blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Pledge – Sarah Yarwood-Lovett

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A MYSTERIOUS OFFER
When Thea deciphers a cryptic invitation, she can’t believe it’s real. Yet the next moment she’s on a jet, being whisked off to a private Caribbean island.

BUT THIS IS NO ORDINARY HOLIDAY
Her fellow guests are richer than rich – billionaires, tech bros, even royalty; all in paradise to sign a global deal. So what is Thea doing here?

THERE IS NO ESCAPE
By the morning, their host is dead – and so is any hope of getting off the island.

NO GETAWAY
As guests are picked off one by one, the group’s suspicions turn on Thea.

ONLY A FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL
But the killer isn’t the only threat on the island – and escape means facing her worst fears . . .

My thoughts: Summoned to a deserted island, Thea is at a loss as to why she, a defence barrister, is there. The other guests include a minor royal, her MP husband, several entrepreneurs and billionaires, a pop star, a supermodel and a journalist. Her husband seems to be involved with their host Olga, and that really throws Thea, who invites their lover’s wife to their super secret summit?

Unfortunately things go from bad to worse when Olga is found drowned in the swimming pool the next morning. Their phones were confiscated on arrival, the WiFi is off, the staff have been sent away, there’s no way off the island and no way to call for help.

As the group squabble and try to work out which one of them is a killer, the situation continues to deteriorate. Thea tries to be rational, but the things really aren’t. Someone there is a murderer, there’s a hungry panther roaming the island (big cats do not make good pets) and then more bodies show up violently murdered. Can she survive the weekend? Can any of them? Will help ever arrive? And why did Olga invite them all there?

Clever, funny (if you’re a bit dark and twisted like me), but with an interesting point to make, this was a really enjoyable, smart read from a writer whose previous books I really like.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

books

Cover Reveal: Cursed by Blood – Monique Shepherd

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Cursed by Blood  

Available 10/20/2026

Dark Vampire Romance/ Slayer x Vampires Why Choose

⛓️ Slayer x Vampires
🩸 Reverse Harem / Why Choose
⛓️ Enemies to Lovers
🩸 Forgotten Past Life
⛓️ Fated Bonds
🩸 Possessive Immortals
⛓️ We@pon play
🩸 Forbidden Desire

Some loves are worth killing for. And some are worth becoming a monster for.

I’m the Council’s best weapon. A slayer born to hunt the darkness.

They lied.

Brielle Thorne has staked more vampires than she can count, but the nightmares won’t stop—visions of blood-soaked victims and three faces she shouldn’t recognize. When the legendary Crimson Veil rises, weakening the barrier between life and death, three ancient vampires emerge from the shadows with a terrifying claim: she belongs to them.

Cazamir, the Primordial. A possessive monster powerful enough to make entire kingdoms kneel.

Dayden, the Shadow Walker. He’s beautiful and broken. And burning with a hatred for her that tastes like obsession.

Sin, the Illusionist. He’s snarky, dangerous, and far too good at making her forget why she should run.

They say she was theirs once, in a life she can’t remember. They say the Council cursed her, stole her, and turned her into their weapon. When the blood moon reaches its peak, she’ll have to choose: remain the hunter or reclaim her throne as their queen.

But as their touch awakens something dark and ravenous inside her, Brielle realizes the most dangerous thing isn’t the curse.

It’s how badly she wants to surrender.

Pre-order: https://books2read.com/u/38aGkV

Content Warnings: Violence, Degradation, Dub-con/CNC, Weapon play, Unaliving


IG: @moniqueshepherd_author @rrbooktours

TIKTOK: @monique.shepherd6 @shannon_of_rrbooktours

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books

Cover Reveal: Rum and Raisins – Ashley J. Vinson

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We’re thrilled to present the cover for Ashley J. Vinson’s next book, Rum and Roses!

Rum and Roses

Expected Release Date: June 6th

Genre: Dark Romance

Designer : @niro_ignius

🍓 Biker x ballerina
🍓 Cinnamon roll stalker
🍓 Consensual BDSM + dom/sub relationship
🍓 Forced proximity
🍓 He ☠️ every douchebag that hurts her
🍓 He kidnaps her to ‘protect’ her
🍓 They’re baristas together
🍓 He’s tatted, pierced & plays violin

Meet Silas: an ordinary man whose world spirals into darkness the moment he lays eyes on Rosalie. Her radiant smile, that infectious laugh, and carefree spirit ignite a burning fixation within him. What begins as innocent admiration quickly morphs into a twisted obsession. One where he lurks silently in the shadows of her life, convinced that their connection is fate.

When Silas kidnaps Rosalie to shield her from a world he believes threatens to tear them apart, a complex relationship takes shape within their hidden refuge. Fear gives way to understanding, and love begins to bloom in the unlikeliest of places. Rosalie, initially terrified, starts to see glimpses of Silas’s desire to love and be loved; no matter how dark the path may be.

As they navigate a maze of fear, passion, and obsession, their story challenges the very meaning of love, blurring the lines between devotion and danger.

Dark, seductive, and utterly unpredictable; this is a story where love knows no bounds, even if that love is deep rooted from obsession.

 

Triggers: Stockholm syndrome, kidnapping/locked up, murder, manipulation, BDSM aspects, Dom/sub themes, stalking, masked men, ownership, violence, blood/gore, orphan, psychotic men, brief mention of cheating ex, praise kink, possessive MMC, graphic sex, abandonment issues, bloodlust, anal, oral, bondage, gruesome violence obsession, graphic depictions of death, mention of child abuse (backstory), holding hostage, and abduction.

BDSM aspects, anal, double penetration, choking, use of sex toys, bondage, dom/sub relationship, oral, ball gag, bloodlust

The Chapters in the book that include sexual related activities are 16, 19, 21 and 24.

 

COVER REVEAL ORGANIZED BY:

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books

Book Blitz: Beautiful Nightmare – L.C. Son

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We’re thrilled to announce the release of the Beautiful Nightmare deluxe digital edition boxset by L.C. Son!

This digital set comes fully loaded with:

  • All three books: Beautiful Nightmare, Awaken, Dawn of Descent
  • Two bonus stories: With Hearts Like Fire & With Clipped Wings of Butterflies
  • Bonus chapters & dialogue not included in standard retail editions
  • An exclusive immersive reader website to take you deeper into the universe- see QR code on receipt
  • Character guides

Beautiful Nightmare – Dark Paranormal Romance

Tropes: love triangle (leads to why choose), runaway bride, dark family secrets, vampires, wolf shifters, fated mates, she saves herself, touch me and d!e

Designer: @coversincolor


It all starts with love. Then it becomes a nightmare. But soon it becomes something quite beautiful.

Damina Nicaud, a beautiful, successful art buyer in Washington, D.C., has been plagued by hauntingly romantic dreams of a mystery man every night. While she knows she shouldn’t consider her dreams to be anything more than anxiety brought on by her upcoming nuptials, she can’t help but be lured into its entreat. Unbeknownst to her, the dreamscape that plagues her mind will be all that carries her through eventual heartbreak and learning the truth of her orphaned lineage.

She is more than human.

Escaping to New Orleans on the heels of her broken heart, she begins to unravel the mystery of her life while discovering a love powerful enough to unleash an ancient power residing within herself. Weaving through a world of artistic passion, vampires, wolves, and the supernatural, Damina Nicaud begins to take hold of her Beautiful Nightmare.

Purchase: https://payhip.com/b/EXkdQ

Tags:

@author_l.c.son @rrbooktours

#rrbooktours #bookbox #darkparanormalromance #beautifulnightmare #booktrilogy

blog tour, books

Blog Tour: Love and Other Revenge Plots – Liliana Woodland

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We’re celebrating the newly released romance Love and Other Revenge Plots by Liliana Woodland this week with a tour!

Love and Other Revenge Plots (Love in Louisville)

Release Date: March 16, 2026

Genre: Contemporary Romance

  • Co-workers in a medical setting
  • Class differences
  • Reformed bully
  • Groveling
  • Hidden identity
  • Emotional authenticity
  • Feminine anger
  • Dual POV

I never wanted to see him again. How am I supposed to work with my worst enemy?

I’ve hated Grant Wyndham for as long as I can remember. Back in our hometown, he was my tormentor. The source of my worst angst.

So when he shows up at my clinic, it shakes my world. How can that awful man be a doctor now? And how can I make it through the next three months with him?

I can’t let him get to me. I’m no pushover, and I can make him regret his treatment of me.

Except—it seems like he’s changed, and it’s clear he wants me. There’s a part of me that wants him, too.

When things start to heat up between us, I have to ask myself some important questions. Can I ever forgive him? Has he really redeemed himself?

And when attraction turns into something deeper, I’m forced to confront the past. What happens when the man who hurt you so badly is the one who sees you most clearly?

I do know one thing—no matter how sexy he is, falling for my high school bully was never part of the plan.

A slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers redemption romance about choosing love despite old wounds.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

 

Trigger Warning:

  • Explicit sexual content and swearing
  • Bullying (only in prologue, otherwise off page)
  • Fatphobia (only in prologue)
  • Discussion of unintentional weight loss
  • Discussion of childbirth complications
  • Frank discussions about poverty and food insecurity
  • Some explicit detail involving surgical procedures
  • Parental abandonment

 

BOOK TOUR ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: I Am You – Victoria Redel

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A mesmerising historical novel, I Am You is a meditation on gender, an ode to artistic creation, and an unforgettable love story that reimagines the life of renowned painter Maria van Oosterwijck during the Dutch Golden Age.

At eight years old, Gerta Pieters is forced to disguise herself as a boy and sent to work for a genteel family. When their daughter Maria sees through Gerta’s ruse, she insists Gerta accompany her to Amsterdam and help her enter the elite, maledominated art world.

While Maria rises in the ranks of society as a painting prodigy, Gerta makes herself invaluable in every way: confidante, muse, lover. But as Gerta steps into her own talents, their relationship fractures into a complex web of obsession and rivalry, until the secrets they keep threaten to unravel everything.

Victoria Redel is a first-generation American poet and novelist. Her work has been widely anthologized, awarded, and translated in ten languages. Her debut novel, Loverboy (2001) was adapted for feature film directed by Kevin Bacon. Redel’s short stories, poetry and essays have appeared in Granta, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Bomb, One Story, Salmagundi, O and NOON. She has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, The National Endowment forthe Arts and the Fine Arts Work Center. Victoria is a professor in the graduate and undergraduate Creative Writing programs at Sarah Lawrence College.

My thoughts: I actually found this a very sad book in many ways, Gerta is often unhappy and mistreated by her mistress Maria, who mocks her in public and is hot and cold with her in private.

The two women live a strange life, Maria is feted by society for her artworks but the men of the art world are dismissive of her talent, because she’s not a man, while also hoping to make her their wife or mistress. 

She and Gerta become a couple, but must keep it secret from everyone. And as Gerta learns to paint and assist Maria, who suffers from what I think is Parkinson’s, unable to use her hands unless the tremors she suffers become apparent, their relationship changes.

Gerta narrates the story, and we see her pain and misery first hand. From being forced to dress and behave like a boy, to being raped by Maria’s horrible nephew. She finds little love in her life, often rejected by Maria, who toys with her and ultimately she is forced to make a decision that will affect them both.

Powerful, compelling and fascinating, this story of women in a man’s world, creative and cruel (Maria) and incredibly loving (Greta) is moving and intriguing, recreating a vanished world in Amsterdam.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books

Blog Tour: Framed – Patricia Grayhall

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Welcome to the tour for Framed by Patricia Grayhall. Read on for more details!

Framed

Release Date: January 2026

Genre: Thriller

She’s taking on Big Oil. But when her star witness is arrested for bank robbery, the fight for justice becomes a battle for survival.

Environmental attorney Jo Turner is building the case of a lifetime, suing World Petrol, one of the country’s largest refineries, for toxic emissions linked to rising cancer rates along the Houston Ship Channel. Her crucial evidence comes from Dr. Tori Nelson, a respected physician and Jo’s college crush, whose research exposes devastating community health impacts.

But just as the lawsuit gains momentum, Tori is arrested for a shocking, high-profile bank robbery. Jo knows it’s a setup. Someone is trying to silence Tori to bury the findings that could bring World Petrol down.

As Jo races to prove Tori’s innocence, she uncovers a chilling conspiracy that reaches deeper than she imagined. With Tori’s freedom, career, and the lives of an entire community at stake, Jo has a choice: walk away or risk everything.

She’s never been good at walking away.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

 

BOOK TOUR ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: After Darcy – Joanna Nadin

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It is a truism, frequently invoked by the members of the Meryton Women’s Guild, that one is only ever as happy as one’s unhappiest child. So, with five daughters and four grandchildren, it was a miracle Mrs Hester Bennet ever raised a smile. At best, she was only ever tentatively pleased, and even then understood that her contentment rested on the edge of a gaping precipice into which she would inevitably tumble the second Kitty or Lydia (it was almost always those two) messaged in the clutches of yet another existential crisis…

Lydia, home from Paris on New Year’s Day in a welter of hangover and humiliation, finds herself swearing off drink, drugs and sex for the next 12 months. Through her unfamiliar sobriety, she’ll see a landmark year for all the Bennet sisters, including a disruptive 40th birthday, an engagement and a funeral: and, maybe, coming to terms with the results of a run-of-the-mill run-in with a jackknifed lorry on a wet stretch of the M1…

A sharply funny and unexpectedly tender modern sequel to Pride & Prejudice, this is a story of sisterhood, survival, and second chances. For fans of Marian Keyes, Dolly Alderton, and anyone who’s ever wondered what the Bennet sisters would be like in the age of therapy, WhatsApp, and wellness trends gone rogue.

Joanna Nadin is a former broadcast journalist, political speechwriter and special adviser to the Prime Minister. Since leaving politics she has written numerous books for children and adults, including an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility for younger readers, the Carnegie Medal-nominated Joe All Alone, which is now a BAFTA-winning and Emmy-nominated BBC drama, andthe Flying Fergus series with Sir Chris Hoy. Originally from Essex, she now lives in Bath, and is Associate Professor in Creative Writing at University of Bristol.

My thoughts: this modern day update to the sisters of Pride & Prejudice is fantastic, funny, sad, thoughtful, entertaining and hugely enjoyable. The Bennet sisters are up to date with dating apps, WhatsApp chats and a very different take on the 18th Century.

Lizzy is a doctor with twins who never stop asking questions, juggling a demanding job with parenthood, Jane is contemplating her future and that of Netherfield, Mary is still figuring things out, Kitty might be about to wreck her love life and Lydia is, well, a total mess.

While Mr Bennet takes refuge in his newspaper, Mrs Bennet is still meddling in her daughters’ lives, some things never change.

As the sisters’ year begins, there’s heart break, misunderstandings, arguments, gossip and a trip to Paris which might derail the close knit bond between the five for good.

So much fun, very cleverly done and with real heart, this is a terrific book.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

BBNYA Blog Tour: Miss Bennet’s Dragon – M. Verant

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Miss Bennet’s Dragon is the 10th place BBNYA 2025 finalist!
About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

War threatens England, but Elizabeth Bennet’s battles are closer to home. She’s managing the family estate for her ailing father. Insufferable gentlemen keep bursting in to propose marriage. And most dangerous of all, she’s hiding a forbidden skill. Elizabeth can speak to draca, the small, fire-breathing dragons kept by gentry as frivolous status symbols.

When Napoleon’s spies attempt to steal draca, the distant war threatens even cozy Hertfordshire. Elizabeth seeks the aid of Mr. Darcy, the proud man whose proposal she once scorned. Amid the breathtaking halls of Pemberley, she discovers the truth: she is not the first woman to speak with draca. But with her secret revealed, the dark history of Pemberley tears her and Mr. Darcy apart.

One hope remains: her dangerous affinity to draca. But does she dare to trust legends and lost songs? And when a terrible betrayal threatens the man she loves, does she have a choice?

Miss Bennet’s Dragon is the first book in the award-winning Jane Austen Fantasy trilogy. For fans of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and of course Jane Austen.

Amazon Canada  USA  UK

Goodreads The Story Graph

M. Verant writes noblebright fantasy and sci-fi that’s exciting, romantic, and celebrates diversity and empowerment. His latest work is Emma’s Dragon, book 2 in the award-winning Jane Austen Fantasy series. Dragons of the Great Wyves, book 3 of the trilogy, is next, followed by Tiger Seed, a contemporary fantasy rooted in ancient Indus history. He collects Jane Austen paraphernalia and two-legged dragons while dodging wild turkeys in the San Francisco Bay Area. Follow him on Bluesky @mverant.com.

My thoughts: This was a lot of fun, it’s Pride & Prejudice & Dragons (not Zombies) and since I enjoy both the work of Miss Austen and dragons, right up my street, or should I say, in my library!

Lizzy Bennet discovers she can communicate with the small forms of draca that live in England, no true dragons exist, or so she believes (maybe St George put them off?) but married couples of her social class can bond with a variety of the smaller types, on their wedding night. A lot of the lore is shrouded in mystery, the church rather disapproves and not everyone can make it happen (like Mr Collins and poor Charlotte).

Mr & Mrs Bennet have a firedrake, a dog sized draca that Mrs B is somewhat afraid of, but Lizzy, and to some extent her sisters, are not. Which is handy when Lizzy starts to realise she can talk to them, and some of them talk back.

Most of the plot is familiar to fans of P&P but there are changes, the war against Napoleon is more important to this version than the original, and indeed a certain Arthur Wellesley shows up, turns out he and Darcy are old friends. There’s also a rather horrible change in one of the Bennet sisters, but Lizzy is still a remarkable, funny, intelligent heroine.

I really enjoyed this and now I’m off to read book two, which features a Miss Emma Woodhouse….

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

events, reviews

The Conversation; Hallie Rubenhold

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Last Tuesday I was kindly offered the opportunity to go and see historian and author Hallie Rubenhold talk about her work at the gorgeous St Martin-in-the-Fields in London.

Truly a great setting to listen to one of my favourite authors talk about The Five, The Covent Garden Ladies, The Scandalous Lady W and her most recent, Story of a Murder.  

This was all part of a series of talks called The Conversation 2026 where different very interesting people are invited to talk about their life and work and you can be in the audience, either in person or via live stream from your sofa.

I took my mum, who hadn’t read any of Hallie’s books before but was very interested in how she reframes the cases she writes about so that the women, who are often the victim, are the main character, not the killer, who is usually a man.

In the case of Story of a Murder, the victim is Belle Elmore, a music hall performer, by her husband Dr Crippen, who buried her in the cellar of their London home and then took off with his mistress, Ethel.

Hallie brings their world to life in her book, creating a wonderful sense of time and place, exploring why the police were so reluctant to believe anything was wrong, despite how often Belle’s friends in The Music Hall Ladies’ Guild insisted it was. The Belle they knew wouldn’t just vanish to America without a word, as her husband claimed, she would have written. It is really shocking how long it took to get Scotland Yard to investigate, and it ended in a transatlantic race to catch Crippen and Ethel who were trying to escape to Canada.

It was really interesting hearing Hallie talk about how she goes about researching and learning about the cases, and how she reconstructs the events from often quite small comments in trial transcripts and newspaper reports. She never loses sight of the fact that these were real people and only quotes dialogue that is in the record.

Honestly I could have listened to her for hours, she was so fascinating, her work intriguing and important in re-centering women in history and not letting them end up sidelined in their own lives. Her most famous book, The Five, upset a lot of Ripperologists, because of the focus on his victims, and not who the killer might have been.

Both The Scandalous Lady W and The Covent Garden Ladies have been adapted for TV (the Ladies as Harlots) and you can see why, the books are clever and full of fascinating details.

If you’re interested in seeing any of the other conversations, visit the link above to check out the upcoming dates and book your tickets.