Blog Tour ~ The Raided Heart by Jennifer C. Wilson (Giveaway)

On Hist Fic Saturday 

I am delighted to be part of this Blog Tour

October 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my ecopy of this book
and to Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to be part of the blog tour

Meg Mathers, the headstrong youngest sibling of a reiving family on the English Scottish border, is determined to remain at her childhood home, caring for the land and village she’s grown up with.

When an accident brings her a broken ankle and six weeks in the resentful company of ambitious and angry young reiver Will Hetherington, attraction starts to build. Both begin to realise they might have met their match, and the love of their lives, but 15th century border living is not that simple, as Meg soon finds herself betrothed to the weakling son of a tyrannical neighbour, Alexander Gray. When tragedy strikes, can Meg and Will find their way back to each other, and can Will finally take his own personal revenge on Gray.

What did think about it..

The border lands between England and Scotland were a hot bed of nefarious dealings during the 15th Century, and for Meg Mathers and her family of reiver brothers life was never simple or without treachery.

Meg is the chatelaine of the castle at Long Ridge whilst her brothers attempt to control the peace of the border lands but when Meg injures her ankle her brothers enlist the help of Will Hetherington, a newcomer to the area, who is deemed responsible for Meg’s accident, and as Will assists Meg with her daily life in the castle, so an attraction grows between them. However, Meg’s brothers are caught up in a dangerous web of intrigue with a deadly rival and unfortunately, Meg becomes a pawn in their negotiations. Her association with the despicable Alexander Gray brings nothing but danger and heart break to both Meg and her family.

Throughout the whole of The Raided Heart there is a good sense of history, this really was a dangerous time, and the author does a great job of keeping both the momentum of the action, and the intrigue alive in the imagination. I enjoyed the romantic element to the story and the constant danger that both Meg and Will encounter adds an exciting dynamic to this historical adventure.

The Raided Heart is a well written and exciting historical saga about a dangerous time in history. A time when the border lands between the North of England and Scotland were alive with danger and warring families spent much of their time attempting to keep the peace between neighbours who could  suddenly become deadly enemies on the turn of a sword blade.

About the Author

Jenifer C. Wilson is a marine biologist by training, who developed an equal passion for history and historical fiction whilst stalking Mary, Queen of Scots on childhood holidays (she has since moved on to Richard III). Enrolling on an adult education workshop on her return to the northeast of England for work reignited her pastime of creative writing, and she has been filling notebooks ever since. 

In 2014, Jennifer won the Story Tyne short story competition, and has been working on a number of projects since, including cohosting the North Tyneside Writers’ Circle. Her Kindred Spirits novels are published by Crooked Cat Books and her timeslip novella, The Last Plantagenet?, by Ocelot Press. She lives in North Tyneside, and is very proud of her approximately 2 inch sea view.

Giveaway to win x 2 ecopies of The Last Plantagenet? (Open internationally)

*Terms and Conditions – Worldwide entries welcome.Please enter using the Rafflecopter boxbelow.The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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Website

Twitter @inkjunkie1984

@rararesources

Amazon UK

Blog Tour ~ The Light in the Hallway by Amanda Prowse

❆❆ Delighted to host today's stop on this lovely Blog Tour ❆❆ 

Lake Union Publishing
11 November 2019

My thanks to the publishers and ED Public Relations for the invitation to be part of this blog tour

From the ‘Queen of the Contemporary Family Drama’ comes the moving story of life-changing loss, and a father and son finding their way through grief. 

When Nick’s wife and childhood sweetheart Kerry falls ill and dies, he realises for the first time how fragile happiness is and how much he’s taken his good life for granted. Navigating parenthood alone, unsure how to deal with his own grief, let alone that of his teenage son, Olly, Nick must find a way to please his son, his in-laws, his family and his friends – while still honouring what Kerry meant to them all. Nick doesn’t know where to begin. When your life is changed in an instant, how do you start again?

What did I think about it..

When Nick loses his wife to cancer both he, and his teenage son, Oliver, have to find the strength to carry on but in the small town of Burstonbridge in North Yorkshire, a place where everyone knows everyone else, moving on is sometimes a bit of a trial. Nick and Oliver do their grieving in the full glare of local sympathy but not everyone is as sympathetic as others and both of them struggle with their sadness at the loss of a wife and mother.

What then follows is such a lovely story, not just because of the realistic portrayal of loss which tugs away at your heartstrings, but it's also about the strength of the father and son bond and of the importance of good friends and family. I loved the way the author brought both Nick and Oliver to life and I could picture them so easily as they were both such strong characters with distinct personalities and I connected with them on an emotional level.

There's a strong sense of time and the town of Burstonbridge is so typical of small towns where everyone knows everyone else's business and with only one main employer in the town everyone seems to work and live in close contact. There are two distinct threads to the story, each of them equally as compelling, as we get to know all there is to know about Nick in the here and now but also we get to learn about the momentous summer of 1992, when Nick and his two best friends, Eric and Alex, had such a special time.

The Light in the Hallway is a beautifully written family drama which has all those lovely little touches which this talented author does so well. One minute you are shedding a few tears and the next you are laughing out loud at something daft which just makes you smile and nod your head in complete agreement. And whilst the story is about love and loss and of the bewilderment of trying to carry on in the face of deep sadness, there is also hope in abundance and the knowledge that your best friends, and family, will be there for you throughout the good times and the bad.

‘The Light in the Hallway’ by Amanda Prowse is out now, published by Lake Union, priced £8.99 in paperback original.

About the Author

Amanda Prowse is one of the UK's most prolific and loved story tellers with global sales of 6 million copies and legions of loyal fans. Based near Bristol, Amanda is the author of 25 novels and novellas, with books sold in 22 countries and translated into 12 languages -  no mean feat when you consider her first novel was only published in 2012.

Website

Twitter / Instagram @MrsAmandaProwse #TheLightintheHallway

Twitter @amazonpub / Instagram @amazonpublishing

Twitter @ed_pr / Instagram @ed.pr

Blog Tour ~ The Wicked Lord's Mistress by Scarlett Jameson

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be part of this Blog Tour

Victorian Lovers
E-Book
9 September 2019
The Lord's Seduction book #2

My thanks to the author for my ecopy of this book
and to Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to be part of this blog tour

The Wicked Lord’s Mistres is set in the late Victorian period (1886) for fans of upstairs/downstairs dramas such as Downton Abbey and steamy romances. It explores the continuing love story between

Lily, a lady’s maid at Torrington Hall, and a handsome, mysterious aristocratic hero called Lord Edgar Wilson.

Lily is surrounded by challenges from all sides. She is being blackmailed by the evil Mallkins, she has a secret past that she is trying to hide, and her forbidden love affair with Lord Wilson grows more

risky every day. Can their lusty affair transform into the tender and lasting love that Lily craves? And

given the differences in their class, is a happy ending possible for them?

Then a new enemy comes into Lily’s life, someone who is determined to destroy her. Lily finds herself facing the greatest challenge of her life, and hopes that Lord Wilson will be her hero.

What did I think about it..

This steamy, sexy romp through late-Victorian England continues the story which began in the first book of the series, The Wicked Lord and the Lady's Maid which introduced us to Lord Edgar Wilson and Lily, the eponymous lady's maid.  The Wicked Lord's Mistress continues where the previous story left off with Edgar and Lily's clandestine relationship moving forward despite all the trials and tribulations of Lily's life as a maid in an aristocratic household.

This is such a fun read with all the necessary ingredients for a lively romp through the drawing rooms and gentleman's clubs of Victorian high society as Lily continues to try to make the best of what her life has become. That she is enamoured of the handsome Lord Edgar is without doubt, but both of them have some reservations, and also Lily has a huge secret which, if Edgar finds out, she will be lost to him forever.

I raced through this novel, it's an interesting story with a few unexpected twists and turns. There's also a nice sense of how life is for those who work below stairs, opposed to those who have all the trappings of wealth and prosperity. I particularly enjoyed the mystery surrounding Lily and a rather unsavory person who seems hellbent on ruining her reputation. However, it is Edgar and Lily's erotic relationship which sizzles and sparkles with all the passionate intensity of a forbidden love affair.

At the start of this novel, the author does a nice precis of what's happened so that for those who haven't read the first book, you can very easily pick up the story, but of course, as with all series it's best to read them in the order they were published.

If you enjoy steamy, sizzling historical romances then The Wicked Lord's Mistress will keep you entertained from start to finish.

About the Author

Scarlett Jameson works in publishing by day and by night enjoys writing steamy historical romances. 

A lover of all things Victorian, she lives in London with her cat.

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Twitter @rararesources

Amazon UK

Blog Tour ~ Woman in the Water by Katerina Diamond

Delighted to host today's stop on this exciting Blog Tour

Avon
11 November 2019

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

I’m alive. But I can’t be saved . . .

When a woman’s body is found submerged in icy water, police are shocked to find she is alive. But she won’t disclose her name, or what happened to her – even when a second body is discovered. And then she disappears from her hospital bed.

Detectives Adrian Miles and Imogen Grey follow their only lead to the home of Reece Corrigan, and when his wife Angela walks in, they immediately recognise her. She’s the woman from the river, with her injuries carefully masked.

The more they dig into the couple, the less they understand about them.

Why have people in their past been hurt, or vanished?

And why doesn’t Angela want to be saved?

What did I think about it...

Well, this one gets off to a really dramatic start and the drama only increases as the story progresses. Detectives Adrian Miles and Imogen Grey find that no matter how close they get to solving this really complex case, the further they get from bringing the perpetrator to justice.

There's some very dark aspects to the story, and there's a particular twist half way through the book which shocked me completely, and which turned the atmosphere in the story from dark to darker in just a few tense pages. To be honest it upset me, but I can understand why the author chose to take the plot in this direction, and whilst it was shocking, it was handled in a realistic way, which I think did justice to a taboo topic. There is so much I want to say about the plot, and believe me, this one has so many complications, but no matter how hard I try to add any detail, to do so would really spoil the overall effect, as this story is best read with absolutely no idea of what's about to unfold.

As always the plot is driven by the partnership between Adrian Miles and Imogen Grey, who as well as being lead detectives on this complex case of murder and abduction, they are also intimately involved which, sort of, complicates how they work together in this story. They're a complex duo, each have their own problems which at times threaten to hinder the investigation and in this story their growing connection to each other is tested to the absolute limit.

Woman in the Water is filled with dark and twisty motives for murder, and the chief suspect, who is as slippery as an eel, takes great delight in keeping one step ahead of the investigative team. The story ends on something of a cliff hanger, so I'll look forward to seeing what happens next for Adrian Miles and Imogen Grey in book #7 😊

Woman in the Water is out now as an ebook and will be published by Avon in paperback on the 9 January 2020..

About the Author

Katerina Diamond was born in Weston in the seventies. She moved to Thessaloniki in Greece and attended Greek school where she learnt Greek in just 6 months. After her parents’ divorce, they relocated to Devon. After school, and working in her uncle’s fish and chip shop, she went (briefly) to university at Derby, where she met her husband and had two children. Katerina now lives in the East Kent Coast with her husband and children.

Twitter @TheVenomousPen #WomanInTheWater

@AvonBooksUK

Amazon UK

Blog Tour ~ A Mrs Miracle Christmas by Debbie Macomber

🎄 I'm thrilled to be one of the blog's starting off this festive Blog Tour  🎄

Arrow Books
14 November 2019

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

An uplifting festive novel from the Number One New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.

Laurel McCullough is in desperate need of help. Her beloved grandmother has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and the baby she and her husband Zach have longed for now seems like an impossible dream.

So when the kind-hearted, and a little bit unbelievable, nurse Mrs Miracle appears at the door, Laurel couldn’t be more relieved. She invites the nurse into her life and it’s not long before they become the dearest of friends.

When her grandmother’s condition begins to improve, and as Laurel and Zach continue their desperate quest for a child, Laurel soon realises that there is more to Mrs Miracle than meets the eye…

What did I think about it..

I always know that Christmas has arrived when I read my first Debbie Macomber book of the season and A Mrs Miracle Christmas has to be one of my favourite stories.

Laurel and her husband Zach live with Laurel's grandmother, Helen, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer's, so when Mrs Miracle arrives from a care agency to look after Helen, it seems like the answer to their prayers. Mrs Miracle soon has Helen coping better and their shared interest in knitting and chatting makes life much more settled. With her grandmother calmer, Laurel once again turns to the sadness in her marriage as she and Zach seem to be unable to have a child of their own, and even though they have had opportunities nothing seems to have worked out.

What then follows is a lovely family story which looks at those cross generational relationships which are so important, and also the sadness and tension caused within a marriage by the burden of infertility. Whilst the story covers some thoughtful topics there is also an air of warmth and wisdom which is so reminiscent of this author's ability to deliver a good story. And really its all those little special details which make these stories so special, from Christmas baking, and mouth watering Snickerdoodles, to choosing and decorating a special Christmas tree, to spending time with a basket of yarn and a good old chat between much loved friends.

Mrs Miracle is absolutely fabulous, every home should have one, and her ability to bring comfort and sound common sense makes this such a wonderful story and it takes no time at all to become emotionally attached to all the characters. A Mrs Miracle Christmas continues the theme of the Miracle series which is now well established and the legions of fans who follow this series will be delighted with this latest novel and will, no doubt, recognise a few other well loved characters.

If you've had a stressful afternoon there is no better antidote than a huge cup of tea and a copy of A Mrs Miracle Christmas ♡ 

About the Author

Debbie Macomber is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author 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, Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove, which was ranked as the top program on US cable TV when it debuted in summer 2013. Hallmark has also produced many successful films based on Debbie’s bestselling Christmas novels. Debbie Macomber owns her own tea room, and a yarn store, A Good Yarn, named after the shop featured in her popular Blossom Street novels. She and her husband, Wayne, serve on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, and she is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. 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.

Website

Twitter @debbiemacomber #MrsMiracleChristmas

@arrowpublishing

Blog Tour ~ The Rector's Daughter by Jean Fullerton

Delighted to co-host one of today's stop on this blog tour

Corvus
7 November 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my ecopy of this book
and to Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to be part of the blog tour

Charlotte, daughter of Reverend Percival Hatton, has been content to follow the path laid out for her. Charlotte has an understanding with Captain Nicolas Paget every inch the gentleman who she expects someday to marry. But then she meets Josiah Martyn, and everything changes... 

A driven and ambitious Cornish mining engineer, and the complete opposite to Captain Nicholas,Josiah has come to London to help build the first tunnel under the river Thames. When unpredictable events occur at the inauguration of the project, Josiah and Charlotte are suddenly thrown into an unexpected intimacy. 

But not everyone is happy with Charlotte and Josiah growing closer. As friends turn to foes, will they be able to rewrite the stars and find their happy ever after, although all odds seem to be stacked against them...?

What did I think about it..

Set in London in 1825 this story takes us straight into the heart of late-Georgian life as Charlotte Hatton tends to the needs of her father’s parishioners. The Reverend Percival Hatton is reliant on his daughter for much of the good work that takes place within his parish of St Mary's in the Rotherhithe district of London, and initially there’s a sense that Charlotte is rather overshadowed and content to support her father and stay in the background. She has a sort of ambiguous romantic connection with a certain Captain Nicholas Paget, who is a bit of damp squib in the romance stakes, and who doesn’t set Charlotte’s heart racing as much as the handsome Josiah Martyn, a young man who is working as an engineer building the ambitious new tunnel under the River Thames. Charlotte’s growing involvement with Josiah causes a great deal of speculation within the parish.

What then follows is a beautifully written historical saga which looks at all the social complexities which beset young women during this time. The author brings the story alive with her descriptions of Charlotte’s life, especially the restrictions placed on women whose only security came from securing a husband. The story flows well and kept my interest throughout and the many twists and turns in the plot add an interesting dimension to Charlotte's burgeoning friendship with Josiah Martyn. There’s a nice array of characters, some were far more likeable than others, but it was interesting to see how they all fitted into the wider detail of the story. I have to admit to knowing absolutely nothing about the Thames tunnel, so it has been fascinating to learn more about this event, and of the real life people who were involved with its construction.

This type of romantic historical fiction is something of a departure for this author whose previous novels have been set in a later time period, so its been interesting to see how she brings the London she knows so well alive in an altogether earlier historical setting.

The Rector's Daughter is a well researched and beautifully authentic historical saga by an author who really knows how to bring history alive in the imagination.

About the Author

Jean Fullerton is the author of thirteen novels all set in East London where she wasborn. She also a retired district nurse and university lecturer. She won the Harry Bowling prise in2006 and after initially signing for two East London historical serieswith Orion she moved to Corvus,part of Atlantic Publishing and is half way through her WW2 East London series featuring the Brogan family.

Website

Facebook

Twitter @JeanFullerton

@rararesources

Amazon UK

Two New Christmas Titles From Candlestick Press..

❆❆ Ten Poems about Snow ❆❆

Candlestick Press
November 2019

Cover:Sam Cannon

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of these beautiful pamphlets 

The appeal of snow must have something to do with childhood – the excitement of waking up to a white world and placing our wellies into cold crunchiness. As adults we still feel the magic of snow’s hushed calm, which for a few days can slow down our hectic lives.

Ten Poems about Snow edited by Carole Bromley takes us on an enchanted journey through worlds of snow until we arrive, of course, in Robert Frost’s mysterious snowy woods. You’ll also find beautiful poems published here for the first time – winners and runners-up in our snow poem competition. These are poems that capture all the magic and emotion of a snowfall in deepest winter.

For every Snow pamphlet sold, Candlestick will be making a donation to the charity Shelter.

My thoughts..

I can remember as a child spending lots of happy hours outside and have so many memories of playing with feather-light powder puff snow and of walking along crackly footpaths with their cobweb lines of ice and frost. The excitement of waking to the hushed quiet of a snowy morning and the tingly pain of icy fingers from making snowmen, and the sheer joy of throwing crunchy snowballs and watching them explode into a million pieces.

In this poignantly reflective collection of ten poems we are reminded of the sheer beauty of snow and of our relationship with it. 

From the disappointment of a child being picked to play a snowflake in the nativity rather than the Virgin Mary, The Star of Bethlehem by Jill Munro is a lovely reminder of being the best we can be regardless of our role, and sometimes it is simply enough to be one of the 'fake flakes' forming 'a snow blanket on the scene'.

The Symmetry of Snow by Meda AA Stamper is a wonderful reminder of the absolute grace of snow and of the power of its transformation to make everything seem better but that we must never to forget what's underneath the snowy facade.

'But grace shows its heart like snow and changes everything

Everything even what we've made all wrong and ugly

Everything is all the same in beauty after snow..' 

It's always difficult to pick out a favourite poem as all ten are very special and conjure the beauty of a snowy landscape but I think the one that struck a chord with me was the simple beauty of  When it Snowed by Kerry Derbyshire which brought a tear to  my eye..

 ' like prayers, how snow stitches

and mends all that is broken...'

And of course no festive collection is complete without the stunning beauty of Robert Frost's Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Night 

'He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow...'

It's one of my favourites and is  a delightful way to complete the collection.

 ❆❆ Christmas Spirit ❆❆

Candlestick Press
November 2019

Cover: Louise Slater

These ten specially commissioned poems celebrate the joy of Christmas in all its variety. Some evoke the bustle of untangling fairy lights, of shopping and cooking and opening presents, while others celebrate our more ancient seasonal traditions, such as collecting holly and ivy to bring into the house. And then, of course, there’s the mistletoe.

The poems remind us that amid the inevitable hurly burly there’s always time to pause and savour quiet moments. This joyful and heart-warming selection is guaranteed to add a sprinkle of beauty and delight to every Christmas.

My thoughts..

Christmas Spirit to Warm the Heart describes this collection of poetry to perfection as there is such festive warmth within each of the poems giving us a glimpse into a very special Christmas world.

Quietly introspective, each of the poems have the ability to take you into a world of festive treats seeing Christmas 'through other people's windows' which is a poignant reminder of what the spirit of Christmas means to every one of us.

I loved the opening poem 'The Golden Bough by Rosie Jackson with its theme of mistletoe and which is a complete story in itself, perfectly proportioned, and suffused with mysticism and legend ' until her tears formed into pearls, lucent emblems of her unstoppable love'..

Christmas traditions are explored in This year like last year by Jo Brandon which reminded me of  the joy of keeping family traditions alive in the memory,

 ' I like that Christmas is always the same, someone 
on the telly said,'the best days are alwyas short'-
it could have been the vicar of Dibley,
or the Queen '...

I loved the vernacular of Mizzletow by Katrina Porteous which conjured a bleak and beautiful landscape, and that thin cold mizzly rain which is so much part of my northern climate,

'And a burning cold dragged in from the dark- the Mizzletow-
Strange , aromatic, A tang of field edges-. Mizzle, a thin rain-
Not the pearly southern berries but hoops of bitter willow..'

These two pamphlets are both wonderful collections of Christmas poetry which are just perfect for the festive season and are a great alternative to the standard Christmas card.

About the Publishers

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 Cricket, London, Puddings, Birds, Kindness, Home and Fathers. Candlestick Press pamphlets are stocked by chain and independent bookshops, galleries and garden centres nationwide and available to order online.