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#Book Blitz #We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza #Women’s Fiction @Xpresso Book Tours

Book & Author Details:
We Are Not Like Them
by Christine Pride & Jo Piazza
Published by: Atria Books
Publication date: October 5th 2021
Genres: Adult, Women’s Fiction
Synopsis:

“Now these women, they can WRITE!” —Terry McMillan, New York Times bestselling author of It’s Not All Downhill from Here

“We Are Not Like Them will stay with you long after you turn the last page.” —Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me

Told from alternating perspectives, an evocative and riveting novel about the lifelong bond between two women, one Black and one white, whose friendship is indelibly altered by a tragic event—a powerful and poignant exploration of race in America today and its devastating impact on ordinary lives.

Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten. As adults, they remain as close as sisters, though their lives have taken different directions. Jen married young, and after years of trying, is finally pregnant. Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia.

But the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen’s husband, a city police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Six months pregnant, Jen is in freefall as her future, her husband’s freedom, and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty. Covering this career-making story, Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community, her ambitions, and her relationship with her lifelong friend.

Like Tayari Jones’s An American Marriage and Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things, We Are Not Like Them explores complex questions of race and how they pervade and shape our most intimate spaces in a deeply divided world. But at its heart, it’s a story of enduring friendship—a love that defies the odds even as it faces its most difficult challenges.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

EXCERPT:

If there’s a sound more magical than the Ebenezer AME church choir, I’ve never heard it. They’re opening with an exuberant medley of gospel, funk, and some Broadway-style riffs that feels more like a stadium concert than a church service. The choir calls everyone to their feet, and I rise, limbs loose, eager to abandon myself to the invigorating rhythm. It’s a packed house today, with some three hundred people filling the cavernous space, the energy palpable. There’s nodding and swaying, spontaneous shouts and murmurs. You don’t need an invitation to hug a neighbor, burst into tears, or sing along as loudly and proudly as Mahalia Jackson herself.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to church, but exultation is like muscle memory. For a blissful moment, I don’t feel stressed or self-conscious; I feel rejoiced. One of those rare moments when I understand what people mean when they say they’re filled with the Spirit. The sanctuary of this church is as close as I’ve ever been to feeling God. Back when I was a little girl, my insides wound up so tight I felt like I was suffocating, these gleaming pews on a Sunday morning were a kind of escape, from thinking about tests and grades and the kids who called me “Oreo” and said I talked so white when I used the SAT vocab words Mom had been drilling me on since kindergarten. I need this now, a cocoon from the outside world, even if only for an hour. A respite before I have to return to work, and to covering the story for which I’m now the lead reporter, the one about how my friend’s husband shot an unarmed Black kid.

When Jenny called yesterday I froze. Finally, before the last ring sent her to voice mail, I dashed into a conference room, slamming the door behind me. I didn’t know what I was supposed to say, but I needed to know she was okay.

We only talked for two seconds. But last night, as I reported live in front of the Twenty-Second District—Kevin’s district—I kept picturing her watching, her reaction, her biting furiously on her lip, as I spoke into the camera. “If Justin Dwyer doesn’t wake up from his coma, the officers involved—Kevin Murphy and Travis Cameron from here at the Twenty-Second—could be indicted for murder.”

Jenny was calling again by the time I reached my car to head home after the broadcast. Of course she’d been watching. She said she always watches my broadcasts. I couldn’t bring myself to answer this time. She’d know if I sent it straight to voice mail, so I stared at the phone as it rang and rang and then waited for a message that never came. I spent the rest of the night pacing my apartment.

So when Momma called last night, as she’s done every single Saturday since I’ve been back, to ask if I was finally coming to church, I gave her an answer that surprised both of us.

“Yep, I’ll be there.” I needed church. I needed something.

As the choir winds down, everyone is flushed and primed for Pastor Price, who lumbers up to the cherrywood pulpit. The imposing figure of Christ looms behind him, but even Jesus himself is no match for Pastor Price. He’s divinely exultant in his vibrant purple robes, his dark skin gleaming against the rich fabric, the lines of his strong jaw clenched as he prepares to give his flock the holy word.

“It’s a beautiful morning to praise the Lord, ain’t it!” Pastor’s baritone thunders up to the rafters. He hasn’t aged a bit since I was a kid, even though he must have rounded seventy. He’s led this church for more than forty years, and in that time has become the de facto leader of all the Black churches in Philly.

“Don’t you dare,” Momma murmurs, barely moving her mauve-painted lips. Suddenly I’m seven years old again and about to get a slap on the thigh for not paying attention to the word of the Lord. Back then, when she scolded me.

I allow myself the quickest peek at the phone. Jenny. Again. I wish she’d leave a voice mail. I need to know what she’s going to say first, to figure out how I feel. Especially after she went on TV shouting that her best friend was Black. On one level, it’s such a laughable cliché—Me, a racist? Some of my best friends are Black—but, on a deeper level, it gnawed at me. Here I was worrying that I was the one betraying her by covering this story, and then she goes and uses our friendship and my “Blackness” as a shield, a defense. It brought back something she’d said years ago that I’d decided to let go since we were having such a good time and I didn’t want to rock the boat. I was home from Northwestern on my first winter break, and she and I went club-hopping on Delaware Avenue. We were beyond excited to be together again following our first and longest time apart since we were five years old. I wanted Jen to notice that I was different—three months at college and I already felt more sophisticated and grown. But I was also scared she wouldn’t notice, and that that would mean I was the same ole Riley after all. But Jen was too busy gushing about two new friends she’d made, fellow waitresses at Fat Tuesday. She talked about these girls with the breathless infatuation of someone with a new crush. “They think it’s so cool that my best friend is Black.” Jenny rolled her eyes as she said it, but it was still clear that it was some sort of weird badge of honor for her, like I was a trendy accessory—otherwise why mention it at all?

Author Bio:

Jo Piazza is an award-winning reporter and editor who has written for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the New York Daily News, New York Magazine, Glamour, Marie Claire, Elle and Salon. She has appeared on CNN, NPR, Fox News, the BBC and MSNBC. Her novel, The Knockoff, with Lucy Sykes became an instant international bestseller and has been translated into more than seven languages.

Jo received a Masters in Journalism from Columbia, a Masters in Religious Studies from NYU and a Bachelors in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed If Nuns Ruled the World and Celebrity Inc: How Famous People Make Money.

She currently lives in San Francisco with her husband and their giant dog.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Instagram

—

Christine Pride is a writer, editor and 15-year publishing veteran. She has held editorial posts at various imprints, including Doubleday, Broadway, Crown, Hyperion, and, most recently, as a Senior Editor at Simon and Schuster. Christine has edited and published a range of bestselling books, with a special emphasis on inspirational stories and memoirs. We Are Not Like Them, written with Jo Piazza, is her first book. She lives in New York City. You can follow her on Instagram at @cpride.

Goodreads / Instagram

GIVEAWAY

Blitz-wide giveaway (INT)

A copy of We Are Not Like Them & a $20 Amazon gift card

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#Happy Publication Day #Three Thrillers: No One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfield, This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno, and The Mother Next Door by Tara Laskowski

Happy Publication Day to No One Will Miss Her, a new psychological thriller from Kat Rosenfield!

Publisher:William Morrow

304 pages

A smart, witty, crackling novel of psychological suspense in which a girl from a hardscrabble small town meets a gorgeous Instagram influencer from the big city, with a murderous twist that will shock even the most savvy reader.

Dark, deft, murderous, and witty, No One Will Miss Her tackles the thorny issues of identity and belonging at the heart of women’s lives.

On a beautiful October morning in rural Maine, a homicide investigator from the big city pulls into the hard-luck town of Copper Falls. The local junkyard is burning, and the town pariah Lizzie Oullette is dead—with her husband, Dwayne, nowhere to be found. As scandal ripples through the community, Detective Ian Bird’s inquiries unexpectedly lead him away from small-town Maine to a swank city townhouse several hours south. Adrienne Richards, blonde and fabulous social media influencer and wife of a disgraced billionaire, had been renting Lizzie’s tiny lake house as a country getaway…even though Copper Falls is anything but a resort town.

As Adrienne’s connection to the case becomes clear, so too does her connection to Lizzie, who narrates their story from beyond the grave. Each woman is desperately lonely in her own way, and they navigate a relationship that cuts across class boundaries: transactional, complicated, and, finally, deadly. A Gone Girl for the gig economy, this is a story of privilege, identity, and cunning, as two devious women from opposite worlds discover the dangers of coveting someone else’s life.

Kat Rosenfield partnered with the late, great Stan Lee to coauthor the NYT bestselling A Trick of Light, and also wrote two acclaimed YA titles: the Edgar-nominated Amelia Anne Is Dead and Gone and Inland. A former reporter for MTV news, her work as a pop culture and political writer has appeared in Wired, Vulture, Entertainment Weekly, Playboy, US Weekly, and TV Guide.

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Happy Publication day to This Thing Between Us, a horror/thriller novel about grief and loneliness by Gus Moreno!

A widower battles grief, rage, and the mysterious evil inhabiting his home smart speaker, in this mesmerizing horror thriller

It was Vera’s idea to buy the Itza. The “world’s most advanced smart speaker!” didn’t interest Thiago, but Vera thought it would be a bit of fun for them amid all the strange occurrences happening in the condo. It made things worse. The cold spots and scratching in the walls were weird enough, but peculiar packages started showing up—who ordered industrial lye? Then there was the eerie music at odd hours, Thiago waking up to Itza projecting light shows in an empty room.

It was funny and strange right up until Vera was killed, and Thiago’s world became unbearable. Pundits and politicians all looking to turn his wife’s death into a symbol for their own agendas. A barrage of texts from her well-meaning friends about letting go and moving on. Waking to the sound of Itza talking softly to someone in the living room . . .

The only thing left to do was get far away from Chicago. Away from everything and everyone. A secluded cabin in Colorado seemed like the perfect place to hole up with his crushing grief. But soon Thiago realizes there is no escape—not from his guilt, not from his simmering rage, and not from the evil hunting him, feeding on his grief, determined to make its way into this world.

A bold, original horror novel about grief, loneliness, and the oppressive intimacy of technology, Gus Moreno’s This Thing Between Us marks the arrival of a spectacular new talent.

Publisher: MCDxFSG Originals

Gus Moreno‘s stories have appeared in Aurealis, PseudoPod, Bluestem Magazine, and the anthology Burnt Tongues. He lives in the suburbs with his wife and dogs, but never think for one second that he’s not from Chicago.

Happy Publication Day to The Mother Next Door by Tara Laskowski

Publisher: GraydonHouse

ISBN 9781525804700, 1525804707

352 pages

For fans of Lisa Jewell, Aimee Molloy, and Joshilyn Jackson, an upmarket suspense novel from a multi-award-winning author about a tightknit group of suburban mothers who invite a new neighborhood mom into their fold, and the fallout the night of the annual block party, when secrets from the past come back to haunt them…

“A polished and entertaining homage to Big Little Lies and Desperate Housewives… The denouement is bonkers, but satisfying.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“If the women of Big Little Lies were the moms of East Coast high schoolers, they’d be right at home in The Mother Next Door—a witty, wicked thriller packed with hidden agendas, juicy secrets, and pitch-perfect satire of the suburban dream.”
—Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Never Here

The annual block party is the pinnacle of the year on idyllic suburban cul de sac Ivy Woods Drive. An influential group of neighborhood moms—known as the Ivy Five—plan the event for months.

Except the Ivy Five have been four for a long time.

When a new mother moves to town, eager to fit in, the moms see it as an opportunity to make the group whole again. This year’s block party should be the best yet… until the women start receiving anonymous messages threatening to expose the quiet neighborhood’s dark past—and the lengths they’ve gone to hide it.

As secrets seep out and the threats intensify, the Ivy Five must sort the loyal from the disloyal, the good from the bad. They’ll do anything to protect their families. But when a twisted plot is revealed, with dangerous consequences, their steady foundation begins to crumble, leaving only one certainty: after this year’s block party, Ivy Woods Drive will never be the same.

From award-winning author Tara Laskowski, The Mother Next Door is an atmospheric novel of domestic suspense in which the strive for perfection ends in murder…

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TARA LASKOWSKI is the author of One Night Gone, which won an Agatha Award, Macavity Award, and Anthony Award, and was a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, Left Coast Crime Award, Strand Critics’ Award, and Library of Virginia Literary Award. She is also the author of two short story collections, Modern Manners for Your Inner Demons and Bystanders, has published stories in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and Mid-American Review, among others, and is the former editor of SmokeLong Quarterly. Tara earned a BA in English from Susquehanna University and an MFA from George Mason University and currently lives in Virginia. Find her on Twitter and Instagram, @TaraLWrites.

#Happy Publication Day #The Book of Magic (Practical Magic 2) by Alice Hoffman

Happy Publication Day to The Book of Magic, the much-awaited conclusion to the Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman!

Publisher’s Description:

Master storyteller Alice Hoffman brings us the conclusion of the Practical Magic series in a spellbinding and enchanting final Owens novel brimming with lyric beauty and vivid characters.

The Owens family has been cursed in matters of love for over three-hundred years but all of that is about to change. The novel begins in a library, the best place for a story to be conjured, when beloved aunt Jet Owens hears the deathwatch beetle and knows she has only seven days to live. Jet is not the only one in danger—the curse is already at work.

A frantic attempt to save a young man’s life spurs three generations of the Owens women, and one long-lost brother, to use their unusual gifts to break the curse as they travel from Paris to London to the English countryside where their ancestor Maria Owens first practiced the Unnamed Art. The younger generation discovers secrets that have been hidden from them in matters of both magic and love by Sally, their fiercely protective mother. As Kylie Owens uncovers the truth about who she is and what her own dark powers are, her aunt Franny comes to understand that she is ready to sacrifice everything for her family, and Sally Owens realizes that she is willing to give up everything for love.

The Book of Magic is a breathtaking conclusion that celebrates mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and anyone who has ever been in love.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

400 pages

Publication Date: October12th, 2021

ISBN 9781982151485, 198215148X

Fiction / Historical

Alice Hoffman

is the author of more than thirty works of fiction, including Magic Lessons, The World That We Knew, Practical Magic, The Rules of Magic, the Oprah’s Book Club selection Here on Earth, The Red Garden, The Dovekeepers, The Museum of Extraordinary Things, The Marriage of Opposites, and Faithful. She lives near Boston.

#Blog Tour #Book Spotlight #The Reboot by Clodagh Murphy #romcom @rararesources

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for The Reboot, a new romantic comedy from Clodagh Murphy.

The Reboot

Ella and Roly have bright futures ahead of them when they meet as teenagers and strike up an unlikely friendship. She has her career in academia all mapped out, and his star is in the ascendant as member of a manufactured boy band.

But ten years later, neither is where they expected to be. A chronic illness forced Ella to abandon her studies and put her dreams on hold, while Roly got kicked out of the band and lost everything – all his money, his career in music, even the underwear-model girlfriend.

When they cross paths again they’re both ready to start over, and they rekindle their friendship as they each try to get back what they lost.

But Ella didn’t tell Roly what really happened the last time they met. And if he finds out, will it be the end of their new beginning?

Purchase Link

Author Bio –

Clodagh Murphy lives in Dublin, Ireland and loves writing sassy, sexy romantic comedies. She has worked as a bar waitress, cleaner, secretary, editorial assistant, mystery shopper and movie extra. But she always dreamed of being an author, and after more jobs than she cares to remember, she now writes full-time. For more information about her books or to sign up to her newsletter, visit her website at http://clodaghmurphy.com/.

Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Bookbub / Goodreads

Thank you for reading the post! Have a great Tuesday!

It’s Monday! What are you reading? October 11th, 2021

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.

What I read / listened to last week:

The Village Inn of Secret Dreams by Alison Sherlock -blog tour

After escaping her parents’ unhappy marriage to sleepy Cranbridge a long time ago, Belle Clarke dreams of staying at The Black Swan Inn forever.But with the rundown Inn threatened with closure, Belle may be forced to leave, unless a buyer can be found … quickly. So, when her oldest friend Pete Kennedy returns from working abroad with a plan to save the Inn, Belle should be overjoyed. The trouble is, Pete has some rather radical ideas for the renovation which Belle disagrees with. But when a snow storm hits, Belle and Pete are forced to put aside their differences and work together to help the village.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (Rachel Hawkins)- this title is surprisingly popular, but, of course, Rachel Hawkins puts her own unique spin on this witchy staple.

Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride” scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two.

That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all.

Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late.

Destroyer of Light by Jennifer Marie Brisset – an extremely well-written sci-fi retelling ofthe myth of Persephone. Make sure you pay attention to the content warning, this was not an easy read, although it was certainly thought-provoking.

The Matrix meets an Afro-futuristic retelling of Persephone set in a science fiction underworld of aliens, refugees, and genetic engineering in Jennifer Marie Brissett’s Destroyer of Light.

Having destroyed Earth, the alien conquerors resettle the remains of humanity on the planet of Eleusis. In the three habitable areas of the planet–Day, Dusk, and Night–the haves and have nots, criminals and dissidents, and former alien conquerors irrevocably bind three stories:

*A violent warlord abducts a young girl from the agrarian outskirts of Dusk leaving her mother searching and grieving.
*Genetically modified twin brothers desperately search for the lost son of a human/alien couple in a criminal underground trafficking children for unknown purposes.
*A young woman with inhuman powers rises through the insurgent ranks of soldiers in the borderlands of Night.

Their stories skate across years, building to a single confrontation when the fate of all—human and alien—balances upon a knife’s-edge.

Warning: This book is designed for audiences 18+ due to scenes of physical and sexual violence, and themes that some may find disturbing.

What I am reading/listening to now:

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

Kiersten White meets Tomi Adeyemi in this Ethiopian-inspired fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre

Andromeda is a debtera—an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. She would be hired, that is, if her mentor hadn’t thrown her out before she could earn her license. Now her only hope of steady work is to find a Patron—a rich, well-connected individual who will vouch for her abilities.

When a handsome young heir named Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her, she takes the job without question. Never mind that he’s rude and demanding and eccentric, that the contract comes with a number of outlandish rules… and that almost a dozen debtera had quit before her. If Andromeda wants to earn a living, she has no choice.

But she quickly realizes this is a job like no other, with horrifying manifestations at every turn, and that Magnus is hiding far more than she has been trained for. Death is the most likely outcome if she stays, the reason every debtera before her quit. But leaving Magnus to live out his curse alone isn’t an option because—heaven help her—she’s fallen for him.

What I’m reading /listening to next:

Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches

History, magic, and adventure collide in this riveting middle-grade fantasy novel about an unusual boy who unlocks an ancient relic—and with it, a forgotten world. Befriended by a band of young witches, Archibald Finch must quickly adapt to survive in Lemurea, where a battle born in the Middle Ages is still unfolding . . .

Archibald is a risk-averse boy with quirks that earn him plenty of eye-rolls, especially from his older sister, Hailee. Things get worse when his parents move the family from London to his grandmother’s creepy manor in the English countryside. Now he has to deal with hairless dolls in the library, weird stone creatures on the roof, and a spooky forest at the edge of the backyard. But these turn out to be the least of Archibald’s problems . . .

One day, as he’s exploring the cavernous house, he finds a curious globe that whisks him away to a secret world, hidden for 500 years. Archibald finds himself on a thrilling adventure full of medieval magic, mysterious symbols, and the strangest beasts, while Hailee—who witnessed her brother’s disappearance—embarks on a daring quest to find him.

A Christmas Courtship (Berlin Bookmobile#3) by Shelley Shepard Gray

In this endearing Christmas tale, a bookmobile librarian knows just the novel to help an Amish bachelor woo his next-door neighbor in the latest installment of the “charming” (Carla Laureano, RITA Award–winning author of Five Days in Skye) Berlin Bookmobile series.

A solitary sort, forty-two-year-old Atle Petersheim spends his time hard at work in his wood shop. But as the days get long, he realizes just how lonely he’s become. When his longtime crush, Sadie Mast, a widow and mother of three, asks him to help her build a room in their barn for her son Cale, Atle can’t say no. Eager to pursue Sadie at last, he turns to bookmobile librarian Sarah Anne Miller for courting advice. More than happy to help, Sarah Anne decides the best way to learn about love is through books—romance novels to be precise.

Between completing holiday orders for her flourishing food business, helping Cale navigate a dramatic new relationship with his boss’s daughter, and coming to terms with the trauma her late husband had inflicted upon her and her children—not to mention Atle showing up at her door with flowers—Sadie is in over her head. Though Atle’s efforts are initially clumsy and his declarations a bit awkward, Sadie can’t help but be charmed by him. He’s patient and kind…and at times even seems to know far more about romance than he’s let on.

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

#Book Review #Destroyer of Light by Jennifer Marie Brissett #Sci-Fi @TorBooks

Synopsis:

The Matrix meets an Afro-futuristic retelling of Persephone set in a science fiction underworld of aliens, refugees, and genetic engineering.

Having destroyed Earth, the alien conquerors resettle the remains of humanity on the planet of Eleusis. In the four habitable areas of the planet—Day, Dusk, Dawn, and Night—the haves and have nots, criminals and dissidents, and former alien conquerors irrevocably bind three stories:

*A violent warlord abducts a young girl from the agrarian outskirts of Dusk leaving her mother searching and grieving.
*Genetically modified twin brothers desperately search for the lost son of a human/alien couple in a criminal underground trafficking children for unknown purposes.
*A young woman with inhuman powers rises through the insurgent ranks of soldiers in the borderlands of Night.

Their stories skate across years, building to a single confrontation when the fate of all—human and alien—balances upon a knife’s-edge

Warning from the publisher: This book is designed for audiences 18+ due to scenes of physical and sexual violence, and themes that some may find disturbing

Content Warning from me (the text is in white, please highlight if you would like to read the warning): repeated rape of female child soldiers

My thoughts:

One of the best science-fiction books I’ve read in a very long time…

Please, read the content warnings and the blurb. This is a retelling of Persephone and the scenes mentioned in the content warning are heartbreaking-they are the Hell…they are also something that is happening in real life in present-once more science-fiction acts as a mirror to highlight the injustices and suffering that exists in our world.

The book gripped me from the very beginning and I had to put on hold everything else, while I read this powerful story. The timelines/story strands (Cora -a young girl with yet unknown special abilities is kidnapped by a paramilitary squad and forced to become a child soldier; genetically modified twin detectives search for a missing boy, a young woman is being released by a warlord, apparently free to come back to her mother and her former life) were clearly marked and easy to distinguish. You could see straightaway where and how they intersect and how the past they represent is shaping the present which is about to come.

The world-building in this book is amazing. Destroyer of Light is a sequel to Elysium which tells the story of a multi-dimensional alien race of krestge destroying the Earth. Some got lucky and managed to board transport ships and migrated to a new planet Eleusis where the society was supposd to be just and equal-after all, they are all survivors with the same background-right?wrong. The perpetual cycle of the select few grabbing technology and resources is reborn and the have nots are denied all but hard, backbreaking work that gives them basic subsistence, but doesn’t guarantee safety. The planet is divided into four sectors -Day, Dusk, Night, and Dawn with very different life conditions. Add the fact that some krestge followed the humans who fleed the Earth, although what they want now appears to be peace and trade.

It is difficult to discuss the characters without giving away the story. Cora goes through tremendous transformation -from the innocence and naivety of a simple girl from the Outlands to somebody infinitely wise, carrying the weight of life-altering decisions. The twins never lose their humility and compassion, despite their own tragic story. There is so much dignity and mother’s all encompassing love in the character of Deidra, especially if you view it in contrast with the character of the missing boy’s mother.

I found this book very atmospheric-even the names of the sectors where most of the action happens- the Dusk and the Dawn-suggest the battle beween the light and the darkness, moral ambiguity, the grey of our choices and decisions, the impossibility of knowing for sure the feelings and motivations of another human being (or alien-this is sci-fi, after all), the loneliness of a survivor.

Destroyer of Light has been nominated as one of the 20 Must Read Space Fantasy Books and although I rarely look at these lists, for once I have to agree-this is a very thought-provoking read with a great balance of intellectual and emotional. Sign me up for anything Jennifer Marie Brissett writes in the future!

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

JENNIFER MARIE BRISSETT has been a software engineer, web developer, and the proprietor of Indigo Café & Books in Brooklyn. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from the Stonecoast MFA Program. Her stories can be found in Lightspeed Magazine, Motherboard/VICE, Uncanny Magazine, and FIYAH Magazine amongst other publications. Her debut novel, Elysium (Aqueduct 2014) received the Philip K. Dick Award Special Citation and has been a finalist for the Locus Award for Best First Novel and the Tiptree Award.

Image from the author’s page on Goodreads

Also by Jennifer Marie Brisset:

Elysium

A computer program etched into the atmosphere has a story to tell, the story of two people, of a city lost to chaos, of survival and love. The program’s data, however, has been corrupted. As the novel’s characters struggle to survive apocalypse, they are sustained and challenged by the demands of love in a shattered world both haunted and dangerous.

#Book Blitz #Lingerie Wars by Janet Elizabeth Henderson #Comedy #Romance@Xpresso Book Tours

Book & Author Details:
Lingerie Wars
by Janet Elizabeth Henderson
(Invertary #1)
Publication date: January 1st 2013
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Englishman Lake Benson loaned his life savings to his dippy sister so that she could buy a shop. It was a big mistake. His sister has been steadily flushing his money down the drain – and now he wants it back. Years in the special forces taught Lake that if you want a job done, do it yourself. So he steps in to make the shop profitable, sell it and get his money back. The only problem is, the business is an underwear shop. And all Lake knows about underwear can be summed up in how fast he can unsnap a bra. To make matters worse, the tiny highland town already has a lingerie shop. A successful one, run by an ex-lingerie model. A very gorgeous ex-lingerie model, who’s distracting him from his mission more than he’d like to admit. If Lake wants to get his savings back, and get out of Scotland, he only has one option – wipe out the competition.

Kirsty Campbell has spent years rebuilding her life after she woke up in hospital in Spain to find her body scarred, and her ex-fiance had run off with all her money. The last thing she needs is a cocky, English soldier-boy trying to ruin all she has left. Her home town is only too happy to help her fight the latest English invasion, although Lake is beginning to sway them with his sex appeal and cut price knickers. With the help of her mother, and the retired ladies of Knit or Die, Kirsty sets about making sure that her shop is the last one standing in Invertary.

It’s Scotland versus England as you’ve never seen it before. It’s lingerie war.Invertary Series:
1. Lingerie Wars
2. Goody Two Shoes
3. Magenta Mine
4. Calamity Jena
5. Bad Boy
6. Here Comes the Rain Again
7. Caught

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

Author Bio:

Janet is a Scot who moved to New Zealand fifteen years ago. Among other things, she’s been an artist, a teacher, a security guard at a castle, a magazine editor, and a cleaner in a drop in center for drug addicts (NOT the best job!). She now writes full-time and is working on her 19th book. Her books have won several awards, including the Daphne du Maurier award for excellence in mystery and suspense. When she isn’t living in her head, she raises two kids, one husband, and several random animals. She survives on chocolate and caffeine.

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Cover reveal: My Lucky Night by Olivia Spring @rararesources

Happy Cover Reveal to My Lucky Night, a new romcom by Olivia Spring.

Publication Date: 11^th November 2021

My Lucky Night: Romance Can Happen When You Least Expect It…

She hates Christmas. He’s about to change her mind…

Cassie isn’t a fan of Christmas. After a string of unlucky incidents during the festive season—including getting dumped—this year she decides to spend the day at home. Alone. No men. No complications.

But then her nightmare boss demands she track down this year’s most coveted Christmas gift—and the only person who can help is an annoyingly sexy Frenchman she’s just met.

Nicolas might look hot, but Cassie can tell he’s also arrogant, irritating and in love with himself. Exactly the kind of guy she hates. Plus, he’ll only help her find the gift if she helps him with something in return…

Could Cassie’s festive fortunes finally be about to change? Can she learn to love Christmas again? And will Cassie get lucky in more ways than one?

Set against a gorgeous London backdrop with sparkling lights, Christmas markets and mistletoe, My Lucky Night is a fun, sexy enemies-to-lovers romcom novella that will give you all the feels! Ideal for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Mhairi McFarlane.

Read as a standalone novella or as book two in the My Ten-Year Crush series.

Pre-order Links

Amazon UK / Amazon US

Author Bio

Olivia Spring is a British, London-based writer of contemporary women’s fiction, sexy chick lit and romantic comedy. Her uplifting debut novel The Middle-Aged Virgin, which was released in 2018, deals with being newly single in your thirties and beyond, dating, relationships, love, sex and living life to the full.

In addition to The Middle-Aged Virgin, Olivia has published The Middle-Aged Virgin in Italy, Love Offline, Losing My Inhibitions, Only When It’s Love and the sequel When’s The Wedding?

Olivia’s seventh novel, My Ten-Year Crush, was published in September 2021.

When she’s not writing, Olivia can be found enjoying cupcakes and cocktails and of course, seeking inspiration for her next book!

Social Media Links

twitter / facebook / instagram / website / bookbub

And here it is…

Happy Cover Reveal!

#Book Review of Hexing the Ex (House of Magic #1) by Susanna Shore #Paranormal Cozy @Crimson House Books

Synopsis:
I didn’t expect to be evicted the first thing I returned from my holiday, but thanks to my roommate Nick, that’s what I was facing.

It’s not exactly easy to find a new place to live in London, so when Phoebe Thorpe spots a room-to-let sign at the window of a magic shop, she doesn’t hesitate. The room is perfect, even if chores are part of the rent. There is only one thing odd about her new landladies. They seem to believe magic exists.

Phoebe doesn’t believe in magic, but unfortunately magic believes in her. A mysterious statuette is sent to her boss, Archibald Kane, and she accidentally triggers a curse meant for him. Naturally, the first person she curses is her ex-boyfriend. But why would anyone want to curse her boss, a perfectly ordinary antiques dealer? Or is he?

Phoebe sets out to break the curse with the help of her new housemates. But it isn’t easy trying to solve a mystery she doesn’t even believe is real. Then again, that hellhound chasing her seemed pretty solid… Maybe there’s more to magic than hexing one’s ex.

This is the first book in House of Magic, a new series by Susanna Shore blending mystery and magic, with a resourceful heroine and plenty of action.

Publisher: Crimson House Books
Publication Date: June 6th 2021

My thoughts:

I love paranormal and this is the season to celebrate this love! Hexing the Ex is the first book in Susanna Shore’s new series of paranormal cozy mysteries set in London.

The protagonist of the book Phoebe Thorpe needs a new place to live- all thanks to her rather irresponsible flatmate. Only it isn’t so easy to find one in Central London if you have to rely on your salary of a shop assistant. Phoebe has a degree in History of Arts and loves her job in an antiques shop, but she can’t afford anything too fancy. When she sees a notice about a room to let in a magic shop, she jumps at the chance. The landladies are very sweet, the meals are included and the flatmates seem nice. Strangely enough, it appears she is the only person who could actually see the notice as if the house wanted her and nobody else. Then she happens to touch ‘a cursed’ statuette delivered to her boss Archibald Kane and her life becomes very interesting- just like she wished her ex’s would be!

This was a really quick and enjoyable read. There are all the usual suspects- witches /mages/warlocks- good and bad, vampires, werewolves, and even a hellhound. Phoebe comes across as a bit naive, but charming and determined to act when the need arises. Loved her landladies, especially motherly Giselle, the firefighter Ashley and cheeky computer geek Luca.

The mystery that appeared to be very simple at the beginning had a few twists and turned out to be more complex than I’d thought. There’s a bit of romantic tension, but since this is book one, I guess we’ll have to wait until later in the series.

An easy and relaxing read you can get through in a couple hours to help you unwind after a stressful day. Looking forward to the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crimson House Books for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

About the author:
Susanna Shore is an independent author of more than twenty books. She writes the Two-Natured London paranormal romance series, P.I. Tracy Hayes series of light mysteries set in Brooklyn, and House of Magic paranormal mystery series. She is also an author of some contemporary romances and thrillers.

You can find her on Twitter @SusannaShore and more about her books on her webpage susannashore.com, where you can also find short stories and a sign-up page to her newsletter.

#Book Birthday Blitz #The Christmas Miracle by Stephanie Wood #Extract @rararesources

Happy Book Birthday to The Christmas Miracle by Stephanie Wood!

The Christmas Miracle (Christmas on The Close #6)

You are invited to spend CHRISTMAS ON THE CLOSE where each of the neighbours are celebrating in their own special way.

Diane always enjoys baking special festive treats, which she happily delivers to her friendly neighbours on The Close as Christmas approaches.

When she decides to seek closure with a romantic matter from her past, she unexpectedly finds herself on an emotional journey she isn’t prepared for.

Her granddaughter, Emma, has all the technical know-how to assist in the search for answers, but is distracted by an intense – and highly unsuitable – romance of her own.

The two women must deal with unsettling issues as they begin to face the reality of their situations, but their familial bond helps to provide the security and support they need to answer the questions they face.

The sixth standalone episode of ‘Christmas on The Close’ reveals how it may be easier to allow the head to make all the decisions, but the heart will never stop fighting for what it really wants.

Purchase Link

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08CT3LRR6

US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CT3LRR6

Extract

Diane is reeling from discovering some unpalatable truths about her first love of many years ago and is struggling to deal with the effects of the recent news…

She could mull over the details forever and it would still never make any sense. The only way forward from this was to decide how she felt about him now. She had loved Joe as far back as she could remember, so if she was now supposed to see him for the selfish coward he was, how was she supposed to deal with all the time and emotion she had spent on her memories of him over the years? Was it wasted time? Did she deserve better? Should he pay for his unkindness?

She knew the answer was yes in each case, but it didn’t change her feelings towards him. For the first time in her life, she understood why wives often stood by their cheating husbands and gave them another chance, or two, or three. She was lucky to have never found herself in that position, but she had always believed an unfaithful husband should become an ex-husband with no further debate. Now, she understood that if you truly loved someone with your heart and soul, as she did with Joe, it would be impossible to switch it off. Impossible.

If she thought about what he had done for the remainder of her life, she could possibly begin to hate him for it, but that wouldn’t mean that she loved him any less. Hate and love were apparently two different sides of the same coin and she could see herself switching emotions between them, when it came to her thoughts of Joe, depending on what kind of day she was having.

No, it wouldn’t do to continue like that, but she couldn’t go on devoting so much time to his memory after what she had learned that morning. She knew that she would go on loving him until her dying day, so she would have to come to terms with that and concentrate on the memories of the times they shared together, rather than his sudden departure and what came after that.

Somehow, she would have to try to block out his life in Australia and all the dreams she’d had of the future he’d described to her in those letters.

She would still burn the letters as a ritual on his birthday and bury them under the tree, if it was still there, but it would be closure of a different kind. She could no sooner banish him from her heart and mind as she could swim across the channel, but she would find a way of saying goodbye to the boy she used to love and try to forgive the man he turned into.

It was easy to say, more difficult to picture, and almost impossible to believe it could actually happen, but it was the only way forward and she needed to find the strength to see it through.

Author Bio

Stephanie Wood writes contemporary fiction in the form of novels, novellas and short stories and you can find the running order of her titles on the first page of any book.

She published the AEGEAN SUN series of books as a fly-on-the-wall vision of life in a Greek resort during the summer season, using her extensive experience as a holiday rep to bring some unusual incidents to life on the page. The series began as an exploration of the various ways in which tourists make the most of their holidays and how they interact with the locals while they are visiting. The later books in the series have taken a closer look at the locals themselves and show how their lives and relationships are sometimes changed by the regular influx of seasonal visitors.

The CHRISTMAS ON THE CLOSE series is set in a British suburban cul-de-sac over the festive period and visits each house individually to discover how the neighbours who live there celebrate the season in their own special way.

Stephanie lives in Lancashire where, apart from reading and writing, she loves gardening and cycling and is a huge fan of the soaps Emmerdale and Neighbours.

Social Media Links –

Website: www.stephaniewood.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephaniewooduk & https://twitter.com/TheCloseSeries
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieWoodAuthor/