My huge thanks to Rachel Kennedy for sending me a copy of The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood in return for an honest review. I can’t believe that this is my first Kirsty Greenwood book and I’m delighted to share my review today.

The Love of My Afterlife is published by Penguin’s Century on 20th June 2024 and is available for purchase through the links here.

The Love of My Afterlife

If she wasn’t dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. She’s entered the afterlife wearing the sort of pyjamas you don’t want anyone to see and finds herself face-to-face with the most handsome man she’s ever encountered. And he’s smiling at her.

As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise – until someone comes running out of a door, yelling something about a huge mistake, and sends the dreamy stranger back down to earth.

In a twist of fate, Delphie is offered a deal in which she can return to her previous life and reconnect with the mysterious man she’s sure is her soulmate.

The challenge? She only has ten days to find him.

Ten days to make him fall for her.

Oh, and he has no recollection of them ever having met…

My Review of The Love of My Afterlife

Delphie Bookham has just choked to death on a burger.

What a brilliant, brilliant story. I found The Love of My Afterlife unbridled entertainment from start to finish. It has a slightly mystical premise as Delphie is given a second chance at life when she’s sent back to Earth to try to get Jonah voluntarily to kiss her, but it is still absolutely grounded in realism, making it a total triumph.

I thought the plot was brilliant and Kirsty Greenwood had me invested in it from the very first page. As Delphie attempts to track down Jonah, with the reluctant help of her curmudgeonly neighbour Cooper, she finds herself in a range of unusual situations that help unlock the mysteries of her own life to her. This might be a diverting and fabulous romcom read, but it has captivating and mature themes at its heart too. 

The Love of My Afterlife looks hard at how we live our lives – or rather, how we don’t. Kirsty Greenwood considers risk taking, making ourselves vulnerable, using our talents and being open to friendship and love of many kinds. Through this super story she illustrates how making the most of our chances, even when we’re afraid, can lead to all kinds of benefits. I adored this aspect of the narrative.

Delphie is a brilliant character. She’s spikey, awkward and insular. She’s also witty, caring and both physically and metaphorically beautiful. Her personal growth when faced with death feels natural and engaging. I was desperate for her to have her happy ending, because I cared about her completely. 

In fact, I thought all the characters were super – even the obnoxious, bullying, Gen because Kirsty Greenwood imbued them all with enough detail and realism to make them feel totally believable. I especially loved Delphie’s neighbour because, through him, not only do we get to see the softer side of Delphi, but we are given convincing insight into the way society frequently write off the experience and talent of the elderly. 

The Love of My Afterlife is absolutely perfect summer reading and I adored it. Make sure you put it in your suitcase! 

About Kirsty Greenwood

Kirsty Greenwood is a best selling author of funny, fearless romantic comedies about extraordinary love. When she’s not writing books she composes musicals and explores London where she lives with her husband.

For further information, visit Kirsty’s website, follow her on Twitter/X @KirstyStories and find Kirsty on Instagram and Facebook.

My huge thanks to Kelly Pike for inviting me to be part of the blog tour for We Will Be Forest by Ilaria Bernadini, translated by Livia Franchini and for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Published by Whitefox on 13th June 2024, We Will Be Forest is available for purchase here.

We Will Be Forest

A universal recipe for when life feels barren. A botanical tale of closeness and caring.

Anna is mourning the end of her marriage when she runs into Maria by chance at her mother’s gallery in Milan. When Maria suddenly collapses and is taken to hospital, the pair’s lives are irrevocably changed.

Over the course of the long, dry summer that follows, the pair come together to convalesce. Maria, an avid gardener, observes half-dead plants on Anna’s terrace, and finds solace in teaching Anna how to care for them. In doing so, the pair also begin to care for each other’s loneliness, and find in the natural world a deeply restorative power – one that will open them up to new love and life.

In We Will Be Forest, Ilaria Bernardini draws on a private affair – illness, the end of a marriage, a child to protect – to bring to life a powerful poetic universe in which words sprout like branches and leaves.

My Review of We Will Be Forest

Anna’s life is changing.

We Will Be Forest is an intense, beautiful book that is so steeped in meaning that I’m sure my reading has only scratched the surface. I found it simultaneously prosaic, yet magical, deeply sad and wonderfully uplifting. Equally dichotomous, the prose is both sparse and intricate in a blend that has been wonderfully translated by Livia Franchini. 

The iterative metaphor of nature as life works to perfection. As Anna learns about the plants on her balcony, as she comes to understand their most basic needs, so she begins to understand herself and to come to terms with the events that have led to this point in her life. As a result Anna is able to move on. Ilaria Bernadini has such a sensitive touch that she illustrates how sheer happiness can be just a touch away from deep despair and vice versa. As a result, We Will Be Forest is a mesmerising tale of pain and hope. I loved it. 

Anna’s personality is complex, layered and thoroughly engaging. Her first person voice shines through the text as she reveals herself to be selfish, demanding, caring, nurturing and so on in a maelstrom of emotion. I’m not entirely sure I understood the psychic character in her story, but assume they are her innermost voice and personality, the very essence of who Anna truly is, her conscience and her guide. Who or whatever the psychic is, they steer Anna through her memories, her choices and her growth. I found this aspect profound and moving. 

Rich in imagery and theme, We Will Be Forest is a story that explores our complex identities, how we respond to trauma, how we are affected by our families, our relationships and the seasons. I loved the way the weather moved from extreme drought to inundating rain as Anna learnt to live again. The theme of connection is threaded through the narrative like organic mycelium, giving a sense of belonging that is both fascinating and healing. 

We Will Be Forest defies review. It’s less a narrative than an emotional experience. If you’re looking for a fast paced, heart thumping and thrilling read, We Will Be Forest is not the book for you. If you want to experience a voice that articulates your deepest, previously undefined feelings and emotions, and helps you understand your true self whilst reading an emotional and profound text, then We Will Be Forest is absolutely perfect. 

Oh, and as an aside, read the chapter headings in one go (preferably aloud) as they create a poem of life to live by! 

About Ilaria Bernardi

Ilaria Bernardini is a prolific talent. A writer and screenwriter, she is the author of nine novels, two graphic novels and two collections of short stories. Her novels Faremo Foresta (We Will Be Forest) and The Portrait were longlisted for Italy’s prestigious Strega Prize. Both are being adapted for film. Ilaria has also created TV shows for MTV, Paramount+, The Apartment and Fremantle. She has written for Rolling Stone, Vogue, Vanity Fair and GQ. Her acclaimed novel The Girls are Good has been adapted into a six-part TV series

Ilaria is writing new movies as she continues to develop Bernardo Bertolucci’s final script (which Ilaria co-wrote with him) The Echo Chamber.  She splits her time between London and Milan.

For further information, follow her on Twitter/X @faremoforesta or find Ilaria on Instagram.

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Given how much I adore Will Dean’s writing (see my reviews of his books here) I was thrilled to be asked if I’d like to participate in the blog tour for Will’s new book, The Chamber. My enormous thanks to Alainna Hadjigeorgiou for inviting me to take part and for sending me a copy of The Chamber in return for an honest review.

Published by Hodder and Stoughton on 6th June 2024, The Chamber is available for purchase through the links here.

The Chamber

HIGH PRESSURE OUTSIDE
On a boat heading out into the North Sea, Ellen Brooke steels herself to spend almost a month locked inside a hyperbaric chamber with five other divers. They are all being paid handsomely for this work – to be lowered each day inside a diving bell to the sea bed, taking it in turns to dive down and repair oil pipes that lie in the dark waters. It is a close knit team and it has to be: any error or loss of trust could be catastrophic.

EXTREME PRESSURE INSIDE
All is going to plan until one of the divers is found unresponsive in his bunk. He hadn’t left the chamber. It will take four more days of decompression, locked away together, before the hatch can be opened. Four more days of bare steel, intrusive thoughts, and the constant struggle not to give way to panic. Mind games, exhaustion, suspicion, and, most of all, pressure. And if someone does unlock the door, everyone dies…

My Review of The Chamber

Ellen Brooke is going on a dive.

Oh goodness! What a book…

There’s a glossary of technical terms at the start of The Chamber which induced a feeling of panic and claustrophobia in me and which simply didn’t abate. This book is terrifying for those of us who don’t enjoy confined spaces and, equally, for those who do! I genuinely had to stop reading at times to allow myself to decompress. 

Will Dean incorporates enough technical detail to create authenticity and atmosphere without slowing the narrative, but what is most terrifying is the way the chapter endings heighten the tension incrementally until I found I was reading and holding my breath. The writing in The Chamber is so skilled. The balance of exposition to highly natural and convincing direct speech, the range of sentence structure, with brevity often meaning increased edginess, the pacy chapters – all these elements combine with a narrator, Ellen Brooke, who may or may not be reliable, into a menacing, compelling read. In addition, the genuine historical events that are mentioned make what is happening in The Chamber feel all the more real. 

Right through The Chamber, as the body count increased, I had absolutely no idea who or what was causing the deaths. The mounting suspicion, the mental toll on characters and the question of who to trust kept me guessing throughout. There is, I felt, just a slight ambiguity (or maybe that’s just my poor suspicious brain after being so hooked into the narrative) at the end that made me wonder if all had been revealed in quite the way we have been led to believe. Truth is a slippery concept and is explored with manipulative brilliance here. It felt as if the surviving characters were living on beyond the confines of the story.

Themes in The Chamber are layered and mature. Alongside truth are loyalty, respect, family and compulsion. The story really examines what drives an individual to take on such dangerous work and how relationships are the bedrock of behaviour. The characterisation is developed through interactions in the diving chamber, but also through storytelling as each diver recounts memories from their past, so that we have a clear understanding of each of the six divers and yet we have no understanding of them at all. We only really know what they allow us to see. Least is known about Tea-Bag as he is the newest with the most recent experience so that the reader is manipulated more by the more experienced characters. This story messes with the reader’s mind! 

I loved the references to Shakespeare because they lent a feeling of danger and mistrust. Because many of these references are from Macbeth, it made me suspect Ellen as the perpetrator throughout, given Lady Macbeth’s role in the murder of Duncan. However, you’ll need to read The Chamber to see if I was correct.

Not only is The Chamber a gripping whodunnit, but it’s a first class howdunnit too. I’m aware that I haven’t really done it justice, but suffice it to say that I found it convincing, terrifying and believable. I found the sense of claustrophobia almost unbearable and yet I could not stop immersing myself in the book. The Chamber cements firmly in my mind that Will Dean is one of the most skilled suspense writers of the current generation. Don’t miss this one. 

About Will Dean

Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands and had lived in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. After studying Law at the LSE and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden where he built a house in a boggy clearing at the centre of a vast elk forest, and it’s from this base that he compulsively reads and writes. His debut novel in the Tuva Moodyson series, Dark Pines, was selected for Zoe Ball’s Book Club, shortlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker prize and named a Daily Telegraph Book of the Year. Red Snow was published in January 2019 and won Best Independent Voice at the Amazon Publishing Readers’ Awards, 2019. Black River was shortlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Award in 2021. Will also writes standalone thrillers: The Last Thing to Burn, First Born, the top twenty hardback bestseller The Last Passenger and The Chamber.

For further information, find Will on Twitter/X @willrdean, Instagram and Facebook.

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It’s almost two years since I featured The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett on Linda’s Book Bag but I never actually got round to reading it. Consequently, when it appeared on the list of possible choices for the reading group to which I belong I simply had to choose it because I had so enjoyed Janice’s The Christmas Appeal (reviewed here).

The Twyford Code was published by Viper on 21st July 2022 and is available for purchase here.

The Twyford Code

Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, full of strange markings and annotations. Wanting to know more, he took it to his English teacher Miss Iles, not realising the chain of events that he was setting in motion. Miss Iles became convinced that the book was the key to a secret code that ran through all Twyford’s novels. Then she disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven has no memory of what happened to her.

Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Steven decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. Was Miss Iles murdered? Was she deluded? Or was she right about the code? And is it still in use today?

But as Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood, seeking answers, it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn’t just a writer of forgotten children’s stories. The Twyford Code has great power, and he isn’t the only one trying to solve it…

My Review of The Twyford Code

Steve Smith has a mystery to solve.

What an intriguing story! I’m not entirely sure quite what I’ve just read as The Twyford Code is part mystery and part thriller told through the eyes of a not entirely honest protagonist who can be somewhat economical with the truth, so that I feel I really need to reread the story immediately to discover all the clues laid out along the way that I missed the first time. This makes for a highly engaging and intriguing reading experience.

I found The Twyford Code really fascinating. It’s sinuous in its twists and turns so that the truth of its layers of narrative only become fully clear right at the end. Janice Hallett proves herself to be disconcertingly skilled at sleight of hand and obfuscation. Reading The Twyford Code is akin to watching a skilled magician at work and I did need to suspend my disbelief at times – just as I would when watching someone apparently sawn in half by an illusionist. 

I loved the allusion to Enid Blyton, the references to other books and the concepts of World War Two, duplicity and international history that are threaded through the story. I found the transcripts an innovative and intriguing way to convey the narrative and was beguiled by the multiple time frames and the Agatha Christie style denouement. The fact that it is Steve’s illiteracy that means he has to record his story felt authentic and affecting. And it is Steve who is the huge success of the novel.

What I hadn’t bargained for here is the depth of feeling engendered by injustice, by Steve Smith’s sad and neglected upbringing and the way justice is seen to be done but actually can be so wide of the mark that it made my blood boil. The Twyford Code may be an entertaining mystery, but it is also a social commentary that strips back how we are shaped and constructed by our lives. I was incredibly touched by Steve’s story.

The Twyford Code is deceptive and I suspect it may divide readers. It feels like a light-hearted Enid Blyton-esque romp with added murder but it has a depth that takes time to be uncovered. Whilst I enjoyed being duped and manipulated by the narrative, it was the people, the reminder of those I’ve taught who were just like Steve Smith and found themselves in prison too, that made the book successful for me.  It was the why of the story as much as the what that engaged me and made me think and I really enjoyed it. 

About Janice Hallett

Janice Hallett studied English at UCL, and spent several years as a magazine editor, winning two awards for journalism. After gaining an MA in Screenwriting at Royal Holloway, she co-wrote the feature film Retreat. The Appeal was inspired by her lifelong interest in amateur dramatics. Her second novel, The Twyford Code, was published by Viper in 2022 and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels in 2023. The Examiner will be published in August 2024. When not indulging her passion for global adventure travel, she is based in West London.

For more information you can follow Janice on Twitter/X @JaniceHallett, or find her on Instagram.

I can’t believe it’s over three years since lovely Julia Roberts last appeared on Linda’s Book Bag. Then I was reviewing My Mother’s Secret in a post you’ll find here. Now Julia has a brand new book out, My Daughter’s Lies, and I’m thrilled to be able to share an excerpt with you.

Published by Bookouture, My Daughter’s Lies is available for purchase here.

My Daughter’s Lies

In the middle of my beautiful daughter’s eighteenth birthday party, silence falls as I unfold my speech, my heart bursting with everything I want to say. But when I look down I see a note, and my world stops: She’s not who you think she is.

Ruby was our miracle baby. I would have done anything to become a mother, and when she finally arrived, I held her in my arms, looked in her blue eyes and swore I would never let anything harm her. Now she’s everything I could have dreamed of. I don’t even think about all the years of heartache I went through before she was born.

So when I get the strange warning at her birthday party, I ignore it, hiding it in my bag with trembling hands. Someone is simply jealous of her.

But as I watch my daughter, things I’ve been trying to ignore come flooding back to me – Ruby’s odd disappearances, her whispered arguments with her best friend, and a memory from her sixth birthday which still breaks my heart to remember.

I need to know the truth about who she really is, but digging into my daughter’s secrets might reveal my own. As the party draws to a close and the confetti is swept away, I gather my courage. I’ve spent eighteen years trying to forget my own mistakes, and it could only take a moment for everything to fall apart.

Do I risk tearing my family apart to keep my daughter safe? Because when my secrets come out, I could lose my precious girl forever…

An Excerpt from My Daughter’s Lies

“What part of “I DON’T WANT A PARTY” did you two not get?’ Ruby demands.

      She clearly has no intention of calming down and a quick glance in Steve’s direction tells me he is now almost as wound up as she is.

      There have been very few arguments between the three of us over the years, but after a moment of shocked silence, Steve replies at a similar volume to Ruby. ‘We’ll speak to whoever the hell we like!’

      I now feel like a spectator as the two of them lock eyes, glinting dark with anger. I’m pretty sure Ruby wasn’t expecting that reaction from her normally placid dad, and to be honest neither was I.

      ‘We’re your parents,’ he continues equally forcefully. ‘While you live under our roof, you’ll show us a bit of respect, young lady.’

      ‘Respect is not a given, it’s earned,’ she flings back. ‘How can I respect people who clearly have such little regard for my feelings?’

      I’ve been holding back tears as I witness the spectacle of the two people I love most in the world hurling abuse at each other, but now they pour freely down my cheeks.

      ‘Stop it!’ I scream, stunning them both into momentary silence.

      Steve starts towards me, but I hold my hands up, the palms facing outwards as though to push him away if he tries to come any closer.

      ‘Let’s just forget it. If Ruby doesn’t want a party to celebrate her eighteenth birthday, that’s up to her.’

      He examines my face intently, searching for my true feelings. It seems like an age but is probably only a fraction of a second before he turns away from me to face our daughter. ‘No, I’m not having that,’ he says, his voice more controlled but his anger still evident. ‘It might be your birthday, Ruby, but it’s also the day your mother gave you life. You have no idea what she went through before she finally became pregnant with you; the years of negative pregnancy tests, hormone injections, miscarriages, until, when she had long since given up hope of having the one thing she craved more than anything in the world, she finally conceived you; our little miracle.’

      My chest tightens at the words ‘our little miracle’. Ruby is not the only one who has no idea of the lengths I went to in my efforts to become pregnant. My breath is coming in shallow gasps, and although I’ve never previously experienced a panic attack, I fear I’m about to have one.

      Ruby’s cheeks start to colour, but my normally mild-mannered husband hasn’t finished.

      ‘She endured thirty-six hours of torturous labour,’ he continues, emotion now fuelling his anger, ‘before conceding that she would need to have an emergency caesarean section because your life was in danger.’

      Ruby is gripping the edge of the table, and her eyes are filling with tears. I want Steve to stop, but he clearly isn’t done yet.

      ‘She literally bears the scars of giving birth to you and you want to deny her the chance to celebrate your coming of age because of something that happened twelve years ago and was totally beyond our control? The volume of his voice is increasing with every word. ‘I thought we’d raised a nicer human being than that. You’re pathetic! No, I take that back,’ he rages. ‘You’re selfish and cruel.’

      Steve has gone too far, but before I can voice my opinion he slams out of the room, leaving silence in his wake, only broken by Ruby’s sobs.”

****

I don’t know about you, but I have a feeling things are not going to go well! My Daughter’s Lies sounds brilliant!

About Julia Roberts

Julia was born in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, and began her career as a professional singer/dancer. This enabled her to travel the world in her late teens storing up experiences she has since included in her writing.

Following roles as a hostess on The Price is Right and a member of the Beadle’s About ‘hit squad’ in the 1980s, she became a TV Presenter and filmed features for Sky Sports before launching the QVC shopping channel in 1993 where she still presents today. Having always wanted to write, she penned her first book, a memoir sold on QVC, in 2013 and has since written seven full length novels, two novellas and several short stories.

You can follow Julia on Twitter/X @JuliaRobertsTV and visit her website. You’ll also find her on Instagram and Facebook.

Life has been rather complicated of late and I’m struggling to fit in everything I’d like to, but I simply couldn’t let publication day for Allie Cresswell’s Salad Days go unmarked. You see, Allie has always been so generous to me as a reader, sending me copies of her books with no expectation that I’ll review, but just hoping I’ll enjoy reading them.

Allie also provided a super guest post about mature characters when her book Widow’s Weeds was published that you’ll find here. Consequently, the least I can do is bring Allie’s new book, Salad Days to your attention – especially as it sounds fantastic.

Available in ebook too, Salad Days is published in paperback today, 7th June 2024, and is available for purchase here.

Salad Days

“My earliest memory is of you, Arthur. We were children, running across the garden at Granny’s house. The sun on your hair made it look like copper wire. Then you stopped, and I cannoned into you. We both went headlong into the rockery. It was 1964, the summer before I started school, so I was nearly five. You would have been just three.
It’s strange, isn’t it? That my first memory is of you. Or maybe it isn’t very strange at all.”

Prudence and Arthur take a nostalgic trip down memory lane to the sixties and seventies; turbulent, changeful years that contrasted with their idyllic childhood at ‘Salad Days,’ the market garden run by Prue’s extended family.

But was it idyllic? Tragedy makes uneasy waypoints in their journey of recollection, and Arthur’s overbearing father casts a dark pall. How did he inveigle himself into Prue’s close-knit family circle? What was his hold on them?

As Prue and Arthur retrace their youthful attempts to get to the facts, it’s clear that truth and memory aren’t always the same.

What of the mysteries that defy the clarity of hindsight? The uncanny auspices of eccentric Mrs Glenister, latest in the line of ‘peculiar’ Glenister wives—why did she only materialise at times of calamity? And most oddly of all, why, in all their reminiscing, does Arthur never speak a word?

Memory is a curious thing—unreliable and awkward. Shaping it into an account Prue and Arthur can both live with might take a lifetime. Or two.

***

Doesn’t that sound completely brilliant? I love the way the cover has a slightly indistinct quality, rather like the unreliable quality of memory explored in Salad Days. I think this sounds a very special book.

About Allie Cresswell

Allie Cresswell is the recipient of two coveted One Stop Fiction Five Star Awards and three Readers’ Favorite Awards

Allie was born in Stockport, UK and began writing fiction as soon as she could hold a pencil.

She went on to do a BA in English Literature at Birmingham University and an MA at Queen Mary College, London.

She has been a print-buyer, a pub landlady, a book-keeper, and has run a B & B and a group of boutique holiday cottages. Nowadays Allie writes full time having retired from teaching literature to lifelong learners.

She has two grown-up children, two granddaughters and two grandsons, is married to Tim and lives in Cumbria.

For further information, visit Allie’s website, or follow Allie on Twitter/X @Alliescribbler, Facebook and Instagram.

I love Phillipa Ashley books, although I don’t always get chance to fit them in to my reading and when Hana Sparkes sent me a surprise copy of Phillipa’s latest book, Second Chance Summer I was delighted. Even better, Second Chance Summer is my latest My Weekly magazine online review and I’m thrilled to share details today.

You’ll find other posts featuring Phillipa here on Linda’s Book Bag, including reviews and extracts.

Published by Penguin on 6th June 2024, Second Chance Summer is available for purchase through the links here.

Second Chance Summer

From the moment Lily Harper arrives at a remote retreat on the breath-taking Scilly Isles, she is itching to get back to civilisation – and her thriving business.

Slowing down simply isn’t in her vocabulary, and so she quickly clashes with the gorgeous but dour Sam who runs the retreat.

Just as Lily is about to give up and leave, disaster strikes, and she is involved in an incident that changes her perspective on everything.

Lily is no longer sure she wants to return to the life she thought she loved. But will she have the courage to give the retreat, and Sam, a second chance?

My Review of Second Chance Summer

My full review of Second Chance Summer  can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that Second Chance Summer is absolutely delightful. It transports the reader to Stark and provides them with an uplifting, warm and wonderful story that is every bit as good as taking a holiday.

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Phillipa Ashley

Phillipa Ashley is a Sunday Times, Amazon and Audible best-selling author of uplifting romantic fiction.

After studying English at Oxford University, she worked as a copywriter and journalist before turning her hand to writing. Since then, her novels have sold well over a million copies and have been translated into numerous languages.

Phillipa lives in an English village with her husband, has a grown-up daughter and loves nothing better than walking the Lake District hills and swimming in Cornish coves.

For more information about Phillipa, visit her website or find her on Instagram or Facebook. You can also follow Phillipa on Twitter/X @PhillipaAshley.

It’s just over a year since lovely Emma Cowell stayed in with me to chat about The House in the Olive Grove in a post you can find here. Today, not only do I welcome Emma back to Linda’s Book Bag to tell me about her latest release, but there’s a wonderful giveaway for you too!

Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Emma Cowell

Welcome back to Linda’s Book Bag Emma and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me once more.

Thank you for inviting me back! Did the baklava I baked last time that helped secure a return visit?!

It did indeed – that and the wonderful books! I rather think I know, but tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought along The Island Love Song– my third novel! It still feels strange to say that and I’m not sure how I’ve written three, and in the middle of drafting my fourth. But I feel very lucky to be living a dream and I wouldn’t be able to without the support of the readers and amazing bloggers like you, so thank you.

It’s always a pleasure to support authors Emma! And I understand today is The Island Love Song publication day, so congratulations.

The Island Love Song also marks another step away from how it all began with my first novel, One Last Letter From Greece, which was inspired by the death of my darling Mum. I so wish she was here to see everything that’s happened. Sorry to put a downer on the evening- I’m pouring you a shot of ouzo!

That’s not a downer Emma. Of course you should remember your Mum. I’m sure she would be very proud of you. Let’s drink a toast to her.

What can we expect from an evening in with The Island Love Song?

It’s a story about love and family, which I’ve realised are unintentional themes in all my novels so far- though the stories are all unconnected. It’s about two sisters- Ella and Georgia- and their journey to an island called Hydra in Greece to scatter their mother’s ashes. But their relationship is strained to say the least! They’re both hiding secrets, hiding from themselves and from their past. All their troubles bubble up to the surface against a backdrop of blissful Greek paradise. They are both very different. Georgia is one of those women who plan and try to control everything so much that they forget to have fun. Ella is carefree with no urge to settle down, she lives out of a suitcase and follows her creativity wherever it takes her. There’s also a love song that has haunted Ella for decades. It was written about her by the man who broke her heart, and she has tried to escape it, but she can’t. The island forces them to confront their demons and face the truth… it isn’t all sunshine and crystal clear blue waters, but there’s a sweeping love story in there too.

That sounds gorgeous. I’m so glad I have The Island Love Song on my TBR pile.

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

Last time I inflicted the husky sounds of Leonard Cohen on you, so you’ll be thrilled to know I have my playlist that I wrote the book to. It has become part of my process to create a soundtrack, choose a candle and make a mood board to transport me into the world I’ve created. It’s filled with some of the greatest love songs- in my humble opinion- ever written. For the audiobook version of The Island Love Song, I wrote three original songs as music is an important part of the novel and such an integral part of my life- I couldn’t be without it.

Wow! As someone tone deaf I find that amazing!

The song that Ella is trying to avoid is one of those iconic songs that gets used for weddings, funerals and christenings, like Angels by Robbie Williams or Something by George Harrison- my personal favourite love song. Do you have a favourite, Linda?

It’s so hard to choose a favourite song but I think probably Love is the Drug by Roxy Music as I am somewhat obsessed with Bryan Ferry – I’ll make you look at my photos of me with him later!

And of course, I’ve cooked Greek food for you which features heavily in all my writing.

I was hoping you might say that!

I’ve made a very simple dish of roasted vegetables- tomatoes, aubergine, onions, and courgettes with herbs, a little lemon and a sprinkling of capers- it’s my twist on a dish called Briam. Served with a classic Greek salad of course.

That sounds delicious…

And there’s pudding…I’ve made Portokalopita which is the most delicious orange cake that I discovered in Greece years ago. It’s a light orange flavoured sponge, though the Greeks call it a pie, and is covered in a sweet orange and cinnamon syrup glaze and is absolute heaven. It’s mentioned somewhere in all of my books. I can’t go to Greece and not have a slice or four!

You might have to fight me for that actually…

I also love that my readers have sought out some of the dishes featured in my stories and they send me pictures of their home cooking or taverna orders.

How brilliant.

And before I go, I’d also like a re-match of our Backgammon tournament we had last time we stayed in…the dice weren’t kind to me then, but I’m always hopeful that luck may turn in my favour….

I think they might be Emma. All that ouzo seems to have gone to my head! Thanks so much for staying in with me to chat about The Island Love Song. You set up the Backgammon board and I’ll give readers a few more details and a chance to win a copy for themselves!

The Island Love Song

Escape to the beautiful Greek Island of Hydra with this moving novel, filled with family secrets and romance

Emma Cowell, author of The House in the Olive Grove, returns with her brand new, emotional and romantic novel set on an idyllic Greek Island.

Hydra, the picturesque Greek island, is a paradise for most, yet for sisters Ella and Georgia, it is a place where their darkest secrets dwell. And now the time has come for them to confront their past as they return to Greece to scatter their mother’s ashes.

Ella is haunted by a love song that was written for her by the man who broke her heart years earlier and she longs to find peace so she can move on with her life.

Georgia pretends everything in her life is perfect, but she is plagued with guilt. If what she’s kept hidden for decades was revealed, their family would never be the same again.

The island is urging the sisters to confront the truth, but can they build a future on the ruins of their past?

Published today, 6th June 2024, by Harper Collins imprint Avon, The Island Love Song is available for purchase through the links here.

Giveaway

A Paperback Copy

of

The Island Love Song

Doesn’t The Island Love Song sound amazing? Thanks to lovely Laura Sherlock I have a paperback copy to give away to a lucky UK reader. The giveaway ends at midnight on Sunday 9th June 2024 and the winner needs to provide a UK postal address to receive their prize. Winner details will not be retained once the prize is dispatched.

To enter, click here.

Good luck!

About Emma Cowell

Emma lives in Cornwall with her husband, Tony, and their fur baby, a Russian Blue called Papoushka Gerald Cowell. A former actress and BBC presenter Emma is currently Head of Philanthropy for national charity Together for Short Lives. Outside of work, Emma is a keen angler and held a Cornish record for over 10 years until her crown was toppled. She is yet to get over it but tries to keep calm by practising yoga. Also, a keen linguist, Emma is attempting to learn Greek to maintain her love affair with the country where she has set her debut novel. She is yet to achieve a level of proficiency outside of tavernas and bakeries.

For further information, follow visit Emma’s website or follow Emma on Twitter: @EmmaLLoydCowell, and find her on Facebook and Instagram.

It’s always a sadness to me that I physically can’t read every book that I’d like to. That’s most definitely the case with Anne Montgomery’s new novel. However, I am delighted to find out more by staying in with Anne today.

Let’s see what Anne told me:

Staying in with Anne Montgomery

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

I’m happy to be here, Linda.

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

Your Forgotten Sons is my new novel that will be released on June 6, 2024, which is the 80^th Anniversary of D-Day. The story details the life of Bud Richardville who was assigned to the Graves Registration Service during World War II where soldiers were tasked with locating, identifying, and burying the dead.

Happy publication day for tomorrow Anne. That sounds like quite a task for the Graves Registration Service. What can we expect from an evening in with Your Forgotten Sons?

Bud’s story came to me in a strange way. I’d travelled to Baltimore at the request of a dear friend. She was facing a delicate, possibly life-changing surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital and asked that I stand in as her healthcare power of attorney.

The night before the operation, Gina, handed me a Ziplock bag. Inside I found a packet of yellowed letters. We’d spoken of Gina’s elusive uncle—her mother’s handsome, rakish brother—on occasion over the years, and of the odd circumstances surrounding his death near the end of World War II.

I followed Bud’s trail through the postmarks—dates and locations—on those letters and travelled with him from England, to the beaches of Normandy, to the Battle of the Bulge and beyond.

I learned that those who served in the Graves Registration Service had arguably the toughest job in the military and that they rarely, if ever, got credit for their efforts.

Wow. That sounds like a brilliant catalyst for the novel. It has me completely intrigued.

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

When I think about Bud, I sometimes hear the popular music of the time. Big Band songs that young people danced to. Swing music with horns blaring. I can see Bud as he was before the war. He was easy-going and happy. People liked him, especially women. I’m guessing he could be a charmer. But war with its relentless cruelties beat him down.

I imagine Bud’s experience was one so many went through. Thanks so much for staying in with me to chat about Your Forgotten Sons Anne. Happy publication day for tomorrow.

Your Forgotten Sons

Bud Richardville is inducted into the Army as the United States prepares to enter World War II in 1943.

A chance comment has Bud assigned to the Graves Registration Service, where his unit is tasked with locating, identifying, and burying the dead. Bud ships out, leaving behind his new wife, Lorraine: a mysterious woman who has stolen his heart but whose shadowy past leaves many unanswered questions.

When Bud and his men hit the beach at Normandy, they are immediately thrust into the horrors of what working in a graves unit entails. Bud is beaten down by the gruesome demands of his job and losses in his personal life, but then he meets Eva, an optimistic soul who despite the war can see a positive future. Will Eva’s love be enough to save him?

Published by Next Chapter on 6th June 2024, Your Forgotten Sons is available for purchase online in all the usual places including here.

About Anne Montgomery

Anne Butler Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, author, and amateur sports official. Her first TV job came at WRBL-TV in Columbus, Georgia, and led to positions at WROC-TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, and ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award-winning SportsCenter. She finished her on-camera broadcasting career with a two-year stint as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery was a freelance and/or staff reporter for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archaeological pieces. Her novels include The Castle, A Light in the Desert, Wild Horses on the Salt, The Scent of Rain, and Wolf Catcher.

Anne Montgomery taught sports reporting at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and taught high school journalism for 20 years. She was an amateur sports official for four decades, a time during which she called baseball, ice hockey, soccer, and basketball games and served as a high school football referee and crew chief.

Anne Montgomery is a foster mom to three sons and a daughter. When she can, she indulges in her passions: rock collecting, scuba diving, theatre, and playing her guitar.

For more information, visit Anne’s website, find her on Facebook and Instagram or follow Anne on Twitter/X @amontgomery8.

My enormous thanks to Becci Mansell at Harper Collins for sending me a copy of A Woman of Intrigue by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York with Marguerite Kaye in return for an honest review. It’s my absolute pleasure to share that review today.

A Woman of Intrigue will be published by Mills and Boon in paperback on 6th June 2024 and is available for pre-order through the links here.

A Woman of Intrigue

Scandals, seduction and secrets… and one woman’s quest to uncover the truth. The most intriguing historical romance of 2024, perfect for fans of Bridgerton.

Wallflower Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott has a secret. Moving effortlessly unnoticed amongst the ballrooms and palaces of Queen Victoria, her sharp intelligence and keen powers of observation allow her to quietly solve society crimes – coming to the rescue of those whose pride and fortune are at stake.

Overlooked and underestimated, Mary finds missing money, recovers stolen jewellery and saves reputations. When she meets Colonel Walter Trefusis, an unlikely and spirited alliance is formed. But Mary has more than met her match in her sleuthing partner. As she battles the expectations of society and her family, Mary must follow her heart – whatever the cost…

My Review of A Woman of Intrigue

Lady Mary Montague Douglas Scott is not quite the wallflower she might appear! 

What a super story. I must say at the outset that I’m hugely impressed by the openness with which Sarah Ferguson acknowledges the input to A Woman of Intrigue from her writing partner Marguerite Kaye. Between the two authors they have blended both real and imagined characters and events into an entertaining, compelling and really interesting narrative. 

The plot of A Woman of Intrigue is totally engaging because there’s lots of action, a tantalising physical attraction between Mary and Tre, and considerable intrigue, mystery and crime to capture the imagination. Indeed, I think there’s huge scope for more adventures featuring Mary and Tre. 

The historical detail and the depiction of Victorian society are so well drawn that they place the reader right in the era. Balanced by Tre’s affliction that places him just slightly at a tangent to polite society, there’s a realism that I found truly refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed the references to food, to gardening and to the running of large, wealthy households as well as the more prosaic aspects of life and the depiction of how lower classes live. Every aspect felt really vivid.

I thought Mary was a wonderful character. She is determined, principled and adventurous. I so appreciated the way Sarah Ferguson avoids making her a constrained, simpering woman of heaving bosom and the vapours, so typical of her class and upbringing. Instead, she is quite prepared to put pragmatism before romance, and to identify what she wants for herself in a modern and feminist manner, rather than allow herself to be drawn into marriage as might be expected of her. This makes A Woman of Intrigue relevant to today’s society as well as an engaging historical read.

Similarly, although he is physically attractive, Tre is also not cliched. His physical affliction arising out of mental trauma is sensitively handled, realistic and makes him feel modern and appealing. His attitude towards Mary, respecting her autonomy, makes him all the more charismatic. 

The more minor characters such as Charlotte and Louisa are also entertaining and interesting because they add texture to the story. It’s wonderful to discover older characters in historical fiction of this kind who find a new lease of life. 

Not being a fan of ‘celebrity’ books I confess that I began reading A Woman of Intrigue without great expectations. I was proved totally wrong. A Woman of Intrigue is a cracker of a read. It has a fast paced, interesting and exciting plot. It has rounded, engaging characters. It depicts the era, the roles of men and women and the sense of history with elan. A Woman of Intrigue entertains brilliantly and I thought it was such a smashing read. 

About Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York

Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, is also a bestselling memoirist and children’s book author, film producer, and has been a spokesperson for Weight Watchers and Wedgwood china. She currently campaigns for her international charity Sarah’s Trust which supports children’s literacy and education globally. She works on historical documentaries and films that draw on her deep interest in Victorian history.
She was the daughter-in-law of HM The Queen and former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, brother to King Charles III. Grandmother to August and Sienna and mother of two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. She lives in Windsor.

For further information, visit Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York charity website, follow her on Twitter/X @SarahTheDuchess, or find her on Instagram and Facebook.

About Marguerite Kaye

Marguerite Kaye is a prolific historical romance author hailing from the west coast of Argyll in Scotland. She has written almost sixty books and novellas, and co-authored two books with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. She is a voracious reader, a keen sewist and a cook who loves to eat.

For further information, follow Marguerite on Twitter/X @MargueriteKaye, or find her on Instagram and Facebook.