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Happy Release Day-Tendu: Dancing in the Castle (A Dancer’s Journey Book 1) by Ailish Sinclair 

367 pages October 20,2023 publication date Graupius Books publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK

Scotland’s all misty lochs and magical forests and perfect boyfriends, right?

When dance student Amalphia Treadwell embarks on a secret relationship with her charismatic new teacher, she has no idea of the danger that lurks in his school in Scotland.

She’s soon dealing with her boyfriend’s obsessive ex, the strange research taking place at the castle school and her own ever-evolving relationship issues.

Amalphia works hard to be the best dancer she can be, but as tension builds within the old walls of the castle, she begins to wonder if she will ever escape the dank dark of the dungeon…

Dark, witty, sexy and fun, Tendu is a compelling and seductive story of love, dance and obsession. Get your copy today.

Ailish’s dance background and love of history and spicy stories are what inspired this heady mix of romance and ballet set in a castle. She lives in Scotland beside a loch with her husband and two children where she dances and writes and eats rather too much chocolate.

Tendu contains graphic sex scenes, violence, trauma and adult language.

MY THOUGHTS

I believe the author writes about what she knows and loves. This is my first time reading a book by this author and I enjoyed what I read. There is a content warning and I appreciated knowing what was upcoming.

If you enjoy mentions of chocolate and lots of cake, this book is for you.

There are evolving relationships and strong character development. The description of Scotland sounds magical and mysterious, like a place I would seriously enjoy being.
A young dancer, an older male teacher, an evolving relationship.

There is some darkness, a castle with its hidden secrets, a maniacal character who has everyone fooled at first, but we begin to feel the danger. Very atmospheric, I could feel what the characters were feeling, feel their pain, it broke my heart and then healed it and made it sing.


Excellent, I’ll be on the lookout for more by the author.

I was given a complimentary copy of the book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Grab A Copy Here

THE AUTHOR

Ailish Sinclair trained as a dancer and taught dance for many years, before working in schools to help children with special needs.

She now lives beside a loch with her husband and two children where she still dances (medical conditions allowing) and writes and eats rather too much chocolate.

Thank you for stopping in. May blessings rain upon you.

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Publication Day Post- Bookouture Blog Tour for The American Wife’s Secret by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger  

ABOUT THE BOOK

Kitty held her husband close to her chest, covering his beloved body with her own. She called for help, but none came. She stared down at the face she loved so well. “Edgar! Don’t go, my darling, not now. Not after all we’ve been through… please don’t leave me here alone…”
1944. Beautiful American Kitty Larsson knows better than most that fighting the Nazis comes at a price. She’s spent years working undercover as an agent for the British and knows that doing what is right could cost her everything…
When Kitty is captured during a mission and her true identity is revealed, she learns her beloved husband, Edgar, has gone missing. The Gestapo tell her they have him, and that his life is in her hands. If she doesn’t cooperate, he will die and her worst fears will be realized. If they are telling the truth, Kitty’s secrets might be enough to save the man she loves… But what if they are lying?
Fueled by her desire to do what is right, but also to save the man she loves, Kitty knows that she won’t be able to rest until she can escape and find Edgar. Because surely, somewhere out there, he is still alive…
As the war rages, Kitty tries to think of a plan. Surely this isn’t where it all ends? She needs to know whether Edgar is safe, and to hold him in her arms once again. But, to do that, will Kitty finally have to make the ultimate sacrifice?
An absolutely unputdownable, gripping and powerful story about love, courage and doing what is right in the midst of the darkness of World War 2. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, My Name is Eva and All the Light We Cannot See.

MY THOUGHTS

This is a series that I’d recommend you read in order to as each story builds upon the last.
The author’s writing style is one I really enjoy.

When I am looking for a realistic and well researched historical fiction book, I can always count on this author to deliver.
The book is absolutely unputdownable to me. After reading and following Kitty and Edgar’s story I knew I had to keep reading each book in the series

. I was holding my breath as I read. You could feel the tension crackling in the air, will she be caught, will Edgar stay safe? Kitty has been a long-time spy, putting herself in life-threatening situations. She’s on a runaway train of events and there’s no brakes.

There’s a lot of action and suspense. She doesn’t trust the Nazi’s. When she is captured, she is told they will kill Edgar if she doesn’t spill what she knows. Is it true, is Edgar even alive?

I was rooting for Kitty and Edgar’s character’s the whole way through in this series. They put themselves in so much danger. Doing what is right isn’t easy all the time. I applaud Kitty for her courage during the darkest of times and her straightforward attitude.

Sometimes you have to face the dark to receive the light and she is a perfect example of this. Her powerful love and devotion kept her going.

The author’s writing style is so realistic that I could picture it as I read like a film running through my mind.

Mesmerizing, I eagerly look forward to more amazing books by the author. This brought all my emotions to the forefront.

Pub Date 20 Oct 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

VISIT OTHER BLOGS ON THE TOUR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is a Ukrainian-American who transplanted to Austria. She is the granddaughter of Ukrainian partisans and grandparents who survived a Nazi concentration camp. Born in 1969, she grew up in the culture-rich neighborhood of “Nordeast” Minneapolis, part of the Ukrainian diaspora, and started her writing career with short stories, travel narratives, and poetry. She worked as a journalist and managing magazine editor, before jumping the desk and pursuing her own writing and traveling. Her books tackle David-vs.-Goliath themes with strong women battling for the Underdogs against a system, be it political, geographical, or industrial. Sometimes all three. “I enjoy discovering the good, the bad, and the ugly in my characters when they come into conflict,” she says. “And all of my stories have been inspired by injustices I’ve discovered along my travels.”

For more on Chrystyna, dive in at inktreks(dot)com

Grab a copy here

Have you read any in this series? Will you be adding it to your tbr list?

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First Line Friday

FIRST LINE FRIDAY

First Line Friday is hosted at Reading Is My Super Power.  It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m featuring the first line of A Corpse at the Witching Hour by Debra Sennefelder.

And the first line is………

Hope Early blew out a breath as she started at the plans spread across her kitchen table. She’d been studying them for days. At this point, she wasn’t sure what she was looking for.

credit

Yesterday I featured a Christmas cozy, today a Halloween one. Maybe I should get to the Halloween one before the end of the month, hopefully I can fit it in.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Hope Early has to contend with ghosts, a fatal curse, and a decades-old family secret to catch a killer in the new Food Blogger Mystery . . .

When her best friend’s Aunt Issy falls ill, food blogger Hope Early agrees to help him hand out Halloween candy at his aunt’s house, which is rumored to be cursed. A murder-suicide took place there a century ago, and legend has it that a woman has died there every twenty years since—on Halloween. Hope doesn’t really believe in curses or ghosts, but when all the trick-or-treaters are gone and she discovers a woman’s dead body on the front lawn, she wonders if the curse might be real after all.

Then Hope and her friend discover a cache of love letters linking the dead woman to Aunt Issy’s husband years ago, and Hope is certain they’ve uncovered the motive for murder—and the police are certain Aunt Issy is their main suspect. Determined to prove Issy’s innocence and nab the real culprit, Hope starts shaking other branches of the family tree. But she forgets that Halloween isn’t the only day people hide behind masks, and if she’s not careful, Hope will come face-to-face with a ghoulish fiend who’s not afraid to kill again . . .

Includes two tasty recipes!

Grab it here

276 pages October 5,2023 publication date Beyond the Page publisher

Do you like Halloween books? I know some don’t. I have a few Halloween/Fall books I still need to read for this year but seem to keep getting sidetracked by other books I need to read on a deadline. Here’s to reading Halloween books in February 🙂

Have a great day. Thanks for stopping in.

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{Book Blogger Hop} — Disoriented in a Bookstore?

BOOK BLOGGER HOP

Today’s question to answer is……….

Have you ever become disoriented in a bookstore?

I can’t say I’ve ever become disorientated in a bookstore. Lost track of time and gotten totally engrossed in what I’ve been reading, yes.

Hosted at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.

I want to visit all the bookstores.

What about you? How do you feel when visiting bookstore? Do you have a favorite?

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BOOKS FROM THE BACKLOG

BOOKS FROM THE BACKLOG

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. Hosted by Carole’s Random Life.

THIS WEEK’S NEGLECTED BOOK

Pub Date 27 Sep 2022 

Description

It’s holiday season in the picturesque, coastal town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts! But in USA Today bestselling author Sally Goldenbaum’s latest Seaside Knitters Society mystery, the knitting club sleuths will have to take a break from crafting cozy Christmas gifts to investigate a murder at the Mayor’s holiday party.

Winter in Sea Harbor is a feast for the senses—crackling bonfires, the scent of snow in the salty air, carols ringing out on the village green. This year, the Seaside Knitters have a sackful of obligations in addition to their usual Christmas preparations. Izzy is so overloaded with knitting classes that she hires an extra salesperson, but the new addition has trouble fitting into the yarn shop’s holiday spirit. Cass, juggling the stresses of running her lobster fishery, has finally found a nanny for her active toddler. Molly Flanigan seems practically perfect in every way—until she suddenly disappears, taking Cass’s beloved rescue mutt with her…

Meanwhile, the holidays are kicking off in style at Mayor Beatrice Scaglia’s holiday party, where a well-dressed crowd admires the mayor’s sumptuous new home and the celebrity chef catering the event.  An additional treat for Ben and Nell Endicott at the festive affair is reconnecting with a dear college friend, Oliver Bishop. But it’s not just reunions and the appetizers that are to-die-for. Before the party-goers can toast the beginning of Sea Harbor’s festive season, the chef—and young wife of the Endicott’s old Harvard friend—is found dead beneath the mistletoe.

Izzy, Birdie, Nell, and Cass must uncover the pattern to these mysteries to remove suspicion from those they love, bring a murderer to justice—and keep Sea Harbor’s holiday magic from vanishing into the chill winter air…

I am drawn to holiday cozies, what about you? I’m not sure why I haven’t read this one yet. Too many books, too little time as they say. I actually have a tattoo with that on it 🙂

Have you read this author yet? Will you be reading this one?

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Christmas at the Cabin Cover Reveal 

Today I am excited to share with you the cover reveal for Christmas at the Cabin by Rebecca Boxall. The colors are outstanding and very pleasing to the eyes.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Christmas at the Cabin

A festive, coming-of-age tale about an Oxbridge candidate and a young homeless man who find themselves in the bittersweet predicament of falling in love with exactly the right person at exactly the wrong time.

Well-to-do Jed never imagined he’d end up homeless, but family circumstances have made it his only option. Local vicar, Ben, tries to help him but there’s an element of self-punishment to the homelessness that makes Jed continue to put up with his situation – until disaster leads him to re-consider the vicar’s offer of a place to stay.

Hattie is on the cusp of adulthood, frantically trying to persuade her mum that she doesn’t want to attend an elite university, preferring the idea of pursuing her love of art and textiles. When she meets Jed, she badly wants to understand his circumstances and why, when she has everything at her fingertips, he doesn’t.

Hattie’s mum, Christine, has had a hard life and is desperate for more for her only child. When she meets Ben, the vicar who’s trying to help Jed, she finds an unlikely ally, and the two heartbroken souls find themselves drawn to each other. Until they find their relationship suddenly tested to the limit.

One thing’s for certain: none of these characters is looking forward to Christmas. It’s the worst time of year for each of them, for different reasons. But perhaps this year, the festive season could defy all expectations.

Rebecca Boxall is the award-nominated author of five bestselling novels – Christmas at the Vicarage, Home for Winter, Christmas on the Coast, The Christmas Forest and Christmas by the Lighthouse. She is also the author of Christmas at the Farmhouse and her popular short story, A Winter’s Day.

Pre-order Links

Publication Date: 24th November 2023

Author Bio –

Rebecca Boxall was born in East Sussex in 1977 and grew up in a bustling vicarage always filled with family, friends and parishioners. She now lives by the sea in Jersey with her family and Rodney the cat. She read English at the University of Warwick before she trained as a lawyer and more recently worked at a psychiatric unit.

She is the No. 1 bestselling author of Christmas at the Vicarage and Christmas on the Coast as well as the bestselling writer of Home for Winter, The Christmas Forest and Christmas by the Lighthouse, in respect of which she was nominated for the Romantic Novel Awards in 2020. She is also the author of Christmas at the Farmhouse and her popular short story, A Winter’s Day.

Social Media Links – www.facebook.com/christmasatthevicarage and www.rebeccaboxall.co.uk

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LBT Tour for Starting Over at Halesmere House

ABOUT THE BOOK

Can two broken hearts mend each other?

Taking over the Flower Shed studio at Halesmere, Alice is looking to mend her heart through horticulture after the end of her ten-year marriage. She isn’t looking for romance, especially not with brash young tree surgeon, Zac.

Zac has his own past he’s trying to move on from, and he’s only staying at Halesmere until the new year. But when their circumstances change in a way that shocks them both, they have to decide if they can share a future that already binds them.

Will the magic of Halesmere work once more to bring love to two lost souls?

A beautiful and heartfelt love story, for fans of Trisha Ashley and Heidi Swain.

Other books in the series

Love in the Lakes series

Book 1 Snowfall over Halesmere House

Book 2 Wedding Days at Halesmere House

Book 3 Starting Over at Halesmere House

Starting over at Halemere House 282 pages Canelo publisher October 19,2023 publish date

Grab A Copy Here

@SNOWPROSE @CANELO_CO @KELLYALACEY @LOVEBOOKSTOURS

MY THOUGHTS

I have been looking for upbeat and positive books recently and I’ve found it in the Love in the Lakes series. I’ve read the other two in the series and was thrilled to see another, Starting Over at Halesmere House.

I do suggest reading this series in order as the books do build off of each other and we also see new characters being introduced in each book. This is a bit different than a lot of romances as our female lead is the older one in this relationship.

I have long enjoyed this author’s work for its clean and encouraging writing. Alice is ready to move on in life after a bad series of events. She believes starting a new business at Halesmere House, where she has moved will be a wonderful fresh start.

Once there she meets tree surgeon Zac who is also staying there to help owner, Mac. He also has a past he’s trying to move on from and neither are looking for a romance. Zac and Alice enjoy each other’s company but know nothing lasting can come of it as Zac is only there temporarily.

Zac will be moving after Christmas starting a new job in Scotland. I feel as though the author draws you into the story making you a part of it.

The descriptions of the scenery are fabulous. The characters are fun and relatable. Emotional and sweet! I hope the series will continue as I really enjoy reading about these characters.

Pub Date: 19 Oct 2023 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Suzanne writes contemporary and uplifting fiction with a vibrant sense of setting and community connecting the lives of her characters. A horticulturist who lives with her family in Lancashire, her books are inspired by a love of landscape, romance and rural life.

Her first novel, The Cottage of New Beginnings, was a contender for the 2021 RNA Joan Hessayon Award. Her seventh book, Starting Over at Halesmere House, will be published by Canelo in October 2023. Get a free download and exclusive reader offers when you subscribe to Suzanne’s newsletter.

https://bit.ly/SubscribetoSuzannesNewsletter

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CAN’T WAIT WEDNESDAY

CAN’T WAIT WEDNESDAY

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

I haven’t been reading as many historical fiction books as I usually do lately. The cover is so pretty on this. Looking forward to reading The Butterfly Collector by Tea Cooper.

Description

A botanical illustration of a butterfly, a missing baby, and a twisty mystery fifty years in the making.

1868, Morpeth. Theodora Breckenridge, still in mourning after the loss of her parents and brother at sea, is more interested in working quietly on her art at the family’s country estate than she is in finding a husband in Sydney society, even if her elder sister Florence has other ideas. Theodora seeks to emulate prestigious nature illustrators, the Scott sisters, who lived nearby. She cannot believe her luck when she discovers a butterfly never before seen in Australia. With the help of her maid Clarrie and her beautiful drawings, Theodora is poised to make a scientific discovery that will put her name on the map. Then Clarrie’s newborn son goes missing and everything changes.

1922, Sydney. When would-be journalist Verity Binks is sent an anonymous parcel containing a spectacular butterfly costume along with an invitation to the Sydney Artists Masquerade Ball the same day she loses her job at The Arrow, she is both baffled and determined to attend. Her late grandfather, Sid, an esteemed newspaperman, would expect no less of her. At the ball, she lands a juicy commission to write the history of the Treadwell Foundation, an institution that supports disgraced young women and their babies. As she begins to dig, her research quickly leads her to an increasingly dark and complex mystery—a mystery fifty years in the making. Can she solve it? And will anyone believe her if she does?

Pub Date 28 Nov 2023

Is this one on your reading list? Have a wonderful day. 

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WWW WEDNESDAY

WWW WEDNESDAY

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme is hosted by Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. 

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Note: For users of Blogspot blogs, I’m unable to comment on your posts as a WordPress blogger unless you’ve enabled Name/URL comments. This is a known WordPress/Blogspot issue. Please consider enabling this to participate more fully in the community.

WHAT I AM CURRENTLY READING

WHAT I’VE RECENTLY FINISHED

UP NEXT ON THE READING LIST

It hasn’t been a particularly good reading week. I’ve not been able to get as many books in as usual because I’ve been doing other things. I’ve been doing a lot of walking and exercising. I feel great though, I’m enjoying the extra energy.

Have a great week and what’s on your reading list?

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top ten Tuesday books with weather-related words in the title

TOP TEN TUESDAY

This week’s topic is all about weather! What books have you read/do you want to read that have weather-related words in the title or on the cover image? Words/images like storm, rain, blizzard, flood, lightning, hail, snow, wind, etc. all count for this! For this topic I decided to go with the word snow. Which weather-related words are on your book covers? Hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Okay, this may be a bit more than 10 but with these beautiful covers I couldn’t help myself. Have you read any of these or are any of these titles on your tbr list? I’ve read quite a few of them myself.

Have a wonderful day and I hope it’s not snowing yet where you are. We usually will see snow in late November or sometime in December here.