Book Synopsis:

One by one, she undid each event, each decision, each choice.
If Davy had remembered to put on a coat.
If Seamie McGeown had not found himself alone on a dark street.
If Michael Agnew had not walked through the door of the pub on a quiet night in February in his white shirt.

There is nothing special about the day Cushla meets Michael, a married man from Belfast, in the pub owned by her family. But here, love is never far from violence, and this encounter will change both of their lives forever.

As people get up each morning and go to work, school, church or the pub, the daily news rolls in of another car bomb exploded, another man beaten, killed or left for dead. In the class Cushla teaches, the vocabulary of seven-year-old children now includes phrases like ‘petrol bomb’ and ‘rubber bullets’. And as she is forced to tread lines she never thought she would cross, tensions in the town are escalating, threatening to destroy all she is working to hold together.

Tender and shocking, Trespasses is an unforgettable debut of people trying to live ordinary lives in extraordinary times.

My Review:

Trespasses is a gripping, heartbreaking read that has stayed with me.

Firstly as someone who only vaguely remembers the troubles in Ireland I found it fascinating to discover more about these times. I found it shocking to realise how much everyone was affected and how much it impacted on everyday lives. No-one was safe from the hatred between the two sides with even children being targeted as they left school on a daily basis. It was awful to realise that this hatred was further spread in schools, a place that surely should have been teaching both sides of the story and been a place where peace was encouraged. The discrimination impacted other areas too with the police and the army targeting certain groups or making life very difficult for people just because they could.

I absolutely loved the main character Cushla and enjoyed following her throughout the book. I felt that in a lot of ways this was a coming of age story for her as her eyes are opened more to what is happening in her country and how other people live or feel. She’s a very sympathetic character too, I felt very sorry for her as I watched her try to deal with her alcoholic mother and her feelings for Michael while also trying to help Davy’s family. There seemed to be a fragile loneliness about her and I often wished I could reach into the book and give her the hug or be the friend I felt she needed. Her relationship with Michael was interesting to follow though it did seem a bit one sided at times. I never particularly warmed to Michael who I thought was a bit of a sleezy character and just using Cushla. It was interesting to learn more about the law through Michael though and see how people’s prejudices affected people and how some people weren’t given a fair trial just because of which group they were in.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to everyone! I found the book incredibly gripping and I was soon drawn into the story, unable to put the book down. The chapters are all fairly short which made it easy to read and the uncertainty of what might happen next helped keep me turning the pages both desperate to find out but also not sure that I really wanted to. There are some quite vivid descriptions of violence and injury in this book which might not be to everyone’s taste but are in keeping with what was a violent time in Ireland’s history. There are some moments that made me laugh and others which made me tear up as I couldn’t comprehend how anyone could be so needlessly horrible to each other.

I read this as part of the book club I run for Rossiter books and I would highly recommend it as a book club read as there was lots to discuss.

About The Author:

Louise Kennedy grew up near Belfast. Trespasses is her first novel. She is also the author of a collection of short stories, The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac. She has written for The Guardian, The Irish Times, and BBC Radio 4. Before becoming a writer, she worked as a chef for almost thirty years. She lives in Sligo, Ireland.

Good morning everyone! I was tagged by the lovely @portybelle to share my favourite childhood books to mark the children going back to school.

Some of the books in the stack are books I’ve kept from my childhood which is why they look a bit battered. I remember loving all of these and have shared some with my oldest son who has loved them too. It’s been funny reading them with him as the language has changed so much and parts I thought were scary or sad don’t seem to affect him the same way.

I’ve tagged a few people who might want to join in but as always no pressure.

What were your favourite childhood books? See any favourites here?

Good afternoon everyone. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this fabulous looking book recently. Jo Thomas is one of my favourite authors and her books are always amazing.

It feels weird talking about Christmas when it’s one of the hottest days of the year but we are in September now and the festive season will soon be upon us.

Huge thanks to Chloe from Transworld for my copy of this book. I can’t wait to read it soon.

Book Spotlight:

Chloe can’t wait for Christmas . . . to be over! Her son Ruben is staying with his dad and Chloe is planning to ignore the holidays altogether. Her only festive touch is her son’s advent calendar, to help count down the days till he’s home again.

But a surprise call changes everything. Chloe might be the unexpected owner of some land in Canada! Surely, it’s a scam. Or could it be just the escape she needs right now?

Ruben’s latest note in the advent calendar tells her to ‘say yes!’

About The Author:

Jo Thomas worked for many years as a reporter and producer, including time at Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Radio 2’s The Steve Wright Show.

Jo’s debut novel, The Oyster Catcher, was a runaway bestseller and won both the RNA Joan Hessayon Award and the Festival of Romance Best eBook Award. Her recent book Escape to the French Farmhouse was a #1 bestselling eBook and in every one of her novels Jo loves to explore new countries and discover the food produced there, both of which she thoroughly enjoys researching. Jo lives in Pembrokeshire with her husband and three children, where cooking and gathering around the kitchen table are a hugely important and fun part of their family life.

Good morning everyone today on Two For Tuesday I thought I’d feature two biographies that I’m hoping to read soon.

These have been on my tbr for so long and I’m not entirely sure why as I’ve been a huge Foo Fighters fan since the beginning and always loved watching Stanley on MasterChef.

Biographies tend to be a bit hit and miss with me, as I find some of them a bit dry.

Do you read biographies? Any favourites?

The Storyteller by Dave Grohl

THE SUNDAY TIMES NO 1 BESTSELLER  *  ONE OF NME‘s BEST MUSIC BOOKS OF 2021  *  ONE OF VARIETY‘S BEST MUSIC BOOKS OF 2021  *  INCLUDED IN AUDIBLE’S BEST OF THE YEAR LIST

So, I’ve written a book.
 
Having entertained the idea for years, and even offered a few questionable opportunities (‘It’s a piece of cake! Just do four hours of interviews, find someone else to write it, put your face on the cover, and voila!’), I have decided to write these stories just as I have always done, in my own hand. The joy that I have felt from chronicling these tales is not unlike listening back to a song that I’ve recorded and can’t wait to share with the world, or reading a primitive journal entry from a stained notebook, or even hearing my voice bounce between the Kiss posters on my wall as a child. 
 
This certainly doesn’t mean that I’m quitting my day job, but it does give me a place to shed a little light on what it’s like to be a kid from Springfield, Virginia, walking through life while living out the crazy dreams I had as young musician. From hitting the road with Scream at 18 years old, to my time in Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, jamming with Iggy Pop or playing at the Academy Awards or dancing with AC/DC and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, drumming for Tom Petty or meeting Sir Paul McCartney at Royal Albert Hall, bedtime stories with Joan Jett or a chance meeting with Little Richard, to flying halfway around the world for one epic night with my daughters…the list goes on. I look forward to focusing the lens through which I see these memories a little sharper for you with much excitement. 

Taste by Stanley Tucci

From award-winning actor and food obsessive Stanley Tucci comes an intimate and charming memoir of life in and out of the kitchen – the perfect accompaniment to your summer

Before Stanley Tucci became a household name with The Devil Wears Prada, The Hunger Games, and his legendary Negronis, he grew up in an Italian American family that spent every night around he table. In Searching For Italy, he revealed his passion for the secrets and delights of the country’s many cuisines. Now, he shares the magic of a lifetime of meals, and the stories behind them.

Filled with anecdotes about growing up, shooting foodie films like Julie & Julia, falling in love across the table, and making dinner for his family, Taste is a reflection on the joys of food and life itself. Through five-star meals and burnt dishes, and from the good times to the bad, each morsel of this gastronomic journey is as heartfelt and delicious as the last.

Book Synopsis:

Dylan Coughlan has just won a trip around the world. The catch? Her travel partner is a random contact from her phone.

And it’s Jack ‘the Posho’, the man she accidentally ghosted. The two couldn’t be more different, and as the trip kicks off, Jack seems like he’d sooner fling himself into the sun than have a conversation with Dylan which does not bode well for her travel blog. She has to create a hit column documenting her travels…and her love life.

Dylan’s willing to do anything, even if it means embellishing her budding relationship. But as the column’s popularity grows, so does the bond between Dylan and Jack. There’s no denying the fire burning between them.

Will Dylan finally let her heart take flight or will she and Jack come down to Earth with a bump?

The glorious sizzling TikTok rom com perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Ali Hazelwood and Tessa Bailey

My Review:

Wanderlust is a fun, hilarious book that is perfect for escaping into this summer.

Firstly I loved traveling the world with the two main characters and living precariously through them as they explore all the fabulous sounding places they visit. The author’s descriptions are very vivid and I often felt like I was actually there experiencing everything alongside the characters. I spent far to much time googling the places mentioned in the book and have added lots of new travel destinations to my wishlist.

I have to admit I didn’t like Dylan or Jack at the beginning of the book but they grew on me as I got to know them better and they stopped being so prickly with each other. Both have a lot of baggage that they have to work through and I enjoyed watching the two of them as they helped each other. It was lovely to watch the two grow closer and I was sad to leave the two of them behind when the book ended.

The book has a great pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening or a new exciting place to explore that made the book hard to put down. I liked that the book wasn’t just about the travel destinations and that the reader got a chance to get to know the characters backstories too as it made them feel more real. My only slight niggle was that I wish the story had alternated between Jack and Dylan as I would have loved to have seen things from Jack’s point of view too. I’m hoping this is might be something for a future book though as I’d love there to be a sequel!

Huge thanks to Tandem Collective for inviting me onto the read-along and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Elle Everhart writes romantic comedies featuring the internet, sarcasm, and lots of queer characters. She is a secondary English teacher in East London and, when she’s not writing or teaching, she’s hanging out with her son and obsessing over the worst shows on television. Wanderlust is her debut novel.

Good morning everyone! We’re traveling back from our holiday today so I thought I’d share a few destination thrillers I’ve collected recently.

❤️ The Honeymoon by Kate Gray

💛 The Dive by Sara Ochs

💚 The Villa by Ruth Kelly

💜 The Beach Party by Nikki Smith

I’ve already read The Villa which I’d really recommend but I still need to read all the rest. I’ve heard great things about them all so I’m very intrigued.

Huge thanks to everyone for all the shares this week and for sticking with me during my holiday it’s really appreciated!

Have you read any of these?

The Honeymoon by Kate Gray

Two happy couples.
One dead body.
A whole load of secrets.
Married life wasn’t meant to start like this.

On honeymoon in Bali, you hit it off with another newlywed couple and celebrate your last night at a fancy cliff-side restaurant.

No one predicted the evening would end with a dead body. But it was an accident, right? A tragic accident.

The honeymoon may be over but it soon becomes clear that there’s another side to this story . . . and your life depends on uncovering it.

Many marriages can survive anything – but when it starts on a lie is it really ’til death do us part?

The Dive by Sara Ochs

Welcome to your dream holiday. We hope you survive your stay…

ESCAPE TO PARADISE.
Scuba diving instructor Cass leads her students out for their first dive off the beautiful coast of Koh Sang, Thailand’s world-famous party island. It’s supposed to be a life-changing experience, but things quickly spiral out of control…

LEAVE YOUR SECRETS BEHIND.
By the time she gets back to the shore, one of her students is dead, another badly injured, and she knows that her idyllic life is about to be smashed to pieces on the rocks.

BUT DON’T GET LOST FOR EVER…
Because there’s a killer in paradise – and Cass has a feeling she might be next…

Take a deep breath, before you dive into the summer thriller of 2023…

The Villa by Ruth Kelly

A VILLA IN PARADISE
It’s destined to be the ultimate reality TV show. Ten contestants. A luxurious villa on a private island. Every moment streamed live to a global audience who have total control over those competing for the cash prize.

A JOURNALIST UNDERCOVER
Reporter Laura is told to get the inside scoop on her fellow contestants. But once the games begin, she soon finds herself at the mercy of a ruthless producer willing to do anything to increase viewer numbers.

A REALITY SHOW TO DIE FOR
There is more to every contestant than meets the eye, including Laura. They all have secrets they’d like to keep buried, and the pressure in paradise quickly reaches boiling point. How far will the contestants go to secure audience votes? And would somebody really kill to win?

The Beach Party by Nikki Smith

Six friends.
The holiday of their dreams.
One night that changed it all . . .

1989: The tunes are loud and the clothes are louder when a group of friends arrives in Mallorca for a post-graduation holiday of decadence and debauchery at a luxury villa.

A beach party marks the pinnacle of their fun, until it isn’t fun any longer. Because amidst the wild partying – sand flying from dancing feet and revellers leaping from yachts – an accident happens. Suddenly, the night of a lifetime becomes a living nightmare.

Now: The truth about that summer has been collectively buried. But someone knows what happened that night.

And they want the friends to pay for what they did.

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday. I hope you’ve had a good week. I have a book spotlight for Always By Your Side by Julie Haworth on my blog today.

This sounds so lovely and I’m very excited to read it soon. I don’t think I’ve read anything by this author before so I’m very intrigued to try this book.

Huge thanks to the lovely Sara-Jade from Simon and Schuster for my copy of this book.

Would you prefer living in the city or countryside?

Book Synopsis:

When school teacher Rose loses her dream job at a London primary school, her self-confidence takes a knock. Worse still, her stockbroker fiancé, Ollie, sees it as the perfect opportunity for her to join his firm, which only adds to the feelings Rose has that their relationship might be coming to an end.
 
An unexpected phone call, and an elderly aunt who’s taken a fall, means Rose must drop everything – including Ollie – and return to Blossom Heath, the Sussex village she grew up in.
 
With no job to rush home to, Rose decides to stay in Blossom Heath for the Summer, trading London for the idyllic countryside. Here Rose finds herself reconnecting to the village life of her childhood in more ways than one, including falling head-over-heels for local farmer, Jake.
 
So when her London life comes calling, Rose is faced with an impossible choice… to return to the high-pressure life of her past, or embrace the joy of a new life in the country.
​

Bursting with romance and charm, Always By Your Side is the perfect uplifting Summer read for fans of The Switch and Rescue Me, from an exciting new voice in women’s fiction.

About The Author:

Julie Haworth writes uplifting stories about friendship and community, bursting with romance and charm, from her home in the bustling city of Chelmsford, Essex. Her debut novel, Always By Your Side, is being published by Simon & Schuster in August 2022. Julie is still pinching herself that she’s realised her lifelong dream of becoming a published author!

When she’s not busy writing or running her copywriting business, Julie can mainly be found shopping, drinking ridiculous amounts of coffee and hanging out with her two rescue cats. Julie is also a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors.

Julie loves to chat with her readers and you can find her on Twitter @jhaworthauthor or over on Instagram @juliehaworthauthor

Good morning everyone! I was tagged on Instagram to share some books with different types of dwellings in the title or on the cover. When I initially started this challenge I was sceptical about whether I’d find anything other than houses so I was pleasantly surprised with how many I found.

❤️ In The Lives Of Puppets by TJ Klune (I’ve always wanted to live in a treehouse)

🧡 The Secret Of VILLA Alba by Louise Douglas

💛 The Distant Shores by Santa Montefiore (I’d love a house by the sea)

💚 The Secrets Of Rochester Place by Iris Costello

💙 Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim (how beautiful is that palace in the background)

💜The Institution by Helen Fields (a dwelling if sorts but not one I’d like to live in).

🩷 The Paper PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller

I’ve tagged a few people on Instagram who might want to join in, but as always, no pressure.

What type of dwelling would you most like to live in?

Good afternoon everyone and happy Friday. I’m excited to share a Book Spotlight for Christmas By Candlelight by Karen Swan today.

I absolutely love Karen’s books, especially her Christmas ones as they are always wonderfully festive and help get me into the Christmas Spirit. I was thrilled to receive a copy of this, her latest book and I look forward to reading this on the run up to Christmas.

Huge thanks to the lovely Chloe from Pan Macmillan for my copy of this book which is out on the 26th October 2023.

Do you like festive books? When do you start reading them?

Book Synopsis:

Snowed in for the holidays . . .

It’s three days before Christmas and starting to snow when high-flier Libby and her new boyfriend reluctantly attend her university reunion on the way back from a wedding in Yorkshire.

Hosted by Archie Templeton – the heartbreaker of their group – at his grand family estate, the night is a great success until they go to leave: the road is now impassable and they’re given a bed for the night.

At first, being snowed in together is fun as the old friends wait in high spirits for the farmer to clear a path. But as hours pass with no news, everyone grows restless.

Then the power goes out . . .

Hunkered down together by candlelight, they reminisce about old times – and tensions soon start to rise. Secrets from the past begin to unravel and Libby is confronted with a truth she has long tried to deny.

About The Author:

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times Top Three and international best-selling author. Her novels sell all over the world and she writes two books each year – one for the summer period and one for the Christmas season. Her books are known for their evocative locations and Karen sees travel as vital research for each story. She loves to set deep, complicated love stories within twisting plots.

The Last Summer is the first book in her five-book historical series called The Wild Isle Girls, set around the dramatic evacuation of the Scottish island St Kilda in the summer of 1930. It was partly inspired by Karen’s Scottish roots: her father’s family came from Skye, moving to Fort William where Karen was christened and where many of her family still live. Her childhood memories are full of Christmases, Hogmanay and summer holidays spent in the Highlands and she was married there in 2001.

She lives in Sussex with her husband, three children and two dogs.

Book Synopsis:

1968, Sicily Just months after a terrible earthquake has destroyed the mountain town of Gibellina, Enzo and his wife Irene Borgata are making their way back to the family home, Villa Alba, on roads overlooked by the eerie backdrop of the flattened ghost town. When their car breaks down, Enzo leaves his young wife to go and get help, but when he returns there is no trace of Irene. No body, no sign of a struggle, nothing.

2003. TV showman and true crime aficionado Milo Conti is Italy’s darling, uncovering and solving historic crimes for his legion of fans. When he turns his attention to the story of the missing Irene Borgata, accusing her husband of her murder, Enzo’s daughter Maddi asks her childhood friend, retired detective April Cobain, for help to prove her father’s innocence. But the tale April discovers is murky: mafia meetings, infidelity, mistaken identity, grief and unshakable love. As the world slowly closes in on the claustrophobic Villa Alba, and the house begins to reveal its secrets, will the Borgata family wish they’d never asked April to investigate? And what did happen to Enzo’s missing wife Irene?

Bestselling author Louise Douglas returns with an irresistibly compelling, intriguing and captivating tale of betrayal, love, jealousy and the secrets buried in every family history.

My Review:

The Secret Of Villa Alba was an intriguing, gripping dual timeline mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Firstly I really loved the vivid descriptions of Sicily which really made Italy come to life for me. It seems like a beautiful place and I’d love to visit there one day to see the beautiful sounding beaches or walk in the mountains. This is not a book to read while hungry as there were lots of mouth watering descriptions of food throughout the book which sounded absolutely delicious. I actually had to Google recipes for some of the food mentioned as it sounded so good.

The story is told from the point of view of Irene, newly married into the Borgata family and April a retired Inspector who is trying to solve the mystery of Irene’s disappearance. I really loved both the main characters and enjoyed following them throughout the book. They were both strong women, nursing heartache which made me immediately on their side. I felt especially sorry for Irene who was trying to get used to a new country and deal with other family members expectations about what she should be doing.

Overall I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author in the future. The story starts off slowly as the author sets the scene but soon picks up as more about life at the villa is revealed. I quickly found I couldn’t put the book down and often stayed up far too late at night as I was so intrigued by what was happening. I had lots of guesses as to what had happened but I was proven wrong about all of them which I always love. The ending was unexpected and absolutely amazing. My jaw was on the floor as all was slowly revealed as I never would have expected it to end that way.

If you are a fan of gripping, dual timeline books then I highly recommend this book!

About The Author:

I’m Louise, I live in Somerset in South West England & I write contemporary Gothic mysteries mostly set in the countryside close to where I live.

Thrilled to have won the RNA Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller award 2021 for The House by the Sea.When I’m not writing, I love to spend time with my family, friends, kind & funny people and animals – especially dogs, birds and whales. I’m passionate about nature, being outside, drawing wildlife, walking, beaches, fictional drama and books.I really hope you enjoy my books.

If you’d like to connect, find me on Facebook Louise Amy Douglas or @LouiseDouglas3 on Twitter.