Let us Talk of Many Things; of Books and Queens and Pirates, of Mystery and Kings...: 2025

Thursday, 11 December 2025

Rachel's Random Resources Book Tour of: A Merry Little Christmas by Rosie Green

Rachel's Random Resources
Book Tours

Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find good books
to enjoy along the way!

About the Book

A Merry Little Christmas

Festive excitement is in the air, the tree is sparkling on the village green and Christmas music is making even the most hardened cynic feel a little sentimental – but one Little Duck Pond Café favourite is feeling anything but romantic! Is this destined to be a festive season best forgotten? Or could Katja’s dream of a merry little Christmas possibly end up coming true?

Purchase Link

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Merry-Little-Christmas-Duck-Pond-ebook/dp/B0DSGPTPRB

https://www.amazon.com/Merry-Little-Christmas-Duck-Pond-ebook/dp/B0DSGPTPRB

Author Bio – Rosie Green is the author of the popular Little Duck Pond Café series, set in the fictional village of Sunnybrook. Watch out for lots more café drama and romance in 2026, including ‘The Other Lizzie Bennet’, which will be published in January!

Follow Rosie on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green88

https://www.instagram.com/rosiegreen_author/

My thoughts

Don't let the fact that the book blurb about this one states that this is number 43 of a 46 book series ... it's perfectly OK as a standalone read, although with any good series it's always best to start at the beginning.

This contribution will appeal to all lovers of cosy romances looking for something relaxing and enjoyable to curl up with on a cold winter night before a blazing fire, box of chocs, glass of mulled wine to hand... Christmas tree lights sparkling. (Or for summer Southern Hemispheres: a chance to imagine the nostalgia of cold snow and frostyt-starred skies!)

I haven't read all Ms Green's books about the Duck Pond Cafe - but have enjoyed several in this series, and this one is just as entertaining.

A great Christmas gift if you need a bit of inspiration!

https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/
@rararesources
#RachelsRandomResources

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Wednesday, 10 December 2025

My Coffee Pot Book Tour Guest: Annie's Day by Apple Gidley

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About the Book

Book Title: Annie’s Day

Author Name: Apple Gidley

Publication Date: November 18th, 2025

Publisher: Vine Leaves Press

Pages: 300

Genre: Literary, Historical, Wartime, and Women’s Fiction

Any Triggers: Bombing raids, massacres, and rape during wartime

War took everything. Love never had a chance. Until now.

As an Australian Army nurse, Annie endures the brutalities of World War II in Singapore and New Guinea. Later, seeking a change, she accepts a job with a British diplomatic family in Berlin, only to find herself caught up in the upheaval of the Blockade. Through it all, and despite the support of friends, the death of a man she barely knew leaves a wound that refuses to heal, threatening her to a life without love.

Years later, Annie is still haunted by what she’d lost—and what might have been. Her days are quiet, but her memories are loud. When a dying man’s fear forces her to confront her own doubts, she forms an unexpected friendship that rekindles something she thought she’d lost: hope.

Annie’s Day is a powerful story of love, war, and the quiet courage to start again—even when it seems far too late.

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mZJq05

Vine Leaves Press Paperback Buy Link:

https://shorturl.at/cUXbU

Author Bio:

Anglo-Australian, Apple Gidley's nomadic life has helped imbue her writing with rich, diverse cultures and experiences. Annie’s Day is her seventh book.

Gidley currently lives in Cambridgeshire, England with her husband, and rescue cat, Bella, aka assistant editor.

Author Links:

Website:

https://www.applegidley.com

Twitter / X:

https://x.com/ExpatApple

Facebook:

https://www.facebock/apple.gidley

Instagram:

https://www.instagram/apple.gidley

Bluesky:

https://bsky.app/profile/applegidleyauthor.bksy.social

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00J7WPI3Q

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/httpwwwgoodreadscomapplegidley

read an excerpt

Excerpt 4:

Chapter 12 - Australia - January, 1944

“G’day, darl,” Auntie May’s greeting never changed. Nor the scent of fresh bread and lavender that clung to her like a warm quilt.

Annie melted into her wide arms.

“Whoa, darl, what’s happened?” May led her into the kitchen which opened onto the back porch overlooking her rose-filled garden, nurtured through the hottest summers with tender care. Putting the kettle on, she asked, “It’s not Joe, is it?”

When Annie shook her head, she added, “Or your father, the miserable old sod?” That at least evoked a smile, but she shook her head again.

“It is a man though, isn’t it?” She poured water into the pot. “What you need is a cup of tea, and a piece of Victoria sponge, although it’s not very spongey—the bloody chooks have stopped laying—so it’s made with powdered muck.” Auntie May picked up the cake. “You bring the teapot. Cups are out there already.” She settled herself on the sofa and patted the space next to her. “Righto, darl, start talking.”

The words, jumbled at first, flew out along with tears.

“It’s so silly.” Annie gulped, “I mean, I hardly know the man.” She picked up the cup Auntie May had refilled and blew. “You know what he does? When he finishes a night shift?” Annie didn’t wait for an answer. “He puts a hibiscus on my window sill so I see something beautiful every morning.” She touched her lips. “Before the sadness and gore of the wards.”

May stayed quiet until Annie’s sobs subsided and only hiccups remained. “Sounds like he knows you pretty well.” She licked her finger and picked up crumbs from the plate. “Darl, I have to ask, are you having a baby?”

Annie blushed. “No, Auntie May, I’m not.”

“But you have lain down with him?”

May smiled at Annie’s blushing nod. “Alright then. No complications. Baby or a married man. That’s good.”

“Doesn’t feel it.” Annie sipped her tea. “I don’t know when I’ll see him again.”

“Good grief, darl, this must be love. I’ve never seen you so down on a maybe.”

“What do you mean maybe?”

“Maybe you’ll see him in New Guinea again. Maybe you won’t. Maybe he will be sent to Lae. Maybe he won’t. Maybe you’ll have to wait until the end of the war. Lots of maybes, Annie, but from what you’ve said there’s no question about if you see him again. You love each other. That’s all that matters.” Auntie May poured another cup of tea.

“I didn’t want to love anybody. Not in wartime. Not after Ernie.”

“Oh, Annie, it doesn’t work like that. Love whacks you around the head like a breaker dumping you in the surf.” She hugged Annie. “You come up spluttering, wondering what hit you.”

“But war changes everything.”

“Of course it does. But you can’t time these things, darl.” She nudged Annie in the ribs and winked. “It’s not like doing your ward rounds on the clock.”

Annie gave a watery smile. “What if something happens?”

“What if it doesn’t, Annie?” May touched a rose petal. “You can’t waste your life on what ifs. You grab every moment of happiness you can. Don’t give a hoot about what people say. Just grab life, Annie. It’s too damn short for worrying about what ifs.” May stood, tipping Pearl off her lap. “Righto, lecture over. I think it might be time for something stronger.”

Annie picked up the tray and followed her aunt into the kitchen, then watched her take down a bottle of whisky and pour two slugs.

“It’s cooling down. We’ll sit in here. Now,” she asked with a grin, “is there anything wrong with this man?”

With a laugh, Annie said, “Not exactly wrong, but he has a dancing eyebrow.”

“A what?”

“His left eyebrow has a mind of its own. When he laughs, it does a jig.”

“Thank God,” she tapped her glass against Annie’s, “an imperfection!”

Annie spluttered over her drink. “No, more a quirk! Did I mention he knows James? In a roundabout kind of way, that makes it seem as if he almost knows Ernie.” She paused. “That sounds a bit crazy, doesn’t it?”

“Not really. Just a woman in love. I’ll have to get an unbiased report from Joe, or, better yet, meet him myself.”

“You will, Auntie May. As soon as we’re in Australia together, you’ll be the first.” Annie stroked Pearl, now sitting on her lap.

“In all that rush of words you didn’t say where Bill is from.”

“Glen Innes.”

“Well, at least he’s sort of local. Not about to whisk you off to the other side of Australia or, God forbid, to Victoria.”

Sidetracked for a moment, Annie asked, “What’s wrong with Victoria?”

“Snobs!”

“An entire state labelled in a word. You do know you’re a bit mad, don’t you?”

May nodded with a satisfied grin. “That’s why you children love me, and your father doesn’t.”

“You know, I never understood what Ma saw in him.”

“As a young man he was beautiful. Can you call a man beautiful? Dunno! But he was. And you know your Ma was a looker. They made a stunning couple. She tried so hard to be everything. But for some reason that wasn’t enough. She nearly always agreed with him.”

“Apart from allowing him to walk over us,” said Annie.

“She did love him, Annie, but maybe that was the issue. Her time diluted by you kids.”

“Then why have any?”

“Well, darl, that isn’t always an exact science, is it?”

“Auntie May,” Annie paused then blurted, “why didn’t you marry? You’d have been a wonderful mother, just like Ma.”

“Never met ‘my’ Bill, darl, but I had some fun looking.” Her laugh felt like a hug. “And I wasn’t prepared to settle for less.”

Follow the tour:

Bsky: @cathiedunn.bsky.social

Twitter Handles: @expatapple @cathiedunn

Instagram Handles: @apple.gidley @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #WomensFiction #HistoricalFiction #LiteraryFiction #ArmyNurses #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page:

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/10/blog-tour-annies-day-by-apple-gidley.html

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Tuesday, 9 December 2025

Rachel's Random Resources Book Tours: The Garden of Shared Stories by Clare Swatman

Rachel's Random Resources
Book Tours

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About the Book

The Garden of Shared Stories

Emma is at an all-time low the day she meets Nick. She sits down in a quiet rose garden in her local park, and from nowhere a handsome man sits next to her and turns her world upside down.

Over the weeks, she and Nick meet regularly, always in the same place, always at the same time. They discover they have a lot in common – shared heartbreak, and shared dreams. They tell each other stories about the people they’ve lost – things they’ve never told anyone else. Bit by bit, they get to know each other, and fall in love.

But there’s a catch, because however much they have in common, they have one big thing keeping them apart… twenty years apart. Because when Nick is sitting in the garden it’s 1999 – two decades before Emma is there.

Emma never expected to fall in love again, but now she has, she’s not going to give up on it without a fight. But how do you turn something impossible into a happy ever after?

Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/GardenOfSharedStories

Author Bio –

Clare Swatman is the author of bestselling women’s fiction novels, which have been translated into over 20 languages. She has been a journalist for over twenty years, writing for Bella and Woman & Home amongst many other magazines. She lives in Hertfordshire.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: @clareswatmanauthor

Twitter: @clareswatman

Instagram: @clareswatmanauthor

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/ClareSwatmannews

Bookbub profile: @clareswatman

My thoughts

This was an intriguing read, and cleverly done, although part of me wishes the publisher's introduction blurb hadn't given away such a huge spoiler alert by announcing the time-shift situation right from the start - the surprise would have added that extra 'oh wow, I didn't expect THAT!' element.

As a 'time-shift' the plot was excellent and kept the pages turning in order to find out how the characters, Emma and Nick, would deal with the dilemma of them being separated by several years once the realisation had dawned on them. As a romance, the story was also well done - a whole new dimension (literally!) to the 'will-they-won't-they get together?' usual romance plot.

The setting of the bandstand was inspired - I have often thought that these wonderful old constructions have an air of magic and mystery about them.

It was a pleasure to read an emotional story with a difference. Recommended for all romance readers.

**** 4 stars