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The Fascination by Essie Fox #Review #Giveaway

   Today be prepared for a dark, Victorian gothic novel! The Fascination by Essie Fox is published on June 22nd by Orenda . For the chance to win a print copy of The Fascination see the foot of this post for details. Victorian England. A world of rural fairgrounds and glamorous London theatres. A world of dark secrets and deadly obsessions… Twin sisters Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical in every way, except that Tilly hasn't grown a single inch since she was five. Coerced into promoting their father's quack elixir as they tour the country fairgrounds, at the age of fifteen the girls are sold to a mysterious Italian known as ‘Captain’. Theo is an orphan, raised by his grandfather, Lord Seabrook, a man who has a dark interest in anatomical freaks and other curiosities … particularly the human kind. Resenting his grandson for his mother’s death in childbirth, when Seabrook remarries and a new heir is produced, Theo is forced to leave home without a penny to his

A Summer of Surprises Little Duck Pond Cafe by Rosie Green #Review #Novella

 

We are now up to Book 16 in the marvellous Little Duck Pond Cafe series, with A Summer of Surprises by Rosie Green. I am loving being back in Sunnybrook!

When Ruby Watkiss lands a job at the True Loaf Bakery, she feels as if the sun has finally come out. Having been through a traumatic time that wrecked her confidence levels, it’s a joy to be working for Ellie, and now all Ruby wants is to lead a quiet life and support her mum in getting the help she needs.

But life, it seems, has other plans for Ruby.

Working alongside the bafflingly rude Hudson Holmes would be bad enough – but then odd things start happening. It seems that someone is out to sabotage the café and bakery, and to her horror, Ruby finds the finger pointing at her.

Desperate to prove her innocence, she teams up with the most unlikely person in order to get to the bottom of what’s going on. Tailing suspects and hiding in bushes isn’t something she ever imagined she’d be doing, although her partner in mystery-solving seems the perfect man for the job. Can they clear Ruby’s name by discovering the real culprit?

With all the drama afoot, at least there’s no time for romance. Because that’s the very last thing on Ruby’s mind these days. Or is it…?


 My Thoughts

One of the reasons why this series feels fresh and interesting is because each story introduces some new characters who all have their own story to tell. Add to them the joy of meeting up with some familiar faces and you sink down into the new story, confident that you have a treat in store. This story merges Ellie's story with Ruby's. Ruby is the newest recruit to Ellie's workforce. You have sympathy for her from the start as she finds herself put into a difficult situation.

    There is the hint of a cosy mystery about this story as Ruby meets Hudson Holmes and they find they have a mystery to uncover. I enjoyed their growing friendship and the dynamic between the two. There are one ot two red herrings to uncover and Ruby turns out to have a very surprising past. Warm, welcoming, delightful- just what I'm looking for from this series!

In short: The series continues...

About the Author

 


Rosie has been scribbling stories ever since she was little.
 

Back then, they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by 'the baddies'.

Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all - unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Her series of novellas is centred around life in a village cafe. The latest, ‘Sweet Pastries & Sourdough', is out now.

Look out for more Little Duck Pond Café tales in 2021!

 

You can read my review of more of this series here:


  |  A Cornish Summer Holiday  |  Lucy's Great Escape  |  Sweet Pastries and Sourdough  

You can follow Rosie here:   Twitter

Book link: Amazon UK
 
Thanks to Rosie Green and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

Follow the rest of the tour!
 


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