Title: The Gentleman and His Vowsmith

Author: Rebecca Ide

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BLURB

Set in Regency England, The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide is a queer historical fantasy of magic, murder, high heat and humour.

Lord Nicholas Monterris, the last remaining heir of a crumbling ducal house, must marry to save his family from complete decline. His father chooses Lady Leaf Serral, eldest daughter of his greatest rival, at which point Nic is sure it can’t get any worse. Until he learns the head negotiator is to be Dashiell sa Vare, an old flame he has neither forgiven nor forgotten, a man their rigid class structure forbids him to love.

Locked in the mouldering grandeur of Monterris Court (a house more haunting manifestation of dynastic ambition and ancestral guilt than home), the first dead body is troubling. The second, a warning that someone doesn’t want the contract to go ahead. But while Nic and his wife-to-be team up to banter their way through a secret murder investigation, it’s Dashiell he can’t stop thinking about. What would be worse? To love and have to let go, or to wholly deny the yearning of one’s heart forever?

I do love a historical romance, there’s nothing better than the charm, their mannerisms and  how they lived in the 1800’s (well the rich anyway!)

This one features a run-down estate, a young man being forced to wed to save his family, creepy goings on, and deaths…or it is murder?!

I won’t say anything about the plot because that will ruin it, but I will tell you that you’ll fall in love with Nick, Leaf and Dashiel!

Nick was so amusing (homosexual cutlery), Dashiel….was, well dashing and Lady Leaf was so inspiring! The magic and the magic system was so well crafted as well as their world, the writing = superb and the twists = jaw dropping!

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Sound like something you’d like?

Top Ten Tuesday is featured by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Topic: Ways in Which My Blogging Style Has Changed Over Time

So I thought I’d separate out into 10 sections about my blog, my posts, me and how it’s changed over the years!

1. My blog and age!
I actually started my blog in 2015 but predominantly posted PR company material about cover reveals, releases etc for romance books until I moved that to my Facebook page as I wanted my website to be my ‘own voice’.

2. Genres
As I said above, I only used to post about romance but then I branched out to my first love: pnr, fantasy, romantasy….and I haven’t stopped!

3. Favourite posts
I used to really love making posts about  next month’s releases that I want. I used to comb through Goodreads lists, Bookbirds lists and several romance blogs and marvel at all the books I wanted but now I just dont seem to have the time – I need to get back to that!

4. Favourite aspect of book blogging?
The community. I love reading people’s comments on my posts and love reading other bloggers posts and commenting. I try and put aside an hour every evening to do this and it’s normally the most interesting, relaxing hour of my day!

5. The worst thing……
Facebook/TT/Booksta and the drama! The book community used to be a fab place to be but now, not so much!

6. Writing posts…..time and relaxation!
What is time?! I try and write some bulk posts and schedule in just in case time runs away with me at work! I put my pjs on and tap away at posts!

7. Writing posts – prep
I usually type posts up on my phone in notes (like I’m doing now!) and then I add to WordPress, add pics, look at spelling, fonts, colours and add anything I think the post needs. I find the WordPress app easier to use than the full site!

8. My favourite series I found because of blogging?
Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. I read years ago (and have reread) and am still obsessed!

9. Blog Success
If I’m happy in my bubble, that counts as success to me!

10. Will I ever stop blogging?
I have no idea! I guess if my love for reading ever goes away then my blog will too (even typing that made me sad!)

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer  It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received.

I hope you had a great week!

Had 2 days off work this week as it was a Bank Holiday and had my normal non-working day – was bliss!

I also had a nerve conduction test at the hospital and they’ve said its not carpal tunnel but they think the reason I’ve got numb hands is something to do with the neck operation I had to remove a disc TEN YEARS AGO! I’m sceptical!!!

Has been a great reading week though!

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🎧 Traumaland by Josh Silver
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Glint by Raven Kennedy (reread)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Look out for my reviews soon!

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Review – Traumaland by Josh Silver
Review – The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose
Feature – June releases

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Review – Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide
Calendar – 10 Years!

What have you read lately?

Here’s what’s tantalising me that’s releasing in June….

It’s going to be a good month!

Princess of Blood by Sarah Hawley
Elancer by Jane Washington
Echo Fort by Caroline Peckham

Will you be getting these?

Title: The Maid’s Secret

Series: Molly the Maid #3

Author: Nita Prose

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BLURB

A wedding. A heist. A secret.

Molly Gray’s life is about to change in ways she could never have imagined. As the esteemed Head Maid and recently promoted Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel, good things are just around the corner, including her marriage to her beloved fiancé, Juan Manuel, only two months away. 

But Molly’s entire existence is upended when a film crew descends upon the hotel to shoot the hit reality TV show Hidden Treasures, starring popular art appraisers Brown and Beagle. On a whim, Molly brings in a shoebox containing a few of her gran’s old things for appraisal, and much to everyone’s surprise, one item turns out to be a rare and priceless treasure. Instantly, Molly is both a multi-millionaire and a media sensation—the world’s rags-to-riches darling—until the priceless piece vanishes from the hotel in the boldest, brashest antiquities heist in recent memory.

The key to the mystery lies in the past, in a long-forgotten diary written by Molly’s gran. For the first time ever, Molly learns about Gran’s true-to-life fairytale, a young girl to the manor born, the only child of a wealthy magnate. But when Gran falls head over heels in love with a young man her parents deem below her station, her life is thrown into turmoil. As fate would have it, the greatest love of Gran’s life is someone Molly knows quite well….

Together with her friends, Molly combs the past and the present to catch the thief before looming threats against her become real.

Back with Molly the Maid….and she’s had a shock!

And part of her shock leads us to Gran’s story. Then I was shocked!

I can’t believe I’m actually saying this but the younger Gran was VILE, I really disliked her! I can’t put the lovely lady, Flora, with this woman…..but this was Gran’s story and it led us to Molly.

I will literally read anything with Molly in it and this story was polished to perfection!

I do wonder if we’ll get more Mol!

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Sound like something you’d like?

Title: Traumaland

Author: Josh Silver

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BLURB

Seventeen-year-old Eli has been in a near-fatal car crash. As the anniversary looms, his therapist and family struggle to help him deal with the fall out. The accident has left him emotionally numb, with no memory of the months following the crash.

Desperate to feel something again, Eli winds up at an underground club called Traumaland. But this is no ordinary nightclub. Here he joins crowds of other emotionally numb people, all seeking to experience a new thrill by entering virtual reality simulations of nightmarish scenarios through the points of view of various characters.

When he enters the story of a boy called Jack, he discovers a darker truth to the club. A truth that sets Eli on a dangerous journey to find the source of his own trauma.

Oh wow, what a story!

This author has the knack of taking these seemingly broken characters and making them who they are and taking a story and making the twists so jaw dropping that I had to buy one of those chin lift mask things off TT to keep my mouth closed as I kept thinking about that ending for ages after (100% not for snoring!!!)

I don’t even know where to begin with proclaiming my love for EVERYTHING about this book. So I’m just going to say…..read it. READ IT and fall in love with Eli.

Fantastic, excellent, marvellous – and any adjective for superb! That is what this book is.

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Sound like something you’d like?

Top Ten Tuesday is featured by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Topic: Authors Who Live In My Country

This was really hard for me! I don’t really know what authors live where!!!!

VE Schwab
SF Williamson
Caroline Peckham
Genevieve Cogman
Josh Silver

I admit I did have issues knowing what authors I’d read who actually live in England….so I’m reaching with the next ones!

Jane Austin
Charles Dickens
William Shakespeare
Mary Shelley
Emily Bronte

What would you choose?

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer  It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received.

I hope you had a great week!

So…it has began! I’ve started going through my shelves to unhaul books! I’m donating some to the charity shop and am going to sell some special editions. I just need some more room (for new books!!!!!)

I had a routine eye test this week and they found something (I think) he called metamorphopsia so I’ve got an urgent referral to the hospital and will have to see what they find.

Today we started jet washing the garden, we did the patio today and then we’ll work on the huge driveway in the coming weeks. The patio was filthy!

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The Maids Secret by Nita Prose
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Look out for my reviews soon!

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ARC Review – The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
Calendar – Hello May
Feature – Stacking the Shelves

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Review – The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose
Feature – June releases

What have you read lately?

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! And audiobooks. Don’t forget audiobooks!

In other words, if you can read it or if it can be read to you – no matter how you got it – it belongs in Stacking the Shelves.

The Stacking the Shelves meme was originally hosted at Team Tynga’s Reviews. It is currently hosted by Reading Reality.

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It’s been a good month (but not for my tbr!!!)

Books I Bought
Firebird by Juliette Cross
Wind Weaver by Julie Johnson

Advanced Reader Copies

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard
What Sleeps Within the Cove by Harper L Woods
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
Thorns and Fire by Helen Scheuerer

I’d better get reading!