#Blogtour Seahaven by Ruth Enright

 It’s my turn on the Blogtour Seahaven by Ruth Enright.

About the Author

Ruth Enright is from Halifax, West Yorkshire.  She enjoys holidays in Whitby, Scarborough and the surrounding area; with  Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby being the inspiration for her debut novel ‘Seahaven.’  Her second book, ‘Button Box’ is for children and young adults. A young girl finds herself living in two worlds – the modern day and a dangerous Victorian past in 1850s London.

Ruth studied English Language and Literature at Reading University and has always had the ambition to write herself. She lives in Manchester with her family and works for local government, where she has held a number of posts. She  is now an Information Governance Officer. Ruth came to Manchester as a graduate trainee in Librarianship with Manchester Polytechnic before changing career paths and training for a certificate in teaching lipreading to adults with acquired deafness in Adult Education. Ruth then had her daughter and later became a local government officer.

Ruth has always kept on writing and started a blog a few years ago for her poems, stories and other items.  Encouraged by readers, she has recently succeeded in having five short stories published by ‘Yours Fiction’ special short story quarterly magazine.

Ruth loves to read and enjoys writing in both historic and modern settings, experimenting with different genres. Ideas for her writing come from many sources, for instance the name of Robin’s uncle Jorfant in ‘Seahaven’ came from researching her partner’s family tree!

Ruth lives with her partner Jack, and a cat called Margot. Ruth is delighted to be a published author and is looking forward very much to writing more novels. Follow Ruth Enright on Twitter, Visit r-enright58.co.uk

About the book

England, 1700’s. Seahaven is a lawless fishing village on the wild East Coast of Yorkshire. When a sailing ship is wrecked, three young people from very different backgrounds are caught up in a race against time. 

Solomon must escape his bondage as an American slave and his two friends, Robin and Sophie, are desperate to help him. However, this is a time of smuggling, slavery, robbery and betrayal. The whole community, whether rich or poor, is involved in outlawed activity. 

Robin’s strange and feared Uncle Jorfant leads the underground smuggling ring. Soldiers, the militia and excise men are always on patrol and the Press Gang is a constant fear to the men of the village. It is a volatile, complex world, one in which past and present collide mysteriously.

Solomon, Robin and Sophie all have their own personal reasons for wishing to escape. 

During their adventures, both alone and together, they meet many people along the way; some become allies, others a threat, and the three friends also face new dangers. Hampered by their circumstances and those with power, who control and surround them, escape is never a certainty.

Will Solomon find freedom at last and what will become of Robin and Sophie? An exciting and gripping adventure, portraying the harsh realities of life from a very different era! 

Review

When you sit along the Yorkshire coast and enjoy the beauty and the peace, it’s easy to forget some of the shenanigans that went on in the majority of coastal areas. Of course it’s also important to note that a lot of them were linked to criminal activities and often the misery of other people. A lot of history there.

Robin and his friends, including the newly found one, want to a life beyond the close and strict boundaries of the life they are used to. It makes them seek adventure in places they perhaps shouldn’t – like snooping around Jorfan and his secret business.

Jorfan sometimes appears, okay a lot, to be cruel and lacks empathy for those around him. Never more evident than when he is able to just walk past those fighting for their lives. It’s important to remember that later on in the story, especially when it comes to Robin.

Although the story certainly has a certain feeling of hope and reaching for better times and a parcel of joy, it doesn’t shy away from the truth and the hardships.

It’s an adventure, a story of coming-of-age and of friendships, and equally one about family and loyalty. About accepting the fact the reality of life is a disappointment, that people and their lack of ability to accept others will always be a constant. Yeh, the lightness gets deep at times, but the story also maintains an element of the reader being along for the ride in the lives of the characters.

Buy Seahaven at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Blossom Spring Publishing; pub date 28 Sept. 2021. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Oscar of the Bismarck by Frances Y. Evan

 It’s my turn on the Blogtour Oscar of the Bismarck by Frances Y. Evan.

About the Author

England was Frances’s childhood home.  She emigrated to the United States with her family as a teenager many years ago.  Although she loves America, a part of her heart always remains in the country of her birth.  

Frances has been a storyteller for as long as she can remember with her first audience consisting of neighbourhood playmates sitting on the curb listening to her tall tales. More recently, she has  written and told or performed her nautical themed stories for school children visiting on field trips at a local seaport association where she worked.  

She has visited numerous organizations, upon request, to speak about The Forgotten Flag, her first published work, and continues to visit classrooms at local schools to meet students who have read the book as part of their American History curriculum.

Frances worked for twelve years at Staples High School in Connecticut in the English and Social Studies Departments which provided the perfect environment to inspire her love of history and writing.  She has self-published several books, The Brass Bell, The Curse of the Shark’s Tooth, and Oscar of the Bismarck which are young adult stories, as well as St. Katherine’s Dock: Target Tower Bridge adult historical fiction.   While working at the school, she prepared presentations for teachers to enhance their curriculum and subject matter when it pertained to British history.  These have included the Elizabethan Era to better understand the time of Shakespeare, the Victorian Era to portray the time of Charles Dickens, and World War II – the British Homefront.  

When her mother passed away several years ago, she decided that her story must be told. Vera’s Story: Hidden Scars of War tells the tale of a not so ordinary, ordinary woman whose memories of war were never far below the surface. Follow @FrancesEvan7 on Twitter or @frany51 on Instagram

About the book

Oscar the cat served on the German warship, Bismarck, as well as several British ships during World War II.

When the new battleship Bismarck is built, launched and commissioned, Oscar is there to witness it all. He is soon accepted by the crew and becomes the ship’s mascot as they embark on their mission.

Narrated from Oscar the cat’s point of view, he describes life at sea, the battles and the fate of his shipmates, as well as his own personal challenge to outwit, hunt and capture an elusive, sneaky, grey cat with little black ears! A wonderfully emotional and uplifting story, told from a very different perspective!

Review

Oscar certainly enjoys the leisurely life, the odd snack, naps in the sunshine, and paying close attention to his surroundings – it’s not really a hard life for this particular cat. He inadvertently becomes part of history, part of war, and part of battle.

This was the first time I had heard of this particular story. I would say it’s somewhere between historical myth and a glimmer of hope that became a legend. It’s also exactly the kind of thing a cat would do, which makes hearing it in his own words even more entertaining.

It’s does have an amusing element to it, despite the fact the historical events should be regarded with the serious note it deserves. The story perhaps also serves as a reminder that the young men on all sides were caught up in a war not of their making, and many of them lost their lives. The survivors lived with the trauma.

It’s a read for both younger and older readers, and will probably make readers curious about other stories that give the sense of some hope and small joys in the midst of such chaos and violence.

Buy Oscar of the Bismarck at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : ‎Blossom Spring Publishing, pub date 9 Dec. 2022. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour First Degree Murder by M.J. Weatherall

It’s my turn on the Blogtour First Degree Murder by M. J. Weatherall.

About the Author 

M. J. Weatherall is one of those people who loves writing but always struggles to write about herself. She always feel like she’s bragging (which in and of itself sounds like a brag according to her). 

She is a young author from Sheffield who moved to the Lake District to get her BSc (Hons) degree in Outdoor Adventure and Environment. More recently she has qualified as a primary school teacher and is now fulfilling her calling as an educator. 

M. J. loves climbing, kayaking and spending all her spare time in nature. A lifelong bookworm, she takes pride in growing her book knowledge (an asset to any pub quiz team to be sure!). She likes to think that she’s a fun person to be around…at the very least, her cat seems to think so. Follow @mj_weatherall on Twitter or @mj.weatherall/ on Instagram

About the book

From the author of Silent Is The Crown! 

Matty Darcy is a Criminology and Psychology student in the quaint university village of Ambleside. She has survived the normal dramas of student life such as shared living, assignments, heartbreak and friendships. But this year takes the drama to a whole new level when her fellow students start mysteriously dying.

Matty takes it upon herself to catch the killer with the help of local Police Officer, and heartthrob, P.C Nicholas Wilde and her ex-boyfriend Dean. It is a race against the clock to work out who’s killing students, and why.

Matty soon finds out more than she has bargained for… enough to make her the next target!

Review

The future is ambitious and bright, even if life as a student can be both frustrating and fun all at the same time. What Matty doesn’t expect is for her slightly chaotic life, which is also pulsing with opportunity and potential, to be turned upside down when students start dropping like flies.

It’s a novella length read. It felt a little like a YA meets non-slaughter and more sleuthing Scream scenario. The main character evolves as the story progresses – in both deduction skills and her ability to deduce human actions and traits.

Come on Matty, yes it’s a release and it certainly helps to move the story along, but my goodness leaving handwritten accounts for just anyone to find – that’s a bit of a liability isn’t it? Just saying. If this is going to be a regular occurrence then perhaps work on keeping things in the mind databank.

It’s a story that has the potential to be a series, with a a focus on the young adult market or with a set of characters that grows with the mysteries. 

Buy First Degree Murder at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Blossom Spring Publishing, pub date 23 Nov. 2022. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Strays by Janeen Leese-Taylor

 It’s my turn on the Blogtour Strays by Janeen Leese-Taylor.

About the Author

Janeen is an Irish author born and raised on the scenic Causeway Coast. Curious, and with a great love for adventure, Jan spent her childhood climbing trees and talking to her imaginary friends, many of whom have now found a home in her writing.

She has a bachelor’s degree in advertising and works for gaming companies around the world. She is a lover of all things fantasy and aims to bring some magic to the places that she visits in her writing. Portstewart, Dublin and Chester City each feature prominently in both her travels and her writing, and her stories often draw from real life places that have captured her heart.

As an ultramarathon runner, Jan often writes on the go, using her trusty phone and stylus to craft scenes that come to her after hours on her feet. 

She lives with her husband, Liam, their Border Collie-Cross, Zarya, and their Guinea Pig, (Peek-A) Boo, who they all fear will one day take over the world! Follow @InkAndSmudge on Twitter. @inkandsmudgebooks/ on Instagram or JLeeseTaylorAuthor on Facebook

About the book

A murder without evidence, a secret that could topple society and a cop with a bit of a coffee habit!

Three things were certain in the mind of Officer Theodore Night: One: There’s a serial killer loose in Portstewart. Two: His new friend is a werewolf. Three: He’s in way over his head

When bloody paw prints at a crime scene leads Officer Night to consider the impossible, he must rely not only on his years of investigative experience, but on the local werewolf pack, for help. An unlikely friendship gives Night the edge he needs to prevent an all-out war. Has Blair, the mysterious barista from Bean and Gone, caused him to bite off more than he can chew?

Review

Officer Theo Night – always willing to lend a helping hand even if it means putting himself in danger. He also has the habit of collecting strays, both the four-legged and the two-legged kind, sometimes a combination of both.

Hot on the heels of a vicious killer, someone or something that likes to annihilate entire families, is out there causing mayhem and Theo is determined to find them. It seems like the wrong time to be picking up young men in distress, especially when his home is filled with a pack of protective family members led by a small alpha with a mega attitude.

Side note – sometimes less is more when it comes to describing a person, perhaps to differentiate one speaker from the other and to ensure the reader knows who is speaking. The flow of dialogue and the story becomes stunted by the repeated use of – the smaller man, the dark-haired man for example.

Urban-fantasy with a mystery/crime vibe, and to top it off it’s also LGBTQ – It ticks plenty of boxes, that’s for sure. It has the potential to be an interesting series, as the author hones her skills and delves deeper into that vein of creativity.

Buy Strays at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : ‎Blossom Spring Publishing; pub date 17 Nov. 2022. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Turkey Shed Gang by Ruth Young

 It’s my turn on the BlogTour The Turkey Shed Gang by Ruth Young.

About the Author

Ruth has been a teacher for a very long time. She loves being in the classroom making learning fun and specialises in teaching reading and spelling.  Now retired, Ruth teaches children with learning difficulties at her home, and it doesn’t matter how old they are, she loves to help!

Ruth has always told stories to the children she teaches. Her book, The Turkey Shed Gang, is for 7–8-year-old independent readers. She also writes for dyslexic children in mind so that they can read a book, maybe with a little help, which is age appropriate for them.

When she’s not teaching, Ruth loves walking in the Surrey Hills where she lives with her husband, who is a retired airline Captain. They take every chance to travel worldwide and it’s on trips away that Ruth comes up with her ideas for her books, always scribbling notes down in her purple notebook which she carries everywhere.

Ruth loves baking bread and cakes and is always in the kitchen with her vast collection of cookery books. She has been interviewed by the BBC three times about writing, environmental issues and her work with dyslexic children, and had an article published in a national magazine for parents. Follow @ruthyoung6 on Instagram or ruth.young.127 on Facebook.

About the book

Joe had a bad day at school. Everything went wrong…

FIRSTLY, he had to read to the class and that was his worst nightmare, reading in front of everyone. THEN, he scored an own goal in football. LATER, after eating three chocolate eclairs at Gran’s house, she tells him about a raid in the bank this morning. The robbers had guns and monster masks! To Joe it sounded exciting, if only he could have been there too!

But his opinion soon changes when he realises the danger his Gran is now faced with. She shows him a bag full of money that she picked up by mistake, thinking it was her shopping after the raid. Joe decides the only thing to do to keep her safe is for them to go on the run. They must go before the police come to arrest her or worse still, the robbers find out she has their money. To add to his problems, Gran wants to take Mr Percival with them, a talking parrot she inherited from a neighbour.

A school boy, his gran and a parrot on the run, what could possibly go wrong?

Review

Joe has it tough. He is ridiculed, laughed at and then he gets a little overeager at a football match. Overall, not a very good day at all, so it’s a relief to take a time out with his Gran – oh and her newly acquired friend called Mr Percival.

Mr Percival is a bit of a wild card – he says the first thing that pops into his little head, often with hilarious results. He does make the perfect getaway companion for the double act of Joe and his Gran though. They are on the run, because that’s what criminals do – they run and hide.

It’s a read I would recommend to advanced readers 8-plus, however I would be mindful of the bullying, discrimination and lack of support the main character receives from his peers at the beginning of the story, and the lack of support from adults who are supposed to be keeping him safe. They are learning moments but could be upsetting to some younger readers. 

Aside from that it is a funny adventure with endearing characters. What’s lovely is the way young Joe is willing to do anything to keep his Gran safe – it becomes an exercise in character and confidence building. Just because you may not be perfect at one thing it doesn’t mean you won’t excel at something else or find a new way to achieve your goals.

Buy The Turkey Shed Gang at Amazon Uk. Publisher: ‎Blossom Spring Publishing pub date 14 July 2022. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Outcast by Claire Voet

 It’s my turn on the BlogTour Outcast by Claire Voet.

About the Author

Claire Voet is an English author, born in Gosport across the shores of Portsmouth Harbour. Claire started writing in 2010 and has since then written a number of books to include The Ghost of Bluebell Cottage, The Other Daddy A World Away, Captain Hawkes, short story A Helping Hand, Echoes In The Mist and the Outcast series.

Claire demonstrates her love for history and also the supernatural in many of her spellbinding stories. As a commercial participator for the BBC Children in Need Appeal, Claire donates money from her book sales once a year. Visit clairevoet.com

About the book

In 1945 Molly Hazleton is heart broken when her fiancé doesn’t return from the war after being reported “missing in action.” So when Aunt Daphne comes to visit with news of having bought a 17th century manor house at auction in Scotland, Molly welcomes the opportunity to start afresh and help her aunt turn Aberdoch Manor into a hotel.

With a strange sense of déjà vu, Molly struggles to understand her connection with the property having never stepped foot inside of it or even Scotland for that matter. Ross McDaniel, the newly appointed gardener, knows more than he is letting on. And when he shows Molly an ancient yew tree named by the locals as the Ghost Tree, after touching it, Molly discovers a remarkable ability to vividly see and experience her own past life – a life of extreme danger and hardship on the road with the Jacobite in 1745, hunted by the Red Coats for crimes she hasn’t committed. She is also in love with a brave, Scot warrior, leader of the McDaniel clan who soon becomes her husband.

Stirring up forgotten memories and an uncontrollable yearning to be back with those she once loved, Molly is hopelessly torn between very different worlds, two hundred years apart! 

Review

The story begins in the past with a brief encounter and a connection created through common ground and self-preservation. It continues in the middle of the 20th century, as the Second World War comes to end. Families and loved ones, are simultaneously relieved and stricken with grief.

Molly is still reeling from her own personal loss, which is probably why she doesn’t think twice at leaving her family and life behind, and hitting the restart button. Moving to a manor house in Scotland sounds like an amazing adventure that will hopefully keep her mind off her grief. Little does she know that both the present and the past are waiting for her.

This is a dual timeline story, historical fiction with a wee bit of romance. At the core of it though, is essence of understanding when one door closes another one will appear and open eventually. This is not only the case when it comes to most things in life, but most certainly also when the door represents relationships and love. 

The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, the road taken isn’t as clear-cut anymore. I guess the next book is a must read then.

Buy Outcast at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Blossom Spring Publishing pub date 26 May 2022. Buy at Amazon com.