Rockstar Book Tours presents... A POISONER'S TALE by Cathryn Kemp - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the A POISONER'S TALE by Cathryn Kemp Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

A POISONER'S TALE

by

Cathryn Kemp

Pub. Date: February 4, 2025

Publisher: Union Square & Co.

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 376

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/A-POISONERS-TALE

The legendary figure of notorious seventeenth-century Italian poisoner Giulia Tofana, thought to be the first female serial killer in history, is brought to life in this feminist retelling.

Palermo 1632: Giulia is thirteen when she learns her mother greatest secret: Teofania makes an undetectable, slow-acting, lethal poison—Acqua Tofana—which she uses to free the broken and abused women of Palermo. Now Teofania wants to pass her recipe on to her daughter, and Giulia soon realizes that in a time when women have no voice, justice is sometimes best served in a cup of wine or broth.

Rome, 1656: Years later, within the alleys and shadows of the Eternal City, Giulia forms her own circle of female poisoners, who work together under the guise of an apothecary shop to sell poison to women in need.
       But even in a time of plague, when death looms over the city, it doesn’t go unnoticed that the men of Rome are starting to fall like flies. And with the newly elected pope determined to rid the city of witches and heretics, Giulia is more vulnerable than ever. How far is she willing to go to continue her mother’s legacy?

Weaving together the stories of the women Giulia helped, the men she killed, and those who wanted her dead, this is a tale of magic, secrets, vengeance, and sin in the back streets of Rome—and, ultimately, a fight for power.

 

 

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Some families hand down stories. Others hand down precious belongings. Still others pass down traditions most unusual, information seemingly impractical, and yet together they work to serve the greater good in the darkness of night. 

From the start, I was whisked away by this one, and, whether I wanted to be there or not, I became a virtual accomplish to the events that unfolded. Grant it, I'm not the take the law into your own hands type, however.... however. I do believe there is a special place in hades for certain people, especially those that treat others with such disrespect, as if they were property, and those that force their will (or more) upon others. The darker side of the story is certainly on display, but so are the desperate works of those that would serve their own brand of justice in a time when a woman couldn't count on help from the powers that be (so not getting into the here and now state of that statement 🙄). Watching Guilia come into her own, find her footing, and embrace her "heritage" was like walking that double edged sword. She was more perceptive from the beginning, it came like second nature to her, and yet her desire to help those that needed it most could lead to her undoing. 

It's a twisty ride with some surprises along the way, and yet a fascinating look at a person in history through a fictional lense. Which side of the action will you land on? Would you be for the limited use of the mysterious poison when the need was great enough? How would you choose? Fans of Historical Fiction definitely need this one in their reading list!

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About the author...

Cathryn Kemp is a Sunday Times bestselling ghost writer and author with a prolific career writing celebrity, inspirational, true crime, and nostalgia titles. Her personal memoir, Coming Clean, won the Big Red Read Prize for Nonfiction. For A Poisoner's Tale, her first foray into historical fiction, she was awarded a foundation grant by the Society of Authors to pursue the research for this book, reaching into the state archives of Palermo and the Vatican’s secret Holy Office of the Inquisition. She lives on the south coast of England.

Website | Twitter (X) | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

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*** Giveaway ***

1 winner will receive a finished copy of A POISONER'S TALE, US Only.

Ends February 18th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

2/3/2025	@tartan_teapotsandbooks_croft	IG Post
2/4/2025	Frugal Freelancer	Excerpt/IG Post
2/5/2025	The Eclectic Review	Excerpt/IG Post
2/6/2025	@enjoyingbooksagain	IG Review
2/7/2025	@bookgirlbrown_reviews	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

2/10/2025	jlreadstoperpetuity	Review/IG Post
2/11/2025	@alexandriavwilliams_	IG Review
2/12/2025	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic
2/13/2025	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
2/14/2025	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

The Rushing of the Brook by Kansas Bradbury

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're adding another book to your SPOOKY CREEPY SCARY Halloween reading list, and the truly scary part is it COULD happen.  *-*  Yes, my friends, they say truth is more frightening than fiction but OH MY GOODNESS am I glad this is not based on a true story.  ~shudders~  You'll see why in a few.  Warning to readers, though it says "coming of age" it is in reference to the main characters for the first part of the book...I would not recommend this one to anyone not considered an adult (or at the earliest LATE LATE teens) due to content, and we're not talking steamy here folks.  So, draw the blinds and turn on your bedside lamp, you're gonna need the extra assurance that all is well as today's book of choice sneaks out of the shadows...

The Rushing of the Brook

by

Kansas Bradbury

9781525501951

FriesenPress

About the book....

It’s 1987, and a dark shadow is about to fall upon the city of Sifton and its residents. Hayward Barry and his best friends—Joe, Davey, and Pete—are typical fifth- and sixth-grade boys, hanging out after school and getting into trouble. However, powerful urges and deep feelings have begun to grow in the boys as they approach young adulthood; for Hayward, this is his affection for Beth, a girl in his class who he fears will be swept away by another boy named Daniel. For Pete, it is a volatile temper and the desire to always get his way. When Davey is given something that Pete wants, it sets off a disastrous chain of events that strips them all of their childhood, drowning their innocence to the sound of a rushing brook—a sound none of them will forget.

As misery and happenstance would have it, the day tragedy strikes Hayward and his friends, a murderous monster awakes from hibernation in a town miles away. Getting into a stolen vehicle with bloody clothes and an unspeakable lust for violence, the nameless man drives towards Sifton, wreaking destruction and horror along the way. While his story won’t collide with the boys’ lives until seventeen years later—when they have all grown up—this man will reopen old wounds and awaken the trauma that has never healed. Hayward, now a failed artist and reluctant police officer, is left to pick up the pieces of a shattered community and solve the mystery of the event that has come to dominate his life.

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My initial reaction upon finishing the book...

Holy cow. That was intense, twisted, dark, heinous, disturbing... shall I go on? 😮 Much more than I thought it would be as far as story depth, but man oh man, I was not prepared for all the ways it would show man's decline to less than beast.

My further thoughts now that I've ruminated a bit...

Yeah, still the same.  That was some SERIOUSLY twisted work there.  

The story initially starts with the tale of four fifth friends boys who call each other friend, for the most part, and their general dynamic with each other and those that attempt to break up their self-imposed circle.  It's a boys will be boys situation showing early obsessions, power struggles, and how things can get drastically out of hand in no time flat.  At the same time these four lads are going through their growing pains (and losses), another wounded (or should I say, wounding) soul comes to their sleepy town, and while initially intending to stay for just a moment, makes itself a home that will darken their community and the surrounding for many years to come in horrific ways.  

It's a tale that shows monsters come in all shapes, and sizes.  It's a story that while fiction could have sadly been ripped from the headlines.  It's a path of darkness to follow, but only just, in order to have a better appreciation for all the light that surrounds...no matter how small or dim it may seem.  Though you won't want to continue in Kelch's shoes, you won't have a choice once you've begun...and the same can be said of the lads as we get to know them 17 years later when the lives they've built from their shadowed pasts come crashing down around them.  

Recommended read for ADULTS ONLY due to content...again talking about the darkness of a soul, violence, and the human condition at its worst.

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About the author...

Kansas Bradbury was born and raised in North Sydney, Nova Scotia. He graduated from Saint Mary’s University with a Bachelor of Commerce and subsequently became a drug store manager. In 2008, he moved from the retail business and began working as a heavy equipment operator in Alberta’s oil sands. He started creative writing as a hobby, composing film scripts and short stories for fun. After receiving encouragement from his family and friends, he wrote  The Rushing of the Brook, his first full-length novel. He currently resides in Fort McMurray with his wife Colleen and their two children.

SITE  |  TWITTER  |  GOODREADS

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Special thanks to Lauren at Smith Publicity for the copy for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now, so click over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!