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Tuesday 10 December 2019

BLOG TOUR: When Stars Will Shine - Various Authors


When Stars Will Shine is a collection of short stories from your favourite authors who have come together to deliver you a Christmas read with a twist.

With true war tales that will break your heart, gritty Christmas crimes that will shake you to your core, and heart-warming tales of love lost and found, this anthology has something for everyone. And, with every penny made being sent to support our troops, you can rest assured that you’re helping our heroes, one page at a time.

From authors such as Louise Jensen, Graham Smith, Malcolm Hollingdrake, Lucy Cameron, Val Portelli, and Alex Kane, you are in for one heck of a ride! 

When Stars Will Shine is the perfect Christmas gift for the bookworms in your life!


What did I think?

I'm not usually a fan of short stories, strangely enough because I feel like it takes me too long to read them as an anthology doesn't flow as well as a novel, however, When Stars Will Shine has certainly changed my mind about that.  Without pausing, I effortlessly read one story after another to the point where I was like a child in a sweet shop wondering what festive delight I could devour next.  The best thing about this book is, not only do you get 24 fantastic stories from a vast array of outstanding authors (and what a terrific line up it is), but the sale of every single copy raises funds for the amazing charity Help for Heroes.  I consider many of the authors among my favourites and I was delighted to see that the talented writers of North East England make up a good proportion of this anthology.

Part of me wants to say 'stop reading now and just buy the book' but please do read on and I'll try my best to tell you how awesome When Stars Will Shine really is.  There is definitely something for everyone in this anthology with a good mix of military and Christmas stories, each one making me experience a range of emotions.  I can't possibly mention every single story in my review, and to single out any in particular would be unfair because they are all brilliant, but they range from heartwarming, poignant, thought-provoking, hopeful, spooky, spine-tingling, sobering, scary and as downright chilly as the winter snow.

If you're not tempted yet, have a look at the list of contents below.  Can you spot your favourite author?  Perhaps you'll find a new favourite among them as there are some absolutely brilliant books in their back catalogues.  There are certainly a few new (to me) authors that I intend to check out, having read their outstanding stories in When Stars Will Shine.

Contents
Fredrick Snellgrove, Private 23208 by Rob Ashman
Four Seasons by Robert Scragg
The Close Encounter by Gordon Bickerstaff 
Believe by Mark Brownless 
What Can Possibly Go Wrong? by Lucy Cameron 
Mountain Dew by Paul T. Campbell
The Art of War and Peace by John Carson 
A Gift for Christmas by Kris Egleton 
Free Time by Stewart Giles 
Died of Wounds by Malcolm Hollingdrake 
The Christmas Killer by Louise Jensen 
The Village Hotel by Alex Kane
A Present of Presence by HR Kemp 
The Invitation by Billy McLaughlin
Brothers Forever by Paul Moore
Girl in a Red Shirt by Owen Mullen 
Pivotal Moments by Anna Franklin Osborne
Uncle Christmas by Val Portelli
Time for a Barbeque by Carmen Radtke
Christmas Present by Lexi Rees
Inside Out by KA Richardson
Penance by Jane Risdon
New Year’s Resolution by Robert Scragg
Family Time by Graham Smith

Emma Mitchell has really outdone herself in pulling together this marvellous anthology and she deserves every accolade for arranging publication of this masterpiece.  With more variety than a Christmas selection box, make sure that you ask Santa for a copy of When Stars Will Shine or better still, buy a copy for all of your family and friends.  

With stories that will make you laugh, smile and cry but best of all support our troops while you're reading, When Stars Will Shine is the must read book of the year.  It is my absolute pleasure to give a rating of 5 shiny stars. 

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:


Buy it from: 
Amazon UK
Amazon US



Follow the authors on Twitter:

Robert Scragg: @robert_scragg
Paul Moore: @mooros69
Graham Smith: @grahamsmith1972
Malcolm Hollingdrake: @MHollingdrake
Alex Kane: @AlexKaneWriter
Owen Mullen: @OwenMullen6
Gordon Bickerstaff: @GFBickerstaff
Lexi Rees: @Lexi_Rees
Megan Steer: @tjsarcat15
Anna Franklin Osborne: @HomeOsborne
Stewart Giles: @stewartGiles
Jane Risdon: @Jane_Risdon
Louise Jensen: @fabricating_fiction
Rob Ashman: @RobAshmanAuthor
Carmen Radtke: @carmenradtke1
Val Portelli: @ValPortelli
Mark Brownless: @MarkBrownless
John Carson: @JohnCarsonBooks
Kris Egleton: @Mouse6420
Paul T. Campbell: @PtcCampbell
Lucy Cameron: @lucycomeron22
KA Richardson: @KerryAnn77
Billy McLaughlin: @bilbob20




Follow the tour:

2 comments:

  1. What an amazing review! Thank you so much, Michelle x

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  2. Thanks so much for such an amazing review, it is really uplifting and yes, Emma has really put her heart and soul into this and has made it a fabulous success. I am sure we shall sell bucket-loads. Appreciate your time and effort on our behalf, thanks so much. Jane

    ReplyDelete