blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Novel Detective – Teresa Dovalpage


A metafictional mystery set in Cuba past and present about a writer returning to her long-lost hometown, seeking the truth about two suspicious deaths

2020: Teresa, a Cuban-born mystery writer now living in America, gets an unexpected call from her childhood best friend, Estrella, inviting her to Havana. Estrella is determined to get answers about a case that has haunted them both for decades: the purported murder-suicide of a teacher and a student at their high school. Though Teresa doesn’t quite understand why Estrella is taking the story so personally, she’s along for the ride—as she always wanted to write a novel about this case.

1980: Fourteen-year-old Teresita, bespectacled, awkward and mystery novel–obsessed, is “nosy, but not a tattletale.” She knows who’s been skimming off the top of the amphetamine stash in her mother’s pharmacy, which teacher keeps cyanide in his cabinet at school and that their classmate Yoyi is sleeping with their English teacher. Over the course of one fateful day, Teresita gets closer than ever to learning the “Truth of Life”—her catchall term for the intricacies of adult existence— even if it means coming face to face with death.

Directly inspired by the author’s own childhood in Cuba and adult life in the United States, drawing upon the tradition of Latin American magical realism, this is a resonant tale at once personal and
universal, full of nostalgia, candor and danger.

Purchase

Win 2 x hardback copies of the book (US only) **


Teresa Dovalpage is the author of fourteen novels, four collections of short stories in English and Spanish, and four theatre plays. Her Havana Mystery series, published by Soho Crime, began with
Death Comes in through the Kitchen (2018).

Subsequent novels include Queen of Bones (2019) named by NBC News as one of the ten best books by and about Latinos of the year; Death of a Telenovela Star (2020); Death under the Perseids (2021), and Last Seen in Havana (2024) which Sarah Weinman praised in The New York Times for exploring “how familial bonds can fray, yet manage to hold steady, across the decades.” Last Seen in Havana was also an Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best
Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense.

The Novel Detective is a metafictional mystery inspired by the author’s own childhood in Cuba and adult life in the United States.

Website Facebook Instagram

My thoughts: This was a really interesting way of exploring the author’s own past and a tragic case that had haunted her for years.

Going back to Cuba years after she left, Teresa finds a completely different place to the one she left, but her ghosts wait around every corner. Her childhood friend Estrella wants her help to try to find out who killed their classmate Yoyi and English teacher, who may well have been involved with her.

The two women never really believed that the victims had committed suicide, it didn’t add up, but they weren’t sure who could have been angry enough with both to kill them.

As they explore the new Old Havana and revisit their past, they also piece together the events around the shocking double murder and work out who might have been holding onto a grudge intense enough to kill.

A fascinating and enjoyable read set in a country that I don’t know a lot about but clearly has many stories still waiting to be told.

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

**Terms and Conditions –USA entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or
email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of
the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for
fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.**

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Crime in the Gym – Catherine Moloney

Bromgrove folk are dying to join Fitness for All. A friendly little gym where everyone’s welcome. And everyone’s a suspect.

Paralympian Jack Donahue has always been the gym’s devastatingly handsome poster boy. Until now.

Jack is found dead in the weights room. Bludgeoned with the same dumbbell that helped sculpt his world-class biceps!

Detective Gil Markham is called to investigate, with his loyal — and gloriously tactless — sidekick George Noakes never far behind.

But the deeper they dig into Jack’s secrets, the more suspects they find.
Behind his spotless public image, Jack wasn’t short of enemies. A spurned student with a grudge. A bitter ex-trainer. A girlfriend hiding secrets of her own.
Markham fears it all links back to a spate of attacks on the ladies of the Silver Swans barre group.

Before long, a second body falls. Then a third . . . both paid-up members of the gym.
Whoever’s behind these killings, they’re only just getting warmed up. Can Markham solve the case before they return to make it a personal best?

A wonderfully witty and twist-packed British crime mystery you won’t be able to put down. Perfect for fans of Elly Griffiths, Faith Martin, Clare Chase, P.F. Ford and LJ
Ross.

Goodreads Purchase

Catherine Moloney is a Liverpool writer of Irish-American heritage. After graduating
in Jurisprudence from Jesus College (University of Oxford), she was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn. Despite qualifying as a barrister, her first love was English; this led to a PhD in English Literature at Birkbeck College (University of London).
In her academic career, she lectured and published widely on the subject of
tuberculosis and nineteenth-century literature, but somehow managed to avoid
contracting galloping hypochondria and turned her attention to crime fiction.

Facebook X Website

My thoughts: The Fitness For All gym is the centre of the crimes in this book – Paralympian Jack Donahue is murdered in the weight room, and several members of the Silver Swans dance class have been attacked around town. The only thing that connects the victims is the gym. But are the crimes being committed by the same person and why?

As Markham and his team investigate, they find Donahue wasn’t the golden boy he appeared to be and there were plenty of people who disliked him – but did that lead to his death?

There’s some people at the university too, where Donahue was supposed to be doing a PhD, some of whom seem very keen on him and others, like his girlfriend’s ex, who really don’t. That ex, a rather strange guy anyway – obsessed with eugenics and claiming Donahue was abusive, certainly seems to have motive.

But while he might have plenty to say, does he really seem like a killer? When another body is found, it seems less likely. Can the team crack the case?

Clever, funny (Noakes is rather entertaining if a bit of a dinosaur) and with a twisted killer at the centre, this is another excellent case for the Bromgrove CID.

*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

Blog Tour: The Campervan Detectives – Maeve Haran

Fearless, feisty and at the wheel of her bright orange campervan, newly-single Sadie is about to enter a new era… as a detective?!

It’s never too late for a second chance, and when Sadie Sutton’s marriage implodes spectacularly, she jumps into her vintage VW campervan and heads for the twisty cobbled streets and sea views of her childhood in the little seaside town of Winching. But her fresh start comes to an abrupt stop when she trips over a dead body, turning an ordinary walk with her faithful dog Sam Spade into a murder investigation!

Having failed to stop a balaclava-wearing suspect disappearing from the scene into the night, Sadie can’t help but take matters into her own hands. The victim, retired headmistress Charlotte Woolf, was well known around Winching for her sharp tongue – rumours suggest she was particularly disliked by her own husband! But he swears he doesn’t even like killing snails by mistake…

With the enthusiastic help of three women at the campsite who have all embraced Van Life, Sadie starts sleuthing. Who was sending Charlotte anonymous bunches of flowers that had her rattled? Do the members of the local sea swimming club hold a vital clue? Sadie and her friends are on the right track… until their prime suspect ends up dead in his garden shed!

Can Sadie get to the root of the problem and stop the killer before the next person is buried? Or will her fresh new chapter end with her driving her campervan back the way she came?

First in a brilliant new series from bestselling author Maeve Haran, this warm, witty and absolutely unputdownable cosy crime novel is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, The Thursday Murder Club and Robert Thorogood.

Amazon

Maeve Haran is an Oxford law graduate who had a successful career in television before writing her worldwide bestseller Having It All , which was translated into twenty-six languages. She has written twenty contemporary novels, two historical novels, and a work of non-fiction in praise of life’s small pleasures. She has three grown up children and four grandchildren. She lives mainly in North London but escapes when she can to a much-loved cottage in the beautiful Cuckmere Valley near the sea in East Sussex. Her hobby is ignoring age and having a good time!

Mailing List Website

My thoughts: Discovering her husband in bed with her best friend, Sadie scoops her little dog Sam Spade up, buys a campervan and heads off to the beach where she had a great time as a child, hoping to start again.

Out for a walk, she comes across the body of retired headteacher Charlotte Woolf. Teaming up with the other Vintage Vanettes, while the police inspector is fixated on the victim’s husband, she needs to solve this herself.

This was really fun, funny and enjoyable start to a new series, I liked Sadie and little Sam, as well as her new friends. They’re smart and capable and solved the case ahead of the local police, proving they’ve got great instincts. Can’t wait for book two!

*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

Book Blitz: A Painkiller to Die For – Dr Martyn Pritchard


It was difficult for Will Jeavons to imagine just how his life could possibly get any better. Having overcome a traumatic childhood, he had gone on to study molecular pharmacology and win tenure
as a lecturer at his beloved Cambridge University.

But his life was soon to become better still, the CEO of a biotech company. Will’s unique research led to the discovery of a non-addictive drug for chronic pain. A remarkable solution for the opioid epidemic which had claimed the life of his mother.

Will’s flourishing company was subsequently acquired, and this was when he first met Celeste Simmonds. The beguiling Celeste would steer Will away from his earlier hedonistic, womanising
lifestyle. However, the only way he could ensure the success of his drug was to bury key safety data which could have led to the clinical trials being terminated.

Clinical trials which resulted in the husband of Lydia Goldberg falling into a deep coma. It was Lydia’s scientific training which led her to discover Will’s fraudulent cover-up. She was determined to seek vengeance and concocted an elaborate honeytrap and a decision for Will to make. A career ending confession or being submitted to a life-threatening game of Russian roulette.

Amazon UK Amazon US


Dr Martyn Pritchard is currently moving towards retirement following on from a 35-year long career in drug discovery research focusing on neuroscience as well as novel medicines to treat pain. He is
the author of over 50 scientific papers and book chapters along with one novel written under a nom de plume: A Practical Arrangement.

Instagram: martyn.pritchard1 (Instagram)
Facebook: (20+) Facebook

My thoughts: Drawing on the author’s years in the field, this is a clever and thought provoking thriller that feels very timely. The search for a non-addictive but highly effective painkiller is real, the opioid crisis, particularly in the US, has serious consequences.

Dr Will Jeavons watched his mother, crippled by pain, die of an overdose, he’s dedicated his life to finding an alternative and saving others from her fate. He’s also an arrogant, obnoxious man who sees nothing wrong in the kind of short term, transactional relationships that are hollow and mostly physical. Until he meets Celeste.

She works for the company keen to buy his work, his company, him, but not his employees. And soon Will is enjoying the chase. Celeste is embroiled in an ugly divorce from her serial cheater husband. And she lives in the States. But Will doesn’t see the issue. 

In order to sell his tiny start-up, he hides some important and potentially damaging information about his potential wonder drug. This will prove to have serious repercussions for Will later on, when his life intersects with a furious and vengeful Lydia. 

Will he ever do the right thing? 

Intelligent, with interesting and flawed characters, a fast paced and engaging plot, this is a highly enjoyable thriller for our turbulent times.


*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

Blog Tour: Copperopolis – Carolyn Morgan 

1860s Swansea, where copper can make your fortune – at a price.

John runs away to sea to escape rural poverty. The ocean fuels his wanderlust and he becomes a master mariner.

Margaret, a fiery Gower farmer’s daughter, falls in love with his adventurous spirit. A pioneering woman of her era, she learns to navigate, and they sail together, sharing a passion for the ocean.

When John’s ship is wrecked, rumours that it was scuttled jeopardise his reputation. Short of options, John gambles on the copper trade with Chile, skippering a ship round Cape Horn – the ultimate test of seamanship but a graveyard for crews.

Meanwhile, Margaret uncovers the damage copper inflicts on Swansea’s community, causing destitution and deadly pollution, as smelter Vernon grows rich.
Horrified, she collaborates with shipowners conspiring to wrest control from Vernon. But when Vernon discovers the plot, the family’s reputation and livelihood is at stake…

Goodreads Purchase

A keen amateur sailor and navigator, Carolyn Morgan has always been fascinated by her great-great grandfather John Clement, who skippered ships around Cape Horn to Chile for the 1880s copper trade in Swansea. Following a career in magazines, she studied writing with Curtis Brown Creative.

Her debut novel, Copperopolis, was highly commended in the Irish Writers Centre
Novel Fair 2024.

BlueSky Instagram Website

My thoughts: Inspired by the lives of the author’s great-great-grandparents, this is a fascinating story of a time when Swansea was a wealthy industrial town, where copper imports from South America made some men wealthy and cost others their lives, either at sea or in the smelting works.

John’s wanderlust is fulfilled by his life on the high seas, but Margaret is frustrated by her life as wife and mother, she dreams of the wide oceans too.

As their family grows and grows up, John takes greater risks, the most dangerous being the route around Cape Horn to Chile, there are bigger rewards, but is it worth it?

As Margaret discovers the damage the copper trade wrecks closer to home, and tries to find a way to resolve it, or at least to better support the workers not the owners.

An interesting and evocative slice of history combining the story of the author’s ancestors with the imagining of a life at sea and among the families praying their loved ones make it safely home again. Having worked with modern seafarers, that’s something that never truly changes, the world’s oceans remain far from entirely predictable.

*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: Iced Out! – Jayme Hunt

We’re touring the newly released hockey romance by Jayme Hunt, Iced Out! Be sure to follow along and grab a copy today!

Iced Out (Lakewood Leopards Book 1)

Release Date: June 20, 2026

Genre: Sports Romance

  • Annoyances to lover
  • Slow burn
  • On the run
  • Hidden identity
  • He falls first
  • Rescue romance (except she saves herself)
  • Found family

She’s running from the truth. He’s chasing a fresh start. Their meeting wasn’t part of the game plan.

Lisa is not stalking Benjamin Estes, and frankly, she doesn’t have the time or energy to deal with whatever male ego makes him think she is.

She fled to Minnesota to reinvent herself, wanting nothing more than to keep a low profile. What she didn’t count on was Benjamin Estes, rising star of the American Hockey League, running into her at every turn. He’s got a past he’s trying to escape as well: his brother, who was also his teammate and captain, died in a car crash caused by a fan-turned-stalker.

Their run-ins lead to confrontation, then an uneasy truce, and finally, romance…but Benji’s fame is a time bomb, and Lisa will be forced to choose between their relationship and the final secret she’s kept from everyone.

Iced Out is the first book in a planned series of interconnected hockey romance standalones. It’s perfect for fans of contemporary romances with humorous banter, slow-burn romance, and more serious storylines. This book will appeal to readers who enjoy spicy sports romances such as Mile High, Consider Me, Long Shot, and Pucking Around.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

 

TRIGGER WARNINGS:

Offensive adult language, explicit sexual scenes, PTSD/flashbacks, discussions of grief and trauma, and graphic discussion of domestic violence (physical and mental, involving an ex-partner)

 

 

BOOK TOUR ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS

 

blog tour, books

Blog Tour: Even After – Kara M. Zone

Happy release week to Kara M. Zone! Fans of the Trium Perfectum Series will love Rose and Philip’s story!

Even After (Trium Perfectum Series)

Release Date: July 20, 2026

Genre: Dark Fantasy/Romantic Fantasy

  • Redemption Arc
  • Second Chance
  • Mental Health rep
  • Portal Magic
  • Bad Ass FMC
  • Protective Heroes
  • Fated Bonds
  • Shifters
  • Found Family
  • Real-World/Fae Crossover

Philip Avery and Rose Everhart are bound by fate, their connection undeniable, their souls intertwined by something deeper.

But destiny is never simple, fate can be cruel, and love isn’t always enough.

Torn between his pack and Rose—his trium perfectum, the one person meant to balance his magic, heart, and very being. Philip walks away when his alpha demands a choice—his pack or Rose—leaving behind the one person who truly saw him.

Even after heartbreak and separation, their souls refuse to sever.

Philip and Rose must decide: Can love survive the weight of regret? And is redemption possible when the person you hurt is the one you’ve always belonged to?

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

 

 

BOOK TOUR ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS

blog tour, books

Blig Tour: Immortality Island – Nikki Jefford

Survivor meets Fear Factor in this dark romantic fantasy filled with magic, vampires, and steamy enemies to lovers.

We’re celebrating the release of Immortality Island this week and we think you’ll want to bump a few books on your summer reading list for it!

Immortality Island

Release Date: July 21, 2026

Genre: Dark Romantasy

  • Enemies to lovers
  • Forced proximity
  • Slow Burn
  • Banter
  • Magic
  • Reality Competition
  • Forbidden romance
  • Dual POV
  • Action and Adventure

Hunting her was meant to be easy . . . until desire got in the way.

From the creators of Spellcaster comes a thrilling new reality competition where the stakes are higher than ever . . .

Twenty human spellcasters. One deadly island. Four cutthroat vampire masters. Only one caster can make it to the end . . . and win a place in a vampire clan for eternity.

After her doctor discovers a brain tumor and gives her months to live, Joni Mullins sees winning the show as her last chance at survival.

Sterling Alder is a vampire master with a personal vendetta and a mission: destroy her. But on Immortality Island, survival isn’t just about magic—it’s about temptation, betrayal, and falling for the one person he should never want.

Welcome to Immortality Island, where contestants are literally thrown to the sharks!

GET IT HERE

 

TRIGGER WARNINGS:

Mild violence, peril, blood, stalker (but in a comical rom-com style where the tables get turned)

BOOK TOUR ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS

 

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Two States, One Killer – Alistair Birch

Baz Swoon is on the brink of the biggest deal of his life when two brutal
murders shatter rural Maine — and all the evidence points straight at him.

His wife, Melanie, already wary of his secrets and long absences, questions the
man she thought she knew.

Detective Philippa Fraiser heads south to North Carolina, and together with
Lieutenant Marquez, they uncover a pattern too precise to be a coincidence.

Someone is orchestrating the perfect frame — always one step ahead.

As Baz’s world unravels, his reputation, marriage, and freedom hang by a thread.
But the deeper Philippa digs, the clearer it becomes. This isn’t just a setup.

The killer is studying everyone.

Goodreads

Purchase 

Alistair Birch is a thriller writer and occasional poet, penning silly and
poignant rhymes. After two stints with separate publishers, he turned indie in 2024, producing a nineteen-eighties psychological thriller, The Evil Within, followed up by a co-authored epic historical thriller, The Girl from Berchtesgaden.

The re-release of his two-book, modern action thriller series, Shadow Pursuit and Shadow Play, came next and in 2026 he’s begun a new US-based detective procedural series. Book one is called Two States One Killer with the sequel, Cold Vein, well into production.

Outside of writing, Alistair works in IT and has volunteered as a facilitator in a mental health charity. He loves to cook, and occasionally head out for a run.

Facebook Instagram X Website

My thoughts: The evidence builds against Baz, and the police are soon on his trail, only he doesn’t even know that they think he might have murdered two people. He’s busy organising a buyout of his business, or so he thinks. The only person he trusts is Nick, but is he wrong to do so?

When detective Philippa Fraiser arrives in North Carolina from Maine, she thinks it’s a pretty solid case, except her prime suspect has never been to Maine, and then his assistant Cindy disappears, swiftly followed by Baz himself. What is going on?

As Philippa and Martinez search for the man, a series of rather obvious clues left for them, lead them to think someone else is manipulating things, pulling Baz’s strings. And they might be dangerous.

A clever, twisty story, where it’s hard to know exactly who to believe in until it all starts to become clear, and fall apart, as the police close in on their killer, just as he thinks he’s got away with it.

*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

Audiobook Tour: Armored Hours – Stephanie Hansen

We love a good audiobook and Armored Hours ticks so many boxes! Think Cable Girls meets Peaky Blinders meets Titanic!

Armored Hours (Reincarnated Souls Book One)

Release Date: July 7, 2026

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Narrators: Eric Smies & Elise Arsenault

@blush_audiobooks @tantoraudio

  • Historical romantasy
  • Girl squad
  • Opposite sides of the track
  • Loveable rogue
  • Prohibition era
  • Matchmaking mother
  • Dandy friends

The girls had forged a bond together like iron that could not be broken. Claudia, Kiersten, Lina, and Florian were on the brink of making history with their powerful feminist movement, but then they suddenly disappeared without a trace.

Alexander was a desperate bootlegger who was willing to risk it all to search for them. Not only were they in cahoots with him to help smuggle feminist contraband and forbidden booze, but Claudia had also unknowingly captivated his heart. He vowed to find them at any cost, but little did he know that their disappearance was part of a much bigger and sinister plot from the upper echelons of society.

Set in 1920s Paris of the Plains, Armored Hours is a thrilling tale of love and mystery interwoven with hints of magical realism.

AUDIBLE

 

AUDIOBOOK TOUR ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS