Today I am on the tour for Forever Reckless by Eve L. Mitchell, 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: 431
Synopsis:
🖤 Morally grey MMC 🖤 Sports Romance 🖤 Enemies to lovers 🖤 Opposites Attract 🖤 Forbidden love 🖤 Suspense
The golden boy has secrets. I’m about to discover his biggest one.
Dante Spence. Quarterback. National champion. Star of the Alabama Lions. The smile on every billboard — charming, untouchable, worshipped.
I’m the dean’s daughter. I can spot a performance from across a banquet hall.
The academic office assigned me as his tutor for one semester. It’s simple. He flirts. I ignore him. He passes. I walk away.
But I start noticing things.
The pill bottle in his bag with someone else’s name on it. The phone call I wasn’t supposed to hear. The way his perfect smile disappears when he thinks no one’s watching.
Dante isn’t the man on the billboard. He’s ruthless. Reckless. Hiding something dangerous enough to destroy his career.
I should stay far away from him. I could ruin everything he’s built. So why does he look at me like I’m his to own?
He’s not safe. And the worst part . . . I don’t want him to be.
My Thoughts: this one felt like so much more than just a romance, it had heart, the characters were flawed and had their own struggles, it just felt real & genuine.
I get the feeling we were all supposed to see Dante as tough, a real knobhead but if I’m honest I loved him right from the beginning, he keeps his secrets but he does it with the best of intentions, he wants to protect his family, especially his sister, he’s seen her hit rock bottom before & will do anything he can to stop that from happening again.
Savannah.. I don’t know what to say about her, I just wanted to wrap her in a hug, she protects herself by putting everyone else first, because if they’re happy, they will leave her alone, leave her to get on with the things she does best.. because if you don’t rock the boat no one asks questions right?
All that changes for both of them when they meet each other! – you can feel the chemistry between them oozing through the pages, the tension was amazing.
I love the way Eve writes a romance that has all the spice, but the story behind it is full of depth and feeling, it pulls you in and leaves you with no choice but to feel the emotions too! – I’m really hoping this isn’t a stand alone, I need to know more about the side characters in this book!
Today I am on the tour for Heartbreaker by Jude O’Reilly, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.
Pages: 296
Synopsis: A mother under attack.
Three years ago, Daphne Monroe woke up to find her family had been murdered while she slept. To the police, she’s the prime suspect. To the world, she’s a monster. To the killer, she’s the next victim on a blood-soaked list.
A killer on the move.
Now he’s back to finish what he started – and Daphne should be running for her life. Instead, she’s trying to make sense of a tangled web of medical obsession, organ donation, and a young girl’s murder.
Nothing to lose.
Three years ago, the serial killer destroyed her life and broke her heart. Now, Daphne wants justice for her murdered children and she’ll stop at nothing to get it.
But the killer is closing in. And Daphne Monroe is out of time…
My Thoughts: they always say to never judge a book by its cover, but this time I couldn’t help it, it’s so eye catching, it gives nothing away but leaves you with enough intrigue to pick up the book! – it’ll be no surprise that I went in blind, I didn’t read the synopsis, all I knew was that it was a thriller!
It’s so eery, because a lot of it is a guessing game and Daphne is left in her own for a lot of it to work things out for herself because the people she should be able to turn to aren’t listening they just think she’s guilty and won’t be convinced otherwise.
Daphne can’t shake the feeling this all linked to the heart transplant she had 10 years ago.. but why?
The closer she gets to the truth, the more of a web she’s tangled in and can’t see any way out!
The tension in this book is palpable, it had my heart beating so fast and my anxiety through the roof. I loved it!
today I am sharing a review of Elodie Harts new book ‘The Spare’ which will be out on the 11th June!
Pages: 346
Synopsis: I’ve spent my entire life engaged to one man. But it’s his brother I’ve always yearned for. Now, four days before our wedding, Xavier has thrown me over—and Benedict has stepped in instead. The spare. The playboy. The heartbreaker whose reputation stretches across the Mediterranean.
Benedict de Vere is everything his brother isn’t: reckless, restless, and seemingly unbothered that this match is a transaction. He’s marrying me to save my reputation. My reasons for wedding him are… more complicated.
I’m going to be his duchess.
I’m going to share his life.
His bed.
I should be up to the challenge. After all, they call me the ice queen for a reason. I’ve had years to perfect my mask.
But I’ve longed for him since I was eighteen years old. And Benedict doesn’t do serious. He doesn’t do forever. The trail of broken hearts he’s left behind is evidence of that.
Being one of those broken hearts would be devastating enough. Knowing him that intimately, then being cast aside?
Now imagine that happening in our marital bed.
It’s a loneliness I wouldn’t survive.
Tropes: 👑 Arranged marriage 👑 Modern duke and duchess 👑 Billionaire 👑 Opposites attract 👑 Reformed playboy MMC 👑 Ice queen FMC 👑 She marries her fiancé’s brother
My Thoughts: It was no secret that I was always going to love this book! – in my eyes Elodie can do no wrong! her books are always glamorous giving you a hint of a life that is so far out of reach for us every day people but make the characters so down to earth and relatable that we get pulled in and taken along to enjoy it all without ever feeling out of place!
I LOVED Ben, I knew his redemption arc would be more than worth the wait, he’s flawed obviously and had to learn a new way of being around women, he doesn’t always get it right in the beginning but the important thing is that he learns! Very swoon-worthy, very sensitive to the people around him and not afraid to ask for help when he knows a situation has him out of his depth! (I think I might prefer him to Xav 🤫)
It was so lovely to get to know Selena better after the raw deal she got in book 1 & I really appreciated that we got to see the scene with Xav from her perspective. Instantly made me want to wrap her in a hug and never let her go.
Her vulnerabilities were shown to us from the beginning in the form of her inner monologue and although she saw them as a weakness it was clear to us as the reader how strong she was even if she didn’t feel like it!
Seeing them learn and grow together and turn what they had into a marriage of dreams was lovely to witness, there was no insta love despite their attraction to each other being years old.
The spice in this book was chefs kiss, it was more subtle whilst also being incredibly hot which fit the softer feel of the book perfectly.
And as always the banter between the characters and the one liners were perfect & had me laughing out loud.
A beautiful book that I read in one sitting and then was sad that it ended 🤣
Today I am on the tour for The Big Oh by Alona Stark, 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: 296
Synopsis: When your orgasm tutor is your worst mistake…and your best shot at happily ever after…
All Camille Sutherland wants to do is survive her coursework, keep the lights on at the adult toy shop she works at and calls home, and figure out why orgasms have always eluded her. Romance is nowhere on her agenda. Until a sexy sales rep walks in and offers to help her, um, test the merchandise. Now she’s rethinking everything.
Desmond Blake is one deal away from finallyproving to his father that business can be just as noble as medicine. All he has to do is convince a shop owner to sell. Easy. Or it would’ve been…until he became obsessed with the woman who stands to lose her job and her home if he succeeds.
With secrets unraveling, lies surfacing, and a heart she never planned to risk on the line, can Cami put her trust in Des—and love—when it matters most?
Guess there’s only one way to find out…starting with The Big Oh.
My Thoughts: do not be fooled by this cutesy cartoon cover, my god was this book hot 🥵 Cami works in a sex toy store, surrounded by all these toys and enhancements & still it able to quite get there, she’s left feeling like there is something wrong with her, is she broken?
Along comes Desmond, unbeknownst to her he’s there to convince her boss to sell the business, they get talking & he offers to give her lessons, no touching, no strings.. but we all know it won’t stay that way 😂
I devoured this, but forced myself to savour it, I read it slowly over a few days I just loved Cami and Des so much, their chemistry was off the charts and their banter was chefs kiss!
The story was just full of heartwarming characters, I adored Lenny, she was absolutely bonkers in the best way possible!
I’m already eagerly awaiting the next story that Alona comes up with next 😍
Today I am on the tour for Sixty Is The New Assassin by Shesh, 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: 245
Synopsis: WAS AN ASSASSIN’S ROLE AKIN TO A CEO’S ROLE? BOTH NEEDED SOME SUSPENSION OF MORALITY, A WILLINGNESS TO DO THINGS THAT MOST WOULD NOT, OR COULD NOT. After retiring from active corporate life, sixty-year-old Ishmael Dollah keeps himself busy with regular runs around the city, tennis at the club and his book club meets. Life is good—a bit staid maybe, but good. That is until, one day, he hears of his beloved daughter-in-law’s rumoured affair. Suddenly Ishmael’s perfect world is turned upside down.
Never one to give in, Ishmael decides to take matters into his own hands. He’ll apply his sharp mind and ruthless boardroom tactics to plan not a hostile takeover, but a carefully orchestrated act of vengeance.
As he treads the fine line between right and wrong, blurring it to suit his needs, Ishmael realises he rather enjoys the process. Sixty Is the New Assassinis an intriguing blend of dark humour and suspense that will keep the reader hooked up to the very end.
My Thoughts: this was a lot of fun, a bit serious, a bit tongue in cheek with a lot of laugh out loud moments thrown in!
I’ll be honest despite the name of the book I didn’t actually expect there to me any murder in the book so that threw me off completely, until then I though Ishmael was all talk 😂
The writing was engaging and the story was told in a way that drew you into it slowly but with enough intrigue to keep you turning the pages! – I kept saying to myself “just one more chapter” and before I knew it I had finished the book.
The different character perspectives we got thrown in helped to not only lighten the book but helped you get a well rounded view of the story as a whole.
This book had me shocked & shaking my head in utter disbelief and what was happening & then not even 2 pages later I was smiling to myself.
A thoroughly enjoyable read that will appeal to a lot of different people.
Today I amon the book tour for Blood Pact 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: 244
Synopsis: A kidnapped girl. An impenetrable fortress. Sounds like a job for Breed.
Keen to discover what she knows about a looming conspiracy, Breed and Stein plan to question German cabaret performer Käthe Ziegler in New York.
Their plan is derailed when Käthe is kidnapped by a team of professionals. They want her and a piece of jewelry she’s been hiding — an ancient gold seal she stole from the most dangerous man in Europe.
Karl Graf is Germany’s Vice-Chancellor, the head of a secret society of senior politicians and industrialists, and a man with a plan to reshape the continent. He wants his seal back. He wants Käthe back. And he’s prepared to kill anyone who gets in his way.
Breed and Stein discover that Kathe has been taken to a castle high in the Bavarian Alps. Against all odds, they climb to the fortress, which sits atop a lethal three-thousand -foot peak.
Inside, they find Käthe, Graf, and the truth about an eighty-year-old conspiracy that began in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany and ends — in a bloody climax — on Christmas Eve.
My Thoughts: now if you’ve been here a while you’ll know I am a massive fan of the Breed thrillers, partly because you know what you’re getting and they don’t let you down and partly because it fascinates me that Cameron is still coming up with original ideas 13 books in!
I love that although the books are action packed and there’s always some kind of scenario where Breed has to use his past skills as a sniper the books never feel too surreal, like everything that happens you can picture is happening, I’m always a little sad that it’s a book and not a film or a tv programme if I’m honest 🤣
In this one Breed and Stein have to use their expertise to help Käthe out of a sticky situation when she’s kidnapped by someone she thought she knew!
It’s fast paced and had plenty of moments where you either question their sanity or are left convinced that this is the end for the duo who just seem to get themselves in the worst situations!
As always I couldn’t put this down! highly recommend the entire series, the books just get better and better.
Today I am on the tour for Happily Ever After by Mary Horlock, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.
Pages: 316
Synopsis: Nobody told her that marriage would be murder . . .
Ned Wheeler was devoted to his family. He was also convicted and jailed for murder.
After spending three decades in prison, Ned’s up for parole. But this is not his story. It’s about Joan, the wife who was fooled by his good looks and charm; Cass, the daughter who wants nothing more to do with him; and Florence, the woman who wants the world to know she’s saved him.
Moving seamlessly between contemporary London, the hedonistic hippy summer of 1970 and the small world of 1980s Isle of Wight, Mary Horlock has delivered an utterly gripping and moving thriller about love, loss and the lies we tell ourselves in order to survive.
My Thoughts: what a wild ride this book is, at first you get the initial feeling that the cover does not match the story, it’s whimsical and happy but this book is dark! A lot darker than I was expecting, completely my own fault though I went in blind like I do most of my thrillers, I just find that the shocks, the twists and the turns hit harder when you don’t know anything!
This story is told by 3 women, all of whom have a connection to our main male character Ned, we have his ex wife Joan, his daughter Cass and his current love interest Florence!
I really enjoy when a book is told through mixed media, so the fact that this one was told through podcasts and interview transcripts has well as normal story telling made this one easy to devour, I was hooked from the beginning.
The story was told through the past and present so we got a well rounded view of Ned & his life before and after the crimes he committed although we never really hear from him. It kind of felt like although the story was about him and his crimes and how all that affected the 3 women in the book it felt like he was a side character which was an aspect of the book that I really appreciated!
Despite the darkness of the book as a whole there was humour very cleverly woven into the writing which stopped it from ever really feeling too much or too heavy.
A really enjoyable read that kept me on edge of my seat all the way through.
Today I amon the tour for When Her Power Awakens by Brenna Bustamante, 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: 322
Synopsis: She was told she was nothing.
Invisible. Replaceable.
But what if the girl they tried to break is the most powerful being alive?
Kenna has spent her life invisible, starving in the forgotten district of Madyor and shielding her siblings from a violent father. Survival has always meant silence, sacrifice, and bruises hidden beneath long sleeves.
She was never meant to matter. She was never meant to be powerful.
Until the night the power answers her rage.
In a kingdom where the government secretly hunts Conjurers during the annual Krag Vinde celebration, power is not a blessing. It is a death sentence. When elemental power explodes from Kenna’s body, it forces her to flee the only home she has ever known.
The government hunts people who can manipulate water, air, fire, or earth. They never expected someone who could handle it all.
Zander, her fiercely loyal best friend with dangerous secrets of his own, becomes her only ally as they escape into a world far larger and far crueller than Madyor. A world ruled by political corruption, elite warriors, and a capital built on control and fear.
Kenna is no ordinary Conjurer.
She is the first Dominum in five hundred years, able to command all four elements.
But power does not feel like triumph. It feels like ash on her hands. It feels like guilt. It feels like becoming something ancient and terrifying.
Some girls inherit crowns. She inherited powers.
Now hunted across districts and pursued by forces determined to control or eliminate her, Kenna must decide whether to suppress the magic burning inside her or embrace it and risk becoming the storm the kingdom fears.
Because in Taiamen, power has always belonged to the elite.
Until now…
My Thoughts: I wasn’t sure what I was going to make of this one, I haven’t really been a fantasy reader for a while, I found they were all the same just with different characters.. but the premise intrigued me all the same so I decided to give it a go & boy was I glad I did!
This not only proved me wrong by being completely different to anything I’d read it also blew all of my expectations out of the water!
We’re following Kenna, she comes from a poor family & after losing her mum becomes the breadwinner in her house to help support her sisters and step father (undertones of ACOTAR, but I promise it’s not what you think)
Along with her best friend Zander they’re hiding secrets that could get both them and their families killed, back when they were children they made a pact that if they ever got found out they would run together…
I was hooked on this story, I read it whilst on holiday so whilst it wasn’t a quick read for me like it normally would be I got up extra early to find time to read a few chapters before starting my day and made sure I read a chapter before going to sleep too 🤣
I was so wrapped up in their story and learning more about their skills and their history that I didn’t even notice I was at the end until I turned the last page!
This book gave me chills, it made me laugh, it made me tear up and it made me angry, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I cannot wait for book 2!
Today I am on the tour for You’ll Pay by Alex Moon, 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: 240
Synopsis: My husband Henry is missing — and there’s a dead body in my bed.
Six weeks ago, Henry wrapped his truck around a telephone pole. Now he’s laid up at home with a shattered leg. We’re drowning in debt.
We might lose our home.
Then our new neighbors move in.
They’re charming and wealthy. They offer us small jobs around their house. Easy work. And the pay is unbelievable.
Nothing comes for free though.
And then I come home to find a body in my bed — and it’s not even my husband.
You always have to pay your debts . . .
My Thoughts: this book was fantastic, it was creepy, it was chilling and genuinely scared the life out of me because of how realistic it was & how easy it is to fall into the trap that both Ellie and Henry fell into through no fault of their own!
As realistic as it felt at times, I did fine myself rolling my eyes at how naive Henry in particular was, but then I started questioning wether he was actually naive or wether he was just turning a blind eye to everything that was happening around him.
This book was dark, a lot darker than I expected, but I was hooked, it had drawn me in so much that I just couldn’t put it down!
Highly recommend, this is my first dive into Alex’s work & it’s left me so excited to read more in the future!
Today I am on the tour for Street Sweeper by Bren Gosling, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for providing me with an extract of the book.
Firstly can we just appreciate how striking this cover is?!
Before we get into the extract let me tell you a little about the book and the author!
Pages: 344
Synopsis: London, 2002. When Almir, a twenty-one-year-old Kosovan ex-boy soldier, is relocated to London with a new identity, flashbacks undermine his ability to keep his job as a street sweeper. Then he meets Roland, a forty-year-old British Jamaican, a Council surveyor trying to escape his Pentecostal upbringing, and failed relationship with Shirl with whom he has a fifteen-year-old son.
Roland and Almir become closer as Roland offers first friendship, then sex, yet Almir remains secretive about his past, and struggles to identify as gay, forcing Roland to question their relationship. And who is Muzzafer, the name Almir repeatedly shouts out during frequent nightmares? As tension builds, Almir confronts his involvement in a war atrocity, which threatens to destabilise his sanity and his new UK life.
But, against all these powerful obstacles, Almir and Roland’s love for each other continues to grow. Is it strong enough to last?
About the Author:
Bren Gosling, an alumnus of City University’s Novel Studio, is published in numerous anthologies, and was a finalist of the London, Brighton and Exeter Short Story Prizes. Street Sweeper won the Novel London Literary Prize in 2021, and the inaugural Book Edit Writer’s Prize for under-represented writers. The novel was shortlisted for the New Anglia Manuscript Prize in 2023. Bren’s plays have garnered two Offies nominations, and an ONComm Commendation. His latest play, Invisible Me starring Tessa Peake Jones will be at the Southwark Playhouse April 8th – May 2nd. Find out more about Bren’s work at http://www.brengosline.com Bren explains: “My writing explores the narratives of quiet lives, extraordinarily lived, marginalised voices of overlooked people and places. A member of the LGSTQ+ community, / have researched the experiences of being a gay first generation British Jamaican man, through interviews; / spent time in a pentecostal church. I interviewed Kosovan immigrants to the U.K as well as the head of department of Albanian Studies at University of London to better understand Albanian culture and recent history. I shadowed a street sweeper at Walthamstow Cleansing Depot. What interests me is bringing untold stories to life by creating fictional narratives. This has been my focus in writing STREET SWEEPER.”
Extract: The supervisor claps his hands, making that noise like a pricked balloon Almir hates. Big Ben, they call him – the supervisor – because he’s tall and runs everything like clockwork. A scramble to get to the lockers, collect protective gloves and other gear. ‘Almir, you’re on Hoe Street.’ Almir hurries to collect his set of brushes and heavy duty refuse bags. He runs into the yard and loads them onto the waiting van, climbs in, then takes his place alongside the other sweepers. Big Ben slams the side door of the van and almost immediately they are away. All his six travelling companions, except one, are immigrant labour. His will be the third drop-off. That’s what he knows.
A roar of heavy traffic hits him as he opens the van door and jumps down, Hoe Street a rude awakening after the warm and silent interior of the van. A bitter morning and he really would prefer not to have to get out; the height of rush-hour traffic and red double-deckers are swarming over the Bakers Arms junction like angry bees around a hive. ‘Laters, man!’ Glenford calls to him from the van as it revs up and moves off. Almir doesn’t acknowledge. Already he is carrying the long brushes and stack of empty bags to the barrow parked overnight in a crevice behind the pub’s giant plastic bins. Quickly, he puts on protective gloves. Best to go straight for it. He thinks about what he will do when he’s finished. The shower he’ll have at the leisure centre after his workout in the gym. Before he takes another sleeping pill, maybe a trip to the internet café behind the Tube station. Only a fifteen-minute walk from the bedsit. Elyes might be there. Elyes the “illegal” Algerian who lets him have a terminal for free if things are quiet. Late on a Monday night in Walthamstow, things usually are.
Traffic remains heavy. Slow moving, emitting a low drone: a strange orchestration of engines turning over. He is sure a pack of children have run ahead of him, deliberately littering small piles every few paces. When he reaches First Avenue, just before the pedestrian crossing, cars, buses and lorries are at a standstill. Somehow, he’s managed to lose one of his gloves. He warms the uncovered hand by putting it inside his jacket. Headphones on. Press play button of the Discman. Shakira will provide the necessary distraction to get him through this yawn fest. But nothing. A fucking flat battery. Honking car horns above the din greet him when he removes the headset. He mops his brow; despite the freezing weather, sweat is oozing from his forehead. He takes the broad-bristled broom from its resting clip on the barrow, hammers the brush head into the pavement. Begins to sweep. The foul taste inside his mouth has resurfaced. A white truck belting techno music stops at the kerb. The driver glares at him before winding down the window and carefully aims a smouldering cigarette butt at Almir’s feet. He clenches his jaw, primed and ready for military action, even now; even without the AK-47 or a hand grenade strapped to trouser belt. He wants to lash out but knows if he does, he won’t be able to stop; the rage will overtake, he will end up doing something he’ll regret. So… Half close eyes. Push broom forward then back, forward thenback. Allow the steady repetition to lull this anger burning inside. When the truck moves on, his heart continues to pound, thrusting surges of blood through the veins of his neck. Beads of sweat drip onto his cheek landing tiny slaps. The broom strikes an object. More resistance than usual. And Almir stands upright, paying proper attention for the first time. A large carrier bag. Whatever’s inside is peeping out of the top, the colour of bright tomato skin. Step forward, bend down, inspect… He shrinks back as if to avoid a deadly poison. Eyes clamp shut. Don’t let it be not that, now, again. His lids peel back regardless, like a forced ophthalmic examination. Inside the bag… Something. Something which makes him feel he’s been made to eat hot stones. Pair of red sandals, women’s sandals. And the shoe uppermost, now in full view, has the strap missing, exactly like, EXACTLY LIKE… Outside, noise fades. All that’s left are the sounds of his laboured breathing, his thumping heart. Back in time. Back in Kosovo, with his platoon on that last reckless reprisal mission. Feet cement-filled. A deep ravine. Smell of burning. The cawing of black crows crossing a blue sky. And the terrible screams of a woman. Leg blown off and pitched up on a rocky slope. Dancer’s leg with red sandal still attached and with the strap missing. All self-control deserts him. He retches and throws up; partially digested egg roll in a coffee-coloured puke.
If you like the sound of this book it can be bought here! ☺️
