A killer dressed as a plague doctor is prowling London’s docks.
Able seaman Humphrey Wilkes is dead, shot between the eyes by the murderer known as the Plague Doctor. When Samuel Pepys’s naval colleague, Robert Drake, finds a black cross daubed on his door, it marks him out as the next victim.
Pepys dispatches his inquisitors, Abby Harcourt and Jacob Standish, to the docks. Can they unmask the killer and save Drake’s life before he strikes again?
Death is a way of life to hardened seafarers. The dockyard is theirs – a dangerous domain of secrets, lies and grudges dating back to the grim days of the plague. Anyone could be the Plague Doctor. But who lurks beneath that ghastly disguise?
When the Plague Doctor targets Jacob himself, the battle to save Drake becomes personal.
Ellis Blackwood fell in love with the writings of Samuel Pepys, and the 17th-century England he inhabited, through the great man’s published diaries. The Samuel Pepys Mysteries are the result of that literary love affair.
My thoughts: The Great Fire of London is cooling, the buildings are smouldering and Samuel Pepys has a problem he needs his two inquisitors to look into.
Down in Deptford, at the docks, a world away from Pepys’ home and life at court, a murderer dressed as a plague doctor has been at work. Abby and Jacob are sent to investigate. It’s something of a closed world at the dockyard and hard work to get anything out of the residents. Life at sea and on the docks is hard and death happens suddenly, but even here, a murderer is a strange event.
Clever and full of historical detail – one of my favourite historical facts is that Pepys buried his cheese in the garden to save it from the Fire, and the flavour of 17th Century London, both familiar and completely alien at the same time.
This series just gets better with every book and Abby is really coming to the fore as a crack investigator, despite regarding herself as just a house maid. She really needs to talk to Pepys about a proper promotion and pay rise! Jacob is still a bit wet, and needs to stop worrying about what people think of him – Samuel Pepys clearly thinks he’s a man who’s going places.
It’s a good plot too, lots of suspects and twists and the duo find more than they expected in a dockside pub, clever little tattoos that lead them to gambling and other secrets.
Don’t forget to head to the author’s website for the free short story that started it all, when Samuel Pepys’ famous diaries go missing.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
We’re celebrating the upcoming release of DOLL FACE by C. Hebert and D.J. Krimmer! Pre-order now or get your copy on October 5th!
Doll Face
Publication Date: October 5, 2024
Genre: Dark Romance/ Retelling/ Novella
Shall We Play A Game?
Amid the suffocating embrace of night,
I stumble upon him, a beacon of light.
The Boogeyman, a seductive terror,
Whispers haunting promises, cruel and fair.
Eyes that glint with otherworldly fire,
In his grasp, I’m consumed by dark desire.
A love twisted and sickeningly sweet,
Tangled in the depths of darkness, where nightmares meet.
Should I trust my button eyes,
Or should I doubt them and follow my firefly?
This story is a dark retelling created by two spooky queens who combined the iconic stories of The Nightmare Before Christmas (specifically Oogie Boogie) and Coraline into a mash up of spooky goodness filled with banter, chaos, and lots of spice.
Mental Abuse, Physical Abuse, Attempted Sexual Assault, Torture, Blood, Biting, Attempted Murder, Murder, Death, Detailed Sexual Scenes, Anxiety, Mention of Child Abduction and Death, Kidnapping, Unprotected Sex, Stalking, Somnophilia, Emotional Abuse, Needles, Sewing of Flesh, Mention of Rape, Sexual Abuse, Trauma, Profanity, Sexual Harassment, Slut Shaming, Violence, Dubious Consent, Desecration of a Corpse, Masturbation, Mention of Blood Orgies, Verbal Abuse, Taxidermy, Light Bondage, Virgin FMC, Sodomy, Rough Sexual Interactions, Removal of Eyes, Emotional Addiction, Intrusive Thoughts, PTSD Characteristics, Sex Addiction, Gambling, Body Modifications, Toxic Relationships, Body Horror, Dead Bodies, Emotional Scars, Emotional Trauma, Attempted Strangulation, Abuse of a Deceased Animal, Sexual Manipulation, Emotional Manipulation, Lying, Shared Trauma, Panic Attacks, and a Cliff Hanger Ending.
We’re getting ready for the upcoming release of the next book in this series and thought it would be fun to recap Sincerely, Secretary of Doom! Besties, you still have 2 weeks to read this one before Wanted: A Roommate Who Isn’t Evil comes out on October 16th!
Sincerely, Secretary of Doom (High Court of the Coffee Bean Book 2)
Publication Date: May 28, 2024
Genre: Cozy Romcom w/ Fantasy Elements
Workplace romance
Amnesia
Found Family
Forced Proximity
Creepy Cathedral
Love/Hate Relationship
Fairy Newspaper
The High Court of the Coffee Bean returns with a sassy, wicked streak.
Months after the deadly assassins-turned-baristas left the Four Corners of Ever behind for good, Doom comes knocking at Mor Trisencor’s door. And it’s wearing stilettos.
When the Fairy Post gets an unexpected, grand following in the human realm for its vintage feel and whimsical words, Mor gets busier than ever typing out articles, following up on leads of fairy mischief, and everything else that goes along with being a faeborn reporter. But his heavy workload comes to a screeching halt when he spots someone in the human realm that shouldn’t be there—an old foe of his. One he thought he would never see again. One he’d prayed to the sky deities that he wouldn’t cross paths with after the day Mor abandoned the Shadow Army, leaving a trail of flames and destruction in his wake. For the first time since the Fairy Post was published, the newspaper gets put on hold and Mor goes hunting.
Mor can think of nothing else but stopping this foe before ripples of doom begin to stir up the human realm.
Violet Miller is a journalist with a mysterious past her amnesia forbids her from remembering. But when she gets let go from her job at the most prestigious news station in the city, her unexplained past becomes the least of her problems. She thinks it’s all over for her as a journalist, until she sees a job posting for a secretary position at a niche, laughable “old school style” newspaper called the Fairy Post.
The day Violet shows up at Mor’s house—or, creepy, dark cathedral is more like it—is the day that everything changes for her. Before Violet even has a chance to ask about the job, she’s mistakenly marked as Mor’s lover by his “enemies” and she finds herself in the crosshairs of a battle of inhuman creatures who’d rather “stab first and ask questions later.”
This marks the beginning of a love-hate relationship (mostly hate) between a fae assassin born of the Shadows, and a lipstick-wearing, mascara wielding human born to be in the spotlight.
While reading this second installment of the High Court of the Coffee Bean series, you may find yourself craving macaroons, listening to the wind for signs of fairy magic, and wishing you had a “creepy, dark, creaking, abandoned cathedral” of your own to call home.
My thoughts: this series is so much fun, it’s a bit silly but that’s all part of the fun. The fae cafe is still going well under the supervision and coffee making skills of the High Court of the Coffee Bean, Cress is hosting a bonkers YouTube channel, Mor is still publishing the Fairy Post and the knitting assassins are still over the road.
Mor’s past catches up with him in the form of another fae warrior from the Shadow Army, someone who really resents and hates him. And poor Violet Miller, who can’t remember anything that happened to her before she was 13, is caught in the middle.
All she wants is a job as a journalist, and to look into the spate of strange attacks leaving women with amnesia across the city. So she answers an ad in the Fairy Post and now she’s Secretary to Doom, hunted by fae warriors and even more confused than she’s ever been!
I loved it, I can’t wait for book 3. This is just such a funny, entertaining series, I love the characters, the fae are all completely hopeless and cannot cope with our world – they keep pledging vengeance and having battles in the street involving throwing baked goods. It’s just, very silly, very funny, very joyful. Read it!
As part of this Jack Jordan blogathon, I’m re-posting my review of his book Do No Harm.
MY CHILD HAS BEEN TAKEN. AND I’VE BEEN GIVEN A CHOICE . . . KILL A PATIENT ON THE OPERATING TABLE OR LOSE MY SON FOREVER.
The man lies on the table in front of me. As a surgeon, it’s my job to save him. As a mother, I know I must kill him. You might think that I’m a monster. But there really is only one choice. I must get away with murder. Or I will never see my son again.
I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES. WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?
My thoughts: I don’t have kids but I do know a fair few mums and I completely understand how dedicated and how much they love their children.
I don’t know however if they’d actually be able to kill for them as Anna is blackmailed into doing here. The people who took her little boy will kill him if the local MP makes it off her table. Doctors pledge to do no harm, but mothers will say they’d do anything for their child.
This is such a delicious and chilling set up and Anna can’t just leave it there. Especially when she doesn’t get her terrified son back straight away. Something else is in play here and it’s only by following every tiny lead (and dodgy nurse Margot) that she can finally get Zack back.
The cops are on the case so she also needs to throw them off the scent, survive a review at work, and keep her ex-husband from finding anything out. Easy peasy. Not like it’s oh, open heart surgery or anything.
I was totally hooked, the way the story plays out, the alternating viewpoints from Anna and Margot, as they’re pulled into a deadly world of crime and politics, it’s dark and clever and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Memory is Copeland-Stark’s business. Yet after months of reconsolidation treatments at their sleek new flagship facility, Hope Nakano still has no idea what happened to her lost year, or the life she was just beginning to build with her one great love. Each procedure surfaces fragmented clues which erode Hope’s trust in her own memories, especially the ones of Luke. As inconsistencies mount, her search for answers reveals a much larger secret Copeland-Stark is determined to protect.
“Audrey Lee’s mesmerizing THE MECHANICS OF MEMORY is as complex as it is thrilling. All we ever really have are our memories, but what if those memories aren’t real? Lee takes this premise to frightening extremes…Steeped in paranoia and delightfully playful with the concept of reality, THE MECHANICS OF MEMORY is wildly entertaining and, ironically, quite unforgettable.”
– Carter Wilson, USA Today bestselling author of The Father She Went to Find
“One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest meets Inception in Lee’s stunning debut. A must read.”
– James L’Etoile, award winning author of Dead Drop and Face of Greed.
“The Mechanics of Memory is propulsive and muscular. I hung on every word. A technological thriller that keeps us perched on the edge of our seats as well as our disbelief, Lee pulls it together masterfully. In the end I cried in relief…and instantly wanted more. Can’t wait to see what’s coming from her next!”
– Linda L. Richards, award-winning author of Dead West and Endings
“The Mechanics of Memory is a swift, twisty speculative novel that grabs you from page one. With engaging characters and intriguing science, the reader is absorbed throughout. For fans of Blake Crouch and other high-end speculative twist rides.”
-Shannon Kirk, International-Bestselling author of Method 15/33 and the gold medal-winning The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall
“Debut author Audrey Lee has created an intoxicating mix of psychological thriller and domestic drama a la the streaming series Severance. As you take your first steps in The Mechanics of Memory, you will find yourself falling under Lee’s spell, unable to leave her world until the very end.”
—Naomi Hirahara, USA Today bestselling author of Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning Clark and Division
Audrey Lee started writing fiction at the young age of eleven, when she and her best friend co-authored a masterpiece about gallivanting around London with the members of Depeche Mode, Wham!, and Duran Duran. Unfortunately, these spiral notebooks have yet to find a publisher evolved enough to understand the genius buried within. As a result, The Mechanics of Memory is her first work of published fiction.
Before she started writing fiction, Audrey received her master’s degree in education from UC Berkeley (Go Bears!) and spent over two decades in public education. When she isn’t writing books she consults with school districts about creating environments for students that are more equitable, culturally responsive, and socially just.
Audrey lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, son, and Maltipoo, Luna. When not working, Audrey is compulsively organizing something, bullet journaling, cheering for her son at a dance competition, max betting on a slot machine, or watching the Golden State Warriors with a dirty martini in hand.
“Fine.” Hope shifted, pushing stringy hair from her face with her palms. “I haven’t had any this week.”
“None at all?”
Hope shook her head slowly, face impassive.
“That’s important progress.” Dr. Stark looked impressed with his own abilities, as if he’d performed a special magic trick to protect Hope from herself. Perhaps in a way he had.
Dr. Stark jotted notes on his tablet with a pointy gray stylus. “Are you sleeping any better?”
“A little. An hour or two at a time.” It was a lie. She hadn’t slept at all.
Hope focused on the San Jacinto Mountains outside the picture window, framed by the endless blue of the summer sky. Desert sky. It was hard to think about darkness right now, with so much light around her. “Does that mean I’m getting better?”
“As we’ve discussed, it’s important you get concentrated stretches of sleep.” Dr. Stark flipped his tablet to expose the keyboard, typing with a renewed purpose. “It will help you make progress in the Labyrinth.”
The word Labyrinth filled Hope with a viscous dread. She knew she’d visited it dozens of times since arriving at Wilder, though never remembered what had happened there. “I told you I’m never going back.”
“You did,” Dr. Stark said. “But as I said, it’s important to try and push through. It helps you confront what you’re avoiding.”
“I’m not avoiding anything,” Hope said. Another lie.
“I’m increasing your temazepam to thirty milligrams,” Dr. Stark said. “And tomorrow evening I’d like you to spend some time in ViCTR using the Erleben device. Say, forty-five minutes?”
Hope glanced at the ceiling. She wanted a cigarette in the worst way.
“Great,” he said. “Check in with the pharmacy after our session.”
Stark was doing the casual Friday thing that day, though Hope remained uncertain if it was, in fact, Friday. He resembled a prep school student, with his shiny polo shirt and immaculately pressed chinos. The polo looked brand new, still creased in the sleeves and too white, almost blinding. Hope couldn’t picture Dr. Stark performing the tasks of mere mortals: changing the toilet paper, taking out the garbage, shopping for polo shirts. Maybe his wife did all that. Maybe she bought five polo shirts in different colors from Neiman Marcus, hanging them in an orderly row, next to his dry-cleaned Italian suits in clear plastic bags.
“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” Dr. Stark asked, still typing, fingers thin and bare.
“Are you married?”
“Divorced,” he said. “More thoughts about last year, perhaps?”
“Nothing else,” Hope said. She glanced outside again. “Have there been any messages for me?”
“I’m sorry.” Stark shook his head. “But I promise to let you know if there ever are.”
An artificial chime reverberated through the room’s speakers, and Dr. Stark smiled. “We’ll pick up again next week.”
Hope wiped her hands on her pants and rose, heading for the shiny glass door.
“Hope,” Dr. Stark said.
She paused, hand on the doorknob.
“Be well.”
“Be well, Dr. Stark.”
The Wilder Sanctuary
When I first began writing The Mechanics of Memory, I knew I wanted to create a sense of claustrophobia in the form of being trapped against your will. My mind immediately went to the asylums of long ago, such as seen in Shutter Island and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. But then I realized I wanted Wilder to instead be a luxury resort, because the interplay of being trapped in a beautiful oasis seemed far darker to me.
There are many real-life luxury detox places around the world, catering to celebrities and the super-rich. Unfortunately, I will never make enough money to see any of these facilities in person, but I did do quite a bit of online research. At one center, the staff will take and post photos so you can appear to be on a lavish vacation in Fiji and not in the middle of your thirty-day detox. There’s a place in Connecticut which looks better than any vacation I’ve ever taken. And another, in Switzerland, which only admits one client at a time, and provides you with a personal chef, limo, maid and butler, and a fleet of doctors.
And so, I created the Wilder Sanctuary, an uber-posh detox facility that primarily caters to A-Listers and has a price tag to match. “Residents” at Wilder eat Michelin-star food, participate in yoga, meditate, and have a dedicated team of doctors focused on their wellness. A definition of the word wilder is to perplex or bewilder, something I often thought about while writing this world. There is something sinister lurking just below the surface at Wilder, but few people notice. Happy people are compliant people, and at Wilder the residents feel a sense of privilege as the chosen few. That puts the architects behind Wilder in a very powerful position.
On writing:
How did you do research for your book?
My best friend frequently says she hopes nothing untoward ever befalls my husband, because the FBI will look at my search history and I’ll definitely end up in jail. For The Mechanics of Memory I read tons of medical journals, and did a lot of online research from luxury detox facilities to maps of Palm Springs to “What drugs will knock out a 160-pound human the fastest and not leave a trace?” and “How many milligrams of Diazepam will kill someone?” I also spent some time at a VR arena in Reno shooting up zombies.
How did you decide to write about memory?
I read a book by Dr. Julia Shaw called The Memory Illusion. I was simultaneously fascinated and horrified about how unreliable our memories are. Basically, our brains are like Swiss cheese: we have gaps in what we remember, and our minds fill in those gaps. And we are highly susceptible to suggestion, to want to please and conform, and to our own confirmation bias.
Dr. Shaw uses her powers for good, but I thought, you can do some pretty shady stuff with that knowledge.
There are many thriller and sci-fi books out there. What makes yours different?
My readers have repeatedly mentioned that the genre-bending nature of The Mechanics of Memory makes it stand out. It’s a psychological thriller with some speculative/techno/scientific elements, but at the heart it’s also a love story.
What advice would you give budding writers?
Read a lot. Study reading as a writer.
Write every day. The only way you can become a better writer is to write, even when it’s hard. Keep at it until you finish, even when the imposter syndrome is telling you otherwise.
Write honestly. When you get that weird feeling in your stomach saying something doesn’t feel right or you’re being lazy, listen to it. Readers notice when you pull punches.
Your book is set in Palm Springs. Have you ever been there?
I spent a week there many years ago, but it made a lasting impression. A great deal of what’s in the novel is from memory, which we already know is unreliable!)
Do you have another profession besides writing?
I’ve spent over two decades in education, first as an elementary teacher and then as an administrator. Now I work as an educational consultant delivering professional learning to educational institutions around how to build systems for students that are more equitable, compassionate, and socially just.
Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?
It happens, usually when I’ve finished a manuscript and don’t know what to start next. In those instances, it helps to read, binge watch something, or otherwise free my mind from needing to come up with a plot or a character. They always show up when you least expect them to!
What is your next project?
About six months ago, I finished the sequel to The Mechanics of Memory. But something wasn’t quite right about it, and so I shelved it so I could get some distance. I recently just finished a standalone novel, currently titled One for Sorrow. It’s still a dark thriller/mystery, but with less technology and a dash of paranormal.
What genre do you write and why?
I love to read sci-fi and fantasy, but I chose to write thrillers because I like the challenge. I enjoy constructing complex plotlines with lots of twists and turns.
What is the last great book you’ve read?
So many! But my two recent favorites are The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd and The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean.
What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
I’ve been told that The Mechanics of Memory sticks with readers long after the book is over. That’s one of the greatest compliments I could receive, because you absolutely do not want to be forgettable!
How are you similar to or different from your lead character?
Hope is far braver and a much bigger badass than I am. I have been told that Hope’s snarkiness reminds them of someone they know, though I have no idea who that could be.
If your book were made into a movie, who would star in the leading roles?
I have an ever-changing Pinterest page with my dream cast. But the one role which won’t change is Ali Wong as Hope. I worship Ali Wong.
If your book were made into a movie, what songs would be on the soundtrack?
What is one piece of advice you would give to an aspiring author?
Remember that finishing your first draft is just the beginning. Pat yourself on the back, pop that champagne, and then buckle up…there’s a lot more work to be done.
Which authors inspired you to write?
I like writers that are dark and imaginative but also manage to infuse a little humor (Lev Grossman and Aaron Sorkin). I like authors who tell a twisty story in a literary way (Haruki Murakami). I love it when I don’t see the twist coming (Gillian Flynn and Samantha Downing). I always appreciate it when I laugh out loud (David Sedaris and Barry J. Hutchison.)
On rituals:
Where do you write?
Since I also work from home (mostly), I’m lucky to have my own office.
Do you write every day?
Yes.
What is your writing schedule?
I’m an early bird, so I’m usually writing by 5:30. (After I’ve had my coffee and played Wordle and done the NYT Crossword!)
In today’s tech savvy world, most writers use a computer or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper?
I print out my book on paper when revising. I do the majority of my notetaking and planning on paper. I do use a software called Airtable to create elaborate, color-coded spreadsheets of each novel. I write the actual manuscript on the computer.
If you’re a mom writer, how do you balance your time?
My son is off to college this fall, so I’m going to have a lot of spare time.
Fun stuff:
Favorite travel spot?
Anywhere I can take my dog and hear the ocean when I fall asleep. That, and Las Vegas.
Favorite dessert?
Van Leeuwen Earl Grey + Honeycomb ice cream, always together.
If you were stuck on a deserted island, which 3 books would you want with you?
Ryan Reynolds, Dev Patel, and…oops…you said books. In that case, The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman
Any hobbies? or Name a quirky thing you like to do.
It’s difficult to explain without sounding like that serial killer from CSI, but sometimes I make miniatures. I’ve made a mini camper, cheese shop, chocolate shop, apartment in Paris, itty bitty sushi, a flower shop, a mid-century modern house, and a yarn store. I also made a mini Wilder Sanctuary. (https://audreyleeauthor.com/extras/)
In a charming seaside town, secrets don’t stay buried for long…
Body of Chef Found in Wall Three Years After He ‘Left to go to Australia’
Human remains found inside the wall of a disused building have now been identified as those of Victor Blackwell. He was the head chef at Windstanton’s The Seaside Lounge until just over three years ago, when, according his friends, he left for a job in Australia. Detective Inspector Albert Finch from Fenshire’s Cold Case Unit has asked for anyone who has information about the chef’s movements three years ago to come forward.
We have no choice! With only three weeks until the Grand Opening, the last thing Bea and Perry need is the grim discovery of a skeleton in the wall of Simon and Ryan’s soon-to-open restaurant, SaltAir. But when it’s designated a crime scene, and the policeman in charge of the investigation into Vic’s murder refuses to let them have access to continue the refurbishment, they have no other option than to investigate the murder themselves or risk letting Simon and Ryan down.
But in a town where everyone harbours secrets, can they uncover the truth in time or will SaltAir’s opening be a damp squib?
Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise. I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it. It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes.
My thoughts: We’re back in Fenshire with Lady Beatrice and the gang getting ready for the opening of Simon and Ryan’s new restaurant. Bea and Perry are handling the makeover and as a false wall is knocked down to reveal the sea view – a grisly find is discovered. The remains of the former head chef, supposedly in Australia for the last three years. Grim. And totally against hygiene rules.
Time is short and the detective assigned the case, head of the cold case unit, Finch, doesn’t seem too inclined to investigate. So, despite promising to stay out of murders, Bea and Perry (along with Simon, Rich and Ryan, not to mention Daisy the dog) have no choice but to run their own investigation.
They uncover a rather different version of events to those that supposedly happened when the chef first went missing. There’s an ex-girlfriend, former colleagues and a rather panicked ex-boss, running for local MP, to interview. But something isn’t quite right. Luckily Bea’s brother Fred has a good eye for dodgy accounting.
Bea and Rich are also about to go public, Bea’s grandmother, aka the Dowager Queen, is keen to meet him and Bea’s son is home for the holidays, so it’s all happy families at the royal estate.
Daisy does her canine detective best and finds a vital clue – dogs (and cats) often make excellent crime busters. And there’s lots of very tasty sounding food being eaten. Fun as ever and highly entertaining.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Divorce lawyer Gill Dickson thinks she has seen it all, until she finds herself in the midst of her own acrimonious divorce and estranged from her daughter. Her one certainty is that the last thing she wants in her life is another man.
Pelican Crossing mayor Joe Harris has buried himself in his work after his wife’s death, finding solace with the companionship of his faithful dog, Coco. But when Joe needs Gill’s legal expertise for a family matter, he is unexpectedly drawn to her.
Can Joe break through Gill’s emotional barriers and earn her trust? And can these two lonely souls find the happiness they deserve in each other?
Set in the small Queensland coastal town of Pelican Crossing, this heartwarming romance will keep you captivated until the very end.
After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing contemporary women’s fiction portraying mature women facing life-changing situations, and historical fiction set in her native Scotland. Her travels inspire her writing, be it her trips to visit family in Scotland, in Oregon, USA or her home on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. Maggie writes of mature heroines coming to terms with changes in their lives and the heroes worthy of them. Maggie has been called the queen of mature age fiction and her writing has been described by one reviewer as like a nice warm cup of tea. It is warm, nourishing, comforting and embracing.
From the small town in Scotland where she grew up, Maggie was lured to Australia by the call to ‘Come and teach in the sun’. Once there, she worked as a primary school teacher, university lecturer and in educational management. Now living with her husband of over thirty years on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, she loves walking on the deserted beach in the early mornings and having coffee by the river on weekends. Her days are spent surrounded by books, either reading or writing them – her idea of heaven!
Drawing on the Grimm Brothers’ dark fairytale, “Godfather Death,” this new novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows is a sweeping, fantastical saga of actions and consequences.
This is the story of Hazel, a young healer navigating a ruthless court to save the life of the king, grappling with a pantheon of gods with questionable agendas as she fights for agency and true love in her own life as the goddaughter of none other than Death himself.
All gifts come with a price.
Hazel Trépas has always known she wasn’t like the rest of her siblings. A thirteenth child, promised away to one of the gods, she spends her childhood waiting for her godfather—Merrick, the Dreaded End—to arrive.
When he does, he lays out exactly how he’s planned Hazel’s future. She will become a great healer, known throughout the kingdom for her precision and skill. To aid her endeavors, Merrick blesses Hazel with a gift, the ability to instantly deduce the exact cure needed to treat the sick.
But all gifts come with a price. Hazel can see when Death has claimed a patient—when all hope is gone—and is tasked to end their suffering, permanently. Haunted by the ghosts of those she’s killed, Hazel longs to run. But destiny brings her to the royal court, where she meets Leo, a rakish prince with a disdain for everything and everyone. And it’s where Hazel faces her biggest dilemma yet—to save the life of a king marked to die. Hazel knows what she is meant to do and knows what her heart is urging her toward, but what will happen if she goes against the will of Death?
From the astonishing mind of Erin A. Craig comes the breathtaking fairy tale retelling readers have been waiting for— what does a life well-lived mean, and how do we justify the impossible choices we make for the ones we love? The Thirteenth Child is a must-read for fans of dark fairy tales, romantasy, and epic fantasy alike.
ERIN A. CRAIG is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows, Small Favors, and House of Roots and Ruin. She has always loved telling stories. After getting her BFA in Theatre Design and Production from the University of Michigan, she stage-managed tragic operas filled with hunchbacks, séances, and murderous clowns, then decided she wanted to write books that were just as spooky. An avid reader, decent quilter, rabid basketball fan, and collector of typewriters, brass figurines, and sparkly shoes, Erin makes her home in West Michigan with her husband and daughter.
My thoughts: drawing on the Grimm Brothers’ Grandfather Death, this fairy tale features Hazel, the Thirteenth Child of the title, born to parents who should really have stopped at one or two children. The gods come to them and offer to foster her, her parents decline the offers until the Dreaded End, the god of death, arrives.
Then nothing. He doesn’t come for Hazel until she’s a teenager, whisking her away to the Between, the home of the gods, to fulfil the destiny he lays out for her.
There’s a twist to his requirements and as Hazel grows, she learns that there is more required of her than first appears. A healer must also become a killer. She must honour Death’s instructions. Until she finds she can’t, killing the king could cause devastation and ruin hundreds of lives, but the only way to save him could destroy the bond between her and her godfather. Can she risk it all?
Hazel is a fascinating character, her godfather, Merrick, has no humanity and doesn’t understand hers, her reluctance and her fear of death. Her choices upset and perplex him. He doesn’t understand free will or empathy.
The story twists and turns, humanity and the gods exist in such different spheres, their desires clash with those of the humans they manipulate and request worship from. Hazel struggles with her gifts, powerful as they are, but she cannot be what the gods desire and remain human. The book is clever and intriguing, beautifully written and at times moving and effecting.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
We’re celebrating the release of A Marked Soul by Elizabeth Sedell! Read on for more details!
A Marked Soul (Soul Ferrier #1)
Publication Date: September 24, 2024
Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance
Forced proximity
Touch her and die vibes
Broody, protective MMC
Stabby FMC
Slow burn romance
Loveable side characters
Everybody has secrets
Find the missing girl without falling for the ridiculously handsome demon. Oh, and stay alive. Simple.
Claire Woods has no idea why the demons of The Otherworld think she can find a missing girl. As a Soul Ferrier, Claire has found people before, but they’ve all been dead. The demons, however, aren’t taking no for an answer.
After a routine job nearly gets her killed, Claire finds herself marked by the powerful and ridiculously handsome demon known only as The Superior. He has bound them together to force her into a deal. Find the girl for him and he will protect her until he removes the mark.
Uncertain of who the girl is and why she is significant, Claire begins digging for answers. While she works, The Superior stays close by her side, and she begins to see there is more to the demon than she previously thought.
With every uncovered secret and clue, Claire starts to realize that something far greater is going on and she is right in the middle of it. Desperate for answers and running out of time, Claire does all she can to finish the job, but she knows that even once it’s all over, her world will never be the same again.
Welcome to the urban fantasy world of the Soul Ferrier series. This is a slow burn romance, with demons, magic, action and mystery.
Turn a tumbledown Paris hotel into a perfect boutique, bookish retreat, and have it open for Christmas? What could possibly go wrong?
When Anais receives a near-derelict Paris hotel in her divorce settlement, her first thought is to tidy it up and sell it immediately. All she wants is to move on and forget her disaster of a marriage ever happened. But selling it proves impossible, so she has only one option: to make it gorgeous and open by Christmas… when her funds will almost certainly run out.
She’s not counting on the grumpy American bar-owner next door, Noah, coming and interfering at every moment though. Nor is she expecting to find a mysterious room – which holds the key to a one-hundred-year-old secret – about a woman who chose love against the odds.
One thing’s for sure… as the fairy lights twinkle all over the city of lights and the first snowflakes start to fall… this will be a Christmas in Paris to remember.
A totally gorgeous, escapist romantic comedy, with an unforgettable mystery! A perfect festive read for fans of Emily Henry and Sarah Morgan to curl up with this winter.
Rebecca Raisin writes heartwarming romance from her home in sunny Perth, Australia. Her heroines tend to be on the quirky side and her books are usually set in exotic locations so her readers can armchair travel any day of the week.
My thoughts: After catching her crummy husband in bed with the cleaner, Anais chucks him and gets a bit screwed over in the divorce, he gets their lovely apartment, she gets the run down hotel he bought with her money.
Luckily her hilarious cousin Manon is on hand to help do it up, ideally to sell ASAP. Of course both women fall in love with the place in all it’s salmon pink bathrooms glory. There’s also a mystery at the heart of the hotel – why are two of the rooms walled off and what is hidden within?
There’s a tiny cameo from a familiar Paris Cupid, secrets and mysteries to uncover, a grumpy bar owner to win over, lots of renovations to do, plus Anais owes her publisher a novel, Christmas is coming and her rubbish ex puts in an unwelcome experience (Manon, I’ll help you hide the body!)
Lots of fun to read, with a lovely but bittersweet mystery to resolve that draws the characters together, because Paris is the city of love, lights and it seems, literature. Bon.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 