The Queen of Bushy House by Molly Gartland (review + giveaway)

"Our stories are intertwined, even with my body deep in the grave".

"This house - meant for a duchess, never for the likes of me - was once our haven, our secluded hideaway."

The Queen of Bushy House by Molly Gartland is a compelling and engaging historical novel set in the 19th C, with a supernatural Gothic narrative.

Blurb

The Queen of Bushy House

One house. Two women. Both determined to endure.

July 1818. Dorothea Jordan - celebrated actress and long-time companion of the Duke of Clarence - has returned. Not in flesh, but in spirit. For fifteen years Bushy House was her sanctuary, filled with laughter and her ten children - the FitzClarences. Now she watches as her portraits are taken down and her daughters sent away, in preparation for the duke's new bride.

Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen arrives in England with duty pressing upon her shoulders. At twenty-five she has accepted a proposal no other princess would take. She must tame the duke's debits, win over his unruly children and - above all - produce an heir to secure the British throne.

But Adelaide soon senses a presence in Bushy House.

As she struggles to find her place in a household shaped by another woman's love, the restless spirit of Mrs Jordan lingers - watchful, wounded and unwilling to be forgotten.

Inspired by the true story of Queen Adelaide and the actress Dorothea Jordan, The Queen of Bushy House explores grief and ambition, motherhood and legacy - and the enduring power of a love that refuses to fade.

Dorothea Jordan, the famous and much admired actress and long time partner of Duke of Clarence, is gone. Once she has ruled Bushy House with laughter, music and ten children at her side. 

She is gone, but her ghost refuses to leave. 

"Dust and darkness do not trouble me; there is comfort amongst the cast-offs. I curl up on a tatty chair as the men bring up all of the portraits and stack them, one against the other. they drape the sheet over them and retreat. 

I remain, a shadow in the wings".

The duke who once promised Mrs Jordan a lifetime is bringing a new bride to Bushy House.

Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen is twenty five and quite plain. Her matrimonial prospects are not inspiring. Bound by duty to a marriage few would have dared accept, she is a stranger in England. She is shocked to see her future husband, considerably older than her and not exactly a catch. He is deep in debt, his household is unruly. Adelaide feels pressured to win the trust of Duke's children. Can she restore her husband's fortunes and give the British throne a much-needed heir?

Bushy House might have been cleared of the remnants of Mrs Jordan's occupancy for Adelaide's arrival, yet the house does not feel empty of her lingering spirit. Vulnerable and anxious to please, Adelaide is aware that something or someone is haunting the spacious rooms. It is definitely a woman's presence. 

"My children and William were blind to me but this newcomer saw. In that moment, I knew we shared a bond".

Despite the nature of the otherwordly feeling, Adelaide is not alarmed. If anything, she is comforted by the ghost of Dorothea. 

The duchess struggles to adapt to her new role of the wife and stepmother. The house where she resides has been moulded by another woman's tastes and ambitions. "A crow calls, swooping past the window. I do not belong in this house - oh, to be free and fly away".

Their relationship is borderline companionship and rivalry. The previous mistress of Bushy House has lost everything and is not willing to surrender her home and children to the care of her successor. The duchess finds herself drawn into a silent battle with the ghost.

Bushy House acquires a prominent role of its own, almost becoming a living character. "Bushy House - elegant and graceful, yet not grand; a jewel set within wild parkland". Descriptions of the house itself and the grounds provide a perfect setting for the Gothic drama.

Mrs Jordan is not a typical mistress or a kept woman, it's her earnings that have financially supported her family. Without her successful career on stage, her children would have been destitute. 

And while William often appears as an incompetent baffoon and an old rogue, he is not a one-dimensional character. He is genuinely affectionate to all his children, and can be gentle and compassionate towards his young wife. 

Dorothea has been his love for many years. He has abandoned and betrayed her, like many men in his position by simply refusing to acknowledge the truth, yet he is not a total scoundrel.

As Mrs Jordan ponders herself, "There was never a question of marriage: under the Royal Marriages Act, William was required to wed an aristocrat. Although I was the undisputed queen of comedy, such a title would not have satisfied Parliament".

She is well aware that, "I was the queen of Drury Lane and a ghost at court. Applauded on stage, but never deemed worthy of their company".

Adelaide has the role which was coveted by Dorothea, she is a legitimate wife and an acknowledged companion of Duke of Clarence, if only she could give him an heir to the throne (I don't think it is a spoiler, since we do know who becomes King William's successor to the throne).

The Queen of Bushy House is an opulent historical novel with a brilliant storyline and colourful characters.

I loved Molly Gartland's first book, The Girl from the Hermitage, and was thrilled to read Molly's second novel. Though the setting couldn't be more different, both books explore the themes of the passing of time, loss and grief, vulnerability and resilience. And then there's an undisputed talent in blending personal stories with the authentic historical background. Moving and emotionally charged.

Potential triggers: stillbirth, loss of a child.

This review is part of the blog tour for The Queen of Bushy House.

Many thanks to Molly Gartland and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Links

www.mollygartland.com or https://www.mollygartland.com/category/all-products (goes directly to the bookshop)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Queen-Bushy-House-inspired-Adelaide-ebook/dp/B0H8SBSRJY

https://www.amazon.com/Queen-Bushy-House-inspired-Adelaide-ebook/dp/B0H8SBSRJY

 

Author Bio – Originally from Michigan, Molly Gartland has lived overseas since 1994, including six years in Moscow and stints in Cairo, Cape Town and Dakar. A boomerang Brit whose ancestors arrived in America on the Mayflower, she now lives in south-west London.

​

A lifelong lover of books, theatre, art and urban wildlife, she is also a devoted supporter of Brentford FC and can often be found wandering through Bushy Park.

 

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

https://www.instagram.com/mollygartland_author/

https://mollygartland.substack.com

 

Giveaway to Win a signed copy of The Queen of Bushy House (Open to UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  

Please enter using the Gleam box below.  

The winner will be selected at random via Gleam 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.  

Please not that Chez Maximka is hosting the Gleam gadget for the purposes of the book promotion for free.

I am not responsible for the selection of the winner or the dispatch of the prize.

Win a signed copy of The Queen of Bushy House (Open to UK Only)

The Secret Dressmaker by Jenny O'Brien

 

"My loyalties will first and foremost always be to my daughters... followed closely to my country. If I can combine them, so much the better".

The Secret Dressmaker by Jenny O'Brien is a vivid and suspensul historical fiction set in France during the WWII. It is a moving story of loss and tragedy, lies and deception, and the strength of the human spirit.

This is the second book in Threads of Resistance series, and can be read as a standalone.

The Secret Dressmaker

Shelves of sequins in a kaleidoscope of colours. Bolts of silk and tulle against the back wall. The sewing room was the last place anyone had seen her daughter alive.

Northern Ireland, 1942. Flora Toussaint packs parachutes for the RAF, haunted by the twin daughters she was forced to give up eighteen years ago. When British intelligence shows her photographs of her girls - now young women in occupied Paris - her world shifts. One is safe. One has vanished. And their father, the celebrated couturier Lucien Lumineau, is suspected of collaborating with the Nazis.

Flora agrees to a dangerous mission: parachute into France, pose as a seamstress at the Moulin Rouge, and uncover the truth. Lodging above a brothel where Edith Piaf sings after hours and where Pablo Picasso still holds court, she mends costumes between shows, searches for any trace of her missing daughter between curfews, and circles closer to Lucien.

But Lucien isn't the man she remembers. Neither is their history. And what Flora discovers will unravel everything she thought she knew - about Lucien, about her daughters, and about the night she gave them away.

A sweeping tale of wartime Paris, family secrets and impossible choices. Fans of Kate Quinn, Pam Jenoff and Kristin Hannah will be mesmerised by The Secret Dressmaker.

For eighteen long years Flora Toussaint has carried the guilt of giving up her twin daughters, Violette and Marguerette. Now at last, she knows where they are.

One day, while packing the parachutes at the Taylor's Mill, the military production in Northern Ireland, Flora is approached by someone from the British intelligence service. Tomas Rives is aware of Flora's past. He brings in photos of her twin daughters, now young women. She learns that while one of her girls is safe, the other has disappeared, seemingly without a trace.

Their father is a brilliant and celebrated couturier Lucien Lumineau, who is suspected of collaborating with the Nazis.

What Tomas tells Flora about her girls, shocks her to the core. 

"Flora felt her world shatter. Everything she'd been told by the nuns. Everything she'd thought and hoped for her daughters. Everything Lucien had promised. All lies."

Tomas asks Flora to go to France on a special mission for the War Office.

Flora has no choice but to go back to the city she fled eighteen years ago. Her mission is perilous. She has to parachute into the occupied France, and assume the identity of a seamstress at the Moulin Rouge.

And above all, she has to find her missing daughter before the Gestapo does.

Living above a brothel, Flora mends flamboyant costumes by day and searches the shadows of wartime Paris by night.

Returning to Paris brings back many memories that Flora tried to suppress, of her tragic beginnings and most miserable childhood with a cruel foster family, of the nuns who took her in but also despised her humble origins, and most of all, the day when she lost her daughters and left Paris for good.

And then she meets Lucien, the man she loved all those years ago, the man who betrayed her. 

"A complex man, far more complex than she'd thought when she'd first met him.Then he'd been the handsome atelier with more charm than was good for any woman. Now she didn't know what to think".

As Flora follows the trail of secrets through the dangerous world of occupied Paris, she begins to question everything she believed about the man she loved and the daughters she was forced to leave behind. The truth about that long-ago night might be darker than she remembered and imagined.

Is Lucien truly a traitor, conspiring with the enemy? Will Flora be able to find her missing daughter, and will this quest uncover more devastating secrets that might destroy them all?

The Secret Dressmaker is an emotionally charged, entirely compelling tale of secrets and espionage, and one woman's determination to protect her children.

The author creates a captivating portrait of Paris during the Nazi occupation. Aside from the main plotline, it features some famous people like Edith Piaf and Pablo Picasso. The storyline is moving and heart-breaking. 

Flora is a complex main character. Family bonds and love are more important to her than the idealistic ideas of patriotism. As she declares, her loyalties lie foremost with her daughters.

Many thanks to Jenny O'Brien and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Dressmaker-Jenny-OBrien-ebook/dp/B0GSVGSK36

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Dressmaker-Jenny-OBrien-ebook/dp/B0GSVGSK36

Author Bio – Jenny O’Brien writes complex thrillers and heartbreaking historical fiction, as well as intriguing romances. Silent Cry, initially self published, topped the Amazon kindle chart in both the UK and the USA. Most of her books have followed suit. 

Jenny has over 40 years experience as a qualified nurse. She turned to creative writing as a hobby when her children were born. Now, 20 years later, she's retired from the day job to focus on writing. She's currently working on the third book in the Threads Series. 

Born in Ireland, she now lives in Guernsey with her husband and children.

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

https://www.instagram.com/scribblerjb/

https://x.com/ScribblerJB

The Catalyst by Andrea Goyan

 

"The game had a life of its own, a path to follow, and there was little he could do to control the outcome. It was just how things worked. He simply needed to remain flexible".

"...even though I fought it and hated the game with every cell in my body, I too felt its tug. The strange euphoria of living inside another's skin, of being part of a club whose membership all resided within me".

The Catalyst by Andrea Goyan is a gripping, dynamic sci fi, biotech horror thriller.

Blurb:

When human bodies are found with scales and tails, DNA specialist Kat Crocker is assigned to uncover the cause of the mutations and stop them before they spread. But the growing visibility makes her a target. As attacks escalate, the trail leads her to a newly released VR game powered by impossible genetics - and the one man: the mentor who taught her everything, the father she buried years ago.

DNA specialist Kat Crocker aka Double-D works with the police on a trial basis. She dreams of being a "crime scene, DNA identifying, one-woman superhero". In reality she has to deal with mundane tasks, evaluating trivial misdemeanours. That is until there appears a threat of a deadly mutation.

When human bodies are discovered covered in fur, or bearing scales, tails and other impossible genetic changes, Kat Crocker is called in to investigate. Her mission is to identify the possible cause and stop it before humanity could be changed forever.

But trying to solve the case paints a target on her back.

As violent attacks escalate, Kat uncovers a chilling link to a sold-out new VR game driven by forbidden genetic ingeneering. And behind it is the person who young Kat worshipped in the past, and who's been dead for years.

How does this game work? What or who is the Catalyst, and is it possible to stop or reverse the mutations?

The Catalyst has an enticing, disquieting premise: genetics, body horror, VR, and the past interfering with the present. It is in the similar vein to The Fly and Existenz - a biotech horror with a personal emotional backstory.

Just like Existenz, it involves an immersive virtual reality game which blurs the boundary between simulation and reality, where the game's disturbing side effects seep through into the real world, and change the gamer's personality and physical build. It is also highly addictive. 

I found the concept of the new game intriguing and exciting. The story starts strong, and keeps the narrative fast-paced and immersive.

Ambitious, visual and unsettling, The Catalyst raises a lot of thought-provoking questions about the possible use and abuse of DNA. It would make a perfect read for book clubs, and discussions on the future of DNA-safeguarding.

Things that didn't sit well with me:

When one of the female characters is injected with the DNA of a former stripper, her behaviour starts to change. She has an urge to be provocative and perform a pole dance. This episode somehow grates. How is a DNA of a stripper different from a DNA of a housewife or a teacher? A stripper doesn't do what she does due to their DNA. These are mostly exploited people who work in this business to earn money, and not because of their genetics. 

This post is part of the blog tour. Many thanks to Andrea Goyan and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Link

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Catalyst-Kat-Crocker-Book-ebook/dp/B0H67WYZ8N/

https://www.amazon.com/Catalyst-Kat-Crocker-Book-ebook/dp/B0H67WYZ8N/ 

About Andrea Goyan:

Andrea Goyan is an award-winning author and an avid animal person who grew up being called Goat-Girl and Raccoon-Mama. She is a grateful part of a flock of collaborative Magpie Poets whose first collection, An Illegal Feast, was released in 2025.

Andrea also co-hosts MetaStellar Magazine's Long-Lost Friends and Storytime. In her spare time, she walks her dogs and loves to paint, especially animal portraits. Many of her stories are available for free on her website.

The Haunting of Willows Cottage (Strathbairn Trilogy Book 3) by Isobel Blackthorn

 

"There is something profoundly bad about this place, something ghostly and menacing, something that infuses the hearts and minds of all who spend muchtime under this roof".

The Haunting of Willows Cottage by Isobel Blackthorn is a Gothic story, set in the Western Highlands of Scotland.

This is book 3 in Strathbairn Trilogy. I would recommend starting the series from Book 1, as otherwise you will miss on the dynamics and undercurrents of all the relationships between the protagonists and the decisions they make.

Blurb:

The Haunting of Willows Cottage (Strathbairn Trilogy Book 3)

Ingrid and her daughter Susan return to the Western Highlands of Scotland, staying at Strathbairn with Gertrude McCleod while their new home, a cottage by the loch, is redecorated. The very same day, the ghosts of Ingrid's past return when Gertrude's brother Miles arrives with his new bride and his friend Timothy.

When her former beau turned betrayer Hamish starts work on a barn conversion, Ingrid is desperate to leave Strathbairn. She rushes to move into the cottage only to find she is sharing her new home with a violent ghost.

Realising the haunting is somehow connected to Strathbairn and sensing that something at Willows Cottage must be returned, she makes every effort to discover what that it is.

While Hamish and Gertrude conspire to force Ingrid into marriage, Timothy becomes a regular caller with a romantic motive. With two suitors and two marriage proposals, who will she choose - and can she solve the haunting of Willows Cottage?

A gripping conclusion to a classic gothic mystery trilogy laced with dark family secrets.

The story has all the right ingredients for a delicious Gothic drama, with its haunted houses, old betrayals, dangerous suitors and secrets festering beyind the heather.

Ingrid returns to the Western Highlands with her young daughter Susan, for a temporary stay at Strathbairn, while her farmhouse by the loch is being prepared. Their move back to Scotland from Winchester is not well thought-through. 

While Ingrid tries to justify their move by feeling isolated, and having terrible memories associated with the house in Winchester, where she was abused by her late husband, it's not exactly a happy space to come back to. There is a lot of past tragedies and secrets connected to Strathbairn, and the people living there are not her friends. Ingrid tries to convince herself that her daughter is fond of Strathbairn, and loves the cook. 

"My reasons seem insubstantial even to my own ears. What reasons can there be for such a move, other than Susan's longing, her tantrums, her abominable behaviour?"

Willows Cottage needs quite a lot of work to be done before they can move in, and Ingrid is impatient.

The big house offers little sanctuary, as should be expected, judging by the resident company and the previous encounters with violent ghostly inhabitants. 

Gertrude McCleod, the current owner of Strathbairn, tolerates rather than welcomes Ingrid and Susan's stay at her house. She has an agenda which she is trying to pursue.

"She is cold, hard woman, her character befitting the roles she plays as owner-manager of a whisky business and a guest house or hotel. I feel uneasy in the role of her ally, a role she seems determined to foster".

The ghosts of Ingrid's past stir once more when Miles McCleod (one of the sons of the family) appears with his beautiful new wife, and their friend Timothy. This arrival seems to unsettle the already fragile semblance of peace.

Then comes Hamish. Ingrid loved him once, but he cruelly betrayed her. Hamish arrives to oversee the conversion of an ancient barn at the estate.

Desperate to escape the suffocating painful memories closing around Strathbairn, Ingrid hastens her move to Willows Cottage, only to discover to her dismay, that she is not alone within its walls, and the calm she was looking for is an illusion.

There is a violent and restless spirit who haunts the cottage, its fury is bound to a long-buried secret connected to Strathbairn. Something hidden there has been taken away and must be returned.

The scary actions escalate in the night, and the haunting tightens its grip. Ingrid must uncover the truth before the evil lingering at Willows Cottage destroys everything she holds dear.

As if that isn't enough to endure, Ingrid finds herself trapped between two men: Timothy, whose growing devotion offers her a promise of tenderness, and Hamish, whose intentions are far darker than passion.

Gertrude and Hamish weave their own designs around her future. They are conspiring and enjoying Ingrid's discomfort.

One concern follows another, as Ingrid's daughter is going off the rails. 

Susan's character is infuriating, she is the epitome of a spoilt brat. And when it comes to her daughter, Ingrid knows she is a pushover, "a weak and ineffectual mother".  Easily manipulated by the cook, Susan is disloyal to her mother, and is a very unpleasant child overall (which is entirely Ingrid's fault, as she isn't able to teach or guide her daughter to behave).

Will Ingrid be able to solve the mystery surrounding Strathbairn once and for all?

The Haunting of Willows Cottage is a captivating conclusion to a classic Gothic mystery trilogy, steeped in dark family secrets, menacing spectral horror, and the stark beauty of the Scottish Highlands.

This review is part of the blog tour for The Haunting of Willows Cottage.

Many thanks to Isobel Blackthorn and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Links

UNIVERSAL BOOK LINK: https://books2read.com/u/mYJzVp

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXJDKJQ3

APPLE BOOKS: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-haunting-of-willows-cottage/id6754550008

BARNES & NOBLE: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-haunting-of-willows-cottage-isobel-blackthorn/1148696029?ean=2940182364515

GOOGLE BOOKS: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=laCSEQAAQBAJ

RAKUTEN KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/ebook/the-haunting-of-willows-cottage

Author Bio –

Isobel Blackthorn is an award-winning author of immersive and inspiring fiction. She has penned over twenty-five books including a number of bestsellers. She majors in strong female leads and empowerment narratives.

Among her credits, Isobel’s biographical short story ‘Nothing to Declare’, which forms the first chapter of her biographical novel Emma’s Tapestry, was shortlisted for the Ada Cambridge Prose Prize 2019. One of her Canary Islands novels, A Prison in the Sun, was shortlisted in the LGBTQ category of the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards 2020 and the International Book Awards 2021. The Cabin Sessions was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award 2018 and the Ditmar Awards 2018. And The Unlikely Occultist: A biographical novel of Alice A. Bailey received an Honorable Mention in the 2021 Reader’s Favorite Book Awards.

Blackthorn is the author of the world’s only biography of Theosophist and mother of the New Age movement Alice Bailey – Alice A. Bailey: Life & Legacy.

Isobel has a background in Western Esotericism. She holds 1st Class Honours in Social Studies, and a PhD from the University of Western Sydney for her ground-breaking research on the works of Alice A. Bailey. Her doctoral thesis has been downloaded over 13,000 times.

Isobel’s first work, which she wrote in 2008, is Voltaire’s Garden. This memoir is set in the mid 2000s and tells the story of building a sustainable lifestyle B&B in Cobargo on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, which gained international attention when a firestorm razed the idyllic historic village on New Year’s Eve 2019.

Isobel’s writing has appeared in journals and websites around the world, including Esoteric Quarterly, New Dawn Magazine, Paranoia, Mused Literary Review, Trip Fiction, Backhand Stories, Fictive Dream and On Line Opinion. Isobel was a judge for the Australasian Shadow Awards 2020 long fiction category. Her book reviews have appeared in New Dawn Magazine, Esoteric Quarterly, Shiny New Books, Sisters in Crime, Australian Women Writers, Trip Fiction and Newtown Review of Books.

Isobel’s interests are many and varied. She has a long-standing association with the Canary Islands, having lived in Lanzarote in the late 1980s. A humanitarian and campaigner for social justice, in 1999 Isobel founded the internationally acclaimed Ghana Link, uniting two high schools, one a relatively privileged state school located in the heart of England, the other a materially impoverished school in a remote part of the Upper Volta region of Ghana, West Africa. After working as a teacher, market trader and PA to a literary agent, she arrived at writing in her forties, and her stories are as diverse and intriguing as her life has been.

Isobel has performed her literary works at events in a range of settings and given workshops in creative writing.

British by birth, Isobel entered this world in Farnborough, Kent, UK. She has lived in England, Australia, Spain and the Canary Islands. She now lives and writes in Spain. She is currently at work on two novels composed in Spanish.

Social Media Links – 

https://isobelblackthorn.com/

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/Author.Isobel.Blackthorn/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5768657.Isobel_Blackthorn

https://www.instagram.com/isobelblackthorn/

@isobelb-author.bsky.social

Murder at Raven's Gate by Louise Marley

 

"Too many people want us out of this house and they're being very creative about it. Well, stuff them!"

Murder at Raven's Gate is an atmospheric cozy mystery, with mild Gothic undertones and a bit of woo.

Murder at Raven's Gate

Beyond the village of Raven's Edge stands the Gateway to the Dead - a crumbling stone arch marking the site where a long-ago battle raged and the dead were buried where they fell. But it's the forgotten mansion hidden in the trees behind it that holds the real mystery...

Lady Peony has lived at Blackheath Hall for decades, invisible to the world - until a ghostly soldier begins knocking at her door. But Lady Peony is no fool. In her experience, where there are spirits, there are schemers. And someone wants her out of that house.

As DI Ben Taylor and DS Harriet March begin their investigation, bitter winds howl through Raven's Edge and strange mists curl around the battle site. Harriet must untangle what's real from what's imagined. Is there truly a ghost haunting the old house, or is someone very much alive using supernatural tales as cover for their own deadly agenda?

Atmospheric, chilling and deliciously gothic, this cosy mystery wraps ancient legends and murder into one unputdownable story. Perfect for fans of Fiona Leitch, Agatha Christie and readers who like their crie with a shiver down the spine!

The village of Raven's Edge is a huge attraction for the fans of ghost tours. Just beyond the village, you come across the so called Gateway to the Dead, a weathered stone arch built upon the battelgrounds. Locals whisper of restless souls wandering there...

But the true danger lies deeper in the woods, at the nearly forgotten Blackheath Hall, belonging to the once wealthy Weston family. Now only two reclusive sisters inhabit the old house.

As we follow a group of gawking tourists on one of the ghost tours, a body of a man dressed as a Royalist soldier is found lying face down in a large freshly-dug hole.

Lady Peony has been living behind the shuttered windows of the Blackheath Hall for decades, quietly ignoring the world. The house belongs to her cousin Giles, and as soon her sister and she move out, the house reverts to Giles Weston, the current Marquess of Blackheath. The house is slowly turning into a dangerous wreck

As Peony ruminates, "I grew up here. My ancestors have lived in this house for five hundred years before me. They built this house. I've no intention of moving out".

When a ghostly figure in a Civil war uniform begins knocking at the door of the mansion after dark, even she is forced to take notice. Peony knows one thing for sure. Spirits may haunt, but it's the people you should be aware of, and their schemes.

Is the murdered man found in the hole on the old battlefield related to the harassment of the reclusive sisters? Is there a connection at all?

Called in to investigate, DI Ben Taylor and DS Harriet March find themselves drawin into a case brimming with long-dead secrets and crimes, superstitions and legends, as well as historical grudges.

Will they be able to separate truth from legend? Is Blackheath Hall truly plagued by a restless spirit, or is it a living killer who's hiding behind the antique helmet of the ghostly figure? 

Murder at Raven's Gate is darkly atmospheric, quirky and cosy. It blends murder, folklore and ghostly shenanigans.

There was one continuous reference through most of the book that I found both amusing and exasperating, if not jarring. When you hear the words "little old lady", what comes to mind?

Well, Lady Peony Weston is supposed to be 65, but for some reason she and her sister are considered by everyone in the story to be decrepit old dears. And the story takes place nowadays, not in the 18th C. Maybe they would appear old to someone in primary school, otherwise it is ridiculous.

"Lady Peony Weston wasn't your average "little old lady". "It felt awkward, having an ederly lady wait on her like a servant..." "The elderly woman walked slowly across the hall..." "Those little old ladies at that big old house?" and many more examples. 

(Mid-sixties these days is not old, just look at Julianne Moore, Michelle Yeoh, George Clooney, Demi Moore, Jodie Foster etc etc.)

With these outdated ideas, members of the local police force appear to be very amateurish and not too smart.

Murder at Raven's Gate is book no.4 in the English Village Mystery series, and from my own experience, you probably need to start with the previous books to understand the full context and backstories.

To keep track of multiple characters, I had to go back a few times to remind myself who is who, and what is going on between them.

The story fluctuates between now and flashbacks from ten years earlier, which gives us a chance to learn something of the backstory of some of the characters.

Purchase Links

UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GHZN9F1L

USA: www.amazon.com/dp/B0GHZN9F1L

Author Bio –

Most of my stories are set in small villages filled with quirky characters. These are partly inspired by the places I’ve lived in over the years, although the characters are straight out of my imagination! I currently live in Wales, close to a famous library and two ruined castles. My husband thinks we moved here by accident.

My first published novel was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, which was a finalist in Poolbeg’s Write a Bestseller competition. As well as ten novels, I’ve written short stories for women’s magazines. Before becoming a full-time writer, I worked as an administrative officer for the police.

When I’m not writing, I enjoy visiting big old houses, which I use as inspiration for the houses in my novels, and reading other people’s books when I ought to be writing my own…

Social Media Links –

www.ravens-edge.co.uk

www.louisemarley.co.uk

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/LouiseMarleyAuthor

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/LouiseMarley/

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

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@louisemarleywrites

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/louisemarley.bsky.social

Murder in Rome by T.A. Williams

 

"The more I look into this case, the more I believe our killer - or possibly killers - is to be found among the people staying at the castle. As far as I can see, everybody had the opportunity and the means to commit any of the murders... but I'm struggling to find a motive."

Murder in Rome by T.A. Williams is a smashing cozy mystery, set in Italy.

This is book no.15 in the successful Armstrong & Oscar Cozy Mystery. By now I have read most of the books in the series, with an exception of one or two.

If you scroll down to read a short bio, you will see that the author mentions he feels he needs to provide something to cheer his readers up because of so many horrible things happening in the world. And I totally agree with this. In times like these, books that let you escape from the awfulness of the politics around the world (and personal challenges), are a godsend. 

Blurb:

Murder in Rome

The BRAND NEW instalment in the bestselling, beloved Armstrong & Oscar Cozy Mystery.

A road leading to Rome.

Former DCI Dan Armstrong has been living and working in Florence for nearly three years - yet somehow, Rome has always eluded him. That is, until glamorous TV celebrity Tamsin Goodfaith turns up with a request he can't refuse: investigate her uncle's suspicious death in the Eternal City.

Murder at the castle.

Philip Hastings was a billionaire financier, found dead at his magnificent - if slightly spooky - medieval castle in the Roman hills. Dan and his faithful canine companion, Oscar, soon find themselves surrounded by luxury, secrets and more suspects than sightseeing opportunities.

This time it's personal.

But when a second murder follows close behind, the case turns dangerously personal. With whispers of ghosts and crumbling alibis, Dan and Oscar must sniff out the truth before he becomes the next victim. Harder to crack than castle walls - and harder still than stopping Oscar from stealing snacks - this Roman holiday is anything but relaxing.

Former DCI Dan Armstrong has been living in Florence for nearly three years, enjoying good food, better weather and a company of his loyal "colleague" Oscar the lab. 

Somehow, Rome has always passed him by. Until Tamsin Goodfaith, the British TV celebrity, straight out of the survival reality show sweeps into town with a mystery she wants him to solve. She is convinced that her wealthy uncle's death is not an unfortunate accident, as decided by the local police investigation. No further action was taken.

Philip Hastings, billionaire financier, has supposedly died from a fall while staying at his grand medieval castle outside Rome. It's a place full of splendour, with rich history and lots of opportunities for a killer to operate. That is, if there is a killer indeed present, as only Tamsin is certain that Philip's death was not accidental.

Accompanied by his loyal sidekick Oscar, whose main interests are food and more food (and pretty ladies), Dan sets off for the Eternal City.

Castello del Lago looks spectacular and menacing at the same time. "Yes, it was definitely beautiful, but it was also creepy", a bit like a setting for a horror movie.

The castle and its grounds provide plenty of exploring to do, both for Dan and Oscar. 

"...there was an ornate, but forbidding, suit of armour partway along the left wall... holding a vicious spear... As he reached it, Oscar suddenly stopped dead and surprised me by turning towards it and emitting a low growl".

Arriving to the castle, Dan meets the family of the late financier residing there. "By the sound of it, this family had its quirks, and I wondered whether jealousy, greed or plain animosity might have led to the murder of Philip".

He is trying to establish whether the death of Uncle Phil was an accident, suicide, or something more sinister.

And then the second death follows.

Gossip swirls, tempers flare, and alibis begin to crumble faster than the ancient masonry. 

With so many possible suspects to choose from, there is also an additional supernatural element to the investigation. The staff working at the castle hint at the ghostly shenanigans and possible revenge from the disturbed remains of the long gone ancestor.

Will the sleuth duo find the killer? And why is Oscar so unnerved by the antique suit of armour?

After following Dan and Oscar's exploits for a few years, they've become close like good friends, or even family. 

The evocative setting, rich in the historical detail, scrumptious descriptions of food, a delightful side kick, gentle humour - this cozy mystery incorporates all the elements to create a successful story with a masterful final twist. 

Isn't it time for Boldwoods Books to produce a Dan & Oscar cook book, with the recipes of the Italian meals mentioned in the series? 

Murder in Rome is a captivating murder mystery, entertaining, intriguing and enjoyable. 

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/MurderInRome

Author Bio – I’m a man. And a pretty old man as well. I studied languages at Nottingham University a long time ago and then lived and worked in France and Switzerland before going to work in Italy for seven years. My Italian wife and I then came back to the UK with our little daughter (now long-since grown up) where I ran a big English language school for many years. We now live in a sleepy little village in Devonshire. I’ve been writing almost all my life but it was only thirteen years ago that I finally managed to find a publisher who liked my work enough to offer me my first contract.

I started off writing romances but after 28 of them, I knew I wanted to try something different, and so the first of the Armstrong and Oscar cozy mysteries, Murder in Tuscany, was born three years ago. I’ve been having a lot of fun ever since getting to know the dynamic duo (and introducing them to people all over the world). These books are cosy crime [a genre I didn't even know existed when I started writing them). They are murder mysteries, but not gory, over-violent stuff, but stories designed to exercise the brain of the reader and to put a smile on their face. Maybe it’s because there are so many horrible things happening in the world today that I feel I need to do my best to provide something to cheer my readers up. My books provide escapism to some gorgeous locations all over my beloved Italy.

Social Media Links – 

Website: www.tawilliamsbooks.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/tawilliamsbooks

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

Woden's Vengeance by Donovan Cook

 

"He had been told by someone much wiser than him that the past was not important, but Octa used the memory of that fear and his cowardice to drive him forward. To be a warrior worthy of the Saxon people and the gods. They called him Octa the Coward to disgrace him, but Octa took that byname and used it to motivate himself".

"And you are playing with powers you do not understand. Once the fires start, there will be nothing any of us can do".

Woden's Vengeance by Donovan Cook is a fascinating blend of historical novel and action, with the elements of supernatural, set against the backdrop of Britannia.

I vaguely remembered the story of Hengist and Horsa from Geoffrey of Monmouth's account, which I've read many years ago. It was time to revisit the early history of Britain and get re-acquianted with the warlords who changed history. 

Blurb:

Woden's Vengeance

450AD Britannia

The war has begun - a war feared by both men and gods. But will the old give way to the new?

Prince Vortimer has imprisoned his father, King Vortigern - The High King of Britain. With Woden's spear, he believes God has chosen him to lead an army south to banish the Jutes once and for all from Britain's shores. Triumphant after the first battle, Prince Vortimer lays siege to the Jutes, but the war is far from over.

In a desperate fight for survival, Octa and the Jutish warlods, Hengist and Horsa, are trapped on Thanet, their island home, as Prince Vortimer's army surrounds them. With dwindling numbers, their only hope is to send for reinforcements, but winter is upon them, and the journey will be perilous.

In a race against time and his own wishes, Octa leads the expedition to recruit Saxon and Jutish warriors. But will they follow Octa the Coward? To prove himself, Octa must confront his past and seek vengeance on those who wronged his family, all while being mindful of Woden's wrath.

Can Octa stand strong as the fires of war rage around him?

And will warriors pledge their allegiance to a man known as Octa the Coward?

Woden's Vengeance is the third book in The First Kingdom series. It can be read as a standalone (I haven't read the previous books), though I imagine you will understand the dynamics of the storyline and the relationships between the main characters better if you're already familiar with the earlier books.

From the very first page you're plunged deep into action, as the horns sound and men roar on the Thanet Island in the late summer of AD450. Prince Vortimer has launched yet another attack on Hengist and Horsa's Jutes and trapped them on the small island.

Octa the Coward, a Saxon fighting for the Jutes, is holding Gungnir in his right hand. "Gungnir looked like every other spear apart from the two ravens etched into the spearhead, neither looking alike, and the spear's name engraved onto its shaft in runes". This is the legendary Woden's spear.

Prince Vortimer has imprisoned his own father, King Vortigern. Vortimer believes he is the chosen one who has Woden's sacred spear, and is convinced of its divine purpose. His early victories are swift and brutal, and have encouraged him to march south to drive the Jutes from Britain forever.

The Jutes' army led by Hengist and Horsa, is nearly cut off at the sea-lashed stronghold of Thanet. With a fast approaching winter and resources diminishing fast (both human and food), they have to think of their next step, or perish. Their only chance sounds like a desperate gamble. They must summon reinforcements, no matter the cost.

The task falls to Octa, and he is more than just reluctant.

Being mocked as Octa the Coward, he must cross the treacherous sea to rally Saxon and Jutish warriors to come to Britannia with him. But men don't follow those who they perceive to be weak. Octa must earn their respect and loyalty, and to do that he needs to confront his own past and avenge the wrongs done to his family. He has to prove himself worthy not just in the eyes of men, but of gods as well.

And Woden is waiting for him.

As the expanding war consumes the land, the old beliefs are tested in fire, could a coward become a leader?

 

We follow Octa on his journey of redemption and also self-discovery. He is attuned to the voices of the gods and can communicate with them, when they choose to approach him and deliver a message. 

Woden's spear is the serious bone of contention. Even gods cannot agree between themselves, whether Octa should have it, albeit temporarily.

Octa "felt the power of the gods of Asgard flow through it. Gungnir had chased away his fear and had replaced it with a calmness he had never felt before. But there was also a darkness in the spear. Something he sensed every time he killed with it, and he often worried what that darkness would do to him".

Octa struggles to make sense of everything, and especially of the destiny his mother wants for him. What does he need to do to redeem himself, and how far is he prepared to go to restore his name and honour?

Donovan Cook is a splendid storyteller. As much as I am indifferent to the military side of historical fiction, his battle scenes cannot but engage you, literally grab and drag you in the middle of the action and leave you breathless. The sights, and sounds, and even smells are so vividly described, you feel like you're present there as an invisible witness (or perhaps one of the gods who watch from aside).

Epic in scope, vivid and meticulously-researched, Woden's Vengeance is a fast-paced story, which moves effortlessly from one location to another. Enter an early medieval world at your peril!

This review is part of the blog tour for Woden's Vengeance.

Many thanks to Donovan Cook, Boldwood Books and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/WodensVengeance

Author Bio –

Donovan Cook is the author of the well-received Ormstunga Saga series which combines fast-paced narrative with meticulously researched history of the Viking world, and is inspired by his interest in Norse Mythology.  He was born in South Africa and currently lives in Lancashire, UK.

 

Social Media Links – 

Facebook: @DonovanCookAuthor

Twitter: @DonovanCook20

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

Bookbub profile: @cookdonovanbooks

Author Bio –

Donovan Cook is the author of the well-received Ormstunga Saga series which combines fast-paced narrative with meticulously researched history of the Viking world, and is inspired by his interest in Norse Mythology.  He was born in South Africa and currently lives in Lancashire, UK.

 

Social Media Links – 

Facebook: @DonovanCookAuthor

Twitter: @DonovanCook20

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

Secrets Taken to the Grave by Isobel Blackthorn

"I brace myself. Memories bombard me, an army assaulting my mind with the horros that occurred here".

"I suppose that's the nature of haunting. It's between the one doing the haunting and the haunted. And even though none of it is real to anyone else, it most certainly is real to me. Real, and dangerous".

Secrets Taken to the Grave by Isobel Blackthorn is a Gothic mystery set in Scotland in 1893.

Blurb:

Secrets Taken to the Grave (Strathbairn Trilogy Book 2)

The Scottish Highlands, 1893. Ingrid Barker arrives back at Strathbairn to attend the funeral of her old employer, Charles McCleod. 

Every bone in Ingrid's body screams for her to leave, and as she walks from the graveside, she can't shake the suspicion that Charles was murdered. As she hurries to uncover the truth and get away from Strathbairn, another murder takes place - one that traps her in the very place she is desperate to escape from.

Running out of time and clues, can Ingrid evade the truth of that terrible night up at the abbey the last timeshe was here, and can she solve the mystery of Charles' death before his ghost does away with her?

Ingrid Barker returns to the remote estate of Strathbairn for the funeral of her former employer, Charles McCleod. She had hoped never to set foot there again.

From the moment she arrives, she feels uneasy, as if every instinct impels her to leave. Yet as she stands at the graveside, holding her daughter Susan's hand and shivering with cold and apprehension, a chilling certainty takes hold of her mind. 

"I really shouldn't be here. Now that I'm inside the house, every part of my being is screaming for me to leave, leave immediately..."

She strongly suspects that Charles McCleod didn't die a natural death. His ghost manifests itself in angry outbursts. 

A terrible person while still alive, McCleod is a violent vicious ghost, who is intent on having it his way. Ingrid's peace of mind is disturbed, she feels pushed to find out what's really happened. Otherwise her life is under threat.

"I begin to fill with uncertainty... whether I should pursue any sort of probe into what happened to Charles, as he himself seems to want me to do, or if I should simply leave at the very earliest opportunity. Would his ghost follow me and haunt me in Winchester? Do ghosts do that? Can they?"

Ingrid is determined to uncover the truth before fleeing the place that haunts her memories. Asking questions will only rouse suspicions and alert attention to her own deeply-buried secrets. Before she can escape the cold house (cold both literally and methaporically), another body is discovered in the ruins nearby, and all of a sudden Ingrid is no longer free to leave.

As suspicions close in and time is running out, Ingrid must untangle the gruesome secrets buried within the estate. Is there anyone she can trust? The whole dysfunctional family acts suspiciously. They are all unpleasant and pretty horrible, from the McCleods to the serving staff. To add insult to the injury, Susan seems to be switching allegiance, becoming a pet of the cook, who enjoys manipulating a child to upset her mother. It is a battle of wits.

Even the house itself appears manevolent and hostile. "It is a house that oozes its own dark history from every pore of its stonework".

Snowed down, the estate is cut off from any possible help or means of escape. Chilling isolation reigns supreme both outside and inside the house.

Ingrid is alone in her quest. Apart from appeasing the angry ghost and solving the mystery, she must face the truth of the terrible night at the abbey when she was last visiting the ruins.

If she cannot solve the mystery of Charles McCleod's death in time, his restless ghost may claim her next.

Secrets Taken to the Grave is book 2 in the Strathbairn trilogy. You can read it as a standalone, but I strongly suggest reading the first book to understand the dynamics between the characters, as well as Ingrid's story before she arrived to Strathbairn.

The setting of misty Highlands, ruins of an old abbey, secrets that don't stay buried forever, hidden letters and manuscripts with creepy drawings, a vengeful ghost - all these Gothic elements are wonderfully atmospheric.

It's an intriguing, chilling story, with a bleak setting and a terrific atmosphere, the kind of story which pulls you straight in and doesn't want to leave you until the last page.

This post is part of the blog tour for Secrets Taken to the Grave. Many thanks to Isobel Blackthorn and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book.

Purchase Links

Universal book link: https://books2read.com/u/mexV8E

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F5BMZCVQ

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/secrets-taken-to-the-grave/id6744722804

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-taken-to-the-grave-isobel-blackthorn/1147305411?ean=2940181569010

Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=SLZWEQAAQBAJ

Rakuten Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ebook/secrets-taken-to-the-grave

Author Bio

 Isobel Blackthorn is an award-winning author of immersive and inspiring fiction. She has penned over twenty-five books including a number of bestsellers.

Among her credits, Isobel’s biographical short story ‘Nothing to Declare’, which forms the first chapter of her biographical novel Emma’s Tapestry, was shortlisted for the Ada Cambridge Prose Prize 2019. One of her Canary Islands novels, A Prison in the Sun, was shortlisted in the LGBTQ category of the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards 2020 and the International Book Awards 2021. The Cabin Sessions was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award 2018 and the Ditmar Awards 2018. And The Unlikely Occultist: A biographical novel of Alice A. Bailey received an Honorable Mention in the 2021 Reader’s Favorite Book Awards.

Blackthorn is the author of the world’s only biography of Theosophist and mother of the New Age movement Alice Bailey – Alice A. Bailey: Life & Legacy. Isobel’s writing has appeared in journals and websites around the world, including Esoteric Quarterly, New Dawn Magazine, Paranoia, Mused Literary Review, Trip Fiction, Backhand Stories, Fictive Dream and On Line Opinion. Isobel was a judge for the Australasian Shadow Awards 2020 long fiction category. Her book reviews have appeared in New Dawn Magazine, Esoteric Quarterly, Shiny New Books, Sisters in Crime, Australian Women Writers, Trip Fiction and Newtown Review of Books.

Isobel’s interests are many and varied. She has a long-standing association with the Canary Islands, having lived in Lanzarote in the late 1980s. A humanitarian and campaigner for social justice, in 1999 Isobel founded the internationally acclaimed Ghana Link, uniting two high schools, one a relatively privileged state school located in the heart of England, the other a materially impoverished school in a remote part of the Upper Volta region of Ghana, West Africa. After working as a teacher, market trader and PA to a literary agent, she arrived at writing in her forties, and her stories are as diverse and intriguing as her life has been.

Isobel has performed her literary works at events in a range of settings and given workshops in creative writing.

British by birth, Isobel entered this world in Farnborough, Kent, UK. She has lived in England, Australia, Spain and the Canary Islands. She now lives and writes in Spain. She is currently at work on two novels composed in Spanish.

 

Social Media Links –

 

https://www.facebook.com/Author.Isobel.Blackthorn/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5768657.Isobel_Blackthorn

https://www.instagram.com/isobelbwrites/

@isobelb-author.bsky.social

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/isobel-blackthorn