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#Blog Tour #The North Wind (The Four Winds 1 ) by Alexandria Warwick #New Adult #Fantasy #Romance @Xpresso Book Tours

Book details:
The North Wind
by Alexandria Warwick
(The Four Winds, #1)
Publication date: January 13th 2022
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:

Lush. Dark. Romantic. Introducing a newly reimagined tale written in the vein of Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone.

Long before civilization, there were the gods. And before the gods, there was the earth, the celestial bodies, and air given flesh. They are the Anemoi—the Four Winds—and they have been banished to the four corners of the world.

Wren of Edgewood is no stranger to suffering. Her parents are gone. Survival is all she knows. For three hundred years, the land known as the Gray has been encased in ice, surrounded by a great barrier called the Shade, which protects the townsfolk from the Deadlands beyond.

But day by day, the Shade weakens.

Only one thing can stop the Shade’s fall: a mortal woman taken captive across the barrier, bound in wedlock to the dark god who reigns over the Deadlands. He is the North Wind, the Frost King, an immortal whose heart is said to be as frigid as the land he rules.

And the time has come for the Frost King to choose his bride.

The North Wind is a standalone, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance, the first in a series sprinkled with Greek lore. Perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Laura Thalassa, and Scarlett St. Clair.

Goodreads / Amazon

Author Bio:

Alexandria Warwick is the #1 fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is the author of The Demon Race and the North series.

Website / Goodreads / Newsletter / Instagram

My thoughts:
My first time reading Alexandria Warwick and I’m really glad to have discovered this talented author! The North Wind is an original new adult fantasy inspired by Beauty and the Beast as well as the Hades and Persephone myth. Well, Wren, the protagonist of the North Windis much more strong-willed, outspoken, and feisty than the traditionally meek Persephone, and this is exactly what I loved about this charcter.

Twenty three year old Wren and her twin sister Elora lost their parents to starvation in their tiny village of Edgewood. Wren was forced to learn to hunt and steal to make sure she and her much softer sister survive the crual and harsh world they live in. Once in a few decades King Boreas, the North Wind, leaves his citadel in the deadlands and crosses the Shade boundary that separates the world of dead and living and comes to Edgewood to pick his human bride. Wren would do anything to save her sister and that includes deceiving the North Wind and taking Elora’s place. Wren finds out that the Shade and the protection it offers is weakening and the bestway to assuage it is to feed it human blood, made stronger by the wedding vows given by an immortal. Boreas may be reserved and broody ( and sorely lacking social skills), but he is hardly the monster Wren imagined him to be, despite his power to judge and punish human souls for their violent actions in life.

This is the third re-telling of the Hades and Persephone myth I’ve read in a couple months (the other two were Neon Gods and Light Destroyer) and I must say I liked this Hades most of all. Bit by bit we get to know our characters, their history and their disposition, and the romantic tension grows in a very, very slow burn. If you love the hate-to-love trope, you will appreciate the development of Boreas and Wren’s relationship. The book is on a lengthy side (I’m such a lightweight that I rarely go for anything longer than 500 pages), so if you can’t wait to get to the spicy scenes, you’ll have to be patient.

Overall, I liked the dark and atmospheric world- building and the flawed nature of the protagonists (Wren is battling her alcoholism in quite a realistic way). The book was also engaging, despite its slightly uneven pacing I would recommend it to anyone who loves new adult fantasy, Beauty and the Beast retellings intertwined with some elements of Greek mythology, and the enemies-to-lovers trope.

Thank you to Giselle fro XBT, the publisher and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Giveaway:

Tour-wide giveaway (INT)

2x ebook copies of The North Wind

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Thank you for reading the post! If you would like to find out what other bloggers thought of The North Wind, you can see the full blog tour schedule here:

January 17th
–Rants N Scribbles >> Excerpt
–Aubrey Wynne: Timeless Love >> Excerpt
–Mythical Books >> Review

January 18th
–Caitlin’s World >> Excerpt
–Adventures in Writing >> Playlist
–The Fantasy Princess >> Excerpt

January 19th
–perusewithcoffee >> Review
–Reading_Valkyrie >> Review

January 20th
–Tien’s Blurb >> Review
–Reading Tonic >> Review
–Kelsey Ketch >> Guest post
–DEEKAY | Daily Dose of Reading >> Review

January 21st
–Bookish Trisha >> Review
–Kayla C. Reviews >> Review
–Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books! >> Review
–I Smell Sheep >> Review
–The Avid Reader >> Review

#2022 Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge

The time has come again to tackle your TBR!

The Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge is returning for its 6th year in 2022! Designed to help you tackle all the books you keep meaning to read and still haven’t, this challenge is flexible enough to work for all kinds of readers. The challenge is hosted by Austine @ Austine Decker.com

The guidelines are simple:

The book must be published in the previous year or earlier (for the 2022 challenge, anything published in 2021 or earlier counts).
You have to start and finish the book in 2022.
And that’s it!

Any format, any genre. Re-reads count, and you don’t have to own the book. It’s open for the entire year so whenever you feel like jumping in, you can!

Why join it?

Do you have books on your to-read list that already released?
Do you struggle to get to those backlist books with all the new releases each year?
Do you enjoy relaxed reading challenges you can do at your own pace?

There is no formal sign-up for Beat the Backlist this year. Whether you want to make a Goodreads shelf, declare your participation on social media, make a blog post, share an instagram story, or say nothing at all, you’re welcome.

Austine’s only request is that if you do post somewhere online about the challenge, please include a link back so more readers can learn about BTB!

Official Challenge Hashtags

#BeatTheBacklist

#BeatTheBacklist2022

Austine has kindly provided a spreadsheet to keep track of your progress, prompt lists with and without explanations and reading BINGO prompt cards– all of them look absolutely amazing!

I have a modest goal of fifty, but we’ll see how it goes.

Tracking:

1 Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko (Published August 18, 2020) -368 pages

2 In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren (Published October 6, 2020)- 307 pages

#Can’t Wait Wednesday #The Charmed List by Julie Abe @Wednesday Books

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you’re continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here.

And the book I am waiting for is…

From the blurb:

Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in Julie Abe’s The Charmed List:a romantic comedy with a magical twist about two former friends turned enemies forced together on a summer road trip.

Ellie Kobata has spent most of high school on the sidelines, keeping her art Instagram private and shying away from the world. She can’t even tell her only friend, Lia, who she really is: Ellie is part of a secret magical community, and no one outside of it can know it exists. The only person Ellie could fully relate to was Jack Yasuda – her childhood friend who mysteriously started to snub her a few years ago.

But before senior year, Ellie is ready to take some risks and have a life-changing summer, starting with her Anti-Wallflower List – thirteen items she’s going to check off one by one. With this list, she hopes to finally come out of her shell; even though she can’t share her full self with the world. But when number four on Ellie’s list goes horribly wrong—revenge on Jack Yasuda—she’s certain her summer is cursed. Instead of spending her summer with Lia, Ellie finds herself stuck in a car with Jack driving to a magical convention. But as Ellie and Jack travel down the coast of California, number thirteen on her list—fall in love—may be happening without her realizing it.

In The Charmed List, Julie Abe sweeps readers away to a secret magical world, complete with cupcakes and tea with added sparks of joy, and an enchanted cottage where you can dance under the stars.

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Expected Publication Date: July 5, 2022

Publisher: Wednesday Books

ISBN 9781250830098, 1250830095

Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy

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JULIE ABE is the author of the EVA EVERGREEN, SEMI-MAGICAL WITCH series and ALLIANA, GIRL OF DRAGONS middle grade fantasy books; and the YA novel THE CHARMED LIST. She has lived in Silicon Valley, spent many humid summers in Japan, and currently basks in the sunshine of Southern California with never enough books or tea, where she creates stories about magical adventures. Follow her on Instagram at http://instagram.com/julieabebooks, or her newsletter at https://julieabebooks.com/newsletter.

#Blog Tour #Hunter’s Rules by Val Penny #Q&A with Val Penny @rararesources

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Hunter’s Rules by Val Penny.

Q&A with Val Penny, the author of Hunter’s Rules Edinburgh Crime Mysteries)

What is the first story you remember telling (not necessarily writing)?

The first story I remember telling was at school when I was seven years old. It was about a horse, which I did not have that was stolen by neighbours, who had no more use for a horse than I did and the neighbours were eaten by a wild lion for their trouble. (There are few wild lions in SW Scotland!)

2.What was your favorite game to play as a child?

My parents bought me a tepee, not a tent and I enjoyed playing house in that, but my sister would always have to be the cowboy as I wanted to live in the tepee.

3Star Trek or Star Wars?

Star Wars

4.Do you have any writing quirks?

I like to write in the afternoon. I prefer to answer emails, sort out my blogs and do any necessary household chores in the morning and get them out of the way. Then from about 2pm the day is mine to write for as long as I like.

5.Who inspired you to write your debut novel?

I am so fortunate to have had a great deal of encouragement from other authors, but my first inspiration came from Handsome Hubby (HH) who heard me droning on about good and bad books and said ‘Well, if you know so much about what makes a good book, why don’t you write one?’

6.What is your favourite color? Least favourite?

Favourite – any bright colour – red, blue, green, pink.

Least favourite – dark colours – brown and black.

7.How do you name your characters?

I find names interesting and have ‘collected’ or remembered names all my life and once I get to know a character I will assign them a name. For example, driving through a city one afternoon, I saw a lawyer’s office Wilson Hunter Esq. I switched the name around and Hunter Wilson became the name of the main character in my Edinburgh Crime Mysteries Series.

8.If you were to be gifted a superpower that you had to use continuously for 8 hours every day, what would it be?

Ooh invisibility or to be able to eat chocolate brownies without gaining weight? That’s a tough one!

9.What are your hobbies (besides reading and writing)?

I enjoy travelling – it has been said I would go to the opening of a paper bag. I also enjoy walking, swimming, knitting and making jewellery.

10.Have you ever gotten “reader’s block?”

Reader’s block, no. But occasionally I write a lot of nonsense to get to the other side of writer’s block.

11.What is in your TBR pile?

I always have a long TBR pile – one of the good things about lockdown during 2020 was that I almost got to the bottom of it! Right now it contains We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker, The Woman Who Felt Invisible by Lizzie Chantree and The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

12.What was your hardest scene to write?

I am very bad at writing sex scenes. It’s ridiculous, but I get embarrassed. Luckily, Liz Hurst ran a course on Writing Erotica a couple of years ago and now I hope I am less bad at it.

13.If you could have authored a book, which one and why?

I am happy with the books I write, but if I could have written a big blockbuster like Jurassic Park, that would make me very happy.

14.What movie sequel would you erase from history and why?

Funnily enough, Jurassic Park II – The Lost World. I don’t think it is nearly as good as the other movies in the franchise.

15.As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

It would always be a cat. Independent, self-motivated and always finding the warmest place in the room to sleep.

16.What is one food you could never bring yourself to eat and why?

I have been vegetarian since I was twenty-one. I always said I would go back to eating meat and fish when I missed it. I haven’t missed it yet and I think I am unlikely to go back to it now.

17.How long on average does it take you to write a book?

My first novel took me about two and a half years to write. Of course, I had cancer at the time and not a clue what I was doing. Now, a book will take me 6-8 months to write.

18Tell us about your latest book

My most recent novel was published at the beginning of January this year, Hunter’s Rules, It is The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries #6 The Blurb –

A bloody scene brings Hunter and Meera’s romantic plans to an abrupt end.

A young woman was attacked in a hotel lift. She has life changing injuries, but she is alive. Hunter notes that her wounds are like those inflicted on two women who previously died.

Can Meera keep the injured woman alive long enough for her to identify her assailant? Is the same person responsible for all three crimes? When Hunter is identified as a suspect in the crime, can he establish his innocence and lead his team to solve the crime and keep Edinburgh safe?

Thank you to Val for her very Q&A session! Let’s all wish her most recent Edinburgh mystery Hunter’s Rules lots of success!

Purchase Links

UK / US

Author Bio

Val Penny is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and two cats. She has a Law degree from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, lawyer, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer.

However, she has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories and novels. Her crime novels, Hunter’s Chase, Hunter’s Revenge, Hunter’s Force and Hunter’s Blood and Hunter’s Secret are set in Edinburgh, Scotland, published by darkstroke and form The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries.

Her first nonfiction book Let’s Get Published is available now and the first book in the new series centring on Jane Renwick will be published in 2021 as will the next book in The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries, Hunter’s Rules.

Author Contact Details

website / facebook Author / facebook / facebook groups 1 / facebook groups 2

twitter / goodreads / amazon UK / bookbub

Buy Links

Giveaway to Win a PDF of Hunter’s Rules by Val Penny (Open INT)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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#Happy Publication Day #How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan @St.Martin’s Griffin

Synopsis:

A frothy, effervescent romantic comedy from the author of Ten Rules for Faking It, Sophie Sullivan delivers another read that will have you delighted from start to finish.
Interior Design School? Check. Cute little house to fix up? Also check.

Sexy, grumpy neighbor who is going to get in the way of all your plans? Check. Unfortunately.

Grace Travis definitely has it all figured out. In between finishing interior design school and working a million odd jobs, she’ll get her degree. She’ll have her dream job. And most importantly, she’ll have a place to belong, something her cold, manipulative mother could never make for her. When an opportunity to fix up—and live in—an adorable little house on the beach comes along, Grace is all in. Until her biggest roadblock moves in next door.

Noah Jansen knows how to make a deal. A real estate developer with a knack for betting and winning big, he’s not one to let a good opportunity slip away. So when a beachside house with great bones is ripe for a remodel, Noah doesn’t hesitate. Except in order to spruce it up properly (is it even a beach house if it doesn’t have a pool?), he’ll need to take over the house next door. The house with the willful and combative and way-too-intriguing woman living in it.

With the rules for being neighborly going out the window, Grace and Noah are in an all-out feud. But sometimes, your nemesis can turn out to be the person who shows you that home is always where the heart is.

************************************************************

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Publication date: January 18, 2022

ISBN 9781250624185, 1250624185

Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy

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My thoughts:

A new delightful romcom from Sophie Sullivan, the author of Ten Rules of Faking It.

I absolutely adore the enemies to lovers trope especially when it is as well-written as it is in this case.
The tension, the chemistry, the weird irresistible attraction which is a dead giveaway to what we the readers secretly know almost from the word Go- these ‘enemies’ are made for each other….Now if only they could see it themselves. But then we wouldn’t have this lovely romcom…so fight away, Grace and Noah!
Grace has inherited her grandparents’ old house on the beach which is a dream for a design student like her, someone who loves fixing things up. Unfortunately, Grace can’t afford the necessary renovations straightaway, despite doing lots of odd jobs to make the ends meet. When she sees her new next door neigbor Noah for the first time, she can’t help fancying him, but it turns out he is a property developer with an agenda of his own. Noah would love nothing better than to extend his own house by buying Grace’s without knowing how much it really means to this ‘stubborn’ girl. In a twist of fate a magazine offers to buy a house makeover story and they want Grace to be the designer…
I loved the way Sophie Sullivan created sweet, flawed, and relatable characters, both main and supporting ones (including Morty and Tilly).
Lighthearted, cute, romantic, How To Love Your Neighbour offers a great escape from the problems of our daily life and the misery of January weather. Recommended to all contemporary romance readers who enjoy the enemies-to -lovers trope.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Griffin for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

SOPHIE SULLIVAN is a Canadian author as well as a cookie-eating, Diet Pepsi-drinking, Disney enthusiast who loves reading and writing romance in almost equal measure. She writes around her day job as a teacher and spends her spare time with her sweet family watching reruns of Friends. Ten Rules For Faking It is her romcom debut novel, but she’s had plenty of practice writing happily ever after as her alter ego, Jody Holford.

#Top Ten Tuesday #2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

How it works:

Jana from That Artsy Girl assigns each Tuesday a topic and then posts her top ten list that fits that topic. Anybody is welcome to join and create their own top ten (or 2, 5, 12, 20, etc.) list as well. You can put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you!

2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To

Here we go… at least now I have a wonderful Backlist to Beat….

Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

One Two Three by Laurie Frankel

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Maidens by Alex Michaelides

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Have you read any of these books? If yes, did you like or hate them? Would you recommend them?

Upcoming Top Ten Tuesday Topics:

January 25: New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2021
February 1: Books with Character Names In the Titles (Submitted by BookLoversBlog and Lucy @ Bookworm Blogger)
February 8: Love Freebie (come up with your own topic having to do with love)
February 15: Books Too Good to Review Properly (I have no words!) (Submitted by Dedra @ A Book Wanderer)
February 22: Dynamic Duos (Submitted by Elley @ Elley the Book Otter)

Thank you for stopping by and reading the post! Have a wonderful Tuesday!

It’s Monday! What are you reading? January 17th, 2022

It’s Monday! What are you Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn from Book Date, a place to share and discuss what we’ve read in the past week and what we’re in the middle of or are planning to read this week.

I didn’t stick to my tbr at all, but I did enjoy immensely all three books I read last week. Hope this upcoming week turns out to be as good…

What I read / listened to last week:

How to Love Your neighbor by Sophie Sullivan

Murder on High by Paula Williams- Blog Tour on the 16th of January

No Ex Before Marriage by Portia Macintosh- blog tour on the 17th of January

What I am reading/listening to now:

The North Wind by Alexandra Warwick

Hunted by Caro Savage

What I’m reading /listening to next:

The Grace Year by Kim Ligget

Anything You Can Do by BR Maycock

How did your last week go and what are you reading this week?

#Book Blitz #Silent Depths by Reily Garrett #Thriller @Xpresso Book Tours

Book & Author Details:
Silent Depths
by Reily Garrett
Publication date: December 31st 2021
Genres: Adult, Thriller
Synopsis:

What price would you pay for freedom?

Callie’s mind holds the key to weapons of mass destruction, both nuclear and biological. As a child, she drew the attention of an obscure military branch who kidnapped and held her in the bowels of a Think Tank.

Following a daring escape, death and destruction dog her steps yet can’t diminish her determination in seeking justice.

Nate Crofton left his black-ops unit seeking a quieter existence as a private investigator. When an ex-teammate draws him into a web of tangled lies and betrayal, he can’t resist the young prodigy in need of protection.

Little does he know the blue-eyed enigma holds incredible secrets and can take care of herself, along with the team sworn to protect her.

Together, they rely on each other’s strengths to stay one step ahead of agents, both foreign and domestic, while navigating their growing attraction.

A must-read for fans of for fans of CM Sutter, Dale Mayer, Dean Koontz, LT Ryan, and Fiona Quinn.

Goodreads / Amazon / Bookbub

Author Bio:

Reily Garrett is a writer, mother, and companion to three long coat German shepherds. When not working with her dogs, she’s sitting at her desk with her fur kids by her side.

Author of chilling suspense and snarky romance, her stories span the distance of romantic thrillers, paranormal romance, and erotic romance. Regardless of genre, each book delves into a dark and twisted imagination yet is tempered with romance and a touch of humor.

Reviews by Kirkus Reviews, San Francisco Bay Review, and BestThrillers.com best describe her work:

“This could be James Patterson, Lee Child, and Tess Gerritsen rolled into one, but the dark, twisted methods used by the serial killer could surprise even those readers…” – San Francisco Bay Review

“…steamy, seductive police procedural…” – BestThrillers.com

“…well-researched thriller that remains romantically genuine throughout.” – Kirkus Review

Prior experience in the Military Police, private investigations, and as an ICU nurse gives her fiction a real-world flavor. Find Reily below.

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Amazon / Bookbub

GIVEAWAY

Blitz-wide giveaway (INT)

$25 Amazon gift card

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#Book Blitz #Moon Scorned (Raven Moon Wolves 1) by Marty Mayberry #YA @Xpresso Book Tours

Book & Author Details:
Moon Scorned
by Marty Mayberry
(Raven Moon Wolves, #1)
Publication date: January 5th 2022
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Synopsis:

I fell hard and fast for the son of an elite wolf pack. Then he rejected me.

Asher was my fated mate, and he took off when I needed him most, rejecting me and my inner wolf. Then my half-sister is murdered at an exclusive college that’s enshrouded in magic and secrets. When the school offers me a scholarship, I accept and move onto campus. I’m going to find out who killed her, then rip them apart. And if I run into Asher while I’m there? He’ll learn I’m no longer his sweet little thing. He’s about to taste the fury of a wolf shifter scorned.

Everly’s everything to me, but to protect her, I had to shove her away. If I go near her, the Drudge Pack will discover who she truly is. My father—their enforcer—will kill her. But when she shows up at Ravenmire College, my inner wolf hungers. I’ll do anything to keep her safe—even if that means sacrificing myself and betraying my dangerous family.

Goodreads / Amazon

Author Bio:

Marty writes young adult fiction with plenty of suspense and romance, plus a touch of humor. When she’s not dreaming up ways to mess with her character’s lives, she works as an RN. She lives in New England with her husband, three children, three geriatric cats, and a spunky Yorkie pup who keeps her on her toes.

She also writes adult contemporary romance and romantic suspense under the pen name, Marlie May. Marty/Marlie was a 2018 RWA ® Golden Heart ® Finalist in contemporary short and romantic suspense.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bookbub

GIVEAWAY

Blitz-wide giveaway (INT)

$25 Amazon gift card

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#Blog Tour #Book review of No Ex Before Marriage by Portia MacIntosh #Romcom #Clean Romance @rararesources @Boldwood Books

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for No Ex Before Marriage by one of my favourite authors Portia MacIntosh.

From the blurb:

#Blog Tour #Book review of No Ex Before Marriage by Portia MacIntosh #Romcom @rararesources @Boldwood Books

17/1/2022

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for No Ex Before Marriage by one of my favourite authors Portia Macintosh.

No Ex Before Marriage

It’s not over until someone says ‘I do’…

While her friends join the “Wife Club” one by one, Poppy feels like that part of her life is done and dusted. Already married and divorced she’s not desperate to go through all that again.

But what if her divorce never actually went through…?

After a shock revelation Poppy not only discovers she is still married, but that Zac is about to have his second wedding!

Coming face to face with her (almost) ex-husband after six years apart is never going to be easy. And when Zac panics and tells his new wife-to-be that Poppy is family, things can’t get much worse as she is welcomed with open arms as part of the wedding party!

As the memories flood back, can Poppy really leave the past where it is? And can she watch the first love of her life walk down the aisle to say ‘I do’ once again?

Purchase Link

My thoughts:
Portia MacIntosh is one of my favourite authors as my local bookshop and my library card can attest. Her books are such a treat-lighthearted but with some serious issues explored on the way, with sweet and loyal protagonists, and incredibly entertaining plotlines. No Ex Before Marriage was no exception- once again five stars, Portia does it again!

The book opens with a wedding scene. The last of Poppy Walker’s childhood friends Rachael has joined the Wives’ Club. She might have gone a bit over top with relegating Poppy to a sad singles’ table, but Poppy is a good sport, she won’t spoil her friend’s wedding by complaining. Well, Poppy does have some things to be unhappy about. Her best friends have been excluding her from their social life. While Poppy was the first to get married, at the tender age of twenty four, she was also the first one to get divorced. Add her mum dying in a freaky car accident and her dad barely coping with his grief…What Poppy needs is love and support of her friends, but all she is getting is judgy comments. The single table would be an utter disaster, were it not for Kat, a fun-loving fellow pariah who reminds her to take every opportunity to live her life and have a good time. Then out of blue, Poppy’s Dad informs her that her divorce was never finalised and she has very little time to correct the situation before her ex gets married in a private ceremony in a remote part of Scottish Highlands and Poppy doesn’t think twice- she needs to save Zac, ‘the nerdy love of her life’, from becoming a bigamist.

The pace was great. Portia hits the ground running with the opening scenes and the road trip and then lets us absorb what actually happened to Poppy and Zac’s relationship through a series of flashbacks entertwined with the scenes at the Scottish castle where Zac and his influencer/ daughter of a movies star fiancee are getting ready for their wedding. It isn’t difficult to guess what caused Zac and Poppy’s breakup and when we finally got to discussing this heavy topic, I was very happy to see it was dealt with in an extremely sensitive way. It did add a touch of real life sadness to this very well-balanced book.

Poppy is a very likeable protagonist, although, unlike Portia’s other protagonists, she does come across as a bit weak- defeated by life? in need of a good hug and a fun night out with her friends? She’s serious and honest, and takes responsibility for her own actions. She doesn’t give up on her friendships, because sometimes life happens and you can drift apart, the important thing is to talk and make time for your lifelong friends. You’re probably going to hate Poppy’s friends at the beginning of the book and might not find it easy to forgive, but I bet it will make even more appreciative of Kat. Well, the more, the merrier, and there’s place in life for all kinds of friend, old and new.

I often see books described as heartwarming and uplifting and I don’t always agree with the blurb, but that’s exactly how this one felt. The message is great: live your life and do things, even though it might mean making mistakes because no one is perfect, live your life so that you don’t have regrets later, have fun and take care of your loved ones.
Highly recommended to anyone who appeciates a good British romcom.

Thank you to Rachel, NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Author Bio –
Portia MacIntosh is a bestselling romantic comedy author of over 15 novels, including Stuck On You and The Plus One Pact. Previously a music journalist, Portia writes hilarious stories, drawing on her real life experiences.

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