📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ Divorced (Not Dead) by Harper Ford

 

Avon Books Uk
2023

We’re going to need a bigger drink…

Meet Frankie - fifty, divorced and getting back on the horse.

After leaving Twatface – her husband of twenty years – she's starting again from scratch. And when her son also flees the nest for university, Frankie decides it’s time to throw herself back into the dating game with a vengeance.

On best friend Bel's recommendation, Frankie signs up to two dating one for love, another for casual hook-ups (because why the f**k not?!). However, as she navigates this new frontier of catfishing, kittenfishing, ghosts, GILFs and everything in between, she realises the whole dating thing has changed quite a bit – and it really is a bloody jungle out there…

Will Frankie find love on the apps? Or the perfect shag? Or – if there’s any justice in the world – both?

📖My Review.

I am delighted to have ended what has been a difficult year with a book which has really made me laugh out loud and Divorced (Not Dead) ticked all the right boxes. It’s sassy, irreverent, gloriously funny, but also wise and absolutely wonderful.

Fifty year old Frankie Brumby is newly divorced from her coercive husband of two decades when, on the advice of her best friend, she enters the tricky waters of on-line dating. With her dating profile established and her confidence hovering around zero, Frankie soon discovers that there is a lot more to learn about this online dating malarkey. With a whole new online language to learn, and some pretty disastrous dates, Frankie eventually starts to have more fun than she could ever have imagined.

Whilst I laughed out loud at the online dating references, and learned things I had no idea about, the crafter in me thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with the wonderful characters who join Frankie at her weekly quilting group which shows the versatility of this talented author who can deliver two aspects of the same story, one filled with warmth and empathy and the other with a more ribald look at the vagaries of life. And then there’s Stephan, who adds a whole different dimension to the story, and who had me on his team from his first appearance.

Divorced (not dead) is absolutely fabulous, from start to finish, with a minor caveat that if you’re offended by the frequent use of the F-word or mild references to the sexual shenanigans of a newly divorced fifty-something then maybe this isn’t the story for you …however, if you love a rom com with a fair amount of sass, with a brave and bold heroine who fills your heart with delight and a cast of quirky characters who make turning the pages such a joy then, I am sure, this story will entertain you as much as it did me.

For making me laugh till I cried, I have no hesitation in making Divorced (not dead) my Book of the Month for December.

About the Author

Harper Ford is an author, much of the time. She started out as a writer of historical novels, then found she was funny during lockdown so decided to write contemporary romcoms too. She also a fellow of the Royal Literary Fund, based at the University of Lincoln. Divorced (not dead) is her debut in the women’s fiction space.

Twitter @AvonBooksUK

#HarperFord #DivorcedNotDead

Website

📖 Blog Tour ~ Welcome to the Cornish Country Hospital by Jo Bartlett

 

Boldwood Books
22 November 2023

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

A new start… 

When Danni Carter moves to Cornwall from London, she hopes it will be the fresh start she so desperately needs. She’s nervous, but hopefully the change of scene will help her to finally forget her feelings for Lucas Newman, a man she can never be with, because he’s already engaged to Danni’s best friend, Esther. 

An Impossible Dilemma… 

But when Lucas and Esther decide to follow Danni to Cornwall, and both announce they will be working with her at the new St Piran’s hospital, Danni is thrown into turmoil again. She can’t lose Esther, but being near Lucas is getting harder to deal with. Will she have to give up her new life before it’s even started? A chance to start again? Throwing herself into work, Danni finds herself drawn to new patient, Connie Berrycloth, a woman Danni knows has dark secrets of her own. Secrets that are about to be revealed…

 As the two women form a friendship, Danni begins to realise that letting go of her dreams might be the only way of holding on to the people she loves.

📖 My Review…

It’s such a delight to open a new book by a favourite author and Welcome to the Cornish Country Hospital certainly gets this new series off to a splendid start as not only are we back in Cornwall, an area the author describes so well, but we also have a new cast of characters to get to know, with maybe a few familiar faces thrown in for good measure.

Danni Carter has taken up a position as an A&E doctor at St Piran’s hospital in Cornwall where her professionalism and empathy make her one of the most popular doctors in the accident and emergency unit. Danni loves her new life and having moved from London she now is starting to call Cornwall home. That is, until the arrival of her friends, Esther and Lucas who will also be working at the hospital, all should be well but Danni is keeping a huge secret from Esther and with one secret leading to another, Danni gets inadvertently drawn into the plight of one of her patients who also has a long held secret which will have far reaching repercussions.

This is such a lovely story and although it touches on some rather serious topics there is never a moment when the story doesn’t pull you in and pretty soon I was so invested in the lives  of all the characters I found I couldn’t put the book down. Most of the characters are lovely and bring such a sense of joy to the story however, there is one in particular who I couldn’t help but dislike and really hoped that they would get their just deserts. 

Filled with the warmth of friendship, the burden of hidden secrets and the joy of discovering love in unexpected places, this  imagined Cornish town comes wonderfully alive, whether it be waiting in a cubicle at St Piran’s A&E unit , out on the wards with Doctor Danni, or even walking along the coastal path watching for baby seal pups, there is so much to enjoy and I really can’t wait to pay another visit to the Cornish Country Hospital just as soon as this talented author takes us there.

About the author

Jo Bartlett is the bestselling author of over nineteen women’s fiction titles. She fits her writing inbetween her two day jobs as an educational consultant and university lecturer and lives with herfamily and three dogs on the Kent coast.

Twitter @J_B_Writer #WelcomeToTheCornishCountryHospital

Newsletter BookBub

@BoldwoodBooks #BoldwoodBloggers

@rararesources

📖 Book Review ~ Christmas Walk : Twelve Poems for Rosy Cheeks

 

Candlestick Press
September 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this pamphlet

The antidote to festive stodge and too much television, a Christmas walk has become as traditional as turkey and crackers. Whatever the weather, we don hats, scarves and boots to venture outside. The point is to crunch over snow, stamp through puddles or just to breathe the different air – all while sharing time with loved ones.

In these twelve poems – the winners in our seasonal competition – we experience everything from a holly-gathering expedition in a country lane, to a beach in Australia where “the sand is white as snow”. Over and again comes the idea that a walk can be a pilgrimage, sparking memories and a sense of the abiding presence of the past:

“I once walked up the lane with my children

by moonlit snow, power lines down – in the deepest dark

they had ever known; we made a small hand-held line…”

from ‘A low owl at Christmas’ by Valerie Bence

Poems by Bill Adair, Valerie Bence, Jane Burn, Martyn Crucefix, Kerry Darbishire, Marie-Louise Eyres, Annie Kissack, Aoife Mannix, Charlotte Oliver, Penny Sharman, Giles Watson and Miriam Wei Wei Lo.

Cover illustration by Jenny Hancock

📖 My Review..

There is nothing more special than a Christmas walk especially if there is a covering of snow on the ground, experiencing those muted sounds which seem to enclose you in a magical world. The twelve lovely poems in Christmas Walk describe the sights, sounds and sensations of walking off the Christmas excesses and bring a sense of comfort and joy. None of the poems disappoint, some are poignantly about loss, others are reminiscent of times past, a couple of poems focus on nature and there’s even an Australian beach scene.

Intimate Pavements by Bill Adair is a nostalgic look back at a childhood Christmas:

“..This is the house of my granny’s Christmas shortbread.

The walls look the same, but different windows 

Have allowed my memories to scatter.

New family. New recipes..”

I loved Annie Kissack’s lyrical poem Winter Gathering:

“..Here we go gathering sticks and stems

Endless fronds in frozen hands.

Here we go gathering half the lane

On a cold and frosty morning..”

So many lovely poems to enjoy and as added bonus each of the twelve poems in Christmas Walk : Twelve Poems for Rosy Cheeks are the recent winners of a Candlestick seasonal competition and whilst each poem is different the theme of Christmas comes across loud and clear. The poetry pamphlet would be perfect as a Christmas stocking filler for anyone who appreciates a diverse collection of poems or instead of a card  and something different to send in the run up to Christmas.

A shout out to the talented cover designer for a beautifully festive cover, its cheery robin and pastoral country scene are perfect for the festive season and compliment the poems perfectly.

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.

X @poetrycandle

Website

🎄Festive Read ~New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage by Georgia Hill

Bloodhound Books
29 September 2023

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

Christmas is the perfect time to fall in love. . .

The little English town of Lullbury Bay is a magical place to spend Christmas, and for Honor Martin it is the high point of her year.

However, newcomer Jago, doesn’t share her merry mood. After the devastating loss of his father he’d be happy to never hear another Christmas carol again.

But to help his little sister replace bad memories with good ones, he reluctantly joins in the festivities. As he gets to know her teacher, Honor, could she be the one to restore his love of Christmas?

🎄 My Review 

I’ve just spent a magical couple of afternoons in the beautiful Lullbury Bay getting to know Honor Martin and Jago Pengethley, two lovely characters, who really make this story into something quite special.  Christmas magic is definitely sprinkled between the pages as not only do we get to spend time at Christmas in this imagined West Dorset seaside resort but we also get to know two lovely people who are perfect for each other and yet the path of true love isn’t going to run smoothly for either Honor or Jago.

Whilst the story is unashamedly romantic the author also covers the difficult topic of grief and the different ways people come to terms with the loss of a loved one. This is done especially well and because the writing is so wonderful you really start to feel immersed in the story and connect with all of the characters. I especially loved Jago’s little sister Merryn who has a wise head on her young shoulders, and Jago’s mother, Avril who is having to cope with the loss of her husband whilst making new beginnings with her family at Christmas Tree Cottage. What is really lovely is the way in which all the community of Lullbury Bay pull together in order to make this family feel so welcome..

New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage is a wise and wonderful festive read which I found utterly charming from start to finish.

About the Author

Georgia Hill writes warm-hearted and up-lifting contemporary and timeslip romances about love and romance.

Twitter @georgiawrites

@Bloodhoundbook

📖 Book Review ~The Brutal Tide by Kate Rhodes #TeamScilly

 

Simon &Schuster
2022

DI Ben Kitto #6

My thanks to the publishers and Tracy at Compulsive Readers for my copy of this book

REVENGE

DI Ben Kitto made many enemies in his time working as an undercover officer for the Met police, none more ruthless and calculating than gang leader Craig Travis.

IS WORTH

Travis has longed to make Kitto pay for his role in getting him convicted – and that day has finally arrived. Now, a dark and twisted killer is heading for the Scilly Isles, one who has waited a long time for revenge.

WAITING FOR

With Kitto busy investigating the discovery of a body on the islands and distracted by the imminent arrival of his first child, his defences are down. He has so much to lose.

And Travis will stop at nothing to take it all from him.

📖 My Review..

I like nothing better than getting to grips with another murder mystery on the beautiful Isles of Scilly. In this sixth book in the series we meet up with DI Ben Kitto as he is plunged, once again, into a deeply complex investigation and this time it’s about to get very personal. The Brutal Tide hits the ground running when we are introduced to a manipulative killer who has a very personal vendetta against Kitto and who will stop at nothing to wreak revenge for perceived sins of the past. 

This story has an altogether different feel as not only is Ben Kitto struggling with a cold case mystery involving the discovery, on a building site, of a set of bones but is also having to deal with the possibility that someone from his past has tracked him down to the remote island of Bryher. Worried for the safety of his girlfriend, and his unborn baby, Ben has a conflict of interest as instinctively he want to protect those he loves but he also needs to keep one step ahead of a perpetrator who is hellbent on his destruction. What I love about this series is the way the characters come alive and with each successive story they become more and more familiar so that when they hurt, you hurt. I must admit to being on the edge of my seat during this story as the tension really mounts up and the chapters which involve the killer are particularly tense.

The Brutal Tide is a really suspenseful story which I read in almost one sitting as I couldn’t bear to leave the book without knowing what was going to happen. The ending is fast, furious and dramatic and, as always, left me wanting to read more from this talented writer.

 

About the Author

Kate Rhodes is an acclaimed crime novelist and an award-winning poet. She lives in Cambridge with her husband, the writer and film-maker, Dave Pescod. She visited the Scilly Isles every year as a child which gave her the idea for this new series. She is one of the founders of the Killer Women writing group.

Twitter @K_RhodesWriter #TeamScilly

@simonschusterUK

@Tr4cyF3ntOn

📖 Book Review ~ A Lady to Treasure by Marianne Ratcliffe

Bellows Press
15 October 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Louisa Silverton is the daughter of a wealthy American businessman, brought up to believe a healthy profit is the only route to happiness. With the family company over-leveraged and in need of a capital injection, she travels to England to find a rich husband.

The Honourable Miss Sarah Davenport has no time for romance. The family estate of Kenilborough is mired in debt and only she can save it. Unconventional and outspoken, Sarah is dismayed that somebody as intelligent and attractive as Louisa is willing to sacrifice herself for financial gain.

As Louisa pursues her campaign, Sarah realises her objections to the project run deeper than mere principles. At the same time, Louisa finds herself captivated by Sarah's independent spirit. Yet to indulge their unexpected passion would surely mean the ruin of both their families. Bound by duty, will they ever be free to follow their hearts?

📖 My Review..

An interesting twist to the classic Regency romance which this time focuses on the burgeoning relationship between Louisa, who is the daughter of an American businessman, and Sarah Davenport whose family is in financial difficulties.  Louisa is sent to England by her father in order to save the family’s finances only to discover that Sarah, on a nearby estate, disapproves of Louisa’s quest for a rich husband.  The two women have a rapport from the start and as a gentle romance starts to blossom so we start to learn more about their characters and what they want from life.

There’s much to enjoy in this gentle sapphic romance. I enjoyed getting to know both Louisa and Sarah along with the rest of the characters who flit into, and out of this charming story. The historical aspects are done well, especially the constraints placed, by Regency society, on women who were so often viewed only by their marriageable status. The romantic attraction between Louisa and Sarah is gentle and charming and adds a nice heart-warming element to the story.

Overall, A Lady to Treasure has much to offer in terms of Regency history and family drama with a nice sense of romance thrown into the mix.

About the Author

Marianne Ratcliffe grew up in Lincolnshire. A biochemist by training, she has always found creating new worlds and interesting characters every bit as rewarding as discoveries at a laboratory bench. She has had short stories published in literary magazines and was runner-up in the Guildford Book Festival short story competition in 2010. In 2017, redundancy spurred her to focus on creative writing, and she published her debut novel, The Secret of Matterdale Hall, with Bellows Press in 2022. Marian lives in Cheshire with her wife and two dogs.

Twitter @ratcliffe_mj  #ALadyToTreasure

@BellowsPress

📖 Book Review ~ The Winter Hedge : Walks in a Deep Lane by Miriam Darlington

Candlestick Press
November 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this pamphlet

We barely notice hedges; there is something intrinsically marginal about them – although they are likely to seize our attention when they shine with blackberries or when a bramble snags a favourite garment.

In her evocative and absorbing prose piece, leading naturalist Miriam Darlington walks one of her local Devon hedges in winter, putting it centre-stage. Every step sees her paying close attention to the creatures who shelter in it and to the plants that sustain them. At every moment, her senses are vividly alive to the hedge’s raw beauty in this harshest season of the year:

“Rosy-purple twigs of dogwood, sleeping moths amongst the towering beauty of oaks, bark textures fresh and bare, lifting your mood, twig by knotty twig. Black ash knuckles. King Alfred’s cakes. Hart’s tongue ferns. The earth smells of old thorns, dog rose and ropes of dried honeysuckle…”

This is a pamphlet to return to again and again, as one might repeat a favourite walk.

Poems by John Clare and Katharine Towers.

Cover illustration by Niki Bowers.

Donation to the Woodland Trust.

📖 My Review..

There’s something very special about a well formed hedge as not only does it provide protection from the elements but it’s also home to a myriad of creatures, some so small you’re hardly aware they are there whilst others make their presence known with crisp crackles and soft shuffles.

In The Winter Hedge, Miriam Darlington takes us with her on a journey as she shares the simple pleasure of walking with her dog and appreciating the beauty of the hedge in winter. So much to see in this comprehensive world which we so often pass by without opening our eyes and ears to the sights and sounds all around us. Beautifully evocative we share in her pleasure as she takes a walk in a deep lane and appreciate, with her, the quiet majesty of nature sharing its secrets.

We all need quiet space in this busy life and especially as the festive season approaches when quiet moments sometimes desert us. Reading this quietly reflective piece of prose has been such a pleasure and gave me such a sense of peace and a deep appreciation of the restorative power of nature and a lovely connection to the natural world.

There are also two lovely poems to enjoy:

Hedge by Katharine Towers and From the hedge bottom where the ivy runs by John Clare

This lovely pamphlet would make the perfect gift for anyone who appreciates nature or instead of a card over the festive season.

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.

X @poetrycandle

Website

📖 Blog Tour ~ Solstice by Helen Steadman

 

Bell Jar Books
19 September 2023

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

England, 1673. Still a world of witches, witchfinders and witch trials?

Rose Driver’s mother, brother and grandmother were all put to death by the fanatical witchfinder, John Sharpe.

Almost quarter of a century after the Newcastle witch trials, Sharpe is no longer a threat and Rose should be safe in her quiet village. But is history about to repeat itself?

📖 My Review..

I’ve now followed this trilogy since the first book so was especially excited to be asked to take part in this blog tour to celebrate the final book in the Widdershins series and return to the seventeenth century world which this talented author recreates so beautifully. England in 1673 was still a country which teemed with suspicion and the danger to those women who were suspected of witchcraft hadn’t gone away.

In rural communities where lives were very much caught up in the mysteries of nature some of their more commonplace practices could be seen, by outsiders, as more macabre than they actually were.  Moving to Mutton Clog, in the north of England, with her twin brother Earnest, and clergyman father, Patience Leaton is very much an outsider who neither knows nor cares enough to understand the community in which she is forced to live. This is unfortunate for Rose Driver, a young and rather beautiful shepherdess, who catches the eye of Earnest Leaton, and in doing so antagonises the staunchly puritan, Patience with dire consequences.

In two very distinctive voices both Rose and Patience have a story to tell which, very quickly unravels, becoming darker and more dangerous especially when Patience discovers something about Rose and Earnest which unleashes the very worst behaviour imaginable. Rose’s character I loved from the beginning, and her fate becomes all the more poignant as the story progresses. Patience definitely tried my patience, she really is a piece of work and all credit to the author for allowing the darkness in Patience’s soul to evolve with such evil precision. 

The dark and dangerous mid-seventeenth century rural world is beautifully recreated by an author who really does bring history alive. With every well placed word, and descriptive phrase, it is possible to step back in time to the rural backwater of Mutton Clog, where superstitious practices have been in place for centuries however, when viewed by the wrong person, at the wrong time, these practices can be entirely misinterpreted as having the dark forces of evil at their core.

With its abiding air of sadness and a definite sense of the injustice towards those innocent of any wrongdoing Solstice is an excellent conclusion to this fascinating trilogy. This will definitely be on my book of the year list for 2023.

About the Author

Helen Steadman's first novel, Widdershins and its sequel, Sunwise were inspired by the 1650 Newcastle witch trials. Her third novel, The Running Wolf is about a group of master swordmakerswho defected from Germany to England in 1687. Helen's fourth novel, God of Fire, is a Greek myth retelling as seen through the eyes of Hephaestus, perhaps the least well known of all the Olympians. Helen is particularly interested in revealing hidden histories and she is a thorough researcher who goes to great lengths in pursuit of historical accuracy. To get under the skin of the cunning women in Widdershins and Sunwise, Helen trained in herbalism and learned how to identify, grow and harvest plants and then made herbal medicines from bark, seeds, flowers and berries.The Running Wolf is the story of a group of master swordmakers who left Solingen, Germany and moved to Shotley Bridge, England in 1687. As well as carrying out in-depth archive research and visiting forges in Solingen to bring her story to life, Helen also undertook blacksmith training, which culminated in making her own sword.

X@hsteadman1650 #Solstice #WiddershinsTrilogy

@ RandomTTours

📖 Publication Day Book Review~The Naming of Moths by Tracy Fells

 

Fly on the Wall Press
10 November 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Stories of myths, mothers and monsters.

THE NAMING OF MOTHS features stories of magical realism, myths and legends re-imagined, where all the characters are undergoing transformation or facing a pivotal moment of change in their lives. People and animals interchange their shapes. Story landscapes flit from fairy-tale woods to urban homes. Here love, hope and kindness weave between the realities of man’s endless talent for cruelty.

📖My Review..

Sometimes it’s such a treat to sit back and relax into a set of well written short stories and this debut collection of eighteen short stories certainly captured my imagination with well written tales which cover the central theme of transformation. Cleverly put together I found much to like and spent an enjoyable couple of hours dipping into the book, reading stories which appealed to me by their title and gradually getting drawn into the magical world of this author’s clever imagination. In particular, I enjoyed the eponymous The Naming of Moths, an interesting story with a clever twist, The Frost Hare which had quite an eerie feel to it and Gretel and the Chocolate Wolf which stills roams in my imagination.

Clever, imaginative, and quite compelling, The Naming of Moths, with its interesting blend of magical realism, is the perfect read for an autumn afternoon by the fire.

About the Author

Tracy Fells was the 2017 Regional Winner (Europe and Canada) for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Her short fiction has been widely published in print journals and online, including Granta and Brittle Star. She has been shortlisted for the Bridport and Fish Fiction prizes. She is a regular reader for several international story competitions and leads writing workshops on short fiction. Tracy also writes novels and was a finalist in the 2018 Richard & Judy ‘Search for a Bestseller’ competition. Her debut novella-in-flash Hairy On The Inside (published by Ad Hoc Fiction, 2021) was shortlisted for the 2022 Saboteur and International Rubery Book Awards.

X @theliterarypig.

Website

📖 Book Review ~Devil's Table by Kate Rhodes #TeamScilly

Simon &Schuster
2021

DI Ben Kitto #5

My thanks to the publishers and Tracy at Compulsive Readers for my copy of this book

A MISSING CHILD

St Martin’s is shrouded in bitterly cold fog when Jade Minear and her twin brother, Ethan, are attacked in a field, late at night. Ethan manages to return home but the shocking events of Jade’s disappearance have rendered him mute.

A LONG-HELD GRUDGE

On a small island where there are few places a child can hide, DI Ben Kitto must battle the elements to search for Jade. When his investigation reveals that the Minear family have many enemies on the island, Kitto grows increasingly worried that Jade is in danger.

A KILLER HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT 

Meanwhile, someone on the island knows exactly where the girl is. Someone with a deep-seated hatred of Jade's family. To find the truth, Kitto must investigate the lives of the people he has known all of his life. Because one of them is lying – and it isn’t long until a body is found.

📖 My Review..

When Jade Minear, the eleven year old daughter of a local businessman, goes missing on one of the smaller of the Scilly Isles, DI Ben Kitto finds, once again, that there are far more questions than answers especially as the only probable witness to Jade’s disappearance is her twin brother, Ethan, and he isn’t speaking to anyone. The investigation is blighted by a lack of clues and the added confusion of a shifting fog which shrouds the island effectively cutting the place off so that the islanders find themselves placed under curfew, firstly by the weather and then with the unexpected discovery of a body at the aptly named Devil’s Table.

There’s something compelling about these stories which only gets better as the series progresses. Ben Kitto is very much part of island life and his position as Deputy Chief of Police for the Scilly Isles gives him the authority to investigate a collection of crimes but it is affinity with the islanders where the heart and soul of the stories lie. I enjoy the snippets of Ben’s past with stories of his childhood in the islands and enjoy how his methodical, and often unconventional, approach to crime investigation gets the results needed to see that justice is served.

Devil’s Table is a particularly complex investigation with lots of secrets to uncover and the added possibility that someone close to home is involved in Jade’s disappearance only makes the investigation all the more difficult. Tempers run high and old hurts are allowed to fester until they threaten to destroy the equilibrium of this peaceful place. There’s all the usual twists and turns in the plot which kept me turning the pages of Devil’s Table faster, and faster, until the ending which I didn’t see coming.

Devil’s Table is now the fifth book in this excellent crime series, each one more enjoyable than the last and as one book finishes I’m already looking forward to meeting again with DI Ben Kitto, and his amazing dog, Shadow, in The Brutal Tide, which is book number six in the Scilly Isles series.

 

About the Author

Kate Rhodes is an acclaimed crime novelist and an award-winning poet. She lives in Cambridge with her husband, the writer and film-maker, Dave Pescod. She visited the Scilly Isles every year as a child which gave her the idea for this new series. She is one of the founders of the Killer Women writing group.

Twitter @K_RhodesWriter #TeamScilly

@simonschusterUK

@Tr4cyF3ntOn

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ Fifteen Wild Decembers by Karen Powell

 

Europa Edition
21 September 2023

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Isolated from society, Emily Brontë and her siblings spend their days inventing elaborate fictional realms or roaming the wild moors above their family home in Yorkshire. When the time comes for them to venture out into the world to earn a living, each of them struggles to adapt, but for Emily the change is catastrophic. Torn from the landscape to which she has become so passionately bound, she is simply unable to function.

To the outside world, Emily Brontë appears taciturn and unexceptional, but beneath the surface her mind is in a creative ferment. A violent phenomenon is about to burst forth that will fuse her imaginary world with the landscape of her beloved Yorkshire and change the literary world forever.

📖My Review..

There’s something rather special about Fifteen Wild Decembers for not only does the story transport us to the isolated Haworth parsonage where the Brontë’s made their home but it also gives us huge insight into Emily Brontë’s tragically short life. Emily’s emotional attachment to the moors and wild spaces, the lure of home whenever she is away from it and the visceral connection she has to the land bring such a powerful sense of her personality that it quite literally took my breath away. Emily’s life was so short and yet the mark she left on our literary world is huge, this re-imagining of her life is such a lovely tribute to her and one I am sure will appeal enormously to Brontë enthusiasts.

The story flows beautifully, it’s gently done, but with such a powerful presence that each of the siblings,  their  anguish, indecision and inability to find their place in the world is bolstered only by their strength of character. Having visited the Haworth parsonage on a number of occasions as soon as you enter through the front door there remains a definite sense of the Brontë presence and this brooding nature comes across so well in this lovely story, I felt as if I was truly seeing the world through Emily’s eyes, grieving with her in sadness and feeling her turmoil in a world she didn’t always want to understand. We know that Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë had tremendous imagination and yet sharing their work with a London publisher wasn’t easy however, thankfully for us someone was prepared to give Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell the opportunity to reach a wider audience and the rest, as they say, is history…

Evocative, beautiful and gloriously lyrical, Fifteen Wild Decembers, brings Emily Brontë to life in such a profound and beautiful way that I have no hesitation in making this my Book of the Month for November.

Howarth Parsonage
©My photo 

About the Author

Karen Powell grew up in Rochester, Kent. She studied English Literature at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge, and now lives in York with her husband and daughter.

X @KarenPowell1 #FifteenWildDecembers

@EuropaEdUK

👻 Halloween Read ~ A Haunting in the Arctic by C J Cooke

 

Harper Collins
12 October 2023

Thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Something has walked the floors of the Ormen for almost a century. Something that craves revenge…

1901. On board the Ormen, a whaling ship battling through the unforgiving North Sea, Nicky Duthie awakes. Attacked and dragged there against her will, it’s just her and the crew – and they’re all owed something only she can give them.

1973. Decades later, when the ship is found still drifting across the ocean, it’s deserted. Just one body is left on board, his face and feet mutilated, his cabin locked from the inside. Everyone else has vanished.

Now, as urban explorer Dominique travels into the near-permanent darkness of the northernmost tip of Iceland, to the final resting place of the Ormen’s wreck, she’s determined to uncover the ship’s secrets.

But she’s not alone. Something is here with her. And it’s seeking revenge…

👻My Review..

I enjoy curling up with an eerily spooky tale on Halloween and my chosen book this year certainly brings an ice cold chill.  The ghostly appearance of the book’s ice blue cover appealed to me and whilst A Haunting in the Arctic isn’t your typical Halloween story it certainly has enough creepy elements to have you jumping at shadows especially as it focuses on the ethereal nature of a ghost ship beached in the frozen waters of the Arctic.

In combining a dark mystery with elements of folk lore, this multi timeline story soon had an ice cold grip upon my imagination. The stark and unforgiving landscape of Iceland is very much part of the narrative as is life aboard the whaling ship in 1901 when we experience the brutality of life on the Ormen. The modern day sections of the story, set in 2023, are equally chilling especially as we meet Dominique, an urban explorer, who has travelled to Skúmaskot, in Iceland, to record the final days of the Ormen before it is destroyed forever. 

There’s an undeniable tension to the story which is hard to explain without giving details of the plot away, so I won’t even try except to say I was completely hooked from the start. It’s certainly a harsh read, filled with horror and a sense of despair with the haunting nature of the folklore elements adding a very different sort of dynamic to the story.

A Haunting in the Arctic blends history, folklore and the supernatural into a vengeful and atmosphere story.

About the Author

C.J. Cooke is an acclaimed, award-winning poet, novelist and academic with numerous other publications under the name of Carolyn Jess-Cooke. Born in Belfast, she has a PhD in Literature from Queen’s University, Belfast, and is currently Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, where she researches creative writing interventions for mental health. She also founded the Stay-At-Home Festival.

X @CJessCooke #AHauntingInTheArctic

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📖 Publication Day Review ~ The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

 

Viper/Serpent's Tail
Hardback 26 October 2023

The Appeal #1.5

My thanks to the publisher for my ecopy of this book

One dead Santa. A town full of suspects. Will you discover the truth?

Christmas in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, to raise money for the church roof appeal. But despite the season, goodwill is distinctly lacking amongst the amateur dramatics enthusiasts. Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the fibreglass beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and a someone is intent on ruining the panto even before the curtain goes up.

Of course there's also the matter of the dead body. Who could possibly have had the victim on their naughty list? Join lawyers Femi and Charlotte as they read the round robins, examine the emails and pore over the police transcripts. Will the show go on?

📖 My Review..

When I was approached by the publisher to read The Christmas Appeal I immediately said yes as I loved reading this author's fabulous debut, The Appeal, which fired my imagination , and so it is with great delight that I return to the company of the Fairway Players as they countdown to their annual Christmas Pantomime.

With her usual flair, the author plunges us deep into the frantic preparations for Jack and the Beanstalk and as emails, and messages, fly to and fro between the actors, we soon start to understand that all is not well with this group of amateur thespians. The epistolary theme gives the story its quirkiness and as  the banter and cutting comments start to flow, so we start to build up a picture of what happened, where, when and to whom.

It can take a little while to become comfortable with this style of narrative but I enjoy the way the story unfolds and I pretty soon became immersed in trying to piece together the clues which are so carefully presented.  Overall, The Christmas Appeal is great fun to read, laugh out loud funny in places, and entering into the ‘acting’ world which this talented author creates so beautifully is a real joy as not only does she give us all the back room shenanigans, and believe me there is a lot going on behind the scenes, but there’s also a rather interesting murder mystery to solve.

Cleverly created to be a shortish novella, The Christmas Appeal sits comfortably alongside The Appeal bringing together the company of players we recognise from the first story whilst at the same time introducing new people who add their own special charm to this intriguing murder mystery. I absolutely loved it and read in one sitting as, like all this author’s books, I simply couldn’t put it down.

About the Author

Janice Hallett studied English at UCL, and spent several years as a magazine editor, winning two awards for journalism. After gaining an MA in Screenwriting at Royal Holloway, she co-wrote the feature film Retreat. The Appeal is inspired by her lifelong interest in amateur dramatics. Her second novel, The Twyford Code, is published by Viper in 2022. When not indulging her passion for global adventure travel, she is based in West London.

Twitter @JaniceHallett #TheChristmas Appeal

@ViperBooks

📖 Book Review ~ Twenty-One Poems about Wonky Animals from Candlestick Press

 

Candlestick Press
September 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this pamphlet

We use the affectionate word ‘wonky’ when things aren’t quite right but what’s wrong seems rather endearing.

These poems are about creatures who are slightly awry. Some are beloved pets who are vulnerable and in need of human care. Others are just slightly odd in themselves – a hornet, a frog, a mole. They may be more difficult to love, but each is celebrated here in its own particular splendour:

“The heart of a snail can be anywhere in her body, beating in secret. Such a sweet heart, never complains, but explains the world in little steps.”

from ‘Snailology’ by Nora Nadjarian

The anthology demonstrates that every wonky creature – great, small, ugly, beautiful – also has something to teach us about our own human frailties.

Included is a special edition postcard featuring a poem by Di Slaney.

Poems by Sophia Argyris, Anna Barker, Kathryn Bevis, Carole Bromley,Jane Burn, Linda France, Victoria Gatehouse, Tania Hershman,Leah Larwood, Rob Miles, JLM Morton, Nora Nadjarian, Caleb Parkin,Mel Pryor, Amber Rollinson, Clare Shaw, Johnnie Sparkle, Hannah Stone and Sarah Ziman.

Cover illustration by Jane Burn.

Donation to Manor Farm Charitable Trust.

📖My Review..

Looking back I think that all my animals have had something of the ‘wonky’ about them which has made them all the more endearing. They’ve all had their special quirks which have made them unique and lovable in my eyes. However, I’ve never thought about the other creatures who inhabit the world alongside us and this anthology has proved to be as enlightening as it is endearing.

The opening poem ‘Fox names the World’ by Sophia Argyris gets the anthology of to a fine start with the view of the world through the eyes of a fox travelling through the countryside at night:

‘Fox calls the night solace, calls the stars home-light
Calls the clouds her fickle-friends…’

‘What the Frog Taught Me About Love’ by Clare Shaw, made me smile, re-imagining these much maligned creatures as capable of love:

‘Firefly burns very bright for it.
Frog just holds on. Tight…’


Reading ‘To Listen for a mouse’ by Rob Miles made me stop and consider these silent creatures in a whole different way:

‘..A mouse
Must calculate the weight
And tension of it’s very soul..’

There’s a lovely extra poem tucked into the pamphlet - Rehomer’s Prayer by Di Slaney is really lovely and one I shall refer to often as it shows such humanity towards animals who are in need of love and care.

This super anthology of twenty-one poems about some rather special animals has all the qualities I have come to expect from one of these finely produced poetry pamphlets and having twenty-one to enjoy is all the more satisfying. Such a splendid variety really does have something for everyone and is the perfect gift ‘instead of a card’ for all the animal lovers you know would appreciate a rather special anthology about wonky animals.

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.

X @poetrycandle

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