This is a fast paced gang crime thriller.
The character development in this book was excellent. This book tackles some hard hitting topics like abuse, racism and violence.
This book was unputdownable and I thoroughly enjoyed it

This is the second book in the Working girls series, but you don't need to have read the previous book in the series to understand and appreciate this one. We meet Ruby, a young girl growing up with a single mother, and a father that wants to be part of their lives, when it suits him. Soon she realizes that she has to provide for herself otherwise she will end up like her mother. I love ms Burnside's books, and can easily compare her to the queens of East end crime fiction, Mandasue Heller and Kimberley Chambers. Highly recommended.

Book two of the working girls series gives a fantastic insight into Ruby’s life but the pace felt slower than the first book. Having said that, I’m looking forward to book three.
Although it is part of a series there is enough detail for it to be read as a stand-alone.
I liked the switch between past and present, teasing more and more information into the story.
Thanks to Aria for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars

Ruby is the second book in the Working Girls series. I absolutely loved this story of Ruby as it follows her from childhood right through to how she became a prostitute. The book is full of drama - it is gritty and hard hitting. Perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole. Fantastic book. Highly recommended. Can't wait to read the third book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley, Aria and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Breath-taking, hard-hitting and absolutely jaw-dropping, Heather Burnside’s Ruby is the nail-biting new urban thriller in the best-selling tradition of Martina Cole and Kimberley Chambers.

Being tough comes second nature to Ruby. She never did have the luxury of being weak and spineless and has had to develop skills in order to survive on the tough and unforgiving streets. Growing up with useless parents,
Ruby had to be a parent to her siblings and she fought tooth and nail to ensure that not a single head on their head was harmed. Ruby has no safe place she can call home and she is desperate to fit in and find somewhere she belongs. As she begins to run with a tough crowd who lead her astray and down a dark and dangerous path, Ruby gets drawn deeper and deeper into the criminal underworld and into the world of prostitution. By the age of sixteen, she becomes a seasoned pro, but Ruby is not without her ambitions and when she begins to run her own brothel, she is determined to keep on rising up the greasy ladder of greed and corruption. However, being a madam is not without its dangers…

When an enemy from her past comes back into her life, Ruby realizes that she is going to need all of her strength to survive and not let herself be intimated by somebody who could destroy everything for her. She has worked too hard to see everything she has built up being ground into dust and Ruby is not about to surrender so easily – even if she has to fight like never before. Is Ruby strong enough to defeat her enemies? Or will she end up losing everything all over again?

Gritty, sinister and compelling, Ruby is a fabulous read that is certainly not for the faint-hearted. Heather Burnside brings the criminal underworld to vivid and colourful life and she imbues her narrative with plenty of danger, adrenaline, shocks, twists and turns to keep readers absolutely glued to its pages. Ruby is a strong heroine who is not without her flaws, but one who never gives up even when the odds are stacked against her.

A brilliant storyteller who makes her readers feels every emotion her characters are going through, Heather Burnside’s Ruby is a must read for fans of urban thrillers.

"Ruby" by Heather Burnside is book two of the The Working Girls series and I just loved it especially as you can easily read it as a stand alone book. It's full of twists and turns throughout which I just enjoyed about this book.

I am looking forward to Book three especially to read more about Crystal's journey.
Heather Burnside is an up and coming author.

I highly recommend her, especially if you love books about gangland.

Big Thank you to Aria Fiction and Netgalley for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Another chapter in the gritty urban thriller set in Manchester and focused on working girls.

Ruby's story is told in two timelines, the past, reflecting how her childhood and a teenage, drew her into the life of prostitution. The present, where she has everything thing she's worked for but is in danger of losing.

She is not a victim. She had a plan and was prepared to use prostitution, as the means to give her the lifestyle she wants. Formerly, working for the pimp Gilly, a heinous character we met in book 1 The Mark, now she runs her own business. She hates men, because of her past experiences in her childhood and teenage, and revels in her role as a brothel owner. When her livelihood is threatened by men from her past. She demonstrates how courageous she is in defending those she cares about and her hard-fought-for business.

Like most people she has different facets, the gentle, loyal side which she shows to her lover Tiffany and her friends, The other side is driven and ruthless. Determined to keep what she owns and prepared to endanger herself to protect it. Ruby is a believable character, who commands your respect. She does want is needed, and that is admirable.

I have read the first book in the series, but this is a complete story, with enough backstory on the cast of characters and their situation for it to read well as a standalone. However, it is an addictive, action-filled series that is worth reading in its entirety.

The story reflects the lifestyle it portrays, so it features, bad language, sex and violence. It explores the darker aspects of society, but only to move Ruby's story forward. Written engagingly, with realistic characters and situations. The adrenaline-fueled drama is addictive, as is the characterisation.

A must-read for those who enjoy relentless, ganglit in a contemporary urban setting.

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

5☆ A Gritty, Action Packed, Unputdownable Ganglit Thriller!

RUBY is a Gritty, Thrilling, Ballsy Ganglit Thriller that i couldn't put down!

This is the second book in the series, but I haven't yet read the first book and had absolutely no problems reading as a standalone book!


This isn't going to be easy writing my review without potentially giving anything away so I'll just briefly go over the plot.

RUBY had finally made it, she's worked her arse off and is now a proud Madame and Dominatrix of Ruby's Massage Parlour.
But it hasn't been easy!
She's faced danger, repercussions, lecherous men, bullying protection racquet, racism, but come out on top!

We follow Ruby through her childhood and teenage years where she was bullied, badly beaten up, faced poverty and a bully for a Father.

RUBY vowed she would never ever let another man treat her like that again!

I loved Ruby and Trina, the character development was an eye opener.
Trina was so ballsy, courageous, cheeky, a typical defiant Teen and Ruby was this strong independent women who was incredible brave and fitted her Dominatrix Persona perfectly, she was protective, headstrong, a great business women, yet had this vulnerable side that shone through when she was with her girlfriend Tiffany .
My heart went out to both their character stories. Such heartache yet warmth and bravery.

There are some sensitive subjects such as abuse and violence, racism, bullying, prostitution but Heather keeps the subjects relevant to the plot and handles them with the right amount of sensitivity to still make a powerful impact.

Ruby is a Fast Paced, Compulsive and Engrossing Story of two halves that meet in the middle.
It's a story of Survival, Second Chances, Love, Standing up for Yourself, Not Giving Up, Family Life and Loyalty.
It's full of Danger, Twists, Thrills, and it certainly got my pulses racing.
RUBY has definitely made it on my Top Reads for 2019!

I adore Heather Burnside's Books and she is fast becoming my go to Author for gritty ganglit stories.
Her books are always authentic, fast paced, Thrilling and Unputdownable and yet again she has more than delivered with RUBY!
I can't wait for her next book!

Thank you to Aria Fiction for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Heather Burnside is an author that I will have to keep an eye on. My first book of hers but certainly has quickly become my favorite after reading this new release. Though this is the second book of the Working Girls series, and have not had the chance quite yet of picking that up, this book worked great as a standalone.

What I really enjoyed the most are the amazing characters she writes about. They are strong yet also quite vulnerable. Their stories are so addicting and it leaves me wanting to read more about them.

The writing style is simply exciting and grips me from the start. Fair warning, if you are going to pick this book up, make sure that you have everything you need like an empty bladder and your nice cup of tea and blankets next to you, because you are probably not going to want to get up because Heather's writing will keep you turning those pages.

Ruby has such an amazing back story and I loved the alternating timelines to really understand the full experience of the character.

Highly recommend this amazing read.

Ruby is book two of the working girls series by Heather. In this book we get taken back to when Ruby was just a 9 year old girl called Trina. Trina has a run in with a nasty boy called Kyle who scars her and leaves her with unwanted emotional baggage that she takes with her into adulthood. Gilly a pimp that almost killed Ruby’s friend Crystal in book one The Mark also rears his ugly head again. This book is told in two timelines of how Trina copes with her attack and becomes Ruby, and also how as Ruby she copes with her past coming back to haunt her. This is another great read from Heather and my only complaint is that once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. If this is your sort of genre then I highly recommend this book you won’t be disappointed.

Being a Northern girl I love that the usual gangland turf war setting of the East End of London is replaced by the equally seedy, shady and. disreputable parts of Manchester. There is a heavy focus of pimps, prostitutes and their Johns we follow Ruby as she attempts to make a name for herself on the mean streets. But Ruby isn't merely satisfied with earning her dollar and being thankful; she wants more than that but she knows she must carefully consider her next move as closing in on anyone's precious territory is deemed an act worth killing for. Should she put herself and her life in huge danger in the name of ambition or make do as most other ladies in the game have? One thing is for certain if she makes the wrong decision and infuriates the competition she won't be around that much longer to tell the tale. Ruby ducks and dives in and out of the shadows as she eludes an ever-increasing collection of sworn enemies. Can she survive and thrive?

I thoroughly enjoyed Ruby as it's a story full of intense drama, excitement and imminent danger seemingly lurking around every corner. It's a tough street scene for anyone to brave never mind a female and with an endless array of tested loyalties, betrayals, murder, double-crosses, alliances and shifting allegiances and there is a lot of violence and tension as the plot races along barely giving you a moment to breathe; for the majority of the time my heart was simply pounding and I noticed myself turning the pages more and more rapidly and anxiously. I found it impossible not to admire the kick-ass feisty female at the centre of it all. Read about all of the fraternising rogue criminal elements that lie beneath the shiny, sparkling veneer of city life. This is a compulsive, gritty and wildly unpredictable gangland thriller which I highly recommend to those who enjoy the likes of Jessie Keane, Kimberly Chambers and Martina Cole. Highly recommended. Many thanks to BOTBS for an ARC.

What an excellent book, I liked the characters and found it easy to get into. This is the second book in The working class series, The Mark being the first, but it can easily be read as a standalone.

Young Trina is growing up in a house with her church-going mother and 2 half brothers. Her mother works numerous jobs to keep their head above water but there is never enough money. Her 2 older cousins frequently visit and are dripping in the latest designer gear and gold. She is fed up with school, having to look after her brothers, and keeping the house clean.
One day she is attacked by a boy who scars her for life on her face with a knife. Her world changes with a hatred for men. She finally leaves home and moves in with a "friend" who introduces her to prostitution to earn money.

The book goes backwards and forwards as we go through her life. She eventually ends up running her own brothel and changing her name to Ruby, she now has a girlfriend crystal and the story continues with life in the brothel and Ruby never forgetting the boy that scared her.
A really good gripping story.
Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. x

I’d like to thank Aria and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Ruby’, the second in the Working Girls series written by Heather Burnside, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

It tells the story of Trina a nine-year-old girl living in Manchester, growing up with her overworked mother and three brothers and with an absent father in the background, who has no interest in school and prefers to sleep around. She meets Kyle, a delinquent just a year or so older than herself, who thinks it’s fun to humiliate her and cuts Ruby’s face leaving her with a scar and a lifelong hatred of men. Ruby’s drawn into prostitution and with a change of name, a lot of hardship but also some help she works her way up the ladder to take charge of a brothel. But childhood experiences come back to haunt her and Ruby has to make some difficult decisions.

After reading ‘The Mark’, the first in the Working Girls series, I’ve been looking forward to reading ‘Ruby’ and I can honestly say I’ve not been disappointed. I found it addictively exciting with a gritty and cleverly written plot, drama, suspense, tough yet down-to-earth characters, and it was so easy to read I couldn’t put it down and finished it in just over a day. I found Ruby genuinely likeable and was there beside her during those final chapters urging her on. Well done Heather for another brilliant book that I can definitely recommend.

Absolutely loved this second instalment of the Working Girls series. Every bit as good as the first - if not better. Gritty and dark, this story will keep you hooked from start to finish. Looking forward to the next one.

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Been looking forward to reading this book and it didn't disappoint. I've read all of Heather's books and they are amazing, you're gripped by the story from start to finish. Can't wait to read part 3 in the series of The Working Girls, would recommend her books to anyone, but be warned - once you pick up one of her books you will find it hard to put down.

This book took me one night to read, I loved it am so excited for the next book.
This author is amazing and if you haven't read anything from this author I recommend you do.

this book was really good well worth a read will be buying her books for sure. If you like jessie keane you will like this author.

A dark and gritty story. Ruby’s life is colourful and interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This book was very interesting
Ruby was very good at her job
And she sorted the evil one
I had an ARC from Aria