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Book Review: The Start of Something Wonderful, by Jessica Redland

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The Start of Something Wonderful

 

About the book, The Start of Something Wonderful The Start of Something Wonderful

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Boldwood Books (July 17, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 344 pages

Autumn Laine has lost her creative sparkle. After losing her grandad and her job as an illustrator in quick succession, she is at a crossroads in life and needs a break. Spending time with her parents in Paris, even in the artistic community of Montmartre, doesn’t appear to be the answer.

So when her penpal, Rosie, invites her to stay in the Lake District, Autumn jumps at the chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of Paris. After all, where better to re-discover her creativity than the place which inspired her heroine, Beatrix Potter?

Arriving at the picturesque lakeside village of Willowdale, Autumn is swept up by the beauty and magic of the stunning landscape. Welcomed into the community with open arms, she slowly starts to feel like herself again as her creative instincts re-ignite.

But when she meets Dane, who has escaped to the Lakes for his own reasons, will Autumn’s walls come down to let someone in again after so long? Or will the secrets of her past continue to hold her back?

A new beginning is a daunting prospect, but could it be the start of something wonderful too..?


Join million-copy bestseller Jessica Redland for a brand new series, full of love, friendship and community.

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About the author, Jessica Redland _MHP7839

Jessica Redland writes emotional but uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and community. Her Whitsborough Bay books transport readers
to the stunning North Yorkshire Coast where she lives with her husband, daughter and sprocker spaniel. Her Hedgehog Hollow series, set in a
hedgehog rescue centre, takes readers into the beautiful rolling countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds.

Connect with Jessica:

Website | Bookbub | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

My Thoughts MissMeliss - 2023

I’ve read a couple of Jessica Redland’s other titles, so I was happy to dive into her latest creation, The Start of Something Wonderful. I was not disappointed. The title character, Autumn, an artist whose biggest influence was Beatrix Potter, is in a period of flux -lost love, changes at work, the loss of her beloved grandfather. Even spending time in Paris isn’t jump-starting her creativity.  This is a woman who needs a retreat, and her long-term friend Rosie offers one: come to the Lake District and find your sparkle again.

I really loved that the core relationship in this novel was of female friends, pen-pals who have never before met in person, but have been writing back and forth for a quarter of a century. In this age of texts and instant messages, the notion of a friendship that’s almost exclusively restricted to pen and paper is a romantic one. As a letter-writer myself, I really appreciated Redland’s choice to have Autumn and Rosie interact that way.  As always, Redland writes her female characters with insight and delicacy, making them feel like women we might run into in the coffee shop or post office, and the male characters, Etienne the ex, and Dane the children’s book writer, are equally dimensional.

One place where Redland excels is in the description of places. Whether she’s talking about artsy Montmartre or the lush landscape of the Lake District, this author really makes you feel as if you’re there. In this novel we get to travel to both, and the experience is fantastic. Similarly, the detail of Rosie’s riding and the stables where she works and the progression of Autumn’s art are written very plausibly. I like that their avocations and vocations weren’t mere afterthoughts, but were integral parts of the story.

While this novel is, ostensibly, a romance, I found that the deeper relationships were friendship and family.  Either way, it’s a deliciously satisfying read, light enough for a summer escape, but not at all insipid. Billed as the first in a new series, I can honestly say that this novel is The Start of Something Wonderful in more than just name.

Goes well with: hot tea and buttered popovers with strawberry jam.

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ALL CHANGE BEACH HOTEL COVER

Book Review: All Change at the Beach Hotel by Francesca Capaldi

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All Change at the Beach Hotel

About the Book, All Change at the Beach Hotel ALL CHANGE BEACH HOTEL COVER

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Canelo Hera (20 July 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages

Can she choose between her duty and her heart?

While World War One changes the country beyond measure, with food becoming scarce and Britain’s young men being called up to foreign battlefields, it is harder than ever to keep the grand Beach Hotel in Littlehampton running smoothly.

Waitress Lili Probert, a young woman who escaped her demanding family in Wales in search of a new life in Sussex, has seen her hard work rewarded at the Beach Hotel, but hides heartbreak behind her sunny personality. Her sweetheart, Norman, is missing in action and has been presumed dead, but she cannot give up hope that he may be found.

But when she meets injured soldier Rhodri, a fellow Welshman now living near Littlehampton, she fights hard to ignore her growing attraction for him, torn between her feelings for him and her loyalty to the man she thought she’d spend her life with.

But her emotions run ever higher when she suddenly receives a call from home; her mother is gravely ill and Lili is needed for her care. Returning to Wales, Lili must make a difficult choice. Follow her dreams and make her own life, or return to the place she tried so hard to escape?

Torn between her duty and her heart, Lili faces her own battle far from the conflicts in Europe…

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

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About the Author, Francesca Capaldi All Change Francesca Capaldi

Francesca has enjoyed writing since she was a child. Born in Worthing and brought up in Littlehampton in Sussex, she was largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was brilliant at improvised story telling. A history graduate and qualified teacher, she decided to turn her writing hobby into something more in 2006, when she joined a writing class.​

Writing as both Francesca Capaldi and Francesca Burgess, she has had many short stories published in magazines in the UK and abroad, along with several pocket novels published by DC Thomson.

Her Welsh World War 1 sagas were inspired by the discovery of the war record of her great grandfather, a miner in South Wales. Her latest series, The Beach Hotel, is set in her own childhood town, where her Italian father had a café on the riverside.​

Francesca is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. She currently lives on the North Downs in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.

Connect with Francesca:

Website | Facebook author page | Instagram | Tiktok | Twitter

My ThoughtsMissMeliss - 2023

So many period romance novels are set against the backdrop of World War II, that when a series like the Beach Hotel series by Francesca Capaldi, set against World War I, comes along, it feels refreshing and new, even though it’s technically historical. Still, the struggles of living under scarcity caused by war, the worries we have about our loved ones either deployed or waiting at home, and the dreams we have for love and a satisfying life are universal, and this author has captured them extremely well in this second novel in the series: All Change at the Beach Hotel.

Main character Lili is so well drawn, and so human, that she could be a young woman of any age – she’s left home to stand on her own and build a life on her own terms, but finds herself torn between her MIA boyfriend Norman, and the very present injured soldier Rhodri. It’s a scenario we experience today, when we go off to school or move for a job and leave our first loves behind, and I loved the way author Capaldi imbued this story with a sense of wistfulness.

Another universal theme is obligation to family, which in this case is Lili’s obligation to go home and care for her ailing mother. Even the best mother-daughter relationships can become strained by the role-reversal that comes when the child becomes caregiver to the parent, and in this book that relationship is explored with deft delicacy.

Lili’s fundamental question is which is more important: her obligations to her family, or her obligation to herself. This novel gives a satisfying, compelling look at a completely relatable situation, with dimensional characters, and a vivid sense of place.

I didn’t read the first book in the series (though I now want to) but I didn’t feel that my experience lacked anything. All Change at the Beach Hotel works very well as a standalone story.

Goes well with: fish and chips and a good craft-brewed ale.

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New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock copy

Book Review: New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock, by Hannah Lynn

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New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock - Banner

 

About the Book, New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock copy

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Boldwood Books (July 14, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 280 pages

New starts and hopeful hearts…

At 25, Daisy May’s life is not living up to expectations. Her childhood dreams of being an artist feel as unachievable as a committed relationship or managing to save enough money for a deposit on a house. But a surprise inheritance could change all that.

After Daisy learns she’s now the new owner of a forty-foot narrow boat, she sets out for Wildflower Lock, where the fresh country breeze and the calm water is enough to assure her everything will be okay.

With the help of the ruggedly attractive, yet grumpy riverman, Theo, she begins to work on her new home, the September Rose. Can she breathe new life into the old boat and learn to navigate not only the canals themselves, but also the people who live there? Or will the whole venture pull her under?

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About the Author, Hannah Lynn

Hannah Lynn is the author of over twenty books spanning several genres. As well as signing a new romantic fiction series, Boldwood will be republishing the first of her bestselling Sweet Shop series, inspired by her Cotswolds childhood, The Sweet Shop of Second Chances in April 2023.

Connect with Hannah:

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My Thoughts MissMeliss - 2023

As someone who as always fantasized about living on a boat, this book hooked me from the start. Why? Because twenty-five-year-old Daisy May, heartbroken wannabe artist, inherits a forty-foot narrow boat in the books’s beginning, and afterward, a delightful story full of hope and hijinks, ensues.

First, there are the realities of inheriting and renovating a boat – not something you can do when you don’t have much money. Then there are her good friends Becks and Claire, who support her, encourage her, help her clean out the boat, and keep her laughing even when she’s receiving yet another bill she has to pay. And then there’s the handsome guy, Theo, who has the boat in the next mooring.

What I loved about this story was that there was humor even in the worst calamaties. I also appreciated that, even with every thing thrown at her, Daisy never gives up. Whether it’s people complaining that she’s leaving things in the path as she cleans, or threaten her because of unreasonable noise after an impromptu dance party, Daisy doesn’t walk away. Her sheer stubbornness makes her interesting and endearing, and also represents one of her flaws. I like characters who aren’t perfect.

I also liked that the exposition of Daisy’s family history – her deceased father, her tight-lipped mother, and the grandfather who left her the boat – came out organically rather than in a single info-dump. Backstory is important, but getting it through conversations and actions is much better than having it presented as a lump, and making it seem natural is a skill not every author has.

I liked the use of dialogue and dialect to differentiate the local rivermen and -women from city girls like Daisy, something I appreciated in print and really enjoyed in the audio version of this novel.

Overall, New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock is a breezy summer read that does not disappoint. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

Goes well with: pop music, water color paints, and cold beer.

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learning to fly hires front

Book Review: Learning to Fly Alien Spacecraft, by Fay Abernethy

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Learning to Fly Alien Spacecraft

 

About the Book, Learning to Fly Alien Spacecraft learning to fly hires front

  • Genre: Science Fiction
  • Publisher: ‎ Fay Abernethy (July 3, 2023)
  • Language: ‎ English
  • Paperback : ‎ 426 pages

What if the secret alien space station protecting the Earth went PUBLIC?

Hanna Abebe has come far since leaving Ethiopia. All the way to the other end of the galaxy, in fact. And although her course at the Essoona Pilots’ Academy is tough, it’s not as tough as maintaining the ultimate long-distance relationship . . .

Astronaut Dan Simpson is furious. The Galaksi Alliance have exiled him on a remote planet to stop him telling NASA about them before they’re ready. But by the time they come to take him home, Dan has fallen in love with an enigmatic alien and decides to stay. Only then does he discover what a perilous business his new girlfriend is involved in . . .

At last! Captain Joe Llewellyn has permission to initiate first contact via the UN. But if he messes it up, the Galaksi Alliance could cancel the Shantivira’s funding, leaving the Earth defenceless. So, no pressure. All goes well until a rogue Samaritan flies a cargo ship through months of painstaking negotiations . . .

This character-driven eco science fantasy is a must-read for fans of Becky Chambers, Ursula Le Guin, Douglas Adams and Doctor Who.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Goodreads

About the Author, Fay Abernethy Fay_72dpi

Fay Abernethy left the UK more than twenty years ago, seeking adventure.

When not diving with sharks or falling off horses, she worked as an engineer in the automotive industry. Later, she started her own translating business and settled down in Germany with the man of her dreams.

Pre-children, they explored the Alps together – on foot in summer and on skis or snowshoes in winter. She now lives the life of a respectable citizen, having discovered that being a parent is the greatest adventure of them all.

Why does she write? To find out what happens next, of course!

Connect with Fay:

Website | Amazon Author Page | Bookbub | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

My Thoughts MissMeliss - 2023

I don’t usually jump into a series without having read the first book, but the title of this novel, Learning to Fly Alien Spacecraft, hooked me, so I took a chance. Wow! Am I glad I did! While I read tons of science fiction and fantasy as a teen and young adult, I’ve largely fallen out of the habit (with the exception of Star Trek novels), and this book felt like being welcomed back into the home of speculative fiction. It’s a delightful read, with interesting characters, and plot that wasn’t hard to follow at all.

There are so many characters in this book, that it feels like an ensemble piece, but standouts were Hanna, a human who was sold as a maid when she was very young, Joe, who is the sort of big-brother character anyone would benefit from having, and Kitty, a space-demon (and Joe’s wife) who sometimes takes the form of a jaguar. All the characters, human and other, were well drawn, and author Fay Abernethy really makes the reader feel as if they’re a new resident in the house for humans who are – as the title says – learning to fly spacecraft.

Of course, the novel is more than races through the stars and acquiring flight and combat skills, it’s also a glimpse at a future where several alien cultures have formed an alliance and are working cooperatively to protect each other and each of their world’s resources. I loved the alien culture that Abernethy created, and appreciated how it was inserted organically. Most things aren’t spelled out, but explained through context, and I appreciate that the author trusted her readers to get it

If, like me, you want to read about a near-future that isn’t perfect but is still positive, Learning to Fly Alien Spacecraft is an excellent choice. It’s meaty enough for adult readers, but suitable for tweens and teens as well. While the experience of this story would have been richer had I begun with book one (The Cleaner, the Cat, and the Space Station), book two stands alone as a complete and satisfying story.

Goes well with: a somewhat wonky-looking birthday cake and a cup of coffee.

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The French Chateau Dream

Book Review: The French Chateau Dream, by Julie Caplin

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The French Chateau Dream

 

About the Book, The French Chateau Dream The French Chateau Dream

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HARPER COLLINS (July 1, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English

When wedding planner Hattie signs up for her dream job, organising her cousin’s wedding in France, it offers the perfect escape from a relationship that’s been going south for a while.

Unfortunately when she arrives at the idyllic Chateau St Martin, not everyone is as enthusiastic about the forthcoming wedding, including Luc Bremont, son of the owner of the chateau.

Luc has finally been given the chance to make his own champagne at the family vineyard and everything rests on making it a success, the last thing he wants is the distraction of a big wedding at the chateau.

Will Hattie be able to build bridges between the inhabitants of the chateau in order to allow the wedding to go ahead?

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Goodreads

About the Author, Julie Caplin Julie Caplin Bookshelf

Julie caplin, formerly a PR director, swanned around Europe for many years taking top food and drink writers on press trips (junkets) sampling the gastronomic delights of various cities in Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, Copenhagen and Switzerland. It was a tough job but someone had to do it.

These trips have provided the inspiration and settings for the highly successful Romantic Escapes series which have hit the best seller charts in Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic and have sold a million copies worldwide.

The first book in the nine strong series, The Little Café in Copenhagen, was shortlisted for a Romantic Novel of the Year Award.

Connect with Julie:

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My Thoughts MissMeliss - 2023

Just in time for the heat of summer is Julie Caplin’s latest novel, the bubbly (but not too fluffy) romance, The French Chateau Dream.

In this installment of her Romantic Escapes series, author Caplin follows Hattie to an estate in France where she’ll be taking over as her cousin’s wedding planner. There she meets the owner’s son Luc, and hijinks ensue. Except it isn’t all hijinks. There’s some very real family drama which has French history, especially where champagne and World War Two are concerned, cleverly woven into a plausible story where secrets abound but love is also strong.

I loved Hattie’s no-nonsense English style and the way it brushed against Luc’s thoughtful French aesthetic. I liked that each of these lead characters was strong enough to have an independent storyline, but that they meshed well, and worked together well to further a plot that had just the right pacing. Like the perfect champagne, the dialogue in this novel was crisp, with just a hint of saltiness at times – but that only added character.

I appreciated the character of Marthe, the doyenne of Luc’s family, as well. It can be challenging to write older women as both fragile and strong – the contradiction is hard to capture – but Caplin has done so very deftly, and she quickly became one of my favorite supporting characters.

I also liked that the chateau itself was a non-speaking character in this story. Old houses hold more than secret rooms, they absorb the energy of those who dwelt within them, and this house was the ultimate backdrop for Caplin’s blend of secrets, romance, and history.

Overall, this novel was a delightful read, light enough for beach reading, but not so frothy it felt saccharine.

Goes well with: chilled champagne and fresh strawberries still warm from the sun.

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#Book #Review & #Giveaway: The Llama Farm on New Moon Lane by Laura Briggs

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The Llama Farm on New Moon Lane

About the Book, The Llama Farm on New Moon Lane

  • The Llama Farm on New Moon Lane CoverPublication date ‏ : ‎ April 27, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1213 KB
  • Scroll down for Giveaway

Young and quiet, Lucy Granger leads an introverted life in Reading, living in a flat and working in design at a graphics company—
until it is upended when she both sells her idea for a mobile game and suffers an unexpected medical diagnosis shortly afterwards.

Facing a mandated medical rest period, she decides to use her windfall earnings to take a year’s holiday, renting a farm on New Moon Lane in a country village in Yorkshire.
As Lucy settles into her holiday home for some tranquility, she soon learns that she is not the only tenant, when a llama named Llarry strolls out of the farm’s supposedly-derelict barn.
He is shortly followed by others in a menagerie of abandoned animals left behind—from a sickly donkey who likes eating crisps to a flirtatious cockerel sleeping in the back garden.

To Lucy’s consternation, no one is willing or able to take them on, leaving her with a strange mix of furry and feathered friends to find homes for.
Reluctantly adapting to her circumstances in order to deal with this problem, Lucy will discover other surprises about the animals in her care,
and the place she is temporarily calling home. About herself, as well.

Will her ordinary life ever be the same after her experience on New Moon Lane? More importantly, should she really want it to be?

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Purchase Link | Goodreads

About the Author, Laura Briggs

Laura Briggs is the author of several feel-good romance reads, including the Top 100 Amazon UK seller ‘A Wedding in Cornwall’.

She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, caring for her pets, gardening, and seeing the occasional movie or play.

Connect with Laura:

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My Thoughts

The Llama Farm on New Moon Lane is a delightful read, light enough for a summer weekend, and definitely a feel-good story, but not terribly fluffy or frothy.

I love that the protagonist, Lucy, is a woman with a job in a STEM field. She codes for one company as her day job, but also designs video games. One, in particular,
which follows the life of a hedgehog, ought to be real, because I think every reader would want to play it. As well, her submission of that game to a contest by a game
publisher is what gives Lucy her second career, and provides the funds for her medical break to the titular Llama Farm .

As someone who is always telling her husband whenever there’s a donkey, llama or (because we live in Florida), sugar glider, in need of rescue, I understood
Lucy’s initial trepidation at caring for the unexpected animals that came with her new, rural, home, and the way she grew to love them. (My husband has limited
our livestock acquisitions to dogs).

I also loved her interactions with her neighbor, Fran, and with Liam, an apparently autistic boy for whom visits to the animals are a form of unofficial
therapy.

Author Laura Briggs has given us a vivid story replete with charming animals, and a lovely landscape. (I’ve only ever been to London, never Yorkshire, and this
book has reminded me how much I’d love to visit there). All of the characters – human and animal – felt very real, and I enjoyed this escape into a quieter,
gentler live very much.

Goes well with hot tea and cucumber sandwiches.

Giveaway

New Moon Giveaway Collage

Giveaway – Win an e-copy of The Llama Farm on New Moon Lane (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.
The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email.
If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner.
Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.
Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties,
with the exception of the winners’ information.
This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.
I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

 

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One Summer Cover 9781803284521

Book #Review: One Summer in Sicily by Nancy Barone

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About the book, One Summer in Sicily One Summer Cover 9781803284521

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Aria; 1st edition (June 8, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 8, 2023
  • Print length: 347 pages

A new fun and fresh rom-com set in Sicily by Canadian-Italian author Nancy Barone.

In an attempt to resuscitate her twenty-five-year-old marriage, aerophobic Gillian Dobson knocks down a few tranquilisers and takes a dreaded flight to the Sicilian Island of Lipari to surprise her husband, away on a business trip. But her troubles are just about to begin…

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Aria Publishing | Purchase Link | Goodreads

About the author, Nancy Barone One Summer Barone_Nancy

Nancy Barone grew up in Canada, but at the age of 12 her family moved to Italy. Catapulted into a world where her only contact with the English language was her old Judy Blume books, Nancy became an avid reader and a die-hard romantic. Nancy stayed in Italy and, despite being surrounded by handsome Italian men, she married an even more handsome Brit. They now live in Sicily where she teaches English.

Nancy is a member of the RWA and a keen supporter of the Women’s Fiction Festival at Matera where she meets up once a year with writing friends from all over the globe.

Connect with Nancy:

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My Thoughts MissMeliss - 2023

I always love a novel where the protagonist isn’t a twenty-something girl with very little life experience. In Gillian Dobson, the lead character of One Summer in Sicily, author Nancy Barone has given us a brilliantly flawed, mature (but not old) woman. Married for twenty years, she visits Sicily to surprise her husband only to find that the surprise is on her, and it’s not a happy one.

Subsequently we get to see Gillian, who already conquered aerophobia to get to Sicily in the first place, deal with all the issues women deal with when they are in transition: self-esteem, body image, loneliness. While she challenges herself to conquer these issues, it’s the journey that makes the story, and author Barone has crafted an excellent plot.

I enjoyed the language choices the author used, and the way Sicily seemed like a character in the novel. rather than merely a setting. I liked Gillian, and rooted for her. But, speaking as someone who is about to turn 53, forty is not old, especially in today’s world, and the younger woman (the surprise she finds her husband with) is only a few years younger – in her mid thirties. Making Gillian truly middle-aged – mid forties to mid fifties – and/or making the younger woman significantly younger would have given the story more impact and made Gillian even more sympathetic.

Over all, though, this was a satisfying read, and I will happily read more of Barone’s work.

Goes well with: espresso and a cannoli with citron.

 

The Cruise Cover

Book Review: The Cruise, by Caroline James

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The Cruise Full Tour Banner

 

The Cruise CoverAbout the book, The Cruise

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ One More Chapter (April 20, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 20, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English

Three women.
One widowed.
One unmarried.
One almost divorced.
All aged 63, but not ready to give up on life!

Leaving behind the heartache, guilt and disappointment of their real lives, three friends decide that now they’re in their sixties, it’s time they finally did something for themselves!

Swapping Christmas turkeys and BBC reruns for crystal waters, white sandy beaches and smooth golden rum, Anne, Jane and Kath throw caution (and tradition) to the wind as they set sail on a luxury two-week Christmas cruise around the Caribbean.

Will the three friends find the comfort and joy they seek aboard the Diamond Star?

 

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Purchase Link | Goodreads

Caroline James

About the Author, Caroline James

Best-selling author of women’s fiction, Caroline James, has owned and run businesses encompassing all aspects of the hospitality industry, a subject that often features in her novels. She is based in the UK but escapes whenever lockdown allows. A public speaker, which has included talks and lectures on cruise ships worldwide, Caroline is also a consultant and food writer. Caroline writes articles and runs writing workshops, is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association, the Society of Women’s Writers & Journalists and the Society of Authors. In her spare time, Caroline can be found walking with Fred, her Westie and in summer, wild water swimming. In winter, when not working, she relaxes with her head in a book and hand in a box of chocolates.

Connect with Caroline:

Website |  Amazon | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

 

My Thoughts

MissMeliss

In Caroline James’s fabulous new novel, The Cruise, Jane, Kath, and Anne are three single women in their sixties who decide to ditch the winter weather in the UK and go on a Caribbean cruise for singles over fifty.

While I am not single (I’ve been married forever), I fit the over-fifty demographic, and I really appreciated this fun, feisty, sometimes flirtatious story. Fifty may not quite be the new thirty, but contemporary fifty- and sixty-year-olds are definitely healthier, more energetic, and ‘feel’ younger than they did when our grandparents were that age. It was so refreshing to read a story that really understands that, that I was hooked just from the concept.

More than that, though, I loved the premise. Cruise ships are the perfect microcosms of society, and time aboard one is like living in a heightened reality for a week or two. (Having come off a cruise in March, I’m still wistful for morning coffee on my balcony and free mimosas at brunch.)

I liked that the author gave each of these women her own story, though Jane’s arc was the most dramatic, and I appreciated that she was able to truly find herself on her voyage. I also liked the way the friendship between all three women was depicted. Too often women in novels are catty to each other. These women tease each other but are also supportive, which is how the best friendships should be.

The male characters aboard ship are vivid and interesting as well. Setwyn, traveling with his deceased wife’s ashes (and leaving them in the various ports he visits) had such a poignant story. I’d read a whole novel just about him. And Dicky, the ultimate lounge lizard-type cruise entertainer was deliciously smarmy.

Despite being set at Christmas, this novel is the perfect beach read. (After all, it’s always summer in the Caribbean!) It’s substantive enough to be satisfying, and light enough to zip through in a weekend. Great read!

Goes well with: any rum-based cocktail that comes with a paper umbrella.

 

A New Year for the Sea Side Girls

Book Review: A New Year for the Seaside Girls, by Tracy Baines

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A New Year For The Seaside Girls

About the book, A New Year for the Seaside Girls

  • Publisher: ‎ Boldwood Books (April 14, 2023)
  • Language: ‎ English
  • Paperback: ‎ 304 pages
  • Series: The Seaside Girls (Book 3 of 3)
A New Year for the Sea Side Girls

Cover: A New Year for the Seaside Girls

Can the Seaside Girls embrace the new year with courage…

Cleethorpes – 1940

As the new year dawns the show at the Empire comes to an end and it’s time for the girls to move on.

Years of struggle are over for Frances O’ Leary when Johnny Randolph returns to make things right for her and their daughter – do they have a chance of happiness? of being a family after so long?

But their good fortune is fraught with complications when sister Ruby Randolph decides to have her last hurrah, leaving a trail of devastation in her wake.

Jessie Delaney is afraid to follow her dreams and leave those she loves behind – can she really have it all?

All the seaside girls have their own battles to fight. And while they figure things out it’s time for them to do their bit for the war and keep Britain smiling.

A gritty and heart-warming saga perfect for readers of Elaine Everest, Nancy Revell and Pam Howes.

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About the author, Tracy Baines

Tracy Baines Author Photo

Tracy Baines

Tracy Baines is the bestselling saga writer of The Variety Girls series, originally published by Ebury, which Boldwood will continue with. She was born and brought up in Cleethorpes and spent her early years in the theatre world which inspired her writing. The first title of her new saga series for Boldwood – set amongst the fisherfolk of Grimsby – was published in October 2022.

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My Thoughts

MissMeliss

MissMeliss

I’m late to the party on the Seaside Girls trilogy, so before I say anything else, please know: while reading the first two books would likely be helpful, A New Year for the Seaside Girls works just fine as a stand-alone novel. There was enough backstory, both explicit and in context, that the continuing elements were easy to follow, the the events specific to this novel were interesting and well written.

As a former theater kid, I always love stories that are set backstage and in the wings of performance spaces, and this novel is a perfect example of that. Set in 1940, against the early days of World War II, this book looks at what happens to working performers when theaters go dark, but bills still have to be paid, and life must continue. While this is, at heart, a family story with a hearty splash of romance, author Tracy Baines did not shy away from the gritty reality that comes with the theatrical life. Sometimes, accommodations can be sketchy. Sometimes gigs can be slightly unsavory. This book doesn’t soft-pedal those things, but it also isn’t a tragedy, and it does soften the edges somewhat to serve the story.

Frances, former lover of Johnny (and mother of his unknown-to-him child) and Ruby, Johnny’s sister and stage-partner, are the real stars of this novel, and it is their stories we follow. Both women are strong, capable, and determined, but they handle challenges in different ways. Where Frances builds a network of other performers, including a dancer who took care of her daughter for a long while, Ruby is the type to retreat. She comes out of her emotional hibernation when necessary, but her first reaction is to shield herself, and there is nothing wrong with that. What I liked about both characters is that they are loving and giving, each in her way, and they are never pitted as adversaries, just different personalities with different needs.

Johnny is the male lead, and he’s forced to be “the man” of both the performing family he has with his sister, and their parents (who are off-stage in many ways) and of the family he has formed and is rediscovering with Frances. What I liked about him was that he didn’t rush into his lover’s life and dictate changes. Instead, he supported her choices, even when his own desires were delayed.

Author Baines handles all the characters deftly, letting us see what teach is thinking and feeling while balancing plot and exposition.

Overall, this novel is a satisfying conclusion to a series that was clearly written with both love and expertise. It’s an historical family saga that mixes drama, romance, filial love, and “that business we call show,” into a meaty, satisfying story that should entertain any reader.

Goes well with: hot chocolate spiked with a splash of rum.

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Michelle Salter BOOK ONE EBOOK FINAL

Book Review: Death at Crookham Hall, by Michelle Salter

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Death at Crookham Hall

 

 

About the book, Death at Crookham Hall Michelle Salter BOOK ONE EBOOK FINAL

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Boldwood Books (January 18, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 18, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print Length: 319 Pages

A fatal jump. A missing suffragette. An inexplicable murder.

London, 1920. When she catches news of a big story, reporter Iris Woodmore rushes to the House of Commons. But it’s a place that holds painful memories. In 1914, her mother died there when she fell into the River Thames during a daring suffragette protest. But in the shadow of Big Ben, a waterman tells Iris her mother didn’t fall – she jumped.

Iris discovers that the suffragette with her mother that fateful day has been missing for years, disappearing just after the protest. Desperate to know the truth behind the fatal jump, Iris’s investigation leads her to Crookham Hall, an ancestral home where secrets and lies lead to murder…

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About the author, Michelle Salter Michelle Salter Photo

Michelle Salter is a historical crime fiction writer based in northeast Hampshire. Many local locations appear in her mystery novels. She’s also a copywriter and has written features for national magazines. When she’s not writing, Michelle can be found knee-deep in mud at her local nature reserve. She enjoys working with a team of volunteers undertaking conservation activities.

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My Thoughts Melissa A Bartell

I love a good mystery, and I love a good period mystery even more, and if there’s a feminist theme running through it so much the better. Death at Crookham Hall is all three of these, and I enjoyed the author’s crisp prose and 1920s London setting very much. As an American, my only real reference to the women’s suffrage movement in England is limited to fictional media like Mary Poppins and Downton Abbey, so I can’t speak to whether the history depicted was accurate, but the emotional truths of the story rang true.

This book is marketed as the first Iris Woodmore mystery. Like many protagonists in cozy mysteries, Iris plays amateur detective throughout the novel, but it’s a conceit of the genre, and far more plausible for a journalist covering politics than, say, a cafe owner or bookseller (referencing two of my favorite contemporary cozy series). I liked that we saw her on the job first, and diving into the mystery – one with very personal connections, as it revolved around the apparent suicide of her own mother several years before.

I really appreciated that the titual Crookham Hall was almost a character in its own right, as old buildings tend to be, especially when they serve as a focal point for a story. Author Michelle Salter’s eye for details really sang in the descriptions of this and other locations. At one point I had to remind myself that smoking was common behavior in the 1920s, and that even today Europeans smoke far more than Americans seems to. (At least in my experience.)

I also liked that we got a glimpse into what it was like to be one of those trailblazing women who were among the first in Parliament. Specifically, the commentary about how what they wore often got more attention than that they said really struck me. (Sadly, the way media portrays women in politics has not changed appreciably in either of our countries since then. )

Part mystery, part courtroom drama, part period study, part cultural commentary, this novel was a rich and rewarding read. I hope to follow Iris Woodmore as her life and career develop. I’ll definitely read more of Michelle Salter’s work.

Goes well with: a glass of perfectly chilled champagne.

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