Thanks to kate@authoright.com for inviting me on this blog tour.

 Read over 3 days.

Small Change

by

Keddie Hughes

An unsolved murder, a marriage at breaking point and a football club in crisis collide into one woman’s life in this dramatic new novel, set against political upheaval in Glasgow in 2011.

Forty-two-year-old Izzy Campbell wants more from life than a husband who is a fanatical Glasgow Rangers football supporter and a borderline alcoholic. She has always put her family’s needs first, but with her son turning eighteen she decides it’s time things change. Izzy volunteers at the Citizen’s Advice Bureau and enrols for a part-time degree in Social Sciences, and when she encounters a charismatic journalist, Sean Docherty who is investigating alleged financial mismanagement at Rangers, she finds herself offering to help. Before she knows it, she is drawn into the excitement of political activism and the arms of an attractive man. Her loyalties are further tested when she discovers her husband’s part in the murder of a young fan from Rangers’ arch enemy – Celtic. The choices Izzy makes will determine the future of her life.

An engaging and heartfelt story of one woman’s personal transformation.

My thoughts:

A great read. Well written, with well drawn characters; all who have an important part too play in the narrative. This is a read that blends fact and fiction. Recent social and sporting history in the west of Scotland, where a major football institution is about to go into liquidation. Fiction tells of the estrangement of a family. Between husband and wife, father and son. Where sectarianism blights the social scene. Izzy Campbell finds herself trapped in a marriage that is fast reaching it’s sell by date. Her husband is a fanatical Glasgow Rangers supporter and fast approaching alcoholism .. With her son approaching adulthood, Izzy volunteers for the Citizen’s Advice Bureau and enrol in a Social Sciences course. And with her friend Bridget becoming involved in politics and standing for the SNP, Izzy starts to see the bigger picture. The writing is of a superb quality and the characters are well drawn. Izzy’s torment is plain to see; loyalty to her husband Jim and her marriage, which gives her son stability. Or does it? Jim and alcohol are continuing to rampage through his and other’s lives. Driving a wedge between him and all who have his best interests at heart. I like how the story is told between various viewpoints and exploits what they have in common and what divides them. Another tool the author uses to great effect is the conversations at the end of each chapter. This points out the hopelessness, despair and ultimately the ability to face up to change. Though the names have been changed to protect the innocent/ guilty, anyone who knows about the demise of a Glasgow football club can read between the lines. Well done Keddie. I enjoyed this book and it’s four well deserved 4 stars from me .      The Author:   Title:  Small Change Author: Keddie Hughes About the author: Born and raised in Glasgow Keddie Hughes has worked for over thirty years in executive coaching, leadership development, organisation consulting and change management in global organisations such as Vodafone, Ericsson, BP, Mars and British Airways. In 2012 she completed the Faber Academy writing course and later enjoyed writing for eighteen months under the mentorship of poet and author Jill Dawson. Today Keddie lives in Buckinghamshire where she dedicates as much time as she can to writing. Her first novel, An Obstinate Vanity was published in 2016 (CreateSpace). Small Change by Keddie Hughes (published by Spiffing Covers  10th May in paperback and ebook ) is available to purchase from online retailers including Amazon and to order from all good bookstores.

The Fear by C.L. Taylor.

Read over three days:

‘Grabs you by the metaphorical throat right from the start and doesn’t let up until the end.’ Heat
Lou Smith is used to being headline news as, aged seventeen, she ran away with her 37-year-old teacher, Mike, during a short-lived affair.Now 32, Lou’s life is in tatters – and she resolves to return home to confront Mike for the damage he has caused. But she soon finds that Mike is unchanged, and is now grooming a young 15-year-old girl called Chloe.

Determined to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself, Lou decides to take matters into her own hands. But Mike is a predator of the worst kind, and as she tries to bring him to justice, it’s clear that Lou could once again become his prey…

The million copy Sunday Times bestseller returns with a taut, compelling psychological thriller that will have you glued to the edge of your seat.

My thoughts:

A book that leaves you raw, stunned and wondering why people can be so naive, Told from various characters viewpoints, it is a twisted complicated plot that has you turning the pages furiously, wondering what is going to happen next; And when you find out it leaves you opened mouthed in astonishment! The three main characters are all female. Wendy a fifty plus woman: Lou a woman of some thirty years: And Chloe a young teenage girl. All they have in common is Mike. If you want to know anymore about the plot you will need to read the book. I want to concentrate on Cally’s writing. Top notch and drawing you in. As the characters appear and disappear Carry adds another layer to the novel and their own existence. Her characters are all well rounded and you invest in them totally. A final word about the plot and I paraphase William Shakespear ” What a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive. Well done Cally C.L. Taylor C.L. Taylor is the Sunday Times bestselling author of five gripping, stand-alone psychological thrillers: THE ACCIDENT, THE LIE, THE MISSING, THE ESCAPE and THE FEAR. Her books have sold in excess of a million copies, been number one on Amazon Kindle, Kobo, iBooks and Google Play and have been translated into over 20 languages. THE ESCAPE won the Dead Good Books ‘Hidden Depths’ award for the Most Unreliable Narrator and THE LIE has been optioned for TV by The Forge who produced National Treasure featuring Robbie Coltrane. Cally Taylor was born in Worcester and spent her early years living in various army camps in the UK and Germany. She studied Psychology at the University of Northumbria and went on forge a career in instructional design and e-Learning before leaving to write full time in 2014. She started writing short stories in 2005 and was published widely in literary and women’s magazines. She also won several short story competitions. In 2009 and 2011 her romantic comedy novels (as Cally Taylor) were published by Orion and translated into fourteen languages. HEAVEN CAN WAIT was a bestseller in Hungary and China and HOME FOR CHRISTMAS was made into a feature film by JumpStart Productions. Whilst on maternity leave with her son Cally had an idea for a psychological thriller and turned to crime. She has also written a Young Adult thriller, THE TREATMENT, which was published by HarperCollins HQ. C.L. Taylor lives in Bristol with her partner and young son. Sign up to join the CL Taylor Book Club for access to news, updates and information that isn’t available on the web, as well as exclusive newsletter-only competitions and giveaways and the books that CL Taylor thinks will be the next big thing. You will also receive THE LODGER for free when you sign up: http://www.callytaylor.co.uk/cltaylorbookclub.html http://www.cltaylorauthor.com http://www.twitter.com/callytaylor http://www.Instagram.com/cltaylorauthor http://www.facebook.com/callytaylorauthor

The Picture by Roger Bray . Blog Tour.Thanks to Rachel of Rachels’s RandomResources for the invite.

The Picture

A warehouse in Japan used as an emergency shelter in the aftermath of the 2011 Tsunami. A distraught, young Japanese woman in dishevelled clothes sits on a box, holding her infant daughter. Ben, a US rescue volunteer, kneels in front of her offering comfort. They hug, the baby between them. The moment turns into an hour as the woman sobs into his shoulder; mourning the loss of her husband, her home, the life she knew. A picture is taken, capturing the moment. It becomes a symbol; of help freely given and of the hope of the survivors. The faces in the picture cannot be recognised, and that is how Ben likes it. No celebrity, thanks not required.

But others believe that being identified as the person in the picture is their path to fame and fortune. Ben stands, unknowingly, in their way, but nothing a contract killing cannot fix.

My thoughts:

A picture that’s all it is. A moment of sanity in an insane world. Frozen in time it shows a relief worker comforting a distraught mother who has lost everything in a Japanese earthquake. The picture is taken by a photographer covering the quake.

Neither Ben nor the young woman notice the photo being taken. One has lost everything and the other is busy doing what he does best, bringing comfort.

The picture goes viral, through social media and news outlets. But who owns the rights.

Ben hasn’t come forward to say it’s him. But someone has. What would you do in his position.

This book is a well written and thought provoking tale. The writing and story are of such a high standard that it draws the reader in and wont let them go. Book clubs will enjoy this book. It has plenty of scope for discussions.

This book takes you on a journey and what a journey. It shows the good and bad in the human beast. I would recommend this read to everyone.

As the blurb says: When greed turns deadly.

My first read by Roger but hopefully not my last.

The author:

Roger Bray

Author Bio – I have always loved writing; putting words onto a page and bringing characters to life. I can almost feel myself becoming immersed into their lives, living with their fears and triumphs. Thus, my writing process becomes an endless series of questions. What would she or he do, how would they react, is this in keeping with their character? Strange as it sounds, I don’t like leaving characters in cliffhanging situations without giving them an ending, whichever way it develops.
My life to date is what compels me to seek a just outcome, the good will overcome and the bad will be punished. More though, I tend to see my characters as everyday people in extraordinary circumstances, but in which we may all find our selves if the planets align wrongly or for whatever reason you might consider.

Of course, most novels are autobiographical in some way. You must draw on your own experiences of life and from events you have experienced to get the inspiration. My life has been an endless adventure. Serving in the Navy, fighting in wars, serving as a Police officer and the experiences each one of those have brought have all drawn me to this point, but it was a downside to my police service that was the catalyst for my writing.

Medically retired after being seriously injured while protecting a woman in a domestic violence situation I then experienced the other side of life. Depression and rejection. Giving truth to the oft said saying that when one door closes another opens I pulled myself up and enrolled in college gaining bachelor and master degrees, for my own development rather than any professional need. The process of learning, of getting words down onto the page again relit my passion for writing in a way that I hadn’t felt since high school.

So here we are, two books published and another on track.

Where it will take me I have no idea but I am going to enjoy getting there and if my writing can bring some small pleasure into people’s lives along the way, then I consider that I will have succeeded in life.

Books by Roger:

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