My enormous thanks to Zoe Turner of Comma Press for sending me a copy of the short story anthology Safely Gathered In by Sarah Schofield in return for an honest review. It gives me enormous pleasure to share that review today. I also spoke about Safely Gathered In recently online here too.

Published by Comma Press on 4th November 2021, Safely Gathered In is available for purchase through the links here.

Safely Gathered In

A woman grows increasingly annoyed by her husband’s emails, offering advice and reminders even months after his death…

A taxidermist dreams of preserving one of his clients after she takes him out for a coffee…

A grieving nurse is troubled by her daughter’s fascination with The Iron Lady…

In Safely Gathered In, Sarah Schofield probes at the heart of what forms us and what we, in turn, form. The stories collected here expose the spaces that words often fail to reach and examine how objects – both manmade and natural – can reflect the darkest manifestations of grief and disconnection.

From the child acting out a family betrayal in the comfort of her dolls house, to the sister making wind-up toys from the dead birds she finds on her doorstep, this debut collection ventures into the surreal and delivers a sense of unease that leaves us questioning why we gather the things we do.

My Review of Safely Gathered In

A volume of 17 short stories.

I’m not quite sure how to review Safely Gathered In as it is quite unlike other short story collections I’ve read. There’s a slightly surreal, unworldly quality to it with a kaleidoscopic blend of the prosaic, the dystopian, the futuristic, the unusual and the ordinariness of life, all melded into gorgeous prose that I found quite astounding. Safely Gathered In is beautifully written, intelligently constructed and utterly mesmerising. Direct speech feels natural and convincing, settings are evocatively depicted and characters spring to life in just a few words through Sarah Schofield’s wonderfully balanced writing.

In each story contained in Safely Gathered In there’s an intense microcosm of life and the emotions we experience, frequently projected through the objects with which we surround ourselves. Sarah Schofield’s final sentences in every story are a physical blow to the heart and soul of the reader as she distils all the meaning and emotion of the story into one stunning conclusion. Many of the emotions are on the darker spectrum of grief and loneliness with a longing for what the characters have lost or are searching for, making for a highly affecting read. Alongside the variety of voices and points of view, this has the effect of drawing in the reader and making them feel, as well as understand, how the characters themselves feel.

I’m aware I haven’t properly articulated what Safely Gathered In is, but that is because it’s so difficult to pin down. The collection is about grief, desire, ambition, loss, longing, unrealistic expectation, family, friendships, marriage and relationships. It’s about our past, our present and our future. It’s about the importance of the objects in our lives and the futility of attaching so much importance to them. I think it best to say Safely Gathered In is about humanity and you should read it. I thought it was excellent.

About Sarah Schofield

Sarah Schofield’s stories have been published in Lemistry, Bio-Punk, Thought X, Beta Life, Spindles, Conradology and The New Abject (all Comma Press), Wall: Nine Stories from Edge Hill Writers (EHUP), Best of British Short Stories 2020 (Salt), Spilling Ink Flash Fiction Anthology, Back and Beyond Arts Publication, Litfest’s The Language of Footprints, Synaesthesia Magazine, Lakeview International Journal, Woman’s Weekly and others. She has been shortlisted for The Bridport Prize and the Guardian Travel Writing Competition and has won the Orange New Voices Prize, Writer’s Inc and The Calderdale Fiction Prize.

Sarah is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Edge Hill University and runs writing courses and workshops in a variety of community settings. Her debut short story collection, Safely Gathered In, is published by Comma Press in 2021.

For further information, follow Sarah on Twitter @saraheschofield, visit her blog or find her on Instagram.

I’m somewhat late to the party reading Dark Winter, the first in the DS Aector McAvoy series from David Mark, but all good things are worth waiting for aren’t they? Dark Winter was the choice at my U3A book group this month, and I’m very pleased to share my review today.

Dark Winter is available for purchase through the links here. You’ll notice two cover designs as Dark Winter can be found with both, but I read the version with the eye so I’m including both on Linda’s Book Bag!

Dark Winter

DS Aector McAvoy is a man with a troubled past. His unwavering belief in justice has made him an outsider in the police force he serves, a good man among the lazy and corrupt.

Then on a cold day in December he is the first cop on the scene when a young girl is killed in Hull’s historic church – and the only one to see the murderer. A masked man, with tears in his eyes…

When two more seemingly unconnected people die, the police must work quickly. Only McAvoy can see the connection between the victims. A killer is playing God – and McAvoy must find a way to stop the deadly game.

My Review of Dark Winter

DS Aector McAvoy has a new case.

Dark Winter is a fast paced, compelling story that I found utterly riveting. Gorier than my usual reads I round David Mark’s writing ensnared me from beginning to end because it hardly gave me time to breathe. Although this a police procedural thriller, it is pared down so that none of the routine of police work slows the pace of the narrative which is moved on quickly through snappy dialogue, making for a dynamic story. My only slight quibble is that I’m not sure if I would have preferred the story without the epilogue. That said, it ensures I’m thinking about Dark Winter long after I’ve finished reading it.

The depiction of Hull is stark, violent and brutal and yet there’s an underlying compassion from David Mark that alleviates the bleakness with an understanding of how a place can become so dark and how the people living there are affected. I loved the iterative metaphor of the snow running through this narrative. Vividly described to enhance the settings, it equally adds to the atmosphere in Dark Winter, redolent of covering over the truth, providing a cleansing, and melting the hardened emotions and attitudes of the characters.

The characters themselves are intriguing. Aector McAvoy is a man with a past and what we’re told within Dark Winter ensures he is cared about by the reader and yet leaves them desperate to discover more. Hector’s integrity, his flaws, his rashness and his absolute sense of justice make him so interesting that I’m delighted I have more books in this series to find out more about him. I found myself comparing him to Frankenstein’s creation as I read to the extent that I cared about the events that have made him who he is.

In amongst the breathless and dramatic story are some sensitive and thought-provoking themes too. As well as the vivid exploration of how teams coalesce and shift in allegiance, there is insight into PTSD in many forms, justice, grief, hope, family, habit, self-destruction and so on that I think would reward several readings. I raced through Dark Winter because I found it an exhilarating read, but I think that if I were to read it again I’d discover even more through the nuances of David Mark’s excellent writing.

I might be late discovering David Mark’s DS Aector McAvoy series, but my goodness I’m delighted I have so many books to catch up with. If Dark Winter is anything to judge by, I’m in for some dramatic and exciting reads. I thoroughly enjoyed my first foray into the series.

About David Mark

David spent more than fifteen years as a journalist, including seven years as a crime reporter with the Yorkshire Post – walking the Hull streets that would later become the setting for the Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy novels.

He has been championed by such industry luminaries as Val McDermid, Peter James, Mick Herron and Martina Cole.

He has written eight novels in the McAvoy series: Dark Winter, Original Skin, Sorrow Bound, Taking Pity, Dead Pretty, Cruel Mercy, Scorched Earth and Cold Bones as well as two McAvoy novellas, A Bad Death and Fire of Lies, which are available as ebooks. McAvoy returned in 2021 with the prequel Darkness Falls, and new instalment Past Life was published on November 1st 2021.

Dark Winter was selected for the Harrogate New Blood panel (where he was Reader in Residence) and was a Richard & Judy pick and a Sunday Times bestseller. Dead Pretty was long-listed for the Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger in 2016, as was Cold Bones in 2019.

David’s Radio 4 drama, A Marriage of Inconvenience, aired in 2017. His first novel has been adapted for the stage and was a sell-out smash in Hull. He has also written for the theatre and has contributed articles and reviews to several national and international publications. He is a regular performer at literary festivals and is a sought-after public speaker. He also teaches creative writing.

For further information you can follow David on Twitter @davidmarkwriter, visit his website and find him on Facebook and Instagram.

Some of you know that when I was working I used to fly off to Jersey every six weeks or so to do some consultancy work in the schools there. With that in mind, how could I resist taking part in the blog tour for Just Haven’t Met You Yet, set in Jersey? Add in the fact that I absolutely adored Sophie Cousen’s This Time Next Year (my review of which you’ll find here) and which was one of my Books of the Year in 2020 and I’m thrilled to participate by sharing my review. My enormous thanks to Rachel Kennedy for inviting me to participate. I also spoke about Just Haven’t Met You Yet in an online event you can find here.

Published in paperback yesterday, 11th November 2021 by Penguin Random House imprint Arrow (now Century), Just Haven’t Met You Yet is available for purchase through these links.

Just Haven’t Met You Yet

Tell me the story of how you two met…

Laura has built a career out of interviewing people about their epic real life love stories.

When she picks up the wrong suitcase at the airport, Laura wonders if this could be the start of something that’s written in the stars.

From piano sheet-music to a battered copy of her favourite book, Laura finds in the bag evidence of everything she could hope for in a partner.

If Laura’s job has taught her anything it’s that when it comes to love, you can’t let opportunity pass you by. Now Laura is determined to track down the owner of the suitcase, and her own happy ending.

But what if fate has other ideas?

My Review of Just Haven’t Met You Yet

Laura’s off to Jersey for work.

Just Haven’t Met You Yet is a brilliant escapist read with a wonderful balance of romance and humour to lift the spirits and entertain thoroughly. I really enjoyed it.

The Jersey setting is wonderful. Without getting bogged down in extraneous detail, Sophie Cousens brings the island to life to the extent that, having visited the island over 70 times already, she had made me want to return immediately. The references to weird spellings and pronunciations, the glorious bays and fabulous food, the intimacy of everyone knowing everyone else, the country lanes and the driving etiquette are perfectly conveyed, bringing the setting to glorious life.

And it’s a smashing story with all the elements a reader hopes for in a rom-com. Moments of physical humour are balanced against witty dialogue and emotional intensity so that the narrative has the ability to make the reader laugh and find a tear in their eye. As a result I found Just Haven’t Met You Yet totally engaging. It’s one of those stories where I find myself wondering how the characters are doing now I’ve finished reading.

It’s Laura who is the lynchpin of the action. She’s a wonderful creation. Romantic, with unrealistic attitudes to life, accident prone and liable to find herself in awkward situations, she embodies warmth, vivacity, and the basic human desire to love and be loved in return. I was desperate for her to have her happy every after ending, but you’ll need to read Just Haven’t Met You Yet to see if she does! The more minor characters add depth and texture and Gerry in particular takes Just Haven’t Met You Yet beyond the expectations of this genre. The changes in his life are those many of us, or those we love, are facing so that he truly tugs at the heartstrings.

Underneath the witty story and engaging people, however, are themes that impact on the reader more profoundly than might at first be realised. The ways in which we allow ourselves to be defined by our past, by our professions, by others and by habit is woven throughout the narrative so that I finished reading Just Haven’t Met You Yet determined to take greater control over my own life. I hadn’t expected quite such a profound response to what is, essentially a light and entertaining book. I think this illustrates enormous skill from Sophie Cousens.

I loved Just Haven’t Met You Yet because it allowed me to travel and meet new people from the comfort of my own home. Sophie Cousens made me care about every one of the people I met along the way, even Suki. Even better, Just Haven’t Met You Yet is a perfect example of the rom-com genre that brings a smile to the face and leaves the reader feeling happier than when they started reading. What could be better than that?

About Sophie Cousens

Sophie Cousens is a writer of romantic fiction based in Jersey, where Just Haven’t Met You Yetis set. Her previous novel published by Arrow, This Time Next Year, has reached huge success in the UK, having sold 150,000 copies across all formats in just six months. This Time Next Year has also achieved huge success in the US as a New York Times bestseller and Good Morning America Book Club pick.

Sophie previously worked in TV in London for over twelve years, producing The Graham Norton Show, Big Brother and Ant and Dec. Sophie has also previously published an eBook only romantic comedy novel How To Get Ahead In Television which was shortlisted for the 2015 Romantic Novelist Association Awards. She relocated from London to Jersey and balances her writing career with working for an arts charity, taking care of her two small children and enjoying small island life.

You can follow Sophie on Twitter @SophieCous and Instagram.

Earlier this year I reviewed Poppy Alexander’s The Littlest Library here. Today I’m thrilled to host a guest post from Poppy on The 12 Days of Christmas publication day.

Poppy Alexander also writes as Rosie Howard and you’ll find my review of The Homecoming here, of A Vintage Year here and you can find out what happened when we stayed in together here.

The 12 Days of Christmas is published by Orion today, 11th November 2021, and is available for purchase through these links.

The 12 Days of Christmas

‘All the joy of Christmas in one delicious, utterly mouth-watering package’ JULIE CAPLIN

The most magical time of the year…

For the first time in ten years, Freya is back in the little village of Middlemass for Christmas. The streets might be twinkling with fairy lights, but after the recent loss of her mother, she’s never felt less festive.

Forced to sleep under the same roof as her handsome neighbour Finn, Freya realises she’s going to need a distraction – fast! So she sets herself a challenge: to cook the ’12 Days of Christmas’. Her delicious food soon brings the villagers together, and as each day passes, old friendships are renewed, memories stirred and there’s even the flickering of romance…

She was only meant to stay for the holidays, but could Middlemass – and Finn – steal her heart forever?

Food, Glorious Food!

A Guest Post by Poppy Alexander

Hopefully it’s not just because I’m a glutton – although I am – but some of my fondest memories of Christmases past revolve around food, and my planning for Christmas future always starts with a list of the lovely things I would like to feed friends and family when we all come together (as hopefully we will this year!).

I was delighted when Linda invited me to share some of my favourite foodie Christmas thoughts and memories. Where do I begin?

I remember, when I was a teenager, there was a crowd of us sprawled uselessly and untidily around the kitchen table, the big brown tea pot steaming gently in the middle, and my poor mother, slaving away, rolling pastry and batch baking mince pies for the freezer. The rain was pouring down outside, but we were there, cosy and warm, hoovering up mince pies as fast as my mother could get them out of the oven. I am sure she was absolutely thrilled with us…My children insist they are too old for it now, but I still insist they are home on Stir it up Sunday – five weeks before Christmas when the puddings are traditionally made – so each member of the family can stir the batter and make a secret wish. Nigella Lawson’s recipe from her book ‘Christmas’ is my starting point for Christmas pudding, although I vary the flavourings a little. Last year’s effort– we only needed a small one, sadly -had a good glug of Cointreau and some extra orange zest in the mix, and it was delicious (if I say so myself) served with soft, billowing clouds of cream, whipped with icing sugar and even more Cointreau.

I deliberately allow my TBR pile to become bigger than ever at Christmas, as only reading beats eating as my secret Christmas pleasure. Some of my favourite books evoke fabulous Christmas food images too: who can forget Bob Cratchett’s family stuffing spoons into their mouths while they waited for their roasted goose – the Victorians knew how to write about Christmas – or the Christmas feast in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when the White Witch was vanquished? This year, I will be reading some proper, gory crime, perhaps the latest from Kate Rhodes’ fabulous Scilly Islands series, along with some glorious romances to lift the spirits: Anything by Jules Wake or Veronica Henry does it for me, or you might find me re-reading an all-time favourite such as Jilly Cooper’s Riders, Austen’s Emma for the comedy or Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier for the heart-aching love story and the haunting atmosphere. Also, who doesn’t love a pirate?

Nigel Slater always writes superbly about food of course; my favourite Christmas cake recipe is from his Christmas Chronicles, which is a beautifully evocative read; a copy of this, with a glass of sloe gin and a comfortably glowing fire, and is the perfect way to slide, deliciously into the Christmas season. The cake has none of the usual Christmas spices in it – no, honestly, bear with me! –but is stuffed with fat, juicy dried fruits, peel and butter and all good things… I have had several people who profess to loathe Christmas cake accept a slice and then come back for more.

I have been wanting to write The Twelve Days of Christmas for a while and I adored contriving a recipe for each day of the famous carol – I detail all the recipes at the back of the book. It seemed to me that Freya’s sadness could be healed by her talent for and love of food, and that the Christmas holidays – along with the idea of a community coming together through food –creates such a wonderful catalyst for a romantic relationship to grow, although I didn’t want to make things too easy for Freya and Finn, so they find plenty of obstacles along their way…

****

Sold! Books, romance and food. That’s a totally winning combination for me Poppy. I can’t wait to read The 12 Days of Christmas. Thanks so much for such a smashing guest post.

About Poppy Alexander

Poppy Alexander wrote her first book when she was five. There was a long gap in her writing career while she was at school, and after studying classical music at university, she decided the world of music was better off without her and took up public relations, campaigning, political lobbying and a bit of journalism instead. She takes an anthropological interest in family, friends and life in her West Sussex village (think, The Archers crossed with Twin Peaks) where she lives with her husband, children and various other pets.

For more information about Poppy, visit her website, follow her on Twitter @SarahWaights and find her on Facebook and Instagram.

My enormous thanks to the lovely El at Harper Collins for sending me a copy of Lethal Game by Charlie Gallagher in return for an honest review. I cannot wait to dive in to Lethal Game and am delighted to bring you all you need to know about Charlie Gallagher’s new book on publication day.

Lethal Game is published today, 11th November 2021, by Avon and is available for purchase through the links here.

Lethal Game

He knows your name. Where you live. The car you drive.

If you don’t play, your family will die. If you lose, you will.

When DI Joel Norris and DS Lucy Rose begin investigating the death of a young woman, murdered on a quiet country lane, they can’t imagine what lies ahead.

This killer uses his victims like chess pieces in a life-sized contest, with the highest stakes imaginable.

Now Norris and Rose are pawns at the mercy of a twisted rulebook.

Can they beat him at his own game before the next round begins and more innocent lives are taken?

A totally addictive, edge-of-your-seat, crime-thriller that will leave you breathless. Perfect for fans of Cara Hunter, Ian Rankin and Stuart MacBride.

Doesn’t that sound amazing?  Although I haven’t had chance to read Lethal Game in full yet, I have had a sneaky read of the Prologue and my heart is still pounding…

About Charlie Gallagher

Charlie Gallagher has been writing for twenty years, most of that time as a hobby but with the dream of one day ‘doing it properly.’ Alongside this hobby it was necessary to have a day job which, for thirteen years, was as a serving U.K. police officer. This career in policing opened up a whole new world of experiences and opportunities and he is now fortunate enough to be able to channel those experiences into stories on a full time basis.

Whilst a police officer, Charlie worked as a response officer, a member of a specialist tactical team, a detective and in a regional counter terrorism unit.

His books are thrillers and, rather unsurprisingly, policing and crime are central to the stories.

Charlie lives on the south coast of the U.K with his wife and two daughters, a springer spaniel, a tortoise and a cat with a far higher number of twitter followers. Charlie is published by Joffe Books and Avon, Harper Collins.

For more information, follow Charlie on Twitter @Gloriouscharlie, visit his website or find him on Facebook and Instagram.

Sometimes the sound of a book is so intriguing that I can’t resist featuring it here on Linda’s Book Bag even when I don’t have time to read it. That’s the case with today’s guest Maryam Diener who, thanks to Grace Pilkington, is staying in with me to chat all about her latest book for the blog tour.

Staying in with Maryam Diener

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

Thank you for inviting me to staying in this evening.

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

 I have brought my latest book Exquisite Corpse which will be available from November 9th.

That’s an incredibly intriguing title. How did you choose it?

Usually the title of the book appears somehow in the process of writing but this time it was the contrary; the title occurred to me first before I even thought about the development of the story. It sets the shape , the rhythm , the connection. All was engulfed in those two words and decisive for shaping the book and interweaving the stories of women artists part of the Surrealist movement in both Paris and Mexico City.

That’s fascinating. Tell me more.

Exquisite Corpse which translated from ‘Cadavre Exquis’ the word game invented by the Surrealists inciting the participants to write freely without any connection to a word before or after. Hence creating a sentence from the juxtaposition of random words evoked spontaneously between the participants . Deliberately the book’s rhythm takes part in the game and brings together parts of the lives of these 5 female artists somehow not dissimilar when it comes to courage in pursuing their artistic careers.

It strikes me that Exquisite Corpse is somewhat a metaphor for life. What can we expect from an evening in with Exquisite Corpse?

From Exquisite Corpse you can expect a dreamlike journey, dipping into the minds and stories of five extraordinary and awe-inspiring women…

‘Waiting had its own sound and scent’

I think it sounds most unusual Maryam. What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

I have brought a piece of paper and pencils so that we can have a round of Cadavre Exquis (Exquisite Corpse) while staying in. Let’s see if we can create something as surreal and beautiful as the artists from my book did.

I’m not especially artistic but I’ll definitely give it a go!

I have also brought a recipe from Remedios Varo who is one of the 5 artists. She is is originally from Girona, Spain. This is from Remedios Varo  Letters, dreams and other writings translated by Margaret Carson in 2018 Wakefield Press.

TO INDUCE EROTIC DREAMS

1 kilo horseradish                                        1 brick

3 white hens                                                 2 clothespins

1 head garlic                                                1 whalebone corset

4 kilos honey                                                2 false mustaches

1 mirror                                                        Hats to taste

2 calf’s livers

Pluck hens, carefully reserving the feathers. Set hens to boil in two liters unsalted distilled water or rainwater, along with the head of garlic, peeled and mashed. Let it boil on low hear. While the fowl are boiling, place the eastern bed northwest to southeast and let rest with the window open. After on half hour, close window and place red brick under the left0hand leg at the head of the bed, which must face northwest. Let rest. While the bed is resting, grate horseradish directly over broth, taking care that your hands are constantly steeped in the steam. Stir and let boil. Take the four kilos of honey and with a spatuala spread in the bedsheets. Take the hens’ feathers and scatter them over the honey-smeared sheets. Make bed with care.

My word Maryam. That’s quite a recipe. You’ve totally intrigued me about Exquisite Corpse. Thank you so much for staying in with me to chat about it.

Exquisite Corpse

In Exquisite Corpse, Maryam Diener transports us to the wildly creative world of the female Surrealists, gifted and powerful figures often marginalised by their male contemporaries. Known for seeing women as muses and objects of desire rather than artists in their own right, André Breton, co-founder of Surrealism, wrote: ‘The problem of woman is the most marvellous and disturbing problem in all the world.’ For him and his clique women were dangerous and alluring, but always ‘other’.

In a series of dreamlike fragments from the minds of five brilliant artists, Maryam Diener weave together the destinies of these half-forgotten pioneers as their lives intersect geographically and emotionally. This is the story of women who fought to prove their existence.

Published on 9th November 2021, Exquisite Corpse is available for purchase in all the usual places including here.

About Maryam Diener

Maryam Diener was born in Iran and attended the Sorbonne in Paris before receiving her Masters from Columbia University. She is the author of The Moon (1998), Sans Te Dire Adieu (2007) and Beyond Black There is No Colour: The Story of Forough Farrokhzad (Quartet Books, 2020). In 2012 she co-founded Éditions Moon Rainbow, a publishing company specialising in limited edition books on poetry and the visual arts including There Must Be Someone to Rewrite Love, which features contributions from Bei Dao and Francesco Clemente.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

Regular Linda’s Book Bag visitors will know how much I love Gill Paul’s writing. Add in the fact that The Collector’s Daughter is another review I’m doing for My Weekly’s online magazine and I couldn’t be happier than to be sharing my review of Gill’s The Collector’s Daughter today.

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

Published by Harper Collins imprint Avon on 30th September, The Collector’s Daughter is available for purchase through these links.

The Collector’s Daughter

An unforgettable discovery
In 1922, Lady Evelyn Herbert’s dreams are realised when she is the first to set foot inside the lost tomb of Tutankhamun for over 3,000 years.
A cursed life
But the months after the discovery are marred by tragedy, when Eve’s father dies suddenly and her family is torn in two. Desperate to put the past behind her, Eve retreats into a private life with her new husband.
A deadly choice
But she is harbouring a dark secret about what really happened in Egypt. And when a young woman comes asking questions years later, the happiness Eve has finally found is threatened once more…

My Review of The Collector’s Daughter

My full review of The Collector’s Daughter can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, I think The Collector’s Daughter is utterly wonderful. It’s Gill Paul at her very best and undoubtedly one of my books of the year.

Please visit My Weekly to read my full review.

About Gill Paul

Gill Paul is an author of historical fiction, specialising in relatively recent history.

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.

All of Gill’s lovely books can be found here.

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

I almost never reblog a review because I am inundated by requests for blog space so it’s a very special book that appears on Linda’s Book Bag more than once. I think that tells you something about Milly Johnson’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day! I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day is about to be released in paperback and if you’re quick and pre-order you might just win a very special Christmas hamper from Betty’s. Details here.

My thanks to Courtney Jefferies at ED PR for inviting me to participate in this blog tour. I’m delighted to share my review once more.

Published in paperback by Simon and Schuster on 11th November 2021, I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day is available for paperback pre-order through the links here.

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day

‘An absolute joy. Like all of Milly’s books it’s packed with heart and humour and characters you fall in love with. I didn’t want it to end’ Jane Fallon, bestselling author of Queen Bee

It’s nearly Christmas and it’s snowing, hard. Deep in the Yorkshire Moors nestles a tiny hamlet, with a pub at its heart. As the snow falls, the inn will become an unexpected haven for six people forced to seek shelter there…

Mary has been trying to get her boss Jack to notice her for four years, but he can only see the efficient PA she is at work. Will being holed up with him finally give her the chance she has been waiting for?

Bridge and Luke were meeting for five minutes to set their divorce in motion. But will getting trapped with each other reignite too many fond memories – and love?

Charlie and Robin were on their way to a luxury hotel in Scotland for a very special Christmas. But will the inn give them everything they were hoping to find – and much more besides?

A story of knowing when to hold on and when to let go, of pushing limits and acceptance, of friendship, love, laughter, mince pies and the magic of Christmas.

Gorgeous, warm and full of heartfelt emotion, I Wish it Could be Christmas Every Day is the perfect read this winter!

My Review of I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day

Heavy snow means a change of plan for six travellers.

Oh yes! Yes indeed. I’d been hearing about how fabulous I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day is and so Milly Johnson had considerable expectations to live up to and my word she met and exceeded them completely. I couldn’t have enjoyed I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day more – even if all the references to food made me ravenous throughout the read!

In essence, there isn’t an in-depth plot here as six metaphorically and physically lost people find themselves stranded in an inn in Figgy Hollow and spend the Christmas period chatting and eating; but with customary Milly Johnson élan, the story is utterly captivating, moving, uplifting and totally wonderful. I’d be quite happy to write a review that simply said, ‘Insert your own superlative here,’ because I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day is just joyous.

I fell in love with each of the six characters. I couldn’t bear to leave them when I wasn’t reading the book and ended the story feeling as if I had lived every moment of their lives with them – not just the few days in Figgy hollow because their past lives are so carefully woven into their present situation so that I felt I knew them completely. Each of them represents a version of love that Milly Johnson seems to understand so brilliantly and convey equally wonderfully on the page. There’s steadfast love, jealous love, unrequited and unacknowledged love, selfish and selfless love, passionate and platonic love so that every one of Bridge and Luke, Charlie and Robin, Mark and Jack, illustrates in vivid technicolour just how the world could be. I was so moved by them that I laughed and cried alongside them. Charlie in particular held personal resonance for me and I genuinely wish I could have met him in real life. Reading about these people gave me a physical sensation in my heart.

With themes of identity, family and friendship, industriousness and loyalty running through the story with a rich seam of humour (just look at Luke’s Terrible Christmas Jokes at the end) too, I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day feels the perfect antidote to the awfulness of 2020. Milly Johnson shows, particularly through Charlie, how life is what we make it and living well in the here and now is enough. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day might be one of the wisest books I’ve read as well as one of the most entertaining. I loved the references to Jane Austen, and those alongside the music in Brian’s broadcasts, gave fabulous texture to the narrative that I really appreciated.

I’m aware I haven’t explained the appeal of this book adequately enough because it’s difficult to articulate how it made me feel. Suffused with love, warmth and humanity, Milly Johnson’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day isn’t about the spirit of Christmas, but rather embodies it in every glorious moment with just a touch of added magic. I absolutely adored it.

About Milly Johnson

Milly Johnson was born, raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. As well as being a prolific author, she is also a copywriter for the greetings card industry, a joke-writer, a columnist, after dinner speaker, poet, BBC newspaper reviewer, and a sometimes BBC radio presenter.

She won the RoNA for Best Romantic Comedy Novel of 2014 and 2016 and the Yorkshire Society award for Arts and Culture 2015. Milly has recently been awarded the RNA Outstanding Achievement Award.

A Sunday Times bestseller, she is one of the Top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, and with millions of copies of her books sold across the world, Milly’s star continues to rise. Milly was chosen as one of the authors for The Reading Agency’s Quick Reads 2020 campaign. Milly writes from the heart about what and where she knows and highlights the importance of community spirit. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience, and celebrate love, friendship and the possibility of second chances. She is an exceptional writer who puts her heart and soul into every book she writes and every character she creates.

She likes owls, cats, meringues, handbags and literary gifts – but hates marzipan. She is also very short.

You can follow Milly on Twitter @millyjohnson and Facebook.

Milly has an excellent website too where you can sign up for her brilliant monthly newsletter with exclusive, news, offers and competitions.

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I’m very fond of historical fiction and would like to thank Nikki Griffiths for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Robert J. Lloyd’s The Bloodless Boy and for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest review. It’s a privilege to share that review today.

Published by Melville House on 4th November 2021, The Bloodless Boy is available for purchase online and in all good bookshops including here.

The City of London, 1678. New Year’s Day. The body of a young boy, drained of his blood and with a sequence of numbers inscribed on his skin, is discovered on the snowy bank of the Fleet River.

With London gripped by hysteria, where rumours of Catholic plots and sinister foreign assassins abound, Sir Edmund Bury Godfrey, the powerful Justice of Peace for Westminster, is certain of Catholic guilt in the crime. He enlists Robert Hooke, the Curator of Experiments of the Royal Society, and his assistant, Harry Hunt, to help his enquiry.

Sir Edmund confides to Hooke that the bloodless boy is not the first to have been discovered. He also presents Hooke with a cipher that was left on the body.

That same morning Henry Oldenburg, the Secretary of the Royal Society, blows his brains out. A disgraced Earl is released from the Tower of London, bent on revenge against the King, Charles II.

Wary of the political hornet’s nest they are walking into – and using evidence rather than paranoia in their pursuit of truth – Hooke and Hunt must discover why the boy was murdered, and why his blood was taken. Moreover, what does the cipher mean?

My Review of The Bloodless Boy

A young boy’s body is found.

What a tour de force The Bloodless Boy is. I read it with a mixture of fascination and complete admiration for Robert J. Lloyd’s superb writing, it being both eloquent and entertaining. The narrative style fits the historical era perfectly but is still completely accessible to the modern reader.

The 1678 setting is magnificent. Descriptions place the reader so firmly at the heart of the action that it really is as if you’re there with Harry and Robert. Every sense is catered for and the level of authenticity this adds to The Bloodless Boy makes it a wonderfully immersive read. Not only is this historical writing of the best kind, but in The Bloodless Boy there is mystery, politics, religion, science and intrigue all rolled into one totally absorbing narrative. The assiduous level of research, added to the cast of real and imagined characters makes The Bloodless Boy an authentic read too. I found it mesmerising.

The plot races along. Short chapters make for a snappy pace as it’s hard not to read just one more because the story is so engaging. I loved the chapter headings that draw in the reader too. The events that are familiar to the reader, engaging them with the story, are overlaid with invented occurrences so that The Bloodless Boy really is the perfect blend of fact and fiction. That said, anyone not especially interested in history, but who loves a brilliant mystery would thoroughly enjoy this narrative. A reader doesn’t need to love historical fiction to be royally (pun not intended) entertained here.

I appreciated the inclusion of a character list at the beginning as there are several people to keep abreast of in the story. I loved the way real people are scattered through the pages because it made The Bloodless Boy feel all the more powerful a read, knowing that some of these people really existed. I’d never before heard of Robert Hooke but had studied John Locke at university so that I accepted without question Robert J. Lloyd’s convincing presentation of character. In amongst the schemers, the villains, the wealthy, the criminals, the insane and the ordinary people who leap from the pages here, it was Harry Hunt who engaged me most. His integrity and vulnerability balanced against his strength and ability to dissemble if needed made him a true hero.

Themes in The Bloodless Boy leave the reader reeling. Certainly aspects steeped in historical fact have the benefit of hindsight, but there’s so much to consider and ponder so that I keep thinking about the book now I’ve finished reading it.

The Bloodless Boy is multi-layered, beautifully written and deeply textured so that it is a magnificently entertaining and rewarding read. I thought it was excellent.

About Robert J. Lloyd

Robert J. Lloyd grew up in South London, Innsbruck, and Kinshasa (his parents worked in the British Foreign Service), and then in Sheffield, where he studied for a Fine Art degree, starting as a landscape painter but moving to film, performance, and installation. His MA thesis on Robert Hooke and the ‘New Philosophy’, inspired the ideas and characters in The Bloodless Boy. He lives in Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons. This is his first book.

You can follow Robert on Twitter @robjlloyd.

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My enormous thanks to Rachel Quin at Farshore for sending me a delightful Christmassy package containing the children’s book The Christmas Carrolls by Mel Taylor-Bessent and illustrated by Selom Sunu. I’m delighted to share a review of The Christmas Carrolls today. You’ll also find more Christmassy reads as well as this one featured on Twinkl as part of their Christmas campaign.

Published by Harper Collins imprint Farshore on 14th October 2021, The Christmas Carrolls is available for purchase through these links.

The Christmas Carrolls

‘A Christmas book about kindness and cheer to make even Scrooge’s heart melt’ Dame Jacqueline Wilson

Funny festive middle grade about the world’s most Christmassy family from the founder of Authorfy, perfect for 8+ readers and fans of Matt Haig, Ben Miller, Sibeal Pounder’s Tinsel, and the Nativity! films

Wish it could be Christmas every day? Well, for nine-year-old Holly Carroll and her family, it is! Living her merriest life in a house with year-round fairy lights and Christmas trees, a carol-singing toilet and a diva donkey who thinks he’s a reindeer, home-schooled Holly tries to spread cheer wherever she goes.

But when she goes to a new school with a singing Santa backpack and first day Christmas cards (during a heatwave in September!), she realises not everyone shares her enthusiasm for spreading cheer. In fact, when the neighbours try to remove the Carrolls from the street and Holly discovers a group of children that may not get a Christmas at all, her snowglobe world begins to crack. Is the world’s most Christmassy girl about to lose her Christmas spirit?

The Christmas Carrolls is a heartwarming, hilarious and inclusive tale about the power of spreading cheer, the magic of friendship and what really matters at this most wonderful time of the year.

My Review of The Christmas Carrolls

Holly’s starting a new school.

The Christmas Carrolls is a smashing book for children. It’s pitched perfectly for middle grade readers so that it would make both a charming class reader and a lovely story to share in the home. As well as being a very entertaining, funny and moving story, The Christmas Carrolls is brilliantly illustrated by Selom Sunu so that less competent or more reluctant young readers have an extra dimension to engage them. I loved the way the acknowledgements are written by Holly rather than the author and thought the inclusion of a dictionary of Holly’s malapropisms and invented words was inspired. Children can have so much fun with these, making up their own vocabulary too. Certainly reading The Christmas Carrolls would alleviate any ‘worhusion’ a child might be suffering!

The plot is super as the Carrolls move into a new home and Holly starts a new school only to find not everyone is as enthusiastic about Christmas as they are. Whilst all is comfort and joy in Holly’s home she quickly finds herself something of an oddity and outsider at school and it is the themes of The Christmas Carrolls that make it such a perfect book for this age group. Fitting in at school, wanting to be liked, making friends, being individual, family life, and the real meaning and finding of happiness are all the issues children can explore through reading this book. I just loved the fact that Holly’s family is mixed race, made clear through the illustrations, because it gives status and acceptance to children living in such families. Add in Archer’s foster home experience and this really is an inclusive book.

The characters are so well drawn, but it is Holly who steals the show. She’s feisty, cheerful and a true individual. It’s wonderful how her unique personality becomes celebrated as she and other children learn that difference doesn’t equate to being wrong. That said, Archer has a special place in my heart as a reader. I found him sensitively portrayed and a wonderful example of not taking others for granted.

I thought The Christmas Carrolls was a brilliant children’s book. Sparkling with Christmas joy and fun, but with a strongly positive message of community and belonging, The Christmas Carrolls is destined to be an annual favourite, becoming every bit as much a tradition of Christmas as those employed by the Carroll family.

About Mel Taylor-Bessent

Mel has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. In fact, one of her favourite childhood memories was when she found her Great Grandmother’s typewriter hidden under the stairs and she spent her whole summer holiday working on her latest ‘masterpiece’. It came as no surprise that Mel followed her passion for writing into university, and after graduating with a Creative Writing degree, she set up her own company at the age of 22 and ran creative writing after school clubs for children aged 7+.

‘Little Star Writing’ grew so quickly that Mel developed a training scheme for 150+ tutors, wrote weekly lesson plans and even ran workshops across Europe, organised two literary festivals and arranged more than 200 author events.

And Mel’s love for writing and children’s books didn’t stop there . . . A few years later, she developed an online platform that brought children all over the world closer to their favourite authors. She called it ‘Authorfy’ and it quickly became one of the leading literacy websites with videos and resources from authors such as Michael Morpurgo, Michael Rosen, Cressida Cowell and Anthony Horowitz. After winning a few awards, partnering with all major children’s publishers and running campaigns with the likes of World Book Day and BookTrust, Mel returned to her own writing in 2020 and The Christmas Carrolls, the first in a three-book series, was published in October 2021.

For further information, visit Mel’s website, follow her on Twitter @MelTBessent and Instagram. You’ll also find Mel on Facebook.

About Selom Sunu

Selom Sunu studied MA Character Animation at Central Saint Martins in 2016 and since then has balanced a day job with freelance Illustration and Character Design.

Selom is rarely without a pencil in hand and characters are at the heart of everything he creates.

He is a devoted Christian and lives in London with his wife and daughter. Selom’s other interests are singing, playing football, creative writing (poetry), acting and board games.

You can follow Selom on Twitter @MrSunu and visit his website for more information. You’ll also find Selom on Instagram.