The Cat and The Cultist: Midnight Snack - C.R Tyra

Synopsis:

Meet Mr. Salt, a worshipper of ancient monstrous deities predating time itself and his curious pet cat, Bastion, whose love for chocolate chip cookies surpasses all. Mr. Salt’s neighborhood is a dark and scary place, inhabited by vicious creatures of the night. With unknown dangers lurking inside and out, just how far will Bastion go for his chocolate chip delight?


Review:

we've all been there havent we? all tucked up in bed and the belly rumbles set in and youre sure theres a stash of your favourtie food downstairs ready to be devoured...or is it just me... but either way Bastion is relatable as can be for me. only in the sense he got the midnight munchies and wanted his favourite snack which hapens to be one of mine, chocolate chip cookies.

I cant say that the cat and the cultist is really a childrens book, mostly because well it isnt, its got cultist in the name and the illustrations are far from child friendly. The story is as calm as youd expect, just a lovey little kitty cat off on a joourney to eat his favourite snack and yet the illustrations really bring the rest of the title to life, depicting the life of Mr. Salt, revealing his secrets all that Bastion seems to either be fully accpeting of or oblivious to. Im going witht he second options mostly because of how easily he is scared of what hides in the dark.

The Cat and The Cultist is an easy and enjoyable read, smooth and quite impressive when it comes to the illustrations. its an easy 5/5 from me and I hope you all check oout C.R Tyra' past work and all that is yet to come.

BLOG BLITZ: A Testiment To Murder by Vivian Conroy

 

Title: A Testament to Murder

Author Name: Vivian Conroy

Genre: Cosy Crime

Release Date: 18th February 2019

Book Blurb:

Suspenseful from the first page to the last, A Testament to Murder is perfect for fans of And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, and Crooked House

A dying billionaire. Nine would-be heirs. But only one will take the prize...

At the lush Villa Calypso on the French Riviera, a dying billionaire launches a devious plan: at midnight each day he appoints a new heir to his vast fortune. If he dies within 24 hours, that person takes it all. If not, their chance is gone forever.

Yet these are no ordinary beneficiaries, these men who crossed him, women who deceived him, and distant relations intent on reclaiming the family fortune. All are determined to lend death a hand and outwit their rivals in pursuit of the prize.

As tensions mount with every passing second, retired Scotland Yard investigator Jasper must stay two steps ahead of every player if he hopes to prevent the billionaire’s devious game from becoming a testament to murder…

Chapter 9 Extract:

Hugh leaned his shoulder against the folly's white wood and sighed. Even that made his head ache. He needed another drink, but his hip flask was empty and he had forgotten to refill it before wandering out to avoid the scent of scrambled eggs and Cecily Jones' attempts to draw him out about getting his work into some gallery. She had no idea how hard the life of an artist was. People simply believed you could turn out masterpieces like clockwork, like a baker baked bread or a carpenter made cupboards. But there was no mould, no set design, nothing to recreate time and time again. Each creation was unique, the only one there'd ever be in the entire world. The idea was wondrous and intimidating at the same time.

When he picked up his pen or his chisel, his head was so full of all the expectations resting on him he could barely hold it without shaking. Not the expectations of a public, of buyers or patrons. No, the expectations of the works of art themselves. He was their creator; he had to give life to them. He had to make them into what they were supposed to be. And he always felt like he couldn't do them justice. Like they were more beautiful and grander than he could ever make them.

Hugh sighed sadly. He fingered his damp forehead, cringing as even that slight touch beat into his brain. His mouth was so dry he could hardly swallow. He'd better get back to the house for water or coffee. Or whiskey, which he felt he needed more. But his legs were too wobbly to move. He just stood there letting the structure hold him upright as tears of desolation and failure filled his eyes.

Links to Book:

Amazon (UK)

Kobo (UK)

Google Books (UK)

Apple Books (UK)

Author Bio:

Armed with cheese and chocolate, Vivian Conroy sits down to create the aspirational settings, characters with secrets up their sleeves, and clever plots which took several of her mysteries to #1 bestseller in multiple categories on Amazon US and Canada. Away from the keyboard, Vivian likes to hike (especially in the Swiss mountains), hunt for the perfect cheesecake and experience the joy in every-day life, be it a fiery sunset, a gorgeous full moon or that errant butterfly descending on the windowsill.

Social Media Profiles:

Twitter: @VivWrites

His Wife, Her Answer - Danielle Yosere

Synopsis:

Tyler needs a wife to fix his reputation. Lucy needs and answer to her problem. Are they one and the same? After a quick marriage agreements, they have a long journey ahead of them. Will they stay together? Or will things be more complicated that they expected? Come along for the ride! Find out what happens to Tyler and Lucy!

Review:

So Danielle and I actually met via instagram and that was when and how I learnt she was a published author. Me being me and having this blog I assured Danielle I would read and review her book for her once I purchased a copy. Wanting it as soon as possible I bought an Ebook copy and got right to it.

I had no idea what to expect from this book, well i mean i had a rough idea but nothing too exact. Pretty much right from the beginning I was imersed, as a reader you are thrown right into the thick of things, meetinb oth charracters and getting small hints of their deeper story but nothing too soon that would leave you knowing everything before it happened.

The book switches between two points of view, both being the mian characters, thankfully even though it is told through two points of views, there were no repeating of events, what you heard in one persons POV was pretty much non existent in the others. I fell for Lucy, she felt like a close friend of mine and Tylers felt the same and I just wanted to protect and love them both. The secondary characters int he story each add something lovely to the story, more depth and something i cant quite explain, but with both sets of characters the story moves smoothly along.

Danielle created and told events in such a way that make your emotions swirl throughout the book, there are unexpected twists and turns, laughs and moments of pure awghs. Something great about this book, one of the many, is that there is brief desciptions of both the characters and the settings which leaves room for the reader to fill in the gaps witht heir own mind which makes the experience different for each reader.

His Wife, Here Answer is an easy read, quick and sweet. I can not wait for what Danielle has in store for the rest of the series. a 4.5/5 from me, I just want more!

Kingdom Cold - Brittni Chenelle

Synopsis:

Attempted murder, that's how sixteen-year-old Princess Charlotte's engagement starts. It seems like the only thing she has in common with Prince Young of Vires is their mutual discontent.

When her kingdom's attacked, Charlotte's parents renegotiate her hand in marriage to a handsome stranger with a sinister plan. With the people Charlotte loves dying around her, and her kingdom's future at stake, the only person she can turn to is the prince she betrayed. But, should she save her kingdom or her heart? One must fall.

Review:

This book suprised me, I must admit that much at least. Part of me was expecting some cliche teenage romance story with a love hate start and all the usuals but I was knocked back when reading it as in fact it isnt that at all!

The story itself differs in perspectives, switching between several characters POV's at one point. Mainly it switches between Pricness Charlotte's and Prince Young's POV which you would expect as the story is primarily theirs. It follows the teenagers as they meet for the frist time since they were practically toddlers, this time it is for their wedding prepared by their families. Charlotte has no filter when it comes to Young, in the sense she has no issue in telling him how she really feels even if it may take a pinch of alcohol to losen her tongue.

Soon enought events happen which are written so perfectly, I was imersed and in love. We meet so many characters throughout the book all but one are really likeable for me just because I know what the other character is like. There is something truly compelling about each of the characters, all the way from our main characters Charlotte and Young all the way through to the secondary characters scattered throughout the book. Each characters plays their part and adds a certain note of realism to the story even though it doesnt follow the typical structure of a book. This element alone makes it my cup of tea and in the end i was bound to love the story anyway.  

Charlotte is young but she knows what she wants, she is protective and selfish and all of these things that are just natural to a girl in such circumstances but she if fierce and wonderful, I wish I knew her. Young is just a little older than Charlotte and hes brave and loyal, protective and kind, nothing like what people know him to be which is that he never smiles, like he's never happy but with Charlotte even though I'd hate to admit it if i were him, he is happy around her. Minseo is one of Young's older brother who accompanies him throughout the book is exactly like Young but theres something different to how he does it all that makes him nothing like his brother at all. 

The one thing I absolutely adore about this book is the journey and growth the characters show but that isn't the only best quality of Kingdom Cold and theres no chance of me choosing the best one. 

With each page you are subjected to the cruetly of being both a royal and human, Kingdom Cold is bound to build you up and break your heart and you wont even see it coming. Following the end of the book the only thing I could truly want, is one more very long moment within it,  it became somewhat of a natural feeling and a new home to me. Take me back. Brittni has crafted a wonderful story within 300 pages and I can not wait to see what else Brittni has in store for us. A definite 5/5 from me and a must read for any YA reader in need of another heart break. 

BLOG TOUR: The Lost Man - Jane Harper

Synopsis:

Two brothers meet at the border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelendting sun of the outback Queensland, in this stunning standalone novel from New York Times bestseller Jane Harper.

They are at the stockmans grave, a landmark so old, no can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron. The Bright family's quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish. Something had been troubling Cameron. Did her lose hope and walk to his death? Becuase if he didnt, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects.

Reivew:

I dont think its any news that I'm a huge fan of Jane Harper and her work, The Lost Man doesnt change that fact either. This is a stand alone compared to her other two books which are a part of a series. I first heard of this book way before it got its name, before it was even written, back when Jane was off on a journey to research which already had be hooked with her tales and photos of her journey.

Her fantastic atmospheric way of writing pulls you in to the setting, holding you there, making you feel the blaring heat of the outback heat, the isolation and her character driven plots are incredibly engaging. Jane is for sure one of the finest writers.  Although I fell in love with Janes books that are part of a series, hearing this was going to be a stand alone book gave me hope to see  what Jane could come up with and how it would effect its readers. 

The book follows Nathan, one of Camerons brothers and he searches for an answer, was Cameron murdered or was it suicide? Well throughout the book there is nothing that points to the deininte answer, not until the very end, nothing comes across as something that an ammetur couldnt do, it was al so realistic.

There is no chance for you to not be shocked by this book, its unepected twists will floor you. Although i have read psychological thrilllers that i have beena ble to solve and ride out the twisty plots, Harper managed to yet again create another book with an journey and ending i couldnt see coming. The Lost Man is a tale of family dynamics, all too familiar abuse and a minimal list of people for you to choose from to guess the final outcome before the reveal. It's nothing new for me to aboslutely suck at guessing before the reveal. 

Theres so many things to this book that make it amazing, at some point you suspect everyone, and the passing between past and present brings the reader to an emotional climax after a tense journey alongside Nathan and his family. Jane hasnt dissapointed in transporting me as a reader to places I could only dream of visiting. If you enjoy emotionally charged, character driven stories do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of The Lost Man. Its only the begining of February but this book will remain int he top 10 best books ir ead in 2019 without a doubt. It's a 5/5 from me.

Where The Crawdads Sing - Delia Owen

Synopsis:

A novel about an young woman determined to make her way in the wilds of North Carolina, and the two men that will break her isolation open.

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. She's barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark.

But Kya is not what they say. Abandoned at age ten, she has survived on her own in the marsh that she calls home. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life lessons from the land, learning from the false signals of fireflies the real way of this world. But while she could have lived in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world--until the unthinkable happens.

Review:

First of all HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY to Delia Owen and The Crawdads Sing which is published today. Grace Vincent contacted me a while back and asked if I would like to read and review this book for its week or the day of its publication. I read the synopsis and instantly knew I had to read it, it pulled me in I simply couldn't wait to get my hands on it. 

I first picked the book up and was drawn into the story right away, I felt an emotional connections with Kya who is a abandoned child with very little. We watch the story unfold, the times switching from us watching Kya grow up to the current day investigating the death of Chase Andrews up until the two lines somehow meet. 

From a young age you can see Kya trying to grow up quicker than shes capable of just so she can survive. Kya’s siblings are older, and they flee, leaving her alone with her father. She learns to care for herself at a young age because she has to. Kya is uneducated by choice and circumstance, though the town attempted to get her to attend at first. Even without schooling, she is caring and smart, as she learns the ways of life through the marsh and all it has to teach her. I fell for her immediately, I just wanted to be there with her and protect and help her. Her character is so easily loveable and realistic in how she is portrayed in her situations. Tate is a heart warming character, he has known her all of her life but now that she is older she sees him in a different light and for the first time, she begins to feel real love. He takes the time and teaches her how to read which opens up the world to her. its such a beautifully portrayed relationship I often found myself in awe of them.

She loves the marsh and all that inhabit it. She collects many things and categorizes them. From the books Tate brings her she learns biology, math, how things grow and change and she is fascinated by the marsh.

After being disappointed in her relationship she had with Tate she finally decides that perhaps she could be more trusting and goes on to share things with Chase, a boy from town who tells her he loves her and talks about a future. But everyone always leaves Kya in the end. Kya has seen Chase around throughout her life and in my eyes he's a horrible kid from the start not only in his behaviour but then towards Kya. Time passes after betrayal happens and then Chase is found dead in the Marsh and all fingers of the locals except for Jumpin' and his wife, are pointed towards Kya the 'Marsh Girl'.

This book is heart breaking and yet has plenty of heart warming moments. There's betrayal and trust and so many opposites that make this book so great. Owen has written a truly amazing story that I'm sure will continue to be one of the best for a long time to come. I cant give the book anything less than a 5/5 for the creativity, emotions, imagery, every aspect of this book pulled me in and I didn't see the ending coming. Ill be sure to look out for Owen's future work and I hope some of you grab a copy for yourself to see what all of the fuss is about.

A Very Lucky Christmas - Lilac Mills

Synopsis:

Things can't get worse for Daisy Jones... can they?

Christmas is meant to be the happiest time of year so why is absolutely everything going wrong for Daisy? Reeling from a bad breakup, moving back in with her parents and hounded by trouble at work she really shouldn't be surprised when things go from bad to worse..and she ends up in A&E!

Her great-grandmother persuaded her to plant a silver sixpence in the Christmas pud for luck but choking on the coin isn't the 'change' she'd wished for. Yet when dashing Dr Noah Hartley saves the day things finally start to look up. With Christmas Day just around the corner Daisy's determined to make her own luck...and hopefully bag herself a dishy doc in the process!

Review:

So maybe when I first started reading this book I was so worried the book was going to be some soppy old cliche romace books but I opened the book and just read it all in 4 hours, laughing and enjoying each page as they passed by. I was beyond wrong with my first assumption.

First of all I absolutely loved Daisy, shes so real and I could relate to her due to this because she was literally so human and her experiences were reacted to in such a real manner ect. All of these characters were so well moulded, ever so real paper humans, if that makes sense. The pace of this book is so on point, it's not so fast you lose track and not so quick you lose interest, it's well balanced and brilliant read.

Daisy is a great character, Noah is an absolute gentleman and such an idiot at some times I actually did just sigh and roll my eyes like how can someone come to some of those comclusions is beyond me but someone somewhere is probably exactly the same as him. Daisy' family are strong and brilliant women alongside her brother who you can read his protectiveness of his sister which is adorable and lovely and their bond is so beautiful I actually would love to have such a relationship.

I cant even point out anything any degree of wrong for me from this book, I literally loved the whole thing. I feel if you look past the obvious themes of the book you can see it's a story that works with families that have split, the lessons of one parent households, so many real life issues that are really important to explore at some point in someones life. I cant really say much about this book without spoiling things or ruining it in advance before anyone read it as you may literally be into the book up until you get to the things ive mentions so my lips are semi shut. 

There is no way I can give this book anything less than a 5/5, and it for sure has me looking forward to Christmas due to its heavily christmas theme at points in the book and the imersion into family time around christmas. Lilac has done a great job witht his book I look forward to reading more from her.

Links to Book:

Amazon (UK)

Kobo (UK)

Google Books (UK)

Apple Books (UK)

About The Author

Lilac Mills writes feel-good romantic women's fiction, and is the author of Love in the City by the Sea, A Very Lucky Christmas, Summer on the Turquoise Coast, and Sunshine at Cherry Tree Farm. Lilac spends all her time writing, or reading, or thinking about writing or reading, often to the detriment of her day job, her family, and the housework! Home for Lilac is Worcester, England.

Intricate Deceptions - Jennifer Rayes

Synopsis:

Waking up in a desolate cell, Gaia realizes she has been kidnapped by a human traggicking organization, doomed to be sold to the highest bidder and unable to remember anything before her capture. An opportune rescue by Raoul, the Prince of Kayamato, saves her froma gruesome future, and throws her into a world of luxury and privilage. 

As she struggles to regain her memory, Gaia learns that her rescue was no accident and finds herself in even more danger.

Fighting for sanity and survival, she works to unravel the truth behind her capture, each revelation more shocking than the last. The intricate web of deceptions spun around her will shatter her world, leaving her unsure if she will ever trust again.

Review:

At 226 pages, straight away I knew if id end up hooked, it'd last be half a day at best. Unfortunately i started reading it at a time in my life where i was struggling to do anythingyet alone read. I think I managed just over 80 pages before everything got too much for me and reading and reviewing ended up being put on the back burner. After what felt like forever and a day I managed to finish the book but took forever to get around to writing the review, but after unintentionally keeping Jennifer waiting for the review, here it is.

It is a pretty fast paced book, as a reader we are suddenly thrown into this new world and we find ourselves side by side with Gaia who wakes up in a cell and soon realises she been kidnapped and is on the list to be sold to the highest bidder in a human trafficking ring. She makes a friend who is her cell mate but soon things take a turn for the worse and Gaia is alone again, but not for long when Raoul turns up and rushes her away from the dangerous future she is sure to have, plunging her into a world of luxury and privelage. It did hit a huge parge of romanceyness which was a little cute for me but also slightly predictable.

Intricate Deceptions is a rollercoaster of a read, bringing together royalty, pirates and palaces as well as drugs, prostitution and human trafficking. It is safe to say it isn't a light one when it includes so many taboo and awkward to hear about subjects and I cant say that its something deep and meaningful but I do know it hits those chords ever so lightly. It is a read that is incredibly easy to enjoy and undoubtedly deserving of a 4.5 out of 5 from me. Hopefully I will be able read the second book and continue this journey. I am so thankful for the opportunity to read and review this book.

BLOG TOUR: Cordial Killing: A Backyard Farming Mystery - Vikki Walton

Synopsis:

Anne is excited for the opening of the Brandywine Inn. Kandi and Hope are her partners in the bed-and-breakfast n Carolan Springs, Colorado, where they also provide homesteading and herbal workshops for guests.

As soon as the guests arrive, its plain that the five old college chums have bad blood between them. When Anne finds a threatening note, its clear that someone is out for revenge. Then they find a guest dead. At first, the death appears to be natural, but suspicions begin to grow.

When a blizzard threatens the Inn, will it trap them all with a killer and no way out?

Cordial Killing is a classic who-dun-it with a twist. Set in the fictional small town of Carolan Springs, you will enjoy an armchair getaway into beautiful Colorado.


Review:

With this being the first book of Vikki Walton's that I have read, I feen honoured to be allowed to have recieved a copy to read and review for the Blog Tour. It is for sure acosy mystery and like most of the mystery themed books i read, this book is added to the list where I didnt get who the culprit was right away and im thankful this book kept me guessing on who and why and when the crime was comitted.

The beauty of this book also comes from the setting, the Inn is and old victorian home and when you put those two words together your mind automatically creates such a beautiful setting as those homes are so beautiful and unique as well as so much more. I think its such a perfect setting for a Mystery book.

Like most books I read, once i hooked there was no way i wasnt able to not think about it, I read the majority of the book whilst on my way to the little lodge we had an holiday booked for in Wales but even when i wasnt reading the book, which was pretty much when we got to the lodge as so much begun to happen, where we were out visiting places and having fun, I was still finding myself thinking about the book and that is a sure sign that it is a brilliant read.

What also shines through in this book is how much time and effort that Vikki put into research and planning because there is so much knowledge intertwined within each word of the book, it's lovely to see that so much time was well spent creating the intricate details.

There isnt anything that I can think of that was an ounce of a negative of this book, with this said I am a little sad I didnt read the first book of A Backyard Farming Mystery series. I can't award this book anything less than a 5 out of 5. Vikki did a great job I can't even begin to explain in words that make sense. To anyone that lkes cosy mysteries, this is a sure thing you'd enjoy reading. This was a super way to get to know a new author and I am super grateful to hav had to opportunity. I hope that anyone who goes on to read any if both of the A Backyard Farming Mystery books enjoys them as much as I enjoyed Cordial Killing.

About The Author

 Vikki’s first words were “I get it!” This attitude became her life-long mantra to always go after what she wants. It also helped her realize her desire to help others get what they really want out of life.

After spending years as a registered interior designer, Vikki began to write. While writing for periodicals, Vikki found herself on assignment interviewing publishers in Colorado Springs. It wasn’t long before the natural beauty of Colorado captured her heart.

After moving to Colorado, Vikki  worked with nonprofits. However, she soon realized she needed more autonomy in her work.Vikki started her own business as a nonprofit consultant and grant writer. She has helped nonprofits across the U.S. to receive millions of dollars for  their work. Yet, she realized doing one thing wouldn’t satisfy her for long.

Vikki became a Work Quilter™ combining her many passions to create multiple income streams. She started speaking and teaching adults on myriad and diverse topics around her knowledge, skills and passions.   She's taught and spoken on Creative Writing, Design for Heart and Home, Fundraising Fundamentals , Suburban Homesteading, Permaculture, How to Get What You Really Want, and of course, Work Quilting. Two words that continually appear on instructor and speaker feedback forms are "engaging" and "knowledgeable."
You'll most often find Vikki out hiking with her dog, outside gardening, traveling abroad, house or pet sitting, or writing her next book.

Born in Chicago, Vikki lived outside of Paris for a few years as a small child. That may account for her love of travel. She moved to Wichita with her parents before going on to live most of her life around the San Antonio, Texas area. She is the founder of #girlswantago and you can connect through Facebook or www.girlswantago.com. Vikki is also an experienced, professional global house and pet sitter.

Vikki's favorite genre is mystery so it wasn't long before she had begun her first cozy mystery series.  Incorporating her love of suburban homesteading, or as some call it, backyard farming, Vikki's first book is Chicken Culprit. 

Open Road Summer - Emery Lord

Synopsis:

After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts.

But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence.

This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.

Review:

So I've seen Emery's books around quite a lot and actually wondered for so long if I should get a copy of all the books published but apparently I already own too many books. Thanks to my sisters boyfriend who loves to buy me money vouchers for book stores and after forgetting when he bought me my last one but carrying it with me all the time I finally decided to use the money on the card. I mean okay so the majority of the money was spent on the book whilst he rest of the voucher was spent on discounted chocolate by the till but hey man cant go blaming for either things. I remember being upstairs with the books for the longest 30 minutes I've ever had, I picked up so many books, wondered if they were for me, decided yes they were but then found another books that I wanted just a little bit more and instead what did I do? Put them down and picked up Open Road Summer which was lying on a table and the cover caught my attention and when I read the synopsis, I fell for it hook line and sinker. 

So the story follows Reagan as she tours with her best friend Lilah, a popular country singer as she tours the country. Its clear that when we meet Reagan that she has issues from her past she needs to face as she lets them effect her and somehow she is appealing to me as a MC, I mean I can kind of see why but also I'm confused as to why I love her so much. Lilah herself isn't problem free, and when the problems begin to appear Lilah's record company send someone to put the problems to rest. Matt Finch, another promising artist and with no doubt what so ever an absolute representation of what I'd want in a friend. Matt ends up opening Lilah's shows and Raegan can not help but feel a pull towards him that she simply can not resist.

I wont explain anything further because that's the point isn't it really? I mean the point of a review is to review it not spoil the whole thing. So Emery, if you ever see this, girl thank you. So this sounds openly bloody ridiculous right? Okay so I may be a bit of a sucker for teen romance and drama and all the things alike but Emery makes Open Road Summer such an enjoyable read, showing us that fame isn't always beautiful, our past experiences make us adapt, that we are not out past experiences as a whole. Most of all Emery portrays friendship exactly how it is, so real and testable.

Without a doubt Emery gets a 5/5 for Open Road Summer and I can not wait to get my hands on more of her work just to see if I can cry at some point in those too. 

BLOG TOUR: The Incendiaries - R.O.Kwon

Synopsis:

Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall meet during their first years at a prestigious university. Phoebe doesn't tell anyone that she blames herself for her mothers recent death. Will is a misfit scholarship boy transferring in from bible college, waiting table to make ends meet. What he knows for sure is that he loves Phoebe.

Haunted by her loss, Phoebe is increasingly drawn into a religious group - a secretive cult tied to North Korea - founded by a charismatic former student with an enigmatic past involving Phoebe's Korean American family. Will struggles to confront the obsession consuming the one her loves and the fundamentalism he's tried to escape. When the extremist group bombs several buildings in the name of faith, killing five people, Phoebe disappears. Will devotes himself to finding her, tilting into obsession himself, seeking answers to what happened to Phoebe and if she cold have been responsible for this violent act.



Review:

The opening to this book is uhm… quite explosive, literally. The book starting at the end before then jumping around in all directions as Will searches for any ounce of a clue that could possibly point to Phoebe being responsible for such an act. 

The chapters switch between Will, John and Phoebe but the majority of the story is told by Will. There is many times where he recalls moments and conversations with Phoebe whilst almost straight out admitting that sometime he isn't really sure he's remembering things correctly.

The Incendiaries is a short book lasting only 210 pages but I must admit it wasn't anything like i expected it to be, it was a very slow burner and it was hard for me to really read it for long periods of time. It is as though the peak of the action took place right at the very start, most of the story that was being given, which was Will and Phoebe's back stories served in a broken/fragmented way which for me moved towards a somewhat anti climatic ending.

Initially it was the synopsis which had me interested and encouraged me to say yes and take part in this blog tour which I can't say I regret doing even if I feel somewhat in the grey towards the book and I have no regrets because the book carries themes that stick with you after you've closed it and moved on. Phoebe reminded me how vulnerable people can be, showing how people can be easily guided towards bad things in bad times, how easily they can be open to radical ideas. There's no denying that we as people like to think that we are strong-minded and can’t be moved and easily influenced by others but from this book it seems that maybe we don’t really know what we are, as humans are capable of when we’re feeling lost, at what we see is the very bottom of us and someone offers a hand to pull you free.

By that alone, as much as I actually liked the themes of the book, I'm giving it a 3.8 out of 5, I just wished I could have been able to feel something relatable about the characters, even if it were just the small things.



Amazon link to purchase a copy of The Incendiaries.

Blog Tour: A Single Journey - Frankie McGowan

Book Synopsis:

Harriet has begun to despair of her life.

With a failed relationship behind her, a business on the rocks and a flat that’s falling apart around her ears, she could really use some luck.

Elena Banbury, née Guseva, an elderly but imposing Russian woman who is Harriet’s neighbour and landlady, frequently entertains the punters at Harriet’s jewellery stall with tales of the palaces of St. Petersburg and the treasures of Fabergé. But Harriet sometimes feels, guiltily, that she could do without the endless errands that seem to fall to her as Elena’s friend.

Then, unexpectedly, when Elena dies, she leaves all her worldly goods to a grateful Harriet. In time, however, it becomes clear that others are shocked by Harriet’s good luck, too. Shocked… and very, very unhappy.

Challenged in court by Elena’s family who live in Berlin, Harriet is forced to give up her inheritance and long-dreamed-of plans for a new business, and start her life again. But with her reputation in tatters and the memory of Elena tainted, Harriet knows a great injustice has been done.

Against the advice of her friends, family and lawyers, Harriet sets off on her own, very singular journey to Berlin.

In the weeks that follow she meets rich and poor, the glamorous and the criminal, the honest and the secretive, and begins to see that perhaps she has something to learn from them all. Something to learn about herself, and something to learn about her priorities.

She knows she has to fight for justice. But, when she meets the scholarly, perceptive Neil, who generously tries to help Harriet in her mission, but who is struggling with a complicated marriage, she must also decide if she’ll fight for love, too. 

Review:

So I'm absolutely honoured to be a part of the blog tour for A Single Journey, I begun reading my copy of the book a little while ago but thanks to some unknown glitch I encountered, I was unable to fully read the book. Thankfully Hannah came to my rescue and provided me with another copy n a different format that allowed me to continue my reading. I must let you all know that due to the glitch and date limit on this post, I feel as though I may have missed things here and there because I had to speed read but hopefully, with all things crossed, that this all still makes sense.

I don't really want to be giving away too much of the plot away so I wont explain it in all of the detail I know, but as the story goes, Harriet rents a flat from aging Elena Banbury who spends her time entertaining customers that visit Harriet's failing stall and the others around her with tales of her childhood in Russia. It is only when Elena passes away that Harriet find out how she was really seen by her. 

As far as our main character Harriet goes, she feels extremely real to me, beyond likable in my eyes and with her own flaws, it adds to the realistic feel of her. As the story progresses I begun to feel more attached to her, rooting for her at every moment she needed me to, wanting her to be successful when a challenge came to her, she was just so real for me.

The amazing thing about A Single Journey is that as our main character dives deeper into Elena's life we get to see how the tale passes by generation by generation, crossing numerous countries. It's a greatly pulled off intricate plot that must have been thought through superbly well and because of that as a reader, I was hooked throughout and I have no doubt other readers would be/have been too. The plot is jam packed but easy to follow throughout and as each chapter closes and the next begins, you are drawn more and more into the book being unable to stop yourself from at points beginning to take guesses at what is coming next (but as always I'm so far off) 

As I've seen on The Writing Greyhounds blog tour post, Lorna talks of things that are in the book that are maybe morals and important messages within the book which I wanted to share with you too.

"there are also several important points, or perhaps even morales, that are addressed in the book. A Single Journey reminds us about the importance of following our dreams and staying true to ourselves; all too often, we can find ourselves bogged down in the mundanities of day-to-day life and realise that we are living without really living. Harriet's journey to come to terms with the events of the story perfectly encapsulate this and represent the fact that sometimes, we must listen to our hearts rather than our heads.

Another important message to take away from the book is the way that older people are treated in our society. With the UK's over-worked care system, it's all too easy for vulnerable elderly people to fall through the cracks and end up with their struggles going unnoticed, as portrayed by Elena's situation at the beginning of the book. In real life, there may not always be a Harriet around to help, and A Single Journey helps to highlight the very real issue of the UK's elderly care crisis."

I think what she says makes perfect sense, they are also things I also picked up on, I also like the idea that the message about the UK's elderly care crisis is really a great message to me sharing and showing through such a book in the way it is. 

A Single Journey was a great read for me even though I may have missed things via speed reading but maybe I'll revisit the book and update this review sometime soon. From what I got from it, as Lorna says, It's a moving, heartfelt story about love, loss and staying true to yourself.

I cant give the book anything less than a 4 out of 5, I simply loved Harriet just that much and loved how the tale within spanned so far. Please don't forget to visit the other blogs taking part in this tour and it's also the time to mention that for the duration of the blog tour, A Single Journey is at the discounted price of only 0.99.

Purchase A Single Journey Here

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