When Rachel Healey got in touch about her highly pertinent historical novel, I was so disappointed not to be able to fit in reading it. However, I couldn’t resist asking Rachel to stay in with me to chat about it as I thought it sounded fantastic.

When you read what Rachel told me I think you’ll agree! Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Rachel Healey

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Rachel and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

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

This evening, I’ve brought along my historical fiction novel, Our Silent Footsteps. It’s inspired by real events in the life of Mary Goued whom I had the privilege of meeting several years ago. The story follows her life and that of her husband, Jozef Bekerwhom she met under extraordinary circumstances in Alexandria, Egypt during the Second World War. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war making this novel’s rich historical context even more significant.

It most certainly does. What can we expect from an evening in with Our Silent Footsteps?

An emotional roller coaster ride. One reader once told me she felt as if the story had ripped her heart out and repeatedly banged it against a table before finishing, in the closing chapters, with a much-needed hug.

That’s quite a response!

It’s so difficult to stay true to a real-life story as life doesn’t always work out in the way we’d like it to. There’s sadness in the book, frustration at the unfairness of the world and disbelief at how human beings behave towards each other but, in the most part, I’ve written what Mary recounted to me and tried to stay true to that fact. Mary had a fascinating background, born and raised in Egypt in the 1920s. Without the Second World War, she and her husband, Jozef Beker would never have met but, at the same time, the War destroyed Jozef’s past and created difficulties in his health which possibly led to his early death.

That’s fascinating. Given Our Silent Footsteps is based in real people and events, it must have affected you as a writer.

What resonated with me is that, on the one hand we live in an era of social media when everybody’s lives are available to view at the touch of a button but, back when Mary met Jozef, she truly knew nothing about him. She didn’t know of his pre-war life in his native Poland, she knew nothing of the young family he’d had to leave behind, nor even how many siblings he had. None of that mattered to her. When I asked her why she didn’t know the answers to these questions, she merely said that she’d never thought to ask. I don’t think we can say the same when we view our relationships today – we want to know everything! Does that mean we have to know someone completely before truly loving them? Mary clearly adored Jozef and was still clearly grieving him when I met her, 40 years after his untimely death.

As someone who met her husband, moved in with him in a week and got married ten months later some 42 years ago Rachel, I don’t think we do need to know everything about a person before loving them!

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

I’ve cheated and brought two things – I hope you don’t mind!

Not at all!

The first is a 1950s style belt for two reasons. Mary’s Egyptian childhood was fairly traumatic. Her father died young leaving the family effectively penniless. Her mother was left to bring up three children by herself in a very misogynistic world. As the eldest, Mary bore the brunt of her mother’s frustration and the belt symbolises this. On a more positive note, the belt also reminds me of Mary and Jozef’s business which they set up in London in the 1950s. Setting up home in a foreign country must have been incredibly difficult. All they wanted to do was fit in. With the business they made in making belts, they had at last settled down. So, the belt to me represents both the difficult times and the more successful times in their lives.

I’m sure it does. But what’s that second item you’re holding?

The second item is an onion (bear with me!). Food features heavily in the book. I always think that food is a big eye-opener to different cultures. In Our Silent Footsteps the reader travels from Egypt to Poland to Siberia and then to the UK. The book covers a lot of ground to say the least! The onion is particularly poignant to me as, whilst researching Jozef’s story, some of his past remained a blank. He was captured by the Russians in the early 1940s and ended up in a workcamp in Siberia. When the Russians switched sides, the Polish prisoners were simply released with no help. One of the few records we have of this time in Jozef’s life is his recollection of making his way from Siberia to Uzbekistan (mostly on foot) in a terrible state. Half-starving he found a morsal of stale bread in the snow and, to his joy, a half-frozen onion.

And what is so terrifying Rachel, is that history is still repeating itself. Thank you so much for staying in with me to chat about Our Silent Footsteps. I’m even more certain that I would adore it and I hope I can fit in a read before too long.

Our Silent Footsteps

They say that to really know a person you need to understand their past. If that is true, then Mary Beker did not know her husband, Jozef, at all…

Warsaw, 2005. An elderly Mary is searching for clues regarding her late husband’s pre-war life: the first wife and children he had to leave behind; the siblings who vanished. There’s a danger the answers she finds could ruin the memory of the man she adored, memories of their time together. When unravelling his past causes her to revisit uncomfortable memories of her own, Mary must reach a new understanding of the events that brought them together.

Spanning continents, cultures and time, Our Silent Footsteps is based on the true story of Mary, an Egyptian Copt and Jozef, a Polish Jew. A love story transcending the trauma of war.

Published by Troubador on 24th February 2024, Our Silent Footsteps is available for purchase here.

About Rachel Healey

Rachel is a history enthusiast with a captivating background, having worked at both the iconic Windsor Castle and then English Heritage. She now lives in the county of Berkshire in the UK where she feels spoilt by the beautiful countryside on her doorstep. When she is not weaving tales of historical fiction Rachel is on a mission to tire out her spirited dog and two lively children, embracing the joys and challenges of family life.

GFor further information about Rachel, visit her website and follow her on Twitter/X: @RachelHealey20.

Regular visitors to Linda’s Book Bag will know I very rarely reblog about a book, but as HQ are rereleasing my lovely friend Jane Lambert’s The Start of Something Wonderful – a book I loved – I simply had to shout about it today. 

The Start of Something Wonderful was released by HQ on 8th May 2025 and is available for purchase through the publisher links here. 

The Start of Something Wonderful

It’s never too late to follow your dreams…

Emily Forsyth is on cloud nine…

She has a high-flying job (literally), a hunky boyfriend (soon to be fiancé?) and a life of luxury. But then, out of the blue, her boyfriend dumps her for a younger woman, and Emily comes crashing down to earth.

Suddenly, she’s single and homeless, and the prospect of staying in the same job as her cheating ex is unbearable. So, at forty years not-so-young, she quits steady employment and decides to chase her lifelong dream of becoming an actress.

But with eccentric acting teachers, unreliable agents, and some decidedly unglamorous roles on offer, has she made a huge mistake? Or is this the start of something wonderful?

My Review of The Start of Something Wonderful

Nursing a broken heart and a desire to become an actress, Emily throws in her cabin crew career for a life of drama – in more ways than one.

The Start of Something Wonderful had been on my TBR for such a long time that I was almost afraid to read it. What if I didn’t like it? I needn’t have worried as I really, really enjoyed this uplifting and charming book.

The Start of Something Wonderful is a delightfully effortless read because Jane Lambert’s style is so fluid and natural that it makes reading a pleasure. I loved the realism conveyed through the sprinkling of foreign words and phrases as well as the references to the arts and literature and the quotations from Shakespeare that weave seamlessly into the narrative, yet serve to add depth and flavour. And speaking of flavour, Jane Lambert manages to appeal to all the senses so that The Start of Something Wonderful is vivid, engaging and stimulating.

I loved meeting Emily. She is the perfect embodiment of a real woman of a certain age. Her anxieties, her doubts, her challenges and triumphs are told with emotion and brilliant humour and they are exactly the elements that all women can relate to. I frequently laughed aloud, smiled and nodded as I read because I understood completely how she was feeling as Jane Lambert places the reader very firmly inside Emily’s head. Emily feels like a friend rather than a character in a book. 

I adored the storyline. I learnt  a great deal about the life of a jobbing actor. I’m sure much of the novel is autobiographical, as, alongside the humour and despair there’s a realism and considerable depth that I thoroughly appreciated. Whilst The Start of Something Wonderful is a rom-com if that’s how you want to define it, it is also a book about being true to yourself, about not relying simply on a man and about making the most of every moment we have. This makes the narrative feel mature and relatable.

The Start of Something Wonderful is a glorious, escapist read with romance, drama (in more ways than one), humour and a cracking story that I loved. It’s just right for a summer read.

About Jane Lambert

Jane studied French and German at Stirling University, taught English in Vienna then travelled the world as air crew before making the life-changing decision to become an actor.

She has appeared in “Witness for the Prosecution”, “True West”, “Calendar Girls”, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time”, “Watch on the Rhein” and “Deathtrap” in London’s West End .

For further information about Jane, find her on Facebook follow her on Twitter/X @JaneLambert22 or find jane on Instagram. 

I’m a huge fan of Sweet Cherry books for children, having reviewed several here on Linda’s Book Bag. Consequently, when a surprise copy of The Agency for All Things Spectral: The Case of Dr Dust by Samuel J. Halpin arrived with illustrations by Laura Borio, I simply had to dive straight in! My grateful thanks to Morgan for sending it to me. I’m delighted to share my review today. 

And what could be a better date to share my review than when Sweet Cherry launch Sweet Cherry Every Cherry Day – a brand-new, nationwide celebration of accessible books and inclusive reading for all children.

Sweet Cherry say ‘Every Cherry Day is about more than just books. It’s about ensuring that every child, regardless of their ability, can experience the joy of reading. We want to bring together schools, libraries, bookshops and organisations to champion accessible stories and shine a spotlight on why inclusive books matter.’

You Van read more about this brand new initiative here.

Published by Sweet Cherry on 17th April 2025, The Case of Dr Dust is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

The Case of Dr Dust

A brilliantly fun and spooky middle grade adventure!

Billy is having a miserable summer. She’s fallen out with her best friend. Her mums might have to sell their antique shop. And she’s just accidentally killed her gold fish. When Billy comes across some unusual spectacles through which she can not only see ghosts – things take a spooky turn.

My Review of The Case of Dr Dust

Billy is not having a good summer.

What a fabulous book! The Case of Dr Dust is packed with adventure and excitement and I thought it was excellent.

The plot is fast paced and thrilling as Billy discovers that she can see and hear ghosts who are themselves having a few difficulties! There’s loads of action, Laura Borio’s fantastic illustrations and the perfect balance of text to white space and pictures so that The Case of Dr Dust is brilliant for young readers moving on to chapter books and independent reading, for use in schools or as a shared text at home. This is one of those books I wish I’d had access to as a child.

The language is just right for the age of the intended audience. Some vocabulary will be unfamiliar, but the context affords the opportunity to learn new words and I thought it was wonderful that children are not patronised by dumbing down the language. The use of upper case letters for emphasis, naturalistic dialogue and judicious ellipsis are all superb teaching tools too as they model just the kind of writing we’d like youngsters to emulate. 

I loved the inclusion woven into the story. Billy has two Mums and no Dad. Her new friend Dorothy is incredibly tall, so that she is frequently teased about her height. Billy is often involved in distracting behaviour at school and gets into trouble – trouble that is at the heart of her falling out with her best friend Dev. These are aspects children can relate to easily. 

That falling out is just one of the themes that will resonate with children as they enjoy the story. I loved the way the relationship between Billy and Dev is portrayed. Billy truly learns and develops through it; and thinking about how our actions impinge on others is handled with incredible dexterity by Samuel J. Halpin. 

But whilst The Case of Dr Dust might be a cracking book for middle grade classroom use, its real strength lies in being a captivating, entertaining and gripping tale of ghosts, dastardly deeds and bravery that readers of all ages will love. I thought it was a belter and not to be missed!

About Samuel J. Halpin

Born in Tasmania with Irish roots, Samuel J. Halpin writes daily. Having studied journalism at the University of New South Wales, Samuel went on to take cinematography at AFTRS, the national Australian film school in Sydney before moving to London and working in comedy TV production. His children’s books are his answer to a childhood raised on a hodgepodge of fairy tales, crowded bookshelves and cups of hot chocolate.

For further information, visit Samuel’s website, find him on Twitter/X @samueljhalpin and on Instagram. 

About Laura Borio

As soon as her parents put pencils in her hands, Laura decided to try them on the kitchen walls. Now she no longer draws on walls but on any other surface, in fact, in addition to digital she loves to draw and paint on wood and paper. In 2008 Laura attended a comic book course and in 2023 she attended a Master in Digital Illustration. Most of her days are full of drawings, but she also likes watching fantasy movies, reading children’s books, practicing Tai Chi, eating pancakes with friends and annoying her cat.

You can find Laura on Instagram.

I so enjoyed Charlotte Butterfield’s The Second Chance (reviewed here) that I was thrilled when her latest novel The Sister Switch turned up in surprise book mail. My huge thanks to Becky Hunter for sending it to me. 

It was my pleasure to record a podcast with Charlotte that you can listen to here and I was even more delighted when I found Linda’s Book Bag mentioned in Charlotte’s acknowledgements at the end of The Sister Switch. 

The Sister Switch is published by Avon on 8th May 2925 and is available for purchase through the publisher links here.  

The Sister Switch

Two sisters. One Bet. 

And a lifetime of secrets uncovered…

Morning TV’s favourite twin sisters, Alice and Edie, may share the screen, but that’s where their similarities end. Their viewpoints are far from identical, and whilst their on-air clashes keep viewers hooked, off-camera, their relationship is far from picture-perfect.

After a heated argument on live television threatens their jobs, the fiery duo make a bet: neither could last a week in the other’s shoes. Determined to prove each other wrong, they secretly swap lives ― without telling a soul.

What starts as a battle of wills quickly spirals into chaos, as each sister discovers that the other’s life is far more complicated than it seems. Between dodging awkward work situations, marital issues, and meddling in each other’s families, Alice and Edie’s rivalry turns from a competitive bet into an opportunity to help change each other’s lives for the better.

But will their relationship survive?

My Review of The Sister Switch

Twins Alice and Edie couldn’t be more different…

What a fabulous summer read! I so enjoyed The Sister Switch because it can be read on multiple levels, is hugely entertaining and is a complete diversion from the cares of life.

Firstly there is the funny, fast-paced plot that twists and turns along, as identical twins Alice and Edie swap homes, lives and families in an attempt to win a bet. There are so many moments when I laughed aloud because the story is incredibly funny with many a potentially awkward moment. 

More engaging, however, is what the two sisters learn not just about one another’s lives, but about themselves during the swap. The Sister Swap illustrates to perfection the adage ‘never judge another until you’ve walked in their shoes’ – literally in this case! Alicia and Edie are polar opposites, but the more they live each other’s lives, the more they understand and appreciate why their twin behaves as she does and how much more they actually have in common. 

I found my initial preference for the more freely behaving Edie changed the more I read about Alice. Both women have flaws and foibles, and it was both fascinating and ironic that the more bohemian Edie was actually more selfish than the rigid, self-righteous Alice. I confess it was somewhat disturbing to discover so many of their less appealing traits feature in my own personality! They are incredibly relatable characters.

I’m not usually a big fan of children in stories, but here the characterisation was magnificent, adeptly illustrating the role of nurture in development. Whilst I loathed Alice’s husband with a passion, by the end of the book I did have some sympathy for him too. However, it was Seb who held my heart so completely, because, despite being the most accommodating and supportive character, he is the one who probably suffers the most as a result of the swap. And I think that is the true strength of Charlotte Butterfield’s writing. Whilst the reader is being engaged by a funny romp of a story, they are also being subtly educated about real people too. Indeed, Through wit and entertainment, Charlotte Butterfield examines the nature of human understanding, of empathy and of the impact of behaviour on others, so that the reader learns from The Sister Switch every bit as much as the characters. 

I thought The Sister Switch was fabulous. It made me grateful for my own life. It made me think about others with greater empathy and it entertained me completely. It’s a super read. 

About Charlotte Butterfield

A former magazine editor, Charlotte Butterfield was born in Bristol, England and studied English Literature at the University of London, and a Masters in Gender and Women’s Studies at Birmingham. She moved to Dubai by herself on a one-way ticket with one suitcase in 2005 and left for Rome twelve years later with a husband, three children and a 40ft shipping container. After four years in Italy working as a freelance journalist, living the dolce vita and eating tiramisu with every meal, she now lives in the Cotswolds teaching and writing.

Her first novel won a Montegrappa award at the 2016 Emirates Festival of Literature, and she went on to publish three romantic comedies before pivoting to high-concept women’s fiction with heart. Her second novel in this space, The Family Fix (previously You Get That From Me) was The Times Book of the Month upon publication, and later one of The Times Popular Fiction Books of the Year in 2023. She currently publishes with Avon at Harper Collins UK. Her latest novel, The Second Chance, has been optioned for film by a major Hollywood studio, and her next book, The Sister Switch (aka grown-up Parent Trap) is forthcoming in May 2025.

You’ll find Charlotte on Facebook and Instagram.