Tuscan Dreams at the Cornish Confetti Agency: A gorgeously uplifting romantic comedy by Daisy James The Cornish Confetti Agency is heading to Tuscany! When Lexie Harrington is asked to choreograph a last-minute wedding for celebrity chef Nico Moretti and his fiancée Isla Sanderson, she can’t wait to get started, especially as the event of the year is set […]
Tuscan Dreams at the Cornish Confetti Agency by Daisy James @daisyjamesbooks #OUTNOW #BOOKPROMO
Poppy and Amelia didn’t set out to be witches. That happened quite by accident, and it’s a secret they must keep from their family and friends. Then there is Mia, the new girl in class. Pale, strange and deadly serious, she’s in need of a couple of equally weird friends. Poppy and Amelia are happy to oblige. Together, the three of them must thwart the plans of the sinister Miss Mortimer and her evil companions.
The Awesome Adventures of Poppy and Amelia is an awesome read indeed!
I have thoroughly enjoyed being swept along with Poppy and Amelia as they get to grips with becoming new witches. It’s all very exciting but isn’t without its dangers too, especially where Miss Mortimer is concerned.
Poppy and Amelia embrace their new responsibilities with courage and intelligence. They have lots of fun exploring their new powers and making memories with their new friend, and classmate, Mia. I enjoyed the friendship they develop. We don’t have to be the same as each other to be good friends and we have to stick together when it matters the most. These girls certainly do that.
This book is full of magic (in more ways than one), adventure, friendship, and fabulous characters who I look forward to meeting again sometime (hopefully).
I am 43 and I loved this story. I’m sure you would too, however old you are. If you have school aged children/grandchildren/nieces/nephews…. they will love it too. Why not buy a copy and read together? Or maybe gift a copy (or two). All profits from the sale of this gorgeous book go towards Leukaemia Research in memory of Posy Miller (Misha’s daughter and Maddy’s Aunt).
Hi, and welcome to my Flashback Friday feature!
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.
Please do join in, I’d love to see your posts 🙂 Don’t forget to share your link in the comments if you do.
Here are my reviews from January 2020 and a link to previous January FBFs….
(Apologies for the random layout, I have been compiling this list since January, before WordPress changed to block editing part way through the year!)
https://chataboutbooks.blog/2020/10/08/fionas-guardians-by-dan-klefstad-danklefstad-bookreview/
As the snow begins to fall, the body count begins to climb…
DI James Walker is ready for a quiet family Christmas in the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey.
But when he opens an early Christmas present left on his doorstep, he soon realises it is no gift. Inside is a gruesome surprise, and a promise – twelve days, twelve murders. Not long after, the first body is found, half frozen in the snow.
As the blizzards descend, panic spreads through the remote Cumbrian village – there’s a killer amongst them, and with eleven more victims to go, anyone could be next….
Can James stop the killer before they strike again?
The first in a new series, Alex Pine has written a dark, atmospheric crime novel, set in a snowed-in Cumbrian village, for fans of Val McDermid, Ross Greenwood and LJ Ross.
The Christmas Killer is the first of a new series which I have enjoyed over the last few days.
Set in a small, usually quiet village, DI James Walker receives a parcel, hand delivered to his doorstep, with gruesome contents and an odd message which he assumes must be a prank. That is until a man’s body is found in the snow. He has been stabbed. This inevitably triggers a murder investigation and makes James wonder if there might be more to the message he received not so long ago. He sincerely hopes not.
Before long the village is far from the peaceful place to live it once was. It will be no ordinary Christmas for the residents of Kirkby Abbey.
This is an easy read murder mystery, not particularly fast paced but with plenty going on along the way and many interesting characters. It very much held my interest, and I changed my mind several times throughout the story who I thought the killer might be. This was an easy book to enjoy at this time of year, although I think it would be an enjoyable read at any time of the year. I have enjoyed Alex Pine’s writing style and look forward to book 2 in this series.
She’s setting the terms…
In business and pleasure!
Lucas Waring was my brother’s best friend—before he broke my heart and betrayed my family. Yet one glance from those dark, intense eyes, and that bolt of aching need returns. Now Lucas wants my business. But the nice Eva he knew is gone forever and naughty Eva wants her cake, and a taste of deliciously hot Lucas, too. Only my heart’s about to pull the biggest betrayal of all…
Wow, if you need warming up this winter then you should definitely read this book!
At 28 years old Eva Beaumont is a successful businesswoman with her own company and seems to have it all. Until 31-year-old Lucas Waring, a highly successful businessman himself, strolls back into her life reminding her of what she has desired since she was 18 years old. He rejected her back then and she has never forgotten it. She hasn’t seen him since he was shunned from their family following a massive fall out years before. Ten years on, is he back to seek revenge…. Or is Lucas looking for something more than just a business relationship…. Does he even know himself….
I loved getting to know Eva and Lucas. The chemistry between them is blatantly obvious from the very beginning. I imagine Lucas is very easy on the eye 😉 It isn’t difficult to imagine why Eva finds him so alluring. She’s obviously a very beautiful lady too and her vulnerability, where Lucas is concerned, is endearing. She is naturally wary as he already broke her young heart once. There is also the feud between him and her family. What really did happen back then…. Is it enough to keep them apart?
Not for long!
A story of two people trying their best to fight their feelings for each other, to suit others, but failing spectacularly. There is such passion between these pages, which is sure to raise your temperature, but also true love and tenderness. Lucas knows his way around a woman’s body, but he is so sweet with Eva too. He adores her and they share a true connection with the potential for a lifetime of happiness.
I could barely read the last few pages for the tears in my eyes. A gorgeous read. I LOVED it!
If you love a steamy (hot is an understatement!) romance, then you will love this story too.
Many thanks to Rachael Stewart for my signed paperback which came as part of a fabulous giveaway prize!
” ‘Twas the night before Christmas and all over the house nothing was stirring … except Veronika making eggnog in the kitchen.”
So begins Agent Ward, The Man From U.N.D.E.A.D.’s strangest case yet.
Coming to the aid of an old … well someone he used to know anyway … Ward finds himself facing the demons of Christmas Past, Present and Future in a fight to save his life and those of the people he loves.
These are Christmas spirits of another kind.
The Man From U.N.D.E.A.D.’s Christmas Carol is a festive short story featuring many characters from the Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. novel series.
I searched the word ‘Christmas’ on my kindle and found this gem of a short story which I apparently downloaded on 23rd December 2012! I’m not sure why I never got around to reading it that Christmas, but I am so glad I have this year. I loved it! It is hilarious!!
It’s basically Agent Ward in a bizarre version of A Christmas Carol.
Just brilliant!
Darren Humphries is a new to me author, and I had no idea what to expect from this story. It is totally bonkers, completely unique and laugh out loud funny. I was highly entertained! Totally different to anything I usually read. A real breath of fresh air. I have downloaded book 1 from The Man From U.N.D.E.A.D series as I feel the need to get to know Agent Ward better.
I have the pleasure of welcoming Mike Ward to Chat About Books today 🙂
For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?
My name is Michael Ward. I’ve worked with words all my life, as a reporter, a journalism academic and a copywriter. ‘Rags of Time’ is my first venture into fiction – a historical murder mystery set in 17th century London on the eve of the English Civil War.
Where do you get your ideas from?
The people who lived in the 17th century – their hopes, fears, plans, prejudices, loves and losses.
Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?
One or two have elements of people I have known, which I think is inevitable as a writer.
How do you pick your characters’ names?
Quite carefully. Although it’s easy to avoid the Brooklyns and Britneys, there are a number of more run-of-the-mill first names that were not in common usage in the 17th century. I sometimes use the lists of passengers sailing to the New World in the 1600s – guaranteed to be authentic.
Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?
I start out with a central idea, what the book is about, and then devise a schematic to deliver the idea. That informs the story’s structure which finally develops into a (very) flexible chapter outline. Then it’s just a question of getting something on the page that I can work on, reshape, refine and, on occasion, throw away.
Who are your top 5 favourite authors?
Hilary Mantel, Patrick O’Brian, CJ Sansom, Bernard Cornwell, Toby Clements.
If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?
Hilary Mantel. I would want to know the same as everyone else – how did she develop the brilliant immersive narrative that illuminates every page of her Cromwell trilogy?
Were you a big reader as a child?
Not especially. I made good use of my local library but was just as happy playing football.
When did you start to write?
I started writing fiction about five years ago. Although I had been writing factual content for many years, it took me a long time to feel ready for fiction. I knew how difficult it would be, and I wasn’t disappointed!
Is there a book you wish you had written?
Wolf Hall
If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?
In a Minute (those who know me would get the joke)
If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?
Captain Jack Aubrey, the marvellous creation of Patrick O’Brian. I would get the Royal Navy’s permission for us to take coffee on the flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth…and just watch his face.
Tell us a random fact about yourself
My first ever journalism interview was with Frank Zappa at the age of 16.
What are you working on right now?
The sequel to Rags of Time. It features more adventures for Tom Tallant and Elizabeth Seymour as London collapses into chaos and the outbreak of Civil War. Due out next March.
What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?
Sleep!
How can readers keep in touch with you?
They can follow me on Twitter @mikewardmedia or email me at mike@mikewardmedia.com.
I love hearing from readers and getting feedback on my books.
Is there anything else you would like us to know?
That Vivian Stanshall was a comic genius. I never miss an opportunity to share that knowledge.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Mike 🙂
‘A satisfying, brooding mystery set in Stuart England anticipating the coming Civil War.’ Paul Walker, author of State of Treason
London.
1639.
Thomas Tallant, a young and ambitious Spice Merchant, returns from India to find his city in turmoil.
A bitter struggle is brewing between King Charles I and Parliament, as England slides into civil war. The capital is simmering with dissent. The conflict is ready to boil over.
But Thomas soon has other troubles to contend with. A wealthy merchant, Sir Joseph Venell, is savagely killed; then his partner Sir Hugh Swofford plunges to his death, in the Tallant household.
Suspicion falls on Thomas, who is sucked into a mire of treachery and rumour within the City of London. As the merchant struggles to clear his name, he becomes captivated by the enigmatic Elizabeth Seymour, whose passion for astronomy and mathematics is matched only by her addiction to the gaming tables.
Pursued by the authorities, Thomas races to unmask the real killer who claims a third victim to implicate him further, toying with his future in a deadly cat and mouse game.
In a desperate race against time, Elizabeth applies her powers of logic and deduction to unearth the clues that will point to the killer, but her way is barred by a secret message from the grave.
Can she crack its code before Thomas, now a wounded and exhausted fugitive, succumbs to the chase?
And, if she succeeds, has Thomas the strength to face his tormentor and win his life and reputation back?
Rags of Time is the first book in an engaging and entertaining new historical crime series, set during the upheaval of the 17th Century. Recommended for fans of Andrew Taylor, CJ Sansom and SJ Parris.
Praise for Michael Ward:
‘I loved it; a wickedly dark murder mystery set in Stuart London.’ Jemahl Evans, author of The Last Roundhead
Michael Ward is a former journalist and academic. He now runs his own consultancy providing content services and training to a wide range of British companies and public sector organisations.
Lose yourself in stories about love, family, relationships and more...
A space to share my book reviews and thoughts on all things books with a little about my life sprinkled in.
Books, brews, places to be :)
Sharing the book love since October 2015
Hannah's book blog. This is my place where I share my favourite reads and chat about books.
Flight of Destiny book
Reviews To Make Finding A Good Book Easier
Social media promotion for authors and their books.
When life gives you lemons... bake a lemon drizzle cake!
Writer
Letting the booklove shine through!
A great WordPress.com site
Books, Reviews and Life!
crime fiction blog featuring book reviews and other fabulous booky things (with the odd psychological thriller and horror novel making an appearance!)
Writer, Tutor and Editor
Rambling on about books, baking and beauty...
All things Bookish and more!
Writer & Author
Enter my world of books, book reviews and my crazy life
Read this, not that!
love books and review various genres
Book Reviews
Helping add a little colour and pretty things
For mostly adult, literary, fiction; focusing on historical, contemporary, biographical, and women.
Musings and memories, words and wisdom... of a working family woman
Pull up a chair and find your next favourite read ...
“I'm just a girl, standing in front of a book hoping I will love it.”
Reading, Writing, Drinking Tea
Read a Book - Be Amazed - Tell the World
Let's chat about books
A blog of all sorts!
Human nature, red in tooth and claw
Living life one book at a time...
An American Lawyer Living Abroad
A topnotch WordPress.com site
Book reviews and more
Find your next crime fiction read here . . .
My meanderings through life and writing . . .
Books, book reviews and bookish news.
Blog posts by author Caroline James
Chat About Books 