Fat Dogs and French Estates is a delightful and humorous memoir of the adventures of Beth Haslam and her husband, Jack, as they look for a second home, a domaine, in France. They have a list of requirements: around 100 hectares complete with game, space for long walks with their dogs, a few outbuildings and … Continue reading Book Review – Fat Dogs and French Estates by Beth Haslam
My Reading – June 2023
No Stone Unturned by Pam Lecky Lucy Lawrence looked up from her book with a start. Something had struck the windowpane, shattering the silence of the room. Genuine Deceit by Joy YorkIf he didn't find it soon, all bets were off.
Turning the World to Stone by Kelly Evans
Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Kelly Evans’s recently released novel, Turning the World to Stone – The Life of Caterina Sforza Part One 1472 to 1488, as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. Blurb Vilified by history, Caterina Sforza learned early that her life was … Continue reading Turning the World to Stone by Kelly Evans
The King’s Champion by Nancy Northcott
Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Nancy Northcott’s recently released novel, The King’s Champion, as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. The King’s Champion is the concluding book of the exciting The Boar King’s Honor trilogy. Blurb The Boar King’s Honor Trilogy A wizard’s misplaced trustA … Continue reading The King’s Champion by Nancy Northcott
The Hussar’s Duty by Griffin Brady
Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Griffin Brady’s recently released novel, The Hussar’s Duty, as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. The Hussar’s Duty is a standalone continuation in The Winged Warrior series set in sixteenth-century Poland. Blurb Poland’s most valiant winged hussar is called to … Continue reading The Hussar’s Duty by Griffin Brady
The Douglas Bastard by J R Tomlin
Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from J R Tomlin’s novel, The Douglas Bastard, as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. The Douglas Bastard is set in fourteenth century Scotland and follows the fortunes of Archibald Douglas, the illegitimate son of Sir James Douglas known as The … Continue reading The Douglas Bastard by J R Tomlin
Book Review – The House Children by Heidi Daniele
My birth was a sin and a crime. I was born in the Tuam Mother Baby Home to an inmate serving a year of penal servitude, her crime an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. The House Children begins when Mary Margaret Joyce is six years old and living with the Cleary family who she has been fostered to. … Continue reading Book Review – The House Children by Heidi Daniele
My Reading – May 2023
Iris by Fiona Kelly McGregor You need to start talking, Webber. Why should I talk to you? Fat Dogs and French Estates by Beth Haslam Part 1 It was a dark, filthy night just south of Limoges. Our car was at a standstill, surrounded by police brandishing glowing neon batons and torches, like extras from … Continue reading My Reading – May 2023
Book Review – Sea of Shadows by Amy Maroney
With the first few paragraphs of Sea of Shadows by Amy Maroney the reader steps into the reality of fifteenth century Rhodes – the heat and shadows, the swirl of myriad scents and colours, the bustle of the city and the port, the people drawn from countless nations, all under the control of the of … Continue reading Book Review – Sea of Shadows by Amy Maroney
Mothers and Mother Figures – Jean Margaret McGrath (1926 – 2017)
On Mothers Day we celebrate not just our mothers and grandmothers but all those women who take on the role of mothers for us. One such woman was Jean Margaret McGrath, my mother Mary’s younger sister - Aunty Jean to me. Jean and Mary, around 1930/31.Mary hugging the cat. Jean was born just over twelve … Continue reading Mothers and Mother Figures – Jean Margaret McGrath (1926 – 2017)
Catherine Meyrick 