Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

Welcome to my blog tour stop for Phantasma which  is been hosted by Bookouture & Second Sky/Forever

Book: Phantasma 

Author: Kaylie Smith 

Pub Day:  September 3rd 2024

Buy Link(s):  https://geni.us/B0CXNJDB4Bsocial

Rating : 5

Would I recommend it ? Yes , in fact as soon as I hearded about this book I went and started telling my friends about , and in Aug , I did a buddy read with a friend who ended up loving it just as much as I did ,so much in fact that we plan to do a buddy read for the next book.

Would I read more by this author ? Yes , to the point that I'm looking forward to her next book in this series .

Would I read more of this series ?Yes 

Now on to my thoughts :First off a big thanks to these publishers Bookouture, Second Sky/Forever as well as to the author Kaylie Smith and NetGalley, for not only the invite to read and review it on NetGalley but also for sending me a physical ARC copy of it to read. Now on to my thoughts: what first caught my attention was the beautiful cover and second was that it was a dark fantasy romance ( which is right up my alley, but it's so much more then that one genre ,because it comes off like a dark fantasy Gothic paranormal horror romance) it has eventhing in it that I love , Vampires, ghosts, demons, Devils , wraiths and so much more, plus it takes place in New Orleans which is a place I would love to visit someday because of its history with the paranormal. And let's not for get it has 2 of my tropes. And the setting of the story give it the perfect Atmosphere, which means I didn't want to put this book down , but at the same time I kept saying to my self even though Blackwell is hot, there would be no way in the world I would step in Phantasma. The way the author brought Phantasma alive as well as her characters was done in such a way that it was like I could literally reach out and touch them or that I could hear and see what they saw , out of the characters my to all time favorite was of course Blackwell and Ophelia, and while there was some characters I couldn't stand the one that I couldn't stand the most was Ophelia's sister. Other thing I liked about this book was how the author bright to life how it was for someone who had OCD, ( in fact I think this the first book I've read where the character has OCD) , so if you're looking for a book that is hard to put down, the cover is beautiful, and it's a dark fantasy Gothic paranormal horror romance and mixed in with very hot Steamy scenes as well as non stop creepiness that nightmares are made of and let's not forget the creepy voice that comes out to play throughout the story, then this is right up your alley. 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Welcome to Phantasma.

There are only two rules to the game. Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize—a single wish.

Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demons and temptations. Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last. There can only be one winner, and the other contestants will stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.

Every day the house creates new monsters. But just as Ophelia’s fears threaten to overwhelm her, a mysterious stranger offers her a bargain.

Charming, arrogant and infuriatingly attractive, Blackwell claims he can guide her through the lethal trials ahead. All he asks in return is ten years of her life.

Ophelia knows she shouldn’t trust him. Blackwell doesn’t seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceptive. Worse still, she feels a dark and irresistible attraction drawing them closer and closer.

Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart…

A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Caraval in this seductive fantasy adventure. With steamy romance, a sexy morally gray love interest, OCD rep and jaw-dropping twists, Phantasma is perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Nisha J. Tuli and Carissa Broadbent.

Author Bio

Kaylie Smith is a writer and lover of all things magical and fantasy. She grew up in Louisiana where she frequently haunted bookstores and practiced her writing craft. After getting her degree in graphic design, she decided to fully pursue her dream of being an author, and the first book in her YA fantasy series, A RUINOUS FATE, debuts in January 2023 from Disney Hyperion. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found at home with her menagerie of animals, fussing over her houseplants, or annoying people about astrology.

Social Media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KaylsMoon

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaylsmoon

Website: https://www.kayliesmithbooks.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kathrynannkingsley

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21767301.Kaylie_Smith

Second Sky email signup: www.secondskybooks.com/kathryn-ann-kingsley 

Count Their Graves by Jennifer Chase

 Welcome to blog tour stop for Count their Graves which is been hosted by Bookouture

Buy Link:

Amazon:  https://geni.us/B0D327YFP8social

Title : Count Their Graves 

Series : Detective Katie Scott Book 12

Author : Jennifer Chase 

Publisher : Bookouture 

NetGalley ARC

Bookouture & NetGalley 

Pub date : August 30, 2024

Pages : 362

Rating : 5

Would I recommend it ? Yes 

Would I read more by this author ? Yes 

Would I recommend this series ? yes 

Now  on to  my thoughts : First off like always a big thank you to the publisher  Bookouture, to  the author  Jennifer Chase as well as to Netgalley for the invite to read and review Count Their Graves , because with out  theme I might never have found this series or even given it a try . But since the first book this series has been Five stars all the way , and now I want book 13, this series is one of my favorite, can't believe I've read all of them ,will except book 3 ( I some how missed that one) but no matter I'm 100% hooked . This book had setting on the edge of my set the inter time , which means as soon as I got it from NetGalley I started reading it , there was so many twist and turns and even though I kept say it was sorting someone , and I actually guessed right ,I still enjoyed it , and fingers cross that Katie ends up with the person I wanted her to end up with since book 1 ,even though she ended up with someone else.

 Book Description:

A wind chime sways a sweet melody above several pairs of shoes neatly laid out on the welcome mat: two large pairs, and three small. On the door frame, a perfect crimson handprint, the color of blood…

Out on her morning run, Detective Katie Scott is stopped in her tracks when her service dog, Cisco, alerts her to something. Weaving through the towering pine trees, Katie is horrified to find a little girl alone in the woods, dressed in a white nightgown. The child sobs into Katie’s arms. She’s unharmed, but clearly traumatized. Scooping her up, Katie follows the trail to a large farmhouse. But what she finds there rips the air from her lungs: one, two, three, four bodies laid out side by side, all in matching pajamas.

The Banks family were attacked in their sleep, but how had the little girl trembling in Katie’s arms escape with her life? What twisted monster would do such a thing, and why leave no trace but a single bloody handprint on the doorframe? Katie vows to find answers for this sweet child who has lost everything and everyone.

Working night and day to piece together why this innocent family were targeted, Katie thinks she has her first lead when she discovers the family were under witness protection. Had they seen something they shouldn’t? Was the aim to silence them forever? Questions are still spinning in Katie’s mind when another family is discovered dead in their beds on the other side of Pine Valley.

With the entire department stretched to breaking point with an unprecedented body count and trace evidence stacking up, it’s going to take everything Katie has to track this twisted killer down. But as she closes in on her target, it’s clear someone close to Katie is keeping a deadly secret. How many more innocent lives will be lost before she can bring them to justice?

A completely pulse-pounding crime thriller for fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh that will have you racing through pages all night long. Prepare to start sleeping with the lights on after tearing through this gripping thriller from USA Today and Amazon bestseller Jennifer Chase!

Author Bio:

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and best-selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells.

In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.
https://www.instagram.com/jenchaseauthor/
https://twitter.com/JChaseNovelist

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Jennifer Chase here: http://www.bookouture.com/jennifer-chase

Meet the Parents by Emily Shiner

 Welcome to my blog tour stop for Meet the Parents which is been hosted by Bookouture 

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0D92HHYZVsocial

Meet the Parents 

Emily Shiner

Pub date : Aug 29,2024

Pages 325

Publisher : Bookouture

Rating: 4

Would I recommend it? Yes

Would I read more by  this author ? Yes

Now on to my thoughts :First off a big thank you to the publisher Bookouture as well as to the author Emily Shiner and to NetGalley for the invite to read Meet the Parents : Twist and turns , and secrets that some people don't want to come out, plus it shows why it's better to wait a while to meet the family of the one your dating. As well as  make you want to stay up and read though out the night.

Book Description:

“We’re so excited to have you here in our home.” My boyfriend’s mother smiles at me a little too wide. His father’s eyes are hard at the edges. It’s like they’re hiding something. But of course, I already know that…

The mother: Stay-at-home mother Marta lives in her successful husband’s shadow, overlooked by him ever since her darling son Owen went to medical school. She’s not about to let the beautiful Gina take Owen away from her. Marta will play nice, get Gina to trust her. And then she has a plan of her own.

The son: Owen is already certain he wants to marry Gina. She’s perfect. They just have to get through this weekend and then he’ll propose. Sure, his mom can be overprotective. But Owen knows why. He knows what she’s hiding.

The girlfriend: Ever since purposefully running into Dr Owen Whitlock at the hospital, Gina has been playing the doting girlfriend. She didn’t mean to fall for Owen’s charms for real… Now she’s finally meeting his parents at their sprawling, secluded home. Gina knows all about the terrible secrets this family is covering up. And she’ll do anything to make sure they never find out who she really is.

By the end of the weekend, the Whitlock’s beautiful house will have burned to the ground. And someone won’t make it out alive…

Meet the Parents is an absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller that will keep you up reading late into the night! Fans of The Housemaid, The Girl in Seat 2A and The Perfect Marriage will be totally hooked.

Author Bio:

Emily Shiner always dreamed of becoming an author. After spending years devouring stacks of thrillers, she decided to try her hand at writing them herself. Now she gets to live out her dream of writing novels and sharing her stories with people around the world. She lives in the Appalachian Mountains and loves hiking with her husband, daughter, and their two dogs.

https://authoremilyshiner.com/

https://www.facebook.com/authoremilyshiner/

https://www.instagram.com/authoremilyshiner/

https://twitter.com/authoreshiner

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Emily Shiner here: https://bookouture.com/subscribe/emily-shiner/

The Couple on the Train by Claire Cooper

 Welcome to my blog tour for   The Couple on the Train  which is  been hosted by Bookouture

Book: The Couple on the Train

Author: Claire Cooper

Pub Day:  August 23rd 2024

Buy Link(s):

 https://geni.us/B0D5DR9N2Ksocial

Rating : 4

Would I  recommend  it ? Yes

Would I read anything else by this author ? Yes

My thoughts :  First off a big thank you for the publisher Bookouture , the author Claire Cooper and to NetGalley for letting me read  The Couple on the Train . and now why  did  I  like  this  so much , fast paced thriller as well as unpredictable., that had me hooked from the very start , and I loved how it's told in the past and present as well as 2 different perspectives and the plus side of this crazy ride is that you don't know who's actually doing the telling of the story which give it a spooky feeling because all you can do is set back and watch the story play out .

About the Book: 

I look at where the woman was sitting. There’s a scrap of paper tucked into the gap between the seats. With shaking hands, I pick it up. The note reads: Help me.

At first glance, the couple on the train look normal. She’s dressed smartly, a floral patterned bag on her lap. But her hands are clenched, her fingers white. The man with her has his arm looped through hers, but not in a comforting way. He’s holding her too tightly.

She catches my eye and I see desperation there. I’m opening my mouth to speak when the train grinds to a halt and the man stands, hauling her away. She looks at me again, then at the seat behind her, her face pale.

I find the message she left behind. Help me.

When I call the police, there’s no sign of the couple on CCTV. The kind detective gently suggests that it’s not surprising, with my history, that I am imagining things. Wanting to save someone.

I know what I saw. If no one will believe me, I’ll find her myself.

But as I search, what I find seems personal. Little things that remind me of what happened ten years ago. And I think I’m being followed, that someone broke into my flat.

The hunt for the woman on the train is leading me somewhere I should never go. Can I save her, or will I be next?

Author Bio

Claire Cooper grew up in a small village in south Wales before moving to London to study for a degree in Ancient History and Egyptology. After a spell as a development worker in Nepal, she lived in the capital for many years, spending much of that time as a civil servant in a range of different Government departments. She hung up her bowler hat when she discovered she much preferred writing about psychotic killers to Ministerial speeches. More recently, she returned to Wales, and now lives with her husband by the sea in Pembrokeshire. She also writes as C. J. Cooper.

Social Media

Twitter/X:    https://twitter.com/CJCooper_author  

Instagram:     https://www.instagram.com/cjcooper_author/

Bookouture Email Sign Up:   https://bookouture.com/subscribe/claire-cooper