#Review of Dead Festive By Peter Buckman @peterwordofmouthbooks @RandomTTours #PumpernickleMysteries #DeadFestive #Christmas #BlogTour

Dead Festive
By Peter Buckman

Review by Louise Cannon

Dead Festive is a book to get cosy with this Christmas season, well almost cosy with the cute dog, except there is a body count!
I’m on the Random T. Tours blog tour reviewing Dead Festive, A Pumpernickle Mystery today. Check out the blurb and my review below…

Blurb

“Everyone needs a Marion and Leo in their life. They are warm, kind, reassuring and funny.”
Patrick Neale
——
Murder, mince pies, and mayhem—a family Christmas takes a deadly turn.

For veteran lawyer Leo, Christmas Day is going according to plan. His vegetarian Wellington has been well received; his beloved partner Marion has finally introduced him to her dress-wearing brother Harold, who seems very happy with his partner Julian; Leo’s granddaughter Jazz is behaving impeccably; and his oldest friend Dennis, the doyen of crime journalists, is being kept under control by his wife Susan, helped by large quantities of wine. Even Leo’s dog Pumpernickel joins in the fun.

Until Julian, a reluctant player of charades, lies down to enact his last word, and fails to get up again. Suddenly, the festive mood turns dark. Was it a heart attack, something he ate, or could it be murder?

As they wait for the police to turn up, the tension isn’t eased by the arrival of Leo’s sister Becky with her husband and moody son. Family rows erupt and secrets jostle to the surface.

Why did the victim hide away a box of champagne truffles?

Who was really meant to receive Harold’s glittering bracelet?

Was Pumpernickel right in detecting the presence of poison?

Answers are provided in this romp of a story featuring all the main characters of Peter Buckman’s romantic cosy crime series The Pumpernickel Mysteries. This novella is a tale of love, greed, death, devotion, and brandy butter.

Review

Christmas seems normal as the festivities and joyous fun begins. There’s food, traditional family games and more… There are also the rows that families have at this time of year. The one problem is that those tensions don’t stay contained. They explode into a death that leaves so many questions unanswered over the course of a few hours. That is until the police show up and as you immerse yourself into this novella, you’ll also be guessing what happened to Julian.

Dead Festive is a cosy Christmas read with both a good festive atmosphere and an air of mystery and a cute dog called Pumpernickle.

For an extra book for a stocking or a treat for yourself, this is a great entertaining short, but perfectly formed Christmas book to take time out with and relax.

#Review of Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage by Kim Nash review by Lou @KimTheBookworm @Tr4cyF3nt0n @RandomTTours @Rararesources #ZoolooBookTours #CompulsiveReaders #FeelGoodRomance #Christmas #LifeBeginsAtTheCornishCottage

Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage
By Kim Nash

review by Louise Cannon

Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage with this first love, revisited book with a gorgeous scenic look at Cornwall. It is also special in that some of you may recognise the location of Standpiper Shore from previous books, but this particular story is Stand-Alone. It’s a beauty for this Christmas. See the blurb and my full review below
Thanks to Compulsive Readers, Random T. Tours, Rachel’s Random Resources, Zooloo Book Tours, I am on what is an exceptional digital blog tour, which all those aforementioned top blog tour organisers have teamed up with a host of us reviewers, which I am proud to have a space on. Check out my blurb and review below and then follow the rest of the tour…

Blurb

Set against the sparkling shores of Cornwall☀️, this BRAND NEW heartwarming, uplifting and gorgeously romantic tale of second chances is perfect for fans of Veronica Henry, Trisha Ashley and Cathy Bramley. ✨
When life gives you heartbreak 💔, sometimes it also gives you a second chance… 💕

When Tom Sullivan returns to the quiet village of Sandpiper Shore, Emma can hardly believe her eyes. She hasn’t seen him since they played Romeo and Juliet in their school play – a lifetime ago, before real heartbreak, and long before she ever imagined life as a widow.

The last thing she wants is to relive the past, especially with someone who once made her teenage heart flutter. But when Emma agrees to put on a charity pantomime to raise money for the air ambulance service that helped her late husband, she’s thrown firmly back into Tom’s path.

As rehearsals begin and the local community rallies around her, Emma finds unexpected joy in bringing people together – and a surprising connection with Tom that feels far too real to ignore. Maybe it’s time for Emma to become the leading lady in her own life, not just for the show, but for herself.

Full of warmth, humour and heart, this is a story about letting go and discovering that it’s never too late to take a chance on love.

While this novel is set in the same village as the other books in the Sandpiper Shore series, it can be read as a STANDALONE

Review

On first entering the gorgeous Cornish scenery, it becomes apparent it’s going to be a slow-burn, but in a luxurious reading way. The way that immerses you and really get to know the characters and the place.

Tom Sullivan was Emma’s first love who has returned to Sandpiper Shore. It’s a fascinating angle on the romance story and poses the question of will they still like each other and how will both of these characters react? They haven’t seen each other since school and now they’re both rather grown-up. It makes for a rather interesting plot shape.

Like Iris in the film, The Holiday, Emma decides it’s high time she was the leading lady of her own life and develops some gumption as opportunities are presented and memories of her younger days come flooding back, not all are those she wanted to come to the forefront of her mind…

The opportunity she grasps, however is to put on a Pantomime with her friends to raise money for charity, specifically, the Air Ambulance. This is when Tom enters the scene, but what will she do with the feelings she still seems to hold for him, even though he broke her heart many years ago?

Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage has all the warmth of a cosy fleece, heart that lightens whatever is going on around in real life, just for a moment, beautiful scenery to fall for and a joyous community you want to be part of.

Life Begins at the Cornish Cottage is one for cosying up on a dark Christmas night with hot chocolate or any other warming beverage, or doing an act of kindness and gifting it to someone.

#Review by Lou of The Christmas Retreat by Trisha Ashley @trishaashley @RandomTTours #Christmas #TheChristmasRetreat

The Christmas Retreat
By Trisha Ashley

Christmas is coming and the books are hotting up! The Christmas Countdown is On! It’s time to retreat from the cold weather and dark nights and get cosy with Trisha Ashley’s new Christmas book.
Check out my review and the blurb below, thanks to Random T. Tours and Bantam for the book in-exchange of an honest review.

Blurb

Ginny Spain usually loves Christmas: wrapping up warm by a cosy fire, putting twinkling lights on the tree… But after breaking up with her ex, her festive spirit has deserted her. This year, she plans to hide away and spend the holiday alone.

Her formidable mother, Evie, has other ideas. Dragging Ginny out of isolation, Evie takes her to an artist and writers retreat at Triskelion, a remote old house in the tiny coastal village of Little Star, determined to uncover the secrets of an ancestor who once lived there.

Triskelion is now home to rugged Rhys Tarn and his ten-year-old daughter – and Ginny is in for a shock when she discovers Rhys and her share an unexpected connection.

Review

For those who have broken up with someone not before Christmas and for good reason, this one may be relatable. Ginny Spain just isn’t feeling the sparkle of Christmas like she normally does and has a desire to hide away. Instantly there’s a desire to feel compassion for her.
Evie, her determined mother who you wouldn’t say no to, is in a sense her saviour and gets her to go to a writers and artists retreat. It’s still isolated, but Ginny isn’t in complete isolation as she imagined her holiday to be. She’s plunged into a community of people who just may become new friends.

There’s much to uncover, including some histories and secrets which makes the book compelling in a beautiful setting.

Triskelion is a heart-warming place with various traditions to get involved with that are beautifully written that brings the spark of Christmas energy.

The Christmas Retreat is a lovely book that makes being invested in the characters effortless and brings a bit of Christmas sparkle alongside their complex lives.

#Review by Lou of The Cat And The Christmas Kidnapper by L T Shearer @LTShearerOfficial @panmacmillan @RandomTTours #Cats #Christmas #Mystery #CosyCrime #CrimeFiction

The Cat and The Christmas Kidnapper
By L T Shearer

Review written by Louise Cannon

Looking for a great Christmas present for cosy crime lovers and/or cat lovers? This book is just a fabulous combination, hitting the spot perfectly.
The Cat and The Christmas Kidnapper carries intrigue and mystery. Join Conrad the cat detective and retired police detective Lulu Lewis this Christmas for another case to solve. Check out the blurb and my review below for Random T. Tours.

Blurb

Join Lulu Lewis, a retired detective with a knack for uncovering secrets, and
Conrad, her extraordinary talking cat, as they take on their latest case.
Hoping for a relaxing break, Lulu sets off with Conrad on her canal boat, The Lark, to the picturesque city of Bath to visit friends. But Christmas cheer soon gives way to festive fear when the pair learn of a ruthless kidnapping plot that is plaguing parents in the area.
As the kidnappers fuel panic with further demands, the pair must unravel clues faster than Conrad can charm with his witty banter if they are to stand any chance of bringing the criminals to justice in time to save the holidays . . .

Review

Cat owners already know their cats communicate well with their owners, but Conrad is something different. He truly speaks, which reminded me of a novel I read a lot of years ago with a cat community who could speak English and read and do all sorts of things, so The Cat and the Christmas Kidnapper is all rather pleasing. It also fits well with that festive cosy crime vibe.

Bath looks festive at Christmas and the holiday vibe is on, or is it?
Retired Lulu Lewis and her rather smart cat are heading down the canal to Bath to visit friends to find themselves with a case on their hands as there is so much crime in the city, with the focus being on kidnappers. Both cat and human are intriguing within themselves, added to that, a crime to be solved and this book has a bit of depth. It is all rather intriguing and entertaining.
The manner of which the book is written makes it a book for curling up with your cat and/or festive treats on a cold, wintry night.

#Review by Lou of Rainforest by Michelle Paver @michelle.paver @orionbooks @RandomTTours #Rainforest #Psychological #Horror

Rainforest
By Michelle Paver

Delve deep into the Rainforest. Start in Mexico City before starting on your journey, but what will you discover? Do you dare to go deep into the pages?
Michelle Paver has previously written for young adults/children but this one is suitable only for adults. It is a great original, atmospheric read for autumn/Halloween and beyond. Check out the blurb and my review as part of the Random T. Tours below. Thanks to Orion for supplying the book for review.

Blurb

The jungle watches. The dead remember.

The virgin rainforest seems a paradise to Englishman Simon Corbett. A last chance to salvage his career. A final refuge from a terrible secret.

But the jungle is no Eden. It hides secrets of its own. It does not forgive.

As Simon is drawn deeper into its haunted shadows, he learns to his horror that the past will not stay buried. For there are places in the forest where the line between the living and the dead is thinner than the skin of water.

Review

Rainforest begins with a poetic yet powerful opening chapter, beginning to set the tone and the scene of nature, used in a metaphorical sense and the psyche. It sweeps you into the book in a flash to find out what’s really going on, what the thoughts keeping our main character awake.
What has a dead woman got to do with it?

There’s also a sense of foreboding and sinister amongst the dangers of the rainforest. The writing is of very good quality, writing about such a place that has a quietness at times and also noise from the insects and animals that fill it amongst the colour of the trees and flowers. What becomes more mysterious is the muktan and its drug like effects.

Between a strange orchid, an underlying dark, haunting atmosphere, a bit of paranormal and the psychological, the Rainforest is a book that has you enter its secrets and grips, fast and hard. Its compelling nature means there’s no escape from the sinister pages until the end…
You’ll have to find courage and dare to read the book to see what happens to the characters in the end…

#Review by Lou of The Good Boy By Stella Hayward @rowanmcoleman #StellaHayward @bedfordsq.publishers @rowanmcoleman.bsky.social @RandomTTours

The Good Boy
By Stella Hayward

Review by Louise Cannon

Charm and wit are sealed within the pages of The Good Boy. I find myself on the blog tour for this chilled out read. Check out the blurb and full review below, thanks to Bedfordshire Sq publishers for sending me a copy of the book.
All opinions are my own.

Blurb

A woman confronts her past and her unresolved feelings for the boy next door as they work together to reverse a wish gone awry.

On the eve of Genie’s thirtieth birthday, her grandmother gives her an unexpected gift: a wish at midnight. Genie, forever the family skeptic, laughs it off and, after an evening fending off invasive questions about her nonexistent love life, returns home to her empty house and her golden retriever, Rory. Who needs a boyfriend when she has a loyal friend like Rory? As she hugs him and gets ready for bed, she wishes to herself that he were human… at least then their conversations wouldn’t be so one-sided.

She really should’ve listened to her grandmother.

To her surprise, Rory is now a human with big Golden Retriever Energy–like a goofy, adoring Hemsworth. But he doesn’t like being a human. He doesn’t like wearing clothes or human manners, and he most definitely can’t manage a human job.

Genie needs to turn him back before it’s too late and enlists her oldest friend and boy next door, Miles, to help. Their quest brings them closer than they’ve ever been–and maybe, just maybe, her messed up wish is the key to granting her heart’s desire after all…

Review

The Good Boy is charming, witty and warm. There’s some relatability, with the questions surrounding having/not having a love life. There is as a bit of the Bridget Jones about it, with not just this being a running theme, but in the way you just fall into the book and get swept along. It unexpectedly captures you in its slight whimsy and suddenly, you find yourself at the end before you know it.

There are parts where you just have to let imagination take over and appreciate the creativity. The dog is also quite a character within itself and creates some of the fun. There are also cats and they are also shown to have personality and balances out the cat/dog person debate a bit.

In saying that, there is some substance, it isn’t purely whimsical as there are some big issues that are filtered through. They lead to characters to care about or, in the case of the gran, to be entertained by.

After a tiring week, The Good Boy is a book for those moments when you just need to chill out and relax the brain.