Tag: reviews

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Murder in St. James’ Park – Vanessa Riley

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Perfect for readers who love Bridgerton with a dark twist—a vibrant historical mystery series that embraces the true diversity of the Regency era.

Confessions from beyond the grave throw Lady Worthing into turmoil . . .

London, 1807. Lady Abigail Worthing’s marriage of convenience to James Monroe, the Lord Worthing, is over. But James is out of her life quicker than Abigail anticipated when she finds his body in St. James’s Park. Shocked by her husband’s brutal murder, Abigail is determined to catch his killer.

But when she discovers that James’s transgressions ran far deeper and darker than she thought possible, Abigail questions her own judgment. Did she make a terrible mistake when solving a past crime, and does the key to James’s death lie in the letters he was writing shortly before his demise?

With her neighbor and good friend Stapleton Henderson by her side, Abigail confronts jealousy, resentment, and stunning betrayal that will shake her to her core . . .

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Vanessa Riley is an acclaimed author of more than thirty novels, including Island Queen, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, and Queen of Exiles, an ABC View Lit Pick. She is the recipient of Georgia’s 2023 Literary Fiction Author of the Year for Sister Mother Warrior and the 2024 Mystery/Detective Author of the Year for Murder in Drury Lane. Her work has been praised by the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and the New York Times. She hosts the essay podcast Write of Passage on Substack and can be found at VanessaRiley.com.

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My thoughts: Someone question the pelicans! There’s been a murder in St James’ Park! Lord Worthing isn’t a very nice man, he’s done some pretty nasty things and his wife has spent the last week locked in her room to avoid him. But when he’s murdered, she wants to find his killer. Not trusting what passes for a police force, she and her friends investigate for themselves, but what Abigail learns will change everything she thought she knew, and not just about her husband.

Propriety says Abigail must remain at home for six months at least, in mourning, even if that isn’t how she feels, and she’s pretty certain that someone (possibly her own sister) is trying to frame her for James’ murder.

What with a distant cousin trying to claim her home, a misguided thug, her awful father and half-sister offering their “condolences” and even some of the people she trusted keeping things from her, there’s a lot to contend with. And then there’s a man seemingly returned from the dead, the question of whether James embezzled money from her father’s business, and if her father did too, and an awful lot of suspects, including most of her staff. It’s not going to be easy to figure this one out.

But she has help, from her mathematically minded cousin, a lawyer friend and her neighbours, as well as her housekeeper who keeps everyone well supplied with tea and cake.

Can Abigail solve her husband’s strange murder, sort out his past crimes and those of her unpleasant relatives? Or will her sister have the last laugh and send Lady Worthing to the gallows? Hopefully not!

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Invisible – Heleyne Hammersley

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An icy morning, a muddy riverbank. The body of a promising swimmer is found in the River Don close to Thorpe.

Returning from a six-month absence, DI Kate Fletcher leads her first murder case
since she nearly lost her own life to a desperate killer.

Grappling with her own doubts and insecurities, she has to negotiate a team transformed by differences in staffing and in attitude. Everything has changed and nobody is comfortable.

A second body leads to a strong suspect, but the evidence is circumstantial and far from clear cut.

Kate’s ex-Detective Sergeant finds the breakthrough they need to help track down a cunning and meticulous murderer who has no conscience and no fear of consequences.

But can Kate act in time to prevent more deaths?

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Heleyne Hammersley is a British writer based in Cumbria. She writes psychological suspense thrillers
and crime novels.

Heleyne has been writing since junior school – her first work was a collection of poems called ‘Give Them the Works’ when she was ten years old. The poems were carefully handwritten on plain paper
and tied together with knitting wool.

When she’s not writing, Heleyne can often be found wandering on the fells or cycling the back roads of Cumbria in search of coffee and cake.

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Giveaway to Win 5 x Kindle Copies of Invisible (distributed via Amazon) (Open INT)

My thoughts: Returning to work after being off after almost being killed, DI Kate Fletcher finds her team off kilter with staff changes and her absence. Unfortunately there isn’t time to get them settled, a young woman’s body has been found in a local river, and the team need to find the killer.

As they look into the deceased, another body is found in similar fashion – is it the same killer? Both have a tenuous link to a former athlete turned motivational spokesman and he denies all knowledge.

As the team work on the case, it’s their former DS, retired due to injury, who offers up an interesting theory that sends the team in a different direction, but is it the right one?

A clever and twisted serial killer is stalking the streets, they’ve left one victim alive, unintentionally, and as Kate and her colleagues close in, could they be putting themselves in danger?

I really enjoyed this book despite not having read the previous titles, and I liked Kate’s team, they’re a little divided but as they work together they seem to be gelling more and finding a new way to work. 

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

**Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam link above. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and usedonly for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.**

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Blog Tour: Death at the Manor House – Katie Gayle

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Julia Bird is as keen as anyone in Berrywick to see inside the famous Greystone Manor. But when she does, the last thing she expects to find is a body!

When Julia Bird is asked to clear out the gatehouse at Greystone Manor after the sudden death of Colonel Loxton’s sister, she is intrigued to finally see inside the impressive house. But when she discovers the body of the Colonel, who greeted her only hours before, dead behind the sofa with a bruise on his forehead, Julia believes his death is no accident.

Once forensics confirm it was murder, Julia tries to piece together what happened. On the day the Colonel died, she saw an unknown man getting into a car outside the manor. The butler Garforth and the housekeeper Biddy claim there were no visitors that day, so who was this mysterious man? Or is someone in the Colonel’s family not telling the truth, with tensions running high over the inheritance?

Days later, Julia finds another body dead among the rhododendrons and knows the deaths must be connected. At the Colonel’s funeral she heard his friends talking about a long-buried secret. Had the second victim discovered it, and is it motive enough to kill? With time running out, can Julia solve the case before there’s another murder at the manor?

An addictive and totally charming cozy mystery set in the English countryside. Perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and J. R. Ellis.

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Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. Unlike their sleuth Epiphany Bloom, neither of them have ever stolen a cat from the vet.

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My thoughts: Julia is back and this time she’s having a nice, tomato heavy, summer, with daughter Jess in tow. She’s been asked to clear out someone’s home after they died, for the charity shop she volunteers in. Unfortunately while she’s there, the owner is murdered. Neither Bird saw or heard anything, but someone at the manor house must know.

As the police launch their investigation, the Colonel’s gardener is found with similar injuries, Julia as always, picks up some local gossip and some overheard things while popping into Greystone Manor to check on housekeeper Biddy. 

All of this extra information helps Hayley and her team get to grips with the family relationships and start to figure out the important things – means, motive and opportunity.

As always there’s lots of food, dog walks, book club and other distractions but Julia can’t stop thinking about the case and Hayley needs some help this time, so it’s a good thing Julia has lots of ideas and a quick visit to a local solicitor changes everything.

I really like this series so I was delighted to read another book with the delightful Julia and her friends as she helps solve another case.

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

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Blog Tour: Dead Man’s Run – Murray Bailey

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The war may have ended, but the cover-ups never did.

Israel 1950. SIB Captain Ash Carter is called into the British ’embassy’ to report on the death-in-service of a consular officer. Despite assurances that there is nothing suspicious, Carter begins a challenging investigation – one that the authorities disprove of. And the deeper he digs, the more complex it appears.

Meeting an Israeli private detective, investigating a linked crime, Carter forms an uneasy alliance. Together, they uncover something too shocking to be believed without hard proof. With the highest of political stakes, distrust at every turn, deceit, kidnapping and murder, Carter must find a balance between the law, justice and revenge.

Dead Man’s Run is the fifth historical crime novel in the Ash Carter Near East series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Murray Bailey is the author of the Ash Carter thrillers, inspired by his father’s experience in the Royal Military Police in Singapore in the early 1950s. From the prequel series, based in Cyprus and Israel, The Prisoner of Acre won the 2025 Page Turner Award. A post-Singapore series is based in the Philippines. The Heretic Cypher is the first book of a trilogy featuring a young Robert Langdon-type character decrypting secret messages written by an ancient Egyptian.

Murray is well traveled, having worked in the US, South America and a number of European countries throughout his career as a management consultant. However he also managed to find the time to edit books, contribute to articles and act as a part-time magazine editor.

Murray was born in Manchester and now lives on the south coast of England with his family and two dogs, Teddy and Muffin.

My thoughts: Ash Carter is at a bit of a loose end in the early days of the state of Israel, Britain is about to recognise the fledgling country and establish a proper embassy, but for now a handful of people staff the consulate and Ash is called in when one of them is found dead.

What first looks like a bad heart coupled with over-work, becomes more serious when the post mortem exam reveals a blow to the head and traces of cyanide. Then the dead man’s assistant goes missing. 

As Ash digs into the life and work of Morton, he meets an Israeli private detective who is also looking for the missing woman, and has bad news for him about his detective friend Rosen.

Uncovering a secret web of smugglers and forgery, Ash gets a glimpse into the darkness beneath the new state, one that has its beginnings in the terrible events of the Third Reich, and stretches across oceans.

With the blend of action and conspiracy the Ash Carter books are known for, there’s something for everyone here, even a touch of romance that Ash never really manages to hang on to. It’s a clever, tense thriller, weaving together several disparate threads into an entertaining and gripping read. What will happen to Ash now as he appears to have yet again burned too many bridges? I can’t wait to find out.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Queen of Bushy House – Molly Gartland

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One house. Two women. Both determined to endure.

July 1818. Dorothea Jordan – celebrated actress and long-time companion of the Duke of Clarence – has returned. Not in flesh, but in spirit. For fifteen years Bushy House was her sanctuary, filled with
laughter and her ten children – the FitzClarences. Now she watches as her portraits are taken down and her daughters sent away, in preparation for the duke’s new bride.

Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen arrives in England with duty pressing upon her shoulders. At twenty-five, she has accepted a proposal no other princess would take. She must tame the duke’s
debts, win over his unruly children and – above all – produce an heir to secure the British throne.

But Adelaide soon senses a presence in Bushy House.

As she struggles to find her place in a household shaped by another woman’s love, the restless spiritof Mrs Jordan lingers – watchful, wounded and unwilling to be forgotten.

Inspired by the true story of Queen Adelaide and the actress Dorothea Jordan, The Queen of Bushy House explores grief and ambition, motherhood and legacy – and the enduring power of a love that
refuses to fade.

Buy direct from the author

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Originally from Michigan, Molly Gartland has lived overseas since 1994, including six years in Moscow and stints in Cairo, Cape Town and Dakar. A boomerang Brit whose ancestors arrived in America on the Mayflower, she now lives in south-west London.
A lifelong lover of books, theatre, art and urban wildlife, she is also a devoted supporter of Brentford FC and can often be found wandering through Bushy Park.

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Win a signed copy of The Queen of Bushy House (Open to UK Only)

My thoughts: I used to go to Bushy Park quite regularly, my grandparents lived not far from there and when you used to be ale to drive through the middle of the park itself, we would, so we could see the deer that live there. My cousins lived down the road and we would be taken to play in the large playground in the park. I have many fond memories of it.

I also grew up in the shadow of Dowager Queen Adelaide’s last home – Bentley Priory. Owned by the RAF, the house was closed to the public for many years. It is now a museum devoted to the years it was the home of Bomber Command and played a vital role in WW2. There is however one room that has been preserved in Adelaide’s memory. Her letters to and from her adored niece Queen Victoria are displayed there, as is the sofa where she would have received the Queen and Prince Albert on their visits. It is rather special.

Queen Adelaide and her husband William IV are often forgotten, wedged briefly as they are between the last George and the one and only Victoria. William is unusual as he inherited from his brother and his heir was his niece. He wasn’t king for very long and I don’t think he troubles the history lessons of British children much. Victoria’s reign having been both longer and more impressive.

But Adelaide has always fascinated me, and this book is a lovely tribute to an oft-forgotten queen. German, like so many of the Royals of the time, her marriage wasn’t always happy and none of her children lived to adulthood. She also had to find room in her life for William’s many illegitimate offspring – the FitzClarences. His long relationship with the actress Dorothea Jordan cast a shadow over his marriage I’m sure.

Here, Mrs Jordan is a friendly spectre, visible to her successor and a willing storyteller, letting Adelaide into the life she lived as mistress to William, Duke of Clarence and their eight children. The family lived at Bushy House (now a research facility and closed to the public) in the shadow of Hampton Court Palace, a beautiful spot.

Their life together was not easy, Mrs Jordan was not invited to any Royal events, could not accompany William publicly and money was often tight as he spent beyond his means (common with the many children of George III) and she would return to the theatre to make money to feed and clothe the children.

As Adelaide and Mrs Jordan the ghost bond, and their lives intertwine, the prince’s children their connection, we see the tragedies and pain Adelaide lived with, as well as some of the high points of her life. Her love for her husband’s children and those of her sister is warm and celebrated. She was Queen Victoria’s favourite aunt and seems to have been a kind and good woman.

The book brings the two women in King William’s life vividly to the fore, forgotten often by history but not completely erased from the places they loved. I love the fact that the sculpture of Mrs Jordan stands in Buckingham Palace, a place she would never have been welcome in life, and her portrait hangs not far from Adelaide’s. Connected in death as they never were in life.  A lovely read.

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

**Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam link above. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or
email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of
the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for
fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.**

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Blog Tour: Circle of Shadows – Marisa Linton

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A gripping historical fantasy horror steeped in mystery, romance and the macabre.

It’s 1904, and occult detection is no profession for a woman. That won’t stop Evie Winstanley.

When her father, a collector of occult books, dies in strange circumstances, Evie is determined to  investigate. Her only lead: a cryptic mention of the ‘Circle of Shadows.’ From a chilling séance on the
lonely Yorkshire moors to the sinister, hedonistic halls of Oxford’s elite, Evie hunts for answers, stalked by whispers of an ancient monster and an ever-shifting, ominous symbol.

But when a young woman’s body surfaces in the Cherwell, bearing that same mark, Evie uncovers a truth far more terrifying than a single murder.

Now, Evie isn’t just seeking justice; she’s fighting to save her sister who she fears might be the next victim, in a dark and twisted adventure where gilded boys unleash hell and defiant women must pick up the pieces. Nothing will stop her investigation, not outraging Edwardian notions of female propriety, and certainly not offers of romance.

Blending historical fantasy with Golden Age classic crime, Circle of Shadows is a dark and twisty adventure through an occult Edwardian England where wealthy boys toy with powers they don’t understand, and a lone woman takes a stand against them.

Shoutline: Sherlock Holmes didn’t deal with the supernatural. But Evie Winstanley does.

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Marisa Linton is both a professor of history, and a prize-winning author of supernatural fiction.

In 2023 Marisa won the Times/Chicken House competition with her eerie young adult fantasy, The  Binding Spell. Published by Chicken House, May 2025. She describes it as a mash-up of The Wicker Man and This Country. It’s set in a remote village, where witches and druids still abide in secret.

Marisa’s first adult novel, Circle of Shadows, is a gothic historical fantasy and dark mystery about a determined young woman in Edwardian Britain who becomes an occult detective and fights demons, both fantastical and human. Published by Hodderscape, October 2025, the paperback will be published 24 September 2026. The sequel, Domain of Darkness, will be published in December 2026.

It’s been described as ‘Enola Holmes meets Dennis Wheatley’ (Greg Mosse).

Instagram: @linton.marisa
Website

My thoughts: Evie Winstanley doesn’t believe that her father’s death was as natural as she’s been told, there’s something connected to his research into the occult that caused his death, and she’s determined to prove it.

But then her sister Grace is drawn into something dark and terrifying, something that might well be connected to their father’s work, his time at Oxford and a group of obnoxious dilettantes who are dabbling in the occult and trying to do something dark and dangerous underneath Talbot College. 

As Evie attempts to unravel her father’s last mystery and save her sister, she has to put her trust in people whose motivations are a bit murky, to say the least. 

Mixing crime with the occult, Evie must summon all her strength and bravery to carry out her investigation without her mother finding out or getting herself killed.

A clever blend of genres with a smart and capable protagonist in Evie and a potential sidekick in her new friend Kit.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Earl’s Bride – Fenella J Miller

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Bath, 1810.

Lord James Brotherton, the charismatic Earl of Avon, is wealthy, intelligent—and marked for death.
His own cousin believes him an imposter and has enlisted corrupt lawyers and treacherous servants to remove him permanently.

Enter Sofia Brotherton.
Unconventional, outspoken, and entirely irresistible, Sofia turns James’s ordered world upside down.
He falls for her instantly. She follows a week later.

As danger closes in, their growing attraction becomes both a refuge and a risk. With enemies plotting murder and passions running high, James and Sofia must fight for love—and survival.

A witty, action-packed Regency romance filled with intrigue, danger, and deliciously sensuous tension.

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Fenella J. Miller is a bestselling historical fiction author, known for her emotionally rich World War II family sagas, sweeping Regency romances, and Jane Austen-inspired variations. With over 100 novels published, she continues to captivate readers who love strong heroines, resilient communities, and heartfelt historical storytelling.

Fenella currently writes for Boldwood Books, where she has launched several beloved WWII series,
including:

  • The Goodwill House series, beginning with The War Girls at Goodwill House
  • The Army Girls series, starting with Army Girls – Reporting for Duty
  • The Harbour House series, introduced with Wartime Arrivals at Harbour House

She is also the author of the popular six-book Regency romance series, The Duke’s Alliance, which begins with A Suitable Bride. Her novels are praised for their authentic period detail, compelling
characters, and uplifting themes of courage and love during turbulent times.

Born on the Isle of Man to a Yorkshire father and a mother of Anglo-Indian descent, Fenella brings depth and diversity to her storytelling. She previously worked as a nanny, chef, hotelier, and teacher—experiences that inspire her vivid, grounded characters.

Now writing full-time, Fenella lives in a peaceful village in Essex with her British Shorthair cat. She enjoys a close relationship with her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, and continues to share
powerful stories of women facing challenges with strength and hope.

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My thoughts: With their father dead, Sofia Brotherton and her sisters decide to find jobs, she as companion to a young woman who has angered her father, her sister as a governess, while the youngest remains at home with their great-aunt.

Then their distant cousin the Earl of Avon discovers he is now guardian to these three young women. He takes his responsibilities seriously and brings the sisters, their Aunt Jemima and new friend Annabel to his home. He also invites his widowed sister and her children to join them. His grandmother lives in the other wing, but they don’t get on so he doesn’t see her.

Unfortunately a cousin has decided that James must be an imposter and is determined to seize the title and estate for himself, with the aid of some rather unscrupulous servants in Avon House.

James and Sofia must stop this in order to protect their household as they fall in love and plan to get married as soon as possible. James is determined to take the fight to this cousin and his acolytes.

I liked Sofia, she’s a fiesty, determined young woman, ready to make her own way in the world, until James swoops in and offers her and her sisters a better life than they could ever have imagined. 

*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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Blog Tour: The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror – Stephen Cox

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True terror is a murderer you can’t stop.

London 1882. A carpenter is killed by a train – an eerie, brutal crime. Flamboyant medium Mrs Ashton and her sapphic partner Braddie seek justice for the widow.

A charismatic new medium takes London by storm. Dock-lass Maisie sees her frightening prophesy of vengeance. A noble family is devastated, but worse is to come.

Outgunned and bewildered, the three confront a deadly conspiracy. They risk losing everything.

A reckoning from beyond the grave.

Praise for Book 1: The Crooked Medium’s Guide To Murder
“witty, atmospheric and queer-hearted”
“humour, mystery and a wonderfully crooked sense of morality… delivered with charm.”

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My grandmother told me I read too much. I remember walking in the garden when I
was small, telling myself stories. It was over thirty years of wanting to be a novelist before I tried… and succeeded.

The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder was much loved. It arose because I wanted to write about Britishness and specifically about Englishness; about our complex relationship with the past; I wanted leads who were morally grayer but still capable of kindness. Personally, it was time for a
novel with queer leads. And these difficult times I needed to write something with some uplift. I always intended more than two books. The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror is spookier, and more dangerous. It throws all three women out of their comfort zone.

I spent nearly all my childhood in Bristol, and I’m now an adoptive Londoner. I live with my partner, and it’s lovely my two adult children come back from time to time. Our garden rages wild.

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Giveaway to Win 4 x Signed Books by Stephen Cox (Open to UK Only)

Prize includes – Our Child of the Stars, Our Child of Two Worlds, The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder and the Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror.

My thoughts: Mrs Ashton and Braddie have returned to London, one definitely more reluctantly than the other. But it’s good that they have as their boxer friend Samson needs their help – his sometime employee has been murdered and his death has been dismissed as suicide or an accident. The man leaves behind a fiancée who insists that he would never do such a thing just before their wedding.

Is it somehow connected with a mysterious new medium in town who hosts a seance at the home of a noble family where they are threatened with retribution? Maisie is present at this event and swears something was very off about it. As Mrs Ashton is investigating, the heir to the family is kidnapped. Could something in Lord Hanbury’s past be responsible for the terrors his family are suffering?

Drawn into a dark world of evil spirits and vengeful women with hidden faces, the three investigators must keep their wits about them. Mrs Ashton seems to be losing some of her extraordinary powers, but her mind remains sharp, Braddie ready at her side and Maisie digging into things in her own way. With a little help, they just might tame the beast and solve the case.

Another clever, twisting and twisted adventure for some of my new favourite characters, this time battling a creature only one of them can see, and a woman who claims to not want to be an adversary, yet at times seems to intend harm.

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

**Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam link above. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or
email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of
the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for
fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.**

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Blog Tour: Ancestral Virgins – Fiona J. Mackintosh

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In early 20th century Britain, society was changing rapidly, but not much was changing for women.

From different ends of the social spectrum, Celia Mapperley and May Hallam wrestle with rules and circumstances beyond their control and must navigate love, sex, war, and the thin line between conformity and scandal. As they each bear the shame of a devastating family secret, their stories come together in ways that neither could have imagined.

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Fiona J. Mackintosh is a Scottish-American author living in Washington D.C. whose
fiction draws from both sides of the Atlantic. Her flash fiction collection, The Yet Unknowing World (Ad Hoc Fiction, 2021), was a runner-up for the 2021 Saboteur Award for best short story collection, and her debut novel Ancestral Virgins will be published on June 26, 2026. Her flashes were selected for Best Small Fictions in 2023 and 2019, and her short stories have been finalists in the Cairde Word, Colm Toíbín, Bristol, Galley Beggar, Exeter, and Fish Short Story Prizes. She is a proud recipient of an Individual Artist’s Award from the Maryland State Arts Council. http://www.fionajmackintosh.com

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My thoughts:  The early 20th century was a time of huge change and upheaval, social, political and personal. Women were demanding their rights and the world would never be the same again, for anyone.

Lady Celia Mapperley is trapped by her family’s old-fashioned rules and society’s expectations. Her parents want her to marry well, and ideally wealth. They have the title and seat in the House of Lords, but are running low on money, as many noble families did. But her secret and dangerous relationship with her brother Makepeace could destroy her whole life.

May Hallam lives with her mother and siblings in a tied cottage, her father’s job as a waggoner gave them their home and her brothers taking over the role keeps them there. But war looms and her brothers decide to sign up and go to France. May protects her brother Davey, who has Down’s Syndrome, but if they lose their home, the only one he knows, can May still protect him?

As the two young women’s stories collide at the railway station, both will have to be brave, confront the past and step into an uncertain future.

I found the story moving and at times terribly sad, both May and Celia suffer losses and find themselves living a life they never really wanted. In a way both are also marked by their relationship with their brother (although May has several it is Davey who dominates her life) and are shaped by that.

As the book ends it isn’t clear what the future holds for either one, May hopes to find her lost sister Lily and establish a home with her and Davey, while Celia must return to the husband and life she doesn’t love and contend with the damage Makepeace did to her. Neither can say for certainty what will happen to them next. Which leaves all sorts of questions and possibilities for the reader to ponder.

*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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Blog Tour: The Princes of Pauper’s Pond – Lars Elling, translated by Don Bartlett

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Nineteen-year-old Filip spends his days playing football, listening to music on his Walkman and drawing, searching for something he cannot yet name. He lives in a large family house shared with his grandparents, where an old rift between his grandfather Arnstein and Arnstein’s brother Truls still governs the atmosphere. The cause appears trivial, an apple tree dropping fruit across a boundary fence, but the bitterness between the brothers speaks of something far older and deeper.

1912. With Europe on the brink of upheaval, Arnstein and Truls are sent into the forest for the summer by their stern father, determined that his sons should learn to endure hardship. Left to fend for themselves among travellers, log drivers and Forest Finns, the brothers live from the land, fishing, hunting and roaming the vast woodland. Cold and hungry, yet bound together by fierce loyalty and affection, they crown themselves the Princes of Pauper’s Pond, rulers of a world defined by freedom, imagination and shared struggle.

Until, back home, their father makes a decision that will change everything. Spanning generations, The Princes of Pauper’s Pond is a vibrant, magical and deeply affecting novel about brotherhood and belonging, about finding joy and love in the open landscape, and about those single moments that can seal a family’s fate … forever…

Lars Elling (b. 1966) is a visual artist. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries worldwide, including Oslo, Cape Town, New York and Beijing, and his work is represented in many public and private collections. He lives and works in Oslo and Elgin, South Africa. The Princes of Pauper’s Pond is his first novel.

My thoughts: Filip visits his grandfather, slowly dying from a lung complaint, in the house next door to his younger brother, who he hasn’t spoken to in years. He wants to know why these two old men have been estranged for such a long time.

As Arnstein slowly tells his grandson about the summer of 1912 and his adventures in the forest, finding mushrooms, flowers and fish to sell at the market, camping out under the stars and having adventures.

But it is something that happens that summer, something that starts the rift between the brothers, once so close they were the princes of pauper’s pond, kings of their own world.

Only when the Old Man finally dies, does Filip learn the terrible, sad story of the death of the brothers’ bond. One acted out by their wives in the neighbouring gardens – shoving apple pulp back and forth under the fence.

A moving and sad story which Filip cannot undo or repair, leaving his great-uncle the only one still carrying the tragic end of that idyllic summer. 

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