📖 Blog Tour ~ The Missing Girls of Alardyce House by Heather Atkinson

Boldwood Books
15 June 2022

The Alardyce Trilogy #1

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and to Rachel's Random Resources for my invitation to the blog tour

Edinburgh 1880. When Amy Osbourne’s parents are lost at sea, she is forced to leave her London home and is sent to live with her aunt and uncle at the opposite end of the country.

Alardyce House is depressing and dreary, her aunt haughty and cruel. Amy strikes up a friendship with her cousin Edward but his older brother Henry is just as conceited as his mother, and a mutual loathing develops between him and Amy.

As her weeks of mourning pass, the realisation begins to dawn on Amy that her aunt has designs on her inheritance and the candidate she favours to be her niece's husband fills Amy with horror. Struggling in this strange, unwelcoming environment, Amy begins to suspect that something isn’t right at Alardyce House.

There are rumours below stairs of a monster on the loose, local women are being brutally attacked and her cousin Henry is the prime suspect. Alardyce House is full of dark secrets and Amy isn’t sure who she can trust..

📖 My Review..

Amy Osbourne's parents have only recently died when she arrives at Alardyce House to live with her aunt, uncle and cousins. From the start there is something distinctly off about this dark and foreboding house and Amy's welcome is far from cordial as, from the start, it's her aunt's ambition to get Amy off their hands and married as soon as possible.  However, when Amy enters into an ill fated sexual relationship with one of the male servants, it alters the course of her life forever.

Set during the later years of the nineteenth century, The Missing Girls of Alardyce House is a melodramatic gothic novel which has all the trademarks of a brooding and complex mystery especially as Amy is subjected to some pretty life changing stuff which, at times, makes for difficult reading. Delving deeper into the mystery at the heart of the novel there is much to take in, especially about Victorian attitudes towards women and the complex twists and turns in the plot make the latter half of the story particularly interesting.

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House has some truly menacing, and deeply dangerous moments, which are not for the faint hearted but which add a sinister edge to a dark and complex historical thriller. As this is the first book in a proposed trilogy about Alardyce House I can see where the story will expand to, particularly as the ending of the book lends itself, very nicely, to the story moving forwards. 

Best read with...a large cup of restorative tea and a few comforting biscuits

About the author

Heather Atkinson is the author of over fifty books – predominantly in the crime fiction genre. Although Lancashire born and bred she now lives with her family, including twin teenage daughters, on the beautiful west coast of Scotland. Her gangland series for Boldwood, set on the fictional Gallowburn estate in Glasgow begins with the title Blood Brothers.

Twitter @HeatherAtkinso1 #TheMissingGirlsofAlardyceHouse

@BoldwoodBooks #BoldwoodBloggers @bookandtonic

@rararesources

📖 Blog Tour ~ Through the Water, Darkly by Victoria L Short

 

Independently Published

My thanks to the author and to Random Things Tours for my copy of the book
and the invitation to be part of the tour.

What if their future lay in her past?

Caroline Curtis is an avid horticulturalist, who is injured during the restoration of a local country estate.

She wakes in a familiar body, but a different time, and with mixed memories of her twenty-first century life and those of a seventeenth century lady, which causes difficult conflicts not only in herself but the people around her.

The first English civil war is over, and the king deposed.

The Prince of Wales is fleeing the country, and, as Caroline fights to change the future of the man with whom she has fallen in love, she begins to realise that time is not a straight line.

📖 My Review...

Caroline Curtis has the extraordinary experience of falling through time only to discover that she is entangled in a very different England. Waking up in the seventeenth century with only hazy memories of her life in the twenty-first century, Caroline has to adjust very quickly especially as she takes on the persona of a young noblewoman called Carolina Sackville.  When she meets the handsome, Nicholas Trevilian, Caroline not only gets caught up in the political intrigue surrounding his involvement in the English Civil War but she also starts to feel a deep emotional connection to Nicholas which transcends time.

What then follows is a historical time slip novel which whisks us back to a time of great danger especially as King Charles I is facing uneasy opposition and to be on the wrong side of the political divide during the Civil War is tantamount to treason. The author brings to life the historical aspects in a lively way and the romance between the two main characters is handled with care. 

Reminiscent, in places, of the Outlander novels, albeit in a different time-frame Through the Water, Darkly looks at the concept of time travel in an adventurous way with, at its centre, a dramatic love story between two characters who are lost in time and find themselves in extraordinary circumstances.

🍷Best Read with...a glass of chilled wine.

Follow the Blog Tour

Twitter @Vlshort #ThroughTheWaterDarkly

Instagram @toriajames

@RandomTTours

📖 Blog Tour ~ The Mayfair Bookshop by Eliza Knight

 

William Morrow
26 May 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and to Random Things Tours for the invitation to the blog tour

1938: She was one of the six sparkling Mitford sisters, known for her stinging quips, stylish dress, and bright green eyes. But Nancy Mitford’s seemingly dazzling life was really one of turmoil: with a perpetually unfaithful and broke husband, two Nazi sympathizer sisters, and her hopes of motherhood dashed forever. With war imminent, Nancy finds respite by taking a job at the Heywood Hill Bookshop in Mayfair, hoping to make ends meet, and discovers a new life. 

Present Day: When book curator Lucy St. Clair lands a gig working at Heywood Hill she can’t get on the plane fast enough. Not only can she start the healing process from the loss of her mother, it’s a dream come true to set foot in the legendary store. Doubly exciting: she brings with her a first edition of Nancy’s work, one with a somewhat mysterious inscription from the author. Soon, she discovers her life and Nancy’s are intertwined, and it all comes back to the little London bookshop—a place that changes the lives of two women from different eras in the most surprising ways.

📖 My Review...

I must admit that, apart from knowing that Nancy Mitford wrote The Pursuit of Happiness, I knew nothing about her personal life, or that, in the years between the First and Second World Wars, Nancy was a member of that group of young socialites who were known as the ‘bright young things’. And what a fascinating story Nancy has to tell us in The Mayfair Bookshop...

Told in two distinct time-frames, the story flips, in alternate chapters, between the 1930s and 1940s with Nancy’s story, and then comes right up to date in the present, as book curator, Lucy St Clair attempts to piece together the details of Nancy’s life. On a special assignment, Lucy's quest takes her to the Heywood Hill bookshop on Curzon Street in London, a place which is very much associated with Nancy Mitford, who had once worked there in the early 1940s. 

Although this is a fictional story it is very much based on the known facts about this charismatic writer whose chaotic personal circumstances come to life in the time when England was on the cusp of war, and when the rise of the fascist movement and the social and political unrest threaten European peace. As much as I enjoyed reading the historical aspect, I was equally at home with Lucy as she sets about discovering as much as she can about Nancy, a woman she greatly admires, and the connection which links them together.

I do enjoy a book about books and The Mayfair Bookshop certainly features an abundance, cleverly combining history with a cleverly put together mystery in this legendary Mayfair bookshop. Nicely written and well researched the author brings all the strands of the story together in fascinating account of an unusual and talented writer.

🍷Best read with...a glass of sparkling champagne 

About the Author

Eliza Knight is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author. Her love of history began as a young girl when she traipsed the halls of Versailles. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and Novelists, Inc., and the creator of the popular historical blog, History Undressed. Knight lives in Maryland with her husband, three daughters, two dogs and a turtle.

Twitter @ElizaKnight #TheMayfairBookshop

@Harper360UK

@RandomTTours

☀ Summer Picnic with Jaffareadstoo ~ Pauline Morgan

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to welcome you all to our Summer Picnic

Summertime is here

I'm delighted to welcome Pauline Morgan to our Summer Picnic 

Welcome, Pauline. Which favourite foods are you bringing to our summer picnic?

A variety of sandwiches, such as, cheese & pickle, egg & cress. strawberries & apples, celery & sliced carrots to go with various dips. Not forgetting the cupcakes.

 

What would you like to drink? We have white wine spritzers, locally brewed beer, traditional Pimms, sparkling elderflower cordial or a thermos of tea or coffee?

A glass of Pimms will do nicely.

 

Where shall we sit, by the pool, on a beach, in the garden or in the countryside?

It’s a beautiful warm sunny day in the countryside is my idea for perfect picnic.

 

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

We often use our faithful wicker hamper containing a crisp ironed red and check gingham tablecloth, cutlery and condiments - plus, glasses and napkins.

 

Which of your literary heroes (alive or dead) are joining us on the picnic today?

It would have to be Maeve Binchy if she was still alive? I would love to pick her brain about plotting a new book. What’s her tip for writing memorable characters?

 

Do you have favourite place to have a summer picnic?

It has to be the open countryside away from busy roads. My idea of heaven, surrounded with butterflies, babbling brook lots of lovely birdsong.

 

Do you have a summer music playlist? And if so will you share with us a favourite song or piece of music that makes you feel happy?

The Beatles, Here Comes the Sun.

 

Which summer read are you bringing with you today?

It would have to be my latest women’s fiction, Secrets under Spanish Skies.

 

When you are writing do you still find time to read for pleasure? And is there a book you would like to read but haven’t had time for …yet!

Yes, I love reading especially at bedtime. I adore the author Trisha Ashley as I’ve read a few and would love to continue reading a few more.

 

Where do you find the inspiration for your novels? 

Inspiration for future books could from an item that intrigues me, a place, a person’s unusual name and even a location. I sometimes use photo prompts.

 

Have you a favourite place to settle down to write and do you find it easier to write in winter or summer?

I could write anywhere. Once I sit in front of the keyboard my fingers take on a mind of their own. Again, it doesn’t matter whether it is persisting with rain or the sun is splitting the skies it doesn’t interfere with my writing.

 

When writing to a deadline is you easily distracted and if so how do you bring back focus on your writing?

I panic with deadlines and try not to let the latest excitement of a TV soap-opera get in the way. If I give-in to distraction then I would play soothing music to focus on my task in-hand.

 

Give us four essential items that a writer needs?

I use a note-book for plotting the story. A laptop is a must for me and a copy of the New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors. The last important need that works for me is an excellent freelance editor.

What can you tell us about your latest novel or your current work in progress?

My latest work in progress is a standalone Christmas book called Christmas Time at Lily’s Bar. I’m working on the edits from my freelance editor who is the pair of extra eyes that neatly pulls the story together.

More about Pauline

Pauline is a retired housewife, originally from Lurgan relocated back to a village in Co, Antrim, N. Ireland, six years ago.

She started her writing career in the early 1980s while undertaking an Access Course. After that, the love of reading books and writing essays became a massive part of her life. Pauline is honing her skills in creating the genre of women’s fiction. Her career path has varied, including running her domestic agency and weekend housekeeper for the gentry.

Her early writing skills have become stronger by engaging with online writing groups. Lots of advice, tips and manuscripts critiqued. Once she felt confident, Pauline forwarded her work to agents and publishers. Soon the rejections were popping into the inbox. Finally, Pauline decided something was missing from her writing abilities and found a new writing club online. After joining a new group, she started writing competitions, sent short stories to various magazines, and successfully published. Not forgetting trying her hand at writing poetry was published online too.

Last August, Pauline submitted a complete manuscript to a new eBook publisher. Unfortunately, she completely forgot about it until an email arrived the following month offering her a book deal.

Pauline’s eBook The Ballynoon Friendship Circle, women’s fiction published in May this year. Already great five star reviews have been recorded on Amazon and Goodreads.

To add to Pauline’s success, she has signed a further two-book deal with the same publisher. Her second book Secrets under Spanish Skies published 17th March 2022. The third book Christmas Time at Lily’s Bar to be published later in 2022.

Pauline writes under her name. All Ebooks are published by SpellBound Books Ltd, is available and soon in paperback. Kindle formats on Amazon worldwide.

𝐀 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲.

𝐀 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭.

Moya moved from Dublin to Nottingham when she was a teenager and met Kevin. But, after they were married he became increasingly controlling and her only solace was in attending Spanish and book-keeping night classes.

When Moya finds out Kevin has cheated on her – worse still, re-mortgaged their house to support his now pregnant mistress, she is devastated and left broken hearted.

At an all-time low, Moya’s oldest friend suggests she join her in Spain. Taking a leap of faith, Moya decides a fresh start in a new country is just what she needs.

But upon her arrival a prediction by a Spanish gipsy’s unnerves Moya…

𝙄𝙨 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙇𝙖𝙬𝙮𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙈𝙤𝙮𝙖 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙥 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙖’𝙨 𝘽𝙤𝙭 𝙩𝙤 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙎𝙠𝙞𝙚𝙨.

Pauline, where can we follow you on social media?

Twitter @paulinemorgan56

Facebook 

Instagram 

Thank you for being our picnic guest today.

Follow us on Twitter @jaffareadstoo #SummerPicnicwithJaffareadstoo

📖Book Review ~ Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton

Bantam Press
9 June 2022

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Everyone watches their neighbours.

Elise King moves into the sleepy seaside town of Ebbing. Illness has thrown her career as a successful detective into doubt, but no matter how hard she tries to relax and recuperate, she knows that something isn't right.

Everyone lies about their friends.

Tensions are running high beneath the surface of this idyllic community: the weekenders in their fancy clothes, renovating old bungalows into luxury homes, and the locals resentful of the changes. A town divided, with the threat of violence only a heartbeat away.

Everyone knows a secret.

This peaceful world is shattered when two teenagers end up in hospital and a local man vanishes without trace. Elise starts digging for answers, but the community closes ranks, and the truth begins to slip through her fingers. Because in a small town like this, the locals are good at keeping secrets...

Everyone's a suspect when a local goes missing.

📖 My Review

Elise King is recuperating at home after surgery but once a police detective always a detective as Elise soon discovers when she is inadvertently drawn into a complex mystery surrounding the disappearance of Charlie Perry, an elderly man from the pretty seaside village of Ebbing. Ebbing, once a close community, is now fractured by the arrival of weekenders who threaten the equilibrium of the place and yet, Dee Eastwood, a local cleaner, who straddles both worlds, gets to hear all sorts of things and is privy to secrets which are better not disclosed.

Local Gone Missing has all the trademarks of this author's fine writing skills with a cast of wonderful characters who really bring this complex plot to life. Moving forwards and backwards in time we get to know more about Charlie who seems to have been quite a character in his past, and as the reasons why he may have gone missing start to evolve so the plot gets tighter and tighter, with lots of spiraling twists, unexpected turns and more than enough red herrings to keep you guessing.

Fiona Barton is one of those authors who never fails to entertain with intricate plot twists which keep you guessing and Local Gone Missing is no exception. A really great read and wonderful escapism for a summer afternoon in the garden 😊

🍷Best read with...a quiet gin and tonic, quite heavy on the gin

About the Author

Fiona Barton's debut, The Widow, was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller, and has been published in thirty-seven countries and optioned for television. Her second novel, The Child, and her third, The Suspect, were both bestsellers. Born in Cambridge, Fiona currently lives on the south coast in West Sussex. Previously, she was a senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at the Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards. While working as a journalist, Fiona reported on many high-profile criminal cases and developed a fascination with watching those involved, their body language and verbal tics. She interviewed people at the heart of these crimes, from the guilty to their families, as well as those on the periphery, and found it was those just outside the spotlight who interested her most...

Twitter @figbarton #LocalGoneMissing

@TransworldBooks

📖 Feature Friday ~ The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton

Welcome to Feature Friday

It's a warm space to a highlight a book coming soon which is on my radar

and one I am looking forward to reading

Picador
7 July 2022

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

The sequel to Jessie Burton’s million-copy bestseller The Miniaturist.

In the golden city of Amsterdam, in 1705, Thea Brandt is turning eighteen, and she is ready to welcome adulthood with open arms. At the city’s theatre, Walter, the love of her life, awaits her, but at home in the house on the Herengracht, all is not well – her father Otto and Aunt Nella argue endlessly, and the Brandt family are selling their furniture in order to eat. On Thea’s birthday, also the day that her mother Marin died, the secrets from the past begin to overwhelm the present.

Nella is desperate to save the family and maintain appearances, to find Thea a husband who will guarantee her future, and when they receive an invitation to Amsterdam’s most exclusive ball, she is overjoyed – perhaps this will set their fortunes straight.

And indeed, the ball does set things spinning: new figures enter their life, promising new futures. But their fates are still unclear, and when Nella feels a strange prickling sensation on the back of her neck, she remembers the miniaturist who entered her life and toyed with her fortunes eighteen years ago. Perhaps, now, she has returned for her..

****

I absolutely loved The Miniaturist when it was published in 2014 and devoured the story in a matter of a couple of days. I was equally entranced to see it brought to life in the 2017 TV adaption starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Petronella (Nella) Brandt. I am so looking forward to reading this sequel to see how Nella has fared in the years since The Miniaturist ended.

So as they say...watch this space 😊

@jaffareadstoo #FeatureFriday #amreading

The House of Fortune is published on the 7 July by Picador and is available to pre-order from wherever you buy your books.

Twitter #TheHouseofFortune

Instagram @jessieburton

Twitter @picadorbooks

📖 Blog Tour ~ Airside by James Swallow

 

Welbeck
22 May 2022

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

Beleaguered businessman Kevin Tyler's life is imploding: he's spent months setting up a deal to open an office in Northern Germany, risking everything he owns to push the project through – but at the last possible moment, his partners renege on the agreement when another party sweeps in with a better offer.

Left high and dry, Tyler knows he is going home to bankruptcy and an uncertain future. And to add insult to injury, an overbooked flight sees him bumped off the last plane home, leaving him behind to wait out a storm until the next departure the following morning.

Stranded in the airside zone of a remote municipal airport, Kevin's luck seems to have run out – until he stumbles upon a bag of money that could be the solution to all his woes.

There's just one problem – the money is part of a conspiracy of blackmail and murder, and those involved are willing to do anything to keep it.

📖 My Review ..

With a business deal gone disastrously wrong, Kevin Tyler's life is about to implode in the most dramatic way possible but at the start of the novel he is merely a weary business man on his way home. However, when his plane is unexpectedly delayed Kevin is forced to spend the night air side at Barsbecker airport, with very interesting consequences. 

Taking a rest break, Kevin inadvertently discovers a bag crammed with more money than he could ever have imagined. This seems like a gift from the gods to Kevin but  along with the temptation to keep the money for himself comes the possibility of real danger. What then follows is an exciting cat and mouse thriller, with ruthless characters who will stop at absolutely nothing to keep their money. 

Airside is an exciting thriller which flows well albeit a little slowly at first but once the action gets underway the plot moves quickly, bringing suspense and intrigue into the story with characters who are as violent as they are dislikeable however, all credit to the author for making their inclusion into the story feel so scarily authentic. I liked the inclusion of the more personal side of Kevin's life and in particular his relationship with his daughter, Maddie,.

Looking at the way the story evolves, I can well understand the author's skill in scriptwriting. Imaginative, and creatively written, Airside is an exciting standalone thriller from an author who is well known for his Marc Dane series of action thrillers. 

🍵Best read with..  A strong latte, extra shot.

About the Author

James Swallow is a New York Times, Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author and scriptwriter, a BAFTA nominee, a former journalist and the award-winning writer of over sixty books, along with scripts for video games, comics, radio and television. His writing includes the Marc Dane action thrillers, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Marvel, Tom Clancy, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, 24, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.

AIRSIDE, his new stand-alone thriller, is out now from Welbeck.

Twitter @jmswallow #AirsideBook

@welbeckpublish