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Storyhouse, Volume 1: A Blanket of Embers by Andy Kind @andykindcomedy

Storyhouse, Volume 1: A Blanket of Embers

by Andy Kind

24th January 2024

Storyhouse, Volume 1: A Blanket of Embers by Andy Kind is a brilliant collection of short stories! I enjoyed them all in one afternoon.

Each one is as unique, and entertaining, as the last.

Now, I’m never quite sure how to properly review a short story collection so, as I read each one, I made a note of my immediate thoughts.

Here are the ones that stood out the most for me….

Early Stages gave me goosebumps.

The Real Martha Morris is hilarious, at first, but has a shocking conclusion.

A Swift ‘Arf is very clever!

The Boy Who Could Be Anything had me laughing out loud although it probably shouldn’t have.

And I Still Do is thought provoking.

Footprints is another one that gave me goosebumps.

Strawberry Picking – Woah! This one gave me chills!!

I found Kuebiko quite poetic.

The Perplexity of the House on Malleus Road is so creepy!

On A Dream is yet another one that gave me goosebumps.

The Hardest Thing to See is another thought-provoking tale.

That Sunday I Went to Church is both hilarious and heart-warming.

Harry’s Pigeons melted my heart.

Aroma is particularly poignant. It costs nothing to be kind!

A Night in Hebden Bridge is both horrifying and hilarious.

The Sharpshooter is a powerful story to end on. Just wow!

Such clever writing! I can’t recommend this collection highly enough. I read it cover to cover in one sitting, but you could easily dip in and out as each one is short enough to be enjoyed on your tea/coffee break or whenever you fancy. I would happily buy this book for friends and family. I think it deserves to fly off the shelves!

I already own Andy Kind’s other books. I think I really need to bump them up my TBR list!

** Many thanks to Andy Kind for my ARC of this excellent short story collection. I’m honoured to have been the first person to have read it in full! **

Andy Kind presents a collection of short stories as a remedy for the time-strapped modern reader. Storyhouse Volume 1 offers a diverse array of tales through Dusk, into Night, and on to the Dawn – each representing different emotional landscapes. The tales are ‘pandemic babies,’ conceived through the intersection of lockdown monotony and persistent hopefulness.

A Blanket of Embers offers readers an escape into diverse minds and experiences, exploring the three R’s: redemption, resurrection, and reconciliation – while acknowledging the harsh realities of life where death, pride, and brokenness often prevail. The collection promises moments of pleasure, inviting readers to step into the world of compelling ‘What if?’ scenarios and poignant reflections on the human condition, while at times straying into the fantastical, the liminal, and the horrific.

In this, his first collection of short prose, Andy Kind displays both his depth of emotional nuance and his eye for the details hidden in the human psyche.

Happy reading!

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Old Farts Club, Mick Williams @mickwilliamsau2

Hi, I just wanted to make you all aware of these excellent books by Mick Williams….

I was lucky enough to have read very early copies of these quite some time ago and because I’m an idiot I neglected to write proper reviews for them at the time.

I can, however, confirm that I thoroughly enjoyed them both and very much recommend that you add them to your reading list.

I intend to re-read them at some point and update my review(s). Apologies to Mick for being so disorganised. Thank you so much for sending me ARCs. I do genuinely appreciate having the opportunity to read your books way in advance of the general public 🙂

Anyway, here are the details you need folks….

The Old Farts Club returns in the explosive sequel to the award-winning debut, Exodus.

A sniper’s bullet buzzes the ear of retired bomb disposal expert, John McIntyre, leaving his colleague dead in the street.

When McIntyre discovers the sniper was only the first part of a kill-team sent to stop their investigation into mysterious happenings in the North Sea, he calls in a favor from an old military friend, English, the latest recruit of The Old Farts Club.

While The Club heads overseas to help McIntyre, a purse snatching at home leads Dud’s wife, Evie, and her sister on a chase across the country to confront the thief – a journey that develops into an adventure more perilous and chilling at every turn.

But when the guys find themselves isolated in unchartered waters, and the girls realize the stakes are much higher than they expected, both will have to call on outside help if they are to have any chance of survival.

Will the mission closest to home turn out to be their most dangerous yet?
Sarge and Numbers head to the sleepy town of Berding’s Pointe, Indiana, for the funeral of a friend and fellow veteran, only to find that everything has changed.

The once peaceful town is now gripped with fear and riddled with corruption.
What starts as a protection racket escalates into full-blown violence. A sinister cult, preparing to make a huge sacrifice, is slowly taking over. The authorities don’t care, and the residents are helpless.

When the sacrifice looms closer and people go missing, the town needs an army.
All they have is The Club.

Can Sarge and the rag-tag gang save their friends before the death toll rises and the entire town is taken?

The Old Farts Club returns in ‘Man Down’, the third book in the award-winning action thriller series.

For page-turning excitement, the comradery of military veterans, and epic fights of good vs evil, pick up Man Down and join The Club today!

New to the series?

Start here….

Jamaica: a Caribbean paradise fraught with unseen danger.

The Old Farts Club: a small group of mixed-age military veterans with various ‘skills’ who frequent a local fast food joint to swap stories and trade tales.

During a dream Jamaican vacation, Danny ‘Dud’ Wilkerson is devastated when, after a seemingly random accident, his wife Evie vanishes.

The Montego Bay police force insists on a seventy-two hour wait before anyone is officially considered missing. With concrete evidence of her disappearance, Dud can’t wait and, faced with a race against time to find his wife, calls on The Old Farts Club to join him in paradise to track her down.

About Mick Williams….

Mick Williams moved from Stoke-On-Trent, England to Kentucky, USA. Then, after almost a decade, he moved back. Then, after three years, he moved back again.

This time he’s staying.

In between reading, writing and listening to good music he still watches proper football and, for his sins, follows his local team, Port Vale. He does also still cheer for the Indianapolis Colts.

He was adopted by two cats, Crash and Thud, and resides with his patient wife (who is also tiring of moving!) in Kentucky.

Opens profile photo

Happy reading!

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The Last Line by Stephen Ronson @Stephen_Ronson

The Last Line

by Stephen Ronson 

The Last Line is a WWII thriller where we are introduced to war veteran, John Cook.

Cook hears about a young girl who has disappeared since being evacuated from London and he makes it his business to find out where she, and countless other missing children, have gone.

What he discovers is beyond horrific and he will make those responsible pay.

I can only imagine what it must have been like for people in this country who lived through the war. Especially those who had to surrender their children to evacuation in the hope of keeping them safe. It doesn’t even bear thinking about it.

To think your child didn’t even reach their destination and to have no idea what has happened/is happening to them, I would never be able to rest.

Thankfully Cook won’t rest either. He is most definitely someone I would want on my side!

The Last Line is a compelling debut with an excellent storyline and brilliant characterisation. I hope there will be a book two!

‘John Cook is the Jack Reacher of 1940’s Britain’ – Damien Lewis

*****

May 1940.

With Nazi forces sweeping across France, invasion seems imminent. The English Channel has never felt so narrow.

In rural Sussex, war veteran John Cook has been tasked with preparing the resistance effort, should the worst happen.

But even as the foreign threat looms, it’s rumours of a missing child that are troubling Cook. A twelve-year-old girl was evacuated from London and never seen again, and she’s just the tip of the iceberg – countless evacuees haven’t made it to their host families.

As Cook investigates, he uncovers a dark conspiracy that reaches to the highest ranks of society. He will do whatever it takes to make the culprits pay. There are some lines you just don’t cross.

THE LAST LINE is a blistering action thriller combined with a smart noir mystery, played out expertly against the taut backdrop of the British home front.

Happy reading!