Set in the beating heart of the 1960s fashion scene, Piece Of My Heart is the brilliant new novel by the supermodel who lived through it all, Penelope Tree.
Fame. Money. Beauty. Sex. Love. Ari wants them all. But at what cost?
Trapped between the suffocation of English boarding school and a chaotic home-life dominated by her eccentric, aristocratic mother, Ari longs for a different kind of life – one lived in the glamour of Swinging ’60s London, with its pop stars and fashion icons. When she is discovered at sixteen by star photographer Bill Ramsey, she gets her chance.
Suddenly, Ari’s life is transformed into a dizzying whirlwind of drugs, photoshoots, and parties, all with Ramsey by her side. The couple are the darlings of the media. But in the fickle world of fashion nothing lasts forever, and Ari’s addiction, her eating disorder, and her increasingly dysfunctional relationship with Ramsey send her life spinning out of control.
A Vogue cover shoot in Nepal offers Ari a make-or-break chance – not just to revive her ailing career, but to win back Ramsey’s love. And yet, in the captivating surroundings Ari finds herself wondering how much more of herself she must lose to keep the things she always thought she wanted.
Penelope Tree was born in New York City in 1949 and educated in the US. Her British father had been an MP for Market Harborough between 1932-1945 and her American mother had been US Ambassador for Human Rights under President Kennedy.
At the age of sixteen, Penelope was spotted at Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball by the photographer Richard Avedon. Together with the legendary Diana Vreeland, they launched her modelling career in the pages of American Vogue. She went on to become a top model and worked with many of the great photographers of the era.
At eighteen, Penelope dropped out of Sarah Lawrence College and moved to London to live with David Bailey, the British photographer, twelve years her senior. They worked and travelled together extensively until the fallout from their tumultuous relationship resulted in late-onset acne that effectively ended Penelope’s modelling career. They parted in 1973.
Several years of depression and soul searching followed. Then in 1977 she met Ricky Fataar the South African musician and lived with him in Los Angeles where their daughter Paloma was born. In 1981 they moved to Sydney Australia during which time Penelope worked as a researcher for a television series, and the environmental charity, Planet Ark. She became a Buddhist student and served on the Australia Tibet Council. Her son Michael was born in 1989.
In 1998, Penelope and her family relocated back to London. She has served on the board of Lotus Outreach International since 2003 and has been the UK representative of the Khyentse Foundation for many years. She has written articles for American and British Vogue, for the Financial Times and for Harpers Queen.
My thoughts: written by a former model, the beautiful and striking Penelope Tree and inspired by her life and experiences in the 60s and 70s, this is a fascinating and enjoyable read.
I loved Ari, daughter of a politician and a writer, she grows up in aristocratic comfort before being sent to boarding school, where she meets her lifelong best friend Sunny. After they get expelled for truanting to go to Top of the Pops, both girls run away to London in the Swinging Sixties.
Sunny wants to be a singer and Ari gets offered modelling jobs – both succeeding in their careers. But Ari’s personal life is more complicated – estranged from her family because of her choices, and in a relationship with a much older photographer who takes over her career too.
After a trip to Nepal to shoot for American Vogue, Ari’s life spirals, she becomes ill and starts taking too many drugs. Her relationship is cracking and she’s not booking any jobs. Maybe modelling isn’t her future anymore.
I felt for Ari, her parents’ attitudes were from another era – and their marriage has its own issues. Her childhood was very Victorian in many ways with a Nanny and a governess and very isolated. She’s very naive and vulnerable, an all girls boarding school doesn’t give her much preparation for the adult world she’s plunged into.
The book mirrors parts of the author’s own life and I wondered how much of Ari was also Penelope, but they are also distinct. The sections in Nepal, both her first life changing trip and her later return to write about her travel experiences and her immersion in Buddhism, are fascinating and probably the strongest parts of the book, Ari seems to really come into her own as she meets the lama and experiences the deep faith and spirituality of his followers.
I really enjoyed reading this and seeing Ari grow and develop through her highs and lows, the wonderful and the tragic moments – I cried with her over her beloved dogs. The author is a talented writer and I hope to see more from her.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for reviewing this book, but all opinions are my own.
Welcome to the beautiful English village of Inkbury. Tucked deep in the North Wessex Downs, its only claim to fame is the picturesque riverside that once appeared in a Richard Curtis movie. That is, until the murder…
Former stand-up comic Juno Mulligan has been suffering a serious sense-of-humour failure. Not only has she lost the love of her life, but she’s having to relocate to the (admittedly idyllic) village of Inkbury to watch out for her elderly mother, who she’s genuinely worried might be marrying a wife-killer.
She hopes that her old friend, disgraced-journalist-turned-novelist Phoebe Fredericks can help her crack the case of whether her mother’s perma-tanned, iceberg-smiled, three-times-a-widower fiancé is hiding a murderous past.
But before they have a chance, the local art dealer washes up distinctly dead in the village’s famous river. His lover is in the frame, but Juno and Phoebe suspect that there is a deeper secret… One that relates to Phoebe’s own past and Juno’s present.
Will the unofficial Village Detective Agency solve the mystery before the killer strikes again? In sleepy Inkbury, as they soon discover, living one’s best midlife can be murder.
Fiona Walker is the million copy bestselling author of joyously funny romantic comedies. Most recently published by Head of Zeus, she will be turning to cosy crime for Boldwood. The first in her new Village Detectives series, The Art of Murder, will be published in May 2024.
My thoughts: this was a really fun read, I loved Phoebe and Juno, and obviously Mil the waiter with his motorbike and crazy fake deaths.
When local art dealer Si drops dead and falls into the river outside Mil’s pub, Juno decides the friends should investigate his death, having the local insight and being the ones who found the body.
Is it his partner in business and life, Oliver? His mother, as suggested by one of his sisters, a professional rival or is it someone from his past?
As they investigate, asking questions and looking into who Si was, Phoebe is trying to finish her next book, and Juno is convinced her mother’s boyfriend is a serial killer – all three of his previous wives died in strange circumstances and he might be after her mum’s money as she’s suddenly selling the family home and moving into a retirement community.
They’re all a little eccentric and I just really enjoyed reading the book, which hopefully bodes well for the rest of this series – murder in an English village is a subgenre I particularly like reading (although I can’t stand the phrase “cosy crime”) and with these characters, it will be lots of fun.
*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 paper is stiff and brittle with age as Kate unfolds it with trembling hands. She gasps at the pencil sketch of a rippling waterway, lined by tall buildings, curving towards the dome of a cathedral. She feels a connection deep in her heart. Venice.
England, 1941. When Kate Arden discovers a secret stash of drawings hidden in the pages of an old volume of poetry given to her as a baby, her breath catches. All her life, she has felt like an outsider in her aristocratic adoptive family, who refuse to answer any questions about her past. But the drawings spark a forgotten memory: a long journey by boat… warm arms that held her tight, and then let go. Could these pictures unlock the secret of who she is? Why her mother left her?
With war raging around the continent, she will brave everything to find out…
A gripping, emotional historical novel of love and art that will captivate fans of The Venice Sketchbook, The Woman on the Bridge and The Nightingale.
Juliet Greenwood is a historical novelist published by Storm Publishing. Her previous novel, The Last Train from Paris, was published to rave reviews and reached the top 100 kindle chart in the USA. She has long been inspired by the histories of the women in her family, and in particular with how strong-minded and independent women have overcome the limitations imposed on them by the constraints of their time, and the way generations of women hold families and communities together in times of crisis, including during WW2.
After graduating in English from Lancaster University and Kings College, London, Juliet worked on a variety of jobs to support her ambition to be a full-time writer. These ranged from running a craft stall at Covent Garden to running a small charity working with disadvantaged children, and collecting oral histories of traditional villages before they are lost forever. She finally achieved her dream of becoming a published author following a debilitating viral illness, with her first novel being a finalist for The People’s Book Prize and her first two novels reaching #4 and #5 in the UK Kindle store.
Juliet now lives in a traditional quarryman’s cottage in Snowdonia, North Wales, set between the mountains and the sea, with an overgrown garden (good for insects!) and a surprisingly successful grapevine. She can be found dog walking in all weathers working on the plot for her next novel, camera to hand.
My thoughts: I’m not a huge fan of WW2 set fiction but this is more about Kate Arden’s family secrets and her attempts to pair her memories and the images she finds hidden in a copy of Shakespeare’s sonnets with her reality. She’s always felt like a bit of an outsider in her family – the people she calls Mama and Papa aren’t actually her biological parents.
As war rages across Europe, Kate is sent to Cornwall with a group of refugees. They’re housed in a big house outside of St Ives, formerly an artists retreat. It’s there she finds another link to her own past. The path will lead her to Italy, to Sorrento and Venice, and to the truth about her parents.
In Venice, Sofia is regretting returning to her home city, Italy is under the sway of Il Duce – Mussolini, and then the Nazis, but it is her personal history that’s taking a toll on her. In amongst her mother’s papers she finds documents that cast a new light on what happened to her and to her daughter years before.
As the two women’s stories weave together, a terrible wrong is about to be righted, a family will be reunited and old wounds will be healed. Moving and fascinating, this was a good and interesting 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.
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A chilling historical mystery set against the gothic backdrop of Victorian London, The Small Museum won the Caledonia Novel Award in 2023 and is inspired by the extraordinary treasure trove of curiosities that is the Hunterian Museum in London.
London, 1873. Madeleine Brewster’s marriage to Dr Lucius Everley was meant to be the solution to her family’s sullied reputation. After all, Lucius is a well-respected collector of natural curiosities, his ‘Small Museum’ of bones and things in jars is his pride and joy, although kept under lock and key. His sister Grace’s philanthropic work with fallen women is also highly laudable. However, Maddie is confused by and excluded from what happens in what is meant to be her new home.
Maddie’s skill at drawing promises a role for her though when Lucius agrees to let her help him in making a breakthrough in evolutionary science, a discovery of the first ‘fish with feet’. But the more Maddie learns about both Lucius and Grace, the more she suspects that unimaginable horrors lie behind their polished reputations. Framed for a crime that would take her to the gallows and leave the Everleys unencumbered, Maddie’s only hope is her friend Caroline Fairly. But will she be able to put the pieces together before the trial reaches its fatal conclusion?
JODY COOKSLEY studied literature at Oxford Brookes University and has a Masters in Victorian Poetry. Her debut novel The Glass House was a fictional account of the life of nineteenth-century photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron. The Small Museum, Jody’s third novel, won the 2023 Caledonia Novel Award. Jody is originally from Norwich and now lives in Cranleigh, Surrey.
My thoughts: I felt for Madeleine (and not just because we share a first name), she meets her husband just once before marrying him – all arranged by her parents to improve their reputation. Unfortunately for them, what unfolds will obliterate the reputations of everyone it touches.
Lucius Everley is a strange, cold man, he offers nothing to his new wife, his house is still run as though his father is still alive – Maddie is given no power, she can’t even ask the scary cook/housekeeper Mrs Barker to add tea to the shopping list. Lucius’ overbearing and unpleasant sister Grace is always there, dominating things despite having her own home and three children.
After the housemaid Annie sees something that scares her in Lucius’ study and is hustled off to an asylum, things get darker. Lucius is a surgeon but he is also obsessed with finding the link between fish and mammals – a primordial ancestor with fins and limbs. The fossil hunting craze is at its height and the Jurassic Coast of Dorset is where Lucius claims he will find his proof.
In a second timeline Maddie is on trial for murdering her child. She won’t speak and the evidence seems stacked against her, there seems to be no one prepared to speak in her defence. Except her only friend Caroline Fairly, who knows Maddie couldn’t have done this.
The Everlys preside over a house of fallen women – claiming it is a charitable endeavour, but there’s a lot of darkness there too, which Maddie investigates as she tries to piece together whatever her horrible husband and his vicious sister are up to.
This is a creepy, sinister read, Maddie is sympathetic and smart – smarter than people think she is. Trauma means she doesn’t want to speak in court, she can’t believe it’s come to this. Caro is a loyal and kind friend, her husband is a psychiatrist, but not allowed to speak to Maddie – who will either hang or end up in an asylum.
I really enjoyed reading this, I love a dose of Gothic and the Victorian obsessions with evolution, fossil collecting and oddities – things that people collected or that were displayed in sideshows – even chimeras (completely man made) are all things I find fascinating.
*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 mega-rich Pallanders are used to luxury – a castle in the Scottish Highlands, a villa in Tuscany, a billion-dollar fortune and an island in the Caribbean – but their perfect life is about to be shattered.
Every father has a favourite.
Sebastian Pallander dies, leaving a pitiful amount of money to his wife and children. His family fight over the scraps as old rivalries and bitter jealousies come to the surface. And when Pallander’s son is killed in mysterious circumstances, everyone suspects foul play.
Every killer has a motive.
After a desperate race for survival, the relatives gather at their estate to weather the storm. They all begin to wonder: who will be next? Where has all their money gone? And will any of them get what they truly deserve?
Denzil Meyrick is from Campbeltown on the Kintyre Peninsula in Argyll. After studying politics, he enjoyed a varied career as a police officer, distillery manager, and director of several companies. He is the No.1 bestselling author of the DCI Daley series and is now an executive producer of a major TV adaptation of his books.
Denzil lives on Loch Lomondside in Scotland with his wife Fiona and cats. You can find him on Twitter @Lochlomonden, Facebook @DenzilMeyrickAuthor, or on his website: www.denzilmeyrick.com
My thoughts: ‘The family – that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to.’ (Dodie Smith)
That quote ran through my brain as I read about the quite frankly spoilt and pretty awful Pallander family. After the patriarch drops dead live on TV, his family gather to hear his will. Which definitely isn’t what they expected.
Police Scotland’s Secession, Inheritance and Executory Department (SIE), which specialises in crimes relating to inheritance, led by DI Cara Salt, is on hand when things take a nasty turn – one Pallander killed, another missing and a third almost kidnapped. Someone is targeting the family, and as they unite in the family home, they and the police are determined to find out what’s really going on.
Clever, full of twists and turns, with a whole houseful of untrustworthy protagonists with motives, corruption and links to dubious oligarchs, there’s a lot to unpack but it’s so well done and the rot goes all the way to the top. Great stuff.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
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.
ramblingmads 