☀️Summer Reads ~ Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by Sue Moorcroft

It’s that time of year again when I choose books which would make the perfect holiday reading. The stories which are easy enough to pick up and put down and which lend themselves, both by plot and characters, to lazy afternoons in the sunshine. 

I’ll be sharing a few of the books which I think are perfect escapism for summer reading. 

Look for #summerReads

Renegade Books
2 July 202

The Italian Legacy Book #1

My thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to review this book 

Two sisters she's never met…

A first love who's impossible to forget...

For Jade, life in Lake Como is la dolce vita. Until her beloved grandmother passes, leaving Jade not just the family's bustling guesthouse to run, but two life-changing secrets to confront...

The pensione hasn't just been left to Jade, it's also been inherited by her sisters - who she had no idea existed. As Erin and Rosalie arrive in Italy, Jade is forced to face the heart-wrenching prospect of sharing her last remaining tie to the woman who raised her.

Jade is desperately trying to hold on to the past, but there's one person she would prefer to leave firmly behind: her first love, Leo. He's back in the city that is filled with the memories they once made together. But as Jade fights to take control of her future and her heart, why do all cobbled roads lead back to Leo?

☀️My Review..

When Jade’s beloved grandmother passes away she is faced with the momentous discovery that she has two younger sisters who she knew absolutely nothing about and not only that but also Erin and Rosalie have inherited a share in the cosy Italian guesthouse which has been home to Jade all her life. Faced with such life changing uncertainty poor Jade has more than enough to worry about however, with an enviable stoicism, and with the occasional nudge, from her friends, she eventually comes round to the idea that she must learn to change and adapt to her new circumstances.

Beautifully written, and wonderfully descriptive, the area around Lake Como comes vibrantly to life, so much so, I feel like I have been on holiday, staying in the rather marvellous Pensióne Three Sisters which is situated in the old part of Como. It’s been such a pleasure to get know not only Jade but also the other lovely characters who have made this story such a joy to read. The place, the people, the atmosphere are all brought to life with such lovely detail that it’s difficult not to fall in love with everything as her friends pull together to help Jade when she feels that her life, as she knew it, is unraveling. Special mention must also go to the rather delicious Leo, Jade’s first love and now suddenly back at his parent’s hotel in Como after an absence of sixteen years.

Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse is an absolute joy from start to finish and is the most perfect summer read. I was sorry when the story ended, but reassured that the second book in this delightful new trilogy will be published in November. Can’t wait.. 😄 

About the Author

Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author. Her novels have been #1 on Kindle UK and Top 100 on Kindle US, Canada, Germany and Italy. She’s won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Novel of the Year, Readers’ Best Romantic Novel award, two HOLT Medallions and the Katie Fforde Bursary. She’s the president of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Her novels, short stories, serials, columns, writing ‘how to’ and courses have appeared around the world.

Website: www.suemoorcroft.com

#SecretsOfTheItalianGuesthouse

Facebook author page SueMoorcroftAuthor

Twitter: @SueMoorcroft

Instagram: @SueMoorcroftAuthor1

☀️Summer Reads ~ A Nantucket Fling by Kathryn Freeman

It’s that time of year again when I choose books which would make perfect holiday reading. The stories which are easy enough to pick up and put down and which lend themselves, both by plot and characters, to lazy afternoons in the sunshine.

 Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing a few of the books which I think are perfect escapism for summer reading.

Look for #SummerReads

Harper Collins
One More Chapter
9 June 2026

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Can love begin when the summer ends?

Dragged to the charming island of Nantucket for her niece’s wedding celebrations, finance hotshot Olivia plans a week of spreadsheets and sunscreen – until she meets Connor: ten years younger, impossibly charming, and a single dad with a playboy past.

Unable to deny their beachside chemistry, Olivia and Connor dive into a carefree romance with a built-in expiry date…

But as the Nantucket sunshine starts to fade and real life resumes, will this just be a postcard-perfect fling – or the start of something more..

☀️ My Review..

When career-focused Olivia arrives on the beautiful New England island of Nantucket for her niece’s hen week, and wedding, she is certainly not looking for romance, instead she is entirely focused on gaining a promotion at work and this time away from her office is nothing more than an inconvenience for her. However, putting that on one side, she is ill-prepared for the punch of desire she feels for the very handsome, and much younger, Connor, who is working at the hotel as a chef and barman. 

What then follows isn’t a typical holiday romance, for a start there’s an age difference which Olivia finds difficult to rationalise and even whilst Connor offers her a sizzling opportunity to have a sexy and uncomplicated fling, she still finds lots of reasons why she shouldn’t consider having her head turned by a man ten years her junior. I enjoyed this light hearted summer romance and whilst it also considers some serious topics it doesn’t take itself too seriously and though I would have liked to have spent more time in New England I understand why the narrative had to move back to the UK in order to have the characters progress in their will they, won’t they relationship. I enjoyed observing both Connor and Olivia, especially Connor in his role as a single dad, however, it took me a while longer to warm to Olivia who is a bit prickly but as her story progressed she became much more likeable.

A Nantucket Fling does what this author does best, it’s a lighthearted, sexy, summer read which is perfect escapism for a long, hot afternoon in the sunshine.

Best read with …one of Connor’s delicious cocktails 🍸 

About the Author

A former pharmacist, Kathryn now writes romantic comedies. Feel good books that are sexy and sweet, funny yet heart-warming. Mr Right Across the Street won the RNA Award for Romantic Comedy in 2022.

With a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), the romance in her own life is all in her head. Then again, his unstinting support of her career change proves love isn't always about hearts and flowers - and heroes come in many disguises.

Twitter: @kathrynfreeman1

Facebook: facebook.com/kathrynfreeman

Instagram: kathryn.freeman_author

Website: http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk

X@OneMoreChapter_

☼Summer Reading ~ Azúcar by Nii Ayikwei Parkes

Destination ...Caribbean ☼

Peepal Tree Press Ltd

8 June 2023

My thanks to the publisher and Tory Lyne-Perkis for my copy of this book

Part socio-political satire, part romance, Azúcar (sugar) is the long awaited second novel from the critically acclaimed Ghanaian-British novelist, Nii Ayikwei Parkes (author of award winning novel Tail of the Blue Bird (Jonathan Cape). Set in a world where everything is on the move: people, ideas, food and music, Azúcar is a magic realist tale set on a fictional island in the Caribbean that asks what price we pay to have a place called ‘home’?

Sonada Sun is the sweetest rice in the world, and on the mythical Caribbean Island of Fumaz two young lovers, Ghanaian-born, Caribbean-raised musician Yunior and Caribbean-American college student Emelina Santos, heiress of the Soñada dynasty, lock eyes at a fiesta yards from her family’s city home.

In the ensuring years Yunior and Emelina travel divergent journeys through history, music, myth and heartbreak; confronting the question of what it means to belong to a place or to another person. Several years later the two are united in a quest to save Emelina’s family’s plantation from closure. To succeed they must find a way to bring back to life a plantation with soil so saturated with sugar that it can no longer support crops.

Yunior brings the knowledge of a scientist, the skills of a farmer and the heart of a musician to life in Fumaz. As a farmer, he sees how much of his West African food has journeyed across the Atlantic to make the island’s unique cuisine; as a musician he becomes part of the spirit that puts the island on the world stage, out of all proportion to its size.

Love and death, harmony and conflict are the motives of a set of vividly drawn characters, brought alive by Parkes’ flowing, elegant and heartfelt prose, that alongside people, food and music moves freely back and forth across the seas between Africa and the Caribbean.

📖 My Review..

In ordinary circumstances, Ghanaian-born, Caribbean-raised musician Yunior and Caribbean-American college student Emelina Santos, heiress of the Soñada dynasty, would never have met, that is, until fate brings them together. 

Set on a fictional island in the Caribbean, music, life, love, tragedy and heartbreak bring these two beautiful people together in a lyrical story which looks at the idea of destiny, what it means to be family and of the importance of bringing life back to those who have had hope taken away from them. A short but powerful story I read Azúcar in one sitting and was captured by Yunior's story as he pursues his dream but was also equally invested in Emalina's quest to fulfill her destiny by taking control of her family's sugar-soaked rice plantation. 

In Azúcar two quite separate stories converge and both Yunior and Emelina are lively protagonists however, it is their individualism which brings them together and their very differences which make this into such a compelling and beautifully written story about the need to find the place we call 'home'.

About Nii Ayikwei Parkes

London based Ghanaian-British writer, editor and publisher, Nii Ayikwei Parkes is one of the UK’s leading black voices, winning critical acclaim as a poet, novelist, broadcaster, and children’s author.

His debut novel, Tail of the Blue Bird (Jonathan Cape, 2009), was hailed by the Financial Times as ‘a beautifully written fable… simple in form, but grappling with urgent issues,’ and lauded internationally, becoming a bestseller in Germany and notably winning France's two major prizes for translated fiction – Prix Baudelaire and Prix Laure Bataillon – in 2014. He is also the author of two books for children – The Parade and Tales from Africa – under the pen name K.P. Kojo.

A published poet since 1999, his poem, ‘Tin Roof’, was selected for the Poems on the Underground initiative in 2007, followed by the poem ‘Barter,’ chosen from his first full poetry collection The Makings of You (2010). His 2020 poetry collection The Geez, was longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize, shortlisted for the Walcott Prize and was a Poetry Book Society 2020 Recommendation, while his a Ga language book, The Ga Picture Alphabet was shortlisted for the 2021 Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize.

He is the author of the poetry chapbooks: his début eyes of a boy, lips of a man (1999), M is for Madrigal (2004), a selection of seven jazz poems; and Ballast (2009), an imagination of the slave trade by balloon.

In 2001 Nii Ayikwei Parkes founded flipped eye publishing, a UK based publishing house which focuses on voices from the margins of British society. As editor and publisher at flipped eye Nii has played a key role in developing poets including Inua Ellams, Malika Booker and Nick Makoha as well as publishing the débuts of award-winning writers including Roger Robinson, Warsan Shire and Nikesh Shukla.

Nii Ayikwei is the literature programmer for Brighton Festival the city’s annual multi-cultural arts festival and serves on the boards of World Literature Today and the AKO Caine Prize. Previously he has served as a judge for several literature prizes including the Commonwealth Prize, the NSK Neustadt Prize and the Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize. In 2014 he was named one of Africa's 39 most promising authors of the new generation by the World Book Capital Africa 39 Project.

Outside of literature, Nii Ayikwei has written for publications such as the Financial Times, National Geographic, the Guardian and VICE, created adverts for the likes of Guinness and DHL, and modelled for Toyota and Ozwald Boateng.

 

Twitter @BlueBirdTail

@peepaltreepress

☼Summer Reading ~ Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum

 

Destination ....Fire Island ☼

Michael Joseph
8 June 2023

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

You are cordially invited to summer on New York State's idyllic Fire Island.

Thirty miles of golden sand:

No traffic. No tourists. No trash.

The city elite gather here every year, trailing kids, their nannies, wine and seafood imported from Manhattan: hard workers need their playtime.

Take the Parkers and the Weinsteins. Lauren and Jen hold sway on the beach and the tennis court. Their husbands are childhood friends bearing grudges as deep as they are secret.

Their lone single friend, Rachel Woolf, is looking to meet her match, whether he's the new tennis pro - or someone else's husband. She's not picky.

And while this season starts out quietly as any other, it soon changes when beneath the boardwalk, a body is found.

☼My Review..

The rich people arrive at their summer residences in Salcombe on Fire Island every year. It is a place where old money mixes with new and where beach side properties have been held by generations of the same family. Into this potent mix comes several families whose annual tolerance of each other is about to be stretched to limit. Bored and dissatisfied with each other the husbands and wives all seem to have something to hide not just from each other but also from the gossipy nature of an island resort where everyone knows everyone else’s business.

The story opens with a discovery of body under the boardwalk an event which leaves Salcombe reeling as crime is rare but as we soon discover no-one is above suspicion. Bad Summer People, with its whip-smart observations about the minutiae of island life, is done so cleverly that it feels like you are waiting in the shadows as this plot takes it’s inevitable trajectory towards tragedy. It’s been a while since I read a story where all of the central characters are totally unlikable but all credit to the author for making each of them so compelling. They are all rich, bored, selfish and self-obsessed and yet so utterly fascinating I couldn’t stop reading and felt a real sense of satisfaction when all the myriad strands came together so cleverly.

Bad Summer People, filled with an abundance of secrets and lies, is a fabulous summer read.

About the Author

Emma Rosenblum is Chief Content Officer at Bustle Digital Group. Prior to BDG, Emma served as the executive editor of Elle, the editorial director of Bloomberg Pursuits, a senior editor at Bloomberg Businessweek, and a senior editor at Glamour. She began her career at New York Magazine. Bad Summer People is her first novel.

Twitter @EmmaRosenblum #BadSummerPeople

@MichaelJBooks

☼Summer Reading ~The Summer Wedding in Santorini by Samantha Parks

  

Destination ... GREECE ☼

One More Chapter
March 2023

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

Escape to the beautiful Greek island of Santorini for the wedding of the year…

Anna has the perfect life on the island of Santorini with her gorgeous vineyard-owning boyfriend Nikos, and she travels the world for work. So why does she feel that something is missing?

When Anna’s best friend Elena gets engaged, she should be celebrating with her, but instead it seems to cause cracks in her own relationship that she never saw coming.

Nikos is thrilled that Anna's career is going from strength to strength, but being without her so much has left him feeling disconnected in ways that could have devastating consequences for their future.

As celebrations get underway for the wedding of the summer, secrets will be revealed, and ultimatums will be given. In the end, Anna and Nikos must decide whether their love story can have the happy ever after they both desperately want…

My Review..

Anna travels the world photographing exotic locations for prestigious clients so when she returns to her summer house on the beautiful Greek island of Santorini she wants nothing more than to snuggle down with her handsome boyfriend, Nikos. However, all is not going well for them as Nikos is becoming increasingly resentful of Anna's constant absence in his life. The catalyst in their relationship comes when their close friends announce their engagement and start to plan for a spectacular wedding and invite Anna and Nikos to be their maid of honour and best man. With the cracks in their loving relationship growing ever wider both Anna and Nikos have some in depth soul searching before they discover what is really important in their relationship.

The Summer Wedding on Santorini is an enjoyable summer read which, of course, has the advantage of being set on the beautiful island of Santorini, a place of warmth and sunshine with spectacular sunrises and sunsets. The author does a great job of bringing the island, and its people, to life whilst at the same time giving us an in-depth look at the anguish which both Anna and Nikos go thorough in their search for love. The Summer Wedding in Santorini can be read as a stand alone story however, the characters can also be found in the previous book, The Summerhouse on Santorini..

A light and easy summer read, perfect for poolside or a lazy afternoon in the garden ☼

About the Author

Samantha Parks is the pen name of Sam Gale. Her pen name comes from her late grandmother Velma Hobbs nee Parks, who was one of Sam's greatest role models. Sam was born in North Carolina but now resides in Bournemouth, UK, with her husband Alex. She owns a successful marketing company and is enjoying her slow descent into "crazy plant lady" status.

Twitter @samanthajgale #theSummerWedding

@0neMoreChapter_

Summer Picnic with Jaffareadstoo ~ Charlotte Betts ☼

☼ Jaffareadstoo is delighted to welcome you all to our Summer Picnic ☼ 

Pull up a deck chair, tie knots in your hanky and roll up your trouser legs!

☼ Summer time is here ☼ 

☼ I'm delighted to welcome author, Charlotte Betts to our picnic ☼

What favourite foods are you bringing to our summer picnic? 

I do love a picnic! Thank you for inviting me to join you. I’ll make my famous salmon tart with asparagus, a minted pea and potato salad and bring lightly salted kettle chips and dill pickles. For a desert that’s simple to transport and is beautifully summery, it has to be Eton Mess made with a raspberries as well as strawberries. And perhaps a nectarine and some shortbread for later. 

Would you like chilled white wine, a flute of Prosecco, a tumbler of Pimms, or a tall glass of sparkling elderflower cordial? 

One glass of chilled white wine with a sparkling elderflower chaser, please. Sun and too much wine give me a headache! 

Where shall we sit, by the pool, in the garden, in the countryside, at the seaside? 

Although I love to be by the sea, it can be windy and it’s always a trial eating with hair and sand blowing in your face. I’d choose to sit in the dappled shade of an ancient oak, preferably beside a stream or river and watch the ducks squabbling over any leftovers. 

Do we have a wicker hamper, tablecloth and cutlery, or is everything in a supermarket carrier bag? 

Definitely a wicker hamper, with a tablecloth and proper cutlery and glasses. The picnic and wine must be chilled and I’d include wet wipes for sticky fingers and a plastic bag to take dirty plates and cutlery home. 

Do you have favourite place to have a summer picnic? 

I visited the Highlands a few years ago and, quite by chance, discovered the Highland Titles Nature Reserve near Druror. We had a wonderful walk through a forest, following a path beside a river. We came to a magical waterfall and found picnic tables under the trees where we could sit and watch the birds bathing in the water. 

Which of your literary heroes are joining us on the picnic today? 

I’d love to chat to Daphne du Maurier and Mary Stewart about their writing. I can read their books again and again and always find something new to intrigue me. Perhaps I might ask them to comment on my plot ideas for future books! 

Which summer read are you bringing with you today? 

I’m bringing Catching the Tide by Judith Lennox. I’ve read almost of all her books and I’m sure I shall like this one, which opens in Italy in 1933 at the Villa Millefiore. 

Headline Review
2011

 

What is your earliest summer memory?

I remember staying with my maternal grandparents while my parents’ new house was being completed. We spent a week in a caravan on top of windy cliffs somewhere near Scarborough, I think. The ice cream cones were wonderful. I was four years old and had taken my pet hamster with me. It escaped and ate its way through the wooden panelling of the caravan and kept us all awake every night while she gnawed at the timber. On the last day, Grandpa lured her out of hiding with a piece of cheese! 

Do you have a favourite summer hideaway? 

Our C17th cottage is situated in woods. I adore walking there with my dog, Hattie, when it’s hot because there’s plenty of shade. We rarely see any people but frequently see deer and sometimes foxes. The birdsong makes it so peaceful. 

Do you have a summer music playlist for reading / writing? And if so will you share with us a favourite song or piece of music that makes you feel summery? 

I had to laugh when I read this question because I dislike music or any other distraction when I’m writing. Occasionally I’ll listen to a Sounds of the Sea recording while I’m writing because it’s very soothing in a ‘white noise’ sort of way. I don’t listen to a lot of music, preferring the spoken word for the radio. One bouncy song from the 70’s that still makes me feel cheerful is In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry. Really showing my age here! 

Do you find that your reading tastes differ between winter and summer? 

I had to think about this but decided my tastes don’t really vary by the season. I like dual time frame stories but also a good mystery to keep me wondering. Although I write historical novels I like to read contemporary stories, too. The most important thing is to find stories that take me somewhere else and make me feel I’m in the character’s heads. 

Charlottes's latest novel is book #1 in the Spindrift Trilogy.

Piatkus
July 2020

1891. Spindrift House, Cornwall.

Talented painter Edith Fairchild is poised to begin a life of newlywed bliss and artistic creation with her charming husband Benedict. He recently inherited Spindrift House near Port Isaac and Edith is inspired by the glorious Cornish light and the wonderful setting overlooking the sea. But then happiness turns to heartbreak. In great distress, Edith turns to an artist friend for comfort and after a bitterly-regretted moment of madness she finds herself pregnant with his child.

Too ashamed to reveal her secret, Edith devotes herself to her art. Joined at Spindrift House by her friends - Clarissa, Dora and Pascal - together they turn the house into a budding artists' community. But despite their dreams of an idyllic way of life creating beauty by the sea, it becomes clear that all is not perfect within their tight-knit community, and that the weight of their secrets could threaten to tear apart their paradise forever.

Charlotte, where can we follow you on social media

Website: www.charlottebetts.co.uk 

Twitter: @CharlotteBetts1 

Facebook: Charlotte Betts – Author 

Instagram: charlottebetts.author 

More about Charlotte

Charlotte Betts is a multi-award-winning author of eight romantic historical novels published by Piatkus. Her books are set in various eras between the Restoration and the Great War and she draws inspiration from the stories of strong women at turning points in history. Careful historical research enriches her writing with an evocative sense of time and place. A member of The Romantic Novelists’ Association, The Society of Authors and The Historical Novel Society, Charlotte lives in a C17th cottage in the woods in Hampshire. She is currently working on Book 3 of the Spindrift trilogy. 

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#SummerPicnicWithJaffareadstoo

 

Summer Picnic with Jaffareadstoo ~ Giselle Green ☼

☼ Jaffareadstoo is delighted to welcome you all to our Summer Picnic ☼ 

Pull up a deck chair, tie knots in your hanky and roll up your trouser legs!

☼ Summer time is here ☼ 

☼ I'm delighted to welcome author, Giselle Green to our picnic ☼

What favourite foods are you bringing to our summer picnic? 

I’m bringing a cheese and spinach shortcrust pastry pie, egg and cress sandwiches, a bag of mixed Mediterranean olives and a large pot of lemon-flavoured humous. I may be tempted to eat some of your green salad! 

For dessert? 

Freshly-baked scones with raspberries and some clotted cream would be nice, or maybe a light summer salad with some crème fraiche spooned over the top? 

Would you like chilled white wine, a flute of Prosecco, a tumbler of Pimms, or a tall glass of sparkling elderflower cordial? 

A flute of prosecco, please. Lovely! 

Where shall we sit, by the pool, in the garden, in the countryside, at the seaside? 

At the seaside please…I find the gentle sound of the waves very relaxing. Nothing better than stretching out on the warm sand when you’re done, or maybe we could even go for a dip before our lunch? 

Do we have a wicker hamper, tablecloth and cutlery, or is everything in a supermarket carrier bag? 

I love the idea of the wicker hamper. Very civilised and organised. (I don’t own one, myself). I might go for plastic wine glasses though (being practical!) But I’d be sure to bring some ice to make up for it, to chill the wine. Underneath, maybe we’d have a bamboo mat to stop the sand getting in our lunch. 

Do you have favourite place to have a summer picnic?

 I still have fond memories of a picnic we had once in the grounds of Hampton Court while waiting for them to open up the area where a band was playing inside. It’s such a romantic, beautiful location. It had been raining all day, and everything was freshly rain-washed, but the evening sun was glorious. I’d like to go back and have a picnic there again, one day. 

Which of your literary heroes are joining us on the picnic today? 

I’ll join you in requesting Daphne Du Maurier, whose work as you say, never ages. I’d also invite my favourite childhood author Rosemary Sutcliff. I adored her work! I did end up meeting her a few times, and we corresponded for ages… such a lovely lady, with so much of interest to say. 

Which summer read are you bringing with you today? 

I’m bringing Christina Courtenay’s Echoes of the Runes. I usually read contemporary or non-fiction books these days but every so often I fancy dipping into historicals for a change. And this is a lovely one! 

Headline
June 2020

What is your earliest summer memory? 

I remember being taken to the beach for the first time by my aunt and uncle and cousins and going straight for the water’s edge… only to find myself rudely picked up by a huge wave and sent tumbling head over heels right down the beach… That was a shock and a rude awakening – but I’ve always loved the water. I adore the sea and I respect it! 

Do you have a favourite summer hideaway? 

I do have a nice garden myself, but there is something very special about my son’s garden, just down the road from me. It’s full of fruit trees – apple and plum and cherry and pear and the whole place just radiates a very special kind of peace that I love. There’s seldom any noise from his neighbours either. Sometimes I just like to sit on his lawn when the sun’s out, and imagine my stories…

 

Do you have a summer music playlist for reading / writing? And if so will you share with us a favourite song or piece of music that makes you feel summery? 

I don’t have a special playlist for summer, but one song I’ve been playing a lot recently is Conquest of paradise by Dana Winner. I’d never heard it before this year, but it feels so inspiring! I’ve also been playing a lot of songs from the US acapelo band Homefree recently. Love their harmonies – and the music is usually quite cheerful and upbeat. 

Do you find that your reading tastes differ between winter and summer? 

I agree in the summer you want something that’s easier to pick up and get back into, because you’re out and about more. The winter’s the perfect time to diving into deeper, more serious books that involve a bit more concentration! For some reason, winter lends itself to historical more, too… 

Boldwood Books
11 August 2020

When Ava’s partner Will is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, the doctors give Will one chance to survive – an operation which means he will lose his recent memory. Ava begs him to take the chance, sure that she can cope with Will forgetting her. After all, they have something very special to live for.

But they are also keeping a heart-breaking secret, and if Will loses his memory, Ava will have to carry that secret alone.

Can they rebuild their love from scratch or will their secrets and past come between them? Will Ava really be a stranger when Will wakes up – or does the heart never really forget…

About Giselle

Giselle Green is an award-winning, bestselling contemporary women’s fiction author. Mum to six boys (half of whom have flown the nest) and owner of one bright orange-and-cinnamon canary who hopefully never will, Giselle enjoys creating emotionally-gripping storylines about family and relationships. Her first book for Boldwood The Girl You Forgot is published in August 2020.

Giselle, where can we find you on social media? 

Twitter @gisellegreenUK 

Facebook : Giselle Green Author 

☼Thank you for coming to our picnic☼

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Summer Picnic with Jaffareadstoo ~ Liza Perrat ☼

☼ Jaffareadstoo is delighted to welcome you all to our Summer Picnic ☼ 

Pull up a deck chair, tie knots in your hanky and roll up your trouser legs!

☼ Summer time is here ☼ 

☼ I'm delighted to welcome author, Liza Perrat to our picnic ☼

What favourite foods are you bringing to our summer picnic? 

I’m bringing cold ratatouille cooked with veggies from my daughter’s organic garden, fresh wholegrain bread and runny camembert cheese. And for dessert there’s a fruit salad of strawberries, raspberries and rock melon. 

Would you like chilled white wine, a flute of Prosecco, a tumbler of Pimms, or a tall glass of sparkling elderflower cordial? 

I’d love the chilled white wine but that would send me to sleep in five minutes at a sunny, summer lunchtime picnic. So the elderflower cordial please. 

Where shall we sit, by the pool, in the garden, in the countryside, at the seaside? 

The seaside is my favourite place, preferable in the shade of a eucalyptus tree. 

Do we have a wicker hamper, tablecloth and cutlery, or is everything in a supermarket carrier bag? 

Oh definitely a snazzy wicker hamper, a checkered tablecloth and proper cutlery and glasses. 

Which of your literary heroes are joining us on the picnic today? 

Anne Tyler, Wally Lamb, Maggie O’Farrell and Daphne du Maurier, as reading their books has influenced my own writing. Also all of my favourite author friends from the Sanctuary Facebook group –– they know who they are! –– because it would be really fun to see them in person, rather than on a Zoom screen. 

What is your earliest summer memory? 

Spending every day of the long, hot Australian summer on the beach. I was about five, and had a lime-green swimming costume with a big white flower at the front. We never wore sunscreen in those days –– apart from a stripe of white zinc on the nose –– and were dark brown by the end of summer. That’s why, all these years later, our skin is so spotted and leathery and every mole we fear is a melanoma. 

Do you have a favourite summer hideaway? 

I’ve lived in France for 27 years and for many of those we were forced to go away in the hot and crowded summer school holidays. Now the children are grown up we have the luxury of getting away at quieter times of the year, and we enjoy spending the summer at home. A nice swim and a poolside drink at the end of the day is wonderful, especially at the peak of summer when all the neighbours are away and it’s quiet and peaceful. Though this year, with the health crisis, most of the neighbours are staying home, so it’s not that quiet or peaceful. 

Do you find that your reading tastes differ between winter and summer? 

No, I tend to enjoy the same kinds of books all year round. 

Do you find it easier to write in the summer months or during the winter? 

I find it easier to write during the winter, cosy and rugged up and not really wanting to go outside. In summer, I just want to be outside walking in the hills around our house, swimming in the pool, or relaxing in the shade with a book. I also find it harder to concentrate in the heat. 

Would you like to tell us a little about your latest novel, or your current work in progress? 

My newly-released novel is called The Lost Blackbird, and explores the child migrant scandal, based on the findings of a Nottinghamshire Social Worker. In 1986, Margaret Humphreys received a letter from a woman who claimed that at the age of four she was shipped to a children’s home in Australia, and wanted help to find her relatives in Britain. 

Margaret Humphreys eventually exposed the vast scandal of child migration: 150,000 children had been deported from children’s homes in Britain and shipped off to a “new life” in distant parts of the Empire. Many were told their parents were dead. Parents were told their children had been adopted. And, for many children, this “better life” ended up being one of slavery, deprivation and abuse. In 1987, Mrs Humphreys set up the Child Migrants Trust, which aims to reunite former British child migrants with family. 

Liza, where can we find you on social media? 

Website

Blog

Twitter @LizaPerrat 

Facebook

More about Liza

Liza grew up in Australia, working as a general nurse and midwife. She has now been living in France for twenty-seven years, where she works as a part-time medical translator and a novelist. 

She is the author of the French historical The Bone Angel series: 

Three French village midwife-healers. Three stories spanning six hundred years. Three women linked by an ancient bone talisman and bonded by living through turbulent times: the Black Death, the French Revolution, the WWII Nazi Occupation. Each brings its own threats and dangers, in this box set of historical novels based on real events. Click here

Each story can be read as a standalone Spirit of Lost Angels   Wolfsangel   Blood Rose Angel 

The first book in Liza’s Australian series, The Silent Kookaburra is a domestic noir, psychological suspense set in 1970s Australia.  The second in the series, The Swooping Magpie is currently under revision. 

Get your copy of The Lost Blackbird E-book HERE

Read The Lost Blackbird for free if you have Kindle Unlimited. 

The Paperback version is HERE

Sign up for new book releases and receive a FREE copy of Friends & Other Strangers, Liza’s award-winning collection of Australian short stories. 

If you enjoy Liza’s books, follow her on BOOKBUB

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Summer Picnic with Jaffareadstoo ~ Margaret Rooke ☼

☼ Jaffareadstoo is delighted to welcome you all to our Summer Picnic ☼ 

Pull up a deck chair, tie knots in your hanky and roll up your trouser legs!

☼ Summer time is here ☼ 

☼ I'm delighted to welcome author, Margaret Rooke to our picnic ☼

Photo credit:Alex Lister

What favourite foods are you bringing to our summer picnic?

We went on a great family picnic when they began to lift the lockdown and the standout dishes were my daughter’s prawn and sweetcorn fritters and my son’s Eton mess. So I’ll commission them and keep my fingers crossed that they’ll deliver.

Would you like chilled white wine, a flute of Prosecco, a tumbler of Pimms, or a tall glass of sparkling elderflower cordial?

Anyone who knows me knows that what I’d really want is a cup of tea. If it has to be a cold drink the Pimms does sound delicious.

Where shall we sit, by the pool, in the garden, in the countryside, at the seaside? 

If it’s hot and we can go for a swim afterwards it would be great to go to the pool or the seaside.

Do we have a wicker hamper, tablecloth and cutlery, or is everything in a supermarket carrier bag?

Well it would have been a supermarket carrier bag without question, except that my friend Jo gave me a wicker picnic hamper as a present years ago so I would give that an outing.

Do you have favourite place to have a summer picnic?

For me it’s all about the company really. I love to get lost in a conversation.

Which of your literary heroes are joining us on the picnic today?

Maybe Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie. I think he needs a good listening ear.

Which summer read are you bringing with you today?

I’ve just bought Maggie O’Farrell’s ‘Hamnet’ so I’ll bring that. Can’t wait to start. I’m answering these questions in early summer and one of my last reads was the book of the moment ‘Normal People’. I found the book and the TV series compelling.

What is your earliest summer memory?

I remember getting burnt to a crisp on holiday with my parents and brother on a campsite on the south of France. We had never been anywhere so hot and had sun cream for the first time, but it was so expensive we were only allowed a squirt the size of a penny. 

Do you have a summer music playlist for reading / writing? And if so will you share with us a favourite song or piece of music that makes you feel summery?

The songs that make me feel summery… In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry. Brilliant. That was on the juke box during the summer I was so sunburnt in France. Another is the old Coke ad that started ‘Ice Cold Coke at the back of my throat, fishes on the line…’

Do you find that your reading tastes differ between winter and summer?

 When I’m on holiday I love books that I can get lost in: whodunnits and psychological dramas. In the winter I’m happy to read biographies and more serious stuff.

Do you find it easier to write in the summer months or during the winter? 

Both the same

Would you like to tell us a little about your latest novel, or your current work in progress?

My latest book ‘You can Change the World. Everyday Teen Heroes Making a Difference Everywhere’ (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) contains interviews with more than 50 inspiring teenagers from many different countries who have changed their own lives and the world around them in different ways. They’ve helped the homeless, found ways to beat online bullying, worked for environmental change, fought against period poverty, and transformed other difficult situations.

So much is written about the problems young people face with their mental health. I wanted to present some positive role models from within their own ranks. The idea behind the book is that if teenagers face a fork in their own path and they’re not sure which direction to take, there are some mentors here to draw inspiration from. We all know that the people teenagers listen to most are other teens and that can be a good thing if those they are listening to are making great decisions for themselves and the world around them. 

Recently I’ve started going into schools to help children and teens to believe they can make changes to their own lives and communities, using the examples and some of the strategies used by those in the book. It’s powerful stuff.

Margaret, where can we follow you on social media?

Twitter @margsrooke

Instagram @margsrooke

Website

More about Margaret

Over the past five years, Margaret has written three non-fiction books. The first two were about dyslexia, to help encourage her daughter and others like her to achieve whatever they wanted in life, no matter what label they were given. ‘Creative, Successful, Dyslexic’ includes interviews with Dame Darcey Bussell, David Bailey, Marcus Brigstocke, Lynda La Plante, Benjamin Zephaniah and many more, with a foreword by Mollie King. The second ‘Dyslexia is my Superpower (Most of the Time) is the only book written in the words of children and teens about living with dyslexia. Her latest book is ‘You can Change the World. Everyday Heroes Making a Difference Everywhere,’ written to inspire teenagers to make the changes they want to see in their own lives and communities. This won a gold award for multicultural nonfiction in the Moonbeam children’s book awards in the USA.

Margaret worked as a journalist for 20 years, for a lot of that time working on national magazines and newspaper colour supplements. She then worked for Fairtrade and children’s charities before returning to writing. 

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