Guest Review: The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday by Cressida McLaughlin

It’s going to be an unforgettable Cornish summer…

Thea Rushwood was looking forward to exploring the beautiful Cornish tourist spot of Port Karadow, but when her friend drops out at the last minute, she is forced to go solo. Arriving at her cosy holiday cottage to discover a building site next door, Thea and the annoyingly attractive, but grumpy builder, Ben, don’t get off to the best start.

Thea starts to wonder if her perfect escape wasn’t meant to be. That’s before she realizes there is more to Ben – and to the community – than she first thought. As a magical Cornish summer stretches out in front of her, Thea discovers this is one holiday that she never wants to end…

Review: This is the 6th book in the Cornish Cream Tea series from Cressida McLaughlin. I have been following this series from the start and have really enjoyed getting to know the characters and the area in which the stories are set. Although part of a series, each book can be read as a standalone. There are several recurring characters who appear throughout the series, but new characters are added to the cast with each story. 

This story introduces Thea Rushwood, who is holidaying on her own in the lovely Cornish seaside town of Port Karadow.  Her holiday cottage is just as cosy and welcoming as described, but there was no mention of the cottage next door which is being renovated, and with much noise. Her first meeting with ruggedly handsome Ben, her neighbour, is not promising, but she begins to realise that he is not as surly as he seemed on the surface and a friendship develops with him and his group of friends, most of whom readers of the series will recognise. When the real reason behind Thea’s choice of holiday destination is revealed, Ben and his friends are more than willing to help her realise her ambitions for the future. 

I can highly recommend this book, and indeed the whole Cornish Cream Tea series. I loved the story of Thea and Ben, and particularly Thea’s ambitions for herself and the town. The story is so well written that I could picture the town, hear the waves swishing back and forth and smell the gorgeous food that keeps being cooked and devoured all the way through the book. You had to admire Thea for planning for her future and carrying out those plans. The same could be said for Ben, who has moved away from an unhappy situation and has thrown himself into renovating his cottage. What a wonderful couple they would make. I am already looking forward to the next book in the series. I would love to find out how things are progressing for Thea and Ben if the next story is in the same setting.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Reading Vlog and Book Reviews: Quick Reads 2022

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Top Ten Tuesday: Back to School! 30.8.22

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

This week is a back to school theme-thanks for reminding me! I'm going back to school today too so here are 10 books I've loved to read with pupils I've taught!

Movie Review: Fisherman's Friends One and All

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Guest Book vs Movie: Operation Mincemeat

April, 1943: a sardine fisherman spots the corpse of a British soldier floating in the sea off the coast of Spain and sets off a train of events that would change the course of the Second World War.

Operation Mincemeat was the most successful wartime deception ever attempted, and the strangest. It hoodwinked the Nazi espionage chiefs, sent German troops hurtling in the wrong direction, and saved thousands of lives by deploying a secret agent who was different, in one crucial respect, from any spy before or since: he was dead. His mission: to convince the Germans that instead of attacking Sicily, the Allied armies planned to invade Greece.

This is the true story of the most extraordinary deception ever planned by Churchill's spies: an outrageous lie that travelled from a Whitehall basement all the way to Hitler's desk. 

There have been previous books, and a movie, about the Second World War deception plan known as “Operation Mincemeat”. In 1953, one of the operation’s planners Ewan Montagu published a book entitled “The Man Who Never Was” and in 1956 this was made into a film with the same name. Interestingly, Ewan Montagu had a cameo role in the film as an RAF officer. The latest film, released in the UK earlier this year, is based on Ben Macintyre’s 2010 book “Operation Mincemeat”.

The film follows the book fairly closely, both being an exciting narrative of a what, on the face of it, was an audacious plan that placed much reliance on chance. Because previously classified material had been released by 2010, more details were known about the operation compared to the 1950s book and film when, because of security restrictions in place at that time, many details were glossed over. In particular, the role of decrypts from the codebreakers at Bletchley Park in allowing the planners to tell whether or not the planted information had been discovered by German intelligence is described. The film is also a fitting tribute to the late actor Paul Ritter, appearing in his last film, who died before its release.

There are some differences between the book and the film. The role of the Naval Intelligence officer Ian Fleming in the detailed planning is greater in the film, and there appear to be quite a few nods to James Bond. The film shows Charles Cholmondeley travelling in the submarine that was used to deposit the dead body off the Spanish coast, whereas in reality he travelled back to London after the body had been delivered to the submarine base in Scotland. Also some of the timescales are compressed in the film. For example, the famous signal to Winston Churchill stating “Mincemeat swallowed…” was sent a month or so prior to the landings in Sicily, and not around the same time, as depicted in the film. However, the compressed timeline, and the sub-plots in the film around some of the characters’ private lives do, I feel, add to the tension. As may be expected, the book is able to go into greater detail about many of the individuals involved in the operation, in particular, the agents and diplomats active in Spain at the time. I found the book and the film to be equally exciting and would recommend both. I don’t think it matters whether the book is read or the film is watched first.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Cover Reveal: Perodis by CJ Neylon @TinyTreeBooks @lovebookstours #AD

 I have an exciting cover reveal for you today. Before I reveal the cover, here's what it's all about:

Following visions of his father's death, a prince of divided lineage embarks on a perilous journey of self-discovery, chasing his destiny into a dangerous world of warring factions and injustice.

Set in the early years of the twenty-second century against a background of conflict between the Rational and Scientific Party, the new masters of a tyrannical Europus, and the Visionaries, an assembly of smaller armies fighting for the independence that was wrested from their nations some years before, Seven Songs For A Throne combines high fantasy and science fiction into a series filled with action, intrigue and captivating characters.

Are you ready for the beautiful cover?

What do you think?

Audiobook Review & Vlog: Louise Pentland Time After Time

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Guest Review: Forever Yours by Debbie Johnson

A love to last a lifetime...

Gemma knows perfectly well how one moment can change your life forever. That's why, for two decades, she's lived life by the rulebook.

But this year, everything is different. The beloved daughter she gave up for adoption all those years ago is about to turn eighteen - and that means, there's a chance of being found.

For the first time in her life, Gemma can no longer run from her secrets. And she begins to realise that when everything is falling apart, love can be found in the unlikeliest of places.

Because sometimes your true family is the one you pick for yourself...

Review: Debbie Johnson is one of my ‘go to’ authors; her novels never fail to transport me to another world and introduce me to some wonderful characters. I automatically buy each new book as it is released, and discover the subject matter as I read. I listened to this one in audio format and finished it all in a day, so eager was I to discover what became of the characters. I found it difficult to review this book without giving anything away, but I hope I have succeeded while conveying the essence of the story.

The central character in the story is Gemma, who we meet in the midst of childbirth at the age of 16. She has been in care for many years. Gemma has already decided that her daughter should be given up for adoption. We next meet her 18 years later. She has been trying to put her early experiences behind her and to find happiness and stability her life. She has naturally never forgotten the baby that she gave up all those years ago, but is very aware that her daughter is about to turn 18 and will be able to look for her birth mother if she chooses. Can Gemma open up to the friends who want to help her and one in particular who might be more than a friend?

I can highly recommend this incredibly emotional book, which reduced me to tears more than once. It is so well written that you can feel yourself struggling along with Gemma as she tries to recover from her early years with an unstable mother and then a long period in the care system. She showed great strength of character in making the decision that she was unsuitable to bring up a child of her own, but she has never been able to share this fact with anyone else and has found it hard to settle anywhere. I loved the friends who supported her as she tried to sort out her life and waited to see if her daughter would make contact. Standing out amongst those is Karim, so obviously interested in romance, but so patient and gentle at the same time - just what Gemma needs. Although this book had me reaching for the tissues, it’s not all sadness; there’s humour too, friendship, potential romance and lots of hope for Gemma’s future. I hope others enjoy it as much as I did.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Top Ten Tuesday: Completed Series I Wish Had More Books 23.8.22

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

Bout of Books 35 Update and Wrap Up Post!

 

What a fun week of reading. I love Bout of Books and they always seem to come at the perfect time of year. I decided last minute to join in with this one, can you believe it is already bout of books 35? I had a very low key TBR and I think I smashed it. 

I didn't take part in any chats, reading sprints or insta challenges BUT I did vlog the process and that vlog will be coming your way very very soon. I normally aim for a 7 books in 7 days when I do bout of books but this week my aims were low and I ended up doing 7 books anyway yey!

So here's everything I read and how many pages. I didn't have a day or a time that was better or worse this week, I did a bit of audiobook each day and did some hardback or ebook each day too so it was a balanced week!

448 pages

271 pages

240 pages

240 pages

352 pages

400 pages

288 pages

Pages Read This Week: 2239

Complete Books Finished: 7

Movie Review: What did I Make of Good Luck To You Leo Grande?

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Guest Review: Operation Mincemeat By Ben Macintyre

 April, 1943: a sardine fisherman spots the corpse of a British soldier floating in the sea off the coast of Spain and sets off a train of events that would change the course of the Second World War.

Operation Mincemeat was the most successful wartime deception ever attempted, and the strangest. It hoodwinked the Nazi espionage chiefs, sent German troops hurtling in the wrong direction, and saved thousands of lives by deploying a secret agent who was different, in one crucial respect, from any spy before or since: he was dead. His mission: to convince the Germans that instead of attacking Sicily, the Allied armies planned to invade Greece.

This is the true story of the most extraordinary deception ever planned by Churchill's spies: an outrageous lie that travelled from a Whitehall basement all the way to Hitler's desk.

Review: By the end of 1942 during the Second World War, the Allies had achieved success in North Africa. Although the British and Americans believed a major invasion of Northern France would not be possible until 1944, an amphibious landing in Southern Europe in 1943 was feasible. The island of Sicily was the obvious target providing a springboard for the invasion of mainland Italy. However, because it was the obvious target, it would also be obvious to the Axis forces. A deception plan was needed to try to divert attention away from Sicily.

This book is the true story of an extraordinary operation, codenamed “Operation Mincemeat” and conceived as part of the overall deception strategy. It resulted from one of the suggestions in a memorandum, known as the “Trout Memo”, drawn up at the beginning of the War by the Director of Naval Intelligence Rear Admiral John Godfrey, with the help of his assistant Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming, who would later go on to write the James Bond books. Operation Mincemeat was placed under the charge of intelligence officers Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu and Flight Lieutenant Charles Cholmondeley. It involved placing correspondence to Allied commanders in North Africa detailing forthcoming plans for invasions in Greece and Sardinia, with a diversionary attack on Sicily, on a dead body which would be deposited just off the Southern coast of Spain. The intention was the body, made to appear as a military courier, would be washed ashore, and the Spanish authorities, some of whom were sympathetic to Germany, would allow German intelligence access to the documents, before returning them to the British authorities. It was hoped that this would encourage the Axis forces to spread their defences thinly across a wide area of the North Mediterranean coast, necessitating a weakening of Sicily’s defences.

In the 1950s, and at the instigation of the government, Ewen Montagu wrote a book, “The Man Who Never Was”, describing the operation. However, because of security restrictions at the time, many details were glossed over. Ben Macintyre’s book was published in 2010 when previously classified material had been released. It describes the lengths to which Montagu and Cholmondeley went to obtain a corpse, invent a new persona for it as a Royal Marines officer, ensure that authentic-looking documents were planted on it, and arrange for a submarine to release it just off the Spanish coast. There then followed a tense wait to see: if the body was picked up; if the authorities believed it was that of a drowned British officer; if copies of the documents found their way into the hands of German intelligence and, if so, were they believed to be genuine; and if the subsequent invasion of Sicily in July 1943 was successful.

Operation Mincemeat was a plan so audacious that people forget that it is a true story. Ben Macintyre’s book provides a detailed account of the planning and execution of the operation, describing the numerous characters involved. I found it really captured the excitement of the operation, as the plan was conceived, put into practice and the instigators waited to see if it achieved its objectives. I would recommend it to anyone interested in wartime intelligence operations, or indeed anyone who likes a good adventure story featuring a number of eccentric characters. A television documentary based on the book was shown later in the same year of its publication. A feature film, also based on the book, and which I also recommend, was released in the UK in 2022.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Bout of Books 35 Sign Up Post and TBR!

 

I know I am late to the game but the August Bout of Books is a wonderful time to be reading and even though it is a busy week for me I've decided I would like to join in the fun so lets do half a week of reading and see how we get on shall we?

Here's the official blurb from Bout of Books: 

The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 15th and runs through Sunday, August 21st in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are reading sprints, Twitter chats, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For all Bout of Books 35 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

And here's what I would like to read this week:

The majority of these are audiobooks and as of writing this on Wednesday I have started 3 of them and so I think that I am setting myself up to win this one. 

Let me know what you're planning on reading this week and if you're taking part in Bout of Books too!

July 2022 Reading Wrap Up: Actually Reading Something Other Than Audiobooks for a Change!

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Guest Review: The Lighthouse Bookshop by Sharon Gosling

At the heart of a tiny community in a remote village just inland from the Aberdeenshire coast stands an unexpected lighthouse. Built two centuries ago by an eccentric landowner, it has become home to the only bookshop for miles around.

 

Rachel is an incomer to the village. She arrived five years ago and found a place she could call home. So when the owner of the Lighthouse Bookshop dies suddenly, she steps in to take care of the place, trying to help it survive the next stage of its life.

 

But when she discovers a secret in the lighthouse, long kept hidden, she realises there is more to the history of the place than she could ever imagine. Can she uncover the truth about the lighthouse’s first owner? And can she protect the secret history of the place?

Review: Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Sharon Gosling’s last book, The House Beneath the Cliffs, I was excited to discover this new work, with its intriguing title. Once again, this story is set in north east Scotland and had my imagination reeling right from the start.

The lighthouse of the title is in fact a folly on a once grand country estate many miles from the sea, and was originally the landowner’s library. All that is left on the estate is the gatehouse and the lighthouse tower, now a bookshop. For the last five years, the bookshop has been run by Rachel, who also lives on the top two floors. She arrived there running away from something in her past and was taken in by the owner. As well as a shop, the lighthouse is a meeting place for some of the residents from the nearby village. When the owner of the shop and gatehouse dies suddenly without leaving a will, Rachel is tasked with looking after the place until its fate is decided. In the meantime, she makes a startling discovery and, with the help of a visiting journalist, begins to unravel the history of the tower and the secrets therein.

What an enjoyable and enthralling read this was. Not only did the reader have the pleasure of visiting this wonderful building and its surrounding landscape, but there was romance in the air and a marvellous mystery to solve; there was even a visit to the lovely little village that was the setting for Sharon’s last book. There are some delightful characters in the book, each with their own stories to tell. As Rachel and journalist Toby researched the discoveries in the lighthouse, they uncovered a two hundred year old story that was poignant and tragic, and quite different from the history of the estate that local people believed. I can confidently recommend this book; I’m sure it will appeal to all.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I love That Were Written Over 10 Years Ago! 16.8.22

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

Some of these were published 10 years ago this year and I feel like that should be celebrated. Some of my favouirte books of all time are in this list!