BBNYA Blog Tour Spotlight: Perception Check by Astrid Knight

Happy Sunday, friends! As part of the BBNYA blog tour hosted by The Write Reads, I’m very excited to spotlight the BBNYA 2023 winner Perception Check by Astrid Knight. I’ve had this on my radar since last year and I can’t wait to read it when my schedule clears up! ๐Ÿ˜Š

Special thanks to the tour organisers for having me on tour!

About the Book Blogger’s of the Year Award (BBNYA)

The BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.  If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website or Twitter. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Perception Check (The Mages of Velmyra Saga #1)
Publication Date
: 24 May 2022
Genre: New Adult Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

๐Ÿ“– SYNOPSIS

Her favorite tabletop roleplaying game is real, and her kidnapped childhood best friend is trapped in a far off land. Will she be able to save her? Let’s roll initiative!

Violet Spence wants nothing more than to have a normal life. After witnessing her childhood best friend get abducted by monsters, thatโ€™s easier said than done. At twenty-three years old, Violet cannot seem to move past that fateful night ten years ago. Her only solace is Mages of Velmyra, a tabletop roleplaying game filled with goblins, fairies, and all-powerful magicians. But of course, thatโ€™s all fantasy.

Or, so she thought. As it turns out, the land of Velmyra is very real and the home of the monsters that took her best friend.

With the help of her friends (and the creator of the game itself), Violet must navigate the once-fictional creatures and powerful mages of Velmyra to retrieve a set of ancient relicsโ€”all in the hopes that the journey will lead her back to her friend. But for Violet, fighting monsters and magic workers doesnโ€™t seem nearly as terrifying as confronting her own demons. And sheโ€™ll soon realize fighting the battle within herself can be just as tough as those fought against demigods.

Perception Check is the magical first installment of the Mages of Velmyra Saga, great for fans of Dungeons and Dragons, Critical Role, and The Magicians. With endearing and hilarious characters, an exploration of mental health and trauma, LGBTQ+ representation, gut-wrenching twists, and a whirlwind of an ending, you will never want to leave the world of Velmyra.

โš ๏ธ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Perception Check deals with the topics of mental health (specifically depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidality) with mentions of childhood sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and animal violence.

๐Ÿ“š BUY A COPY
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BBNYA Blog Tour Review: A Rose Among Thorns by Ash Fitzsimmons

Happy Saturday, friends! I’m very excited to share my review for A Rose Among Thorns by Ash Fitzsimmons as part of the BBNYA blog tour hosted by The Write Reads.

Special thanks to the tour organisers for having me on tour and to the author for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

About the Book Blogger’s of the Year Award (BBNYA)

The BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.  If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website or Twitter. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

A Rose Among Thorns (Hall of Thorns #1)
Publication Date
: 19 April 2022
Genre: Adult Cosy Fantasy Mystery

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

๐Ÿ“– SYNOPSIS

Rose Thorn should never be left unsupervised around plants. Potted things tend to die around her as if on principle. But when her great-aunt calls and asks Rose to watch her garden nursery for a few days, Rose can hardly say no. After all, Aunt Lily is the closest thing Rose has to a grandmother โ€” and the only family she has left โ€” so Rose doesnโ€™t mind driving out to her tiny mountain town to look after the place.

Aunt Lily never mentioned anything about an inspection, however.

Rose is taken aback when an agent from an organization sheโ€™s never heard of arrives and panics to find Aunt Lily missing. As it turns out, Aunt Lily hasnโ€™t been entirely straight with Rose. Sheโ€™s not visiting a sick friend โ€” sheโ€™s in danger and on the run. She keeps a hidden greenhouse on the property in which she grows highly regulated magical plants. And sheโ€™s an elfโ€ฆas was Roseโ€™s grandfather.

Though stunned to witness magic at work and shocked that no one ever divulged the family secret, Rose refuses to abandon the nursery until her great-aunt is safely home. But as she and the agent, now awkward housemates, try to keep up their cover story and find the missing grower, they realize that whatever led to Aunt Lilyโ€™s disappearance might not be the only magical crime in progress.

And while Rose has no green thumb, another talent of hers may be buddingโ€ฆ

โš ๏ธ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Kidnapping, captivity, death of parents (recounted), bullying (recounted), gun violence, imprisonment, compulsion (magical)

๐Ÿ“š BUY A COPY

TL;DR: A Rose Among Thorns is a great beginning to a cosy fantasy mystery series. The characters were entertaining, the banter was pretty cheesy but so fun, and the fantasy elements were rather light, making it perfect for those who want to read more fantasy but don’t want to get bogged down by expansive world-building. It has great appeal for a wider audience and I can see why it got second place in the BBNYA competition! ๐Ÿ˜ I enjoyed this much more than the start led me to expect and I’m keen to continue with the series!

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Blog Tour Review: Academy Arcanist by Shami Stovall

Happy Saturday, friends! Today I’m excited to share my review for Academy Arcanist by Shami Stovall as part of the blog tour hosted by The Write Reads.

Special thanks to the tour organisers for having me on tour and to the author for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

Academy Arcanist (Astra Academy #1)
Publisher
: Capital Station Books
Publication Date: 23 August 2022
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

๐Ÿ“– SYNOPSIS

Hopes. Dreams. And literal nightmares out to kill a young boy.

Gray Lexly, son of a candlemaker, wants to escape his life of old-world technologies and study at the prestigious Astra Academy, a school for arcanistsโ€”those who can wield magic. But Gray has a major problem. Every night, as he sleeps, heโ€™s visited by monsters. When they injure Gray in his dreams, he wakes with the same wounds in real lifeโ€ฆ

On the night Gray might finally die in his nightmares, he is saved by the kind and mysterious Professor Helmith, a powerful arcanist. She offers to protect Gray and invites him to attend Astra Academy.

Before that can happen, Gray must bond with a mystical creature to become an arcanist himself. Will he bond with a unicorn? A pegasus? A kitsune? Whatever he bonds with will determine his magical abilities, so he must choose wisely.

And when trouble finds Professor Helmith, Gray must become powerful enough to help her and fend off the terrible nightmares, before itโ€™s too lateโ€ฆ

โš ๏ธ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Blood, gore, death

๐Ÿ“š BUY A COPY

TL;DR: Academy Arcanist is a fast-paced YA fantasy that’s a little bit dark and filled with a lot of magic! If you love magical creatures/companions in your fantasies then there’s no doubt that you will love this world and the magical system linked to forming a life-long unbreakable bond with a supernatural animal. The characters were intriguing, the plot was mysterious (if not a little predictable) and I adored the found family vibes that always come with starting a new life in a magical academy. Although I struggled with the main character and his perspective at times, there was never a moment I didn’t root for his success. This is a great start to a series and I can’t wait to see where this goes next!

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Cover Reveal: First Meet Foul by Jaqueline Snowe

Hello, hello, friends! I’m here to share a COVER REVEAL today for First Meet Foul by Jaqueline Snowe. I’m so glad that I discovered this author’s romances last year because I’ve come to love each new release that I’ve read by her more and more! ๐Ÿ˜ Check out what this new sports romance is about and when it’s releasing down below and don’t forget to add the book to your TBRs if this sounds like your jam!

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Cover Reveal: A Long Time Coming by Meghan Quinn

Hi, friends! I’m back with another cover reveal today for A LONG TIME COMING by Meghan Quinn! This is a brand new, standalone romance will be released on January 10thย in all formats!

Donโ€™t miss the fantastic cover below and get ready to fall in love with this sexy romance with a witty take on a romantic comedy classic, My Best Friend’s Wedding. Steamy, laugh-out-loud, and full of charm,ย these two best friends heat up the pages while proving true love might be right in front of you.

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Cover Reveal: Untying the Knot by Meghan Quinn

Hi, friends! I’m back with another cover reveal today for Untying the Knot by Meghan Quinn! You all know I love MQ’s romancesโ€”they’re fun, they’re a little wild, they’re sexy AF and in general, always a really good time. I don’t read a lot of “marriage in crisis” romances but I’m excited to see how MQ handles it!

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ARC Review: Impossible by Darcy Burke

Special thanks to Zealous Quill Press for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: Impossible (The Phoenix Club #6)
Publisher: Zealous Quill Press
Published: 19 April 2022
Genre: Historical Romance

Panda Rating:

(3 pandas)

Ada Treadway has been in love before, and it brought nothing but heartache. Still, she retains her cheerful optimism and is fiercely protective of the independence and respect sheโ€™s earned as bookkeeper of the Phoenix Club. When the owner enlists her help to organize his friendโ€™s estate ledgers, sheโ€™s eager to prove her expertise and her worth. But his friend turns out to be a disagreeable, unpleasant beast, and Ada works to find the warm-hearted gentleman sheโ€™s sure lurks beneath.

Maximillian Hunt, the Viscount Warfield doesnโ€™t care if he lives to see tomorrow, and he certainly doesnโ€™t want to recall yesterday. The arrival of the meddlesome and effusively positive woman who will put his accounts in order not only reminds him of the past heโ€™s desperate to forget, she sparks something within him he thought dead. Tempted by a future he never imagined, he must do the impossible: convince her that heโ€™s worth risking her heart a second time.

TL;DR: Overall, while this started off strong, the romance felt a little too half-baked for me to fully enjoy it. That’s not to say that I didn’t like these characters or enjoy their story because I did, and I was actually quite convinced that this was going to be a favourite in this series, so it was quite disappointing that their romance ended up being a bit unsatisfying for me. I am looking forward to the next book in the series though as we finally get McDougal’s story!

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ARC Review: The Rigid Duke by Darcy Burke

Special thanks to Zealous Quill Press for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: The Rigid Duke (Matchmaking Chronicles #1)
Publisher: Zealous Quill Press
Published: 08 March 2021
Genre: Historical Romance

Panda Rating:

(3 pandas)

As a refinement tutor, Mrs. Juno Langton helps young ladies develop the skills and confidence to secure an advantageous marriage. Her cheerful disposition never wavers no matter how challenging her assignment. When a house party provides an opportunity to match her difficult charge with a duke, Juno will go to any lengths to satisfy her employer and ensure the young ladyโ€™s future. Too bad the duke is an unsmiling, rigid grouch, albeit an irritatingly handsome one.

The Duke of Warrington dislikes social gatherings and despises the Marriage Mart which makes it nigh impossible to find a wife. He plans to secure his future duchess at a house party, but sheโ€™s being managed by a thoroughly meddlesomeโ€”and provocativeโ€”Mrs. Langton, who is determined to find his better nature. Heโ€™ll do anything to avoid her sunny charm and room-brightening smiles, but sheโ€™s breaking through his shell and the only way he can think to keep her quiet is to kiss her. He must marry the young lady, not desire the companion.

But now heโ€™s rethinking his wife choices.

TL;DR: I’ve come to really enjoy Darcy Burke’s books ever since discovering her historical romances last year and The Rigid Duke was no different. It was an enjoyable grumpy/sunshine romance that’s slightly more sex than plot but was a quick and entertaining read that delivers a sweet HEA!

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Book Spotlight + Excerpt: Revenge by Dani Hoots

Hello, friends! Today I’m shining a book spotlight on Revenge by Dani Hoots.

Be sure to click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the bloggers on tour!

Special thanks to the author, Dani Hoots, for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads: Revenge (City of Kaus #1)
Publisher: FoxTales Press
Publish Date: 16 November 2021
Genre: YA/NA Western Sci-Fi, LGBTQ+

A swashbuckling upper YA/NA LGBTQ+ sci-fi western you don’t want to miss!

It has been three years since Elvira “Ellie” Ryder was betrayed by her ex-boyfriend Cor, which caused the destruction of her people by invaders from a different Zone. Now she will do anything to find him and make him pay.

Ellie has found someone who knows where Cor is. The priceโ€”assassinate a half-human, half-Sirian who is trying to join the Society, a high-class club only for the rich. Ellie takes the job, as it wouldnโ€™t be the first assassination job she has taken, and heads to the Human Zone. However, when she learns more about her target, the more she realizes what is going on behind the curtain, and how her people were really destroyed.

Will Ellie be able to forgive Cor after learning the truth? Or will she forever hold on to that hatred?

*Rep: Bisexual, asexual, & gay

Buy a copy:

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