Escape to the Northern Lights by Carrie Walker ~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Aria

Publication Date: 6th November 2025

Genre: Romance

Summary:

High-powered lawyer Sara thought she had life figured out - until her whirlwind marriage ends in divorce, her dream promotion slips away and a burnout diagnosis forces her to take a break.

Desperate for a reset, she books a four-week spa retreat in Norway, imagining a luxurious escape. Instead, she finds herself in the rugged wilderness of Firefly Forest, knee-deep in reindeer droppings and stuck with an annoyingly bohemian - and ridiculously attractive - outdoorsman, Henrik.

What starts as a nightmare turns into a journey of self-discovery as Sara swaps designer heels for bare feet, legal briefs for tree-hugging, and fleeting flings for something far deeper...

Review:

Firstly thank you to Rachels Random Resources, Aria and Carrie Walker for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
I love a romance set in Scandinavia, partly because they have amazing landscapes and when authors write them well you can almost step into the setting and partly because who doesn't want a tall rugged Viking as a love interest. And in this book we got both, and both were brilliantly written by Carrie Walker which made me fall in love with both Bergen and Henrik. The descriptions of the retreat have just made me want to go a retreat like it,i genuinely cant think of a better way to spend a month than as Sara did, in a beautiful Nordic landscape with no wifi so i can just read! Aside from that this has been a really lovely read, i fell in love with Henrik from the first time we were introduced to him (admittedly i have a soft spot for Vikings) and watching him and Sara's interactions brought a smile to my face. Sara is a very relatable MC, i think everyone struggles with running close to burn out these days, our jobs expect so much in the amount of hours we work and a lot of people cant keep that balance. I love that not only did Sara manage to find herself under all that stress but in the process she found that work life balance that we all crave I could barely put this book down and sped through it because i found our MC's easy to engage with and the writing style just flowed beautifully. This has been a fantastic addition to my run up to Christmas reads and i may even be adding into my December rereads because it just made me smile so much.

I'm defiantly going to get some more books by Carrie Walker, I've so enjoyed her writing style and i cant wait to read more of it.

Krystina xx

The Launch Date by Annabelle Slator ~ Blog Tour

 Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 13th February 2025

Genre: Romance

Summary:

To get her dream job, she’ll have to date her worst nightmare . . .

Grace Hastings is in a rut. Her career is stagnating, her boss is a leech, and she feels like a fraud working for Fate, a dating app whose ethos she no longer believes in. And don’t even get her started on the state of her love life.

So when the company’s CEO offers her an opportunity for a big promotion and the chance to work on the launch of a dating app that she actually cares about, Grace can’t believe her luck.

That is, until she discovers that she must test drive a series of ‘first dates’ with her competition for the job: notorious socialite playboy and Grace’s biggest work rival, Eric Bancroft.

But Grace refuses to give up her dream job because of a man. And besides, how romantic can a handful of fake dates with your biggest rival really be?

There’s absolutely no way it’s an office romance waiting to happen.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Zoo Loos Book Tours, Penguin and Annabelle Slator for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
So I absolutely adored this book! It was the perfect read for valentines week and I devoured it. I think I read the first 19 chapters in one sitting because I was so engrossed and drawn into the story I just didn't want to put it down. I loved the banter between Eric and Grace and how we watched their relationship unfold and grow. And I have to say I really liked the we had the flashbacks of a sort showing us bits of their friendship and bits of Graces relationship with William. But by god was William a complete arse, I did an out loud "you go girl" at Grace with that last interaction with him, he defiantly deserved that! 
I really enjoyed the writing style of Annabelle Slator, it was easy flowing that I found stepping into the story a dream. Nothing broke my emersion (aside from family members interrupting me) and I felt like a fly on the wall watching Grace but I loved it and I really cant wait to read more by her. Its defiantly a strong debut, the tension between Grace and Eric was rolling off the pages and even though, because it a romance, you know where its going it just had you gunning for them the whole time.
If romance is your thing, this is a book you need to pick up.

Krystina xx

The Little Island Flower Stall by Tilly Tennant ~ Book Tour

 Publisher:  Bookouture

Publication Date: 27th January 2025

Genre: Romance

Summary:

Escape to a colourful little flower stall on the island of Jersey with its sweeping golden beaches. The perfect place for Bella to discover that a heartbreaking family secret might just help her find a new beginning...

When Bella’s heart is broken by her cheating husband, she packs a bag and escapes to Jersey, to help her beloved great-aunt Celestine run her seaside flower stall.

With the sun on her cheeks, watching white-haired Celestine in her elegant patterned trouser suit, beam at customers, and arrange flowers in vases, Bella realises that life is too short to feel sad. And when handsome, brooding Rory arrives at the periwinkle-blue, sand-dusted flower stall, and their eyes meet, she can only describe what passes between them as electricity.

Emboldened by Celestine’s lust for life, Bella decides to get to know Rory, with his unforgettable aquamarine eyes, better and as the two of them walk together under vast blue skies, Rory opens up to Bella and tells her of the family secret that has brought him to the island.

Bella wonders if Celestine might be able to help Rory with his quest. But when she talks to Celestine about Rory’s family her eyes cloud over, and she shuts Bella out. And when Bella tries to track Rory down, days later, she discovers that Rory’s past isn’t the only place where there are secrets. Is her hope of an island romance with a handsome, enigmatic man simply too good to be true? Can this beautiful island still bring her the bright new beginning that she so desperately needs?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Bookouture and Tilly Tennant for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
I have to start off saying that I absolutely love the cover of this book, it perfectly fits the feel of the book and makes you get into the summer romance vibe (perfect for the never ending January blues).

I've not read a book by Tilly Tennant before and I have to say I loved her writing style, I found the book really easy to slip into and found connecting with the characters almost instantaneous. I think that Celestine is my favourite if I'm honest, Bella is a fantastic main character and she drives the story along so well but its Celestine that i wanted to know more about. Id love it of we had a book of her during her wartime years, i feel there was more hidden about her character that id love to dive into.
I did feel that the romance aspect between Rory and Bella seemed a little quick for my liking, considering Bella was still technically married and she barely had anytime after shed left her husband to process but i did like her and Rory as a couple. The only thing i didn't like about this book was its ending. I didn't feel like  it ended properly, i wanted so much more from it, I'm hoping its ended the way it has because we're getting a follow on book. I was so invested in Bella's story that the abrupt nature of the ending kicked me out of emersion quite viciously and left me feeling a little put out.
Having said that i did enjoy the book, i think the characters are all well thought out, even the ones that are barely on the page for a paragraph or two are fully formed so we can easily picture them as they get mentioned again. And the writing style is thoroughly enjoyable, i will defiantly be picking up books by Tilly Tennant again.

Krystina xx

Before You Say I Do by Sharon Ibbotson ~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Choc Lit

Publication Date: 31st July 2024

Genre: Romance

Summary:

What if you were planning the wedding of the year . . . for the man you were meant to marry?

Wedding planner Ari Lightowler doesn’t believe in happily-ever-after.

Her job is to create the perfect magical wedding for demanding brides. And certainly not focus on her own heartache.

When Ari is invited to plan the upcoming ‘society wedding of the year’ in New York she arrives at the sprawling estate to meet the happy couple.

The only problem? The groom is Tom Somerset, her long-lost love . . . And father of her child.

Eight years ago Ari met Tom at Reykjavik airport. After a whirlwind romance, Tom was called home to New York. He promised to return for Ari.

He never came back.

And she never got to tell him she was expecting his child.

Now Ari must deal with the whims of a society bridezilla who cares more about her wedding than her groom. And the unresolved tensions with Tom.

Because Tom did go back for Ari.

The only question now is who will say I do?

Review:
Firstly thank you at Hygge Book Tours, Choc Lit and Sharon Ibbotson for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
Now I'm 50/50 on the second chance romance troupe, depending on the reason for the split in the first place and I have to say in this one Tom came out badly for me. Yes, he did go back for her, way too late in my opinion and after not giving her a way to contact him, which let's face it would have helped him know about his child sooner. But Ari didn't come off great to me either, she spent way too long (8 years!) telling herself he was going to come find her instead of moving on with her life with her child properly, she sort of hung onto it so long it was becoming sad. I found myself frustrated with both of them for a lot of the modern-day scenes but I absolutely loved the flashbacks from their time together before he left, which convinced me that they just fitted so well together. I so loved that Tom bought all of her paintings though, it was so sweet and the fact that he wanted them all to have a connection to her I loved, even though it was a mire of his own making. And I have to say the star of the book for me was Luis, i absolutely adored that man, and I would happily claim him as a friend he was just so fabulous. He made the book for me, he just lit up any of the scenes he was in and his relationship with Renie was gorgeous, he was definitely more of a father figure than an uncle and the "one year later" made me sad that he and Sebastian who pretty much helped raise Reine for the first 8 years of her life were pushed aside for Tom. I get it he's her dad but those two deserved more in my opinion.
I enjoyed reading the book the style meant it was easy to get sucked in and just read the whole thing in one sitting, which I did, and id happily read more by Sharon Ibbotson.

Krystina xx