31 July 2019

Whatcha Reading Wednesday - Rivers of London

This week I'm reading this fav and celebrating the signed edition I picked up at YALC!

Rivers of London
by Ben Aaronovitch





What they say: Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut. But Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter’s ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.

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30 July 2019

Coming Soon - Tidelands

Tidelands - Fairmile #1
by Philippa Gregory





What they say: #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory begins a sweeping new series with the story of a poor, uneducated midwife named Alinor who is tempted by a forbidden love affair--but all too aware of the dangers awaiting a woman who dares to step out of the place society carved for her.

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29 July 2019

13 Steps to the Cellar - Blitz

13 Steps to the Cellar
by Teresa Mathews



Mystery
Date Published: September 4th 2019
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

Thirteen Steps to the Cellar. They were steep; they were narrow—but was a fall down them enough to have caused the twenty-seven deep lacerations to her aunt’s head? 

Callie Harris travels from her home in Alabama to her aunt’s former mansion in Maine to unravel the haunting forty-year-old mystery of Dr. Laverne Harris Doss’ brutal death.

Why wasn’t a murder weapon found? Was her uncle justly convicted of the killing? Was his mistress involved? Or was the murderer the bearded stranger rumored to have arrived by train that night?

In the charming town of Richmond, located on the banks of Maine’s historic Kennebec River, Callie uncovers the community’s darkest secrets—a botched police investigation, a betrayed widow’s lie, a dead woman’s blackmail, and a wealthy philanthropist’s shame. The web of intrigue extends far beyond her suspicions and its connection to her personal story pierces Callie to her core.


Author Spotlight:

TERESA MATHEWS is a graduate of The University of South Alabama.  She’s a member of the Mobile Writers Guild and serves on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Nursery and Landscape Association.

An avid gardener and artist, she has multiple book covers to her credit. Several years ago after visiting the site of her real-life aunt’s murder, Teresa discovered a third passion–storytelling. Although inspired by an actual tragedy, Thirteen Steps to the Cellar is fiction.

Raised on the Gulf Coast, Teresa, her husband, and son now live on a farm with a second home on the sparkling white sands of Fort Morgan, Alabama. This is her first novel.



Purchase Links:

Amazon -> US * UK * CA * AU



RABT Book Tours & PR
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28 July 2019

YALC & LFCC 2019

A picture tells a 1000 words and all that! So in time honoured tradition I present my trip (on Friday) to YALC & LFCC in pictures..






Upstairs at Young Adult Literature Convention... 

I stalk *ahem* watch Ben Aaronovitch on the Myths panel and spend ages checking out the various giveaway and freebies available from authors, publishers and publicists:





Next, after more competitions, panels and book buying (all done dressed as Wonder Woman), I concluded that there were a lot of gothic displays around this year:  





Meanwhile downstairs...

I found Jason Momoa (actually this was upstairs in YALC by the lift, but the rest was downstairs at LFCC):



I mainly stocked up on geek merchandise (more to come in another post) and took pics of awesome cosplayers:




Until next time...



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27 July 2019

Rain is For...

YALC recovery and book organisation!

Watch out for my full YALC and LFCC 2019 post coming soon, but in the meantime I'm hiding from the rain by organising my goodies and trying to stop the many piles of books I have from falling over and crushing me.

Oh the glamorous life of a book blogger!!


Happy Saturday lovelies!

Z x


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26 July 2019

Recent Release - The Storm Crow

The Storm Crow #1
by Kalyn Josephson 




What they say: In the tropical kingdom of Rhodaire, magical, elemental Crows are part of every aspect of life...until the Illucian empire invades, destroying everything.

That terrible night has thrown Princess Anthia into a deep depression. Her sister Caliza is busy running the kingdom after their mother's death, but all Thia can do is think of all she has lost.

But when Caliza is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the crown prince of Illucia, Thia is finally spurred into action. And after stumbling upon a hidden Crow egg in the rubble of a rookery, she and her sister devise a dangerous plan to hatch the egg in secret and get back what was taken from them. 


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25 July 2019

Tour & Review - The King

I love me some JLA goodness!!! All the yes for The King!! 

I'm thrilled to be sharing this release from Jennifer L. Armentrout with you today! THE KING is part of the Wicked series and it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights. 

Click here to grab your copy now.

Purchase your copy of THE KING today!

Amazon US * Amazon UK * Amazon CA * Amazon AU

What they say: From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes the next installment in her Wicked series.

As Caden and Brighton's attraction grows despite the odds stacked against a happily ever after, they must work together to stop an Ancient fae from releasing the Queen, who wants nothing more than to see Caden become the evil Prince once feared by fae and mortals alike.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**


Add THE KING to your Goodreads TBR here!


I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: We return to the action where The Prince left off. Bri is hella determined for vengeance and really blooming annoyed at Caden. TBH so was I!!!!

The hilarious back-and-forth between Bri and Caden is still very much present - I'm not sure what it says about me but I do love their squabbling.

I'm a big Brighton fan! I totally get her determination (although not the circumstances) and loved the moments when she stood up for herself and took all the doubters on. Remember when Neville stood up to Harry, Hermione and Ron in Harry Potter? I had similar feels whenever certain Order members would overlook her skills and worth (albeit unintentionally done).

Caden as the King is all kinds of swoon worthy and maddening. Let's be honest the dude has it going on! What I really enjoyed was seeing more of his caring and softer side.

JLA you are an absolute Goddess and also a meanie - that ending!!! Talk about a cliffy! My jaw had to be lifted up from the floor after finishing The King! The fab news is that there's more Bri and Caden!!

Loved it! 
5 Stars in my Sky!


Purchase your copy of THE KING today!

Amazon US * Amazon UK * Amazon CA * Amazon AU

Excerpt:

“I don’t think this is wise,” Tink said for what had to be the hundredth time since he realized I was getting ready for a night out. “Like I think this is very poorly thought-out, if you ask me, Lite Bright.”
“I didn’t ask you, Tink.”
My uninvited roommate of sorts hovered outside my bathroom. Tink wasn’t human, but right now, he looked like any normal twenty-something guy. Well, if normal, twenty-something guys had natural, shockingly white hair and were beautiful in a way that almost seemed fragile.
This was his full-grown Tink size, something I was still—even after all this time—getting used to. I was more accustomed to pint-sized Tink with the translucent wings. After all, he was a brownie.
After the attack that had taken my mother’s life and should’ve ended mine, he’d basically moved in with me. He’d been here for the last two years, something Ivy’s husband pretended to be grateful for, but in reality, I knew he secretly missed the dude.
“You should ask me,” he replied. When I glanced over at him, I got a little distracted by the dazzle…emanating from the sequin tank top he wore. It was so shimmery that I wondered if he was using some of his magic.
Tink may be a goofball, but he was also one of the most powerful creatures in our realm.
Thank God there was only one of him.
“I am a wealth of amazing advice,” he continued. Dixon, the cat he’d named after a Walking Dead character that Tink called “the hottest redneck eva” slinked around Tink’s ankles. The cat was all gray except for his tail, which looked like it had been dipped in white paint.
I snorted. “When have you ever given me good advice?”
“When I told you two weeks ago not to eat the whole carton of beignets because you’d get sick and you did,” he shot back.
I winced, picking up my mascara. I had gotten sick, but I deserved that carton of sugary, fried goodness. That day… 

I didn’t want to think about that day.
“And what about when you ordered that supreme pizza and ate almost all of it?” he said. “I told you that it would probably make you feel bad later.”
Nose wrinkling, I tried to remember what night he was talking about. There were a lot of Friday nights—pizza night in my household—that I ate an entire pie and felt terrible afterward.
“Or how about that time I told you that the seared ahi tuna looked a little gray for my liking? But, oh no, Brighton knows better.” He reached down, scratching Dixon between the ears. “You ate it all, and then I spent the night cleaning up your puke.”
Ew.

Book Trailer:


“Jennifer L. Armentrout’s intoxicating new fantasy is her best yet!” New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter on Storm and Fury



“Dark, mysterious, and yet often hilarious, this riveting page-turner sparkles with innuendo and delivers a breathtaking romance; a stunning conclusion to the trilogy.

Library Journal on Moonlight Scandals

“With this first title in her new Dark Elements series, powerhouse author Armentrout delivers another action-packed, believably narrated ride through a paranormal world as seen by a teen.”Booklist on White Hot Kiss





Author Spotlight:

# 1 New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.





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24 July 2019

Whatcha Reading Wednesday - Gods of Jade and Shadow

This week I'm reading this new release (definitely not YA or MG btw)

Gods of Jade and Shadow
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia






What they say: The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark, one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore.

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.

Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.
 

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23 July 2019

The King is Live!!

I'm thrilled to be sharing this release from Jennifer L. Armentrout with you today! THE KING is part of the Wicked series and it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights. It just went live today! Check out an excerpt and book trailer from the title below. 

Click here to grab your copy now.


Purchase your copy of THE KING today!

Amazon US * Amazon UK * Amazon CA * Amazon AU

From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes the next installment in her Wicked series.

As Caden and Brighton's attraction grows despite the odds stacked against a happily ever after, they must work together to stop an Ancient fae from releasing the Queen, who wants nothing more than to see Caden become the evil Prince once feared by fae and mortals alike.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**


Add THE KING to your Goodreads TBR here!

Purchase your copy of THE KING today!

Amazon US * Amazon UK * Amazon CA * Amazon AU

Excerpt:

“I don’t think this is wise,” Tink said for what had to be the hundredth time since he realized I was getting ready for a night out. “Like I think this is very poorly thought-out, if you ask me, Lite Bright.”
“I didn’t ask you, Tink.”
My uninvited roommate of sorts hovered outside my bathroom. Tink wasn’t human, but right now, he looked like any normal twenty-something guy. Well, if normal, twenty-something guys had natural, shockingly white hair and were beautiful in a way that almost seemed fragile.
This was his full-grown Tink size, something I was still—even after all this time—getting used to. I was more accustomed to pint-sized Tink with the translucent wings. After all, he was a brownie.
After the attack that had taken my mother’s life and should’ve ended mine, he’d basically moved in with me. He’d been here for the last two years, something Ivy’s husband pretended to be grateful for, but in reality, I knew he secretly missed the dude.
“You should ask me,” he replied. When I glanced over at him, I got a little distracted by the dazzle…emanating from the sequin tank top he wore. It was so shimmery that I wondered if he was using some of his magic.
Tink may be a goofball, but he was also one of the most powerful creatures in our realm.
Thank God there was only one of him.
“I am a wealth of amazing advice,” he continued. Dixon, the cat he’d named after a Walking Dead character that Tink called “the hottest redneck eva” slinked around Tink’s ankles. The cat was all gray except for his tail, which looked like it had been dipped in white paint.
I snorted. “When have you ever given me good advice?”
“When I told you two weeks ago not to eat the whole carton of beignets because you’d get sick and you did,” he shot back.
I winced, picking up my mascara. I had gotten sick, but I deserved that carton of sugary, fried goodness. That day…
I didn’t want to think about that day.
“And what about when you ordered that supreme pizza and ate almost all of it?” he said. “I told you that it would probably make you feel bad later.”
Nose wrinkling, I tried to remember what night he was talking about. There were a lot of Friday nights—pizza night in my household—that I ate an entire pie and felt terrible afterward.
“Or how about that time I told you that the seared ahi tuna looked a little gray for my liking? But, oh no, Brighton knows better.” He reached down, scratching Dixon between the ears. “You ate it all, and then I spent the night cleaning up your puke.”
Ew.

Book Trailer:


“Jennifer L. Armentrout’s intoxicating new fantasy is her best yet!” New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter on Storm and Fury


“Dark, mysterious, and yet often hilarious, this riveting page-turner sparkles with innuendo and delivers a breathtaking romance; a stunning conclusion to the trilogy.
Library Journal on Moonlight Scandals

“With this first title in her new Dark Elements series, powerhouse author Armentrout delivers another action-packed, believably narrated ride through a paranormal world as seen by a teen.”Booklist on White Hot Kiss





Author Spotlight:

# 1 New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.




Watch out for my review on Thursday HERE!



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22 July 2019

Review Policy Update 22nd July

I'm a little sad that I have to write this post, but here goes...



I've received a few shall we say, less than friendly emails recently re review and promo requests. I always make it clear that due to the volume of requests I am not able to get back to you all, so please don't get offended. It is nothing personal but I would spent all the time I use for reading and writing posts responding to emails if I did reply to them all.

It is worth considering that hassling me and other bloggers isn't exactly going to inspire us to promote anything for you - so be kind. Sending us nasty emails after an unsolicited request wastes everyone's time and is tacky. I do not owe you anything, no matter the circumstances. I run this blog because I love books and want to help out the community. Please treat me with the respect I give to you.

The blog is currently and has been a for a while now, closed for review requests! I have a huge backlog of posts and books waiting to be read. I've been working on a degree for the past year and am just starting a new role which has to come first. That being said I love books and this blog, so I have lots of exciting things planned this year.

I ask you read my policy here and remember I will not be accepting review/promo requests for the next few months. As soon as the blog is open for requests again I will update the policy page. 

Thank you for the continued support and happy reading.

Z x

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19 July 2019

Top Fav to Celebrate Graduation

This is a special day for me. I'm officially qualified...!

#Classof2019



Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
by J.K. Rowling

I have several versions of all of the HP books including 1st editions (yes I know I'm lucky - this isn't a 1st edition in the picture as wouldn't dare fold it open like this). I wanted to focus on one of my all time favs today...

What they say: Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.



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18 July 2019

Coming Soon - My Fate According to the Butterfly

My Fate According to the Butterfly
by Gail D. Villanueva



What they say: Light and deep, smart and funny, crushing and hopeful all at the same time, My Fate According to the Butterfly will open your eyes to both the world's potential for magic, and to its harsh realities.

* "Villanueva's debut is a beautiful #ownvoices middle-grade novel. Tough topics -- the brutal war on drugs in the Philippines, family reconciliation, and recovery -- are addressed, but warmth and humor... bring lightness to Sab's story. This immersive novel bursts with life." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

When superstitious Sab sees a giant black butterfly, an omen of death, she knows that she's doomed! According to legend, she has one week before her fate catches up with her -- on her 11th birthday. With her time running out, all she wants is to celebrate her birthday with her entire family. But her sister, Ate Nadine, stopped speaking to their father one year ago, and Sab doesn't even know why.

If Sab's going to get Ate Nadine and their father to reconcile, she'll have to overcome her fears -- of her sister's anger, of leaving the bubble of her sheltered community, of her upcoming doom -- and figure out the cause of their rift.

So Sab and her best friend Pepper start spying on Nadine and digging into their family's past to determine why, exactly, Nadine won't speak to their father. But Sab's adventures across Manila reveal truths about her family more difficult -- and dangerous -- than she ever anticipated.

Was the Butterfly right? Perhaps Sab is doomed after all!

For more info...
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17 July 2019

Whatcha Reading Wednesday - Raven

This week I'm getting my comic on...

Teen Titans: Raven
by Kami Garcia






What they say: When a tragic accident takes the life of 17-year-old Raven Roth's foster mom--and Raven's memory--she moves to New Orleans to recover and finish her senior year of high school.

Starting over isn't easy. Raven remembers everyday stuff like how to solve math equations and make pasta, but she can't remember her favorite song or who she was before the accident. And when impossible things start happening, Raven begins to think it might even be better not to know who she was before.

But as she grows closer to her new friends, her foster sister, Max, and Tommy Torres, a guy who accepts her for who she is now, Raven has to decide if she's ready to face what's buried in the past...and the darkness building inside her.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia and first-time graphic novel artist Gabriel Picolo comes this riveting tale of finding the strength to face who you are and learning to trust others--and yourself.



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16 July 2019

Coming Soon - The Miraculous


The Miraculous
by Jess Redman





What they say: Eleven-year-old Wunder Ellis is a miracologist. In a journal he calls The Miraculous, he records stories of the inexplicable and the extraordinary. These miracles fill Wunder with the feeling that he is not alone, that the world is magical, that he is part of something brighter than he can imagine.

But then his newborn sister dies, at only eight days old. If that can happen, then miracles don’t exist. So Wunder gets rid of The Miraculous. And he stops believing.

Then Wunder meets Faye—a cape-wearing, outspoken girl with losses of her own. Together, they find an abandoned house by the cemetery and the old woman who lives there—and who might be a witch. The old woman asks for Wunder and Faye’s help. She asks them to go through graveyards and forests, to townhalls and police stations, by bike and by train. She asks them to believe. And together, they go on a journey that leads them to friendship, to healing—and to miracles.

THE MIRACULOUS is Jess Redman’s stunning debut about facing grief, trusting the unknown, and finding the brightness in the darkest moments.



For more info!

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15 July 2019

New Release - Maybe This Time

Maybe This Time
by Kasie West




What they say: One year. Nine events. Nine chances to... fall in love?

Weddings. Funerals. Barbecues. New Year's Eve parties. Name the occasion, and Sophie Evans will be there. Well, she has to be there. Sophie works for the local florist, so she can be found at every big event in her small hometown, arranging bouquets and managing family dramas.

Enter Andrew Hart. The son of the fancy new chef in town, Andrew is suddenly required to attend all the same events as Sophie. Entitled, arrogant, preppy Andrew. Sophie just wants to get her job done and finish up her sketches so she can apply to design school. But every time she turns around, there is Andrew, getting in her way and making her life more complicated. Until one day she wonders if maybe complicated isn't so bad after all...

Told over the course of one year and following Sophie from event to event, this delightful novel from master of romantic comedy Kasie West shows how love can blossom in unexpected places.


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14 July 2019

Coming Soon - The Merciful Crow

The Merciful Crow #1
by Margaret Owen





What they say: A future chieftain

Fie abides by one rule: look after your own. Her Crow caste of undertakers and mercy-killers takes more abuse than coin, but when they’re called to collect royal dead, she’s hoping they’ll find the payout of a lifetime.

A fugitive prince

When Crown Prince Jasimir turns out to have faked his death, Fie’s ready to cut her losses—and perhaps his throat. But he offers a wager that she can’t refuse: protect him from a ruthless queen, and he’ll protect the Crows when he reigns.

A too-cunning bodyguard

Hawk warrior Tavin has always put Jas’s life before his, magically assuming the prince’s appearance and shadowing his every step. But what happens when Tavin begins to want something to call his own? 

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