Desperate to find a place of safety, Georgie and Marnie run for their lives, but end up in the hands of Delray Anderton. A violent London gangster and notorious pimp, Delray has big plans for beautiful teenager Georgie, seeing her as a chance to make some serious money. Fiercely protective of each other, Georgie and Marnie must escape the clutches of a man who will do anything to keep the sisters for himself. And, they must keep the promise they made to each other – no one can ever know the truth. 

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I love Casey’s books and her last one The Taken was an absolute belter of a book. Unfortunately as much as I enjoyed this latest release I couldn’t help thinking it wasn’t as good as the last book. Josie Parker is the mother of two young girls Georgie and Marnie Parker. Josie has spent her years selling her body and has ended up at the lower end of the market having abused drink and drugs. In all honesty the woman is a mess. Her two young children are forced to look after themselves and as such you can’t help but feel for these two poor defenceless children.

The story is a bit of a slow starter but there is a wide variety of characters to get your teeth into. Javine Turner is a young woman on the lookout for a wealth man and once she sets her sights on someone there is no getting away from her. Although on paper Javine is every mans worst nightmare she is a character I loved and was rooting for her throughout the book. Delray Anderton and his sidekick Lenny are known faces and are making their mark in London with their criminal activities. Both of them are brutal and fierce and widely feared.

When Josie is jailed for the murder of a man, Georgie and Marnie find themselves in their own fight for survival. The second half of the story was fast paced and the story was enthralling. However, I think the overlying reason this book wasn’t an entire success in my mind was that I had absolutely no sympathy for Josie. In fact I would go as far as to say I loathed the woman who was so selfish that her kids had to take care of themselves. By the time I had finished this I knew that it was a great read, and once again Casey Kelleher is firmly stamping her mark in this genre. However, it lacks the full rating down to my intense dislike of both Josie and Delray. That small issue aside this was another solid read and one that fans of Mandasue Heller and Martina Cole will love.

Teenager Lena Cona has fled a cruel and controlling marriage. She arrives in England with her newborn daughter, desperately relying on strangers for help. But she soon learns that not everyone can be trusted as she finds herself caught in the clutches of Colin Jefferies, a twisted individual obsessed by his own sinister secrets. As the sickening truth is revealed, Lena is forced to fight for her life – and her baby’s. 

When their worlds collide, Lena and Saskia form an unlikely friendship. But with the terrifying Harper brothers on their tail, as well as Lena’s vengeful and violent husband, can they escape with their lives? 

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Free from prison… but still trapped in a nightmare…

Having been locked up for a murder that she didn’t commit, Sophia O’Hagan is now determined to take back what’s hers. Sophia has been robbed of eight years of her life: a life that she should have spent with her beloved Tommy. Now, Tommy has gone and Sophia’s family has been torn apart. She knows that she will never know true freedom until she confronts the painful ghosts of her past.

Kat’s Review: I was extremely excited to get an early copy of the new release (due out 7^th September 2013) by Casey Kelleher. The synopsis was enough to whet my interest, but within a few chapters I needn’t have worried as the story completely drew me in.  The beginning starts us off with Tommy and his twin brother Jonathan as youngsters. At around the same time, young Sophia is battling with her current home situation. One situation is what enables the three to meet, but they have no idea how much them meeting will change all their lives.

Casey Kelleher seems to be improving her talent with each book she writes and it seems that this current book has taken her into the next league of her career. The story instantly drew me in and the one thing I really noticed was the difference in the characters. Casey has self-published up until now, but with this latest one it puts other (currently published) authors to shame. She has managed to depict the ‘evil’ characters as just that, pure evil!

There was only one thing that I think could have helped the book and that is a timeline. We see Sophia as a young girl and then many years later as a young adult. Although the timeline would have helped, this certainly didn’t detract from the story. The plot kept winding up the tension and I literally didn’t want to put this one down. After reading this book, I can honestly say that Casey Kelleher has now placed herself firmly in the world of British Crime Authors; one which I think is totally deserved. 

The characters are brilliant and although this book does have a conclusion, I can actually see a second book coming from this (maybe that’s wishful thinking). Overall, this book is everything you want from a gritty British Crime book and I don’t think any of her fans will be disappointed. I for one will b crossing my fingers and excitedly waiting for the next one. 

 My Rating: 4/5

After reading Casey’s debut novel Rotten to The Core I was really looking forward to her second book. Her first and second books were self-published and after her debut novel sold more than 20,000 copies (I’m not surprised there) she was `snapped up’ by an agency (yay). Her first book was really good and you could tell that she was aiming for the same type of feel to her books as some of the bigger British Crime legends such as Mandasue Heller, Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole. The writing was good, the story was great and overall it took me now time to finish.

When I started her new book I have to be honest and say I wondered if she could produce second good book. Was it a one off her original book, or would she rise to the occasion. Thankfully <clapping hands in glee> Casey Kelleher has produced a book that is better than the first! Jamie Finch is a fifteen year old that leaves home and tries to make it on his own. He approached Gary West and a few years later we see him as an integral part of Gary’s firm. Sadly for Gary and Jamie, Jerrell Morgan is the new kid on the block and he is causing havoc. Being born and raised in Jamaica, Jerrell has come to London to take out other firms and lead it all his was. He has no issues with doing things the hard and violent way and makes this known to everybody.

I have to say that I immediately loathed Jerrell and got a real sense of the danger lurking behind his personality. I found myself a few times leaning forward and turning my pages with a bit too much haste (I get like that when things get a bit tense)! The characters Casey has created are very believable and I liked the fact that we got to see the nicer side ti both Gary and Jaime. There was plenty of action and lots of dramatic events. One word of warning though, Casey does touch on a pretty sensitive subject in the book (hard to say what without spoilers) so if you are of the sensitive nature, please don’t moan about it because I have warned you! Having said that, it’s in keeping with the story and to be honest it just made me want a certain type of outcome even more!

Overall, I am thought this book was even better than her debut and think it won’t be long before Casey can join the ranks amongst some of the other legends of British crime such as Lady Heller, Kim Chambers and Martina Cole. Casey, just keep `em coming and your fans will follow, just hurry up and get the next one written!!!

My Review: 4/5

It seems these days that to be a successful author you don’t necessarily have to go through a publishing house, which is why we have seen a sharp rise in people self-publishing. With hard work and determination (as well as a good book), many authors are doing it for themselves! Casey Kelleher is one such person and she published Rotten to The Core in 2011. The reviews posted on Amazon were promising and I was looking forward to giving another new author a go! One thing that I instantly loved was the cover of this book, very eye catching with a beautiful woman holding an apple on the front, I would certainly have been drawn to this cover in a Bookshop.

Jay Shaw is living the life his father taught him which was wheeling and dealing and generally thinking about only himself. When Jay’s dad was murdered he had a pretty good idea who was to blame but kept that to himself. Billy O’Connell is the man in the house and the only one who looks out for his sister Kate. Since their Mum passed away Billy has relied on his shady dealings in business and has kept his little sister safe. Until Jay and Kate meet and Kate ends up pregnant by him. Billy’s reaction sets off a chain reaction that means Kate is caught up in the bitter feud between her brother Billy and Jay.

It took me not time at all to be caught up in this story as it starts with a bang. Kate O’Connell is an easy character to both read about and like immensely. A young girl she is making mistakes but the reader can only sit by and watch as she makes one of the biggest of her life. Her older brother Billy I initially didn’t like that much and as for Jay, Kate’s boyfriend, I loathed him as soon as he was introduced.. As the story progresses you see the warmth in Billy and it didn’t take me long to warm to him as you learn about the struggles he has had to endure.

I was completely caught up in the story very early on and read this in one sitting I enjoyed it so much. There is certainly an air of `Gangster’ about it but it’s certainly not been overdone. There were plenty of plot twists as well as quite a bit of violence and swearing, which I come to expect in this type of story. By the last few chapters of the book I was hoping to see more of these characters. In addition to Kate, Billy and Jay we meet Jay’s mother Sonia, Billy’s friends who work with him and Paul who owns a nightclub. There wasn’t anybody I wouldn’t want to see appear again (with the exception of Jay)!

For a self-published book Casey Kelleher has done an amazing job. It was certainly a book that I really enjoyed and the girl has talent that’s for sure. She has another book due out late 2012 and I for one will be buying it for my Kindle as soon as it’s out. I think this is an amazing start to what could be a very successful career as a crime author. She may have a little way to go to catch the Queens of crime such as Kim Chambers, Mandasue Heller and Martina Cole. But if she keeps this up it won’t take her very long to get there!