Category: reviews

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Blog Tour: Umbrate – A.D. Jones

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Welcome to Dalton

Home to Humans, Dwarves, Elves and the shadowy Umbral Populace.

Detective Vanic Bradley works hard to keep the peace, coming down hard on the criminal underbelly of the city.

After putting his life on the line multiple times in recent weeks, all he wanted was a day off work to spend time with his son, and re-evaluate his place in the world – but forces beyond his control have other ideas.

For reasons unknown, he will find himself in a race against time as two hundred innocent citizens become collateral damage in a murderous plot centred around him.

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A.D Jones lives in the North of England; where he spends his time favouring books over people and can be found writing or devouring said books to review online. He loves Cola, Twin Peaks, cult movies and all things horror. He dislikes the movie ‘The Karate Kid’ with a passion that burns brighter than the sun.

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My thoughts: this was an interesting take on an alternate version of our world, where humans live alongside elves, dwarves and a race of people known as umbrals. The umbrals are black, with razor sharp claws and a sensitivity that means they turn invisible in sunlight. For the most part the different species rub along, but there are always tensions.

When detective Vanic Bradley gets involved in a hostage situation with his young son, it seems to be aimed at him. Could the killer be related to his latest case, or is it more personal?

Exploring prejudice and unconscious bias, this is an intelligent and intriguing fantasy thriller.

I also really want to know why the author hates the Karate Kid so much!

*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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Book Review: The French Affair – Theresa Howes

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A country at war. A dangerous secret.

After a failed honey-trap mission for British Intelligence leads to the breakdown of her marriage, French journalist Iris escapes to Dijon, seeking refuge in the cottage of her beloved aunt, Eva. But Eva is gone, the streets are full of distrust, and Iris is soon followed by the very last man she wants to see – the British civil servant and traitor she was tasked with catching, now keen to rekindle their affair.

Eva’s home used to be a comforting place, where the locals sought out Eva’s homemade tinctures and cures and gifted jars of fresh honey from the garden. Now it is a place of danger, where threats loom in every corner. And as Iris spends more time there, she discovers a secret that will change the way she sees her aunt forever – and the course of her own life too…

Don’t miss this utterly sweeping WW2 historical novel, perfect for fans of Suzanne Goldring, Mandy Robotham and Kristin Hannah.

My thoughts: thank you to HQ for gifting me a Netgalley copy of this book to review.

I don’t usually like war stories – for some reason they annoy me – I prefer autobiographical accounts of that time instead for the most part.

This I did enjoy, however, partly because I think it could have been set at other periods of history where there was conflict. And also because it felt slightly removed from the usual stories.

Set in Dijon, France, it follows Iris a French operative for British Intelligence. She heads to her aunt Eva’s house, only to find her aunt has died suddenly, after an op ends and she needs to distance herself from the fallout in order to carry out her next mission.

She must convince the German spy turned soldier, that she wasn’t involved in him being exposed as an enemy agent, and then kill him. All while reckoning with Eva’s killing and convincing the locals she’s not a collaborator, oh and winning back her husband Jack, currently hiding out with the maquis (French Resistance).

It is a lot to deal with, and as she grew up in her aunt’s house, there are memories and people from her past also drawing on her time and energy. She’s got to come up with a plan all by herself, or so she thinks. When Eva’s friend Clemence gradually reveals what happened before Eva was killed, Iris realises she’s not alone, and Eva’s house might hold some answers to her predicament.

The book is packed full of plot and interesting characters, I would have liked to stick around and learn their stories, but Iris needs to keep moving, keep suspicion falling on her as she carries out her plans.

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Blog Tour: Let Them Float – Katy Wimhurst

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In these short stories, Katy Wimhurst creates off-kilter worlds that illuminate our own. 

Apocalyptic rabbits invade a town. 

People overwhelmed by their lives float above an urban park. 

A woman turns transparent after a virus. 

The playful lens of magical realism is used to explore physical and mental illness and our fragile environment. Thought-provoking fiction with a good dose of whimsy.

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Katy Wimhurst’s first collection of short stories was Snapshots of the Apocalypse (Fly on the Wall Press, 2022) and her second collection Let Them Float will be published in December 2023 (Alien Buddha Press). 

Her fiction has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including The Guardian, Writers’ Forum, Cafe Irreal, Kaleidotrope, To Hull and Back, and ShooterLit. Her first book of visual poems, Fifty-One Trillion Bits, was published by Trickhouse Press (2023). She sometimes interviews writers for 3AM Magazine. 

She is housebound with the illness M.E.

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My thoughts: as someone who lives with chronic illness I did recognise some of the kinds of feelings present in these short stories. Most of them are gentle and moving, although the giant rabbits were a bit sinister. The longest story, the title one, was deeply intriguing. It certainly spoke to me about mental illness and the desire sometimes to just disconnect from life around you for a while.

It’s an interesting collection and full of light and darkness, some are very tiny snippets of people’s lives and others a bit more detailed. Easy to read but should be savoured as each has layers to it.

*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: Mr Gearhart – Emily Owen

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1863

Six years have passed at Ravenfeld Hall. The Abernathy siblings’ fortunes continue to improve as George and Douglas’s android-building business thrives. But change looms on the horizon. Douglas’s engagement to the sweet, charming Clara Marsden threatens to take him from his family, while sister Molly contemplates whether a future with the man she loves means sacrificing her independence and academic pursuits.

Then the family face more pressing concerns…

One night, George’s latest invention escapes the Hall. Four months later, a charismatic inventor by the name of Gearhart appears in London, with an intellect to rival that of the Abernathys’. George senses there’s something sinister about the mysterious Mr Gearhart, who’s planning to unveil an invention that could change the world. But does he have far grander ambitions? And can George uncover the truth about him in time?

Emily Owen studied English Language and Literature at the University of Leeds, and completed her Masters by Research in 2018. She works as a Digital Executive and lives in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. She self-published her debut novel The Mechanical Maestro in 2020, which is the first book in her series following the adventures of the Abernathy family and their clockwork creations. The second book in the series, The Copper Chevalier was released in March 2022.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this third outing for the Abernathy siblings. Their successes mean that they are relatively settled now and able to enjoy life a bit more. Until the arrival of the sinister Mr Gearhart, who targets George.

He seems to have some pretty interesting ideas, ideas that feel familiar and something is a bit off about him. So George investigates, keeping Douglas at arms length to protect him.

Molly has her own misadventures in the greenhouse, when she accidentally creates a superhero/villain origin story type potion. But she keeps it a secret and almost ruins everything with Arthur in the process.

With appearances from Maestro and Colonel Copperton, this ties in nicely with the previous books in the series.

*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 Scotsman – Rob McClure

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The Scotsman is the story of a Glasgow detective investigating his own daughter’s death in Washington, D.C. Six months after the murder of Catriona Cowan, a Scottish exchange student, her father arrives in D.C. skeptical of the findings of an earlier police investigation. Chic Cowan’s own inquiries lead him from the deprived neighborhoods of Southeast D.C. to the townhouses of Capitol Hill and to the suspicion that his daughter’s death is connected to an upcoming Senate election. But the obsessed and grieving father, wrestling with sobriety, comes to question his own sanity as he closes in on the truth.

Rob McClure was born in Scotland. 

He currently lives in Galesburg, Illinois, and teaches film at Knox College where he is John and Elaine Fellowes Professor of English. 

His fiction has appeared in Gettysburg Review, Manchester Review, Chicago Quarterly Review, Barcelona Review and many other magazines. 

My thoughts: the DC police have written off Catriona Cowan’s murder as a mugging gone wrong, but her father, Scottish detective Chic Cowan is far from convinced. Flying into the US capital, he starts his own investigation, taking him deep into the heart of Washington politics and covert organisations. Catriona was a student, but her girlfriend was a journalist. Did the two women dig up something they shouldn’t?

Chic teams up with Catriona’s friend Dayon, and interviews her professors, room mate, and a US senator and his staff. Somewhere in amongst the lies is the truth of what happened to his precious daughter and he will go to any length to find out.

He gets slightly side tracked when he meets Rita, an alluring woman with a tenuous connection to his investigation, but even as she becomes a victim of the people he’s hunting, he never fully loses focus and now has two reasons to keep searching – Rita might even still be alive.

Clever, gripping and full of the darkness hidden underneath a politician’s smile, this is a tense and engaging 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: How Not to Murder Your Ex – Katie Marsh

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It is 5:30 am on Clio’s forty-fifth birthday and her hated ex is lying dead on her doorstep. Even worse, this is no accident. Someone’s killed him…
When single mum Clio’s ex Gary turns up dead on the doorstep of her caravan – the one she’s been forced to live in ever since he stole every penny she had – there’s only one suspect. Her.
What’s more, she doesn’t remember much about the night he was killed – not just because of the forgetfulness that’s been plaguing her along with the hot flushes – but because she definitely had one too many cocktails with her two best friends Amber and Jeanie.
Clio does remember them talking about how much they all hated him though. And, in the frame for murder, she has to ask herself – if she didn’t kill Gary, who did? One of his many enemies? Or someone a little closer to home? And can she and her friends find the real killer before it’s too late?
Unputdownable mystery set on the English coast – perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, Bad Sisters, and How to Kill Your Family.
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Katie Marsh wrote five bestselling, uplifting women’s fiction novels before turning to cosy crime for Boldwood. Previously published by Hodder, the first in her new crime series How Not To Murder Your Ex, following the fortunes of the Bad Girls Detective Agency, will be published in December 2023.

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My thoughts: Clio didn’t kill her awful ex-husband but she certainly has a lot of reasons why she might. But so do quite a few other people, it turns out. Gary is a pretty terrible person and quite frankly it’s impossible to feel sorry for him.

Although Clio does end up in custody at one point, thankfully her besties – Amber, a former police detective with something to prove, and Joanie – a sleep deprived mother on twins currently on mat leave, are on hand to solve the case and stop Clio taking the blame for something she didn’t do.

Funny, entertaining, with a cast of very relatable and rather brilliant protagonists, this was a lot of fun and a good start to a new crime series.

*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 Legend of Gasparilla – S.T. Fernandez

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The Legend of Gasparilla copy

Bridgerton meets Pirates of the Caribbean

Welcome to the tour for The Legend of Gasparilla by S.T. Fernandez, a gorgeous historical fantasy full or romance and pirates!

Ebook_Cover - The Legend of Gasparilla

The Legend of Gasparilla: A Historical Pirate Romance

Publication Date: November 7, 2023

Genre: Historical Fantasy Romance/ Pirates

Bridgerton meets Pirates of the Caribbean in a story many argue is not a myth but a legend.

Admiral José Gaspar of the Spanish Royal Navy had it all: the love of his life, Joséfa de Mayorga; the confidence of the King; and a plan to become one of the most successful merchants in all of Spain. But when a jilted former lover accuses him of stealing the crown jewels, he escapes Sevilla only to realize he’s duped into piracy, further staining his legacy. Gaspar continues down an immoral path he works relentlessly to resist. The dream life he yearned for with Joséfa slowly slips away, his reputation far too ruined to be worthy of her honor.

After having her beloved ripped from her life, Joséfa and Gaspar’s friends work tirelessly to clear his name to no avail. When fate finally hands her a chance, she sets sail to find José, but fate is both friend and foe. Joséfa discovers the man she lost is different from the viscous pirate she rescues from certain death.

When infamous pirate hunter Lieutenant Kearny of the USS Enterprise sets his sights on the new pirate, Gaspar must decide between a dark and perilous addiction to piracy or living a subdued life in the shadows. His darker inhibitions may take his soul hostage, and Joséfa’s love may not be enough to save him.

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About the Author

7R8A3855-2 (Square)

S.T. Fernandez, known as Stephanie, is originally from Orlando, Florida, and was born to two parents from La Isla del Encanto, Puerto Rico. She now resides in the beautiful small beach town of Ventura, California with her husband and their two wiener puppies.
Stephanie is an avid reader of all levels of spicy, steamy romance—mostly in fantasy, historical, or paranormal genres. Just as much as she enjoys disappearing into a good book, creating a story that readers can disappear into brings her immense joy.
She is currently working on her second book in the fantasy romance genre, full of wonderfully diverse characters and themes. S.T. Fernandez’s fantasy romance intertwines Puerto Rico’s Taino indigenous culture’s beautiful themes and language into a fantasy world. She is thrilled and excited to present it to readers when completed.

ST. Fernandez

My thoughts: I love pirates, always have since I learnt about Edward Teach aka Blackbeard aged 5. So this was right up my gangplank.

A well respected Admiral in the Spanish Navy and advisor to the King, Josè Gaspard is horrified when an ex-lover and her new fiancé accuse him of stealing from the king and he is arrested. Escaping from prison and smuggled aboard a ship, which turns out to be captained by an English pirate. Forced to join the crew and separated from his love, Josefa, Gaspard becomes what he most dreads.

Back home Josefa has kept faith and petitioned the new king, son of the man who imprisoned Josè, for a pardon. But neither she nor the king know that he has become a pirate and killed Spanish sailors.

Josè’s story is related by the descendants of a crew mate and his own family years later, while living in Florida, still a wanted man.

There’s lots of swashbuckling adventure on the high seas, but it is Josefa’s love and devotion to him that holds this story together, whatever he has done she forgives.

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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 Haunting Scent of Poppies – Victoria Williamson

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A spine-chilling winter ghost story set in the months after the Great War. Perfect for lovers of MR James and Susan Hill

The War is over, but for petty criminal Charlie his darkest days are only just beginning.

Charlie Briggs is never off-duty, even when a botched job means he’s forced to lay low in a sleepy Hampshire town for the holiday season. Always searching for his next unwitting victim, or a shiny trinket he can pilfer, he can’t believe his luck when he happens upon a rare book so valuable it will set him up for life. All he needs to do is sit tight until Boxing Day. But there’s a desperate story that bleeds beyond the pages; something far more dangerous than London’s mobsters is lurking in the shadows.

Could the book be cursed? Why is he haunted by the horrors of war? Can he put things right before he’s suffocated by his own greed?

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Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.

Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.

Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com

Thank you Victoria for this lovely book parcel

My thoughts: this slim little volume contains a creepy ghost story perfect for this time of year. Thief Charlie steals a rare French translation of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, but the book is haunted. Its former owner died from mustard gas exposure on the battlefields of WW1 France, while an obliging doctor wrote Charlie a false sick note.

Now the ghost of Arthur and the terrible death he suffered is haunting Charlie. He can’t sleep and it pursues him everywhere demanding “Remember me”.

He tries to return the book but can’t and in the end the scent of poppies and gas seem to drive him mad. A short but powerful tale of greed and guilt.

*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: Arsenic at Ascot – Kelly Oliver

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Saddle up for this first class historical mystery, perfect for fans of Helena Dixon and Verity Bright.


London, 1918
Fiona Figg finds herself back in Old Blighty saddled with shuffling papers for the war office. Then a mysterious card arrives, inviting her to a fancy house party at Mentmore Castle. This year’s Ascot-
themed do will play host to a stable of animal defense advocates, and Fiona is tasked with infiltrating the activists and uncovering possible anti-war activity.
Disguised as the Lady Tabitha Kenworthy, Fiona is more than ready for the “mane” event, but the odds are against her when both her arch nemesis, dark-horse Fredrick Fredricks, and would-be fiancé
Lieutenant Archie Somersby arrive unexpectedly and “stirrup” her plans. And when a horse doctor thuds to the floor in the next guest room, Fiona finds herself investigating a mysterious poisoning
with some very hairy clues.
Can Fiona overcome the hurdles and solve both cases, or will she be pipped to the post and put out to pasture by the killer?
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Kelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of three mysteries series: The Jessica James Mysteries, The Pet Detective Mysteries, and the historical cozies The Fiona Figg Mysteries, set in
WW1. She is also the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She is bringing new titles in the Fiona Figg series to Boldwood, the first of
which, Chaos in Carnegie Hall, will be published in November 2022.

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My thoughts: released from the dreaded filing, Fiona Figg is finally given a case of her own and actually encouraged to don her collection of costumes with the War Office footing the bill!

She’s undercover at Porton Down – the MOD’s chemical warfare research facility, and also at a fancy Ascot themed country house party – what could possibly go wrong?

Obviously there’s a murder – it’s the perfect setting for one, and Fiona is on the case. Escorted as ever by Clifford, and with the arrival of Archie, Fredericks and Kitty (with Poppy on a lead) the gang’s all there to help solve, or possibly hinder, the investigation. As well as the murdered scientist, there’s some missing race horses, an anti-vivesectionist group to infiltrate and someone is leaking secrets from the research lab. It’s all go.

Tremendous fun as always, with Fiona never entirely sure where she stands but happy to have an official case to investigate. Her relationships with Archie and Fredericks continue to be more complicated than she’d like and Kitty is still a bit of a nuisance, but at least she brought her forensics kit 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.

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Blog Tour: Courting Samira – Amal Awad

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Set in Sydney, Australia, Courting Samira is a charming and frothy romantic comedy about a twenty­seven-year-old Palestinian woman who finds herself in an unexpected love triangle—a sparkling ode to meddling best friends, traditional courtship, The Princess Bride, and, of course, the possibility of love.

Coming from a moderately traditional Muslim family, twenty-seven-year-old Samira Abdel-Aziz has endured her fair share of arranged matches—first dates she calls “doorknock appeals,” where she and her possible suitors eat snacks in her living room in the company of both sets of parents. Her general rule: no shoes with tassels, no cheesy leather jackets, no mustaches. A girl has to have some standards, right? The truth is, Samira is already experiencing enough wedding drama as an assistant at Bridal Bazaar magazine and as a gofer for her soon-to-be-married cousin and nemesis Zahra. She’s not sure she needs to add any of her own.

When she meets the charismatic Menem at a work retreat, Samira finds herself intrigued. But her best friend Lara insists Menem isn’t right for her, and now her childhood friend Hakeem has begun behaving oddly. Adding to the confusion, Samira is seeking a promotion at work, yet isn’t sure it’s the job of her dreams. Suddenly, her life is full of drama and complications, and she realizes that part of growing up is making difficult choices about what—and whom—she really wants.

Amal Awad is a journalist, author, and screenwriter. She has written for Elle, The Guardian, and other publications and held senior editorial roles at a number of trade media publications. She has spoken at schools, universities, and writers’ festivals around Australia, and she facilitates workshops on diversity, multiculturalism, women’s issues, and pop culture. Amal is the author of eight books, including four novels— Courting Samira, This is How You Get Better, The Things We See in the Light, and Bitter & Sweet—and the nonfiction books The Incidental Muslim, Beyond Veiled Clichés, Fridays With My Folks, and In My Past Life I was Cleopatra. Courting Samira is the first of her books to be published in America.

My thoughts: Samira reminded me of some of my friends and their sisters, bound by tradition and family. She’s a 21st century woman determined to make more of her life than just as a wife and mother. She thinks she wants to be a journalist or perhaps a photographer. But she does also want to find the one – it’s just not so easy when you’re Muslim.

After a string of “door knock” disasters – hello Manga Boy – she’s fed up. Then she meets Menem at work and suddenly there’s a possibility. His brother is getting married to her bitchy cousin Zahra – which means lots of rushing around but also the potential for more meetings. If she can get best friend (and another cousin) Lara onside.

When Samira decides what she wants, from her career, from love, there’s nothing that can stop her. A funny, charming and delightful read with an equally entertaining protagonist.

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