Category: books

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Blog Tour: A Death of Fresh Air – Helen Golden

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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?

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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.

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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.

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Blog Tour: A New Dawn in Pelican Crossing – Maggie Christensen

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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.

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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!

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Blog Tour: The Thirteenth Child – Erin A. Craig

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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.

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Cover Reveal: Blood for Blood – J.N. Engles

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We’re thrilled to present the cover for another creepy collection of poetry by J.N. Eagles, called Blood for Blood! Perfect for the spooky season!

Blood for Blood

Expected Publication Date: October 2024

Genre: YA Poetry/ Supernatural

Cover Designer: @j20graphics

An older vampire secretly resides in a neighborhood, preying off those who hike in the nearby woods. One night, he becomes distracted by a second attack and allows his prey to escape. Following a trail of blood, he comes face to face with his old mentor who only wants revenge and to keep the vampire laws. His mentor will either kill or transform everyone he cares for into vampires. After being arrested and interrogated for a crime his mentor framed him for, can he escape the police station before the sunlight diminishes him? Can he save his great-grandson? Will he be able to convince a stranger, who thinks of him as a monster, to help him? He would do anything as long as he didn’t have to accept his final death.

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Blog Tour: A Marked Soul – Elizabeth Sedell

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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.

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Blog Tour: Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel – Rebecca Raisin

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Book Blitz: Chasing Yesterday – Lynn Ricci

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Happy release day and congratulations to author Lynn Ricci on the release of Chasing Yesterday!

Chasing Yesterday

Publication Date: September 26, 2024

Genre: Small Town Romance

  • Soulmates
  • Small Town
  • Epistolary (You’ve Got Mail)
  • Sweet Romance/Closed Door
  • Second Chance
  • Guardian Angel

A grieving widow is struggling with the death of her high school sweetheart, while a mysterious woman is struggling to make her own amends. Can secrets from their entwined past hold the key to their futures?

Katelyn Murray moves to a small town in Massachusetts as a high school senior and quickly finds she has a secret admirer. As she responds to his written notes, she falls in love with the man behind the beautiful words and endless questions.

A dozen years and a rocky marriage later, her life is shattered by her husband’s sudden death, leaving confusion, unanswered questions, and guilty grief while mourning him and the love she initially felt for the boy from those letters. Katie leans on her friends to overcome this loss but feels something is amiss. She searches for answers, never expecting who may hold the key or where it could lead.

With the unconventional help of a stranger with secrets and aspirations of her own, a chain of events unfolds, and Katie starts to find the journey she was meant to be on and a second chance at chasing yesterday.

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Cover Reveal: Angel of Earth & Bone – Tory Guron

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We are honored to present the gorgeous cover for the next book in Tory Guyon’s Book of the Watchers series, Angel of Earth & Bone! Visit our Instagram page for a chance to win a spectacular book box full of goodies and the first book in the series, Angel of Water & Shadow.

Angel of Earth & Bone (The Book of the Watchers Vol II)

Expected Publication Date: January 16, 2025

Genre: YA/NA Urban Fantasy Romance

  • Enemies-to-Lovers
  • Forbidden Love
  • Second Chance Romance
  • Warring realms
  • Dagger to the Throat
  • Morally Gray MMC
  • Found Family
  • Mental Health Rep
  • Magical Creatures
  • “We shouldn’t be doing this”
  • Dungeon Runs
  • Backpacking Culture

Six weeks isn’t long enough to heal a broken heart. Not for River Harlow, who lost her best friend, Javi; her mentor, Olivia; her lover, Ryder—her entire life—in what feels like the blink of an eye. Yet, as the new Angel of Water and with a bounty on her head placed by the conniving enemy realm, the only thing left to do is try to move on.

To take back her life, River stands against Chet, the horrific guy-turned-wolf who assaulted her at a bonfire. But when she tries to testify against him at the werewolf tribunal, she—and her remaining friends—realizes he has not only slithered into the welcome arms of the enemy, but the enemy is very much among them. It won’t be too long before their army of demons infiltrates Mortal Earth and destroys everything she loves.

Finding the three other elemental archangels, the Watchers, might be her only hope of saving the realm. On a dangerous search abroad to find the Angel of Earth, her strength, hope, and heart are tested in the deceitfully glittering realm of the Huldufólk. The Queen of the Elves strikes a bargain with River to take her to the Angel of Earth, but elves always demand payment for their magic, and River owes her dues—in bones and blood.

Angel of Earth & Bone is the second volume in The Book of the Watchers, an upper YA/NA urban fantasy romance series about the secret heiress to a powerful archangel and the half-angel demon hunter sent to destroy her.

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Blog Tour: How to Slay at Work – Sarah Bonner

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When your boss is at a conference in a city where there’s a suspicious death, it’s unlucky.

If it happens twice, it’s odd.

But when she’s in the same city at the same time as a third unexplained death . . .

Could she be a stone-cold killer?

Millie’s always known her boss Freya is a psycho – the demanding and ever-changing coffee orders, the cryptic instructions, the apparently expected mind reading and don’t even start on the insistence that Millie wears heels . . . All. The. Time.

But it only extends as far as exacting office standards. Right?

As Freya’s assistant, Millie has privileged access to her diary and travel history and when a pattern emerges of men (who seem to have no connection to each other) dying in cities where Freya is travelling, Millie is determined to figure out what’s going on.

After all, a stone-cold killer could be exactly what Millie needs . . .

A sharp, funny and deliciously dark thriller that fans of Katy Brent, Bella Mackie or Killing Eve will love.

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Sarah Bonner is the author of several bestselling psychological thrillers.

Facebook: @sarah.bonner.35574
Twitter: @sarahbonner101
Instagram: @sarahbonner101

My thoughts: Millie’s boss is demanding, exacting and something of a nightmare. But is she also a serial killer?

Getting a promotion (with no pay rise, or new job title) means suddenly having to travel to Paris, where Millie sees something a bit odd, why is her boss scaling the hotel balconies?

Doing some digging into a series of deaths that match Freya’s travel plans and even the hotels she’s stayed in leave her with more questions than answers, so she starts snooping. 

Millie has her own secrets and plans, and this might actually work in her favour, if her boss doesn’t kill her first.

This is really funny, pitch black humour, which I love, it’s smart and a bit silly. I really enjoyed it. Millie’s not a great detective even though she does uncover some interesting things. But Freya is genuinely stone cold, terrifying psychopath material. There’s a lot of twists, especially towards the end, as things head to a point of no return. Great stuff.

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

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Blog Tour: City of Mist & Ash – Madeline Rose

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We are thrilled to share City of Mist and Ash with you all this week. This beauty comes out on September 26th!

City of Mist and Ash (Kingdom of Mythrend Book 1)

Expected Publication Date: September 26, 2024

Genre: Fantasy Romance/ New Adult

  • Enemies to lovers
  • Forced proximity
  • Morally gray MMC
  • Strong FMC
  • Slow burn
  • Powerful magic
  • Funny banter
  • Plot twists

A sketch artist with a secret, a vengeful warrior, and a love to tear kingdoms apart.

As a sketch artist with the city’s Golden Guard, Paisley is tasked with drawing crime scenes. She has spent years trying to avoid attention, but late one night when she’s returning home from a sketching session, the city of Golden Mist is attacked. Hiding from the violence, Paisley runs into Taner, a dark fae enemy warrior. They discuss the merits of her staying alive, but Paisley is able to escape with the aid of a cache of tools she hid long ago. Luckily she will never have to see him again.

The attack signals a new era in Golden Mist, one where the magical mist called the Convergence that protects the city is losing its power. For years the magic has protected not only the city, but the secrets hidden within it. Once the Convergence starts to weaken, more change than anyone bargained for follows.

As the magical shield weakens, more secrets are revealed. The search begins for a powerful warlock heir who has been in hiding for many years. Both Taner and the Captain of the Golden Guard want the shatteringly powerful warlock found, and Paisley is assigned to help Taner in the search.

The Captain holds the future of Paisley’s little brother over her head, and now her brother’s well-being is also tied to the dark fae warrior, her kingdom’s enemy and now her working partner and her only chance at protecting her family.

All Paisley ever wanted was to stay hidden and keep her family safe, but as Golden Mist is attacked and the magical aura of the city crumbles, danger lurks around all corners, and from above and below. Betrayals are rampant, and it seems that no one can be trusted. As her world is shredded, Paisley will have to weave together a new fate from the ashes of her old life – if she survives.

The Kingdom of Mythrend series follows Paisley, who has only ever had one rule: always run. A feisty fighter who has been forced to hide herself away for years, she must break that rule after she meets a mysterious dark fae warrior. As she works alongside her enemy she will face the consequences of claiming her power, and standing against a writhing evil.

Plot-heavy and character-driven, this epic NA fantasy romance series is packed with amusing angst, barbed banter, shocking magic, epic romance, and deadly battles. A City of Mist and Ash is book one in the series. There is more to come and soon – you have been warned.

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