Month: August 2024

The Ghost Cat is an enchanting, mesmerizing read about a special cat who has died and must throughout the years still earn its nine lives. With humor, sadness and irritation, his progression goes from the early 1900’s into the 2000’s. During this time, we watch this innocent cat learn about the changes, sometimes drastically which have occurred. All he really wants is the simplicity of what he lost, but unfortunately his journey only leads him into turmoil.

In 1902 Grimalkin, who resides at 7/7 Marchmont Crescent in Edinburgh, the pet cat of a woman named Elidh whom he loves deeply, falls asleep for the last time after being petted by his owner.

When he awakens, he discovers he is not really dead yet. He is told since he has never lived the nine lives of a cat but was just loved and taken care of and sheltered from harm, he must travel as a ghost and earn those lives before heading off into the afterlife.

Thus, begins Grimalkin’s magical journey through the changes in time and years, his home, his beloved, as well as the incredible (but sometimes unlikable) developments in technology, human behavior and life. To say Grimalkin lives those lives to the fullest would be an understatement. He tortures himself (and others) with his unhappiness of what at times he sees. But he somehow is always learning.

Finally, and only then is he allowed to cross over to where he belongs. His final resting place. Come along with this wonderful ghost cat and witness through the eyes of a feline what life is like and what it has become. What is experienced, what he has loved and lost will be a lesson for all who sometimes take the smallest things for granted.

The Ghost Cat was a marvelous journey.

About the Author:

Alex Howard is an author, editor and theatre professional from Edinburgh. His TikTok page, Housedoctoralex, has nearly 300,000 followers and his been featured on television and in the national press. A doctoral graduate of English literature, Alex wrote his first book Library Cat (B&W Publishing) while completing his PhD. It won the People’s Book Prize in 2017, and has been translated into French, Korean and Italian. He also writes poetry, which has been published in New Writing Scotland, Gutter and The London Magazine, among others, and his academic book Larkin’s Travelling Spirit was published in 2021 by Palgrave McMillan.

You can find him on his website and his social pages to see what he’s working on next!

Author Website: https://alexhoward.org/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199361308-the-ghost-cat

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexhoward_?lang=en

X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/alexwritings

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

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/theedinburghginnel

You can also get The Ghost Cat now at the following links:

HarperCollins: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-ghost-cat-alex-howard?variant=41281231061026

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-ghost-cat-original-alex-howard/20842988?ean=9781335012333

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ghost-cat-alex-howard/1142352539?ean=9781335012333&st=AFF&2sid=HarperCollins%20Publishers%20LLC_7310909_NA&sourceId=AFFHarperCollins%20Publishers%20LLC 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=9781335012333&tag=hcg-02-20

Thank you #NetGalley #HarperCollins/Harlequin/Alex Howard #TheGhostCat for the advanced copy.

What Never Happened is an intense psychological thriller which will have you rabidly reading a mile a minute as well as being extremely tempted to go to the last page. But don’t do it! The storyline a bit spine-chilling, but the plot and execution magnificent!

When Colette Webber decides to relocate from Los Angeles to Catalina Island, a place she abandoned years ago due to her failing marriage/not marriage to work as an obituary writer at the local newspaper which is run by none other than her best friend Maddy and live with her Aunt Gwen in the house she ran away from, she’s not sure how to feel. But relief from getting away sure helps.

The Island is very different than living in a city or town. The only mode of transportation is golf carts, and everything must be transported to the Island. Everything. People who live on Catalina Island are wealthy and grew up there. Unfortunately for Colette who goes by Coco her history with the place is not very happy. Her whole family, her parents and younger brother were murdered in their newly bought house years ago. Coco had snuck out to be with some friends and returned to a terribly bloody scene. She did see (or thought she saw) the killer and was able to help put him in jail.

Her Aunt Gwen has lived in the house since the murders, but her health seems to be failing. She’s very forgetful and has been found wandering more than a few times. So Coco, although anxious to return feels like this is a win win.

What she didn’t expect was to have these feeling of dread and doom, and fear. Aunt Gwen has not kept up with the house on the inside or outside so Coco must rely on a handyman she doesn’t know, and seems to work on his own schedule to make the house presentable.

While she acclimates herself to Island life again, she is told that the person who killed her parents has been let out of prison because the knife used has been found and his fingerprints were not on it. This throws her into a panic. Will he come back here? Will he come after her? She was so sure it was him.

But, unfortunately this is the least of her worries. As she begins her job writing obituaries, she discovers something strange. All elderly women, all with health conditions are dying, but the deaths are in unusual places. What are the odds? For such a small community there seems to be so much death. Coco begins to investigate. And suddenly something terrifying occurs. SHE gets HER obituary slipped under the door of her home. But also, it seems someone is stalking her and is able to get into her house. The harassing becomes constant. She goes to the police, but the disturbances don’t stop.

Why her? Do they think she has figured something out? Which she hasn’t or is this the killer of her family coming back to get her. Thank goodness she has her best friend to help her see reason.

Now, she feels she must figure this out before whoever wants her dead, actually does kill her. With no one to trust, how on earth does she dissect these maybe clues? And suddenly, it all comes together, and she now knows she’s the target. But why? What could she possibly know?

What Never Happened is a solid thriller which never stops with the twists and turns and surprises which seem to be on every page. The ending, perfection and your head will explode! Not literally, of course. but you get it! You will not be sorry if you pick up this book up!

If you are interested in a story filled with mystery, intrigue, espionage as well as a love story, The Paris Widow will keep you hypnotized, entertained as well as shocked and surprised. This book truly has it all!

When Stella and her husband Adam, an antiques dealer go on a once in a lifetime vacation to Europe, a bomb exploding in Paris next to a cafe they had just been at was not on their agenda. Having Adam going missing, presumed dead was certainly not either.

As the Paris police search for Stella’s husband, but hold out little hope, Stella becomes the face of what is deemed a terrorist plot. Her face is all over the television begging people to come forward if they had seen her husband in the minutes prior to the attack. She becomes known as the Paris Widow.

Unfortunately for Stella, with Adam missing, she begins to learn more about what he was doing on their wonderful vacation. She cannot believe what she is hearing. Not only does she realize their life together may have just been an act, but now she understands that her life could be in danger. With the information she has gathered from his computer, and a mysterious ring she found, she doesn’t know what to do.

She first starts trying to investigate on her own but soon realizes that those she thought she could trust want either her information, the ring or dead. But why? She still refuses to leave Paris, even knowing her life is in danger. Not without knowing what happened to Adam.

So, Stella, calls in a favor from her own past, a piece of her history she has never allowed anybody to know about. And hopefully with his help she will be able to put the pieces together before they discover her secrets.

Is Adam alive? Or were they able to kill them? So many questions with so little answers.

The Paris Widow is a cat and mouse game which has gone wrong, and the reader is not in on the joke. Who are the bad guys? We don’t know. Suddenly, there are more killings. How is this all connected? With shocking twists and turns and an ending which will keep you reading with awe this book will hold you spellbound!

Thank you #NetGalley #ParkRow #KimberlyBelle #TheParisWidow for the advanced copy.

The Tuscan Daughter is an inspiring, powerful story about an English woman who during World War 11 finds herself in Italy as the tutor of a young child while still mourning the death of her fiancé who was shot down and missing in action. It follows her journey and her courage as she decides to fight against the Fascism not only in the town she is staying, but in the house she is living. She discovers strengths she never knew she had but will also face great loss and heartbreak. But her determination will save not only herself, but many others.

Elizabeth Thornton is getting over the loss of her fiancé and decides to take a job tutoring a young boy named Cristo in Italy. Although she adores Cristo, she is not very pleased with his father, Antonio de Falco who is an avid supporter of Mussolini’s regime. Lizzie can barely look at him.

When a second tutor comes to assist in Cristo’s learning, Vincenzo Baldini, Lizzie is thrust into a love, hate relationship with this secretive man. She decides to follow him to discover just what he is up to.

Lizzie’s life changes when she realizes what Baldini is doing. She decides she must assist him thus thrusting herself into a world of covertness, fear, suspiciousness, and death. But she knows she’s on the right side of the war. Lizzie and Baldini become more than just allies until what they are up to is discovered.

Lizzie’s life explodes around her as she must go on the run, leave her beloved Cristo and fight the fight with not only other men, but women who too believe Fascism is wrong. What she witnesses will not only break her heart but make her stronger. She will show the men that a woman can be just as smart and strong as any man.

With all that is happening, her main goal is to get back to Cristo and make sure he is okay. Throughout this arduous trek, fighting for freedom for the women of Italy, she feels this is her home now and has earned to be known as one of them.

The Tuscan Daughter will keep you spellbound and, on your toes, as you become immersed into a life no one, especially a woman could ever imagine. As she fought side by side with the soldiers, she realized that the women who fought and died were just as important. And she would do everything she could to make that known.

Thank you #TessaHarris #HarperCollins #TheTuscanDaughter for the advanced copy.

Look for the paperback books release in March of 2025.

The Tuscan Daughter is an inspiring, powerful story about an English woman who during World War 11 finds herself in Italy as the tutor of a young child while still mourning the death of her fiancé who was shot down and missing in action. It follows her journey and her courage as she decides to fight against the Fascism not only in the town she is staying, but in the house she is living. She discovers strengths she never knew she had but will also face great loss and heartbreak. But her determination will save not only herself, but many others.

Elizabeth Thornton is getting over the loss of her fiancé and decides to take a job tutoring a young boy named Cristo in Italy. Although she adores Cristo, she is not very pleased with his father, Antonio de Falco who is an avid supporter of Mussolini’s regime. Lizzie can barely look at him.

When a second tutor comes to assist in Cristo’s learning, Vincenzo Baldini, Lizzie is thrust into a love, hate relationship with this secretive man. She decides to follow him to discover just what he is up to.

Lizzie’s life changes when she realizes what Baldini is doing. She decides she must assist him thus thrusting herself into a world of covertness, fear, suspiciousness, and death. But she knows she’s on the right side of the war. Lizzie and Baldini become more than just allies until what they are up to is discovered.

Lizzie’s life explodes around her as she must go on the run, leave her beloved Cristo and fight the fight with not only other men, but women who too believe Fascism is wrong. What she witnesses will not only break her heart but make her stronger. She will show the men that a woman can be just as smart and strong as any man.

With all that is happening, her main goal is to get back to Cristo and make sure he is okay. Throughout this arduous trek, fighting for freedom for the women of Italy, she feels this is her home now and has earned to be known as one of them.

The Tuscan Daughter will keep you spellbound and, on your toes, as you become immersed into a life no one, especially a woman could ever imagine. As she fought side by side with the soldiers, she realized that the women who fought and died were just as important. And she would do everything she could to make that known.

Thank you #TessaHarris #HarperCollins #TheTuscanDaughter for the advanced copy.

The Seaside Sisters is one of the best beach reads of this season! With charming, strong characters, mostly women trying to make very difficult decisions, with conflict and romance, the story will keep you on the beach instead of in the water! You will devour this book with great pleasure!

Writer Hannah is having trouble keeping her mind on writing her latest book. She seems to suddenly be suffering from anxiety. A best-selling author, she can’t let her readers, or her editor down. Although she lives in Brooklyn, her family lives in Chatham on Cape Cod and since the death of her mother Hannah has not been herself at all. But after talking to her sister Sara, who still lives there, Hannah decides to go to Chatham for the summer, live with her aunt Maddie and see if she can unblock her block.

Sara lives with her husband and her four young boys. She too is going through something herself. She is getting the itch to go back to work in some way. A former librarian, she misses the banter of talking about books. As a stay-at-home mom, her husband who works long hours and sometimes take advantage of her without really thinking, she longs for some time to herself doing something she enjoys. Suddenly, a job drops into her lap. The local bookstore is looking for someone during the day, mother’s hours. Sarah gets the job! But it seems her husband is not as excited.

Hannah’s aunt Maddie is separated from her husband. He has been staying in New York and she has been working from Chatham. She is an editor. Their relationship sadly has been in trouble for a while since they are both workaholics. They seem to be unable to make time for one another.

As Hannah comes back to Chatham, she still is unable to drive by her mother’s house. The sadness of her not being there is too intense. But she tries to start a writing routine and even spends time with her mother’s friends and their son Spencer, whom she knew from high school who is now a lawyer.

As each of their burden’s grow, they discover the strength they need through their companionship, respect and love for each other. The Seaside Sisters is a lovely testament to the power of friendship, dealing with loss and finding new love in whatever form.

Note to Kelley’s fans…some characters from her last novel based on the Cape, The Bookshop by the Bay make adorable cameos, which you will find in little easter eggs. Pamela Kelley never disappoints.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’s/Griffin #TheSeasideSisters #PamelaKelley for the advanced copy.

Jayci Lee has written another adorable romance with lovable characters and a fun, interesting story. That Prince is Mine has an imaginative, wishful plot which will keep you smiling, anticipating what will happen next.

Emma Yoon’s only ambition in life is to open her own culinary school. She is Korean and realizes there is definitely a market for this type of cuisine. If only her godmother, Auntie Soo felt the same way. You see Emma is coming upon her thirtieth birthday, one which her godmother feels Emma will be considered too old to marry.

Because Aunt Soo is a matchmaker, she decides she needs to intervene in Emma’s life and get her married. Emma is horrified, but of course can’t go against her godmother’s wishes. So, as she begins to “date” Autie’s good on paper men, Emma always seems to find something about them she does not like. Then one day while on one of these “dates” she looks up and sees an amazing site.

Enter Michel Chevalier, who not only immediately catches Emma’s eye, but he sets his sights on wooing her. But of course, there are problems. He is from another country and is only in the United States for a few months as a professor and oh by the way, he is the Prince of the small country he comes from and has escaped because he is supposed to marry a girl which had already been arranged when he was born.

But, they do begin to fall in love and Michel tries to keep the “baggage” he has brought to the states a secret, but of course, that is difficult when you are trying to run a country in secret. Plus, there is the fact that he will soon be leaving.

Through the course of their dating though, he realizes he wants Emma to come back with him. But how can he intrude on her own dreams and whisk her away from everything and everyone she knows and loves. Plus, there is still the problem of his upcoming nuptials.

Meanwhile, as Emma begins to fall in love, she herself has reservations. How does she explain to Auntie Soo that this is the man she wants to be with knowing he will be leaving soon.

Of course, when the situation slowly becomes exposed it leaves both of them trying to figure out where to go next. Especially as Michel’s time is coming to an end in the States.

How on earth can these two make this relationship work? Humorously, of course and with some friends who themselves are having relationship issues and perfect sidekicks.

The Prince is Mine is absolutely delightful, and royal!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sGriffin #JayciLee #ThatPrinceisMine for the advanced copy.

A Northern Light in Provence is a beautifully tender love story, but so much more than that. It’s empathetic yet fantastical, charming yet heartbreaking as we watch the main character go through so many emotions to not only discover herself, but to find her true way in life, release her fears and find happiness, something I think we can agree is what we all truly are looking for.

Ilse Erlund is a book translator who lives in Greenland. She lives in a very small town, loves her little house, her cat and loves her job, although her parents are not happy with her decision of career, but tries to ignore them. Although she could do without the bitter cold winters, she feels she has a pretty good life.

She knows her publisher takes advantage of her because she just never learned to say no or ask for what she wants or needs, like extra time or extra money. Her goal in life is to try and make everybody happy. Also, she fears they will fire her. Not because they really will, but because she thinks they will.

When the publisher gives her a new assignment, one she is not sure she is capable of doing, everything changes. She is requested to translate poems in French, a language she knows well. The poet is Geoffrey “Po” Labaye and he is revered. She is excited yet nervous and feels she can’t do this alone without his guidance. So, she boldly asks if she could go to France, meet with him so he can assist with the translation. To her shock, he agrees.

Thus begins Ilse’s journey of a lifetime which will unknowingly change her in more ways than she could imagine. Once there and meeting Po, a wonderful old soul who takes her under his wing where she becomes his muse to him, her teacher. When his son, Frey suddenly appears, that too will change Isle’s life in another way. Between the splendor of the setting, dear people she has befriended, she’s not sure she ever wants to go home.

As Ilse battles tough decisions, she begins to realize there is so much more to life with family, friends, and love. She may have always just taken these for granted. As she finds her voice, she feels the strength begin to feed her, just as her love of the French food and wine did. Just as Po and his merry band of friends did. But it’s time to go home. She has changed. What does that mean? Who is she now?

A Northern Light in Provence is so much more than just a love story between two people. It’s a story about loss, reconnecting, growing, losing and finding one’s voice, not just on paper but in life. That is really home.

Thank you #NetGalley #Ballentine/RandomHouse #ElizabethBirkelund #ANorthernLightinProvence for the advanced copy.

The Lost Letters from Martha’s Vinyard is an incredible mystery attached to a beautiful riveting love story. Between the secrets and intrigue and the heartbreakingly superb romance you will cling to this story and not want it to ever end!

When Kit finds a box while going through her late grandmother Edith’s belongings, she discovers pamphlets and programs from the 1950’s for a woman named Mercy Welles. She also finds a picture and other information about some play which was done on Martha’s Vinyard. But to her shock, a picture holds the most stunning surprise. It is of her Nan as a young woman with the same name…Mercy Welles. How is this possible since her Nan’s maiden name was Edith Stoppelmoor?

She and her sister were raised by her Nan and Pop after her parents were tragically killed. Never did she mention this part of her life or even ever going to Martha’s Vinyard! Kit, a television producer decides she must try and find out who Mercy Welles and Edith Stopplemoor are.

In 1959 Mercy Welles was a young actress who had been nominated for an Oscar in her first movie. She was an up-and-coming movie star, and everybody wanted her. All except it seems her fiancé who she discovered was cheating on her. It was then Mercy decided she needed to get away for a while and be alone to think about her life and what she really wanted to do. She decides to go to Martha’s Vinyard, a secluded island where she figures no one will know who she really is.

There, she meets wonderful people, and especially a very handsome oyster fisherman. As the summer progresses, she discovers the island is small but holds many secrets. By the end of the summer, Mercy’s life will be changed forever as will many others on the island. She will discover that finding out answers to secrets can be quite dangerous.

As Kit investigates, she tries to find people who knew her Nan back then. Some have died and others are hiding things. When she is finally able to track down her Nan’s best friend at the time Cass whom she knew she corresponded with, she is heartbroken to learn Cass had destroyed the letters years ago.

With the story told by both Kit in the present and Mercy in the past, the reader begins to learn what Mercy was doing during that mysterious summer on the island, and how her relationship with her oyster fisherman progresses. But there was also lying, jealousy and hatred going on at the time and secrets buried with dead bodies.

Kit decides she herself must go to the island for herself and see if she can put the pieces of the puzzle together. What Kit will discover is something she already knew. Her Nan was a strong woman who had to make the most difficult decision of her life which changed the trajectory her path would take. And just like her Nan, Kit’s life will be changed as well when she steps foot on Martha’s Vinyard the place she will finally find the answers she has been searching for.

The Lost Letters from Martha’s Vinyard is heartwarming, heartbreaking and more importantly brave!

Thank you #NetGalley #MarinerBooks #MichaelCallahan #TheLostLettersfromMartha’sVinaryard for the advanced copy.