prdgreads

Today is my second stop on the blog tour for Bovine Tricks by Seelie Kay, thank you to b00k r3vi3w Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part & thank you to the author for my copy.

Pages: 118

Synopsis: Is it real or is it fantasy? That’s the question MISix Agent Mathilda Honoria Spencer struggles with on her latest assignment. Tasked with discovering the whereabouts of Lady Annabelle Trask, Tillie is thrust into a world of Hucows and other human animals. It’s a world that raises serious questions about sexual fetishes, intentional physical enhancements, and even pornography, but in the end, Tillie has only one mission—to rescue and return Lady Annabelle to the Queen. However, as she and her partner, Agent Abdul Ali, attempt to find Lady Annabelle and keep her out of the clutches of terrorists bent on destroying the monarchy, they must also wrestle with their feelings for each other. Can they draw the line between their duty to the Crown and their relationship with one another? Or must they embark on separate paths to continue to serve the Queen?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this was hands down the strangest, weirdest book I’ve read in a while, but I loved it!

It was so entertaining and lots of laugh out loud moments, but had a very serious undertone.

We’re following MISix agents whilst they try and fine Lady Annabelle Trask, the queens niece, it is believed she had been abducted, turned into a Hucow against her will and now being sold at an auction! – but is that true, or is she their by choice?

The deeper we get into the story, the more we discover it’s not as straightforward as we believe with several people telling conflicting stories! – can they fulfil their duty and return Lady Annabelle to the Queen?

I loved the relationship between Tillie and Abdul and can’t wait to see more of them in the next instalment of the series!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for Magic: A Life In More Worlds Than One by David Conway, thank you to Kelly at Love Books Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part – today I’m hosting a spotlight where I tell you all about the book and the author 🙂

Synopsis: The tell-all autobiography of David Conway, author of Magic: An Occult Primer and one of the most influential figures in contemporary occultism.

David Conway, author of Magic: An Occult Primer is by now famous for his writings on the paranormal, his prose leavened with humour and imbued with good sense, qualities that have endeared him to believers and sceptics alike. In this fascinating autobiography he recounts the story of his life with candour and an infectious sense of fun. It begins in the Welsh seaside town of Aberystwyth where, as a boy, he got to know the enigmatic Mr. James, farmer and reputed magician, then takes us farther afield to the grown-up world of London and beyond. For David Conway, farther afield was never far enough for he ventured also into worlds beyond the one we normally inhabit, worlds no less real for being imperceptible yet of which our world and ourselves are essentially part. Magic is the key to this mysterious reality. And this remarkable book will show the reader how to find it

About the author: David Conway is a mystic, magus, and author whose profound knowledge, unique insights, and clear writing style have affected literary esoterica since the early 70s. The seventh child of a seventh child, David was reared in seaside city of Aberystwyth, Wales and its surrounding environs. His education in magic began at a very early age when he studied with a local farmer, Mr. James, a magician he encountered in the Welsh countryside. David brought magical training to the forefront by publishing Magic: An Occult Primer very early in his adult life. This very same tome would prove to be the go to treatise for magicians beginning their own journey into sublime realms.

If this book is something that peaks your interest it can be found Here!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for Your Friend Forever by Zena Barrie, thank you to Emma at Damp Pebbles for organising it and inviting me to take part, and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 320

Synopsis: Preston, 1981. Maud, who is twelve and lives with her dysfunctional parents and her elder brother, spends a lot of her time in her bedroom writing letters to her favourite popstar, Tom Harding, the lead singer of a punk band called Horsefly.

No one really understands her or tries to and she thinks Tom just might have some answers to her many, many questions…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: oh I loved this, the majority of the book is told in letter form, Maid is writing letters to her icon, Tom, the lead singer of her favourite band.

The letters are Mauds way of dealing with life and the many things that are being thrown at her, she’s dealing with her dad leaving and her mum being in and out of hospital, with no other outlet she pours her heart into the letters, forever waiting and hoping for a response.

The story revisits Maud at the age of 43, married and with 2 children, she thinks her husband is cheating and just generally feels downtrodden, out of nowhere her friend Sarah provides her with an email that she believes is Tom Harding’s, so the one sided Support system starts again,

Throw in interviews and magazine articles and what you have is a story that leaves you expecting the worst whilst hoping for the best.

I found myself really rooting for Maud and feeling like a overprotective sibling.

There’s not a lot more I can say without giving away the whole story, but just know I highly recommend it, it was heartbreaking to begin with but heartwarming and brilliant as it went on.

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Today is stop one of 2 for me on this blog tour and I’m coming at you with a spotlight!

Synopsis: Is it real or is it fantasy? That’s the question MISix Agent Mathilda Honoria Spencer struggles with on her latest assignment. Tasked with discovering the whereabouts of Lady Annabelle Trask, Tillie is thrust into a world of Hucows and other human animals. It’s a world that raises serious questions about sexual fetishes, intentional physical enhancements, and even pornography, but in the end, Tillie has only one mission—to rescue and return Lady Annabelle to the Queen. However, as she and her partner, Agent Abdul Ali, attempt to find Lady Annabelle and keep her out of the clutches of terrorists bent on destroying the monarchy, they must also wrestle with their feelings for each other. Can they draw the line between their duty to the Crown and their relationship with one another? Or must they embark on separate paths to continue to serve the Queen?

About the Author: Award-winning author Seelie Kay writes about lawyers in love, sometimes with a dash of kink.

Writing under a nom de plume, the former lawyer and journalist draws her stories from more than 30 years in the legal world. Seelie’s wicked pen has resulted in nineteen works of fiction, including the new paranormal romance series Donovan Trait, as well the erotic romance Kinky Briefs series and The Feisty Lawyers romantic suspense series. She also authored The Last Christmas, The Garage Dweller, A Touchdown to Remember, The President’s Wife, The President’s Daughter, Seizing Hope, The White House Wedding, and participated in the romance anthology Pieces of Us.

When not spinning romantic tales, Seelie ghostwrites nonfiction for lawyers and other professionals. Currently, she resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee, WI, where she enjoys opera, the Green Bay Packers, gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine.
Seelie is an MS warrior and ruthlessly battles the disease on a daily basis. Her message to those diagnosed with MS: Never give up. You define MS, it does not define you!

Come back to me on the 2nd May to read my Review!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for Whatever you Are is Beautiful by Richard Blandford, thank you to Emma at Damp Pebbles for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 196

Synopsis:A mysterious illness, called HEROS, is sweeping America. It changes those afflicted, stage by stage, into super-powered costumed crimefighters.

Charlie was once one of Britain’s favourite TV personalities, known for sneering at the weirder members of society in his cutting-edge documentaries. But now, after a battle with cocaine addiction, he wants to go straight and show his caring side. A programme about this bizarre new disease may be a chance to get his career back on track.

As he films and interviews a number of people with HEROS, or Rosies, as they call themselves, Charlie gets close to many of them, perhaps too close, and starts to question his role as a neutral observer. This may well be a career-changing experience, but not in the way he imagined.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: this book was a strange one 😂 but the writing was engaging and I was interested enough to need to see what was going to happen.

Hero’s causes any part of your body to fall off, instantly grow back but be different in some way, I couldn’t help but make comparisons between hero’s and MS as I know that if I have a relapse any part of my body can stop working & not be guaranteed to work the same when the relapse is over.

The book was short, but the story was very intricate and had lots of different levels, all of the people introduced had different issues caused by HERO’s not all of them negative!

The author has done a brilliant job of writing a story that is funny and serious in equal measure and also has a very strong underlying message!

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Today is my stop on the blogtour for Cuban Heel by Leopold Borstinski, thank you to Emma at Damp Pebbles for organising it and inviting me to take part, and thank you to the author for my copy.

Pages: 228

Synopsis: Would you work with the devil to build a paradise on Earth?

Jewish gangster, Alex Cohen joins long-time friend and business partner, Meyer Lansky to recreate Las Vegas in 1950s Havana. When dictator President Batista gives them the opportunity to build their dream casino complexes, Alex must choose between dancing with this devil or being in debt to the Italian mob.

If he takes the mafia money then he will be tied to the men who planned his earlier downfall and removed his mentor, Lucky Luciano from the syndicate. If he refuses their investment then he will be beholden to the tinpot generalissimo and his bloated ego. But Alex knows that there is more at stake than mere gelt–now he has his family surrounding him and they will suffer the ultimate price if he makes a bad decision.

The fifth book in the Alex Cohen series is an historical thriller novel, which tears at the heart of the Jewish mob’s role in pre-revolution Cuba. Leopold Borstinski’s piercing crime fiction gives each reader the shocking skinny into the building of modern America.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I have to be really careful what I say here because it’s obviously book 5 in a series, so I won’t go into the plot like I normally would.

This book was just as action packed as the others, There was fighting and disputes between some long standing characters which I didn’t see coming, it really brought the common phrase in the book “we live together, we love together, but we die alone” into perspective it really showed that these kind of people only see someone as useful whilst they have something to gain from them!

I loved that this book was more family oriented than the others and we got to see more of a couple of Alex’s children (although they’re fully grown adults now) and ready to join the “family business” although both Alex and Sarah are reluctant for that to happen!

I devoured this book in one sitting was totally hooked and thoroughly enjoyed it. I cannot wait to see what the gang get up to next time!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for the Influencer, thank you to Emma at Damp Pebbles for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the publisher and the author for my copy.

Pages: 296

Synopsis: She is worshiped by millions. But she has a secret…

Adored by her legions of followers, social media megastar Skye is an inspiration. Once homeless, she is now fantastically wealthy, enormously powerful. A ‘like’ from Skye can literally change your life.

So when she suggests partnering with Nathan’s charity for the homeless, he thinks it’s a match made in heaven. With Skye’s backing, who knows what he can achieve? And no-one is more excited than Nathan’s teenage daughters, both massive fans of the star.

But Skye’s influence comes at a price. Yes, funds are pouring into Nathan’s charity, but she is a smothering presence, seemingly determined to insert herself into every nook and cranny of his family life.

Nathan’s daughters are thrilled to have so much up close and personal contact with a superstar. But he worries about Skye’s growing influence on them… And is it just a coincidence that ever since she’s been around, his personal life is disintegrating?

As things spiral out of control, Nathan begins to wonder what Skye really wants from him and his daughters. The answer is more terrifying than he could ever imagine…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: This is my first go at Miranda’s work, and I loved it, the writing flowed easily, was gripping without having too much going on at one time which made it really difficult to put down.

We’re following Nathan, who after losing his wife years ago set up a charity to help the homeless in her name, and Skye who is now a social media influencer who really had risen from the bottom in the last few years, at the age of 18 she came out of foster care with nowhere to go and ended up on the streets… because of her past she feels she is the perfect person to help Nathan take Sacha’s Sanctuary to the next level.,, but is she all she claims to be?

The story is told from 2 different perspectives as I said, but also from 2 different timelines, the present from both Nathan and Skye, but also Skyes past. – the chapters from Skyes past were my favourite because they made the events of the present feel all the more creepy!

As a psychological thriller this was so good! – it made me feel uncomfortable in places and even like I was being watched 😂 I did work out the big reveal by about the half way point, but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story at all.

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Today is my stop on the blogtour for Because You’re Mine by Luna Miller, thank you to Emma at Damp Pebbles Blog Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author for my copy.

Pages: 277

Synopsis: Gunvor Ström, a Swedish surgeon who had to retire because her hands weren’t steady enough to perform operations, accepts a position as a private detective and enters a new and surprisingly dangerous career.

In Because You’re Mine, she accepts her second assignment. Is it always for the best to look for a missing person? Gunvor is not entirely sure as she believes there are those who don´t want to be found. Despite this, she takes on a case. A wife needs help to find her husband, Per Cedergren. A simple case at first glance. Gunvor is convinced that he has sneaked off on an adventure with a mistress and soon will return voluntarily.

Gunvor’s good friend Aidan also makes his debut as a private detective when he helps a new acquaintance look for her missing friend.

When Gunvor and Aidan take the help of their young friends, Elin and David, the two parallel cases meander closer each other. But how do they relate? And what do the disappearances have in common with the murders that at first glance appear to be hate crimes.

Soon they find themselves in the eye of the storm, not knowing where the danger lurks.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: this one took a while to get into, the writing style (because it’s a translated novel) seemed a little blunt and to the point so wasn’t as easy to get lost in, but once I got used to it I found the story thoroughly enjoyable.

There are 2 separate investigations going on, one run by Aidan and one run by Gunvor with the help of Elin and David and we’re introduced to lots of different characters who they soon learn are all linked! – but how closely?

Soon some of the witnesses linked to their cases are murdered, is there more going on that they first thought, can they get to the bottom of what’s happening before it’s too late?

This is my first go at the genre “Nordic Noir” and it was a solid enough read that I would be willing to give it another go.

Trigger warnings for possible homophobia and hate crime.

Definitely one I would recommend to lovers of crime novels.

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for No Place Like Home by Jane Renshaw, thank you to Emma at Damp Pebbles Blog tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 285

Synopsis: They wanted the simple life. What they get is simply terrifying.

The Hendriksen family, Bram, Kirsty and their two kids, are living the dream. They have left the rat race of the big city and moved into a gorgeous, custom-built house in the Scottish Highlands. Bram has already planted up a vegetable plot and is planning to create a wildflower meadow and keep chickens and goats.

But then a dead crow appears on their washing line, their vegetables are weedkilled and someone shoots at Bertie, a gentle guide dog belonging to Kirsty’s mother.

The police say it’s nothing to worry about, it’s just bored local teenagers hanging out in the woods. But Bram is sure that more sinister forces are at work, that these events may be connected to a terrible secret in Kirsty’s past.

And he’s right. As the campaign against them escalates, the family is pulled down into a relentless spiral of terror and violence until the home they always dreamed of becomes a nightmare from which they may never escape

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: Well this one was a journey and a half, that left me never knowing which way was up 😂

The Hendriksen family have just moved back to where Kirsty grew up to start a new life, now right from the start we know that Kirsty isn’t 100% happy to be back home, what we don’t know is why…

Straight away strange things start happening, the family are being targeted, is it all linked to the past?

Some chapters are told in the past which gives us a little insight into Bram and Kirsty which I appreciated but it didn’t give us enough to let us know what was happening which was as slightly frustrating as a reader ( in the best way possible)

There were so many people that could of committed the crime that happened, all totally believable and I just didn’t know who was guilty, I know who I wanted it to be though.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable and near impossible to put down.

I will say the revelation at the VERY end was a little too far fetched to me, i was happy with the conclusion we had before that 😂

But it’s definitely a book I would recommend to all fans of psychological thrillers!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for Kate In Waiting by Beck Albertalli and I have a spotlight for you. (Where I tell you about the book, the author and where you can buy it) Thank you to The Write Reads for organising it and inviting me to take part

Synopsis:

From bestselling YA rom-com queen Becky Albertalli (author of Love, Simon) comes a new novel about daring to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight in love, life and theatre.

[PRINCIPAL CAST LIST]
Kate Garfield
Anderson Walker

Best friends, and contrary to popular belief, not co-dependent. Examples:

Carpooling to and from theatre rehearsals? Environmentally sound and efficient.
Consulting each other on every single life decision? Basic good judgment.
Pining for the same guys from afar? Shared crushes are more fun anyway.

But when Kate and Andy’s latest long-distance crush shows up at their school, everything goes off-script.

Enter Stage Left: Matt Olsson

He is talented and sweet, and Kate likes him. She really likes him. The only problem? So does Anderson.

Turns out, communal crushes aren’t so fun when real feelings are involved. This one might even bring the curtains down on Kate and Anderson’s friendship…

About the author: Becky Albertalli is the author of the acclaimed novels Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (film: Love, Simon), The Upside of Unrequited, and Leah on the Offbeat. She is also the co-author of What If It’s Us with Adam Silvera. A former clinical psychologist who specialized in working with children and teens, Becky lives with her family in Atlanta. You can visit her online at www.beckyalbertalli.com.

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