Tag: blog tour

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Expectant – Vanda Symon

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The shocking murder of a heavily pregnant woman throws the New Zealand city of Dunedin into a tailspin, and the devastating crime feels uncomfortably close to home for Detective Sam Shephard as she counts down the days to her own maternity leave.

Confined to a desk job in the department, Sam must find the missing link between this brutal crime and a string of cases involving mothers and children in the past. As the pieces start to come together and the realisation dawns that the killer’s actions are escalating, drastic measures must be taken to prevent more tragedy.

For Sam, the case becomes personal, when it becomes increasingly clear that she is no longer safe, and the clock is ticking…

Vanda Symon lives in Dunedin, New Zealand. As well as being a crime writer, she has a PhD in science communication and is a researcher at the Centre for Pacific Health at the University of Otago. Overkill was shortlisted for the 2019 CWA John Creasey Debut Dagger Award and she is a four-time finalist for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel for her critically acclaimed Sam Shephard series. The fourth in the series, Bound, was shortlisted for a Barry Award. Vanda produces and hosts Write On, a monthly radio show focusing on the world of books at Otago Access Radio. When she isn’t working or writing, Vanda can be found in the garden, or on the business end of a fencing foil.

My thoughts: Vanda Symon is back, Sam Shepherd is back, but not for long. Maternity leave calls for the detective, but she’s determined to solve this awful case first. Because babies always stick to the timetable.

A murdered woman, her unborn baby taken from her body, rocks the New Zealand Town of Dunedin – it’s so horrific most people can’t imagine it. The hunt for the baby is key, but so is finding the killer.

Sam, up against her terrible boss as usual, refuses to accept desk duty and sets about investigating who would want to take a newborn. A desperate woman? Stolen to order or something far sadder but also something that could have been avoided.

Without giving much away, I actually immediately knew why once a few key bits of info fell into place, and it is heartbreakingly sad. I used to work in a DNA blood typing lab and yeah, this needs to be something that’s done every time. DM on Twitter to discuss once you’ve read it if you like. Drawing on her scientific background, Symon has once again crafted a clever, intense, compelling read.

Hopefully Sam and baby will enjoy their time off, there’s a great nursery nearby and Sam will be back with more cases soon.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Death and the Conjuror – Tom Mead

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In 1930s London, celebrity psychiatrist Anselm Rees is discovered dead in his locked study, and there seems to be no way that a killer could have escaped unseen. There are no clues, no witnesses, and no evidence of the murder weapon. Stumped by the confounding scene, the Scotland Yard detective on the case calls on retired stage magician-turned-part-time sleuth Joseph Spector. For who better to make sense of the impossible than one who traffics in illusions?

Spector has a knack for explaining the inexplicable, but even he finds that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye. As he and the Inspector interview the colorful cast of suspects among the psychiatrist’s patients and household, they uncover no shortage of dark secrets—or motives for murder. When the investigation dovetails into that of an apparently-impossible theft, the detectives consider the possibility that the two transgressions are related. And when a second murder occurs, this time in an impenetrable elevator, they realize that the crime wave will become even more deadly unless they can catch the culprit soon. 

A tribute to the classic golden-age whodunnit, when crime fiction was a battle of wits between writer and reader, Death and the Conjuror joins its macabre atmosphere, period detail, and vividly-drawn characters with a meticulously-constructed fair play puzzle. Its baffling plot will enthrall readers of mystery icons such as Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr, modern masters like Anthony Horowitz and Elly Griffiths, or anyone who appreciates a good mystery.

Tom Mead is a UK crime fiction author specialising in locked-room mysteries. 

He is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the International Thriller Writers’ Organization. 

His debut novel is DEATH AND THE CONJUROR, featuring magician-detective Joseph Spector.

My thoughts: this was a lot of fun, harking back to my beloved Golden Age detective stories (honestly still some of the best crime fiction) with a magician turned “consulting detective” called Spector (excellent name) assisting the police investigation into the locked room mystery death of the psychiatrist Dr Rees (think Freud, complete with the large house in North London and dysfunctional family). The suspects are his three patients, his daughter and her fiancee.

As the pair delve into the lives of the Doctor and his patients, more mysteries appear, who was the man in the alley, what happened to the lift operator and who was the mysterious visitor the housekeeper couldn’t identify? No spoilers here, so grab a copy and follow the sleights of hand, the misdirection and try to guess where the case will go next!

*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: And I Was Like November – Rachael Biggs

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AndIwaslikeNov copy

Welcome to the book tour for And I Was Like November, a “beautifully writtern bummer” by Rachael Biggs. Read on for more info!

And-I-Was-Like-November-RCB-Front-EBOOK-COVER

And I Was Like November

Expected Publication Date: January 31, 2023

Genre: Womens Fiction/ Black Humor/ Short Stories

20 October 2022… In a world where hyper-positivity and woke culture abounds, Rachael Biggs’ And I Was Like November offers a glimpse of the other side, while navigating themes of isolation and longing.

These are stories of what happens to the women that didn’t get their happy ending—the ones who don’t believe the cliches about family being everything and who know that live-laugh-love isn’t the cure all. Taboo topics that embrace a gritty reality include transactional sex, romantic obsession, maternal disdain and teenaged drug dealing are linked by the need to survive in the midst of questionable sanity and deep loneliness.

“This is what happens when things don’t work out and the consequences and feelings we have in private as a result. They’re stories about women whose lives aren’t glossy, filtered, and Instagram ready, and the contrast of their brushed-under-the-rug realities is maybe more interesting and relatable. In a world where we’re bombarded with shiny fallacies, this is the beautiful side of ugly,” said Rachael.

Available on Amazon starting January 31st!

About the Author

Rachael Biggs is an author, screenwriter, copywriter and journalist. She studied creative writing at UBC, UCLA, and with masters of the craft Syd Field and Robert McKee. In 2016 she earned a screenwriting diploma from Vancouver Film School with a focus on television.

Her memoir Yearning for Nothings and Nobodies debuted to critical acclaim and was adapted for the screen as Behind the Eight Ball.

She is a frequent contributor to print and on-line publications and her short fiction appears regularly in literary magazines including Door is a Jar, Angel City Review and Charge Magazine.

She divides her time between Vancouver and Los Angeles.

Rachael Biggs

Book Tour Schedule

January 30th

R&R Book Tours (Kick-Off) http://rrbooktours.com

Stine Writing (Spotlight) https://christinebialczak.com/

@read_dog_reviews (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/read_dog_reviews/

Riss Reviews (Review) https://rissreviewsx.wixsite.com/website

January 31st

Breakeven Books (Spotlight) https://breakevenbooks.com

Timeless Romance Blog (Spotlight) https://aubreywynne.com/

Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews (Spotlight) https://heidilynnsbookreviews.blogspot.com/

February 1st

@wolves_perception (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/wolves_perception/

@vinamkent_author (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/vinamkent_author/

The Faerie Review (Review) http://www.thefaeriereview.com

February 2nd

Rambling Mads (Spotlight) http://ramblingmads.com

@evelovesbooks_travel_art (Review) https://www.instagram.com/evelovesbooks_travel_art/

@ofbooksandromance (Review) https://www.instagram.com/ofbooksandromance/

@latishaslowkeylife (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/latishaslowkeylife/

February 3rd

@booknerd_jen22 (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/booknerd_jen22/

Liliyana Shadowlyn (Spotlight) https://lshadowlynauthor.com/

@the.brooke.library (Review) https://www.instagram.com/the.brooke.library/

Book Tour Organized By:

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R&R Book Tours

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Marriage Season – Jane Dunn

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‘It’s not a fair world I’m afraid. Beauty or fortune carries the day. You have the beauty and I the fortune, so there’s every chance we’ll succeed’
In Regency England, marriage is everything. For young widow Sybella Lovatt, the time has come to find a suitable husband for her sister and ward Lucie. Male suitors are scarce near their Wiltshire estate, so the sisters resolve to head to London in time for The Season to begin.
Once ensconced at the Mayfair home of Lady Godley, Lucie’s godmother, the whirl of balls, parties and promenades can begin. But the job of finding a husband is fraught with rules and tradition.
Jostling for attention are the two lords – the charming and irresistible Freddie Lynwood and the preternaturally handsome Valentine Ravenell, their enigmatic neighbour from Shotten Hall, Mr Brabazon, and the dangerous libertine Lord Rockliffe, with whom the brooding Brabazon is locked in deadly rivalry.
Against the backdrop of glamorous Regency England, Sybella must settle Lucie’s future, protect her own reputation, and resist the disreputable rakes determined to seduce the beautiful widow. As the Season ends, will the sisters have found the rarest of things – a suitable marriage with a love story to match?
Purchase

Author Bio –
Jane Dunn is an historian and biographer and the author of seven acclaimed biographies, including Daphne du Maurier and her Sisters and the Sunday Times and NYT bestseller, Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens. She comes to Boldwood with her first fiction outing – a trilogy of novels set in the Regency period, the first of which is to be published in January 2023. She lives in Berkshire with her husband, the linguist Nicholas Ostler.

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My thoughts: if, like me, you’re a fan of Regency romances and Bridgerton, then you’ll love this – trust me.

Sisters Bella and Lucie are headed to London, to stay with Lucie’s Godmother, “Lady God” as Bella’s hilarious son puts it, for The Season. Having lived out in the countryside, they’re both feeling a bit like fish out of water. Even with their neighbours Mr Brabazon and his cousin Lord Lynwood as acquaintances and increasingly friends.

Of course every man they meet has a reputation and most of them bad. Bella might be a widow but she’s a bit naive, not willing to just believe the things she’s told and besides, her husband was a paragon. A Dragoon captain he died in the Peninsula War (the endless fight against Napoleon’s global ambitions) and few could measure up.

And that brings us to my favourite character – Bella’s totally hilarious, very adorable little son, who loves horses more than almost anything else. He’s also the source of the funniest lines, having learnt most of his speech from the groom Gem and his late father’s batman George. Not exactly Society speech. But he’s brilliant. I want whole books featuring him and his many horse based interactions. He reveals the softer side of many of the dashing rakes the sisters meet, most of them are horse lovers too and can’t resist a small pudgy hand asking to have a ride.

This book was really enjoyable, lots of fun, and quite funny. So do yourself a favour and return to the Regency and the Ton.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: You Shall Leave Your Land – Renato Cisneros, translated by Fionn Petch

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Renato Cisneros’s great-great-grandmother Nicolasa bore seven children by her long-term secret love, who was also her priest, raising them alone in nineteenth century Peru. More than a century later, Renato, the descendent of that clandestine affair, struggles to wring information about his origins out of recalcitrant relatives, whose foibles match the adventures and dalliances of their ancestors. As buried secrets are brought into the light, the story of Nicolasa’s progeny unfolds, bound up with key moments in the development of the Republic of Peru since its independence. 

My thoughts: families are complicated and messy and not always proud of their origins. Secrets are part of the author’s family, no one wants to admit to where they came from and what their ancestors were doing, he has to slowly tease out the stories and details from his relatives.

But what a story. Not the tragic story of a woman who as a priest’s mistress can never announce their love and give their children legitimacy, but the incredible story of a family who are so close to greatness and instrumental in the shaping of the independent Republic of Peru. From the declaration of their separation from Spain in the 1920s to the modern day, the Cisneros family descended from Nicolasa are right at the heart of everything.

Tracing his ancestors, from great-great-grandfather down, the author fills his pages with moving and heartbreaking love stories, cycles that seem doomed to repeat, of children neglected and wives betrayed, of oceans separating generations. There’s exile and intrigue, bravery and foolishness. But the family always survive.

With uncle Gustavo on hand to fill in some of the details from his own research, Renato builds an elaborate and detailed history of an incredible family, who should be proud of their name and place in Peruvian history.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Murder in Chianti – T.A. Williams

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Murder in broad daylight…
When millionaire magnate, Rex Hunter is found with his head bashed in on the eighth hole of his prestigious golf and country club in beautiful Chianti, it’s a clear case of murder. Hunter was rich and
successful and the envy of many, so retired DCI Dan Armstrong thinks the case will be a hole in one to solve….
A despised victim…
But as Dan and his trusty sidekick Oscar begin to dig deeper into Hunter’s lifestyle, they discover a man despised by many. A renown womaniser, ruthless boss and heartless family man, it seems no one is particularly sorry to see Hunter dead. And the list of possible suspects is endless…
A murderer covering their tracks.
Dan is determined to catch this clever killer, but it seems every new lead brings another dead end.
Will this be one case Dan and his canine companion won’t solve?
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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, will be published in October 2022. Trevor lives in Devon with his Italian wife.

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My thoughts: I probably shouldn’t enjoy crime fiction as much as I do, but when they’re this good, it’s a bit tricky not to!

A dead man on the golf course, head staved in with a club. Digging into the case Dan discovers he’s pretty awful and there’s plenty of suspects. Including his own children.

Oliver, an excellent canine detective, finds several clues, everyone eats and drinks delicious local produce. I start looking up flights to Florence. Murders not withstanding, it is a beautiful place (I’ve been, years ago).

This series is lots of fun, the characters are entertaining and I love the relationship between Dan and the local police – his years of knowledge and experience plus interpreter skills are a bonus. And he is a great protagonist, writing his novels but also solving crimes, and not always giving Oliver enough walks!

*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: Nothing Can Hurt You Now – Simone Campos, translated by Rahul Bery

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Lucinda has lived her whole life in the shadow of her glamorous and outgoing high-end model sister Viviana. But when Viviana suddenly disappears on a trip to São Paulo, Lucinda drops everything to track her down.

Met with indifference from the police, Lucinda joins forces with Viviana’s girlfriend Graziane to launch her own investigation. When she discovers that her sister had a thriving career as a sex worker, the list of possible suspects widens.

Then a cryptic text suggests that Viviana is still alive but being held hostage. With the minutes ticking by, Lucinda and Graziane must track down the men from Viviana’s past to discover who might want to do her harm.

A furiously contemporary and vibrant thriller that crackles with danger.

My thoughts: the relationships between the three women at the heart of this gripping thriller are vital to the plot. Lucinda’s decision to hunt down and rescue her sister from whatever danger she’s in, even after discovering the secrets Viviana has been keeping (sex work, a girlfriend, visiting their estranged dad) and reading the book Viviana is writing, is because of the love she has for her glamorous sister, but also the complicated childhood they shared. Graziane loves Viviana, and knows her secrets already so their connection is more straightforward.

Putting their own lives in possible danger, interviewing exes, looking into Viviana’s most recent movements, and then heading out to a remote place, where she’s most likely being held, with no real idea of the risks, is incredibly brave.

Viviana’s chapters are full of unexpected violence, terror and her desperate attempts to stay alive, escape and stop an increasingly fragile situation from falling apart. Caught in a complex web between two men, Davi and Cesar, who have clearly got a lot of their own issues, she’s afraid for good reason.

The flashbacks to how Lucinda and Viviana grew up, filling in gaps to who they are now, helps the reader understand their relationship, and as Lucinda confronts the fact that she actually doesn’t really know her sister as well as she once thought, all three women are heading for a dangerous confrontation on a remote ranch.

A short but compelling story of the dangers that lurk beneath the exterior and of the relationships that most connect us. Viviana never loses hope her sister and girlfriend will help her, even as the farmhouse becomes more terrifying.

*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: West of Jaws – Capes

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As they hunt down a common enemy in a magical land, Helisent and Samson uncover troubling mysteries and a budding love that will change their lives forever. Think: The Witcher meets Sex and the City.

Welcome to the book tour for for brand new fantasy novel, West of Jaws by author Capes. Read on for more details!

ebookcopy

West of Jaws (Sennenwolf Series #1)

Publication Date: January 20, 2023

Genre: Adult Romantic Fantasy w/ Mature Themes
The only thing dumber than convincing the imminent Male Alpha of Velm to help me find Oko would be falling in love with him along the way.
Helisent West of Jaws, a witch, and Samson 714 Afador, a wolf, don’t have much in common.

He’s in line to become the Male Alpha of Velm, she’s a red witch with a questionable relationship to brandy. But that doesn’t matter. They don’t need to get along when they strike up a partnership to hunt down Oko, a mutual enemy.

All they need to do is survive a trip to Skull, the City of Ghosts… and then a run-in with a filthy bloodsucker, a prophecy-wielding selkie, a pack of wolves, and an irate phoenix.

As each hurdle brings Helisent and Samson closer to finding Oko, their discoveries begin to point to a single conclusion—one that will destroy the trust they’ve placed in each other and change their world forever.
West of Jaws is an adult comedic romantasy from indie author Capes. Think: Sex and the City meets The Witcher.

CW: West of Jaws is a romantasy with plenty of familiar tropes… but also deals with psychological and adult themes like addiction, including alcoholism. It’s important that all reviewers who receive my book understand that there is a deeper exploration of these themes than typically found in romance and fantasy.

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Available on Amazon

About the Author

About The Author logo

Capes is the pseudonym for author TL Adamms. She likes all things romantasy. And she likes spliffs. Mother Nature, too.

As a queer artist, she aims to infuse a music festival vibe into adult fantasy fiction. All are welcome. The weirder, the better.

The Sennenwolf Series is her third project.

Other works by Capes:

The Decagon Series (Decagon, Baphomet, Psychopomp, 2020)

The Unburied Queen (shortlisted for Foreword INDIES, 2021)

Capes Creates | Instagram | Newsletter

Book Tour Schedule

January 30th

R&R Book Tours (Kick-Off) http://rrbooktours.com

@my_books_and_coffee (Review) https://www.instagram.com/my_books_and_coffee/

@lambsbooks (Review) https://www.instagram.com/lambsbooks/

@readwritefantasy (Review) https://www.instagram.com/readwritefantasy/

I Smell Sheep (Spotlight) http://www.ismellsheep.com/

Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com

January 31st

Rambling Mads (Spotlight) http://ramblingmads.com

@afantaseaofbooks (Review) https://www.instagram.com/afantaseaofbooks/

@its_b.e.l.l.e (Review) https://www.instagram.com/its_b.e.l.l.e/

@beastreader (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/beastreader/

@popthebutterfly (Review) https://www.instagram.com/popthebutterfly/

@acupofteaandabookplease (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/acupofteaandabookplease/

February 1st

@betweenhogwartsandvelaris (Review) https://www.instagram.com/betweenhogwartsandvelaris/

@balancing_books_and_beauties (Review) https://www.instagram.com/balancing_books_and_beauties/

@bookishly_kenia (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/bookishlykenia/

@margiebythebookcase (Review) https://www.instagram.com/margiebythebookcase/

@thebiblioaddict (Review) https://www.tiktok.com/@thebiblioaddict?_t=8XUwgIVt2NO&_r=1

@latishaslowkeylife (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/latishaslowkeylife/

February 2nd

Liliyana Shadowlyn (Spotlight) https://lshadowlynauthor.com/

@amanda_coffee_books (Review) https://www.instagram.com/amanda_coffee_books/

@by_hckilgour (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/by_hckilgour/

@crazybookloverz (Review) https://www.instagram.com/crazybookloverz/

@reading_to_the_last_page (Review) https://www.instagram.com/reading_to_the_last_page/

Bunny’s Reviews (Review) https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/

@vinamkent_author (Review) https://www.instagram.com/vinamkent_author/

I Love Books & Stuff (Spotlight) https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com

February 3rd

Breakeven Books (Spotlight) https://breakevenbooks.com

@becxreadz (Review) https://www.instagram.com/becxreadz/

@books.and.salt (Review) https://www.instagram.com/books.and.salt/

@_kellymariewrites (Review) https://www.instagram.com/_kellymariewrites/

@mels_booksandhooks (Review) https://www.instagram.com/mels_booksandhooks/

Book Reviews by Taylor (Review) https://www.bookreviewsbytaylor.com/

Book Tour Organized By:

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blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: One Day With You – Shari Low

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One day, five lives, but whose hearts will be broken by nightfall?
It started like any other day in the picturesque village of Weirbridge.
Tress Walker waved her perfect husband Max off to work, with no idea that she was about to go into labour with their first child. And completely unaware that when she tried to track Max down, he wouldn’t be where he was supposed to be.
At the same time, Max’s best friend Noah Clark said goodbye to his wife, Anya, blissfully oblivious that he would soon discover the woman he adored had been lying to him for years.
And living alongside the two couples, their recently widowed friend, Nancy Jenkins, is getting ready to meet Eddie, her first true love at a school reunion. Will Nancy have the chance to rekindle an old flame, or will she choose to stay by Tress’s side when she needs her most?
One Day with You – two fateful goodbyes, two unexpected hellos, and 24 hours that change everything.
Purchase Link


Shari Low is the #1 bestselling author of over 30 novels, including My One Month Marriage and One Summer Sunrise and a collection of parenthood memories called Because Mummy Said So. She lives near Glasgow.

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My thoughts: Shari Low knows how to play on your emotions – this book made me laugh out loud and then want to sob, so keep some tissues handy.

On an ordinary day several lives will be changed forever. Births, deaths, old flames and new loves, truths revealed and lies told. The people at the centre of this story will go through it all in 24 hours.

Tress is pregnant with her first child, but not due for a couple of weeks, so waves husband Max off on a business trip. A trip his best friend Noah’s wife, Anya, is also on, she and Max work together.

Next door neighbour Nancy is getting all dressed up for a high school reunion that will bring her together with old boyfriend Eddie. She’d love pal Val (a familiar face if you know Low’s other books) to join her but husband Don has dementia and she worries about leaving him at home.

Things aren’t going to go to plan and a lot will happen to everyone before the end of the story and both characters and reader will be feeling differently by the end.

Another excellent, funny, sweet, clever and moving read from expert storyteller Shari Low.

*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: A Cut Twice As Deep – Wendy L. Anderson

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This cover!!!!
Welcome to the book tour for A Cut Twice as Deep by Wendy L. Anderson. Read on for more info and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end!

Giveaway: Win 1 of 5 Physical Copies (US Only)

A Cut Twice As Deep

A Cut Twice as Deep

Publication Date: September 24, 2020 (First Edition)

Genre: Fantasy/ Romantic Fantasy/ Vikings
Twin Sisters with a bond forged in blood and fire, face betrayal and fear.

Twin sisters, Liana and Deirdre were inseparable like the two halves of a double-bladed axe, making the pain of having to leave each other a cut twice as deep. Their father, Gorsedd Gunnarson, King of the great country of Svartur Rokk, did not care about twin bonds or his daughter’s preferences and severed the pair with a single blow. Both Liana and Deirdre have been sold to the highest bidders for ships, weapons, and alliances. For Gorsedd Gunnarson these are very profitable and advantageous marriage arrangements, but the twin sisters would be torn from each other’s lives and sent to lands far apart forever! Liana is forced to leave her childhood sweetheart and marry a stranger. Sweet, timid Deirdre would be wed to a Viking warlord. One would leave her home on a ship and the other on a horse. Both would travel great distances to new lands. Given no choice but to embrace the lives planned for them, they find that the future holds more than they could ever have suspected. In a land where blood and ice reign, danger and betrayal war with love and hope.
Can they fight to find happiness in an ruthless world ruled by the sword and axe.

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Excerpt

Thorsten tried hard to draw blood on Tiernan, but the damned man would not stay still. They hacked at each other, and each time Thorsten got too close, Tiernan would nick him on the arm or hand. Soon Thorsten had cuts all over his body that bled, but none were serious. Thorsten tried to put a quick end to the fight and stepped in too close. Tiernan swung down and Thorsten’s thigh split open as if Tiernan sliced into a thick piece of meat. The pain lanced up and gripped Thorsten in his bowels as the muscle separated and hung from the bone. He knew he could not make that mistake again and stepped toward the side of his good leg swinging his sword overhead for a downward stroke. Tiernan had anticipated the move and darted in, slashing down in the same spot on Thorsten’s uninjured leg repeating the same wound. Thorsten roared in pain, slashed out wildly, and clumsily managed a cut across Tiernan’s upper arm.

So, the battle went. Now Tiernan easily cut and slashed at Thorsten, inflicting pain, and damaging him so that his blood began to soak the ground. He soon tired from the loss of blood. His wounded legs barely held him up. Each time Tiernan’s sword flicked out toward Thorsten he made another slice. Soon, Thorsten was covered in blood from head to toe. His shirt hung in shreds on his bloody chest, and he staggered with two wounded legs.

Gorsedd watched from atop his horse contemplating the fight, thinking if Tiernan won the fight he would be able to keep Thorsten’s share of the gold, and then he’d sell off Liana to some rich Lord over on the Isle of Jura. He would keep Kearn and Tiernan’s sons to assure Liana and Deirdre’s compliance and, what worked once, would work again. He had to stop himself from grinning and almost hoped Tiernan would win as this new plan unfolded inside his scheming mind. The sheer number of warriors he had assured him a quick victory.

Kearn chanced a look behind them and saw in the distance his men were approaching rapidly. Turning to Tiernan he shouted, “Finish it, Tiernan!”

That was the signal that Tiernan was waiting for, and his eyes turned darker stormy grey as his right hand swung his sword in a wide circle over his head. Thorsten had also heard what Kearn shouted and raised his sword to make a killing blow.

Available on Amazon

About the Author

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Wendy L. Anderson is a Colorado native and mother of two boys. She has an English Degree from Regis University and writes books, short stories and poetry. Wendy is a devout reader of the classics, fantasy, sci-fi and historical fiction. She has decided it is time to write down the fantasies from her own mind. Writing about everything from fantastical worlds to the stuff of her dreams she takes her stories along interesting paths while portraying characters and worlds she sees in her mind’s eye. Her goal is to deviate from common themes, write in original directions and transport her reader to the worlds of her creation.

Wendy L. Anderson | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

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Book Tour Schedule

January 30th

R&R Book Tours (Kick-Off) http://rrbooktours.com

@ofbooksandromance (Review) https://www.instagram.com/ofbooksandromance/

@books_and_draws_eclectic (Review) https://www.instagram.com/books_and_draws_eclectic/

@acupofteaandabookplease (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/acupofteaandabookplease/

@latishaslowkeylife (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/latishaslowkeylife/

Rambling Mads (Spotlight) http://ramblingmads.com

January 31st

@escape.to.fantasy (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/escape.to.fantasy/

@reading_to_the_last_page (Review) https://www.instagram.com/reading_to_the_last_page/

The Faerie Review (Spotlight) http://www.thefaeriereview.com

@read_dog_reviews (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/read_dog_reviews/

February 1st

@its_b.e.l.l.e (Review) https://www.instagram.com/its_b.e.l.l.e/

@book_lover_danny (Review) https://www.instagram.com/book_lover_danny/

Emerald Reviews (Review) https://www.emeraldreviews.co.uk/

Book Reviews by Taylor (Review) https://www.bookreviewsbytaylor.com/

Liliyana Shadowlyn (Spotlight) https://lshadowlynauthor.com/

February 2nd

@obsessive_bibliomaniac (Review) https://www.instagram.com/obsessive_bibliomaniac/

Bunny’s Reviews (Review) https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/

@bookswithstacie (Review) https://www.instagram.com/bookswithstacie/

@tm_ghent (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/tm_ghent/

February 3rd

@amber.bunch_author (Review) https://www.instagram.com/amber.bunch_author/

@inkspit.blog (Review) https://www.instagram.com/inkspit.blog/

@bouviebooks (Review) https://www.instagram.com/bouviebooks/

@itsabookthing2021 (Review) https://www.instagram.com/itsabookthing2021/

@vinamkent_author (Review) https://www.instagram.com/vinamkent_author/

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