📖 Book Review ~ Palisade by Lou Gilmond

Armillary Books
21 November 2024

#2 Kanha and Colbey trilogy

Thanks to Midas Campaigns for my copy of this book

 

When opposition Chief Whip Esme Kanha is handed a secret dossier containing evidence of government corruption, she suspects its original owner, a top journalist, was murdered for gathering it. Despite the danger, she feels she must investigate. Meanwhile, lowly backbencher Harry Colbey is working his own leads. A known campaigner against big tech, he is often sent data from anonymous sources and this time round he has something truly alarming.

But both Colbey and Kanha must tread carefully in a world dominated by AI, where 'what can see watches, what can hear listens, and what can be followed is tracked'.

As Kanha and Colbey again join forces, they are locked into a deadly race against political corruption, no matter what the cost. But when an old enemy returns, it may already be too late…

📖 My Review..

I started Palisade pretty much as soon as I finished reading the first book in this trilogy and was pleased to discover that this second book picked up very soon after the events of Dirty Geese. MP Harry Colbey, now relegated to the opposition back benches, once again, joins forces with opposition Chief Whip Esme Kanha to whittle out those government ministers who are just as corrupt and even with a new coalition government in power the corruption hasn’t stopped. With secret documents being passed around Colbey and Kanha have another difficult task ahead in order to keep one step ahead of those who would do anything for power. 

The sinister surveillance of artificial intelligence dominates and is so scarily realistic that you can sense the watchful drones hovering overhead and of the more clandestine listening devices which overhear every conversation and observe every move, so that no one is safe from being listened to, watched or followed. It is indeed a terrifying world which this clever writer has recreated so intelligently that you very soon get drawn into the sinister activities of shadowy figures who are so deep into a world of artificial intelligence that there is no possibility of escape.

Written with scrupulous precision, Palisade is an excellent continuation of this scarily realistic series which looks at government corruption at the highest level and of the unstoppable rise of artificial intelligence. I’m looking forward to be part of the blog tour in July and of sharing my review of Divinity Games, the third and final book in this clever trilogy.

About the Author

Lou Gilmond is the author of three political thrillers - Dirty Geese, published 6th July 2023, Palisade published 21st November 2024 and Divinity Games to be published 17th July 2025. Under her given name of Louise Boland, Lou is also the founder of small but well respected publishing house, Fairlight Books,which focusing on nurturing and promoting new and emerging literary talent. She is also the author Bookshop Tours of Britain, a slow travel guide journeying across Britain, bookshop by bookshop - Lou is a keen champion of bookshops.

June is the National Crime Reading Month

📖 Book review ~ Innocent Guilt by Remi Kone

Quercus
15th May 2025

#1 LeahHutch Series

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

 

June is the National Crime Reading Month and I am pleased to share my review of this debut crime novel by Remi Kone…

On a misty autumn afternoon, a woman covered in blood clutching a baseball bat walks silently into a London police station. The two officers assigned to her case are DI Leah Hutch and DS Benjamin Randle.

But the woman refuses to speak. She is not injured and the blood on the bat is not hers. What has she done? Is she the victim or the perpetrator? As Leah and Randle start their inquiry, a man is found battered to death in a nearby park. Journalist Odie Reid receives a tip off and is determined to solve the case first, trying to link this death to the woman held in custody.

Leah and Odie have history and very quickly their cat and mouse game becomes personal, leading them both to the very darkest corners of their pasts.

📖 My Review..

When a woman walks into a police station covered in blood and carrying a baseball bat, DI Leah Hutch and DS Ben Randle think that they have a fairly straightforward case however, this is only the start of a long and complex murder investigation which will test their powers of detection to the very limit. Running alongside this complicated case of multiple murders is the interference by Odie Reid, a local journalist, who needs just one more scoop to get her tired career back on track and who is determined to keep one step ahead of the police, and more importantly, her old adversary, Leah, with whom she has some previous history.

Like any first book in a proposed series there is a certain amount of getting to know the characters and DI Leah Hutch is certainly someone I am sure we will gain more insight into as the series progresses. I enjoyed the elements of the story which tell us more about Leah’s troubled childhood and the reasons why she is so focused on her work. Her partnership with DS Ben Randle is an interesting one and I’m sure this will become deeper as they strengthen their relationship in future stories.

Innocent Guilt is an interesting crime thriller which certainly kept me on the edge of my seat. There are some clever twists, which I didn’t see coming, and an exciting conclusion to what is a very well thought out crime thriller. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

About the Author

British Nigerian Emmy-nominated producer, Remi Kone, has worked on a number of well known television dramas such as Killing Eve,Spooks and Lewis. she lives in London and Innocent Guilt is her first novel.

 X @QuercusBooks

X @remikonewriter #InnocentGuilt

📖 Blog Tour ~ The Islands of Hopes and Dreams by Kate Frost

Boldwood Books
16 June 2025

Thanks to the publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources 
for the book and invitation to the blog tour

When the beginning of the end is just the start…

Newly single Lola Wild has had her fill of well-intentioned matchmaking friends. Her best friend Mirabel’s hen weekend highlights all that’s wrong with Lola’s life and she knows something has to change.

With Mirabel’s luxurious wedding in Sardinia fast approaching, Lola is looking forward to switching off, spending time with her friends and keeping her non-existent love life off everyone’s agenda.

Meanwhile, fellow wedding guest Rhys Strickland has his own problems. So when a chance encounter brings Rhys and Lola together they decide to help each other out.

To the idyllic backdrop of white sand beaches and azure bays, they bond over shared heartache, and friendship blossoms as they attempt to navigate the hurt and hard truths of past relationships.

Opening up their hearts and embracing change might be the last thing they expected, but what if a holiday of make-believe can turn into something real?

A heart-warming and uplifting story of vulnerability, self-renewal and finding love when you least expect to.

📖My Review ..

Lola Wild and Rhys Strickland are inadvertently drawn together when they attend the wedding of their best friends on the beautiful island of Sardinia. With their own love lives not going too well, Lola and Rhys decide to keep each other company without the fear of a romantic relationship coming between them however, fate has a fickle way of interfering and soon the  beauty of the island starts to work its magic.

This is a really lovely summery story which captured my imagination from the start. I particularly enjoyed the glorious setting of Sardinia, with its azure blue sea, endless sunshine and the excitement of the coming wedding between Mirabel and Fab. All the trials and tribulations that go with organising a romantic wedding sit comfortably alongside the burgeoning friendship between Lola and Rhys and the deliciousness of a will they, won’t they friends to lovers romance. There are some darker elements to the story which add depth but ultimately it’s a beautiful love story between two rather special people who deserve a second chance at love.

The Island of Hopes and Dreams is the perfect summer holiday read with delightful characters who stay with you long after the story is finished.

About the Author

Kate Frost is the author of several bestselling romantic escape novels including The Greek Heart, and The Love Island Bookshop. She lives in Bristol and is the Director of Storytale Festival, a book festival for children and teens she co-founded in 2019.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katefrostauthor

Twitter: @katefrostauthor

Instagram: @katefrostauthor

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

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-frost

📖 Blog Tour ~ The Accidental Debutante by Jane Dunn

Boldwood Books
14 June 2025

Thanks to the publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources
For the invitation to the blog tour

A daring young lady and dashing lord

At Prebbles Flying Circus, the daring Eliza Gray captivates audiences with her breathtaking feats on horseback. Yet beyond the applause, she harbours a longing to find the family she lost as a child and discover who she truly is.

Fate, however, takes an unexpected turn when Eliza is unceremoniously knocked down by a curricle driven recklessly by Raven, Earl Purfoy. Dazed but intrigued, she cannot help but notice Purfoy’s commanding presence.

For his part, the dashing lord, is mortified at his carelessness and resolves to assist the spirited yet intriguing young woman. He deposits her in the care of his dearest friends, Corinna and Alick Wolfe, who encourage Miss Gray in her search for her family and sponsor her entry into London society. The glittering balls and scurrilous gossip of the ton are a far cry from the circus ring and Eliza finds herself the subject of intense speculation and unwelcome advances.

As a most accidental debutante, Eliza has to navigate the complexities of high society and her new friendships. Her quest for family and belonging becomes perilously entwined with Zadoc Flynn, an American heir in search of an English bride, and the unfathomable Lord Purfoy.

Can Eliza uncover the truth of her past and the family she longs for? And will it be Mr Flynn or Lord Purfoy, or indeed her new female friends, who help her find her place in the world?

In a tale of courage, passion, and self-discovery, this lost orphan must decide where she truly belongs..

📖My Review..

If I could inhabit Regency England I would do so in the world this clever author brings to life so beautifully. From the moment Eliza Gray steps into the path of Raven, Earl Purfoy and disappears under the spinning wheels of his curricle I was beguiled by the story of a spirited young woman in search of her family and of an imperious young man who isn’t prepared for the effect that Eliza’s beauty and charming personality will have on his heart.

Whilst those who have read The Unsuitable Heiress will recognise many of the characters who play such an important role in the story, it can also be read as a standalone for it is Eliza and Raven who take centre stage in a deliciously sweet Regency romance. The world of sumptuous ballrooms, with gloriously appealing characters comes alive, from the eccentric American millionaire in search of a suitable wife, to the ale and onion smell of Prebbles Flying circus and the supreme equine competence of Clorinda, the Winged Venus.  I raced through the story reluctant to leave Eliza alone for a second and eager to learn more about her search for a long lost family.

Strongly redolent of a bygone age when young ladies weren’t expected to ride astride or dismount their horse by somersaulting from its saddle, Eliza Gray is a breath of fresh air in a world which constrained its women in tightly laced corsets and Parisian lace and gave them not an ounce of freedom to be themselves. I loved every word and said a reluctant goodbye to this wonderful young woman, wishing her much happiness in a future she so well deserved.

Beautifully written, and impeccably researched  The Accidental Debutante is another fascinating glimpse into the vagaries of Regency life, and of the challenges of finding love when you least expect it.

About the Author

Jane Dunn is an historian and biographer and the author of seven acclaimed biographies, including Daphne du Maurier and her Sisters and the Sunday Times and NYT bestseller, Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens. She lives in Berkshire with her husband, the linguist Nicholas Ostler.

Twitter/X @JaneDunnAuthor #TheAccidental Debutante

Newsletter Sign Up

@BoldwoodBooks #BoldwoodBloggers

@rararesources

📖 Book Review ~ A Kiss to Stop a Wedding by Sarah Mallory

Mills and Boon Historical
19 June 2025

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

He must speak now…

Or she'll be bound to another for ever!

Engaged to a viscount, Flora is the envy of every debutante. But her husband-to-be has a cruel streak that makes him anything but desirable. When Flora meets Matt Talacre, the dashing owner of Bellemonte Pleasure Gardens, she discovers what desire truly feels like…after he sets her body ablaze with a single look!

Yet Flora knows that she can’t act on their intense connection—her hateful betrothed is privy to a family secret which means that she can never walk away. Unless Matt can help her…starting with a moonlit kiss at a masquerade ball!

📖 My Review…

Earlier in the year I read The Earl’s Marriage Dilemma is which Matt Talacre had a peripheral role, I was delighted therefore to discover that Matt has been given a wonderful story of his own and his beguilement with the beautiful, Flora Warenne is obvious from he moment he meets her. However, Flora is betrothed to the odious Lord Whilton, but with no date set for her wedding Florence remains living with her aunt and uncle, and yet her momentous meeting with Matt Talacre is about to upset everything about her ordered, and rather boring, life in the country. Both Matt and Flora are characters to fall in love with, their will they, won’t they, relationship is beset with problems from the very start but with steely determination Flora shows that she no simpering miss but a passionate woman who is more than a match for the devilishly handsome Matt Talacre. 

The restrictions placed upon women in the Regency world is beautifully explored and whilst Flora doesn’t always follow convention she is still at the mercy of an unscrupulous fiancée who sees her as little more than attractive appendage with an impeccable bloodline. Brooding heroes and dastardly villains are what this author does so well and in this lovely story we certainly have both extremes but what also shines through is the author’s creative ability to bring such passion to her characters that you can’t help but fall in love with them and be drawn deeper into the stories they have to tell.

A Kiss to Stop a Wedding is a beautifully written, passionate romance, with memorable characters, and a realistic sense of time, place and memories.

About the Author

Sarah Mallory was born in the West Country and grew up with a love of books and history. She has had over 40 historical novels published and won the Rona Rose Award from the Romantic Novelists Association in 2012 and 2013.

Website

Twitter @SarahMRomance

BlueSky sarahmallory.bsky.social

📖 Book Review ~ The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster

Mantle Books
12 May 2025

Thanks to the publisher for the copy of the book 

1724. In a tavern just outside Edinburgh, Maggie Dickson’s family drown their sorrows, mourning her death yet relieved she is gone. Shame haunts them. Hanged for the murder of her newborn child, passers-by avert their eyes from her cheap coffin on its rickety cart.

But as her family pray her soul rests in peace, a figure appears at the door.

It is Maggie. She is alive.

Bruised and dazed, Maggie has little time for her family’s questions. All that matters to her is answering this will they hang her…

📖  My Review..

When Maggie Dickson stumbles into The Sheep’s Heid Inn, in Edinburgh in 1724, wearing little more than a thin smock, she gives her family the shock of their lives, for Maggie was hanged earlier that morning and as her family drown their sorrows so they begin to contemplate what happens next. Will Maggie be hanged twice for the same crime?  As Maggie waits for the Edinburgh magistrates to debate the issue, she reflects on the events which brought her to her death.

Based on the true story of Half-Hangit Maggie, this beautifully imagined story gives us a fictional version of Maggie’s life, before, during, and after her hanging, from her rough upbringing with her family at Fisherrow Harbour in Musselburgh, to her early marriage, and subsequent escape to a border town, where the crime she is accused of takes place. Suffused with atmosphere Maggie's story resonates from the first page, time and place come so gloriously alive that it’s possible to walk in the footsteps of this strong woman, experiencing both the high, and incredible, low periods of her eventful life. The story flows so beautifully that I was totally invested in the story and couldn’t put the book away until I had discovered how this version of Maggie’s life played out. Gritty, and dark, in places, there is never a moment when the story doesn’t tug at the heart, from the harsh realities of life as a Fisherrow fishwife, to the damp and dismal condemned cells in Edinburgh’s notorious tollbooth, Maggie's life draws you in and doesn’t let go of your emotions until her fascinating story is told.

The Mourning Necklace is another masterclass in historical fiction from this talented writer who makes the history of ordinary folk come alive.

About the Author

Kate Foster has been a national newspaper journalist for over twenty years. Growing up in Edinburgh, she became fascinated by its history and often uses it as inspiration for her stories. The Maiden won the Bloody Scotland Pitch Perfect 2020 prize for new writers. She lives in Edinburgh with her two children.

X @MantleBooks #TheMourningNecklace #KateFoster

📖 Blog Tour ~ Over the Sea to Skye by Sue Moorcroft (Giveaway)

Avon/ HarperCollins
5 June 2025

Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to the tour
and the cooy of the book

 

One summer on a beautiful island could change everything…

Valentina Taylor's life has been upended. With her marriage over, and unsure of what her future holds, she heads to the Isle of Skye for the summer with her young son, Barnaby.

But the journey there sets her on a new path, when she meets Xander Courage on the train – a charming American, running from problems of his own. After sparks fly, they go their separate ways. But on this small island, they’re never far from one another.

Skye offers Valentina the refuge she needs as she whiles away the long summer days at her beachside cottage, enjoying visits from her sisters, Thea and Ezzie. But when bad news from home throws her Scottish idyll into turmoil, Valentina finds herself pulled away from the place – and people – that she loves.

Valentina knows she must confront her heart’s desires – but can she let go of the past and embrace the future she deserves?

📖 My Review..

Valentina Taylor is returning, with her seven year old son Barney, to the beautiful Isle of Skye where they are to spend the summer at their newly renovated cottage. With her emotions running high Valentina is trying to cope with the break up of her marraige whilst at the same time protecting Barney from the inevitable fallout. As always her sisters, Ezzie and Thea, are there to support them but it is Valentina’s unexpected friendship with Xander Courage where the heart of the story lies. 

This is an emotional read in many ways as not only do we witness the complications in Valentina’s life but we also get to share in her joy and heartbreak when life doesn’t go as planned. There’s a lovely theme of friendship running throughout along with a strong sense of the three sisters once again pulling together to protect those they love. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Ezzie, Thea and Valentina and their individual stories have shown just what strength of character they all have and the author has explored these so beautifully in each of the stories in the trilogy. Valentina’s story was always going to be an emotional read and it doesn’t disappoint and whilst she was, perhaps, the sister we knew least about it has been such a treat to follow her story, from marriage breakup, to finding romance, and also a tentative reach out to the secrets of her past.

Whilst each of the books can be read as a standalone story, I do think it is better if you read the trilogy in order as that way you will get to know and love the characters which the author has created with such warmth, and of course, you get to spend time on the beautiful Isle of Skye, which is very much another character in the story.  It’s been such a pleasure to follow the lives of Ezzie, Thea and Valentina and Over the Sea to Skye concludes the series beautifully.

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.

Social Media Links 

Amazon page: Sue Moorcroft

Audible page: Sue Moorcroft

Website: www.suemoorcroft.com

Facebook author page SueMoorcroftAuthor

Twitter: @SueMoorcroft

Instagram: @SueMoorcroftAuthor

Linked in: Sue Moorcroft

Link Tree: linktr.ee/SueMoorcroft

Bookbub: SueMoorcroft1

Giveaway to Win a signed copy of Over The Sea to Skye, bookmark and pen (Open to UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. 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.

Rafflecopter