Nov 18, 2024

Weekly Spotlight - Turkey Day Reads

 

Boyfriend

The hottest player on the Moo U hockey team hangs a flyer on the bulletin board, and I am spellbound:

Rent a boyfriend for the holiday. For $25, I will be your Thanksgiving date. I will talk hockey with your dad. I will bring your mother flowers. I will be polite, and wear a nicely ironed shirt…

Now everyone knows it’s a bad idea to introduce your long-time crush to your messed-up family. But I really do need a date for Thanksgiving, even if I’m not willing to say why. So I tear his phone number off of that flyer… and accidentally entangle our star defenseman in a ruse that neither of us can easily unwind.

Because Weston's family is even nuttier than mine. He needs a date, too, for the most uncomfortable holiday engagement party ever thrown.

There will be hors d'oeuvre. There will be faked PDA. And there will be pro-level awkwardness…

Goodreads

 

  


A Match Made for Thanksgiving

Advertising executive Nick Wong enjoys living in Toronto. He loves late nights partying and taking women back to his penthouse. And so it is with great reluctance that he returns to his boring hometown of Mosquito Bay for Thanksgiving.

This year, however, is even worse than usual. His interfering parents and grandparents, frustrated with the lack of weddings in the family, have invited blind dates for him and his three siblings. Nick’s brother Greg has been set up with Lily Tseng, who just so happens to be Nick’s latest one-night stand, the one he can’t get out of his mind.

Although Nick has never been interested in settling down, Lily has him reconsidering. Perhaps he’s good for more than a single night of sex, dumplings, and bubble tea after all. But first, he has to get through this painful weekend with his family and convince her that she should be with him, not Greg…

Goodreads



With and Without You

If high school seniors Siena and Patrick were a superlative, they'd be the Couple Most Likely to Marry. They've been dating for three solid years, and everyone agrees they're perfect for each other. But with college on the horizon, Siena begins to wonder whether staying together is the best idea. Does she really want to be tied down during possibly the most transformative years of her life? So she makes a decision to break up with Patrick, convincing herself it's for the best. Before she can say the words, though, he beats her to the punch: his family is moving out of state. Caught off guard by the news, Siena agrees to stay with Patrick, believing their relationship will naturally fizzle out with time and distance. But over a series of visits throughout the school year, Siena begins to see a different side of Patrick--one that has her falling in love with him all over again.

Goodreads

Nov 14, 2024

Cover Reveal - Pieces of Us

 

Pieces of Us

To move forward, I’ll have to look back to our past…

I know I have to get myself out of this funk, but it feels impossible. My childhood best friend is dead and nothing in life is working out as I’d planned.

Then Lottie leaves me a ‘jar of joy’ in her will – filled with instructions to visit places where we had our happiest memories. But with every happy memory, I also remember the things that tore us apart.

Because Lottie was keeping secrets. And Jay – the man we both loved – keeps turning up at the same places. Even as I feel pieces of myself begin to heal, some wounds run too deep.

It’s time to make a change in my life, but can Lottie’s jar of joy really give me the strength I need?

A heartbreaking yet hopeful novel for fans of PS I Love YouThe Memory of Us and The Last Letter from Your Lover.


Pre-order Link - https://geni.us/PiecesOfUsBook

Publication Date: 27th February 2025

 

Author Bio
Eve Ainsworth is a public speaker, creative workshop coordinator and award-winning author who draws from her extensive work with teenagers managing emotional and behavioural issues to write authentic, honest and real novels for young people and adults. Eve’s adult debut, Duckling, was published by Penguin Random House in 2022. She has had short stories published in magazines such as Writers’ Forum and Prima and articles posted online for the GuardianMetro and BookTrust. Eve is also a champion for working class voices, has set up the Working Class Writers Network and is an experienced mentor.

 

Nov 11, 2024

Weekly Spotlight - Favorite Stand Alones of 2024

 


The Last Letter
Beckett,
If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have.

I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride.

My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. It’s not fair.
And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart. She’s going to need help.

So if I’m gone, that means I can’t be there for Ella. I can’t help them through this. But you can. So I’m begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family.

Please don’t make her go through it alone.

Ryan




The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck

“Be quiet and listen: He is cheating on you. The name of your soulmate is Alistair George Arthur Lennox. You will be passed over for the promotion. The winning numbers are 5-8-12-24-39-43. And I’m very sorry to tell you this, but you will die next Sunday.”

When Lilah Goodluck saves the life of Good Witch Willow as they’re crossing a busy L.A. street, the last thing she expects is five unwanted predictions as a reward. Who gives someone the winning lotto numbers then tells them they’ve only got a week to live? And who believes in that nonsense anyway?

But when the first three predictions come true within twenty-four hours, Lilah’s disbelief turns to mild panic. She’s further horrified when she nearly runs a car off the road that belongs to Alistair Lennox, who just happens to be the illegitimate son of the British king.

While Alistair is intrigued by her preposterous story, Lilah is adamant about resisting the heat between her and the playboy prince. If she denies he’s her soulmate, then the last prediction can’t come true, right? As the days count down, they become maybe friends…and then maybe more. But between the relentless paparazzi and some disapproving royals, finding time for love isn’t easy, especially when her days may be numbered.

Nov 4, 2024

Weekly Spotlight - My Anticipated Reads for November


The Courting of Bristol Keats
From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Mary E. Pearson comes a thrilling romantic fantasy full of dangerous fae, dark secrets, and addictive romance

After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an “aunt” she’s never heard of who promises she can help, she reluctantly agrees to meet—and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Even her father might still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures to a whole other realm—the one he is from.
Desperate to save her father and find the truth, Bristol journeys to a land of gods and fae and monsters. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae king, Tyghan. But what she doesn't know is that he's the one who drove her parents to live a life on the run. And he is just as determined as she is to find her father—dead or alive.




A Lady’s Rules for Ruin
She’s found the perfect plan to avoid marriage…
Miss Frances Cherrington has long been criticized as independent and prickly. And she’s fine with it. Truth be told, she’d prefer to be a spinster—damn her family’s desires. But it’s a conversation with the devilishly handsome yet highly infuriating Earl of Winthrop that inspires the perfect escape from her nuptial troubles. Frances could ensure that no one will marry her—by happily ruining her own reputation…

The Earl of Winthrop knows more about ruin than anyone suspects. He’s just uncovered a secret that would tear his name—and everything he’s worked for—to the ground. Certainly, marriage is out of the question…to say nothing of his growing attraction to the forthright and delectable Miss Cherrington.

Though all London is abuzz with Frances’s “disgrace,” she’s determined to use her freedom however she sees fit. Even if it means spending more time with a man who sets her body on fire. But when Frances’s misdeeds catch up to her, the ruinous disaster she finds herself in blazes out of control, taking all of her options with it.



 
The Heart of Stone
New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent returns with a brand new novel in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, Songbird and the Heart of Stone, where A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Dante's Inferno, in an epic fantasy romance of love and treachery between mortals and gods.

Mische lost everything when she was forcibly Turned into a vampire—her home, her humanity, and most devastating of all, the love of the sun god to whom she had devoted her life. Now, sentenced to death for murdering the vampire prince who turned her, redemption feels impossible.

But when Mische is saved by Asar, the bastard prince of the House of Shadow with a past as brutal as his scars, she's forced into a mission worse than execution: a journey to the underworld to resurrect the god of death himself.

Yet, Mische's punishment may be the key to her salvation. In a secret meeting, her sun god commands her to help Asar in his mission, only to betray him… by killing the god of death.
Mische and Asar must travel the treacherous path to the underworld, facing trials, beasts, and the vengeful ghosts of their pasts. Yet, most dangerous of all is the alluring call of the darkness—and her forbidden attraction to Asar, a burgeoning bond that risks invoking the wrath of gods.

As her betrayal looms, the underworld closes in, and angry gods are growing restless. Mische will be forced to choose between the redemption of the sun or the damnation of the darkness.




The Muse of Maiden Lane
A silver-haired equestrienne and a charismatic artist turn a scandalous bargain into a vibrant portrait of love.

Stella Hobhouse is a brilliant rider, stalwart friend, skilled sketch artist—and completely overlooked. Her outmodish gray hair makes her invisible to London society. Combined with her brother’s pious restrictions and her dwindling inheritance, Stella is on the verge of a lifetime marooned in Derbyshire as a spinster. Unless she does something drastic…like posing for a daring new style of portrait by the only man who’s ever really seen her.

Aspiring painter Edward “Teddy” Hayes knows true beauty when he sees it. He would never ask Stella to risk her reputation as an artist’s model but in the five years since a virulent bout of scarlet fever left him partially paralyzed, Teddy has learned to heed good fortune when he finds it. He’ll do anything to persuade his muse to pose for him, even if he must offer her a marriage of convenience.
After all, though Teddy has yearned to trace Stella’s luminous beauty on canvas since their chance meeting, her heart is what he truly aches to capture….

  

Nov 1, 2024

2024 November Reading Challenge

 

Launching our November challenge!

Here is a list of books to help you get started: 
 
Cozy Mystery: 
Suspicion by Alexandra Monir
A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales
Murder at the Bookstore by Sue Minix

Magical:
The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aguirre
The Book Jumper by Mechthild Glaser

Food on the Cover:
Cake Pop Crush by Suzanne Nelson
Shake it Off by Suzanne Nelson

We welcome you to comment your suggestions and tell us which spot your most excited for this month!



Oct 28, 2024

Weekly Spotlight - Legacy of Orïsha

 

 

Children of Blood and Bone
They killed my mother. They took our magic. They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

My Review

   

Children of Virtue and Vengeance 
After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.

Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari's right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy's wrath.

With civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point: she must discover a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart.

Children of Virtue and Vengeance is the stunning sequel to Tomi Adeyemi's New York Times bestselling debut Children of Blood and Bone, the first title in her Legacy of Orïsha trilogy. 

My Review

   

New allies rise.
The Blood Moon nears.
Zélie faces her final enemy.
The king who hunts her heart.

When Zelie seized the royal palace that fateful night, she thought her battles had come to an end. The monarchy had finally fallen. The maji had risen again. Zélie never expected to find herself locked in a cage and trapped on a foreign ship. Now warriors with iron skulls traffic her and her people across the seas, far from their homeland.

Then everything changes when Zélie meets King Baldyr, her true captor, the ruler of the Skulls, and the man who has ravaged entire civilizations to find her. Baldyr’s quest to harness Zélie’s strength sends Zélie, Amari, and Tzain searching for allies in unknown lands.

But as Baldyr closes in, catastrophe charges Orïsha’s shores. It will take everything Zélie has to face her final enemy and save her people before the Skulls annihilate them for good.


Oct 24, 2024

Book Blast: To Be Fair

To Be Fair
by Julieta Moss

In the autumn of 1997, Bogdan is a teenage Yugoslavian refugee who fled his country at just eleven to claim asylum in Italy. He does not know the fate of his family. He mainly relies on his old school friend Alessia, whose father employs him during the summer, and her boyfriend Guido, who is also his social worker.

A regular at the Caffe Fratelli where Bogdan works, James has lived in Italy for a couple of years escaping family problems after dropping out of University. He works as a cruise crew member, spending his time in between contracts sofa-surfing at Guido's, who grew up in James’ native Bristol.

After breaking up with his lover, James goes on a path of self-destruction neglecting his health. Bogdan tries to help him, and they begin an on-off relationship with disastrous consequences. Unable to let go despite knowing that James doesn´t take him seriously, Bogdan decides to travel to England with James to help him save the family business when his father becomes sick. But when the authorities come to deport Bogdan for overstaying his visitor VISA, will James rise to the challenge of saving the boy who risked everything to be with him?

  

END OF SEASON

North Italy, Early October 1997

 

James knocked lightly on the front door and watched how Alessia opened it shortly afterwards. Looking clearly fed up, she gave him a wan smile that felt more like an ugly grimace. Then she took the bottle of wine that he had brought, and cheek kissed him out of politeness, or maybe pity. James immediately knew she felt resigned at the prospect of another evening listening to his boring stories of months before. He only wished she knew how tired he was of telling them, as well. At that precise moment, he would have gladly traded his supposedly exciting career, travelling the world as a cruise ship host for a dull, normal life without a second thought. But since this was how things had played out, he might as well make the most of the prestige and extra spare cash that his lifestyle afforded him.

Behind James, Berndt sprang out like a breath of fresh air. He greeted Alessia holding her hand eagerly and kissing it delicately. Making her blush and grin, he handed her an exotic bouquet exquisitely tied with satin ribbons that he was hiding with his arms folded back. Alessia was so taken aback that she almost gasped as she grabbed the bunch, observing it with wide open eyes. She was looking very pretty with all that make up she had put on, James thought, despite being such a petulant child. And that made him even more annoyed when she fluttered her eyelashes at Berndt as she smelled the flowers. Although James was well aware that Berndt was just teasing her.

“Sit here till Guido cooks pasta.” She led them to their seats at the table in her less than perfect English. “Are you tired of trip?”

“We’re fine,” Berndt said. “After disembarking in Venice, we went straight to my apartment in Mestre to drop off the luggage. And the very first thing we did was take a nap before catching the train here. We wanted to be well rested for your debut tonight,” he added, smiling mischievously at James. But James was bracing himself for the boring half-hour live performance at her uncle’s piano bar that they were due to attend that evening.

“Good, good.” She smiled back, having probably understood a third of what Berndt had just said. Then she immediately disappeared into the kitchen, where her boyfriend Guido was making dinner.

James shook his head as she left and whispered to Berndt.

“Her English is just atrocious. I don’t know what Guido sees in her. Other than, you know, her obvious talent with the flute,” he giggled.

“At least she is trying, because my Italian is very rusty. I actually thought she was quite nice and attractive for your average Italian girl,” Berndt replied just before their host arrived with a different bottle of wine from the fridge.

“Nice to have you back, James!” Guido gave James a big hug as he stood up to greet him. “And I’m really glad to finally meet you, Berndt!” They shook hands. “Can I leave this one with you while I finish the linguine? It may be best to open this bottle until the other one has chilled. I won’t be a moment.” Guido left the wine on the table and returned to his kitchen.

“Not a bad choice for such a low price. Probably the best you could afford on a student budget.” James looked rather unimpressed at the bottle’s label, standing up again to rummage around on the sideboard.

“I know being a Swabian I should know my wines. But I’ve always been more of a beer person,” Berndt admitted, looking like he was not bothered.

“And so is Guido. His parents may be Italian, but he was born and bred in the UK, just like me,” James told Berndt before screaming loudly to ensure that his old flatmate could hear him from the kitchen, “By the way, where are all the cork screws I used to keep in the top drawer?”

“I moved them to the kitchen when my dad and I did the clear out after you left for Mestre,” Guido explained, returning from the kitchen. “He came from the UK in the summer to help me get rid of my nan’s stuff that was still lurking around.” He handed James the bottle opener before rushing back to his pan on the cooker.

“I thought the flat looked different without those hideous rugs and the old sofa cover that stank of mothballs,” James joked when Guido and Alessia returned to set the table. “No matter how much pot we smoked, we still couldn’t get rid of the stench!”

“I’ve also replaced the twin beds with a double.” Guido smiled, glancing at Alessia, who shyly looked down. “I’m afraid next time you want to stay over, you’ll have to make do with the sofa.”

“Don’t listen to him, Alessia,” James teased as he poured himself and Berndt a glass of wine each. “A good, respectable Italian lady should remain chaste until at least the proposal.” He made fun of her, knowing that she wouldn’t have understood most of what he was saying. “Or the ripe old age of twenty five, whichever comes first.” James clinked his glass with Berndt’s with a wicked smirk before adding, “No te capissi un klinz?” in the Triestino dialect, proving he could speak her obscure local jargon better than she understood his universally spoken language.

Guido shook his head in disapproval of his snobbery before bringing up the dreaded matter for James in an attempt to change the topic. “Now, tell me about all those exciting places you have been travelling to during your cruise ship contract.”

“Well, where shall we start?” Berndt replied excitedly, rubbing his hands.

“I go for food.” Alessia stood up to get the dinner from the kitchen, likely trying to avoid listening to the same old rants.

“I just can’t believe it’s over. You have no idea how hard it was to spend six months working at sea without a single day off,” James complained. “It was like an endless prison sentence. And now that I’m finally free to enjoy some time winding down, it’s the last thing I want to talk about.”

“Oh, come on, I know it was not easy for me either. People think second officers have the best job in the whole ship. And we would, were it not for the bridge watches in the middle of the night and then the boring, repetitive safety inspections. But we still had some great times, didn’t we?” Berndt beamed at James, trying to cheer him up a bit.

“The few moments I spent with you were the only thing I enjoyed,” James replied as he rested his head on Berndt’s shoulder affectionately, locking his sight on Berndt’s for a long while, as though the rest of the world had suddenly disappeared.

Berndt had the most angelic blue eyes and cheeky smile James had ever seen. Not to mention his cycle sculpted legs and the boldness James badly lacked, as a skinny, freckled redhead with a big, Aquiline nose. He couldn’t wait to fly back home to Bristol the following day and introduce Berndt to his dad and sisters. It had been a tough cruise season, but it all seemed worth it in hindsight.

After dinner, James invited Berndt to join him downstairs. They sat at the Caffè Fratelli opposite while Guido and Alessia washed the dishes at the flat. It was a small, old fashioned Italian bar with an exceptionally large terrace which would have been previously packed with both cruise ship staff and tourists. But since the opening of the lounge in the Cruise terminal a few months earlier, business had declined considerably, and Mr. Bolcatto, the owner, who also happened to be Alessia’s dad, had transferred most of the staff to his other businesses. Despite all this, it was still a firm favourite for James, because the bar tender who still worked there, a friendly young boy from the former Yugoslavia, made rather good coffee that they sold for a very reasonable price. Particularly when most of Trieste’s bar tenders were infamous for their rudeness, and the locals for their coldness towards strangers.

As soon as James and Berndt walked in, the waiter followed them to the outside terrace. It had been months since James had last seen him, but his reappearance at the Caffè Fratelli had never failed to bring a smile to the boy’s face. It didn’t matter that James could never remember his name and called him the Illyrian boy instead. He was always happy and cheerful and didn’t seem to mind. He was also extremely shy, he only exchanged just a few words with James when the bar was not too busy. But on a quiet evening like this one, it felt odd that he hadn’t greeted him with his warm ‘Hello’, the only word he could pronounce in English, as he often used to.

Avoiding eye contact, the young lad cleaned up their chosen table and took their order very hastily, looking rather uncomfortable, to say the least. Was he perhaps shocked to see James behaving in such a playful manner with his lover? Even in Italy’s heavily patriarchal society and with the north of the country embroiled in a neo-fascist resurgence, James had never faced any backlash yet for holding hands or kissing Berndt in public. Could it be perhaps that his strict religious upbringing had got the best of him?

He served their drinks politely and, instead of hanging around for a chat as James had become accustomed to, particularly when there were no other customers, the waiter returned to the door threshold. And from there, he spent most of the time pretending to be minding his own business.

“That linguine was amazing.” Berndt tapped his belly as he sat back on the chair to relax, “but I shouldn’t have finished your plate, too.”

“I know. Guido has always been a gifted cook.” James agreed as he poured his second glass. “He’s learnt it all from his mother. We’ll probably eat at their restaurant, the famous Trattoria Siracusa, tomorrow evening when we arrive at Bristol. My dad and sisters love it. Although knowing Martin, he’ll probably make up some excuse,” James added with a bittersweet smile, as he remembered his brother-in-law turned foe, eagerly looking forward to his well-deserved revenge. “I can’t wait to see his face when he finally meets you.”

“Isn’t he the friend who you tried to smooch one drunken night during fresher’s week?” Berndt laughed.

“That was a long time ago,” James quickly replied, mildly infuriated. “He can be a pain sometimes. If he mentions the war, just ignore him. You can always excuse yourself saying that you’re tired and leave early if you want. I’ve booked you an hotel nearby for the first two nights so my Granddad Frank won’t bother you either. Then we can hire a car and drive to the Cotswolds and spend the rest of the week on our own.”

“Oh, wow, you have everything carefully planned already,” Berndt began to say and James’ gaze immediately fixed on him expecting the worst. Could this mean that Berndt was backtracking again from going back home with him and meeting his family? James was beginning to wonder when Berndt quickly changed the topic, likely trying to distract him. “Don’t look now, but our cute little barman hasn’t taken his eyes off you since we arrived,” Berndt noted, rather amused.

 “It must be your imagination,” James dismissed him with a wave of his hand. “I wouldn’t pay him any attention. He’s just a kid.”

“But he won’t be a kid forever.” Berndt raised his eyebrows cheekily. “How old do you believe he is?”

“He used to go to school with Alessia. I guess he must be about seventeen like her,” James guessed, looking at his watch impatiently after nearly half an hour waiting for Guido and Alessia to join them. “That’s why we’re always stuck for places to go since they started dating, and almost always end up at the cinema. In Italy, most nightclubs will not allow entry to anybody who is underage, unlike Austria or Germany.”

“That’s why I believe the waiter must be at least eighteen. Otherwise, how is he allowed to serve alcohol and work this late?” Berndt guessed. “Let’s ask him. The loser buys the drinks. Waiter! Waiter!” Berndt shouted to attract his attention as the young boy began to walk away to serve new customers at the other end of the terrace.

“Could we have the bill please?” James asked in Italian, glancing at Berndt when the waiter returned to clear their table. “I don’t think he understands any English,” James explained to Berndt as the waiter left again with the empty glasses and bottle.

“Excuses, but how many years you are...?” Berndt asked in his awful Italian when he returned with the bill. The boy’s face instantly blushed, and James pretended to look elsewhere to cover his embarrassment.

“I’m sixteen,” He replied in a very hushed voice, looking down as though he was ashamed to admit it.

“The drinks are on me, then!” Berndt reverted back to English, leaving a bunch of bank notes that added up to more than double their bill.

After counting the cash, the waiter took the amount required to cover their drinks and, unaccustomed to receiving tips, an occurrence highly unusual in Italy, he made a gesture towards Berndt as though he had forgotten something. But Berndt simply winked at him before catching up with James, who was already on the way out, not wanting to be part of Berndt’s antics.

“What is the Italian age of consent anyway?” Berndt continued to make fun once they were a few yards away from the Caffè Fratelli.

 But James could not see the point of his joke. And besides, it was getting late, and they still had to catch the midnight train back after Alessia’s performance. They’d better go back to the flat and chase them. Hopefully, he could still get an early night ahead of their big trip the following day. He would need it if he was to remain calm when Martin’s sarcasm and his Granddad Frank’s hurtful remarks eventually made an appearance. After all, he didn’t want to scare Berndt away with his dysfunctional family.

  

Teaser
When somebody has risked everything to be with you, can you rise to the challenge of saving them?


About Julieta Moss
I am a translator who left Argentina 28 years ago to live in Spain for 12 years, before moving to the UK with my British husband 16 years ago. My passion has always been writing and reading stories, particularly those with a strong moral takeaway, and specially those with an immigrant narrative.


Purchase Links:

Book Blast by

 

Oct 22, 2024

A New Lease on Death

A New Lease on Death
by Olivia Blacke
  
Book: Supernatural Mysteries #1
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Pub Date: October 29, 2024
Genre: Adult, Mystery, Paranormal
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Book Links: Goodreads  Amazon
 
In this darkly funny supernatural mystery about an unlikely crime-solving duo that launches a commercial, unique, and genre-blending series, death is only the beginning.

Ruby Young's new Boston apartment comes with all the usual perks. Windows facing the brick wall of the next-door building. Heat that barely works. A malfunctioning buzzer. Noisy neighbors. A dead body on the sidewalk outside. And of course, a ghost.

Since Cordelia Graves died in her apartment a few months ago, she's kept up her residency, despite being bored out of her (non-tangible) skull and frustrated by her new roommate. When her across-the-hall neighbor, Jake Macintyre, is shot and killed in an apparent mugging gone wrong outside their building, Cordelia is convinced there’s more to it and is determined to bring his killer to justice.

Unfortunately, Cordelia, being dead herself, can't solve the mystery alone. She has to enlist the help of the obnoxiously perky, living tenant of her apartment. Ruby is twenty, annoying, and has never met a houseplant she couldn't kill. But she also can do everything Cordelia can't, from interviewing suspects to researching Jake on the library computers that go up in a puff of smoke if Cordelia gets too close. The roommates form an unlikely friendship as they get closer to the truth about Jake's death…and maybe other dangerous secrets as well.
 
My ReviewThis book was a fun, refreshing, funny and cozy read and I'm eager to read more.  

Cordelia is in her 40s, has an annoying roommate who's let all her plants die and is sitting outside waiting on her neighbor Jake to wake up as a ghost.   

Oh yeah, did I mention that Cordelia is a ghost?? Yep, a ghost who still hangs out in her old apartment and dealing with Ruby. Who doesn't quiet know she's got a ghost friend hanging out. That is until a green sweater proves her theory of Cordelia haunting the place. 

Together they try to figure out how to work together to solve Jake's murder. They aren't your typical crime solving duo, but they sure do make it work in their own way. I really liked watching Ruby and Cordelia work together. It has it's perks having a ghost a friend, even more so with Cordelia being kind to Ruby and watching Ruby grow on her, even if she did destroy nearly all her plants. 

Overall this was the kind of cozy mystery that can be read by the fire, snowed in or whatever reason. A quick read that it sure to keep you asking all the questions and wanting more of this lovely duo.

My Rating:
✪✪✪✪