Tag: Book Review

5 Star Amazon Review from Georgie

2019 and ‘DECEPTION’ is still receiving 5 star reviews!

T. J. BlakeLeave a comment

Although I decided to self-publish DECEPTION back in 2016, I’m happy to see that even after three years my readers are still loving it!

A ‘verified purchase’ 5 star review on Amazon.co.uk

5 Star Amazon Review from Georgie

A short and sweet review from Georgie. Chuffed to see that she enjoyed the ride!

DECEPTION’s blurb:

“Through the stark and leafless trees, I see her.

I remember the first day I saw her; an instant attraction. I think she’s beautiful. She has such pensive blue eyes; they remind me of a blue sky right before the sun descends. Every time I see her I want to talk to her, I want to get to know her, and I want to be her friend.

She usually completes the lower woodland walk in six minutes and forty-two seconds; she misses the deeper woodlands and goes home, I believe.

I walk down the road at the same speed as her. She reaches the crossroads at the bottom of the road, looks both ways, and then jogs across into the garden of a house. I stop walking and concentrate on which house is hers.

I can’t stare too long but I am intrigued already, I will come back.”

A psychological thriller that will not let you look at passing dog walkers the same.

If you would like to read this novel, you can download it here from Amazon. Click the link and it will take you to the right Amazon (UK, US etc.) for you.

Deception: A Love of Lies by T. J. Blake

If you do decide to read DECEPTION then please let me know what you think!

Deception: A Love of Lies by T. J. Blake

Every author wants to read an in-depth review about their book!

T. J. Blake1 Comment

If you ask an author what they want to achieve in their writing career, especially a self-published author like me, they might say “to be published and have my book adapted into a TV series or movie“. I would be lying if I denied that this is my long term objective… but we also quite like the idea of entertaining readers and hopefully receive positive feedback on our work.

Weirdly, this is kind of my review of a review… Book review inception!

I’m pleased to say that my novel “DECEPTION: A Love of Lies” has received a fantastic review from a reader. It’s not just any review, it’s a thorough analysis. The reader has taken the time to delve deep into studying the plot, setting and characterisation of ‘DECEPTION‘.

Deception: A Love of Lies by T. J. Blake

It was written to be a suspenseful psychological thriller riddled with clues and dark turns. So I’m very proud to see that this was well received by this reviewer and that they enjoyed the ‘DECEPTION’ experience!

Some key points I loved from the review:

“Blake is a seed-planter all right. He knows when and how to drop clues, or hints. When to add to the uneasy feeling these create. When to allow said seeds to burst into sprouting life with the twist you’ve been expecting from the very beginning…“

“The book keeps on teasing us, building the suspense, adding in odd details until we’re crying out for the Bad Thing we know must happen, to happen. Even though we have no idea what it’s going to be.”

“If you like atmosphere, you’ll get it by the bucket load in this book. Ditto if you like a slow build, mounting tension, having questions you just have to know the answers to.”

“For writers, the book is a great lesson in economy of style, internal conflict, and how to write an unreliable first person narrator – where the story we get is different the one in the main character’s head.”

Read the full review from Damien – https://damienseaman.com/2018/10/02/who-says-you-cant-start-a-book-with-the-weather/

Thank you so much for the review Damien if you’re reading this!

Book Review: “Sharp Objects” by Gillian Flynn

T. J. BlakeLeave a comment

Atmospheric characterisation and narration. *** (3.5)

It’s dark, gritty, and at times, uncomfortable. But that’s what Gillian Flynn creates purposefully and brilliantly through her atmospheric characterisation and narration.

Of course, I wasn’t introduced to Gillian Flynn until I read Gone Girl, which by the way, I loved. It instantly became one of my favourite books. I wanted more from her. This is when I was attracted to Sharp Objects. Her debut novel.

We are introduced to a Camille Preaker, a young journalist trying to make a better life for herself. Her sister Marian died at a young age and Camille has been battling her own demons. Her family is hurting and so is Camille, but she wants to focus on her career. That is until she’s sent back to her hometown to report on the death of a girl in Wind Gap, Missouri, her hometown. Another girl is missing, and this is thought by her boss, Curry, to be a big story told by a local.

This is not a detective mystery where we follow the police. Law enforcement doesn’t exist in this story.

Camille is investigator, reporter and resident. It’s dark, it’s gritty, it’s disturbing, it’s creepy. This is all achieved, in my opinion, from the characterisation.

The story itself is painfully slow. I actually found myself telling my better half repeatedly, ‘nothing has happened’. The last 85% though is where EVERYTHING happens. It came and went as quick as a box of Krispy Kreme donuts!

To conclude, I enjoyed the way the story was told but I thought the book was way too slow.

*** (3.5 stars)

Sharp Objects Gillian Flynn

Secrets and Lies by Lynda Renham

Book Review: “Secrets and Lies” by Lynda Renham

T. J. BlakeLeave a comment

New home, new village, old secrets… and a haunting spirit?

Flora and Adam McIntosh move to the country. It’s a setting they’re not used to, but they absolutely love it, or at least Adam does. Flora isn’t so keen. She’s torn. She can admire the home’s charming quaintness, but she can’t shake off the feeling of a presence in the home.

The proud villagers are welcoming, but they’re also suffocating. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone knows everyone’s business. Everyone’s doors are open, literally, even if you don’t want them to be.

I did enjoy this book. The premise was great. Wherever Flora was, she wasn’t safe. Nowhere was safe for her. This added a lot of mystery and fear of what was going to happen next. The mix of overfamiliar villagers, secrets, Flora’s inquisitiveness, and a haunting spirit made this story addictive.

There were however a few things about the narrative I didn’t enjoy. Reflection and thoughts. Flora has many of them during the story. They were mostly following the line of questioning of: Is it this? Is it that? Could this happen? Or could this? Maybe this person did this. Maybe that person did that. It was a little much. Let the reader think about these questions, not Flora. Or not Flora as regularly as she does throughout the book.

There was also a twist which I DID NOT see coming. But as I reflect (not as much as Flora) on it, I feel the author cheated a little bit here and there to make this twist impossible to guess, which kind of ruins the fun. A character can’t react a certain way to something and then later in the book it’s revealed that same character already knew about it. Unless I’m misunderstanding the scenes, I would say that’s cheat storytelling. I can’t say too much more without giving away this twist (it’s not the big twist). Hopefully those of you who have read it know what I mean.

Overall, a fair 3 star rating. 4 star for the premise itself, brought down by my little doubts. 

Secrets and Lies by Lynda Renham

Lost Child by D. S. Butler

Review: “Lost Child: A Gripping Psychological Thriller” by D. S. Butler

T. J. BlakeLeave a comment

You’re safe at a local summer fete. Right?

Having a child snatched from you is unthinkable, especially when that child was under your supervision. It not only affects you, but the entire family. Trauma, guilt, sadness and emptiness rock the Farrows, until there’s a glimmer of hope dangled in front of Beth.

This was a good, easy read. It kept me guessing and I enjoyed the mind games Butler played!

3 stars

Lost Child by D. S. Butler

deception t. j. blake amazon.com ratings

‘As a rating I would give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating and I will certainly recommend this book to other readers.’

The 5 star reviews keep on coming.

T. J. BlakeLeave a comment

Proud to say that Deception: A Love of Lies has not disappointed – another reader, another 5 star review.

deception-amazon-com-ratings

You may see that Deception has all these great reviews but wonder if you would like the book. I can tell you, if you’re someone who enjoys a detailed, realistic, intricate and personal read, then you will enjoy my new psychological thriller. 

Many book reviews can give certain stories away, but the latest reviews do not; and I’m very thankful. 

The latest review is a good one, the reader has understood the story, they’ve accepted it and they’ve most importantly lived with the main character, Billy, throughout the read. If you allow yourself to join Billy, you will enjoy Deception and you’ll most importantly enjoy the ride into Billy’s life in his little bungalow on Lavingsham Close. 

Here are some of the key quotes from the latest review which will help you understand what the book is about and what you can expect from the story itself –

“The book starts with a beautiful setting which unfolds into a gradual storyline full of shocking twists and suspense. The story is about a lonely dog walker who strolls through the local woods on a daily basis. On these walks a beautiful woman catches his eye and he watches her for some time from a distance and seems to become a sort of stalker watching her in the comforts of her own home.”

“Throughout the story I found myself feeling a mixture of emotions- there were parts where I felt shocked and horrified, I could feel little flips in my stomach when the writer dropped a shocking bombshell. Then at later parts I found myself shedding a few saddened tears”

“I was able to learn about each character and their backgrounds, the description used throughout the story was intense and very detailed; I was able to really imagine the surroundings and the characters. I had to chuckle at parts also like that description about the dog poo as these are real life occurrences; it was these things that really brought the story to life.”

“As a rating I would give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating and I will certainly recommend this book to other readers. It was a beautiful read that continually hooked me, it was certainly difficult to put down.”

You can read the full book review on Pen To Paper Review Service‘s Tumblr page – http://pentopaper94.tumblr.com/post/152730859391/deception-a-love-of-lies 

YOU can start reading Deception: A Love of Lies right now – download it from Amazon.com or .co.uk today onto your Kindle or eReader.

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Deception

Two more 5 star reviews for Deception! 

T. J. BlakeLeave a comment

It’s been a while since I last posted, life has been getting in the way of my writing recently, but I have made sure that I have been online and browsing through the online writing community. 

Which leads me onto the reason for this post – my latest psychological thriller, Deception: A Love of Lies, has received not one, but two amazing 5 star reviews! 


As one of the two reviews warn, you should be careful reading the reviews for Deception as they may contain spoilers – so I’ll be careful what I post from now on!  

First review, which is titled “WOW“, reads “What an amazing thriller from start to finish. The character and the plot kept you guessing the whole time. Extremely riveting I couldn’t put the book down…”

And the second review, which is titled “Read the Book Then Read the Reviews” (which is spot on!) reads:

“I love this book! I am a fan of thrillers and mysteries, (horror too). My favorites are the ones that lead you down the psychological pathway. This author knows how to mess with you. I had a hard time figuring out who was doing what and why. That kept me turning pages until 3 in the morning. The book has two main characters, Billy and Eve, with a few minor characters. They were very well written. I really want to talk more about them but am so afraid of giving away more information than you need. In all honesty, if my review is the first one you are reading than, I would advise you to not read others. Not because I think mine is all you need but because this book is one that you want to go into with the least amount of information. I would suggest you go by synopsis and star rating. Then enjoy all the reviews after you read the book. After you read it, if you want to discuss it send me a message on Goodreads. I would love to talk about it. You have no idea how much I want to say here but won’t ruin it for anyone reading this.

If you like your book filled with gore and violence this is not your book. If you object to premarital sex, be warned it is in here, (not truly what I would call explicit but the author doesn’t shy away from details either). If, however, you like a steady pace, a story that builds as you go along and keeps you guessing as you turn pages, go for it. I made guesses all through the book that kept changing! If you read the book and are on GR, please send me a message. I’m dying to discuss it!”

Why don’t you read it for yourself? 

Start reading Deception within minutes by downloading it on Kindle/eBook! 

5 star review of Deception: A Love of Lies

Deception is compared with Gone Girl

T. J. BlakeLeave a comment

Is there a better way to praise a book? I’m extremely pleased to see that my readers are enjoying Deception, with more 4 & 5 star reviews popping up – but a comparison with Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl is really impressive. 


I enjoyed reading this particular review, the reader has clearly enjoyed getting to know the characters and thoroughly enjoys the ‘Deception’ of the story. You can see their full review on Amazon. 

If you want to read a psychological thriller which will have you looking over your shoulder and questioning your loved one, then Deception is for you! 

Get your copy today on Amazon and Smashwords. 

Deception a love of lies book reviews

The positive reviews keep coming for Deception 

T. J. BlakeLeave a comment

Deception: A Love of Lies continues to receive more praise, so what are you waiting for? Start reading it today on Kindle – http://getbook.at/DeceptionTJBlake

5 star review on Amazon.com


4 star on Amazon.co.uk


t j blake

‘Deception’ receives a 4.5 star review!

T. J. BlakeLeave a comment

I was very pleased to see that Deception has received another glowing review, a very decent 4.5 star and ‘highly recommended’ rated review. 


I personally really like this review because the reader has clearly understood the book, but most importantly, have understood the characters. They have enjoyed experiencing Billy and Eve’s relationship, and I’m so happy that they said enough in the review, but not too much about the story.

My favourite quotes from the review of Deception from Book Junkie Reviews

“T. J. Blake amazingly depicts the full range of emotions that these characters feel, especially obsession, rage, passion, contempt and confusion.”

“The book is aptly named Deception because it is full of manipulation, unclear motives and people not being what they appear. Read and be enveloped into a world that is wonderful but warped, and be taken along a journey full of exciting twists and turns!”

Read the rest of Deception‘s review now on Book Junkie Reviews.