Clues to You by Claire Huston (Cover reveal)

 

I'm delighted to do a cover reveal for Clues to You by Claire Huston. I have read and reviewed three of Claire's previous books, and follow her on social media. Claire's cakes and bakes are legendary, and her books are feel-good stories, sweet, funny and entertaining.

Clues to You

One murder mystery weekend. Two rival sleuths.

They’re looking for answers. But will they find love?

 

Kate Brannon is delighted to be attending her first murder mystery weekend in a movie-worthy Victorian manor house. Still getting over being dumped, cracking the case would be a welcome boost to her flagging confidence. And the prize money wouldn’t hurt either.

 

But Kate’s dreams of victory become a nightmare with the arrival of Max Ravenscroft. Smart, enigmatic and annoyingly handsome, Max is Kate’s sleuthing nemesis.

 

When she and Max are forced to work together, Kate despairs. But, as the investigation brings them closer, she finds being his partner in solving crime isn’t all bad.

 

With growing suspicions that the game is rigged against them, can Kate and Max beat the odds to find the killer? And, as their partnership deepens, can they find romance too?

 

A sweet romantic comedy with a cosy mystery at its heart. Perfect for fans of Kathryn Freeman, Laura Jane Williams and Katie Fforde.

And now that you've read the blurb, are you ready to see the new cover?

 

Pre-order Link - https://mybook.to/CluesToYou

Publication Date: 19^th September

Author Bio:

Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire with her husband and two children. She writes uplifting modern love stories about characters who are meant for each other but sometimes need a little help to realise it.

 A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as eating them. You can find recipes for over a hundred sweet treats at clairehuston.co.uk. This is also where she talks about and reviews books.

 

Social Media Links: https://linktr.ee/clairehuston_author   

The Stranger Beside Me by Caroline England

 

"How do you draw the line? Making choices, emotional decisions. Leave those you love in the past".

The Stranger Beside Me by Caroline England is a tense, emotionally charged psychological thriller.

Synopsis:

Katy Henry is lost and lonely. A single mother, plagued by fatigue and anxiety, she rarely has time for friends. But when she encounters Sibeal Matthews, all this changes. Sibeal is everything that Katy is not: assured, headstrong and charming.

Katy soon finds herself pulled out of her isolation into a fierce friendship. But Sibeal is not all that she seems. Tragedy haunts her, and for all her feistiness, she is startingly dependent on her brother, Gabriel. And when her life begins to spectacularly unravel, Katy is swept up in the storm.

As Katy fights to protect herself and her son, it's not just Sibeal who threatens to endanger them - Katy's own past starts to rupture. Who can Katy trust? Can she even trust herself?

Katy Henry is a single mother, living with her son Milo and father Alexander. She accompanies her father to the funeral of his old friend, where she meets Sibeal and Gabe, two handsome siblings.

On an impulse, Katy offers to help sorting out their father's house before it could be sold. Working together on the house, two women appraise each other.

"Watching the brother and sister again was captivating. Katy can't quite make them out. On the face of it Sibeal is the more dominant - and certainly more vocal - sibling, and yet the balance of power appears pretty equal  overall".

Sibeal Matthews looks sophisticated, self-assured and strong-willed, all the qualities that Katy wishes she had herself. 

In fact, on the outside they are complete opposites. Katy is nervous, with a crippling anxiety which turns her into a social recluse, and makes her disquieted about seemingly basic things. Often Katy is not coping physically and emotionally, and stays in bed, relying on her father and the family friend to look after Milo. 

Having tragically lost her Mum in a car accident several years earlier, Katy's depression has intensified, which brings on the CFS. Her condition is so debilitating, that she has missed out days and weeks "on enjoying her son, not to mention life in general".

It's a mystery how quickly Katy and Sibeal are drawn into each other's orbit. Soon enough Sibeal begins to show her vulnerable side, confessing about her own tragedy. Her lover Robin died recently. Sibeal is bereft, yet she cannot openly grieve for her lost lover, as he has been married and left a wife and a young child. Sibeal does not feel any remorse about her affair, she also resents the fact that her lover has a child, while she doesn't.

Sibeal is strangely dependent on her brother, Gabe. "Would Gabriel approve? It has been the acid test her whole adult life. Mostly failing it, and often deliberately, but always wanting his endorsement nonetheless". There is a lot of conflicting emotions mixed into the family drama. Their late mother favoured her older child, and paid hardly any attention to her daughter. 

"Sib's brusque exterior hides trauma and loneliness. She wasn't just brutally abandoned by her mother at eleven; she was rejected from the moment she was born". 

Both young women are familiar with loneliness and isolation. For Sibeal, alcohol is the way of coping with rejection and trauma. Her behaviour becomes more and more erratic, and makes Katy question her judgment. As Sibeal's drama is unfolding, Katy becomes embroiled in the mess. Everything she holds dear is endangered. 

Is there anyone she can trust unreservedly?

The narrative acquires menacing notes as it progresses. There's twist after twist you never see coming.

The Stranger Beside Me is a first-rate thriller, with flawed characters and perfect pacing. 

This is the fourth novel by the author that I've read. One can see a common theme of twisted relationships, power, control and obsession. There is also a subject of how the childhood trauma keeps damaging one's psyche into adulthood. Vulnerability and obsession become two sides of one coin. The motivations of the main characters are complex and nuanced. 

With its shocking reveals and sinister, unsettling plot, The Stranger Beside Me is an addictive page-turner.

This review is part of the blog tour for The Stranger Beside Me.

Many thanks to Caroline England for inviting me to take part in the tour!

Author's Bio and Social Links:

CWA Dagger shortlisted Caroline England is known as the ‘Duchess of dark domestic noir’. Her psychological suspense thrillers are BENEATH THE SKIN, the top ten ebook bestseller MY HUSBAND'S LIES, BETRAY HER, TRUTH GAMES and THE SINNER. THE STRANGER BESIDE ME will be published on the 3rd August 2023.

Caroline also pens gothic-tinged psychological thrillers as CE Rose. Stand alone THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN SECRETS was followed by THE HOUSE ON THE WATER'S EDGE and THE SHADOWS OF RUTHERFORD HOUSE. THE ATTIC AT WILTON PLACE will be published on 30th March 2023.

Both CE and Caroline write multi-layered, dark and edgy ‘domestic suspense’ stories that delve into complicated relationships, secrets and the moral grey area.

Drawing on her days as a divorce and professional indemnity lawyer, she loves to create ordinary, relatable characters who get caught up in extraordinary situations, pressures, dilemmas or crime. She admits to a slight obsession with the human psyche, what goes on behind closed doors and beneath people’s façades. She also enjoys performing a literary sleight of hand in her novels and hopefully surprising her readers!

WATCHING HORSEPATS FEED THE ROSES and HANGED BY THE NECK are her dark, twisty short story collections.

Website: https://carolineenglandauthor.co.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CazEngland

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CazEngland1/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cazengland1/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cazengland1

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-england-35888064/

AmazonUK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/~/e/B009UQC1YS

The Cornish Rebel by Nicola Pryce ( review + #giveaway )

"Well, I was twenty-one years old now; I was my own person. I was not perfect, not beautiful, not elegant or refined. I spoke with a different accent and lacked society manners, but she would just have to take me how I was..."

The Cornish Rebel by Nicola Pryce is a historical novel, set in Cornwall, 1801. This beautiful and thought-provoking tale is the seventh novel in the Cornish saga series. It reads as a standalone.

Blurb:

In the wake of her mother's death, Pandora Woodville is desperate to escape her domineering father and finally return to Cornwall. Posing as a widow, she safely makes it across the Atlantic, bright with the dream of working ar her Aunt Harriet's school for young women. But as Pandora is soon to learn, the school is facing imminent closure after a series of sinister events threatened its reputation.

Acclaimed chemist Benedict Aubyn has also recently returned to Cornwall, to take up a new role as Turnpike Trust Surveyor. Pandora's arrival has been a strange one, so she is grateful when he shows her kindness. As news of the school's ruin spreads around town, everyone seems to be after her aunt's estate. Now, Pandora and Aunt Harriet must do everything in their power to save the school, or risk losing everything.

However, Pandora has another problem. She's falling for Benedict. But can she trust him, or is he simply looking after his own interests?

Pandora Woodville arrives to Cornwall in March 1801. While travelling alone on board Jane O'Leary, she poses as a widow, for safety reasons. Behind, in the States, she leaves her authoritarian and despotic father. 

Cornwall is more than her childhood home, it is a symbol of freedom and dreams of becoming independent. Pandora was six when her parents left Corwall in a hurry, with a promise to come back later. Only it didn't happen. Pandora's mother died, and her father has had different plans for her.

She believes once she is safely with Aunt Harriet, at St Feoca, all the issues will be hopefully resolved. She will find a job at the school for young ladies, and make her aunt proud.

Pandora's expectations of a happy reunion come to a rather bitter disappointment. She is dismayed to find out that her aunt's school is on the point of being shut down. There's been a series of alarming, menacing events in and around the school, and now all the students have left.

Aunt Hetty is also not a kindly matron from her childhood that she remembers. 

"No warm embrace. No sign of love. No holding me, no asking me about my mother and how she died. No questions about my journey. Just her stiff upper lip and haughty tone, her chin in the air, her penetrating eyes."

The refuge Pandora has been dreaming about for so long is an illusion. The harsh reality is that there is a very strong possibility that the school will be closed soon, and the house and lands will go to a distant cousin of grandfather's, as stipulated in the school's constitution. 

On arrival to Falmouth, Pandora meets Benedict Aubyn. He kindly offers to help her, despite her protestations. While waiting at the inn, she eavesdrops on the conversation between Aubyn and The Turnpike Trust men. He is expected to sign a contract to provide an efficient route from Truro to Falmouth to link with the Penzance and Newlyn turnpike.

The gossip spreads about the imminent closure of the school. With the Turnpike project going ahead, the local hawks are circling around St Feoca. There's big money to be made from the new road, and who is going to think twice about the dwindling fortunes of the spinster headmistress of the closing school and her niece?!

Pandora is in two minds about Benedict. He is kind, attentive and considerate. Yet can she trust him at all, seeing that he's employed as the surveyor by the Trust?! Is he just another unscrupulous and manipulative man? 

Saving the school's reputation is no mean feat, given the circumstances and time constraints Aunt Harriet and Pandora are fighting against. They are on the brink of losing everything. Someone is trying their hardest to get hold of the St Feoca estate. Who is the merciless enemy, taunting them?

With growing suspicions and dramatic revelations, can Pandora and Benedict discover the truth behind the mystery of St Feoca, and find romance?

Pandora is an appealing protagonist. As someone who enjoys painting, I liked the idea of Pandora painting miniatures on shells. 

Pandora is intelligent and talented, she is also very insecure and emotionally needy. Growing up in a disfunctional family with an odious tyrant of a father, she feels she has to prove herself. She is jealous of her aunt's protegee Grace, who is more beautiful, and appears to be everything Pandora would like to be. Jealousy is not a pretty quality, even if understandable. That Pandora is not without flaws, makes her more realistic and easier to relate to.

This is the third novel by Nicola Pryce that I've read (see also The Cornish Lady and The Cornish Captive).  All three have spirited female protagonists, who don't conform to the views of society of what women's role in life should be. 

The latest book in the Cornish series keeps exploring the themes of the women's rights (or lack of them) and identity against the social and political restraints of the times. It's fascinating to meet some of the characters who appear in the previous books, like Lady Clarissa Crew, Mrs Lilly and Angelica Trevelyan, compassionate and strong-minded ladies.

There is a passionate discussion between Pandora and Benedict on how the society does not accept a woman having a life of her own.

"Men consider women their property  - that's how they view us. Either they shield us like delicate orchids and allow us to go nowhere or, if we do dare go somewhere, they brand us as forward and inviting trouble. We must marry and give up our freedom or become drab governesses and spend the rest of our lives avoiding unwanted advances from those who see us as fair game". 

And while the society has moved on regarding women's rights, there is still a lot of work to be done for the women's empowerment and gender equality.

The Cornish Rebel is a compelling novel, where history and its vivid characters come alive. Pryce has drawn a portrait of a complex and talented young woman. A storyteller of immense talent, Nicola Pryce creates an absolute treat from start to finish.

The book cover design deserves a special mention. A young woman, looking at us with a defiant expression on her face. She is not a mild and feeble simpering young lady, a man's subordinate, but someone who knows her mind and is ready to challenge the societal constrictions on women. Her hair is windblown, just like the blooms of the coastline, with birds floating free in the sky, as a symbol of freedom.

This book review is part of the blog tour for The Cornish Rebel.

Many thanks to Nicola Pryce, Corvus and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book!

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cornish-Rebel-sweeping-historical-romance-ebook/dp/B0BV9F8TW2

https://www.amazon.com/Cornish-Rebel-sweeping-historical-romance-ebook/dp/B0BV9F8TW2

Author Bio

Nicola Pryce trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. She has always loved literature and completed an Open University degree in Humanities. She is a qualified adult literacy support volunteer and lives with her husband in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. Together they sail the south coast of Cornwall in search of adventure.

Social Media Links – https://twitter.com/NPryce_Author 

https://www.facebook.com/nicolaprycebooks/

If you enjoy historical fiction, don't forget to enter the giveaway below.

 

Giveaway to Win a The Cornish Rebel Tote Bag and Paperback (Open to UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  

Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  

The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. 

If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. 

Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  

Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. 

This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  

I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Please note that this giveaway appears on several blogs, taking part in the blog tour.

Chez Maximka is hosting the Rafflecopter gadget for free for the purposes of the book promotion.

I do not have access to the data collected, do not pick the winner or dispatch the prize.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I read The Cornish Rebel on our holiday to Cornwall. The waves and the beach in this super short video are properly Cornish.

Cornish Clouds and Silver Lining Skies by Ali McNamara

The word "Cornish" in the title, and an image of the island which reminds of St Michael's Mount is enough for me to reach for the bookshelf and buy the book. In fact, the fictional island of Aurora is inspired by St Michael's Mount, albeit on a much smaller scale.
 

Cornish Clouds and Silver Lining by Ali McNamara is a romantic comedy with a supernatural twist.

Blurb:

Meteorologist Sky Matthews does not like surprises.

Sky monitors her life like she does the weather, carefully and with a scientific eye. So, when she finds herself temporarily relocated to a tidal island off the Cornish harbour town of St Felix, she feels completely at sea. Worse still, she has to work alongside TV weatherman Sonny Samuels, who barely knows his storms from his tsunamis.

It doesn't take long for Sky to become enchanted by the strange weather patterns over St Felix. Sonny is convinced they link to local folklore, but Sky isn't about to fall for that. Until she meets Walter, a local weather watcher with no qualifications beyond a lifetime of experience, and Sky is forced to question everything she thought she knew about the weather, herself... and Sonny.

Is it possible the clouds were trying to tell her something all along?

Sky Matthews arrives to Cornwall with her little dog Fitz. She's got a job on a tidal island Aurora, off the busy harbour town of St Felix. "The offer to come to Cornwall had come completely out of the blue. Due to ill health I'd been on an extended leave of absence from my position as a senior meteoroloist at Met Central in London".

Sky has agreed to take a temporary position on Aurora to prove she is capable again. In the past she used to travel a lot, being placed in many usunual environments. Until twenty months earlier, she has had an exciting and challenging career.

She is supposed have an assitant, working and living in the same accommodation provided for the meteorologists. Talia is young and very enthusiastic.

When she arrives to the train station to meet Talia, Sky is in for a big surprise. Talia is accompanied by a man, who claims to be her new partner at the station, apparently in order to help unravel the mysterious weather conundrum. Sonny Samuels is a minor celebrity, a TV weather presenter, sent to Cornwall by Met Central.

Sky is not amused. In fact, she is rather alarmed, as all her mental preparations for the job are overthrown by this new arrival. "Now Sonny Samuels has been thrown into the mix, I get the feeling that dealing with the over-exuberant weather presenter... is going to cause me more trouble than anyhthing else this island could ever throw at me".

Sky resents his presence, she is not prepared mentally and psychologically to live in close quarters with someone who has an exuberance of a labrador puppy. "I'm trying here, really I am, but Sonny is the sort of person I usually do my best to avoid. He's loud and chatty and a bit too full of himself, and every time I think he might have calmed down a little, he springs right back into full Sonny mode..." 

Yes, Sonny is quite tiresome, but Sky is rude towards him from the first moment they meet. Sonny confides that his friends call him Jamie. Gradually, Sky begins to see a different side to the loud guy. He can be considerate and caring, sensitive and vulnerable under the veneer of over-confidence.

Sky comes to see that the first impressions and assessment of Sonny could be an error. She is trying to figure out how to deal with the mixed feelings she has about him. "I hadn't liked Jamie at all when we first met - but that wasn't his fault. He'd been thrust on me when I hadn't been expecting him, and I never cope well with surprises... But Jaie has changedsince he'd been here. The person I first met had much more Sonny than Jamie - like he had a sort of alter-ego he swapped between. I didn't care for Sonny at all, but I kind of liked Jamie now..."

Sky and Jamie are fascinated by the strange weather occurrences in the area, with the most unusual cloud shapes and virtually impossible meteoroloical patterns. Are they truly linked to the local legends, as Jamie believes? Is it even remotedly possible that the clouds above Aurora signify something personal to Sky?

It's hinted from the start that Sky has a hidden disability (ME). Apart from her serious condition, her behaviour borders on neuro diverse, with its rigidity of thinking. She struggles with changes in her preparations, everything has to be as she planned. While her being upset about the upturned plans is understandable, her rudeness is less so.

Sky believes she's been honest but she appears ill-mannered. Saying that, men like Sonny could drive anyone round the bend with their suggestive jokes and flirtatous behaviour.

Sky tries to hide her disability from her colleagues and friends, which doesn't sound sensible at all. 

"I can't tell them. They'd treat me differently if they knew, and I don't want to be different, I want to be the same as everyone else".

She wants to convince Sonny that she is more than her illness, that although it is part of her, it doesn't define her as a whole being. However, it's not Sonny she has to convince but herself first of all. She is wallowing in self-pity. It is Sky who has to accept herself as worthy of love rather than pity.

"I can't get away from it, however much I want to. My illness is there all the time - hiding, just waiting for me to weaken so that it can be unleashed once more. It's like a monster inside me, that unless I'm very careful, once unleashed, won't be controlled again for quite some time".

Cornish Clouds and Silver Lining Skies is a modern day romance, with paranormal elements, of a fairytale variety. The clouds sending images as messages might be a cute but rather an implausible motif.

For me the best parts were the descriptions of the sea, coast and nature (minus funny clouds). I loved the fictional island of Aurora, with its amazing views and a cosy cottage. St Felix, based on St Ives, also provides a beautiful setting for the story.

Dog lovers will be delighted with several dogs featuring quite prominently in the narrative: Eden's Yorkie Russell Fitz, Sonny's Comet and there's Barney who belongs to one of the minor characters. 

There are some quirky local characters, including the elderly weatherman, known as Wacky Walter Weather, for his weird and wonderful ways of forecasting the weather.

The smuggling plotline and secret tunnels ending in remote caves is a bit far-fetched. Sonny himself says, "If you think this is going to be some Famous Five adventure, with jolly japes and ginger beer, then you need to back out right now". But that's excatly how it feels at times, like Famous Five for grown-ups.

And here are some beautiful clouds over the Cornish coastline. Just clouds, no hidden messages in sight.

Summer & Get Outdoors 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 the Summer & Get Outdoors Degustabox box?

Muscle Moose The Dinky Protein Bar Salted Caramel Pretzel (35g/£1.50) is a Product of the Month. This is a caramel flavour protein bar, with a low sugar caramel layer, with soya nuggets, and topped with pretzel pieces.

Handy to carry with you for the times when you are feeling peckish, or craving a bit of a sweet treat.

Nutritional values: 130kcal and 1.6g of sugar per bar (written in tiny fonts, it's hard to read).

Available at ASDA.

Plantastic Millionaire Flapjacks Choc & Caramel (£2.25) are flapjacks with a vegan caramel and chocolate flavour topping.

While I enjoyed Plantastic Sweet Apricot and Ginger flapjacks from the New Year Degustabox selection very much, I'm less enthusiastic about the new flavour. It has an exceedingly sweet chocolate caramel topping over a dry base of oat flakes. In fact, I couldn't even finish one. Saying that, my older son polished off the whole box later.

This product is 100% plant-based, contains no artificial colours or flavours.

Typical values: 138kcal and 13.5g of sugar per flapjack.

Available at Tesco & ASDA.

Mentos Gum Pure Cherry Chewing Gum (£2.50) is a well-known chewing gum, in a new recyclable paper-based container. 

We took it with us on a long car trip to Cornwall (and back), and enjoyed its fruity refreshing taste. The chewing gum has a crispy shell with a delicious liquid filled centre, and provides a long lasting fruity taste. This is a sugar-free treat.

Available in all major supermarket chains.

KIND Snacks Thins Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt Multipack/ Thins Dark Caramel Nuts and Sea Salt Multipack (£2.50) are thin and chewy bars which are both tasty and nutritious.

You should receive 1 item in your box. We got the Dark Chocolate flavour (ingredients include almond pieces, dark chocolate, peanut pieces, glucose syrup, chicory root fibre, brown rice crisps, honey, sugar etc.

KIND THINS are a source of high fibre, gluten free and have no artiificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

Under 95kcal per bar, these are lovely snacks.

Available at ASDA.

Jordan's Country Crisp Limited Edition Red Velvet (£3.80) is the latest granola from Jordan's, a combination of light and crispy golden oat clusters with chocolate brownie pieces and cream cheese frosting flavoured red oat clusters.

Source of fibre, wholegrain oats. Suitable for vegetarians. It doesn't say vegan on the box, but I don't see any dairy or honey among the ingredients.

Nutritional values: 192kcal and 9.7g of sugar per 45g portion.

Available at Waitrose and on Ocado.

Sauce Shop Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce (£2.75) is a sweet smoky sauce, perfect for chicken, or corn.

Sauce Shop sauces and seasonings are made in the UK, using natural ingredients. If it's been raining non-stop, and the BBQ is not possible, this sauce will make a lovely pizza dip for a movie night.

Ingredients include tomato puree, sugar, white grape vinegar, honey, onion, garlic, salt, smoked paprika, chipotle pepper.

Typical values: 153kcal and 33.7g of sugar per 100g. 

Available at Sainsbury's, Morrisons, ASDA and Booths.

Very Lazy Cajun Paste (£2, see above) will bring an authentic taste of Louisiana to your kitchen. It tastes delicious, marinated over chicken. For a vegetarian feast, mix a selection of vegetables (courgettes, sweet peppers, sweet tomatoes etc) with a tablespoon of Cajun paste and roast them in the oven.

Ingredients include: red pepper, rapeseed oil, onion puree, tomato paste, muscovado sugar, garlic puree, smoked paprika, green pepper, lime juice, coriander leaf, salt, ground cumin, thyme, basil, oregano, onion powder, chipotle chilli powder etc.

Typical values: 39kcal and 2.6g of sugar per 20g serving.

Very Lazy's motto is "Maximum flavour, minimum fuss!"

Available at Tesco, ASDA and Morrisons.

We love Kettle Chips, and are always excited to try new flavours. KETTLE Chips Sriracha Mayo (£1.50) take inspiration from street food markets around the world. If you like your savoury snacks with a bit of spice, you will enjoy the flavoursome Sriracha Mayo flavour.

These crunchy chips are vegetarian and gluten free.

Typical values: 501kcal and 1.04g of salt per 100g.

Available at Waitrose and Tesco.

SXOLLIE xider Cripps Pink xider (£1.80 for 330ml bottle) is a delicious cider that bursts with flavour. It's a refreshing fusion of chilled floral sweetness and light bubbles. Very enjoyable.

Made purely with "Cripps Pink apples and sunshine". No added sugar, no concentrate. Vegan friendly, B Corp certified.

Available at Sainsbury's, Morrisons, on Amazon Prime and www.sxollie.com.

Dalston's Soda: Peach Soda and Rhubarb Soda (£2 each) is a full flavour fizz crafted with real fruit and no nasties. No added sugar, no sweeteners and no artificial ingredients.

Lovely refreshing drinks - perfect for a picnic or BBQ.

You should receive two items in your box.

Available at Waitrose, Sainsbury's, ASDA and on Ocado.

And the final product in the latest box: Boost Iced Coffee: Cafe Latte or Caramel Latte (£1.19).

You should receive one item. We got a Caramel Latte, smooth and mellow. A tad too sweet for me, but someone who has a sweet tooth, will love it.

Typical values: 125kcal and 23g of sugar per 250ml can.

Available in convenience stores and on Amazon.

What is your favourite product from the latest Degustabox box?

A Secret Cornish Summer by Phillipa Ashley

 

Summer for me always means a batch of new books, set in Cornwall. And if you're looking for a delightful summery read, A Secret Cornish Summer by Phillipa Ashley will bring the Cornish seaside to wherever you are.

Blurb:

This beautiful Cornish summer, there'll be sun, sea, sand - and secrets...

When Eden steps out of her idyllic coastal cottage to find a Speedo-wearing, suntanned stranger doing yoga in next door's garden, she is immediately on her guard. Since her ex-husband betrayed her in the worst possible way, she has kept her distance from all men, taking refuge in her start-up coffee business.

But as she gets to know Levan, Eden begins to wonder if he might be different - until she discovers he's not quite what he seems. And when a long-buried family secret surfaces, her faith in those she loves most is shaken to the core.

As the secrets spill out, relationships old and new ill be tested like never before.

Can Eden learn to trust again, and move past all the secrets of this Cornish summer?

Eden lives in one of the old lighthouse cottages, which enjoy a dramatic vista over the Cornish coast. One day she is busy roasting coffee beans for her cafe, the Lighthouse Coffee Container, when her grandma Iris demands her attention. 

She's been "discreetly" spying on the strange young man doing yoga in the garden next door. "Eden had never, ever seen one of its occupants standing on his head, wearing only a pair of orange Speedos".

As it happens, Levan is not a guest at the rented cottage but a new owner of the Longships. This is a big surprise for Eden and Iris, as the sale has been done very hush-hush.

Eden's cottage has been in the family for several generations. Both her grandafther and father worked on the Hartstone Lighthouse.

"At the age of thirty-three, she'd never meant to return to Lighthouse Cottages - not permanently. Anyway. She'd never thought she'd have to return, in order to have a roof over her head and be able to feed herself.

But that was where Simon had left her: homeless, broke and heartbroken".

Her con-man of a husband has left her high and dry, having drained her account. Simon is a narcissist who goes through life, unconcerned about anyone he hurts. Emotionally abusive, he is a serial liar and a fraudster.

When after a two-years-long absence, Eden receives a letter from her obnoxious ex, it upsets and infuriates her in equal measure. She doesn't know whether she can trust a word of what he says.

In the meantime, Levan has charmed both Iris and Sally (Eden's Mum). He is quite reluctant to talk about himself though. All they learn about Levan is that he is involved in the "boring IT stuff", being economical with the truth that he is working for the security services.

There is another, bigger secret in his life, that could change everything. His "other secret was different. It was one he felt compelled to keep, just to try and rebuild his life after a moment of madness that had brought it crashing down".

Eden and Levan are drawn to each other, but for both of them their past is holding them back. For Eden, her experience with Simon has left her suspicious about everyone, paranoid even.

When Eden discovers the truth about Levan, she is shaken. And then further revelations from people she holds dearest unsettles her even more. 

Will Eden be able to re-assess her trust issues, accept the past secrets and learn to love again?

Levan is a compelling character, albeit with a penchant for taking his clothes off whenever he's working outdoors, going all Poldark-esque. His backstory is gripping, but also poignant (relationships with his stiff-upper-lip parents, his big secret etc).

I am totally "Camp Levan" and think he had a full right to keep his past to himself, as you don't just open your soul to people whom you hardly know. Eden has totally over-reacted. She has being badly hurt by her ex, but that doesn't make everyone around an untrustworthy person unless they bare their soul at the first meeting. We all have our secrets that we don't want to share even with those that we love, and sometimes never share with anyone. For a variety of reasons. 

A Secret Cornish Summer is an uplifting romantic novel, full of secrets, passion, humour and warmth.

I loved the light-hearted humour, not of the LOL variety, but more subtle, and with astute observations of human nature. Take Eden's grandma. "When necessary, her Granny Iris had a voice that could penetrate a nuclear bunker". Just one sentence to introduce the character, and she immediately comes to life on page 1. In fact, Iris doesn't ever disappoint, throughout the book she shines like a lighhouse beacon.

Cornwall provides a beautiful setting for the developing romance story. I loved seeing the familiar geographical names, recognising so many of them, as we tend to stay every summer in a small village outside Penzance. 

There is a mention of Le Carré's house too, which brings back some wonderful memories of visiting David and Jane in their beautiful home, with its sprawling tiered garden, and the most amazing sea views. Years ago we stayed in their guest cottage, and for years have been visiting them when we had holidays in Cornwall. Both my boys loved running in their garden. So many memories! 

P.S. This book is currently on 3 for £6 offer at The Works. If you plan to take a stash of books on holidays with you, that's a pretty good offer.

We just came back from a week in Cornwall. I left my copy of A Secret Cornish Summer on the book shelf for someone else to enjoy. That's my own little tradition, to leave books read on holidays for someone else to discover them.

I'll end this review with a description of Penzance that makes me all nostalgic about Cornwall.

"Iris and Levan had bagged a table with a parasol on the front of the terrace, from where they could admire the great sweep of Mount's Bay. The panorama from Lizard, almost to Land's End, was spectacular enough; add in the fairy tale castle of St Michael's Mount and there could be few better views in England".

Amen to that!

Turning the World to Stone: The Life of Caterina Sforza Part One 1472-1488 by Kelly Evans

 

"I'm no man's pawn. And anyone who cares to challenge my position from now on will find themselves dealing with a Sforza".

Blurb:

Vilified by history, Caterina Sforza learned early that her life was not her own. Married at age ten, she was a pawn in the ever-changing political environment of Renaissance Italy.

Resigned to her life as a fifteenth-century wife, Caterina adapted to the role she was expected to play: raising and educating her children, helping the poor in her new home, and turning a blind eye to her husband's increasingly shameful behaviour. But Fate had other plans for her, and soon Caterina's path would be plagued by murder, betrayal, and heartbreak.

"Could I write all, the world would turn to stone"

Caterina Sforza is credited with having confided to a monk during the later years of her life, "Se io potessi scrivere tutto, farie stupire il mondo", which translates as "If I could write everything that happened, I would shock the world".

Her life story still has the power to appal and repel in equal measure.

Turning the World to Stone: The Life of Caterina Sforza Part One 1472-1488 by Kelly Evans is an enthralling historical novel set in the Renaissance Italy. It paints a rich picture of the Italian Renaissance Courts of Milan, Rome, Imola and Forli, as well as multifarious deeds of the higher echelons of power.

The political, social and economic machinations of the Italian Renaissance courts are brought vividly to light.

When we first meet Caterina, she is but a child of ten, playing with a ball. She hides under the table, and inadvertently listens to the conversation between her father, Galeazzo Sforza, and her stepmother, Bona of Savoy. The Pope's nephew Girolamo Riario is visiting Milan, hoping to wed Caterina's 11-year-old cousin, but her parents don't want the marriage to take place. Caterina is offered by her father as a substitute. He knows well, what awaits his innocent child. The future husband-to-be insists on consummating marriage there and then. This legitimised rape is blessed by the church and her family, so as to gain new political influence and money thanks to strenghtened relations with the Pope.

Caterina stays in Milan until she is fourteen, being instructed by Bona how to be a perfect wife. Bona teaches her stepdaughter the lore of herbal medicine. This is the passion two women share.

Caterina also enjoys learning sword fighting. "Descended from a long line of condottieri, elite mercenary captains who served Popes and kings alike, Caterina was as encouraged as her male siblings to learn to protect herself with both sword and dagger".

When it's time to leave Milan, Caterina is sad. "Her new life was a blank page waiting to be filled, and her stomach lurched at the thought of entering that unknown without the support of her family".

Being married to the Pope's nephiew, she is plunged straight into the centre of politics. 

"Money. All the world's woes seemed to come down to money. Who had it, who didn't, and who wanted more and more... When she had dreamed of adult life as a child, never had Caterina imagined the confusing and ever-changing tangle of families and loyalties she had encountered so far in this city. And here she was at the centre of it".

Riario is extremely greedy, unscrupulous and merciless towards anyone standing in his path. He has no redeeming qualities, yet Caterina is loyal to him. She has to, in order to survive. When children come, one after another, she acquires a new purpose in life.

"But what choice did any woman have? She could decide to disobey and fight with him and risk repudiation, or act the part of a supportive wife for the sake of her children and herself."

Caterina has to fight for her family, since her husband has acquired too many enemies. She knows that Girolamo is not a man who would defend his family and wants to ensure her children and their future is protected. 

"Caterina had realised that she thought more strategically than most men. She was learning from their mistakes, so many to choose from, and she was an eager student".

From a passive spouse, accepting her husband's shameful behaviour, Caterina grows into a woman who builds her own destiny. As the saying goes, it you live among the wolves, you have to act like a wolf.

Under the meek god-fearing exterior, there is an interior of steel. The world will be shocked indeed.

This is a sympathetic portrait of young Caterina Sforza, before she would become a figure of hate. It's difficult to sympathise with someone who is known to be an unhinged psycopath in her later life (one of her crimes: killing not just the male conspirators who assassinated her husbands, but their pregnant wives and little children). 

Coming from a family of sadistic rulers and fratricides, she is married at a tender age of ten to a repugnant, totally immoral man, and becomes part of another horrid family. It's impossible to survive unless you become one of them.

This account provides some understanding of how she would become so detestable, from being a child bride and living through the assassination of her father, constant conspiracies surrounding the courts of Milan and Rome, further murders in her family, persistent fear for her children and herself, eternal wars for power and land.

Turning the World to Stone is a thought-provoking, thoroughly engrossing read, a sweeping tale of fate, obsession and ambitions, and one woman's resolve to rule her own destiny.

Potential triggers: rape, murder, torture.

P.S. Though it does not interfere with the story, the portrait attribution on the cover design is not correct. This is not a portrait of Caterina Sforza, but of Simonetta Vespucci (by Botticelli). The portrait below is a presumed portrait of Caterina by Lorenzo di Credi.

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

Author Bio –

Born in Canada of Scottish extraction, Kelly Evans graduated in History and English then moved to England where she worked in the financial sector. While in London Kelly continued her studies in history, concentrating on Medieval History, and travelled extensively through Eastern and Western Europe.

 

Kelly is now back in Canada with her husband Max and a rescue cat. She writes full-time, focussing on illuminating little-known women in history with fascinating stories. When not working on her novels, Kelly writes Described Video scripts for visually impaired individuals, plays oboe, and enjoys old sci-fi movies.

 

Social Media Links –

Website: https://www.kellyaevans.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChaucerBabe

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellyevansauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyevansauthor/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kelly-Evans/author/B0187JGTOQ

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14335541.Kelly_Evans

 

The Piper's Children by Iain Henn

 

"And then he remembered. Fragmented images resurfacing, coming together. Something his mind had been blocking. He gasped at the memory, icy shivers radiating up his spine. 

Der Rattenfänger."

"Someone out there is playing mind games. Testing us."

"Okay. But who?"

"Someone who is far more dangerous than we thought".

The Piper's Children by Iain Henn is a riveting, suspensful mystery. This standalone thriller is the first book in an exciting new series about a special FBI unit, focused on seemingly unsolvable crimes.

Blurb:

A baffling mystery sets an FBI agent on a dangerous path...

Park rangers are puzzled when a child is found wandering alone in the middle of a forest near Seattle.

Stranger still, he speaks a peculiar language that sounds a little like German, and is dressed in clothes people wore in the Middle Ages.

With no one having reported him missing, FBI Special Agent Will McCord assembles a dedicated unit to investigate the case, placing Detective Ilona Farris at its head.

Their relationship is edgy. They used to be an item. But McCord knows Farris is the best person for the job. Especially when more children turn up in similar circumstances.

Farris isn't convinced that she is in fact the right person. Memories of a traumatic incident in her own childhood begin to emerge, and threaten to cloud her judgement.

Can she bury her demons and solve the mystery of these children, seemingly lost in time?

Ilona Ferris is an FBI agent, following in the footsteps of her late father. One morning she is jolted awake by the shrill ring of her phone. She is needed as early as possible in an unusual case, where her expertise could be used. The chopper is taking her from Seattle to Poulsbo.

The person calling her is her ex, FBI Special Agent Will McCord "Ambitious and impatient. Pushy. A special agent when we'd been together and now an SSA". They parted two years earlier, and not on good terms. Ilona is apprehensive, the sound of Will's voice brings back some unpleasant memories.

When Ilona arrives to Poulsbo, she finds out that the "agency received a call from the local sheriff. Park rangers found a kid lost in the forest yesterday, dressed like something out of the Middle Ages and speaking German. The local chief contacted head office for assistance, requesting linguists and child handlers".

The analyst and translator from the Linguist Division Marcia Kendall believes the boy is speaking Middle High German, a variant spoken for two hundred years during the Middle Ages, around 1050 to 1350.

Marcia learned that the boy is named Dietmar, he is ten years old, and was with other children, in a cave. According to the interpreter, Dietmar comes from Hameln in North Germany, where the story of the Pied Piper originates from. He says the other children and he were following an evil man playing a pipe.

Dietmar wants to go home. Who is this child, and where is his home? Nobody has reported him missing.

McCord assembles a new unit to tackle this case, and any other seemingly baffling cases.

Ilona wonders why she's been invited to the new unit. Will explains that she has a track record that fits the profile. Apparently, the big boys have had their eyes on her for a while

"The concept is to identify, early on, those cases likely to fit the long-term, difficult to solve, risk-of-becoming-high-profile cases. We'd assign the special unit to act before any of that develops".

The unusual case has made it into the media almost immediately. There's the danger of it being sensationalized by the media, and the community is most likely going to panic. The answers to the mystery are needed to be obtained fast.

Ilona appreciates that part of the reason she was brought in is that she understood childhood trauma, being kidnapped at the age of 14 and held hostage, and emerging from her ordeal a different girl from the one she'd been before. Yet she is wondering if she is in fact the right person for the job, as her past might in fact leave her unable to process the facts.

As the investigation progresses, the case acquires a more sinister aspect. Ilona and Will have to move fast to solve the mystery of the evil Piper.

The Piper's Children is an atmosperic, gripping tale. A genuine page-turner, with a propulsive plot and complex characters.

The twists and turns are deftly plotted. The premises for the intriguing mystery, using the legend of the Pied Piper, was absolutely fantastic, yet the solution didn't quite work for me, and I have more questions which I cannot discuss here as not to give any spoilers.

The elements of the folk story, and the historical research, are skilfully interwoven with the modern day investigation. 

Iain Henn has launched an intriguing mystery series. Can't wait for the next book in the series!

This post is part of the blog tour for The Piper's Children. Many thanks to Iain Henn and Polly from The Book Folks for my e-copy of the book!

Purchasing links:

https://geni.us/ppBS

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C5XNK6W8

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/ B0C5XNK6W8

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0C5XNK6W8

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0C5XNK6W8

Author bio:

Born in Sydney, Australia, Iain worked for many years in print media production

for newspapers, magazines, and direct marketing agencies, and as a writer for

small business websites.

He has written fiction from a young age. Somewhere in his house, there is still a

framed copy of his first published story, a ‘5-minute fiction’ tale in Woman’s Day.

Since then, he has never looked back, having short stories published in various

magazines worldwide, and now his suspenseful thrillers and mysteries.

Commenting on what influenced his writing journey, he describes a moment that

has stayed with him. On his first day in his first job, as a teenage messenger

boy, he left the office via a back exit into a narrow alleyway where he saw the

body of a man crumpled on the ground. He had just jumped out of a window

from the neighbouring building. The paramedics were already approaching.

When Iain returned an hour or so later, the body and the surrounding activity

were gone, there was just a chalk outline on the ground where the body had

been. Ever since he has wondered who that man was, what led him to suicide,

and what his future might have been had he lived. Decades later, that chalk

outline is often on the writer’s mind when telling the stories of his characters’

lives.

Authors who have inspired Iain include Daphne Du Maurier, Ken Follett, Michael

Crichton, Tess Gerritsen, Michael Robotham, and Harlen Coben. He lives on the

New South Wales coast with his wife.

Social Media links

Website: https://thebookfolks.com

Insta: @the_book_folks

Twitter: @thebookfolks

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thebookfolks

Blog: https://thebookfolks.com/blog/

Iain Henn Twitter: @IainHenn

Iain Henn Insta: @iainhennauthor