Adult, ARC, books, Review

Book Review: A Lady For A Duke by Alexis Hall

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger BooksLeave a Comment on Book Review: A Lady For A Duke by Alexis Hall
Book Review: A Lady For A Duke by Alexis Hall

I’ve made no secret of the fact I’m a massive fan of Alexis Hall. I’ve read a few of his books in the past and will be reading so many more. I’m not a massive historical romance fan usually, so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about that one, but since this had a trans protagonist and was by an author I love, I wanted to give it a go. And I adored it.

A Lady For A Duke follows Viola Carroll, a woman who was finally able to live as her true self after everyone thought she died at Waterloo. Now she’s back home, and her sister-in-law convinces her to visit her former best friend, the Duke of Gracewood. He’s a mess dealing with the grief, and Viola wants to bring him back to himself. It’s difficult though, and both Viola and Gracewood will learn to love themselves again as they fall for each other.

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Adult, ARC, blog tour, books, Review, Uncategorized

Book Review: It Only Takes A Minute by Sasha Lane

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger BooksLeave a Comment on Book Review: It Only Takes A Minute by Sasha Lane
Book Review: It Only Takes A Minute by Sasha Lane

Being a big fan of chick-lit and rom-coms, I’m always on the lookout for something new within those genres. One of the best things about being part of tour groups is that sometimes I’ll be asked about a title that I’ve never heard of but sounds perfect to me. It Only Takes a Minute was one of those.

Kiera has earned a 4-week sabbatical after years of working at the bank. So what does she do with it? Impulsively decides to fly out on holiday alone. She’s hoping for relaxation and exploration, but she winds up discovering a lot more as she wanders around under the sun.

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Adult, ARC, blog tour, books, Review

Blog Tour: Duckling by Eve Ainsworth

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger BooksLeave a Comment on Blog Tour: Duckling by Eve Ainsworth
Blog Tour: Duckling by Eve Ainsworth

I love finding authors I’ve not read before and getting to read their books. Especially if they’ve been around before now, and I get to pick up a new book by them. It means there’s more for me to go back and explore when I’m done. That was my plan when I heard about the blog tour for Eve Ainsworth’s Duckling. It’s her first adult book, and it looked like it would be very cute and emotional. That was far from all I got though, and I clearly didn’t know what I was getting in for with this book. Thanks so much to Marie-Louise from Penguin Random House for letting me be part of this tour. I’m so glad that I had an opportunity to read this book.

Lucy’s always had the nickname Duckling, and though it bugs her, she can’t help but think that it fits. She’s reluctant to leave her nest, and when a neighbour asks her to look after her little girl for a bit, Lucy agrees as it isn’t supposed to be for long. Then when she doesn’t come back that night, Lucy has to start taking care of this little girl, and her life is turned upside down.

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ARC, books, middlegrade, Review

Book Review: Escape to the River Sea by Emma Carroll

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger BooksLeave a Comment on Book Review: Escape to the River Sea by Emma Carroll
Book Review: Escape to the River Sea by Emma Carroll

Journey to the River Sea was one of my favourite books as a child. I still have the old battered copy that I bought at a school book fair. When I knew this book was going to be a thing, I decided I was going to reread the first book and then the new one. When I was lucky enough to get an e-arc through NetGalley, I put both on my TBR and read them back to back.

Set in 1946, Rosa Sweetman has been living in Westwood after having left her home and family in Vienna as part of the Kindertransport. But now all the other children have returned home, and Rosa is still waiting. After a mysterious visitor comes to Westwood, Rosa decides she wants to join her in visiting her family in Brazil. The visitor is on a quest to find a Giant Sloth, and Rosa would love to be part of that. This trip turns into more of an adventure than Rosa knows, and she finds jaguars, a new family and herself along the way.

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Adult, ARC, books, Review

Book Review: The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall

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Book Review: The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall

I’ve only been introduced to Katy Birchall’s chick-lit this year through her first book, The Secret Bridesmaid. I picked it up in the Works one day and enjoyed it so much. As soon as I saw she had a new book on NetGalley, I immediately hit request. Having finished the book, I’m so glad I did. This book was definitely emotional in places but was so much fun, and I’d recommend it to all. Especially when I’m talking about what I think chick-lit is now.

Freya is getting married, and her wedding should be the first of eight she needs to attend that year. Until her fiance, Matthew dumps her the day before the wedding. In a broom cupboard. Freya’s heart is broken, and she doesn’t know how she’s going to handle attending all her friends’ weddings. Until her best friends, Ruby and Leo, suggest she completes a Wedding Survival Guide. At each wedding she attends, she’ll have to complete a task that will put her out of her comfort zone but be fun. The challenges may wind up getting her in more trouble than she expects, but they also allow her to learn a lot about herself and find new love.

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roleplay, Writing

The Magic of Storytelling Within Roleplay

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger Books8 Comments on The Magic of Storytelling Within Roleplay
The Magic of Storytelling Within Roleplay

It’s been a while since I’ve spoken about roleplay, and that’s mostly down to the fact that it’s not something I do much anymore. Evenings that used to be spent on my laptop have now become evenings in bed with a book. Most of the friends I have who I want to rp with don’t have much time or inspiration, so it’s kind of dwindled for now. That’s okay though, and it’s something that I do hope to get back to in the future.

But recently, I’ve gotten into Critical Role, and it’s making me think about rp again. I definitely want to try DnD sometime. I’d even like to try DMing a campaign one day. I already have a world I’d like to set it in of my own making. I also want to get back into my typical form of online rp. But the fact I’m listening to an rp, in general, isn’t why I’m interested again. I’ve become obsessed with these stories and characters, and that’s what I’m thinking about.

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ARC, books, Review, Young Adult

Book Review: I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

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Book Review: I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

You all expected me to read this book, right? I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a highly anticipated book for many. I wouldn’t say I was excited as some people, but as soon as I saw it on NetGalley, I knew I had to request it. I’ve currently only read Red, White and Royal Blue, but One Last Stop is also on my TBR. I wanted to try McQuistion’s first YA book as soon as possible, and I’m glad I did. However, I didn’t love this book quite as much as I’d hoped.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler follows Chloe Green, who was shocked after being randomly kissed by the principal’s daughter, Shara Wheeler. Chloe and Shara have been academic rivals for years, but after she tries to track her down at prom, Shara promptly disappears. Now Chloe is having to follow clues alongside Shara’s boyfriend and next-door neighbour as they try to find out where she’s gone and how to bring her back. Chloe has a bone to pick, and she’s determined to prove she’s better than Shara.

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ARC, books, Review, Young Adult

Book Review: Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger BooksLeave a Comment on Book Review: Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White
Book Review: Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

I’m obviously a big fan of queer books, so this was always going to be a book that I was going to read. As well as that, I’ve followed A.J on Twitter for a few years, as part of my foray into writing Twitter. I might not have written for a while, but I’ve still been following him and enjoying doing so. A.J seems like a great guy, so I also knew that I wanted to support him by writing a review.

Hell Followed With Us follows Benji, a trans teen who is on the run from the cult that has destroyed a lot of the world and transformed him into a bioweapon. All he wants to be able to do is just live his life as the boy he is, but after being cornered by monsters when trying to escape, he is rescued by teens from a local LGBTQA+ group. Their leader Nick is gorgeous, autistic and deadly, and he knows exactly who Benji actually is. But he agrees to let Benji stay, provided he can control his inner monster and help them. Benji agrees, but soon he finds out that Nick might not be telling him everything.

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Adult, ARC, books, Review

Blog Tour: Set On You by Amy Lea

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger BooksLeave a Comment on Blog Tour: Set On You by Amy Lea
Blog Tour: Set On You by Amy Lea

I really love a good book that focuses on influencers or social media. I especially love it when the book is a romance or a chick-lit. Social media is such a big part of our lives now, and as a bookish content creator, I have at least some understanding of all the work that goes into these accounts. Set on You was no different. I was very kindly contacted by the team at Spark Point Studio at the end of last year asking if I’d like to review this book, and I’ve finally gotten around to it. I’m also participating in the UK book tour for this, so you can tell I’m very excited.

Crystal Chen is a fitness influencer who promotes body positivity and the fact you can love fitness without wanting to become skinny. During one of her regular sessions, she meets Scott, the annoyingly attractive firefighter who likes to steal her favourite squat rack. When it turns out that their grandparents are engaged, however, Crystal realises that she’s going to be spending a lot more time with Scott, and soon they wind up falling into friendship followed by something more. But just as things seem perfect, the reactions of many to a photo posted of them together on Instagram could tear everything apart.

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Adult, ARC, blog tour, books, Review

Blog Tour: One Good Thing by Alexandra Potter

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger Books2 Comments on Blog Tour: One Good Thing by Alexandra Potter
Blog Tour: One Good Thing by Alexandra Potter

A few years ago, I got into Alexandra Potter for a bit. I read a lot of her backlist and enjoyed them. And then I reached a point where I wasn’t being drawn to her books anymore. That changed when I read the summary of One Good Thing. Which, I won’t lie, I was surprised as this is a chick-lit novel that reads a lot older than I usually prefer and utilises multiple perspectives. And yet, I really enjoyed it. It was what I hoped it would be. I was lucky to get an early e-book copy to read of this through Random Things Tours, so thanks so much to Anne!

One Good Thing mostly follows Liv, a forty-something woman who has just gotten divorced from her cheating husband and decides she wants a fresh start in Yorkshire. Her new house becomes a building site – literally – and Liv realises that she has to find herself before she can really move on. By finding good things, from a dog to new friends and even helping out her neighbours, she finds joy again.

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