Blog Tour (Promo): A New Hope in the Highlands by Rachel Debrave
Today is publication day for A New Hope in the Highlands by Rachel DeBrave! This novel has these tropes: Grumpy-meets-sunshine, forced proximity, second chances, and Highland heat.
Book Description:
Amid betrayal and family secrets, a journey to the Scottish Highlands brings unexpected romance, healing, and a second chance at happiness.
Scarlett flees to the Scottish Highlands on her 35th birthday after discovering her husband’s affair. Desperate for a fresh start, she seeks comfort with her estranged mother at the estate of the surly, yet rather attractive bachelor, Edward Cameron-Reid; a reclusive laird devoted to his family’s legacy.
As Scarlett disrupts Edward’s solitary life, an inescapable chemistry sparks between them amid the estate’s last-minute preparations for his brother’s wedding. However, their growing connection faces turmoil when shocking secrets and hidden motives surface, threatening not only the wedding but their blossoming romance.
Will the drama keep Scarlett and Edward apart? Can they overcome their fears and confront their true feelings for each other? Or will they discover that even after heartbreak, love has the power to offer a second chance?
A dual-narrative, spicy contemporary romance set in the Highlands of Scotland, for fans of Elliot Fletcher and Evie Alexander.
Buy your copy here:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
About the Author:
Rachel Debrave writes contemporary and fantasy romance with an often twisty, dark sense of humour and a taste for the emotionally charged. Expect quick-fire chemistry, emotional depth, swoon-worthy MMCs, and heroines who don’t just survive – they set the pace.
When she’s not writing in random places, Rachel can be found wandering the Scottish countryside with her dog, Daisy, reading from her ever-growing TBR pile, or playing the piano (rarely very well!) with a touch of dramatic flair.
Contact Rachel:
Website
Instagram & Threads: @racheldebrave
Bluesky
Substack: substack.com/@racheldebraveauthor.com
Audiobook Review: The Measure by Nikki Erlick
The Measure
Author: Nikki Erlick
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Published: June 28, 2022
Audiobook: 10 hours 57 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: August 26-31, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
A luminous, spirit-lifting blockbuster that asks: would you choose to find out the length of your life?
Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.
It seems like any other day. You wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and head out.
But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. The contents of this mysterious box tells you the exact number of years you will live.
From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?
As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?
The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.
Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is an ambitious, invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.
Jessica’s Review:
The Measure has a simple but fascinating premise: Overnight, every adult worldwide ages twenty-two and up receive a box which contains a string. The length indicates your exact life span: Did you receive a short string? Then you aren’t going to live very long. A long string means you can expect to live to an old age. But importantly: The quality of your life is not known. For those that are not of age, when you reach your twenty-second birthday your box appears to you and then you have a decision to make: To open or not open?
We have eight ordinary people whose lives are the focus of The Measure, and they are all interconnected! I was pulled into every story and seeing what would happen to everyone. The story is intense, should you open your box or not? How will you react to seeing your string? What if it is long or short? What do you do? How does the world react to the strings? We get to see how the world reacts to the strings and for me it seems that is what in fact would happen.
The novel unfolds and progresses based on the decisions that each character makes in this crazy new world. Be ready for some emotions, especially as the novel closes in to the ending. This is a spoiler, but can be important to readers who will want to know everything: We do not find out where or how the strings came about.
I listened to the audiobook, and Julia Whelan is the narrator! All I will say is this: If you have read my previous reviews then you know I adore her!!
This is a very strong debut and I look forward to reading more that Erlick writes!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audiobook Review: Sister Wife by Christine Brown Woolley
Sister Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Finding Freedom
Author: Christine Brown Woolley
Narrator: Christine Brown Woolley
Published: September 2, 2025
Audiobook: 8 hours 43 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: September 2-5, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
From TLC’s Sister Wives star Christine Brown Woolley, a groundbreaking and heartfelt memoir about living in a family like no other and finding the strength to leave Mormonism—and the only life she’s known—behind.
Christine Brown Woolley had always dreamed of having a picture-perfect family—beautiful children, an adoring husband, and of course, a sisterhood of wives to share him with. Raised in Utah by practicing polygamists, Christine knew her life was less than normal, but that didn’t stop her from loving the full house of her childhood any less.
Becoming Kody Brown’s third wife in 1994, Christine finally found the big, happy family she had hoped for. When TLC’s hit show Sister Wives premiered in 2010, Christine knew it was her chance to shine a light on the brighter side of polygamy—the helping hands, the lively discussions, and their unmatched devotion to each other. But the cameras also revealed a much darker truth.
Now, in this candid tell-all, Christine shares for the first time the journey that led her away from the Morman church and the bold path she is carving to live apart from all she has ever known. Moving, genuine, and insightful, this is a uniquely powerful tour de force of Christine’s journey toward and beyond her time in the spotlight as a sister wife.
Jessica’s Review:
I first watched some of Sister Wives years ago, and for some reason I decided to start it over and watch it in December of 2023. I am all caught up, and yes, I have a favorite former sister wife (Janelle all the way!) and a strong dislike for Kody. After finishing Christine’s memoir my opinion of Kody is this: He’s a total douche! Yes, this is Christine’s perspective of her life, but I mean, if you have seen the show, then you know: It’s like a ‘knife to the kidneys’!
I know that reality shows are not necessarily ‘real’, but there are some things mentioned in Woolley’s memoir that give a whole different perspective on the show. When I found out about the book, I knew I wanted to read or listen to it. Woolley narrates the memoir herself and it sounds just like how she speaks and it was like she was speaking to me.
Christine can be a bit ‘much’ at times on the show but she is who she is and you can take it or leave it. We find out the details about the falling out Christine had with Meri, and the closeness she gets with Janelle over time. She goes into the Mormon religion, polygamy, her background and her dislike for Warren Jeffs and the FLDS, which she was not a part of. She goes full throttle telling everything with no holding back. From her first kiss at the alter to the wedding night, to the lack of a sex life, to finally leaving Kody and the polygamist way of life. To starting over, and finding a love that she fully deserves with David Woolley. Christine has lived quite a life.
People are talking about the details of Christine and Kody’s sex life, and many other things that were believed from the show and confirmed with the memoir, but there were many other things that were not on the show: Yes, the sister wives did drink in Vegas. How early on Christine thought about leaving Kody, but never acted on it. And how much things changed early on once Robyn came into the picture. Things are definitely not how they appear on television! What I found shocking was Christine was at the beginnings of addiction to oxycodone, but realized it and was able to get off of it herself.
There was so much more I could say, but I will just say this: Read or listen to the memoir if you are a fan of the show! I really hope Meri and Janelle also write memoirs one day so we can hear their side of their lives!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK