Review Tour & Giveaway: Caio (The Limerent, #1) by L.S. Delorme

CAIO

The Limerent, Book One

by

LS Delorme

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by

Goddess Fish Promotions.

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Paranormal romantic legal thriller

Publisher: Limerent Publishing

Publication Date: November 1, 2024

Page count: 298 pages

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SYNOPSIS:

Sarah Baker is a paralegal in a law firm in modern day Brooklyn.

 

Her life is bouncing between her abusive lawyer boyfriend, the voices she hears in her head and her soul sucking work at the law firm. On a New York spring day, she meets Caio as he plays basketball on a court near her house.  He is alluring, intriguing and young. Yet that's the least of his mystery, for Caio was beaten, thrown into a hole and left to die…in 1905.

 

As Sarah tries to understand this enigmatic stranger she must juggle the increasingly dubious ethics of her law firm and ghosts in her head. Struggling with loss, grief, love, beauty and lawyers, she will need to summon the strength to break all of society’s rules, save several lives and step into a new, potentially magical life.

 

Caio is the opening book of the Limerent universe, a series of supernatural romantic thrillers that will pull on your heartstrings, challenge your perceptions and lead you on a singular journey of discovery and revelation.

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ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

On top of all that, just as the day was ending, her boyfriend Karl had called to break up with her, because it was her birthday.

 

“So, was that the annual breakup call?” Angela asked, turning to her with a smile that would have been more fitting on a hyena than a human.

 

Angela was one of the other paralegals in the office. She had mouse-blonde hair, a large beak nose, and a grovelling, subservient manner anytime an attorney or partner was around. Around other administrative staff, she was all smiles and sweetness, until you found the knife in your back. Then she would look at you with a condescending smirk that said You mean you weren’t smart enough to see that coming? Angela may have looked like a mouse, but she was actually more like a trapdoor spider. She was an ambush predator. Sarah had had the good fortune of sitting in the cubicle just next to hers for the past five years.  At the moment, Angela was faking sympathy during what was actually a probe for weaknesses.

 

She needs to probe? asked the voice of Sarah’s mother in her head. Sarah winced internally, as she always did when her mother’s voice spoke. Her mothers was one of the nastiest voices that inhabited her head.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lexy Delorme is a wanderer and storyteller at heart. Raised as a “military brat” by United States Navy Captain, she has lived on three continents, across four countries, nine states, and 21 cities. Now based in Paris with her charming French husband and two very cool sons, she is a full-time author—a journey that has taken her from being a rock musician to a science graduate to an attorney at law.

A passionate fan of fantasy and science fiction, Lexy created the Limerence universe, which includes Caio, Bright Midnights, Fanning Fireflies, and Ghosting Academy. Her book Bright Midnights was named a Publishers Weekly (BookLife) “Editors’ Choice Pick” and was a finalist Golden Wizard Award Competition in 2024. She is currently working on the latest instalment in the series.

Lexy is an active member of the British Fantasy Society, the Science Fiction Writers Association, the Horror Writers Association, IBPA, and ALLi.

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REVIEW:

5 stars!

Dark, shocking, and exciting debut for the Limerent series! 

Caio is the first book in author L.S. Delorme’s Limerent dark fantasy series and really sets the tone, pace, and a high bar for what’s to come in the following novels. With its engaging, sympathetic main character and compelling plot, I was completely drawn into the protagonist’s life and couldn’t look away if I wanted. 

Sarah Baker is the main character and is a paralegal by trade, though a fully qualified attorney before the story even starts. Hers is a tale of a depressing, downtrodden life, the result of the abuse of those who should have had her best interests at heart and known better. She is a doormat, and her gradual growth after Caio enters her life is ultimately a story of redemption and success. However, there are several tough topics encountered along the way that readers sensitive to these issues should be aware of. 

The author’s writing is compelling and so easy to read, and I was absorbed by this story and this very realistic heroine. The supernatural and magical elements were creative and elevated Sarah’s tale to one that was even more special and unpredictable. The scene descriptions were vivid, and I could practically see the action unfolding as I read. I am still somewhat surprised by how I sank into this story, and time passed by without me realizing how long I’d been reading before I needed to take a break. Of course, I must read the next in the series as soon as I can! 

I recommend CAIO to readers of dark fantasy and tales of the paranormal.

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LS Delorme will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

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Book Review: The Queen of Ocean Parkway by Sarvenaz Tash

The Queen of Ocean Parkway by Sarvenaz Tash
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A magical mystery for middle-grade readers!

The Queen of Ocean Parkway is a new, fantastical mystery story for middle-grade readers from the creative mind of author Sarvenaz Tash. Young Roya Alborzi and her precocious new friend and neighbor, Amin Lahiri, travel through time to try and break a curse that makes the women of the Petrov family disappear, never to be seen again.

The main character, Roya Alborzi, is the only daughter of their Brooklyn apartment building’s super, and while only 11 years old, she is carrying an emotional load that adults would have trouble managing. Though her parents are divorced, her father is desperately ill with cancer, and she does all she can to assist her mother in her job to free her up to care for him. Then, one of her favorite tenants, Katya Petrov, suddenly disappears without a trace. She joins forces with Amin, the son of the new family in the building, to find her and break the chain of disappearances that have plagued the Petrov family for the past four generations.

The Brooklyn setting is well-developed, feeling familiar and comfortable. Roya’s descriptions and tales of the other neighbors for her fledgling podcast are entertaining and made me laugh about some of her observations.

The plot thickens as soon as the characters are introduced, and some surprising twists make the story even more suspenseful and intriguing. As time travel is involved, the author must re-describe the Coney Island setting each time Roya and Amin land in the past. The gorgeous cover, rich with jewel tones, attracts the eye and had my imagination working before I even read the first page. I liked how the author populated the apartment building with an array of different configurations of families and enjoyed meeting each one as the mystery of the disappearing Petrovs unfolded.

I recommend THE QUEEN OF OCEAN PARKWAY to upper elementary and middle-grade readers or for reading aloud in the classroom, in afterschool programs, or at home.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.

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