Happy Friday! Hello and welcome to damppebbles and to another brilliant #R3COMM3ND3D2019 post. Joining me today is the lovely Steph of Bookshine and Readbows. If you haven’t discovered Steph’s blog yet, then why not? Steph’s reviews are a thing of beauty so get yourself over there now and hit the subscribe button!

So, what is #R3COMM3ND3D2019? It’s about sharing the book love. It’s a chance for authors and book bloggers to shout about three (yes, *only* three) books they love. They can be written by any author, in any genre and published in any way (traditionally, indie press or self-published). But there is a catch. All three books must have been published in 2019. To make things interesting I have added a couple of teeny, tiny rules this year which are; 1) the book must have first been published in 2019 and 2) special editions and reissues do not count. I like to keep you lovely people on your toes 😉.

Here are the three books Steph recommends…

The Love Delusion by Nicola Mostyn
This is the second book in a duology and both books are up there in my top reads of all-time. Nicola Mostyn has created a world where the modern corporate is at war with the gods of legend and mythology for power over the hearts of humanity. Her main characters, Frida and Dan, are heroic yet utterly human with all the failings and foibles that entails, and the snarky banter (a personal favourite of mine) keeps the mood light, even when the action gets heavy.
Steph’s Review of The Love Delusion

The Land of Roar by Jenny McLachlan
I have a keen interest in children’s books (for myself, and I suppose a little bit for my youngsters too!) and in Roar Jenny McLachlan has created an amazing new fantasy world, perfect for children and adult readers alike. The characters and world-building perfectly capture the feeling of childhood imaginary adventures, and there are plenty of gasps and giggles – and a few tears – as the story unrolls. Fans of Narnia, Peter Pan, Coraline and similar will love this book as much as I do.
Steph’s Review of The Land of Roar

Pricked by Scott Mooney
Pricked is a series starter and effortlessly blends classic fairytales with urban detective noir to great effect. My two favourite genres are urban fantasy and mystery, so the current trend for mashups of these two (thank you Jim Butcher!) makes my bookish heart sing. The main character here, Briar, has a fascinating magical power that has loads of potential for development in almost any direction and, while the main plot here stands alone, there is a wider story arc that already has me hooked on what happens next.
Steph’s Review of Pricked

Brilliant choices, thanks Steph. I am in love with the cover of The Love Delusion. How gorgeous is that?!

If Steph has managed to tempt you, or if you would like to find out more about the books she recommends, please see the following links:

The Love Delusion by Nicola Mostyn
The Land of Roar by Jenny McLachlan
Pricked by Scott Mooney

About Steph:
I’m Steph and I’m a bookaholic. I have been reading since a very early age – my mum taught me in self defence as I developed a habit of following her around the house banging her shins with a book, droning ‘Read it. Read it.’ Now I live with my husband, two small children, two large cats and a terrier, so I grab my moments when I can!

A Message from Steph:
I desperately feel the need to add that I was only able to narrow the field down this year by excluding the authors I chose for last year’s R3COMM3ND3D! Because all three of my picks last year have new books out this year too, that are all awesome, but I simply can’t choose everything!

Steph’s Blog and Social Media Links:
| Bookshine and Readbows | Twitter @bookshineblog | Facebook |

If you’re a book blogger, author or you work in publishing and have three books published this year that you want to shout about then please complete the following form (or click this link: https://forms.gle/PE483qCyrKEgV5Uq6)