I’m thrilled to review Somebody’s Daughter by Carol Wyer today. Carol is such a super person and so talented to be able to write in different genres that it’s a true pleasure to support this 7th Natalie Ward book. My thanks to Carol and to Kim Nash at Bookouture for proving a copy of Somebody’s Daughter in return for an honest review.

I most recently featured Carol when I reviewed her What Happens in France here, and previously we celebrated the publication of Carol’s The Missing Girls in a post you can read here. I have also been lucky enough to interview Carol about her writing here to mark the publication of Carol’s Little Girl Lost.

Somebody’s Daughter was published by Bookouture on 9th July and is available for purchase here.

Somebody’s Daughter

One by one the girls disappeared…

When the frail body of a teenage girl is discovered strangled in a parking lot, shards of ice form in Detective Natalie Ward’s veins. As Natalie looks at the freckles scattered on her cheeks and the pale pink lips tinged with blue, she remembers that this innocent girl is somebody’s daughter…

The girl is identified as missing teenager Amelia Saunders, who has run away from home and her controlling father. Natalie’s heart sinks further when it becomes clear that Amelia has been working on the streets, manipulated by her violent new boyfriend Tommy.

A day later, another vulnerable girl is found strangled on a park bench. Like Amelia, Katie Bray was a runaway with connections to Tommy, and Natalie is determined to find him and track down the monster attacking these scared and lonely girls.

But when a wealthy young woman is found murdered the next morning, the word ‘guilty’ scrawled on her forehead, Natalie realises that the case is more complex than she first thought. Determined to establish a connection between her three victims, Natalie wastes no time in chasing down the evidence, tracing everyone who crossed their paths. Then, a key suspect’s body turns up in the canal, a mole in Natalie’s department leaks vital information and everything seems to be against her. Can Natalie stop this clever and manipulative killer before they strike again?

My Review of Somebody’s Daughter

A string of murders challenges the entire team.

I’m absolutely furious with myself that, even though I have read Carol Wyer’s lighter fiction, I haven’t actually read one of her crime thrillers before. I thought Somebody’s Daughter was an absolute cracker and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Although Somebody’s Daughter is the seventh book in the Natalie Ward series, it didn’t matter at all that I haven’t read the others because Carol Wyer has a fabulous knack of providing just enough detail to ensure full understanding without slowing the pace or detracting from the present story. I loved meeting Natalie and the other characters and am now desperate to read the series from the beginning. I felt as if Natalie was a warm, vibrant person I had just met but who could become a firm friend.

I thought the structure of Somebody’s Daughter was so well done because the dated chapter entries give a fast and exciting pace and the technique of writing past events in the present tense has the effect of making them immediate and relevant as the narrative progresses. It’s a super plot that held my unwavering attention. I loved the fact that my guesses as to the perpetrator of a series of murders were totally plausible and yet turned out to be completely wrong. This made for brilliant entertainment and an enthralling read.

With a fast and exciting pace and credible characters Somebody’s Daughter has interest for any crime fiction lover, but even better for me was the underpinning humanity and the understanding Carol Wyer presents of how people are shaped and affected by their experiences and how easy it is for life to change dramatically. I loved the themes of family, loyalty and relationships at both a personal and societal level. The reader is given insight into every one of the characters in Somebody’s Daughter so that they come away from the book feeling as if they understand how better to interact in their own lives. The depiction of sex workers, the homeless and the impact of drugs seems meticulously researched and is thoroughly convincing. I felt quite affected by my reading.

Somebody’s Daughter is a brilliant book. It entertains, enthralls and yet also educates with a sensitively deft touch so that reading Carol Wyer’s writing is an absolute pleasure. I loved it.

About Carol Wyer

Winner of The People’s Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer is a best-selling author and stand up comedian who writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction.

A move to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in LITTLE GIRL LOST, the #2 best-selling book on Amazon, #9 best-selling audiobook on Audible and Top 150 USA Today best-seller.

A second series featuring DI Natalie Ward quickly followed and to date her novels have sold over 750,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets, including Norwegian, Italian, Turkish, Hungarian Slovak, Czech and Polish.

Next year sees the arrival of the much anticipated DI Kate Young series, with AN EYE FOR AN EYE out in February 2021.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ”Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’ featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and the Huffington Post.

She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy… who is very, very grumpy.

All of Carol’s books are here. You can follow Carol on Twitter @carolewyer, visit her website and find her on Facebook and Instagram.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

Lovely Poppy Stimpson at Pushkin Press has sent me several of their super new series of children’s books for review and I am extremely grateful to her this time for a surprise copy of Duncan Versus the Googleys by Kate Milner.

Duncan Versus the Googleys is available for purchase in all the usual places including directly from the publisher here.

Duncan Versus the Googleys

A quirky and hilarious debut about scheming old ladies, mechanical monsters and fearless children from an award-winning illustrator.

Summer is not looking good for Duncan. His parents have left him with his Great Aunt Harriet at Arthritis Hall, a retirement community of rude old ladies who confiscate his games, stuff him in a windowless room and just want him to keep quiet.

When Duncan meets Ursula, the caretaker’s daughter, he begins to discover the diabolical secrets that lurk in the shadows of Arthritis Hall. Soon, the two children find themselves embroiled in a plot involving bizarre electronic creatures and acts of ingenious thievery, in an attempt to outwit a fiendish group of eldery criminal masterminds.

My Review of Duncan Versus the Googleys

Duncan’s parents are off to Japan so he’s staying with Aunt Harriet.

What a super book for children. There’s everything that appeals in a fast paced, exciting story that is the kind of adventure any child can relate to. I’d love to see Duncan Versus the Googleys taken up as a children’s television series as there’s so much episodic action that it would lend itself perfectly. Those episodes are also perfect for young independent readers because a small chunk of text can be read containing so much going on that readers of any age are hooked immediately. The structure is quite complex at times, until all the elements are brought together, and I think this will really appeal to stronger independent readers, but those requiring more help or having the story read with, or to, them will love it all the same.

The setting is wonderful in Duncan Versus the Googleys. There’s very much an inclusion of traditional haunted houses but with a fresh and modern update through the theme of technology and cyber-pet crazes. Creepy Arthritis Hall has secret tunnels, curious inhabitants and something dangerous lurking, making for an imaginative and engrossing narrative with just the right amount of scariness.

I thought the characters were so good too. There’s a smashing balance between Duncan and Ursula so that the story will appeal to male and female readers. I liked the way their backgrounds and personalities are so very different but that they still manage to forge a friendship and alliance anyway. This is an important lesson for children. Including peripheral characters in other parts of the world broadens young minds at the same time as entertaining them too.

However, setting and character aside, the entire story of Duncan Versus the Googleys is so engaging. Ursula and Duncan face peril and danger and yet there is humour too. Villains and crooks, wildlife television programmes, megalomaniacs, knitting, monsters and children’s toys lead to a most imaginative narrative that I thought was wonderful.

Duncan Versus the Googleys is absolutely crackers, brilliantly written and so entertaining that children of all ages will adore it. I loved it.

About Kate Milner

Kate Milner is a writer and illustrator based in Bedfordshire with her husband and son. In her career she has painted pub signs and made prints, been a teacher and a carer. When working at her local library, she fell in love with children’s books and went on to become an illustrator, winning the Klaus Fugge Award for her picture book My Name is Not Refugee. Duncan Versus the Googleys is her first novel.

You can find out more by visiting Kate’s website or following her on Twitter @ABagForKatie.

If you’re a regular reader of Linda’s Book Bag you’ll know just how much I love Isabelle Broom’s writing (and she’s pretty special as a person too). Now, I have already reviewed here the book Isabelle has brought along today and I have interviewed her more fully here. However, as today is paperback publication day for Isabelle’s latest book I couldn’t resist asking her to stay in with me and luckily she agreed!

I’ve also reviewed Isabelle’s book One Winter Morning here, My Map of You here, A Year and a Day here and The Place We Met here. I still haven’t read my cherished personally signed copy of One Thousand Stars and You.

Staying in with Isabelle Broom

Welcome back to Linda’s Book Bag Isabelle.Thank you so much for agreeing to stay in with me.

We all know really, but tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

Tonight, I have come armed with my brand-new novel Hello, Again, which is just so pretty that I have barely put it down. I’m hoping it has the same effect on readers when they spot it out in the shops, too. I’m proud of this book, and writing about an artist has inspired me to become more creative. As well as writing, I’m now busy making mosaics and upcycling sad old pieces of furniture – maybe we can turn our hand to something while we chat?

Given what you recently did to this bookcase I think that sounds like a perfect idea!

So, what can we expect from an evening in with Hello, Again?

Well, in addition to all the art – of which there is a glorious mix – you will also be whisked off abroad to not one but four overseas locations, including Lisbon, Hamburg, Barcelona and Guernsey. Given that our travel wings have been temporarily clipped by lockdown, it’s even more important to escape through the pages of a book, and this one will hopefully whet your appetite as to where to visit once it’s safe to do so again. I’m trying to look on the positive side of all this and appreciate the fact that the planet is getting a rest from all us travellers. The world will still be there waiting when all this is over, and hopefully we will cherish it even more than before having been forced to miss it.

Oh yes indeed. And Hello, Again certainly transports the reader. It’s one of the elements I commented on in my review.

What else have you brought along and why?

The seed that the story of this book grew from is actually a very handsome German man, but I unfortunately cannot bring him along. **deep sigh**

Now THAT is a shame!

Instead, I’m coming armed with a feast fit for two queens, and just like Pepper and Josephine in Hello, Again, we’re going to gobble up paella, glug down jugs of sangria then finish the evening with pastel del nata (Portuguese custard tarts) and thick, creamy German coffee sprinkled with cinnamon. Art, food and bookish chat = a dreamy evening in!

What a feast. Thanks so much for staying in with me Isabelle. Now, you get sanding that television cabinet whilst I shove in one of those custard tarts and tell everyone all about your wonderful new book Hello, Again:

Hello, Again

Philippa Taylor (Pepper to her friends) has big dreams. When she closes her eyes, she can picture exactly who she ought to be. The problem is, it’s about as far away from her real life in a small coastal town in Suffolk as she can imagine.

So when her elderly friend Josephine persuades Pepper to accompany her on a trip to Europe, she jumps at the chance to change her routine. And when Pepper bumps (literally) into the handsome Finn in Lisbon, it seems as though she might have finally found what she’s been looking for.

But Pepper know all too well things are rarely as they seem. Her own quiet life hides a dark secret from the past. And even though she and Finn may have been destined to find each other, Pepper suspects life may have other plans as to how the story should end.

A romantic and sweeping story about friendship, love and realising that sometimes it’s about the journey, not the destination.

Hello, Again is out today from Hodder and is available for purchase here.

About Isabelle Broom

Isabelle Broom was born in Cambridge nine days before the 1980s began and studied Media Arts in London before a 12-year stint at Heat magazine. Always happiest when she’s off on an adventure, Isabelle now travels all over the world seeking out settings for her escapist fiction novels, as well as making the annual pilgrimage to her second home – the Greek island of Zakynthos.

Currently based in Suffolk, where she shares a cottage with her two dogs and approximately 467 spiders, Isabelle fits her writing around a busy freelance career and tries her best not to be crushed to oblivion under her ever-growing pile of to-be-read books.

For more information, visit Isabelle’s website. You can also follow her on Twitter @Isabelle_Broom and find her on Facebook.

I’ve been lucky enough to read and review three of Peta Lemon’s children’s books so I was delighted when she sent me her latest, Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret, in return for an honest review.

You’ll find my review of Peta’s Timmy on the Toilet here, The Fed-Up Cow here and The Bins of Cotteridge Down here.

Published by Quirky Picture Press on 14th January 2020, Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret is available for purchase here.

Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret

Farmer Haystack makes a scarecrow to rid his farm of pesky birds and make lots of lovely money.

When all the birds disappear in a day the farmer is delighted and becomes rich beyond his wildest dreams.

But the scarecrow is hiding a BIG BAD secret.  What will happen when the farmer finds out the real reason all the birds have gone?

Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret is a bright and colourful, rhyming picture book that appeals to boys as well as girls.  It is longer than standard picture books (42 pages) and so suitable for slightly older children, suggested age 5-7 years.

My Review of Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret

The farmer wants the birds scared away because they are eating all his crops.

Once again Peta Lemon has created a super children’s book. As always with a Peta Lemon book, the illustrations bring the text of Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret to life perfectly. Maria Dasic Todoric’s pictures are a delight and help less confident independent readers comprehend the text more easily.

There’s so much to enjoy in the story with echoes of Alice in Wonderland as Scarecrow grows huge having eaten all the food, and Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret affords plenty of discussion about greed, sharing and being kind. I thought the underpinning message of learning from our mistakes and not being afraid to admit we are wrong was such a good idea. There’s humour and a lovely exploration of friendship too, with a clear theme around the environment so that Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret would be brilliant for home or classroom discussion. Similarly, I loved the lesson that material items do not necessarily make us happy and that nature needs protecting instead. I could see this story being translated into a fabulous school play if ever circumstances allow it again.

As I have come to expect from Peta Lemon’s children’s books, rhyme and rhythm are deftly used so that spelling patterns are clear, and there is a super balance of familiar and new vocabulary to meet the needs of any ability. Words like ‘abundance’ will add to a child’s lexicon, but other more familiar words will enable less strong readers to access the story independently.

Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret is a vibrant, entertaining book that children – even those as old as me – will love!

About Peta Lemon

Peta Lemon is the author of beautifully illustrated children’s picture books, published under the imprint Quirky Picture Press.

Her books are always funny, written in rhyme and illustrated by Maria Dasic Todoric.

You can find Peta on Facebook.

Having loved Singapore on the occasions I have been fortunate to go there, I am delighted to welcome Isobel Scharen to the blog today because not only was Isobel born in Singapore, her book is based there. My thanks to Kim at Publishing Push for putting us in touch with one another. We all need to travel vicariously in these strange times so let’s see what Isobel told me when she stayed in with me:

Staying in with Isobel Scharen

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Isobel. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me. 

Hello. Thanks so much for inviting me to share this evening with you.

My pleasure. Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought along A Better Life, my debut novel that was published earlier this year.

Congratulations on your debut. What can we expect from an evening in with A Better Life?

What has struck me most is how varied readers’ reaction to the book have been, some of which I did not anticipate.

Many have loved it for the story of Ada and her struggles – dealing with her internment by the Japanese, separation from her daughter, the loss of her husband, her move to New Zealand which turns out not to be the haven of peace she might have imagined.

Some praised the sense of place I tried to create, particularly those who had a connection with wartime Singapore.

Others commented on the challenges of Ada’s mixed race marriage and single-handedly bringing up a mixed race daughter.

All have been engrossed by the love stories that underpin both halves of the book.

I think A Better Life sounds fabulous. You must be really delighted with those reactions. I hope to fit it in to my TBR very soon.

What else have you brought along and why?

This is an interesting question! I’ve brought two things for this evening. First is this beautiful Maori Tiki. My early years in New Zealand shaped my life. I was always interested in Maori culture and love these beautiful carved objects. It’s why I want to incorporate one in my book cover design.

Ah. I wondered about the significance of that image. 

I’ve also brought a picture of a curry feast. When I was young my family constantly told me of the wonderful food they used to eat in Singapore. I have always wanted my food to taste divine and look colourful!

I can vouch for the food in Singapore Isobel!

After I moved to Europe and went on holiday in some of the (then) poorer parts of Europe, it was often hard to find good food to eat. I would often try to stave off hunger pangs by conjuring up vivid images of Singaporean food. I enjoyed writing about food in the book!

Any guest who loves their food is always welcome here Isobel. Thanks so much for staying in with me to chat about A Better Life. Let me give blog readers more details:

A Better Life

Ada, a young Englishwoman in early-1940s Singapore, is about to be married to Michael, a well-educated Anglo-Indian from a wealthy family. She dreams of a life of security and fulfilment.

Instead, when the Japanese invade, her family struggle to cope under occupation, while she is interned in Changi gaol. Separated from her baby daughter and her beloved Michael, who is torn between loyalty to his family and duty to his country, she needs all her will-power to survive.

After the war, Ada must decide how best to protect her child. She leaves Singapore in search of a better life only to experience prejudice and unkindness. But her journey will also bring compassion and hope.

This moving and engaging story is an insightful depiction of people deeply affected by the horrors of war, a mother’s bond with her child, and the momentous challenge of rebuilding one’s life in peace-time. A challenge which requires, above all, self-belief, the capacity to forgive, and the courage to love again.

A Better Life is available for purchase here.

About Isobel Scharen

Isobel Scharen was born in Singapore, where she was adopted by a mixed-race couple. She was educated in New Zealand before settling in England. She now divides her time between London and Bristol. A Better Life is her first novel.

You’ll find Isobel on Facebook.

A little while ago I was thrilled to help reveal the debut novel Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café by my lovely friend Annette Hannah and I’m even more delighted that Annette has agreed to stay in with me on publication day to tell me more about it. Normally we get together for a drink in a pub or for afternoon tea in person so it seems slightly odd to be meeting virtually today!

As well as staying in with Annette, I’m delighted to share my review of her debut too!

Staying in with Annette Hannah

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Annette. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me. I’m so excited you’re here.

Hi Linda! Thank you so much for having me on your lovely blog, it seems very apt that we should be staying in at the moment seeing as we aren’t allowed to go anywhere and I can’t think of anyone nicer to be staying in with.

That’s lovely of you Annette. I’ve really missed seeing you in person of late. Now, I’m sure I know, but tell readers which book you’ve decided to bring with you this evening.

I’ve decided to bring along my debut novel, Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café which is being published today, I have written three other books, one of which you’ve already read but this is the one I’m leading with.

Happy publication day! I love your writing Annette. I’m thrilled for you and huge congratulations on Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café. What can we expect from an evening in with Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café?

The book is set in the fictional market town of Bramblewood and was inspired by the dilapidated old signal box near where I live. I remember the days when a man would work in there and I’ve always had a fascination with it. About fifteen years ago it became automated and they boarded the building up. Ever since then as I’ve watched it fall into disrepair, I’ve often thought it would make a wonderfully unique café. Strangely enough I painted the signal box grey in my book and not long after that the real one was painted grey after years of not being touched. Yet nobody could have possibly known. Maybe it could sense something was coming up and wanted to look its best.

Oh, that’s a co-incidence.

So that’s where the idea came from, my main character Lucy came to me as a wedding planner and I thought the signal box would make a perfect wedding venue. Jackson, Lucy’s eight-year-old son and his dog Baxter get up to quite a bit of mischief much to the dismay of Dominic, the gorgeous hunk that Lucy had a childhood crush on many years before.

In the book Lucy has a wonderful close relationship with her grandad and they have lots of laughs together, for this I drew on my own relationship with my Grandad as he was a great friend to me. I received my contract on what would have been my Grandad’s 100^th birthday so that makes this book extra special.

My goodness. There are several spooky co-incidences here! I know your Grandad would be so proud of you.

I think my readers so far have enjoyed the different generations that are represented in the book, I have some friends who are much older than me and I think sometimes the older generation are written off but they still have the same feelings and sense of humour as they’ve always had and are great company. There are two love stories in the book, but I don’t want to give too much away so I’ll leave it there.

Having read Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café, being one of those ‘older’ readers, I can vouch for what you’ve just said. I’ll be sharing my thoughts in my review in a while!

What else have you brought and why have you brought it?

The other thing I’ve decided to bring along, which should come as no surprise to you Linda, is a delicious Bramblewood afternoon tea.

Ha! I’d have been disappointed if you hadn’t. I think it’s my turn to treat you next time we meet in person…

Firstly we will have delicious sandwiches made by Lucy at the Signal Box Café, then we will move onto mouth watering homemade sausage rolls in golden flaky pastry and cranberry and raisin scones both made by Rosie who is the owner of Serendipity, the long boat café. These will be followed by a selection of cupcake kisses, which are tiny cupcakes in a whole variety of wonderful flavours, made by Lucy’s friend Camilla. I will also be bringing some peppermint tea which is my favourite tipple at the moment.

You always choose peppermint tea. As usual I’ll have builders tea with mine! Thank you so much for staying in with me Annette and congratulations again on Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café.

Thank you so much for inviting me to stay in with you Linda. It’s been such a pleasure and I’m really looking forward to when we can meet up again in real life. I hope you enjoy your trip back to Bramblewood.

I’m looking forward to seeing you again in real life very soon too hopefully. In the mean time, I’ll tell readers a little bit about Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café, before sharing my review:

Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe

Here comes the bride…

Lucy Woods has always dreamed of running her very own wedding venue. After moving her eight-year-old son to the countryside she’s surprised to find the perfect location and her best friend, Abbie, eager to help make that dream a reality! Too bad Abbie’s older brother Dominic isn’t keen on Lucy or their big idea!

As a divorce lawyer Dominic doesn’t believe in love at first sight or wedding vows, he’s seen them broken more times than he can count. But when Lucy arrives back in town, his hardened heart begins to crack.

Making her dream come true is a huge undertaking, but Lucy knows that The Signal Box Café is her chance to finally make something of her life. If only the irritating (and oh-so-gorgeous) Dom didn’t make her imagine wearing a white dress and walking down the aisle…

Can Lucy and Dominic find a way to each other this summer or will the wedding bells chime for another couple?

Published by Orion imprint Dash today, 6th July 2020, Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe is available for purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

My Review of Wedding Bells at The Signal Box Cafe

With her grandfather Dougie temporarily in a care home, Lucy steps in to look after his railway cottage and cat.

Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe is an absolute belter of a book and a perfect example of its genre. I loved it. I was apprehensive about reading it, but I needn’t have worried because I thought it was wonderful – heart-warming, funny, sensitive and touching. Annette Hannah has somehow managed to blend all the elements I would expect in romantic comedy and somehow come up with something greater than the sum of its parts, so that it was a joy to read.

The setting is delightful with just enough detail to bring it alive without burdening the reader. I could picture the signal box cafe so clearly in my mind’s eye and I thought the descriptions of wedding related items like flowers and dresses were so evocative and romantic. Never mind Lucy being a wedding planner, I think Annette Hannah could easily turn her hand to arranging weddings too! Her descriptions meant I was there at the Signal Box Cafe as events unfolded and I frequently felt hungry after the wonderfully realistic images of food.

The plot in Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe is fast paced and enormously entertaining. The balance between more emotional and serious or romantic aspects, alongside the more comic passages involving Dougie and Violet, is so well attuned and had the effect of making me shed a tear and laugh aloud. I loved the inclusion of older characters who are given equal status with the younger Lucy, Dom and Jackson et al because all too frequently older people are sidelined in romantic fiction. Here they add depth and texture to the story in a really satisfying manner. I loved meeting every one of them.

I thought the themes were so skilfully included in Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe. Family and love, identity and belonging, independence and loyalty, marriage and relationships, jealousy and duplicity all bring the narrative alive so that I cared about what happened to the characters here.

And what characters they are. I’m not fond of children in general, never mind in fiction, but Jackson is a delight and utterly believable. Indeed, every character is vivid and real so that I would love to hear more about them in future books. It’s such a treat when I read a book and feel I’m dipping into the real lives of other people and that’s exactly what Annette Hannah has achieved here.  Who wouldn’t be attracted to Dominic? I thought Lucy was a superb example of a modern woman; insecure and vulnerable at times and yet strong and determined to make her own way in the world. I was desperate for her to have a happy ending but you’ll need to read Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe for yourself to see if she gets one!

I thought Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe was glorious and I loved it. I put the entire day on hold to read it and finished the book with a contented sigh and a slight moistness in my eye. Annette Hannah had transported me away from the cares of a world in pandemic to one of love, family, happiness and understanding. Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe was an absolute tonic to read and I really recommend it. It’s gorgeous.

About Annette Hannah

Annette Hannah is a Liver Bird who relocated to leafy Hertfordshire in the 80’s and now lives near a river with her husband, two of their three grown up children and a crazy black cocker spaniel. She writes romantic comedies in settings inspired by the beautiful countryside around her and always with a nod to her hometown. As an avid reader she became a book blogger and eventually realised her dream to become an author in 2020.

She loves long walks along the river, travelling to far flung places, the odd glass of Pinot Blush and spending time with her friends and family.

You can find out more by visiting Annette’s blog or website and following her on Twitter @AnnetteHannah.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

I have been a fan of Lesley Pearse’s writing for years but I can’t believe it’s almost two years since I last featured her on Linda’s Book Bag here when we were celebrating 25 of her books in 25 years! That’s too big a gap and I’m delighted to be part of this blog tour for Lesley’s latest book Liar by sharing my review today. My thanks to Megan at EDPR for inviting me to participate.

Published by Michael Joseph on 26th June 2020, Liar is available for purchase through the links here.

Liar

In a Shepherd’s Bush bedsit, Amelia White dreams of being a reporter. The closest she’s come is selling advertising in the local paper.

Until the fateful day she stumbles on a truly shocking scoop.

Round the corner from her home, she discovers the body of a murder victim, dumped among the rubbish. When the police and reporters descend, Amelia is horrified at the assumptions made and lies soon to be spread about this poor young woman.

Determined to protect the victim from these smears and help her grieving family, she convinces her paper’s editor to allow her to take up her pen and tell the true story.

But when another body is found and the police investigation stalls, Amelia – uncovering new witnesses and suspects in her search for clues – discovers that she may be the only one with any chance of learning the truth and stopping more killings.

If only she can work out who the liar is . . .

My Review of Liar

Amelia’s life is about to take an exciting turn!

Picking up a book by Lesley Pearse is always a pleasure because I know I’m going to have an entertaining story with interesting characters. Liar is another of those books and I enjoyed it.

There’s a good, twisting plot to Liar that begins in dramatic fashion to hook the reader straight away. I did have to suspend belief a little when following Amelia’s exploits as she investigates murders in her locality, but I think that probably says more about my own lack of bravery in comparison and it certainly didn’t spoil my engagement with the narrative. Indeed, I think Liar would make an excellent Sunday night television series because there are carefully placed dramatic points balanced well by the romantic element of the story, making something for any reader in Lesley Pearse’s customary accessible style.

One aspect that I found incredibly evocative was the sense of the era Lesley Pearse creates. Through reference to real events, the music, clothes and especially the social attitudes there is a definite sense of the time in Liar. I found this aspect surprisingly thought-provoking too as it made me wonder just how much attitudes and lives have really changed.

I thought Amelia was a super heroine. She’s feisty as well as vulnerable and can hold her own even when events conspire against her. She has a level of humanity that is a pleasure to read and yet she isn’t too good to be true. In fact I was occasionally surprised at some of her language! It’s tricky to say too much about the other characters because they are so tightly bound into the plot and I don’t want to spoil the story but let’s just say there is an engaging and compelling cast to get to know.

However, for me, although I was entertained by the narrative it was the themes of Liar that I enjoyed most. Love and relationships, social attitudes and upbringing, policing and wealth and so on, mingle through the prose so that Liar is almost a social study. Reading Liar made me think carefully about what home and safety really mean.

I thought Liar was a great beach style read. I was delighted to lose myself between its pages and very much enjoyed it.

About Lesley Pearse

Lesley Pearse was told as a child that she had too much imagination for her own good. When she grew up she worked her way through many jobs – from corsetry sales in Cooks of St. Pauls (featured in Dead to Me), to bunny girl to nanny; from gift shop owner to dressmaker – finally finding her true vocation when she became a published author age 49. Since then Lesley has become an internationally bestselling author, with over 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide.

A true storyteller and a master of gripping storylines, there is no set formula for a Lesley Pearse novel although strong heroines and difficult circumstances are pervasive. Whether historical adventures such as Gypsy or Never Look Back or the passionately emotive Trust Me, Lesley is inspired by stories of courage and adversity and often gives voice to women lost in history. She is passionate about her research and her stories have taken her far and wide; from Alaska to the Crimea. Lesley now lives just outside Torquay in Devon where she loves to spend time walking on the beach with her grandchildren and dogs.

A fantastic speaker and committed and passionate fundraiser for the NSPCC, Lesley is a much sought after guest at literary lunches, library events and festivals up and down the country. Lesley was also selected as the first Ambassador for National Libraries Day in 2014.

You can follow Lesley on Twitter @LesleyPearse, and find her on Facebook.

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My enormous thanks to Peyton Stableford at Agora Books for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Monstrous Souls by Rebecca Kelly. I’m delighted to share my review today.

Monstrous Souls is was published by Agora on 25th June and is available for purchase here.

Monstrous Souls

What if you knew the truth but couldn’t remember?

Over a decade ago, Heidi was the victim of a brutal attack that left her hospitalised, her younger sister missing, and her best friend dead. But Heidi doesn’t remember any of that. She’s lived her life since then with little memory of her friends and family and no recollection of the crime.

Now, it’s all starting to come back.

As Heidi begins retracing the events that lead to the assault, she is forced to confront the pain and guilt she’s long kept buried. But Heidi isn’t the only one digging up the past, and the closer she gets to remembering the truth, the more danger she’s in.

When the truth is worse than fiction, is the past worth reliving?

An addictive thriller about a case gone cold and the dangers lurking on our doorsteps, Monstrous Souls will have you gripped to the very end.

My Review of Monstrous Souls

Heidi’s memory is beginning to return.

I can’t in all honesty say I enjoyed reading Monstrous Souls because it has such dark themes that are so authentically and convincingly conveyed by Rebecca Kelly that I feel highly disturbed and affected by my reading. Monstrous Souls is an important book that transcends entertainment into an incisive and uncomfortable commentary on life for so many children.

The plot of Monstrous Souls is an absolute cracker because the reader is able to uncover the truth at the same time as Heidi, making it a very personal narrative. There’s a brilliantly depicted sense of menace and threat so that I felt quite tense as I read. This darkness and atmosphere is enhanced further by the very vivid descriptions of setting, particularly the beautiful natural images that contrast so well with the more restrained descriptions of violence and abuse. What Rebecca Kelly does so well is to suggest rather than provide all the darker details so that the reader’s imagination runs riot. I thought this technique was excellent.

The cover image represents the themes of the book perfectly. People, places and events are altered by refracted memory and duplicity. Characters have their lives and their identities reassembled by others more powerful in the same way the photograph of the cover appears sliced and manipulated. The themes of Monstrous Souls are not easy ones. Emotional and sexual abuse, control, loyalty, friendship and corruption weave like poison ivy through the plot and they are particularly unsettling because Rebecca Kelly presents then so convincingly. I have finished Monstrous Souls feeling real grief for many of the characters because their stories felt so genuine to me.

I may have felt uncomfortable with the content and themes of Monstrous Souls but I am so glad I have read it. It is, one one level, a cracking crime thriller, but I feel Rebecca Kelly has provided such an understanding of the human psyche too that it is more important a book than an entertaining story. I will be thinking about it for a very long time. I thought it was brilliant.

About Rebecca Kelly

Rebecca Kelly was brought up with books but denied the pleasure of a television. Although she hated this at the time, she now considers it to have contributed to a life-long passion for reading and writing.

After a misspent education, Rebecca had a variety of jobs. She’s spent the last years raising her children but has lately returned to her first love – writing.

Rebecca lives in the UK with her husband and youngest son and an over-enthusiastic black Labrador, who gives her writing tips.

You can follow Rebecca on Twitter @RKellyAuthor1.

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It always frustrates me when people tell me they can’t contemplate a book with Christmas in the title before December. For me it’s a bit like saying I can’t read a book set in a country I don’t live in, or that I can’t read crime thrillers because I’m law abiding. Therefore I’m delighted to participate in sharing the details for Alex Pine’s The Christmas Killer as I think it looks a corker of a book.

You can follow all the Twitter excitement about The Christmas Killer with by using the hashtag #ChristmasInJuly!

Lets’s find out what’s in store for us:

The Christmas Killer

I love the natural world and whilst my wildlife holidays to far flung places are on hold it has been a real pleasure to discover wildlife through my reading instead. My grateful thanks to Alison Menzies at Elliot and Thompson for sending me a copy of Into the Tangled Bank by Lev Parikian in return for an honest review.

Into the Tangled Bank will be published by Elliot and Thompson on 9th July 2020 and is available for pre-order through these links.

Into the Tangled Bank

Lev Parikian is on a journey to discover the quirks, habits and foibles of how the British experience nature. Open a window, hear the birds calling and join him.

It’s often said that the British are a nation of nature lovers; but what does that really mean? For some it’s watching racer snakes chase iguanas on TV as David Attenborough narrates, a visit to the zoo to convene with the chimps; for others it’s a far-too-ambitious clamber up a mountain, the thrilling spectacle of a rare bird in flight.

Lev Parikian sets out to explore the many, and particular, ways that he, and we, experience the natural world beginning face down on the pavement outside his home, then moving outwards to garden, local patch, wildlife reserve, craggy coastline and as far afield as the dark hills of Skye. He visits the haunts of famous nature lovers reaching back to the likes of Charles Darwin, Etta Lemon, Gavin Maxwell, John Clare and Emma Turner to examine their insatiable curiosity and follow in their footsteps.

And everywhere he meets not only nature, but nature lovers of all varieties: ramblers, dog-walkers, photographers; loving couples, striding singles, families; kite-flyers, den-builders, grass-loungers; young whippersnappers, old codgers, middle-aged ne’er-do-wells; beginners, specialists, all-rounders; or just people out for a stroll in the sun.

Warm, humorous and full of telling detail, Into the Tangled Bank puts the idiosyncrasies of how we are in nature under the microscope. And in doing so, it reveals how our collective relationship with nature has changed over the centuries, what our actions mean for nature and what being a nature lover in Britain might mean today.

My review of Into the Tangled Bank

One man’s foray into the world of British nature.

I genuinely think Into the Tangled Bank should be put on prescription for anyone suffering depression or loneliness because it is an absolute tonic of a book that creates happiness in the very soul of the reader. I adored it. My strength of emotional reaction comes partly because it made me feel closer to my much missed Dad. He would have loved every word of Into the Tangled Bank. Dad introduced me to the natural world and he’d have delighted in this book as much as I have. I especially enjoyed the When Nature Changes chapter because John Clare’s Helpston is the next village along from where I live in one direction and Northborough is the next along in another. Reading Into the Tangled Bank gave me a personal, human connection of the kind we all need in these uncertain times.

Into the Tangled Bank is enormously enlightening. I learnt all kinds of facts, not just about wildlife, but people from history, places and  so on – quite frequently through the hugely entertaining footnotes. I think my poor husband wished I’d shut up as I kept reading snippets of information out to him that I’d found unusual, that resonated with me or that I felt described him, never mind Lev Parikian, with absolute precision. I felt I got to know the author as an individual too – and I liked him very much. His frustrations with other humans like ‘Massive Lens Guy’, his conversational style, his self-awareness and his absolutely brilliant writing made me wish I could meet him in real life and chat with him about the book.

Lev Parikian’s writing style is, quite frankly, sublime. It’s beautiful and poetic. It’s realistic and dramatic. He has the ability to convey as much meaning in a two word paragraph as he does in longer sections. It’s engaging and I hadn’t been prepared for how funny it is too. Again the footnotes come into play here where his wry observations, direct appeals to the reader and asides are fabulous. I must confess that I know little about cricket, and the Interlude is less in keeping with the other chapters in Into the Tangled Bank, but I laughed until I wept reading its ending, despite the stark description of the state of the planet.

Into the Tangled Bank is the perfect antidote to the ills of the world because it’s funny, enlightening and very entertaining. It would make a glorious present for any nature lover because it brings alive the world in which we live. It would appeal to any observer of humanity as Lev Parikian’s observations are pithy and insightful and he manages to articulate exactly what so many of us think and feel. Into the Tangled Bank is a glorious book. Don’t miss it.

About Lev Parikian

Lev Parikian is a writer, birdwatcher and conductor. His book Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear? was published by Unbound in 2018. He lives in West London with his family, who are getting used to his increasing enthusiasm for nature. As a birdwatcher, his most prized sightings are a golden oriole in the Alpujarras and a black redstart at Dungeness Power Station.

For more information, follow Lev on Twitter @LevParikian or visit his website.