Author: bookafterbook

Publication: 21st January 2021 – Michael Joseph

500 years ago: eight martyrs were burnt to death
30 years ago: two teenagers vanished without trace
Two months ago: the vicar committed suicide

Welcome to Chapel Croft.

For Rev Jack Brooks and teenage daughter Flo it’s supposed to be a fresh start. New job, new home. But, as Jack knows, the past isn’t easily forgotten.

And in a close-knit community where the residents seem as proud as they are haunted by Chapel Croft’s history, Jack must tread carefully. Ancient superstitions as well as a mistrust of outsiders will be hard to overcome.

Yet right away Jack has more frightening concerns.

Why is Flo plagued by visions of burning girls?
Who’s sending them sinister, threatening messages?
And why did no one mention that the last vicar killed himself?

Chapel Croft’s secrets lie deep and dark as the tomb. Jack wouldn’t touch them if not for Flo – anything to protect Flo.

But the past is catching up with Chapel Croft – and with Jack. For old ghosts with scores to settle will never rest…

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

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Super delighted to welcome you on my stop for the blog tour of The Burning Girls, the incredible new novel by C. J. Tudor.

The Burning Girls is a rollercoaster of a read! It is sinister, twisty, and dark. There is mystery, suspense, ghost appearances, and paranormal, all perfectly combined under the fantastic pen of C. J. Tudor for a story that will give you goosebumps.

“If you see the burning girls, something bad will befall you.”

After a scandal has forced them to leave Nottingham, Reverend Jack and fifteen-year-old Flo are new in Chapel Croft, ready for a new and quiet life. And what better place than a small tedious village in Sussex? However, Chapel Croft is far from the quiet, boring village they expected, with its tradition, its history, and its secrets. Five hundred years earlier, eight Protestant martyrs were burned at stake, including two little girls, and thirty years earlier two fifteen-year-old girls, Merry and Joy, had disappeared and have never been found. Following the discovery that the former reverend had killed himself and about his obsession with the burning girls and the disappearance of Merry and Joy, and following the receiving of threatening messages, Jack knows that their lives in Chapel Croft are far from simple and that their past is about to catch up with them.

The story is told mostly from Jack’s and Flo’s points of view. I really liked these two characters because they both feel realistic and relatable. Jack is the typical parent who constantly worries about their child, especially when that child is now a teenager on her first boy crush. Flo is smart, witty, and she doesn’t back down in front of bullies. I enjoyed her close relationship with Jack and the movie references, but, of course, she is still a teenager, so she is keeping secrets, but she is not the only one.

The close-community setting that doesn’t welcome outsiders and it is full of secrets and the claustrophobic and dark atmosphere are the perfect elements to create a suspenseful story with elements of supernatural. The Burning Girls is creepy and scary, it is addictive and intense, it’s what a novel by C. J. Tudor promises and always deliver. Highly recommended!!!

A huge thank you to Gaby and Michael Joseph for inviting me to join the blog tour and providing me with a copy of the novel.

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C. J. Tudor’s love of writing, especially the dark and macabre, started young. When her peers were reading Judy Blume, she was devouring Stephen King and James Herbert.

Over the years she has had a variety of jobs, including trainee reporter, radio scriptwriter, dog walker, voiceover artist, television presenter, copywriter and, now, author.

Her first novel, The Chalk Man, was a Sunday Times bestseller and has sold in over forty countries. Her second novel, The Taking of Annie Thorne, was also a Sunday Times bestseller as was her third novel The Other People.

She lives in Sussex with her family.

Twitter @CJTudor

Facebook @CJTudorOfficial

Publication: 28th January 2021 – Hodder & Stoughton

A stunning historical women’s debut fiction novel that spans both time and the globe
as we follow one woman’s journey from simple country girl to global fashion icon.

I need to tell you a story, ma chère . My story.

Rosa Kusstatscher has built a global fashion empire upon her ability to find the perfect outfit for any occasion. But tonight, as she prepares for the most important meeting of her life, her usual certainty eludes her.

What brought her to this moment? As she struggles to select her dress and choose the right
shade of lipstick, Rosa begins to tell her incredible story. The story of a poor country girl from a village high in the mountains of Italy. Of Nazi occupation and fleeing in the night. Of hope and heartbreak in Switzerland; glamour and love in Paris. Of ambition and devastation in Rio de Janeiro; success and self discovery in New York.

A life spent running, she sees now. But she will run no longer.

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

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Delighted to welcome you on my stop for the blog tour of The Dressmaker of Paris, the brilliant new novel by Georgia Kaufmann.

I have to confess that I shed a few tears while reading The Dressmaker of Paris. It is such a beautiful and emotional story, and my heart broke a few times. The story is told in first person by the protagonist of the story, Rosa, who reflects on her life while getting ready for the most important meeting of her life. Born in a small Italian village, Rosa escapes to Switzerland during the Nazi occupation. Here she discovers she has a skill for sewing and fashion that leads her to leave behind what she loves most and to move to Paris where she works for Dior, falls in love, and moves to Brazil where she starts to build her fashion empire.

The Dressmaker of Paris is beautifully written and well-researched. I admire the author’s attention to detail and I love that she wrote a story within a story in which the narrator, Rosa, not only seize the opportunity to confess her story to her listener, but she also comes to terms with the decisions she made throughout her life. The Dressmaker of Paris is a tale of love, friendship, family, and success. It narrates a woman’s journey from a small village in Italy to the bright lights of New York, a life of dreams and happiness, of tragedy and grief, of guilt and regrets. It is a wonderful, immersive, and unforgettable story to get lost in. Highly recommended!!!

A huge thank you to Jenny and Hodder & Stoughton for inviting me to join the blog tour and for providing me with a proof of the novel.

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Georgia Kaufmann studied Social Anthropology and Demography at Cambridge, LSE and Oxford. She currently lives within cycling distance of central London with her husband, two daughters and a cat. The Dressmaker of Paris is her debut novel.

Publication: 21st January 2021 (ebook) – Head of Zeus

If you go into the woods, you’re in for a dark surprise.

Thirty years ago, three girls followed a stranger into the woods. Only two returned. The surviving pair have never been able to remember what happened or what the fate of the third girl was. Local rumours talk of hippies and drugs and mystic rituals, but no one has learned the truth.

This story is just what Rowan Blake needs. He’s in debt, his journalistic career is in tatters – as well as his damaged body – and he’s retreated to the Lake District to write. Yet even Rowan isn’t prepared for the evil he is about to unearth, for the secrets that have been buried in that wood for far too long…

AMAZON

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Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the thrilling new novel by David Mark, Into The Woods.

Into The Woods is a story of mystery with a touch of evil and horror. Thirty years ago, three girls went into the woods and only two came out with no memory of what happened. Now, Rowan Blake is a journalist with a critically acclaimed true crime book under his belt that didn’t sold well and another one that he still hasn’t written. With the help of his niece Snowdrop, Rowan starts investigating what happened to these girls thirty years earlier, only to find out that the story may not be over yet.

The story is told in two timelines. In the past, young Violet and Catherine meet at Silver Birch Academy in Wasdale and we read about their friendship and the events that lead them to walk into the woods with another girl and a stranger. In the present day, we follow Rowan, who is recovering from an injury, and his adorable and smart niece trying to figure out what really happened.

The narrative is not fast-paced, but there are twists and the elements of horror keep the tension high. Into The Woods is my first novel by David Mark and I must admit that I really like his writing style and I found the descriptions beautiful and detailed.

Into The Woods is a dark tale of secrets, murders, disappearances, and occultism featuring interesting and quirky characters and a chilling and creepy plot that gave me goosebumps. Highly recommended!!!

A huge thank you to Jade and Head of Zeus for inviting me to join the blog tour and providing me with a proof of the book.

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David Mark spent more than fifteen years as a journalist, including seven years as a crime reporter with the Yorkshire Post. His writing is heavily influenced by the court cases he covered: the defeatist and jaded police officers; the competent and incompetent investigators; the inertia of the justice system and the sheer raw grief of those touched by savagery and tragedy.

He writes the McAvoy series, historical novels and psychological suspense thrillers. Dark Winter was selected for the Harrogate New Blood panel (where he was Reader in Residence) and was a Richard & Judy pick and a Sunday Times bestseller. He has also written for the stage, for a Radio 4 drama (A Marriage of Inconvenience) and has contributed articles and reviews to several national and international publications. He is a regular performer at literary festivals and also teaches creative writing.

Follow David

Twitter: @davidmarkwriter
Facebook: davidmarkwrites

Website: www.davidmarkwriter.co.uk

Follow Aries

Twitter: @AriesFiction

Facebook: Aries Fiction

Website: http://www.headofzeus.com

Publication: 21st January 2021 – Little, Brown

Kieran Elliott’s life changed forever on a single day when a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences. The guilt that haunts him still resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal town he once called home.

Kieran’s parents are struggling in a community which is bound, for better or worse, to the sea that is both a lifeline and a threat. Between them all is his absent brother Finn.

When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge in the murder investigation that follows. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away…

AMAZON

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The Survivors is the new gripping novel by Jane Harper and it is set in Evelyn Bay, a small town on the Tasmanian Coast, that twelve years ago was hit by a storm that forever changed the lives of its residents.

Kieran has spent many years away from Evelyn Bay, but now he is back, together with his girlfriend Mia and their three-month-old daughter Audrey, to help his mother pack the family home before his father, suffering from dementia, moves into a nursing home. When the body of a young woman is found on the beach, the tragedy that shook the town twelve years earlier resurfaces and it is time for Kieran to face his ghosts.

The story is slow-paced and, even though the murder investigation is central to the novel, the story focuses mostly on the characters and their development. Through Kieran’s eyes we are introduced to the other characters in the story: his friends who remained in Evelyn Bay; those who were lost during the storm and their families who are still grieving. At the center there is Kieran, a character that I found flawed, authentic, and relatable. Kieran is carrying a lot on his shoulders: sleepless nights caused by his newborn baby, his father’s illness, but, most of all, his guilt for the role he played in the tragedy twelve years ago.

I genuinely love Jane Harper’s novels. I can’t say I have a favourite – although The Survivors is a close first – as they all feature the author’s addictive writing style and they are full of mystery, intrigue, and atmosphere. The Survivors confirms, once again, that Jane Harper is a master storyteller as she slowly builds a story that concludes with an ending that was unexpected, heartbreaking, and satisfying.

The Survivors is out now and I would like to thank Little, Brown for providing me with a proof of the book.

Publication: 7th January 2021 – Hodder & Stoughton

The Last Thing to Burn is the highly anticipated first standalone thriller from bestselling author and rising star Will Dean.

Unrelentingly tense and heart-poundingly atmospheric, The Last Thing to Burn is a chilling and thought-provoking exploration of human survival and life on the fringes of society.

He is her husband. She is his captive.

Her husband calls her Jane. That is not her name.

She lives in a small farm cottage, surrounded by vast, open fields. Everywhere she looks, there is space. But she is trapped. No one knows how she got to the UK: no one knows she
is there. Visitors rarely come to the farm; if they do, she is never seen.

Her husband records her every movement during the day. If he doesn’t like what he sees, she is punished.

For a long time, escape seemed impossible. But now, something has changed. She has a reason to live and a reason to fight. Now, she is watching him, and waiting …

AMAZON

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Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Last Thing To Burn, the new novel by Will Dean.

Let me start by saying that The Last Thing To Burn is not an easy read. It is intense, it is emotional, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading and I felt emotionally involved in the life of the protagonist of the story, worried about what would happen to her.

The story is told in first person by a woman. She lives in a farm with her husband Lenn. He calls her Jane, but that’s not her real name, it is the name he has given to her almost seven years ago when he made her his prisoner. In less than three hundred pages, Jane tells us her story. She tells us how she traveled from Vietnam to England with her sister, how she first worked in Manchester and then she is taken to Lenn’s farm, how Lenn controls her every single movement and how, if she disobeys, he punishes her, taking away one of the few things that she still owns.

Lenn is a monster. He is a man obsessed with his late mother, a man who enjoys torturing the woman he calls his wife and deprive her of all her freedom. Will Dean created a cruel villain and I don’t think I ever hated a character as I hated Lenn. Everything he did made me angry, everything he said made me furious.

Jane is a brilliant character. The only thing that keeps her going is the hope that her sister is safe. Her few attempts of rebellion and escape end with Lenn burning the things that she holds close, one by one: a picture of her family, her ID, a battered copy of Mice and Men, and, mostly important, the letters from her sister. Jane is strong, for almost seven years, she has endured the emotional and physical control of Lenn, but, when circumstances changes, Jane realizes that it’s time to fight back.

The Last Thing To Burn is slow-burning and heartbreaking. Some of the scenes were really hard to read. Despite the disturbing themes and scenes, I couldn’t put it down because I was so invested in the story and Jane’s future. The Last Thing To Burn is an exceptional and incredible story and it won’t be easy to forget it.

A huge thank you to Jenny and Hodder & Stoughton for inviting me to join the blog tour and providing me with a copy of the novel.

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WILL DEAN grew up in the East Midlands and had lived in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. After studying Law at the LSE and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden where he built a house in a boggy clearing at the centre of a vast elk forest, and it’s from this base that he compulsively reads and writes. His debut novel, Dark Pines, was selected for Zoe Ball’s Book Club, shortlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker prize and named a Daily Telegraph Book of the Year. The second Tuva Moodyson mystery, Red Snow, was published in January 2019 and won Best Independent Voice at the Amazon Publishing Readers’ Awards, 2019. The Last Thing to Burn is his first standalone novel and his first book with Hodder.

Publication: 5th January 2021 (ebook) – HarperCollins

A girl looking for love…
When Jane, a broke dog-walker newly arrived in town, meets Eddie Rochester, she can’t believe her luck. Eddie is handsome, rich and lives alone in a beautiful mansion since the tragic death of his beloved wife a year ago.

A man who seems perfect…
Eddie can give Jane everything she’s always wanted: stability, acceptance, and a picture-perfect life.

A wife who just won’t stay buried…
But what Jane doesn’t know is that Eddie is keeping a secret – a big secret. And when the truth comes out, the consequences are far more deadly than anyone could ever have imagined…

A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, The Wife Upstairs is perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware and Shari Lapena.

AMAZON

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Delighted to welcome you on my stop for the blog tour of The Wife Upstairs, the thrilling new novel by Rachel Hawkins.

The Wife Upstairs is good, really good! It is a modern and twistier reimagination of Jane Eyre. The characters are named after the classic novel, but the plot is darker than I expected and the suspense is high giving you a sense of dread that something is not as perfect as it seems in Thornfield Estates, a gated community in Birmingham, Alabama, where Jane works as a dog-walker for the wealthy families. Eddie Rochester is a widower. His wife Bertha ‘Bea’ Rochester disappeared a few months ago in a boating accident with her best friend Blanche and their bodies were never found. Jane wants a life in Thornfield Estates and she sees Eddie Rochester as her way in.

Jane and Eddie’s whirlwind romance is the talk of the community, but the more she tries to adapt to life in Thornfield Estates, the more she feels Bea’s ghost haunting her. Bea was beautiful and successful, her life perfect and while Jane tries to measure up to her, she has also a secret to protect. But is she the only one hiding something?

The Wife Upstairs is one of these thrillers that keep me on the edge of the seat the entire time I am reading and I love it!!! It is twisty, witty, and smart and I was completely engrossed in it until I reached the last page.The author’s writing style is brilliant and addictive and I admit that I loved the character of Jane. She is devious and manipulative, yes, but she is also a survivor trying to escape her past.

For me, The Wife Upstairs is a fast read because the more I read, the more the tension raised, the more I didn’t want to put it down because I needed to see what happened next (even though, most of the time my suspicions were correct). I really enjoyed The Wife Upstairs which introduced me to a new author who I am looking forward to keeping reading.

A huge thank you to Anne Cater and HarperFiction for inviting me to join the blog tour and providing me with a proof of the novel.

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Rachel Hawkins is the New York Times bestselling author of multiple books for young readers, and her work has been translated in over a dozen countries. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama with her husband and son. The Wife Upstairs is her first adult novel.

Publication: 26th January 2021 – Century

From the Sunday Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner, a gripping thriller featuring an ordinary woman who will stop at nothing to find the missing people that the rest of the world has forgotten.

Frankie Elkin is an average middle-aged woman with more regrets than belongings who spends her life doing what no one else will: searching for missing people the world has stopped looking for. When the police have given up, when the public no longer remembers, when the media has never paid attention, Frankie starts looking.

A new case brings Frankie to Mattapan, a Boston neighborhood with a rough reputation. She is searching for Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teenager who vanished from her high school months earlier.

Resistance from the Boston PD and the victim’s wary family tells Frankie she’s on her own. And she soon learns she’s asking questions someone doesn’t want answered.

But Frankie will stop at nothing to discover the truth, even if it means the next person to go missing will be her …

AMAZON

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Before She Disappeared is the new fantastic novel by Lisa Gardner and it introduces us to a brand new character: Frankie Elkan, a headstrong and determined woman who travels around the country looking for missing people, particularly minorities, those people that the police has stopped searching but whose families still hope for their return.

The book opens with Frankie on a train to Boston after the end of her latest case. Frankie never stops working and she is in Boston to investigate the disappearance of fifteen-year-old Angelique Lovelie Badueau, Angel to her friends, Lili to her family. Angelique lives with her aunt and her brother in the neighborhood of Mattapan and she was last seen a year earlier coming out of her school. Mattapan is an area mostly of immigrants and Frankie not only has to face the resistance of the police, but also the hostility of the locals who see her as an outsider.

Frankie is an interesting, likable, and authentic character. She is a loner with a tragic past. She doesn’t have a place to call home and she travels around the country with few belongings and a guilt that’s eating her looking for the people no one else is searching. I liked her determination, how she never stops in her search, no matter how dangerous it is and, as much as I found the main plot intriguing and captivating, I was also very curious about Frankie’s personal life and the painful past that it is slowly revealed.

Before She Disappeared is an action-packed, exciting, addictive story with fantastic and engaging characters and, of course, the author’s excellent writing style that make it impossible to put the book down.

A huge thank you to Cornerstone and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Publication date: 23rd April 2020

There’s no problem Becky Watson can’t fix. Except her own love life…

Struggling single mother Becky Watson longs to revive her career as a life-fixer, working miracles to solve her clients’ problems, no matter how big or small. Since the birth of her two-year-old son she has been stuck preventing wedding fiascos for the richest and rudest residents of the Comptons, a charming, leafy area of southern England known for its artistic heritage.

So when semi-reclusive local artist Charlie Handren reluctantly hires Becky to fix his six-year creative slump, she’s delighted to set him up with a come-back exhibition and Rachel Stone, the woman of his dreams.

Though they get off to a rocky start, Becky and Charlie soon become close. But as the beautiful Rachel becomes Charlie’s muse, Becky is forced to wonder: will giving Charlie everything he wants mean giving up her own happily ever after?

A heart-warming, uplifting romance served with a generous slice of cake.

AMAZON

You can also get your own copy of Art and Soul here: getbook.at/ClaireHustonAandS

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Art & Soul was a pleasant surprise. I was surprised because I couldn’t believe that this is the author’s debut novel. The story is well-written and it captures the reader and the characters are engaging, fun, and well-crafted.

Becky is a fixer and life coach. She helps people get back on track with their lives. She is also a single mother with a two-year-old son and her first client after the maternity leave is Charlie, a once successful artist, now a grumpy and struggling single father looking for his muse. I can’t say that their relationship got off to a good start, since Charlie didn’t want Becky’s help, or anyone else, but Becky is excellent at her job and, soon, their professional relationship turns into friendship and something more.

I liked the characters of Becky and Charlie, they work well together, and I liked also minor characters, like Charlie’s teenager daughter, Phoebe, his sister Lauren, and Becky’s feisty friend Ronnie (I think she was one of my favourite character).

Art & Soul is an easy, fun, enjoyable romantic comedy with likable characters and set in a world that the author clearly knows well. So I recommend you pick up a copy and it won’t be easy to put it down!

A huge thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of the novel.

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Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire with her husband and two children. Art and Soul is her first novel.

A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as eating them. You can find recipes for all the cakes mentioned in Art and Soul at clairehuston.co.uk along with over 100 other recipes. This is also where she talks about and reviews books.

You can also find Claire on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads and Pinterest: https://linktr.ee/clairehuston_author

Publishing date: 29th October 2020 – Simon & Schuster UK

It’s nearly Christmas and it’s snowing, hard. Deep in the Yorkshire Moors nestles a tiny hamlet, with a pub at its heart. As the snow falls, the inn will become an unexpected haven for six people forced to seek shelter there…

Mary has been trying to get her boss Jack to notice her for four years, but he can only see the efficient PA she is at work. Will being holed up with him finally give her the chance she has been waiting for?

Bridge and Luke were meeting for five minutes to set their divorce in motion. But will getting trapped with each other reignite too many fond memories – and love?

Charlie and Robin were on their way to a luxury hotel in Scotland for a very special Christmas. But will the inn give them everything they were hoping to find – and much more besides?

A story of knowing when to hold on and when to let go, of pushing limits and acceptance, of friendship, love, laughter, mince pies and the magic of Christmas. 

Gorgeous, warm and full of heartfelt emotion, I Wish it Could be Christmas Every Day is the perfect read this winter!

AMAZON

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I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day is the perfect Christmas read, especially this year. It’s a beautiful and heart-warming story of love, friendship, and family and I was completely engrossed in the story and its characters.

Bridge and Luke are finally meeting to sign the divorce papers. They once loved each other, but it went all wrong. It took them five years to agree on the divorce and, once it is finalized, they can move on with their lives.

Jack and Mary are travelling for an important business meeting on Christmas Eve. Mary has been in love with Jack for years, but, for Jack, Mary is only his perfect and efficient PA and she is tired of being unnoticed.

Robin and Charlie have planned a special Christmas holiday to Aviemore. They have been together for more than thirty years and their love is beautiful and deep and, even if it’s not what they had planned, they won’t give up on their special Christmas.

These six people, all with their plans and on their way somewhere, find themselves together, stranded by the snow in the remote inn of Figgy Hollow. Forced to spend Christmas together, they decide to make it memorable and unique.

I loved the characters in this novel. Each of them is well-drawn and engaging. They are flawed and so authentic that, at some point or other, I wanted to shake one of them and say: “What are you doing?!”. As we read, we get to know each of them really well. We find out about their past, their hopes, their fears, and their secrets and, the more I read, the more I liked them.

The setting is atmospheric and very Christmassy. Imagine: a beautiful inn surrounded by snow, while inside the characters warm up in front of the fireplace eating delicious food, swapping stories, and listening to hilarious Radio Brian and his stories. What more would you want?

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day is a joyous read. You will laugh and you will shed some tears and it will get you in a festive mood. If you have read Milly Johnson’s previous novels, you know what to expect and you won’t be disappointed. If you haven’t read them, what are you waiting for?

A huge thank you to SJV, TeamBATC, and Simon & Schuster UK for providing me with a copy of this amazing novel.

Publication: 27th October 2020 – Hodder & Stoughton

Two sisters. One brutal murder. A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself…

A new series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Stalking Jack the Ripper.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe – witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin . . . desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems…

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A few months ago, I decided to read Stalking Jack Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco because I kept hearing many good things about the series. After finishing reading it, I quickly bought the other three books in the series and devoured them in about a week. I was completely captured by the author’s writing, the gripping plots, and the fantastic characters she created. So, you can imagine how excited I was to read her new novel, Kingdom of Wicked, and I wasn’t disappointed. Very far from it.

The protagonist of Kingdom of the Wicked is Emilia. She is eighteen years old and she lives in Palermo, Sicily, with her twin sister Vittoria and their family running a successful restaurant. Emilia and Vittoria are witches and they grew up surrounded by their grandmother’s protection spells and her warnings to hide from the Wicked/Malvagi. The Wicked are demon princes who appear human, with red eyes and skin as hard as stone, and they “stalk the night, searching for souls to steal for their king, the devil”. However, when Vittoria is brutally murdered, Emilia wants revenge, even if that means making a deal with the devil:

“Vengeance was now a part of me, as real and necessary as my heart or my lungs.”

The first thing I did after I finished reading Kingdom of the Wicked was to go online and see when the sequel is coming out because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!! Sadly, there isn’t a publication date yet, but I am really looking forward to it. I think it’s impossible not to love this story. The world-building is incredible and there are witches, demon princes, mysterious murders, dubious characters, magic, and delicious food.

The author created rich and extraordinary characters. I especially liked the protagonist, Emilia, and Wrath, the demon prince she summoned. While her twin sister Vittoria was more impulsive and intrepid, Emilia likes to play safe. She likes to cook and experimenting with food, but her sister’s death and her search for the truth and revenge make her fearless and feisty. I loved her relationship with Wrath. Wrath is handsome, mysterious, “his beauty was an affront to what evil ought to look like”, and I enjoyed the chemistry and the witty banter between these two characters.

Kingdom of the Wicked is an addictive and mesmerizing story published by Hodder & Stoughton in October, but I would also like to mention also the beautiful edition created by Fairyloot for their October box.

A huge thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Kerri Maniscalco grew up in a semi-haunted house outside NYC where her fascination with gothic settings began. In her spare time she reads everything she can get her hands on, cooks all kinds of food with her family and friends, and drinks entirely too much tea while discussing life’s finer points with her cats.

She is the #1 NYT and USA Today bestselling author of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series and the forthcoming Kingdom of the Wicked.