Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SECRETS OF FOXGLOVE COTTAGE by Rebecca Alexander on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog post.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
From her open window at Foxglove Cottage, she looks out at the garden full of wildflowers drenched in golden sunlight. Her fingers tremble as she turns the fragile page of the old diary and discovers a secret that will change her life forever…
When Zosia arrives at Foxglove Cottage holding her small son’s hand in hers, she is desperate for a new beginning. Her new job is to help seventy-year-old Hazel transform her tumbledown cottage and re-open the enchanting old café, steeped in folklore. Hazel is warm and welcoming, but Zosia can never share the truth about why she has left her own home.
When neighborly Leon, a bear of a man with deep brown eyes, arrives to help them restore the cafe, Zosia can’t help falling for his rugged charm. But her heart has been shattered before, so she distracts herself by translating an old diary that’s been in Hazel’s family for generations. She discovers an extraordinary love story hidden in the yellowing pages. It pulls her back into World War Two, as if the past is whispering through the garden’s tangled vines and the granite cottage walls. Could the old wartime romance help broken-hearted Zosia believe in soulmates again?
Zosia longs to open up to Hazel and Leon but if her past catches up with her it could ruin everything. When she uncovers the diary’s long buried secret, will it help her let go of her own past? Or, when she receives a letter that threatens everything she holds dear, will she be forced to leave Foxglove Cottage for good?
SECRETS OF FOXGLOVE COTTAGE by Rebecca Alexander is a beautifully written, emotional roller coaster ride dual timeline women’s fiction/historical fiction read. Both timelines, present day and WWII, are set in England with each having their own dangers, losses, triumphs, and loves that pulled me in and kept me turning the pages.
Foxglove Cottage has been Hazel Wojcik’s family home her entire life. Now, seventy and after hip surgery she is looking for help to restore her home and reopen the café portion of Foxglove Cottage. Zosia Armitage is a Polish immigrant fleeing an abusive marriage with her six-year-old son, Krys. Hazel hires Zosia not only to help with Foxglove Cottage, but to translate the papers left by her Polish born father. As Zosia begins to trust again, danger comes from and unknown source.
At the start of WWII, Casimir Wojcik, a Polish pilot, makes his way across Eastern Europe to escape the Nazi’s. He is able to fly a plane to the Moors of England where he crashes and is pulled from his burning plane by Rosie, Hazel’s mother. Their love grows as Casimir joins the English pilots facing peril everyday over England and Rosie faces her own danger working in an explosives plant. With pilots and planes lost every day and horrible accidents occurring in the munitions factories full of female workers, Casimir and Rosie cling to each other and pray to get through the war.
I am so glad I gave this new-to-me author a try. Both timelines evoke so many emotions and the author’s writing was able to put me right in the middle of the danger and action, which comes from different perils in each timeline. Each timeline has a suspense sub-plot and heartwarming love stories that kept me rivetted from start to finish. All the characters are believable, fully developed, and left me feeling fully invested in their lives. The historical timeline is especially descriptive with interesting facts and dangers.
I highly recommend this wonderful women’s fiction/historical fiction book and will be looking for more books from this author.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE LITTLE ISLAND FLOWER STALL by Tilly Tennant on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog post.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
Book Description
When Bella’s heart is broken by her cheating husband, she packs a bag and escapes to the little island of Jersey, to help her beloved great-aunt Celestine run her seaside flower stall.
With the sun on her cheeks, watching white-haired Celestine in her elegant patterned trouser suit beam at customers and arrange flowers in vases, Bella realizes that life is too short to feel sad. And when handsome, brooding Rory arrives at the rose-covered flower stall, and their eyes meet, she feels a sudden spark…
Inspired by Celestine’s lust for life, Bella agrees to get to know Rory better. As the two of them walk together under vast blue skies, Rory tells her of the family secret that has brought him to the island.
Bella wonders if Celestine might be able to help Rory with his quest, but Celestine warns her to be careful. Bella knows she should listen to her wise aunt, but she can’t fight her feelings. Yet when she tries to track Rory down days later, she is shocked to discover the secrets he has been keeping.
Is her hope of an island romance with a mysterious, handsome man simply too good to be true? Or can this beautiful place still bring her the bright new beginning that she so desperately needs?
THE LITTLE ISLAND FLOWER STALL by Tilly Tennant is a heartfelt women’s fiction story of healing and moving on from your past to discover what the future may hold for you. Set on the Island of Jersey with beautiful beaches and coastal cliffs, but also a tragic history of occupation during WWII. This story has an emotional journey from divorce to a friendship that becomes a slow burn romance, personal growth and discovery, familial reconnection, and an island historical mystery not revealed since WWII.
Bella discovers her husband has cheated again and she is done with their marriage. She takes off to the Island of Jersey to help her great-aunt, Celestine, who has taken a fall, with her beach front promenade flower stall. She is excited to try something new and to reconnect with Celestine who she has not seen since childhood vacations on the island.
While working at the flower stall, Bella has a run in with a handsome customer who is only visiting the island like herself. Bella is weary of any romantic entanglement and lets Rory know her circumstances, but Bella is also intrigued by Rory’s reason for being on the island and wishes to help. Rory is trying to discover information about his ancestry on the island which seems to be wrapped up in a mystery that occurred during the Nazi occupation of the island. As she helps Rory, she discovers Celestine may know more than she is willing to share.
This is a women’s fiction story with a little bit of everything that all comes together into an enjoyable read. Bella’s betrayal leads to a reconnection with family and a place she loved as a child, a hint of a second chance at romance that is all intertwined with a WWII mystery. I did find the pace a little slow when Bella first comes to the island, but as more of the island is explored, her relationship with Celestine grows, and more of the mystery elements were included, it pulled me deeper into the story.
Overall, a cozy women’s fiction that left me satisfied with Bella’s journey.
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About the Author
Tilly Tennant was born in Dorset, the oldest of four children, but now lives in Staffordshire with a family of her own. After years of dismal and disastrous jobs, including paper plate stacking, shop assistant, newspaper promotions and waitressing (she never could carry a bowl of soup without spilling a bit), she decided to indulge her passion for the written word by embarking on a degree in English and creative writing. She wrote a novel in 2007 during her first summer break at university and hasn’t stopped writing since. She also works as a freelance fiction editor and part-time lecturer.
Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was her debut novel; published in 2014 it was an Amazon bestseller in both the UK and Australia. In 2016 she signed to the hugely successful Bookouture and is currently working on her fifteenth Tilly Tennant novel. Christmas bestseller A Very Vintage Christmas has just been made into a movie for Lifetime Channel.
The “Hidden Valor Military Veteran/K-9 Series” by Candace Irving is one of the best series to come along in quite a while. Each book combines a mystery, thriller, and police procedural. While the suspense is off the charts, there is also a very heart wrenching and heartwarming backstory of the characters that remind readers of the sacrifices made by those who serve to keep Americans safe.
The main character is Kate Holland, a former US Army detective that spent eleven hours as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan. She received a Silver Star after killing her captives and escaping. Fast forward to the present where she is a civilian investigator in her hometown of Arkansas. Because she has demons, she is contemplating suicide but discards those thoughts after saving a German Shepherd puppy, Ruger, shot by a hunter. Throughout the series both Kate and Ruger realize they are each other’s support. There is also a budding romance between Kate and another detective, Arash Kharoti, who is part of the plot mysteries and character world. Some of the other supporting characters are Sherriff Lou Simms, and Deputy Seth Armstrong.
There are five books in the series that should be read in order. The first one is a novella, titled Invisible Wounds followed by The Garbage Man, In the Name Of, Beneath the Bones, and Last Dog Out. In each book readers find a plot involving veterans that is very riveting along with more of a backstory on Kate, Ruger, and Arash.
These book plots are gritty, complex, intense, and have edge of the seat scenes. Anyone who has not read this series might want to start and those that are readers will look forward to the next book in the series.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did your being in the military help influence your writing?
Candace Irving: I am former Army, but it was brief. I did end up in the Navy. I was commissioned as an ensign in the US Navy but ended my career as a Navy Lt. I was sent to Surface Warfare Officer’s School to learn to drive warships and was also a damage control officer. Being a part of both branches enables me to write the lingo, plus I married an Army guy. My husband is a former combat engineer sapper who helps me with the explosive’s storyline. Regardless of which branch of the military, the mindset and how things work is the same. I know the correct questions to ask. For instance, in the Navy we do this so what is the Army or Air Force method?
EC: Why did you decide to write the Kate Holland series?
CI: I am writing for all readers but also am writing for all veterans. I hope this is my gift to them. If someone is a vet, they realize the thoughts and feelings of the characters are what they and I experienced. I want the stories to be realistic, not like a book I read that I threw at the wall. It seemed that author got everything wrong and angered me as a woman and a veteran. This is after 9/11, and our soldiers were coming back with serious scars. This author made it seem that the vet who had a scar was nonchalant about it instead of realizing that some veterans have painful memories. This is why I decided to write the Kate series. I wanted to write Kate as a veteran who had to overcome her scars emotionally as well as living with the physical scars on her cheek.
EC: Why the setting of Arkansas?
CI: I lived there for ten years. I thought how not many settings take place there. Fort Roots is an actual base so the place in my story is a wink and a nod. I changed the real place of Mayflower to Braxton because I did not want to be nailed to a specific town. Usually, she is in the small town with interconnected characters.
EC: Most of the books in this series involve murderers centered around veterans. Do you agree?
CI: I am a detective writer at heart so there must be a dead body. Suddenly these bodies were popping up all over the place in this small town that previously had three murders in ten years. I knew I had to change Kate from being a Sherriff’s deputy to working for the state police with Ruger as her K-9 partner that involved veteran cases. The plots involve a very intense mystery that put the heroes and heroines in a dark and nasty place which they must overcome.
EC: Do you own a dog since Ruger is one of the featured characters?
CI: Yes. The inspiration for Ruger is my fifty-pound standard poodle. Some of the weird things my dog does makes me laugh and I say to myself, ‘that is totally going into the book.’ Dog behavior is pretty much consistent.
EC: How would you describe Kate?
CI: She is not Superwoman but does have skills, such as the way she handles knives. She is determined, smart, funny, strong-willed, stubborn, a survivor, guilt ridden, at times feels depressed, doubts herself, and feels shame.
EC: How about Ruger?
CI: He keeps Kate calm, has a sense of purpose, loyal, a guard dog, a service support animal, as well as a canine partner to Kate. He and Kate rescued each other.
EC: What do you want readers to understand about how Kate’s wounds affected her?
CI: While Kate was serving in Afghanistan she was ambushed and then raped. She suffered injuries of a broken collarbone, a broken shoulder, and burns. She saw her best friend, Max, beheaded by the Islamists. She wears his watch and when she gets anxious turns it until her skin is raw. I wanted to make it realistic, so I took on all her emotions. Kate started to get CPT treatment with the trauma focused sessions centering around pains that interfere with the normal recovery process and have her identify problem patterns.
EC: is Kate’s therapist, Dr Manning, based on Dr. Resick?
CI: Yes. From book 2 going forward she became Kate’s therapist. She took the situation I created for Kate and said this is what would occur with her. She reads the book and is Dr. Manning. She makes suggestions for Kate as Dr. Manning, like having her wrap her wrist so when she feels the need to turn the watch her skin will not be raw.
EC: What about her boss, Lou?
CI: He is like an uncle to her. He can read her, is helpful, and caring. Because he knew her father was heartless and someone who constantly put her down, Lou tried to be the opposite to her. He and his wife felt like Kate was the child they could not have. He is based on a neighbor I had in Arkansas, someone compassionate, grounded, figured out what make people tick, and had a lot of common sense.
EC: How would you describe Detective Arash?
CI: He is caring, understands her, trusting, encouraging, and protective. He and Kate share a deep connection.
EC: What about the relationship between Kate and Arash?
CI: I thought hard what kind of man Kate should end up with. It must be someone who does not care about her scars but embraces them. He realizes she is strong. In a way her scars are a badge of honor. Kate is afraid she will lose Arash because of her scars and baggage. She also has issues with showing off her body to the man she wants to look perfect too, Arash.
EC: You have another series, “Deception Point” besides the Kate “Hidden Valor” Series. Can you talk about them?
CI: Both series have investigations and detective stories, but “Deception Point” has a global setting while “Hidden Valor” takes place in Arkansas. The main character of the “Deception Point Series” is Special Agent Regan Chase, an active-duty CID, while Kate is a retired CID. I used my Damage Control Officer experiences to write the book, Blind Edge, of the “Deception Point” series.
EC: Will the “Hidden Valor” series be made into a TV show?
CI: I did option the rights for this series with a potential TV series.
EC: Next book?
CI: Kate will have her last therapy session in the next book, Blood on The Wire that comes out in August of next year. But readers should not worry, Dr. Manning will not be written out of the series. It will be a process for Kate to get over all her scars on her body and face. The relationship with Arash will progress. Also, her former partner Seth’s story will be a part of this story. The case involves a psychologist at a Little Rock VA hospital who was found brutally stabbed to death. In the victim’s house, Kate is stunned to discover a cache of military-grade explosives. Plus, the psychologist was conducting a private investigation into a heinous crime that occurred more than two years ago in an active war zone. Bodies have begun to multiply.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for A LETTER FROM IRELAND by Ann O’Loughlin on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour post.
Below you will find a book summary, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Summary
My whole life, I’ve been haunted by a secret I’ve left behind on the coast of Ireland. I may be gone, but if you’re reading this Casey, I need to tell you everything…
When Casey’s dear friend Rosie passes away, her heart breaks in two; Rosie didn’t even tell her she was sick. And when a mysterious letter arrives from beyond the grave, describing the secluded island where Rosie spent every summer, Casey questions if she really knew her friend at all. With Casey’s hectic job ruling her life, and her marriage crumbling around her, she books a ticket to this beautiful Irish island to feel close to Rosie again, and find out what secrets she has hidden there.
Casey rushes to Rosie’s tumbledown cottage and immediately falls in love with the glimmering shores and breathtaking coves of Scarty Island. Why did Rosie keep this magical place a secret, even from her own husband? Desperate for answers, she jumps to the aid of locals organizing afternoon teas for tourists, and helps handsome but overworked pub owner Shay. Though Shay stays tight-lipped, Casey notices how his hazel eyes shine when she makes him laugh, and how her heart skips a beat when his rough hands brush hers.
But just as Casey finds herself falling for Shay’s quiet strength, a final letter arrives that changes everything. The tear-stained pages tell the story of a forbidden romance and a tragic day at sea that destroyed Rosie’s life. It could shatter Casey’s blossoming romance and tear the small island community apart.
A LETTER FROM IRELAND by Ann O’Loughlin is a women’s fiction story about four best friends who have a falling out and are never the same again. When Rosie passes away from cancer, which none of her friends knew about, she sets up a two-month long reunion of the remaining three women on her private island off the coast of Ireland, but there are secrets to be revealed in the form of letters from their dead friend.
The description of this story had me wanting to sit down and read about these women’s lives and it is full of surprises and big emotions, but not until far too late into the book. The first third of the story was repetitive, slow, and almost had me putting it down for good, but I carried on and was glad that I did as far as the overall plot.
The three women are portrayed at various stages of their lives and Casey is the focus. I had a hard time warming up to her and I never felt a deep connection to any of the three. The story focused as much on the location as the women which I felt their character development should have been deeper. The romantic subplot between Casey and Shay just felt thrown in and did not make me feel any more for Casey, especially since she was still legally married.
Overall, this was just an alright women’s fiction read that for me did not live up to the promise.
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About the Author
Ann is the Irish author of five novels and has been translated into eleven languages. Her first novel The Ballroom Cafe was also an ebook bestseller and in the top 20 bestselling books of 2015 on Amazon UK. Ann loves to write and often gets up at 5am to get the words down, before starting her other job of writing as a news reporter. A leading journalist in Ireland, Ann has covered all major news events in a long career with Independent Newspapers, Ireland. She is now a senior journalist with the Irish Examiner specialising in legal issues. Ann has also lived in India. Originally from the west of Ireland she now lives on the east coast with her husband and family.
Paris, 1939: Gazing out at the glittering skyline, Evelina clutches the letter from her love in shaking hands. “I know I do not deserve you, my darling, but I pray that you will change your mind. You have my heart, and I hope that nothing will keep us apart…”
London, present day. Blake gazes down at a scrap of shimmering silver velvet attached to a faded dress design, tracing the details with wonder. They were left with her grandmother at Hope’s House, a home for unmarried mothers, before she was adopted. Now her beloved grandmother has passed, the beautiful fabric and the designer’s signature are the only clues Blake has about her biological family. Will she be able to unravel the decades-old family secret?
Blake can’t get the intricate drawing, and what it could reveal about her family, out of her head. Armed with a plane ticket, a Paris address and the details of a handsome fashion curator named Henri, Blake is determined to find out the truth about her talented great-grandmother Evelina’s life. Perhaps doing so will help Blake get her old spark for designing back, after her dreams have sat forgotten for so long.
Soon Blake is walking down the Champs-Élysées and enjoying intimate dinners with Henri, who is researching Evelina’s work as one of Paris’ most celebrated designers, whose bold designs rivalled Coco Chanel’s. As Henri and Blake grow closer, they uncover Evelina’s legacy, and her forbidden romance that set the fashion world ablaze.
As Blake discovers the impossible choice that caused Evelina to flee the most romantic city in the world, she wonders if she too could risk everything for love. Could hearing tales of her great-grandmother’s bravery encourage her to take a chance on a new life with Henri? Or will the fallout of Evelina’s heart-wrenching past drive Blake back home?
A completely addictive and emotional novel about family secrets, forbidden love and having the courage to follow your dreams.
THE PARIS DAUGHTER (The Lost Daughters Book #5) by Soraya Lane is a captivating and emotional dual time-line women’s historical fiction from start to finish. Each book in the series stands alone with the connection being Hope House, a home for unwed mothers in London, England. This series and author are both new to me, but after reading this beautiful story, I will absolutely be reading the other books in the series.
1930’s Paris France is all about high fashion. Eighteen-year-old Evelina has been dreaming and drawing to be just like Coco Chanel her entire life. Her farming parents hate the decadent city and do not support her dreams. They tell her she must marry or leave home. Evelina goes alone to Paris and is willing to work hard for her dream, which over several years, she accomplishes. She is the exclusive designer for the most prestigious department store in Paris.
In present day London, Blake receives a wooden box meant for her grandmother who has passed away. Inside is a chic dress drawing and a luxurious piece of fabric. Blake proposes writing a series of articles for her job as she searches to find the connection between this mystery box and her grandmother. She is desperate to find out who this designer may be and if she was her grandmother’s mother. The search will take her out of her normal everyday existence to the world of high fashion houses and designers in Paris. Could this connection be the spark to reignite Blake’s designing talent and forge a new life she has only every dreamed of?
I loved this book so much and I cannot believe I have not heard of or read the other books in this series. These books are easily read as standalones, but I am glad I read this book first because Evelina was the first occupant of Hope House. Ms. Lane brings these two women to life on the page as well as Paris in the past and present. The story seamlessly flows between the two time periods which led to me not being able to put the book down because I was so engrossed. This story has so many emotional parts, both happy and sad as the two women learn to be true to themselves. Their courage, tenacity, and love are evident throughout. I am so looking forward to reading about the other daughters in this series.
I highly recommend this extraordinary and beautiful women’s historical fiction novel.
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About the Author
Soraya Lane graduated with a law degree before realizing that law wasn’t the career for her and that her future was in writing. She is the author of historical and contemporary women’s fiction, and her novel Wives of War was an Amazon Charts bestseller.
Soraya lives on a small farm in her native New Zealand with her husband, their two young sons and a collection of four legged friends. When she’s not writing, she loves to be outside playing make-believe with her children or snuggled up inside reading.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for RED LINE by Blake Rudman on this Black Tide Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Baltimore Police Detective Mitch Wilson wants a nice day out with his wife and son. Instead, they are all caught up in a catastrophic terrorist attack that has repercussions across the USA and triggers events that could alter the course of civilization.
Having lost everything, Mitch sets out to seek justice – and revenge and stumbles upon a global conspiracy.
On the other side of the world, renowned linguistic professor, Yasaman Karami, flees her native Iran for the freedom of the west; she holds one of the keys to defeating the terrorist organization.
Yasaman and Mitch’s worlds collide as, alongside federal agents and allies, they race against the clock to hunt down the terrorist masterminds and prevent worldwide catastrophe.
RED LINE by Blake Rudman is a chilling noir crime thriller based on a twisted and yet believable scheme that could change the governments and economics of the world as we know it. This thriller starts with the two disparate main characters, one in Baltimore and one in Tehran who come together to stop a worldwide catastrophe.
Baltimore Police Detective Mitch Wilson is enjoying the day by taking his wife and young son to the latest animated hit movie. He drops them off at the theater and goes to park the car when a suspicious man catches his attention. He realizes the man is headed for the theater and before Mitch can stop him, he detonates a suicide vest killing everyone. This is happening all over the U.S. where the new film is showing. Mitch is determined to exact revenge and uses information he has discovered to bribe his way onto the FBI team investigating the terror attack called the “Red Line”.
Yasaman Karami is an archeological linguist professor in Tehran, Iran. Her research has led her and her mentor to discover the origins of language. Her mentor is kidnapped for the knowledge they posses and now they are after Yasaman. She is running for her life and ends up being helped across the border and into the hands of the FBI team with Mitch when another Red Line attack hits Europe.
It is a fast paced and action filled race to discover who is responsible for the Red Line attacks and stop the global attack to come.
This is a scary and at the same time thought-provoking thriller. It has a noir feel to the writing style, two main characters that could not be more different and yet come together to make a believable team, and fast-paced action. I do wish Mitch and Yasamin had come together sooner in the story, but there was a lot to set up for the intricate plot and while there was action to keep me involved in the story until they did come together, when they did, I could not turn the pages fast enough. The idea of terrorists, who are not the type of terrorists we normally think of, and the use of super-charged subliminal messaging were just realistic enough to have me seriously cheering on the good guys. I liked the romantic elements and found they were well written for a thriller and not stereotypical.
I recommend this noir crime thriller with romantic elements for a exciting ‘save the world’ read and I will be looking forward to reading more books by this author.
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About the Author
Blake Rudman enjoyed a former, successful career in executive management, building his own companies from the ground up.
Success or not, Blake’s heart has always been in the written word, and the myriad ideas he spent much of his spare time jotting down in notebooks, Post-Its, and scraps of paper whenever the inspiration hit him.
Now a breakout author of five noir thriller novels – all to be published in 2023 – Blake’s destiny of becoming a writer of some renown is well under way.
When he’s not working diligently on his next novel, Blake spends quality time with his family and tropical fish.
