Two to Tango by Laura Carter~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 11th September 2023

Genre: Romantic Fiction

Summary:

The secret to Brooks’s success as a Manhattan gym owner? Being motivated to disprove everyone who ever doubted him. So he’s not about to let a perky newcomer like Izzy tarnish his reputation. Even if watching her lead a salsa class on his premises gets his own heartbeat raised…

His beautiful British rival

Every time influencer Izzy slams Brooks in her fitness blog, her book sales soar. But when their escalating media feud forces them to be up-close-and-personal for two weeks, she realizes there’s much more to Brooks than that lean and muscled body.

And a competition that’s got their hearts racing…

Soon Izzy and Brooks are finding all kinds of creative ways to work up a sweat. A passionate workout is easy, but can their rivalry give way to a lasting partnership?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rachels Random Resources, Boldwood Books and Laura Carter for having me on this tour and sending me the book.
I do love a good romance and the enemies-to-lovers troupe is always a fun one to get stuck into. I laughed out loud so many times reading this one, their banter was brilliant. Both Izzy and Brooks had points where they weren't very likeable but a lot of that was perception and often once we'd seen both perspectives we suddenly realised that they weren't so bad. I got so into reading it that I actually finished it in an evening, it was such an easy read that I flew through it enjoying every page. I enjoyed it so much that I've gone back and got book one and I really regret not signing up for the tour of book three! But I  guess ill just have to buy it when it comes out.
The group of friends Brooks has and then Izzy gains were brilliant, I loved the banter and ribbings that Brooks often got and how welcoming of Izzy they were. I really hope we get to see more of them in future books.
I did spend a lot of time telling Izzy off about her healthy weight loss ideas, I'm most definitely on Brooks' side with that one!
As I said I loved reading this book and gaining a new series to read and I will definitely be recommending it to anyone thats a romance fan.

Krystina xx

A Marriage to Murder For by E.V. Hunter~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 7th September 2023

Genre: Crime

Summary:

The high society wedding…

Social media influencer Crystabel Hughes is determined her wedding to Giles Preston Smythe will be the talk of the town. No matter the cost or the upset, nothing will stop this wedding!

A cheating groom…

But for Alexi Ellis and the rest of the staff at Hopgood Hall, Crystabel’s demands are becoming increasingly extreme. And when Alexi spots the groom getting up close and personal with one of the bridesmaids, she fears trouble is only a bouquet toss away.

A killer bride caught red-handed?

And Alexi’s fears are confirmed when the groom is found dead on the night before the wedding, stabbed through the heart - the person holding the dagger. his beloved bride-to be Crystabel.

Hopgood Hall doesn’t need any more bad press, but the race is on to find the killer and close the case before Crystable live streams her dilemma.

Can Alexi, Jack and Cosmo find out why Giles was killed? And, more importantly, can they stop the killer before they strike again?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rachels Random Resources, Boldwood Books and EV Hunter for having me on this tour and sending me the book.
I was completely hooked on this book before I had even got to the end of chapter one, I did not want to put it down(thankfully I had the day to read it uninterrupted) and I enjoyed reading every page.
It was really well written, I instantly connected with and loved Alexi, her relationship with Jack was lovely, I enjoyed reading from both perspectives. And they worked well together as a crime-solving team, they each had their strengths and both had opportunities to use them, and the fact that the local police seemed quite fine with them helping was amusing to read and see play out.
Shockingly I had no idea who the killer was! Normally I have some kind of inkling of who it might be but id dismissed the killer early on in favour of someone else stupidly, though I blame the good writing and not my being oblivious to the signs.
I had no idea it was part of a series when I started reading it, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it anything that I might have needed to know from the previous books was slipped into this one so you definitely don't need to read them in order. But I do plan on going back and reading the other two whilst I eagerly await more in this series.

Krystina xx

Murder on the Farm by Kate Wells~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 4th September 2023

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Summary:

Lambing season always brings the unexpected… But no one expected murder

Jude Gray never thought she’d find herself widowed and running a working farm full-time, but here she is, living in the small Malvern village her husband Adam spent most of his life in.

After a particularly gruelling lambing season, she is looking forward to some time off, but there’s no rest for the wicked, especially when she finds the body of one of Adam’s oldest friends on her farm.

Unimpressed with the local constabulary's efforts, Jude starts an investigation of her own. But as the body count rises, danger creeps ever closer to Malvern Farm.

A killer is on the prowl. And all that stands in their way is one woman – and her dog.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rachels Random Resources, Boldwood Books and Kate Wells for having me on this tour and sending the book to me.
It was a very slow start to this book I actually read a few chapters and put it down again for a few days because it was such a slow start I didn't have that want to keep reading that I usually have with crime/thriller books.
It was a well-written book but I felt it lay a little flat, I kept reading but I had no want or need to know what was going to happen. Even in the bits where Jude was in jeopardy, I didn't feel worried if she would be fine, I had no sense of concern for her.
I did enjoy the puzzles throughout the story and the subplot of the stolen goods, I liked following that throughout the book. And I did like that the ending tied everything up nicely, we got everything explained and any loose threads were woven back in it felt like a good ending to what had happened.

Krystina xx

Brittle by Beth Overmyer~Blog Tour

 Publisher: FLAME TREE PRESS

Publication Date: 15th August 2023

Genre: New Adult Romance

Summary:

After the murder of her father – which no one but her believes happened – Verve just wants to hold her family together and take on the role of provider. Unfortunately, a cruel fae lord believes she knows the location of an ancient magical weapon and steals her away to Letorheas, realm of the fairies. The fae lord seems to want something from Verve that goes beyond the weapon, something that many doubt she can provide. Verve must find a way to navigate the strangeness of Letorheas and embrace a destiny more intertwined with the fae than she would like to believe.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, Flame Tree Press and Beth Overmyer for having me on this tour and sending me the book.
I've really enjoyed this book, I absolutely love Verve. She is a brilliantly feisty young woman who very much won't let anyone control her if she can have any say in it. I've loved watching how she's developed throughout the book, and look forward to reading more of the series.
I liked learning about the Fae and all the different little bits of world-building that I got to discover as I read. I'm really glad that she did end up with Fenn, the speed with which she trusted him was a little quick (especially after just having another Fae attempt to drown her) and the whole Fae fall-in-love fast thing was a little too fast for me. But I did like their banter with each other and the way he dealt with her temper made me smile at times.
I defiantly enjoyed the writing style, I practically lost hours reading this book, barely noticing the time and I have no regrets about that. I will be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series and I think I may just investigate more books by this author, I have a feeling I will most defiantly enjoy them. Oh, and that cover is just so beautiful!

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