BOOKTOUR REVIEW – The Foundations of Love by Joanna Cates.

Today I am on the tour for The Foundations Of Love by Joanna Cates, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 270

Synopsis: It is never too late to rewrite our life’s script.

Life’s bitter-sweet journey unfolds in this third and final instalment of the “Love is Crystal Clear” trilogy.

As Isabel approaches the milestone of fifty, the shadow which has loomed over her life dissipates. Determined to begin a new chapter, she embarks on a quest for love, even as the demands of running the family business consume more of her time. The finalization of her divorce adds a poignant punctuation to the end of an era, and a chance conversation ignites a fresh and rewarding perspective.

Meanwhile, Josh grapples with the aftermath of his ex-wife Ruby’s revelations and reaches a crossroads. Encouraged by his friend Darius, he takes on a bid for Isabel’s new conservatory. Paths collide and sparks fly between Josh and Isabel, and they feel an instant attraction, yet assumptions steer them in different directions as they continue their search for love beyond the obvious.

Join Isabel and Josh on a journey that blends past hurts and betrayals with a search for lasting happiness and freedom.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this one and thought it was a perfect end to the trilogy.

This time around we’re following Isabel and Josh, neither have had the best luck with love and with a little bit of encouragement from mutual friends decide to sign up for a dating site, attend speed dating and all sorts.. it was a lot of fun, but had plenty of ‘real life’ situations to keep the story line feeling believable and realistic!

Isabel is recently divorced and has decided it’s time to reclaim her life now that her children are grown up, as a main character she was lovely.. open to change and new things but also a little insecure at times.

Josh was a delight! I just wanted to give him a big old squeeze, he was kind and considerate, always there to lend a hand and absolutely did not kiss and tell!

It was fun and flirty, had me smiling constantly throughout, it really was the perfect slow burn romance with a little bit of spice thrown in too.

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BOOKTOUR REVIEW – Flowers From The Black Sea by A. B. Decker.

Today I am on the tour for Flowers From The Black Sea by A.B. Decker, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 352

Synopsis: Tasked by Ben, an old friend, to locate a man in Turkey, private investigator Matt Quillan soon finds himself out of his depth when he has a flash drive thrust on him by a stranger who is arrested by armed officers shortly afterwards.

When Ben reveals that his mission is to avenge the murder of his sister, the conjunction of this assignment along with the flash drive burning a hole in Matt’s pocket puts them both – along with holidaymaker Amber – in mortal danger.

As the case lands Matt in the crosshairs of a local mobster, it is not only Ben’s search for vengeance which is left hanging in the balance.

My Thoughts: now I know the biggest rule in reading is to never judge a book by its cover.. however, the cover to this one drew me in and was what made me read the synopsis. I knew pretty quickly that this was going to be right up my street!

It’s like it was written for me, a private investigator who only gets half a story (if that) sets off to Turkey because an old friend asks him too? – you just know that shit is going to hit the fan 😂 and it does in a big way!

The story takes a while to get into the nitty gritty, hard hitting action, but I personally think that worked well for the book, it gave you chance to really get to know the main characters and ensure that you were just as emotionally involved in getting justice for Susie!

I don’t want to give too much away, but trust absolutely no one.. because the chances are you’ll bet on the wrong horse.. I know I did.

I loved Matt as a front man & I have everything crossed that this might become a series. 🤞🏼🤞🏼

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BLOGTOUR REVIEW – Every Breath You Take by Miranda Rijks.

Today I am on the tour for Every Breath You Take by Miranda Rijks, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 266

Synopsis:

Has her husband really left her? Or is someone playing a deadly game?

When Eva’s husband Samuel doesn’t come home from a boys’ night out, she thinks he’s sleeping off his hangover at a friend’s house. So she waits. And waits…

Eventually, he sends her a text – he’s met someone else and needs a few days to get his head together. Eva is devastated. How could he do this? How could he do it to their children? She’d thought her marriage was rock solid.

She tries to go on with her life as best she can. But then things take a truly bizarre turn…

She receives a terrifying photo of Samuel with a knife to his neck, and a demand: do everything on my bucket list or he will die.

As Eva completes the increasingly crazy demands on the kidnapper’s bucket list, every aspect of her life begins to unravel: her children are struggling, she’s not paying attention at work, and her friends and family fear for her mental health. All the while, the threats are mounting. Samuel will die. Unless…

Can Eva save her husband and children or will she lose everything that’s dear to her?

My Thoughts: I didn’t know wether to love or hate this book, it was twisty and brilliant but my god was Eva annoying 😂

Samuel, Eva’s husband doesn’t come home after a boys night out, it’s so out of character for him that after initially thinking he’s sleeping off his hangover somewhere Eva quickly starts to panic, she phones the police who tell her he’s a grown man and he hasn’t been missing long enough to worry.

Then she gets a text to say he’s left the family… he’s moved on and he’s really sorry, a truth she accepts until she gets a photo of him with a knife to his throat..

The story that follows is an adrenaline fuelled page turner that had me on the edge of my seat, turning the pages so fast.

It’s got all my favourite things, it’s dual POV, one of them is secret just known as the lover, no hints as to who it is, but it’s creepy, gave me real stalker vibes and at times actually gave me goosebumps.. & then a twist that I never would have guessed in million years!

Miranda is definitely one of my psychological thriller authors, she definitely knows how to get into the readers head!

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BOOKTOUR REVIEW – For The Love of Lily By Olivia Lockhart.

Today I am on the tour for For The Love of Lily by Olivia Lockhart, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 348

Synopsis: Lily Forshaw loves her life, her job, and her best friends. Romance? Not on her radar. So, when a blind date with Zack leaves her unexpectedly smitten, she’s completely caught off guard.

But Zack isn’t the only one vying for her affection. As her heart becomes entangled between two very different men, Lily tumbles into an emotional whirlwind.

Lily hasn’t found ‘The One’, she’s found ‘The Two’.

With a troubled past haunting her, friendships hanging in the balance, and two passions pulling her in opposite directions, which future will Lily choose?

Can she truly have it all, or will she be forced to make an impossible decision?

Get ready to fall in love…

My Thoughts: I absolutely adored this one!

Lily has had loads of bad luck with love and relationships, one of them leaving her unable to trust men, but since then her best friend Luke had been a huge pillar of strength for her.. he’s gone travelling and their other best friend Cassie has encouraged Lily to go on a blind date with Zach.

They hit it off almost instantly, but agreed to take it slow.. but believe me when the steam and spice start it doesn’t let up. 🥵

Luke comes back from his trip, find out that Lily has started a new relationship and has a confession of his own which leaves Lily not knowing which way is up & questioning her past.

An utterly frustrating book (in the best way) that will have you laughing, crying, shaking your head and wanting to throw the book across the room because Lily just always seemed to make the wrong decisions 😂

I cannot wait to see where the story goes in book 2!

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BOOKTOUR SPOTLIGHT – My Dubrovnik Summer Love by Jayne May.

Today I am on the tour for My Dubrovnik Summer Love by Jayne May and I have a Spotlight for you. Thank you to Hannah at Hygge Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 363

Synopsis: A summer of love, but it’s not with who she expected…

 

Luisa-Maria and her husband Mark were once the perfect couple, but in the blink of an eye, everything changed.

A holiday to Dubrovnik means make or break for them, but what Luisa doesn’t expect is a

mysterious stranger catching her eye, or the further secrets she uncovers about her husband.

 

Will the holiday mean heartbreak for Luisa, or will this be the summer that changes her life forever?

About The Author: I write romantic fiction books set in wonderful destinations. I find travelling very inspiring

and most places that I’ve visited have given me ideas for my writing. I started to write My

Dubrovnik Summer Love after a visit to Dubrovnik back in 2013. There was so much to

see and do whilst at the same time, it was a place that offered that relaxing by the pool

break which was perfect. The relaxation time allowed me to come up with the ideas that

started flowing as soon as we started to discover the beautiful sights and scenery.

If you like the sound of this book it can be bought here!

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BLOGTOUR REVIEW – Love at First Sight by Jessica Gilmore.

Today I am on the tour for Love At First Sight by Jessica Gilmore, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 333

Synopsis:She’s in love.
Just with the wrong man . . .

Nora is done with dating, but still dreams of finding the one. So when a handsome stranger comes to her rescue one night and vanishes leaving only a business card, it’s like a scene out of a romcom . . .

It doesn’t take long for the two to ‘bump’ into each other again, and Nora falls for the perfect-on-paper Gabe. Only a few weeks later, he invites her to Sicily, and she cannot believe her luck!

Until Gabe is forced away for work, leaving her alone with his big and warm family in gorgeous Sicily who welcome her with open arms. Everyone but Luca, his older and distrustful brother, who is always around.

Soon Nora finds herself on the holiday of a lifetime . . . just with the WRONG brother.

My Thoughts: this story was like going on holiday without leaving your home, it’s fun, flirty and full of moments that will have you either laughing out loud or shaking your kindle in anger at the characters or frustration because you can see things that Nora can’t!

Nora as a main character was an absolute delight, she’s romantic and soppy, and really believes in love at first sight, the only problem is she’s had so many bad first dates that she’s given up, she’s deleted all the dating apps and decided to leave it up to fate to find her one!

So when her heel gets stuck in a drain and she’s saved by a man, surely that’s the sign she’s been waiting for?!

The only problem being she didn’t get his name or his number so she uses her expertise as an heir hunter to find him! – she gets swept off her feet and taken to meet the family in Italy, but as soon as they land Gabe disappears for work!

This is a typical story of right place, right time but wrong person in a beautiful setting and is perfect for fans of romantic comedies, it read like a movie and I really enjoyed it.

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BOOKTOUR REVIEW – Sweet Appraisal by Shauna Richmond.

Today I am on the tour for Sweet Appraisal by Shauna Richmond, thank you to Hannah at Hygge Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 408

Synopsis: I don’t do relationships. Not since my ex-wife set me up to be cavity searched and robbed me blind.

My world is a perfect balance of working and hunting.

There is nothing I love more than the thrill of the kill. I’ve never been more focused. I’ve never been more content. Nothing can distract me from my goals and my purpose.

Until her.

A chance encounter with my little neurodivergent fireball has my world spinning off its axis. She looks like easy prey. The men hunting in my club certainly thought so. What they weren’t counting on was me lurking in the shadows.

What started as any other kill quickly turned into nothing short of an obsession.

She doesn’t know I watch her when she’s home alone.

She doesn’t know what I am.

Not yet.

She will soon realise that the safest place on earth is in the arms of a killer.

My Thoughts: when I tell you I flew through this book I am not kidding, a 408 page book that felt more like a 250 page book because I just couldn’t stop turning the pages!

I was hooked very early on.. In fact, I messaged Hannah on the morning I started it to tell her I was 28 pages in and already in love..

This turned everything I hate about dark romance and made me love it. Am I now head over heels in love with a fictional serial killer? Yes I am! sorry Jordan (my boyfriend 😂) you’re being replaced by Aiden Quinn.

The representation for autism in this book was incredible, it showed Katie stimming & explained what it was, why she was doing it & then it just became normal, a part of her.. a part that Aiden just accepted which is how it should be.

This is dark, like really dark, there are scenes of torture & killing which are described in a lot of detail & as twisted as it sounds it just made my heart happy.

There are a lot of possible triggers in this book & they are ALL listed in detail at the beginning of the book, so please give them a read before you start if you need to.

I personally went in blind, which was the right decision for me.

This has left me with one hell of a book hangover.. I need more. 😩😩

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BLOGTOUR REVIEW – One Summer by Taylor Cole.

Today I am on the tour for One Summer by Taylor Cole, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher got my copy.

Pages: 355

Synopsis: Two people. Two pasts. One summer to fall in love.

Caleb is a former professional surfer trying to build his life after a career-ending accident.

Lindy has moved to Loor island to start a new life, combing the shores for sea glass to weave into jewelry.

When the two meet, sparks fly – but not the good kind. Then they discover they’re neighbours, and they’re stuck with each other for one, long summer.

As they slowly learn to trust each other, and find themselves sharing their stories that brought them to Loor, their dislike begins to unravel into friendship, then maybe something more.

But will the weight of their pasts ruin their chance of a future?

My Thoughts: this rom-com was like a breath of fresh air and I loved it.

Told from the perspective of Lindy in short snappy chapters that are almost just like the thoughts going round her head and ending up on the paper with no ‘editing’ it made the whole thing feel more genuine, more real.

I laughed a lot whilst reading this, it was fun, lighthearted and had a whole host of characters that broke the tension between the 2 leads..h

This is marketed as an enemies to lovers.. and I was here for it! – when Lindy turns up at Loor she knows she should be alone, but there is a man in the bed, poorly and a dog too… is she in the wrong house?

A beautiful location, an escape from a crappy situation and a summer romance.. what more do you need?

I was left with a big smile on my face when I finished this one and I would definitely recommend it.

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BOOKTOUR REVIEW – Blood Sport by Cameron Curtis.

Today I am on the tour for Blood Sport by Cameron Curtis, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 253

Synopsis: Terrorism 101—Don’t make war on Breed.

Ex-Delta Force operator Breed arrives in Wambesa, a small country in Africa, tasked with evaluating security at a vital French cobalt mine.

He finds a situation which is anything but stable. The mine is ruthlessly exploiting the locals, the government is corrupt, and the people eagerly anticipate the return of Marien Tombaye, an exiled revolutionary.

Breed immediately understands this is a powder keg that’s ready to blow.

His worst fears are realized when Tombaye shows up with an elite cadre of guerrillas. The revolutionaries wipe out the French military garrison and brutally massacre most of the European population.

But some survive and desperately need help if they are to escape the war-torn country.

Breed teams up with a former SEAL, a beautiful African doctor, a village priest, and a former mercenary. Together, they will go to hell and back as they try to save this ragged band of refugees from Tombaye and his ruthless guerillas.

My Thoughts: as always with a breed thriller, once the action starts it just doesn’t give at all..

In a way this one was a bit tamer than others in the series, now don’t take that as a negative, there’s still plenty of bloody spilt and guns, it’s fast paced and exciting but I also felt that this one had a lot more emotion built into the story, it gave us a lot of back story too which helped us to understand what was going on and why.

We see the return of Stein, as more of a background character this time, but she still plays a very important role in the book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, I found it really hard to put down, I was so invested in what Breed was doing and seeing a completely different side to him.

I can’t wait to see what happens in the next one.

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BLOGTOUR REVIEW – Meet Me At Ivy Falls by Amy True.

Today I am on the tour for Meet Me At Ivy Falls by Amy True, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 384

Synopsis: Welcome to Ivy Falls

In the gorgeous small town of Ivy Falls, Torran is putting all her passion into building her new career in house restoration, trying desperately to help the town keep its identity and charm. She has no time for love but when her childhood sweetheart, Beck, comes back to town and outbids her on her dream house at auction, sparks fly. This man broke her heart. Can she ever trust him again?

For Beck, Ivy Falls means trauma and loss. He knows his sudden departure hurt Torran badly but there are things she doesn’t know. He never intended to return to Ivy Falls so why is he there, bidding on his childhood home? His feelings for Torran are as strong as ever but Torran means Ivy Falls and Beck can’t go back there. Can he find a way to heal his past and find his future?

My Thoughts: I think I’d like to live in Ivy Falls, Amy did a brilliant job of setting the scene, describing the small town so perfectly that it’s made me a little sad that it’s a work of fiction.

We have some very strong main characters in this book, Torran is quite honestly a force to be reckoned with.. she may be seen as small in some people’s eyes but she is mighty, she’s the last person you’d expect to be a contractor but she really does know her stuff. Between her and her business partner Manny they are determined to restore Ivy falls to its historical beauty.

And then we have Beck, returning to his home town after leaving to try and escape his heartbreaking past, he goes to the auction just to see who gets his childhood home.. the last thing he expects is to get into a bidding war with his childhood sweetheart, the one who’s heart he broke 10 years ago..

Absolutely adored this one, for so many reasons, but putting my thoughts into words is proving difficult 😂

Enemies to lovers, second chance romance and dual POV all of my favourite things in one book. It was so angsty in places and you could feel the attraction and the want for each other through the pages at times. I just wanted to shove them together.

The book dealt really well with addiction in a very sensitive way, as someone who has dealt with a family member with addiction I was a little bit nervous about this part, I thought it would all be perfect straight away and it wasn’t, it really showed the ups and downs that can be involved on the road to sobriety.

Grief was a big theme in this book.. another thing I was worried about, I lost my dad almost 2 years ago (not to addiction) so the emotions are very raw at the moment, the book made me cry because the characters thoughts and emotions just felt so real.

I could shout about this book forever, I just think you should all go read it! – I cannot wait to be back in Ivy Falls in the future.

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