REVIEW: Tough Times on Coronation Close by Lizzie Lane

 

Tough Times on Coronation Close (Coronation Close #4) by Lizzie Lane

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW2

Read: 5th April 2025

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Published: 30th March 2025

★★★★ 4 stars 

DESCRIPTION:

As the war rages, the women must keep the home fires burning…

Bristol 1941

Coronation Close survives the brutal Bristol Blitz but with rationing, call up papers and new rules and regulations everyone’s lives are changed forever.

Resident do-gooder PC Percy Routledge obsession with rules being upheld finds him spying and reporting fellow neighbours on the slightest infraction whilst his poor brow-beaten wife, Margaret can only watch on in shameful silence. It’s whispered that one day he’ll get his comeuppance…

Times are hard for everyone and Thelma Dawson certainly has her fair share of upset. Devastating news arrives that her son Charlie’s ship has been torpedoed and sank in the Atlantic, his whereabouts unknown. Will he ever return to his wife and their unborn child? Meanwhile, seventeen years old daughter Mary has had her head turned by a certain overseas soldier. But where will temptation lead them?

Tough times, it seems are her to stay and the woman of Coronation Close all have their own battles and problems to overcome. As friendships are nurtured and relationships are tested, tragedy strikes and some home truths need to be faced.

MY THOUGHTS:

Make do, mend and carry on...

Returning to Coronation Close was like coming home. Even with the nosy and often bad neighbours. Catching up with the lives, loves and times with all those who reside there and beyond is like catching up with old friends. Life has not been easy to those living on the Close, and even less so now that war rages on around them.

We see something more of Mary Dawson as she has grown into a young woman working at the tobacco factory (a feature of and a nod to Ms Lane's previous series) whilst making friends with a Canadian airman Beau Blackbird. Though it is on a bus ride home one evening after work that thrusts Mary into something a little more exciting in the weeks to come. A man claiming to be from the Channel Islands begins quizzing them about the local airport and things roundabout. Mary is at once suspicious as she and her friends corner the passenger, prompting the driver stop and call for police to come sort the situation. 

Unfortunately the responding policeman is none other than pompous resident know-it-all of Coronation Close, PC Percy Routledge. The stranger laughs the women off and Percy, such as he is, laughs with him. Mary is furious not to mention suspicious. The stranger makes an offer Percy couldn't refuse and all sorts of promises which leaves the constable puffing with pride. But what is he really after?

Meanwhile, Percy's poor long-suffering wife has done his bidding for far too long and when Percy refuses point blank for her to call a doctor on their sick son then leaves in the night, Margaret decides to call for him herself. But then matters are taken out of her hands as her neighbours offer their assistance.

Jenny is still lovelorn after Robin who cannot see the manipulation of his ex-wife in their children, even to the point of danger. Thelma has one blow too many but then another offer comes along on the horizon.

The lives and loves of those on the Close continue as war rages on and I look forward to seeing what's in store for the residents and their loved ones in the next installment.

I would like to thank #LizzieLane, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #ToughTimesOnCoronationClose in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lizzie Lane is a born and bred Bristolian who now lives in West Wiltshire with her partner, a wonderful garden and a lately acquired allotment. In the past she has bred dogs, kept horses, painted and made models from clay. (Nightly visit from the badger has smashed one).

Working jobs she's hated purely to keep a roof over her family’s head and a meal on the table, she then discovered writing. Encouraged by an American writer friend and when a time came there were no jobs and no other option, she took the plunge. She is now the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. As a Bristolian, many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories, inspiring her new saga series The Tobacco Girls.

Up until six years ago her home (and that of her late husband) was a 46ft sailing yacht named Sarabande Serene, sailing into the Mediterranean. So besides being a successful author Lizzie can read navigation charts and react swiftly in a storm. 

Lizzie is now landlocked in a town close to the city of Bath. 

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PUBLISHER:

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SPOTLIGHT: Tough Times on Coronation Close by Lizzie Lane

Tough Times on Coronation Close (Coronation Close #4) by Lizzie Lane

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW2

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 30th March 2025

DESCRIPTION:

As the war rages, the women must keep the home fires burning…

Bristol 1941

Coronation Close survives the brutal Bristol Blitz but with rationing, call up papers and new rules and regulations everyone’s lives are changed forever.

Resident do-gooder PC Percy Routledge obsession with rules being upheld finds him spying and reporting fellow neighbours on the slightest infraction whilst his poor brow-beaten wife, Margaret can only watch on in shameful silence. It’s whispered that one day he’ll get his comeuppance…

Times are hard for everyone and Thelma Dawson certainly has her fair share of upset. Devastating news arrives that her son Charlie’s ship has been torpedoed and sank in the Atlantic, his whereabouts unknown. Will he ever return to his wife and their unborn child? Meanwhile, seventeen years old daughter Mary has had her head turned by a certain overseas soldier. But where will temptation lead them?

Tough times, it seems are her to stay and the woman of Coronation Close all have their own battles and problems to overcome. As friendships are nurtured and relationships are tested, tragedy strikes and some home truths need to be faced.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lizzie Lane is a born and bred Bristolian who now lives in West Wiltshire with her partner, a wonderful garden and a lately acquired allotment. In the past she has bred dogs, kept horses, painted and made models from clay. (Nightly visit from the badger has smashed one).

Working jobs she's hated purely to keep a roof over her family’s head and a meal on the table, she then discovered writing. Encouraged by an American writer friend and when a time came there were no jobs and no other option, she took the plunge. She is now the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. As a Bristolian, many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories, inspiring her new saga series The Tobacco Girls.

Up until six years ago her home (and that of her late husband) was a 46ft sailing yacht named Sarabande Serene, sailing into the Mediterranean. So besides being a successful author Lizzie can read navigation charts and react swiftly in a storm. 

Lizzie is now landlocked in a town close to the city of Bath. 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter Sign Up | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Boldwood Books by following them on these social media accounts.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

REVIEW: The Riverside Maid by AnneMarie Brear

The Riverside Maid (The Waterfront Women #3) by AnneMarie Brear

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, Victorian era

Read: 20th March 2025

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Amazon

Published: 20th March 2025

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

From rags to riches... but will happiness follow?

Orphaned as a child, Fliss Atkins has spent her life working at her uncle’s pub, The Bay Horse Inn, nestled along the banks of the River Calder. Life has been anything but easy for Fliss. Her aunt is unloving, and her older cousin Gerald is cruel.

Then she meets Oscar Nolan, whose adventurous spirit makes her wonder if there might be more to life beyond the only home she’s known. Could Oscar and his dreams of travel be her chance at a fresh start? The thought is tempting, but leaving her best friends, Lorrie and Meg, and their beloved families behind seems unimaginable.

When tragedy strikes, Fliss is presented with an unexpected opportunity to shape a new life for herself. But will new riches bring her the happiness she longs for, or will it lead to even greater troubles for this riverside maid?

A compelling and emotional read set in Victorian Yorkshire, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin.

MY THOUGHTS:

From rags to riches...but will happiness follow...?

What a delightful rags to riches story this is! Felicity "Fliss" Atkins was orphaned from a a young age and taken in by her uncle Terry, landlord and owner of the Bay Horse public house, on the banks of the River Calder. Over the years, trade from the river has slowed as steam trains have taken over the carrying of cargo across land leaving the narrowboats often without work. The Bay Horse is a working man's pub in which the dockers from the wharf drink at the end of a long day.

But for Fliss, life has been anything but easy. Orphaned at a young age, her uncle's family didn't want her and her cousin Gerald made her life a misery, while her aunt Hilda remained cold and aloof. As she grew into adulthood, Gerald's torture never waned and her aunt treated her like a skivvy. Only her uncle had any love for her. And then there were her friends Meg and Lorrie, whom she befriended when Meg used to work behind the bar before marrying wealthy Christian Henderson. But the friendships formed between the three women remained.

Now at 25 years of age, as she watched her two friends happily married with young children of their own, Fliss wonders if there will ever be someone special for her. She thinks not as her aunt as always been at pains to say she is nothing special and Gerald taunts her mercilessly about her ugly looks. Who would want a redheaded orphan without a bean to her name?

Then one day she meets Oscar Nolan, a young surveyor measuring up the vacant building adjoining the Bay Horse. What had once been an old shop was to be sold and Fliss couldn't help but wonder how much the asking price was. She had often regaled her ideas of expansion into the adjoining building to her uncle but he was happy keeping things as they are. But a twist of fate sees her holding the keys as she begins work on expanding the Bay Horse into an Inn in which travellers can rest with beer, food and lodgings. But not everyone is happy with how things have played out and Fliss soon finds herself in danger.

When Fliss finds Oscar Nolan stopping by one day to ask her to go for a walk, she dares to dream of stepping out with a man. But what would someone as dashing and adventurous as him want with an old maid like her? And yet Oscar continues to visit, even melting aunt Hilda's ice cold heart. The couple are attracted to each other and soon Fliss begins to dream of the possibilities. But when she discovers Oscar has a job offer that will take him away from her, Fliss wonders if she could bare to let him go.

Set in the late 1800s towards the end of the old Queen's reign, this delightful tale rounds off those of the Waterfront Women that we have come to know and love in each of their respective stories. As with all sagas of this time kind, there is plenty love, heartache and tragedy to go round as well as a heartwarming ending to round things off.

Despite this being the obvious end to the series, I would love to see what's in store next for the women in sunnier climes. It would shed a different light and perspective on life and I would love to see it play out...should it do so.

Another delightful tale at the pen of AnneMarie Brear.

I would like to thank #AnneMarieBrear, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheRiversideMaid in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

AnneMarie Brear was born in a small town in N.S.W. Australia, to English parents from Yorkshire, and is the youngest of five children. From an early age she loved reading, working her way through the Enid Blyton stories, before moving onto Catherine Cookson’s novels as a teenager. 

Living in England during the 1980s and more recently, AnneMarie developed a love of history from visiting grand old English houses and this grew into a fascination with what may have happened behind their walls over their long existence. 

Her enjoyment of visiting old country estates and castles when travelling and, her interest in genealogy and researching her family tree, has been put to good use, providing backgrounds and names for her historical novels which are mainly set in Yorkshire or Australia between Victorian times and WWII. 

A long and winding road to publication led to her first novel being published in 2006. She has now published over twenty-seven historical family saga novels, becoming an Amazon UK best seller and with her novel, The Slum Angel, winning a gold medal at the USA Reader's Favourite International Awards in 2019, and a silver medal for The Market Stall Girl in 2021. Two of her books have been nominated for the Romance Writer’s Australia Ruby Award and the In’dtale Magazine Rone award.

AnneMarie now lives in the Southern Highlands of N.S.W. Australia with her husband and her family.

Social Media links:

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PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Boldwood Books by following them on these social media accounts.

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REVIEW: 20 Minutes Until it's Over by Daniel Hurst

20 Minutes Until it's Over (20 Minutes #20) by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Novella, Quick read

Read: 23rd March 2025

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Amazon

Published: 21st April 2022

★★★★★ 5 stars 

DESCRIPTION:

The final book in the bestselling 20 Minute Series!

The threat to Earth has never been more real, and as the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, there is nowhere on the planet that is safe.

London, like every other major city, has fallen into a state of disorder, and its inhabitants are having to spend almost as much time worrying about the dangers on the ground as they are about the dangers in the sky.

As the clock ticks down until the moment of reckoning, it’s every man or woman for themselves, and several characters decide to take shelter in the only place they can.

They head underground...

They go back to where it all began…

MY THOUGHTS:

The culmination of events that we have followed over the course of 20 books has come this - the final book. Set three months after "20 Minutes in the Air", this one reads like a Doomsday-prepper's paradise as everyone prepares for the asteroid that was predicted to wipe out the earth and all humanity to come to fruition. I admit, it was very Doomsday-ish for the most part - too much for my tastes - but then in true Daniel Hurst fashion, he pulls the rug out at the eleventh hour and throws us a final twist that we never expected or even saw coming! And for me, it was that that saved this book from a 4 star (or even less) rating.

So. 20 minutes until it's over. Till what's over? The book? The series? Mankind? It actually seemed rather poignant that today I was only reading about how God wiped out mankind in the great flood saving only Noah, his family and two of each kind of animal. God said he would never wipe us out in such a way again. So how would the world end then? With an asteroid hurtling through the great expanse of His universe toward earth? Who knows? But I just found it ironic to read of two ways that mankind was to be wiped out in the same day.

So the people of London have sheltered as they did during air raids throughout the war, in the underground, hoping that it will be enough to save them. But I doubt it. Not with the force that such a space rock will create upon making contact. But one thing is for sure, as you read this final installment, you are wondering how it will all end? Will anyone survive? Or will the asteroid change course at the last minute, narrowly missing earth as it passes? Whatever the outcome, it's here that we bid farewell to those we have come to love (and some we've come to loathe). 

It took me six weeks to binge read the books (in between book tours and real life along the way) and I certainly had some favourite books and some not so favourite. I was certainly invested in the lives of the characters that we came to know in each of them while others made a passing appearance. Things started to go a little awry after the prison riot and I found the series begin to peter out, especially with the introduction of an asteroid on New Years Eve (otherwise I loved that installment!). The next two were nail-biting as things in the air became a little hairy and by the end I was wondering what was going to happen in this final book.

My favourite character? Hands down has to be lovable rogue mischievious Harry. I have a soft spot for him as my dad was also West Ham born and bred. Closely followed by firm favourites Jelena and Bogdan.

I didn't love this book but I certainly LOVED that ending! It was so perfect. And for that reason alone I am giving it 5 stars!

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: 20 Minutes in the Air by Daniel Hurst

20 Minutes in the Air (20 Minutes #19) by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Novella, Quick read

Read: 22nd March 2025

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Amazon

Published: 4th March 2022

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

The bestselling 20 Minute Series continues at high altitude!

With several flights having departed and numerous characters in the sky hoping for a smooth ride to their destination, the seatbelt signs are off, and the passengers are free to move around the cabin. But pleasant flights can be interrupted with words like:

Turbulence. Engine Trouble. Mayday.

But if things seem dangerous and deadly on Earth, it's only worse out in space as the race begins to meet the hazard that threatens everything.

What goes up, must come down...

MY THOUGHTS:

The culmination of events that began just thirty minutes before in "20 Minutes Before Take Off" goes up a notch as the race is on for one plane to land safely, another to return to the UK after a medical episode, a serial killer on the loose in mid air as several space shuttles launch simultaneously on a mission to save the planet from total destruction. Yep, it's all happening, folks...even if a little OTT, as is Daniel Hurst's way.

Many characters we have come to know and love are at this very minute above the clouds heading for their destination yet hurtling towards something else entirely. Due to human error by a mechanic on the ground, these passengers will not be arriving in Berlin.

One plane is ferrying our favourite main characters out of the country and to the safety of Belgrade until a medical episode sees them having to return to make an emergency landing back in the UK.

Another plane is on course to the sunny climes of Spain as a gangster flees authorities with his wife and daughter until a shock discovery causes them to change course and possibly return from whence they came. But does he have a back up plan to get himself out of this?

And then a very nasty character we have followed from the beginning is enjoying the on board mile high club the private jet he's on has offered, but then he has something else in mind that will endeavour to make his journey far more interesting...though less so for the others involved.

Meanwhile, space shuttles from the UK, America, Russia and China have all simultaneously launched on a course to intercept the asteroid that threatens to wipe out earth and all mankind in just three months time. And the government are keeping it all hush-hush for fear of creating panic, but one man is intent on getting the news out even if it is the last thing he does!

It's all action in this second last installment as the race to save mankind is on...and all will be revealed in the final book.

Next...20 Minutes Until it's All Over

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: 20 Minutes Before Take Off by Daniel Hurst

20 Minutes Before Take Off (20 Minutes #18) by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Novella, Quick read

Read: 21st March 2025

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Amazon

Published: 28th January 2022

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

The bestselling 20 Minute Series continues as the characters prepare to take to the skies...

There are a lot of reasons to board a plane and fly away. For leisure purposes. For a business trip. Or to run from the person chasing you...

As several characters heed their boarding call and strap themselves in, they all have a different reason to be getting away.

Some passengers are innocent. Some are not. And some are taking to the skies because the fate of mankind might just depend on it...

MY THOUGHTS:

The eighteenth installment of this exciting series sees our friends just one week after the events of "20 Minutes to Midnight" when more than just fireworks lit up the London sky.

So much is happening on the tarmac and beyond in this next chapter of the story that hurtling closer to the end. The lives of many could potentially seemingly hang in the balance while the countdown is on to something far bigger than any of us. A serial killer intent on revenge, an escape convict outwitting authorities, a school excursion going awry, a marriage on the rocks and much much more.

Who will live? Who will die? Will Jelena and Bogdan make it and live happily ever after? Will Ronnie evade capture? Will Valentin get his mark or will he be finally be caught once and for all? And will Harry continue to get into mischief?

What I love most about this book is reliving that feeling you get being pushed back into your seat and that rush of adrenaline as the plane you are in leaves the tarmac and into the air. Best feeling ever! 

Private jets and commercial airlines take to the skies whilst another flight hurtles through the atmosphere on a course to prevent something far greater from taking place. Will they make it in time?

Two more books to go to find out...

Next...20 Minutes in the Air

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: 20 Minutes to Midnight by Daniel Hurst

20 Minutes to Midnight (20 Minutes #17) by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Pscyhological thriller, Novella, Quick read

Read: 20th March 2025

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Amazon

Published: 27th December 2021

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

It's New Year's Eve in London and that only means one thing. Fireworks, and lots of them.

As the citizens of England's capital gather on the banks of the Thames, there is an enemy lurking amongst them. It's an enemy who has struck before and now they are ready to strike again.

Happy New Year? Or the start of something bad?

MY THOUGHTS:

It's New Year's Eve and six weeks after the chaotic events of "20 Minutes Behind Bars" in which several prisoners escaped, including gangster Ronnie Larkhall, notorious serial killer Valentin, terrorist Jamal and our hero of the series, Bogdan. Not everyone came out of the prison riots unscathed with Diego just one of the many fatalaties that day.

But today is New Year's Eve and revellers are gathered on the banks of the Thames near Tower Bridge to watch a aeronautic flyover before the fireworks at midnight. But while many have gathered in the city for celebrations, there are some who have evil intentions with fireworks not the only thing lighting up London's skyline tonight.

But however exciting this installment began, it ended with something of an eye-rolling flop. What just happened in those final two chapters? The stand off with Bogdan was just stupid but the final chapter was even stupider. Knocking a star off for the eye rolling stupidity of those last two chapters.  As much as I have enjoyed this series, this is the most disappointing. I hope it improves with the final three and finishes with a bang.

A nod to Harry getting himself into even more mischief. Is there no trouble that Harry cannot seem to help himself into? At this rate, he is going to be grounded until he is 35!

Next...20 Minutes Before Take Off

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads