📖 Blog Tour ~ The Woman Who Met Herself by Laura Pearson

Boldwood
23 May 2025

Thanks to the publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation to the tour

 

Debbie Jones thinks life is an adventure. Even having lost her husband a year ago, she’s ready for whatever the world might throw her way. Being in her sixties doesn’t mean it’s all over for her yet, and she loves her new job doing neighbourhood support for a charity. Then she knocks on a stranger’s front door.

Ruth Waverley doesn’t like surprises. Her life isn’t perhaps all she once dreamed off, but what other options are there for a woman in her sixties? She’s proud of her home and children. And she likes her life well enough. Then she hears someone knocking at the door.

As the door opens, both Ruth and Debbie get the shock of their lives. As their eyes meet – the recognition is instant. Not because they’ve met before. But because they have the same face. They’re completely identical.

And everything is about to change, for both women. In ways they couldn’t possibly imagine…

📖 My Review..

It’s said that everyone has a doppelgänger but recently widowed Debbie Jones gets the shock of her life when she knocks on a door to find the woman staring back at her is her absolute double. Ruth Waverley is equally disturbed by the sight of a woman who looks exactly like her is standing at her doorstep. With this fateful meeting the lives of these two lovely women is about to change forever.

It’s an interesting scenario meeting a twin you never knew existed and this is explored in a really sympathetic way in a beautifully written story which gradually reveals the truth about both Debbie and Ruth and the reasons for their separation. Whilst the emotional impact comes from Debbie and Ruth’s reaction there is also the hidden nuances of those characters who are on the periphery particularly Ruth’s sister Kate and her elderly mother. There are hidden secrets which have been kept from both women and it was fascinating to see their lives placed under the spotlight and to observe how they each coped with the upheaval in their lives.

I thought this was a fabulous read, with two strong women who are each facing a momentous change in their lives going forward. You can’t help but be absolutely absorbed in the minutiae of their lives, their growing attachment to each other which comes from a sense of recognition, and with lovely observations of them attempting to rekindle that unshakable bond which they must have once shared as babies before their lives changed forever.

About the Author

Laura Pearson is the author of the #1 bestseller The Last List of Mabel Beaumont. She founded The Bookload on Facebook and has had several pieces published in the Guardian and the Telegraph.

Facebook: @LauraPearson

Twitter: @LauraPAuthor

Instagram: @LauraPAuthor

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/LauraPearsonNews

Bookbub profile: @laurapearson22

📖 Book Review ~ Ten Poems about Herbs from Candlestick Press

 

We love herbs for their fragrance and for their taste. They can be food or medicine or perfume. In these beguiling poems, it seems that herbs have other powers too; they can remind us of the past and they can make us think of love – sometimes both at the same time:

“For the cold will come, though you turn to me soon,
Your eyes going serious green from hazel,
Your quick hand on my face the scent of basil.”

from ‘Basil’ by Gibbons Ruark

Elsewhere we encounter mint and basil growing by a roadside in the Mediterranean, garden marjoram covered in bees and the headiness of wild garlic in an English woodland. Wherever they grow, herbs seem to stop us in our tracks, asking us to bend to pick a stem or simply to rub their scent onto our fingers.

Perhaps this is what herbs are for: to make time stand still as we pause for a moment to wonder at their wild beauty.

Poems by Maggie Anderson, Sujata Byatt, Jane Burn, Jim Daniel’s, Isobel Dixon, John Fuller, Lyn Lifshin, Alfred Noyes, Gibbons Ruark and Robert Seatter.

Cover illustration by Sara Boccaccini Meadows

📖 My Review

I love an old fashioned herb garden and whilst I have never been successful in cultivating one, there is something special about walking through a well planted herb border, redolent with plants and flowers which give off their delicate aroma as you brush past. Rosemary and thyme, oregano and basil evoke memories of summer barbecues whilst the pungent spiciness of wild garlic reminds me of shady woodlands and delicate pathways, lavender takes me back to my mother’s garden and harvesting the fragrant flowers to make pot pourri or fragrant bags to scent linens.

Lavender by Alfred Noyes

‘Lavender, lavender.

That makes your linens sweet;

The hawker brings his basket 

Down the sooty street:..’

The Forest Knows by Jane Burn

‘..I walk on,

Until a plush of wild garlic ripples around my feet.

The white globe shaped flowers grow here

Like a private universe - …’

In Ten Poems about Herbs we are treated to a literary herbal as we explore poems which celebrate the glorious nature of herbs. It is real feast for the senses, from poems about basil, wild thyme, fennel and coriander, to reminisces about marjoram, mint and the wonderfully named viper’s bugloss. With a delightful cover, and end papers, this would make the perfect gift instead of a card for anyone who loves herbs either growing them, cooking with them, or simply enjoying their simple beauty.

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

Blue Sky @candlestickpress.bsky.social

Website

📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ The House of Seymour by Joanna Hickson

Harper Collins
22 May 2025

My thanks to the publisher for the invitation to read this book

Will his ambition be her destiny or her downfall?

When Isabel Williams is betrothed to John Seymour, Lord of Wolf Hall Manor, she hopes that love and respect will come, despite his cold streak of ruthless ambition.

Jess the shepherdess tends her flock on the wild spaces of Avebury close by, dismissing those who believe it is work for men. Forced to flee after falling under suspicion for the disappearance of a young man, Isabel’s offer of life with the growing Seymour family is the only refuge available to her.

As John’s ambition draws them into the orbit of the divided court of the young King Henry VI, his hunger to succeed takes on a darker edge. Isabel realises her husband will pay any price to get what he wants, even if it means destroying those he has sworn to protect.

📖 My review..

This first book in a proposed new trilogy introduces us to the Seymour family whose manor at Wolf Hall was to be their main residence in Wiltshire. It is here, in 1425, where we get know John Seymour, newly elevated to the title of Lord of the Manor, his young wife Isabel, and his younger brother, Edmund Seymour. John is ambitious and determined to rise through the ranks by securing the patronage of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, who is protector to the young King, Henry VI. Alongside the Seymour story we get to meet Jess, who as a female shepherdess is forced to flee her family farm near Avebury where she comes into come into contact with Isabel Seymour at the nearby Easton Priory and so the connection between these two strong woman is forged.

This is an interesting glimpse into the history of England in the fifteenth century, particularly the political situation concerning the protectorship of the young King during a time when England was still caught up in the Hundred Years War with France and of the scheming which surrounded John Seymour’s elevation to the peerage. I enjoyed the detailed description of life at Wolf Hall with Isabel, whose married life with John Seymour was not an easy one, but Isabel’s spirit shines throughout and Wolf Hall and its inhabitants comes alive in the imagination.

Well researched, the story starts slowly but gradually all the pieces start to fit together and a strong story about the early beginnings of the Seymour family, whose connection to the Crown, over a hundred years later, is culminated by the marriage, in 1536, of  Jane Seymour to King Henry VIII. The House of Seymour  leads us into a very different England with an important family who would shape their own destiny for years to come.

About the Author

After an exciting career in journalism, on radio and television in England and Scotland Joanna took to writing historical fiction. Since publishing her debut novel, The Agincourt Bride, she has gone on to publish many more based on the rise of the Tudor dynasty and has attracted an enthusiastic following of readers on Britain and around the world. The House of Seymour is her eighth novel. Joanna lives in Wiltshire and is married with a large family and lots of grandchildren.

X @joannahickson #TheHouseofSeymour 

@HarperCollinsUK

📖 Author feature ~ Hay Festival 24th May 2025 ~ Author Leah Hazard

 

Bestselling author and midwife Leah Hazard who will be talking about her experience of being an NHS midwife in a field in Wales at the Hay Festival on Saturday 24th May at 1pm.

Ticket info here: https://www.hayfestival.com/p-23941-leah-hazard-in-conversation.aspx

Leah joins some of the biggest names in UK culture including Steven Fry, Simon Schama, Emma Barnett and Paloma Faith at this year's Hay Festival where Leah will dive into the intimate, political, and emotional realities of the female body, discuss the highs and lows of working as an NHS midwife, and share how a mental breakdown inspired her bold and beautifully narrated audiobook The Anatomy of Us (Audible Original 8th May) the follow up to her Sunday Times Bestselling books Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story and Womb: The Inside Story of Where We All Began.

Blue Sky @leahhazard.bskysocial

Website

X @hayfestival

Audible Original
8 May 2025

With audiobooks proven to help calm the mind and Hay Festival's stunning setting amongst the rolling hills of Wales, this is the perfect event to wind down to and learn something new this bank holiday. 

Please see further info on Leah's Event at Hay Festival on Saturday 24th May at 1pm, here: https://www.hayfestival.com/p-23941-leah-hazard-in-conversation.aspx

📖 Blog Tour ~ Sunshine After the Rain by Jessica Redland

Boldwood 
15 May 2025

Escapes to the Lakes #5

Thanks to the publishers and Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation to the blog tour 

Melanie knows she’s been running away…

For the last seven years Mel has been hiding; from life, from her friends and from those who love her the most - her family. But being at home in her beloved Lake District has been far too painful for Mel to contemplate. Because seven years ago, Mel lost everything and she’s never been able to banish the dark clouds that follow her.

But maybe there really is no place like home?

When Mel returns to Willowdale for a family event, she has no intention of staying. But surrounded by her family she begins to realise just how much she's been missing and also, how much healing she still needs to do.

Starting a dream job at Willowdale Hall, going on walks with Emma and her funny alpacas and reconnecting with those she loves, Mel slowly begins to see chinks of light and a more hopeful and happier future ahead.

And as Mel begins to feel stronger, she also feels brave enough to face the most painful part of leaving home…the one man she has always loved. With his help, can she finally banish the dark clouds forever and see the sunshine after the rain?

📖 My Review…

Following a return visit to her family home in the Lake District Mel is forced to face some difficult truths as not only has she run away from the people she loves the most but she has also been hiding away from her greatest fear, that of confronting her past. When the opportunity arises for Mel to move permanently to Willowdale she does so with some trepidation but a determination to face her demons and make a new future. 

Sunshine After the Rain is a really lovely story not just because we are once again in this fictional corner of the Lake District, which the author writes about with such love and care, but it also gives us the opportunity to get to know even more wonderful characters who call this place home. The story flows beautifully and as we get to know the reason why Mel ran away from Willowdale seven years ago so we start to realise that this is a story about facing hurtful truths, about reaching out to grab a second chance when it appears and of the healing power of love. There’s a lovely reference in the story to the Japanese art of Kintsugi and the fact there is beauty to found in brokenness which really struck a chord and I must admit to shedding a few tears as Mel discovers that the broken pieces of her heart could be put together again.

Beautifully written as ever, this Escape to the Lkes series just continues to go from strength to strength and although each book is a standalone story it really does makes sense to start this lovely series from the beginning as that way you fall in love with the place, the characters and the wonderful writing.

About the Author

Jessica Redland is the million-copy bestselling author of novels, including the Hedgehog Hollow and Escape to the Lakes series. Inspired by her hometown of Scarborough and the Lake District, she writes uplifting women’s fiction of love, friendship and community.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaRedlandAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessicaRedland

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaredlandauthor/

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JessicaRedlandNews
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📖 Book Review ~ Ten Poems about Weeds from Candlestick Press

Candlestick Press
May 2025
Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this pamphlet 

 

A weed is just a plant in the wrong place – many gardeners will have said these words to themselves with a wry smile when contemplating an afternoon of pulling up nettles or digging out ground elder.

This delightful pamphlet is proof – if needed – that weeds can be every bit as beautiful as the flowers we choose to cultivate in our gardens. In a poem about a variety of hawkweed, the speaker’s attention is caught by the unexpected vividness of flowers growing close to a disused gravel pit:

“What is it about tiny yellow flowers?
The way they scatter through spring grass,
a thin gauze of lemon magic.”

from ‘Mouse-ear Hawkweed’ by Ian Humphreys

These days, we’re encouraged to make space for a few weeds in our gardens. Bees and butterflies find them irresistible, so why shouldn’t we? This lively and varied mini anthology seems to agree.

Poems by William Barnes, Jane Burn, Victoria Gatehouse, James Stanley Gilbert, Lorna Goodison, Ian Humphrey’s, L Kiev, Vernon Scannell, Anne Stevenson and Beth Winegarner.

Cover illustration by Sara Boccaccini Meadows

📖 My Review..

There’s nothing more beautiful than a cluster of wild flowers, which if we look closely are probably comprised mostly of plants which could be described as weeds, but if left to nature these flowers glory in their spot by the side of the road or tucked into the crevices of field hedges. Whilst weeds are the scourge of many gardeners, there is something steadfast about weeds as they survive against all adversity and come back despite our best efforts to eradicate them.

These ten lovely poems celebrate the simple beauty of weeds.

 Celebrating the loveliness of buttercups in Weeds by Lorna Goodison:

‘This one is so lovely I say

It stands slender in a stalk

And shoots yellow comets..’

Bomb Weed by Victoria Gatehouse brought us the poignant reminder that Rose Bay Willowherb once flourished in the WW2 bomb sites : 

‘After the war you said it rolled itself out

Across the scorched wounds of forests and towns

And I learned to see it through your eyes

A purple gauze, laid bright over bomb sites

Softening the ragged edges of ruin..’

Over recent years there seem to be a proliferation of Dandelions crowding out the sides of our grass verges on roads, dual carriageways and motorways, such a cheerful little flower which adds a much welcome splash of colour in spring after the dreariness of winter.

Jane Burn celebrates the humble dandelion in Taraxacum 

‘ The ultimate weed - pluck one head and it grows another, mow it down, it comes right back as if nature itself was telling us to stop. Please stop.’

Beautifully produced with a glorious flower filled cover and end papers Ten Poems about Weeds is the ideal gift instead of a card for any gardener who has a love/hate relationship with weeds.

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

Blue Sky @candlestickpress.bsky.social

Website

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre May 25th 2025

 

REGENTS PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE – SUNDAY 25TH MAY

Former actress, bestselling author and poetry champion Allie Esiri and Regents Park Open Air Theatre present Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year – Live!

On Sunday 25th May Allie Esiri will be joined by a star-studded cast of award winning theatre and film actors including Damian Lewis (Homeland), Tony Robinson (Blackadder), Olivia Williams (The Crown), James Phoon (Bridgerton), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones, Mission Impossible), Hugh Ross (Outlander, Patriot Games), Kate Fleetwood (Harry Potter, Harlots), Danny Sapani (Killing Eve, Black Panther), Samantha Spiro (Sex Education) and Susan Wokoma (Enola Holmes, Chewing Gum) for a hugely entertaining evening of Shakespeare based on Allie Esiri’s bestselling poetry anthology: Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year.

This coming bank holiday, Allie Esiri and friends will guide you on a journey through the Shakespeare you love and the best bits you don’t. There will be poetry, speeches and scenes read by actors who have a special connection to Shakespeare’s work and to the theatre itself. It was at Regent’s Park, for example, that homeland actor Damian Lewis spent a season playing Hamlet and where Samantha Spiro performed an acclaimed Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing and won an Olivier Award for Hello Dolly! Join us for a night of great performances, poetry, laughter, wisdom and wit.

One of the UK’s biggest selling poetry books, Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year by poetry champion Allie Esiri is an inspiring collection of 365 poems, speeches and scenes from across all of Shakespeare's plays, each with an illuminating introduction. Allie has published ten hugely popular poetry anthologies including A Poem for Every Day of The Year and 365 Poems for Life as part of her mission to keep poetry alive and make it accessible for everyone.

Signed copies of Allie Esiri's poetry anthologies Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year and A Poet for Every Day of the Year will be available on the night.

NB. Actor appearances are subject to availability. Check the website for updates to the lineup.

Allie Esiri’s best-selling poetry anthologies include Shakespeare for Every Day of The Year, A Poem for Every Day of The Year and 365 Poems for Life.They have lit an explosion of interest for poetry in the UK, are regularly chosen for National Poetry Day and have been picked as best books of the year by The Observer, The Times and New Statesman. Yearly sell out performances at the National Theatre and major book festivals with some of our best-loved actors reading poetry – from Helena Bonham Carter to Dominic West – are capturing and enthralling a new generation of poetry lovers.

Esiri read Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Cambridge then worked as an actress for ten years in the English Shakespeare Company and on TV in shows such as Sharpe, Howard’s End, Men Behaving Badly andPoirot, before moving on to create the first poetry apps, daily poetry anthologies (for all ages) and live shows. For more info visit allieesiri.com.

Ticket information 

What: Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year – Live! at Regents Park Open Air Theatre on Sunday 25th May

Date: Sunday 25th May 2025, 19:30

Ticket Price: £25 

Location: Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, The Regent's Park, Inner Cir, London NW1 4NU

Booking Link: https://openairtheatre.com/production/shakespeare-for-every-day-of-the-year

Box Office: Email boxoffice@openairtheatre.com or call 0333 400 3562 to book by telephone. The booking line is open 10am – 4pm Mon-Sun.

📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ Finding the Wayfarer by Emma Rose Barber

Tandem Publishing
15 May 2025

Thanks to the publisher for the copy of this book

Through a series of walks, the author follows in the path of the medieval wayfarer to see how this captivating figure developed from being seen as an indigent nuisance, much maligned, to romantic muse for artists and writers. The book brings the wayfarer to life. And all up-to-date to see how it is found in contemporary culture.

Finding the Wayfarer is a captivating exploration of the age-old tradition of wayfaring – the simple, often

solitary journey on foot. Through a blend of historical enquiry, evocative place writing and memoir, the book weaves together the stories of wayfarers across time.

From the marginalized figures in medieval manuscripts, to the introspective writings of Charlotte Smith,Wordsworth and Hardy, the wayfarer has often been viewed with suspicion and fear. Yet, they have also inspired admiration, embodying melancholy and a deep connection to the natural world. Themes of illicit love and scorn through wayfaring are the themes of later writers and artists like Dickens, Samuel Beckett and Grayson Perry. The book is a rich tapestry of walking, resilience and survival, inviting readers to consider this enduring archetype.

📖My Review..

Wayfarer is not a word we use much these days but this ancient term, which has its origins in Middle English, refers to a traveller, someone who travels on foot, and this interesting book takes us on a journey as we discover more about the origins of this age-old tradition. We don’t walk as much as we used to, modern forms of transport make walking to places unnecessary however, as the author suggests there is much to be gained from observing the ways of the ancient wayfarer. Quietly taking stock of our surroundings is  sometimes paramount to our well-being.

Using as a guide the book is divided into seven sections, walks which follow the guidelines set out in the ‘seven works of mercy’ namely: feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, tending the sick, visiting the prisoner, burying the dead. Each section uses modern day references alongside that of the medieval world , each sit comfortably side by side and give a unique perspective. Whilst reading I found much to think about and I have enjoyed dipping into this impeccably researched book which is as much a history lesson as it is a spiritual guide.

Finding the Wayfarer is a gentle, contemplative read which took me on a journey of quiet reflection something that perhaps we don’t do enough of in our busy world. It has given me the opportunity to discover if there is a wayfarer within me.

About the Author

Emma Rose Barber is an art historian and writer. Author of 111 Churches That YouShouldn’t Miss in London (Emons, 2020), she has also written a novel and various articlesfor magazines, including Art and Christianity and Selvedge. She lives in Sussex, whichalongside Norfolk is a county that features in this book. Her next non-fiction book is Single, Double:  Mother and Child.

📖 Blog Tour ~ Sun Trap by Rachel Wolf

Head of Zeus
8 May 2025

My thanks to the publisher and Sophie Ransom PR
for the invitation to this blog tour

 

BE CAREFUL

Ellie has wanted to be an actor since she was a child so, when a role in a blockbuster film presents itself, she grabs it.

WHAT YOU

On the plane to location in Abu Dhabi, Ellie overhears something she shouldn't – two people discussing their plans to murder someone.

WISH FOR

Unsure if what she heard was even real, and not wanting to ruin her big break, Ellie remains quiet. Then ten members of the crew become nine...

Ellie needs to be careful – it's more than just her career on the line.

Because she isn't who she says she is.

And liars are always the prime suspect…

📖 My Review..

Ellie and Phoebe meet in an acting class in New York, against all the odds they are so alike they could be doppelgängers so when Phoebe offers Ellie the chance to take her place on the set of a movie, Ellie, is at first reluctant but then realises it’s an amazing chance to kick start her own acting career. Flying to Abu Dhabi, Ellie meets the rest of the cast on an eventful flight which sets the scene for the rest of the plot. There’s such a lot going on and Ellie has to convince everyone that she is who she says she is but then mysterious things start to happen and tension flies high as more and more things  start to go horribly wrong.

I enjoyed the complexity of the plot, meme era of the cast seeming to get bumped off rather quickly which adds a certain frisson of excitement to the novel as you never quite know what’s going to happen next. It’s all set against a stunning desert backdrop which adds a surreal quality and whilst there were times when I had to suspend belief I did enjoy trying to guess which way the plot was heading. There’s several twists and turns which add depth and a final reckoning which I didn’t see coming. All in all Sun Trap is a well thought out destination thriller, with a stunning location, a diverse bunch of quirky characters and an exciting plot. It would make a great holiday read.

About the Author

Rachel Wolf grew up in the North of England and studied at Durham University. Before turning to writing, she worked for a holiday company and travelled widely. Her thrillers take inspiration from some of those travels.

X @RachelWolfWritr #SunTrap

X @HoZ_Books

X @soph_ransompr

📖 Book Review ~ Airthief by Michael Kearns

Troubadour
March 2025

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

In 1989, Spitfire JK187 and its pilot’s remains are discovered in a bog in southern England. Former WW2 test pilot Peter Thorpe becomes drawn into the recovery, while being troubled by returning memories of a failed mission in 1942 – to the concern of his wife, herself a wartime Spitfire delivery pilot.Thorpe becomes increasingly fixated on confronting his past, endeavouring to write a book about this two-man mission to steal Germany’s superior fighter plane, the Focke-Wulf 190.

Meanwhile, in Berlin, as the infamous Wall is being dismantled, Johanna Schreib comes across one of her grandfather’s wartime photographs of an FW.190 – a clue to his hidden past. The emotionally fragile Johanna has a need to know more, but Erich Schreib refuses to cooperate.

Airthief interweaves Thorpe’s struggle with his fragmenting mind and Johanna’s quest to uncover her family secrets. From opposite sides of the Channel, they stitch this history together, and as the revelations threaten to engulf both families, Johanna journeys to England to uncover the truth – ultimately bringing the two old foes together and laying to rest the ghost of Spitfire JK187.

📖 My Review..

There’s quite a lot of scene setting at the start of this WW2 novel which takes some concentration as, at first, I wasn’t sure which direction the book was heading but the pieces start to fit together and a story of wartime experiences start to come to life. 

Gradually a picture starts to emerge of what was happening on both sides of the war, we begin to understand the troubled mind of Peter Thorpe, once a WW2 test pilot who is writing a memoir of his wartime experiences. He is upset by a failed wartime mission and still experiences nightmares because of what happened. Over in Germany, Johanna Schreib finds a wartime photo amongst her grandfather’s possessions however Erich Schreib is unwilling to reveal anything to his granddaughter.

After an initial slow start I found the story blended history and fiction well and I enjoyed how the story unfolded. The author has obviously done his research in order to bring a realistic edge to the story. Published to coincide with the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Airthief is an interesting story about a different aspect of WW2. 

About the Author

Michael Kearns was born in the city of Brandon in the Canadian Prairies. He moved to the UK at the age of twenty, where he trained as a violin maker/restorer and is a founding partner at Oxford Violins. His first novel is titled Clinkerstone.