Rachel’s Random Resources

I’m delighted to welcome The Silent Resistance by Anna Normann to the blog, with a fascinating extract #BlogTour #NewReleaseBook #WW2

I’m delighted to welcome The Silent Resistance by Anna Normann to the blog, with a fascinating extract

Here’s an extract from The Silent Resistance

For centuries, the people living along the coast of Norway, made their living from fishing or shipping. The women were used to their men being away for long periods of time, and managed as best the could. There were letters, telegrams, some ways to stay in touch. During the war, the fleet stayed away, and the families had to survive on their own. Sometimes a letter or message came through, and sometimes the news was life shattering.

Extract

‘I’m Lars’ wife,’ she muttered. And soon, maybe even this year, the war will be over, and Kerber will be gone for good. And … and Lars will come home, and life will be as if the war never happened.

Anni stared at the Christmas tree. She knew she should take down all the decorations, and use the tree for firewood, but she didn’t have the heart to do it yet.

She wrapped the knitted rug around herself, and felt warm and contended. Soon, she fell asleep on the sofa.

When someone hammered on the door, she almost fell on the floor. Confused, she hesitated to go to the door. Could it be soldiers? Perhaps Kerber had decided to show his true self, and had sent them to arrest her.

She realised Ingrid would wake up if she didn’t put a stop to it. She pulled the rug tighter around the shoulders, and hurried out of the lounge.

When she came out in the hallway, she closed the door behind her, and put on her coat. She knew it would be freezing out there.

She opened the door and the cold wind woke her up. There wasn’t anyone on the doorstep. There were no signs of the dreaded soldiers.

What the hell is going on? she thought.

Anni looked around again, and caught sight of Martin in the shadows.

‘What are you doing here?’ she said, walking over to him. ‘What if Kerber had been in the house?’

Martin shook his head. ‘I know he’s not, Anni. He’s gone to Bergen. They said so at Hagland.’

Anni shook her head. ‘You have to be quick, Martin. He’s coming back tonight, and he could be here any moment.’

Martin looked concerned. ‘This couldn’t wait,’ he said.

‘What’s the emergency?’ Anni sighed. ‘It’s Guri, isn’t it? She did something foolish. Is she okay? Should I go to the farm?’

‘No, no, nothing is wrong with Guri. This is something else,’ he said, looking more and more uncomfortable. ‘I have a letter for you. I thought you would want it as soon as possible.’ Martin didn’t meet her eyes. Something was off.

Anni felt a sharp pain in her stomach. ‘It’s Lars, isn’t it? Is he dead? Did a torpedo sink his ship?’

‘No, as far as I know, he’s fine, but Anni, I’m sorry.’ Martin looked took a deep breath. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘Stop saying that.’ Anni touched his arm. ‘What’s going on? Is Lars sick, is that it?’

Martin handed her a thin envelope. ‘Read the letter, Anni. Please.’

Anni looked at the envelope, scared to open it. It had been such a long time since they last had heard from Lars. She didn’t want to read it. Judging from Martin’s face, it was bad news. If Lars wasn’t sick or dead, then what?

‘Did you read it, Martin?’ Anni’s mind was racing with horrible scenarios.

‘No.’ Martin looked horrified at the thought. ‘I would never do that.’

‘But you know what it’s about? Because why else would you apologize to me?’

Martin nodded. ‘You’re right. I do know.’

Anni opened the letter. She could see from the date that it was written over a year ago. ‘Damn,’ she said. ‘This isn’t a response to my letter. He hasn’t received the photos of Ingrid.’

‘I don’t know how this letter found its way to Shetland. You know how it is,’ Martin said.

Anni nodded, not looking up from the letter. Lars’ handwriting was so familiar, it made her want to cry. Guri will be delighted when she sees this, she thought and started reading.

Dear Anni,

I hope this letter finds you well.

The rest of the letter made no sense.

Here’s the blurb

Occupied Norway, 1944. Anni endures the war alone, aiding the resistance while longing for news of her sailor husband. Her daughter, Ingrid, is her joy, and Anni is determined to keep her safe. But when a German official is billeted at their home, danger escalates, and Anni faces an agonising dilemma.

London, 1952. Ingrid has been trying to understand her mother’s mysterious disappearance at the war’s end. Clinging to Anni’s promise that she would always come back for her, Ingrid sets out to discover what happened all those years ago.

Purchase Link

http://tinyurl.com/2n6sr5b6

Meet the authors

Anna Normann is the pseudonym of authors Anan Singh and Natalie Normann, and it all happened because of a bet. Sometime in the nineteen eighties, while watching a movie with a so-so plot, they started arguing about improving the plot and how they could write a better story than that mess. And then Anan’s wife said ‘I bet you can’t’ …

Since then, they have published seven books together in Norwegian, exploring different genres. Their first novel, set in WW2, won a competition in 1995 for ‘Norway’s best entertainment novel’.

https://linktr.ee/NatalieNormann

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I’m delighted to welcome Clare Flynn and Under a Southern Sky to the blog #NewReleaseBook #BookCompetition #HistoricalFictionBook

I’m delighted to welcome Clare Flynn and Under a Southern Sky to the blog

Here’s the blurb

After a German fighter sinks her husband’s ship in the icy Atlantic, grief-stricken Hannah Kidd flees the rubble and ration queues of wartime Liverpool for a new life on the other side of the world. In sun-soaked Sydney, she discovers more than just refuge from nightly bombing raids—she finds unexpected family connections, meaningful work, and the handsome Eddie Greenbank.

As Hannah explores the golden beaches of Sydney’s eastern shores, the misty valleys of the Blue Mountains, and the rolling scenery of the Hunter Valley, she begins to believe that happiness isn’t lost forever. But even in Australia, the war’s long shadow threatens everything she’s begun to rebuild. Hannah must decide: will she let grief define her, or will she fight for the future she never thought she’d have?

A sweeping story of resilience and renewal set against the dramatic backdrop of wartime Australia, Under a Southern Sky explores how far we must sometimes travel—both in miles and in spirit—to find our way home.

Purchase Link

https://books2read.com/u/47oMPq

Meet the author

Clare Flynn is the award-winning author of nineteen historical novels. She is the 2020 Selfies Adult Fiction prize winner for The Pearl of Penang and the 2022 Indie Champion for the Romantic Novelists Association. Clare is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Historical Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists Association. She lives in Eastbourne on the south coast of England.

Giveaway to Win a a signed paperback of The Star of Ceylon (Open to UK Only)

https://gleam.io/0uZWS/win-a-a-signed-paperback-of-the-star-of-ceylon-open-to-uk-only

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Blog banner for the Under A Southern Sky blog tour by Clare Flynn

Check out Clare’s last visit to the blog here.

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The Dark Age Chronicles might be complete, but I imagine my readers still have questions. Check out this blog post about what comes before (and what came after) #TheDarkAgeChronicles#MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #LordsofIron #histfic

It’s happy release day to Lords of Iron, the third and concluding book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy. Let’s talk about battle standards #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #LordsofIron #histfic

What comes after the events of the Dark Age Chronicles (as well as before)

In deciding on a date to set the Dark Age Chronicles, I was quite careful. I wanted it to be after the era of the legendary Arthur (the battle of Camlann is dated to 537 in the Annals Cambriae (the Welsh Annals)), but also before written sources start to make some references to what was happening in what would become Saxon England in the later 500s anywhere that wasn’t in the south/south-east.

In the A version of the ASC there are 26 entries for the 500s. Eight are dated before AD540. These are mostly concerned with events in the south, Kent, the Isle of Wight, and Portsmouth, and their legendary Saxon founders. After 540, we’re treated to the genealogies for what would become Northumbria (547 and 560), Wessex (552 and 597) as well as having references to the religions in Britain at the time, through accounts of Columba and the missionary activities in Kent from Pope Gregory. There are any number of battles between those forging a foothold in their newly forming kingdoms and the native Britons.

Our first real reference for anything happening in what would become the kingdom of Mercia is under the year 577 when we’re told Gloucester, Cirencester and Bath were taken from the ‘Britons’ by Cuthwine and Ceawlin (of Wessex). Gloucester would certainly be within the later kingdom of Mercia. Cirencester and Bath weren’t.

While I’ll repeat that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle wasn’t begun until the 890s (so over 300 years later) and Bede, which much of the ASC is based on at this time, was writing in the 730s (so nearly two hundred years later), I still wanted almost a clean slate for my characters to inhabit. There was also the matter of plague to try and avoid, as well as a series of bad harvests, that are referenced but don’t form more than a background detail in the books.

I felt that to truly gain a ‘feel’ and an ‘understanding’ for what might have been happening at this time, it was necessary to step aside from any historical account and to rely on the archaeological record. The years 540 and 541 felt as though they provided a good opportunity to do just that. However, it’s always important to have an eye to what was going to happen, as well as what had happened before. And, as I wrote, a number of elements seemed to become very clear to me. While there are reports of battles amongst the Saxon invaders and the native populations (six of them in those eight entries before 540, although some of them are quite small), and while they feel quite overwhelming when simply listed because they form so much of the narrative, there aren’t a lot of them mentioned before AD540. The impetus certainly seems to gather pace after that date (of the remaining 18 entries, eight reference what seem to be quite large battles). Why this might have been, began to make sense as I explored the idea of no new iron production after the end of Roman Britain, until the skill was ‘rediscovered.’ Without the ability to easily overwhelm an enemy through new blades that weren’t made from recycled metals, would people who’d endured famine and plague, really want to risk it all when there was no chance of success? It felt unlikely. Would you? The need to fight isn’t always taken when you know you’ll succeed, sometimes it’s also desperation, but if these settlements were doing reasonably well, why take the chance? Surely, they needed to rebuild and form alliances to survive.

And so, as I’ve written the trilogy, what would come after – the increasing battles, the desire of the invaders to establish ‘kingships’ in Wessex, Kent, Northumbria, Mercia and the kingdom of the East Angles, began to make a lot more sense – with the rediscovery of how to forge sharpened blades (or indeed, to import them when the ‘invaders’ arrived (whether to intermarry or to make war), because unlike in Britannia, the ability to forge blades didn’t become lost in the homelands of the Saxon invaders) there were suddenly people who could start to dominate, and who would want to dominate.

And yet, the archaeology couldn’t be forgotten either. There aren’t many battle sites known from this era. What can be said with more surety, is that there was a co-mingling – all sorts of crossovers are found in the burial record – and indeed, the burial rites of many changed during this undocumented sixth century. There was undoubtedly discord between peoples, but there was also accord. Until there wasn’t. So, something had to change to bring about the formation of the Saxon kingdoms. I’m not saying my ideas are correct, but they are intriguing, especially when played out in a fictional environment where I can endeavour to explain what might have been happening – both in terms of war, and peace. (And, some would argue not all iron production was lost – it certainly wasn’t – but it becomes much more difficult to ‘find’ – i.e. no nails to secure coffins in the burial record in the heartland of England – what was happening in Wales/Devon and Cornwall is very different).

After the Dark Age Chronicles, we move into a period where identifiable kingships and kingdoms are forming – we’re moving into what would become Saxon England, and towards the events of the seventh century, which would be dominated by discord between Mercia and Northumbria, Wessex and the other kingdoms, and the reigns of the alleged ‘bretwaldas’ (wide rulers.) We’re moving towards what’s more immediately understood and known, but the sixth century is where these developments have their routes, as twisted, tangled, unexplainable and often, as baffling as they are. (And we don’t really need a legendary figure to explain what’s happening, do we, although the prevalence of Excalibur does perhaps answer to these questions as well?). We’re moving towards The Gods and Kings Trilogy.

Purchase Link

https://amzn.to/4qaRuy3

Image shows the book cover for Men of Iron by historical fiction author MJ Porter

Image shows the book cover for Warriors of Iron by hstorical fiction author MJ Porter

Check out the Dark Age Chronicles page for more information about the trilogy

Blog links

The Dark Age Chronicles

To what extent can we – or should we – select one date or event as ‘the end of Roman Britain’? #non-fiction

Image shows a map of Early England showing the places mentioned in the text of the book — The Dark Age Chronicles Map

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I’m delighted to share and excerpt and a competition to celebrate the release of Under Vixens Mere by Kit Fielding #blogtour #newrelease

Here’s the excerpt

Context: ‘You’ is Brodie, a mysterious Scotsman who has not been to Vixens Mere for fifteen years, and is invited to join a party in the Shed, which belongs to Big Ed and Milly, two long-standing residents of Vixens Mere, a community of people who live on houseboats.

Summer Walker.

You.

You give instructions to Mick, ‘Behave yourself. No barking while I’m gone.’ The dog pretends not to hear. Now you don’t really want to go to this meet-up. You’re a loner. Private. Not the mixing type. You’ve kept your own company for so many years now it’s second nature to sit on the sidelines. You’ll go for a couple of beers, some minor conversation, and then quietly slip away. But it doesn’t quite work out that way.

You see her immediately. Can’t help but look. Karen Jones. She’s sitting with a thin upright man – got to be her husband – who’s warming his bones by the wood burner. When he stands she takes his arm, and guides him outside to the toilet (Or as Big Ed calls it, the Thunderbox.) Then she guides him back. Glances again in your direction, Glances across fifteen years of time, briefly raises her hand in recognition of your presence. Gives you a strange sad smile.

You’ve been talking to Big Ed and Milly, and he’s asking what you’ve done with your life ‘thus far,’ and he laughs at his own expression. Milly reckons you’ve still a long way to go and you answer with the usual parries, the usual non-disclosure. Then Big Ed is drawing you over towards Karen Jones and the man who’s a constant at her side. Big Ed says to Karen, ‘You remember Brodie? Stayed here a long time ago.’

And then she’s in front of you and her hand is gently warm in yours and you’re seeing into and beyond a woman creeping towards middle age. You’re seeing a girl of twenty-five, eyes brimming with tears, who’s saying a goodbye that neither of you want but cannot avoid. Tonight that young woman, hiding behind her older self, is looking intently into your face and she’s saying, almost in disbelief, ‘But you haven’t changed at all, Brodie. You look just the same.’

You’re thinking that she may be older but she’s still as lovely, though it’s not words you can utter aloud. Then Big Ed is introducing, ‘Harry Jones, Karen’s husband’ and this tall thin man, whose eyes are out of focus, fumbles for your outstretched hand, latches onto it, says, ‘Pleased to meet you, Brodie,’ and he says it with such genuine honesty you feel a shadow of guilt flit over you.

Here’s the blurb

If poor Harry Jones hadn’t lowered himself into the water one freezing winter’s night, a long-buried secret would never have come to the surface.

If …

Big Ed and Milly had been able to have children,

Karen hadn’t longed for love and romance,

Lorrie hadn’t finally ditched Petra,

Dinah hadn’t found out the truth about Barry,

Jed hadn’t dealt drugs and got Anna pregnant,

Carl Thomson hadn’t come looking for him,

and Moses hadn’t heard the commotion …

then there would be no story of Vixens Mere to tell.

Purchase Link

https://amzn.to/4hMNDDR

Meet the author

Kit Fielding plans and writes his novels in a motorhome at various locations around the country.

The feeling of impermanence is natural to him due to his mother’s traveller roots and a childhood succession of tied-cottages accommodation in different parts of England.

Kit Fielding says that there was always a curiosity about what was waiting, or was lurking, just around the corner. This legacy has stayed with him to the present day and it feeds into his work.

Giveaway to Win 3 x Stacks of 5 Inkspot Publishing books (UK Only)

Win 3 x Stacks of 5 Inkspot Publishing books (UK Only)

https://gleam.io/7fwwo/win-3-x-stacks-of-5-inkspot-publishing-books-uk-only

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I’m reviewing the new book in the Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Italian Mysteries, Murder at the Duomo by TA Williams #BookReview #BlogTour #CosyCrime #ContemporaryCrime

Here’s the blurb

Even angels can have a dark side…

As the sticky heat of August settles over Florence, Dan Armstrong is ready for a well-earned break—sightseeing with fiancée Anna, daughter Tricia and her fiancé Shaun. But when a British man is found dead inside the city’s magnificent Duomo, Dan’s plans quickly change.

The victim, Tristan Angel, is a super-wealthy arms dealer with a saintly name and a devilish reputation. But what was he doing in the cathedral, and who decided to make it his final confession?

At Angel’s opulent villa in the hills of Fiesole, Dan and Commissario Virgilio encounter a colourful cast of suspects—each one hiding secrets and none too eager to talk. As tempers rise and the heat outside grows ever more intense, Dan and his four-legged sidekick, Oscar, must sniff out the truth before the killer strikes again.

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/MurderDuomo

My Review

Murder at the Duomo is somehow the 14th book in the Armstrong and Oscar mysteries, and I’ve read them all (apart from 1, which I seem to have missed).

This time, Dan and his friends in the Italian police force are faced with their most impossible case so far. Who killed Angel in the confessional at the Duomo, and how did they do it?

Often, these cases are very hard to solve until something becomes obvious to Dan or Oscar, and then they become quite clear-cut, but that’s not the case this time. It does make some aspects feel a little repetitive with such a small collection of suspects. However, when the solution finally becomes evident, the ending is quite exciting.

I do love these mysteries, even if they entirely put me off ever going to Tuscany, which is evidently too hot and too busy for my liking. I think I’ll let Dan and Oscar continue to enjoy it (or endure it) on my behalf.

Check out my reviews for earlier books in the series, and be sure to start at book 1, Murder in Tuscany.

Meet the author

T. A. Williams is the bestselling author of the Armstrong and Oscar cozy mystery series. Trevor studied languages at University and lived and worked in Italy for eight years, returning to England with his wife in 1972. Trevor and his wife now live in Devon.

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

Bookbub profile @trevorwilliams3

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Today, I’m so excited to share my review for Flaming Murder by Simon Whaley (I loved this book) #cosycrime #humour #bookreview #blogtour

Here’s the blurb

Three dead bodies. Two murders. One missing Bonfire Night effigy.

With Bonfire Night looming, Aldermaston, the Eighth Marquess of Mortiforde, is feeling the heat.

Not only has someone stolen Mortiforde Millie—the town’s beloved fifteen-foot Bonfire Night effigy—just days before the town’s annual firework celebrations, but developer Rupert Rinde wants to torch Mortiforde’s heritage by building a waste incinerator on the historic Mortiforde Meadows. The locals are outraged, as is Rupert’s father, Sir Hugo, who owns the meadows. So when Sir Hugo is found dead, skewered by a medieval dagger, his widow begs Aldermaston to investigate.

Meanwhile, Sir Hugo had promised Aldermaston’s wife and her Ladies’ Legion the meadows for their new eco-friendly burial scheme. Now they’re desperate to plant their first body in the ground before the deal goes up in smoke.

So, when Aldermaston uncovers who stole Mortiforde Millie and why, he realises the waste incinerator project is designed to ignite some explosive repercussions.Can Aldermaston unmask a killer and save the Mortiforde Meadows before Bonfire Night erupts into chaos? Will the Ladies’ Legion bury a body before their dreams go up in flames? And can

https://books2read.com/flamingmurder

My Review

Check out my review for Foraging for Murder (the second book in the series).

This review might be short and sweet. Don’t let that make you think I didn’t adore this book (and the previous two in the series as well).

Oh, how I love this series. I was very excited to discover the new release, and it doesn’t disappoint. Filled with the same delightful and irreverent humour and with a damn fine mystery to unravel in the background, it is joyful to spend time with these characters. It’s impossible to wax too lyrical about this series. The books are told with just the right amount of humour, the situations our characters find themselves in are hilarious without being stupid, and I simply love these books. Go read them. Now. (If you don’t snort at one particular element, then I don’t think you have my sense of humour. I’m just going to say it’s related to the burial.)

Meet the Author

Simon Whaley lives in rural Shropshire, having escaped from Greater London in the late 1990s. His first published piece was a word search puzzle, aged 17, and he’s since written over 1000 articles in publications as varied as BBC Countryfile, Country Walking, Cheshire Life, The People’s Friend, The Daily Express, The Observer, Outdoor Photography, Coast, The Simple Things and Writing Magazine. His first book, One Hundred Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human, was published by Hodder & Stoughton in September 2003, and spent three weeks on the UK’s Top Ten Non-Fiction paperback bestseller lists. (Lifetime sales now exceed over a quarter of a million copies.) He became a full-time writer in January 2004. He’s since written over a dozen non-fiction books, and recently published the third novel in his Marquess of Mortiforde cosy crime series.

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I’m delighted to welcome Karmen Špiljak and her new short story collection, Dark Chronicles, to the blog #blogtour #shortstories #bookreview

Here’s the blurb

Careful what you wish for. In Dark Chronicles, wishes have teeth.

Ten speculative tales brimming with twisted humour and delicious menace: a pepper that lets you in on other people’s thoughts, a radio show that predicts your fate, and a blood-thirsty ghost who refuses to let go.

Award-winning author Karmen Spiljak delivers a chilling and razor-sharp mix of twists and dark suspense, perfect for readers who like their stories to unsettle and linger.

Ten dark tales. Ten twisted fates. One thrilling collection.

Purchase Link

https://books2read.com/Dark-Chronicles

My Review

Some of the Dark Chronicles are indeed Dark Chronicles, but I did know what I was letting myself in for, as I’ve read Karmen’s Pass the Cyanide short story collection too.

Each of these short stories offers something a little different, from the Smart House which might be more ghostly than Dana would like, to the joy of getting your heart’s desire (or not), these tales are intriguing and often thought-provoking as well.

I don’t often read short story collections, but when I do, I remember the joy of them. Grab this collection of dark tales and scare yourself, just a little bit.

Check out my review for Pass the Cyanide

Meet the author

Karmen Spiljak is Slovenian-Belgian author of suspense, horror and speculative fiction, a developmental editor and a book coach. Her short fiction has been awarded and anthologised. Her short story collection, Add Cyanide to Taste, won the 2022 IndieReader Discovery award for best short stories/Fiction and Pass the Cyanide won the 2023 Wishing Shelf Book Awards Bronze.

She lives in Belgrade with her husband, two mischievous cats and an undefined number of literary characters. Find out more about her writing on www.karmenspiljak.com .

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I’m delighted to welcome Francesca Capaldi and her new book, Celebrations at the Beach Hotel to the blog. Francesca is introducing us to the characters #blogtour #histfic #saga

Meet the Characters from Celebrations at the Beach Hotel

Annie and Alice Twine are sisters who work in the scullery at the Beach Hotel. They appeared in the first five novels about the place, but now, with the sixth book, they’ve landed a starring role each. They are twenty-three and twenty-two years old when Celebrations at the Beach Hotel begins.

As scullery maids, their jobs would have included washing up glassware, crockery, cutlery and pans, getting rid of waste food (most likely in a pig bin) and keeping the scullery and stillroom clean. They would have boiled hot water for various maids and even plucked and skinned animals, though we never see Annie and Alice do this.

Both of them started work at the hotel at 15, when they left school, so Annie started a year before Alice, and is now head scullery maid, something she is fond of reminding her younger sister about! Annie does have a tendency to glumness, whereas Alice has a happier personality. At least, that’s how it appears on the surface. Their father, Colin, is a farm manager at a farm in Wick, the village where the sisters live. Their three brothers, Cedric, Cecil and Cyril, who all worked as labourers on the farm before the war, have yet to be demobbed. Wick at the time was a village next to Littlehampton with extensive farmland, but it’s now part of the town. (Growing up, my house was a ten-minute walk away from where they supposedly lived.)

The sisters get on well, when Annie isn’t bossing Alice around. Their mother is keen for them to marry, but, as the sisters say, what opportunity do they have with most of the men still away? But when the men do start to return, that’s when romance comes between the two of them.

A lot of the characters from the previous books in the serious, including Edie, Lili, Helen, Hetty and Fanny, are part of the story, as the men who worked at the hotel before the war, and survived, slowly return. These include Lorcan, who Annie holds a torch for, and Jasper, who Alice is very fond of. Lorcan and Jasper both enlisted and joined Kitchener’s 7^th Special Service Battalion in 1914, which eventually became part of the 12^th (Eastern) Division. Although the war ended in November 1918, they spent another four months on salvage and clear up duties in France, so don’t return to the hotel until March 1919.

Lorcan’s from Ireland, a place he has difficulty visiting after he returns, due to the civil war brewing there. He walked out briefly with stillroom maid Hetty, who is now engaged to another, but Annie suspects that he hasn’t got over her. Jasper is from Bognor Regis and part of a once well-off middle-class family who owned several grocery stores, but has since had a fall in fortunes. The men’s jobs as porters would have included greeting guests at the hotel, carrying luggage and showing them to their rooms, advising on hotel facilities and that of the surrounding area, making travel arrangements, parking guests’ motorcars and running errands for them.

During the course of the story, there are several marriages. These are kicked off by the real wedding of Princess Patricia of Connaught (a granddaughter of Queen Victoria) to The Hon. Alexander Ramsay, incidentally the first royal wedding at Westminster Abbey since the 14^th century. The female staff are reading about it in the newspaper and cooing over it as Lorcan and Jasper return from the war. Although Alice enjoys reading about the event, Annie is typically dismissive of the whole thing.

Either way, this event, and the subsequent weddings, don’t make either sister optimistic about their own prospects. Alice believes Jasper’s too high above her in social standing, even though he’s now just a porter. These beliefs only serve to help scupper their chances further, and they end up having a major fall-out with each other as a consequence, which isn’t helped by the appearance of a third man, adding to the romantic mix…

Here’s the blurb

Sisters Alice and Annie have always been close but will a man come between them?

Annie and Alice love their life working at the Beach Hotel together and each is thrilled to have finally found a sweetheart. Yet the path of true love never did run smooth, and they soon find themselves facing conflict and strife. Could love come between them and the bond they share?

Meanwhile, as men start to come home from the war, the women have to work out how to keep their jobs, although they are delighted to be back with their beaus. Soon, wedding bells ring out in Littlehampton.

Will everything be made right in time for Christmas?

Purchase Links

Amazon https://amzn.to/4gTi5fj

Kobo: https://bit.ly/4765y3M

Meet the author

Francesca Capaldi has enjoyed writing since she was a child, largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was good at improvised storytelling and an Italian father who loved history. She is the author of historical sagas, short stories and pocket novels.

The first novel in the Beach Hotel series, A New Start at the Beach Hotel, won the Romantic Saga Award at the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards in 2024. The first novel in the Wartime in the Valleys series, Heartbreak in the Valleys, was shortlisted for the Historical Romantic Award in the RoNAs in 2021.

Francesca was born and brought up on the Sussex coast, went to London to do a history degree, but has lived for many years in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.

Website & Blog

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I’m delighted to share my review for A Treatise on Martian Chiropractic Manipulation and Other Satirical Tales by Lisa Fox #blogtour #bookreview #fantasy #shortstories

Here’s the blurb

Human beings are flawed creatures, and humor is the perfect means to exploit the endless fodder of our shortcomings. This multi-genre collection of twenty-one short satirical stories will leave you smirking, chuckling, scratching your head, and maybe even muttering to yourself “WTF is this?”

From the award-winning author of the acclaimed short story collections “Core Truths” and “Passageways: Short Speculative Fiction” comes something a little bit irreverent and a whole lot of weird.

Ketchup-covered chiropractors on Mars. Wealthy vigilante housewives battling coffee-addicted aliens. Cheerleaders protesting unrestricted access to cupcakes. Canine doulas. Hallucinating marine biologists. No one is immune from the absurdity.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Treatise-Martian-Chiropractic-Manipulation-Satirical-ebook/dp/B0G5K8XG2W/

https://www.amazon.com/Treatise-Martian-Chiropractic-Manipulation-Satirical-ebook/dp/B0G5K8XG2W/

My Review

This is an intriguing and often fun collection of short stories by Lisa Fox. Some of them are very short, and some are much longer, but they all offer something a little different. Readers will enjoy learning about Martian Chiropractic techniques as well as following the loyalty card storyline, which will have us all thinking about just how much information these companies do hold about us (hint, it’s a lot). If you love short story collections, do check this one out. It’s varied, thought-provoking and sometimes, just plain fun.

Meet the author

Lisa Fox loves to ask questions. By day, she’s a pharmaceutical market researcher. By night, she channels that same inquisitive spirit into writing short fiction, building worlds and characters that explore the meaning of life, the universe, and everything in between. She survives, and sometimes thrives, in the chaos of suburban New Jersey with her husband, two sons, and quirky Double-Doodle dog. Lisa is an award-winning author of two short story collections: Core Truths and Passageways: Short Speculative Fiction. Website: lisafoxiswriting.com Twitter/X: @iamlisafox10800 Facebook: lisafoxiswriting

www.lisafoxiswriting.com

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The blog tour for Lords of Iron has finished. A huge thank you to all the hosts. Here’s what they had to say about Lords of Iron #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #LordsofIron #histfic

The blog tour for Lords of Iron has finished. A huge thank you to all the hosts. Here’s what they had to say about Lordsof Iron #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #LordsofIron #histfic

The Lords of Iron blog tour

Watch the little video I made to showcase the reviews from the fabulous reviewers. Thank you to them all. I know the majority have been with me since Men of Iron, and it’s amazing to realise how invested they’ve become in my characters. (The music is very dramatic).