When sisters Celine and Pip get a call telling them their reclusive mother has died, the women are reunited at her riverside home in Arundel to pick up the pieces. But someone is missing – their middle sister, Vanessa, brutally murdered years ago and the victim of an unsolved case. As the sisters confront ghosts from the past, the discovery of another body in similar circumstances throws new light on Vanessa’s death. Could there be more to her case than the police first thought? And what do the mysterious residents of Two Cross Farm, the neighbouring women’s commune, have to do with it? What secrets are lurking behind their locked gates? And what is the significance of the number 33?
My thoughts: Two Cross Farm is a rather strange place, they choose to cut themselves off from the rest of the world – which means that rumours about what happens there.
Celine and Pip are sorting out their late mum’s house, or trying to, when a woman’s body is found just down the road. Was she from the farm? Did someone there kill her?
A twisting, intelligent thriller, which slowly reveals the truth behind the gates of the farm, the connection to Celine and Pip’s sister Vanessa, and what happened to the woman whose body was found.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Lady Ashby is grieving the death of her beloved husband just two years earlier. Although still young and beautiful, Isabella is resolved never to marry again, and plans to leave London, return to her parents’ Yorkshire house, and resign from society before the year is over. But first, she wants one more taste of life…
Isabella has written a list, the contents of which, if discovered, would create a scandal that neither she nor her family would recover from. A list of things she would like to experience, just once more, before she surrenders herself to the life of a widow. And she knows just the man to help her: her friend, handsome and honourable Captain Leo Winterton.
But Captain Winterton has a secret of his own. He is in love with Isabella – and when she makes her most improper proposal to him, he is powerless to resist her, even if she is resolved never to love again. Can he persuade her they are destined to be together? Or will their impropriety be discovered, to the ruin of both?
Emma was born in Salford and studied English Literature at the universities of Edinburgh and York. Her first job after graduating was as a Copy-Editor at Mills & Boon, where she met her husband in a classic enemies-to-lovers romance. Emma has worked behind the scenes in television and as a Literary Agent, and in 2020 started writing Georgette Heyer fan-fiction.
My thoughts: There’s a belief that the Regency period was really buttoned up and unsexy but the king and queen had 15 children, what did people think they were doing? The Prince Regent was infamous for his behaviour (he couldn’t stand his wife, but he did have lots of lovers) so in a way, although people weren’t openly having sexual relationships, there was plenty going on as long as you kept it quiet, especially in the ton.
Lady Ashby has been widowed for two years and after recovering from a breakdown following her husband’s death, she’s determined to do things on her own terms – she doesn’t want a husband, she would prefer a no strings lover, she’s got a list and wants to get through it.
She’s picked handsome Captain Leo Winterton (who served with her husband in the wars against Napoleon) to be her first option – if he says no, she also has a list for that. Thankfully he agrees to a discreet, private arrangement.
This is a very sexy book, there’s lots of sex scenes, but thankfully they’re not too cringe worthy. And of course keeping the feelings out of it, doesn’t quite work out.
I really enjoyed this, Isabella was a very modern protagonist – she knows what she wants and she goes for it. Which I loved, she’s no shrinking violet. I also liked Leo, he’s the one dealing with feelings for once and it’s a refreshing change to the female lead with the crush.
*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 newly released debut romantasy novel by Jodie Angell with a book tour this week! Make sure you grab a copy today!
Crimson Kiss (The Ancient Spells Trilogy Book 1)
Publication Date: August 5, 2024
Genre: Romantasy
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
✨ forced proximity
✨ he fell first
✨ it was always her
✨ cinnamon roll MMC
✨ four horsemen of the apocalypse reimagined
✨ elemental beings
✨ spice
A mage. A knight. A destiny…
When the Orcs lay siege to the Eyre, Evalyn’s family are murdered, and she finds herself the last surviving heir to the kingdom of Arogath. She has no choice but to flee the only place she’s called home. With Felix, a sworn bodyguard by her side, she desperately seeks refuge.
It’s not long before Evalyn discovers the brutal lengths the Orcs will go to in order to expand their territory, and with her people’s lives at stake, she is forced to unearth a long since buried magic. As she grapples to control her volatile powers and fill the role of queen, enemies rise in all corners of the kingdom—some with carefully curated disguises. And they are much closer than she thought.
Despite it all, Felix remains a constant. Her childhood friend, her loyal protector. With a war raging around them, she finds herself falling for him. And the cost of saving her people from a terrible fate might just be her heart.
She thinks she’s safe. She couldn’t be more wrong.
Elle, desperate to escape her abusive home, runs away to a seemingly cute small town where she gets a job as a waitress. And meets Vera, who offers her an attic room in her large house.
For the first time in years, Elle feels something like contentment as she bonds with Vera who becomes almost like a mother to her. Blossoming, Elle slowly begins to piece her life back together, make new friends and stand on her own two feet.
But all is not as it seems.
Because this old house contains a dark secret. And much as she cares for Elle, Vera will do anything to protect it. That’s why she’s warned her young tenant that she must never, ever go down to the basement.
But Elle doesn’t obey this simple rule and when she sees what’s down there, she finally understands that her lovely new life is actually the gateway to a special kind of hell…
Don’t Tell a Soul – the shocking psychological thriller perfect for fans of John Marrs, Shari Lapena, Kiersten Modglin.
Jessica Huntley is an author of dark and twisty psychological thrillers, which often focus on mental health topics and delve deep into the minds of her characters.
She has a varied career background, having joined the Army as an Intelligence Analyst, then left to become a Personal Trainer.
She is now living her life-long dream of writing from the comfort of her home, while looking after her young son and her disabled black Labrador. She enjoys keeping fit and drinking wine (not at the same time).
This is her first psychological thriller with Inkubator Books.
My thoughts: This ended up being way creepier and completely different from what I thought when I started reading it. At first it seemed to be about two girls who had been abused at home and how they dealt with that, but instead it became a sort of horror story in Vera’s big, empty house with all it’s locked rooms and secrets. Elle hasn’t quite learnt how to spot a bad idea yet, but she’s getting there.
Her experiences in the picturesque village will leave her changed but she’s a survivor and will only grow stronger now that she’s escaped the killers the village has in residence. I don’t think I’ll be booking a holiday there any time soon!
Clever, full of twists, I mean honestly, I was so shocked by some of them, completely blindsided – but in a good way. If you like a good thriller, you’ll love this.
*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 gearing up for the release of A Throne of Wings and Embers by Emilia Jae and thought it would be fun to go back to the beginning!
The Dagger And The Forbidden Heir (The Forbidden Heir Trilogy Book 1)
“Throne of Glass meets House of the Dragon”
Tropes:
❤️🔥 enemies to lovers
🗡️ touch her & you 💀
🗝️ lovers to enemies
🌙 forced proximity / one bed
⚔️ fae & human war
🐉 mythical creatures
✨ fated mates
🗣️ fun modernized banter
🤍 found family
🩸 revenge
Can they survive the truth of their war?…Can their hearts?
A century ago, an exchange was proposed: a life saved for a war of revenge.
For Captain Lia Solus of the fae army, and the secret bastard daughter of the king, she’s reminded of those consequences daily. Unable to claim her heritage or her throne, she’s powerless to stop the innocent bloodshed that her birth ushered in.
On the other side of the lines, Commander Jace Cadoria gladly fights the war of his ancestors to slaughter the fae who have terrorized the humans of their realm for generations. And with a cunning plan to trap them, the end could finally be in sight. Except it quickly spirals out of control, leaving Lia and Jace, enemies of opposite sides, stranded together in a dangerous terrain.
Engaged in an intimate battle of their own, both warring to take control, they’ll need their wits now more than ever to survive. Because this fight could cost their lives—and their hearts.
The Forbidden Heir Trilogy is a fun and chaotic new take on fantasy, featuring enemies-to-lovers, fun modernized banter, dragons, heartache, adventure, and dark sorcery that grows throughout the series. This is written in multiple, 1st person POV, including the villains, and is a character-driven romantic fantasy. The story will be enjoyed by lovers of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Carissa Broadbent. Throne of Glass meets House of the Dragon.
CONTENT WARNING:
Please note that this book is not intended for readers below the age of eighteen (18). This warning is due to explicit language, violence/gore, mentions of past child abuse, and mentions of sexual assault.
A bond that even time cannot break Storm Berger has never forgiven himself for his younger sister Madison’s disappearance. Suspecting she’s travelled back to the ninth century in the footsteps of other family members, Storm can only make sure she’s safe by going after her.
Raised unconventionally as her father’s only child, Freydis has never been content to simply accept her fate. So, when she’s promised in marriage to a tyrant, she’s determined to find a way out of the arrangement. Help comes in the form of a mysterious and attractive stranger stranded on her island’s shores: Storm. The only way Freydis can truly be free is for Storm to marry her himself. But that would mean entwining lives that, until now, have been separated by centuries. . .
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. LEGACY OF THE RUNES (time travel historical romance published by Headline Review 15th August 2024) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).
My thoughts: This final book in the Runes series has Maddie’s brother Storm head into the 9th Century looking for her (see Tempted by the Runes for Maddie’s story)
Of course things don’t go according to his plan, on the way to Iceland, the ship he’s on is attacked and has to put in to Orkney. There he meets Freydis. She’s trying to find a way to get out of a marriage that’s been arranged for her against her will. Meeting Storm, there’s an instant connection. Might he be the way to escape her life?
I have really enjoyed this series, and it was really nice to have all the members of Mia and Haakon’s family’s (foster son and daughter’s best friend included) stories come full circle, with them happy either in the 9th or 21st centuries. Storm was an interesting protagonist – he’s trying to make up for his mistake, even though in the end Maddie wasn’t in the danger he feared. Falling in love with Freydis certainly wasn’t part of his plan. But I loved Freydis – raised more like a son by her late father, she doesn’t fit in in the 9th Century, and her mother is a miserable cow who doesn’t want her only daughter around. Meeting Storm changes her whole life in a really good way – and the 21st century suits her better.
I’m a bit sad this series has ended (although the author did say in her note at the end of the book that you never know!) but I’m excited to see what Christina writes next.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
When Varg Veum reads the newspaper headline ’YOUNG MAN MISSING’, he realises he’s seen the youth just a few days earlier – at a crossroads in the countryside, with his two friends. It turns out that the three were on their way to a demonstration against a commercial fish-farming facility in the tiny village of Solvik, north of Bergen.
Varg heads to Solvik, initially out of curiosity, but when he chances upon a dead body in the sea, he’s pulled into a dark and complex web of secrets, feuds and jealousies. Is the body he’s found connected to the death of a journalist who was digging into the fish farm’s operations two years earlier? And does either incident have something to do with the competition between the two powerful families that dominate Solvik’s salmon-farming industry? Or are the deaths the actions of the ‘Village Beast’ – the brutal small-town justice meted out by rural communities in this part of the world.
Shocking, timely and full of breathtaking twists and turns, Pursued by Death reaffirms Gunnar Staalesen as one of the world’s greatest crime writers.
One of the fathers of Nordic Noir, Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway, in 1947. He made his debut at the age of twenty-two with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. He is the author of over twenty titles, which have been published in twenty-four countries and sold over four million copies. Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, starring the popular Norwegian actor Trond Espen Seim. Staalesen has won three Golden Pistols (including the Prize of Honour). Where Roses Never Die won the 2017 Petrona Award for Nordic Crime Fiction, and Big Sister was shortlisted for the award in 2019. He lives with his wife in Bergen.
My thoughts: Varg does manage to find quite a few dead bodies in this book, and annoy quite a few police officers too, as he pokes around a small town, ostensibly looking into the death of a writer two years before, but also the disappearance of a young man a few weeks ago. The missing student’s mother happens to have been the dead man’s partner, and she hires Varg to look into what was ruled an accident at the time.
Even after being warned off by the police multiple times, he can’t seem to leave the current investigation alone. He just can’t help himself, and he’s annoying even more people as he goes. I don’t think he’ll be holidaying in Solvik any time soon.
He’s digging around the local, somewhat controversial, fish farm, there seems to be a link there, but after a bomb goes off at a meeting, he focuses on the locals a little more – the police have got their man, or so they think.
Varg is an interesting character, he’s a natural loner but people are either drawn to him or find him so impossibly irritating. He’s incredibly good at what he does, but never seems to build connections in useful ways (annoying every police officer he meets doesn’t help) and seems to find trouble at every turn, but I really enjoy reading about him. The stories are always so clever and compelling, full of sudden twists.
*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 Broken are the Believers this week. This is the exciting follow-up to Fractured are the Pieces!
Broken Are the Believers (The Fractured Realm Book 2)
Publication Date: August 15, 2024
Genre: NA Dark Fantasy
Dark High Fantasy
Unhinged Morally Gray FMC
Dark Cinnamon Roll MMC
Mythical Creatures
Fade-to-Black Spice
Found Family
The world stands still.
Broken are the believers, for they ignored the lies. Kerath continues to fracture and break, reigniting long forgotten dangers, as monsters from within and without slowly take control.
Everything is changing.
Caet begrudgingly left behind her solitude to return to her old life. But her mind is fractured, and secrets locked from within threaten to force themselves through. With each step she takes, reality falls further from her grasp. Can she stop herself from eliminating everything and everyone around her, or will her fears be realized?
A cloud of destruction has cast its shadow.
Wraith has hidden so much of his past from himself and those around him—believing those memories were forgotten forever. However, he now realizes his mind has been tampered with by another. While he skirts between his obligations and his desires, he risks lives, even his own. Can he avoid previous mistakes, or is he destined to always fail?
As the sky darkens and reality crashes, what will be left of them all?
Broken Are the Believers follows two-time award-winning Fractured Are the Pieces and is the second book in the Fractured Realm series. The series is a new adult (NA) dark high fantasy with a subplot of romance and fade-to-black spice featuring an unhinged morally gray female main character and a dark cinnamon roll male main character. Rounding out the series are a diverse cast, mythical creatures portrayed in new and creative ways, found family, engaging action scenes, and much more!
Beloved bestselling author Gail Tsukiyama returns with a rich historical novel based on the life of the luminous, groundbreaking actress Anna May Wong—the first and only Asian American woman to gain movie stardom in the early days of Hollywood.
“A writer of astonishing grace, delicacy, and feeling.”—Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
“A beautiful, haunting book.”—Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of Booth and We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
At the dawn of a new century, America is falling in love with silent movies, including young Wong Liu Tsong. The daughter of poor Chinese immigrants, Wong Liu goes to the local nickelodeons to escape the schoolmates her bully her for her Chinese heritage.
By sixteen, Wong Liu has already chosen a stage name, Anna May, and leaves high school to pursue her Hollywood dreams, defying her disapproving father and her traditional Chinese upbringing—a choice that will hold emotional and physical consequences. Anna May gets her big break—and her first taste of Hollywood fame— starring opposite Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Bagdad.
Yet her beauty and talent aren’t enough to overcome the racism that relegates her to supporting roles as a helpless, exotic butterfly or a vicious, murderous dragon lady, while Caucasian actresses in “yellowface” are given starring roles portraying Asian women.
Though she suffers professionally and personally, Anna May fights to become a star, financially support her family, and keep her illicit love affairs hidden—even as she finds freedom and glittering success abroad, and receives glowing reviews across the globe.
Gail Tsukiyama was born in San Francisco, California, to a Chinese mother from Hong Kong and a Japanese father from Hawaii. She attended San Francisco State University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Master of Arts Degree in English. She is the bestselling author of several novels, including Women of the Silk and The Samurai’s Garden, as well as the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Prize and the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award. She divides her time between El Cerrito and Napa Valley, California.
My thoughts: I knew a little about Anna May Wong before I read this book, but not much, as her life and career had basically been forgotten by Hollywood – I think her story would make an incredible biopic.
Born in LA to a Chinese-American couple running a laundry, she wasn’t the son her father wanted, and some part of her knew that growing up – she and her father fought constantly.
Desperate to be an actress, not an approved of career by her father or community, she started out as an extra, before garnering small parts in several films. Always cast as a stereotype, she desperately wanted to break the mould of what a Chinese-American woman was, but the anti-misceganation laws that banned interracial relationships, even on screen, made it next to impossible.
But she never gave up, sending several years in Europe making films, appearing on stage, and finding herself a community of friends. She also undertook a trip to China, which she recorded on an early video camera, with the aim of showing America the real China and its people. She was pretty amazing.
She was also a silent screen crossover star, featuring in the “talkies” and even giving musical theatre a go. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but never achieved the success she deserved.
The story of her life is bittersweet – she never married and suffered from cirrhosis of the liver, which tragically eventually killed her, just as her career seemed to be on a comeback with the advent of television and new film roles being offered to her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fictionalised version of the life of Anna May Wong, a passionate and talented woman who deserved so much more and lived an at times, very tragic life.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
For fans of Diana Gabaldon and Philippa Gregory, courtly rivalry and intrigue…
He is tasked with the most dangerous of missions. She is only there from duty. But in the face of treachery and injustice, might they need each other more than they could know…?
1613: Scotland and England, unified under one crown, are reeling from the sudden death of King James’ popular eldest son, Henry, as rumours swirl that the prince was poisoned. Andrew Logan, one of the King’s Messengers, is sent north with secret orders to find and arrest the man the king suspects.
Phoebe Westaway cannot abide Andrew Logan. But when her ageing father is tasked with helping Logan, Phoebe finds herself with no choice but to join them in their quest to capture Sir David Moray, once Prince Henry’s trusted courtier, and carry him to London to stand trial for the prince’s murder. It’s a journey rife with complications.
Sir David has no intention of allowing himself to be delivered to London, and as he draws them deeper into the dark web of court alliances and rivalries, Phoebe realises she might have more need of Logan than she believes. A story of justice, honour, truth and love – and survival against impossible odds…
New York Times bestselling author Susanna Kearsley is a former museum curator who loves restoring the lost voices of real people to the page, interweaving romance and historical intrigue with modern adventure. Over 1.5 million copies of her books have been sold and have been translated into over 25 languages.
Her writing career began in 1993 when her then-unpublished novel Mariana won the Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize. Since then she has writen twelve novels and won various awards, and has twice made the final of Romantic Novel of the Year awards. She lives near Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
My thoughts: This was so good, Susanna Kearsley brings the past vibrantly and vividly to life, the characters are well written and their lives are recognisable even though they lived so long ago and in a situation so unlike anything most of us would live.
Andrew Logan is a King’s Messenger at the court of King James I & VI and his Queen, Anna. He has been charged with travelling to Scotland and collecting Sir David Moray – who the King suspects had something to do with his son and heir’s death. Prince Henry has been somewhat relegated to a footnote in history – the drama of his younger brother’s reign (Charles I) overshadows his very existence in history books.
But the terrible period after his death, suspicion and mourning, the Royal couple estranged and the fact theirs may well have been a rather unhappy marriage, is brought to life here.
The story of the long journey back from Scotland, which now takes hours, took days on horseback, stopping at inns and houses along the way to spend the night, bring the travellers together. There’s not just Andrew and David, but also Phoebe and her father, a scribe, and a young boy who was definitely my favourite character, Hector. They survive being chased by David’s cousin and his men, the risk of robbery, the threat from other members of the King’s court, and tragedy.
There’s also a sweet love story, as Phoebe gets to know Andrew better, and realises he isn’t the person she thought he was. Andrew’s kindness, bravery and sense of justice shine through as he leads the small group from Scotland down through the body of England to the court in London, balancing his duty to the king with his growing admiration of Sir David Moray.
This was a truly fascinating, interesting book and I was totally drawn into the world of Andrew and Phoebe.
*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 