Book Review: The Ring Compiled by The Reading Agency

 

As my regular Bookaholic Friends know, I'm a sucker for a historical book. When one came along that is chock full of stories from outstanding authors, I just had to read it. The fact this is a charity anthology and the proceeds go to support literacy, was the cherry on the cake.

Blurb 

Forged over 2000 years ago, when Rome was still a republic, a simple gold ring was inscribed with the name and symbol of Fortuna, capricious goddess of fate. From the seven hills of Ancient Rome, to the streets of modern day New York, the ring passes from hand to hand, through the centuries, shaping destinies and unveiling secrets.

A Roman patrician gambles his future on its luck. A crusading knight takes it from the finger of a slain foe. A child is gifted it by a soldier in the Thirty Years War and trusts it to keep her father safe. A jeweller takes it to America in the Gilded Age seeking a new life. Each tale is a moment in time, a new wearer, and a twist of fate—sometimes fortune smiles, but all too often the ring brings ill luck.

In these stories, history seems driven by the will of chance. Those who possess the ring seek to shape their own destinies, but it is always Fortuna herself who has the final say.

With contributions from Alistair Forrest, Fiona Forsyth, Jacquie Rogers, Alistair Tosh, Graham Brack, Eleanor Swift-Hook, Mark Turnbull, Maggie Richell-Davies, Robert Bordas and Val Penny this is a spellbinding anthology of interconnected short stories, where luck is never what it seems.

Review

What can I say other than I truly loved this book. Every story is well written absorbing and drew me in as a reader. The way the stories work together throughout the centuries is brilliantly executed and what a superb idea for a book. All kudos to The Reading Agency for thinking of it. The writing is powerful and it is obvious the stories are well researched as to the time period. The history is woven in beautifully meaning the research does not overwhelm. Whilst each story is tied together by The Ring, each is individual in the way they are portrayed and the way the ring plays into the story. I found myself wanting to read on to find out how every author would approach the story. I was not disappointed by any of them.I can highly recommend this book.

Thank you to the Lynsey of Reading Between the Lines Blog Tours for an advanced reader copy of this book.

LINK TO BUY

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-anthology-historical-short-stories-ebook/dp/B0F3DV7BPG


WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

https://readingagency.org.uk

Alistair Forrest – @alistairforrestauthor - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Alistair-Forrest/author/B002KQDTVE

Fiona Forsyth - @fionaforsythauthor - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Fiona-Forsyth/author/B001KI2DEC

Jacquie Rogers - @jacquierogers - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Jacquie-Rogers/author/B095M72LDL

Alistair Tosh - @alistair_tosh - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Alistair-Tosh/author/B0C5XW2V98

Graham Brack - @GrahamBrack - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Graham-Brack/author/B075KQ6M8N

Eleanor Swift-Hook - @emswifthook - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Eleanor-Swift-Hook/author/B0BKTP1CMG

Mark Turnbull - @1642Author - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Mark-Turnbull/author/B07YM39YLP

Maggie Richell-Davies - @maggiedaviswr1- https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Maggie-Richell-Davies/author/B0884G1MP6

Robert Bordas - @bordasauthor - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Robert-Bordas/author/B0B5VRRKF8

Val Penny - @valeriepenny - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Val-Penny/author/B07C4725TK

That's it for another week Bookaholics. See you all soon with another review. Until then, keep reading and writing.

Book Review: Whispers Through Time by Melanie Robertson-Ki ng

 

Hello, my Bookaholic friends. I have yet another cracking book for you. Gather round and let me tell you about it. 

Blurb

A historic Canadian property becomes the canvas for a tale that spans generations. In 1914, a tragedy unfolded, leaving scars that linger far beyond the passage of time.
In 1947, a visionary purchases the haunted remnants, seeking a new beginning for his family, but his young daughter senses a ghost from the far past.
In the present, urban explorers unlock the secrets of the past while running a web design company. Photographs and sketches capture the essence of the property, documenting the whispers of spirits from another era.
As the explorers navigate the abandoned corridors and forgotten chambers, the photographs unveil subtle anomalies until supernatural phenomena manifest that defy explanation.
Amidst the subtle changes in decor and the flickering candle flames frozen in time, the explorers find themselves entangled in a mystery transcending the boundaries of the living and the dead, forcing the urban explorers to confront the unresolved secrets that echo through the corridors of time.
Is a structure just that, or can it house remnants of horror, pain and sin? The urban explorers find they must confront the unresolved secrets that echo through the corridors of time.

Review

I love the premise of this book with the historic house as, not only background, but main character. The setting is perfectly written giving a chilling feel to the book. I felt as if I were there and chills were running through my body. In fact, it was downright spooky. The story is told through four time periods and these are interwoven beautifully, to perform a novel which holds the reader enthralled. Historical fiction is a particular favourite of mine and I think the historical aspects are handled well. It is obvious the author has conducted thorough research but this does not bog the story down. 

Of course, one cannot ignore the human characters in the book. Just as the character of the house is well written, so are the main characters. They each have their own personalities and are brought to life on the page. Taken together with a riveting plot and a mystery which keeps one reading, this is definitely one to read. 

About Melanie Robertson-King

A native of eastern Ontario, Melanie Robertson-King lived in a winterized cottage on the shore of the St Lawrence River during her pre-school years. Before starting school, her family moved to Brockville, where she received her education, including a post-secondary degree in Computer Programming.
As an only child, Melanie was an avid reader and remains so. She knew then that one day, she would be a writer. When she wasn't talking about her dream of becoming an author, she wrote stories and began honing her skills at an early age.
Melanie's father was a Scottish national. He came to Canada as a 'Home Child' through the auspices of The Orphan Homes of Scotland. She promised herself that one day, her feet would touch the soil in her father's homeland. That first trip was in 1993, and she's not looked back since, having returned to the Auld country many more times. Her last trip abroad was in 2018. On one of her many trips to Scotland, Melanie had the honour of meeting Princess Anne (The Princess Royal) at the orphanage where her father was raised.
Encouraged to study Highland Dancing, she competed locally. Her final competition took place during the summer of 1969, a few short months after her father's death, at the 1000 Islands Highland Games. She won the Silver Medal in the Sword Dance in that last event.
Melanie began her professional writing career in non-fiction. One of her articles graced the cover of an international publication. At the same time, she continued to develop her writing voice: short stories (both fiction and non-fiction) as well as novel-length work.
Since her debut novel was published in the summer of 2012, Melanie has written eleven more books (including two for children) and released the second edition of her first.

WHISPERS THROUGH TIME is Melanie's twelfth book.

Her short story, Cole's Notes, has been re-edited and is available as a free read through her website and blog.

You'll find her out and about when not sequestered in her cave writing, plotting or editing. Her favourite haunts (pardon the pun) are cemeteries (the older, the better) since they have more character, and perhaps a few more characters. She also loves travel and photography.

Melanie and fellow authors Wendy H. Jones and Chris Longmuir make up the infamous trio – the Princesses of Pandemonium.

Links to Buy

https://www.amazon.co.uk/WHISPERS-THROUGH-TIME-Melanie-Robertson-King-ebook/dp/B0CTHS2C9H

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whispers-through-time-melanie-robertson-king/1144957392

Website and Social Media Links

WEBSITE - https://melanierobertson-king.com

BLOG- https://melanierobertson-king.com/wp02/

FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/melanie.robertsonking

GOODREADS - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6543072.Melanie_Robertson_King

TWITTER - @RobertsoKing

PINTREST - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/robertsonking/

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Melanie-Robertson-King/author/B008SQFS9Q

The Pilgrim by Joy Margetts

Good morning, Bookaholics. Today I bring you a review of a cracking historical fiction book - The Pilgrim by Joy Margetts. This is one you won't want to miss. 

Description

Driven by ambition and family expectation, young Henry de Brampton is determined to make his mark. Destined for a prestigious career in the Church, he readily embraces the chance to experience the world before taking his vows. But fuelled by selfish desire, he recklessly betrays those he loves, with devastating consequences.

Overwhelmed with guilt, he seeks redemption among the Cistercians of Abbey Cwmhir and finds a new identity as Brother Hywel. Yet a further thoughtless betrayal will prove he cannot escape himself, and he is forced on pilgrimage to save his vocation.

A reluctant pilgrim, can the unlikely company help him discover what it truly means to be great in God’s eyes, and will Hywel ever be willing not just to receive forgiveness but also to forgive himself?

Review

I am honoured to be opening the blog tour for Joy Margetts latest book and what an amazing book it is. It is firmly rooted in the past whilst being accessible to the modern day reader. The writing is exquisite, allowing the author to establish a real sense of time and place. The character of Hywel is extremely well drawn and I felt I was right there beside him on his pilgrimage. Each carefully chosen word drew me deeper into the story, allowing me to savour a different type of spirituality from the safety of my armchair. The spiritual pilgrimage is equally well handled and I was rooting for Hywel every step of the way. It helped me to draw closer to God through the simplicity of the spirituality during a time when things were both harder and easier. All kudos to Margetts, this book is a triumph and I can highly recommend. 

You can get the book from any Christian bookshop or from Amazon 

About the Author

Joy Margetts is a published author and blogger. Her books are works of Christian Historical fiction. Set in medieval Wales against the backdrop of Cistercian abbey life, they tell stories of faith, hope and God's redemptive power. Her debut novel 'The Healing' was published by Instant Apostle on 19 March 2021. Joy has also self- published a short novella, 'The Beloved' as both a companion to 'The Healing', and as an easy to read standalone story, which is available to buy on Amazon Kindle. 'The Pilgrim', her second full length novel, will be published by Instant Apostle on 22 July 2022

People can find me via my website at www.joymargetts.com

On FB as Joy Margetts Author, on Instagram as @joymargetts, and on Twitter as @jamarge

If you would like to know more about the tour and see what other bloggers think of it, the details are below. Have a great week Bookaholics. Keep reading and writing. 

Book Review: The Music Box Enigma

Good afternoon, Bookaholics. If you like historical mystery with both grit and humour, have I got a book for you.

Having read, and thoroughly enjoyed, The White Feather Killer, bu this author, I was keen to read this latest book. R.N. Morris is fast becoming my favourite author and Silas Quinn my favourite detective. The victim is a thoroughly loathsome character and if someone hadn’t bumped him off, I might have been tempted myself. Quite frankly I’m not sure why anyone would want to investigate the murder but justice has to be done. Silas Quinn is a brilliant character - dogged, determined and clever. The cast of characters who surround him are bumbling and brilliant in turn. The addition of Edward Elgar as both a composer and a special Constable is a stroke of genius.  The story is part gritty crime, part P.G. Wodehouse and it works.  It trots along at a fair pace keeping the reader interested.. To borrow an overused phrase, there’s a twist you will never see coming. In this case it is seriously true. The ending was extraordinary and I was stunned. The historical aspect is well researched, well written and interesting, giving a sound basis for the setting and context. A superbly written book which I would highly recommend. 

It isn’t out quite yet but as we are all currently in lockdown this is one to pre-order and get reading the minute it is out.  

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy. I was not asked to write a positive review but as you can see, I loved it.

See you soon, Bookaholics, with another great review.  Until then, keep reading. 

Devil's Porridge - A deadly mix

Good morning my Bookaholic Friends. Today I bring you a cracking historical crime book for your reading pleasure. 

I love Chris Longmuir's books and had been waiting for this one to be released for some time. Chris is an outstanding writer and this one is up to the usual high standards I expect of her. It is mainly set in the Gretna Munitions factory during the First World War and the historical setting is superb. I could almost feel like I was there and could picture the scene perfectly. The book has obviously been meticulously researched and the attention to detail is outstanding. The story moves along quickly, pulls you in and keeps you reading. The characters are well drawn with unique quirks and foibles. This makes them believable and I found myself rooting for them. Even the baddies had their endearing qualities. The one thing I will say is that there are a lot of characters. Initially I had difficulty keeping them straight in my head. However, Longmuir is a skilled writer and pulled everything together beautifully. Although the book is the second in the Kirsty Campbell series it is set before the first book, therefore you get an even better sense of Kirsty Campbell. I love this character and the fact she is based on Dundee's first policewoman endears her to me even further. I look forward to reading more about her in the future. I would highly recommend. this book for all lovers of historical crime fiction.

Amazon UK

Amazon USA

I was given an ARC of this book by the publisher for a fair review. This book is based on my reading of, and enjoyment of, the book. At no time was I asked to provide a positive review.

Launch of my first fiction book by Heather Flack

Today on the blog we welcome author Heather Flack whose first novel is launched today under her pen name of Fen Flack. It is an honour to have her join us and tell us a bit more about herself and her book. Heather over to you. 

The early 11th century is perhaps an obscure period of history, so why set a novel then? In 1982 I bought a cottage at Ribbesford on the outskirts of Bewdley, Worcestershire. In researching its history I discovered it had been “seized by the Danes” before the Norman Conquest. Intrigued, I began to read about the trouble times of late Anglo-Saxon England and discovered Edmund Ironside. At school I’d learned about Aethelred the Unready and Cnut (in those days Canute) but not the king in between these two. His story was inspiring and the circumstances of his marriage the stuff of novels. However, back in the ’80s and ’90s I was writing other things and Edmund went “into the freezer”.
I was inspired to write a set of novels set in Ribbesford itself beginning with its seizure by the Danes and ending with Harthacnut’s attack on Worcester in 1041. The themes were getting to know God, racial prejudice, healing and forgiveness. But I couldn’t find a publisher.
After 2000 I became more interested in factual local history. I was living in Kings Norton, Birmingham, at the time its buildings won BBC2’s Restoration 2004 and I wrote the guide books and history of the buildings. I still had a house in Bewdley and was contributing to the history of that town too.

I retired in 2007 and did an M.A. in English Local History. Part of my degree was a project on the early history of Bewdley and I succeeded in pushing back its origins some two hundred years. The paper had all the makings of a book, so I bought some ISBNs and got a local printer to produce it. I had the opportunity of speaking to the Bewdley Civic Society on the subject and sold 70 copies on that occasion. I was a published author!

Through some writing classes I built up a portfolio of stories about my local area. I published these as “Pieces of Wyre”, because all the writing concerned places in the Wyre Forest area (north Worcestershire). I found outlets for sales in the local libraries, tourist information centre and also the new Museum of Carpet in Kidderminster.

A more exciting opportunity emerged in 2012 when I was helping in the local secondary school with a project on medieval Bewdley. I worked with the English teacher to help pupils write fictional letters and wills about our town in that period. I wove their material together with mine to make “Bewdley under the White Rose”, which told the story of our town from 1448 to 1485. 

Late in 2014 I was on a writing course and to my surprise, Edmund Ironside’s story came back into my mind and would not go away. I found I could not rest until I had done more reading and worked out a time line. Some books demand to be written and this was one of those. The text was complete in five months. The timing is perfect, as 1016 is a thousand years since Edmund was King.

You can find out more about Heather and her books on her website and on Amazon

Thank you for joining us Heather. Your book sounds fascinating and I am sure readers will be keen to buy.

Book Review: The Reckoning by Rennie Airth

Sorry I have been MIA recently Bookaholic's but I do have an admiral excuse. I have been writing and putting on a murder mystery dinner to raise money for charity. This was the first outing for Detective Inspector Shona McKenzie and her sidekick Detective Sergeant Peter Johnston both of whom were from my books. However, I am not going to be talking about my books today, but bring you a review of a fabulous historical mystery. 

The usually quiet Sussex countryside is disturbed by the murder of a prominent local. This looks like it could be tied in to another murder which was committed many miles away in Scotland. Despite having retired, ex Met police officer John Madden finds himself right at the heart of the investigation. This is not an on the edge of your seat type thriller, but it is still, somehow, absorbing. The picture of the times is described so vividly I could almost feel the chill of the London fog surrounding me. The setting adds to the mystery. The characterisation is excellent and I could just imagine the characters who made up the police during the period. They are rough and ready and yet do everything they can to get the job done. The war obviously plays a large part as people are still living in it's looming aftermath. 

John Madden is an excellent character and I am sorry I have not come across him before. This is the first book I have read in the series although it is actually the fourth. I will waste no time in getting the first three in the series, and in fact I am off to do so now. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. A new, to me, author and one I will certainly look out for in the future. 

         

So there you have it for another day my bookaholic friends. I look forward to meeting back here with you soon with a review of another fabulous book. Who knows which book that will be. Tune in for the next instalment to find out. Until then keep calm and keep reading