Spotlight on PASSAGE by Angus Wardlaw

Here’s an interesting one that’s come my way! Passage by Angus Wardlaw which tells the story of Britain’s worst Polar expedition disaster.

Here’s the scoop:

‘PASSAGE’ by Angus Wardlaw.

Published in hardback by Daredevil Books.

Clothbound hardback edition with dust wrapper, 408 pages including map illustrations.

ISBN 978-1-7393932-2-9

Dimensions 235 x 164 x 27 mm

RRP UK £25.95

RRP US $29.95

Will be available direct from Daredevil Books or all good bookshops.. and of course Amazon!

Wardlaw, a descendant of Captain Francis Crozier who commanded the HMS Terror, sister ship to the HMS Erebus on the expedition, has meticulously researched all that is known about the fate of this ambitious but doomed enterprise.‘I am directly related to Francis Crozier, captain of HMS Terror, and have long been fascinated by what happened to him and the other 129 men who perished on the expedition. ‘PASSAGE’ tells their story.’
Popularized by the BBC TV series ‘The Terror’, there remains a high level interest in this story prompted by the continuing hunt for information on the fate of the luckless crews, the exploration of the wrecks and the recent auction by Sotheby’s of fourteen rare daguerreotypes of the crew from 1845 which had been sitting in storage for 178 years and were sold at public auction in September for £444,500.The wrecks of HMS Terror and HMS Erebus were finally located in the Arctic waters off Canada in 2014 and 2016.There is lots of great information about the expedition to be found at the Royal Museums Greenwich site.
Story Synopsis
On 19th May 1845 the Royal Navy launches its most technologically advanced Arctic expedition ever in the hope of finding the fabled Northwest Passage: a direct trade route to the Far East that could bring untold wealth to the British Empire. But, just as the expedition is on the brink of astonishing success, nature cruelly threatens to crush the ships and stretch the crews of Erebus and Terror to the limits of human endurance. With the temperature plummeting, the body count rising and little hope of rescue, their troubled leader has no option but to abandon ships with his freezing, sick and starving men and begin a brutal 500-mile death march across the High Arctic.This is the true, epic story of the brotherhood and heroism of 129 souls who must pass through the very darkest of places in their struggle to survive as told by the great-great-great-great nephew of Francis Crozier, captain of HMS Terror. 

About The Author
Angus Wardlaw comes from a naval family and as a descendant of Francis Crozier has long been fascinated by his naval forebear and the fate of the expedition. Following a career in the military where he specialised in intelligence and reconnaissance, Angus became an award-winning advertising creative director in London and New York. He is now an author and lives on a boat in London.

MY 10 FAVORITE READS OF 2023

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

While I read a LOT of books, and post about those I enjoyed or are featuring, I always have some that stand out as favorites.

Here, in no particular order, are my Top Ten favorites from 2023:

Daughters of Nantucket by Julie Gerstenblatt (HF)

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (audiobook)

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese (HF)

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell (audiobook)

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

Unsettled by Patricia Reis

Veil of Doubt by Sharon Virts (HF/mystery)

The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian

Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (audiobook)

But wait! There’s more! I was thinking that I can’t do my favorites reads without mentioning one other audiobook that I LOVED: The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki.

For My Ears: TOM LAKE by Ann Patchett (Narrated by Meryl Streep)

I loved this audiobook so much! First it centers in part on theater and the actors involved in a production of Our Town, but it’s also a story about family and identity; and it is a reminder that parents have had a full life often before they became parents. Meryl Streep’s narration is spot on perfection (no surprise!) and listening to this while I was commuting was engaging yet relaxing.

Here’s the scoop:

In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.

Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.

I got my copy through Audibile with my monthly credit.

Harper-Collins Blog Tour for THE VACATION by John Marrs

I’m always thrilled to be part of the Harper-Collins blog tours, and this fall there were SO MANY good books from which to choose.

If you know me, you know I like suspenseful mysteries that are not overly violent/gory, so The Vacation was the perfect blend of mystery and suspense for me!

This was my first John Marrs book, but it won’t be my last. I know he is a favorite author of many readers. I did find that there were a lot of characters in this novel (and I read on my kindle so I can’t easily flip back), but it was suspenseful, which is something I love for my late night reading!

Thank you for my ePub and for making me part of the tour!

Here’s the overview:

THE VACATION
Author: John Marrs
ISBN: 9781335006042
Publication Date: 12/19/2023
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
18.99 US | 23.99 CAD

Buy Links: NOT affiliated with BBNB

Harlequin 

BookShop.org

Barnes & Noble  

Books A Million

Amazon

Social Links: 

Author website: https://www.johnmarrsauthor.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmarrs.author/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnmarrsauthor/?ref=bookmarks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnmarrs1

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmarrs.author

Book Summary: 

How far would you run to escape your past?

Venice Beach, Los Angeles. A paradise on earth. Tourists flock to the golden coast and the promise of Hollywood. But for eight strangers at a beach-front hostel, there is far more on their minds than an extended vacation. All of them are running from something. And they all have secrets they’d kill to keep…

This holiday-set read is a compulsive and addictive thriller, perfect for fans of T.M. Logan.

Author Bio: 

John Marrs is an author and former journalist based in London and Northamptonshire. After spending his career interviewing celebrities from the worlds of television, film and music for numerous national newspapers and magazines, he is now a full-time author. His books include No1 bestseller and Netflix series The One, The Passengers, award winning What Lies Between Us and The Good Samaritan. Follow him at www.johnmarrsauthor.co.uk , on Twitter @johnmarrs1, on Instagram @johnmarrs.author and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/johnmarrsauthor

Harper-Collins Blog Tour for Perfect Little Lives by Amber and Danielle Brown

I’m happy to be a stop of the blog tour for Amber and Danielle’s new novel: Perfect Little Lives. I will admit that it took me a bit to get into this novel, in part because I was expecting a different type of read in the beginning (I thought it started in the past with the murder) and I was also not prepared for the level of “spiciness”, but once I got into it, I enjoyed it. For me, it felt like a “new age” genre read, which can sometimes be a challenge for an over 55 gal like myself!

Here’s the scoop:

Perfect Little Lives

Authors: Amber and Danielle Brown

ISBN: 9781525805059

Publication Date: December 5, 2023

Publisher: Graydon House/HarperCollins 

Buy Links: Not affiliated with BBNB

HarperCollins.com: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/perfect-little-lives-amber-and-danielle-brown?variant=41028995514402 

BookShop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/perfect-little-lives-original-amber-and-danielle-brown/19612183?ean=9781525805059 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/perfect-little-lives-amber-and-danielle-brown/1142864657

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1525805053/keywords=thrillers?tag=harpercollinsus-20 

Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781525805059

Social Links:

Author Website: https://www.amberanddanielle.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ambersharelle 

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

Goodreads

Book Summary: 

LibraryReads December Bonus Pick! 

ON ASHER LANE, SOME SECRETS ARE WORTH KILLING FOR…

Simone’s mother was murdered when she was thirteen. When her father was convicted, everything changed. Overnight, Simone went from living in a wealthy white neighborhood to scraping by.

Ten years later, Simone has given up on her dreams and lives a quiet life, writing book reviews and getting serious with her boyfriend. But with a true crime documentarian hounding her for a scoop and a surprise encounter with her childhood next-door neighbor, Hunter, the past seems set on haunting her. And after Hunter reveals that his father and her mother had a years-long affair, Simone is determined to find out who really killed her mother.

Simone is convinced that all evidence points to Hunter’s father, a renowned judge who had everything to lose if his affair—and his nascent love child—came to light. Playing the game from all sides, Simone enlists Hunter’s help in her investigation into his family—whether he realizes it or not. But is she so desperate for closure that she’ll risk imploding her carefully rebuilt life?

Authors’ Bio: 

Amber and Danielle Brown both graduated from Rider University where they studied Communications/Journalism and sat on the editorial staff for the On Fire!! literary journal. They then pursued a career in fashion and spent five years in NYC working their way up, eventually managing their own popular fashion and lifestyle blog. Amber is also a screenwriter, so they live in LA, which works out perfectly so Danielle can spoil her plant babies with copious amount of sunshine. Their debut Someone Had to Do It, was a Library Reads pick.

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

Bookouture Blog Tour for: Death on the Scotland Express by Fliss Chester

I love the Cressida Fawcett cozy mysteries so I was thrilled to take part in Bookouture’s latest blog tour featuring the newest mystery by Fliss Chester. These stories are always well-plotted and fun to read. You can read them in order or individually as stand alones (always helpful!). Cressida is the type of person I’d like to be friends with — intelligent, intrepid, and funny!

Book Description:

Someone on board has a deadly destination in mind… can Cressida stop them before it’s too late?

After an eventful trip to the Scottish Highlands, Cressida Fawcett is looking forward to being back among her society friends in London. Enjoying an ice-cold martini in the lounge car of the express train, loyal pug Ruby on her lap, she’s ready to blow off some steam!

But Cressida’s hopes for a relaxing journey are dashed when a gunshot resounds through the carriages. Industrial tycoon Lewis Warriner has been shot dead in his cabin. And as this train has been racing through the countryside, the culprit must be among Cressy’s fellow passengers…

Teaming up with Detective Andrews of Scotland Yard, also on his way back to London, they work their way through the suspects. Did Warriner’s mistress, a famous dancer, see his death as her ticket on to the silver screen? Or was it the mysterious man who can’t take his eyes off Lewis’s close companion?

When the murder weapon is found in the compartment Mr Warriner’s wife occupies alone, she becomes the chief suspect. Until there’s another gunshot. When Cressida finds out that Andrews is hit, panic sets in, but she must try to stay calm.

But with her friend and co-investigator out of action, can Cressida get the journey, and the investigation, back on track? And will she catch the murderer before they reach their final destination?

Fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss will absolutely love this addictive Golden Age cosy mystery.

Author Bio:

Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter.

https://www.instagram.com/flisschester/

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Fliss Chester here: https://www.bookouture.com/fliss-chester

Buy Link: (Not affiliated with BBNB)

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CF2FHC6Rsocial

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

There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh

My friends at Penguin-Random House/Berkley Publishing asked if I’d like to be part of the tour for Nalini Singh’s new thriller: There Should Have Been Eight and of course I said yes! This is a super suspenseful, slow burn of a read, where long time friends come together as they remember one of their group who supposedly committed suicide a few years before the story starts.

Description

In this chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh, a remote estate in New Zealand’s Southern Alps hosts a reunion no one will ever forget.

Seven friends.
One last weekend.
A mansion half in ruins.
No room for lies.
Someone is going to confess.
Because there should have been eight. . . .

They met when they were teenagers. Now they’re adults, and time has been kind to some and unkind to others—none more so than to Bea, the one they lost nine long years ago.

They’ve gathered to reminisce at Bea’s family’s estate, a once-glorious mansion straight out of a gothic novel. Best friends, old flames, secret enemies, and new lovers are all under one roof. But when the weather turns and they’re snowed in at the edge of eternity, there’s nowhere left to hide from their shared history.

As the walls close in, the pretense of normality gives way to long-buried grief, bitterness, and rage. Underneath it all, there’s the nagging feeling that Bea’s shocking death wasn’t what it was claimed to be. And before the weekend is through, the truth will be unleashed—no matter the cost. . . .

This was a great read and I really liked the uniqueness of the main character, Luna, who had no partner and axes to bury, but who was also losing her sight. I kept wondering if it was a metaphor (along with her name) while I was reading.

If you like psychological suspense with a slight paranormal twist, don’t miss this one!

Thank you for my e-copy!

Bookouture Blog Tour for: My Husband’s Lies by Liz Lawler

If you know me, you know I love a good psychological thriller that keeps me reading late into the night! My Husband’s Lies was a fast-paced, suspenseful read. I thought I had it figured out – but I was wrong! This one was a definite “can’t put down” experience.

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the Bookouture Tour!

Book Description:

The police are coming, they’re going to arrest me.’ My blood runs cold at his words. My husband is accused of murder. He swears he is innocent – so why won’t he tell me where he really was that night?

I feel so lucky to have my handsome husband Mark and our blue-eyed little boy. Everyone says we’re the perfect family. I used to believe them.

But everything changes when Mark comes home from a work trip with dark circles under his eyes. That night I jump at a hammering at the door. The police want to question him about the murder of a beautiful, blonde young woman. Mark swears he had nothing to do with it, that she was a colleague, nothing more.

Mark is a respected airline pilot, and the model husband and father. It seems impossible that he would be involved in something like this. But he won’t say a word about where he really was. I believe that he’s not a killer – but I know he’s hiding something. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Then my husband is attacked. I sit by his hospital bed praying for him to wake up, tears streaming down my face. The police say it’s an accident. But what if someone has done this to him?

I go rigid with fear when I see someone hidden in the garden, watching the house. Are they coming to hurt us too? I’ll do anything to protect my precious little boy – and I have to start by uncovering my husband’s lies…

An unbelievably tense and twisty psychological thriller that will leave you breathless for more! Perfect for fans of Kathryn Croft, T.M. Logan and Ruth Heald.

Buy Link: Not affiliated with BBNB

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CKLDXJSDsocial

Author Bio:

Liz Lawler grew up sharing pants, socks, occasionally a toothbrush, sleeping four to a bed. Born in Chatham and partly raised in Dublin, she is one of fourteen children. She spent over twenty years as a nurse and has since fitted in working as a flight attendant, a general manager of a five star hotel, and is now working with trains. She became an author in 2017 when her debut novel Don’t Wake Up was published by Twenty7.

https://twitter.com/authorlizlawler?lang=en

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Liz Lawler here: https://www.bookouture.com/liz-lawler

The Last Masterpiece by Laura Morelli

I love Laura Morelli’s novels, historical fiction which usually ties into art, especially in Italy. This one was so interesting, telling the stories of two women, an American woman sent to Italy to help itemize and protect the great works of art, and a German woman, working for the Reich as they “protected” the art of Florence as well. Their paths cross, of course! There are so many interesting details and facts in this novel that I felt like I learned a lot while reading. Laura Morelli has a blog where she shares interesting facts about Italy, art, and art history, too, if you are interested!

Thanks for my copy from Net Galley!

Go to Laura Morelli’s website at:

http://www.lauramorelli.com

Here’s the scoop:

Description

In a race across Nazi-occupied Italy, two women—a German photographer and an American stenographer—hunt for priceless masterpieces looted from the Florentine art collections.

In the summer of 1943, Eva Brunner is taking photographs of Nazi-looted art hidden in the salt mines of the Austrian hinterland. Across the ocean in Connecticut, Josephine Evans is working as a humble typist at the Yale Art Gallery.

When both women are called to Italy to contribute to the war effort, neither imagines she will hold the fate of some of the world’s greatest masterpieces torn from the Uffizi Galleries and other Florentine art collections in her hands.

But as Italy turns from ally to enemy and Hitler’s plan to destroy irreplaceable monuments and works of art becomes frighteningly clear, each woman’s race against the clock—and against one another—might demand more than they were prepared to give.

The Last Masterpiece takes readers on a heart-pumping adventure up the Italian peninsula, where nothing is as it seems and some of the greatest works of art and human achievement are at stake. Who might steal and who might save a work of art—and at what cost?

Inspired by the incredible true story of the Monuments Women, the Fifth Army WACs, and the looted Florentine art collections during World War II, the latest historical novel by USA Today bestselling author and art historian Laura Morelli plunges readers into the heart of war-torn Italy. 

Harper-Collins Blog Tour for THE WISHING BRIDGE by Viola Shipman

Oh I’m always so happy to see when Viola Shipman (Wade Rouse) has a new novel out! The books are always engaging and touching and they never disappoint! This one was perfectly timed as it has a Christmas theme. Protagonist Henri returns home to get her parents to sell their Christmas store (in Frankenmuth ,MI) and Henri has to deal with family and old boyfriends and her cutthroat job – while being reminded of the old saying “you can never go home again”. Of course I had NO idea that Frankenmuth is a real place! And it’s Bavarian (almost like Solvang in CA but Bavarian not Danish). And Christmas is a HUGE deal there! There is even a huge Christmas store there in real life like in the book!

Here’s the scoop:

The Wishing Bridge
Author: Viola Shipman
On Sale: November 7, 2023
Publisher: Graydon House
ISBN 9781525804861
Price: $18.99

Buy Links: (not affiliated with BBNB)
HarperCollins: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-wishing-bridge-viola-
shipman?variant=41011395461154
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wishing-bridge-viola-shipman/1142950495
BookShop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-christmas-bridge-original-viola-shipman/19612178
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1525804863/keywords=holiday%20books?tag=harpercollinsus-
20

Social Links:
Author Website
Twitter: @Viola_Shipman
Facebook: Author Viola Shipman
Instagram: @Viola_Shipman

Author Bio:


VIOLA SHIPMAN is the pen name for internationally bestselling LGBTQIA author Wade Rouse. Wade is
the author of fifteen books, which have been translated into 21 languages and sold over a million copies
around the world. Wade writes under his grandmother’s name, Viola Shipman, to honor the working
poor Ozarks seamstress whose sacrifices changed his family’s life and whose memory inspires his fiction.
Wade’s books have been selected multiple times as Must-Reads by NBC’s Today Show, Michigan
Notable Books of the Year and Indie Next Picks. He lives in Michigan and California, and hosts Wine &
Words with Wade, A Literary Happy Hour, every Thursday.

Book Summary:
Once the hottest mergers and acquisitions executive in the company, Henrietta Wegner can see
the ambitious and impossibly young up-and-comers gunning for her job. When Henri’s boss
makes it clear she’ll be starting the New Year unemployed unless she can close a big deal
before the holidays, Henri impulsively tells him that she can convince her aging parents to sell
Wegner’s–their iconic Frankenmuth, Michigan, Christmas store–to a massive, soulless
corporation. It’s the kind of deal cool, corporate Henri has built her career on.

Home for the holidays has typically meant a perfunctory twenty-four-hour visit for Henri, then
back to Detroit as fast as her car will drive her. So turning up at the Wegner’s offices in early

December raises some eyebrows: from her delighted, if puzzled, parents to her suspicious
brother and curious childhood friends. But as Henri fields impatient texts from her boss while
reconnecting with the magic of the store and warmth of her hometown, what sounded great in
the boardroom begins to lose its luster in real life. She’s running out of time to pull the trigger on
what could be the greatest success of her career…or the most awkward family holiday of her
life.


With unabashed winter charm, The Wishing Bridge sparkles with the humor and heart fans of
Kristy Woodson Harvey, Nancy Thayer and Jenny Colgan love most.
Includes the bonus novella Christmas Angels.

Here’s a little something to get you in the mood!

And I found a book trailer video from the author!

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