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Wish You Weren't Here by Portia Macintosh #Review

  I am delighted to feature a laugh outloud romcom by Portia Macintosh . Wish You Weren't Here was published on January 8th by Boldwood Books .   Don’t get mad, get Ethan! Lana has had enough. Her ‘perfect’ sister is getting married. In Australia. On Lana’s 30th birthday and no one seems to have noticed. To make matters worse, she’s been given a list of rules she must follow so she doesn’t upstage the bride. Well, rules are meant to be bent right? She’s found a killer dress, now she just needs the most inappropriate wedding date she can find. But where to start? All her attempts at online dating are simply disasters, and not in the right way! Too boring/married/easily intimidated! But then her drop dead gorgeous ex Ethan suddenly reappears in her life. With the power to make her dizzy with excitement she reminds herself why they broke up. Together they literally attracted chaos until their relationship imploded. They couldn’t make it work. But could Lana make this work ...

Dark as Night by Lilja Sigurdardottir translated by Lorenza Garcia #Review #Giveaway

 

 

Today I am delighted to feature the fourth in the great Icelandic Noir series, An Arora Investigation by Lilja Sigurdardottir. Dark as Night was published by Orenda on October 10th. I also have a great giveaway with the chance to win a print copy of Dark as Night. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post. 

When Áróra receives a call telling her that a child she’s never met is claiming to be her missing sister reincarnated, she is devastated … as ridiculous as the allegations might seem. For three years she has been searching for her sister without finding a single clue, and now this strange child seems to have new information.

On the same day, Icelandic detective Daníel returns home to find a note from his tenant, drag queen Lady Gúgúlú, giving notice on her flat and explaining that she has to leave the country. Daníel is immediately suspicious, and when three threatening men appear, looking for Lady, it’s clear to him that something is very wrong…

And as Iceland’s long dark nights continue into springtime, that is just the very beginning…

Twisty, intricately plotted and atmospheric, 
Dark as Night is the highly anticipated fourth book in the addictive An Áróra Investigation series, as Áróra and her friends face unimaginable danger and extraordinary experiences that may change everything, forever…

My Thoughts

This is a great series with an amazing central character, in Arora. You get to see her strength and determination but also her sadnesses and vulnerabilities. There are several story strands in this novel but two main ones. One the one hand, Arora is shocked to be approached by two parents who say their little daughter is saying that she is the reincarnation of Arora's missing sister. On the other hand, Arora's boyfriend's tenant goes missing. The story around hi, gets more and more complicated. 

    This is a fast paced story which carries you along with twists and turns. The backdrop of Iceland with winter approaching adds to the loneliness and isolation. It feels to be concealing a few secrets beneath the surface. I thought that this was a beautifully translated text by which flowed easily and always felt natural. Big congratulations are due to Lorenza Garcia.  There is plenty of detail in the story threads to keep you engrossed and of course, wanting more.

In short: hidden secrets in a dark landscape

 

About the Author

Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurdardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written four crime novels, with Snare, the first in a new series, hitting bestseller lists worldwide. Translation rights have been sold in eight countries to date, and film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. Lilja has a background in education and has worked in evaluation and quality control for preschools in recent years. She lives in Reykjavík with her partner. 

You can connect with Lilja here: X (Twitter)  |  Website
 
 Book links: Amazon UK
 

Thanks to Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books  for a copy of the book and a place on the blog tour.


Don't forget to check out these other great bloggers! 
 

Giveaway (UK only)
 

 
To win a print copy of Dark as Night just Follow and Retweet the pinned tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!
 
The giveaway starts on October 27th and the closing date is November 2nd 2024 and there is one winner.    
 
*Terms and Conditions – UK only.  The winner will be selected at random via a random retweet selector from all valid entries and will be notified by X (Twitter) and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.


 

 

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