BLOG TOUR: All Wrapped Up - Heidi Swain

In Wynbridge, the scent of autumn is on the breeze and love is in the air…

 

Clemmie Bennett has been renovating beautiful Rowan Cottage on the outskirts of the small town of Wynbridge, for eighteen months following a very public heartbreak back in her childhood hometown. The popular Instagram influencer, lost her husband, sold their home, and has been cosied up the Fens and living a very private life, but now she feels it’s time for a change.

 

A chance encounter with co-owner of The Cherry Tree Café, the bubbly Lizzie Dixon, pulls her into organizing Wynbridge’s first-ever Autumn Festival, and her once quiet life is soon a distant memory. With the whole town rallying behind the event, she discovers a new sense of purpose.

 

And when local vet Ash falls hard for Clemmie, she begins to wonder if she’s ready to move even further on from her past and fall in love again…

 

This autumn, cosy up with Heidi and this perfect seasonal romance. 

 

What did I think?

There is a Heidi Swain book for all seasons and her twenty-first novel All Wrapped Up is Heidi's first autumn book.  It is filled with colour, fun and community spirit and I adored my visit to the fictional Norfolk town of Wynbridge.

Reading a Heidi Swain novel is like catching up with old friends as there are returning characters from other books as well as an introduction to new characters in the current book.  Every book can be read as a standalone but it's lovely to recognise names from previous books I have read.

Clemmie loves autumn so much that she has an Instagram account dedicated to this colourful season.  After a tragedy in her personal life, she wants to remain anonymous and has moved to Wynbridge to heal at her own pace.  Wynbridge has a way of working its way into your heart and it isn't long before Clemmie becomes a valued member of the community when she is tasked with organising the Autumn Festival with the local vet Ash.

There is amazing chemistry between Clemmie and Ash but Clemmie has her reasons for keeping their relationship a platonic one.  The magic of Wynbridge might have other ideas though and rather than a 'will they/won't they' I got definite 'when will they' vibes.  Well it wouldn't be a Heidi Swain book without a good sprinkling of romance, would it?

Beautiful inside and out, All Wrapped Up is a veritable love letter to the often overlooked season of autumn and it left me with a smile on my face and a warm glow in my heart.  It has certainly made me fall in love with the season more after seeing it through Heidi's pumpkin coloured glasses.  I highly recommend that you snuggle up with Heidi Swain this autumn!  

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: The Transcendent Tide (The Enceladons Trilogy) - Doug Johnstone

It’s been eighteen months since the Enceladons escaped the clutches of an American military determined to exterminate the peaceful alien creatures.

Lennox and Vonnie have been lying low in the Scottish Highlands, Ava has been caring for her young daughter Chloe, and Heather is adjusting to her new life with Sandy and the other Enceladons in the Arctic Ocean, off the coast of Greenland. But fate is about to bring them together again for one last battle.

When Lennox and Vonnie are visited by Karl Jensen, a Norwegian billionaire intent on making contact with the Encedalons again, they are wary of subjecting the aliens to further dangers. But when word arrives that Ava’s daughter has suffered an attack and might die without urgent help, they reluctantly make the trip to Greenland, where they enlist the vital help of local woman Niviaq.

It's not long before they’re drawn into a complex web of lies, deceit and death. What is Karl’s company really up to? Why are sea creatures attacking boats? Why is Sandy acting so strangely, and why are polar bears getting involved?

Profound, ambitious and moving, The Transcendent Tide is the epic conclusion to the Encedalons Trilogy, and a final showdown between the best and worst of humanity, the animal kingdom and the Encedalons. The future of life on earth will be changed forever, but not everyone will survive to see it...

 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, I really didn't want this fantastic book to end so I was torn between gobbling up every word as if I hadn't read for months and savouring every single word so I could make it last longer.  The Transcendent Tide is the perfect ending to an epic and unforgettable trilogy.

You do need to read the books in order to get the most out of the incredibly powerful storyline and to fully understand the characters, which is why I felt so many different emotions whilst reading.  I was shocked, angered and upset as I lived and breathed every moment of this magnificent journey with Sandy, the Enceladons and their friends.

The writing is flawless and the plotting sublime as Doug Johnstone takes the reader on a memorable journey through the Arctic.  I felt like I needed my thermals on as I kept getting goosebumps as the vivid scenes were described.

Haunting, poignant and powerful, The Transcendent Tide is a highly original book and an outstanding finale to an epic trilogy.  It has a tentacle in so many genres that it will appeal to all readers and leave a lasting impression.  I can award nothing less than five stars for this amazing novel.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Orenda Books

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Doug Johnstone is the author of 18 previous novels, most recently Living Is a Problem (2024) and The Collapsing Wave (2024). The Big Chill (2020) was longlisted for Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, and Black Hearts was shortlisted for the same award. Three of his books, A Dark Matter (2020), Breakers (2019) and The Jump (2015), have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year.  

He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions over the last decade, and has been an arts journalist for over twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with six albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club, and has a PhD in nuclear physics. He lives in Edinburgh. 

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Witchborne - Rachel Grosvenor

In medieval Locklear, Agnes harbours a dangerous secret—she can touch fire without being burned. As war rages beyond the town and whispers of witchcraft echo through its streets, Agnes navigates arranged marriages, rivals' schemes, and the threat of the hangman's noose.

When a desperate bargain with a local widow goes awry, Agnes's world erupts in flames—she is accused of witchcraft. In a society that fears female power, can Agnes find the strength to forge her own destiny?

 

What did I think?

I absolutely loved Rachel Grosvenor's magnificent debut, The Finery, so I couldn't wait to read her next novel, Witchborne and it is as stunning as I thought it would be.  I love novels about witches/healers and their persecution so Witchborne is going straight on my favourites list.

17 year old Agnes has been born with the gift of fire but it's a gift that she must keep hidden or she will be accused of being a witch.  With her brother away fighting in the war against the crown, it falls to Agnes to bring back respectability to her family by being matched with the tanner's son at the Spring Feast.  Nobody asks Agnes how she feels about this, she is just expected to go along with the arrangement.

Agnes is very feisty and I loved her.  She shouldn't have to keep her gift hidden but the consequences of showing who she really is could be deadly.  It's heartbreaking to think how women were treated in the past and even something as innocent as visiting a local healer to help conceive could see both women branded as witches.  It made me ask myself the question: "What makes a woman a witch?" and the answer "the church" springs to mind.  Heaven forbid people should believe in something other than whichever god is being forced down their throats.

Mesmerising, compelling and immersive, Witchborne is a hugely atmospheric novel that immediately draws the reader in and refuses to let go.  I really couldn't put it down once I picked it up and I read it in two sittings (it would've been one sitting if I'd picked it up earlier in the day).  A very highly recommended read and another magnificent novel from Rachel Grosvenor.

I received a gifted ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Fly on the Wall Press (use code BOOKMAGNET10 for 10% off)

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

COVER REVEAL: The Pumpkin Pact - Charlie Dean

It's the 1st of September and the start of autumn so I'm delighted to be taking part in the Rachel's Random Resources cover reveal for The Pumpkin Pact by Charlie Dean.  Scroll down to have a look at the cover and to find out more about the book.

Doesn't it look gorgeous?

Here's a little bit about the book:

Welcome to The Pumpkin Patch at Pickle Grove.

Andi is worried that her relationship with Drew has become dull and boring. They never do anything exciting these days, in or out of the bedroom. So when a swoon-worthy stranger appears she is instantly swept off her feet.

When they unexpectedly meet again, they realise they have more in common than they thought possible so draw up a pact to spice up their lives! The plan they conjure up while working together at The Pumpkin Patch, to make their partners jealous, brings them closer than ever.

Andi plucks up the courage to finish with Drew but there are no signs of Andrew doing the same and she thinks she’s lost him forever.

With meddling exes, misunderstandings and miscommunication getting in the way, can The Pumpkin Pact bring them back together?

Purchase link:

https://amzn.eu/d/iAh5Mtx

Follow Charlie Dean on X:

https://twitter.com/CharlieADean