One Year After You

One Year After You

By Shari Low

Genre:-Women's Contemporary Fiction/Women's Romance Fiction

Pages:-319

Publisher:-Boldwood Books

Blurb:-Brand NEW for 2024 from the fabulous Shari Low. After the #1 bestseller One Day with You, comes One Year After You. Twenty-four hours. Four shocking secrets. One tumultuous tale of love, loss and second chances.

 One year ago today, Tress Walker's husband was killed in a car accident, on a trip with his secret mistress whilst Tress gave birth to their son. But as time moves on, Tress has to choose whether to protect her fragile heart or open it to love again.

 Noah Clark was equally devastated to discover his wife and his best friend were having an affair. Now the love of his life is asking for a second chance. But can there ever be a way back once the trust is broken?

 For forty years, the fabulous Odette Devine has been a beloved actress on a Scottish TV show. Today she is broken, betrayed, and desperate to find out if this is her payback for a lie she told four decades ago. Noah's sister Keli Clark has recently been ghosted by the man she loves. When a message from a complete stranger reveals the reason why, Keli will have to decide whether to forgive, forget, or make sure he pays.

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My Review:-The story is set over one day. A year since the life of all the characters changed. We meet Odette Devine, once an actress that worked on Scottish television for many years. Tess Walker who's husband, Max died in a car accident while on the way to see his secret mistress, and Tess was in hospital given birth to their baby son, Buddy. Noah Clark who's wife was having an affair with Noah's best friend. And Keli Clark, sister to Noah, has been ghosted by the man she loves. Life isn't as simple as you might think. There is a secret that they all hold, but what can it be? There is also a twist that you won't expect. I don't do spoilers, but I will say this is a must read. This book will have you crying and laughing as you turn the pages. Shari has made this story as if it was a day in real life and we all will connect with one if not more of than one characters. 

Blackwolf

Blackwolf

By Phil Gilvin

Genre:-Sci-Fi, YA Post-apocalyptic

Pages:-340

Blurb:-DISEASE STALKS THE LAND LIKE A WOLF, BUT THE FIGHTING GOES ON. AND IF YOU'RE CAUGHT UP IN IT, WHO CAN YOU TRUST?

2150, the Women's Republic of Anglia. The world, transformed by climate change, dwindling resources and successive epidemics, is in danger of descending into chaos. Ex-truth Sister Clara Perdue, having escaped the great flood of London, has become separated from her friend Jack Pike and is now trying to reach Wight, where her mother Sophia is in prison. But once she makes it there, how can she avoid capture herself? And how can she help Sophia?

 Meanwhile, Jack has fallen in with Hurn, a warlike chieftain in the lawless lands between Anglia and Wessex. Can he find new friendships and forget Clara? And when the Wessex army attack, can he face his doubts and fight? And while Hurn seeks to steal a virus weapon, another plague is sweeping through Britain. Can Clara and Jack survive?

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A Drop of Venom

A Drop of Venom

By Sajni Patel

Genre:-YA

Pages:-416

Publisher:-PRH International

Blurb:-Circe goes YA in this unapologetically feminist retelling of the Medusa myth steeped in Indian mythology-a YA epic fantasy addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.

 All monsters and heroes have beginnings. This is mine.

 Sixteen-year-old Manisha is no stranger to monsters-she's been running from them for years, from beasts who roam the jungle to the King's army, who forced her people, the naga, to scatter to the ends of the earth. You might think that the kingdom's famed holy temples atop the floating mountains, where Manisha is now a priestess, would be safe-but you would be wrong. Seventeen-year-old Pratyush is a farmed slayer of monsters, one of the King's most prized warriors and a frequent visitor to the floating temples. For every monster the slayer kills, years are added to his life. You might think such a powerful warrior could do whatever he wants, but true power lies with the King. Tired after years of fighting, Pratyush wants nothing more than a peaceful, respectable life. When Pratyush and Manisha meet, each sees in the other the possibility to chart a new path. Unfortunately, the kingdom's powerful have other plans. A temple visitor sexually assaults Manisha and pushes her off the mountain into a pit of vipers. A month later, the King sends Pratyush off to kill one last monster (a powerful nagin who has been turning men to stone) before he'll consider granting the slayer his freedom.

 Except Manisha doesn't die, despite the hundreds of snake bites covering her body and the venom running through her veins. She rises from the pit more powerful than ever before, with heightened senses, armor-like skin, and blood that can turn people to stone. And Pratyush doesn't know it, but the "monster" he's been sent to kill is none other than the girl he wants to marry.

Alternating between Manisha's and Pratyush's perspectives, Sajni Patel weaves together lush language, high stakes, and page-turning suspense, demanding an answer to the question "What does it truly mean to be a monster?"

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My Review:-I know the story of Medusa, but this is so much more. We have Greek mythology mixed with Indian mythology (folklore). Pratyush is seventeen-year-old and the last of his kind, but also one of the best monster slayers that works for the King. Manisha is a sixteen-year-old temple priestess, and can turn men to stone. Manisha sees Pratyush when he visits the temple, but she doesn't know he only goes to see and talk to her. Manisha is sexually assaulted in a violent way, and kicked into a hole of venomous vipers, but with the help from magic and golden serpent companion Noni, Manisha survives. Pratyush is sent by the king to fight the Serpent Queen and bring him the head back. But nothing is going to be that simple. This story is filled with so much that had me reading it in two sitting as I wanted to know the end, and I wasn't disappointed. I will say that you need to read the notes from Sajni at the beginning just so you know what triggers are in this book. The cover had me, even before I read the blurb.

A Death in Custody

A Death in Custody

By T.S. Clayton

Genre:-Crime Fiction

Pages:-432

Publisher:-Matador

Blurb:-Brixton in the late 1990s. Delroy Brown, a young black man being held in police custody, dies in a confrontation in his cell with a police officer. The officer claims to have acted in self-defence but fails to give a satisfactory explanation for being in the dead man's cell. 

 Chief Inspector Elliott conducts an investigation into Delroy's death, but his enquiries are obstructed by a lack of co-operation from police officers, the activities of a corrupt private investigator-and the legal system itself. Alison French, a young journalist, Neeta Patel, Delroy's family's solicitor, and Ben Weekes, a black youth worker, join forces to try and find out the truth about Delroy's death, but find themselves in growing danger, as they are drawn into a murky world of violent criminals and police informants.

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My Review:-This book had me from the beginning. Delroy Brown is a young black man who is arrested and took to Brixton Police Station. Once at the station, DC Matthews and DC Jones question Delroy and after answering a few question, Delroy mentions a name 'Ice' but DC Matthews hears it wrong and asks who 'Eyes', at that  point Delroy shuts up, he's said to much already. Once the interview is finished, Delroy is taken to a cell. Not long after being in his cell the door opens and it's DC McKinnonn, but what does he want with Delroy? The alarm goes off in Delroy's cell and everyone rushes to his cell, but Delroy is lying on the floor dead. Alison French is works for Brixton Chronicle when she gets a message the a gentleman wants to speak to her about the man that has died in the police cell. Mr Bertie O'Connor had information that no one knew about, he was in the cell opposite Delroy's cell and knew something about Delroy's death. What really happened in Delroy's cell? There is so much happening, along with plenty of twists and turns. The author has done a great job with the storyline, even the inquest felt real not just a book.

Plop

Plop

By Lisa Treasure

Illustrared By:-Ken Dawson

Genre:- Children's Fiction

Ages:-3-8 years

Pages:-34

Publisher:-Purple Parrot Publishing

Blurb:-Plop is a little raindrop. He's friendly although a little bit shy. One day he falls out of his rain cloud home and comes across a lonely little girl. Plop then goes on a mission to do everything he can to make the little girl smile. He calls on all of his friends to help and together they make her smile again. A lovely, heartwarming story you will just fall in love with.

Sounds so cute doesn't it!

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My Review:-My granddaughter Emily and I decided to read this as one of our bedtime stories. The cover of the book is big, bold and eye catching, which will appeal to children. Plop in a little shy rain drop that falls from his cloud. When he sees a sad little girl through her bedroom window, he decides he's going to do what he can to make her smile. Plop needs to put his little thinking cap on and think of some ideas of what he's going to do to make her smile. Plop thinks of many ways to help make the little girl happy again, he makes puddles, a rainbow, snow, then he asks all the creatures that loves rain to help him. This is a beautiful story showing how friendship and a smile can help someone a lot.

When Love Comes

When Love Comes-Wyoming Sunrise Series Book 3

By Penny Zeller

Genre:-Christian Historical Romance

Pages:-357

Publisher:-Maplebrook Publishing

Blurb:-Can love be found amidst broken hearts and unexpected loss?

Determined to heal her broken heart, Charlotte Eliason visits her aunts in Prune Creek, Wyoming. What should be a time of peace and calm becomes one of chaos and unwelcome surprises when she discovers her long time foe, Tobias Hallman, is the new blacksmith. To make matters worse, her two meddlesome aunts are constantly inviting him to supper and encouraging friendship between the two sworn enemies.

Tobias Hallman has always wanted to be a blacksmith, so when an opportunity arises to own his own shop in Prune Creek, he seizes it. However, he doesn’t expect to cross paths with his childhood nemesis, the annoying Charlotte Eliason.

When tragedy strikes, close proximity soon forces two reluctant hearts to become allies in a quest to rescue Tobias’s orphaned niece. Can Charlotte and Tobias put aside their preconceived disdain for each other and find love in the midst of challenging circumstances? Does God have a plan for them and for a young girl grieving the untimely loss of her parents?

A woman with a broken heart. A man struggling with the loss of his brother and the subsequent care of his young niece. And two silly aunts who discover it's never too late for true love.

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Kate Thompsom-Blog Tour With A Difference

From The Library With Love

Kate Thompson-Blog Tour with A Difference

By Kate Thompson

Podcasts

Kate Thompson, author of The little Wartime Library and upcoming Wartime Book Club.

Kate has collaborated with Anne Cater to organise a blog tour with a difference.

 Instead of books, to be reviewed it is podcast episodes. Kate dislikes the word podcast. What does it actually mean? It's very sterile. I prefer instead to think of my episodes as 'talking stories'. It just another way of indulging our love of stories and helping to press pause on life!

Wonderful. transformative things happen when you set foot in a library. In 2019 I uncovered the true story of a forgotten Underground library, built along the tracks of Bethnal Green Tube tunnel during the Blitz. As stories go, it was irresistible and the result was, The Little Wartime Library, my seventh novel. Bethnal Green Public Library, where the novel is set, was 100 years old in October 2022, and to celebrate the centenary of this grand old lady, funded by library philanthropist Andre Carnegie, I set myself the challenge of interviewing 100 library workers. Speaking with one library worker for every year this library has been serving its community seemed a good way to mark this auspicious occasion. Because who better to explain the worth of a hundred-year-old library, than librarians themselves! I quickly realised that librarians have the best stories. My research led me to librarians with over fifty years of experience, to the impressive women who manage libraries in prisons and schools, to those remote Scottish islands. From poetry libraries overlooking the wide sweep of the Thames, to the 16th century Shakespeare's Library in Stratford,  via the small but mighty Leadhills Miners' Library. 

This podcast was born out of those eye-opening conversations, because as Denise from Tower Hamlets Library told me: 'If you want to see the world, don't join the Army, become a librarian!',

Ordinary people with extraordinary stories to share. Interviews up already:

📚100=year-old-Bletchley Park Codebreaker Betty Webb on keeping her wartime secrets

📚Bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo, Christy Lefteri on the importance of writing what you feel

📚New York Times bestselling author Madeline Martin on underground libraries and clandestine book club

📚October-Libraries week

📚'I was born in a concentration camp' A powerful interview with 78-year-old Eva Clarke, 

📚December marks the 85th anniversary of Kindertransport scheme

📚National Letter Writing Day

Plus SO so many more.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/pobcast/from-the-library-with-love/id1705546837

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My Review:-I have listened to a few of Kate's podcast (episodes) and found them informative, educational and fun. Kate talks about what she loves, but instead of writing these down for us to read, she tells them to us herself, a long with guests so we can listen to then in the form of a episode (pod cast). I loved 'From the Library With Love' with Liz McGuire who has over 1600 letters. Liz says letters are a way of living through history with letters for the past. Kate and Liz talk about how important letters are and have been. Liz's oldest letter is from1876, it talks about farming, how they price things. She has letters from a family in 1920, along with photos. The family had travelled on the Whitestar  and wrote letters about everything they did. Kate finds letters everywhere, at flee markets and online. Letter writing isn't something people do much now. I still write letters and have letters from when I was 16 when I moved from home, I would write home every week and my parents kept them. I found them when my parents died, they had them in a box in the bottom of the wardrobe, so I've added them to letters that I've received over the years.