Good evening everyone and welcome to another Tunes For Tuesday. Today I’m featuring the lovely Vic Testa and her debut single Just Breathe.
I first met Vic on Twitch where we mod together on Joshua Woo’s stream, who also produced this track. Vic is such a lovely, kind person and it’s always great to talk to her. She streams too, normally gaming at the moment but maybe she’ll start doing a few music streams soon.
Vic says about the song, “It started off as a poem, actually! Once I started my guitar lessons (taught by Josh) I started to play around with chords that I thought suited and then a melody followed! The song represents having anxiety and just needing a chance to take a step back from the chaotic world that surrounds you and just have a moment to yourself when it feels like it can get to be too much”.
You can follow Vic (aka plum frog Vic) on social media and Twitch by clicking on the links below.
Sadly Vic doesn’t have any music on YouTube yet but my understanding is there’s a music video for this song planned soon. It is available to listen to on Spotify or you can buy it from Bandcamp by clicking on the links below.
It’s August 1917 and WW1 continues to take a toll. The villagers of Dorcalon, a mining village in the Rhymney Valley, try to keep hope alive; but every day brings fresh tragedy as more of their sons and fathers are killed on foreign battlefields.
Elizabeth Meredith, daughter of mine manager Herbert, enjoys a privileged position in the village, but she longs to break free of society’s expectations.
Falling in love with miner, Gwilym Owen, brings more joy to her life than she’s ever known… until she’s forced to choose between her love and her disapproving family. Seeking an escape, Elizabeth signs up as a VAD nurse and is swiftly sent to help the troops in France, even as her heart breaks at leaving Gwilym behind.
Separated by society and the Great War, can Elizabeth and Gwilym find their way back together again? Or will their love become another casualty of war?
A romantic, emotional saga set in WW1 – fans of Katie Flynn and Sheila Newberry will adore this captivating read.
Hope In The Valleys is an emotional and gripping book which I found very hard to put down.
Firstly I have to admit that I didn’t realise this was the third book in the series when I started reading but I didn’t feel this was a huge problem as the author was good at catching the reader up with anything that needed to be explained.
I absolutely loved the main character Elizabeth and quickly warmed to her. She soon started to feel like an old friend and I felt quite protective of her as the story went on. I loved that she didn’t care much about class and it was both heartwarming and heartbreaking to watch her fall for Gwilym a local miner as her family really don’t approve with the relationship. I often wished I could step into the book so I could stand up for her against her opinionated mother.
I thought the book was well researched and it was great to learn more about what life was like in Wales at this time, particularly a little about what life was for miners as I hadn’t read much about that before. Elizabeth’s volunteer work as a VAD nurse was a real eye opener and I found it amazing to see what they went through at the front.
Overall I thought this was a beautifully written book that took me on a fantastic journey where I think I experienced every emotion possible. I kept sitting down to read a couple of chapters and look up to realise that I’d read half the book! I will definitely be going back to read the previous books in the series and hope this isn’t the last we’ll see of Elizabeth.
Hugs thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Hera for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Francesca has enjoyed writing since she was a child, largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was good at improvised story telling. She is a member of the RNA and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. Francesca currently lives in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrissian.
He’s saved her life. He’s falling for her. But she’s a killer.
When FBI agent Mike Collins fishes an escaped murderess who claims to be suffering amnesia out of the sea, he is puzzled. A model prisoner, why did she escape when her parole hearing was so close? Who was the man who impersonated an assistant D.A. when he visited her in hospital?
Collins, a committed bachelor who mistrusts women, is nevertheless intrigued by this woman. He is torn between his duty and his strong attraction to this ‘supposedly’ uncaring murderess who rejected her newborn baby in the prison hospital. Can he find out the truth before it is too late?
If you like twisty mysteries and romantic suspense, you’ll adore this pulse-pounding thriller.
Innocence and deception is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
I write historical romance/suspense novels under the name of Alexie Bolton and romantic suspense/crime novels under the name of Toni Bolton.
I am currently writing a medieval fantasy novel.
I studied history and later business and law. I lectured law in a university and left and tutored adults and children.
I lived in a canal cruiser whilst studying at university. It was cold and damp but I was surrounded by wildlife. I live near a canal in a cottage that was once a pub. My husband and I restored the cottage. I wanted to be an interior designer when I was a teenager so I enjoyed renovating the cottage and I am now designing the interior decorations. I ran my house as a guesthouse until COVID arrived. I met many interesting people some of whom became fictional characters in my novels.
My family are psychic and I know sometimes if something is going to happen the next day. When the phone rings I often know who is calling even if I haven’t heard from them in years. I once felt the room go cold when I was in a pub and had to leave. We heard someone had been hung in the pub.
I love animals and have two furry vandals (Birmans) called Angel and Lucifer (Louie for short). I used to have tabby cats who were gentle but mischievous.
My crime and romantic suspense books are often inspired by cases I studied at university or programmes I watch on TV. Escape from fear was inspired by the murder of one of my colleagues on her doorstep. Her friends said she had been stalked by a man before her death.
My historical novels were inspired by the Regency novels written by Georgette Heyer that I devoured when I was a teenager.
I like going to the gym and enjoy Zumba, Yoga and swimming.
I enjoy travelling and my romantic suspense/ crime book, Saving Grace, was inspired by my holiday in the beautiful Mammoth Mountain.
I enjoy art and drawing. I am making cards and a calendar of animal drawings for selling on behalf of a charity in the future.
About The Author:
Dawn Bolton taught law and economics in Higher Education. After leaving formal education she started a tutorial agency. She still tutors adults and children in English, Maths, Creative Writing and French. Recently she has started writing stories and novels. She writes historical romances under the name of Alexie Bolton and romances/suspense/crime under the name of Toni Bolton. She is an enthusiastic artist and illustrates her own children’s stories. She enjoys renovating houses and has renovated a pub which she now runs as a guesthouse. She enjoys skiing, yoga and going to the gym. She shares the house with her husband and her cats Angel and Louie.
SIX COUPLES. ONE LUXURY RESORT. AND THE PERFECT MURDER . . .
You’re on your honeymoon at an exclusive couples-only resort.
You receive a note warning you to ‘Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours’. At dinner that night, five other couples are present, and none of their tables is any nearer or further away than any of the others. It’s as if someone has set the scene in order to make the warning note meaningless – but why would anyone do that?
You have no idea.
You also don’t know that you’re about to be murdered, or that once you’re dead, all the evidence will suggest that no one there that night could possibly have committed the crime.
So who might be trying to warn you? And who might be about to commit the perfect murder?
I’m a huge fan of this author so waited until the weekend when I knew I’d have more reading time. I definitely wasn’t disappointed as this was another brilliant, twisty and addictive read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Firstly i thought it was great fun getting to know all the characters and finding out more about their lives. They are definitely an interesting bunch with lots of secrets to hide and I found it very intriguing to discover more about them as the story unfolded. The story is told from multiple points of views which was a little tricky to start with buit I soon got used it.
The murder mystery was a fascinating one that I think Agatha Christie herself would be very proud of it. I started off thinking it was completely implausible but as the story continued and I learned more about everything I began to see it differently. I found it impossible to figure out and kept changing my opinion on who the murder was was which I always enjoy. I often found myself thinking about the book when I was unable to read, trying to figure everything out.
The ending was brilliant! Hugely satisfying and impossible to predict. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next.
Huge thanks to Jenny Platt from Hodder for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Sophie Hannah is an internationally bestselling crime fiction writer. Her psychological thriller The Carrier won the Specsavers National Book Award for Crime Thriller of the Year in 2013. Sophie is the author of the bestselling Poirot continuation mysteries. The Point of Rescue and The Other Half Lives have been adapted for television as Case Sensitive, starring Olivia Williams and Darren Boyd. Sophie is also a bestselling poet who has been shortlisted for the TS Eliot award. Her poetry is studied at GCSE and A-level. Sophie is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. She lives in Cambridge with her family.
Good morning everyone and happy Friday! I hope you have had a great week. It’s been a bit of a hectic week this week with lots of kids drama and clubs back that have meant I haven’t been able to post my update sooner. Here’s a bit of a update of what I’ve been reading and what I’m hoping to read next.
What I’ve just Finished:
The Couple At The Table by Sophie Hannah
I’m a huge fan of this author so any new book from her is always cause for great excitement. I loved this book which I flew through in a couple of days as I couldn’t put it down. Full review coming as part of the blog tour this Sunday.
Book Synopsis:
SIX COUPLES. ONE LUXURY RESORT. AND THE PERFECT MURDER . . .You’re on your honeymoon at an exclusive couples-only resort.You receive a note warning you to ‘Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours’. At dinner that night, five other couples are present, and none of their tables is any nearer or further away than any of the others. It’s as if someone has set the scene in order to make the warning note meaningless – but why would anyone do that?You have no idea.You also don’t know that you’re about to be murdered, or that once you’re dead, all the evidence will suggest that no one there that night could possibly have committed the crime.So who might be trying to warn you? And who might be about to commit the perfect murder?
The Couple At The Table is out in hardback and ebook on the 27th January 2022. You can pre-order your copy using the links below.
I’ve been hearing lots about this book and it sounded just up my street as I love books set in the roaring twenties. I ordered this from my local library and, although only a few chapters in I’m really enjoying it so far!
Book Synopsis:
A heady historical drama about a British family who open an upper-class hotel on the magical Italian Riviera during the ‘Roaring 20s’.
Hotel Portofino has been open for only a few weeks, but already the problems are mounting for its owner Bella Ainsworth. Her high-class guests are demanding and hard to please. And she’s being targeted by a scheming and corrupt local politician, who threatens to drag her into the red-hot cauldron of Mussolini’s Italy.
To make matters worse, her marriage is in trouble, and her children are still struggling to recover from the repercussions of the Great War. All eyes are on the arrival of a potential love match for her son Lucian, but events don’t go to plan, which will have far reaching consequences for the whole family.
Set in the breathtakingly beautiful Italian Riviera, Hotel Portofino is a story of personal awakening at a time of global upheaval and of the liberating influence of Italy’s enchanting culture, climate and cuisine on British ‘innocents abroad’, perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and The Crown.
After hearing lots of amazing things about this book from fellow book bloggers I decided to treat myself to this beautiful special edition from Waterstones. It’s truly a thing of beauty and I’ve had it perched up on my shelf all week so I can admire it. I’m very much looking forward to reading this next.
Book Synopsis:
I am your maid.I know about your secrets. Your dirty laundry.But what do you know about me?Molly the maid is all alone in the world. A nobody. She’s used to being invisible in her job at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows and wiping away the grime, dust and secrets of the guests passing through. She’s just a maid – why should anyone take notice? But Molly is thrown into the spotlight when she discovers an infamous guest, Mr Black, very dead in his bed. This isn’t a mess that can be easily cleaned up. And as Molly becomes embroiled in the hunt for the truth, following the clues whispering in the hallways of the Regency Grand, she discovers a power she never knew was there. She’s just a maid – but what can she see that others overlook?Escapist, charming and introducing a truly original heroine, The Maid is a story about how the truth isn’t always black and white – it’s found in the dirtier, grey areas in between . . .
You know, things of the heart, they are uniquely human. But fate plays a part too! I think that once two people fall in love, there is no one, no other human being, who can stop them from acting on the longing they feel for each other.
**
I wished Mark hadn’t known me in the past. I wished we could start with some general, universal dating patterns that bring surprise. A painstakingly slow update of what no longer was valid and
what I no longer preferred pushed me backwards, reminding me of my rotten past I wanted to keep firmly shut.
**
It made me think that love is like a magnet. With three rotating magnets we can create electricity and sometimes couples need the third magnet to generate new energy. Sometimes it’s a new child,
sometimes a new job, a new illness, sometimes a new partner.
**
Dear Aron, in writing to you, my memories and dreams come together, they are sheltered, they are understood, they are at home. I used to write my thoughts into various notebooks and on scraps of paper, but now I have them all in one place, for no one but you and me to see. It makes me vulnerable and it makes me happy. The anticipation that you will pick my thoughts up when you log in, and hold in your mind the small tokens of my love for you.
**
That urge to tear apart what is supposed to be held together, where does it come from? Does it start in the womb and set out with the cut of the umbilical cord? Is the child’s separation from the mother the reason why humans are so obsessed with divisions, divorces and differences?
**
‘I was just thinking about what you said. You know, whether the urge to bind and separate is what makes us human … whether that is what love is all about. You know like the black-and-white
keys create music. So love is created through the pulsating space between belonging and liberty.’
**
I kept on asking those questions over and over. I was used to asking complex questions at work, big complicated questions that can go unanswered. The kinds of philosophical questions that expand the human mind. The questions I was asking about Aron shrank the valley of possibilities into howling tunnels that demanded immediate answers. The questions blurred my mind, reshaped it from an ingrained curiosity to a girdling circle.
**
‘Don’t be so harsh on yourself. There are no exams in love. So there are no mistakes either. It is all about how you play it.’
**
Aron killed my ability to move on to other men. It was impossible to unsee that pink shirt worn by another man, to unsmell Aron’s cologne on the underground. Other men could try to infect me with their love virus, but my cells were locked.
**
Lionel toyed with the keys, it sounded like a bird trilling in the woods. He had his eyes closed, I knew his mind was where Chopin’s was when he composed that piece. Not in a busy city, not in a crammed flat with an ill girl. His mind was running its own algorithm, serving him images away from London, with the mellow sound reflecting dew drops falling on birds’ feathers. Darkness had no power to disrupt that sequence. Lionel played and played, driving my thoughts in a carriage propelled by hundreds of notes bound together in a collective voice of our ancestors. We both had our eyes closed because it was a journey to light and its radiation was blinding us.
**
Maybe the algorithm knew more about love than either of us. Everything looked so pristine on the platform. There were no signs of hurt. Maybe the algorithm created a place where hearts do not get broken but are created anew.
About The Author:
Eleni Cay is a Slovakian-born poet living in England and Norway, and writing in English, Slovak, French, Norwegian and Spanish.. Her award-winning first collection ‘A Butterfly’s Trembling in the Digital Age’ was published by Cakanka in Slovakia, Parthian Books in the UK and Hein Verlag in Germany. Her poems appeared in many journals, including Acumen, Atticus Review, The Cardiff Review, Glasgow Review of Books, Envoi or Poetry Ireland Review. Eleni is known for her filmpoems, dancepoems and multimedia poetry, which have been screened at international festivals and featured on Button Poetry. Eleni’s debut novel ‘The Love Virus’ was published in spring 2020. In 2021, Poetry Space published Eleni’s chapbook ‘Celestial Heteroglossia’ and Black Spring Press her second collection ‘Love Algorithm’. Eleni is currently working on a sequel to her first novel.
Good morning everyone and welcome to another Tunes For Tuesday, on a Wednesday cos life got a bit hectic yesterday!
Today I’m featuring one of my favourite artists Joshua Woo and his new single 10-2-1. The thing that I most like about Josh’s music is how he combines catchy tunes with some deep, meaningful lyrics. 10-2-1 is no different with the tune drawing you in before you realise the meaning behind his words. In 10-2-1 Josh tells the fictional story of the final person left on earth to try and make the earth habitable again after everyone else has evacuated due to climate change. It also has themes of loneliness, isolation and regret running through it.
The song was made using a variety of synthesisers and real instruments with additional synth work being provided by fellow twitch musician Delta Crabb. It’s one of my favourite songs to request on stream, I definitely recommend having a listen!
If you’d like to follow Josh on twitch or social media you can do so by clicking on the links below.
They’re lifting off countdown ten to one But someone’s got to stay here and get the job done Hanging on the line in case you try to get through What have we done to you baby blue?
I walk on the surface alone
I wonder if they’ll come back I wonder where they went Can they be forgiven where they’ve been sent? I guess I’ve got a lot of time to kill I’m perfecting making mountains out of molehills I walk on the surface alone Look at it now I walk on the surface alone
How To Listen:
Josh’s music is available to listen to on all major streaming platforms via the links below. I have included the live performance of 10-2-1 as well as a rock mash up to show off Josh’s amazing guitar skills and a fantastic duet with his brother Nathaniel for you to enjoy!
A moving story of love, loss and friendship that breaks and uplifts your heart.
A life filled with loving. A house filled with secrets.
Netta Wilde has a task to complete. She’s agreed to go through the late Edith Pinsent’s diaries and possessions personally. The problem is, she’s been busy sorting out her own life. But she’s in a better place now. She’s free of her manipulative ex, has a new love in neighbour, Frank and has reunited with her kids.
What better time to begin Edie’s story? A story that begins with a wide-eyed young WAAF in wartime Britain and ends with an eccentric old spinster alone with her memories.
But the path to discovery is not easy.
There are missing diaries to contend with, hidden clues to uncover and revelations that turn everything on its head. Revelations that make Netta question if her own life really is sorted.
Delving deeper into Edith’s history, Netta is overtaken by a need to revisit her own past and put things right, but to do that she has to find the two people who once meant everything to her.
As her two challenges intertwine, Netta realises that Edith had a purpose for her. One that she must fulfil
Bit by bit, the house yields a lifetime of secrets and the real Edith Pinsent begins to emerge.But will it be the Edith everyone thought they knew?
Finding Edit Pinsent is available in ebook and paperback now.
Finding Edith Pinsent is a bittersweet, magical and absorbing read that I really enjoyed. I love books that takes you through a person’s life so you feel you know them intimately and are living their life alongside them. This book has an interesting twist on the classic format as it starts on the last day of Edith’s life so the reader only gets to know her through the journal entries Netta reads.
The story is told in two timelines one following Netta and the other flashing back over the events of Edith’s life. I must admit I did enjoy Edith’s storyline a bit more as I found it fascinating to experience the events of the 20th century through her. Her diary entries about her war experiences were particularly fascinating and I enjoyed the different angle they provided. It was interesting to read about ordinary people’s war experiences and to learn how it was a great leveller as it affected everyone.
Overall i really enjoyed this beautiful book which will definitely be staying with me. The way the book is written made me feel like was actually there experiencing everything alongside the characters. I felt I really got to know them so felt everything that happened to them keenly like I was experiencing it too. I think I went through every emotion whilst reading and was sad to finish the book and leave Netta and Edith behind. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I can’t wait to read more from her in the future.
Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Hazel Ward was born in inner city Birmingham. By the time the city council packed her family off to the suburbs, she was already something of a feral child who loved adventures. Swapping derelict houses and bomb pecks for green fields and gardens was a bit of a culture shock but she rose to the occasion and grew up loving outdoor spaces and animals. Strangely, for someone who couldn’t sit still, she also developed a ferocious reading habit and a love of words. She wrote her first novel at fifteen, along with a lot of angsty poems, and was absolutely sure she wanted to be a writer. Sadly, it all came crashing down when her seventeen-year-old self walked out of school in a huff one day and was either too stubborn or too embarrassed to go back. It’s too long ago to remember which. Against all odds, she somehow managed to blag her way into a successful corporate career until finally giving it all up to do the thing she’d always wanted to do. Shortly after, she began to write her debut novel Being Netta Wilde. Hazel still lives in Birmingham and that’s where she does most of her writing, although she spends a lot of time in Shropshire or gadding about the country in an old motorhome. Not quite feral anymore but still up for adventures.
Lisa Gardener is one of my favourite authors so I’m always hugely excited, and a bit impatient, to start new books from her. One Step Too Far was another fantastic, gripping and exciting read from her. I’m going to find it difficult to review as I don’t want to give anything away.
It was great to be back with Frankie, solving a cold case alongside her. She has to be one of my favourite fictional characters as her bravery in new situations and her simple, but effective, approach to things is always impressive to read about. I liked the way she brought some humour into a terrifying situation which often made me laugh in tense situations helping to make the tension more bearable.
This story combined two of my favourite things a tense murder mystery with a harsh , unpredictable terrain so I quickly settled into the book as I knew I would enjoy it. I found it very interesting learning more about mountain rescue and survival in harsh terrain. The use of a cadaver dog in the story was fascinating especially how they were trained and how they were used in such exhibitions.
Overall I really enjoyed this fast paced, thrilling book which I raced through in a few days. The chapters are fairly short and I found myself trying to fit in one more chapter throughout the day, often trying to hide away from the kids so I could read. The weird events in the book made me very intrigued and the tension slowly increases as the group go deeper into the woods. I had all sorts of theories in my head about what was going on and I think I suspected everyone as the story unfolded. The ending was brilliant and very unexpected which I always love. I can’t wait to read more from this talented author.
Huge thanks to Rachel from Century books for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Lisa Gardner started her writing career aged seventeen. Having caught her hair on fire while working in food service, crafting a novel seemed a safer bet. A mere ten years later she became an overnight success with the publication of her first thriller, The Perfect Husband.
Now an internationally bestselling author and winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for best suspense novel, Lisa lives in the mountains of New Hampshire with her family.
When not glued to her computer, she can be found hiking the mountains with her dogs and/or researching new and interesting ways to get away with murder.
Germany, late summer 1945 – The war is over but the country is in ruins. Millions of refugees and holocaust survivors strive to rebuild their lives in displaced persons camps. Millions of German soldiers and SS men are held captive in primitive conditions in open-air detention centres. Everywhere, civilians are desperate for food and shelter. No one admits to having voted Nazi, yet many are unrepentant.
Adolf Hitler is said to have killed himself in his Berlin bunker. But no body was found – and many people believe he is alive. Newspapers are full of stories reporting sightings and theories. Even Stalin, whose own troops captured the bunker, has told President Truman he believes the former Führer is not dead. Day by day, American and British intelligence officers subject senior members of the Nazi regime to gruelling interrogation in their quest for their truth.
Enter Tom Wilde – the Cambridge professor and spy sent in to find out the truth…
Dramatic, intelligent, and brilliantly compelling, THE MAN IN THE BUNKER is Rory’s best WWII thriller yet – perfect for readers of Robert Harris, C J Sansom and Joseph Kanon.
I’ve been a huge fan of this series since the start so I was very excited to get an early copy of this book to review. It was great to be back with Tom Wilde following him on another exciting investigation. This time he is joined by Mozes Heck a Jewish army lieutenant from the British army who is out for revenge on those who killed his family during the war. He is extremely trigger happy, which definitely keeps Tom on his toes. He helps add another exciting element to the book as you were never sure what he was going to do.
I’ve read a lot of books set during the war but not many describing what life was like after the war In Germany. I found it very interesting to learn more about this especially that the population seemed divided between deep shame over what happened and while some were still defiant in their loyalty to Hitler despite all he’d done. The author’s descriptions of ordinary people who had been displaced or were suffering because of events in the war were very poignant and helped add an emotional element to the thriller too.
Overall I really enjoyed this book which I thought was a fast paced and hugely exciting read. The book starts at a great pace and doesn’t really let up as there was always something happening to keep me turning the pages. The book follows Tom and Mozes through some very remote and harsh terrain which I found very interesting to explore with them. The ending was very unexpected and I’m hopeful will lead to more adventures with Tom in the future despite the war being over.
Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Zaffre for my copy of this book via netgalley. If you’re a fan of historical thrillers, I highly recommend this series!
About The Author:
RORY CLEMENTS is a Sunday Times bestselling author. He won the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award for his second novel, Revenger, and a TV series of the John Shakespeare novels is currently in development. His latest novel, Hitler’s Secret, is a Sunday Times bestseller.
Over The Rainbow Blog 