Saving Grace by Cristina Slough~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Bloodhound Books

Publication Date: 15th Febuary 2023

Genre: psychological thriller

Summary:

An ambitious reporter seeks a window into an obsessed killer’s mind—and is forced to take a hard look in the mirror, in this dark psychological thriller.

It starts when a Cornwall fisherman finds a body in the ocean. The blood of the victim has washed away, but the angry message etched deep into the victim’s back is crystal clear: Grace—Number 1.

It’s the kind of story that could make local reporter Jennifer Mack’s career—if she can keep her hypercompetitive colleague, Hayley, from undermining her at every turn.

When the next body turns up far away in London, another carved message makes the link unmistakable—a serial killer is on the loose.

Then, Jennifer receives a package from the killer. As she begins to communicate directly and publicly with a murderer-at-large, it appears she’s been chosen to write the headline story.

But as lines between right and wrong start to blur, Jennifer is forced to come face-to-face with her own inner darkness . . .

Review:
Firstly Thank you to Love Books Tours, Bloodhound Books and Cristina Slough for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
Now I've been reading quite a few thrillers of late, you'd think I'd get fed up with them but with the brilliant authors, I've had the pleasure of reading it's not been the case. This is another cleverly written thriller that kept me reading even when I should have been putting it down to sleep/cleaning/do some work. I know that some people don't like the switching between characters each chapter but I really liked that, it kept giving me little clues as to who the killer was without ever letting me get a vaguely correct guess. Jennifer isn't an overly likeable MC, she constantly acts like working at the home town newspaper is beneath her rather than being thankful she actually has a job in the career she wanted, it may not be in at a big-name paper but at least she's a journalist.
All the characters are really well-written and you defiantly connect with some really well and there are others that just remind you of people you've met (Hayley for one), it's just another indicator of a cleverly written book!
The cover (you know I'm a cover magpie) is pretty and intrigues you to pick the book up and see what's inside, it doesn't give a lot away. 
I have to say I haven't read anything by Cristina Slough before but I will definitely be picking up more of her books in the future.

Krystina xx

The Prosecco Pact by Kiltie Jackson~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Neilsen

Publication Date: 5th July 2023

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Summary:

Three Women, Three Promises, One Pact!

Lydia Beaumont married the boy of her dreams but he has since become the man of her nightmares.

She needs to find a new life.

Grace Mitchell has dedicated her life to her career, losing friends along the way to her ambition.

She needs to get a life.

Debbie Stanford has been engaged for a year but is no closer to setting her wedding date.

She just wants to become a wife.

On a cold, blustery January night, they each promise to change their lives and seal the deal over their glasses of Prosecco.

However, the best made pacts of mice and women have been known to go awry…

Review:
Firstly Thank you to ZooLoos Book Tours, Neilsen and Kiltie Jackson for having me on this tour and for sending me a copy of the book.
I've really enjoyed reading this book, after reading horror and crime for the past few weeks this was the perfect lift I needed. I really enjoyed getting to know the three ladies Lydia, Debbie and Grace, I loved their friendship and their weekly get-together. 
It's a really well-written book and I just had to keep reading, i absolutely hated Dave and Davie( that's how well they were written to be gits) and I'm so glad Lydia did away with them.
Watching the ladies follow through with their Pact and how it completely change their lives was brilliant to see.
I defiantly want to read more by Kiltie Jackson, I've enjoyed her writing style and they way shes created characters is just fabulous.

Krystina xx

13 Doors by G J Phelps~Blog Tour

Publisher: Book Guild Publishing Ltd

Publication Date: 27th June 2023

Genre: Contemporary Horror

Summary:

Thirteen doors, thirteen hauntings. News reporter Joe Baxter has a plan.

His idea is simple – to use his newsroom contacts across England to find thirteen haunted places to stay, and then record his experiences in a book. From an abandoned cinema to a dank pub cellar, from a World War Two airfield to a lonely, landlocked cruise liner, Joe is prepared to spend long nights in the cold and dark, but has no idea what he is about to unleash.

For, as he endures increasingly dangerous vigils, meeting a succession of gruesome, tragic and terrifying spectres, a terrible truth begins to emerge.

Something – or someone – is reaching out to Joe, awakening long-buried memories of his father’s death, a dark family secret and his teenage brush with madness. And then there is Wilko, the imaginary friend who haunted his childhood. After decades of silence, Wilko has found his voice again…

A spine-tingling supernatural mystery entwined with chilling ghost stories, 13 Doors places the reader at the dark heart of the moment, from gut-wrenching action to eerie vigils.

Review:

 Firstly, thank you to Random Things Book Tours, Book Guild Publishing and G.J Phelps for having me on this tour and sending me a copy to review.
Now I haven't read much horror, which is surprising because I do love watching classic horror, so this was a fairly new genre for me to dip my toe into. I have to say the cover caught my eye, and the blurb just intrigued me, so I had to read it.
The first chapter gave me chills it was so well written, and I had to actually do a little Google translating to find out what the heck was said in Cornish. It kept me hooked and just the right side of on edge to keep reading. Joe was very intriguing, I loved how he developed his method for the vigils with each new one he went to. The Vigils themselves were brilliantly written chapters, and I enjoyed the fact that they took Joe( and us) all over the country and the different experiences Joe had that often made him question his sanity was fantastic. One of my favourites of the vigils was The Queen and The Princess, I absolutely adored his experience with Mimms and the interactions they had.
I did enjoy the in-between chapters with Joe, Gus, Helena etc I loved the references from Gus to Scooby-Doo and the X-files but I have to say the vigils were my favourite, I could barely stop reading to drink my cup of tea(not super sweet like Joes but mostly cold due to being engrossed reading).
This was a brilliant debut and I really hope to read more by G.J. Phelps in the future, but he's set the bar high for himself with this one.

Krystina xx

Ailene by Annabel Den Dekker~ Blog Tour

 Publisher: Bells' Books and Writings

Publication Date: 3rd April 2023

Genre: LGBTQ+ Romance

Summary:

Hayden Navarro has only one concern: protecting the ones he loves.

At nineteen, he learns the world is in danger. An anonymous terrorist organization has attacked several countries all across the planet. When his parents suspect there might be a mole in the Council of Ailene, they ask Hayden to go undercover as an intern.

Once in Ailene, he quickly becomes overwhelmed by everything and everyone around him. He struggles to keep his best friend, Lowell, safe while fending off the ever-present voices inside his head telling him that one day he’s going to lose everything, and he’ll be the one responsible for it all.

He’s close to falling apart altogether when he crosses paths with Alexander Collins, a funny and handsome Council member who makes him feel happy and understood. His days suddenly become a little bit brighter—but nothing in Hayden’s life is ever easy. There’s a strict rule against workplace romances, forcing them to stay just friends, yet as they grow closer, Hayden and Lowell find themselves steadily growing apart.

Can Hayden find a way to keep his head above water while hunting down the mole, struggling with his growing feelings for Alexander, fixing his relationship with Lowell, and trying to save everyone he cares about—all at the same time?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Pride Book Tours, Annabel Den Dekker and Bells' Books and Writings for having me on this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review. Now I'm a little late with my review, there's been a few things that delayed me this weekend and I apologise for that.
That said I really enjoyed this book, I thought Hayden was intriguing, to begin with, and the further in the story we got the more I liked him. I enjoyed the development of his power and how he learnt to control it, and that he's one of few rather than everyone having this ability.
To begin with I thought he and Lowell might end up in a relationship and I'm really glad that they didn't, I so loved the brotherly relationship they had and how it developed over the course of the book. But what I was disappointed with was I had hoped that maybe Dev, Hayden and Alex might end up in a triad relationship, so I was a little disappointed when that didn't happen. That said I did love Alex and Hayden together.
It was a well-written book and loved the world-building, it kind of feels like we might come back to this world in another book. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we might and maybe we see how Lowell is doing.

Krystina xx

Lilly and Myles The Torch by Jon Roberts and Hannah Rounding~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Graffeg Limited

Publication Date: 13th July 2023

Genre: Childrens Autism

Summary:

Accompanied by Myles, her assistance dog, Lilly sets off from Gran ny’s house to explore. First she walks through the garden, then she visits the seashore. But when she comes to the big cave at the end of the beach her acute hearing means she is scared of the loud noise when she drops her torch. And what’s that creature she can hear coming towards her?...

Review:
Firstly thank you to Love Books Tours, Graffeg Limited, Jon Roberts and Hannah Rounding for having me on this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review.

I absolutely loved this book! I read it a couple of times with my small one and it was so engaging, it had them asking questions "Mummy why does she have her hands over her ears"  which then meant I could explain about the noise being an issue with her being sensitive to the loud noise " like me with hand dryers" was the response, so I really loved that it encouraged that. I think it explains autism really well to a young child and the relationship between Lilly and Myles and why she needs him. It's got beautiful illustrations, I think it's such a sweet book and well-written too. It sounds like this is the beginning of a series and i look forward to reading the rest with my small one.
I loved it so much that I recommended it to my small ones' preschool because I think it's a good one to have in their library.

Krystina xx

Miracle Number Four by Paul Marriner~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Bluescale Publishing

Publication Date: 13th July 2022

Genre:Contemporary fiction

Summary:

A song of the suburbs: a story of family, friends, first love, tragedy, hope and rock and roll

It's 1976 and with dreams of a career in rock, a crush on the prettiest girl in town, and a mother in remission from cancer, Mike’s future looks bright.

Music brings excitement and a chance to shine, but life off-stage is complicated.

Together with family, friends and band-mates, Mike finds joy, sadness and loss. Troubling secrets surface while a new friend brings both fresh perspectives and a cruel reality. The radios and pubs blast rock into the suburban nights and the band prepare for their big break. Is Mike ready?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Love Books Tours, Bluescale Publishing and Paul Marriner for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book to review.
I have to admit I've struggled to get into this book, I've actually put it down and picked it back up a few times. I mean the book is very well written and it's not difficult to read I just don't think I'm connecting well with the characters.
I do like that the chapters each have a song at the top and I am very tempted to create a playlist from them, and I think it'd be good to maybe read the book to it
The character cast so far in what I've read is small but well-described, so you can easily have a picture in your head of what they look like and for most of them, you can picture their reactions to what's occurring. 
As I said I've not read far into it because I've just not managed to connect and get into the book, but I will keep going and ill come back to edit my review when I do.

Krystina xx

Three Meant To Be By MN Bennet~Blog Tour

 Publisher: MN Bennet LLC

Publication Date: 10th July 2023

Genre:Fantasy

Summary:

Telepathic high school teacher Dorian prepares teen witches for professional casting because going in unprepared is what killed one of his partners. But new state mandates on magical proficiency make it nearly impossible, and Dorian worries he can’t give his students the education they really need. Seeking a distraction from work, Dorian kisses his still-living on-again off-again clairvoyant boyfriend, Milo. Instead of a distraction, Dorian glimpses Milo’s vague vision involving the murder of Caleb—one of Dorian’s new students.

Already devastated by the loss of his partner, Dorian refuses to stand aside and let Caleb die. He searches for clues by delving into Caleb’s mind. Rooting through Caleb’s memories alongside teaching classes leads Dorian to two more students: Caleb’s ex-best friend turned rival and the prodigy with connections to dangerous warlocks. However, each step further into his students’ minds forces Dorian to confront his deteriorating relationship with Milo.

After discovering a link involving illegal casting, Dorian resolves to work with Milo to prevent the impending vision. To succeed, Dorian will have to explore the potential of a future with Milo and find closure on their third partner, whose loss looms between them. But meddling with fate to save Caleb inadvertently draws the warlocks near, putting all his students in danger. Dorian will have to risk his life and gamble his second chance with Milo to keep his students alive.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Love Books Tours and MN Bennet for having me on this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review.
I've struggled writing this review because I keep trying to start writing it while I'm still reading the book because there's so much I want to say about it and I keep ending up reading more instead of writing. Hence why this review is so late in the day because I just couldn't put the book down.
I absolutely love Dorian and Milo, them individually and together as a couple(sort of) they bounce off each other so well and I can see how Finn so easily slotted into that dynamic.
It's a really well-written book and really enjoyed how magic played a part in this world. It's interesting to see the dynamics of the different magic branches and how the different levels of magic people have effects how their treated( Branchless being teased often for it). I found it clever that we find out about the branches and what their capable of through Dorian's lesson/ pupil notes, it's a brilliant way of feeding us the information without a chunk of info at the beginning telling us what we need to know about this world.
I love how grumpy Dorian is, yet you can clearly see that he cares so much and that's his way of trying to make sure he doesn't get hurt because he pushes away any kind of relationship, and it's been fun to read how Milo pushes back against that.
As I've said I found this so hard to put down, it just kept drawing me in! It's a very engaging story that's very well written. And I was disappointed to see we didn't have the next book yet(I really wanted to just keep reading) but I am very eagerly awaiting it because this is a series I can't wait to see develop.

Krystina xx