Bookouture Blog Tour for The Crossword Murders by Helena Dixon

/ drbethnolan / Leave a comment

I really enjoy reading this cozy mystery series and I particularly love the main characters, Jane and Arthur. They are both very different from each other and have their unique foibles, and I love how Jane brings her cat along to things and Arthur can’t really stand that! I love how this one was based on crosswords and clues – these stories are always very well plotted and fun! You don’t need to read them in order. Added plus they are based in the 1940s.

Thank you for my copy!

A crossword that’s tricky to crack, a hot cup of coffee… and hidden clues? Can Jane Treen work this mystery out?

England, 1942. Jane Treen is hot-footing it to Devon, having received an urgent message from her colleague and fellow sleuth, Arthur Cilento. He had been deeply worried for his mentor, crossword writer Professor Watkins. And the invitation he’s sent Jane is to the Professor’s funeral… he’s dead.

Arthur suspects foul play, but before they have time to fill in the blanks, their clues lead them into a secret vault nearby. Jane, fluffy ginger cat by her side, begins to connect the dots. But then another man is murdered, and she realises that Professor Watkins’ death is one piece in a much larger and deadlier game.

But who could be behind the untimely deaths? Could the professor’s beloved sister be responsible? Or a wealthy and influential benefactor and her assistant? And someone else close to the professor – also no stranger to compiling a crossword – seems to be increasingly cryptic too.

It’s clear that the killer isn’t playing by the book. And when the clue the professor left in the last crossword he wrote doesn’t help them to solve the crime, Jane and Arthur are back to square one and must think outside the box to crack the code. But just as they start to figure out what’s happening, they find themselves trapped, their lives at stake…

Can the duo solve the puzzle and escape before it’s too late?

About the Author:

Helena Dixon is the author of the internationally bestselling Miss Underhay cozy mystery series. She is a Black Country girl living in Devon. Married to the same man for over thirty-five years she has three daughters, a cactus called Spike, and a crazy cockapoo. She was the winner of the RNA Romance Prize in 2007 and the RNA Love Story of the Year 2010.

Bookouture Blog Tour for The French Wife by Ann Bennett

/ drbethnolan / Leave a comment

Oooh I loved this novel! It focused on a Amelie, a French woman (with a jerk of a husband) during WWII and her work with the Resistance while also placating the Nazis that have taken over their town. It also parallels with a modern day single woman, Emma, who has bought an empty farmhouse (once belonging to our French wife) and how she works to learn its story.

Soooo good!

Thank you for my copy!

Here’s the scoop:

They thought her husband was a hero. Only she knew the truth…

France 1943: Amelie Garnier loathes the enemy soldiers who occupy their sleepy French village. Forced to work as a secretary for the Nazis, her heart pounds as she speeds through the narrow streets, enemy secrets in her bicycle basket, home to her husband Bruno. Bruno is hailed as a hero for hiding resistance workers in their cellar but only Amelie knows the truth of what goes in their isolated farmhouse. And what danger she is in…

Present day: Longing for a new start away from the tragedy she left in London, Emma arrives at the forlorn honey-coloured farmhouse. Sorting through dusty cupboards, she discovers a sad-eyed wedding photograph of the previous owner, Amelie, and cannot shake the sense that Amelie too has known great grief.

But when she mentions Amelie’s name in the ancient, cobbled square the locals look away and mutter about a devastating betrayal. Emma knows what it feels like to be wrongly judged and is sure she can still feel Amelie’s gentle presence in the rooms of her new home. If Emma brings Amelie’s truth into the light, will she find a path forward from the rawness of her own loss, and hope for a brighter future?

A completely heartbreaking story about bravery and the terrible sacrifice that a heroic woman in war was forced to make. Fans of Kristin Hannah and Fiona Valpy will be swept away by The French Wife.

About the Author:

Ann Bennett is the author of several historical novels about the second world war in South East Asia, inspired by her father’s experience as a prisoner of the Japanese on the Thai-Burma railway. She has a Law degree and works full time as a lawyer, but is fascinated by India and South East Asia. Since her early twenties she has spent as much time as possible travelling in the region. She’s married with three sons and lives in Surrey.

Bookouture Blog Tour for The Wish List Trip by Kerry Lonsdale and Orly Konig

/ drbethnolan / Leave a comment

From Bookouture, this story was an engaging read of two friends who no longer get along, carrying out their third best friend’s dying wish – to revisit different places they enjoyed together and to scatter her ashes. I loved this story and could not put it down. It was the kind of read that made me laugh and made me cry. There’s something so wonderful about the power of female friendship/sisterhood. Definitely will be on my holiday gift list for some friends this year!

Thank you for my copy!

Here’s the scoop:

Dear Holly and Anna,

I knew it would take drastic measures to bring you together, so, ta da, one drastic measure! I’m sorry I died. And I know you guys haven’t spoken in five years. But here’s the plan: over fourteen days, you are going to scatter my ashes in every place we vacationed together in our twenties.

I wish I could have fixed your friendship before I passed away. But dying comes with one perk—you can’t say no to me now.

You’re going to have the best time. I’ve planned rum cocktails in Cabo and café hopping in Paris. And along the way, I’ll keep sending you letters. Because there’s a secret I wasn’t brave enough to share when I was alive… and if I know the three of us, I suspect we’ve all been hiding something from each other.

The times we spent together were the best days of my life. Nobody made me laugh like you did, Anna. And Holly, promise you’ll let your hair down one last time for me.

I hope by the end of this trip, there’s nothing left we’re afraid to say…
xo, Zoe

The Wish List Trip is an unputdownable story of sisterhood, self-discovery and how not to smuggle your friend’s ashes through French border control… Addictive, escapist and bittersweet, perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Emily Giffin and Jojo Moyes.

About the Authors!

Kerry Lonsdale is the Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Kindle bestselling author of the Everything series, No More trilogy, and multiple standalone romantic women’s fiction and domestic drama novels. Her books have sold more than two million copies and have been translated into twenty-seven languages. She resides in Northern California.

After years of pushing the creativity boundary in corporate communications, Orly Konig made the switch to fiction. She is the author of The Distance Home, Carousel Beach, The Arrangements, and with her best friend and co-author — The Wish Trip List (coming September 8, 2026). She also writes about living an unapologetically imperfect life on Substack. She’s a co-founder and past president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.

Bookouture Blog Tour for Christmas with the East End Girls by Jean Fullerton

/ drbethnolan / Leave a comment

I just love this series about a group of femaile friends living in London during WWII. This one, book 4, focuses primarily on Georgina (“George”) and the man she falls in love with. I’ve loved all the books in this series and I know there are more to come. You can read them as stand alones, but I like reading them all in order! And, as always, I appreciate an uplifting ending!!

Thank you for my copy and for having me on the tour!

Here’s the scoop:

East London, 1943: Will this wartime Christmas bring love, joy and peace to the East End Girls?

Georgina St John-Smythe – George to her friends – is usually the life and soul of any party. But as the East End of London prepares wearily for another wartime Christmas amid nightly bombings, she is finding it hard to muster her festive spirit, still hurting from a recent romantic betrayal. But everything changes when she meets handsome Captain ReverendGuy Moncrieff…

Forced to leave the army after a life-altering injury, Guy is struggling to settle into his new role at a bomb-damaged little church in the centre of the East End. Romance is the last thing on his mind, but when he and George are thrown together to organise a special Christmas Eve carol service that will give their incredible, irrepressible community a chance to shine, the closeness that develops between them surprises them both.

But just as George begins to dream that a future with this kind, generous man might be possible, she is falsely accused of a terrible crime that threatens not only her happiness with Guy, but her future in the Women’s Auxiliary Airforce. Can the East End Girls rally behind one of their own to right this wrong? And as the bells ring out on Christmas Eve, can George and Guy put the past behind them and make a fresh start together? Or is it too late for a happy ever after?

Fans of Katie Flynn, Rosie Goodwin and Lizzie Lane will adore this heart-warming and emotional festive World War Two saga about love, friendship and new beginnings.

About the Author: (I love how the author herself is an “East End Girl”!)

Born and bred in East London, Jean was a District Nurse by trade working throughout East London. Since 2008, she has been publishing bestselling saga fiction, including the popular World War Two Ration Book series, which, like all her books, is set in East London. Jean has also written her autobiography A Child of the East End , about growing up in post-war Stepney and Wapping.

Good Night, Break a Leg! Life with Broadway Dads by Bret Shuford

/ drbethnolan / Leave a comment

My friends at Penguin sent me a copy of this sweet children’s book because I think they know I love Broadway and musical theater. Good night, Break a leg! was written by Bret Shuford of “Broadway Dads”, which you may follow on social media. Bret was an incredible Broadway performer who sadly passed away from cancer while he was working on this book for his and his husband’s little boy.

Here’s the scoop:

Leap, soar, and dance into the joyous life of a little boy whose dads are dazzling Broadway performers in this lyrical, rhyming picture book from one of Instagram and TikTok’s Broadway Husbands.

Where do parents go when they walk out the door for work?

In this charming, vibrant picture book, a little boy’s dads have a very special job—they’re Broadway performers!

By day, these two are like any other parents. They do the dishes, help with chores, and give lots of hugs and kisses. But by night, they take to the stage, donning elaborate costumes and dancing for thousands of theatergoers.

From Bret Shuford, Broadway performer and cocreator of the social media sensation Broadway Husbands, this sweet story is a love letter to the theater and an ode to parents who do it all. Celebrate family, creativity, and unconditional love in this heartwarming book for theater-loving families, aspiring young performers, and anyone who believes in the magic of being yourself.

About the Author:

Bret Shuford was a Broadway performer, content creator, and proud father. His stage credits include The Little Mermaid, Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, and more. Through his work as the co-creator of Broadway Husbands with husband Stephen Hanna, Bret shared the everyday magic of balancing the arts, love, and fatherhood. At the heart of it all, he was a storyteller—one who believed the most powerful role he ever played was being a papa who dared to dream out loud. After a brave battle with cancer Bret is now in the universe protecting Stephen and their son Maverick while filling their hearts with love.

Elena Hager is a Russian American artist. She studied to be a fine painting restorer but realized children’s book illustration was everything her heart and soul craved. Elena currently lives and creates in Atlanta, Georgia.

Knowing that Bret is gone way too soon, it’s nice to know that his love and work live on.

Thank you for my copy.

Spotlight for Latino Heritage Month: The King of Aloe Vera by Tomas Moniz (and a shoutout to my Napa peeps)

/ drbethnolan / Leave a comment

I’m shouting it out for a new title that is the perfect read to kick of Latino/Latinx Heritage month! It’s gotten lots of great reviews and pre-publicity and will publish at the end of September.

In THE KING OF ALOE VERA, Rey has lived on the same block in San Francisco’s Mission District for decades, watching his city transform. Now he spends most of his time volunteering at the library and vigilantly sweeping his stoop, which allows him to keep a careful eye on the neighborhood. He is on the verge of giving up his home and moving to a retirement community, the plan he had made with his deceased wife 10 years ago, when he catches Q, a soon to be unhoused, queer twenty-year-old, littering cigarette butts on his steps. Their friendship begins taking us on a joyful and magical journey through senior dance classes, children’s read-aloud hours, illegal bike trips over the Bay Bridge and fair housing rallies.

Tomas Moniz is a Latinx writer living in East Oakland, CA. His debut novel, Big Familia, was a finalist for the 2020 PEN/Hemingway and the LAMBDA. His second novel, All Friends Are Necessary, won the 2024 California Golden Poppy Award. He’s the recipient of the prestigious SF Literary Arts Foundation’s 2016 Award, the 2020 Artist Affiliate for Headlands Center for Arts, and the 2023 Lucas Artists Residency Program Fellow. Among the residencies he’s attended the 2022 UCross Residency, the 2020 Caldera Residency, the 2018 SPACE on Ryder Farm and others. He teaches at Berkeley City College, the Antioch MFA program and USF. 

If you know me, you know I grew up in Napa and still have many friends as well as dear family in the area:

NAPA/BAY AREA FRIENDS: Mr. Moniz will be on a panel of speakers at the NAPA BOOKMINE on Thursday, October 8!

Spotlight on: ROUGH CUTS by Glenn R. Miller

/ drbethnolan / Leave a comment

So I could not take this one to read due to my schedule, but I wanted to do a shoutout about it since it sounds really intriguing!

Here’s the scoop:

Minneapolis, MN – From Glenn R. Miller, the acclaimed author of “Doorman Wanted”–praised for its “sly, sophisticated wit” in The Miami Herald–comes a new satirical novel on censorship in the arts: “Rough Cuts” (Koehler Books), inspired in part by his experiences working at NBC studios.

About the book: It’s 1926 and the world of film is about to change forever. On the cusp of “talkies,” directors and actors fear their greatest days might soon be behind them. Patrick J. Shepard, a director at the end of his career, has just completed his masterpiece, his vehicle for eternal fame. But there’s one problem: Ohio.

Harold Dawdry, the young, second-string minister at a small church in a corner of Ohio, has been appointed to the State Film Censorship Board. He regards this appointment as his ticket to the power and relevance he desperately craves. There is one director who has particularly rankled his delicate sensibilities: Patrick J. Shepard. The minister feels Ohio is best served if Shepard makes drastic cuts to his final film. The silent era is about to get loud.

“Rough Cuts”

Glenn R. Miller | September 29, 2026 | Koehler Books | Historical Fiction, Humor/Satire

Hardcover | ISBN: 979-8-89747-076-1 | $31.95

Paperback | ISBN: 979-8-89747-074-7 | $22.95

Ebook | ISBN: 979-8-89747-075-4 | $9.99

Praise for the author…

“Doorman Wanted” is a “comic novel that doffs its hat to master humorist P.G. Wodehouse with its interest in class differences and its sly, sophisticated wit…”

—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“[‘Doorman Wanted’] has the rare quality of simultaneously making you laugh and making you think.” 

—Readers’ Favorite

About the author…

GLENN R. MILLER: is the author of the critically acclaimed and award-winning novel “Doorman Wanted” which was named 2026 Plymouth Reads Book of the Year. “Rough Cuts” is his second novel, forthcoming from Koehler Books. Miller launched his professional career by working on television soap operas and game shows on the back lots of NBC Burbank. He holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and has served as a CBS-affiliate news producer, public television producer, and creative director at production agencies within the Twin Cities. Glenn and his wife live in Minneapolis, and are the parents of two grown sons.

Learn more about his work at: www.glenn-r-miller.com 

Follow Glenn R. Miller on social media:

Facebook: @glennmiller1 | Instagram: @glennrmillerauthor

Bookouture Blog Tour for Murder at the Manor House by Katie Gayle

/ drbethnolan / Leave a comment

I love Katie Gayle’s Julia Bird cozy mysteries so much! It’s so refreshing to have a smart, resourceful woman over 50 as the protagonist, and her having a sweet doggo is just icing on the cake. I never get tired of these stories and each be read as a standalone. But I enjoy reading them in order as I can watch the characters and their relationships develop.

Thank you for my copy and for having me on tour! I enjoyed this one and did not figure it out!

Here’s the scoop:

ulia Bird is as keen as anyone in Berrywick to see inside the famous Greystone Manor. But when she does, the last thing she expects to find is a body!

When Julia Bird is asked to clear out the gatehouse at Greystone Manor after the sudden death of Colonel Loxton’s sister, she is intrigued to finally see inside the impressive house. But when she discovers the body of the Colonel, who greeted her only hours before, dead behind the sofa with a bruise on his forehead, Julia believes his death is no accident.

Once forensics confirm it was murder, Julia tries to piece together what happened. On the day the Colonel died, she saw an unknown man getting into a car outside the manor. The butler Garforth and the housekeeper Biddy claim there were no visitors that day, so who was this mysterious man? Or is someone in the Colonel’s family not telling the truth, with tensions running high over the inheritance?

Days later, Julia finds another body dead among the rhododendrons and knows the deaths must be connected. At the Colonel’s funeral she heard his friends talking about a long-buried secret. Had the second victim discovered it, and is it motive enough to kill? With time running out, can Julia solve the case before there’s another murder at the manor?

An addictive and totally charming cozy mystery set in the English countryside. Perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and J. R. Ellis.

About the Author(s):

Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. Unlike their sleuth Epiphany Bloom, neither of them have ever stolen a cat from the vet.

I apologize; I realize I was to post on the 26th, not 27th. My error!

Bookouture Blog Tour for The Christmas Cove Inn by Kristin Harper

/ drbethnolan / Leave a comment

I loved this sweet, feel-good romance about a busy woman who ends up on a small island off the coast of Massachusetts for Christmas, as opposed to an island in the Caribbean, and how she falls in love with the town, the people, and one man in particular. This was a clean read, FYI, and left me ready to start thinking about the holidays!

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!

Here’s the scoop:

All Celeste wants for Christmas is to escape. But could a surprise visit to an inn where candles glow behind every window and the smell of winter spices fill the air be her chance at a new beginning?

Dropping her suitcase down on the front step of the Christmas Cove Inn, Celeste can’t help but smile. Her holidays should have been spent on assignment in the Caribbean, the perfect way to mend her broken heart. But when her flight was diverted to Sea Spray Island near Cape Cod, she had to take the only room left at the inn.

Celebrating the season is the last thing on her mind but that’s all cheerful islander and single dad Nathan wants to do. His family’s cozy inn is full of festive spirit, and it’s not only the twinkling decorations and crackling fires that begin to thaw Celeste’s aching heart…

With fast-falling snow keeping her on the island, she’s soon drawn in to the Christmas countdown activities by the quirky locals… and is spending more and more time with Nathan. When he asks for her help to raise money for the struggling community center, she says yes in a heartbeat. For the first time in years, has Celeste finally found a place to call home?

But when the snow stops and it’s time for Celeste to return to the city, will she really be able to say goodbye to Nathan and Christmas Cove? Or will the magic of the season give her a reason to stay?

A heart-warming and joyous festive read full of romance, Christmas spirit and small-town charm. Perfect for fans of Pamela Kelley, Heidi Swain and Sarah Morgan.

(Note: this book was previously published as Celebration At Christmas Cove)

About the Author:

Kristin Harper earned an MFA in creative writing. Before becoming a full-time author, she held numerous professional roles, including college professor, data analyst, and development director. She grew up in New England, and has lived in various places across the US, including the West Coast and Washington, D.C. Kristin’s now happily back in Massachusetts, just a stone’s throw from Cape Cod – the source of inspiration for the setting of her Dune Island series.

Bookouture Blog Tour for A Perfect Mother by Miranda Smith

/ drbethnolan / Leave a comment

Wow – this was a super suspenseful thriller that I could NOT put down, focusing on an influencer whose daughter is kidnapped but who is working to hide a whole lot of things from her past.

Here’s the scoop:

My life is perfect. Bad things don’t happen to me. So why has someone taken my daughter?

I thought I was the luckiest woman alive. I have a loving husband, who supports me in everything I do. A beautiful home, with comfy couches and art taped to the fridge. And Stella—my kind, gentle daughter. I’ve fought so hard for this life, and every day I’m grateful for it.

So it hits me like lightning, the moment I see my nanny stumbling towards me, blood drying on her forehead. She was attacked. Stella is gone.

The world spins. I fight to breathe. This can’t happen to me. Not now.

I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but as I sit in a daze on Stella’s bed, my eye falls on a stuffed cat, threadbare from cuddling, that I thought I’d never see again. My blood freezes. Because now I know who did this, and they won’t rest till my perfect life comes tumbling down.

But they don’t know how hard I’ll fight to protect myself, my daughter—and my secrets…

A gasp-out-loud psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Not My Mother, with a twist you’ll never see coming. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Lucy Foley and Gillian Flynn.

If you like this genre of psychological thriller that keeps you guessing, you’ll want to read this one!

Thank you for my copy and for having me on the tour.

Here’s a bit about the author:

Miranda Smith writes psychological and domestic suspense. She is drawn to stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Before completing her first novel, she worked as a newspaper staff writer and a secondary English teacher. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and three young children.