Category: reviews

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Stand Up Guy – Nina Kaye

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Dumped by Instagram post. Not a whiff of a social life. Can it get any worse?

After a string of failed relationships – romantic and platonic – Lea’s had enough of watching life happen without her. When she bumps into Shep, a comedian at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in need of accommodation, it feels like destiny. And voilá – Lea now has a lodger and some company.
The two get on like a flat on fire, and Lea can’t resist falling for outgoing Shep. But she knows it’s a mistake that will cost her heart – he’s just another guy passing through, after all. And with Shep’s
stand-up routine edging him closer to his big break, there’s no way he’ll stick around.
Love is no laughing matter as the Fringe draws to a close. Can Lea find the confidence to step up and confess her feelings to Shep? Will he want to stay?
A feel-good, heartwarming romance for anyone desperate to break out of their shell and find their true self.

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Nina Kaye is a contemporary romance author living in Edinburgh. She is author of three other books for Canelo – Take a Moment, One Night in Edinburgh, and Just Like That. She has previously been a contender for the RNA Joan Hessayson Award.

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My thoughts: a fun, and funny, rom com set around the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with research scientist Lea and Northern Irish comic Shep brought together by happy accident. Lea makes a spontaneous offer to help out a stranger (Shep) and before they know it, they’re getting along like old friends. And then some.

Lea needs a little encouragement to step out of her shell and find some pals, Shep needs someone to believe in his comedy career, as he’s decided this is make or break time. There’s a cringey lunch with Lea’s parents, some new friends, lots of nights out and sleeping in late, and it’s both charming and entertaining.

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

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Blog Tour: Halfway House – Helen Fitzgerald

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They’re the housemates from Hell…

When her disastrous Australian love affair ends, Lou O’Dowd heads to Edinburgh for a fresh start, moving in with her cousin, and preparing for the only job she can find … working at a halfway house for very high-risk offenders.

Two killers, a celebrity paedophile and a paranoid coke dealer – all out on parole and all sharing their outwardly elegant Edinburgh townhouse with rookie night-worker Lou…

And instead of finding some meaning and purpose to her life, she finds herself trapped in a terrifying game of cat and mouse where she stands to lose everything – including her life.

Slick, darkly funny and nerve-janglingly tense, Halfway House is both a breathtaking thriller and an unapologetic reminder never to corner a desperate woman…

Helen FitzGerald is the bestselling author of thirteen adult and young-adult thrillers, including The Donor (2011) and The Cry (2013), which was longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and adapted for a major BBC drama. Her 2019 dark­comedy thriller Worst Case Scenario was a Book of the Year in the Literary Review, Herald Scotland, Guardian, Sunday Times, The Week and Daily Telegraph, shortlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and won the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award. The critically acclaimed Ash Mountain (2020) and Keep Her Sweet (2022) soon followed. Helen worked as a criminal-justice social worker for over fifteen years. She grew up in Victoria, Australia, and now lives in Glasgow with her husband.

My thoughts: this is a very darkly comic tale of what happens when you don’t do your homework before taking a job on the other side of the world and end up trapped in a hostel for sex offenders and murderers. Which is what happens to Lou, she doesn’t know anything about the charming inhabitants or the role required of her as the only staff member on the night shift in a house filled with potentially violent men.

She also oversteps the bounds massively, but some of the other staff are worse, and have left her vulnerable. Her completely inappropriate relationship with one of the residents makes her perhaps a bit too trusting when she needs to be clear headed and professional but I did feel sorry for her, the whole experience ends up being a complete nightmare.

I shouldn’t have been laughing as much as I was, but I have a twisted sense of humour that this book really tickled. It was very enjoyable and different to a lot of the crime fiction I’ve read, great stuff.

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

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Blog Tour: Baby One More Time – Camilla Isley

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Driven and smart, Marissa Mayer has worked her way to COO at a major Fintech startup as well as launching her own successful app on the side. Now what she wants more than anything is a baby.
And having given up on love after her heart was broken by the boy next door, she’s prepared to do it alone.
Recently returning to New York from LA, Dr John Raikes is an expert in his field of neonatal medicine.
But when John introduces himself as Marissa’s doctor, sparks fly, and not in a good way. Because Dr John Raikes is no stranger: he’s her teenage sweetheart all grown up.
Marissa knows she should keep John at arm’s length, lest she have her heart broken again… But there’s something about a man in a white coat. And with John determined to show Marissa he’s changed, can she keep saying no when her heart is saying yes?
A gorgeously funny enemies-to-lovers, second-chance rom com, perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Lynn Painter and Jo Watson.

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Camilla Isley is an engineer who left science behind to write bestselling contemporary rom-coms set all around the world. She lives in Italy and her first title for Boldwood, The Love Theorem, a Hollywood-meets-STEM romance, was published in June 2023.

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My thoughts: this was a charming, funny rom com with a slightly crazy premise (reminiscent of Jane the Virgin but with the ex!)

Marissa is in control of every other part of her life – her career, her friendships, her family, but now she wants a baby, and she’s fine with going it alone. Until a mix up at the IVF clinic and a really awkward encounter with her high school boyfriend turns everything in her life upside down.

Every single one of Camilla Isley’s books is lots of fun, and this is no exception. I really enjoyed it, and there’s some truly hilarious moments, and a few that left me cringing with secondhand embarrassment, poor Mari. I always want to be pals with the characters as they seem so genuine and I root for them every time.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Strong Female Character – Fern Brady

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A summary of my book:

1. I’m diagnosed with autism 20 years after telling a doctor I had it.

2. My terrible Catholic childhood: I hate my parents etc.

3. My friendship with an elderly man who runs the corner shop and is definitely not trying to groom me. I get groomed.

4. Homelessness.

5. Stripping.

6. More stripping but with more nervous breakdowns.

7. I hate everyone at uni and live with a psycho etc.

8. REDACTED as too spicy.

9. After everyone tells me I don’t look autistic, I try to cure my autism and get addicted to Xanax.

10. REDACTED as too embarrassing.

Fern Brady is a woman. She is also autistic. She was born in Scotland (no, not Glasgow). She has no presets for being a ‘good woman’ – she never hated her body or indulged in messy millennial shame. She now lives out of wedlock in London. She has zero children. Fern’s caustic wit, exceptional writing and electric stage craft has made her one of the UK’s hottest comedy stars.

As seen on Live from the BBC, Live from the Comedy Store, The Russell Howard Hour, and Live at the Apollo. She’s had viral success with her BBC Life Lessons and supported Frankie Boyle and Katherine Ryan on tour. She can currently be seen on Taskmaster on Channel 4.

My thoughts: I like Fern Brady, she’s a very funny, intelligent comic and her book, while often quite dark, is also funny and intelligent.

Fern was only diagnosed as autistic as an adult, but to her, it explained a lot about her childhood, her difficult teenage years and her twenties – where she struggled at uni and dealing with people.

She spent much of her teens dealing with CAMHS and some staff that maybe shouldn’t have been responsible for vulnerable young people. It’s only as she gets diagnosed and researches autism that her time in mental health units makes sense – she was only ill because no one took her autism seriously. Some of the doctors and psychiatrists she encounters are incredibly ignorant about the condition and keep telling her, a young woman having violent meltdowns, that she’s not autistic and that she just needs more medication.

It’s honestly quite shocking and really sad. It shouldn’t be that hard to get the right support and be taken seriously. Most autism research has historically been done with young boys, however, and well, women are better at masking the condition.

This is an incredibly brave and bold book, talking frankly about her experiences, life, and autism. I highly recommend it, and Fern’s comedy too.

*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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#TeamScilly Blog Tour: Hangman Island – Kate Rhodes

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ON A REMOTE ISLAND

When Jez Cardew’s boat is found drifting empty on the Atlantic Ocean, DI Ben Kitto and his fellow lifeboat crew members immediately fear the worst. After an extensive search yields no results, the team are forced to retreat to dry land as darkness sets in.

THE OCEAN IS MERCILESS

But Kitto can’t let it go. Why would Jez – an experienced sailor – get into difficulty when the sea has been calm for weeks? Unless his disappearance was no accident.

BUT SO ARE THE PEOPLE . . .

The gruesome discovery of a hand washed ashore on the beach confirms his hunch. Because a medal is attached to the index finger, and it can only have been placed there by the killer.

This strange clue is the only lead to an agenda as cold as the ocean itself. Kitto must work fast, before the small, isolated community closes ranks. And it’s only a matter of time before the murderer among them strikes again . . .

Perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths, this gripping new locked-island mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat until the bitter end.

My thoughts: a lot of the places in the Scillies have dark names and dark pasts, as in the titles of this series, and indeed this book. As Ben Kitto prepares for his wedding to Nina, the lifeboat crew is under threat.

The RNLI volunteers do an incredible job, and are true heroes, living on the edge of the Atlantic, the Scillies need them a lot, the main mode of travel is by boat after all. But someone has a problem with heroes, Jez, is found with a lifesaving medal attached by wire to his hand, drowned; possibly keel hauled, a truly terrible way to die. Can Kitto and his team find the killer before anyone else is killed?

The tension is this series in great, small isolated community, everyone knows everyone (or so it seems), there’s suspicion and whispers in the air. Kitto has to figure it out fast, he’s on a deadline after all. Can’t get married with a murderer on the loose.

My beloved Shadow, Kitto’s right hand hound is back to full health and finding clues again, because he’s the best detective around. There’s a personal angle as Eddie, Kitto’s DS is related to the first victim and taking it hard.

I don’t know how many more stories of murder and tragedy Kate Rhodes can find in the small collection of islands that make up the Scillies, but I hope there are more to come.

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Blog Tour: The Girl in Seat 2A – Diana Wilkinson

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Funny how one lie can spiral…


One thing about me: I HATE flying. It’s my worst nightmare.
That’s why I book seat 2A every time I fly. Since my big win, I’ve been booking seats 2B and 2C as well. They’re my comfort seats, they cushion the claustrophobia, and at last I can afford them.
I am now determined to live the life of luxury. I deserve it, after all.
How to Live Like a Millionaire is the book I’m reading on this flight. When it lands on the floor, a handsome guy hands it back to me. I know he clocks the title, because he’s totally charming and talks to me as if I’m one of the Marbella Millionaire set.
When I land in sunny Spain, I’ll be acting like a millionairess, that’s for sure – even if it’s stretching the truth, just a bit. We all know that money talks, and I intend to talk my way into a better life.
Who knows… maybe this guy, the one who had the cheek to sit down in seat 2C, might be someone special. He has an air of danger, but who cares?

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Diana Wilkinson writes bestselling psychological thrillers, including her debut novel 4 Riverside Close published by Bloodhound. Formerly an international professional tennis player, she hails from
Belfast, but now lives in Hertfordshire.

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My thoughts: Jade has had some good fortune, just not as much as she’s letting people think on her live like a millionaire holiday in Marbella. When she meets Isaac on the plane, she decides a holiday fling with a real millionaire could be fun. Only Isaac is more terrifying and dangerous then she could imagine.

She’s also scared of his sullen and moody housekeeper, but maybe she shouldn’t be. She’s not sure who to trust, far from home, among strangers. But as things get worse, you start to wonder who is playing who.

Told from several perspectives and moving back and forth on the timeline, the truth about casa de Astrid is revealed and all becomes clear. A clever and gripping thriller set in the Spanish sunshine. Holidays have never been so dangerous.

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

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Blog Tour: Who To Believe – Edwin Hill

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WhoToBelieve copy

Welcome to the ARC tour for Edwin Hill’s upcoming thriller Who to Believe. Read on for more details!

Who To Believe - Hill - FINAL

Who to Believe: A Twisty Domestic Thriler

Expected Publication Date: January 23, 2024

Genre: Thriller/ Domestic Thriller/ Serial Killers

In a twisty, claustrophobic suburban suspense novel for fans of Ruth Ware and Liane Moriarty, the aftermath of a murder in a quiet coastal New England town reveals a web of dark secrets among friends . . .

Monreith, Massachusetts, was once a small community of whalers and farmers. These days it’s a well-to-do town filled with commuters drawn to its rugged coastline and country roads. A peaceful, predictable place—until popular restaurateur Laurel Thibodeau is found brutally murdered in her own home. Suspicion naturally falls on Laurel’s husband, Simon, who had gambling debts that only her life insurance policy could fix. But there are other rumors too . . .

Among the group of six friends gathered for Alice Stone’s fortieth birthday, theories abound concerning Laurel’s death. Max Barbosa, police chief, has heard plenty of them, as has his longtime friend, Unitarian minister Georgia Fitzhugh. Local psychiatrist Farley Drake is privy to even more, gleaning snippets of gossip and information from his patients while closely guarding his own past.

But maybe everyone in Monreith has something to hide. Because before this late-summer evening has come to a close, one of these six will be dead. And as jealousy, revenge, adultery, and greed converge, the question becomes not who among these friends might be capable of such a thing, but—who isn’t?

This is an adult suspense thriller by Edwin Hill, very LGBTQ+ inclusive. Publisher is Kensington. Coming out January 2024.

“Confounding twists and seismic reveals stud Edgar nominee Hill’s meticulously crafted, diabolically plotted mystery. Structured to maximize suspense, the tale unfolds in seven parts, each with its own nuanced first-person-present narrator and unique voice. Every new section delivers a kaleidoscopic turn, reframing all that came before and keeping readers perennially off-kilter. A devilishly clever delight.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

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About the Author

Edwin Hill is a suspense writer and author of the critically acclaimed domestic suspense novels including Who to Believe, The Secrets We Share, and the Hester Thursby Mysteries. A two-time Agatha Award finalist and a Sue Grafton Memorial Award finalist, his novels have received starred reviews from Library Journal, Booklist, and Publishers Weekly, and been selections of the Mysterious Press First Mystery Club, Publishers Marketplace Buzz Books selection. Formerly the vice president and editorial director for Bedford/St. Martin’s (Macmillan), he now teaches at Emerson College and has written for the LA Review of Books, The Life Sentence, Publishers Weekly, and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. He lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts with his partner Michael and their Labrador, Edith Ann. Visit Edwin Hill online at http://www.Edwin-Hill.com.

My thoughts: this was a clever and entertaining thriller, you get several different versions of the same events, and each person might be a murderer. The small town setting gives it that claustrophobic edge, everyone knows each other, their lives are intertwined, maybe a little too much.

When a local woman is killed, suspicion naturally falls on the husband, but there’s a few other people with reasons to kill her. Is it one of the guests at Alice’s birthday? Their stories show them to be not a particularly pleasant group. All bitterness, jealousy and resentment.

Then one of them is killed after the party, who did it? The sheriff has to recuse himself, he was there. But if everyone has a motive, will finding the killer be possible?

The final section (narrated by a dog!) ties everything up, and reminds us that your pets see everything you do, even if they don’t really understand.

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

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Blog Tour: The Trauma Effect – Zetta Thomelin

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The Trauma Effect reveals a family secret, a trauma, a tragedy that felled a family, the book exposes uncomfortable truths and follows the journey of recovery.

Families have secrets, hidden traumas, the skeleton in the closet. We can inherit the effects of these events without even realising it, absorbing it unconsciously, like a sponge absorbs water.

My family has such a secret. I tell you my story in this book, my story as I thought it, and then the truth of my story to help you to heal yours.

I explore how such events can affect us, both psychologically and physically and take you on the journey of recovery, how to bring a full stop to that inheritance of shame, blame and guilt, so the next generation does not have to carry the burden of it too.

We need to do something about it, shine a light on it, take the skeleton out of the closet, dust it down and bury it once and for all.

Zetta Thomelin is a therapist in private practice, involved in the governance of complementary medicine as Chair of BAThH, as Vice-Chair of UKCHO and as a Trustee of Research Council for Complementary Medicine

Prior to her career in therapy, she worked in the media at News International and Chronos Group Publishing and later in the Third Sector as CEO of Children with AIDS Charity and Vice Chair of Mama Biashara.

She is the author of two other books, The Healing Metaphor and Self-Help? Self-Hypnosis!

For further information go to http://www.zettathomelin.com email info@zettathomelin.com

My thoughts: this was a really interesting and informative read, using her own family as a case study, therapist Zetta explores how trauma can echo through the generations in a family and have an impact even if you don’t experience it firsthand.

Her grandparents and father were the ones directly affected by her aunt’s terrible death, but she was impacted by it too, through them. She looks at the different psychological theories and treatments that can be used to help someone experiencing generational trauma and what she has used in her own practice.

My own family has some experience of generational trauma and so I was interested to understand the effects of this and how it might manifest. A thoroughly intelligent and well written exploration of this condition and its impact.

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

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Blog Tour: A Scandalous Match – Jane Dunn

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‘Angelica had always known her lack of high birth, fortune or influence debarred her from being presented as an eligible young woman worthy of marriage. To cap it all, being an actress assured she
was utterly beyond the pale of respectability.’

Nightly at the Covent Garden Theatre in London, an enchanting actress is wowing the crowds with her affecting portrayal of Ophelia. Preyed on by rakes and opportunistic young bucks, feted by dukes
and earls, even the Prince Regent himself, Angelica Leigh is a sensation.
But in Regency England, beauty and talent are not enough to be considered marriage material, so when the eminently eligible Lord Charles Latimer sets his heart on Angelica, his uncle is sent to intervene.
As a highly respected, hard-working and wealthy lawmaker, The Honourable Ivor Asprey, is himself seen as desirable husband material, but widowed with an eleven-year-old daughter Elinor, he has
forsaken all thoughts of romance. Lord Latimer’s mother, the Duchess of Arlington, despairs of her son, despite being reassured by Ivor that his infatuation with the actress will pass. But there is something about Angelica Leigh that demands attention, and even the austere and upstanding Mr Asprey isn’t immune to her charms.

Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Dunn brings the Regency period irresistibly to life. Perfect for fans of Jane Austen. Janice Hadlow, Gill Hornby, and anyone with a Bridgerton-shaped hole in
their lives.

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Jane Dunn is an historian and biographer and the author of seven acclaimed biographies, including Daphne du Maurier and her Sisters and the Sunday Times and NYT bestseller, Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens. She comes to Boldwood with her first fiction outing – a trilogy of novels set in the Regency period, the first of which, The Marriage Season, was published in January 2023.
She lives in Berkshire with her husband, the linguist Nicholas Ostler.

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My thoughts: I really enjoyed this Regency romance with its spirited heroine and romantic storyline. Angelica is an actress, currently playing the doomed Ophelia on stage, and being wooed by a young lord. She’s fully aware that they can’t really have a future, being from such different classes and with her career. But when the lordling’s uncle warns her off, she finds herself furious.

However as the story progresses and she gets to know Ivor Asprey, she admires him and possibly more. He’s raising his daughter alone after the death of his wife, and as an MP is pushing some pretty important reforms through Parliament. Ones Angelica is supportive of, her own childhood having been one of poverty and hardship.

She becomes friends with a young heiress, finds herself in trouble and in need of Asprey’s aid more than once, and through their growing connection, and the machinations of his young daughter, a spark is ignited.

Angelica is a fantastic, charming protagonist, a modern woman living in an age of propriety where reputation is all, but she’s surrounded and supported by loving friends and family, and knows she can handle almost anything with their help.

Perfect for anyone who enjoys historical romance with a woman who knows her own mind and a man who believes in what’s right at the heart of it. Delightful.

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

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Blog Tour: Rise of the Immortals – Anna Allen

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In a world of rising magic, an unseen battle commences. The Gods of Gritheim release their instruments – for good and evil.

While many scoff at witchcraft and sorcery, Josse and Leonné have witnessed it firsthand. Thrown together by prophesy they must learn to wield their secret magic, to defend not only themselves but the kingdom of mortals. Wraiths, known as Drackarts, do the bidding of Guiscard D’Abernon and his sorceress wife, Orella, but the masters behind these puppets are the ones set on its destruction.

The Immortals of Gritheim are on the rise, seeking ultimate power and control; they care not how many thousands will be slaughtered in their path. Only the Redeemers stand in their way.

Josse and Leonné must overcome their dislike of each other, for their world is at stake.

For fans of thrilling epic fantasy that will keep you turning pages!

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Dawn Bolton writes romances and crime/romantic suspense under the name of Toni Bolton, fantasy novels under the name of Anna Allen and historical romance/ suspense novels under the name of Alexie Bolton.

Fascinated by history and law she studied both and taught law in higher education. These subjects inspire many of her books.

She lived in a boat while she studied at unviersity and now lives in a pub, she and her husband renovated near the Grand Union Canal with two fluffy Birman vandals. She loves aqua, yoga and Zumba and draws and paints in her spare time.

Her family are psychic and some of their experiences inspired some of her fantasy and paranormal novels. She’s fascinated by the occult and herbal medicine and brings these into her latest dark fantasy novels.

She loves hearing from her readers and getting feedback.

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My thoughts: two young people battle the forces of evil and learn that they have magical gifts that can aid them.

Leonnè helps a young boy escape his bullying stepfather and years later, the now knight Fitzsimmons comes to her aid as her uncle tries to take her captive and bend her to his will.

As they get to know each other, Leonnè and Fitz can’t fight the growing attraction, but they must stop her uncle and his demon servants first. They hope the king can help them, especially after Leonnè is kidnapped and forced into marriage to her cousin.

Packed with adventure and magical animals (always good), this is a fun read and would be great for fans of sword and sorcery fantasy.

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