Luke Harkness, Author at Luke’s Blog

10Nov 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

The Dragon Republic is the second book in The Poppy War series written by R.F. Kuang. The first book was a huge success in the fantasy community with the Asian-inspired fantasy setting really drawing fans into some unique and fun. But does the sequel live up to the original? [caption id="attachment_1380" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Please note that the article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase The Dragon Republic via one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you to support the blog. These links do not affect my final opinion of the product. I’ll start out by suggesting you go and read my review of The Poppy War before starting my review of The Dragon Republic…

08Nov 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Four Easy Ways to Earn Money by Blogging

Features, How to, Tips and Tricks

You love writing about what you do - that's why you blog right? You either enjoy teaching people about finance, reviewing books (c'est moi), giving people advice on blogging based on your experience (that's me also), talking about tech, talking about investing, talking about fitness, or whatever else it may be you like writing about. [caption id="attachment_1375" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] But what if I told you you could make money from it? And what if I told you there are some blogs out there that actually make quite a significant amount of money from blogging? "Brilliant! But how?" I hear you say. Well, if you're still here and haven't scrolled down to the first number in the list then you can now scroll down a bit to…

04Nov 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Blogger Spotlight: Everything Handheld

Blogger Spotlights, Features

In today's Blogger Spotlight, we're shining a light on a blog I can really get behind. Everything Handheld run by Aaron is a blog all about books and gaming - two of my personal favourite hobbies. He features book and game reviews as well as other articles highlighting his two favourite hobbies. [caption id="attachment_1370" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] What made you get into blogging? I have been reading fantasy and Sci-fi for over a decade after a dear family friend (who has now passed away) recommended the David Gemmel book 'Legend'. In a matter of months, I have polished off a large selection of David Gemmel's novels and was slowly falling down the rabbit hole of reading. Over the years, my thirst for reading has continued to grow…

02Nov 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

My 5 Most Successful Blog Posts from October

Features, Monthly Round Ups

At the start of each month, I highlight the best performing posts throughout the previous month. I only include articles I actually posted throughout that month and they're written in order. I don't do this to brag, it is to highlight what posts work well and which possibly don't for those prospective bloggers. Here are the most successful blog posts from the month of October. [caption id="attachment_1363" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] October has been a great month for the blog. I've brought back the Blogger Spotlights to highlight some of the fantastic blogs out there who want a larger audience, I've read and reviewed some truly fantastic books, and I've picked up some older books I read a long time ago and gave my verdict on them. Please…

01Nov 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Seven Spectacular Books I Read in October

Features, Monthly Round Ups

In October I read a wide array of books including thrillers, mysteries, a crime novel and the first book I've been sent directly by the author. This month featured three five-star reviews, three four-star reviews and one three-star review. It was a great month of reading filled with a wide range of genres and quality of books. I also hit my 50-book reading goal towards the end of the month which I didn't think I'd hit, let alone with a couple of months of the year left! [caption id="attachment_1356" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below to support the blog, I will receive a small commission at no extra…

01Nov 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book review: Along Came a Spider by James Patterson

Book reviews, Crime, Mystery

Along Came a Spider is the first crime/action thriller in the critically and commercially acclaimed Alex Cross series. If you’re a fan of crime fiction or action books, you’ve likely heard of James Patterson and you’ve also likely heard of Alex Cross. [caption id="attachment_1339" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Please note that the article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase Along Came a Spider via one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you to support the blog. These links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Along Came a Spider focuses on the story of the kidnapping of two high-powered individuals’ children. There are some focuses on race and equality, there is an interesting storyline…

31Oct 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Blogger Spotlight: Benjamin X. Wretlind

Blogger Spotlights, Features

In today's Blogger Spotlight, we're shining a light on Benjamin X Wretlind who writes books, does art and photography but also has a blog. His blog features short stories, articles on Kindle Vella, a regular newsletter and much more! [caption id="attachment_1331" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] What made you get into blogging? I've always been a daily writer, and blogging seemed like a natural extension of that effort (at first, anyway). I'm also a learning and development consultant in my "day job," which means I love to teach and build course material that helps others learn. My first blog was in the old LiveJournal, which I started back in 2003 or 2004. The current iteration of my blog was started in 2012 to coincide with building a following for…

30Oct 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book review: Atonium: A Thread of Existence by J G Maughan

Book reviews, Sci-Fi

Atonium: A Thread of Existence is a book I was sent to review by the author. In fact, it’s the very first book I’ve been sent to review by an author. It’s a science-fiction novel featuring some fantastic theoretical elements and some engaging discussions about God. [caption id="attachment_1327" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Please note that this book was sent to me for the purposes of a review. I do not receive any financial or another gain from posting this review and the review is of my own honest opinion. Also, note that the article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase Atonium: A Thread of Existence via one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you to support…

29Oct 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Blogger Spotlight: Bookshine and Readbows

Blogger Spotlights, Features

In today's Blogger Spotlight, we're shining a light on Bookshine And Readbows owned by Steph. Bookshine and Readbows is a book blog filled with book reviews, author spotlights, blog tours and much more! [caption id="attachment_1321" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] What made you get into blogging? I've always been a prolific reader but had never even heard of book-blogging until my friend, the author J.J. Barnes, suggested it to me. She had already published a few books, which I had beta read before publication, and she persuaded me to give blogging a go. She even set up my original website for me! Once I got going, I fell in love with everything about book blogging - the blogging community, the author contacts, the blog tours, the opportunity to support new…

27Oct 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book review: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Book reviews, Classics, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

You may well have heard of the very successful TV series The Handmaid’s Tale but did you know it’s based on a very successful book by the same name, written by Margaret Atwood? Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase The Handmaid's Tale via one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you to support the blog. These links do not affect my final opinion of the product. [caption id="attachment_1313" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] The Handmaid’s Tale tells the first-hand story of Offred, a Handmaid who lives in Gilead where women are no longer free and must survive by obeying the whims of their commanders. It's mainly a first-hand account of her experiences…

Author: Luke Harkness