blog tour, books

Blog Tour: The Legend of Black Jack – A.R. Witham

Action, adventure, and portals! The Legend of Black Jack by A.R. Witham has it all!

The Legend of Black Jack

Publication Date: May 17th, 2022

Genre: YA Fantasy

  • Action Adventure,
  • Coming-of-Age,
  • Portal Fantasy
  • Full Page Illustrations

Jack Swift can tell you every element on the periodic table, recite Treasure Island verbatim, and would remember in perfect detail every word you’d ever say to him. He has been alone for a long time, so he has buried himself in books, using them to plan his escape.

But no textbook could ever prepare him for the land of Keymark.

At 3:33 a.m. on his fourteenth birthday, Jack is kidnapped by a hideous monster to another sphere of existence. Now there are two moons in the sky, and he is surrounded by grotesque creatures and magical warriors training for battle. They want the impossible: Jack must use his abilities to save a life or be trapped in this bizarre world with no chance of rescue.

Jack doesn’t have secret magic, a great destiny, or any experience.

So why do they all expect him to become a legend?

Content/Trigger Warnings:

Shown on Page: Child Abuse (foster mom hits main character), Child Abduction (main character kidnapped by monster)

Alluded to: Child Neglect (foster mom ignores her wards)

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

BOOK TOUR ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS

blog tour, books

Blog Tour: Unfair Game/Off Your Game – Susan Renee

<p><strong>We’re thrilled to present not one but two new releases by Susan Renee. If you love hockey romance featuring enemies to lovers and forced proximity, you need this series right away!</strong></p>

<p style=”text-align: center;”><img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-66724″ src=”https://rrbooktoursblog.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/img_1505.jpg&#8221; alt=”” width=”775″ height=”1163″ /></p>

<p><strong>Off Your Game (Chicago Red Tails #1)</strong></p>

<p><strong>Expected Publication Date: April 29, 2025</strong></p>

<p><strong>Genre: Hockey Romance</strong></p>

<p><strong>For fans of Tessa Bailey, a laugh-out-loud enemies-to-lovers romance about a professional hockey player who finds himself facing off with the team’s new marketing rep, who might just be his new lucky charm.</strong></p>

<p>Good looks and wads of cash usually get me whatever I desire, unless I desire a box of my favorite cereal at the grocery store right before it closes. As if tonight’s loss wasn’t bad enough, I’m now watching said box of cereal, my literal good luck charm, disappear in some woman’s cart.</p>

<p>The brazen woman denies my cash offer along with my proposal for a more intimate payment. How much loss can a man take in one day?</p>

<p>At this point, who cares how rude I am to her? She’s public enemy number one and chances of seeing her again are slim to none. That is, until she appears at the arena the next morning as the newest marketing rep for the Chicago Red Tails hockey team.</p>

<p>Just my luck.</p>

<p>Carissa Smallson is feisty, outspoken, and boldly confident. She’s also funny, down to earth, and…ugh, she’s insanely pretty. Everything about her is both unbelievably annoying and terrifyingly attractive.</p>

<p>As Captain of the team, I’m always laser focused on my job, but lately I can’t stop thinking about her. I lead my team to victory night after night. Hustle, hit, and never quit.</p>

<p>But if I’m not careful, she could knock me off my game.</p>

<p><a href=”https://amzn.to/4gnsvSE&#8221; target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”><strong>PRE-ORDER HERE</strong></a></p>

<p style=”text-align: center;”><img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-66727″ src=”https://rrbooktoursblog.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/img_1506.jpg&#8221; alt=”” width=”775″ height=”1163″ /></p>

<p><strong>Unfair Game (Chicago Red Tails #2)</strong></p>

<p><strong>Expected Publication Date: April 29, 2025</strong></p>

<p><strong>Genre: Hockey Romance</strong></p>

<p>An intense, forced proximity romance about a woman running from an abusive past, and the hockey player who vows to keep her safe.</p>

<p>Sometimes life makes you play an unfair game.</p>

<p>As a pro hockey player, I’ve had desperate flirty women throw themselves at me, one after another for years. Today, it took only seconds for someone to walk into my home and have me completely forget about any other woman I’ve ever met.</p>

<p>A favor for an old teammate, I opened my penthouse to Charlee Mags, my new short-term roommate. When I said yes to this favor, I didn’t know how breathtakingly beautiful Charlee would be, or that I would come to enjoy hanging out with her, even crave being around her. It’s almost funny how much we have in common.</p>

<p>But Charlee has baggage.</p>

<p>I knew when she showed up at my door with a black eye, this could be a fragile situation, and I would do all I could to help her feel safe, but she doesn’t want to be the damsel in distress. Underneath her injury, she is an independent, strong-willed, funny woman who knows more about hockey than she originally lets on. And now I’m struggling to keep myself from falling for her.</p>

<p>Charlee Mags is the perfect woman for me.<br />One hundred percent my type.</p>

<p>I have no idea who hurt her or why, but when Charlee leans on me for support, one thing is certain.</p>

<p>I’ll be damned if anyone ever hurts her again.</p>

<p><strong><a href=”https://amzn.to/3EasJPs&#8221; target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>PRE-ORDER HERE</a></strong></p>

<p> </p>

<p><strong>BOOK TOUR ORGANIZED BY:</strong></p>

<p><img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-66265″ src=”https://rrbooktoursblog.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/rrbooktours-button-.png&#8221; alt=”” width=”257″ height=”185″ /></p>

<p><strong><a href=”http://rrbooktours.com&#8221; target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>R&amp;R BOOK TOURS</a></strong></p>

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Detective Marcy Kendrick Boxset – Theo Baxter

SKIN DEEP
Star LAPD homicide detective Marcy Kendrick is infamous for killing three serial killers before they could be brought to trial.
Marcy knows her actions were in self-defense, but her co-workers wonder if she has a vendetta because Marcy’s mother was brutally murdered by a serial killer.
When a series of murders rocks the city, Marcy discovers the killer has the same MO as the man who murdered her mother.
Marcy is assigned to the case and the killer immediately taunts Marcy, telling her that they are very much alike. They’re both murderers.
Can Marcy catch the killer before another victim meets a grisly end?

BLOOD LINE
Det. Marcy Kendrick is feeling the heat from her ex-husband, now her boss.
He’s piling on the pressure and she needs a win.
Then heiress Audrina Dixon is killed with only her twin sons as witnesses. But the traumatized boys seem to have developed a form of mutism.
Or perhaps there’s another reason they won’t speak? Because there’s mounting evidence that the boys may be the killers.
As Marcy investigates, she realizes the murder is just one part of a much bigger picture. Behind it, lies a horrifying web of depravity and revenge….

DARK DUTY

Panic grips LA as a cop killer stalks the streets. So far, three officers have been murdered and there are no clues.
Det. Marcy Kendrick and her partner Angel are assigned the case but the dead cops’ partners  insist they have no idea why the victims were targeted.
But Marcy discovers they are lying, that the officers were connected to an unimaginable crime against an innocent girl.
As public outrage grows, Marcy and Angel are caught in the middle. Can they find the killer before the city blows up?

KILL COUNT
Det. Marcy Kendrick and her partner are called to investigate the murder of a young starlet.
They soon discover this was the work of El Gato, an infamous drug lord who has evaded police for years.
Marcy soon learns El Gato has secrets. But drug lords don’t want their secrets to become public.
Especially not these secrets…

PAY BACK
When an affluent woman is murdered, Marcy Kendrick and Angel Reyes are sent to investigate.
They soon discover that the victim is no ordinary housewife. She’s connected to an organized shoplifting ring.
Now, someone is killing off these women in a series of home invasions.
It’s a race against time. Can they stop the killer before it’s too late?

LOST SOULS
When Det. Marcy Kendrick and her partner investigate the death of a drug dealer, they discover he was waterboarded – with baptismal water.
Then the killer strikes again. This time the victim is a young woman with baptismal water in her wounds.
As the death toll rises, it becomes clear the killer is on a religious mission.
Marcy has no idea where he’ll strike next. Can she stop him before he kills again?

END GAME
Marcy Kendrick is struggling to get her life back to normal when a series of murders thrust her back into the limelight.
A serial killer is on the prowl. He calls himself Killer Cache because he posts the geocaching coordinates of the site where he’s left the body of his latest female victim.
Leaving no stone unturned in the search for the sadistic killer, Marcy must choose between her own safety and stopping a psychopath before he can kill again.

Goodreads
Purchase


Theo Baxter loves writing psychological suspense thrillers. It’s all about that last reveal that he loves shocking readers with.
He grew up in New York, where there was crime all around. He decided to turn that into something positive with his fiction.
His stories will have you reading through the night—they are very addictive!

Facebook

My thoughts: This boxset was so, so good, gripping, intelligent and shocking. Marcy and Angel (her best friend and partner) track down serial killers in LA. Each case is fiendish and horrifying, but Marcy keeps her cool and the duo dive into the cases, digging into the victim’s lives to find the killer.

They also juggle their personal lives and relationships, which suffer from their all-consuming jobs, the strange hours they work and the danger they put themselves in during the course of their jobs. Unfortunately some of the criminals they come up against take it personally and target Marcy and Angel, making it harder to do their jobs.

They also go after bad cops, the kind that take advantage of the vulnerable and exploit their positions. It might not make them popular in or out of the precinct, but they stand for justice and the victims.

Marcy’s brother Stephen is the most important person in her life, and he has his own demons, but she sticks by him through thick and thin, and he uses his computer skills to help her out from time to time. She also has an ex-husband, who is now her lieutenant and can’t stop losing his temper, he becomes a huge problem that Captain Robinson (their supportive boss) has to deal with.

The crimes are shocking, the interpersonal relationships fascinating, the characters realistic and empathetic, the writing gripping.

*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: Never Bound – Everly Claire

We’re celebrating the release of Never Bound by Everly Claire! You can read it now on Kindle Unlimited and grab book one in the series for only $0.99!

Never Bound (The Unchained)
Publication Date: April 25, 2025
Genre: Dark Dystopian/Forbidden Romance

💀Enemies to Lovers
💔 Who did this to you? (Her to HIM!)
🌑 Dark dystopian world
👑 Rich, naive good girl x her dad literally OWNS him!
🔥 Whips & chains & cuffs, oh my (mostly the bad kind 😈)
🕰️ Slow Burn
📇 He has no name, just a number (really!)
❌ They’re literally not allowed to touch!
👊 Touch her & you’re gonna 💀 (twice)
🎭 Plotting, scheming, twists and reversals!

773496S6

In an alternate 2025, our world is built on the backs of slaves. Louisa is the daughter of the enemy who’s become my master, and I’m not even allowed to look at her, let alone touch her.
But I’ve already done way more than that. By day, they make me scrub floors and weed the garden. By night, I ignite her in dark basements and secret rooms.
She used to think slaves weren’t people, but I’ve opened her eyes to the horror of her world, and there’s no going back.
But I’m here on a mission to find my sister. And Louisa is about to discover that when I charmed my way into her bed, it wasn’t just because I wanted her. It was because I wanted something from her.
But now? I do want her. Forever, preferably. But the world thinks I belong in a cage, and I’ve got new enemies determined to put me in one. They’re plotting to blow our secret right out of the water. In this snake pit, neither of us knows who to trust.
But when they go after Louisa, I’ll prove that even though I’m a slave, she belongs to me in every way that matters — even if it costs me everything I’ve fought for.

NEVER BOUND, book 2 in a dark dystopian forbidden romance series THE UNCHAINED, picks up where Never Broken left off. The books must be read in order. Never Bound ends on a hard cliffhanger and picks up in Never Lost, scheduled for release in summer 2025. Together, all three books form a complete arc with a guaranteed HEA.

Never Broken: books2read.com/u/3yJBwV
Never Bound: books2read.com/u/mdx2v5

BOOK TOUR ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Rain City Legal Thrillers Books 1-4 Boxset – Stephen Penner

Seattle defense attorney Daniel Raine is relentless in his pursuit of justice. And he’s in the right place – the city’s streets provide an endless supply of cunning criminals and high-stakes cases.
With his career on the line and justice hanging in the balance, Raine will have to stay one step ahead of ruthless prosecutors and dangerous adversaries – or his next case may be his last.

BURDEN OF PROOF
Some people would kill for a fresh start.
Attorney Daniel Raine’s law partner is leaving their firm. If Raine can’t find a way to stay afloat, he’ll be practicing law out of his car.
Then, rich socialite Abigail Willoughby arrives at his door, wanting to divorce her even richer husband.
Raine takes the case but gets forced into an alliance with realtor Rebecca Sommers, who has her own motives for wanting to get close to his client.What seems like a straightforward case turns to chaos when Abigail threatens her husband Jeremy in front of dozens of witnesses. That same night, Jeremy is murdered.
Abigail swears she’s innocent and Raine believes her. Together with Sommers, he races to find out who really killed Jeremy and to save his client from serving a lifetime behind bars.

TRIAL BY JURY
Murder is an art form. And this one is a masterpiece.
When attorney Daniel Raine is invited to a gala at an art gallery, he sees it as a chance to find some new clients.
And it works in the most unexpected way when an artist is found dead in the restroom.
The police declare it a suicide and the young woman’s parents promptly sue the gallery owner for driving their daughter to take her own life. Raine is hired to defend the lawsuit and embarks on a mission to exonerate his client.
He soon becomes convinced that the young artist was murdered. But why? And by whom?

THE SURVIVAL RULE
A family on top of the world. With a long, long way to fall.
Daniel Raine is hired by Adam Harper, the son of Seattle’s biggest developer. Adam wants to  seize control of the family company by declaring his father mentally unfit.
There’s only one problem – the old man is very much in possession of his mental faculties and Raine is going to lose the case. Ever the pragmatist, Raine decides to stick with it and rack up some billable hours.
But he finds himself in the middle of a deadly dispute as various members of this powerful family fight to gain control. They will stop at nothing to get what they want. Including murder.
As Raine closes in on the final truth, he himself becomes a target in this twisted game.

DOUBLE JEOPARDY
Murder. Lies. Corruption. Just another day at the office.
A young man, Michael, dies while in custody at the county jail. The authorities claim it was a heart attack.
His mom thinks it was murder.
Daniel Raine agrees to take the case, suing the jail for wrongful death. But no one will talk about what happened in Michael’s cell on that fateful night.
Now Raine must unravel the mystery. Did someone order Michael’s murder?

Goodreads Purchase


Stephen Penner is an author, artist, and attorney from Seattle. He has written over 25 novels and specializes in courtroom thrillers known for their unexpected twists and candid portrayal of the justice system.
Stephen began his legal career as a criminal defense attorney, appearing in federal, state, and municipal courts throughout the State of Washington. After several years, Stephen ‘switched sides’ and became a prosecutor. He has been practicing criminal law for nearly 30 years, working his way up from misdemeanor offenses, to felonies, and finally to homicides. He has conducted over 100 trials and draws on his extensive experience to infuse his writing with
realism and insight.
In his spare time, Stephen enjoys painting, drawing, and spending time with his family.

Facebook Twitter Instagram Website

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this series, I was only going to talk about the first two books but I read all 4, they were so compelling and well written.

Daniel Raine is down on his luck, his legal partner has recently become a judge, and if he doesn’t get some clients who can pay him soon, he’s going to lose his office space too.

Then the very wealthy Abigail shows up asking if he’ll represent her in a divorce from her controlling husband. At the same time he also meets the fabulous Rebecca Sommers, estate agent par excellence, who agrees to help him out as his investigator. She has incredible connections throughout the city and a nose for finding things out.

Throughout the four stories in this collection, Daniel and Rebecca investigate the cases their clients bring them, even when the clients aren’t the nicest people. He’s a good lawyer, smart and insightful. Rebecca is my favourite character, she’s so well connected and people just seem to want to tell her things.

Daniel is also juggling co-parenting his sons with his ex-wife, who he’s still in love with, and puts himself in danger hunting for the truth for his clients, and himself. The author uses his legal knowledge and expertise to craft clever and intricate cases that keep you gripped and wanting to know what happens next and how Daniel will win in court.

*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: Shadows in the Spring – Christina Courtenay


Two souls bound together but lost in time. Until now.

AD 80
Duro of the Iceni tribe escaped life as an enslaved gladiator and is now finally home in Britannia with one thing on his mind: vengeance. For 20 years he has sought the Roman legionary who destroyed his family. What he didn’t expect was Gisel: a fierce Germanic woman with long white-blonde hair, forced into slavery by the Romans. Hypnotised by her spirit and her beauty, Duro frees Gisel and slowly tries to win her trust as they work together to complete his quest.

Present Day
Mackenna Jackson returns to Bath with a broken heart, thanks to rockstar Blue Daniels. Luckily she can still count on Blue’s former bandmate Jonah Miller as a listening ear. But Jonah has secretly been
fighting stronger feelings, drawn to Mac’s quiet confidence and gorgeous white-blonde hair. As they explore the area, memories they can’t quite explain flood them both.
Is the spark between Mac and Jonah in fact a sign of something much deeper – a love enduring through millennia – or can it all be an illusion?

Purchase


Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip/dual time and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings.

Christina is a Vice President and former Chair and of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several
awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the
Runes.

SHADOWS IN THE SPRING (dual time historical romance published by Headline Review 24th April 2025) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).

Website Facebook Twitter/X Instagram Bluesky

My thoughts: By now, you should know that I’m a fan of Christina Courtenay and her time travelling romances, a history loving nerd and as someone who grew up visiting the Roman ruins of Veralanium (St Albans) this is right up my street. The Iceni are probably the most famous tribe of ancient Britons (Boudicca was their queen at one point and her statue stands on Westminster Bridge) in Roman occupied Britain. 

Duro has escaped a life as a slave and gladiator in the Roman Empire, thanks to a handy volcanic eruption (Pompeii) and returned to his home in search of his family. When he was taken his mother was brutally murdered and his sister also taken as a slave by a particularly unpleasant Roman soldier. He has long vowed revenge. And after reconnecting with his brother, he sets out to find his mother’s killer.

Along the way he saves a young Germanic woman from a life of slavery and rape, offering her the opportunity to join him in his journey and be free. Gisel is hesitant at first, but as they travel she sees he is genuinely a good man and they begin to fall for one another.

In the present McKenna too is finding a genuine person in her spoilt ex’s former bandmate Jonah. The two become friends after she moves into her aunt’s former home in Bath, while he lives not far away. They’re both interested in the Roman history in the area and after Jonah’s dog digs up a dead Roman in the garden, start looking into area’s past more closely. They too start to bond and fall for one another. But strange echoes from the past suggest this isn’t the first time they’ve known one another….

Both stories are really enjoyable to follow, although I did enjoy Duro’s travels more than anything else as I recognised a lot of the Roman place names from other things I’ve learnt and being from London, itself a Roman settlement.

Although no one actually time travelled in this book, it was still really enjoyable and I loved all the little things that happened in one storyline and then popped up in the other (like the dead man in Jonah’s garden, and the ring Mac wears).

*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: Helen’s Judgement – Susan C Wilson

She’s the most scapegoated heroine in Greek mythology, but there’s never just one side to any story. This new framing uncovers the complexities of Helen of Troy–a woman tormented by the blame placed on her by others, and tortured by her own guilt.

“We all blamed Helen”

Haunted by her decision to leave her child behind in fleeing her unhappy marriage, Helen seeks to build a new life in Troy with her lover, Paris. She yearns to recreate the childhood family she lost when she married Menelaus, but her outraged husband vows to regain her by force, at the head of a vast army.

Facing hostility from all sides, Helen must decide where her loyalty–and her safety–lies.

Perfect for fans of Greek mythology retellings, and Madeline Miller’s Circe, Jennifer Saint’s Elektra, and Pat Barker’s The Women of Troy.

My thoughts: Helen of Troy might be one of the most hated women in literature, the face that launched a thousand ships, the woman who cuckolded her husband, ran away with a prince and brought about the destruction of the legendary (and real) city of Troy.

Narrated by the ghost of Achilles, this is Helen’s story.

When Agamemnon and Menelaus arrive at her childhood home, Agamemnon has already murdered her brother-in-law and nephew and forced her sister Clytemnestra to marry him, so she isn’t too favourable. His brother doesn’t appeal, he’s not the handsome prince of her imagination, but her father has little choice, Agamemnon threatens to seize their kingdom too.

Not the most auspicious start to a marriage, but not an entirely unexpected one considering the time. When Helen runs off with Paris to Troy, abandoning her daughter, and leaving her homeland behind, she hardly expects what happens next. King Priam refuses to send her back and the Greeks famously come together to lay siege to Troy for ten long years.

Achilles also tells us about the goings on inside the Greek encampment. Agamemnon rarely leaves his tent, preferring to let the others fight, like generals ever since, which annoys Achilles. Then comes the infamous falling out that results in the death of Achilles’ cousin and closest friend Patroclus, Achilles’ revenge killing of Hector and finally Paris’ cowardly killing of Achilles. Finally the horse makes an appearance.

Some of the most famous events of the Trojan war. I always wondered why Shakespeare never staged this – it feels very in keeping with some of his tragedies.

Obviously Homer (whoever he or they were) got there first, but Susan C. Wilson retells this most famous of stories from new perspectives – Achilles and Helen. Had Helen’s father held out and she married Achilles, none of this would ever have happened, nor any of the resulting events.

Helen’s account of the destruction of Troy is shocking, graphic and you can imagine people’s genuine horror as the Greek soldiers lay waste, killing the men and taking the women to be slaves. King Priam’s death is awful, the proud man reduced to blood and bones in moments.

But Helen’s end is equally gruesome, she won’t be returning with Menelaus, she will never see her daughter again. The Greeks have spent ten long years waiting for this moment. The judgement of Helen.

The title can be seen in different ways – Helen’s own poor judgement in running off with the vapid but pretty Paris, the judgement of the Trojans on her, and that final judgement after the long years of fighting. A fight that doesn’t really have much to do with her, one that feels like an excuse as the Greeks also want access to the Hellespont, and to establish themselves in Asia, beyond the walls of Troy and its allies.

This was a really interesting retelling of this most famous story, one I’ve studied in depth before and often enjoyed, but that gives agency back to Helen, and furthers the story of the House of Atreus from Clytemnestra’s Bind, the first book in this series.

*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: Blood of a Fae – Briar Boleyn

Exciting news everyone! The entire Blood of a Fae series (all 4 books) is available as a box set and you can read it now on Kindle Unlimited!

Blood of a Fae (4 Book Series)

Box Set Includes:

  • Queen of Roses: A Dark Fae Fantasy Romance
  • Court of Claws: A Dark Fantasy Romance
  • Empress of Fae: A Dark Fantasy Romance
  • Knight of the Goddess: A Dark Fae Fantasy Romance

His name became legend, while his sister’s was all but forgotten. But what if the legend got it very, very wrong?

Here is the true story of Camelot, retold through the eyes of the girl who grew up to become the most powerful enchantress in the land. She and her friends are going to save the world… if two of them don’t kill each other first.

An action-packed series brimming with magic, danger, and spellbinding romance, Blood of a Fae is perfect for fans of Holly Black, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Sarah J. Maas.

GET IT HERE

BOOK TOUR ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Second Pocket First – Gregory Grosvenor

Issey considers himself a masterful and elegant thief. He’s just as meticulous with his lockpicking tools as he is with his ankle boots and slimming turtlenecks. He’s also easily confused, stupid, and maybe not so good at being a thief.
Unforeseen circumstances bring him back to his childhood town, the wonderland that is Vermont’s Bell River Valley. With the holidays on the horizon, he sets his sights on the town’s open doors. But just as his thieving begins, with accompanying shapewear and accessories, something unexpected happens—he falls backwards into becoming the town hero. The sudden
hero role ushers in wealth, adoration, and a love interest so mysterious he hardly knows her name.
However, before he can get too cozy, an uninvited associate from his past reappears—as does every last item Issey has ever stolen.
Second Pocket First shoehorns comedy, crime, and small-town charm into this delightful romp as Issey must decide between old habits and a sudden devotion to the town’s goodwill.

Goodreads Purchase


Gregory Grosvenor grew up in Ansbach, Germany. He moved to the US, earning an MFA from Old Dominion University. For two decades, he has taught writing and the art of the short story at various colleges in Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Grosvenor currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with his three cats, Dinah, Theo, and Bramlet Abercrombie

Instagram Website Instagram 2

My thoughts: Required to go home and sort out his mother’s house after she remarries and leaves town, useless thief Issey is stuck in Vermont, where his brother and sister-in-law still live, no car unless he steals one, one old friend he’s not actually that keen on, not much to do. So he starts taking things, stupid, little things, like a lighter, a bracelet, a diary. 

Then he’s accused of taking three horses from the local riding school. Except he knows he didn’t do that particular job. After a very confusing night in the snow, he somehow finds the horses and is suddenly the town hero. Except he has no idea how he did that. 

The local sheriff is still suspicious of him, especially after he starts “finding” things people have lost, like it’s a magical power. Then his old boss shows up and things just keep getting stranger. Poor Issey has no idea why things keep happening to him, or what his sister-in-law keeps doing showing up at the house. He’s confused, not very bright and everything he returns to its owner, has started reappearing too. What is he going to do?

Quirky, funny and a bit confusing, so you feel like Issey, this was an interesting read about a man who really should find something he’s actually good at.

*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: Convalence – Andie L. Smith

Welcome to the tour for Covalence, the first book in a new YA Dystopian series by Andie L. Smith! Fans of Divergent, The Giver, and The Uglies will love this one!

Covalence (The Bonded Series #1)

Publication Date: October 2024

Genre YA Dystopian

  • Enemies to lovers
  • Forced proximity
  • Forbidden romance
  • He fell first
  • Ensemble cast
  • Girls in STEM
  • Strong FMC

​Seventeen-year-old Mineral Vyotto always planned on running away from the City and its annual Covalence Ceremony-a tradition forcing her to Bond with another of her Kind. In a hidden cavern outside the City gates, she starts collecting parts and Building a plane so she can bolt before the Ceremony takes place.

But when Covalence is moved up and she’s almost caught by the Officials, Mineral finds herself and her fate at the hands of Amory Thames-an arrogant, opinionated Orderly with powerful parents who could ruin her chance at freedom. With only four weeks to escape the City before the Ceremony, Mineral and Amory must work together to find a way out-even if it means keeping Society’s biggest secret to themselves and putting the lives of everyone they love at risk.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON & OTHER FINE RETAILERS

BOOK TOUR ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS