The Stars Will Shine Again: Helping Our Heroes One Page at A Time - Various Authors, edited by Emma Mitchell

The Stars Will Shine Again 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 crimes that will shake you to your core, magic and mystery, 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’re helping our heroes, one page at a time.

From authors such as Malcolm Hollingdrake, Tony Forder, Val Portelli, and Andrew Barrett, and several debut authors, including Sarah Hardy and Yvonne Bastian, you are in for one heck of a ride.

The Stars Will Shine Again is the perfect Christmas gift for the bookworms in your life.

A Note from Emma Mitchell:

As the blurb tells us, The Stars Will Shine Again is a multi-genre collection of short stories compiled to raise money for our armed forces and every penny made from the sales of both the digital and paperback copies will be donated to the charity Help for Heroes. Covid has made fundraising a difficult job for everyone, so it’s an honour to able to do something like this and I’m thankful to everyone involved. With huge thanks going once again to Amanda Horan for her support and fabulous cover design. You can find her at Let’s Get Booked.

I’ve picked the best of the submissions to bring you a thrilling book which is perfect for dipping into at lunchtime or snuggling up with on a cold winter’s night. I have been completely blown away by the support from the writing and blogging community, especially the authors who submitted stories and bloggers who have been so generous with their time to help advertise and spread the word.

There isn’t a person in the country who hasn’t benefited from the sacrifices our troops, past and present, have made for us and they all deserve our thanks.

It has been an honour working on these stories, and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have.

 

What did I think?

What a cracking little anthology!  There are lots of charity anthologies around at the moment and there's no easier or better way to support charities than by buying a book.  Help for Heroes is already a charity I support so it was my absolute pleasure to read and review this wonderful collection.

This book is filled with superb short stories, written by authors you may know and some names you may recognise from the book blogging community.  Each and every story is of amazingly high quality and I couldn't pick a favourite out from among them, although I have picked out a few authors to add to my watch list.

It's quite a quick read at only 261 pages, and you can dip in and out of it as the mood takes you or read it cover to cover in one sitting.  However you choose to read it, I can guarantee that you will enjoy every minute of it.  

I really must applaud Emma Mitchell for giving up some of her valuable time to organise and edit this fabulous collection.  With every penny made from the sale of each book being donated to such a worthy cause as Help for Heroes, I really can't recommend this book highly enough.

Many thanks to Emma Mitchell for sending me a digital ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Everyday Kindness: A collection of uplifting tales to brighten your day - Various Authors

 

Everyday Kindness is a charity anthology of short, fictional stories of kindness, edited by LJ Ross. These uplifting tales of hope and of small, everyday kindnesses are intended to support wider, positive mental health goals and foster wellbeing through the act of reading tales of goodwill inspired by others. Featuring authors across the spectrum of literature, some international bestsellers and award-winning writers amongst them, this is a unique collection of words.

All proceeds from the book will be donated to Shelter, a charity that helps millions of people a year struggling with bad housing or homelessness.

Authors include: LJ Ross, Adam Hamdy, Alex Smith, Alexander Gordon Smith, Alison Stockham, Anne O’Leary, Barbara Copperthwaite, J.D. Kirk, C.L. Taylor, Caroline Mitchell, Chris McDonald, C.K. McDonnell, Claire Sheehy, Clare Flynn, Darren O’Sullivan, David Leadbeater, Debbie Young, Deborah Carr, Emma Robinson, Graham Brack, Hannah Lynn, Heather Martin, Holly Martin, Ian Sainsbury, Imogen Clark, James Gilbert, Jane Corry, Jean Gill, J.J. Marsh, Judith O’Reilly, Kelly Clayton, Kim Nash, Leah Mercer, Liz Fenwick, Louise Beech, Louise Jensen, Louise Mumford, Malcolm Hollingdrake, Marcia Woolf, Mark Stay, Marcie Steele, Natasha Bache, Nick Jackson, Nick Quantrill, Nicky Black, Patricia Gibney, Rachel Sargeant, Rob Parker, Rob Scragg, S.E. Lynes, Shelley Day, Casey Kelleher, Sophie Hannah, Victoria Connelly, Victoria Cooke, Will Dean.

What did I think?

What a wonderful book!  There is so much warmth and compassion crammed into this superb anthology that it actually moved me to tears.  By buying a copy you'll not only get an awesome book but you'll also be helping the charity Shelter, which helps people who are homeless or are struggling with bad housing.  So although I always include buy links at the end of my review, I think it's worth adding one HERE too.

There's a very high probability that you will find at least one of your favourite authors in this collection, but you're sure to pick up one or two more along the way; I've added a lot of authors to my watch list after reading this fabulous book.  The quality of the writing is exceptional across the board and there's not one story that disappoints.  It's actually really impressive to see a lot of authors writing outside of their usual genre to create such wonderfully uplifting and compassionate stories.

Everyday Kindness is sure to leave a smile on the face of every single reader.  It's a veritable hug in a book and I certainly feel richer for having read it.  5 huge sparkly stars and a big shout out to LJ Ross for leading this magnificent project and making it happen.

I received an ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The C Word: For some lockdown has been murder - various authors

 

100% of all royalties from The C Word will be donated to NHS Together Charities.

So, what do writers do during Lockdown? They create murder, mystery, death and destruction of course!

The C Word is a collection of short stories collated during the COVID-19 pandemic to raise money for NHS Charities Together. A plethora of wonderful stories created by a wide variety of writers, each with their own unique style. Some you will know already and some we’ve yet to introduce you to. However, we’re sure you’ll want to hear from each & every one of them again as we leave 2020 behind us.

With contributions from Steve Mosby, Sophie Hannah, Elly Griffiths, Sarah Hilary, Rob Scragg, Trevor Wood and many more

What did I think?

Compiled by SpellBound Books with 100% of royalties being donated to NHS Together Charities, there's something for everyone in this wonderful anthology.  With 26 contributors, you could find some of your favourite authors and maybe even a new favourite among them.  I often struggle with short stories but I have to say that this collection is fabulous and there's not one single story that I would rate less than four stars.  

It states on the cover that it's an anthology of murder, mystery, death and destruction so the stories have one thing in common: they're all dark.  Of course, some are darker than others but whether it gives you a gasp out loud or a goosebumpy surprise, I think every reader will find at least one favourite story that sticks with them.

The C Word is an outstanding charity anthology for a very good cause, so make sure you click one of those buy links below to show your support and gratitude for everything the NHS has done for us over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

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