The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak And Magic by Breanne Randall~Blog Tour

 Publisher:  Aria

Publication Date: 12th October 2023

Genre:Romance

Summary:

Revelare witches are cursed. As long as they use their magic, they are doomed to four heartbreaks.

So far, Sadie Revelare has experienced three - the devastating departure of her mother and the loss of her brother. And the most painful heartbreak of all: Jake McNealy, her first love. Ever since, Sadie has done everything she can to protect herself from more pain.

But now Sadie's beloved grandmother is sick. And without her, Sadie isn't sure she will have the strength to keep her family and her magic together.

As Sadie's carefully structured life begins to unravel, Jake returns to town after a decade away. And in the face of a final heartbreak that could tear Sadie apart, she must decide once and for all: is love more important than magic?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rachels Random Resources, Aria and Breanne Randall for having me on this tour and sending me the book.
I've been looking forward to reading it because I've seen it all over Instagram and the author's description of Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls drew me in because I love both of those so it sounded right up my street! But I have to admit I struggled and am still struggling to get into it. I am three chapters in and I plan to keep going because I really loved the sound of this book so I'm hoping as I get further in I'll start to connect to the characters a little more.
One thing I do love about it already is the recipes between chapters, I'm a baker so I love it when I get new recipes to try while reading and so do my family because they get to eat the results!
It is written well so I think the difficulty in connecting with it and getting into it is a me thing and I suspect its because the last book I read was also a witchy romance book.
But I am keeping going, and I'll come back with an update when I finish, which I intend to do!

Krystina xx

A Blend of Magic by Kate Kenzie~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Wytch's Yard

Publication Date: 20th October 2023

Genre: Romance

Summary:

A witch cannot exist on potions and tea alone.

Hiding in the shadows, staunch singleton Willow Anderson is content running her successful business, The Enchanted Emporium. With Christmas days away, she’s eager to exchange selling bespoke tea blends and spells for extended bubble baths and binge-watching festive movies snuggled next to her Maine Coon, Vincent.

Nate never usually runs away from his problems, but drunk and disorientated, he finds himself in a small fisherman’s cottage in the Yorkshire coastal town of Whitby. After discovering his girlfriend’s affair, he is in no rush to return to the City. His wish for time alone in a Christmas-free zone comes true until an uninvited feline guest arrives.

Neither Nate nor Willow want company, especially from each other, but they have little choice when concussion means they must spend at least twenty-four hours together. Sparks fly and not just the romantic kind. When darkness from Willow’s past returns and threatens to destroy all she has worked for, pursuing a love affair is the last thing she needs.

With meddling ghosts and a teenage apprentice with her own matchmaking agenda, love and change are in the air.

But can Willow face her fears, and the past, to capture the happiness she deserves?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rachels Random Resources, Wytch's Yard and Kate Kenzie for having me on this tour and sending me the book.
I've been looking forward to this book all month! I adore Whitby, it's my family's go-to coastal town, so a book set there about a witch, is an instant win! And I wasn't wrong, I've loved reading this, every description of Whitby takes me right there, I can smell the sea air and feel the cobbles under my feet and it makes me wish I could visit Willows shop there.
Willow is a brilliant main character, I loved gradually learning about her, and the shop, as we went through the books. The shop itself has got to be one of the most interesting characters in the book (sorry Willow and Nate) i loved reading about the different ghosts haunting the shop and the original owner's room, it was one of my favourite parts of the book, giving me the ability to form images of them all in my mind.
Amber did irritate at times though, she acted very selfishly with regard to social media and wanting her dad and Willow to get together, I get she is a teenager but being at the age where she's going to University I'd have expected more maturity from her. And that just shows how well the character is written, i wanted to give a fictional teenager a good telling off.
I've really enjoyed reading this and I can't wait for another book from Kate Kenzie, or for my next visit to Whitby.

Krystina xx

The Perfect Christmas Village by Bella Osborne~Blog Tour

 

Publisher: Aria

Publication Date: 20th October 2023

Genre: Holiday Romance

Summary:

Tis the season.... for a Christmas cynic to have his frozen heart melted by festive magic.

When Christmas-hating Sam moves to Holly Cross, he thinks he's found the perfect home, until he discovers that, each year, Holly Cross transforms into the most Christmassy village in the whole country...

Blythe is just one sale away from being Real Estate Agent of the Month, so she twists the truth to sell a home to city boy Sam, who is looking for the perfect house in the perfect location. Little does he know he's just bought a cottage in the middle of the most Christmassy village in the country. And if there's one thing Sam loathes, it's Christmas.

Sam's arrival puts Holly Cross's chance to win the title of Britain's Most Perfect Christmas Village now in jeopardy, and the villagers are soon up in arms. Meanwhile, Sam is in his own personal hell surrounded by fairy lights and everyone is looking to Blythe to fix things.

But as the festive season looms, maybe there's more than just Christmas in Holly Cross for Sam to fall in love with...

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rachel's Random Resources, Aria and Bella Osbourne for having me on this tour and sending me the book.
I'm getting in my Christmas reading groove now! I loved this one. I know I say that about a lot of Christmas-themed books but what can I say I love Christmas!
And this is one of my favourite tropes to read enemies to lovers, though I don't think I'd go so far as to call them enemies. I think Sam and Blythe just got off on the wrong foot, which combined with a heck of a lot of misunderstandings is how they make their way through the book gradually getting to know each other better.
I really liked Blythe, and I felt for her every time she got insecure, and felt like she had to prove herself I really cheered for her when she finally stood up for herself with her dad, I had this huge grin on my face because I was so pleased for her! I actually really loved Sam, his grinchyness reminded me a little of my husband who is not as keen on Christmas as I am, but he's not Sam's level of Grinch lol But it did just endear him to me that little bit more.
Vicky and Owen's story just popping in every so often was really nice to read, and I liked how the question of Eden's parentage was resolved, it made me like Owen more because I did find him quite annoying at times.
In short, this is definitely one of those books that would make it into my Christmas reading stack every year, it's just a warm hug in a book!

Krystina xx

The Highland Lodge Getaway by Julie Shackman~Blog Tour

 

Publisher: One More Chapter

Publication Date: 26th October 2023

Genre:Romantic comedy

Summary:

Fall in love with the Christmas romance of the year, full of love and second chances!

Lottie Grant loves the festive season so much that she works at the incredibly successful Christmas shop, Christmas Crackers, in her pretty Scottish home town of Craig Brae. But when the shop is sold, her world is turned upside down, leaving her wondering what she will do next.

Just as she’s about to give up hope on finding a new dream job, an offer comes that she can’t refuse, managing a set of luxury wooden cabins… and opening just in time for Christmas!

As she gets to work decorating the cabins, and hanging lights on the fir trees, Lottie can’t believe her luck. That is until the arrival of Blake Dempster, a moody but handsome hiking expert, who threatens to bring down her festive joy. But never one to shy away from a challenge, Lottie is determined to change Blake’s mind about all things festive.

And as the snow falls and the fairy lights sparkle, will work-obsessed Lottie and frozen-hearted Blake make their Christmas wishes come true?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Rachels Random Resources, Once More Chapter and Julie Shackman for having me on this tour and for sending me the book.
I mean what more could you want as the nights get colder and we edge closer to Christmas than a cosy festive read. I loved Lottie Grant from the moment she stepped onto the page, her enthusiasm for Christmas and personality just made her so easy to like. I loved how her and mother's grief over her father was handled/written, it's clearly a big part of their story and was woven like a little undercurrent through the main story.
I do love an enemies-to-lovers troupe, and I like how Blake and Lottie's relationship/friendship changed gradually it wasn't a few chapters and suddenly they were in a relationship, it took time for them to even get along. I so felt for Lottie when she was there trying to protect her heart after her rubbish last boyfriend(I mean who hates Christmas!) and being so unsure about risking her heart again, I was there with her mum cheering her along to take the risk.
I have to say I wish we had a shop like Christmas Crackers near me, i love the idea of a Christmas shop all year round, though I suspect my bank balance wouldn't! And the descriptions of the cabins had me looking up cabin holidays and daydreaming of booking one, and wishing I could just go to Craig Brae.
It's been another fantastic addition to my early Christmas reading and I can definitely see myself rereading it again.

Krystina xx

Bone Rites by Natalie Bayley~Blog Tour

 

Publisher: Aurora Metro Books

Publication Date: 1st November 2023

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary:

“I collected the first bone when I was twelve... Such a tiny little bone, more like a tooth. I only kept it to keep him safe.” Kathryn Darkling, imprisoned in Holloway, is facing death by hanging for her vengeance killing. Haunted by a spirit, she still hopes to perform the ancient black magic that will free her soul, or her struggle to punish the mighty will have been in vain. Will the love of her life come to her aid? Or can she find a way to escape her fate?

Review:
Firstly thank you to Love Books Tours, Aurora Metro Books and Natalie Bayley for having me on this tour and for sending me the book.
I was drawn in from the first line of this book "I collected the first bone when I was twelve" and I found myself unable to put it down because I just needed to know Kathryn's story. It's a brilliantly written book, you flip back and forth between Kathryn in Holloway retelling her story as a confession to a reverend and the events as she retells them. And I really enjoyed that format, I liked seeing how her thoughts had changed slightly between those two time periods.
The arguments with the spirit were very interesting, they started off seemingly nice for lack of a better word and escalated fairly quickly. And I so liked the way that relationship of sorts ended, very well done. I enjoyed every page of the books and I've not read one recently that had me so captivated from beginning to end. The characters are so solid in the way they were written that I could almost believe that this was based loosely on some sort of truth and the settings were so vivid at times. I'm really struggling here to tell you how much I loved this book without giving anything away! I seriously don't want to add any spoilers, just trust me that this is a brilliant book.
I definitely want to read more by this author.

Krystina xx

Taken to the Hills by S J Richards~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Apple Loft Press 

Publication Date: 12th September 2023

Genre:Crime/Thriller

Summary:

Abductions and murder are not what ex-DCI Luke Sackville expected when he left the police after tragedy struck his family.

Luke’s return to the workplace was meant to be a soft landing but when a woman vanishes after being accused of taking bribes, he is assigned a disparate team and tasked with tracking her down.

Their search becomes more urgent when her disappearance is linked to the death of a second woman. When a third goes missing the hunt becomes a race against time. Luke’s return to work presents him with the most challenging case of his career as the murder victims mount.

Murder and intrigue are peppered with humour in this fast-paced crime thriller set in and around the beautiful city of Bath in the southwest of England.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Love Books Tours, Apple Loft Press and S J Richards for having me on this tour and sending me the book.
Another debut thriller that made it onto my reading list for this year has blown me away! I was hooked on needing to know what was happening from the first page and didn't put the book down til id found out, which meant I read this in a day! Let's start off in true me style by talking about the cover, it gives the perfect slightly creepy thriller vibes and, having had a quick peak at books two and three they have the same brilliant look to them, I already know they are going to look fab on my shelf(but shhh I'm a book buy ban so tell no one lol)
Chapter 1 had me hooked but then didn't make sense til later in the book and I loved that suddenly it just clicked into place, and that happened at various different spots throughout the book. I took the red herrings offered and ran with them thinking that I knew who the killer was but I did not see the actual killer coming at all, and looking back we had hints but they were tiny little sprinkles of a hint and I took the red herring instead!
I absolutely loved Luke's team, like he said on paper they make no sense but they work so well together it's fantastic and I can't wait for more cases for them to work on, I think they will just gel even more as time goes on and we'll get some fantastic workplace banter coming into play.
I'm now eagerly awaiting books 2 and 3 to see if I'm right and how they handle whatever gets thrown at them.

Krystina xx

The Rituals by Rebecca Roberts~Blog Tour

 Publisher: Honno Welsh Women's Press

Publication Date: 28th September 2023

Genre: Literary Fiction 

Summary:

Gwawr, secular celebrant, single and in her thirties, knows all too well how life can change in an instant. Well practiced at keeping her composure, she keeps on smiling, even though her own life is falling apart behind the scenes. A victim of online sabotage, an unknown perpetrator is trying to destroy Gwawr and her business. Prone to unwise relationships, we follow her as she becomes hopelessly embroiled with an attractive client, thwarts the advances of another, and tries to survive as her business dries up and her money runs out. All while finding a way to acknowledge her own, very private, grief.

This is a tale of friendship, love, unbearable loss and how we overcome the dark depths to find the light again. We all carry secrets and sometimes only solidarity and the trust of another will unlock them.

A heartfelt novel exploring what it means to be human when we are at our most vulnerable.

Review:
Firstly thank you to Random Things Book Tours, Honno Welsh Women's Press and Rebecca Roberts for having me on this tour and sending me the book.
So I thought this would be an interesting book when I picked it up but would never have thought it would be quite as emotional as it turned out to be. And I don't mean as in the subject matter, because that was quite clear from the blurb as the main character is a Celebrant so it births deaths and weddings essentially and they always bring out strong emotions. What I mean is I didn't expect to become quite so emotional reading it as I did, there were points where I was in floods of tears and had to stop reading for a bit I was so overcome with emotion. You go through Gwawr's highs and lows and it's so beautifully written that it takes you through those emotions with her so strongly.
I read it over the space of two days and if I'm honest it only took that long because of the strong emotions it drew from me which caused me to have to take breaks and step away from the book for a few moments. I could happily devour this in one sitting and I'm so very glad that it was translated from Welsh into English, though I loved reading the bits of Welsh spattered throughout the book and attempting to say them out loud (by that I mean butchering the pronunciation because I definitely don't have a skill for it). I will definitely look for more by Rebecca Roberts in the future and books published by Honno Welsh Women's Press.

Krystina xx