Going Greek

 Sun, sea and a sizzling romance… the perfect holiday, right? Wrong.

After a work party gone disastrously wrong, Samantha suddenly finds herself jobless and jilted. So when her sister invites Sam to stay at her little whitewashed farmhouse on a Greek island, Sam leaps at the chance to escape. Before long, she’s trundling up the cobbled driveway, almost colliding with sexy neighbour Spyros.

It isn’t all sunshine and smiles though. For every afternoon spent lounging by the pool, cocktail in hand, there is a morning spent adjusting to life with boisterous six-year-old nieces. When Spyros invites Sam to explore the island with him she’s tempted, but with his carefree, live-for-the-moment attitude, he couldn’t be more different to Sam with her five-year plans and high-maintenance hair. One drink, as friends, couldn’t hurt though? Over glasses of fruity Greek wine and honey-sweet baklava, can he – and the other charming locals – help city girl Sam to appreciate the simple pleasures the Greek life has to offer?

Just as Sam is considering ditching her designer gear for good though, she runs in to an old flame from home, and suddenly her London life comes hurtling back. Can her smooth-talking ex convince Sam to return to the concrete jungle, or will the lessons she’s learned from her Greek escape persuade her to stay?

A fun, fabulous and completely laugh-out-loud summer read perfect for fans of Carole Matthews, Jenny Colgan and Sophie Kinsella.

Author Bio:

Sue Roberts lives in Lancashire with her long term partner Derek and has had a lifelong love of writing, encouraged by winning a school writing competition at the age of 11.

She always assumed that ‘one day’ she would write a book, always having a busy household and a job, the idea remained firmly on the back burner but never forgotten.

The inspiration for her first novel came to her on a holiday to a Greek village. Her daughters had left home and suddenly the time had come to write that book!

https://twitter.com/suerobertsautho

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3bFSHt2

Apple: https://apple.co/3bI9LhZ

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2ScJhOB

Google: https://bit.ly/37YjSNW

My Review

In this book the author nails what it is that I personally love about Greece; the laid back lifestyle, the simplicity of a byegone age and the friendliness of the locals. When Samantha arrives with her city heels, it takes a while for the magic of Greece to work on her but slowly and surely it does. I love the sense of place, the characters, especially the twins, and the storyline. This is probably my favourite book by Sue Roberts. 

The Boardwalk by the sea - Spring Siren

 

Spring Siren

Pull on your sunglasses, spring is here!

When Finn Gallichan, the new man in artist, Jools Jones’ life leaves the boardwalk to go travelling for several months, she’s not too worried. She has her paintings to work on as well as keeping busy helping her grandmother run the only second-hand bookshop in the village. She’s happy to wait for Finn’s return to pick up where they left off their relationship. That is, until she decides to secretly help a new customer trace a copy of a book he wrote years before and meets his grandson, Marius Arnesen, a glass artist who, fascinated by her paintings, asks her to take part in an art exhibition. 

When she begins to suspect that Finn isn’t quite the person she had hoped and Marius steps up to save someone close to her, she wonders if maybe she’s made the wrong decision…

Purchase Links 

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spring-Siren-Book-Boardwalk-Sea-ebook/dp/B08V7GKDTG/

US -  https://www.amazon.com/Spring-Siren-Book-Boardwalk-Sea-ebook/dp/B08V7GKDTG/

Author Bio  

Georgina Troy is a pseudonym of author Deborah Carr, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Poppy Field, Broken Faces and the Mrs Boots series.

She was a finalist in the Contemporary Romance Category of the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards 2016 (RoNAs) with A Jersey Kiss, book 1 in her Jersey Scene series.

Georgina lives on the island of Jersey with her husband and three rescue dogs and is 1/3 of The Blonde Plotters.

Social Media Links – 

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeorginaTroy

Instagram: @AJerseyWriter

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/georginatroy/

Website: https://deborahcarr.org/

My Review

This might be the last of the friends' stories but it might also just happen to be my favourite so far. I love the delicious descriptions of the Boardwalk, brought so vividly to life by the author. Of course, the fact that a lot of the action centres around a bookshop is another bonus and the search for a missing book is the icing on the cake. A worthy end to the series.

Under the Italian sun

Under The Italian Sun

The #1 bestseller is back with an uplifting, escapist read that will brighten the gloomiest day!

A warm, sun-baked terrace.

The rustle of verdant green vines.

The sun slowly dipping behind the Umbrian mountains.

And the chink of wine glasses as the first cork of the evening is popped…

Welcome to Italy. A place that holds the answer to Zia-Lucia Costa Chalmers’ many questions. Not least, how she ended up with such a mouthful of a name.

When Zia discovers that her mother wasn’t who she thought she was, she realises the time has come to search out the Italian family she’s never known.

However, as she delves into the secrets of her past, she doesn’t bargain on having to think about her future too. But with local vineyard owner, Piero, living next door, Zia knows she has a serious distraction who may prove difficult to ignore…

This summer, join Zia as she sets out to uncover her past. But can she find the future she’s always dreamed of along the way?

 

Purchase Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Under-Italian-Sun-Sue-Moorcroft-ebook/dp/B08L5RPD2W

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/under-the-italian-sun

Apple: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/under-the-italian-sun/id1545319265

W H Smith: https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/under-the-italian-sun/sue-moorcroft/paperback/9780008393021.html

Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/under-the-italian-sun/9780008393021

Author Bio –  

Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author and has reached the #1 spot on Kindle UK. She’s won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Award, Readers’ Best Romantic Novel award and the Katie Fforde Bursary. Published by HarperCollins in the UK, US and Canada and by other publishers around the world.

Social Media Links –  
Website [www.suemoorcroft.com]

Blog [http://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com]

Facebook profile [Sue.Moorcroft.3]

Facebook author page [https://www.facebook.com/SueMoorcroftAuthor

Twitter  [@suemoorcroft]

Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/suemoorcroftauthor/] @SueMoorcroftAuthor

LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/suemoorcroft]

 

My Review

Really enjoyed my trip to Italy. The descriptions of the Italian scenery, not to mention the food and drink, immediately transported me to sunnier climes. The story is one of my favourites by the author, pulling the reader in and wondering how it will all turn out for Zia. The characters spring from the page and with a bit of mystery and romance for good measure, this book ticks all the boxes. The only problem now is I ache to visit these places and keep adding to my bucket list.

Secrets of the jam factory girls

 

Secrets of the Jam Factory Girls

 

  A heartwarming saga about female friendship from the bestselling author of The Jam Factory Girls.

 

Secrets of the Jam Factory Girls is a moving saga novel of friendship set in the heart of pre-WWI London from bestselling author, Mary Wood.

 

Elsie’s worked her way up at Swift’s Jam Factory from the shop floor to the top, and now it’s her time to shine. But when she’s involved in an incident involving her half-sister Millie’s new husband, she is forced to keep it secret – the truth could threaten their sisterly bond.

 

Dot is dogged by fear, coming to terms with her mother’s rejection of her. She should be enjoying the happiness she craves with her beloved Cess; instead, she’s trapped in an asylum, haunted by the horrifying cries of inmates. All she wants is to get married, but what chance is there for her if she’s locked away?

 

Millie is trying to build a life with her new husband. But the man she loves is not all he seems . . .

 

Can the Jam Factory girls create the future they all deserve?

 

 About the author

Born the thirteenth child of fifteen to a middle-class mother and an East End barrow boy, Mary Wood’s family were poor, but rich in love. Mary raised four children and has numerous grandchildren, step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren. An avid reader, she first put pen to paper in 1989, and is now a full-time novelist. She is the best-selling author of numerous books, including The Abandoned Daughter and The Brave Daughters.

Website

https://www.authormarywood.com

Twitter

Authormary 

My Review

Mary Wood always manages to delight the reader, even though the journey towards a happy ending is fraught with obstacles. Her mix of gritty realism and optimism is a winner. This sequel to 'The jam factory girls' tells us more about the relationship between Millie and Elsie, half-sisters who are from completely different worlds. It makes for painful reading at times so make sure you have a tissue handy as you wait to see how the girls survive in a patriarcal society. Mary's historical research and attention to detail immediatly engage the reader in the time and place. Another winner!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lost Sister

 

The Lost Sister

Three sisters. Three ships. One heartbreaking story.

1911. As Emma packs her trunk to join the ocean liner Olympic as a stewardess, she dreams of earning enough to provide a better life for both her sisters. With their photograph tucked away in her luggage, she promises to be back soon – hoping that sickly Lily will keep healthy, and wild Ruby will behave. But neither life at sea nor on land is predictable, and soon the three sisters’ lives are all changed irrevocably…

Now. When Harriet finds her late grandmother’s travelling trunk in the attic, she’s shocked to discover a photo of three sisters inside – her grandmother only ever mentioned one sister, who died tragically young. Who is the other sister, and what happened to her? Harriet’s questions lead her to the story of three sister ships, Olympic, Titanic and Britannic, and a shattering revelation about three sisters torn apart…

Purchase Links 

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08WK5H329/     

US -  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08WK5H329/

Author Bio – 

Kathleen McGurl lives in Christchurch, UK, with her husband. She has two sons who have both now left home. She always wanted to write, and for many years was waiting until she had the time. Eventually she came to the bitter realisation that no one would pay her for a year off work to write a book, so she sat down and started to write one anyway. Since then she has published several novels with HQ and self-published another. She has also sold dozens of short stories to women's magazines, and written three How To books for writers. After a long career in the IT industry she became a full time writer in 2019. When she's not writing, she's often out running, slowly.

Social Media Links – 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathMcGurl  @KathMcGurl

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

Website: https://kathleenmcgurl.com/

My Review

One of my favourite novels by Kath Mcgurl. Lovely attention to detail and the perfect symetry of the three sisters and the three sister ships. The quest to find out what happened to the mysterious third sister is cleverly done and kept me turning the pages. All in all a delightful story full of mystery and intrigue. Can thoroughly recommend.

A ration book daughter

 A Ration Book Daughter

Not even the Blitz can shake a mother's love.

Cathy was a happy, blushing bride when Britain went to war with Germany three years ago. But her youthful dreams were crushed by her violent husband Stanley's involvement with the fascist black-shirts, and even when he's conscripted to fight she knows it's only a brief respite - divorce is not an option. Cathy, a true Brogan daughter, stays strong for her beloved little son Peter.

When a telegram arrives declaring that her husband is missing in action, Cathy can finally allow herself to hope - she only has to wait 6 months before she is legally a widow and can move on with her life. In the meantime, she has to keep Peter safe and fed. So she advertises for a lodger, and Sergeant Archie McIntosh of the Royal Engineers' Bomb Disposal Squad turns up. He is kind, clever and thoughtful; their mutual attraction is instant. But with Stanley's fate still unclear, and the Blitz raging on over London's East End, will Cathy ever have the love she deserves?

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3ijT3HO

Author Bio – 

Born and bred in East London Jean is a District Nurse by trade and has worked as a NHS manager and as a senior lecture in Health and Nursing Studies. She left her day job to become a full-time writer in 2015 and has never looked back.

In 2006 she won the Harry Bowling Prize and now has seventeen sagas published over three series with both Orion and Atlantic all of which are set in East London.

She is an experienced public speaker with hundreds of WI and women’s club talks under her belt, plus for the past fifteen years she has sailed all over the world as an enrichment speaker and writing workshop leader on cruise ships.

Social Media Links – 

Website: http://jeanfullerton.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jean-Fullerton-202631736433230/?ref=bookmarks

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/JeanFullerton_

 

Giveaway to Win 6 x A Ration Book Daughter Paperbacks (Open to UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK 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/33c69494419/?

My Review

As usual there is a mix of sadness and joy in this excitng installment that continues the series. We already met Stanley in a previous book and much like his wife, the reader probably hoped we'd seen the last of him ( and his evil mother.) 

Sadly, Cathy is unable to move on with her life when she receives the telegam to say he's missing and we are all rooting for her that he doesn't turn up and destroy her chance of happiness with Archie. 

A really enjoyable page turner that will keep you on your toes as you live the lives of the characters. I also enjoyed how we got reminders of some of the other characters that we've seen before. It was just like hearing about old friends.

Ariadne

 

‘My story would not be one of death and suffering and sacrifice, I would take my place in the songs that would be sung about Theseus; the princess who saved him and ended the monstrosity that blighted Crete’ 

As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur - Minos’s greatest shame and Ariadne’s brother - demands blood every year. 

When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods - drawing their attention can cost you everything. 

In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne’s decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover’s ambition? 

Ariadne gives a voice to the forgotten women of one of the most famous Greek myths, and speaks to their strength in the face of angry, petulant Gods. Beautifully written and completely immersive, this is an exceptional debut novel. 

A truly spellbinding, epic story taking readers on an unforgettable journey. Perfect for fans of Circe, A Thousand Ships and The Silence of the Girls. 

Due to a lifelong fascination with Ancient Greek mythology, Jennifer Saint read Classical Studies at King’s College, London. She spent the next thirteen years as an English teacher, sharing a love of literature and creative writing with her students. ARIADNE is her first novel and she is working on another retelling of ancient myth for her second. @jennysaint 

#Ariadne

Jennifer Saint on her inspiration for the novel: 

The inspiration for Ariadne first sparked when I was at university and studied the Roman poet Ovid for the first time. When I read the Heroides, a collection of letters written by the women of myth to the men who had wronged them in various ways, I was captivated by seeing these familiar stories from a different perspective. Ariadne writes a powerful letter to Theseus after she has given him the clue to lead him safely from the Labyrinth, lair of the Minotaur, betraying her father and kingdom to do so. Her younger sister Phaedra writes a letter of her own, full of clever rhetoric and persuasion and we see that they are intelligent and passionate women trying to carve out their own destiny in a world where the odds are stacked against them. Years later, I would read my children the Greek myths I had always loved and I was reminded of Ovid when I came to the story of the Minotaur in which Ariadne’s crucial role was reduced to a couple of sentences in the background of Theseus’ legend. I felt that Ariadne deserved her own voice and I wanted to put her in the spotlight where she belongs. 

Although Phaedra had her own individual story, I also wanted to explore the relationship between the sisters and how growing up in the shadow of the Minotaur shaped their experiences. I felt that the myths I had encountered about Ariadne and Phaedra were focused on the men in their lives and I wanted to make their sisterhood central in my book. The richness and complexity of female relationships, especially that of sisters, is so interesting and the two sisters of the Minotaur, whose fates were so devastatingly interlinked, offered such a compelling story that I was really excited by the idea of telling it. 

My Review

The story of Ariadne is one I remember from my childhood. In this beautiful retelling, Jennifer Saint gives Ariadne a voice. Not only is she a woman in Ancient Greece but also the daughter of a king. Through her relationship with her sister Phaedra, she comes to life on the page as we see how difficult it must have been to carve out an identity for herself. It's interesting that the Minotaur takes back stage in this story, always present, yet it is Ariadne who is the focus. This is an absolutely compelling story and I can't wait for the next one.

Breathe

December 26, 2004: The Indian Ocean tsunami has flooded great swathes of western Thailand.

Carl’s best friend and his wife are missing. He travels from London to Thailand to discover what has happened to them, only to learn there is nothing one man can do in the devastation the wave left behind. What started as an impulsive quest ends up with him examining the very essence of his being.

A unique combination of an action-packed quest for truth and a philosophical exploration of life’s deeper meaning, Breathe is a poignant, tense and intelligently written story that will have you contemplating its meaning and message long after you have reached the final page. 

'A page turner with high psycological stakes' - Kirkus Reviews

‘A harrowing, profound and intensely emotional tale of loss and hope, full of psychological depth' - Johanna Gustawsson, author of the international best-seller Roy & Castells books; soon to be a major TV series

About the author 

 I grew up in Kiev, Ukraine at the end of Soviet era, small enough not to fully understand the changes which swept all over my country but big enough to remember before and after. I remember my father asking me, what is the capital of your country? Moscow, I said. His eyes filled with bitterness. ‘It’s Kiev. Kiev!’ he shouted at me. That was not true, I thought, that is not what they taught us at school, but I felt too small to argue with him. 

After Lenin’s portrait was taken down in our classroom, my years in school I mostly remember for being self-conscious about being tall, very tall in fact, the tallest girl in the school. Hiding, spending a lot of time at home, I read books that took me to the worlds I thought I could only dream of going to. And then the coin flipped and being tall and skinny was appreciated. I changed from studying at university to distance learning, and left for Paris on a one-way ticket to become a model.  

There were highs and lows, but mostly there was a lot of travelling, I lived a peripatetic life in many capitals in all the continents, some cities became home for a while and some I just passed through.  

The modelling years finished and I completed my Masters degree in Art and Business and I worked for a while at Sotheby’s, the auction house, in London – a cosmopolitan hub where every one of my friends came from different corner of the world, with vastly different backgrounds, stories, pursuits and visions of tomorrow. I felt that I fitted right in with this motely band of gypsies.  

Every year, I went to my husband’s summer house in the North of Sweden. The pine trees and birches, soft bright green moss, the smell of dry grass, hare bells and red clover in the meadow reminded me of my grandparents’ home where as a child I was sent for long summer months. But it was only when my first son was born, I finally felt the true meaning of home – it’s where my heart was, it was in front of me. Last year, we left London and settled in the Chilterns, where I began a new chapter of my life, planting my dream garden and working on my next book. 

 

Writing Breathe was a long journey – challenging and at times rewarding and yet sad.  

In December 2004, I was in Thailand, planning to spend Christmas and New Year at a friend’s house in Phuket, but at the last moment, I changed my mind and left. So I never met ‘Kristoffer’ and ‘Eva’. I wish I did, because I heard so much about them from ‘Carl’ – the book is inspired by his story.  

In 2012, I went to remote Koh Prah Thong and by pure accident met Kimina and JP, tsunami survivors and owners of one of bungalows at the resort, returning for the first time to the island since the wave devasted it. They met Kristoffer and Eva, and they remembered meeting Carl in Kurabury. Together, we kayaked into an endless maze of the mangrove creek until somehow my kayak turned upside down and I fell into the murky waters. As I tried to get into a canoe, I scratched my shoulders on the thorns of a plant, but at that time the wound looked minor. Back in London, in a matter of days it swelled to a size of an orange and because it didn’t respond to any antibiotic treatments, I had surgery on my shoulder. The samples of my tissues were tested and studied and almost five months later my doctor finally admit they were unable to match it with any known infection. I felt all these events were like beads that lay in my hand waiting to be threaded into a story – the story of Breathe. 

 

 My Review

In 1994 I was living in Bangkok and spent Christmas that year on Koh Samui. Fast forward ten years to Boxing Day 2004 in the UK and as we were tucking into turkey with all the trimmings, the news was full of a horrific disaster that had taken place in  South-east Asia. It was the first time the word tsunami became part of the English language and I watched the news unfold, unable to comprehend the devastation and loss of life. 

Elena Kravchenko captures this event immensely well. The huge scale of the disaster is hard to take in even now yet the size of the area, the lack of resources, the poor infrastructure and general confusion and chaos in the aftermath meant the number of victims will probably never be known. At the heart of this book is Carl's search for his two friends. It is heartbreaking, even more so since it is based on a true story, yet it shows human nature at its best, the kindness of one human being to another in a time of need. It is a difficult book to read because of the subject matter. It is deeply moving and at the end, I too felt like I needed to come up for air. Sadly, so many others couldn't. An event and a book that will always stay with me.