Left on the Shelf

Christmas Wishes at the Station Book Shop

About the Author

Margaret Amatt is a bestselling Scottish author, professional daydreamer, and certified chocolate addict. She’s been making up stories for as long as she can remember – some of them even made it onto paper (and, tragically, onto floppy disks that no computer can read anymore). After two decades of writing in secret, she finally unleashed her first novel on the world in 2021, kicking off a ten-book series set on the stunning Isle of Mull.

But why stop there? She’s also the creator of The Glenbriar Series, where romance, small-town drama, and a pinch of spice keep readers coming back for more. This series is still going strong, with more books planned!

Margaret has spent her whole life in Scotland’s breath-taking Highland Perthshire, despite her entire extended family coming from the Glasgow area. Her books are romantic and emotional, sweet and funny, and each one can be read as a standalone, but long-time readers know the joy of familiar faces popping up, adding to the chaos.

So, if you love relatable characters, sizzling chemistry, and plenty of banter, you’re in the right place – just don’t blame Margaret when you stay up way too late reading just one more chapter.

You can also find Margaret at:

Other Blog Posts Featuring This Author

(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random)

(all opinions are my own)

Friday, 22 May 2026

Beauty and the Brooding Viscount by Jeanine Englert - #bookspotlight #blogtour

I am very happy to be shining the book spotlight on this book today. Beauty and the Brooding Viscount by Jeanine Englert is a Regency fairytale retelling with a grumpy sunshine romance.

The Blurb

To make her mark…She must find his match!It’s a tale as old as time: Lucas Worthing, a wealthy Viscount, is reluctantly obliged to find a high-society wife. Especially with a deathbed promise to his mother to fulfill! But the odds are stacked against battle-scarred Lucas when the gossip sheets persist in calling him the Beast of Barnett House. Enter the Cupid’s Arrow Agency…Matchmaking for reclusive Lucas won’t be easy, but plucky Ophelia Granger isn’t deterred by his imposing castle or gruff demeanor. If she can pull this off, her business stands a chance of success. Yet there’s nothing harder than finding a bride for the man you’re falling for yourself!

Book Details

ISBN: 978 0263418828

Publisher: Harlequin/Mills & Boon

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 336 (paperback)

Purchase Links

About the Author

Jeanine Englert’s love affair with mysteries and romance began with Nancy Drew, Murder She Wrote, and her Grandmother’s bookshelves full of romance novels. She is a VIVIAN®, Golden Heart®, and Romance Novelists Association Finalist as well as a Silver Falchion, Maggie, and Daphne du Maurier Award Winner in historical romance and mystery. She was also named the 2024 Georgia Author of the Year in romance for A Laird without a Past.

Her Scottish Highland historical, Regency historical, and historical mystery novels revolve around characters seeking self-acceptance and redemption. When she isn’t wrangling with her characters on the page, she can be found trying to convince her husband to watch her latest Masterpiece or BBC show obsession. She loves to talk about books, writing, her beloved rescue pups, as well as mysteries and romance with other readers.

You can also find Jeanine at:

Author Website

Facebook

Instagram

(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Thursday, 21 May 2026

Some Starry Night by Irene Latham - #bookextract #excerpt

I am thrilled to be bringing you an extract from this gorgeous looking book today. Some Starry Night by Irene Latham looks like a great read and one that I am definitely adding to my wish list.

The Blurb

Under the pale glow of a Parisian spring in 1886, two restless souls move toward the same horizon-unaware that their meeting will ignite a love as luminous and fleeting as the stars themselves.

Vincent van Gogh arrives in Paris with little more than paint-stained hands and an aching determination to create something worthy of the world. Living in the cramped apartment of his brother Theo, he struggles against poverty, doubt, and the relentless pull of his own restless mind.

Across the ocean in Amherst, Emily Dickinson receives news that changes everything. Faced with the nearness of death, the reclusive poet does the unthinkable: she leaves the quiet safety of the Homestead and sails for Paris, determined to taste life before it slips beyond her reach.

When Emily agrees to sit for Vincent's portrait, their worlds collide in a blaze of color, poetry, and dangerous intimacy. Through letters, poems, and whispered confessions, the two artists discover in one another a fierce, unguarded understanding-one that will shape their art, their faith, and the fragile hours they have left.

But love between stars is never simple. As time grows short and darkness gathers, Vincent and Emily must decide whether beauty is meant to last...or simply to burn bright enough to change the night forever.

Some Starry Night is a sweeping, lyrical imagining of the hidden story behind Vincent van Gogh's most iconic painting-an unforgettable tale of love, creativity, and the courage to live fiercely, even in the shadow of the end.

The Excerpt

He threw up his hands. “I can’t believe it. I won’t believe it.” He swiped a fallen branch from the ground and flung it back toward the pond. “I only wanted to bring you out here to show you what it means to be an artist. I didn’t ask for this.”

“I didn’t ask for this, either.” She hadn’t come to Paris to see skeletons or climb a tree. Or to meet an artist. “I didn’t ask for you.”

The intensity of his gaze awakened the anaconda in her brain. It uncoiled, undulating in its nest. She hadn’t expected anger from him, nor regret. She opened her mouth to comfort, to explain. To beg him not to leave.

No. She set her jaw. She was done begging men, as she’d begged Thomas to please-please-please read her poems. She was done masterminding and manipulating. It never worked anyway.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1964700854

Publisher: Historium Press

Formats: e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages: 314 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

The London Forgery by Heidi Eljarbo

About the Author

Irene Latham writes poems and stories from the Purple Horse Poetry Studio & Music Room in Blount County, Alabama. She is the author or co-author of many books for young people, including African Town, winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Outstanding Historical Fiction.

This is her first novel for adults.

You can also find Irene at:

Author Website

Substack

You Tube

Other Posts About Art on the Blog

Painting Time by Maylis de Kerangal

The Dream Collector: Sabine and Sigmund Freud by R.W. Meek

The Silent Witness by K.J. McGillick

The Paris Portrait by Heidi Eljarbo

(media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

10 Ten Exciting New Releases in June 2026

There are some fabulous books being released in June.

During the latter half of the month, I will be taking a two week break for a holiday. Although, I won't be posting during that time, rest assured that some of the little beauties in this list will be sneaking into my suitcase and keeping me company.

I hope you find something in this list to entice you too.

The Promise of Wonder by Katherine Webb

A tragic accident. A misguided accusation. Are some mistakes unforgivable?

England, 1889. In her family’s rambling manor house in Dorset, fifteen-year-old Theodora Hallewell dreams of magic, adventure, and Toby Meriwether. As Toby prepares to leave for university, Theo plans a midnight gathering—one last chance to make Toby notice her. By dawn, a tragic mistake will shatter the world as they know it.

Years later, Toby has built a respectable life in London, scarred by the past but determined to put it behind him. Theo, struggling with the aftermath of what happened, has begun to fear that the life she has built is more fragile—and far more dangerous—than she ever imagined. Both live under the shadow of that fateful night—until a startling discovery casts what happened in a whole new light, and offers a chance to right the wrongs that have haunted them for so long.

Spanning three decades, The Promise of Wonder is a spellbinding story of lost love, atonement, and the long journey towards forgiveness.

The Underground Sisters by Soraya M. Lane

Amsterdam, 1940: Schoolteacher Aletta knows the war will soon reach her and the Jewish children in her class. When her family hide an injured Allied airman in their home, they must decide: how much will they risk when resistance could prove deadly?

Paris, 1940: Since her mother’s death, Chloe has dedicated herself to protecting her brothers. So when the SS accuses Claude of being in the Resistance, she sacrifices herself to save him.

Forced together in Ravensbrück concentration camp, Chloe, Aletta and her mother, Emma, forge an unbreakable bond. Surrounded by unimaginable cruelty, they mount their own kind of resistance―secretly teaching children and preserving fellow prisoners’ precious memories. In a place designed to strip away humanity, their friendship becomes an act of defiance, their determination to bear witness a lifeline of hope.

As the war rages on and whispers of a longed-for liberation grow, can their courage and sisterhood see them through to freedom? And if they survive, how can they ever be the same?

Based on true events, this is an inspiring testament to the power of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit.

Dwell by Rue Baldry

January 1919 - A new gardener at a snowbound boarding school catches everyone's attention. It's rumoured he is a war hero. He's nineteen-year-old Albert, haunted by Great War experiences and fighting the temptation of one particular prefect. What they want is illegal.

Being caught would ruin them. Then Albert's past finds him, making their quest for a place where love can safely dwell look impossible.

Just Emilia by Jennifer Oko

The past, present, and future collide in a DC Metro elevator as three women get caught up in a gripping time-traveling tale of memory, emotion, and unspoken truths about their shared history. Synopsis: When Emilia Fletcher finds herself trapped inside a Washington, DC Metro elevator, getting out is the least of her problems. Sharing the confined space with her are Em, a troubled teenager plagued by suicidal thoughts, and Millie, an elderly woman yearning to mend ties with her estranged daughter. As the hours drag on, hunger, exhaustion, and panic set in, revealing an almost incomprehensible truth: they are the same person. Locked in an uncompromising match of memories, the three women excavate and attempt to reckon with the shared shame and suffering stemming from an unresolved trauma that has cast a profound shadow over their lives. Brimming with biting humor, compassion, and quick-witted insight, Just Emilia is remarkable journey of self-discovery.

Collapse by Edourd Louis

Édouard’s brother spends much of his life dreaming. He lives in a poor, working-class world, where he imagines that he will become one of the finest butchers in France, that he will travel, that he will make his fortune, that he will restore cathedrals, that he will earn his father’s love.

But his reality allows none of this. There is no way to escape, no one who can show him how, and everything about him – his drinking, his violence, his behaviour with women and with others – condemns him.

At thirty-eight he is found dead on the floor of his small studio apartment. This book is the story of his collapse.

Bad Deeds by Andrew Hunter Murray

Alex used to break into houses illegally. These days, it’s his job.

Alex is part of a small firm of consultants who break into offices and homes to test their security. It’s fun, it’s well paid, and he’s very good at it. It’s almost like he’s grown up at last.

But when he gets fired from his firm, evicted from his flat and dumped by his girlfriend, all in the same evening, he decides to steal one last job from his company without their knowing. A job they had already decided not to accept.

Big mistake.

Before long, Alex is in remote northern Scotland, following the trail of an ambitious young man who supposedly fell to his death with no witnesses in sight.

And if Alex doesn’t get to the truth soon, he may well be the next one over the edge...

A Time to Be Born by Dawn Powell

Amanda Keeler is a bestselling novelist, famed for her martini-soaked parties. It's a glamorous life, paid for in full by marriage to a tedious, teeth-grinding newspaper tycoon.

When a meek friend from her provincial past arrives in Manhattan, Amanda plots to use her as cover for an affair-until she realises that they have both fallen for the same man.

Sophisticated, scandalous and acidly funny, this is a portrait of a woman determined to have everything, even if it costs the one thing she never meant to gamble: her heart.

Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe.

How to Survive in the Woods by Kat Rosenfield

Emma Sharp knows the rules of survival. From being raised by a doomsday-fearing father and hardened by the startup world, she has learned how to endure - especially in her marriage to Logan Grant, a charismatic tyrant who keeps her under tight control. To Emma, her marriage is a cage: it keeps you in, but it also keeps you safe. Until it doesn't.

When Emma forms an unexpected bond with Logan's former girlfriend, the two women form a plan to help Emma reclaim her life. Destination: the punishing final stretch of the Appalachian Trail.

After all, bad things happen in the woods all the time.

As the three venture deeper into Maine's backcountry, desire and dread curdle into something unpredictable, dark and deadly. Someone is lying. Someone is watching. And in the remote heart of the forest, someone is about to be lost . . . or found.

Lisa Doyle is Absolutely Fine by Mo Fanning

Lisa Doyle is fine. Absolutely fine.

At least, that's the story she's been telling herself.

Her best friend is getting married. Everyone around her seems to have a partner, a plan, and a life that makes sense. Lisa, meanwhile, has four glasses of wine in her, a talent for making bad situations worse, and a growing sense of being left behind.

So she does what any sensible woman in a crisis would do. She announces that she's engaged.

There is only one problem.

Brian does not exist.

Now Lisa needs a fiancé before the wedding, her actor flatmate is far too willing to get involved, and the real Brian, who is very much married and very much her boss, is starting to look at her in ways that suggest this lie may have got seriously out of hand.

Warm, witty, and painfully recognisable, Lisa Doyle is Absolutely Fine is a grown-up romantic comedy about love, pressure, friendship, and the exhausting performance of holding everything together when you're quietly falling apart.

Perfect for readers of Mhairi McFarlane, Beth O'Leary, and Marian Keyes.

The Cider Girls Join the Fight by May Ellis

1941, Somerset: the shadow of war is closing in.

Two years into the conflict, Rose is adjusting to life as a Land Girl, working the Somerset fields alongside Jimmy, the farmer’s son whose watchful, protective attention she can neither escape nor ignore. Thankfully, she has found companionship in Daisy, a district nurse, and Elsie, an ATS clerk. New friends thrown together by the necessities of war, they call themselves the Cider Girls.

As the threat of invasion grows, the girls prove their courage to the commanding officer of a secret resistance unit and are drawn into a dangerous world of espionage, coded messages and hidden loyalties.

But there is trouble close to home too. Daisy knows she is in love with her lifelong friend Mattie, but will she speak the truth before it’s too late? Elsie’s life is shattered by the tragic death of her sister, leaving her with an impossible choice. And Rose finds her work in the resistance increasingly hard to hide.

In a world of secrets and sacrifice, can the Cider Girls’ friendship see them through the darkest days yet?

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Wednesday, 20 May 2026

One Moonlit Night by Rachel Hore - #bookreview

March 1941

There was a before and an afterwards. Later, Maddie would trace back to this moment the way her life changed...

***

It has come to my attention that I must make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from Netgalley. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.

***

The Blurb

Forced to leave their family home in London after it is bombed in the Blitz, Maddie and her two young daughters take refuge at Knyghton, the beautiful country house in Norfolk where Maddie’s husband Philip spent the summers of his childhood.

But Philip is gone, believed to have been killed in action in northern France. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Maddie refuses to give up hope that she and Philip will some day be reunited.

Arriving at Knyghton, Maddie feels closer to her missing husband, but she soon realises that there’s a reason Philip has never spoken to her about his past. Something happened at Knyghton one summer years before. Something that involved Philip, his cousin Lyle and a mysterious young woman named Flora.

Maddie’s curiosity turns to desperation as she tries to discover the truth, but no one will speak about what happened all those years ago, and no one will reassure her that Philip will ever return to Knyghton.

My Review

This was a fabulous read and it kept me turning the pages throughout.

The main character, Maddie, is left homeless when her home is bombed during the Blitz. When her husband, Philip, is declared missing in action, she retreats to his childhood home, Knyghton in Norfolk. She doesn't know much about his past, but after discovering a photo of Knyghton she goes with her daughters in the hope of a home during the war. There she meets Philip's cousin, Lyle, and begins to unravel the story of why her husband never spoke of his past.

It was an excellent story to join the canon of novels set during World War Two. I enjoyed the way the author put her book together and there were lots of twists and turns to keep me gripped. She demonstrated very well what life was like during the war, both for the soldiers fighting on the front and for those left behind. It illustrated well how hard it was for a wife whose husband was missing in action. The author did a great job of depicting steadfast love between husband and wife, even after it was likely that he had been killed in the war.

This book made for excellent reading. It was compelling and thought-provoking and I highly recommend it.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1471187254

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Formats: e-book, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages: 480 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

About the Author

History is full of fascinating stories of how we came to be, and that’s why Rachel chose it to study at Oxford University. After she graduated she had a brief flirtation with museum work, but eventually books won out again. She took a secretarial course and landed a junior position at Cassells Publishers in Westminster and knew at once she'd found a career where she felt totally at home. Three years of enjoyable dogsbodying later she emerged as a fledgling editor. It was then she landed her dream job: assistant editor at HarperCollins Publishers in the Fiction department! She worked there for many wonderful years, eventually becoming a senior editorial director and looking after her own stable of well-known names.

She's had fourteen novels published now – the most recent, The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge, published in 2025.

Rachel is married to author, D.J. Taylor, has three sons and now lives in Norwich.

You can also find Rachel at:

(ARC courtesy of Netgalley)

(media courtesy of the author's website)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Monday, 18 May 2026

May Flowers at the Three Coins Inn by Kimberley Sullivan - #bookspotlight #blogtour

How enticing is the cover of this book? I'm delighted to be shining the spotlight on this book today. May Flowers at the Three Coins Inn by Kimberley Sullivan is part of the Three Coins series.

The Blurb

After a successful seasonal opening in April, friends Emma and Annarita are eager to welcome a new set of guests to their Umbrian inn during the full bloom of May.

Upstate New Yorker Lisa needs an escape from betrayal and the prying eyes of her smalltown neighbors. Elderly, reclusive artist Antonio hopes leaving Milan for a country sojourn will spark his long dormant creative muse. Manhattan socialite mother Sharon grudgingly embarks on a country holiday with her young son, Josh, with whom she shares few interests. Roman author Margherita prefers time spent alone, but her career may depend on a stay in bucolic Todi among fellow guests. And Emma and Annarita are anxious to embrace their close friend Tiffany on her brief stay in the heart of Umbria.

The swallows may have returned and colorful petals now dot the countryside, but will the inn’s atmosphere allow hurts to heal and friendships to blossom?

Book Details

ISBN: 979 8986884486

Publisher: Kimberley Sullivan

Formats: e-book and paperback (Until 31st May you can purchase May Flowers at the Three Coins Inn for a special release price of 99 cent/99 pence)

No. of Pages: 382 (paperback)

Series: Book 3 of 3 in the Three Coins series

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org