The summer line up of The Conversation at St-Martin’s-in-the-Field has been released and it looks so good. From May to July on Tuesdays in this gorgeous church, a selection of fascinating writers and thinkers will be talking about their work.
The summer season of The Conversation 2026 will tackle topics including the LGBTQ+ culture of San Francisco as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of author Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City; what Shakespeare’s women really were thinking with Harriet Walter; why conversations on our planet’s future must focus on those most affected with Selina Nwulu; the battle for modern America with historian Sarah Churchwell; the limits and breaking points of democracy in the modern world with Jonathan Sumption; how money laundering and the dirty economy works with Oliver Bullough; and we explore contemporary life and language with Ali Smith. We imagine how the lives of birds intersect with our own with Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane; reveal the real women behind historical legends with Janina Ramirez, and celebrate the life of explorer George Forster with Andrea Wulf.
For more details and to book tickets to be there or to watch online, visit the website.
Revd Dr Sam Wells, Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields since 2012 has said: “St Martin in the Fields has always been a beacon of social justice campaigning and action. We hope The Conversation will continue and extend that tradition of questioning and challenging assumptions and narratives, and will celebrate all our many, welcome visitors.”
In 1997, high in the alpine resort of Tignes, Cecily celebrates her third wedding anniversary with a night of passion. But in the morning her happiness turns to misery and shock when she find her husband Nick dead in the bed beside her, the victim of a sudden heart attack.
Six weeks later, Cecily learns she is pregnant.
Twenty-six years later, her son Charlie takes a DNA test alongside his uncle Adam, Nick’s identical twin. The results shatter everything he thought he knew: Charlie is not related to Adam. If Nick wasn’t his father, then who was?
Cecily insists she was faithful, and the timing points only to that single night in Tignes. Desperate for answers, she turns to the SeeMs Detective Agency. Could someone have entered her room that night without her knowing? And if so—who? And why?
As the detectives dig deeper, they uncover a web of conflicting memories, buried secrets, and dangerous lies. Slowly they discover other people are in danger and if they don’t find out very soon what really happened in that wonderful night in Tignes two, or maybe more, lives will be lost.
This is Gina Cheyne’s seventh novel in the SeeMs Detective series (the agency that looks behind what seems to be true). Gina’s family are keen and dedicated skiers and this book was inspired by a holiday in Tignes in France.
Gina has worked as a physiotherapist, a pilot, freelance writer and a dog breeder. As a child, Gina’s parents hated travelling and never went further than Jersey. As a result she became travel-addicted and spent the year after university bumming around SE Asia, China and Australia, where she worked in a racing stables in Pinjarra, South of Perth.
After getting stuck in black sand in the Ute one time too many (and getting a tractor and trailer caught in a tree) she was relegated to horse-riding work only. After her horse bolted down the sand, straining a fetlock and falling in the sea, she was further relegated to swimming the horses only in the pool. It was with some relief the race horse stables posted her off to Thailand… after all what could go wrong there?
In the north of Thailand, she took a boat into the Golden Triangle and got shot at by bandits. Her group escaped into the undergrowth and hid in a hill tribe whisky still where they shared the ‘bathroom’ with a group of pigs. Getting a lift on a motorbike they hurried back to Chiang Rai, where life seemed calmer.
After nearly being drowned in a fiesta in Ko Pha Ngan, and cursed by a witch in Malaysia, she decided to go to Singapore and then to China where she only had to battle with the language and regulations.
Since marrying life has been calmer. She became a writer because her first love was always telling a good yarn!
My thoughts: This was quite a shocking case for the ladies of SeeMS Detective Agency. Cecily comes to them for help, her son has taken a DNA test and it seems he isn’t related to her late husband. The only thing is as far as she knows she didn’t sleep with anyone else. How on earth can this be true?
As the team dig into the events of 26 years ago, they discover a terrible deception, a cruel act and devastated family members. What happened in Tignes more than two decades ago affected a lot of people, some who have never talked about it – until now. Can the team unmask a killer before he claims another victim?
The case is quite dark and when they piece together the exact events, it was genuinely quite disturbing. The perpetrator in this case is a very unpleasant individual and I am very glad he’s fictional. Cecily and her family, as well as quite a few others have had to live with unanswered questions for too long.
Well written as always, and full of twists and turns, like a ski slope, but with a pretty grim resolution that shocks everyone involved.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
They’ve changed. He hasn’t. And that’s the problem.
Alan Hope has spent his entire working life as a reporter for the local newspaper. Now in his early sixties, he’s the newsroom dinosaur, firmly out of touch with the TikTok generation. So when his editor insists he starts an online blog, Alan treats it like free therapy. It’s not like anyone is actually going to read it… right?
Wrong! Because the more Alan’s life unravels – both personally and professionally – the more his brutally honest posts explode in popularity. Suddenly, the tight-knit town of Bashford is reading Alan’s innermost thoughts…
His wife announces she no longer wants to grow old with him. His two grown children are more like strangers. His colleagues are mortified at the oversharing. Then he’s forced to work with fellow reporter Lisa – young, ambitious and the epitomise of modern life.
Everything Alan is not.
But can someone from a completely different generation help Alan reconnect with his own family? And can Alan – a newspaper relic who now actually hates newspapers – help Lisa uncover the truth about her father?
Rob Harris grew up in the Forest of Dean but now lives in Oxfordshire with his wife and daughter. For more than 15 years he worked on regional newspapers as a journalist, sports editor and sub-editor and he is a former editor of The Forester newspaper. He’s also been named Gloucestershire Media Sports Writer of the Year.
Rob’s first novel, The Absurd Life of Barry White, was published July 2024 by Bloodhound Books. The sequel, Barry White is Still Absurd, came out in June 2025.
Rob previously wrote a memoir about the rare highs and frequent lows of being a committed but ultimately frustrated village cricketer – called Won’t You Dance for Virat Kohli?, which was published in 2021 by Pitch.
He still knocks around on village cricket grounds, allegedly ‘for fun’.
My thoughts: This had quite a few funny moments as Alan, a formerly good reporter slowly loses the will to write for the local paper and starts writing a blog, that ends up derailing everything. He doesn’t think anyone is reading his thoughts, but really he has thousands of dedicated fans, especially in India, where the papers owners are based.
His editor is horrified at the airing of the papers secrets, the way Alan is so rude about their ultimate bosses, and tries to rein him in, but Alan won’t do as he’s told and as his personal life collapses and he moves into his shed, things go from bad to worse.
A bit silly, but very entertaining, this is one man’s breakdown that will take everyone with it. Even being assigned to teach new reporter Lisa how newspapers work won’t stop Alan unleashing his real opinions on his blog and bringing chaos to the quiet town of Bashford.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Welcome to the tour for newly released, COURIER by Wes Dyson! Read on for more details!
COURIER
Release Date: March 23, 2026
Genre: Sci-Fi/ Rogue AI
FMC
Artificial intelligence
Family issues
Conspiracy
Espionage
In a future where secret messages are trafficked through encoded viruses carried by infected Couriers, a dying woman discovers that her DNA hides her father’s final truth—a secret powerful enough to destroy a rogue AI’s hold on humanity, if she can outrun her past and live long enough to deliver it.
We’re celebrating the release of Nothing but the Beast by Andrew Schrader!
Readers of gothic fiction and psychologically unsettling stories in the tradition of Shirley Jackson will love this!
Nothing but the Beast
Release Date: April 15, 2026
Genre: Psychological Suspense/ Thriller
“DON’T GET UP.
DON’T OPEN THE DOOR.
DON’T DO ANYTHING.”
Macy Miller had always done what was expected.
Until the night she didn’t.
By morning, her husband lies in a coma, the neighbors are whispering, and the past she buried won’t stay down. As the routines of daily life resume, Macy struggles to maintain the careful order she’s built on silence and conformity.
Nothing But the Beast is a literary psychological novel about complicity, self-deception, and the quiet horror of self-recognition, as a woman comes to realize that the most dangerous thing she feared was never outside her door.
Ten standalone mysteries. One haunting conspiracy.
Welcome to Ravenfield, a quiet Yorkshire town surrounded by endless moorland. To outsiders, it is peaceful. To those who live there, it is haunted by secrets.
Rachel Cooper, a young police officer, arrives determined to solve her father’s unsolved murder — even if it costs her career. Her only lead points to Ravenfield, but what she finds is far stranger than she imagined.
Paranormal investigator Chris Silversmith has spent his life studying the town’s unexplained phenomena, and he believes those mysteries are tied to Rachel’s father’s death.
Together with Rachel’s sceptical partner, Chris’s loyal friend, and a woman who can speak to the dead, they form an unlikely alliance to uncover Ravenfield’s truth. But the deeper they dig, the more dangerous their search becomes.
Watching from the shadows is The Management — a clandestine group determined to keep Ravenfield’s secrets buried forever.
Told across ten chilling episodes, each a standalone mystery yet bound together by a dark overarching conspiracy, Book One of The Ravenfield Chronicles launches a gripping saga of murder, mystery, and supernatural horror — where uncovering the truth may cost more than your life.
N.D. Thompson is a horror and dark fiction writer from West Yorkshire, publishing under his independent imprint, Darker Realms Press. His work has drawn comparisons to Stephen King, Richard Laymon, and James Herbert—delivered with a distinctly Yorkshire voice that infuses his supernatural stories with grit, atmosphere, and authenticity.
My thoughts: This was an enjoyable blend of paranormal mystery and police procedural crime novel. When officer Rachel Cooper arrives in town, hoping to unravel the mysteries surrounding her father’s death, she ends up clashing with DI Armstrong, a man with a lot of secrets.
As she carries out her job, she encounters Chris Silversmith, University lecturer and paranormal investigator with his sidekick Alexis. They join forces after discovering that a series of deaths have a definite touch of the supernatural, despite the DI dismissing them as accidents or suicides.
Each of the cases builds up the conspiracy, the hidden secrets of Ravenfield slowly coming to light through the diligent and sometimes dangerous investigating of Rachel, Chris and their friends. What is really going on in this small Yorkshire town and why can’t anyone remember what they’ve seen?
Clever, entertaining and mysterious. You’ll want to know the secrets of Ravenfield too.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
We’re celebrating the release of Must Love Lavender & Little Lies by Maisy Magill!
Must Love Lavender and Little Lies (Moonshine Hollow Book 3)
Release Date: April 14, 2026
Genre: Cozy Fantasy Romance
Fake Fiancée
Friends to Lovers
Orc MMC
Magical Spring Festival
Enchanting Small Town
Shrieking Goats
Farmcore & Cottagecore Aesthetics
Orcish Shenanigans
Forced Proximity
Guaranteed HEA
Medium Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
She’s his bestie. He’s her rock. And now? They’re accidentally engaged.
Juniper runs the village apothecary, and Granik grows lavender on his farm. These two plant lovers have always had each other’s backs. When orcish custom demands Granik get married, Juniper does the only logical thing to save her best friend: she proposes a fake engagement. Brilliant plan, right? The only trouble is that in orcish customs, engagements are binding and there’s no such thing as fake. Now they have to find their way out of a major mess. That proves harder than anticipated when Granik’s family comes to celebrate the spring Greening festival. Juniper and Granik must convince everyone they’re madly in love. But the longer they pretend to be a couple, the harder it becomes to remember why they were faking it in the first place.
Must Love Lavender and Little Lies is a spicy cozy fantasy romance full of farmcore vibes, gentle magic, mischievous shrieking goats, and a love story that will warm your heart.
Must Love Lavender and Little Lies is book 3 in the enchanting Moonshine Hollow series. Each novel in the series can be read as a standalone. Different couples and storylines
Perfect for lovers of wholesome spice and cozy romantasy! Fans of Kimberly Lemming, Heather Fawcett, J Penner, and Tee Harlowe will devour this perfectly cozy and deliciously passionate tale of magic, friendship, and learning what you really want in life.
My thoughts: This is another cute fantasy romance in the Moonshine Hollow series, this time with a fake relationship trope.
Orc Granik must pick a wife in this, his thirtieth year, or his family will arrange one for him. His best friend Juniper offers to help him out by playing the role of his fiancée, and they’ll call the whole thing off after a while. Until they learn that orc custom means ending an engagement would bring shame on the whole family.
And then Granik’s entire family come to visit and now they’re planning a wedding, for this Saturday. What are they going to do?
Everyone thinks they’d be perfect for each other but in true rom com When Harry Met Sally style, they can’t see what’s right in front of them. With a meddling grandmother and friends who are determined to give them a magical wedding, perhaps it might be time to admit their true feelings?
Cute, funny and romantic, this is charming and has delightful characters and a sweet little puppy, magic cows and screaming goats too.
Kilmara, Scotland. 1725. For fifty years, Iris has accepted the curse that blighted her life. By night, she is a heartbroken woman, destined to walk the misty shores of Kilmara without growing older. By day, she is Moireach, a terrifying monster imprisoned in the murky depths of Loch Moine. When bodies begin appearing on the shore, the villagers are convinced Moireach is responsible.
So a hunter – the rugged, ruthless Henry Carver – is summoned to slay the monster of the loch. Iris must break her curse before she is killed for crimes she cannot believe she has committed. But as Kilmara’s hunt for the monster becomes ever more fevered, she and Henry are drawn together in a dangerous game of impossible attraction. And when a figure from Iris’s past suddenly reappears, she must choose what – or who – she is willing to sacrifice to win her freedom…when you are the monster.
Rebecca Templeton has had a love of books from a very early age and had lofty childhood aspirations of being a writer, though she ended up joining the legal profession instead. When her husband encouraged her to start writing again, she rediscovered her creative outlet and hasn’t looked back since.
When not writing or working, Rebecca can usually be found crocheting giant blankets, baking or watching Gilmore Girls. She is also owned by a couple of very energetic children.
My thoughts: This blends a retelling of the Little Mermaid with elements of Scottish folklore, Beauty & the Beast, Snow White, and other fairy tales.
Iris is cursed to spend her days as Moireach, a terrifying creature that dwells in the loch, and her night’s hiding from the villagers, who don’t know about her secret. They most likely think she’s long dead. She wants to break the curse, but doesn’t know how. Her only friend is Duncan, her childhood friend now grown old.
When bodies start being found around the loch, a monster hunter is summoned to rid the village of its murderous creature. Only Iris doesn’t think she is the killer. And soon, neither does the hunter, Henry Carver.
After Iris saves his life, and they meet, there’s an instant connection. Can they defy the odds, break the curse and solve the murders?
It’s a really interesting blend of fantasy, fairy tale and folklore, there’s hints of lots of different stories, and Iris is an interesting protagonist, she’s smart about certain things, but naive in other ways. Duncan is her only contact and friend, she isn’t aware of much that has happened since she was cursed, he controls her access to information and news, and manipulates her.
Her relationship with Henry gives her hope after a long time and refuels her desire to break her curse, causing her to return to the village for the first time in fifty years and search for answers, breaking free of the secrets she has been carrying for so long.
It’s interesting to have the woman as the monster – although I don’t think Moireach is really a monster, she’s just trying to survive in a world not designed for her, fighting against nasty kelpies in the loch and the ignorance of villagers who would destroy her.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.
We’re celebrating the release of the next book in the The Starheart Saga, Nightwither by Lana B. Night!
Nightwither (The Starheart Saga #2)
Release Date: April 14, 2026
Genre: Romantasy
– High Fantasy
– Epic World Building
– Dragons
– Found Family
– Enemies to Lovers- Unlikely Allies
– Who did this to you?
– Shadow Daddy
– Banter
– Morally Grey FMC
– A Court of Mist and Fury Vibes
Stella arrives in her mother’s homeland, Myera, a realm of unfamiliar creatures, magical lands, and values that challenge her core beliefs. Nothing could have prepared her for the responsibility of her mother’s legacy. With a long history of tension rising and a civil war on the horizon, Stella is forced into her role as the Starheart to heal old wounds.
Navigating a treacherous web of politics and power as the realm begins to fracture, Stella must be a pillar of strength and stability even as she quietly unravels beneath the weight of her own unmet expectations. But the greatest challenge doesn’t lie within her.
At the centre of the unrest stands Noxryn.
Caught between clashing wills and pride, Stella faces something far more dangerous than failing—the possibility of understanding the man who betrayed her and the one responsible for the chaos threatening to consume the realm. Taking off Noxryn’s mask might offer answers to bring peace, or which lures both her and Myera into a darkness there’s no coming back from.
The Starheart Saga is perfect for fans of unique magic systems, mythical creatures, angst and tension, and hilarious banter. Nightwither will appeal to fans of plot-heavy, character-driven fantasy and enemies-to-lovers romance.
Fifteen years ago, Sunny Hart vanished. Now her sister wants the truth – no matter the cost.
Investigative journalist Rose Hart swore she’d never return to her hometown, the place that stole her sister and shattered her family. But it’s finally time to lay the ghosts of her past to rest.
Her fragile peace is shattered when a horrific parcel arrives in the post, followed by a chillingwarning beside a dead body. Suddenly, Rose is dragged back into a nightmare she can’t escape.
As she begins to investigate, Rose realises she’s not the only one hunting for answers. Leo Thorn, a forensic pathologist with secrets of his own, and Vinny Strong, a convicted murderer with unfinished business, become unlikely allies.
Together, they step into a labyrinth of long-buried secrets and a history far darker than Rose ever imagined. Someone knows what happened to Sunny, and they’ve waited a very long time to finish what they started.
Perfect for fans of Gillian McAllister and Alex North, A Body of Lies is a haunting crime thriller of secrets, survival and the darkness a family can hide.
Marrisse Whittaker has been creating characters for all of her working life, travelling far and wide, first as a TV and Film Make-Up Artist.
Next as a TV Scriptwriter, creating stories for popular series. But plenty of drama takes place in real-life too and when Marrisse joined forces with her husband, to establish Orion TV, they produced a fascinating range of factual programmes for major broadcasters.
Now, creating a scene is taking on a new meaning for Marrisse as she launches a new career as a novelist writing about the world of crime, having been shortlisted for The Lindisfarne Prize for Outstanding Debut Crime Fiction in 2020.
My thoughts: When crime journalist Rose moves back to her hometown, determined to finally solve the mystery of her younger sister’s disappearance that led to her father’s suicide and her mother asking the courts to send her to boarding school and never letting her visit.
Somehow, despite all of this trauma, Rose has been successful at uni and worked on a top national paper, but swapping it for a small regional paper whose editor seems to be living in another age, demanding she find shocking crime stories for the front page, in their small town.
But as she tries to find out what happened to Sunny, she does indeed stumble on the crime spree of the century. From the apparent suicide in the park of a man whose beloved sister was due to released from prison, to the accidental death of an elderly lady, that definitely doesn’t look like an accident.
And what does her playground nemesis, now apparently the paper’s photographer, have to do with it? He’s the new police chief’s son to boot, meaning he’s getting insider information and possibly using that relationship to hide his misdeeds.
But what Rose and her new friends, SOCO Leo and freshly released ex-con Vinny, uncover is both shocking and impossible to imagine going hidden in a small town for such a long time,but yet, somehow it has. Until now.
The twists in this story are jaw dropping, the horrifying truth about Rose’s family is completely shocking and Rose, who so many people doubt, proves to be a fantastic investigator and gets justice for the innocent lives lost along the way. Totally gripping.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 