I so adored River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer which I reviewed here, that I could not be more excited to be part of the cover reveal for her second novel, Fireflies in Winter. My huge thanks to Caitlin Raynor at Headline for inviting me to participate.

Fireflies in Winter will be published by Headline Review on 10th February 2026 and is available for pre-order from all good bookshops and here. 

Fireflies in Winter

A breathtaking novel of two young women fighting for love and survival on the edge of the wilderness from the author of River Sing Me Home.

Nova Scotia 1796. Cora, an orphan newly arrived from Jamaica, has never felt cold like this. In the depths of winter, everyone in her community huddles together in their homes to keep warm. So when she sees a shadow slipping through the trees, Cora thinks her eyes are deceiving her. Until she creeps out into the moonlight and finds the tracks in the snow.

Agnes is in hiding. On the run from her former life, she has learned what it takes to survive alone in the wilderness. But she can afford no mistakes. When she first spies the young woman in the woods, she is afraid. Yet Cora is fearless, and their paths are destined to cross.

Deep among the cedars, Cora and Agnes find a fragile place of safety. But when Agnes’s past closes in, they are confronted with the dangerous price of freedom – and of love….

****

I think that sounds so atmospheric and cannot wait to get my hands on a copy!

About Eleanor Shearer

Eleanor Shearer is a mixed-race writer and the granddaughter of Windrush generation immigrants. She splits her time between London and Ramsgate so that she never has to go too long without seeing the sea. For her Master’s degree in Politics at the University of Oxford, Eleanor studied the legacy of slavery and the case for reparations, and her fieldwork in St. Lucia and Barbados helped inspire her first novel.

For further information, follow Eleanor on Twitter @eleanorbshearer, or find her on Instagram.

I have always prided myself on being entirely reliable. Hmm. We all know what pride comes before don’t we? 

I cannot apologise enough to Christina Marrocco for completely forgetting to post this ‘staying in’ evening yesterday when her latest book was published. Christina did everything I asked, sending me all I needed well in advance and my brain went on holiday. I do have an excuse but that’s not the point!

So, with an embarrassed red face and huge apologies, 24 hours later than intended, I am staying in with Christina, 

Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Christina Marrocco

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Christina and, with my apologies once again, 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?

 

I’ve brought my new book, The Way Beauty Comes Apart. It’s my second book and one that’s really been a labour of love and of research—and of deep, deep work. I think it’s a book that’s really going to resonate with readers as it faces life and human sufferings and fallibilities face on.

Ha! I think I’ve illustrated fallibility right here! What can we expect from an evening in with The Way Beauty Comes Apart?

The Way Beauty Comes Apart is a novel in stories told by the dead, set in the Edwardian and Victorian eras in North West Wales. I’ll let that sink in. 

What an irony and how fascinating. I’ve been dealing with the recent death of my Mum (which is why I forgot about our evening together) and when you sent me your responses I was actually on holiday in North Wales. Tell me more.

There are 14 narrators who each tell the story of their own life, and because they are a community, they also tell of one another. The genre is literary historical fiction, but I’d say with a perhaps supernatural bent and lots of humour.

The Way Beauty Comes Apart sounds very much my kind of read.

 It’s a hard book to pigeonhole. It’s very much a novel in which the setting—a village in North West Wales is prominent and present. This is because I believe that places are very much in their people and also that the people leave themselves behind, sort of glowingly smeared on the places they live. I read Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology as a young adult and that left a mark on me. And while writing this book, I came upon Cre Na Cille as well, and while this book is distinct from those—it does seek the same sort of impact. A memento mori that’s lively and real. And an acknowledgment that we live lives of paradox.

Oh, I agree entirely that we impact, and are impacted by, the places we visit and the books we read. But, you’re not based in Wales so how difficult was it to write about? 

I also want to mention that in order to write with respect and sensitivity about a culture and setting outside of my own, I conducted soooo much research, read every historical and fictional account of the region I could get my hands on, and also worked with Welsh editors and readers in order to get everything just-so.

That sounds like diligence! Do you have a passage you could share with us from The Way Beauty Comes Apart? 

I do. I’ll let two characters introduce themselves:

Cranstal Jones:

Cot death is what they called it, those neighbourly women who came to the door with seed cakes and condolences, who arrived with baskets full from here in Nefin* and the farms surrounding. How they whispered, after Elen, as if speaking loudly would draw death’s attention to themselves and their own children. As if it might bring the little people to leave changelings for them. When I saw these same women out in the world, they scurried away from me like crabs on the shore. No matter if I were off to the shop or down to chapel. Surely, their hurry was much to do with my dead baby, with cot death. But it wasn’t that alone, and I knew it. The other thing that kept them an arm’s length from me was this: I’d come from outside. The Manxwoman is what they called me. Gwilym said they aren’t so clannish as that and it was mainly in my head. He said that I’m no foreigner if I’m his wife. But Gwilym has always been liberal with the benefit of the doubt.

Twm Gethin who turns out to be quite a villain:

Twm Geth, here. Gethin if you want to say it proper. Steward at the quarry and a man with a prime small holding, no landlord hovering over me. Kind of steward gets to come into the main office—that kind. Began as a low-down cutter, just like most in the quarry. Made my way up and fast,too, which is most unusual. Too fast for the likes of some in the office, especially those who came from down south and such. Those who thought themselves better than us locals. But I never got full of myself or above myself. In fact, I made it my habit to have a pint with my friends any payday to show them that I was still one of them, always would be.

The most important thing about me is I was known all around these parts as an honest man. Never thought myself better than another man, never thought myself worse. And what’s more and is most unusual, I can say I never told a lie, ever. And me saying so would be true! Now, I certainly have done some wrong in my life. To do some wrong is the option of every man so long as he atones for it later.

There’s a definite authentic Welshness there Christina! 

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

Home-made Kombucha—I’ve begun a bit of an obsession with kombucha.

Also, a photo of my own hand and the wool streaming out on the strand as it was an initial and then repeated visits to Nefyn and Lilthfaen that made me write this book. 

My husband is going on a residential Welsh language course in Nefyn very soon and we were on that very beach on 3rd August when it was his birthday! 

Also, last thing, I have a sharp fork—my mother gave it to me recently. It’s an institutional fork—and it belonged to my great grandfather who had TB. He lived in a sanitarium off and on and always ate with his own fork. Items like this—and attached stories—remind us of the nature of things. And all of this: hope, kombucha, imagination and fancy, and gritty reality make literature and they make up life.

You are absolutely right – and here’s another co-incidence; my mother had TB as a child…

Thank you so much, Christina, for staying in with me to chat about The Way Beauty Comes Apart. If you’d like to serve up some kombucha, I’ll give readers a few more details:

The Way Beauty Comes Apart

The Way Beauty Comes Apart is a transportive and magical, yet grittily real account of life told by the dead of Nefin, a close-knit, fictional community in North West Wales. Entangled characters who cannot but both love and hate one another weave beautiful cloth from what it is to be human– and sometimes horrible. Cranstal Jones stands behind the bedroom curtains, gazing out at little graves, struggling to keep her sanity, trying to appease the “fair folk” and understand why loss keeps coming for her. Lili Morgan plots to leave Nefin for London but is thwarted by a vicious attack which sends unseen ripples through the entire community for lifetimes to come. 

Even as her attacker, Twm Gethin, claims he cannot tell a lie, he becomes a dangerous master of omission whose own heart will also break on the rocky coast. Grandmother and Granddaughter midwives-the Dafydds-tend to the birthing, the dying, and the languishing, keeping to their craft even as modern medicine eclipses ancient practices. These and other disarmingly real characters speak directly to readers from the places they last drew breath. They take readers deep into their lives, their time, their deaths, their “truths,” and ultimately their accounts of one another.

Published yesterday, 25th August 2025, The Way Beauty Comes Apart is available for purchase here. 

About Christina Marrocco

Christina Marrocco is an award winning author from the Chicago area. Her latest release The Way Beauty Comes Apart is a novel-in-stories set in Wales and told by the dead. Her 2022 debut novel, Addio, Love Monster won the Book of the Year award from the Chicago Writers Association.

Christina writes character-driven accounts of life that are visceral and transportive. Her work often showcases working-class people, the realities they face, and the landscapes they inhabit. Christina has a deep interest in ancient beliefs and practices, and this shows in her novels, essays, and poems. Her doctoral dissertation, The Evil Eye in Italian American Literature established her reputation in ethnic studies. An eclectic writer, she’s also a poet whose work has appeared in many journals including Ovunque Siamo, The Laurel Review, Silverbirch Press, House Mountain Review, Red Fern Press, and Voices from the Attic.

Christina teaches Creative Writing and other courses at Elgin Community College.

For further information, visit Christina’s website and find her on Facebook. 

 

Last year it was my absolute pleasure to attend the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize awards in London where I had the most fabulous evening. My huge thanks to Charlotte Maddox for inviting me. 

Today it’s my pleasure to take a look at 2025’s Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize shortlisted books and to add further thanks to Charlotte for sending me copies of them all so that I can read, share and recommend my favourites. 

The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize

The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize is a global prize that supports and celebrates the best adventure writing today. The Prize is open to writers of any nationality, writing in English. American, British, Filipina and Jamaican authors are represented on the shortlist.

Behind the Scenes

Novels are submitted by agents and publishers, and then read and reviewed by a volunteer panel of librarians and library staff from across the UK. This panel is responsible for selecting the long and shortlists with our ethos, ‘An Adventure for Everyone’, at the forefront of their minds. 

The shortlist is now with the judging panel, comprising five experts in either the literature or adventure fields. 

The 2025 judges are Nathan Gray, former high-risk test pilot and one of Britain’s most decorated military aviators; Keme Nzerem, journalist, filmmaker and co-founder of Opening Up The Outdoors; Francesca de Tores, author, academic and winner of the 2024 Adventure Writing Prize; and Corinne Turner, literary IP consultant and former Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications. 

Alongside an online ‘Readers’ Vote’, which represents one seat on the judging panel, they will select the winning book. 

The winner of the £10,000 award will be revealed on 11th September 2025 at a private reception in London, UK. The same event will also reveal the winners of the New Voices award, an editorial development programme for unpublished writers, and the Author of Tomorrow award for young writers.

The 2025 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize shortlist is: 

Babylonia by Costanza Casati (Penguin Michael Joseph)

 

Ancient Assyria, 9th century BC. An orphan is raised on the outskirts of a brutal empire. Heir to a tragic prophecy, Semiramis dreams of wielding power and escaping her destiny.

Far away, a reluctant prince walks the corridors of his gilded palace in a city built by the gods. Ninus would rather spend his days in books and poetry than conquering the world of men. But when he meets Onnes, a broken, beautiful warrior, something awakens in them both.

That is until Semiramis arrives. A savage love soon erupts between them all. And before long, all three will be forced to learn the lesson of the gods – in Babylonia, you must bend the world to your will. What doesn’t bend, you break.

Babylonia is available for purchase here. 

Sycorax by Nydia Hetherington (Quercus)

Born of the sun and moon, shaped by fire and malady, comes a young woman whose story has never been told . . .

They call her Sycorax. Seer. Sage. Sorceress.

Outcast by society and all alone in the world, Sycorax must find a way to understand her true nature. But as her powers begin to grow, so too do the suspicions of the local townspeople. For knowledge can be dangerous, and a woman’s knowledge is the most dangerous of all . . .

With a great storm brewing on the horizon, Sycorax finds herself in increasing peril – but will her powers save her, or will they spell the end for them all?

Sycorax is available for purchase here. 

Redemption by Jack Jordan (Simon & Schuster)

  

‘Sometimes I wonder if I have it in me to kill someone . . . what my tipping point might be.’

AARON has just been released from jail after causing the death of a boy in a hit-and-run. Now a free man, all he wants to do is leave his troubled past behind him.

EVELYN, consumed by grief and rage, has been counting down the days until this moment. After eleven long years, she is finally able to exact the revenge her late son deserves.

TOBIAS knows what his wife is planning, and as they embark on a breathless pursuit across the Nevada desert, he is determined to do everything he can to save her from herself.

Even if it means protecting the man who killed their son.

Locked in a blood-soaked collision course, they’re about to find out what waits for them at the end of the road.

Redemption is available for purchase here. 

A House for Miss Pauline by Diana McCaulay (Dialogue Books)

When the stones of her home begin to rattle and call out to her in the quiet of the night, Pauline Sinclair knows she will not live to see her 100th birthday.

From educating herself through stolen books to becoming one of the most successful ganja farmers in the area and raising a family, Pauline has lived a life on her own terms in Mason Hall, a rural Jamaican village.

Yet these whispering walls promise to topple the foundations of her security and exhume Pauline’s many buried secrets, including the mysterious disappearance of the man who came to claim the very land on which she built her home, stone by stone, from the ruins of a plantation.

Compelled to make peace before she dies, Pauline decides to leave the only home she has ever known on a final, desperate mission to uncover truths she could never have imagined…

Lyrical, funny, eerie and profound, A House for Miss Pauline tells a timely and nuanced tale, infused with the patois and natural beauty of Jamaica, which questions who owns the land on which our identities are forged.

A House for Miss Pauline is available for purchase here. 

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao (Bantam, Transworld)

 

On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see only a cosy ramen restaurant. And just the chosen ones – those who are lost – will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.

Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike other customers. For he offers help, instead of seeking it.

Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice – through rain puddles, hitching rides on paper cranes, across the bridge between midnight and morning and through a night market in the clouds.

But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own – and risk making a choice she will never be able to take back.

Water Moon is available for purchase here. 

Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)

 

A wildly funny and razor-sharp exploration of love, family, religion and the decisions we make in pursuit of belonging.

‘By normal, you mean like you? A slag with a saviour complex?’

Nadia is an academic who’s been disowned by her puritanical mother and dumped by her lover, Rosy. She decides to make a getaway, accepting a UN job in Iraq. Tasked with rehabilitating ISIS women, Nadia becomes mired in the opaque world of international aid, surrounded by bumbling colleagues.

Sara is a precocious and sweary East Londoner who joined ISIS at just fifteen.

Nadia is struck by how similar they are: both feisty and opinionated, from a Muslim background, with a shared love of Dairy Milk and rude pick-up lines. A powerful friendship forms between the two women, until a secret confession from Sara threatens everything Nadia has been working for.

Fundamentally is available for purchase here. 

These six are in the running for the £10,000 award. 

However, The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize is as much about readers as it is about writers. The foundation aims to generate a conversation around the books that will lead to more readers for all of the authors on the shortlist, as well as more readers finding a new favourite book and author. 

I have only read one of these fantastic sounding books so far – Redemption by Jack Jordan –  and you’ll find my review here. It’s so exciting to have all the others on my TBR too now. As I took each one out of the box, I kept saying ‘Oh! That looks good!’ Indeed, I have a feeling that each of these books is going to transport me from recent events with the death of my 91 year-old mother and take me on journeys that will distract and entertain me in equal measure. I’m having considerable trouble deciding which one to read first. Is there one that appeals most to you and if so, why?

About The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation

The Prize is awarded by The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation, a charitable organisation established in 2015 by the late bestselling author Wilbur Smith and his wife, Niso. The Foundation empowers writers, promotes literacy and advances adventure writing as a genre, working to uplift, inspire and educate writers and readers of all ages across the world. 

Wilbur Smith’s first book, When the Lion Feeds, was published in 1964 and he had a hugely successful career as an author. His books have sold over 140 million copies and are translated into 32 languages. Wilbur passed away in 2021, but the founder, his wife, Niso Smith, continues to support the Foundation to keep the adventure fiction flag flying. 

For further information, visit the foundation website, or find them on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Facebook. 

 Read. Share. Recommend.

My huge thanks to Harriett Collins at Simon and Schuster for sending me a surprise copy of The Next Chapter by Rebecca Ryan. I was delighted to receive it as I loved Rebecca’s previous two books, My (extra)Ordinary Life and The Philosophy of Love which you’ll find reviewed here. 

The Next Chapter was published by Simon and Schuster on 17th July 2025 and is available for purchase here. 

The Next Chapter

Lily Brown is ready to turn the page and see what adventure awaits . . .

Lily Brown prides herself on her organised, surprise-free life. Whether it’s charity yoga for polar bears or crafting a ninety-six-piece balloon arch, Lily always goes the extra mile. But when her adoptive father asks her to reconnect with her birth mother, Lola Starr – a legendary pop punk singer who vanished from fame – Lily decides to venture off the well-trodden path.

With her best friend Seb, Lily tracks Lola to her humble hotel on the beautiful Isle of Skye in Scotland, far from the glamorous life she imagined. Hiding the truth, Lily gets to know Lola and finds a kind, free-spirited woman. If life wasn’t complicated enough – she meets Noah, a charming travel writer on a quest to discover hidden gems.  

As Lily takes a chance and embraces new possibilities, she begins to question whether the safe rules she’s built her life around are what she really needs.

My Review of The Next Chapter

Ghost writer Lily Brown has a new assignment.

I feel I ought to write a thank you letter to Rebecca Ryan rather than a review of The Next Chapter. Occasionally, a reader needs a particular type of book at a particular moment and so it was with The Next Chapter. I loved it. I had not been able to settle to reading, but Rebecca Ryan’s perfect blend of wit, warmth and wonderful storytelling had me entranced and reignited my love of books and my ability to focus. It also provided me with the most uplifting sense of the possibilities of life in the future. That’s a sensational effect from a book.

The story is smashing, especially being set predominantly on the Isle of Skye where the environment, the hotel and the activities play a vital and engaging part of the story (though I won’t be skydiving any time soon!). There’s a real sense of quest and identity underpinning The Next Chapter with a finely balanced exploration of the search for truth and the deceptions we tell – particularly to ourselves. It is Lily’s development through these themes that makes The Next Chapter incredibly entertaining.

Lily Brown is a triumph of a character. She’s so realistic that her personality thrums with vibrancy. Filled with self-doubt, addicted to lists and the ultimate people pleaser, Lily is highly relatable. I adored how her relationships are displayed across the narrative. Her friendship with Seb provides much of the humour in the novel and he helps the reader discover Lily’s true personality. Her attraction to Noah adds a warmly romantic aspect that is delightful and I was quite in love with Noah myself. But it is when Lily discovers more about Lola that we get a true understanding of the complexities of Lily’s character because Lily’s perceptions about herself and her previous life shift and realign in a kind of literary kaleidoscope. Rebecca Ryan has a highly perceptive insight into humanity that is spot on, so that it’s impossible not to feel you’re on the same journey as her characters. I absolutely adored this aspect of the story.

Even those with more minor roles are realistic and appealing, from the truculent Harper to the indolent Clementine. Every person here adds colour, development and contrast to Lily’s personality. The relatively small cast split between Manchester and Skye makes the writing feel intimate and all the more convincing. Indeed, the whole story has quite a traditional dramatic unity of time (six weeks) and place (Skye) that adds depth and engagement.

It’s quite challenging to convey how much I enjoyed The Next Chapter. It’s definitely fun, emotional, escapist and romantic, and is just perfect for a holiday read, but somehow it manages to be greater than the sum of its parts so that it leaves a surprising mark on the reader. Rebecca Ryan is fast becoming my ‘go to’ author of uplifting, engaging and thoroughly entertaining stories. don’t miss The Next Chapter. It’s an absolute cracker!                                                                                                

About Rebecca Ryan

Rebecca Ryan is the author of My (extra)Ordinary Life, The Philosophy of Love and The Next Chapter, although she can’t quite believe that she’s written three whole books. She left a career in teaching to pursue writing full time, and now mostly spends her days making up stories, replying to emails from her children’s school, or killing off brain cells watching reels on Instagram. Rebecca lives in Bradford with her three children, no small number of notebooks and an expansive collection of scatter cushions. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

For further information, follow Rebecca on Twitter @WriteBecsWrite, find her on Instagram or visit her website.

Once again I find myself apologizing that it has taken me far too long to get round to sharing a blog post. I’ve been meaning to ‘stay in’ with Claire Carver to chat all about her debut book for some time, but life got the better of me!

Still, better late than never, it’s my pleasure to welcome Claire to Linda’s Book Bag today.

Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Claire Carver

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Claire. 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?

It’s my debut novel, Still Got It.

How exciting to have your debut novel out. What can we expect from an evening in with Still Got It?

Lots of Greek sunshine, culture, food, and a big portion of romance. I know Greece well, particularly the islands, and fell in love with the country on a visit to Corfu as a teenager, and it’s gone from there. I’m even learning Greek, very slowly, as it’s a tricky language, and once you can speak a few words, the Greeks think you’re fluent and rush ahead with sentences at the speed of sound, of which you can understand precisely nothing. ‘Then kataleveno’, I don’t understand, is one of my most overused phrases, but they love it if you at least try.

I always think it’s only right to attempt a few words of a local language when we travel. Well done you! Tell me more.

My heroine, Grace, a 61-year-old widow, takes the opportunity to shake up her life with a summer teaching on a Greek island. Sparks fly, and not in a good way, when she bumps into Will Lancing, an ex-Special Forces soldier with his own issues. As she relaxes into the Greek way of life, can she overcome her grief at losing her husband and give love another try?

That sounds just my kind of read. What have other readers been saying?

It’s my debut novel, and I’m so grateful that the reviews have been amazing. Fabulous magazine in The Sun called it ‘A gorgeous second-chance love story’ and one lovely reader said, ‘I’m here trying to figure out how best to describe this book, for a lack of words it’s just perfection.’ Wow.

You must be delighted with that reaction. Fantastic. 

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

Food of course! One of my favourite Greek dishes is kritharoto, which looks like seafood risotto, but in fact is made with tiny pieces of pasta called kritharaki, similar to orzo. It’s stuffed with everything from prawns and mussels to pieces of squid in a rich tomato sauce, and once I had one in a tiny backstreet on the island of Amorgos with bits of lobster in, which was fantastic.

I’m not a huge lover of fishy foods but that sounds really good.

I’d accompany it with a glass of ice-cold Mythos, a dry Greek beer, which tastes even better if they serve it in a glass which has been frozen first so it arrives at your table glistening with ice crystals. Even writing about the food is making my mouth water. In Greece if you’d had a meal, you usually get a free dessert, which can be anything from a mini ice cream or fresh apricots to preserved fruit and vegetables in syrup from their own gardens. Carrot strips in syrup was one I wasn’t sure about at first, but it was lovely.

Did someone say free dessert? Perfect!

Claire’s love of Greece started more years ago than she cares to remember. Corfu was her first destination as a teenager, and since then she has travelled extensively around the country, particularly the islands, and is even learning Greek, very slowly.

I really need to read Still Got It Claire. My first holiday after I was married (42 years ago next week) was to Corfu and we are just contemplating a Greek islands cruise for 2026 so the book would fit in perfectly I think. Thank you so much for staying in with me to chat all about it. You serve up some kritharoto and I’ll add a few more details for readers:

Still Got It

Grace Foreman never expected to find herself widowed before she turned sixty – but when she packs her bags for a summer on a gorgeous Greek island, the last thing on her mind is a holiday romance. Grace would rather take a chance on a tan … or maybe a new summer wardrobe…

But then Grace meets ex Special Forces soldier Will Lancing – and although Grace isn’t looking for love, she soon finds out she’s still got it when it comes to playing the dating game…

Still Got It was published by One More Chapter on 10th April 2025 and is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

About Claire Carver

Claire is a long-time journalist and tv producer, who has worked for national papers and magazines in features, showbiz, and interiors. She is married with two grown up children and lives in southwest London.

The sunshine, the culture, and the warmth of the Greek people, not to mention the food, inspired her to write her debut novel, the romantic comedy Still Got It, a story of second chances and taking risks at any age, all set on a Greek island of course.

For further information, find Claire on Facebook and Instagram.  

My huge thanks to Fiona Brownlee at Muswell Press for sending me a surprise copy of Miss Veal and Miss Ham by Vikki Heywood. It’s my pleasure to share my review of this debut story today.

Miss Veal and Miss Ham was published by Muswell Press on 3rd July 2025 and is available for purchase here. 

Miss Veal and Miss Ham

Public Companions, Private Lovers….

It is 1951 and behind the counter of a modest post office in a leafy Buckinghamshire village Miss Dora Ham and Miss Beatrix Veal maintain their careful façade as respected local spinsters. But behind their public façade is a story of passion;  suffragist activists who fell in love at a rally in the 1900s, danced in London’s secret gay clubs between the wars, and comforted one another during the Blitz.  Together they have built a life of quiet dignity and service in rural England.

Over the course of one pivotal day their carefully constructed world begins to fracture. Through Beatrix’s wry perspective we witness the severe impact of post-war changes on their peaceful existence. Changes that will lead to heart-breaking decisions for Miss Veal and Miss Ham

At the heart of this intimate, moving and witty novel is a story of resilience, the dignity of love that cannot be spoken, and the challenges that come when the future no longer feels safe.

My Review of Miss Veal and Miss Ham

The bailiffs are on their way.

What a magnificently ‘quiet’ book. Miss Veal and Miss Ham probably won’t have the reach and razzamatazz of a celebrity author’s work, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t truly magnificent. It’s a wonderful story.

I loved the dramatic unity of time and place as the events revolve around one day at the combined shop and post office run by Beatrix Veal and Dora Ham. This unity gives a completely satisfying and beautifully balanced structure. It would be easy to imagine Miss Veal and Miss Ham as a wonderful stage play because their voices and personalities are so clear. The writing is so effective. Dialogue is naturalistic and there’s a beauty in the quiet moments of the text that draws in the reader throughout. Beatrix in particular displays a sharp wit that provides dramatic light relief and serves to heighten the emotion of her memories of her childhood and her grief. 

Whilst both women have had exciting pasts, living life to the full in the gay bars of London, being involved in the suffragist movement and maintaining the secret of their love over decades and through war, much of this present time in their lives is mundane and prosaic – apart from the fact they are about to lose everything. Dora struggles with her balance and walking and Beatrix tends her hens and goes on walks with great friend Oliver. However, it is this very ordinariness that is the huge success of the story. The concept of overlooking ‘spinster’ women and making assumptions about them, threads through the story. There’s a huge depth of feeling just beneath the surface and I found the book totally absorbing and very moving.

As Beatrix leads the reader through this one day, her conversations with Dora, her frustration at the impasse she and Dora find themselves in, and her stoic approach, feel all the more emotional as life begins to unravel. Set against the backdrop of love, Vikki Heywood weaves in the niceties of society, the control of the patriarchy, and the way post-war life impacted women, so convincingly that it is impossible not to be infuriated at the casual way events mean Beatrix and Dora are essentially discarded. As the day progresses, Beatrix’s life unravels like the wool from Mrs Hodge’s hand-knits, providing the reader with a vivid insight into how finely balanced and precarious life can be. 

I thought Miss Veal and Miss Ham was one of those perfectly crafted stories that feel akin to drinking champagne in a world of rough cider. It provides insight into an historical era, whilst celebrating love and loyalty. It takes the reader by surprise in its ordinariness and, ultimately, in its drama. It’s a book I would urge readers not to overlook. I loved it.

About Vikki Heywood

Vikki Heywood was Executive Director of the RSC from 2003 until 2012 and before that Joint Chief Executive of the Royal Court Theatre. She has been an executive producer of many West End and Broadway productions, including Matilda the Musical. She was Chairman of the RSA 2012-2018 and in 2020 was awarded a Damehood for services to the Arts. This is her first novel.

For further information, visit Vikki’s website and find her on Instagram.

It’s with a huge apology that I welcome Michael Craig to Linda’s Book Bag today. Michael was due to appear just as Mum became very poorly and ended up in hospital before she died so it’s taken me a while to catch up. I am, however, delighted to discover more about Michael’s thriller today.

Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Michael Craig

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Michael 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? 

I’ve brought Doppelganger, Harbinger of Evil. It is a crime thriller set in three cities, Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Leeds, all beautiful cities but with a dark underworld.

Oo. Exploring the thin veneer of civilsation then! What inspired the story?

The story was imagined on a trip to Edinburgh to see a friend, he’d restyled his hair and we looked alike. People mistook us for siblings, and I got to think what you could do if you had an actual doppelganger.

My memory reached out to twins I had known at school, they’d got into trouble, lots of trouble, and they took it in turns to take the punishment irrespective of who was the villain.

That’s brilliant.

In the corner of a Scottish bar, I began to plan the outline of a story, my doppelgangers began to come to life. Initially the story was a husband using his doppelganger so that he could escape his marriage for a short while until I visited Amsterdam with the same friend and The City of Sin offered opportunities for the story to take a darker turn.

I imagine it did! What can we expect from an evening in with Doppelganger, Harbinger of Evil? 

The book follows the lives of two individuals, who are almost identical, Kyle a criminal whose wife is to inherit a small fortune, that he will not benefit from unless she dies, and Kirk, who is lost and at a crossroads in his life having failed to fulfil his dream of being a professional footballer and has drifted into the seedy world of male escorting, that brings him into the same criminal circle as his doppelganger.

A horrific and disturbing violent assault amidst a straightforward drug deal provokes the powerful and dangerous Bakker and Volvov families to track down the phantom known as The Apparition.

Will Isla’s inheritance be the death of her? Can a mistaken identity lead to an innocent man being framed for crimes that he did not commit?

That sounds like a real thriller Michael. 

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

I’ve brought Kirk, anti-hero of the book, tall dark and handsome and easy on the eye. A treat for the lady reader. 

And he’s very welcome!

He’s brought his chessboard, Ancient Greek soldiers, one army Gold and the other Silver, a present from the only friend he’s ever had. He’s also brought a bottle of expensive Scotch Whiskey, Laphroaig 12-year-old single malt, his favourite peaty whiskey. Kirk would like to share with you a ‘wee dram’ or two and game of strategy and death.

An evening playing cards or a game of chess is what Kirk would do with friends.

Um. I’m not sure I want to play to the death as my chess is a bit rusty. Tell you what, you get Kirk drunk and I’ll give readers a few more details about Doppelganger, Harbinger of Evil. Thanks so much for joining me this evening and telling me all about it.

Doppelganger, Harbinger of Evil

A horrific and disturbing violent assault amidst a straightforward drug deal creates tension between the powerful and dangerous Bakker and Volvov families. Who is The Apparition, is he a small-time incompetent criminal or an accomplished assassin, and master of disguise. The Devil has reappeared after two decades and is now on the hunt of The Apparition, the terror of The Dutchman has returned. Will Isla’s inheritance be the death of her and can a mistaken identity lead to an innocent man being framed for crimes that he did not commit….

Doppelganger, Harbinger of Evil is available for purchase here. 

About Michael Craig

Originally from Halifax, West Yorkshire Michael Craig now lives in Garforth, Leeds, with his wife Victoria and five children. Michael is a Human Resources Consultant, currently working at York St John university. 

Michael played both football and rugby league as a child for the school team and also local clubs and played football to a reasonable standard as an adult in the amateur leagues and now plays golf and potters around his garden to keep active.

For further information find Michael on Facebook. 

I almost never read a book series, but the one exception is always, always, the Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw books by M. W. Craven because, quite simply, I think they are fantastic. Consequently, I was thrilled to receive a copy of the latest book, The Final Vow. My enormous thanks to Kirsteen Astor for sending it to me.

The Final Vow is published by Constable on 14th August 2025 and is available for purchase through the links here.

You’ll find my reviews of the other books in the series here.

The Final Vow

An invisible killer with a 100% success rate. No one is safe. Not even those closest to Washington Poe . . . 

A shooting at Gretna Green. A bride is murdered on her wedding day, seconds after she slips on her new ring. It’s brutal and bloody but she isn’t the first victim and she won’t be the last. With the body count now at 17, people are terrified, not knowing where the sniper will strike next.

With the nation in a state of panic, the police are at a loss and turn to Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw – the only team who just might be able to track down a serial killer following no discernible pattern and with the whole country as his personal hunting ground. Can Poe and Tilly stop an unstoppable assassin, who never misses his mark and never makes a mistake? Or will he find them before they find him…

My Review of The Final Vow

The country is terrorised by a crack shot sniper.

Oh for goodness sake! How am I supposed to review The Final Vow without spoilers? I just want to say, ‘Look. The Final Vow is brilliant so buy it’, but that hardly constitutes a review…

The story opens with such impact that, even if I had wanted to stop reading, it would not have been possible – partly because of the dramatic and emotional scene, and partly because I refused to accept what that scene told me. My free will had been removed by the author and I had to know the full story as M.W. Craven leads us back through the events arriving at that opening point. I genuinely couldn’t settle to anything else in life because of the siren call of this narrative.

And what a story it is. As ever with a Washington Poe narrative, the plotting is sheer brilliance. There are thrilling twists and turns in The Final Vow as might be expected from the genre, but it’s the attention to detail, the meticulous research and the uncovering of worlds the reader cannot otherwise comprehend that is so impactful. Here, in one example, we also receive a glimpse into the murky underbelly of political Machiavellian tactics whilst being thoroughly entertained. There’s so much relating to humanity in general; themes of loyalty and friendship, integrity and trust, as just as few examples, that The Final Vow can be read time and again and the reader will find something new to uncover.

I loved the dark humour that ameliorates the tension and intensity of emotion because it also adds more understanding of Poe’s character and I thoroughly appreciated how we learn more about him as a man in The Final Vow. Similarly, the intellectually invincible Tilly has a more vulnerable side explored. The effect is to draw the reader further into the story and hold them captivated. There’s a deep and troubling insight into character psychology (but again I can’t say more for fear of spoilers) that is breath-taking. The psychological aspects of the story are multi-layered. Each character, regardless of their position on the spectrum from good to evil, is complex, realistic and terrifyingly relatable. Even the sniper’s rationale for multiple murders, whilst abhorrent, is entirely understandable. And the most innocuous individuals are shown to be capable of underhand, duplicitous or dubious behaviour – as are we all in real life.

But it’s even more than that too. There’s such a surprising quality of emotion in the writing that elevates The Final Vow above being merely a fantastic thriller into a true work of genius. Here we find the complete range of human experience from love to despair, hatred to loyalty and everything in between. There is also rather a love letter to Cumbria through the descriptions of landscape that feels just right and totally convincing. 

Despite the vagueness of my review (for fear of revealing too much and spoiling the read for others) I cannot stress enough what a triumph The Final Vow is. It’s a stunning thriller and whilst it can be read as a stand alone book, I’d urge any reader to start at the beginning of this series as it is the gradual getting to know Poe and Bradshaw that means The Final Vow has such impact. I absolutely loved it – even if I was put through the wringer reading it! 

About M.W. Craven

Multi-award-winning author M.W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle. He joined the army at sixteen, leaving ten years later to complete a social work degree. Seventeen years after taking up a probation officer role in Cumbria, at the rank of assistant chief officer, he became a full-time author. He is an instant Sunday Times bestseller and, for his Cumbria-set Washington Poe series, a recipient of the 2019 Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger, the 2022 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023. The series has now been translated into twenty-nine languages.

For further information, visit Mike’s website or find Mike on Instagram, Twitter/X @mwcravenuk and Facebook.

My huge thanks to Rhiannon Morris at Harper Collins for sending me a copy of Bad Influence by Rosie Nixon all those months ago. It’s my pleasure finally to share my review of Bad Influence today.

Bad Influence is published by HQ on 14th August 2025 and is available for purchase through the publisher links here. 

Bad Influence

Crushing it online…crashing in real life

Following an eventful stint styling Manhattan’s elite, Amber Green is back in London and ready to style her biggest client yet.

Superstar influencer Mandy Sykes is all-American and all-wrong for her new Surrey surroundings. Desperate to endear herself to the British upper crust, and to win likes from a new fanbase, the brash celebrity tasks Amber with providing all the smoke and mirrors she might need.

With only twelve weeks to prove her worth – and to earn the bonus which will secure her dream flat with her steady boyfriend, Rob – Amber’s biggest challenge is to keep her flats firmly on the ground.

But when your new boss has a private life as colourful as her designer wardrobe, and a brother-in-law whose ridiculously good looks can’t help but catch your eye, it becomes hard to tell who’s a genuine influencer, and who is simply a bad influence…

My Review of Bad Influence

Having recently been made redundant, Amber Green is thrilled to be appointed as stylist to social media influencer Mandy Sykes. 

Bad Influence is a cracker of a summer read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think what works so well is the level of authority with which Rosie Nixon writes as she comes from the world of fashion and so her depiction of Amber’s life feels authentic and true.

The plot is fast paced and enormously entertaining. There are moments of drama, or humour and of emotion so that there really is something for every reader. 

I haven’t read the other Amber Green novels and there’s absolutely no need to have done so to enjoy Bad Influence but I really need to catch up! Amber is a truly modern heroine. She’s a brilliant blend of calm and level headed pragmatism sprinkled with moments of sheer panic so that she’s witty and engaging. I thought her first person viewpoint was perfect. Anyone who has had to convince themselves as much as others that they are capable in their role will find her incredibly relatable.

I have a horrible feeling that Mandy Sykes is realistic too, in spite of what might seem outrageously unreasonable behaviour and demands at times. I loved the way reading about her gave me an insight into a world I would never otherwise experience. There’s a sense of The Wizard of Oz as the reader gets a glimpse behind the curtain of celebrity so effectively.  

 I also thoroughly appreciated Amber’s boyfriend Rob. He’s very much in the background of the story, but he provides consistency at the same time as being a catalyst for Amber’s thoughts and actions. As his narrative thread gradually unfolds, he adds both warmth and depth to the story.

And there is real depth here alongside the light-hearted entertainment. Themes are profound as Rosie Nixon explores loyalty, trust and media manipulation. The world of media influencers is laid bare (both physically and metaphorically!) highly convincingly so that Bad Influence makes the reader glad to be ordinary.

I thought Bad Influence was a perfect beach read. The clothes, the glamour, the reality of celebrity life, all combined with humour, romance and true-to-life people make it huge fun, totally engaging and fabulously entertaining.  I really enjoyed it.

About Rosie Nixon

Rosie Nixon has a love of all things celebrity, royal and fashion related, having held senior positions in glossy magazines including HELLO!, Grazia, Glamour and Red. 

Born and bred in London she now lives in Surrey with her two boys, her husband and two cats. 

For further information, visit Rosie’s website,  and find her on Instagram.