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“Frank & Red” by Matt Coyne – Book Review #FrankAndRed @mattcoyney @HeadlineFiction @headlinepg #NetGalley

It reminded me a bit of another favourite novel, “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman. The similar, curmudgeonly widowed men I  guess. Also, it reminded me of a favourite television show, “After Life”, featuring Ricky Gervais. So much so that I pictured Frank’s late wife Marcie, as looking like Kerry Godliman. But I digress…

Red is six years old and lives with his Mum who works as a nurse in a care home. His parents have recently divorced and Red is having a difficult time adjusting to life without his Dad. He and his Mum have just moved into the house next door to Frank. He hates his new house, his new school ( where he is being bullied ), his new life… He misses his best friend from his old school.

The only good thing in his life is his budding friendship with the grumpy old man who lives next door.

Take a grumpy and very lonely old man. Add a confused, endearing, intelligent, and very lonely six year old boy.  Stir well. Be patient while the mixture melds… The result will be a story that you’ll cherish, as I did. A heartwarming ‘Uplit’ story that made me laugh aloud and shed some tears.

Special thanks to Oliver Martin at Headline who took pity on a Canadian bookblogger. ISBN: 9781472297426 — 432 pages

Matt was born and raised in Sheffield. After a couple of years of dead-end jobs he returned to education to obtain an English degree from Manchester University. From University, Matt drifted into the graphic arts. In 2007, he quit and set up his own print and design company.

In September 2015, Matt became a father for the first time, to Charlie. After three months of dealing with the missile of chaos that is a newborn, he posted his thoughts online. In January 2016, these thoughts went viral. The original post was shared over fifty thousand times and was featured in newspapers and on television across the world. Matt’s first book, Dummy , was based on his experiences of being a first-time father.

Matt is also a singer/songwriter with the band ‘Terry and Dead’ and has appeared on compilation albums with Paul Heaton, Billy Bragg and Sleaford Mods. He lives in Sheffield, England, with his son Charlie, his partner Lyndsay and a Jack Russell terrier with ‘issues’ called Eddie.

Connect with Matt Coyne via Twitter and/or Instagram .

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10 responses to “frank & red” by matt coyne – book review #frankandred @mattcoyney @headlinefiction @headlinepg #netgalley.

You and another blogger I follow have both recommended this so highly. I ordered it from England.

Like Liked by 1 person

Wonderful Joyce. I hope you love it as much as I did. 📚😍

Yay – another Frank & Red fan! Great review!

A truly beautiful book. Thanks Joanne. 😍

Fantastic review Lynne so glad you loved it as well! 😀

Thanks Nicki 😊

I’m waiting for this to be available on kindle. All my fav bloggers love it!

Such a wonderful review, Lynne. You definitely did this book justice. I love your ending, a perfect recipe. 📚💖

Thanks Carla ❤️

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Book Beat: Historical Mysteries, Bipolar Representation, & More

by Amanda · Apr 20, 2024 at 4:00 am · View all 8 comments

Welcome to Book Beat!

Book Beat aims to highlight other books that we may hear about through friends, social media, or other sources. We could see a gorgeous ad! Or find a new-to-us author on a list of underrated romances! Think of Book Beat as Teen Beat or Tiger Beat, but for books. And no staples to open to get the fold-out poster.

A Flame in the North

Author: Lilith Saintcrow Released: February 13, 2024 by Orbit Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy Series: Black Land's Bane #1

From  New York Times  bestselling author Lilith Saintcrow comes the first book in a thrilling Norse-inspired epic trilogy about ancient myth and magical destiny.

The Black Land is a myth: Centuries have passed since that Great Enemy was slain. Yet old fears linger, and on the longest night of the year, people in the South still light ritual bonfires to banish the dark.

In her village, this duty falls to Solveig, a girl favored by the gods with powerful fire magic. But when her brother kills a Northern lord’s son during the ritual, it is Sol who faces punishment, by being weregild—part hostage, part guest—in the North for a year and a day.

As she journeys to her captivity, Sol starts to realize that the Black Land is no myth. The forests teem with foul beasts. Her travel companions are not what they seem, and their plans for her magic are shrouded in secrecy.

With only her loyal shieldmaiden and her own wits to rely upon, Sol must learn to master her powers and wrest control of her fate. For the Black Land’s army stirs, ready to cover the world in darkness—unless Sol can find the courage to stop it.

Lilith Saintcrow, who I’m familiar with through her urban fantasy novels in the early 2000s, is now writing epic fantasy!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!

A Step Past Darkness

Author: Vera Kurian Released: February 20, 2024 by Park Row Genre: Mystery/Thriller

SIX CLASSMATES. ONE TERRIFYING NIGHT. A MURDER TWENTY YEARS IN THE MAKING…

There’s something sinister under the surface of the idyllic, suburban town of Wesley Falls, and it’s not just the abandoned coal mine that lies beneath it. The summer of 1995 kicks off with a party in the mine where six high school students witness a horrifying crime that changes the course of their lives.

The six couldn’t be more different.

• Maddy, a devout member of the local megachurch • Kelly, the bookworm next door • James, a cynical burnout • Casey, a loveable football player • Padma, the shy straight-A student • Jia, who’s starting to see visions she can’t explain

When they realize that they can’t trust anyone but each other, they begin to investigate what happened on their own. As tensions escalate in town to a breaking point, the six make a vow of silence, bury all their evidence, and promise to never contact each other again. Their plan works – almost.

Twenty years later, Jia calls them all back to Wesley Falls—Maddy has been murdered, and they are the only ones who can uncover why. But to end things, they have to return to the mine one last time.

Kurian’s previous thriller was pretty good, but my thriller-loving friends seem divided on this one after reading their respective reviews on Goodreads.

Death in the Spires

Author: KJ Charles Released: April 11, 2024 by Storm Publishing Genre: Historical: European , LGBTQIA , Mystery/Thriller

The newspapers called us the Seven Wonders. We were a group of friends, that’s all, and then Toby died. Was killed. Murdered.

1905. A decade after the grisly murder of Oxford student Toby Feynsham, the case remains hauntingly unsolved. For  Jeremy Kite , the crime not only stole his best friend, it destroyed his whole life. When an anonymous letter lands on his desk, accusing him of having killed Toby, Jem becomes obsessed with finally uncovering the truth.

Jem begins to track down the people who were there the night Toby died – a close circle of friends once known as the ‘Seven Wonders’ for their charm and talent – only to find them as tormented and broken as himself. All of them knew and loved Toby at Oxford. Could one of them really be his killer?

As Jem grows closer to uncovering what happened that night, his pursuer grows bolder, making increasingly terrifying attempts to silence him for good. Will exposing Toby’s killer put to rest the shadows that have darkened Jem’s life for so long? Or will the gruesome truth only put him in more danger?

Some secrets are better left buried…

From the bestselling, acclaimed author of The Magpie Lord and The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen comes a chilling historical mystery with a sting in the tail. You won’t be able to put this gripping story down!

KJ Charles has a historical mystery coming out and I expected way more buzz! 

Never Been Better

Author: Leanne Toshiko Simpson Released: March 5, 2024 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Genre: Contemporary Romance , Literary Fiction , Romance

A hilariously offbeat and tender comedy about one bipolar woman’s messy search for love at a seaside wedding where no one can stay afloat.

Is she falling in love, or falling apart?

Dee, Misa, and Matt were the “three musketeers” of the psych ward. A year after discharge, Dee is eager to convince everyone that she’s finally turning things around. But Matt and Misa are tying the knot in Turks and Caicos, surrounded by guests who have no idea where they met, and the secrecy isn’t sitting well with Dee, who has been hopelessly in love with Matt since before she got kicked out of the hospital.

So, when Dee arrives at the swanky resort with her high-voltage sister, Tilley, it’s now or never to confess how she feels. But disrupting her best friends’ nuptials would jeopardize the entire support system that holds the trio together. When it comes to happily ever afters, how is a girl supposed to choose between love and recovery?

Introducing a sparkling new voice in commercial fiction, Never Been Better revels in the heartache and hilarity of falling in love when you haven’t quite figured out how to live with yourself.

This may be more women’s fiction than contemporary romance, but I’m drawn to the main character’s bipolar representation. The author herself has also been open about her bipolar diagnosis. 

Categorized:

kj charles , k.j. charles , book beat , vera kurian , Leanne Toshiko Simpson , lilith saintcrow

Add Your Comment →

How come I have not heard of the new KJ Charles book??? *buys instantly*

@Steffi – I thoroughly recommend getting on her mailing list (and the book, of course).

Maybe KJC’s first historical mystery isn’t getting enough buzz because it’s from a small press, not Sourcebooks (which published the two Doomsday books). Meanwhile over on KJC’s FB group we are all rhapsodizing about it. Great characters, several of today’s hot button issues seen through an early 20th century lens, and a bit of romance (KJC has said repeatedly that this is NOT a romance novel, but there was enough lust and longing to satisfy me).

100% recommendation for the KJ Charles which is so so good. Also last night’s pick for Bad Decision Bookclub.

KJC wanted readers to approach ‘Death in the Spires’ as a mystery but there’s a very strong love-story undercurrent and it’s satisfyingly resolved (if not brought to a romance-novel HEA). Adored this book.

Most of these are on my TBR!

Death in The Spires is brilliant! Definitely a mystery and not a romance, although it has a strong romantic thread in it. It’s wonderful.

Death in the Spires is showing a 4.8 average on Amazon UK which is pleasing. I recommended it to a (brought up in Oxford) friend who normally wouldn’t read her romance work and she loved it. I am saving it for a train journey this coming week. It’s a low buzz but it feels like it’s building. I hope so.

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Batman's Arsenal: An Unauthorized Encyclopedic Chronicle Paperback – January 1, 2016

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Print length 456 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Opus Books
• Publication date January 1, 2016
• Dimensions 7.09 x 1.27 x 9.02 inches
• ISBN-10 162316074X
• ISBN-13 978-1623160746
• See all details

Editorial Reviews

From the back cover, about the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Opus Books (January 1, 2016)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 456 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 162316074X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1623160746
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.15 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.09 x 1.27 x 9.02 inches
• #292 in Movie Encyclopedias
• #731 in TV References
• #900 in Comic & Graphic Novel Literary Criticism

About the author

Matt macnabb.

Matt MacNabb is a pop culture historian, author and freelance writer that has spent the better part of the past 20 years studying movies, tv, comics, toys and their effects on our culture. A regarded authority on Batman and comic book history, Matt and his work has been featured in publications like Total Film, SFX Magazine, Variety, Brick Journal, on CNN Coast to Coast AM and BBC Radio, among other various books, magazines, radio shows and newspapers. He has contributed freelance writing to several websites, including Snopes, Comic Book Resources, Fun.com and Screen Rant. He has also contributed content and editorial services to books like Holy Franchise, Batman and The Dc Comics Action Figure Archive.

Matt is the author of six books, ranging from non-fiction history to pop culture, comic books and toy collecting.

He resides in Omaha, NE with his wife and four children, he can be found online at his website MattMacNabb.com

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Author | Podcaster | Cover Artist

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR

MATT JAMES is a full-time storyteller and the international bestselling author of over thirty-five titles, including THE CURSED THIEF, THE BLOOD KING, THE FORGOTTEN FORTUNE, and ORIGIN. He specializes in globetrotting archaeological thrillers that fans of James Rollins, Clive Cussler, and Ernest Dempsey will devour! Matt’s work is heavily influenced by the likes of Indiana Jones , The Mummy (1999) , Uncharted , Tomb Raider , and National Treasure .

He lives twenty minutes from the beach in sunny South Florida with his amazing wife, three beautiful children, a lovable pitty, and an overly dramatic black cat.

Go to MattJamesAuthor.com and subscribe to his newsletter for early and exclusive news and updates! You will NOT be mercilessly spammed with junk mail. And don't forget to click the FOLLOW button on his Amazon page to receive new release alerts!