Monday, 30 June 2025

Books I Read in June 2025

This month I went on holiday.  Two weeks in the glorious Lake District filled with good food, good books and good walks. In fact, my dog Roxie, is finding home walkies far inferior as there are no lakes in which she can paddle in the shallows!

We had a fabulous time and were able to sit in the sunshine with a good book or two. In fact, I have read several five star reads this month so it will be difficult to choose a favourite, but I will try.

What have you been reading this month? Anything you would think I might enjoy?


The Last Train to Freedom by Deborah Swift


I seldom give books of this type five stars, but this one fully deserves it for bringing something new and refreshing to the genre. If you would like to read my review of this book you can find it here.


Rainbows and Lollipops by Mo Fanning


This is a wonderful book about friendship and family that I enjoyed reading very much, and it earned a five star review from me. If you would like to read my review of this book you can find it here.

What Will Survive of Us by Howard Jacobson


I really struggled to like the characters in this book. Well written but I found it somewhat lacking.


Great and Horrible News: Murder and Mayhem in Early Modern Britain by Blessin Adams

I haven't had an opportunity to review this excellent non-fiction title yet. It was extremely well researched and put together. 


The Rabbi's Suitcase by Robert Kehlmann

This was an enjoyable book based on the discovery of the author of a cache of hidden letters and will appeal to those interested in Jewish history. You can find my mini review by clicking here.


Wartime Comes to the West India Dock Road by Renita D'Silva

This was a really enjoyable read. My review won't be available until my stop on the blog tour on 25th July. Watch this space.


Libby and the Highland Heist by Jo Clarke

This is another book by my granddaughter's favourite author. It's a really enjoyable continuation of the Libby series.


A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant

An enjoyable book in the cosy crime genre. My review of this book will be up on 3rd July.


Ladies Lunch and Other Stories by Lore Segal

I really wanted to enjoy this book of interconnected stories but alas, the book didn't live up to my hopes.


Butter by Asako Yuzuki

This was very different to anything I have read recently. I enjoyed it and my review is scheduled for the 8th July.


The Heirloom by Julie Brooks

Probably my favourite read this month.  It had everything that I love in a book. It is a dual timeline narrative, being set in both 1821 and 2024. Consequently, historical fiction runs alongside a contemporary narrative. I loved it. If you would like to read my review of this book you can find it here.


The Union Street Bakery by Mary Ellen Taylor

This was a gripping and engaging novel which I really loved, and it's about three sisters who are running the family bakery.  If you would like to read my review of this book you can find it here.


Women in Lockdown by The Wayfinder Woman Trust

The book is full to the brim with the writing, artwork and photographs of women in lockdown.   If you would like to read my review of this book you can find it here.

Friday, 27 June 2025

The Heirloom by Julie Brooks - #bookreview

 


The parcel sat unopened on Mia's kitchen table for a second day running.  Each time she entered the kitchen her eyes were drawn towards the table despite all intentions to ignore the parcel.  Something about it bothered her...

***

The Blurb

A surprise inheritance. A hidden past.

Brisbane, 2024 - Barista and budding artist Mia Curtis is shocked to receive a package all the way from England informing her she's the heir to her late grandmother's cottage. Feeling lost in her own life, Mia travels across the world to claim her inheritance, where she begins to unravel the secrets passed down through the generations of women in her family.

Sussex, 1821 - Philadelphia Boadle wakes to find her husband, the tailor Jasper Boadle, dead. As the daughter of the local cunning woman, Philadelphia is soon accused of murder by witchcraft. Her future and that of her own daughter is at stake, unless she can convince the village she's done no wrong...


My Review

This was a five star read for me. It had everything that I love in a book. It is a dual timeline narrative, being set in both 1821 and 2024. Consequently, historical fiction runs alongside a contemporary narrative. I loved it.

I have previously read this author's title, The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay which was also a five star read for me. You can read my review by clicking on the title link.

The book opens with the main present day character, Mia, who lives in Brisbane, receiving a package from an English solicitor. In it, she learns that she has inherited a house from her English grandmother. Mia's mother had never told her about the existence of this grandmother, and this sets off an instant antagonism between the mother and daughter.

The other main character is Philadephia. Her narrative takes place in Sussex, England in 1821 when her husband dies and she is accused of witchcraft.

Both sections are based on a fabulous premise, and I quickly became engrossed by them both. There are family secrets which need to be unearthed, and it was gripping accompanying Mia on this journey of discovery. 

However, for Mia it is about more than discovering her family's past. She has to face letting go of some of her own past, facing issues of belonging and identity, and ultimately discovering herself as a person.

The author did a fantastic job with this book. She has clearly researched the history of the section set in the past extremely well,  and consequently, created a story set in the past that was compelling and tangible. I found this book to be completely immersive and almost felt I was there in both time periods.

This is a page turner that I did not want to put down. It is a compelling story of both past and present, and the author has done a marvellous job of bringing the two interconnecting stories to life within the covers of the book.  I would highly recommend it.


Book Details

ISBN:  978 1035414826

Publisher:  Headline Review

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  384 (paperback)


Purchase Links







About the Author


In 2021 Julie published The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay with Headline Review. It was followed in late 2022 by The Keepsake, a dual-timeline mystery set in the early nineteenth century and the present day. January 2025 brings publication of The Heirloom, a novel of secrets and witchcraft set in the 1820s and the present day.

She was born in Brisbane, Australia, but lived most of her life in Melbourne. She taught English and Drama in secondary schools before working as an editor of children’s magazines. Previously, she has published a variety of children’s books and two adult historical novels writing as Carol Jones.

Married with two adult children, she lives in a city apartment overlooking the water in Melbourne but spends as much time as she can travelling throughout Australia and abroad.

You can also find Julie at:





(book/media courtesy of the publisher)
(all opinions are my own)

Thursday, 26 June 2025

Silver Birds by Rocky Magana - #blogtour #bookspotlight


 I have another great book spotlight on the blog today. Silver Birds by Rocky Magana is a speculative/dystopian fiction book and is getting lots of attention right now.


The Blurb

In a land ravaged by war and haunted by fire-breathing silverbirds, Kosha is the last thread in a bloodline unraveled by violence. His father was a man who believed in wisdom over weapons, his mother a woman who fought for a future that would never come, and his brother a boy who disappeared into the mountains, chasing a cause that would devour him whole. Now, Kosha walks alone, armed with nothing but a bow and the impossible weight of revenge pressing against his ribs.

As Kosha crosses the wasteland toward the land of the silverbirds, he carries more than his grief—he carries the ghosts of his father's wisdom, his mother's defiance, and his brother's sins. He carries the weight of every choice that led him to this moment. And with each step, he must Is he the last survivor of his family's story, or its final casualty?

A harrowing, lyrical journey through war, loss, and the brutal choices that shape a legacy, this novel asks what it means to inherit a fight—and whether a boy with nothing left to lose can change the course of his own history.


Book Details:

ISBN:  979 8308901280

Publisher:  Independently published

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

No. of Pages:  354 (paperback)


Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Amazon US


About the Author

Rocky Magaña is an accomplished novelist known for his lyrical style and emotionally evocative storytelling. His works frequently blend literary depth with speculative elements, exploring complex themes of identity, survival, and the human condition. Magaña's prose has been praised for its directness, intensity, and artistic clarity.

You can also find Rocky at:









(all media courtesy of The Write Reads)
(all opinions are my own)

Wednesday, 25 June 2025

The Dutch Muse by Heidi Eljarbo - #bookspotlight #blogtour

 


I am delighted to be shining the spotlight on this book today. The Dutch Muse by Heidi Eljarbo is part of the Fabiola Bennett Mystery series. 

Heidi is not a newcomer to the blog.  She kindly did a guest post in 2023 when she spoke about her novel, The London Forgery. Her book, The Paris Portrait also featured as a spotlight post last year. You can read both of those posts by clicking on the links.

I am equally excited about this spotlight post too. Enjoy!

The Blurb

A ruthless thief leaves a private Dutch gallery with a coveted seventeenth-century painting. The owner lies unconscious on the floor. Art historian Fabiola Bennett is on vacation in Holland and takes on the case.

Amsterdam, 1973 - It’s late summer, and Fabiola and Pippa join their friend, Cary, for a few days of sightseeing, museums, and riding bikes around the beautiful city.

For the first time in her life, Fabiola feels a pang of jealousy, and rude comments from a gallerist make her doubt her own abilities.

Then, unexpectedly, Cary’s Dutch client, Lennard van de Hoek, is brutally struck down and a baroque portrait by Ferdinand Bol is stolen. Fabiola pushes aside her problems and jumps into danger without hesitation. The list of suspects is long, and with a cold-blooded criminal at large, they must constantly be on the alert.

Amsterdam, 1641 - Ferdinand Bol has completed his five-year training with Master Rembrandt van Rijn and is ready to set up his own studio. The future looks bright, and Ferdinand sets a goal to become a widely sought-after and, hopefully, prosperous master portraitist.

Just when Ferdinand’s career starts to flourish—and patrons and customers discover his exceptional talent—one of his models confesses she’s in deep trouble, and he drops everything to help her.

This is a fast-paced and captivating who-done-it set in the Netherlands—the fourth installment and a spin-off from the Soli Hansen Mysteries.


Book Details

ISBN:  979 8284991565

Publisher:  Independently Published

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

No. of Pages:  268 (paperback)


Purchase Links




About the Author


HEIDI ELJARBO grew up in a home full of books, artwork, and happy creativity. She is the author of historical novels filled with courage, hope, mystery, adventure, and sweet romance during challenging times. She’s been named a master of dual timelines and often writes about strong-willed women of past centuries.

After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She lives with her husband on a charming island and enjoys walking in any kind of weather, hugging her grandchildren, and has a passion for art and history. 

Her family’s chosen retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summer and ski the vast white terrain during winter.

Heidi’s favorites are her family, God's beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.

You can also find Heidi at:










(all media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)
(all opinions are my own)

Tuesday, 24 June 2025

10 Ten Exciting New Releases Coming in July 2025 - #books



There are so many wonderful looking books which are due to be released next month. I am very excited by some of these titles. As always, I have limited myself to just ten here. Believe me, it is never easy deciding which ten books I am most enthusiastic about as there are loads of wonderful looking ones coming along next month.

Are there any soon to be released books that you are looking forward to reading?


 Till Death Us Do Part by Revd. Penny Stephens

Weddings can be murder . . .

Reverend Clare Brakespear is used to a challenge. With a young family to wrangle, a parish to manage and a particularly excitable Golden Retriever by her side, life is never dull.

But when she attends a wedding where one of the guests is fatally stabbed with a cake knife, even Clare admits that she might have been given too much to handle this time.

As the police investigate the murder, they zero-in on one woman as their prime suspect, who they believe had the motive, means and opportunity to commit the crime. The trouble is, Clare is convinced that they have the wrong person. She might not understand forensic testing and finger-tip searches, but if there's one thing Clare does know, it's people and the complexities of their emotional lives. So she decides to take matters into her own hands.

However, investigating a murder is no mean feat and Clare soon finds herself embroiled in a complex web of family secrets and deceptions. Is she in way over her head or can she find the real killer before an innocent woman is sent down?

Preorder Link


Romance is Dead by Katie Bohn

Roses are red, violets are blue, romance is dead - but is their love true?

Scream queen Quinn has had it with scary movies. After years as Hollywood's horror It Girl, she's sick of the tabloids and the off-screen drama. So she's decided: one last film, before quitting for good.

All that stands in her way is leading man Teddy James. Reality TV star and renowned playboy Teddy has looks to kill for, but absolutely no talent. AKA, Quinn's worst nightmare.

That's until they stumble - literally - across a dead body on set. Everyone believes it's a tragic accident, but Quinn's not convinced. So she offers Teddy a deal: acting lessons in exchange for his help investigating. And as Teddy and Quinn dig deeper, she begins to wonder what's most at risk here - their lives, or her heart?

Preorder Link


The Writer by Valerie Keogh

Cara Jenkins is a successful author about to embark on her thirtieth novel. But as she sits at her desk to write, she realizes that she has no ideas left. And as the pressure mounts for her to deliver, she begins to fear that her career is over.

Then the letters start.

At first, they seem harmless. But as the messages grow darker, Cara becomes convinced that someone is watching her, waiting for their moment to strike.

Her husband, Artie, dismisses the notes as stupid pranks, but Cara feels them pulling her back to a past she can't escape. With no easy answers, Cara does what she does best and begins to write. But the more words that come, the more fantasy and reality begin to blur and soon her imagination, and her accusations, begin to run wild.

With reality blurring into fiction, Cara struggles to see the truth. Is someone really watching her, or is her unravelling mind feeding her paranoia? And how will this story - her story – end?

This time her deadline has never felt more deadly….

Preorder Link


Such Good People by Amy Blumenfeld

It's 10 p.m. on a Thursday in the spring of her freshman year of college, and April is standing at the back of a crowded Manhattan bar waiting for her friend, Rudy, to arrive. Their eyes lock the moment he enters the room, and in an instant, lives and legacies are altered forever. Within hours, Rudy is arrested. Within days, April is expelled. Within weeks, he's incarcerated. And within months, she meets Peter, a prodigious young attorney who makes her world recognizable again. Nearly fifteen years later, April is happily living in Chicago married to Peter, a mother of three with a fulfilling career and standing yoga date with her girlfriends. On the eve of Peter's election for local office, Rudy is up for parole. Headlines explode about April's past, jeopardizing Peter's campaign and everything they hold dear. Suddenly, April is faced with an impossible choice: protecting the life she created, or the person who sacrificed everything to make that life a possibility. Such Good People is a captivating portrait of blurred lines, divided loyalties, and what it means to love purely, steadfastly, and interminably.

Preorder Link


Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle by Lilac Mills

Will she give everything up for love?

Freya Sinclair has it all. An exciting life in London, a successful career as a ceramicist and a handsome boyfriend. But when she receives a call that her father is in hospital, she drops everything to support his recovery in Skye.

On the island, Freya finds new inspiration – Coorie Castle’s craft centre is firing her creativity and she’s glad to be back with her dad again. Being so close to her schoolgirl crush, Mackenzie Burns, is an added bonus. The two share an instant connection and Freya misses London less and less.

But Freya has a boyfriend at home and now a dazzling job offer in New York. She must figure out what she truly wants, before anyone gets hurt..

Preorder Link


The Lines We Draw by Tim Franks

A moving journey through a Jewish family history from BBC Newshour presenter Tim Franks.

Tim Franks spent years as the BBC's Middle East Correspondent covering Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. During that time, he was attacked as a self-hating Jew and as an Islamophobe - as a tool of competing, malign agendas. He always tried to respond with a journalist's detached curiosity, drawing a clear line between his identity and his work. Up to the point that he asked himself: is that necessary? Beyond the judgments of others: what does it mean to be Jewish?

It was a question he struggled to answer. As a child in 1970s Birmingham, Tim was a practising Jew with hardly any relations or sense of lineage. And so he embarked on a search for his ancestral roots, from Constantinople to Curaçao, from Amsterdam to the death camps, from Lithuania to Downing Street.

Framing each part of his journey through what he has learned as a journalist, Tim discovers ancestors who all speak to a part of the Jewish story: there are the refugees and the risk-takers; the artists, rabbis, soldiers and revolutionaries; there is even a route to the Conservative Party's unlikeliest leader, Benjamin Disraeli.

This book is a deeply empathetic memoir which encourages us all to confront the lines we draw. In searching for what it is to be Jewish, Tim discovers what it means to take a stand and write about the world.

Preorder Link


A Ghostwriter's Guide to Murder by Melinda Mullet

Maeve Gardner kills people for a living. A dodgy occupation perhaps, but as ghostwriter for the long-running Simon Hills mysteries, Maeve has planned the perfect murder time and again and she enjoys it. She dreams of writing something under her own name someday rather than babysitting her adopted character Simon, but at least she's writing. And as one of the burnt-out souls who've run away from dry land to live on London's waterways, she has the joy of working from the home she loves: a colorful houseboat. Life on the canals is grand, but when her cheating ex-boyfriend turns up floating face down in the water outside her boat, murdered, and the police arrest her, the plot takes a wayward turn. Suddenly, Maeve is thrust into one of her own crime dramas, complete with missing money, violent thugs, extortion, and conspiracy. Only this time, there is no real-life Simon Hill to come to her aid. Instead, with the help of friends from the river - India, owner of a popular floating bookshop; Paul, the exceedingly attractive landlord of the local pub; and Ash, Maeve's quiet, nerdy neighbor who is keeping some secrets of his own - Maeve may have a shot at saving herself. As Maeve and her motley crew of would-be investigators find themselves wondering if they are in over their heads, a killer lurks and won't hesitate to kill again...

Preorder Link


Chance at Life by Susan Ellison Busch

Chance at Life provides a portal into the lives of dialysis unit 'regulars, ' both patients and staff. Together they confront life's limitations and its certain end, with unique stories of struggle, hope, and resilience.

Rachel is a novice nurse whose well-intentioned choices put her career in jeopardy. Her personal life disintegrates when she discovers that she is pregnant, and her fiancé abuses her.

Kidney failure derailed Darnell's career path. He waits in vain for a transplant, losing hope as long days on dialysis consume his future.

Elizabeth, a seasoned nurse practitioner, faces her own failing kidneys and decides to refuse dialysis, planning to let nature take its course-though her daughters and her doctor won't let her go so easily.

The dialysis unit is a high-stakes cauldron of conflicts and ethical dilemmas. A machine malfunction claims one patient's life, another patient buys a black-market kidney, and another patient withdraws from dialysis entirely, throwing herself a "goodbye" party. Covid 19 arrives, bringing an entirely new dimension to the daily dramas.

Chance at Life is a gripping, poignant exploration of the human spirit and the unforeseen connections that form in the most trying of circumstances, perfect for those who appreciate medical dramas filled with real-world challenges and heartfelt storytelling.

Preorder Link


The Getaway by Rona Halsall

Would you swap houses – and lives – with a stranger?

Maddie and her long-term boyfriend, Tom, dream of a life living and working abroad, though right now they’re settling for a lovely vacation in the sunny European beach town.

When Maddie is befriended by a lovely-seeming couple, who are living the digital nomad lifestyle, they make her an offer that feels hard to refuse…

Swap houses, swap lives – just for a couple of weeks - and see if living abroad is a lifestyle that would really suit them.

But as soon as they’ve handed keys over to their home in London, it becomes clear the couple aren’t who they’d seemed to be. And Maddie and Tom’s dream getaway is about to become a nightmare they could never have imagined…

Preorder Link


Simple Designs for Meditative Knitting by Barbara Breen

Knit your way to peace of mind!

A meditative approach to knitting that brings relaxation and calm as you create elegant handcrafted pieces

19 easy projects for knitters of all levels, from beginner to experienced

Step-by-step instructions achieving a meditative state while knitting

Clear easy-to-understand patterns for knitwear accessories and home décor, each specifically created for mindful knitting

An essential volume for those who seek balance and stress reduction through knitting

Whether you're a beginner exploring the art of knitting as a portal to serenity, or a seasoned knitter looking for relief from intricate patterns, Simple Designs for Meditative Kitting cuts a soothing path toward mindfulness and well-being.

This stunning collection of super-easy designs allows you to unwind and embrace the calming rhythm of knitting. Timeless patterns with easy-to-memorize knit and purl repeats are the key to a true meditative knitting experience. Choose from a versatile mix of knitwear and home décor items. All are well suited for hours of mindful knitting.

Captivating photos underscore the contemplative theme of the book, while a sprinkling of quotations from notable authors enhances the peaceful narrative. The simplicity of the designs is complemented by carefully curated yarns, resulting in the perfect finish for every piece.

Author Barbara Breen is a highly skilled knitter, designer, and writer. Simple Designs for Meditative Knitting embodies her belief that knitting need not be complicated to produce beautiful results. Her inspiring collection is certain to bring you a joyful knitting experience and enhanced creativity. As a bonus, the universal appeal of this book makes it a gift that any knitter will treasure.

Preorder Link


(I am Bookshop.org affiliated)

Monday, 23 June 2025

The Union Street Bakery by Mary Ellen Taylor - #bookreview


Life can turn on a dime. It’s a common cliché, and I’d heard it often enough. People die or move away. Investments go south. Affairs end. Loved ones betray us... Stuff happens.

***

The Blurb

This was a charming story which I really enjoyed.

Daisy McCrae’s life got off to a rocky start. Abandoned by a mother she never really knew, she was adopted into a family she’s never truly felt a part of. Thirty years later, her life is just as rocky. Between losing her job and her boyfriend, she’s lost all sense of self.

Now Daisy is back where it all began: the Union Street Bakery. She’s resigned to living in the bakery’s attic, learning the family business, and saving it if she can. But patching up the holes in her relationship with her sisters is another story.

So, too, is the century-old journal she inherits. Written by an enslaved girl named Susie, the weathered pages offer Daisy a glimpse into a past that has everything to do with her present.

As Daisy learns more about Susie, the town, and her family, she starts to see who she’s been and who she wants to be―and realizes that maybe, no matter how much you’ve lost, there’s always something more to find.

From the bestselling author of The Brighter the Light comes a bittersweet and hopeful story about how one woman’s journey into her family’s past helps her embrace her future.This is the first in the Union Street Bakery and I'm already looking forward to reading the next one, Sweet Expectations, which I already have downloaded to my kindle.


My Review

The book centres around three sisters, Rachel, Margaret and Daisy McCrae with the latter of the three being the main character. Daisy is a successful and determined woman but when she loses her high powered job in finance, and separates from her fiance, she moves back home to her family in Virginia. There she finds the family bakery business close to financial ruin and she steps in to help save it.

Daisy is also the only one of the sisters to be adopted and has always struggled with feeling like 'a real McCrae' and finding her place in the family. When Daisy inherits a 19th century journal from an elderly customer she couldn't be more surprised. At first appearance, the journal seems to have been written by a literate slave girl called Susie.

Susie is someone that Daisy has known all her life. Her ghostly form has appeared to her since her childhood and now she is back at the bakery, Daisy still hears her... along with another ghostly presence who makes it clear he wants her gone.

The bakery itself is every bit as important as the characters.  I thought it was a lovely touch to include some of the recipes at the back of the book.

This was a gripping and engaging novel which I really loved. It is a multi-faceted story and the author does a fabulous job in bringing together the present and the past, and with a paranormal aspect thrown in.

The book is about love, belonging and identity. It is about second chances and having sufficient faith and trust to start again, not just for the people but for the bakery itself.

An excellent novel which I highly recommend.


Book Details

ISBN:  978 1662531002

Publisher:  Montlake

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  335 (paperback)


Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Blackwell's


About the Author

Amazon Charts bestselling author, Mary Ellen Taylor’s love of her home state Virginia is evident in her contemporary women’s fiction, including After Paris, The Promise of Tomorrow, Winter Cottage, Spring House, and Honeysuckle Season. She brings her new home on the Outer Banks of North Carolina to life in her latest novel The Brighter The Light and When the Rain Ends.

As do so many people, her protagonists search for their place in the world, exploring issues of family, home, love and belonging. Inevitably, Mary Ellen’s stories interweave setting, history and mysteries that span past and present.

You can also find her at:

Author Website

Facebook

Instagram


(ARC courtesy of NetGalley)

(author media courtesy of the Author)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Thursday, 5 June 2025

Rainbows and Lollipops by Mo Fanning - #bookreview


 Two weeks before everything changed, Jake's life had seemed wonderfully, boringly normal. Surrounded by scatter cushions, he perched on the sofa, working from home, reading an emailed complaint from a Horizon Holidays customer whose Dusseldorf mini-break was 'ruined' by a lukewarm in-flight beef casserole...

***

The Blurb

When Jake met Tom, he waved goodbye to trawling Birmingham's gay bars. He didn't reckon with sleeping under glow-in-the-dark stars in his childhood bedroom.

Ambitious lawyer and lifelong loner Vicky has everything worked out... until she's faced with threats that can't be fixed with a power suit and a clever argument.

Lucy has planned her wedding down to each perfect petal on each perfect flower. If only 'happily-ever-after didn't come with a question mark.

Six binge-worthy episodes tell a story of finding your tribe and standing you ground.


My Review

This is a wonderful book that I enjoyed reading very much.

It is a novel that focuses on three friends during the summer of 2024. Each of the main characters narrate sections of their own: Jake, Vicky and Lucy. This gives the narrative a personal perspective from each of them. I enjoyed reading how their lives intertwine. Individually, they are all dealing with their own challenges, but with the support of one another, they are able to come through.

The book demonstrates how friends can become family and the importance of friendship in our lives. Jake, Vicky and Lucy were well-presented characters who were fully formed. What makes this book somewhat unique is that it is written as though for a television screenplay series which takes place across six episodes. This means the scenes are separated, but it all flows together cohesively.

The book deals with some serious themes such as grief and loss, love and friendship, and also what it is like to be queer or trans in twenty-first century Birmingham. The author does not sugarcoat these issues but presents them in a compassionate and sensitive way. 

This is a story that is contemporary, relevant, and utterly compelling. It is relatable, and the author develops the plot brilliantly throughout. 

This is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it.


Book Details

ISBN:  978 1739290382

Publisher:  Spring Street Books

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  320 (paperback)


Preorder Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK


About the Author

Page Turner Award finalist Mo Fanning is a part-time novelist, part-time stand-up comic and full-time potty-mouthed homosexual.

Birmingham-based Mo crafts deeply emotional, character-driven stories that blend humour, heartbreak, and hope. With a commitment to authentic LGBTQ+ representation, his work explores the messy, beautiful realities of love, loss, and resilience through characters readers can't help but root for.

When not writing, Mo enjoys immersing himself in Birmingham's vibrant culture and finding inspiration in its streets, stories, and people.

You can also find Mo at:

Author Website

Bluesky

You Tube

Instagram



(book courtesy of the publicist)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Stormy Skies at the Beach Hotel by Francesca Capaldi - #guestpost #blogtour

 


 I am thrilled to welcome author, Francesca Capaldi, onto the blog today. Francesca has previously featured on the blog when she was kind enough to tell us about one of her other books, Dark Days at the Beach Hotel

I have also reviewed another book in this series, Love and Loss at the Beach Hotel.

Stormy Skies at the Beach Hotel is the part of the Beach Hotel series, and I am really looking forward to hear what Francesca is going to tell us about this book.

But first is the blurb...


The Blurb

Chambermaid Fanny is thanking her lucky stars she has had a second chance at life. As an unmarried mother, it could have been very different, and she is happy.

But when new maid, Susie, arrives at the Beach Hotel, it isn't long before sparks fly. Susie begins to meddle in Fanny's friendships and even in her budding romance with Walter, an American working at the aerodrome.

Meanwhile, a flu epidemic starts to spread and as more people fall ill, the hotel is forced to close.

Matters come to a head when Susie plots to reveal secrets about Fanny that could spell her ruin.

Can the hotel and the hardworking women who run it survive?

***


Welcome to the blog Francesca. It's over to you...


Creating a back story for the love interest 

When I started planning Stormy Skies at the Beach Hotel, I knew I needed a compelling love interest for Fanny Bullen, long-time chambermaid at the hotel. 

This is the fifth book in the series (all can be read as standalones), and I’d had to find four love interests already – not easy during a war when many of the men are away fighting. But the history of the area – Littlehampton in Sussex – handed me a nice young man on a plate, so to speak.

In January 1918, the Americans started building several aerodromes in the area, one being in Rustington, a mile or so up the road from Littlehampton. And so, I dreamed up Walter Lehman, an American at the base. At first, I thought he might be a pilot but, although there were a few US airman in the area, practising for when the aerodromes were completed, there were far more craftsmen, like bricklayers and carpenters, which is what I decided Walter would be.

My next problem was, where on earth would he hail from? I’ve only ever visited New York in the US. On top of this, I needed to know something of the chosen area well over a hundred years ago. I wanted Walter, born in 1890, to be able to tell Fanny something of his homeland.

It was then I remembered that, in previous books, Fanny had been reading The Oz books by L Frank Baum, one of which is, of course, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  A prominent character in most of them is Dorothy, who was from Kansas. So why not have Walter come from there?

But I still had the problem of knowing nothing about the place!

I researched online to see whether there were novels set there at that time and finally came across The Little House on the Prairie.  Many of you will remember the television series, with the Ingalls family, taken from the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, in turn based on her own life. Although the TV series itself isn’t set in Kansas, this one book is, detailing a year of living on the Prairies there. It’s set around twenty years before Walter’s birth, but, with a little other historical research, I managed to extract what I needed for Walter’s background. 

Despite being a children’s book, The Little House on the Prairie has a wealth of description about the setting and how people lived. It tells of how they built nearly everything they needed, mostly of wood, and how they interacted with neighbours who might live three miles away. It highlighted how different Walter’s early life would have been to that of Fanny. She lived in a busy tourist community with lots of neighbours, in a place where houses were built by businesses, and mostly of brick, and where there were shops around the corner, not a day’s horse ride away. It made a nice contrast between their two lives, even while there are aspects of their upbringings that they do have in common.

The aerodrome in Rustington, where Walter ends up, was one of four being built in the area. This includes one in Tangmere near Chichester, which is, coincidentaly, where my mother-in-law first met my father-in-law (he was doing his national service at the RAF base there and she was doing teacher training in Chichester), despite them coming from Devon and Tyneside!

A couple of the scenes involving Walter in Stormy Skies at the Beach Hotel include events that did really happen. The Americans did play baseball on Littlehampton common, and there were Independent Day celebrations at Worthing and Rustington.

None of the aerodromes were completed before the war ended, and today, there is little evidence that the Rustington aerodrome ever existed, so it was interesting to bring it back to life, along with the real Beach Hotel, which was sadly pulled down in the late 1980s. 

Thank you so much for being my guest today. Your new book looks great.


Book Details

ISBN:  978 1804368473

Publisher:  Canelo Hera

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages: 400 (paperback)


Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK


About the Author


Francesca Capaldi has enjoyed writing since she was a child, largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was good at improvised story telling. 

Writing both under her maiden name, Francesca Capaldi, and her married name, Francesca Burgess, she is the author of historical saga novels, short stories published in the UK and abroad, and several pocket novels. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. 

The first novel in the Beach Hotel series, A New Start at the Beach Hotel, won the Romantic Saga Award at the Romantic Novelists' Association Awards in 2024. The first novel in the Wartime in the Valleys series, Heartbreak in the Valleys, was shortlisted for the Historical Romantic Award in the RoNAs in 2021. Both the Valleys series and the Beach Hotel series are published by Hera Books.

Francesca was born and brought up on the Sussex coast. She currently lives in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.

You can also find Francesca at:

Author Website

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(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

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