Book Review - 5 STARS - The Alpine Fortress by Rowena Kinread

 

The Alpine Fortress 
By Rowena Kinread

Publication Date: 12th September 2025

Publisher: Goldcrest Books

Page Length: 311

Genre: Thriller

In the shadow of the Bavarian Alps, a forgotten map leads to an unsolved mystery buried for decades. When Ivanna discovers the sketch among her late grandfather’s belongings, she stumbles upon a secret that connects her family’s harrowing past to the Nazi regime's stolen treasures.

What begins as a curious family discovery quickly escalates into a perilous adventure, drawing the attention of law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and dangerous criminals.

The Alpine Fortress is a thrilling tale of survival, betrayal, and redemption. From the chilling depths of Nazi conspiracies to the breathtaking heights of the Alps, this story will keep you on the edge of your seat as the past and present collide in an unforgettable race against time.

Will Ivanna uncover the truth—or will the secrets of the fortress remain buried forever?

I picked up The Alpine Fortress by Rowena Kinread with a flutter of excitement — the premise promised Nazi-era secrets, a treasure map, a family mystery, and a chase across the mountains. And, I have to say, for the most part, the book delivered in ways I didn’t quite expect.

From the beginning, the novel had me hooked. The story opens with Ivanna, who is sorting out her late grandparents’ loft, and stumbles on a map — not just any map, but one that could lead to stolen Nazi treasure. Her grandfather’s past as a POW forced to work in an Austrian salt mine weaves in a haunting personal history. That emotional connection grounded the book for me: this was not just a treasure hunt, but also a way for Ivanna to connect with her family’s legacy.

I especially admired how Kinread balanced historical intrigue with modern crime: on one side there’s “the Lizard,” an Argentinian drug boss (and serious art collector) whose roots tie back to a high-ranking Nazi officer. On the other, there’s Matteo,  a mountain guide and detective for the German federal police whose intimate knowledge of the Alps makes him invaluable. The contrast felt vivid — cold high-stakes geopolitics, but also the breathtaking, treacherous beauty of the mountains.

As the plot progresses, twenty-five detectives arrive in Berchtesgaden for training, only for things to go very wrong: one disappears, then more, and not everyone is who they seem. The sense of paranoia ramped up very effectively for me. I found the “cat-and-mouse” game thrilling: Kinread plays with tension beautifully, making me constantly question loyalties and motivations.

One of the strongest elements for me was the setting. The Alps are almost a character in themselves — the sheer danger of the terrain, the isolation, the way it shelters secrets. When you read passages describing the climb, or the remoteness of the hosts, you feel the weight of altitude, the thinness of the air, the threat of misstep. It underlines the seriousness of the treasure hunt and the peril these characters are walking into.

Yet, for all its strengths, I had a few reservations. At times, I felt the pacing wobbled: certain parts of the novel dragged just slightly, especially when we circle back to historical exposition or delve too deeply into backstory. Sometimes, I longed for a tighter focus. Similarly, while Ivanna and Matteo are well-drawn, I felt a few supporting characters could have been more developed so their betrayals or disappearances felt more personally impactful.

That said, the central themes resonated strongly with me: redemption, legacy, and the burden of history. Ivanna’s personal journey — discovering secrets about her grandfather, confronting the past — felt emotionally real. And the moral ambiguity of pursuing hidden treasure (looted art) alongside criminal activity made me reflect: who “owns” history? Who is justified in uncovering it?

In terms of style, Kinread writes cleanly, with vivid descriptive passages (especially in the Alps), but also enough brisk dialogue and action to keep things exciting. 

Overall, reading The Alpine Fortress felt like being part of a precarious expedition: thrilling, a little dangerous, emotionally charged, and with enough surprises to keep me turning pages. If you like thrillers with a dash of conspiracy, mountain adventure, and a treasure hunt tangled in dark legacies, I think this book will hit a lot of sweet spots.

This novel is available on Amazon

Rowena Kinread

Rowena Kinread grew up in Ripon, Yorkshire with her large family and a horde of pets. Keen on travelling, her first job was with Lufthansa in Germany.

She began writing in the nineties. Her special area of interest is history, after researching her ancestry and finding family roots in Ireland with the Dalriada clan, particularly this era. Her debut fiction novel titled “The Missionary” is a historical novel about the dramatic life of St. Patrick. It was published by Pegasus Publishers on April 29th, 2021 and has been highly appraised by The Scotsman, The Yorkshire Post and the Irish Times.

Her second novel “The Scots of Dalriada” centres around Fergus Mór, the founder father of Scotland and takes place in 5th century Ireland and Scotland, and is published by Pegasus Publishers.

The author lives with her husband in Bodman-Ludwigshafen, Lake Constance, Germany. They have three children and six grandchildren.

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Audio Book Review - 5 - STARS - The Christmas Book Club by Sarah Morgan

 

The Christmas Book Club 
By Sarah Morgan

A long-lasting friendship

Every year, Erica, Claudia, and Anna reunite for their book club holiday. They’re bonded by years of friendship and a deep love of books, but there is still so much they keep from each other …

A perfect Christmas escape

At the cosy Maple Sugar Inn, Hattie specialises in making her guests’ dreams come true, but this Christmas all she wants is to survive the festive season. Between running the inn and being a single mother, Hattie is close to breaking point.

The start of a brand-new story…?

Over the course of an eventful week, Hattie sees that the friends are each carrying around unspoken truths, but nothing prepares her for how deeply her story will become entwined in theirs. Will this Christmas be the end of the book club’s story or the start of a whole new chapter?

Review

This was one of those audiobooks that slowly worked its way into my days and made everything feel a little more Christmassy. I’d put it on during quiet afternoons or while pottering about, and before long it became something I actively looked forward to returning to.

The setting alone feels like a deep breath. A snowy inn, familiar faces returning year after year, books being shared and talked about in that slightly rambling, affectionate way real book clubs do. Hattie’s story, in particular, feels very grounded — she’s capable and warm, but also tired, carrying loss and responsibility without ever making a fuss about it. There’s something very comforting in that.

Listening to this as an audiobook made it feel even more intimate. The narration has a calm, friendly rhythm, and the conversations sound natural, as though you’re overhearing them rather than being read to. It’s the sort of audiobook you can walk with, cook with, or listen to late at night when the house is quiet and you want company without noise.

What I loved most was the focus on friendship and familiarity. This isn’t a story driven by big twists or high drama. It’s about people who know each other well, who show up year after year, and about how books can be a thread that holds those relationships together. The romantic elements are there, but they sit gently alongside everything else, never overpowering the heart of the story.

The Christmas Book Club feels like a reminder of why we return to comforting stories at this time of year — not for escapism exactly, but for that sense of warmth and belonging that lingers long after you press pause.

 Amazon

Sarah Morgan is a USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author of romance and women's fiction. She has sold over 21 million copies of her books and her trademark humour and warmth have gained her fans across the globe. 

Sarah lives near London, England and when she isn't writing or reading, she likes to spend time outdoors hiking or riding her mountain bike. 

Join Sarah's mailing list at www.sarahmorgan.com for all book news. For more insight into her writing life follow her on Facebook at www.facebook/AuthorSarahMorgan and on Instagram at @sarahmorganwrites Contact Sarah at sarah@sarahmorgan.com

The Spring Ball Romance by Maddie Smith

 

Check out my sister's fabulous short-story. So proud! 

Lady Eleanor Harcourt had never intended to cause a stir at the Mayfair Spring Ball, yet the moment she glided through the gilded doors, fans snapped open like butterfly wings and whispers fluttered from corner to corner. Draped in periwinkle silk and wearing the serene expression expected of a proper young lady, she appeared the very model of obedience. But beneath her composed exterior flickered a spark of mischief—one she intended very much to indulge.

Lord Nathaniel Ashbury, newly returned from his years abroad, spotted that sparkle at once. He had been described by society as handsome, aloof, and entirely uninterested in the endless parade of eligible ladies. Yet the moment Eleanor entered the room, Nathaniel felt an unfamiliar tug of curiosity. Rumours swirled about him like a well-tailored cloak, but none of them prepared him for the simple elegance of a young woman who seemed utterly unmoved by the spectacle around her.

When he approached and requested the first waltz, the room fell into an eager hush. Eleanor accepted with graceful composure, though her heart beat with a thrill she refused to admit. As they took to the floor, the orchestra swelled, chandeliers glittered overhead, and all of Mayfair seemed to watch them with bated breath. Nathaniel’s hand found the small of her back with a confidence that made her pulse skip.

“I must warn you, my lady,” he murmured, his voice warm enough to melt even the iciest resolve. “I have been accused of stealing hearts.”

Eleanor raised her chin, meeting his gaze with unwavering poise. “Then allow me to warn you in return,” she replied. “Mine does not surrender easily.”

Their waltz turned effortlessly graceful, their steps aligned so perfectly it felt as though they had danced together in another lifetime. Nathaniel found himself smiling—truly smiling—for the first time in years. Eleanor, for her part, found her carefully tended composure slipping into something far more dangerous: delight.

Over the next weeks, their paths crossed far too often to be a coincidence. Stolen glances at garden parties, lively debates in drawing rooms, quiet walks where society could not intrude—all of it fed the growing connection between them. Yet with affection came uncertainty. Nathaniel, burdened by the secrets of his past travels, feared he was unworthy of a woman as sincere as Eleanor. Eleanor, pressured by her mother to make a “strategic” match, questioned whether she dared follow her heart when duty demanded otherwise.

The ton watched their unfolding story with ravenous interest, wagers placed daily as to whether it would end in scandal, heartbreak, or triumph.

At last, on a soft June evening in Hyde Park, Nathaniel stopped beside the lake, the glow of twilight painting him in shades of gold. “Eleanor,” he said quietly, “you deserve a man with an unblemished reputation… one who offers certainty. I cannot promise such things.”

She stepped closer, her expression gentle but unyielding. “Lord Ashbury,” she replied, “I have no use for perfection. But I do value honesty. And I believe,” she added, placing her hand over his, “you are far braver and kinder than you allow yourself to believe.”

For a moment, the world held its breath.

Nathaniel lifted her hand to his lips. “Then if you are willing,” he said, voice barely above a whisper, “I would like to offer you my imperfect heart.”

Eleanor smiled—radiant, sure, and utterly disarming. “I accept.”

And so the whispers of society turned from speculation to celebration, for nothing delighted the ton more than a romance that defied prediction. Lady Eleanor Harcourt and Lord Nathaniel Ashbury became the season’s most enchanting match—not because of fortune or title, but because, in a world ruled by expectations, they had chosen one another freely.

Their story, as the ladies of the gossip columns later insisted, was proof that even in the most glittering ballrooms, the rarest treasure was a heart won honestly.

©maddiesmith2025

Audio Book Review - 5 - STARS - Murder at Millar’s Hotel by Kelly Mason

 

Murder at Millar’s Hotel 

By Kelly Mason

It’s 1924. Lady Ellen of Ashcombe Hall is on a relaxing hotel break to recuperate. Her nemesis is found dead in the restaurant, face down in his pea and ham soup. Can she confront her past to solve the mystery?

Lady Ellen seeks respite in the charming seaside town of Branden Bay, whilst her home, which was used as a convalescent home for war veterans, is being refurbished to its former glory. Her peaceful break takes a dark turn when she unexpectedly crosses paths with her arch-nemesis, the enigmatic Major Albert Coltrane. Major Coltrane is found lifeless, his face submerged in his own soup after a heated and public confrontation with Ellen who finds herself accused of murder.

Determined to clear her name, she forms an unlikely alliance with Lottie Penny a hotel chamber maid and Captain Ernest Hamilton, a former patient at her convalescent home.

With her faithful Irish setter, Prince, by her side, Lady Ellen embarks on a riveting journey through hidden alley bars and the opulent music hall of Branden Bay. They strive to unravel the threads of the mystery, in race against time to expose the real killer before Lady Ellen becomes the next victim.

If you love the glitz and glamour of the era and a twisty plot, then step back in time to the roaring 1920s, where jazz-filled evenings and clandestine secrets collide. Murder at Millar’s Hotel is the first book in the Lady Ellen Investigates series.

Review

The audiobook edition of Murder at Millar’s Hotel offers a polished and engaging listening experience, driven largely by Kelly Mason’s careful attention to character development. From the outset, the narrator establishes a measured, atmospheric tone that enhances the story’s setting while allowing the personalities of the characters to emerge naturally. The hotel’s mystery is compelling, but it is the people who inhabit it—each with their own histories and private tensions—who truly anchor the narrative.

The protagonist’s arc is particularly well executed. Through the narration, her doubts, observations, and shifting emotional responses feel fully realized, giving listeners a clear understanding of her growth throughout the investigation. Her evolution from a somewhat hesitant observer to a more confident and perceptive figure is conveyed with clarity and restraint, making her progress believable and rewarding. The subtlety in the narrator’s delivery ensures that these changes register without ever feeling overstated.

The supporting characters are equally nuanced. The narration highlights the differences in tone, temperament, and intention among the hotel’s guests and staff, making interactions feel dynamic and revealing. Listeners are able to sense unspoken tensions and hidden motives, often through small inflections that suggest more than the dialogue alone conveys. These performances contribute greatly to the story’s psychological depth, as each character’s behavior and emotional undercurrents gradually help shape the direction of the mystery.

By the conclusion, the interplay between character and plot feels seamless, resulting in a resolution that is not only surprising but also grounded in the personalities and relationships developed throughout the story. The audiobook’s strong narration enhances Mason’s writing, creating a rich and immersive experience that rewards close attention. For listeners who appreciate mysteries driven by character as much as suspense, this adaptation is a thoroughly satisfying and deserving five-star production.

Amazon

As a child Kelly was obsessed with Scooby-Doo, she progressed to reading Enid Blyton, with her favourite series being, The Famous Five. As an adult, her absolute favourite author is M C Beaton and her Agatha Raisin series. Kelly normally writes romance under a different pen name, but is now turning her hand to the genre she adores - Cosy Mystery. Her writing is inspired by the seaside town she lives in, situated on the South West coast of England, a few ghostly dreams and her three sassy cats, all of which were strays before she made the mistake of naming them and letting them in the back door!

Daughter of Mercia Dr Anna Petersen Mysteries #1 by Julia Ibbotson

Daughter of Mercia

Dr Anna Petersen Mysteries #1

By Julia Ibbotson

Publication Date: June 6th, 2025

Series: Dr Anna Petersen Mysteries

Publisher: Archbury Books

Pages: 301 ebook / 392 pb

Genre: Medieval Dual-Timeline Mystery Romance

A brand-new Anglo-Saxon time-slip full of mystery and romance.

Echoes of the past resonate across the centuries as Dr Anna Petersen, a medievalist and runologist, is struggling with past trauma and allowing herself to trust again. When archaeologist (and Anna's old adversary) Professor Matt Beacham unearths a 6th century seax with a mysterious runic inscription, and reluctantly approaches Anna for help, a chain of events brings the past firmly back into her present. And why does the burial site also contain two sets of bones, one 6th century and the other modern? 

As the past and present intermingle alarmingly, Anna and Matt need to work together to solve the mystery of the seax runes and the seemingly impossible burial, and to discover the truth about the past. Tensions rise and sparks fly between Anna and Matt. But how is 6th century Lady Mildryth of Mercia connected to Anna? Can they both be the Daughter of Mercia?

For fans of Barbara Erskine, Elena Collins, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley and Christina Courtenay.

Praise for Daughter of Mercia:

“Ibbotson’s prose immerses you in the vivid world of the Anglo-Saxon era, richly layered with sensory detail that brings both the past and present timelines to life. I could feel the atmosphere—the cold stone and the wind on the hills. Her writing weaves the two eras seamlessly, connecting people across time and creating a mysterious, slow-building tension that keeps you turning the pages.”
~ Alis Page, Reviewer, 5*

Excerpt

In the mead hall feasting where Lady Mildryth is entertaining the stranger, Theowulf 

535 AD

She was perfectly aware that there was speculation and that Theowulf was considered an intruder in their midst. She glanced sideways at him and saw his frowning hesitation as he stared at the food that the serving serfs offered him. He cautiously took the venison pieces onto his wooden platter with the knife she had given him, but he shook his head at the spicy sauce, his nose wrinkled up and his eyes narrowed. He was beginning to annoy her with his pickiness. He must surely be some great thegn to be so choosy. It seemed that he did not understand the quality of her table.

“No, look,” she said, irritation rising in her voice. “This is good. It is to make the meat taste better at this time of year.” She showed him again how to eat with the knife, how to dip the meat in the communal sauce bowl, how to break the bread and mop up the juices. What was the matter with him that he looked as if he had never sat at the mead table before? Did the Saxons not have their evening meal like this, together in the hall. Surely they ate the same sort of food with the same knives to eat with? Where in God’s truth did he come from? What manner of settlement was he raised in?

Theowulf’s first bite appeared to satisfy him and soon he was eating hungrily, salting his mutton and beef rather more generously than she would have liked, although she had told him that salt was rare and he must be careful. Had he understood her? Maybe not. She signalled the table serf to remove the salt pot from his reach. 

The bowls of nuts and berries from the hedgerows he must have recognised as he nodded and ate with no hesitation. Mildryth was aware that he was drinking copiously from his mead-cup. The women cup-bearers were kept busy refilling his cup as they scurried around with the thegns’ mead flagon and the communal ale-bowl. Out of the corner of her eye, Mildryth watched his strong hands with their long fingers reach for his mead-cup and lift it to his lips, sipping cautiously at first, then gulping thirstily as if he savoured a new taste. Did the Saxons not have mead? Such a big muscular man and yet he ate and drank like a child. She could not help but smile at him and he grinned back at her, his piercing blue eyes searing into her soul. Her heart fluttered strangely and she turned down her mouth at the corners. 

“My lady.” Aelfric appeared before her, indicating that the ceorls were ready to light the flares to flame in their sconces on the walls, and soon the hanging cressets were shedding an oily light. The fire pit in the middle of the hall flaming up, licking towards the roof, black choking smoke clouding the air as it rose to the thatch. Her thegns at the long trestle tables down each side of the hall took on a ghoulish appearance in the gloom but as the flames steadied the red sweaty faces came into focus. 

Clearly, a great deal of mead had been consumed and her drunken guests rolled against each other, so that Mildryth thought that Theowulf must wonder if they were embracing or fighting. One swept his hand wildly across the table, knocking over his goblet and spilling golden liquid to drip onto the herb-strewn wooden floor. Another fell backwards from the bench and clutched the rich gold-embroidered wall tapestry hanging behind him in a desperate attempt to gain his balance.  

Lady Mildryth rose abruptly and raised her arms, the wide sleeves of her velvet over-robe falling to her upper arms. “Enough!” 

The boisterous din gradually quietened, with only the odd inebriated voices from a few dazed thegns cutting across the hall to the benches opposite. The ladies at the benches turned to glare at their partners and slap their bloated cheeks, remonstrating with them piously. All faces turned accusingly to the miscreants, despite their owners having added to the raucous din a few moments before. 

Aelfric knocked his seax against the top table three times, and all fell silent. Mildryth slowly shook her head. “My thegns, you are all well aware that I do not allow drunkenness and foul behaviour in my mead hall at feasting. Any guest from outside our settlement would think we are barbarians.”

A murmur of denial growled across the hall. But as Lady Mildryth turned briefly to Theowulf, they seemed to grasp that their cūning might perhaps be referring to the stranger sitting to her right. She saw their frowns and much shaking of heads. She knew exactly what they were thinking: who is this newcomer, this outsider who narrowed his sharp blue eyes at them so arrogantly?

But they kept their peace and bit their lips as their lady signalled to Aelfric with a sweep of her hand to summon the scōp. He arrived with an expansive spreading of his arms, his dark cloak falling like the wings of some great bird, his long white hair and beard glowing in the firelight. He stood in the centre of the hall turning around to acknowledge the applause of the thegns and in response they banged the hilts of their seaxes against the trestles.

Mildryth swivelled round at the sound beside her, and saw that Theowulf had bent forwards over the table, his sleeves almost sopping up the remains of the cream and blackberry concoction before him. He was staring intently at the scōp, eyes widened. How odd, she was sure that the Saxons had similar entertainment at their feasts, from what she had heard. Their practices were not so very different from their own, surely. Yet Theowulf looked … what could she say? … wondrous, fascinated, as though he had never seen a poet story-teller before. 

The scōp bowed to Lady Mildryth as she asked him where he was from, as was the custom, and how far he was travelling that moon-journey, and whether the chamber they had set aside for his rest that night was acceptable. With the formalities done, the poet embarked upon his tale, a saga of warriors’ heroism and of dragons, with the names of Mildryth and her father Cnebba of Mercia and of most of their cyth and cyn slipped in to the well-known narrative. 

Mildryth settled back to hear the tale, although in truth she had heard it many times before; yet it never ceased to fill her with the comfort of knowing that it was her tradition, her family, her heritage. And all the time, throughout the whole heroic poem, although many of the thegns fell to sleep in a drunken stupor, their heads resting on the tables or propped up by their ladies, she was aware that Theowulf sat to attention, as if caught entranced by every word that fell from the old man’s mouth. 

She watched him out of the corner of her eye and saw that his lips moved with the scōp’s words, silently repeating them … and not always repeating them, but sometimes speaking them along with the poet. So he knew some of her Angeln words! And, even more strangely, he seemed to know this poem. How could that be, if he were not Angeln? She remembered that he had spoken her name and rank when she first saw him in the lock-up, but hesitantly as though he was unsure of them or was trying them out aloud for sound. 

And so he had heard the story-teller before. Or at least he had heard the same poem recited elsewhere. Maybe not by this scōp but by someone else at some other feast in some other mead hall in some other settlement. How intriguing. If only he would speak to her so that she could understand his words. For those that fell from his lips were strange and the sounds he made were incomprehensible. 

Buy Link:

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This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Julia Ibbotson

Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She is the author of historical mysteries with a frisson of romance. Her books are evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip / dual-time mysteries.

Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language / literature / history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s.

She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her latest novel is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon dual-time mysteries, Daughter of Mercia, where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries.

Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.

Author Links:

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Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

The Country Village Allotment by Cathy Lake

 

A heartwarming and uplifting summer story for fans of Heidi Swain and Phillipa Ashley, by the author of The Country Village Christmas Show, The Country Village Summer Fete and The Country Village Winter Wedding.

At eighty-two years old Zelda Grey is tired. Tired of how much slower she is physically and mentally. Tired of technology. Tired of being alone since her beloved cat, Flint, died just before Christmas. And tired of life. The only thing that brings Zelda joy these days is her allotment in the gorgeous village of Little Bramble, where she has lived her whole life, and her three cranky goats.

Widow Mia Holmes always loved visiting Little Bramble Allotment with her husband, Gideon. But since his death she can't motivate herself. Despite putting on a brave face for her three sons and four grandchildren, she's reached breaking point, and isn't sure she can carry on.

And history teacher Liz Carter thought she had it all. The perfect job, perfect boyfriend in Rhodri and the perfect wedding to plan. Until she found Rhodri in bed with the neighbour. Holed up in her sister's box room she wonders how it all went so wrong. As she wallows in her misery, her sister takes her in hand and drags her to Little Bramble Allotment and suddenly she discovers the wonders of planting, growing and getting her hands dirty.

In an increasingly lonely world, these three women strike up an unlikely friendship and find that community, female friendship and the wonders of nature can truly be powerful healers.

Review

This is a typical feel-good story where the characters face different challenges but come together to find peace and healing.

I really enjoyed this novel; it helped immensely that the narrator was Julie Teal, who has a particularly soothing voice, which made listening to this book an absolute pleasure. The story itself is about three women, all in different stages of life, and all suffering from loss and looking for a way to go forward with their lives. When the three women become friends, their lives take on new meaning, and all three of them begin to live again.

The restorative power of friendship has been wonderfully depicted, and this is a story that leaves you with a feel-good feeling once you have finished, not to say there isn't a lot of drama before we get to that lovely conclusion, because there certainly is!

The character development is wonderfully depicted, and these characters are very relatable. I have to say I am fondest of Zelda, who has perhaps the most heartbreaking story of all of them.

I really enjoyed this novel, and I will certainly be reading more books from this author.

I loaned this novel from Borrow Box.

Scents of Lavender: Queer Love Through the Ages – In Verse by D. C. Wilkinson

Scents of Lavender:

Queer Love Through the Ages – In Verse

By D. C. Wilkinson

Publication Date: June 1st, 2025

Publisher: DCW Press

Pages: 108

Genre: Poetry / Historical Fiction / LGBT+ Romance

Timeless and unwavering, love flows through a universal melody that echoes in every corner of the globe. Transcending borders and cultures, it sows the seeds of memories that sprout and blossom in Scents of Lavender, a collection of 25 illustrated poems that breathe life into evocative scenes where queer love proudly re-emerges from the depths of history, uncovering deep and everlasting bonds.

Each poem invites the reader to explore the narrator’s deeply personal and intimate perspective through pantheistic eyes. Written in the first person, every verse unfolds as both a reflection and a manifestation of a single universal mind and soul, drawing the reader into a shared understanding that love –in all its forms– is boundless, eternal, and permeates the cosmos.

Excerpt

My wives were my court,

my confidants,

pillars of my strength,

living embodiments

of our collective heritage reborn,

the sanctum of my realm.

From Kangela’s Daughter

Trailer with Excerpts:

https://dcwilkinson.substack.com/p/scents-of-lavender-bea

Buy Link:

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D. C. Wilkinson

D. C. Wilkinson is an award-winning novelist, poet, and lifelong voyager of inner and outer realms. His literary work centers on his passion for historical tales, portal fantasies, and dreams and visions often weaved into narratives that highlight LGBTQ+ experiences.

He began his career in the Midwest as a student of Language Arts before relocating to the East Coast in his early twenties. A graduate of Columbia University and former New York City public school teacher, he now calls Connecticut his home, where he resides with his spouse and their beloved beagle.

Author Links:

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