🎅🏻 Festive Book Review ~ Let The Bells Rings Out by Milly Johnson

Simon and Schuster
23 October 2025

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

 

The Yorkshire Belle is a glamorous steam train all decked out for an escapist festive getaway. It is not supposed to be where a group of people, all trying to get to their destinations for the holidays, will spend their Christmas. 

Seven people, each with their own hopes and dreams, secrets and sorrows, board the train as strangers, but as the snow keeps falling and they realise they are going nowhere fast, they are forced to slow down and embrace the present.

This Christmas on board the Yorkshire Belle, will the friendships they make change their lives forever.

🎅🏻My Review..

Seven strangers are all on their way somewhere for Christmas when they are stranded in thick snow at a remote railway station. None of them have much in common but with the weather worsening and with no sign of any of them reaching their destination they are surprised to find an unoccupied and rather luxurious steam train just silently waiting for passengers to climb aboard.

With no alternative but to make the most of what’s on offer, the seven strangers begin to experience something really special, not just from the hospitality on offer on board The Yorkshire Belle but also from discovering more about each other. Hopes and wishes, life experiences, troubled times and lost opportunities are all shared and as the warmth of friendship blossoms so individual problems seem to be smoothed away.

As comforting as a glass of creamy hot chocolate, Let the Bells Ring Out is the most perfectly magical festive story which will not only warm the cockles of your heart but will also restore your faith in human kind. I absolutely loved it.

About the Author

Milly Johnson was born raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. A Sunday Times bestseller, she is one of the top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, and with millions of copies of her books sold across the world, Milly’s star continues to rise. Milly writes from the heart about what she knows and highlights the importance of community spirit. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience and celebrate love, friendship, and the possibility of second chances. She is an exceptional writer who puts her heart and soul into every book she  writes and every character she creates.

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📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ His Other Woman by Valerie Keogh

 

Boldwood Books
November 2025

My thanks to the publisher for my invitation to read this book

Fiona Carlton has never needed a man to make her life complete. Until she meets charming, handsome and sophisticated Richard. She is consumed, first by lust, then by a love for him that overwhelms her. The only problem? Richard already has a wife. But a little detail like that isn’t going to stand in Fiona’s way…

Richard’s wife, Lydia, however, is not a woman to be trifled with. She’s sacrificed everything for her husband, been the perfect stay-at-home wife and mother, raised two beautiful children, built a happy home full of memories. She refuses to stand by and watch a woman like Fiona take what’s hers.

But when both women discover the truth about the man they love, everything changes…

And Richard is about to learn that if a woman scorned is dangerous, two wronged women are deadly.

📖 My Review..

When Fiona and Richard meet inadvertently it opens up a whole series of events which neither of them could ever have imagined. Richard is everything Fiona wants, he’s suave, sophisticated and successful, the only down side is that Richard has been happily married to Lydia for forty years. In this cleverly put together psychological thriller we get to watch the whole of the story play out with vignettes from Fiona, the sexy and charismatic mistress, Lydia, the rather frumpy and downtrodden wife and Richard, a man with a complicated secret in his past.

Like all the books I have read by this author I race through the story in one sitting and His Other Woman is no exception. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen when all the tangled threads came together and believe me there are threads a plenty to work your way through. Each of the central characters add their own personality, some are definitely more likeable than others, but they are always totally believable in the way that the story wraps around them and brings them all to life.

The ending is great, there’s an edginess to it which made me finish the book with a wry smile and having throughly enjoyed another great story from this talented writer, I’m already looking forward to the next one.

About the Author

Valerie Keogh is the internationally bestselling author of several psychological thrillers and crime series, most recently published by Bloodhound. She originally comes from Dublin but now lives in Wiltshire and worked as a nurse for many years. Her first thriller for Boldwood was published in August 2022.

​

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📖 Blogathon ~ Night by Night by Jack Jordan

Simon & Schuster
26 February 2026

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book and to Compulsive Readers for the opportunity
to take part in this Blogathon

 

If you're reading this, I'm dead.

Rejected by her family and plagued by insomnia, Rose Shaw is on the brink. But one dark evening she collides with a man running through the streets, who quickly vanishes. The only sign he ever existed - a journal dropped at Rose's feet.

She begins to obsessively dedicate her sleepless nights to discovering what happened to Finn Matthews, the mysterious author of the journal. Why was he convinced someone wanted to kill him? And why, in the midst of a string of murders, won't the police investigate his disappearance?

Rose is determined to uncover the truth. But she has no idea what the truth will cost her...

My Review..

After a tragic accident, and with her relationship with her husband and daughter in ruins, Rose Shaw’s life is in complete breakdown. Suffering from chronic insomnia Rose seems trapped in a world of her own, always out of step with the world around her. When she inadvertently comes across a journal written by another person in turmoil, it starts an obsessive interest in discovering more about the author of the journal,  and as Rose starts to delve deeper she gets dragged into a dark and dangerous place.

Night by Night is definitely a story which grabs your attention from the very beginning and doesn’t let up on the tension until the whole of this complicated plot is revealed with so much detail it made me both sad and angry in equal measure. The writing is intense, often gritty and quite disturbing in places, it reveals so much of what’s dark and dangerous that I had to keep reminding myself that this was fiction.  

There is no doubt that the author  is very skilful and writes this dark and gritty crime really well. He has an uncanny knack of making even the most unlikeable of characters relatable, and believe me there are several in this story who are really so obnoxious they made my blood boil. The momentum of the story never falters, there are no loose ends left hanging and there is never a moment when I didn’t want to keep turning the pages even though at times I was fearful of what Rose was going to discover next.

Having been involved in this Blogathon to feature the re-published books in this crime series I am continually impressed by this author’s writing and how quickly I become invested in the plot. Night by Night is no exception as it continues the genre with a story which tugs away at every one of your emotions.

About the Author

Jack Jordan is the global bestselling author of Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes, Night by Night, Do No Harm and Conviction, and an Amazon No. 1 bestseller in the UK, Canada and Australia.

Do No Harm was described as ‘chilling’ by Sarah Pearse, ‘brilliant’ by Lesley Kara and ‘pulse-racing’ by Louise Candlish. It was an instant Times bestseller on first publication and a Waterstones Thriller of the Month pick.

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🎅🏻 Festive Read ~ Cold Blooded Killer by Alex Pine

Avon Books
October 2025
DI James Walker #6
Thank you to the publisher for my copy of this book

Journalist Gordon Carver receives news that sends a chill down his spine. Rushing home from the pub, he frantically calls his police contact, DCI James Walker to share his discovery, only to be struck from behind, plunging him into darkness.

James misses the call, and by the time he arrives at the crime scene, Gordon is dead. With his name as the last entry in Gordon's phone, James is thrust into a chilling investigation. What vital information was Gordon about to reveal, and who silenced him?

With no witnesses and scant evidence, James races against time to uncover the truth. Can he uncover the mystery before the killer slips away?

🎅🏻 My Review..

DCI James Walker unfortunately has to leave his wife and his young children on Christmas Day in order to start the investigation into the death of local journalist, Gordon Carver, whose body has been found in suspicious circumstances. What then follows is a complex murder investigation which becomes more and more complicated as time goes on and with several suspects DCI Walker and his team are determined to track down the perpetrator.

I thought the writer kept up the intensity of the story and whilst I have only read one previous book, and that was the very first in the series, I was soon able to pick up the dynamic of the plot and thought that the interaction between the detectives in the investigative team was good with DCI Walker very much in control of everything. There’s a definite festive edge to the story, the Cumbrian setting works well as does the cold and snowy weather. The short and snappy chapters ensure that the story moves along quickly and with several twists and turns, and quite a few red herrings, I found that I had to keep amending who I thought had murdered Gordon Carver. The ending pulled everything together well and with a successful outcome for DCI Walker I am sure we will see him return in another Christmas crime story next year.

About the Author

Alex Pine is the pseudonym of a bestselling author who has also written books under the names Jaime Raven, James Raven and JP Carter. He was born and raised on a council estate in South London and left school at sixteen. Before long, he embarked on a career in journalism, which took him all over the world - many of the stories he covered were crime-related. He then became a television producer and for a number of years was director of a major UK news division and co-owned a TV production company. He now splits his time between homes in Hampshire and Spain with his wife.

📖 Blog Tour ~ Ripples Through Time by Christina Courtenay

Headline Review 
20 November 2025

Thanks to the publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources
for the book and invitation to the tour

A love that will change them forever

A treasure that will bring them home

West Mercia, AD 873 – Merewen's settlement is on guard against the outside threat of the ‘Heathen’ Norsemen. But for Merewen, the real threats come from within, as her future is cruelly snatched away from her.

Eirik, a Norseman, finds himself abandoned and injured after his uncle’s plunder of Mercian land goes wrong. He thinks his fate is sealed – until Merewen saves his life.

Hereford, Present Day – Left reeling after a huge betrayal, Alix moves to her grandfather's farm in Hereford to heal her broken heart. There, after being given a family heirloom, she soon finds herself haunted by memories of a life she never lived, a relationship she never had, and a time in which she never existed.

Local farmer Noah is being hounded by the police to find the Viking hoard that his sister and her criminal boyfriend stole from his farm. Noah must prove his own innocence while struggling to decipher the curious connection he has to newcomer Alix – a bond that seems to transcend their own reality.

As they search for the lost treasure, Alix and Noah start to feel the whispers of a love they never expected, one powerful enough to echo through history.

📖 My Review..

Echoes of the past feature strongly in this dual time story between Merewen and Eirik in West Mercia in AD 873 and of their modern day counterparts, Alix and Noah, in rural Hereford. Whilst each story is quite separate there is a definite thread of connection running throughout the narrative especially when Alix and Noah experience some  unexpected sights and sensations from this long ago era.

I’ve enjoyed spending time in both time frames especially discovering more about Merewen’s life, the dangers she faced from within her community and her undeniable attraction to Eirik, a fierce Norseman, who is more used to combat than living in peace. Whilst in present day Hereford both Alix and Noah are facing challenges, especially for Alix as she leaves her old life behind to make a new start and also for Noah as he discovers more about the land he calls home and the Viking hoard which was once buried on his farmland.

The transition between the two time frames is seamless and with neither one seeking to outshine the other I was equally enthralled in spending time in AD 873 as I was in the present day. There’s a real sense of authenticity and the author does a great job in bringing history alive, I could well imagine being with Merewen as she goes about her duties in the settlement and yet was also just as comfortable with Noah on his Herefordshire farm. 

Ripples Through Time is a beautifully written dual timeline story, with lovely characterisation and two heartfelt romances both of which give us a glimpse into the power of a love affair which transcends time.

About the Author

Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip/dual time and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a Vice President and former chairman and of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the Runes. RIPPLES THROUGH TIME (dual time historical romance published by Headline Review 21st November 2025) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety)

Website: http://www.christinacourtenay.com

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🎅🏻 Festive Read ~ Christmas Tree : Ten Poems of Wishes and Lights from Candlestick Press

Candlestick Press
September 2025

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this pamphlet 

Many of us still love the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree to bring the light indoors during the darkest days of winter.

This festive mini-anthology captures their special magic, so symbolic of family and spending time with loved ones. There are poems about choosing the right tree and carrying it home, being a tree in a forest in all the wonder of winter, even finding a small owl hiding in a tree’s branches over the holidays. There’s also a poem about a magnificent tree made entirely of books that tickles the ceiling.

Central to everything is the tree itself:

“…Inside, the tree
claims its space, cloaked in glitter,
wearing winter’s hush like a crown.”

from ‘Gown of Needles’ by Gail Lawler

These beautifully varied poems explore the importance of Christmas trees, alight with all our memories, sparkles and wishes.

Poems by Jeanette Burton, ee cummings, Olga Dermott-Bond, Robert Frost, Gail Lawlor, SinéadMorrissey, CP Neild, Rhonda Stephen’s, Molly Thapviwat and Polly Walshe.

Cover illustration by Sara Boccaccini Meadows.

🎅🏻 My Review..

I’ve had the same artificial Christmas tree for well over thirty years because having had adventurous cats it seemed safer not to give them the option of scrabbling through pine needles and overturning a real tree. So every year our faithful old tree comes out of its box in the loft and gets adorned with our favourite decorations. Delicate glass ornaments I bought from a local glass designer, magical figures chosen by my children when they were small, the remaining two baubles I purchased as a young bride for my first Christmas in my new home and now festive memories my grandchildren bring to the tree. All have special meaning and that is exactly what this lovely anthology shares with us, all those evocative memories which help to bring the light of Christmas into our hearts.

I especially loved this one as I attempted a book tree one year (see below)

“ We build our Christmas tree each year

pulling down books

from every shelf,

piling them up and up

on the living room floor “

From Our Book Tree (i) by CP Neild

My Book Tree
©Jaffareadstoo
2014

I look in awe at sumptuously decorated trees with everything perfectly matching with a specific colour scheme but if I’m really honest I prefer a hotch-potch Christmas tree which is decorated with lovely memories of the past, reflections of what has been, hope for the future.

This idea is beautifully shared in this lovely poem:

“ Every year we carry it up

from the basement-

a ritual of dust and remembering.

And every year

it stands again,

quietly holding

what we no longer can.”

From Inheritance by Molly Thapviwat

Beautifully presented with a colourful cover, Christmas Tree : Ten Poems of Wishes and Lights is a wonderfully evocative anthology of poems which touch the heart in a special way and with just a month to go before Christmas if you are looking for something special instead of a card then this anthology is a perfect gift for anyone who loves Christmas and especially Christmas trees 🌲 

About the Publisher 

Candlestick Press is a small, independent press publishing sumptuously produced poetry pamphlets that serve as a wonderful alternative to a greetings card, with matching envelopes and bookmarks left blank for your message. Their subjects include Mountains, Clouds, Walking, Birds, Wine and Happiness. Candlestick Press pamphlets are stocked by chain and independent bookshops, galleries and garden centres nationwide and available to order online.

Twitter/X @poetrycandle 

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📖 Blog Tour ~ Death of A Stranger by John Pilkington

Boldwood Books
14 November 2025

Bishopsgate Ward Mystery #1

Thanks to Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources 
for the book and invitation to the blog tour

1594, Bishopsgate Ward, London. Within the walls and without, unease and uncertainty lurk beneath the noise and bustle of a smoky, teeming city.

Matthew Cutler, newly widowed and caring for two spirited daughters, takes his position as constable for the parish of Spitalfields very seriously. So when Paulo Brisco, a quiet Venetian perfumer is found brutally murdered in his own shop, Cutler throws himself into his first major crime, and one which threatens to set all Bishopsgate alight. 

Being a humble parish constable, Matthew Cutler’s powers are slight – and yet he possesses a skill which most others do not. As a former actor he can employ disguise, to considerable effect and to his unique advantage...

Plunged into a treacherous world of notorious rakes, angry tradesmen and a community seething with anti-foreigner sentiment and suspicion, Cutler must decipher shattered clues and confront a killer whose motive remains a baffling mystery - until the very last.

📖 My Review..

Elizabethan London with its dark and dangerous corners features in the mysterious and brutal death of Alessandro Brisco, a Venetian perfumer, who has his premises in Spitalfields. Matthew Cutler is a newly widowed, former actor with Pembroke’s Men, who has agreed to take on the office of constable, in lieu of his father-in-law, for the Bishopsgate Ward. Cutler takes his responsibilities seriously and he is respected, and occasionally feared, by some of the inhabitants who call this part of London home. Discovering who wanted the quiet perfumer dead will take all of Cutler’s considerable skills as he delves further and further into the mysterious life of Alessandro Brisco.

This is a really atmospheric and well written Elizabethan murder mystery which highlights the dangers of living in a time when neighbours were suspicious of neighbours and to be a stranger was to incite anger amongst those who felt threatened by their very presence in the neighbourhood. There’s an authenticity to both place and the people and I thought that the author did a great job of introducing us to the ordinary folk who inhabited Elizabethan London, the sights, sounds and smells of an overcrowded city are brought to life.

The author has created a likeable and engaging character in Matthew Cutler, I enjoyed getting to know him, learning about his family and the relationships he has with others all help to create a well rounded character who I am sure we will get to know well as the series progresses. The murder mystery at the heart of the story is done well, keeping the momentum of the investigation going without it ever becoming overly complicated. 

Death of a Stranger gets this new Elizabethan murder mystery series off to a really strong start.

About the Author

A writer for over forty years, John Pilkington was born in Lancashire and worked at many jobs including laboratory assistant, farm worker, weaver, shipping clerk, picture frame-maker and cabaret musician before taking a degree in Drama and English and finding his true vocation. He has since written plays for radio and theatre, television scripts for a BBC soap, a short-lived children’s series and numerous works of historical fiction, concentrating now on the Tudor and Stuart eras. He also ventured into speculative fiction with his biography of Shakespeare’s famous jester, Yorick.

He now lives in a village on a tidal estuary in Devon with his long-term partner Elisabeth; they have a son who is a psychologist and musician. When not at the desk he walks, swims, listens to music and tinkers with d.i.y. projects, and is enjoying being a grandfather.

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