Left on the Shelf

Amazon US

About the Author

Jenny O’Brien writes complex thrillers and heartbreaking historical fiction, as well as intriguing romances. Silent Cry, initially self published, topped the Amazon kindle chart in both the UK and the USA. Most of her books have followed suit.

Jenny has over 40 years experience as a qualified nurse. She turned to creative writing as a hobby when her children were born. Now, 20 years later, she's retired from the day job to focus on writing. She's currently working on the third book in the Threads Series.

Born in Ireland, she now lives in Guernsey with her husband and children.

You can also find Jenny at:

The Resistance Knitting Club

Instagram

Bluesky

My Other Blog Posts Featuring This Author

The Puppet Maker

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

(all opinions are my own)

Monday, 27 July 2026

10 Ten Exciting New Releases Coming in August 2026

I am looking ahead to August and some of the lovely new books due to be released. I've limited myself to just ten which have caught my eye. Do any of these look like something that you would like to read?

John Grebble is Gone by Peter James

John Grebble wakes up to discover he’s been declared dead. His bank account is frozen, his car repossessed, and his entire existence erased. Someone wants him gone—permanently.

Within hours, his world unravels. His debit card is declined. His car is towed away. His office locks him out. The police treat him like a criminal. According to every system, every database, every official record—John Grebble is no more.

But John is very much alive. And as he tries to uncover who could have pulled off such an elaborate erasure of his identity, he realises this isn’t just a mistake—it’s personal. Someone with intimate knowledge of his life has gone to extraordinary lengths to scrub him out completely. And this is just the start…

In this gripping short thriller laced with dark humour, Number One Sunday Times bestselling author Peter James asks: can John Grebble uncover who would go this far to destroy him before it’s too late?

Invitation From a Dictator by Rory Clements

ON THE EVE OF WAR, A ROYAL GUEST IS LURED INTO HITLER'S DEADLY WEB . . .

Munich, 1937. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor have arrived in Germany for a historic meeting at Hitler's mountain retreat.

But recent attacks by ruthless Communist band, Red Freedom, has brought fear and bloodshed to the area. As brutal as the Nazis, their next targets are Edward, Wallis and the Fuhrer himself.

Detective Sebastian Wolff is charged with their protection, but the conflict between his job and his politics becomes even more complicated when Wolff realises who is behind Red Freedom: Ulrike, his first love and the mother of his son.

Radiant as the Stars by Elaine Elinson

In April 1911, Jews escaping pogroms are fleeing to America, but 20-year-old Anna Reader, full of fierce conviction, is headed in the opposite direction—back to the Ukrainian shtetl from which her family fled six years earlier. She has decided to join her radical cousin Chava in the Jewish Labor Bund on the eve of the Russian Revolution, leaving behind her work in a Chicago sweatshop and the lover who jilted her.

Her warm reunion with her cousin is tainted by political intrigue. Anna is not fully trusted by the Jewish radicals she grew up with in Ukraine. She is given minor tasks, while Chava’s assignments become more dangerous. The threat of betrayal is constantly lurking. When Chava is arrested and imprisoned, Anna’s efforts to rescue her cousin further alienate her from her Bund comrades. When she is threatened with arrest by the Tsarists, Anna is undone, fighting for survival in a strife-torn land.

A Thousand Painted Hours by Barbara O'Neal

In the shadow of the London Blitz, artist Elsie Turner clings fiercely to her canvases, refusing to let war dim the colors that define her. The bombs test her nerve, but the struggle also stirs memories of her golden youth in India and of the long-lost love of her life.

The daughter of a British civil servant in the Himalayan station of Nainital, Elsie crosses cultural divides to forge an unlikely bond with Tanveer Singh, a Sikh prince with hopes, dreams, and far-reaching ideas. What begins as shared sketchbooks and stargazing becomes first love and a secret correspondence. When Elsie’s father is summoned to England, Elsie is severed from the world she knows―and is determined to preserve it through both her art and a connection with Tanveer that endures through the most tumultuous years of their lives.

Across four decades and two continents, Elsie navigates a journey from lush colonial India to war-torn London, amid landscapes of beauty, protest, and peril. As past and present collide, the most impossible choices and sacrifices are yet to be made in the name of love, war, and survival.

Perfect Moments at Duck Pond Cottage by Della Galton

When two best friends decide to share their wedding day, what could possibly go wrong?

Jade is over the moon to be tying the knot alongside her best friend, Sarah, at the stunning Bluebell Cliff Hotel in Dorset—a venue where no detail is too small and no expense is spared in the pursuit of perfection.

But as the big day draws closer, so do the complications.

A long-lost relative, a troublesome brother, and some wildly unexpected animal antics all threaten to derail the brides’ dream celebrations.

With emotions running high and chaos around every corner, their perfect day begins to unravel.

Can love and friendship hold everything together when it matters most?

The Stray Dogs by Ruth Hogan

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but Desmond and Leona are about to find out that it's never too late to start living your dreams . . .

Since his marriage ended, Desmond Leaks has been stuck in rut. But living alone does have some upsides - for one, there's no one to tell him that he's 'not allowed' chocolate spread on his toast.

And for Leona Lennox, a fresh start might just mean she can finally open that rescue centre for abandoned dogs she's always dreamed of. That's if she can learn to let people in occasionally - and accept help.

Take this Desmond guy, he's so nice that he's offering to get his old band back together to play some fundraising gigs for the rescue centre. If only Leona could say yes, just this once . . . The Stray Dogs might actually be decent, right?

The Paris Seamstress by Catherine Law

Torn between love and duty, and a fierce need to protect…

Paris, 1940

For young, lively Murielle, working in the heart of Paris as a seamstress is a dream come true. She loves the bustle of the city, but as the War progresses and new restrictions for Jewish people appear, she begins to realise how quickly her world is changing – and how, soon, she may lose those cherished freedoms.

Her best friend Zoé has always lived a smaller life. Still reeling from an incident from many years ago, she’s already used to being on her guard. But as the Occupation tightens controls on everyone, Zoé knows she must find the courage to stand up and protect the people she loves.

When the two women come across a fallen English pilot, they don’t hesitate. As they put their lives on the line to help the airman escape, their friendship bonds are truly tested. For a chance of happiness, Murielle and Zoé will have to make an impossible decision — one that will demand the greatest sacrifice of all…

The Midwife by the Sea by Jo Bartlett

When midwife Hope Masterson arrives in Cornwall to start her dream job by the sea, she’s ready for a fresh start and a chance to make a real difference to the lives of the women and babies she cares for.

Working between St Piran’s hospital and the community midwifery unit of Port Agnes, Hope quickly finds herself drawn into the lives of her patients and colleagues. From dramatic deliveries and joyous newborns to heartbreaking struggles with infertility, she is on hand to share in all the hopes, worries and incredible love that motherhood can bring.

But Hope is carrying a secret that could change everything – and she faces an impossible dilemma.

Should she reveal the truth and shatter the lives of those around her, or protect the fragile happiness of the family she’s only just found?

As friendships deepen, romance blooms and emotions run high, Hope must decide whether some secrets are better left untold… and what it truly means to belong.

A gorgeously heartfelt, uplifting and unputdownable story of love, family and the many different paths to motherhood, by Top Ten bestselling author Jo Bartlett.

The Curse of the Saltmarsh Girl by Clare Marchant

The dark marsh stretches around Margery. She can hear the sound of her mother’s voice, crying. Or is it the wind…? Will she get out of here alive?

1665: When Margery arrives in Saltmarsh looking for her mother, she finds silence, secrets, and backs turned.

But she is not the only thing that has arrived. As the Plague falls on the village, leaving almost no man, woman or child alive, rumours circulate – about a demon dog, about lights floating above the waters, about voices in the dark… And about a girl, one who has brought a curse.

With Margery’s mother missing, it becomes clear that these remote, desolate marshes are about to become the most dangerous ground she’s ever stepped on…

Now: A beautiful young opera singer named Angel Bailey has arrived in Saltmarsh. She’s there to visit her adoptive brother, but she’s also running away. Because, after years of longing to know where she came from, she’s received word from a woman claiming to be her sister, saying their birth mother’s dying wish is to meet the child she abandoned.

But when Angel becomes fascinated with the story of another mother and daughter, and a centuries old curse on the marsh, the land beneath her feet is about to shift forever…

A Fatal Love by Louise Tregar

Following Ruth Ellis' long-awaited posthumous conditional pardon in July 2026, never has there been a more compelling moment to revisit the woman behind one of Britain's most enduring legal cases.

It is Easter Sunday in 1955 and a young man lies face-down on the ground covered in blood. A woman, blonde and petite, stands over him with a gun in her hand. This is the story of Ruth Ellis as never told before...

As Ruth awaits her trial in Holloway Prison, she recollects growing up in England during the Second World War and the events that led to the death of her lover, David Blakely.

Meanwhile, Kitty Carrington - the assistant to Ruth's trial lawyer - tries to forge her own path through the male-dominated legal world of the 1950s and ensure that Ruth receives a fair trial.

Navigating secrets, betrayal and a broken justice system, Ruth and Kitty try to take control of their own lives and narratives. But do we ever really know the full story?

(header photo courtesy of Florencia Viadana/Unsplash)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

(all opinions are my own)

Monday, 20 July 2026

If I Could Be With You by M.W. Arnold - #bookspotlight #blogtour

I am so pleased to be shining the spotlight on this book today. If I Could Be With You by M.W. Arnold is a story of strong female friendship set during World War Two.

The Blurb

May 1944, it's the build-up to D-Day, for which the girls of the Air Transport Auxiliary Mystery Club are busy delivering the aircraft sorely needed, and the search goes on for a Nazi spy, who has information which cannot be allowed to get into the enemies hands.

For one of the girls, her husband in badly burned after his Mosquito is shot down, bringing the war closer to home than it's ever been before.

With danger at every corner, the girls unbreakable bond is put to the test like never before. Through it all, they stand firm, taking all the war can throw at them, before daring it to try again.

Book Details

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Formats: e-book

No. of Pages: 341

Series: Book 7 in the Broken Wings series

Purchase Links

Amazon US

About the Author

Mick is a hopeless romantic who was born in England and spent fifteen years roaming around the world in the pay of the late HM Queen Elizabeth II in the Royal Air Force, before putting down roots and realising how much he missed the travel. This, he’s replaced somewhat with his writing, including reviewing books and supporting fellow saga and romance authors in promoting their novels.

He’s the proud keeper of two Romanian Were-Cats bent on world domination, is mad on the music of the Beach Boys, and enjoys the theatre and humouring his Manchester United-supporting wife. (Please don't mention this last to her!)

You can also find Mick at:

Instagram

You Tube

My Other Blog Posts Featuring This Author

Time Waits for No One

(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

Thursday, 21 May 2026

10 Ten Exciting New Releases in June 2026

There are some fabulous books being released in June.

During the latter half of the month, I will be taking a two week break for a holiday. Although, I won't be posting during that time, rest assured that some of the little beauties in this list will be sneaking into my suitcase and keeping me company.

I hope you find something in this list to entice you too.

The Promise of Wonder by Katherine Webb

A tragic accident. A misguided accusation. Are some mistakes unforgivable?

England, 1889. In her family’s rambling manor house in Dorset, fifteen-year-old Theodora Hallewell dreams of magic, adventure, and Toby Meriwether. As Toby prepares to leave for university, Theo plans a midnight gathering—one last chance to make Toby notice her. By dawn, a tragic mistake will shatter the world as they know it.

Years later, Toby has built a respectable life in London, scarred by the past but determined to put it behind him. Theo, struggling with the aftermath of what happened, has begun to fear that the life she has built is more fragile—and far more dangerous—than she ever imagined. Both live under the shadow of that fateful night—until a startling discovery casts what happened in a whole new light, and offers a chance to right the wrongs that have haunted them for so long.

Spanning three decades, The Promise of Wonder is a spellbinding story of lost love, atonement, and the long journey towards forgiveness.

The Underground Sisters by Soraya M. Lane

Amsterdam, 1940: Schoolteacher Aletta knows the war will soon reach her and the Jewish children in her class. When her family hide an injured Allied airman in their home, they must decide: how much will they risk when resistance could prove deadly?

Paris, 1940: Since her mother’s death, Chloe has dedicated herself to protecting her brothers. So when the SS accuses Claude of being in the Resistance, she sacrifices herself to save him.

Forced together in Ravensbrück concentration camp, Chloe, Aletta and her mother, Emma, forge an unbreakable bond. Surrounded by unimaginable cruelty, they mount their own kind of resistance―secretly teaching children and preserving fellow prisoners’ precious memories. In a place designed to strip away humanity, their friendship becomes an act of defiance, their determination to bear witness a lifeline of hope.

As the war rages on and whispers of a longed-for liberation grow, can their courage and sisterhood see them through to freedom? And if they survive, how can they ever be the same?

Based on true events, this is an inspiring testament to the power of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit.

Dwell by Rue Baldry

January 1919 - A new gardener at a snowbound boarding school catches everyone's attention. It's rumoured he is a war hero. He's nineteen-year-old Albert, haunted by Great War experiences and fighting the temptation of one particular prefect. What they want is illegal.

Being caught would ruin them. Then Albert's past finds him, making their quest for a place where love can safely dwell look impossible.

Just Emilia by Jennifer Oko

The past, present, and future collide in a DC Metro elevator as three women get caught up in a gripping time-traveling tale of memory, emotion, and unspoken truths about their shared history. Synopsis: When Emilia Fletcher finds herself trapped inside a Washington, DC Metro elevator, getting out is the least of her problems. Sharing the confined space with her are Em, a troubled teenager plagued by suicidal thoughts, and Millie, an elderly woman yearning to mend ties with her estranged daughter. As the hours drag on, hunger, exhaustion, and panic set in, revealing an almost incomprehensible truth: they are the same person. Locked in an uncompromising match of memories, the three women excavate and attempt to reckon with the shared shame and suffering stemming from an unresolved trauma that has cast a profound shadow over their lives. Brimming with biting humor, compassion, and quick-witted insight, Just Emilia is remarkable journey of self-discovery.

Collapse by Edourd Louis

Édouard’s brother spends much of his life dreaming. He lives in a poor, working-class world, where he imagines that he will become one of the finest butchers in France, that he will travel, that he will make his fortune, that he will restore cathedrals, that he will earn his father’s love.

But his reality allows none of this. There is no way to escape, no one who can show him how, and everything about him – his drinking, his violence, his behaviour with women and with others – condemns him.

At thirty-eight he is found dead on the floor of his small studio apartment. This book is the story of his collapse.

Bad Deeds by Andrew Hunter Murray

Alex used to break into houses illegally. These days, it’s his job.

Alex is part of a small firm of consultants who break into offices and homes to test their security. It’s fun, it’s well paid, and he’s very good at it. It’s almost like he’s grown up at last.

But when he gets fired from his firm, evicted from his flat and dumped by his girlfriend, all in the same evening, he decides to steal one last job from his company without their knowing. A job they had already decided not to accept.

Big mistake.

Before long, Alex is in remote northern Scotland, following the trail of an ambitious young man who supposedly fell to his death with no witnesses in sight.

And if Alex doesn’t get to the truth soon, he may well be the next one over the edge...

A Time to Be Born by Dawn Powell

Amanda Keeler is a bestselling novelist, famed for her martini-soaked parties. It's a glamorous life, paid for in full by marriage to a tedious, teeth-grinding newspaper tycoon.

When a meek friend from her provincial past arrives in Manhattan, Amanda plots to use her as cover for an affair-until she realises that they have both fallen for the same man.

Sophisticated, scandalous and acidly funny, this is a portrait of a woman determined to have everything, even if it costs the one thing she never meant to gamble: her heart.

Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe.

How to Survive in the Woods by Kat Rosenfield

Emma Sharp knows the rules of survival. From being raised by a doomsday-fearing father and hardened by the startup world, she has learned how to endure - especially in her marriage to Logan Grant, a charismatic tyrant who keeps her under tight control. To Emma, her marriage is a cage: it keeps you in, but it also keeps you safe. Until it doesn't.

When Emma forms an unexpected bond with Logan's former girlfriend, the two women form a plan to help Emma reclaim her life. Destination: the punishing final stretch of the Appalachian Trail.

After all, bad things happen in the woods all the time.

As the three venture deeper into Maine's backcountry, desire and dread curdle into something unpredictable, dark and deadly. Someone is lying. Someone is watching. And in the remote heart of the forest, someone is about to be lost . . . or found.

Lisa Doyle is Absolutely Fine by Mo Fanning

Lisa Doyle is fine. Absolutely fine.

At least, that's the story she's been telling herself.

Her best friend is getting married. Everyone around her seems to have a partner, a plan, and a life that makes sense. Lisa, meanwhile, has four glasses of wine in her, a talent for making bad situations worse, and a growing sense of being left behind.

So she does what any sensible woman in a crisis would do. She announces that she's engaged.

There is only one problem.

Brian does not exist.

Now Lisa needs a fiancé before the wedding, her actor flatmate is far too willing to get involved, and the real Brian, who is very much married and very much her boss, is starting to look at her in ways that suggest this lie may have got seriously out of hand.

Warm, witty, and painfully recognisable, Lisa Doyle is Absolutely Fine is a grown-up romantic comedy about love, pressure, friendship, and the exhausting performance of holding everything together when you're quietly falling apart.

Perfect for readers of Mhairi McFarlane, Beth O'Leary, and Marian Keyes.

The Cider Girls Join the Fight by May Ellis

1941, Somerset: the shadow of war is closing in.

Two years into the conflict, Rose is adjusting to life as a Land Girl, working the Somerset fields alongside Jimmy, the farmer’s son whose watchful, protective attention she can neither escape nor ignore. Thankfully, she has found companionship in Daisy, a district nurse, and Elsie, an ATS clerk. New friends thrown together by the necessities of war, they call themselves the Cider Girls.

As the threat of invasion grows, the girls prove their courage to the commanding officer of a secret resistance unit and are drawn into a dangerous world of espionage, coded messages and hidden loyalties.

But there is trouble close to home too. Daisy knows she is in love with her lifelong friend Mattie, but will she speak the truth before it’s too late? Elsie’s life is shattered by the tragic death of her sister, leaving her with an impossible choice. And Rose finds her work in the resistance increasingly hard to hide.

In a world of secrets and sacrifice, can the Cider Girls’ friendship see them through the darkest days yet?

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Wednesday, 20 May 2026

One Moonlit Night by Rachel Hore - #bookreview

March 1941

There was a before and an afterwards. Later, Maddie would trace back to this moment the way her life changed...

***

It has come to my attention that I must make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from Netgalley. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.

***

The Blurb

Forced to leave their family home in London after it is bombed in the Blitz, Maddie and her two young daughters take refuge at Knyghton, the beautiful country house in Norfolk where Maddie’s husband Philip spent the summers of his childhood.

But Philip is gone, believed to have been killed in action in northern France. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Maddie refuses to give up hope that she and Philip will some day be reunited.

Arriving at Knyghton, Maddie feels closer to her missing husband, but she soon realises that there’s a reason Philip has never spoken to her about his past. Something happened at Knyghton one summer years before. Something that involved Philip, his cousin Lyle and a mysterious young woman named Flora.

Maddie’s curiosity turns to desperation as she tries to discover the truth, but no one will speak about what happened all those years ago, and no one will reassure her that Philip will ever return to Knyghton.

My Review

This was a fabulous read and it kept me turning the pages throughout.

The main character, Maddie, is left homeless when her home is bombed during the Blitz. When her husband, Philip, is declared missing in action, she retreats to his childhood home, Knyghton in Norfolk. She doesn't know much about his past, but after discovering a photo of Knyghton she goes with her daughters in the hope of a home during the war. There she meets Philip's cousin, Lyle, and begins to unravel the story of why her husband never spoke of his past.

It was an excellent story to join the canon of novels set during World War Two. I enjoyed the way the author put her book together and there were lots of twists and turns to keep me gripped. She demonstrated very well what life was like during the war, both for the soldiers fighting on the front and for those left behind. It illustrated well how hard it was for a wife whose husband was missing in action. The author did a great job of depicting steadfast love between husband and wife, even after it was likely that he had been killed in the war.

This book made for excellent reading. It was compelling and thought-provoking and I highly recommend it.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1471187254

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Formats: e-book, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages: 480 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

The Last Train to Freedom

Amazon US

About the Author

History is full of fascinating stories of how we came to be, and that’s why Rachel chose it to study at Oxford University. After she graduated she had a brief flirtation with museum work, but eventually books won out again. She took a secretarial course and landed a junior position at Cassells Publishers in Westminster and knew at once she'd found a career where she felt totally at home. Three years of enjoyable dogsbodying later she emerged as a fledgling editor. It was then she landed her dream job: assistant editor at HarperCollins Publishers in the Fiction department! She worked there for many wonderful years, eventually becoming a senior editorial director and looking after her own stable of well-known names.

She's had fourteen novels published now – the most recent, The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge, published in 2025.

Rachel is married to author, D.J. Taylor, has three sons and now lives in Norwich.

You can also find Rachel at:

(ARC courtesy of Netgalley)

(media courtesy of the author's website)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Thursday, 14 May 2026

The Enemy's Wife by Deborah Swift - #bookreview

Zofia unhooked the grey coat hanging from a nail on the rafters. It was a little too big, but what could she expect from a shared coat...

***

I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from the The Coffee Pot Book Club. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.

***

The Blurb

A poignant story of the impossible choices we make in the shadow of war, for fans of Daisy Wood and Marius Gabriel.

1941. When Zofia’s beloved husband Haru is conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army, she is left to navigate Japanese-occupied Shanghai alone.

Far from home and surrounded by a country at war, Zofia finds unexpected comfort in a bond with Hilly, a spirited young refugee escaping Nazi-occupied Austria.

As violence tightens its grip on the city, they seek shelter with Theo, Zofia’s American employer. But with every passing day, the horrors of war and Haru’s absence begin to reshape Zofia’s world – and her heart.

Can she still love someone who has become the enemy?

My Review

Whenever I am given the opportunity to read a book by Deborah Swift, my heart gives a little jump of glee. The reason being, I have read several of Deborah's books now and I have enjoyed every single one of them. I will add links to my other reviews of her books at the bottom of this post.

In fact, this book exceeded my expectations and dealt with a part of history that I am less familiar with. Set in Shanghai during World War II, the book takes place following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. Through the eyes of the main characters, we witness the brutality that the Chinese people faced when their country was occupied by Japan.

The book is narrated largely from the perspective of three of the characters. Zofia, a Jewish woman who was in Shanghai following the conscription of her Japanese husband, Haru, into the Japanese army. Parts of the story are told from Haru's experience as a soldier, and they lead us to question whether Zofia can continue to love her husband when she has lived amongst the Chinese and Haru has become the enemy.

The third main character is Theo, an American businessman who has sent his wife and children to Manila, where he believes they will be safe, while he stays behind in an attempt to save his business.

Additionally, there is Hilly, a thirteen-year-old German girl who has attached herself to Zofia. Her story is haunting and emotional, and my heart went out to her.

This is an incredibly powerful story that is harrowing at times. We read of the atrocities and oft inhumanity that rears its ugly head during wartime. As appalling as those acts were, I never felt as though they were included in the book in a gratuitous nature, but to illustrate the reality of war.

I was absolutely gripped by this book and I did not want to put it down. When I did, I felt it calling me to get back to it. It is an extremely emotive and powerful read. In fact, when I turned the final page, I felt a little bereft at having to leave these characters behind. When that happens to me when reading a book, I know it is going to receive a five-star rating from me.

Deborah is clearly a born storyteller. She researches the history behind her books thoroughly and then weaves the facts into a story that is immersive and compelling. She understands her characters and therefore portrays them with sensitivity and compassion. Even reading Haru's uncomfortable parts of the story, I felt she portrayed him in a way that demonstrated that he was equally a victim of the circumstances he was in. He was under pressure from his superiors to act in the way he did and the author demonstrated this well.

On a personal note, whilst I was reading this book I was staying with my son, his lovely Chinese wife and my new granddaughter (yes, there were lots of baby cuddles involved). My daughter-in-law told me that her 92-year-old grandfather fought on the side of the Chinese Army and lost an eye in the process. Hearing this brought Deborah's story further to life.

The book left me aware that there was a gap in my knowledge of this aspect of World War II history. It has left me wanting to know more, which is always a sign of a good novel.

Deborah was my guest on the blog recently talking about the hidden vice of opium in 1940s Shanghai. You can read that post by clicking here.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. I highly encourage you to get your hands on a copy and read this. I would love to hear your thoughts on the book.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 0008739737

Publisher: HQ Digital

Formats: e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages: 352 (paperback)

Series: Book 2 in the Survivors of War series

Purchase Links

Links to Reviews of Deborah's Other Books

Shadow on the Highway

Deborah Swift's Desert Island Books

About the Author

Deborah used to be a costume designer for the BBC, before becoming a writer. Now she lives in an old English school house in a village full of 17th Century houses, near the glorious Lake District. Deborah has an award-winning historical fiction blog at her website www.deborahswift.com.

Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today.

Her WW2 novel Past Encounters was a BookViral Award winner, and The Poison Keeper was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Book of the Decade.

You can also find Deborah at:

Tik Tok

(ARC and media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Friday, 17 April 2026

The Enemy's Wife by Deborah Swift - #guestpost #blogtour

I am delighted to welcome author, Deborah Swift onto the blog today.

Deborah is one of my favourite authors and I have read a few of her books. I will add links to my reviews at the bottom of this post so do check them out. I am also looking forward to sharing my thoughts of The Enemy's Wife on 12th May so keep your eye's posted for my review.

Before I hand over to Deborah, let me tell you a little about the book.

The Blurb

A poignant story of the impossible choices we make in the shadow of war, for fans of Daisy Wood and Marius Gabriel.

1941. When Zofia’s beloved husband Haru is conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army, she is left to navigate Japanese-occupied Shanghai alone.

Far from home and surrounded by a country at war, Zofia finds unexpected comfort in a bond with Hilly, a spirited young refugee escaping Nazi-occupied Austria.

Can she still love someone who has become the enemy?

Over to you Deborah?

The Hidden Vice of Opium in 1940s Shanghai

One of my characters in The Enemy’s Wife gets caught up in the grip of an opium addiction. The setting of The Enemy’s Wife is Shanghai – the Paris of the East. Beneath its dazzling and glamorous appearance, it was also a hotbed of corruption, sleaze, and of course the drug trade.

The Shanghai underworld was shaped by one of the most influential commodities in modern Chinese history: opium. To understand opium’s grip on Shanghai, it is necessary to look back to the Opium Wars of the nineteenth century which forced China to open its port to foreign powers such as England, making Shanghai one of the most important trading posts among them. The foreign concessions within Shanghai (areas governed by British, US and other European countries operated under their own legal systems, which allowed the opium trade to flourish in ways that would have been impossible under a unified administration.

The Opium Economy

Opium was not just a vice; it was a business—one that generated enormous profits. Shanghai’s position as a commercial hub made it an ideal distribution centre for opium imported from British India. The trade involved a wide network of merchants, corrupt officials, criminal gangs, and even legitimate businesses that laundered opium money. In The Enemy’s Wife one of the characters is based on members of the so-called Green Gang, one of Shanghai’s most notorious criminal gangs. They were corrupt and lawless, controlling the distribution, protecting the dens, and running rackets with various political figures.

For many businessmen, involvement in opium was less about addiction and more about survival or profit and the revenue generated by opium was difficult for authorities to ignore. Taxes on opium sales became a significant source of income, creating a moral and political dilemma: how to eliminate a destructive drug without destabilizing public finances.

Class and Opium

By the turn of the century, opium was deeply embedded both in Shanghai’s economy and in its social fabric. Opium dens ranged from luxurious lounges catering to wealthy elites, to grim, dimly lit rooms serving the urban poor. Smoking opium was both a recreational activity and a symbol of status in some circles, while in others it represented despair and decline.

Among the wealthy, opium habits were a social ritual, often conducted in ornate settings with finely crafted pipes and elaborate ceremonies. I enjoyed researching the paraphernalia that was

used by the wealthy people in my book. At the same time, I was aware that in the poorer Chinese population, opium was used as a means of escape from gruelling factory work, starvation, and economic hardship. By the time of my novel, the 1940s, people began to view opium as a symbol of China’s weakness. Anti-opium campaigns gained momentum in part because of international pressure when westerners grew addicted to ‘the poppy’.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the Chinese Nationalist government sought to suppress the opium trade, but the Japanese occupation of Shanghai further complicated the situation. Occupying forces exploited the opium trade as a means of social control and to make money for themselves. Soldiers used opium as a means to ‘sweeten’ their experiences in the war. In some cases, addiction among the local population was actively encouraged by the Japanese invaders to weaken resistance.

In the end, the turning point in Shanghai’s opium obsession came with the rise of the Chinese Communist Party and the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Unlike previous regimes, the new government adopted a zero-tolerance approach to opium. Dealers faced severe penalties, including execution, while users were compelled to undergo treatment. Within a few years, opium use in Shanghai and across China was dramatically reduced.

This was too late for my character though, who must use his own willpower to overcome the perils of his addiction. Will he succeed?

I enjoyed researching opium dens in 1940s Shanghai, and for this I was indebted to Opium by Martin Booth and Opium Fiend: A 21st Century Slave to a 19th Century Addiction by Steven Martin.

The rise and fall of opium in Shanghai is a powerful reminder of how deeply one plant and its trade can shape the history and destiny of a city.

The Enemy’s Wife is out now in ebook, audio and paperback.

Thank you Deborah for being my guest today. That was absolutely fascinating and I can't wait to read the book.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 0008739737

Publisher: HQ Digital

Formats: e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages: 352 (paperback)

Series: Book 2 in the Survivors of War series

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About the Author

Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today.

Her WW2 novel Past Encounters was a BookViral Award winner, and The Poison Keeper was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Book of the Decade.

You can also find Deborah at:

Author Website