Category: Blog Tour

Dying To Bake by Helen Golden – #BlogTour

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Blog Tour, Contemporary, Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

Book Blurb

Bake Off Wars is back! Get your aprons on and let the sleuthing begin!

Vera Bolt, Queen of Bakes, dies unexpectedly aged 66

In a shocking announcement this afternoon, Vera Bolt’s agent confirmed that the Bake Off Wars judge and national treasure died yesterday. Ms Bolt was in the process of filming the next series of the hugely popular television show at Francis Court, the home of the King’s sister and her family. It’s believed that the renowned pastry chef was stabbed in the heart, and the main suspect is rumoured new royal girlfriend, Summer York. What am I supposed to do? Lady Beatrice has promised DCI Richard Fitzwilliam that she won’t get involved in the investigation into Vera Bolt’s death. But when her brother’s new love interest, Summer York, becomes the top suspect in Vera’s murder, Fred begs Bea to find out who the real killer is. In a race against time, can Bea navigate a labyrinth of secrets and lies, evade danger, and safeguard her friendship with Fitzwilliam? The answer may determine not only Summer’s innocence but also the fate of Bea’s and Fitzwilliam’s burgeoning feelings for each other.

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Author Bio

Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in a small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my stepdaughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my stepson, and our tortoise. I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it. It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes.

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Barbara’s Review

It seems those Bake Off shows just can’t catch a break.  The latest series of Bake Off Wars is being filmed at Francis Court estate, a compound that is home to Her Royal Highness Princess Helen and her husband, their son Fred, and their daughter Beatrice, widowed Countess of Rossex.  The filming has only made it through one episode before one of the judges is murdered.  Oops!  The victim, sixty-six-year-old Vera Bolt, is not well-loved on the set, so there is a plethora of suspects.

With Richard Fitzwilliam still recuperating from the gunshot wound he received in an earlier case, a new detective is assigned from the special force that is responsible for protecting the royals.  DCI Hayden Saunders is a man with a chip on his shoulder and he doesn’t appreciate help or input from anyone – even a royal.  Oops!

Bea and her best friend and business partner, Perry Juke, swear to stay out of the investigation – and they keep to that vow until it becomes personal.  The disagreeable DCI Saunders almost immediately zeroes in on Summer York who is a presenter on the show – and Bea’s brother’s girlfriend.  When Fred asks for help – how can they say no?

This is another excellent addition to this author’s A Right Royal Cozy Investigation series.  The characters are warm and inviting and feel more and more like family with each new book – especially with the lovable West Highland Terrier, Daisy.  I was so excited to see the relationship between Fitzwilliam and Bea take a significant step forward and I will be looking forward to the next book to see the progress there.  The mystery was excellently plotted and there were plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing until the end.  While this can be read as a standalone book, I highly recommend reading the series in order from the beginning to get the full feel for the characters and their relationships.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

    The Lady’s Proposal to the Laird by Jeanine Englert ~ BLOG TOUR

    On By TracyIn #Giveaway, Blog Tour, Contests/Giveaways, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

    The Lady’s Proposal for the Laird

    A betrothal bargain

    With the Highlander from her past

    When Susanna Cameron needs to thwart her brothers’ plan to marry her off, she turns to her childhood sweetheart, Laird Rowan Campbell, with a daring proposal—to be her pretend betrothed! In exchange, she’ll help the now-hardened Rowan get revenge on the man who killed his family. The only flaw in Susanna’s plan—their returning attraction!   

    Purchase Link

    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.

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    Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website ~ Goodreads ~ BookBub ~ Instagram

    Giveaway

    Giveaway – Escape to the Scottish Highlands with a Cuppa and a Cow (Open To UK/US/Canada)

    Enjoy reading a signed print copy of The Lady’s Proposal for the Laird with a beautiful Scottish tea cup and the companionship of an adorable matching Highland Cow made by Tom of Loch Ness designs in Scotland! 

    *Terms and Conditions –UK. US & Canada 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.

    Tracy’s Review

    The Lady's Proposal For The Laird (Secrets of Clan Cameron, Book 2) (Mills & Boon Historical)The Lady’s Proposal For The Laird (Secrets of Clan Cameron, Book 2) by Jeanine Englert

    My rating: 3 of 5 stars

    Series: The Secrets of Clan Cameron, #2

    Release Date: March 26, 2024

     

    Susanna Cameron and Rowan Campbell once shared a youthful infatuation that ended badly when Rowan proposed, and Susanna rejected him at her father’s command. They both went on to find new loves, but once again her father refused to let her marry the man of her heart, he even went as far as to send her love, Jeremiah on a suicide mission, which lead to his death, and crushing Susanna’s heart. Always volatile, Susanna became cold, and calculated, refusing to ever wed or forgive her father. After her father’s death, her brother Royce became laird and began to look into his father’s dealings and made a discovery that changed their lives forever and gained him a wife. But secrets were discovered, secrets that Royce fear will destroy his family and to protect them, he is demanding that Susanna wed. She demands answers and when none are forthcoming, she enlists the aid of her first love, the now widowed Rowan Campbell. She wants him to pretend to court her so they can learn what Royce is hiding and in exchange, she will help him gain vengeance on the man who murdered his wife and son. It is the perfect arrangement, because she knows she will never love again and is sure Rowan feels the same, so they will both get what they want and part ways. What could go wrong?

    Rowan Campbell loved Susanna with the whole of his young heart, but she rejected him and then fell in love with one of her father’s soldiers, leaving him brokenhearted. It was over a year later before he met Anna and fell in love again, this time with a passion that he had never experienced, they wed and had two children, happiness seemed to be a given. But tragedy struck when a neighboring laird attacked and killed Anna and their son Keir, leaving Rowan devastated. Their loss was more than he could bear, his grief was all consuming and he lost himself to madness. His clan stripped him of the Lairdship and his young daughter was cared for by his sister. It was two years before he finally regained his position, but even now four years after their deaths, the grief and anger are festering and he doesn’t believe he will ever find peace until the MacDonald is dead, he goes through the motions of life for the sake of his daughter, Rosa, the only light in his bleak life, but otherwise, he has no desire to move on with his life. When Susanna approaches him with her scheme, he is surprised that he still feels desire for her, which makes him wary of spending time with her, but the temptation of killing Audric MacDonald is too great and he agrees. Maybe once he has vanquished Audric, he will finally be able to move on and be content.

    This book is not what I thought it was going to be, it is a very heavy, emotional read and I was not really prepared for that, so this review might seem as if I didn’t like the book, but I did, I just didn’t love it. The writing is great, and I really believed that Susanna loved Jeremiah with all her heart, just like I believed that Rowan loved Anna the same way – I would even say that Susanna and Jereimah as well as, Anna and Rowan were soulmates – that said, a I felt that a lot of the book focused on the love that the primary characters had for other people, with a depth that seemed to make both of them emotionally unavailable, which made it hard for me to really believe that they fell in love with each other. My heart broke for both of them and I was happy that they both found a way to move on from the past and their crippling grief, but I just didn’t feel the romance between them. I am sure it doesn’t help that I am more of a “soulmate” type romance lover – I know that love after love is possible, and that there are different types of romantic love, but for me, when I am reading a romance, I want that “you are the love of my life, my other half, my soulmate” type of love. So that’s on me, not the author. This is the second book in the series, but I think it could be read as a standalone title with no problem, but if you can, read the books in order.

    *I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*