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Russell Dumper

@russ2000_uk

13.8K

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7420

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📖 🇬🇧 reader-author hybrid
Best-seller. 2024 & 2025 Bookstagram Awards Winner 🥰🥰🥰🥰
CR - Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

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Exciting 🙂🙂🙂

#bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookish #readersofinstagram by @russ2000_uk

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5 days ago

Soon 🙂🙂

#bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookish #readersofinstagram by @russ2000_uk

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2 months ago

Pick Your Own Prize Giveaway time! 📖🙂

Only available to UK residents, unfortunately, as I need to post them myself. Please note they are pre-loved.

The winner can pick any 3 books from those shown 🙂🙂 my kids will also randomly pick another 1 as a surprise 🙂

It’s simple to enter. Please ensure you’re following me and choose any picture from my grid with a picture of any of my books (The Hero Virus or one from the Britannia series), share to your story with me tagged and good luck!

Entries will close at 08:00 Wednesday 21st October. I’ll announce the winner shortly thereafter 🙂

#bookstagram #readersofinstagram #bookish #booklovers #giveaway by @russ2000_uk

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5 hours ago

Don’t Swipe Right by LM Chilton

I hadn’t heard of this author, or the book, but someone recommended it to me when I mentioned I liked Katy Brent and her Kitty Collins books. I may not seem like the obvious target demographic for such tales, but that’s just adds to my mystery, right? 🤣

This one is, as the title suggests, something of a dark satire about the modern dating world, a place I’m delighted to know nothing about.

Gwen (a true crime enthusiast) is struggling a bit. Her bff is getting married and leaving her behind, plus she’s quit a stable job to open a coffee shop. To fill a gap in her life, she’s turned to dating apps. It’s not been going well.

She then discovers her previous dates are all being targeted by a serial killer and must try to clear her name whilst being the obvious suspect. She also matches with Parker whilst tracking down her former fellas. And something’s not right with him.

There are some surprises, not least in Gwen’s dating life, as her own secrets come out and it all spirals to a frantic conclusion.

It’s a fun book, not to be taken too seriously, hence the notion of dark comedy. The prose was good, the characters well done, the pace felt just right and I liked the plot.

But you will need to like this sort of thing to enjoy it. Indeed, it felt like a blend of Katy Brent and Lucy Foley, with a seasoning of Benjamin Stevenson or Bob Mortimer.

Would I read more from this author? Yes
Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes

#bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookish #readersofinstagram by @russ2000_uk

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18 hours ago

TBR snap game!

What’s your score?

2 points for one that’s also on your TBR.

1 point if you’ve already read any of them.

Once you’ve commented your score, why not play yourself? It’s fun! 🙂🙂

#bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookish #readersofinstagram by @russ2000_uk

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a day ago

A really popular giveaway and this time it goes to @angelsbooksreviews 🥳🥳🥳

Next one up soon 🙂🙂

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a day ago

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Honestly, i didn’t expect to get this far into this series, but i like the story. I read the enormous Iron Flame not long ago and, since I can still remember everyone (just about) figured I might as well go for this before I forgot them again. Although there’s a nice guide at the front with the names, dragons and signets. Handy.

We follow straight on from the events at the end of book 2, with nary a pause for breath. The revelations about Andarna (who has redefined patience🤣), Xaden’s ‘problem’ the death of her mother: Violet has a lot going on from the outset. Against the backdrop of leadership negotiating a tenuous alliance with Poromiel.

Within the first couple of chapters, we’re well into it, as bodies are found with grey hand prints. The venin hunt expands. They need to go on a quest to the south to look for a cure and there’s all sorts of adventures, deaths and links to parents. There are new alliances, new signets and another quality final battle. It’s frenetic and the ending is especially good. Yarros certainly knows how to write a cliffhanger. I really liked the Andarna/Irid storyline, too.

What I will say about this one is, whilst there’s a central romantic core to the book, this one felt more about the fantasy and less about the yawn-o-rama of Violet and Xaden, sitting in a tree…

A good book. I liked it more than Iron Flame and it felt shorter, although that was maybe just because there was less romance. The writing is good, the characters are well developed at this point. Dain’s arc, I thought, was particularly well done. The plot is really good and it’s fast paced, maybe even a bit too busy.

Yarros isn’t probably as good a writer as SJM, for example, but she’s certainly filled a gap for the cocktail of GoT meets Harry Potter meets Twilight meets Hunger Games. If you like any of that sort of thing, this series will probably work for you.

Would I read more from this author? Yes
Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes

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2 days ago

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

Tartt is not for everyone. Her novels are loved by many, but probably disliked by just as many and I think you need to go into them expecting a slow pace and a lot of descriptions. It suits me, so I tend to enjoy her books, even if they don’t always live up to the hype.

This one focuses around the death of a 9y old boy in the American South. After no progress on the case, 12y old Harriet decides to take it upon herself to not only solve the murder, but to avenge her brother.

If you’re thinking of Scout Finch, you wouldn’t be far off. The opening is so good, I defy anyone not to enjoy it. But then it does slow down.

Assisted by her devoted friend Hely, the amateur sleuths are dragged from their comfortable life and into a much more dangerous world. The world of the poor.

It’s a complex story, with plenty of themes about unresolved trauma, mental health and real life versus expectations. The ending is gritty and, I thought, brilliant. However, if you’re expecting a murder mystery, which the blurb does somewhat suggest, then it’s definitely not what you’re getting. This is a far more complex Bildungsroman tale.

Most people have come across Tartt at some point or another. If you haven’t, she’s similar to Kazuo Ishiguro, Anthony Doerr, perhaps even a hint of Harper Lee in this one.

Would I read more from this author? Yes
Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes

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3 days ago

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler

There was just something about this title that did it for me. I had heard of Wexler, but actually not very positive things, mostly from die-hard fantasy enthusiasts. But actually pretty quickly the humour shines through, so I would say you would know if you will like it after just a few pages.

Davi has been stuck in a time loop for a very very long time. And 1000 years of trying the same thing over and over again will give you a new perspective.

Every time she dies, she comes back in the same place and starts again. Save-scumming to save the Kingdom. Yet it always goes wrong. This time, she’s not going to try to beat the Dark Lord. This time she’s going to join the dark side and try to win for a change.

So off sets Davi, to seduce, trick and lie her way to an army. Indeed, all the skills required of a Dark Lord seem so very human. There are so many shenanigans they need a captain to manage them.

It’s a fun tale, ripe with humour, adventure and debauchery. It won’t be for everyone. The prose is dripping with a vernacular satire that a lot of people will hate. The characters are fun and varied, the plot is really good and it keeps a good pace. It’s very much set up for the second book, so will get that for sure 🙂

If you don’t know Wexler, he reminded me of a sort of more adult Travis Baldree or maybe a coarse Neil Gaiman, with a dab of Dave Haywood. Others compare him to Matt Dinniman, but I haven’t read him yet, so idk if that’s true 🤣

Would I read more from this author? Yes
Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes

#bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookish #readersofinstagram by @russ2000_uk

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4 days ago

Empyrean Trilogy giveaway!

This one is for Rebecca Yarros’ hugely popular romantasy novels. You will have needed to be living underwater not to have heard of them, so they shouldn’t need any introduction.

These books are pre-loved and it’s only open to UK, as I need to post them.

It’s simple to enter. Please ensure you’re following me and choose any picture from my grid with a picture of any of my books (The Hero Virus or one from the Britannia series), share to your story with me tagged and good luck!

Entries will close at 10:00 Friday 16th October. I’ll announce the winner shortly thereafter 🙂

#bookstagram #readersofinstagram #bookish #booklovers #giveaway by @russ2000_uk

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4 days ago

Happy Release day to @russ2000_uk for the Third instalment of the Britannia Series.

I was lucky enough to read the first 2 and @russ2000_uk kindly sent me the third book. Safe to say it didn't disappoint! It was the most fast paced in the series as the characters are well established and the story well built by this point. It had action throughout with political notes too. However it was a nice balance and politics didn't overshadow or overwhelm. I would recommend reading the series in order, as there is 'world building' within the first 2 to establish character and the story. I would highly recommend this series as any of @russ2000_uk books i can never put down! They are always a delight! If you looking for something more than a basic thriller that you can really get your teeth into then this is the series for you! I am highly anticipating book 4 already as this book really left me wanting more!

#arcreader#mybookblog#indieauthor#arcreview#bookstagrammer by @russ2000_uk

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5 days ago

Facts rule, non-readers drool 🙂

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5 days ago