Author: ramblingmads

I am a thirtysomething from London, with a cat, a husband, bookshelves which keep threatening to crush me under their load and chronic health conditions. Basically your average over stressed millennial. Welcome.
books

Cover Reveal: Realm of Soot and Sorrow – Ashley J. Vinson

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We’re proud to present the cover for Realm of Soot and Sorrow by Ashley J. Vinson. Pre-order a copy today and stay tuned for the book tour!

Realm of Soot and Sorrow (The Divine Realms)

Expected Release Date: October 11, 2025

Genre: Romantasy/ MM Fated Romance

  • Fated mates
  • Rivals to lovers
  • Enemies to lovers
  • MM Romance
  • High stakes
  • Dual POV
  • Slow-burn
  • Grumpy x sunshine
  • Dash of spice
  • Gods, magic and more

Mateo, the Right Hand to the High Lord of the Realm of Stars, struggles through life. Yes, he has his close friends, lives in a beautiful Realm, and is in a loving relationship, but his past always finds a way to catch up with him.

Acheron, the Right Hand to the High Lord of the Realm of Clouds, is becoming fed up with said High Lord, Neil, and his increasingly troubling ideas and plans for the realms. He longs for love but believes he will never find his Mate.

When their Mate Bond snaps into place at the most inconvenient time, Acheron and Mateo find themselves in a precarious situation. Mateo must grapple with the fact that his relationship with Rowan is over and that his Mate is from enemy territory. Acheron is determined to break down Mateo’s walls and prove to him that their Mate Bond should be cherished and that his intentions are true.

Follow this beautifully woven tale of love and loss, wars both mental and physical, betrayal and newfound ties. Will their love truly have a chance to flourish? Or is it doomed to wither and die from the start?

PRE-ORDER HERE

CONTENT WARNING:

This book contains adult themes and may not be suitable for all readers, reader discretion is advised.

For the first half of the book or so, Mateo struggles heavily with his mental health, mental distress and addiction. He turns to alcohol and drug use (snorting stardust) in an attempt to cope with the pressure placed upon him. The book heavily deals with topics around this, so please take the time to read through the warnings below, as well as the full list on my website.

Readers should be advised that the story includes elements such as romance, fantasy and complex character relationships. It explores topics such as mature intimacy, emotional intensity, alcohol, drug use (snorting stardust), mention of parental death, grief, imprisonment, murder, choking, near death, injury, dominance/submission, biting, war, addiction, violence, torture, blood, gore, conflict, and other mature situations and topics and that could be triggering for some readers. Please read with caution and prioritize your well-being.

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Blog Tour: The Legacy of the Lost Witch – N Cooper

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Clara Collins thought she was ordinary. Growing up in Hull with her dad, she dreamed of becoming a Vet. But when a mysterious invitation arrives, everything changes pulling her into a world she never knew existed.

At a festival filled with impossible wonders, Clara discovers the truth: she belongs to a powerful magical family on her late mother’s side, a family who had no idea she existed. Thrust into a world of spells, secrets, and expectations, Clara struggles to find her place, especially
when she’s sent to Crowstone Academy of Magic, a school beyond her wildest dreams!

But as Clara navigates newfound friendships, magical lessons, and the weight of her family’s legacy, whispers of something darker begin to stir. A ruthless wizard tied to her family’s past has escaped from prison. Strange disturbances ripple through the school. Clara may not yet understand the full weight of her lineage, but the shadows closing in around her will force her to confront it sooner than she’s ready for.
Magic is real, but it comes at a cost.

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My name is Nicky Cooper, and I’m a dyslexic ADHD author who has been writing for as long as I can remember. For years, I struggled to finish anything I started. With ADHD, completing tasks, especially full stories, has always been incredibly difficult. That changed when I wrote a children’s book for one of my kids. The feedback was so encouraging, it gave me the belief that maybe I could actually do this.

That moment of confidence led to my first full-length novel, Guardians of the Veil, which was published last month. It follows two teenagers who stumble upon a magical pendant and are thrown into a hidden war between realms. As they uncover ancient secrets and battle powerful enemies, they must decide what kind of guardians they are meant to be.
Shortly after, my second book, The Legacy of the Lost Witch, was accepted for publication and is due out in the coming months. It is a darker fantasy that follows a girl who discovers her magical bloodline and is thrust into a world of hidden academies, dangerous legacies, and a dark wizard tied to her past.

I am now working on my third book. It is a challenge with ADHD, but I am more determined than ever to keep going. I have learned that it does not matter how good your stories are if no one knows they exist, so I am here to share my work, connect with readers, and keep building the worlds that have lived in my head for so long

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My thoughts: Clara receives an invitation to a festival of magic, she’s a bit sceptical, but goes along, not expecting her whole life to change. She’s only fourteen, but a new work awaits her, if she chooses it.

Her mum died when she was little and she has no idea that she comes from a long line of powerful witches and wizards. Meeting her grandparents, snobby uncle and the rest of the family is a bit overwhelming, but more is to come when she’s accepted into an elite school for magic.

There are secrets and rumours to unravel, Clara hasn’t been told the whole truth about her mum, or about the mysterious and dangerous Dark Wizard, recently escaped from prison. The things she learns will change everything.

If you’re looking for a YA book about magic, a young witch on a quest for the truth and an alternative to a certain book series, this is a pretty good option. Clara’s a likeable protagonist, there’s plenty of intrigue and action to hold your attention and it’s also quite funny at times, Clara isn’t from the world of magic and finds some of it a bit strange, a total fish out of water experience.

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

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Blog Tour: The Burning Stones – Antti Tuomainen, translated by David Hackston

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To celebrate the paperback publication of this funny and fun novel, I’m re-sharing my review from the hardback tour below. To buy a copy head to Orenda Books.

Saunas, love and a ladleful of murder… A cold-blooded killer strikes at the hottest moment: the new head of a sauna-stove company is murdered … in the sauna. Who has turned up the temperature and burned him to death? The evidence points in the direction of Anni Korpinen – top salesperson and the victim’s successor at Steam Devil. And as if hitting middle-age, being in a marriage that has lost its purpose, and struggling with work weren’t enough, Anni realizes that she must be quicker than both the police and the murderer to uncover who is behind it all – before it’s too late…

Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. In 2011, his third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for Best Finnish Crime Novel and shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime-genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards and now a Finnish TV series. Palm Beach, Finland (2018) and Little Siberia (2019) have both been adapted for the screen, airing shortly, and also shortlisted for the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Readers Awards, the Last Laugh Award and the CWA International Dagger, and winning the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel. The international bestselling Rabbit Factor trilogy is filming now for Amazon Studios, starring Steve Carell. Antti lives in Helsinki with his wife.

My thoughts: From theme parks to sauna sales, the first in a new series from the funniest Finnish writer I’ve read is back and I am delighted.

Saunas are big business in Finland, where people have them in their back gardens and use them daily, being the best salesperson at Steam Devil, and after the murder of her boss’ heir apparent puts Anni in the police’s crosshairs, they think she’s the killer, and even more so once another one of her colleagues also dies.

There’s evidence that seems to link her to both scenes, although she insists the “bumlets” (every time I read that word, I giggle) were stolen. Then there’s her deeply weird husband who spends all his time watching old F1 races and discussing them online as well as selling related merchandise, or at least stockpiling it.

Anni’s got issues and so do the police investigating her, it’s a small place and everyone has history.

I really enjoyed this, Finland sounds like such a unique and weird place, and Antti’s books are full of utterly ridiculous and odd people. Who knew saunas would cause so much chaos!

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Blog Tour: The Ballad of the Last Dragon – C.A. Farran

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This is probably one of our most highly anticipated tour this year, and we are just thrilled to share The Last Dragon with you all this week!

The Ballad of the Last Dragon

Release Date: April

Genre: Epic Romantasy

🥀Grumpy/Sunshine
✨Found Family
🥀Quest
✨Tavern ambience
🥀“Who did this to you?”
✨Sarcasm as a love language
🥀Semi-unreliable narrator
✨Standalone

“A bard never reveals her secrets, only everyone else’s.”

There is no place for elves in this world, but Sylvaine knows she’s destined for greatness—a world-famous bard entertaining the finest nobility as far as Lindale. Unfortunately, performing in her local tavern off the beaten path lends scant opportunity to distinguish herself.

Until a group of adventurers arrive, promising fame, wealth, and glory when they slay the last dragon of their age and find the lost hoard. Syl convinces them they’ll need a bard to spread word of their heroics, and if she can claim some honor for herself along the way, well no one could fault her for recognizing a mutually beneficial arrangement. Even if it means ignoring the glaring disapproval of the hulking warrior assigned to protect her.

Jaromir is rude and ill-tempered. He makes no effort to hide his distaste when she joins their group. But as they grow closer, and are unable to deny the heat of their attraction, she discovers there’s more to him than his poor manners. He brings her passion, peace, and safety in a world in which she’s never felt welcome.

When the group suffers a great loss, they must use the power of a convincing story to keep their quest alive. A future that once seemed impossible, is suddenly within reach with Jaromir by her side. But even the ballads of love are rife with sorrow. Syl must slay her own dragons before she has a chance at surviving this journey and writing the ending she yearns for. Every bard knows the victorious ending comes at a price. Syl will see this tale through, no matter what it costs her…

Warnings: strong language, explicit sexual content, graphic depictions of violence, death, attempted SA

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Blog Tour: Witch Hunt – BD Spargo

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Murder, witchcraft, and a race against time – welcome to Pendle Hill.

A young woman is found brutally murdered and mutilated at the foot of Pendle Hill and the local police are in no doubt who the killer is. Newly released from a psychiatric unit, Will Perkins has
delusions that the victim is a witch. When DCI Liam Doyle and his team are brought in to investigate, the suspect is already in custody and the case apparently wrapped up. Except for one key detail – evidence.

Is it really possible the origins to this murder lie in Pendle’s infamous past?

Recently returned to work, DS Anna Morgan is battling her own demons. The physical wounds from her last case have healed, but the psychological trauma still haunts her. When another body turns up
the investigation is blown wide open and Doyle has to face up to the horrifying possibility that he could have prevented this killing.

Can Doyle overcome his own doubts and track down the killer before they strike again? Will Morgan be able to conquer her fear before it destroys her?

Set in and around Lancashire’s legendary Pendle Hill, Witch Hunt is a gripping British crime thriller with dark humour and a nail-biting climax. This fast-paced novel, the second in the series featuring
DCI Doyle and DS Morgan, will have readers on the edge of their seats.

If you have enjoyed books by authors such as Val McDermid, MW Craven, JD Kirk and Alex Smith, you won’t want to miss Witch Hunt.

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Amazon UK series 

Fast approaching fifty; without enough money for a sports car, BD Spargo decided to express his mid-life crises by turning to crime …

Thankfully for pretty much everyone this meant writing crime fiction rather than anything more nefarious.

Originally from London, he spent his early career working in television and theatre including on the Ruth Rendall Mysteries broadcast on ITV.

A life changing accident necessitated retraining and a change of direction going on to work in mental health services. This culminated in ten years managing a groundbreaking forensic psychiatric service.

He now lives in Lancashire with his family and is getting acclimatised to the rain.

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My thoughts: The local police in Pendle have already arrested their killer before the MIT are on the scene, but they’ve been a bit too keen and with no evidence, and an alibi, this is not looking good.

Once DCI Doyle and his team get stuck into the case they discover a massive drug dealing operation, dodgy cops, and a second victim, which means they’re getting close. Someone’s trying to frame an innocent man, who happens to be mentally ill, but there’s a lot more going on here and somehow they’ll solve both murders, weed out the bad seeds in the force, and take down the drug dealers, hopefully helping some of the most vulnerable in the town at the same time.

Woven through the case is the tragic history of the Pendle witchcraft trial, which saw 12 people hanged, and as yet, they have not been pardoned, despite witchcraft not being real and the abolition of the Act they were sentenced under (whereas Scotland have done this).

Will is obsessed with the trials, and the voices he hears are those, he believes, of the people involved – both victims and the men who made the decision to convict and execute the accused. He sometimes struggles to understand what’s reality and what’s happening in his head, but he knows he didn’t kill anyone. He’s just a handy scapegoat. It’s up to Doyle and his team to prove this and find the real killer. 

Clever, suspenseful and insightful, I really enjoyed this book which treated its mentally ill characters with a light touch and respect, something you don’t always find. 

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

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Cover Reveal: Ghost Whispers – Brittany Arden

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We’re proud to present this gorgeous cover with all of you today. Ghost Whispers is available for pre-order now!

Ghost Whispers: Blakewell Mages Book One

Expected Release Date: October 1, 2025

Genre: Romantasy/ Urban Gothic Setting

  • Found Family
  • Enemies to Reluctant Allies (with romantic tension)
  • Magical Murder Mystery
  • Love Triangle (slow burn)
  • Forbidden Magic
  • Bargain with Death
  • Touch-Starved Love Interest
  • Powerful Heroine Coming Into Her Magic
  • Ghosts with Unfinished Business
  • Gothic Urban Setting
  • Protective Love Interest
  • Secret Past
  • Only One Who Can See Him (Death)

She bargained with Death. She didn’t expect him to be beautiful.

Sonia Byrd sees ghosts—and they whisper their deaths into her bones.

It’s a dangerous gift in a city ruled by mage politics and bloodlines. A gift that makes her a target. When a murdered mage’s ghost starts haunting her, Sonia’s hunt for answers leads her straight into a forbidden House of magic, the ruins of her own past, and the arms of a grumpy, infuriatingly attractive mage-detective who keeps secrets like they’re sacred texts.

But the dead aren’t the only ones watching her.

There’s something older—darker—lurking in the veil between worlds. A dangerous being who calls himself Death. And he wants her. For her magic. For her blood. For something she doesn’t understand.

Now Sonia’s caught between two men with power—and hunger—that could destroy her. As the bodies pile up and ghosts begin to scream, Sonia must decide who to trust, who to betray…

And whether her heart can survive the war between the living and the dead.

Perfect for fans of slow-burn romance, forbidden magic, and morally grey love interest who whisper your name like a prayer.

PRE-ORDER HERE

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Triggers:

Death of a parent. Grief. Brief moments of blood or body horror (mild, not graphic. Think murder mystery moment. The crime scene is found but is not gory.)
Themes of death, sacrifice, and betrayal

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Blog Tour: Toffee Apple Strudel – Susan A. King

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A NEW BEATTIE BRAMSHAW MYSTERY –

It’s the summer of 2001, and for WI Secretary and practised busybody Beattie Bramshaw, it’s a time of new beginnings.
Her much-anticipated wedding to vegetable grower extraordinaire Doug Sparrow is now just months away. However, in the throes of setting up their marital home and new market garden business, she receives a surprise request to care for a distant relative.

Likewise, a number of her fellow Elmesbury residents also find their lives on the cusp of change, and not all for the good. Is it pure chance that the arrival of Beattie’s young ward coincides with yet
another murder in the village? Or were plans already afoot?

Once again, Beattie picks up the gauntlet, but can she solve the case and uncover the murderer’s identity before it casts a shadow over her wedding to Doug?

Toffee Apple Strudel is a comedy crime caper in the style of Agatha Raisin and sees the conclusion of the ‘Beattie Bramshaw Mysteries series’. Make a brew, grab a chair, and prepare for a fun-filled finale.

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Susan King is hosting a giveaway on X, take a look here for all the details

Susan A. King lives with her husband in the North East’s equivalent to San Tropez,
otherwise known as Hartlepool.

The inspiration for her debut novel, Marrow Jam, came from her long experience and observation of competitors at a local country show where she regularly aspires to win Best in Show with her floral arrangements. Unsuccessful to date, she has been tempted to investigate more underhand methods by which to acquire the trophy but has yet to sink to the depths described in her novel. Or so she would have you believe!

Marrow Jam was shortlisted for the Write Here, Right Now novel competition at the Bradford Literature Festival.
The second book in the ‘Beattie Bramshaw Mysteries series’, Banana Devil Cake, is available in e-book and both are published by Eye/Lightning Books.

Toffee Apple Strudel sees the conclusion of the ‘Beattie Bramshaw Mysteries series’.

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My thoughts: I hadn’t read the previous books in this series and you don’t really need to (unless you want to) to follow this story. Beattie is a bit of a busy body, but in a village where everything anyone does is fuel for the gossip mill, it’s hardly surprising.

She’s asked to take in her cousin’s moody teenage granddaughter for a bit, as her mother’s had an accident and her grandmother is off to be nurse maid. Unfortunately Beattie has zero idea what to do with a teenager, and they initially struggle to get along.

While dealing with her new guest, wedding planning, a house move and setting up a business, Beattie also finds time to be secretary of the local WI, and when tragedy strikes, she decides to investigate. Something’s not right, and she’ll find out what it is, one way or another. Although the local police would rather she didn’t. 

Fun, with definite shades of Agatha Raisin and other series where the person who always cracks the case really isn’t the police but a very sharp local with a nose for lies and secrets.   

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

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Blog Tour: To Kiss the Sea – C.H. Carter

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Welcome to the tour for To Kiss the Sea by C.H. Carter. Read on for more details!

To Kiss the Sea

Publication Date: October 31, 2023

Genre: Sapphic Fantasy/ Fairy Tale Fantasy

🌊 Fairytale retelling

🌊 Mermaids, pirates, and spies – Oh my!

🌊 Force proximity

🌊 Enemies-to-friends

🌊 LGBTQ/Queer normative society

🌊 Found family

🌊 Mental health rep

🌊 Multi-POV

In the Birde Isles there’s a saying: You cannot take what the sea is not willing to give.

Ally Kingfisher never gave it much thought until she experienced the sea’s wrath firsthand. But after a near-drowning leaves her with a deeply ingrained fear of the water, Ally still finds herself inexplicably drawn to its depths. As if something is calling to her from beneath the waves, and it only grows louder each year.

Pasha is being punished for something she didn’t do, sentenced to a life of solitude until her kin return. But mermaids aren’t meant to live alone. Desperate for companionship, Pasha makes a deal that goes spectacularly awry, affecting the lives of everyone on the Isles for years to come.
When a pirate captain kidnaps Ally’s mother and demands Ally deliver the ransom personally, she is forced to leave land for the first time. Turning to Pasha, the one creature whose help she doesn’t want but whose power over the water she needs, Ally strikes a new bargain to get her to her mother. But she’ll have to confront more than her fears along the way…
Because even those in favor are still at the mercy of the sea.

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Blog Tour: The Devil’s Ward – Dharshaini G

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A little taste for the spooky season to come! Check out The Devil’s Ward by Dharshaini G!

The Devil’s (The Devil’s Archive)

Expected Release: Aug 2, 2025

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/ Horror

  • Big brother-little sister bond
  • Mystery-thriller
  • Creepy hospital
  • The killer is back
  • Asian MC
  • Folklore

She was ten when her brother vanished. Now he’s calling—and so is his killer.
Signal meets The Haunting of Hill House in this chilling mystery thriller.

Shadows haunt the corridors of Deacon Hospital. Seventeen years ago, patients were murdered. Dr. Tharn, the prime suspect, vanished.

But Tara knows the truth. Her big brother was framed—and murdered. Now a doctor herself, she starts work at Deacon Hospital with one mission:

To find the killer that stole him.

During a busy night shift, her work phone glitches…and rings its own number.

Tharn answers—seventeen years in the past, just weeks before his death. He’s holding the same battered work phone.

For Tara, this is a chance. To rewrite the past and save her brother.

But in her present, the bodies are piling up again.

The killer is back.

And they can’t wait to meet her.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

Triggers: Murder. Violence. References to child abuse, racism and suicide.

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Blog Tour: One More Chance – Reno R. Mist

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Welcome to the tour for One More Chance by Reno R. Mist! Read on for more details!

One More Chance (Heretical Gods #1)

Release Date: June 30, 2025

Genre: Dark Psychological Romance/ Time Travel

  • Adult Romance
  • Angsty
  • Dark Romance,
  • Romantic Suspense
  • Betrayal and Redemption
  • Paranormal Romance (Time Travel)
  • Dystopian Romance
  • Vengeance
  • Infidelity
  • Second Chances
  • Groveling
  • Strong FMC

LOVE IS A DAGGER.

After dying in a devastating car crash, Levi wakes up twelve years in the past, back at the moment he walked out on the love of his life. His marriage to Sloane is shattered by betrayal, and his family left in ruins. But now, with the knowledge of everything he’s lost, and everything that’s coming, he’s been given one impossible gift: a second chance.

This time, Levi will do anything to make things right. To prove to Sloane that he sees her now, and show her that she was always the one for him – even if he has to spend the rest of his life proving it.

As the world quietly begins to crumble, Levi and Sloane must confront the wreckage of their past while fighting to protect their children and each other. Through heartbreak, healing, and the slow rekindling of a once-shattered love, they’ll discover that survival isn’t just about enduring the end – it’s about choosing one another, again and again.

First book of a gripping dark psychological romance series where time bends, betrayal cuts deep, and redemption demands everything.

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