10 Ten Exciting New Releases Coming in August 2026

 

I am looking ahead to August and some of the lovely new books due to be released. I've limited myself to just ten which have caught my eye. Do any of these look like something that you would like to read?

John Grebble is Gone by Peter James

John Grebble wakes up to discover he’s been declared dead. His bank account is frozen, his car repossessed, and his entire existence erased. Someone wants him gone—permanently.

Within hours, his world unravels. His debit card is declined. His car is towed away. His office locks him out. The police treat him like a criminal. According to every system, every database, every official record—John Grebble is no more.

But John is very much alive. And as he tries to uncover who could have pulled off such an elaborate erasure of his identity, he realises this isn’t just a mistake—it’s personal. Someone with intimate knowledge of his life has gone to extraordinary lengths to scrub him out completely. And this is just the start…

In this gripping short thriller laced with dark humour, Number One Sunday Times bestselling author Peter James asks: can John Grebble uncover who would go this far to destroy him before it’s too late?

Amazon UK

Invitation From a Dictator by Rory Clements

ON THE EVE OF WAR, A ROYAL GUEST IS LURED INTO HITLER'S DEADLY WEB . . .

Munich, 1937. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor have arrived in Germany for a historic meeting at Hitler's mountain retreat.

But recent attacks by ruthless Communist band, Red Freedom, has brought fear and bloodshed to the area. As brutal as the Nazis, their next targets are Edward, Wallis and the Fuhrer himself.

Detective Sebastian Wolff is charged with their protection, but the conflict between his job and his politics becomes even more complicated when Wolff realises who is behind Red Freedom: Ulrike, his first love and the mother of his son.

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

Radiant as the Stars by Elaine Elinson

In April 1911, Jews escaping pogroms are fleeing to America, but 20-year-old Anna Reader, full of fierce conviction, is headed in the opposite direction—back to the Ukrainian shtetl from which her family fled six years earlier. She has decided to join her radical cousin Chava in the Jewish Labor Bund on the eve of the Russian Revolution, leaving behind her work in a Chicago sweatshop and the lover who jilted her.

Her warm reunion with her cousin is tainted by political intrigue. Anna is not fully trusted by the Jewish radicals she grew up with in Ukraine. She is given minor tasks, while Chava’s assignments become more dangerous. The threat of betrayal is constantly lurking. When Chava is arrested and imprisoned, Anna’s efforts to rescue her cousin further alienate her from her Bund comrades. When she is threatened with arrest by the Tsarists, Anna is undone, fighting for survival in a strife-torn land.

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

A Thousand Painted Hours by Barbara O'Neal

In the shadow of the London Blitz, artist Elsie Turner clings fiercely to her canvases, refusing to let war dim the colors that define her. The bombs test her nerve, but the struggle also stirs memories of her golden youth in India and of the long-lost love of her life.

The daughter of a British civil servant in the Himalayan station of Nainital, Elsie crosses cultural divides to forge an unlikely bond with Tanveer Singh, a Sikh prince with hopes, dreams, and far-reaching ideas. What begins as shared sketchbooks and stargazing becomes first love and a secret correspondence. When Elsie’s father is summoned to England, Elsie is severed from the world she knows―and is determined to preserve it through both her art and a connection with Tanveer that endures through the most tumultuous years of their lives.

Across four decades and two continents, Elsie navigates a journey from lush colonial India to war-torn London, amid landscapes of beauty, protest, and peril. As past and present collide, the most impossible choices and sacrifices are yet to be made in the name of love, war, and survival.

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

Perfect Moments at Duck Pond Cottage by Della Galton

When two best friends decide to share their wedding day, what could possibly go wrong?

Jade is over the moon to be tying the knot alongside her best friend, Sarah, at the stunning Bluebell Cliff Hotel in Dorset—a venue where no detail is too small and no expense is spared in the pursuit of perfection.

But as the big day draws closer, so do the complications.

A long-lost relative, a troublesome brother, and some wildly unexpected animal antics all threaten to derail the brides’ dream celebrations.

With emotions running high and chaos around every corner, their perfect day begins to unravel.

Can love and friendship hold everything together when it matters most?

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

The Stray Dogs by Ruth Hogan

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but Desmond and Leona are about to find out that it's never too late to start living your dreams . . .

Since his marriage ended, Desmond Leaks has been stuck in rut. But living alone does have some upsides - for one, there's no one to tell him that he's 'not allowed' chocolate spread on his toast.

And for Leona Lennox, a fresh start might just mean she can finally open that rescue centre for abandoned dogs she's always dreamed of. That's if she can learn to let people in occasionally - and accept help.

Take this Desmond guy, he's so nice that he's offering to get his old band back together to play some fundraising gigs for the rescue centre. If only Leona could say yes, just this once . . . The Stray Dogs might actually be decent, right?

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

The Paris Seamstress by Catherine Law

Torn between love and duty, and a fierce need to protect…

Paris, 1940

For young, lively Murielle, working in the heart of Paris as a seamstress is a dream come true. She loves the bustle of the city, but as the War progresses and new restrictions for Jewish people appear, she begins to realise how quickly her world is changing – and how, soon, she may lose those cherished freedoms.

Her best friend Zoé has always lived a smaller life. Still reeling from an incident from many years ago, she’s already used to being on her guard. But as the Occupation tightens controls on everyone, Zoé knows she must find the courage to stand up and protect the people she loves.

When the two women come across a fallen English pilot, they don’t hesitate. As they put their lives on the line to help the airman escape, their friendship bonds are truly tested. For a chance of happiness, Murielle and Zoé will have to make an impossible decision — one that will demand the greatest sacrifice of all…

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

The Midwife by the Sea by Jo Bartlett

When midwife Hope Masterson arrives in Cornwall to start her dream job by the sea, she’s ready for a fresh start and a chance to make a real difference to the lives of the women and babies she cares for.

Working between St Piran’s hospital and the community midwifery unit of Port Agnes, Hope quickly finds herself drawn into the lives of her patients and colleagues. From dramatic deliveries and joyous newborns to heartbreaking struggles with infertility, she is on hand to share in all the hopes, worries and incredible love that motherhood can bring.

But Hope is carrying a secret that could change everything – and she faces an impossible dilemma.

Should she reveal the truth and shatter the lives of those around her, or protect the fragile happiness of the family she’s only just found?

As friendships deepen, romance blooms and emotions run high, Hope must decide whether some secrets are better left untold… and what it truly means to belong.

A gorgeously heartfelt, uplifting and unputdownable story of love, family and the many different paths to motherhood, by Top Ten bestselling author Jo Bartlett.

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

The Curse of the Saltmarsh Girl by Clare Marchant

The dark marsh stretches around Margery. She can hear the sound of her mother’s voice, crying. Or is it the wind…? Will she get out of here alive?

1665: When Margery arrives in Saltmarsh looking for her mother, she finds silence, secrets, and backs turned.

But she is not the only thing that has arrived. As the Plague falls on the village, leaving almost no man, woman or child alive, rumours circulate – about a demon dog, about lights floating above the waters, about voices in the dark… And about a girl, one who has brought a curse.

With Margery’s mother missing, it becomes clear that these remote, desolate marshes are about to become the most dangerous ground she’s ever stepped on…

Now: A beautiful young opera singer named Angel Bailey has arrived in Saltmarsh. She’s there to visit her adoptive brother, but she’s also running away. Because, after years of longing to know where she came from, she’s received word from a woman claiming to be her sister, saying their birth mother’s dying wish is to meet the child she abandoned.

But when Angel becomes fascinated with the story of another mother and daughter, and a centuries old curse on the marsh, the land beneath her feet is about to shift forever…

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

A Fatal Love by Louise Tregar

Following Ruth Ellis' long-awaited posthumous conditional pardon in July 2026, never has there been a more compelling moment to revisit the woman behind one of Britain's most enduring legal cases.

It is Easter Sunday in 1955 and a young man lies face-down on the ground covered in blood. A woman, blonde and petite, stands over him with a gun in her hand. This is the story of Ruth Ellis as never told before...

As Ruth awaits her trial in Holloway Prison, she recollects growing up in England during the Second World War and the events that led to the death of her lover, David Blakely.

Meanwhile, Kitty Carrington - the assistant to Ruth's trial lawyer - tries to forge her own path through the male-dominated legal world of the 1950s and ensure that Ruth receives a fair trial.

Navigating secrets, betrayal and a broken justice system, Ruth and Kitty try to take control of their own lives and narratives. But do we ever really know the full story?

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

(header photo courtesy of Florencia Viadana/Unsplash)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

(all opinions are my own)

New Harmony by Leon E. Pettiway - #bookreview

The day belonged to the dead, and our lamenting floated down the worn steps of Calvary Baptist Church, past grave markers and upturned stones, drifted down Chestnut Street and onto Main, around the bend, and down into the next hollow. From where I sat on the front pew, I heard Pastor Jones scream...

***

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 Author Marketing Experts. 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

This moving work of African American women's fiction honors resilience, belonging, and the complicated inheritance of love.

Nestled in the quiet beauty of New Harmony, South Carolina, a family saga unfolds against the backdrop of the deep-seated memories of Jim Crow in the 1950s. Margaret grows up in a family where she learns what it means to be both "colored" and female—first as a daughter discovering the harsh injustices around her, and later as a mother fighting to protect her own. When violence tears her world apart, the murder of her son tests the limits of her love, faith, and resilience.

As Margaret reckons with loss, this story of small-town grief turns toward community, memory, and the fragments of hope found in storytelling. This stunning work of literary fiction explores themes of cultural heritage and long-held family secrets that shape her understanding of the past— and guide her toward healing in the present. The result is a thought-provoking, poignant, emotional portrait of one woman refusing to be erased.

In a blend of Southern and historical fiction based on real-life themes, New Harmony illuminates the lived experiences of black women in the Jim Crow South.

New Harmony: A Mother's Story of Love and Loss is Pettiway's debut novel and the first in a series of thematically linked works exploring community, identity, and the enduring bonds of family.

Come home to New Harmony— where healing begins.

My Review

There is so much to unpack in this amazing story that I hardly know where to start.

The book begins with the main character, Margaret, grieving for her murdered teenage son during the 1940s in America's South Carolina. The narrative then moves back in time to the late 19th century and we follow Margaret from childhood. We walk beside her as she encounters injustice, bigotry and racism. However, we also rejoice with her as she falls in love, gives birth to her children and ultimately finds inner peace. That's not a spoiler as it is obvious that is where the book is heading from the very beginning. 

We see her grow from child to woman; we watch her experience both joy and heartbreak, and it was impossible not to feel empathy for this character. She carries the burden of her forebears who were enslaved on the very plantation where she still lives. She is shored up by her faith and it was this, alongside the love and support of her family and friends, which enabled her to emotionally survive. 

The author has put together a powerful story with such multi-faceted characters that I felt that I knew these people personally. I was slightly bereft when I turned the final page and had to leave them behind. 

The novel contains a good mix of prose and dialogue, both of which move the story on at an appropriate pace. The setting is atmospheric — the superiority in the Big House is palpable, especially when contrasted with Margaret's loving home.

The book provoked quite a reaction in me, just as an excellent and well-written book should do. I was angered on behalf of Margaret and her friends and family when they experienced such bigotry and racism. 

This was a five-star read for me. Whilst I found the ending a little long-winded, I nonetheless felt it deserved a top-score rating for the powerful emotion that it caused in me as a reader. It was an excellent book to read and I wholeheartedly recommend it. 

Please be aware that the book contains outdated derogatory language which was common to the time period.

Book Details

ISBN:  979 8989182053

Publisher:  Melshin Press

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  374 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Author Website

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Leon E. Pettiway, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee), the Venerable Lobzang Dorje, is Professor Emeritus at Indiana University, Bloomington. He has conducted research that integrates geographical and criminological theories to explain crime patterns in urban areas. In that regard, he has published articles on the impact of race and ghettoization on patterns of crime participation, the role of environmental and individual factors in arson, the relationship between an individual's drug use and criminal participation in the formation of crime partnerships, and the criminal decision-making process of addicts and nonusers in light of various environmental cues. Upon the conclusion of a major field research project funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, he completed Honey, Honey, Miss Thang: Being Black, Gay, and on the Streets, a Finalist for the 9th Annual Lambda Literary Award (Temple University Press), which examined the lives of drug addicted, gay transgender women who commit a variety of crimes, and Workin' It: Women Living Through Drugs and Crime (Temple University Press) which chronicled the drug use and crime participation of a group of inner-city women. Before his retirement, his intellectual work centered on the construction of knowledge and how Eastern and Western philosophical traditions might be integrated into criminological theory and the administration of justice. His upcoming publication, Only for the Brave at Heart: Essays Rethinking Race, Crime, and Justice, critiques the ways the American mind has thought about race, crime, and justice. In using the Buddhist and Afrocentric perspectives as a vehicle for social commentary, he provides a path to liberate our thoughts concerning these important issues.

He is a fully ordained Buddhist monk, one of only a handful of African-American monks in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. In retirement, he focuses his attention on his spiritual practice, teaching Buddhism, and writing.

You can also find Leon at:

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(ARC and media courtesy of Author Marketing Experts)

(author photo courtesy of the author's website)

(author bio courtesy of African American Literature Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

10 Ten Books I Want to Read in January 2026

 

Hello 2026.

I am so pleased to be looking ahead to another year of reading and reviewing. The month of January always excites me as there are so many new books due for publication in the year ahead. There are also the older ones which I have not yet had time to read - everything from books published last year, going right back to the classics that I still haven't got around to reading. There is just so much reading potential attached to the beginning of a new year.

However, let's begin with this month and the books which I am looking forward to reading.

A  Slow and Secret Poison by Carmella Lowkis

1922, Wiltshire. When Vee Morgan accepts the job of gardener at a crumbling stately home, she's hoping for a fresh start where nobody knows her troubled history.

But Harfold Manor is shadowed by grief and the memories of long-faded glory, its rooms haunted by the only surviving member of the family, Lady Arabella Lascy. Vee is fascinated by her enigmatic new employer, a woman obsessed with the curse she believes has killed her family one by one. A curse that is coming for her next.

As Vee immerses herself in the world of Harfold, she finds herself increasingly entranced by Arabella and the secrets that poison her.

But Vee has her own things to hide: secrets that caused her to flee Cardiff, secrets that estranged her from her own family, secrets that might finally catch up to her…

Preorder Link

 Winterbourne by Elisabeth Wolf

Within the walls of Winterbourne dwells a secret room, with an unspeakable collection of books.

Librarian Anne Adams has found the perfect escape: a job cataloguing the library of Winterbourne, an architectural masterpiece on a remote island off the west coast of Scotland. Surrounded by an awe-inspiring landscape, the library is magnificent, with priceless first editions, a librarian's dream.

However, Anne's early weeks in her new job are beset by obstacles - no internet, a house plunged into darkness every night and unexplained mysteries on the island. After weeks of isolation, upon meeting the mysterious owner Lucien Broussard, Anne is puzzled. Eloquent and well-travelled, his reclusive nature seems uncharacteristic. But after finding a cryptic clue within the pages of a book, Anne discovers that Broussard's collection includes everything from the mundane to the books no one should ever open . . .

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 Magic Uncorked by Annabel Chase

A magical secret is about to shake things up for the ladies of Lake Cloverleaf…

For Libbie Stark, Friday night cocktail club is a lifeline. Whatever her problems, whether her stubborn boss, unruly teens or deadbeat boyfriend, time with the women of Lake Cloverleaf always feels like a tonic.

But when tragedy strikes on the Fourth of July, Libbie discovers a magical secret. Witches are real. Only they aren’t born – they’re created. When a witch dies, her powers pass from one generation to the next. And a local witch has chosen to pass her powers onto the ladies of the cocktail club.

With the help of a magical recipe book, Libbie must harness her new powers and use them to shake up the comfortable life she settled for. As Libbie learns to finally live on her own terms, sparks fly with handsome local lawyer Ethan Townsend, and she discovers it’s never too late to restore a little magic to your life…

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The Dubrovnik Book Club by Eva Glyn

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…

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 In the Blink of an Eye by Yoav Blum

A locked room. A dead scientist. A time machine.

Professor Yonatan Brand, a world-renowned physicist, amateur magician, and hot-chocolate enthusiast, dreamed of unlocking time itself. He mapped every danger, every paradox, every temptation of hubris. But when his body is discovered inside his sealed study, Brand leaves behind one impossible crime—and a machine that might have killed him.

Enter Benjamin “Bunker” Kronovic, a washed-up actor, and Abigail Canaani, a reclusive librarian. They’re not seasoned detectives; their usual cases involve lost pets and unpaid bills. Now they must face something far stranger: a corpse, a time machine, and a circle of Brand’s childhood friends, each guarding secrets darker than the past itself.

As Bunker and Abigail stumble through a mystery where time is as treacherous as truth, they discover that the question isn’t just who killed Professor Brand, but when.

In the Blink of an Eye is a locked-room mystery with a science-fiction twist, blending razor-sharp suspense, mind-bending paradoxes, and two unlikely detectives you’ll never forget.

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 My Year of Casual Acquaintances by Ruth F. Stevens

When Mar Meyer's husband divorces her for another woman, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy to start over, Mar is young-looking, fit, and ready for new adventures—as long as she can keep things casual.

With each passing month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next. Among them: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical consultant, a kindly older gentleman... and Charlie, a handsome best-selling novelist who wants more from Mar than she's able to give. She learns something new from each encounter. But can she change enough to open herself up to happiness and true connection?

Surrounded by an ensemble of quirky, endearing characters, Mar follows a tortuous and unpredictable path as she navigates the first year of her reinvented life. My Year of Casual Acquaintances is packed with laugh-out-loud moments mingled with scenes of loneliness and self-doubt that will put a lump in your throat.

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 The Betrayal of Anne Frank by Rosemary Sullivan

The mystery has haunted generations since the Second World War: Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family? And why?

Now, thanks to radical new technology and the obsession of a retired FBI agent, this book offers an answer. Rosemary Sullivan unfolds the story in a gripping, moving narrative.

Over thirty million people have read The Diary of a Young Girl, the journal teenaged Anne Frank kept while living in an attic with her family and four other people in Amsterdam during World War II, until the Nazis arrested them and sent them to a concentration camp. But despite the many works – journalism, books, plays and novels – devoted to Anne’s story, none has ever conclusively explained how these eight people managed to live in hiding undetected for over two years – and who or what finally brought the Nazis to their door.

With painstaking care, retired FBI agent Vincent Pankoke and a team of indefatigable investigators pored over tens of thousands of pages of documents – some never before seen – and interviewed scores of descendants of people familiar with the Franks. Utilising methods developed by the FBI, the Cold Case Team painstakingly pieced together the months leading to the infamous arrest – and came to a shocking conclusion.

The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation is the riveting story of their mission. Rosemary Sullivan introduces us to the investigators, explains the behaviour of both the captives and their captors and profiles a group of suspects. All the while, she vividly brings to life wartime Amsterdam: a place where no matter how wealthy, educated, or careful you were, you never knew whom you could trust.

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 Abigail by Magda Szabo

It is late 1943 and Hitler, exasperated by the slowness of his Hungarian ally to act on the "Jewish question" and alarmed by the weakness on his southern flank, is preparing to occupy the country. Foreseeing this, and concerned for his daughter's safety, a Budapest father decides to send her to a boarding school away from the capital.

A lively, sophisticated, somewhat spoiled teenager, she is not impressed by the reasons she is given, and when the school turns out to be a fiercely Puritanical one in a provincial city a long way from home, she rebels outright. Her superior attitude offends her new classmates and things quickly turn sour.

It is the start of a long and bitter learning curve that will open her eyes to her arrogant blindness to other people's true motives and feelings. Exposed for the first time to the realities of life for those less privileged than herself, and increasingly confronted by evidence of the more sinister purposes of the war, she learns lessons about the nature of loyalty, courage, sacrifice and love.

Translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix.

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 The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight

Pen and Alice, childhood best friends from Toronto, are in their first year at the University of Edinburgh. Each has come to the city for her own reasons.

Pen knows her divorced parents back in Canada are hiding something from her. She believes she'll find the answer here in Scotland, where an old friend of her father's - now a famous writer known as Lord Lennox - lives. When she is invited to spend the weekend at Lennox's centuries-old estate with his enveloping, fascinating family, Pen begins to unravel her parents' secret, just as she's falling in love for the first time . . .

Meanwhile Alice, an aspiring actor, sees university as her route to the West End and beyond. The star of this year's theatre production, she's making the most of the power she wields as an object of desire - until an affair with her tutor begins to slip from her control.

Witty, warm and wildly unputdownable, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is at once a love story and an irresistible mystery, a celebration of female friendship, and a study of how looking back can help us move forward.

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 The Baby Farm Murderer by Stephen Jakobi

A forensic study of the trial of Amelia Dyer, one of Britain’s most prolific serial killers, thought to have murdered up to 400 babies.

This book explores how life in Victorian England created the ideal conditions for Amelia to establish herself as a baby farmer, taking infants from desperate women in exchange for payment.

It examines what motivated her to kill and go on killing: her need for money versus her role as custodian in a cult that worshipped Lucifer and delves into her personal life, taking evidence from hundreds of contemporary trial and government records, memoirs and newspaper articles, and investigating what it was about society and policing in the late nineteenth-century that allowed her to get away with it for so long.

The nineteenth century was a horrible time to be a woman in England.

The lack of legal and effective birth control affected even the highest in the land.

Queen Victoria, after having given birth to nine children, was advised by physicians for the sake of her health to have no more.

Her diaries complain of ‘no more fun in bed’ as the only legal and safe way to avoid pregnancy was abstinence from sexual intercourse.

It was against this backdrop that Amelia Dyer carried out her monstrous campaign.

In 1856, she began advertising in local papers under assumed names and reassuring backgrounds, offering to adopt newborn babies in exchange for fees that varied according to the means of the mother.

Her 40-year-long killing spree only ended with a local police force sting operation.

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Tailored Truths by Nancy Jardine - #bookreview #blogtour

The Blurb

Is self-supporting success enough for Margaret Law or will her future also include an adoring husband and children? She might secretly yearn for that though how can she avoid a repeat of relationship deceptions that disenchanted her so much during her teenage years?

Employment as a lady’s maid, and then as a private tutor in Liverpool in the 1860s bring thrilling opportunities Margaret could never have envisaged. Though when those posts end, her educational aspirations must be shelved again. Reliance on her sewing skills is paramount for survival when she returns to Dundee.

Meeting Sandy Watson means love, marriage and starting a family - though not necessarily in that order – are a striking development though it entails a move north to Peterhead. Yet, how can Margaret shed her fear of commitment and her independence and take the plunge?

Jessie, her sister-at-heart, is settled in Glasgow. Frequent letters are a life-line between them but when it all goes horribly wrong, the contents of Margaret’s correspondence don’t necessarily mirror her awful day-to-day realities.

My Review

Although this is the second book in the series, there is sufficient reference to the first book to make this one work perfectly as a standalone.

This book features Margaret as the main character.  We read of how she fights to keep her head above water - working in various jobs from tutoring, to being a lady's maid/companion and even sack sewing. However, her skills enable her to move up in the world to a leadership role in a factory.

Her search for employment highlights how women were viewed during the period in which the book is set. It was very hard for a woman to make much of herself, as all the opportunities to grow were only available to men. Through this, the author demonstrated the role of women at the time and how they were considered by Victorian society.

Margaret was an excellent character. She is a hard-working young woman with a strong character, which enabled her to survive in difficult situations.

The author immerses the reader in the time and place. She has exhaustively researched the time period and, therefore, immerses the reader in the book. I almost felt like I was there.

It is a dialogue-led book, which served to move the story along at an appropriate pace for the genre. It made for easy and engaging reading.

I enjoyed this book very much, and am looking forward to the next book in the series already.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1739696443

Publisher:  Nancy Jardine with Ocelot Press

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

No. of Pages:  468 (paperback)

Series:  Book 2 in the Silver Sampler Series

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Nancy Jardine writes historical adventure fiction, historical saga, time travel historical adventure and contemporary mysteries. Research, grandchildren, gardening fill up her day in the castle country of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, when not writing or promoting her writing. Interacting with readers is a joy at Book and Craft Fairs where she signs/sells paperback versions of her novels. She enjoys giving author presentations on her books and on Ancient Roman Scotland.

Memberships include: Historical Novel Society; Scottish Association of Writers, Federation of Writers Scotland, Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She’s self-published with Ocelot Press.

You can also find Nancy at:

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

(all opinions are my own)

Shades of Yellow by Wendy J. Dunn - #bookspotlight #blogtour

Today I am shining the spotlight on Shades of Yellow by author, Wendy J. Dunn. I love the look of this one and I hope to read it very soon.

The Blurb

During her battle with illness, Lucy Ellis found solace in writing a novel about the mysterious death of Amy Robsart, the first wife of Robert Dudley, the man who came close to marrying Elizabeth I. As Lucy delves into Amy’s story, she also navigates the aftermath of her own experience that brought her close to death and the collapse of her marriage. 

After taking leave from her teaching job to complete her novel, Lucy falls ill again. Fearing she will die before she finishes her book, she flees to England to solve the mystery of Amy Robsart’s death. 

Can she find the strength to confront her past, forgive the man who broke her heart, and take control of her own destiny?

Who better to write about a betrayed woman than a woman betrayed?

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1764070409

Publisher:  Other Terrain Press

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

No. of Pages:  350 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

WENDY J. DUNN is a multi-award-winning Australian writer fascinated by Tudor history – so much so she was not surprised to discover a family connection to the Tudors, not long after the publication of Dear Heart, How Like You This, her first Anne Boleyn novel, which narrated the Anne Boleyn story through the eyes of Sir Thomas Wyatt, the elder. 

Her family tree reveals the intriguing fact that one of her ancestral families – possibly over three generations – had purchased land from both the Boleyn and Wyatt families to build up their holdings. It seems very likely Wendy’s ancestors knew the Wyatts and Boleyns personally.

Wendy gained her PhD in 2014 and tutors in writing at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. She loves walking in the footsteps of the historical people she gives voice to in her books. 

You can also find Wendy at:

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(media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

Wedding Bells for the East End Library Girls by Patricia McBride - #bookreview #blogtour

The small congregation smiled and clapped as Reverend Kennings concluded the wedding service in St Mark's Church in Silvertown.

Joe, smart in his army uniform, didn't need telling twice to kiss his new wife, Mavis...

The Blurb

The library girls are determined to keep their community’s spirits high.

With their beloved library damaged by bombing, they’ve found a temporary home in the local school, but they long to return to the place they love.

Mavis’s wedding should be a time of joy, but beneath the celebrations, she carries a secret. Determined to stay strong, she refuses to dampen the happiness of those around her.

Jane is finally stepping into the life she deserves. After years of self-doubt, she is beginning to find her confidence and – with the support of her two best friends – perhaps even an opportunity she never thought possible.

And for Cordelia, hope is also on the horizon. As the war winds down, her partner Robert may finally return from Africa. For the first time in a long time she is looking forward to a future filled with love and joy. But dare she dream of more wedding bells?

My Review

This delightful book starts and ends with a wedding. What could be lovelier?

I have enjoyed this series and have read each book. I will post links to my reviews of those that I have reviewed at the bottom of this review.

The author has kept up the standard of writing, place, and plot in every single book. This one is no exception. 

The book begins with the marriage of Mavis and Joe. It's a happy occasion for all, but her friends and colleagues, Cordelia and Jane, can sense that something is not quite right. It is not long before Mavis reveals her secret to her friends, who are always there to support her.

The author has done another fantastic job in bringing London's East End during wartime to life. I grew up hearing many stories from my mother about the war. She was a child when the war began, and she spent the majority of it in the East End of London. I love reading books set in this time and place, as the setting already feels so familiar to me. 

The three women who feature in this book are fabulous. They are plucky, strong, and determined, and they deal with the difficulties that the war throws at them with fortitude. They are each very individual, but they have in common their strength and resilience. By this fifth book, I feel as though I know them personally and could pop into the library and have a chat and a cup of tea.

This is the fifth and final book in the Library Girls series. I have enjoyed reading each and every one of them. It has been such a pleasure to spend time with Cordelia, Mavis and Jane. I shall miss them, but I am now looking forward to what Ms. McBride will be bringing us next.

Links to my other reviews

The Library Girls of the East End

Hard Times for the East End Library Girls

Hard Times for the East End Library Girls

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1836333029

Publisher:  Boldwood Books

Formats:  e-book, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  304 (paperback)

Series:  Book 5 in the Library Girls series

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Patricia McBride is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books as well as numerous articles. She loves undertaking the research for her books, helped by stories told to her by her Cockney mother and grandparents who lived in the East End. Patricia lives in Cambridge with her husband.

You can also find Patricia at:

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

(all opinions are my own)

10 Ten Exciting New Releases in May 2025 - #booklist

 

May is fast approaching and I am looking ahead to some glorious looking new release books coming up.

Long Short Story by Victoria Walters

Who said romance was easy?

Assistant literary agent Freya Harrison never thought her chance at a big break would look like this: at a swanky romance conference in New York, managing the agency’s most insufferable client.

Sure, Jake Richards is a global best-selling author, adored by all his fans. But on meeting him, Freya finds him arrogant, condescending, and, worst of all, a complete phony.

After being overheard calling romance ‘easy money’ and his readers ‘fools’, Jake’s reputation is tanking. And it’s Freya’s job to clean up the mess – and maybe, finally prove her worth to her boss.

But with Jake one slip away from another PR disaster, doubts are starting to set in. Can she survive this week without losing her mind – or her heart?

Preorder Link

Be Mine by Lizzy Barber

Beth is a new mother struggling to find her place in the world. She is exhausted, mentally and physically, but her anxieties are not simply the fears of a first-time mum. A terror burns in her, fuelled by a secret past she is lucky to have escaped. When a letter arrives, bearing only the infinity symbol, Beth knows immediately it is from them. And that her past is finally catching up with her…

Ten years earlier, on the heels of a messy breakup, Beth meets the effervescent Marissa who introduces her to “Elixir” – a health and wellness organisation that she promises will change Beth's life forever. She  quickly becomes intoxicated and convinced it is the solution to all her problems. No task is too great, even as the gruelling exercise classes become more frequent, even as the therapy sessions become more costly, even as their ‘requests’ become ‘demands,’ Beth convinces herself this is what she wants. 

Then, when she falls for the brand’s enigmatic leader, Tate, she can’t imagine life without Elixir. But as Beth’s star begins to rise, Marissa’s starts to fall. And though Marissa tries to warn her of the darkness lurking beneath the brand’s gleaming exterior, Beth finds she cannot let go.  

Be Mine is a story about identity: finding our place in the world today, and where we turn to belong in a godless modern society.

Preorder Link

So That Happened by Christy McKellen

Two strangers. One Bed…

After three months of travelling, all entrepreneur Connor Preston wants to do is return to his holiday home in the South of France, sink into his own bed and shut the world out temporarily. The last thing he expects is to find a stark-naked woman already there….

Forced by her business partner to take a break in her sumptuous French farmhouse, workaholic Josie Marchpane wasn't anticipating company either. So imagine her shock when six foot four inches of pure muscle with a disturbingly sexy smile stranger and apparent co-owner of the house walks in and tells her to leave!

Knowing she has every right to be there, Josie stands her ground, she’s not about to give up without a fight. Because Josie plays to win. The problem? Connor does, too. And with only one bed between them, things are about to get interesting….

Preorder Link

The Rebel of Seventh Avenue by Annabelle Marx

Fashion, I came to realise, wasn’t just about beautiful dresses. It was about self-respect, freedom of expression and power.

1910, Edinburgh. Young seamstress Maisie McIntyre’s world shatters with her mother’s death. Desperate to escape the grinding poverty that has defined her life so far, Maisie makes a daring choice: she steals a bolt of peacock-blue silk, a stash of money and sails for New York City.

With nothing but raw talent and fierce determination, Maisie’s gift for dressmaking opens doors she never imagined. As she builds her couture empire, designing bold, modern fashions for Manhattan’s elite, Maisie falls for Joseph Jackson, a talented Black architect with dreams as ambitious as her own. But in a world steeped in prejudice, she finds herself facing an impossible choice.

Vividly recreating the glamour and grit of early 20th century New York – from the devastating Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire to the emerging women’s rights movement – comes a sweeping tale of ambition, love and a woman determined to fashion not just beautiful clothes but her own place in a man’s world. 

Preorder Link

Love Sick by Deidra Duncan

The first year of residency is hard, so when a rumour starts that intern Grace Rose slept her way into the program, she's determined to set the record straight. But after confronting fellow first year Julian, the situation goes from bad to worse.

Julian Santini worked hard to get onto this program, and he can't afford to get distracted. Especially by his beautiful colleague, who seems to hate everything about him . . .

With pressure mounting, they need to work together to survive the program. Can Grace and Julian put aside their rivalry to save their jobs? Or will the sizzling tension between them spell the end for them both?

Preorder Link

An Italian Wedding Adventure by Leonie Mack

Eight years ago, on 29th February, wedding planner Sophie-Leigh Kirke took matters into her own hands and proposed to the man she loved.

But when her boyfriend Andreas rebuffed the romantic gesture, heartbroken Sophie cut all contact with the gruff mountaineer, determined to get on with her life.

When the destination wedding agency she works for merges with an adventure travel company to create unique ceremonies for outdoor enthusiasts, Sophie is horrified to discover Andreas works there. Even worse: he's been assigned as her guide for a scouting trip to Italy, in search of the perfect location for a summit-top wedding.

Thrown together to make another couple’s romantic dreams come true, all Sophie can think about are the dreams she once had for them. But when the truth of what actually happened eight long years ago finally emerges, will Sophie risk imagining a happily-ever-after and opening her heart to Andreas again…?

Preorder Link

Big Bad Wool by Leonie Swann

A flock of sheep graze on the edge of a peaceful French forest. But these are not your average sheep and, in reality, the setting is far from tranquil. While the herd are the cleverest you will ever encounter, thanks to their shepherds' regular bedtime stories and previous testing of their detective skills, they are unprepared for a fresh threat.

Several sheep have recently disappeared, and other creatures have fallen prey to a shadowy figure. The theory of a werewolf might be just a wild fairy tale, but when a human is killed, it becomes clear that even fantasies can be fatal. Miss Maple, Mopple and the rest of the flock, with the help of their goat neighbours, follow the werewolf's trail in a desperate attempt to stop the killings with sheep logic, courage, and concentrated food.

Preorder Link

The Search for Othella Savage by Foday Mannah

When one of their own is found unconscious in the boot of her car, Scotland's Sierra Leonean community is cast into a state of shock. And the young woman's death a few days later sparks a murder investigation.

Though Hawa Barrie lives on the fringes of that community, which revolves around the Lion Mountain Church, the disappearance of a second woman - her childhood friend Othella Savage - draws her in.

But as the police investigation drags on, Hawa grows increasingly suspicious of the charismatic Pastor Ronald Ranka - and increasingly fearful for her friend, Othella. Desperate, she launches her own search, which will take her from Scotland to Sierra Leone and back again, revealing the true nature of Ranka's church whilst exposing dark secrets within the fabric of both countries she calls home.

A darkly compelling read inspired by a real incident, The Search for Othella Savage is an engaging and compulsive debut which examines the insidious nature of corruption - both religious and political - whilst also exploring the enduring power of friendship.

Preorder Link

Three Mothers by Hannah Beckerman

A heartbroken mother

When seventeen-year-old Isla Richardson is killed in a hit-and-run incident, a community’s lives are thrown into disarray. For Isla’s mum, Abby, it is her second devastating bereavement, having lost her husband five years ago. As Abby begins to uncover secrets about Isla’s life, she’s forced to rethink everything she thought she knew about her family.

A supportive best friend

For Abby’s best friend, Nicole, the tragic death sets in motion a chain of events that will have irreparable consequences for her husband and her two teenage sons.

A determined mum

For Jenna, Isla’s death threatens to expose secrets about her son’s past that she has done everything in her power to hide, to secure him a better future.

A tragedy unites them—but it could also tear their families apart

Tackling friendship, family, social prejudice and the pressures facing young women, Three Mothers asks: How well do we really know our children? And how far would any of us go to protect the people we love?

Preorder Link

The Cardinal by Alison Weir

AN EXTRAORDINARY RISE TO POWER. A TRAGIC FALL FROM GRACE.

It begins with young Tom Wolsey, the bright and brilliant son of a Suffolk tradesman, sent to study at Oxford at just eleven years old.

It ends with a disgraced cardinal, cast from the King's side and estranged from the woman he loves.

The years in between tell the story of a scholar and a lover, a father and a priest. From the court of Henry VIII, Tom builds a powerful empire of church and state. At home in London, away from prying eyes, he finds joy in a secret second life.

But when King Henry, his cherished friend, demands the ultimate sacrifice, what will Wolsey choose?

Alison Weir's riveting new Tudor novel reveals the two lives of Cardinal Wolsey, a tale of power, passion and ambition.

Preorder Link

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