Book Review: A Breath of Fresh Air by Jessica Redland
Please join me in welcoming Jessica Redland back to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, A Breath of Fresh Air.
Rosie feels like there’s something missing in her life. She loves her job as the manager of Willowdale Hall Riding Stables, caring for the horses and teaching children to ride, and she loves the home she shares with her mother in the beautiful Lake District. But she can’t help wondering how her life might look if things had been different. What if her father had been around to help care for her mother? And what if she’d found someone special herself?
When Hubert Cranleigh – the owner of Willowdale Hall – is taken ill, his son Oliver steps into the breach. Brooding and distant, Rosie is furious when he claims not to know who she is. Especially when they have a history.
Rosie’s life is about to be turned upside down, but with the New Year comes new opportunities. What Rosie feels is missing from her life might be closer than she thinks, and with more significant consequences than she could ever have imagined…
Take a breath of fresh air and escape to the Lake District with million-copy bestseller Jessica Redland, for an uplifting story of family, friendship and love.
*****
Rosie feels she has a pretty good life. She lives with her Mum and runs the Willowdale Hall Riding Stables. She loves teaching children to ride horses. However, when her boss, the mostly grumpy Hubert Cranleigh has an accident, she finds herself facing the one person she had never wanted to see again and their arrival threatens not only her livelihood but also her home.
I have quickly grown to love the worlds that Jessica Redland creates. There is something a little magical about them. A Breath of Fresh Air is the second in the Escape to the Lakes series. I have not read the first book (not sure how this happened,) and if you find yourself in the same situation, A Breath of Fresh Air can be read as a standalone.
by 
Book Review: Clash of Kings by MJ Porter
We are so pleased to be welcoming MJ Porter back to Novel Kicks with the blog tour to their novel, Clash of Kings.
The next bloody and thrilling instalment in MJ Porter’s The Brunanburh Series.
Can the Norse and the Scots exact their revenge over the mighty King Athelstan of the English?
AD937
After the slaughter field of Brunanburh, a defeated Olaf Gothfrithson of the Dublin Norse and Constantin of the Scots narrowly escaped with their lives. In their kingdoms, failure has left them demoralised and weak.
Olaf licks his wounds in Dublin, whilst Constantin and the Welsh kingdoms who defied King Athelstan, are once more forced to bend the knee. As Athelstan’s reputation grows stronger day by day, their need to exact revenge on the overmighty and triumphant Athelstan has never been greater.
Olaf sets his sights on reclaiming the lost kingdom of Jorvik only for tragedy to strike at the heart of England and a reluctant new King, Edmund steps in the fray.
While England mourns the death of their warrior King, her enemies gather on her borders and England stands alone against the might of the Norse, Welsh and Scots.
Can the new King be victorious and banish her enemies once and for all or will England, and its king lose all that’s been gained and succumb to a new pretender?
An epic tale of kinsmanship, greed and power, perfect for the fans of Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom series.
*****
After the battle of Brunanburh there exists an uneasy period of in-activity – not peace as such, but a time for repairs to be made and wounds to heal.
King Athelstan presides over England until his sudden death, bringing Edmund reluctantly to power.
by Novel Kicks Book Club: Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben
Hello 2024.
Happy New Year everyone.
I’m looking forward to another twelve months of wonderful books and discussions.
For January, I thought I’d pick a book that is causing a stir thanks to the new Netflix adaptation – Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben.
I’m really excited about reading this book. As usual, our book club is open to all so, if you’ve already read it or will be reading along with me, you’re all welcome.
I’ve put a question in the comments below to start off the discussion. Looking forward to talking about this book with you.
About Fool Me Once –
You think you know the truth. The truth is you know nothing.
If your husband was murdered.
by NK Chats To… Lesley Cookman
Hi Lesley, thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell me about your latest novel, Murder by Christmas?
Thank you for inviting me! Murder by Christmas is the 25th in the Libby Sarjeant series. Libby is in the final throes of pantomime rehearsals, when she and her friend Fran become involved in the investigation into a local brewery. This involves visits to many pubs – naturally!
What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any writing rituals?
I write as soon as I can get into the office – any time between 10 and 1pm and for as long as I can before the cats need feeding again.
What are the challenges you found when writing this novel and does writing a series present challenges?
The challenge of this one was the short time (3 months) in which I had to do it. And writing a series is definitely a challenge – trying to come up with different plots and not repeat myself.
Which songs would make up a playlist for your book?
by Christmas Gift Guide 2023 – Ideas for Readers
I do love a good gift guide as I personally find them so helpful when I’m stuck on what to get people and, as this is a blog for writers and readers, I wanted to share five items that I’ve found that I think would be perfect for the book lover in your life.
Penguin Book Print.
The first item is something that I’ve always wanted but never managed to get and that is this classic Penguin book cover print.
There’s something so timeless about these covers and there are so many to choose from, from Jane Austen to Graham Greene.
I think these would look so beautiful up on the wall and it’s a great way to share your favourite classic Penguin novel.
You can buy these prints from Penguin by clicking here.
Interesting Stories about Curious Words by Susie Dent.
What lover of books doesn’t love, well, a book? I’m a great fan of interesting words and came across this non fiction book from Susie Dent, known as the oracle from Countdown’s dictionary corner.
If your loved one is anything like me, I enjoy finding unusual words and their definitions and think this book is perfect for that. What do you think?
You can buy this book by clicking here and heading to The Literary Gift Company website.
Popsy Teacups Print Notebook.
Popsy Clothing is a brand I adore and I will always do what I can to spread the Popsy love. There is almost always a literature/bookish themed top available on the site. The tops are good quality, are so comfortable, are long and the best thing of all, the tops have POCKETS!!! I know!
However, the product I wanted to share is this beautiful Teacups Print Notebook. Maybe the bibliophile you know is wanting to make notes or is part of a book club and needs somewhere to make notes about their book of the month? Or they like making a note of 
passages, words or quotes they particularly liked.
This notebook is A5 and has 90 lined pages.
Click here to head over to Popsy Clothing.
The Book Lover’s 2024 Calendar.
Who doesn’t love a good Calendar and this one from the Calendar club is so pretty.
This square calendar has stunning illustrations of book covers from novels like Jane Eyre, A Catcher in the Rye and 1984.
It is a 12 month calendar and is a Monday start.
This product is going on my Christmas list.
You can get this from The Calendar Club.
Book Journal.
Finally, I wanted to share this book journal from Papier.
This is another brand I’ve used and loved in the past and this journal looks stunning.
It’s the perfect way to keep track of the books you’ve read. Like the notebook from Popsy I shared, this would be good if you’re doing a reading challenge and want to make notes on the books you read or it could 
be a great companion if you or a loved one are a member of a book club and want it to make notes for the catch up.
It also has a few pages to add your book wish list.
Whatever the purpose, this journal looks perfect.
You can buy it from Papier.
As with the writers gift guide, click here to read it, I hope you’ve found this list inspiring. Let me know in the comments below if there’s been a product mentioned that’s filled that hole in your present list.
by Book Club
