Sisters... No Way! by Siobhan Parkinson - #bookreview #blogtour

A happy relief, someone said. Can you believe it? A happy relief! Dad said... that's the sort of thing people say, they don't mean it unkindly...

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I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from The Write Reads. 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

A funny, feisty and heartfelt take on the classic Cinderella story, this 30-year anniversary edition of Sisters ... No Way! invites readers old and new to discover the charming story that defined a generation. With two stories in one – told from different perspectives and flipped to read from either side – this unique book lets readers step into both sisters’ shoes, revealing that there’s always more than one side to every story.

Cindy is a sharp-tongued, no-nonsense teen struggling with her mum’s recent death – and she is not impressed when her dad falls for one of her teachers. A teacher for a stepmother? Seriously? And her two perfect, prissy daughters? There’s no way Cindy is calling them sisters… no way!

But the feeling is mutual. Cindy’s would-be stepsisters think she’s a total nightmare: rude, bossy, and completely unfair to their mum. They don’t want her as a sister any more than she wants them... no way! The trouble is, the wedding is happening whether they like it or not. Soon they’ll all be one family… so something has to give.

But who will it be?

My Review

This is a modern retelling of Cinderella that is aimed at a young adult readership.

At the beginning, the author invites us to "choose where to start." The book contains two diaries: Cindy's, whose mother has recently passed away, and Ashling's, whose parents have split up, leaving her and her sister to cope with the fallout. It is up to the reader to decide which one to read first.

When Cindy's dad and Ashling's mum get together, neither of them are ready to become stepsisters. Through reading the diaries, the reader is able to consider the book from the perspectives of both girls. This leaves the reader to understand the situation from the individual points of view and to understand the two girls better. I enjoyed the epistolary format as it gave me the opportunity to really understand the two characters in a way that a normal narrative may not have.

I love the way the author took a classic story and set it in the modern world of blended families. This was originally published in the 1990s and this is the book's 30th anniversary. It has been given a nice new cover which will appeal to a new generation of young people.

I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1918353952

Publisher: Little Island Books

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 256 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Boookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amazon CA

About the Author

Siobhán Parkinson is one of Ireland's best-known writers for children. She has written almost thirty books, most of them for children and teenagers, for which she has won a bagful of awards and nominations, and her books have been translated into about twenty languages. She was Ireland's first Children's Laureate. She is visually impaired, which means she has to  rely mainly on audiobooks for reading, and she works by using magnification software and a voice on her computer. She lives in Dublin with her husband, who is a woodturner and without her grown-up son, who is a book editor.

You can also find Siobhan at:

Author Website

Instagram

My Other Blog Posts Featuring Books for Young Adults

Shorelines by Ruth Ennis

Last Seen Online by Lauren James

My Heart is Hurting by S.E. Reed

The Time Trials by John and Dayna McConnell

Shadow by Michael Morpurgo

(ARC and media courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

A Gala Ball at Tillingford Hall by Flora Dunn - #bookreview

I'm shivering: it's always freezing at Tillingford Hall in January. 

My hand is poised to knock on Guy Tillingford's study door. Since when does my closest friend, my ex-fiancee, close his door to me, expect me to knock?"

***

I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from the publisher. 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

Sahara Seaton-Smyth's ex, James, is never coming back; her brother Seb is moving out; her modelling career has stalled; and she's just adopted an orphaned piglet.

Meanwhile, her friend Guy Tillingford is losing his calm. His fiancee Alice's due date is also looming while Tin Tub Productions are filming a documentary about Tillingford Hall in the run-up to the gala ball.

Sahara has the chance to return to the spotlight as a TV presenter, but she's reluctant until she learns she'll be working with her old friend, historian Dr Tom Pemberton.

Now widowed, Tom is juggling single parenthood with TV stardom. His son Cory has retreated into video games, while daughter Xanthe, a gifted violinist, is struggling with sudden fame.

Can Sahara help Tom? When she receives unexpected news about her health, will it bring them closer - or push them apart?

With Alice's due date so close to the ball, who will have that first dance?

My Review

Publishing tomorrow, this book makes for delightful reading.

Although this is the fourth book in the series, I haven't read the previous three and that did not impact my enjoyment of this lovely novel.

Set in the English countryside and revolving around a stately home in which a television series is being filmed, the author has created a wonderful backdrop into which she has placed her characters.

The main character is Sahara. She is an ex-model who has come through the other side of a life of alcohol, drugs and anorexia. She has now got her life back on track and I admired her for moving forward so positively with her life. The author portrayed her character very well and Sahara was a delight to get to know on the page.

In fact, all of the characters were well drawn and came to life on the page. I enjoyed observing the chemistry develop between her and her old friend and colleague Tom. His children, Xanthe and Cory, were wonderful creations and I really enjoyed the way they were portrayed. The author clearly understood her characters very well.

The character interactions with Muffin, the fast-growing piglet, were delightful. There was much amusement around him and I couldn't help but laugh.

Although the book refers to some difficult themes, they largely take place off the page. However, Tom and his children are grieving the loss of his wife, but it is handled sensitively. 

This was a heartwarming, feel-good romance novel with a very satisfying ending. I was gripped throughout and enjoyed every page. I highly recommend this book if you like contemporary romance... with a naughty piglet thrown in.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1068749484

Publisher: Lumina Publications

Formats: e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  311 (paperback)

Series: Book 3 in the Tillingham series

Purchase Links

Author Website

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

In her own words:

​I wrote my first book when I was five. It was about a cow and a bed because those were words I knew how to spell. Then I wrote ‘The Crazy Book’ about some kids who went back in time and lots of stories about bunnies.

​I fell in love with romance when I read MM Kaye’s The Ordinary Princess, a touching children’s book about a sassy runaway princess called Amy, which was one of the first books to turn traditional fairy stories on their head. And later, Jane Austen and all the classics, until I finally picked up a Mills and Boon in my twenties and my fate was sealed.

​Love stories, whether about romance, friendship or camaraderie, how we feel about other people, how we treat them, how we make mistakes and are forgiven and learn to forgive in our turn, are at the very heart of our human existence. You can tell those stories in a light-hearted way but that doesn’t change the depth of the message that true love is the greatest of all the virtues. Even The Bible is a love story between God and his people (and that ending when you think it’s all over, but it isn’t, is just the best plot twist ever).  

​My stories are set in and around the modern-day fictional village of Tillingham in Jane Austen Country in leafy mid-Hampshire.

The first book in the Tillingford Hall series is Summer at Tillingford Hall (published August 2024). A Little Treat on Honey Street, about Laura and her quest to save the Tillingham community shop and Christmas at Tillingford Hall are both scheduled for publication in 2025.

​I write from a posh shed set in a beautiful garden in South-West London. I live with two cats, three grown-up children and my husband, a hunky gardener with a growing collection of tractors. When I’m not writing, working as a charity fundraiser or looking after my family, I’m to be found in the kitchen, baking cakes (which I try not to eat) and cooking home-grown veg (which I do).

You can also find Flora at:

Author Website

Facebook

Instagram

(ARC and media courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

The Connection in Everything by Rich Marcello - #blogtour #bookspotlight

I am very happy to be shining the book spotlight on this book today. The Connection in Everything by Rich Marcello is a coming-of-age story aimed at young adults.

The Blurb

A lonely teenage genius who believes there’s a connection in everything finds his theory put to the test when a mysterious mentor and an enchanting artist enter his life, launching a summer-long search for the true meaning of connection.

Sixteen-year-old Amaro Marzano sees connections everywhere—in the quantum world, in the patterns of nature, in the verses of Rumi. Yet, in his own life in working-class Worcester, Massachusetts, he feels profoundly disconnected. Trapped by the volatility of his strict father and the weight of family expectations, Am finds solace in the quiet orbit of school, the library, and his two best friends.

But his world fractures and reforms when two new connections emerge: David Butler, a recluse with a library holding ten thousand books, who becomes an unlikely mentor; and Ginnevra Poppoli, a captivating mime artist who offers the breathtaking possibility of first love.

As Am navigates escalating family crises, intellectual awakenings, and the bittersweet intensity of young love, he must rely on his “found family” and his own novel ideas to forge and maintain relationships in a world where true connection has become a radical act.

The Connection in Everything is a luminous, heartbreaking, and intellectually dazzling coming-of-age story about finding your place in a universe that is both terrifyingly chaotic and astonishingly interconnected.

About the Author

Rich is the author of seven acclaimed novels—including Cenotaphs, The Latecomers, The Means of Keeping, and his most recent work, The Connection in Everything—as well as the poetry collection The Long Body That Connects Us All. 

Rich’s creative voice is uniquely shaped by a dual history of high-stakes leadership and artistic immersion. Before dedicating himself to fiction, he enjoyed a distinguished career as a technology executive, managing multibillion-dollar businesses for Fortune 500 companies. This background provides his storytelling with a unique intellectual rigor and a keen understanding of the systems, both corporate and social, that shape modern life. Yet, it is his “eye and ear of a poet” and his experience as a songwriter that infuse his prose with its characteristic lyrical beauty and emotional intimacy. 

Beyond the page, Rich is an advocate for the literary arts and his local community. He served as the president of the Seven Bridges Writers’ Collaborative for four years, mentoring emerging voices and teaching fiction. Today, he remains a voice in Harvard, Massachusetts, where he serves on the Harvard Climate Initiative Committee and writes a regular column for The Harvard Press on the climate crisis.

For Rich, art is ultimately an act of service. Whether through a song, a poem, or a 400-page novel, his goal is to make a meaningful difference to at least one other person in the world, a goal he’s achieved many times over.       

Rich lives in Harvard with his wife, Maribeth, and their Newfoundland, Iaia. He is currently at work on his eighth novel, Threshold, continuing his journey toward creating a ten-book cycle of interconnected human stories.

You can also find Rich at:

Author Website

Facebook

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(media courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)

Christmas at Honeycombe Bay by Lilac Mills - #bookreview #blogtour

If the next tune was another sodding Christmas song, Eloise Garrett was going to grab the nearest pair of scissors and sever the damn radio's electric cable...

***

I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from Rachel's Random Resources. 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

Two Scrooges come together for a festive-free holiday season by the sea and find all their anti-Christmas plans going up in smoke when they decide to play Santa for a single mom and her child.

Eloise Garrett thinks Christmas is overpriced, overhyped, and overrated, and without any family to share it with, she feels sad, lonely and isolated. The “season for giving” is just a constant reminder that she’s single, sixty(ish), and staring down retirement. But not this Christmas. Determined to avoid the most magical time of the year, Eloise decides to spend Christmas in Honeycombe Bay. Surely a seaside village in the middle of winter won’t be too festive?

Ever since his wife passed away, Bartholomew Knott hasn’t felt up to welcoming visitors to his guest house. With the prospect of another long, lonely winter, and having become more Scrooge than Santa over the years, Bart is dreading Christmas. However, when he’s contacted by someone who dislikes decking the halls just as much as he does, Bart has the brilliant idea of opening the guest house to people who want to escape all things festive.

Christmas isn’t easy to ignore, though, not even in off-season Honeycombe Bay. So when fate forces Bart to give shelter to a single mother and child whose holiday has been devastated by a terrible fire, Eloise finds herself playing Mrs. Claus to Bart’s Santa—dragging the house’s other guest, a heartbroken teacher looking for a break during the holidays, into the action as well. But holiday cheer isn’t the only thing sparking under the mistletoe. Will the guests at Honeycombe Bay realize that, sometimes, the best way to escape Christmas is to let it into your heart?

My Review

This is a charming story of later-life romance and was most enjoyable to read.

It was such a heartwarming novel full of lovely characters. The main character was Eloise and the book is told largely from her perspective. She has no family and all the Christmas cheer grates on her nerves. So she heads to a bed and breakfast in off-season Honeycombe Bay where she meets the owner, Bart, who is still grieving for his wife.

There are other characters who end up at the B&B too and this turns into a tale of found family. In addition, there is romance in the air between Eloise and Bart, if only they were brave enough to admit it. When circumstances occur that force them to observe Christmas, they both demonstrate such generosity of love towards others that I was rooting for them to do so to each other.

This was a wonderful book to read and I enjoyed every page. The author has created characters that leapt off the page and I almost felt that I was in the B&B with them, sharing a mince pie and glass of Baileys.

I found this gorgeous story captivating and would have gobbled it up in one sitting if I could. It warmed my heart and put a smile on my face. The author did such a fabulous job of creating her curmudgeonly characters and atmosphere, and enabled us as readers to see them grow and change. 

This is a lovely book to read in the run-up to Christmas and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1035927302

Publisher: Aria

Formats: e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  304 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Lilac Mills lives on a Welsh mountain with her very patient husband and incredibly sweet dog, where she grows veggies (if the slugs don't get them), bakes (badly) and loves making things out of glitter and glue (a mess, usually). She's been an avid reader ever since she got her hands on a copy of Noddy Goes to Toytown when she was five, and she once tried to read everything in her local library starting with A and working her way through the alphabet. 

She loves long, hot summer days in the garden, and cold winter ones snuggled in front of the fire, but whatever the weather she's usually writing or thinking about writing, with heartwarming romance and happy-ever-afters always on her mind.

Lilac also writes under the pseudonyms Liz Davies and Etti Summers.

You can also find Lilac at:

Author Website

Instagram

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Bluesky

My Other Blog Posts Featuring This Author

Surprises on the Scottish Isle

(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Books I Read in September 2026

 

The autumn is almost upon us and it's a time to think about snuggling down with a warm drink, a blanket and a book.

However, here in the UK we aren't quite there with the weather yet. In fact as I write this we are having a bit of late summer which is lovely.

It has been a good month for reading and I have read some lovely books. I have even squeezed in a couple for the little ones and have started on my Christmas books.

What have you been reading this month?

The Tale That Time Sews by Sita Brahmachari & Jane Ray

This delightful picture book tells the story of time through a continual needle and thread.  If you would like to read my full review you can find it here.

Ancestral Virgins (Part 1, 2 and 3) by Fiona J. Mackintosh

I read all three books in the series as they do not really work as stand alone books.  If you would like to read my full review you can find it here.

Little Wolf's Big Huff by Harriet Howe & Katie Cottle

This is a delightful picture book to share with children finding themselves in need of a little reassurance. If you would like to read my full review you can find it here.

Invitation From a Dictator by Rory Clements

Although this is the third book in a series, I have not read the earlier books. It works very well as a standalone novel and I enjoyed it very much. If you would like to read my full review you can find it here.

The Wine of Angels by Phil Rickman

This was my Book Group reading choice this month. Although I quite liked it it didn't go down very well with most of the group.

Bob and Shirley's Guide to Murder by Suzy K. Quinn

This amusing cosy crime mystery is entertaining to read. If you would like to read my full review you can find it here.

The Silent Women by Tara Lynn Masih

This book made for great reading. The Silent Women is based on the true story of the Manhattan Project's secret women during World War II. If you would like to read my full review you can find it here.

A Calamity of Waters by Chloe Turner

My favourite read this month. This was one of those books that I wanted to read slowly, to linger over every word and sentence because it has been so beautifully crafted.   If you would like to read my full review you can find it here.

The Alchemist's Secret by Clare Marchant

I enjoyed this very much.  My review will be up soon.

A Dash of Christmas Spirit by Susan Buchanan

A trip to the Sugar and Spice Cafe is an annual must for me. This is probably my favourite Christmas series. If you would like to read my full review you can find it here.

A Dash of Christmas Spirit by Susan Buchanan - #bookreview #blogtour

Florence gazed around her at Winstanton's bustling Christmas market, full of shoppers passing each other with studied determination, whilst people who knew each other occasionally stopped to chat...

***

I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from Rachel's Random Resources. 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

CAN LARA ADD A SPRINKLING OF MAGIC THIS CHRISTMAS?

Jacob introduces ever tastier treats to the Sugar and Spice cafe’s menu as the Christmas Spirit knits her magic into the lives of those finding this Christmas tough.

Florence is struggling to make ends meet and afford the present she knows her son wants for Christmas. Her ex-husband flaunting his new girlfriend and their baby isn’t helping her mood.

Widower Jude feels a failure as a father to his two young children after the tragic death of his wife. The move to Winstanton was meant to make life easier. Can he learn to carve out time to build new friendships and give himself the chance to grieve?

Rachel’s boss has given the promotion he promised her to the man twenty years her junior, whom she trained. She’s fed up with being taken for granted, and the lack of sympathy from her husband and teenage children.

Retired David feels Grinch-like as his son expects him to look after his grandchildren all the time, without taking his life into consideration. He used to love Christmas, but this year it has lost its sparkle.

Can the warm welcome at the Sugar and Spice café help them find their Christmas spirit?

A feel-good festive romance with a heartwarming community and a generous helping of Christmas spirit!

My Review

A trip to the Sugar and Spice Cafe is an annual must for me. This is probably my favourite Christmas series and I always look forward to a new one being published immensely.

Set in the picturesque and homely fictional village of Winstanton, the warm and welcoming Sugar and Spice Cafe attracts many customers. Each of the books features just a few of the regulars and I got caught up in their stories completely.  Jacob, who runs the cafe, is in each of the books that I have read, along with his niece Lara, who is pivotal to the plot.

I love Lara's warm-heartedness and the way she cares about others. Every Christmas she weaves her magic to ensure people get people get the Christmas that they deserve. She is a wonderful character to get to know and, like all the characters in the book, comes alive on the page.

This is a genre of book that you begin reading knowing that everything will be okay in the end. It is lovely to spend time with these characters in the cafe. Descriptions of the cakes on offer made my mouth water. I almost felt as if I were there. 

Such pure escapism makes for joyful reading. It is heartwarming to read and I finished the book feeling very satisfied with the ending. If there is one festive book you are going to read this year, make it this one. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1915589071

Publisher: Susan Buchanan

Formats: e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages: 300 (paperback)

Series: Book 5 of the Christmas Spirit series

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Susan Buchanan writes contemporary romance, women’s fiction and romantic comedies, usually featuring travel, food, family, friendship, community – also Christmas!

Her books are Sign of the Times, The Dating Game, The Christmas Spirit, Return of the Christmas Spirit, A Little Christmas Spirit, A Taste of Christmas Spirit and Just One Day – Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn, The Leap Year Proposal, You Can’t Hurry Love and The Boulangerie on the Corner.

As a freelance developmental editor, copyeditor and proofreader, if she’s not reading, editing or writing, she’s thinking about it.  

She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Alliance of Independent Authors. 

She lives near Glasgow with her husband, two children and a crazy Labrador. 

When she’s not editing, writing, reading or caring for her two delightful cherubs, she likes going to the theatre, playing board games, watching quiz shows and eating out.

You can also find Susan at:

Author Website

Facebook

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Instagram

Bluesky

My Other Blog Posts Featuring This Author

A Little Christmas Spirit

A Taste of Christmas Spirit

The Leap Year Proposal

(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

The Tale That Time Sews by Sita Brahmachari & Jane Ray - #bookreview

This is the thread that travels the Earth, that Time sews...

***

I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from the publisher. 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

While a young girl awaits the arrival of a new sibling, her Nana works on a special story quilt. As she sews, mends, and adds new patches, Nana shares the story of her own journey - of fleeing her homeland, finding love in a new country, and stitching together a new beginning from fragile threads.

With every new and restored patch, the girl begins to understand her place in the world. Patterns burst with stories, threads shimmer with spirits passed and new patches wait to be brought to life. Each careful mend and every stitch carries the hope of what's to come.

Now, as a new life enters the world, Nana's quilt wraps around her grandchildren in the warmth of the past and the promise of what's to come.

My Review

This delightful picture book tells the story of time through a continual needle and thread. 

In fact, as we turn the pages we follow the thread through the life of a young girl as she waits for the birth of her new sibling. We meet her family and friends as we watch her grandmother sewing a quilt, weaving the past and present into every stitch.

It has been beautifully illustrated with the thread and the grandmother working on the quilt as constants throughout the book. We see the grandmother sharing photos and stories of the family's past, their fleeing their country in search of peace.

The illustrations add so much more to what is written in the text. They are delightfully done and encapsulate the story of this family through the three generations in the book.

It is a lovely story which is inclusive and diverse. It is a beautiful book for sharing and I could imagine it being one that a child returns to regularly. There is something very special within its pages and I highly recommend it.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1800789654

Publisher: Templar Books

Formats: hardback

No. of Pages: 32

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

About the Author

Sita is a multi-award-winning writer of novels, plays, novellas and short stories. She is the winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Award for Artichoke Hearts, and has been nominated for the Carnegie Medal five times. Sita has been an Amnesty International Ambassador and speaks in schools, at festivals and conferences. In 2018 Tender Earth received the UK Honour from the International Board of Books for Young People. 

Sita is based in London. She is a former Writer in Residence for BookTrust and Writer in Residence at the Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants.

You can also find Sita at:

Author Website

Instagram

About the Illustrator

Jane is a London-born artist and illustrator. She has illustrated over 60 children's books, and her work has been widely recognised, earning nominations for prestigious awards like the Hans Christian Andersen Award (2018) and the Kate Greenaway Medal. Jane continues to exhibit her art regularly at galleries such as Primavera in Cambridge and Watermark Gallery. She works with Sita as the Artist in Residence at the Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants.

You can also find Jane at:

Author Website 

Instagram

(book and media courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)