Having been quite poorly recently It gave me a great chance to catch up and read some of the books i'd been looking forward to. It's just taken me a while to finally get to sharing what I thought of these two books.
I recently read these two books pretty much back to back, so it was great following on with characters you had gotten to know slightly. I will however say that you could probably read these books as standalones, for me, as always I think books are better read in order.

Heathers writing style is brilliant, she's certainly gotten to know how to drag her readers in and how to make you want to read the next book as soon as possible, these books are interesting, gritty and hard to put down. I enjoyed both of them equally.
Pimps, prostitution, drugs, corruption these books have it all, Gilly is the Pimp of some of the Manchester prostitutes that Journalist Maddy is interviewing. He doesn't seem to keen on his girls talking to a journo, not only that while they are sat in the pub talking to her, they are not out earning money for him. A ruthless pimp that has no morels.
On a night out Maddy falls for nice guy Aaron, what is to come will change her life.

That's all in book 1, Book 2 has a similar theme following the life of a prostitute, Ruby who is now running a brothel, had a man put away for wrong doing and as he's due out of prison, Ruby's life could well be about to change.
Another thrilling read from a very talented author, I can not wait to read the next book.

​These books are well worth getting your teeth into, brilliant Gritlit that I can see becoming very popular.

If you have Kindle unlimited these books are available to read for free, how good is that.
I would highly recommend them, fans of Casey Kelleher, Mel Sherratt, Caz Finley would enjoy these books.

This is a great read that had me guessing what was coming next and failing miserably. It is my first time reading anything by Heather Burnside and will be going back to read more. As this is the start of a series, I do hope that Maddy will turn up in another book as the end of this book left her story not finished completely i think. Definitely recommend reading this book and I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book to review and the opinions expressed are entirely my own views and are completely unbiased.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
Again a very good read and one I can highly recommend to others.
I could not put this down.
Thoroughly enjoyable.

I just Heather's books. The rawness of it, old school East End crime just has a special appeal to me.
The book was well written, thrilling, and even though the pathetic main character didn't do it for me personally, the story came together nicely, and was riveting from beginning to end.
Highly recommended.

The Mark by Heather Burnside is her first Novel in this new The Working Girls series and it was brilliant. Once I read a few chapters I could not put it down. Maddie is a journalist and is interviewing prostitutes in a run down Manchester pub for a big feature she was reporting. Maddie also has an eight year old daughter so she is juggling her busy life. Maddie meets their ruthless pimp Gilly.

Has she put her self in danger trying to get this big story she is reporting?

I loved this book and looking forward to her next book in this new series of working girls

Highly recommended

Big Thank you. I received a copy of this book from Aria via NetGalley in return for an honest review

The author wrote a thriller that started with a bang and just kept going! The twists kept coming, so I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

If you have read Heather Burnside’s previous books and trilogy’s then you know exactly what to expect...a hard hitting urban gritty tale with larger than life characters, full on action and relentless drama
If these books and this genre is one you love then this book is perfect in every way
This book is about Maddy, a investigative journalist, who goes about looking into local prostitution...and ends up biting off more than she can chew, as it were, and lives to regret her decisions!
The story means we are introduced to Ruby and Crystal who I see are the focus of Book 2 and 3 which means you are already intrigued about them and their pasts and ready for the next books
All the characters are wonderfully and brightly portrayed and my only criticism is that Maddy, a journalist, really should have known to look more into the life and past of the bloke Aaron she becomes entangled with, but there you go, she didnt and so the story evolves
Little more to add and marking it highly as have said for this genre and lovers of it is fabulously undisputingly wild and exactly why you love reading these type of books
10/10 5 Stars

Journalist Maddy’s latest assignment takes her to interview working girls. Their pimp sees something in Maddy, a lifestyle that used to be his, and could be again. Maddy lives with her young daughter, she has a good life, all of which her pursuit by the pimp and her new man could jeopardise.

This story is dark and menacing. Maddy, despite her professionalism, is naive and this makes her vulnerable to manipulation. All the girls have a story, why they ended up as working girls, as Maddy’s life unravels she realises how fine the line between safety and danger is.

The story is slow paced, to begin with, as the characters are introduced, and the ease with which different worlds can collide is explored. As the book progresses the adrenaline increases. An interesting start to this new series, with a contemporary, realistic edge.

I received a copy of this book from Aria via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Holly S**t I just fell up the stairs reading this! who said reading wasn’t a dangerous hobby?! This book had me totally gripped to the stage that I couldn’t put it down, just another chapter I kept telling myself. Well that went on from the start of the book to the finish!

Talk about addicted…..This is the second book that I have read by Heather Burnside and this story just got a whole lot better in comparison to the last one that I read. The Mark is the first book in the working girls series. A subject matter that you don’t read about very often. I have to say the author has handled it very well and brings us a tense, gripping, pulse racing read!

In this story we meet Maddy and follow two story lines which are woven together and become one explosive ending!….Absolutely freaking fantastic.

Maddy is a character that I felt sorry for as much has I liked her. I got to the stage where I wanted her to open her eyes and get with the programme. Even though I knew something wasn’t quite right with her relationship but I didn’t actually know what.

I loved every single page of this story each page left me wanting more. Heather is definitely on my list of TOP Gangland authors that are a must read.

I cannot praise this book enough giving it all the stars.

Another great read from Heather Burnside. Maddy thinks she’s found the perfect man for her, but her friend, and ex husband aren’t so sure. After meeting her new man Maddy ‘s life starts to fall apart. Are her new problems connected to him. Can Maddy jump off this rollercoaster her life seems to be before it crashes around her completely.

Heather Burnside is back with a hair-raising and heart-pounding new thriller that will send shivers racing down her readers’ spines: The Mark. The first title in her fabulous new series, The Working Girls, Heather Burnside continues to prove to be a force to be reckoned with in her chosen genre.

Maddy is a respected journalist whose latest assignment takes her deep into the heart of Manchester’s dark criminal underworld. Interviewing prostitutes in a run-down pub was never going to be easy or pleasant, however, little does Maddy realise that this latest assignment is going to plunge her into a dangerous and terrifying world that threatens to destroy everything which she holds dear to her heart – and all because she attracts the attention of a man who begins to take an interest in her. A man who operates from the shadows and who is ruthless, merciless and willing to do whatever it takes and stoop to any low to secure what he desires the most – and he has set his sights upon Maddy, who has no idea that Gilly, the ruthless pimp of the women she had initially gone to interview, is watching her every move and working to ensnare her and ruin her life.

While Gilly watches from the sidelines, Maddy finds herself bowled over by a successful businessman to whom she begins to get very close. Aaron is a gorgeous and charismatic man who makes Maddy feel special and with whom she finds herself falling madly in love with. When a passionate affair ensues, Maddy’s entire life is consumed by this relationship, to the extent that she begins to alienate the people closest to her. As this toxic romance starts to cost her her friendships and her relationships, little does she realise that she is not only losing control, but is getting more and more vulnerable by the minute – leaving the way wide open for Gilly to swoop in and wreak maximum destruction.

When things start going wrong, Maddy realises that she must work fast if she is to figure out who has it in for her. But can she break out of this vicious cycle she has inadvertently found herself in…before it’s too late?

The Mark is an outstanding thriller that is more than a match for the books written by gangland crime queen Martina Cole. Shocking, sinister and packed with plenty of jaw dropping twists and turns, The Mark is a first-rate tale of obsession, vengeance and power from a writer who is at the heights of her storytelling powers. Heather Burnside certainly knows how to keep her readers on the edge of their seats chewing their nails to the elbow and The Mark is no exception.

A fantastic read that readers will not be able to put down, The Mark is the first title in a phenomenal new series by Heather Burnside.

The Mark is the first book in the brand spanking new series The Working Girls, which refers to a group of prostitutes, from the author many refer to as the the Queen of gritty, gangland crime, Ms Burnside, and boy she's bloody done it again! Here, main protagonist, Maddie is jaw-droppingly naive and when her new beau Aaron begins to become totally obsessed with her she is completely blind to this and mistakenly sees the warnings both her friends and ex-partner as nothing more than the green-eyed monster and so they fall on deaf ears. Can they get their concerns to be taken seriously by her before an unhealthy relationship turns into something even more sinister?

Each instalment can be read independently of one another with no issues whatsoever. However, like many, I reckon one instalment will have you hooked and buying up every previous thriller written by Ms Burnside. If you enjoy a cast of incredibly shady, unscrupulous characters but who also retain a sense of immense loyalty to the family name this fits the bill.

There's never a dull moment and the tension is expertly ratcheted up as the story progresses. It's such an intense atmosphere as we journey with the no-nonsense cast around the mean streets as they fight for survival and to gain the upper hand over the other gangs in the area jostling for territory. When these gang-inspired reads are executed masterfully as here they have some of the most utterly compulsive and ridiculously addictive moments in all of crime fiction and Ms Burnside sits at the apex of these writers. If you are a fan of adrenaline-pumping, heart-pounding nail biters then this, in my humble opinion, is a must-read. I am already yearning for the sequel. Many thanks to Aria for an ARC.

Martina Cole is generally my go too author for this genre but I thought I'd open myself up to a change, and I'm glad I did. While Martina still holds the crown for me, Burnside is pretty good. 

This book didnt grab me from the start however it did slowly reel me in and now I've finished I can say that I enjoyed it, it's a good solid three star book.

I wish Ruby had more of a role in this book though, she's a character I could get behind and I hope she appears more as the series goes on. 

I feel I've come to a stage in my reading though where these lead female characters that are so needy and Male attention reliant are becoming a bore, predictable. Women needing attention from men to validate their existence has been done time and time again in novels. I'm waiting for someone to change it up, give me a needy Male lead character who needs a woman to validate him people!

This is a good read. When Maddy meets and falls for Aaron it soon becomes obvious that he is not all he seems. This is a good story but I have given it 3 stars as I kept expecting there to be more to the plot. I have also read better books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4

Maddie is a reporter who is currently interviewing prostitutes for a feature she is writing. She has an eight year old daughter. Whilst interviewing the peostitutes, she meets their pimp, a man called Gilly. Maddie is oblivious to Gilly's growing obsession with her. Aaron, a successful businessman, seems to be the perfect gentleman to Maddie. But Arron has a dark side, a side he only shows to Beccy. Maddie is besotted with Aaron and won't listen when to her ex-husband and best friend who Maddie thinks is just jealous.

The story was a bit slow at times and I did not really like any of the characters. I did feel sorry for Beccy and I k ow a few women who have put relationships before family. Because the blurb says for fans of Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole I was expecting something a bit more gritty, dark and an edge of your seat read. Maybe I was expecting too much

I would like to thank NetGalley, Aria and the author Heather Burnside for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolutely amazing book.
There were so many twists and turns in this book. I just wanted to keep reading to see what happened next
Can’t wait to read the next book

The Mark is the first entry in a new series of books by Heather Burnside called Working Girls. Fans of Martina Cole and Kimberley Chambers will probably be drawn to Burnside's genre of storytelling, which delves into the seedy side of British life (i.e., prostitution, drug abuse, mobsters, etc.).

Maddy is the single mother of an eight-year-old (Beccy), and she gets involved with a conniving businessman named Aaron. Soon she is missing deadlines at work and making irresponsible choices in her personal life. Her ex-husband and best friend try to talk some sense into her, but she's so enamored by Aaron that she refuses to see what's really going on. Aaron, of course, is Bad News. He terrorizes Beccy, but Maddy is blind with love and can't see what's really happening..

It was hard for me to like a protagonist who's so naive and always making bad choices to the detriment of her child. Readers who don't mind trashy characters might enjoy this book. But anyone looking for a characters to root for might want to look elsewhere.

On the plus side, the book picks up steam in the last several chapters. Once the pace increases, the pages start to fly by.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced's reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, the fact it was based in Manchester was good as I could relate to where they was in my head and picture the places and its revelation towards the end made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It takes us into the seedy side of prostitution and hard drugs.
Another good page turner from Heather.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity

One of the different books I read in recent times. Maddy is a journalist with 8 year old daughter Becky. Maddy wants to write a book about prostitutes. While interviewing these girls , their pimp get infatuated with her.

Maddy gets into a relationship with businessman Aaron and so much involved that she starts ignoring her daughter Becky, her best friend and her job.
How Maddy escapes the abusive relationship with boyfriend Aaron forms the mystery.

Overall a fast read.

Loved this book about journalist Maddy and her quest to interview the working girls in a local pub.Maddy doesn't bank on their ruthless pimp becoming infatuated with her to the point of him following her.I look forward to the next book.5*