Category: reviews

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Door-to-Door Bookstore – Carsten Henn, translated by Melody Shaw

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There’s a book written for every one of us…
Carl may be 72 years old, but he’s young at heart. Every night he goes door-to-door delivering books by hand to his loyal customers. He knows their every desire and preference, carefully selecting the
perfect story for each person.
One evening as he makes his rounds, nine-year-old Schascha appears. Loud and precocious, she insists on accompanying him – and even tries to teach him a thing or two about books.
When Carl’s job at the bookstore is threatened, will the old man and the girl in the yellow raincoat be able to restore Carl’s way of life, and return the joy of reading to his little European town?

THE DOOR-TO-DOOR BOOKSTORE is a heart-warming tale of the value of friendship, the magic of reading, and the power of books to unite us all.

Translated by Melody Shaw


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Author Bio – Carsten Henn has worked as a radio presenter, wine and restaurant critic, and has published a number of successful novels. He lives in Germany.

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My thoughts: this was delightful and adorable and all about the magic of books!

I love the idea of Carl hand delivering the books every evening, and making up literary nicknames and back stories for each of his customers. I felt terrible for him when his friend, the bookshop’s owner, died and he lost his job. Thankfully his other friend, Schascha, has a plan to help him. And it involves books!

Sweet and charming, this is a wonderful story for book lovers everywhere.

*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: Blood on Shakespeare’s Typewriter  – Mark Eklid

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When Dan Khan buys a unique piece of cultural history for £50 from a man in the pub, he thinks all his troubles are over.

He is told it’s the actual typewriter William Shakespeare used when he wrote all his plays.

Dan and his girlfriend Shannon reckon it must be worth millions!

But they don’t realise the vintage machine was stolen from the city’s most notorious crime boss.

And he will stop at nothing to get back the sinister secret it contains…

My thoughts: I do worry about the state of the education system when someone genuinely believes Shakespeare used a typewriter. But that’s why Dan Khan bought one off a dodgy bloke in the pub for £50 and gets himself and girlfriend Shannon embroiled in utter chaos as a result.

There’s some wonderful black humour running through this book as two people with no idea what they’re doing go on the run with a furious criminal and his goons on their heels.

Thankfully they’re being followed by a police detective with a brain, and protected (sort of) by a computer genius who doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt. Between them everything might just get sorted out, although there’s a kidnapping and being held hostage to get through first!

Funny, clever and highly enjoyable. Wouldn’t mind seeing this become a series, with Em reluctantly helping the police with her hacker skills.

*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: After the Fall – D.M. Simmons

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AftertheFall copy

We’re going back to the beginning when the first angels fell…

This special omnibus includes both books in the After The Fall duet—the story of Dante and Diablo, fallen angels, bound since The Fall—as well as bonus content previously unreleased. A fresh, new taken on fallen angels unlike any out there, readers call it “super-hot with all the tingles,” a “fascinating enemies to lovers tale, “a story that is “as swoony as it is steamy,” and “a whirlwind, with twists that come at you!”

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After the Fall: The Duet of Dante & Diablo

Genre: Spicy Fantasy Romance

❤️‍🔥Spicy Fantasy Romance
❤️‍🔥Fallen Angels
❤️‍🔥Enemies to Lovers
❤️‍🔥Found Family
❤️‍🔥Soul Mates

Dante

What courses through me, if not the need for desire and corruption?
It is after all, what I am.
Daemon. The worst of The Fallen.
And my job is clear.
Secure fealty from the Undecided to whom we are bound.
Diablo has not wavered in five thousand years.
And I not only wanted her on our side. I will stop at nothing to make it happen.

Diablo

What will I become if I swear my fealty and surrender to the dark?
It is not who I once was.
I may no longer be an angel, but I will be Undecided until the end of time.
Dante doesn’t intimidate me. Not anymore.
The fire that drives him, is now alive in me.
I’ve been paying since The Fall. And I’m done paying in blood and tears.
I will break myself from our bond. And will stop at nothing to make it happen.

Get it on Amazon or Order the Special Gift After the Fall Gift Box

About the Author

D.M. Simmons is an award-winning author of adult and new adult fiction. She is passionate about creating atmospheric worlds and telling captivating stories that take readers on an adventure. Fascinated by the indelible power of love, romance is usually at the heart of her stories, along with the narrator’s journey. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, sons and crazy cats.

D.M. Simmons

My thoughts: this was an interesting (and spicy) take on the story of angels turned demons after the Fall from Heaven. Dante and Diablo are in a way two sides of the same coin, both somewhat tormented and trapped together, unable to break free and be themselves. Dante is essentially meant to get Diablo to swear allegiance to the dark side, their fight is centuries old and both are driven to a sort of despair by it but at the same time drawn towards one another.

This special edition brings both books together with additional materials and it is rather beautiful (I was only sent an ebook but I went and had a look at the gift set – see link above) and if you enjoy reading this and want something to treasure, then I say go for it!

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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.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Boatmore Butcher – L. Stephenson

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Three paramedics are drawn into the mystery of a bizarre spree unfolding on a quiet island town. 

Devastated by the loss of his son, Liam Price, must hold it together whilst leading his team against a killer who finds new and twisted ways to prevent them from saving the lives of their victims. 

But one serious mistake puts them and everyone they love in grave danger.

As the island starts to slip into hysteria, our villain goes to gruesome lengths to keep their identity a secret. 

Able to hide in plain sight, the killer is out for revenge as they close in on their prey. 

Can they escape the wrath of the Boatmore Butcher? 

Goodreads – Buy Links

L. Stephenson has been telling stories of killers and boogeymen to his friends and writing them on his computer since the summer before he began high school. A university degree in Film & TV Screenwriting, a handful of anthologies and a novella later, and not much has changed, it seems! 

Stephenson’s first short story was published as part of a Halloween-themed collection by Dark Ink back in 2018. Nearly five years later, terror just came full circle as the author has returned home to Dark Ink to release his debut slasher novel, The Boatmore Butcher.

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My thoughts: if I lived on this island, where people keep getting brutally murdered, I’d leave. The body count is very high and since the killer is very good at framing others for his crimes, moving far away is the best plan.

Brutal, bloody, but very creative, this butcher knows what he’s doing. Terrorising the community for his own ends and hiding in plain sight. If you love slasher films and jump scares, this is the book for you, packed with shocking twists and turns, it’ll make your hair stand on end.

*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: Private Inquiries – Caitlin Davies

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The female private detective has been a staple of popular culture for over 150 years, from Victorian lady sleuths to ‘busy-body spinsters’ and gun­toting modern PIs. But what about the real-life women behind these fictional tales – what crimes did they solve, and where are their stories?

In Private Inquiries, Caitlin Davies traces the history of the UK’s female investigators, uncovering the truth about their lives and careers from the 1850s to the present day. Women such as

  • • Victorian private inquiry agent Antonia Moser – the first woman to open her own agency
  • • Annette Kerner, who ran the Mayfair Detective Agency on Baker Street in the 1940s
  • • Liverpool sleuth Zena Scott-Archer, who became the first woman president of the World Association of Detectives

Caitlin also follows in the footsteps of her subjects, undertaking a professional qualification to become a Private Investigator, and meeting modern PIs to disentangle fact from fiction.

Female investigators are on the rise in the UK – and despite the industry’s sleazy reputation, nearly a third of new trainees are women. After a century of undercover work, it’s time to reveal the secrets of their trailblazing forebears.

CAITLIN DAVIES is a novelist, non-fiction writer, award-winning journalist and teacher. She is the author of six novels and seven non-fiction books, including Bad Girls: The Rebels and Renegades of Holloway Prison, nominated for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing (2019), and Queens of the Underworld, a history of professional female crooks. She lives in Kent and is a trained PI.

My thoughts: I’d heard of a couple of the earliest female detectives before – Maud West and Kate Easton, but there were ones in this book I’d not come across before, and Caitlin Davies brings it into the 21st Century as well as training to become a PI herself, which was super interesting.

I really enjoy this sort of history, women who have somehow faded into the background, ordinary women, but once revealed are often so much more interesting than the men around them. It was such a fascinating and enjoyable read. Puts all those crime novels into context too – women really are out there digging into things and doing a better job at going unnoticed than the men in many cases. If you’re interested in women’s history, social history, crime and that sort of thing, this will be right up your street and written in an engaging and enjoyable way too, with a full list of resources if you want more.

*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: Death at Paradise Park – Ross Greenwood

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Death at Paradise Park (DS Knight Book 2)

When Alfie Hook settles down to eat his fish and chips by the Hunstanton seaside he hasn’t anticipated it is going to be his last meal. DS Ashley Knight and her Major Investigation Team are called to investigate and when they discover who Alfie is married to, they realise this case is not going to be straightforward.
A second body is found in gruesome circumstances at the nearby Paradise Caravan Park, but the team struggle to connect the two victims. Even after hours of interviews with the residents, and
many questionable stories, to the police’s frustration, all their alibis check out. What are they concealing?
As the bodies mount up and the leads get ever more complicated, Ashley and her rookie partner Hector Fade finally join the dots. But then it’s a race against time to stop the killer striking again…
Bestselling Ross Greenwood is back with an unputdownable seaside thriller, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Ian Rankin and Peter James.
Purchase Link


Ross Greenwood is the author of crime thrillers. Before becoming a full-time writer he was most recently a prison officer and so worked everyday with murderers, rapists and thieves for four years.
He lives in Peterborough.

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My thoughts: this was another clever and enjoyable crime thriller from Ross Greenwood, set in Norfolk’s seaside towns. This time Hunstanton. When a local delivery driver is found murdered in his van mid way through his fish and chips, it sets off a chain of killings centred around the Paradise caravan park.

There are lots of red herrings and the police go down several cul de sacs looking for answers, following potential suspects, but the more bodies, the more complicated the case. As Ash and her team race to prevent more deaths and find the killer, could the answer have been staring them in the face all along?

*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: Disaster Dates & Lucky Escapes – Tess Smith-Roberts

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Meet Olive. She’s just a regular gal looking for love, but navigating the wild world of modern dating is getting her no closer to finding the one – why are there so many weirdos out there?! Follow serial dater Olive on her quest for companionship, as she navigates the terrible world of app-based dating and goes on dates that go from bad to worse to even more disastrous, including a man who disappears after going to the toilet in a restaurant and is later spotted on shift waiting tables; a woman who vomits all over her on the beach; and a professional triangle player who gets into a fist fight and jumps out of not one but two moving cabs.

Will Olive ever find the one? And will they be everything she’s looking for? Following up on the popularity of her dating comics series on Instagram, Disaster Dates and Lucky Escapes is crammed full of outrageous dates illustrated in artist Tess SmithRoberts’s colourful and fun signature style. The sometimes gross, often relatable but always laugh-out-loud hilarious stories are weaved into a narrative, all happening to one main character who’s just trying to find love in an online world, with some dates submitted by Tess’s followers, some inspired by previous submissions and, of course, some fan favourites from her viral dating comics.

Tess Smith-Roberts is a freelance illustrator based in Southeast London, originally from Norwich, who studied illustration at Kingston School of Art. She approaches her work with humour, bold shapes, and a playful use of colour. Her varied clients include Comic Relief, TK Maxx, Apple, Bon Appetit, New York Times, The New Yorker, Chilly’s, Vogue, Medium and Soho House to name but a few. She was inspired to create her popular series of dating comics after a string of bad dates, which by doing so and getting her followers to send in their own, provided a form of cathartic therapy. @tesssmithroberts | tesssmithroberts.co.uk

My thoughts: this was a fun and short graphic novel relating the dating misadventures of Olive, from swiping through the no hopers on the various apps, to the weird conversations and hobbies of the oddballs she dates (the orange juice guy!) It’s very funny, and a bit sad, as a lot of these stories feel familiar from conversations with friends. Dating in the 21st Century is very strange.

*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: The Christmas Appeal – Janice Hallett

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THE CAST OF SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING THE APPEAL RETURN FOR A FESTIVE MURDER MYSTERY *

One dead Santa. A town full of suspects. Will you discover the truth?

Christmas in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, to raise money for the church roof appeal. But despite the season, goodwill is distinctly lacking amongst the amateur dramatics enthusiasts.

Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the fibreglass beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and a someone is intent on ruining the panto even before the curtain goes up. Of course there’s also the matter of the dead body. Who could possibly have had the victim on their naughty list?

Join lawyers Femi and Charlotte as they read the round robins, examine the emails and pore over the police transcripts. Will the show go on?

Janice Hallett is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Appeal (a Waterstones Thriller of the Month, the Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year and winner of the CWA Debut Dagger award) and the Sunday Times bestsellers The Twyford Code and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. She lives in West London.

My thoughts: the Fairway Players are back, with all the bitchy backstabbing and murderous machinations as they put together their festive show – Jack and the Beanstalk, complete with rather elderly, done the rounds Beanstalk.

Emails, social media posts, texts and police transcripts build up the picture of what exactly happened and who the guilty party is.

Darkly humorous and with all the trademark red herrings and crazy goings on that made The Appeal such a hit read intact. A brilliant and entertaining festive crime read.

*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 is Anna Stenberg? – Tracey Norman

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Tracey has written fiction for as long as she can remember, covering a variety of genres and subjects. She is currently enjoying success with her first stage play WITCH, a historical drama based on original English witch trial transcripts, which premiered in 2016 and has been performed continuously ever since. It has been used as Theatre In Education for Years 8 and 9 and for Exeter University undergrads and has been included as a formal seminar in two Bristol University undergrad degree courses – ‘Witchcraft’ and ‘History Outside the Box’. Its 75th performance was also its London premiere.

Tracey’s most recent publication was ‘Dark Folklore’ (2021), co-written with her husband Mark, and she has several other titles currently in progress, one of which is a non-fiction expanding on the research she undertook to write WITCH. She has written regular folklore columns for the Dartmoor newspaper The Moorlander, and is an active member of the Exeter Authors Association, a network providing support to writers and promoting a love of books and reading.

When she is not writing, Tracey can be found behind a microphone, as one of the voices behind Devon-based indie audio production house and theatre company Circle of Spears Productions. She is a freelance narrator on Audible and has a sizeable list of stage, TV and film credits. She gives talks to a variety of groups on historical subjects such as witchcraft and early modern medicine. She doesn’t relax often, but when she does, it generally involves reading, coffee and her slightly unhealthy obsession with sock yarn. She, Mark and their daughter live near the edge of a forest in mid Devon with a feline trip hazard.

My thoughts: our unnamed narrator – who later adopts the name Viktor, is running away from her dangerous father, escaped from an asylum. She runs into the mysterious Anna Stenberg while disguised as a boy. The pair head to France, where Anna has an assignment in Amiens.

For Anna is a member of the order of Guardians, dedicated to fighting the forces of darkness and protecting the peace between humans and the other creatures that live among them. Amiens has a vampire, apparently, and it is causing uproar in the town.

She sees something in Viktor, an ability she has herself. As the pair deal with the problems, which are more human in nature than supernatural, they grow into close friends, and head to Paris to the headquarters of the organisation Anna works for.

Their relationship is the centre of this book, despite Anna having many secrets and not sharing too much, she and Viktor develop a bond. There are some twists at the end that you just won’t expect, and it suggests that there is a sequel in the works. An unusual historical fantasy thriller and one that gets better as the book continues, which augers well if there is more to come.

*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: New York Miracle – Margo Laurie

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A sweet, Christmas ghost story with a dash of romance.
Ellie Peach travels to Manhattan for a fan-making apprenticeship. While staying at a historic boarding house, she meets the charming James Denny. He claims to be a Broadway actor waiting for his lost love. When Ellie offers to help search for her, it leads to old secrets and adventure…

“This was such a fun, light-hearted Christmas read. Loveable characters with a fun storyline.” – Books
With Sally
“New York Miracle is a beautifully written and engaging novella that will leave readers feeling warm
and uplifted. Margo Laurie’s storytelling expertise shines through in this heartwarming tale, reminding us that Christmas miracles can happen, especially when love and hope are involved.” –
NetGalley reviewer
“New York Miracle is a surprising story; the mystery of James and his lost love took me on a great adventure… James is the main driving force of the story. He kept saying the craziest things that had
me glued to the book.” – Readers’ Favorite

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Author Bio – Margo Laurie studied history at university and is a member of the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme. She is the author of the Christmas ghost story New York Miracle and the 1920s historical fiction novella The Anarchist’s Wife. She lives in the North West.

Twitter @margo_writing Margo Laurie (@margo_writing) / Twitter
Instagram @margo_writing Margo Laurie (@margo_writing) • Instagram photos and videos
Bookbub Margo Laurie Books – BookBub
Goodreads Margo Laurie (Author of The Anarchist’s Wife) | Goodreads

My thoughts: this short and sweet novella about love overcoming everything, even death is delightful and charming. When Ellie travels to New York to work for her great-aunt, she hardly expects to find the ghost of a long dead stage star watching TV. But James Denny is still waiting for his long lost love – a former resident who was also a Ziegfeld Follies dancer, and Ellie’s great-grandmother used to be one of those. Maybe she can help Ellie reunite James and his missing Libby?

Set during the festive season and the snow, Ellie and James make a great team as they investigate the archives at the New York Public Library and ice skate in Central Park. A delightful slice of Christmas romance and magic.

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