Manipulated Lives - HA Leuschel

 

Manipulated Lives

Today I am pleased to be able to participate in the blog tour for Manipulated Lives by H A Leuschel.  My thanks go to @damppebbles blog tours for my spot on the tour. 

About the Book

Five compelling true-to-life stories each highlighting a narcissist’s manipulative mind games,

Narcissists are everywhere.

They can be witty, charming and highly charismatic.

Anyone can be their target.

At first their devious, calculating mind games can be hard to spot because they are masters of disguise, but then they revert to their true self of being controlling and angry in private. Their main aim: to dominate and use others to satisfy their needs, with a complete lack of compassion and empathy for their victim.

All stories highlight to what extent narcissistic abuse can distort lives and threaten our self-worth yet ultimately, also send a positive message that once the narcissist is unmasked, the victims can at last break free.

 Review

I am pleased to be one of the final stops on this blog tour and after reading the other books by HA Leuschel, I couldn’t wait to read this.

Now I have a confession, since saying I would read this book, things have been a bit chaotic as I am sure it has for most people during this strange time that we are all in and my reading has been hit and miss.  I have started to read this book but have not quite finished it.  I am seriously missing my train journey to and from work where I could read uninterrupted for at least 20 mins, whereas now as I am driving to and from work I don’t seem to have the same timescales and freedom to read (never mind that it would be frowned upon should I be reading a kindle whilst driving) as I used to. 

Anyway, I am not too far off finishing this book and once finished will update my review, however for the time being all I can say is I am so glad I started it (despite not being able to complete the same) as it is one of those books that will stay with me for a while. 

As anyone will know this is a collection of short stories and each one is that little bit different.  I love being able to read short stories and find that they do mean that the time that I can relax after a busy day at work with a cuppa, chocolate and peace and quiet even for half an hour means that I can read a story or hopefully read one in full, sit and digest the same and gather my thoughts before moving on to the next one.  I am like this with any book, in that I have to gather my thoughts at the end of each one and am not able to rush straight into another book immediately.

I am seriously looking forward to finishing this book and then I will be able to see if I can make a decision as to my overall favourite one (as despite the different stories that are in there, I am sure that one will be able to resonate with me more than the others).  At present it is hard to decide as each one gives you the presence to sit and think after reading it as to what actually goes on in peoples lives.  Whether the people that is discussed in these stories, actually feel guilty or any sort of remorse for what happens. 

All in all a very interesting book and just under 300 pages.  Looking forward to finishing this when my busy home and work life settles down again.   

About the Author

 

Helene Andrea Leuschel gained a Master in Journalism & Communication, which led to a career in radio and television in Brussels, London and Edinburgh. She later acquired a Master in Philosophy, specializing in the study of the mind. Helene has a particular interest in emotional, psychological and social well-being and this led her to write her first novel, Manipulated Lives, a fictional collection of five novellas, each highlighting the dangers of interacting with narcissists. She lives with her husband and two children in Portugal.

Social Media Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HALeuschel 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HALeuschel/

Website: https://www.heleneleuschel.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleuschel/

 

To buy from:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2NJqNDI

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3bHPLLC

 

Check out the rest of the blog tour with these fabulous blogs: 

 

My thanks to HA Leuschel for letting me review this book along with Emma at @damppebbles for my spot on the blog tour.  

 

The Two Fathers, Keith Dixon (Sam Dykes Mysteries #11)

 

The Two Fathers

Today I am pleased to be able to conclude the blog tour for The Two Fathers by Keith Dixon.  My thanks go to @Damppebbles Blog Tours. 

About the Book

Why does Jessica Hastings come home late several times a week?

Her husband asks Private Investigator Sam Dyke this simple question. Dyke doesn’t want the case: he doesn’t do divorce work … but Brian Hastings doesn’t want a divorce, he wants an explanation.

When Sam finds out what Jessica is doing, it opens up more questions. And when Brian Hastings goes missing, they’re questions he feels compelled to answer.

At the centre of the mystery is a man who most people in Manchester don’t know—Larry Stone. But those who do know him, know that far from being the simple florist he seems to be, he’s actually the biggest crook in town. He’s powerful, he’s dangerous, and he’s currently working a deal with a Dutchman who’s even worse.

And Sam is now caught in Stone’s sights as he works to find Brian Hastings, to solve a couple of murders, and to prevent Stone corrupting even more members of his own family than he already has.

Before the biggest deal of Stone’s crooked career goes down.

 

Review

This is part of the Sam Dyke Investigates series and is book 11 in the series.  You can read these as standalones and I will confess that this is the first one I have read, but certainly won’t be the last.  I will have to start collecting the books and then that will give me a great series to binge read, bit like I do with TV series in all honesty. 

I liked the sound of this book when I heard it was featuring the underworld of Manchester, I love books set in or near my home and Manchester is a great city and one I am proud to work in on a daily basis.  Anyway back to my thoughts on the book.

Sam Dyke is a PI, one I am going to assume brings trouble to everything he gets involved in.  We join Sam in this book when he is hired by Brian Hastings to find out what his wife Jessica is up to when she goes out at night.  We follow Sam as he investigates this and reports back to Brian only for things to take a drastic turn and Brian then goes missing.    

Sam at this point is like a dog with a bone and wants to know more about the Hastings family and the wider family that he has unwillingly met or hear about especially the mysterious Larry Stone who on the face of it is a simple florist or is he?

This was a great read and one that I managed to curl up and read on a cold and miserable couple of days over a couple of weekends, not a lot else could be done in all honesty during this current time but I can seriously say that even if there had been, I am so glad that I didn’t do anything, as I would have missed what a fabulous book this is and what a great book it was to curl up to, with a nice big cup of tea, bar of chocolate and a blanket forgetting about the outside world and losing myself in a great story.

Looking forward to starting to collect the first ten books in the series and have what sounds like some fantastic stories to catch up on.      

 About the Author

Keith Dixon was born in Yorkshire and grew up in the Midlands. He’s been writing since he was thirteen years old in a number of different genres: thriller, espionage, science fiction, literary. Two-time winner of the Chanticleer Reviews CLUE First in Category award for Private Eye/Noir novel, he’s the author of ten books in the Sam Dyke Investigations series and two other non-crime works, as well as two collections of blog posts on the craft of writing. His new series of Paul Storey Thrillers began in 2016.

When he’s not writing he enjoys reading, learning the guitar, watching movies and binge-inhaling great TV series. He’s currently resident in France.

 

Social Media Links

Website: www.keithdixonnovels.com

Blog: www.cwconfidential.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IMayKillYou

Twitter: https://twitter.com/keithyd6

Email: keith@keithdixonnovels.com

 

 To buy from:

 Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/3db4bWQ

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3jNpsal

 

Check out the previous stops on this fantastic blog with these fabulous blogs: 

 

My thanks to Keith Dixon and also Emma @damppebbles blogs tours for my spot on the blog tour.