BABS & AGGI: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE VEGAN.

 

BABS & AGGI: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE VEGAN by HAZEL HITCHINS.

Genre ... Women’s fiction / cosy fantasy

Publication Date ... 28th February 2025

Estimated Page Count ... 312

Standalone First Book in a series

Order Link ... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DQPXR72Z/

Aggie has reached that “certain age” – in her case, a thousand years or so, give or take a decade.

After centuries of bringing kings to their knees, running a small-town cafe isn’t how she imagined her life would pan out. Now, thanks to the machinations of the false vegan from across the road, she risks losing even that. And just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, along comes her old friend, Babs, in her House-on-chicken-legs, ready to ruffle some feathers with her unique blend of borscht, tough love and alcohol.

But everybody has a secret – the grocer who hides his loneliness behind a cheery smile, the neighbour crippled by debt and grief, and the young woman who jumps at her shadow – and before Aggie can help anyone else, she has demons of her own to lay to rest.

Can she confront her past to save her future? What is the ‘Vegan’ really hiding? Will Babs ever let her have the last word?

Raucous, rowdy, and heart-wrenching and heart-warming in equal measures, Babs and Aggie is a magical tale of love, loss and the comfort of a friendship forged through food, laughter and a LOT of slivovica.

Based {kind of} on Baba Yagga, the witch of Slavic folktales who resides in, you guessed, a house on chicken legs. Almost without exception I loved everything about this clever, witty story of century old witches living in the modern day.
Packed chock-a-block with whimsical, colourful characters {and yes, I include the house in this}, the story focusing on some of their stories whilst teasing us with other's ... in anticipation of another book? Please, please tell me there will be other books, I'd love to see further books, perhaps told from some of the other characters' points of view.
Amused that the villain of the story is a 'vegan', the comedic moments are simply sublime. And yet for all of that, the author does not shy away from serious issues, addressing forms of abuse in many of its guises; physical, mental and financial. 
All in all, a touching and engaging read that is at once fantastical and yet oddly real. So far its my favourite read of 2025.

Hazel Hitchins is a writer who spends her days having conversations with her imaginary friends, some of which she writes down. She lives in Wales with her normal family, normal(ish) cat, and entirely abnormal laundry pile.

https://www.threads.net/@hazelhitchinsauthorhttps://www.instagram.com/hazelhitchinsauthor/https://www.facebook.com/writerandcat 
With thanks to Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for organising a paper copy. One of several bloggers participating in the Publication Day Push of this book, agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own; no financial compensation was asked for nor given; threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.

READ FOR THE 52 BOOK CLUB'S 2025 READING CHALLENGE.

{Information here}Book 8/52. PROMPT 21: CHARACTER'S NAME IN THE TITLE.Other Prompts It Might Have Been Used For ... Prompt 24: Title is a spoilerPrompt 52: Published in 2025Prompt 51: 300 - 400 pages long

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LOVE AND POLLINATION.

LOVE & POLLINATION by MARI JANE LAW.

Genre ... Romantic Comedy

Publication Date ... 16th April 2020

Estimated Page Count ... 325

Standalone First book in the Love & Mishaps series

Convent girl seeks love. But there are one or two hiccups…

Perdita Riley is facing the greatest dilemma of her life. Why had she taken Violet Freestone's advice on how to make herself look more alluring? It led her into the arms of a womaniser. And now Perdita has to deal with a huge setback.

Actually, Setback Number One isn't huge yet, but it won't be long before it is.

To cheer herself up, Perdita goes shopping, where an extraordinary encounter deposits her, literally, into the lap of Saul Hadley. She would like to stay there, but Setback Number One is going to get in the way.

Will she find a way to deal with what has happened? Can she manage the complications of her growing attraction to Saul?

This hilarious situational romantic comedy will keep you gripped until the very end.

Love & Pollination is Book 1 of the Love & Mishaps Quirky Romantic Comedy Standalone Series

Love & Pollination: A charming and sweet love story set in the Bristol area, UK.

Heat level: mild - sometimes described as ‘fade to black’ - and comedic.

Language: mild.

Of course its all very much a matter of taste but 'hilarious'? Hmm! Maybe not but this slightly bonkers novel certainly put a big smile on my face and even had me chuckling at times ... but then how could it fail to do so when we have characters issuing dating advice which equates the importance of finding the right attire to 'attract a man' as being akin to flowers being bright and colourful in order for attract the bees that pollinate them?

A nice, heart-warming read with a plot and characters that I readily related to. Yes, there are those 'Perditas' out there who, the whole 'birds and bees' lesson having passed them by, are that naive as many who were educated by Catholic nuns in the 70's and 80's will testify. 

With its fair share of twists and turns, I loved going on this journey with Perdita who, though I wasn't sure I'd enjoy as a character in the beginning, grew on me like, well, like the flowers on a plant {sorry I couldn't resist}. 

Mari Jane Law lives in the UK and loves cats and chocolate – and books, TV series and films that make her laugh. Through her writing, she discovered she could make other people laugh too. 

​

Her Catholic upbringing gave her ideas for some great fictional characters in the Love & Mishaps Quirky Romantic Comedy Standalone Series. Although there is a new story in each book, the world in which the characters live remains the same and there are major sub-plots involving characters from previous books. So it is better – although not essential – to read them in order to maximise enjoyment.

​

She hopes those who buy or borrow her work have as much fun reading it as she had in writing it.

She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme and The Society of Authors.

Twitter/X Handle: https://x.com/MariJaneLaw1

Instagram Handle: https://www.instagram.com/marijanelaw/

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@marijanelaw

Facebook Handle: https://www.facebook.com/marijane.law/

Author’s Website: https://marijanelaw.com/

With thanks to Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for organising a paper copy. One of several bloggers participating in the Publication Day Push of this book, agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own; no financial compensation was asked for nor given; threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.

READ FOR THE 52 BOOK CLUB'S 2025 READING CHALLENGE.

{Information here}Book 7/52. PROMPT 51: 300 - 400 pages long.Other Prompts It Might Have Been Used For ...Prompt 41: Cover font is in a primary colourPrompt 51: 300 - 400 pages longPrompt 52: Published in 2025

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SOMEWHERE IN HOLLYWOOD.

 

SOMEWHERE  IN HOLLYWOOD by LISA CZARINA MICHAUD.

 

Genre ... Coming of Age Fiction

Publication Date ... 10th February 2025

Estimated Page Count ... 380

Standalone Second book in a series

Welcome to the bouncy castle of Los Angeles in 2004. At the dawn of social media, Carla and Pete embark on a quest for meaning in a city where dreams often fade into the smog. They came for indie rock stardom, only to find themselves sidelined by life's realities and their own emotional limitations. Carla experiences the true meaning of monotony as a TV extra, while Pete, wrestling with societal views on bisexuality, answers phones. Despite their mutual affection, Carla feels rejected, while Pete, secretly grappling with his identity, shies away from intimacy.

Their world, filled with vinyl records, a spirited cat named Joni, and an eccentric Hollywood landlady, offers fleeting moments of deep connection. But the arrival of a charismatic stranger disrupts their fragile status quo, forcing them to confront faded ambitions and the true nature of their relationship.

With the pop culture eye of Bret Easton Ellis and lyrical longing of Patti Smith's Just Kids, Somewhere in Hollywood explores the tight-rope walk of personal growth and relationship dynamics, capturing the soul of a generation in search of itself and the relentless pursuit of something more.
Though not adverse to reading books that are part of a series out of sync, there are those books that I feel best read in order and, though billed as a "Standalone Second book in a series", I found myself at times questioning if I'd have gotten more out of Somewhere in Hollywood if I'd have read book one, Slanted and Disenchanted}, 'the story of Carla and Pete before they went to Hollywood', first.
That said, I thought the writing witty, sharp, full of vivid descriptions ... and, oh my goodness, all those pop references.
I enjoyed the world building, the latter part of the book, pure, unadulterated LA {or at least as I thought it}.
Most of all though, there were the characters.
From Carla to, my favourite, Pete, whose struggles with societal views of bisexuality and his fear of intimacy added an endearing, touching vulnerability to his character, to the charismatic outsider who forces both of them to take a look at what it is they really want, I loved following the characters as they hollowed out lives for themselves.

Lisa C. Michaud is the author of "Slanted and Disenchanted." Her writing has been featured in xojane, Narratively, and several indie zines. She resides with her family and cat just outside Paris, where she collects vinyl while penning her next narrative.

Instagram @lisamichaudrocks

X @lisacmichaud

With thanks to Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for organising a paper copy.
One of several bloggers participating in the Publication Day Push of this book, agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own; no financial compensation was asked for nor given; threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.

READ FOR THE 52 BOOK CLUB'S 2025 READING CHALLENGE.

{Information here}BOOK 6/52. PROMPT 52: Published in 2025.Other Prompts It Might Have Been Used For ...22: Found family trope35: Written in the third person51: 300 - 400 pages long.

Share the love by following their blog.
Take a few minutes to check out their newest post and leaving a comment, you’ll instantly put a smile on their face.
Share on FaceBook, X, Pinterest, and other social media sites, it shows that you care about their work and want others to enjoy it too!
The next time you see their post pop up on your feed, hit the like button, leave a comment, or even share it with your followers. It’ll defiantly make their day.