BLOG TOUR: Limerence (The Limerent Series Book 5) - LS Delorme

Kara and Dante.

 

You may not know them by name, but you know them by deed. You feel them in the space between dreams and reality, in the inevitable crawl of time.

They have burned continents and sunk kingdoms. They’ve been worshipped and feared. Those in power call them demons. Those above power call them monsters.

They aren’t human but they once were. To each other, they are survivors, eternal mates and lovers. Their attraction is at the very foundation of existence. 

When a virus older than memory returns, Dante must find a way to contain it before it injures Kara and corrupts the fabric of reality. Ghosts vanish, worlds shift, and the laws of physics can no longer be trusted.

As reality collapses, the two must return to the origin of their timeline to face the Abomination that still lurks there.

A richly woven fantasy about power, love, identity, and the weight of rewriting the world. 

What did I think?

Limerence is book five in The Limerent Series and, although I have read them all, you can read it as a standalone as this is Kara and Dante's story.  For anyone who has read the whole series though, there are some familiar faces as their various stories intertwine.

Kara can kill people with a single touch so you really don't want to get on the wrong side of her.  Her companion and lover Dante is a ghost and he is completely obsessed with and addicted to Kara.

There are some amazingly vivid scenes in the book as LS Delorme weaves her magic through the prose.  I half expected Kara's silver hair to start appearing between the pages as I was reading.  The mystery virus that infects both the living and the dead gave me the shivers and there are a few gorey scenes as various characters meet their demise.

Beautifully written and incredibly captivating, Limerence is stunning novel and a fabulous addition to this amazing series.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the Virtual Book Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BLOG TOUR: The Phantom's Bride - H. K. Sears

Her fate lies with one of two brothers, but whether it’s the murdered or the murderer, only she can decide.

Camilla Verne has secured the match of the season with her engagement to Valentin Steinbauer, the Duke of Anhalt. But there are disturbing rumours about her betrothed which she can’t ignore.

The delights of the Frost Fair come to London, and Camilla crosses paths with Finley Renwick, a storyteller struggling to make ends meet. They get off on the wrong foot, and Finley twists the rumours about Valentin into a story of murder and betrayal.

But Finley is no ordinary performer. He is a gifted word weaver, who has the power to spin ghost stories into life. The ghost of Valentin’s brother slips through the veil, and he has come for revenge.

When the ghost reveals his brother’s darkest secret, Camilla, once so excited about her upcoming wedding, is now determined to ruin it.

The Phantom’s Bride is a fast-paced historical fantasy that re-imagines Regency England as a world full of ghosts and magic. It is the first instalment of a YA trilogy, and is perfect for fans of Bridgerton and The Phantom of the Opera.

 

What did I think?

Wow!  The Phantom's Bride is one of the best fantasy books I have ever read.  It's an outstanding debut from H. K. Sears and a cracking first book in a trilogy - I hope she writes quickly as I am chomping at the bit to read more. 

Set in winter 1814 where The Frost Fair is being held on a frozen River Thames.  Although you wouldn't catch me walking on ice, it sounds completely magical and I loved the inventive and vivid depictions of the various sights and sounds a visitor to the fair would experience. 

The class divide is evident when Camilla Verne, who is set to become a duchess, meets word weaver Finlay Renwick.  Finlay throws Camilla's engagement into doubt when he releases a spirit during his storytelling about the duke and his brother.  Camilla doesn't know what to believe as there are disturbing rumours about the duke and we all know that there's no smoke without fire.

Ooooooh this book is so good.  It's scary, dangerous and riveting; some of the scenes would have had me hiding behind my virtual sofa if I could have torn my eyes from the page.  I loved the characters, the Regency era and the imaginative plot that is like a supernatural Bridgerton.  The writing is sublime and very accomplished for a debut novel.

Beguiling, compelling and incredibly entertaining, The Phantom's Bride is an incredible debut novel and a very exciting start to a magical trilogy.  A very highly recommended read; if you don't usually read fantasy The Phantom's Bride might make you change your mind.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the Bookstagram Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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Haunted World - Theresa Cheung

Paranormal expert Theresa Cheung shares 101 of the most mysterious and spooky true stories of hauntings from around the world together with the latest afterlife science and research, providing fascinating insight into our never-ending love affair with ghosts.

Belief in ghosts is surprisingly common worldwide. Mysterious glowing orbs, unexplained chills, things that literally go bump in the night: signs of paranormal activity have reportedly surged during the pandemic. As have specialist investigators, organised ghost hunts, eerie podcasts, TV shows and reports of everyday hauntings.

Sharing the details of some well-known and particularly mysterious hauntings together with some less-well-known tales and personal stories from her readers and listeners, Theresa explores these ghostly encounters through four categories of hauntings: residual, poltergeist, inhuman and intelligent.

With an introduction to modern parapsychology, a look at the latest science that digs deeper into our never-ending love affair with ghosts, psychic-themed self-help advice and ghost hunting tips, Haunted World is a timely and entertaining journey through the thrilling world of afterlife research.

 

What did I think?

This is a great book to read as the nights get darker and the spooky season approaches.  Let's just say I'm glad I read it during the day as I was creeped out enough, thank you very much.  It's a great book for dipping in and out of but I read it cover to cover as I couldn't put it down.

In this spooky virtual tour of 101 paranormal events from around the world, Theresa Cheung both captivated and chilled me with these ghostly tales.  There were some I had heard of but most of them were new to me.  I loved how each story is written concisely but often directing the reader to do some further research on the internet.  I would have read the book a lot quicker if I hadn't been googling to see the creepy photos. 

The book is split into four parts: residual, poltergeist, inhuman and intelligent.  Residual hauntings is the largest part as it's the most common type of haunting, that of past events playing on a loop, such as reports of the sighting of two young princes in the Tower of London.  The scariest haunting is that of the poltergeist that can move objects and people, but is often faked.  Equally scary perhaps (for me, at least) are the inhuman hauntings; things like dolls, paintings or other inanimate items.  I was particularly interested in the intelligent hauntings which suggest a level of consciousness remains when a person has died.

Whatever your interest or belief in ghosts, this is a very interesting and informative book.  It has a good spread of stories from around the world, although there are a few geographical bloopers that might annoy readers from Pontefract and Vancouver.  

Haunted World is chilling, goosebumpy read that both enlightens and entertains the reader and I highly recommend it for Hallowe'en reading.

I chose to read the paperback I received from Tandem Collective as part of a TikTok mailout and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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Ghosted - Emily Barr

Ariel's accidental meeting with a handsome stranger called Joe is completely perfect; they have a connection like she's never known before. They exchange numbers and agree to meet when he is back from a trip to France. But when Ariel messages him, the number Joe gave her is disconnected. He's ghosted her. She assumes she will never see him again.

Except she does. Again and again.

Ariel returns to the place she and Joe met, and is stunned to find him there, not in France as he said he'd be, and behaving as if he has no idea who she is.

It turns out that their first meeting has been life-changing for them both, actually it's even more than that for Joe. But what do you do when - with every day that passes - you're literally growing apart from the best person you've ever known . . . ?

 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, this beautiful book almost broke me; it’s so emotional and I struggled to hold in my tears at the end.  It’s a highly original love story and a very intriguing mystery that ensures the reader can’t bear to tear their eyes away from the page. 

Officially a YA book, Ghosted can also be read and enjoyed by adults.  Although the characters are teenagers, their age becomes irrelevant as I was swept away with emotion due to the beautiful love story.  I absolutely adored Ariel and Joe, a couple who appear destined to be together despite the years that separate them.

It’s like a cross between Groundhog Day and Ghost as Ariel and Joe meet each other for the first time, over and over again.  Joe went missing before his school trip to France and nobody knows what happened to him.  Ariel is determined to solve the mystery of Joe’s disappearance but in doing so, she might lose him forever.

Ghosted is filled with so much emotion that it is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.  The romance and mystery together is a winning combination and I would absolutely love to see it made into a film.  It’s a book I would read again and I can easily see it becoming a favourite book of mine; one that I will return to again and again to experience the wonderful story within.

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