Book & Author Details: Ethan’s Empire: Laying Down the Rules by R.V. Garner Publication date: February 15th 2021 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance Synopsis:
Welcome to Ethan’s world, where the suspense is heart-gripping, and the romance will leave you desperate for more.
At an age when most girls have the world at their feet, Olivia Crosley is just trying to survive, bouncing from one borrowed bed to another to find a place to lay her head at night. With all the odds against her and strength beyond her years, she has managed to carve out a section of life she can call her own. Then she meets Ethan Grant. The first time she laid eyes on him, he was a complete mystery, an unlikely hero in a perfectly tailored suit. His stoic demeanor told her to keep her guard up, but there is a reason he saved her, and she needs to find out why. From the moment he pulled her into his car, she became a prize to be hunted. She soon learns that his enemies are fully engaged in the game. Olivia finds herself immersed in guards, guns, and more money than she could ever imagine. Each moment brings its own sense of danger as she struggles to determine whether her heart or life is on the line.
R.V. Garner is an emerging author in the romance genre. She grew up on the border of Georgia and Florida, surrounded by sunshine and salt air. A hopeless romantic to her core, she gets lost creating worlds and letting them flow out of her in the form of a story. Dancing in the rain, the long-awaited kiss, a hand on the small of the back, she’s a sucker for them all. Epic love stories in any form are her kryptonite. Books, movies, and music all hold power over her, and she hopes to share a little bit of that magic with you. You can visit her at www.rvgarner.com. Be sure to sign up for updates, and be one of the first to know when new books are coming out.
Book & Author Details: His Billion-Dollar Takeover Temptation by Emmy Grayson (The Infamous Cabrera Brothers, #1) Published by: Harlequin Presents Publication date: May 25th 2021 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
In debut author Emmy Grayson’s sexy workplace romance, will the Spanish CEO be able to resist giving in to desire?
He will claim her company But can he claim her, too?
Everleigh Bradford won’t simply hand over control of the family vineyard she expected to inherit. She’s lost too much already. If she must confront internationally renowned new owner Adrian Cabrera, she will! Even if she has to fight her red-hot response to the brooding Spaniard.
Bringing Everleigh home to Grenada to prove he’ll protect her heritage is essential to their working relationship—but it’s dangerous. Innocent Everleigh is intoxicating. And she deserves everything that Adrian’s past and his iron self-control won’t let him give her. No matter how tempting it is…
From Harlequin Presents: Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.
Emmy’s interest in romance can be traced back to her love of Nancy Drew books, when she tried to solve the mysteries of her favorite detective while rereading the romantic chapters with Ned Nickerson. Fast-forward a few years when she discovered a worn copy of “A Rose in Winter” by Kathleen Woodiwiss on her mother’s bookshelf, and she was hooked. Over 20 years later, Harlequin Presents made her dream come true by offering her a contract for her first book.
When Emmy isn’t writing or reading, she’s chasing around her baby boy, feeding her menagerie of fur babies or carving out a little time on her front porch with her firefighter hubby.
Signed copy of His Billion-Dollar Takeover TemptationIllustrated bookmark by Plum Tree Illustration (Etsy)Wine tumbler by Paola Brown Shop (Etsy)$10 Powell’s Books gift card
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Whatever It Takes, the second instalment in Heaton Wilson’s series of police procedurals featuring DCI Jane Birchfield.
Whatever It Takes
DCI Jane Birchfield is facing a series of personal challenges: a rocky relationship with her partner, her mum hardly talks to her; and her boss and mentor is critically ill, which means she is having to cover his post as well as her own. Then she has to take charge of the toughest of murder investigations. Jamie Castleton is found dead, seemingly frozen in position at a computer in a grubby internet cafe in the Manchester suburb of Ashbridge. Enquiries reveal he was a self employed tech consultant and a computer expert, so what was he doing in there?
The more Jane and her team dig under the surface, the more the evidence points to one of Manchester’s biggest companies, Greaves, and its super-wealthy boss, Graeme Hargreaves. This leads Jane into a sordid underworld, and a surprise twist in the investigation forces her to face up to an event in her own past, that she has kept buried for 25 years.
Slowly, but surely, the net tightens around the suspects, but can she stay objective, and can she keep herself, her team, and her relationship, together, and bring the killer to justice? For Jane it has become a personal crusade, but in this race against time there is far more at stake than she ever imagined.
Whatever it Takes is the second instalment in DCI Jane Birchfield series and I’m really gladto have discovered yet another great series of police procedurals to follow. The book can be read as a standalone as the author provides enough background to fill the new reader in.
We get thrown into action from the word Go. A young man is murdered by an injection of a lethal substance that causes immediate paralysis. When the police are called to the scene of crime, an unremarkable Internet cafe in Manchester, they are not even sure if they are dealing with a murder case. But Jamie Castleton was young, healthy, and had alhis life ahead of him. His mother tells the police that Jamie’s behaviour recently changed and she suspected he got himself into trouble. DCI Jane Birchfield promises to leave no stone unturned and find the murderer ‘whatever it takes’. The internet cafe, where Jamie lost his life, belongs to a big and successful company that has recently been hit by hacking rumours. This has already affected the share price and caused significant damage. What had Jamie been working on when he was killed and could it have cost him his life?
Overseeing this particular investigation isn’t easy for Jane. She had to step in to cover her mentor’s job, while Charles Aston is slowly fading away in a hospice, and this is obviously putting Jane under a lot of emotional strain. At the same time her relationship with Allan has hit a rough patch and she has to take a long and hard look at where her life is going. Jane is an extremely complex character who has a lot of things on her plate and is dealing not only with a vast range of her own emotions, but also takes care of people in her team.
The plot was tight and slowly, but solidly built, with a few surprising developments. The book was well-paced and really engaging- one of those police procedurals where you can’t predict where the case is going to take you, but have to work it out together with the team.
Whatever It Takes does have it all- excellent writing, interesting characters, an intriguing case which turns out to be really dark. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources, the publsher and the author for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Author Bio
I have been a newspaper journalist, a postman, a public relations officer, a consultant, an actor, a director, a playwright. And I have always kept writing. I always felt I could write a novel. And I did! The first book in my crime fiction series featuring DCI Jane Birchfield, Every Reason, came out in 2016. Whatever It Takes was published in 2021; and the third book (which follows on where Whatever It Takes ends) is nearing completion. I’m from Manchester but now live on the Isle of Wight, where the sea is never far away. It’s the perfect place to be creative, and to walk the dogs.
Thank you for reading the post! If you like police procedurals as much as I do, be sure to check this one out. If you haven’t read the first book in the series, you can find more about it here: Goodreads (Every Reason: DCI Jane Birchfield)
Book details: The Immortal Game by Talia Rothschild & A.C. HarveyPublished by: Swoon Reads Publication date: May 25th 2021 Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:
An exiled goddess goes on a quest to clear her name and save Mount Olympus in Talia Rothschild & A C Harvey’s action-packed young adult debut, The Immortal Game!
Galene, daughter of Poseidon, desperately wants to earn her place among the gods. But when a violent attack leaves Mount Olympus in chaos and ruins, she is accused of the crime. Banished from Olympus, Galene sets out to prove her innocence and discovers a more deadly plot—one that threatens even the oldest of Immortals.
Fortunately, she has allies who willingly join her in exile:
A lifelong friend who commands the wind. A defiant warrior with deadly skill. A fire-wielder with a hero’s heart. A mastermind who plays life like a game.
All-out war is knocking at the gates. Galene and her friends are the only ones who can tip the scales toward justice, but their choices could save Olympus from total annihilation, or be the doom of them all.
This story was so much fun to read! I am a big fan of mythology-based books and books about loyalty, friendship, adventure, standing up for injustly accused and finding your own way in the world. Add not one but two strong female leads to the mix and you’ve got me swooning!
Unlike Percy Jackson this book doesn’t focus on demi-gods, but rather Young, teenage gods, so there is very little connection with the human world. The main characters Galene, daughter of Poseidon, Iyana,daughter of Zeus, Demetri, son of Ares, and Braxtus are so-called unnamed gods, because they still have to take a special kind of test to earn their immortality and future veneration from humans. There is also Kostas, another adorable character, who has already passed his Trial and has earned his name of the God of Games.
Galene fails her test, although there are some doubts about the fairness of the trial in her case. She is sad, but resigned to try again in future. Then unthinkable happens: Mount Olympus is attacked and Galene is framed for what occured. She is exiled. Her best friend Iyana speaks up in her favour and banishes herself in protest against the unfairness of the Gods’ decision. They are joined by Demetri,and later Braxtus and Kostas. Once they reach Galene’s previously exiled older brother Chrysander, they will have to make some choices that would test their loyalty to their home and would send them on an unforgettable adventure.
There are several POVs in this book and I loved getting these different perspectives, although I must admit Kostas’s was always my favourite, due not only to his character, but also his special abilities. The mix of characters was absolutely perfect, plus they all have to grow and develop in the book to show to the world what they really are and what they are capable of!
The setting and the quest were fantastic- there was so much variety! The pace was excellent- just enough time to let us get to know the characters better and lots of exciting action. One of my favourite scenes was the battle of Iyana with the traitor- it was great to see this generaly quiet and insecure girl realise her power and use it in a spectacular way. Another top moment is the Beast Maker Game, but you have to read the book to find out what it’s all about…
Recommended to anyone who loves a good action-packed mythology story, although I’d say the target age is 13-15 year olds.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
AUTHOR BIO:
Talia Rothschild, Italian American, is passionate about stories in many forms—music, dance, photography, film and, of course, great novels. She believes in thick hot chocolate and creamer in your tea. When she’s not happily writing, she’s mothering the sweetest baby girl and making memories with her husband. Her debut book The Immortal Game, coauthored with A. C. Harvey, hits the shelves May 2021.
Ashleigh Harvey is teaching high school physics and bringing her writing dreams to life. English-born and world-traveled, she loves filling her life with new adventures, such as visiting a new country or exploring the Wild West with her husband. She also finds escape in movies, music, literature, and yearly comic conventions. The Immortal Game is her debut novel, created alongside Talia Rothschild, her close friend.
Rome was supposed to be safe–or at least safer than 90% of the planet. That was before the local legends started using their magic to destroy the food supply.
Considered one of Rome’s experts on legends, mostly because she keeps surviving their assassination attempts, Jordan finds herself racing to find the culprits before they strike again. But legends wield powers that aren’t documented, understood, or predictable. And Jordan isn’t even a soldier. She’s just some scientist unlucky enough to stumble over the local political mess.
The chances of getting murdered by magic beyond her comprehension is disconcertingly high. But if this unknown legend goes unchecked, Rome won’t survive the next few years…and Jordan doesn’t have it in her to walk away from that.
Book 2 in the Jordan Sanders series, beginning with Terrestrial Magic. (From the Book Blurb)
My thoughts: Natural Sorcery is the second book in Marina Ermakova’s urban fantasy series featuring Jordan Sanders, a biologist and a leader of a team that studies magical animals (legimals). You can read Natural Sorcery as a standalone, as the author provides enough background into this fantasy world. However, there are also spoilers to the first book, so I would recommend to start from Terrestrial Magic and get a fuller experience of the series.
I did enjoy the second book much more for several reasons. Partly, it’s the blessing of the secondbook where the world has already been established and here we are dealing with an original blend of fantasy and mythology. It is clear from the aftermath of the events in the previous book that Jordan got involved into complex political games which may well be a matter of survival for non-magical humans, but Jordan is a scientist and knows very little about politics. Even she understands straightaway that the mystery at the core of the second book is threatening to leave her community without food and it isn’t going to be easy to find the guilty party, if the legends (the magical community) are involved. There are twists and turns, including narrow escapes from death and lethal animal attacks. Natural Sorcery grabbed me straightaway and I just had to read it in one sitting.
The first book left me a bit unsure about the protagonist. This time it felt as if she matured and left some of her insecurities behind her. Jordan often thought what her family members would say or do in a situation of danger and this helps her analyse the events form different angles and come up with a course of action. She still does it, but now she goes beyond choosing between the options her family would consider and finds her own way.
Overall, I enjoyed this second instalment in Jordan Sanders series and was glad to be back in this original world with legends and mythological animals. I’m looking forward to getting to know more about Jordan and her team in the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Books Go Social for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Book & Author Details: The Weight of the Sky by Caroline Schley Publication date: May 20th 2021 Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult Synopsis:
For every important decision in her life, fifteen-year-old Chris Miller relies on silence rather than courage. In her rough Bridgeport neighborhood, Chris bites her tongue when her best friend gets sent to juvenile detention for a crime she didn’t commit. As a scholarship kid at St. Catherine’s Prep, Chris acquiesces to ‘drinkstagram’ at tony sleepover parties. At home with her overbearing mother, she swallows her questions about her father’s identity. Chris understands that quiet insecurity isn’t the most valiant approach to life, but it gets her through the day unscathed. Until she’s sexually assaulted.
In the aftermath, Chris’s tenuous happiness crumbles alongside her grades, yet she can’t find the courage to report the assault. At a crossroads, Chris is forced to volunteer at an afterschool program for low-income families to maintain her scholarship. Catapulted back to the very neighborhood she struggled to escape, Chris finds her family thrust into the crosshairs of a gang war. When one of the students from her afterschool program is put at risk, Chris discovers just how much damage her silence can cause. Ultimately, she must decide if she will remain quiet as others call the shots and remain a victim or if she can forge the strength to stand up, speak the truth and call herself a survivor.
Caroline Schley is a YA author and high school science teacher. Originally from New York City, she currently lives in Madrid and will happily travel long distances for white sand beaches, high-quality chocolate and alpine hiking trails. You can find out about her current writing projects and stay in touch at carolineschley.com.
Book & Author Details: Royal Trouble by Jennifer Bonds Published by: Entangled: Amara Publication date: May 17th 2021 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
It’s time for everyone’s favorite bad boy, Prince Alexander Stanley, to clean up his act. Given the rare opportunity to lead a new royal program that aids veterans and their families, Xander can’t afford to be making scandalous headlines anymore. He has only two months until the program launches. No more overindulging. And definitely no more women.
Then halfway into it, his good behavior streak is threatened by a devil in a fuchsia dress.
Everly Wilson has kept a secret for years. She was the mastermind behind the celebrity dirt website Royals Gone Wild, which exposed some of her home country of Valeria’s juiciest secrets. But once she was out of school, she left the website and her past behind, moved to New York, and became a serious writer.
A seriously broke writer. If she doesn’t find a fresh story to earn her top dollar, she’ll be out on the street, with nothing but her laptop and a stack of unpaid medical bills to keep her warm at night.
But when a friend’s wedding brings her back home, it seems like the fates have aligned to deliver her the scoop of the year. Prince Alexander is suddenly on a mission to clean up his act, avoiding the escapades he once embraced—and she’s determined to be the one to catch his inevitable screwup. So when things between them start to heat up, and Xander’s walls start coming down, Everly might be the one royally in trouble this time…
AUTHOR BIO:Jennifer Bonds writes sizzling contemporary romance with sassy heroines, sexy alphas, and a whole lot of mischief. She’s a sucker for enemies-to-lovers stories, laugh-out-loud banter, and over-the-top grand gestures. Jennifer lives in Pennsylvania, where her overactive imagination and weakness for reality TV keep life interesting. She’s lucky enough to live with her own real-life hero, two adorable (and sometimes crazy) children, and one rambunctious K9. Loves Buffy, Mexican food, a solid Netflix binge, the Winchester brothers, cupcakes, and all things zombie. Sings off-key.
To connect with Jen online, visit http://www.jenniferbonds.com or find her on Facebook and Instagram @jbondswrites.
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Spring Siren, the fourth book in Georgina Troy’s The Boardwalk by the Sea series.
Spring Siren
Pull on your sunglasses, spring is here! When Finn Gallichan, the new man in artist, Jools Jones’ life leaves the boardwalk to go travelling for several months, she’s not too worried. She has her paintings to work on as well as keeping busy helping her grandmother run the only second-hand bookshop in the village. She’s happy to wait for Finn’s return to pick up where they left off their relationship. That is, until she decides to secretly help a new customer trace a copy of a book he wrote years before and meets his grandson, Marius Arnesen, a glass artist who, fascinated by her paintings, asks her to take part in an art exhibition. When she begins to suspect that Finn isn’t quite the person she had hoped and Marius steps up to save someone close to her, she wonders if maybe she’s made the wrong decision…
My thoughts: This is the fourth and final instalment in Georgina Troy’s The Boardwalk By the Sea series of booksseton on the island of Jersey. I started from Book 3 Winter Whimsy and couldn’t wait to come back to this wonderful community where people take care of each other and welcome newcomers. The previous books Summer Sundaes, Autumn Antics, and Winter Whimsy told the life stories of three close friends – Sacha, Bella, and Lexi. Now it’s the turn of their fourth friend, lovely, artistic Jools.
Jools has been out on a couple dates with Finn Gallichan and their relationship is still very new and undecided when Finn goes away from the island. The two month holiday with a friend was planned long time in advance and Jools would hate it if she was forced to choose between her girlfriendsands and a new romantic interest. Still, she isn’t feeling happy about Finn’s long absence,expecially since they don’t know each other that well yet and Finn hasn’t been that diligent with texting or sending photos. A new customer comes to Jools’ grandmother’s bookshop. He has recently movedbacktothe island where his grandson Marius lives. When Jools has her meet-cute with Marius, who is also an artist and has a lot in common with Jools, there is definite chemistry and… a dilemma of trying to figure out whether Finn is the right man for her.
It was great to see the familiar faces and find out what has been happening in our friends’ lives and let me tell you, Georgina Troy has a lot of news, twists and turns in store for you. There’s also a demonstration of what glassblowing artists do to produce the amazing colours and forms they use in their creations, and a little bit of history of the island from the Second World War.
Fabulous conclusion to an entertaining series with lovely, thoughtful characters who love their island with its fantastic community. Some of them might have their peculiarities and eccentricities, but who doesn’t and isn’t it nice to be accepted and cared for just the way you are? Recommended to anyone who loves clean romance and reading about supportive groups of friends.
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources and the author for the gifted review copy. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
Author Bio
Georgina Troy is a pseudonym of author Deborah Carr, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Poppy Field, Broken Faces and the Mrs Boots series. She was a finalist in the Contemporary Romance Category of the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards 2016 (RoNAs) with A Jersey Kiss, book 1 in her Jersey Scene series. Georgina lives on the island of Jersey with her husband and three rescue dogs and is 1/3 of The Blonde Plotters.
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me toparticipate in the blog tour for Retribution, the second novel in Christina O’Reilly’s DS Baldrick series of police procedurals.
Retribution
A young woman has been murdered on Ripton Beach. DSS ‘Archie’ Baldrick and DC Ben Travers eventually identify the body as that of Lucy Martin, who has been renting a bach in the area. Her husband, Oliver, seems to know very little about his wife or her background. What was Lucy hiding? Why has she no family or friends? As the number of suspects mounts up, Archie begins to conclude that the real answer lies in Lucy’s dark and mysterious past, and that the murderer may be just a little too close for comfort …
This is my second book by Christina O’Reilly and I must say I’m a fan of this author. Into the Void, published in December 2020 introduced us to DSS Archie Baldrick and DC Ben Travis. I loved Christina O’Reilly’s descriptions of Archie’s chaotic family life, his easygoing wife Jenna and his teenage daughters Alicia and Summer. If you like a well-written whodunnit with likeable main charachers and subtle humour, I’d recommend you read both Book 1 Into the Void and Book 2 Retribution.
A body of a young woman is found on the beach. The identity of the victim is quickly established when Oliver Martin calls the police to inform that his wife Lucy lived in a rented bach near the beach. Lucy left her teaching job to write a novel and needed some peace and quiet to reflect and complete her work. Lucy doesn’t appear to have any other family apart from her husband who claims to have been in Sydney at the time. Moreover, there is something about the murder that makes the police suspect the perpetrator was local or at least somebody who knows the beach area very well.
What follows is solid police work. Alibis are provided and thoroughly checked, telephone call registers are analysed, anyone who might have had any links to the case is paid a visit and interviewed, and suspects, likely and unlikely are identified. There are twists and turns as more evidence comes to light and shifts the investigators’ perspective. The plot is solid and although you may have an inkling of what the title of the book refers to, it isn’t easy to guess the identity of the murderer and the motive.
As it was the case with the first book, the parts I liked the most were the ones dealing with Archie’s family. Let’s say being a father isn’t all joy and pride, it also involves plenty of worry and racking your brains on how to pass on your life knowledge and lifehacks, while allowing your independent teenagers make their own life decisions and possibly mistakes. As long as they do know you are and always will be there for them.
This short book was genuinely entertaining and time spent in the company of Archie and his team flew fast. I loved the setting (New Zealand), the characters, both main and secondary, drawn with memorable details, the intrigue and the fast pace. I hope Christina O’Reilly is going to continue with the series and can’t wait to meet Archie and his team again. Wholeheartedly recommended.
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources and the author for the review copy gifted with no expectation of a favourable review. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
Author Bio
Christina is a writer and professional proofreader living in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Four of her short stories have been published, one in a magazine and the others in anthologies produced by Page and Blackmore, Rangitawa Publishing and most recently in Fresh Ink: Voices from Aotearoa, produced by Cloud Ink Press. As well as being a finalist in the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Awards, Christina’s first crime novel Into the Void was longlisted for the 2019 Michael Gifkins Memorial Prize for an unpublished novel.
Book & Author Details: Sedition by E.M. Wright (Children of Erikkson #1) Published by: Parliament House Publication date: May 18th 2021 Genres: Steampunk, Young Adult
Synopsis:
She was created for more than slavery; she was built for rebellion.
In an alternate Victorian England, clockwork cyborgs provide the primary source of labor for the upper class. Known as biomatons, they are property by law and have been manipulated and mind-controlled into subservience.
Taryn Roft, a 17-year-old girl, attending classes at Grafton’s School of Mechanicks in London has a secret. What’s even worse—she cannot remember anything before her twelfth birthday.
When a mysterious privateer discovers her secret, he offers her an ultimatum: accompany him to his airship, or her secret will be revealed to everyone. For Taryn, it’s not much of a choice. Facing prejudice and cruelty may be nothing new to the only girl at an all-boys’ school, but the further from home she gets, the darker her situation becomes.
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