Category: blog tour

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Door-to-Door Bookstore – Carsten Henn, translated by Melody Shaw

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There’s a book written for every one of us…
Carl may be 72 years old, but he’s young at heart. Every night he goes door-to-door delivering books by hand to his loyal customers. He knows their every desire and preference, carefully selecting the
perfect story for each person.
One evening as he makes his rounds, nine-year-old Schascha appears. Loud and precocious, she insists on accompanying him – and even tries to teach him a thing or two about books.
When Carl’s job at the bookstore is threatened, will the old man and the girl in the yellow raincoat be able to restore Carl’s way of life, and return the joy of reading to his little European town?

THE DOOR-TO-DOOR BOOKSTORE is a heart-warming tale of the value of friendship, the magic of reading, and the power of books to unite us all.

Translated by Melody Shaw


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Author Bio – Carsten Henn has worked as a radio presenter, wine and restaurant critic, and has published a number of successful novels. He lives in Germany.

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My thoughts: this was delightful and adorable and all about the magic of books!

I love the idea of Carl hand delivering the books every evening, and making up literary nicknames and back stories for each of his customers. I felt terrible for him when his friend, the bookshop’s owner, died and he lost his job. Thankfully his other friend, Schascha, has a plan to help him. And it involves books!

Sweet and charming, this is a wonderful story for book lovers everywhere.

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

blog tour, books

BBNYA Semi-finalists: Straight River – Chris Norbury

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This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 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. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

STRAIGHT RIVER is a fast-paced, tension-building story set against the backdrop of a farm crisis in America’s heartland.

Two mysterious deaths compel Matt Lanier, a professional musician by trade, into a search for the killer. With no superhero skills other than his brilliant musical mind and razor-sharp hearing, Lanier quickly uncovers a land-grab conspiracy that could mean financial ruin or death for thousands of farmers . . . and for himself.

If you’re a fan of unique characters who defy all odds and stand up against powerful, ruthless foes, then you’ll love this story of a musician/hero who marches to the beat of a different drummer.

Buy STRAIGHT RIVER–the first book in the Matt Lanier mystery-thriller series–and start your music-laced thrill ride today.

2019 Kindle Book Review (KBR) Awards Semifinalist, Mystery/Thriller

2019 Chanticleer Book Review CLUE Awards Finalist, Suspense & Thriller Fiction.

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Chris Norbury is the award-winning author of the mystery-thrillers Straight River, Castle Danger, and Dangerous Straits. The stories feature a farm-kid-turned-professional-musician whose middle-class life is turned upside down when he uncovers a violent conspiracy headed by a ruthless real-estate magnate. His new middle-grade adventure novel, Little Mountain, Big Trouble, was published in 2023. Chris donates a portion of all his book sales to his local Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Blood on Shakespeare’s Typewriter  – Mark Eklid

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When Dan Khan buys a unique piece of cultural history for £50 from a man in the pub, he thinks all his troubles are over.

He is told it’s the actual typewriter William Shakespeare used when he wrote all his plays.

Dan and his girlfriend Shannon reckon it must be worth millions!

But they don’t realise the vintage machine was stolen from the city’s most notorious crime boss.

And he will stop at nothing to get back the sinister secret it contains…

My thoughts: I do worry about the state of the education system when someone genuinely believes Shakespeare used a typewriter. But that’s why Dan Khan bought one off a dodgy bloke in the pub for £50 and gets himself and girlfriend Shannon embroiled in utter chaos as a result.

There’s some wonderful black humour running through this book as two people with no idea what they’re doing go on the run with a furious criminal and his goons on their heels.

Thankfully they’re being followed by a police detective with a brain, and protected (sort of) by a computer genius who doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt. Between them everything might just get sorted out, although there’s a kidnapping and being held hostage to get through first!

Funny, clever and highly enjoyable. Wouldn’t mind seeing this become a series, with Em reluctantly helping the police with her hacker skills.

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

blog tour, books

BBNYA Semi-finalists: Storm of War – Bryan R. Saye

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This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 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. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Constantinople, 1097.

As an insignificant thief in the underbelly of Constantinople, Daniel wants to matter, to be known. After a botched job forces him to flee the city, he is swept up among the thousands of crusaders as they depart for the Holy Land on their mission to retake Jerusalem.

Their first obstacle: Nicaea, an impenetrable city of stone walls and high towers, impervious to assault and immune to siege.

Now a fledgling servant to a gruff Scottish knight, Daniel struggles to fit in among Saracens and Crusaders, princes and priests. Will he find his worth as he learns to live in this new world of blood and death, or will he succumb to the storm of war?

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Bryan lives in Idaho with his wife and two kids. He’s a happy follower of Jesus and an often-disappointed yet always dedicated fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars (This is our year!). He started writing later in life, because his little buggers wanted to eat every day and have health insurance.

To learn more, head to www.bryanrsaye.com 

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: After the Fall – D.M. Simmons

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AftertheFall copy

We’re going back to the beginning when the first angels fell…

This special omnibus includes both books in the After The Fall duet—the story of Dante and Diablo, fallen angels, bound since The Fall—as well as bonus content previously unreleased. A fresh, new taken on fallen angels unlike any out there, readers call it “super-hot with all the tingles,” a “fascinating enemies to lovers tale, “a story that is “as swoony as it is steamy,” and “a whirlwind, with twists that come at you!”

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After the Fall: The Duet of Dante & Diablo

Genre: Spicy Fantasy Romance

❤️‍🔥Spicy Fantasy Romance
❤️‍🔥Fallen Angels
❤️‍🔥Enemies to Lovers
❤️‍🔥Found Family
❤️‍🔥Soul Mates

Dante

What courses through me, if not the need for desire and corruption?
It is after all, what I am.
Daemon. The worst of The Fallen.
And my job is clear.
Secure fealty from the Undecided to whom we are bound.
Diablo has not wavered in five thousand years.
And I not only wanted her on our side. I will stop at nothing to make it happen.

Diablo

What will I become if I swear my fealty and surrender to the dark?
It is not who I once was.
I may no longer be an angel, but I will be Undecided until the end of time.
Dante doesn’t intimidate me. Not anymore.
The fire that drives him, is now alive in me.
I’ve been paying since The Fall. And I’m done paying in blood and tears.
I will break myself from our bond. And will stop at nothing to make it happen.

Get it on Amazon or Order the Special Gift After the Fall Gift Box

About the Author

D.M. Simmons is an award-winning author of adult and new adult fiction. She is passionate about creating atmospheric worlds and telling captivating stories that take readers on an adventure. Fascinated by the indelible power of love, romance is usually at the heart of her stories, along with the narrator’s journey. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, sons and crazy cats.

D.M. Simmons

My thoughts: this was an interesting (and spicy) take on the story of angels turned demons after the Fall from Heaven. Dante and Diablo are in a way two sides of the same coin, both somewhat tormented and trapped together, unable to break free and be themselves. Dante is essentially meant to get Diablo to swear allegiance to the dark side, their fight is centuries old and both are driven to a sort of despair by it but at the same time drawn towards one another.

This special edition brings both books together with additional materials and it is rather beautiful (I was only sent an ebook but I went and had a look at the gift set – see link above) and if you enjoy reading this and want something to treasure, then I say go for it!

Book Tour Organized By:

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R&R Book Tours

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

blog tour, books

BBNYA Semi-finalists: Storm and Flame – Mallory Wanless

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This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 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. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Elena has always been a disappointment to her mother, the headmistress of the country’s best school for magic. On her sixteenth birthday, she is expelled by her mother, and she and her familiar are turned out in the cruel world of the magept (the magically inept normies).

Quinn is a thief, a hunter, and a hothead. His unexpected friendship with Elena brings out a fiery side of him that he didn’t know he had, including uncovering magical abilities no one thought were possible since men weren’t supposed to be capable of magic.

With Quinn’s help, Elena creates a safe new life as a barmaid at a small inn. But when a group of drunken men attack Elena, her magic awakens with shocking ferocity. Elena’s explosion of magic creates a power surge that reaches the mountain where her mother runs the world from her magic school, and investigators are sent to uncover the source of the power surge.

With investigators now on their heels, Elena and Quinn are on the run. The awakening of their powers kickstart a prophecy and send the two teens on a quest to save all the magic in the world from being destroyed by the turmio, a sentient black cloud that’s been created to absorb and erase all magic and magical beings from their world.

Content warning: the story mentions incidents of child abuse, sexual assault, and birth trauma. May not be suitable for some readers.

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Mallory lives in Texas with her husband and their two young boys. She spends her days homeschooling and full-time parenting. Her nights, and any free time she manages to carve out during the day, are devoted to reading and writing.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Boatmore Butcher – L. Stephenson

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Three paramedics are drawn into the mystery of a bizarre spree unfolding on a quiet island town. 

Devastated by the loss of his son, Liam Price, must hold it together whilst leading his team against a killer who finds new and twisted ways to prevent them from saving the lives of their victims. 

But one serious mistake puts them and everyone they love in grave danger.

As the island starts to slip into hysteria, our villain goes to gruesome lengths to keep their identity a secret. 

Able to hide in plain sight, the killer is out for revenge as they close in on their prey. 

Can they escape the wrath of the Boatmore Butcher? 

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L. Stephenson has been telling stories of killers and boogeymen to his friends and writing them on his computer since the summer before he began high school. A university degree in Film & TV Screenwriting, a handful of anthologies and a novella later, and not much has changed, it seems! 

Stephenson’s first short story was published as part of a Halloween-themed collection by Dark Ink back in 2018. Nearly five years later, terror just came full circle as the author has returned home to Dark Ink to release his debut slasher novel, The Boatmore Butcher.

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My thoughts: if I lived on this island, where people keep getting brutally murdered, I’d leave. The body count is very high and since the killer is very good at framing others for his crimes, moving far away is the best plan.

Brutal, bloody, but very creative, this butcher knows what he’s doing. Terrorising the community for his own ends and hiding in plain sight. If you love slasher films and jump scares, this is the book for you, packed with shocking twists and turns, it’ll make your hair stand on end.

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

blog tour, books

BBNYA Semi-finalists: Starlight Jewel – E.L. Lyons

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This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 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. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

The human city of Minalav is renowned for its lavish balls, where nobles bring wealth from distant lands to the Starlight Palace, to be romanced—and robbed—by the half-human hybrids who live below the city. The wealthy guests leave without their treasure, and with no memory of their evening—except the unforgettable feelings that bring them back, season after season. But the magic of Minalav is built on dark secrets and lies.

Axly, a hybrid assassin and seductress-thief, will do anything to protect her human half-brother. The path of blood and chaos she carves will tip the precious balance of Minalav, and the world around it.

https://www.LyonsPen.com/books for more info on the world and characters!

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Reader and writer of dark adult SFF, feeder of cats and raccoons, hermit of the suburban swamp.

blog tour, books

BBNYA Semi-finalists: Sea State – J.M. Simpson

ramblingmads

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 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. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Jesse Stevens needs to escape her past, start a new life and feel safe.

The rugged coastline and tight-knit community of Castleby offers her that chance. Her new job with the local lifeboat crew gives her the stability and comfort she craves.

Her skipper, Doug Brodie, faces his own demons. He is struggling with survivor’s guilt, physical and mental scars, and a marriage teetering on the brink.

Jesse is desperate to put aside the dark nightmares and terrible memories. As she and Doug grow closer, she wonders whether she can ever really live a normal life and be happy. But Jesse is in grave danger. Someone is watching her; trying to control and manipulate her life. Someone plans to make her life a living nightmare and return her to the hell she thought she had left behind. Will she ever be free?

Mystery and suspense sprinkled with humour and romance in the first of the author’s Castleby Series.

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J.M. Simpson was born in Essex, but was raised primarily in the West Country, never far from a rugged coastline, a sandy beach, or harbour. With a degree and PhD, much of Jo’s working career has been spent undertaking research in a variety oStaying in the Welsh town of Tenby some years ago and watching the local lifeboat launch one stormy winter night, gave Jo the beginnings of an idea for a book. Jo’s debut novels are the Castleby series; Sea State and Sea Change; suspense thrillers set against the backdrop of a lifeboat crew in a coastal town. The third in the series, Sea Shaken is out at the end of September, and there are two further books in the series to come.

f subjects; most notably in construction where her expertise lies.

Jo lives in Kent, with her two (occasionally stroppy) teenage daughters, her extremely long-suffering husband and her two writing partners Max and Merlin, both rescue Border Collies. She also runs a successful research consultancy, but dreams of becoming a full-time writer.

In what little spare time Jo has, she spends writing, walking the dogs, being an armchair movie critic, dreaming of Scotland or the Pembrokeshire coast; drinking endless coffee’s in various local café’s (on the pretense of writing) or drinking copious amounts of wine in her most favourite pub with friends, (where no writing occurs whatsoever).

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Private Inquiries – Caitlin Davies

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The female private detective has been a staple of popular culture for over 150 years, from Victorian lady sleuths to ‘busy-body spinsters’ and gun­toting modern PIs. But what about the real-life women behind these fictional tales – what crimes did they solve, and where are their stories?

In Private Inquiries, Caitlin Davies traces the history of the UK’s female investigators, uncovering the truth about their lives and careers from the 1850s to the present day. Women such as

  • • Victorian private inquiry agent Antonia Moser – the first woman to open her own agency
  • • Annette Kerner, who ran the Mayfair Detective Agency on Baker Street in the 1940s
  • • Liverpool sleuth Zena Scott-Archer, who became the first woman president of the World Association of Detectives

Caitlin also follows in the footsteps of her subjects, undertaking a professional qualification to become a Private Investigator, and meeting modern PIs to disentangle fact from fiction.

Female investigators are on the rise in the UK – and despite the industry’s sleazy reputation, nearly a third of new trainees are women. After a century of undercover work, it’s time to reveal the secrets of their trailblazing forebears.

CAITLIN DAVIES is a novelist, non-fiction writer, award-winning journalist and teacher. She is the author of six novels and seven non-fiction books, including Bad Girls: The Rebels and Renegades of Holloway Prison, nominated for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing (2019), and Queens of the Underworld, a history of professional female crooks. She lives in Kent and is a trained PI.

My thoughts: I’d heard of a couple of the earliest female detectives before – Maud West and Kate Easton, but there were ones in this book I’d not come across before, and Caitlin Davies brings it into the 21st Century as well as training to become a PI herself, which was super interesting.

I really enjoy this sort of history, women who have somehow faded into the background, ordinary women, but once revealed are often so much more interesting than the men around them. It was such a fascinating and enjoyable read. Puts all those crime novels into context too – women really are out there digging into things and doing a better job at going unnoticed than the men in many cases. If you’re interested in women’s history, social history, crime and that sort of thing, this will be right up your street and written in an engaging and enjoyable way too, with a full list of resources if you want more.

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