Category: Blog Tour

Posted on

#BlogTour: My Husband’s Stalker by Natali Simmonds

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a solid book for its genre. For this blog tour, we’re looking at My Husband’s Stalker by Natali Simmonds.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / TheStoryGraph.com), YouTube, and Substack:

Genre Fans Will Enjoy Yet Will Be Problematic For Some. As a generic domestic thriller/ suspense, this book has a lot of things going for it in that it hits pretty well every genre expectation and hits them all in the exact expected order and even within the bounds of a nearly MadLibbed version of so many books within this genre. To the point that yes, this book could well be programmed – it is *that* level of algorithmic. (To be clear, I am in no way saying it *was*, simply that it is so formulaic that a program *could* create it.) Which is *AWESOME* for those who love this genre the way Hallmarkies love their small town romances. You know *exactly* what you’re getting here, and there is pretty well literally nothing about this book that is going to actually shock you. It is the *exact* kind of mildly shocking yet entertaining mystery that you expect for the genre, and if this is your particular ‘comfort blanket’ read, hey, more power to you. Pick this one up, you’re going to love it.

Where exactly it could become problematic for some is a particular refrain throughout the book that our lead uses… but due to its nature I shall not reveal it here. What I’ll point out instead is that if you think it resolves itself… keep reading. Had the tale ended at one particular point, meh, you’d likely be right. But it didn’t, and thus the tale ultimately remains problematic from at least that viewpoint. Which some readers will agree that it is problematic and others will argue at least as loudly that those readers are wrong. Your mileage will absolutely vary on this point based on your own thoughts on the topic.

Still, again, even with this, for most it will be a minor annoyance at best, and genre lovers in particular will still enjoy this book. Will it be memorable even at the end of the month, much less the year? Unlikely. But it will absolutely be that next “Hallmark movie” for you to enjoy for a few hours, and really, isn’t this ultimately why so many of us read at all?

Recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: My Husband’s Stalker by Natali Simmonds”

Posted on

#BlogTour: The Last Daughter by Soraya Lane

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a truly great finale to an amazing series. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Last Daughter by Soraya Lane.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / TheStoryGraph.com), YouTube, and Substack:

What. A. Finale. This is the book that has had 7 books before it to hint at and build up to. The book whose story actually begins the entire event. The book that fans who have been following this series all along have been waiting for… and it absolutely delivers.

Make sure you read the seven books before this one before you read this one. They lay the groundwork and build the anticipation well in telling their own stories while revealing bits and hints of this one, and most all of the ladies from the contemporary side of those stories show up in some fashion here. Even while these stories are all ultimately romances, there are also enough women’s fiction elements to all of these stories (contemporary and historical) that there are indeed some spoilers to some of those stories within this story… which isn’t an issue if you read them first. 😉

Jeremy Robinson likes to tell people that they can read his book Prime, about the origins of one of his teams and written after several of the books featuring that team had been published, first when encountering that particular team (his “Chess Team”) for the first time. I’ve always recommended against that as one of Robinson’s oldest fans who was there when he was first coming up with the idea (and thought it wouldn’t play well… boy was I wrong!). To me, that series absolutely needs to be read in publication order so that you get the full impact of Prime when you get to it in that order.

And here is where the above story ties into Lane’s Lost Daughters: Yes, on the historical side this is *the* story that begins it all. We get a *lot* of answers on that side of it, and from that side of it you may argue that this book serves as a prequel that perhaps *should* be read first. You would be wrong… because the *contemporary* side of this novel absolutely serves as a coda to the entire series here.

Remember, this entire series is built on a fusion of the historical and the contemporary, merging Lane’s “brand names” of Soraya M. Lane (historical fiction) with her Soraya Lane (contemporary romance/ women’s fiction) “brand”. In the historical side of this tale, we get the origin story that allowed the entire rest of the series to take place. In the contemporary side of this tale, we get the ending that ties everything together in a nice little bow.

… or does it?

Very much recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Last Daughter by Soraya Lane”

Posted on

#BlogTour: All The Ways You Break Me by Melissa Wiesner

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a worthy successor and conclusion of this romance duology. For this blog tour, we’re looking at All The Ways You Break Me by Melissa Weisner.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / TheStoryGraph.com), YouTube, and Substack:

Worthy Successor. This is one of those duologies where the first book is *so* strong, how can a second *possibly* hold up to it? And yet the second one comes and shows that it is every bit the first tale’s equal.

Pretty well everything that was present in the first book is back in some form. The teen romance. The second chance a decade or so later. The mystery. The tragedy. About the only thing *not* here from the first book is the one thing the most people likely had the most problems with, except that in its place we get something that arguably even more people will have a problem with… though in this case (fortunately) it isn’t anywhere near as explicit.

As to what this thing is, I applaud Wiesner for having a webpage listing trigger warnings for this book rather than listing them at the front of the book and thereby making them unavoidable for those reading on eReaders, and I encourage any who may need to see a list of trigger warnings to go to that page, indeed it is directly on the book’s page on her website at melissawiesner dot com/books/all-the-ways-you-break-me. Even here, note that the warnings are all the way at the bottom of the page and thus fairly easily avoidable even here for those who do not wish to see them.

We do, however, get the jalapeno/ habanero level sex scene in this book as well, it just happens to be with a couple approaching 30 rather than a couple who still hasn’t hit 18. Still, for those who prefer to read books without such scenes… you’ve been warned. Once again, please don’t 1 or 2 star this book over this scene now that you’ve read my own review where I am making it a point to tell you of its existence. 🙂

And yes, this is the conclusion to a particularly strong romance duology. We get answers. We get happy endings for everyone (as far as the romances themselves go – no guarantees for anything else 😉 ). And yes, we get a few dusty rooms along the way too.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: All The Ways You Break Me by Melissa Wiesner”

Posted on

#BlogTour: She Took My Baby by Steena Holmes

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a twisty mind bending thriller that will be tough for some readers. For this blog tour, we’re looking at She Took My Baby by Steena Holmes.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Twisty Mind Bender Will Put You In The Minds Of Its Main Characters. This is one of those books that works best when you don’t try to fight it. Take yourself out of the story and just flow with what is presented here and what you get is one hell of a trippy mind bender where not everything is as it seems… and yet some things may be *exactly* as they seem.

Now, for the child free and particularly the childless… well, the title of the damn book has the word “Baby” in it. Yes, this is focused on post-partum issues and, well, babies and motherhood. So just to make it explicitly clear: this book may not be the best thing for you, for any number of reasons. And to be even more clear: I myself am childfree and proud of this. Thus, I readily admit that this book is not one I would normally pick up myself if I did not already know and trust the author from previous books (and, admittedly, working with her in her (along with a few colleagues) Readers Coffeehouse group on Facebook).

AND YET… again, this book for what it actually is really is so good that *even for the childfree/ childless*… you should maybe at least consider it. I totally get if someone – maybe even a new mother herself, not just someone in the CF crowd – just finds the topic in general too difficult for their current situation. Take care of yourself and do what you need to do. Always. But when you’re in a space that maybe you can handle a book like this… Holmes really does do a great job here. It is one of those that will have you reading deep into the night and have your pulse pounding almost until literally the last word.

But if you want to build some trust in Holmes before you come to this book, I get it. I very much recommend literally every other book I’ve read from her, and I’ve read most of them at this point. So go into her back catalog, build that level of trust in her skills as a storyteller, then come here. You won’t be disappointed.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: She Took My Baby by Steena Holmes”

Posted on

#BlogTour: The Library Of Fates by Margot Harrison

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a strong magical realism/ romance/ mystery combo that leaves off a discussion that could have taken this book from solid to transcendental. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Library Of Fates by Margot Harrison.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookBub.com / BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Strong Magical Realism/ Romance/ Mystery Combo. This book had a lot of things for a lot of readers, but curiously, it only had a single line or two about a real world version of itself. But more on that in a moment.

The mysteries here are solid. There’s a dual timeline going on, mostly set in the world just before the collapse in 2020, with the “current” timeline being set in late 2019 and the “then” timeline being back in the 1990s. When the two different mysteries converge… things get quite interesting indeed, setting up one hell of a climax that will take your breath away. As in, if you go into that section just before bed… just plan to stay up a bit later than normal. Once you get there in particular, you’re not going to want to put this book down.

The romance plays out across both timelines as well, with some interesting complications due to the events of the mystery sides of the tale, and is reasonably paced throughout. Nothing overly spicy here, perhaps somewhere between a warm glass of milk and a jalapeno. Maybe somewhere around a Banana or Poblano pepper? Enough that the warm glass of milk crowd may get a little antsy, but also so little that the crowd that barely thinks a habanero is anything at all may not even think there is any spice to be had here at all. I mean, these are college students brought together in an unusual and magical circumstance. Yes, things are going to happen.

But the one thing that hangs over this entire book is the one thing that Harrison only devotes a line or two to – the fact that the very thing that is supposed to be magical about this book, tech in 2025 can already damn near do – and likely will be fully capable of within the next five years or so. While it may not be an *exact* analogue to the magical bit of this book – in that it won’t be a singular book for everyone – AI is largely already to the point that for many readers, particularly those who only read a few books a year or even a few books a decade, AI can already give them a book tailored specifically to their own interests that is largely compelling enough for those exact types of readers. And yes, this is going to be a problem for authors going forward. What happens when the tech gets good enough to satisfy even those of us who read hundreds of books per year? Harrison could have used even her magical version here to perhaps explore this possibility more in a “pre-AI” magical world, but instead uses this part of the magic as more of a macguffin or even an end game set piece than really exploring this idea in any real depth. Which, to this reader, is perhaps a lost opportunity to take a solid mystery/ romance and have it get that much deeper and more timeless.

Still, for what this story actually is and what it actually does, it actually does – *ahem* – all things – *ahem* – quite well within its world, and this is absolutely a book that a lot of different types of readers will be able to enjoy quite a bit.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Library Of Fates by Margot Harrison”

Posted on

#BlogTour: No One Aboard by Emy McGuire

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a solid ‘second screen’ mystery. For this blog tour, we’re looking at No One Aboard by Emy McGuire.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookBub.com / BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Solid ‘Second Screen’ Book. Apparently there is a concept Netflix show/ movie producers call ‘second screen’ – meaning, essentially, that the video must be produced and the story easy enough to follow even as someone is actually doing something else. Thus, actions are spoken – “I’m cutting the veggies now” – and are loud and concise. Rather than simply showing the character cutting the veggies. Plots are simplified and characters a bit more stereotypical than perhaps fully fleshed out, nuanced, “real” people.

This is *exactly* that kind of book – and there is absolutely *NOTHING* wrong with that. Netflix is making bank right now on exactly this type of content, so why shouldn’t authors take a stab at it as well? Not everything has to be a hyper complicated, hyper real “oh, you missed on page 33 paragraph 3 sentence 2 that this thing had this hyper specific property” kind of tale to be enjoyable. Quite the opposite, I would argue – sometimes, *particularly* during the holidays, you really want something you can just consume while vegging out a bit yourself. Many romance novels – the “bubblegum pop” and “Hallmarkie” ones in particular – offer exactly this level of escapism, so why can’t mystery tales have this from time to time?

For what this book actually *is*, it really is a solid work of its type. One that is enjoyable even at its near-400 page length, and one that can work in exactly the kinds of scenarios I describe above – where perhaps you need some time during the hectic holiday season to simply zone out with a good enough book – quite well indeed.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: No One Aboard by Emy McGuire”

Posted on

#BlogTour: Not You Again by Erin La Rosa

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a fun, quirky scifi romance reminiscent of Eureka. For this blog tour, we’re looking at Not You Again by Erin La Rosa.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookBub.com / BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Romance Author Creates Eureka-Esque Scifi. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was proofreading The New God of Science Fiction Jeremy Robinson’s late April 2026 release, Parallax, where he – a long time and prolific scifi author who has never really dabbled in romance at all – created a kick ass scifi action tale that was *also* a spicy romance book. Now, just a few books later, I’m reading a book by a more recently established romance author… who is introducing quirky scifi into her romance book. Interesting times, it seems. 😉

And this is absolutely a quirky scifi romance. To me, it gives off strong vibes of the now-long-dead Syfy show Eureka, where the entire town knows they are in a scifi tale and they all merrily do their own things within it. If your sense of humor is of the ‘WTF’ variety… this is absolutely going to be right up your alley.

And yes, speaking of things being ‘up alleys’ (groan, I know, sorry), if you’re not a fan of spicy romance of the habanero, maybe even hotter, level… this book probably isn’t going to be your thing. There isn’t *much* of it… until there is. But when it is there, it is *there*.

And the ambiguity. Other than giving away that there is some here, all I’ll note about it is that I appreciated it. Obviously, some readers have to have every possible thread buttoned up exactly so. I’ve never been one of those, so I appreciate books that don’t do that since they are so rare.

Another thing that is going to be one of those that some will love and others will loathe is the seemingly forced LGBT inclusion here. I don’t personally have strong feelings either direction on should it be here, shouldn’t it be here, but it *did* feel a touch out of the blue and it never really added much to the story for me, but hey, maybe I’m the idiot here and it is the fact that sells the book for you. You do you there. Doesn’t affect me in any way at all.

Ultimately, I did think that this book largely works quite well overall, and I absolutely LOVE that La Rosa was stretching herself so far here and making everything work as well as it did. That is absolutely a mark of a strong storyteller, and a brave one that can at least stretch the norms of her established genre and try different things within it that are far from cookier cutter. And that is something I will always applaud any author doing.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: Not You Again by Erin La Rosa”

Posted on

#BlogTour: Otherwise Engaged by Susan Mallery

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a solid women’s fiction tale with a touch of romance where all four central characters are executed very well indeed. For this blog tour, we’re looking at Otherwise Engaged by Susan Mallery.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookBub.com / BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Solid Susan Mallery Women’s Fiction (With A Touch Of Romance). With Susan Mallery, you know pretty well exactly what you’re going to get. She basically has two styles, with a few wrinkles per style, and once you know which style and which wrinkle you’re in… well, if you enjoy reading a lot of variations on the same thing and are looking for the kinds of books that are essentially the reading equivalent of TV you can simply zone out and enjoy and know you’re not going to hit anything *too* complex or disturbing… Mallery is an author you’re going to love. Which long time fans will already know, but the above explanation was more for those newer to her or perhaps who haven’t read her books at all.

With this particular iteration, again, we’re more on the women’s fiction side, but even on this side of Mallery’s writing, romance is never far from the scene – indeed, it will always be close enough that technically the books can be (and generally are) marketed as romance tales, even when the women’s fiction side is actually more dominant in the overall story (as it is here).

Overall, I thought this was actually perhaps a touch more standout than typical Mallery, more dealing with the specifics at hand here that can’t be discussed too much without going into spoiler territory. But she absolutely nails the women’s fiction side, showing strong growth in each of her four central characters – not always easy to do with so many moving parts. So if you’re looking for a solid escape this holiday season – and have some time to invest in this near almost 370 page book – well, here’s yet another solid option.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: Otherwise Engaged by Susan Mallery”

Posted on

#BlogTour: The Perfect Hosts by Heather Gudenkauf

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a solid tale in its genre that has a bit of a chaotic and potentially controversial opening. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Perfect Hosts by Heather Gudenkauf.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookBub.com / BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Don’t Let Your Opinions Of Over The Top Gender Reveals, Guns, or Multi-Perspective Stories Fool You – This Is A Solid Book. Seriously, this is one of those books where the *opening scene* has a lot of ick for a lot of people – me included, to an extent. Indeed, I delayed reading this book for a week in part because of the very inciting incident literally listed in the first sentence of the description as of publication day earlier this week as I write this review. (Yes, I’ve had it as an Advance Review Copy for months and yes, I’m officially running behind. Apologies.)

You see, while I have exactly *zero* problems with guns and enjoy a good Tannerite explosion from time to time (on video, never experienced one in person), the over the top gender reveal and thus making a pregnancy a central point of this story… that was the ick for me.

And I was wrong.

Yes, the opening scene is complex and more than a bit confusing and perhaps even accurately labeled as hard to follow.

But the story opens up from there and becomes much easier to understand, even as it revolves around small town and family secrets and decades long mysteries all coming to a head.

Gudenkauf creates here a truly layered story with many things going on at the same time, in the mold of some of the best soap operas – and yet with a fair degree more danger involved.

Overall truly a fun book once one gets beyond the chaotic opening scene, one that plays very well within genre norms without really pushing the boundaries too hard. In other words, a perfectly comfortable read for genre fans that works well enough for those looking to see whether they enjoy this genre.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Perfect Hosts by Heather Gudenkauf”

Posted on

#BlogTour: The Hidden Daughter by Soraya Lane

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a strong tale that brings new elements to this series while also setting up its conclusion brilliantly. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Hidden Daughter by Soraya Lane.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / TheStoryGraph.com), SubStack, and YouTube:

Strong Penultimate Book In Series Brings In New Elements. This entire series of Lane combining both her historical side and her romance side have been truly excellent, and this one is no different there. What makes this one different from the rest of the series is that this one actually takes place comfortably outside the shadow of WWII… and is perhaps one of the more powerful books in the series because of this. Indeed, while it can sometimes be hard for modern audiences nearly a century removed from wartime horrors and tribulations to fully understand all that is happening inside a WWII setting, no matter how good the storyteller is, in bringing the story out of that particular shadow and in using a tragedy that is still rare but at least more relatable than total war, Lane makes this particular tale perhaps all that much easier to fully understand the depth of the tragedy here.

Once again, both historical and contemporary elements are done well and perhaps here blended even more seamlessly than the other books, due to the precise nature of what is happening within this one. Foodies will love the restaurant talk of having our FMC be a chef, and indeed her entire story is richly layered with all too relatable drama for far too many. Even the MMC, while not given remotely equal screen time, manages to have the main point of his backstory developed enough to be quite the gut punch when it is fully revealed.

Perhaps most exciting for fans who have been with this standalone-yet-interconnected-ish series since the beginning is the stinger in the epilogue here. On a scale ranging from “makes you not want the next tale at all to Infinity War’s “I need the next tale RIGHT TBIS FUCKING SECOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!”, this one ends not far off Infinity War’s level of build. With no release date given for the next book!

Which just means you have time to either read this book (if you’ve already been following along) or the entire series (if you haven’t) before the finale comes seemingly at some point in 2026. (Pure somewhat educated guess there.) When you read them, make sure to write your own reviews wherever you see this one. I clearly think this book and the entire series are truly excellent, and I’d love to see what you think too.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Hidden Daughter by Soraya Lane”