Heidi Swain Q&A

Hello!

For the month of December the #TsundokuSquad read is Underneath the Christmas Tree by Heidi Swain. Not only are we reading this book but Heidi Swain agreed to a Q&A so the group came up with a selection of questions which Heidi answered!

For anyone who hasn't read any of your books where would you recommend starting?

That’s a great question! I would suggest reading the books in series publication order to build up character and setting knowledge. So, for the Wynbridge books that’s THE CHERRY TREE CAFÉ, for Nightingale Square SUNSHINE AND SWEET PEAS and Wynmouth, THE SECRET SEASIDE ESCAPE. 

All the books work as standalone titles as they feature different main characters so you don’t have to read in order for them to make sense, but lots of readers tell me that publication order works best for them and I always listen to my fabulous readers!

What inspired Underneath the Christmas Tree?

Back in November 2019 I read an article in Country Living magazine about a business that rented out potted Christmas trees and that gave me the initial idea for Wynter’s Trees. I loved the eco credentials and thought setting a story somewhere where visitors could buy gifts from local crafters among snow-topped trees while drinking marshmallow-topped hot chocolate would be the ultimate romantic festive setting!

The Echoed Realm By A.J Vrana Book Tour!

 Hello!

Today I am part of the book tour for The Echoed Realm by A.J Vrana provided by Storytellers On Tour. This is the second and final book in the series The Chaos Cycle Duology and it certainly lived up to its expectations and blew me away. Check out my review for the first book here. Please also take a look at everyone's posts for this book tour by clicking the link above!

Book Information

The Echoed Realm by A. J. Vrana

Published: August 10, 2021

Genre: Contemporary Dark Fantasy-Horror

Pages: 444

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CW: The book deals with themes of domestic violence, but there are no depictions of domestic violence

All The Books I Have Read for Pride Month!

Hello!

It is pride month and so this year I challenged myself to only read wlw books for the month! I have a lot on my TBR and I have managed to read 7 books throughout the month. Lets see what I have read (and loved).

1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - 5*

OMG this book was so good! I laughed, I cried and by the end I was an emotional wreck. Evelyn is a spectacular character with an amazing, life story to tell full of surprises and you may just fall in love with her like I did!

Malice by Heather Walter Book Review

Book Title: Malice

Author: Heather Walter

My Rating: 5*

Publisher: Del Rey

Publication Date: 13/04/21

Genre(s): Fairy tale retelling. Fantasy, LGBT

Pages: 496

Format Read: Ebook

Goodreads: A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this darkly magical retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale.

Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss.

You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily-ever-after.

Utter nonsense.

Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either.

Until I met her.

Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse.

But with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating—and she can’t stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world.

Nonsense again.

Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I—

I am the villain.

#TsundokuSquad BOTM - April - Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal

 

Book Title: Circus of Wonders

Author: Elizabeth Macneal

Publisher: Picador

Publication Date: 13/05/21

Genre(s): Historical, Fantasy

Pages: 336

Format Read: E-book

Goodreads: 1866. In a coastal village in southern England, Nell picks violets for a living. Set apart by her community because of the birthmarks that speckle her skin, Nell’s world is her beloved brother and devotion to the sea.

But when Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders arrives in the village, Nell is kidnapped. Her father has sold her, promising Jasper Jupiter his very own leopard girl. It is the greatest betrayal of Nell's life, but as her fame grows, and she finds friendship with the other performers and Jasper’s gentle brother Toby, she begins to wonder if joining the show is the best thing that has ever happened to her.

In London, newspapers describe Nell as the eighth wonder of the world. Figurines are cast in her image, and crowds rush to watch her soar through the air. But who gets to tell Nell’s story? What happens when her fame threatens to eclipse that of the showman who bought her? And as she falls in love with Toby, can he detach himself from his past and the terrible secret that binds him to his brother?

Moving from the pleasure gardens of Victorian London to the battle-scarred plains of the Crimea, Circus of Wonders is an astonishing story about power and ownership, fame and the threat of invisibility. 

Group rating: 4.5*

My rating: 4.5*

#TsundokuSquad Book of the Month - March - The Islanders by S.V Leonard

Book Title: The Islanders

Author: S.V Leonard

My Rating: 3*

Publisher: Canelo Crime

Publication Date: 11/03/21

Genre(s): Thriller, Murder Mystery

Pages: 246

Format Read: E-book

Goodreads: Her dream escape is about to become a nightmare…

Kimberley King has spent the last five years trying to outrun the reason she left the police force. Her life is a mess and she’s desperate for change. So when she is randomly selected for the new series of the hit show LoveWrecked, she can’t pass up the chance to win the £50,000 prize. All Kimberley needs to do is couple up with one of her fellow contestants, win the infamous LoveWrecked challenges, and she will have enough cash for a fresh start.

But the island isn’t the paradise she was promised and within hours, one of the contestants is dead. Then the announcement comes: one of the islanders is a murderer and Kimberley must find out who, live on television. For every hour it takes her, one more person will die.

The game is rigged, everyone is hiding secrets, and time is running out…

White as Frost by Anthea Sharp Cover Reveal!

 Hello! Today I am taking part in a cover reveal for White as Frost by Anthea Sharp hosted by the wonderful team at Storytellers On Tour! This is the first book in a trilogy and is expected to be released on 4th May 2021.

White as Frost by Anthea Sharp

Series: The Darkwood Trilogy

Expected publication: 04/05/21

Genre: Fantasy

Age Group: Young Adult

#TsundokuSquad Book of the Month - February - Paris By Starlight (SPOILERS)

Book Title: Paris By Starlight

Author: Robert Dinsdale

My Rating: 3*

Publisher: Del Rey

Publication Date: 05/11/20

Genre(s): Fantasy, Magical Realism, Romance

Pages: 480

Format Read: Hardback

Goodreads: Every city has its own magic...

Every night on their long journey to Paris from their troubled homeland, Levon’s grandmother has read to them from a very special book. Called The Nocturne, it is a book full of fairy stories and the heroic adventures of their people who generations before chose to live by starlight.

And with every story that Levon’s grandmother tells them in their new home, the desire to live as their ancestors did grows. And that is when the magic begins…

Nobody can explain why nocturnal water dogs start appearing at the heels of every citizen of Paris-by-Starlight like the loyal retainers they once were. There are suddenly night finches in the skies and the city is transforming: the Eiffel Tower lit up by strange ethereal flowers that drink in the light of the moon.

But not everyone in Paris is won over by the spectacle of Paris-by-Starlight. There are always those that fear the other, the unexplained, the strangers in our midst. How long can the magic of night rub up against the ordinariness of day? How long can two worlds occupy the same streets and squares before there is an outright war?

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu Book Review & Film Comparison (SPOILERS)

 Book Title: Moxie

Author: Jennifer Mathieu

My Rating: 5*

Publisher: Hodder

Publication Date: 21/09/17

Genre(s): YA, Feminism, Contemporary

Pages: 340

Format Read: Paperback

Goodreads: Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with her high school teachers who think the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress codes, hallway harassment and gross comments from guys during class. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules.

Viv's mum was a tough-as-nails, punk rock Riot Grrrl in the '90s, and now Viv takes a page from her mother's past and creates Moxie, a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. She's just blowing off steam, but other girls respond and spread the Moxie message. As Viv forges friendships with other young women across the divides of cliques and popularity rankings, she realises that what she has started is nothing short of a girl revolution.

The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe Book Review

 Book Title: The Girls I’ve Been

Author: Tess Sharpe

My Rating: 4*

Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books

Publication Date: 04/02/21

Genre(s): YA, Thriller, LGBT

Pages: 336

Format Read: E-book Arc

Goodreads: Nora O’Malley’s been a lot of girls. As the daughter of a con-artist who targets criminal men, she grew up as her mother’s protégé. But when mom fell for the mark instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con: escape.

For five years Nora’s been playing at normal. But she needs to dust off the skills she ditched because she has three problems:

#1: Her ex walked in on her with her girlfriend. Even though they’re all friends, Wes didn’t know about her and Iris.

#2: The morning after Wes finds them kissing, they all have to meet to deposit the fundraiser money they raised at the bank. It’s a nightmare that goes from awkward to deadly, because:

#3: Right after they enter bank, two guys start robbing it.

The bank robbers may be trouble, but Nora’s something else entirely. They have no idea who they’re really holding hostage…

*thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus Review

Book Title: The Cousins

Author: Karen M. McManus

My Rating: 4*

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 03/12/20

Genre(s): Young Adult, Mystery

Pages: 325

Format Read: Paperback

Goodreads: The Storys are the envy of their neighbours: owners of the largest property on their East Coast island, they are rich, beautiful, and close. Until it all falls apart. The four children are suddenly dropped by their mother with a single sentence:

You know what you did.

They never hear from her again.

Years later, when 18-year-old cousins Aubrey, Milly and Jonah Story receive a mysterious invitation to spend the summer at their grandmother's resort, they have no choice but to follow their curiosity and meet the woman who's been such an enigma their entire lives.

This entire family is built on secrets, right? It's the Story legacy.

This summer, the teenagers are determined to discover the truth at the heart of their family. But some secrets are better left alone.

#TsundokuSquad Book of the Month- January (SPOILERS)

Hello!

In my last post I introduced the #TsundokuSquad book club I am a part of and today I am going to share our views on our first book! We chose Love at the Northern Lights by Darcie Boleyn. We read about 25% of the book every week and talked about it at the weekend.

#TsundokuSquad Introduction!

 

The Tsundoku Squad book club is a group of people in a group chat on Twitter and we read one book a month and discuss a section at the end of each week to see our thoughts on it. We talk books and everything else too and we are always having a good laugh! There are 13 of us (all female), 12 are from the UK and 1 is all the way in USA!

Our January pick was Love at the Northen Lights by Darcie Boleyn as it was a free kindle book at the time and we thought a cosy romance would be a good start for our first book.

Our February pick is Paris by Starlight by Robert Dinsdale.

 

At the end of each month I will share our thoughts in a blog post. We are planning to read a wide range of books of different genres to suit everyone's tastes and I am really looking forward to the year ahead.

My 2021 Blog and Reading Goals!

 Hello!

This time last year I set out 5 goals for my blog and reading right here. Firstly lets take a look at what I was hoping for in 2020!