Category: reviews

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Awoke – K.T. Conte

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We’re celebrating the release of Awoke this week with a book tour! Read on for more details!

Awoke (The Unseen War Book 1)

Publication Date: February 1, 2024

Genre: NA Paranormal Fantasy

Grim Reaper Forbidden Romance
Black Bad-A%$ FMC
Black, Scottish MMC
Dystopian World Building
Malcontent Spirits
Anime Vibes

When the Veil between the Living and the Dead Shifts…

Turning eighteen is more than just a rite of passage for Katya Stevens; it’s a chilling awakening. Suddenly thrust into a world she’d believed was a mere figment of childhood nightmares, she finds herself where the dead refuse to rest, and the balance of life teeters perilously.

Her once-hidden ability to see the departed reveals not only the world’s deadly mysteries but also the depths of her soul. Gregor, an enigmatic Grim Reaper, isn’t just a harbinger of death but a symbol of the battling forces at play—especially The Want, spirits distorted by their defiance against the natural transition to the beyond.

But Katya’s destiny is larger than she ever imagined. A beacon in legends, she stands between hope and havoc. As she delves deeper into the ethereal realm of Ager, she confronts not just the malevolent Wanters but the shadows of her own heart and the complexities of early adulthood.

If the spiritual battles of ‘Bleach’ and the transformative journeys of ‘Sailor Moon’ captivated you, and if you’ve been enthralled by novels like ‘City of Bones’, ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’, and the dark supernatural realms of ‘Angelfall’, then ‘Awoke’ is your next adventure. Explore a universe where Grim Reapers serve as the staunch defenders against malevolent spirits, and where a profound forbidden romance unfolds between a mortal with unparalleled power and a Reaper. ‘Awoke’ weaves a tale inspired by the depth and drama of beloved fantasy tales and the intricate story lines of notable anime series, promising a world where every decision echoes with universe-altering consequences.

Get it on Amazon!

About the Author

K.T. Conte, a devotee of the written word and all things wild and fascinating, first discovered her passion for books at the tender age of two. Even then, as an avid reader, her journey to becoming an author was already on the horizon. An African-American author with a flair for breathing life into stories, K.T. holds a B.A. in English from Boston College and a law degree from Suffolk University Law School.

While she is a licensed and practicing attorney, K.T.’s first love has always remained books. The enchanting dance of words across a page and the powerful narratives they weave continues to captivate and inspire her every day. Over the years, she has shared her Massachusetts home with a delightful blend of characters – the enchanting specters in the closet, her loving husband Everett, a couple of mischievous building fairies, and her beloved daughter, Ella.

K.T. Conte

 My thoughts: even before her powers kick in and the world goes a bit weird, Katya is a pretty kickass person, she stands up for her friends and tries to be on the side of right.

Once she starts seeing the recently departed, yes it all gets a bit strange, but she’s still herself and discovers she can use those new powers to change things. She must wrestle not only with good and evil but also with her own life and the tumult of being a young person today.

Really interesting, fun, anime inspired fantasy that makes you think but also keeps you entertained.

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Book Tour Organized By: @rrbooktours

 

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Blog Tour: Last Seen in Havana – Teresa Dovalpace

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A Cuban American woman searches for her long-lost mother and fights to restore a beautiful but crumbling Art Deco home in the heart of Havana in this moving, immersive new mystery, perfect for fans of Of Women and Salt.

In 2019, newly widowed baker Mercedes Spivey flies from Miami to her native Cuba to care for her ailing paternal grandmother. Mercedes’s life has been shaped by loss, beginning with the mysterious unsolved disappearance of her mother when Mercedes was a little girl. Returning to Cuba revives Mercedes’s hopes of finding her mother as she attempts to piece together the few scraps of information she has. Could her mother still be alive?

33 years earlier, an American college student with endless political optimism falls deliriously in love with a handsome Cuban soldier while on a spontaneous visit to the island. She decides to stay permanently but soon discovers that nothing is as it seems in Havana.
The two women’s stories proceed in parallel as Mercedes gets closer to discovering the truth about her mother, uncovering shocking family secrets in the process . . .

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Writer, translator and college professor, Teresa Dovalpage is a Cuban transplant firmly rooted in New Mexico. She is the author of twelve novels, among them the Havana Mystery series, three short story
collections and four theater plays. She lives with her husband, one dog and too many barn cats.

Blog in English Blog in Spanish

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My thoughts: This was a really interesting and moving story about family secrets and finding the truth of who you are and where you come from.

Mercedes travels back to Cuba, where she grew up, to see her grandmother, who raised her after her mother disappeared and her father died. There has always been questions about what happened to her parents but her grandmother never answered them before.

This time she is determined to get her answers, the family home is falling apart and her grandmother isn’t doing well. She’s invited her friend along for the trip and she’s going to track down her extended family to see what they know too.

As the story unravels, we learn not only what Mercedes finds, but also the story of American Sarah Lee, who falls in love with Cuba and Joaquin, but starts to see through the socialist paradise she’s supposedly living in. Mercedes learns some hard, sad truths, and struggles with them. Ultimately her quest for the answers she’s needed her whole life is redemptive and bittersweet. A moving, intelligently written story.

*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: Stranger in the Village – Kate Wells

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Where there’s a body in Malvern End, there are secrets to be uncovered…

Jude Gray has worked hard to bring a steady equilibrium to life on Malvern Farm and things are going well.The only fly in the ointment is the foul addition of a new face in the village: staunch townie and chauvinistic sleaze, Des Smith. Jude has nothing but sympathy for his caring, patient wife, Loretta, who has become a regular visitor to the farm for a cup of tea and a chat. But things take a turn for the worse when a hit and run outside The Lamb brings death once again to the village. Is it an accident or is something more sinister afoot?

Perhaps the answer lies in the stranger with red trainers who’s been seen wandering through the village and through Jude’s fields at night. Following the clues, Jude desperately hopes she will find the right answers because the murderer being someone she knows is unfathomable…

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Kate Wells is the author of a number of well-reviewed books for children and is now writing a new cosy crime series set in the Malvern hills, inspired by the farm where she grew up. Boldwood will publish the first title, Murder at Malvern Farm, in August 2023.

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My thoughts: This might only be book two, but I really like this series and the characters of Jude and her friends and family. Sebbie, her nephew, is delightful and very cheeky. Noah, the hunky shepherd continues to be a quiet, comfortable presence in the pink house. Even her sister, who I didn’t love so much before, is growing on me. And Jude’s detective friend Biddie is great, too. Plus, there are puppies and lambs, and if I wasn’t quite so allergic to the countryside, I’d want to move here. Minus the murders, obviously.

This time it all ends very close to home as first new friend Loretta’s rather horrible husband is killed and as the police investigate, Lucy gets arrested as a suspect. But why would she kill Des? There are plenty of other people who didn’t like him.

As Jude tries to connect the dots and save her sister from being charged for a crime she can’t have committed, things take some twists and turns, but Jude’s family is always her priority.

*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: Moscow X – David McCloskey

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A daring CIA operation threatens chaos in the Kremlin.

But can Langley trust the Russian at its centre?

CIA operatives Sia and Max enter Russia to recruit Vladimir Putin’s moneyman. Sia works for a London firm that conceals the wealth of the super-rich. Max’s family business in Mexico – a CIA front since the 1960s – is a farm that breeds high-end racehorses. They pose as a couple, and their targets are Vadim, Putin’s private banker, and his wife Anna, who is both a banker and an intelligence officer herself…

My thoughts: I’ve been getting into spy novels recently (Mick Herron’s books started it) and I have been fascinated by Russia since I studied it and went there (almost twenty years ago, I can’t imagine what it’s like now) during my A Levels, so this was perfect.

Written by a former CIA operative, so I imagine he knows his stuff, this is a clever, twisting plot, full of unreliable figures, dodgy dealings and double agents.

Lawyer Sia works for a somewhat suspect firm in London, laundering suspect money into off shore accounts and shell corporations for wealthy clients – including Russia. She’s also a CIA operative, keeping them informed of her firm’s clients. Now she’s being asked to go into the field to bring a potentially useful Russian woman over to the CIA.

She’s partnered up with Mexican horse breeder, and legacy CIA asset, Max, as the target’s obnoxious banker husband is apparently into horses. Anna, who is working for the Russian intelligence agency, but comes from a formerly influential family, and has married into another. She’s deeply unhappy, and Sia sees an opening.

Sia and Max’s boss, Artemis, is pretty unscrupulous and determined to get an asset, like Anna, close to the heart of things, even if her father’s influence has waned. She tells them to do whatever they need to, she has in the past.

I was utterly hooked from the off, when Artemis wakes up naked and without much memory of the night before and then beats up the man who tries to blackmail her. Who is this woman? Then she puts this risky op together with two people who aren’t exactly trained for it, madness. And so, so good.

*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: The Philosophy of Love – Rebecca Ryan

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What is love? Is it something spiritual or wholly physical? Can our feelings be explained and quantified? Or are we all actually two halves of a whole?

Ask Alice and Luke and you’d receive vastly different answers.

Despite her world having been recently dismantled by a messy break-up, Alice would tell you that love is the most important – albeit ineffable – human experiences. But when she once again crosses paths with her old school nemesis, Luke, he challenges this. Luke is a scientist and he’s certain love can be measured and explained – just like everything else.

So the two decide to make a bet: they’ll each venture back into dating and if one of them falls in love, Alice wins, if not, then Luke does.

But can anyone win when you’re playing with emotions?

My thoughts: Like Alice, I studied philosophy at A Level, but unlike her, I abandoned it for my love of books. Now she’s putting her belief in love to the test, having made a bet with old friend Luke, a biologist who believes love is merely biology.

As the two get closer and attempt to win their bet, Alice rebuilds her life after a disastrous break up that’s sent her home to the northeast, working in a Chinese restaurant and making new friends. She’s also hoping to go back to uni and finish her philosophy degree.

As Alice’s life starts to get better, and she reconnects with her home town and community, she starts to find purpose and happiness in the little things (bingo, coffee at soft play with her friend) and the big ones (arguing with Luke, saving the community centre) and slowly falling in love.

A bittersweet rom com about going home, finding yourself and realising that love shouldn’t hurt (literally and metaphorically).

*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 Bookshop by the Loch – Julie Shackman

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Lexie Dunbar is a book lover. And her favourite place in the world is her local bookstore, Book Ends. So when she hears that it’s going to be sold, Lexie decides she needs to do something to help.Lexie’s plan to save th eailing shop is fully underway until gorgeous-but-grouchy artist Tobias Blackarrives on the scene determined to turn the bookstore into an art gallery. Lexie is horrified; the last thing the quaint town of Bracken Way needs is a pretentious artist, even if he does seem to charm everyone but her.Tensions continue to rise until Tobias discovers a shocking secret that shows they might have more incommon than they realise. As sparks fly, can Lexie and Tobias work together, or will opposing ideas get in the way of them finding their very own happy ever after…

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Julie Shackman is a former journalist from Scotland who has always wanted to writefeel-good romance. As well as being an author, Julie also writes verses and captions for greetings card companies. Julie admits to having an obsession with stationery and handbags.She is married, has two sons and a Romanian rescue pup, Cooper. The Bookshop by the Loch is Julie’s tenth novel.

Julie Shackman Author

Julie Shackman (@G13Julie) / Twitter

Julie Georgina Shackman (@juliegeorginashackman)•Instagram photos and videos(2)

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My thoughts: running a bookshop, like Lexie does, is a bit of a dream of mine, although I don’t think it’ll ever happen. Lexie is back in her home town, after her career goes sideways, and saving Book Ends becomes her aim, giving it a face lift, getting online and bringing in new customers.

Unfortunately the owner’s grumpy artist nephew has other ideas, he wants the shop to turn it into an art gallery. Somehow they reach a consensus and do both, and as they work alongside one another, they bond, over family dramas and their work.

When Lexie’s absentee father returns after twenty-three years, wanting to make amends, and Tobias learns his own family secret, they support each other.

By helping a dying woman fulfil her bucket list, they find themselves getting closer and closer. Unravelling her past helps them both deal with their present, while also setting then up for the future. A charming, sweet story about love and what can happen if you don’t stick to your life plan.

*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: In Our Hands – Larissa C. Moyer

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inourhands copy

Welcome to the tour for In Our Hands by Larissa C. Moyer! Read on for more details!

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In Our Hands

Publication Date: April 2023

Genre: New Adult Romance

🖤Friends-to-Lovers

🖤Brother’s Ex

🖤ASL/ Deaf Rep

🖤Emotional Read

“E-V-E-L-Y-N.” She spelled her name with her hand.

Otis was immediately intrigued by the beautiful girl who seemed to know at least enough sign language to introduce herself to him. Little did he know, shortly after that night, that the beautiful girl would end up in a relationship with his brother, Dean.

Until Dean left.

Left Chicago, left Evelyn and left Otis to clean up the mess.

Seven years later, Evelyn owns a coffee shop where Otis, a writer, spends his days writing fluff articles for a local paper. They have a steady, dependable friendship and they’ve come to rely on each other like family.

But after one harrowing night, their comfortable, easy relationship is catapulted into new territory. And for as close as they’ve always been, they’ve also shielded each other from the heaviest pieces of their pasts.

This is a story about two people finding a way to let go and believe that even when we feel like the things we want are beyond our reach—the power to change our path is always in our hands.

Get it on Amazon!

About the Author

Larissa C. Moyer spent her early adult life bouncing around different cities as a musical theater actor and making lattes behind too many espresso bars to count. When she isn’t snuggling with her dog or driving her sweet husband completely bananas, she can usually be found reading a romance novel with some sort of beverage or snack close by. Amazingly, though, sometimes she can do all of those things at the same time! Her plan is write epic love stories in each of the cities she lived and loved. You can find her on Instagram @sincerely_lovelarissa or on TikTok @larissacmoyerauthor

Larissa C. Moyer

My thoughts: this is a sweet, tender friends to lover romance, between coffee shop owner Evelyn and her best friend, journalist Otis. Otis is the younger brother of Evelyn’s college ex-boyfriend, Dean, and is also deaf. Evelyn knows a little ASL, but learns more so she can talk to Otis.

Even after his brother brutally breaks up with her and abruptly leaves town, Evelyn and Otis stay friends, if anything, their bond strengthens. But it isn’t until they’re the victims of a horrible assault that things begin to shift between them.

Both Evelyn and Otis are people who deserve happiness, they’re kind and sweet, and their friendship is very wholesome, complete with in jokes and their own language.

It’s heartwarming and I really liked how the sign language is integrated into the text, like speech, because for Otis, it is. ASL is the language he communicates in, and his friends, not just Evelyn, do at least try to use it, not expecting him to always lip read or use written communication. It gives it a different perspective and as someone with partial hearing loss, it’s quite refreshing to see.

Book Tour Schedule

January 29th

http://rrbooktours.com Landing Page

https://www.instagram.com/bookish_lady_night/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D – Review

https://lillysbookworld.com – Review

https://www.instagram.com/bookloversamantha?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng%3D%3D – Review

https://www.instagram.com/jgonyer09/?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw%3D%3D – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/smut_hussie/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/heathersbookreviews/?utm_source=qr&igshid=NGExMmI2YTkyZg – Review

January 30th

https://www.instagram.com/mommyandherbooks/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/nelli_lakatos/ – Review

http://ramblingmads.com – Review

https://www.instagram.com/crooks_book_nook/ – Feature

January 31st

https://www.instagram.com/betterthantherapy? – Review

https://www.instagram.com/littleredpandareader/ – Review

https://instagram.com/bookishbaddie?igshid=MDM4ZDc5MmU= – Review

https://www.instagram.com/darkfantasyreviews/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/ilovebooksandstuffblog/ – Feature

February 1st

https://instagram.com/aprilsbooknook_?igshid=NTA5ZTk1NTc= – Review

https://www.instagram.com/junebug_reads/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA – Review

https://www.instagram.com/juliejayreads?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D – Review

https://www.instagram.com/tkeyahreads?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D – Review

https://www.instagram.com/authorjanny_janmarie_c/ – Feature

https://freelancewriterjannyc.com/

February 2nd

https://www.instagram.com/_books.in.wonderland_/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/gothgirlonthetrain/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/hannah_oac/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/isbn_reading/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/bookgrlobsessed/ – Review

Book Tour Organized By:

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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: My Heart is in Venice – Helen Jensen

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Venice was where it all began…

Libby and Will spent a glorious honeymoon in this magical city. They didn’t have much money, butthey had a whole lot of love and a bright future ahead of them. And Venice was where it all went wrong…

Two kids and twenty-five years later, they are struggling with money problems, but somehow, Will manages to fulfil his promise to Libby to take her back to Venice for their anniversary. This time, they are doing it in style, and a masked ball awaits. But among the beautiful buildings and romantic canals, Libby learns that her husband has a secret that breaks her heart.The trust is broken and the marriage is over. But there are decades of love and two grown sons between them. Can they ever find their way back to each other or have they missed their chance forever?

A funny and heartwarming second-chance romance, perfect for fans of Milly Johnson and Julie Caplin.

Purchase Link

Helga Jensen is an award-winning British/Danish best-selling author and journalist. Helga holds a BA Hons in English Literature and Creative Writing, along with a Creative Writing MA from Bath Spa University. She is currently working on a PhD.

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My thoughts: marriage can be difficult, and once trust is lost, it’s very hard to get back, as Libby and Will learn in this book. After their honeymoon in Venice, Will promises to bring his wife back to the city for their 25th anniversary.

Twenty-five years later things are very different, they have two children, and a struggling business inherited from Will’s dad. Venice might not be possible. But Will insists he can make it happen, and does something that will send shockwaves through his life.

As Libby struggles to come to terms with what he’s done, and tries to rebuild her life, she wonders if she might have lost everything. Another trip to Venice, this time alone, might yield some clarity.

A fascinating and charming look at marriage and its many ups and downs with a cast of characters that feel like you know them.

*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: Driven to Murder – Debbie Young

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A perfect cosy crime for fans of M C Beaton’s Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series.

Change is coming to Wendlebury Barrow–and not everyone is happy about it…

When the local bus company announces it will be stopping its route through their quaint Cotswold village,the people of Wendlebury Barrow are up in arms. Not least Sophie Sayers, whose driving lessons with her boyfriend Hector get off to a bumpy start. But the locals’ peaceful protests against the decision turn deadly when a body is discovered on the Number 27. No one can work out how Janice Boggins met her demise, let alone how the driver didn’t notice. While the police wait for the post mortem results, Sophie immediately suspects foul play and launches her own investigation. Can she solve the murder before another passenger is hurt?

Purchase Link

Debbie Young is the much-loved author of the Sophie Sayers and St Brides cosy crimemysteries. She lives in a Cotswold village where she runs the local literary festival and has worked at Westonbirt School, both of which provide inspiration for her writing. She is bringing both her series to Boldwood in a 13-book contract. They will be publishing several new titles in each series and republishing the backlist, starting in September 2022.

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My thoughts: I love Debbie Young’s books, they’re funny and clever and a little bit silly. In this case it’s all about buses – and murder.

After the local bus firm suggests it might have to suspend the route through Wendlebury Barrow, people are up in arms, until miserable village resident (and bus picnicker) Mrs Boggles dies on the bus. That cools a lot of the enthusiasm about saving the route.

Sophie Sayers, amateur detective and newly in possession of a driving licence, is determined to find out what happened and why. There’s something a bit off about all the recent sabotage of the buses be connected?

As Sophie investigates and she and Hector are planning on expanding the bookshop, it might also be time to make some changes to their relationship.

I really enjoyed this outing with Sophie and Co, the case is a bit more convoluted than it might sound and Sophie is a good protagonist and has a nose for the truth.

*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 Secrets of Crestwell Hall – Alexandra Walsh

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‘A king adorns the throne…He has no subtlety, no grace but he does not deserve to die in the waythat has been planned and this is why we shall stop them, our men, our kin and save us all.’

1605; Bess Throckmorton is well used to cunning plots and intrigues. With her husband Sir Walter Raleigh imprisoned in the Tower of London, and she and her family in a constant battle to outwit Robert Cecil, the most powerful man in the country who is determined to ruin her, Bess decides to retreat to her beloved home, Crestwell Hall. But there she is shocked to hear talk of a new plot to murder the king. So, unbeknownst to their menfolk, the wives of the plotters begin to work together to try to stop the impending disaster.

Present Day; Isabella Lacey and her daughter, Emily, are excited to be starting a new life at her aunt’s home,Crestwell Hall in Wiltshire. During renovations, Isabella discovers an ancient bible that once belonged to Bess Throckmorton, and to her astonishment finds that it doubled as a diary. As Isabella reads Bess’s story, a new version of the Gunpowder Plot begins to emerge-told by the women.When Emily’s life is suddenly in terrible danger, Isabella understands the relentless fear felt by Bess, hundreds of years ago. And as the fateful date of 5th November draws ever closer, Bess and the plotters’ wives beg their husbands to stop before a chain of events is set into action that can only end one way…

Purchase Link

Alexandra Walsh is the bestselling author of dual timeline historical mysteries, previously published by Sapere. Her books range from the fifteenth century to the Victorian era and are inspired by the hidden voices of women that have been lost over the centuries. Formerly a journalist, writing for national newspapers, magazines, and TV, her first book for Boldwood was published in Spring 2023.

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My thoughts: this was a really interesting time slip book blending the history of the Gunpowder Plot with the lives of Issy and Emily, who have moved into Crestwell Hall, the home of Issy’s Great-uncle Philip, who has recently died.

Bess Throckmorton was a real person, wife of Sir Walter Raleigh, lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I and linked by birth and marriage to many of the most important families of the day. Including all of the Gunpowder Plot schemers.

While Crestwell Hall isn’t real, the author drew inspiration from the belief of Robert Cecil, spy master, that the Raleighs had a secret home he couldn’t find.

I really liked how the story of the wives’ plan to save their husbands from execution for treason unfolded as Issy explored the house and unravelled its history. Bess is an impressive woman, even if this attempt to stop the plot isn’t true, and I loved her determination to guard her family from themselves. Issy was a great protagonist, too. She, her aunt, and daughter are part of a new generation of incredible women living in Crestwell Hall.

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