A severed hand is found washed up on a beach next to the Queen’s estate at Sandringham.
Elizabeth has become quite accustomed to solving even the most complex of murders. And though she quickly identifies the 70-year-old victim, Edward St Cyr, from his signet ring, the search for his killer is not so straightforward.
St Cyr led an unconventional, often controversial life, making many enemies along the way in the quiet, rural world of North Norfolk, where everyone knows each other’s business.
But when a second man is found dead, and a prominent local woman is nearly killed in a hit-and-run, the mystery takes an even darker turn.
With the Christmas break coming to an end, the Queen and her trusted assistant Rozie must race to discover how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Or the next victim may be found even closer to home.
The third book (which can be read as a stand-alone), in the delightfully clever mystery series following the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2016 as she secretly solves crimes alongside her royal duties.
My thoughts; this series is just so much fun. The Queen (RIP Your Maj) is at Sandringham for Christmas with various members of the Royal family and staff. Including Rozie, her assistant secretary, and the person she entrusts with secret errands and investigations.
A hand has been found up the Norfolk coast, that belongs to the son of one of the Queen’s late friends and neighbours. Scandal and skulduggery in deepest North Norfolk. But Her Majesty has good instincts for these things and sends Rozie off to look into it, while making a few discreet enquiries herself. As one does when one is the monarch.
Accompanied by her corgis and occasionally Lady Caroline (her lady-in-waiting), the Queen visits some old friends, keeps Prince Philip updated and even has time for some fun with her great-grandchildren, as well as visiting her various animals on the estate.
This would make a great present next month for anyone who was fond of our late Queen and enjoys a fun and funny story. The author writes the Royals sympathetically and with warmth, but not overly sentimental, making them seem a bit more human than the press sometimes does. I like this version of the Queen and Rozie too.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Daughters of Teutobod is a story of love triumphing over hate, of persistence in the face of domination, and of the strength of women in the face of adversity.
Gudrun is the stolen wife of Teutobod, the leader of the Teutons in Gaul in 102 BCE. Her story culminates in a historic battle with the Roman army.
Susanna is a German American farm wife in Pennsylvania whose husband, Karl, has strong affinity for the Nazi party in Germany. Susanna’s story revolves around raising her three daughters and one son as World War II unfolds.
Finally, Gretel is the infant child of Susanna, now seventy-nine years old and a professor of women’s studies, a US senator and Nobel laureate for her World Women’s Initiative. She is heading to France to represent the United States at the seventy-fifth anniversary of the liberation of southern France, at the commemoration site where her older brother, who was killed in action nearby, is buried. The site is very near the location where the Romans defeated the Teutons.
Kurt Hansen is from Racine, Wisconsin, and has lived in Kansas, Texas, and Iowa. He has experience in mental health and family systems as well as in parish ministry and administration. He holds degrees in psychology, social work and divinity. Kurt now lives in Dubuque, Iowa with his wife of 44 years, Dr. Susan Hansen, a professor emerita of international business. Kurt is the author of Gathered (2019). Daughters of Teutobod is his second novel.
Online searches for everything about the Teutons to pre-war Pennsylvania and the earliest training of American Rangers, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and modern-day sites in Paris and Southern France.
Which was the hardest character to write? The easiest?
Hardest? Ada.
Easiest? Gretel.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
From reading, from people, and from the news.
What advice would you give budding writers?
Read widely. Attend a well-established writer’s conference.
Do you have another profession besides writing?
Retired pastor.
How long have you been writing?
After heart disease forced early retirement, I began attending the Iowa Summer Writer’s Festival in 2014. I began writing poetry, but soon began writing novels.
What is your next project?
A book entitled Chameleon, about a man in treatment for Borderline personality disorder.
What genre do you write and why?
I write character driven stories and historical fiction because those are what interest me.
What is the last great book you’ve read?
Chances Are by Richard Russo
What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
A reader wrote that my book connected with her on an emotional level, bringing her to tears at times.
If your book were made into a movie, who would star in the leading roles?
The only one I’ve had an instant intuition for is the elder Gretel, who would surely be portrayed nicely by Meryl Streep.
If your book were made into a movie, what songs would be on the soundtrack?
Not sure, but during closing credits, I could suggest Respect by Aretha Franklin.
What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing your book?
Greatest reward is the coming together of the various story elements. Greatest challenge is slogging through the research and persisting through the dialogues.
In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like?
It was painful and frustrating.
What is one piece of advice you would give to an aspiring author?
Be open to criticism. Write about what you know.
Which authors inspired you to write?
Philip Roth, Harper Lee, Richard Russo, Flannery O’Connor, Charles Dickens, Michael Crighton, Dan Brown, Kurt Vonnegut, Amy Hassinger
On rituals:
Where do you write?
Either in my office at home or in a coffee shop.
Do you write every day?
No. But I’ve heard many authors say that I should.
What is your writing schedule?
It tends to be manicky. I may go weeks without writing anything, and then a sudden spurt of energy possesses me and I write furiously for days.
In today’s tech savvy world, most writers use a computer or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper?
Only notes.
Fun stuff:
Favorite travel spot?
Toledo, Spain.
Favorite dessert?
Sour cream raisin pie
If you were stuck on a deserted island, which 3 books would you want with you?
To Kill a Mockingbird, A Tale of Two Cities, and the Bible.
Any hobbies? or Name a quirky thing you like to do.
I collect rock-n-roll memorabilia. Signed record albums and photos and so forth.
If there is one thing you want readers to remember about you, what would it be?
That I care about relationships and helping people.
What TV series are you currently binge watching?
Silent Witness and Cheers
What is your theme song?
“You’ve Got a Friend” by James Taylor
What is your go-to breakfast item?
Low-carb wraps
Tell us about your longest friendship.
I’ve been going on an annual retreat with six colleagues for over thirty years.
Chapter One
The smoke of the grist fires rose incessantly, grey black against the cloudy blue sky as the day meandered toward its middle hours. It was the season of harvest, and those konas who were able were out among the plantings, gleaning grain or digging turnips, carrots, or beets out of the black, loamy soil. Some ground grain into flour and some baked bread, while others tended the fires and the fleshpots. Still others were about the business of tanning hides, mostly of deer, raccoons, rabbits, or fox, occasionally from a bear. The smells of death intermingled with the breathing life and beating heart of the sveit.
Gudrun liked this time of day best. She grabbed another handful of golden wheatstalks, slicing off the grain heads with a strong whisking motion and dropping the grain into her tightly woven flaxen gathering bag. She paused for a moment, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. The sun was bright today, making the air steamy. Gudrun looked out across the hills, down the valley, past the wooded glades where she could see dozens of other kǫngulls like her own, and she knew there were even more beyond the reach of her eyes. Most of the kǫngulls contained about 100 persons, but some had more. As she fixed her gaze closer, to the kǫngull where she lived, she could see the jungen, chasing one another, some wielding sticks or branches, others seeking to escape the assaults of their aggressors. The jungmädchen were variously helping their mothers with cooking or cleaning vegetables or sewing hides; the kinder simply hid in corners or clung to their mothers’ legs.
Several hours passed, and now the sun was receding, thankfully, because its blazing, yellow glare kept breaking through the billowing clouds all day, intensifying the laborers’ fatigue. Gudrun emptied her grain bag into the large, woven basket at the edge of the planting. The basket was filled to the brim, and as she plunged both hands into the basket, letting the harvested grain sift between her fingers, a smile of satisfaction softened her face. Filling up her basket all the way to the top was for her, a measure of the goodness of the day. She hoisted the heavy basket, glad for the leather strap she had fashioned to carry it. Before she designed the strap, two women were needed to carry the woven baskets—one on either side—especially when full. But Gudrun decided to cut a long strip from the edge of a tanned deer hide and, with a sharp bone needle she affixed the strap to her basket, allowing her to shoulder the entire weight by herself.
When she first showed her invention, one of the men—Torolf—chastised her for taking the piece of deer hide. He pushed her to the ground and threatened worse, but Teutobod intervened, bashing Torolf on the head with his club and sending him reeling. Teutobod, Gudrun’s mann, was the undisputed leader of their sveit, and he had been their leader long before he took her for his wife, ever since the sveit’s earliest days in Jutland. He ordered that all the grain baskets be fashioned with straps for carrying, and Gudrun won the admiration of all the konas (and even some men). Torolf avoided her from then on.
As evening approached, it was time to prepare for the return of the männer. Most hunting excursions were a one-day affair, bringing in meat for perhaps a few days at best. But as the harvest season proceeded, the männer would leave for days at a time, seeking to increase supplies for the long winter to come. This foray had lasted nearly a week, but Gudrun was told by Teutobod to expect their return before seven suns had passed, and she shared this information with the some of the other konas. By now all the kongulls were preparing for the männer coming home.
As the sun began to set, the konas started pulling out skins from their bærs, unfolding them and laying them on the ground about the fire pits. The flesh pots were stirred and stoked, and a hearty stew was prepared with deer meats, mushrooms, yellow beans, potatoes, turnips and carrots, seasoned with salt and fennel and black peppercorns. Flasks of beer that had been cooling in the stream all day were brought to each firepit and hung on a stake which had been plunged in the ground for that purpose. Various dinner ware made from carved bone or fashioned out of wood or clay were laid out. All was in readiness.
An aura of anticipation and anxiety tumbled around the kǫngull, shortening tempers as the waiting lengthened. Finally, about an hour after the sun had fully set, the sound of the ram’s horn distantly blasted out its announcement: Die männer komme! The jungen were hustled away to the kinderbærs. One never knew the mood that might accompany the hunters when they returned, and things could and often did get ugly. The konas sat or knelt respectfully beside the firepits, twitching, nervously swatting insects away from the food, inhaling excitement and breathing out fear.
Soon the rustling of leaves and the snap of twigs underfoot grew louder and closer until the shadows brought forth the whole troop of men, bustling in to the kǫngull, carrying or dragging the meat they had procured, pounding their chests, howling, pulling on their scraggly hair or beards, banging the ground with clubs or spears and smelling of the hunt and of the forest. Similar sounds of triumph and dominion could be heard resonating throughout all the kǫngulls below as the männer clamored in across the entire sveit.
Here in Gudrun’s kǫngull, the konas kept their gaze to the ground, their eyes fixed on the fire, and as the hunters’ swagger slowly abated, one by one the konas silently lifted their plates above their heads, each looking up to her mann as they all found their respective places. Once the providers were all reclining on skins beside the firepits, the konas stood and began to prepare plates of food for them. The men ate loudly, hungrily, slurping the stew from the lips of the bowls and using hunks of bread to grasp chunks of meat and vegetables.
The food having been consumed, skinflasks of beer soon followed, and before long the sated belches and grunts of the eaters gave way to boisterous banter, the proud providers reliving the thrill of killing a stag or the bravery of facing a bear. The konas scraped up the leftovers to take to the huts for themselves and the children, after which the cleanup tasks commenced. The women worked in groups of three or four, tending two large boiling pots to soak the dinnerware until all remnants of the food floated up to the top and were skimmed off. A little more soaking, then all the dinnerware was stacked and stored for the next use. Gudrun, along with two other konas, took the job of drying the cleaned dishes, swinging a dish in each hand to move the air. They playfully swung the wet plates or cups at one another, spritzing each other in the process and giggling like little meyas.
This being the end of a prolonged hunting venture, the children were tucked in early in the kinderhäusen, and the konas prepared to receive their husbands. For those unlucky enough to have brutish men, their wifely duties were not at all pleasant. Others were more fortunate. Gudrun was happy to be among the latter, hoping only that the beer ran out before Teutobod’s love lust. She retreated to the bær she shared with her husband, glad for the privacy his role as leader provided. This entire kǫngull was comprised of the sveit’s leadership and their skuldaliðs, and as such it claimed luxuries not generally known throughout the sveit by underlings. The leaders camped furthest upstream, and therefore got the cleanest water for drinking, cooking, and bathing. The leaders claimed individual space for themselves and their vifs, while others down below had to share living space with two or three other skuldaliðs.
Gudrun removed her garments and lay nude on the soft deerskins in her bær to prepare herself for her husband. Covering herself with another skin, she began to move her hands over her thighs and abdomen, softly, back and forth, her rough-skinned fingertips adapting to their more delicate uses. She moved a hand upward, swirling around her breasts and throat, teasing each nipple at the edges, holding back from contacting the most delicate flesh.
Her stroking and probing continued, a bit more urgently as she felt her breath rise and grow more heated. The muscles in her abdomen began to pulse, and as her hands found the sensitive spot between her legs, she felt the moisture beginning to flow inside her. When she was young Gudrun had learned from the older konas how to help her husband in this way, to ease his entrance and hasten his joy. Along the way, over the years, she also learned to enjoy herself more in the process. As the instinctive rocking motion in her pelvis began, she eased her manipulations, not wanting to be prematurely excited. Breathlessly, she looked toward the bær’s entrance, hoping Teutobod would hurry.
You never know where researching a book might take you! While researching the WWII portion of Daughters of Teutobod, I learned about the earliest training of the Army Rangers. After gathering at Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland, the group headed off to the highlands of Scotland for intensive combat training, after which they returned to Carrickfergus to await deployment. A fascinating sidenote for me related to the treatment of Black soldiers, many of whom related how wonderfully they were treated by the Irish people. They were welcomed into homes and pubs and treated as equals among their lighter-skinned compatriots. When some of the White soldiers complained to their commanding officers, the officers addressed the “morale” problem by attempting to force local business owners to impose race restrictions on the soldiers they served. The locals would have none of it! They all stood up to the American officers and reminded them they were guests in Ireland, and that they (pub and restaurant owners, mostly) would not be told whom they could serve in their own country!
For me, the experience of the Black soldiers intersects with the experiences of women in history. Being called to serve (for women, in roles such as mother, wife, nurse, schoolteacher, etc., and for Blacks in roles of servant or even soldier) has come with a tacit exclusion from full participation in the world of those they served. The message has been, “be a good little (fill in the blank), but don’t bother the men. You don’t really belong here.”
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
I have something special to share today! You’re going to want to add The Truth About Elves to your Holiday TBR!
The Truth About Elves
Publication Date: October 19, 2022
Genre: Holiday Fiction/ Novella
As a bartender in Las Vegas, Curtis seems to have the dream life. He’s single, lives close to the Strip, and only has to worry about when to pick up the next extra shift. No one knows the truth about what happened ten years ago, and no one knows how he spends three months every year: as a part-time elf for Santa Claus.
When Curtis went to the Arctic Circle the first time, he thought he could escape the unthinkable. Now, the anniversary of the worst day of his life is coming up, and he’s been asked to do the unbelievable. If Curtis wasn’t a man of his word, he would turn his back on the whole thing. But Mr. C. took Curtis in when he had nowhere else to go, and now the boss is calling in a favor—the kind that will make Curtis face the memory of the unimaginable.
If you’ve ever wondered whether holiday magic is real, come find out. Embrace the season and the power of forgiveness along with Curtis as he discovers The Truth About Elves.
You probably don’t know this, but Santa is nothing more than a glorified chauffeur.
Sure, all the books and movies portray him as a jolly guy who spends Christmas Eve going around the world distributing gifts. That description isn’t far off. I mean, Mr. C. definitely has a big heart. He treats all us elves fairly, and even though he works us hard (especially once Thanksgiving hits) he isn’t a slave driver.
Oh, yeah, me. I’m Curtis. An elf. No, I don’t have pointy ears, I’m not three feet tall, and I don’t act like a doofus. I’m right around five-foot-ten and look like your average Joe. Brown hair. Green eyes.
We do have some dwarves—you know, little people with small body trunks and short limbs. They get custom-made counters and work stations. Need a special box to sit on at meal time. No pointy ears though. Not a single one. Or two, I guess; nope. Just people who are…well, little.
The majority of us elves are normal. We have lives back in the rest of the world when we’re not doing our Quarter Force shifts, and there’s definitely variety here. Diversity, the affirmative actioners would call it. People from all over, from all walks of life, from every slice of the social strata.
They came to the Arctic Circle for the same reason I did. Working for Mr. C. became the absolute last resort we had. For me, after the plane went down… Well, let’s just say every door on all of my other relationships had slammed shut.
And, no, we’re not angels in heaven. We’re alive, holding down regular jobs back home on the Continents and using our work for Mr. C. as a way to look at ourselves in the mirror again. Except for the fact that we deliver gifts to all of the people in the entire world in a single night, we’re nothing like what the movies would have you believe.
Like all that stuff about Mr. C. riding in a sleigh with reindeer? Please. Has anyone stopped to think about the fact that a sleigh can’t even support the weight of gifts for every single person in the world? And how are eight reindeer supposed to pull a sleigh that heavy?
Yeah, yeah, I know, the sleigh is magic, the reindeer are magic, and so is Santa Claus. Mr. C. makes the job look like magic, but as for the rest of it? I guess it makes for good box office sales during the holidays.
Mr. C. does go around the world but not in a sleigh. He uses a Concorde. Why do you think they grounded the entire fleet? Mr. C. worked a deal with the FAA and the other aviation organizations across the world. They would let him have the planes, and he would keep their workforce employed.
That part of the deal has worked out pretty well. And Hollywood didn’t get everything completely wrong. Mr. C. does use reindeer. They shuttle supplies between warehouses in the compound.
You didn’t actually think we made all those toys and wrapped everything in one building, did you?
For those assigned to the Final Quarter Force—October to December—we get to see everything come together on the back end of things, but work for Mr. C. goes year-round. Quality control of products, flight maneuver exercises, vetting of wrapping paper vendors, and paperwork. Mounds and mounds of it. The First Quarter Force deals with most of it, and Second Quarter finishes up (although Mr. C. really prefers that First Quarter get it all done.)
When I came on board eight years ago, I started as part of the First Quarter. If I’d had a choice, I would have lobbied to stay with First. But one thing you learn with Mr. C. is that you don’t get many choices. Freedom, yes. Choices, no.
Since starting in niche publishing in 2005, Ekta has written and edited about everything from healthcare to home improvement to Hindi films. She became a freelance editor in 2011 to cement her essential belief that words can change people and the world. A writing contest judge, podcaster, and reviewer, Ekta blogs original fiction, book reviews, and parenting adventures from The Write Edge (http://thewriteedge.wordpress.com). Her holiday novella, The Truth About Elves, released in October 2021 from Atmosphere Press.
Angela Hardwicke is back and this time she’s taking on her toughest mystery yet! Read on for more info about Hot Ash by Russ Colchamiro!
Hot Ash
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Genre: Sci-Fi Mystery
Intergalactic private Angela Hardwicke is Eternity’s most daring spy for hire…
Following the mysterious and ill-timed death of her elderly husband, Camille Engquist was set to inherit the family’s real estate development company. But her stepkids stole it from her first. Or so she claims.
As Hardwicke and her protégé Eric Whistler dive into the world of affordable housing, synthetic concrete, and corporate succession planning, their investigation put them face-to-face with the haves and have-nots, a new form of cocaine, a boundary-pushing neurobiologist, a majestic domed city and a violent conspiracy that stretches farther and deeper than they ever could have imaged. But the most insidious betrayals are sometimes closer to home.
In Hot Ash, Russ Colchamiro’s most action-packed Sci-Fi mystery yet, Angela Hardwicke must grapple with the worst pain of all—that the people we love are the ones we should fear most.
And don’t miss the first two books in the series, Crackle and Fire and Fractured Lives!
Russ Colchamiro is the author of the rollicking space adventure, Crossline, the zany SF/F backpacking comedy series Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza, and is editor of the SF anthology Love, Murder & Mayhem, all with Crazy 8 Press.
Russ lives in New Jersey with his wife, two ninjas, and crazy dog Simon, who may in fact be an alien himself. Russ has also contributed to several other anthologies, including Tales of the Crimson Keep, Pangaea, Altered States of the Union, Camelot 13,TV Gods 2, They Keep Killing Glenn, Thrilling Adventure Yarns, Camelot 13, and Brave New Girls.
Today I am sharing the last book in the Illyria trilogy, Imbalance of Power by Armin Shimerman. If you pre-order now you can save 10% off the purchase price!
Illyria: Imbalance of Power
Expected Publication Date: Winter 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction/ Historical Fantasy
With the threat of further imprisonment held over him, Doctor John Dee must use all his talents to solve the mystery of who on Illyria is shepherding religious insurrectionists bent on overthrowing the Queen. Helped by his acolyte, Will Shakespar, they investigate the court of Count Orsino, their chief suspect.
Together, in this exciting final chapter, Steeped in Elizabethan history, Dee and Shakespar must maneuver through a labyrinth of religious intolerance as they seek to protect Crown and Country.
Their mission brings them in contact with the witty characters of Toby Belch, Malvolio, Feste, and others in a fancifully imagined prequel to “Twelfth Night.”
A uniquely amusing and page-turning mystery novel set in January 2003, the eve of the Iraq War.
On sabbatical at Oxford University, Scottish teacher Judith Fraser is horrified to find a professor dead, a student missing and eccentric housemates who are not as they claim.
Whom can she trust? Is she being followed? And what is the relevance of ancient text fragments appearing from Iraq?
Aided by personable DCI Steadman and spirited Rhodes Scholar, Abbie Goldman, Judith unravels mysteries of locked doors, missing computers, cat’s collars and Reuter’s reports. Traumatized to the hilt by the kidnapping of her medical student daughter Sophie, Judith reappraises what’s important in life, learns not to trust first impressions, and finds power, sex and politics have changed little in three millennia.
Throw in the CIA, Saddam Hussein’s ancient king obsession, a glimpse of an Oxford underbelly and a hint of romance, to find a cross-genre novel for lovers of Helen Fielding, Lucy Foley, Agatha Christie and Dan Brown. Buy a copy
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Anne Pettigrew was a family doctor for 31 years and also has a degree in Medical Anthropology from Oxford. She wrote extensively in the national medical and lay press until retirement when she turned to penning novels about women doctors, discrimination, and crime. She was a Bloody Scotland Crime Fiction Festival 2019 Spotlight Author – ‘one to watch.’ Member of several writers’ groups and multiple short story competition winner, she lives in Ayrshire and enjoys good books, good wine, and good company.
Past novels: Apart from containing crime, Not The Life Imagined and Not The Deaths Imagined follow Dr Beth Slater’s career and challenges from the 1960s to the ‘80s. This latest stand-alone novel, The Carnelian Tree, charts the tribulations of Scots teacher Judith Fraser on sabbatical in Oxford at the time of the Iraq War.
My thoughts: I remember 2003, I was a teenager and the news was full of the threat of war in the Middle East and Bush and Blair’s fear-mongering.
This is set then, and a Stop the War protest even takes place in the later part of the book. It’s very interesting as some of the characters, like Jared, are caught up in things much bigger than them and related to what was happening in Iraq.
Judith is taking a sabbatical and doing an MA in Education – I’ve done an MA and they’re hard work so I appreciate that she has to keep rushing to finish her assignments, despite the murder and then the kidnapping of her daughter. I’m glad mine was less dramatic.
All of the terrible events are linked to some ancient clay tablets, smuggled out of Iraq, and an obsession with ancient kings like Gilgamesh and Nebuchadnezzar. The murdered professor was an expert in ancient history and was writing a new translation of Gilgamesh based on the clay tablets.
The book has lots of twists and turns, some characters turn out to be better than you expect and some very dodgy. I liked DCI Steadman, he was a nice and kind man as well as being an excellent copper. His fledgling romance with Judith was lovely.
I liked Judith and her friends too, Abbie gets really into investigating their suspicious housemate Guy and then starts branching out. If they decide teaching isn’t for them, she and Judith could easily open a PI agency!
Funny, clever and with plenty of strange occurrences, kidnappings, strange postal deliveries and spies, conspiracies and broken hearts to keep us all going. Really great read.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Everything you’ve heard about Wonderland is wrong.
Instead of falling through the looking glass, I’ve entered a cursed world where the tarot deck has come alive, there are impossible creatures that talk, and the high seas are deadly and filled with pirates.
My name’s Soren, and I’m not innocent. But my sister is and I’ll do anything to protect her. When my final con goes wrong and I steal a golden tarot card from a fortune teller that can open portals, I’m whisked away like Alice and the white rabbit, only it’s a spider who beckons me and Tarotland makes Wonderland look like a walk in the park.
I wake up on the ship of the Devil himself who brands me a spy, trading one jail for another. He has a darkness in him that sends shivers down my spine. Still, there’s something about him that piques my curiosity.
All I want is to get back home to my sister, but the only way to do that is to get the Devil to release me, and steal the Ace of Wands, a weapon of great power inside of this world. Unfortunately, it’s being protected by the Empress’s magic, and she wants my head on a platter.
Unless I can steal the Ace of Wands, there’s no escape from this world, and I’ll never see my sister again.
Killian Wolf is a Miami, Florida native who enjoys pirates, rum, and skulls as much as she loves writing about dark magick and sorcerers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cultural Anthropology and Sociology and a Master of Science in Environmental Archaeology and Palaeoeconomy.
Killian writes books about obtaining magickal powers, and stepping into other dimensions. She lives in England with her husband, a tornado of a cat, and the most timid snake you’d ever meet.
When she isn’t writing, you might find her at an Archaeological dig, rock climbing, or sipping on dark spiced rum while working on a painting.
My thoughts: Alice in Wonderland this isn’t. Soren, a streetwise foster kid from the US steals a beautiful tarot card and ends up in another world, one based not on playing cards, but on the tarot. There’s an Empress, a Heirophant, a Devil and a whole lot of Fools. Curses are real and Soren’s on a ship full of cursed pirates on a mission to bring down the Empress.
I found this really enjoyable, I am a huge Alice nerd (seriously) and am fascinated by retellings (at one point I collected them, till I ran out of shelf space!) and this is a really interesting take on Lewis Carroll.
Soren is much more clued in than Alice was (although the age gap and the fact modern teens are much more savvy might have a lot to do with it), and tries to work out what’s going on and how to get back to her sister, rather than just being enchanted by everything. Whether you’re familiar with Alice and her adventures or not, this is a fun fantasy novel.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Escape to the Scottish Highlands with a brand new spring romance from bestselling author, Julie Shackman
*Julie Shackman’s brand new romance The Cottage in the Highlands is exclusively available on First Reads for November*
Determined to overcome a family tragedy, Elle Cassidy decides to reopen her late mother’s ailing newsagent as a stationery shop in the quiet Scottish town of Fir Haven.
But when the arrogant yet handsome crime writer Dexter Grayling almost runs over Elle in his beast of a sports car, the town is thrown into a tailspin – especially when Dexter claims that local resident Linda Carlucci has put a curse on him and he is no longer able to write.
Can Elle put aside her dislike for the self-absorbed writer and help Dexter uncover what is really going on with the Carlucci family? And in the process will Elle realise that there’s a lot more to her beloved Fir Haven than she first thought…
For fans of Donna Ashcroft, Jane Linfoot and Rachael Lucas.
The brand new Christmas romance filled with love and second-chances
Fall in love with the Christmas romance of the year, full of love and second chances!
Lottie Grant loves the festive season so much that she works at the incredibly successful Christmas shop, Christmas Crackers, in her pretty Scottish home town of Craig Brae. But when the shop is sold, her world is turned upside down, leaving her wondering what she will do next.
Just as she’s about to give up hope on finding a new dream job, an offer comes that she can’t refuse, managing a set of luxury wooden cabins… and opening just in time for Christmas!
As she gets to work decorating the cabins, and hanging lights on the fir trees, Lottie can’t believe her luck. That is until the arrival of Blake Dempster, a moody but handsome hiking expert, who threatens to bring down her festive joy. But never one to shy away from a challenge, Lottie is determined to change Blake’s mind about all things festive.
And as the snow falls and the fairy lights sparkle, will work-obsessed Lottie and frozen-hearted Blake make their Christmas wishes come true?
Julie Shackman is a former journalist from Scotland, who has always wanted to write feel-good romance. As well as being an author, Julie also writes verses and captions for greetings card companies.
She admits to having an obsession with stationery and handbags and has an impressive pile of gorgeous To Be Read novels she is wading her way through.
She is married, has two sons and a Romanian rescue puppy, Cooper. A Scottish Country Escape and The Christmas Highland Lodge are Julie’s eighth and nineth novels respectively.
A women-in-horror anthology edited by Lindy Ryan. Foreword by Christina Henry.
Into the Forest features twenty-three new and exclusive stories inspired by the Baba Yaga—the witch of Slavic folklore—written by some of today’s leading women-in-horror. Featured contributors include Bram Stoker Award® winners and nominees Gwendolyn Kiste, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Mercedes M. Yardley, Monique Snyman, Donna Lynch, Lisa Quigley, and R. J. Joseph, among others, as well as New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline West, and an introduction by novelist Christina Henry. The collection also features a poem from Bram Stoker Award® winning poet, Stephanie M. Wytovich, and pieces penned by “freshly hatched” voices of women-in-horror from around the globe
Deep in the dark forest, in a cottage that spins on birds’ legs behind a fence topped with human skulls, lives the Baba Yaga. A guardian of the water of life, she lives with her sisters and takes to the skies in a giant mortar and pestle, creating tempests as she goes. Those who come across the Baba Yaga may find help, or hinderance, or horror.
She is wild, she is woman, she is witch—and these are her tales.
Edited by Lindy Ryan (Under Her Skin), this collection brings together some of today’s leading voices of women-in-horror as they pay tribute to the baba yaga, and go Into the Forest. Each story reflects the wild and temperamental nature of the Baba Yaga, ranging from dark fantasy and folklore to horror as each go deep in the dark forest, and the diverse and inclusive experiences of women as they look to Baba Yaga as their muse.
Lindy Ryan is a bestselling and multi-award-winning author-editor-director with numerous titles in development for film/television adaptation. An award-winning professor, Lindy has published two textbooks on visual data analytics as well as numerous papers and chapters. She also writes seasonal romance as Lindy Miller and is the author of the forthcoming books-to-film Renovate My Heart and The Magic Ingredient. Lindy currently serves as a board member for the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and was named a 2020 Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree. She is an active member and staff volunteer for the Horror Writers Association.
Christina Henry is the best-selling author of the BLACK WINGS series featuring Agent of Death Madeline Black and her popcorn-loving gargoyle Beezle. She enjoys running long distances, reading anything she can get her hands on and watching movies with samurai, zombies and/or subtitles in her spare time. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son.
My thoughts: as a child the only witch I was afraid of was Baba Yaga, all of the fairy tales, myths and legends I read, all of the scary things dwelling in the pages but only an old woman in a house on chicken legs, with a fence made of bones, who travels in a giant pestle and mortar, terrified me.
This excellent collection of poems, short stories and reimaginings reignited the finger of fear that Baba Yaga left in my spine as a child. I can’t pick a favourite piece, they’re all so good. And while all of the authors are women, they’re a diverse crowd and bring their unique styles and backgrounds to these tales. While the Baba Yaga originated in Slavic countries and the most famous version is Russian, she resonates in many cultures and traditions, the old woman whose sometimes young, sometimes one or three, and sometimes she’s you, or me…
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
When Gemma Lamb takes a job at a quirky English girls’ boarding school, she believes she’s found the perfect escape route from her controlling boyfriend – until she discovers the rest of the staff are hiding sinister secrets: ● Hairnet, the eccentric headmistress who doesn’t hold with academic qualifications ● Oriana Bliss, Head of Maths and master of disguise ● Joscelyn Spryke, the suspiciously rugged Head of PE ● Geography teacher Mavis Brook, surreptitiously selling off the library books ● creepy night watchman Max Security, with his network of hidden tunnels Even McPhee, the school cat, is leading a double life. Tucked away in the school’s beautiful private estate in the Cotswolds, can Gemma stay safe and build a new independent future, or will past secrets catch up with her and the rest of the staff? With a little help from her new friends, including some wise pupils, she’s going to give it her best shot… Purchase
When an American stranger turns up claiming to be the rightful owner of the school’s magnificent country estate it could spell trouble for everyone at St Bride’s . . . No one can believe it when the headmistress, Hairnet, instantly accepts the stranger’s claim, not: ● the put-upon Bursar, ousted from his cosy estate cottage by the stranger ● the enigmatic Max Security, raring to engage in a spot of espionage ● the sensible Judith Gosling, who knows more about Lord Bunting than she’s letting on ● the irrepressible Gemma Lamb, determined to keep the school open. Only fickle maths teacher Oriana Bliss isn’t suspicious of the stranger, after all she can just marry him and secure St Bride’s future forever. That’s if inventive pranks by the girls – and the school cat – don’t drive him away first. Who will nab the stranger first? Oriana with the parson’s noose? Gemma with sinister secrets? Or could this be the end of St Bride’s? Purchase
Gemma Lamb is ready for an uneventful term at St Bride’s, she’s had enough of dastardly deeds and sinister strangers. However, she’s barely back at school before: ● Unlucky in love Oriana is sneaking around at odd hours ● Handsome Joe is keeping secrets ● Militant Mavis feels a scandal is brewing It’s all a bit much, but when a stranger appears Gemma thinks she’s had enough. But this stranger isn’t so sinister, instead he looks rather too familiar. If Gemma can’t get him away from the school the whispers and scandal his presence could unleash may just close St Bride’s doors for good. Purchase
Debbie Young is the much-loved author of the Sophie Sayers and St Brides cosy crime mysteries. She lives in a Cotswold village where she runs the local literary festival, and has worked at Westonbirt School, both of which provide inspiration for her writing. She is bringing both her series to Boldwood in a 13-book contract. They will be publishing several new titles in each series and republishing the backlist, starting in September 2022.
My thoughts: one of my favourite tropes is the boarding school story (Malory Towers, The Chalet School, you name it, I’ve probably read it!) and these books are a lot of fun. Told from the perspective of Gemma Lamb, newly the head of English (a team of one) at St Bride’s school for girls. The school holds a lot of secrets, among the staff, and of course the students have theirs too. But Gemma discovers it’s also full of kindness and good people, quirky though they are.
She helps see off several attempts to discredit and bring down the school and its unusual headteacher. A safe haven for the daughters of rich men, some of whom are perhaps a little questionable, and even teachers on the run or in hiding cough *PE teacher Jo* cough.
There’s lots of hijinks and a cat that changes gender in term time (which made me laugh out loud and my own cat jumped!), dodgy money grubbing frauds, bonfires, library books that could fund the school for some time, the lovelorn Burser, tunnels, a rather crazy security guard, expeditions to the town, all sorts of excitement. I think I would have liked St Bride’s even if my parents were perhaps wise in not giving in to my requests to go to boarding school when I was 10.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Angela Hardwicke is back and this time she’s taking on her toughest mystery yet! Read on for more info about 
ramblingmads 