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Blog Tour: City on Fire – Graham Bartlett

After losing her sister to an overdose, Chief Superintendent Jo Howe is desperate to tackle the world of drugs that consumes the shadowy backstreets of Brighton. Operation Eradicate is her response but not everyone sees it as a positive development.

For self-made millionaire Sir Ben Parsons it is a threat to his business – his colossal empire relies on addicts who survive on Respite Pharmaceuticals’ substitute drugs. With connections in the highest levels of government, media and organised crime, Parsons unleashes a brutal counterattack on Howe.

How will she survive being caught in the line of fire?

Graham Bartlett was the chief superintendent of Brighton and Hove police. His first non-fiction book, Death Comes Knocking, was a Sunday Times bestseller, co-written with Peter James. He has since published Bad for Good and Force of Hate starring Chief Superintendent Jo Howe. Bartlett is also a crime writing advisor helping scores of authors and TV writers inject authenticity into their work.

My thoughts: Brighton is in the grip of a drugs epidemic and Chief Super Jo Howe has devised a revolutionary plan to save the users and get them into treatment and get the dealers into prison. But there are those who oppose her scheme and will do anything to stop it.

Inspired by his job as the real life Chief Superintendent of Brighton and Hove, Graham Bartlett lifts the lid on the darker side of the Sussex seaside. This is an action packed, shocking and totally gripping police procedural thriller.

Jo’s whole life teeters at breaking point and the police force is falling apart around her as her enemies dismantle the services and go after officers and their families in order to put a stop to Operation Eradicate and claw back their money and control. 

*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: Severance of the Sorcerer – Kate Gateley

The Lost Wells Trilogy is complete!
We’re touring Severance of the Sorcerer and now you can read all 3 books without waiting!
Severance of the Sorcerer (Lost. Wells Trilogy #3)
Publication Date: March 19, 2024

Amazon

And head over to Instagram to enter a giveaway

Genre: Epic Fantasy/Fantasy
A spreading darkness, a final prophecy, and one last chance to live … or die.

In his desperate bid to find answers of his own, Cassius Longinus—the ancient Child of Rome—released the killing darkness upon the world. A betrayal by Julia and Dom’s strongest ally and dearest friend, Ronan—who falls into Cassius’ ranks and advances the Sorcerer’s gruesome experiments—leaves the future looking more uncertain than ever for the Sovereign and the World Ruler.
Now on the run and isolated from their tight group of loyal allies, Julia and Dom must somehow pick up the pieces of their shattered trust, reconnect with their remaining friends, and together work to unravel the mysteries of the Otherworld’s most recent and worrisome portent—all while searching for a new path to end the darkness.

About the Author
Kate currently lives, and writes, on a small farm in the Cowichan Valley on beautiful Vancouver Island, with her amazing husband, two incredible sons, an adorable dog, several barn cats who don’t earn their keep, and some decidedly ungrateful chickens … all of whom are very dearly loved. She is a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC), Federation of BC Writers (BCFW) and Independent Book Publishers Association (IPBA).

Get a copy of Tides of the Sovereign and Mantle of the World Ruler by visiting the Books page, and subscribe to the newsletter for updates on book releases, upcoming events, and more pertaining to the Lost Wells Trilogy.

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Blog Tour: Battle Scars – JJ Asher

BattleScars copy (2)

We’re celebrating the release of Battle Scars by JJ Asher. Read on for more details!

Battle Scars Ecover - Final new author name

Battle Scars (British Invasion #1)

Genre: Dark Romance

Publication Date: March 18, 2024

🖤Enemies to lovers

🖤Forced proximity

🖤Slow burn

🖤Found family

🖤Hurt/comfort

🖤Grumpy/grumpier

🖤Mental health rep

🖤Possessive MMC who will k1ll for his girl

No one’s perfect, not even me. Hell, my closet’s so full of skeletons the bones are spilling out. But have your ghosts ever driven you to the other side of the world to seek refuge amongst faces no one can be bothered remembering?

Mine did, because I craved the anonymity.

I needed to lose my name.

To forget…

About my parents, the trial, the paparazzi at my door—

Then she came along.

A cryptic puzzle, a tempest of chaos. As beguiling as she is unsettling.

She almost stabs me, knocks me out—then kisses me, igniting a fire I’d almost given up hope of rekindling.

With whispers of a past as dark as the scars that litter her body, I’m left trying to cling to the last of my sanity as hers falls apart at my feet.

KINKS:

– Biting- Blood play

– Breath play

– Five finger necklace- Degradation

– Humiliation- Dirty talk- Dominant male / submissive female- DubCon- Dumbification- Praise- Size kink- Spanking

– Worshiping of a flawed body

TRIGGER WARNINGS:

Sexual assault (on and off page)- Discussions of kidnapping- Forced captivity- Descriptions of torture and maiming- Emotional abuse- Self harm- Alcohol abuse- Discussions of mental health related medication- Excessive foul language- Homophobic slurs- Familial betrayal- DubCon- Intentional self mutilation- MMC is with another female during the slow burn phase- Thoughts of suicide- Violence- Blood play- Intentional infliction of pain- Choking / Spiting / Slapping / Intentionally gagging- PTSD- Anxiety

GET IT HERE

About the Author

If you could monetize staying in your pyjamas all day, Jordan would have been a millionaire years ago. A professional procrastinator masquerading as an adult, when she’s not eagerly awaiting her ult k-pop groups latest comeback, you can find her typing away at her laptop with her scruffy fifteen-year-old mutt, Basil, by her side.

JJ Asher

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Blog Tour: The Dubrovnik Book Club – Eva Glyn


In a tiny bookshop in Dubrovnik’s historic Old Town, a book club begins…


Newly arrived on the sun-drenched shores of Croatia, Claire Thomson’s life is about to change forever when she starts working at a local bookshop. With her cousin Vedran, employee Luna and Karmela, a professor, they form an unlikely book club.
But when their first book club pick – an engrossing cosy crime – inspires them to embark upon an investigation that is close to the group’s heart, they quickly learn the value of keeping their new-found friends close as lives and stories begin to entwine…

Purchase Harper Collins UK Harper Collins US 

Giveaway to Win a paperback copy of The Dubrovnik Book Club (Open INT) a Rafflecopter giveaway


Eva Glyn fell in love with Croatia during her first holiday there in 2019; the incredible scenery, the delicious food, the country’s dramatic twentieth century history all played their part, but most of all
it was the friendliness of the people.
One of these was tour director Darko Barisic, who told an incredible story about growing up in underground shelters during the war in the 1990s, and she knew she had to write a book around his experiences. This became her first Croatian novel, The Olive Grove, and she and Darko have become good friends and he continues to advise her on all aspects of Croatia.
Eva delves into Croatian history and everyday life for her inspiration, and visits the country as often as she can, having uncovered so many stories by talking to local people. Travel in general is her
passion, followed closely by food and wine, which also find their way between her pages.
Although Welsh by birth she now lives in Cornwall with the man she met and fell in love with almost thirty years ago. She also writes as Jane Cable.

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My thoughts: this was a really lovely read, the book club Claire starts in a Dubrovnik bookshop brings a disparate group together and their book choices, friendship and the magic of the bookshop slowly bring them together and allow old wounds to heal and new beginnings to flourish.

Claire has moved to Croatia to stay with her grandmother Fran and her husband, who is slowly succumbing to dementia. She had covid and is still anxious and afraid of crowds and getting sick again. 

The bookshop offers her a chance to start rebuilding her life, make some new friends and live again. She bonds with Luna, her new colleague, who is also trying to build a new life – she’s gay and not out, but she wants to be, even though she’s scared of how her parents will react.

I loved how each member of the book club, even the ones who don’t read the books, get more than they expected from being with each other, and opening up to their friends, dealing with their pasts and working together to save the bookshop when it’s threatened with having to close.

Moving, enjoyable and with a blend of genres, this was a really interesting and gently heartwarming read.

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter 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.

*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 Last Resort – T.J. Emerson


The unputdownable new thriller from the bestselling author of The Perfect Holiday, which will have fans of Lucy Clarke and T M Logan gripped.

As soon as you first see the house, a former hotel in a picturesque enclave of the Cypriot hills, you know it’s the perfect home for you – with breath-taking views, a refreshing pool, and peace and quiet, away from the rest of the world. A private resort in paradise. A place to recover and grow.
But paradise isn’t cheap, and as the debts mount, you could lose everything you’ve worked so hard for.
Until someone makes you an offer: to keep your home, all you have to do is take a life.
But you could never do that… could you?
You’d die to stay here. But would you kill to?

Purchase


Tracey lives in Scotland and writes psychological thrillers. Her short stories have been widely published in anthologies and literary magazines, and her feature writing has appeared in Stella magazine, Woman’s Own and The Sydney Morning Herald. Her first psychological thriller for
Boldwood, The Perfect Holiday, was published in April 2022 and was an Amazon bestseller.

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My thoughts: this is why I am suspicious of any of these wellbeing places that seem a bit too cult-like. There’s always way too much secret tension and no one is completely immune to the lure of the outside world.

When Sofia returns to the place her mother died, now a hugely wealthy and dangerous young woman, she’s there for revenge. She’s not coming back to see the people she once knew but offer them a terrible proposition. If they kill their leader, Quinn, she will give them three million euros and enable them to turn the dilapidated villa into a resort and make it a success.

But is this a price too far? Is murder too much, or will someone do anything for the right place. As Sofia’s offer forces the small cracks between the residents to widen and grow, Quinn starts to unravel and secrets come to light. Can this tiny community stay together or will the money drive them apart?

Tense, creepy and sinister, moving between narrators and timelines, this is a clever and gripping thriller set in the Cyprus hills.

*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: Murder in Moscow – Kelly Oliver


Journey into the heart of 20th Century Russia in this fun and funny historical mystery, perfect for fans of Verity Bright and Helena Dixon.

1918 Moscow

Will following her heart mean losing her head? It could mean losing her job.
Fiona Figg trails her nemesis Fredrick Fredricks to Moscow. But when she arrives at the grand Metropol Hotel, the bounder has vanished.
After Fiona doesn’t show up for work at the War Office, Kitty Lane raises a red flag and tracks her to Russia. Seeking haven at the British Embassy, Kitty and Fiona become embroiled in a plot to overthrow the Bolshevik government.
But the plot turns deadly when Fiona goes undercover as a governess in the household of Iron Viktor, the Bolsheviks’ Head of Secret Police. And when Viktor turns up dead in his study, Fiona finds herself wanted for murder and on the lam.
Can Fiona and Kitty find the real killer and escape the Kremlin before it’s too late? Or will this dangerous game of Russian roulette be their last?

Purchase


Kelly Oliver is the author of three award-winning bestselling mystery series and dozens of nonfiction books.

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My thoughts: we’re back with the intrepid spies Fiona Flagg, Kitty Lane and Poppy the Pekingese. Fiona has taken off to Russia after Frederick Fredericks, which of course turns into disaster in the middle of the First World War. The Bolsheviks have removed the Romanovs from the throne and are planning to withdraw from the war. 

Fiona ends up locked up by the Cheka and then undercover in the home of the boss of the secret police. How does she keep getting into these scrapes? I went to Moscow and didn’t get arrested, OK it was the early 00s not 1917 but still. 

Luckily Kitty, Poppy and Co are on the way, and there’s a plot to foil, with Archie’s safety on the line. Fiona needs to decide whether her heart belongs to the British spy or the dashing German Fredericks.

I really love this series, it’s clever and funny, filled with real people and events, as well as the brilliant Fiona and Kitty. Once again Poppy comes through with her exceptional scent tracking skills and Clifford manages to tell a few of his long winded stories too.

*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: Invocation – Aileen Erin

Invocation copy

We’re celebrating the release of Invocation by Aileen Erin! Grab yourself a copy if you love supernatural fantasy, nephilim, and slow-burn romance!

Invocation Cover - Cover Only

Invocation (Days of Iron and Clay #1)

Publication Date: March 19, 2024

Genre: YA Fantasy/ Nephilim

🪽Found Family

😈Angels & Demons

🪽Daughter of Fallen Angel (FMC)

😈Slow-burn Romance

🪽Portals

😈Powerful Exorcist

There are three things I know without question. One, demons are real. Two, humans make awful mistakes that get them in demonic trouble more often than you’d think. And three, I’m the only one who can help them.

​I straddle the line between the mortal and spiritual realms every day. People might think they’re two different places, but they’re not. They lay on top of each other. It’s messy, and that’s why so many people need my help.

​Since I was little, I’ve been called all kinds of names—unusual, abnormal, even insane. Which is fitting since they keep throwing me in to mental facilities. I’ve been in and out of them my entire life.

​But no matter what people say, no matter what I’m risking, I will always help those in need.

Because there’s an endless war carrying on all around us, every minute of every day. One that can’t be seen by mortal eyes. But I can see it, the spiritual battle for mortal souls, and I’m working to make sure my father is on the losing side.

My father—Astaroth, Satan’s general—is why I can do this. He’s why I’m not normal. I hear him, whispering my name at night, his taunts echoing through the spiritual realm. He’s hunting me, and I know the day will come when I must face him again.

Every portal I open could be the one that finally pulls me back to Hell, and I wonder if I will be brave enough, strong enough, good enough to fight him.

My name is Samantha Catherine Lopez, and I am Nephilim. This is my story.

GET IT HERE

About the Author

Aileen Erin is half – Irish, half – Mexican, and 100% nerd—from Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek (TNG FTW), she reads Quenya and some Sindarin, and has a severe fascination with the supernatural. Aileen has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She lives with her family in Texas, and spends her days doing her favorite things: reading books, creating worlds, and kicking ass.

Aileen Erin

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Blog Tour: Chloe’s Crusade – Donnalyn Vojta

Chloe'sCrusade copy

Welcome to the tour for book two in The Teddy Bear Chronicles, Chloe’s Crusade by Donnalyn Vojta!

2 FINAL JPG 2023

Chloe’s Crusade (Teddy Bear Chronicles #2)

Genre: Psychological Thriller

*NOT a children’s book*

In this second volume of the unique thriller/suspense series narrated by inanimate teddy bears, the ever-brave Chloe Stogdon inserts herself into the dark and chilling world of a global drug clan. Her fearless companion, Tiny Bear, provides a vivid account of the distressing, disturbing events that unfold around Chloe and her FBI team.

The story takes exciting turns and offers many layers of drama, including a love triangle, a star-struck stalker, and a tattered family relationship that may or may not recover. Chloe’s old friends, Richard and Sidney from Vol. I become entangled in Chloe’s perilous cartel crusade, and Love Bear, Fair Bear, and a debut bear, Rocco, reveal all the thrilling moments seen through their innocent eyes.

GET IT HERE

About the Author

Formerly a litigation attorney, one constant in Donnalyn Vojta’s life is her love for writing, whether novels or screenplays. Vojta’s goal is always to entertain others as she’d like to be entertained. And for her, that means lots of suspense and thrilling twists!

Donnalyn Vojta

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Blog Tour: At the Stroke of Midnight – Jenni Keer


It’s 1923 and in a decade that promises excitement and liberation, Pearl Glenham and her father are invited to a mysterious country house party on the Dorset coast by a total stranger.

Her father claims not to have any prior association with Highcliffe House, but upon arrival, it is apparent that he has a shared history with several of the guests, although he won’t admit it.
Belatedly discovering that her father was blackmailed into attending, Pearl’s worries are compounded when their host fails to arrive…

Intimidated by everyone at the party, she escapes to the nearby cove and stumbles upon a mysterious mercury clock hidden in a cave. This strange encounter sets in motion a series of events that will culminate in an horrific house fire, claiming the lives of all the guests, including Pearl herself.

But then Pearl wakes up back in the cave, seemingly destined never to live past midnight. She can repeat the day. But can she change its outcome?

Purchase


Jenni Keer is a history graduate who lives in the Suffolk countryside. Her lifelong passion for reading became a passion for writing and she had two contemporary romance novels published in 2019. She
has now embraced her love of the past to write twisty, turny historicals, and The Legacy of Halesham Hall was shortlisted for the Romantic Historical Novel of the Year in 2023.

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My thoughts: this was a really fun, clever and entertaining mystery novel. Forced to relive the same day over and over, Pearl and her new friend Ellery first have fun with this strange new reality and then decide that they need to investigate the disappearance of the house’s owners the Brockhursts and the other guests connection to the couple, though they all deny knowing them.

As Pearl unravels the terrible secrets being kept and attempts to stop having to die every night and reset the timeline, she learns some shocking things, things that change everything she thought she knew.

*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: Crow Moon – Suzy Aspley

When the crow moon rises, the darkness is unleashed…


Martha Strangeways is struggling to find purpose in her life, after giving up her career as an investigative reporter when her young twins died in a house fire.
Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, her life changes when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager – a tragedy that
turns even more sinister when a poem about crows is discovered inked onto his back…


When another teenager goes missing in the remote landscape, Martha is drawn into the investigation, teaming up with DI Derek Summers, as malevolent rumours begin to spread and paranoia grows.
As darkness descends on the village of Strathbran, it soon becomes clear that no one is safe, including Martha…

Originally from the north-east of England, former journalist Suzy Aspley has lived in
Scotland for almost thirty years. She writes crime and short stories, often inspired by the strange things she sees in the landscape around her.

She won Bloody Scotland’s Pitch Perfect in 2019 with the original idea for her debut novel and was shortlisted for the Capital Crime New Voices Award.

In 2020, she was mentored by Jo Dickinson as part of the Hachette future bookshelf initiative. Crow Moon was also longlisted for the Caledonia Novel Award. She’s currently working on the second book in the series, and when she’s not writing, she’s either got her nose buried in a book, or is outside with her dogs dreaming up more dark stories.

She lives in Stirlingshire with her family.

My thoughts: this was so good, creepy, weird, gripping, well written and from an exciting new writer in crime fiction.

When a teenage boy goes missing in the small community of Strathban and his body is found with a verse from an old poem about a witch inked on his body, Martha, a grieving journalist and mother of the dead boy’s best friend, who found the body, is drawn into the investigation.

The Scottish poem is sinister and creepy, embedded in the local landscape and the killer is definitely a local and obsessed with it. Martha suspects the parish priest, who is rather intense and knows all the young people who get dragged into the case, including her son.

There’s a terrible hidden tragedy that comes to light as the case races to it’s end, and there’s more as a fire takes hold of the kirk, and Martha has to confront her own personal losses.

I really liked Martha, she has incredible instincts and even wrapped in grief and pain, she has compassion for others and determination to help, even when DI Summers tells her to back of, but it’s such a personal case, she can’t. She thinks the police have the wrong suspect and that proves to be true.

This book had me absolutely hooked from the start and I cannot wait for the next book, I want to see more of Martha and how her next investigation goes.

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