blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Lavender Bride – Alexandra Weston

ramblingmads


An English rose with American dreams

Audrey Wade longs to escape her domineering father and the bleak streets of post-war Yorkshire.
Hollywood glitters with glamour, freedom, and the promise of a life with her best friend Freddie. But when Freddie abandons her, Audrey is left to chase her dreams alone.

A Heartthrob with secrets

Rex Trent is more than Hollywood’s leading man. Charismatic and dangerously handsome, he’s adored by millions and watched by powerful enemies in a paranoid 1950s America. One wrong move
could destroy him.

A romance born of ambition and betrayal

When Rex proposes, Audrey is swept into Hollywood’s glamour and high-stakes secrets. But she soon discovers Rex’s dark side and faces a choice: cling to a man who may never love her, or risk everything to forge her own path?

A gripping new historical novel from a wonderful new voice. Perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Wendy Holden and Allison Pataki.

Purchase


Alexandra Weston writes historical fiction. She has a MA in Creative Writing from York St John University. She has a lifelong passion for history and loves visiting stately homes, museums and old churches. She also writes fantasy as Alys West. She lives with her partner and a ginger cat called Wilf in East Yorkshire. She sings with her local community choir and loves live music, hanging out in bookshops and eating cake.

Facebook: Alex Weston Historical Fiction Writer
Twitter: AlexWeston46

Instagram: @alex_l_weston
Newsletter  Bookbub

My thoughts: I recently watched the mini series about Cary Grant’s life, and this reminded me of that, with the setting and the look inside a Hollywood marriage. Obviously, Grant wasn’t gay and hiding, and the author was inspired by Rock Hudson’s marriage to his agent’s secretary, but Grant’s marriage wasn’t happy.

Swept up in the magic of Hollywood, Audrey agrees to a “lavender marriage”, usually entered into by two people hoping to hide their true sexuality, during a time when being out could destroy your career and your life, but doesn’t understand what she’s really getting into.

Her new husband is drinking too much, throwing parties that the press would love to know about and treats her appallingly. He’s deeply unhappy and missing the man he loves, and soon so is she. Especially when she falls for prop builder Jack, but can they ever build a life together while she’s tied to her heartthrob husband?

Life isn’t as glamorous as the movies, and even though Hollywood is a lot better than being miserable in dreary post-war England, there’s a dark underbelly and Audrey is deeply naive about how things really work. She’ll need to be strong and brave to weather this.

Bringing the reality of 50s Tinsel Town during Mccarthyism and the HUAC trials, when keeping your secrets was everything, to life, this is an interesting 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.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Hunkeler’s Secret –  Hansjörg Schneider, translated by Astrid Freuler

ramblingmads

Hunkeler, now a retired inspector of the Basel police force, is hospitalized and sharing a room with Stephan Fankhauser, an old acquaintance terminally ill with cancer. One night, a groggy Hunkeler wakes up to see a young nurse with a ruby ring on her hand administering an injection to his friend. The following day Fankhauser is found dead.

Was the injection just a dream? Does the night nurse not usually wear a small diamond ring? There was no autopsy and a quick cremation. Hunkeler resolves to get to the bottom of the matter despite the objections of his ex-colleagues, who want the retired inspector to stay well clear of the investigation.

Hansjörg Schneider lives in Basel and began his professional career as a journalist and essayist. He is the author of a number of highly acclaimed plays and of the bestselling Hunkeler crime series, now with ten titles published.

Translator Astrid Freuler lives in Lidney, Gloucestershire. She has published translations of non-fiction and fiction, including the crime thriller A Shadow Falls by Andreas Pflüger.

My thoughts: This was really interesting and clever. Hunkeler lives in a narrow wedge of three countries meeting, France, Switzerland and Germany, the police of each nation must cooperate, but don’t always get along and the strange coincidence of several senior people from a Swiss bank dying and being arrested around the same time, has them worried.

But despite being retired, and pretty sure the police are barking up all the wrong trees, it is former Inspector Hunkeler who solves all the mysteries. Along the way he meets his granddaughter and makes up with his daughter, rescues a bewildered artist who just wants to be left alone, adopts a goat and eats some really good cheese.

I really enjoyed this, even if I didn’t understand all the stuff about people from Bergen (maybe you have to be Swiss?), I liked its wry, dryly comic tone, as Hunkeler outwits his former colleagues and does his own thing.

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

books

Cover Reveal: The Sole Remedy – Christina Bacilieri

ramblingmads

We’re proud to present the gorgeous cover for the next book in the Stealing Sanctuary series, The Sole Remedy by Christina Bacilieri

The Sole Remedy (Book Two – Stealing Sanctuary)

Expected Publication Date: October 2025

Genre: Dystopian Fantasy

  • Dystopian Fantasy
  • Chosen One
  • Prophecy
  • Magical Creatures
  • Love Triangle
  • Found Family
  • Dark Curses
  • Rebellion
  • Secret Societies
  • Light Versus Dark

The prophecy’s begun… will the darkness come undone?

In The Sole Remedy, Book Two of the Stealing Sanctuary series, Kiera’s journey will lead her deep into Etabon’s hidden places, where long-buried secrets threaten to unravel everything she thought she knew—about her past, her future, and the magic that binds them.

The prophecy is in motion, and darkness grows on all sides. Within Etabon, the warden’s twisted magic spreads like poison. Beyond its borders, the power-hungry Ruling Board moves to wipe out magic entirely. And in the shadows, something far older—and far more dangerous—awakens, threatening to consume them all.

To save her world, Kiera must confront not only these forces but the role she’s destined to play in the prophecy’s end. Will she be the remedy that heals the fracture between light and dark—or the spark that destroys it all?

A Prophecy
A Choice
A Reckoning

COVER REVEAL ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS

blog tour, books

Blog Tour: The Sons of Echidna – Athena M. Bliss

ramblingmads

Welcome to the tour for The Sons of Echidna by Athena M. Bliss! Read on for more details!

The Sons of Echidna

Publication Date: March 5, 2025

Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Greek Mythology

✨️ Umbrella Academy meets A Series Of Unfortunate Events
✨️ Greek Mythology
✨️ Slow-burn Romance
✨️ Cozy but Morbid
✨️ Nuisance to Lovers
✨️ Found Family
✨️ Top Tier Banter
✨️ Smutty Pirates
✨️ LGBTQ+ Rep
✨️ Toxic Relationships
✨️ Spice

Welcome to the family.

In a disheartened attempt to get her life back on track, Lucy takes up a live-in nanny position only to realize that the advert was misleading, sending her world spinning violently out of control.
She was meant to look after kids and animals, not a menagerie of mythical monsters––of human and beast kind alike.

Little does her mysterious new employer know Lucy has her own dark secrets, and faced with the realisation that she needs to grow her abilities to survive, she pushes herself too far, destroying the delicate balance between magic and technology.

To seize control of her new world and save herself Lucy must choose––Her life, or her humanity.

Athena M. Bliss’s debut novel, THE SONS OF ECHIDNA, is a fast paced blend of The Umbrella Academy meets The Addams Family. A non-stop series of toppling dominoes, this book promises to keep you on your toes from the first page to the last. A hefty dash of spice brings the diverse and colorful cast to vivid life, along with exquisitely detailed illustrations sprinkled liberally throughout the book. The first in the series, THE SONS OF ECHIDNA is followed by THE SIRIN SISTERHOOD, THE HUNTERS CURSE, and THE GOD GENOME.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

BOOK TOUR ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS

books

Cover Reveal: The Quicksilver Omnibus – Josie Jaffrey

ramblingmads

And finally, the omnibus, which will contain all 3 of the Quicksilver stories!

Art by Nel Kingman @moth.deity

The pirates of Charleston’s Golden Age aren’t as dead as you might think.

​

In her centuries-long life, Kulika Yadav has chalked up more than her fair share of regrets. Deserting the crew of former pirate king Bartholomew Roberts is not one of them. She vowed she would never return to his Charleston mansion, knowing that doing so would mean captivity or death. Now, two hundred years after she left, she has no other option: her new master is dying, and the person who holds the key to his cure has disappeared on Bartholomew’s turf.


But Kulika isn’t the only woman on a mission in South Carolina. Patience Quick has been searching for her best friend for six months now, along with enough other missing people to fill a whole deck of cards. She’s willing to do just about anything to find her friend, even if it means following a midnight lead to a colonial-era mansion, where a never-ending pool party is about to turn sinister.


As Bartholomew’s great revelation approaches, his mansion is a powder keg of untrained vampires, and what little control he holds over them is beginning to disintegrate. While Kulika knowingly confronts the man who gave her immortality, Quick is left scrambling to understand the nature of the creatures whose nest she has unwittingly disturbed. When the two women’s paths cross, blood will fly.


The QuickSilver Omnibus edition is a complete collection, containing all three books (Kill Me Quick; A Quick Study; Quick and the Dead) and all six short stories (A Shanty in the Key of F You; Dolce Evita; Ex Marks the Spot; Cara Mia; Bella Donna; Ciao Bella) in Josie Jaffrey’s QuickSilver series, a sapphic dark fantasy series set in Charleston, South Carolina.

​

Coming 9 October 2025

More info and order details on Josie’s website

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Lies That Hide Within – Megan Boley

ramblingmads

I’d rather punch myself in the face than work with that thunderous oaf.

When the messengers of the resistance vanish and ritualistic killings appear on their doorstep, all eyes turn to the unknown presence lurking in the woods. Convinced it’s the remnants of a
murderous cult—one that exists because she failed to stamp it out—Penny vows to end them.

But as much as she wishes she could be a one-woman army, she needs backup.
Voted “most likely to stab someone in the face,” making friends was never her strong suit, and in the midst of a war, her options for allies are limited. So to get the manpower for a search party, she agrees to a partnership with the giant, hulking, infuriating Mal—the general of the
resistance. Her general and “commanding officer” (barf).
But she doesn’t intend to play nice.

With each step into the deep, dark woods, a tangled mystery unfolds, launching Penny and her team into a cat-and-mouse chase to uncover the truth about the insidious company, Pharmatrox.
But as the threats ramp up, so does the tension between Penny and Mal, putting them on a collision course where they’ll either crash and burn or discover they’ve met their match.

To end the war and stop Pharmatrox before it regains power, the nation’s future hinges on Penny’s choice—will she remain loyal to the resistance and to Mal? Or will she give up everything in her ruthless quest to take down the company that destroyed her life.

Goodreads Purchase


Megan Boley is a dystopian and urban fantasy author (and, alas, a former redhead). Her stories are full of ragtag teams, strong women, grumpy but lovable men, and some steamy romance to
keep things nice and interesting.

Facebook TikTok Instagram

My thoughts: We’re back in the nightmare that is Pharmatrox ravaged America (see this post for book one) and Penny is determined to wipe out the cult that has sprung up and is murdering people, draining them of their blood and still taking the drugs that will eventually turn them into flesh eating zombies.

They’re also contending with the remnants of Pharmatrox’s soldiers, who seem to have a new leader and some new horrible drugs too. And there’s the Watchers, whoever they are  – friend or foe?

As the war enters its death throes, with the Faction getting more ground and possibly support from Canada and other allies, it’s up to those inside the city to cut off Pharmatrox’s head at the source, no more evil corporation and Penny is spoiling for a fight. First she just has to sweet talk the general, Mal, into letting her do things her way, the opposite of what he’s ordering her to do.

Agnes and Silas are working on a cure for the drugs Pharmatrox has been poisoning so many with, but they could really do with a friendly scientist to help them. Will any of the remaining Pharmatrox ones defect and help them or is this doomed too.

And everyone’s favourite teenage boy/puppy dog Quentin gets to play with explosives – cos that’s a great idea! 

I actually liked this a lot more than book one, probably because I was more familiar with the characters and the situation, and I liked the whole Team Outpost, working with the good guys to get things done, no one on zombie drugs, thing that was going on. It was more wholesome. And I love Quentin, he’s such an adorable nuisance, scaling buildings, eating everything in sight, blowing stuff up, making new friends, he would be a great diplomat (apart from the explosions and fires). 

*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 Last Mrs Sinclair – T.J. Emerson

ramblingmads


What would you give for the perfect life?

Leah Williams knows exactly what she wants from life – comfort, luxury and security. All the things she would have had if her childhood hadn’t been derailed by her father’s bad decisions. And then she meets Miles Sinclair. After the death of his wife last year, Miles is ready to start living his life again, and Leah knows just how to help him… what could be so wrong with that?

When Miles takes Leah to his chateau in the South of France, she’s excited to get a taste of the life she deserves, even if it means enduring the presence of Miles’ cousin Vivienne, who seems determined to insert the memory of his dead wife into every conversation.

But the Chateau Clairvallon has a history, not least as the place where the last Mrs Sinclair died. And as Leah discovers more about the accident that took her predecessor’s life, she begins to realise that the family she’s set her sights on isn’t quite what it seems.

What happened that summer?

Was it really an accident?

And is Leah in danger?

Purchase


Before writing fiction, TJ Emerson worked in theatre and community arts. As well as acting, she ran drama workshops in health care settings, focusing on adults with mental health issues. Her short stories have been widely published in anthologies and literary magazines, and her feature writing has appeared in Stella magazine, Woman’s Own and The Sydney Morning Herald. She has a PhD in Creative Writing from The University of Edinburgh and works as a literary consultant and writing
tutor. She is also the Creative Director of The Bridge Awards, a philanthropic organisation that provides micro-funding for the arts.

Facebook: @TJEmersonAuthor
Twitter: @TraceyJEmerson
Instagram: @tjemersonwrites

Newsletter  Bookbub

My thoughts: This reminded me of two things – Robert Browning’s poem My Last Duchess, and Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca, with cousin Viv as Mrs Danvers.

Both concern themselves with the previous wife, her haunting the place or a subtle threat about what happens to unfortunate wives.

Indeed Leah does feel the presence of the previous Mrs Sinclair, Riley, but through her absence, no pictures, no one really talks about her. And there is something a bit sinister about being at the house where she died and not acknowledging that. Indeed, Miles seems reluctant to even admit she existed.

Leah isn’t in love, she just wants the wealthy lifestyle, the nice clothes, the lack of needing to work or worry about money. She doesn’t really care much about Miles. Unfortunately for her, there’s something else going on at this crumbling French chateau, with Miles’ possessive and unpleasant cousin Vivienne ever present.

Miles and Viv have a really strange, messed up relationship, and could do with being around each other less and some serious therapy. Instead they’re in the family holiday home, wrapped up in a warped scheme, that when it all unravels, is completely bonkers and aimed at entirely the wrong person. Leah might think she’s the player, but she’s been played.

Disturbing and claustrophobic, questions quickly arise about the death of the last Mrs Sinclair, and possibly a few other incidents from Miles and Viv’s pasts. These damaged and strange people are incredibly toxic and only the old housekeeper with dementia seems able to say that out loud. Compelling and creepy.

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

books

Book Blitz: The Crown Saga – Brindi Quinn

ramblingmads

Brindi Quinn’s epic fantasy romance series The Crown Saga got a serious glow up and we’re celebrating the re-release!

The Crown Saga

Publication Date: March 27, 2025

Genre: New Adult Romantasy/Epic Fantasy Romance

Tags

  • Author: @brindiful
  • Books 1-4 insert/peekaboo artwork artist: @moranatascia
  • Omnibus insert/peekaboo artwork artist: @emryn_art
  • Cover artist (all editions): @saintjupit3rgr4phic
  • Publisher: @neverandeverbooks
  • Map artist: @centaur.maps

Tropes/Themes

  • Queen x Knight
  • Forbidden Romance & Tension-Filled Rivalry
  • Found Family & Oathbound Devotion
  • He Falls First
  • Dark Magic & Vengeful Goddesses
  • Childhood Friends to Lovers
  • Sexually Fluid MMCs & Strong, Lovable FMC
  • Sweet & Steamy Moments

The Crown Saga is a swoony, high-stakes romantasy featuring forbidden love, dark magic, and courtly intrigue in a queen-ruled world. The story follows Queen Merrin, a fiercely independent ruler who’s more comfortable sneaking out to drink with her guards than sitting on a throne, as she embarks on a journey to rescue her best friend—and in doing so, uncovers ancient secrets that threaten the very foundation of her world.

Spice Level

  • Tons of tension, steam, and swoon throughout
  • Slow-burn romance with high emotional stakes
  • Low spice, introduced later in the series (Books 3 & 4), but when it hits—it’s steamy, satisfying, and worth the wait

Comps

  • Throne of Glass – Sarah J. Maas
    • Rebellious queen, court intrigue, slow-burn romance, and high stakes.
  • Queen of the Tearling – Erika Johansen
    • A young queen learning to rule while uncovering dark secrets.
  • The Bridge Kingdom – Danielle L. Jensen
    • Political alliances, enemies-to-lovers tension, and duty vs. desire.
  • Gild – Raven Kennedy
    • Slow-burn tension, forbidden romance, and unique magic.
  • The Bear and the Nightingale – Katherine Arden
    • Atmospheric fantasy, folklore, and mystical elements.
  • Serpent & Dove – Shelby Mahurin
    • He-falls-first dynamic, romantic tension, and reluctant alliances.
  • The Priory of the Orange Tree – Samantha Shannon
    • A queen’s struggle with duty, magic, and an ancient threat.
  • The Witch’s Heart – Genevieve Gornichec
    • Mythology, fate-bound love, and a fiercely independent heroine.

BOOK BLITZ ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS

books

Cover Reveal: The Quick and the Dead – Josie Jaffrey

ramblingmads

Book 3 today, pirate vampires galore in The Quick and the Dead!

Art by Nel Kingman @moth.deity

This is how the world ends: with a drip, drip, drip…

​
All is not well with the crew of former pirate Bartholomew Roberts. As the day of his great vampire revelation dawns, his mansion is a powder keg of untrained Silver, and what little control he holds over them is beginning to disintegrate.


Kulika is concerned, but she’s even more concerned about what he’s been keeping in his wine cellar. With the whole world about to descend on the mansion for the launch of his new regime, it feels like a bad time to be messing around with mutated zombies and long-incarcerated Silver.


At least Quick is out of harm’s way. Now that she’s found her best friend, they’re getting on the first plane out of Charleston while the going’s good. Quick might not understand why Bartholomew’s letting them leave, but she’s not stupid enough to hang around asking questions either.


All she has to do is get to the airport.

That’s not a lot to ask, is it?

​

Quick and the Dead is the third book in Josie Jaffrey’s QuickSilver series, a sapphic dark fantasy series set in Charleston, South Carolina.

Coming 11 September 2025

Visit Josie’s website for more!

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Prince and the Player – Nora Phoenix

ramblingmads


I’m determined to win over the one guy who hates me…but I never expected to fall for him.

Being a prince may seem like a fairytale, but to me, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. That’s why I’m excited when I get permission from my uncle—the king of Norway—to go undercover as a student at
an American college for a year. And I’m even more ecstatic to be selected for their football team.
Soccer, I mean. The only problem? Farron, the team captain, dislikes me on sight.

Determined to win him over, I start a charm offensive, but nothing works. He only hates me more.
Until the animosity comes to an explosive release…and we end up kissing each other. How did that happen when neither of us has ever been attracted to a guy before?

Farron wants to let it run its course and get it out of our system, but I doubt that’ll work. I’m falling for him hard, but he has no idea who I really am. I fear that if he finds out, he’ll never speak to me again…

The Prince and the Player is the first book in the Prince Pact series and features an undercover, sunshiney prince and a grumpy, handsome soccer captain, two guys who mistake hate for attraction,
a double bi-awakening, and two opposites who attract each other like magnets.

The royally romantic, enemies-to-lovers college romance for fans of Casey McQuiston, Alexis Hall and Jax Calder.

Purchase


Nora Phoenix is a USA Today Bestselling author of over 60MM/gay romances. As a child, she fell in love with reading, and she’s still an incurable book addict. She started writing as a teenager, and though it took her a while to fulfill her dream of becoming a romance author, she never stopped.
She writes in various subgenres of gay romance and is known for writing engrossing stories that offer an escape from reality with unique characters, plenty of heat, a captivating story, and all the feels.
Flawed, strong men who are just a tad damaged are her catnip, and she wants to give them all their happily ever after. When she’s not writing or reading, she’s spending time with her son, travelling, or
gardening. Originally from the Netherlands, she currently resides in upstate New York.

Facebook: @authornoraphoenix

Twitter: @NoraPhoenixMM
Newsletter  Bookbub

My thoughts: Four princes come up with a plan, to spend time being “ordinary”, and decide America will be the best place to do this, since few Americans know much about European royals. First up is Prince Tore of Norway, his uncle is the king, and he’s third in line for the throne.

He enrolls at a college in Ohio, and joins the football (soccer) team. Where he promptly falls foul of the captain – Farron. But the bickering and competition between them can’t stop an undeniable spark. Farron thinks it’s just a sex thing, and they should “get it out of their systems” as horny college boys may well do, but as they spend time together, they can’t fight the fact that this is more than just physical.

Only problem, Tore is still in the closet – royally speaking. When a tragedy back home means a quick dash to Norway, Farron gets suspicious. And oh dear, that secret might just derail the whole thing.

There is quite a bit of steamy sex, these are young men after all, working through things naked is apparently the best way to do it!

It’s also funny, a bit silly, and has far too much football (we invented it, we get to name it!) for me, and not much studying seems to get done! Definitely college (university) then!

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