The Warrior's Reluctant Wife by Lissa Morgan - #BookReview

 

'Has the bwgan stolen your tongue?'

The words cut through the cold air like a knife and the chatter going on among those assembled ceased abruptly. Rhianon turned her head and looked at the man at her side who had spoken them.

Peredur ab Eilyr's grey eyes met hers, glistening like the frost on the trees around Llanbadarn Church. Even the January weather was casting an ill omen on this marriage, it seemed, with its leaden sky and the ground white with rime even now at well past noontime...

***

An arranged marriage

An unexpected love…?

Recently widowed, Rhianon hopes never to find herself bound to a man again, after being raised by a violent father and married to an unpredictable husband. But to seal a strategic alliance she’s forced to marry Peredur ab Eilyr―a warrior lord with a formidable reputation! Rhianon might be a reluctant wife…but ruling with her new husband is revealing a passionate side to Peredur that Rhianon is anything but reluctant to explore…

***

This is the first in the planned Warrior's of Wales series. Indeed, the book is steeped in the essense of Wales throughout which made place in this book every bit as important as character. 

Indeed, the coastal setting was extremely evocative.  I almost felt the sea winds as the author described the setting.

The main characters, Rhianon and Peredur marry at an early point in the book. It is an arranged marriage, aimed at uniting two families of Welsh nobility. This is always a strange concept to read about in the twenty first century as it is alien to our culture in the west. However, this book is set during the middle of the twelfth century and the author has done a good job in creating both the atmosphere and attitudes of the period.

Both Rhianon and Peredur bring their own challenges and vulnerabilities to their marriage. Both have suffered past trauma and as the narrative switches perspective between the two of them we get a real understanding of their characters.

It is a leisurely paced novel which felt appropriate for the story and characters. However, it made for a quick and easily accessible read which I flew through.

I found some of the Welsh names quite difficult to get my head around. However, they did create authenticity and therefore, were necessary. Neither did this issue affect my reading although I am sure my pronounciations were far from perfect!

It was nice to read a story set in this period and setting. Historical fiction and romantic fiction readers will enjoy this book.

ISBN: 978 0263305340

Publisher:  Mills & Boon

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  336 (paperback)

About the Author:

Lissa Morgan hails from Wales but has travelled far and wide over the years, usually in pursuit of the next new job.  A history graduate and former archivist, she now works in academia and freelance website design, which she fits in around her writing time. She lives between the mountains and the sea in rugged north-west Wales surrounded by medieval castles that provide the perfect inspiration for her books. 

(book courtesy of the author)

(all opinions are my own)

#GuestPost with Heidi Eljarbo - #author of The London Forgery - #blogtour

I am delighted to have Heidi Eljarbo guest posting on the blog today. Heidi's book, The London Forgery, looks fantastic and I cannot wait to read it. Just before I hand over to Heidi I will post the blurb of the book to give you a flavour of what it is all about.

1973. Art historian Fabiola Bennett sees herself as a prudently observant deer who becomes a daring and even mischievous lioness if the situation calls for it. And that’s exactly what’s required when greedy criminals steal, forge, and tamper with treasured artwork. When the crooks add murder to their list of crimes, the chaos is complete.

A mysterious note is delivered anonymously at the door of the National Gallery in London, and the director immediately calls Fabiola’s office in Oslo and pleads with her to come without delay. The message is confusing, but it seems one of her favorite eighteenth-century portraits is in trouble.

Fabiola hops on the first plane and meets up with her vibrant side-kick Pippa Yates and the ever-loyal Detective Inspector Cary Green from New Scotland Yard. But she is not naïve enough to think untangling the purpose and meaning of the mysterious note will be as simple as a walk in Hyde Park. These things never are.

1750. Newly married Robert and Frances Andrews, members of the landed gentry of Suffolk, England, hire young and talented Thomas Gainsborough to paint their wedding portrait. Their desire is a lovely conversation piece showing their wealth and class, an artwork to remember them by for generations to come.

Little do they know the gifted artist portrays their personalities exactly how he perceives them, and the artistic symbolism is not as flattering as they’d hoped for. Even the looming clouds in the distance promise a troublesome future.

This is the first book in a new dual timeline series by Heidi Eljarbo — an intriguing spin-off from the much-loved Soli Hansen Mysteries

.

Fans of Lucinda Riley, Rhys Bowen, Kathleen McGurl, Kate Morton, and Katherine Neville will love this cozy historical art mystery, which takes the readers back to the nostalgia of the groovy seventies and the classical Georgian era of the eighteenth century.

 As long as I can remember, art and art history have been my passions. I grew up with a father who brought a drawing pad to every outing and painted oil paintings to sell, give away as gifts, and to hang on the wall of our home. Our living room looked like an art museum, packed with paintings of mountains, fiords, and forest interiors. In fact, when he and my mother prepared for their wedding in Oslo in 1944, my father painted during the night to trade his art for meat for the wedding dinner.

I loved art, as well, and chose to study Art & Design at Brigham Young University. I adored my art history lectures. It’s hard to explain how my heart still leaps when I learn about master painters of old, visit ancient churches and castles, or stand in front of original artwork by my favorite artists throughout the centuries.

My passion for the written word has taken me on a path where I get to combine my love for art, history, and historical fiction. I get to make up stories about brave women who give their all to fight for truth and fairness. I get to dress them up in the fun clothes of their time (yes, I studied clothing history, too), and I can put them in situations where they struggle to meet their goal and solve the mystery. They stumble, get back on their feet again, and sometimes they fall in love…all in a backdrop of the times they lived in.

To write such historical fiction, I do oodles of research. Did they eat potatoes in 1661? Did they have curtains? What kind of hats and cravats did the men wear? When did chocolate digestives come on the market? What did British police cars look like in 1973? You get the point. But this research makes writing historical fiction fun. There’s so much to learn, and all these details add to the story and make it believable.

Think about this as an example: you enter the world of Charles Dickens and ride in a horse-drawn covered wagon through the streets of London. What do you hear? What do you see out the window? What do you smell? What do you feel when the roads are uneven and sitting still is impossible? What do you taste when you open the napkin on your lap and take a bite of your travel food? Are your feet cold? Every detail needs thorough research.

When writing The London Forgery, I had two different time periods to consider. The main story is situated in London, and the year is 1973. I was a young teenager in 1973 and still remember much from that time. Still, there were aspects I had to research, and I had a blast doing so. The second story goes back to Thomas Gainsborough when he painted his masterpiece Mr. and Mrs. Andrews in 1750. Now, those chapters needed much more research, and I loved every minute of it.

I hope you’ll enjoy going back in time—first to London in 1973, and then to Suffolk in 1750—and spend time with the characters in their own setting. I certainly did.

Happy Reading!

Thank you Heidi. It has been a pleasure to have you on the blog.

The Husband Criteria by Catherine Kullman - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

It is the undisputed ambition of every mother to see her daughters and, to a lesser extent (for a daughter-in-law may one day supplant her) her sons, suitably married. The eligibility of potential matches is determined by an arcane logarithm setting his station, wealth, and personability against her beauty, fortune, and station. Although there is no Euclidean exposition to assist in the application of this tool, matrons of all classes are expert in evaluating a man's worth, and the likelihood of their daughter successfully attracting his attention.

***

London 1817

The primary aim of every young lady embarking on the Spring frenzy that is the Season must be to make a good match. Or must it? And what is a good match? For cousins Cynthia, Chloe and Ann, well aware that the society preux chevalier may prove to be a domestic tyrant, these are vital questions. How can they discover their suitors’ true character when all their encounters must be confined to the highly ritualised round of balls, parties and drives in the park?

As they define and refine their Husband Criteria, Cynthia finds herself unwillingly attracted to aloof Rafe Marfield, heir to an earldom, while Chloe is pleased to find that Thomas Musgrave, the vicar’s son from home, is also in London. And Ann must decide what is more important to her, music or marriage.

And what of the gentlemen who consider the marriage mart to be their hunting grounds? How will they react if they realise how rigorously they are being assessed?

A light-hearted, entertaining look behind the scenes of a Season that takes a different course with unexpected consequences for all concerned.

***

This historical romance very much had an Austensque/Georgette Heyer feel to it. Indeed, the opening lines (above) reminded me of the opening paragraph of Jane Austen's, Pride and Prejudice. Through this the author is nicely indicating the type of story the reader is about to embark on.  

The story portrays three friends who are also cousins, who are termed, the three graces, during a London Season in 1817. This forms part of a marriage market where the girls embark on finding a suitable match. However, Ann, Cynthia and Chloe are slightly different to the average young woman they will encounter at balls and parties, because when younger they had compiled a list of characteristics that they wished their future husband to have, hence the titular husband criteria. Not only was this entertaining but this aspect made me smile as I remember my best friend and I do something similar when we about twelve or thirteen. I so wish I had kept that list as I would love to look at it through more mature eyes. All I remember is that I wanted him to be blonde with blue eyes and my husband does indeed have those attributes (well, his hair is more grey than blonde now!)

At the beginning of the book, there is a useful list of the characters as there are many. Personally, I would have preferred to read this in a physical form rather than an e-book. A physical copy provides easier opportunities to flick back to the list and would have enhanced my enjoyment of the book. It does soon become apparent who the main characters in the story are but I found many of the secondary characters more difficult to pin down.

This is the third book in The Lorings series. However, it works perfectly well as a standalone book and did not affect my enjoyment of this novel.

Readers who enjoy classic historical fiction will enjoy this book. Happy reading!

ISBN:  978 1913545901

Publisher:  Books Go Social

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  297 (paperback)

About the Author:

Catherine Kullmann was born and educated in Dublin. Following a three-year courtship conducted mostly by letter, she moved to Germany where she lived for twenty-five years before returning to Ireland. She has worked in the Irish and New Zealand public services and in the private sector. Widowed, she has three adult sons and two grandchildren.

Catherine has always been interested in the extended Regency period, a time when the foundations of our modern world were laid. She loves writing and is particularly interested in what happens after the first happy end—how life goes on for the protagonists and sometimes catches up with them. Her books are set against a background of the offstage, Napoleonic wars and consider in particular the situation of women trapped in a patriarchal society.

She is the author of The Murmur of Masks, Perception & Illusion, A Suggestion of Scandal, The Duke’s Regret, The Potential for Love, A Comfortable Alliance and Lady Loring’s Dilemma. 

Catherine also blogs about historical facts and trivia related to this era. You can find out more about her books and read her blog (My Scrap Album) at her website. You can contact her via her Facebook page or on Twitter.

(e-book and all media info courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

Ebony the Cat: A Quest for Survival by Frances Ive - #BookPromo #blogtour #CoverLove

 

Isn't this a brilliant front cover on this book? 

I am delighted to be bringing you a promo post on today's blog tour. So, without further ado let me tell you a bit more about the book.

The Blurb

Enigmatic, quirky, moody, demanding, loving, amusing, domineering and determined all apply to Ebony. Follow her life story from a stray kitten to a mature feline, in her own words.

Ebony was just eight months old when she was left to fend for herself on the streets, abandoned and alone. The black cat had to learn how to hunt, find shelter, procure food and protect herself from predators. The experience shaped her personality forever. She became a wily, capable little cat before she was reported to a rescue charity and taken to live in a large wooden hut. She was safe and well fed, but she longed for the freedom to be roaming around in nature, practising the skills she had learnt.

Would she find a home and owners who loved her, not abandon her once again?  Could she settle down and be a good domestic cat? This was the quandary for the people who took her and within months she presented them with a bundle of surprises.  A novella.

As well as bringing you the story of Ebony, the text is littered with interesting facts and figures about cats in general. If you are a cat lover, this may well be the book for you.

10 Ten Exciting New Releases in October 2023

 

October is set to be an exciting month on the blog as it will be my ten year blogversary on the 10th! Where has that decade gone? 

There will be some special things happening so keep your eyes peeled!

In the meantime, here are ten books being published in October that look exciting. Do any of these catch your eye?

Underground by E.S. Thomson

A plague is coming to London. Dreaded more than the Devil himself, cholera - the 'blue death' - spares no one. As fear grows across the city, Jem Flockhart and Will Quartermain are called to the bedside of a dead man, murdered, and with his throat torn out, in the back room of a brothel. When an innocent man is taken to Newgate, Jem and Will have until execution day to save him. The search for the identity of the corpse, and the killer, takes them to the gates of Blackwater Hall, home to the secretive, and corrupt Mortmain family. With the approach of autumn, no one is safe, for the fog brings with it an evil and poisonous sickness - the perfect shroud for murder.

When family secrets are prised out into the open, people begin dying. But who, or what, is the cause? Searching for answers, Jem and Will are driven underground, to the passages and tunnels beneath the city's teeming streets. Here, their adversary proves to be more elusive, and more deadly, than ever.

The Puppet Maker by Jenny O'Brien

The scrap of paper looked as if it had been torn from a diary. The words written in faint pencil. The letters rounded, almost childlike. Please look after her. Her life and mine depend on you not trying to find me.

When Detective Alana Mack arrives at Clonabee police station, in a small Irish seaside town on the outskirts of Dublin, she doesn't expect to find a distressed two-year-old girl sobbing on the floor. Abandoned in a local supermarket, the child tells them her name is Casey. All Alana and her team have to go on is a crumpled note begging for someone to look after the little girl. This mother doesn't want to be found.

Still recovering from a terrible accident that has left Alana navigating a new life as a wheelchair user, Alana finds herself suddenly responsible for Casey while trying to track down the missing mother and solve another missing person's case… a retired newsagent who has seemingly vanished from his home.

Forced to ask her ex-husband and child psychiatrist Colm for help, through Forensic Art Therapy, Alana discovers that whatever darkness lies behind the black windows in Casey's crayon drawing, the little girl was terrified of the house she lived in.

Then a bag of human remains is found in a bin, and a chilling link is made – the DNA matches Casey's.

Alana and her team must find the body and make the connection with the missing newsagent fast if she is to prevent another life from being taken. But with someone in her department leaking confidential details of the investigation to the media, can Alana set aside her emotional involvement in this case and find Casey’s mother and the killer before it's too late?

The Mother of All Problems by Nancy Peach

When did having it all become doing it all?

Penny Baker is coping. Just about.

Three kids, one dog, one lovely but sometimes oblivious husband. Tick, tick tick.

She is even managing to hold her own among the competitive school mums - if you don’t look too closely. But when she finds herself also caring for her elderly mother, diagnosed with dementia, the household is thrown into disarray and Penny finds herself stretched to breaking point trying to meet everyone’s needs.

Can she make the new family situation work? And is there any chance of finding some space in it all for herself?

Sisters in Arms by Shida Bazyar

An explosive feminist and anti-racist novel about the importance of friendship.

We don’t exist in this world. Here, we are neither Germans nor refugees, we don’t report the news and we aren’t the experts. We’re some sort of wildcard.

Hani, Kasih, and Saya have shared a deep friendship ever since they were kids. After years apart, the three young women meet again for a few days, to pick up where they left off. But regardless of what they have achieved, it becomes clear, again and again, that they can’t escape the racism that accompanies their daily lives: the glances, the chatter, the hatred, and the outright rightwing terror. But their friendship gives them stability. Until one dramatic night shakes everything up.

Sisters in Arms is a provocative, uncompromising, and moving novel about the extraordinary alliance between three young women and the only thing that makes a self-determined life possible in a society that doesn’t tolerate otherness: unconditional friendship.

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub

Miss Lydia Bennet may be the youngest, but what she lacks in maturity and responsibility, she more than makes up for in energy, fun - and magic.

In this exuberant reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story from her own perspective. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves; Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.

But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat, and Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would you expect from a demon? And if you think Mr. Darcy was uptight about dancing etiquette, wait till you see how he reacts to witchcraft. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that when you're a witch, promises have power . . .

Full of enchantment, intrigue, danger, and boundless magic, The Scandalous Confessions of Miss Lydia Bennet, Witch, has all the irreverent wit, strength, and romance of Pride and Prejudice - while offering a highly unexpected redemption for the wildest Bennet sister.

How the Talmud Can Change Your Life by Liel Leibovitz

A witty and wide-ranging exploration of a book that has perplexed and delighted people for centuries: the Talmud.

For numerous centuries, the Talmud—an extraordinary work of Jewish ethics, law, and tradition—has compelled readers to grapple with how to live a good life. Full of folk legends, bawdy tales, and rabbinical repartee, it is inspiring, demanding, confounding, and thousands of pages long. As Liel Leibovitz enthusiastically explores the Talmud, what has sometimes been misunderstood as a dusty and arcane volume becomes humanity’s first self-help book. How the Talmud Can Change Your Life contains sage advice on an unparalleled scope of topics, which includes communicating with your partner, dealing with grief, and being a friend.

Leibovitz guides readers through the sprawling text with all its humor, rich insights, compulsively readable stories, and multilayered conversations. Contemporary discussions framed by Talmudic philosophy and psychology draw on subjects ranging from Weight Watchers and the Dewey decimal system to the lives of Billie Holiday and C. S. Lewis. Chapters focus on fundamental human experiences—the mind-body problem, the power of community, the challenges of love—to illuminate how the Talmud speaks to our daily existence. As Leibovitz explores some of life’s greatest questions, he also delivers a concise history of the Talmud itself, explaining the process of its lengthy compilation and organization.

With infectious passion and candor, Leibovitz brilliantly displays how the Talmud’s wisdom reverberates for the modern age and how it can, indeed, change your life.

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm - and the mysterious curse that has haunted them for generations.

The madness that led to Susanna Farrow's disappearance left her daughter, June, to be raised by her grandmother. Everyone in Jasper is certain it's only a matter of time before she finds the same end, but June has kept secret that her unravelling has already begun.

After her grandmother's death, June follows a series of clues that link her mother's disappearance to the town's dark history, leading finally to a mysterious door.

Behind it may lay the answer to the mysteries that have always lingered like a dark shadow. Upon crossing the threshold, June embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but entangle her fate and her heart in a star-crossed love.

Honest (The Uncut Memoirs of Boris Johnson) by Lucien Young

Offering a comprehensive account of his meteoric rise (and even more meteoric fall) we follow Boris from Eton and the Bullingdon club, via stints in journalism and as London mayor, before finally making it into Number 10 via slick and sophisticated campaign tactics such as lying and hiding in a fridge.

It will outline in bonce-combusting detail the up and downs - but mostly ups! - of his tenure in Downing Street, from Getting Brexit Done and battling the Wizards of Woke, to nearly dying because he shook too many hands. This is BoJo as you've never seen him before.

Scarlet Town by Leonora Nattrass

A rigged election. A town at war. A murderer at large... Disgraced former Foreign Office clerk Laurence Jago and his larger-than-life employer the journalist William Philpott have escaped America - and Philpott's near imprisonment for libel - by the skin of their teeth. They return to Laurence's home town of Helston, Cornwall, in the hope of rest and recuperation, but instead find themselves in the middle of a tumultuous election that has the inhabitants of the town at one another's throats. Only two men may vote in this rotten borough, and when one of them dies in suspicious circumstances, Laurence is ordered to investigate on behalf of the town's patron, his old master the Duke of Leeds. But it is no easy matter, thanks to the machinations of the rival political factions, not to mention the riotous performances of Toby the Sapient Hog. Then the second elector is poisoned and suspicion turns on the town doctor, the gentle Pythagoras Jago, Laurence's own cousin. Suddenly Laurence finds himself ensnared in generations of bad blood and petty rivalries, with his cousin's fate in his hands... 

The Great Survivor of the Tudor Age: The Life and Times of Lord William Paget by Alex Anglesey

Like Cromwell and Wolsey before him, William Paget came from nowhere to become one of Henry VIII's most powerful 'new men'. After serving as ambassador to the Court of Francis I of France, he became Henry's most influential foreign policy advisor and developed a close relationship with Emperor Charles V. He had the king's ear in Henry's later years, was the key player in drafting his will ( was it a forgery?) and in enabling Somerset to become Lord Protector in the reign of the boy king, Edward VI. For a while, he was Somerset's 'right-hand man'.

When Somerset fell, Paget was imprisoned in the Tower and nearly executed. But he survived and regained power. He had a major role in delivering the Crown to the Catholic queen, Mary, and in arranging her marriage to Philip II of Spain, whom he then advised on English politics. He kept in with the Protestant princess Elizabeth and survived to have influence when she came to the throne.

William was the founder of the aristocratic Paget family - Barons of Beaudesert, Earls of Uxbridge and Marquesses of Anglesey.

From records of the mansion that he built on a site next to today's Heathrow Airport, a picture has been created of how life was actually lived in a Tudor household at the personal family level.

The story is partly told from previously unexamined family letters. It is an exciting narrative of dramatic ups and downs: from rags to riches, plague to plenty, and prison to peerage. Court intrigues, conspiracies, rebellions and coups, follow one after the other. William is usually in the thick of it, the power behind the throne.

The Whistlers in the Dark by Victoria Williamson - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

They said his death were all my fault.

But it weren't. It were all that Roman boy's fault. He's the one who started it. If it weren't for him, my wee brother would still be running alongside me up the braes like he used to, and I would've been affirmed a woman of the village with the rest of my age-mates long afore now. Instead of that I'm stuck a wee lassie till I can prove I'm no just a trouble-maker with a firebrand temper and a gift for making mischief...

***

Scotland, 158 AD, is a divided country.

On one side of the Antonine Wall, thirteen-year-old Felix is trying to become a good Roman soldier like his father. On the other, twelve-year old Jinny is vowing revenge on the ‘metal men’ who have invaded her Damnonii tribe’s homeland. At the Damnonii’s sacred circle of standing stones, her planned attack on Felix goes badly wrong, awakening a legend that threatens to bring fire and destruction down on them all.

Can Jinny and Felix overcome their differences and soothe the stones back to sleep before it’s too late?

***

I am thrilled to be part of the blog tour for another of Victoria Williamson's books as I have loved all of the ones I have read and this is no exception. If you would like to read my review of her book, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, please click here. Also, my review of the fabulous, Norah's Ark, can be found here.

Set in Scotland during the Roman invasion, it is a gorgeous blend of myth, legend and historical fiction. It is aimed at middle grade children but I think older children and young adults (and not so young ones like me) will enjoy this book.

It is told from the alternating viewpoints of Jinny, a girl of the Damnonii tribe and Felix, a Roman boy whose people have invaded and are camped on the land belonging to the native Damnonii. Felix has a Roman father and a Damnonii mother and through this the book considers what constitutes family and belonging. The book also deals with themes of family and friendship and the impact that conflict can have on society. 

As with her other books, Ms. Williamson has brought her characters and the place and period in which the book is set alive on the page. The voices of both Jinny and Felix are very distinct, and she builds an entire culture around them. She has clearly researched her time period thoroughly and has thus succeeded in building a world and characters which are utterly believable.

This book could well be the spark which ignites an interest in history for those children who are unenthusiastic about the subject. Having said that, I think budding historians would enjoy this. My granddaughter loves history, and I will be buying her a copy of this book as I know she will love it.

Publishing on the 23rd of September, this book is well worth pre-ordering.

ISBN: 978 1910895801

Publisher:  Scotland Street Press

Formats:  paperback

No. of Pages:  200

About the Author:

Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.

Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.

Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com

(ARC and all media materials courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)

The Yorkshire Farm Girl by Diane Allen - #BookReview

 

Sally stood next to her mother, cold and ready for home, but she knew better than to say so as they both walked down the steep hillside of the graveyard to her grandparents' graves. Her long brown hair was damp and her winter coat barely kept her warm, and she shivered as they reached the graves.

Ivy Fothergill, still a good-looking woman for her age, looked down at the graves of her long-dead parents. Even though it had been more thant ten years since her father had died, she still missed them both...

***

Life is hard for the Fothergill family as they try to make a living on their farm in the Yorkshire Dales. Bob Fothergill has set his sights on buying his own farm instead of renting the one they currently hold. Sally his teenage daughter, wishes her father would see that she could help more with the farm, but he believes that a girl's place is in the home. Ben, their youngest, has no interest in farming so is ignored. Sally's mother makes do knowing her husband wants what's best for them.

But when Bob decides to take a well-paid job collecting it causes friction in the family, bringing tension to everyone. With Germany is shaking its angry fist at other nations and the threat of another war undermines everything. Times are hard and the future is uncertain, but perhaps the coming years could bring better times. But will the Fothergills survive the oncoming storm?

***

If you are wondering what that noise was, it was the sound of my very contented sigh. I adored this book from start to finish. The book came recommended by The People's Friend, and anyone who enjoys their lovely magazine will already know what to expect from this book.

The book is set during 1938/39 in the period just before the declaration of the Second World War. Rumours that the country will soon go to war are rife, and everyone is on edge. This created the perfect backdrop to place the main character, Sally, and her family, friends and neighbours.

The book begins during the winter of 1938 and with the preparations for Christmas. This was delightful to read as it described a world which is so much simpler than the present day. Life in rural Yorkshire was hard, money was scarce and pleasures were modest, and I really enjoyed reading about this family and their way of life.

It is a leisurely paced novel to read and made for easy reading. I liked the way the plot meandered along even though there was plenty going on in the plot. It felt very unhurried and made for a lovely read.

It is a very character driven novel and I really enjoyed spending time with Sally and her family. The author is very skilled at bringing her characters alive on the page. I almost felt like I had spent time with them, supping a cup of tea at the farmhouse table with Sally and Ivy.

The book depicts an old-fashioned way of life which felt full of realism. My parents were young during this period and many of their stories that I heard growing up were echoed in the attitudes of the adults in the novel.

The book left me wanting more, and I do hope that the author will write a sequel to this book.

Anyone who enjoys historical fiction will enjoy this book.  I will definitely read more books by this author. In fact, I already have The Girl From the Tanner's Yard on order.

ISBN:  978 1529093117

Publisher:  Pan

Formats:  e-book, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  320 (paperback)

About the Author:

Diane was born in Leeds on Halloween. However Leeds was not my home city, I was to return to my family farm set high in the Yorkshire Dales and have an idyllic childhood. 

As a child she lived for the travelling library coming up her farm track once a fortnight and she loved to rifle through the shelves looking for a book she hadn’t read.

In her teenage years her choice of reading matter changed from lovely sweet stories to the darker side of life and she enjoyed Ira Levin’s, Rosemary’s Baby and Dennis Wheately’s To the Devil a Daughter. Her reading choices soon changed and she  read the classic’s, The Bronte sisters, being her all time favourite author’s. How could any one not fall in love with dark brooding Heathcliffe? The setting on the wild swept moor lands above Haworth not unlike the wild fell land that I was brought up with.

Now she is manager of a large print book firm in Yorkshire and have access to a host of reading matter.

(book courtesy of the publisher)

( all author info courtesy of the author's website http://www.diane-allen.co.uk/)

(all opinions are my own)

If I Were Invisible by Lily Lawson - Illustrated by Gustyawan - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

If I were invisible, I wonder what I'd do?

I would stand on rooftops! No-one would have a clue.

***

Think of all the things we could get away with if nobody could see us! But how long would the fun last, if we had to do it all alone?

***

This is a charming picture book aimed at a young audience. I could well imagine this becoming a favourite with pre-school/early infant age children.

The book is written in rhyme within speech bubbles as the little boy who features in the story questions how his life would be if he was invisible. The illustrations support this perfectly and they have a simplistic design to them that young children will love.

It is an interesting concept and could lead to good and simple discussions with children regarding how it would feel to not belong to a family or have friends.

It is a delightful little story and I cannot wait to share it with my grandson.

ISBN:  978 1916278042

Publisher:  The Wright House

Formats:  e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  59 (paperback)

About the Author:

Lily is a poet and fiction writer living in the UK.  She has poetry, short stories and creative non-fiction published in anthologies and online in addition to her books. 

She has written three illustrated rhyming picture books. Santa's Early Christmas has greedy Santa eating all the food. The Palm Tree Swingers Island Band is an unusual combination of animals making music. If I Were Invisible ... is about a boy wondering what fun he could have if no-one could see him.  

 She is currently studying online for an Open Degree with the Open University and loves reading, watching American TV, eating chocolate, listening to music, and hanging out on social media.

(book courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

(author info courtesy of her own website Lily's Writing Life)

All Good Things by Amanda Prowse - #BookReview

 

Daisy Harrop stepped over the 'Welcome' mat in the hallway, with an ironic twist to her mouth. The mat, thick with dust, covered in clumps of mud and bald in places, was not really that welcoming. She picked up the hand-delivered letter addressed to her parents from the floor, admiring the official-looking council crest before placing it on top of the old cool box in the corner - that being the spot whre mail was left for collection and recycling items nested until they were grabbed and plopped in the appropriate bins.

Popping her soft mustard-coloured beret on her head at a jaunty angle and tying her cotton scarf in a natty knot, she opened the front door. The sky was blue, even as the day crawled towards night...

***

In this captivating story from the bestselling author of Picking up the Pieces, Daisy has always envied the perfect family next door. But will a weekend of unexpected drama prove that the grass isn’t always greener?

Daisy Harrop has always felt like she exists in the background, and since her mother stopped getting out of bed, her life has come to a complete standstill. Daisy would give anything to leave the shabbiest house on the street and be more like the golden Kelleways next door, with their perfectly raked driveway and flourishing rose garden…

Winnie Kelleway is proud of the beautiful family she’s built. They’ve had their ups and downs―hasn’t everyone? But this weekend, celebrating her golden wedding anniversary is truly proof of their happiness, a joyful gathering for all the neighbours to see.

But as the festivities get underway, are the cracks in the ‘perfect’ Kelleway life beginning to show? As one bombshell revelation leads to another and events start to spiral out of control, Daisy and Winnie are about to discover that things aren’t always what they seem.

***

I was meant to be on the blog tour with this book a few weeks ago when I had an unexpected stay in hospital. Needless to say, I was unable to take part at the time. There are two very good reasons why I am posting this review now. First, the old adage about being better late than never, and secondly, it is a book well worth reading and I wanted to share my thoughts with you.

I am already a fan of the author's work. I think her books are great and this one was no exception. There are some links at the end of the review if you would like to see my reviews of a couple of her other books.

This book is about two families, the Harrops and the Kelleways, and each chapter is told by members of each family. I loved this aspect of the book as it meant that we had multiple perspectives on the interactions between them.

The story highlights the different economic status between the two families and the implications that has for various members of the families. As always, Ms. Prowse injects realism into her stories. Her characters each have challenges to face in life and she treats issues such as money, mental health, familial expectations and LGBTQ with sensitivity and a sense of authenticity.

I was gripped by this book and I would have loved to have had the opportunity to gobble this in one sitting. It made for a quick and easy read and I was completely engaged with each of the characters  I thoroughly enjoyed being able to read their differing viewpoints on the situations that arose for them. In some books this constant changing from one character to another can be difficult to read but in the hands of an author as talented as Ms. Prowse, the chapters moved seamlessly from one to another. 

It is such a relevant book and I think many readers will identify with both the characters and some of the issues they face. It is full of the highs and lows that families face and is written in a very accessible style.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books set around contemporary family life.

If you would like to read my reviews from other books written by Amanda Prowse, please click on the title links below and it will take you straight there.

Women Like Us

The Day She Came Back

ISBN: 978 1542024822

Publisher:  Lake Union

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  319 (paperback)

Purchase Link*

About the Author:

Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author whose twenty-eight novels, two non-fiction titles and seven novellas have been published in dozens of languages around the world. Published by Lake Union, Amanda is the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also consistently score the highest online review approval ratings across several genres. Her books, including the chart-topping No.1 titles 'What Have I Done?', 'Perfect Daughter', 'My Husband's Wife', 'The Girl in the Corner' and ‘The Things I Know’ have sold millions of copies across the globe.

A popular TV and radio personality, Amanda has appeared on numerous shows where her views on family and social issues strike a chord with viewers. She also makes countless guest appearances on BBC national and independent Radio stations including LBC, Times Radio and Talk FM, where she is well known for her insightful observations and her infectious humour. Described by the Daily Mail as ‘The queen of family drama’ Amanda’s novel, 'A Mother's Story' won the coveted Sainsbury's eBook of the year Award and she has had two books selected as World Book Night titles; 'Perfect Daughter' in 2016 and 'The Boy Between' in 2022.

Amanda is a huge supporter of libraries and having become a proud ambassador for The Reading Agency, works tirelessly to promote reading, especially in disadvantaged areas. Amanda's ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can't possibly read another book until the memory fades...

Purchase Link*

(all media info courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

Murder on the Farm by Kate Wells - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

As Jude Gray tore down the driveway of Malvern Farm, she glanced at the clock on the dashboard...

Ben's wedding was due to begin in twelve minutes and the church was a fifteen-minute drive away. She put her foot down a little harder on the accelerator and prayed that there would be no tractors around when she pulled out onto the country lane leading out of Malvern End. Jude hated being late for anything. She'd always taken pride in her punctuality and yet she knew that it would take a small miracle for her to arrive at the wedding on time...

***

Lambing season always brings the unexpected… But no one expected murder

Jude Gray never thought she’d find herself widowed and running a working farm full-time, but here she is, living in the small Malvern village her husband Adam spent most of his life in.

After a particularly gruelling lambing season, she is looking forward to some time off, but there’s no rest for the wicked, especially when she finds the body of one of Adam’s oldest friends on her farm.

Jude refuses to believe the official line, that Sarah’s death was a suicide, and starts an investigation of her own. But as the body count rises, danger creeps ever closer to Malvern Farm.

A killer is on the prowl. And all that stands in their way is one woman – and her dog.

***

I love a good mystery that keeps me guessing, and I did not predict the murderer until the reveal in this book.

This is a cosy mystery, where we meet the main character, Jude, as well as her family and friends. Jude is a woman whose husband passed away, leaving her to run the family farm alone.  She has an employee, Noah, to help her but this is not how Jude imagined her life being. When her best friend dies on the farm and the police attribute her death to suicide, Jude decides to investigate her death as she does not believe that she would have taken her own life. This all serves to demonstrate Jude's strength of character and loyalty and the author does a great job of bringing her to life on the page.

We also meet DS Binita Khatri (Binnie) who was a good character in her own right and I would have liked her to have had a larger role in the book. It was easy to recognise that Jude was getting in over her head and it made me want to pull Binnie into the story all the more.

That said, this was an excellent story, full of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. 

There was much to like about this book. A good mystery, a cute child, sheep dogs and a lamb called Pancake.

I do hope that the author will write a sequel to this book as there is plenty of scope here to write more about Jude. I recommend this book.

ISBN: 978 1785134210

Publisher:  Boldwood Books

Formats: e-book, audio, hardback and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  344 (paperback)

About the Author:

Kate Wells is the author of a number of well-reviewed books for children, and is now writing a new cosy crime series set in the Malvern hills, inspired by the farm where she grew up. 

(ARC and all media info courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

The Traitor Beside Her by Mary Anna Evans - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

The steel beneath Justine Byrne's shins was gunmetal gray, and the metal touched by her welding torch glowed as orange as her hair. Her ears were full of the shrieks and whines of heavy equipment. In every direction, she was surrounded by oceangoing vessels in various stages of completion and by the skilled people building them. She was working at the Washinton Navy Yard, the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy, and the atmoshere was charged with the urgent need to build ever more ships and send them out to a world at war...

Her target was talking to a man working... on the scaffold. No, "talking" wasn't the right word. He was whispering...

***

Justine Byrne can't trust the people working beside her. Arlington Hall, a former women's college in Virginia has been taken over by the United States Army where hundreds of men and women work to decode countless pieces of communication coming from the Axis powers.

Justine works among them, handling the most sensitive secrets of World War II—but she isn't there to decipher German codes—she's there to find a traitor.

Justine keeps her guard up and her ears open, confiding only in her best friend, Georgette, a fluent speaker of Choctaw who is training to work as a code talker. Justine tries to befriend each suspect, believing that the key to finding the spy lies not in cryptography but in understanding how code breakers tick. When young women begin to go missing at Arlington Hall, her deadline for unraveling the web of secrets becomes urgent and one thing remains clear: a single secret in enemy hands could end thousands of lives.

The Traitor Beside Her is an intricately plotted WWII espionage novel weaving together mystery, action, friendship, and a hint of romance perfect for fans of The Rose Code and Code Name Helene.

***

This was one of those books that kept me up reading well past my bedtime. It was full of mystery, intrigue and suspense and definitely had the 'just one more chapter' factor.

Set during WWII in Arlington Hall, an intelligence facility in Virginia, the main character, Justine, and her friend, Georgette, are thrust into a world of secrets and spies. It was an excellent plot with just the right amount of twists and turns along the way.

Justine and Georgette were great characters and I enjoy a book that has strong female leads. The characters are well developed and it was interesting to be introduced to the other people who worked at Arlington Hall and trying to anticipate the ending by guessing which of them was the traitor. 

It was not a predictable plot and I did not guess who the titular traitor was. I very much enjoyed reading Justine's thought process as she attempted to ascertain his or her identity. I appreciated her character's intelligence and intuition.

It was an exciting and tense read and I enjoyed the romance aspect as it added a bit of lightness to the story.

There is a previous book which features Justine's character, The Physicit's Daughter, which I did not realise until after I had finished reading. It had no effect of my enjoyment or understanding of this book. However, the author concluded the book with ample opportunity for a sequel. If Ms. Evans does continue with Justine's story, I very much want to read it.

ISBN: 978 1464215582

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  368 (paperback)

Purchase Link*

About the Author:

Mary Anna Evans is an award-winning author, a writing professor, and she holds degrees in physics and engineering, a background that, as it turns out, is ideal for writing her Justine Byrne series, which began with

Mary Anna’s crime fiction has earned recognition that includes two Oklahoma Book Awards, the Will Rogers Medallion Awards Gold Medal, and the Benjamin Franklin Award, and she co-edited the Edgar-nominated Bloomsbury Handbook to Agatha Christie. 

Purchase Link*

(e-book and all media provided courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.