Competition

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#Friday Freebie – Time After Time – Karly Lane

Time After Time

Karly Lane

Allen and Unwin

ISBN:9781761066115

RRP $29.99

Description:

A stunning new rural romance from the bestselling author with over 500,000 books sold.

Alice Croydon has the perfect life: she has a loving family and she’s about to marry her high school sweetheart Finn. Alice couldn’t be happier. Except for the occasional niggle whenever she thinks about her career. Fashion design has always been her passion, but living in a small country town doesn’t offer much opportunity to pursue that dream.

Until one day the unexpected happens. The only problem? She has to move to the other side of the world and give up one dream for another. 

Living in London should have been exciting, but for Alice, far away from home, her sole focus becomes working within a renown couture fashion house. Alice knows it’s unlikely but she secretly hopes that Finn might still want to try again. 

But you can’t turn back time, and fate may have other plans. 

 Praise for Karly Lane:

‘Well written, and bravely done…Once Burnt, Twice Shy is Karly Lane’s best yet, celebrating the power of community working to support one another in terrible calamity.’ – Blue Wolf Reviews

‘I didn’t want the story to end…Karly Lane has proven herself time again in rural romance and now she has smashed the contemporary fiction genre with Take Me Home.’ – Beauty and Lace

‘I loved this read! The main characters were so engaging, their back stories poignant and heartbreaking…their everyday lives relatable with an appeal that connects to the reader…’ Reading Writing and Riesling on Something Like This

***Thanks to Allen and Unwin Australia I have one copy of this new release to giveaway. To win a copy of this book, in the comments, tell me the name of one of Karly’s earlier books. How easy is that. I will randomly select a winner on the 5th of May 2023.***

**Australian Residents only**


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#FridayFreebie: Criminals – James O’Loghlin

Criminals

James O’Loghlin

Bonnier Echo

ISBN: 9781760687465

Description:

What makes a criminal? One May 2019 morning, two masked gunmen rob Blacktown Leagues Club. What happens next will change the lives of three people. Twenty-three-year-old Dean Acton is a heroin addict trying to get off the break and enter treadmill by pulling one big job. Sarah Hamilton, also twenty-three, is a police officer on stress leave, working behind the bar, trying to forget the mistake she made that caused the death of her fiancée. Mary Wallace, a forty-five-year-old ex-schoolteacher who lives and drinks alone, feels that her life is already over, and has made plans to formalise that arrangement.

When Sarah realises there is something familiar about one of the gunmen, she is drawn back to the thrill of investigating, and can identify Dean. Dean is overjoyed at his $12,000 haul, but before he can decide whether to spend it on a new start in Queensland or a few months’ worth of heroin, he’s arrested, and in Long Bay jail everyone wants to find out where he’s stashed the cash.

Mary is inspired by the robbery. Pottery and French classes haven’t jolted her out of her depression, but perhaps embarking on a life of crime will. She starts small, and then ups the ante. When she, too, is arrested and her lawyer tries to discover why a respectable middle-class woman would steal constipation medication, will she be able to reveal what caused her to give up on teaching and everything else?
Dean learns that the only person who identified him at the robbery was Sarah and is tempted by a plan that will ensure she won’t ever be able to give evidence against him. But is he prepared to go that far? And if he does, will he ever come back?

As Dean’s trial approaches, Mary, Dean and Sarah must work out why they have become who they are, and whether they have the courage to change

The Book:

I am currently reading this one, what I love about this one is that it continues to surprise me. It is a book about a crime but it is more than that – it is about people; the façades we present to the world, the complicated route we take to end up in a particular place in life, a destination we can move on from – or not, the choices we make.

Each time I think I know where this book is going, it changes, little revelations here and there make for an engaging read.

If you want an opportunity to read this book I have one copy to give away thanks to the lovely people at Dmcprmedia and Echo Bonnier. It’s easy – in the comments let me know what other work James O’Loghlin is known for? Look closely I am sure many of you will recognise him 🙂 Giveaway open to Australian residents only and winner drawn on the 22nd of July 2022

James O’Loghlin
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#FridayFreebie# Missing Presumed Dead – Mark Tedeschi QC

Missing Presumed Dead

Mark Tedeschi QC

Simon & Schuster Australia

ISBN: 9781761104459

Description:

It was the double murder case that gripped Australia, and former Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi QC is finally able to share all the shocking details.

Dorothy Davis and Kerry Whelan were both happy, healthy, affluent, middle-class women from conservative, loving families.
Such women are hardly ever among the ranks of the missing. They were not hitchhikers, or associates of drug dealers, or unhappy with their family relationships, or suffering from mental health issues. Dorothy Davis and Kerry Whelan came from different parts of Sydney, mixed in quite different circles, and led completely different lives. They had never met each other, and if they had, they would have had little in common. In fact, Dorothy Davis and Kerry Whelan had one thing in common – they both knew Bruce Allan Burrell.

The disappearance without trace of these two women caused massive police investigations and resulted in sensational trials that gripped the nation of Australia. This book explores the intricacies of those investigations and delves into the twisted, tortuous processes of the legal proceedings, while exploring the dark recesses of the mind of Bruce Burrell.

Meet the Author:

As a Barrister and a Crown Prosecutor for thirty five years, Mark Tedeschi QC has appeared in some of the most significant criminal cases in Australia. He has been the Senior Crown Prosecutor in New South Wales for fifteen years and is the President of the Australian Association of Crown Prosecutors. He has had many articles published on the law and is the author of a legal text book and the critically acclaimed biography Eugenia. He has published many articles on history, genealogy, photography, and horticulture. Kidnapped is his second work of creative non-fiction. 

Giveaway:

Thanks to Simon & Schuster, the author and Dmcprmedia I have one copy of this Australian true crime expose to give away. ** Australian residents only** In the comments let me know of another true crime written by this author.

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#FridayFreebie: Forgiveness Is the Hardest Thing – An Anthology

Forgiveness is the Hardest Thing – An Anthology

Leschenault Press

ISBN: 9781922670373

RRP $34.95

Description:

Forgive (verb): 1. Stop feeling angry or resentful towards a person who has done something hurtful or wrong. 2. excuse an offence or mistake.

Forgiveness (noun): the action of forgiving.

(OED, Oxford University Press 2009)

The path to forgiveness requires acceptance, introspection, admission of guilt, and the ability to see the situation through another's eyes.  

During the prolonged Covid-19 lockdowns, twenty-one women were invited to write about their experiences of forgiveness through the medium of poetry or prose, fiction or non-fiction. The result is an anthology that lays bare the shared need to forgive or to be forgiven.

It captures deeply personal stories of domestic violence, family disruptions, the disintegration of friendships, and the impact of taking an individual's power. But it also brings gifts of insight, stories of healing, techniques to help with physical and mental well-being, and a discourse about the spiritual side of forgiveness from a unique perspective.

Featuring the writing of multiple-award winning authors from across North America, the UK, Ireland, NZ and Australia, Forgiveness is the Hardest Thing is an inspiring collection to draw from when you too are wondering, how can I forgive?

**Thanks to Leschenault Press I have one copy of this evocative anthology to give away. Simply hop over the publishers website https://bookreality.com/project/for-authors/ and list one  of the contributors to the anthology. Open to residents of Ireland, USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.  Winner randomly selected on 5/2/022.**
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More on My Art Journey

This year is a year of building my art profile to reach a bigger audience. If you have a minute ( in the next 24 hours before the event closes) could you click on the link and vote for my piece? Your support is greatly appreciated.

https://gallery.artgeo.com.au/product/picking-up-the-pieces/?fbclid=IwAR15DHjej46t_qYQv1qvfVBuRuoBgLn0G25JWdyeVM4srsN6neyQGwz67vI

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#FridayFreebie: The Paris Affair – Pip Drysdale

The Paris Affair

Pip Drysdale 

Simon & Schuster

 

https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/The-Paris-Affair/Pip-Drysdale/9781760854324 

She thinks love can kill you. It turns out she might be right. The dark and sexy new thriller from the bestselling author of The Sunday Girl and The Strangers We Know.

Harper Brown is an expert at picking locks, breaking her way out of car boots, talking her way out of trouble and she could run a masterclass on escaping relationships – her record for losing a guy is three minutes flat. She’s addicted to true crime podcasts and is the genius behind a micro-column called ‘How to not get murdered’.

After having her heart broken helping her ex follow his dreams, Harper has moved to Paris to fulfill hers. She’s talked her way into a job as an arts journalist, a stepping stone to her dream role as an investigative journalist. All she has to do is whatever it takes to get there. But then one night she meets the artist Noah X, and everything she thinks she knows is turned upside down.

Soon Harper finds herself entangled in a web of lies, hot on the trail of a murderer and the scoop of a lifetime. This is the story that could make her career – if the killer doesn’t catch her first.

*** I have one copy of the fabulous The Paris Affair  to give away – for your chance to win simply  leave a comment on this post with the title of another book written by Pip Drysdale. How easy is that? Entries open to Australian residents only, entries close  28th February 2021.  Thanks to the lovely people at Simon & Schuster and to the author for providing  this giveaway. ***

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Release Day Giveaway: The Law Of Innocence – Michael Connelly

 

The Law of Innocence

Michael Connelly

Allen & Unwin Australia

ISBN: 9781760878917

RRP$32.99

 

Description:

It has been seven years since we have had a new Lincoln Lawyer thriller from Michael Connelly. In The Law of Innocence Defence attorney Mickey Haller is pulled
over by police, who find the body of a client in the trunk of his Lincoln. Haller is charged with murder and can’t make the exorbitant $5 million bail slapped on him by a vindictive judge. Mickey elects to defend himself and must strategize and build his defence from his jail cell in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles, all the while looking over his shoulder. As an officer of the court, he is an instant target. Mickey knows he has been framed. Now, with the help of his trusted team, he must figure out who has plotted to destroy his life and why. Then he has to go before a judge and jury and prove his innocence.

In his highest stakes case yet, Mickey Haller fights for his life and shows why he is ‘a worthy colleague of Atticus Finch … in the front of the pack in the legal thriller game’ (Los Angeles Times).

 

About Michael Connelly:
A former police reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Michael Connelly is the international bestselling author of the Harry Bosch thriller series and the legal thriller series featuring Mickey Haller, as well as several stand-alone bestsellers. His most recent #1
bestseller is Fair Warning. Michael is the bestselling author of thirty-five novels and one
work of non-fiction. With over seventy-four million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly’s 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theatres worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent #1 New York Times bestsellers include Dark Sacred Night, Two Kinds of Truth, The Late Show, The Wrong Side of Goodbye, The Crossing, The Burning Room, The Gods of Guilt,
and The Black Box. Michael’s crime fiction career was honoured with the Diamond Dagger from the CWA in 2018. Connelly is also the executive producer of Bosch, an Amazon Studios original based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch.

 

My View:

Another outstanding legal procedural/mystery from this talented writer. 

Once upon a time I used to eagerly await opening my  Christmas presents – there would always be a new Connelly wrapped and under the tree.  I would then devour the book.

These days I cannot wait till Christmas! I acquire as soon as released and then devour! Nom Nom! 

 ***3 lucky Australian residents have a chance to win a copy of this new release simply by listing another book that the Lincoln Layers appears in, in the comments. Winners will be randomly selected 17/11/020 – just in time for the postie to get this to you so you can wrap and put under your tree – if you can resist the temptation to read immediately:) **

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#FridayFreebie : Trust – Chris Hammer

Chris Hammer

Trust

Allen and Unwin

ISBN: 9781760877415

RRP $32.99

 

Thanks to Allen and Unwin I have one copy of the fantastic read to give away ( Australian residents only) Simply comment with the name of the first book that Chris Hammer had published *hint it was back in 2010 https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/fiction/crime-mystery/Trust-Chris-Hammer-9781760877415 winner will be randomly selected  on the 30th of October 2020

#FridayFreebie : Max – Alex Miller
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#FridayFreebie : Max – Alex Miller

Max

Alex Miller

Allen & UNwin

ISBN: 9781760878160

RRP $29.99

Description:

An astonishing, moving tribute to Alex’s friend, Max Blatt, that is at once a meditation on memory itself, on friendship and a reminder to the reader that history belongs to humanity.

‘Max tells of Alex Miller’s search — in turns fearful and elated — for the elusive past of Max Blatt, a man he loves, who loved him and who taught him that he must write with love. Miller discovers that he is also searching for a defining part of himself, formed by his relation to Max Blatt, but whose significance will remain obscure until he finds Max, complete, in his history. With Max, Miller the novelist has written a wonderful work of non-fiction, as fine as the best of his novels. Always a truth-seeker, he has rendered himself vulnerable, unprotected by the liberties permitted to fiction. Max is perhaps his most moving book, a poignant expression of piety, true to his mentor’s injunction to write with love.’ Raimond Gaita, award-winning author of Romulus, My Father

I began to see that whatever I might write about Max, discover about him, piece together with those old shards of memory, it would be his influence on the friendships of the living that would frame his story in the present.

According to your 1939 Gestapo file, you adopted the cover names Landau and Maxim. The name your mother and father gave you was Moses. We knew you as Max. You had worked in secret. From an early age you concealed yourself – like the grey box beetle in the final country of your exile, maturing on its journey out of sight beneath the bark of the tree.

You risked death every day. And when at last the struggle became hopeless, you escaped the hell and found a haven in China first, and then Australia, where you became one of those refugees who, in their final place of exile, chose not death but silence and obscurity.

Alex Miller followed the faint trail of Max Blatt’s early life for five years. Max’s story unfolded, slowly at first, from the Melbourne Holocaust Centre’s records then to Berlin’s Federal Archives. From Berlin, Miller travelled to Max’s old home town of Wroclaw in Poland. And finally in Israel with Max’s niece, Liat Shoham, and her brother Yossi Blatt, at Liat’s home in the moshav Shadmot Dvora in the Lower Galilee, the circle of friendship was closed and the mystery of Max’s legendary silence was unmasked.

Max is an astonishing and moving tribute to friendship, a meditation on memory itself, and a reminder to the reader that history belongs to humanity.

 ** Today I have 3 copies of this moving tribute to friendship. If you would like a chance to read this book by the remarkable Alex Miller  simple comment with a title of one of Alex Miler’s previous book.  Australians residents only. I will randomly select winners on 10/10/020   https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/other-books/Max-Alex-Miller-9781760878160