Good morning everyone! I thought I’d share some of the Non Fiction books I would like to read soon. I’ve decided to try and read a bit more non fiction this year as it always seems such a fascinating genre but sadly one that I never seem to quite get around to reading. These are all books that have been recommended to me from other bloggers with the exception of I May Be Wrong which I’m reading as part of the Tandem Collective read-along.

Do you have any non fiction recommendations for me?

I May Be Wrong by Björn Natthiko Lindeblad

The Sunday Times bestselling book of comfort and timeless wisdom from former forest monk, Björn Natthiko Lindeblad

We like to think we can determine the path our life takes, but events rarely unfold the way we plan for or expect. In this international bestseller, former forest monk Björn Natthiko Lindeblad draws on his humbling journey towards navigating uncertainty – helping you, with kindness and good humour, to:

– Let go of the small stuff
– Accept the things you cannot control
– Manage difficult emotions
– Find stillness at busy times
– Face yourself – and others – without judgment

Infusing the everyday with heart and grace, this is a wise and soothing handbook for dealing with life’s challenges.

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.

Before Stanley Tucci became a household name with The Devil Wears Prada, The Hunger Games, and the perfect Negroni, he grew up in an Italian American family that spent every night around the table. He shared the magic of those meals with us in The Tucci Cookbook and The Tucci Table, and now he takes us beyond the recipes and into the stories behind them.

Taste is a reflection on the intersection of food and life, filled with anecdotes about growing up in Westchester, New York, preparing for and filming the foodie films Big Night and Julie & Julia, falling in love over dinner, and teaming up with his wife to create conversation-starting meals for their children. Each morsel of this gastronomic journey through good times and bad, five-star meals and burnt dishes, is as heartfelt and delicious as the last.

Written with Stanley’s signature wry humour and nostalgia, Taste is a heartwarming read that will be irresistible for anyone who knows the power of a home-cooked meal.

The Year Of Living Danishly by Helen Russell

Given the opportunity of a new life in rural Jutland, Helen Russell discovered a startling statistic: Denmark, land of long dark winters, cured herring, Lego and pastries, was the happiest place on earth.

Keen to know their secrets, Helen gave herself a year to uncover the formula for Danish happiness.

From childcare, education, food and interior design to SAD and taxes, The Year of Living Danishly records a funny, poignant journey, showing us what the Danes get right, what they get wrong, and how we might all live a little more Danishly ourselves.

In this new edition, six years on Helen reveals how her life and family have changed, and explores how Denmark, too – or. her understanding of it – has shifted. It’s a messy and flawed place, she concludes –  but can still be a model for a better way of living.

Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

The compelling, inspiring, (often comic) coming-of-age story of Trevor Noah, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.

One of the comedy world’s brightest new voices, Trevor Noah is a light-footed but sharp-minded observer of the absurdities of politics, race and identity, sharing jokes and insights drawn from the wealth of experience acquired in his relatively young life. As host of the US hit show The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, he provides viewers around the globe with their nightly dose of biting satire, but here Noah turns his focus inward, giving readers a deeply personal, heartfelt and humorous look at the world that shaped him.

Noah was born a crime, son of a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother, at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the first years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, take him away.

A collection of eighteen personal stories, Born a Crime tells the story of a mischievous young boy growing into a restless young man as he struggles to find his place in a world where he was never supposed to exist. Born a Crime is equally the story of that young man’s fearless, rebellious and fervently religious mother – a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence and abuse that ultimately threatens her own life.

Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Noah illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and an unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a personal portrait of an unlikely childhood in a dangerous time, as moving and unforgettable as the very best memoirs and as funny as Noah’s own hilarious stand-up. Born a Crime is a must read.

Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

Rich with humour, insight, compassion – and absolute honesty – Tiny Beautiful Things is a balm for everything life throws our way, administered by the author of the New York Times-bestselling memoir, Wild.

Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you, you lose a family member, you can’t pay the bills. But it can be pretty great, too: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life, you get that plum job, you muster the courage to write your novel. Everyday across the world, people go through the full and glorious gamut of life – but sometimes, a little advice is needed.

For several years, thousands turned to Cheryl Strayed, a then-anonymous internet Agony Aunt. But unlike most Agony Aunts, this one’s advice was spun from genuine compassion and informed by a wealth of personal experience – experience that was sometimes tragic and sometimes tender, often hilarious and often heartbreaking. Having successfully battled her own demons while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, Cheryl Strayed sat down to answer the letters of the frightened, the anxious, the confused; and with each gem-like correspondence – of which the best are collected in this volume – she proved to be the perfect guide for those who had got a little lost in life.

Book Synopsis:

Malaya, 1920: Two girls make a promise in the shadows of the jungle. A promise that life will not let them easily keep.

Malaya, 1941: Ella is running her late father’s tin mine in the Kledang hills, while Noor works as her cook.

When the war that felt so far away suddenly arrives on their doorstep, Ella is torn apart from her family. Her daughter Grace is left in Noor’s care as Japanese soldiers seize the mine.

Ella is forced to make an impossible choice that takes her to England, thousands of miles from home. She is desperate to be reunited with her loved ones. But will the life she returns to be anything like the life she left behind?

My Review:

The Forgotten Promise is a beautifully written, absorbing and fascinating read which I really enjoyed.

Firstly the author has clearly done her research and I felt truly transported to wartime Malaya and England. I didn’t know much about the Japanese invasion of Malaya so I found all the little details the author includes in the story really fascinating. I often found myself googling things that I’d read about which is a sure sign that I’m enjoying a book.

The characters the author has created are brilliant and I enjoyed following them throughout the book. It was really lovely to follow the girls throughout their friendship and watch them grow closer as the story continues. It was quite emotional to see how much war affected the two of them and how it changed them. The author cleverly writes the story so that the reader feels they are right there with the girls, somehow included in their friendship and experiencing everything alongside them. This makes the story more hard hitting at times as you feel so much more involved in the story.

I found this book very absorbing and I soon found myself drawn into the girls world. There always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading and even in the quieter moments I found the book hard to put down as I was so invested in the story, wanting to find out what happens next. This is actually the second book in the series which I didn’t realise before I started reading but it can easily be read as a standalone as anything you need to know is explained. If you’re a fan of historical fiction you need to read this book!

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Paula has lived in various places, including Singapore, where she was based for three years. It was while living in Singapore that the first seeds of her debut novel, Journey to Paradise developed. The crumbling buildings and the modern high-rises popping up almost overnight seemed to be a metaphor for the social diversity and change in Singapore at that time. However, as a young mother living there, she wondered what it must have been like as a post-war colonial wife living miles away from the familiarity of home. Despite the gloss and glamour of colonial living, women were frequently stuck in unhappy marriages, often unable to follow careers or have the independence to divorce if things went wrong – which they inevitably did.

Her writing, although set against exotic backgrounds, is set on the cusp of change – the shift from colonial dominance to independence. She likes to dig into a variety of issues, and her main protagonist is, in many ways, a metaphor for the events surrounding her at that time. It isn’t always an easy journey, but in the end, success comes her way.

Book Synopsis:

They will have justice. They will show their power. They will not burn.

Norway, 1662. A dangerous time to be a woman, when even dancing can lead to accusations of witchcraft. After recently widowed Zigri’s affair with the local merchant is discovered, she is sent to the fortress at Vardø to be tried as a witch.

Zigri’s daughter Ingeborg sets off into the wilderness to try to bring her mother back home. Accompanying her on this quest is Maren – herself the daughter of a witch – whose wild nature and unconquerable spirit gives Ingeborg the courage to venture into the unknown, and to risk all she has to save her family.

Also captive in the fortress is Anna Rhodius, once the King of Denmark’s mistress, who has been sent in disgrace to the island of Vardø. What will she do – and who will she betray – to return to her privileged life at court?

These Witches of Vardø are stronger than even the King. In an age weighted against them, they refuse to be victims. They will have their justice. All they need do is show their power.

My Review:

The Witches Of Vardø is an atmospheric, chilling and absorbing read that will stayed with me.

The story is told from the point of view of three women: Anna, Ingeborg and Maren who all help bring a different element to the story. I wasn’t really sure about Anna to begin with as I was never completely sure about her motives and whose side she was on. As such it took me a little while to warm to her despite the awful situation she finds herself in. I loved Ingeborg who bought a little bit of innocence into the story and Maren who seemed a very feisty, independent lady. I enjoyed watching their friendship develop and the way they helped each other through things.

I didn’t know anything about the Norwegian witch trials so I found it fascinating to discover more about them. It was really chilling to learn how awfully they were treated and how women could be harshly punished for the smallest crimes or suspicion. It made my blood boil to read about it and my heart went out to all the women who might have suffered.

The author does a great job of setting the scene and I really felt transported to Norway like I was experiencing everything alongside the women. I felt like I could actually feel the biting cold, smell the awful accommodation Anna finds herself in and feel the fear of the characters situation. It made me glad that the world has moved on from this time.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and can’t believe it’s the author’s debut. The story did start a little slow but soon became very gripping as there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. The tension in the book slowly creeps up until it’s almost palpable which meant I read far to late into the night. If you’re a fan of absorbing historical fiction then I highly recommend this book.

Huge thanks to Tracey for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Bonnier for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Anya Bergman became interested in the Witch Trials of Vardø and the vivid folk tales of the North while living in Norway. She became fascinated by the trials and the women murdered there on a visit to the Steilneset memorial, in which Louise Bourgeois and Peter Zumthor commemorated the persecution of women accused of witchcraft. Now resident in Edinburgh, Anya graduated with distinction from the Creative Writing programme at Edinburgh Napier University.

Good morning everyone here are 6 books I’m hoping to read this month.

River Sing Me Home is for a blog tour and the rest are all books that I’ve been wanting to read for a while as I’ve heard lots of great things about them. I’m really hoping I get to read them this month.

Have you read any of these?

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

Who knows you better than your best friend? Who knows your secrets, your fears, your desires, your strange imperfect self? Edi and Ash have been best friends for over forty years. Since childhood they have seen each other through life’s milestones: stealing vodka from their parents, the Madonna phase, REM concerts, unexpected wakes, marriages, infertility, children. As Ash notes, ‘Edi’s memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine.’

So when Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ash’s world reshapes around the rhythms of Edi’s care, from chipped ice and watermelon cubes to music therapy; from snack smuggling to impromptu excursions into the frozen winter night. Because life is about squeezing the joy out of every moment, about building a powerhouse of memories, about learning when to hold on, and when to let go.

For fans of Nora Ephron and Sorrow & Bliss, We All Want Impossible Things is a deeply moving, jubilant celebration of life and friendship at its imperfect, radiant, and irreverent best.

Babel by R. F. Kuang

Oxford, 1836.

The city of dreaming spires.

It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world.

And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows.

Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift.

Until it became a prison…

But can a student stand against an empire?

An incendiary new novel from award-winning author R.F. Kuang about the power of language, the violence of colonialism, and the sacrifices of resistance.

How To Find Your Way Home by Katy Regan

What if the person you thought you’d lost forever walked back into your life?

In March 1987, four-year-old Stephen Nelson welcomes his new baby sister, Emily. Holding her for the first time, he vows to love and protect her, and to keep her safe forever.

Thirty years later, the two have lost touch and Stephen is homeless. Emily, however, has never given up hope of finding her brother again, and when he turns up at her office, she thinks her wish has come true. But they say you should be careful what you wish for – because there is a reason the two were estranged . . .

As the two embark on a birding trip together, Emily is haunted by long-buried memories of a single June day, fifteen years earlier; a day that changed everything. Will confronting the secrets that tore them apart finally enable Emily and Stephen to make their peace – not just with their shared past and each other, but also with themselves?

Haunting, beautiful and uplifting, Katy Regan’s How to Find Your Way Home is about sibling love, the restorative power of nature and how home, ultimately, is found within us.

River Cry Me Home by Eleanor Shearer

We whisper the names of the ones we love like the words of a song. That was the taste of freedom to us, those names on our lips.

Mary Grace, Micah, Thomas Augustus, Cherry Jane and Mercy.

These are the names of her children. The five who survived, only to be sold to other plantations. The faces Rachel cannot forget.

It’s 1834, and the law says her people are now free. But for Rachel freedom means finding her children, even if the truth is more than she can bear.

With fear snapping at her heels, Rachel keeps moving. From sunrise to sunset, through the cane fields of Barbados to the forests of British Guiana and on to Trinidad, to the dangerous river and the open sea.

Only once she knows their stories can she rest. Only then can she finally find home.

Inspired by the women who, in the aftermath of slavery, went in search of their lost children.

The House In The Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune

He expected nothing. But they gave him everything . . .

Linus Baker leads a quiet life. At forty, he has a tiny house with a devious cat and his beloved records for company. And at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he’s spent many dull years monitoring their orphanages.

Then one day, Linus is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a highly classified assignment. He must travel to an orphanage where six dangerous children reside, including the Antichrist. There, Linus must somehow determine if they could bring on the end of days. But their guardian, charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, will do anything to protect his wards. As Arthur and Linus grow ever closer, Linus must choose between duty and his dreams.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is an uplifting, heart-warming fantasy tale that’s become a New York Times, USA Today and Washington Post bestseller.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

High fantasy, low stakes – with a double-shot of coffee.

After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream – for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the past behind her, she can’t go it alone. And help might arrive from unexpected quarters. Yet old rivals and new stand in the way of success. And Thune’s shady underbelly could make it all too easy for Viv to take up the blade once more.

But the true reward of the uncharted path is the travellers you meet along the way. Whether bound by ancient magic, delicious pastries or a freshly brewed cup, they may become something deeper than Viv ever could have imagined.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is a cosy, heartwarming slice-of-life fantasy about found families and fresh starts – perfect for fans of TJ Klune, Katherine Addison and T. Kingfisher.

Good morning everyone and happy weekend! I love a good buddy read. Not only do they make me read books I might not otherwise pick up but they also give me the opportunity to discuss the book with some lovely bookish friends which I always enjoy.

This month I have two buddy reads a classic book, The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy, which I must admit I hadn’t heard of before, and a historical fiction book The Rose Code by Alice Quinn. I think I started The Rose Code before but didn’t finish it so I’m excited to read it this month.

Are you doing any buddy reads this month?

The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy

THE DUD AVOCADO gained instant cult status on first publication and remains a timeless portrait of a woman hellbent on living. It is, as the GUARDIAN observes, ‘one of the best novels about growing up fast’.

Sally Jay Gorce is a woman with a mission. It’s the 1950s, she’s young, and she’s in Paris. Having dyed her hair pink, she wears evening dresses in the daytime and vows to go native in a way not even the natives can manage. Embarking on an educational programme that includes an affair with a married man (which fizzles out when she realises he’s single and wants to marry her); nights in cabarets and jazz clubs in the company of assorted “citizens of the world”; an entanglement with a charming psychopath; and a bit part in a film financed by a famous matador. But an education like this doesn’t come cheap. Will our heroine be forced back to the States to fulfill her destiny as a librarian, or can she keep up her whirlwind Parisian existence?

The Rose Code by Alice Quinn

1940, Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire.
 
Three very different women are recruited to the mysterious Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes.
 
Vivacious debutante Osla has the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses – but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, working to translate decoded enemy secrets. Self-made Mab masters the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and the poverty of her East-End London upbringing. And shy local girl Beth is the outsider who trains as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts.
 
1947, London.
 
Seven years after they first meet, on the eve of the royal wedding between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, disaster threatens. Osla, Mab and Beth are estranged, their friendship torn apart by secrets and betrayal. Yet now they must race against the clock to crack one final code together, before it’s too late, for them and for their country.

Book Synopsis:

Galaxy ‘Alex’ Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. A dropout and the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved crime, Alex was hoping for a fresh start. But a free ride to one of the world’s most prestigious universities was bound to come with a catch.

Alex has been tasked with monitoring the mysterious activities of Yale’s secret societies – well-known haunts of the rich and powerful. Now there’s a dead girl on campus and Alex seems to be the only person who won’t accept the neat answer the police and campus administration have come up with for her murder.

Because Alex knows the secret societies are far more sinister and extraordinary than anyone ever imagined. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And sometimes they prey on the living . . .

My Review:

Ninth House is a dark, gripping read which I absolutely loved!

Firstly I must admit to being slightly sceptical when I started this book about whether it would live up to its massive hype but it definitely does. In fact I’d happily rate it as one of the best books I’ve ever read.

Alex is a fantastic main character who I enjoyed following throughout the book. I wasn’t to sure of her to begin with as she seemed quite prickly but I really warmed to her as the book went on. She’s a girl who’s had a rough start to life and I liked watching her gain her confidence in her new role and find her place in life. She’s a very strong, brave lady and I loved that she didn’t let anything stand in her way.

The world the author has created is brilliant and one I loved spending time in. The idea of a magic being so close to the real world but still hidden was instantly intriguing to me. I also liked how the magic had been divided into different houses and the description of the different things those houses could do with that magic. The inclusion of ghosts or ‘greys’ in the story was also very interesting and gave the book a supernatural feel to it . I loved how they helped tell the story of the town’s history and how they helped Alex in her investigation.

I was immediately drawn into the story and into the wonderful world Alex finds herself in. The story is told in two timelines one following Alex as she tries to solve a murder and the other flashing back to her first days of her new role at Yale. I liked the way the author did this as it meant the reader gradually discovers more about Alex and what’s going on seemingly alongside Alex which I thought very clever. The plot was very fast paced and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. I felt very sad to finish the book and leave Leith House behind. I am now very impatient for the sequel which comes out in a few weeks.

About The Author:

Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more. Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University.

Book Synopsis:

A young woman is dead.

A very wealthy client needs a favour. You’re newly qualified as a lawyer and this could be your big break, so you jump at the chance.

The case is about to be closed.

All you have to do is talk to a family, ask them to sign some papers. How difficult could it be? Their daughter was found dead at a beauty spot on the outskirts of London in what you’re told was a tragic suicide.

Only you can uncover what really happened.

But the truth is never that simple. And this case could cost you your life…

My Review:

The Simpler Truth is a gripping, thrilling read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Firstly I really loved the main character Luke who was very likeable and easy to get behind. He’s from a different side of town to the rest of his privileged colleagues and I felt that helped make him more relatable. It also gave him the experience and skills needed to help get him out of difficult situations.

I was quickly drawn into the story and found the book hard to put down. The plot was incredibly fast paced and the multiple points of view made the story very moreish. I kept promising myself that I’d only read one more chapter then look up to realise I’d read ten and it was two hours later. The different storylines were very interesting and I liked how they all came together for a very satisfying ending. I’m excited to see what the author writes next and hope there’s a sequel as I’d love to see what happens next for Luke!

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

James Buckler currently lives in London. He grew up in the south-west of England and has lived in the USA and Japan. He has always been fascinated by books, stories and films, especially the gripping, twisty narratives of classic Hollywood cinema and British crime novels. He studied Film, Video and the Photographic Arts at the University of Westminster and has worked in the film & TV industry for many years, most notably as a post-production specialist for MTV and BBC Films. His debut novel, Last Stop Tokyo, was published to critical acclaim in 2017.

His second novel, The Simple Truth, is out in January 2023.

Book Synopsis:

An invitation. A ghostly spectre. A criminal mastermind.

When Sherlock Holmes is invited to visit an old school friend, he and Doctor Watson are plunged into the first of three adventures involving the Dark Arts and the supernatural. From the ghostly spectre of a dead sister to the search for an ancient book of spells, the detecting duo learn that each case is connected, leading them into a final showdown with their deadliest adversary yet.

My Review:

The Watson Letters is a funny, entertaining read which I think is a very clever take on the original story.

Firstly I absolutely loved the characters in this book and enjoyed following them throughout the story. They were all very different to each other and brought different things to the investigation. The book is told mainly through diary extracts and I thought it was very clever how each character had their own voice.

This book is actually three stories in one and it was great fun trying to solve the investigations alongside the characters. The different stories gradually combined to make a thrilling ending in a realistic and satisfying way which I always enjoy.

Overall I liked this book and look forward to reading more from this author soon. This is actually the sixth book in the series but can easily be read as a standalone. There is lots of adult humour included and a few pop cultural references which I loved.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. I’m looking forward to going back and reading the rest of the books in the series.

About The Author:

Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland. He has worked in a plethora of professions including: taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate. All Colin’s books are available as eBooks and most are also out in paperback, too.

His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including: SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, Word Bohemia, Every Day Fiction, The Grind, A3 Review, 1,000 Words, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. He currently lives in a humble cottage in North East Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.

He also makes rather nice cakes.

Book Synopsis:

Rumours of the Nazis coming for Czech children swept through the villages like a breeze through the trees, and the story was always the same…They wanted our children to raise as their own.

Since her husband, Josef, joined the Czech resistance three years ago, Anna Dankova has done everything possible to keep her daughter, Ema, safe. But when blonde haired, blue-eyed Ema is ripped from her mother’s arms in the local marketplace by the dreaded Brown Sisters, nurses who were dedicated to Hitler’s cause, Anna is forced to go to new extremes to take back what the Nazis have stolen from her.

Going undercover as a devoted German subject eager to prove her worth to the Reich, the former actress takes on a role of a lifetime to find and save her daughter. But getting close to Ema is one thing. Convincing her that the Germans are lying when they claim Anna stole her from her true parents is another…

My Review:

Wow this was an amazing book! It was very emotional and super gripping that it was hard to put down.

Firstly as a parent myself I found this book incredibly heartbreaking to read at times. I have no idea how I’d cope or what I’d do in a similar situation so I read this with a fair degree of trepidation and dread. How people could treat children like that is beyond me and I often found myself wishing I could somehow get into the book to give them all a huge hug .

The author has clearly done her research and I soon found myself drawn into the story, experiencing everything alongside the characters. I found it fascinating to learn more about the Brown Sister’s and their twisted cause. It was also interesting to find out more about the inner workings of the third Reich from a new recruits point of view.

Overall I really liked this book and look forward to reading more from this author in future. The story gripped me from the start and I found it very hard to put down as I needed to find out what happens next.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Andie Newton is the USA Today bestselling author of The Girls from the Beach, The Girl from Vichy, and The Girl I Left Behind.

She writes gritty and emotional war stories about strong women. Andie holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s in teaching. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, her two boys, and one very lazy cat.

Book Synopsis:

TV Chef Luca Mazza Dies After Collapse at Food Show on the King’s Private Estate

Luca Mazza (38), who was taken ill during a food demonstration at the Fenn House Food and Wine Festival two days ago, is now known to have ingested poison. Lady Beatrice (36), the king’s niece, who is working on a refurbishment project at Fenn House with her business partner Perry Juke (34), is believed to be comforting Luca’s boss and close friend Sebastiano Marchetti (38), who she began dating last month.

Is he crazy? Why else would Detective Chief Inspector Richard Fitzwilliam suggest that Sebastiano poisoned Luca without any evidence? So now, with the help of her little dog Daisy and her best friends Perry and Simon, Lady Beatrice will have to prove to Mr Know-it-all Fitzwilliam that Seb is innocent. But with so many people having access to the food preparation area at the show how will she find out who did murder Luca before Fitzwilliam lets his personal dislike get the better of him and arrests Seb?

Extract:

Intro

Lady Beatrice and her business partner Perry Juke are at Fenn House, the private country estate of Lady Beatrice’s uncle, King James, to manage the redesign and refurbishment of ten guest suites and four sitting rooms. At the same time the Fenn House Food and Wine Festival is taking place in the grounds of the estate organised by Lady Beatrice’s new beau Sebastiano Marchetti, known to his legion of fans as Chef Seb. Perry’s crime writer partner, Simon Lattimore, who was last year’s winner of Celebrity Elitechef, is also on-site hosting cooking demonstrations.

One of the other big names from the world of food attending is Chef Seb’s very good friend Luca Mazza, the television star of Get Your Cook On. Luca was taken ill a few days ago with a stomach upset but had then seemed to recover. However while hosting the opening demonstration of the festival Luca had collapsed and had been taken to the hospital with suspected dehydration. But now he’s not responding to treatment and everyone is concerned…

Extract

“Isn’t that Detective Inspector Mike Ainsley coming our way?” Perry Juke asked Lady Beatrice as they walked out of the side entrance of Fenn House. “He doesn’t look like he’s dressed for a day of exploring a food and wine show.”  

“Plus, he’s in completely the wrong place if he wanted to,” Lady Beatrice pointed out. “And anyway, isn’t that Detective Sergeant Hines with him?”

Perry nodded. “Do you think maybe the police have a watching brief when there’s an event on at Fenn House?”

She shrugged. “That must be it. I can’t think why else they would be here.”

“Mike.” Lady Beatrice smiled at the sturdily built grey-haired man in a blue suit walking towards her and held out her hand. “Good to see you. Are you on-site to pick up some delicious food to take back to Fenshire CID HQ? If so, Perry here can recommend an excellent cake stall.”

Mike Ainsley laughed as the two men came to a standstill in front of her. Shaking Lady Beatrice’s hand and nodding at Perry, he said, “Well, thank you for the offer, my lady. I do have a sweet tooth, so I may take Mr Juke up on that a bit later. But for the moment, we’re here in an official capacity investigating the poisoning of Luca Mazza.”

“Poisoning?” Lady Beatrice and Perry cried together.

“Yes. Unfortunately, it would appear Mr Mazza has potentially ingested some death cap mushrooms and is very ill as a result. We need to find out when and where he could have eaten them so we can establish if it was through someone else’s gross incompetence or if he accidentally ate them himself.”

Death cap mushrooms? A heavy feeling settled in her stomach. But he’s a professional chef. How did he not know?

“Aren’t they fatal?” Perry asked, his eyes wide as he gazed at the inspector.

Mike nodded. “They can be if the eater doesn’t get help quick enough. Fortunately, a doctor on call when Mr Mazza arrived at the hospital knew he was a chef and recognised the symptoms of death cap mushroom poisoning, so acted quickly to get him treated. They are doing everything they can, but it’s not looking good.”

Oh my gosh, poor Luca. Lady Beatrice ran her fingers through her long hair. Seb must be beside himself with worry. That’s if he even knows. She glanced at her watch. He would have only just finished his show.

“So what exactly are you investigating, Mike?”

“Well, the Environmental and Health Authority are up at the hotel where he’s been staying. Luca’s girlfriend told us he thought it was something he’d eaten on Monday night at dinner that made him ill. They’re checking to see if anyone else who was having dinner at the hotel that night has become unwell. And in the meantime, Hines and I are meeting with the show’s organisers to find out if it’s possible he could’ve eaten the mushrooms here and to see if anyone else has been ill.”

“Can’t you just ask Luca what happened?” Perry asked.

Mike grimaced. “Mr Mazza has been unconscious since he arrived at the hospital yesterday. I’m afraid he can’t help us.”

How could Luca have been well enough to even start his show yesterday? Rubbing her forehead, Lady Beatrice said, “But he appeared so much better yesterday until he collapsed. It seems unbelievable that it could be something he ate as long ago as Monday night. And how could a chef not know he was eating death caps?”

DS Hines, his grey suit hanging off his skinny frame, stepped forward. “That’s the problem with death caps, my lady. You’re ill for a couple of days, then you seem to be getting better, and suddenly, you go downhill rapidly. And even experienced mushroom pickers sometimes get it wrong as death caps look similar to puffballs when in the button stage. Once cooked and hidden in a sauce, they would be nearly impossible to identify.”

Mike nodded in the sergeant’s direction. “Eamon here is a bit of an expert on death cap mushroom poisoning. He was recently on a case where a whole family died after eating mushrooms the father had picked in the woods behind where they lived.”

“Why didn’t they go to the hospital if they felt that ill?” Perry asked.

Lady Beatrice raised her hand to her mouth. Hadn’t Seb told her he’d tried to persuade Luca to go to the hospital, but Luca had refused? Poor Seb. He’ll be mad at himself for not insisting.

“Unfortunately, for most people, there are no symptoms for the first six to twelve hours. Then they get stomach pains with sickness and diarrhoea and think they’ve got a bug or mild food poisoning,” Hines told them. “So they don’t go to see anyone about it, and that’s when the damage is done. By then, the internal organs are being severely, sometimes irreparably, damaged.” He shook his head.

Perry gasped. “Does that mean he’ll die?”

Hines frowned. “It’s a real possibility.”

About The Author:

Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it.It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes.