This is the blog of Samie Sands, author of Lockdown. There will be many great books and projects reviewed here. For more, check out thelockdown.co.uk.

Thursday, 26 January 2017

When My Ship Comes In by Sue Wilsher

An emotional, compelling family drama from a fantastic new author

Keep the family together, that's what her old mum always said. Put up and shut up. And that's what everyone else did around there.
Essex, 1959. Flo earns her money as a scrubber, cleaning the cruise ships and dreaming of a day when she might sail away from her life in the Dwellings, the squalid tenements of Tilbury docks. Then the Blundell family are evicted from their home.
Fred, Flo's husband, finds work at Monday's, a utopian factory town. Suddenly, it seems like everything is on the up for Flo Blundell and her children. Even Jeanie, Flo's sulking teenage daughter, seems to be thawing a little in her shiny new surroundings.
But when Flo's abusive husband Fred starts drinking again, he jeopardises the family's chance to escape poverty for good.
Flo is faced with a terrible decision. Must she fight to keep her family together? Or could she strive for the life of her dreams - the kind of life she could have when her ship comes in?
Review: Wow, this is a really uplifting novel about a woman beating all the odds, getting by despite everything being stacked against them, it left me reeling at the end. In a world, during the 50's, where men were deemed as the more important sex, it's amazing to see this book written from the perspective of two strong women. I love how different this novel is from the typical historical romance too, it's really worth a read and I look forward to more from this author.

Monday, 5 December 2016

The Shattered Crown by J.W. Webb

The Shattered Crown (The Legends of Ansu Book 2) by [Webb, J.W.]
You ride into peril, Corin an Fol!
Those are the words of the witch at the ford. Corin an Fol, mercenary, brawler, womaniser and drinker, ignores them and thus finds himself caught in a tangled web of sorcery, intrigue and dark prophesy.
'Highly recommended to Game of Thrones (fans.)' The Shattered Crown is the second novel in a sweeping new fantasy series called legends of Ansu featuring bespoke drawings by Tolkien artist, Roger Garland.
When the High King is murdered and his broken crown goes missing, Queen Ariane suspects the wily hand of Caswallon the sorcerer. She forms a secret council and rides out to find the Oracle of her Goddess, to see if her worries are proved right. But Caswallon is onto her and the noose tightens fast around the young queen.
'The Shattered Crown has a good positive message, secrets, danger, action, intrigue, and fantastical characters and amazing energy!'
Corin an Fol returns to his village seeking solace in drink. Instead he finds an old contact waiting for him who persuades him to join Queen Ariane in her fight against Caswallon. And so, like the queen, Corin an Fol is snared by the sorcerer. But he has a big sword and a bad attitude, but is that enough to survive the hordes Caswallon sends against them?
Emotionally engaging with lots of action, The Shattered Crown is set thousand years after the epic Gol. Dare you journey with Corin an Fol? The road is dark with many twists and pitfalls!
Review: Oh wow, this is a fast paced, exciting novel that had me gripped from the very first page! I haven't yet read the first book in the series (although I will now!) and that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book at all. Corin is an awesome character, with Queen Ariane making an amazing female lead. The villains are terrible, which makes the read even more thrilling... highly recommended! 

Sunday, 4 December 2016

Announcing the Secret Zombie Santa Prize List!

7 Lucky Winners will receive 1 of 7 books mailed to them by their Secret Zombie Santa
Plus there will be random flash prizes for things like audiobooks, e-books, bookmarks, stickers and even a couple of The Walking Dead Graphic Novels! Check out the prize list and then use the link at the bottom to sign-up and see if you get to have a Secret Zombie Santa!!
Here’s The Prize List!
51f9bhorqil
51qpnbgu9zl
51h0pjeufl-_sx331_bo1204203200_
The Mutation Z Omnibus (Collecting 6 full books!!) by Marilyn Peake Available in Print and E-book at
51jmmobayfl-_sx331_bo1204203200_
Gore Girls by Jackson Dean Chase Available in Print and E-book at
51bbuykh4rl-_sy346_
Lizzie Borden : Zombie Hunter by C.A. Verstraete Available in Print & E-Book at
Additional flash prizes will include bookmarks, stickers and these awesome zombie graphic novels
51atbvtsxpl-_sx327_bo1204203200_
51yk55zyjtl-_sy346_
61ct2inlpl
Winners will be drawn on 12/18 and shipped out the following week. Winners will be announced to the public between 12/24 – 12/26 giving time for Secret Zombie Santa to do his work!

Saturday, 3 December 2016

Would you like to be a #celebrity?

Bok Covers

As the subject line suggested, here's your chance to star in a book!

Due to popular demand, I have decided to write another book in the AM13 Outbreak series, but this time I want to do it a little differently. This time, as a thank you to all of my supporters I want to feature you. Wouldn't you like to see how you would fare in the apocalypse? If so, please answer the few simple questions laid out in this form, and I will select some winners from the answers, so be as detailed as you'd like. I'd love to feature some of the biggest fans of the book series!

Thanks, and I look forward to reading all of your responses.
Samie x

Thursday, 1 December 2016

Penhaligon's Attic by Terri Nixon

Penhaligon's Attic (Penhaligon Saga) by [Nixon, Terri]
1910. Anna Garvey arrives in Caernoweth, Cornwall with her daughter and a secret. Having come from Ireland to take up an inheritance of the local pub, she and her eighteen year-old daughter Mairead are initially viewed with suspicion by the close-knit community.
Anna soon becomes acquainted with Freya Penhaligon, a vulnerable girl struggling to keep her family business afloat in the wake of her grandmother's death, and starts to gain the trust of the locals. As their friendship deepens, and Freya is brought out of her shell by the clever and lively Mairead, even Freya's protective father Matthew begins to thaw.
But when a part of Anna's past she'd long tried to escape turns up in the town, she is forced to confront the life she left behind - for her sake and her daughter's too . . .
Review: This is a wonderful historical romance, with strong characters and lovely settings. Anna, Freya and the whole community weave into this story in a captivating way that had me gripped from early on in the story. The author is very talented in weaving an interesting story. Highly recommended!

Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Wayfarers Highway by Peter Petrack

Wayfarers Highway by [Petrack, Peter]
A camper travels the back roads of America, but it is not what it seems. Pursued by powerful forces: a mastermind, a maniac, and a terrorist, its crew wonders if they’ll ever reach Journey’s end.
When Eloise Corwin – a longtime patient in her desert hometown’s infirmary – finds a wounded young traveler sharing her sick room; she insists that he tell her about his adventures. The young man, Orson Gregory, tells her how he found and stole a glowing gemstone, hidden for decades beneath the government-built factory beside his family farm. He tells her how he’s been chased ever since – by mercenaries, by terrorists, and by other, stranger enemies. He tells her how he threw in his lot with a real adventurer, a mythology professor, an innkeeper, and a duo of hired guns on a cross-country journey to clear his name and return home – something he’s currently failing to do. To reach safety, the motley travelers will first have to deal with each other, evade the foes that follow their every move, and tangle with other forces both strange and powerful, their fellow travelers on the Wayfarers Highway.
Review: I really enjoyed this epic tale of adventure, one that was told in a really clever way. The author captured both Eloise and Orson's characters well, which drew me in right away. By the time I finished I still wanted more... I could have easily read a book twice as long! Brilliant, I can't way to read more from this author. 

Friday, 25 November 2016

Cincopa Gallery

...