The Croaking Raven by Guy Hale

As part of the blog tour I have an intriguing excerpt from the book to whet your appetite! First a bit about the book.

Book Summary

DC Toby Marlowe has just landed his dream posting but the quiet streets of Shakespeare’s Stratford are about to suffer a reign of terror. A name from the past

has returned, intent on revenge. A series of murders go unsolved but Toby realises that the killer seems to be following the plot of Hamlet.

Can Toby and his boss, DS Fred Williams, find the killer before all the actors at the RSC are dead?

The Croaking Raven doth bellow for revenge.

Excerpt

Return of the Prince

Oliver Lawrence lay on his bed. In the distance he could hear the sounds of Casablanca. The call to midday prayer had begun and the voice of the Muezzin floated from the top of a nearby minaret, borne on the warm winds of the Sahara as they headed for the north west coast of Morocco.

Oliver was a long way from home. Fifteen long years away.

Forced from a great future by a web of jealousy and lies, a bitter crop that had been planted by those he trusted most. They had nearly destroyed him and he had run. Run until he could not hear their lies or their taunting. Run until he had found a place to shelter, recover, and plan his revenge.

It had taken fifteen years. Years when he should have been confirming his reputation as the greatest stage actor of his generation. He had not wasted his time. In the quiet beachside community of Ain Diab, he had sheltered from the seething turmoil that was Casablanca. As the early May heat had begun to rise, so had his desire for revenge.

To make The Raven Cocktail, add the following ingredients to ice and strain into a tall glass - 30ml vodka, 30ml rum, 30ml blue curacao, then slowly pour 30ml Chambord over a bar spoon so floats on top of the drink. In my experience it actually always drops to the bottom rather than floating but it still looks and tastes just as good!

The Good Snooze Guide of Great Britain: The British Isles through a pleasant haze by Robin Bennett

Book Summary

The British Isles through a pleasant haze.

This small tome is a celebration of taking it easy, of loafing about but it’s also a chance to write about some of the most pleasant spots in Britain. So it could also be considered a guide book - but for lazy people.

This book is a guide to various interesting places in Britain, with notes on how good they are for napping, which is obviously a very important factor when deciding on holiday destinations or places to visit!

Each month has a different location and little anecdotes about the place and the author's experiences there. I was inspired to visit the Founder's Library at Royal Holloway, though surprisingly, it appears to be the only place that wasn't great for a nap.

Lovely humorous writing, very enjoyable, much like one of Robin's naps. The snippet of one of his other books made me want to read that as soon as possible. If you enjoyed Notes on a Small Island, then you'll love this too, it has a similar humour to it. It would also make a great gift! 💖

I made a Lazy Lover cocktail which is perfect for sipping as you pick your next napping spot. Muddle 3 slices of cucumber in a shaker with a pinch of salt. Add 30ml mezcal, 22.5ml Gentian liqueur, 7.5ml sugar syrup and 7.5ml pink grapefruit juice. Shake with ice and strain into your glass. Garnish with a slice of cucumber.

The Wild Ones by Antonio Ramos Revillas

Translated by Claire Storey

Book Summary

An impactful story about the heroism of surviving on the social periphery.

Fifteen-year-old Efraín and his two younger brothers live in a house on the hillside in Monterrey, Northern Mexico.

They are left to fend for themselves after their mother is wrongly arrested for theft.

Má has raised her boys to keep out of trouble with the local gangs and to study for their future, but they are viewed by society as good-for-nothings or criminals simply because of where they live.

The only people offering any kind of support are the local gang members – but everything comes

with a price tag.

This is quite an easy read, despite the difficult subject matter, and though it looks middle-grade from the cover, the main character was older than I expected so I'd put it more at young adult.

It was a bit too slow going for me, not a lot really happens. But there was a good lesson about how much stuff we have around us that we really don't need. I don't think I'm rich, but Efrain would probably have considered me quite well off! Reading about what Efrain went through to support his family and the things he had to do, I felt quite emotional at times.

Author Bio

Antonio Ramos Revillas is a Mexican author of books for adults and your people.

In 2015 he was selected to participate in the Mexico 20 project by the Hay Festival. The project brought together twenty Mexican writers under the age of forty and paired them with British translators, resulting in

the Mexico 20 anthology, published by Pushkin Press.

Antonio has received numerous regional and national awards for his writing.

On an international level his novel La guarida de las lechuzas won the Fundacion Cuatrogatos prize in Miami as well as winning the International Latino Book Award.

His YA books have been recommended by IBBY Mexico, Salvajes is his third book to be chosen for the White Ravens.

This was the first time I've made a Wild Rose Margarita and I was surprised how well all the different ingredients fit together.  Shake the following ingredients with ice - 45ml tequila, 15ml triple sec, 25ml Savoia Americano Rosso (I substituted with aperol) 10ml rose sugar syrup, 15ml lime juice, 7.5ml gin. Strain into a cocktail glass and enjoy!

Skyfleet: March of the Mutabugs by Victoria Williamson

Book  Summary

When the skies turn deadly, a young heroine must rise from the ashes...

Twelve-year-old Amberley Jain has faced incredible challenges since the crash that took her parents and paralysed her legs. Now, with her best friend Ricardo Lopez about to be sent away and a swarm of mutated insects closing in on the Skyfleet base, the stakes have never been higher. Something monstrous is driving the mutabugs north from the contaminated meteor site known as the Cauldron, and the only plane capable of stopping it - the Firehawk - lies in pieces in the hangar.

Determined to honour her parents' legacy, Amberley hatches a daring plan. With Ricardo's help, they stow away on a supply train, trading his most treasured possession for the parts needed to repair the Firehawk. After secret test flights, the legendary jet is ready for action. Now, Amberley and Ricardo must confront the deadly swarm and save their home, discovering their inner strength and the true meaning of friendship along the way.

If there's anything worse than giant mutated bugs, its giant mutated bugs that regenerate!

Amberley and her best friend Ric are determined to show the rest of the base what they can do. Neither wants to be sent away to the farming villages with the other orphans, Amberley knows she can be the best flyer and Ric the best engineer they've ever had. They just need a way to prove themselves!

This is a fast-paced, quick read. Screwball Sydney and her wombat are amusing characters, just the right amount of encouraging and insane. I really enjoyed Amberley and Ric's attempts to fix Amberley's parents old Firehawk jet and make everyone see what they can do. Together they showed that nothing should stop you trying for your dreams and I found the end particularly touching and uplifting.

Author Bio

Victoria Williamson grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, and has worked as an educator in a number of different countries, including as an English teacher in China, a secondary science teacher in Cameroon, and a teacher trainer in Malawi.

As well as degrees in Physics and Mandarin Chinese, she has completed a Masters degree in Special Needs in Education. In the UK she works as a primary school special needs teacher, working with children with a range of additional support needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, physical disabilities and behavioural problems.

She is currently working as a full time writer of Middle Grade and YA contemporary fiction, science fiction and fantasy, with a focus on creating diverse characters reflecting the many cultural backgrounds and special needs of the children she has worked with, and building inclusive worlds where all children can see a reflection of themselves in heroic roles.

Victoria’s experiences teaching young children in a school with many families seeking asylum inspired her debut novel, The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, an uplifting tale of redemption and unlikely friendship between Glaswegian bully Caylin and Syrian refugee Reema.

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website.

I used to love a June Bug cocktail when I was younger, now it seems some of the ingredients are a bit harder to find, but I did find this one on Difford's Guide which is a great website for pretty much any cocktail you can imagine. I remember it having a much greener colour but it still looks pretty tasty!

To make the cocktail, shake all the following ingredients with ice, then strain into your glass. 30ml each of coconut rum, melon liqueur, banana liqueur, 120ml pineapple juice and 30ml lime juice.

The Christmas Party by Mikayla Davids

Book Summary

A family reunion. A shocking secret. A night to die for.

On a snowy Christmas Eve, the Bailey family are gathered at an isolated hotel in the English countryside. They’re reuniting for the first time since the accident that shattered their lives ten years ago. 

It’s a time for love and forgiveness. But someone has an ulterior motive…

The perfect daughter

The success story

The single mother

The alcoholic 

The husband

The jealous sister

The murderer

As the clock strikes midnight, one member of the party is found dead at the foot of the grand marble staircase.

Everyone is a suspect. But which one of them is a killer?

I enjoyed Mikayla Davids' previous book The Couple on Holiday (see my review here) so I jumped at the chance to join the blog tour for her new audiobook.

There's an immediate mystery, even before any mention of the murder. What could have happened to break this family apart? There are flashbacks and clues throughout the book and for me this was the biggest puzzle. Despite reading about the murder early on, the victim is not revealed till much nearer the end.

The story is told by different characters so you get all sides of the story and also realise how unreliable any of them could be. The different narrators were very good, keeping the personalities separate.

I loved how the secrets just kept coming. There are sooooo many and they were gradually doled out like sweets, which kept me hooked.

I must say I found it hard to trust Erin from quite early on, though I won't say whether I was right not to! I soon started to suspect she might have more motivations for organising the reunion, as well as reconciliation.

The conclusion is left quite open ended which I was slightly disappointed with, but it makes you wonder what could happen next and definitely sets up for more books.

Serve a Christmas Daiquiri at your next party, your guests will love it. Add 50ml rum, 15ml lime juice, 15ml Velvet Falernum and 15ml cranberry juice to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a star anise.