Category Archives: Book Reviews
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston – Blog Tour Book Review
About the Book
Florence Day is a ghost-writer with one big problem. She’s supposed to be penning swoon-worthy novels for a famous romance author but, after a bad break-up, Florence no longer believes in love. And when her strict (but undeniably hot) new editor, Benji Andor, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye.
Although when tragedy strikes and Florence has to head home, the last thing she expects to see is a ghost at her front door. Not just any ghost, however, but the stern form of her still very hot – yet now unquestionably dead – new editor.
As sparks start to fly between them, Florence tells herself she can’t be falling for a ghost – even an infuriatingly sexy one.
But can Benji help Florence to realise love isn’t dead, after all?
About the Author
Ashley Poston writes stories about love and friendship and ever after a. A native to South Carolina, she now lives in a small grey house with her sassy cat and too many books. You can find her on the internet, somewhere, watching cat videos and reading fan fiction.
AshPoston.com
Facebook and Instagram- HeyAshPoston
Twitter – AshPoston
What I Thought
Well. What can I say. Ashley Poston has done it again – I’m not sure I was ready for a book with a squatty potty reference 😂 – but I’m here for it (it’s good for the digestion!).
I am a huge fan of Ashley’s YA Geekerella series which uses fandom as a backdrop to her romances. Now with this foray into adult fiction we have publishing as our backdrop but with some additional supernatural goings on. This makes this a perfect spooky season read.
This is the second book recently I’ve read where I can reference Ghost Whisperer as a comparison (see my review of middle grade book The Whisperling) and I’m not at all mad about that – what with it being one of my favourite shows.
Florence Day has grown up around death – literally. Her family run Days Gone Funeral Home (excellent name) and both her father and her see dead people walking around like regular people! Hounded out of her small town because of this gift, Florence headed to the big smoke and tried to turn her love of writing smutty X-Files fan fic into a career in romance fiction. After her first novel doesn’t take off in quite the way she’d hoped she ends up ghostwriting (lol) for a hugely successful romance writer. We meet her as the last book on that contract is due – but the thing is she has writer’s block. How can you write romance when you’ve had your heart smashed?
Florence’s ex is a despicable piece of work who deserves much worse than he gets in my opinion. Seriously he makes my blood boil.
Pulled back to her home after a family tragedy she finds a ghost on the doorstep of her family home but this ghost is very out of place and unwelcome. After all he didn’t give her an extension on her novel! Rude. It’s her very hot editor Benji Andor who on first meeting him the words “climb him” were screamed by her inner voice – although sadly that turns out not to be possible when you can’t touch a ghost. But is it possible for the spirit of romance to be reignited? No spoilers here but I was satisfied with the journey Florence went on.
I will say that this was perhaps a slightly slower start than we’ve grown used to but the payoff makes it worth it and Ashley’s writing is easy to read and comforting.
This mixes the best echoes of Christmas Hallmark movies (but with Halloween vibes in April – and not Christmas), Sweet Home Alabama and A million funerals and a wedding! I loved this exploration of complex family relationships, small town gossip and an incorporeal romance. Poston brings her humour and pop culture references naturally across into the adult sphere where she can be a little more spicy (although only in small doses – we don’t actually get any of the X-Files smut on the page! More’s the pity).
The small town of Mairmont with its doggie Mayor (this needs to become a thing – the world would be so much kinder) becomes a character itself and I fell in love with it too. I loved the incidental non binary and queer characters because there was no negative focus on this – they just were and this is what the world should be.
If the Reader Discussion questions are anything to go by keep your fingers crossed for a sequel and more Mairmont. I’d equally be happy with other books following some of our side characters.
Although grief is a big theme in this story the book itself is hopeful and not macabre and focuses very much on death as part of life. In the author’s note Ashley Poston talks about her fear of death which I very much share – so to write such a book must have been a therapy session as much as it was reading it.
A huge thank you to Ashley for this piece of magic and to HQ Stories for the gifted copy for the purposes of an honest review. Do check out what everyone else on the tour thought.
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The Whisperling by Hayley Hoskins – Blog Tour Book Review
About the Book
When you’re dead, you’re dead. When you’re gone, you’re gone. Unless, of course, you’re not. And that’s where I come in.
The year is 1897, and Peggy Devona can speak with ghosts.
She hides her gift from those afraid of a girl with such powers, terrified of the secrets the dead could reveal through her. But when her best friend is accused of murdering her rich mistress, Peggy knows only she – a whisperling – can save her.
Peggy escapes to her uncle’s psychic emporium in the city, seeking out new ghosts to help her solve Sally’s case.
Yet time is running out, and each step towards uncovering the truth also brings Sally one step closer to the gallows. . .
About the Author
Long listed for the Bath Children’s Novel award, Hayley Hoskins writes in the space between family and work, with much support from her writing group.
Mum to a teenage boy, she spends a disproportionate amount of time hoping that her son’s life is far less complicated than those of the characters in her books, and trying to ensure he becomes a ‘good egg’.
Originally from the Forest of Dean, Hayley lives with her family and hairy breezeblock of a dog in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/HayleyHoskins
What I Thought
Spooky season is upon us and The Whisperling is a great addition to a spooky TBR. Set in Bristol in the Victorian era we start with Peggy (Margaret Devon’s) and her best friend Sally having a disagreement and then Sally goes silent on her. But it’s not just a case of Peggy being sent to Coventry, instead Sally has been charged with murdering her mistress and is set to hang.
Peggy is a Whisperling and she can see and speak to ghosts and witness their burn (where they head to the next plane of existence) but although signs around town suggest that people are to accept any Whisperlings amongst them people still remember when witches roamed and dictating inclusion does not inclusion create. Especially not with judgemental clergy spouting about the devil.
For her own “safety” Peggy joins her estranged uncle in the city and is set to work at his Psychic Emporium with Oti and Cecily. The Victorian fascination with Spiritualism led to a lot of hokey seances but what happens when a real Whisperling is added to the mix?
The thread of mystery runs alongside with the urgency of solving the murder to clear Sally’s name before she hangs. There’s a Q&A with the author at the back of the book that talks about her inspirations and some of the real life cases of young girls receiving a death sentence. Add in the threat of ‘The Righteous’ – Whisperling Finders and there is plenty of peril for a middle grade tale.
The villain of the piece may be who you expect but there’s enough red herrings along the way to keep you guessing. In fact there’s a really early gasp inducing moment that gets twisted (although I think it would have also made an interesting story to go with what I thought had happened).
I really liked the family story alongside this too. With Peggy’s father not having trusted her with the family secrets, mysterious pictures of her uncle and mother and a generational line of whisperlings – not to mention the not quite spectre with raven hair.
This is like a middle grade Ghost Whisperer and it is left open for more stories of whisperlings past, present and future. I’ll definitely check them out when they appear.
A nod must also go to Kristina Kister for the stunning cover design which makes me hope to see this as an animated film.
A huge thanks to Blue at Kaleidoscopic Tours and the publisher Puffin for the gifted copy for the purposes of an honest review. Do check out the rest of the tour stops to see what everyone else thought or to read some extracts.
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Regency Faerie Tales by Olivia Atwater – Blog Tour Series Review
I’m absolutely delighted to be on the blog tour for this charming and comforting book series set in the Regency period with the hunt for a suitable match very much the order of the day – but with added faeries. Please do skim read the later synopses to avoid slight spoilers for the earlier books.
About the Books
Book 0.5 – The Lord Sorcier
(Novella – included in the back of Half a Soul)
How the Lord Sorcier came to get that title. Focuses on his relationship with his best friend in the midst of battle with the French.
Book 1 – Half a Soul
It’s difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you’re a young lady with only half a soul.
Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment – a condition which makes her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season – but when the strange, handsome and utterly uncouth Lord Sorcier discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into dangerous and peculiar faerie affairs.
If Dora’s reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all of high society, then she may yet reclaim her normal place in the world. . . but the longer Dora spends with Elias Wilder, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love, even with only half a soul.
Bridgerton meets Howl’s Moving Castle in this enchanting historical fantasy, where the only thing more meddlesome than faeries is a marriage-minded mother.
Book 1.5 – The Latch Key
The Lord Sorcier ponders fatherhood whilst remembering his own childhood with a faerie father.
Book 2 – Ten Thousand Stitches
(Novella – download after newsletter signup)
Faerie godfathers are supposed to help young ladies find love. Unfortunately, no one told Lord Blackthorn that.
Effie has most inconveniently fallen in love with the dashing Mr Benedict Ashbrooke. There’s only one problem; Effie is a housemaid, and a housemaid cannot marry a gentleman. It seems that Effie is out of luck until she stumbles into the faerie realm of Lord Blackthorn, who is only too eager to help Effie win Mr Ashbrooke’s heart. All he asks in return is that Effie sew ten thousand stitches onto his favourite jacket.
Effie has heard rumours about what happens to those who accept help from faeries, but life as a maid at Hartfield is so awful that she is willing to risk even her immortal soul for a chance at something better. Now, she has one hundred days – and ten thousand stitches – to make Mr Ashbrooke fall in love and propose. . . if Lord Blackthorn doesn’t wreck things by accident, that is.
From the author of HALF A SOUL comes a whimsical faerie tale set in a magical version of Regency England, with an enchanting Cinderella twist.
Book 3 – Longshadow
Proper Regency ladies are not supposed to become magicians – but Miss Abigail Wilder is far from proper.
The marriageable young ladies of London are dying mysteriously, and Abigail Wilder intends to discover why. Abigail’s father, the Lord Sorcier of England, believes that a dark lord of faerie is involved – but while Abigail is willing to match her magic against Lord Longshadow, neither her father nor high society believe that she is capable of doing so.
Thankfully, Abigail is not the only one investigating the terrible events in London. Mercy, a street rat and self-taught magician, insists on joining Abigail to unravel the mystery. But while Mercy’s own magic is strange and foreboding, she may well pose an even greater danger to Abigail’s heart.
From the author of HALF A SOUL comes a queer faerie tale romance full of love and defiant hope. Pick up LONGSHADOW, and return once more to Olivia Atwater’s charming, magical version of Regency England.
About the Author
Olivia Atwater writes whimsical historical fantasy with a hint of satire. She lives in Montreal, Quebec with her fantastic, prose-inspiring husband and her two cats. When she told her second-grade history teacher that she wanted to work with history someday, she is fairly certain this isn’t what either party had in mind. She has been, at various times, a historical re-enactor, a professional witch at a metaphysical supply store, a web developer, and a vending machine repairperson.
Searching for more Regency faerie tales? Sign up for the Atwater Scandal Sheets at oliviaatwater.com and get ongoing updates, along with the exclusive novella.
What I Thought
Sharing my thoughts in the order I read and the order I also recommend you read them. I have tried to keep these spoiler free although later book reviews may spoil the earlier ones.
In summary I loved how quick these were to read and how well they fitted into the mixed genres. I also really enjoyed the mix of subtle social commentary alongside the romance. I can definitely see me returning to these time and again.
Half a Soul
This was an excellent first book and I loved everything about it. It definitely gave me Pride and Prejudice vibes. The relationships / both romantic and of friendship were engaging and dynamic.
Dora is autistic coded and although there seems to be a quest for a cure to her ‘Half a Soul’ I felt that this was subverted in a positive way.
The mystery of the sleeping sickness amongst the children in the workhouses also added an extra element of suspense and was satisfyingly resolved.
The Lord Sorcier
Definitely read this one after Half a Soul, mainly because it has quite a different feel being a war story and focusing purely on friendship rather than romance. Loved to see more of the history that we got snippets of in Half a Soul.
The Latch Key
Parenting is hard and are we doomed to make the same mistakes our own parents made, or can we learn from them? That’s the theme of this short tale that follows on from Half a Soul.
Ten Thousand Stitches
Initially I was a little unsure about this one but with very appropriate reason as it turns out. I can’t really say why without spoilers but I did ending up loving this too.
This does focus on different characters so could be read as a stand-alone.
I enjoyed the focus on the serving class too and Downton Abbey vibes were strong here.
Lord Blackthorn made a very engaging faerie godfather and it was fun to learn societal etiquette along with him.
This had a great female friendship in it and the focus on righteous anger concluded in a positive way.
Longshadow
It was great to return to some of the characters from book one, and particularly to see Abigail older. We also have a return to the mystery element of book one as well as a queer romance and magic galore.
Proving oneself to your parents and finding your place in the world also come through as strong themes so I do feel that this one read as the most Young Adult of the three.
Again this can be read as a stand-alone but I think you will get more from it having read Half a Soul first especially as Lord LongShadow first appears as an ominous presence there.
All three female protagonists have agency and inner strength and the romances are swoon worthy but also not about changing the fundamental part of who these women are. Being accepted for your authentic self is a theme that runs through these stories.
If you like the sound of this series here are some more historical fantasy books to check out.
Recommended by Me
Recommended titles in the books
A huge thank you to Tracey at Compulsive Readers and publishers Orbit for the gifted copies for the purposes of an honest review. Do check out the rest of the tour and see what everyone else thought.
kirstyes 