My enormous thanks to Sara-Jade Virtue of Books and the City for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Token by Beverley Kendall. I’m delighted to share my review of Token today.

Published by Simon and Schuster tomorrow, 15th February 2024, Token is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

Token

Kennedy Mitchell is brilliant, beautiful and tired of being the only Black woman in the room.

Two years ago, she was plucked from reception for a seat at the boardroom table in the name of “representation”. Rather than play along, she and her best friend founded Token, a boutique PR agency that helps diversity-challenged companies and celebrities. With famous people getting into reputation-damaging controversies, Token is in high demand and business is booming, but when her ex shows up needing help repairing his reputation, things get even more complicated and soon Kennedy finds herself drawn into a PR scandal of her own.

My Review of Token

Kennedy’s job is about to change.

What a fresh, engaging and brilliant read. I loved Token. I sometimes think that US based stories are not to my British taste, but in Token Beverley Kendall has absolutely proved me wrong. This is a narrative with sharp wit, incisive social comment and an underlying sexiness that makes it a fabulous read.

The plot is so clever because anyone wanting a romance finds it here. Anyone wanting affecting and enhanced sexual tension will find it in spades between Kennedy and Nate. Anyone wanting a strong and appealing female protagonist able to take care of herself need look no further than Kennedy and on top of all this are modern themes that hit right to the heart of who we are in today’s world. Combine all these aspects and Token is intelligent, entertaining and, for me, quite brilliant. 

I loved Kennedy. Indeed I’m ever so slightly in love with Kennedy. She’s beautiful, quick witted and hard working but there’s also a vulnerability that comes through in her relationship with Nate that adds depth to her character. Throughout Token she develops in a highly credible and engaging manner, making her a heroine for the modern era. 

There’s a wide enough cast of minor characters to add texture to the story, but at the heart is Kennedy, Nate and to a lesser extent Sahara and Aurora. This provides intimacy and ensures the reader is completely invested in the outcomes for them all. I wanted them all to have a positive outcome but I’m not saying whether that happens! You’ll need to read Token for yourself.

Aside from the brilliantly depicted, glamorous world of the rich and famous, Token has a riveting uncovering of the murky world of big business, with both unintentional – and completely overt – bias, including sexism and racism so that Token packs a punch even as it entertains. There’s jealousy and corruption right at the heart of Kennedy’s life that is utterly fascinating. What works so well is that Beverley Kendall makes readers consider the impact of doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, and the wrong thing for the right reasons, and she shows how morality can become blurred and obfuscated. She puts all of society under the microscope but without preaching so that Token feels considered and thought-provoking. 

I thought Token was excellent. Beverley Kendall held my attention completely because she gave me a vivid and compelling insight into a world I know little about, entertaining me thoroughly along the way and making me believe in, and care about, her characters too. I loved this book and if you think you don’t need Kennedy Mitchell and Token in your life, you’re wrong. You really, really do. Don’t miss this one! 

About Beverley Kendall

Beverley discovered her love of books while growing up in, the then, small city of Barrie, Ontario Canada. With her love of books and romance, she always wished that everyone would find their happily ever after. She currently writes sexy historical, new adult and contemporary romances.  As the mother of one too bright and mischievous young boy, she pulls full-time duty on all fronts. When she’s not writing full-time, running The Season review website or mothering, she’s probably reading or sleeping and dreaming of a time when she’ll have time for her favorite hobbies: knitting, crocheting and sewing.  Beverley has lived on two continents, in three countries, two provinces, and four states. She stopped her nomadic existence and settled in the southeast. All things artistic feed her creative passion, but none more than writing.

For further information, visit Beverley’s website, or find her on Facebook and Instagram.

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It’s far, far too long since I read Dani Atkins. Last time it was While I Was Sleeping which I reviewed here. Consequently, I’m thrilled to rectify that as Dani’s latest book The Memory of Us is my latest online review for My Weekly magazine.

Published by Head of Zeus (Aria) on 15th February 2024, The Memory of Us is available for purchase in all the usual places including here.

The Memory of Us

If you can’t trust your head, can you trust your heart?

If she had been found moments later, Amelia’s heart would have stopped and never recovered. Instead she was taken from the desolate beach to the nearest hospital just in time to save her life. When her sister Lexi arrives from New York, Amelia’s heart is beating, but the accident has implanted a series of false memories. These memories revolve around a man named Sam, and a perfect love story that never existed.

Determined to help her sister, Lexi enlists the help of Nick, a local vet who bears a striking resemblance to Sam. Together, Lexi and Nick recreate and photograph Amelia’s dream dates in the hopes of triggering her true memories.

But as love starts to stir between Lexi and Nick, they must navigate a complex web of emotions. How can Lexi fall for Amelia’s dream man without hurting her sister?

Filled with breathtaking romance, heart-wrenching emotion, the magic of destiny and the power of sisterhood, The Memory of Us is a must-read for fans of Holly Miller and Colleen Hoover.

My Review of The Memory of Us

My full review of The Memory of Us can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that The Memory of Us is not just wonderful, but it is possibly one of the best books I’ve ever read, being heart-breakingly emotional and utterly captivating. I adored it.

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Dani Atkins

Dani Atkins is an award-winning novelist. Her 2013 debut Fractured (published as Then and Always in North America) has been translated into over twenty languages and has sold more than half a million copies since first publication in the UK.

Dani is the author of eight other bestselling novels (The Story of Us, Our Song, This Love, While I Was Sleeping, A Million Dreams, A Sky Full of Stars, The Wedding Dress, Six Days) and Perfect Strangers, a standalone eBook novella. In 2018 This Love won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award at the RNA awards in London and in 2022 A Sky Full of Stars won the Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year at the RNA awards.

Dani lives in a small village in Hertfordshire with her husband, a Siamese cat and a very soppy Border Collie.

For further information, you can find Dani on Instagram and Facebook and follow her on Twitter/X @AtkinsDani.

If you’re a regular visitor to Linda’s Book Bag, you’ll know how impressed I am by EK Books for children and so it’s my pleasure to review another of their books, Two Rabbits by Larissa Ferenchuk and Prue Pittock

Two Rabbits is published today, 13th February 2024 by EK Books and is available for purchase here.

Two Rabbits

In Two Rabbits, Little Brown Rabbit and Little Grey Rabbit have had an argument. As they go their separate ways into the night, the wind whispers around them to remind them of their sharp words. Will they be able to come back together and find a way to save their friendship?

The story portrays the physical and emotional journey of two best friends as they experience feelings of anger, sadness and loneliness. Young readers will learn that friendship can overcome differences and disagreements.

My Review of Two Rabbits

Two rabbit friends have fallen out.

This is an utterly charming story of two rabbit friends who fall out that is perfect for young children. It’s deceptively simple so that vocabulary and meaning are easily grasped, but at the same time it presents an emotional depth that will help children understand their own responses from a familiar scenario of falling out. Whilst the rabbits are angry with one another, what Two Rabbits does is to show how we can be affected by our own actions just as much as the words and actions of others. Sometimes we lash out, albeit here at an apple and a dandelion, because we are sad and lonely just as much as angry. This gives parents, teachers and carers the opportunity to discuss emotional intelligence, and the positivity of being kind, in an accessible manner as they share the story of Two Rabbits. And because the two rabbits resolve their differences, there’s an opportunity for children who have fallen out to copy their positive behaviour.

In addition, there are lots of other educational uses for Two Rabbits. Using the map in the end papers, children can practice reading new words, for example, or perhaps they can increase numeracy through counting the cats and possums the two rabbits see, or the dots on Little Grey Rabbit’s dress or the flowers on that of Little Brown Rabbit. I can envisage active responses such as stomping in physical education or simple drama as children act out the story.

The illustrations in Two Rabbits are quite wonderful. I loved the way the dark and light in the pictures reflect the emotions. There’s a naïve style that is perfect for the target audience and the facial expressions on the rabbits mirror the text brilliantly. Indeed, in common with all EK children’s books I’ve encountered, this one has superb physical attributes with high quality pages and covers.

Two Rabbits is a lovely book that I highly recommend, especially if you have a child in your life who struggles with friendship and emotions. It’s also a strong reminder to adults that being kind makes us feel far happier than throwing hurtful phrases at others! Not to be missed.

About Larissa Ferenchuk

Larissa Ferenchuk is a writer who loves all things magical and whimsical. She lives in Adelaide, Australia with her husband, three children and one very lovely Little Grey Rabbit. Two Rabbits is her debut picture book.

Larissa also works in a Preschool and loves spending her days with the very imaginative 4 and 5-year-old children there.

For further information, visit Larissa’s website. You’ll also find Larissa on Facebook.

About Prue Pittock

Prue Pittock started in advertising and illustrated and designed album covers. Since then she has illustrated 8 picture books. In 2020 she was shortlisted for the CBCA Eve Pownall Award.

For further information, visit Prue’s website or find her on Instagram and Facebook.

With thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources I’m delighted to have a very special guest post for you today from Terea Dovalpage, author of Last Seen in Havana as part of the blog tour.

In addition, if you live in the US, there is a giveaway further down this blog post to win a hardbacked copy of Last Seen in Havana.

Published by Soho Crime, Last Seen in Havana is available for purchase from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Last Seen in Havana

A Cuban American woman searches for her long-lost mother and fights to restore a beautiful but crumbling Art Deco home in the heart of Havana in this moving, immersive new mystery, perfect for fans of Of Women and Salt.

In 2019, newly widowed baker Mercedes Spivey flies from Miami to her native Cuba to care for her ailing paternal grandmother. Mercedes’s life has been shaped by loss, beginning with the mysterious unsolved disappearance of her mother when Mercedes was a little girl. Returning to Cuba revives Mercedes’s hopes of finding her mother as she attempts to piece together the few scraps of information she has. Could her mother still be alive?

33 years earlier, an American college student with endless political optimism falls deliriously in love with a handsome Cuban soldier while on a spontaneous visit to the island. She decides to stay permanently, but soon discovers that nothing is as it seems in Havana.

The two women’s stories proceed in parallel as Mercedes gets closer to discovering the truth about her mother, uncovering shocking family secrets in the process . . .

A Brick-and-Mortar Character

A Guest Post by Terea Dovalpage

When I lived in Cuba, the Art Deco-style houses built in the mid-twentieth century never failed to intrigue me. I found the elegance and functionality of these constructions fascinating, particularly their stylized appearance and sense of fluidity so different from the colonial-style houses with skylights, heavy oak doors and high ceilings that are prevalent in Havana.

In my novels Death under the Perseids and Last Seen in Havana, the protagonist, Mercedes, grows up in an Art Deco house located in Miramar. (Miramar was, and still is, an elegant neighborhood dotted with embassies and foreign companies’ headquarters.) Mercedes’s father, who had fought alongside Fidel Castro in the mountains, got the house as a reward for his political loyalty in the early 1980s. He lives there with his American wife, Sarah, who vanishes in 1989. And that’s where his daughter Mercedes is raised.

In Death under the Perseids, Mercedes describes her childhood home:

The house, despite its many problems, was an Art Deco villa with geometric mosaics in the kitchen and bathrooms, carved doors and a marble staircase like those you saw in old Hollywood movies. It even had a name, Villa Santa Marta, written in elegant wrought-iron letters over the gate. And it was huge. There was a living room, a formal dining room, an ample kitchen, six more bedrooms and the former servants’ quarters.

Originally, Villa Santa Marta belonged to a family that had left Cuba during the Mariel Boatlift. The circumstances surrounding the identity of its first owner are gradually revealed in Last Seen in Havana as the role of the house becomes more prominent in the story:

It was during a conversation over tea and finger sandwiches that Elena revealed the identity of Villa Santa Marta’s former owners.

“The house was built by a witch named María Estela Sotolongo, who, by the way, is buried on the property,” she whispered, looking around as if the spirit of the aforementioned bruja hovered above them.

Maybe due to the influence of the “witch”—I played a bit with magical realism—the house isn’t a happy place. In Last Seen in Havana, Villa Santa Marta has already developed its own personality, with an evil streak. Mercedes has noticed it:

The house had always had a malevolent aura. It could have been the porthole window above the main entrance, like an evil eye glaring at those who approached, or the dirty gray stucco that had peeled off in many areas, or the ungroomed lawn with weeds as tall as a ten-year old child.

The anthropomorphism of the house takes a tangible form in the portraits of its former owner, spread over in several rooms. Mercedes’s mother, Sarah, watches them with suspicion:

After taking a cold shower (the boiler didn’t work), Sarah continued exploring the house. This time, she spent a whole hour in the library. The room was presided over by the portrait of a fiery-eyed lady in a black pillbox hat. She looked like the woman with the pearl necklace whose picture was over the piano. Only here she seemed sterner, almost threatening, as if she didn’t like to have people around. Sarah shuddered, then laughed. Her imagination was getting the best of her.

The stories of the house and the “witch” intertwine, creating an atmosphere that plays with gothic elements until the end. The end, I have to admit, was determined by the fate of the house. It was not what I had originally planned, but this book taught me that it isn’t only flesh-and-bone characters that slip away from the writer’s grasp. The brick-and-mortar ones do too!

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I absolutely agree Teresa. Bricks and mortar truly add character and depth to a narrative!

Giveaway

A Hardbacked copy of Last Seen in Havana

Please note that this giveaway is not run by Linda’s Book Bag and is US only.

I am obliged to provide the following information:

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

To enter, click HERE

About Teresa Dovalpage

Writer, translator and college professor, Teresa Dovalpage is a Cuban transplant firmly rooted in New Mexico. She is the author of twelve novels, among them the Havana Mystery series, three short story collections and four theater plays. She lives with her husband, one dog and too many barn cats.

For further information, visit Teresa’s English blog or Spanish blog.

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My grateful thanks to Grace Pilkington for arranging for me to stay in with Sorrel Pitts today to chat about her recent release.

Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Sorrel Pitts

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

Thank you for having me Linda.

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

I’ve brought Broken Shadows because it has just been published.

Belated happy publication day! What can we expect from an evening in with Broken Shadows?

The seeds of Broken Shadows were sown when I was 14 years old and discovered some mysterious stones called The Devil’s Den (renamed as The Shadowing Stones in the novel). I went riding in the dawn with a friend over the Marlborough Down in Wiltshire and we came across these eerie stones in the mist. The experience never left me and I decided I would write about it one day. My central protagonist, Tom, is also 14 when he visits the stones in the dawn and finds his younger brother’s remains in a nearby barn.

That sounds fabulous Sorrel. How is Broken Shadows being received by early readers?

It took me eight years to write the novel, and, despite having a top literary agent, almost as long to publish it. I passionately believe in it and this seems to borne out by the pre-publication reviews coming through – which I confess made me cry when I first read them because they felt like such a vindication after so many years of work.

Broken Shadows is a book that manages to seamlessly fuse a crime, a mystery and a moving love story into one. A book about the pain of exile and the changing face of rural communities. A ‘beautiful, heart-breaking’ (Goodreads) book which evokes the wild and mysterious landscape of ancient Wiltshire as a backdrop to a modern story of loss, regret, and ‘unanswered questions and suspense that will keep you reading to the end.’ (Amazon review)

Those words must feel wonderful. And I know you’ve been called ‘A very promising writer’ by Sir Michael Parkinson too. How exciting.

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

I have brought my favourite album ‘This is the Sea’, by The Waterboys. It’s very old now but I still think that no nothing has ever beaten the incredible way it conjures up the anthems and forces around and within us. It also explores joy and passion with a depth that perhaps only classical music has matched. But most of all, it is earthy. I am definitely a child of the land, which is reflected in my novel, and in my adolescence was deeply influenced by Mike Scott (leader of the Waterboys) and his incredible music. I’ve been to see The Waterboys play more times than it’s possible to count. I last saw them in October 2023. They still sell out. I’ve asked for the final song on the album ‘This is the sea’ to be played at my funeral. It is so full of joy and hope, and that’s the way I try to live my life.

I love the way music can touch us. And I understand you are a musician too?

That’s right, I am also a musician and some of my songs have done very well in the UK Songwriting Contest. You can find my music here on Soundcloud.

How brilliant. Thank you so much for staying in with me to chat about Broken Shadows Sorrel. I think it sounds wonderful. Whilst you find your music on Soundcloud for us to listen to, I’ll just give readers a few more details about Broken Shadows:

Broken Shadows

In 1994, eleven-year-old Callum was abducted from his Wiltshire village. His body was found six months later by his older brother, Tom, near a Neolithic henge called the Shadowing Stones. It was the first in a series of events that would destroy Tom’s family; the boys’ father was a suspect but never charged, and their mother committed suicide a year later. Convinced his father was responsible for his brother’s death, Tom fled to Australia to start a new life.

Now, almost three decades later, Tom learns that his father is dying of cancer. Knowing this may be his last chance to uncover the truth, Tom returns to England. But when childhood acquaintance, Anna, forms a bond with Tom, old feelings are stirred. As he’s reluctantly drawn closer to both Anna and his father, Tom is confronted with a series of shocking twists and revelations that will change his life forever.

Published by Bloodhound, Broken Shadows is available for purchase here.

About Sorrel Pitts

Sorrel Pitts grew up in the ancient English landscape of Wiltshire, which is a strong presence in her writing. She worked as a magazine editor before moving overseas to teach English in Turkey and Spain. On her return to the UK she became Commissioning Editor for Macmillan Publishers and Editorial Manager for Oxford University Press. She is now living back in Wiltshire and is a freelance editor and writer. Her current key role is Series Editor for PRH’s Penguin and Ladybird Readers series.

Sorrel has written numerous educational adaptations for Harper Collins, Oxford University Press and PRH including Ian McEwan’s The Children’s Act – which was nominated for a major educational award – and John Le Carre’s The Night Manager (both PRH) as well original stories Nuala and Champion (Stand For Publishers) and The Scissor Man Caves (PRH). Many of Sorrel’s educational titles are published under her pen name of Anna Trewin.

Sorrel’s debut novel The River Woman was published in September 2011 by Indigo Dreams Press. Sir Michael Parkinson described it as ‘a fascinating story written by a very promising writer’.

For further information, follow Sorrel on Twitter/X @pittssorrel and find Sorrel on Facebook and Instagram.

My enormous thanks to Caitlin Raynor for sending me a copy of A Sign of Her Own by Sarah Marsh all those months ago and to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for the book. It’s my pleasure to share my review today.

A Sign of Her Own was published by Tinder Press on 1st February 2024 and is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

A Sign of Her Own

Ellen Lark is on the verge of marriage when she and her fiancé receive an unexpected visit from Alexander Graham Bell.

Ellen knows immediately what Bell really wants from her. Ellen is deaf, and for a time was Bell’s student in a technique called Visible Speech. As he instructed her in speaking, Bell also confided in her about his dream of producing a device which would transmit the human voice along a wire: the telephone. Now, on the cusp of wealth and renown, Bell wants Ellen to speak up in support of his claim to the patent to the telephone, which is being challenged by rivals.

But Ellen has a different story to tell: that of how Bell betrayed her, and other deaf pupils, in pursuit of ambition and personal gain, and cut Ellen off from a community in which she had come to feel truly at home. It is a story no one around Ellen seems to want to hear – but there may never be a more important time for her to tell it.

My Review of A Sign of Her Own

Ellen Lark is under pressure.

A Sign of Her Own is a remarkable story, steeped in history, that is beautifully written. I found Ellen’s profoundly deaf communications fascinating because Sarah Marsh’s style places the reader right inside Ellen’s head, making them part of her experience almost first hand. I don’t know if it is because the author is herself deaf, but her writing has such effective observation that it is somehow both poetic and accessible. I loved this style as it has a kind of filmic quality. 

Indeed, I found the structure of interspersing Ellen’s adult life with earlier glimpses into her childhood highly effective, because the reader slowly gains understanding of Ellen’s experiences and how they have shaped her, in the same way Ellen herself gains understanding of the world around her and how far she might trust others –  or not. Ellen’s auditory challenges and triumphs are echoed by the reader’s gradual learning about her life as the story unfolds. Her journey of self-discovery is profound, moving and engaging. 

Other than his connection to the invention of the telephone I had absolutely no knowledge of Alexander Graham Bell prior to reading A Sign of Her Own. This is one of the triumphs of Sarah Marsh’s characterisation. She has obviously researched her subject meticulously and blends fact and fiction skilfully throughout, making for a fascinating read. In Bell we have a flawed, complex man whom it isn’t always easy to like or admire. This makes him realistic and human. Through Bell’s strand there’s a convincing sense of history and the development of technology with the rivalries and corruption that process can engender woven into his part of the story that feels equally relevant to today’s society. 

However, the real triumph of the book for me was Sarah Marsh’s exploration of theme. Whilst helping the reader to gain some insight into deafness and the prejudice and difficulty deaf people have encountered, I found A Sign of Her Own a profoundly feminist read as Ellen takes control of her life, learning whom to trust and how to make her own decisions. I was enraged by the fact that it is not just men who attempt to manipulate her to their own ends so that betrayal felt very close to the surface throughout. Through Ellen and A Sign of Her Own the reader comes to understand others better, to give value to experiences that may not match the reader’s own and to appreciate the importance of communication.

I thought A Sign of Her Own was engaging, entertaining, convincing and thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyed it.  

About Sarah Marsh

Sarah Marsh was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish prize in 2019 and selected for the London Library Emerging Writers programme in 2020. A Sign of Her Own is her first novel, inspired by her experiences of growing up deaf and her family’s history of deafness. She lives in London.

For further information about Sarah, you can follow her on Twitter/X @SarahCMarsh or find her on Instagram.

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As you know, I love getting involved with books at the earliest possible moment, so I’m delighted to be part of the Rachel’s Random Resources cover reveal for Love, Julie by Jamie Anderson.

Let’s find out all about Love, Julie:

Love, Julie

A Poignant and Humorous Journey of Self-discovery, Resilience, and Redemption

Once, Julie dreamed of a life filled with love and laughter. Now, in her mid-forties, she faces a starkly different reality. She’s single, lonely, and reeling from breaking her hard-earned sobriety in front of her family and friends.

Opting for self-recovery over romance, Julie dives into planning her best friend Kate’s wedding. However, sharing this task with the irritatingly cheerful best man, single dad Luke, proves to be an unexpected challenge.

As Luke’s persistent kindness chips away at her icy exterior, a friendship forms, stirring a longing she’d sworn to suppress. But with self-forgiveness as her biggest hurdle, and her past ready to sabotage her future, can Julie confront the shame and trauma that have darkened so much of her life and find the courage to love again? Or will her demons shatter both her and Luke’s hearts in the process?

Jamie Anderson, author of the hilarious and heartwarming Someone to Kiss, is back with another witty, acerbic, and relatable story. Love, Julie is a richly emotional tale of recovery, forgiveness, and romance that readers have praised for “nailing the humor and snarky nature of our generation.”

Sign up to be the first to know when Love, Julie is available for pre-order, plus grab a FREE romance novella by Jamie instantly 📚🎁 by clicking here.

By signing up, you’ll get notified the moment Love, Julie is available for pre-order and receive a launch reminder. Plus, you’ll have the chance to win lots of great prizes and enjoy more freebies along the way!

Love, Julie will be published on 30th April 2024.

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Doesn’t that sound perfect for popping in your handbag?

About Jamie Anderson

Jamie Anderson is based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. A proud Canadian and Saskatchewanian, she wanted to set her first two novels in the place she was born and raised.

She’s been writing for as long as she can remember, and has been reading for longer than that. She lives happily with her mountain of books, her TV and her two plants.

You can read Jamie’s first novel Someone to Kiss here.

For all of Jamie’s social media links, click here. and don’t forget to follow her on Twitter/X @jandersonwrites.

I’m delighted to have a copy of Vegan Recipes for New Age Men by Liz Treacher on my TBR because I’ve heard such good things about it from fellow bloggers. My enormous thanks to Liz for sending me a copy and for allowing me to share an extract from Vegan Recipes for New Age Men with you today.

Liz previously featured on Linda’s Book Bag when we stayed in together here to chat about another of her books, The Wrong Envelope.

Vegan Recipes for New Age Men was published on 12th September 2023 and is available for purchase here.

Vegan Recipes for New Age Men

A fast-paced romcom about finding yourself.

Lauren really, really needs a break. There’s just one problem: a bearded bohemian is squatting in her Highland cottage by the sea, performing reiki on her plants and cluttering the fridge with strange ingredients. What on earth is aquafaba, anyway?

When her busybody granny turns up to crash her much-needed holiday, along with Lauren’s boyfriend Patrick – who really is perfect for her, by the way – things get even worse.

As her life begins to unravel, Lauren is forced to confront the ghosts lurking under the surface of her idyllic Scottish retreat. But with a skilled hand in the kitchen and a heartfelt recipe or two, she might discover that things are not always as they seem. And that maybe – just maybe – chickpeas aren’t so bad after all.

An Extract from Vegan Recipes for New Age Men

Lauren has arrived at her Highland holiday cottage to find Nash, a vegan chef, squatting there. As if that isn’t bad enough, Lauren’s Granny is on her way.

The next day dawns bright and sunny. Lauren gets up early, determined to squeeze in a long walk before her grandmother arrives. When Lauren goes into the kitchen, Nash is sitting outside on the decking. The cooker is gleaming and the worktops smell suspiciously clean.
‘Not bad,’ she calls, through the open French windows.
Nash looks round. ‘Why only not bad?’ he asks.
‘You left a teabag in the sink.’
‘Teabags are compostable, but you don’t have a compost.’
‘Surely you could have built one, Nash? After all, you’ve had plenty of time.’
‘There’s some scones in the tin,’ Nash replies, ignoring her dig.
‘No, thanks.’ Lauren silently orders her stomach not to grumble, fills the kettle and goes outside.
It’s one of those summer mornings that could have been lifted straight from a fairytale. Birds are flying in large arcs around the house. Swallows or house martins, Lauren can never tell the difference, swoop low over her head and then high into the blue sky above.
The tide is out, revealing a sandbank in the shape of a crescent, as if a slice of moon has fallen into the loch. On the sandbank, seals like oversized commas bask in the sun. Their moans and bellows are carried inland by the southerly wind.
‘What a noise,’ observes Nash. ‘It’s amazing here,’ he adds.
‘I’m going out for a walk,’ Lauren says.
‘Go, go!’ Nash replies, giving her an annoying sort of blessing.
The beach seems to have been taken over by birds. Arctic terns run past, leaving tiny footprints in the sand. Eider ducks fly along the shoreline, their long wings like floppy ears. They land on the loch and start making cooing calls, oohing and aahing like gossiping ladies.
Lauren spots two curlews picking their way across the shingly sand. They are instantly recognisable with their long, downward-curving bills, but she sees fewer and fewer of them these days.
She walks past the abandoned jetty where a pair of oystercatchers are nesting. They are furious with her and shriek their disapproval until she’s out of sight.
To avoid disturbing the oystercatchers again, Lauren cuts across the dunes and does a long loop home. Marram grasses swish against her legs and she has to watch her step over the uneven, boggy ground. Small Blue butterflies race ahead. Yellow Rockrose flowers light the way. In the distance, a Highland cow calls to its calf.
When Lauren gets back from her walk, the moss-covered gate is open, creaking uneasily on its hinges, and a car has driven in. The boot of the car yawns wide and the front door swings to and fro in the wind. From inside Lauren can hear two voices: one low and mumbling, the other high and insistent.
Lauren steels herself to go through the front door, but at the last moment she chickens out and creeps around the back.
Granny is standing beside the open French windows. Her suitcase, a pre-war leather one, is parked beside her. Nash has backed himself into a corner between the sink and the cooker.
‘Nash?’ Granny is shaking her head as if to imply that no one would have such a ridiculous name. ‘Nash who?’
Nash seems unsure what his second name is.
‘What’s your real name?’ Granny asks.
Nash opens his mouth, closes it again, bows his head and mutters: ‘Clifford Adderman.’
‘In that case, I shall call you Clifford,’ Granny announces. ‘Which room am I in?’
‘I’ll show you,’ says Nash. He picks up the suitcase and hobbles with it along the corridor. Granny follows.
          Clifford Adderman. Lauren adds this new information to what she already knows. Nash is, she decides, not a real person at all. He is a shimmering hologram that changes from one moment to another. First a tenant, then a squatter; first a hippy, then a baker. Initially bearded; subsequently beardless. Now even his name has changed.
A noise in the kitchen. Nash and Granny are back.
‘Would you like a scone with your tea?’ Nash is asking.
‘I would. And I would like it on the veranda. I know you young people call it the decking, but it used to be the veranda.’ Granny steps outside. ‘Lauren! There you are!’ Her eyes are dancing with life. ‘You must be livid this Clifford chap has invaded your holiday,’ she says. ‘And the one person you really want isn’t here.’ Granny sits down and gazes out over the view. ‘Nice teeth, though.’
‘Tea’s on its way!’ calls Nash.
It’s hard to pinpoint when exactly Granny starts approving of the squatter. Probably somewhere between the second and third scone. No obvious outward sign, except her hand starts to sway slightly as it approaches the proffered plate.
‘I probably shouldn’t,’ Granny says coyly.
‘They won’t keep till tomorrow,’ says Nash.
‘Well… if you’re sure, Clifford,’ smiles Granny, and her hand sways again, as if in ecstasy.
Lauren is relieved that Granny seems to be taking to Nash, but also bemused. She orbits carefully around them.
‘Do you bake?’ Nash asks.
Granny’s smile becomes more flirtatious. ‘Oh no! I mean, not really. Not anymore.’
‘So you used to?’
‘Well, yes. But nothing exotic.’
‘You can’t beat good old-fashioned British baking,’ Nash smiles. If buttering up grannies was a gameshow, Nash would win hundreds of prizes.
‘Clifford’s vegan,’ Lauren says mischievously.
Nash’s head whizzes round and he gives Lauren a look. Probably because she’s called him Clifford, but maybe also because she’s landed him in it.
‘Ve… Gun?’ Granny looks confused.
‘I don’t eat animals or their products,’ explains her baker.
Granny chews thoughtfully. ‘Tastes alright,’ she says. Another flirtatious smile: ‘What’s for supper?’

****

I don’t know about you, but I need to find out more!

About Liz Treacher

Liz is a writer and creative writing tutor. She lives in the Scottish Highlands by the sea.

Liz was drawn to writing after she discovered a tiny suitcase belonging to her grandmother. It was tied up with gingham ribbon and full of letters sent by two soldiers on their way to the First World War. The cheerful tone of the soldiers and the way their letters seemed to conceal more than they revealed inspired Liz’s first novel, The Wrong Envelope. She has since written a sequel, The Wrong Direction and a darker, contemporary novel, The Unravelling. Her latest novel, Vegan Recipes for New Age Men is a romantic comedy about a precise proofreader and a bearded bohemian.

To find out more, visit Liz’s website, follow her on Twitter @liztreacher or find Liz on Instagram and Facebook.

I’m so fortunate to have a copy of The Trials of Lila Dalton by L.J. Shepherd on my TBR (indeed had life not been the trials of Linda Hill of late I’d have read it by now!) and am absolutely thrilled that Steven Cooper and Puskin Press have allowed me to give away a copy of this brand new thriller to a lucky UK reader.

Published yesterday, 1st February 2024, by Pushkin Vertigo, The Trials of Lila Dalton is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

Before we get to the giveaway, let me tell you about the book:

The Trials of Lila Dalton

You are standing in the middle of a courtroom.

The judge, jury and prosecution team are waiting for you to speak.

But you have no idea who you are.

Lila Dalton finds herself the lead defence for a man accused of a terrible crime, his fate in her hands. She doesn’t know how she got there, but is surprised to discover that she possesses legal knowledge, and that everyone else seems to know who she is.

Outside the courtroom, things are even more unnerving: the courthouse is on a peculiar island where the locals are hostile, threats are slipped beneath her door, and her phone calls are tapped. Hints from strange sources suggest that someone from her forgotten past is in very real danger — but are the threats genuine, or a warning from her missing memories?

As the trial progresses, Lila must decide who and what she can trust — and whether that includes herself…

****

I bet that, like me, you’re desperate to read The Trials of Lila Dalton now. Let’s have that giveaway.

Giveaway

A Hardback Copy of The Trials of Lila Dalton

For your chance to win a hardback copy of The Trials of Lila Dalton by L.J.Shepherd out from Pushkin Press, click HERE.

UK only and the randomly drawn winner will need to supply a UK address for receipt of their prize which will be sent directly from the publisher. Personal details will not be retained.

Entries close at 11.59PM UK time on Tuesday 6th February 2024.

Good luck!

About L.J. Shepherd

L.J. Shepherd lives in Cardiff with her rescue cat, Coral. She studied English Literature at Christ Church, Oxford. After graduating, she decided to pursue a career in law. Laura began practising as a barrister in 2017. Since then, she has prosecuted and defended in many jury trials in the Crown Court. She is now a Human Rights barrister instructed in high-profile public inquiries.

For further inf0rmation, visit L.J. Shepherd’s website, follow her on Twitter/X @LJShepherdwords, and find L.J. Shepherd on Facebook and Instagram.

As I love romantic fiction, and having studied philosophy as part of my first degree, how could I resist a book called The Philosophy of Love? Add in the fact that I adored Rebecca Ryan’s first novel, My (extra) Ordinary Life, reviewed here, and I’m delighted to take part in the blog tour for her second book. My huge thanks to Sara-Jade Virtue of Books and the City for inviting me to participate. I’m delighted to share my review today.

The Philosophy of Love is published by Simon and Schuster today, 1st February 2024, and is available for purchase through the links here.

The Philosophy of Love

What is love? Is it something spiritual or wholly physical? Can our feelings be explained and quantified? Or are we all actually two halves of a whole? 

Ask Alice and Luke and you’d receive vastly different answers. 

Despite her world having been recently dismantled by a messy break-up, Alice would tell you that love is the most important – albeit ineffable – human experiences. But when she once again crosses paths with her old school nemesis, Luke, he challenges this. Luke is a scientist and he’s certain love can be measured and explained – just like everything else. 

So the two decide to make a bet: they’ll each venture back into dating and if one of them falls in love, Alice wins, if not, then Luke does. 

But can anyone win when you’re playing with emotions?

My Review of The Philosophy of Love

Alice is having a bad hair day! 

I loved Rebecca Ryan’s My (extra) Ordinary Life, so it was with some trepidation that I read The Philosophy of Love. So often there’s a touch of second book syndrome that can be disappointing. Not so here. The Philosophy of Love is an absolute belter. It’s equally as fresh, absorbing and witty and I loved it.

I think what is so absolutely engaging is the fact that the events in The Philosophy of Love are completely believable and relatable. Small aspects, such as the way Alice has drifted away from old school friends, her embarrassment at returning to live with her parents after her relationship with Charles has ended, the claustrophobia of small communities where everyone knows everyone else’s business and has an opinion on it, are just some of the features that feel so true to life and draw in the reader. 

I thought the dynamics between Luke and Alice were perfect. I was desperate throughout for them to have a happy ending because they are so obviously the epitome of opposites attracting. I found the journey Alice goes on as she comes to recognise Luke’s positive attributes very touching and I loved their exploration of the philosophy and science of love. The way Alice realises what makes for a controlling and coercive relationship, and what, in contrast, is a relationship built on mutual respect and the quietness of love is perfectly handled by Rebecca Ryan. Alice also learns how to be comfortable in her own skin (without bright orange curls) and with Alice’s growing understanding that it’s never too late to start again Rebecca Ryan incorporates aspects that add layers of realism, hope and drama, so that The Philosophy of Love is a story of emotional development just as much as it is a highly entertaining romcom. I was so invested in Alice’s life because of the way Rebecca Ryan presents her through her lively first person, conversational style, that I truly resented real life getting in the way of my reading.

In amongst all that, The Philosophy of Love lifted my spirits too. It is so entertaining. I laughed aloud and fell in love with almost all the characters. Charles, in contrast, I could quite happily have shaken very hard indeed. Certainly he’s recognisable as typical of his type, but the manner with which he affects Alice even after he has rejected her is both plausible and disturbing.

The Philosophy of Love is one of those warm and engaging romantic stories that those who believe this kind of fiction to be all froth and no substance absolutely should read. Rebecca Ryan incorporates biological science and philosophy effortlessly. It doesn’t matter whether the reader has any background in either subject, because the story weaves in examples delightfully casually so that it is a real pleasure to read and the story educates even as it brings a smile to the reader’s face. 

However, whilst The Philosophy of Love considers some weighty themes, it does so with a lightness of touch that makes it a wonderfully diverting, absorbing and satisfying book. The Philosophy of Love is one of those books you close with a deep sigh and a smile on your face, feeling thoroughly happy and contented. It’s the kind of book we all need in our lives and I loved it. 

About Rebecca Ryan

Rebecca Ryan lives in Bradford with her husband and three young children. Although she always loved writing, it hadn’t really occurred to her that she could do it professionally. She recently left her job as a teacher to pursue writing full-time. She enjoys walking in the countryside and takeaways (if that counts as a hobby).

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

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