Bookouture Blog Tour for THE IRISH DAUGHTER OF NEW YORK by Kate Hewitt

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I’m sharing today about a new title that is part of a series: Kate Hewitt’s The Irish Daughter of New York. It’s a historical fiction piece that centers on a young woman and her brother as they arrive to meet up with their father in turn of the century New York City.

Here’s the scoop:

Maggie O’Halloran gazes at the Statue of Liberty, her eyes wide with wonder. “At last,” she breathes softly. “This is where my future begins…”

New York City, 1891: Stepping off the boat she boarded in Ireland, Maggie O’Halloran’s heart is filled with hope for this brave new world. But when her father isn’t waiting at the docks as planned, her excitement vanishes with the terrible realization she and her brother Danny are utterly alone—homeless, penniless and without a friend in the world.

Life on the Lower East Side is hard and grindingly poor, but Maggie is determined to survive. As she gazes longingly into the windows of Manhattan’s famous department stores, she dreams of owning her own millinery shop and becoming independent at last. And when fellow Irishman Brendan O’Donoghue offers her and Danny refuge, Maggie finally feels hope for their future.

Finding work with a wealthy family on the Upper East Side, Maggie’s dreams begin to feel closer than ever before. But just as her fortunes finally change, her brother’s involvement with a notorious New York gang brings terrible danger to both her and Brendan’s doors. Facing a heartbreaking decision, can Maggie save her brother and protect the new life she’s built? Or will the American dream she has held so close to her heart be lost forever?

The first book in the Maggie O’Halloran series, this is a sweeping, epic and heart-wrenching story of one woman’s determination to change her fortunes against all odds. Perfect for fans of moving historical fiction, Kristin Harmel and Jean Grainger.

Readers are loving The Irish Daughter of New York:

“Loved it! It was really hard for me to put this book away. I pulled an all-nighter to finish reading it… Brilliant.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Wow! This book had everything I want!… [I] teared up… Made me want to start the next one in the series immediately.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Is there anything Kate can’t write?… Incredible… Amazing… Keep[s] you gripped.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Amazing… Impossible to put down… I can’t wait for the next book!” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I loved this book!” jacqs.booket.list, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Such a wonderful, heartbreaking story.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Heart-wrenching… Powerful… Perfect.” andreahulme43, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved the character of Maggie and I kept thinking about how much I would have loved this book when I was in high school. This was about the time my own great-grandparents came over from Ireland to Rhode Island (late 1800s) and it really is inspiring to think about how much they had to endure and navigate in a new country.

Here’s a bit about the author:

Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives.

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!

Bookouture Blog Tour for: The Lucky Winners by K.L. Slater

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I’m here today to chat about The Lucky Winners, the new novel by K.L. Slater. It’s a psychological thriller that explores that less-than-positive side of being a lottery winner (or in this case a new home and cash winner), especially when you have something in your past to hide. I felt sorry for this couple who hit it big with a new gorgeous home and cash prize, only to find their lives upended into stress, especially Merri, the wife, who has a past that she is trying to keep firmly in the past. This is one of those books that once you start it, you don’t want to put it down!

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!

Here’s the scoop:

They won their dream home. It’s about to become a nightmare…

When Merri and Dev buy a ticket on the last day of a national draw to win the house of their dreams, they never, in a million years, expect to win.

Less than a week later, they’re receiving the keys to their new Lake District mansion.

For Dev, it’s a dream come true – no more stressful rent negotiations or waiting for the landlord to finally fix the damp. Of course he’s delighted to be interviewed about their good luck.

But Merri feels a little uneasy. Dev doesn’t realise there’s a reason she’s never wanted to put down roots, always trying to run away from the memories of what happened the day her little sister died.

At first, it’s easy to think she’s imagining the shadowy figures in the lakefront garden. It’s silly to think that someone is watching her through the gorgeous floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

And then a body is found in the lake. And Merri’s new perfect life is about to come crashing down…

A completely addictive and unputdownable thriller from the number 1 ebook bestselling author K.L. Slater. The Lucky Winners will have you hooked! Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Freida McFadden.

About the Author:

For many years, Kim sent her work out to literary agents but never made it off the slush pile. At the age of 40 she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in Creative Writing.

Before graduating, she received five offers of representation from London literary agents which was, as Kim says, ‘a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’

Kim is a full-time writer and lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac.

Find her online:

Murder in a Cornish Tea Shop by Fliss Chester

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I’m excited to dish about a new cozy mystery series by the author who brought us Cressida Faucett – Fliss Chester. This is Murder in a Cornish Teashop and it’s the first in the Maddie Penrose mysteries. I really enjoyed it and enjoyed the characters of Maddie and her spunky Grandmother, Nor.

Here’s the scoop:

A Cornish clifftop, a sunny afternoon, a quaint little teashop… but wait a minute. Is that jam, or blood? Maddie Penrose is determined to find out!

Maddie Penrose is staying with her beloved grandmother, Nor, at her gorgeously idyllic Cornish farm. She’s looking forward to days helping out in Nor’s little teashop and evenings wandering down the cliff path to watch the sunset. But before Maddie has even finished serving up scones on her first morning, a man bursts through the door: Nor’s neighbour Clive has found a body in the field behind the teashop…

Maddie is straight to the scene, fancying herself as a bit of an Agatha Christie. But solving this mystery is far from a piece of cake. Her list of suspects is jam-packed with locals, with some a little too close to home: the newcomer renting out one of Nor’s barns is acting suspiciously, the victim’s boyfriend has disappeared without trace, and Clive isn’t really Maddie’s cup of tea either…

But the proof is in the pudding when there’s another murder – her prime suspect is dead. And when Maddie finds a backpack belonging to the first murder victim, her diligent notetaking and quick thinking leads her to discover that the killer will act again, and soon. Maddie is horrified to discover that it looks like she is their next target…

Can Maddie and Nor work as a team to piece together the puzzle? Or will murdering Maddie be the icing on the cake for the killer?

A totally addictive, witty and warm cozy mystery that will keep you reading late into the night, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Verity Bright.

About the Author:

Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter.

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!

The Story of Marceau Miller by Marceau Miller

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This was such an interesting and engaging novel. Beautifully written and translated, from French I believe, it is the story of an author who dies in a climbing accident and all the pieces of his life that come before and together to make up his story. It’s a mystery within a mystery. I really enjoyed it and I thank Blackstone Publishing for my copy! (publishing 3/3/26)

Here’s the scoop:

A riveting, layered exploration of memory, betrayal, and the fluid nature of truth, The Story of Marceau Miller is a masterpiece of psychological suspense.

In the beautiful and dangerous landscape of Lake Geneva, in the shadow of the Swiss Alps, renowned writer Marceau Miller is found dead. In the wake of the tragedy, his wife, Sarah, discovers a manuscript he’s left behind, entitled The Story of Marceau Miller.

With the support of close friends, Sarah struggles to hold herself together while caring for her two children and coping with the mounting questions surrounding her famous husband’s death. Was it an accident or part of some darker game?

Compelled to find the truth, Sarah unravels secrets that make her question everything—and everyone—around her. Who can she possibly trust? Her journey from grief to revelation captures the nuance of marriage to a man who remains an enigma. Who is Marceau Miller, really?

One of the year’s most addictive thrillers, The Story of Marceau Miller marks the debut of a gifted new author—Marceau Miller—who may or may not be the man at the center of the novel itself.


About The Author:

Born sometime around 1978, Marceau Miller is said to be a screenwriter. This is the first time he has written under this pseudonym, which also happens to be the name of the author at the center of this novel. The Story of Marceau Miller has been translated into twelve lagnauges and is currently being adapted for film and TV by a major international platform. The author lives in France and returns regularly to the forests and mountains surrounding Lake Geneva, a region that exerts a powerful hold on his imagination. 

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

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Penguin Random House had given me a heads up that this was a “don’t miss” read for 2026 and while it’s not out until April, I need to post about it because I need to tell everyone about this book. I literally am haunted by it. So much going on. So much to unpack. So much to discuss.

Here’s the overview of it:

A traditional American woman, a beautiful wife and mother who sells her pioneer lifestyle of raw milk and farm-fresh eggs to her millions of social media followers, suddenly awakens cold, filthy, and terrified in the brutal reality of 1855—where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister in this sensational debut novel.

“A bold and biting satire, Yesteryear…will have you cackling and gasping right to the final page.”
—Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid series

My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive.

Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the heir to a political dynasty? What Natalie’s followers—all 8 million of them—don’t know won’t hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast? They’re sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn’t simply living the good life, she’s living the ideal—and just so happens to be building an empire from it.

Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she’s expected to haul firewood and handwash clothes until her fingers bleed. Has she become the unwitting star of a ruthless reality show? Could it really be time travel? Is she being tested by God? By Satan? When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible.

A gripping, electrifying novel that is as darkly funny as it is frightening, Yesteryear is a gimlet-eyed look at tradition, fame, faith, and the grand performance of womanhood.

Wow.

That is all I can say. Part of this book had me asking, “What am I reading here?” Part of it had me yelling at the narrator, “No! No! Don’t do that!” Part of me could see the train wreck coming. Part of me could not. This novel made me question a lot of things about the lives we lead, the choices we make, the façade we offer to others. It made me rethink social media, contemplate blind faith, spend time thinking about marriage as a partnership (or not). It was a story that made me want to know more about how to support young mothers and those with PPD. It was a narrator slowly descending into a mental health crisis and we were right along for the journey and questioning everything she was questioning. I haven’t been affected by a book this way since I read Loving Frank about 15 years ago. I am haunted. I am overwhelmed. I honestly want everyone to read this book so we can discuss it. That said, it’s probably not the read for everyone.

Many thanks to PRH for my copy. It comes out in April, 2026.

B.A. Paris – When I Kill You

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I love a good, twisty suspense novel, and this new one by B.A. Paris comes out today (2.17.26)! It was a good one, and I thank St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for my review galley.

Here’s the scoop:

Who is watching Nell Masters?

Nell Masters is certain someone is following her. The hairs on the back of her neck rise when she travels to and from work, there are silent calls to her office, and a huge bouquet of flowers arrives without a card. And Nell has a reason to be looking over her shoulder, because she has a secret that she’s hiding from everyone in her life, including her new partner, Alex. But Alex also has secrets of his own.

Fourteen years earlier, when Nell went by the name Elle Nugent, she witnessed a student, Bryony Sanders, getting into a stranger’s car. When Bryony was found murdered, Elle became obsessed with finding the person responsible. She was convinced she knew who it was and her fixation with Brett Parker, the man she accused, led her down a dangerous path . . .

Now, Nell tries to convince herself that this unnerving feeling of being watched is all in her mind. Has someone from her past discovered her new identity? Has the stalker become the stalked? Or is there something even more deadly at play?

Audiobook – The Legend of Valentine by Sheldon Collins, with multiple narrators

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As today is St. Valentine’s Day, I’m featuring this audiobook about the man himself! I’m listening to it right now and it’s a complete theatrical experience with music and multiple narrators that function as actors. It’s engaging and interesting, though I will say that I have not finished it and I would not say it’s a children’s story; it’s geared to adults.

I was offered a copy from the author and Penny at Author Marketing Experts, but I could not get it to load onto my phone correctly. My copy came through Audible credits.

Here’s the scoop:

Rome, 268 AD. In an age of tyranny and turmoil, an eternal love story ignites a revolution. Valentine, a once-fearsome warrior reborn from the brink of death, sheds his violent past for a new destiny inspired by his blind lover, Agatha.

Amidst the ruthless rule of a merciless emperor, Valentine undertakes a clandestine mission: to unite lovers in secret ceremonies, defying imperial decrees that threaten to obliterate the Christian faith.

As Valentine’s covert acts of defiance grow bolder, he challenges the tyrannical order, planting the seeds for a celebration of love that will echo through the ages—becoming the foundation of what we now cherish as Valentine’s Day. The Legend of Valentine is an epic tale of love, war, faith, and rebellion.

Against the backdrop of an empire in chaos, this gripping saga invites listeners into a world where love defies all odds, heroes rise from the shadows, and the undying spirit of hope shines through the darkest times. Discover the man behind the myth, witness the birth of a legend, and experience a love story so profound it promises to live forever. Are there any limits to what one man will endure for his true love?

Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin (#4) by Nancy Springer

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I’ve been enjoying watching Enola Holmes on Netflix and I saw this title come up on Net Galley. I love Enola! She is so smart and intrepid. I like how these novels have many of the elements of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories. I’ve always been a huge fan of Sherlock and his quirky personality and keen acumen.

Here’s the overview:

Description

Enola Holmes—international bestselling and Netflix streaming sensation—returns when the rescue of a young woman sends her into battle with her brother Sherlock against his most deadly, implacable enemy – Professor Moriarty.

In February 1891, London, Enola Holmes—the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes—is attending a burial when she hears the faint sound of a handbell in the graveyard. It is not in Enola’s nature to ignore such oddities, no matter the occasion and when she investigates further, as is the Holmes’ family instinct, she discovers something absolutely chilling. The ringing bell is attached to the tombstone erected over a recent gravesite and someone, buried within, is pulling the string to ring the alarm.

Galvanized into action, Enola and her companions swiftly and successfully unearth the coffin within, freeing a still-living young woman, one Trevina Trairom. Enola, by predilection and by trade a Scientific Perditorian, a finder of lost things, finds herself comforting and protecting this young girl. The girl herself is a mystery – she remembers very little, including her identity, and has no idea who has buried her alive, much less why. While protecting this mysterious girl from an enigmatic enemy, she discovers that Sherlock is engaged in a related mystery. Enola joins Sherlock in his battle against the scourge of London, the Napoleon of Crime himself, Professor Moriarty. Facing her most brutal foe ever, determined to protect and unravel the secrets surrounding the mysterious Trevina, Enola takes her place more fully than ever as a proud member of the Holmes family.

Thank you for my copy!

Bookouture Blog Tour for The Vicar’s Daughter at the Lodging House by Natalie Meg Evans

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London, 1940. When Jess Gresham arrives in the capital, she’s completely out of her depth. With bombs falling and a heartbreaking family lie about her beloved sister to get to the bottom of, can she find the help she needs at a Mayfair lodging house?

When Jess discovers the letter from her older sister Charlotte tucked into an old typewriter, her world is shaken. It’s dated two days after their father, the vicar, said she died. How could he lie about that? Desperate to uncover the truth, Jess must find her sister. The London location in her sister’s letter is her only clue…

Leaving her quiet life in the country as a vicar’s daughter behind, now Jess is in the city in wartime, her gas mask slung around her shoulder. Her one refuge is her room at a Mayfair lodging house with two other girls. Wealthy Betony is all style and charm, but she’s trying to shake her aristocratic airs and graces. Irish nurse Grace with her easy smile is much more down to earth, but Jess is certain she’s keeping a secret…

With war throwing the three girls together, can Jess’s new friends help find her missing sister, despite the secrets between them? Or will they be torn apart for good?

An totally emotional and gripping historical novel, perfect for fans of Jean Grainger, Lisa Wingate and Diney Costeloe.

I’m here today to dish about the second book in a historical fiction by Natalie Meg Evans, The Vicar’s Daughter at the Lodging House, a follow up to last fall’s The Irish Nurse at the Lodging House.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and I was a little upset at the ending. What was going to happen?? Then I realized it was part of a trilogy and each book has a focus on one of the characters. These books are a blend of WWII historical fiction, women’s friendships, and even romance. It kept me engaged and was not too gritty or disturbing (always hard for me). I’m looking forward to the next book in this series. I really thought Grace was my favorite character, but now I’m thinking Jess is! I do like a good protagonist I can root for while reading.

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!

Here’s a bit about the author:

Natalie Meg Evans has been an art student, actor, PR copywriter, book-keeper and bar tender but always wanted to write. A USA Today best-seller and RITA nominee, she is author of four published novels which follow the fortunes of strong-minded women during the 1930s and 40s. Fashion, manners and art are the glass through which her characters’ lives are viewed. Each novel is laced with passion, romance and desire. Mystery is never far away.

An avid absorber of history – for her sixth birthday she got a toy Arthurian castle with plastic knights – Natalie views historical fiction as theatre for the imagination. Her novels delve behind the scenes of a prestige industry: high fashion, millinery, theatre, wine making. Rich arenas for love and conflict. Most at home in the English countryside, Natalie lives in rural Suffolk. She has one son.

2 For My Ears: Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (narrated by Ailsa Piper), and My Friends by Fredrik Backman (narrated by Marin Ireland)

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I saw this book listed as a best of 2025, and it sounded intriguing, so I purchased it with an Audible credit. What an interesting book! It is rich in allegory and moves with a measured pace. I can see why those who crave action and excitement are not drawn to it, but it is beautifully written and has one of my favorite themes: redemption. I also loved the narrator’s voice.

Here’s the scoop:

A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR
A WASHINGTON POST TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR
A LOS ANGELES TIMES TOP FIFTEEN BOOK OF THE YEAR

Shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize, a novel about forgiveness, grief, and what it means to be good, from the award-winning author of The Weekend.

“Stone Yard Devotional is as extraordinary as you’ve heard.” —The Washington Post

“An exquisite, wrenching novel of leaving your life behind.” —New York Times Book Review

“Meditative (but by no means uneventful).” —New York Times

“Riveting prose about how humans beat back despair.”—Los Angeles Times

Burnt out and in need of retreat, a middle-aged woman leaves Sydney to return to the place she grew up, taking refuge in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of rural Australia. She doesn’t believe in God, or know what prayer is, and finds herself living this strange, reclusive existence almost by accident.

But disquiet interrupts this secluded life with three visitations. First comes a terrible mouse plague, each day signaling a new battle against the rising infestation. Second is the return of the skeletal remains of a sister who disappeared decades before, presumed murdered. And finally, a troubling visitor plunges the narrator further back into her past.

Meditative, moving, and finely observed, Stone Yard Devotional is a seminal novel from a writer of rare power, exploring what it means to retreat from the world, the true nature of forgiveness, and the sustained effect of grief on the human soul.

I won’t lie to you – this was a book that I would step away from, listen to something else, and then go back to it. Like many of Backman’s novels, it moved slowly and I was not sure what was happening until all the pieces came together, and then I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the story. The same thing happened when I read Anxious People. I was asking myself, “what is happening here??” and then suddenly I was like, “I love this novel!” and sobbing.

Here’s the scoop:

A 2026 Audie Award Finalist for Best Fiction Narrator

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Fallon Book Club Pick
WINNER OF THE 2025 GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS FOR BEST FICTION
A Most Anticipated Book of 2025: Goodreads USA TODAY Marie Claire BookPage Literary Lifestyle Book Riot Sunset Magazine Totally Booked with Zibby Owens

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anxious People returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later.

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.