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Blog Tour: Token – Beverley Kendall

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Kennedy Mitchell is brilliant, beautiful and tired of being the only Black woman in the room.

Two years ago, she was plucked from reception for a seat at the boardroom table in the name of “representation”. Rather than play along, she and her best friend founded Token, a boutique PR agency that helps diversity-challenged companies and celebrities. With famous people getting into reputation-damaging controversies, Token is in high demand and business is booming, but when her ex shows up needing help repairing his reputation, things get even more complicated and soon Kennedy finds herself drawn into a PR scandal of her own.

My thoughts: this was a really interesting, thought provoking and enjoyable read. It’s part romance, part looking at issues in modern life, specifically around race and gender.

Kennedy is hastily thrust into a job in order to secure some diversity points and instead of just letting herself be steam-rollered, she siezes the opportunity to take being the token woman, the token black person, and turn it into a business that helps companies recruit a more diverse and proportional workforce, educating the dinosaurs as best she can along the way.

She’s also falling hard for her best friend/business partner’s brother Nate. They had a very brief thing years before, and despite starting out sniping at each other, it’s pretty clear that they’re meant to be. And Aurora (the bestie) is thrilled.

However an email hack of several companies, including some of Kennedy’s clients, threatens to ruin it all when Kennedy gets dragged into a scandal and has to find a way to salvage her business and her sanity. Navigating the mess left behind by her two-faced clients takes a lot of energy and it causes some stress with Nate. Can Kennedy save her business and her relationship?

I found it really interesting to read a book that blends discussion of these serious issues – racism, sexism, in a romance novel, mixing serious issues with something light and frothy. Readers can be both – a lot of writers have inserted serious things into their books, but not necessarily as explicitly as this. Putting it front and centre in the form of Kennedy’s experiences.

Kennedy is a strong and smart woman, she’s fully aware that she’s exploiting the stupidity and full on ignorance of the white executives of these companies, and why not. Turn the tables on them, show them what they’re missing by being close minded and plain wrong.

This is intended to be the first in a series starring these characters, and it will be interesting to see what Beverley Kendall does next.

*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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Cover Reveal: Unless It’s You – Chrissy Hopewell

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How adorable is this cover?! Unless It’s You comes out this spring! Pre-order your copy now!

Unless It's You cover

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

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

Expected Publication Date: April 15, 2024

💮Enemies to Lovers

💮Second Chance

💮Bucket List

💮English Ex-Pro Rugby Player

💮American FMC in Her 30s

💮Hot Man w/ a Kitten

💮Light Sports Romance

💮Open door/ Medium Spice

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

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

Ethan Fraser is not Stella’s ex-boyfriend—that title belongs to his best friend, who got him through a traumatizing childhood. Ethan’s a grumpy, bearded, ex-professional rugby player who can’t bring himself to enter the flat of his late troubled mother.

When they’re forced to collaborate on a work project, both find themselves remembering the night they kissed, days before she started dating his best friend. Ethan wants to hate her for choosing someone else, just like his mother always did, but he can’t fight his attraction to Stella. So when she needs an advisor for the list, he offers to help, and the time spent together re-ignites their chemistry. But Ethan’s fierce loyalty to his best friend stands between them.

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

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

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About the Author

Chrissy Hopewell author photo

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

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

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BBNYA Blog Tour: Sorrow’s Forest – Kaitlin Corvus

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BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Sorrow’s Forest teems with beasts, some ugly, some beautiful, all unnatural. A ban restricts travel beneath her branches, existing for as long as Lakeview Township has, and most who disobey do not return.

To win a bet, twelve-year-old Mackie King enters the forest, and in its depths, he discovers a boy-like devil. Then he steals him from the trees.

In as little as an hour, the devil names himself Blue and fits seamlessly into the Kings’ life. No one seems to remember he wasn’t always there. Only Mackie knows the truth.

Now, Mackie and Blue are grown, Queen Sorrow has awakened, and she wants her devil back. She’s willing to tear the town apart to reclaim him. Mackie has always been resourceful, but it will take every bit of ingenuity he and Blue possess to thwart Queen Sorrow and her minions, save the town, and free themselves from the shadow of the bittering forest.

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Kaitlin Corvus is from Ontario, Canada. The north holds the best part of her. She writes about nobodies, monsters, and gutter glitter, loves the stars, the deep dark sea, and a good horror mystery.

My thoughts: when Mackie steals a forest devil, Blue, from Sorrow’s Forest, she doesn’t forget and eventually she wants to claim back what’s hers. The forest consumes the missing, and never gives them back.

But Mackie is afraid, afraid of the forest and increasingly of Blue. He is exhibiting strange power over people and events, and keeps spending time with his school bully, in what Mackie thinks is an abusive situation. Blue has always been openly gay, and the relationship between him and Mackie is shifting into something different, something more.

As the forest attempts to assert its power and draw Blue back to it, Mackie fights harder to keep his brother/friend/lover with him. Meanwhile his father is dying and more people are being swallowed up by the forest.

An intense bond and a story that draws you into it, as the forest does the two young men. What will become of them if the forest succeeds or indeed, if it doesn’t?

*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 Summer of Lies – Louise Douglas

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The summer is the hottest yet in the Brittany coastal town of Morranez, but when a new case lands on the desk of the Toussaints detective agency, there can be no time to relax.

As wild fires bear down on the town, the alert goes out for a missing girl. Nineteen-year-old Briony Moorcroft has seemingly been taken from her sleepy Welsh village and brought to France. Her parents are baffled and scared – Briony needs her life-saving medicine or this case will become even more sinister, and with the police dragging their heels, the Moorcrofts are relying on Mila Shephard and Carter Jackson’s sleuthing skills.

Meanwhile there are mysteries troubling Mila’s life too. Two years after the accident that swept her sister Sophie and brother-in-law Charlie away and left their daughter Ani in Mila’s care, new evidence resurfaces that makes Mila doubt everything. Can Carter and Mila find Briony before it’s too late? And is the truth about Sophie and Charlie finally about to be revealed…

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Louise Douglas is the bestselling and brilliantly reviewed author and an RNA award winner.TheSecrets Between Uswas a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. She lives in the West Country.

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My thoughts: Mila and Carter are tracking down two young women, one critically ill, who have run off to Brittany. But all is not as it seems there.

There’s also the possible sighting of the boat Mila’s stepsister Sophie and her husband Charlie were sailing when they went missing, or at least the remains of it. How will Mila’s niece, Ani, cope with hearing her father’s boat and maybe his remains have been found?

As thunderstorms threaten and wild fires destroy the Breton countryside, Mila must juggle her worries for Ani with the time crucial case, and discovers secrets hidden behind an every day facade.

Intelligent, gripping writing that brings the beautiful but threatened Brittany coastline and villages to life, with a cast of fascinating characters and stories. Sophie and Charlie had secrets too, will finding the boat bring them to the surface and what of Mila’s long distance relationship with fiancé Luke, back home in Bristol? Everything feels very delicate and tense, a delightful and enjoyable read. 

*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: Murder at the Leaning Tower – T.A. Williams

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An instalment in bestselling author T. A. Williams’ Armstrong and Oscar cosy mystery series!

A cosy crime series set in gorgeous Tuscany…

It’s murder in paradise!

A secluded villa…

When Dan Armstrong is asked to provide security at a private villa on the outskirts of Pisa, he’s prettysure it will be an easy job. Villa Gregory is remote; the gathered guests are rich – what could possiblygo wrong?A glittering gathering…

Inside the high walls of the palatial villa, Dan discovers the gathered guests are some of the most powerful tycoons in the media world, with plans for world domination. With so much at stake, Danredoubles his efforts to keep everyone safe.A detective under pressure?But when one of the group is found murdered, Dan’s heart sinks – especially considering Anna’s owndaughter is in the frame! When the police arrive, Dan meets formidable Inspector Adolfo Vinci, a man whose main talent seems to be for getting things wrong. It all goes from bad to worse for Dan as the man from the Leaning Tower starts leaning on him. It’s another case for Dan and Oscar to solve, and this one won’t be easy!

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T A Williams is the author of over twenty bestselling romances for HQ and Canelo and is now turning his hand to cosy crime, set in his beloved Italy, for Boldwood. The series will introduce us to retired DCI Armstrong and his labrador Oscar, and the first book, entitled Murder in Tuscany, was published in October 2022. Trevor lives in Devon with his Italian wife.

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My thoughts: I really like this series, Dan and Oscar are a delightful man & dog detective duo, like some of my favourite TV and book series, Oscar often sniffs out the perp and saves the day. As he does here.

I went to Pisa years ago with my family, and as with much of Tuscany, it’s incredibly beautiful, and the Tower is fascinating. Thankfully I didn’t witness any crimes though, while Dan seems to attract them. He’s playing security guard at a private villa where a top level meeting is taking place and they want privacy.

Until one of the guests is killed, and the police descend. Did someone break in, despite Dan’s patrols or was it one of the other guests? The deceased is not a popular man and has done some properly nasty things both professionally and personally and some of the other guests have reasons to dislike him, but to kill him?

When Anna’s daughter, who happens to be the victim’s assistant, is arrested, Dan is sure they’ve got the wrong person and despite the deeply unpleasant Inspector warning him off, decides to keep digging.

Thankfully the ever vigilant Oscar is by his side as Dan makes himself a target to catch the killer. Otherwise this could have been the last in the series!

I really had fun with this one, and the descriptions of food made me so hungry! Can’t wait for the next adventure for Dan and Co under the gorgeous Tuscan sun.

*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: Death at St Jude’s – Mary Grand

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The Isle of Wight has always felt like a safe place to live for keen dog-walker and reluctant sleuth Susan. But after being involved in the investigation of a troubling crime near her old home, Susan decides to move to the peaceful village of Bishopstone.
Susan loves the sense of community and immediately throws herself into village life, volunteering at the local primary school and joining the choir of St Jude’s. So, when there is an altercation at the
meeting of the choir committee, followed by a shocking accident involving head teacher Lawrence, Susan is dismayed to realise her powers of deduction may be needed again.
There is a dangerous criminal hiding in plain sight and with the police reluctant to help, Susan must put together the pieces of the fiendish puzzle to flush out a killer before they strike again.
A brand new cosy mystery from the author of the bestselling The House Party. Perfect for fans of Frances Evesham, Faith Martin and LJ Ross.

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Mary Grand writes gripping, page-turning suspense novels, with a dark and often murderous underside. She grew up in Wales, was for many years a teacher of deaf children and now lives on the Isle of Wight.

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My thoughts: a man falls from the church roof, the keys in his pocket, the doors locked. A tragic accident or murder?

Lawrence was the local school’s headmaster, a popular local figure and head of the church’s choir committee. He and his wife Hazel have lived in the village for years. While some of his recent decisions had caused some upset, was it enough to drive someone to kill him?

Susan doesn’t think so, but Hazel asks her to dig into the events and people around them to see if anyone, the choir director, his deputy head, the vicar, had it in for him. Lots of people seem to have secrets of their own, and Susan has to reveal them to see if a murderer is hidden in the village.

Clever and entertaining, this is an enjoyable whodunnit with a nice little twist in the tale.

*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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Cover Reveal: The Rise and Ruin of Everwood – Alicia Morgan

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We are thrilled to present the cover of The Rise and Ruin of Everwood by Alicia Morgan!

EBOOK COVER PNG 3

The Rise and Ruin of Everwood

Expected Publication Date: May 14, 2024

Genre: Dystopian Romance/ Low Fantasy

In a merciless world, deep in the Adirondacks, where Mother Nature rules the land–Eva vowed two things: to protect the people of Everwood and never fall in love. Love in these dangerous times is a liability, one she can’t afford to risk.

When fate intervenes, and she meets a mysterious man who has lost his memory and his way, her heart slowly begins to betray her promise. As tensions rise and secrets are revealed, Evangeline Wolf is faced with a decision. One that could not only affect her settlement but the rest of her life.

In this post-apocalyptic era, where perils are hidden around every corner, this handsome stranger may be Eva’s only hope to save Everwood—forcing her to reevaluate who the true enemy is and what lengths she is willing to go to establish peace.

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About the Author

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Alicia Morgan grew up in a small town not far from the Adirondack Park— where she lives with her husband and three fur babies. When she’s not writing, she is spending time in the outdoors with her dogs, or snuggling up with a good book. Being an avid reader of all things fantasy, paranormal and dystopian, she is excited to bring her own flavor to the genre.

Alicia Morgan

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Blog Tour: A Deadly Portrayal – L.M Milford

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When local crime reporter Emma Fletcher is asked to help identify her friend’s blackmailer, she discovers a link to the recent death of a teacher at Allensbury Dance and Drama School.
Meanwhile, a police investigation is uncovering some dark secrets, and it is clear that someone is seeking revenge for past wrongs.
As Emma’s list of suspects continues to grow, the discovery of a second body puts her in the killer’s sights.
Warned off the investigation by the police for her own safety, Emma decides the best way to save herself is to find the culprit first.
With the help of fellow news reporter Dan Sullivan, Emma must work out who is targeting Allensbury Dance and Drama School before the killer strikes again.

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LM Milford is a crime fiction author who writes the Allensbury mysteries, covering the exploits of local newspaper reporter Dan Sullivan.
A former newspaper journalist, Lynne’s experience has influenced her work, although her stories were never as exciting as Dan’s.
Lynne was born and brought up in the north-east of England, but now lives in Kent with her husband and far too many books. She loves cooking, baking and holidays in Spain. She’s partial to a good red wine and plates of cheese.

Website Twitter Instagram Facebook Bluesky – @lmmilford.bsky.social

My thoughts: ballet school has never been so dangerous. Blackmail, murder, and secrets lurk in the halls of Allensbury Dance and Drama School.

Journalist Emma is digging into the situation and turning up some dark and worrying things buried beneath the elegant facade of ballet. With the help of colleague Dan, she’s determined to find the truth.

A smart and enjoyable crime novel, with lots of twists and some pretty unpleasant people, they can’t all be suspects but it’s hard to parse the truth from the lies.

*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: Death Flight – Sarah Sultoon

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Argentina. 1998. Human remains are found on a beach on the outskirts of
Buenos Aires – a gruesome echo of when the tide brought home dozens of mutilated bodies thrown from planes during Argentina’s Dirty War.
Flights of death, with passengers known as The Disappeared.
International Tribune reporter Jonny Murphy is in Buenos Aires interviewing families of the missing, desperate to keep their memory alive, when the body turns up. His investigations with his companion,
freelance photographer Paloma Glenn, have barely started when Argentina’s simmering financial crisis explodes around them.
As the fabric of society starts to disintegrate and Argentine cities burn
around them, Jonny and Paloma are suddenly thrust centre stage, fighting
to secure both their jobs and their livelihoods.
But Jonny is also fighting something else, an echo from his own past that he’ll never shake, and as it catches up with him and Paloma, he must make choices that will endanger everything he knows…

Sarah Sultoon is a journalist and writer, whose work as an international news executive at CNN has taken her all over the world, from the seats of power in both Westminster and Washington to the
frontlines of Iraq and Afghanistan. She has extensive experience in conflict zones, winning three Peabody awards for her work on the war in Syria, an Emmy for her contribution to the coverage of Europe’s migrant crisis in 2015, and a number of Royal Television Society gongs. When not reading or writing she can usually be found somewhere outside, either running, swimming or throwing a ball for her three children and dog …

Her debut thriller The Source is currently in production with Lime Pictures, and was a Capital Crime Book Club pick and a number one bestseller on Kindle. The Shot (2022) and Dirt (2023) followed, with multiple award longlistings, including the CWA Daggers.
Sarah currently works for Channel 4 News and lives in London.

My thoughts: I read an article about the Disappeared not that long ago, so I was really intrigued to read this book, Death Flight, which follows an investigation into the Argentinian government’s dark past and the Dirty War against its own people. 

Sarah Sultoon draws on her long experience as a journalist to create a suspenseful, intelligent and gripping thriller.

Johnny Murphy is the International Tribune’s man on the ground in South America, as long as he gets his stories in fast and before his opposition. However as he, and photographer Paloma, dig deeper into the Disappeared and the mothers and grandmothers who gather to protest the ongoing silence around their children, he stops reporting on the financial crisis and ends up in trouble. 

Reporting to Allen in DC, he goes off with Paloma to investigate further but both women have secrets and as Johnny continues on his search for the truth, he is drawn into dangerous waters by the mysterious Paloma and Allen’s own agenda.

This twists and turns, taking the reader into the dark heart of Argentina and the terrible things carried out by the military on the government’s orders.

*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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Cover Reveal: The Rabbit Man – T.R. Slauf

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The Fanciful, The Terrible, & The Macabre

We are thrilled to present the cover for The Rabbit Man: A Collection of Short Terrors & Flash Fiction by T.R. Slauf! How great is this cover?!

The Rabbit Man Front

The Rabbit Man

Expected Publication Date: June 18, 2024

Genre: Horror/ Paranormal/ Short Stories

🩸Paranormal Horror

🐰Hauntings

🩸Magic Cats

🐰Guinea Pig Monsters

🩸Witch Hunting

🐰Serial Killers

🩸Unexplained Disappearances

The Fanciful, The Terrible, & The Macabre

From killers in masks, to a haunted car wash, to a demon hunting cat, The Rabbit Man is a collection of short terrors and flash fiction. Come along to hunt witches, stalk killers, and exact vengeance in a web of tales befitting your worst nightmares and most haunting daydreams.

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About the Author

T.R. Slauf was born and raised in Michigan, originally studying and working in the field of Biochemistry. After having an open-heart surgery for congenital heart disease, Slauf changed career paths to pursue the passion of storytelling and published their debut novel, Hidden Realm two years later. Slauf now lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with their spouse and two cats.

T.R. Slauf

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