I am a thirtysomething from London, with a cat, a husband, bookshelves which keep threatening to crush me under their load and chronic health conditions. Basically your average over stressed millennial. Welcome.
Welcome to the tour for Innisfallen Accursed by Jenny Simard LaBranche. Read on for more details!
Innisfallen Accursed (The Innisfallen Prophecies Book 1)
Release Date: September 30th 2025
Genre: Dark Fantasy/ Fae
Dark fantasy Powerful artifacts Magical creatures – fae, monsters, shapeshifters Good vs evil Heir to the throne Strong female lead Some powers are buried. Others refuse to be forgotten. And one wants revenge.
The land of Innisfallen is under attack, besieged by shadow beasts under control of a dark power. For four endless years, winter has gripped the fae world—crops have withered, villages stand silent, and the magic that once thrived has vanished, along with all memory of it.
Reagan, an 18-year-old fae, has spent those years trapped in an elite court training program, forbidden from returning home. When she discovers she may never be allowed to see her little sister again, Reagan makes a desperate escape. But her plan is shattered by the arrival of strangers from another kingdom carrying an ancient artifact tied to a forgotten power. The brothers, each more beautiful than the other, ignite passions in Reagan she has never before experienced.
Drawn into the brothers’ mission to break the curse over their world, Reagan faces an army of dark creatures, willing to do whatever it takes to save her sister and all the kidnapped fae. An artifact stirs something in Reagan, awakening a power she never knew she had—a power that could hold the key to Innisfallen’s salvation. Or destroy everything in her path.
In Wynbridge, the scent of autumn is on the breeze and love is in the air…
Clemmie Bennett has been renovating beautiful Rowan Cottage on the outskirts of the small town of Wynbridge, for eighteen months following a very public heartbreak back in her childhood hometown. The popular Instagram influencer, lost her husband, sold their home, and has been cosied up the Fens and living a very private life, but now she feels it’s time for a change.
A chance encounter with co-owner of The Cherry Tree Café, the bubbly Lizzie Dixon, pulls her into organizing Wynbridge’s first-ever Autumn Festival, and her once quiet life is soon a distant memory. With the whole town rallying behind the event, she discovers a new sense of purpose.
And when local vet Ash falls hard for Clemmie, she begins to wonder if she’s ready to move even further on from her past and fall in love again…
This autumn, cosy up with Heidi and this perfect seasonal romance.
My thoughts: Heidi Swain’s books are basically a warm hug in paperback. This is no exception, we are back in Wynbridge, the setting of several of Heidi’s books, this time with Clemmie, who has spent a while in the village without actually being a part of it. Hiding out and decorating her new cottage means she doesn’t know anyone or anything about where she now lives. But that’s all about to change.
Asked to organise the inaugural Autumn Festival, she originally says no, but gallery owner Lizzie and hunky vet Ash win her over, as does her new sidekick, cute puppy Pixie.
Soon she’s coming up with lots of ideas, and for the most part, the community is on board. It all sounds fun, festive and pumpkin-fuelled. Not much like my autumn so far which seems mostly damp and windy, a conker hit me in the head the other day! Get me to Wynbridge!
This was a lovely romance, but also about being true to yourself, opening up and making friends, I liked Clemmie a lot, and empathised with her, Pixie was an excellent start in being willing to let others in again. A seasonal story full of charm to get you in the cosy mood.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Vowing once more to remove herself from society, Annie is living alone in her little cottage by the shores of a loch. But when an old enemy – now locked up in a high-security hospital – comes calling, begging her to find the son that she was forced to give up at the age of seventeen, Annie is tempted out of seclusion.
The missing boy holds the key to ending Annie’s curse, and he may be the only chance that both she and Lewis have of real happiness. Annie and Lewis begin an investigation that takes them back to the past, a time etched in Scottish folklore, a period of history that may just be repeating itself.
And what they uncover could destroy not just some of the most powerful people in the country, who will stop at nothing to protect their wealth and their secrets, but also Annie’s life, and everything she holds dear…
Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. His dark psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and is currently in production for the screen, and five powerful standalone thrillers followed suit. The Murmurs and The Torments, first in the Annie Jackson Mysteries series, were published to critical acclaim in 2023. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr, where he also works as a hypnotherapist.
My thoughts: I find Annie a really fascinating character, she’s obviously troubled by her “murmurs” but despite her need for quiet solitude, she is willing to risk much to help others – even those who have wronged her. Sylvia tried to kill Annie last time they met, attempting to sacrifice her, but here Annie is agreeing to help her, to look for her lost son. Yes, she’s hoping that an end to the family curse might be her reward, but when she and Lewis realise that this investigation might be very dangerous, they still want to help.
I was gripped from the off, there’s something so intriguing and compelling about the story, with its echoes of the past in people’s lives and personalities, Drew feels like he’s lived before, as one of the ancestors he and Annie share. And Annie knows only too well that you can’t outrun the past. There’s also a connection to Annie and Lewis’ birth mother – Bridget, a slightly happier story than the others they know.
It felt like a bit of an ending, or maybe a pause in Annie’s story, as certain things are wrapped up, or are they? I cannot wait for the next installment.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
In Nazi-occupied Italy, keeping secrets could be deadly…
Genoa, 1944: Widowed and alone, Anna Pastorino has been surviving on her wits since the Germans invaded. The daughter of a prominent Jewish antifascist, Anna lives a hidden life in her small flat near the harbour… until an RAF bomb destroys her only shelter.
When a Jesuit priest approaches her offering help, she has no choice but to accept. She follows her new friend, Father Vittorio, to a safe house above a printers’ shop in a quiet street near via Assarotti. But the Tipografia Guichard is more than just a refuge. It’s a forgery workshop: a key part of the secret rescue operation headed by Massimo Teglio, the “Scarlet Pimpernel” of Genoa’s persecuted Jewish population.
Drawn into a world of clandestine resistance, Anna discovers a new sense of purpose, a circle of friends, and a passion that brings her alive. Soon, the little flat above the shop holds more secrets than anyone could imagine. As Anna grows closer to both Teglio and Vittorio, she must confront a past trauma of her own: a secret that might endanger her and everyone she loves.
Kat Devereaux was born near Edinburgh, and lived in the United States, Russia, France, Chile, Germany, and the Czech Republic before finally settling in Italy. She is a writer and translator with a special focus on Italian literature.
My thoughts: I’m not usually keen on war novels, but I found this one both interesting and enjoyable. Inspired by real events and real people who worked tirelessly under risk of arrest and death to help Italy’s Jewish community escape the Nazis and fascists during World War Two.
Blending fact and fiction together through the characters of Anna and Father Vittorio who help the real life Massimo Teglio and don Francesco to forge identity papers to help fleeing families leave occupied Italy for safety in places like Switzerland, Britain and the US.
Father Vittorio wrestles with his health and with the fact he is falling in love with Anna – not only is he a priest, but she’s Jewish, there is no world where they can ever be more than friends and allies. And that’s before he learns something about her that blows up his world.
Anna meanwhile falls for the handsome pilot turned hero Massimo, widowed like she is, their relationship is fleeting but leaves a deep impact Anna feels for the rest of her life. In reality, Massimo continued to risk his life to save Jewish people from the Nazis and went on to live a long life reunited with his daughter and family, despite the deaths of his sister, brother-in-law and their children in Auschwitz. He is rightly remembered as a hero.
This is a bittersweet romance amid the horrors of the war, the risks everyone in this book is taking to help save the lives of innocents brought to life, while also bringing the real-life heroes to a wider audience.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
The first in a series of quick-read, cosy mysteries set during the 1970s in North East London and North Devon, featuring the characters of Jan Christopher, her Aunt Madge, her uncle, DCI Toby Christopher and romantic interest DC Lawrence Walker – plus several other endearing, regular characters.
The background of Jan’s career as a library assistant is based on the author’s own library years during the 1970s, using many borrowed (often hilarious!) anecdotes, her life in suburban north east London on the edge of Epping Forest, and her present life in rural North Devon…
July 1971 Eighteen-year-old library assistant Jan Christopher’s life is to change on a rainy evening, when her legal guardian and uncle, DCI Toby Christopher, gives her a lift home after work. Driving the car, is her uncle’s new Detective Constable, Lawrence Walker – and it is love at first sight for the young couple.
But romance is soon to take a back seat when a baby boy is taken from his pram, a naked man is scaring young ladies in nearby Epping Forest, and an elderly lady is found, brutally murdered… Are the events related? How will they affect the staff and public of the local library where Jan works – will romance survive and blossom between library assistant Jan Christopher and DC Walker? Or will a brutal murder intervene?
“I sank into this gentle cosy mystery story with the same enthusiasm and relish as I approach a hot bubble bath, (in fact this would be a great book to relax in the bath with!), and really enjoyed getting to know the central character…” Debbie Young bestselling cozy mystery author
“Jan is a charming heroine. You feel you get to know her and her love of books and her interest in the people in the library where she works. She’s also funny, and her Aunt Madge bursts with character – the sort of aunt I would love to have had. I remember the 70s very well and Ms Hollick certainly gives a good flavour of the period.” Denise Barnes (bestselling romance author Molly Green)
“A delightful read about an unexpected murder in North East London. Told from the viewpoint of a young library assistant, the author draws on her own experience to weave an intriguing tale” Richard Ashen (South Chingford Community Library)
“Lots of nostalgic, well-researched, detail about life in the 1970s, which readers of a certain age will lap up; plus some wonderful, and occasionally hilarious, ‘behind the counter’ scenes of working in a public library, which any previous or present-day library assistant will recognise!” Reader’s Review
Library Assistant Jan Christopher is to spend Christmas in Devon with her boyfriend, DS Laurie Walker and his family, but when a murder is discovered, followed by a not very accidental accident, the traditional Christmas spirit is somewhat marred…What happened to Laurie’s ex-girlfriend? Where is the vicar’s wife? Who took those old photographs? And will the farmer up the lane ever mend those broken fences?
“There are lots of things to enjoy in the second in the Jan Christopher cosy mystery series” Best-selling cozy mystery author Debbie Young
“A laid back sort of novel, the kind that you can relax while reading, and simply let the story happen. This author has a particularly unique style of writing… this book wasn’t simply a story, but an experience. You almost have the feeling that the author is reading the book to you, and is adding in her own little quips every now and again. I loved every second… The whole mystery is well thought out… utterly amazing!” Review: I Got Lost In A Book Blog
“The pace is gently cosy, despite the murder… Jan is a wonderful character; young, naïve, but also savvy when needed. And Laurie is a gem. All the characters and their foibles and actions stay true to the era… a lovely, warm story.” Review: Ruins & Reading
More in the series:
Episode 3 A MISTAKE OF MURDER Was murder deliberate – or a tragic mistake?
Episode 4 A MEADOW MURDER Make hay while the sun shines? But what happens when a murder is discovered, and country life is disrupted?
Episode 5 A MEMORY OF MURDER A missing girl, annoying decorators, circus performers and a wanna-be rock star to deal with. But who remembers the brutal, cold case murder of a policeman?
Episode 6 A MISCHIEF OF MURDER The village Flower and Veg Show should be a fun annual event – but who added mischief and murder to the traditional schedule? *
Known for her captivating storytelling and rich attention to historical detail, Helen’s historical fiction, nautical adventure series, cosy mysteries – and her short stories – skilfully invite readers to step into worlds where the boundaries between fact and fiction blend together.
Helen started writing as a teenager, but after discovering a passion for history, was initially published in 1993 in the UK with her Arthurian Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy and two Anglo-Saxon novels about the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings, one of which, The Forever Queen (USA title – A Hollow Crown in the UK) became a USA Today best-seller. Her Sea Witch Voyages are nautical-based adventures inspired by the Golden Age of Piracy. She also writes the Jan Christopher cosy mystery series set during the 1970s, and based around her, sometimes hilarious, years of working as a North London library assistant. Her 2025 release is Ghost Encounters, a book about the ghosts of North Devon – even if you don’t believe in ghosts you might enjoy the snippets of interesting history and the many location photographs.
Helen and her family moved from London to Devon after a Lottery win on the opening night of the London Olympics, 2012. She spends her time glowering at the overgrown garden, fending off the geese, chasing the peacocks away from her roses, helping with the horses and wishing the friendly, resident ghosts would occasionally help with the housework…
My thoughts: I really enjoyed this 1970s set crime novel, while I wasn’t around in the 70s (I’m an 80s baby) my mum always tells me about then, as she was training to be a nurse and met my dad during the decade, but I have worked in a library or two, so I could relate to Jan’s job, libraries attract some interesting people.
Her uncle, DCI Christopher is an interesting person, he’s obviously very intelligent and capable, and he trusts her to help him at times. His new DC, and Jan’s love interest, Laurie Walker, is new in town and between him and Jan have already stumbled on a murder and stopped a naked man in the forest! Goodness knows what else they’ll find.
I thought this was a very enjoyable, entertaining and clever book. The case was more involved than it first appeared, and there were other, smaller crimes to resolve along the way. Eventually Laurie and Jan might even get to go out for a nice dinner, somewhere other than her aunt and uncle’s house.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
APPOINTMENT IN PARIS, the sequel to Jane Thynne’s acclaimed Midnight in Vienna, which received stunning reviews on its HB outing last year including from The Times (‘evocative, gripping and highly enjoyable’), Observer (‘gripping and surprising’), Financial Times (‘sharply drawn and very enjoyable’) and the Irish Independent (‘beautifully crafted historical thriller’). A finished copy is on its way to you.
APPOINTMENT IN PARIS reunites us with former MI5 watcher Harry Fox and his associate Stella Fry against the backdrop of a 1940s Britain on the brink of a German invasion. Jane takes inspiration from real life Trent Park – the Bletchley Park nobody knows about. Previously a stately home and used during the war as a prison to house high level German POW with it’s true purpose as a way for secret listeners to covertly gather intelligence from prisoners. When the body of a Luftwaffe captain is found in the grounds the day before a listener goes missing, Fox and Fry are called on to investigate before the highly confidential operation is blown wide open.
My thoughts: This was really good, conspiracies abound during the war, and spies could be anywhere. I was fascinated to learn about Trent Park – I am going to get hold of a copy of the book the author recommends on it’s history.
I really liked Stella and Harry – they’re both smart and think on their feet, especially Harry. Stella isn’t an expert investigator but she still finds her man in Paris, and carries out her mission despite the encroaching Nazi army.
I was hooked from the beginning, the writing is compelling and the story is so interesting. The murder of a Luftwaffe captain is taken very seriously – he might be the enemy but his death was never intended, in fact the prisoners are treated very well. Harry is hunting for his killer amongst the ex-pat community in London, where artists, communists, Jews and others who have fled Hitler gather and worry about what will happen to them.
A pretty face distracts him from his case and he makes mistakes. There’s also the issue of his feelings for Stella – it’s apparent to everyone except them it seems. This humanised him a lot for me, he might be a brilliant PI but he’s also a flawed human being.
I haven’t read the previous book to this – but I am going to now. And I hope there’s more for Fox and Fry as I really enjoyed this book.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Louise Leighton’s life has fallen apart, all because of one fateful night. Her husband is an adulterer, her sister is his mistress, and soon, Louise will lose everything she owns. But she never imagined she would lose her daughter.
Eighteen-year-old Brooke Leighton is missing. It’s up to Louise and the Metropolitan Police to find her. Has Brooke run away? Or has she been taken against her will? And can Louise aid the investigation without mentioning the night where all of her troubles began?
If she mentions that night, she will incriminate her daughter for heinous crimes. But if she doesn’t, she may never find Brooke; and if she has been abducted, the person who took her may come for Louise, too.
Sometimes the past comes back to kill you.
My thoughts: Louise discovers her husband has been sleeping with her sister and walks out of her life, leaving him, their children and her clients without any explanation. She’s struggling with her own secrets and can’t cope with this news as well.
Someone has started leaving her dead robins at the house in the countryside, she’s freaked out but it gets much worse when daughter Brooke goes missing and she has to tell the police. But she doesn’t reveal the terrible secret that has been tearing her daughter apart and destroying her too.
The night in question is something she just can’t tell anyone, but someone out there knows what happened, someone knows what they did and now Louise and Brooke must pay.
Creepy, chilling and shocking, this is a clever and gripping exercise in suspense, things are revealed slowly, leaving you wondering what Brooke and Louise did and who is watching them. The police are kept in the dark but increasingly aware that something very bad is going on. Unfortunately they’re too late to put a stop to things that have been in motion for a year, and need to be resolved in blood.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own
My mum and I took a little outing the other day to the beautiful Bentley Priory – formerly the headquarters of RAF Flight Control and where the Battle of Britain was directed from. It was only decommissioned as an RAF facility in 2006.
Growing up in Stanmore opposite the housing for RAF families, where the roads are named for former commanders, I always knew that Bentley Priory was there, while not accessible to the public, and it has a rich history.
Queen Adelaide, Victoria’s aunt, lived there at the end of her life, visited by the Royal couple who were close to her.
The man who established the command at Bentley Priory, Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, who seems to be one of history’s forgotten heroes, was due to retire when he was given the role, he adopted new technology like radar and developments in telephones to improve and design the way the RAF worked. The museum celebrates his role and that of the many men and women (WAAF members worked there) who served and the incredible work they did.
The house itself is beautiful and set in beautiful grounds, including the Italianate Gardens, designed for a previous occupant. Unfortunately, it was raining when we went, so we couldn’t look around the grounds or visit the bunker.
Being slightly off the beaten path as it is, the museum is easy to overlook, but actually easy to get to, it’s on the 142 bus route, the stop is named for the museum, and then you walk down the long drive. There is a little car park, and accessible parking spaces too.
Although the lift was out of order when we visited, the museum is very accessible and the cafe serves a selection of food. It might be worth contacting them if you are concerned about access to see if it’s been repaired.
The volunteers are all very friendly and knowledgeable about the museum’s history. It was quite quiet when we went and at times it felt like we were getting a private tour, which was very nice.
The museum is very child-friendly with activities and even a cosy reading nook for if your little historians need a break. Tucked between Stanmore and Bushey, there’s plenty of places locally to get something to eat to break up your day out. The RAF Museum at Colindale isn’t too far away if you wanted to see the planes the RAF have flown too.
It’s truly a little gem of a museum and well worth the entry fee to explore a slice of fascinating history. Check out the website for opening times etc.
*all images taken from the Bentley Priory Museum website*
When artist Eloise Ford hears that human remains found in an abandoned mine are believed to be those of long-missing teenager Elizabeth King, the shock sends her reeling.
It can’t be true. Eloise knows this for a fact because… she is Elizabeth King.
Now, her carefully curated life in Cornwall is falling apart. Her husband is acting strangely, her children aren’t speaking to her and she can’t sell a painting for love nor money. But much more worrying are the signs that someone knows exactly who she is… and why she had to vanish thirty years ago.
Eloise needs answers. Is her son’s ex-girlfriend just plain annoying… or does she know something? Will the detection skills of the online ‘Truth Seekers’ group prove more than amateurish? What’s the real story behind those village newcomers?
And just how far would she go to keep her family, her friends, and her fraudulent life, safe?
Born in Cyprus, Jo Jakeman worked for many years in the City of London before moving to Cornwall with her husband and twin boys. She is the author of One Bad Apple. Find out more at www.jojakeman.com
My thoughts: This was an interesting twist on the missing person trope in crime fiction. A body is found but it can’t be the person the police originally think because she’s alive and well and living under a different name.
So now, Eloise’s perfectly controlled perfect life – husband, two kids, dog, art gallery, yoga every week, is about to be upended. She needs to identify the body and work out who put the body there, before they find her, because it’s quite possible they want her dead too.
Her son’s on/off girlfriend Holly is into true crime and has joined a private chat room online that is keen to investigate the case too, and Holly has volunteered to look into things locally. She’s also rummaging through Eloise’s house and finds her own clues – including one that makes her believe someone in the house knows something.
After a rather eventful car ride from Sheffield back down to Cornwall, Eloise and Holly join forces to solve the case. But this requires them to trust each other.
Clever, funny, full of twists and turns, with two intriguing protagonists, who have to dig into Eloise’s history, one she hoped she’d left behind, to find out who is threatening her present.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for a review, but all opinions remain my own.
We’re celebrating the highly-anticipated release of Blackwicket by Bea Northwick this week! Make sure to treat yourself to a copy on September 9th. It’s the perfect read for the ‘Ber months!
Blackwicket (Dark Hall #1)
Release Date: September 9, 2025
Genre: Gothic Romantasy
Gothic Romantasy
Enemies to Lovers
Morally Grey Everyone
Monstrous LI
Female Rae
Slow Burn to Spice
Magical Organized Crime
Gothic Horror
Home is where the curses are.
In the coastal town of Nightglass, Blackwicket House looms on the cliffs, far from the charming streets bustling with wealthy visitors seeking to experience a bit of real magic. Once an esteemed Inn with a reputation for healing, it now serves only as a grim warning to anyone tempted by curses. With Fiona Blackwicket, its sole caretaker, newly deceased, it stands empty – a dangerous thing for Blackwicket House to be.
Compelled out of hiding by the sudden death of her sister, Eleanora Blackwicket is forced back to her infamous family home with hasty intentions to bury Fiona and return to her life on the run. Her plans are waylaid when the Brom, an underworld organization specializing in black-market magic, catch wind of her presence and turn an interested eye on her rumored affinity for curse eating.
To complicate things, Victor Harrow, a ruthless yet alluring inspector for the anti-magic government agency, The Authority, has arrived in Nightglass. His one job: to cripple the Brom and anyone associated with them, including, and especially, the last Blackwicket.
But there’s something more sinister to Inspector Harrow than his government agenda, a violent history intrinsically linked to Eleanora’s darkest secret, one that could jeopardize her life and open a long-hidden door to the worst kind of magic, setting all the monsters free.
Contains scenes of consensual sexual intimacy, moments of graphic gun violence, magical violence, endangerment of children (no on-page graphic violence against children), mentions of past sexual assault (no graphic on-page assault), retribution, and sibling death.
ramblingmads 