prdgreads

Today I’m on the tour for A Distant Voice In The Darkness by Leela Dutt, 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: 274

Synopsis: A chance meeting at university leads to a relationship that spans marriages, the world and the decades in this sweeping and fulfilling novel from acclaimed author Leela Dutt, a story that reaches from the British countryside, through the glamour of Rome and the exhilaration of India to the turbulence of the South African invasion of Lesotho. Through it all, Eleanor Larsen-Bruun pursues a successful career and yet never loses her love for the man she met so many years before. At the peak of her success, fate seems to offer the chance to begin again something that was started so many years before…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: this is a lovely story spanning a couple of decades, of first love and the fact that when the heart decides what it wants you just can’t fight it..

We travel the world watching Eleanor and Alec fall in love & separate but then their paths continually cross throughout the book in the most unlikeliest of places.

The descriptions of the places were beautiful and made me want to visit them all so I can experience it for myself.

The story was told from both perspectives which I loved, because you got to see what both of them were up to during their time apart and experience the emotions and inside thoughts of both of them which gave the story a well rounded feel.

The story was a little too fast paced for me, things happened very quickly, you’d get used to one thing and then before you know it the tables had turned again which left me feeling like I’d missed something sometimes and I found myself going back a few pages just to double check!

Overall an enjoyable read and one I would recommend!

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Today I have a spotlight for you to tell you all about The Widows Walk by John Anthony Miller ☺️

Synopsis: Cape May, N.J. 1976

When NYC editor Audrey Taylor finalizes her divorce, it seems as if her entire world has collapsed around her. And when she inherits a run-down Victorian mansion in a decaying N.J. beach town, it only seems to get worse. At least, until she finds the treasure map.

The Widow’s Walk is a tale of growth, self-discovery, and learning to appreciate all the good that life has to offer. A romance wrapped in a historical subplot, a mystery hidden in a centuries-old crime, it ties two unsuspecting people together to find a love that neither expected—which is far more precious than buried treasure could ever be.

About The Author:

John Anthony Miller writes all things historical—thrillers, mysteries, and romance.

He sets his novels in exotic locations spanning all eras of space and time, with complex characters forced to face inner conflicts, fighting demons both real and imagined.

Each of his novels are unique: a Medieval epic, four historical mysteries, two Cold-War thrillers, a 1970’s cozy/romance, four WWII thrillers, and the Revolutionary War spy novel, The Minister’s Wife.

He lives in southern New Jersey.

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

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Today I’m on the tour for Gerard Philey’s Euro-Diary: Quest for a Life by Brendan James and I have a spotlight for you.

Synopsis: Could there be a world of interest and adventure beyond the Midlands? A world of confidence, sex and excitement? A better life – a better me?’ These are the questions Gerard Philey grapples with over New Year, 1995. Sitting in his rented Black Country room, reflecting on his thankless teaching job and miserable love life, he courageously decides to abandon his humdrum existence and embark on a quest for Euro-fulfilment, fun and fitness on the Continent.

After a shaky start in Brussels, events manoeuvre him to Amsterdam where chance encounters shift his world well and truly into fifth gear. He samples the trials and tribulations of new relationships, alongside managing a sex shop in the city’s Red Light Area – on top of the challenges of fat-free living and international travel!

Through his bittersweet diary, we see how Gerard steers a laugh-out-loud course through farcical episodes and fanciful characters…and how entanglements from past and present draw him unwittingly into a criminal underworld where events ultimately take their toll.

About The Author: Brendan James is the author of the comedy novel, “Gerard Philey’s Euro-Diary: Quest for a Life”. Though this is his first novel, he has a large number of non-fiction publications (under the name Brendan Bartram) as a former university lecturer and researcher. A passionate linguist and Europhile, he spent a number of years working in the Netherlands, France and Germany. He lives in the West Midlands with his husband.

If this sounds like something you would enjoy it can be bought here !

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Today I’m on the tour for Discovery of The Five Senses by K.N. Smith, 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: 334

Synopsis: A suspenseful incident in a forbidden preserve heightens the senses of five friends. Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell become super-gifts that forever change the world. But furious battles confront the boys as they try to understand their sensory super powers in a race to save mankind. With light beings and mysterious strangers complicating their plight, will the boys defeat the evil Druth before it’s too late? Get prepared for the twisting and grinding of this award-winning, action-adventure story — an edge-of-your-seat narrative for young and mature readers alike.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: just by looking at the cover you know you’re going to get an intense adventure from a close knit group of friends.

The lads all knew they shouldn’t go to the reserve but they go anyway what they don’t realise is that one trip will change their lives forever, but only they can devise wether it’s for the better or not!

The book almost read like a film, it was really easy to picture the scenes in my head which helped me get lost in the story!

The dynamics of the friendship group within the story was my favourite part, they were just so close knit, always had each others backs & weren’t afraid to tell each other when they thought they were out of order.. which made them stronger in the end.

As much as I enjoyed the story I wanted more from the bad guys 🤣 I wanted them to be badder so to speak, they just seemed too nice! – but then I guess at almost 32 years of age I’m not the target audience!

I would definitely recommend this one, it was a lot of fun.

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Today I’m on the tour for Strays by Janeen Leese-Taylor, 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: 306

Synopsis: A murder without evidence, a secret that could topple society and a cop with a bit of a coffee habit!

Three things were certain in the mind of Officer Theodore Night:
One: There’s a serial killer loose in Portstewart
Two: His new friend is a werewolf
Three: He’s in way over his head

When bloody paw prints at a crime scene leads Officer Night to consider the impossible, he must rely not only on his years of investigative experience, but on the local werewolf pack, for help.
An unlikely friendship gives Night the edge he needs to prevent an all-out war. Has Blair, the mysterious barista from Bean and Gone, caused him to bite off more than he can chew?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this book had everything! – it’s been a while since I read a crime story that had had me hooked on the story, loving the main characters and having me laughing too!

We’re following Theo who had just taken a demotion from detective to a regular police officer so he can move closer to somewhere he feels he needs to be (the reason why is revealed later in the book no spoilers here 🤣)

And Blair, the local barista who as it happens turns out to be a werewolf and roped into helping Theo solve the case!

Families are being murdered and all the police have to go on are footprints, that are left by some kind of animal, but one far too big to be a domestic animal & a 13 year old boy who for some reason they can’t work out was left alive to tell the tale!

I instantly loved the dynamic between Blair and Theo, there was sarcasm, humour and banter oozing off the pages and I think I had a smile on my face every time the two of them interacted!

Obviously things don’t go smoothly and they happen to end up on the bad side of a lot of werewolves (that’s putting it lightly..)

This book really did have me on the edge of my seat & I’m sitting here hoping that it’s the start of a new series 🤞🏼🤞🏼

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Today I’m on the tour for A Proposal Changes Everything by Isabelle Grace, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book at ours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 230

Synopsis: He writes happy endings for a living, but can Jack orchestrate his own?

When bestselling author Jack Blackwood spontaneously proposes to Tess, her first reaction is laughter.

Wait, he isn’t joking? Sure, they’ve been best friends for most of their lives, but that’s just it: they’re best friends.

Except something shifts in both of them following Jack’s suggestion and the more time they spend together, the more Tess begins to consider Jack in a new light.

Could a rock-steady friendship be the perfect foundation of a love for the ages or would they be fools to risk everything they have on a “what if?”

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I couldn’t give this anything less than 5 stars, although I would’ve definitely given it more if I could!

A friends to lovers romance about an author?! For a bookworm who loves romance this was perfect.. and it ended up being everything I expected and more!

Although this series is about the Blackwood brothers, the focus isn’t on the men as such.. it’s all about the women.

Tess and Jack have been best friends for as long as they can remember.. but that’s all it’s ever been until Jack proposes to Tess, she laughs it off but then obviously starts wondering how serious he really was..

Watching the 2 of them discover the true feelings they have for each other was beautiful, I literally couldn’t put the book down!

I loved seeing the vulnerability of both characters within the story whist they navigated this new journey together but once they worked it out, they really worked it out 🔥🔥

I don’t want to give anything away, but I loved it & cannot wait to see what the next Hickory Ridge book has in store for us!

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Today I’m on the tour for The Testing of Rose Alleyn by Vivien Freeman, 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: 269

Synopsis: England in the year 1900. A vibrant young woman must take control of her destiny.
Vivien Freeman’s atmospheric novel brings late Victorian England hauntingly to life in the mind of the reader. In this beautifully written romance, we explore the choices facing an independent-minded woman at a time when women struggled for self-determination.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: this was a beautiful story of a 16 year old girl in 1900, trying to find her way in the world, she’s currently living in a hostel with 5 other girls in a small market town and had found herself a job in one of the local book stores with Mr Pritchard.

The descriptions of the people and places are beautiful and the writing had a poetic almost haunting feel to it.

The story is told in 1st person from Roses perspective which I felt was perfect, it means we really get to be inside her head and understand all her thoughts and feelings, it gave the book a real genuine feel.

A story of friendship, love, loss and just how hard it is growing up.

This isn’t one I would naturally pick up on my own, but I ended up really enjoying it!

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Today I’m on the tour for One Down by Diana Wilkinson, 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: 377

Synopsis: I’m not being paranoid. It’s all there in the crossword clues…in black and white. There’s no doubt the threat is real. Today, the answers spell out my murder.
May Third. Amanda. Silver Birch. Noontime. Assassination.

Is Nathan, my estranged crossword-setter husband, really planning to kill me? Or is it someone closer to home?

I check the door is bolted, slither to the ground, and count down the seconds to noon. There’s nothing left to do, and no one I can call. Who’d believe me anyway? The lady on the ground floor has already left the building, and my new boyfriend is on holiday. Or is he?

A tread of footsteps. A rap at the door, and I close my eyes, hold my breath…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: I thought this story was really cleverly done, the idea that the main character feels her ex husband is communicating with her through the daily cryptic crossword was eerily believable and utterly fascinating! – I didn’t really understand half of the clues even though the author did a bloody brilliant job of explaining how we got to answers.

I loved Amanda as a character and teddy too, although I definitely didn’t trust any of them at all.

Throughout the story an event is hinted at, an event that caused Amanda to have serious anxiety and a bit of a drink problem, you’re left wondering if this is the reason she’s being taunted through crossword & wether her husband is really the one one responsible as she thinks… after all the crossword setters are anonymous and it could be anyone!

This was a good solid psychological thriller, I didn’t know which way it would go & doubted myself repeatedly.

Although the chapters were short which is what I love I did find the book a bit long and repetitive, but that’s just a personal preference. I would still highly recommend you pick this one up!

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Today I’m on the tour for The Iron Fists by A.G. Chacon, 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: 227

Synopsis: Long ago there were six species: the Shadows, Gods, Beasts, Dragons, Humans, and Rebels.

The humans locked them away to gain power of the world. When a nihilistic, Mexican young adult girl is summoned into the world beneath our own she discovers her true power and purpose alongside The Iron Fists who are dead-set on overthrowing the overlord who terrorizes them. 

Her lies get her in the door, but it is her resilience and growth that makes her essential to the cause.

Devastation and death expose the nature of each character’s soul as some rise to greatness overcoming otherworldly challenges, mystical curses, and their status as underdogs while others reveal their true colorsand betray the ones they claim to love.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: it’s been a while since I sunk my teeth into a fantasy story and what a good one this was to choose!

It’s the first book in a new series so there was a lot of world building and character introduction but it was fine flawlessly.

Some of the descriptions in this book were beautiful and so vivid that it made it easy to picture.

We’re following Iris who is left alone when her parents are killed and she gets separated from her older siblings, but years later she discovers they are alive, she can’t wait to be reunited with them but doesn’t know if she can trust the people around her, how far is she willing to go to see the hope she’s been clinging onto all these years to be realised?

There were heartwarming moments in this book as well as heartbreaking moments too, but we soon learn to realise that to achieve your goals you need to work with the people you’ve been led to believe are your enemies.

I very quickly fell in love with these characters and can’t wait for the next instalment!

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Today I’m on the tour for Rivalry Gone Wrong by L.C. Turner, 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: 103

Synopsis: These cheer moms are not content to sit on the sidelines.

Abby Winters is not your typical cheer mom. She doesn’t have time to micromanage her daughter’s competitive cheer group.
She’s got her business, Scoops Ice Cream Shop, to run.

But when a rival team’s coach turns up dead and all signs point to murder, Abby wants to make sure her daughter is safe.

Can she catch the killer before they strike again or is the culprit going to murder the competition?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I love a cosy mystery because they’re lighthearted and fun and this one didn’t let me down.. it kept me engaged throughout.

Abby is one of those people that when she sets her mind to something she is like a dog with a bone & she was determined to get to the bottom of the murder of the coach of the rival cheer team and I was here for the lengths she went to, I definitely had her back!

This book definitely had me craving pistachio ice cream in a chocolate covered waffle cone 😋

Doubt was put on a lot of the cheer mums as well as some of the other coaches too.

Lots of little clues that added up to give us the bigger story, but yet I still didn’t guess the reveal!

I can not wait to see what these mums get up to next time!

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