Photo diary: June'22, project 365

We say Good bye to the first month of summer. It whooshed by so fast. I'm still plodding along, rather in limbo, doing things by rota, routinely, crestfallen and sluggish. I am so depressed about the war. The chances are I might never see my Mum again, and that breaks my heart. Her health is not good, and I guess she is not telling me the whole truth, always trying to diminsh any worry. She knows how anxious I am, and tries to spare me. As Mums do.

I make an effort to keep myself busy, with organsing the house, looking after my boys, reading, baking and painting, but at the back of my mind the anxiety never goes away. You think you might have it under control, but it's always there, and can be easily triggered, in a flick of the switch.

This month I continued sketching with inks, using #Penandinkchallenge prompts. 

In this sketch I used a stamp of little Sasha running on the beach. Years ago I took part in the competition ran by one of the papercrafting magazines to design a summer-themed stamp. And they later produced the stamp based on my design (if you fancy seeing the actual stamp, have a look at my Insta post).

We keep watching The Walking Dead, now on season five and counting. We'll probably keep watching it for the rest of the summer. I never thought I would be so engrossed into anything zombie-related, but this series is not about zombies really. It is about the human psychology and behaviour when in extreme situations of the apocalypse, moral dilemmas and life and death choices. It is very gruesome and eerie, and the producers are quite ruthless, disposing of characters you grow to love. The acting is exceptionally good. A fantastic cast.

Earlier this month I reviewed The Only Exception by Claire Huston. It is an entertaining, light-hearted and uplifting modern romance. As the brownie features prominently in the book, I baked a brownie to celebrate the book publication. 

The main character of the book serves her brownie with warm custard. I confess that it's a total No-No from me. I generally find warm custard quite revolting. The warm brownie surely has to be served with a cold cream, custard or even better, ice cream. It's the combination of warm and cold that makes it the winning one for me.

Are you Camp Warm custard on brownie or Camp Ice cream?

Songs by the fire was one of the prompts of #penandinkchallenge, and I have chosen a song called Hold On by Tom Waits, as performed by Beth Greene from The Walking Dead. It resonates with me, as I keep telling myself to Hold on. If you watched it, you might remember Beth singing it, while they are together in prison. 

I cannot say the likeness is amazing, but hope you can still recognise Beth. She is one of my favourite characters (and she dies in season five, sob).

A couple of months ago I saw an online offer for Lee Kum Kee Mystery Box subscription (pay for 2, get the 3rd box free). I often buy LKK Teriyaki sauce (the best one for the Teriyaki tofu and rice), soya sauce and sesame oil, and fancied trying more products from their vast range.

So far my top favourite from the first box was LKK Mushrooms Vegetarian stir fry sauce. It's a vegetarian alternative to the oyster sauce. I just add it to any vegetables, and Pad Thai noodles.

These are the contents of the second box, which I am slowly going through.

Our garden is both a source of joy and despair for me. Joy, for obvious reasons, and despair, as it's a never-ending work. The weeds, the battle with the birds to save some of the berries.

I managed to get some of the red currants, but the blackcurrants were totally demolished by the birds.

And then the blasted neighbours' cats who keep killing the birds. One morning I found four dead fledglings on the path under the hazelnut tree. It's just a game for them, they are not killing for food but for fun. 

My tomato plants are doing very well, and roses and wild roses are a pleasure to look at.

I spotted this little beastie on the wild rose, and named them The Beauty and the Beast.

Another TV series we've been watching this month is Stranger Things. The final two episodes of the last season should be on late tonight (virtual watch party), and Eddie can't wait. He is a big fan, so I had to get him a Stranger Things' hoodie (found on Amazon).

His birthday is coming soon, and I have ordered a couple of ST birthday cards on Moonpig, and just seen a Steve Harrington Funko Pop toy that he would love.

Whenever I spot a new Ritter Sport flavour on Ocado, I am tempted to try it. Ritter Sport Konnichiwa is a combination of cherry and almond, inspired by the Japanese cherry blossom. It's not too bad, but not my favourite Ritter Sport.

Have you tried it?

Eddie and I went to the cinema to see Jurassic World Dominion. Rotten Tomatoes rated it 2/5, and I agree with that rating. It's probably the worst Jurassic film. Time to stop.

There were a couple of exciting episodes, but overall it's lacking in fun, and is rather forgettable. Even my son wasn't impressed.

We have some beautiful old-fashioned roses in the garden. I don't know the name of this variety, but it smells divine.

Stargazing sketch: I drew my older son when he was little and we visited London Aquarium. The original photo was of him standing against the aquarium with fish, which I turned into the star-lit sky.

Beautiful cascading roses over the wall of one of the houses by the river Windrush.

Iceland is one of the countries I've always dreamed of visiting. This is a quick sketch of one of the churches, which I found online. And that's the only kind of travelling I am doing. Online.

My darling niece got married. It was an emotional day. I wish I were there to give her the biggest hug in person, and wish the newly weds my best wishes. She is only twenty years old, a baby really. 

This is one of the snaps my brother took during the ceremony.

I saw a million photos later, and cried. 

Visiting our local library. With all the budget cuts, the book stock is getting less varied. But at least it is still open.

Monday the 20th was another emotional day for me. Our old friends, with whom we lost touch, were visiting Oxford from the States. We haven't seen each other for twenty years. 

The last time we met, we lived in the States, in Williamstown. Sasha was not even one year old. And now my boy is a grown-up man. Saying Time flies is such a cliché, but it is spot on. Where did our youth go? 

We met when both they and we were newly married, and we shared a college house with them, and a couple of boys. 

We had lunch in Nuffield college.

These are the water lilies in the courtyard.

When Sash was a pre-teen and early teen, he used to take lots of photos, including selfies in some psyhedelic colour settings. One of his old selfies was an inspiration for my inky sketch.

For the Waves prompt I painted a small landscape of the Cornish beach, with a solitary figure of my son in the distance. I can't wait to see my beloved Cornwall. 

And the last one of my inky sketches. Promise you, no more drawings in this post. I did a painting of Eddie jumping on the beach, holding his hat in his hand. 

Our current sofa is getting old, and is really uncomfortable if you open it up as a bed. Eddie and I went to the bed shop to look for a new sofa which could be used as a bed and tested a few sofas.

The Sinner by Caroline England is a gripping domestic noir. It's a sinister tale of broken trust, tragic secrets and skeletons in the closet. The main protagonist is married to the vicar, hence the cross.

On the run through the town...

A very boring snap of the kitchen wire baskets, which I bought this week, taken on my Mum's request, as she said she wants to see them.

I had a bunch of bananas going mushy. Rather than bake a banana bread, I made a banana chutney, with sultanas, ginger, garlic, onion, chilli, rum and other ingredients. I haven't made it recently and forgot just how tasty it is, even if it doesn't look pretty.

And a few mismatched jars of strawberry jam, of a runny variety, so I could pour it over ice cream or pancakes.

Hope your June was stress-free and filled with positivity.

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The Sinner by Caroline England

 

"I smile at the mostly female throng and motion for them to go ahead. Bringing up the rear, I wonder what my prayers - or perhaps my contemplation or wishes or hopes - might be this year; there's no point asking for what has already been firmly declined - both my God and my husband".

"She swallows. Trauma, shame, sin, guilt, grief. And yes, regret or making the wrong call. When they're not eating you from inside, they're waiting around the corner, ready to make a tumultuous comeback".

The Sinner by Caroline England is a gripping domestic noir, and an insightful study in understanding of psychological trauma, grief and guilt.

The blurb:

EVERY SAINT HAS A PAST

To the unsuspecting eye Dee Stephens has a perfect life as the vicar's wife: a devoted marriage to her charismatic husband Reverend Vincent, an adoring congregation and a beautiful daughter.

EVERY SINNER HAS A FUTURE

But beneath the surface, Dee is suffocating. Vincent is in control, and he knows her every sin. Desperate, Dee escapes into a heady affair with Cal, an old schoolmate.

EVERY CONFESSION HAS A PRICE

But is Cal the saviour she thinks he is? What dark secrets does he harbour? And to what lengths will Vincent go when he uncovers the truth?

Dee Stephens is the vicar's wife. On the outside, she is one lucky lady. Her husband, Reverend Vincent, oozes charm and confidence, their house is brimming with adoring visitors, they have a lovely daughter. But behind the facade, Dee is miserable.  

Dee is a flawed character. You sympathise with her, but you also want to shake her into action: Don't be so submissive and passive. She lives with her controlling husband, a mother in law from hell and a resentful daughter.

Vincent  is a typical narcissist, with a huge ego, emotionally manipulative, preoccupied with his own image. To his congregation he appears generous, kind and compassionate, but his real self is well hidden behind the mask. He belittles his wife, has no compassion for her trauma and enjoys controlling her life, including such petty things as to what toiletries she should buy.

Dee met her husband when she was a young teen, and doesn't see their relationship as grooming. 

And Dee allows him to control every aspect of her life, as a way of punishing herself for what she perceives as her sin. Her daughter Abbey is rather hostile to her, but she does have good reasons for feeling disgruntled. It appears the mother prefers to glide passively through her life and has no real emotional connection to her child.

It takes a chance encounter with a former schoolmate, Cal, to set in motion a chain of drastic events. Needy for attention and approval, Dee jumps into a passionate affair with someone who's basically a stranger she knows nothing about.

The story is narrated through several characters' voices: Dee, her older sister Mari and Cal.

Mariana might be good at her job as a psychiatrist, but she isn't able to resolve her own personal issues. Her love life is complicated, as her younger partner Britt is pretty manipulative. Mari finds one excuse after another for Britt's sulking moods and unscrupulous behaviour (pregnancy, hormones, demands of a new parenthood, etc) but the truth is, Britt is an immature, selfish character, and a bit of a leech who exploits her position to her own advantage. 

Mari wanted to become a psychiatrist from an early age. "It's just a shame she's never quite understood her own feelings and failings, or been able to help herself".

She sees Vincent as someone who is so busy selling God to his parishioners and showing off that he's never there for his wife. However, loyal Dee defends him. 

And there's Cal who has his own agenda. His childhood is tragic, and it is not surprising that he is damaged psychologically. Cal's personal life is messy, and he seems to be in a limbo. Not a bad person, he's been badly hurt and has trust issues. 

Two damaged people, Dee and Cal are drawn to each other, trying to bury their past tragedies.

The tension is slowly building to a crescendo of an explosive finale. 

The Sinner is a deft, psychological drama, a tense, poignant and sinister tale of betrayed trust, tragic secrets and skeletons in the closet. You'll find yourselves engrossed in the complexity of England's characters. She has a gift for characterisation. The Sinner is a multi-layered narrative, which brims with devastating betrayal, misplaced loyalty, duplicity and revenge.

Potential triggers: death of a child, grooming, controlling/abusive relationship.

This review is part of the blog tour for The Sinner.

Many thanks to Caroline England and Piatkus for my copy of the book!

Author Bio:

Caroline England was born and brought up in Yorkshire and studied Law at the University of Manchester. She was a divorce and professional indemnity lawyer before leaving the law to bring up three daughters and turning her hand to writing. Caroline is the author of The Wife's Secret (previously called Beneath the Skin), the top-ten ebook bestseller My Husband's Lies, Betray Her and Truth Games. She lives in Manchester with her family.

Social media links:

www.carolineenglandauthor.co.uk

Twitter @CazEngland

www.facebook.com/CazEngland1

www.instagram.com/cazengland1

The missing girls of Alardyce House by Heather Atkinson

 

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House by Heather Atkinson (Boldwood Books) is a historical Gothic novel, with the elements of horror and ghost story.

Alardyce village, just outside Edinburgh, September 1878

As Amy catches the sight of Alardyce House from the carriage bringing her to live with her relatives, a sense of foreboding settles in the pit of her stomach. "She had hoped this place would be welcoming but already she felt as though it didn't want her... She was put in mind of a prison and shuddered."

Amy is right in feeling apprehensive. She hasn't seen her uncle and aunt in ten years, since she was seven years old, but she "had the vague notion that he was boring and pompous and she haughty and cold".  Having lost her parents after their ship went down in the Atlantic, Amy has no option but to move from London to Scotland. The Alardyces are the only family she has left in the world.

Amy's aunt Lenora is a spiteful, venomous woman who detests her niece, while her uncle seems to be happy to bend to her stronger will. There are two cousins, Henry and Edward, who are like chalk and cheese.

As Amy describes her older cousin, "He is terribly handsome but that's where his charms end. I find him proud, arrogant and a little strange". A little strange is an understatement, when it comes to the whole family. Once Amy arrives, Lenora sets her mind on marrying her off as soon as possible so she would be her husband's problem, even without waiting for the decent period of mourning. She invites the eligible bachelors to the house, parading Amy in front of them. "It was a huge breach of protocol on her aunt's part but no one dared object. What Lenora wanted, Lenora got".

Amy strikes friendship with her younger cousin Edward, who seems to be happy to exchange confidences with her and complain of their lot. As the younger son, Edward's perspectives reflect his lower position in the family hierarchy. 

Henry is as conceited as his haughty and cruel mother, Amy despises and detests him with passion. As weeks of the mourning pass, Amy comes to realisation that Lenora has set her heart on getting her hands on her inheritance, having chosen the most despicable groom to be.

On top of the personal drama, something sinister is lurking behind the respectable facade of Alardyce House. The local girls are being brutally attacked in the grounds, and who is the main suspect but Amy's loathsome cousin Henry?!

Is there anyone in the house she can trust? 

The longer Amy stays at Alardyce House, the more dreadful secrets and abominable designs begin to stir. Is there an escape for Amy?

The main protagonist is not your typical Victorian orphan. She has been groomed by a man 30 years older, and became his lover when she was 15. She doesn't see anything wrong in that. As apparently, men have their needs, and as his wife is incapacitated, so that's all right then.

She openly tells this story to her cousin, whom she barely knows. And then she has sex with a servant. That servant is bad news, he is controlling and manipulative.

The sex scenes are needlessly detailed. 

From the blurb I expected it to be a horror story/dark thriller, and not 50 shades of Lady Grey, with sadistic tendencies and extreme violence. The ruthlessly chilling scenes of torture are horrible to digest.

I didn't like the main character, her disturbing family, or anyone else in the story. Amy is very vocal, and presents unusual ideas, which with her level of education would be rather unrealistic. It is a total anachronism to expect a young lady of her social standing to condemn the expansion of the Empire. Amy claims she reads the newspapers and thus has opinions of her own. Not that we see her reading any papers, but mooning for the handsome servant and plotting her escape from Alardyce House. And then she shouts at her cousin and accuses him of being ignorant. 

"You consider the British Empire ridiculous? he exclaimed. "Yes, I do. It's boastful pride and we can't possibly hold it forever. One day it will crumble and fall... If it's treasonous to consider the oppression of entire peoples in their own countries wrong, then, yes, I am treasonous".

Her base manners and speech are that of a modern dudette. For example, she slags off her cousin, "He's a pompous prig if you ask me. What that man needs is a strong drink and a cheap woman. Loosen him up a bit". That sounds coarse, even for the modern-thinking Amy.

The author is skilful at creating evocative sinister settings. You can feel the foreboding atmosphere of the Alardyce House, from the first glimpses of the house.

The two exhibitions Amy visits on different occasions, set the mood which reflects Amy's inner trumoil and feelings of bewilderment. When she lives at the Alardyce House, her aunt takes her to see the exhibition of the Preraphaelites. Later, she is looking at the paintings of the fairies by the famous artist Richard Dadd who was in an asylum for killing his own father. These little touches, add to the psychological character development.

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House is a harrowing, gut-wrenching story which weaves a dark web of dread. 

The shocking conclusion will lead to the second book in the series.

Potential triggers: extreme violence/torture, murder, rape, sexual abuse etc.

This post is part of the blog tour for The Missing Girls of Alardyce House.

My thanks to Heather Atkinson, Boldwood and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

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

Author Bio –

Heather Atkinson is the author of over fifty books – predominantly in the crime fiction genre.  Although Lancashire born and bred she now lives with her family, including twin teenage daughters, on the beautiful west coast of Scotland.  Her gangland series for Boldwood, set on the fictional Gallowburn estate in Glasgow begins with the title Blood Brothers.

 

Social Media Links –  

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

Twitter https://twitter.com/HeatherAtkinso1

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

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/HeatherAtkinsonNews

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heather-atkinson

An English Library Journey: With Detours to Wales and Northern Ireland by John Bevis

"Libraries are the workshops where futures are assembled, and it's not going to happen unless the conditions, the machinery and the technology are up to speed".

"It has amazed me to discover how many people, of what great diversity, use libraries for such a wide range of purposes to the good". 

Some of the best days of my life were spent doing research in the libraries, from the Library for Foreign Literature in Moscow to the Bodleian Library in Oxford and Sterling Memorial Library at Yale. I would spend days, studying and taking notes. 

Sterling Memorial Library is probably my most favourite place ever. It contains over four million volumes in the humanities, social sciences, manuscripts and archives. We lived in New Haven, CT, for two years, when my husband was a visiting professor at Yale, and this time has given me a great opportunity to enlist at the library of Yale University. The building itself is amazing. I spent days there, reading as well as doing research and just browsing. The beauty of it all was going somewhere up to the designated area, where the books on your subject matter would be, then browsing freely, discovering books and authors that you have never heard of before. 

The list of the public libraries which I have been a member of, is pretty long, but nothing to compare with the astonishing achievement of John Bevis.

An English Library Journey: With Detours to Wales and Northern Ireland by John Bevis is an amazing account of travelling through the UK and acquiring the membership of the local libraries. It started in 2010, when Bevis was driving his wife, whose job was researching and writing reports on prisons around the country. The writer would drop off his wife for work, and then look out for the nearest library to work on his own latest book.

You might call this collection an unconventional one, even eccentric. As the author himself contemplates, he started collecting libarary cards "for no very good reason".

It has taken him ten years of travelling around the country to put together an impressive collection of library cards. An admirable mission.

"What I'm going to need, so that I can join libraries wherever I happen to be, where I am not living, where I am not local, is some way of sidestepping the system. A way of making the extraordinary fortune that is the public library a nationwide, rather than municipal, resource. As I believe it should be".

Bevis is very passionate about his subject. 

The record of acquiring cards is interspersed with little stories, anecdotes and observations of people visiting/using the library. There are overheard conversations, boisterous toddlers at the play time, fighting teens, helpful, over-enthusiastic or indifferent librarians... 

Some stories resonate with you more than the others. You cannot but smile together with the author, when he narrates the episode of a learning-disabled group of seven or eight students with their teachers, who are shown the pictures of birds and animals. They work hard, delighted when they get it right. "Tiger!" And with a big "Yay!" the whole group are laughing and so pleased with themselves and proud to have got it right. And around the library people look up a little from what they are doing, and nod, or smile". 

It makes me think of my son who has special needs, and about his trips to the library with the school (and now college). 

Personal stories alternate with descriptions of the library cards, which vary in design and messages they convey. For example, a Southwark library has a distinct design, "On a green-blue background, in a loose handwriting typeface, is this bang-on quote from one of the world's most fanous librarians, novelist Jorge Luis Borges: "I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library". Amen".

Drawing on the local history research sources, the author has a vast knowledge of the architectural features of numerous libraries, as well as the historical background. The sizes and styles vary from Art Deco to Brutalism, from the converted corset factory to the Pork Pie library.

Laced with quotes from famous authors, among the chapters of the English library journey, it makes a fascinating reading. "I ransack public libraries, and find them full of sunk treasure" (Virginia Woolf).

I kept reading, hoping to see if the author has visited Witney, but alas, since we're under the umbrella of Oxfordshire libraries which includes forty four separate libraries, he didn't mention it. 

Personal experience and joy of collecting cards is charted against the background of political and social changes of the last decade.

This is not just a charming and witty narrative. In the final chapters there are some somber facts about the effects of the austerity on the libraries around the UK. Since the start of the project, "773 UK libraries have closed. About one in every seven of remaining 3,583 is now community-managed. There are fewer books - less than 60 million, where there were 90 million - and half the number of book loans per person. A shocking 10,000 jobs have been lost".

I have noticed the reduction in the number of books in our local library. There used to be several decent shelves of art and art history books. Now they are shifted to a much shorter and smaller sized section. Where there used to be a respectable selection of books on art techniques, creative inspiration and how-to manuals, there is a very limited choice. 

What is the future of libraries? 

How miserable the society would be without them. They provide vital community services.

Reading is one of the greatest pleasures of life. 

How many times did libraries and books saved my sanity?! When we arrived to New Haven, CT, and my husband had to work long hours, it was the libraries that kept me steady. I couldn't work, being on the spouse's visa, and spent days in the libraries, mainly the Yale University one, but the town library was not too bad either. Then we moved to Williamstown, MA, with our five-months' old baby, where we were snowed down for almost half a year, and again, the library was my beacon of light. I would wrap up my baby in warm blankets, put him in the pushchair and walk through the snow to the library. Memories, memories...

An English Library Journey is an insightful and perceptive guide to the library world. It is  charming, endearing and very satisfying. The author captures the essence of the English library in the present age of austerity.

Many thanks to John Bewis, Eye/Lightning and Simon Edge for my e-copy of the book!

The Hostage of Rome by Robert M. Kidd (review + #giveaway)

 

"Hannibal's army is superior in every respect. Nothing can stand in the way of our conquest".

The Hostage of Rome by Robert M.Kidd is the third book in The Histories of Sphax series.

Fans of the historical fiction/war fiction set in the ancient times will love the epic story.

This book reads as a standalone, but I strongly recommend starting with book 1, as you get to understand the main protagonists, their motivations and the dynamics of their relationships better.

I love books with maps, it is so much easier to understand the perilous trip the characters take, if you have a look at the map, especially if you are not familiar with the ancient names of the places.

Synopsis:

217BC. Rome has been savaged, beaten and is in retreat. Yet, in that winter of winters, her garrisons cling on behind the walls of Placentia and Cremona, thanks to her sea-born supplies. If he could be freed, a hostage of Rome may yet hold the key to launching a fleet of pirates that could sweep Rome from the seas. For that hostage is none other than Corinna's son Cleon, rival heir to the throne of Illyria, held in Brundisium, four hundred miles south of the Rubicon.

But Hannibal is set on a greater prize! Macedon is the great power in Greece, feared even by Rome. Its young king, Philip, is being compared with his illustrious ancestor, Alexander the Great. An alliance with Macedon would surely sound the death knell for Rome.

Given Hannibal's blessing, Sphax, Idwal and Corinna face an epic journey against impossible odds. Navigating the length of the Padus, past legionary garrisons and hostile Gauls, they must then risk the perils of the storm-torn Adria in the depth of the winter. If the gods favour them and they reach the lands of the pirate queen, only then will their real trials begin.

It's two weeks since the great battle beside the Trebia that had shattered the armies of Rome took place. Hannibal is eager to assess the extent of his victory, while giving a chance to his army to rest. The winter has exacted a heavy toll on his men and beasts.

Corinna is dreaming of rescuing her only son Cleon from the clutches of Rome. To do that, she needs help from Sphax and his team. Sphax is realistic in restraining her aspirations, he knows that they need to come with strategical and tactical necessities which will convince Hannibal that Cleon's recovery would be essential to the prosecution of his war with Rome. 

"Key to this, Corinna, is alliances," Sphax explained. "I know my uncle. What will persuade him are sound strategic reasons for sanctioning your scheme... We need to acquire allies capable of prosecuting the war by sea and river. Illyria and Macedon are the only powers capable of this..."

Corinna is determined to enter Brundisium in secret and rescue her son by stealth, not by force of arms. She will need a small reliable unit to accompany her. Hannibal agrees with the plan and gives her licence to treat with Queen Teuta and Philip of Macedon at her discretion.

And thus their epic journey begins. 

Will they be able to convince the pirate queen and her former lover Demetrius to put aside the bitterness and close the door on the past? Will Philip form an alliance with Hannibal and make himself an enemy of Rome? Will Corinna be reunited with her son?

The Hostage of Rome is an original, meticulous and absolutely gripping historical novel.

If you enjoy reading books set in the ancient Rome, this series is a must. The research which has gone into recreating the geographical, political and social background to the story, is matchless. The historical detail is thorough, from clothes to weapons, from social mores to food. You learn about the minute details of the life in the army, military tactics and strategy, the eternally dirty politics.

Kidd is a master storyteller. When he describes the storm, you feel right in the middle of it. His vivid descriptions add an emotional atmosphere to the narrative and move the plot forward.

"All at once they were enveloped in an all-encompassing darkness, relieved only by a pale crescent moon and the stars in their courses. Now they were little more than a speck of dust on a vast empty sea. Never before had he felt so abandoned and helpless in the face of nature".

"It all happened with such shattering suddenness. Now all around their fragile wooden walls, the sea foamed and seethed as white-capped waves began to boil and shower them with spray. Lashing hail turned to driving rain and soon they were shivering and soaked to the skin. What until now had been a steady breeze had become a tempest, its squalls and gusts assailing them from all points west, making steering impossible at times, and control of the sheets a challenge".

As I travelled with Sphax from the first book (see The Walls of Rome and book 2, The Winter of Winters), I grew to appreciate his development from an immature impulsive boy to a man of valour. He is a flawed but likeable character, of great courage and fortitude. 

I don't often read books of the military history genre, but this series is eye-opening, so informative and truly gripping. Highly recommended.

This post is part of the blog tour for The Hostage of Rome.

Many thanks to Robert M. Kidd and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book!

Purchase Links

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hostage-Rome-Histories-Sphax-Book-ebook/dp/B09X3L8WLB/

US - https://www.amazon.com/Hostage-Rome-Histories-Sphax-Book-ebook/dp/B09X3L8WLB/

Author Bio – Robert M. Kidd

When Cato the Censor demanded that ‘Carthage must be destroyed,’ Rome did just that. In 146 BC, after a three year siege, Carthage was raised to the ground, its surviving citizens sold into slavery and the fields where this once magnificent city had stood, ploughed by oxen. Carthage was erased from history.

That’s why I’m a novelist on a mission! I want to set the historical record straight. Our entire history of Hannibal’s wars with Rome is nothing short of propaganda, written by Greeks and Romans for their Roman clients. It intrigues me that Hannibal took two Greek scholars and historians with him on campaign, yet their histories of Rome’s deadliest war have never seen the light of day.

My hero, Sphax the Numidian, tells a different story!

When I’m not waging war with my pen, I like to indulge my passion for travel and hill walking, and like my hero, I too love horses. I live in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.

https://robertmkidd.com/

https://twitter.com/RobertMKidd1

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064169594911

 

Giveaway to Win Book 6 in The Histories of Sphax series to be dedicated to the winner, & a signed dedicated copy too (Open INT)

*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 be 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. 

Please note that this giveaway appears on several blogs taking part in the blog tour. Chez Maximka is hosting the Rafflecopter for free for the purposes of the book promotion. I have no access to the data collected, and am not involved in the selection of the winner or dispatch of the prize.

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Degustabox: BBQ & Garden Party

 BBQ & Garden Party is the theme of the latest Degustabox.

Degustabox is a monthly food and drink subscription box. It's an excellent way of discovering new products which have only just appeared in the shops, or those which have been around for a while, but you haven't had a chance to try them yet.

Thanks to Degustabox, I have found new favourites to add to our shopping list, including some products which I otherwise wouldn't have tried.

Each time a monthly box arrives, its contents are a total surprise. You get a good selection of foods and drinks.

If you haven't tried Degustabox subscription box yet, and would like to have a go, I have a £3off discount from your first box (and you can unsubscribe any time), just use code DKRLN when placing an order. 

What did we get in BBQ & Garden Party Degustabox box? 

Free From Fellows Vegan Vanilla Mallows (£1.99) are available in three flavours: Strawberry, Vanilla and Mini Pink & White. These mallows are super soft, fluffy and squidgy. Though you cannot mistake them for the dairy marshmallows, as the aftertaste is rather powdery, they are a decent substitute.

Egg & dairy free, gluten and gelatine free, soy and GMO free, nut and tree nut free, no artificial flavourings, colours.

Suitable for everyone, including vegetarians and vegans.

Available at Sainsbury's, Ocado, H&B and Waitrose.

Pea Pops Cheddar and Onion (£1.85 for 80g) are flavourful chickpea crisps, quite similar to popchips.

They are gluten free, vegetarian, high in fibre, contain 19% protein, no MSG, no artificial colour or flavouring. Because they are popped, these crisps are 60% less fat than regular fried chips, 99kcal per 23g serving, and are made with real chickpeas.

Winner of Great Taste Award. They were certainly the winner in our house.

Available at ASDA, Ocado, Amazon, www.peapops.co.uk.

New York Delhi ViPnuts Hot Chilli/Classic Sea Salt/Hot Honey & Mustard (£1.50 for 63g) are the gourmet brand of peanuts. They are gluten free, high-protein and vegan.

You will receive one of three flavours. We got Hot Chilli, with quite a fiery bite to them from the spices.

Ingredients include: peanuts, rapeseed oil, hot chilli flavour seasoning (chilli, salt, spices, dried herbs, black pepper, ground ginger).

Nutritional values: 622kcal per 100g.

Eat Water Ready Meal Slim Noodles Pad Thai (£4.99) is an authentic Pad Thai curry with noodle shaped konjac. 

Gluten free, vegan, low saturated fat, low sugar, low salt, no artiticial colours, flavours & preservatives. Scientifically proven weight loss. Konjac is an ancient plant grown in Asia. Flour is made from it and used in making low calorie noodles.

208kcal per meal.

I confess, that it doesn't look appetising when you open the sachet inside the box, with the glutinous sauce, but it tastes all right, especially if you add it to the vegetable and/chicken stir fry.

There are three other meals for weigh loss available in Eat Water range: Slim Rice Tarka Dal, Slim Noodles Panang Curry and Slim Pasta Arrabiata. You should receive one of 4 items in your box.

Available at Holland & Barrett.

SlooOW Crispy Rustic Rolls with Honey (£1.65) was one of my favourite products from the latest box.

These rolls are prepared with the best 100% natural and organic ingredients. 

The bread is given more than a day from start to finish, and that makes the bread extra tasty - crispy on the ouside and soft inside.

Available at Tesco and ASDA.

Carr's Italian Herbs Flavour Melts (£1.69) will make a welcome addition to a cheese board. Suggestions on the box are to serve these melts with burrata, sun-dried tomatoes and basil. How delicious!

These biscuits are delicate, crispy, light and crumbly, and melting in the mouth, just as the name suggests.

Nutritional information: 21kcal and 0.3g of sugar per biscuit.

Available in Tesco.

The Sweet Botanist Mellow Mint CBD Peppermint Gum (£3.99) is a product from a range of plant-based sweets which are meant to improve your mood and well-being thanks to CBD.

You would receive one of two products (either gum or Spearmint Sweets). There is 45MG of CBD in a pack of peppermint gum. It is meant to be naturally calming. The gum base is plastic free.

The Sweet Botanist ensure they only source CBO from their trusted partner, as well as the process to remove THC from the cannabis plant compiles with novel food regulations (so it's safe).

For over 18s only. Recommended serving: 1 piece of gum up to 3 times a day.

Available on www.wholesalesweets.co.uk.

LoveRaw Salted Caramel Cre&m wafer bars (£1.89) are vegan wafers. You get soft salted caramel inside crunchy wafers, coated with LoveRaw's iconic Caramel chocolate. No palm oil used.

Taste-wise, I found them rather underwhelming. I prefer LoveRaw vegan milk wafers.

Available at Holland & Barrett, Boots, Wholefoods, ASDA, Booths, Waitrose, Co-Op and Spar.

Geo Watkins Mushroom Ketchup (£2) is one of the classic condiments, which some people consider to be a must for any BBQ. It has a distinct, recognisable deep flavour. And it is naturally vegan. Add a splash of umami flavour to any dish - pies, gravy, stew, soup, ramen, pizza etc. This rich cooking ingredient was the secret of success for many Victorian cooks.

Ingredients include water, salt, spirit vinegar, hydrolysed vegetable protein, mushroom powder, barley malt extract and spices.

Nutritional values: 13kcal and 0.1g of sugar per 100ml.

Available at Tesco, Waitrose, Booths and Ocado.

Bull's Eye NY Steakhouse BBQ Sauce (£2) is a historically more contemporary product, which has acquired a status of the iconic condiment , being full of heart and ready to take on any red meat.

Ingredients include tomato puree, sugar, spirit vinegar, bell pepper, salt, mustard, dried onion, modiefied starch, spices, garlic.

Nutritional information: 181kcal and 38g of sugar per 100ml.

Available at all major retailers.

And finally, the drinks:

Gunna Turtle Juice Tropical Lemonade (£1.10) is inspired by a mango daiquiri recipe, discovered in St Lucia. It is full of tropical sunshine, but without the rum.

This combination of flavours, from sweet aromatic mango to zingy zesty limes to coconut, is very enjoyable on its own, or as a base of a cocktail.

Available on Amazon, Ocado, Holland & Barrett, Sainsbury's and many independent retailers.

Echo Falls Merlot (£2 for a small bottle) offers a smooth mix of blackberry and plum flavours, with a woody hint of oak. Echo Falls winemakers are passionate about creating modern and delicious wines.

Food pairing suggestion for Echo Falls Merlot - your favourite pizza, or a cheese board.

Available at ASDA and convenience stores.