BLOG TOUR: Bea’s Book Wagon - Julie Haworth

Set in the fictional Sussex village of Blossom Heath, and featuring characters you will know and love from Julie Haworth’s RNA Katie Fforde Debut of the Year Always By Your Side and follow up New Beginnings at The Cosy Cat Café, Bea’s Book Wagon is a cosy, uplifting and comforting romance that tells the story of two love-interest heroes vying for Bea’s heart – her artisan-cheesemaking childhood sweetheart and a knock-you-off-your-feet property developer. 

After impulsively jacking in her dead-end temp job and investing her life savings in a ramshackle old horsebox, Bea sets about turning her dream of running a bookshop into a reality, and opens Bea’s Book Wagon. But it’s not all smooth sailing, and as Bea struggles with the challenges of running her own small business, she can only hope that her love of literature and the power of reading can help transform the lives of her friends, her community and herself in the process.

 

What did I think?

Bea's Book Wagon is my third virtual visit to Blossom Heath and I absolutely loved it.  You don't need to have read Julie Haworth's previous novels to enjoy this one but you will definitely want to read them if this is your first visit to Blossom Heath.

It was lovely to catch up with some familiar faces but this is very much Bea's story.  Bea loves books so I had an immediate affinity with her.  Once the panic subsides after resigning from her job she decides to do something she really loves: sell books and share her love of reading.  An old horsebox may not sound like the ideal bookstore but with a little help from her friends Bea transforms it into something special.

I adored Bea from the very start and she has the most amazing ability to be able to match a person to a book so she's the perfect bookseller.  As well as starting her business, Bea meets Lochlan in a very swoony Mr Darcy moment that had me reaching for my virtual fan, but it was farmer Nathan who I was hoping would win Bea's heart.  You will need to read the book to find out how it all ends though!

Cosier than your favourite pair of slippers, Bea's Book Wagon is a delightful, heartwarming and captivating book.  One not to be missed for book lovers!

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge - Rachel Hore

Uncovering secrets that span generations, Rachel Hore delivers intriguing, involving and emotive narrative reading group fiction like few other writers can.

Nancy Foster has harboured a devastating secret that shattered her professional and personal life.  On meeting her, journalist Stef Lansdown realizes that she has the power to restore Nancy’s reputation and to heal the wounds, if only Nancy will trust her. But someone else wants to get to the bottom of the story first, someone who doesn’t want it to be told. 

Set in the beautiful environs of the Norfolk Broads in 2010, and in London in the '40s and ‘50s, when life for career-driven women was so different, The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge is Sunday Times multi-million copy bestselling author Rachel Hore’s utterly compelling new novel, interweaving the past and the present. 

 

What did I think?

This is the first book by Rachel Hore that I have read and I absolutely loved it so I'm already looking to add more of her books to my TBR.  The writing is exquisite and it completely captivated me from start to finish.

The story revolves around two women: Nancy and Steph.  Steph is writing a book and wants to tell Nancy's story but Nancy and her family are suspicious of Steph's intentions.  There is no hidden agenda to Steph; she simply wants to tell Nancy's story and Nancy soon begins to trust Steph and open up to her.

I loved the Norfolk community spirit that weaves its way through the story; although they aren't quite so welcoming to Steph at first, but then she is a journalist.  There are a lot of intriguing elements to the plot, both past and present, and I couldn't tear my eyes from the page.  

I was halfway through when I felt that it had a distinct ring of truth about it so I wasn't surprised to learn that the author was inspired by a story from her own family.  It's just so infuriating to read how women were treated in the not so distant past.  I mean things just as simple as referring to a woman who has earned the title of 'Doctor' as 'Miss' - it's so patronising and misogynistic.  Nancy definitely needed one of those mugs with "It's Dr, actually" printed on it!

So beautifully written, The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge is a powerful, thought-provoking and completely mesmerising novel.  I adored it and would highly recommend it.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Bookmagnet Best Bookish Buys: Postscript Books

I've only recently discovered Postscript Books so I thought it was worthy of a best bookish buy post as they have loads of brand new books at discounted prices.  Postscript Books is a family run business that was established in 1987 and they have a free monthly catalogue (produced in the UK on paper from sustainably managed sources) as well as a website.  Delivery is free when you spend over £25 and their packaging is eco-friendly.

July catalogue

Click here to order a free catalogue featuring over 400 books from multiple fiction and non-fiction genres.

Postscript very kindly offered to send me a couple of books so I could share my shopping experience and I have to say that I was very impressed from order to delivery.  The website is easy to navigate and there are so many books I could have ordered, so I could easily spend £25 to take advantage of the free delivery offer.

So, what did I order?   I decided to order a book from three different categories: contemporary, crime, thrillers & mystery and historical.  

In contemporary, I chose The Snow and the Works on the Northern Line by Ruth Thomas that was published in 2021 and was priced at £3.99.  

My choice in the crime, thriller & mystery category was A Bitter Remedy by Alis Hawkins that was published in 2023 and was priced at £4.99.  

In historical fiction, I chose The Murder of Harriet Monckton by Elizabeth Haynes that was published in 2019 and was priced at a bargainous 99p.

So I got three books for under £10 without even leaving my home!  Bargain!

Postscript Books is a Bookmagnet Best Bookish Buy and a great bookseller for some bookish retail therapy.  Go on, treat yourself to some new books!

BLOG TOUR: The Bookshop Ladies - Faith Hogan

Bestselling Irish writer, Faith Hogan, has created another gripping saga of friendship, betrayal and secrets in this story of a widow in search of answers to a shocking confession by her dying husband.

Joy Blackwood has no idea why her French art dealer husband has left a valuable painting to a woman called Robyn Tessier in Ballycove, a small town on the west coast of Ireland, but she is determined to find out.

She arrives in Ballycove to find that Robyn runs a rather chaotic and unprofitable bookshop. She is shy, suffering from unrequited love for dashing Kian, and badly in need of advice on how to make the bookshop successful.

As Joy becomes entangled in the daily dramas of Ballycove, uncovering the secrets behind her husband's painting grows increasingly challenging. When she finally musters the courage to confront the truth, her revelation sends shockwaves through the tight-knit community she's grown to love.

 

What did I think?

Faith Hogan is one of my favourite authors and I didn't think I could love one of her Ballycove books more than I already do and then she goes and writes one set in a bookshop.  As well as books, it is of course filled with drama, secrets and the wonderful Ballycove community spirit.

I had tears in my eyes before I had even finished the dramatic prologue as Joy's life changed forever in the blink of an eye.  Not only does Joy have her own grief to deal with, she is rocked by a confession her husband made with his final breath.  Joy leaves her home in Paris and sets of to Ballycove in Ireland to hand deliver a painting that her husband has bequeathed in his will.

Joy is rightfully angry but her anger vanishes almost instantly the moment she steps inside the bookshop owned by Robyn Tessier.  Robyn assumes that Joy has come to volunteer for work and Joy is too polite (and a little shellshocked) to set Robyn straight.  It's not ideal to start a friendship with secrets and it gets harder to find the right time to be honest as time goes on, but I could tell that Joy's heart was in the right place and that Ballycove had a firm grip of Joy's heart.

The wonderful community of Ballycove once again plays a huge part in the story and it was lovely to see some old faces that I have come to know and love over the years.  The Bookshop Ladies is a standalone novel though, so you don't need to have read any of the other books to enjoy it.

A book set in a bookshop is a book lover's dream and The Bookshop Ladies is a wonderfully heartwarming and engaging read.  There are books aplenty to delight the bookworms among us but it's the characters who leave a lasting impression on the reader in this very highly recommended read.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: I Know It's You - Susan Lewis

Marina Forster has left her past behind. She is happily married with two twin daughters and holds a senior position at a leading publishing company. She never thinks about what happened fourteen years ago, about the scandal, the trial, the trauma that nearly broke her.

When a new fiction submission lands on Marina’s desk, she at first thinks nothing of it; That Girl is just another novel by another aspiring writer. But as she reads on, the parallels between the novel and Marina’s own past become ever clearer. At first, she is unnerved; then, she is terrified. Who is writing this? What do they want? And how do they know what happened all those years ago?

Increasingly paranoid and unsure who to trust, Marina fears the past may be about to repeat itself. She must put a stop to this before it’s too late – but who will believe her this time?

What did I think?

I Know It's You Is Susan Lewis' 50th novel and what an absolute belter it is.  I haven't read a Susan Lewis book I haven't loved and I Know it's You is no exception.  It's a book within a book with chapters of a new novel being gradually revealed in a submission to a publisher and I couldn't read fast enough to discover all the secrets of the past.

Marina seems to have the perfect life, married to Maxim, mother to twins and working in publishing, but she has some dark secrets in her past.  The past never stays buried for long but Marina's past might be about to get very public when a book is being written that seems to know a lot about Marina's life.  Oh this gave me tingles from my head to my toes as I tried to imagine how scared Marina must have felt.

There are always two sides to every story and the story being told in 'That Girl' is very one sided, but Marina is clearly rattled so you have to wonder how much of it is true.  I was as gripped by the story in 'That Girl' as I was by everything that was happening in I Know it's You.  It was a little confusing at first as each character in the book also has another fictional character but I quickly got used to it.

It's so cleverly written that I was suspicious of everyone and I didn't know which version of Marina was true.  I also loved the glimpse into the world of publishing and the setting is a book lover's dream.

As clever as it is compelling, I Know it's You is a fabulous novel to mark such a wonderful achievement for Susan Lewis.  I haven't read all 50 of her novels but I'm already excited for whatever she writes next; in the meantime, I've got a lot of her back catalogue to get through.

Very highly recommend and many congratulations on your 50th novel, Susan.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

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About the author:

Susan Lewis is the internationally bestselling author of fifty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime, including I Have Something To Tell You, One Minute Later, My Lies, Your Lies and Forgive Me. Susan’s novels have sold over three million copies in the UK alone. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s.

Susan has previously worked as a secretary in news and current affairs before training as a production assistant working on light entertainment and drama. She’s lived in Hollywood and the South of France, but now resides in Gloucestershire with husband James, two stepsons and dog, Mimi. @susanlewisbooks

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BLOG TOUR: The Book-Lovers' Retreat - Heidi Swain

One long summer. One perfect setting. Can fiction inspire real life…?

Sometimes a book grabs you by the heart and grows to mean everything to you. That’s what Hope Falls is to friends Emily, Rachel and Tori. So, when they get the chance to spend a whole summer at the cottage in Lakeside where the film adaptation was located, they know it is going to be the holiday of a lifetime.

Spending six weeks away will give them a chance to re-evaluate their life choices. For Emily to decide which way her career will go – the safe route, or the more risky creative option? And for Rachel to decide whether to move in with her partner Jeremy. Then Tori has to drop out at the last moment, and her space is offered to another Hope Falls afficionado, Alex. 

But when Alex turns out not to be who they expected, the holiday takes an unforeseen turn. And as the summer develops, so does their friendship. Could this be where they uncover their future selves, find love in all its forms and where their lives will change course forever…?

 

What did I think?

I love Heidi Swain books and I absolutely adored The Book-Lovers' Retreat - all her books are fabulous but I think this one is my favourite so far.  The characters, the setting, the writing and the plot are all perfect and I thoroughly enjoyed my virtual visit to the Lake District.

It's such a wonderful story of three friends who have been planning to visit the film location from the screenplay of their favourite book: Hope Falls.  I can just imagine their excitement as their dream trip to the idyllic cottage in the Lake District becomes a reality.  When one of the friends drops out the whole trip is thrown into jeopardy, but luckily there's a lot of Hope Falls fans waiting in reserve...all Emily and Rachel have to do is pick one of them.

I loved everything about this novel and I feel like a Hope Falls fan myself as The Book-Lovers' Retreat is a book I want to read over and over again.  All the characters have so much depth and there's a lot to discover about each of them, as well as a fabulous storyline as they live their dream in Lakeside.

Hugely entertaining, incredibly compelling and absolutely wonderful, The Book-Lovers' Retreat is a book-lover's dream: I don't think you'll find a reader who won't love a book about a book.  Very highly recommended - I'm putting it on my favourites shelf and I can't wait to read it again.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep - H. G. Parry

For his entire life, Charley Sutherland has concealed a magical ability he can't quite control: he can bring characters from books into the real world. His older brother, Rob - a young lawyer with an utterly normal life - hopes that this strange family secret will disappear with disuse, and he will be discharged from his duty of protecting Charley and the real world from each other.

But then, literary characters start causing trouble in their city, making threats about destroying the world, and for once, it isn't Charley's doing. There's someone else out there who shares his powers and it's up to Charley and a reluctant Rob to stop them - before anyone gets to The End.

What did I think?

Now this is one book that I couldn't wait to get my hands on; being a book magnet, a book about books is just my kind of thing!  I think H. G. Parry should be crowned Queen of Booklovers; she clearly loves books so much that she has brought the characters to life in her astonishing debut, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep.

So many readers remark that well-written characters often pop out of books when they're reading; of course they mean metaphorically not literally, which is not the case for Charley Sutherland.  Charley has the amazing ability to be able to conjure a literary character from within the pages of a book, often by accident when he is so immersed in his reading.  The only trouble is, once the character has been released from their literary prison, they don't always want to go back.  As the literary community grows, Charley and his brother, Rob, face an epic battle of good versus evil before the world as they know it is destroyed forever.

What a wonderful character H. G. Parry has created in Charley; his love of books and words is simply breathtaking.  When I say 'books', I mean physical paper books and I'm totally with Charley on that.  There is an extract from his notebook where he says: 

'Words aren't the same to me on a screen.  I can see them but I can't connect with them.  They're too hard and bright; I float on top of them, like a leaf on the surface of a pond.  Words on paper are quiet, and porous; in the right mood, I sink down between the gaps in the letters and they close over my head.'

How beautiful is that?  Although I read digitally when I absolutely have to, I have struggled to explain why I prefer books to ebooks and H. G. Parry has described this feeling so eloquently and exquisitely.

Who hasn't read Pride & Prejudice and imagined Mr Darcy so vividly that you expect him to materialise in the room with you?  Obviously quite a few people have done so as numerous Mr Darcys have been brought to life in this book and, after the 1995 TV adaptation, unsurprisingly one of them bears a striking resemblance to Colin Firth.  If ever you wanted to bring a literary character to life, what a one to choose, eh?  <<swoon>>

Wonderfully imaginative, The Escape of Uriah Heep is a dream come true for bibliophiles who believe in magic.  There certainly is magic within these pages and it's most definitely best kept there!

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

My rating:

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About the author:

H. G. Parry has a PhD in English literature and teaches at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. She has published a number of short stories; The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep is her debut novel.

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BLOG TOUR: The Ten Thousand Doors of January - Alix E. Harrow

EVERY STORY OPENS A DOOR

In a sprawling mansion filled with exotic treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artefacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

But her quiet existence is shattered when she stumbles across a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds and tells a tale of secret doors and danger, of love and adventure. With each page she reads, January learns impossible truths about the world and discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own,

Open a door to another world and discover the most spellbinding debut of 2019, perfect for readers of THE NIGHT CIRCUS, THE THIRTEENTH TALE and THE BINDING

What did I think?

The Ten Thousand Doors of January has to have one of the most striking covers I have ever seen; the door handle and keys give it a definite hint of Wonderland, so I prepared myself to expect the unexpected.  The pacing is quite slow to start with so I wasn't grasped immediately by the story but soon found that January Scaller had slowly burrowed under my skin as I joined her on her fascinating journey.

This is like a book within a book as January reads from a book she finds; I do wish she could have found this book in chapter one though, as chapter one of 'The Ten Thousand Doors' is included in chapter two of the book, chapter two in chapter three and so on and so forth.  I have a bit of OCD about numbers so I did struggle with this at first but this minor annoyance was quickly forgotten as I became immersed in the story.

Alix E. Harrow clearly loves letters and words as much as I love numbers.  She has such an affinity for seeing the magical in the mundane; who would have noticed the letter 'H' in the word 'House' as being like a roof with two chimneys?  There are sublime descriptions of other letters, that I'll not mention for fear of spoiling for others, that made me want to give a standing ovation to Alix E. Harrow.  As a numbers gal, I would never have seen such beauty in letters without her guidance.

I feel completely honoured to have accompanied January on her journey as she discovers her past and her ability to open magical doors into other worlds.  Isn't that what we readers do every time we open a book?  I didn't realise how affected I was by her story until near to the end when I found myself swallowing a lump in my throat.  

For readers who loved falling down the rabbit hole with Alice, follow January through her magical doors and discover worlds built of words.  This magical, imaginative and captivating debut is like a love letter to the English language; Alix E. Harrow has opened my eyes to the magic in every word and I will never look at letters in the same way again.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Real McCoy - Claire Cock-Starkey

I absolutely adore Claire Cock-Starkey's books so I am thrilled to take part in the blog tour for her latest book: The Real McCoy.  I have a fascinating extract to share with you as I close the tour and you can also read my review of this brilliant book.

The extract I have for you is 'guillotine' and I'm sure you will find the story as riveting as I did, especially as not everyone is delighted to have their name attached to something for eternity.

The English language is rich with eponyms - words that are named after an individual - some better known than others. 

This book features 150 of the most interesting and enlightening specimens, delving into the origins of the words and describing the fascinating people after whom they were named. Eponyms are derived from numerous sources. Some are named in honour of a style icon, inventor or explorer, such as pompadour, Kalashnikov and Cadillac. Others have their roots in Greek or Roman mythology, such as panic and tantalise. A number of eponyms, however, are far from celebratory and were created to indicate a rather less positive association - into this category can be filed boycott, Molotov cocktail and sadist. 

Encompassing eponyms from medicine, botany, invention, science, fashion, food and literature, this book uncovers the intriguing tales of discovery, mythology, innovation and infamy behind the eponyms we use every day. 

The perfect addition to any wordsmith's bookshelf.

What did I think?

Oh my word, The Real McCoy is such a fascinating book.  If you haven't come across Claire Cock-Starkey's riveting little books then you really are missing out on a treat.  I recommend every single one of them; see my reviews of The Book Lovers' Miscellany and A Library Miscellany.

Have you ever wondered about the origin of some of the everyday words in our English language?  Claire Cock-Starkey has gathered together some of the most amazing stories behind some well-known words in this collection of 150 eponyms.  An eponym is a person after whom something is named and some obviously have a person's name in their title, such as Earl Grey tea, Bunsen burner and Alzheimer's disease but my eyes opened in surprise and delight as I read about the less obvious eponyms; such everyday words as cereal, hygiene and biro.

This is a book to read from cover to cover then to revisit by dipping in and out of in order to regale your family and friends with your favourite linguistic stories.  There are some familiar stories like wellington, cardigan and sandwich but, even though I already knew their origin, they are told in such a perfectly concise way as to jog your memory and help to digest the facts.  It's a book that you won't be able to help yourself sharing with others as I found myself reading some of the stories out loud to my family.  That really is the mark of a good book when you feel the need to share it with others.

I absolutely adored The Real McCoy; it's fascinating, informative and the perfect gift for that awkward to buy for book lover in your life.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: A Library Miscellany - Claire Cock-Starkey

I'm thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for this fabulous little book: A Library Miscellany by Claire Cock-Starkey.  I've previously read and thoroughly enjoyed The Book Lovers' Miscellany and you can read my review here.

What can be found in the Vatican's Secret Archive? How many books did Charles Darwin's library aboard the Beagle hold? Which library is home to a colony of bats? 

Bursting with potted histories, quirky facts and enlightening lists, this book explores every aspect of the library, celebrating not only these remarkable institutions but also the individuals behind their awe-inspiring collections. 

From the ancient library at Alexandria to the Library of Congress in Washington DC, A Library Miscellany explores institutions both old and new, from the university library to that of the humble village. It opens the door to unusual collections such as herbaria, art libraries, magic libraries and even the library of smells, and charts the difficulties of cataloguing books deemed to be subversive, heretical, libellous or obscene. 

Packed with unusual facts and statistics, this is the perfect volume for library enthusiasts, bibliophiles and readers everywhere.

EXTRACT

I haven't had time to read and review A Library Miscellany but I have something even better for you today: an extract from the book itself.  As someone who is interested in the RMS Titanic, I am delighted to share the extract about the two libraries aboard this iconic ill-fated ocean liner.

You can buy a copy of the book from Amazon UK here and you can find out more about the author on her website www.nonfictioness.com and by following her on Twitter @nonfictioness 

For those of you lucky enough to be in the Oxford area on March 20th 2018, you can hear Claire Cock-Starkey talking about A Library Miscellany (and The Book Lovers' Miscellany) at Oxford Literary Festival on March 20th at 12pm - click here to find out more.

Follow the tour for more great content from A Library Miscellany:

The Book Lovers' Miscellany - Claire Cock-Starkey

Ever wondered how ink is made? Or what is the bestselling book of all time? Or which are the oldest known books in the world? Highbrow to lowbrow, all aspects of the book are celebrated and explored in 'The Book Lovers' Miscellany'. From a list of unfinished novels, a short history of the comic, the story behind Mills and Boon and an entry on books printed with mistakes, to a guide to the colours of Penguin paperback jackets and a list of the most influential academic books of all time. 

Between these pages you will discover the history of paper, binding, printing and dust jackets; which books have faced bans; which are the longest established literary families; and which bestsellers were initially rejected. You can explore the output of the most prolific writers and marvel at the youth of the youngest published authors; learn which natural pigments were used to decorate a medieval bible; and what animal is needed for the making of vellum. 

The ideal gift for every bibliophile, 'The Book Lovers' Miscellany' is full of fun facts, potted histories and curious lists, perfect for dipping into and sharing.

What did I think?

If you're looking for the perfect gift for a book lover, then look no further than The Book Lovers' Miscellany.  What a treasure trove of information this is.  I want to read it again and again to see what I missed.  It's one of those books that you'll read something new each time you pick it up.

I just love the pocket size of this book, it makes it so transportable and I feel like I want to carry it with me everywhere so I can dip in and out of it and read excerpts to my friends and family.  There are so many interesting facts and so much to learn in this small but mighty book.  If you're a lover of lists, you will LOVE this...from the most translated authors to the most popular children books.  These facts are portrayed in such a way that you will remember them and be able to amaze your book loving friends, which I plan to do!

I can't recommend this book highly enough, I feel like it is my little bibliophilic bible and I never want to be parted from it.  Small but mighty, The Book Lovers' Miscellany will enchant any book lover.

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

My rating:

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