Hello, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Elka
Ray and her new book, “Divorce is Murder”! For other stops on her Goddess Fish
Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in
this post.
Be sure to make it to the
end of this post to enter to win a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Elka
and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
Divorce is Murder
by Elka Ray
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GENRE: Romantic Suspense, Mystery
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BLURB:
As teens, they bullied her. Twenty years on, she's not scared of them.
Except she should be...
After
returning to her quiet hometown to care for her ailing mom, divorce lawyer Toby
Wong is hired by Josh Barton, a guy who broke her heart as a teen at summer
camp. Now a wealthy entrepreneur, Josh wants to divorce Tonya, the mean girl
who tormented Toby all those years ago. When Tonya is found murdered, Josh is
the prime suspect.
Together
with her fortune-teller mom and her pregnant best friend, Toby sets out to
clear Josh, whom she still has a guilty crush on. As she delves deeper into
Tonya's murder, Toby keeps running into catty ex-campers she'd rather forget.
Are her old insecurities making her paranoid? Only too late does she realize
she's in danger.
The
first entry in an addictive new series, Divorce is Murder introduces fans of
mystery and romance to an irresistibly smart and sarcastic new heroine -
Chinese Canadian divorce lawyer Toby Wong.
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EXCERPT TWO:
Colin
peers into the empty parcel, then sticks two fingers inside. He pulls out an
envelope-sized slip of paper and lays it onto the table. Although the words are
facing the wrong way, I have no trouble reading it. Fashioned from letters cut
out of newspaper, the note reads: LEAVE VICTORIA, BITCH.
Tonya
had received a similar note with her red-paint-flecked Barbie doll.
A
muscle in Colin’s jaw jumps. He looks angry. “Who could have sent this?” he
asks. “Do you have any bitter ex-boyfriends? Guys you might have rejected?
Anyone who came on too strong?”
I
shake my head. I’d rather not tell Colin that it’s been nineteen months since
my last date, with a guy I met in a Toronto doctor’s office who spent our
entire date describing—in vivid detail—his recent hernia surgery.
“How
about social media?” asks Colin. “Are you active on dating sites? Have you gotten
any similar sorts of messages. Anyone seem obsessive? This kind of stuff can
start online and then escalate.”
Again,
I say no. My few attempts at internet dating were so lame I swore never again.
The real world is weird enough. “There’s nothing like that.” I survey the bra,
wishing the label weren’t sticking out, those double AAs on full display. “But
it’s my bra,” I admit. I explain how, just last night, it vanished from my
building’s communal laundry room.
Colin’s
frown deepens. “Last night? That means whoever sent this was in your building.”
He tugs at his collar, clearly agitated. “This isn’t good, Toby."
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MY BOOK REVIEW:
This book was a fun, exciting, intriguing, suspenseful, thought-provoking,
and inspiring read!
This
is the second book I’ve read from the talented writer, Elka Ray. About two years ago I had the chance to read “What
You Don’t Know: Tales of Obsession, Mystery & Murder in Southeast Asia”
and I really enjoyed it. So, I was
thrilled to get the chance to read her latest work, “Divorce is Murder.”
This
book is about Toby, a Chinese-Canadian divorce lawyer moving back home to
Vancouver Island to take care of her mom, Ivy, who is recovering from breast cancer. Toby decides to practice law in town at a
local firm, but there is no rush of clients coming in. Then OMG!!! in walks her teenage dream crush from
camp, Josh Barton!!! He is still ever-so
handsome, and now a successful IT developer who married Tonya, the meanest mean
girl, and Toby’s total archenemy.
However, Josh wants to divorce Tonya and he wants Toby to be his lawyer. Since Toby has no other clients and needs the
work, she agrees to take on the case.
However, shortly after accepting to be Josh’s lawyer Toby learns that
Tonya has gone missing. But not to
worry, Tonya is found – dead in the marina that is. And this simple divorce case has now moved
into a murder investigation with Toby’s client Josh being the prime suspect!!! So much for this being uncomplicated LOL!!!
So many exciting, intriguing, suspenseful, and thrilling moments
in this book!!! I literally couldn't turn the pages fast enough!!!
I really enjoyed reading this book and could not wait to solve
the case and find out who the killer was!!
I
really enjoyed the main characters, Toby, Josh, Colin, Toby’s BFF, Quinn, and Toby’s
Mom, Ivy. They were likable, relatable,
and genuine. I really liked Toby!! I felt an instant connection with Toby and
was able to easily relate with her for the most part. She was sweet, smart, brave, kind, caring,
considerate, determined – the friend you’d turn to and want on your side! However, she was also somewhat insecure, naïve,
and gullible.
I
completely understand why Toby was fawning over Josh even after all these
years. I mean come on – we’ve all had a
Josh or two – a guy we had the biggest crush on who probably barely knew our
name let alone knew we existed lol! So,
for Toby to even have a chance to be with the dream guy and for him to be
acting like he’s also into her – yeah, I totally get it. But unfortunately, giving someone that much
power really clouds your thinking and so it’s easier to overlook them
constantly lying to you and hiding things from you. But if they’re a murder suspect – might not
be a good idea to have blinders on lol!
I
really liked Colin! He is charming,
gentle, protective, handsome, strong, persistent, and romantic. I loved his connection with Toby and their interaction
together. I loved how he opened up and
confided in with Toby about his mom also having gone through cancer and how difficult
it is on both the patient and their families.
Cancer
is a hard topic for me as I’ve had to watch my mom suffer from multiple cancer
diagnoses, surgeries, chemo and radiation treatments, etc., over the
years. My mom is finally in remission,
however, it’s only temporary, as it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when
she will get another cancer diagnosis.
Although
with that said, I was surprised that the cancer theme wasn’t further carried
out as the point of Toby coming home was initially to take care of her mom and
I felt that plot point felt lost as it was barely mentioned or even explored.
I
also really liked Quinn, Toby’s best friend since Kindergarten. Quinn was supportive, encouraging, loyal, and
compassionate. She was also very eight
months pregnant, but regardless still had Toby’s back.
Now,
Toby’s Mom, Ivy, was somewhat eccentric and a bit odd, but in an endearing
sense. She is a fortune teller and is into
healing crystals, herbal remedies, etc. She
is also recovering from breast cancer.
One
of the major themes in this book is bullying.
Bullying is such a serious and heinous act. Yet it still happens every day. I really appreciate the author shining a light
on such an important topic that often gets swept under the rug. Toby showed us that bullying leaves deep permanent
scars that even though they can’t be seen to the naked eye, those torturous memories
stay with you forever and can be recalled at any given moment. We see this over the course of the book through flashbacks as Toby recalls intimate, torturous moments when she was bullied at camp by the mean girls led by Tonya.
Unlike
the main character Toby, I was never really bullied growing up. But these days bullies are EVERYWHERE!!! I’ve had to deal with bullies in the
workplace, as neighbors, and at the gym.
I’m sure most of us, can at least relate to having to deal with a bully
somewhere in our lifetime – which is why Toby made such a great, well-rounded,
easy to connect with character – that I think most of us can relate to at least
some part of her.
Toby is a character you want to invest in and root for! As this book is book one in Toby’s upcoming series,
I look forward to getting to spend more time with her and watch her character
arc develop and grow!
I think the author did a fantastic job on her character
development as these characters were so real, raw, and personal on many levels!
I also
enjoyed the thought-provoking themes of having means girls of all levels and
bullying within bullying. Where does it
end?? And how what seems like small
things to one person could be big things to someone else. You could be bullying someone and not realize
it. We all need to think about our actions,
and we all need to speak up as well – and feel safe to do so.
This book has several components of a cozy, but still has enough
of the mystery, suspense, and intrigue elements to stand on its own.
There are some predictable scenes. However, there are still many unexpected
twists and turns that you won’t see coming!
This
book does have a satisfying ending.
However, I felt there were some character loose ends that I’m sure were done
to keep the reader excited and curious about book two. So, fair warning, when you get to the end and
go ahhhhhh wait why didn’t such and such happen?!?! Well, it’s probably leading up over the next
book – hopefully! Lol!
This book is book one
in the Toby Wong Book Series. It can be read
as a standalone. However, this book
series has been greenlit and there many upcoming books in this series to be
released in the very near future!
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would
absolutely recommend it! I think all romantic
suspense and mystery readers will like this book too! So, add it to your TBR List and get to
reading - you won't be disappointed!
Did you find this review helpful?
If so, please, please, please mark it as
helpful on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R1CI6IKPC0OVBR
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AUTHOR BIO:
Elka Ray
Stories that don't let go.
Elka
Ray
writes
fast-paced romantic mysteries and scary thrillers - a dichotomy that reveals
her belief in Yin and Yang, or the balance of opposites. A great lover of
scientific facts, she may be found clutching crystals for good luck; reads
highbrow journals and tabloid trash; and refuses to watch romcoms yet moved in
with her now-husband on their first date.
Elka
is the author of three novels – the romantic mysteries DIVORCE IS MURDER and
HANOI JANE – and the noir thriller SAIGON DARK. She also has a collection of
short crime and ghost stories set in Southeast Asia – WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW. Elka
lives with her family near Hoi An, Vietnam. She is represented by Folio
Literary Management.
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CONNECT WITH ELKA:
Elka’s Super Cute Furbaby, Sidney
PC – IG @ elka.ray
Website:
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Amazon Author Page:
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PC – IG @ elka.ray
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Elka will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to
a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this
blog. This does not cost you anything,
it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Elka ~ Good morning! Welcome back! It is always a pleasure to have you here! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! I really enjoyed reading and reviewing your book, thanks for providing the copy! :)
ReplyDeleteAlly - Thank you SO much for this review. Glad you enjoyed it. All the best to you & to your mom! I will definitely give your comments re Ivy's illness into account for future books - (although I'd like her to stay well). I hope your mom's health stays stable. Elka
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun read. I hope your book is a success.
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDelete