Book Review: The Cornish Cottage by the Sea by Kim Nash
I’m so happy to be welcoming Kim Nash back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Cornish Cottage by the Sea.
A new start by the sea…
For Jo Jenkins, life has always been about putting others first. But with her children grown and her ex-husband as rotten as ever, she knows it’s time to put herself at the heart of the story. So, when she inherits a beautiful beachside cottage in Cornwall, she grabs the chance to start over.
The crumbling old cottage needs a little love, but so does Jo. And with the help of her new friends – a kind-hearted jeweller, a no-nonsense businesswoman, and a local Jack of all trades with a past of his own – Jo begins to rebuild more than just bricks and mortar.
But tucked away inside the cottage is a secret that could change everything. As the waves roll in and the sea air clears her mind, Jo must decide if she’s ready to let go of the past. Will she finally learn to embrace the life she truly deserves?
*****
After her husband leaves her for her best friend, Jo Jenkins doesn’t know what to do with her life. When she is left a house in her Aunt-in-law’s will, she makes the decision to start a new life in Cornwall. However, it’s not all plain sailing and she is about to discover things that will change her life forever.
Anyone who has followed this blog for a while will know that any chance I have to join a blog tour for a Kim Nash novel, I jump at it. This was no exception.
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Book Review: Killer at the County Show by Kate Wells
I’m so pleased to be welcoming Kate Wells back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Killer at the County Show – book five in the Malvern Mysteries series.
Foul play at the sheep show…
Tensions are high at the Three Counties Show when accusations of cheating add fuel to a longstanding feud. For Jude Gray, whose only hope was to not make a fool of herself showing her Kerry Hill sheep, farming life has never been so dramatic.
When a body is found, belonging to one of the competitors, there is no shortage of suspects. Every sheep farmer in this close-knit community has a motive and beneath their show-ready smiles, they all have something to hide.
Experience has taught Jude that when there’s a murderer at large, nobody is truly safe. And with secrets simmering beneath the surface, this may be her most challenging investigation yet. Can she unearth the truth before it’s too late?
A gripping new instalment in the Malvern Farm Mystery series, perfect for fans of Frances Evesham, Merryn Allingham, and Faith Martin.
*****
When a farmer is murdered at the Three Counties Fare it rocks the small farming community and sets people to gossiping and suspecting their neighbours. Was it the annoying, do-gooder celebrity who bought a farm or one of the other farmers down on their luck? Jude, a sheep farmer and best friend of a local police detective has her suspicions and cannot help but get involved.
by Book Review: The Missing Ones by Anita Waller
Please join me in welcoming Anita Waller to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Missing Ones.
Ray Eke has always found peace in his job, collecting litter for the city council. Until the day he finds the brutalized, bloodless body of a girl on his round. He recognizes her immediately too. Lauren Pascoe went missing three years before.
It’s also clear she hasn’t been lying on the roadside verge all this time. Someone’s clearly been holding her prisoner. Keeping her as their very special toy.
The police know it couldn’t have been Ray, whose gentle heart is obvious to all. But then another girl is taken. And she’s someone who Ray had a connection to, back in his previous job as an accountant, before his breakdown…
The twists in this novel are guaranteed to leave readers with their jaws on the floor. Just when you think you know who the killer is, you’ll have your mind blown!
*****
DI Chris Chandler is new to Sheffield, having just started a new job with an unfamilar team. When the body of a woman who has been missing for three years is found near the police station, he has to jump in at the deep end. Then, a second girl goes missing. The cases can’t be linked… can they?
I was so pleased to be invite onto this blog tour. Having been a big fan of Anita Waller’s previous novel, The Girls Next Door, I was very eager to get started on her latest book, The Missing Ones.
Wow! That’s what I have to say about this book. This is a psychological thriller at its best. I pretty much read this in one sitting, holding onto my kindle so tightly, my fingers lost blood flow. The plot grabbed me and pulled me in and wouldn’t let go.
by NK Chats To… Jon Rance
Hi Jon. Happy publication day. Thank you so much for joining me and for inviting Novel Kicks onto your blog tour. Can you tell me a little about your latest novel, Not Moving Out and what inspired it?
Hello, and thank you so much for having me on Novel Kicks! It’s a real pleasure to be here. My new novel, Not Moving Out, comes out on May 15th and I am very excited about it. Set in Brighton, it’s the story of Freya, Joe and their daughter Dolly. Freya and Joe have decided that after twenty years, their marriage is over. The problem is that Dolly still needs to live at home for another six months before she leaves for university, and they can’t afford for either of them to move out. So for six months, they are all forced to live together. The question is, will living together but separated make them both realise things about themselves and their relationship that might save their marriage? There are also various other plotlines that keep things ticking along with the most prominent one being Joe, a once successful but now failed comedy writer, using their new living situation as the basis for a sitcom – without telling Freya about it, of course.
I was inspired to write this book after reading a few articles about couples that wanted to separate, but for financial reasons had to keep living under the same roof. I thought it would be a really interesting dynamic for a romantic comedy.
Which songs would feature on a playlist for this book?
A great question. If you read my previous book, One Hundred Moments Of Us, you’ll know that it had a very strong playlist. I even created a playlist for it on Spotify! There are two Snow Patrol songs in this book. Chasing Cars, which is one of my favourite songs of all time and, You Could Be Happy. Also mentioned in the book are ABBA, so let’s go with Take A Chance On Me because it’s a great song and also the title fits into the theme of the book. In Not Moving Out, Joe is really into 90s Britpop music and so that would feature heavily. Perhaps some Oasis, Blur, Supergrass, and Pulp! The book has that perfect blend of humour, drama, pathos and joy, and I think that would be reflected in the song choices.
What’s your typical writing day like and do you have any writing rituals? How much has this changed since writing your first novel?
I do have a writing routine and it has definitely changed so much since writing my first book. My life when I was writing my first novel, This Thirtysomething Life was very different. I was working full-time, we’d just had our first baby, and writing was something I did when I got a spare five minutes. Which is why it took about 18 months to write that first book! Now I write full-time and my children are teenagers!
by Book Extract: Tucker’s Time Machine Telescope by Robin Bennett
It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Robin Bennett to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his book, Tucker’s Time Machine Telescope with illustrations by Matt Cherry.
Thomas Tucker (or just Tucker to everyone who knows him) is walking innocently down the street when he is attacked by a chicken and falls down a hole. Unlikely as it sounds, this is how he ends up finding the Time Machine Telescope.
Unfortunately, Tucker seems to attract chaos and bad luck the same way that someone standing on top of a mountain waving a metal pole will eventually attract lightning and a free Xray.
Can he survive killer robots, Tudor kings, dinosaurs … and Kylo Hens long enough to complete his Time Machine Wish List
- GET RICH
- HAVE FUN!
- GET MUM AND DAD TO SPEND LESS TIME ON THEIR MOBILE PHONES
There’s only one way to find out…
Robin has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
Chapter 1
Tucker is chased by a chicken
Thomas Tucker (or just Tucker to everyone who knew him) was walking innocently down the street near his home. Minding his own business.
Although he didn’t know it yet, this was going to the most important day of Tucker’s life.
He was on his way to see Mrs Dempsey, the lady who looked after him in the holidays. His parents worked late, and they didn’t trust him to stay on his own for more than about ten minutes without getting into some sort of terrible trouble.
They weren’t wrong about this because Tucker seemed to attract chaos and bad luck the same way that someone standing on top of a mountain waving a metal pole will eventually attract lightning and a free Xray.
As we shall find out.
The sun was warm on his face, and it made him scrunch his eyes up, so he heard the chicken before he saw it.
by Book Club
