Blog Tour: My Sister's Boyfriend by Nicola Marsh

 

Published September 9, 2024

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Brooke’s face lights up and the corners of her eyes crinkle as she smiles brightly at her new boyfriend. He gently pulls her in, nestling her cheek on his chest. But when he turns his head towards me, my blood runs cold. I know my sister’s life is in danger…

I would recognize that face anywhere. Handsome and chiseled. The perfect mask. I prayed I would never see Noel Harwood again, but here he is, sneering at me over Brooke’s shoulder.

I want to protect her, but I remember the last time I saw her. Voice dripping with venom, she said she would never forgive my betrayal. I want to scream at her to run and tell her that Noel has done terrible things, but the words die in my throat. I’ve lied too often for her to believe me over her knight-in-shining-armor.

I need to be smart if I want to save my sister. Noel might think he’s one step ahead, but he has no idea what I’m capable of. He could never imagine the darkness that lurks in our family. Or the truth about what happened on the jagged clifftop, all those years ago.

I nearly lost Brooke once, and I’ll never let that happen again. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her…

MY REVIEW:

My Sister's Boyfriend by Nicola Marsh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book had me from the beginning, I could not put it down. You have different families that seem dysfunctional. They don't know each other.
Brooke starts seeing someone and he happened to have spent time in prison. He accidently killed his brother. As we get to know these 2, Brooke's sister does not want them together. She doesn't trust Noel and gets bad vibes from him. Her family also is reeling from a secret that they are trying to overcome.
As we get to know Noel and his background and family, I liked him.
I did starts to see some of the twists that happened near the end,
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for ebook to review.

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USA TODAY bestselling & multi-award winning author Nicola Marsh writes page-turning fiction to keep you up all night.

She has published 80 books, sold over 8 million copies worldwide and been translated into 25 languages.

She currently writes contemporary romance and domestic suspense. You can find some of her series romance under the pseudonym Nikki North.

A physiotherapist for 13 years, she now adores writing full time, raising her two dashing young heroes, sharing fine food with family and friends, barracking loudly for her beloved North Melbourne Kangaroos footy team, and her favourite, curling up with a good book!

Twitter: @nicolamarsh

Instagram: @nicolamarshauthor

Website: www.nicolamarsh.com

Blog Tour: A Touch of Shadows by Jessica Thorne

 

publication September 5, 2024\

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A spark of passion between hunter and hunted has the power to end everything… fans of Rebecca Yarros, Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout will be completely gripped by this addictive and enchanting fantasy romance!

The shadow magic has always whispered to Wren. The same power that once ravaged her home kingdom of Asteroth. She must keep her magic hidden, only using it to help people in need in the remote border village she calls home. Discovery of her gifts would mean death.

Noble knight Finn has sworn to serve the kingdom by hunting down those who use shadow magic. But sword and armour cannot save him when he is attacked by dark creatures in the woods near Wren’s village.

Wren has no choice. She risks exposing her secret – and saves this handsome stranger’s life. But as her skin gently brushes his, Wren’s magic – and an uncontrollable desire – floods through both their veins. But is their passion real? Or are the shadows tempting them?

There’s no time for Finn and Wren to untangle their feelings from the seductive call of the darkness. Because Finn was not attacked by chance. Enemy soldiers are on the move, closing in on Asteroth.

Both believe Wren’s magic to be dangerous. But what if it’s the only way to save the kingdom? And with dark days coming, can they learn to trust each other – or will giving in to their desires destroy everything they know?

MY REVIEW:

A Touch of Shadows by Jessica Thorne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wren has been brought up by a woman who she assumed is her mother. They never called ach other mother or child so she was never sure. They got seperated and Wren ended up meeting with Flynn.
Magic has been outlawed and Wren and her mother use it for healing powers.
Finn was brought up in one kingdom but is helping another kingdom. It seems that Wren and Finn's destinies are interwoven.
There is also spice n this book.
I enjoyed the banter between these 2 and the kingdoms.
I received this from NetGalley and Second Sly for the ebook to review,

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A Kiss of Flame

They want her on the throne. But the closer she gets, the deadlier her magic becomes. And an ancient power gets closer to breaking free…

Wren’s gone from being a parentless girl with a free life in the forest, to the daughter of the lost queen of Asteroth. Trapped in the capital, she’s surrounded by people who would kill her if they discovered her shadow magic. And the strength of her dark power is growing out of control…

Though Finn considers Asteroth his home, as the son of the enemy king he has never been fully at ease in the capital. But now, it’s torture. Keeping Wren’s magic hidden goes against every vow he’s ever taken. But whenever they’re apart, the strange ache in his chest becomes unbearable.

Snatching moments together in quiet corners of the castle, the solace Wren and Finn find in each other is bittersweet. The Regent’s Council want to keep the control they’ve held since the queen was lost – but their plan to use Wren as a puppet could see the kingdom torn apart by her dark power. And with the enemy preparing to invade, danger is growing outside the city walls too…

With their loyalty to each other tested at every turn, can Finn and Wren find safety in their love? And can Wren escape from the power play inside the castle and save the kingdom: even if it’s from herself?

The second book in the Lost Queen series, this stunning and unputdownable romantic fantasy is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Stacia Stark and Rebecca Yarros.

Jessica Thorne watched far too much sci-fi and read far too much fantasy at an impressionable age. And it was awesome. She writes fantasy and sci-fi romance with a steampunk edge and just refuses to face reality.


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book review: Songlight by Moia Buffini

 

published September 3, 2024

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Star-crossed lovers, against-all-odds friendship, and a brutally unforgiving world make this first in a trilogy utterly unforgettable.

We’re two songs joined. And there’s a word for that. A harmony.

Elsa is used to hiding the most important parts of herself—her feelings for Rye, her distaste for a world ruled by men, and, most crucially, her gift of songlight. She buries that secret deep inside. In Brightland, those with songlight are called Unhumans and are abhorred. Rye is the only other person Elsa has known with songlight, and their shared bond has brought them together.

Elsa’s world begins to fall apart one desperate, heart-wrenching day and she doesn’t know where to turn until a girl appears before her. But the girl isn’t really there—her songlight has been drawn to Elsa’s frantic grief.

Elsa lives in a remote seaside village; Nightingale, her new friend, lives in a city hundreds of miles away with her father, a government official responsible for rooting out Unhumans. The two never expected to connect via songlight. But when they do, and when they realize the extent of their power, they’ll be thrust in the middle of a war that threatens their very existence.

MY REVIEW:

Songlight by Moira Buffini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story was different than others. It is like Telepathy and in singing. Even able to "talk" to someone you have never met or lives miles away. How the world outcasts them and call them unhumans and is punishable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ebook to review.

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Moira Buffini

BornCarlisle, The United Kingdom

Moira Buffini (born 1965) is an English dramatist, director, and actor.

She was born in Carlisle to Irish parents, and studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths. She subsequently trained as an actor at the Welsh College of Music and Drama.

For Jordan, co-written with Anna Reynolds in 1992, she won a Time Out Award for her performance and Writers' Guild Award for Best Fringe play. Her 1997 play Gabriel was performed at Soho theatre, winning the LWT Plays on Stage award. Her 1999 play Silence earned Buffini the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for best English-language play by a woman. Loveplay followed at the RSC in 2001, then Dinner at the National Theatre in 2003 which transferred to the West End and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy.

Buffini wrote Dying For It, a free adaptation of Nikolai Erdman's classic, The Suicide, for the Almeida in 2007. She followed it with Marianne Dreams, a dance play with choreographer Will Tuckett, based on Catherine Storr's book. Her play for young people, A Vampire Story was performed as part of NT Connections in 2008.

Buffini is said to advocate big, imaginative plays rather than naturalistic soap opera dramas, and is a founder member of the Monsterists, a group of playwrights who promote new writing of large scale work in the British theatre. She has been described by David Greig as a metaphysical playwright. All her plays have been published by Faber.

Buffini is also a prolific screenwriter. In 2010 her film adaptation of Posy Simmon's Tamara Drewe was released followed by her adaptation of Jane Eyre for BBC Films and Ruby Films in 2011. The script appeared on the 2008 Brit List, a film-industry-compiled list of the best unproduced screenplays in British film. It received nine votes, putting it in second place. Buffini also adapted her play A Vampire Story for the screenplay of Neil Jordan's film Byzantium released in 2013.

She took part in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six for which she wrote a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.

Blog Tour: Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

 

publication September 3, 2024

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Welcome to Phantasma.

There are only two rules to the game. Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize—a single wish.

Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demons and temptations. Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last. There can only be one winner, and the other contestants will stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.

Every day the house creates new monsters. But just as Ophelia’s fears threaten to overwhelm her, a mysterious stranger offers her a bargain.

Charming, arrogant and infuriatingly attractive, Blackwell claims he can guide her through the lethal trials ahead. All he asks in return is ten years of her life.

Ophelia knows she shouldn’t trust him. Blackwell doesn’t seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceptive. Worse still, she feels a dark and irresistible attraction drawing them closer and closer.

Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart…

A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Caraval in this seductive fantasy adventure. With steamy romance, a sexy morally gray love interest, OCD rep and jaw-dropping twists, Phantasma is perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Nisha J. Tuli and Carissa Broadbent.

MY REVIEW:

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this ebook from NetGalley, paperback from publisher and the audiobook from NetGalley.
So I listened to the audiobook for the first half and really enjoyed the narrator. Then read the ebook for the last half while looking at the beautiful cover of the paperback.
It says it is part of a series but it felt like a standalone.
Ophelia and her sister just lost their mother and then found out about a large debt on their house. Ophelia has also inherited her mother's powers. Then her sister goes missing when she decides to enter Phantasma to pay off the debt. Ophelia goes and learns if she wants to see her sister then she has to compete in everything that is put her way. It is kind of like Hunger Games and the rule is not to fall n love.
Thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky for all the copies to review,

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Kaylie Smith is a writer and lover of all things magical and fantasy. She grew up in Louisiana where she frequently haunted bookstores and practiced her writing craft. After getting her degree in graphic design, she decided to fully pursue her dream of being an author, and the first book in her YA fantasy series, A RUINOUS FATE, debuts in January 2023 from Disney Hyperion. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found at home with her menagerie of animals, fussing over her houseplants, or annoying people about astrology.

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Book Review: Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb

 

Expected publication September 3, 2024

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Is love on the small screen better than the real thing?

Brynn’s happy ending has gone up in flames. She’s newly divorced and living with a roommate – Josh – to afford her mortgage. At least she’s got Carson’s Cove to binge - her beloved 90s teenage soap.

So when a birthday cake shows up on her and Josh’s doorstep, Brynn makes a wish for her own happily-ever-after.

The next morning, she doesn't wake up in her apartment. She's in Carson's Cove... and Josh is there too. Except they're not Brynn and Josh; they're the sweetheart and the bad boy.

Will they stick to the script, or will real love change the story forever?

A young divorcee finds herself in the ideal world of her favourite 90s nostalgia TV show, in this second-chance romantic comedy from the author of This Spells Love.

MY REVIEW:

Prime Time Romance: The brand new, magical rom-com full of 90s nostalgia, from the author of This Spells Love by Kate Robb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was so different and why I really enjoyed it. Think 90210 within a Hallmark town and that's the vibe this gives off.
Brynn is divorced and to help pay her mortgage she has a roommate. They don't spend time together or really know each other. One night she is at the bar where he works, Wants to call a cab to go home but can't find her purse so she asks the roommate for money but he ends up walking her home and that's when everything happens. It was such a fun read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ebook to review.

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Kate Robb