All are welcome to attend the launch event forTales of Marrduck
Sunday 7th november 2021
10am-4pm
Westport Lake Visitor Centre
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST6 4RZ
Welcome to Marrduck, an ordinary looking garden pond where magic happens. Find out who and what live in and around the pond and the fantastic adventures they have. Travel through their journey with them and discover fabulous interesting facts about things that live above and below the water. Who is Taddy and what does he do? What do the children do to help the wee beasties and the environment? As you travel on the journey with the children, you will learn fascinating aspects of pond life and the role of each wee beastie. Tales of Marrduck will inspire children’s imagination and creativity as they read the story and colour in the lovely illustrations. It provides opportunities for initiating conversation around conservation issues both at home and at school. What can you do to help Taddy and his friends on their quest to save the local environment? Oh, and which way does your watch go?
From 10am till 4pm on Sunday 7th November. Heather Bourne (author) and Beverley Cooper (illustrator) will be at Westport Lake to sign books.
The Lord Mayor of Stoke is attending also.
There will be readings throughout the day and games for children. There are also 2 competitions – a colouring one just on the day, and a design a poster one running until the 17th December.
The winner of the colouring competition will win a signed book with Tales of Marrduck goodies. The (2) winners of the poster competition will be characters in the next book.
Echoes of Home is the perfect read for this time of the year, although I would have thoroughly enjoyed it at any time.
This is M.L. Rayner’s debut novel and what an excellent debut it is! As soon as I read the prologue I was gripped.
Leslie Wills had my sympathy from the very beginning. Finding himself the only son to stay at home, in Stoke-on-Trent, to look after his mother when his brothers had left the city long before to pursue dreams of their own without ever looking back or even keeping in touch. I could understand his resentment and I admired his loyalty to his parents.
When he finds himself alone in the world the last thing he expects is for the opportunity to start a new life in the Scottish Highlands. With nothing to keep him in Stoke any longer he gets in his car and starts the long journey north.
Nothing could prepare him for what he discovers when he finally arrives.
This is an unsettling tale which grabbed my attention immediately and held it to the very last page. It is full of mystery, suspense, and intriguing characters. It is incredibly atmospheric. I could easily visualise the setting. I could almost feel the cold and damp. It isn’t somewhere I would want to live, alone or otherwise, although I can appreciate the beauty of the place. I found it quite an emotional read, heart-breaking at times. It is a chilling read which gave me goosebumps on more than one occasion, especially towards the end!
I loved it!
If you’re looking for the perfect ghost story this Halloween, then look no further. I highly recommend!
Available now
About the author
M.L. Rayner
Born and bred in the county of Staffordshire. Matt is a keen reader of classical, horror and fantasy literature and enjoys writing in the style of traditional ghost stories. During his working life, Matt joined the ambulance service in 2009, transporting critically ill patients all over the UK. After writing his first novel, Matt was welcomed into the family of Question Mark Press publishing and now dedicates his time on future releases. His hobbies include genealogy and hiking, and he enjoys spending time with his wife, Emma, his children, and his family.
Perfect for Halloween! By M. L. Rayner Echoes Of Home: A Ghost Story After accepting a generous opportunity to start afresh, Leslie Wills, a young man from Stoke-on-Trent, eagerly begins his long-distance journey to the Scottish Highlands of Elphin, a settled village that sits huddled amongst the dominating mountains. Its people are welcoming, and the […]
Having read, and enjoyed, If Ever I Fall and How to Save a Life by S.D. Robertson, I was looking forward to reading The Daughter’s Choice, and I wasn’t disappointed.
When we are introduced to Rose, she is due to be married and as a pre-wedding gift her father sends her, and her maid of honour, for a spa break. Her maid of honour gets called away to a family emergency though, leaving Rose to try to relax alone. It’s not quite the same as sharing it with your best friend but she endeavours to make the best of it and soon finds herself chatting to another lady who is there alone too. She doesn’t know this woman from Adam but soon finds she’s telling her all about herself. How do some complete strangers seem to have a way of putting you at ease enough to find yourself telling them your life story? I know I’ve done it before when chatting to random people (nothing like to this extent of course, but I can see how easy it would be when feeling relaxed in someone’s company, especially after a gin or two!).
I soon started to have my suspicions about this woman and wondered what an earth she was up to. I found myself worrying about Rose and wondering if this woman had some sinister reason for wanting to get to know her so badly. I was willing Rose to stop talking! I felt very uneasy about where the story was going and was desperate to find out what was going on. The chapters all end in a way that means you MUST read the next!
I did twig where the story was leading eventually but this didn’t hinder my enjoyment at all as I really wanted to know how it would all pan out. My heart went out to Rose, for more reasons than one. Such a lot of heartbreak, confusion, and deceit to process.
There is so much more I could say about the other characters in this book, but I don’t want to give anything away. It is so hard not to get carried away when talking about books like this.
This is such a unique and emotional story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I highly recommend!
**Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy via NetGalley**
Falling snow, sparkling champagne, and an ex that Libby would rather forget…
As chief bridesmaid, Libby knows she should be having the time of her life at her best friend’s snowy Christmas Eve wedding. But she’s at the mercy of three bossy little flower girls and she’s not looking her best in an enormous fuchsia dress. Which is a shame, as it is the first time she’s going to see her ex Rufus. The man she was supposed to marry. The man who left her alone at the altar…
As the dancing begins, and Libby does her best to avoid her ex, the snow outside falls faster and faster, making it impossible for the guests to leave. Snowed in at Lovage Hall, Libby is charmed by American Noah with his dark cropped hair and dimpled cheeks, and the two of them share their dreams and a very passionate kiss.
But when the morning comes, and the snow melts, a shocking revelation about Noah comes to light and Rufus reveals the desperately sad reason he ended their relationship. As Rufus begs for another chance, Libby’s head tells her to trust the man she’s known for years, but her heart can’t quite let go of the spark she had with Noah. Will she make the right decision for her own happy ending?
A gorgeous, romantic heart-warming read with characters that will find their way into your heart and stay there. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Shari Low and Jenny Colgan.
My review
I love Tilly Tennant’s writing, so I knew I was in for a treat when I started My Best Friend’s Wedding. I wasn’t wrong either (of course!) it is a fabulous read!
When we meet Libby, she is gearing herself up for her own wedding to Rufus. However, he breaks her heart in spectacular fashion and she is left quite bereft.
Her best friend is soon to be married though and Libby is her chief bridesmaid, so she has a lot to occupy her mind. The wedding is to take place in a posh hotel on Christmas Eve. I’m not sure if I like the idea of getting married on Christmas Eve if I’m honest but admittedly it did sound quite magical, at least to begin with. The day itself doesn’t go quite to plan.
I liked Libby although she does tend to overthink things somewhat. I guess we can all be like that sometimes though. She does have a lot to contend with, not least her own grief.
When Libby meets Noah, I could almost feel the chemistry between them. He is a VERY likeable character. I’m not surprised Libby is drawn to him. I loved their instant attraction, them trying to ignore it (quite unsuccessfully), and how their romance blossoms in such a short time. Things are rarely straight forward though and between Rufus’s interference, Noah’s secrets, and persistent snow it was never going to be as easy as boy meets girl, and they live happily ever after. How boring would that be anyway!
This story has it all! Friendship and romance, fun and laughter, twinkly lights and snow, heartache and loss but hope for a happier future. It is a rollercoaster of emotion which ends on a high. I loved it!
All the stars from me!
** Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy via NetGalley and to Bookouture for my stop on the blog tour**
Available now
About Tilly Tennant
Tilly Tennant was born in Dorset, the oldest of four children, but now lives in Staffordshire with a family of her own. After years of dismal and disastrous jobs, including paper plate stacking, shop assistant, newspaper promotions and waitressing (she never could carry a bowl of soup without spilling a bit), she decided to indulge her passion for the written word by embarking on a degree in English and creative writing. She wrote a novel in 2007 during her first summer break at university and hasn’t stopped writing since. She also works as a freelance fiction editor and part-time lecturer.
Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was her debut novel; published in 2014 it was an Amazon bestseller in both the UK and Australia. In 2016 she signed to the hugely successful Bookouture and is currently working on her fifteenth Tilly Tennant novel. Christmas bestseller A Very Vintage Christmas has just been made into a movie for Lifetime Channel.
Tilly also writes young adult fiction as Sharon Sant. Find out more about Tilly and how to join her mailing list for news and exclusives at http://www.tillytennant.com
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On the first Friday of each month I like to have a little look back at the books I was reading during the same month in previous years, since starting my blog!
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Here are my reviews from October 2020, plus a link to previous October FBFs….
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