Book Recommendations: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Book Recommendations

Welcome all to another new segment that I am starting on my blog. As the name suggests, this will be recommendations of books that I have read and enjoyed.

The recommendations will be from my own book shelf. I won’t be providing reviews, these will just be my pick each month of books that stood out for me. I am sharing these in a hope of connecting you with your next read or helping if you don’t know what to read next!


49628Cloud Atlas begins in 1850 with Adam Ewing, an American notary voyaging from the Chatham Isles to his home in California. Along the way, Ewing is befriended by a physician, Dr. Goose, who begins to treat him for a rare species of brain parasite. . . .

Abruptly, the action jumps to Belgium in 1931, where Robert Frobisher, a disinherited bisexual composer, contrives his way into the household of an infirm maestro who has a beguiling wife and a nubile daughter. . . . From there we jump to the West Coast in the 1970s and a troubled reporter named Luisa Rey, who stumbles upon a web of corporate greed and murder that threatens to claim her life. . . . And onward, with dazzling virtuosity, to an inglorious present-day England; to a Korean superstate of the near future where neocapitalism has run amok; and, finally, to a postapocalyptic Iron Age Hawaii in the last days of history.

But the story doesn’t end even there. The narrative then boomerangs back through centuries and space, returning by the same route, in reverse, to its starting point. Along the way, Mitchell reveals how his disparate characters connect, how their fates intertwine, and how their souls drift across time like clouds across the sky.

Serial Investigations Series Tour and New Release

SERIAL INVESTIGATIONS SERIES TOUR AND NEW RELEASE

by

Rhiannon D’Averc

Book 12 is due to be released on April 16.

Series Description

If you’re a fan of extreme slow-burn friends to lovers romance, high-stakes drama mystery thrillers, or sharply witty gay men, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Jump into the action from the very beginning with Bloodless, the first book in a series you won’t dare to put down.

Genre: M/M Crime/thriller

Trope: Slow burn friends to lovers

The stories should be read in order. Each one ends on a cliffhanger.

The stories have been updated and re-released in January 2023.

Overall Heat Rating for the series: 4 flames

Goodreads Series Link

Amazon Series LinksAvailable in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Continue reading “Serial Investigations Series Tour and New Release”

New Release Blitz: Overexposed by Alexa Piper

Title: Overexposed

Series: Vampire Tales 2

Author: Alexa Piper

Publisher: Changeling Press LLC

Release Date: April 14 2023

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 119 pages

Genre: Romance, Thriller/Suspense, Action Adventure, Dark Fantasy, Paranormal, Bisexual/Pansexual/Multisexual, Gay, Sorcery & Witchcraft

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

After the events that drew them together, Ethan and Auris have grown into their feelings for one another. On their quest to discover other supernatural beings, Ethan will have to do some healing after the violence he experienced, and Auris, in order to help the man he loves do so, will share his past with Ethan.

While their relationship deepens, the pair finds something in Prague that they had hoped for but not expected: traces of another vampire. But that discovery brings with it a greater threat and more things between light and shadow they will have to deal with.

Content warning: Overexposed contains brief mention of self-harm and suicide.

Continue reading “New Release Blitz: Overexposed by Alexa Piper”

New Release Blitz: My Heart’s Desire (A Yakuza Path Romance) by Amy Tasukada

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: My Heart’s Desire (A Yakuza Path Romance)

Author: Amy Tasukada

Publisher: Macarons & Tea Publishing

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow

Release Date: April 6, 2023

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Second chance romance, mafia, enemies to lovers

Themes: Coming out, forgiveness

Heat Rating: 2 flames

Length: 35 000 words

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Universal Link

Some high school romances just won’t fade.

Blurb

Some high school romances just won’t fade.

A high-ranking yakuza, Yuuki enjoys his relatively quiet job. If only his mother would stop asking for grandchildren. Unwilling to come out, he contemplates a sham marriage just to shut her up. After all, it’s not as if he’ll ever be lucky in love again.

Black-listed after his divorce, the only reason luxury suit designer Kazuki is still in business is his yakuza clientele. Desperate to find new clients, he starts looking for a collaborator for the upcoming fashion show. But who’s daring enough to partner up with him?

When Kazuki’s high school sweetheart walks into his shop, all those worries disappear. Although Yuuki has far from forgiven Kazuki for his past betrayal, Kazuki wants nothing more than to rekindle their love. But then he learns Yuuki is in the yakuza…

Can these two mend their love, or are they now too different to thread their lives together?

Buy to My Heart’s Desire to find out if they were always meant to be!

Continue reading “New Release Blitz: My Heart’s Desire (A Yakuza Path Romance) by Amy Tasukada”

New Release Blitz: Hope for Spring by S.E. Smyth

Title: Hope for Spring

Author: S.E. Smyth

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 04/04/2023

Heat Level: 2 – Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Female/Female

Length: 82100

Genre: Historical, Coming-of-age, Coming out, Criminals, Dark, Friends-to-lovers, Homelessness, Hurt/comfort, Illness/disease, Mental illness, #ownvoices, Road trip, Soulmates, Tear-jerker

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Description

Alex struggles with purpose and loneliness. In an act of desperation, betting on fate, she goes out into the streets of California looking for her friend Bob and to get lost in the world herself.

Her journey gives insight into the emotional underbelly of transient life and the unforgiving pulse of mental illness. Both things are daunting, but they are especially lethal when combined.

Continue reading “New Release Blitz: Hope for Spring by S.E. Smyth”

Book Review: Dusk Upon Elysium by Tamel Wino

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The world as we know it is forever lost. A deadly virus has scourged the planet and ravaged billions. Under the harsh ruling regime, survivors were “cleansed” and confined to isolated units, perpetually tormented by hunger, desolation, and desperation.

Among them is Geoff, a researcher for the trailblazing Paradiso, an authority-regulated virtual-reality program that allows users to momentarily escape their waking lives via implanted chips. He is devoted to perfecting the system—a vessel to preserve future hopes and dreams, where immense worlds prevail, brimming with vast possibilities.

But before long Geoff finds himself thrusted into the darkest recesses of these alternate realities, where he must confront not only his past but persevere against the unknown, fighting for his very existence.

Is all this magnificence just a grandiose illusion? Could there ever be salvation from the living hell into which mankind has plummeted?

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Dusk Upon Elysium by Tamel Wino


Review

Rating: 5 stars

*I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

When a deadly virus rips through the Earth’s population, the Government orders a mass evacuation known as the migration. Force into segregated units, the survivors work on the virtual world Paradiso, adding layers of programming so real that they begin to lose grasp on their actual reality. Yet there is something sinister in their new virtual world. Drawn to Paradiso by the pain of his loss, researcher Greg soon begins to experience this darkness masquerading as all he held dear. Can he find a way out of this nightmare and back to reality before it consumes him?

Dusk Upon Elysium is a real mind trip of a novel, combining a pandemic with a new virtual reality to combat the loneliness of being isolated. It was interesting how rather than find a solution to the current problems, the Government changed focus to building Paradiso and forcing the remaining population into a kind of servitude. Many things were left up to interpretation which included a lot of the reasoning behind all of this. My thoughts were that much of what we took for granted to be true in the novel was part of a Government plot to control the survivors. Some of the characters also suspected this, but fear of what might happen prevented them from asking many questions.

The world building was excellent and very imaginative. I could picture every detail and found myself fully immersed in the story. I enjoyed the characters and how they interacted with each other, albeit over video link rather than face to face!


The ending, as well as many aspects of the novel, was left open for the reader to decide for themselves. This may leave some readers feeling unsatisfied but for me I liked filling in the blanks and reaching my own conclusions.

 

Shari’s Life: Jurassic Park Pop-Up Shop

Shari's Life

On Friday, my sister and I made our first trip to London since 2019! We went to the Natural History Museum where they had a pop-up shop to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the first Jurassic Park movie!

image0We’re both massive Jurassic Park fans so it was like a dream for us! They had replica gates from the first movie at the entrance and inside a model of Blue as well as a cut-out of the T-Rex ! And of course lots of merch!  The merch ranged from t-shirts, toys, books, plushies, keychains, books, posters, license plates and much more! I bought a T-shirt, keychain, license plate and model Quetzalcoatlus. The model was quite pricey at £25 but its very high-quality so I didn’t mind too much!

After this we had a look around the museum but it was so crowded that neither of us felt that comfortable. I never really enjoyed all the crowds before Covid but now I’m hyper aware of them and I just didn’t enjoy it. Apart from this we did have a fun day. The pop-up shop is open until September and I would like to visit again if I can!

Book Recommendations: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Book Recommendations

Welcome all to another new segment that I am starting on my blog. As the name suggests, this will be recommendations of books that I have read and enjoyed.

The recommendations will be from my own book shelf. I won’t be providing reviews, these will just be my pick each month of books that stood out for me. I am sharing these in a hope of connecting you with your next read or helping if you don’t know what to read next!


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Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space-and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe-in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.

Book Review: Serial Investigations 1-5 by Rhiannon D’Averc

Boxset covers 1 - 5

If you’re a fan of extreme slow-burn friends to lovers romance, high-stakes drama mystery thrillers, or sharply witty gay men, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Jump into the action from the very beginning with Bloodless, the first book in a series you won’t dare to put down.

Purchase: Amazon.com


Review

Rating: 5 stars

*I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Some of you may remember I was introduced to Will and Ram back in 2020. Since then there have been 11 books in the series with the 12th one out on 16th April. Since I first read Books 1-5, they have undergone an overhaul with new scenes added and brand new covers! As I have reviewed books 1-5 previously, I will only be commenting on the changes here and will link my previous reviews below for you to check out.

First of all, the new scenes raise the heat level rather than the fade to black scenes that there were in the previous editions. I honestly did not mind the fade to black scenes, but I can see that perhaps many readers wanted more so adding in the scenes did make sense from that perspective. Also, they did add more to the series. For example, some more details of Ram’s random hook-ups also did do more to show that to him that is all they were – just a one night thing – and it also high-lighted his downward spiral from earlier on.

I really liked the new covers. It was great to see the author’s vision for both Will and Ram. Will looks pretty much how I imagined but Ram is quite different! I did like the old covers too, but these ones drew my eye more and will stand out better amongst others in the genre.

I really enjoyed re-visiting the first 5 books in the series and cannot wait to read the others!

Previous Reviews:

Bloodless (Serial Investigations #1) by Rhiannon D’Averc

Blood Evidence (Serial Investigations #2) by Rhiannon D’Averc

Blood Alcohol (Serial Investigations #3) by Rhiannon D’Averc

Blood Sucker (Serial Investigations #4) by Rhiannon D’Averc

Blood Sport (Serial Investigations #5) By Rhiannon D’Averc