Friday, 30 December 2022

Book Review - Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry #Memoir

 

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing

By Matthew Perry


In an extraordinary story that only he could tell, Matthew Perry takes readers onto the soundstage of the most successful sitcom of all time while opening up about his private struggles with addiction. Candid, self-aware, and told with his trademark humor, Perry vividly details his lifelong battle with the disease and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that shares the most intimate details of the love Perry lost, his darkest days, and his greatest friends.

Unflinchingly honest, moving, and hilarious: this is the book fans have been waiting for.

Review

"My brain is trying to kill me..." 

Matthew Perry has shone a glaring light on an illness that is the second leading cause of death in the world for those aged 15-24 years. Mental health is a disease that is so often misunderstood and downplayed and yet it kills, it has killed both my brother and my cousin, so this book really hit close to the heart. Perry has bravely written about his struggles with his own mental health as well as his addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs with candid honesty. He does not whitewash the struggles that he has been through, nor does he make endless excuses, he simply speaks from the heart.  

What really moved me was his realisation that he had hurt so many people along the way and that it was never his intention to do so, and yet this book gives him a chance to apologise for his behaviour, which he does most sincerely. Perry presents himself as a man who had it all in the eyes of the world, but behind the dazzling light of Chandler Bing was an actor who experienced abandonment issues and insecurities, a man who did not know his own self-worth. I thought Perry was very brave to open up about his past and tell his story as it was for him. I really hope he can remain sober and drug-free and continues to get the right help.




Friday, 23 December 2022

Holiday Reads - The Evacuee Christmas by Katie King


The Evacuee Christmas
By Katie King


A heart-warming story of friendship and family during the first Christmas of World War Two.

Autumn 1939 and London prepares to evacuate its young. In No 5 Jubilee Street, Bermondsey, ten-year-old Connie is determined to show her parents that she’s a brave girl and can look after her twin brother, Jessie. She won’t cry, not while anyone’s watching.

In the crisp Yorkshire Dales, Connie and Jessie are billeted to a rambling vicarage. Kindly but chaotic, Reverend Braithwaite is determined to keep his London charges on the straight and narrow, but the twins soon find adventures of their own. As autumn turns to winter, Connie’s dearest wish is that war will end and they will be home for Christmas. But this Christmas Eve there will be an unexpected arrival…


Amazon







Thursday, 22 December 2022

Holiday Reads - The Good Time Girls at Christmas (The Good Time Girls Trilogy) by Fiona Ford

 

The Good Time Girls at Christmas

(The Good Time Girls Trilogy)
By Fiona Ford 


London, December 1940. 

It's Christmas for the Good Time Girls, and whilst London tries to inject some sparkle into the wartime rubble, the women of the Hammersmith Palais aren't looking forward to the festive season.

Nancy continues her battle to keep control of the Palais as Ronnie and his thugs appear at every turn, determined to take what he lost back. Can she draw on all of her strength to keep everyone safe, even if it means sacrificing herself? Meanwhile, Betty and Violet have secrets of their own. Secrets which would cause certain ruin if they were discovered.

With Ronnie's presence always looming, the girls are constantly looking over their shoulders - and must continue to fight for their lives, and their freedom, as World War Two continues around them.

This Christmas might not be merry and jolly, but the Good Time Girls will once again take to the stage and ensure the show goes on.









Wednesday, 21 December 2022

Holiday Reads - A Mother's Christmas Wish by Glenda Young

 

A Mother's Christmas Wish
By Glenda Young


'I hope this Christmas is better than last year's.'

Following a scandalous affair, wayward Emma Devaney is sent in disgrace from her home in Ireland to Ryhope, where she will live with her widowed aunt, Bessie Brogan, and help run her pub. Bessie is kind but firm, and at first Emma rebels against her lack of freedom. Struggling to fit in, she turns to the wrong person for comfort, and becomes pregnant.

Accepting she must embrace her new life for the sake of her baby, Emma pours her energy into making the pub thrive and helping heal the fractured relationship between Bessie and her daughters. She catches the attention of Robert, a gruff but sincere farmer, who means to win her heart.

As December approaches, thankful for the home and acceptance she's found, Emma is determined to bring not just her family, but the whole Ryhope community, together to celebrate - and to make one very special mother's Christmas dreams come true.


Amazon




Tuesday, 20 December 2022

Holiday Reads - White Christmas by Katie Flynn

 
White Christmas
By Katie Flynn 

December, 1938

Rozalin Sachs has grown up in the vibrant city of Frankfurt. But with the Nazi Revolution gaining power, her family is forced to flee Germany. When a tragic accident separates Roz from her parents, she finds herself aboard the Kindertransport bound for Holland.

Here Roz meets a young lad called Felix and they vow to stick together as their journey takes them to England. Eventually they find themselves in Liverpool with the promise of a new life, until a devastating incident takes Felix away. And, in a desperate attempt to escape the terrible situation she has found herself in, Roz decides to join the Women's Land Army.

On the sprawling farm at Hollybank, Roz meets Bernie, a dashing farmer's son, who has more than just friendship on his mind. Roz is flattered by his affections, but will he win her heart, or will her love for Felix remain as strong as ever?


Amazon



Monday, 19 December 2022

Holiday Reads - The Captain's Christmas Homecoming by Lauri Robinson

 

The Captain's Christmas Homecoming
By Lauri Robinson 



They fell in love through letters…

Can real life compare?

When Emma first used a pseudonym to write to Captain George Weston on the front line, it was because she felt responsible for his broken engagement. Yet his letters became a light in the darkest hours, and she shared more of her desires than she ever dared before, never imagining they’d actually meet. Now he’s home for Christmas, she longs to see him, but that means revealing who she really is…



Amazon







Sunday, 18 December 2022

Holiday Reads - The Lady's Christmas Kiss (Christmas Kisses Book 1) by Rose Pearson

 
The Lady's Christmas Kiss 
(Christmas Kisses Book 1)
By Rose Pearson


Lady Rebecca’s heart has been broken. Yet when difficulties arise, she calls upon her old flame. Could there still be something wonderful between them?

Lady Rebecca loves everything about Christmas and is thrilled to be invited to a extended Christmas gathering. However, her happiness is spoiled by the arrival of a gentleman she knows all too well, the only gentleman who has ever had – and broken – her heart: Viscount Hastings.

Viscount Myles Hastings never expected to see Lady Rebecca again. Walking into the house party to see her sitting there takes his breath away – and in that instant, his only wish is to win her back, no matter the consequences.
When a dark incident forces them together, Myles is determined to take his opportunity – and Rebecca finds herself drawn back to the only gentleman who has ever captured her heart. Mistletoe balls, Christmas games, and wonderful dinners give them plenty of opportunities to grow closer but Rebecca is afraid of what will happen, should she trust him again.

Will the magic of Christmas help them to reconcile? Will Myles be bold enough to tell her the truth? And can this one dark moment lead them to a happiness they’d both thought they’d lost forever?






Saturday, 17 December 2022

Holiday Reads - A Wrens' Wartime Christmas (The Wrens Book 2) by Vicki Beeby

 
A Wrens' Wartime Christmas
(The Wrens Book 2)
By Vicki Beeby


German U-boats are getting through the defences. It’s up to the Wrens to stop them.
After her fiancé died in the sinking of the Royal Oak, Mary finds herself stationed in Orkney, still battling her grief. With Iris and Sally by her side, she is gradually overcoming her loss and is surprised to be helped by the irascible Joe.

Joe is a signalman aboard the Kelpie and his cheeky Morse code signals to Mary while she's on shift bring her cheer and exasperation in equal measure. With Christmas round the corner, Mary is opening herself back up to the festive spirit – and to love.

But the Germans keep slipping through Scapa Flow’s defences, somehow without triggering any of the Navy’s alarms. Could someone on land be guiding them? If so, can Mary, Iris and Sally figure out who and stop them before more lives are lost?

A wonderfully heartwarming and gripping saga, perfect for readers of Johanna Bell, Kate Thompson and Daisy Styles.



Friday, 16 December 2022

Holiday Reads - A Most Unexpected Christmas by Fenella J Miller


 A Most Unexpected Christmas
By Fenella J Miller


A Most Unexpected Christmas was released as part of the Regency Romantics box set winter 2016.

Lydia Halstead has no desire to remarry or to attend social gatherings. However, she is persuaded to accompany her brother and his family to Fakenham Manor.

Lord Theodore Fakenham is not pleased to discover his mama has arranged a Christmas house party without his permission. This is not an auspicious start to the festive period.

An infestation of mice in the nursery, a riotous snowball fight and an accident in the study make for a very unexpected and romantic Christmas.


Amazon



Thursday, 15 December 2022

Holiday Reads - Sharpe’s Enemy: The Defence of Portugal, Christmas 1812 (The Sharpe Series, Book 15) by Bernard Cornwell

 
Sharpe’s Enemy: The Defence of Portugal, Christmas 1812
(The Sharpe Series, Book 15)
By Bernard Cornwell



Spain, December 1812

In a deathly cold winter on the Spanish-Portuguese border, a group of deserters take British hostages and it falls to Major Richard Sharpe to lead the perilous rescue mission in the biting cold mountains – where he faces one of his oldest, and most cunning, adversaries.

The British army’s fate rests on the hostages’ liberation. Outnumbered and attacked from two sides, it looks like surrender or certain death on the Gateway of God pass. Yet prepared to hold his ground, or risk his life trying, is Sharpe . . .


Amazon



Wednesday, 14 December 2022

Holiday Reads - A Wartime Christmas at Rookery House by Rosie Hendry

 

A Wartime Christmas at Rookery House
By Rosie Hendry


With the first Christmas of the war only a few weeks away thoughts turn to family and friends…

December 1939

Hettie Brown, former Cook at Great Plumstead Hall, has been happily retired since the summer, but when she hears some shocking news, it unsettles her and makes her question her new life at Rookery House.

Expectant mother, Gloria Jessop, is having doubts about her new evacuated life in the village. She’s missing her children and husband, and since there’s been none of the expected bombing in London, she’s tempted to return and unite her family. But is that the right thing to do?

The prospect of Christmas in a time of war isn’t easy for anyone, with loved ones away and homes and communities left behind. Hettie and Gloria decide to take action and quickly hatch a plan. Can they support each other, celebrate Christmas, and bring the whole village together in their time of need?

An uplifting and warm-hearted Christmas story with much-loved characters from the Rookery Houseseries by award winning author Rosie Hendry.


Amazon



Tuesday, 13 December 2022

Holiday Reads - Christmas With The Wartime Midwives by Daisy Styles

 
Christmas With The Wartime Midwives
By Daisy Styles 

Cumbria, 1944: as Christmas comes to Mary Vale, mothers and midwives alike seek a miracle . . .

Newly trained midwife Libby is forced to work in the neighbouring villages as well as at the Mother and Baby Home, trying her best to help the many desperate new mums.

Meanwhile, Margaret arrives at Mary Vale heartbroken after losing her man and facing having a child alone.

Yet it isn't long before Libby and Margaret discover someone with bigger problems. Beth, along with her young children and desperately ill husband, face eviction from their home just before Christmas.

As time starts to run out, so does her hope.

But can Libby and Margaret save Beth and her family with a quick-witted plan and some festive magic?

After all, it's Christmas . . . and a time for miracles.


Amazon



Monday, 12 December 2022

Holiday Reads - Oranges for Christmas: A Berlin Wall Escape Novel by Margarita Morris

 
Oranges for Christmas: A Berlin Wall Escape Novel
By Margarita Morris

The bonds of family are stronger than the Berlin Wall…

Berlin, 1961. Sabine can’t imagine a life separated from her beloved brother. So when the barbed wire goes up overnight to divide East and West Berlin, she and her mother begin to plan their escape. But Sabine is living under the shadow of the secret police known as the Stasi. She’ll have to tread carefully as the network of civilian spies closes in around her…

Dieter would risk everything to free his family from the oppressive East German regime. He joins a rebel group with plans to hatch a daring rescue. As the situation grows dire across the wall, Dieter must be painfully patient. A single misstep could get him and his family killed…

The Stasi have eyes everywhere. Can Sabine and Dieter reunite against incredible odds when anyone could be a spy?

Oranges for Christmas is a heart-wrenching historical fiction novel set in Cold War Germany. If you like authentic historical details, tenacious characters, and stories of hope in the face of tyranny, then you’ll love Margarita Morris’ emotional page-turner.


Amazon



Sunday, 11 December 2022

Holiday Reads - The Deserted Daughter's Christmas Wish by Gwyn May

 
The Deserted Daughter's Christmas Wish
By Gwyn May


Ten year old Lizzie didn’t know what would become of her the day her mother sent her on an errand and moved the family out of the tenement before Lizzie returned. Now Lizzie must find a way to survive.

Abandoned at ten years of age, Lizzie Strain is taken in from the streets by an old washerwoman where she experiences her first Christmas. Working alongside Granny Eliza she forms a friendship with the likeable Adam Treadwell. Each year Christmas is a time to look forward to. Every Christmas, Lizzie makes the same wish. That her sisters are safe and well.

When an unsavoury person from Lizzie’s past resurfaces, Lizzie’s happiness is snatched away and she finds herself alone on the streets again. Seeking help from Adam, the only friend she can turn to, Adam offers a solution, but a selfish and cruel act causes Lizzie’s life to unravel and she is once again made destitute.

When Adam learns of Lizzie’s fate, he is forced to choose between his own lively-hood or Lizzie.

Can Adam find a way to right a terrible wrong? Is Lizzie’s fate sealed and her chance for love forever? Is there ever a chance that Lizzie’s Christmas wish could come true? Find out in this Victorian Christmas Romance from Gwyn May.


Amazon



Blog Tour - Mine to Protect by Emily A. Myers #Romance @emyersauthor

Mine to Protect
By Emily A. Myers


Publication date: December 1st 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Mafia, Romance

From award-winning author, Emily A. Myers, comes a standalone, full-length Mafia Romance novel.

Alister Amato is rich, powerful, and feared by all who know the truth. He’s the Blood King, a mafia boss with a lust for blood and an infinite reach. Everything in me screams I should stay away. But when my Organized Crime Task Force is called to investigate the slaughter of a rival criminal syndicate, I know that isn’t an option. The way the men were killed is something I’ve only seen once before—eighteen years ago when my mother was murdered and I was orphaned. I don’t know how my mother wound up in the clutches of the mafia. But, after all this time, I will stop at nothing to discover the truth. Even if it means aligning myself with the dangerous, mysterious, and undeniably handsome, Blood King.

They call me King, but I am nothing but a prisoner. The world of darkness I belong to has stolen everything from me—my mother, my sister, my happiness, my freedom. Most of all, it has stolen my ability to love. If it weren’t for my sister, Sophia, I would walk away from the throne I never wanted and let New Orleans burn. But even that would not set me free. My name and my blood have placed a target on my back and cursed anyone who stands beside me to the same fate. Which is why when FBI agent Ariana Valentine weasels her way into my life and heart, I do everything I can not to fall for her. My love is a death sentence. And, after everything this world has taken from me, I won’t let it take her too. Even if it means I have to walk away from the only woman I’ve ever allowed myself to love.

STANDALONE – DUAL POV – ITALIAN MAFIA – FORBIDDEN LOVE – SLOW BURN

Goodreads  Amazon


EXCERPT

From Alister’s POV:

With each passing year, my family loses a member. My mother was killed when I was sixteen during a botched hit meant to take out my entire family. My father died last year, nearly twenty years after my mother. Unlike the bullet that took her from, cancer was his poison. And my sister Cara, she was taken in the night from her dorm room shortly after my father died and I came to power. The rest you already know. Except, perhaps, one thing, the most important thing. Why?

Why would someone put a hit on my family? Why would my eighteen-year-old sister be ripped from her bed, sold into sex slavery, and killed? It’s because of our blood. We are the Amatos, the gatekeepers of the criminal underworld stretching from the Texas border all the way to the Florida Keys. For the innocent, we are the only thing standing between them and full on anarchy. Though, they wouldn’t know it. For those privy to this world of darkness to which I unfortunately belong, we are royalty. And like the kings and queens of the past, we are flush with wealth and connections carefully attained by our ancestors and modern-day business deals that help keep our illegal drug trade secret. Our wealth and reputations accompanied by our unique network of connections in Mexico, the Caribbean, Chicago, and New York City make us targets of those looking to make a name for themselves among the world’s most dangerous and vile. But what was once a powerful and untouchable dynasty is now only a brother and sister desperately trying to survive.



Emily A. Myers is an award-winning author of romantic suspense. Her first novel, The Truth About Unspeakable Things, was a First Place winner for the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) Clue Award (2021) for suspense/ thriller fiction. The Truth About Unspeakable Things was also a finalist for the CIBA Chatelaine Award (2021) for romance and a semi-finalist for the Somerset Award (2021) for contemporary fiction.

Emily followed up her stellar debut with a sequel, completing the Unspeakable duet, and has now branched into Mafia Romance with her latest release, Mine to Protect.

When not writing, Emily enjoys traveling, devouring the latest Netflix series, and scouring the shelves of Sephora.

To keep up with her, follow her on Instagram @emilymyersauthor or subscribe to her mailing list --> https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/c8v0x4

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok / Amazon / Mailing List


GIVEAWAY!

Print copies of all 3 of Emily’s books (Unspeakable duet plus Mine to Protect)

Click HERE to enter!


Saturday, 10 December 2022

Holiday Reads - The Slum Angel Christmas by Annemarie Brear

 

The Slum Angel Christmas
By Annemarie Brear



The Slum Angel Christmas Novella

A novella accompaniment to the Amazon UK bestselling novel, The Slum Angel.

York, England 1881.

Ten years ago, Victoria Ashton, along with her husband Dr Joseph Ashton, built the Ashton Home for Women and Children. Destitute women seeking refuge from poverty, abuse, neglect and abandonment still arrive at the gates, searching for relief. They come bringing their sick and malnourished children. They come to hide from a harsh world, and lick their wounds and with Victoria, and her helpers' support, the women can begin again.

Georgiana Carter, penniless and recently widowed, is desperate for a place to stay, a roof over her children’s heads, and a warm meal. Her youthful plans to run away with a boatman ended in disaster. Will her wealthy father ever take her back into his heart?

Ruthie Benson must escape. In trouble and constantly suffering from the onslaught of her brother’s fists, she needs help before her secret becomes known. Where can she run to?

These are some of the vulnerable women Victoria cares for and gives sanctuary to as she works in the slums of York. However, sometimes the price can be too high. Is she forgetting her own family’s needs?

Will Victoria save Georgiana and Ruthie, or has her help come too late as the Christmas bells ring out over the city?


Amazon



Blog Tour - Things I Overshared (Heartlanders Series, #2) by Kelsey Humphreys #Romance

Things I Overshared
(Heartlanders Series, #2)
By Kelsey Humphreys


Publication date: December 6th 2022
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Things I Overshared, an extrovert/introvert romantic comedy

Samantha Canton has had a rough year, to put it mildly. So, she is overjoyed to find out she gets to go on her dream work trip to Europe. But she’s not going alone. She’ll be crossing the pond with the company’s CFO, Emerson Clark.

Icy Emerson, as the industry calls him, is logical, serious and quiet. He likes solitude, the color gray, rain and hot tea – he is British, after all.

And he cannot stand Samantha in all her southern, chatty, upbeat, neon-dress-wearing glory.

No problem, she’s never met someone she couldn’t befriend.
Until Now.

Commence nervous verbal diarrhea.

And commence the ultimate Grumpy Sunshine, Billionaire, Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn Romance with rich characters and a payoff that will leave you absolutely giddy.

**This is a swoony, steamy, full-length standalone adult contemporary romance. Prepare for Manhattan, London, Paris, surprise twists, laugh-out-loud banter, a happily ever after, and a sisters group text thread you’ll wish you could join.

This is the second book in the Heartlanders Series but can be read on its own.**

Goodreads ♥ Amazon


After tens of millions of video views, comedian Kelsey Humphreys has captured her hilarious, heart-warming characters in book form. Her steamy stories dig into deep truths about love, identity, purpose, and family. When she’s not writing romance or creating comedy videos, she is reading, running, mom-ming and wife-ing in Oklahoma. Follow her funnies on Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok


♥ GIVEAWAY! 

$25 Amazon gift card

Click HERE to enter!


Friday, 9 December 2022

Holiday Reads - A Christmas Railway Mystery (Railway Detective Book 15) by Edward Marston


A Christmas Railway Mystery 
(Railway Detective Book 15) 
By Edward Marston
 

December 1860. Headed for the morning shift at the Swindon Locomotive works is an army of men pouring out of terraced houses built by the GWR, a miniature town and planned community that aims to provide for its employees from cradle to grave. Unfortunately, boiler smith Frank Rodman is headed for the grave sooner than he'd expected, or he will be once his missing head is found.

Colbeck, the Railway Detective, finds his investigation into Rodman's murder mired in contradictions. Was the victim a short-tempered brawler, or a committed Christian and chorister who aimed to better himself? On the trail of Rodman's enemy as the season starts to bite, Colbeck finds little festive cheer in the twists and turns of this peculiar case.


Amazon


Blog Tour - Badge of Honor by India Lord #Romance

Badge of Honor
By India Lord


Publication date: December 5th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Scars—a badge of honor denoting strength.

Milly
My hellish month is looking up!
I’ve scored a private nursing job.
No more sleeping in my car, stressing about my debts.
My patient is a military man. Gorgeous. Tattooed. Built. He’s also temporarily blind and tries to sack me during my first hour on the job.
I’m way past desperate, so let him try to banish me.

Connor
All I want is to recover and return to my men in Afghanistan.
The problem is without my sight, I’m helpless as a kitten.
My family treats me like a child. When they get tired of my temper, they hire her.
The woman is determined, I’ll give her that. But there’s something about her that intrigues me, makes my mind wander to kissing and pleasure and soft curves.
Too bad we have no future.

Contains a grumpy, injured military man, a scarred nurse, and a little small town instalove, which makes everything better.

 

Goodreads / Amazon


EXCERPT


“Hold still while I clean your face. You’re bleeding everywhere. I’m going to place my hand on your shoulder.” A verbal warning, so he didn’t freak at the physical contact. I continued to inform him of my intentions.

The tension left his broad shoulders, and his frown relaxed maybe a millimeter. Up close, he was a handsome specimen. More rugged than pretty, his skin a golden bronze from sun exposure. A shaggy beard framed his mouth and jawline, and he wore a pair of black shorts and nothing else. Tattoos curled across his biceps and decorated sculpted pectoral muscles.

“Are you staring at me?” he asked, his bandaged gaze turning in my direction.

“Yes.”

“Well, stop.”

“I’m a nurse.”

“It doesn’t feel like a nurse stare,” he muttered.

A snicker escaped me. “Hold the gauze to your cheek while I open the iodine.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“True, but you’ve bled over the sheets.” I seized his right hand and lifted it to his cheek.

“You’re bossy.” Now he sounded intrigued rather than grumpy.

“It comes with the job.” I deftly opened the iodine bottle and transferred the yellow liquid to a blob of cotton wool. An instant later, I lifted his hand and covered the wound with the pungent liquid.

Ow.

“Don’t be a baby.” I lifted the cotton wool and applied a plaster covered with cartoon characters. “That should do the trick.”

“What have you done?” He’d heard the grin in my words.

“Nothing.”

“You’ve used my niece’s plasters,” he said after a long pause. He stood abruptly, anger and frustration returning to his features. “Dammit, I don’t need a nurse. Talk to Carolyn on your way out, and she’ll pay you for today. You’re fired.”

A

An incurable romantic and a lover of reading—romance, of course—it was inevitable India Lord turned to writing next. India writes sassy, steamy romances with strong alpha heroes, curvy heroines who are no pushovers, and a happy ending. A must, in India’s opinion.

When India isn’t writing, she loves to walk and explore the countryside. She’s also a dedicated researcher of cheese scones—her favorite treat to eat with a cup of tea.

Keep in touch by joining India’s newsletter: https://indialord.substack.com/

Goodreads / Newsletter


GIVEAWAY!
$20 Amazon gift card.
Click HERE to enter! 


Thursday, 8 December 2022

Holiday Reads - Christmas Hope for the Steel Girls (The Steel Girls, Book 2) by Michelle Rawlins

 
Christmas Hope for the Steel Girls
(The Steel Girls, Book 2)
By Michelle Rawlins


Winter, 1939

As December draws nearer and with her family facing their first Christmas without Bert, Nancy is desperately trying to keep up her children’s spirits and her own.

Young Patty should be excited to be spending her first festive season with sweetheart Archie, but why does she worry he’s keeping something from her?

Betty is missing her beloved William as he continues his RAF training but she’s determined not to sit around wallowing. In the midst of the coldest winter on record and with the introduction of rationing, times are tougher than ever but Betty has an idea to make sure nobody goes without this winter.

And with our Steel Girls rallying around each other, can there still be hope this Christmas?

The second novel in the new heartwarming Steel Girls series following our feisty factory sister’s bravery and hope during wartime, perfect for fans of Nancy Revell and Elaine Everest.





Blog Tour - The Unsolved Case of The Secret Christmas Baby by Hannah Byron #HistoricalMystery @HannahByron8

The Unsolved Case of The Secret Christmas Baby
By Hannah Byron


Publication date: December 6th 2022
Genres: Adult, Historical, Mystery

A presumed dead baby who’s just turned fifty, a grieving widow on a mission, a female haberdasher hiding a scandalous secret

The Cotswolds, England, December 1895

Fifty-year-old Imogene Lynch has recently moved to the tight-knit community of Dartmond after her husband passed away.

In the decades of her husband’s job as chief constable of the neighboring Landdulton, the childless Imogene often assisted him in solving seemingly unsolvable crimes. On his deathbed Thaddeus Lynch has one last request to his wife: solve the secret Christmas baby’s mystery.

Overcome by grief, but with the promise as a stamp on her heart, Imogene sets out in her roundabout way to unearth Sir Finley Lowther’s mysterious origins. The first trace leads to Miss Eloise Platt, a well-respected Dartmond shopkeeper.

But when a baby’s skull is dredged up from the bottom of Tiverstock Lake and Miss Eloise confesses to the murder, Mrs Imogene Lynch faces a stalemate. While the Dartmonders squabble over Miss Platt’s fate, the widow-turned-detective worries she’ll never fulfil her promise.

To break through her impasse, she pays a visit to the elderly Lady Lowther in Ridgeview Asylum with far-reaching consequences. For Imogene, the mystery is now solved, but getting Miss Platt to tell the truth is another matter.

With her characteristic quirky style, Mrs Lynch confides in the most unlikely candidate in her arsenal, her landlord, Mr Richard Hopewell. If the mute bookkeeper can shed light on what he witnessed on that fateful Christmas Day in 1845, she has the ally she needs to confront Miss Platt.

After fifty-one years, Constable Thaddeus Lynch’s brown file on the Secret Christmas Baby can be closed for good. With Finley’s adoption mystery solved and Miss Platt redeemed, all Dartmond joins in the merry 1896 Christmas celebrations.

This first book in the Victorian Cozy Mystery Series introduces Mrs Imogene Lynch, a willy-nilly detective who talks too much and eats too little.

 

Goodreads / Amazon


EXCERPT


“Now stop whining, Gertie, and just walk slowly down the stairs. Jasper isn’t even 2 stone. You carry heavier sacks of potatoes up the stairs.”

“But I carry the teddies up the stairs, Ma’am, not down. The dog is heavier than a three-year-old babber.”

A three-year-old baby? Have you ever heard of such an exaggeration? One day soon, that maid’s going to do me in. She shuffles down the stairs so slowly, I’m almost losing my balance, and mind you, these stairs are as narrow as a rabbit hole.

“Just hold him steady, will you, or you’ll scare him, and you know what happens then!”

But it’s too late. Jasper whimpers once, and the damage is done.

“Ma’am, he’s wee-weeing all over me dress.”

“Poor darling Jasper, we’ll sort you out downstairs. Don’t squeeze him so tight, Gertie, I told you a dozen times before. It frightens him. And keep moving now. You can change your dress in a minute.”

Dear Lord in Heaven, what is it with this maid? I can’t go through this every time with her and the dog.

When we finally land in one piece on the mat in the tight hallway near the glass-panelled front door, she puts poor Jasper on all fours. He looks up at me with those large, guilt-ridden eyes, but the stricken soul can’t help this. Enough is enough.

“It’s all right, Jasper dear. Gertie, I’ll ask if Neil Fritter wants to earn a little extra pocket money and carry Jasper up and down, all right? We can’t have you change dresses three times a day.”

“That’s gurt lush, Ma’am.”

“Nice of me? Well, it’s all right, Gertie. Now change and wash that dress. I’ll pop into Donald’s fish shop on my way back and see if Neil is available.”

“And I’m sorry for the mess, Ma’am.”

Don’t think that I miss the flicker of hope in Gertie’s grey eyes. Yes, Neil Fritter is a bit of a looker, so she won’t mind seeing him upstairs. I’ll make sure he delivers Jasper at my front door and doesn’t come in. I’m not against romancing, but I’ll not encourage it either in un-betrothed people. That’s not my style.


“Ever since I could hold a pen, I’ve written stories and poems, and I’ll write till my dying day.”

Historical fiction author Hannah Byron's crib stood near the Seine in Paris, but she was raised in the south of Holland by Anglo-Dutch parents. In her bestselling WW2 historical fiction series, The Resistance Girl Series, Hannah's heroines also traipse from one European country to the next, very much like their creator.

Now a retired university lecturer and translator, the European traveler and avid researcher is about to cross a new border and settle down south of Dublin.

What started as curiosity about her family's connection to D-Day, evolved into an out-of-controlish study into WW2 history. To blame, or thank, must be Uncle Tom Naylor. If he'd not landed on the beaches of Normandy and help liberate Holland, her British mother would never have met her Dutch Dad after the war.

Strong women are at the core of her clean and wholesome romance novels. Every book is a tribute to the generations who started the women’s lib movement, got dirty in overalls, flew planes, and did intelligence work. Today’s girl bosses can but stand on the shoulders of these amazons.

Side-by-side with their male counterparts, Byron’s heroines fight for freedom, equality and… love.

In December 2022, Byron will launch her first Historical Mysteries. The Mrs Imogene Lynch Series stars the kind but opinionated Victorian widow of Constable Thaddeus Lynch.

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Lake of Widows  By Liza Perrat Publication Date: 19/10/2024 Publisher: Perrat Publishing Pages: 345 Pages Genre: Historical Women’s Fiction ...