Mary I Queen of Sorrows by Alison Weir ~Blog Tour

Publisher: Headline Review

Publication Date: 9th May 2024

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary:

A DESTINY REWRITTEN. A ROYAL HEART DIVIDED.

Adored only child of Henry VIII and his Queen, Katherine of Aragon, Princess Mary is raised in the golden splendour of her father's court. But the King wants a son and heir.

With her parents' marriage, and England, in crisis, Mary's perfect world begins to fall apart. Exiled from the court and her beloved mother, she seeks solace in her faith, praying for her father to bring her home. But when the King does promise to restore her to favour, his love comes with a condition.

The choice Mary faces will haunt her for years to come - in her allegiances, her marriage and her own fight for the crown. Can she become the queen she was born to be?

MARY I. HER STORY.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, Headline Review and Alison Weir for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
Now anyone who knows me knows I love Alison Weirs' books, fiction and nonfiction alike i will happily devour her books. And I've loved the other books in this trilogy, as always Alison Weir delivers when it comes to historical fact with her ideas of what thoughts might have been going around their heads at the time. I'm really pleased that she chose Mary for this book rather than Elizabeth or Edward ( though a book from either point of view of course would be brilliant) because Mary often has a bad reputation, especially with her moniker of "Bloody" Mary when in reality I think both of her siblings cause more deaths during their reigns than she did. So I really wanted to get that whole period from "the king's great matter"  to her eventual death from her perspective because we mostly get it from the Mary was bad/evil point of view and I really don't believe she was, not wholly.
As always Alison Weir's writing style is beautiful, it is so easy to read and flows beautifully across the page, I can so easily get drawn into the time period and fully see the scene she creates in my mind's eye like I'm looking back in time.
The book makes you look at Mary I from a different angle, yes she was a religious zealot and firmly believed that she was doing God's work burning heretics but she was also a child who suffered a lot of trauma in her formative years and who had a lasting effect on her and choices from that point onwards.
If you love the Tudor period then I definitely recommend picking this book(and trilogy) up and on a side note, the covers for this series are stunning.

Krystina xx

 

Love,Julie by Jamie Anderson~Blog Tour

 Publisher: TRM Publishing

Publication Date: 29th April 2024

Genre: RomCom

Summary:

Once, Julie dreamed of a life filled with love and laughter. Now, in her mid-forties, she faces a starkly different reality. She's single, lonely, and reeling from breaking her hard-earned sobriety in front of her family and friends.

Opting for self-recovery over romance, Julie dives into planning her best friend Kate’s wedding. However, sharing this task with the irritatingly cheerful best man, single dad Luke, proves to be an unexpected challenge.

As Luke’s persistent kindness chips away at her icy exterior, a friendship forms, stirring a longing she’d sworn to suppress. But with self-forgiveness as her biggest hurdle, and her past ready to sabotage her future, can Julie confront the shame and trauma that have darkened so much of her life and find the courage to love again? Or will her demons shatter both her and Luke’s hearts in the process?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rchels Random Resources, TRM Publishing and Jamie Anderson for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
Ok so I found this book a little slow to begin with but I think that's because when we first meet Julie she was not exactly being the most likeable of people and until I got to know her a bit that put me off her. Once we got to know Julie a little more I really loved her, She is such a relatable character because she isn't perfect, she has moments where the reader just won't like her because of her actions and I absolutely loved that about her. She never thinks she's perfect and she completely owns her flaws and I really enjoyed that Jamie Anderson has written her like that.
I really loved the emails that broke up the chapters, we kept getting hints about Julie and Luke's friendship having a bump in it from them but we don't get to find out why until much later but those emails just drove me to want to read quicker to find out what she did!
I found Julie and Luke's interactions together so cute, I thought they fit together so well despite seeming such opposites and the changing dynamic in their friendship/relationship felt really organic and I loved it. I really loved seeing how Julie's relationships with everyone in her life changed over the course of the book and she had a really fulfilling character arc, i saw so much growth from her from beginning to end. I definitely think I'm going to look for more books by Jamie Anderson because she writes very realistic and relatable characters and gives them some heady issues to resolve throughout the book. Whilst this is listed as a RomCom I'm not sure that's what it is, we do get the romance running throughout it but it feels so much more than that and I think it does it a disservice to list it as one.

Krystina xx

Finding Happiness When It Hurts by Lisa Brett~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Compass-Publishing UK

Publication Date: 17th November 2022

Genre: Self Help

Summary:

Discover the hidden blessings within these pages to unlock your inner joy

By the time Lisa realised she was in the grip of enormous, life-transforming emotional pain, she was in no position to help herself get out of it. That was until a chance meeting with someone in a field changed everything.

She now wants to help others who find themselves in the same situation and who fear they’ll never be happy again.

This book reveals that not only is happiness within reach but also you can change your life for the better immediately. It provides comfort, reassurance that you’re not alone, and practical ways to help you flip how you see and think about dark moments.

Storytelling, nuggets of wisdom and beautiful illustrations gently but profoundly lead you along the path where happiness is the final destination.

There are also real-life stories from people around the world who, in the darkest of places, found hidden blessings that led them to feel at peace and to be happy and fulfilled once again.

Lisa’s aim is that this becomes your go-to book in time of need.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, Compass Publishing UK and Lisa Brett for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
I was really looking forward to this book, it sounded like it would be really good for helping during moments when you needed to see a silver lining in situations.
I'm not sure it's a book that was meant to be read from cover to cover unfortunately, but that is how I read it. Reading it in one go makes for a very disjointed read, it was very jarring at times and that made me want to skip through passages and move along to the next story. I definitely got the point of the book, that even in the worst of situations there can be something good to come from it and that's what you need to focus on instead of the bad thing that's occurred, which is a pretty good way to look at life and far more positive way than dwelling on the bad. But maybe it's a case of reading the relevant story/section and taking the message from it.
I do love that she gathered people's stories together for the book and kind of put them into sections but I'm not sure they all fit together in one book, it didn't feel like a cohesive book.
The sections written by Lisa were well written, I liked how she did the conversations between characters which was really interesting. 
But overall I'm not sure this is the book for me, though I do think that maybe it's because I read it in one go.

Krystina xx

Murder at Ravens Edge by Louise Marley ~ Blog Tour

 Publisher: Storm Publishing 

Publication Date: 15th April 2024

Genre: Cosy Mystery

Summary:

When Milla Graham returns to her childhood home of Raven's Edge after eighteen long years away, she finds the perfect English village looks much the same – all rose-covered cottages, nosy neighbours, and chintzy teashops full of scones and gossip.

But her nostalgic visit takes a dark turn when the body of a local woman is discovered in an abandoned manor house on the edge of the forest. The murder scene is chillingly close to that of Milla’s own mother, whose death was never solved. As she begins to investigate the connection, Milla realizes this adorable village is guarding some dark secrets.

Handsome, grumpy local policeman Ben Taylor doesn't believe in coincidences, and he doesn’t think mysterious newcomer Milla Graham is as innocent as she seems. Why is she really here in Raven’s Edge, and how come she keeps turning up at his crime scenes, causing trouble? Can he solve this murder case without losing himself – or his heart – to the rather distracting Miss Graham?

When another body is found, everyone becomes a suspect – from the barmaid at the local pub to Milla Graham herself. It seems that in Raven's Edge, not everybody is as friendly, or as innocent, as they first seem...

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rachels Random Resources, Storm Publishing and Louise Marley for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
I do love a cosy mystery so I was really glad to get not just this one in the series but book 2 (that review is coming later this week) I've not read anything by Louise Marley before but very quickly into reading this I know ill be coming back for more.
I seriously love Ben Taylor, he's such a grumpy man and I always find they make the best characters in books i don't know what it is about a grump but they always make my day! And I found myself laughing and smiling at him on a regular basis, I love his relationship with Harriet and how they bounce off each other and have some banter, it definitely makes their scenes fun even when they're on the serious side. I enjoyed the fact that he had secrets that he worked hard to keep hidden, i think it makes him compliment Milla in a way, neither one being overly truthful in their encounters. On the Milla front, she was another interesting character, I was never quite sure if she was who she said she was, I kept flip-flopping between believing her and not.
It's been one of those books that I've just wanted to keep reading, just curl up and ignore this world in favour of theirs with all the murder that comes along with it. Louise Marley has a brilliant writing style that flows so well and just keeps you engaged with the story. 
Definitely not off to go read book 2 now....

Krystina xx

One Of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole ~Blog Tour

 Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Publication Date: 25th April 2024

Genre: Thriller

Summary:

Years after a breakdown and a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder derailed her historical preservationist career, Kenetria Nash and her alters have been given a second chance they can’t refuse: a position as resident caretaker of a historic home. Having been dormant for years, Ken has no idea what led them to this isolated Hudson River island, but she’s determined not to ruin their opportunity.

Then a surprise visit from the home’s conservation trust just as a Nor’easter bears down on the island disrupts her newfound life, leaving Ken trapped with a group of possibly dangerous strangers—including the man who brought her life tumbling down years earlier. When he turns up dead, Ken is the prime suspect.

Caught in a web of secrets and in a race against time, Ken and her alters must band together to prove their innocence and discover the truth of Kavanaugh Island—and their own past—or they risk losing not only their future, but their life.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, William Morrow Paperbacks and Alyssa Cole for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
This had me hooked, I seriously didn't want to put it down! I'll admit it took me a chapter to get used to all the changing of the different Headmates, and I used the Bad Day System list at the front of the book a lot to keep track of who was who but after a while it was automatic. And I loved how Alyssa Close signified the different conversations occurring, she made it so clear and easy to follow so I always knew when Ken was talking internally to a Headmate without having to think about it.
Much like with the getting used to the headmates bit it took me a chapter or two to get into this book, we start off with Ken waking up and not knowing what's going on so we have the same issues and find out what situation she's in with her rather than having any prior knowledge which made it a slow start for me. I really loved all the journal entries from the different Headmates, it really helped solidify them as individuals and to some extent Ken as well because they are all parts of her whilst still being completely different characters.
If I'm honest I think what I enjoyed most about this was getting to know Ken, the headmates and more about  Dissociative Identity Disorder through the book than the thriller aspect, though the journal entries from Grace I adored and I really wished we had more of them.
I have not read anything by Alyssa Cole before this and based on this I think I need to dive into her back catalogue because her writing style is fantastic and I'm pretty sure I'm going to love the rest of her books too.

Krystina xx

The Love Algorithm by Camilla Isley~Blog Tour

 

Publisher: Boldwood Books 

Publication Date: 26th April 2024

Genre: Romance

Summary:

At 28, with a Ph.D under her belt and a meteoric rise to head of Research and Development at Mercer Robotics, Reese feels her decision to put her career first has worked out pretty well for her. Sure, she doesn’t have many personal relationships to speak of, but she does love her team and they like her too.

So when she’s called to the Big Boss’s office and told she will be looking after his son while he does a rotation in her lab, she’s not thrilled that her hard work and achievements have boiled down to being a glorified babysitter – especially to a billionaire playboy with zero experience of mechanical engineering.

But then tall, blond Thomas walks into her office, and Reese realizes this assignment is going to be even harder than she thought. Because the CEO’s son is not only extraordinarily gorgeous, chiseled, and charming… he’s also on course to become her new boss one day, and so extraordinarily out of bounds. As the pair get to know each other, can Reese hold her nerve and her beliefs, or will she fall victim to the billionaire charm?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rachels Random Resources, Boldwood Books and Camilla Isley for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
So this is the first book by Camilla Isley I've read, but again I've had a friend recommending her books to me for ages and I so wish I'd listened sooner! This is a fantastically written book, I haven't smiled so much at a book in ages! I think I was going between smiling and giggling for the most part with an occasional laugh-out-loud moment ( mostly provided by K-2P) from the start of this book right through to the last page. The writing style flows so brilliantly and easily that I found myself finishing the book in a day, I got so caught up in the flirting and slow-burn romance of Reese and Thomas that I pretty much speed-read the whole thing only stopping to refresh my cup of tea!
Obviously, I loved the romance between Rese and Thomas, the little post-it notes back and forth were so damn cute! And I loved how Reese sort of gradually started joining in with the flirting, I genuinely loved the slow burn aspect to this book, when normally slow burn is not my favourite in romance but this is really well done.
The other relationship that has to be discussed is K-2P and Thomas, their bromance was fabulous! I loved how he became Thomas' wingman essentially and they had boys' weekends, it was just beautiful.  And the sass that K-2P has was just the best, I had so many laugh-out-loud moments because of him and I seriously want one of my own.
This may have been my first Camilla Isley book but it's definitely not going to be my last, I've got the rest of the True Love trilogy already downloaded on my Kindle.

Krystina xx