Today I’m on The Write Reads Blog Tour for Josie Jaffrey’s May Day, the first in her ‘Seekers’ series of urban fantasy novels set in Oxford and the WINNER of the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) 2021!!
About the Book
If the murderer you’re tracking is a vampire, then you want a vampire detective.
Just maybe not this one.
It’s not that Jack Valentine is bad at her job. The youngest member of Oxford’s Seekers has an impressive track record, but she also has an impressive grudge against the local baron, Killian Drake.
When a human turns up dead on May Morning, she’s determined to pin the murder on Drake. The problem is that none of the evidence points to him. Instead, it leads Jack into a web of conspiracy involving the most powerful people in the country, people to whom Jack has no access. But she knows someone who does.
To get to the truth, Jack will have to partner up with her worst enemy. As long as she can keep her cool, Drake will point her to the ringleaders, she’ll find the murderer and no one else will have to die.
Body bags on standby.
About the Author
Josie is a fantasy and historical fiction author who writes about lost worlds, dystopian societies and paranormal monsters (vampires are her favourite). She has published multiple novels and short stories. Most of those are set in the Silverse, an apocalyptic world filled with vampires and zombies.
She’s currently working on vampire murder mysteries (the Seekers series) and a YA series centred around Atlantis and the lost civilisations of the Mediterranean (the Deluge series). Researching the latter is the first time she’s used her Classics degree since university.
Josie lives in Oxford with her husband and two cats (Sparky and Gussie), who graciously permit human cohabitation in return for regular feeding and cuddles. The resulting cat fluff makes it difficult for Josie to wear black, which is largely why she gave up being a goth. Although the cats are definitely worth it, she still misses her old wardrobe.
To learn more about Josie and her work you can visit her website at https://www.josiejaffrey.com. In addition to information about both backlist and forthcoming books, you can read a FREE story, become a member of Josie’s readers club, and sign up to join Josie’s reviewers list!
Find Out More!
May Day won the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award 2021, an indie book award that is solely judged by a diverse panel of book bloggers. BBNYA aims is to give under appreciated authors a chance to get the recognition they deserve without being overshadowed by the big names – and May Day proved to be a big hit with 2021’s panel!
Over on Goodreads, blogger and book reviewer V L Book Reviews praised it as ‘a highly recommendable read’ that offers ‘an intriguing slew of characters, compelling groundwork, incriminating intrigue with an operative fit to smite the status quo’ (see the full review), whilst Ellie from Read to Ramble said she was ‘hooked’ as soon as she started (see the full review)!
I was lucky enough to read an extract of May Day during BBNYA and, although fantasy isn’t my usual go-to genre, I loved the premise of a vampire murder mystery series. With so many excellent reviews from readers – and the second book in the Seekers series, Judgement Day also now available – I’m seriously contemplating get this on my TBR!
You can also find out more about Josie’s work by following her on Twitter.
May Day by Josie Jaffrey is published by Silver Sun Books and is available both as an ebook and a paperback from Amazon. Signed copies can also be purchased direct from Josie via her website.
My thanks go to The Write Reads for organising and inviting me onto this blog tour! There are lots of other reviews and spotlights on the tour so follow the hashtags #MayDay #TheWriteReads and #BlogTour.
Reviews and features on The Shelf are free, honest, and unbiased and I don’t use affiliate links on my posts. However if you enjoy the blog please consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi!
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I loved reading your post Amy Louise, and thank you for mentioning me and linking my review, so kind of you! xx
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Aww thanks Ellie! And you are more than welcome!
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