Smorgasbord Book Promotions – Summer Book Fair 2023 – #Memoir #History Darlene Foster, #Crime #Thriller Fiona Tarr, #Crime #Mystery Georgia Rose

This year in the second part of the Summer Book Fair, I will be sharing my recommended books from the last 12 months and sharing either my review or one of  their top reviews.

The first book today is the recent release by Darlene Foster...a memoir….You Can Take The Girl From The Prairie: Stories about growing up on the Canadian prairies

About the book

A collection of short stories inspired by growing up on a prairie farm in the fifties and sixties. Some of the stories are humorous and others sad, but all heartfelt. Stories about family life, cowboy wisdom, immigrant grandmothers, an inspiring teacher, and the arrival of a new sibling are part of this collection of tales from another time and another place. Proof that you can take the girl from the prairie but you can’t take the prairie from the girl.

One of the  reviews for the book

Lauren Scott 5.0 out of 5 stars Touching stories about family and farm living  Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 9, 2023

Darlene Foster compiles a lovely collection of short stories inspired by her memories of growing up on a prairie farm in Canada. Family is the touchstone in each heartfelt story, and Foster’s writing flows so genuinely as if she’s narrating her memories to a group of friends relaxing around a crackling campfire. She admits in the introduction that she didn’t appreciate her life on the prairie as a young girl. “But over time, I realized that what I had as a child was special – the freedom, safety, fresh air, home-grown food, friendly neighbors…”

You Can Take the Girl from the Prairie reveals how hindsight is twenty-twenty.I’ve always lived in the city, but as I’ve grown older, the solitude offered in a country setting is appealing. So, I looked forward to reading about Foster’s life on the farm. She pays high regard to her parents and grandparents and everyone she has met on her path. There is no doubt she possesses a grateful heart.

I enjoyed this entire collection, but a few heartwarming favorites spoke about Foster’s baby brother entering her world as though out of a fairytale. The love in her heart for her cowboy, heroic dad shines, and when she writes about a special teacher, I thought of a teacher in my high school years that had the same positive effect. Foster infuses humor in “Good Hands,” which made me laugh when I read about her dad chasing a cow that jumped off the back of a truck on the way to the vet. But one story that made me teary-eyed and tugged at my heart is “Losing Tim,” which gave me a personal glimpse into the author’s life.

Each memory pulled me in deeper, so I read this book in one sitting. Each story draws out various emotions known to the human heart. I highly recommend this beautiful collection to anyone interested in life on a farm, but who also enjoys touching family stories.

Head over to read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon CA – And: Amazon UK

A selection of other books by Darlene Foster

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Website/Blog: Darlene Foster WordPress – Goodreads: Goodreads – Twitter: @supermegawoman

Another of my recent recommendations was for  the crime thriller set in the Australian outback and the first in Opal Fields series.. Her Buried Bones by Fiona Tarr.

About the book

She came to find answers – she discovered a trail of secrets…

When Jenny Williams took a job as the new constable in an outback opal mining town, she thought she’d be hunting down clues to find her missing aunt and cousin. But when a young woman’s body is found at the bottom of a mine shaft, a possible murder forces her personal agenda to take a back seat.

Jenny goes head to head with her new commanding officer. He doesn’t want to ruffle feathers in town and rules the case Death By Misadventure. But Jenny is sure the dead woman met with foul play.

Risking her job, and her chance at solving her family mystery, Jenny will go behind her boss’s back and uncover not only a killer, but a lead that could reveal a decade of corruption.

This case could be the link she’s been hoping for. But it might just end her career.

Or even her life!

My review for the book 17th June 2022

Great characters and setting for a fast paced crime thriller that is hard to put down once you start reading.

Considering not a lot happens on the crime front in this former thriving opal mining town, Jenny Williams finds herself knee deep in a mysterious death in her first week on the job. There are reservations amongst the existing police force about why this bright young constable wanted to be stationed in this remote area of the outback but Jenny works hard to gain their trust and acceptance.

There are hidden depths to this dusty and sleepy town and not all are down disused opal mines. Families in the area also have experienced unsolved tragedies over the years and as Jenny gets to know the key local players she begins to wonder how her own family mystery might be connected.

As the clues and action intensifies, it becomes clear that someone does not want Jenny digging into this current case and will do anything to stop any further investigation by any means possible.

I certainly was engaged from beginning to end and I am looking forward to the next two in the series and a fourth due out in July. Highly recommended.

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon AU –  Amazon US – Amazon UK

A selection of other books by Fiona Tarr

Read the reviews and Buy: Amazon Au – Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow Fiona: Goodreads – Website :A Time 2 Write – Twitter: @FionaTarr

And the final book today that I recently reviewed is the thriller set in a village shocked by vicious murders. A Killer Strikes: (A Shade Darker Book 1) by Georgia Rose.

About the book

The perfect family… The perfect murders…

A family massacred. A village in mourning. Can anyone sleep safely while a killer is on the loose?

Laura Percival, owner of The Stables, notices something wrong at her friend’s house when out on her morning ride. Further investigation reveals scenes she’ll never forget.

While the police are quick to accuse, Laura is less so, defending those around her as she struggles to make sense of the deaths. And all the time she wonders if she really knew her friends at all.

A chance encounter opens up a line of investigation that uncovers a secret life. One that Laura is much closer to than she ever realised.

One of the reviews for the book

Cathy 5.0 out of 5 stars Great start to a new series  Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧

‘Death is no stranger. I have known it. Tasted it. Seen its violent colours. Its abrupt finality. Yet still, I didn’t see it coming.’

These are the opening lines that drew me straight into this story. Laura Percival owned a successful livery stable and ran it with the help of her good friends, Harry and Pip. Her life was back on an even keel even if she did need medication to help her sleep. She still blamed herself for the death of her beloved husband, Matt, in a car accident, but had found love again with Sebastian.

As Laura rode past the house of her good friends and neighbours, the Jacksons, she couldn’t understand why the washing was still hanging, sodden, on the line after three days. She knew they hadn’t gone away, the cars were on the drive and she was certain they would have let her know because she looked after their cats when they were away. When she voiced her thoughts to Sebastian, he didn’t share her concerns.

Were they just recovering from the celebrations? Laura couldn’t imagine that being the case, even more so when her text went unanswered. She was determined to make sure all was well, using her key when there was no answer to the ringing of the bell. She was totally unprepared for the horror she discovered.

A Killer Strikes is a tense, character driven story, told from Laura’s perspective in the present tense, which puts the reader right there with her. She’s struggling to process what’s happened. The fact her friends are under suspicion gives her the impetus to do a little digging herself, putting her at odds with the police. The situation isn’t helped by the malicious gossip from the proprietress of the local shop, which adds to the tension in the community and the resulting circulating rumours.

The characters, most likeable, others not so much, are realistic and believable in the small village setting. It was very good to see Laura’s development as the story unfolds. She has a lot to deal with.

A well written and thought through story in a very atmospheric setting with a shocking twist at the end. A great start to a new series. 

Head over to read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US

A selection of other books by Georgia Rose

Head over to read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon UK –  And: Amazon US – Follow Georgia: Goodreads – Facebook: Georgia Rose Books –  Twitter: @GeorgiaRoseBook

 

Thanks very much for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books.. Sally.