Tag: blog tour

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Carnelian Tree – Anne Pettigrew

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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.

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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.

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Blog Tour: The Cursed Tarot – Killian Wolf

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Blog Tour: Into the Forest – edited by Lindy Ryan, introduced by Christina Henry

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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.

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Blog Tour: St Bride’s Series – Debbie Young

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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…
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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?
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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.
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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.

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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.

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Blog Tour: Wildest Hunger – Laura Laakso

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 “Blood is all there is.” “What happens when the blood is no longer enough?” 
The oldest and gravest of the Wild Folk laws dictates that human flesh must not be consumed. When half-eaten bodies start turning up between Old London and the North, Yannia Wilde knows the killer can only be one of her kind. When Yannia’s betrothed, Dearon, insists on joining forces with her and Karrion, things get even more complicated. 
While Yannia tries to balance tracking down the killer with the tension between her, Dearon, and Karrion, another case in Old London draws her attention. A West Mage Council member, whom Yannia exposed as a Leech only days before, has gone missing, and his girlfriend is found murdered in his flat. Is the Leech, a master of deception, capable of murder, or has someone framed him? 
Caught in the web of Old London’s political intrigue, Yannia must learn to play the game and to choose her allegiances with care. But to catch a predator of her kind, she must also embrace her wildness and set aside everything that makes her human.
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My thoughts: I had heard of this series and read book one, but somehow missed the rest (I have fixed that omission now) but I think this works as a standalone as well as a continuation.

A series of terrible murders, kidnapped children, and Yannia is looking for a Wild Folk gone rogue. There’s also a Leech (who steals the power of others) on the Council, who might be a murderer too. Lots for her, Karrion and Jamie to investigate.

Then there’s her complicated relationship with Dearon, Elderman elect, from back home in the Wild Folk’s Northern lands. Hes her father’s heir and they’re supposed to be engaged, but despite the attraction between them, she’s not entirely thrilled to have him accompany her to London to “assist” in the hunt for the killer.

I was fascinated by the magic system in these books, it’s clever and intriguing, Britain has a long history of nature worship and folk magic. Books like The Rivers of London and The King’s Watch series both use a similar concept, solving magical crimes but with magic systems linked to nature and the land.

I like Yannia, she’s a clever and thoughtful detective, even when working as a PI for some unscrupulous people, she keeps her suspicions to herself till she has proof and works well with both Karrion and Jamie. I liked that the Met know about magic and no one seems bothered by it.

The plot was clever, with enough twists and turns for any crime fiction fan. The fact that there remains cases unsolved at the end was an interesting twist in itself – so many books end with everything tied up neatly in a bow, but here much remains to be done, hopefully in the next book.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

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Blog Tour: The Devil’s House – J.M. O’Rourke

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A killer, silent for ten years. Now he’s back.

Ten years ago, three teens were murdered at a summer party in sleepy little Meadowstown. One of their friends was convicted of the murders and has been in a mental hospital ever since.

But now items are turning up which could have only been taken from the victims on that fateful night. Is it possible there was more than one killer? Or has the wrong person been convicted?

Det Sergeant Jack Brody of the Major Crimes Investigation Unit is sent to investigate. And comes up against apathetic local police who are determined to resist his every move.

Brody isn’t easily deterred. He pushes hard and becomes convinced the murderer is still out there, is stirring back to life, preparing to choose another victim. Brody summons the rest of his team, and they race to find the killer before he or she can strike again.

But this little town has some very dark secrets, and as Brody begins to uncover the horrifying truth, he realises that no-one here is safe, that even he and his team may be in terrible danger…

The Devil’s House – the first in the gripping crime series featuring DS Jack Brody.

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I hail from Mayo in the west of Ireland, although I spent much of my life away, in the US, UK, Europe, Jersey in the Channel Islands and various parts of Ireland.  In my younger years I was incredibly restless. 

I left home and school at 16 and spread my wings. I’ve had over forty jobs, everything from barman, labourer,  staff newspaper reporter, soldier  in the Irish army, station foreman with London Underground, mason, and many more besides. I returned to education as a mature student in the early noughties and hold a BA in history and sociology from the National University of Ireland at Maynooth, and an M.Phil in creative writing (first class honours with distinction) from Trinity College Dublin. 

Since 2005 I’ve been a civilian employee of the Irish police, An Garda Síochána. However, I’ve been on extended sick leave since 2015 following a mystery illness which struck while travelling in Spain. It almost killed me. The doctors never got to the bottom of it and they call me the Mystery Man. But every cloud has a silver lining. It has given me the time to write. Although I’ve been writing all my life, most of my output languishes in the bottom of drawers. 

Under my real name, Michael Scanlon, I was published for the first time in 2019 by Bookouture  with the first of three crime novels. Working with Inkubator is a great opportunity because I think I’ve learned something since becoming published and I want to put it into practice. It is a new departure and I have adopted a pseudonym because the books are so different. I hope readers like them. 

The Devil’s House is his first police thriller with Inkubator Books. 
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My thoughts: this was a very clever police thriller. We all know there are good cops and bad cops, and some very lazy ones too. Brody is one of the good ones but Meadowstown possesses a lot of lazy ones and a few bad ones, which means crimes get overlooked and often totally ignored. The Devil’s House case was “solved” with extremely lazy police work and now Brody is looking into whether the real killer is still out there, and killing again.

He comes up against the station’s boss, who really isn’t a nice man, but also Garda Kinsella, Nuala, who as the only woman, puts up with a lot of grief, being sent on stupid calls, getting dumped with work no one else can be bothered with. She’s another good cop and Brody enlists her to help him investigate.

There’s twists and turns, Brody is in real danger at several points as the suspect they’re chasing is both dangerous and psychotic. He won’t stop because he believes he’s above the law. But Brody is as determined and has a team at his back to help.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

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Blog Tour: The Accidental Detective – Melvyn Small

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Thrown together by the British legal system, Holmes and his court appointed psychologist, Dr John Watson, seem an unlikely pairing… but sometimes the stars align.
Our two heroes are soon drawn into a series of riotous adventures that both bewilder and beguile.
Holmes’ mastery of data, deduction and logic combines with his gin-dry wit and a casual contempt for life-threatening danger to ensure there is never a dull moment as he and the good doctor battle
the mysteries that have the local constabulary baffled.
The game is afoot… oh yes!

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Born in Stockton-on-Tees and raised in nearby Billingham, Mel left Northfield Comprehensive School at 16 to train as a civil engineering technician at Cleveland County Council Surveyor and Engineer’s
Department. It was during this time, spent either at a drawing board or on the clever end of a theodolite that, following a rather sharp haircut, he was bestowed the nickname Melvis. Thanks go out to Joan the tea lady for that one. Fortunately Mel is not a vengeful chap and has not once even
considered informing HM Revenue and Customs of Joan’s illicit below-the-tea-trolley line in Kitkats
and Marathons. Whether Mel retains any likeness to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll is debatable, however even the most imaginative would now concede he is less GI Blues and more the Vegas years. Mel
loves a parmo.
On the completion of his traineeship at the council, which included BTEC qualifications studied on day release at both Cleveland Technical College and Teesside Polytechnic, Mel relinquished his
unused right to countersign passport applications and photographs, and left local government for a period of employment in the private sector. This included stays at WS Atkins, WA Fairhurst and, perhaps his spiritual home, the now defunct Bullen Consultants Limited. During this period, interrupted by a bachelor’s degree in civil and structural engineering at the University of Sheffield,
Mel undertook a lot of modelling work. Three-dimensional ground modelling work to be precise, Mel’s use of isopachyte analysis being now the thing of legend.

A natural engineer, Mel expanded his capability into that of hydraulic engineering soon forming quite a reputation in the fields of both storm water drainage and sewerage design, his skills in this area being such that he soon earned the honorary title of the Shitman. It’s no exaggeration to state that Mel has forgotten more about storm water attenuation than most people will ever know.
Feeling more inclined to a digital era the modelling shitman left the world of roundabout entry deflection and balancing ponds to embark on a career in information technology. Following a
master’s degree in information processing at the University of York, he gained employment in the IT department of a large financial services organisation. It wasn’t his fault. None of it. Honest.
With respect to the written word, Mel’s efficient writing style is perhaps the requirement of both engineering and computer science to communicate in a concise manner. The comedy in his literary output being more of a function of a Teesside upbringing. Mel’s first foray into the world of creative writing came in the form of slogans for leading tee shirt retailer Shot Dead In The Head. Mel’s work
included the popular ”What Part Of Theoretical Physics Do You Not Understand?” and “If You Can Read This You Are Too Close”.
Upping the word count considerably into that of fictional crime writing, Mel’s first printed work Holmes Volume 1 and the imaginatively titled Holmes Volume 2. The reviews for this reimagining of Sherlock Holmes a dry-witted, working class northerner plying his trade in current day
Middlesbrough have been amazing. If you would like a copy of these classics including their cult cover art, act quickly, They will soon disappear to be republished as The Accidental Detective series in November 2022. This will include a new volume of stories including The Darlington Substitution and two new feature length stories.
And it doesn’t end there. Mel has now turned his writing skills to music and Project Melv!s. The debut single from this initiative, Provisionally Yours, was released in September 2021 and was
followed up with The Perfect EP at the end of 2021. Work on an album of original music is currently underway. It’s shaping up to be something quite special.
If you would like an email providing updates on Mel’s various endeavours please sign up to the newsletter.

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My thoughts: this was a very funny, clever reimagining of some of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Instead of a posh Londoner, he’s a wry Northern alcoholic, whose office is the local pub, presided over by the very patient Mary, while Mrs Hudson runs a clothing boutique round the corner.

Holmes is a former hacker and not really allowed near a computer but when Inspector Lestrade needs his help, under the “supervision” of his psychiatrist Dr Watson (not a surgeon in this life), he’s occasionally allowed near one.

The crimes he solves are mundane on the surface but there is a dangerous mastermind somewhere out there, a mysterious Professor. Oh and Irene Adler, some dodgy blokes called Smith and Jones, and the odd dead body to clear up.

Lots of fun, I enjoyed spotting the references and links to the original stories (ever the lit nerd) and the new twists and turns. The Victorian Sherlock would lose his mind if shown the internet, but this one is a 21st Century ‘tec. There’s another volume and hopefully more beyond that, and I still don’t quite know what a parmo is.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

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Blog Tour: The Syren’s Mutiny – Jessica S. Taylor

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TheSyren'sMutiny copy

We’re celebrating the release of the highly anticipated dark fantasy The Syren’s Mutiny by Jessica S. Taylor. Read on for more info and a chance to win a signed copy of this extraordinary book! Be sure to visit our hosts to enter!

Cover

The Syren’s Mutiny

Publication Date: November 9th, 2022

Genre: Dark Fantasy/ Pirates/ Mythology

“It’s frightful bad luck to have a woman aboard.”

Brigid knew the superstition, but when her father tried to marry her off, she had no choice but to stowaway on a ship bound for Bhodheas. When she’s discovered and discarded, her fate seems sealed…until she’s saved by the ocean and its queen.

Transformed into a syren and given new life, Brigid now has the power to seek revenge on those who wronged her.

Caelum has spent his entire life trying to help those who couldn’t help themselves. After years suffering the cruelty of his pirate father, saving others from a similar fate was ingrained in him. But when he’s unable to save a young girl from being thrown overboard for hiding away, he’s devastated.

Until one day, when he’s thrown into the water by unforeseen forces, he comes face to face with the past, and maybe, with his future.

But there’s a darkness lurking on the seas they both call home. And Caelum and Brigid have no idea just how intertwined their stories really are.

Content Warning:
This book contains dark and adult themes. Possible trigger warnings include: violence, drowning, death, dismemberment, torture, brief/non-explicit references to child kidnapping and deaths, mentions of past domestic violence, mild sexual content, and mentions of arranged marriages.

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Excerpt

Brigid

Abruptly, the ship diverted from its course, turning hard toward the rocky cliffs on the other side of it. Even in the water, there was a sickening crash and the sound of splitting wood as the nose of the ship rammed into the jagged peaks.

We kept singing.

The ship began to turn, its side now scraping along the rocks as well. Men, driven mad by our song, began jumping overboard as the ship started to take on water and dip lower beneath the waves. While still close to the shore, the water here wasn’t exactly shallow, and the ship would sink in its entirety.

We circled, diving deep as bodies began tumbling in the water, the panic induced by our song preventing them from seeing reason and turning toward the cliffs for refuge. Sorcha looked over at me, her eyes wide as she processed the scene in front of her. She still seemed intimidated, yet interested.

I motioned for her to follow me. As we swam up closer to the surface, gleeful that these men would feel our wrath, a body crashed into the water in front of me. A man, based on the broadness of his shoulders and the general bulk of his frame. His body twisted, his limbs flailing as he sank through the water.

I stopped short, letting go of Sorcha, who continued swimming up toward the surface with the others. I swished my tail to hold myself steady as I stared at him. Instead of flailing, he was trying to steady himself. He righted his large, muscular body and finally turned in the water to face me. His eyes widened, but he didn’t seem afraid of me.

Another man splashed into the water in between us, diverting my attention. This man, once the bubbles around his form dissipated, was terrified. His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to scream, but only more bubbles came out. He furiously tried to kick to the surface, but Maira was faster. Swimming down between us from the surface, she lunged forward, grabbing his leg and pulling him down into the depths. He kicked, still releasing a stream of bubbles from his mouth as he flailed about furiously.

With Maira gone into the depths, I turned my attention back to the man from before. He was closer to the surface now, almost close enough to breach it. Flicking my tail, I used my power to surge up, wrapping my talons around his ankle just as his head surfaced.

I could not let him escape. This man seemed a powerful swimmer, and if I let him go, I had no doubt he would survive. And given how closely he had seen Maira and me, I couldn’t let that happen. In the moment, I was grateful Sorcha had continued to the surface and wouldn’t have to watch this. I wasn’t sure she’d have the stomach to witness this death up close.

I yanked hard on his boot, pulling him back beneath the waves. Down, down, down we went before I released him. I wanted to see his face, this man who had not seemed afraid of us. Had he seen us before?

Tilting my head to the side, I looked at the man more closely as he calmly treaded water, not trying to get back to the surface. His face was familiar to me…somehow. I swam slightly closer to him, whipping my tail in the water, impressed when he didn’t back away. We stared at each other for a moment longer before it clicked in my head. The bright green eyes staring back at me, the dark hair floating in the water, the chiseled and strong face. While he had aged some, I knew that face, those eyes.

The boy from the ship.

Caelum.

My eyes widened, and my stomach twisted again, my heart in my throat. I never thought I would see him again after being thrown overboard. He had fought to try to save me, even knowing he would be punished by the captain for it. My mind was spinning, trying to process the man before me as I studied him.

He was still oddly calm, keeping himself upright but never trying to go back toward the surface. He studied me back, his eyes roving over my body and stuttering on my tail before traveling back up to my face. He seemed resigned to his fate. His gaze was intense, and I wondered if he recognized me as well. I doubted it, as he had only seen me for a brief moment. But I had remembered him.

His cheeks began to bulge, a sign he was running out of time under the water, and he finally cast a glance upwards to the surface before looking back to me. But still, he didn’t make a move.

In an impulsive moment, I knew I couldn’t let my only savior, the only redemption to men, drown because of us. Because of me. Before I could stop myself and think about the betrayal my family would surely feel, I rushed toward him, grabbed him under the arms, and pulled his chest against mine as I propelled us toward the surface. He would not die on my watch. I would not be the cause of his ruin.

Not after he had suffered trying to save me on that ship.

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About the Author

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Jessica was born and raised in Kentucky, but has been moving with the waves and is currently residing in southern Maine with her husband and cat, Nebula. Jessica’s love of reading and writing began at a young age with the help of her grandmother and her local library, and she hasn’t looked back since. Similarly, her love for pirates, mermaids, and all things fantasy have only grown more intense with time.

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My thoughts: a sort of Little Mermaid retelling but one where the heroine doesn’t lose her voice but will suffer as she changes between fins and feet.

Brigid became a syren to get revenge on the kind of men who threw her overboard to drown. But a chance encounter with the man, who as a boy tried to save her, has her rethinking the syrens way of life.

Joining Caelum and his crew in an attempt to stop his evil father, she realises she can use her powers to do good, not just kill. But can she convince her sisters and the goddess they serve not to drown Caelum and his crew, but be the heroes instead?

A clever action adventure with a love story and a desire to change at its heart.

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Blog Tour: Daisy and the Dazzling Dachshunds – Janey Clarke

ramblingmads

The discovery of a murdered woman with a rescued dog and her puppies on Bodmin Moor, hurtles Daisy, a shy retired librarian and her oddball friends, into another dangerous, yet comical escapade.
Daisy is on a mission to find the murdered woman’s killer, linking events to the puppy farm, and is suddenly thrust into a world of explosions, shootings and kidnappings!

Furthermore, family secrets come to light and Daisy discovers an unexpected revelation that will change her life forever. This newfound knowledge is difficult for Daisy to cope with and somewhat hinders the situation that befalls herself and her friends. And if that isn’t enough, the return of her ex-husband poses even more problems.

Daisy enlists the help of Cleo her cat, and Flora her puppy, both rescue animals, in her search for the puppy farm. However, the question remains, even with all the help she has, can Daisy manage to outwit the villains and save herself and the puppies from harm?

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Scottish born, I now live on the Jurassic coast of Dorset with my husband, and Monty our enormous Cavalier. Our two adult children live in Yorkshire and Germany. 

As a lifelong sufferer from E.D.S, I cope with my restricted mobility by reading and writing. I often scribbled stories from childhood, stemming from Scotland, Cornwall, Norfolk, Essex, and the Home Counties.

Now a teacher, tutor, and hotelier, I still scribble with each novel disappearing into a drawer!

Changing primary schools, five in total, meant that I was unable to read until given special lessons. This gave me a deep love of reading, and being an only child, I devoured books. Following this experience, when I became unable to teach because of mobility problems, I became a home tutor. After extra training, I specialised in children with reading difficulties.  Still an avid reader, I love cosy mysteries, where the murder doesn’t scare me to death!

The Open University helped with my exams, enabling me to continue studying. I had an amanuensis who wrote out my answers.  Of course, I did English and history, my great loves. Creative Writing was difficult as I love to write amusing and light pieces, and they preferred dark and dismal topics!

I studied botanical art for many years and then got RSI. Determined to carry on with my art and writing, I now paint with my left hand and dictate all my novels. I still paint flowers trying to capture their beauty, it is hard work but so enjoyable. 

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My thoughts: by now anyone who reads my posts regularly knows I’m a massive animal lover and that I think books are always better with animals in them. Well this one had a clever cat, a sweet puppy and more dogs in peril!

Thankfully Daisy and her friends are on the case and rescue lots of sweet little pups along the way. Puppy farms are awful things and need to be stopped, as Daisy and Co hunt one down, I cheered.

It’s a fun, entertaining kind of crime caper, with a crew of older amateur detectives, who don’t let their age or infirmity get in the way. They strongly believe in doing the right thing but having plenty of time for a restorative cuppa and some cake 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.

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Blog Tour: Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree – David George Haskell

ramblingmads

Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree takes you on a journey to connect with trees through the sense most aligned to our emotions and memories. Thirteen essays are included that explore the evocative scents of trees, from the smell of a book just printed as you first open its pages, to the calming scent of Linden blossom, to the ingredients of a particularly good gin & tonic:

In your hand: a highball glass, beaded with cool moisture.

In your nose: the aromatic embodiment of globalized trade. The spikey, herbal odour of European juniper berries. A tang of lime juice from a tree descended from wild progenitors in the foothills of the Himalayas. Bitter quinine, from the bark of the South American cinchona tree, spritzed into your nostrils by the pop of sparkling tonic water.

Take a sip, feel the aroma and taste three continents converge.

Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree also contains everyday practices the reader is invited to experience. For example, taking a tree inventory of your own home, appreciating just how many things around us came from trees. And if you’ve ever hugged a tree when no one was looking, try breathing in the scents of different trees that live near you, the smell of pine after the rain, the refreshing, mind-clearing scent of a eucalyptus leaf crushed in your hand.

David Haskell is a writer and biologist known for his integration of science, lyrical writing, and close observation of the living world. The late E. O. Wilson said of his writing that it is “…a new genre of nature writing, located between science and poetry”. Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize winner and director of the Knight Science Journalism program at MIT, wrote that he “may be the finest literary nature writer working today”.

Haskell’s books — The Forest Unseen, The Songs of Trees, Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree, and Sounds Wild and Broken — are acclaimed for their attention to the richness of the living world and the ecological and evolutionary stories that bring this richness into being. They have won numerous awards including the US National Academies’ Best Book Award, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in non-fiction, Reed Environmental Writing Award, National Outdoor Book Award, Iris Book Award, and John Burroughs Medal.

Born in London, brought up in France, he has lived for the last thirty years in various parts of the United States, including Tennessee, Colorado, and New York. Haskell received his BA from the University of Oxford and PhD from Cornell University. He is a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, a Guggenheim Fellow, and Professor at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN, where he has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching.

In a world beset by barriers, his work reminds us that life’s substance and beauty emerge from relationship and interdependence. Find him at dghaskell.com or on social media @DGHaskell (Twitter), DavidGeorgeHaskell (Instagram and Facebook).

My thoughts: this was a very interesting little book. In 13 essays exploring the history of trees, either individually or taken as a whole (there are chapters on books, gin and olive oil as well as oaks, gingko, and ash) and their vital importance, impact and role in our lives.

We probably don’t notice the trees around us the way we should, and although I’m not sure I’m quite at the sniffing trees stage, I certainly want to engage more with nature. London supposedly has enough trees to technically be a forest, although sometimes it can be hard to find them amid our concrete and glass.

But without trees human history would be very different and they remain so very central to life today. These essays cover a huge range of time, geography and uses – paper, food, fuel, health, that trees have been used for by us, while also providing homes and food for thousands of birds, animals and insects.

Whether you’re a nature lover or just curious about history or the environment, this book is worth a little 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.