Having been privileged to help reveal the cover to Emily Stone’s second novel One Last Gift back in July I am delighted to share my review of the book too today. Emily’s debut Always, in December which I reviewed here was my outright Book of the Year in 2021, so when Emily got in touch to ask if I’d mind having a character named after me in One Last Gift I was beside myself with excitement. There was also a little trepidation – what if I didn’t like the Linda Hill in One Last Gift or I didn’t like the book? I needn’t have worried!

I think I owe thanks to Sherise Hobbs at Headline for sending me a copy of One Last Gift in return for an honest review.

Already available in ebook, One Last Gift will be published in paperback by Headline Review on 13th October 2022 and is available for purchase through the links here.

One Last Gift

For as long as Cassie can remember, it had been the three of them: Cassie, her big brother Tom, and Tom’s annoying best friend Sam.

Now, Tom is sorted, Sam is flying high, and Cassie thinks she’s figured it all out. Then tragedy happens and three becomes two.

For Cassie picking herself up seems unimaginable. Until she finds an envelope addressed to her, asking her to follow the trail to one last gift…

And suddenly what seems like an ending leads Cassie to something unexpected, beautiful and new…

Take a heartwrenching and uplifting romantic journey, from London to the Hamptons to the south of France and the Welsh mountains, with the author of Always, in December.

My Review of One Last Gift

Cassie is on a treasure hunt.

Oh my poor battered heart. I’m beginning to think Emily Stone may just be the most outstanding writer of this kind of fiction around. Her debut Always, in December was my favourite read of 2021 and so One Last Gift had an awful lot to live up to. It surpassed every expectation I had. I could NOT have adored it more, even if it did reduce me to a blubbering, sobbing wreck.

The quality of Emily Stone’s writing is just lovely. It seems luminescent with emotion and her ability to convey passion, both literal and metaphorical, love and fear in all their forms, and grief, feels almost beyond comprehension. It’s not as if you’re reading about Cassie and the others, but more that you’re experiencing every moment of their feelings with them. Indeed, I’d go so far as to say that whilst One Last Gift is romantic, uplifting and entertaining, it actually feels profoundly cathartic too. There’s real, insightful, human understanding in Emily Stone’s narrative.

The characters are so appealing because they are layered and multi-dimensional. Every one has flaws, strengths and weaknesses. Just as in real life, they can behave generously and selfishly with both rash and considered responses and actions, so that they feel totally authentic and true. I think the most moving aspect of the characterisation is that Emily Stone explores how grief can affect us individually and she illustrates perfectly that there is no correct way to grieve.

I loved the plot of One Last Gift because it held me completely captivated with the ups and downs of Cassie’s life. That said, I had to take short breaks from reading to let my heart recover from what was happening before I could bear to read on. I think it speaks volumes that I lay awake at night worrying about the characters – Cassie and Sam in particular – and wondering what was happening to them whilst I wasn’t reading. I may have finished reading One Last Gift, but I have a feeling the people within the story, including Linda Hill, will remain with me for a considerable time.

One Last Gift is truly wonderful. It’s written with compassion, skill and a true sense of love. I adored it without reservation. I’d defy any reader to finish the story and remain unmoved by it. I totally, absolutely, loved it and I won’t forget it. Make sure you read it too.

About Emily Stone

Emily Stone lives and works in Chepstow and wrote Always, in December in an old Victorian manor house with an impressive literary heritage. Her debut novel was partly inspired by the death of her mother, when Emily was seven, and wanting to write something that reflected the fact that you carry this grief into adulthood, long after you supposedly move on from the event itself.

For more information, follow Emily on Twitter @EmStoneWrites. You’ll also find Emily on Instagram.

Today I’m delighted to share details of another of my online reviews with My Weekly and this time it’s of the wonderful The Mortification of Grace Wheeler by Colette Dartford.

Published by White Fox on 18th August 2022, The Mortification of Grace Wheeler is available for purchase here.

The Mortification of Grace Wheeler

Faced with an empty nest when her only child goes to university, the flaws in Grace’s marriage are sharply exposed. Finding excuses to escape the taut atmosphere at home, she is drawn into an affair that ignites a mid-life sexual awakening.

But when her secret is discovered there is a terrible price to pay, and Grace is not the only one who pays it.

A compelling and emotional read, The Mortification of Grace Wheeler shines a spotlight on a marriage in crisis, the challenges of being a middle-aged woman, and the fear that your best years are behind you.

My Review of The Mortification of Grace Wheeler

My full review of The Mortification of Grace Wheeler can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, what I can say here is that The Mortification of Grace Wheeler is an astonishingly vivid portrait of a middle-aged woman’s life that I won’t find easy to forget. I absolutely loved it.

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Colette Dartford

Colette Dartford writes contemporary fiction with compelling emotional themes. Her debut novel, Learning to Speak American, was shortlisted for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and published by Bonnier Zaffre. Her second novel, An Unsuitable Marriage, was a Kindle bestseller for over 18 months. In addition to her novels, Colette has had award-winning Flash fiction, short stories and poetry, published in popular magazines and anthologies. The Mortification of Grace Wheeler is her third novel. Colette lives in Bath with her husband and a very demanding labradoodle.

For further information, visit Colette’s website, follow her on Twitter @ColetteDartford, or find her on Facebook and Instagram.

I’m disappearing for a few days but before I go I just have time to welcome Anya Wylde to Linda’s Book Bag to stay in with me and tell me about her latest book. Let’s find out what Anya has to say:

Staying in with Anya Wylde

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Anya. Thank you for staying in with me. Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

Hello, Linda. I have brought along Meara since it’s the latest book I have written, and I would love to share it with your readers.

What can we expect from an evening in with Meara?

Meara is a humorous romantic fantasy. It’s about a sweet, eighteen-year-old girl who loves baking and cooking when she finds herself thrown in the middle of a chaotic war of the realms. The eastern gods are battling the western ones for supremacy, while her only desire is to keep her little sister safe and away from the drama.

Hopefully, the readers will immerse themselves in her world and forget about the daily grind.

That sounds very entertaining! I don’t read much fantasy but I’m fond of romance and humour so I think I’ll have to add Meara to my towering TBR!

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

I have brought along a lot of things. A song called the River Flows in You since it is a favourite of Meara’s. Chocolates because why not? Peonies, cushions, cosy blanket, coffee, and a poodle. Everything that brings me joy.

I was with you all the way until you got to coffee! Can’t drink it. And I’m more cats than dogs but as this is your evening I’ll let you off. Thank you for staying in with me to chat about Meara. You put the kettle on and I’ll give readers a few more details:

Meara

Meara lives an ordinary life with her eccentric grandmother and three siblings in a small Georgian house in Dublin. On her eighteenth birthday, her little sister is kidnapped by an incredibly powerful man, and her entire world turns upside down.

A whisper of someone like her being born has been discussed for aeons by the gods. The question is, who is she, and where is she?

Meara lives an ordinary life with her eccentric grandmother and three siblings in a small Georgian house in Dublin. On her eighteenth birthday, her little sister is kidnapped by an incredibly powerful man, and her entire world turns upside down.

Long hidden family secrets tumble out, and supernatural beings suddenly surround her. However, she thinks she is a side character, the hero’s friend and the heroine’s sister. After all, her nature is more girl-next-door than a tortured soul with ninja fighting skills.

Her only desire is to get her sister back and keep her safe but to do so, she must battle dangerous beings and reign in her treacherous heart, which has begun to beat for her family’s sworn enemy, a gorgeous demigod.

Meara is available for purchase here.

About Anya Wylde

Anya Wylde lives in Ireland along with her husband and a fat French poodle (now on a diet). She can cook a mean curry, and her idea of exercise is occasionally stretching her toes. She holds a degree in English literature and adores reading and writing.

For more information, visit Anya’s website, find her on Instagram and Facebook or follow her on Twitter @Anyawylde.

It’s always good to discover new to me authors and my thanks go to Will Dady of Renard Press for sending me a copy of Salmacis: Becoming Not Quite a Woman by Elizabeth Train-Brown in return for an honest review and for inviting me onto the blog tour. I’m delighted to share my review of Salmacis: Becoming Not Quite a Woman today.

Salmacis: Becoming Not Quite a Woman was published by Renard press on 31st August 2022 and is available for purchase here.

Salmacis: Becoming Not Quite a Woman

As recounted by the Roman poet Ovid, a young nymph, Salmacis, one day spied Hermaphroditus bathing; consumed with passion, she entered the water and, begging the gods to allow them to stay together, the two became one – part man, part woman.

An Eclectic Pagan, for Elizabeth Ovid’s fables are more than fiction, and form a framework for exploring identity. Drawing on the rich mythological history associated with the tale of Salmacis and Hermaphroditus, and re-examining the tale through the lens of metaphor, Salmacis: Becoming Not Quite a Woman is a stirringly relatable and powerful exploration of gender, love and identity.

this is my lake salmacis, and i am the wild nymph

with a hollow in her belly and nothing between her legs

My Review of Salmacis: Becoming Not Quite a Woman

A slim volume of 25 poems.

Salmacis: Becoming Not Quite a Woman is an intriguing and often visceral collection that challenges reader perceptions and leaves them thinking long after they’ve read the words.

I found Elizabeth Train-Brown’s language powerful and quite violent with several references to red, blood, screaming and difficult physical experiences so that the raging against patriarchal control as in gods, monsters and complex ptsd, is felt almost physically by the reader. I also discovered on my second reading of the anthology that these works feel even more passionate when they are read aloud.

It was fascinating that there is only one upper case letter in the entire collecting in the very last entry and that it is for ‘Being’, because I thought Salmacis was entirely about being. About being who we are expected or forced to be. About being who or what others expect of us, about being afraid, enraged and lost, and about being ourselves. What Elizabeth Train-Brown does is to make the reader question accepted norms and how the readers perceive themselves, and others around them, with images of blood, moons, seas and the natural world, from mythology from gods to selfies, and cutting, bleeding and knives. Indeed, Salmacis is not an easy read because although there are tender moments, much feels disturbing and and almost displacing.

That displacement is also conveyed by the physical appearance of the poetry, where white space shows hesitation or thought and the lack of full stops in 3 a.m. voice notes in snapchat, for example, illustrates to perfection the very stream of consciousness, the unstoppable flow of poetic ideas, that the author is describing. I loved the gaps in writing is easy as breathing because they show the poet’s own hesitation, they surprise the reader when the line is completed and they engage the reader completely, giving sufficient pause for them to supply their own suggestion mentally before finding what has actually been written. This creates a feeling of connection between poet and reader.

Salmacis is challenging, thought provoking and elusive. I have no idea whether my interpretation matches the writer’s intention and that, for me, makes the collection all the more intriguing. Read Salmacis for yourself to see if you agree. I can guarantee you won’t be left unmoved or unaffected!

About Elizabeth Train-Brown

Elizabeth Train-Brown is a poet and writer whose work has been published internationally in various anthologies and journals. Their journalism on discrimination, asexuality, transgender issues and polyamory has also received widespread recognition. Outside of writing, Elizabeth follows in her parents’ footsteps as a circus performer and fortune teller. Salmacis is their first collection.

For more information follow Elizabeth on Twitter @BethTrainBrown or Instagram.

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I’ve long been a fan of Susi Holliday’s writing so I was delighted when one of her older books under her SJI Holliday persona, The Lingering, became the September book for the reading group to which I belong. Sadly I’m away for the meeting and won’t get to join in the discussions about it, but I’m delighted to share my review today.

Most recently I reviewed Susi’s Substitute here and previously The Last Resort here. You’ll also find my review of Willow Walk here, an interview with Susi to celebrate The Damsel Fly here and my review of her excellent Violet here.

Published by Orenda on 15th November 2018, The Lingering is available for purchase in all the usual places including directly from the publisher here.

The Lingering

Married couple Jack and Ali Gardiner move to a self-sufficient commune in the English Fens, desperate for fresh start. The local village is known for the witches who once resided there and Rosalind House, where the commune has been established, is a former psychiatric home, with a disturbing history.

When Jack and Ali arrive, a chain of unexpected and unexplained events is set off, and it becomes clear that they are not all that they seem. As the residents become twitchy, and the villagers suspicious, events from the past come back to haunt them, and someone is seeking retribution

At once an unnerving mystery, a chilling thriller and a dark and superbly wrought ghost story, The Lingering is an exceptionally plotted, terrifying and tantalisingly twisted novel by one of the most exciting authors in the genre.

My Review of The Lingering

Ali and Jack are looking for a fresh start.

Let me say at the outset that I expected far more horror in The Lingering than I got. This is not a criticism as I’m not a horror fan and I far preferred the power of suggestion to the more overt moments of creepiness in the story! The Lingering is an impactful narrative, particularly when the reader understands that the oldest historical elements are based on real people and, without giving too much away about the plot, knowing that the author works within the pharmaceutical industry, so that where aspects might feel unusual, there’s an unnerving sense of truth and authenticity underpinning the narrative. SJI Holliday’s structure here is so clever as she makes history reverberate through the present day, as well as through the 1950’s journal of Dr Henry Baldock, making the reader wonder if a setting truly can become almost contaminated by its past.

I found the setting of Rosalind House set my nerves on edge even before the plot had begun to unfold. There’s a terrible sense of something wicked in the house, despite Smeaton’s attempts to create a positive atmosphere in the light, so that the reader is anticipating awful events. This makes the plot all the more affecting as the malevolence is uncovered. Given that I live in the Fens not far from where the story is set, I appreciated that sense of isolation the commune creates. Similarly, that claustrophobic nearby village community, where gossip and superstition can always be a good substitute for the truth, adds both atmosphere and realism.

I very much enjoyed The Lingering, even where I guessed some of the outcomes, but it was the underpinning psychological aspect that I found most engaging and disturbing. So many of the themes in The Lingering leave the reader thoughtful and unsettled. The treatment of women and of those with poor mental health, the way superstition can permeate society, the possibility of unworldliness, the themes of coercion, control and loyalty, all contribute to a malicious atmosphere that does indeed linger in the reader’s mind.

Cleverly presented, I though Ali was an abomination. I loathed her from the outset but was never quite certain whether my feelings about her would prove to be correct until the very end of the story. I couldn’t decide if she was far more insane than any of the previous inhabitants of Rosalind House had been, whether she was evil, or whether she was herself a victim of events. Obviously you’ll need to read The Lingering for yourself to find out! In fact, I suspected all the characters of duplicity at some point and because the author doesn’t uncover them all in detail I’m still pondering them and wondering what brought them to Rosalind House.

However, what I found most compelling was SJI Holliday’s exploration of what makes us evil, whether nature or nurture can play a part and how it’s the knowable that can be just as terrifying as the unknowable. We can be haunted by the supernatural, our own upbringing and past and by the actions we have carried out. In The Lingering, ghosts are the least of our worries!

The Lingering is, thankfully, not as frightening as I was expecting, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it as a result.

About Susi Holliday

Susi (S.J.I.) Holliday grew up in East Lothian, Scotland. A life-long fan of crime and horror, her short stories have been published in various places, and she was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham prize. She lives in London (except when she’s in Edinburgh) and she loves to travel the world.

Her serial killer thriller The Deaths of December, featuring Detective Sergeant Eddie Carmine and Detective Constable Becky Greene was a festive hit in 2017.

Writing as SJI Holliday, she also has three crime novels set in the fictional Scottish town of Banktoun, which are a mix of police procedural and psychological thriller. They are: Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly – all featuring the much loved character, Sergeant Davie Gray.

Also as SJI Holliday, her spooky mystery The Lingering was released in September 2018, followed by Violet – a psychological thriller set on the Trans-Siberian Express – in September 2019. Violet has been optioned for film.

You can find out more about Susi Holliday on her website and on Facebook or Instagram and by following her on Twitter @SJIHolliday.

I don’t know if it’s the ex-teacher in me, but I always feel September is the beginning of a new start and with The Almanac – A Seasonal Guide to 2023 by Lia Leendertz heading for publication at the beginning of next month, now seems the perfect time to review it. My enormous thanks to Hazel O’Brien at Octopus for sending me a copy in return for an honest review.

Published by Octopus imprint Gaia on 1st September 2022 The Almanac – A Seasonal Guide to 2023 is available for purchase through the links here.

The Almanac – A Seasonal Guide

*THE ORIGINAL & BESTSELLING ALMANAC*

Reconnect with the seasons in Britain and Ireland with this month-by-month guide to the world around us – including key dates, tide tables and garden tasks; constellations and moon phases; sunrises, folk songs, seasonal recipes plus a ‘bun of the month’; and – because 2023 will be a good year for planet spotting – the solar system and the zodiac.

The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2023 gives you the tools and inspiration you need to celebrate, mark and appreciate each month of the year in your own particular way. Divided into the 12 months, a set of tables each month gives it the feel and weight of a traditional almanac, providing practical information that gives access to the outdoors and the seasons, perfect for expeditions, meteor-spotting nights and beach holidays. There are also features on each month’s unique nature, with this instalment following the swirling micro world of the garden pond through the year.

You will find yourself referring to The Almanac all year long, revisiting it again and again, and looking forward to the next edition as the year draws to a close.

This year’s edition is illustrated by artist Whooli Chen.

My Review of The Almanac – A Seasonal Guide

A guide to 2023.

What an absolute gem of a book. This is a nature lover’s dream. The Almanac might be pocket sized but it packs an almighty punch. The hard backed version is robust and durable so that it will last a whole year of reading, re-reading and dipping in to. I loved the red silk bookmark that adds a sumptuous feel too. The illustrations by Whooli Chen are beautiful and I couldn’t decide if they would have been even better in colour or whether that would detract from their exquisite subtlety. Either way, they add a lightness of touch that balances the stark and effective tide tables or phases of the moon.

It’s no exaggeration to say I feel somewhat in awe of the research and detail in The Almanac. It’s astonishing. There is something here for every reader and not just those who are nature lovers. Certainly there is information about the natural world and I loved the concept of following the life of an ordinary garden pond throughout the year, but there’s so much more besides. Written in an accessible style with some super smattering of humour in a conversational tone, readers will find recipes and songs, notable dates and traditions, the zodiac and gardens so that there’s everything from the seas to the skies contained here. It’s evident from the acknowledgements that The Almanac has been a collaborative effort and I really think that collaboration makes it more than the sum of its parts.

I found The Almanac engaging, interesting, entertaining and informative. It would make a brilliant gift for anyone interested in the world around them – or for anyone who is impossible to buy for. It’s fascinating and it’s living in our motorhome for the whole of 2023.

About Lia Leendertz

Lia Leendertz is an award-winning garden and food writer based in Bristol. She writes regularly for the Daily Telegraph, The Garden, Simple Things, the Guardian and Gardens Illustrated. Her reinvention of the traditional rural almanac has become an annual must-have for readers eager to connect with the seasons, appreciate the outdoors and discover ways to mark and celebrate each month.

For further information, follow Lia on Twitter @lialeendertz, visit her website, or find her on Instagram.

I adore Gill Paul’s writing so I couldn’t be happier than to participate in the blog tour for Gill’s latest book, The Manhattan Girls by sharing my review today. My huge thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

Recently I reviewed Gill’s The Collector’s Daughter My Weekly’s online magazine in a post you’ll find here.

Previously Gill featured on Linda’s Book Bag when I reviewed The Lost Daughter here, and Gill wrote a superb guest post here. I reviewed The Second Marriage here too.

The Manhattan Girls was published by Harper Collins’ imprint Avon on 18th August 2022 and is available for purchase through the links here.

The Manhattan Girls

NEW YORK CITY, 1921

An impossible dream.

The war is over, the twenties are roaring, but in the depths of the city that never sleeps, Dorothy Parker is struggling to make her mark in a man’s world.A broken woman.

She’s penniless, she’s unemployed and her marriage is on the rocks when she starts a bridge group with three extraordinary women – but will they be able to save her from herself?

A fight for survival.

When tragedy strikes, and everything Dorothy holds dear is threatened, it’s up to Peggy, Winifred and Jane to help her confront the truth before it’s too late. Because the stakes may be life or death…

A new novel from the internationally bestselling author, Sex and the City meets the 1920s in this sweeping tale of love, loss and the everlasting bonds of friendship. Perfect for fans of Fiona Davis, Dinah Jefferies and Chanel Cleeton.

My Review of The Manhattan Girls

Four women become unlikely friends.

Every time I read a Gill Paul book I think, ‘Oh. Gill Paul’s writing is getting better and better. This is her best book to date.’

Guess what? I think The Manhattan Girls is her best book to date! I adored it.

Gill Paul writes with a cinematic accuracy so that reading The Manhattan Girls is more like being in the settings with the characters rather than reading about them. From food to clothing, and from real people and places, to imagined situations and conversations, the writing is a feast for the senses that makes for such an immersive and satisfying read. Through her assiduous research, Gill Paul takes what you think you know about real women in history, turns it on its head and makes it a truly gripping and engaging her-story. In The Manhattan Girls she excels at bringing legendary people into sharp modern focus so that they are utterly fascinating.

I loved the plot and was torn between reading and enjoying the fabulous story-telling as an imaginative and compelling narrative and looking up what happens to see if it was a true event. I didn’t want to give myself any spoilers because I was thoroughly enjoying the read regardless of the fact these are real people involved in it. What works so brilliantly is the silky-smooth blend of fact and fiction that makes The Manhattan Girls an absolute delight to read. There’s such a vivid sense of the era with prohibition and drunkenness, post war austerity and excess, patriarchy and feminism, for example, so that every exquisite moment feels relevant and authentic.

There are weighty themes wrapped up in the narrative too with some sensitive issues explored, but never in a prurient or excessive manner. I won’t reveal too much for fear of spoiling the story. What Gill Paul does so brilliantly is to show humanity in all its facets, so that The Manhattan Girls is a sensitive, mature and intelligent consideration of what it meant to be a woman in the society of the time.

And what women they are. Other than Dorothy Parker, I was unaware of the other women presented here, but as a result of reading The Manhattan Girls I feel I have come to know them intimately. I have been horrified by some of their actions and reactions, I’ve cheered for some of their successes and feel almost as if I have lived vicariously through them. I could not have enjoyed meeting Jane, Dottie, Winifred and Peggy more. In particular, I thought the way Gill Paul presented Dorothy Parker was every bit as witty and scalpel sharp as the woman herself was thought to be, but at the same time she is made human and frail too so that she’s all the more real.

In case you hadn’t guessed, I adored The Manhattan Girls. It’s simply glorious. It’s beautifully written, wonderfully researched and hugely entertaining. The Manhattan Girls is one of my books of the year and you’d be a fool to miss it.

About Gill Paul

Gill Paul is an author of historical fiction, specialising in the twentieth century and often writing about the lives of real women. Her novels have topped bestseller lists in the US and Canada as well as the UK and have been translated into twenty languages. The Secret Wife has sold over half a million copies and is a bookclub favourite worldwide. This is her twelfth novel. She is also the author of several non-fiction books on historical subjects. She lives in London and swims year-round in a wild pond.

Gill’s novels include The Second Marriage, Another Woman’s Husband, The Secret Wife, about the romance between cavalry officer Dmitri Malama and Grand Duchess Tatiana, the second daughter of Russia’s last tsar, who first met in 1914,  Women and Children First about a young steward who works on the Titanic and The Affair set in Rome in 1961–62 as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton fell in love while making Cleopatra. No Place for a Lady is about two Victorian sisters who travel out to the Crimean War of 1854–56 and face challenges beyond anything they could have imagined.

You can follow Gill on Twitter @GillPaulAUTHOR, visit her website and find her on Facebook for more information.

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It’s an absolute pleasure to participate in the blog tour for Tracy Rees’ latest book, The Little House by the Sea and I’d like to thank Sarah Hardy for inviting me to take part. I’m delighted to share my review today.

I’m a huge fan of both Tracy’s contemporary and historical writing as you’ll see from the following:

I reviewed The Little Christmas House here.

Tracy’s The Rose Garden as my first ever online review for My Weekly magazine in a post you’ll find here.

You’ll find my review of Tracy’s contemporary novel Hidden Secrets at the Little Village Church here.

Amy Snow was one of the first books I ever reviewed on the blog here.

I reviewed Florence Grace here and had a wonderful guest post from Tracy about the appeal of the C19th that you can read here.

Florence Grace was one of my Books of the Year in 2016 and you’ll see it featured here.

I also reviewed Tracy’s The Hourglass here and Tracy was kind enough to provide a guest post all about her memories of Richmond when Darling Blue was published. Darling Blue is still on my TBR but it’s just over a year ago that I reviewed The House at Silvermoor here.

Published by Bookouture on 24th August 2022, The Little House by the Sea is available for purchase here.

The Little House by the Sea

The cottage gate swings open to reveal the inky-blue sea and the sandy cove beyond. It’s exactly how Kitty imagined it, except she didn’t expect to be standing here alone…

Thirty-year-old Kitty Roberts spends her days searching for the perfect home for two… until her boyfriend, the only man she’s ever loved, dumps her. Devastated to lose not only her first love but her best friend too, she flees to the tiny seaside village where she spent carefree summers as a child, before her family fell apart.

At first, Kitty’s escape proves to be exactly what she needs – golden sunsets over warm, sandy beaches, lovably eccentric new neighbours and even a blush-inducing run-in with Cory Hudson, a handsome, professional surfer with a heart-stopping smile.

But just as Kitty feels herself beginning to heal and allows herself to open up to Cory, he reveals that his time in the seaside village is nearly up. What’s more, some surprising reactions to Kitty in town make her wonder if her connection to this place might go deeper than she thought.

It seems there’s a secret in her family’s past that is about to turn Kitty’s life on its head once more… Is she ready for the truth? And will it bring her and Cory closer together, or drive them apart?

A page-turning story that will make you smile, laugh and wish you could visit the little cottage by the sea! Absolutely perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan, Heidi Swain and Carole Matthews.

My Review of The Little House by the Sea

Kitty Roberts’s life is about to change.

What I so love about Tracy Rees’s writing is the absolute confidence that it will be beautifully written, perfectly plotted and emotional, with fabulous characters I can believe in and gorgeous descriptions that transport me wherever the author chooses. The Little House by the Sea is all of those things and more. I loved it. There isn’t a dissonant note throughout so that reading The Little House by the Sea is absorbing, entertaining and incredibly satisfying.

In amongst a carefully plotted story that weaves several strands into a brilliant narrative, is a lightness of touch that includes humour through Roly, balanced by depth of theme in the past lurking in Kitty’s family with just a tiny sprinkling of magic from Agatha that allows the reader to choose their own interpretation. There’s everything here from love and relationships, to family and friends and from ambition to acceptance in many forms. I loved the fact that Kitty isn’t defined by a man, but finds her place in life independently so that The Little House by the Sea feels surprisingly feminist as well as romantic. The plot is believable even where there are surprises which makes the story so engaging. It feels as if any reader could experience life like Kitty, making her relatable and appealing.

Indeed, the characters are fabulous, and I adored the way the small town  of Pennystrand means everyone knows everyone else’s business. What I found so refreshing was that whilst the full range of characters is present, we get to know a few really thoroughly, making them vivid and real. I thought Kitty was depicted to perfection; possibly because her obsession with houses matches my own!

I don’t know about Tracy Rees, but I so enjoyed The Little House by the Sea that I’m not finished with the people of Pennystrand – or the town itself – so I hope we’ll hear more in the future. I can’t stop thinking about the place because of Tracy Rees’s evocative descriptions or about the people because I feel they are completely authentic. I just loved this feel good, heartening and thoroughly entertaining story and I really recommend The Little House by the Sea as a breath of fresh (sea) air!

About Tracy Rees

Tracy Rees was the first winner of the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller competition. She has also won the Love Stories Best Historical Read award and been shortlisted for the RNA Epic Romantic Novel of the Year. A Cambridge graduate, Tracy had a successful career in non-fiction publishing before retraining for a second career practising and teaching humanistic counselling. She has also been a waitress, bartender, shop assistant, estate agent, classroom assistant and workshop leader. Tracy divides her time between the Gower Peninsula of South Wales and London.

You can follow Tracy on Twitter @AuthorTracyRees or visit her website for more information. You’ll also find Tracy on Instagram.

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My word, reviewing for My Weekly is giving me the opportunity to read some spectacular books. Today I’m delighted to share details of my latest review for the My Weekly website. Today I am sharing my thoughts on the excellent After She’d Gone by Alex Dahl.

Published by Head of Zeus on 18th August 2022, After She’d Gone is available for purchase here.

After She’d Gone

Unsettling, gripping and glamorous. A timely psychological thriller about the danger of beauty, the lure of power, and the fierce love of a mother for her son.

Liv keeps a low profile in Sandefjord, Norway: she’s just another tired single mother, trying to make ends meet. She has never told her son about the secrets she carries or the life she lived before he was born. She will do anything to keep him safe.

Anastasia‘s life is transformed when she moves from Russia to Milan to work as a model. She’s rich. She’s desired. But there’s a dark side to the high-pressure catwalk shows; the sun-baked Italian palazzos; the drink-fuelled after-parties hosted by powerful men. Soon, she will do anything to escape.

Selma is a journalist in Oslo. She’s investigating scandals in the modelling industry, but can’t get her article published. Then a woman goes missing in Sandefjord. Now Selma is about to uncover the biggest story of her life…

My Review of After She’d Gone

My full review of After She’d Gone can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, what I can say here is that After She’d Gone is a disturbing, totally compelling insight, into a brutal world that I found equally horrific and mesmerising. I thought it was superb.

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Alex Dahl

Alex Dahl is a half-American, half-Norwegian author. Born in Oslo, she studied Russian and German linguistics with international studies, then went on to complete an MA in creative writing at Bath Spa University and an MSc in business management at Bath University. A committed Francophile, Alex loves to travel, and has so far lived in Moscow, Paris, Stuttgart, Sandefjord, Switzerland, Bath and London.

She is the author of four other thrillers: Cabin Fever, Playdate, The Heart Keeper, and The Boy at the Door, which was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger.

For further information, follow Alex on Twitter @alexdahlauthor, Instagram and Facebook.