Wednesday, 25 February 2026

One Fine Voice by Rebecca Langston-George - #blogtour #excerpt #extract.


Today I have an extract from this gorgeous looking book. It has to be one of the loveliest covers I have seen in a while. 


The Blurb

All her life, Esther Hopkins has been told she has a mighty fine voice. 

Still, she can't believe her luck when just days after moving to town she's invited to sing a solo at the 1923 Independence Day picnic.

But the group sponsoring the picnic is not the benevolent fraternal order they claim to be. Worse, they've recruited her father, the town's freshly ordained Baptist minister, to become their chaplain. 

When they target the immigrant family of her new best friend, Esther must risk her father's anger, the KKK's revenge, and her family's safety to follow her conscience, salvage her friendship, and find the strength to speak truth to power even if it costs all she holds dear.


The Excerpt

Chapter 2

The pianist hit a wrong note in the chorus, causing Mama to wince, just as the church’s back doors wheezed open. A girl with a big blue hair bow in the next pew turned to look at me. Our eyes locked. Then she turned toward the doors behind us. I followed her gaze. That’s when I first saw them.

White robed men wearing pointed hoods paraded up the center aisle. They marched together in pairs until they reached the altar where my daddy had just kneeled; then half went left and half went right, forming a line across the front of the church. Their faces were masked save for the cut-out eye holes. Those sunken, shadowed holes all stared right at me, it seemed, pulling my eyes toward them, locking me in their dark gaze, paralyzing me with their murky eyes. 

I tried to sing. I knew every song in the hymnal by heart. But just like the white masks staring at me I didn’t have a working mouth. I tried to read the words in the hymnal, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from those blank stares. The one thing in my body that worked was my memory. It jabbed a stick in a deep muddy pool of my mind that usually only bubbled up in my nightmares. 

Four years ago, a winter’s day. A crust of ice crunched underfoot as I walked with my uncle to his barn. A lamb had gotten loose and had frozen to death near the fence. Its white wool stiff with sparkling ice crystals. A black crow was perched atop its head, a dark berry dangling from its beak. The crow flew away, and I saw that the lamb’s eyes had been picked out. Its cold, empty eye sockets stared through me, and I screamed.   

I felt that same urge to scream right then and run clear down the street away from our new church. I even turned my head toward the back door, but something stopped me. The girl—the one with the big blue bow—she was singing, --like she probably did every Sunday. I blinked. I turned my head the other way. Daddy sang along in his strong tenor. Blink. Reverend Dewhurst held his hymnal high and sang toward the ceiling. The pianist plunked on. Mama was the only other one that looked confused. Everyone around us was acting as if nothing unusual was happening, like masked robed men marching into church was perfectly normal. Was this normal for Grayson, Indiana?


Book Details

ISBN:  978 1964700595

Publisher:  Historium Press

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  143 (paperback)


Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US


About the Author


Rebecca Langston-George is the author of nineteen books for young readers including the globally popular For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story. Though she’s long been known for nonfiction, One Fine Voice is her first middle grade historical fiction. 

A retired teacher credentialed in both single subject language arts for upper grades and multiple subjects for younger grades, Rebecca is a popular school presenter for all ages, encouraging students to investigate and tap into their personal interests when writing. 

She serves on the board of The California Reading Association and is the Co-Regional Advisor for SCBWI Central-Coastal California, helping other writers achieve their dreams.

She splits her time between California’s scenic coast and its agricultural heartland, writing (and mostly rewriting) at one mile per hour on a treadmill desk. 

You can also find Rebecca at:

Author Website

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Facebook

Instagram

Bluesky





(media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)


Tuesday, 24 February 2026

The Green Baize Door by Eleanor Birney - #bookspotlight #blogtour

 

I'm so pleased to be shining the spotlight on this book today. The Green Baize Door by Eleanor Birney is a historical mystery book which was inspired by real life events.


The Blurb

An atmospheric historical mystery where every character has their own agenda, and their own truth.

In the fashionable mansions on Chestnut Hill, a simple green baize door separates the masters’ world from the servants’. That door is thrown wide when an elderly housekeeper is found brutally murdered on the first day of the new century. Marie Chevalier, the housekeeper’s poor but ambitious granddaughter, and James Lett, the mansion owner’s kind but indolent son, suspect the killer is connected to one of their families—but which one?

From drawing rooms to alleyways, their separate investigations lead them through the sometimes lavish, sometimes brutal, landscape of turn-of-the-century New England. When long-buried secrets begin to unravel the fragile threads that hold both households together, Marie and James must find a way to bridge the gulf between them—if only to prove that the murderer belongs not to their own world, but to that strange and foreign land on the other side of the green baize door.

Inspired by real-life events, The Green Baize Door is a richly layered historical mystery that explores themes of class identity, family loyalty, and the sometimes blurry line between virtue and vice.


Book Details

ISBN:  979-8993431703

Publisher:  Parlour & Dock Press

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  295 (paperback)


Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US


About the Author


Eleanor Birney writes historical mysteries about class, moral ambiguity, and people who aren’t satisfied with life on their side of the green baize door.

She received a BA in History from UC Berkeley, and works as a legal research attorney, a day job that feeds her love of precision, research, and puzzles.

Growing up in foster care gave her a lifelong fascination with the way society steers people into assigned places—and how some of those people refuse to stay in them.

She lives in Northern California with her family. The Green Baize Door is her debut novel.

You can also find Eleanor at:

Author Website

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Facebook

Instagram

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(media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)



Friday, 20 February 2026

A Gift of Words by Rosalind Dando - #bookspotlight #blogtour


A Gift of Words was the 14th place BBNYA 2025 finalist! I am delighted to be shining the spotlight on it today.


The Blurb

A magical gift is more trouble than it's worth...

Cam has plenty of things to worry about. His best friend might have broken someone’s fingers, the class bully won’t leave him alone, and staying under the radar of his teachers is much harder than it ought to be. He definitely doesn’t need magic to make his life any more complicated. Which is good, because when he does write his name in Libris Sapientia—the book of wisdom—a whole lot of nothing happens. He is a failure, and even a book agrees. Then, Loman Lykill joins their class, bringing a whole new brand of chaos to Highgrove Secondary. Cam has his magical gift, whether he wants it or not.


Book Details

ISBN:  978 1919235219

Publisher:  D&O Publishing

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

No. of Pages:  284 (paperback) 

Series:  Book 1 in The Gifts trilogy


Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amazon CA


About the Author


Rosalind Dando is an author, artist, and primary school teacher living in the north of England. She has written several novels, and her debut, A Gift of Words, is published in April 2024 by Shadow Spark Publishing. 

You can also find Rosalind at: 

Bluesky

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 Facebook

Contact her through any of the above sites, or email: rosalinddando@gmail.com 



BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. 



(media courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)


Thursday, 19 February 2026

The Other Mother by Heidi Field - #bookreview #blogtour


I walk to the far end of the platform, checking over my shoulder every few seconds until I reach the furthest bench. I'm early for the train, so I settle down with a sweet tea and a magazine...


The Blurb

Suzannah is pregnant with her third child. The first is in prison. The second is dead. How far will she go to keep her unborn baby safe?

When Suzannah learns she is pregnant, she feels like safety and happiness are finally within reach. Her handsome, successful fiancĂ©, Alec, is over the moon about the baby. He proposes and pampers her. He thinks this is Suzannah’s first marriage and first child, but she’s keeping a few secrets. 

Actually, a lot of secrets. 

And they are dangerous…putting Suzannah in a position where she must choose who and what she’s willing to sacrifice to keep her baby and her freedom.

Drowning in her lies, Suzannah is desperate to bury her past, but her ex-husband, who abandoned her years ago, returns, stalking her and demanding to know what really happened to their daughter. 

When the imprisoned serial killer who lured and groomed her son, threatens to sell his story to the press, Suzannah feels like the life she’d built and the precious one she’s growing, teeter on a precipice. Now the two children she’s hidden from Alec may be the least of her worries.




My Review

This book made for fabulous reading.  I had intended to read the first book in this series, The Other Boy, but alas, time ran away from me and I didn't find the time to do it. This did not impede my enjoyment of this book as it works perfectly well as a standalone novel.

The main character, Suzannah, was brilliantly portrayed. She is completely burdened and overwhelmed by secrets that she has been keeping from her fiancé, Alec. They are expecting their first child, but unknown to Alec, this is Suzannah's third child. Mason, her firstborn, is in prison for the part he played as accomplice to a notorious serial killer, and her daughter, Lily, was murdered when she was three years old. She has gone on to build this safe life with Alec until the past catches up with her in the form of her ex-husband, Breck.

We are drip-fed little reveals as the book goes on and I came to realise that Suzannah was not the reliable narrator I had at first assumed. She is a complex character, who we learn has more secrets than those she is keeping from Alec.  I loved the way the author developed her character as the book progressed.

It was a fast-paced, suspenseful novel which made for fantastic reading. I was thoroughly hooked and couldn't wait to get back to it each time I had to set it aside.  There were sufficient twists and turns to make this an exciting book to read.

The author has done an excellent job with this novel. As soon as time permits I will be going back and reading the first book. However, I understand that there is going to be a third book in this series and I can hardly wait for that. In the meantime, I highly recommend this novel.


Book Details

ISBN:  978 1969218552

Publisher:  Tule Publishing Group

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  318 (paperback)

Series:  Book 2 in the Peasdale Woods Killers series


Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US


About the Author


Heidi Field was raised in the beautiful countryside of the South of England with her parents and her two sisters. In her twenties she was a freelance Sports Massage Therapist. She achieved a Degree in Zoology at the age of thirty and then went on to raise two boys and became the stepmother of three more young children. She still lives near her family home with her partner, their Great Dane and the children that have yet to fly the nest. 

In her early forties Heidi completed a Masters in Creative Writing at Winchester University. She entered the course hoping she would become a children’s fantasy writer and left with a burning desire to write contemporary mysteries and thrillers. 

Heidi wanted to put relatable people in extraordinary situations, challenge them, push them to their limits and watch them fight for their sanity. The Other Boy is her first novel.

You can also find Heidi at:

Author Website

Bluesky

Facebook

Instagram

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(ARC and media courtesy of Zooloo's Book Tours)

(all opinions are my own)


Secrets in the Woods by Susan D. Levitte - #blogtour #excerpt #extract


I am so pleased to be bringing you an excerpt of this book today.  Enjoy!


The Blurb

On October 8, 1871, fire turned night into a living hell. 

While Chicago's blaze claimed the headlines, a fiercer and more devastating inferno swept across Wisconsin's Green Bay peninsula-obliterating farms, forests, and families in its path.

Here, among immigrant settlers carving new lives from the wilderness, survival came down to split-second choices: to run, to hide, to fight the flames. Mothers shielded children with their bodies, fathers vanished into smoke, and neighbors faced the firestorm with nothing but faith and will.

Inspired by forgotten accounts and newspaper fragments, Secrets in the Woods brings to life the untold human drama of one of America's most harrowing nights-a story of resilience, loss, and the fragile hope that rises from the ashes.


The Excerpt

We hadn’t had a normal day for so long. Every day was now filled with all available hands batting back flames, watching for flames, or preparing for the flames. Normal fall chores were neglected so we could find more water, scratch together food that could be eaten on the hoof, treat wounds and burns, and rotate chores in the hopes of being able to step back into normal when this was over. 

That Sunday was the same. Small fires were popping up in the woods, and the trees continued to burst into flames, sending the firefighters to protect the nearest property. Even the little girls who had cared for Atlan were put to work fighting the flames at their homes.


Book Details

ISBN:  978-1964700472

Publisher:  Historium Press

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  270 (paperback)


Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK


About the Author


Susan was born and raised as the fifth generation to live on the family land in Northeast North Dakota (nearly Canada). She moved to Wisconsin in 1997, living in Door and Manitowoc County and now resides in the pastoral Kewaunee County. Married to Quentin, they share their home with Olive and Penny, their silly Labrador retrievers, and Gil, their ever-lazy cat.

As a devoted reader of historical fiction and nonfiction, she brings her passion for history and desire to educate readers into her work. With twenty-five years of experience in global advertising and marketing, she holds a master’s degree in communications and currently contributes her expertise to the Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport.

You can also find Susan at:

Author Website

Facebook

Instagram





(media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Tuesday, 17 February 2026

10 Ten Exciting New Release Books in March 2026

 


The month of March always brings the image of frolicking hares to my mind. So this photo seemed like the perfect header for this month.

March also suggests the beginning of spring which always makes me feel a little more optimistic about life. I love the changing of the seasons but I feel very ready for the spring weather now.

Here are ten fabulous looking books which are being published next month.


 Singing Bones by S. G. Ullman

Nearly 8,300 years ago, a sudden climate collapse reshaped the earth. Winters grew longer and colder, harvests failed, coastlines flooded, and the ground itself became unstable. For the Téuta, a settled Neolithic village that had endured for generations, survival became uncertain.

Eini is born with troubling visions of disaster—warnings her people dismiss as superstition. As the climate worsens and violence spreads among desperate neighbors, Eini spends her lifetime trying to protect her family and preserve the fragile traditions that hold her community together. When catastrophe finally strikes, the TĂ©uta must face the unthinkable: abandoning their ancestral home and redefining who they are in a transformed world.

Told across generations, Singing Bones follows the lives of women whose strength, memory, and resilience shape the fate of their people—from prophecy, to survival, to leadership forged in loss. Song, story, and shared history become tools of endurance in a world where nothing can be taken for granted.

Amazon UK


 Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser

Everyone said she was wicked.

Now Cinderella's stepmother tells her own story...

After the death of her second husband, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two daughters, Rosamund and Mathilde, her simpering stepdaughter Elin, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor buried in the woods.

When a royal ball offers the chance to change their fortunes, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of girls - only for her hopes to be fulfilled by the wrong one: Elin.

Yet as her stepdaughter's engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the feckless stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn...

Bookshop.org    Amazon UK


 A Time to Hide by Marion Seidemann Fredman

When Grete and Julius fell in love, they planned to build a new life together in Germany, near their families. They never thought they’d be forced to wear yellow stars for everyone to identify them as Jews, use forged papers with fake names, or hide in a stranger’s attic in Holland—with their newborn baby just downstairs, in plain sight of the Nazis.

Author Marion Seidemann Fredman chronicles the story of her parents’ experience through the horrors of World War II and how they survived by taking life into their own hands. Each page weaves a story of its own through historical papers, photographs, documents, and other pieces saved and passed down from one generation to the next. Combined with gorgeously painted artwork by nationally acclaimed author and illustrator Elisa Kleven, the effect renders a uniquely poignant depiction of Jewish life during the Holocaust. Also included at the back is a glossary and an author’s note.

Bookshop.org   Amazon UK


 The House of Hidden Letters by Izzy Broom

For sale: Greek cottage. Price: One Euro.

Skye doesn’t make impulsive decisions. But when she sees a derelict Greek cottage for sale by lottery, she enters with dreams of a fresh start.

However, her heart sinks as she pushes open the tattered blue door weeks later. Can this wreck ever be her home?

Then Skye finds a bundle of letters hidden in the fireplace, their faded pages drawing her in with a story of long-forgotten love, tragedy, and unbelievable bravery.

But all the while, Skye’s own past is circling. No matter how far she goes, fate is never far behind…

Bookshop.org  Amazon UK


 Good Good Loving by Yvette Edwards


Ellen's beloved, beautiful, complicated family are gathered around her hospital bed as she prepares to slip away, and boy, is she ready. You'd think she could finally get some peace and quiet, but instead her children have chosen now of all times to have a never-ending discussion about her failings. Every single tiny thing they think she's done wrong over the years - and the one big thing too. After all the sacrifices Ellen has made for every last ungrateful one of them, they still take their father's side. If only they knew the whole story.

Full of big personalities, big mistakes, burning love and quiet heartbreak, Good Good Loving moves backwards in time through some of the most dramatic turning points in the life of Ellen and her family. Their story is as heartrending as it is joyous.

Bookshop.org  Amazon UK


Spoiled Milk by Avery Curran

In 1928, Emily Locke's final year at the isolated Briarley School for Girls is derailed when Violet, the school's brightest star (and a cunning beauty for whom Emily would do anything), falls to her death on her eighteenth birthday. Emily and her buttoned-up rival Evelyn are, for once, in agreement: Violet's death was no accident. There's an obvious culprit, the French schoolmistress with whom Violet was getting a little too close - they just need to prove it.

Desperate for answers, Emily and her classmates turn to spiritualism, hoping for a glimpse of wisdom from the great beyond. To their shock, Violet's spirit appears, choosing pious Evelyn as her unlikely medium. And Violet has a warning for them: the danger has just begun.

Something deadly is infecting Briarley. It starts with rotten food and curdled milk, but quickly grows more threatening. As the body count rises and students race to save themselves, Emily must confront the fatal forces poisoning the school. Emily's fight for survival forces her to reevaluate everything she knows: about Violet, Evelyn, Briarley, and, ultimately, herself.

Bookshop.org   Amazon UK


  A Wedding at the Little Bookshop by the Sea by Eliza J. Scott


Booksellers Florrie Appleton and her fiancĂ©, Ed, are just three weeks away from their dream wedding. Between hand-selling beloved classics, unveiling Ed’s enchanting window displays and hosting lively book readings with local authors, they’ve managed to plan an intimate ceremony that promises to be everything they’ve ever hoped for – filled with literary delights, lots of laughter and the love of those closest to them.

But when Ed's mother, Dawn, arrives unannounced on their doorstep, Florrie's world is thrown into chaos like confetti. Dawn claims she's come to help with the wedding preparations, yet she's never shown the slightest interest in her son before. As she starts dismissing their carefully curated shelves and snooping around their cosy cottage, Florrie can't shake the feeling that Dawn’s plans stretch far beyond simply choosing flowers and cake.

With her close-knit group of friends rallying around her and the bookshop's loyal customers offering support, can Florrie protect her relationship and the bookshop that means everything to her and Ed? Or will their happily ever after slip through their fingers like pages torn from one of her treasured books?

Amazon UK


  Paradisio 17 by Hannah Lillith Assadi


All his life, exile has been the shadow stitched to the sole of Sufien’s shoe.

Born in Palestine on the precipice of 1948’s Nakba, Sufien is forced to leave the only home he’s ever known, the one on the hill with a beautiful blue door. This is the precise moment when time stops making sense. He spends the rest of his life propelled forward, always on the way – although in search of what, he is never quite sure. In the dusty, oil-rich desert of Kuwait, he meets his first love and decides he must leave his family. In a small Italian university town, he spends his youth wrapped up in the sweet promise of the West and the forgetful assurance of wine. When life takes him to a gritty New York, he discovers his true vocation and falls for a Jewish woman born into a wholly different world. Finally, he finds himself recalled to the wild, vast open skies of the desert, in Arizona.

The lyrical pages of Paradiso 17 are haunted with grief and yet they are also struck through with light – not just the light that Sufien sees as he approaches his own end, but the brilliant light of a life lived.

Like all of our dead, Sufien still speaks, the book begins. Listen, this is his story.

Bookshop.org   Amazon UK


 The Lacemaker's Fortune by Andrea Catalano


In the 1870s, the fate of an immigrant desperate to escape the factories of New York City collides with the ambitions and passion of two men in an enthralling and darkly sensual novel by the author of The First Witch of Boston.

New York City, 1879. Eileen Maguire is a factory lacemaker limited by her humble circumstances and dreaming of a better life. Lawrence Barnard is the sole heir of one of Manhattan’s wealthiest families, but his means keep him confined by the expectations of society. When their paths cross one fateful winter night, Eileen and Lawrence become caught under the spell of the charismatic and enterprising Stanley Jones, who extolls the boundless opportunities awaiting in the West. The millinery shop Eileen dreams of owning with her sister is possible, as is the freedom to make his own choices that Lawrence so craves.

What begins as an idealistic journey westward quickly becomes something unexpected and sinister once the group lands in Leadville, Colorado, a wild silver mining boomtown high in the Rocky Mountains. A love triangle emerges, pitting promises and passion against betrayals and lies. With their starry-eyed intentions gone terribly awry and forbidden desires threatening to undo them, it will take heartbreak and a shocking secret to shake Eileen and Lawrence out of their blinded stupors and remind them that their fortunes are entirely in their own hands. Set against the backdrop of the Gilded Age, this is a dark tale of dangerous, suspenseful seduction.

Bookshop.org    Amazon UK


 The Three Witches by Elena Collins


Now: When Ruthie gets the part of one of Macbeth’s famous three witches she can’t wait to get started. Inspired by the beauty of the film’s Scottish locations and the camaraderie of the cast and crew, she can leave behind the expectations of her family and her lacklustre love life, at least for now. But as echoes from the past begin whispering in Ruthie’s ear and a restless spirit draws her further into its centuries-old secrets, it soon becomes clear that only she can uncover the truth of a terrible injustice.

1050 Scotland: Isobel and her two sisters have learnt about healing from their loving mother Sidheag, and she in turn has kept them safe. But without the protection of their late father, Sidheag knows that her daughters must find husbands or their futures are at risk.

Isobel believes in love over duty and when she catches sight of King Macbeth’s stepson Lulach she can picture a happiness she had hardly dare imagine. But as heir to a Scottish throne that is drenched in blood, Lulach’s destiny is to be a warrior. When Isobel’s actions leave her and her sisters vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft there may be nothing that can keep the three women safe, not even the great Macbeth himself.

As the calls from the past grow ever louder, Ruthie has no choice. Macbeth’s witches have a story that needs to be told and the truth can no longer stay hidden…

Bookshop.org   Amazon UK



(Bookshop.org affiliated)

(header photo courtesy of Unsplashed)

Monday, 16 February 2026

The Man Who Wore All His Clothes and Other Stories by Allan Ahlberg and Katharine McEwen- #bookreview


One morning in the month of December Mr Gaskitt got up.

He put on his vest and pants and socks, and his socks and vest and pants, and his pants and socks and vest.

"Lovely socks dear," said Mrs Gaskitt.


The Blurb

One morning Mr Gaskitt puts on all his clothes, Mrs Gaskitt picks up a robber in her taxi, Gus and Gloria have trouble with a teacher,

Horace the cat goes to a friend's house to watch TV ... and the car radio gets things wrong. What follows is an action-packed,

farcical romp as the plots of each family member interweave, ending in a thrilling car chase. And that's just the first story...


My Review

When my sons were young we would often read Allan and his wife Janet's books together. They loved Peek-a-boo, Each Peach Pear Plum and The Jolly Postman, to name but a few.

Somehow, the Gaskitt's series seemed to have passed us by. Having just read the four books which are included in this edition, I know that they would have loved them. In fact, by the time I had finished reading them, I felt I had become rather attached to the Gaskitt family.

This is a collection of very funny stories. The humour contained in both text and illustration are very well done and it made these stories come alive.

They are aimed at children aged from about 5 - 8 years of age but I got the feeling that if they were being read to a child of that age when there are older siblings within earshot, then they would enjoy them equally. They make for lovely books for sharing and reading aloud.

Books which can be enjoyed by both children and adults together make for essential reading. This book would be perfectly placed in the classroom or at home. It's children's fiction at it's best and I highly recommend it.


Book Details

ISBN:  978 1529533064

Publisher: Walker Books

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  320 (paperback)


Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK


About the Author


Allan Ahlberg (1938–2025) was one of this country's most acclaimed and successful authors of children’s books. He has won numerous awards including the Kurt Maschler Award in 1986, the Children's Book Award in 1987, the Blue Peter Book Award 2001 and the Children's Book Award: Books for Young Children 2002. 

Among his numerous classic picture books are The Jolly Postman books, Burglar Bill, Peepo! and Each Peach Pear Plum.


About the Illustrator


Katharine McEwen graduated from Kingston University in 1996 and has since illustrated around forty children’s books for all ages. She is the illustrator of the picture books Cows in the Kitchen, Hey, Tabby Cat! and Here Comes Tabby Cat, Send for a Superhero, four Sam’s Science books, the Silver Street series and the Gaskitt stories. Katharine lives in Tonbridge, Kent.

You can also find Katharine at:

Instagram



(book and media courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Friday, 13 February 2026

Jump (Madders of Time 2) by D.L. Orton - #bookspotlight #blogtour


Today I am shining the spotlight on Jump by author, D.L. Orton. It is the second book in the Madders of Time series. Enjoy!


The Blurb

The multiverse is collapsing. The time machine is broken. And humanity’s last hope? Might already be dead.

Seven months after the EMPs brought the world to its knees, a handful of scientists are racing against extinction—and each other. Somewhere in a flooded skyscraper lies a wormhole generator that might be able to undo the apocalypse. If they can find it. If it still works. If it doesn’t kill them first.

Meanwhile, Diego Nadales wakes in a cell, his face bloodied and his memories fractured. He's being accused of terrorism, treason, and time travel. The last one, at least, is true.

Isabel is trapped inside a biodome ruled by the man she once trusted. But her bees—microscopic drones designed to save the planet—have been hijacked and weaponized. If she doesn’t find a way out soon, her creation will wipe out the last threads of life on Earth.

Old friends return. New enemies rise. And somewhere in the chaos, one small spark of hope just might be enough to ignite a revolution.

The clock isn’t ticking. It’s blowing up.


Book Details

ISBN:  978 1941368435

Publisher:  Rocky Mountain Press

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  406 (paperback)

Series: Book 2 in the Madders of Time series


Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Amazon US


About the Author

The BEST-SELLING AUTHOR, D. L. ORTON, lives in the foothills of Colorado where she and her husband are raising three boys, a golden retriever, two Siberian cats, and an extremely long-lived Triops. Her future plans include completing the books in the BETWEEN TWO EVILS series followed by an extended vacation on a remote tropical island (with a Starbucks).

When she’s not writing, playing tennis, or helping with algebra, she’s building a time machine so that someone can go back and do the laundry.

Ms. Orton is a graduate of Stanford University’s Writers Workshop and a past editor of “Top of the Western Staircase,” a literary publication of CU, Boulder. The author has a number of short stories published in online literary magazines, including Literotica.com, Melusine, Cosmoetica, The Ranfurly Review, and Catalyst Press.

Her debut novel, CROSSING IN TIME, has won numerous literary awards including an Indie Book Award and a Publishers Weekly Starred Review. It was also selected as one of only 12 Great Indie Stars by BookLife’s Prize in Fiction.

You can also find her at:

Author Website

Facebook

Instagram

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If you would like to know more about Hive, the first book in the series, you can find my spotlight post here.


(media courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Thursday, 12 February 2026

The Dubrovnik Book Club by Eva Glyn - #bookreview


Prologue

He raises his head from the sink and looks in the mirror. Sunken eyes, stubble. The bruise a livid purple-red on his cheek...


The Blurb

In a tiny bookshop in Dubrovnik’s historic Old Town, a book club begins…

Newly arrived on the sun-drenched shores of Croatia, Claire Thomson’s life is about to change forever when she starts working at a local bookshop. With her cousin Vedran, employee Luna and Karmela, a professor, they form an unlikely book club.

But when their first book club pick – an engrossing cosy crime – inspires them to embark upon an investigation that is close to the group’s heart, they quickly learn the value of keeping their new-found friends close as lives and stories begin to entwine…My Review

Each chapter is the name of the book which the book club is reading each month. At the back of the book the author provides a list along with the author of each of these books in case the reader would like to read them for themselves.

Helpful glossary at the beginning of the book which translates some of the words used throughout the novel.


My Review

As a member of two book clubs myself, I am often drawn to books which have a book club as their setting.

The titular book club is set in Croatia, within the walls of The Welcoming Bookshop. This book uses this setting to introduce the readers to a lovely array of characters. 

The book is told from the perspectives of main characters Claire and Luna. Claire has left England to join her grandparents in Dubrovnik for a year. She has had long Covid and as a result has lost her confidence and fears groups of people. Her grandmother is convinced that working in the book shop will help her regain it. 

Luna works with Claire in the bookshop. She comes from a rural Croatian village where she finds the community small-minded. She is hiding a secret of her own but finds a friend and confidante in Claire.

Setting up the book club allows the author to introduce an array of other characters, who each have an important part to play in the story. Vedran is Claire's cousin. He is a lawyer who has been through a tough time – and then there is Karmella, an academic who retreats to a place of safety behind her books.

These characters all come together within the book shop and find an emotional support circle. The book has much to say about friendship, self-acceptance and facing our fears.

The author depicted the charm and history of Dubrovnik beautifully without shying away from the hardships that the residents faced during and following the war. In fact, having read this made me want to hop on a plane so that I could stroll around its streets and have coffee outside a cafĂ©, whilst reading a book. 

This was a gem of a book to read.  It had me absorbed by every page. It was a life-affirming book which made for wonderful reading. In fact, I already have the next book in the series, The Santorini Writing Retreat, waiting to be read. 

I highly recommend this book. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.


Book Details

ISBN:  978-0008648114

Publisher:  One More Chapter

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

No. of Pages:  384 (paperback)

Series:  Book 1 in the Bookish Escapes series


Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US


About the Author

Over the last couple of years Eva has become adept at writing with two hats on; under her own name Jane Cable it’s romance with a twist, and as Eva Glyn she creates escapist relationship-driven fiction. MHer inspiration comes from the nuggets of history she discovers both at home and abroad, and the beautiful places she finds them.

Eva Glyn’s books are mainly set in Croatia, a country she fell in love with in 2019. Her friendship with tour guide Darko Barisic has proved invaluable to gain an insight into Croatian daily life that few foreign authors can dream of. Her first book set in the country, The Olive Grove, was inspired by Darko’s experiences of the war in the 1990s. Both An Island of Secrets and The Collaborator's Daughter are dual timeline looking back to a little known period of World War 2 history.

 Eva is published by One More Chapter, a division of Harper Collins and has been contracted to write two books about unlikely friendships... and books under the title of Bookish Escapes. The first, The Dubrovnik Book Club, was published in March 2024 with The Santorini Writing Retreat following a year later and The Croatian Island Library in early 2026. 

Although she is Welsh she lives in Cornwall with her husband of more than thirty years. Unless, of course, they're off on their travels!

You can also find Eva at:

Author Website

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Instagram

Bluesky




(media courtesy of the author's website)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Wednesday, 11 February 2026

The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien - #bookreview #blogtour


2010 - Guernsey

"I think she's coming round, Anna. I'm sure I saw her blink.  Mum. It's Liz and Anna... your granddaughter. You're in the hospital."

She raised her voice a little, leaning closer to her mother's good ear.

"Everything's fine. We're with you and it's all going to be okay..."


The Blurb

Inspired by the true story of a woman who used knitting patterns to encode intelligence during World War Two.  

Guernsey, 2010. After a stroke, an elderly woman shocks her family by speaking perfect French – a language they never knew she possessed. As her granddaughter unravels seventy years of silence, a hidden wartime story emerges...

Paris, 1941. After her brother is declared missing in action at Dunkirk, eighteen-year-old Lenny Gallienne vanishes into Churchill’s secret army. In a bookshop on Rue de la Pompe, she poses as a simple shop girl while encoding intelligence from Nazi headquarters into knitting patterns. Each sweater smuggled to prisoners contains flight paths. Each scarf holds radio frequencies. Each mistake means execution.

Fellow agent, Harry Dennison is the only person who knows her real name. But when the SS close in, Lenny faces an impossible choice in the Metro tunnels beneath Paris – one that will haunt her family for generations. Because in the resistance, the most dangerous secrets are the ones you keep from those you love most.


My Review

I have read that the author of this book wrote it as it combined two of her greatest pleasures – reading and knitting. That resonated deeply with me, as they are also two of my favourite things to do and were what initially attracted me to this book.

Leonore (Lenny) and James grew up on Guernsey. The brother and sister were close, so when Lenny hears that James is missing in action following the battle of Dunkirk, she is understandably devastated. However, she cannot quite bring herself to believe he is dead, and so enlists in Churchill's Secret Army.

During her training, Lenny is the only woman there, and retreats into her faithful knitting. However, when she has the idea to knit Morse code messages into her knitting, she comes to the attention of Harry Dennison, an old friend of her brother's and fellow agent, who sees an opportunity to use her skill to pass messages. 

Based on fact, I was already aware that Morse code was used in knitting to aid the war effort. However, it was wonderful to read more about it in this book. I admired the way the author brings this to the attention of the reader through this story. Knitting was the domain of women during this time period, making it easier to avoid detection. However, I loved the chapter where she attempts to teach her fellow agents to knit.

Lenny finds herself in France, working as part of the French Resistance. This is where we see Lenny demonstrate her bravery and courage. She is an excellent character throughout and was easy to engage with.

The bulk of the story is set during the war years, but part of the book is dedicated to the present day and told from the perspective of Lenny's granddaughter, Anna. This added something to the book, as it is only here that we realise that Lenny has kept her wartime secrets with her throughout her life.

This was a well-written book which completely drew me in. The author is a great storyteller who has the ability to engage her readers from the very first page. I have not read anything by this author before, and am so pleased that this is the beginning of a series as I would love to read more. 

I was also very satisfied with the ending of the book. I highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. What more could we ask for but a story which has been well researched, includes knitting, has a fabulous narrative and a bit of romance thrown in. A fabulous book in my opinion, and I would love to hear your thoughts if you read this book.

 

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1837002566

Publisher:  Storm Publishing

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  324 (paperback)

Series:  Book 1 in the Threads of Resistance series


Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US


About the Author


Jenny O’Brien writes complex thrillers and heartbreaking historical fiction, as well as intriguing romances. Silent Cry, initially self published, topped the Amazon kindle chart in both the UK and the USA. Most of her books have followed suit. 

Jenny has over 40 years experience as a qualified nurse. She turned to creative writing as a hobby when her children were born. 

Born in Ireland, she now lives in Guernsey with her husband and children.


BOOK NEWS 

The Resistance Knitting Club came out in February, 2026. A blend of Jenny’s two hobbies - knitting and reading. For more check out The Resistance Knitting Club Facebook Page. Join the conversation as well as share your crafting projects. 

You can also find Jenny at:

Author Website

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Instagram

Facebook





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

(author photo courtesy of her Instagram page)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)