Blog Tour: A Notable Omission by Isabella Muir

A 1970s debate on equality is overshadowed by a deadly secret...

Spring 1970. Sussex University is hosting a debate about equality for women. But when one of the debating group goes missing, attention turns away from social injustice to something more sinister.

It seems every one of the group has something to hide, and when a second tragedy occurs, two of the delegates – amateur sleuth Janie Juke, and reporter Libby Frobisher - are prepared to make themselves unpopular to flush out the truth. Who is lying and why?

Alongside the police investigation, Janie and Libby are determined to prise answers from the tight-lipped group, as they find themselves in a race against time to stop another victim being targeted.

In A Notable Omission we meet Janie at the start of a new decade. When we left Janie at the end of The Invisible Case she was enjoying her new found skills and success as an amateur sleuth. Here we meet her a few months later, stealing a few days away from being a wife and mother, attending a local conference on women's liberation to do some soul-searching...

Purchase Link
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Notable-Omission-Janie-Juke-mystery-ebook/dp/B0BQCLRYS6
US - https://www.amazon.com/Notable-Omission-Janie-Juke-mystery-ebook/dp/B0BQCLRYS6

Review

A fascinating little mystery with a likeable protagonist. 

Janie Jukes is a librarian, a mother, and a part time sleuth. She credits her love of Agatha Christie for any of her success, though it seems that this case is solved through solid police work, intuition, and being a good listener. With lots of little clues dropped, I guessed at the solution before the big reveal, but the story was no less for it.

It's an enjoyable read set in the 1970's, bringing second wave feminism to the forefront as Janie and her friends Libby attend a conference on Women's Rights. There are a heap of little references that signal the time period but even more telling are the attitudes! While it took me a little while to warm to reporter Libby (as a librarian, Janie caught my heart easily) I'm genuinely interested to see how things play out next for these two after their brush with Women's Lib.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Author Bio

Isabella is never happier than when she is immersing herself in the sights, sounds and experiences of family life in southern England in past decades – specifically those years from the Second World War through to the early 1970s. Researching all aspects of life back then has formed the perfect launch pad for her works of fiction. It was during two happy years working on and completing her MA in Professional Writing when Isabella rekindled her love of writing fiction and since then she has gone on to publish seven novels, six novellas and two short story collections.

This latest novel, A Notable Omission, is the fourth book in her successful Sussex Crime Mystery series, featuring young librarian and amateur sleuth, Janie Juke. The early books in the series are set in the late 1960s in the fictional seaside town of Tamarisk Bay, where we meet Janie, who looks after the mobile library. She is an avid lover of Agatha Christie stories – in particular Hercule Poirot. Janie uses all she has learned from the Queen of Crime to help solve crimes and mysteries. This latest novel in the series is set along the south coast in Brighton in early 1970, a time when young people were finding their voice and using it to rail against social injustice.

As well as four novels, there are six novellas in the series, set during the Second World War, exploring some of the back story to the Tamarisk Bay characters.

Isabella’s love of Italy shines through all her work and, as she is half-Italian, she has enjoyed bringing all her crime novels to an Italian audience with Italian translations, which are very well received.
Isabella has also written a second series of Sussex Crimes, set in the sixties, featuring retired Italian detective, Giuseppe Bianchi, who is escaping from tragedy in Rome, only to arrive in the quiet seaside town of Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, to come face-to-face with it once more.
Isabella’s standalone novel, The Forgotten Children, deals with the emotive subject of the child migrants who were sent to Australia – again focusing on family life in the 1960s, when the child migrant policy was still in force.

Find out more about Isabella and her books by visiting her website at: www.isabellamuir.com

Social Media Links
https://isabellamuir.com/
https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaMuirAuthor
https://twitter.com/SussexMysteries

Blog Tour: Berlin Calling by Lilo Moore

The song contest is hotting up, on and off the stage!

Rose writes twee pop, smiles a lot, and believes in magic and rainbows. When the cheesy love song she wrote is chosen for the European Song Contest, her luck seems to be turning around – especially when a chance encounter leads to the hottest one-night stand of her life. It’s almost too bad she’ll never see him again.

But then Rose discovers it wasn’t a chance encounter. The hot German DJ with the sexy deep voice is her rival for song contest glory.

Grumpy Emil is incredibly talented and the song he spins with his sister could be a winner, even if he doesn’t appreciate the playful spirit of the contest. As the continent falls in love with Rose and Emil’s competitive banter on social media, they must hide their history from the press or risk losing credibility – and a future songwriting career.

With an anonymous gossip out to ridicule the colourful contestants and a plot to undermine European public broadcasting bubbling under the shiny surface, Rose must be strong in the face of criticism and stand up for everything the contest means to her.

If this Canadian girl can save the contest, maybe she can believe that her feelings for Emil are the real deal.

Purchase Links
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berlin-Calling-Steamy-contest-romantic-ebook/dp/B0BN42SLN9/
US - https://www.amazon.com/Berlin-Calling-Steamy-contest-romantic-ebook/dp/B0BN42SLN9/

Review 

Sexy, funny, heartfelt and fun - this was an absolute blast from start to finish. Rose’s infectious optimism is irresistible both on the page and off, and her chemistry with Emil sparkles off the charts. I want to read more about these characters and wish them every success. Emil’s sister Daria definitely deserves her turn in the spotlight as she keeps stealing this one!

Yes, it’s full of tropes like one night stands, grumpy/sunshine and enemies to lovers. If you despise fun and look down on people who celebrate the little joys in life, this book may not be for you. However, if you have an interest in bubbly nineties pop, Eurovision (including Germany and the UK sharing a history of the bottom spot), and a clueless white girl doing her best and learning about herself and geopolitical tensions along the way, I think you’ll enjoy this book. I know I did!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via Rachel’s Random Resources; all opinions are my own. 

Author Bio

Lilo Moore is the steamy romantic comedy pen name of travel romance author Leonie Mack. She lives among vineyards in Germany, creating fictional worlds and counting down to her next trip.

Social Media Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilo.moore.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeonieMAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilo.writes.romance/
Mailing List - http://subscribepage.io/0EjRqT

Blog Tour: The Potter's House by by Hannah Ellis

Sometimes facing up to the past is the only way to create a better future…

Since the tragic death of his father, Lowen Treneary has kept to himself in his pottery studio on the remote island of Bryher.

His quiet life is just the way he likes it.

Until Pippa comes along.

The local café owner plunges his peaceful existence into chaos and brightens his days while she’s at it.

Soon, he has an employee livening up his workplace with her determination to make his studio more profitable… and a growing attraction to Pippa which he’s trying hard to ignore.

Just as he starts to warm to the idea of letting people into his life again, a crisis hits the island, causing old memories to crash to the surface.

Can the events of the present help to heal wounds from the past? And will Pippa still accept Lowen when she learns the secrets he’s been keeping from everyone around him?

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/ScillyBook4

Review

Four brothers in, and it feels like the Treneary lads are falling faster and faster, their family growing stronger and stronger after the tragedy that took their father's life and shattered their bonds of brotherhood.

Rather than grumpy/sunshine, for once we have grumpy/grumpy, with reclusive potter Lowen enjoying a quiet life until stressed cafe owner Pippa asks him to give her niece Mia a job. Mia definitely brings the sunshine - and the matchmaking - but life has loaded Lowen and Pippa with too much baggage to be ignored. There's careful handling of the weight of childhood expectations, even well into adulthood, along with the realisation that sometimes it was all in your head - and sometimes you need to let it out.

The delicate dance of two jaded people slowly realising they're falling in love plays out against the backdrop of the Scilly Isles, and it's poetic that they must each be reminded of the beauty right in front of them. I loved seeing the rest of the Treneary brothers (and their respective families), not just because  enjoyed their books but because it showcased the slow repair of the relationship between Lowen and his brothers. I can't wait to read Jago's upcoming book!

Dislaimer: I received a copy of this book via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Author Bio

Hannah spent many years working in childcare before deciding she'd like to write books. When she's not busy writing she likes to read, drink tea and eat chocolate. She also enjoys yoga and jogging.

Social Media Links
FB: https://www.facebook.com/authorhannahellis
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BooksEllis
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/authorhannahellis/
 

Blog Tour: Conveniently Wed to the Laird by Jeanine Englert (with UK/US giveaway!)

The laird’s bridal bid…

Is love too high a price to pay?

When new laird, Ewan Stewart, comes across a wife for sale at a market, he outbids everyone to rescue her. He never intended for Catriona to become his bride, but a convenient marriage could secure his clan’s future and her freedom. They agree that their arrangement must stay free of love, yet Catriona’s bravery and fire intrigue him. Can Ewan resist falling for his wife—the one rule he must not break?

Purchase Link - https://books2read.com/u/m2eyak

Review 

From an extremely inauspicious start to something infinitely more precious, this is sweet book about letting go of the past when a better future lies ahead. It's a great addition to the series and introduces an intriguing new cast of potential leads.

For Laird Ewan Stewart, his insecurity around filling his father's shoes and infidelity of a past love have left him scared to ever love again. Every time he even thinks about love, he lashes out or clams up. I loved that Catriona set strong boundaries in response to his hot-and-cold behaviour and stood up for herself after a painful life of loss and past abuse. Her reclamation of herself is a delight.

I would've liked a little more development and resolution to Ewan's development as Laird and Catriona's search for purpose. Catriona's insight looks like it could rub off on Ewan as she stands beside him and it would be great to see that play out on the page. I really enjoyed the blindfold scene and the intimacy it created between them. Also, Emogene needed a comeuppance.

The romance was sweet and satisfyingly fuelled by character development, with well-woven appearances from previous leads. I hope this isn't the last we see of these characters and their clans!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Author Bio
Jeanine Englert’s love affair with mysteries and romance began with Nancy Drew, Murder She Wrote, and her Grandmother’s bookshelves full of romance novels. She is a VIVIAN® and Golden Heart® Finalist as well as a Silver Falchion, Maggie, and Daphne du Maurier Award Winner in historical romance and mystery. Her Scottish Highland historical and historical romantic suspense novels revolve around characters seeking self-acceptance and redemption. When she isn’t wrangling with her characters on the page, she can be found trying to convince her husband to watch her latest Masterpiece or BBC show obsession. She loves to talk about books, writing, her beloved rescue pups, as well as mysteries and romance with other readers. Visit her website at www.jeaninewrites.com.

Social Media Links
FB: https://www.facebook.com/JeanineWrites
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeanineWrites
Website: https://www.jeaninewrites.com
Goodreads: Conveniently Wed to the Laird by Jeanine Englert | Goodreads
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jeanine-englert?list=about
Instagram: https://www.instragram.com/JeanineWrites

Giveaway to Win a Highlander Trio Prize Pack (Open to UK/ US Only)
Settle in to enjoy the complete Falling for a Stewart Trilogy along with some Scottish themed jewelry and book swag! Good luck and thank you for participating in the giveaway!
*Terms and Conditions –UK & US entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
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Review: Vanessa Jared's Got a Man by LaQuette

Vanessa Jared took her emotionally abusive ex to the cleaners and never looked back. Sure, her self-confidence is in tatters, but she has two fellow divorcees who have her back. Her quiet life is interrupted when Michael Park turns up on her doorstep. His little sister is engaged to Vanessa's ex and Michael needs Vanessa's help to expose him before the wedding.

I loved that the leads were a little older and are racially diverse. I definitely disliked Michael's overprotective streak as Vanessa was still recovering from being under her ex's thumb, but what (perhaps irrationally) annoyed me was the coincidences around Michael being sheriff of the same small town where Vanessa's friends grew up, actually they went to high school together and ran in similar circles, actually he has two friends who have always struck sparks off her two friends... It felt contrived and distracted from what was actually quite a cute story about two closed off people opening up to each other.

Overall this was a sexy and fun read that mostly hit the spot. It's a great debut and I think the author has far to go!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.