The Writer's Guide to Obscurity by John Steinberg ~Blog Tour

Publisher: 2QT Limited (Publishing)

Publication Date: 28th February 2023

Genre: humorous fiction

Summary:

Norman was born to write, but doesn't know his destiny is written in his DNA, inherited from generations of earlier Normans who yearned to put pen to paper - once those items had been invented! Yet with nothing to show for all his literary endeavours and struggling to pay the rent, he tells himself there must be easier ways of making a living. It's only when

Norman discovers his descent from a long line of wordsmiths who'd experienced many of the same setbacks as himself yet had found the resolve to keep on going, that he wants to know:

'What was their secret?'

The Writer's Guide to Obscurity is an illustrated record of Norman's research into his vast family tree, sharing with us his predecessors' trials, triumphs and absolute catastrophes through the centuries, before bringing us back to Norman today - and the twist in his own tale.

Review:

 Firstly thank you to Zoo Loos Book Tours and John Steinberg for having me on this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review.
It's a very short and sweet little book, we follow Norman through the ages and his ancestors to find out the history of writers in his family. It's full of quirky little illustrations that I loved, the family tree at the beginning is brilliant. It's a very cleverly written book, I did enjoy the writing style a lot. The little subheadings between paragraphs to let us know where in the Norman line we are and the little illustration of the correct norman ( personally I really enjoyed Norman Norman) were clever and didn't break the flow of writing.  It's exceptionally funny, I had a lot of moments where I laughed out loud. Like I said a short and sweet book filled with humour, which means its a very short review but a very positive one.

Krystina xx

Clytemnestra's Bind by Susan C Wilson ~ Blog Tour

 

Publisher: Neem Tree Press

Publication Date: 15th June 2023

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary:

The House of Atreus is spiralling into self-destruction - a woman must find a way to break the family curse.

Queen Clytemnestra's world shatters when Agamemnon, a rival to the throne of Mycenae, storms her palace, destroys her family and claims not only the throne but Clytemnestra herself. Tormented by her loss, she vows to do all she can to protect the children born from her unhappy marriage to Agamemnon. But when her husband casts his ruthless gaze towards the wealthy citadel of Troy, his ambitions threaten to once more destroy the family Clytemnestra loves.

From one of Greek mythology's most reviled characters - a woman who challenged the absolute power of men - comes this fiery tale of power, family rivalry and a mother's burning love.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, Neem Tree Press and Susan C Wilson for having me on this book tour and sending me a copy of the book to review.

Now I love a mythology retelling, I've read a lot of them in the past few years and to some degree, they always follow a similar path. Not so with this one, I mean I have all the characters I'm expecting to see but they're not all in the usual places. I even have ones I've not heard of before! And I've loved the different way of seeing everyone, I mean I still hate Agamemnon, he's an absolutely awful human being and he's well-written to be even more hateful than normal. But for the first time, I feel so much sympathy for Clytemnestra, the opening few chapters have her having her child ripped from her breast and killed in front of her and my heart felt for her in that moment far more than in retellings when Iphigenia is sacrificed, because then I normally feel anger on her behalf.
This book is so beautifully well written, the language used is almost poetic at times, and it flows so well and makes it hard to put down. I've devoured it in a matter of hours ( who needs sleep right?)  and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.
I run a book club full of fans of Greek Mythology retellings so you know fine well I'll be telling them all about this one at Monday's meeting!

Krystina xx

Unbound: Songs of Chaos Book Two by Michael R Miller ~Blog Tour

Publisher: Portal Books

Publication Date: 27th September 2021

Genre:Fantasy

Summary:

Sometimes the world needs a little chaos.

Holt and Ash saved the kingdom of Feorlen against all odds. Now they are outcasts, alone on an impossible quest to unite the Elder Dragons. But they are children playing in a game of Dragon Lords. Trapped between the riders, servants of Sovereign, and the scourge, even their luck cannot last forever. Their only hope is to advance their bond by any means necessary.

In Feorlen, Talia faces a world unaccepting of a rider queen. Her councilors will not heed her warnings of Sovereign. Foreign powers threaten war and bloodshed. Pleas sent to rider headquarters fall on deaf ears.

All the while, Sovereign regathers his strength in an ancient fortress. Enthralled cultists swell his ranks. Disillusioned riders flock to his cause.

And his unwilling servant Osric Agravain scours the land for dragon eggs. There are new types of magic to be discovered, and Sovereign intends to control them all.

Only the mysterious half-dragon Rake has a plan to stop Sovereign. To pull it off, he’s going to need a team.

Review:

Firstly thank you to Love Books Tours and Michael R Miller for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book to review.
Now i have to be honest i havent quite finished the book yet, perils of a young family i dont always get chance to dive into a book that i love. And i have loved every page of the book that ive manged to read so far, i love the releationship between Holt and Ash and just how much its developed! Ive loved learning about the different dragons and how they differ, the whole forging and cleansing is so interesting. How Holt is going about finding more about Ash's type of dragon is very methodical and clever, and i love that hes adding to his family cookbook. Im looking forward to more about how Talia juggles being a queen and a rider, i really hope she manages to keep being both and not ending up being forced to choose because i do love her and Pyra's releationship. I think all the rider/dragon relationships in this series are so well done and i'm hoping we get more as the series goes on.
As i said i havent quite finished the book, but i wanted to get my initial thoughts down here and i will be updating this review as soon as i finish because believe me i will have lots to say about it!

Krystina xx

 

The Clear Method by Carolyn Creel ~Blog Tour

Publisher: The Unbound Press

Publication Date: 21st March 2023

Genre: Mind-Body Medicine

Summary:

The CLEAR Method is for everyone.

The CLEAR Method is here to shake (and vac) up the way we have lived our lives for years – so much more than a book on cleaning your house; it will help you shift stuck energy and get into Flow.

On a practical level, it declutters the chaos of life. Energetically, it helps you focus and see more clearly. Emotionally, it helps to shift outdated ways of thinking that have kept you stuck in a rut.

Author Carolyn guides you through her tried and tested methods to Clear, Let Go, Energise, Act and Receive in all areas of life – to ease-fully declutter the physical and emotional clutter of life.

Review:

 First thank you to Love Books Tours, The Unbound Press and Carolyn Creel for having me on this tour and for gifting me a copy of the book to review.

So I was looking forward to diving into this book because it and the tour came on my radar as I was really in the mood to have a right good clear out! And I've really enjoyed reading it, the clear out less so because I've ended up reading ahead of where I was in the process and got a little muddled( my fault for poor time management) but I know ill be going back to this book and the method to help declutter my home and my mind.
I liked the little quizzes, though the get in the clear zone one I didn't find very helpful purely because I didn't have one clear winning outcome so I chose to read my way through the book instead of skipping to the indicated sections but the quizzes themselves I did like.
I loved having all the meditation and guided meditations in it, giving me new ways to switch up my meditation practice, I also really enjoyed the journalling aspects of it. I'm not much of one for journalling, but I liked that we had these elements in it to encourage us to reflect on what we'd done and I really loved that we had them all collected together in a section so you don't need to flip flop around the book to search for the one you need at that moment.
It's written in a really easy straight forward to follow way, much like the author's approach to decluttering (which I really appreciated) and their cleaning tips (gotta love a cleaning tip).
The tandem nature of decluttering your mind and home is one a really can get on board with and I loved the gentle spiritual nature of it(I know the spiritual aspect may seem full on to some but I thought it softly spread throughout in an accessible way).
It's a book that won't stay on my shelf long, purely because I'll be constantly picking it up to use!

Krystina xx

Girls Dont Cry by Peter Kesterton ~ Blog Tour

Publisher: Bloodhound Books

Publication Date: 7th February 2023

Genre: Psychological thriller 

Summary:

A decade after his young daughter’s murder, a grief-stricken father’s need for justice puts his own life in danger as events spiral out of control . . .

Ever since Caitlin Grady was released from prison, Darren has been tormented by rage and injustice. He finds himself venting online, where a stranger befriends him—and encourages him to seek revenge.

But Caitlin no longer goes by that name. She has been given a new identity and is living quietly, dreading exposure as the tabloids—with help from her publicity-hungry mother—try to hunt her down. And having committed the crime at age eleven, Caitlin struggles as an adult on her own, out in the world beyond prison walls.

Will Darren manage to track Caitlin down, and if he does, will he be able to carry out his plans?

Review:

 First, thank you to Random Books Tours, Bloodhound Books and Peter Kesterton for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book to review.
This book is fantastically written, it put me through all the emotions reading it, and it was so good that I read it in a day because I couldn't put it down. You start with Darren and Kelly finding out that their daughter's killer has been released on parole and I have to say Darren's first reaction is exactly what mine would be if I were in his situation. The fact that their daughter was relatively young and of a similar age to my small ones meant that I really felt all the emotions reading this because it was written so well that I could put myself into their shoes and it was heart-wrenching (at a few points I had to go cuddle my small ones)
I really disliked Jedd from the off, he "felt" wrong and I'm glad I was right in my feeling( again goes to show how well-written the characters are!). I felt like he was using Darren and his need to find Caitlin as a way to be violent towards another person without repercussions.
I loved Caitlin's story arc, it was heartbreaking to get glimpses into her childhood and eventually finding out what happened with her and Darren's daughter. And I'm so glad that Darren and Caitlin got the endings they did, it was the right way to end their stories.
I am trying so hard to not give a single thing away but still tell you how brilliant this book is! This is another author's debut novel which has added more books to my shelves because I will be wanting to read his next book for sure!
Highly recommend this for you thriller fans!

Krystina xx

The Rose of Florence by Angela M Sims ~Blog Tour

 

Publisher: Romaunce Books

Publication Date: 16th January 2023

Genre: historical romance

Summary:

1478: Gianetta and Matteo have a happy life, working in service to the wealthy Rosini family. They are used to entertaining rich and powerful members of Florentine society in Palazzo Rosini, where Lorenzo and Giuliano de Medici, and Botticelli are regular visitors. Even when the Medici brothers narrowly escape the Palazzo with their lives (an accident, surely?), Gianetta and Matteo can’t imagine that the growing unrest in the streets of Florence would ever spoil their happiness.

When a bloody conspiracy erupts in the heart of Florence, in the city’s beloved Duomo, nobody is left unaffected by the aftermath. When the family hears that Matteo is among the conspirators, Gianetta knows that her life will never be the same

Review:
First off I need to say thank you to Random Book Tours, Romaunce Books and Angela M Sims for having me on this blog tour and for gifting me a copy of this beautiful book to review.
Now as you may have noticed on this blog I am a magpie for pretty book covers and this one is no exception, I love the collection of roses framing the image of the Duomo. It beautifully fits the book.
It's a very well-written and brilliantly researched first book by Angela Sims. Her descriptions are wonderful and you really can imagine that you are there in Florence combined with her well-crafted characters that easily slip in between the historical figures really bring the era and story to life.
The love story that is woven into the dramatic situations that occurred is so sweet and lovely, you really enjoy following Gianetta and Matteo's developing love.
One of my favourite parts of the book is the recipes for a good meal that sit between each section, they make a nice marker and they do sound so lovely. I've added a few of the recipes to my to-try list, Italian food always sounds so indulgent!
If you love a good historical romance, add this one to your list.

Krystina xx

Mechaniek: King of Tartessos by J C Compton ~ Blog Tour

Publisher: Independently published

Publication Date: 8th July 2022

Genre: post-apocalyptic sci-fi steampunk

Summary:

Power has changed hands in Toweren: after the assassination of King Viryankar and the arrest of

Rufus Doreabris, Nex Denisov has taken the throne through a coup, and the kingdom is at war

with the island kingdom of Tartessos. He and King Byryam of Tartessos both rely on a

personality cult and militias to secure their power and are racing to create hybrids from the DNA

of giant creatures found in the ruins of ancient civilizations.

Arnau Donovan transfers to the Royal School of Mechanics from a remote region at the age of

eighteen. The son of a lumberjack but a genius mechanic, he immediately attracts the jealousy of

his classmates. As he struggles with bullying and a conservative school board trying to make the

school more religious, he finds solace in his friendships with Alistair, Miro, a relative of the

king, and his teacher Goram, whom he falls in love with. But Nex Denisov is not ready to let his

former rival have such a genius by his side...

Review:

First off thank you to Pride book tours and  J C Compton for having me on this blog tour and sending me a copy of this book to review.
So once again I judged a book by its cover (I mean let's face it this book has a beautiful cover) and decided I had to be on the book tour for this one, the blurb backed up the cover's beauty and thankfully I got onto the tour.  Beautiful cover aside I really love how the author has written this, the switching between different points of view has a nice easy flow to it. I very quickly got invested in the characters and what's going on in their lives, so much so that I really can't wait to dive into the next book in the series.
I really felt for poor Arnau in his first few weeks in the school being bullied and treated so poorly but there were also parts where I was yelling at him to not make the bad choices(Don't leave Goram!)
I did feel the marriage was quite quick but then again soldiers were known to quickly marry their sweethearts just in case they died at war so I guess from that point of view it makes sense.
I loved the representation in this book the author has done a brilliant job of creating the characters but not making them archetypal versions of transgender/gay/etc. I've just really loved reading this book, and I'm definitely going back for more from J C Compton!

Krystina xx