Sanctuary - V.V. James

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a massive fan of Vic James so of course I was desperate to get my hands on her new book as soon as she hinted about it on twitter. Anything she writes is bound to have me hooked and her description of the new witchy thriller meant I couldn't wait to read it. 

To start with, I found it just slightly confusing as it involves a lot of characters and the chapters are from different characters' points of view. I'm not usually a fan of this type of book. However, I do like knowing the various characters' thoughts and it didn't take me very long to get completely stuck into the story.

Maggie is a detective brought in to investigate a case in Sanctuary, the small town she used to live in. Her boss and the local sheriff both encourage her to make the investigation quick. A fire at a house party and an accidental death. But the more she investigates, the less simple it all seems. Could it be murder, and could magic have been involved?

In Sanctuary, everyone has secrets. Only Sarah Fenn, the town witch, seems to know most of them. But she doesn't know everything, even some secrets right under her nose. On top of this there are so many misunderstandings. Though the families had been friends for years, the mothers had no idea what was going on now that their children were teenagers. The relationship between the mothers did not mirror their kids' friendships at all. The situation gets more and more complicated and when things eventually get out of hand it is terrifying, like mass hysteria and mob mentality and the worst parts of everyone all rolled into one.

Vic's writing itself is like magic. She just leads you where she wants you to go and you follow along thinking you're cleverly working it all out yourself. Then the twists come and you realise you only thought what she wanted you to think! It's a beautiful cover too, in a way describing how isolated and apart the town is, as well as possibly hinting at something to come.

The Sanctuary cocktail actually uses Amer Picon, but as this is not the most common home ingredient (I didn't have any) I did a bit of research and found that Aperol is an acceptable substitute. In my opinion I think it probably improves it.

In a jar with ice, stir together 2 shots of Dubonnet Red, 1 shot of Aperol and 1/2 shot of triple sec. Then strain into a martini glass.

The Boy Who Steals Houses - C.G. Drews

I'm so excited to be part of the Book Blitz for C.G. Drews' second book. This is one book that I read as soon as it arrived in the post, which is EXTREMELY rare for me! If you haven't yet read her first amazing book, A Thousand Perfect Notes, have a look at my review, and for anyone somehow unfamiliar with the author (aliens maybe???), check out her wonderful blog, it's one of my favourites!

Can two broken boys find their perfect home?

Sam is only fifteen but he and his autistic older brother, Avery, have been abandoned by every relative he's ever known. Now Sam's trying to build a new life for them. He survives by breaking into empty houses when their owners are away, until one day he's caught out when a family returns home. To his amazement this large, chaotic family takes him under their wing - each teenager assuming Sam is a friend of another sibling. Sam finds himself inextricably caught up in their life, and falling for the beautiful Moxie.

But Sam has a secret, and his past is about to catch up with him.

   

Sam survives by breaking into empty houses for somewhere to sleep at night. Though his brother is a couple of years older than him, he has constantly had to be the grown up and is always thinking about how he can protect Avery.
My heart broke over and over again for what Sam and Avery go through. I just wanted to bawl my eyes out by the end. I couldn't figure out how it could possibly end well, but the ending was absolutely perfect.

He's officially taken house burglary to the next level. Forget stealing a bed, a key, a home for the night. He's stealing families and their Sunday lunches.

Sam's love interest in the book is Moxie, and she absolutely loves caramel so I had to pair this book with a caramel cocktail. The Caramel Apple Martini from the Martini Diva is pretty simple to make but absolutely delicious. You can find the instructions here.

Giveaway!

Obviously you'll now be desperate to read the book so I am very excited to share a giveaway where you can win a signed and annotated copy of the book as well as an art print.

Click here for a chance to win!

But just in case you don't win, here are the links to buy:

Australia and New Zealand: Angus and Robinson  Booktopia  Amazon Australia  Fishpond

International: Amazon US  Waterstones  The Book Depository  Wordery

The Skin Books Trilogy - Alice Broadway

The covers alone are reason enough to buy these books. Look how beautiful and shiny they are! Of course that's not the only reason... read ahead to find out more.

   

Book 1 - Ink

In Leora's world, you tell the story of your life on your skin. All major life events are inked and more than that, some people are readers and can tell even more from a person's tattoos than is on the surface. There are no secrets as nothing can be hidden when it is on your skin. Now Leora has discovered something and has to find a way to keep it hidden so she can protect the memory of her father. In doing so she realises a lot more about her people and is no longer so sure that everything she has been told all her life is really the truth.

There are various stories from the history of Saintstone and I particularly loved their version of the Sleeping Princess.

After that bombshell of an ending you will definitely want to have a copy of Spark on hand!

Book 2 - Spark

Leora has some huge decisions to make. Does she trust in the stories she's heard all her life, in the truth of Moriah, or does she believe the strange stories that the blanks tell her? They are so similar and yet twisted almost beyond belief.

What is home now, Sainststone or Featherstone? Is it possible that such opposites can both be right and also wrong at the same time? In the second book of the trilogy, Leora has to figure out who she should be loyal to, while constantly worrying about the consequences of any action she takes. No matter what she chooses, she could hurt people she loves.

I didn't find the sequel quite as gripping as the first book but I was still very much looking forward to book 3.

Book 3 - Scar

Being part of both sides is so hard for Leora, she doesn't truly belong in either one as there are those who think her a traitor or spy in both towns. She's tired of being held up as an example, both for good or bad. But she also has allies on both sides and with her knowledge growing she needs to find the strength deep inside her to try and unite the towns.

I love the way the stories are told, and particularly the comparison of stories from the different sides - the same but opposite.

I really enjoyed the final book of the trilogy almost as much as the first. However I was left feeling just a little bit incomplete. I can't say why, I'm not sure what else I wanted and it might have just been the speed at which I read the book. The ending is pretty satisfying. Now hoping for more books from this author!

I was lucky enough to meet Alice Broadway and get my first book signed with this lovely customised quote. I love when authors write something relevant to the book! Fingers crossed for more events so I can get the others signed too.

I found the Ink Martini  while reading book 1, but with amazing foreshadowing on my part, the colour actually matches book 3! 

This is a simple but strong cocktail. Pour 2 shots of vodka, 1/2 shot of blue curacao and 1&1/2 shots of cranberry juice into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass.