Promo: Mrs Clutterbuck’s Christmas Emporium

When Mabel Clutterbuck opens a Christmas shop in sleepy Merrycombe Bay, she has no idea how much her little emporium is about to change the hearts and minds of the people who live there.

Mabel Clutterbuck reluctantly returns to the seaside town she grew up in to be closer to her ailing mother. However, the old woman’s fading memories keep confusing Mabel with her sister Clara - the sister who sacrificed everything to care for their mother before recently disappearing without trace.

Determined to breathe new life into the old shop Clara used for her crafting endeavours, Mabel transforms it into Mrs Clutterbuck's Christmas Emporium, a magical haven filled with vintage decorations, festive treasures, and a little bit of wonder.

The true magic, however, lies in Mabel's Lucky Dip Gift Boxes. Carefully chosen for the hidden heartaches of the customers who buy them, each one brings comfort, hope, and unexpected joy. Not everyone in Merrycombe Bay is convinced, though, especially the formidable ladies of the local WI!

As Christmas approaches, an unexpected romantic encounter gives Mabel a glimpse of a future she never thought possible. And while she helps others find happiness, she begins to heal the parts of herself she thought would remain broken.

But beneath the sparkle of fairy lights and festive cheer, old wounds refuse to stay buried. Why did Clara leave Merrycombe Bay? And if she returns, will Mabel lose everything she's finally found - including the future she never thought she deserved.

Heartwarming, uplifting and sprinkled with Christmas magic, Mrs Clutterbuck's Christmas Emporium is a story of family secrets, second chances, unexpected romance, and the power of kindness.

Purchase Link - https://amzn.eu/d/0h1XusUq

Author Bio

Nicola May is a bestselling author renowned for her heartwarming and humorous romantic comedies. With twenty-three books to her name, her work has captured readers' hearts around the world, has been translated into fifteen languages and consistently ranks in the top 100 of Amazon's Kindle bestseller charts. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cream teas in her beloved Devon, hikes through nature, and occasionally places a bet on the horses.

Social Media Links –

w: www.nicolamay.com

i: author_nicola

fb: Nicola May Romance Author | Facebook

 

Promo: The Adventures of Space and Time

 

Perfect for children ready to tackle their first chapter book adventure…

Hop on the school rocket with Space and Time! Join these best friends as they start their adventures at the Faraway School of Discovery. They’ll explore the mysteries of the universe, learn the value of friendship, and master the coolest game ever - Galaxy Quest!

But not everything good in life is easy. Luckily, a mysterious kid from Earth is coming to help solve the big Space-Time problem. Are you ready for the very first adventure?

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H3J1SC13 (Kindle)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FHKQSZX2 (paperback)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FHJ3CKG9 (hardcover)

Readers can order a signed paperback for half price with the code SPACETIME50 on the publisher’s website at fosspress.co.uk.

Author bio: Karl P.J. Hobbes writes illustrated chapter books that weave real science (space, planets, how time works) through warm stories about friendship and curiosity. His debut series, The Adventures of Space and Time, follows two best friends at the Faraway School of Discovery as they explore the mysteries of the universe. He believes the best way to fall in love with science is to go on an adventure with it.

Social media: X (Twitter) @spacetimebook

Promo: Traces of Alys

 

1995- 15-year-old Emma sends her family a bunch of flowers and disappears. Her best friend Kate blames herself. That night in west Wales, Idris and his son find a crashed car, a teenage girl and a man trying to kill her. The girl can’t remember who she is. Their neighbour says it’s her missing daughter, Alys, finally home, and takes her in. Twenty years later, a body is found during renovations at a local park where Emma was last seen. Kate believes that she has, at last, found the end of Emma’s story; instead, it is only the beginning, as finally secrets will have to be faced. A family mystery about escaping, finding home, and what- or who-is left behind.

Purchase Link

https://www.honno.co.uk/books/traces-of-alys

https://www.waterstones.com/book/traces-of-alys/sarah-reynolds/9781916821491

https://www.tgjonesonline.co.uk/product/sarah-reynolds/traces-of-alys/16097867

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Traces-Alys-Sarah-Reynolds/dp/1916821499

Author Bio –

Sarah Reynolds is an award-winning bilingual writer. Originally from Surrey, Sarah moved to Carmarthen in 2009. She’s written two Welsh-language novels: Dysgu Byw and Cyffesion Saesnes yng Nghymru. Her short story, ‘Catch of the Day’ won the Rhys Davies Short Story prize and the short film adaptation, Helfa’r Heli won a BAFTA Cymru award. She has written numerous short stories, articles and scripts. Traces of Alys came second place in the Bridport Novel Prize. She is a lecturer in Creative Writing at Swansea University, and lives with her family in Carmarthen.

Social Media Links –

https://sarah-reynolds.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sarahreynolds_writer/

https://www.threads.com/@sarahreynolds_writer

Review: Lift and Let Die

Lady Beatrice should be finalising her wedding vows — not investigating murder.

With just weeks to go before she marries Richard Fitzwilliam, Bea is helping put the finishing touches to Three Lakes, a rehabilitation centre for veterans, when a senior staff member dies in a late-night lift malfunction.

At first, it looks like a tragic accident. Until the toxicology results suggest otherwise.

With the centre’s opening looming and scandal threatening to overshadow both Three Lakes and her wedding, Bea can’t help getting involved. While Rich helps with the official investigation, Bea and the others have a few theories of their own. And while Perry obsesses over lift mechanics and Simon insists he’s staying out of it (he isn’t), Daisy uncovers a clue everyone else missed.

As they dig deeper, they discover buried secrets, old resentments, and a grievance someone may have carried for years.

Some loyalties last a lifetime. So do some grudges.

A warm, cozy mystery with loyal friends, buried secrets, a determined little dog, and exactly the sort of trouble Bea should be avoiding before her wedding.

Review

Lift and Let Die by Helen Golden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lady Beatrice is much too busy to investigate a murder. Her wedding is pending and she is still working out the details on the veterans home. Then a late night lift "accident" changes all her plans.

As always, Lady Beatrice, pup Daisy and the rest of the characters provide the heart to this fun whodunnit. There are plenty of suspects to keep you guessing. The clues are well-placed, but not so obvious that you lose the fun of the unveiling.

The story takes a while to get going due to a wide host of characters and plenty of backstory, but once it finds its pace, it doesn't stop. The ending is satisfying and you get some romance along the way!

View all my reviews

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GMXZ4VHK/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GMXZ4VHK/

About Helen Golden

Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.

I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It's very early in my life as an author, but so far I'm loving it.

It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes.

​Follow Helen Golden

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/helengolden_author

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

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

https://twitter.com/HelenGoldenAuth  

Promo: His Duchess Under the Mistletoe

 

Good tidings…

Of second chances!

Sullivan MacKay knows destiny’s wicked humor firsthand. At seventeen, Sully’s plans to run away with his orphanage sweetheart, Trudy, were interrupted by a life-changing discovery—he’s a duke’s lost heir! Knowing his title could give Trudy a better life, he left to claim it, but vowed to return…

Years later Trudy has made a vow of her own: She will never marry, instead dedicating herself to her scientific pursuits. Following an unexpected Christmas reunion with old flame Sully, not even the December chill can disguise the burning embers of their lost love, awakening glimmers of a second chance…

Purchase Link - https://books2read.com/u/bzE06q

Author Bio –

Jeanine Englert’s love affair with mysteries and romance began with Nancy Drew, Murder She Wrote, and her Grandmother’s bookshelves full of romance novels. She is a VIVIAN®, Golden Heart®, and Romance Novelists Association Finalist as well as a Silver Falchion, Maggie, and Daphne du Maurier Award Winner in historical romance and mystery. She was also named the 2024 Georgia Author of the Year in romance for A Laird without a Past. 

Her Scottish Highland historical, Regency historical, and historical mystery novels revolve around characters seeking self-acceptance and redemption. When she isn’t wrangling with her characters on the page, she can be found trying to convince her husband to watch her latest Masterpiece or BBC show obsession. She loves to talk about books, writing, her beloved rescue pups, as well as mysteries and romance with other readers. Visit her website at www.jeaninewrites.com.

 

Social Media Links –

FB: https://www.facebook.com/JeanineWrites

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeanineWrites

Website: https://www.jeaninewrites.com

Goodreads: His Duchess Under the Mistletoe by Jeanine Englert | Goodreads

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jeanine-englert?list=about

Instagram: www.instragram.com/JeanineWrites

Regency Fairytale Series Giveaway! (Open to US Only)

Enter for the chance to win Jeanine Englert’s last Harlequin Historical series! You can win signed paperback copies of Cinderella's Charade with the Duke, Beauty and the Brooding Viscount, and His Duchess Under the Mistletoe along with a bracelet inspired by the series and book swag!

*Terms and Conditions –US 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.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

https://gleam.io/Y2y5K/regency-fairytale-series-giveaway-open-to-us-only

Review: Mist in the Willows

 

Discharged unexpectedly from the British military at the peak of her career, Jade Palmer must find a way to rebuild her life. Haunted by strange nightmares and fragments of her own fractured memories, Jade finds herself thrust among unfriendly family and unfamiliar friends. Her only comfort is in the cobbled streets, quaint cottages and winding river paths that hold the happy echoes of her childhood.

But in the local cemetery, older than living memory, a strange mist rises among the willows in the depths of the night... and with it, a vengeful entity that seems to stalk Jade's every footstep with terrifying purpose.

Alongside her faithful dog, Cannelloni, and wild-child sister, Leela, Jade must fight once more—braving a tangled journey through ancient supernatural lore, and the depths of her own hubris, to protect those she loves.

For the dead have truths to tell... and their retribution comes as cold as the grave.

Mist in the Willows, the first entry in the Spirit Fleet Chronicles, is a chilling and cozy gothic novel about loss, cupcakes, annoying family, mysterious steampunk strangers, and the ways in which violence may haunt us all.

Review

Mist In The Willows: Spirit Fleet Chronicles Volume 1 by Lucy Linne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

PTSD has derailed Jade's promising military career and left her with nothing but a dog named Canneloni and a gothic mystery to solve. She is a hesitant hero once the weirdness begins, but it works for her character and the story. Jade and her unlikely crew travel to the very Gates of Hell where every fear you've had as you walked a cemetery come hauntingly to life.

Lucy Linne presents a story that is very imaginative with compelling characters, but in desperate need of a developmental edit. The plot is as opaque as the mist at times. Linne writes beautifully - and prolifically - and it slows down the plot pacing for what should be a punchy, quick read. I am hoping that the author has fixed this because the series deserves to be what it wants to be and it has clearly found people eager to know what comes next.

View all my reviews

Purchase Link

https://a.co/d/00x4ZhZW

Author Bio –

Doodler. Living in a perpetual state of Halloween. Fueled by chocolate. Boxer. Unapologetic introvert. Adopted by three cats and a cat-sized dog. Purple everything. Psychology student. Goth. Can be bribed with artsy, hard cover notebooks. Ghost friendly. Will be summoned by freshly brewed coffee. Suspiciously familiar with Greco-Roman mythology, and several dead languages commonly used for demon summoning. Wall-frames maps. Devout observer of cupcake o’clock. Feminist Motto: Skulls, Bats and Witches’ Hats. Spinning while audiobooking. All you need is fluffy socks and a pint of nice-cream. Frequently channels Disney Villains. Names her house spiders. Owner of a pet GAMER, whom she’s kept in his man cave, on a diet of pizza and horror movies, for well over two decades.

 

Social Media Links – https://linktr.ee/lucylinne?utm_source=threads&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio

 https://www.lucylinne.com/

Review: Play It Back

 

Ten years. Two hearts. One love story that never forgot how it began.

Ten years ago, Erin Campbell left Texas without saying goodbye to the only boy she'd ever loved.

Ten years later, he's the biggest name in country music... and every song he's ever written is about her.

After losing her mother at eighteen, staying meant facing a life she no longer recognized. So Erin left – her hometown, her grieving father, and Jake Ingram, her best friend, first love, and the future she'd always imagined.

A decade later, Erin has built a successful career as one of New York City's most sought-after photographers, creating the life she always thought she wanted. But no amount of distance – or success – has been enough to silence the memories she left behind.

When her father needs surgery, Erin returns to Texas expecting to stay only long enough to help him recover.

Instead, she comes face to face with Jake.

The boy she left behind is now one of country music's brightest stars, known for writing songs that have captivated millions. Fans have spent years wondering who inspired the heartbreak woven through every album.

Only Erin knows the answer.

As old memories resurface and long-buried truths finally come to light, Erin and Jake must decide whether the love they never stopped carrying is strong enough to overcome the heartache they never healed from – or whether ten years is simply too much time to ask two hearts to begin again.

Play It Back is a heartfelt second-chance romance about first love, grief, forgiveness, and finding your way home.

Because some love stories don't end, they simply wait for you to come home.

Review

Play It Back by Sara Palacios
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Erin is a small-town girl who has a gift for knowing VERY FAMOUS people. Her high school love has made it BIG as a country-music artist and it turns out he still writes every song for her. While it may be a trope, it's very sweetly done in this story. Erin is written with enough complexity that you want her to overcome all the barriers and have her dreams come true. It is her story despite the occasional interjections from Jake, who is a little sweet and generic and stuck in the past. But he writes amazing songs and understands Erin in a way she barely understands herself. The lyrics are lovely. Ms. Palacios seems to understand what makes music work. The romantic lines had the heart-felt quality that make people fall in love with the singer. So, yes, it's hard to believe that one small-town girl knows so many HUGE STARS and is SO WILDLY SUCCESSFUL but hey...I was a small town girl with big dreams once, so I will let this one slide.

View all my reviews

Purchase Link - https://a.co/d/06nl3Inp

Author Bio – My name is Sara Palacios and I write contemporary romance and women’s fiction with emotional depth, layered family dynamics, and characters who are messy, hopeful, and just a little bit stubborn. Outside of writing, I’m usually reading, watching baseball, trying to keep up with my two kids, and pretending I can squeeze one more book into my already mile high TBR pile. I live in Texas with my husband, and our two kids.