📖 Book Review ~ The Crownless Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick

Sphere
9 April 2026

Joan of Kent #2

Thanks to the publisher for the invitation to read this book

1360: Having left her days of rebellion behind, Jeanette of Kent has finally found contentment as a wife and mother. Then, she is delivered a new blow: her beloved husband, Thomas Holland, has died on duty overseas.

Though broken, Jeanette readies herself once more to fight to protect what is hers. And when Prince Edward, heir to the throne and her longtime friend, unexpectedly steps forward and offers marriage, she accepts for the sake of her family.

As their relationship deepens, love blossoms again for Jeanette, but it comes at a price. With great power comes great responsibility - not least bearing a future king - and, as the wheel of fortune climbs higher, it becomes harder and harder to hold on.

📖 My Review..

Having read The Royal Rebel, which is the first book in this duology about Joan of Kent, I was intrigued to see how the story would continue particularly following her first husband’s death in France. As always the author brings this medieval world vibrantly to life and I was soon engrossed in Joan’s life as she come to terms with the loss of her great love, Thomas Holland, and of her future as the first Princess of Wales on her marriage to Prince Edward, who we know better as the Black Prince. There is no doubt that the relationship between Joan and Edward was a love match but with the danger that was ever present in the lives of medieval power people there was no respite for them from danger and tragedy. However, the romance of a beautiful love affair sits comfortably alongside the more dangerous aspects of living in this turbulent time in medieval history.

The author always brings the adventure of the medieval world to life so accurately that I feel like I have lived alongside Joan and Edward as they lived out their complicated lives and whilst I knew ultimately how their relationship would evolve, I have enjoyed spending time in their world and was particularly interested in the years spent with Joan and Edward in Aquitaine, learning more about a period of French and Castilian history of which I had scant knowledge. 

Bringing history alive is what this author does best and The Crownless Queen has been a real joy to read, to go back in time to observe the tragedies which were ingrained in life and of the danger and surprises which were very much a part of living so close to the English throne. Concluding the fascinating story of this powerful medieval matriarch, The Crownless Queen is Elizabeth Chadwick, once again, writing at her very best.

About the Author

Elizabeth Chadwick is a prize-winning historical novelist and New York Times bestseller, published in 22 languages, with over 1 million copies of her work sold in the UK alone. The Royal Rebel is the forst of three new novels set in the fourteenth century.

Social Media

X @chadwickauthor #TheRoyalRebel

X @bookssphere

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📖 Book Review ~ In Memoriam from Candlestick Press

Candlestick Press
First Published 2012

Revised May 2018
Revised March 2026

This revised third edition of our much-loved anthology contains poems of bereavement selected for their beauty and the sense of consolation that they offer. There are poems that question and mourn, alongside others that accept the inevitability of death and give thanks for a life well lived.

Poems old and new reflect on the transforming experience of losing someone we love. For those arranging a funeral or simply seeking the quiet company of words to help them through the long process of grieving, this varied and reflective selection is sure to offer comfort:


“I lie here in a riot of sunlight
Watching the day break and the clouds flying.
Everything is going to be all right.”

from ‘Everything is Going to Be All Right’ by Derek Mahon

Selected by Di Slaney and Katharine Towers

Poems by Robert Burns, Emily Dickinson, Sasha Dugdale, Lorna Goodison, Thomas Hardy, Matthew Hollis, Jackie Kay, Faith Lawrence, Derek Mahon, Sue Millard, Adrian Mitchell, Corinne Roosevelt Robinson, Christina Rossetti, William Shakespeare, Penelope Shuttle, Edna St Vincent Millay, Mark Twain, Anna Wigley and Jeremy Young.

Cover illustration by Alexandra Buckle.

My Review..

Whilst it is often difficult to choose the right words to express sadness or to offer support to someone recently bereaved, this anthology of twenty beautifully selected poems covers a whole range of emotions and offers comfort and solace in a meaningful way. There are poems from familiar poets, whose work continues to resonate, which sit very comfortably alongside verses from more more modern poets , all of which capture the mood perfectly.

The poems remind us that those we love never leave us:

Death is Smaller than I Thought by Adrian Mitchell

" My Mother and Father died some time ago

I loved them very much.

When they died my love for them

Did not vanish or fade away

It stayed just about the same ,

Only a sadder colour

And  can feel their love for me,

Same as it ever was.."

These twenty sensitively chosen poems remind us what it is to be human and as we seek consolation in the beauty of words, we let the gentleness of the verses quietly wash over us. Beautifully presented, with a thoughtful cover and end-papers, In Memoriam would make the perfect gift instead of a card for anyone who is experiencing loss. 

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

📖 Blog Tour ~ Hopes and Dreams at the Chocolate Pot Café by Jessica Redland

 

Boldwood Books
3 April 2026

My thanks to the publisher for the book
and to Rachel’s Random for the invitation to the blog tour

Sometimes all your hopes and dreams really do come true… 

Life at the Chocolate Pot Café has never been sweeter for Tara Porter. Nestled on Castle Street in Whitsborough Bay, her café is thriving, her friendships are close, her foster parents are back where they belong—and she’s finally let herself fall in love with artist Jed Ferguson.

For Jed, returning from Australia feels like coming home in every sense. His teenage daughters have settled, his gallery opening is a success, and with Tara by his side, the future looks full of promise.

But the past can’t stay at bay forever.

When Tara’s estranged foster sister reappears, old wounds resurface. And when Jed is reunited with twelve year old Aaron - a boy he once believed was his son - secrets unravel and loyalties are tested.

Now Tara and Jed must decide whether facing the past will shatter everything they’ve built—or hope it gives them the strength and courage to dream again.

📖 My Review…

It’s always a real pleasure to spend time in Whitsborough Bay with the inhabitants who make this fictional place such a joy. This story focuses on Tara Porter who runs the Chocolate Pot Cafe, on Castle Street, and whose personal relationship with Jed Ferguson, who owns the nearby art gallery, is going from strength to strength. However, Jed’s complicated family life shakes things up a little especially with the arrival of his ex-wife from Australia and the challenge of some complicated family problems to work through. Tara must also face some personal issues of her own which the author handles with her usual skill for tackling difficult subjects in a sensitive way.

As with all her novels, this talented author brings the place and the people alive with lovely attention to detail and a real sense of warmth and friendship. For those readers familiar with this series both Tara and Jed’s characters first appeared in a previous story Starry Skies over the Chocolate Pot Café but since the author gives enough of the back story it’s easy to read this continuation without too much confusion and it works well as a standalone story.

Hopes and Dreams at the Chocolate Pot Café is another lovely story from this talented writer who brings love, friendship and family to life in such an enjoyable way.

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.

Social Media Links 

Facebook: @jessicaredlandauthor

Twitter: @JessicaRedland

Instagram: @jessicaredlandauthor

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

Bookbub profile: @jessicaredlandwriter