Bloood brothers

When you’re running the streets, loyalty is everything…

Gangs rule the streets of the rough Gallowburn Estate in Glasgow, but the deepest rivalry of all is between Jamie Gray and his friends, known as the Blood Brothers, and their enemies, the Lawsons.
The two gangs clash frequently, but when a phone containing incriminating evidence disappears after a particularly brutal run-in, the stakes are higher than ever.

Jamie’s mother Jackie is as hard as nails and is not going to let anyone hurt her boy – even if she has to roll up her sleeves and get stuck in. What she wants more than anything though, is to see Jamie turn his back on the street life. And when he meets spoilt rich-girl Allegra, who has a penchant for shoplifting, Jackie thinks she could be Jamie’s way out.

But with the Lawsons closing in, and everyone taking sides, there is only one way out for Jamie, and to triumph he must take out his biggest enemy…

If you love Martina Cole, Kimberley Chambers, and Jessie Keane, you’ll love Heather Atkinson. Discover the bestselling author Heather Atkinson, her crackling plots, unforgettable characters and page-turning pace and you'll never look back...

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My thoughts:
 If you are a fan of gangland thrillers, you are going to enjoy this first instalment in Heather Atkinson's new series, based on lives of four friends, four Blood Brothers from a fictional scheme/ housing estate on the outskirts of Glasgow.

Jamie Gray's life has never been easy- he lives in one of the poorest areas imaginable. His Dad left their family when Jamie's little brother was just two. Guess what, their close-knit family of three, Jamie, Charlie, and their awesome mother Jackie have actually been better off without the abusive alcoholic of their father. Jackie has instilled a great sense of loyalty in Jamie and a few other important values e.g. treating women with respect. Jamie's also grateful for his best friends- Logan, Gary and Digger. They are well-known and feared locally, because their undisputed control of the northern part of their scheme has been won in violent fights. Their archenemies, the Lawsons, may give them hassle from time to time, but the Blood Brothers won't let them take over what they see as their rightful territory. Well, Jackie keeps reminding Jamie that he shouldn't be getting in al these fights, but secretly she knows the only way to survive n these streets is to hold your own. One day Jamie meets a well-dressed, feisty, clearly rich girl who likes shoplifting and dangerous driving and seems to be inexplicably attracted to him. Their love story is intense and full of dangerous twists and turns, because Allegra's father is notoriously powerful Cameron Abernethy who does think himself above the law.

There is a lot of action and violence, something that I guess comes with the territory if you choose to read this genre. There is also young love, fierce loyalty and friendship. My favourite character is probably Jackie with her formidable weapon of a frying pan. Just proves that there is nothing that will stop a loving and dedicated mother from coming to rescue her cubs, and if this mother's temper is on a short side, beware: somebody is going to get seriously hurt.

Although this is my first book by Heather Atkinson, she has many loyal fans, who undoubtfully will be waiting impatiently to find out what happens with the rest of Blood Brothers- Gary, Digger, and Logan, who already proved to be unique characters in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources  and Boldwood Books for the review copy. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Author Bio
Heather Atkinson is the author of over fifty books - predominantly in the crime fiction genre. Although Lancashire born and bred she now lives with her family, including twin teenage daughters, on the beautiful west coast of Scotland. Her new gangland series for Boldwood, set on the fictional Gallowburn estate in Glasgow begins with Blood Brothers which will be published in December 2020.
 
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Thank you for reading this post ! Have a great Sunday!

If you would like to see what other bloggers thought of Blood Brothers,here is the  full blog tour schedule:

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources for my place on the tour for this wonderfully entertaining romantic comedy.

Synopsis:

What if wishes really could come true? 
When Jinnie Cooper is dumped by her fiancé, and exiled to a job in an antiques shop in a sleepy Scottish village, little does she know a battered old lamp is about to shake up her life. 
Genie Dhassim grants wishes. But he also wants a few of his own to come true. Letting him explore the outside world proves nerve-wracking as Dhassim has an uncanny knack of putting his pointy-slippered foot in it. 
As Jinnie grows closer to her employer Sam, Dhassim discovers his time on earth is running out. 
Can both Jinnie and Dhassim find true happiness? Or are those wishes that cannot be granted?

Purchase Links
Amazon UK   /  Amazon US

My thoughts:
This was such a great modern retelling of the old genie fairy-tale: funny, magical, and wonderfully romantic!

First of all, let me say, this was my first book written by Audrey Davis, and definitely won't be the last. She has a great sense of humour and we all need a bit of that these days.

We meet Jinnie Cooper, the kind and selfless protagonist of the book, as she moves in her new shoe-box flat in Cranley, a little village just outside Edinburgh. Jinnie's fiance Mark decided to break off their engagement, saying he isn't attracted to her any more, so now Jinnie is jobless and in dire need of a new start in her life. Cranley is all she can afford, but little does Jinnie know how welcoming the inhabitants of Cranley are going to be and how many great friendships she is going to make. Very soon Audrey finds herself doing not one, but two part-time jobs. One of which is in an old antiques shop where she picks an old oil lamp in desperate need of a bit of loving care. Yes, the inevitable happens and Jinnie's life complicates immensely by the appearance of a feisty genie called Dhassim.

I loved the fabulous character cast Audrey Davies created in this book. Your heart will go to Jinnie who needs to understand herself and her own wishes a bit better. I loved the descriptions of her family, but my favourite character in the book is definitely Wilma, Audrey's eighty-six year old grandmother, and her quirky mix of interests that include tea leaf reading and Twitter. Then there is a whole lot of the village inhabitants: lonely baker Jo with a heart of gold, the local pub owner Ken whose wife of thirty odd years has the early onset Alzheimer's disease, Angela, a single mother and a recovering alcoholic and Sam, a divorcee with a very complicated relationship with his ex-wife. In short, there are plenty of serious issues the characters have to deal with.

There's a great sense of community that permeates this lighthearted modern take on the genie story. I was impressed by the kindness the people of Cranley show to each other in this magical story. All characters are likeable (with the exception of Jinnie's ex, of course!). There might be space for a sequel (or two) set in this friendly little village.

A Wish for Jinnie is light-hearted, humorous story that will entertain you and make you think about showing kindness to people around you.

Thank you to the author and Rachel from Rachel's Random resources for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.

About the author:
Audrey Davis is a Scottish-born former journalist, now resident in Switzerland. Her newspaper career saw her cover events in Northern Ireland and the Falkland Islands, as well as working for a London-based movie magazine writing reviews and carrying out interviews.
She self-published her debut romantic comedy novel A Clean Sweep in June 2017, following an online Open University course in Writing Fiction.
Audrey followed up with a short, darker prequel A Clean Break before beginning work on a rom-com novella trilogy with a ghostly twist – The Haunting of Hattie Hastings. Again, reviews across the board were excellent, and it was combined into a standalone novel in November 2018.
A Wish For Jinnie is her third standalone novel.
Apart from writing, Audrey enjoys travel and spends a lot of time in Edinburgh. She is an avid cook, watcher of scary movies and reluctant gym-goer.

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Thank you for stopping by! I hope you pick your copy of this great rom-com and enjoy reading it.

If you would like to check out other bloggers' reviews, here is the full schedule of the book tour:

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random resources for my place on the book tour for this uplifting  novel.

Book Synopsis

One Day In Summer
Coming soon from #1 bestseller Shari Low, an emotional roller-coaster, that keeps you guessing...

One day in summer, three lives are about to change forever.

After two decades of looking after others, this is the day that Agnetha McMaster is reclaiming her life. It's her turn, her time but will she have the courage to start again?

Ten years ago, Mitchell McMaster divorced Agnetha and married her best friend, Celeste. Now he suspects his second wife is having an affair. This is the day he’ll discover if karma has come back to bite him.

Thanks to a DNA test, this is the day that Hope McTeer will finally meet her biological father. But will the reunion bring Hope the answers that she’s looking for?

Three people. Twenty-four hours. A lifetime of secrets to unravel.

Review:
One Day in Summer was such an enjoyable and uplifting read! This is my first book written by Shari Low, but definitely won't be the last.
Our protagonist Agnetha McMaster (yes, her Mum was a big fan of Abba, and, no, this isn't a common Scottish name) wakes up on her 45th birthday and thinks back to the last twenty something years of her life. They were full of caring after her ailing parents and full of grief after they passed away, full of  looking after Agnetha's lovely twin daughters Isla and Skye, who are now fully grown-up, and full of work at her family business. Agnetha used to be a joyful, spontaneous girl who travelled, partied, fell in love and lived her life to full. Can she recapture the feeling and reclaim life she has been putting on hold for such long time? Has she truly forgiven her ex-husband Mitchell who had an affair with Agnetha's former best friend?
The events of the story unfold over 24 hours and it really drives it home how many things can change over the course of one day. When I first saw the large cast of primary and secondary characters listed at the beginning I was afraid I'd find it all very confusing, but Shari Low is a master story-teller and she chose a very clear narrative structure. There are 3 POVs: Agnetha who is cautiously optimistic about the possibility of a new relationship in her life and whose birthday we all crash in, Mitchell who is having doubts about his second marriage, and Hope McTeer, a medical student who is looking for her biological parents and whose connection to McMasters we need to work out. There is present (Agnetha's birthday) and there are regular flashbacks to summer of 1997 when Agnetha and Celeste had a holiday in the USA.
All characters are well-developed and likeable with one notable exception. Interaction after interaction, present or past, friend or foe, Agnetha proves to be such a lovely, thoughtful and generous soul. She made sure her daughters had a loving relationship with their father, she is a loyal and supportive friend (loved her Wednesday bereavement group- Val, Yvie, Will and all the rest), but where it really shone through was her conversation with Hope. Not surprisingly, Mitchell's story is full of realising past mistakes and regretting them. Shari Low's book, despite its lovely flow and entertaining nature, also deals with some very serious issues and marriage breakdown with its inevitable aftermath is one of them. I absolutely adored the secondary characters in this novel! Agnetha and Mitchell's daughters Isla and Skye, then Hope and her adoptive sister Maisie are so witty and so much fun!
One Day in Summer touches upon serious issues: bereavement and grief, trust and betrayal, sharing custody after divorce, making new friends, adoption and looking for biological parents. Following the characters' stories will take you on a roller-coaster of emotions: love, depression, hurt, hope and joy. You will understand the reasons for their behaviour and see how they have changed over life and what they learnt from their mistakes. Hope you pick up a copy of One Day in summer and enjoy this captivating read.
Thank you to the author, Boldwood Books and Rachel for letting me participate in this book tour.

About the author:
Shari Low is the #1 bestselling author of over 20 novels, including One Day In Winter and My One Month Marriage and a collection of parenthood memories called Because Mummy Said So.  She lives near Glasgow.

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