Monday, June 16, 2025

#BookReview ~ The Island of Hopes and Dreams by Kate Frost ~ #ContemporaryRomance #Romance @katefrostauthor @rararesources @BoldwoodBooks


The Island of Hopes and Dreams

When the beginning of the end is just the start…


About the Book:

Newly single Lola Wild has had her fill of well-intentioned matchmaking friends. Her best friend Mirabel’s hen weekend highlights all that’s wrong with Lola’s life and she knows something has to change.

With Mirabel’s luxurious wedding in Sardinia fast approaching, Lola is looking forward to switching off, spending time with her friends and keeping her non-existent love life off everyone’s agenda.

Meanwhile, fellow wedding guest Rhys Strickland has his own problems. So when a chance encounter brings Rhys and Lola together they decide to help each other out.

To the idyllic backdrop of white sand beaches and azure bays, they bond over shared heartache, and friendship blossoms as they attempt to navigate the hurt and hard truths of past relationships.

Opening up their hearts and embracing change might be the last thing they expected, but what if a holiday of make-believe can turn into something real?

A heart-warming and uplifting story of vulnerability, self-renewal and finding love when you least expect to.


 My Review:

The Island of Hopes and Dreams enchanted me, lifted my spirits, and reminded me of the importance of friends. The story is wholesome but also includes past trauma that affects both main characters, Lola Wild and Rhys Strickland. Both are single, having not been in relationships in some time, however, the phantoms of their latest breakups threaten them from around every corner. 

Lola unceremoniously left her ex after realizing his controlling nature. Unfortunately, she didn't leave before he broke her spirit, obliterated her confidence, and created a chasm between her and her family and friends. Lola's friends are well-meaning but continue to pressure her to find love. She's not allowed herself to open up nor is she willing to look for love, despite her friends' attempts.  Her best friend, Mirabel's, wedding in Sardinia is a chance to escape the oppressive atmosphere, relax, unwind, and celebrate. If only that were true.

Rhys was left broken-hearted by someone he loved. He's spend the last few months trying to come to terms with the end of the relationship. However, who he thought was the love of his life is part of his friend group. He now has to be around her during the pre-wedding and wedding festivities. The time spent in Sardinia to celebrate Fabs' marriage to Mirabel is supposed to be special but revelations regarding his ex and one of his friends attempts to spoil the celebration.

Lola and Rhys are drawn to one another. When they find solace away from one of the first events of the week, it's unknowingly at the same location. A connection is made and, in an effort for Lola to get her friends off her back, and for Rhys to try and mask his unease, they form a fake relationship. 

I absolutely adored The Island of Hopes and Dreams. While significantly focusing on Lola and Rhys, there are other themes threaded throughout the book. There is the wedding, of course, but even that comes with issues. I love the union of both friend groups and how they get along. The author wrote a wonderful story of learning to work through the past so it doesn't affect your present or future. The characters were perfectly crafted, three-dimensional, and created with depth, personality, and purpose. The setting was well-described, providing a very romantic atmosphere. This story is entertaining and I was engaged from the very beginning.

I was provided with a copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.


My Rating:




Purchase Link:



Meet the Author:


Kate Frost is the author of several bestselling romantic escape novels including A Greek Island Escape, and An Island in the Sun. She lives in Bristol and is the Director of Storytale Festival, a book festival for children and teens she co-founded in 2019.

Social Media Links:

Facebook: @katefrostauthor

Twitter: @katefrostauthor

Instagram: @katefrostauthor

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/KateFrostNewsletter

Bookbub profile: @KateFrost




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Saturday, June 14, 2025

Mystery at an Irish Wedding: Half Moon Bay Mysteries by L.C. Winters ~ #CozyMystery #Ireland @L_C_Winters

 

Mystery at an Irish Wedding: Half Moon Bay Mysteries by L.C. Winters

About Mystery at an Irish Wedding:

 

Mystery at an Irish Wedding: Half Moon Bay Mysteries

Cozy Mystery

1st in Series

Setting - Ireland 

Independently Published (January 13, 2025)

Print length ‏ : ‎ 378 pages

Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DT1CVWLM

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"Wedding dresses, ex-fiancés, and a whole lot of murder—just another day in Half Moon Bay"

Therapist Clementine Moriarty thought her return to the whimsical seaside town of Half Moon Bay, nestled in cozy Donegal - would be a chance to reconnect with her roots, spend time at her parents' charming little seaside art gallery and heal from heartbreak. But her homecoming is anything but peaceful when she stumbles upon an unwelcome surprise—her ex-fiancé, Greg, is getting married to her best friend, Charlotte, on the very beach where Clementine was supposed to say "I do."

Through a series of unexpected twists and turns, what starts as a personal nightmare soon spirals into an intriguing mystery. An anonymous email had lured Clementine back home, but who sent it and why? As the wedding unfolds, tensions simmer, secrets surface, and Half Moon Bay’s picturesque façade begins to crack. When someone turns up dead with a series of baffling clues and puzzles, Clementine finds herself the role of unlikely detective as she becomes the prime suspect.

With the help of a heartwarming, blue-haired artist and her sharp intuition, Clementine must navigate a maze of jealous exes, local gossip, and buried betrayals to uncover the truth amid the charming and Whimsical backdrop of Donegal. But in a village where everyone has something to hide, will this quirky crime-solving team be able to unmask the killer before it's too late?

Perfect for fans of small-town mysteries, vibrant characters, clever clues, and a touch of romance, Murder at an Irish Wedding will keep you guessing until the final page.

About L. C. Winters

L.C. Winters is the pen name for Laura Cavanagh & Colin Vaughan. We are from Ireland, and we aim to bring our culture, cozy Irish atmosphere, legends and history into our stories. We write cozy mystery romance novels. Our focus is on creating a set of clever clues with twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end. Our first series is called 'Half Moon Bay Mysteries and it is set in a small, seaside village in Ireland. Our stories promote a romanticised view of small-town life with a host of eccentric, lovable characters.

As avid mystery fans (we love the classics like Agatha Christie as well as modern cozy authors like Richard Osman), we love deciphering clues and trying to beat the detective to figure out who commited the crime. So we decided to create mysteries with a complex set of interrelated clues which are delivered in an easy to follow story. We hope that the ending of each of our mysteries is both a surprise and, at the same time, feels inevitable and 'right'.

Laura has a degree in Psychology and this is reflected in our protagonist Clementine who uses her Psychology know-how to figure out the motives, secrets and inconsistencies in each suspect.

With our cozy fiction, we aim to create heartwarming stories with lovable, quirky characters in a nice, soothing environment. Wherever you are when you are reading our stories, we hope to whisk you away to beautiful, picturesque Ireland to the seaside county of Donegal!

Author Links:

Webpage - lcwinters.com

Purchase Link:


Series Purchase Link:


TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

June 12 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
June 12 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
June 13 – Christy's Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
June 14 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
June 15 – Boys' Mom Reads! – REVIEW
June 16 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
June 17 – Jane Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 18 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 19 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 19 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
June 20 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW
June 20 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 21 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
June 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST
June 22 – Frugal Freelancer – AUTHOR GUEST POST
June 23 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
June 24 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
June 25 – Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books – REVIEW 
June 25 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER GUEST POST a Rafflecopter giveaway

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K!ll Beth by Jon Cohn ~ @JonCohnAuthor @RABTBookTours #RABTBookTours #KillBeth #JonCohn #Horror



Kill Beth by Jon Cohn

Horror/Psychological

Date Published: June 12, 2025

Publisher: Deadbolt Books




About the Book:

After a horrific incident fifteen years ago, theater director Mike O’Brien never planned to return to Seattle. But when his estranged best friend sends him a script he can’t ignore, Mike finds himself back in the city with a spotlight on his troubled past.

As rehearsals begin, so do the nightmares. Strange figures keep him up at night, the production is plagued by one horrific accident after another, and everywhere he goes he can’t help but see the same message: Kill Beth. The strange thing is, Mike doesn’t know anyone named Beth, or how he could ever be capable of killing anyone.

When his world descends into chaos, Mike has to ask if he’s being haunted by his past, or if there is some sinister force working behind the curtain to derail his life.


About the Author:

Jon Cohn is a horror novelist and professional board game designer. His works include 2024 Indie Book Brawl Quarter-Finalist Slashtag, and the much less popular, but award winning novel The Island Mother. He gets his best ideas from a tarot reader who lives in Hawaii.

As a designer, Jon is very excited to finally be able to merge horror books and board games together by bringing Ghostland to life as a board game, coming to Kickstarter. He’s also designed games like Thanksgiving, co-designed with Eli Roth, Basket Case and Taboo Horror.

Order autographed books, and get updates for new games and upcoming novels at www.joncohnauthor.com. Sign up for Jon’s newsletter for free short stories and games, and follow at @joncohnauthor on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok .

Jon lives in San Diego with his supernaturally patient wifeDelaney, and their adorable dog, Miss Cordelia Chase.

He would also love to give you free stuff like stories, audiobooks, and games by signing up for his mailing list at www.joncohnauthor.com.


Contact Links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Pinterest

Instagram

 

Purchase Link:

Amazon


RABT Book Tours & PR


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Thursday, June 12, 2025

Dot Slash Magic by Liz Shipton ~New Adult, Urban Fantasy #NA #UF #Magic @XpressoTours

Dot Slash Magic
Liz Shipton
Publication date: August 19th 2025
Genres: New Adult, Urban Fantasy

A new, spicy urban fantasy from TikTokker Liz Shipton, perfect for fans of I am Number Four, Wreck it Ralph and ACOTAR.

What if you wrote a magic computer program? What if that magic computer program started summoning monsters?

When twenty-something coder Seven Jones goes back to school at a community college in San Diego, the last thing she wants is to join some stupid club. And the last thing she expects is to walk into an underground magic club. Like, actual wizards and shit.

Seven reluctantly joins the motley crew of magic weirdos and discovers her own power. But she struggles to control it…until she figures out how to channel her magic through an artificially intelligent computer program.

Unfortunately, there is literally nothing Seven’s new friends hate more than AI, and when a student mysteriously turns up dead, blame falls on Seven. Is her “creepy artificial magic” summoning terrifying creatures to hunt students? Or is someone trying to frame her?

With only one person – cute ex-Navy seal Logan – on her side, Seven fights monsters (Dragon? Check. Kraken? Check) while struggling to convince everyone that her AI has nothing to do with them.

But how can she convince her peers when she isn’t totally convinced herself?

Add to Goodreads 

Purchase from Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo


Meet the Author:

Hi! I'm Liz. I'm a freelance writer, indie author, and full-time, off-grid, live-aboard sailor. I’m currently sailing around the world with my boyfriend and my dog, turning my real-life adventures into speculative fiction.

I feel extremely grateful to be able to explore the world as I do, and I love incorporating the experiences, places, and people I encounter on my travels into my work.

I also use my books as a means to explore themes of mental health, addiction, technology, climate change, and the looming collapse of society (but, like...in a fun way.)

When I'm not penning novels about the impending apocalypse, I work as a freelance content writer specializing in articles about code, music theory, and off-grid living. On the rare occasion I'm not writing, you can find me swimming, hiking, telling my dog I love her for the bazillionth time today, or watching Taskmaster.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok


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Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Charm City Spouse's Club (A Charm City Mystery) by Pamela Kyel ~ Cozy Mystery

 

Charm City Spouse's Club (A Charm City Mystery) by Pamela Kyel

About Charm City Spouse's Club:

 

Charm City Spouse's Club (A Charm City Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

2nd in Series

Setting: Baltimore, Maryland

Publisher: ‎ Wild Rose Press (April 2, 2025)

Paperback: ‎ 254 pages

ISBN-10: ‎ 1509260013

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1509260010

Digital ASIN: ‎ B0DTKQ8L8W

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Special Agent Laci Duvall, AFOSI, thought it was supposed to be a lighthearted baseball game between the Air Force and Army Special Investigative Teams. But things took a deadly turn when the president of the local military spouse’s club was found dead in the women’s bathroom—stabbed with a plastic pink flamingo. Now, Laci will work with the Army Criminal Investigative Division to find who hated the woman enough to leave her in a public restroom. Was it the spouse who ran against her for the presidency or a fellow club officer sick of her cruelty? The list of suspects increases by the minute, and Laci learns there is no loyalty when it comes to social climbing—military spouse’s style.

About Pamela Kyel:

Pamela Kyel was born and raised in Edgewood, Maryland—north of Charm City. It’s a running joke when you live near a large, well-known city—you tell people that’s where you’re from. So, unofficially, she’s from Baltimore! Since her spouse’s retirement from the military, they call Wisconsin home, where they have two daughters and two cats, Daisy and Ernie. You can follow along with her on her website, www.pamelakyel.com.

Author Links:


Purchase Links:


TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

June 2 – Infinite House of Books - SPOTLIGHT
June 3 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
June 4 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
June 4 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 5 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
June 6 – Frugal Freelancer – AUTHOR GUEST POST
June 6 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 7 – Boys' Mom Reads! – REVIEW
June 8 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
June 9 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 10 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
June 10 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
June 11 – Christy's Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 11 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 13 – Deal Sharing Aunt – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 14 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
June 14 – Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
June 15 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thank you for supporting Sapphyria’s Books.