Plunged into a centuries-old conspiracy, unconventional art historian Rowan Southeil must race against time to stop an ancient evil from rewriting history. When a young artist is murdered in a chilling echo of medieval violence, Rowan finds herself drawn to a seemingly unrelated clue – a 16th- century painting drenched in arcane symbols. Aided by the victim’s haunting presence, Rowan delves into the painting’s mysterious past, uncovering a dark conspiracy that stretches back generations.
Teaming up with the pragmatic Detective Lancaster, the intuitive Rowan follows a daring journey through time, from the storied halls of 16th-century Tudor London to the secretive 17th-century Vatican. As she awakens powerful elemental forces within herself, Rowan must decipher the painting’s secrets – and the connection to the medieval-style murder – before Lev Rubilov, a dark centuries-old occultist, can harness its magic to rewrite history and restore a twisted vision of the past.
For fans of genre-blending thrillers like A Discovery of Witches and Outlander, this captivating novel weaves together mystery, the supernatural, and high-stakes time travel in a race against the clock to stop an ancient evil. Whispers Through The Canvas is a crime story, filled with action and adventure, within a historical fantasy milieu. If you love kick-ass heroines who have a bit of life experience and walk on the wild side of magic, this book is for you.
From the bustling courtrooms of Atlanta to the vibrant tapestry of 16th-century England, Kathleen McGillick’s life and career have been a captivating blend of legal expertise, artistic passion, and a thirst for adventure.
Fueled by an undergraduate and graduate degree in nursing, Kathleen built a foundation of compassion and care. This dedication to service later led her to pursue a Juris Doctorate, allowing her to navigate the intricacies of the legal system for nearly three decades. Her courtroom experience now breathes life into the intricate details of her legal thrillers, ensuring every courtroom scene crackles with authenticity.
But Kathleen’s story doesn’t end there. A deep fascination with art history led her to delve into the world of renowned artists and captivating eras. Her particular passion for 16th-century British history allows her to transport readers to richly detailed historical settings, immersing them in the culture, politics, and societal nuances of the time.
Driven by an unwavering dedication to her craft, Kathleen has independently published eleven legal thrillers since 2018. Her commitment extends beyond solo creation, as she actively engages with the writing community, honing her skills through workshops and courses led by renowned authors.
And when she’s not crafting captivating narratives, Kathleen embarks on international journeys, soaking in diverse cultures and experiences that further enrich her writing. This global perspective adds another layer of depth and realism to her stories, allowing readers to connect with characters and settings that transcend geographical boundaries. To delve deeper into Kathleen’s world and explore her captivating legal thrillers, visit her website at kjmcgillick.com.
My thoughts: this is an unusual book blending crime fiction with fantasy, time slip through a mysterious painting with centuries old vampires and witchcraft.
When art expert Rowan is asked to consult on a murder case, the death of an artist who seemed to have quite an unusual collection of paintings, especially the mysterious portrait from the 16th century.
In the style of the time there are symbols and hidden messages – think the Hans Holbein painting The Ambassadors, which hangs in the National Gallery (and I had to write an essay on at school!)
Hans Holbein’s The Ambassadors – lots of symbols here
As Robin starts to examine the painting in order to authenticate it, Detective Gabriel Lancaster searches for Cassie’s killer. But it seems Cassie had a lot of secrets and there’s several suspects, including her uncle and boyfriend.
But Robin seems to have tapped into otherworldly matters – she’s seeing Cassie’s ghost and falling through the painting into the past. She’s seeing glimpses of the Howard family, who owned the painting, in and out of favour with the Tudor and Stuart monarchs.
Is there a link with her ancestor – supposedly a Pendle Hill witch?
There is also an enormous cat called Phinneas – and you know I’m a sucker for a fluffy sidekick.
There’s a lot going on, but it all slots into place, and ends on a cliffhanger ready for book two.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
When Mathilde is forced to leave her teaching job in Oslo after her relationship with eighteen-year-old Jacob is exposed, she flees to the countryside for a more authentic life.
Her new home is a quiet cottage on the outskirts of a dairy farm run by Andres and Johs, whose hobbies include playing the fiddle and telling folktales – many of them about female rebellion and disobedience, and seeking justice, whatever it takes.
But beneath the surface of the apparently friendly and peaceful pastoral life of the farm, something darker and less harmonic starts to vibrate, and with Mathilde’s arrival, cracks start appearing … everywhere.
Helga Flatland is already one of Norway’s most awarded and widely read authors. Born in Telemark, Norway, in 1984, she made her literary debut in 2010 with the novel Stay If You Can, Leave If You Must, for which she was awarded the Tarjei Vesaas’ First Book Prize. She has written four novels and a children’s book and has won several other literary awards. Her fifth novel, A Modern Family (her first English translation), was published to wide acclaim in Norway in August 2017, and was a number-one bestseller. The rights have subsequently been sold across Europe and the novel has sold more than 100,000 copies. One Last Time was published in 2020 and is currently topping bestseller lists in Norway
Matt is a British, Norwegian-to-English translator, born in Coventry in 1971. I studied at Derby University, and spent several years as a musician and songwriter. In 2001 I moved to Norway, working with graphic design and music, while gradually developing an interest in translation. Now I work full-time with authors, publishers, literary agencies, and film producers – within fiction and non-fiction. From climate science or animal philosophy – to Roman history and Russian punk. I recently translated Simon Stranger’s acclaimed WW2 novel Keep Saying Their Names, and a movie script for the Oscar-nominated director Joachim Trier.
My thoughts: this reminded me a little of Notes on a Scandal, which also concerns an inappropriate relationship between a teacher and her student, but while Mathilde is let go from her job, she isn’t dragged through the press and doesn’t have her entire life destroyed. Instead she escapes to a farm run by brothers Andres and Johannes, where she causes trouble there too.
I found the dual narration of Mathilde and Johannes interesting, at first I couldn’t see how the two would connect, they were so different, Mathilde in Oslo, caring only about herself, Johs on the family farm, weighed down by family history and expectations. They are very different people, although both quite self centered.
Being a pandemic novel, I was worried that it would too much, bring back the collective stress and trauma of those days, but out in the countryside, there seems to be little to no worry about infection rates and social distancing. Except Andres the hypochondriac, a few masks and the cancellation of almost all of Johs’ fiddle lessons (I liked Viggo, he was an entertaining character, I also liked the cows named after film stars).
The ending left lots of unanswered questions and I wonder if the author chose to let us fill in the blanks depending on how morbid or twisted our minds are!
What started off as two separate stories of insular and prickly people, slowly became one narrative with very different perspectives, and was very enjoyable to read.
*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 Jesus and Women, Niamh Middleton combines insights from evolutionary biology, feminism and the #MeToo movement to highlight the revolutionary attitude of Jesus towards women. Her careful exegesis, comparing the treatment and depiction of women in the Old and New Testaments, illuminates the way forward for the treatment of women by Church and society. More importantly, however, it holds the potential to greatly enrich our understanding of Jesus’ divinity.
Middleton’s bold approach encourages Christian women to reclaim their religion as a tool for empowerment, correcting the regressive course that Christianity has taken in this regard since Roman times. She also cites the remarkable life and untimely death of Western heroine Diana, Princess of Wales as an archetypal example of why Christianity must be reclaimed by its female members. Above all, she powerfully argues that while political feminism can tackle the symptoms of the perennial ‘battle of the sexes’, only a revolution of grace can bring about a full restoration of the harmony between the sexes described in Genesis.
Praise for Jesus and Women
“As the global #MeToo movement has clearly demonstrated, women are no longer willing to accept being treated as the ‘second sex’, both inside and outside of the Church. Jesus and Women is an inspirational call-to-action for all women, making it clear that they are every bit the equal of men in God’s eyes and that it is time to make their voices heard to bring about the fair and impartial world that is their inheritance and due. A must read.” Richard Moriarty, The Sun
“Jesus and Women: Beyond Feminism by feminist theologian Dr Niamh M. Middleton provides a long-overdue dissection of institutional sexism within the Church, and how women must lead the way in restoring gender equality. This is an essential read for all Christians, and anyone concerned with the question of gender equality.”
Timothy Arden, The Scotsman
Dr Niamh M. Middleton lectured in Theology and Philosophy at Dublin City University from 2005 until 2020, when she decided to take early retirement in order to focus on writing Jesus and Women: Beyond Feminism, published through The Lutterworth Press. She previously studied at Mater Dei, Dublin and the Pontifical University, Maynooth. Her main area of research concerns the implications of evolutionary theory for Christianity and the relationship between religion and science overall. Her previous publications include Homo Lapsus: Sin, Evolution and the God who is Love (2019). Visit www.niamhmiddletonauthor.com.
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My thoughts: I was raised going to church and as a feminist, so this book intersected with my personal interests quite nicely.
It is very interesting, exploring the women of the Bible – in the Old Testament, and then in more detail and with relation to Jesus, the women of the New Testament – particularly Mary, his mother, Mary Magdalene, and Martha and Mary, sisters of Lazarus.
I didn’t agree with everything that was said and there were bits I did really like too. Which is the right balance I think with an academic text. I’m passing my copy onto my mum to get her take – she’s a practicing Christian and feminist, so it will be interesting to see how she approaches it.
I think this book is certainly useful for women’s groups at churches, as a starting point for discussion and in the way it aims to bring the discussion about the role of women in the Bible and in the church up to date. Dr Middleton is very knowledgeable and writes in an engaging, relatable way that made it easy to follow and connect with.
*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 FAE CAFÉ is like Holly Black’s tricky FOLK OF THE AIR schemes meeting your grandmother’s freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. With a sweet, comical romance and relatable slice-of-life moments colliding with manipulative fairy games and deathmatches, this book puts a spin on the typical fae stories readers know and love and aims to be the coziest rom-com fae book of all time.
Welcome to Fae Cafe (High Court of the Coffee Bean Book 1)
Publication Date: October 2023
Genre: Cozy Romcom/ Fae Fantasy Elements
There are ten golden rules if you want to survive an encounter with a fae:
Don’t ask their name.
If they ask you what your name is, lie.
Avoid looking directly into their eyes.
Don’t invite them to your book club.
Don’t instigate a snowball fight.
Never let them burn their mouth on coffee.
Don’t ask them where they’re from.
Don’t tell them where you live.
Never mention their queen.
Don’t try to kill them with an ordinary human gun.
If you fail to do any of these things, enslave them immediately.
On a cozy fall morning, Kate Kole is nestled in a coffee shop in the city of Toronto reading her favourite novel when she accidentally kills a guy who’s being rude to the coffee shop’s cashier. Unfortunately for Kate, the person she killed was a fae assassin of the North Corner of Ever, visiting the human realm in secret.
From there, four deadly fae assassins come to the human realm to hunt her down for breaking a fairy law and killing one of their own. Leading them is Prince Cressica Alabastian, the most feared and deadly fae assassin of the North and heir to the North Corner of Ever.
After the assassins arrive in the human realm, things go terribly wrong. To Prince Cressica’s horror, his assassins unwittingly get roped into running a cozy café on Kate Kole’s behalf. To blend in, the fae assassins are forced to learn how to do basic human activities like cleaning up after themselves, driving without road rage, reading popular fantasy books at book club without getting into alpha male fights over what they’re reading, and in general, be nice, all to blend into regular human society.
With a temper like no other, and deadly power that’s unmatched, Prince Cressica seeks to get revenge on Kate Kole. But as he aims to strike where it will hurt her the most, the Prince finds himself enchanted by his human target in more ways than one. And when the darkness of the Ever Corners comes knocking at the human realm’s door, he needs to make a choice that could cost him everything.
With coziness for days, WELCOME TO FAE CAFÉ is a new spin on some of the most popular fae fantasy tropes, in a setting where fae most definitely don’t belong. If you like fantasy and you like rom coms, this may just be your cup of tea. (Or coffee.)
My thoughts: this was a lot of fun, and at times very silly. The three fae assassins working as baristas is especially entertaining.
Kate Kole accidentally kills a fae warrior in a coffee shop, which means she’s slates for execution, but when the fae Prince and assassin Cressica arrives, his companions not far behind, he encounters something of a problem. He can’t compel Kate and magic doesn’t seem to work on her.
Cress scowls a lot and can’t work out why he can neither kill Kate nor get her out of his head. And there are schemes, bargains and magic all over the place. I really enjoyed reading it and as book 2 comes out later this year, there isn’t long to go to find out what’s next for the High Court of the Coffee Bean.
Two boys fall in love in a deadly world, but it’s the secrets they keep that might kill them.
From debut author Paul Michael Winters, Together in a Broken World adds a queer romance twist to a popular post-apocalyptic road-trip storyline. Winters is an exciting new LGBTQA voice with a mission to normalize queerness and create joyful stories where you might not normally see queer characters.
Zach, 17, was visiting his uncle in a small Montana town when a mysterious illness ripped through the world. Most died, but those who survived the Infection became mindless killers, spreading the disease with a single scratch. Now, a year later, civilization lies in ruins, and Zach is the town’s sole survivor. Desperately lonely, he longs to return to his family in Seattle, but his fears hold him captive.
Meanwhile, Aiden, 18, is on a critical mission for the covert Scientific Collective, delivering vials whose contents could cure the Infection. Tortured by his boyfriend’s death, he welcomes the risks of the perilous journey. When a militia attacks Aiden, he flees to Zach’s town.
The boys escape together and soon form a bond as they comfort each other in this desolate and broken world. The farther they travel, the more their affection grows, as do the forces pulling them apart. But their greatest threats are the secrets they keep. Zach hides details of his uncle’s death, and Aiden conceals the vials’ sinister origins. In order to survive, they’ll have to confront the truths that could tear their love apart.
Featuring two characters who know and are comfortable with their queerness, Together in a Broken World is about overcoming trauma and loneliness, falling in love amidst adversity, and learning to trust with a subtext of the dangers of climate change and biological warfare. It’s perfect for fans of They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, and All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown.
Author Paul Michael Winters first thought of this story during the early days of COVID when the world was isolated. “This is a story of overcoming isolation and finding connections in a broken world,” Winters says.
“For a long time, I was unaware of just how far LGBTQ+ fiction had progressed until I saw Love, Simon. I was floored, and I immediately started eating up queer fiction. I’m particularly a fan of books that emphasize queer joy, showing queer people living their best lives and being happy. I’m a happily married gay man who’s had a lot of queer joy in my life, and I want to spread that feeling through my storytelling.”
Paul Michael Winters is a lifelong creative writer whose life is filled with queer joy. His passion is to spread that joy through storytelling and writing books where you might not typically see queer characters. His books feature queer people living their best lives where their queerness is an aspect of their personality but doesn’t dominate the story. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his husband and two tuxedo kitties and might have a slight addiction to reading gay romance. But it’s not a problem. He could stop any time he wanted. Honestly. Find him online at pmwinters.com and follow him on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and Twitter.
AIDEN It’s hard to get over how desolate the world is now. I haven’t seen another soul for over a week. And if I want to stay alive, I hope to keep it that way. The road cuts a winding path through a dense forest, the cone of my headlights revealing just enough to see ahead. Everything else is stark blackness. Daft Punk and GRiZ blast through the car’s speakers—an EDM mix I made last year as a DJ for my high school. Back when DJs and high schools existed, that is. The bass rumbling through the seat makes me feel connected to the car. With one eye on the road, I paw at the backpack resting on the passenger seat. It’s the third time this hour I’ve checked on the vials. The familiar shape of the protective aluminum case through the nylon fabric helps ease my anxiety. For the moment, anyway. It may be a little obsessive, but the vials are my critical cargo. They’re what I’m risking my life for. And I’m doing this for Marcus. The slightest thought of him sends waves of grief flooding over me. I fight those feelings and bury them away. Letting emotions control me is the surest way of getting killed. When I pull up to a rest area, the car cuts a path through an inch of pine needles spread over the parking lot. Weeds spring up through every possible crack, and vines are well on their way to swallowing the restrooms whole. The sheer relentlessness of Mother Nature is startling. Since manmade light is a thing of the past, it’s impossible to see your hand six inches in front of your face, especially on a cloudy, moonless night in rural Montana. The headlights are my only guide through the darkness, so I leave them turned on. As I open the door, I’m hit with a cold blast of air and the smell of sap. It must be low forties out. My breaths puff out in misty clouds. Looters often overlook vending machines at rest stops, so I always check them out. I’m pleasantly surprised to find the machines undamaged and nearly full. With a few pries of a crowbar, the lock springs open. I load what I can into my backpack and stuff the rest in a black plastic bag.
After doing my business in the restroom, I return to my faded red ’97 Integra, crunching through the thick layer of decaying pine needles. I stop suddenly, staring at another pair of footprints that cross over mine, head up to my car door, and then into the woods. They were not here before. I’m sure of it. Did I remember to lock the door? In a flash, I run to the car and reach for the handle. Locked. Thank god. The second I’m in, I fire up the engine. Debris kicks up from the tires as I hit the gas and speed away. For the next several minutes, I’m hypervigilant, keeping my eye on the mirrors and looking ahead for a potential ambush. Those footprints could have been from a member of a local militia. Their scouts are notorious for spotting lone cars and radioing for backup. Or the footprints could have been from one of the people sick with that damn disease. The Infected. It’s unlikely since they went right up to the car door. Once the fever has done its damage, the Infected don’t really have that level of cognitive ability. The path would have been more random. Either way, I’m glad to put the rest area behind me. As time passes, my nerves start to settle. Guess I got lucky. Maybe it was nothing, like a local survivor passing through. As the minutes drift by, my eyes get heavy. It’s no use fighting sleep, so I scan the highway for a side road with enough cover to pull over and rest for the night. That’s when headlights shine in my rearview mirror. Goddamn it. Carjackers. Their standard MO is to drive up beside you and point guns at the car until you pull over. But I’m not planning on letting them get that close. The trick is to go slowly at first and make them overconfident. Let them think they’ve got easy prey. Then floor it. Take curves so fast, they’ll piss their pants. With any luck, their car will spin out, trying to follow. It’s half skill, half psychology. And here comes a curve now. I find just the right speed to keep traction. The tires squeal but hold. Right at the apex of the turn, I punch the accelerator. It pushes me back into the seat as the tires grab the tarmac, and the car blasts down the road. Those guys should be long gone, but somehow, the headlights shine in the rearview mirror again.
Shit. These guys are good. I floor the accelerator, but the engine groans in protest. A distinct smell of burning oil drifts into the cabin. That can’t be good. Whizzing sounds fly past the car. Are those bullets? Are they shooting at me? A bullet hits the rear window, shattering it into a million pieces, making my heart rate spike. These aren’t carjackers. They’re trying to kill me. I turn off the music. Drawing in a deep breath, my training kicks in. One wrong move, and I’m dead. I sharpen my focus and clear my mind, each action deliberate and calculated. I weave the car back and forth to evade the next round of bullets and take the next turn faster than the last. The subtle sliding out of the back end translates through the wheel. With the slightest shift of steering and a barely perceptible change of speed, the car holds to the curve. Another round of bullets sprays the car, and the left rear tire explodes. The steering wheel lurches violently. Trying to steady it takes every ounce of strength, fingers clenched, my life on the line. The car veers off the road, and I slam on the brakes. Dirt kicks up everywhere but decelerates the vehicle gradually enough that the crash doesn’t kill me. The front bumper comes to rest against a tree. Ninety to zero in five seconds. And somehow, I’m still alive. I grab the backpack and my mixtape as headlights approach. With no time for anything else, I jump out and run for the cover of the forest. The sounds of screeching brakes and slamming car doors are right behind me. I’m in total darkness. Brambles rip against my face and arms as I stumble through the woods. The knobby end of a tree branch hits me hard in the ribs. The pain is blinding, but I grit my teeth and push forward. Bullets stream past, some hitting nearby trees, covering me in an explosion of splinters. A voice yells out from behind. “Aiden! I know you’re there. Hand over the vials, and you can walk away.” Who the hell knows my name? Worse, how do they know what I’m carrying? The only other person aware of my mission is the woman who sent me. She handpicked me because I was the only courier who could get the job done. Willing to do what most would call a suicide mission. And maybe that’s what this is.
Behind me, the gunshots and shouts are relentless. My lungs burn, and my ribs scream. Every part of my body is telling me to stop. To my left, the ground slopes slightly. I fumble in that direction, following it downward. As it gets steeper, the slope forces my pace to quicken. I’m barely able to keep my feet from sliding under me. A wet patch of leaves sends my legs flailing forward, and for the last thirty feet, I’m on my backside until my boots splash into a running stream. My burning lungs force me to pause for a moment. Beyond the babbling of the stream are the sounds of gunshots and shouting, but they’re far off to my right. So, I head in the opposite direction with slow and deliberate footsteps, favoring silence over speed. After several minutes of painfully slow going, the sound of the stream is gone, and the gunshots have fallen silent. But I don’t dare stop yet. Time has lost all meaning in the darkness. It could be twenty minutes. Could be an hour. My aching feet and burning muscles are my only gauge, and they just hit empty. I sit down hard on the forest floor. How did that get so bad so fast? My mind races, playing out all the scenarios that could have happened. If the car lurches the other way, or a bullet flies six inches to the right, then I’m dead. Focus, Aiden. I close my eyes and force out unwanted thoughts, clearing my mind. Okay. Survival. When I open my eyes, they’ve adjusted to the darkness. The moon has risen, providing the slightest bit of light. Vague details emerge. Scrapes run up and down my arms, but nothing is too deep. I’ll live. My ribs are tender at the spot where I hit the tree. The slightest touch makes me wince in pain. Yeah, that’s going to suck for a while. Inside my backpack, the small aluminum box has a minor dent in one corner, but beyond that, it’s undamaged. This is what my pursuers were after. But who in the hell were they? I know the territories of every militia group between Boston and Seattle. Standard training for couriers like me. This is the turf of the Freedom Liberation Army—the FLA. Grabbing every bit of territory after the Great Collapse, their influence runs from Montana to Central Washington. But how could they know anything about my mission? There’ll be time to figure that out. Right now, my focus needs to be on staying alive. Besides the box, there’s not much in the backpack—a bottle of water and the granola bars and pretzels I looted. Of course, my flashlight, compass, and gun are all back in the car. I wasn’t expecting to have to ditch it like that. Sure glad I took the time to get my mixtape. Shit. It’s not a lot, but it’ll last me until tomorrow. No sense in stumbling around in the dark, so finding shelter is the first order of business—something with cover and warmth. A small, protected hollow under a tree fits me perfectly. A layer of moss and leaves act as my blanket, and I soon fall into a restless sleep. The same dream haunts me every night. Like some sick cosmic joke, my worst memory replays in my mind, a horror movie in excruciating detail. I’m returning from an illfated mission. My fellow courier Connor has died, sacrificing his life to save mine. But things get even worse at home as I discover my boyfriend, Marcus, has fallen ill. He’s lying in bed, sick and dying, the Infection in its vicious final stage. I stand by his bedside, a protective barrier separating us. The undulations in the plastic distort his face. A face that is pale and worn out, with deep creases marring what was once beautiful. He looks more eighty than eighteen. “Aiden,” he utters weakly, putting a hand up to the barrier. I press my hand against his, with tears streaming down my face. “I’m here, Marcus.” His voice is only a whisper. “Connor. I know—” His words are cut off by a fit of coughing. I pull back in shock. Marcus couldn’t know what happened on the mission. I only just returned, and Conner didn’t make it back alive. “What about Connor?” I ask. He’s too weak to speak. But the look in his eyes is sadness and hurt. I want to explain and tell him what happened—tell him I love him. But he’s used his last breath. He coughs up blood, and his body thrashes as the Infection claims its latest victim. The only small mercy is him not turning into one of those—things. Consciousness tears a hole through my nightmare, and I wake up with a start, my eyes damp. No use in trying to bury this memory. My subconscious won’t allow it. It’s been six months since his death, but the dream keeps returning as vivid as if it were yesterday. The box. In a panic, I reach for the backpack, but of course, it’s still there. That same familiar shape. I’m under no illusion that the vials in the box will erase my torment or somehow bring Marcus back. But if they help find a cure and save a single person from the Infection, or spare a single loved one from feeling the misery I feel, maybe I’ll have done my penance. Maybe that will dampen the pain. And if this really is a suicide mission? Well, that’ll dampen the pain too.
My thoughts: this was a really good road trip, dystopian love story, with two engaging and interesting protagonists.
Following a terrible environmental disaster that has led to a government collapse and a deadly virus has left society in tatters, with isolated pockets of survivors fending off looters, militia and infected people (a bit like The Walking Dead).
Zach is stranded in rural Montana, where his uncle lived, he’s fortified a safe place for himself and set up some defences. But he’s alone, and scared.
Aiden is working for group of scientists, hoping to create a cure or vaccine for the virus that leads to the Infection. Unlike in the pandemic of recent years, the lack of communication methods and the collapsed society means they’re working in isolation and under threat.
When the two cross paths, sparks fly. But they’re not safe, a militia group is hunting them. As they travel to Seattle they meet other people surviving and are helped by some of them, reminded of the kindness of strangers and determined to reach their destination, their bond grows.
It’s a sweet young love story, a gripping adventure and a tale of surviving against the odds in a changed world.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Adored only child of Henry VIII and his Queen, Katherine of Aragon, Princess Mary is raised in the golden splendour of her father’s court. But the King wants a son and heir.
With her parents’ marriage, and England, in crisis, Mary’s perfect world begins to fall apart. Exiled from the court and her beloved mother, she seeks solace in her faith, praying for her father to bring her home. But when the King does promise to restore her to favour, his love comes with a condition.
The choice Mary faces will haunt her for years to come – in her allegiances, her marriage and her own fight for the crown. Can she become the queen she was born to be?
MARY I. HER STORY.
Alison Weir’s new Tudor novel is the tale, full of drama and tragedy, of how a princess with such promise, loved by all who knew her, became the infamous Bloody Mary.
Alison Weir is a bestselling historical novelist of Tudor fiction, and the leading female historian in the United Kingdom. She has published more than thirty books, including many leading works of non-fiction, and has sold over three million copies worldwide.
Her novels include the Tudor Rose trilogy, which spans three generations of history’s most iconic family – the Tudors, and the highly acclaimed Six Tudor Queens series about the wives of Henry VIII, all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers.
Alison is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an honorary life patron of Historic Royal Palaces.
alisonweir.org.uk – @AlisonWeirBooks
BLOODY MARY?
Alison Weir’s personal take on Mary I.
When Headline commissioned my Tudor Rose trilogy of novels, I was gripped by the prospect of writing the final book in the trilogy, Mary I: Queen of Sorrows. I had already covered her reign in my non-fiction work Children of England: The Heirs of Henry VIII, which was published in 1996 and focused on Henry’s three successors, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, and his niece, Lady Jane Grey. Having undertaken extensive research, I was very familiar with Mary’s story and her later notoriety as ‘Bloody Mary’. But there was a personal reason for my enthusiasm too. I have enormous sympathy for Mary as the child of a broken marriage and, later, a woman fighting for the right to practise her religion. She was eleven when her parents’ marriage started to fall apart; I was eleven when mine split up. In each case, there was another woman involved, whom I loathed as much as Mary loathed Anne Boleyn. In each case, the break-up was complicated and painfully drawn out. My father did not spare me the emotional traumas from which he should have protected me, and the same could be said of Henry VIII’s treatment of Mary. My mother was as staunchly loving and supportive of me as Katherine of Aragon was of Mary. Like Katherine, she was threatened with prison if she defied my father. I understand Mary’s nervous reactions, for I reacted in a similar way, having suffered life-long anxiety as a consequence of what my father did, and I too frequently hark back to the safe, happy world of my childhood, which seems like a golden age in retrospect, as Mary’s must have done to her. My own experiences therefore inform this book. I am well placed to understand how the ‘Great Matter’ of the ‘Divorce’ impacted on Mary. I would not now define myself as a victim, but that was nevertheless what I was – and what Mary was. And both of us, I feel, eventually rose above it. Since I published Children of England, much new research has been done on Mary, and new biographies have been published, focusing on her achievements. In recent years, I have become aware that there has been a concerted attempt to rehabilitate her reputation. Yet when I came to write this novel, and revisited my own research, I found that I could not entirely support this new view. Yes, it is important to credit Mary for her achievements, the greatest of which was her successful taking of the throne that was rightfully hers. No one could doubt her courage or her presence of mind. Against tremendous odds, she overcame an attempt to replace her with her cousin, Lady Jane Grey, and emerged triumphant, to a roar of popular acclaim. But there, with her accession, my sympathy for Mary begins to evaporate. As a novelist, it was a challenge to make her a wholly sympathetic heroine, because I find it impossible to see her that way. I have tried to look at things from her point of view, but I cannot go against what the historical evidence is telling me – and this book is based closely on the historical record. And so this novel offers what I hope is a balanced – if controversial – portrayal.
My thoughts: I found this to be quite a balanced view of Mary I, from her turbulent childhood and all it’s worries, over succession and legitimacy, being shunted from Royal residence to Royal residence, having the people she cared for removed and given new servants depending on the whim of the King and whichever Queen he had at the time. Being separated from her mother for long periods of time, her complicated relationships with her siblings and stepmothers.
Then when she does take the throne, the repressive nature of her reign. The terrible religious persecution of those years, the political upheaval and throughout, her terrible health problems. She married late in life and her inability to produce an heir weighed heavily on her. Her insistence that England should return to Rome caused endless problems that she refused to allow her council to temper.
Alison Weir is a writer I really like, her novels are always well researched and written, she makes even the most unpleasant members of the court interesting, I think Henry VIII was a monster, but she gives us his daughter’ loving but bewildered view of him here, she cannot understand his behaviour towards her mother, Katherine of Aragon, or herself, when he declares her illegitimate.
Mary is not the most likeable monarch and history has not portrayed her well, but I can empathise with her health worries and loneliness, if not her intolerance and rigidity. Her marriage isn’t a good one, and the weight of expectation on her was somewhat cruel, although her life was one of extreme privilege.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Last Testament in Bologna is the fourth in Tom Benjamin’s critically-acclaimed Bologna-set series featuring British private detective Daniel Leicester.
When an old man makes a bequest to investigate the mysterious death of his son, English detective Daniel Leicester follows a trail to one of Bologna’s wealthiest families – makers of some of the world’s most coveted supercars – and discovers that beneath the glamour of the Formula One circuit lurk sinister interests that may be prepared to kill to keep their secrets.
Tom Benjamin grew up in the suburbs of north London and began his working life as a journalist before becoming a spokesman for Scotland Yard. He later moved into public health, where he led drugs awareness programme FRANK. He now lives in Bologna. Follow Tom @tombenjaminsays on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or at tombenjamin.com
Praise for Tom Benjamin:
‘The locale is brought to life.’ The Times
‘The first division of crime writers’ Daily Mail
‘Ideal holiday reading for those pining for the tastes and smells of the Mediterranean’ The Herald, Scotland
‘Outstanding… An essential guide for armchair travelers to Italy.’ Publishers Weekly (US)
‘As many twists and turns as a plate of spaghetti’ Italia!
‘An insider’s view of life in the heart of Bologna – I felt transported there.’ Harriet Tyce
My thoughts: called in to hear the will reading of a former engineer, Daniel and the Comandante are charged by the deceased to investigate the death of his youngest son. Ruled an accident, the father never believed there wasn’t something suspicious about a racing car driver messing up a turn and driving over a drop-off.
As Daniel digs into world of Formula One racing, and the personal lives of the …. family, the Comandante is in hospital for a hip replacement, the family are all worried about him, even though it’s a straightforward operation.
Dolores seems to be undertaking her own investigation, and Daniel is a bit worried about her, and he’s teaching Rose to drive, which is a little harrowing in its own way.
It was great to be back in Bologna with Daniel and the team/family, I don’t know anything really about Formula One, and it wasn’t really needed, thankfully, as the case boils down to people and relationships. There’s lots of fathers and sons, and father-in-law/son including Daniel and the Comandante here, some relationships better than others. And Daniel is good at understanding people.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
When Milla Graham returns to her childhood home of Raven’s Edge after eighteen long years away, she finds the perfect English village looks much the same – all rose-covered cottages, nosy neighbours, and quaint teashops full of scones and gossip.
But her nostalgic visit takes a dark turn when the body of a local woman is discovered in an abandoned manor house on the edge of the forest. The murder scene is chillingly close to that of Milla’s own mother, whose death was never solved. As she begins to investigate the connection, Milla realises this adorable village is guarding some dark secrets.
Handsome, grumpy local police detective Ben Taylor doesn’t believe in coincidences, and he doesn’t think mysterious newcomer Milla Graham is as blameless as she seems. Why is she really here in Raven’s Edge, and how come she keeps turning up at his crime scenes, causing trouble? Can he solve this murder case without losing himself – or his heart – to the rather distracting Ms Graham?
When another body is found, everyone becomes a suspect – from the barmaid at the local pub toMilla Graham herself. It seems that in Raven’s Edge, not everybody is as friendly, or as innocent, as they first seem.
This picture-perfect English village is full of rumour, romance… and murder! A gripping, funny, absolutely unputdownable murder mystery, which is perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Fiona Leitch and M.C. Beaton.
My thoughts: Milla Graham has returned to the village she left as a child in order to find out what really happened the night her mother and siblings died. She was also supposedly killed that night, which is causing some problems.
When a body is found in the ruins of her old family home, complete with her missing purse and ID, things get even more complicated.
DI Ben Taylor, who also grew up in the village, is intrigued by Milla, but also a bit suspicious. Her story doesn’t entirely add up. Both Ben and Milla are trying to solve the murder, and then another body turns up.
Things get very complicated and Milla’s family is very messy and pretty terrible. There’s a lot of things she’s believed, that turn out to be false, and others that when she finds out, answer questions she had a long time. And she and Ben are falling for each other.
A gruesome murder in charming Raven’s Edge sends Milla Graham sleuthing to catch a killer, win back her detective ex, and dig up a decades-old secret along the way…
When a shocking murder rocks the picture-perfect English village of Raven’s Edge, erstwhile amateur detective Milla Graham finds herself right at the centre of the mystery. Still reeling from her recent breakup with local police officer Ben Taylor, Milla sets her sights on solving the case, hoping to win Ben back.
But when the evidence begins to point to Milla’s old friend and former paramour Lorcan Black, she must choose between her loyalties to the past and the possibilities of the future. Meanwhile, Ben is on a different trail – he’s begun to suspect that the murderer could be someone from his own family’s dark history.
Further complicating matters are Milla’s meddling grandmother, Ben’s no-nonsense police partner Harriet and David the surprisingly young and sexy new vicar.
With shocking twists around every cobblestone corner, the truth refuses to stay buried for long in this quaint village, whose picture-postcard façade hides decades of buried grudges, plots, and betrayal.
Will Milla solve the mystery in time to rescue her relationship with Ben? Can Ben face the skeletons in his family’s closet before one of his own relatives meets the same bloody end?
Brimming with drama, intrigue, romance and quirky characters, this addictive tale will have cosy mystery fans racing through the pages long into the night. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Fiona Leitch will love this book!
My thoughts: Ben and Milla are now in a relationship, although things are not smooth sailing. A headless body is found in the village pond, and an unconscious rock star is found in the local church.
The rock star turns out to be a member of Ben’s family – and this case turns out to be connected to the relatives he prefers not to acknowledge. His father and uncles were all involved in a crime years before – and the younger generation have all dealt with it differently.
But did Ben’s cousin kill the woman in the pond or is someone taking out a vendetta on the family?
Once again Milla and Ben are both investigating, one more officially than the other, as Lorcan turns out to be someone Milla knows, this doesn’t help Ben and Milla’s relationship as she’s not keen to talk as usual.
There’s a highwayman on a horse, wielding a sword, which ties into an old legend about the town, a raven called Eddie, and Harriet eats an enormous amount of cookies, as she fancies the barista (just ask him out!) and I have really enjoyed these two books and can’t wait to see what happens next in this far from sleepy village.
Louise Marley writes murder mysteries and romantic comedies. She is lucky enough to live in a village where there is a famous library and TWO ruined castles. (Her husband still thinks they moved there by accident.) Her first published novel was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, which was a finalist in Poolbeg’s ‘Write a Bestseller’ competition. She has also written articles for the Irish press and short stories for women’s magazines such as Take a Break and My Weekly. Previously, Louise worked as a civilian administrative officer for the police.
It was supposed to be a romantic getaway weekend in New York City. Breanna’s new boyfriend, Ty, took care of everything—the train tickets, the dinner reservations, the rented four-story luxury rowhouse in Jersey City with a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline. But when Bree comes downstairs their final morning, she’s shocked. There’s a stranger laying dead in the foyer, and Ty is nowhere to be found.
A Black woman alone in a new city, Bree is stranded and out of her depth—especially when it becomes clear the dead woman is none other than Janelle Beckett, the missing woman the entire Internet has become obsessed with. There’s only one person Bree can turn to: her ex-best friend, a lawyer with whom she shares a very complicated past. As the police and a social media mob close in, all looking for #JusticeForJanelle, Bree realizes that the only way she can help Ty—or herself—is to figure out what really happened that last night.
But when people only see what they want to see, can she uncover the truth hiding in plain sight?
Kellye Garrett is the author of Like a Sister—an Edgar nominee for Best Novel, Anthony Award winner for Best Hardcover Mystery, and Lefty Award winner for Best Mystery—as well as Hollywood Homicide, which won Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Independent Publisher “IPPY” awards for Best First Novel and was named one of Time’s 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time and BookBub’s Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time, and Hollywood Ending, which was nominated for both Anthony and Lefty awards. Prior to writing novels, Garrett spent eight years working in Hollywood, including a stint writing for Cold Case. She is a New Jersey native, a cofounder of Crime Writers of Color, and a former board member of Sisters in Crime.
My thoughts: this was a really interesting, thought provoking, and enjoyable read. I liked Bree, who after finding a dead body in her Air B&B and her boyfriend going missing, turns detective in order to prove that neither she or Ty, her boyfriend, had anything to do with the body she found.
With a blend of social media and traditional news media dogging her – Bree is relying on the blend of both to keep her updated, even after she gets doxxed, and help her figure things out. The current obsession with true crime and citizen detectives puts pressure on the police to move faster as the 24/7 online focus is getting in the way.
Bree can’t risk being seen at the crime scene but she needs to find clues, things she half remembered that might prove her innocence and give her the key to why the woman in the Air B&B was left there and Ty vanished.
There’s a serious point to this book too – the hyper focus on missing attractive white women that means missing and murdered women of colour are overlooked and receive little to no coverage in either traditional media or online. Had Bree been the victim, the chances are no one would be obsessing about her and trying to find her killer in the same way.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
To celebrate the paperback release of Thirty Days of Darkness, I’m re-sharing my review from last year’s hardback tour. Read on for more info and to see what I thought the first time I read this book.
It’s also now available in Sainsbury’s – so pop a copy in your trolley!
A snobbish Danish literary author is challenged to write a crime novel in thirty days, travelling to a small village in Iceland for inspiration, and then a body appears … an atmospheric, darkly funny, twisty debut thriller, first in an addictive new series.
Copenhagen author Hannah is the darling of the literary community and her novels have achieved massive critical acclaim. But nobody actually reads them, and frustrated by writer`s block, Hannah has the feeling that she`s doing something wrong. When she expresses her contempt for genre fiction, Hanna is publicly challenged to write a crime novel in thirty days. Scared that she will lose face, she accepts, and her editor sends her to HÚ safjÖ ð ur – a quiet, tight-knit village in Iceland, filled with colourful local characters – for inspiration. But two days after her arrival, the body of a fisherman´ s young son is pulled from the water … and what begins as a search for plot material quickly turns into a messy and dangerous investigation that threatens to uncover secrets that put everything at risk … including Hannah… Atmospheric, dramatic and full of nerve-jangling twists and turns, Thirty Days of Darkness is a darkly funny, unsettling debut Nordic Noir thriller that marks the start of a breath-taking new series.
Jenny Lund Madsen is one of Denmark’s most acclaimed scriptwriters (including the international hits Rita and Follow the Money) and is known as an advocate for better representation for sexual and ethnic minorities in Danish TV and film. She recently made her debut as a playwright with the critically acclaimed Audition (Aarhus Teater) and her debut literary thriller, Thirty Days of Darkness, first in an addictive new series, won the Harald Mogensen Prize for Best Danish Crime Novel of the year and was shortlisted for the coveted Glass Key Award.
My thoughts: come with me to an Icelandic village in the middle of nowhere, in winter, where writer Hannah is attempting to write a crime novel in 30 days to win a bet. When there’s a murder, which she gets involved in and puts her safety at risk. She doesn’t speak the language, forcing others to have to speak English or Danish, she doesn’t know the people, but she’s pretty sure she can catch the killer. As you do.
I found Hannah a bit grating, she pushes her way into people’s lives and business with little regard for their feelings and clearly thinks very highly of herself. Her career is stalling as not many people seem that keen on her literary fiction – preferring crime writers like her nemesis Jørn. Which is why she boasts she can write a whole crime novel in a month. This tickled me, I do love it when writers poke fun at the industry and their own genre.
Especially when the book is so good, like this one. Jenny Lund Madsen has written a cracking crime thriller, with all the good ingredients – remote location, nosey outsider, secrets that have been buried for years, lots of possible suspects, a conflicted community, a lone policeman, and winter closing in. Iceland’s unique geography and the fact that the sun isn’t in evidence for much of the winter adds to the sinister atmosphere – snow bound crimes are always a bit more macabre than sunny ones. The winter darkness adds to the sense of claustrophobia and paranoia, someone here is a killer. They can’t leave, but neither can anyone else.
Full of suspense, intrigue and horror, this dark and twisted tale of murder and tragedy is absolutely perfect for a dark and stormy night’s reading. Or not, if you don’t want to stay up all night!
*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 