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
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.
Detective Bec Pope is waiting in Heathrow departures when the call comes in: a body has been found in a quiet Bloomsbury cemetery. Her long-overdue holiday is over before it begins.
It’s no ordinary crime scene. The smartly-dressed young man hasn’t just been murdered. The killer has left a message – a pentagram, brutally carved into the dead man’s chest.
Then a second victim is discovered on a patch of scrubland in Bermondsey. Another young man, killed at midnight, just like the first. The same five-pointed symbol etched into his flesh.
Bec is on the hunt for a ruthless killer unlike any she’s faced before. If she is to crack the case, she must discover what the symbols mean. And why these victims were targeted.
With the press circling and the entire city on edge, Bec’s running out of time in a case that grows darker by the hour. She needs to stop the killer before midnight strikes – and another life is taken.
Jez Pinfold taught English and Film Studies in London for twenty years, including eight years as Head of English. Before landing in secondary teaching he had various jobs, including roadie, sound engineer, guitar tutor and teacher of English as a foreign language. After writing, his other passion is music. He plays guitar in a rowdy covers band currently called The Maverick Detectives, although they frequently change their name to avoid becoming too recognised and succumbing to the trappings of fame.
My thoughts: This is a twisted case, the killer leaving an inverted pentagram carved into the flesh of their victims – it implies some dark purpose behind their crimes.
Detective Bec Pope and her team can find no connections between the two victims, and they need to work out the person responsible before anyone else comes to harm. Then it takes a very personal turn.
This was a really clever, gripping read, I had no idea where the twists and turns were going and the killer is remorseless, taunting the detectives, especially Bec, with whom they seem to have become a little obsessed.
*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 the system isn’t working, work outside the system.
A search for a missing man thrusts Rand Scott into the dark realms of homelessness, drug dealing and sex clubs.
Kirsty Moore wants to find her brother Johnny, a one-time rock star. The police also want him – for murder. And there are others looking who don’t play nicely.
A simple job turns deadly as Rand uncovers a world where money talks louder than the screams of innocent bystanders.
Graeme Cumming lives in Robin Hood country. He has wide and varied taste in fiction, but a particular leaning towards the darker side – though he’s very pleasant when you meet him.
Borderline, the first book in his new crime series was released in 2025 and already gained praise from readers.
When not writing, Graeme is an enthusiastic sailor (and, by default, swimmer), and enjoys off-road cycling and walking. He is a past President and Education Director at Sheffield Speakers Club. He also reads (a lot) and loves the cinema.
For more information about Graeme and his books, you can check his website
My thoughts: Rand Scott used to be a police officer, now he’s working outside the official system, helping the homeless, and investigating a missing man, who might be on the streets somewhere.
There’s a lot more however to the case than first appears, some rather nasty criminals are also looking for the missing man, Johnny Moore, and they don’t mind beating up anyone who gets in their way. Unfortunately they picked on the wrong person.
Dragged into a murky underworld where criminals cross big business arms dealers, Rand has to tread carefully, everyone here prefers to shoot first and ask questions later, if at all. He’s also fending off the local police, including his former boss (and what a dodgy piece of work he is) and trying to give his friend Liv the collar.
Nothing is ever easy in his world and this is a nightmare, still, he’s got his sense of humour – the vehicles registered in the names of famous musicians made me laugh. And if he survives, there’s always that trip to Rotterdam to look forward to.
Funny, smart, and with plenty of twists and turns, this is an enjoyable and entertaining 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.
Ivanhoe meets Phryne Fisher in this medieval adventure of a woman sleuth.
Toledo, 1193: A city of scholars, secrets, and simmering tensions.
When Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine’s Jewish spy is found dead, whispers of treachery reach all the way to England.
Rebecca DeToledo, a gifted healer and wealthy Jewish heiress, arrives under royal orders to investigate at the School of Translators. Her mission quickly turns perilous as she faces threats to her life and a sudden battle over her inheritance.
Assigned to guard her is Sir John of Hampstead, a disillusioned crusader burdened with knowledge that could threaten King Richard’s release from captivity. Forced into this partnership, he must protect Rebecca while grappling with his own prejudices.
As they navigate Toledo’s complex alliances, where Christians, Jews, and Muslims coexist in fragile peace, they uncover a web of secrets reaching deep into the cathedral. Can Rebecca and John unearth the truth before they become the next targets?
For fans of historical sleuths, slow-burn tension, and secret missions cloaked in royal intrigue.
My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book, I liked Rebecca a lot, she was an interesting character, a trained medic in a time when most were men and bloodletting for medical reasons was a favoured treatment, that more often than not, did nothing beneficial. She’s trusted by Eleanor of Aquitaine – Queen of France, then of England, probably one of the most powerful women in history.
Tasked with looking into the death of the Queen’s man in Toledo, Rebecca and John of Hampstead (a somewhat disgraced knight) find themselves in the bustling Spanish city where Christians, Jews and Muslims live and work alongside each other, slightly uneasily.
The School of Translators was a real place, and there scholars worked at translating ancient manuscripts into Castilian (a dialect of French mixed with Spanish) and Latin from Hebrew and Arabic. It must have been a fascinating place.
But it’s also a place where competition thrives and the various scholars jostle for position. The dead man was known to be boastful, unpopular and a creep. His landlady’s son had kicked him out after he made unwelcome advances to his sister, his colleagues disliked him and he was just generally quite unpleasant.
Rebecca also has to deal with a family issue, her aunt and cousin have been living in her father’s house and running the family business. Her father’s will left everything to her, which doesn’t go down well with her relatives who choose to contest it. This is a complication she doesn’t need and distracts from the investigation.
But as she has decided to stay in Toledo and set up a clinic, she must contend with the traditions and gossip of her community. She doesn’t want to marry but that won’t stop the matchmaking at the synagogue.
I’m looking forward to more of Rebecca’s adventures in Toledo with Sir John as her ever-present shadow, causing gossip of its own, as they work for the Queen.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
ramblingmads 