#Blogtour High Tide by Livia Franchini

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour High Tide by Livia Franchini. Published by Doubleday. Tour courtesy of Random Things Tours.

About the Author

Livia Franchini is a writer and translator from Tuscany, Italy. Her recent publications include the novel Shelf Life, her English-language translation of Lorenza Mazzetti’s The Sky Is Falling, and the anthology Too Little / Too Hard: Essays on Writing, Work and Value.

Livia is Lecturer in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, where she also coordinates the Goldsmiths Prize. She lives in south-east London with her family.

About the book

Summer, 1992. Peter, a promising young artist, vanishes off the coast of Tuscany. Ten days later, his body washes ashore, bloated and unrecognisable. For one sweltering summer, his death grips the public imagination, before fading into the haze of nineties lore.

Thirty years on, Peter’s widow, Marie, has become infamous in her own right. A cult but reclusive horror writer, her novels are celebrated for their dark brilliance – but no one knows the woman behind the pen name, or the memories she’s spent a lifetime suppressing.

When a retrospective of Peter’s work is announced at a prestigious London gallery, an old friend resurfaces who seems determined to drag Marie from the shadows and unmask her. Drawn back to Italy, she feels the past begin to stir: the heat, the secrets, the girl she once was. What does she owe the dead – and how far will she go to protect the living?

Review

I found the aspect of Marie revisiting her experiences with Peter quite fascinating. It turns the modern reimagining of Mary Wollstonecroft Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley into a reflection and examination of self and choices. One wonders what Mary herself would say if given the chance to voice an opinion on the influence on her writing and her life. Somewhere between emotional turmoil and a despairing lack of control over self and identity.

In particular the lack of freedom to express and be acknowledged for those expressions. The almost suffocating bonds of societal expections, then the contradiction of the freedom of expression of the modern era, regardless of identity.

The parallels drawn are less than favourable for Peter and echo the flash in the pan destructive nature of the creative personality, who acted on impulse without a care for those around him. Is it any surprise that such a weak-willed character with a penchant for control would struggle with the talent of someone he perceived to be both beneath him and only worthy of occassional attention.

Equally fascinating is the contrast between the art world of the modern era this is set in and recognising patterns, personality traits and similarities, despite the differences in creation and creators. It's an interesting read, perhaps more so if you know the story behind the stories of Mary and Percy.

Buy High Tide at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Transworld Digital. Publication date ‏: ‎November 5, 2026. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Death the Second Time Around by Jeanine Englert

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Death the Second Time Around by Jeanine Englert. A Clun Mystery book 2. Publication Day Push Tour courtesy of Rachels. Random Resources Tours.

About the Author

Jeanine Englert’s love affair with mysteries and romance began with Nancy Drew, Murder She Wrote, and her Grandmother’s bookshelves full of romance novels. She is a VIVIAN®, Golden Heart®, and Romance Novelists Association Finalist as well as a Silver Falchion, Maggie, and Daphne du Maurier Award Winner in historical romance and mystery. She was also named the 2024 Georgia Author of the Year in romance for A Laird without a Past. 

Her Scottish Highland historical, Regency historical, and historical mystery novels revolve around characters seeking self-acceptance and redemption. When she isn’t wrangling with her characters on the page, she can be found trying to convince her husband to watch her latest Masterpiece or BBC show obsession. She loves to talk about books, writing, her beloved rescue pups, as well as mysteries and romance with other readers. Visit her website at www.jeaninewrites.com. 

Social media links for Jeanine:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/JeanineWrites

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/JeanineWrites

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jeanine-englert?list=about

Instagram: https://www.instragram.com/JeanineWrites

About the book

Burying her husband the first time was hard. . . but the second time might just kill her.

Priscilla Newberry’s move to Obley, England was supposed to be a fresh start for her and her young daughter. But when the body of her late husband she believed long dead is found at her former home in Clun, she is pulled reluctantly back into the past and an inquiry case to find out who murdered him now and why.

Widower Augustus Travers is driven to protect the people of Clun in his new role as Constable, but nothing could prepare him for his first case: finding a man murdered, especially a man who was believed to already be dead and the late husband of a woman he could lose his heart to if he wasn’t careful.

As the clues unfold, Priscilla and Augustus find themselves in a harrowing race against time as they face the past and the consequences of death the second time around.

Review

This is the second book in the Clun Mysteries, it can absolutely be read as a standalone book, however I would suggest reading the first book because it adds insight to the situation Priscilla finds herself in when this book begins.

Imagine your dead and buried husband comes back into your life years later, as a dead man. Confused? Yes, so is everyone else who knew him. If he wasn't dead where has he been? Who did they bury? Is everything Priscilla thought was true and absolute lie?

I'm not sure what's worse for Priscilla, realising that she must mourn again or that she was never worthy of an honest interaction. No matter how you frame it, her husband picked his own greed, ideas, safety and choice of lifestyle, over the welfare of his child and wife. Not one thought was lost on the hardship, heartache and difficulty they might endure at the hands of his decisions.

I enjoyed the way the author has created this Christie-like atmosphere in an environment that combines the harsh life and existence with mystery and human connection. How people adjust and realign needs and realities to survive. Sometimes they also encounter romantic connections that give us the strength to forge forward, despite betrayal and the lack of trust ingrained on their souls.

Buy Death the Second Time Around at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : ‎Jeanine Writes LLC. Publication date ‏: ‎31 Oct. 2026. Buy via Amazon com.

Giveaway - Share in the Hallowed Eve Mysteries of Clun, England! (Open to US only)

Enter for the chance to win e-book copies of the Clun Mysteries series: Lovely Digits and Death the Second Time Around! Share in the Hallowed Eve Mysteries of Clun, England! 

https://gleam.io/JIJZV/share-in-the-hallowed-eve-mysteries-of-clun-england-open-to-us-only

*Terms and Conditions –US entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.*

#Blogtour Miss Wolcott's Ghost by Louise Penny

It's a pleausre to take part in the Blogtour Miss Wolcott's Ghost by Louise Penny. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache book 21. Published by Hodder & Stoughton, £22 H/B, published 20th October 2026. Tour courtesy of Random Things Tours.

About the Author

Louise Penny is the #1 bestselling, multi-award-winning author of the Chief Inspector Gamache novels, set in her home province of Québec, Canada. Her books, including State of Terror written with Hillary Rodham Clinton, have sold more than 18 million copies worldwide, topped international bestseller lists, including the New York Times, and been translated into 32 languages. 

The recipient of both the Order of Canada and l’Ordre national du Québec, her country’s highest civilian honours, her Three Pines Foundation reaches out to those in crisis and offers financial and emotional support, with a special focus on literacy as well as dementia care. Her husband, Michael, died of dementia in 2016. She lives with her golden retrievers Muggins and Charlie in a village south of Montreal. Find Louise Penny on Facebook at www.facebook.com/louisepennyauthor

About the book

Gamache receives a puzzling phone call at his home in Three Pines, instructing him to go to a remote, forgotten area in Quebec to find a dead body, a puzzling mystery unspools that tangles the past, present, and the future.

‘There's a body in Lost Nation.' But the line goes dead before Chief Inspector Armand Gamache can question the caller. The head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec has no idea where Lost Nation is, or who woke him in the small hours of the morning at his home in Three Pines. What he does know is that the man was terrified.

When he and his team of Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle Lacoste find both place and body, the situation only grows more bizarre. The unidentified dead man appears to be from an era more than a century old. He's lying in a long-abandoned cemetery, on top of a grave with a date, but no name. 

Adding to the mystery, the early morning call appears to have come from Gamache's friend and neighbour, Clara Morrow. While she denies any knowledge of it, it becomes clear there is some connection between her, the Morrow family, and Lost Nation.

Soon, Gamache and his team are faced with tracking down not just the legend of Lost Nation, but a lost ship, lost documents belong to an eccentric Victorian botanist, and a mysterious plant not seen in a century, that might save, or take, countless lives.

As the ghosts begin to gather, Gamache realises that the body on the grave is far from the only death. To solve the crime and avert catastrophe he must look to rancid secrets and old lies no longer dead and buried.

Review

One shall tread carefully as to not reveal too much of the plot or which detail plays the most important role in the latest Inspector Gamache book.

A mysterious phone call in the middle of the night thrusts Armand Gamache into a mystery that has its roots in the past and has bloomed to fruition in the current day. Moments of sinister apprehension are often replaced with confusion and surprise. The smallest detail and the carriers of information become what can only be described as a mind-map of historical and geographical facts and stories handed down from person to person.

I have to admit I was unaware of the historical event at the core of this story. Strange how such a massive tragedy could be buried in the ashes of other events that had an impact on the world. What is apparent however is how people have tried to make sure the individuals aren't forgotten by linking names to faces/photos and to families.

I'd hazard a guess that I am not the only person who was deeply disappointed when the powers that be (and clearly have no clue what good television is) decided to cancel Three Pines after the first season. Molina was perfect, but more importantly they captured the essence of belonging, friendship and the landscape of both Canada and the Canadians perfectly. Here's to manifesting another screen attempt.

Penny always delivers her crime and characters with a element of poignance, history, cultural importance and above all with a keen sense of human connection. It always makes for a great read.

Buy Miss Wolcott's Ghost at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published by Hodder & Stoughton, £22 H/B, published 20th October 2026. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Bookshop org.

#Blogtour The Shareg by A. G. Rivett

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Shareg by A.G. Rivett. This is the third part of The Isle of Fincara Trilogy, published by Pantolwen Press: Publication Day 16 October 2026. Tour courtesy of Zooloo's Book Tours.

About the Author

Ceredigion author A G Rivett claims to have lived several lives in the course of his one life. Born in London, raised in the Home Counties, he has been a doctor, a priest, and a crofter in the Scottish Highlands. 

He has lived in rural Northern Nigeria and knows what a simpler life looks like, less dependent on technology. He now lives in West Wales with his wife, Gillian Paschkes-Bell, who works with him as a writing team. There, he grows fruit and vegetables and has sewn a wildflower meadow. He has three daughters and two grandsons. Connect with the author via agrivett.com

About the book

A world like eleventh-century Britain; an island like the Western Isles. Caerpadraig is the only town with a woman for their priest. And there lives time-traveller, John Finlay, whom the Islanders call Dhion. 

The town’s headman—the shareg—feels his age and must stand down. The contest to replace him is intense and even the foreigner, Dhion, is drawn in. Meanwhile, the Archpriest’s men are on the move, emissaries of a missionary push to replace longstanding Island traditions. As the new shareg is chosen, two of them appear, the first signs of the conflict that will change everything. 

Bookended by a body washed up on a beach and a glass of whisky on the Inverness train, the world of Caerpadraig comes alive with characters who dance to a different drum. 

Review

Without going into the details of the ending, I think it is what one would call a full circle moment. In a sense it puts forward the thought of purpose. Do we have - and I do think we do - a purpose to fulfill in our time. Not always one of great moments in history, because the majority of us come and go without great impact on the world. The prefice rather being that every person creates a set of connections and leaves an impact, regardless of whether negative or positive, and these ripples of connections are important in ways most people never comprehend.

Such is the story of Dhion, which begs the question - in this speculative tale - that perhaps his appearance was always meant to be. Was always his destiny, and he was always supposed to create ripples and share knowledge, and in doing so moving civilisation forward and leaving a mark upon the people around him.

It's a poetic and spritual ending to the trilogy. Taking each book, pathway and crossroads into consideration. From the new beginning, the birth of Dhion and his story culminating in a set of circumstances that protect his new people and family. Saving those who saved him. His purpose.

I think, after reading all three books, that they are the kind of reads that let you reflect on the depth in retrospect. Beyond the details of the surface information.

Buy The Shareg at Amazon Uk. Publisher: Pantolwen Press, publication date 16 Oct. 2026.

#Blogtour The Deadly Inheritance of Everest MacDonald by A.J. West

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Deadly Inheritance of Everest MacDonald by A. J. West. Published by Orenda Books, publication date 8th October 2026. Blogtour courtesy of Random Things Tours.

About the Author

A.J. West’s bestselling debut novel The Spirit Engineer won the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown Award, gaining international praise for its telling of a long forgotten true story. His second novel, The Betrayal of Thomas True, debuted at number two on the Sunday Times bestseller list, and won the CWA Historical Dagger. A.J. was also shortlisted for the Booksellers Association Author the Year.  

An award-winning BBC newsreader and reporter, he has written for national newspapers and regularly appears on network television discussing his writing and the historical context of contemporary events. A passionate historical researcher, he writes at The London Library and museum archives around the world.  Follow @AJWestAuthor on X, visit ajwestauthor.com

About the book

1917. As the Great War rages on the continent, Everest Macdonald is summoned to her father's deathbed and entrusted with a final urgent request: she must uncover the truth behind the murder of her uncle, the celebrated Victorian actor William Terriss, a crime that has haunted her family for twenty years. 

In 1897, Terriss was stabbed to death outside London’s Adelphi Theatre, a killing that shocked Victorian society. The murderer was swiftly  arrested and confined to Broadmoor, the case declared closed. 

Yet years later, a sealed package of evidence passed to Everest by her dying father casts doubt on the official verdict and the haste with which it was reached. Drawn back to wartime London, with her husband and children left behind, Everest begins her investigation, following a trail that leads her into the world of late-Victorian theatre, where fame and fortune mask obsession, envy and cruelty. With time running out and her father’s strength failing, Everest must uncover what really happened on the night Terriss died, and shed light on the unsettling legacy he left behind… 

Review

I'm going to start out by remarking upon the fact that West is highly underrated and deserves more recognition for his writing and storytelling. He also has a knack of combining history, fact and fiction to create a great read. Filling in the blanks, but always being being quite honest about the creating the fictional around the known facts, cemented by diligent research.

In 1897, the well-known actor Terriss was stabbed to death outside London's Adelphi Theatre. It was a killing that created newspaper headlines and shocked Victorian society. There was no doubt as to the identity of the murderer who was arrested and confined to Broadmoor. The no doubt becomes a shaky ground to stand on when Everest MacDonald is tasked with discovering the truth on the deathbed of her father.

The flamboyance, eccentricity and theatrical nature of the people and personalities of the theatre world not only adds to the flair of otherness Everest exudes, but also accurately depicts the minutiae of circumstance that may or may not have led to certain events.

It's a wonderful exploration of an historical crime with an ode to Christie here and there. The author has a style that is both memorable and evolving with each book. I look forward to what he comes up with next. 

Buy The Deadly Inheritance of Everest MacDonald at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher Orenda Books; publication date: 8th October 2026. Royal Hardback | £ 20. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Orenda Books.

#Blogtour The Priest's Wife by A. G. Rivett

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Priest's Wife by A.G. Rivett. This is the second part of The Isle of Fincara Trilogy, published by Pantolwen Press: Publication Day 19 October 2023. Tour courtesy of Zooloo's Book Tours.

About the Author

Ceredigion author A G Rivett claims to have lived several lives in the course of his one life. Born in London, raised in the Home Counties, he has been a doctor, a priest, and a crofter in the Scottish Highlands. He has lived in rural Northern Nigeria and knows what a simpler life looks like, less dependent on technology. He now lives in West Wales with his wife, Gillian Paschkes-Bell, who works with him as a writing team. There, he grows fruit and vegetables and has sewn a wildflower meadow. He has three daughters and two grandsons. Connect with the author via agrivett.com

About the book

When her husband the priest dies, Morag loses more than her life partner. With him goes her home and her place in the community. When her identity is also called into question, she sets out on a quest to find herself anew.

Meanwhile, the new priest brings with him a religion that seeks to sweep away the mix of Celtic myth and Christian story that has sustained the islanders for many years.

In the conflict that unfolds, each is challenged to know themselves more deeply, and at last to recognise the new roles that await them.

Review

Bringing it back to the basics of structure, the death of Hugo reveals the instability of Morag's life. Everything is built upon the premise of her position as his companion and partner, and when he no longer exists neither does her position. It's a bit of a blow to her heart and soul. Not only has she lost the man she loved, she is suddenly relegated to a position of non-importance. She loses her role, her standing and her home. In a way she also loses her community. 

For an outsider looking in it looks like the ultimate betrayal, but it is merely one of the many inconviences of being a woman in a world run by men. Or at the very least a world run by lineage and born from societal structures.

The grief, the rejection, the replacement and the displacement, all serve as inner and outer drivers to push Morag on a path to discover her identity. Who is she and where does stem from, what is her maternal lineage? The discoveries she makes eventually lead her on an eye-opener of journey. One whihc may or may not lead her back to the fold of friends and her family.

Whilst the journey to find self is still a core element in the second book in the Isle of Fincara trilogy, this time it is defined by the way women are perceived in roles of influence and authority. We delve further into Celtic myth and the advancement of a patriarchal religious system, which strides without losing pace towards societies who prior to this were determined and ruled by a more earth based set of rules interwoven with folklore and mythology.

Buy The Priest's Wife at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy via Barnes & Noble. Via Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Seaborne by A.G. Rivett

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Seaborne by A.G. Rivett. This is the first part of The Isle of Fincara Trilogy, published by Pantolwen Press: Publication Day 21 October 2025. Tour courtesy of Zooloo's Book Tours.

About the Author

Ceredigion author A G Rivett claims to have lived several lives in the course of his one life. Born in London, raised in the Home Counties, he has been a doctor, a priest, and a crofter in the Scottish Highlands. He has lived in rural Northern Nigeria and knows what a simpler life looks like, less dependent on technology. He now lives in West Wales with his wife, Gillian Paschkes-Bell, who works with him as a writing team. There, he grows fruit and vegetables and has sewn a wildflower meadow. He has three daughters and two grandsons. Connect with the author via agrivett.com

About the book

John Finlay is fleeing from failure. - His engineering business has failed. His relationship has failed. His flight from debts leads him to disaster – and to the Island, where he must learn to live anew. 

Dermot, pulling a boy barely alive from the water, has never seen anyone so strangely dressed. His Celtic island knows nothing of debt, nor engineering. Where has this man come from? John struggles to accept that he has been carried across time and into another world – both like and unlike his own. How he got there is a mystery.  

But John, the foreigner, must turn slowly into Dhion, the Islander. Still, he brings with him unfinished business that must be faced, and ideas that may not always be welcomed.  

Meanwhile Dermot, consumed with a growing jealousy, develops his own deadly agenda. The whole community finds itself caught up in what becomes a matter of survival – or transformation. A tale of loss and change. A spiritual inquiry. And a love story. 

Review

Although the story, which is the first part of The Isle of Fincara Trilogy, is speculative in nature it also brings together a myriad of aspects and perceptions. The spritual awakening for one. Not so much in a religious, pagan or the natural origin of past societies who are perhaps isolated from greater advancements and developments, but rather an awakening of self. 

How John/Dhion adjusts and then comprehends that in this new setting he is no longer John with the burden or lightness of his previous life and identity. In this setting he is in fact Dhion and walks in the shoes of this emerging identity, albeit with the bonus of being able to access the knowledge and ability of John.

I did wonder why Dhion doesn't really delve deeply into the why or how of his new existence. Is it perhaps because he welcomes a new beginning or the concept that something more unusual than being recovered from the sea is at hand.

To some of the people who surround him he will always be the one borne of the sea, and that mirrors the way modern society distinguishes born and bred from the outsider, even if the outsider has a generational standing in said village, town or society. That inkling of other often brings an element of distrust with it, which explains the wariness when Dhion uses modern ideas to enhance the lives of those around him.

I think it's a book - or a start of a journey - that is better served without too much pre-knowledge from others. What I will add is that one of the last sentences captures not only the entirety of John becoming Dhion, but also serves a gentle reminder of something not everyone experiences - 'my feet feel they have found a path' - it encapsulates so much of this story and more.

Buy The Seaborne at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Pantolwen Press, published 21 October 2025. Buy via Barnes and Noble.