Nothing Becoming by Ros Barber~Blog Tour

 

Publisher: Phoebus Books

Publication Date: 11th June 2023

Genre: Biographical Fiction

Summary:

She’s a tomboy.

Her brother’s missing.

Now she has to pretend to be him.

Six-year-old Tyke is the spit of her half-brother, Mark, but there’s one crucial difference: Tyke is the result of rape. When her father sails into their Devon fishing village in 1695, Mark, to protect their Ma, decides to kill him. But the plan goes wrong and Mark goes missing.

Tyke’s mother dresses her daughter as her son to get money from Mark’s grandmother. Tyke moves into Mrs Read’s London home and gets the education of a ‘young gentleman’. When a one-armed pirate arrives, her world up-ends. She is forced to become a servant, but at least she can take comfort in her new friend Jim.

Then puberty hits, and even her body seems to turn against her, threatening to reveal her secret. If she stops being ‘Mark’, she could lose everything. But how far will she go to stay free?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Insta Book Tours, Phoebus Books and Ros Barber for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
I was drawn to this book once I read it was the Origin story of Mary Read, I have a fascination with female pirates her and Anne Bonny being the most famous do I really wanted to read this!
I really got on with the writing style, I enjoyed getting snippets of what clearly points her towards becoming a pirate and the clever ways she just tries to survive. I did actually chuckle at the bits where she was trying to decide if it was time to become a woman again, and if she might find work easier that way. And her deciding to try to disguise herself as a boy dressing up as a girl did amuse me somewhat, her getting Jim to help her with acquiring female clothing etc was brilliant
The ways she tried to keep her disguise as a boy, using socks down her trousers, to begin with, and then upgrading it in time to make it more believable was cleverly done and the snippet of the next book hints at her taking it a step further to protect her disguise.
I was disappointed in the ending when I first read it because we don't even get to her becoming a pirate, she's barely left London. But then I read that this was the beginning of a trilogy so the ending makes much more sense now and I'm eagerly awaiting Nothing But Trouble coming out so I can read the next chapter in her journey to becoming part of Calico Jacks crew.
Now I need to get some more books on female pirates to fill the time til book two, if you have any recommendations comment and let me know!

Krystina xx

Marvel Heroine's Mockingbird: Strike Out by Maria Lewis ~ Blog Tour

 Publisher: Acontye

Publication Date: 20th of June 2023

Genre: Superhero Fantasy

Summary:

S.H.I.E.L.D. super-spy Bobbi Morse spreads her wings and dives into a brand-new espionage thriller from Marvel Heroines

S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Bobbi Morse needs to get out of LA. Like, yesterday. With her painful divorce from Hawkeye still being hashed out, Bobbi could do with a new job to take her mind off the mind-numbing mediations. Luckily, an old friend and mentor of Bobbi’s is missing, so a jaunt to the UK might be the perfect distraction. What Bobbi isn’t anticipating is having to team up with the snarky and handsome Lance Hunter, but her options are limited if she wants to solve this mystery. Someone is trying to recreate and weaponize the original Super-Soldier Serum which could spell global disaster. To save the world, Bobbi will have to face her past, put her problems behind her, and let the Mockingbird take flight.

Review:
Thank you to Love Books Tours, Maria Lewis and Aconyte Books for having me on this blog tour and sending me a copy of the book to read. I'm a Marvel fan and was sold on wanting to read this book because I didn't know Hawkeye had an ex-wife ( I've watched the films but until now hadn't ventured into reading Marvel), so I just needed to know about her!
Chapter one is so fast-paced and full of so much stuff happening and I loved it, the first chapter cemented my absolutely loving Bobbi and actually hating Clint (he comes over as such an arsehole) which threw me because having only watched the films I really liked him in those.
It's Marvel so you'd expect plenty of action and you get it in spades, ill be honest I didn't want to stop reading this, I got so engrossed I almost missed picking my small one up from school(I didn't but it was close id got to a really good bit!).
The interactions between Bobbi and Lance were just brilliantly written and I loved every single bit of banter, Tem is just Fabulous!
I did see one the surprise twists coming a few chapters before it was revealed but I think that just because I watch too many crime dramas and the choice of wording alerted me to something being amiss. But the other one surprised me!
I have to say one of my favourite bits of the book, hands down has to be Bobbi's last interaction with Clint it was beautiful *chef's kiss*.
I've already ordered more Marvel heroines books from my library because this was so damn good. If you're even remotely a fan of Marvel you should give this a read( heck even if you are just a fan of kick-ass women you should give this a read)

Krystina xx

Shattered Steel: The Olden Chronicles by Shauna Richmond ~ Book Tour

 Publisher: Independently published

Publication Date: 10th April 2022

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Summary:

In a world plagued with demons, bandits and shapeshifters, Catherine finds herself straying from her pack as they escape the hunters that stumbled across their camp. Finding herself in Oakwood, the land of the gentry, the brazen peasant finds herself attracting all sorts of attention. Catherine must find a way to survive in the world of the nobles even if that means being auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Her world turns on its head as a chance encounter with a man known as the Highland Reaper turns into a secret love affair. How will this notorious killer react when he finds out what she truly is? Will his unsavoury past come back to bite them both?

Too many choices, too many expectations and two questions.

How do you tame a wolf?

How can you love a monster?

Review:
Thank you too Hygge Book Tours and Shauna Richard for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
Ok, so I was given the audio and EPub of this book and I'm so grateful that I was. I started off with the audiobook(Im pretty new to audiobooks I only started reading them in the last 6 months so I like to try them first) and ill be honest I did not get on with it. The narrator I felt didn't fit with the book, maybe I was just expecting a female narrator because the MC is female, or at least as we get mixed points of view more than one narrator. He also read it in quite a dull way, sort of monotone for most of it so I had to switch to the EPub.
And that is far from dull, I really loved reading the book all the MC's had their own quirks and I enjoyed learning all their characters. Catherine is our main female MC and she's so full of fire I just loved her whole character and attitude and her being this beautiful red wolf when she shifts was a great image. It's got all you want in a fantasy romance I think, mythical creatures, shifters, steamy sex scenes, laugh-out-loud moments( yes I actually did and yes my OH gave me an odd look) and I really enjoyed the world-building Shauna has done. Without adding too much of a spoiler I so love the budding relationship between Catherine and Tristen and I really can't wait to read more of its development.
In short, if you love a romance fantasy this needs to be on your 2023 reading list. And now I'm off to go find book two to see what happens!

Krystina xx

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

 

Title: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Author: Sangu Mandanna

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 23rd August 2022

Summary:

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon has lived her life by three rules: hide your magic, keep your head down, and stay away from other witches. An orphan raised by strangers from a young age, Mika is good at being alone, and she doesn't mind it . . . mostly.

But then an unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches, and Mika jumps at the chance for a different life.

Nowhere House is nothing like she expects, and she's quickly tangled up in the lives and secrets of its quirky, caring inhabitants . . . and Jamie, the handsome, prickly librarian who would do anything to protect his charges, and who sees Mika's arrival as a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika finds her feet, the thought of belonging somewhere starts to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and soon Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect the found family she didn't know she was looking for . . .

ISBN: 978-1399709859

Review:

So I need to start by saying I absolutely loved this book! I picked it up to read a few pages before bed and ended up halfway through and hours past when I planned to sleep because I couldn't put it down. I finished it the next day and I was really disappointed that id finished because I just wanted more! 
Mika Moon is our main protagonist in this and she's just so beautifully written, a little bit quirky and unique but so utterly herself. I think we could all do with being a little bit more like Mika Moon in this life. The author has carefully crafted all the characters in this book so well that you feel like you could just bump into them on the street sometime(probably near Norfolk), there isn't one single character that didn't feel well done.

 I won't do any spoilers because you all need to give this book a read and not just take my word on it but it is the kind of book that you didn't know you needed in your life. 

It's a sweet little escape to a place a little bit more magical, and definitely a lot more irregular than normal life. Because this was a digital ARC I don't have it on my bookshelf but I will be pre-ordering it asap because its a book that I plan on making regular visits back to, and I really hope the author writes more about this madcap irregular family because I for one really want to know how life progresses for them.

Krystina xx