📖 Publication Day, Anniversary Edition~ The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer

 

Anniversary Edition
26 August 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Diana Beauleigh is caught between two men.

Seven long years ago, Jack Carstares, the Earl of Wyncham, sacrificed his honour for his brother and has been in exile ever since.

Returning to England, Jack pretends to be a gentleman named Sir Anthony Ferndale but makes his living in a most ungentlemanly fashion, as a highwayman and a gambler.

When Jack encounters his nemesis, the Duke of Andover, in the midst of kidnapping Diana Beauleigh, the two old enemies come to blows.

Can Jack save the beautiful Diana from rakes, kidnap and ruin…?

 📖 My Thoughts..

It's 100 years since the first publication of The Black Moth and it is safe to say that the Regency novels of Georgette Heyer are every bit as popular today as they were back in 1921 and to celebrate the event there is a beautiful 100th anniversary edition.

It's been interesting to step back in time to revisit The Black Moth, which I first read far too many years ago when I was in my mid teens. The story is as enticing as I remember with characters who leap off the page and with a Georgian setting which is so reminiscent of the period it's as though Georgette Heyer is actually sitting writing at her escritoire in the mid-eighteenth century rather than the early twentieth. 

The mood is captured instantly with the tale of two brothers, the elder, Jack Carstares sacrificed his own reputation in order to save the family honour and protect his younger and more irresponsible brother but when Jack, now Earl of Wyncham, returns from exile he discovers his old adversary, the Duke of Andover, is about to abduct, Diana Beauleigh a society beauty. From card games, to sword fights and with a little swashbuckling highwayman in between, The Black Moth is a great romp through the great, and the good, of Georgian England.

Interesting to think that Heyer wrote The Black Moth when she was in her early teens, ostensibly, to amuse her younger brother who was sick at the time. It certainly sets the course for her future writing career which lasted until her death in 1974.

About the Author

Author of over fifty books, Georgette Heyer is the best-known and best-loved of all historical novelists, who made the Regency period her own. Her first novel, The Black Moth, published in 1921, was written at the age of seventeen to amuse her convalescent brother; her last was My Lord John. Although most famous for her historical novels, she also wrote eleven detective stories. Georgette Heyer died in 1974 at the age of seventy-one.

Twitter #GeorgetteHeyer

@ArrowPublishing

Amazon  currently priced at 99p

📖 Blog Tour ~ The Shipyard Girls on the Home Front by Nancy Revell

 

On Hist Fic Saturday I am delighted to host a stop on this blog tour 

Let’s go back to ...WW2 

Arrow 
18 March 2021

Shipyard Girls#10

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour.

December, 1943.

As the war effort gathers steam in Europe, it's all hands on deck on the home front.

Gloria is over the moon to be reunited with her sweetheart Jack. But her sons Bobby and Gordon are away with the Navy and still know nothing of their mother's divorce and new half-sister.

Rosie's squad of welders must work gruelling hours in the yard as they prepare for the Allied invasion of Normandy. All the while Rosie herself waits anxiously for news of her husband Peter, who is carrying out dangerous work as an undercover operative in France.

Meanwhile welder Dorothy has a feeling that her beau Toby is planning to pop the question when he's next on leave. But it seems that her head is being turned by someone closer to home...

📖 My thoughts...

I never tire of this series and returning to the Sunderland shipyards in the company of the shipyard girls is like being reacquainted with old friends, and as we have come to expect there is never a dull moment for any of this stalwart group of women, who have bonded so well, and whose lives intertwine in an intimate, and supportive, way.

The story gets off to a dramatic start with the arrival of characters who have been out of the story for a while and whose very presence upsets the equilibrium of the lives of a couple of the women, especially Gloria and Dorothy. Running through this home front story are several threads which bring both happiness and heartbreak to some of the characters and there are a few unexpected twists and turns which help to add an interesting dimension to the way the story eventually plays out.

Whilst this tenth book is very much about what is happening in the North East in 1943/44, over in France preparations are underway for the D-Day landings, and in order to meet wartime demand extra pressure is being placed upon the shipyard workers to get vessels out in super quick time and everyone is working really hard. However, despite the pressure of work, the shipyard girls still make time for each other, helping out families, and friends, with their usual brand of no nonsense common sense. The author creates such a believable world that it’s easy to think you are sitting down in the canteen and sharing a pot of tea with the girls as they mull over the news of the day, and worry about their menfolk who are caught up in the war.

This enjoyable, and authentically researched, WW2 series is now firmly established, and with each successive story it just gets stronger and stronger. If you haven’t read any of The Shipyard Girls series, then my advice would be to start at the beginning, that way the characters, and their fascinating wartime experiences, will burrow their way into your heart.

About the Author

Nancy Revell is the pen name of writer and journalist Amanda Revell Walton, who has worked for the national press for the past 25 years, providing them with hard-hitting news stories and in-depth features. She has also worked for just about every woman’s magazine, writing amazing and inspirational true life stories.

Nancy Revell is spearheading a campaign to honour the real women of the Sunderland shipyards in her home town with a new public statue that will be displayed within the historic Sunderland Shipyards. Nancy has worked closely with the Sunderland City Council and the Sunderland Soroptimists, a worldwide volunteer service organization for women, and after putting out a call on her own social media channels, Nancy was approached by local artist Rosanne Robertson who has been commissioned to create the statue that will be unveiled later this year.

Sunderland boasted the largest shipyard in Europe during WWII, and produced a quarter of Britain's merchant shipping at the time. When the men went away to war, the courageous Shipyard Girls took up the back breaking work building ships for the British Navy. Due to its size, the Sunderland Shipyards were a key target of Hitler’s Blitzkreig, making the work not only backbreaking but incredibly dangerous. Historians have estimated that without the courageous women working in Sunderlands’ shipyards during the war, WWII could very likely have been lost due to lack of ability to transport troops, provisions and ammunition.

Follow the blog tour

Twitter @arevellwalton #ShipyardGirls

@arrowpublishing

📖 His Fic Saturday Blog Tour ~ Over the Rainbow by Katie Flynn

On Hist Fic Saturday 

I am thrilled to host the concluding stop on this lovely blog tour 

Let's go back to 1939

  📖 

Arrow
4 March 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and the invitation to the blog tour

Liverpool 1939: Olivia Campbell appears to have the perfect life. However, behind closed doors she lives in constant fear of her abusive father, and has no support from her mother…

Longing for love and affection she begins a relationship with Ted, a young lad who works in her father’s factory. But her family disapprove of the relationship and forbid them from seeing each other.

When war comes to Liverpool, Olivia seizes the opportunity to leave behind her unhappy life and join the WAAF. There she meets a fellow trainee, Maude and the two embrace their newly found independence. Soon Olivia meets the handsome Ralph, and all thoughts of Ted are brushed aside. Until he returns to her life with some shocking news that turns her world upside down...

My thoughts..

Olivia Campbell and Ted Hewitt meet and fall in love as young teenagers but their different social circumstances in Liverpool are against them and once Olivia's factory owner father discovers their relationship he does all in his power to break them apart.

What then follows is a conclusion to the Liverpool Sisters Trilogy which began with Liverpool Daughter and Under the Misteltoe and whilst all three novels may be read as standalones there is no doubt that they are better enjoyed as a set, particularly as Over the Rainbow brings the trilogy to its final conclusion and ties up several loose ends.

I loved reading Olivia and Ted's story as both are such interesting characters but I think in Olivia the author creates a worthy heroine. She is feisty and determined in the face of such adversity that it's impossible not to warm to her story. Setting the book in Liverpool, in the years leading up to, and during the Second World War, gives the story a strong sense of historical authenticity, especially when Olivia later joins the WAAF, working with a group of like minded strong and determined women.

It's been interesting to see how all the strands of this trilogy finally come together and as the story finishes I felt a sense of completion as everything had come full circle. Beautifully written by Holly Flynn who has now taken up her mother's writing mantle, Over the Rainbow is a thoroughly enjoyable historical saga which held my attention right from the start.

*Included in the bonus content is a rather yummy sounding recipe for Chocolate Brownies which I hope to try before too long 😂

About the Author

Katie Flynn is the pen name of the much-loved writer, Judy Turner, who published over ninety novels in her lifetime. Judy’s unique stories were inspired by hearing family recollections of life in Liverpool during the early twentieth century, and her books went on to sell more than eight million copies. Judy passed away in January 2019, aged 82.

The legacy of Katie Flynn lives on through her daughter, Holly Flynn, who continues to write under the Katie Flynn name. Holly worked as an assistant to her mother for many years and together they co-authored a number of Katie Flynn novels, including Christmas at Tuppenny Corner.

Holly lives in the north east of Wales with her husband Simon and their two children. When she’s not writing she enjoys walking her two lurchers, Sparky and Snoopy, in the surrounding countryside, and cooking forbidden foods such as pies, cakes and puddings! She looks forward to sharing many more Katie Flynn stories, which she and her mother devised together, with readers in the years to come.

Twitter @ArrowPublishing

#OvertheRainbow

📖 Publication Day Push ~ A Mother Forever by Elaine Everest

 

Pan Macmillan
4 March 2021

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

1905: Ruby Caselton may only be twenty-five years old but she already has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Heavily pregnant with her second child, penniless and exhausted, she is moving her family into a new home. The Caseltons left their last place when they couldn’t pay the rent, but Ruby’s husband Eddie has promised this will be a fresh start for them all. And Ruby desperately hopes that this time he will keep his word. With five-year-old George at her feet and her mother having a cross word for everyone and everything, life is never dull at number thirteen Alexandra Road. It doesn’t take long before Eddie loses another job and once again hits the bottle. It’s up to Ruby to hold them all together, through thick and thin. She remembers the kind, caring man Eddie once was and just can’t give up on him entirely. What she doesn’t know is that Eddie has a secret, one so dark that he can’t bear to tell even Ruby . . . 

Through Ruby’s grit and determination, she keeps food on the table and finds herself a community of neighbours on Alexandra Road. Stella, the matriarch from across the way, soon becomes a friend and confidante. She even dreams that Ruby will ditch the useless Eddie and take up with her eldest son, Frank. But when war breaks out in 1914, the heartbreaks and losses that follow will fracture their community, driving both Stella and Ruby to breaking point. Will their men ever return to them?

📖 My thoughts..

Ruby Caselton moves into a new house in Erith in Kent, but it's not long before her ne'er do well husband, Eddie, and his wastrel ways make life really difficult for Ruby, her son George and Ruby's mother who lives with them. Times are unbearably difficult for Ruby but her friendship with the motherly neighbour, Stella Green, makes life just a little bit more bearable for Ruby and her family.

The years just before the outbreak of WW1 are brought to life with a stark reminder of just how hard it was to make ends meet when jobs were scarce and it was all to easy to get drawn in with the wrong sort of people. Ruby is a feisty and likable heroine, filled with grit and determination she pulls her her family through all manner of tragedies.

Those who have read this author's series of books about The Woolworth Girls will undoubtedly recognise a few of the characters, albeit their younger selves, in A Mother Forever and it was lovely to see them at the start of their lives, particularly, Ruby and her family.

A Mother Forever is a beautifully written historical saga which has all the trademarks of this talented author's fine writing, a strong story line, interesting characters and an authentic sense of time and place.

About the Author

Elaine Everest, author of bestselling novels The Woolworths Girls, The Butlins Girls, Christmas at Woolworths and Wartime at Woolworths, was born and brought up in noth-west Kent, where many of her books are set. She has been a freelance writer for twenty years and has written widely for women’s magazines and national newspapers, both short stories and features. Her non-fiction books for dog owners have been very popular and led to her broadcasting on radio about our four-legged friends. Elaine has been heard discussing many topics on radio, from canine subjects to living with a husband under her feet when redundancy looms. When she isn’t writing, Elaine runs The Write Place creative writing school in Hextable, Kent, and has a long list of published students. Elaine lives with her husband, Michael, and their Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Henry, in Swanley, Kent, and is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Crime Writers’ Association, the Society of Women Writers and Journalists, and the Society of Authors.

You can find out more about Elaine on Twitter @ElaineEverest or Facebook @ElaineEverestAuthor

Twitter @panmacmillan  #AMotherForever

📖 Blog Tour ~ A Family Secret by Libby Ashworth

 

On Hist Fic Saturday I'm thrilled to host a stop on this blog tour

Let's go back to ...1842

Arrow Publishing
4 February 2021

Mill Town Lasses #3

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book
and the invitation to the blog tour

Lancashire, 1842 

Sixteen-year-old Bessie Eastwood works long hours as a weaver in Blackburn, helping to support her family. Meanwhile older sister Peggy works as an apprentice at the Girls’ School, hoping for a more prosperous future as a schoolteacher.

Jennet and Titus Eastwood have always decided what is best for their daughters. But as they near adulthood the sisters are determined to choose their own futures. And with temptation in the way, will the girls find love, or lust, leads them astray?

When an unexpected but familiar face arrives in Blackburn, the family’s future is threatened, and a difficult decision will have to be made – love or family..

📖 My thoughts..

It's been really lovely to step back in time with the latest in this series of historical sagas which are set in the mill town of Blackburn, Lancashire, at the height of its cotton manufacturing heyday. 

In A Family Secret trouble is brewing for the Eastwood family as mill production is threatened when working hours are compromised by changes in working conditions. These changes do not sit lightly on those who are both working, and fighting, for the right of fair pay for a fair day's work. Inevitably changes are coming, and young Bessie Eastwood and her father, Titus, both mill workers, are filled with a real sense of unease about their job security. Meanwhile the older sister, Margaret, is facing her own challenges as her quest to better herself takes her life in an altogether different direction. 

When old secrets, which are buried deep at the heart of this family start to threaten, and those who have read the earlier books will know what they are, the future starts to look even more uncertain for  members of the Eastwood family.

As with the previous stories, there's a real sense of community spirit, and the warmth, and camaraderie, of the northern, no nonsense, spirit comes alive.The author captures the historical accuracy of life in a Victorian mill town, and the northern vernacular feels natural, just as if the characters were sitting in your Victorian parlour having a cup of tea, and a slice of bread and butter. I remember my own grandmother, herself a Lancashire mill girl, telling me about the deafening noise of the weaving sheds and about shuttles and looms, warp and weft, whilst at the same time, slicing bread with the expertise of a French swordsman.

A Family Secret is the third book in the Mill Town Lasses series and whilst it can be read a standalone it does bring in characters from previous novels and in a way this book is tying off some of the loose ends which were left hanging after the first book. Beautifully written, as always, A Family Secret is a lovely continuation of the saga.

 

About the author

Libby was born and raised (and still lives) in Lancashire and her passion for the area really shines through in her writing. Her inspiration comes from researching her family history and the two main characters are based on her great, great, great, great grandparents.

Website

Twitter @elizashworth #AFamilySecret

@arrowpublishing

📖 Book Review ~ The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman

Arrow Books

12 November 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

ONE WILD PARTY. FOUR COUNTS OF MURDER.

A mansion in Beverly Hills is leased out to host an event wild enough to herald the end of days.

The next day there isn’t a living soul to be seen. In the driveway sits a super-stretch limo, unlocked, with four bodies inside it. Nothing links the victims together. Each has been killed in a different way.

Now it’s up to brilliant psychologist Alex Delware and LAPD Lieutenant Milo Sturgis to begin their grisliest and most baffling case yet.

As they struggle to make sense of the mass slaying, they will be forced to confront a level of evil that nothing can prepare them for.

📖 My thoughts..

I'm very late to the party with this series as Museum of Desire is now the #35 book in the Alex Delaware series and as this is my first time reading of the partnership between psychologist Alex Delaware and LAPD Lieutenant Milo Sturgis I entered this 35th crime scene with an air of trepidation just in case I couldn't pick up the back story. I needn't have worried as from the dramatic start to the story, with the discovery of a gruesome crime scene, I was completely hooked in by the story.

 

That this is a complex murder investigation is obvious as the story gets under way. Four bodies, all seemingly unconnected to each other, are found after a party has taken place at a prestigious mansion in Beverley Hills, and the more Sturgis investigates the more questions are raised which is why he relies heavily on psychologist Delaware helping out with profiling the perpetrator of this heinous crime. Both Delaware and Sturgis work well together as each complement the other and when one starts to falter the other gives the much needed boost needed to carry on with the complex investigation.

The story moves along at a cracking pace and there is never a moment when the momentum lapses or the tension lessens and I found that I really couldn't stop reading until I had discovered just why these disparate characters all ended up dying together in such dreadful circumstances. The author writes with knowledgeable conviction and has obviously invested such time and energy into the series that everything just gels beautifully together.

Museum of Desire is a fast action crime thriller with a decidedly gritty edginess so it's not for the faint hearted. However, I am sure that fans of the Alex Delaware series will find much to enjoy in this latest crime investigation.

About the Author

Jonathan Kellerman is the Number One New York Times bestselling author of more than forty crime novels, including the Alex Delaware series, The Butcher's Theater, Billy Straight, The Conspiracy Club, Twisted, True Detectives, and The Murderer's Daughter.

Website

@ArrowBooks

🎄 Blog Tour ~ The Smuggler's Wife by Evie Grace

🎄 Thrilled to be the first blog to open today's blog tour stop🎄

Arrow
31 December 2020
#3 Smuggler's Daughters Trilogy

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and the invitation to take part in the blog tour

Kent, 1815

Her heart led her to him, but will loyalty be enough to make her stay . . .

When the beautiful but naïve Grace Lennicker falls for Isaiah Feasey, son of a rival smuggling family and owner of a local tavern, her sisters try to intervene. But as tensions grow, there is another suitor also hoping to win her hand in marriage, the dashing and more favourable Albert Enderby, a young lieutenant in the Revenue.

Grace is unwittingly drawn back into the world of smuggling that her sisters fought hard to leave behind, and as violence erupts, she finds herself unable to stand by, knowing the rival gangs will kill anyone who stands in their way.

When her husband becomes involved, Grace is forced to make a difficult decision - turn him in and risk her life, or stay loyal and risk the lives of those she loves...

My thoughts...

Set in Kent, in the early nineteenth century, this series follows the fortunes of the Lennicker sisters who we have met previously in The Lace Maiden and The Golden Maid and whilst it is perfectly possible to read each story as a stand-alone historical adventure/saga, like all series it is better to read the stories in order as that way you get to know each of the sisters in turn.

The Smuggler’s Wife follows the story of Grace Lennicker, the youngest of the girls, and for whom life is always going to be complicated, especially when she has two very different suitors vying for her attention. Choosing to go with her heart’s desire, Grace soon realises that life with, tavern keeper and general bad boy, Isaiah Feasey, isn’t going to be straightforward, nor do her older sisters approve of her associating with a man who seems to attract nothing but trouble.

What then follows is an exciting, and thoroughly enjoyable, historical adventure which has all the hallmarks of this author’s fine writing. The area around Deal in Kent comes alive and the old phrase of ‘keep your friends close but your enemies closer’ springs to mind especially with the vivid description of what it was like to be constantly in danger, either from creditors demanding money with menaces, or in trying to keep one step ahead of the Revenue.

Grace proves to be a feisty young heroine, I enjoyed getting to know more about her and wanted everything to work out well. It was especially interesting to have snippets of information about what was happening in the lives of the older Lennicker sisters and both Winnie and Louisa have much to say on the subject of Grace’s volatile relationship with Isiah Feasey. Of course, as the title suggests this book has references to the smuggling past of this part of the country and the author describes this free trade, particularly after the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars when times were hard, with a fine eye for historical detail.

Beautifully written with an air of authenticity, The Smugglers Wife is a fine continuation of this series and an interesting historical saga on its own merits.

About the author

Evie Grace was born in Kent, and one of her earliest memories is of picking cherries with her grandfather who managed a fruit farm near Selling. Holidays spent in the Kent countryside and the stories passed down through her family inspired her to write her Maids of Kent trilogy. Evie now lives in Devon with her partner and dog. She has a grown-up daughter and son. She loves researching the history of the nineteenth century and is very grateful for the invention of the washing machine, having discovered how the Victorians struggled to do their laundry.

Twitter @eviegrace2017

@ArrowPublishing #TheSmugglersWife

🎄His Fic Saturday ~ A Christmas Wedding by Fiona Ford

 

I'm delighted to share my last festive read on Hist Fic Saturday

Let's go back to London, 1943 

For A Christmas Wedding

Arrow
12 November 2020
Liberty Girls #4

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

London, 1943: Dot Hanson has never forgotten the thrill of seeing the beautiful Christmas displays at Liberty’s department store as a young girl.

Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would one day work there, or that she would fall in love with the store’s manager, her childhood sweetheart Edwin Button.

But in spite of the life Dot has built for herself, and the tight-knit community around her, she lives in the shadow of a terrible secret. And as the bombs continue to fall across Britain there is more heartache still to come.

All Dot wants is a family of her own with the man she loves by her side.

Will her dreams come true in time for Christmas?

🎄What did I think about it..

A Christmas Wedding sees a welcome return to the Liberty Girls series of historical sagas set in the London department store, Liberty's. The characters are now as familiar as old friends and I have loved catching up with their individual stories. This book, however, focuses more on Dot Hanson, the bluff, motherly figure who takes in all of the Liberty's waifs and strays. Recently promoted to Head of Fabrics, Dot and her team have a real battle to keep their department profitable at a time when the motto was 'make do and mend' and they have to come up with new ideas to bring in the customers.

The social aspects of living through the latter years of the war are brought sharply into focus, there is no doubt that times are hard but the stoicism and camaraderie of this intrepid group of women shines through. There's more than a hint of romance in the air, and the ongoing relationship between Dot, and her childhood sweetheart, Edwin Button takes centre stage but there are several obstacles in their way and some dark secrets exposed. There's a lovely festive feel to the story and of course as the title suggests there is a Christmas wedding but I won't spoil and tell you get married.

This wartime saga continues to go from strength to strength, and sharing the lives, loves and heartbreak of the girls from Liberty's is always a joy. I hope that we can return to the store before too long.

🎄Best read with a slice of Woolton Pie and a glass of port and lemon.

About the Author

Facebook

Twitter @Fionajourno #AChristmasWedding

@Arrowpublishing

Blog Tour ~ Author spotlight ~ Sophie Cousens

 

On today's blog tour stop I am delighted to welcome the author

Sophie Cousens

Photo credit:Holly Smith

Hi Sophie, welcome to Jaffareadstoo and thanks for spending time with us today

Where did you get the first flash of inspiration for This Time, Next Year?

I lived in Primrose Hill when I first moved to London at twenty-two. I saw these huge, beautiful houses across the road from the tiny bedsit where I stayed, and it made me wonder if the people who lived in those beautiful homes had perfect lives. That was the seed of an idea. Often people can seem to have it all from the outside, but no one really knows what’s going on behind closed doors.

My editor Sonny and I worked closely on many other ingredients in the book. We liked lots of ideas: a book set around New Year’s Eve, babies born one minutes apart whose lives take very different paths, a sense of ‘missed connections’, fate and luck. I chucked all these ingredients into a big pot (my laptop) and out popped This Time Next Year, baked and ready to eat.

Tell us three fascinating facts about This Time, Next Year?

The airport scene pretty much happened to me. If you’ve read it… you know. Cringe.

The book started off being called The First of January Club. I’m glad we changed it, as This Time Next Year is so much better, but in all the first drafts on my laptop it’s still called The First of January Club.

All my siblings get a name check in the book; I have a Polly, Lucy, Rupert and Edward and they all feature somewhere within the pages.

Whilst you are writing you must live with your characters. How do you feel about them when the book is finished? Are they the people you expected them to be?

It’s funny how your characters develop and change as you write a book. I am not a particularly superstitious person, but Minnie, my heroine is deeply superstitious when the book begins. Bad things seem to happen to her at New Year’s Eve and she is convinced she is jinxed and shouldn’t leave the house. By the time I’d written all the awful things that happen to Minnie over the years, I think I had a lot more sympathy for her belief in ‘the jinx’ – because, well, I was jinxing her!

There are so many minor characters in this book who I loved creating. Fleur, Clive and Minnie’s Dad are all favourites of mine, and I almost wish that there had been more time to spend with them or see where their lives went to next.

Which character in the story did you identify with the most?

I feel a bit like Bev at the moment. Bev is concerned about the environment and about her place in the world, but she doesn’t know what to do about it. She’s watched too much Brian Cox on BBC4 which results her existential life crisis. I think all of us can feel overwhelmed by the world outside sometimes, by all the things we should be doing in order to be a good person; saving the planet, recycling, making a difference. Sometimes you just want to hide under your duvet because you don’t know how you can even begin to make the change you want to see in the world.  

This Time Next Year is your debut novel, have you always wanted to write and how did you get started?

I have always wanted to write and have written short stories from a young age. I think I wrote my first romantic novel when I was thirteen and read it out to my friends at school. There was a hero called Troy and lots of dramatic lightning storms. I think I’d just discovered the film Reality Bites and was basically writing fan fiction about Ethan Hawke.

The dream of being published started to become a reality a few years ago when I won a competition called Love at First Write. That lead me to get an agent, which in turn set me on course to being published and seeing my name on a printed novel for the very first time.

Tell us about your writing day- are you disciplined, strictly 9 til 5, or are you more of a have a cup of tea and think about it sort of writer?

I actually wrote This Time Next Year in the evenings around a full-time job and two small children so I had to be very disciplined with my time and could only write between 8-11pm. Now I’m lucky enough to be a full-time writer and do it as my day job, but I fear I just use that extra time to procrastinate. My working day consists of 5% writing time, 95% Instagram, making coffee, eating biscuits and looking out of the window ponderously. I wish I could be more efficient, but some of the best ideas only seem to come when you allow them time to percolate.

And finally for fun! 😊

Tell us four essential things every writer needs!

Other writer friends. I have only just discovered a few, and they are mainly online, but they are essential to have, especially when you need to celebrate or commiserate about something!

If you are in a relationship, an understanding partner. Being a writer means sitting in your room, alone for many many hours and evenings. It can be a very antisocial job than consumes a lot of your brain, time and energy. You need to be with someone tolerant of you being married to your laptop.

Strawberry laces. The best sweets ever.

An amazing agent. Not everyone needs an agent, but I definitely do. Not only does my agent Clare give me fantastic advice, edit notes and do all the hard work of negotiating book deals for me, but she’s also a friend and someone I can call and just rant to about everything from word counts to Amazon Ranking and ‘why did I drink all the wine and now I’m too drunk to write?’

If your life was a book, what would be its title?

Revenge of The Strawberry Laces

Or The Big Badger Bonanza.

Thank you x

Penguin
Paperback out 15 October 2020

Get ready to fall for this year's most extraordinary love story...

Quinn and Minnie are born on New Year’s Eve, in the same hospital, one minute apart.Their lives may begin together, but their worlds couldn’t be more different. Thirty years later they find themselves together again in the same place, at the same time.

What if fate is trying to bring them together?

The clock strikes midnight, their moment passes, and another year begins. But if Quinn and Minnie are from different worlds, why do they keep bumping into each other? And why is it that each frustrating interaction somehow seems to push their lives in the right direction? Could it be that instead of clashing, their different outlooks might complement each other?

Perhaps now is the time to take a chance...

Sophie Cousens worked as a TV producer in London for more than twelve years and now lives on the island of Jersey in the UK, balancing her writing career with working for an arts charity and taking care of her two small children. This Time Next Year is her first novel.

Twitter @SophieCous #ThisTimeNextYear

Instagram @Sophie_Cousens

@ArrowPublishing

🎄 Blog Tour ~ A Christmas Wish for the Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell

 

🎄Thrilled to host one of today's blog tour stops🎄

Arrow Paperback Original
1 October 2020

#9 Shipyard Girls

Thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

Sunderland, 1943: As Christmas approaches in the shipyards, everyone is hoping for a little magic…

Helen would love to find the courage to tell the dashing Dr Parker of her true feelings for him. But how can she when he clearly has eyes for someone else?

More than a year has passed since Bel’s wedding to sweetheart Joe. She knows she has much to feel thankful for and yet there is still one burning desire which she cannot ignore.

And as Polly grows with child, she hopes against hope for a safe delivery – and that her husband Tommy can soon return from the front line to meet their new arrival.

There will be storms to weather, but guided by their strength and friendship there is still hope for each of the shipyard girls that their Christmas wishes will come true.

What did I think about it..

It's always such a pleasure to return to this series as catching up with the Shipyard Girls is like meeting again with old friends. It's now 1943 and the North East shipyards are facing a tough time as a barrage of bombardment aimed at the docks means that the girls are constantly occupied in repairing the damage which has been inflicted by enemy aircraft. 

However, away from the shipyard, there are changes aplenty coming for all of the characters and none more so that for Bel and Pearl who must finally face up to the secret of their past which threatens to overshadow their present. As always the author captures the wartime spirit of stoicism and camaraderie, there are the usual fallouts and arguments but generally everyone looks out for everyone else and the stoicism and camaraderie comes across, especially in their care and concern for Polly who is facing the birth of her child without her beloved Tommy by her side. I think of all the characters, Helen Crawford is probably my favourite, and it's been lovely to have her feature quite a lot in this story as her relationship with the eligible Dr Parker keeps everyone guessing.

There is no doubt that in each of her stories the author brings the Shipyard Girls to life in such a vibrant and realistic way that you can't help but want everything to work out well for each of them. However, life is never straightforward and the author gives us an abundance of emotions, happy and sad, poignant and emotional, and yet what ultimately shines through is their friendship, love and care for each other.

This is now the ninth book in the series and whilst I think that it can be read as a standalone, there are lots of characters who you really need to get to know, so my advice on this series, if you enjoy WW2 sagas, is to start at the very beginning and get to know these intrepid shipyard girls as they survive the war years.  A Christmas Wish for the Shipyard Girls is a lovely seasonal read which can be read at any time of year but it's especially poignant as a Christmas read as several of the girls have wishes they want to come true whether do they do or not is for you to discover for yourself.

About the Author

Nancy Revell is the pen name of writer and journalist Amanda Revell Walton, who has worked for the national press for the past 25 years, providing them with hard-hitting news stories and in-depth features. She has also worked for just about every woman’s magazine, writing amazing and inspirational true life stories.

Nancy Revell is spearheading a campaign to honour the real women of the Sunderland shipyards in her home town with a new public statue that will be displayed within the historic Sunderland Shipyards. Nancy has worked closely with the Sunderland City Council and the Sunderland Soroptimists, a worldwide volunteer service organization for women, and after putting out a call on her own social media channels, Nancy was approached by local artist Rosanne Robertson who has been commissioned to create the statue that will be unveiled later this year.

Sunderland boasted the largest shipyard in Europe during WWII, and produced a quarter of Britain's merchant shipping at the time. When the men went away to war, the courageous Shipyard Girls took up the back breaking work building ships for the British Navy. Due to its size, the Sunderland Shipyards were a key target of Hitler’s Blitzkreig, making the work not only backbreaking but incredibly dangerous. Historians have estimated that without the courageous women working in Sunderlands’ shipyards during the war, WWII could very likely have been lost due to lack of ability to transport troops, provisions and ammunition.

Twitter @arevellwalton #ShipyardGirls

Website

@arrowpublishing

Blog Tour ~ Secrets of the Railway Girls by Maisie Thomas

 

Delighted to host today's final blog tour stop

Arrow
17 September 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour.

This second instalment of this exciting new saga series shows just how important friendship and love is in a time of uncertainty and change. We pick back up with Dot, Joan and Mabel as the war continues and secrets threaten their budding friendships. Brought together by their work on Manchester’s railways and a duty to help the war effort and those they love fighting overseas, these three amazing women find that with the support and encouragement of each other, they can get through even the most challenging of times.

What did I think about it...

It's been such a treat to return to this group of women who we first encountered in The Railway Girls. Picking up the threads of the story again we follow, Dot, Joan and Mabel as they continue their valuable work on the Manchester railway network, keeping everything both at home, and at work, in lively focus.  

In this novel, the northern stoicism of the railway girls is sorely tested when Manchester becomes the target for some pretty fierce bombardment, but as always, they rise to the challenge of what lies before them. Trained in first aid some of the women find themselves in some tricky situations which they handle with bravery and compassion.

The individual stories are just as interesting, I love the brave, good humour of Dot, so reminiscent of the strong northern women in my family who, during WW2 kept, hearth and home together. The practical skills of Joan, and the seriousness of Mabel, and yet they all bring out the best in each other and their support is especially vital when times get tough.

I love the setting of the book in North West England, it all feels so familiar, there's even a shout out to the railway station in my home town in it! The war-time authenticity is without question as is the author's enthusiasm and skill in bringing place, people and historical context to life. With heartbreak, tragedy and upheaval as a constant threat the railway girls face some difficult challenges but with their brave good humour they do their absolute best to keep going even though life around them is really difficult.

Beautifully written, with a quiet charm, the author has most certainly got the balance just right with this historical saga. Her characters, with all of their problems and insecurities, come alive, we laugh, and cry, with them as they do their best to keep to keep morale alive in some pretty difficult circumstances.

I am sure that this isn't the last we have seen of The Railways Girls - I would hope that they have many more adventures before the war is over.

About the Author

Maisie Thomas was born and brought up in Manchester, which provides the location for her Railway Girls novels. She loves writing stories with strong female characters, set in times when women needed determination and vision to make their mark. The Railway Girls series is inspired by her great Aunt Jessie, who worked as a railway clerk during the First World War. Maisie now lives in beautiful North Wales with her railway enthusiast husband and their two rescue cats. They often enjoy holidays chugging up and down the UK’s heritage steam railways.

Twitter @MaisieThomas99 #SecretsOfTheRailwayGirls

Twitter @Arrowpublishing 

Blog Tour ~ A Walk along the Beach by Debbie Macomber ☼

☼ Delighted to host today's summery Blog Tour Stop ☼

Arrow
6 August 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my ecopy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour.

A heart-warming tale of the love of sisters and finding inner strength you didn’t know you had from bestseller Debbie Macomber

Sisters Willa and Harper mean the world to each other.

Inseparable since the loss of their mother as teenagers, the Lakey sisters are perfect opposites. Quiet, demure Willa has always admired Harper's sense of adventure. She enjoys her peaceful routine as a café owner in their coastal hometown of Oceanside.

When a handsome customer shows interest in Willa, Harper urges her sister to take a chance on love. Then Harper receives crushing news that threatens to bring everything to a halt.

Only by supporting each other will the sisters be able to face the trials to come. And though the time ahead may be tough, Willa and Harper will discover that the darkest times can lead to the most beautiful rewards.

What did I think about it..

A Walk along the Beach sees a welcome return to Oceanside in the Pacific North West, back to the small coastal town we first discovered in Cottage by the Sea. I liked the fleeting glimpses of those characters we met previously in Cottage by the Sea, especially Doctor Annie and her husband Keaton, but of course, it is Willa, Harper, Sean, Bandit the dog  and Snowball the cat who stole my heart in A Walk along the Beach.

In this visit to Oceanside we meet sisters, Willa and Harper Lakey. Willa runs Bean There, a thriving coffee shop, whilst Harper teaches yoga and fitness classes at the Oceanside Fitness Centre. Both women are extremely supportive of each other and their love shines through, especially as Willa has always looked after her younger sister. Harper is determined to set Willa up with a suitable date, and Willa is equally determined not to be pulled into any of Harper’s scheming ideas, but then fate has a nasty way of interfering and both Willa and Harper have some life challenges ahead of them.

This is a lovely story, desperately sad in places, I definitely needed a whole box of tissues, but throughout the book, the message that we should cherish those who are important to us comes across loud and clear. In any other writer’s hands this story could come across as mawkish and sentimental, but this is just so beautifully written that even the sad bits were totally enjoyable. 

A Walk along the Beach is a love story, between siblings, boyfriend and girlfriend, fathers and daughters but mostly it’s about sisters, supporting, arguing, being there for each other, and the ultimate sadness of having to let go of someone when with every ounce of strength you want to hold them forever in your heart ♡

There’s something about reading a Debbie Macomber book that is exactly like taking your favourite fluffy blanket, a family size packet of chocolate biscuits and retreating to your most comfortable armchair. There is never a moment when the warmth of the story doesn’t pull you into a make believe world which is always totally believable. 

Despite the tears, I closed the book with a massive sigh of pleasure ♡

About the Author

Debbie Macomber is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of over 100 books, and one of today’s most popular writers. In addition to fiction, Debbie has also published two bestselling cookbooks; numerous inspirational and nonfiction works; and two acclaimed children’s books. The beloved and bestselling Cedar Cove series became Hallmark Channel’s first dramatic scripted television series, and was ranked as the top program on US cable TV when it debuted in summer 2013. Debbie also owns her own tearoom and a yarn store, A Good Yarn, named after the shop featured in her popular Blossom Street novels. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and her husband Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington (the town on which her Cedar Cove novels are based) and winter in Florida.

Twitter @debbiemacomber #AWalkAlongTheBeach

Facebook

@arrowpublishing

Website

Amazon UK