheritance comes at a price - both literal and emotional. Sharing the house is Etienne, her mother's grief-stricken, wine-soaked partner, and his guarded yet magnetic nephew, Benoit.

As Fliss begins restoring the guesthouse, she unearths long-buried secrets about her mother, their past and the true cost of her long absence. But to move forward, cure her guilt and claim the love and happiness she's never thought she deserves, Fliss must first reckon with the hardest question of all: can she forgive?

The French Guesthouse by Isabelle Broom was published on 6 November 2025 by Hodder. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

One of my most favourite things about Isabelle's books are that she whisks her readers away to a wonderful new setting in every single novel. And, every single time, I find myself on Google looking for trips to the places that I'm reading about. The French Guesthouse was no exception, whilst I read this on holiday in Gran Canaria, my phone history shows just how many times I've looked up guesthouses in France! 

The French Guesthouse is another of her novels with a such a strong sense of place, exploring themes of loss, reconciliation, and forgiveness. Fliss (Felicity), is forced to rebuild her life after a traumatic night: her hotel goes up in flames, her fiancé’s betrayal is exposed, and she learns of her estranged mother’s death. 

Fliss travels to France, to a dilapidated country guesthouse for the will reading. To her surprise, she inherits her mother’s possessions, but not the life she expected. The house is shared with Etienne, her late mother’s grief-stricken partner, and Benoît, his quiet and quite reserved nephew. As Fliss begins restoring the guesthouse, she uncovers secrets about her mother’s past, grappling with guilt, estrangement, and many questions. 

Alongside the wonderful sense of place, the novel deals with serious emotional issues: grief, abandonment, and generational trauma. Fliss’s journey is not just about restoring a house, but healing her own internal wounds. There is an interesting relationship described between Fliss and her late mother, with Fliss's feelings of abandonment at the front. 

The author layers the relationships really beautifully, a mix of Etienne’s grief and Benoît’s guardedness adding a depth to the story, with a gentle touch of romance

The French Guesthouse is a warm, atmospheric, emotionally moving novel. It captures the beauty and slow rhythms of rural France, making it ideal for readers who enjoy romantic contemporary fiction with depth, and stories about families, secrets, and grief

Wonderful, highly recommended by me. 

Isabelle Broom was born in Cambridge nine days before the 1980s began and studied Media Arts at university in London before a 12-year stint at Heat magazine. 

When she is not travelling all over the world seeking out settings for her escapist novels, Isabelle can mostly be found in Suffolk, where she shares a home with her two dogs and more books than she could ever hope to read in a lifetime.

www.isabellebroom.com

X @Isabelle_broom

IG @isabelle_broom

Scars of Silence by Johana Gustawsson t. David Warriner BLOG TOUR @JoGustawsson @OrendaBooks @thewarrinerd #NordicNoir #BookReview

 

Twenty-three years ago, a young woman was murdered on the Swedish island of Lidingö. 

The island has kept its silence. 

Until now…

As autumn deepens into darkness in Lidingö, on the Stockholm archipelago, the island is plunged into chaos: in the space of a week, two teenaged boys are murdered. Their bodies are left deep in the forest, dressed in white tunics with crowns of candles on their heads, like offerings to Saint Lucia.

Maïa Rehn has fled Paris for Lidingö after a family tragedy. But when the murders shake the island community, the former police commissioner is drawn into the heart of the investigation, joining Commissioner Aleksander Storm to unravel a mystery as chilling as the Nordic winter.

As they dig deeper, it becomes clear that a wind of vengeance is blowing through the archipelago, unearthing secrets that are as scandalous as they are inhuman.

But what if the victims weren’t who they seemed? What if those long silenced have finally found a way to strike back?

How far would they go to make their tormentors pay?

And you – how far would you go?

Scars of Silence by Johana Gustawsson is published by Orenda Books on 20 November 2025 and is translated by David Warriner. This is volume two of the Lidingö Mysteries. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour 

Whilst Scars of Silence is volume two of the Lidingö Mysteries, it can certainly be read as a stand alone story. Johana Gustawsson excels in providing enough back story that compliments the current plot. 

There’s something wonderfully deceptive about Johana Gustawsson’s writing. You open one of her books expecting a solid crime thriller, and before you know it, she’s wrapped you in something far deeper, darker, and more emotionally charged than you ever anticipated. Scars of Silence is exactly that sort of novel; richly atmospheric, beautifully written, and absolutely impossible to put down. 

Set on the island of Lidingö, the story gives off that unmistakable Nordic chill, the kind that creeps under your skin slowly. The author’s sense of place is extraordinary; you feel the darkness settling in, the quiet roads, the brooding forests. The novel is steeped in mood, and she uses that mood to full effect as the island reels from a pair of shocking, ritualistic murders.

In steps Maïa Rehn, a former police commissioner who has escaped Paris carrying more than her suitcase. She is such a wonderfully drawn character; damaged yet determined, thoughtful, and deeply human.  Her partnership with Aleksander Storm is handled with subtlety, never overshadowing the heart of the mystery.

And, crikey, what a mystery it is. The author peels back the layers slowly, compassionately, and with a fierce sense of justice. She never sensationalises and writes with empathy for the people at the centre of the darkness. Those people have been forgotten, ignored, or silenced. She also asks uncomfortable questions about vengeance, truth, and the cost of looking the other way.

This is Nordic noir at its finest: atmospheric, thoughtful, and utterly compelling. Johana Gustawsson has a rare ability to make you feel the cold while she warms your heart with characters who stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Scars of Silence is chilling, yes, but also deeply moving, and told with a tenderness that makes it all the more powerful.

David Warriner's translation skills are wonderful, he seems to really understand this author, and brings her words to her English speaking fans magnificently.

A gripping, beautifully crafted novel that once again shows why Johana Gustawsson is in a league of her own.

Born in Marseille, France, and with a degree in Political Science, Johana Gustawsson has worked as a journalist for the French and Spanish press and television. Her critically acclaimed Roy & Castells series, including Block 46, Keeper and Blood Song, has won the Plume d’Argent, Balai de la découverte, Balai d’Or and Prix Marseillais du Polar awards, and is now published in nineteen countries. A TV adaptation is currently underway in a French, Swedish and UK co-production. The Bleeding – a number one bestseller in France and the first in a new series – will be published in 2022. Johana lives in London with her Swedish husband and their three sons. 

Follow Johana on X @JoGustawsson

David Warriner translates from French and nurtures a healthy passion for Franco,
Nordic and British crime fiction. Growing up in deepest Yorkshire, he developed incurable Francophilia at an early age. Emerging from Oxford with a Modern Languages degree he narrowly escaped the graduate rat race by hopping on a plane to Canada – and never looked back. More than a decade into a high-powered commercial translation career, he listened to his heart and turned his hand to the delicate art of literary translation. 

David has lived in France and Quebec, and now calls beautiful British Columbia home.

Follow David on Twitter @thewarrinerd and on his website wtranslation.ca

The Confessions by Paul Bradley Carr #TheConfessions @paulbradleycarr @FaberBooks @faberbooks.bsky.social #BookReview #SpeculativeFiction

 

LLIAM, what do I want for dinner?

LLIAM, how can I get a better job?

LLIAM, should I kill my husband?

AI bot LLIAM powers society - but today, he went offline. Shops shut, planes were grounded, and Kaitlan Goss, CEO of LLIAM's parent company, has to fix it.

Then letters from LLIAM arrive: identical white envelopes, confessing people's darkest secrets to their loved ones.

Kaitlan races to find Maud Brooks, the only person who can bring LLIAM back online and stem the tide of societal breakdown. But Maud received a letter, too - about Kaitlan.

LLIAM, how do I save the world?

The Confessions by Paul Bradley Carr was published on 6 November 2025  by Faber.  My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I think it's fair to say that speculative / dystopian fiction is one of my very favourite genre. I am also fascinated by AI; about its strengths in terms of science, medicine and engineering, but also the massive problem that it is causing for the creative industries. Like most people, my home is run by that little box called Alexa, aided by lighting and heating app and a Ring doorbell. The premise of this book fascinated me. 

There are some books that grab you by the collar from the first page and refuse to let go;  The Confessions is one of those. Paul Bradley Carr takes us into a world that feels both very familiar and slightly too close for comfort. It’s sharp, bold, and utterly gripping from the very first page.

We’re in a near-future world where an all-powerful AI, LLIAM, has taken over almost every decision humans used to make for themselves; where to live, who to marry, even whether to have children. It’s a chillingly plausible premise, and the author doesn’t waste time easing you in. When LLIAM suddenly goes offline, everything starts to unravel: chaos erupts, secrets spill, and no one is safe from exposure.

At the centre of the storm are Kaitlan Goss, CEO of the company that built LLIAM, and Maud Brookes, a former nun whose job was to teach the AI empathy. Between them, the author creates a fascinating moral tug-of-war; taking in faith, science, guilt, and the uneasy question of what it means to be “good” in a world run by code.

The author's writing is really energetic with incredible pace and tension pushing you through the pages, but there’s also real heart here. The “confessions” that start to surface show the raw, messy humanity that LLIAM was supposed to fix. It’s a clever idea; the AI apocalypse as both tech thriller and emotional study.

There are moments where you have to suspend disbelief a little; the logistics of those mysterious letters, for instance, but honestly, I didn’t mind. 

I finished this book asking myself uneasy questions about my own reliance on algorithms, and that, to me, is the mark of a good book.

The Confessions is a smart, timely thriller that manages to be both deeply human and frighteningly possible. It’s one of those books you’ll think about long after you’ve turned the final page.

Paul Bradley Carr is a British journalist and author. 

He has written three memoirs about his adventures in and around Silicon Valley. 

He was the Silicon Valley columnist for The Guardian, senior editor at TechCrunch, cofounder of PandoDaily, and founder and editor-in-chief of the infamous NSFWCORP in Las Vegas. 

His writing has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, National Geographic, and much more. 

He lives in Palm Springs with his family and is the co-owner of The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs. 

Find out more at PaulBradleyCarr.com

IG @paulbradleycarr

Threads @paulbradleycarr

Black As Death by Lilja Sigurðardóttir t. Lorenza Garcia BLOG TOUR @LiljaWriter @OrendaBooks @liljawriter.bsky.social #Iceland #BookReview @orendabooks.bsky.social

 

A final reckoning…

With the fate of her missing sister, Ísafold, finally uncovered, Áróra feels a fragile relief as the search that consumed her life draws to a close. But when Ísafold’s boyfriend – the prime suspect in her disappearance – is found dead at the same site where Ísafold’s body was discovered, Áróra’s grip on reality starts to unravel … and the mystery remains far from solved.

To distract herself, she dives headfirst into a money-laundering case that her friend Daníel is investigating. But she soon finds that there is more than meets the eye and, once again, all leads point towards Engihjalli, the street where Ísafold lived and died, and a series of shocking secrets that could both explain and endanger everything…

Atmospheric, dark and chilling, Black as Death is the breathtaking finale to the twisty, immersive An Áróra Investigation series, as Áróra and her friends search for answers that may take them to places even darker than death…

Perfect for readers of Camilla Läckberg, Karin Slaughter, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir and Jo Nesbø.

Black As Death by Lilja Sigurdardóttir was published by Orenda Books on 23 October 2025 and is the fifth and final instalment in the Áróra Investigation series. It is translated by Lorenza Garcia. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this blog tour.

The Áróra Investigation series has been wonderful, each book has been something to look forward to over the past five years and whilst I was eager to read the latest, it has been quite a sad experience too. It's always difficult to say goodbye to characters that one loves. 

Lilja Sigurðardóttir’s Black as Death delivers a powerful and emotionally charged conclusion to the Áróra Investigation series; five books that have explored the murky underbelly of Icelandic crime, but also obsession and loss. Atmospheric and taut, this final story combines classic Nordic noir with a very clever character-driven mystery.

At the heart of the novel is Áróra, still reeling from the devastating truth about her missing sister Ísafold. The discovery of what really happened should bring closure, but instead it leaves Áróra devastated.

Áróra throws herself into a financial crime case with her partner, Daníel, a money-laundering scheme that proves to be anything but straightforward. As the threads of corruption, betrayal, and violence begin to intertwine, the novel takes the reader back to Engihjalli, the street in Reykjavík that has seen so many secrets. The setting is described excellently and almost becomes a character in its own right. 

The author's prose is tight and so well developed, every detail is needed, nothing is gratuitous. Iceland’s landscape; all dark waters, brittle ice, and little light. Yet amid the bleakness, there are glimmers of connection and hope. 

Black as Death balances two intertwined mysteries: one deeply personal, the other procedural and financial. The pacing is deliberate, building tension throughout. The use of flashbacks, told in the voice of Ísafold is brilliant, giving the reader the opportunity to feel that they know her more personally. 

While it can be read as a standalone, the novel’s full emotional impact comes from having followed Áróra’s journey across the series. 

Black as Death is an elegant, haunting, and deeply satisfying conclusion to Lilja Sigurðardóttir’s series. It’s a crime novel that understands grief as intimately as it understands deception — and it leaves you with the uneasy sense that some mysteries, especially those of the heart, can never be fully solved.

Icelandic crime writer Lilja Sigurðardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972 and
raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. 

An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written eleven crime novels, including Snare, Trap and Cage, making up the Reykjavík Noir trilogy, and her standalone thriller Betrayal, all of which have hit bestseller lists worldwide. 

Snare was longlisted for the CWA International Dagger, Cage won Best Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year and was a Guardian Book of the Year, and Betrayal was shortlisted for the prestigious Glass Key Award and won Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year. 

The film rights for the Reykjavík Noir trilogy have been bought by Glassriver. 

Cold as Hell, the first book in the An Áróra Investigation series, was published in the UK in 2021 and was followed by Red as Blood, White as Snow and Dark as Night. 

TV rights to the series have been bought by Studio Zentral in Germany. 

Lilja lives in Reykjavík with her partner and a brood of chickens.

Lorenza Garcia spent her early adulthood living and working in Iceland, Spain and
France. She has been a full-time literary translator since 2008 and has translated and co-translated over forty novels and works of non-fiction from French, Spanish and Icelandic. 

She currently lives in South London with her Tibetan Terrier.