A Class Act by Julie Houston - #bookreview #blogtour

 

I'd first encountered Carrington when chasing the part of a female barrister. Wanting to gen up on how my character might act in real life (and now, knowing the man - in every sense of the word - I'm more convinced than ever that those called to the bar are actors worthy of any Sunday evening TV series...)

***

Robyn Allen is finally getting closer to her dream of West End stardom. And along with her role dancing in the latest hot musical, she’s being wined and dined by an equally hot man – the wildly successful and well-connected Fabian Carrington. But one slip up and her dreams are shattered, and Robyn has to hobble back to the Yorkshire village of Beddingfield, and the life she hoped she’d escaped.

Moving back into her mum’s house with her recalcitrant teenage sister Sorrel, next door to her older sister Jess who’s fed up with picking up the slack, is not how Robyn pictured her year. But there’s more to come. Sorrel needs a new school, and the school needs a new drama teacher. Despite having vowed never to teach again, Robyn knows she has to support her sister.

So together Sorrel and Robyn vow to take on St Mede’s – home to jokers, tearaways and trouble-makers, but with a hidden heartbeat ready to be inspired. And who knows, the kids might have something to teach Robyn about life too...

Welcome to the village of Beddingfield and the first book in bestseller Julie Houston’s new series set in Yorkshire. Funny, fabulous, heart-warming and hilarious, you’ll never forget the Allen sisters and their one-of-a-kind community. Perfect for fans of Jo Bartlett, Cathy Bramley and Philippa Ashley.

***

I was already a fan of Julie Houston's books before this book tour came along. As you can imagine, when the tour organiser offered me a place on the tour for A Class Act, I virtually bit her hand off in my eagerness to take part.

I have previously read and enjoyed four of Ms. Houston's other books; A Village Vacancy, Sing Me a Secret, Goodness, Grace and Me and The Village Vicar. You can find my review of these books by clicking on the respective title.

When the world is so full of doom and gloom, we need more books like this. It was such a joyful book to read, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. 

The main character Robyn is achieving her dream and is dancing on the West End stage in London. When she sustains an injury and cannot dance, she thinks her career may be over. Consequently, she retreats with a broken heart from a brief love affair with Fabian the barrister, to her childhood home in Yorkshire to join her two sisters while their mother is in hospital.

Robyn was a fabulous character. She is feisty, warm-hearted and funny. It has been delightful to become acquainted with her. The author brings her alive on the page and I was rooting for her every step of the way.

 The secondary characters are equally well portrayed. The dynamic between the three sisters was totally believable. Older sister Jess is the responsible one and younger sister Sorrell appears to be going off the rails. Sandwiched in the middle, Robyn is trying to play her part in supporting the family.

Largely set in Yorkshire where the author herself resides, it is easy to detect her love for her county through her words. Indeed, I've been lucky enough to visit a few times and it really is lovely. 

Ms. Houston is a brilliant story teller. I would have loved to have settled in a gobbled this up in one sitting had opportunity presented itself. I am so pleased that this is the first in a planned series. I will definitely be at the front of the queue to get my hands on the second one when it is published.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who would like to bring a little joy into their life. It is impossible not to adore Robyn's character. I am sure you will enjoy this book every bit as much as I have.

ISBN: 978 1835610060

Publisher:  Boldwood Books

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

No. of Pages:  368 (paperback)

About the Author:

Julie Houston is the author of 12 novels. She lives in West Yorkshire and writes warm and

funny books about characters who are still learning about life.

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

(all opinions are my own)

Sleepers and Ties by Gail Kirkpatrick - #bookreview

 

Yellow wallflowers and purple thistle cover the former Plover railway line, and I wonder why it hasn't been turned into a walking trail. That way at least, a century old route carved from the land would have been preserved...

***

Grieving museum curator Margaret returns to her childhood home to leave behind her sister Shirley’s ashes and attend the final reading of her will. Unbeknownst to Margaret, Shirley has left her eight million dollars and a letter asking Margaret to return to its former glory an abandoned railway line—a fanciful notion, everyone tells her, with no real legal binding. Embarking on an adventure that will test more than just an executor’s duty and loyalty to her sister’s legacy, Margaret is forced to make decisions now and for the future that will challenge and forever change a landscape, her career, her marriage, her friendships, and her very own legacy.

***

Set in Canada, Sleepers and Ties is a beautiful story about loyalty and self-discovery.

I consider myself very fortunate to have been gifted a copy of this book. You know how there are times when the right book comes along at the perfect time? This was one such book for me.

Life has been a little stressful lately and this book was the perfect antidote. Reading it was like wallowing in a warm bath, and feeling the stresses float away. In fact, as I get older, I find that I enjoy books with the gentle pace of this one more and more.

It was beautifully written and a joy to read. It has a poetic lyricism that deserved the time devoted to it in reading. Each line was to be relished and appreciated. It is tranquil and serene and exactly what I needed to be reading.

The main character, Margaret, was an interesting woman. Finding herself back in her home town following her sister's death, her intention is to scatter her ashes and return home. But when a letter is presented to her at the final reading of her sister's will, Margaret is faced with some difficult decisions to make. Through this we see her embark on a personal journey which will test her loyalty to her late-sister, her husband and her long-standing friend, and I enjoyed accompanying her on this passage of self-discovery.

The railway is a theme running throughout the novel and each chapter title refers to something connected with this. Some of these terms were new to me, but there is a useful glossary at the back of the book to help.

It is a warm, thought-provoking read which I highly recommend.

***

ISBN: 978 1989689462

Publisher:  Now or Never Publishing

Formats:  e-book and paperback 

No. of Pages:  220 (paperback)

About the Author:

After receiving her undergrad at the University of Victoria, Gail Kirkpatrick completed her MA in writing at Lancaster University where she explored the parallel and converging lines of memory, shared history, and landscape. Her writing has been published in various literary and trade magazines in Canada and the UK, and Sleepers and Ties is her first novel. She currently resides in Victoria, BC.

(book & media courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

The Village Vicar by Julie Houston - #BookReview

 

'Well, look who it is.' Glenys Parkes glanced up from the sausage meat she was expertly encasing in flaky pastry, wiped her hands on the front of her faded pinny and moved to kiss her younger daughter. 'You never said you were coming home?' Glenys took in Alice's lack of suitcase, her grubby-looking bare feet in their leather sandals and her skimpy flowing dress, quite unsuitable for this overcast, chilly May morning in Yorkshire. 'You look frozen. Here.' Glenys threw her mauve M&S cardigan in Alice's direction but, although Alice caught it, she placed it on the battered armchair in fron of her and went, instead, over to the sink to fill the kettle...

***

When Rosa Quinn left her childhood home in Westenbury, she never expected to return over a decade later as the village vicar. But after a health scare and catching her boyfriend cheating, Rosa jumps at the chance to start over and live closer to her triplet sisters Eva and Hannah.

But Rosa's isn't the only old face in the village, and when her role in the parish throws her into the path of her ex, she begins to wonder if she's made a terrible mistake. Meanwhile, Eva and Hannah face their own troubles, as secrets about their family threaten to emerge.

Can Rosa make a life for herself in Westenbury? Or will the sisters discover you can't run away from the past?

***

I am already a fan of Julie Houston. I have previously read and reviewed Goodness, Grace and Me and Sing Me a Secret, both of which I have enjoyed enormously. If you would like to read my reviews of these two book please just click on the book title and it will take you straight there.

The Village Vicar was every bit as good as I had anticipated. We meet triplets Rosa, Eva and Hannah and they make for a set of lovely main characters, although the book focusses slightly more on Rosa than her sisters. They have a close but complex relationship, each of them different to the other and they each bring something distinct to the novel.

The book begins with the story behind their birth. Readers are introduced to Alice, their birth mother, and her sister, Susan, who along with her husband adopts the three girls. It was good judgement on the part of the author, to spend time portraying the back story of the triplets at the beginning as it provides context for the remainder of the novel.

It is both humourous and heart felt and I enjoyed reading every page. Ms. Houston's novels always leave me with a satisfied feeling, and I cannot wait to read the next in the series, The Girls of Heatherly Hall, which was published just last week.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading contemporary women's fiction.

ISBN: 978 1803280028

Publisher:  Head of Zeus

Formats: e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  384 (paperback)

Purchase Link*

About the Author:

Julie Houston is the author of ten novels set in and around the fictional West Yorkshire village of Westenbury, GOODNESS, GRACE AND ME, THE ONE SAVING GRACE, LOOKING FOR LUCY, COMING HOME TO HOLLY CLOSE FARM, A VILLAGE AFFAIR, SING ME A SECRET, A VILLAGE VACANCY and A FAMILY AFFAIR, as well as a novella, AN OFF-PISTE CHRISTMAS, all published by Aria.  Her most recent novel, A VILLAGE SECRET, was published in ebook and paperback in April 2022 by Aria/Head of Zeus.  All her novels have been Kindle bestsellers.

A VILLAGE AFFAIR, published  in November 2018, on the Kindle Top 100 bestseller list for almost a year, was the seventh most-read UK fiction ebook in the year to November 2019, and a Kindle top 5 bestseller.

SING ME A SECRET won the RNA’s 2021 Sapere Books Popular Romantic Fiction Award.

Julie is Yorkshire born and bred and lives near Huddersfield. She worked as a teacher for many years, still doing supply work.   Additionally she sits as a magistrate in West Yorkshire.  

Translation rights in Julie’s novels have been sold to a number of countries.

(author photo and bio courtesy of Kate Horden Literary Agency)

(all opinions my own)

Purchase Link*

*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.