Review: The Earl's Bride

 

Bath, 1810.

Lord James Brotherton, the charismatic Earl of Avon, is wealthy, intelligent—and marked for death. His own cousin believes him an imposter and has enlisted corrupt lawyers and treacherous servants to remove him permanently.

Enter Sofia Brotherton.

Unconventional, outspoken, and entirely irresistible, Sofia turns James’s ordered world upside down. He falls for her instantly. She follows a week later.

As danger closes in, their growing attraction becomes both a refuge and a risk. With enemies plotting murder and passions running high, James and Sofia must fight for love—and survival.

A witty, action-packed Regency romance filled with intrigue, danger, and deliciously sensuous tension.

Review - I desperately needed a lovely romance by Fenella J. Miller today!

The Earl’s Bride by Fenella J. Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fenella creates lovely characters whose happily ever afters seem well-deserved. Sofia Brotherton fits in well with Fenella's other heroines. She is feisty yet practical and smart enough to recognize that a bad marriage is worse than having to find a job. Unfortunately, her job brings her into the world of the Earl of Avon - who everyone wants dead.

The stakes are high and love is on the line for these two would-be lovers. As they fight their way toward victory, all the right tension plays on the page. This is lovely, escapist fiction at its best!

View all my reviews

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/Earlsbride1

Author Bio – Fenella J. Miller is a bestselling historical fiction author, known for her emotionally rich World War II family sagas, sweeping Regency romances, and Jane Austen-inspired variations. With over 100 novels published, she continues to captivate readers who love strong heroines, resilient communities, and heartfelt historical storytelling.

Fenella currently writes for Boldwood Books, where she has launched several beloved WWII series, including:

•            The Goodwill House series, beginning with The War Girls at Goodwill House

•            The Army Girls series, starting with Army Girls – Reporting for Duty

•            The Harbour House series, introduced with Wartime Arrivals at Harbour House

She is also the author of the popular six-book Regency romance series, The Duke’s Alliance, which begins with A Suitable Bride. Her novels are praised for their authentic period detail, compelling characters, and uplifting themes of courage and love during turbulent times.

Born on the Isle of Man to a Yorkshire father and a mother of Anglo-Indian descent, Fenella brings depth and diversity to her storytelling. She previously worked as a nanny, chef, hotelier, and teacher—experiences that inspire her vivid, grounded characters.

Now writing full-time, Fenella lives in a peaceful village in Essex with her British Shorthair cat. She enjoys a close relationship with her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, and continues to share powerful stories of women facing challenges with strength and hope.

 

Social Media Links –  Fenella J Miller facebook   fenellajmiller.co.uk  website.

Review: Ancestral Virgins

 

Ancestral Virgins

In early 20^th century Britain, society was changing rapidly, but not much was changing for women. From different ends of the social spectrum, Celia Mapperley and May Hallam wrestle with rules and circumstances beyond their control and must navigate love, sex, war, and the thin line between conformity and scandal. As they each bear the shame of a devastating family secret, their stories come together in ways that neither could have imagined.   

Review - This is a difficult book to review. It's not a book for the faint of heart. It is very well-written with characters who feel real...but I didn't enjoy it and felt like I needed a palate cleanse. The book pushes many boundaries as it addresses the social change underway in England during the early 1900s. The author challenges what we believe about sex today and what we believe sex was like in the past.  My heart went out to the women even as one character became someone I absolutely loathed by the end. I think that was the point, but it was sad nonetheless. The book is scandalous - I had a similar feeling when a professor confronted us about whether pedophilia should be considered aberrant in a sexually open society - and I couldn't quite shake the ick. Literature doesn't have to be comfortable to be valuable. This one was uncomfortable and well-constructed so I won't say it wasn't valuable. I have thought about it a lot and will likely continue to think about it even if it makes me uncomfortable.

My warning for readers: I am not sure that I understood or agree with the theme of this story. It was odd to me to pair a story about disability acceptance with a story about incest. The book has a lot of sex - an unexpected and graphic LOT of sex. So reader beware. 

Purchase Link - https://books2read.com/rl/ancestralvirgins

Author Bio – Fiona J. Mackintosh is a Scottish-American author living in Washington D.C. whose fiction draws from both sides of the Atlantic. Her flash fiction collection, The Yet Unknowing World (Ad Hoc Fiction, 2021), was a runner-up for the 2021 Saboteur Award for best short story collection, and her debut novel Ancestral Virgins will be published on June 26, 2026. Her flashes were selected for Best Small Fictions in 2023 and 2019, and her short stories have been finalists in the Cairde Word, Colm Toíbín, Bristol, Galley Beggar, Exeter, and Fish Short Story Prizes. She is a proud recipient of an Individual Artist’s Award from the Maryland State Arts Council. www.fionajmackintosh.com

Social Media Links – https://linktr.ee/Fionajanemack

Review: Bob and Shirley's Guide to Murder

 

Bob and Shirley run a lovely country pub. They also solve murders ...

A warmly funny, gloriously British cozy crime and murder mystery series that can be read as standalones or part of a series. Set in a village where the pub is the heart of country life and served with warmth, wit and a very good Sunday roast.

“Murder? In our quiet, little English village?

Great Oakley is a place of hanging baskets, tearooms and riverside walks. We’ve won ‘Britain’s safest village’ 10 years running. I keep three pound coins, a box of toffees and a bottle of Pepto-Bismol on my dashboard at all times, and I’ve never needed to lock my car.

Certainly, Bevvy Hogg was disliked. She ran the local Waist Watchers group, yet came to our pub for fish and chips, treacle tart and a bottle of Chardonnay every Friday. But I don’t think she was murdered …”

When Bevvy Hogg is found dead in the Goose and Gander pub garden, with an empty treacle tart plate beside her and several dress sizes slimmer than anyone remembers, Great Oakley’s winning streak as Britain’s safest village comes to an abrupt end.

Review

coming soon...

Bob and Shirley's Guide to Murder by Suzy K. Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was delightful and funny! I could read this every day and I would watch the HECK out of it as a series. Bob and Shirley are on the hunt to save their dessert and town reputation by solving the first murder in too many years to matter. They are persistent little sleuths with so little on the line that of course they can't leave well enough alone. This a laugh-out-loud who-dunnit that can easily be read in a few hours. The characters are delightful. Your sadness at finishing this book will only be alleviated by realizing it's a series so you won't have to leave Great Oakley forever. There will almost certainly be more frivolous mysteries for Bob and Shirley to muck through.

View all my reviews

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bob-Shirleys-Guide-Murder-Laugh-Out-Loud-ebook/dp/B0H832QG7Q/

https://www.amazon.com/Bob-Shirleys-Guide-Murder-Laugh-Out-Loud-ebook/dp/B0H832QG7Q/

Author Bio –

Suzy K Quinn (hello – it’s me!) is writing this bio in the third person. Which feels duplicitous and also a little egotistical. But here goes ...

Suzy K Quinn writes book club books and murder mystery series, and has sold over 1 million copies worldwide. She's a bestselling author in the US, UK and Germany and will soon, very possibly, have written more books than she's read.

Suzy lives in Wivenhoe, Essex, with her husband and two daughters. She is a twin, an incompetent parent of two and now fully decaffeinated. Her twin sister, Cate Quinn, is also a bestseller author. When Suzy isn't writing in cafes, she is walking around woods dictating like a lunatic.

Suzy loves her readers and is ALWAYS happy to chat on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzykquinn You can also get a free book at her website:

http://www.suzykquinn.com

Social Media Links –

 Profile - https://www.facebook.com/suzykquinn/

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Tiktok @suzykquinn

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Threads @suzykquinn

Giveaway to Win an e-copy of  Bob and Shirley's Killer Cuppa Puzzle (Open INT)

One of Great Oakley’s five open gardens served poisoned tea. Can you work out which one before Bob does?

‘Like Murdle and a cozy mystery rolled into one.’

Murder mystery logic puzzle stories for fans of The Killer Isn’t Alice, Murdle and Can You Solve the Murder?

These are ‘Puzzlories’. Read them like stories, solve them like puzzles. Each one takes about an hour to read and solve.

It’s Open Gardens weekend in Great Oakley. Five gardeners have opened their gardens to the public, and each is offering a unique drink, cake, flower and interesting garden feature to their fellow villagers.

Unfortunately, one garden owner poured poisoned tea. Probably not on purpose. But you never know. There are more murders in Britain’s safest village than you might imagine.

Village pub landlady Shirley Duffy visited all five open gardens before returning to the Goose and Gander for a much-needed beer and a sit down. One of those five gardens was the scene of the crime.

The trouble is, Shirley’s memory is known to be … selective. She can remember every cake she’s eaten since 1987, but not necessarily when and where she ate it. And she can’t remember which garden served tea on Saturday afternoon.

Shirley’s husband, Bob, is frustrated that Shirley can’t remember one garden from another. But he finds many things about his wife frustrating, and loves her anyway.

As Bob presses Shirley for details, the clues pile up. Your job is to note them down and work out who served the tea before Bob does.

Twenty clues, one in every short chapter. Fill in your detective’s grid, cross off your suspects and name the poisoner.

Grab your notebook, put the kettle on (carefully) and see if you can beat Bob to the answer.

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide 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.

  Win an e-copy of  Bob and Shirley's Killer Cuppa Puzzle (Open INT)

https://gleam.io/sR8sl/win-an-e-copy-of-bob-and-shirleys-killer-cuppa-puzzle-open-int

 

Review: The Other Life of Mary English

 

Two Different Women. One Shared Destiny.

Mary English, a dockworker’s daughter from Faversham, England, travels to South America to escape a scandal from her past. She ends up running a cacao plantation in Colombia, at a time when women were not legally allowed to own businesses there.

Manuela Sáenz, tempestuous lover of Venezuelan revolutionary Simón Bolívar, serves as a colonel in his army. She joins him in battle to fight the Spanish and twice saves his life from assassination attempts.

This is the story of two real-life remarkable women, both fighting oppression, hardship and danger in 1820s Colombia, who come together to change the course of a nation’s history.

Review

The Other Life of Mary English: How two remarkable women changed the course of South American history by G.D. Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a interesting bit of women's history! I am sad to say (like many other reviewers) that my knowledge of South American feminist history is sadly lacking. I was fascinated by this story - constantly jumping online to sort fact from fiction. The writing is very accessible so it's a great start to learning more about women's struggles in South America. GD Harper creates two interesting and relatable characters to fill-in-the-blanks left by history. They are fascinating women who use their power to try and create a more fair world for everyone.

View all my reviews

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Other-Life-Mary-English-remarkable-ebook/dp/B0GR99313V

https://www.amazon.com/Other-Life-Mary-English-remarkable-ebook/dp/B0GR99313V

Author Bio –

GD Harper became a full-time author in 2016. He has written three psychological thrillers, Love’s Long Road, A Friend in Deed and Silent Money, and two historical novels, The Maids of Biddenden and Arden.

The Maids of Biddenden was the winner in the historical fiction category of the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the largest international awards program for indie authors and independent publishers, and was shortlisted for the 2023 Selfies Award at the London Book Fair. Arden was placed third in the 2024 Yeovil International Literary Prize. The Other Life of Mary English was a finalist in the Eyelands Book Awards.  He has also been longlisted or shortlisted for fourteen other awards.

His books have had over one million page reads on Kindle Unlimited, been number one most downloaded e-book on Amazon UK, number three on Amazon worldwide, and garnered over two thousand reviews and ratings on Amazon and Goodreads, with an average rating score of 4.4.

He lives in East Sussex and, when not writing, can be found wild camping in the Scottish mountains or in the mosh pit at live music events.

Social Media Links – www.gdharper.com Instagram: gdharperauthor

Review: The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder (Book 1)

 

London 1881. Can two crooked women stop a murder?

Extravagant medium Mrs Ashton and her lover, blunt working-class Mrs Bradshaw, run a spiritualist scam. Mrs Ashton secretly reads minds.

Believing that Mrs Ashton is genuine, grieving Lady Violet craves the truth behind her mother’s untimely death. But Lady Violet’s powerful husband Sir Charles hates spiritualists. Has he killed before?

Uncovering this MP’s wicked crimes will put all three women in terrible danger…

To solve a shocking murder, look both sides of the grave.

“I loved this book! Victorian murder mystery meets "ghost" story, with delicious sprinklings of compassion and mischief…”

Caroline Day, author of Sunday Times Bestseller Hope Nicely's Lessons for Life

Review

The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder: A Spooky Victorian Mystery by Stephen Cox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Victorian era is so well-suited to a cozy mystery. The time period that gave us Sherlock Holmes and fingerprinting just feels like the right place for a small group to uncover a crime. This book features a charming set of would-be spiritualists who con the cons they pursue. Mrs. Ashton and Mrs. Bradshaw make for quite the pair as they work to bring justice.

Steven Cox has a formal yet approachable prose that matches the era without being so stilted that it's unrelatable for modern audiences. His sense of humor buzzes in at regular intervals to keep the story from becoming too heavy. The plot is well-crafted and easy-to-follow without becoming convoluted.

Overall, a fun story with enough twists to ramp up the fun and characters you will care about.

View all my reviews

Purchase Links

https://stephencox.co.uk/books/upcoming/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crooked-Mediums-Guide-Murder-Victorian-ebook/dp/B0FLK68742/

https://www.amazon.com/Crooked-Mediums-Guide-Murder-Victorian-ebook/dp/B0FLK68742/

Exciting News: Book 2 in the Crooked Medium series is now available for pre-order!! - https://stephencox.co.uk/buy-terror/

Author Bio – My grandmother told me I read too much.  I remember walking in the garden when I was small, telling myself stories. It was over thirty years of wanting to be a novelist before I tried… and succeeded.

The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder arose because I wanted to write about Britishness and specifically about Englishness; about our complex relationship with the past; I wanted leads who were morally grayer but still capable of kindness. It was time for a novel with queer leads. And in quite desperate times, I needed to write something with some uplift. It’s the first book intended to start a series.

My first books, Our Child of the Stars and Our Child of Two Worlds are set in the 1960s USA. It’s about Gene and Molly, a childless couple, and Cory, the little boy from the stars that they adopt, under such challenging circumstances. The books got lovely reviews and are available on both sides of the Atlantic. 

I spent nearly all my childhood in Bristol, and I’m now an adoptive Londoner.   I live with my partner, and it’s the best thing our two adult children come back from time to time. Our garden rages wild.

Social Media Links

Active

Website

https://stephencox.co.uk/

Bluesky

https://bsky.app/profile/stephencoxauthor.bsky.social

Facebook Author Page

https://www.facebook.com/StephenCoxAuthor/

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@StephenCoxAuthor

Free newsletter

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Review: Reasons to Act

 

Can a Marine on a mission handle Hollywood’s hottest star? The sparks on the action movie set are nothing compared to the ones flying between them…

Olivia Quinn succeeds through simplicity and discipline, whether she’s dominating in the gym, or serving as a Marine. But when her director brother unexpectedly makes her the military consultant on his latest action film, her structured plans go out the window and she’s thrown into an unfamiliar and unpredictable world alongside hotshot action star Chris Blackstone. The cocky actor is everything she can’t stand, with his chiseled, self-important abs, condescension, and charm—for to everyone except her.

Chris is determined to make Desert Strike the blockbuster hit his new production company needs. A fake PR romance with his popular co-star keeps the public’s attention on the movie and distracts the media from his messy family drama. The last thing he has time for is clashing with a disturbingly hot, no-nonsense Marine consultant who sees right through his act. And he definitely can’t afford to fall for her.

Staged explosions give way to sizzling chemistry neither of them can ignore. But when Chris’s ghosts and the paparazzi twist their connection into a media firestorm, he faces a brutal choice: Will he protect the career and image he works so hard for—or fight for the woman who makes him feel like a real person? And under the burning spotlight, Olivia must decide if a lifetime of building strength means she’s strong enough to be honest with herself and open her heart to the vulnerability of love.

Review

Reasons to Act by Jaime P. Bradley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

How about a little escapist fiction for your afternoon?

Chris is the sexy actor and Olivia is the fierce marine consultant. They are drawn together on-set and quickly battle their way toward love.

Pros? Olivia is confident, capable and doesn't need saving. Chris can bring the heat. The Hollywood insider pieces feel realistic - there is information about the set and staff that get forgotten in most Hollywood books.
Cons? The characters are a little shallow, and I felt the stakes were a little low.

So, it's a fun book with plenty of heat written by a writer who cared enough to get their facts straight.

View all my reviews

Purchase Links

Amazon ebook:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GT8QX241

Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reasons-to-act-jaime-p-bradley/1150109635?ean=9798991950763

Apple:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/reasons-to-act/id6767947725

Kobo

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/reasons-to-act?sid=59ee7982-7e93-486d-b24d-9680e0d5c936&ssid=y8CabJOZfqij8ILgJazUy&cPos=1

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jaime_P_Bradley_Reasons_to_Risk_A_steamy_celebrity?id=lmrPEQAAQBAJ

Bookshop.org EBOOK

https://bookshop.org/p/books/reasons-to-act-a-steamy-celebrity-marine-romcom-novella-jaime-p-bradley/39024a82f1635a8b?ean=9798991950770&digital=t

Bookshop.org PRINT

https://bookshop.org/p/books/reasons-to-act-a-steamy-celebrity-marine-romcom-novella-jaime-p-bradley/39024a82f1635a8b?ean=9798991950763&next=t

Author Bio –

Jaime got hooked on romance novels at an inappropriately young age. She’s a New England dairy farm kid turned Wyoming cowgirl turned cattle genetics writer, turned romance writer. Jaime lives with her former US Marine husband and spends her days wrangling their four children and numerous farm animals, reading or writing romance novels, binging on romance-related podcasts, and adding more things to her to-do list than she could ever possibly get done.

Social Media Links –

Tiktok.com/@jaimepbradley

https://www.instagram.com/jaimepbradley

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/52989677.Jaime_P_Bradley

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566539554538

https://www.pinterest.com/authorjaimepbradley/

Review: The Mothers of SW19

Unassuming Emma, a blogger turned wannabe social media influencer, moves to an exclusive enclave in SW19 to get her son into the best school in the area. On the first day of school, she bumps into Annabel, a gregarious journalist who is head of the PTA.

An unfortunate misunderstanding leads to a clash, and the school gate mothers taking sides. Emma’s world has been blown apart by motherhood. As she struggles to find her new identity, she has to defend herself against Annabel and her clique. The mean girls with mortgages.

Emma learns a devastating secret about Annabel that could destroy her entire life. Will Emma play dirty to win, and what lengths will Annabel go to protect what she has?

There can only be one winner. But what will be the cost?

Review

First, I think it is very brave to write about the school where your own children attend. It takes “write what you know” to a almost frightening level. 

This book is an all too common tale of the modern family. Two women are buying for small piece of the Social pie using any means necessary to feel relevant in a world that continues to force women into obscurity. Even Taylor Swift with all of her success has been reduced by a ring on her finger. And it’s sad, because so many women to find fulfillment, love and belonging as they form a family. I loved that this book show showed that the women really did love their children and their husbands even as they made a series of tragic decision decisions that cost them everything that brought them true joy. 

“We have kids. More than that, Thomas and I have a brand.” what a statement on modern life. I will be thinking about this paragraph each time gossip pops up in my social media.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8901010413

Purchase Link - https://amzn.eu/d/09zb3P2L

Author Bio –  Catherine Yardley is a freelance journalist and author. She writes for The Sunday Times, Stylist, The Times, Telegraph, Metro, Huffpost and the i paper. She’s the editor-in-chief of Frost Magazine. The Mothers of SW19 is her third novel. Her two other books published are Ember and Where The Light is Hottest. Both did well and got fantastic reviews. She has been on numerous podcasts, including The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and Confessions of a Debut Novelist with Chloe Timms. She lives in SW19 with her husband and children.

Social Media Links – https://x.com/Balavage

@catherineby.bsky.social

https://www.instagram.com/frostmag

https://www.threads.net/@frostmag

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063463605581

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