A Drakenfall Christmas Book Tour
By author Geralyn Corcillo
Tour Dates: November 13th – 19th, 2016

Blurb:

Mark and Maisy, ahem, that is, Lord and Lady Shiley, get ready to celebrate their first Christmas together at Drakenfall, their renowned estate-turned-resort in the heart of the Cotswolds. The energetic and very un-aristocratic couple spreads holiday cheer as they conspire in guest shenanigans and staff kerfuffles.

In an uncharacteristic turn, unflappable house manager Glynis Ferry seems to be getting her duster ruffled every time she catches sight of Shaun Fletcher, the new head groomsman. Pippa Taylor, a whirling dervish of a domestic, works below stairs to make the magic of Drakenfall happen for everyone else. But will there ever be enough magic left over for her? There will if most worthy valet Kafi Diop has anything to say about it, as he tries to spin holiday enchantment every which way. But his best laid plans always seem to go cataclysmically awry, even with Maisy helping out as his faithful sidekick.

And what about Kafi’s grandest of schemes, set to take flight at the Drakenfall Christmas Ball? He’s depending on guest Jamie Tovell, who’s depending on his secret crush Lea Sinclair.

But even if everything goes off without a hitch, will the secret Maisy’s been hiding from Mark all season pop up at the most inopportune moment to set everything asunder? It’s a Drakenfall Christmas … topsy turvy, but generously sprinkled with laughter and lavishly frosted with romance!

Buy the Book:

AmazonUS
AmazonUK

Review: 

This was such a sweet treat of a read! It had the magical Christmas feeling that every holiday book needs, and as the Christmas season creeps closer, I find myself craving it more and more. Especially at the end of this crazy week, I think we’ve all seen some real ugliness as elections came to a close. I know I needed a pick me up, and this sure did the trick! I read this in one sitting, I was so taken with the world Corcillo created. The entire story takes place in Drakenfall, in the days leading up to Christmas. Drakenfall is a truly magnificent place and the perfect setting for a holiday book. Along with a festive, feel good spirit, love is also in the air for both guests of the resort and employees. 

There are three sweet romances developing simultaneously; Pippa and Kafi (who both work at Drakenfall), Glynis and Shaun (also employees), and finally Lea and Jamie (guests). All three storylines are heavy on the sweet and cute side which is what I love the most in Chick Lit and Christmas novels. Besides the requisite romance, there is humor in the mix as everyone seems to be plotting and planning various things in order to catch someone’s eye. Maisy is the biggest schemer around, but she doesn’t have a malicious bone in her body and all of her mischievous plans are done with the best of intentions. 

This was so lighthearted and adorable, with a real sense of mischief and magic always lurking in the background. The quaint setting of Drakenfall provides the most enchanting backdrop and the lovely cast of characters only adds to the ambiance. This is the perfect Christmassy read and one that brings a real sense of joy to the reader and left me with a grin on my face. 

Overall rating: 4/5

About the Author:

Geralyn Corcillo

Bio:

When she was a kid in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Geralyn Vivian Ruane Corcillo dreamed of one day becoming the superhero Dyna Girl. So, she did her best and grew up to rescue animals and constantly pick up litter. At home, she loves to kick back by watching black & white movies, British mysteries, and the New York Giants. Corcillo lives in a drafty old house in Hollywood with her husband TV writer Ron, a guy who’s even cooler than Kip Dynamite.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Contact | Amazon

Visit all the Tour Stops:

November 13th

Novelgossip – Book Review
Hello…Chick Lit – Book Review

November 14th

BRMaycock’s Book Blog – Book Review
Judging More Than Just The Cover – Author Q&A

November 15th

Steamy Book Momma – Book Promo Post
Hea Romances With A Little Kick – Book Excerpt Post

November 16th

Living Life With Joy – Author Guest Post
Chick Lit Central – Book Review

November 17th

ItaPixie’s Book Corner – Book Review/Excerpt
Jena Books – Book Review

November 18th

Rae Reads – Book Review

November 19th

Book Lover in Florida – Book Review
Clarissa Reads It All – Book Review

Tour Arranged by:

Goodreads|Amazon UK|Author Website
Release date: August 15, 2016

Publisher: Fridhem Publishing 

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Scandinavian Noir

Blurb: 

Because of You spans 36 years in the life of Hannah Stein, a Swedish teenager who arrives in London, at the tail end of the disco era, for a gap year before embarking on a teaching career. The people she meets change the course of her life irrevocably and the novel charts her changing personal and professional fortunes over the next three decades. Because of You is about love, coming of age, friendship, bereavement, stillbirth and rape. Its themes include redemption, acceptance, fidelity and family. Because of You is a story that every woman can relate to. 

Because of You is the deeply moving debut novel by Scandinavian writer Helene Fermont. It’s a gripping work of modern women’s fiction with a distinct ‘Scandi’ feel and a psychological twist. 

Scandinavian noir has firmly established itself as a bestselling genre in the UK. Because of You takes the elements that make this style of writing so compelling – the realism and dark, morally complex mood – and combines it with women’s fiction. 

This is a dark, morally complex and cross-generational story of enduring love, fate and destiny and will appeal to readers who appreciate an emotive, uncompromising and fulfilling read driven by character and circumstance. 

Review: 

This is my first review as part of the #bteam which is Bookollective’s review team. If you haven’t heard of them, please check them out! They just launched on November 1 and are a community uniting authors, publishers and bloggers. 

I haven’t read a good, epic story of a life in way too long and I hadn’t realized how much I’ve missed them until I started reading Because of You. It was so completely different from the books I’ve been drawn to as of late. It was an emotional, yet sometimes dark journey alongside Hannah Stein. The novel follows her during the majority of her adult life,  and the reader experiences all the highs and lows of her life right beside her.

It begins when Hannah is just a teenager getting ready to move from her home to London for a gap year. It seems from the start that she’s led a charmed life, she has doting and kind parents and a good relationship with her brother, Peter. Hannah comes across a bit sheltered and pampered in the beginning, and I found myself wondering just how much I would be able to relate to her. I shouldn’t have worried because as the story progresses and Hannah matures, she becomes a woman that practically anyone could relate to. 

I’m reticent to reveal too much about the plot as I really enjoyed going along with Hannah on her journey. She experiences so much throughout her life, and Fermont is not afraid to discuss difficult subject matter. There is divorce, death, grief, loss, epic love, pain, heartbreak, rape, abuse, illness, honestly anything you can imagine that a person may experience in their lifetime. This book had such a genuine and authentic feeling to it and I think it’s partly because all the situations Hannah has to endure are ones that many people have gone through themselves. 

Besides Hannah, there is a wide variety of characters, some you will fall in love with and adore, and others that you will hate. Again, this is no different than the types of people we all encounter in our lives, making it all the more relatable. Since it spans decades of her life, she meets a varied and colorful cast of characters along her way.

I was very invested in Hannah’s life and eager to see where she would end up. As much as I wanted to see how it would end, I was sad to say goodbye to Hannah and her friends and family when it was all over. This is a story of love, friendship and family. A story of one woman’s fascinating life experiences and how she copes with all the pain and loss that comes with simply living life. 

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to Bookollective for my review copy. 

Goodreads|Amazon US|Amazon UK|Author Website
Release date: August 19, 2016

Publisher: Orenda Books

Genre: Crime Fiction 

Blurb: 

Murder. Corruption. Dark secrets. A titanic wave of refugees. Can Anna solve a terrifying case that’s become personal? Anna Fekete returns to the Balkan village of her birth for a relaxing summer holiday. But when her purse is stolen and the thief is found dead on the banks of the river, Anna is pulled into a murder case. Her investigation leads straight to her own family, to closely guarded secrets concealing a horrendous travesty of justice that threatens them all. As layer after layer of corruption, deceit and guilt are revealed, Anna is caught up in the refugee crisis spreading like wildfire across Europe. How long will it take before everything explodes? Chilling, taut and relevant, The Exiled is an electrifying, unputdownable thriller from one of Finland’s most celebrated crime writers. 

Review: 

I’m so excited to be one of the stops today for the blog tour for The Exiled. This is the third book in a series that follows Anna Fekete and my first experience with anything written by Kati Hiekkapelto. I don’t believe that you have to read the series in order to keep up, I never felt like I was missing anything, the book stands very well on it’s own. 

Anna goes back home for holiday to visit her family and old friends and shortly after she arrives, she is robbed. A man grabs her purse and gets away, but the next day he is found dead in a river bank. Anna works for the police force back in Finland and immediately feels that there is something off about the man’s death. Local authorities determine that he drowned, but Anna uncovers evidence that shows there is much more to the story. Despite everyone from her family and friends to the local police discouraging her from investigating further, she begins to dig deeper into the case. Somehow this seemingly random crime is linked to her own father’s death and someone is willing to go as far as necessary to ensure that old secrets stay buried and forgotten.

I liked the pacing of this book, it wasn’t quite as fast moving as some of the crime novels I read, yet it worked here. Anna is trying to unravel a complicated case with links to events many years ago and in order for her to get to the bottom of things, she must be diligent and determined. I enjoyed her character and found her to be interesting and admirable. She didn’t let anyone intimidate her and fought for what she believed in. She’s also very compassionate and kind, especially with children. 

The setting is constructed wonderfully and Hiekkapelto managed to create vivid descriptions of the land and the characters living there. She also tackled many real and heartbreaking social issues, including the European refugee crisis, corruption in law enforcement and racism. The Roma people living in town were discriminated against and often wrongly and unfairly stereotyped and I felt that Hiekkapelto showcased these issues in a sensitive and timely manner. It really was more than just a book about a crime, it’s a book with a conscience.

I was completely engaged in this story, there were just enough details pertaining to Anna’s personal life to draw me in, yet not so many that it detracted from the main plot. Though the pace is on the slower side, once Anna starts untangling the web, the action does ramp up and the ending was a bit of a nail biter. I will definitely be looking forward to reading the next book in this smart and interesting series.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy.