The lost daughter

The Lost Daughter

Hull, 1930. A terrified woman runs through the dark, rain-lashed streets pursued by a man, desperate to reach the sanctuary of the local police station. Alice Goddard runs with one thing in her mind: her daughter. In her panic she is hit by a car at speed and rushed to hospital. When she awakes, she has no memory of who she is, but at night she dreams of being hunted by a man, and of a little girl.

As the weeks pass and her memories gradually resurface, Alice anxiously searches for her daughter, but no one is forthcoming about the girl’s whereabouts – even her own mother is evasive. Penniless and homeless, Alice must begin again and rebuild her life, never giving up hope that one day she will be reunited with her lost daughter.

Purchase Links 

From 22^nd– 29^thAugust, The Lost Daughter will be at the bargain price of 99p. 

Amazon UK  - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Daughter-Sylvia-Broady-ebook/dp/B07F3KPN1J

Amazon US - https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Daughter-Sylvia-Broady-ebook/dp/B07F3KPN1J  

Author Bio

Sylvia Broady was born in Kingston upon Hull and has lived in the area all her life, though she loves to travel the world. It wasn’t until she started to frequent her local library , after World War 2, that her relationship with literature truly began and her memories of war influence her writing, as does her home town. A member of the: RNA, HNS, S of A and Beverley Writers. She has had a varied career in childcare, the NHS and East Yorkshire Council Library Services, but is now a full-time writer. Plus volunteering as a Welcomer at Beverley Minster to visitors from around the world, and raising money for local charities by singing in the choir of the Beverley Singers, both bringing colour and enrichment to her imagination and to her passion for writing. 

Social Media Links – https://www.facebook.com/SylviaBroadyAuthor

https://twitter.com/SylviaBroady

Website:  https://sylviabroadyauthor.com

 Giveaway -Win 2 x paperback signed books of The Lost Daughter and The Yearning Heart (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.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494268/?

My Review

Having studied and taught in Hull many years ago, I was interested to read about Hull during the 1930s. This is an absolutely heart-breaking story and Sylvi Broady does an excellent job of transporting the reader back in time. The story had me gripped from start to finish as I couldn't wait to find out what would happen to Alice and if she would ever be reunited with her daughter. Sylvia Broady manages to write a fast-paced story whilst giving the reader snippets into a different era. A fascinating read!

Where the snow bleeds

Where the Snow Bleeds

“You want to know what I’ve learnt after living in Lone Creek all my life? I know the snow bleeds here …”

Former police officer Dean Matheson has been playing it safe since the case that cost him almost everything. But working as a PI doesn’t quite cut it, that is until a British woman walks into his office with a job that Dean can’t resist. 

The woman’s daughter, Hannah Walker, and her friend Jodie have gone missing whilst working at a ski resort in Colorado. It’s clear there’s something sinister about the girls’ disappearance, but then why are the local police department being so unhelpful?

So begins Dean’s journey to Lone Creek on the trail of the missing girls – and he’ll soon find out that in Lone Creek, everyone has something to hide …

Purchase Links:

UK -https://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-Snow-Bleeds-Wendy-Dranfield-ebook/dp/B07SNFGYV2

US- https://www.amazon.com/Where-Snow-Bleeds-Wendy-Dranfield-ebook/dp/B07SNFGYV2

Author Bio: 

Wendy is a former Coroner's Assistant turned crime writer who lives in the UK with her husband.

Who Cares If They Die and Where the Snow Bleeds are the first two books in the Dean Matheson series, with more on the way. As well as her crime thriller series, Wendy has written a YA crime novel - The Girl Who Died- and she has several short stories published in UK and US anthologies. She has also been shortlisted and longlisted for various competitions, including the Mslexia Novel Competition.

For behind the scenes gossip and updates on her books (or photos of her cats), follow her on social media!

Website: https://wendydranfield.co.uk/

Twitter: @WendyDranfield

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WendyDranfield1/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7g8miK6akDG2pFqgGeLFAw

My Review

I read a lot of thrillers and to be honest after a while, they do tend to blur into each other a bit. Not this one! This is the second book I've read featuring Dean Matheson and if anything it's even better than the first. It really had me staying up late at night and then not being able to sleep afterwards. Other than promoting insomnia, I can't fault it. It's tightly written, well-paced and full of thrills. Even if you work out who is behind the murders, you're still left wondering if they will be caught before striking again.

Island of secrets

'As I remember, the story started at about six o'clock in the morning on the fourteenth of September, 1943...'

All her life Angie 37-year-old London-born has been intrigued by her mother's secret past. Now, planning her own wedding she feels she must visit the remote Cretan village her mother grew up in, despite her objections. Unbeknownst to Angie her elderly grandmother, Maria, is dying. She wants to unburden herself of the terrible story that she will otherwise take to the grave.

It's the story of the time of the German occupation of Crete during the Second World War, of horror, of courage and of the lengths to which a mother will go to protect her children and of how you learn to go on in the aftermath of tragedy. And it's the story of bitter secrets that broke the family apart, and of three enchanting women who come together to heal wounds that have damaged two generations.

If you loved Victoria Hislop's THE ISLAND and the novels of Santa Montefiore and Rosanna Ley, you will fall completely in love with this novel. 


About the author

 

Patricia lived in the village of Amiras in Crete where her debut novel, 'The Island of Secrets' is set. She was inspired to write when she unearthed a machine gun in her garden - one used in the events that unfolded in September 1943, and much of the novel is based on real stories told to her by the oldest women of Amiras. Women who've never spoken of their experiences before. Patricia still spends much of her time in Greece.

My review

Although the premise of this story - a granddaughter going back to Greece to discover her family's secret past -  has been used many times before, the way in which this story unfolds will have you gripped. I thoroughly enjoyed both timelines, having discovered this author whilst on holiday on Crete. Like all good stories it will make you laugh and cry but you won't want the story to end. The twists and turns are well thought out and the suspense carries you along. The author's love of Greece clearly shows through the writing and as a fellow hellenophile, I learned a lot about the Cretan's suffering during WW2. I am now going to add Patricia Wilson to my list of favourite authors.

The strawberry thief

The compelling new novel from the author of the bestselling Chocolat.

Vianne Rocher has settled down. Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, the place that once rejected her, has finally become her home. With Rosette, her 'special' child, she runs her chocolate shop in the square, talks to her friends on the river, is part of the community. Even Reynaud, the priest, has become a friend.

But when old Narcisse, the florist, dies, leaving a parcel of land to Rosette and a written confession to Reynaud, the life of the sleepy village is once more thrown into disarray. The arrival of Narcisse's relatives, the departure of an old friend and the opening of a mysterious new shop in the place of the florist's across the square - one that mirrors the chocolaterie, and has a strange appeal of its own - all seem to herald some kind of change: a confrontation, a turbulence - even, perhaps, a murder..

About the author

 

Joanne Harris is an Anglo-French author, whose books include fourteen novels, two cookbooks and many short stories. Her work is extremely diverse, covering aspects of magic realism, suspense, historical fiction, mythology and fantasy. She has also written a DR WHO novella for the BBC, has scripted guest episodes for the game ZOMBIES, RUN!, and is currently engaged in a number of musical theatre projects as well as developing an original drama for television.
In 2000, her 1999 novel CHOCOLAT was adapted to the screen, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. She is an honorary Fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and in 2013 was awarded an MBE by the Queen.
Her hobbies are listed in Who's Who as 'mooching, lounging, strutting, strumming, priest-baiting and quiet subversion'. She also spends too much time on Twitter; plays flute and bass guitar in a band first formed when she was 16; and works from a shed in her garden at her home in Yorkshire.

My Review

This is the fourth book in the 'Chocolat' series and every bit as engaging as the previous ones. From the start, the reader is transported back to Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, where Vianne seems at last to have been accepted by most of the inhabitants. The story focuses on her daughter Rosette and the descriptions of this 'special' child and her relationships with the villagers will bring you to tears. The conclusion neatly connects the other books and leaves the reader feeling that everything has been tied up. Does this mean the end of the 'Chocolat' series?

The Stationmaster's Daughter

The Stationmaster’s Daughter

As the last train leaves, will life ever be the same?

Dorset 1935

Stationmaster Ted has never cared much for romance. Occupied with ensuring England’s most beautiful railway runs on time, love has always felt like a comparatively trivial matter. Yet when he meets Annie Galbraith on the 8.42 train to Lynford, he can’t help but instantly fall for her.

But soon the railway is forced to close and a terrible accident occurs within the station grounds, Ted finds his job and any hope of a relationship with Annie hanging in the balance…

Present day

Recovering from heartbreak after a disastrous marriage, Tilly decides to escape from the bustling capital and move to Dorset to stay with her dad, Ken. When Ken convinces Tilly to help with the restoration of the old railway, she discovers a diary hidden in the old ticket office. Tilly is soon swept up in Ted’s story, and the fateful accident that changed his life forever.

But an encounter with an enigmatic stranger takes Tilly by surprise, and she can’t help but feel a connection with Ted’s story in the past.

Purchase Links:

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stationmasters-Daughter-gripping-heartbreaking-historical-ebook/dp/B07P556918/

US - https://www.amazon.com/Stationmasters-Daughter-gripping-heartbreaking-historical-ebook/dp/B07P556918/

Author Bio – 

KATHLEEN MCGURLlives near the sea in Bournemouth, UK, with her husband. She has two sons who are now grown-up and have left home. She began her writing career creating short stories, and sold dozens to women’s magazines in the UK and Australia. Then she got side-tracked onto family history research – which led eventually to writing novels with genealogy themes. She has always been fascinated by the past, and the ways in which the past can influence the present, and enjoys exploring these links in her novels.

Social Media Links – 

https://twitter.com/KathMcGurl

https://www.facebook.com/KathleenMcGurl/

https://kathleenmcgurl.com/

My Review

I enjoy stories that link the past and the present and this book grabbed me from the start. It was easy to empathize with Tilly following the breakdown of her marriage and the loss she experienced. Watching her regain that spark as she moved back to live with her dad was heart-warming and Ted's story was quite heart-breaking. Kath McGurl has a wonderful sense of time and place and recreated the past beautifully. I was sorry when the story ended.

A single thread

1932. After the Great War took both her beloved brother and her fiancé, Violet Speedwell has become a "surplus woman," one of a generation doomed to a life of spinsterhood after the war killed so many young men. Yet Violet cannot reconcile herself to a life spent caring for her grieving, embittered mother. After countless meals of boiled eggs and dry toast, she saves enough to move out of her mother's place and into the town of Winchester, home to one of England's grandest cathedrals. There, Violet is drawn into a society of broderers--women who embroider kneelers for the Cathedral, carrying on a centuries-long tradition of bringing comfort to worshippers. 

Violet finds support and community in the group, fulfillment in the work they create, and even a growing friendship with the vivacious Gilda. But when forces threaten her new independence and another war appears on the horizon, Violet must fight to put down roots in a place where women aren't expected to grow. Told in Chevalier's glorious prose, A Single Thread is a timeless story of friendship, love, and a woman crafting her own life.

 

Born:
19 October 1962 in Washington, DC. Youngest of 3 children. Father was a photographer for The Washington Post.

Childhood:
Nerdy. Spent a lot of time lying on my bed reading. Favorite authors back then: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madeleine L’Engle, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Joan Aiken, Susan Cooper, Lloyd Alexander. Book I would have taken to a desert island: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.

Education:
BA in English, Oberlin College, Ohio, 1984. No one was surprised that I went there; I was made for such a progressive, liberal place.

MA in creative writing, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 1994. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not you can be taught to write. Why doesn’t anyone ask that of professional singers, painters, dancers? That year forced me to write all the time and take it seriously.

Geography:
Moved to London after graduating from Oberlin in 1984. I had studied for a semester in London and thought it was a great place, so came over for fun, expecting to go back to the US after 6 months to get serious. I’m still in London, and still not entirely serious. Even have dual citizenship – though I keep the American accent intact.

Family:
1 English husband + 1 English son + 1 tortoiseshell cat.

Career:
Before writing, was a reference book editor, working on encyclopedias about writers. (Yup, still nerdy.) Learned how to research and how to make sentences better. Eventually I wanted to fix my own sentences rather than others’, so I quit and did the MA.

Writing:
Talked a lot about becoming a writer as a kid, but actual pen to paper contact was minimal. Started writing short stories in my 20s, then began first novel, The Virgin Blue, during the MA year. With Girl With a Pearl Earring (written in 1998), I became a full-time writer, and have since juggled it with motherhood

My Review

I've enjoyed all of Tracy Chevalier's books so far; this one however resonated slightly less with me than some of the others. It could be that the themes of embroidering kneelers for the church and the intricacies of bell ringing didn't appeal to me so much but that's not to say they won't appeal to other readers. On the other hand, the main character's determination to seek out an independent life for herself in what was still a very patriarchal society really caught my imagination. It's hard to believe just how difficult it must have been for a young single woman. The writing is as smooth and eloquent as ever so whilst I didn't love this book, I certainly liked it.

The 365 day writer's block workbook

Over a thousand sentence starts, three per day, with writing tips at the end of each week to motivate and inspire, providing kick-starts to avoid the dreaded ‘writer’s block’. Useful for any writer at any level, whether they have 10 minutes or 10 hours, to start a new project. Also an ideal tool for writing groups.

With a combination of six first-person, six second-person, six third-person and three non-specific point of view starts per week, there are plenty to choose from. Beginning at ‘Day 1’ this book has been designed to be started at any time of the year, and regardless of whether the sentences are used in order or not. With a choice of three per day a writer can select one, two or all and see where it leads them.

Morgen Bailey – Morgen with an E – is a freelance editor, writing tutor (in person and online), blogger (helping other authors, sharing tips etc.), Writers’ Forum magazine ‘Competitive Edge’ columnist, speaker, author of several novels (at various stages), 400+ short stories, a series of writer’s block workbooks, an editing guide, articles, and has dabbled with poetry. She is also a co-founder of Northants Authors and an avid supporter of all things creative writing.

Former Chair of three writing groups, she has judged the H.E. Bates Short Story Competition, RONE, as well as the Althorp Literary Festival children’s short story, BBC Radio 2, and BeaconLit 500-word flash fiction competitions. She also runs her own monthly 100-word competition and was Flash 500's 2018-9 judge. 

2018 events included talks and workshops at Troubador’s Self Publishing Conference speakers, workshops and panels at Delapre Abbey Book Festival, interviewing and workshops at BeaconLit, and NAWG Fest with her ‘Editing your Fiction’ weekend residential course. 

Morgen can regularly be found on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr, and LinkedIn. When not online, she edits other authors’ books, reads, loves walking her dog, and somewhere in between all that she writes.

Like Morgen, her blog http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com is consumed by all things literary, and her email address is morgen@morgenbailey.com.

You can read / download her eBooks (paid and free) at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore and Kobo.

My Review

This is a fabulous writing aid. There are three sentence starts for each day of the year; some in first person, some in third person. The writing tips I found extremely useful and this is a book I will be dipping in and out of as the need arises. Excellent for writers' block, of course, but also useful for honing your skill, writing a piece of flash fiction or pushing yourself to write outside your comfort zone. Now I need it in paperback.

The Beekeeper's Cottage

Buy  Links:   

Amazon: https://geni.us/B07SQ4WYD4Social

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2JtvcFL

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2Ktggsl

Googleplay: http://bit.ly/2xJeonE

Description: 

Comforted by the gentle hum of the beehives at the bottom of the garden, Grace drains the last of her tea and walks slowly back towards the little hillside house she adores. Her marriage is over, but is it too late to start her life again?

Beekeeper Grace thought throwing out her cheating husband would be the hardest thing she ever did. But when she opens the door to a property developer one morning, it’s clear that keeping her beautiful home and garden – her only sanctuary throughout her miserable marriage – will be the greatest challenge of all…

Fleeing to her best friend at the farm next door, Grace blurts out all her problems, only to be overheard by Amos, a handsome, free-spirited visitor with a twinkle in his eye. Fascinated by Grace and her bees, Amos offers to stay in the village of Hope Corner, to help turn her home into a guest house in return for lessons on beekeeping.

As Grace shows Amos how to nurture a hive and harvest honeycomb without getting stung, he is charming but secretive. He never stays long in the same place after an incident in his past involving a mysterious woman named Maria. But as their eyes lock over a jar of homemade honey, Grace can’t help feeling that she’d really like him to stay…

Determined to dispel her growing suspicion that Amos is running from something serious, Grace goes in search of the truth about Maria. But when she finds it, will she still want Amos to put down roots in Hope Corner, and will they still have a house to return to? 

No matter how far they travel, bees will always find their way home…

An absolutely perfect feel good romance for readers who adore Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Debbie Johnson.

Author Bio: 

After a varied career, Emma Davies once worked for a design studio where she was asked to provide a fun and humorous (and not necessarily true) anecdote for their website. She wrote the following: 'I am a bestselling novelist currently masquerading as a thirty something mother of three.' Well the job in the design studio didn't work out but she's now a forty something mother of three and is happy to report the rest of her dream came true.

After many years as a finance manager she now writes full time and is far happier playing with words than numbers. She lives with her husband, three children, and two guinea pigs in rural Shropshire where she writes in all the gaps in between real life. It's a county she adores, her love of its beautiful people and landscapes providing endless inspiration for her books, and in fact the only thing that would make Shropshire more idyllic is if it were by the sea. 

Author Social Media Links: 

Pop over to her website www.emmadaviesauthor.com where, amongst other things, you can read about her passion for Pringles and singing loudly in the car. You can also wave to her on twitter @EmDaviesAuthor / https://twitter.com/EmDaviesAuthor or find her on Facebook (a little too often than is good for her): https://www.facebook.com/emmadaviesauthor/

My Review

This is such a lovely book that I keep thinking about the characters weeks after finishing it. It's the kind of book that seemlessly incorporates everything a good book should - a mysterious hero who appears from nowhere, a browbeaten wife who fights back, supportive villagers and a scenic setting, not to mention bees. This is the very essence of summer distilled into a book that you won't want to finish. I loved it.