Tag: book-reviews

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Blessed Water by Margot Douaihy

Sister Holiday is back!! Thanks so much to Emily over @Pushkin Press for having me on the blog tour of the second installment of the Sister Holiday series!

—Synopsis—

Tattooed from her neck to her toes and sporting a gold tooth as sharp as her wisecracks, Sister Holiday struggles to stay on the righteous path. She’s committed both to taking her permanent vows with the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and joining Magnolia Riveaux’s latest venture, Redemption Detective Agency-both in service of satisfying her eternal quest for answers.

When Sister Holiday and Riveaux set out to bust a philandering husband, they instead find the body of a priest floating in the Mississippi river, and with it, Redemption’s next case.

As a torrential rainstorm drowns New Orleans for three harrowing days over Easter weekend, Sister Holiday and Riveaux follow the clues. With the stakes rising alongside the relentless floodwaters, our favourite punk nun- sleuth throws herself into the deep end yet again.

—Review—

“The rain tried to wash us away that weekend. Or bless us, hold us under until the last breath. Every end a beginning.”

Our favourite queer, rock & roll, unconventional nun continues to sleuth around, but this time it’s even closer to home…

Saint Sebastian’s own Father Reese has been murdered, mutilated; Father Nathan is now missing… Who’s a friend? Who’s a foe?

We’re back in Sister Holiday’s beloved New Orleans, still a character in its own right, but this time facing raging storm and deluge.

Can Sister Holiday do it all, can she face the challenges this Easter weekend is bringing to her doorstep? Can her sobriety, her sanity and her faith sustain it all?

Why is her own brother Moose suddenly back? What does he want?

With everything on the verge of irreparable catastrophe, get swept away on Sister Holiday’s race against time to elucidate this latest mystery, find Father Nathan and the culprit before it’s too late, before the water engulfs it all, cleanses the evidence and sins, drowns the innocents and silences the truth.

A brilliant noir whodunnit which will delight those seeking unconventional mysteries!

Out now with Pushkin Press.

—About the Author—

Margot Douaihy lives in Northampton, MA, and teaches creative writing at Emerson College. Scorched Grace, the first of Douaihy’s Sister Holiday Mysteries, was named a best book of 2023 by Apple Books, BookPage and Marie Claire, among others. She is also the author of the poetry collections Bandit/Queen: The Runaway Story of Belle Starr, Scranton Lace, and Girls Like You.

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Meet Me When My Heart Stops by Becky Hunter

Wow Becky you’ve done it again! I loved your debut One Moment but this… this is quite something! I absolutely adored it! Thank you very much Corvus Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read in advance! 

—Synopsis—

What if your soulmate could only ever be the love of your afterlife?

The first time Emery’s heart stops, she is only five years old…

Emery is born with a heart condition that means her heart could quite literally stop at any moment. The people around her know what to do – if they act quickly enough there will be no lasting damage, and Emery’s heart can be restarted. But when this happens, she is briefly technically dead.

Each time Emery’s heart stops, she meets Nick. His purpose is to help people adjust to the fact that they are dead, to help them say goodbye, before they move on entirely. He does not usually meet people more than once – but with Emery, he is able to make a connection, and he finds himself drawn to her.

As Emery’s life progresses, and she goes through ups and downs, she finds that a part of her is longing for those moments when her heart will stop – so that she can see Nick again.

This is the story of two fated lovers who long for each other, but are destined never to share more than a few fleeting moments – because if they were to be together, it would mean the end of Emery’s life.

—Review—

I’ll admit I’ve shed quite a few tears but this is filled with so much joy and love that you can’t help but fall for this story! 

Emery is afflicted by a strange condition… her heart stops beating sometimes. And in those moments, she is transported to a place “in between” where she meets her guide, Nick. A person supposed to help her get to terms with the fact that she has now died… but what are they to do when her heart restarts every time? 

Impossible love, impossible life what do you make of it? Do you stay in the limbo? Do you chose to live? If so how? 1000%, recklessly or to the fullest? But does that really make a difference? 

How do you navigate the reluctance from your loved ones to let you live the way you want?

Such a thought provoking read, exploring love, grief, family dynamics and relationships, making you appreciate the preciousness of life, how fleeting a moment can be, and how grateful we should be for the people in our lives. 

When everything can disappear in an instant, can you let people in? Or are you doomed to always be on the outside of love, of life…

It’s out today (21 March 2024) so get yourself a copy of this beautiful book! And if you haven’t had the chance to ready Becky’s debut novel “One Moment”, I can only recommend you remedy this straight away, you won’t be disappointed!

—About the Author—

Becky grew up in Berkshire, UK, and has loved reading since before she can remember. After studying social sciences at Cambridge university, this love of reading led her to a career in publishing, where she worked as a book publicist in London for several years before taking a career break and moving to Mozambique to volunteer with horses. It was here that she decided to give writing a proper go, though it was still a few years, a few more destinations, and a couple more jobs before she had the idea that would become ONE MOMENT, her debut novel.

She currently splits her time between London, Bristol and Falmouth, and works as a freelance book publicist and editor, alongside her own writing.

Find Becky on Twitter (@Bookish_Becky) or Instagram (beckyhunterbooks) – she’d love to hear from you!