Duty and Delusion

In her debut novel Duty and Delusion, author Shawna Lewis explores real-life community issues.It's set in the recent past.

The recession has just begun to be felt and money is becoming short.The treasurer to the village hall is in hospital, urgent repairs are required and there are also some bills that require settling.

The chair of the committee, Belinda, can best be described as long-suffering. She's careful and dutiful but she is also beginning to seethe with resentment toward those in the village who don't recognise all the hard work she does. Who believe that she is of no importance.

She is very determined to make some fairly big changes in her life and she begins to work against her antagonists to bring her enemies down.

Her husband needs to travel away from home to find owrk and her part time job at the library might be under threat due to budget cuts.

She finds  handsome young illegal immigrant living in the loft f the village hall and she takes an interest in him. Maternal, of course, as her own son is about to leave hal land her daughter has sert her heart on being a centre of attention and the school. But not in a way likely to make any normal mother proud of her.

She has a chance meeting with a woman by the name of Marnie. Marnie has lived a life that is full and varied, if not a little tough at times. This meeting brings about changes in their lives as they travel upon different, but similar pathways.

Each finds something to be jealous about the other woman's life, but curiously enough, as Marnie's life begin to improve, the life of Belinda seems to be getting worse, rather than better.

It's a novel that is quirky and moving and is a good first novel from an author who will hopefully have more novels published in the near future.

It's published by Matador at £10.99.

An Extra Shot

An Extra Shot is a continuation of the romance of Freddie and Jo-Jo.

What o you think you might do if you had a second chance, a second shot, if you will, at the teenage love that you thought had passed you by all those years ago?

You may have met them in their previous book, Another Shot in which they nearly reconciled but didn't quite make it.

Freddie was thinking of taking his life under a train, but he is saved by his best friend, Jack Sparrow, whilst Jo-Jo is alone in a hotel room, all but consumed by a dark secret that she has harboured fo most of her life.

Amy, Jo-Jo's daughter, convinces her mum to meet up with Freddie, again. He persuades Jp-Jo to go away with him for a long weekend in Devon in the West Country. It works, because they return home with their love reignited.

But will the secret that Jo-Jo harbours be enough to kill their romantic story once and for all, if she reveals it to Freddie?

Is the love of these two people enough to pull them through and to keep them together?

This story from Stephen Anthony Brotherton is semi-autobiographical and based on a first love relationship that he had at the ages that Freddie and Jo-Jo had when they were teenagers. (REVIEWERS NOTE Like Stephen I am an alumni of Wolverhampton University, interestingly enough.)

The book is published by The Bookguild on 28th July and costs £7.99.

It's aimed at readers of romantic fiction and should fit nicely in the holiday suitcases this summer.

Dreamcats II

In Dreamcats II (the sequel to Dreamcats) we learn of a world where humans and animals have exchanged places.

Felinestow is now under the control of a benign cat, Mayor Tina. But the former mayor, Claptrap, still years for power.

Cousins Elsa and David find themselves residing in the home of ex-police cat George. But soon George's brother Harry arrives.

He is visiting the town of Felinestow to take the chairship of a religious conference. But even before the conference can start, a dreadful disaster strikes!

With things in Felinestow in a state of flux with struggles to keep the peace, Mayoer Tina must send George and Claptrap on a high profile diplomatic mission to seek assistance for the town and its populace.

Can they get the help that is required? Will peace once again reign in the town?

This is a charming fantasy novel for children of ages, written by Christopher Best, a retired editor and financial journalist and writer.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Appetite for Risk

In Appetite for Risk we read Jack Leaver's story that is inspired by real events that took place in the aftermath of the war in Iraq.

John Pierce is a former Royal Marine who has a new but struggling business in the UK. It's proving difficult for him to generate enough income to support his wife and young family so he decides to use his connections in the capital of Iraq to see if he can use the situation in Iraq, a country desperate for rebuilding work to be undertaken after years of bitter conflict.

In 2004 he finds himself in Baghdad to get into the reconstruction gold rush. But when the whole country is falling rapidly into a full insurgency, he has to rely on his own Royal Marine training, his natural talents and the skills of his own local contacts to avoid becoming just another victim of the fighting.

Soon Pierce finds that he is treading on toes and he is in trouble with the government at home and he is soon in the midst of allied covert operations against Al-Qaeda operatives in Iraq.

Can this former bootneck make it through the ver-mounting chaos in Iraq to return home to his wife and family with his life intact and with some funds to show for his efforts?

Jack Leavers is a former Royal Marine Commando with over three decades of experience in the Royal Marines and latterly in private security, corporate investigations and anti-maritime piracy operations. and these experiences shine through in his powerful and hard hitting thriller.

The book is published by The Book Guild at £9.99 and will make an ideal summertime read.

Twenty Tiny Tales

Twenty Tiny Tales and a few tails is an amazing collection of 22 short stories that are truthful, witty, humorous and also heart-warming.

You'll be taken on 22 different journeys to places you have dreamt of, places you might have heard of, places you might know well. Or places that you might think you know well, for debut author Elaine J. Bradley's imagination and skill as a writer will make you see the familiar in a completely new light.

You'll visit the museum of childhood, which might produce an effect that you were not anticipating. Pretty much like what happened to poor Sadie. (That story sent a shiver down my spine.)

You'll visit the idyllic flower power era, a time of free love, flowers and pacifism, now epitomised by a flower shop called Flower Power, owned and operated by Clara, a child of the sixties, described by locals as an ageing hippy.

She owned and ran a 1967 VW camper van, for use as a delivery van, painted in suitable colours and images.

But what exactly was happening at the shop? And why was there such an interest in the goings on there?

There are stories of befriendings, of friends in desperate needs of assistance, hauntings that might be more than they seem at first sight (or should that be site? No matter!) Another story, Dicing With Death, that sent a shiver up and down by spine.

It's published by Matador at £9.99 on 28th July and you really need to buy this book for your holiday reading. But it's probably best not to read it last thing at night! Unless,of course, you like to be scared?

Never Again -Moving on From Narcissistic Abuse and Other Toxic Relationships

Never Again -Moving on From Narcissistic Abuse and Other Toxic Relationships is a new and very important book from Dr Sarah Davies who is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist.

It draws from her experiences as a practitioner working with patients at her Harley Street, London, practice. However, she also brings to bear her own personal experiences coping with a narcissistic abuser.

It's designed not as a text book but as an easy to use self-help guide to understand and move on from toxic, abusive relationship.

It will show readers how to identify if they are the subject of an narcissistic abuser, plus the complicated ramifications of being in such a relationship.

Dr Davies also shares tools that will be required to help the victim of such an abusive partner to move on, and to hopefully end destructive relationship patterns for good.

The book also tells you exactly what is entailed here, Narcissistic Personality Disorder or NPD.

The person who has NPD might show the following traits: An overwhelming sense of grandiosity, with expectations of preferential treatment or service from other people, or institutions. 

They'll generally require a lot of positive regard and positive feedback, plus admiration and worship from others.

They are arrogant, selfish, but are often anxious, too. They lack genuine empathy for others, lacking in any fellowfeel toward other people, they cannot accept blame when anything goes wrong, they like to use blame transfer when they need to blame others when they have done wrong or made a mistake.

They often have problems with addictive behaviour and are unable to form or maintain any meaningful long term relationships.

They can be aggressive, and subjected to unreasonable rages and cannot control their anger. They also have problems accepting responsibility for problems and can be very manipulative.

Dr Davies points out that because NPD is often linked to exceptionally early emotional and psychological damage it is a very difficult condition to treat.

The book also helps the victim of the NPD abuser to work on their self-esteem problems, learn what healthy boundaries are and learn how to enforce them, how to address unhelpful thinking, how to employ tools and coping strategies such as emotional regulation,  the use of mindfulness and the technique of grounding.

It's an important book and is a must have if you are a victim of an abusive NPD partner, spouse, family member or spouse, if you are a therapist dealing with NPD issues or, indeed, if you think you might have NPD.

It's published by Matador at £14.99. It just might be the best £14.99 that you will ever spend.

Pass the Pickled Porcupine & Other Wild Food Stories

Pass the Pickled Porcupine & Other Wild Food Stories is a new book from Graham Chalmers who is an expert hunter, fisherman and food forager.

Born in Zimbabwe in 1957 he was privileged with access to wilderness areas in Africa.

He eventually moved to South Africa and whilst earning degrees in business and law, he continued to develop his skills as a food expert and game cook.

In 2000 he moved to Britain and continued his interest in wild-sourced food i not only the UK but also Europe and America.

This book is a series of essays about a staggering 50 different types of wild foods, which also contains information about Graham's abilities as a forager,a hunter, a fisherman and a cook.

You'll learn about collecting hedgerow blackberries in Britain, and hunting Cape buffalo in South Africa.

Learn how to make Mopane Worm Stew, using dried mopane worms), how to make a delicious traditional biltong, learn that aardvarks are not, generally, eaten in Africa (despite what some books might try to claim), learn how to prepare an abalone, how to make impala chops teriyaki, how to cook bass, freshwater or Texan black.

You'll learn how to cook medallions of wild boar with banana, (ripe bananas are specified) how to fry crocodile steaks, and even more interesting meals besides.

The book contains some cautionary tales, including how mussels can kill you, even should you not eat one. Scary stuff, mussels!

The book makes a fascinating read for the amateur or the professional cook who will now know how to cope if the owners of an eating establishment comes into the kitchen with a mysterious delivery shouting: "I've just got a load of Ostrich meat. Do something with it, OK?" The recipe for Ostrich Stroganoff is on page 181.)

I feel that the book would have greatly benefited from illustrations (either line drawings or photographs) but there are none. A pity, but it's still a very interesting book that you should add to your collection of culinary books.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.