Books Read: Maybe Tomorrow by Penny Parkes

What a difference a year could make…

Jamie Matson had once enjoyed a wonderful life working alongside her best friend, organising adventures for single-parent families, and her son Bo’s artistic flair a source of pride rather than concern.

She hadn’t been prepared to lose her business, her home, and her friend. Not all in one dreadful year. And now she finds herself reeling - rebuilding her world, with Bo at its heart - swallowing her pride and asking for help.

Jamie certainly hadn’t expected to find such hope and camaraderie in the queue at her local Food Bank - thrown together with an unlikely and colourful group of people - all of them struggling to get by, yet still determined to reclaim their lost careers and agency over their lives. Even if just choosing their own groceries again is a goal they can all share.

As their friendships flourish, they quickly find it’s easier to be objective about each other than about themselves, and decide that - when you’re all out of options - it’s okay to bend the rules a little and create your own.

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Extract from Snowed in at The Practice by Penny Parkes

Today it's my stop on the Snowed in at the Practice, the latest book in the Larkford series by Penny Parkes, and it's my pleasure to share with you an exclusive extract with you to whet your appetite.

Larkford Surgery is the heart of a tightknit community in the Cotswolds, as well as a hotbed of drama, rivalry, resentment and romance - and that's just the doctors …

Dr Holly Graham is finding life with two sets of twins exhausting. Even with husband Dr Taffy Jones and devoted friend Elsie by her side, she is completely outnumbered. Making the transition back to work will be no easy feat but a regular slot on Radio Larkford as their on-air doctor might be the perfect stepping stone, until an unexpected job offer changes everything.

Dr Alice Walker’s new canine clinic at Larkford Surgery with Coco, her assistance dog, has been a storming success. If only shipping her best friend, Dr Tilly Grainger, in from South America to cover for Holly had been such a smooth transition. It seems that Tilly isn’t finding life in the peaceful Cotswolds valley as rewarding as she’d hoped, and she is causing chaos ...

     The front door swung open and Alice and Coco barrelled through the parquet hallway and into the kitchen. Since her boyfriend Jamie had taken a temporary work placement in Ireland, it had become Alice’s custom en route to The Practice, to call in at Holly’s for the first coffee of the day – Elsie’s kitchen providing the central focus for most of their socialising these days. At times, Alice seemed quite lost without him, and Holly was only too delighted to provide company, coffee and distraction, in exchange for a little update now and then.
     ‘Morning! I hope you haven’t eaten already – I picked up Danish pastries,’ said Alice chirpily, her assistance dog Coco at her feet, as she carefully hung up her beautiful velvet coat. No longer one to keep things for best, she was a close contender with Elsie for the role of Larkford’s style icon these days. Not that Elsie seemed to mind.
     ‘I hope one of those pastries has my name on it!’ Elsie said, deliberately ignoring the look that passed between Holly and Taffy. ‘I’m in need of decadence today. All this puréed fruit is giving me a glimpse into my future and I’m not sure I like it.’
     Holly noticed that Taffy, Ben and Tom had quickly squirrelled away all evidence of their pancake extravaganza and were holding out their plates expectantly. Seriously, thought Holly, it was like feeding an army in this kitchen most days.
     Needless to say, Alice had thoughtfully picked out a dairyfree offering for Ben and soon contented yummy noises filled the room, to the accompaniment of Olivia banging her fists on her high chair in excitement at the sliver of buttery goodness heading her way.
     ‘Stick the radio on,’ said Alice, as she poured coffee for everyone, and Holly handed out orange juice in a tried and tested manoeuvre of choreography. ‘Lizzie had me in stitches just now. She’s on cracking form, have you noticed?’

Spring Blogger Evening at Books and the City

Last night I had the privilege to have been invited to the Spring Blogger Evening at the Books and the City HQ in London where we were once again welcomed with open arms by Sara-Jade (SJ) Virtue, Dawn Burnett, Clare Hey and the rest of the Books and the City team for what was another fabulous evening.  SJ sure does know how to throw a party...

I met up with Laura from Lozza's Book Corner earlier in the afternoon as both of us were travelling via Waterloo so we enjoyed a coffee and then moved onto the pub across from the venue until it was time to head over at the alloted time.  The evening began with us all mingling and getting the chance to catch up with blogger friends who we normally only speak to online before we headed next door to listen to the authors, and what a line up we had, talk about their books.

SJ did a very brief welcome speech before passing the baton over to Editorial Director Clare Hey who was the compere for the evening. Clare then introduced us to the authors alongside her, Juliet Ashton, Holly Hepburn, Paige Toon and Penny Parkes.

Each of the authors in turn read an extract from their books, and were asked questions about their stories by Clare, to whet our appetites... not that it was needed as all four books sound fantastic (only one I've read and reviewed so far is Juliet Ashton's These Days of Ours which can be read here),

Some of the topics covered were that Juliet Ashton wanted to explore the bonds of female friendship, as well as romance, in These Days of Ours, hot blacksmiths and barmen, and the formidable postlady, in Holly Hepburn's Star and Sixpence series (I've not read any yet as am waiting for the whole series to be complete so that I can read as a whole but Em has read and reviewed part one, and I know she's dying to read the rest but sorry Em you can't have my proof copy of Summer at the Star and Sixpence as Holly has signed it to me).