A Cornish promise

 A Cornish Promise by Terri Nixon

  

• Paperback : 432 pages 

• ISBN-10 : 0349423997 

• ISBN-13 : 978-0349423999 

• Dimensions : 12.6 x 3.6 x 19.6 cm 

• Publisher : Piatkus (3 Dec. 2020) 

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cornish-Promise-Fox-Bay-Saga/dp/0349423997/ 

  

 

 

BLURB  

1929, Cornwall. Fiona Fox, youngest child of the celebrated Fox family, is a devoted volunteer at the local lifeboat station, giving all her free time and her energy to the selfless crew. But when she seizes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do more, she sets in motion a chain of events that sparks danger and intrigue at Fox Bay Hotel. 
 
The stranger she brings into her family home provides an unsettling presence over Christmas, and when visiting 'Hollywood Royalty' is drawn into the web, Fiona has to decide how much her promises are worth after all. 
 
But the glamorous visitors have their own secrets, and their own reasons for hiding out at Fox Bay. As those reasons become apparent, Fiona must choose between betraying a close friend, and keeping her word... And lives are at stake whichever way she turns. 
 
Set against the dramatic Cornish coastline, this tale of secrets and strangers will delight fans of Rosie Goodwin and Evie Grace. 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Terri was born in Plymouth. At the age of 9 she moved with her family to Cornwall, to the village featured in Jamaica Inn -- North Hill -- where she discovered a love of writing that has stayed with her ever since. She also discovered apple-scrumping, and how to jump out of a hayloft without breaking any bones, but no-one's ever offered to pay her for doing those. 
 
Since publishing in paperback for the first time in 2002, Terri has appeared in both print and online fiction collections, and is proud to have contributed to the Shirley Jackson award-nominated hardback collection: Bound for Evil, by Dead Letter Press. 
 
As a Hybrid author, her first commercially published novel was Maid of Oaklands Manor, published by Piatkus Entice. 
 
Terri's self-published Mythic Fiction series set in Cornwall, The Lynher Mill Chronicles, is now complete and available in paperback and e-book. 
 
Terri also writes under the name T Nixon, and has contributed to anthologies under the names Terri Pine and Teresa Nixon. She is represented by the Kate Nash Literary Agency. She now lives in Plymouth with her youngest son, and works in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Plymouth University, where she is constantly baffled by the number of students who don't possess pens. 

 

Twitter @TerriNixon 

Website : http://www.terrinixon.com/ 

My Review

When Fiona brings a stranger into the hotel and makes her a promise, she sets in motion  a series of events that will pull her in two directions. this book has tension on every page as the reader is carried along wondering who the girl really is and what is her motive.The arrival of 'Hollywood Royalty' brings more secrets until the shocking denoument reveals the truth. 

This is a great follow-up to 'a Cornish Inheritance' and the secrets and betrayal in the main story are echoed in the subplot.

. 

 

Let's talk about cats

 Let’s Talk About Cats. Conversations On Feline Behaviour

Let’s Talk About Cats: Conversations on Feline Behaviour features 16 unique in-depth conversations with devoted feline experts, each chapter answering a question about our cats. An abundance of catty conversation points which provide many useful takeaways for cat owners to improve their own every-day connection with their cats.

This book, the first of its kind, presents the combined wisdom of experts from all over the world on the psychology, behaviour, diet and training of cats, in a relaxed and conversational style. Contributors include Jackson Galaxy, star of My Cat From Hell, and composer David Teie, whose ground-breaking album, Music for Cats, was released by the Universal Music Group.

Each illuminating chapter exudes a love for cats and a wealth of fascinating insights.

This book is packed with helpful advice, guidance and true stories from the author’s own professional experience of cat care topics, explaining the most important cat concepts, giving food for thought and expanding on all the most important issues and debates in the cat world.

Purchase Links:

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Talk-About-Cats-Conversations-ebook/dp/B08HKNXBFT

US - https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Talk-About-Cats-Conversations-ebook/dp/B08HKNXBFT

 If anyone would like the chance to win a free copy of Let’s Talk About Cats plus some fun cat toys from Purrs In Our Hearts and 4Cats then join the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/letstalkaboutcats  

There will be 5 fun cat photo competitions posted on 23rd Nov With the entries closing 4th Dec. Rules and how to enter on the page. 

Author Bio – 

Anita Kelsey holds a first class honours degree in Feline Behaviour and Psychology (work based BA Hons) and runs a vet referral service dedicated strictly to the diagnosis and treatment of behaviour problems in cats. She is also a qualified cat groomer and specialises in grooming aggressive or phobic cats. Anita writes for Your Cat Magazine and is on their experts panel answering readers questions on cat grooming. She also advises on feline behaviour for the CFBA (Canine and Feline Behaviour) magazine as well as being a full member. Anita, a strong advocate of a vegan lifestyle, is based in London but consults all over the UK as well as international requests. She lives with her husband, a music producer, and two Norwegian Forest cats, Kiki and Zaza. 

Her debut book 'Claws. Confessions Of A Professional Cat Groomer' was published by John Blakes in 2018 and her second book Let’s Talk About Cats, Conversation On Feline Behaviour is due out November 28th 2020.

Visit http://www.catbehaviourist.com. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/catbehaviourist

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cat_behaviourist/

My Review

This is a go-to book for anyone who loves cats or wants to know more about them. The chapters are well-organised with specialists interviewed on a variety of subhjects so it's easy to find the information you want. Ranging from the best type of diet for your cat to toys and how to communiate with your cat, this book is illuminating. Whether you are a cat-parent novice or an experienced cat person there will be something in this book that will enrich your relationship with your 'little tinker.' 

A Blackpool Christmas

 CHRISTMAS, 1918.

The war may be over, but for newly reunited sisters Babs and Beth, peace has yet to find them. Having been taken from their mother at a young age and then separated themselves for twelve years, their family has encountered enough pain to last a lifetime. 

As the festive season approaches, they realise their struggles are far from over, but if they want to look forward to a happy future together they must work to put the past behind them. Will the joys of Christmas be enough to unite their family once more?

About the author

 

Maggie Mason, who also writes as Mary Wood, was born the thirteenth child of fifteen to a middle-class mother and an East End barrow boy. Her family were poor, but rich in love. Over time, she developed a natural empathy with the less fortunate and is fascinated by social history. Maggie 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.

My Review

Maggie's books will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions and this book is no exception. This time we catch up with twins, Beth and Babs, who have been apart for twelve years. Set at the end of the Great War, Maggie captures perfectly the constraints of the class system and how these are beginning to be challenged. Peace may be on the horizon but for these two sisters, they have a long way to go to settle their differences. As always, Maggie's writing has a rawness to it that brings the horrors of ordinary people's suffering to life. Another triumph.

The forgotten gift

 The Forgotten Gift

What would you do to protect the ones you love?

1861. George’s life changes forever the day he meets Lucy. She’s beautiful and charming, and he sees a future with her that his position as the second son in a wealthy family has never offered him. But when Lucy dies in a suspected poisoning days after rejecting George, he finds himself swept up into a murder investigation. George loved Lucy; he would never have harmed her. So who did?

Now. On the surface Cassie is happy with her life: a secure job, good friends, and a loving family. When a mysterious gift in a long-forgotten will leads her to a dark secret in her family’s history she’s desperate to learn more. But the secrets in Cassie’s family aren’t all hidden in the past, and her research will soon lead her to a revelation much closer to home – and which will turn everything she knows on its head…

Discover a family’s darkest secrets today. Perfect for fans of The Girl in the Letter, The Beekeeper’s Promise and The Forgotten Village!

Purchase Links 

UK –  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Forgotten-Gift-Gripping-unputdownable-historical-ebook/dp/B08GHDTHWZ/

US - https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Gift-Gripping-unputdownable-historical-ebook/dp/B08GHDTHWZ/

Author Bio – 

Kathleen McGurl lives in Bournemouth 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. 

Social Media Links – 

Website: https://kathleenmcgurl.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathMcGurl

My Review

Kathleen Mcgurl has a talent for dual timelines. She avoids the danger of one story becoming more important than the other, as I found myself equally engaged in both George's and Cassie's stories. I love the idea of researching the past and wondering about the dark secrets that a forebear might have hidden. As always with a good story there are highs and lows, shocks and surprises, to keep the reader turning the page. Once again I was totally absorbed by this author's storytelling. Can thoroughly recommend.

Christmas at the Cornish Confetti Agency

 

Christmas at the Cornish Confetti Agency

It's Christmas at The Cornish Confetti Agency!

When Lexie Harrington is asked to choreograph Phoebe and Sam’s Christmas-themed wedding, she can’t wait to create the perfect winter wonderland - elegantly dressed fir trees, glossy garlands of holly and mistletoe, baskets of yule logs and pine cones, and the mouth-watering fragrance of gingerbread, cinnamon sticks and warm mulled wine floating through the air.

With handsome wedding columnist-cum-fledgling scriptwriter Theo Barker at her side, she’s confident that she can create the perfect festive ambience the bride and groom have been dreaming of since their engagement in the Swiss Alps; no rampant hosepipes, no mechanical mice, no confetti-filled hairdryers.

But this is The Cornish Confetti Agency, and the words ‘plain-sailing’ and ‘hassle-free’ do not feature in the promotional brochure. So, when a much-loved portrait of the groom’s father is adorned with pirate eye-patches and black plastic moustaches, and his expensive cologne is switched for toilet cleaner, Lexie and Theo must once again don their metaphorical deerstalkers and unravel the mystery before the wedding dissolves into Christmas-themed chaos and calamity.

A perfect Christmas wedding?
Is there such a thing for The Cornish Confetti Agency?

A glittery, feel-good story perfect for the festive season, and the third book in The Cornish Confetti Agency series.

Purchase Links 

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0892GV962

US  - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0892GV962

Author Bio – 

Daisy James loves writing stories with strong heroines and swift-flowing plotlines. She especially likes to create sunshine-filled settings in exotic locations - the Caribbean, Tuscany, Cornwall, Provence - so she can spend her time envisioning her characters enjoying the fabulous scenery and sampling the local food and drink.

When not scribbling away in her peppermint-and-green summerhouse (garden shed), she spends her time sifting flour and sprinkling sugar and edible glitter. She loves gossiping with friends over a glass of something fizzy or indulging in a spot of afternoon tea - china plates and teacups are a must.

Social Media Links – 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/daisyjamesbooks

Twitter - https://twitter.com/daisyjamesbooks

Instagram - @daisyjamesbooks

My Review

With lots of snowy descriptions and wintry treats, set against a backdrop of the gorgeous Cornish scenery, this is a perfect Christmas read. This book oozes with the scents of gingerbread, hot chocolate with cinnamon sticks and mulled wine, all so deliciously described that I would recommend the book for these alone. However, there is a mystery to solve that threatens to spoil the festive atmosphere and Lexie has to act quickly if she is to pull off the perfect Christmas wedding for her client. All in all a lovely read that will make you feel all Christmassy and no doubt have you searching for that last Christmas cookie to go with it.

The girl without a name

 September 1940. As the bombs of the Blitz fall on London, Ruby and Stevie are falling in love. United by a shocking experience when they were evacuees, Ruby believes that she understands Stevie like nobody else can. But then Stevie is sent abroad into danger and as Ruby waits, desperately, for letters with foreign stamps that never come, she begins to fear that he is lost forever.

August 2004. Billie has rushed to her father Dick’s hospital bedside. A terrible stroke has robbed him of his speech, and he is a shell of the man he was before. But when Billie finds a crumpled black and white photo in his wallet of a smiling, dark-haired girl she doesn’t recognise, Dick frantically tries to talk. Billie knows that he is trying to tell her something important, and she must ask the questions her father cannot. All she has to go on is the name he is just able to mumble. Ruby.

Billie tracks down Ruby’s aunt, her only surviving relative, and learns that Ruby’s life contained great love, but also great tragedy. Billie is determined to find out what happened to this brave woman, last seen leaving her home for a secret weekend away. Why did nobody miss her? And how is she connected to Billie’s beloved father? Can Billie lay the ghosts of the past to rest, even if it means revealing the darkest secrets of her father’s life and breaking her own heart?

A completely compelling and heartbreaking read, this is the story of the courage of a young woman in wartime and another woman’s quest to right the injustices of history. Fans of The Letter and The Nightingale will be hooked on The Girl Without a Name.  

Author Bio:

Following an eventful career as a public relations consultant, specialising in business and travel, Suzanne Goldring turned to writing the kind of novels she likes to read, about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. Whether she is working in her thatched cottage in Hampshire or her seaside home in North Cornwall, Suzanne finds inspiration in the secrets hidden by everyday life.  

 https://suzannegoldring.wordpress.com/

https://twitter.com/suzannegoldring

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3kGjTKJ

Apple: https://apple.co/2ZE3rCo

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2WxpvwS

Google: https://bit.ly/32sA5cg

My Review

This dual timeline novel blends wartime history with present-day perfectly so that the reader becomes equally involved in both Ruby's story and Billie's search to find out more about her. I liked the way this story highlights the position of women in society and the hardships they had to endure. It would have been remarkable with the ending I expected but the twist makes it even more memorable and leaves the reader with a sense of satisfaction that I honestly wasn't expecting.

Dead Perfect

 

A murdered woman…

When the body of a young woman is found in a local park, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she’s dealing with no ordinary killer. The murder victim has been disfigured; her outfit changed to resemble someone else. Someone Maggie knows all too well…her close friend Dr Kate Moloney.

A determined detective…

Maggie is determined to keep her friend safe, but with Kate already struggling with a threatening stalker, Maggie now fears Kate’s life is in real danger. Who else would want to harm Kate and why else would the killer be turning his victims into exact replicas – his living dolls? 

Can Maggie find the depraved killer? Or will Kate become his next living doll?

About the author

 

Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of risk cases as well as working in a multi agency setting. She has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog.

Dead Inside – her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK is an international kindle bestseller and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson.

Connect with Noelle on Social Media here:

Subscribe to Newsletter: http://ow.ly/cgww50BkBtt 

Twitter: (@nholten40) https://twitter.com/nholten40 

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

Blog FB page: https://www.facebook.com/crimebookjunkie/ 

Instagram: @author_noelleholten

Website: https://www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk   

Bookbub Author page : https://bit.ly/2LkT4LB 

My Review

This is definitely the creepiest of the three books so far. When a body is found in a park wearing clothes similar to those worn by Maggie's friend Kate, the hunt begins to catch the killer before he gets to Kate. this is a great psychological profile of the mind of a serial killer and his search for a 'living doll'. Noelle puts her background in the probation service to good use making for authentic detail but it is the warped mind of a killer that will stay with you. Hauntingly realistic but makes for a nail-biting read.