#Review by Lou of An Almost A Perfect Summer By Jill Mansell @JillMansell @headlinepg @RandomTTours #AnAlmostPerfectSummer #BookRecommendation

An Almost A Perfect Summer
By Jill Mansell

Jill Mansell’s books create the right atmosphere, warmth and some great humour. Almost A Perfect Summer is her latest stand-alone book. Find out more in the blurb and what I thought about it in my review below:

The heartwarming, brand-new novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Jill Mansell*

Nick is the most intriguing man Nella has met in a while. He’s a 9 in the looks department (no one gets a 10), he makes her laugh, and he keeps her company when she ends up in A&E. But they live hundreds of miles apart.

Then Nella loses her job. There’s a perfect role on offer at a Cotswolds holiday retreat. The catch is that her boss would be Nick. And that makes Nick the one man she can’t risk falling in love with.

While Nella struggles with her feelings, a Hollywood star has found a haven at the retreat. Lizzie’s sworn off people – especially men – until her friendly new neighbours entice her out of her shell. Maybe she needs a flirtation – with gorgeous Nick, perhaps? Not with taciturn local Matthew, though, who definitely isn’t a member of her fan club.

Then an astonishing secret revealed changes everything . . .
The scene is set for a fabulous new novel full of friendship, warmth and romance.

Review

First page read and hooked in! Nella has a rather unfortunate time of things. She is in the Cotswolds and lands herself in hospital, where she meets Nick. Things look up, he’s quite the caring type as he ensures she makes it safely back to Manchester, but she receives the bad news that she’s lost her job. Things then look up when Nick takes real interest and gives her a concierge job within his luxury holiday home complex.
Nella’s life is a bit like the game unfortunately/fortunately playing out in someone’s life and it’s written brilliantly. She’s easy to be captivated by and want something fabulous to happen for her.

Lizzie is another main character in the plot who crosses paths with Nick. She’s sworn off men and is needing somewhere to write a book. She’s an intriguing character.
A few others enter the scene who it’s also fascinating to find out how their lives develop. There’s so much to discover.

An Almost A Perfect Summer is full of friendship, romance and intrigue that captivates until the end.

An Almost A Perfect Summer is beautifully written with each page drawing you in deeper into the zen of reading.

Buy Links:

Waterstones WH Smith

#Review By Lou of Peter James and Elly Griffiths @peterjamesuk @ellygriffiths @BloodyScotland #Grace #RuthGalloway

Peter James and Elly Griffiths

written by Louise Cannon (Lou)

Peter James and Elly Griffiths are so entertaining together, the perfect match for a panel. If you ever get the chance to see them, either alone or together, I highly recommend it. You’re in for a real treat. The event was 1hr and it was a captivating one. What an absolute delight to meet him afterwards too. The queue was massive, all around the signing room, which is a fair side, so some fast talking was needed to be fair on everyone else.

Peter James talked about his series – Grace and this September saw the launch of his 20th novel – Someone Is Dead. Amazingly, this series has seen 21 million sold and translated into 38 languages, as well as it being on tv on ITV/STV. It pulls a massive audience. One member of that audience is the Queen, so turns out readers are in the most excellent of company. He also has a theatre play, check the link out further on. Thanks to Peter James for the photo.

It’s often fascinating when authors talk about their crime fiction books and the way they see them as a puzzle (they essentially are). He used an interesting analogy of it being 1000’s of small pieces of a puzzle having to piece together. What’s interesting and different is how he decided to have the puzzle so much closer to Grace’s home and family, in fact so personal that it’s his wife who is seemingly loving and sounding pretty great, goes missing and how he shows bits about her in several books, going up to his stand alone about Sandy’s story.

The latest book – One of Us is Dead sounds intriguing about how a dangerous a dead man might actually be and it’s a race of time to find out. I will be receiving this book some time from his publishers to review, thanks to the Bloody Scotland team.

Peter James is smart and fortunate that he has a good handle on his tv series – Grace, played by John Simm. He even chose John Simm to play the character and pictured his main protagonist as being someone like him. This is quite probably why the tv series works so well, is because he has been able to gain so much control over it. Interestingly, Peter James spoke about doing some acting himself, quite some time ago.

Grace is on tv just now on ITV/STV and on the catch up services.

Picture You Dead is coming to theatres across the UK in 2025.
Check it out in this link here: Picture You Dead
Check out more works by Peter James here: https://www.peterjames.com/

The book was fabulous and I rated it 5/5 stars when I had a lovely opportunity to read it a while back. After seeing Wish You Were Dead on stage, which was divine, I am certain the stage show will do well too.

Elly Griffiths has a new book is a Ruth Galloway book, The Last Word, set in rural Sussex. It was interesting hearing how she didn’t know the book was going to be so popular or subsequently go on for so long. She read a passage from her book and she has a knack of hitting all the points of the real world, much like Peter James’ books do too, as she read about Wordle and such activities we all got into. She divulged about how her Ruth Galloway books were optioned a few times for tv and sadly haven’t gone any further as yet. I can think of a few authors that has happened to.

For those who don’t know, Elly Griffiths is a pseudonym for Domenica de Rosa and it was interesting hearing why she changed it. It wasn’t for any reason I’d have thought of, but it was to sound more convincing and real than her actual real name. Sadly didn’t manage to capture a photo of Elly on the account of needing to get to the next event.

She talked about having a desire to try out different things, but hasn’t said never again for Ruth Galloway. For something different, I personally recommend Postscript Murders, it’s brilliantly entertaining and so original. I seem to recall rating it 5/5 stars.

Check out more Elly Griffiths books here: https://ellygriffiths.co.uk/my-books/

Check out my review of The Postscript Murders here: Postscript Murders

#Review of #ConfessionsOfATeletubby edfringe #EdFringe #WhatsonEdinburgh #WhatsonEdi @nikkismedley @thespaceuk #SurgeonsHall #Edinburgh

Confessions of A Teletubby

Nikki Smedley who played Laa Laa

Review by Louise Cannon

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Confessions of A Teletubby with Nikki Smedley is fabulous in glowy Laa Laa yellow.

It’s interactive in a way I hadn’t expected. If you’re in the audience, get your “uh-oh’s” ready. All will be revealed if you attend.

Nikki Smedley is a powerhouse of energy and enthusiasm as well as engaging.

What is very interesting is what it takes to make it onto tv and what, specifically she had to do to try and get the part. She candidly peels back the costume to reveal what it was really like to wear and what it did to her skin.

This isn’t a show about revealing anything totally explosive, although there is a startling moment of something incredibly tragic.

What is surprising in the current climate is the sheer love that still pours from her all these years later.

This is an entertaining talk with each confession that’s revealed. There’s lots to be learnt about the inner world and making of Teletubbys. Like when the Teletubbys say “bye bye”, there’s a heartwarming glow at the end of this show.

She also has a book, first published in 2022 called “Over The Hills and Far Away.” I rated it 5 stars.

#Review by Lou of #Memoir – Over The Hills And Far Away – by Nikky Smedley @StoryNikky @sandstonepress #Autobiography #NonFiction #Teletubbies

#Review of St. Doctors Hospital By Lou 5 stars Venue 17 @ARedinburgh @assemblyfest #ImprovComedy #FringeReview @edfringe #StDoctorsHospital #FringeEdin #WhatsonEdinburgh #Edinburgh #Fringe #Theatre #UnleashYourFringe

St. Doctors Hospital

Improv Comedy – Venue 17 – Assembly George Square Studios, Studio 2
4th – 12th Aug 3:40pm (1hr)

Description

Painfully funny improvised medical drama. For these brave front-line heroes no procedure is too convoluted, no disease too made-up and no relationship saga too inappropriate for the operating theatre. Sit back as we administer 50cc of laughs straight to your funny bone. Inspired by TV medical dramas, from Grey’s Anatomy to ER – and a few words from our audience, the all-star cast will improvise a brand-new episode of your favourite show St Doctor’s Hospital every day. Created by Graham Dickson, from West End smash-hit, Austentatious. ‘Incredibly talented group… hilarious… a truly brilliant show’ ***** (ThePhoenixRemix.com).

Review

Catch an episode on stage of St. Doctors Hospital! It could be your new medical drama but with comedy. It is hilarious! The audience gives a part of the hospital for the setting and another word and the cast work from that. This time it was the morgue and a vampire, so the staff followed this theme with laugh-out-loud results.
It’s set-up like you’re watching Casualty or ER or Grey’s Anatomy in that it has its own theme tune and an incident happens and a bit of romance. When I saw it, the incident was like nothing you’d have seen before. For the whole hour, this theme was kept up and the humour just kept coming and you could tell even the cast were having fun doing this.
St. Doctors Hospital is unpredictable, laugh-a-minute comedy.

Tickets https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/st-doctor-s-hospital#

#TVReview by Lou of Grace – Dead Like You based on books by Peter James @peterjamesuk @RiotComms @itvpresscentre @ITV #ITVX #ITVHub #ITVGrace #STV CrimeFiction #CrimeDrama #TeamRoyGrace #RoyGrace #Grace

Grace is back!!! ITV/ITVX/STV – Sunday 19 Mar 2023 8pm – 10pm.

Thanks to ITV and Riot Communications, I have a no spoiler, honest review of the first episode of series 3 of Grace, based on the books by Peter James. They kindly gave me the privilege of watching episode 1 of the new series ahead of time.
There are 3 episodes – Dead Like You, Dead Man’s Grip, Not Dead Yet. Each case is standalone, although there is a thread running throughout each series in the development of relationships of the characters, the cases are each completed within one episode, so even if you have not seen this before, you can start with this new series.

John Simm is back as DS Roy Grace in Brighton, this time solving a chilling event at the Royal Edward Hotel on the night of Assistant Chief Constable, Alison Vosper’s do. It is thrilling from the start from the start. DS Roy Grace’s team have some tough questions to ask and need all the courage they can get due to who they have to ask them to. This is far from an ordinary case. It reminds DS Grace of crimes of the past. Is it the same or is it a copycat crime? It adds to the air of mystery in what proves to be a chilling case.

The context of the case is well built and the crime is a sensitive subject, sensitively handled. Cleverly, a lot that is being talked about certain behaviours and attitudes both socially and politically are woven into the story.

The mysteriousness of the crime has an ever increasing tension and is also very sinister, sometimes enough to make your skin crawl. The incidental music, actually works well in this drama and truly does heighten the senses as tension rises.

It’s compelling and my attention was all on the screen as the story unfolded. The flashbacks are easy to follow and heightens context to the case.

It’ll have you at the edge of your seat!

John Simm plays DS Roy Grace with aplomb. His acting is highly convincing and it is interesting watching him act opposite Laura Elphinstone, who plays DS Bella Moy, Richie Campbell who plays DS Glenn Branson and Zoe Tapper who plays Cleo Morey, Craig Parkinson as DS Norman Potting. It is, between the main actors and supporting actors, an excellent cast who deliver a twisty, compelling script.

I highly recommend watching this series and I will definitely be tuning in to watch this again on Sunday 19th March on ITV at 8pm and then continue watching the rest of what looks like an exceptionally good series, going by this first episode of 3.

Thanks to Riot Communications and ITV for inviting me and for the box of goodies – gourmet salted caramel popcorn that is melt in your mouth, Paloma mocktail that is fruity and refreshing, a stick of Brighton Rock that made me smile and set me up for a seaside crime, 2 books by Peter James – Wish You Were Dead (Quick Reads) (also now a play currently on a UK Theatre Tour) and Dead Tomorrow.