Tag: Blog Tour

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Hidden Lake by Ruhi Choudhary – Books On Tour (Review)

My love for finding new mystery/crime series is well-known to anyone who has read this blog. It should come as no surprise, then, that I am happy to let you know I have found another one!

Detective Mackenzie Price has quite a family history. The book opens with an event that would be scarring to anyone. It is interesting, then, that Mackenzie chooses to go into law enforcement. But that is somewhat typical of many of these heroines: a pivotal event provides them motivation for future choices.

I thought that the author astutely tackled Mackenzie’s memories and the influence that the event had on her. The thoughts that plagued Mackenzie were woven naturally into the plot, which was effective.

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0895Q93SRCover Apple: https://apple.co/36yGPoQ
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2X2Rlle Google: https://bit.ly/2XsJGM0

The case is fairly standard, but the author does a terrific job of not giving away everything all at once. The reader is able to put together the pieces as Mackenzie does, which is always more fun that knowing more than the characters (not that there is anything wrong with that style, but it’s always interesting to see how different authors approach policework).

Not only does the author drop hints about the case itself, there are also glimpses of potential relationship issues, both personal and work-related for “Mad Mack” (as her co-workers call her). Again, this is very effective because the author doesn’t give the reader a big exposition explanation, just little mentions here and there that hint there is more going on that we have yet to learn.

To say this was a page-turner is inadequate. I was definitely intrigued and drawn in by the style and the plot. This is quite a stellar debut, and I absolutely think that Mad Mack will be one to follow in future books.  

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/RuhiSChoudhary

Author Bio:

Ruhi Choudhary discovered her passion for writing when she was seven years old and wrote her first Star Trek episode. Being a fan of the dark and twisted, she found her calling in crime thriller.

She likes to write stories that make you a little uncomfortable and characters that you struggle to make up your mind about but stay with you.

She lives in Toronto and spends her days training to be a scientist and wishing it rained more often!

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Some Like it Greek by Sue Roberts – Books on Tour (Review)

Every once in awhile, amid the psych thrillers and historical fiction, you just need a book vacation. I have the perfect recommendation for you. Reading this was like taking a sunny vacation to Greece.

Anna has had a rough few months. After finding some documents that are memoirs from her dad’s time in Greece, she decides to follow in his footsteps, grabs her Dad’s neighbor Demi, and takes off on an adventure. How fortunate for us that we get to go along with her.

This book was pure escapism. There are no great lessons to learn or issues to overcome. Sure Anna has to make some tough decisions by the end, but isn’t that the way with any good vacation? Anybody who has had a lovely time somewhere feels that tug between wanting to stay and feeling the need to get back to real life.

Which one does Anna choose?

Like I’m going to tell you!! Read the book!

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2XYA7FF Apple: https://apple.co/3bsfipU
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2xVk69N Google: https://bit.ly/2WMA26C

I love this author’s writing style. It flows along, allowing the reader to be drawn into the story. Her descriptions of Italy and Greece were especially resonant because those are two of my favorite places in the world. The author captures them perfectly.

As I mentioned, there are no great mysteries here…just a very pleasant read with fun characters and beautiful scenery.

Sometimes that’s all a book needs to be a winner.

Author Bio:

Sue Roberts lives in Lancashire with her long term partner Derek and has had a lifelong love of writing, encouraged by winning a school writing competition at the age of 11.

She always assumed that ‘one day’ she would write a book, always having a busy household and a job, the idea remained firmly on the back burner but never forgotten.

The inspiration for her first novel came to her on a holiday to a Greek village. Her daughters had left home and suddenly the time had come to write that book! Twitter: https://twitter.com/suerobertsautho

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Here to Stay by Adriana Herrerra – Blog Tour (Review)

What could have been a run-of-the-mill, enemies to lovers/workplace romance story was made much more enjoyable by the author’s perfect capturing of a unique lifestyle and attitude that belongs to one group of people.

Every major city has its quirks, and life-long residents grow up incorporating them (often unknowingly) into their own characters. There is no place where this is truer than New York City.

People from there have a style and persona that is identifiable as “strictly NYC.” That even carries into the Boroughs, and further into neighborhoods. I lived in the city, so I’m very familiar with most of them.

I think that’s why I enjoyed this book so much. The author did a fantastic job of capturing that certain something New Yorkers have. From the lexicon to the clothing styles, it all felt familiar and a little bit comforting.

BUY LINKS

Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780369700926_here-to-stay.html
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Here-Stay-Adriana-Herrera-ebook/dp/B086R2QY77
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-to-stay-adriana-herrera/1136795733
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/here-to-stay/id1506190677
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Adriana_Herrera_Here_to_Stay?id=_-zaDwAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/here-to-stay-20

I especially liked Julia. She reminded me of a Dominican I once worked with in Midtown. Big and bold, but at times unsure in new situations. I also enjoyed Julia’s mom’s attitudes toward her daughter living in Texas. That’s another NYC thing…nothing is as good as what you can get in the city (even down to hand lotion).

I thought Rocco was an interesting character. He was working class Queens (also familiar) but painted as the bad guy in Julia’s eyes. I enjoyed watching the two of them slowly grow to understand each other and realize how much they actually had in common. It showed the importance of looking beyond the surface of people.

I got the feeling that this was written for a younger set of readers. Due to my teenage son, I’m pretty up on slang and current phrases, but don’t use them myself. The characters in this book used them consistently, especially when the NYC transplants were together. It made the book very contemporary.

I would highly recommend this well-written and “current” book. I think a lot of people will be able to identify with the characters and their situations.

About Adriana Herrera

Adriana was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last fifteen years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings.

When she’s not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a trauma therapist in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Her Dreamers series has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and has been featured in The TODAY Show on NBC, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Library Journal and The WashingtonPost. Her debut, American Dreamer, was selected as one of Booklist’s ‘Best Romance Debuts of 2019’, and one of the ‘Top 10 Romances of 2019’ by Entertainment Weekly. Her third novel, American LoveStory, was one of the winners in the first annual Ripped Bodice Award for Excellence in Romantic Fiction. Adriana is an outspoken advocate for diversity in romance and has written for Remezcla and Bustle about Own Voices in the genre. She’s one of the co-creators of the Queer Romance PoC Collective. Represented by Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary.

Connect with Adriana Herrera

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Echo Hall by Virginia Moffatt – Blog Tour (Review)

Atmospheric doesn’t even begin to describe this book. Gothic comes a little closer. Epic Gothic? Gothic Epic? Page-turning?

All of the above.

Spanning the lives of three women and three different wars, the author has created a story that spans time while pulling out the common threads of each of the women. Echo Hall, the house, binds them together – and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

I thought the author did a great job of making sure that each woman’s story was told succinctly. That was important because it was easier to see where the parallels were as the story proceeded. There wasn’t any guesswork involved, as sometimes happens with historical novels (especially ones that undertake the time span this one did).

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3ggdZxJ Amazon US: https://amzn.to/39IOFOn
Blackwells: https://bit.ly/3ffdouO Waterstones: https://bit.ly/3gfNjgw
Hive.co.uk: https://bit.ly/3fiaV2C

I liked how the house was a character unto itself. It had almost as much to do with the life trajectories of the women as their personal choices did. I know that sounds a little bit odd, but there is nothing magical about it – the house just “is.” What I do believe, and what this author captured was that misery and sorrow can remain in a location and affect people who visit or live in the place.

I remember when my husband and I were house hunting a few years ago, there was one place that we walked through that just felt sad. Like there was no joy to be found. It was decorated nicely and looked homey, but there was just a bad feeling about it. We asked the realtor, and found out that the wife had nursed the husband in his final days of an illness, and he had died in the house. Sad, to be sure, but it was like it had gotten into the walls.

This is what came to mind as I read Echo Hall. But I digress.

Not only were the women ultimately unhappy, but the stresses of war played a part in each of their lives. It was just a whole lot of sad and kind of eerie, but all expertly woven together.

It’s hard to say whether someone would enjoy this book because it is definitely Gothic (that word again) in feeling (and by definition, I don’t think Gothic can be joyful in the traditional sense). But I would certainly recommend it.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aroomofmyown1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/virginiamoffattauthor/
Website: https://virginiamoffattwriter.wordpress.com/

About the author: Virginia Moffatt was born in London, one of eight children, several of whom are writers. ‘The Wave’ is her second novel. Her previous publications are ‘Echo Hall’ (Unbound) and ‘Rapture and what comes after’ (Flash fiction collection published by Gumbo Press). She also writes non fiction. Virginia is married to Chris Cole, Director of Drone Wars UK. They have two daughters at University and a son still living with them in Oxford.

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A Dangerous Goodbye by Fliss Chester – Blog Tour (Review)

I’ve read a lot of historical fiction, mostly centered around WWII and I am always interested to learn something new (yes, I know I’ve mentioned that before). This one however was truly unique, because it was more of a mystery set in the era instead of a straight historical fiction novel. And I truly enjoyed it.

To be perfectly honest, the author had me at crossword puzzles and wordplay.

That both Fen and Arthur were fans of cryptic word puzzles was an excellent background to the mystery of Arthur’s whereabouts. It was unique to have the initial clues in his letter and it highlighted the connection that the two of them had in spite of the shortness of their actual relationship.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/33V7Rrh Apple: https://apple.co/3gVq2Ad
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2WiGBym Google: https://bit.ly/3gU1zfe

I liked how the author didn’t get bogged down in the post-war dread. We know that it was a horrible time, and there were still terrible things going on, but that wasn’t the concern of the characters in this book. There’s a time and a place for such things, and it would have been VERY out of place here.

Instead, it was almost light-hearted. That’s not exactly the right word for it, because it was still post-WWII France. I guess a better way to put it was that it the author chose to let the spy/intrigue/mystery take care of the “drama” aspect of the story.

And there was plenty of spy intrigue. I thought it was all well-done. (I really don’t want to say a lot, because I don’t want to give anything away).

Suffice to say that I thought Fen was tenacious and quick-witted – a real heroine to get behind. I loved this mystery, and look forward to more of her cases! I just hope that the clever wordplay and puzzles continue….

Twitter:  @SocialWhirlGirl
Website: https://flisschester.co.uk/  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flisschester 

Author Bio:
Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter. 

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Southern Seducer by Jessica Peterson (Review)

I loved this author’s Charleston Heat series. Nobody can do swoony southern men and strong women like she can. It’s been nearly a year since the last one in the series was released, because the author had her own life events going on (shocking, right?) The break was much needed and inspirational, I think, because this book was personal to the core.

One thing that always stands out about her books is the honesty. Her characters are raw and real. While the endings are sometimes fairy tale-ish, the romances are something to dream about and aspire to. They also provide an escape to old married women like me. It’s fun to live vicariously.

For this first book in her new North Carolina Highlands series, we get the story of Annabel and Beau, best friends for nearly 20 years. I’m not going to go into too many details about the plot of this book (those can be found elsewhere) but I’m going to tell you what struck me personally about this friends-to-lovers story.

I think that Bel came from a very personal place for the author. The descriptions of the feelings and emotions that Bel felt as a new mom could only be put on paper by someone who had lived them herself. I imagine that other moms to newborns will identify, which makes the book so much more relatable.  

I, personally, wouldn’t know. But what the author managed to do was make me realize what I will never feel. Sometimes you don’t know what you miss until it hits you in the face that you won’t have it.

What I did feel deep down, however, was the emotion that Beau’s fear brought out in me.

[SPOILER ALERT] SCROLL DOWN TO BELOW THE BOOK COVER NOW if you don’t want to see a major plot point.

My father had a condition very similar to Beau’s dad, and the descriptions of his behavior (as well as that of Beau’s) brought the last few years of his life screaming back at me. Where other readers will relate to the PPD and find strength, I related to the memories of the dementia and bursts of outrage that Beau remembers of his father.

I’m not going to lie. I had to put the book down a few times after his descriptions of temper, or forgetfulness, or just failing…those were real and raw emotions, and they were hard to deal with. Since the author’s perspective of PPD was so accurate, it led me to wonder if she also had experience with the kind of brain trauma she wrote about. The passages were difficult, but I was able to relate to Beau more in those moments. He became more real to me than just the best friend studmuffin character.

It was a heavy dose of reality in a beautiful romance.

OKAY I’M BACK

Anyway, this author also has the slow-burn romance thing down to perfection. She’s fantastic at creating scenes that give the reader that little swoop in the belly and the “oh my” seduction. Who doesn’t love a character who can seduce both the female lead and the reader at the same time!

I loved the entire Beauregard family, and their resort is one I wish existed in real life because I would love to vacation there. I know that it is based on real-life places, but I want the whole Beauregard experience. I’m excited that it’s a big family and that we’ll (hopefully) get stories for each of them.

This is probably one of the most personal reviews I have ever written. I hope you love the book as much as I did.

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The Perfect Hideaway by Alys Murray- Books on Tour (Review)

I have become a huge fan of this series. Don’t believe me? Check out my reviews for The Magnolia Sisters and Sweet Pea Summer!

I love the setting (small town), I love the characters (family-oriented and real), and I love flowers. Those are really the three requirements. This time out, we skip the third Anderson sister and get Annie’s (Luke’s sister) instead).

Annie has been a force to be reckoned with through the first two books. Her demeanor and zeal for making people happy is apparent and flows from the pages. In this book (the third of the series), we get to know her better, and it turns out there’s a lot more than she wants people to see.

Annie is a people-pleaser. She wants to make sure that everything is perfect for the people she loves. Her professional “career” as a social influencer is indicative of that need to be picture perfect. She lives by that because she knows that her followers will pick apart every single detail.

However, as she sees her brother get married (no spoiler, it literally starts the book) she realizes that her life is all surface and very little depth.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3idiQjD Apple: https://apple.co/3fzd6Pm
Kobo: https://bit.ly/30uo9VY Google: https://bit.ly/2XQcDmE

That’s exactly what George sees. He’s a reporter for the local Hillsboro paper, and a total throwback to the news journalists of the 30s (I could practically see him working in a smoky newsroom, suspenders and fedora, hollering “Stop the presses!”). Pretty sure that’s how he sees himself as well.

He’s convinced that Annie is nothing but shine and gloss with no depth of character. As they wind up working together on a project (not telling you how that happens!) he can’t figure her out. He’s set in his ways and perspectives. But as he sees more of Annie’s interactions with people, he starts to realize there might be more there than he originally thought.

The author always does an excellent job of creating the environment of Hillsboro, so that it feels natural to be moving throughout it with the characters. It’s a tad on the idyllic side, but (then again) many small towns do still have that feel.

Underneath the bucolic nature, though, the author also addresses a current theme. Through Annie, we get a cutting commentary (wrapped in the sweet romance of opposites attracting) regarding the obsession with social media and the need for the approval of strangers that is so prevalent in today’s society.

Annie’s constant need to be liked by everyone (evidenced several times, but particularly starkly with George’s assistant Mynette), covers for the unhappiness she feels deep down. The author addresses this subtly, and it gives great insight into the depth of her characters. I love this series, and I can’t wait for Rose’s story. That has to be next, right?

Author Bio
Alys Murray is an author who writes for the romantic in all of us. Though she graduated with a degree in Drama from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a Master’s in Film Studies from King’s College London, her irrepressible love of romance led her to a career as an author, and she couldn’t be happier to write these stories! Currently splitting time between her home state of Louisiana and London, she enjoys kissing books, Star Wars, and creating original pie recipes for all of her books. Tobey Maguire is her Spider-Man. 
https://alysmurray.com/
https://www.facebook.com/alysmurrayauthor

https://www.instagram.com/writeralys/
https://twitter.com/writeralys

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The Friendship List by Susan Mallery- Blog Tour (Review)

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but what I got was a heartwarming and honest look at friendships and how nobody has to navigate life on their own. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book.

I thought the differences between Ellen and Unity, friends since childhood, were unique, but also led them to be in the same boat in a small town. Ellen had a teenage pregnancy and ended up a single mom while Unity married her first boyfriend who she subsequently lost at an early age. Both women have become stuck in their ways.

One day, after some particularly challenging news for each of them, they sit down and write out a list of challenges designed to alter the paths their lives are taking. Sort of a bucket list for 30-year-olds.

I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. It was realistic and natural and just flowed. The inner dialogues were as crisp as what the characters said to each other, so there was no lag in the action. There were several times I found myself thinking, “Yep, that’s what I would have said.”

The author also tackled some fairly serious issues (teen pregnancy, single parenting, grief, allowing the past to control the present, aging) with a keen eye but also with a sense of humor. It was serious when it needed to be, but never got preachy.

The secondary characters were just as enjoyable as Ellen and Unity and each of them brought something fun to the story. I could see where the romantic interests for each of the woman were going right away, but the journey with them was enjoyable.

The only thing that stuck out to me, and probably only because I am a teacher by trade, was the college bus trip that Ellen and Keith took to Southern California with the high school students. I did a similar trip when I was in high school, but it was a totally different world then.

There’s no way that only two adults would take the group of teens on a two-week bus trip. And some of the events that happen on the bus trip would absolutely never occur. In fact, there were a few times that the adults were extremely irresponsible, and that bothered me a bit, because their actions didn’t really fit in with the rest of the book.

But I still think it was an excellent read and would highly recommend picking it up. There are some good lessons to be learned along the way.

BUY LINKS

Amazon Barnes & Noble Books-a-Million Indie Bound Kindle Nook Google Play Kobo Walmart Target Bookshop.org

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship and romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—forty million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.

Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She’s passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the two Ragdoll cats and adorable poodle who think of her as Mom.

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The Day Lincoln Lost by Charles Rosenberg – Blog Tour (Review)

I started this book with a completely different expectation from what I ended up getting and I am totally okay with that. This could not have been a timelier, or more fascinating, read.

Set against the backdrop of the run-up to the pivotal 1860 election, the author tackles just about every topic at issue. From slavery and abolition to the scorn of media against certain politicians, all is covered with accurate and informative detail.

I particularly liked the way the author mixed real historical figures with his fictional characters. I have studied the Civil War at great length and am familiar with several of the names mentioned in this book.

But the author wrote his fictional characters so vividly, that I found myself Googling just about every one of them to find out if the person was imaginary or was real and I just hadn’t heard of them. It made the book almost interactive, which I really enjoyed.

(Yes, I realize I could have just read the end notes, but where is the fun in that?)

I also liked how the author used an escaped slave girl to set the scene and allowed the characters’ positions to be clear through their actions instead of just through exposition. I think that this helped the story come more to life.

What I didn’t like, and I’m not exactly sure of why the author chose this path, was to change something that seems rather insignificant in the bigger picture. It has to do with the election itself, and that’s all I am going to say in terms of the overall plot.

What occurred to me, however, is that the author might have been using one of the most contentious elections in American History as a commentary for our current election. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not, but to me there were clear parallels that could have been drawn.

I found myself saying, “well that sounds familiar” more than a few times. This was especially true when it came to Buchanan’s attitudes (and those of the people surrounding him) towards Lincoln. The similarities to the past few years of history were too great to ignore.

I think that when it comes to alternate history, it’s important to go big and show how different history could have been. I didn’t get that with this one. But I still enjoyed it because of the characters and the closer look at another time that our country was in crisis.

About the Author:

Social Links:
Author website: https://www.charlesrosenbergauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharlesRosenbergAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/whomdunnit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whomdunnit/

Charles Rosenberg is the author of the legal thriller Death on a High Floor and its sequels. The credited legal consultant to the TV shows LA Law, Boston Legal, The Practice, and The Paper Chase, he was also one of two on-air legal analysts for E! Television’s coverage of the O.J. Simpson criminal and civil trials. He teaches as an adjunct law professor at Loyola Law School and has also taught at UCLA, Pepperdine and Southwestern law schools. He practices law in the Los Angeles area.

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The New Girlfriend by Sheryl Browne – Books On Tour (Review)

Here’s another psychological thriller that I have mixed feelings about. The plot was one of the better ones I have come across. However, I had a difficult time getting behind a couple of the main characters.

You’ve seen the background elsewhere. As Cassie mourns the death of her son, Josh, a woman pops up claiming to be the mother of Josh’s child. In her grief, Cassie wants to believe her, but at the same time, feels like it is too convenient. Adam (Cassie’s husband) agrees. It doesn’t help that Cassie is harboring deep secrets of her own.

I think that is what made her unsympathetic to me. She made her own bed and had to lie in it. Maybe she saw a kindred spirit in Kim (the baby mama). Or maybe she was just a bad person. Regardless, it was difficult to feel sorry for her. Frankly, one of her actions really made me despise her.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2WYANud Apple: https://apple.co/36E3tfL
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3cd5CzZ Google: https://bit.ly/36FBL1V

I kind of felt the same way about Kim, although she did have a terrible home life that she was trying to escape. I couldn’t blame her for that. But she was untrustworthy as well. I don’t think that a rotten homelife excuses the things she did.

The person I did feel sorry for was Adam. He seemed to be caught in the middle of all of the crazy women. I rooted for him to be able to escape it all safely. There were other characters who were mentioned in passing at the beginning, and then weren’t really brought up again until halfway through the book.

And that’s really when the story started taking its twists and turns. I’m not going to say anything else, but the second half of the book was definitely more interesting than the first half. So, give this one a try. I think if you come at it that the first half is the set up for the last part, it works as a whole.

Author Bio
Sheryl Browne writes psychological thriller and edgy contemporary fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and awarded a Red Ribbon by The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies, where she completed her MA in Creative Writing. 

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