Sunday, March 31, 2024

BLOG TOUR: The Book of Thorns by Hester Fox with Review and Excerpt

     



About the Book





An enchanting tale of secrets, betrayal, and magic…

Penniless and stranded in France after a bid to escape her cruel uncle goes awry, Cornelia Shaw is far from the Parisian life of leisure she imagined. Desperate and lacking options, she allows herself to be recruited to Napoleon’s Grande Armée. As a naturalist, her near-magical ability to heal any wound with herbal mixtures invites awe amongst the soldiers…and suspicion. For behind Cornelia’s vast knowledge of the natural world is a secret she keeps hidden—the flowers speak to her through a mysterious connection she has felt since childhood. One that her mother taught her to heed, before she disappeared.

Then, as Napoleon’s army descends on Waterloo, the flowers sing to her of a startling revelation: a girl who bears a striking resemblance to Cornelia. A girl she almost remembers—her sister, lost long ago, who seems to share the same gifts. Determined to reunite with Lijsbeth despite being on opposite sides of the war, Cornelia is drawn into a whirlwind of betrayal, secrets, and lies. Brought together by fate and magic at the peak of the war, the sisters try to uncover the key to the source of the power that connects them as accusations of witchcraft swirl and threaten to destroy the very lives they’ve fought for.


“The Book of Thorns is a gentle, magical tale of hope and healing in the midst of war. Fox does not hide from the fact that for all the romance surrounding Bonaparte’s exploits, nobody who fought at Waterloo came out unscathed, whether they were breathing by battle’s end or not. But Fox also reminds us that, even in fields tilled by cavalry charges and fertilized with gunpowder, flowers can grow.” –BOOKPAGE


Review


The Book of ThornsThe Book of Thorns by Hester Fox
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, all opinions are my own.

I felt completely mislead by the synopsis of this book. I was under the impression that the sisters used flowers to communicate with each other throughout the book, which is not the case. For much of the book they are unaware of each other's existence. This is also heavy on the romance, which I would have liked to know going in, as this is being marketed as a historical fantasy. In my opinion this is first and foremost a romance, set in the Napoleonic war, with a bit of magical realism. I do wish that the synopsis would have been a bit more transparent with regards to what this book was truly about, as I probably wouldn't have picked this one up.

The language and magic of the flowers was a bit underdeveloped for my liking. It was a cool concept, but overshadowed by conflict and romance. We never really come to understand why or how Cornelia and Lijsbeth have the ability to communicate with flowers. There is an emotional connection to their abilities, but the magic is not explained. I would have liked a bit of an explanation, as it was an interesting way for both of the girls to express and protect themselves. We do eventually come to understand how they were separated. I found the character development and worldbuilding lacking, and the pace was slow. The dynamics between the sisters was good, but I didn't feel any chemistry between any of the romantic entanglements, which is important for a book with so much romance.

If you are looking for a historical romance with an interesting magical element, this might be a great book for you. Because this unfortunately wasn't the book I was expecting, it didn't hit the historical fantasy marks for me nor is it what I like to see from a historical romance.

About the Author

Hester Fox is a full-time writer and mother, with a background in museum work and historical archaeology. She is the author of such novels as The Witch of Willow Hall, A Lullaby for Witches, and The Last Heir to Blackwood Library. When not writing, Hester can be found exploring old cemeteries, enjoying a pastry and seasonal latte at a café, or scouring antique shops for old photographs to add to her collection. She lives in a small mill town in Massachusetts with her husband and their two children.









Excerpt


CORNELIA

BEGONIA: a favor repaid, a warning foretold, a promise delivered in darkness.

Sussex, England, February 1815

I

can feel Betsy watching me from the doorway.

She hovers like a bee, rehearsing some small speech in whispers. I pretend not to notice her fidgeting and instead focus on the vase of narcissi before me, the weight of my pencil in my hand. Betsy clears her throat, twice, but I am already arcing out the path of the dainty stems and unfurling petals. There is something calming about reducing the flowers to splashes of grays and blacks, finding beauty in the absence of light.

Betsy lets out a throaty cough. “You might as well come in and be done with it,” I tell her without looking up.

“Yes, miss.” She drops a curtsy, her gray ringlets bouncing under her cap. “It’s just that there’s a man in the drawing room with your uncle, miss, and your uncle asks that you join them.”

I continue sketching, watching the frilly petals take shape on my paper. “Please make my excuses,” I tell her. Uncle likes to bring me out when he has business meetings, the same way he sets out the good claret and crystal goblets with the old family crest. With no wife and no children of his own, I make a pretty addition and bring a touch of softness to his otherwise hard demeanor. “There’s a cake in the kitchen and cold ham as well that you might bring them,” I add as an afterthought.

But Betsy doesn’t leave. She wrings her hands and tuts about like a fussing hen. “No, miss. He’s for you.”

I carefully set aside my pencil. This is what I was afraid of. Closing my eyes, I rub my temples, wishing that it was anything else besides this. My time is not even my own, and I hate being pulled out of my work just to oblige Uncle.

“Very well.” I dismiss Betsy and take a moment in front of the mirror in the hall. Uncle’s friends and associates are mostly stodgy old men, but there is always the possibility that it could be someone young, someone exciting. I pinch roses into my cheeks and tease out a few of my yellow curls. If have control of nothing else in this house, I at least can take pride in my appearance.

I take a deep breath and let myself into the drawing room. “Betsy said you wanted me, sir?”

Uncle stands and tugs at his waistcoat. “Cornelia, come in.”

Though not more than fifty years in age, his poor temper and taste for rich food and drink has left my uncle with a ruddy complexion and portly figure. He is not a healthy man, and his jowls are loose, his complexion jaundiced. What he lacks in polished comportment, though, he makes up in his wardrobe, opting for elaborate cravats and showy brocaded waistcoats that never quite fit him but speak of money and an account in good standing at the tailor. Uncle waves me over, impatient. “Come meet Mr. Reeves.”

Obedient, I come and position myself near the window where I know the soft gray light is especially flattering to my fair complexion. The man unfolds himself from his chair. He is tall and spare, his black frockcoat well-cut and his boots shined. He looks familiar, perhaps from church or one of Uncle’s interminable business dinners. I suppose some might consider him handsome, but there is an intensity in his dark eyes that is more predatory than charming. “Miss Cornelia,” he says, taking my hand and bowing over it, “a pleasure.”

“Mr. Reeves.” I withdraw my hand. “I hope my uncle is not boring you with land yields and livestock accounts.”

He shares a confidential look with my uncle. “On the contrary. Our conversation has been on the most enjoyable of topics.”

“He’s here to see you,” Uncle says, plowing straight into the heart of the matter as he always does. “Mr. Reeves comes as a suitor.”

Uncle makes the outcome of this meeting perfectly clear in the sharp downturn of his lips. His patience with the matter of my marital status is wearing thin.

Well, that makes two of us.

I don’t fancy marriage, but I certainly don’t fancy spending one more day than I have to under my uncle’s roof, either. My dreams of publishing a book remain foggy and out of reach, and the money from my illustrations published in a French newspaper under a nom de plume pays only a pittance. It is not enough to live on, and certainly not enough for a young woman who enjoys fine things and an easy life. A husband would solve at least two of my problems, but it would create a host more.

“I’ll leave you two alone to talk,” Uncle says, cutting me with a look that says there will be hell to pay if I emerge from this room without securing an engagement.

The air usually lightens, the room sighing a breath of relief, when Uncle leaves, but Mr. Reeves’s presence prickles me under my stays, makes me fidgety.

Betsy is posted outside the door, her needles softly clacking as she knits some horrid bonnet or muffler. Outside, a fine mist has rolled over the gentle Sussex hills. A smile spreads over Mr. Reeves’s sharp features. “Your uncle says you’re a spirited filly. That you need a strong hand to break you.”

Ah, so it is to go like that, then. I pour a cup of tea, ignoring my guest’s outstretched hand, instead lifting the cup to my lips. “That does sound like the sort of nonsense my uncle would say.”

Mr. Reeves regards me, his dark eyes calculating. “Your uncle was right, but I think he also underestimated you. I can see you possess some wits, so I’ll not mince words.” He crosses his long legs. “I am looking for a wife, and your uncle is looking to expand his landholdings to the south of the county.”

If the man who has sat down across from me was meek, pliable, then perhaps I would have more patience in hearing his suit; I don’t need someone who will get underfoot or try to handle me. Even some doddering old lord who might die quickly and leave me a widow would be acceptable. But Mr. Reeves is irritatingly young and looks to be in good health.

“My uncle was mistaken. I am not in need of a husband.” I offer him a cold smile, my mind already back on my flowers, my fingers itching to hold my pencil. The light has shifted with the gathering clouds, and I will have to rework my shading.

He pours himself a cup of tea. “Come, wouldn’t you like to have a fine house? Be mistress of a whole host of servants? I can see that you enjoy some degree of freedom, and I can give you that. You will have a mare and a generous allowance.”

“I should think it would be terribly lowering to have to lure a wife into one’s home with promises of horses and gowns. Shouldn’t you rather wish her to come of her own volition because she holds you in some esteem?”

“You are naive if you think that marriage is anything other than a business transaction. You are a young woman of beauty and some small means but a drain on your guardian. I am an enterprising man, with successful business dealings and a good bloodline looking for a wife who will elevate his status and ornament his home. I hold a commission in the army and anticipate traveling to the Continent shortly. It is a good deal for you, and you would be hard-pressed to find a better one, especially with your lack of polish and manners.”

“It’s a little late to be going over to the Continent, isn’t it? I believe we quite vanquished Napoleon.”

Irritation animates his dark eyes before he glances away, taking what I suspect is an intentionally long sip of his tea.

I study him over the rim of my cup, imagining the way I would draw the sharp angle of his chin, the aquiline nose, before finally placing where I’ve seen him. “You were married before, were you not?”

There is an almost imperceptible stiffening of his body. “Yes, I make no secret of the fact that I am a widower,” he says shortly.

“And how, exactly, did your first wife die?” The roses in the vase on the table beside me are vibrating, warning me. I pretend not to notice, pretend that I am a normal young woman who does not receive messages from flowers.

His lips thin. “An unfortunate fall.”

“Mm. She did not bear you any children, did she?”

“Barren.” He tugs at his cravat, irritated. “You would do well not to let your ear wander to every housemaid that has a piece of gossip to peddle,” he says coldly.

“In any case, I am not interested.” I move to put my cup down, but a hand closes around my wrist, hard. I look up to find that he has leaned in close, his breath hot on my neck.

“Perhaps you’ve also heard that I have certain…proclivities.”

The roses in the vase strain toward me, singing, setting my teeth on edge. My fingers begin to tremble, but I do not let him see it. “Why would you tell me that?”

“Because I think, dear girl, that you are under the impression that I would use you poorly.” He leans back, but only slightly, the air around him still charged and menacing. “I can be a very hard man when I’m tested, but I can take my pleasures elsewhere, so long as my wife is obedient.”

His gaze is sharp, his grip painful, and I realize that here is a dangerous man, one who is not just a brute but also clever. He cannot be fobbed off with witty barbs or batting eyelashes.

“This conversation bores me,” I tell him, standing. “I will not be your wife. I’m sorry that you wasted your time in coming here.”

But he makes no move to stand, his cool gaze sliding over me in a way that leaves me feeling horribly exposed. “I’ve seen you often, Cornelia. In church, sitting so demurely with your hands folded in your lap. You may think to have everyone else fooled, but I see the spirit in your eyes. A woman like you can never be satisfied with the life of a spinster, put on a shelf here in Sussex. I can offer you fine things, take you to exciting places abroad with me.”

And I’ve seen you, I think. I’ve seen how cruelly you used your first wife, the bruises on her pretty face. The way she faded little by little every week in church, until she was just a ghost in a dress, her final service that of her funeral. That will not be me.

“Surely there are other young ladies that would be flattered by your attentions,” I tell him.

“None so beautiful, none that I would take so much pleasure in breaking. The more you deny me, the more determined I am. Ask your uncle. I am a man who gets what he wants, one way or another.”

All the promise of gold or Continental trips would not be enough to tempt any marriage-minded mama to let her daughter enter into an arrangement with a man like Mr. Reeves. But of course, I have no mama to arrange such matters for me, to keep me safe.

“Then, perhaps it was time you lose for a change. Do you not find it dull to always get what you expect?”

He stands, drawing close and jabbing a finger into my bodice. It takes some great force of will to stand my ground and not let him see my fear. “You may think yourself clever, but this visit was just a courtesy. Your uncle and I have all but drawn up the contract already.”

He storms out, and the room grows quiet in the wake of the front door slamming. Betsy startles from her seat where she had fallen to dozing. I close my eyes, take a breath, wait until my heartbeat grows even again. Then I return to my waiting drawing in the parlor.

If I work quickly, I can still finish it and have it ready for tomorrow’s post. But for now, there is no waiting publisher, no silly French pseudonym; it is just the light and the shadows and me, a silent dance as I commit them to paper. Mr. Reeves and his odious proposal quickly fade away from my mind.

But then a raised voice shatters the silence, breaking my concentration, and there is the thundering velocity of Uncle coming down the hall.




Excerpted from THE BOOK OF THORNS by Hester Fox. Copyright © 2024 by Hester Fox. Published by Graydon House, an imprint of HarperCollins.



Saturday, March 30, 2024

Review: Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos by Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger

Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos by Lisa Kaltenegger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both an audio and print ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Cassandra Campbell is a fabulous narrator, and is one of my favorites.  This is my first experience with her narrating a non-fiction audiobook.  I'm used to her voicing several different characters within a sci-fi or fantasy book, however she takes great care in ensuring the scientific words are pronounced clearly and correctly and if there is a non-English name or phrase it is also pronounced correctly.  

This was a great non-fiction book for anyone interested in science of discovering new planets and the investigation of space.  The author does a great job of mixing science, personal, experience, and pop culture in to the book without getting overly scientific.  She uses real world examples from her own teaching experience and research and references movies and books that readers may be familiar to explain her points about how scientists go about trying to determine if there might be life on other planets.  I felt like it was written as if she was having a conversation with you about her favorite topic which made if very approachable and easy to consume.  I've read other books on the topic and it can get very technical and overwhelming very quickly depending on how the science is presented.  You can tell the author loves her work and tries to make it fun and wants everyone to see the majesty in the cosmos as she does.  

I appreciated that the author took the time to write about her life and accomplishments.  She notes that it was not always easy being a woman in STEM, but because she had supportive parents and mentors she has had an impressive career.  This book would be the perfect gift for an aspiring young lady taking an interest in a STEM career.  

I would have appreciated pictures of some of the things Dr. Kaltenegger was referencing at times or links to Hubble images, as I was following along in the ebook.  The cover is fantastic, and I hope the final version that comes out in a few weeks does have images, but the ARC does not.  

Overall this is a great, easy to digest look at scientific approach to looking for habitable planets and potential life in the universe.  

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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Review: A View from the Stars by Cixin Liu

A View from the Stars A View from the Stars by Cixin Liu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.  I did enjoy the narrator, he did a good job with the voice acting for the fictional works.

If you are a fan of the author's work, this is a nice compilation of fiction and non-fiction short stories and essays that he has written over his career from various publications.    I would not recommend this as a starting point for the author's work if you are a new reader.  This complication includes a mix of short stories tied to novels he has written, complete standalone short stories, and essays and interviews composed for magazines and other outlets.  I have previously only read the Remembrance of Earth's Past series (Three Body Problem) and was able to follow along with his writing style, which I do enjoy.   

The author has very particular opinions on sci-fi and expresses them in his essays.  You also have to keep in mind that many of the works are translated, and there is often something lost in the translation of a work because the translator will put their own "spin" on things.  If this is where you start with the author's writing, I can see a new reader to his work being turned off by this  compilation of interviews, essays, and short fiction.  This is a more thought provoking insight into his life and works and how he sees science and science fiction based on his experiences.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the fictional short stories, but the addition of the non-fiction essays felt a bit disjointed.  I feel like it should have been all essays or all short stories, I thought it was all short fiction but I misread the synopsis.  There was no flow between the fiction and the non-fiction, at least in the audio version.  Perhaps in the print book, where you can pick the book up and put it down between stories and articles it makes more sense to compile the book in this way.   

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Thursday, March 21, 2024

Review: This Much Is True by Adriana Locke

This Much Is True This Much Is True by Adriana Locke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Valentine PR, all opinions are my own.

This was such a heartwarming book.  It was sugar, and spice, and everything nice.  Laina is a pop star and on the day of her gigantic, carefully curated wedding she goes into hiding.  She goes to the one place she has always felt safe because right now she knows that getting married is the wrong choice and she is exhausted from playing pop-star Laina and never getting to turn off the act and be herself.  Her life has become nothing but a business proposition to those around her, and she just wants a bit of the small town life she had before she was famous, surrounded by people who love her and care about her.  Enter Luke Marshall, Laina's former best friend and boyfriend.  They were the prime example of right people wrong time.  They parted way when her dreams took her away from the small town, and his dreams kept him there. He finds Laina sitting on his couch in her wedding dress hiding from everyone she knows, and promises to help keep her hidden and safe until she decides what to do next.  The pair quickly rekindles their friendship as if a day hasn't passed and it is clear that their past feelings have never died.  I appreciated that they have a history and a past relationship, so it doesn't feel like they instantly fall for each other.  Luke treats Laina with respect and tries to give her the normalcy she craves.  He puts her to work in his horse barn, tells her stories about his family and the people in town, and listens to her as she tries to figure out her life.

I thought the character development in this was great!  There is some miscommunication but it is quickly resolved as level heads prevail. Laina decides what she wants and needs, and while she doesn't have all of the answers, she takes the first big steps to do what is best for her not what is best for her image and the pocketbooks of her team.  I really liked that Luke went to his older brother for advice.  The sibling chat was hilarious and endearing.  I hope we see more Marshall group chats in the future.  This was awesome and I loved it!

This does read as a standalone despite being labeled the second book in the series.   If you enjoyed getting to know Luke's family, his brother Chase also has a book.  I am hoping that all of his siblings get books!  I love Adriana's family series, they are so fun and you quickly get invested in the characters!  This also features characters from the Mason family series, and I highly recommend those as well.

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Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Review: The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett

The Love Remedy The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and the Berkley Besties program, all opinions are my own.

This was a super fun Victorian historical romance following a female apothecary and the private investigator she hires to recover something she's lost.  Lucy Peterson is a rare female apothecary, who runs the family business with her brother and sister.  She made the mistake of sharing her formula for a revolutionary new medicine with a fellow apothecary whom she fancied, and his shop is now thriving while Peterson's is barely scraping by.  Lucy is certain this dastardly fellow has stolen another formula that can save her business, but she doesn't have proof.  Enter Jonathan Thorne.  Thorne is a agent for a firm that takes on cases for wronged women, and he has been hired under the guise of keeping Lucy's books.  While he sorts her papers and gets her finances in order, Thorne is also gathering information from the locals in the hopes he might find who took the missing formula.

This tackled alot of subjects: women in medicine and STEM, women's healthcare, religion, sex education, class, race, and so much more.  In a time where propriety reined supreme, Lucy is left to inherit the family business, when women did not work and train as apothecaries and in medicine.  Lucy wants to run the shop while her sister who is also an apothecary wants to treat patients, their brother wants nothing to do with either.  This leaves Lucy feeling isolated, frustrated, and abandoned.  I was frustrated with Lucy because she never communicates that to her siblings, she has a hard time communicating in general.  She has lots of big feelings, but has a hard time asking for help and expressing her wants and needs.  That paired with the betrayal of her former beau and her failing business she is a bit overwhelmed.  She is actually pretty realistic.  Thorne is a man of few words, but he has lots of rules that he lives by, I liked that Lucy challenged him on his standards and rules and made him take off his rose tinted glasses.  He is a single dad so he is trying his best to be a good father and role model for his delightful daughter, but in turn he is missing out on 

Overall this was a fun, slow burn romance.  I really enjoyed the characters as they navigated society and each other.  Lucy and Thorne's attraction does eventually lead to some spicy scenes.  I thought they were pretty tame compared to other spicy romances I've read, however it does fit the time period and writing style of the book.  

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Review: Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury

Tender Beasts Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however I ended up listening to the audiobook after publication. As always all opinions are my own.

I found this to be more of a YA mystery/thriller than horror, but it does have some horror elements as the story progresses. The majority of the story was more of Sunny uncovering family secrets and solving a murder mystery. This is disturbing and dark, but I didn't find it overly gory or gruesome. It does tackle social social issues like race and class.

This follows Sunny, the favored child of her late mother. Sunny is a people pleaser and was poised to be the next head of the family, especially her troubled brother Dom. Dom has always been treated poorly by her parents and siblings and Sunny has never really questioned why. She always smiles and puts on a happy disposition and does her best to diffuse any uncomfortable situation. Dom on the other hand always seems to be surrounded by trouble. Now having been accused of murder and being at the scene of yet another crime, Sunny isn't sure what to think about Dom. Determined to figure out what is going on with Dom and prove that he is innocent, she begins her own investigation into the crimes and finds that her family's wealth and success has been built on very dark secrets.

This was a great YA thriller. It was a little slow burn for my tastes, but the pacing fit the storyline. The story really starts to come together once Sunny's investigation leads her to her mother's journal, and the author really starts to clue the reader into what is going on. As the journal entries are revealed we learn more and more about the Behre family secrets and hone in on the horror elements. That was a really creative way to tell the story and slowly let out tidbits of information leading up to the big reveal when all is explained. If you like family drama with a twist this is a great one to pick up. I think this is perfect for younger readers or those who want to dip their toes into horror without tons of gore, though you will want to check the content warnings as this is dark.

Content warnings  as indicated by the author:   Death of a parent/grief, animal death (on page - cow and lizards; off page, referenced but not described - cat; off page, referenced and somewhat described - unspecified animals), mentions of self-harm/suicide, drinking and drug use, infidelity, discussions of toxic intimate relationships, detailed body horror/gore, violence, death (includes child death)

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Sunday, March 17, 2024

BLOG TOUR: The Day Tripper by James Goodhand with Review and Excerpt

    



About the Book





What if you lived your days out of order?


It’s 1995, and twenty-year-old Alex Dean has it all: a spot at Cambridge University next year, the love of an amazing woman named Holly and all the time in the world ahead of him. That is until a brutal encounter with a ghost from his past sees him beaten, battered and almost drowning in the Thames.

He wakes the next day to find he’s in a messy, derelict room he’s never seen before, in grimy clothes he doesn’t recognize, with no idea of how he got there. A glimpse in the mirror tells him he’s older—much older—and has been living a hard life, his features ravaged by time and poor decisions. He snatches a newspaper and finds it’s 2010—fifteen years since the fight.

After finally drifting off to sleep, Alex wakes the following morning to find it’s now 2019, another nine years later. But the next day, it’s 1999. Never knowing which day is coming, he begins to piece together what happens in his life after that fateful night by the river.

Why does his life look nothing like he thought it would? What about Cambridge, and Holly? In this page-turning adventure, Alex must navigate his way through the years to learn that small actions have untold impact, even in a life lived out of order. And that might be all he needs to save the people he loves and, equally importantly, himself.

HarperCollins: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-day-tripper-james-goodhand 

BookShop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/alex-dean-unplugged-original-james-goodhand/20083933?ean=9780778369646

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-day-tripper-james-goodhand/1143567258  Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Day-Tripper-Novel-James-Goodhand/dp/0778369641/ 

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780778333432

Review


The Day TripperThe Day Tripper by James Goodhand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, all opinions are my own. I was also provided a ALC version of this book via Netgalley and Harper Audio/Harlequin Audio.


I found it very helpful to have both the print version handy as I was listening to the audiobook because of the way the story is told in a non-linear timeline. I found it helpful to go back and reference when he was and what age he was several times when reading/listening as it is critical to the storyline. As the title indicates, Alex's story is told as he visits various days of his life in his future and past. His story starts in 1995 at age twenty, when everything seemed to be going right for him when a pivotal and brutal event occurs that changes the trajectory of his life. Every morning he wakes up at a different age and can't remember where he is and what has happened in his life. Determined to get back to the woman he loves and the life he wanted, he begins to piece things together as he lives his life out of order.


As Alex slowly beings to understand what is going on and why he is living his days out of order, he attempts to make small changes where he can both in the past and the future. He tries to be a better man, help a someone in need, get help for past trauma experienced, and tell the people in his life that they matter to him. Alex finds that by making small, impactful changes over time he can't undo everything bad that happens in his future and all the bad decisions that he has made, but he can change some of them for the better.


This took me a while to get into, it is a slower burn and I found Alex unlikable in the beginning but make no mistake he is on a journey and does redeem himself by the end and turns into a great guy. I'm not the biggest fan of non-linear timelines, and it took me a while to settle into the time jumps. In the beginning Alex makes a ton of bad decisions. Toward the latter half of the book we find out what is truly going on with him and get more information about his past and why the fight happened that left him for dead in 1995 that began this whole time jumping situation. Once you understand Alex, the reason for the time jumping to different parts of his life clicks and the decisions he made at different points of his life and the lessons he learns at each visit begin to make sense. Alex starts to understand what is going on and begins to make incremental changes for the better to mend his relationship with his mother, recover his relationship with his true love Holly, and mentor a bright young man named Jazz. I really began to enjoy the book in the latter half once Alex begins to understand himself and what he needs to do.


If you enjoy time travel books with a soul searching aspect and a love story at its heart this is a great one to pick up. It really is a beautiful story.


Trigger warnings: alcoholism, substance use, molestation/sexual abuse 

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About the Author

James Goodhand has written two YA novels. His YA debut, Last Lesson, was called "a powerfully charged study in empathy," by the Financial Times. THE DAY TRIPPER is his adult debut. He lives in England with his wife and young son.


SOCIAL LINKS:

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19321245.James_Goodhand 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/goodhand_james?lang=en 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/james.goodhand/





Excerpt


SEPTEMBER 6, 1995 | AGE 20


It’s three-deep at the bar, and I get my order in seconds before they ring for time. I double up: a JD and Coke each and two beers to take with us. The lights are up and the music’s gone quiet as I weave the tray through the punters. Standing in the doorway out to the terrace, I am disorientated. There must be fifty tables outside between here and the river and it’s still packed out, darker and smokier than ever. I search the crowd but can’t see Holly.

I negotiate my way down to the water’s edge. She’s maybe ten tables away, oblivious, a ciggie poised skyward in her fingers like she’s posing for Vettriano. I smirk, enjoy my good fortune again.

“Excuse me, good gentlemen,” I say to a group of four in my path, voice cocky with booze and lust. They shuffle over, not breaking from their conversation. The resulting gap between their circle and the edge of the path isn’t wide enough—a careless elbow would send the tray of drinks into the river, possibly me with them.

“If you don’t mind, guys?” I lay a palm on the forearm of the bloke with his back to me. Their circle opens out and he turns side-on, ushering me past. “Nice one,” I say, glancing at him as I pass.

I look back at the ground. There’s a delay in my brain processing who it is I’m walking past. There’s a moment in which it seems that we’ll just carry on, pretend like we don’t know each other.

The air thickens. Time slows. I stop, a step past him. Look again. Razor-sharp short back and sides, hooded eyes, lopsided mouth. Preppy. It’s a face I catch myself imagining sometimes, never for long. A waking nightmare. Not that my imagination does it justice. Not even close, I now realize.

His recognition of me unfolds in slow motion. Perhaps like me, alcohol has dulled his synapses, delayed the inevitable shift of mode.

Blake Benfield. There have been times in the past when just hearing that name in my head has stopped me dead, left me incapable.

How long since we last ran into each other? I was sixteen—best part of four years, then. Feels so recent. Our paths crossing has always been inevitable; we grew up barely a mile apart. He spat at me that last time, called me faggot cunt. The many times before that I’d just legged it, hidden from his fury and his hatred. But you get too old to do that.

This crowded place seems so quiet now. Like there’s cotton wool stuffed in my ears. The two bottles tip over on my trembling tray, foam splattering to the ground. One rolls over the edge and shatters on the concrete. People turn.

How long have we stood here, him glaring at me, me unable to hold his stare? Saying nothing. A few seconds? Feels longer.

There’s the smell of burned-out house in my nose. The sound of his whisper in my ears that I try to drown out.

Don’t think about it. Do not think about that day.

Why do I shake? I’m a fucking grown man. Why am I shaking?

He takes a half step closer to me.

I once told him I was sorry. It was years ago—when I was still a kid. I was sorry. Does he remember?

I spin around. Where’s Holly? She must be watching this.

There’s no more delay. There is, of course, nothing for me and this bloke to say to each other. We have ventured into each other’s space, and that brings with it a remembering. And, as we always have, we must deal with that in our own way.

His knuckles graze my chin. I stumble backward and the tray falls to the ground. His swing is off, though; there is no pain. Not even surprise. We definitely have an audience now.

My response is pure instinct: palms raised, lean away. Easy now.

I don’t want to fight this man. I want to go back thirty seconds, walk a different route, have this night back for myself.

Blake closes the gap, my weakness an invitation. His second punch crashes into my ear like a swinging girder. My brain slaps side to side in my skull. Vision sways. My head boils, a cool trickle from my eardrum.

Where is Holly? Panic grips. I can’t just stand here and take this.

My eyes flit to our audience. He swings again, this time with his left. But I see it coming, dodge. He stumbles.

I drive my weight, shoulder first, into his ribs. He goes over, sprawled among the spilled drinks and shattered glass.

On all fours, he stares up at me. I’m perfectly positioned. I could kick him square in the face. End this right now. Why don’t I do it? Why can’t I bring myself to do it? I’d rather turn my back and cry than kick his head in.

He glares up at me. Why do I pity him? Why am I so uncomfortable towering over him like this? It’s like the positions we’ve always held have been reversed. The power is mine.

I let him find his feet.

He’s up and level with me again. He glares like a bloodthirsty dog, wipes his nose on the sleeve of his polo shirt. If we were alone, maybe I’d run. But with people watching, with Holly watching, that’s no option.

My punch lands perfectly. His jaws scissor against each other. For a second his head floats, eyes rolling.

I realize my error too late. I should’ve followed up when I had the chance. One punch is only enough in the movies, everyone knows that. His hands are on the collar of my shirt, cloth tearing as he holds firm. His forehead slams into the bridge of my nose like a sledgehammer. My face is suddenly and totally numb. I drop to the ground. A ruby-red stain spreads fast through the jewels of broken glass around me.

He shouts above me. Every filthy word I’ve long come to expect. Something soft disperses against my head. Spit.

The neck of the Stella bottle I dropped lies on the ground. Inches away. Blood gurgles in my mouth as I take a deep breath. I launch like a sprinter. Leading with the dagger of green glass, I’m aiming straight at his face and closing fast.

Blake backs into a table, stumbles, hands slow to cover his face. His eyes widen, abject fear. But this is no time to be derailed.

I see it too late. No time to react. One of Blake’s friends windmilling a table ashtray. The side of my skull cracks like thunder.

The ground feels like a cushion, drawing me in and bouncing me back. My vision finds enough order in time to see the sole of boot accelerating toward me, like a cartoon piano from the sky.

There is no pain. Just a sense of floating in space.

Time passes. More blows land.

The surface of the Thames billows like a black satin sheet as it rises toward me. There’s no fear. Is that Holly I can hear calling my name? It’s so distant, so hard to tell.

The river gathers me in like it’s here to take care of me.

Cool water spears my lungs like sharpened icicles. I sink forever.

A low hum builds in my ears. Lights fades to nothing.

And I sleep.

NOVEMBER 30, 2010 | AGE 35


My head throbs. It doesn’t matter if I open or close my eyes, the pain worsens either way. My mouth is like dust. Joints and muscles lie seized.

Last night is a blank. I hate that. I look above me. Focusing is excruciating. The ceiling is browny cream, textured in spikes like a Christmas cake. An unshaded bulb swings in the draft, the filament shivering. It’s really cold in here.

Where the fucking hell am I?


Excerpted from THE DAY TRIPPER by James Goodhand. Copyright © 2024 by James Goodhand. Published by MIRA Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Review: Back to You...: The astonishing fate of John Fisher by Richard Plourde

Back to You...: The astonishing fate of John Fisher Back to You...: The astonishing fate of John Fisher by Richard Plourde
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own.

This was a compelling read following a man struggling to find his place in the world after battling with leukemia.  John has become self-absorbed coveting material things over experiences and relationships.  He has grown more and more caustic to his co-workers and unbeknownst to himself those material things he holds so dear now are not making him happy.  When forced to take a leave of absence from his job, he sets out on a journey of self discovery.  His aim is to reconnect with the person he was before cancer and perhaps reconcile some of his trauma from the past that is making him so angry and materialistic.

This was lovely redemption story about reconnecting with your past and mending lost relationships.  John starts out as a very unlikable character.  He is very entitled, thinks he knows everything, and is disrespectful to almost everyone around him.  Hence the reason he is put on leave of absence from his prestigious job.  As the story unfolds he reconnects with family and friends he hasn't seen in years.  He has to have hard conversations about why he chose to leave his hometown and break contact with everyone he knew.  As he has those conversations he gains clarity on his life and begins to break down some of the walls he has built over the years.  His priorities begin to shift and he begins to transform into better person.  John really redeems himself as we get to know him better, learn about his backstory, and understand what he wants his future to look like.

I loved Emma and Daniel in this.  They were great friends to John, and despite the long years of no contact and hurt he caused them, they were eager to jump right back into help.  They embark on a zany journey to find John's anonymous bone marrow donor, whom he feels is his one true love and will fix all of his problems.  As he reconnects with his friends and John revisits happier memories, he realizes that he doesn't need the most expensive watch, the fastest car, and the most beautiful woman on his arm for the night.  What he really needs is human connection.  

While I did find parts of the plot predictable, I did enjoy John's redemption ARC.  This is a great read.

Trigger warnings  <spoiler> mention of abortion, teen pregnancy, cancer, cancer treatment, alcohol use </spoiler>

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Sunday, March 10, 2024

2024 Alphabet Soup – Author Edition Reading Challenge

  




I participated in this challenge last year and it was really fun to see how many of the books I read fit into the challenges.

You can sign up and find all of the info on Dollycas' blog post here.  

I'll be posting updates as I finish titles.  I always try to plan out my books in advance, but if the Popsugar and Book Riot reading challenges have taught me anything, it is that I almost never read what is on the plan.  Anything with a link has a review posted, so feel free to check out my thoughts.

Link to my google spreadsheet or join me on storygraph


A - Melissa Albert - The Bad Ones

B - Robert Jackson Bennet - The Tainted Cup

C - Becky Chambers - A Psalm for the Wild Built

D - Haley Dennings - This Ravenous Fate

E - Jaq Evans - What Grows in the Dark

F - Hafsah Faizal - A Tempest of Tea

G - James Goodhand - The Day Tripper

H - Olivia Hayle - The Perfect Mistake

I - Hajime Isayama - Attack on Titan Volumes 2-14

J - Amanda Jayatissa - Island Witch

K - Rupi Kaur - The Sun and Her Flowers

L - Adrianna Locke - Written in the Scars

M - Alex Michaelides - The Fury

N - Peter Nichols - Granite Harbor

O -  Kay O'Neill - The Tea Dragon Festival

P - Richard Plourde - Back to You

Q -  Amanda Quain - Dashed

R - Rebecca Ross - Ruthless Vows

S - Charlotte Stein - When Grumpy Met Sunshine

T - Amy Tintera - Listen for the Lie

U - Amanda Urquardt - The Butcher Game

V - Jeff Vandermeer - Annihilation

W - Martha Wells - System Collapse

X - Xiran Jay Zhao - Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

Y - Samantha Young - Skies over Caledonia

Z - Gabrielle Zevin - Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow


2024 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge

 





I loved participating in this challenge last year so I'll be continuing participation in The Alphabet Soup challenge hosted by Dollycas in 2024.

You can sign up and find all of the info on Dollycas' blog post here.  Like last year I'll be posting updates as I finish titles.  I always try to plan out my books in advance, but if the Popsugar and Book Riot reading challenges have taught me anything, it is that I almost never read what is on the plan.  Anything with a link has a review posted, so feel free to check out my thoughts.

Link to my google spreadsheet or join me on Storygraph


A - Alien Earths by Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger

B - Bosse by Dianna Love

C - Court of Wanderers by Rin Chupeco

D - Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

E - Eat Smarter: Use the Power of Food to Reboot Your Metabolism, Upgrade Your Brain, and Transform Your Life by Shawn Stevenson

F - A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

G - Ghost Station by SA Barnes

H - Head Over Heels by Karla Sorensen

I - Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

J - 

K - Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley

L - Looking for Smoke by KA Cobell

M - Mislaid in Parts Half Known by Seanan McGuire

N - Nothing But it All by Adriana Locke

O - Out There Screaming by Various Authors

P - Principles of Emotion by Sara Read

Q - 

R - Recipe for a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden

S - Shattered Juliette by Katana Collins

T - Through the Glen by Samantha Young

U - Under the Oak Tree by Suji Kim

V - Voices Carry by Raven Oak

W - We are Legion by Dennis E Taylor

X - 

Y - Young Buck by Kilby Blades

Z - Zodiac by Ai Weiwei


Monthly Mini Challenges

January: Read a book with a word in the title that has at least 3 syllables: A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

February: Read a book with a Number Written Out in the Title: The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert

March: Read a book with Who, What, Where, When, Why, or How in the Title: What Grows in the Dark by Jaq Evans

April read a book with a Creepy Crawly in the title: Me Moth by Amber McBride

May Word Fruit or a Fruit in the title

June Word of something you see at a wedding: 7 Generations by David A Robinson

July read a book with 1 of the 50 United States in the title

August read a book with something small enough to fit in your pocket in the title: The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava

September Read a book with Money or Type of Money in the Title

October read a book with a word that could be a Halloween costume in the title The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner

November read a book with a SPICE in the title. (Or the word Spice)

December

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Review: Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Bride Bride by Ali Hazelwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the Berkley Besties program and Netgalley, however I did end up borrowing the final production version of the audiobook from my library.  As always all opinions are my own.

I thought the narrators did a great job, however this is mainly narrated by Thérèse Plummer, with Will Damron voicing small snippets at the beginning of each chapter.  It was a creative way of giving the MMC a voice without writing in alternating POVs.  I really would have liked to see some full chapters from Lowe's POV, but I really enjoyed that we did get some of his thoughts and that the audiobook did voice them with a male narrator.

I thought this was a really fun take on urban fantasy.  I haven't read a good vampire romance in a while.  Misery is the daughter of a powerful Vampyre councilman.  Her father has used her as a bargaining chip for most of her life, so she hasn't spent much time among her own kind.  She grew up with humans, and now she is being used once again to keep the peace.  Instead of a peace agreement between the Vampyres and Humans, she is being used as a pawn between the Vampyres and Werewolves.  Her father has arranged for her to marry the alpha of the Were pack in exchange for peace, and she agrees because she has an ulterior motive.  She suspects her best friend has been kidnapped by her new husband and she is determined to find her.  What she didn't expect to find was a kind man behind the powerful Were and someone who just might care about her.

Initially I thought this was YA, but let me tell you it is not YA at all.  This has some significant spice and once things heat up the dirty talk is off the charts.  I'm not a fan of the dirty talk personally, but if you are this delivers.  The scene on the plane was more my speed, but that is the beauty of books, everyone gets to have their own preferences.  Again we see some repetition with the terms and phrases used, you will never look at a knot the same again.  I think this is something that really happens with dogs and wolves so it makes sense that it would happen with werewolves.  Apparently knotting is also popular in fan fiction, especially in erotica and paranormal romance, so it makes sense that the author would include it here.  I thought it was mentioned a bit too often.  Those scenes are NSFW, so plan accordingly or if you are like me skim past them if they aren't your cup of tea.

This relies heavily on tropes we've seen before in shifter books, but honestly that's kind of why I love shifter books.  This leads to parts of the plot being a bit predictable, but I didn't mind that.  Some of the plot points were repetitious especially when it came to Misery and Lowe's relationship and the concept of mates.  You know from the second they meet they are fated mates, but the topic throughout the book as it is discussed often but instead of accepting that they are mates it is avoided and dismissed.  Hardware and software is also mentioned alot as an analogy for compatibility.  I've only read 1 other book by the author so I'm not sure if that is her typical style or not.   There is a bit of a mystery plot as Misery tries to find her friend and figure out what happened to her.  I love that Misery had her own career and figured out how to survive on her own.  She is her own kind of vampire and she's OK with being different.  She also finds her own place among the her new pack despite them being terrified of her.  

Overall this was a really enjoyable read.  It has a bit of everything you would want from an urban, paranormal fantasy.  It had an engaging plot with a bit of mystery and lots of politics, a good romance, and fun characters.  I'm not sure if this is a standalone or intended to be a series.  It ends with closure, but it has the makings of a series.  If there are more books I'm here for it.

View all my reviews

Friday, March 8, 2024

Blog Tour: Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley with Review and Excerpt

   


About the Book



For fans of Emily Henry and Sarah Morgenthaler comes a brand-new Scotland-set romantic comedy. In this enemies-to-lovers romance, one woman discovers more than the just the magic of the heartland's lochs and landscapes—but not before clashing with the proud Scotsman she's forced to work with.

Addie Macrae has always followed her wanderlust. As a travel consultant, she turns struggling businesses into world-class tour groups. Her job comes with the perk of jetsetting around the globe, which means never being in one place for too long—just the way she likes it. Since her mom passed away ten years ago and her father never stopped grieving, no place has felt like home anyway. But when she’s sent on assignment to help a family-run tour group in Scotland—the one place she swore she’d never go—Addie has to shed her emotional baggage and turn on the professional charm.

Logan Sutherland’s family business is operating just fine, thank you very much. The Heart of the Highlands was never meant to make the family rich, rather to teach sightseers to appreciate the beauty of Scotland’s hidden gems, which are more captivating than any tourist trap. The last thing Logan wants is some American "expert" pushing Outlander-themed tours and perpetuating myths about the Loch Ness Monster. And for a travel consultant, Addie oddly doesn’t seem interested in learning about the land Logan loves. Equally put off by each other, the new colleagues clash on every company decision.

Then Logan discovers Addie does have a personal connection to Scotland—it was her late mother’s favorite place, one that now lives on in a handful of faded Polaroids Addie kept from her parents’ Honeymoon. She wants to seek out the places in the pictures, but is worried that she's too late to capture the wonder of following in her mother's footsteps. Logan is convinced he can help Addie get some closure, and the two realize, when they agree, they actually work pretty well together.

But Addie’s contract with The Heart is almost up, and the business is still losing money. They can’t afford distractions, but there’s no denying the intense chemistry between Addie and Logan. Besides, how can Addie do her job properly if she hasn’t explored all Scotland has to offer?


BUY LINKS:

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/kilt-trip-original-alexandra-kiley/20099582?ean=9781335009296 

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kilt-trip-alexandra-kiley/1143441391?ean=9781335009296 

Books A Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Kilt-Trip/Alexandra-Kiley/9781335009296?id=8875782594791 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kilt-Trip-Alexandra-Kiley/dp/1335009299/ 


Review


Kilt Trip
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, all opinions are my own.

If this doesn't make you book a trip to Scotland, I don't know what will!  I've always wanted to visit Scotland, and this book cemented my desire and made me want to book a tour ASAP.  The author did a described Scotland so wonderfully.  Then there are the characters, Logan and Addie are adorable as they fight each other every step of the way to make Logan's touring company a success.  They are supported by some great side characters along their emotional journey.  This has great character development.  Addie has some emotional baggage from her past that her time in Scotland is dredging up, and Logan has to face the fact that he has to make some changes if he want his family business to remain in business.  After a truce between them forms, we really see Addie begin to face the emotions that she has bottle up so deeply and form a bond with Logan.  Logan on the other hand is finally willing to give an inch and listen to some of her ideas on how to modernize things a wee bit.  While this was a fun book, it also has alot of emotion.  Addie is dealing with alot of grief over losing her mom and her feelings of abandonment.  Her sense of wanderlust stems from her desire to avoid relationships and emotion.  When she finally finds a place that she wants to stay with people she wants to spend time with, she doesn't know how to process those feelings, and we see her go through quite the crisis when she is faced with all the big feelings.  I really liked how the author handled the conflict in this, both on Logan's side and on Addie's.  They both had to speak up for themselves about what they wanted both professionally and personally.  

Now what is this book about?   This follows Addie, a travel consultant who's latest client is a family tour company in Scotland.  The thing that sets them apart from other tours is their ability to get their clients to see the magic in the hidden gems of the country.  The problem is they haven't upgraded their website or itineraries since...well, ever.  Addie has been tasked to update their tours to help increase their bookings and help out their bottom line.  Logan, is set to take over the tour company when his dad retires and he wants to keep things just as they are.  He loves sharing his knowledge of Scotland with visitors and showing them lesser known locations.  He prefers booking with local small businesses and family friends and hates tourist traps.  Needless to say he and Addie do not get off to a good start.   After forming a truce for the good of the company, they realize that they are both after the same goal, and when they stop fighting they realize they are actually quite attracted to one another.  Eventually they come up with a brilliant plan for the business, and their relationship is heating up as well.  When Addie gets some unpleasant news from back home, a new client at work, and direction from her boss that she doesn't totally agree with it may just undo all of the magic she and Logan have made together for the business and their future.

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About the Author

Alexandra Kiley writes big-hearted romances full of banter, found-family, and deep love. When she’s not writing, you can find her drinking tea, hiking, or gazing adoringly at the mountains of Colorado where she lives with her husband and two kids. Her novels are inspired by her semester in Scotland where she fell in love with not only the lush and magical land, but also the people who invited her into their homes and made her feel like family.

Author website: https://www.alexandrakiley.com/ 

Twitter: @akileybooks

Instagram: @akileybooks




Excerpt

One 


Addie Macrae’s internal compass was irreparably damaged. For all the traveling she did, and the relative ease of navigating a city with English street signs, Edinburgh’s jigsaw puzzle of gray-toned buildings and twisting streets left her head spinning.

Under different circumstances she might’ve been swept away by the city’s lantern-topped street lights and cobblestone roads, but not while the architecture and charm conspired against her. She’d missed a full thirty minutes of her newest client’s city tour, the last one before their meeting tomorrow.

If she was going to turn The Heart of the Highlands around, revamp their tours, and pull them from the brink of financial ruin, she needed to know what she was walking into. The thrumming in her chest slipped into the realm of heart palpitations, one tier below racing for a connecting flight.

Which she’d already done today.

Striding along another street lined with red and teal storefronts, she tugged at her collar, letting the chilled air slice through the humidity inside her plasticky yellow raincoat. Nothing in sight resembled a staircase at the bottom of Calton Hill—the starting point mentioned on the website.

Gigi, the irritatingly sunny voice of Google Maps, shouted, “Turn left.” She was hopelessly laggy, sending Addie in one direction, then two minutes later changing her mind.

Addie followed another skinny tunnel between buildings constructed long before the invention of motor vehicles. It deposited her into an unmarked courtyard, paths fanning out in all directions.

“Rerouting.”

Grinding her teeth, Addie restarted Gigi, tripped over a cobblestone, and cursed.

Side-eyeing the red battery icon on her phone, she checked the time again. Dammit. At this rate, she’d miss the entire itinerary.

Cars rumbled by on the wrong side of the road as she wound through the bustling downtown and crossed the construction zone that was the North Bridge. A light drizzle began to fall, dripping from her hood and curling the end of her blond braid. Great.

A low brick wall to her left did nothing to contain the oldgrowth trees threatening to hop the street. She walked right past a staircase tucked between the disheveled, leafless forest before backing up.

Begging to be missed, a miniature blue sign attached to a lamppost pointed up the stairs to Calton Hill. Addie shook her head. How were tourists expected to find this?

Her annoyance drowned out any relief at finding the tour.

As she headed toward the steps, her phone rang. Boss Babe lit up the screen. Devika filled all the roles in Addie’s life: best friend, coworker, mother hen.

They were kindred spirits—always stayed late, snuck champagne and slippers into the office to work through the holidays, and sent each other postcards from airports around the world. Every time one of them got to a new destination, they checked in. Like the lone-women-travelers’ buddy system. In the haze of lost luggage and misdirection, Addie had forgotten. She answered, “Sorry. I’m here safely, although sans suitcase.” Her green hardside—scuffed, covered in stickers, and affectionately referred to as Frank—had taken an impromptu side trip without her permission.

“That blows. Do they know when it’ll be back?”

Addie started up the stairs, dragging her fingers over the sculpted lion’s head at the base of the shiny black handrail. A tower in the shape of an old-fashioned spyglass rose out of the knotted trees above her. “Hopefully tonight, or I’ll be wearing my airport-acquired rain gear to my meeting.”

Devika laughed. “What’s on the books for today?”

The answer to their running joke was, of course, always, work. Six months ago, her mentor, Marc, started a new agency—Dawsey Travel Consulting—and took Devika and Addie with him. It could hardly be called poaching when she would follow them to the ends of the earth. Addie wanted to be them when she grew up.

Devika was a powerhouse karaoke song. She brought people to their feet with her magnetic presence and got shit done like a boss.

Marc was quieter, more serious, but in an industry full of power-hungry men, he always listened, remembered vegetarian and gluten-free options, and cut off interrupters with a stern

“Addie wasn’t done talking.” He was the one person who’d taken a chance on her when she’d been at her lowest, who’d taught her how to keep moving when she wanted to give up.

They were in a million different time zones right now, hustling to build a name for themselves in the competitive world of travel consulting. With ironclad non-competes from their old firm, their client roster currently consisted of Marc’s friends and whatever referrals their favorite clients could muster.

Every project had to go perfectly to make their new business turn a profit. The future of their venture depended on it. And as the junior partner—the first one to be cut if things went sideways—Addie’s job did, too.

She scanned the spider web of paths at the top of the hill.

A random cannon sat in the median. This had to be the right spot. “Research,” Addie said. “I’m already docking them three points for starting the tour in an obscure location.”

There. A group of ten or so people carrying colorful umbrellas huddled around a man in a kilt. Bingo.

“Are you spying?”

Her stomach clenched at the censure in Devika’s voice. “I’ve got this.” Maybe it was the jet lag making her a bit desperate, or the fear of what would happen if she failed, but she’d take whatever edge she could get. “Besides, gathering intel isn’t illegal,” Addie defended, even though Devika was right to worry.

Rebuilding trust with the client took time she didn’t have, but this was a calculated risk. As a rule, executives didn’t take kindly to corporate espionage in any form. However, executives were also rarely objective about their own tours. They chalked lagging sales up to uninspired marketing or internet algorithms, never to generic itineraries, up-charging for headphones on an audio tour, or rambling guides.

Metrics on destination costs and ticket prices were important, but the way people responded to their guides told an indisputable story. One day trip could show her more about a company’s weak spots than five board meetings combined.

“You better hope you blend in.”

Addie bit her lip as she looked down at her attire. Between the yellow raincoat and poppy-splashed wellies, she looked about as unobtrusive as a knockoff Paddington Bear waving a sign that read I’m crashing your tour. But it was fine, she could totally pass as a tourist. “You’re not helping at all. I have to go be sneaky.”

Devika laughed and made the word bye last for three syllables.

Addie moved to the back of the group where two people speaking Japanese, having clearly forgotten their raincoats, wore see-through Heart of the Highlands–branded ponchos.

Practical and effective swag, 1 point.

Gigi shouted, “Keep right at the fork!”

All eyes swung to Addie and heat flooded her cheeks as she struggled to turn off the speaker. “Is this the Hidden Gems tour?” she asked the approaching guide. “I got lost…” Addie looked up into crinkling gray eyes.

Whoa.

Curls fell over his forehead, a wavy sea of honey and bronze. On anyone else, she’d have said he was in dire need of a haircut, but it worked for him—matched the close-trimmed beard and the power of his shoulders.

He would be intimidatingly rugged if he wasn’t draped in clear plastic.

“Aye. Welcome. Are you Heather Munro?”

Her gaze slipped down to his navy blue and forest green kilt… Damn.

She’d never considered herself one to swoon over a kilt, but his work boots and rounded calves were doing something to her stomach she couldn’t feasibly attribute to her bumpy flight. The navy cable-knit sweater, too—much better than the frilly pirate shirt that usually accompanied this getup.

Although, it did little to set their guides apart.

Gimmicky uniform, minus 2 points…on anyone else.

The last words he said filtered back to her, and heat crept up her neck. Shit.

“Oh, yes. Hi. That’s me.” Addie was more accustomed to sleeping on planes than in her own bed, but she was clearly more jet-lagged than she’d realized if she couldn’t remember her own fake name.

The guide’s lips curved into an amused smile. “I’m Logan.”

She could tell a lot from a handshake.

Crushing: domineering and a pain in the ass to work with.

Limp: kind but required vast emotional resources to make decisions.

Wet-fish: well…that was never a good sign.

But Logan’s firm handshake was warm. It said: I know what I want. I’m not afraid to ask for help or entertain new ideas.

Not that it mattered. She’d be working with the owner and his son, not the guides.

His grin sent tingles whispering over her skin as he dropped her hand and turned back to the group. “This way to the National Monument of Scotland, built to commemorate those who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.” Logan gestured to the Parthenon-style structure missing two and a half sides of pillars. “Or, as it’s affectionately called, Scotland’s Shame. As you can see, funding ran out rather quickly.” A few snickers and an abundance of smiles followed his remarks.

“Edinburgh is nicknamed the Athens of the North, and these buildings celebrate our architectural feats and enlightenment. But long before the monuments were constructed, Calton Hill was a site for many pagan rituals. My favorite is Beltane, the Celtic festival hailing the reappearance of summer and the fertility of the land. Fire represents the return of the light, and revelers celebrate in its glow.”

Logan could have described the architecture, the historical figures, or the politics at the time of construction. Addie had been on that kind of tour in the real Athens and knew firsthand how hard it was to keep guests’ interest with dry facts. Instead, Logan’s tales of rejoicing and fire, spirits and drums, enthralled the tourists. The group huddled around him, his voice low and soothing like it’d wrapped around everyone and pulled them in.

If all the guides were this good, Addie wouldn’t need to bring in a story-crafting coach; Logan would make a dishwasher manual sound interesting.

Engaging the guests, 3 points.


Excerpted from Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley. Copyright © 2024 by Alexandra Kiley. Published by Canary Street Press.