Moorewood Family Rules by Helenkay Dimon~Blog Tour

 Publisher: ‎ Avon

Publication Date: 8th June 2023

Genre:Romantic Comedy

Summary:

Knives Out and Ocean’s 8 meets The Nest in this hilariously twisty novel by award-winning author HelenKay Dimon, about a woman who returns home from prison to her dysfunctional con artist family and tries to get them to go legit.

One day a con man met an heiress, wooed her, married her, had two kids…and kept on conning. Jillian Moorewood is the oldest child from that meet-cute-gone-wrong marriage. The stable one. The sensible and dependable one. The one who protects and fixes. The one who went to prison to save their sorry butts. Now, thirty-nine months later, she’s out and she’s more than a little pissed.

Finally home she finds the scheming clan in full family fleecing mode. They all claim they didn’t really agree to Jillian’s previous go-legit-or-else ultimatum before she went away. They viewed it as a “suggestion” then ignored it. So, business as usual. But Jillian is done with the lies and fakery. She demands the whole messed-up crew clean up its act, and this time she’s not kidding—she has the leverage to make it happen.

Problem is, her life is in shambles, but with the help of a great aunt (crooked but loveable), a bodyguard (who is a nice surprise after three years in prison), and a few allies (all working undercover), Jillian starts to put her life back together. She kicks out a few mooching relatives living under her roof, sets limits on everyone’s access to the money, ducks from their various attacks, and sees if that bodyguard is maybe interested in sticking around for a while. For the first time, she’s Jillian Moorewood, her own woman, and she’s ready to figure out who she is. 

Review:
Firstly thank you to Random Things  Book Tours, Helenkay Dimon and Avon for having me on this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review.
There were so many things about this book that I enjoyed. The family dynamics for one, I loved all the backstabbing, plotting and trying to outsmart each other. The fact that everyone had two separate agendas, one they sure as heck let everyone know about and the other kept very close to their chests. All the undercover family members working different angles and playing different hands at different times was like watching a game of chess, everything was perfectly planned. I loved the Moorewood family rules at the beginning of each chapter, some even made me laugh out loud, though Jillian's final rule is the best one. I did not expect who dobbed Jillian in to be who it was! I was fully expecting any other member of the family but them, so that took me by surprise. I loved the banter between Jillian and Beck, it flowed so well and it was a nice interlude between family plotting sessions.
Its a really well-written book, with clever characters that makes it something you don't want to put down(I was up til 2am finishing reading it because I didn't want to put it down)
It's a perfect summer read so if you looking for something to take with you on holiday this year, this is the book to take!

Krystina xx

The Paper Pirate by Dawn McIntyre~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Running Wild Press

Publication Date: 8th November 2022

Genre:Cosy Mystery

Summary:

As if the looming deadline to pay off a balloon mortgage isn’t enough to worry about, the five partners who own the small town book store The Paper Pirate find themselves menaced by a stealthy crook who systematically searches first the shop, then each of their homes. Because he takes nothing and barely leaves traces of his presence, the police can’t be of much help, and simply promise to keep an eye on Charlie Santorelli, Lavinia “Vinnie” Holcomb, Al Rockleigh, Felicia Cocolo, and Lenora Stern. It’s a mystery to them but the reader knows that Rick Foster, a shady rare-books dealer and his sidekick Nina Bartov are on the hunt for a particular old volume that sits unnoticed on a shelf in The Paper Pirate’s used book section. It’s an obscure early work of the not-terribly-successful author Benjamin Conway, and it’s badly defaced―but a very wealthy man is willing to pay Rick a half a million dollars for it. Seems an ancestor of his eluded the henchmen of a nineteenth-century dictator by escaping to New York, and eventually took refuge in the northeastern Pennsylvania countryside. Before he was captured and killed, he’d scribbled as much evidence of the tyrant’s sins as he could fit into the blank spaces of a copy of The Stargazer at Dawn and hid it where he hoped his comrades would find it. They never did. The five friends also are members of a writers’ group, and each of them has a secret. One is penning an erotic novel on the sly, another hides a painful estrangement with an only child, and a deadly teenaged mistake causes a third to sabotage her every chance at happiness in the present. A partner who claims to be unpublished actually is a one-hit-wonder with a thirty-year-old best-selling novel followed by a crippling literary failure, and the last has a family with criminal connections―he’s spent half a lifetime avoiding them.

Review:

Firstly thank you to Love Books Tours, Dawn McIntyre and Running Wild Press for sending me a copy of the book to review.
I haven't read many cosy mysteries but I really liked the idea of them so I was really happy to get this book, a new genre is always a welcome change. The cover really doesn't give much away and it's quite plain which actually drew me in almost as much as the pretty covers that I usually waffle on about. It's a really well-written book and the characters are well-rounded with interesting back stories. I enjoyed the fact that we switch between different characters' perspectives, especially when it brought in new characters to hear from.
I liked the level of intrigue around the rare book that Rick is trying to find, and how he's attempting to go about finding it.
I have to admit that I'm still currently reading the book, I had a few issues with the original digital copy I was sent but Love Books Tours kindly resent it to me, so I haven't quite made it to the end and I will update when I do without spoiling any endings!

Krystina xx

A-Z Reading Challenge for 2023!

 

Ok, so I'm a bit late in making this post but it's oddly taken me a while to gather the 26 books needed for this challenge! Now I decided to make this challenge a little bit more difficult for myself by trying to create a list from books I already owned that have been on my tbr for a while. And I did manage to get 23 out of 26 that way, but I had to get three of the more difficult letters (U, X and Z) from the library. 
Now it's a very random collection of books, but then again I never really stick to one genre when reading so it was always bound to be a tad eclectic. I've got a mix of fiction and non-fiction and a wide range of genres to work my way through, and I'm ashamed to say that it's July and I've only finished one (I'm putting the book cover next to the finished ones and I'll update this on a semi-regular basis) and I'm slogging my way through Ulysses!
But I did want to sort the Instagram and blog posts out before I did, so that's procrastination at work there.
So the A-Z challenge for those who haven't heard/done it before is you work your way from A-Z  and the book titles have to begin with that letter of the alphabet, you ignore The at the start of titles and carry on from there.
So here is my planned
reading list for this year;

A-The Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor 

B-The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan

C-The Cosy Teashop at the Castle by Caroline Roberts

D-Dead Tomorrow by Peter James

E-Everless by Sara Holland

F-Forgotten Fruits by Christopher Stocks

G-The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

H-The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

I-The Innocent by Poise Graeme-evans

J-Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason

K-The Kings Witch by Tracy Borman

L-The Little coffee Shop in Kabul by Deborah Rodrigiuez

M-The Marsh Kings Daughter by Elizabeth Chadwick

N-Nutrition for Intuition by Doreen Virtue

O- Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

P-The Proposal by Tasmina Perry

Q-The Queen of Subtleties by Suzannah Dunn

R-The Red Tent by Anita Diamont

S-The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

T-Three Sister, Three Queens by Phillippa Gregory

U-Ulysses by James Joyce

V-The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

W-The Witches of Salem 1692 by Stacy Schiff

X-Xandu by John Man

Y-The Yorkshire Pudding Club by Milly Johnson

Z-Zero by Marc Elsberg

Have any of you read any of the list? What do you think of my choice and more importantly do you have any suggestions for next year's U 

Krystina xx

Voices of the Dead by Ambrose Parry ~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Canongate Books; Main edition

Publication Date: 15th June 2023

Genre: Historical Thriller

Summary:

EDINBURGH, 1853.

In a city of science, discovery can be deadly . . .

In a time of unprecedented scientific discovery, the public's appetite for wonder has seen a resurgence of interest in mesmerism, spiritualism and other unexplained phenomena.

Dr Will Raven is wary of the shadowlands that lie between progress and quackery, but Sarah Fisher can't afford to be so picky. Frustrated in her medical ambitions, she sees opportunity in a new therapeutic field not already closed off to women.

Raven has enough on his hands as it is. Body parts have been found at Surgeons' Hall, and they're not anatomy specimens. In a city still haunted by the crimes of Burke and Hare, he is tasked with heading off a scandal.

When further human remains are found, Raven is able to identify a prime suspect, and the hunt is on before he kills again. Unfortunately, the individual he seeks happens to be an accomplished actor, a man of a thousand faces and a renowned master of disguise.

With the lines between science and spectacle dangerously blurred, the stage is set for a grand and deadly illusion . . .

Review:

Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, Ambrose Parry and Canongate Books for having me on this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review.
This book caught my attention from the moment I read the blurb, I was intrigued and I've found myself drawn to thrillers of late and a historical one was a nice change of pace. And I have to say I was hooked after one single chapter. Everything about this book just kept me reading from the brilliant writing style to the beautifully well-crafted characters, I just couldn't bare to put the book down. To begin with I found Will Raven to be the more interesting character but then part way through I got drawn into Sarah's journey into expanding her knowledge and trying to find a way into the medical field, which is brilliantly written because let's face it at that time women being in the medical profession was literally laughed away by most people. The descriptions of the places in and around Edinburgh were spot on, it was so vivid that I could easily picture every place that they visited within the book.
I genuinely loved reading this book, every time I thought I knew where it was heading and thought id figured it out a left-hand turn came out of nowhere and I was completely on the back foot and what I thought I knew went flying in the air. I loved it, I love it when I thriller keeps me guessing.
This is the first Raven and Fisher book I've read, but I now I know there are four more... well let's just say my Amazon basket is a little bit full and I'm eagerly awaiting book five in Hardback to go with my beautiful copy of Voices of the Dead.
If you love historical fiction and you're a fan of a thriller, you should definitely check this series out.

Krystina xx

Maybe you should give up by Byron Morrison~ Blog Tour

 Publisher: Morgan James Publishing

Publication Date: 27th June 2023

Genre: Self Help

Summary:

After years of being his own worst enemy, Byron Morrison knows exactly how frustrating the never-ending cycle of hard work, expectation, and minimal results can be. Maybe You Should Give Up is Morrison's answer to the question: how can anyone achieve their dreams if hard work isn't enough?It seems like every self-help book and personal development program is the same these days, preaching that if someone just does more and pushes harder, they can achieve the life of their dreams. This expectation doesn't often work with long-term results, which leaves many people to face the unfortunate reality of never reaching their goals.Why? Because despite their good intentions, they get in their own way, sabotaging themselves and becoming the biggest stumbling block in the way of their success.Tired of going 'round in circles, Byron Morrison realized he needed to do something different. He gave up--not on his goals and dreams, accepting a life of mediocrity lying on the couch--but on being controlled by fear. He gave up living in the past. He gave up comparing himself to others. He gave up on being so hard on himself. And he gave up putting off his happiness.And it worked. He was able to get out of his own way and finally take control of his life.Maybe You Should Give Up explains how to throw out the rule book, break the mold and do something different. Byron Morrison's approach helps readers identify 7 areas of their life that cause them to get in their own way and keep them stuck in a self-destructive cycle; he models how to give up on what holds a person back--to finally take control of the life they want and deserve.

Review:

Firstly thank you to Love Books Tours, Morgan James Publishing and Byron Morrison for having me on the tour and sending me a copy of the book to review.
I was really intrigued by this book, from the moment the email hit my inbox to see if I wanted on this tour I was eager to read it. And I'm really glad that I have, it's brilliantly well-written and to me everything Byron Morrison says makes sense. At the beginning of the book, the author asks you to raise your hands if what he's saying is familiar and I have to admit my hand was raised ( which caused my small one to ask what mummy wanted) because I am guilty of getting in my own way when trying to succeed with goals. So I knew from the introduction that this book was defiantly for me.
Aside from being well written, it's written in such a nice easy-to-follow way, it's been broken down into steps and each step has its own chapter, nothing feels too overwhelming. And unlike most self-help books that sit and tell you how wrong you've been doing everything and berate you for not making changes sooner, I don't come away from this book feeling like I've been told off. I feel like I have someone there (admittedly in book form) to help me move through these challenges to change my way of thinking and stop self-sabotaging. 
It's a book that defiantly needs another read to take it all in properly and make changes and so I'll be keeping it on my shelf for now.

Krystina xx

The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka~ Blog Tour

 

Publisher: Pan; Main Market edition 

Publication Date: 22nd June 2023

Genre:Romance

Summary:

Sometimes the best love stories start with The Roughest Draft....

Three years ago, Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the brightest literary stars on the horizon, their cowritten book topping bestseller lists. But on the heels of their greatest success, they ended their partnership on bad terms. They haven't spoken since, and never planned to, except they have one final book due on contract.

Forced to reunite they hole up in the tiny Florida town where they wrote their previous book, trying to finish a new manuscript quickly and painlessly. Working through the reasons they've hated each other for the past three years isn't easy, especially not while writing a romantic novel.

While passion and prose push them closer together in the Florida heat, Katrina and Nathan will learn that relationships, like writing, sometimes take a few rough drafts before they get it right.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka for having me on this tour and sending me the book to review.
OK so I'm a lover of romance so this book was right up my street, the blurb was a big fat yes from me! It's well written, I really enjoyed reading the banter and interactions between Katrina and Nathan. I loved how easily it flowed between them even to some degree when they were angry at each other.
I did like how it alternated chapters and the point of view, it was interesting to see the same incident from both points of view and how vastly different their interpretations of what happened were.
I absolutely hated Chris and how emotionally manipulative/ abusive he was, I couldn't understand how she could stand being in the same room as him let alone be with him and I don't know why she didn't get rid as soon as he pushed her to do something she told him explicitly she didn't want to do.
Whilst I did enjoy aspects of the book I did feel it was a little predictable, and whilst all romance follows a similar path so that's kind of expected, this was too predictable for me because I can't see myself rereading it. And as my book club know I'm someone who rereads romance for the hug-in-a-book feeling it gives me, and this didn't give me that.

Krystina xx

Game of Iniquity by Miray Kose~ Blog Tour

Publisher: Book Guild Publishing Ltd

Publication Date: 21st March 2023

Genre: Historical Thriller

Summary:

London, 1891. 

Deliveries. Opium. Regret. The only three things twenty-one-year-old Gabriel Ashmore’s life consists of until four murder victims are found in the increasingly criminal city, all marked with the same black veins. Gabriel is connected to all four. He delivered Erebus to them, a new opium variant on the market, after being forced to provide for his family following the brutal death of his mother four years ago. 

Fearing his involuntary part in the murders, he becomes embroiled in an amateur investigation led by the wealthy aspiring detective Alexander Wakefield, supported by the Leader of the Opposition, Lord Benedict Granville. 

However, when they witness the fifth death, they realise nothing is as it seems in the city of veils and shadows. Truths become twisted, secrets are revealed and it soon becomes clear they are not dealing with a single killer, but the greatest criminal plot London has ever seen.

Review:

Firstly thank you to Love Books Tours, Book Guild Publishing and Miray Kose for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book to review.

Im gonna have to start with I loved this book. From the cover which looks brilliant and completely sets the scene to the actual written story, this was a fantastic book. I really loved our MC Gabriel, I found him so interesting and I liked seeing the occasional flashback about his life and filling in the blanks about what's happened since the death of his mother( not a spoiler it's in the blurb).
Alexander irritated me to begin with, just as he seemed to irritate Gabriel, but he really grew on me! I found myself liking him towards the end, I started to understand his quirks and I loved the interactions between him and Gabriel.
 It's a brilliantly well-written book and I think it reads like the beginning of a series. I was 22 pages in and talking about it with a fellow Book Dragon when I said that it feels like we're being set up for more than one book. I so hope I'm right and we get many more because id love to have more books featuring Gabriel and maybe occasionally Alexander.
I honestly didn't get who the Big Bad Evil was until it was revealed, I had two others I thought it might be and boy was I wrong but I love that!
This book is defiantly staying on my bookshelf, with the hopes that I'll be adding more next to it soon.

Krystina xx