Promo Blitz: The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall
Today and I am helping to spread the word on The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall. This one is available now and was just released on October 12th! This book is fitting for today of all days: Halloween! I’ve also added it to my Amazon Wish List!
Book Description:
For fans of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls this charming debut novel and TikTok sensation is packed full of romance, charm and plenty of magic…
Revelare witches are cursed. As long as they use their magic, they are doomed to four heartbreaks.
So far, Sadie Revelare has experienced three – the devastating departure of her mother and the loss of her brother. And the most painful heartbreak of all: Jake McNealy, her first love. Ever since, Sadie has done everything she can to protect herself from more pain.
But now Sadie’s beloved grandmother is sick. And without her, Sadie isn’t sure she will have the strength to keep her family and her magic together.
As Sadie’s carefully structured life begins to unravel, Jake returns to town after a decade away. And in the face of a final heartbreak that could tear Sadie apart, she must decide once and for all: is love more important than magic?
The perfect read for anyone looking for a cosy and warm, witchy novel to curl up with this autumn.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
About the Author:
Breanne Randall is a freelance writer by trade and an author by vocation. She graduated with honors with degrees in English Literature, Psychology, and Religious Studies, and her articles have been published in national magazines such as Parents, Fit Pregnancy, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle et al. as well as regular contributions to sites such as Disney Family, SheKnows, Bustle, et al. A seasoned traveler, she imbues her stories with the magic and culture collected from the over forty countries she’s visited.
Breanne lives in the sleepy foothills of Northern California with her husband, two daughters, and a slew of farm animals. When she’s not writing, you can find her wandering the property searching for fairy portals or serving elaborate stuffed animal tea parties.
Contact Breanne:
Instagram: houseofrandall
Twitter: @breanne_randall
Audiobook Review: The Night of the Sleepover by Kerry Wilkinson
The Night of the Sleepover
Series: Sleepover #1
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
Narrator: Olivia Darnley
Published: October 23, 2023
Audiobook: 8 hours 47 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: October 16-20, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 3.5 stars
Audiobook Description:
Four girls close their eyes. Only one wakes up.
Leah and her three best friends get changed into their pyjamas, eat pizza and argue about what film to watch. They laugh together until the early hours. But the next morning, Leah blinks open her eyes and sees three empty sleeping bags. The other girls are gone.
Twenty years later. In her small hometown, still-haunted Leah has never been able to shake off the rumours and whispers. How could she have slept through it all? She must know what happened.
Now, a documentary is being made about the night Leah’s best friends disappeared. Is the truth about to come out?
Then an anonymous email arrives in Leah’s inbox. ‘Stop them’.
Somebody out there knows what happened the night of the sleepover. Is Leah in terrible danger? And will she ever find her missing friends – or are some secrets meant to be kept forever?
Jessica’s Review:
The Night of the Sleepover is my first novel by Kerry Wilkinson and I was intrigued by the premise: Four girls have a fun sleepover with pizza and alcohol, go to bed and the next morning there is only Leah and the other three are missing: She slept through everything! What happened to the other girls?
Leah is our narrator and it goes back and forth between present day, the days before the sleepover and afterwards. It is twenty plus years later and a documentary is being filmed by the younger brother of one of the missing girls. Leah starts to get messages for the documentary to be stopped. What did happen that night and what is going on now?
This one was a slow burner and I wasn’t pulled in as I thought I would be until it got closer to the sleepover. I wasn’t really interested in the present-day mystery. I was intrigued as to how much this has affected Leah even to today’s time. Even the entire town: This mystery affected everyone so a whole generation has never had a sleepover because no one wants a repeat! The novel did get moving the closer it got to the night of the sleepover and from there I was into the story! I do look forward to the second in the series which will come out December 15th: We don’t have to wait long! I did enjoy the ending even though I wasn’t blown away by it. My reaction was more of: “Oh wow… Let’s keep this story going!”
The narrator is Olivia Darnley, and she did a good job with her narration and adding to the tone of the story.
Many thanks to the publisher Bookouture for granting me a copy to listen to and review!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audiobook Review: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Author: John Berendt
Narrator: Jeff Woodman
Published: January 13, 1994
Audiobook: 15 Hours 4 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: October 5-13, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Audiobook Description:
Shots rang out in Savannah’s grandest mansion in the misty, early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. John Berendt’s narrative reads like a thoroughly engrossing novel, and yet it is a work of nonfiction. Berendt interweaves a first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case.
The story is peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman’s Card Club; the turbulent young redneck gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the “soul of pampered self-absorption”; the uproarious black drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young blacks dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight. These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else.
Jessica’s Review:
This book is a case of where truth is stranger than fiction and it happens in the Southern town of Savannah, Georgia! We have an intriguing and colorful cast of characters in 1981 Savannah. It has also become a movie that I saw at least 15 years ago, but when I saw it I don’t think I realized it was a true story!
This is a true crime book that reads like fiction! In actuality the author’s ‘character’ in the book is the only fictional character because in reality he arrived in Savannah during Jim William’s first trial. Yes, I said first trial because he was tried more than once. Berendt really pulls you into this true story with some intimate details that might be TMI for some readers.
Almost any kind of ‘character’ you can think of is in this book: We have a drag queen, a con artist, black debutants, and a voodoo priestess among many more! The narrator Jeff Woodman did a fantastic job portraying some of these real people’s voices. My favorite among this colorful cast was The Lady Chablis. She even wrote a short biography around 200 pages that I plan on borrowing from my library! Kevin Spacey portrayed Jim Williams and they did a fantastic job of making him look like Jim Williams from a picture I found online, even though his acting was apparently not up to Berendt’s standards . I loved that The Lady Chablis played herself!
This one was a book club pick, and I enjoyed the book, it’s such an intriguing real-life tale! I even rewatched the movie after finishing it. It’s a longer one at 2.5 hours and does a good job condensing the story but still getting the whole story. After finishing the book, it has me wanting to go back to Savannah and even tour Mercer house which you can still do today.
I enjoyed this true crime book!
Here is the trailer to the movie:
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
The Film: Amazon US