The Enemy's Wife by Deborah Swift - #guestpost #blogtour

I am delighted to welcome author, Deborah Swift onto the blog today.

Deborah is one of my favourite authors and I have read a few of her books. I will add links to my reviews at the bottom of this post so do check them out. I am also looking forward to sharing my thoughts of The Enemy's Wife on 12th May so keep your eye's posted for my review.

Before I hand over to Deborah, let me tell you a little about the book.

The Blurb

A poignant story of the impossible choices we make in the shadow of war, for fans of Daisy Wood and Marius Gabriel. 

1941. When Zofia’s beloved husband Haru is conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army, she is left to navigate Japanese-occupied Shanghai alone.

Far from home and surrounded by a country at war, Zofia finds unexpected comfort in a bond with Hilly, a spirited young refugee escaping Nazi-occupied Austria.

As violence tightens its grip on the city, they seek shelter with Theo, Zofia’s American employer. But with every passing day, the horrors of war and Haru’s absence begin to reshape Zofia’s world – and her heart.

Can she still love someone who has become the enemy?

Over to you Deborah?

The Hidden Vice of Opium in 1940s Shanghai 

One of my characters in The Enemy’s Wife gets caught up in the grip of an opium addiction. The setting of The Enemy’s Wife is Shanghai – the Paris of the East. Beneath its dazzling and glamorous appearance, it was also a hotbed of corruption, sleaze, and of course the drug trade.

The Shanghai underworld was shaped by one of the most influential commodities in modern Chinese history: opium. To understand opium’s grip on Shanghai, it is necessary to look back to the Opium Wars of the nineteenth century which forced China to open its port to foreign powers such as England, making Shanghai one of the most important trading posts among them. The foreign concessions within Shanghai (areas governed by British, US and other European countries operated under their own legal systems, which allowed the opium trade to flourish in ways that would have been impossible under a unified administration.

The Opium Economy

Opium was not just a vice; it was a business—one that generated enormous profits. Shanghai’s position as a commercial hub made it an ideal distribution centre for opium imported from British India. The trade involved a wide network of merchants, corrupt officials, criminal gangs, and even legitimate businesses that laundered opium money. In The Enemy’s Wife one of the characters is based on members of the so-called Green Gang, one of Shanghai’s most notorious criminal gangs. They were corrupt and lawless, controlling the distribution, protecting the dens, and running rackets with various political figures. 

For many businessmen, involvement in opium was less about addiction and more about survival or profit and the revenue generated by opium was difficult for authorities to ignore. Taxes on opium sales became a significant source of income, creating a moral and political dilemma: how to eliminate a destructive drug without destabilizing public finances.

Class and Opium

By the turn of the century, opium was deeply embedded both in Shanghai’s economy and in its social fabric. Opium dens ranged from luxurious lounges catering to wealthy elites, to grim, dimly lit rooms serving the urban poor. Smoking opium was both a recreational activity and a symbol of status in some circles, while in others it represented despair and decline.

Among the wealthy, opium habits were a social ritual, often conducted in ornate settings with finely crafted pipes and elaborate ceremonies. I enjoyed researching the paraphernalia that was 

used by the wealthy people in my book. At the same time, I was aware that in the poorer Chinese population, opium was used as a means of escape from gruelling factory work, starvation, and economic hardship. By the time of my novel, the 1940s, people began to view opium as a symbol of China’s weakness. Anti-opium campaigns gained momentum in part because of international pressure when westerners grew addicted to ‘the poppy’.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the Chinese Nationalist government sought to suppress the opium trade, but the Japanese occupation of Shanghai further complicated the situation. Occupying forces exploited the opium trade as a means of social control and to make money for themselves. Soldiers used opium as a means to ‘sweeten’ their experiences in the war.  In some cases, addiction among the local population was actively encouraged by the Japanese invaders to weaken resistance.

In the end, the turning point in Shanghai’s opium obsession came with the rise of the Chinese Communist Party and the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Unlike previous regimes, the new government adopted a zero-tolerance approach to opium. Dealers faced severe penalties, including execution, while users were compelled to undergo treatment. Within a few years, opium use in Shanghai and across China was dramatically reduced.

This was too late for my character though, who must use his own willpower to overcome the perils of his addiction. Will he succeed? 

I enjoyed researching opium dens in 1940s Shanghai, and for this I was indebted to Opium by Martin Booth and Opium Fiend: A 21st Century Slave to a 19th Century Addiction by Steven Martin.

The rise and fall of opium in Shanghai is a powerful reminder of how deeply one plant and its trade can shape the history and destiny of a city.

The Enemy’s Wife is out now in ebook, audio and paperback.

Thank you Deborah for being my guest today. That was absolutely fascinating and I can't wait to read the book.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 0008739737

Publisher:  HQ Digital

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  352 (paperback)

Series:  Book 2 in the Survivors of War series

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amazon CA

Amazon AU

About the Author

Deborah used to be a costume designer for the BBC, before becoming a writer. Now she lives in an old English school house in a village full of 17th Century houses, near the glorious Lake District. Deborah has an award-winning historical fiction blog at her website www.deborahswift.com.

Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today.

Her WW2 novel Past Encounters was a BookViral Award winner, and The Poison Keeper was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Book of the Decade.

You can also find Deborah at:

Author Website

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Links To My Reviews of Deborah's Other Books

The Last Train to Freedom

Operation Tulip

The Fortune Keeper

The Shadow Network

The Cameo Keeper

Shadow on the Highway

Deborah Swift's Desert Island Books

(ARC and media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Six Mile Store by A.M. Belsey - #bookreview

The store had always been there. By the time it got into your blood, it was already old, grimy and hunkered down by the side of the road in a way that seemed like it was growing out of the foothills it neighboured. It sat on a crossroads, linking nowhere to nowhere...

***

It has recently come to my attention that I must make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from the publicist. 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

SOMETHING UGLY’S WAITIN’ FOR YOU

Honey’s working weekends down at the Six Mile, trying to figure her life out. Her boyfriend’s about to leave the country, her college advisor hates her guts, her momma ain’t listening, and she’s got this cop breathing down her neck just about all the time.

She finds a friend in her new colleague Lisa, but when one of their regular customers turns up dead, everything goes sideways faster than a greased hog at the county fair…

My Review

This character-driven novella made for excellent reading.

Set in Arkansas during the 1990s, the story revolves around Honey and the characters she works with or meets whilst working in the titular Six Mile Store.

The author did a great job of packing so much into just 125 pages. That said, it didn't feel rushed and moved along at an appropriate pace for the genre. She writes very well and this made for absorbing, albeit short, reading.

The book is told from Honey's perspective until later in the novel when it switches to one of her colleagues, opening up a different side to the day-to-day routine of the store/petrol station.

Honey is a great character. She is ambitious for her education and is working for her MA alongside supporting herself by working at the store. I loved her determination and slightly feisty character.

This book is well worth reading. It is packed with atmosphere and has a great narrative with some twists and turns along the way. It makes for reading in one sitting and was most enjoyable.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1917090124

Publisher:  Deixis Press

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

No. of Pages:  125 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

A M Belsey was born in Arkansas but moved to the United Kingdom at age 21. She ain’t never looked back.

You can also find her at:

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(ARC and media courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

Twenty Six Years Living a Lie by Gina Cheyne - #authorQ&A #authorinterview

I am super pleased to be welcoming the author of Twenty Six Years Living a Lie, Gina Cheyne, to the blog today. Gina is going to be answering some questions about her book. 

First, a little about the book...

The Blurb

In 1997, high in the alpine resort of Tignes, Cecily celebrates her third wedding anniversary with a night of passion. But in the morning her  happiness turns to misery and shock when she find her husband Nick dead in the bed beside her, the victim of a sudden heart attack.

Six weeks later, Cecily learns she is pregnant.Twenty-six years later, her son Charlie takes a DNA test alongside his uncle Adam, Nick’s identical twin. The results shatter everything he thought he knew: Charlie is not related to Adam. If Nick wasn’t his father, then who was?Cecily insists she was faithful, and the timing points only to that single night in Tignes. Desperate for answers, she turns to the SeeMs Detective Agency. Could someone have entered her room that night without her knowing? And if so—who? And why?As the detectives dig deeper, they uncover a web of conflicting memories, buried secrets, and dangerous lies. Slowly they discover other people are in danger and if they don’t find out very soon what really happened in that wonderful night in Tignes two, or maybe more, lives will be lost.

Welcome to the blog Gina. It's lovely to have you here.

Thank you for much for giving me a chance to appear on your blog. I enjoyed answering the questions and I hope you enjoy reading them.

Q  What is your favourite part of writing a book?

A  Developing the idea into a novel. With this one, Twenty-Six Year Living a Lie, I had the idea and it developed speedily and was extremely enjoyable to write. I was awake in our completely dark room in Tignes with the balcony door open and the wind blowing the curtain and I thought, someone could climb into my bed, we could have a night of passion, and I would never know it was not my husband. And the book was born.

Q  Are some books harder to write than others?

A  Yes, most definitely so. With some, like this one, I had an inspiration and I had to stop everything I was doing write it down. The book was finished in 3 months, which is fast for me. However, there are some other books where I think the idea is good, but when I sit down to write inspiration deserts me, the idea turns turgid and I limp slowly along. Occasionally, I get a second wind, if that is the right description, and suddenly I re-find excitement and can write fluidly again. This happened with Murder in the Cards, my second book. But sometimes, for example the book I am currently writing about countryside crime, inspiration has been replaced by hard graft and I seem to be progressing very slowly. 

Q  Why do you write books?

A  This is a question asked me very often by my more financially orientated friends. Why do you write books when writing makes so little (if any) money. But, at least for me, writing is not about making money it is for enjoyment and the thrill of being able to express what you think about various events or happenings in words. Of course I love it when readers buy my books and it would be fantastic to make a living from writing, but I have always had another job which gives an income and allows me to write freely.

Q  Would you consider writing in a different genre in the future?

A  Yes, I am already thinking about a historic novel which may or may not have a who dunnit in it. My idea is about someone from the Victorian era who arrives in the twenty first century and how she processes the shock of such a different world. A sort of time travel experience with hopefully lots of humour involved. However, I do often have lots of ideas about books I would like to write which do not come to fruition, so let’s hope this one soars above the crowd. 

Q Which of the characters in Twenty-Six Years Living a Lie stand out as fun?

A  One of the Beta readers highlighted Boy, Cecily’s brother, as being a particularly charming character. His lazy young boyish attitudes contrast well with his sister’s more anxious and needy personality and his wife’s down-to-earth hard working character. He and his wife have had four children despite having almost no money between them. However, he says, it will all be OK in the end, just wait and see, while she says, don’t worry my little charmer, you look after the baby but I’ll get a job!

Q Do you write for yourself or for the reader?

A  There was a time when I would have said for myself, but as I write more books, read the reviews, and think about the comments of readers, I have changed. All my stories and their inspiration are written from my experience and knowledge, so in that way I am writing for myself, but I have also become much more aware of how a reader digests information. 

 I write in an English, rather than a USA style. English writing tends to be slower and more thoughtful whereas US writing has more excitement and punch. Oddly, most of my readers are from the USA. I don’t know if this is just because the population is larger or because a lot of American readers like the British writing style or because they are more curious and experimental. Whatever! I have become aware that I probably need to make my writing more exciting and less thought based, so in that way I am changing, if not what I write, but at least the style to adapt to the reader.

Thank you so much for being on Left on the Shelf today Gina. It has been a delight to have you.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1915138255

Publisher: Fly Fizzi Ltd

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

No. of Pages:  284 (paperback)

Series:  Book 7 of the SeeMS Detective series

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

This is Gina Cheyne’s seventh novel in the SeeMs Detective series (the agency that looks behind what seems to be true). Gina’s family are keen and dedicated skiers and this book was inspired by a holiday in Tignes in France. 

Gina has worked as a physiotherapist, a pilot, freelance writer and a dog breeder. 

As a child, Gina's parents hated travelling and never went further than Jersey. As a result she became travel-addicted and spent the year after university bumming around SE Asia, China and Australia, where she worked in a racing stables in Pinjarra, South of Perth. After getting stuck in black sand in the Ute one time too many (and getting a tractor and trailer caught in a tree) she was relegated to horse-riding work only. After her horse bolted down the sand, straining a fetlock and falling in the sea, she was further relegated to swimming the horses only in the pool. It was with some relief the race horse stables posted her off to Thailand... after all what could go wrong there?

In the north of Thailand, she took a boat into the Golden Triangle and got shot at by bandits. Her group escaped into the undergrowth and hid in a hill tribe whisky still where they shared the 'bathroom' with a group of pigs. Getting a lift on a motorbike they hurried back to Chiang Rai, where life seemed calmer. 

After nearly being drowned in a fiesta in Ko Pha Ngan, and cursed by a witch in Malaysia, she decided to go to Singapore and then to China where she only had to battle with the language and regulations. 

Since marrying life has been calmer. She became a writer because her first love was always telling a good yarn!

You can also find Gina at:

Instagram

Substack

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(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

Lochbound by Rebecca Templeton - #bookreview

Autumn steals through the highlands towards the village of Kilmara. A haze of drizzle obscures the topmost branches of the pine forest and the heather that flares over the hills surrounding Loch Moine...

***

It has recently come to my attention that I must make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from the publicist. 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

There is no happily-ever-after . . .

Kilmara, Scotland. 1725. For fifty years, Iris has accepted the curse that blighted her life. By night, she is a heartbroken woman, destined to walk the misty shores of Kilmara without growing older. By day, she is Moireach, a terrifying monster imprisoned in the murky depths of Loch Moine.

When bodies begin appearing on the shore, the villagers are convinced Moireach is responsible. So a hunter - the rugged, ruthless Henry Carver - is summoned to slay the monster of the loch.

Iris must break her curse before she is killed for crimes she cannot believe she has committed. But as Kilmara's hunt for the monster becomes ever more fevered, she and Henry are drawn together in a dangerous game of impossible attraction.

And when a figure from Iris's past suddenly reappears, she must choose what - or who - she is willing to sacrifice to win her freedom.

. . . when you are the monster.

My Review

Every now and then, I read something outside of my usual reading fare. It is so easy to read within the genres that we know we like. This one isn't my usual cup of tea, but I am so pleased that I read it as it was a fabulous read and I gave it five shiny stars. What's more, I got to read it ahead of publication, which, even after all these years of blogging, still gives me a thrill.  The book is being released on the 16th April so there's not long to wait to get your hands on a  copy.   It is a dark reimagining of The Little Mermaid set in Scotland. However, get the Disney image out of your head immediately, as this is something very much different, darker and better in my opinion. 

Iris is the main character in the book. By night she is human, forever in her twenties, but by day she is a monster who is bound to the loch. Iris traded her fully human form to be forever young with the man she loved.

The author has crafted her story beautifully. It was a joy to read as the writing was perfect. It has a dark, gothic feel to it which is steeped in Gaelic folklore with its tales of kelpies and seelies hidden in the lochs and forests respectively.

There is a mystery element within the story as bodies are being found with their hearts ripped out. Everyone suspects Iris of these murders and even she doesn't know if she is responsible. When the Laird hires Henry, a hunter, to find and destroy the monster, it would seem that her days are numbered. However, whilst he is intent on his task, even he questions whether she is indeed responsible for the deaths or if there is a murderer within the village.

Furthermore, both Iris and Henry are attracted to one another, which adds a romantic element to the story. However, Duncan, who was her childhood friend, has cared for her and helped her hide her secret since their youth.

Whilst the majority of the chapters are told from Iris's perspective, some are told from Henry and Duncan's points of view, which added another dimension to the book.

The setting was well described and added to the eerie atmosphere of the book. The descriptions of the mist rolling in from the loch were visceral and gave me the occasional shudder.

 I thought this was a fantastic book to read and I highly recommend it. Even if you are like me and monsters and folklore aren't your cup of tea, this is well worth reading and I suspect you will enjoy it as much as I have.

I am going to Scotland in a couple of weeks' time and I shall be keeping a careful eye on the lochs and the forests, as who knows what may be lurking within!

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1408724873

Publisher:  Sphere

Formats: e-book and hardback

No. of Pages:  400 (hardback)

Preorder Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

About the Author

Rebecca Templeton has had a love of books from a very early age and had lofty childhood aspirations of being a writer, though she ended up joining the legal profession instead. When her husband encouraged her to start writing again, she re-discovered her creative outlet and hasn't looked back since.

When not writing or working, Rebecca can usually be found crocheting giant blankets, baking or watching Gilmore Girls. She is also owned by a couple of very energetic children.

You can also find Rebecca at:

Instagram

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(ARC and media courtesy of the publicist)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

No More Tomorrows by Olivia Lockhart & Hal Lambert - #bookreview #blogtour

The door creaked as it begrudgingly opened. A flurry of dust, mingled in history, flew up from the unacknowledged mail gathered around its base, and I cringed at the sound. It had taken quite a shove from both me and Linda to get it moving, but then, I guess it hadn't been in regular use for some time...

***

It has recently come to my attention that I must 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 eras. One aching heart.

1917 – At Cambridge University, American scholar Harry Turchin never expects to lose himself to desire. But Annie Mackenzie—soft-spoken, grieving, and luminous—claims his heart from their very first kiss. Their love is swift, fierce, and intoxicating. Married just days before Harry is sent to war, their passion is ripped apart when the trenches claim everything he knows, and Harry is thrown into a future that should not exist.

1967 – The free-spirited sixties are alive with rhythm, rebellion, and possibility. Harry awakens to a world he doesn’t recognise—and to Annalise Taylor, as bold and captivating as the era itself. Brilliant, independent, and achingly alive, she rouses a desire he thought belonged solely to the past. 

Caught between the love he was ripped away from and the passion he cannot resist, Harry is torn between two women, two lives, and two versions of forever. Because time will not bend twice … Or will it?

Sweeping from the blood-soaked battlefields of World War One to the fevered nights of the swinging sixties, No More Tomorrows is a sensual time-slip romance about desire, devotion, and the devastating power of love that refuses to be bound by time.

My Review

This book has a dual timeline and moves between the past and the present seamlessly.

The main character, Harry Turchin, has time-travelled from the battlefields of World War One in 1917 to the swinging 1960s. In the earlier part of the novel we meet American student Harry as he marries Annie just days before he leaves to fight on the front.

Believed to be missing in action by Annie, Harry actually finds himself transported to 1967. Disorientated, Harry is taken in by a French farmer and his wife who nurse him back to health. Eventually, he returns to England to search for Annie. There, he is befriended by Annalise, who had previously found and read Harry's letters to Annie in the attic, so already knows something of his past.

This was a lovely book to read and I could empathise with Harry's dilemma. Stuck in the future with the passionate and feisty Annalise, who is helping him to find Annie, it isn't too long before the chemistry between him and Annalise becomes apparent. He asks himself whether he is betraying Annie by loving Annalise.

The chapters are narrated by both Harry and Annalise in turn. Both were strong and distinct voices, and I adored them both as characters. They were each a product of their times and the authors did a great job of contrasting the roles of men and women in the two time periods. They were both easy to engage with as characters and I was rooting for them all the way.

The question of whether Harry would somehow return to the past and thus to his wife, Annie, was in the air throughout. I couldn't predict which way this book would go until the final pages. Neither could I decide if I wanted Harry to stay and love Annalise or whether I wanted him to return to his past to be with his wife and baby.

This was a lovely historical romance with a time-travel element and I enjoyed reading it very much. I highly recommend it.

Book Details

ISBN: 979 8272427007

Publisher:  Independently published

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

No. of Pages:  410 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Olivia Lockhart (Livvie to her friends) is an English author who can’t quite decide if she wants to write contemporary romance, historical romance, or paranormal romance. So she writes them all, because it HAS to be romance!

She loves to write about the underdog, the one who got away, the bits of love stories we can all relate to.

When not writing she can be found drinking wine, cuddling with her beloved pooch, or with her head in a book.

You can also find Olivia at:

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

(all opinions are my own)

Michael Without Apology by Catherine Ryan Hyde - #bookreview

Michael was walking through the quad, cutting across grass - anxious to get to his film-workshop class even though he was too early - when his phone rang in his pocket...

***

It has recently 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

Michael Woodbine was seven years old when a near-fatal fireworks accident scarred him and led to his placement in foster care. Now a college freshman, he is still trying to hide the effects of his trauma from his classmates, his adoptive family, and himself.

When Michael signs up for a film class, he meets Robert Dunning, a teacher who wears his own scars unapologetically. Robert encourages Michael to make a documentary that explores body image and self-perception. Michael places an ad seeking people who feel unattractive and rejected by society—and is surprised to learn that this is essentially everyone. Although some participants are recovering from injuries or surgeries, others are dealing with more everyday factors like aging or the changes to a body from giving birth.

As he collects these stories—and finally tells his own—Michael feels more connected to the world than he ever has before. But he knows his journey of self-acceptance has one more obstacle: his crushing doubts about why his birth parents wouldn’t fight to keep him.

My Review

This was a fabulous book to read and it had me engrossed.

It has two timelines running through it: one when the main character, Michael, was a child and the other when he begins college. Michael's backstory is told through the chapters from his childhood. 

He has had a difficult start to life. First, he is badly injured by a firework and is left both physically and mentally scarred. He is then placed into care — fostered and later adopted. However, Michael's birth parents make the decision to keep his older brother with them. Unsurprisingly, this leaves him with rejection issues. The author portrays him as a multi-faceted character and I enjoyed the time I spent with him in this book.

Michael's film teacher has a significant part to play in his life. He encourages him to express himself in film, becomes his mentor and eventually his friend. It is through him that Michael begins his journey of self-acceptance.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is an exceptional storyteller and understands both her characters and readers very well. She writes in a way that grabs the reader's attention and ensures that they are fully invested in her story.

It is a brilliant coming-of-age story and has much to say about family, self-acceptance and body positivity. As Michael brings together people who dislike the way they look, he begins a journey of not only understanding his own body issues but understanding that other people have the same issues for a myriad of different reasons.

The author has a significant back catalogue. I have read one of her titles prior to this book, Dreaming of Flight, and you can read my review by clicking here. I fully intend to read more of her work too. I highly recommend this excellent novel to anyone who enjoys character led fiction.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1662522291

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Formats: e-book, audio, hardback and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited

No. of Pages: 288 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of more than 50 published and forthcoming books.

She is co-author, with publishing industry blogger Anne R. Allen, of How to be a Writer in the E-Age: a Self-Help Guide.

Her bestselling 1999 novel Pay It Forward was made into a major Warner Brothers motion picture. It was chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than two dozen languages for distribution in over 30 countries. Simon & Schuster released a special 15th anniversary edition in December of ’14.

Pay It Forward: Young Readers Edition, an age-appropriate edited edition of the original novel, was released by Simon & Schuster in August of ‘14. It is suitable for children as young as eight.

You can also find Catherine at:

Author Website

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(ARC courtesy of NetGalley)

(author photo courtesy of the author's website)

(author bio courtesy of Goodreads)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

A Taste of Evil by N.L. Holmes - #bookspotlight #blogtour

I am very happy to be shining the spotlight on this book today. A Taste of Evil by N.L. Holmes is set in Ancient Egypt and is part of the Hani's Daughter Mysteries series.

The Blurb

In Tutankhamen's Egypt, the vizier's head cook dies suspiciously, and it looks like murder to Neferet and Bener-ib. Only, who would want to kill a cook, a man admired by all?

Perhaps he has professional rivals or a jealous wife. But she is the longtime cook of Neferet's family, a dear retainer above reproach. Was her husband the good man he seemed to be, or did he have the shady past our two sleuths begin to suspect?

They'd better find out soon before the waters of foreign conspiracy rise around Neferet and her diplomat father. If they can't find the killer, it could mean war with Egypt's enemy, Kheta -- and someone else could die. Maybe one of our nosy sleuths...  

Book Details

ISBN: 979 8989905775

Publisher: Wayback Press

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 247 (paperback)

Series: Book 5 in the Hani's Daughter Mysteries series

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

N.L. Holmes is the pen name of a professional archaeologist. She has excavated in Greece and in Israel and taught ancient history and humanities at the university level for many years. She has always had a passion for books, and in childhood, she and her cousin used to write stories for fun.

These days she lives in France with her husband, two cats, geese, and chickens, where she gardens, weaves, dances, and plays the violin.

You can also find her at:

Author Website

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(media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)