📖 Book Review ~ Collision by J M Monaco

Luminosa Books
14 August 2024

My thanks to the author for the copy of this book

Four People. Their Secrets. One Tragic Day.

Tragedy strikes when a teenage boy is killed in a hit and run. Why didn’t the driver stop? Why did the boy run into the street?

2018, Bristol. On his way to a boxing session, fifteen-year-old Kieran runs into the street and is knocked down by a speeding Mercedes. High on cocaine, rich-girl driver Rachel flees the scene. Days later she’s found in a deserted barn and charged with the teen’s death. Over the four months she is held in remand prison awaiting sentencing, Rachel battles with the demons that pushed her over the edge that lethal afternoon.

Rachel’s story and the voices of three others slowly unravel the events and secrets that lay behind what happened that day. Kieran’s mother, Noreen, a cleaner at the university, Kieran’s close friend - girl-boxer, Jess, and Rachel’s cardiologist father, Leo, all wish they could turn back the clock. In their grief and driven by guilt, their worlds collide as they face the truth of the roles they played in the tragedy.

📖 My Review..

All too often we hear of fatal road traffic accidents and whilst we stop to consider the sadness and tragedy of it there are also wider implications which are not always considered. It’s not just about the victims or their family and friends but also about the perpetrators of the crime and the effect that the tragedy could have on so many other people who are both directly and indirectly involved. Told in four distinct voices Collision looks at the events following the hit and run accident of a fifteen year old boy. We get the thoughts and emotions of Kieran’s mother, Noreen, his friend Jess, alongside the devastation of Leo, who is the father of Rachel, the twenty-one year old driver of the vehicle involved in the hit and run.

There are real emotions at play here and as we get drawn further into the story so the tragic events start to unfold. Identifying with each of the characters is where the strength of the novel lies and all credit to the author for giving each viewpoint so successfully. I felt emotionally connected with each of them, particularly the parents whose shock and sadness is tangible and their heartfelt bewilderment at the loss of a young life. Emotional and heart wrenching in places, this a powerful story about loss and grief, about the repercussions of what happens when things spiral of control, of how lives can change in a heartbeat and finally, whether in the face of great hurt there can ever be the chance of forgiveness.

Collision is one of those quietly, strong stories, beautifully written and acutely observed, I really enjoyed reading it and look forward to more from this talented writer.

About the Author

JM Monaco grew up in the Boston area, USA. She studied English and Creative Writing as an undergraduate at Tufts University. After working in a variety of areas, including desk-top publishing and as a secondary school teacher, she took up graduate studies. Her PhD from the University of Bristol examined quality television drama and its internet fandom. She has lived in Bristol since 1996.

Collision is her second novel. Her first novel is How We Remember (2018).

Twitter / X @jm_monaco2

#Collison

📖 Book Review ~ Celebrating All Creatures Great and Small : For the Love of the Yorkshire Dales written by James Steen

 

Michael O’Mara Books
17 December  2024

Thanks to the publisher and Alison Menzies for my copy of this book

Featuring hundreds of spectacular shots from all four series, plus an in-depth look at the characters and real-life inspiration for the show, this book tells the fascinating story of the programme’s main character : the Yorkshire Dales.

Packed full of heartwarming photographs of the landscape, the set and the characters, as well as soundbites from the cast, this is everything you need to know about James and Helen Herriot, the beloved setting of Skeldale House and, of course, the animals.

Lavish, celebratory and richly detailed, this is an unmissable and sumptuous guide to All Creatures Great & Small, which showcases how Darrowby and its inhabitants have paid homage to such an incredible heritage. The perfect book for anyone with an interest in the Yorkshire Dales and James Herriot.

Foreword written by Rosie Page, James Herriot’s daughter.

📖 My Review..

I’m old enough to remember the original series of All Great and Small and living in Yorkshire at the time I had various spin off touristy type books which I used to explore the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. It was such a treat therefore when Channel 5 decided, in 2020, to launch a new adaptation of the books which were originally published by James Herriot, pen name of vet Alf Wight, in the 1970s. Whilst this new version is different from the original stories it still has all the charm of the original TV series, which ran from 1978 to 1990. With a new cast and sumptuous production, the charming tales of life in a country veterinary practice were once again brought to life and set to charm a new generation of fans by showcasing the beautiful Yorkshire Dales countryside.

Having watched all five of the Channel 5 series I consider myself to be something of a fan as not only have I thoroughly enjoyed this latest production but to have this official companion has been a real treat to read. With its beautiful glossy pages and stunning photographs it is definitely a book to treasure and re-read. Nicely divided into five distinct sections we are whisked away to the fictional village of Darrowby and meet those well loved characters who call this lovely place ‘home’. With lots of background information about the making of the series and vignettes of the cast there is a sense that this is a close knit community of talented people who really care about what they are producing and it shows in the popularity of the series which continues to grow and grow.

Just as James Herriot’s original novels were a love story to the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales and its people so this companion book is a love story to the TV series and to all the talented cast, including the animals, and amazing crew who bring All Creatures Great and Small to life in such glorious detail. 

If you’re  a fan of the series as I am or if you love the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales, then treat yourself  by pre-ordering this lovely book in time for Christmas, and then just sit back, read and enjoy.

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📖 Blog Tour~ The Last Princess by Ellen Alpsten

Sunbird Stories
7 November 2024

My thanks to the publisher , author and Random Things Tours for the invitation to be part of this tour

Young and beautiful Gytha Godwinson is the envy of England when her father Harold seizes the country’s crown in early 1066.

But soon, treachery tears her house apart, and triumph turns to terror.

An evil star appears, heralding the end of an era and a new beginning for Britain.

Her family and the country seem cursed.

Yet even as she suffers loss, betrayal and humiliation, Gytha is determined to regain what is rightfully hers.

In a stunning re-telling of 1066, international bestselling author Ellen Alpsten has created a captivating new heroine in Gytha Godwinson.

Witness the end of England's ancient house, the demise of a cursed kingdom and the emergence of a new empire: 'The Last Princess' bridges between myth and modernity.

📖My Review..

It’s difficult for us to image life in Anglo-Saxon Britain as these dark ages are now over a millennium ago and yet we continue to be fascinated by this ancient way of life and of the blood feuds which existed between members of the same family and the ever present threat of treachery from usurpers from across the sea. This re-imagining of the events leading up to the Norman conquest in 1066, and beyond, takes us into the heart of the Godwin family and we meet our feisty heroine, Gytha Godwinson, daughter of Harold, who will become King of England. However, the fickle finger of fate has a nasty way of interfering in history and even though there are changes ahead for the house of Godwinson, it is unfortunately the start of their downfall rather than a glorious beginning.

Nicely written, and imaginatively described, The Last Princess is the first book in a proposed series, which tells the story of Gytha Godwinson as she experiences the dramatic changes to herself and her family in 1066 and of the tumultuous events which followed the conquest of England by William of Normandy. I enjoyed experiencing the history as described by this talented author who relates everything with a fine eye for historical detail, bringing place and people to life in a believable way. Superstition, fear and dread all play their part and Gytha’s life is not without its challenges as she finds herself a stranger in a strange land. Darkness and cruelty serves to remind us that these were the dark ages of our time and many lives were lost and bartered with little thought or regard. 

The author does a great job of bringing history alive and I look forward to continuing the story in the next book, The Sunrise Queen, which is due for publication in Autumn 2025.

About the author

Ellen Alpsten was born and raised in the Kenyan highlands, where she dressed up her many pets and forced them to listen to her stories.

Upon graduating from the 'Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris', she worked as a news-anchor for Bloomberg TV London. While working gruesome night shifts on breakfast TV, she started to write in earnest, every day, after work, a nap and a run. So much for burning midnight oil!

Today, Ellen works as an author and as a journalist for international publications such as Vogue, Standpoint, and CN Traveller. She lives in London with her husband, three sons, and a moody fox red Labrador.

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Viscount and the Thief by Emma Orchard

Boldwood Books
11 November 2024

Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the book
and the invitation to the blog tour

Spring, 1811... A stranger arrives at Wyverne Hall

Sophie Delavallois is the new companion to the ageing Dowager Marchioness, but she also has another reason for coming to the infamous Wyverne mansion, one that will shake the family to their core.

Lord Drake left his childhood home many years ago, and only returns now to see his beloved grandmother. He takes little interest in the goings on of the house, until the arrival of Mademoiselle Delavallois. There’s something about her that he can’t put his finger on; it's as if he’s seen her before, but surely, that is not possible…

Sophie is also drawn to Drake, but he is a Wyverne, and she cannot allow herself to fall for him, because her intentions towards the family are resolute – revenge. But inside the walls of Wyverne Hall, she discovers the rumours about the family barely scratch the surface, and she can’t escape the dangerous allure of the Viscount.

Once her plans are set in motion, will he be her saviour or her ruin?

📖 Book Review

Sophie Delavallois has accepted the post of companion to the aging Dowager Marchioness but enters the Wyvern mansion with some trepidation as the family’s reputation is somewhat disreputable. However, Sophie has her own special reason for entering into this den of iniquity and nothing, and no-one, is going to get in her way. 

When Sophie meets Lord Drake, heir to Wyvern estate, she is determined to carry out her mission but with an instant attraction flaring between them, this is going to make her quest to seek revenge on Drake’s family all the more difficult. Sophie is a determined heroine with a real sense of bravado but it is in her relationship with the handsome Lord Drake where the story really starts to come together.

As always, this talented author has captured the essence of Regency England and with a style all of her own she delivers a lively romp, which is rich filled with an abundance of fascinating characters, not all of whom are very likeable, with the exception of the Marchioness, who is definitely someone I would have liked to have encountered in real life. 

I have found much to enjoy in this thrilling Regency romance, it’s filled with delicious intrigue, smouldering passion and a real hint of danger which kept me entertained from first page to last. I’m already looking forward to the next Regency mystery/romance from Emma Orchard😊

About the Author

Emma Orchard grew up in Salford and was given tickets to the grown-up library at the age of 11 because she’d read all the children’s books and the librarians were sick of the sight of her. She became obsessed with Georgette Heyer and hasn’t stopped reading her novels since. She studied English Literature at university and went on to work at Mills & Boon and behind the scenes in television and in publishing.

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Twitter: @EmmaOrchardB

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Wives by Valerie Keogh

Boldwood
6 November 2024

My thanks to the publishers and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book
and the invitation to the blog tour

When Natasha meets Daniel, she knows her life is made. Rich, handsome and charming, Daniel will make the perfect husband. Even if she won’t make the perfect wife…

She is thrilled when Daniel suggests an all-expenses paid cruise for Natasha, her friends, Barbara, Tracy Ann and Michelle, and their husbands. What better way to show everyone that Natasha has finally made it?

But as the ship sets sail, she learns that far from being the perfect husband, Daniel has terrible secrets that are about to be revealed. And each of the wives has their own reasons for wanting him dead.

This trip might cost more than any of them ever imagined…

📖 My Review..

Secrets and lies are the focus of this cleverly controlled thriller which looks at the minutiae of the lives of a group of four wives, and their husbands, who embark on a fabulous all-expenses paid cruise which has been organised by Natasha’s wealthy husband, Daniel. The four women have been friends for a long time however, Natasha and Daniel, newly married, have changed the dynamic of this group of friends and it must be said that these changes are not for the better. As the cruise gets underway, it soon becomes apparent that there are a whole heap of secrets between the group which, if discovered, could have devastating consequences for all of them. As always this talented writer draws you into her world, creating friendships, bringing to life characters, who in this story were all largely unlikeable, and yet even with people you really dislike you can’t help but be connected to them on an emotional level. There were plot twists and turns aplenty, a jaw dropping moment which I really didn’t see coming and a thoroughly satisfying ending which made me close the book with a wry smile. 

I read The Wives over the space of a couple of afternoons as I simply couldn’t put the book down, eagerly turning the pages faster and faster in my eagerness to get to the final denouement. The Wives is another masterclass in thriller writing from an author who really knows how to keep the reader glued to the page. I’m already looking forward to the next book 😄 

About the Author

Valerie Keogh is the internationally bestselling author of several psychological thrillers and crime series, most recently published by Bloodhound. She originally comes from Dublin but now lives in Wiltshire and worked as a nurse for many years. Her first thriller for Boldwood was published in August 2022.

​

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📖 Book Review ~ Ten Poems of Light from Candlestick Press

October 2024

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this pamphlet 

This celebration title offers light in many glorious guises, helping mark one million pamphlet sales for Candlestick Press. We encounter celestial light in the form of the sun, moon and stars as well as the miracle of the Northern Lights. There’s the dazzle of the sea and mysterious bioluminescence from the natural world.

The poems also explore what light can mean to us as humans, with its promise of hope and a happier future. And there’s lighting a candle in remembrance of a loved one:

“…a sign says, and say a prayer, so I do.
I light it for you, you who made the world
a brighter place, and leave it burning.’

from ‘Fire lit up the sky’ by Carole Bromley

We hope that this dazzling selection – which includes the winning poems in our recent competition – will offer moments of delight and lasting joy, a poem (like a candlestick) being a lovely bearer of illumination.

Poems by Shasta Hanif Ali, Carole Bromley, Jane Burn, Rosie Jackson, Rachel Jeffcoat, Stephen Keeler,Nairn Kennedy, DA Prince, Penny Sherman and Laura Theis.

Cover illustration by Rebecca Vincent.

Donation to Starlight Children Foundation

📖 My review..

Helping to commemorate the millionth poetry pamphlet sold by Candlestick Press Ten Poems of Light is the perfect way to celebrate this amazing achievement. We all need light during some of our darkest times and I found so much to enjoy in these ten brand new poems, nine of whom are from winners in a Candlestick competition and what a talented bunch of poets they all are 😄 

I enjoyed Telling My Child About Light by Jane Burn especially this line :

-‘wherever you are in the world, somewhere there is light’

Whenever I visit a holy place I light a candle to remember those in my family who are no longer with me:

‘Light A Candle,

a sign says, and say a prayer, so I do.

I light it for you, you who made the world 

A brighter place, and leave it burning.’

Fire lit up the sky by Carole Bromley 

The final poem in the anthology, Things that hold light by Shasta Hanif Ali processes grief through tiny glimpses of joy in a hospice ‘When we fall, we are gathered’  - what a beautiful thought.

I’ve loved reading Ten Poems of Light, it’s beautifully presented, with a stunning cover and colourful inside papers which fit the theme of light perfectly. Each of the poems compliment each other, making this a truly special anthology and a wonderful celebration of a million pamphlets sold by this small publisher whose passion for each pamphlet, they so lovingly produce, shines like a beacon of light.

 About the Publisher

Candlestick Press is a small, independent press publishing sumptuously produced poetry pamphlets that serve as a wonderful alternative to a greetings card, with matching envelopes and bookmarks left blank for your message. Their subjects include Mountains, Clouds, Walking, Birds, Wine and Happiness. Candlestick Press pamphlets are stocked by chain and independent bookshops, galleries and garden centres nationwide and available to order online.

Twitter/X @poetrycandle

Website

Remembrance Sunday 2024🌹

Lest We Forget




We lay a wreath of poppies
To remember those who died
A Garland of red ribbon
To show the tears we cried
For lost ones and for loved ones
For those who gave their all
In battles and in trenches
In graveyards large and small.


We lay a wreath of poppies
To remember those who died
A cluster of red petals
For those we left behind
A laurel of remembrance
A sorry vale of tears
For generations lost and gone
We remember through the years.

🌹


In Our Family - We Remember

Private John Hopkins

The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment

Died 24 January 1919

Driver Frederick Arkwright

Royal Army Service Corps

Died 1 February 1945

Buried Schoonselhof Cemetery 
Antwerp, Belgium

📖 Book Review ~ Detox Your Culture by Colin D. Ellis

Bloomsbury Business
August 2024

Thanks to Midas for my copy of this book

 

In an era where stories of toxic workplaces dominate headlines—from public institutions like police forces and healthcare trusts to high-profile companies such as Twitter and ITV’s This Morning — Ellis’ Detox Your Culture arrives as a timely and critical resource.

Ellis draws on a wealth of experience and a global range of case studies throughout the personable and engaging guide, including insights from the CBI, London Fire Brigade, Uber, Sony Music, and Amnesty International. He provides leaders with practical actions to create positive cultural conditions, emphasising the importance of a work environment characterised by belonging, inclusivity, flexibility, and value creation.

Detox Your Culture is an indispensable read for any leader or manager committed to safeguarding their organisation's reputation and performance, and for any employee looking to avoid the detrimental effects of a toxic culture. Even the most comfortable in their role will be able to learn how to avoid falling down the slippery slope into a hostile work environment.

📖My Review..

This is an interesting look at work place culture and the toxicity which exists and what can be done to avoid the pitfalls when managing a team of people. It’s a well organised resource which looks at eleven specific areas, from explaining in Chapter One What is toxic culture? through to the final section which explains What to do if you work in a toxic culture now? I found the book to be well written and informative and it gave me much to consider about attitudes and behaviour and how we all play a part in workplace culture be that in positive or negative role. 

Detox your Culture gets the message across in a succinct manner which makes it an easy book to dip into and out of and the case studies help to put certain key issues into perspective. In today’s work based environments this is an informative book for anyone, be they managing a company, a team or indeed being part of a team, as it reiterates the importance of having safe working environments for everyone and provides an understanding of how to avoid the toxicity of a work place culture which benefits no-one.

About the Author

Colin D Ellis is an award winning international speaker and highly sought after culture consultant, who works with a global client base across a wide range of sectors to help them build and maintain vibrant working cultures that deliver results.

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Enigma Girl by Henry Porter

 

 

Quercus
7 November 2024

Thanks to the publisher for the copy of the book
and the invitation to the blog tour

Slim Parsons is all but burned.

Her last deep cover job for MI5 ended with a life-and-death struggle on a private jet that caused her to go on the run from both the deadly target and her angry bosses in the Security Service. They say that violence comes too easily to her; that she's bordering on delinquent and unsuitable for the roll of an MI5 operative.

Yet she is recalled and asked to infiltrate a news website that's causing alarm in the highest circles. It is staffed by a group descended from wartime codebreakers operating from an unassuming office block near Bletchley Park. Operation Linesman looks like a come down, the curtain on a brilliant career in the shadows. However, she accepts the assignment on condition that the Security Service searches for her missing brother.

Linesman turns out to be anything but simple. Her personal loss, her previous deep cover role, and a threat to MI5 itself from her original target come together in a three-way collision.

And all the while she is watched by someone even deeper in the shadows than she is.

📖 My Review..

We first meet Slim Parsons when she is on leave from her role as a security service operator working with MI5. However, her last undercover job left her with a whole heap of personal issues along with a real sense of danger. When Slim is given an opportunity to infiltrate an online news website she does so on the provision that the Security Services help to locate her brother who has been missing for several years. Slim soon realises that there is far more to this new investigation than she could ever have imagined and with people from her past also out for revenge she must try to keep one step ahead of those who would do her harm.

The story starts off as something of a slow burner as we get to know just what makes Slim Parsons tick. She is definitely an enigma girl with more shadows in her past than any one person should have to deal with and yet she handles her espionage role with great aplomb and is not afraid to challenge to get what’s needed. I enjoyed watching Slim’s character progression, especially her relationship with her mother and of course, her  dog, Loup. As we get deeper into the story so all the pieces of this complex puzzle start to come together making it an enjoyable and cleverly constructed spy thriller which raises some interesting issues and gives a fascinating fictional insight into the workings of the modern day security services whilst also giving a nod to the past. 

With a cleverly controlled and complex mystery at its core and with a remarkable female protagonist taking centre stage The Enigma Girl captured my interest from start to finish.

About the Author

Frequently described as the heir to John le Carré, Henry Porter lives in London. Alongside being the former London editor of Vanity Fair and newspaper columnist for the Observer, Henry Porter has written several acclaimed and bestselling thrillers. His book Brandenburg won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and his other thrillers A Spy's Life and Empire State were both nominated for the same award. Henry is also the author of the award winning Paul Samson spy thrillers: Firefly, which won the 2019 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize; White Hot Silence and The Old Enemy.

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📖 Blog Tour ~A Little Place in Prague by Julie Caplin

 

One More Chapter
23 October 2024
Romantic Escapes #12

My thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book
and the invitation to the tour

It's been years since Anna has seen Leo Knight. And of all the apartments in all the cities in all the world, he just happens to walk in to her cosy new attic home – as her new housemate.

As the two walk the cobbled streets of Prague, taking in the sights and sounds from Wenceslas Square, frosted with snow, to the soft glow of candlelit Charles Bridge, the enchantment of the City of a Hundred Spires soon starts to work its magic on them…

📖 My Review..

This charming winter romance takes us right into the heart of the beautiful city of Prague where we meet Anna Love and Leo Knight who are unexpected housemates when they both arrive in the city to learn more about the art of beer production. There’s a lovely twist to their relationship which I won’t spoil but which adds a delicious frisson of will they, won’t they romance.

A Little Place in Prague is a lovely, descriptive story which brings the beautiful city of Prague alive, as both the place and the people are described in such a way that it feels as if you are following in Anna and Leo’s footsteps as they each adapt to life in the city, enjoying its many attractions and making friends with local people. I especially enjoyed the description of both the food and drink which the author describes in such realistic detail that it becomes an absolute joy to imagine the culinary feasts she sets before your eyes.

Whilst this is now the thirteenth book in the Romantic Escapes series, it is very much a standalone read which is filled with the author’s trademark passion for travel and food and also at its heart is a beautiful second chance love story which warms the soul.

About the Author

Julie Caplin, formerly a PR director, swanned around Europe for many years taking top food and drink writers on press trips (junkets) sampling the gastronomic delights of various cities in Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, Copenhagen and Switzerland. It was a tough job but someone had to do it. These trips have provided the inspiration and settings for the highly successful Romantic Escapes series which have hit the best seller charts in Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic and have sold over two million copies worldwide.

The first book in the nine strong series,The Little Café in Copenhagen, was shortlisted for a Romantic Novel of the Year Award.

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📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ The Place of Tides by James Rebanks

 

Penguin
17 October 2024

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

We are all in need of lights to follow.

One afternoon many years ago, James Rebanks met an old woman on a remote Norwegian island. She lived and worked alone on a tiny rocky outcrop, caring for wild Eider ducks and gathering their down. Hers was a centuries-old trade that had once made men and women rich, but had long been in decline. Still, somehow, she seemed to be hanging on.

Back at home, Rebanks couldn’t stop thinking about the woman on the rocks. She was fierce and otherworldly – and yet strangely familiar. Years passed. Then, one day, he wrote her a letter, asking if he could return. Bring work clothes, she replied, and good boots, and come her health was failing. And so he travelled to the edge of the Arctic to witness her last season on the island.

This is the story of that season. It is the story of a unique and ancient landscape, and of the woman who brought it back to life. It traces the pattern of her work from the rough, isolated toil of bitter winter, building little wooden huts that will protect the ducks come spring; to the elation of the endless summer light, when the birds leave behind their precious down for the woman to gather, like feathered gold.

Slowly, Rebanks begins to understand that this woman and her world are not at all what he had previously thought. As the weeks pass, what began as a journey of escape becomes an extraordinary lesson in self-knowledge and forgiveness.

📖 My Review..

Seven years after first meeting Anna, James Rebanks leaves behind his Cumbrian farm and returns to the remote Norwegian island where Anna, now elderly, protects the Eider Ducks who return to the island each year and from which the precious eiderdown is collected. Spending springtime on the island known as The Place of Tides will test the resilience of James, Anna and her companion, Ingrid but together they learn to form a community and coexist amicably together.

With such a fascinating wealth of stories, Anna recounts the history of the rocky islands of this isolated Norwegian archipelago which lie on the edge of the Arctic circle. Recounting tales about the harshness of survival, and complete with the same degree of stubbornness which allowed her ancestors to survive, Anna, keeps the old ways alive, maintaining harsh traditions which are as fragile as the ecology to which the islands still cling.  From the surge of the tides, to the swooping majesty of seabirds in flight, the beauty and harshness of the natural world unfolds, a world which is increasingly under threat. The arrival of the ducks to the island, to nest and rear their young, is when the work begins in earnest and keeping them safe from predators and allowing natural order to be maintained takes time, skill and effort.

Poetic, lyrical and beautifully quiet in places, this is not a book to be rushed, or squandered, but rather find the time to sit and allow the ebb and flow of the tides to set its own momentum just as Anna’s forgotten way of life allows her life story and that of the Eider ducks to be heard at their own distinct pace. I have no hesitation in making The Place of Tides my Featured Book of the Month for November. 

About the Author

James Rebanks runs a family-owned farm in the Lake District in northern England. A graduate of Oxford University, James works as an expert advisor to UNESCO on sustainable tourism.

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👻 Halloween Read ~ The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond by Louise Davidson

Moonflower Books
Paperback 12 October 2024

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

1891 Norfolk.

After a terrible tragedy, governess Julia Pearlie finds herself with no job, home, or references. When she's offered a position as companion to Miss Olivia Richmond, her luck appears to be turning. But Mistcoate House is full of secrets.

Olivia has a sinister reputation. The locals call her the Mistcoate Witch, thanks to her tarot readings, and her insistence that she can speak to the dead. Her father, Dr Richmond, believes this to be girlish fantasy and is looking to Julia to put a stop to it.

Determined to prove herself and shake off her own murky history, Julia sets to work trying to help Olivia become a proper young lady. However, as she becomes a fixture at Mistcoate, it is soon clear that there may be more to Olivia's stories than Dr Richmond would have Julia believe – not least because somehow, Olivia seems to know something of the darkness that Julia desperately hoped she had left behind.

As the danger grows, and the winter chill wraps around the dark woods surrounding Mistcoate, Julia will have to fight to uncover the truth, escape her past – and save herself.

👻 My Spooky Review..

When Julia Pearlie takes the position as companion to Miss Olivia Richmond she is unprepared for what awaits her at Mistcoate House as not only is Olivia a pale, wraith-like young woman but the house itself, so shrouded in darkness and shadows, is equally as haunting. With no prospects Julia must make a success of her employment at Mistcoate but with a mercurial employer and a dangerous housekeeper who is hellbent on making Julia’s life a misery and you have all the ingredients needed for a creepy gothic mystery.

With lots of things that go bump in the night, this atmospheric novel takes the Victorian fascination for mediums and seances and turns it into a dark and shadowy Gothic tale of dangerous obsession and manipulative control. Taking advantage of the darkness which surrounds Mistcoate and with a thrilling pace this beautifully layered story really grips the imagination. I especially enjoyed the tarot card references and the way in which each chapter wraps itself around what the cards are foretelling. Julia Pearlie is an interesting lead character but it is Olivia Richmond whose heartbreaking story dominates and which really captures the imagination. There’s a definite twist in the tale and an ending which, I think, could easily lend itself to a continuation as I don’t feel we have heard enough, going forward, about either Julia Pearlie or Olivia Richmond.

The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is a creepy and atmospheric story which makes it a perfect read for Halloween night👻

About the Author

Louise Davidson was born in Belfast and has always worked in the creative arts in some capacity – from assistant to theatre directors to teaching scriptwriting classes in prisons to teaching English and drama to A-Level students. Growing up in Northern Ireland backgrounded by the Troubles led to a fascination with history, and this combined with her love of all things gothic inspired her to write her first book, a dark Victorian thriller set in a neglected and isolated mansion. Louise lives in London with her husband and step-son, and in her spare time is working on fulfilling her ambition to visit every museum in the city. The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is her debut novel.

X @LouiseDWriter

X @moonflowerbooks

📖 Book review ~ The King’s Witches by Kate Foster

Mantle
 June 2024

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Women whisper secrets to each other; it is how we survive.

1589. Princess Anne of Denmark is betrothed to King James VI of Scotland – a royal union designed to forever unite the two countries. But first, she must pass the trial period: one year of marriage in which she must prove herself worthy of being Scotland's new Queen. If the King and the Scottish royal court in Edinburgh find her wanting, she faces permanent exile to a convent. Determined to fulfil her duties to King and country, Anne resolves to be the perfect royal bride. Until she meets Lord Henry.

By her side is Kirsten Sorenson, her loyal and pious lady's maid. But whilst tending to Anne's every need, she has her own secret motives for the royal marriage to be a success . . .

Meanwhile, in North Berwick, a young housemaid by the name of Jura is dreaming of a new life. She practices the healing charms taught to her by her mother, and when she realises she is no longer safe under her master’s roof, she escapes to Edinburgh. But it isn't long before she finds herself caught up in the witchcraft mania that has gripped not just the capital but the new queen.

📖 My review..

It is well documented that King James VI of Scotland had a dangerous obsession for witchcraft which led, in part, to the persecution of witches throughout Scotland. Later when he became King James I of England this determination to be rid of witches continued. This fascinating story looks at the very beginnings of this obsession with the arrival of Princess Anne of Denmark who is betrothed to James and whose journey to Scotland from Stockholm was delayed due to a great storm which is attributed to the work of witchcraft. With emotions running high in Edinburgh a young housemaid called Jura, who has inherited her mother's skill at healing, becomes caught up in in this deadly hysteria and so we start to feel the full force of witchcraft mania and how it affected those women who had little chance of escaping it.

The King's Witches is an interesting look at Scottish court intrigue and the demands placed upon the young Danish Princess who arrived in a strange country already betrothed to a man she had never met and with the added stipulation that Anne was to be on a years trial to determine her suitability to be Queen of Scotland. James I's suitability to be her husband was, of course, never questioned but he doesn't come across well and history continues to judge him harshly for his persecution of innocent women. There is a definite emotional pull to the story which focuses on the fear and superstition of living through a volatile and dangerous time.

Imaginatively written, filled with an authentic historical feel, the story moves along well and I was soon caught up in the fear and politics of sixteenth century Scotland.

About the Author

Kate Foster has been a national newspaper journalist for over twenty years. Growing up in Edinburgh, she became fascinated by its history and often uses it as inspiration for her stories. The Maiden won the Bloody Scotland Pitch Perfect 2020 prize for new writers. She lives in Edinburgh with her two children.