Lessons by Ian McEwan~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Vintage; 1st edition

Publication Date: 22nd June 2023

Genre: Political Fiction

Summary:

When the world is still counting the cost of the Second World War and the Iron Curtain has descended, young Roland Baines's life is turned upside down. Stranded at boarding school, his vulnerability attracts his piano teacher, Miriam Cornell, leaving scars as well as a memory of love that will never fade.

Twenty-five years later Roland's wife mysteriously vanishes, and he is left alone with their baby son. Her disappearance sparks of journey of discovery that will continue for decades, as Roland confronts the reality of his rootless existence and attempts to embrace the uncertainty - and freedom - of his future.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, Vintage and Ian McEwan for having me on this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review.
I've never actually read an Ian McEwan book before so I was really excited to get stuck into this one and it's very cleverly written. 
I initially found it a difficult book to get into, it seemed to skip around in time without explanation, I realise it's flashbacks to Roland's life but it threw me, to begin with.
The abuse from the piano teacher was odd to read, I didn't really like those passages, and then they jump quickly to his wife's disappearance from it, like I said I didn't really get on with the timeline jumps.
I have struggled with the book, purely I think because of the jumbled timelines, it's a well-written book and I think it covers some interesting topics, I've enjoyed hearing the thoughts from Roland about fatherhood.
Currently, I haven't finished the book but I will keep reading it but I'm not sure much I'm enjoying it as a whole.

Krystina xx

All The Worlds a Stage by Guy Hale~ Blog Tour

 Publisher: Whitefox Publishing Ltd

Publication Date: 25th May 2023

Genre: Humorous Parody

Summary:

In the final instalment of The Comeback Trial trilogy, Jimmy Wayne has set off on his major tour of Europe, selling out the likes of the Royal Albert Hall and Zenith, Paris. While Jimmy's fame is reaching dizzying heights, behind-the-scenes crime bosses, Jack Lantern and George Digbeth, are scheming ways to bring him crashing back down to earth. But it's not just these two he should be worried about. Jimmy's adventures in Europe have drawn the attention of crime families across London, Paris, southern Italy and Madrid and everyone is battling for a piece of the action. From recovering valuable stolen artwork to his mother's romantic escapades, will Jimmy survive the mayhem of this whirlwind tour or will the dubious, murderous circumstances to which he owes all his success, be exposed, for once and for all...?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, Guy Hale and Whitefox Publishing for having me on this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review.
I mean I've said it twice already but ill say it again, this is a brilliantly written series. I spent the first four chapters laughing like a loon at what I was reading (I even disturbed the dog I laughed that hard at one point), it's full of joyously dark humour and I can't get enough of it. It's a shame it's only a trilogy because id happily read more.
Ma Lantern is a complete nut job but I actually really liked all the wedding planning bits with her and the off-the-wall ideas she had for it. Jimmy's dreams were weird but so well written, I love that Wendy and John get random costumes!
I've loved reading this series and I have a feeling ill be reading it again soon because that dark humour was just the right level for me and gave me so many moments where I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud that I know ill be going back to it again.
This is defiantly a series that I highly recommend picking up, and now I'm off to go find Jimmy Wayne's album ( there's a QR Code in the book to it ) and sing some dark and mildly depressing songs.

Krystina xx

Blood on The Tracks by Guy Hale~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Whitefox Publishing Ltd

Publication Date: 17th November 2022

Genre: Humorous Parody

Summary:

Jimmy Wayne is headed for LA to make the new album that will hopefully make him a star. In a quiet, deserted canyon a few miles outside Blackjack lie the bodies of his victims who inspired each song - all his secrets are buried in that dry and arid ground. Can he leave his past behind or will the ghosts of his past come back to haunt him?

Review:
Firstly thank you again to Random Book Tours, Whitefox Publishing and Guy Hale for having me on this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review.
So I jumped straight from Killing Me Softly to Blood on the Tracks, I couldn't wait to dive in. And this is just as good as book one, if not better! We get to meet some new characters as well as the same group from book one (yes Wendy is still about!) and I love all the new ones. Aksel has to be one of my favourites, I just love his complex background and his gold mining operation him and Kid are defiantly people id love to hear the backstories of!
I found I loved the fact that Jimmy started to find his songwriting groove without having to commit murder, it's very interesting and so is John R Real. 
Ma Lantern is so scary! I actually found myself feeling sorry for Jack and how he was brought up, the poor guy never stood a chance!
Once again the writing is beautiful and full of dark humour, I've really enjoyed reading this series. 

Krystina xx

Killing Me Softly by Guy Hale ~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Whitefox Publishing

Publication Date: 26th May 2022

Genre: Horror Parody

Summary:

In the town of Blackjack, Nevada, washed-up singer Jimmy Wayne is down on his luck, playing covers to a limited and uninterested audience in a third-rate casino. One morning he awakens to find that everything has changed. Not only has he accidentally murdered Wendy, his girlfriend, but he’s also written the best song he’s ever produced. Is it the act of killing that helps him create his finest work? And if it is, should he go for a full album? Wrestling with his desire for success, his grasp of morality and haunted by his past mistakes, Jimmy starts searching for the most terrible people he has ever known.

Review:

Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, Whitefox Publishing and Guy Hale for having me on this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review.
Now this is the first part in the trilogy and I actually have the whole trilogy to review today so this is the first of three posts you'll get to read about Jimmy and his Comeback.
I have to say the first chapter had me in giggles and I'm not sure I stopped giggling much throughout the book. It's a really funny book and there are so many humourous lines sprinkled throughout, a lot of them coming from Wendy. Yep, Wendy comes back as a ghost and I love the sarcasm that comes with her! She dips in and out of the book and I actually think she is my favourite character in it. I love how she effectively guides Jimmy along his newfound path to songwriting and stardom, and all the while Jimmy isn't 100% sure she is not just a figment of his guilty conscious.

It's a really easy-to-read writing style and I often planned to just read one more chapter and found myself an hour later many more chapters in and hooked on the plot and wanting to just see what Jimmy would write next. It's so wonderfully well written and I couldn't wait to keep the story going.
I have to say my favourite bits to read were the Jimmy/Wendy conversations, their back and forth was so snappy at times and her digs at his lack of knowledge were well done.
It was just the book I needed to break my run of thrillers and I highly recommend reading it as a nice funny read I guarantee you'll be hurriedly getting the second book because you don't want to stop reading.


Krystina xx

Good Girls Die Last by Natali Simmonds ~ Blog Tour

Publisher: Headline

Publication Date: 22nd June 2023
Genre: Psychological Thriller

Summary:

Today, nothing is going right for Em. And it's about to get much worse.

Heartbroken by a recent split, with her 30th birthday looming, she loses her job and her home in the same morning because of two swaggering, dishonest men - the boss who sexually harassed her and the flatmate sleeping with her behind his fiancée's back. But all Em can think about is catching a flight to attend her sister's wedding and see her dying mother.

With a record-breaking heatwave, and a serial killer making the streets unsafe, London is completely gridlocked. Em's life has always been full of men getting their own way, and today the scorched city teems with them standing between her and home. As Em's troubled past returns to haunt her, she refuses to let them win. Her defiance leads to shocking consequences that soon spiral wildly out of control.

In a world where men don't listen, and girls have no voice, one woman can change everything.

Today, no one will be staying silent.

Review:

 Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, Headline and Natali Simmonds for having me on the tour and sending me a copy of the book to review.
It's a beautiful hardback and I love the image on the front, definatly gives you thriller vibes, and the blurb really makes you feel for poor Em.
Now maybe it's because I've read a lot of crime/thriller books lately but I didn't really enjoy this book. Don't get me wrong it's brilliantly written and you can really feel for the main character and get drawn into the horiffic days she's having, and i really loved characters like Rose, but i felt like i was just reading it for the tour and the review.
I wasnt surprised by the ending, earlier on in the book Em said something that sort of gave it away to me. I really disliked Matt and Paul, as your meant too, but i wished we had more of Moby and Dante, they were really lovely guys and i felt like they were just there to show how bad the bad guys were.
Like i said its a well written book, and it was easy to read i managed to read it in a day, but it just wasnt for me.

Krystina xx

The Golden Bell by Robert L Stone ~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Stony Mere Ltd

Publication Date: 8th September 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary:

Arriving in Córdoba as a young man in 1088 to learn medicine, Yehuda Halevi is enchanted by a world in which Muslim, Jewish and Christian courtiers share poetry and philosophy in their elegant gardens. Here he falls in love with Deborah, the spirited daughter of his host. In this turbulent world, however, Yehuda also encounters invasions and pirates, book burnings and bandits.

Driven by conflict to move from city to city, Yehuda and Deborah are often parted – but always in the hope that they will one day return together to Córdoba. As Yehuda’s fame grows as a poet and as a philosopher, his writings become increasingly mystical but also increasingly restless, for he yearns to travel to the holy city of Jerusalem. In 1140, as an old man, he must finally decide whether to stay with his family or begin the perilous voyage towards Egypt and Crusader Jerusalem…

In this beautifully evocative story, Robert L. Stone transports the reader to twelfth-century Andalucía as he traces the extraordinary life of a man determined to devote himself – and his exceptional talent – to a greater truth.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours and Robert L Stone for having me on this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review.
As I've said before I do love historical fiction, especially well-researched historical fiction that's rooted in fact. This book has that in spades, it's quite clearly very well-researched and that shows. I loved the fact that we had the story of Yehuda Halevi and his life and love of Deborah and then behind it, we had all the changing political and religious environment that occurred in that time around what is now part of Spain. I know very little about that area of the world, especially in this time period (that which I know is sporadic and from the Not Just The Tudors podcast) so I really enjoyed learning about this time period through this book, and the descriptions were so vivid it was beautiful to read.
Now spattered throughout this book we have sections of poetry by Yehuda Halevi and they were really lovely to read, quite beautiful prose and I liked how they broke up the story a little. It was a really easy book to read and once I started I found I quite easily read big chunks in one go, it was nice to sit and devour it with a cuppa.
Now magpie that I am, obviously the look of the front cover is one of the things that drew me to this book along with its tagline. The cover has a really pretty tile-like pattern to it, I can imagine it as a floor in one of the buildings in  Andalucia. The tagline "A poet finds love and fame in medieval Andalucia" well it just sounded like my cup of tea.

Krystina xx

Learn to Let Go by John Purkiss~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Aster

Publication Date: 6th April 2023

Genre: Self Help

Summary:

If you learn to let go, your life will take off.

How is negative thinking affecting your success? Are you holding on to a story about your life? Are you allowing judgement and pain to weigh you down?

Learn to let go and turn your dreams into reality with this beautifully illustrated, guided journal from the bestselling author of The Power of Letting Go. Learn how to stay present, let go of the thoughts that keep you stuck, and tune into something far more intelligent than your brain using the creative exercises, writing prompts and techniques in this journal - and start living a life of freedom and success.

Review:

Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, Aster and John Purkiss for having me on this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review.
Now I haven't read The Power of Letting Go, but after reading through this journal I think I might have to pick it up. Not because you can't read one without the other, this journal is defiantly something you can read and work through without having read The Power of Letting Go but because after going through the journal I think I might benefit from being able to use both together. It's a lovely-sized book and feels really nice in your hand because it fits so well, and the cover is kind of what you'd expect from a self-help book it's nice and calming. 
I've read through the whole book cover to cover but I do think its the kind of book you can dip in and out of, and as the author says you can come back to exercises if you don't feel you've gained anything from it when you've done it this time. And I really liked that about it, it has an easy flow to it. Now I'm not one for writing in books and that combined with the fact that these are exercises you can do multiple times means I just grabbed a notebook to keep with the journal to write in, and I think that its good to reflect back on the last time you did the exercise and see what's changed.
I've really enjoyed reading and working through this book(not that I'm done yet), it's a book you can work through at your own pace taking as long as you need and whilst I've read it all to be able to review it's now something that I'm going back over to work through at a slower pace. I think this is a really good book for the current climate, with all that's occurred over the past few years I think a lot of us are holding onto fears and worries and this book can help us shed them and move forward.


Krystina xx