Review: A Cornish Escape

 

When a catastrophe threatens Ellie's business there's a puzzling mystery to solve, and Gertie steps in to follow the clues. Love and romance are the very last things on Gertie's mind right now. But while she's risking her safety helping to hunt down the culprits, could she also be in danger of losing her heart?

Review

Rosie Green writes such delightful stories.  This cozy romance checks all her elements - a cheerful love story, a happy little seaside town, and a little bit of mystery. The mystery drives the plot, but it isn't a strong whodunit and you won't need a notebook to track any details. Like the other books in Little Duck Pond Cafe series, this story is light and uplifting. It will renew your faith in love and community. 

Gertie and Jonah have been featured in other Little Duck Pond Cafe books. The series may feel overwhelming at 46 books. Each is an easy comfort read, perfect for camping trips or lazy Sundays on the porch. I haven't read every book in the series and I don't feel lost wherever I jump in. So don't feel like you have to read 45 books before this one - or dive in and have a book-happy summer.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FRM5QNMQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FRM5QNMQ

 

Author Bio – Rosie Green is the author of the popular Little Duck Pond Café series, set in the fictional village of Sunnybrook. Watch out for lots more café drama and romance in 2026, including ‘The Secrets of Midsummer Cottage’, which will be published in July.

Follow Rosie on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green88

https://www.instagram.com/rosiegreen_author/

Review: No Chance

 

A romantic comedy of missed chances, awkward encounters, and one unforgettable trip across Europe. In the summer of 1985, Will Evans sets off interrailing with one goal: win the heart of Ruby, the girl he’s been hopelessly in love with since university. But with bad timing, bad jokes and a rival named Tom Bellows, Will’s chances are slim. As they journey through cities, cultures and chaos, Will must navigate more than train timetables - like growing up, letting go and learning what love really means.  Funny, heartfelt, and painfully relatable, No Chance is a nostalgic coming-of -age story for anyone who has ever loved too hard, too soon

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Chance-Gareth-Thomas-ebook/dp/B0FWDDT9BT

https://www.amazon.com/No-Chance-Gareth-Thomas-ebook/dp/B0FWDDT9BT

No Chance by Gareth Alun Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a charming romance-and-a-little-more story that really hit me in the feels. It's the European train trip I dreamed about in my twenties, complete with the almost-missed romance. I laughed, cringed and cried at this well-paced growing up story that really nails what it feels like to be completely at a loss when everyone thinks you've got it all figured out.

View all my reviews

Author Bio – Gareth Alun Thomas was born in Dinas Powys, just outside Cardiff but now lives in Blackwood in the Welsh Valleys. He has worked for over 34 years for the NHS as a Biomedical Scientist and has recently retired but returned to work part time. Working less hours, Gareth finally had time to write his first novel, No Chance, something he always wanted to do. When his parents passed away Gareth and his brothers had to clear their house and came across old diaries he had written when he travelling with 5 friends across Europe on an interrail ticket. Using this diary as a template, Gareth finally wrote and completed his first novel, No Chance. Gareth has been happily married to Amanda for over 30 years and they have 3 children 2 girls and a boy. In his spare time Gareth enjoys walking the dog, travelling and playing the guitar as well as cooking for the family.

Social Media Links – Facebook Gareth Alun Thomas, X @garethalun5, Instagram garethalun5.

Promo: Time of My Life

 

How far would you go to change your life?

When Eliza Woods sees an advertisement for someone’s whole life for sale – their house, car, all their belongings, even their clothes and cat – not to mention a trial-run in their job and an introduction to their friends… she decides it’s fate.

Grabbing a different life with both hands is exactly what she needs. Even if 26-year-old Carrie’s wildly-social life and job in a bar couldn’t be more different from Eliza’s quieter existence.

As for Carrie, she’s heading off to Greece, desperate to run away from everything she’s familiar with in England. The two women message each other after the deal has gone through, with Eliza excited to go for cocktails with Carrie’s friends before her first shift at her new job.

What Carrie doesn’t tell her is why she put her life up for sale. And what Eliza doesn’t tell Carrie is that she’s about to turn 75. And that isn’t her only secret…

Don’t miss this absolutely brilliant, escapist read. Available now!

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

The Time of My Life Is currently available for only 99p!

Author Bio –

Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely.

Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines. She is represented by Darley Anderson Agency & Associates. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category. In 2020 one of her novels won the RNA's Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award. Currently Samantha writes uplifting, emotional women's fiction for Boldwood Books. She seeks to raise a smile, and make a reader feel they are not alone with the challenges of life.

 

Social Media Links –  X – https://x.com/SamTongeWriter

Instagram – samanthatongeauthor

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor

Review: Witch Hunt

 

Murder, witchcraft, and a race against time – welcome to Pendle Hill.

A young woman is found brutally murdered and mutilated at the foot of Pendle Hill and the local police are in no doubt who the killer is. Newly released from a psychiatric unit, Will Perkins has delusions that the victim is a witch. When DCI Liam Doyle and his team are brought in to investigate, the suspect is already in custody and the case apparently wrapped up. Except for one key detail – evidence.

Is it really possible the origins to this murder lie in Pendle’s infamous past?

Recently returned to work, DS Anna Morgan is battling her own demons. The physical wounds from her last case have healed, but the psychological trauma still haunts her. When another body turns up the investigation is blown wide open and Doyle has to face up to the horrifying possibility that he could have prevented this killing.
Can Doyle overcome his own doubts and track down the killer before they strike again? Will Morgan be able to conquer her fear before it destroys her?

Set in and around Lancashire’s legendary Pendle Hill, Witch Hunt is a gripping British crime thriller with dark humour and a nail-biting climax. This fast-paced novel, the second in the series featuring DCI Doyle and DS Morgan, will have listeners on the edge of their seats.

If you have enjoyed books by authors such as Val McDermid, MW Craven, JD Kirk and Alex Smith, you won’t want to miss Witch Hunt.

Review

Witch Hunt is an interesting procedural that looks at the intersection of mythology, madness and murder. The story is gritty, not cozy, but the gore and details didn’t get in the way of fhe story. For me, it was more of a how-dunnit than a who-dunnit. The book builds to an exciting climax regardless of when you figure out the mystery  

I listened to the story on Audible. The audiobook is well-read by Aubrey Parsons. He has a good grip on voices and accents and the male/female voices were discernible without being annoying  

Purchase Links

UK Links:

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B0GV51STB8

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GV4XCNLT 

USA Links:

https://www.audible.com/pd/B0GV5659QN

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GV59H5TQ

Author Bio –

Fast approaching fifty; without enough money for a sports car, BD Spargo decided to express his mid-life crises by turning to crime …

Thankfully for pretty much everyone this meant writing crime fiction rather than anything more nefarious. Originally from London, he spent his early career working in television and theatre including on the Ruth Rendall Mysteries broadcast on ITV.

A life changing accident necessitated retraining and a change of direction going on to work in mental health services. This culminated in ten years managing a groundbreaking forensic psychiatric service. He now lives in Lancashire with his family and is getting acclimatised to the rain.

 

Social Media Links –

Website:                           https://bdspargo.com

Facebook:                         http://facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557017745842

Twitter:                           https://twitter.com/BDSpargo

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

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

 

Review: The Fatal Farandole

 

The Fatal Farandole

The Fatal Farandoleis a cozy mystery full of plot twists and small-town secrets. It’s perfect for fans of character-driven crime novels with emotional depth.

A beloved Provençal festival.
A murderous conspiracy.
A bullfighter who knows too much.

When two local chefs are killed within a week, shockwaves ripple through the region’s tight-knit culinary world.

Suspicion lands squarely on baker Julie Cavallo.

As whispers turn to accusations, her eccentric family closes ranks, and her loyal friends rally to her side.

But Julie’s running out of time. Her pastry shop is at risk. Her love life is unraveling. The gendarmes are tracking her every move. Julie can’t afford to wait for the official investigation to uncover the truth.

Her instincts go into overdrive. Dots connect. Patterns appear…

Can Julie make it through this case, when asking the right questions has already gotten others killed?

Review

I am so completely in my Jessica Fletcher era.  Ana Drew's Beldoc series has just the right vibe. Baker Julie Cavallo has that uncanny ability to land herself in the middle of a murder mystery even though she'd rather be proving that gluten-free can still be decadent. 

It's easy to make me dive into a cozy mystery, not always as easy to get me to finish it or to read the next one. However, I find these little charmers by Ana Drew to be just the right length and complexity to be intriguing and fun without becoming burdensome or dull. 

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F749KMMK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F749KMMK

Author Bio –

Ana T. Drew is the evil mastermind behind a recent string of murders in the fictional French town of Beldoc. A first-place winner of the Chanticleer MYSTERY & MAYHEM Awards, her books have been released in several languages, both independently and through traditional houses, including HarperCollins France and Straarup & Co.

When she’s not plotting mysteries, Ana can be found perfecting her low-carb cookie recipes or watching The Rookie to cope with the void left by Castle.

Ana lives in Paris with her husband and their dog, but her heart resides in Provence.

 

Social Media Links –

Website: https://www.ana-drew.com

Facebook: facebook.com/AnaDrewAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/anadrew