books

Audiobook Release: Another Life – Karla Marie Sweet

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One of the UK’s most exciting screenwriters, Karla Marie Sweet is a Brit List nominated British-American actor and writer with credits including BBC, Netflix and Hulu who has written her debut novel Another Life for Audible Original. 

 Audible Originals showcase new and original fiction from talented British authors commissioned exclusively by Audible. These handpicked “audio first” stories cannot be found anywhere else or in any other format (such as print or eBook) and are at the heart of Audible’s mission to offer the most captivating and compelling audio content to book lovers.

 For fans of Margaret Attwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Naomi Alderman’s The Power, Another Life is speculative fiction at its most ambitious and provocative, at once taking us on a thrilling journey to an alternate reality, and exposing the limits of own world in bold and surprising ways.

 Another Life will be narrated by British actors Kingsley Ben-Adir (Bob Marley: One Love) and Erin Doherty (The Crown).

 A feminist, dystopian page turner, Another Life introduces readers to the controversial External Womb Programme, which provides women with the technology to outsource their pregnancy to a machine. While countless women hail this as revolutionary, others grapple with what this subversive new technology might mean for the future of motherhood and, indeed, the world.

 After losing her parents in a car accident, Lucy marries James – sweet, straight, dependable, and completely unlike her charismatic, hard-to-pin-down ex Violet. All Lucy craves a glittering career as an actor, but James wants to settle down and have a baby, so when they discover the External Womb Programme, it looks like they can have it all.

 But a corrupt government stepping into power for the first time leads to this groundbreaking piece of technology falling into the wrong hands, forcing everyone to reckon with a challenging new world and their place within it.

 Karla Marie Sweet, author of Another Life and Brit List 2023 writer, said “Writing my debut novel has been such a joyful experience. It’s been a way for me to grapple with so many concepts, themes and world issues. A means of articulating so many fears and dreams. Developing the coming-of-age stories of these characters over the last few years has also been a big part of my own coming of age. I’m so grateful that Audible could see this novel’s potential and working with them since they came on board has been nothing short of wonderful.”

 

Karla Marie Sweet is a British-American actor, screenwriter, novelist and dramaturg born and based in Manchester, UK. Recent acting credits include Black Dog and season 2 of Hulu’s No Man’s Land. As a writer, her theatre credits include Cheetham Hill (for the Royal Exchange), This Little Relic (BBC Radio 3 and the Belgrade Theatre) and Othello (Watermill Theatre), a re-versioning The Guardian and WhatsOnStage awarded four stars each, calling it a “remarkable” adaptation that “moves with the pace of a thriller.” 

 Karla also has multiple TV writing credits to her name, with her special unconscious bias episode of Hollyoaks hailed the show’s “best ever episode” by the news media and lauded by fans and critics alike. The episode went on to be the cornerstone of the show’s winning submission for Best Continuing Drama at the 2022 Royal Television Society Awards. Karla’s been in the writersroom for several shows including Get Even (BBC/Netflix), Sexy Beast (Paramount+) and a 1990s set show about pirate radio, helmed by Ashley Walters.

 She is currently part of the 2023/24 Brit List cohort after gaining 13 industry nominations for her comedy-drama pilot DaSilva & Sharp. 

Get your copy from the 19th September exclusively on http://audible.co.uk/

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Book Blitz: American Graveyard – Dale Zawada

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We have something to get you into the spooky spirit! American Graveyard by Dale Zawada is now available!

American Graveyard

Publication Date: September 13, 2024

Genre: Horror/Anthology

American Graveyard is a six-story horror anthology from award-winning screenwriter Dale Zawada.

The six twisted morality tales range in tone and subgenre from supernatural to splatterpunk, and shine a light on the not-so-hidden horrors of suburbia, the American Graveyard.

The Lake Monster: Denny Rose is an actor, at least that’s what he tells people. After his failed Hollywood experiment ends, he returns home to care for his ailing grandfather, who is acting stranger than usual.

When You Wish: This depraved retelling of Pinocchio follows a mourning father suffering a psychotic break over the loss of his son who wants nothing more than his boy back, and he’ll make that happen no matter what.

Cat Scratch Fever: Catherine Martino has always skated through life off her good looks, but when the vain young woman develops a mysterious rash, her comfortable life is altered forever. This skin-crawling morality tale is based on a true story.

Flight Simulator of the Gods: When Tyler learns his flight simulator impacts the reality around him, the high school bully becomes a god overnight, taking revenge on the people he feels wronged him.

Elf Off the Shelf: When six-year-old Jason sneaks downstairs on Christmas morning, the elf on the shelf goes rogue to punish the impatient, naughty child. Will Santa Claus make it in time, or will Jason make the ultimate naughty list?

The Darkest Thoughts: Megan’s life was perfect. She had her dream job and the perfect husband in Luke. Their intense love is tested when a detective from Luke’s past appears, and as his violent history is revealed, Megan must choose between the man she loves and doing what’s right.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

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Blogathon: Little Sister – Isabel Ashdown

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After sixteen years apart sisters Jessica and Emily are reunited. With the past now behind them, the warmth they once shared quickly returns and before long Jess has moved into Emily’s comfortable island home. Life couldn’t be better. But when baby Daisy disappears while in Jess’s care, the perfect life Emily has so carefully built starts to fall apart.

Was Emily right to trust her sister after everything that happened before?

My thoughts: I’m a big sister and while my younger sister sometimes drives me nuts, I would do anything to keep her safe. I think it’s why I found Jess and Emily’s story and their relationship at times hard to believe, especially what happened between them as teenagers. 

Daisy being kidnapped is absolutely awful, but none of it was Jess’ fault, if anything Emily has a not insignificant role in what happens – as does her husband, who isn’t as wonderful and trustworthy as she thought.

But as the story unravels and the long separation between Jess and Emily – sixteen years – and the reasons why – or the reasons that Jess thinks and what Emily did turn out to be very different. That was what was shocking. As an older sister, yes sometimes I have wanted to get rid of sister – maybe not permanently, and resented her, of course. But I would never stoop as low as Emily did, never drive a wedge between parents and child.

I think I had such a strong reaction to this book not just because of my own sibling relationship, but because I am surrounded by sisters. My mum is an older sister, my dad has two older sisters, many of my friends are older (and younger) sisters. And even at their worst, I can’t imagine any of them doing what Emily did. She’s monstrous. But it’s all hidden so well behind a veneer of charm, success and happiness. The ending might be quite twisted, but a part of me can’t blame Jess for wanting to put Emily in her place, for taking a sort of revenge.

It’s also incredibly well written, moving back and forth between the sisters, creating empathy and antipathy as you learn more, the darkness of Emily’s cruel behaviour, Jess’ own plotting to finally get one over on her sister.

Cassie (Emily’s step-daughter), a big sister herself, is contrasted against the nasty relationship between Emily and Jess, is more empathetic. There’s a big age gap between her and Daisy (I have a friend with a similar one, it does complicate things sometimes) but Cassie doesn’t resent her sister, the way Emily does hers.

The book is excellent, the writing strong and the plot intense, something I’ve really come to enjoy in Isabel’s books. A real pleasure to read even as I sort of hated Emily!

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

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Blog Tour: Song of the Dark Wood – Sheila Masterson

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We are getting ready to celebrate the release of this beauty on September 20th, and what better way to do that than with a book tour!

Song of the Dark Wood

Publication Date: September 20, 2024

Genre: Gothic/Fairy Tale Romance

😍 He falls first
👻 Girls who see ghosts
🙅🏻‍♀️ Bodily Autonomy
😡 Feminine Rage: The Fairy Tale
🌳 Haunted Forest
🩸 Wound Tending
💀 Touch her and dye
🎶 Music based magic system
😠 A grumpy god of death
😈 He can make me worse > i can fix him

For centuries, the people of remote Ballybrine have kept the peace with their gods by sacrificing a Red Maiden to ferry souls from the Mother’s realm of the living, through the Dark Wood, to the Wolf’s realm of the dead. Soon it will be Rowan’s turn.

Ripped from her family as a young girl, Rowan Cleary has been forced into a cloistered life learning to please the wolf and wield her spirit-enchanting voice. Though none of the previous maidens have survived their five-year term, Rowan is determined to beat the odds and protect the women who have become family to her.

When a deathly blight breaks out in the Dark Wood, and the acting maiden is murdered, Rowan vows to strike a new bargain with the god of death to ensure her survival. The Wolf has always been someone to fear—even more so now that the townspeople blame him for the blight—but he’s far from the vengeful death god she expects.

To unravel the mystery, Rowan must seduce the Wolf. Soon, the attraction between them grows into a relentless magical force, threatening to shatter the delicate balance between realms and unleash a darkness eager to swallow their world.

SONG OF THE DARK WOOD is a standalone gothic fairy tale fantasy romance that blends a fractured Red Riding Hood retelling with a hint of Hades and Persephone. This “coming of rage” character-driven romance follows Rowan Cleary as she tries to free herself from an oppressive cultish religion and seduce the grumpy god of death Wolf. This atmospheric, spicy, dark romantasy is perfect for fans of feminine rage, strong female friendships, unique magic systems, angsty romance, and ominous mysteries. This book will appeal to readers who enjoyed Rachel Gillig’s ONE DARK WINDOW, Rebecca Ross’s A RIVER ENCHANTED, and Hannah Whitten’s FOXGLOVE KING.

PRE-ORDER HERE

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Cover Reveal: Even Angels Fall – E.V. Sauvage

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We’re thrilled to present the cover for Even Angels Fall by by E. V. Sauvage! If this sounds good to you, you’re going to want to pre-order this beauty today!

Even Angels Fall (The Even Ever After Series)

Expected Publication Date: November 28, 2024

Genre: Fantasy Romance/ Shifters

  • Enemies to lovers
  • Marriage of convenience
  • He falls first
  • She’s badass
  • Found family
  • Shapeshifters (she’s a crow/he’s a dragon)

300 years ago, my world collided with Earth.

My kind has been ruling over the world ever since, passing as archangels.

Doves, swans, cockatoo, their white wings in half shifted form are the sign of their power.

I should have been the next in line.

I should have been the new archangel Michaël.

But my wings aren’t white.

So instead I have to stay hidden. Instead, I’ve been trained my whole life. Instead, I’m their weapon.

Because who would be best suited to kill the dragon shifter living inside of Notre Dame than a fallen angel?

My name is Angélique. I’m a crow-shifter, and my mission is to marry Elhyor and to kill him on our wedding night.

But nothing is the way it seems, and the dragon might be harder to kill than I thought.

He might also be my only chance at freedom…

Do I have any chance of surviving unscathed?

Only time will tell…

PRE-ORDER HERE

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Book Blitz: Vicious Luna – C.J. Primer

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Happy release day and congrats to author C.J. Primer! Get your copy of Vicious Luna and visit our Instagram page for a chance to win a book box!

Vicious Luna: An Enemies to Lovers Wolf Shifter Romance (Shadowed Heirs Book Four)

Publication Date: September 17, 2024

Genre: PNR/ Shifters

  • Fated Mates
  • PNR (Wolf Shifters)
  • Enemies to Lovers
  • Forced Proximity
  • Hostage Situation
  • Strong FMC who takes no shit
  • Morally grey MMC
  • Primal play
  • Secrets & Lies

I usually dance on bars, not find myself waking up behind them.

I’m in a cell, captured by the enemy that has been hunting my kind for the past decade. They’re holding me hostage to use for leverage in their sick extermination effort, forcing me to live through my worst nightmare and subjecting me to unspeakable horrors. While a lesser woman would give up, I’ll stop at nothing to find a way to escape this place, even if it means crossing a few lines.

The guy who’s keeping me under lock and key is stone cold, but there’s no mistaking the way he looks at me. As much as he hates himself for it, he wants me, and that’s something I can work with.

Little by little, I’ll let him get closer. I’ll make him believe I’m playing his game while setting a honey trap he can’t help but get caught in. He’ll think he’s breaking me down, but I’ll just be biding my time, waiting for an opening to shove a knife in his back and set myself free.

There’s only one problem with my plan, though…

There’s a fine line between love and hate.

Vicious Luna is book four in the Shadowed Heirs series, a collection of paranormal romance novels centered around a group of aligned packs of wolf shifters. These books contain mature content (steamy scenes!), frequent use of profanity, and darker themes. While each book in the series concludes with a HEA for the main couple featured, there are some loose ends concerning the overarching storyline that runs throughout the entire five-book series. This book can be enjoyed as a standalone. The first three books in the series are available on KU.

GET IT ON AMAZON

TRIGGERS:

This book contains darker themes that may be triggering for some readers. Possible triggers include, but are not limited to: bullying, kidnapping, hostage situation, emotional blackmail, manipulation, dubious consent, rough sex, primal play, graphic violence, blood, gore, use of firearms, death, threat of sexual assault (not between MCs), anxiety, depression, and thoughts of self-harm. I have tried to handle all of these with care, and this story WILL have a happy ending. It’s just a rough road to get there, but if anyone can go through hell and come out stronger on the other side, it’s Avery. I hope you enjoy her story.

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Book Blitz: Becoming Carly Klein – Elizabeth Harlan

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This new release will have you wrapped up in the nostalgia of youth! Check out Becoming Carly Klein by Elizabeth Harlan!

Becoming Carly Klein: A Novel

Publication Date: September 17, 2024

Genre: YA/ Contemporary Young Adult/ Coming-of-Age

Fans of contemporary coming-of-age young adult fiction will root for Carly Klein as she fights to find her place in the world—even if she has to lie to everyone in her life to get there.

Neglected by self-absorbed parents who wind up divorcing by the time she’s sixteen, Carly Klein is sustained by her best friend, Lauren. But when Lauren and her family move away, Carly is forced to find new ways to entertain herself. It doesn’t take her long to locate the perfect subject: her therapist mother’s patients.

Carly soon becomes obsessed with one patient in particular—Daniel, a blind junior at Columbia College—and, desperate to become part of his life and knowing he’ll never go for a high school girl, gets close to him by pretending to be a student at neighboring Barnard College. Becoming Carly Klein follows Carly on a roller coaster romp through the exhilaration and disappointment of first love—and the unintended consequences of disguise, deception, and discovery.

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Blog Tour: Tis the Damn Season – Fiona Gibson

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This year, their families can deck the bloody halls themselves…

Old friends Shelley, Lena and Pearl have reached their limit with the festive preparation that has always fallen to them, and five days before Christmas, they’ve booked a mini break… without their
families. Up until Christmas Eve, they’ll be sipping prosecco in the Highlands while their kids wrap bacon around 100 chipolatas and their partners brave the supermarkets.

It’s exactly what they need… until they’re snowed in. Facing the prospect of Christmas 500 miles from home, each woman is forced to confront her real reasons for needing to escape: the fiance with the obnoxious family; the son’s new girlfriend who is taking over their home; the family who take their mother for granted all year round…

Will the friends make it home before Christmas day? And if they do, can they really go back to their old lives?

This Christmas, forget Elf on the Shelf, get ready for Mums on the Run in the hilarious and heartwarming new novel from Fiona Gibson.

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Fiona Gibson writes bestselling and brilliantly funny novels about the craziness and messiness of family life.

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My thoughts: I subscribe to Fiona’s Substack, which is funny and wry, much like her books, including this seasonal offering, complete with Taylor Swift title.

Christmas is a fraught time of year for many, Shelley and her friends Lena and Pearl too. Shelley’s sick of being taken for granted by her family, her husband seems completely oblivious to how much she does – he just expects everything to happen without doing anything himself, same with the kids.

Lena and Pearl have their own share of useless family members, Lena’s fiance just expects her to put up with his parents, who don’t treat her very well and constantly compare her to his ex-wife. Pearl’s son and his girlfriend are driving her crazy – the girlfriend has “borrowed” her favourite lipstick and taken over her flat.

So a quick jaunt to Scotland for a few days seems like a genius idea, a chance to get away from all the festive stress, the planning, the shopping, the wrapping. Let their families sort themselves out for a bit.

Then the weather takes a turn for the snowed in…

Funny, a bit silly, full of whatever the opposite of the joys of the season, the friendship between the three women is what sees them through everything that this suddenly unpredictable Christmas throws at them, from them not being able to find the freezer to being stranded by the snow, they persevere with laughter and lots of wine. Great fun and a good way to remind yourself to be grateful for the people in your life that you love and love you.

*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: Poison in Piccadilly – Kelly Oliver

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London 1918: Is Fiona Figg ready to exchange her sleuthing cap for a bridal veil?

Fiona is set to tie the knot with her dashing captain, Archie Somersby. But, while Fiona is busy planning her happily ever after, side-kick Kitty Lane and a group of judo-chopping suffragettes are kicking up trouble at the Piccadilly Jujitsu Club.

When Kitty is found unconscious in the locker room during a high-stakes competition, Fiona must forsake her bouquets and bridal gown to investigate. Her sleuthing leads to a posh lady’s luncheon where a mysterious death crashes Fiona’s wedding plans.

To make matters worse, the arch-nemesis of all things matrimonial Fredrick Fredricks is up to his old tricks, attempting to put the brakes on Fiona’s journey down the aisle. Will he succeed in tripping up
Fiona’s wedding vows? Or will she finally say “I don’t” to the charming devil?

Purchase


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.

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My thoughts: Fiona is finally about to marry her beloved Archie, or is she? Obviously charming German spy Frederick Fredericks says she shouldn’t, but she’s sure he’s just meddling with her. But after Kitty gets a bump to the head and loses her memory – telling Fiona she’s an MI5 agent and needs to find a woman called Jane, but not able to even remember her canine sidekick, Poppy. 

Fiona needs to find out who conked Kitty on the head, what it has to do with the war and the Irish independence struggle, and decide whether or not she’s actually going to marry Archie.

Without her usual know-it-all partner, but with Clifford acting as chauffeur, it’s off to Ireland on the hunt for a shillelagh with a distinctive shamrock decoration, and someone with it in for Kitty. Fiona gets arrested for murder along the way, and gets to wear some of her beloved disguises, as she unravels what happened to Kitty, and waits for the teenage spy to get her memory back. 

*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: Cop-Off! – Isobel Reed

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We’re thrilled to present the cover for the next book in Isobel Reed’s series, Cop-Off! Pre-order a copy today!

Cop-Off (Love Burns Series Book 2)

Expected Publication Date: October 22, 2024

Genre: Police Romance/ Enemies-to-Lovers

🚨 Enemies to lovers
🚨 Forced proximity
🚨 He falls first
🚨 Small town rom com
🚨 Dual POV
🚨 Steamy

Return to Woodvalley Pines…where a sexy police officer comes across one troublemaker that he’s determined to pin down.

Cat is looking to snag herself a cowboy. After all, what else is there to do in the small town of Woodvalley Pines. And after the year she’s had, she deserves to treat herself. There’s only one problem. Cody freaking McBride. The devil himself. And the bane of her existence. It’s bad enough she has to look at his smug face most days, but now he’s made it his mission to meddle in her love life. Which means only one thing, it’s about to get ugly.

Single dad and local cop Cody thought he was done with love. He was content in his routine. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. But then Cat shows up in town. Lighting fires wherever she goes and hurling insults his way while she’s doing it. He actually finds himself enjoying fighting with the little she-devil, it’s the most alive he’s felt in years.

Woodvalley Pines is about to witness the ultimate showdown. Where clothes aren’t the only things getting torn to shreds.

Cop-Off is set in a small town filled with sassy heroines, hunky heroes, and busybodies who can’t help but share their two cents. Fans of Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson and Worth the Risk by Jamie Beck will love Isobel Reed’s steamy, snarky romance!

PRE-ORDER ON AMAZON

ALSO AVAILABLE AT BARNES & NOBLE, KOBO, AND APPLE BOOKS

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