Category: reviews

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: A Duke of One’s Own – Emma Orchard

ramblingmads


Summer, 1816.

A notorious rebel is about to meet her match…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: A Bond of Fate – Stephanie Duley

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

A Bond of Fate

Publication Date: March 23, 2024

Genre: YA Fantasy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Blog Tour: Back From the Dead – Heidi Amsinck

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Blog Tour: The Maiden of Florence – Katherine Mezzacappa

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‘My defloration was talked about in all the courts of Europe. The Prince boasted of his prowess, even as preparations were being made for his wedding, as boldly as if he had ridden across that causeway with bloodstained sheet tied to his lance.’

1584, Italy: Twenty-year-old Giulia expects she will live and die incarcerated as a silk weaver within the walls of her Florentine orphanage, where she has never so much as glimpsed her own face. This all changes with the visit of the Medici family’s most trusted advisor, promising her a generous dowry and a husband if she agrees to a small sacrifice that will bring honour and glory to her native city.

Vincenzo Gonzaga, libertine heir to the dukedom of Mantua, wants to marry the Grand-Duke of Tuscany’s eldest daughter, but the rumours around his unconsummated first marriage must be
silenced first. Eager for a dynastic alliance that will be a bulwark against the threat of Protestant heresy beyond the Alps, the Pope and his cardinals turn a blind eye to a mortal sin.

A powerful #MeToo story of the Renaissance, based on true events.

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Katherine Mezzacappa is an Irish writer of mainly historical fiction, currently living in Italy. She has published several novels under pen names with publishers Bonnier Zaffre and eXtasy. She works as a manuscript assessor for The Literary Consultancy. Katherine reviews for Historical Novel Society’s quarterly journal and is one of the organisers of the Society’s 2022 UK conference.

In her spare time she volunteers with a used book charity of which she is a founder member.

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Giveaway to Win a vintage postcard, early 1900s, of the babies from the façade of the Innocenti orphanage. (Open INT)

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My thoughts: based on real events, this follows Guilia, a young woman raised in a Florentine orphanage and chosen to be the virgin offered up to prove the Prince of Mantua’s virility.

Used and abused by cruel men, Guilia finds happiness with the husband found for her by the politician Vinta, a man who has become obsessed with her and who spies on her family.

Writing her memoirs as a letter to the mother she never knew, Guilia’s story is one of tragedy and joy, moving and charming. She’s a true survivor and with her husband and children lives a good, virtuous life, as women of the Renaissance were expected to. But Vinta casts a long shadow and threatens her son, causing her to seek aid from the Grand Duke of Mantua – formerly the Prince she once thought she loved. Her story goes full circle.

Fascinating and filled with the detail of Italian life in the 16th century, as she was raised to weave, Guilia often comments on fabrics and designs.

The situation she is placed in as a young woman is shocking and not in keeping with the religiosity of the age, but since it’s all supposed to be secret, and bloodlines, heirs and wealth were so central to how the city states ran, it isn’t entirely surprising someone came up with this test.

While the real Guilia disappears from the historical record shortly after this, Katherine Mezzacappa brings her and her world vividly to life in this novel.

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


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Blog Tour: The Upper Crush – Evie Alexander

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He wasn’t banking on someone else taking the reins…

Lady Estelle Foxbrooke is done cleaning up the mess left by her wild parents. She’s got a plan: take the reins and save the family estate her way. But then she’s saddled with a business partner she’s
hated all her life. He’s her twin brother’s worst enemy and looms in her path like a six-foot-four hurdle.

After a catastrophic business failure, rich and successful James Hunter-Savage has watched his dream life in London crash and burn. Forced to ditch the city for the Somerset countryside, he’s now living with his parents and expected to work with the infuriatingly attractive Estelle. She’s sharper than a whip, pushes all his buttons, and seems determined to break him.

As Estelle and James jockey for position, their explosive personalities combust into passion, sending
Estelle’s plans to the edge of ruin. With James’s flimsy reputation in tatters, and the biggest event on the Foxbrooke calendar on the brink of collapse, will they realise their love is worth fighting for? Or
are their hearts and hard work heading for the ultimate fall?

The Upper Crush is a laugh-out-loud, enemies-to-lovers, steamy, standalone, small town romantic comedy with a fiery country girl giving a cocky city boy a run for his money. No cheating or cliffhanger, but snort-laughs, swoons and a deliciously happy ending guaranteed in this sparkling and sizzling romcom!

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Evie Alexander is an award-winning author of sexy romantic comedies with a very British sense of humour.
Imaginative, passionate and frequently called ‘bonkers’ by her friends, Evie’s interests include reading, eating, swearing, saving the world, and dreaming about people who only exist between the pages of her books.
Evie lives in the West country of the UK with her family, where she pens her steamy stories from the Smut Hut.

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My thoughts: this was a fun, entertaining rom com set in Somerset, where Estelle Foxbrooke is trying to organise a music festival on her family’s estate. But the company that’s supposed to be sponsoring it is now under new management and she’s worried it’s going to all fall apart. 

The new CEO is her twin brother’s nemesis from school and in business. How on earth will they work together?

Of course sparks fly, and even her irritating unicorn slippers, horny dogs and Spice Girls cut out don’t seem to be driving James away. What’s a girl to do? Well, apparently fall madly in love with him, fall off her horse and after an almost endless series of misunderstandings and crossed wires, finally admit you were wrong.

It’s a lot of fun getting there, there’s some very steamy sex scenes, both have slightly bonkers parents (I think Estelle’s have the edge) and James really needs to get over himself first, but thankfully he does.

*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: Summer at the Santorini Bookshop – Rebecca Raisin

ramblingmads


A Greek island holiday.

A fake-dating pact.

A chance at true love?


After losing her job as a book scout, hopeless romantic Evie needs a fresh start. So when she hears that her eccentric grandmother has just taken on a small bookshop in Santorini, Evie jumps at the
chance to visit her.
But life on the island is not as idyllic as it first seems. Gran has a tempestuous relationship with her landlord and he’s threatening to take the bookshop away from her. So when Gran asks Evie to fake a
romance with her landlord’s Greek God of a grandson, Georgios, to keep the family on side, she reluctantly agrees.
As the sun sets on Evie’s Greek holiday, can she save the bookshop – and fake date her way to love?

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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. The only downfall about writing about gorgeous
heroes who have brains as well as brawn, is falling in love with them – just as well they’re fictional.
Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships and believe in true, once in a lifetime love. Her bestselling novel Rosie’s
Travelling Tea Shop has been optioned for film with MRC studios and Frolic Media.

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My thoughts: one of my favourite sub-genres is books about books/libraries/bookshops, something Rebecca Raisin seems to be keen on too.

This time we’re in Santorini, Greece, with Evie, whose just lost her job as a book scout for a film company and is feeling a bit at a loss. Her high flying mum (lawyer) and sister (Broadway performer) insist she head over to Santorini to check in with her gran – on her tenth husband and now owner of a bookshop. They’re worried that Gran’s out of money and her no hoper of a husband has run off on her.

So Evie heads to a beautiful Greek island to spend her time in her grandmother’s bookshop. Oh, what a hardship.

Once there, she makes new friends, helps her gran throw a launch party and “fake dates” the hunky Georgios, who has also just lost his job at a publishing firm and is staying with his grandparents.

Thing is, Evie and Georgios are so clearly meant for each other, the islanders are all delightfully eccentric (Donkey Man, the pig farmer who keeps organising the bookshelves) that it’s not really bad at all. I want to move there.

A charming, fun and funny, rom com on a Greek island with lots of people who seem to love books and a pack of delightful, madcap canines, it’s a delicious dream combo.

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

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Blog Tour: The Kitchen – Simone Buchholz, translated by Rachel Ward

ramblingmads

When neatly packed male body parts wash up by the River Elbe, Hamburg
State Prosecutor Chastity Riley and her colleagues begin a perplexing
investigation.

As the murdered men are identified, it becomes clear that they all had a history
of abuse towards women, leading Riley to wonder if it would actually be in
society’s best interests to catch the killers.
But when her best friend Carla is attacked, and the police show little interest in
tracking down the offender, Chastity takes matters into her own hands and as a
link between the two cases emerges, horrifying revelations threaten Chastity’s
own moral compass … and put everything at risk.

The award-winning, critically acclaimed Chastity Riley series returns with a slick,
hard-boiled, darkly funny thriller that tackles issues of violence and the
difference between law and justice with devastating insight, and an ending you
will never see coming…

Simone Buchholz was born in Hanau in 1972. At university, she studied
Philosophy and Literature, worked as a waitress and a columnist, and trained to
be a journalist at the prestigious Henri-Nannen-School in Hamburg.

In 2016, Simone Buchholz was awarded the Crime Cologne Award as well as runner-up in the German Crime Fiction Prize for Blue Night, which was number one on the KrimiZEIT Best of Crime List for months. The critically acclaimed Beton Rouge, Mexico Street, Hotel Cartagena and River Clyde all followed in the Chastity Riley series. Hotel Cartagena won the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger in 2022. The
Acapulco (2023) marked the beginning of the Chastity Reloaded series, with The
Kitchen out in 2024.

She lives in Sankt Pauli, in the heart of Hamburg, with her husband and son.

My thoughts: Chastity is prepping a case for court when she gets a call about body parts being found all neatly packaged up, just the hands, feet and head. It’s weird and when a second package is found, the team think they might be looking for a serial killer.

At the same time Carla, Chastity’s best friend, is the victim of a horrific assault which leaves her reeling, and Chastity at a loss as to how to help, the police aren’t getting far with their investigation and Carla doesn’t want to talk about it.

So Chastity focuses on the case, trying to find the link between the victims, and perhaps lead to the killer. After meeting a new friend of Carla and spending an evening at a fancy restaurant, she’s putting the dots together, in a really quite gross solution that’s pretty shocking too.

Chastity is still pretty bad at the personal life stuff, keeping people at arms length, even when she knows deep down that she needs them. I still really like her, even though she is deeply dysfunctional and a bit messed up.

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

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Blog Tour: The Call – Kerry Wilkinson

ramblingmads

Your fiancé calls. ‘A little girl needs help.’ Then they both disappear…

Melody gazes across the rippling lake to the trees on the shore, waiting for her fiancé Evan to arrive so their family holiday can begin. Here in this cabin in a small Canadian island town, there’s so much space for their son to play. It’s going to be perfect – just like the first time Melody visited as a child. But then a call from Evan shatters her world.

‘There’s someone in the road. I think it’s a little girl. She’s covered in mud. Or… is it blood?’ His voice becomes distant. ‘Are you OK? What’s your name?’ Then there’s a thud.

Evan never arrives to the holiday cabin. Melody, and her son, are terrified and desperate for answers. But with miles of endless, empty forest, and no reports of a missing girl, what hope is there of finding Evan?

The more questions Melody asks of the locals, the more she fears a terrible secret hides just out of sight. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger she is in…

A totally gripping thriller that will have you racing through the pages until the final shocking twist. Perfect for fans of T.M. Logan and Rachel Abbott.

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Kerry Wilkinson is from the English county of Somerset but has spent far too long living in the north. It’s there that he’s picked up possibly made-up regional words like ‘barm’ and ‘ginnel’. He pretends to know what they mean.

He’s also been busy since turning thirty: his Jessica Daniel crime series has sold more than a million copies in the UK; he has written a fantasy-adventure trilogy for young adults; a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter and the standalone thriller, Down Among The Dead Men.

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My thoughts: another cracking thriller from Kerry Wilkinson, I knew there would be twists and there were, ones I just could not see coming.

Returning to the area of Vancouver Island she spent a happy childhood summer in, Melody and her family are set to see the sights and relax. She’s booked her son into a summer camp like the one she went to, and rented a cabin on the lake.

Then her fiancè fails to arrive. She finds his hire car, his phone, but he and his luggage are gone. The police are a bit hopeless, and Melody seems to be the only one really worried. She starts to carry out her own investigation and finds some strange people in the small community. 

Then some huge twists and turns that come as Melody keeps digging, and answers she needs to find. Perhaps that long ago summer wasn’t as idyllic as she remembers and it had repercussions still being felt today…

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

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Blog Tour: The Heart of Winter – Shona Kinsella

ramblingmads

Brigit is a young woman living in a Scotland still ruled by tribes and largely Pagan.
As Christianity is beginning to find a foothold, Brigit pays lip service to the church, but truly venerates the old gods. She does not support the changing position of women through the teachings of the
church.
A cool, damp summer and an early winter threaten the harvest. A harsh winter means starvation, so the elders of Brigit’s village panic. They petition Aengus, the god of summer, to protect them. He agrees on the condition that they provide him with a bride. He chooses Brigit and the deal is made without her knowledge or consent.
When Brigit learns of this arrangement, she flees into the Highlands to seek out the Cailleach, the goddess of winter. The Cailleach is uninterested in Brigit’s plight; humans have hated and feared her for generations, and she is tired of their complaining.
Brigit is not discouraged. She sets up camp outside the Cailleach’s cave and makes offerings to the Winter Queen every day. Aengus comes looking for his bride but cannot approach the cave because he and the Cailleach are opposites.
Caught between two gods and finding an unlikely ally in the Fae witch, Nicnevin, Brigit will be tested to her limits and beyond.


Scottish fantasy author Shona Kinsella is the author of The Heart of Winter, The Vessel of KalaDene series, dark Scottish fantasy novella Petra MacDonald and the Queen of the Fae, British Fantasy Award shortlisted industrial novella The Flame and the Flood, and non-fiction Outlander and the Real Jacobites: Scotland’s Fight for the Stuarts. Her short fiction can be found
in various magazines and anthologies. She served as editor of the British Fantasy Society’s fiction publication, BFS Horizons for four years and is now the Chair of the British Fantasy Society.
Shona lives near the picturesque banks of Loch Lomond with her husband and three children.
She enjoys reading, nature walks, and spending time with her family. When she is not writing, doing laundry, or wrangling children, she can usually be found with her nose in a book.
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My thoughts: inspired by Celtic folklore, this is the story of a young woman who is determined to choose her own path, and flees the Summer god Aengus for the winter, Cailleach, hoping the opposite god can help her.

Brigit just wants to be free of the agreement her village elders made binding her to Aengus in return for a good harvest. But the Cailleach isn’t really interested in helping a human. Until she has no choice unless she’s willing to let Brigit die.

This sets in motion a change that will affect Brigit, Cailleach and Aengus, and change the way they govern the seasons.

A beautiful and enchanting tale of gods, different kinds of love and finding your own path.

*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: Unless It’s You – Chrissy Hopewell

ramblingmads

Happy release day Chrissy Hopewell! Unless it’s You is now available, and we can’t recommend it enough!

 

Unless It’s You: An Enemies-to-Lovers London Romance (The Hart Sisters Book 2)

Genre: Sports Romance/ Enemies-to-Lovers/ Interconnected Standalone

Publication Date: April 15, 2024

Enemies to Lovers
Second Chance
Bucket List
English Ex-Pro Rugby Player
American FMC in Her 30s
Hot Man w/ a Kitten
Light Sports Romance
Open door/ Medium Spice

ONE MONTH. TWO ENEMIES. SOMEONE ELSE’S BUCKET LIST.

Stella Hart, an American advertising executive living in London, is reeling from the death of her beloved aunt. But Stella learns her aunt included a stipulation in the will: a bucket list Stella must complete within a month, or the estate—meant for her and her sisters—goes to charity. The entire list is unreasonable, especially the final item, where she needs to Find the One that Got Away. The last thing she wants to do is face her ex.

Ethan Fraser is not Stella’s ex-boyfriend—that title belongs to his best friend, who got him through a traumatizing childhood. Ethan’s a grumpy, bearded, ex-professional rugby player who can’t bring himself to enter the flat of his late troubled mother.
When they’re forced to collaborate on a work project, both find themselves remembering the night they kissed, days before she started dating his best friend. Ethan wants to hate her for choosing someone else, just like his mother always did, but he can’t fight his attraction to Stella. So when she needs an advisor for the list, he offers to help, and the time spent together re-ignites their chemistry. But Ethan’s fierce loyalty to his best friend stands between them.

With a looming deadline for their project and the bucket list, soon everything bringing Stella and Ethan together will disappear… unless Stella figures out what that final item—and the whole list—really means.

Unless It’s You is an interconnected standalone romance novel for fans of Meghan Quinn, Tessa Bailey, and Christina Lauren. It’s the second book in the Hart Sisters trilogy, which can be read in any order.

Available on Amazon

 

About the Author

Chrissy Hopewell started sneaking her mom’s spicy romance novels in middle school. She has spent varying amounts of time overseas, including working at a pub in Dublin, waitressing at a hotel in the Scottish Borders, and studying and living in London for five years. Because of these experiences, international flair and accents often show up in her stories. Chrissy now lives in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio with her family, where she quite openly reads delightful contemporary romances.

Find Chrissy on TikTok (@chrissyhopewellbooks), Instagram (@chrissyhopewell), or Facebook (facebook.com/chrissyhopewellauthor). Sign up for her newsletter for a free novella at www.ChrissyHopewell.com.

 My thoughts: this was a really fun rom com that made my home town of London sound a lot more glam than it is! How did they have such nice weather?

Joking aside, I really liked Stella and Ethan, as they work together on a project for the charity they both volunteer with and on Stella’s great-aunt Evelyn’s bucket list left in her will. Stella has to complete the 5 items (as do her sisters on their own lists) or forfeit their inheritance. And they’re intentionally not super easy tasks.

With Ethan as her advisor/sidekick, Stella has to stop trying to do the bare minimum and actually think about the things her aunt has challenged her with. Evelyn saw herself in Stella and wanted to make sure her beloved great-niece was truly happy.

It doesn’t hurt that Ethan, a hunky former rugby player, and Stella are falling hard for each other, and a cute little kitten called Nessie.

I’m going to download the bonus epilogue from the author’s website and check out Stella’s sisters’ stories too, that’s how much I enjoyed this one. 😀

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