Tag Archives: authors

Authors, Books, Canadian setting, dual timeline, family noir, fiction, ghost, Historical Fiction, Novels, Paranormal

Shadows through Time – PRESS RELEASE

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SHADOWS THROUGH TIME UNRAVELS A HAUNTING LEGACY WHERE PAST AND PRESENT COLLIDE
Melanie Robertson-King delivers a suspenseful time-bending mystery in the third installment of the Through Time series.

Brockville, ON – In SHADOWS THROUGH TIME: Through Time Book 3, author Melanie Robertson-King deepens her acclaimed series with a gripping blend of historical intrigue and supernatural suspense. As forgotten codes surface and long-buried secrets stir, the novel draws readers into a world where echoes of the past refuse to remain silent.

When Nicole and Mitch uncover strange symbols carved into wooden beams, what first appears to be a curiosity quickly transforms into a mystery with far-reaching consequences. Their search for answers leads them to Elias Greaves, a 19th-century builder whose legacy stretches from Brighton to Kingston. As they piece together fragments of journals and confront unsettling discoveries within aging walls, it becomes clear that Greaves left behind more than craftsmanship. He left a hidden truth.

Robertson-King masterfully interweaves past and present, revealing how choices made generations earlier continue to shape the living. Through journals, structural collapse, and ghostly whispers that seem to echo from the very foundations of the house, the story uncovers the emotional and moral cost of secrets preserved too long. Each revelation brings Nicole and Mitch closer to understanding what Greaves tried to protect and what forces now seek to expose.

SHADOWS THROUGH TIME explores themes of memory, legacy, and the burden of hidden knowledge. The novel balances atmospheric tension with carefully researched historical detail, creating a narrative that feels both intimate and expansive.

As part of the Through Time series, this third installment builds upon the emotional and supernatural threads established in earlier books while standing firmly on its own. Robertson-Kinginvitesbothlongtimefansandnewreaderstostepintoaworldwherehistorylingersinquietcornersandtruthdemandstobeuncovered.

Melanie Robertson-King is known for crafting evocative historical fiction infused with elements of mystery and the paranormal. Through meticulous attention to setting and character, she creates immersive narratives that span the past while exploring its enduring impact.

The book is now available—secure your copy here: https://books2read.com/u/boRWMv

For review copies, interview requests, or additional information, please contact:

Melanie Robertson-King Email: melanie@melanierobertson-king.com

Cosy Crime, historical crime, Mystery, short stories

A Right Cozy Historical Crime #ARIGHTCOZYHISTORICALCRIME

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The Right Cozy short stories are back! This time, it’s a collection of Historical Crime tales.

historical

Blurb

Step into the comforting fog of time with A Right Cozy Historical Crime, a deliciously diverse anthology of cozy mysteries that span centuries and continents. From ancient alleys to a Victorian medical school, American towns to Scottish glens, these tales take you on a gentle stroll through history – where murder hides behind lace curtains and secrets linger in candlelit corridors. Perfect for fans of clever sleuths, rich historical detail, and mysteries solved with more brains than knowledge.

historical

My Review

Death

I loved this collection of short stories! It was a book you could dip in and out of easily. Read one or two stories at a time.

The subject matter ranged from missing cadavers in an anatomy lab in Scotland to sabotage on a Hollywood movie set.

I will admit, the ones set in Scotland were my favourite, but all were enjoyable, and it’s quite the group of talented authors.

Oh, and the recipe.

Book Links

PAPERBACK- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Right-Cozy-Historical-Crime
KINDLE- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Right-Cozy-Historical-Crime-ebook

Participating Authors

An Anthology Collection compiled by Wendy H Jones, including cozy mysteries written by contributing authors:

Marti M. McNair                   Olga Wojtas

Sheena Macleod                  Loretta Mullholland

Lexie Conyngham                Barbara Stevenson

Meg Woodward                     Dianna Sinovic

Gareth Williams                    Lisa Harkrader

Sheila Dené Lawrence       Penny Hutson

Lisabeth Early

About Wendy H Jones

historical

International Award Winning Author Wendy H. Jones lives in Scotland, and her police procedural series featuring DI Shona McKenzie are set. Wendy has led a varied and adventurous life. Her love for adventure led to her joining the Royal Navy to undertake nurse training. After six years in the Navy she joined the Army where she served as an Officer for a further 17 years. Killer’s Countdown was her first novel and the first book in the Shona McKenzie Mysteries. Killer’s Crew won the Books Go Social Book of the Year 2017. The seventh book in the series. Killer’s Curse will be released early August 2020. The Dagger’s Curse, the first book in The Fergus and Flora Mysteries, was a finalist in the Woman Alive Magazine Readers’ Choice Award Book of the Year. Turning to humorous crime, the Cass Claymore Investigates series was born. She is also a highly successful marketer and is currently in the process of rereleasing her completely updated marketing book, Marketing Matters. This will be part of the Writing Matters Series following the release of Motivation Matters. She is also the author of the Bertie the Buffalo picture book and associated soft toy and colouring book. Wendy is delighted to be one of the authors in two anthologies aimed at empowering women – The Power of Why and Women Win Against All Odds. She is proud to be the President of the Scottish Association of Writers and is the host of The Writing and Marketing Show podcast, a writing and marketing coach. and CEO of Writing Matters online writing school, Authorpreneur Accelerator Academy.

Author Links

WENDY H JONES – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Wendy-H.-Jones/author/B00OABSKH0

LEXIE CONYNGHAM – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Lexie-Conyngham/author/B008XH0YQ2

OLGA WOJTAS – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Olga-Wojtas/author/B07MXMQDVQ

SHEILA DENE LAWRENCE – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Sheila-Dene-Lawrence/author/B072MYH8FY

MARTI M MCNAIR – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Marti-M.-McNair/author/B0CK8JM7FQ

LISABETH EARLEY – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Lisabeth-Earley/author/B0CWPKQ2JP

GARETH WILLIAMS – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Gareth-Williams/author/B0BNNW4788

DIANNA SINOVIC – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scream-Silent-Sun-Dianna-Sinovic/dp/1957863390/

LISA HARKRADER – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Lisa-Harkrader/author/B001HPNP18

SHEENA MACLEOD – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Sheena-Macleod/author/B01N32QPOJ

cosy mystery, cozy crime, D.B. Borton, Joffe Books, Novels

Death by the Dozen by D.B. Borton

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Today at Celtic Connexions, I’m reviewing Death by the Dozen by D.B. Borton. This is the second of her novels I’ve had the pleasure of featuring here.

Death

 

Blurb

A curious case of a disappearing pig. A murdered historian. A sassy senior sleuth. If Cat Caliban’s not your favorite crime-solving grandma, you just haven’t met her yet!

Meet Cat Caliban — sixty-something widow, proud cat lady, and budding private eye. She’s traded in her old life as a housewife for something far more exciting: solving crimes.

But nothing in her sleuthing career has prepared her for this.

When a local historian begs Cat to find the villain who stole her beloved pig — Gertie, a cupcake-loving micro-mini with a mischievous streak — Cat figures it’s a simple petnapping. Sorry, pignapping. Until the trail leads to a dead human body.

With the city gearing up for its bicentennial celebrations, Cat finds herself tangled up in a complex mystery involving missing historical papers, a children’s book about a detective with trotters . . . and a cunning killer who’s determined to keep the past buried.

Cat must crack the case, bring home the bacon, and catch a murderer, before she becomes the next victim of Cincinnati’s deadliest – and oinkiest – celebration.

My Review

Death Cat Caliban is a hoot! When I read Eleven Hours to Murder, I wasn’t sure what to make of Cat. Now that I know her better, I love her, her friends, and her detective partner, Moses.

Set in Cincinnati, Ohio, the case Cat has taken on isn’t what one would call usual. It starts out with a pig-napping and ends with a murder.

Cat is in the throes of seasonal allergies, and when she’s at a function early in the book, the author’s descriptions of the poor woman’s stuffed sinuses cracked me up. I can sympathize because I, too, suffer from seasonal allergies.

Now, it’s up to Cat and Moses to search for the culprit(s). This book had me turning the virtual pages from the get-go.

If another book comes my way, you bet I’ll get myself on that tour.

Book Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/247823113-death-by-the-dozen-a-brand-new-witty-and-addictive-cozy-murder-mystery

Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/deathbythedozen-zbt

About the Author

D. B. Borton is the author of two mystery series—the Cat Caliban series and the Gilda Liberty series —as well as the standalone mystery novels Smoke and Bayou City Burning and the humorous science fiction novel Second Coming.

In graduate school, Borton converted a lifetime of passionate reading and late-night movie-watching into a doctorate in English. She is Professor Emeritus of English at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Borton currently lives with Zoe the cat in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she gardens, practices aikido, a martial art, and, of course, reads.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dbborton
Website https://dbborton.com/

Christopher C Tubbs, historic adventure, Historical Fiction, Novels, World War Two

Decoy by Christopher C Tubbs

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Today at Celtic Connexions, I’m reviewing Decoy by Christopher C. Tubbs, another new-to-me author.

Decoy

Blurb

1941 Europe.

The Nazis have taken northern Europe, borders are sealed, until one heavily disguised trawler, a decoy ship, finds a way in.

Tommy Keelson was a smuggler long before MI6 recruited him for the war effort.

Now he commands The Sarah — a German-built trawler refitted with hidden guns and covert equipment. It’s a lethal decoy built to slip through occupied waters and fool the enemy.

From Saint-Nazaire to Honfleur, Tommy’s missions grow deadlier by the week. But his next mission will be his most dangerous yet.

He must rescue a captured MI6 agent who’s trapped deep in occupied France.

Tommy and three Free French commandos slip into Paris, strike the Gestapo’s headquarters and pull her out.

But their escape erupts into a firefight along the Seine — ending in an explosion that sends Tommy overboard, presumed dead.

Now wounded and trapped behind enemy lines, Tommy must fight his way to safety and back to England where Germans forces are closing in on all sides.

Decoy

Book Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246488183-decoy

Purchase Link: https://geni.us/decoy-review

My Review

I jumped at the chance to read Christopher’s novel, Decoy. First of all, it’s set in a time period that’s important to me. My father fought during WWII but never spoke about his time overseas. I found out long after he passed away that he was able to get leave to go from mainland  Europe to his youngest brother’s wedding in Scotland.

Back to the book. Christopher’s style pulled me in immediately. He turned a tragic event into a story without going into too much detail. Yes, there was violence. Some might say it was gratuitous. But, that’s what happens in a war. Young men go off to fight. Some never return. And some of those who do are never the same again.

The swashbuckling story, Tommy operating a Decoy boat to protect the fleet and cause general mayhem to keep the Germans on their toes, was an interesting read.

Actual events were included, as were actual people. That’s what really brought it to life for me.

Even though this is the fourth book in Christopher’s series, it reads quite well as a standalone.

About the author

Decoy

Christopher C Tubbs, is a SABA 2020 Fiction Book award short listed Author. A dog loving descendent of a long line of Dorset clay miners who has traced his family tree back to the 16th century in the Isle of Purbeck. He left school at 16 to take an apprenticeship in Avionics and has been a public speaker for most of his career and was one of the founders of a successful games company back in the 1990’s.

Now in his sixties he is writing the stories he had going around in his head for many years. Thanks to inspiration from great fiction and fantasy authors he was finally able to put digit to keyboard and start writing the Dorset Boy series. He makes no apologies that he write for himself. The stories emerge as he writes and is often surprised by the twists and turns that they take. His dogs sit by him as he writes and it would be unfair to leave them out so look out for them in The Dorset Boy series. Now living in the Netherlands Antilles on the island of Bonaire with his wife and furry kids.

You can follow Christopher at these links.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thedorsetboy/
Website https://www.thedorsetboy.com
Christopher C Tubbs, Decoy, New Release, Novels, World War II, World War Two

New Release Day! Decoy by Christopher C Tubbs

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Today is New Release Day for Decoy by Christopher C Tubbs!

New Release

Blurb

1941 Europe.

The Nazis have taken northern Europe, borders are sealed, until one heavily disguised trawler, a decoy ship, finds a way in.

Tommy Keelson was a smuggler long before MI6 recruited him for the war effort.

Now he commands The Sarah — a German-built trawler refitted with hidden guns and covert equipment. It’s a lethal decoy built to slip through occupied waters and fool the enemy.

From Saint-Nazaire to Honfleur, Tommy’s missions grow deadlier by the week. But his next mission will be his most dangerous yet.

He must rescue a captured MI6 agent who’s trapped deep in occupied France.

Tommy and three Free French commandos slip into Paris, strike the Gestapo’s headquarters and pull her out.

But their escape erupts into a firefight along the Seine — ending in an explosion that sends Tommy overboard, presumed dead.

Now wounded and trapped behind enemy lines, Tommy must fight his way to safety and back to England where Germans forces are closing in on all sides.

Decoy

Book Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246488183-decoy

Purchase Link: https://geni.us/decoy-review

About the author

Decoy

Christopher C Tubbs, is a SABA 2020 Fiction Book award short listed Author. A dog loving descendent of a long line of Dorset clay miners who has traced his family tree back to the 16th century in the Isle of Purbeck. He left school at 16 to take an apprenticeship in Avionics and has been a public speaker for most of his career and was one of the founders of a successful games company back in the 1990’s.

Now in his sixties he is writing the stories he had going around in his head for many years. Thanks to inspiration from great fiction and fantasy authors he was finally able to put digit to keyboard and start writing the Dorset Boy series. He makes no apologies that he write for himself. The stories emerge as he writes and is often surprised by the twists and turns that they take. His dogs sit by him as he writes and it would be unfair to leave them out so look out for them in The Dorset Boy series. Now living in the Netherlands Antilles on the island of Bonaire with his wife and furry kids.

You can follow Christopher at these links.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thedorsetboy/
Website https://www.thedorsetboy.com

 

Joffe Books, police procedural

Voices from the Dead by Tony Bassett

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Today on Celtic Connnexions, I’m reviewing Voices from the Dead by a new-to-me author, Tony Bassett.

voices

Here’s what it’s all about.

voices

And the cover …
voices

Most importantly, my review…

This book pulled me in from the beginning. The writing is fast-paced and there are lots of plot twists to keep me happy and reading.

Even though it’s the eighth book in the series, the characters’ backstories are woven in so you know exactly who’s who and what baggage they bring with them.

I’ll definitely look for more books by this author.

crime writer, Crime/Mystery, Helen Forbes, Novels, Reading Between the Lines

Queen of Grime by Helen Forbes #QUEENOFGRIME

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Today at Celtic Connexions, I’m featuring Helen Forbes and her novel, Queen of Grime.

Queen

 

Blurb

The Queen of Grime is about to pay. Big time. 

Erin Flett is used to clearing up the sad debris of forgotten lives and tragic deaths. A crime and trauma scene cleaner from a deprived Edinburgh housing estate, she’s made a good life for herself and her daughter. But a secret from the past is about to catch up with her.

Ten years ago, Erin told a desperate lie with serious consequences. Now, someone else knows, and they’re determined to make Erin and her loved ones pay.

Following a terrifying late-night attack, the tension mounts until Erin doesn’t know who she can trust. As she struggles to keep her family safe, little does she realise just how close the danger is…

Queen of Grime is the first in a new series introducing Erin Flett, crime and trauma scene cleaner, and a rich cast of characters, set against the backdrop of the city of Edinburgh. With an occasional undertone of dark humour, it is a tale of family lies and family ties, friendships, secrets and loss.

Queen

Book Links 

Paperback – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Queen-Grime-1-Helen-Forbes/dp/1916888348

Kindle – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Queen-Grime-Helen-Forbes-ebook/dp/B0BMJG3F65

Excerpt

What inspired me?

In an earlier novel, Deception, I had a supporting character who ran a crime and trauma scene cleaning business called Queen of Grime. My agent persuaded me that it was too good a concept to waste in that novel and that it deserved a story of its own. I thought it was an intriguing idea and there was a definite gap in the market with no other Scottish novels on this theme.

Excerpt

The fine hairs on the back of her neck are damp with droplets of sweat that glitter in the light of the lamp. He wants to taste them. The thought shivers through him, and he clamps his lips to stop himself from groaning. He can feel the ache across her tensed shoulders, the cramping of the muscles in her upper arms, the deep weariness in her bones as she bends and scrapes, scrubs and wipes. He’s watched long enough to know every inch of her body, as if she’s wearing sheer lace instead of a white hazmat suit.
She sits back on her heels, her eyes scanning the room. Job done. She stands and begins to peel off the protective suit, and his breath catches in his throat. She rubs at the base of her spine and his fingertips itch to slip beneath her clothing, feel the soft, moist skin, trickle down towards sweet oblivion.
No. He banishes the temptation. She’s not worthy of him, with her faded blonde hair, the roots neglected and dark. Her cellulite, her scruffy vest and cheap leggings, and the lazy shadow of hair in her armpits. She’s worth nothing. And she’s missed a bit.
As if alerted by his stifled laughter, she looks up at the wall in front of her.
‘Left,’ he whispers, his breath steaming against the window. ‘Up a little.’
And she finds it. A quick spray, a wipe, and the last smear of blood is gone.
The moon is bright, the grass frosted under his feet as he skirts the gravel path. At the gate, a fragment of blue and white police tape shimmers and shifts in the breeze.

About the Author

Queen
Helen Forbes is an author of Scottish crime fiction. She lives in her home-town of Inverness, in the Scottish Highlands. Helen began by writing contemporary and historical fiction, with no intention of turning to crime. It was a chance remark at a writing group about one of her short stories that led to her debut police procedural novel, In the Shadow of the Hill, set in Inverness and South Harris, featuring Detective Sergeant Joe Galbraith. Madness Lies is book 2 in the DS Joe Galbraith series, set in Inverness and North Uist.

Helen has had two standalone crime thrillers published by Scolpaig Press. Unravelling, set in Inverness, was published in July 2021. Deception, set in Edinburgh, was published in January 2022.

Spoils of the Dead, a novella, was published in November 2022, and Queen of Grime, the first in a new series, was released in December 2022.

Helen would be delighted to hear from readers. Please contact her and join her mailing list on her website www.helenforbes.co.uk to get her author news and a free copy of the novella, Spoils of the Dead.

You can follow Helen at these links:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063754800058

 Website – https://www.helenforbes.co.uk/

 Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Helen-Forbes/author/B00MNTNHQU

#Excerpt, Hetty Waite, Novels

Evolve by Hetty Waite #EVOLVE

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Today at Celtic Connexions,  I’m welcoming Hetty Waite and her novel, Evolve.

Evolve

Blurb

Having survived the attack led by her sister, Cara is ready to move on.

A new city means a fresh start and a chance for her and Brown to live together, as equals.

However, the perfect façade of the Amex community hides dark secrets. With a nightly curfew and a mysterious scientist in charge, Cara is convinced all is not as it seems.

As her doubts grow, so do the arguments with Brown. And with Myla still alive and looking for revenge, it’s not only the danger from inside the city walls that threaten to tear her world apart – forever.

Ultimately, she will need to make a choice: protect her family at all costs, or save herself.

Evolve

Excerpt

Inspiration behind The Chromosome Trilogy
I’ve always been fascinated by the way societies function — and how fragile that balance can be when something unexpected shifts it. The idea for the trilogy came from a single, unsettling thought: what if a virus only affected men? I wanted to explore not just how that might change the world, but what it would reveal about power, identity, and the ways we connect to one another in times of crisis.
I wrote Mutate, book one of The Chromosome Trilogy, during the Covid lockdown, so the atmosphere of uncertainty and helplessness we all felt at that time definitely crept into the story. I wanted to capture that sense of powerlessness, and the dystopian setting gave me space to imagine a world where people are divided not by choice, but by their genetics.
At its heart, though, the trilogy is a love story. That thread was really important for me to carry through into Evolve, the second book. I also wanted to do something a bit different this time, which is why I moved the story to a new city. It puts the characters out of their comfort zone and opens up space for new faces — some of whom definitely aren’t what they seem. I loved writing Evolve because, with the main characters already established, I could focus more on their growth and relationships as the world around them becomes increasingly dangerous.
Extract 1:
The book’s Prologue:
The Wilders were everywhere.
Surrounded, their best hope was a quick and brutal counter-attack. With a bit of luck, they could take out a few of them and scare the rest off.
A plump baby might make a tasty morsel, but it wasn’t worth losing your life over.
“This is horribly familiar,” Brown said, slowly reaching around to his rucksack.
“At least this time we’re prepared,” Cara answered, hand already on her weapon.
The biggest of the Wilders gestured to the others, snarling at the prey in its path. Fingers twitching, it signalled silent orders, tugging the bone in its ear and swiping a hand across its face.
Its meaning was clear: kill them quickly.
With hair a ragged haze of fuzz wafting in the breeze, Brown couldn’t tell if this was an X or a Y. Prominent eyes bulged, a hungry look driving the slow licking of its lips. It approached warily, flanked by the small army now encircling them, like coiled vipers poised to strike.
It doesn’t matter, Brown thought. We’ve overcome so much worse. These creatures will not be the ones to take us out – the real danger is far more frightening, far more deadly than a pack of feral kids.
“Yep. We’ll finish them off without too much effort, I reckon,” he said.
Both waited patiently for the charge, ready to fight off any threat to their sleeping child.
It was one small sound that changed everything.
Click.
The unmistakeable sound of a gun’s safety mechanism being switched off.
It took only seconds, no more than a few, before the Wilders had melted into the air, disappearing as stealthily as they had surrounded them.
“Hello, Sis.”
Brown’s heart dropped; he hit the ground, knees giving out.
That voice. The one he heard in his nightmares, especially since the Amex attack.
She’d found them.

Book Links

KINDLE – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evolve-Chromosome-Trilogy-Book-2-ebook/dp/B0FSD813JK

PAPERBACK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0FWB7XCZG

About the Author

Evolve

Hetty Waite lives in Derbyshire with her husband, daughter, and cavapoo.

A former teacher, she spent many years sharing her love of stories with teenagers in the classroom before turning her own ideas into fiction. It was during the pandemic, while on maternity leave, that she finally found the time to write her first novel.

After initially self-publishing, a chance meeting with a director from Spellbound Books Ltd at a writers’ school changed everything. Impressed by her debut, they offered Hetty a three-book deal for her Young Adult dystopian series, The Chromosome Trilogy. The first instalment, Mutate, was re-released in 2024, followed by Evolve in October 2025.

When she’s not writing, Hetty tutors English, marks exam papers, and enjoys life in Derbyshire with her family and their lively cavapoo.

WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

 AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Hetty-Waite/author/B0BP7RSGRM

 WEBSITE – https://hettywaite.co.uk

 FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086494572838

INSTAGRAM – https://www.instagram.com/hettywaite

 X – @HettyWaite

#review, contemporary romance, contemporary women's fiction, Gwen Kirkwood, Novels, romance

A Scottish Love Story by Gwen Kirkwood #REVIEW

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Today on Celtic Connexions, I’m reviewing A Scottish Love Story by Gwen Kirkwood.

Love Story

Blurb

She came to Scotland for a fresh start — but found a love she never expected.

When Roxanne Carr accepts a job as a companion to elderly Amynta Baxter, she hopes the beautiful Highlands of Scotland will offer peace after the heartbreak of losing her father and her family farm. But her arrival doesn’t go as planned. Her first meeting with Amynta’s son, Ciaran, is anything but welcoming.

Ciaran Baxter is a dedicated dairy farmer with no time for complications — especially not a spirited young woman who disrupts his routine and challenges his guarded heart.

But as winter sets in and Christmas approaches, Ciaran begins to see a different side to Roxie: capable, kind and as passionate about the farm as he is.

Soon their relationship turns from wary allies to something deeper. But when Roxie is called back to Derbyshire to save her brother’s failing farm, she must choose between the family who cast her aside and the man who makes her believe in second chances.

This heartwarming romance is perfect for fans of Katie Flynn, Nadine Dorries, Rachael Lucas, Natalie Fergie, Anne Douglas and Emma Blair.

buy links

My Review

I should preface my review with his statement. She had me at Scotland!

This was an enjoyable read, and the author knows her stuff when it comes to farming.

I thought the couple fell in love too quickly. Yes, love at first sight does happen. The only friction between them was at the beginning of the book.

I loved Roxanne (Roxie) and Ciaran’s mother, Amy. They were believable and down-to-earth folk. I’ll look for more books by Gwen Kirkwood, because she’s an excellent author.

Who is Gwen Kirkwood?

Love Story
Author Gwen Kirkwood at her Mouswald home with Criffel in the background.

All my life has been connected to farming, first in Yorkshire and then in Scotland, so authentic farming details help colour my writing in most of my thirty published books. The family sagas feature two, and sometimes three, generations, with changing times, clothes and customs, transport, communication, or lack of it, with life’s joys and problems, plus love of course. We all need some love in our lives despite the ups and downs. They have believable characters and settings. A few are shorter romances. The sagas are available as audio books as well as in print, and all are now available as e-books.
I was born on a Yorkshire farm and went to school there. After attending agricultural college and a short spell working for the Ministry of Agriculture in England, I have spent most of my adult life on a Scottish dairy farm with my late husband, who was a well known breeder and judge of Clydesdale horses. We have three children and now another generation to keep me up to date with changing times and customs.
I enjoy gardening, local history, cookery, and of course reading, as well as my writing.
You can follow Gwen on Facebook at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/gwen.kirkwood.7

Judy Kroll, medical thriller, Novels, thriller

Breakthrough by Judy Kroll

2 Comments

Today, at Celtic Connexions, I’m reviewing Breakthough by another new-to-me author, Judy Kroll.

breakthrough

Blurb

Neddy Emory and her brother Charles head up Angiras, a family-owned start-up with a radical innovation that will transform patient care for cystic fibrosis. They’re about to go live with a revolutionary life-saving medical device. But they’ve hit a major snag. Critical research is unraveling and, to their shock and horror, one-by-one, team members are falling mysteriously ill.

Neddy and Charles race to move the project forward, while struggling to keep their employees safe. Failure is not an option. Without the device, their younger brother Daniel will die. But Neddy begins to suspect the company’s innovative research methods are being tampered with. When probed, Charles gaslights her. He refuses to slow down, claiming he is Daniel’s only hope.

Torn between loyalty to her family and the welfare of the staff, Neddy desperately searches for the truth. Then the unspeakable happens. A fatality. Charles appears to finally be persuaded. But his next move shocks her, and she realizes: the danger is only beginning. And she is on her own.

breakthrough

Book Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242377096-breakthrough

Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/breakthrough-zbt

My Review

A medical thriller, but also family drama. The small family-owned company is on the verge of a breakthrough that will revolutionize healthcare. With one of their brothers being in dire need of this new treatment, Neddy and Charles are pulling out all the stops to get this device working and approved for use.

It’s a fast-paced book with lots of twists. I enjoyed reading it and will watch for more books by this talented author.

About Judy Kroll

breakthrough

Judy Kroll worked for over twenty years in large and small corporations, including four years in the pharmaceutical industry, as a human resources professional and later as a career counselor. She provided job search assistance to hundreds of individuals, including physicians, pharmacists, medical device developers, chemists, and other scientists impacted by mergers and downsizings. She is a practicing yogi (twenty-three years.) Both corporate experiences as well as many years ‘on the mat’ inspired her book, Breakthrough. Specifically, in both of these very disparate worlds, she observed the same phenomenon: the devastation wrought when a much-respected boss or mentor turns out to be unethical, and one must find a new path forward, seemingly alone.

She lives in northern New Jersey, and in addition to writing, gardening, and practicing yoga, Judy co-chairs a not-for-profit conservation organization.

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latebloomer149/