📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ The Truth about Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent

Penguin
12 March 2026

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

 

If my sister hadn’t been beautiful, none of it would have happened.

Ruby Cooper and her sister, Erin, live an idyllic life in their close-knit church community in Boston. But when Ruby is sixteen, she is involved in an incident that causes her family’s world to implode.

Across decades, the fallout leaves a wake of destruction behind Ruby in Dublin and Erin in Boston.

Not that Ruby wants to think about the past.

But it can’t stay a secret forever.

📖 My Review.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave comes to mind when reading this complex story of toxic jealousy and the hopeless ruination of multiple lives. 

Ruby Cooper is just sixteen when an incident ruins her life and that of her family. What then follows are years of recrimination with Ruby at the centre of everything that goes wrong for the Cooper family. Moving seamlessly between life in Boston and Ireland and with vignettes from Ruby and her older sister Erin we start to get drawn into a tragic family drama which has so many twists, turns and elements of self destructive behaviour that it soon becomes difficult to reconcile just how toxic life can become when you lose hope and sanity. Cleverly written, as all this author’s novels undoubtedly are, this story has something of a different approach which is no less powerful than her previous stories.

The Truth about Ruby Cooper is an emotional, multilayered story with a depth of feeling which kept my attention throughout. There were times when I couldn’t believe that someone could act in such a destructive manner so as to cause immense psychological pain but such is the strength of the writing that I even started to feel moments of empathy with a character I came to loathe. Beautifully written from start to finish, I hung onto every word and closed the book with the satisfaction that comes from reading a good story, well told.

🫖 Best read with…a restorative cup of tea 

About the Author

Before becoming a full-time writer, Liz Nugent worked in film, theatre and television. Her four novels - Unravelling Oliver, Lying in Wait, Skin Deep and Our Little Cruelties have each been Number One bestsellers and she has won four Irish Book Awards, as well as the James Joyce Medal for Literature. She lives in Dublin.

Twitter #LizNugent #TheTruthAboutRubyCooper

Website

@PenguinUKBooks

📖 Book Review ~ The Wives of Henry VIII by Jessica Carey - Bunning

Pen and Sword
30 January 2026
My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

The Wives of Henry VIII:Rethinking the Stories behind the Symbols examines some of the small details about the six wives of Henry VIII that are often overlooked. This book is a revisionist close study that moves beyond the traditional narratives to present fresh, more nuanced perspectives. Focusing on significant moments and aspects that inform and showcase who these women were. Throughout these chapters, new research, fresh analysis, and remarkable discoveries come together to offer a deeper understanding of the women we know as the Six Wives of Henry VIII.

We begin with a re-evaluation of Catherine of Aragon’s name through the lens of her family history and how it shaped her life, followed by an analysis of Catherine’s financial situation after the annulment. 

Anne Boleyn is considered in relation to her role in the Chateau Vert pageant, followed by an analysis of her use of French and English gable hoods, which includes a discussion of an incredible, newly discovered contemporary image of Anne. 

Jane Seymour’s religion and unpopularity are each examined in turn to uncover fresh perspectives on Henry’s third queen. 

Anna of Cleves adaption to life in England is discussed, followed by her life and status under Edward VI and Mary I.

Katherine Howard’s performance of queenship is re-evaluated, as well as the connections between herself and her cousin, Anne Boleyn. 

Finally, apocryphal tales of Kateryn Parr’s rise to the throne are reassessed, followed by an examination of how close she came to arrest and execution.

📖 My Review..

The Six Wives of Henry VIII continue to be endlessly fascinating and even though we sometimes look at these marriages through the rosy glow of five hundred years we occasionally need to stop and consider the women behind the marriages and the legacy they each left behind. Whilst each of their turbulent marriages to this infamous King are well documented, this new accounts offers a different look at each of the wives and what defined them and highlights how they fit into history.

The wives are mentioned in chronological order with Catherine of Aragon coming first and finishing with that of Kateryn Parr’s story at the end of Henry’s lifetime. Each of the Queens are written about with a fine eye for detail and there is a strong sense the book has been well written and researched. The author writes well, describing the Tudor court and customs in enough detail to make the book readable without being too complicated. I love the colour of the book’s cover, the Tudor green, so associated with Henry’s court, along with the red and white roses, gives an authentic feel. The vibrancy of the cover would certainly make me pick the book up in a bookshop to have a closer look. Overall,  I found this to be an informative read with snippets of information I had forgotten or not known.

I am sure that The Wives of Henry VIII will appeal to anyone who enjoys Tudor history and who is interested in a different view on the lives of these six extraordinary women who played such an important role in Henry’s life and of the tragic consequences of their relationships with this irascible King of England.

🍷 Best read with…a goblet of strong red wine

About the Author 

Jessica Carey-Bunning is a Tudor historian and PhD candidate at the University of Adelaide. She fell in love with history after seeing a copy of the Magna Carta on a trip with her parents when she was five years old. Jessica began the Tudor Treasures website and Facebook page in 2022. She lives in Sydney with her husband, son, and cat. This book is the culmination of decades of passion and research.

📖 Blog Tour ~ Catherine : A Retelling of Wuthering Heights by Essie Fox

Orenda Books
12 February 2026

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and to Random Things Tours for the invitation to the blog tour

The greatest tragic love story ever told – but this time, Catherine tells it herself. In Catherine, Essie Fox breathes new life into Wuthering Heights, transforming a gothic masterpiece into a haunting confession of obsession, madness and love that even death cannot end.

With a nature as wild as the moors she loves to roam, Catherine Earnshaw grows up alongside Heathcliff, a foundling her father rescued from the streets of Liverpool. Their fierce, untamed bond deepens as they grow – until Mr Earnshaw’s death leaves Hindley, Catherine’s brutal brother, in control and Heathcliff reduced to servitude.

Desperate to protect him, Catherine turns to Edgar Linton, the handsome heir to Thrushcross Grange. She believes his wealth might free Heathcliff from cruelty – but her choice is fatally misunderstood, and their lives spiral into a storm of passion, jealousy and revenge.

Now, eighteen years later, Catherine rises from her grave to tell her story – and seek redemption.

📖 My Review..

Catherine is told from Catherine Earnshaw’s point of view, firstly as a child, then a young teenager on the cusp of womanhood and finally as a ghost following her untimely death.  Both Heathcliff and Catherine come forcefully to life and as we experience the intensity of their ill-fated relationship so we gain an insight into the unpredictable nature of their characters and the cause and effect of their upbringing at Wuthering Heights. 

By no stretch of the imagination is this a comfortable tale and there’s certainly no guarantee of a happy ever after ending but the sheer lyricism of the writing brings the whole of this tragic story to life. It compares really well with Emily Brontë’s original and offers a different perspective and one which is no less powerful than the 1847 classic. This retelling encapsulates the very essence of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw’s fateful relationship, a relationship which was tormented and filled with passionate intensity which spiralled into a dark and dangerous world of sadness, grief and desperate obsession.

There’s a certain amount of trepidation in reading a retelling of a much loved classic however, if anyone can retell Cathy and Heathcliff’s story, and do the book justice, it is Essie Fox whose work I love to read. As I settled down on a rather grey, wintery afternoon, so the stark beauty of this timeless story began to take shape and I was back on the high moors with Cathy and Heathcliff as they whisper together in the shadow of Penistone Crags, leaving their tokens in the Fairy Cave and dreaming of an uncertain future.

🍳 Best read with…Nelly Dean’s buttered eggs..

About the Author

Essie Fox is the Sunday Times bestselling author of seven historical novels, including The Somnambulist, shortlisted for the National Book Awards, and The Fascination, an instant Sunday Times bestseller. Her work has twice been selected as The Times Historical Book of the Month, most recently for her gothic mystery Dangerous. She appears regularly at literary festivals and cultural institutions and is the host of the podcast Talking the Gothic. She lives in Windsor.

X@essiefox #Catherine

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📖 Book Review ~ The New Neighbour by Valerie Keogh

Boldwood Books
2 March 2026

My thanks to the publisher for the copy of the book 

 

A quiet street holds deadly secrets...

Chloe Tomson wants a quiet life. A new home, a new street, and no more drama - she’s had more than her share. But the moment she steps in to help her elderly neighbour during a violent altercation, the peace she craves begins to crumble.

The street seems friendly at first. Until the questions start. Who exactly is Chloe? Why did she move here? And what really happened in the house she lives in before she arrived?

As some neighbours become friends and others become enemies, it isn’t always certain which is which. Because Chloe isn’t the only neighbour keeping secrets…and someone knows the truth about her past. Someone who wants her gone.

But as whispers turn to threats, Chloe realises she’s been here before. And last time, not everyone made it out alive…

📖 My Review..

Chloe Tomson is newly moved into the area and has good reasons for keeping a low profile. She has little enthusiasm for making friends with her new neighbours however, when Tilly, her elderly neighbour, is caught up in a violent argument, Chloe steps forward to help, with devastating consequences. What should have been a quiet place to live soon becomes riddled with problems and as Chloe’s story is revealed so we start to understand why she acts in the way that does. Always distrustful, always wary, always convinced that someone wishes her harm, Chloe soon get under your skin and even though there were times when I almost disliked her, such is the power of the writing that I really wanted her to get her life back in track.

The New Neighbour is another cracking good read from this talented author who knows how to keep the momentum of the story alive whilst at the same time keeping control of a narrative which twists and turns and throws up so many surprises I am constantly on the edge of my seat wondering whatever is going to happen next. As always, I race through these books in one sitting. Each one reads as a complete standalone and every one of her novels, so far, have taken me by surprise and leave me, at the end of the story, already looking forward to the next one.

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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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Three Witches by Elena Collins

Boldwood
2 March 2026

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and to Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation to the blog tour

Now: When Ruthie gets the part of one of Macbeth’s famous three witches she can’t wait to get started. Inspired by the beauty of the film’s Scottish locations and the camaraderie of the cast and crew, she can leave behind the expectations of her family and her lacklustre love life, at least for now. But as echoes from the past begin whispering in Ruthie’s ear and a restless spirit draws her further into its centuries-old secrets, it soon becomes clear that only she can uncover the truth of a terrible injustice.

1050 Scotland: Isobel and her two sisters have learnt about healing from their loving mother Sidheag, and she in turn has kept them safe. But without the protection of their late father, Sidheag knows that her daughters must find husbands or their futures are at risk.

Isobel believes in love over duty and when she catches sight of King Macbeth’s stepson Lulach she can picture a happiness she had hardly dare imagine. But as heir to a Scottish throne that is drenched in blood, Lulach’s destiny is to be a warrior. When Isobel’s actions leave her and her sisters vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft there may be nothing that can keep the three women safe, not even the great Macbeth himself.

As the calls from the past grow ever louder, Ruthie has no choice. Macbeth’s witches have a story that needs to be told and the truth can no longer stay hidden…

📖 My Review..

Inspired by the Scottish Play, this fascinating dual time / time slip novel takes us right back to the time of Macbeth’s three witches and gives us the tragic story of Isobel Druimeinach and her sisters, Ysenda and Merraid who lived in eleventh century Scotland and whose destiny was forged and immortalised in Shakespeare’s ill-fated play. Running alongside is the present day interpretation of a documentary being filmed in the beautiful Scottish landscape and of the actors who were charged with bringing history, and the witches, to life.

The story is so beautifully atmospheric that as I read about Isobel and her sisters, so the jealousy and superstition of the people started to swirl around me and I found that I was whisked back to a dark and dangerous time in Scottish history. Time became suspended and I was back in 11th century Moray watching as Isobel made her potions and danced with her sisters. Likewise the modern day story is equally fascinating and Ruthie’s involvement, as one of the witches, becomes all the more powerful as she becomes ever closer to discovering the truth about Isobel.

I’ve absolutely loved reading The Three Witches and flew through the story in a couple of days. Each of the time narratives is compelling, and with neither one trying to outshine the other, I was soon as comfortable in 1050 with Isobel as I was with Ruthie in the present day, both are strong female characters who deserve to have their stories heard. With each successive story this author seems to go from strength to strength with The Three Witches being the best yet.

🥣Best read with…freshly made brose and soft white bannocks

About the Author

Elena Collins is the pseudonym for Judy Leigh, the million-selling author of Five French Hens , The Old Girls' Network and The Silver Haired Sisterhood. Judy writes uplifting novels in the 'second chances' and ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. Elena Collins' novels are historical/ dual timelines. In 2025, her novel The Wicked Lady received the RNA award in this category. Judy has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.

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Facebook: @judyleighuk

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Strawberry House by Rachel Burton

Boldwood
4 March 2026

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation to the blog tour 

1938: For Camilla Kerrigan, life at her family's Oxford manor is a delicate balancing act – between duty to her family and a yearning for something more. When her brother Anthony returns for the summer, bringing with him a new friend, Camilla recognises a kindred spirit. Like her, Henry is thoughtful, restless and uncertain of his future.

But the arrival of four strangers – among them a gifted artist determined to paint Camilla’s sister Mabel – soon shatters the fragile peace of the manor. In the shimmering heat, desires are stirred and one impulsive act will set in motion a tragedy that echoes for decades.

1952: Haunted by war and the memory of that long-ago summer, the last thing Henry wants is to return to Montagu Manor. But when a photograph arrives, showing the painting he thought destroyed – the portrait that ruined so many lives – he is drawn back into the past.

Now, Henry and Camilla must face the secrets that shaped them, and the love that refuses to fade.

One unforgettable summer. One devastating secret. A love that time could not erase.

📖 My Review..

When a set of artists arrive at Montagu Manor in 1938 their presence not only disturbs the equilibrium of the house but they also become involved in a huge scandal which will reverberate down through the years. At the centre of the story is Camilla Kerrigan who lives, with her family, at Montagu Manor and whose history is entwined with the fabric of the house and its connection to the artist, William Morris. 

Beautifully written, with a compelling dual time narrative, the story starts just as the country is on the cusp of war which not only brings a time of great change but there are also some big decisions which have to be made. This is portrayed well in the indecisive nature of some of the central characters particularly in light of what happens once their all too brief sojourn at Montagu Manor is over. Divided into two distinct time frames, I found that I was equally at home in the 1930’s getting to know the characters as I was in 1952 when we are drawn back to Montagu Manor to discover more of its secrets.

As the history of The Strawberry House is gradually revealed so a story of family drama, long buried secrets and the hope of second chances is finally revealed.

🫖Best read with.. large pot of tea and slices of cake

About the Author

Rachel Burton is the bestselling author of historical timeslip novels and romantic comedies. Rachel was born in Cambridge and studied Classics and English Literature before starting a career in law. She lives in Yorkshire with her husband, a variety of cats and far too many books.

​Follow Rachel Burton

Facebook: @RachelBurton74

Twitter: @RachelBWriter

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📖 Favourite Read of the Month ~ The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall

Harper Collins UK
Harper Fiction
12 February 2026

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

 

Cambridge, 1942

Twins Tessa and Theo had always shared everything – until the summer Tessa spent studying in France. She hasn’t been the same since. But before Theo can find out why, he is recruited by the RAF and disappears into the skies.

Determined to carve her own path, Tessa joins the clandestine Special Operations Executive, slipping into the shadows of occupied France. It will be dangerous work, but France is the home of her greatest love – and her darkest secret. Tessa has many reasons for wanting to return.

Two years later, only one of them comes home.

📖My Review..

Twins Tessa and Theo have always had a special relationship but this close knit bond is about to be altered by the outbreak of war. In 1942 Theo joins the RAF whilst Tessa is secretly recruited to the clandestine Special Operations Executive and posted to occupied France.  Over the next two years their lives become greatly different, each facing their own challenges, with secrets which will last a lifetime..

Told in very distinct parts, we follow Tessa’s eventful time in France, the difficulties she encounters in the shadowy world of undercover operations and her constant fear that danger and discovery were never very far away. Likewise, we sense Theo’s own personal turmoil as he manoeuvres his Spitfire towards the landing beaches of Normandy and his constant quest to discover more about those who were lost. Years later, and bringing together the jigsaw puzzle pieces of Tessa’s war is Edie, a young PhD student whose fierce determination to know more about the women who were recruited by the Special Operations Executive finally brings together the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Beautifully, and compassionately written, and based on true wartime accounts about the women who had been sent behind enemy lines, The Shock of the Light is a powerful and memorable story and one that kept me reading long into the night. It is a story which will stay with me for a long time and for that reason I am making this my Favourite Read of Month for February.

☕️ Best read with… a pot of strong coffee and an assortment of rich cream cakes 🍰

About the Author

Lori Inglis Hall was born and raised in Leicestershire, and now lives with her family in East Sussex. THE SHOCK OF THE LIGHT is her first novel. She holds an MA in History and she currently works in the archives of World War 2 photographer Lee Miller.

#LoriInglisHall #TheShockOfTheLight

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