Ever since they first met at university, Beth and Nick have circled in and out of one another’s lives: supporting each other through grief, marriage, divorce, career crises and family dramas.
Fourteen years ago, when they were on the cusp of adulthood, they both survived a devastating fire that sent their lives in different directions. And they’ve been running ever since: from the pain, from the memories, and most devastatingly of all, from the guilt.
But no matter how hard they try, there’s something else they can’t run from. The inescapable, terrifying truth: they’re in love with each other.
But how can they move forward, when neither of them can stop looking back?
Charlotte Rixon is the pen name of Charlotte Duckworth, USA Today-bestselling author of suspense fiction published by Quercus. Charlotte studied Classics at Leeds University and went on to gain a PGDip in Screenwriting. She worked for many years as a magazine journalist, and is a graduate of the Faber Academy ‘Writing A Novel’ course.
My thoughts: University wasn’t everything Beth and Nick had wanted it to be, after a terrible tragedy that Beth feels she could have prevented, they both go on to their adult lives, never acting on their feelings.
As they drift in and out of each others’ lives, never talking about what happened all those years ago, never dealing with their feelings about what happened or each other, it gets more complicated to ignore. Love is never straightforward but only by confronting the past, can these two lovers move on and be happy.
Moving and intelligent, this is a fascinating read about unrequited love, learning to let go of the past and find happiness.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Robyn Allen is finally getting closer to her dream of West End stardom. And along with her role dancing in the latest hot musical, she’s being wined and dined by an equally hot man – the wildly successful and well-connected Fabian Carrington. But one slip up and her dreams are shattered, and Robyn has to hobble back to the Yorkshire village of Beddingfield, and the life she hoped she’d escaped.
Moving back into her mum’s house with her recalcitrant teenage sister Sorrel, next door to her older sister Jess who’s fed up with picking up the slack, is not how Robyn pictured her year. But there’s more to come. Sorrel needs a new school, and the school needs a new drama teacher. Despite having vowed never to teach again, Robyn knows she has to support her sister.
So together Sorrel and Robyn vow to take on St Mede’s – home to jokers, tearaways and trouble-makers, but with a hidden heartbeat ready to be inspired. And who knows, the kids might have something to teach Robyn about life too…
Welcome to the village of Beddingfield and the first book in bestseller Julie Houston’s new series set in Yorkshire. Funny, fabulous, heart-warming and hilarious, you’ll never forget the Allen sisters and their one-of-a-kind community. Perfect for fans of Jo Bartlett, Cathy Bramley and Philippa Ashley.
Julie Houston is the author of 12 novels. She lives in West Yorkshire and writes warm and funny books about characters who are still learning about life.
My thoughts: If you’ve been here for a while, you’ll know I’m a fan of Julie Houston’s funny, entertaining and warm novels, and this first in a new series is no different.
Robyn is a trained performer, desperately seeking her big West End break, but when things go wrong (a bad break up, a nasty injury) she heads back to the Yorkshire village she grew up in and her family, who are falling apart at the seams.
Her mum has a medical condition that’s landed her back in hospital, her dad is off with his band, her younger sister has been expelled from school and her older sister’s husband has left her holding it all together, while working all hours and parenting their daughter.
Robyn is needed more than ever, and after failing to get Sorrel (15 and obnoxious as all teenagers are) back into her school, she’s reduced to begging the head teacher of the next nearest secondary to take her. And he will, if Robyn (who has a teaching qualification) becomes his drama, dance and English teacher, as the previous one has just left.
Cue chaos, not all of the students are thrilled with a new teacher – or having to be at school. Then Robyn is asked to put together a school production of Grease.
Having been involved in school productions and worked with teenagers, I completely empathised with Robyn’s horror at dealing with the teenage terrors of St Mede’s, and also with her family’s various dramas. She’s been down in London (t’Smoke as my great-aunt from Yorkshire put it) and missed a lot of what Jess (her older sister) has been trying to deal with.
I really enjoyed this book, it was lots of fun and Robyn and her family were so lovely, loving and warm. I’m looking forward to seeing how this series develops.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Harry Burnard joins a police force confronted with threats on every side. His team, ‘The Squad’, a bunch of abandoned oddballs, are only allowed to work criminal cases.
But there is no crime. Only terrorism. So, do they really have nothing to do?
When Harry uncovers clues about an apparently random series of sectarian stabbings, he gets caught up in an increasingly complex political landscape. And sets out to find a killer unlike any other.
In this explosive witty novel, where not everyone is who they seem to be, it can be dangerous to know who you are.
Are you a Billy, a Dan, or an old Tin Can?
In a land where identity is everything, it gets bloody complicated.
An Old Tin Can is the first in a new black comedy crime series featuring Harry Burnard and The Squad.
Bryan J Mason has managed to hold down a variety of jobs including brush salesman, rent collector and tax inspector and he has also made sound effects for BBC radio and done the occasional acting job.
He writes regular theatre reviews for Bristol 24/7 and StageTalk. His first novel, Shaking Hands With The Devil, took over 30 years to be published and finally came out in 2021.
He lives in Bristol, with his wife and has two children in their twenties.
My thoughts: Set in Belfast during the Troubles, Jewish police officer Harry Burnard has transferred from Brighton to the Northern Irish city, not really understanding the situation he’s landed himself in.
However there’s a serial killer on the loose, killing both Catholics and Protestants by turn. The chief is happy to dismiss it as terrorism, but Harry spots the clues that suggest it’s much more than that. Who is the killer and what is his motive?
An interesting and clever police crime thriller set during a complicated and bloody period of our recent history.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.
A reluctant necromancer, a man killed before his time, and the crime that brings them together.
Felipe Galvan’s life as an investigator for the Paranormal Society has been spent running into danger. Returning home from his latest case, Felipe struggles with the sudden quiet of his life until a mysterious death puts him in the path of the enigmatic Oliver Barlow.
Oliver has two secrets. One, he has been in love with the charming Felipe Galvan for years. Two, he is a necromancer, but to keep the sensible life he’s built as a medical examiner, he must hide his powers. That is until Oliver finds Felipe murdered and accidentally brings him back from the dead.
But Felipe refuses to die again until he and Oliver catch his killer. Together, Felipe and Oliver embark on an investigation to uncover a plot centuries in the making. As they close in on his killer, one thing is certain: if they don’t stop them, Felipe won’t be the last to die.
Kara Jorgensen (she/they) is a queer, nonbinary oddball with a penchant for all things antiquated, morbid, or just plain strange. While in college, they realized they no longer wanted to be Victor Frankenstein but instead wanted to write like Mary Shelley and thus abandoned their future career in science for writing. Kara melds her passions through her books and graduated with an MFA in Creative and Professional Writing in 2016. When not writing, they can be found hanging out with their dogs watching period dramas or trying to convince their students to cite their sources.
My thoughts: I really liked this book, I loved Oliver and just wanted to give him a hug, thankfully he has Gwen and eventually Felipe for that.
Investigating a nun’s death is a little awkward, since the church frowns on their kind, but the sister isn’t just a nun, she has a gift and someone was willing to kill her to steal her secrets.
Oliver and Felipe are thrown together by circumstance and then when Oliver accidentally brings Felipe back from the dead, and might be the only reason he’s still alive, they can’t resist the pull between them, so they don’t.
But they’re still on the case, especially after Oliver’s lab is broken into and he and Gwen attacked. But why would anyone want some medical curios?
A fun and clever adventure with a sweet romance at its centre.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Emma Makepeace is headed to Edinburgh for the global G7 Summit when her team is tipped off about a high-profile assassination the Russians are planning—but they have no idea who the target is.
Surrounded by the world’s most powerful political leaders in a gridlocked city, Emma must set a trap and use herself as bait.
With time running short, Emma faces the most perilous mission of her career. How far will she go to catch the killer?
Ava Glass is a pseudonym for a former crime reporter and civil servant. She is the author of Alias Emma and The Traitor. Her time working for the government introduced her to the world of spies, and she’s been fascinated by them ever since. She lives and writes in the south of England.
My thoughts: Emma Makepeace is back, this time undercover investigating a Russian plot to destabilise to G7 summit in Edinburgh. She’s not familiar with the Scottish capital so she’s assigned a partner, local homicide detective Mac, and the despite a slightly rocky start the two women form a solid working relationship.
Posing as an energy executive Emma pursues a Russian born power company owner – who might be involved in the plot the Agency, and it’s partners (MI5, MI6 etc) are trying to unravel. He’s a bit of a romantic and whisks the woman he knows as Anna Case off to Rome on a private jet, putting them both in serious danger. Luckily Emma has skills and a survival instinct that might just keep them alive.
It’s a heart racing, thrill ride around Europe as Emma and her colleagues attempt to stop the plot disrupt the G7 summit and assassinate any number of dignitaries and politicians. With Emma’s defences down, has this case got too far under her skin?
This series continues to be a cracker and I really enjoyed this latest installment of Emma’s adventures. I like how she’s become more interesting and also less willing to just blindly follow orders when she thinks something isn’t right. Seeing her develop new relationships and work better with others was enjoyable too. Can’t wait for the next 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.
Preorder the intense action thriller from million copy bestseller Rob Sinclair
Rule number one for an agent of the secretive JIA is to follow orders, no matter what.
But James Ryker has never cared much for rules. He only wants to do what is right. Assigned to join a crew of elite security personnel in Chabon, Africa, Ryker’s mission objective is clouded by politics and obfuscation, and he knows only that to protect British interests in the region, he is to infiltrate the close protection team of the government of Chabon, a country with a dark and violent past.
Arriving in Chabon’s crumbling capital, Kilpassa, Ryker finds a country on the brink of civil war. A growing civilian rebellion threatens peace, with claims of atrocities committed by both sides, including the frail government run by enigmatic President Benyu – a former military general who took control of the country in a violent coup.
Drawn into Benyu’s inner circle, it soon becomes clear to Ryker that in Chabon, the lines between good and bad, and right and wrong, are nearly impossible to identify.With a crisis of epic proportions unfolding before his eyes, Ryker knows one thing for sure: with or without the backing of his superiors, he must take drastic action, and quickly, or risk putting millions of innocent lives in danger.
Rob Sinclair is the million copy bestseller of over twenty thrillers, including the James Ryker series. Rob previously studied Biochemistry at Nottingham University. He also worked for a global accounting firm for 13 years, specialising in global fraud investigations.
My thoughts: James Ryker has returned to the JIA and been sent to a troubled African country, posing as a personal protection agent for the president. But he’s not been told everything and as the danger increases and he becomes more involved in the increasingly unstable situation, he loses patience with his boss – Winter, who has turned up in person.
The Russians seem to be involved in something called Project Mars, and the leading opponent to President Benyu has been abducted. Ryker has to unravel the complicated mess he’s in and get out alive.
Another action-packed adventure that sees Ryker into near death danger and yet, like other super sleuths (James Bond, for example) somehow out of it again.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Preorder the intense action thriller from million copy bestseller Rob Sinclair
I need your help. Call me.
Ex-intelligence agent James Ryker receives a coded message through a secret drop point, a means of communication known only to him and one other person. The problem is, that other person is his ex-boss, Mackie… and he’s already dead. But the cry for help is real, and it’s a request Ryker can’t refuse.
Travelling to New York alone and without official sanction, Ryker has a single goal in mind, yet even he couldn’t have bargained for the violent world he’s soon embroiled in. Caught in the middle of a spiralling chaos with the FBI on one side, and two warring underworld bosses on the other, Ryker must put all of his skills to the test in order to come out on top, and keep his word. In a world full of lies and deceit, loyalty is everything, and it’s time for James Ryker to pay his dues.A fast-paced thriller filled with twists, turns, and intrigue that will grip fans of Mark Dawson and the Jason Bourne novels.
Rob Sinclair is the million copy bestseller of over twenty thrillers, including the James Ryker series.
Rob previously studied Biochemistry at Nottingham University. He also worked for a global accounting firm for 13 years, specialising in global fraud investigations.
My thoughts: Asked by the dying wife of his former mentor to help their son, former agent James Ryker (not his real name) heads across the pond to track down the absent man. His girlfriend’s father is a gangster, drug dealer, and all round bad guy and now Ryker has to rescue Campbell from his future father-in-law, before the feud between Green and Irish criminal Doughty takes him down with them.
Unfortunately the FBI don’t see things the same way, and Ryker is happy to share intelligence but wants to do things his own way. Agent Chen doesn’t agree.
It’s an action packed, as Ryker races back and forth across New York trying to take down the criminals and keep his old friend’s son safe.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Sixteen-year-old Frieder’s plans for the summer are shattered when he fails two subjects. In order to move up to the next school year in the Autumn, he must resit his exams. So, instead of going on holiday with his family, he now faces the daunting and boring prospect of staying at his grandparents’ house, studying with his strict and formal step-grandfather.
On the bright side, he’ll spend time with his grandmother Nana, his sister Alma and his best friend Johann. And he meets Beate, the girl in the beautiful green swimsuit…
The next few weeks will bring friendship, fear and first love – one grand summer that will change and shape his entire life.
Heartbreaking, poignant and warmly funny, One Grand Summer is an unforgettable, tender novel that captures those exquisite and painful moments that make us who we are.
Ewald Arenz, born in Nürnberg in 1965, studied English and American literature and history. He is a teacher at a secondary school in Nürnberg. His novels and plays have received many awards. Ewald lives near Fürth with his family.
My thoughts: Everything feels so much more when you’re young, for Freidrich, having to spend the summer with his grandparents and resit two exams in order to pass the school year seems like a terrible punishment. But instead he gets to know his grandparents better – his stern Grandfather turns out to be more interesting and funny than he thought and his Nana is a talented artist and shares the story of her life, fleeing to West Germany with her two children and mother, then meeting Grandfather.
He also spends time learning to dive, with his friend Johann, sister Alma, and first love Beate. They might go very far, mostly hanging around their home town, but the four form a bond. When tragedy strikes one of them, the other three rally to support them as they struggle.
It’s a bittersweet and evocative read, summoning up all the feelings and intensity of youth. Beautifully written and translated, it captures a summer that will stay with Freider his whole life.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
It is the year 1715, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost amongst the squalor of London’s hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the outrageous underworld of the molly houses.
Meanwhile, carpenter Gabriel Griffin struggles to hide his double life as Lotty, the molly’s stoic guard. When a young man is found murdered, he realises there is a rat amongst them, betraying their secrets to a pair of murderous Justices.
Can Gabriel unmask the traitor before they hang? Can he save hapless Thomas from peril, and their own forbidden love?
Set amidst the buried streets of Georgian London, The Betrayal of Thomas True is a brutal and devastating thriller, where love must overcome evil, and the only true sin is betrayal…
A.J. West’s bestselling debut novel The Spirit Engineer won the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown Award, gaining international praise for its telling of a long-forgotten true story. His second novel, The Betrayal of Thomas True, is published July 2024.
An award winning BBC newsreader and reporter, he has written for national newspapers and regularly appears on network television discussing his writing and the historical context of contemporary events.
A passionate historical researcher, he writes at The London Library and museum archives around the world.
My thoughts: set in the world of molly houses, secretive clubs where gay and bisexual men gathered when homosexuality was illegal and men could be hung for the crime of sodomy, The Betrayal of Thomas True relates in slightly Dickensian ways, the story of young Thomas True, who runs away to London from Highgate (then a village outside of London) to stay with his relatives, a macabre uncle and aunt and cousin Abigail, his pen pal. They run a chandlery – making candles, and Thomas asks to apprentice rather than return to his parents.
He meets The community of “mollies” that gather at Mother Clap’s, discovering his place and his true desires there. Unfortunately the men who congregate there are under threat and with a Rat passing their names to the authorities and their friends being killed.
There’s a playfulness to the language – and certainly in the nicknames the mollies use for themselves in their community, as well as in the characters’ daytime names. As Gabriel and Thomas hunt for this Rat, as their friends are arrested and prosecuted, executed and murdered, and as the two fall in love; they see horrors, confront assassins and venture into Bedlam to rescue one of their number.
Georgian London’s dank underworld, it’s sinister demi monde is explored in fascinating and intelligent detail. Despite the darkness of Thomas’ London life, there is some brightness and colour in his misadventures. I found the book thoroughly enjoyable and was sad to reach its end.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
It is 1191 and King Richard the Lionheart is on crusade to pitch battle against Saladin and liberate the city of Jerusalem and her lands. His mother, the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine and his promised bride, Princess Berengaria of Navarre, make a perilous journey over the Alps in midwinter. They are to rendezvous with Richard in the Sicilian port of Messina.
There are hazards along the way – vicious assassins, marauding pirates, violent storms, and a shipwreck. Berengaria is as feisty as her foes and, surviving it all, she and Richard marry in Cyprus. England needs an heir. But first, Richard and his Queen must return home . . .
The Lost Queen is a thrilling medieval story of high adventure, survival, friendship and the enduring love of a Queen for her King.
Acclaim for Carol McGrath’s ROSE trilogy: ‘Powerful, gripping and beautifully told’ KATE FURNIVALL on The Silken Rose
‘A tour de force of gripping writing, rich historical detail and complex, fascinating characters’ NICOLA CORNICK on The Stone Rose
‘A beautifully narrated novel’ K J MAITLAND on The Damask Rose
Following a first degree in English and History, Carol McGrath completed an MA in Creative Writing from The Seamus Heaney Centre, Queens University Belfast, followed by an MPhil in English from University of London.
The Handfasted Wife, first in a trilogy about the royal women of 1066 was shortlisted for the RoNAS in 2014. The Swan-Daughter and The Betrothed Sister complete this highly acclaimed trilogy.
Mistress Cromwell, a best-selling historical novel about Elizabeth Cromwell, wife of Henry VIII’s statesman, Thomas Cromwell, was republished by Headline in 2020.
The Silken Rose, first in a medieval She-Wolf Queens Trilogy, featuring Ailenor of Provence, saw publication in April 2020. This was followed by The Damask Rose. The Stone Rose was published April 2022.
Carol is writing Historical non-fiction as well as fiction. Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England was published in February 2022. The Stolen Crown 2023 and The Lost Queen will be published 18th July 2022. Carol lives in Oxfordshire, England and in Greece.
My thoughts: I don’t know a lot about Queen Berengaria, wife of Richard the Lionheart, she’s been relegated to a footnote in history books. Married overseas and rarely together, they had no heir and she didn’t come to England during Richard’s reign – to be fair he wasn’t exactly here much, leaving ruling to his mother Dowager Queen Eleanor (of Aquitaine).
The Berengaria in this book is strong willed, intelligent and brave. Travelling across Europe from her family’s kingdom of Navarre (now part of Spain) to Cyprus and on to the Holy Lands, where Richard was once again on campaign in the Crusades, attempting to wrest Jerusalem from the grasp of the Muslim Sultan, Saladin.
This was really enjoyable to read, Carol McGrath is one of the historical fiction writers who really knows how to bring history and its people to life. Berengaria and her women, sister-in-law Queen Joanna and the fictional Lady Avelina (created to narrate their adventures and offer a different viewpoint) live in Palestine as the two armies seize and cede territory, exchange hostages and thrash out terms.
They brave pirates and squabbling rulers to travel to France, to Richard’s holdings in Acquitaine, given to him by his mother. Where Berengaria will live out her days after Richard dies during another battle, this time against his old enemy, the king of France.
She lived a long life, and while she never married again, and never sat on the English throne, she deserves her place in the annals of history, not consigned to a footnote.
*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 