Starfolk Rising: Read the Book Description Now!

A love that spans lifetimes. A deadly vendetta. Two fates destined to collide. Forced to say goodbye, Beth and Jonan fight, separately, to stop Amelia’s destruction and to hold onto each other. But the mood is changing and people are coming to their side. Will it last, or is it merely an illusion? Twisted, diminished, desperate and dangerous, Amelia hangs on as her personality cult collapses. She wants to punish those who hurt her. But as she lashes out, she damages herself most of all. As Beth and Jonan’s soul-family fractures and loyalties shift, Doriel fights to bring the Triad back together. But when disaster strikes, the road back is obliterated. Beth and Jonan have to end Amelia’s attacks, protect those they love and stand together at last. If they can’t fulfil that destiny, fear will win once and for all. The final instalment in the urban fantasy Starfolk Trilogy about destiny, reincarnation, tarot, and love that lasts lifetimes. Starfolk Rising is coming on 21 March 2024, so now is a great time to start the series. And if you’ve already read the Starfolk books, do check out Wild Shadow. When Starfolk Rising comes out, you’ll be glad you did!

Extract: Gracemarch by J.J. Barnes with Jonathan McKinney & Cliff Thomas

Jane Waters lives a mundane life, working as a waitress, and with a boyfriend who doesn’t seem to care. Her sister, Cassie Waters, is a glamorous horror writer, traveling the world, and far too busy to listen to Jane’s woes. The two sisters live very different lives, disconnected from one another, and unaware of a family secret that’s about to come to light.

When their mother dies unexpectedly, Jane and Cassie are pushed back together. Their lives become intertwined as they explore the mysteries their childhood home holds, and remember their sister Susie who died tragically in childhood.

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Book Review: Hooked on Hollywood by Mia Summers

First the Book Description Thanks to a lost key, I’m stuck handcuffed to my childhood crush for the next five days. Did I mention he’s now a really famous actor? This was not how my night was supposed to go. My friends dragged me to a charity auction to save the local theater. The theme? Cops and robbers. The grand prize? A dinner date handcuffed to hometown hero and Hollywood hunk Ryan Jones – the same Ryan Jones that is still decorating my bedroom walls. I used to have a crush on him. Used to. Then he got caught doing something he shouldn’t have been doing. Something terrible. Too bad I didn’t tell my friends – because they decided to surprise me by winning the auction. Now I’m handcuffed to Ryan Jones. It’s supposed to be a one night thing. But the key’s gone missing. And the handcuffs? No one can get them off. So now I’m handcuffed to a handsome man I hate. Two of us. One bed. Zero ways I’ll be letting my guard down. Not after what I saw that (handsome) man do. My Review This was a lovely feel-good read that transported me and gave me a break from real life. It has fabulous characters with Ryan, a gorgeous movie star who turns out to be so much more than his image suggests, and Olivia who still lives in the town they both grew up in and has nursed a crush on him for years. Ryan is both the boy next door, and the glamorous film star. Olivia danced with him at the school sock hop when he was the shy little boy, and then followed his film career as she developed a full blown crush on him. When he comes to his home town and offers an evening out with him to be auditioned off for charity, Olivia’s friends buy the experience for her. Olivia was expecting a simple dinner out, until the organiser handcuffed them together for one evening only. Until the key went missing and one night turned into 5 days. As Olivia and Ryan learn to live handcuffed, accommodating even the most private of moments, they learn more about themselves, each other, and the lives they both lead, warts and all. This was a lovely and funny heartfelt romance, both sweet and emotional. I loved Olivia and Ryan and enjoyed watching the many personal and public challenges they were forced to contend with. I also enjoyed the wider community and the memories as the story delved into the past. This is a perfect weekend read, fabulous characters, plenty of humour, but also real emotion and a depth of feeling that reaches right back into the past and tugs on the present. It brings glitz and glamour, but also has the characters working out how to go to the toilet chained to a virtual stranger. And in these extremes lies the beauty and rawness that made me fall in love with both of them. About the Author Mia Summers …

Book Review: Hiding from Hollywood by Ellie Darkins

I absolutely loved this Hollywood Romance and got totally drawn into Abby and Ethan’s story. Abby was a famous soap actress in the UK, but when she decided to try out her skills in Hollywood, a traumatic experience led her to hide from the spotlight instead. Working in a diner in an undesirable part of town, she changes her name and does her best not to be noticed. But when big-shot producer Ethan Walker turns up and makes a beeline for her, she is forced to choose between maintaining her secrecy, and responding to her undeniable feelings for him.

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Book Review: Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

First the Book Description The mesmerising story of the only female Argonaut, told by Jennifer Saint, the bestselling author of Elektra and Ariadne. When a daughter is born to the King of Arcadia, she brings only disappointment. Left exposed on a mountainside, the defenceless infant Atalanta is left to the mercy of a passing mother bear and raised alongside the cubs under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis. Swearing that she will prove her worth alongside the famed heroes of Greece, Atalanta leaves her forest to join Jason’s band of Argonauts. But can she carve out her own place in the legends in a world made for men? My Review I love all Jennifer Saint’s books, and Atalanta didn’t disappoint.  It’s a fabulous adventure, but it also brings to life many wonderful characters I had met in myths.   Unlike Saint’s other heroines, Atalanta has always known she was stronger and faster than men.  Growing up in a community of women, schooled by the huntress goddess Artemis, she isn’t hampered by the social expectations placed on women, and instead builds her skills, and her strength, seeing herself as a protector of the nymphs who live alongside her in Artemis’s forest.  When Artemis chooses Atalanta to go with Jason and the Argonauts as her champion, she embraces the challenge and does her best to make her mark in a group of men who are used to the spotlight and are determined they can never be outdone by a woman. On the journey to find the Golden Fleece, she meets prejudice every step of the way, but as the Argonauts face challenge after challenge together, the men begin to appreciate Atalanta’s true worth and strengths.  As a woman who serves the virgin goddess, Atalanta is surrounded by men for the first time, and has to learn how to face her own feelings, and to decide what matters to her most. I particularly loved her relationship with Meleager, the one person who respects her from the beginning.  This connection proves pivotal in both her adventure and her own development.  Atalanta is an adventure story, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a reimagining of a myth that has always been about men.  It’s an exploration of a woman who is stronger, faster and more powerful than the male heroes around her, and a challenge to those who wrote her out of her own story.  It’s about facing up to betrayal and disillusionment and rebuilding from nothing.  It’s full of drama, but the writing is somehow soothing.  There is so much in this book, but none of that takes away from the story, or the characters, and the journey they take you on in their search for heroism.  About the Author Thanks to a lifelong fascination with Ancient Greek mythology, Jennifer Saint read Classical Studies at King’s College, London. Since September 2022, she has been a Visiting Research Fellow in the Classics Departmentthere. In between, she spent thirteen years as an English teacher, sharing a love of literature and creative writing with her …

Book Review: Hideaway in Iceland, by Victoria Walker

First the Book Description PR executive Anna Mortimer has clinched the deal of a lifetime for the hottest celebrity couple to have their wedding covered by a glossy magazine, but when things don’t go to plan and she loses her job, will a well-timed invitation to visit Reykjavik be the perfect distraction while she decides what to do next? Ned Nokes has just left the safety of the biggest boy band in history to go it alone. With the eyes of the world on him, he escapes to Iceland in search of solitude. He makes friends with people who don’t know who he is but after a lifetime in the spotlight, can he trust anyone who isn’t on his payroll? Visit Iceland at its most beautiful as autumn turns to winter and find out whether the magic that helped Anna’s friend Rachel find her happy ever after, is still there… My Review I loved this story. Iceland is such a magical country, and for me this book brought that magic in spades. I loved reading about the places I had been and feeling back into the incredible landscape. I really enjoyed Anna as a main character. Heartbroken from a career disaster, she goes to stay with her best friend in Iceland in order to heal. Realising her life has been entirely about work, she starts to reevaluate what she wants, build lovely friendships and to fall in love wearing itchy woollen hats and jumpers. Having just walked away from his place in a hugely successful boy band, Ned brought both sparkly glamour and down-to-earth heart to the story. Used to being adored, and traumatised by the constant attention and intrusion, he both expects too much and gives generously of himself, until he feels threatened. When his old life begins to intrude, fight or flight sets in and he pushes Anna away, running back to the world he knows how to control. Ned is in love with the music, a deep feeler and an introvert who wants to be left to live his musical life successfully but privately. He is full of contradictions and that makes him feel wonderfully real. Together these two have all the chemistry, but in spite of that, it’s not all about them. The friendships they build are the backbone of their new life, and bring humour and a sense of proportion when the world begins to swamp them. For me this book was a wonderful escape and brings some beautiful elements together in a book that is transporting, romantic and has a lovely down-to-earth feel. About the Author Victoria Walker has been writing romantic fiction since a visit to Iceland in 2014 inspired her first novel. As well as writing, she spends her free time dressmaking, knitting and reading an inordinate amount of contemporary romance, occasionally punctuated by the odd psychological thriller and saga. In the past she has worked as a cinema projectionist, a knitting and sewing tutor and has owned a yarn store, all …

Book Review: Widdershins by Helen Steadman

I really enjoyed Widdershins. It’s a beautifully written and well researched dive into an extremely harsh world governed by fear, revenge and abuse. At the beginning of the book, John Sharpe is a little boy, abused by his father and blamed for the childbirth death of his mother. At the beginning I was all in for John. I wanted to jump into the book and rescue him. I grieved the dog that stood up for him when nobody else would. And then he changed. It was heartbreaking to see him turn into such an angry man, the image of his violent father. His growing obsession with witch finding takes us into the mind of an angry and sadistic man, determined to punish women for the death of his mother, and the fact that he had to accept mothering from the local midwife rather than a member of his own family.

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Book Review: One Last Dream for December by Lottie Cardew

First the Book Description Sometimes, the dream we think we don’t deserve is the one that’s trying to come true… Esme Blythe has led a nomadic existence for the last ten years, never thinking she fits anywhere, and never feeling she’s earned the right to. But when she moves in above Percival’s, the charming old toy shop in Market Square, Pebblestow, it seems the village is about to weave its signature fairy-tale magic. Surrounded by wooden toy soldiers, rocking horses, and vintage doll’s houses, not to mention the locals who seem determined to be part of her life – from her endearing grumpy uncle, to warm-hearted co-worker Blodwyn, and smouldering single dad Seth – Esme has to face up to everything she’s been missing, or turn her back on an incredible opportunity. New friends, formidable foes, and the thrill of a budding romance, conspire to make this the most bittersweet December ever. But when she finally learns the truth about the toy shop’s owner, her elusive benefactor, the mysterious Mr Percival, is it already too late for Esme to change her mind… and heal her heart? My Review I always love a Christmas romance, but I REALLY loved this one, and I felt quite bereft when I’d finished. Esme has herself well-shielded from disappointment, and does everything she can to keep her life level and manageable. But when she moves to Pebblestow to look after Percival’s toy shop while the owner, her uncle’s best friend, is convalescing, she finds herself in a village determined to see her for who she is and embrace her for it. When she meets Seth and his little daughter, Tamika, also new to the area, Esme finds herself quickly drawn into their lives. Esme is unsure of how she can fit with them, but even so she allows herself to dream and is devastated when Seth explains that Tamika is autistic and he wants her to have an adult like her to look up to. Now convinced Seth is not interested in her romantically, Esme tries to put distance between them. But Esme’s friends and family are determined to help her find her place, and her people, in Pebblestow. And she can’t quite turn her back on little Tamika. Frustrated by the girl’s grandparents’ failure to understand Tamika’s needs, Esme is drawn back into Seth’s life, determined to help him do right by his daughter. These relationships are the magic in this book. As the characters struggle to work out how they fit together, and can support each other through life’s challenges, they learn to view themselves and each other differently. Esme felt so real, and I loved the way she taught me about how things might be different for someone with autism. I loved seeing her preconceptions and anxieties broken down as she finally found her place, fell in love, and got her happy ending. This was a gorgeous book with lots of love and magic, and I was disappointed when it ended. About …