blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Girls Next Door – Anita Waller


They keep each other’s secrets. They hide each other’s lies.

They were destined to be best friends. The four girls – all born that same hot summer. There was even a newspaper article after they were born. They said there must be something in the water on Larkspur Close. They predicted a safe and happy life for them all…

More than thirty years later, it’s more than an unbreakable friendship – it’s more like a sisterhood.
It’s the girls who Jess reaches out to because she’s worried about her grandparents who’ve raised her since her mother disappeared, who Erin tells about her new business idea, who Melissa calls to say she’s desperate to escape her toxic job.
But then Chantelle messages saying she’s discovered her husband is having an affair. And everything changes.
Because then her husband is found dead… And only a few people knew about his secret.
Is it just a terrible accident? Or will someone stop at nothing to keep the girls of Larkspur Close safe and happy?

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Anita Waller is the author of many bestselling psychological thrillers and the Kat and Mouse crime series. She lives in Sheffield, which continues to be the setting of many of her thrillers, and was first
published by Bloodhound at the age of sixty-nine. Her first book for Boldwood was published in August 2022.

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My thoughts: four women who grew up as close as sisters, four families bound together. When life starts to get a bit rubbish – one of the women discovers her husband is cheating on her. There’s worse to come, but as tragedy piles on tragedy, is there are a guardian angel watching over them or an avenging one?

The four, Jess, Chantelle, Mel and Erin seem like nice people, it’s just rubbish things all seem to happen at once. Though there are some good events to balance it out. I liked all of them, and even more so Jess’ Nan, Nora. I enjoyed their story, the way they leaned on each other and knew that whatever happened, they’d have one another.

There are some shocking twists in store too – I honestly thought it was all coincidence, right up until the end, and was really stunned when all was revealed. And then that little final sting in the tail (tale?) too? Nicely done.

*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 Voyant and the Mark of Malice – Sadie Hewitt

The big day is coming really soon and we couldn’t be more excited about this release! Prepare for fantasy, adventure, and spicy romance!

The Voyant and The Mark of Malice - v2

The Voyant and The Mark of Malice (The Aeglecian Seas- Interconnected Standalones)

Expected Publication Date: April 29, 2024

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Age: Adult

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Available: Kindle Unlimited and wherever you get your paperbacks!

Tropes:
🌊 Enemies to lovers
🌊 Outlawed Magic
🌊 Happily Ever After
🌊 Cursed Pirate Ships
🌊 Trickster Female
🌊 Mythical Creatures

Triggers:
Gore/Violence
Murder/Death
Explicit Sexual Content
Coercion
Betrayal
Hand to Hand Combat
Anxiety-Inducing Situations

He may be clever, but she’s already a step ahead…

Kalia Salam is a Voyant, or a person with the ability to create mind-altering visions and project them into others. But when the punishment for having that ability is death, every decision becomes a strategic calculation to avoid execution. Unfortunately, that includes tethering herself to the continent’s most wealthy brothel owner and only using her magic to pad the madam’s pockets. That is, at least, until she needs it to protect those around her. But when Kalia uses her magic on the wrong client and is mistaken for a powerful djinn, one that the pirates have been meticulously hunting, she becomes ensnared in her most complex game of deception yet. Because, one way or another, she refuses to fall to the hands of a cursed captain.

Captain Rahmi Abada revels in collecting dying souls from the sea, particularly those burdened by guilt. But whispers of a tale have begun to swirl…a tale about a mysterious gemstone with innumerable abilities, including the power to shatter any magical bond. Consumed with the idea of sailing for eternity without his binding curse to Liddros, God of Sea, Rahmi enlists the help of the fiery djinn he forced aboard his ship. The only problem? The djinn harbors her own secrets, ones that threaten to unravel Rahmi’s carefully laid plans.

Drawing inspiration from The Legend of The Flying Dutchman and the enchanting world of Aladdin, The Voyant and The Mark of Malice weaves a captivating story of hidden dangers, action-packed adventures, and the unexpected, yet sizzling romance of two sworn enemies who are determined to outwit one another.

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Blog Tour: Dragon Blood – Jane Apatova

DragonBlood copy

To celebrate the upcoming release of Dragon King, we’re going back to the start. If you haven’t read Dragon Blood yet, we really think you should!

DragonBloodFront

Dragon Blood (Insatiable Series Book 2)

Publication Date: November 2022

Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance w/ Spice

👑Royal Intrigue
❤️‍🔥Possessive Prince
💋Fated Mates
✨Virgin
🐉Dragon Riders
💞Found Family
💧Elemental Magic
🔥Slow Burn
🕰️Age Gap MF

“You’ve tamed this dragon with just a touch.”

When Alister’s path leads him to his fated mate, he vows to do everything in his power to bring her to his home in Orlean. Even if that means going against the rules of Drakon and the High King’s wishes.

It’s been years since the last great gathering of the various kingdoms of Drakon. Will the High King make his appearance, or will he lose himself to his dreams of a rare beauty?

What royal secrets will be unveiled and will the dark forces of the past triumph in keeping Alister away from his fated mate?

In the darkness of Dunne Valley, an ancient evil has been regaining its strength. Ever watchful of the dragons and the royals as they plan meticulously their next steps to gain more power.
“All he wants … is to control every element in the mortal lands, before he brings down the gods above.”

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Blog Tour: Time Marked Warlock – Shami Stovall

Adair Finch is the most powerful warlock in the world, and one of the best
private investigators for hire. He has dealt with corporate vampires, murderous werewolves, and even fae royalty. Everything was perfect until he lost one case—the case where he also lost his brother.

So Finch retired. From magic. From PI work. From everything.

Bree Blackstone, a twelve-year-old witch, doesn’t know or care about any of that except Finch’s reputation. In the middle of the night, she bangs on Finch’s door. Her mother has been murdered, and now the assassin is after Bree as well.
Reluctantly, Finch agrees to help, only to discover something sinister has been brewing in town while he ignored the world… He’ll need to dust off all his old skills and magic before it’s too late.

Goodreads

Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found  playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators.

If you want to contact her, you can do so at the following locations:
Website Twitter Facebook
Email: s.adelle.s@gmail.com

My thoughts: with a mix of The Dresden Files, Bane from the Shadowhunter books and a sarcastic sidekick in the form of a shape shifting mischief spirit (maybe Calcifer from the Studio Ghibli version of Howl’s Moving Castle, the closest I can think of), this was a fun, entertaining and funny crime busting adventure.

Adair Finch can manipulate time, which comes in very handy when investigating a murder, a kidnapping, police corruption and a witch coven war. Which is what he finds himself doing after a child appears on his doorstep and shakes him out of his grief malaise.

With her help, and that of the aforementioned mischief spirit, Finch digs into the case of Bree’s parents’. Her mother was a witch and her dad is a minor  warlock. Bree is the only witness – she saw someone kill her mother and abduct her father. But her mum knew Finch, and told her daughter if anything ever happened to find him.

What Finch and Bree find is so much bigger than it seems – and with his ability to manipulate time he can relive the same time over and over again, changing things in order to solve the crimes, and rescue a dog, unlock a door and other very important things.

It’s a really fun adventure and I loved the characters, Finch is so grumpy and can’t deal with Bree’s irrepressible nature and endless questions, especially when they’ve actually been solving the crime for multiple iterations of the same day. Hopefully this unstoppable team will be back with more adventures.

*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 Jagged Scar – Nick Rippington

The Jagged Scar is a spin-off from Nick Rippington’s much-acclaimed Boxer Boys series. 

Troubled schoolgirl Red and her best friend Marc visit London for a Valentine’s party but they get separated and she ends up in a police cell.

While behind bars the teenager befriends mysterious glamour girl Kat who negotiates her release and invites her to a 70s Soho awash with strip clubs, porn shops, shady characters and bent cops.

Unhappy with her home life back in Wales, she opts to stay and lands a job in the nightclub empire of former stripper Blaize and her porn king husband Jack.

Before long she has made friends, settled into the lifestyle and forgotten all about the problems at home.

That is until her world is turned upside down by a sequence of tragic events. It leads her to question those around her and brings her to the notice of some leading players in London’s dark underbelly who will stop at nothing to keep their unlawful activities under wraps.

And as she closes in on the truth, Red is about to make the shocking discovery that her new life is inextricably linked with the past she’s so desperate to leave behind.

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Nick Rippington would like it to be known that although he once worked for the News of the World he has never hacked a mobile phone. For that matter, most of the time he can’t even remember his own passcode.

 A national sports journalist with a wealth of experience, Nick took the plunge and began writing crime thrillers when Rupert Murdoch shut down Europe’s biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in 2011 as a result of the phone hacking scandal.

 His debut novel Crossing The Whitewash came out in 2015, receiving an honourable mention in the Writers’ Digest Self-publishing eBook awards.

 That launched the Boxer Boys series, which has found a niche in the growing UK gangland market. To date, there are four books in the series – Crossing The Whitewash, Spark Out, Dying Seconds and Bare Lies.

 Nick’s creation of the notorious Dolan family, their associates and enemies has been greeted with acclaim by some of the country’s most prestigious book bloggers.

 Meanwhile, his standalone psychological thriller Rabette Run has been described as ‘Alice in Wonderland… with tanks and guns’ with a twist you didn’t see coming. Rabette Run (published by Red Dragon) and Crossing the Whitewash are both available as audio books while the first three novels in the Boxer Boys series are available in digital format with Amazon as a box set.

 The Jagged Scar, Nick’s 6th novel, is a spin-off of the Boxer Boys which can be read as a standalone, as can all his books. It is based in 1970s Soho, London, and you may notice a few characters that appear much later in the saga.

 Nick has now moved out of East London to the wilds of Suffolk with wife Liz and daughter Livvy.

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My thoughts: two teenagers run away from a small Welsh village to London in the 70s. Separated they follow their own paths – Red finds work in a Soho club as the assistant to the owner, Blaize. She’s naive and doesn’t really understand what business her new friends are in.

Things take dark turns and her naivety is soon worn away, and after a friend is killed in police custody, she vows revenge.

Meanwhile, the siblings the friends left behind in Wales start looking for them, following tiny clues to track down their beloved sister and brother.

This was a really fascinating and gripping look at the dark side of 70s London life through the lens of several young and innocent souls. There’s a lot that happens to them and some shocking, terrible things come to light. Red in particular goes through an enormous amount and Marc’s story was heartbreaking.

*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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#TeamLyons Blog Tour: Last Witness – Lucie Whitehouse

One murder, three families destroyed
And a detective guilty of a crime of her own

When 18-year-old Ben Renshaw is found dead in city woodland, DCI Robin Lyons is plunged into one of Birmingham’s most controversial cases.

Months earlier, Ben and his best friend gave testimony that sent a former classmate, Alistair Heywood, to prison for a vicious sexual assault. Before the trial, the boys and their families endured months of brutal witness intimidation, for which the Heywoods, a privileged and influential local family, faced no legal repercussions. Instead, they vowed revenge.

Is Ben’s murder the fulfilment of that vow, the beginning of a bloody new chapter that will go on claim lives on all sides? Or is the truth – as the Heywoods claim – something entirely different?

To solve the case, Robin has to negotiate the city’s networks of power while walking a dangerous line: her own daughter, Lennie, has a secret that could threaten her liberty – and, if it comes out, Robin’s, too. Before long, Robin comes to question whether she knows what justice is at all.

About the Author

Lucie Whitehouse grew up in Warwickshire. After studying Classics at Oxford, she moved to London where she worked briefly in journalism before finding her niche in publishing. She writes full time and has contributed features to the Times, the Sunday Times, the Independent, Elle and Red Magazine. Lucie now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.

My thoughts: While the Lyons family wait for her brother’s trial, Robin has a complicated and heartbreaking case to deal with. Ben Renshaw, 18, an A Level student who set up a website for victims of rape and sexual assault after his friend was raped, was found murdered in the woods. 

During the trial against his friend’s rapist, he, and another friend, Theo, were targeted, supposedly by the perpetrator’s family. But as Robin and her team dig into the case, and following another murder, it seems much more complicated than it appears and dates back to a previous generation whose pain and guilt have carried through.

This is probably the most complicated and upsetting case for Robin and her team, involving as it does teenagers only a few years older than Lennie, and the sins of the father. And with Luke’s case hanging over her, Robin is tense.

But she never takes her eye off the ball and while justice is hard and the truth brutal, destroying several families, the team do find it, even with the hours and hours of CCTV they had to trawl through. 

*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: A Duke of One’s Own – Emma Orchard


Summer, 1816.

A notorious rebel is about to meet her match…

Lady Georgiana Pendlebury is no stranger to breaking the rules of polite society. But when a so-called ‘friend’ invites her to a clandestine party, Georgiana is shocked to discover the event is more scandalous than even she could have imagined. So when a mysterious stranger offers help, she accepts, not realising their encounter will turn her life upside down.

Later that summer, Georgiana is invited to attend a house party at an infamous castle in Yorkshire.

The gathering is a loosely veiled effort to arrange a marriage for the Duke of Northriding, who desperately needs an heir. Duke Gabriel Mauleverer has a terrible reputation as a rake, and Georgiana is happy to be a guest purely for the entertainment, but upon arrival, she is shocked to discover that the Duke is none other than the stranger who rescued her weeks earlier.

As the other ladies vie for the Duke’s attention, Georgiana is desperate to avoid their shocking secret getting out. But she finds herself caught, unable to avoid Gabriel’s gaze. Are they a threat to each
other? Or could they be the answer to each other’s greatest desires?

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Emma Orchard is the author of several well-reviewed regency romance novels published by Allison & Busby. In her other life she is a literary agent. Her first book with Boldwood is a raunchy romp set in
Regency London.

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My thoughts: Georgiana and Gabriel are very well suited to each other, despite her determination not to fall for him. But after getting caught in a compromising clinch at the Duke’s ball, they have no choice but to announce their engagement.

But despite feeling like they’ve been forced  into it, they can’t deny their feelings and even when threatened at literal gunpoint, they stick together, proving a strong united front that will stand them in good stead as the Duke and Duchess of Northriding. 

A fun, frothy, spicy Regency romance with two strong willed protagonists destined to be together.

*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: A Bond of Fate – Stephanie Duley


Welcome to the tour for A Bond of Fate by Stephanie Duley! Read on for more details!

A Bond of Fate

Publication Date: March 23, 2024

Genre: YA Fantasy

🗣️Witty Banter
💕Fated Mates
🥨Plot Twists
🐺Fey, Werewolves, & Vampires
🥰Love Triangle

“A Bond of Fate” presents a captivating narrative about two destined young mates in a world where supernatural beings coexist with humans. The tale follows the incredible journey of Evelyn Latham, a strong and self-reliant young woman, and Liam O’Leary, a compelling and resilient young man.

One fateful night, Evie and Liam’s paths cross, revealing an ancient prophecy that designates them as the world’s saviors. Unaware of a looming malevolent threat rising from Hell, endangering both humans and supernatural beings, they embark on a dangerous quest guided by destiny. Together, they seek to unravel their origins, unlock their latent powers, and confront the encroaching darkness.

As their bond strengthens, Evie and Liam navigate through the challenging landscapes of the Fey lands, facing formidable foes and battling their inner demons. To restore balance to the realms, they must embrace their true selves, wield their unique abilities, and confront the impending darkness.

This enchanting story blends romance, fantasy, and adventure, delving into themes of love, sacrifice, and the timeless clash between good and evil. Will Evie and Liam fulfill their destined roles, triumph over evil, and bring light to the world, or will darkness prevail, casting the realm into eternal gloom?

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My thoughts: Evie is at her best friend’s wedding when she hits a strange massive dog or wolf and then a strange man shoots her in the head…or does he?

When she wakes up, things are very different, she’s discovering that she’s not quite human after all and is part of an ancient prophecy involving the fae and werewolves and vampires – oh, they’re all real. 

As Evie learns about the strange new powers she has and explores the bond between her and Liam –  all part of the prophecy, war is imminent and they’re running out of time.

Evie takes all the new information in her stride, even the stuff that seems completely impossible, mastering her new powers, adapting to everything thrown at her. Liam, despite having lived his whole life in this world, seems to be struggling more.

It’s the start of an action packed series, with missing parents, terrible creatures summoned to hunt the heroes down, love, jealousy and complicated relationships.

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*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: Umbra – Amber Toro

Umbra copy

We are celebrating the release of Amber Toro’s space opera UMBRA: Sentient Stars this week! Read on for more details!

1 COVER ONLY LARGE IMAGE

Umbra: Sentient Stars

Publication Date: April 24, 2024

Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy/ Space Opera

✨Enemies-to-Lovers
✨Found Family
✨Multiple POVs
✨Intergalactic Adventure
✨Slow Burn
✨Militaristic Society
✨Fully Sentient Starships

Earth That Was has faded into myth. After millenia spent wandering, humans are no longer nomads. Twelve tribes stand allied under the United Tribal Axis; but there is a signal in the darkness that threatens to destroy everything.

All Skyla wanted after leaving the Navy was to be left alone. Just her ship, the stars, and a new adventure. But when a strange virus disables her ship, she is thrown into the middle of a conflict she doesn’t understand, forcing her to take on responsibilities she swore she never would again.

Hinata always followed the rules, honor above all else. He always won, until he didn’t. Sentenced to exile for his failures, he is determined to prove himself, until a mysterious woman arrives on his station and chaos threatens to break already fragile alliances.

Freyja was always angry, an outcast, playing the part of admiral and black ops operative. But she is tired of being a pawn in the Empress’ games and when she’s stranded on the wrong side of enemy lines after a vengeful battle, she’s forced to ally with her adversaries to clear her name.

A Rogue.
A Commander.
And an Admiral.
Brought together by circumstance, held together by duty.
Can they find a way to work together to save humanity?

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About the Author

Amber Toro is the director of data science at a machine learning startup working to make the world a better place with AI. She is a big believer in using tech for good.

Always dreaming Amber writes epic sci-fi and fantasy.

Amber grew up in Seattle with a great love of the outdoors. She now calls Utah her home and when she is not writing or coding you can find her biking, hiking, and camping in the mountains with her amazing partner and two tiny humans, or curled up with a good sci-fi/fantasy book.

AMBER TORO

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Blog Tour: Back From the Dead – Heidi Amsinck

A Missing person … a headless corpse … Jensen is on the case.

June, and as Copenhagen swelters under record temperatures, a headless corpse surfaces in the murky harbour, landing a new case on the desk of DI Henrik Jungersen, just as his holiday is about to start.

Elsewhere in the city, Syrian refugee Aziz Almasi, driver to Esben Nørregaard MP has vanished. Fearing a link to shady contacts from his past, Nørregaard appeals to crime reporter Jensen to investigate.

Could the body in the harbour be Aziz? Jensen turns to former lover Henrik for help. As events spiral dangerously out of control, they are thrown together once more in the pursuit of evil, in a case more twisted and, more dangerous than they could ever have imagined.

Heidi Amsinck won the Danish Criminal Academy’s Debut Award for My Name is Jensen (2021), the first book in a new series featuring Copenhagen reporter sleuth Jensen and her motley crew of helpers. She published her second Jensen novel, The Girl in Photo, in July 2022, with the third due out in February 2024.

A journalist by background, Heidi spent many years covering Britain for the Danish press, including a spell as London Correspondent for the broadsheet daily Jyllands-Posten. She has written numerous short stories for BBC Radio 4, such as the three-story sets Danish Noir, Copenhagen Confidential and Copenhagen Curios, all produced by Sweet Talk and featuring in her collection Last Train to Helsingør (2018).

Heidi’s work has been translated from the original English into Danish, German and Czech.

My thoughts: at first the case of the headless body that washes up in Copenhagen and the missing driver seem to be connected, but when the body isn’t the missing man, they appear to diverge.

But as Henrik and Jensen follow their investigations, strange things seem to connect the two, and then Jensen’s politician friend Esben admits that he’s been receiving death threats, serious ones, and finds footage of Aziz’s abduction on his CCTV system.

As the detectives close in on the killer and Jensen digs into who could be behind the kidnappings, things take a dangerous turn as a notorious figure drops in on Jensen and dangerous events take place.

Gripping, intelligent crime writing, with likeable characters and a clever, twisting plot that kept me hooked.

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