HTP Tour for The Second Chance Bus Stop by Ally Zetterberg

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I loved this sweet and touching novel, focusing on several main characters whose paths are inter-related. Each one has their own journey in this story and each one is what I can “perfectly imperfect”. This one is bound to be one of my favorite reads this summer. I’d love to see it made into a film!

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

Here’s the scoop:

The Second Chance Bus Stop

Ally Zetterberg

On Sale Date: August 19, 2025

9780778387626 

Trade Paperback

$18.99 USD

352 pages

ABOUT THE BOOK:

For fans of Frederik Backman and Phaedra Patrick, a heartfelt and moving multiple POV tale that follows Sophia, who’s trying to save her favorite uncle’s flower shop; Blade, a devoted son looking for his mother’s long lost love; and Edith, who’s trying to hold on to her memories for as long as she can, from Ally Zetterberg, author of The Happiness Blueprint.

Edith has Alzheimer’s. The idea that she might someday forget her son, her life, even herself plagues her constantly. So there is something important she must do before the disease robs her of her memories: she has to find Sven, the love of her life whom she was supposed to meet on a bus stop bench twenty-seven years ago and run off with, but he never showed.

Her son, Blade, is struggling to keep an eye on her, to keep her safe. His mother’s full-time caregiver, he resents the fact, if he’s being honest, that he gave up his career and most of his life to look after her. But what wouldn’t he do for his mother? Track down her decades old flame so that she has a chance to finally understand why he never showed all those years ago, before her mind fails her? Sure, he can do that.

Sophia is desperately trying to keep her business afloat. Her uncle — her favorite person in the world — left his flower shop to her and her brothers after he died, but she seems to be the only one interested in keeping it; they would rather sell. But she can’t let that happen, can’t let the memory of him and the times they shared fade away. All she has to do is land a big job, big enough to show her family not only is the business worth saving but she’s the one to do it. So when an opportunity comes along that takes her all over Sweden, she can’t say no.

They say life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. While Edith is desperately trying to hold on to her memories, she discovers friendship in a young woman who sits with her daily at the bus stop. While Blade is looking high and low all across Sweden for Sven, he learns to embrace his relationship with his mother more fully and see her for everything she is and is not. While Sophia is fighting to keep her uncle’s dream alive, she comes to terms with the way her parents treated her as a child, and the therapies forced upon her in response to her autism diagnosis. Life is happening all around them, and it’s a delight to watch these different stories unfold, to watch how their lives change, all while they were busy with something else. And much like with life, there’s so much good to be found in these pages.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ally Zetterberg is a British-Swedish writer. She spent ten years working internationally as a fashion model before becoming a full-time mum. Being neurodivergent herself and the mother of a child with Type 1 Diabetes, she is passionate about writing relatable characters and representing those living with medical conditions in commercial fiction. She speaks four languages and spends her days doing her best not to muddle them up.

SOCIAL LINKS:

Author website: https://www.allyzetterberg.com/

Twitter: @AllyZetterberg

Instagram: @allyzetterbergauthor

BUY LINKS: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-second-chance-bus-stop-original-ally-zetterberg/21769955?ean=9780778387626&next=t&affiliate=397 

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-second-chance-bus-stop-ally-zetterberg/1146225177;jsessionid=269C2C305F28A336FD28B0BE4C0DF856.prodny_store02-atgap06?ean=9780778387626&st=AFF&2sid=HarperCollins%20Publishers%20LLC_7310909_NA&sourceId=AFFHarperCollins%20Publishers%20LLC 

Books A Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9780778387626?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&AID=10747236&PID=7310909&cjevent=fa1489686ef211f0817e04a40a82b820 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0778387623/keywords=satire?tag=harpercollinsus-20 

Bookouture Blog Tour for The Tapes by Kerry Wilkinson

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Book Description:

‘If you’re listening to this, I’ve been murdered.’

Eve is clearing her father’s house when she finds an old cassette player and a box of tapes. Though grieving, she smiles at the spark of nostalgia.

One tape is labelled ‘Eve’ – in her mother, Angela’s, scrawled handwriting. She disappeared for good more than ten years ago.

The tape whirrs. A voice crackles. ‘My name is Angela’. Tears fill Eve’s eyes at the familiar voice, at the thought this message is just for her. But the next words make her heart pound.

‘If they say I’m missing, I’m not. If you’re listening to this, I’ve been murdered.’

Desperate for answers, Eve has no one left to ask – only a box of tapes that could lead to the truth. But the more she listens, the more she realises she can never go to the police…

Because Eve’s mother had her own secrets. But what if her killer is still out there? And what if Eve is next?

An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller that will have you racing through the pages late into the night! Anyone who loves Shari Lapena, John Marrs or Lisa Jewell will be totally addicted.

I really loved this mystery thriller; I think I was drawn to it because of my fixation on true crime and true crime podcasts. I found this one so engaging and perfectly paced. Wilkinson is an experienced writer, but this was the first novel I’ve read of his; I definitely will look for more!

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

Author Bio:

Kerry Wilkinson is from the English county of Somerset but has spent far too long living in the north. It’s there that he’s picked up possibly made-up regional words like ‘barm’ and ‘ginnel’. He pretends to know what they mean.

He’s also been busy since turning thirty: his Jessica Daniel crime series has sold more than a million copies in the UK; he has written a fantasy-adventure trilogy for young adults; a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter and the standalone thriller, Down Among The Dead Men.

https://kerrywilkinson.com/

https://www.facebook.com/KerryWilkinsonBooks/


Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Kerry Wilkinson here: https://www.bookouture.com/kerry-wilkinson

Buy Link: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0FFH4CSRGsocial

Bookouture Blog Tour for Two Perfect Couples by Renita D’Silva

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I’m on the blog tour today for a new psychological thriller that is SO twisty and SO fast-paced that it left me breathless! The twists and turns kept coming in this story and I couldn’t put it down. It’s the perfect summer escape!

Here’s the scoop:

We seem like perfect families. But our secrets must never come out…

I trust my best friend Lydia with my life. We share everything, even the things we can’t tell our husbands. So when we go on a beach holiday together, it’s a dream come true. One night, we treat ourselves to dinner on the beach with our husbands while our children sleep soundly in the cottage behind us.

But when I go to check on them, my entire world shatters. My son’s bed is empty, the window wide open, his favourite teddy left between the crumpled sheets. I stifle a scream as my worst nightmare comes true. My little boy is gone. It’s all my fault.

As the police question us, Lydia gives me a nervous look. She’s the only one who knows I’ll have to lie. Because there’s something about my son that not even my husband knows. And if anyone discovers the truth, they’ll never let me see my darling boy again.

No one can find out my secret. No one knows just how far I’ve gone to have the perfect family. And I will stop at nothing to get my son back…

A completely addictive thriller that will keep you flipping the pages into the early hours of the morning. Perfect for fans of Shalini Boland, Sue Watson and K.L. Slater.

Author Bio:

Renita grew up in a picturesque coastal village in the South of India, the oldest of three children. Her father got her first story books when she was six and she fell in love with the world of stories. Even now she prefers that world, by far, to this.

https://www.facebook.com/ RenitaDSilvaBooks/

https://www.instagram.com/ renita_dsilva/

https://twitter.com/ renitadsilva

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Renita D’Silva here: https://www.bookouture. com/renita-dsilva

Buy Link: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Amazon:  https://geni.us/B0F8CVCNC1social

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

Spotlight on The Amazon Author Formula Book and Workbook by Penny Sansevieri

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I’m excited today to give a shout-out to a new set of works by a woman with whom I have interacted in her role in the publishing world. The Amazon Author Formula, written by Penny Sansevieri, gives a guided overview to those who wish/plan/intend to self-publish their writing on Amazon. Personally I’ve been working on something (since COVID!) and I will take a look at these to help me self-publish!

Here’s the scoop:

Amazon may be the largest platform for books—but without the right metadata, positioning, and advertising, even the best titles can go unnoticed.

The Amazon Author Formula Workbook by Penny Sansevieri helps authors take control of their sales trajectory by breaking down the critical components of an optimized Amazon presence. With a full suite of guided worksheets, the workbook addresses pricing strategy, keyword relevance, category alignment, description writing, Amazon Ads setup, and more. It also includes tools to help authors track performance over time—turning marketing into a measurable, strategic habit. The included access code unlocks free printable versions of all worksheets, making it perfect for authors who want a tangible, repeatable planning system across formats and series.

Penny Sansevieri is a publishing veteran whose voice has become synonymous with smart, focused author marketing. At Author Marketing Experts, she’s built a team dedicated to delivering tailored strategies that get results. Penny’s background includes everything from self-publishing and corporate PR to podcasting and course instruction—and her signature approach balances intuition with analytics. Her insights have helped authors land features in major outlets, climb bestseller charts, and, most importantly, build lasting reader relationships.

Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

Workbook:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3IvRBmY

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236895802-the-amazon-author-formula-workbook

Book

Amazon: https://amzn.to/40YJfKN

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205853206-the-amazon-author-formula

Cozy Mysteries…

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Who doesn’t like a good cozy mystery?? Well, I have a link that was sent to me of the 40 Best Cozy Mystery Blogs — and guess who is #19 (one of my fave numbers btw). Yes — thank you for this honor!! Take a look and check out some of these other amazing blogs and websites! See it here: https://bloggers.feedspot.com/cozy_mystery_blogs/?feedid=5684275&_src=f2_featured_email

Get cozy with a good cozy mystery!

AI image I generated…

Harper-Collins Blog Tour for The Dead Come to Stay by Brandy Shillace

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So many books, so little time…

I have SO MANY books that I’m trying to read this summer and Harper-Collins has a lot of great reads out this summer under their HTP imprint.

Today I’m covering The Dead Come to Stay by Brandy Stillace. This was a solid cozy mystery that I did NOT figure out! I liked the characters, especially the protagonist Jo, and this book is part of a series (though I read it as a standalone, which was fine). Jo is neurodivergent, a characteristic which is often underrepresented in adult novels, so this made this novel stand out to me even more.

Here’s the scoop:

The Dead Come to Stay

By Brandy Schillace

On Sale: August 5, 2025

Imprint: Hanover Square Press

Hardcover 

Buy Links: NOT affiliated with BBNB

HarperCollins https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-dead-come-to-stay-brandy-schillace?variant=43118709571618 

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1335121870/keywords=mystery%2Bbooks?tag=harpercollinsus-20 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dead-come-to-stay-brandy-schillace/1146233457 

Social Links:

Author Website: https://brandyschillace.com/ 

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bschillace.brandyschillace.com 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PeculiarBookClub

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PeculiarBookClub/

About the book: 

A delightful new cozy crime novel from the award-winning author of the “twisty, engaging, and thoroughly unexpected” (Deanna Raybourne) The Framed Women of Ardemore House

An amateur autistic sleuth. A wry English detective. A murder case that thrusts them both into the wealthy world of the rare artifacts trade…

Jo Jones can’t seem to catch a break. Trading in city life for the cozy, peaceful hills of North Yorkshire to take over her family estate should have been a chance for a “fresh start.” Instead, she’s been driven further into the past than she thought possible — and not just her own. The estate property is littered with traces of ancestors that Jo never knew existed, including the mysterious woman in a half-destroyed painting – and hints about Jo’s late uncle, who may hold the key to her cryptic family history. Then there’s the gossipy town politics Jo must constantly navigate as a neurodivergent transplanted American… And of course, the whole murder business.

When prickly town detective James MacAdams discovers a body in the moors with coincidental ties to Jo Jones, they’re forced to team up on the case. The clues will lead them into the wealthiest locales of Yorkshire, from sparkling glass hotels to luxury property sites to elite country clubs. But below the glittering surfaces, Jo and MacAdams discover darker schemes brewing. Local teens, many of them international refugees, are disappearing left and right, and each case is somehow linked to a shady architectural firm — which also happened to employ the dead man from the moor-side ditch.

What begins as  bizarre murder case quickly plunges them both into the black market world of rare artifacts and antique trading… and a murderer who will do anything to cover it up.

About the Author:

BRANDY SCHILLACE is the author of several works of nonfiction, including Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher. She is the creator of Peculiar Book Club, a twice-monthly live-streamed YouTube show. A former professor of English and gothic literature, she writes about gender politics and history, medical mystery, and neurodiversity for outlets such as Scientific American, Wired, CrimeReads, and Medium. She is also autistic, though has not (to her knowledge) been a suspect in a murder investigation.

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

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

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I know everyone is reading The Women by Kristin Hannah this summer (I’ve read it, too!) but I dialed it back to find some Kindle reads I had that I had not gotten to, and rediscovered this title, The Four Winds. It’s kind of a modern-day Grapes of Wrath. I loved the main character, Elsa, in this novel and I loved the imagery in this book, telling of the Dust Bowl in the Depression years. Hannah’s depiction of a marriage gone sour was compelling and at times painful to read. Elsa is strong, though, and her children are, too.

Here’s the scoop:

From the number-one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes a powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression, a time when the country was in crisis and at war with itself, when millions were out of work and even the land seemed to have turned against them.

“My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family.”

Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.

By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive.

In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.

The Four Winds is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it—the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.

Highly recommended if you enjoy Kristin Hannah novels!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy.

Bottom of the Breath by Jayne Mills

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I’m shouting it out today for a new novel that my friends at Wunderkind PR told me about: Bottom of the Breath by Jayne Mills.

For fans of Liane Moriarty and Maria Semple, this contemporary debut novel weaves together romance, mystery, and adventure as a woman travels to the Grand Canyon seeking answers after uncovering an old family secret.

After crashing into a devastating revelation, Cyd’s tranquil life on the Florida panhandle is further upended when she receives a letter announcing an inheritance from an estranged aunt. The inheritance contains mysterious “items of a personal nature” which Cyd must collect in person halfway across the country. In a last attempt to salvage her deteriorating marriage, Cyd agrees to travel with her husband on what he promises—and she questions—will be the trip of a lifetime.

As they set out, a hurricane threatens their hometown. Soon, fueled by the growing threat of the storm and the tension brewing between them, the couple’s long-suppressed problems erupt. Cyd digs deep for the courage to continue the journey on her own, unsure if either her home or her marriage will survive.

Once in Phoenix, Cyd learns the strange details of the inheritance and a decades-old family secret. But what was the whole truth? Clues and instinct lead Cyd to Sedona and then to the Grand Canyon. She descends into the vast chasm alone searching for answers to newly raised questions and age-old mysteries. She steps off the beaten path, literally, knowing she must make peace with her pain-filled past and her uncertain future.

Here’s a bit about Jayne Mills:

Jayne Mills is a financial advisor who has secretly nurtured a lifelong dream of writing a novel. She expressed her literary aspirations through  Financial Wellness Monthly , a newsletter combining her interests in finance, yoga, and meditation. Additionally, she developed a program called The Wealth-Wellness Connection, designed to help people better understand their complex relationships with money. Jayne holds degrees in journalism and finance and is a registered yoga teacher. In recent years, her favorite way to vacation is as the navigator in a custom van (she hates talking maps) on a quest to visit every national park with her partner (he knows better than to  ever  let her drive) and their Border Collie, Elvis. She lives peacefully in St. Augustine, Florida.

Here’s a bit of what Wunderkind PR had to say that I found compelling:

Author Jayne Mills was inspired to write the novel after discovering a real life family secret and braids her true story into the mysteries in the novel. She is a yoga teacher, and weaves her yoga practices into the fabric of the narrative, making it a very personal work of fiction.  It is ideal for readers who gravitate toward healing narratives, emotional growth arcs, and stories where the landscape becomes a character of its own.

Sounds good, right? It’s definitely one I hope to read!

Find it at your favorite seller or online, in paper, kindle, or audio.

Abscond by Abraham Verghese

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If you have a Prime membership on Amazon, there is a short story out that is free (audiobook, too) called Abscond. This was so beautifully written with amazing imagery. It’s only 38 pages so it’s a quick one. I know this author best for his novels (e.g. Cutting for Stone) so it was fun to read something short by him.

Here’s the scoop:

Fate challenges a boy to find his place in the world in a powerful short story from Abraham Verghese, the New York Times bestselling author of The Covenant of Water.

It’s a New Jersey summer in 1967, and thirteen-year-old Ravi Ramanathan has the makings of a tennis prodigy. His surgeon father encourages his ambition, while his mother dreams of their only child following his father’s path. Surrounded by his parents’ love, Ravi chafes a bit at their daily routines and little traditions. Then one unexpected day, everything changes. Realizing how much he took for granted, Ravi must grow up overnight and find a new role in the life of his family.

Shout-out for: The House on Rondo by Debra J. Stone

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Today I’m shouting it out about a new book that my friends at University of Minnesota Press told me about: The House on Rondo by Debra J. Stone.

Here’s the scoop:

A young girl reckons with the demolition of a Black Saint Paul neighborhood to make way for the Interstate in the early 1960s

When thirteen-year-old Zenobia has to leave her friends and spend the summer at Grandma’s while Mama recovers from a stroke, life seems so unfair. But then the eviction letters start arriving throughout her grandparents’ neighborhood, and white men chalk arrows to mark the gas and water lines, and a new world of unfairness unfolds before her. It’s 1963, and Zenobia’s grandparents’ house on Rondo Avenue in Saint Paul—like all the homes in this thriving Black community—is targeted for demolition to make way for the new Interstate Highway 94.

As Zenobia gradually learns about what’s planned for the Rondo neighborhood and what this means for everyone who lives there, she discovers how her story is intertwined with the history of her family, all the way back to Great Grandma Zenobia and the secrets Grandma Essie held close about the reason for her light skin. With the destruction of the neighborhood looming, Zenobia takes a stand on behalf of her community, joining her no-nonsense neighbor, onetime cowgirl Mrs. Ruby Pearl, in a protest and ultimately getting arrested. Though Zenobia is grounded for a month, her punishment seems of little consequence in comparison to what is happening all around her. Even though the demolition continues, she is proud to discover the power and connection in protesting injustice.

The House on Rondo captures the heartbreak, resistance, and resilience that marks a community sacrificed in the name of progress—a “progress” that never seems to favor Black families and neighborhoods and that haunts cities like Saint Paul to this day. As Zenobia learns what can be destroyed and what cannot, her story teaches us that joy, community, and love persist, even amid violence and loss.

This book publishes this fall (October, 2025). Thank you for the opportunity to give this story a shoutout. I thought it sounded like a good one for younger readers, so University of Minnesota Press kindly gifted a copy to my friend who is the Head of School of Mother Caroline Academy, an all-girls school in Boston, MA. Thank you!!