I am so excited to be taking part in the blog tour for N. J. Simmond’s The Path Keeper! Now, this is no ordinary blog tour…the author has a little game you can all play.
How fun is that! I love how unique and engaging this idea is. The competition will end May 28th and the winner will win an exclusive The Path Keeper goodie bag! So, be sure to follow and read all of the blog posts for the tour date! My letter is somewhere in this post, you’ll have to read to find it! Before we begin, let’s learn a little about the book.
The Path Keeper
Author: N. J. Simmonds
Published: May 28th, 2019
Publisher: BHC Press/ H2O
Book Length: 416 Pages
Genre: Fantasy (YA), Romance
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Buy the book: Amazon (US), Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones
Here is a full list of places you can buy the book
What if all our lives were mapped out before birth? Does anyone have the power to change their destiny?
Ella hates London. She misses her old life in Spain and is struggling to get over her past—until she meets Zac. He’s always loved her but isn’t meant to be part of her story. Not this time. Not ever. Little does she know that his secret is the one thing that will tear them apart and force her to live in a world that no longer makes sense. A world full of danger, lies, and magic.
THE PATH KEEPER is a passionate tale of first loves, second chances and the invisible threads that bind us. Can love ever be stronger than fate?
Doesn’t it sound like a fantastic novel? Well, it is and I can tell you because I’ve read it! For this blog tour, N.J. Simmonds wanted to do something a little different and I think is a great idea. So here is N.J. Simmonds with ’10 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Read My Book.” I know…why would she not want you to read her book well…let’s find out.
10 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Buy My Book
Hi, I’m N J Simmonds – author of The Path Keeper. You’re probably used to reading reviews from bloggers who hate a book, then proceed to tell you why you shouldn’t read it. Well, this time I’m going to save the reviewers the hassle and save you money.
I’m going to tell you myself why you shouldn’t buy my book.
There are ten reasons. Yep, ten. If any of these reasons are likely to have you ranting in capital letters on Goodreads, then please please please spend your money on a fancy sandwich or a new pair of socks instead.
Here we go, ten reasons why you’re going to hate The Path Keeper.
- Swearing
The Path Keeper has swearing in it. I don’t mean the odd ‘shit’ or ‘damn’ – I mean fucking fuckety fucks and even a few Spanish ‘hijo de puta’s. See, I told you there was a good reason why you won’t want your teens to read it. Ella, the main character, is a half English/half Spanish nineteen-year-old woman. She’s also had a tough life and is seriously pissed off, so she’s foul-mouthed. If you prefer reading about girls who don’t have a gob like a sewer, please don’t buy my book. - Drinking
As I said, Ella is nineteen. As I also said, she gives zero fucks. She occasionally drinks alcohol because she lives in London and was raised in the south of Spain, two places where it’s legal to drink from the age of eighteen (in fact, in Spain, alcohol is part of everyday life). I know this may seem strange to some people, but she’s not a character who drinks because she has emotional issues or because she’s wild and a bad influence, she just fancies a drink sometimes. Because she likes it. Because she wants to. If you don’t like characters drinking alcohol, please don’t buy my book.
- Sex
OK, brace yourself. Ella has sex. She’s not having sex because she’s losing her virginity to the love of her life. She’s not having sex because she’s a confused, damaged girl with no self-respect. She’s having sex because she wants to. I know this is a crazy concept for some, but a lot of the time young women enjoy safe, consensual sex with people they find attractive and don’t come away feeling used, exploited or needy. I refuse to write a love story where two people are totally into one another and then leave my readers on a ‘dim the lights and fade out’ damp squib. In fact, not only are there sex scenes but I really go there. So, if you don’t like teens enjoying sex, please don’t buy my book.
- Tough scenes
There’s a trigger warning in the book for a reason. The Path Keeper has a nod to sexual abuse, as well as parts where people die. These are not gratuitous, they are vital to the plot throughout the entire series, but could be harrowing to some readers. If you are likely to be triggered, please don’t buy my book.
- Multi-plot, multi-POV, non-linear story
If you want a romance fantasy where a girl meets a mysterious boy and they fall in love and then something bad happens and they overcome it and they live happily ever after – please don’t read The Path Keeper. Although it’s the first book of a trilogy, with all books centering on Zac and Ella’s story, in the first book you will also learn about Dolly, Evie and Ted in 1941, and Leo and Lily in the 1990s and even the stark and unfeeling Margaret and Charles in 1973. You’ll be confused and thrown about and then you’ll feel smart because you’ll start to piece the stories together and realize where Zac and Ella fit into it all. Some people like that, some don’t. If you like one simple linear storyline, please don’t buy my book.
- Religion
If you think everything in the Bible is real and you don’t want to read a book challenging the concept of a world with no God, where past lives are a thing and miracles can happen, please don’t buy my book.
- Strong women
How do you like your women in your stories? Docile and sweet? Girly and naïve? Reserved and controlled? OK, you’re really not going to like The Path Keeper. Don’t get me wrong, none of my female characters are out murdering and causing mayhem (that’s for the sequel, Son of Secrets – wait until you meet Luci), but they aren’t push-overs either. They shout, cry, swear, question people, fight for what they believe in and stand up for themselves. They are also vulnerable, confused, misguided, tortured and very loving. If you don’t like to see female characters represented in all their messy glory, please don’t buy my book.
- Cliff hangers
Sorry, The Path Keeper is a bit of a page-turner. If you don’t like losing sleep because you need to know what happens next, please don’t buy my book.
- Questions
I’m not a didactic writer or moralistic preacher. This book twists traditional tropes and questions deep-seated beliefs simply for fun. It encourages readers to have a good think about the things they thought they already knew. Is true love simple or extremely complicated? Is there such a thing as inherent evil? Do we all have a soul mate? Why do we connect with some people and not others? Why do bad things happen to good people? Are we governed by fate, or do we make our own destiny? Are we all connected, or is life chaos? Everything in the series is pure fiction and an easy read – but if you don’t like a story that makes you think, please don’t buy my book.
- Happy endings
I can’t promise you them. Over the course of the trilogy, some people you like will die, some will appear to die and won’t, some will want to die, and some you will want to kill but they don’t die. I promise I won’t do a Veronica Roth – by the last book you will feel sated, but not everything will be tied up in a pretty pink ribbon. You may throw your book at a wall, and you may want to @ me on Twitter and tell me I’m a knob for putting your lovely characters through all that. That’s OK, as long as you keep reading. So, if you want a formulaic love story where everything ends happily ever after, please don’t buy my book.
Still fancy reading The Path Keeper? It’s OK if you don’t, there are so many other amazing fantasy and YA books out this year that will tick your want list better than mine. But if you like your love stories with a touch of esoteric magic, unforgettable characters, YA that leans to adult tastes, and a gritty journey through London, Spain and various decades – then please buy my book.
Here’s the first chapter to give you a little taster…
Enjoy!
About the Author
Thank you again so much to N.J. Simmonds for allowing me to participate in this blog tour. I am honored to take part in such a great tour for an even better book. I know that I will be looking out for the rest of this trilogy! Get your copy today and be sure to collect the rest of the letters from the other blog posts to win your goodie bag!
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