REVIEW - EVEN IF WE'RE BROKEN - perfectly imperfect

Even If We're Broken by AM Weald

Date read: 12th April 2024

My rating: 5*
Genre I reckon: Healing Romance (archaeololgical)

Buy link: Amazon 

This is an amazing debut novel! And it tackles some hard-hitting topics. Within its pages, this book covers depression, anxiety, chronic pain, loss and fatphobia. And low steam btw.

Kate has been brutally dumped by her girlfriend at the start of this book. This only adds to her negative self-image and anxiety. 

But then she meets the guy who never quite was but got away anyway. He has his own issues. And a teenaged daughter as well.

There is a whole lot of caring and sharing. No magic fixes, just sensible starts on paths to recovery. 

I loved the sensitivity, both from the characters and the way in which the author dealt with all of the issues. And the details of the archaeology dig were fascinating. Oh, and a Norwegian male MC? Awesome. 

A charming, healing love story.

Norwegian Cowboy Ben for the win!!

Always in love and light,

Susan

MY NEW BOOK - LOVE IN THE ROSES

 

After two years of research and writing, it gives me tremendous pleasure to say that my medieval romance, Love in the Roses is now available!

I really wanted to explore love in 15th century England - were the Dark Ages really as miserable as they made out? I mean, how much joy can there be in a land before potatoes and coffee?? 

I have made it as historically accurate as possible. There is mild poetic license utilised for the sake of a good romance story, but when is that not the case, really? 

I think you can see from all the medieval research blog posts that I have invested a LOT of effort and care into this stand-alone book. 

So, what's it about? 

Isabel has never met her husband…

Their parents have arranged the marriage. But, when Isabel discovers who her intended is, it becomes apparent that he’s on the wrong side of the Wars of the Roses.

As a knight with honour, surely her father would not sacrifice their family to the House of Lancaster. Yet, to her horror, he insists upon the union with Sir William.

15^th century England is perilous – betrayal and ruin are only ever a heartbeat away. And death hides behind every door. Can Isabel survive and be a good wife, even when she’s married to the enemy?

Adventure through Medieval England in this intriguing story of love battling against all odds.

This is a stand-alone historical romance which contains an abundance of marital bedchamber antics.

The fictitious tale of a knight’s daughter, living life as it very well may have been in 1484.

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I really hope you enjoy this one. If you do, please don't forget to leave a review. 

Paperback also available on Waterstones and  Barnes & Noble. 

Always in love and light,

TL

REVIEW - GOOD BOY - who's a good boy?!

Good Boy by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

Date read: 18th January 2022

My rating: 4.5*
Genre I reckon: WAGs Romance

Buy link: Amazon 

I was missing my favourite book boys from my 2021 reading!! (see my review of Him)

Happily, 'Wesmie' feature in this new series by the same authors. Enough to satisfy my craving, yet not so much they take over this story. 

This one's about Jess; Jamie's sister. It starts with her planning the Wesmie wedding. 

It also features Wesmie's boisterous friend, Blake Riley. But he starts to be less smiley. Aww! 

Now, Jess is a little bit self-absorbed. And Blake is a bit pushy. So, this doesn't get the 5* rating the other books did. 

HOWEVER, it's a really lovely story. 

Blake is a better man than anyone gave him credit for. 

Jess has a worthy destiny. 

They balance each other beautifully. Plus, the sizzling chemistry - cheezus!

Not many authors have the power to really draw me into their world, and make me feel like I'm there as a side-character. But I totally feel like I'm part of this one (despite not being a sports fan!).

Always in love and light,

TL

MY BOOK - Love Gaia - The Diary Directive

Let me tell you about my latest book...

Like all of my novels, this one looks at love in a different way.
Love Gaia - The Diary Directive, is a post-nuclear war, dystopian vs utopian, environmental romance.
That's a bit of a mouthful, huh?
Well, it's a book of two aspects. In the distant future we have Aroha. She and her classmates undertake lessons to learn the harsh lessons of their past in order to safeguard their future.

They study the diary left by one of their founders, Dr. Rachel Rose.
She was once an oncologist at the Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool. That is, until government agents whisked her away to 'safety'.
Wrenched away from her family, she is forced into an underground city, The Bunker, in New Zealand. Life will never be the same again!

The authorities there, known as the GFA, tell them a meteor is about to strike and they've been brought there to protect the best humanity has to offer. But 'the best' is a subjective term. And the civilians heavily suspect there's no meteor at all, but in fact, World War III is taking place and it's nuclear.

But then, with the world's bee population wiped out, it was only a matter of time before the humans followed suit.
Is anything salvageable?

"Honesty, Respect, Fortitude" is the village motto and it's not without good reason.

And the little fella on the cover is the village symbol. He was specially created by the clever chap at Tattoo Tribes - below are the Maori symbols embedded within.

At the time of writing this blog post, Love Gaia is available for pre-order.
It's available for FREE in Kindle Unlimited and is also available in paperback online from Waterstones and Barnes & Noble.

Incidentally, this is launching during a global lockdown thanks to COVID-19.
Most of this book was written back in November before our own troubles began. And yet, there are eerie similarities. There's even mention of a survivor eating a bat (which is rumoured to be how COVID-19 began to spread)!!
Love Gaia is here to bring a message of hope though. To help people realise the potential of a better future.

Always in love and light,
TL