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Today I’m on the tour for Winter Kisses at Roseford Cafe by Fay Keenan, thank you 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.

Synopsis: The sleepy Somerset village of Roseford is the temporary home for the cast and crew of the latest Christmas movie, and there’s an excitement in the air that can’t be ignored. When Lucy Cameron, the owner of Roseford Café, is asked to fulfil a last-minute catering order on set, she can’t believe her luck.

Lucy’s erstwhile teenage crush, Finn Sanderson, is the star of the film, alongside his glamorous co-star, Montana de Santo, with whom he has been linked on and off the screen, and their sprinkle of stardust around the village is intoxicating.

With Christmas approaching and the snow starting to fall, Lucy’s path keeps crossing with Finn’s, and she starts to get to know the man behind the movie star. As her feelings grow, so too do Lucy’s reservations about even considering becoming involved with someone so well-known. And when Lucy becomes the centre of a social media storm, her fears seem to be justified. 

Are happy-ever-afters just the preserve of romantic Christmas movies, or could Lucy and Finn star in their very own, real-life festive love story…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this one, I was completely swept up in the world of Finn and Lucy!

Lucy lives in the village of Roseford and runs a successful cafe, between running that and running around after her young daughter Megan she doesn’t get a lot of time to herself!

When she hears that the stars of her favourite programme as a teenager will be in Roseford filming a Christmas movie to be released next year, she’s secretly hoping that she’ll get a glimpse of Finn Sanderson the rather dishy actor who’s posters decorated her bedroom walls (and every other teenage girls too!)

I don’t think either of them was quite prepared for what would actually happen whilst he was there..

Finn and Montana together shows that things aren’t always as they seem on tv & that real friendships really can withstand the test of time and anything that is thrown at it.

Throw in a strong female friendship, a sassy little girl who just says what she thinks and a supportive ex partner and this book really did have it all.

A fabulous will they won’t they romance that will have you laughing, swooning and holding your head in your hands in equal measure.

The perfect book to sit and enjoy this festive season!

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Today I’m on the tour for Mr Magenta by Christopher Bowden, 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: 175

Synopsis: Stephen Marling thought he knew his aunt Flora. But when he inherits her house in a quiet south London square a series of discoveries among her papers brings to light another person entirely. Who, for example, is ‘Mr Magenta’ and what part did he play in her life? In the process of uncovering the secrets of one life, Stephen is forced to re-evaluate his own and decide what he really wants. Was he right to turn his back on Nancy Steiner, the young actress he met in New York, when he came home to take up his inheritance? Interweaving past and present, the story takes him from a Brooklyn bookshop to a theatre in Marseille to a cottage on the east coast of England where the truth about Mr Magenta is finally revealed.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this story had me hooked from the beginning, Stephen had just inherited his late Aunt Flora’s house, a lady who he spent a lot of his childhood with, a lady he knew everything about, at least that’s what he thought before he started clearing the house and going through all her old paperwork.

He soon starts to realise that there was more to his favourite Aunt, he finds photographs with the heads cut off and in an old notebook finds a note that says “tell Mr Magenta I’m sorry” – who is he and what is Flora apologising for? 🤔

Stephen decides he needs to know the answer to both of those questions and goes in search of the mysterious Mr Magenta! – a journey that will introduce him to some old friends of his aunts and make him really think about what he wants in life too.

A truly heartwarming story that seamlessly knits together the past and the present whilst you unravel all the secrets, it’s a short book which makes it easy to read in one sitting and hitch is a bonus because I guarantee you won’t want to put it down!

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Firstly the biggest apologies to the author that I missed my stop on the blog tour, I feel awful about it! – not long after the tour was arranged I lost my dad and it just totally slipped my mind.

Thank you to Sarah at Bookouture for organising the tour and inviting me to take part and thank you to both the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 354

Synopsis: She’s meant to be catching flights, not catching feelings…

Molly and Andrew are just trying to get home to Ireland for the holidays, when a freak snowstorm grounds their flight.

Nothing romantic has ever happened between them: they’re friends and that’s all. But once a year, for the last ten years, Molly has spent seven hours and fifteen minutes sitting next to Andrew on the last flight before Christmas from Chicago to Dublin, drinking terrible airplane wine and catching up on each other’s lives. In spite of all the ways the two friends are different, it’s the holiday tradition neither of them has ever wanted to give up.

Molly isn’t that bothered by Christmas, but—in yet another way they’re total opposites—Andrew is a full-on fanatic for the festive season and she knows how much getting back to Ireland means to him. So, instead of doing the sane thing and just celebrating the holidays together in America, she does the stupid thing. The irrational thing. She vows to get him home. And in time for his mam’s famous Christmas dinner.

The clock is ticking. But Molly always has a plan. And—as long as the highly-specific combination of taxis, planes, boats, and trains all run on time—it can’t possibly go wrong.

What she doesn’t know is that, as the snow falls over the city and over the heads of two friends who are sure they’re not meant to be together, the universe might just have a plan of its own…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I finished this book a couple of hours ago and I STILL have a smile on my face.. it’s just so cute!

We’re following Andrew and Molly as they fly home for Christmas, they live in Chicago but both are from Ireland..

That first year, sitting next to Andrew was Mollys worst nightmare, he was going out with her best friend.. the best friend who has just told her that she’s cheating on him with someone else, she wants the ground to swallow her up or at least for him not to recognise her, fortunately for her neither happens.

The main bulk of the story is now, the 10th year they’ve flown home together & the one that could change both of their lives forever when their plane is grounded by a snow storm, but we also get to see the past too, their experiences from every other flight.

I love a dual (or multiple?) timeline story because you get the whole picture and you get little hints to where the now story line will head, you can see the moment Andrew falls in love with molly and all the little things he does for her to show it even if she doesn’t realise it at the time..

I know I’m jumping around in my review here but meh, once you’ll read the book it’ll all make sense 🤣

Molly doesn’t seem to bothered when the flight home is grounded, Christmas isn’t a big thing in her family, but when she sees how broken Andrew is she decides to do everything in her power to get them home for Christmas.. a journey that seems to be blocked in all directions, a journey that will take them all over and then further still, we see Paris and london amongst other places. But will they make it home?

The friendship between Andrew and Molly was everything, they knew how to have a laugh and a joke together, the sarcasm, banter and wit had me laughing out loud, but then on the next page they could be adorable and lovely and have me swooning and wanting them to just get together 🤣

Full of unforgettable characters like Ollie, Zoé, Hannah and Christian, this is the ultimate will they won’t they friends to lovers romance that will leave you unable to put it down and have you on the edge of your seat.

I cannot recommend it enough ❤️

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Today I’m on the tour for The Rainwater Secret by Monica Shaw, 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: 361

Synopsis: “The Rainwater Secret” is a deeply moving, historical fiction novel about a woman who becomes a missionary in Africa after the death of her mother. Single and feeling there is nothing left for her in small-town England, Anna embarks on an adventure as a volunteer with the Medical Missionaries of Mary to teach the leper children in Africa. Life as Anna has known it, is forever changed as she learns the culture that would banish its sick, disfigured, and crippled to the jungles. Babies are left to die on roadsides, children are chased away to live by whatever means they can find. The aged are abandoned. Anna’s daily life is an adventure as she travels from one village to another across a hostile land with few passable roads, rickety bridges threatening to fall apart and cast its occupants on the jagged rocks far below, and weather that turns a calm river into a roiling death trap. In spite of the trials, Anna also manages to find love and family in this godforsaken land. Follow this adventure through disease, weather, strife, death and determination to turn a few acres of land into a loving home for the outcast lepers of Nigeria.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I really lost myself in Anna’s story, after someone she was falling in love with decided to get engaged to someone else & then her mum dying she decided to turn her heartache and devastation into something positive.

She takes a leap of faith and goes to see Father Neel in Ireland and sign up to be part of the group going to Nigeria to help the people who have been outcast from their communities because they have leprosy.

You can tell from the get go she starts to doubt wether she has made the right decision, can she rally leave everything behind and go and live out in the bush?

The story that follows is truly captivating, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry but above all it will make you grateful for the little things you take for granted.

As you can imagine this is not an easy read, it’s full of sadness, depravity and death but there are moments of joy and happiness thrown in too.

I had a soft spot for Clarence, the one from Nigeria.. he always seemed to have Anna’s back, but being honest there wasn’t really any characters I disliked, even the ones you were supposed to dislike all had their reasons for doing what they did which made it very difficult for me to feel the way I should.. although this zones have me wondering if this was the authors intention?

I have since found out that this story is based on the authors aunties experiences and that just makes this book even more special.

One I will recommend to all fans of historical fiction.

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Today I’m on the tour for Blacktelligence Rules by Andrew Komarnyckyj, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it, inviting me to take part and providing me with an extract for my stop.

Before we get to the extract, let me tell you a little about the book and the author.

Pages: 351

Synopsis: THE MOST THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND CONTROVERSIAL THRILLER YOU’LL READ THIS YEAR

When Adam Benedict, a 28-year-old researcher, comes across a startling discovery about race and intelligence, he sets in motion a deadly chain of events.

As he tries to get his results published, he finds his work is tampered with to make it appear riddled with errors. He is discredited and denounced as a fraud, a liar, and worse. He endures a storm of criticism in social media and is hounded by the press for spreading views that are deemed toxic.

It becomes clear there is a conspiracy against him, and the conspirators will use any means possible to silence him, up to and including murder.

As Benedict races against the clock to clear his name, he realises the truth is more likely to get him killed than set him free.

And he has to make a decision: is a truth that will change the way humanity views race worth laying his life on the line for?

About the Author:

Andrew Komarnyckyj has been a lawyer, odd-job man, PR Consultant, hospital porter, and plongeur among many other occupations. It’s the classic work history of an author but it wasn’t planned that way. It was a happy accident which has stood him in good stead for writing novels. 

His literary tastes range across every fiction genre including – perhaps inevitably – postmodernism, with which he has a love-hate relationship. 

When not writing or reading he loves conversation, listening to anecdotes, craft beers, and hiking in mountains

On a personal note he’s married with two adult daughters. 

Andrew Komarnyckyj writes as Jack D McLean and A K Reynolds.

Extract:

The yellowing slip of paper was headed: ‘The Deplorable Return of Race Science’. Taken from The UK Examiner, it was stored in a clear plastic pocket in a lever-arch file. Adam Benedict read the opening paragraph in which Jon Wilson, the world-famous scientist, was quoted as saying:

‘Whites score higher on average than Blacks in IQ tests. In my opinion the difference is genetic.’

Wilson’s words had generated a whirlwind of opprobrium and he was more-or-less finished as a serious voice in science. Nevertheless, his views mattered. There were many in the scientific community who would listen to him and many more in society at large who would take what he said as gospel. It was disturbing.

More disturbing still, because it had gone unchallenged, was an article taken from a 2020 copy of Epistemological Psychology in which the philosopher Robert Cubelich argued that the best explanation for differences in IQ’s between racial groups was genetics. None of Cubelich’s arguments were new. On the contrary, they were old and hackneyed and the research behind them didn’t bear close scrutiny. But the fact they were in a respected journal cloaked them in a veneer of respectability. 

The proposition that Whites were superior should have died a death long ago, but it hadn’t. It was still accepted as fact more often than not, even by some who were running the country. There had recently been a government adviser who’d believed Blacks were genetically pre-determined to be less intelligent than Whites. If his view was at the heart of the UK government, it was probably everywhere, if well-hidden in many cases.

Benedict hoped to change matters. He planned to write a research-based article for publication in a respected academic journal. It would prove conclusively that Black people were no less intelligent than White people, hardly an earth-shattering proposition. But he knew some would see things differently and it gave him a small thrill of excitement to reflect on the modest fame it would bring him in some academic circles, and the notoriety in others.

Flattening the clear plastic pockets containing his many newspaper clippings about race and intelligence, he secured them with the clip in the file, and returned the file to its place on the shelf, noting that it was almost midnight. Where had the day gone? All his days seemed like this lately. He badly needed to sleep but knew that would be difficult because he was over-stimulated, being both excited and troubled by what the next day would bring. He’d done his research. Tomorrow he would begin the task of analysing the results, which by then would have been given their final check. When his analysis was complete, he might have made the world a slightly better place.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in it can be bought here!

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Today I’m on the tour for Keeping A Christmas Promise by Jo Thomas, 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: 368

Synopsis: A Christmas to remember for a friend they’ll never forget

Four friends
Twenty-five years ago, Freya and her three best friends created a bucket list. The future seemed bright, full of hope and most importantly guaranteed . . .

One promise
Now they are travelling to Iceland in memory of the friend they’ve lost, determined to fulfil her dream of seeing the Northern Lights at Christmas.

A life-changing adventure
They didn’t count on an avalanche leaving them stranded! Handsome local, Pétur, comes to the rescue, showing them how the community survives the hard winter. With Christmas approaching, Freya and her friends throw themselves into the festivities, decorating and cooking for the villagers using delicious local ingredients.

But will the Northern Lights appear so they can honour their friend’s wish? And can Freya’s own dreams come true, this Christmas?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this was a heartwarming Christmas story that took us back to the real meaning of Christmas, family friendship and good food!

Freya, Meg and Joanna have gone to Iceland to see the Northern Lights in honour of their friend Laura who passed away.

A nice weekend of spa treatments, champagne and seeing the Northern Lights is what they have planned.. but we all know that plans never go as they should.

A snow storm, an avalanche, a rock and a second car soon put a stop to it all.. in walks Pétur, or rather out walks Pètur into the snowstorm and rescues the 4 damsels in distress.

What follows is a completely enchanting story of a community pulling together and making the most of a bad situation.

With a whole host of different characters all of them pivotal to the story for their own reasons some of which will stay with me for a long time.. I won’t spoil it by telling you which ones though!

Everyone goes through a journey of self discovery some realising that the things they thought were important are inconsequential in the grand scheme of things!

Obviously with this being a Jo Thomas novel there is romance thrown in too.

A book I would recommend to all fans of contemporary romance and also to those who love to get lost in a Christmas story!

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Hi 👋🏼👋🏼 so it’s been a while since I posted a review that wasn’t part of a book tour, but when I heard about this book on Twitter I just had to give it a go!

Synopsis: James Garrett was critically injured when he was shot following his parents’ execution, and no one expected him to waken from a deep, traumatic coma. When he does, nine years later, Detective Inspector Rebecca Kent is tasked with closing the case that her now retired colleague, Theodore Tate, failed to solve all those years ago.

But between that, and hunting for Copy Joe – a murderer on a spree, who’s imitating Christchurch’s most notorious serial killer – she’s going to need Tate’s help … especially when they learn that James has lived out another life in his nine-year coma, and there are things he couldn’t possibly know, including the fact that Copy Joe isn’t the only serial killer in town…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I have just finished this and in a way I am absolutely lost for words.. I have never read a thriller that has felt so real, yet so surreal at the same time.

But let me tell you I was definitely here for it.

So many different layers, 3 different crimes to solve at the same time yet it never gets confusing.

It’s the kind of book that you don’t want to put down but you don’t want to be over too soon because you have no idea what you’ll do with your life once all the mysteries are solved 🤣

The book opens with a home invasion where 3 people get shot, 2 fatally but one is left in a coma and then a 4th family member who never gives up hope so seeing her little brother conscious again, 9 years later she gets her wish but things don’t get easier as she hoped.

I don’t want to say too much because it’s a thriller and everyone knows the joy of a thriller is the unknown but just be prepared for your life to centre around this book once you pick it up!

The writing is addictive, the short snappy chapters mean it really flows and before you know it you’re halfway through and so invested that you just can’t put it down.

The book is hard hitting and not an easy read by any means, but it’s totally worth it constantly leaving you guessing and full of suspense, it’s definitely one that will leave you craving more by the end.

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the tour for Christmas At Red Robin Cottage by Sue Roberts, thank you to Bookouture for inviting me to take part and thank you to both them and the author for my copy.

Pages: 259

Synopsis: Snow is falling on Little Newdale; decorations are being hung and joy is in the air. But at Red Robin Cottage, Sarah is feeling far from merry and bright…

Since her marriage went up in flames like a Christmas pudding, there’s nothing Sarah Dunne wants more than a peaceful festive season filled with carols and mince pies. But Sarah’s teenage daughter Ellie is feeling the winter blues, faced with spending the holiday without her father.

Desperate to bring home some seasonal cheer and make this a Christmas to remember for Ellie, Sarah follows the trail of fairy lights into the snow-covered village. Among the holiday crowds she finds herself gazing into the soft brown eyes of a handsome stranger whose smile is startlingly familiar. It couldn’t really be her childhood sweetheart, Luke, could it?

Even though he moved half a world away nineteen years ago, as they bond over hot chocolate and tales of traumatic break-ups it’s clear time hasn’t changed Luke’s effortless charm. And when he saves Sarah from a wardrobe malfunction at a Christmas party, it’s not just the mulled wine warming her heart. But she can’t let herself fall in love again. Especially as Luke isn’t here to stay…

Then Ellie reveals she’s been keeping a BIG secret about Sarah’s ex. Reeling, Sarah longs to turn to Luke for comfort. But will that put her already fragile relationship with her daughter at risk, and chase Luke away even faster? Or will opening her heart mean Sarah gets her wish for a magical Christmas after all?

Grab a blanket and a mug of cocoa and curl up by the fire with this completely addictive festive romance. Fans of Cathy Bramley, Phillipa Ashley and Heidi Swain will love this charming, feel-good holiday read that proves you don’t need the perfect family to have a perfect Christmas!

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: normally I would say October was too early to think about Christmas, but I have one officially read my first Christmas book of 2022 and what an absolute delight it was.

This was more than just a holiday romance, although that was a big part of it, it was a story of love, loss, rekindling of old friendships and also part coming of age too.

Sounds a lot for a short book doesn’t it, but it really works!

There were parts of this story that made me want to jump in to the pages and just make things better, or push certain characters together whilst also pushing other ones away (I joke, but some characters just get in the way of the where you think the story is going 🤣)

The relationship between Sarah and Ellie made me smile, it’s the kind of relationship every mother and daughter should have.

Obviously the road for Sarah and Luke isn’t as straight forward as you’d think, but I promise the journey is worth it & you’re guaranteed to get all warm and fuzzy.

I had a big smile on my face the whole way through this book & think you should all give it a go!

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Today I’m on the tour for The Intruder by Daniel Hurst, 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 257

Synopsis: Getting into their house was easy. The hard part was getting out.

Maria and William seem to have it all. Two happy children. A beautiful house. A thriving business.

But when their home is invaded by David, an ex-employee with a score to settle, the couple face a terrifying fight to survive.

During the course of one hellish night, David picks apart their carefully constructed life. Secrets are unearthed, truths revealed.

And soon David begins to wonder if he’s bitten off more than he can chew – because he’s discovering Maria and William are not the defenceless couple he imagined. By the time he realises who these people really are, it may already be too late…

Who will make it out alive?

One couple. One intruder. Several shocking secrets…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I’ve now read a few of Daniels books so when I got the invite for this one in my inbox, I couldn’t turn it down even though my reading has slowed down.

I definitely made the right decision, I could not put this down.

William and Maria are the ultimate power couple, they have a very popular ad agency and have actually been nominated for business of the year!

For everyone looking from the outside everything is perfect, a gorgeous house, a thriving business, 2 children and a happy marriage… but everyone knows that things aren’t always what they seem.

It doesn’t take long for the past to rear it’s ugly head and the cracks to start showing.

Lots of secrets, lots of lies and an ending I didn’t see coming, what more could you want from a psychological thriller?

Absolutely bloody brilliant!

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Today I’m on the tour for Martha’s Cottage by Fiona Cooke, admittedly a day late, sorry! 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: 262

Synopsis: Sarah and Ben Stephens had it all. Attractive thirty-somethings, upwardly mobile; good careers in the city, a sizeable house in the suburbs.

To all concerned it was the perfect picture of marital bliss.

Or was it?

Years of infertility treatment have taken its toll on their marriage. Barely speaking, they’re strangers who share the same bed.
Then the fallout from a surprise birthday party and a lifechanging discovery send Sarah fleeing to the West of Ireland. And there, at Martha’s Cottage, a tiny stone house by the wild Atlantic Ocean, she licks her wounds and must decide on the course of her future.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: Sarah and Ben are not getting on, they’re going through the motions of married life but in truth both of them are miserable, for the same reason but it’s affected them both in totally different ways, one becomes angry snappy and with drawn and another finds comfort elsewhere.. The story was told from 2 perspectives so we got both sides of the story which I feel added an element to it that I appreciated. It meant that we got a more in depth story and a complete ending.

In parts of this story I gelt myself feeling sorry for and wanting to support the person I probably shouldn’t which to me is a sign of a good author who knows just how to book her readers.

The story was immersive and the writing was beautiful once I got chance to properly sit down and read I just couldn’t put it down.

Infertility and infidelity are 2 very difficult subjects to write about because they affect everyone differently, but Fiona handled it with respect whilst also making sure it felt real too.

Love, loss and everything in between this book had it all. It’s definitely one I would recommend.

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