Blog Tour: Gilding the Lily by Justine John

Thank you so much to Love Books and Justine John for inviting me on the blog tour for Gilding the Lily, and also gifting me a copy of the book! Here is my review…

Summary:

A gripping mystery of jealousy, murder and lies.

An invitation to her estranged, wealthy father’s surprise 75th birthday party in New York sees Amelia and her husband, Jack, set off across the pond to meet a whole new world of family politics.

Amelia, now a successful businesswoman, feels guilty about never liking her father’s women, so does her upmost to give his new socialite partner, Evelyn, the benefit of the doubt. Wouldn’t it be nice if they could just all get along? But there’s something very dark, determined and dangerous about her…

When Amelia’s father, Roger, becomes ill, Jack grows suspicious that there is more to it. Amelia understands why, but no one else will believe them. They travel back to America to piece together the puzzle, but when Roger goes missing, the couple are driven to their wits’ end. It takes a DEA officer and a secret assassin to bring them answers, but the ruthless truth is something no one expected…

About the Author:

After thirty years in corporate life in London, half of which was running a successful events company, I decided to take a chance to write the novel that was ‘in me’ since I was a child. Gilding the Lily is the result of this and is a domestic noir story which I hope will keep you on the edge of your chair/sofa/bed/train/plane-seat….

You can visit Justine’s website here.

My Review:

Gilding the Lily is such a thrilling read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! There’s a lot of drama and mystery, and a lot of family tensions, which I really enjoy in a book. There’s loads of really interesting characters as well, who all add something unique and intriguing to the story. The pacing of the books is great, and there were moments where I found myself not being able to stop reading! This book is the perfect read for those who enjoy a lot of drama, twists and turns, and a really intriguing sense of mystery! Highly recommend this one.

Also, I know that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I adore the cover for Gilding the Lily! The colours and design are gorgeous!

Buy the Book!

Thanks so much again to Love Book Tours and the author! ❤

Blog Tour: A Little Pick Me Up by Katie Portman

Thank you so much to Love Books Group, Katie Portman, and Hall Good Books for gifting me a copy of this book, and allowing me to be on the Blog Tour!

Summary:

Since the beginning of time, women have been made to feel bad about themselves. From our dress sizes to our careers, from our parenting skills to simply having an opinion, modern women come under immense, relentless pressure to look and behave in certain ways.

The stories we tell ourselves can lead to some dark emotions. They can even result in us hating ourselves – and other women.

It doesn’t have to be this way, though. We just need to realise our power, our value and our worth.

In a deeply personal book, award-winning blogger Katie Portman (www.poutinginheels.com) talks candidly about her own challenges as a woman and shares the tools she uses to overcome them. She invites fellow females to open their eyes to the beauty, power and potential that exists within them.

Covering subjects such as self-confidence, self-acceptance, ageing and identity, Katie holds up a mirror to gender imbalance, she lightens the mental load of mothers, and empowers everyone to practice self-love, not self-hatred.

With an ever-increasing focus on mental health, Katie’s messages should be relayed in schools, universities, on relationship apps and in mothers’ groups across the land. The book can be enjoyed in its entirety, or readers can dip into the ‘little pick me ups’ again and again and again – whenever they need a reminder of how wonderful they really are.

❤

My Review:

A Little Pick Me Up was such a refreshing read! I rarely read books like this, but this was so easy to pick up, read a little, put down, and then come back to. It’s really digestible, well-written, and there are some really great messages and themes explored.

The book is broken up into seven chapters, each focusing on a specific theme/emotion – Jealousy, Fear, Guilt, Dread, Powerlessness, Regret, Hate/Love. Some were more relatable than others, but nonetheless, Katie Portman really does make you think about things that maybe don’t affect you, in a different way. Her primary message is to encourage women to feel good about themselves, and recognise societal and external pressures that maybe we had never really identified before.

A Little Pick Me Up is incredibly intimate, candid, and honest, and I found it really helpful and eye-opening at times. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on ‘Fear’ – Katie, like myself, is a freelance writer, and I really related to the section where she describes the tension between loving words, but also being fearful of them. It can be so nerve-wracking sharing your writing with people, but sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith and use fear to your advantage!

This was a wonderful, insightful read about unlocking your value, power, and potential, and I can highly recommend it!

❤

Author Bio:

Katie is an honorary Yorkshirewoman; she originally hailed from Lancashire and moved to Barnsley with her headteacher husband, Jamie, a couple of decades ago. They have two beautiful children, Elsie and Leo. 

Katie is on social media, you can connect with her there.

Facebook: @poutinginheels

Twitter: @KateLPortman

Instagram: @poutinginheels

Buy A Little PickMe Up!

Thank you for reading! ❤

Blog Tour: Crazy For You by Domhnall O’Donoghue

I received a digital copy of Domhnall O’Donoghue’s new novel, Crazy For You, in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour, organised by Love Book Tours, and today is my stop on the tour!

Summary

When Clooney Coyle promises Vonnie Gallagher they’ll be friends for life, he has no idea what he’s letting himself in for. The lonely and eccentric Vonnie quickly becomes obsessed with the kind-hearted but insecure actor, and her misguided crush soon develops into something much more sinister, which leaves Clooney’s career in tatters.

But when fate takes a strange turn and elevates the pair into an overnight celebrity couple, Clooney must decide whether to embrace the fame he has longed for since childhood or end the ridiculous charade before Vonnie’s jealous – and murderous – inclinations spiral out of control.

Author Bio

Hailing from Navan in the royal county of Meath, Domhnall is a graduate of the Bachelor in Acting Studies Programme, Trinity College Dublin, later completing a Master’s in Screenwriting at Dún Laoghaire IADT.

He now works as an actor and a journalist, dividing his time between Galway, where he films TG4’s award-winning series, Ros na Rún, Dublin and Venice, where he and his Italian lover continuously promise their well-worn livers that they will refrain from quaffing so much Prosecco. (Unfortunately, it seems some vows, just like nearby Rome, were not built in a day.)

Wine-drinking aside, for more than four years, Domhnall has also enjoyed the responsibility of being Assistant Editor at Irish Tatler Man, a title whose various awards includes Consumer Magazine of the Year. Thanks to this role, he interviewed a host of high-profile names such as Tommy Hilfiger, Chris Pine, Kevin Spacey, David Gandy, and Jacques Villeneuve.

Domhnall has written for the majority of Ireland’s leading newspapers and magazines, including the Irish Independent, The Irish Times and RTE Online. He also writes a monthly column in Woman’s Way, the country’s biggest-selling weekly magazine.

His first novel, Sister Agatha: the World’s Oldest Serial Killer, was released in 2016 to critical acclaim (Tirgearr Publishing). His second book, Colin and the Concubine, was published earlier this year by Mercier Press, Ireland’s oldest publishing house. Book number three is called Crazy For You and will be published once again by Mercier Press in June 2020.

My Review

Crazy For You is such a fun read! It really took me by surprise, as I wasn’t sure what to expect, but there are so many things to love about this book.

Firstly, I really enjoyed the humour that was present throughout the book; despite centering on some pretty dark themes, such as obsession and murder, there is a really light-hearted tone that seamlessly balances everything out. I found myself actually laughing-out-loud at some points, which is always a good thing!!

I also thoroughly enjoyed the development of the two main characters, Vonnie and Clooney; they are both so unique and quirky in their own way, and I found the dynamic between them really intriguing and compelling. The supporting characters were also fantastic, and added lots of interesting layers to the story.

I would highly recommend Crazy For You – it’s a relatively short read, but it is nonetheless jam-packed with action; I loved the plot, characters, humour, and Domhnall’s writing style and tone, and did not hesitate in giving it a solid 4 out of 5 stars!

Buy Links

Amazon

Mercier Press

Make sure to check out the other bloggers on this tour!

Thank you so much to Love Books Tours and Domhnall O’Donoghue for giving me the opportunity to read this fantastic book, and to be a part of the tour! You can find Domhnall on Twitter and Instagram, and Love Books Tours on Twitter and Instagram as well.

Thank you for reading. ❤

Blog Tour: The Book of Skulls by David Hutchison

I received a digital copy of David Hutchison’s new novel, The Book of Skulls, in exchange for an honest review, as part of a blog tour, organised by Love Book Tours, and today is my stop on the tour!

Be sure to check out the other bloggers on the tour!

Synopsis:

“A Victorian tale of gender-bending, hidden identity, obsession and gruesome murder, set in Edinburgh’s Old Town. 1875. Liz Moliette; a poor orphan of unknown heritage, and Amulya Patel; from a wealthy Indian family, are the only female students at the Edinburgh Medical School, where a hostile attitude towards women is driven by Professor Atticus. However, Liz and Amulya have allies in fellow student Campbell Preeble, The Reekie reporter Hector Findlay and the charming Dr Paul Love.

In dire need of funds, Liz becomes assistant to gruff lecturer and police surgeon Dr Florian Blyth.  When a series of grisly murders take place the doctor and Liz help Inspector Macleod in his investigation, which leads to the Edinburgh Asylum, the  Burry Man festival and the quack science of phrenology.  

The search for the killer comes dangerously close to Liz as she uncovers her own family secrets.“

This is the first book in the Doctresses series.

Author Bio:

David Hutchison was brought up in the Scottish Highlands.  He worked for many years as a fisherman, crofter, DJ and self-taught artist. His children’s book Storm Hags was shortlisted for the Kelpie Prize. He’s had several short stories published in anthologies (New Writing Scotland, Read By Dawn) and on BBC radio. He is also a filmmaker. He wrote and directed the sci-fi feature Graders, and comedy/meta-horror Baobhan Sith. He has just completed The Book of Skulls, a BAME and LBQT story of hidden identity and murder, inspired by Edinburgh’s murky medical history. Last year he put on the exhibition Medical Inspirations, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Edinburgh Seven; the first group of women to matriculate at a British university. He is currently working on Kore, a supernatural novel where a bank clerk is contacted through her new hearing aid by her dead girlfriend.   He also teaches a class in scriptwriting and is hoping to do some online class in the autumn.

My Review:

The Book of Skulls was a riveting read; I loved the setting and the way in which Hutchison describes it, it was very vivid and Victorian Edinburgh felt completely alive. There were a number of quirky and amusing characters, that made the book feel varied and layered; I really enjoyed the relationship between the two protagonists, Liz and Amulya. I love historical fiction, particularly stories that are set in the Victorian era, so this book was exactly my cup of tea.

I also loved the various themes explored in The Book of Skulls; Hutchison explores some fantastic ideas, for instance the rallying against gender norms and ideals of the Victorian era, and the prejudices of the time. By having strong female protagonists, particularly being from minority backgrounds, it poses a challenge to the societal norms and conventions.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction with a quirky and unusual edge!

Buy The Book of Skulls at:

Amazon

Thank you so much to David Hutchison and Love Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to read this engaging and unique book! You can follow David at @davidwhutchison on both Twitter and Instagram, and follow Love Book Tours at @lovebooksgroup on Twitter and Instagram.

Thank you for reading. ❤