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*