4 out of 5 Stars

Thank you to Shalini at Digital Reads Blog Tours for having me on the tour today!

Synopsis

Welcome to Blinney Lane, a historical Salem shopping district controlled by a witch’s curse.

Sarah Allister just wants a normal life running her bookstore and daydreaming about the handsome deliveryman. Contentment seems within reach, even if she has to deal with the daily phenomena that occur in her shop.

But when her spirited nephew shows up to spend the summer, all bets are off. Now Sarah must keep Ricky from discovering the curse of Blinney Lane and awakening its full power.

Will Ricky heed Sarah’s warnings? Or will he accidentally awaken the magical weeping books and send Sarah back to a land she swore to forget?

Get ready for a modern fairy tale that will sweep you away to lands beyond your imagination.

My Thoughts

“OF ALL the comforting objects in this world, few things are as reassuring and accepting as books. Books keep and reciprocate our secrets, dreams, regrets, and hopes better than any friend in the world. Sarah Allister took comfort in this thought as she walked past the shelves in her bookstore. They were full of countless stories she knew by heart. When she passed by the books she had read, they would remind her of what had been happening in her life at the time, as well as the people who had been there. Living alone wasn’t lonely when you were surrounded by that much history.”

This book is literally every book nerds fantasy… A Witch’s haunting curse, a wonderful old bookshop, books that allow the readers to enter the world within its pages, romance, action, death….. Need I go on??

It was “Brigadoon”, “Practical Magic”, and “Narnia” all rolled into one!

I absolutely loved the world building of Farwin Wood. It felt so alive! The people, the creatures, even the political turmoil! The characters within the world were so vivid and likeable! Just like the book in this story dragging people into its pages, this book dragged me into its own pages and made me feel like I myself had stepped into this world.

I really enjoyed the old Blinney Lane, and all of the eccentric characters that lived on it (yes… even the lecherous Reggie), the one thing that I didn’t quite understand was the point on the curse of Agatha Blinney…. the book could have been written without that even being in there, and nothing ever came of it… I just felt that it was a really long explanation that kind of….. disappeared. I loved the lore and the story, but it really had no place in the actual bulk of the book.

I also felt that the ending was a bit rushed. They were here, they were back, there was love…. it all just kind of got thrown at the reader a little too quickly. I would have liked a little more progression to the relationship and to the healing of certain people’s hearts… it was just kind of “AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!!!” Even the whole thing with her nephew getting pulled into the curse on the Lane just kind of…. “and then he was ok!”

This is definitely a book that I would recommend to readers, to dreamers, to fantasy lovers, to fairy tale lovers, to romance lovers…. it’s just an all around cute, fun read!  It was a great relaxing way to spend an afternoon!!

Pick up your copy Now!!

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Author Bio

Drea Damara grew up in Illinois working on her family’s farm. Raised in a home of seven with only one television, she spent her free time reading and roaming the woods. She set writing aside to join the Army and later returned to the Middle East, conducting similar work as a civilian. Drea enjoys writing in multiple genres and is currently working on additional instalments of her Blinney Lane series.

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The Weeping Books of Blinney Lane is Best Served with Franci’s “Special” Tea

Ingredients

• Green Tea
• 1/2oz Peppermint Schnapps
• 1/2oz Cointreau
• Orange wedge for granish

Directions

1. Pour hot water in cup to heat up cup
2. Boil Water
3. Steep tea in boiled water *please steep for extra long, you need the tea to be strong to stand up to the booze!)
4. add alcohol
5. Pour in tea
6. Garnish with orange
7. CHEERS!!