BLOG TOUR: Under Vixens Mere - Kit Fielding

After Harry Jones takes his life in the chilling waters of Vixens Mere, not one body is recovered, but two.

Vixens Mere marina hosts a ragtag houseboat community whose lives are as tangled as their mooring ropes, each trying to escape something.

A marriage damaged by PTSD, a guilty lover, aging hippies with a secret sadness, a newcomer escaping a toxic relationship, and a kindhearted misfit whose loyalty is tested to the limit.

Under Vixens Mere tells the story of these boondock boat dwellers as they unify against investigators, vindictive exes, and anyone else who messes with them.

Step aboard and lose yourself in the complex ties of this small community.

 

What did I think?

Under Vixens Mere is a real hidden gem of a novel as I almost didn't pick it up but I'm so glad that I did.  It is filled with drama and secrets as the reader peeks through the curtains of each houseboat in Vixens Mere marina.  There's a fabulous hand-drawn map in the front of the book too - yay!

The haunting prologue hit me like a sucker punch as Harry Jones steps foot in Vixens Mere to end his life.  Harry's story continues throughout the book and it is so incredibly poignant that it brings tears to my eyes just thinking of it now.  The police are puzzled when they recover Harry's body and find another body beneath him.  What a fabulous mystery!

I loved how each chapter starts with the name of the boat and the characters in the scene.  The houseboat community is very close-knit and they will do anything for each other.  This story sets out exactly what they will do for their friends and it's not just about hiding the bodies.

I was completely riveted from start to finish and once I picked up Under Vixens Mere I couldn't put it down, reading it in two sittings.  I adored the marina setting and the eclectic characters who I really came to care about.

Entertaining, compelling and poignant, Under Vixens Mere is a fabulous book that shocked, surprised and delighted me.  I loved it and think it's well worth a read.

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

My rating:

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Waterstones

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About the author:

Kit Fielding plans and writes his novels in a motorhome at various locations around the country. 

The feeling of impermanence is natural to him due to his mother’s traveller roots and a childhood succession of tied-cottages accommodation in different parts of England. 

Kit Fielding says that there was always a curiosity about what was waiting, or was lurking, just around the corner. This legacy has stayed with him to the present day and it feeds into his work.

Social Media Links:

Insta: @inkspotpub 

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BLOG TOUR: The Cat and the Christmas Kidnapper (Conrad the Cat Detective Book 4) - L T Shearer

Join Lulu Lewis, a retired detective with a knack for uncovering secrets, and Conrad, her extraordinary talking cat, as Christmas cheer gives way to festive fear . . .

Hoping for a relaxing festive break, Lulu sets off with Conrad on her canal boat, The Lark, to the picturesque city of Bath to visit friends. But when the pair arrive, they learn of a ruthless kidnapping plot that is plaguing parents in the area.

As the kidnappers fuel panic with further demands, the pair must unravel clues faster than Conrad can charm with his witty banter. That is, if they are to stand any chance of bringing the criminals to justice in time to save the holidays . . .

The Cat and the Christmas Kidnapper by L T Shearer is a charming cosy crime read for fans of Richard Osman and S. J. Bennett.

 

What did I think?

As soon as I saw that L T Shearer had released a new book, I couldn't wait to read it as I absolutely adore Conrad and Lulu.  I actually started this series at book 3, The Cat Who Cracked a Cold Case, and you can definitely read The Cat and the Christmas Kidnapper as a standalone as it explains how Conrad came into Lulu's life.

Lulu is a former detective superintendent and she is spending her retirement living on her barge and travelling on the relaxing inland waterways.  Oh, and she has a talking cat called Conrad!  Or more accurately, Conrad has a human!  Lulu may have retired but she still has a nose for sniffing out crime with Conrad's help (he has a much better sense of smell, after all).

I couldn't put this book down once I picked it up and started and finished it on the same day.  I was really torn between racing through the pages as I was enjoying it so much and slowing down to savour every word and extend my time with Conrad.  The kidnapping story was too gripping though so speed reading won.

The Cat and the Christmas Kidnapper is an intriguing and compelling cosy crime that is impossible to put down.  It's beautifully written with a clever plot, well-developed characters and a gripping police investigation.  It's a wonderful, charming and original book that will be a delight to find in your Christmas stocking this year.  Very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: The Cat Who Cracked a Cold Case (Conrad the Cat Detective Book 3) - L T Shearer

A crime gone unsolved for five years . . .

The life of Lulu Lewis, a retired police detective, took an unforgettable turn when Conrad first introduced himself to her. Unforgettable because:

a) Conrad is a special cat.

b) Special because he told her so.

Yes, that’s right, he can talk.

(For obvious reasons, this ability remains a closely guarded secret while they live together on her canal boat, The Lark.)

Visiting an old friend in Manchester, the pair stumble across a chilling news report about a trail of bodies found across the city that echo a string of cold case murders from Lulu’s past in London.

Joining forces with the local police, the pair must use every ounce of their intuition in order to find a connection between the seemingly random killings – and track down a ruthless murderer . . .

What did I think?

I didn't realise that this was the third book in a series when I picked it up but it can totally be read as a standalone because I loved it.  I am so pleased that I have found this fabulous cosy mystery series and I plan to read the first two books as I'm missing Conrad and Lulu already.

Lulu might have retired from the police force but she still has a copper's nose and Conrad has a cat's nose for sniffing out criminals too.  I absolutely loved the special relationship between Lulu and Conrad and how Conrad travels around on Lulu's shoulders.  Conrad is definitely more of a companion than a cat and it feels completely natural for Lulu to have two-way conversations with him.

I really liked the waterway setting that might suggest a gentle pacing but the cosy mystery plotline is so multi-stranded and compelling that I couldn't put the book down, reading it in half the time I expected.  It is even bringing a smile to my face now, especially thinking about part of the story when Lulu and Conrad are hot on the tail of a thief.

Completely original and incredibly compelling, The Cat Who Cracked a Cold Case is the cosiest of cosy mysteries.  It entertained and delighted me, in addition to warming my heart and leaving a smile on my face.  L T Shearer has gained a new fan; I can't wait to read more about Lulu and Conrad.  A 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:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

L T Shearer has had a lifelong love of canal boats and calico cats, and both are combined in The Cat Who Caught a Killer, a one-of-a-kind debut crime novel. The story continues with The Cat Who Solved Three Murders and The Cat Who Cracked a Cold Case. 

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Everything Love Is - Claire King

From the author of The Night Rainbow: a poignant, mysterious and unforgettable story of love, and of the happy endings we conceive for ourselves

What I want is something that makes me feel alive. Joy, passion, despair, something to remember or something to regret. I want to have my breath taken away. 

Baptiste Molino has devoted his life to other people's happiness. Moored on his houseboat on the edge of Toulouse, he helps his clients navigate the waters of contentment, yet remains careful never to make waves of his own.

Baptiste is more concerned with his past than his future: particularly the mysterious circumstances of his birth and the identity of his birth mother. But Sophie, the young waitress in his local bar, believes it is time for Baptiste to rediscover passion and leads him into the world on his doorstep he has long tried to avoid. 

However, it is Baptiste's new client who may end up being the one to change his perspective. Elegant and enigmatic, Amandine Rousseau is fast becoming a puzzle he longs to solve. As tensions rise on the streets of the city, Baptiste's determination to avoid both the highs and lows of love begins to waver. And when his mother's legacy finally reveals itself, he finds himself torn between pursuing his own happiness and safeguarding that of the one he loves.

What did I think?

Everything Love Is has to be the most hauntingly beautiful, thought provoking and poignant story I have read this year; it well and truly captured my heart.  I admit that I didn't think I was going to enjoy it at first as I didn't really know what was going on, or indeed from whose point of view I was reading, but then as if the sun appeared from behind a cloud it all became clear.  The confusion is part of the point of the story, you see, as you really do get to step into the shoes of a person with dementia and it quite honestly almost broke my heart.

Baptiste is an orphan after an unconventional entrance into the world.  He was born on a train to a woman in a green coat carrying a violin case.  Unfortunately his mother died during childbirth and he was brought up by the off-duty midwife who delivered him on the train.  Baptiste knows nothing of his ancestors so it is no surprise that he is happy with his own company and lives on a houseboat, named Candice, in Toulouse.  He makes friends with Sophie, a girl working in his local bar who draws birds on her patrons' napkins. Sophie draws a kingfisher for Baptiste, a bird that looks below the surface of the water rather than its own reflection, a skill that Baptiste has as part of his job as a therapist.

Amandine comes to Baptiste's houseboat for therapy, although quite who is the patient and who is the doctor is a bit muddied as Amandine questions Baptiste about his past.  Baptiste falls in love with Amandine but she is his patient so he struggles with his feelings. Throughout the book Baptiste refers, with great affection, to someone with the pet name 'Chouette'; continuing the bird theme, chouette is translated as owl.  Could this be Amandine?

Everything Love Is is most definitely a book to be read twice.  The first read is filled with questions that all become clear on the way through whereas the second read makes it even more poignant as our eyes are wide open from the start.  It is an absolute masterpiece filled with colourful and poetic prose.  Claire King has given us a heart-breaking and poignant insight into a devastating condition - a condition where we lose our loved ones even though they can be standing right in front of us.  A stunning book, both inside and out.

I received this book from the publisher, Bloomsbury, in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:



Buy it from Amazon