📖 Blog Tour ~ The Irish Family Secret by Daisy O'Shea

Bookouture
22 October 2024
Emerald Isles #3

My thanks to the publisher for the book
and the invitation to the blog tour

The sweeping hills and emerald hedgerows seem to dance in the pale Irish sun. Home after far too long, Ginny takes a deep breath and tries to shake off the past. She’s hidden the truth for years. And when Ruari looks at her, his long lashes shading his green eyes, she knows she can’t reveal it now. Her secret would destroy him, as much as it would her…

When Ginny Kingston returns to Ireland’s windswept Roone Bay after ten years of self-imposed exile, the last person she wants to run into is black-haired Ruari Savage. But there he is, glowering at her from the back of the tiny church hall, as she holds the townsfolk spell-bound throughout her lecture on Irish history.

The Kingstons and the Savages have been neighbours, farmers and bitter rivals for as long as anyone can remember. But, finally drawn home by work, Ginny is determined to discover the truth behind their family feud. And what happened to the first young lovers who tried to mend the rift over fifty years ago. For some strange reason, mechanic Ruari with his practical mind and strong hands, has offered to help…

Ruari’s aid, however, comes at a the truth about why Ginny herself left so suddenly. What he doesn’t know is that Ginny’s devastating secret might destroy their families’ new-found peace – and any chance of happiness they have with each other – forever…

Can Ginny and Ruari work together to heal old wounds? And will the secrets that have divided their families for generations ever come to light – or tear them all apart?

📖 My Review..

This dual time story takes us back to Ireland where we follow Ginny Kingston’s return to Roone Bay after an absence of ten tears.  We get to know early on in the novel that there are hidden family secrets which if exposed will further strengthen the animosity between two neighbouring families. The Kingstons and the Savages have had some dark moments between them but with Ginny’s return to Roone Bay there may be hope for the future. This heart-warming family saga takes an emotional look at the family history between these two warring families and does so with an evocative look at how things were handled in the past whilst also bringing to life Ginny’s story and her abiding love for Ireland’s archeological past.

The author writes writes well, bringing both place and people alive in the imagination and her descriptions of rural Ireland reflects both the beauty and the history of the country. The Irish Family Secret is now the third book in this Emerald Isle series and whilst there is a mention of one character we have come across in previous novels this story works well as a standalone although as with any overlapping series it is nicer to start at the beginning with book number one.

The Irish Family Secret is an emotional story reflecting how the tragedy and heartbreak of the past can still influence the future but with love, hope and forgiveness future generations can go forward with peace in their hearts.

About the Author

Sue Lewando was a teacher for several years before migrating to the office environment, where she was PA to the Treasurer of Clarks Shoes, a multi-national company, then, briefly, PA to Susan George, the actress best known for Straw Dogs. Sue had many genre books published (M&B and Virgin), under pseudonyms, and self-publishes her crime thrillers. She was on the committee of the Romantic Novelists’ Association in England, for whom she assessed typescripts. She has been a fiction tutor for the London School of Journalism for twenty years. She has two grown-up children, a happy second marriage, and a bundle of cats and dogs. She moved to West Cork with her husband to undertake a farmhouse refurbishment project, foster their joint passion for playing Irish traditional music, and to invest time in their individual academic projects. She recently completed a Masters in Creative Writing at UCC, taking the opportunity to explore diverse writing genres. She works with the Jeremy Murphy Literary Consultancy in the capacity of typescript analyst, ghostwriter, editor, and online publishing advisor. She loves good commercial fiction, and is a devotee of the Oxford comma.

Twitter / X @westcorkwriter #TheIrishFamilySecret

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📖 Book Review ~ Edith Holler by Edward Carey

 

Gallic Books
3 October 2024

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Norwich, 1901. Edith Holler spends her days among the eccentric denizens of the Holler Theatre, warned by her domineering father that the playhouse will literally tumble down if she should ever leave.

Fascinated by tales of the city she knows only from afar, young Edith decides to write a play of her own about Mawther Meg, a monstrous figure said to have used the blood of countless children to make the local delicacy, Beetle Spread. But when her father suddenly announces his engagement to a peculiar woman named Margaret Unthank, Edith scrambles to protect her father, the theatre, and her play – the one thing that’s truly hers – from the newcomer’s sinister designs.

Teeming with unforgettable characters and illuminated by Carey’s trademark illustrations, Edith Holler is a surprisingly modern fable of one young woman’s struggle to escape her family’s control and craft her own creative destiny.

📖 My Review..

Entering a novel by this talented writer is like descending into a parallel world where all rules are changed and where macabre meets superstition and however fanciful these ideas may be, what is guaranteed is a world quite unlike anything you have witnessed before.

Edith Holler is born and brought up in the family theatre in Norwich. Fated never to leave in case of dire consequences, Edith is a strange solitary figure caught up in her own imagination. When she chooses to write her own play about a grotesque figure known locally as Mawther Meg, it lets loose this author’s vivid imagination in a quirky story.

I can’t find the necessary words to adequately describe the contents of this book which would do it anything like justice, so I won’t spoil what is either a magnificent world of horror fiction or a rather bizarre fall into a dark fairy tale. Imaginative, descriptive and with Carey’s trademark gift for bizarre storytelling, Edith Holler captured my imagination especially with the added joy of Carey’s trademark sharp line drawings which do so much to enhance the narrative. There is no doubt that Edith Holler is every bit as good as this author’s previous novels which are always presented with such a unique perspective. 

About the Author

Edward Carey is a novelist, visual artist and playwright. He is the author of three acclaimed novels, Observatory Mansions, Alva & Irva and Little. Born in England, he teaches at the University of Texas at Austin. 

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Island Girls by Rachel Sweasey

 

Boldwood Books

22 October 2024

Thanks to the publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources

for the invitation to the blog tour

1941: For the townspeople of Poole on the Dorset coast, the war in Europe feels to be right on their doorstep. And with more and more men leaving to fight, one fisherman’s daughter is determined to do whatever she can to help. Peggy volunteers to use her skills on the water to work with the flying boats alongside the RAF based in the harbour. But when she is asked to undertake a special mission, she will have to make a terrible choice – between her duty to her country and her only chance of happiness.

1998: Rebekah has travelled halfway around the world to take up a role on Brownsea Island. This tiny island off the coast of England is a treasure trove of natural wonder, but it still carries the scars of fighting. And when Rebekah discovers a lost letter from the war, hidden all this time, she becomes determined to deliver it, fifty years later.

But the idyllic Dorset harbour hides many more secrets, and Rebekah’s search for the truth will change her life in ways she never imagined possible..

📖 My Review..

This lovely dual time story takes us into the heart of Dorset as we get to know Rebekah in the present time who works as a conservationist on the beautiful Brownsea Island. There, Rebekah enjoys her time meeting the tourists who visit this tiny island and yet she also guards her privacy well, that is, until a stranger arrives unexpectedly on her doorstep. Back in 1941, Peggy Symonds works as a BOAC boat operator, skilfully manoeuvring her small craft as she collects freight and passengers from the flying boats who come frequently into Poole harbour. Determined to do her duty for the war effort Peggy has some tough decisions to make.

Seamlessly moving between both time frames, a rather special story emerges and as one section finishes we return either to the past, or the present, following the story of two strong and determined young women. This picturesque part of Dorset comes to life as we explore Brownsea Island with Rebekah or travel the choppy coastal waters in Peggy’s boat. The author writes well, carefully blending the dark moments of history together with a gentle love story and with beautifully imagined characters the whole story becomes a delight to read and one which held my attention from start to finish.

About the Author

Rachel Sweasey is a historical fiction novelist. She lives in Australia, where she was born to English parents, but bases her fiction in Poole where she grew up, which provides inspiration for her WWII stories. her first book for Boldwood was The Last Boat Home.

Facebook: @RachelSweaseyAuthor / @highspotlit

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📖 Book Review ~ The Last BookShop in Prague by Helen Parusel

 

Boldwood 
25 September 2024

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

The banned books club was only the beginning; a place for the women of Prague to come together and share the tales the Germans wanted to silence.

For bookshop owner, Jana, doing the right thing was never a question. So when opportunity comes to help the resistance, she offers herself – and her bookshop. Using her window displays as covert signals and hiding secret codes in book marks, she’ll do all in her power to help.

But the arrival of two people in her bookshop will change everything: a young Jewish boy with nowhere else to turn, and a fascist police captain Jana can’t read at all. In a time where secrets are currency and stories can be fatal, will she know who to trust?

📖 My Review..

Jana lives with her widowed father above their bookshop in the city of Prague which is, at the start of the story, under German occupation. With certain books banned, Jana is determined to maintain interest in her bookshop and so organises a book club where local women have a safe place to get together but with her shop being watched, Jana is placing herself in great danger especially when she sees what is happening within the Jewish community.

This is such a beautifully described story which brings this dangerous period in European history alive in a really special way. I enjoyed getting to know more about a period in WWII history which I didn’t know very much about and which is brought to life so vividly. Desperately sad in places, this story reiterates the stoicism and bravery of those European communities who suffered so much during this dangerous time in world history.

The Last Bookshop in Prague combines everything I love in skilful historical fiction, the chance to learn something new about a moment in time and to have a story with one of the main characters being a bookshop. With a strong sense of time and place, The Last Bookshop in Prague, is a story which stays with you long after the last page is turned.

About the Author

Helen Parusel is a historical novelist, having been a teacher and a clothes buyer for M&S. she currently lives in Hamburg.

X@HelenParusel #TheLastBookshopInPrague

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📖 Blog Tour ~The Portrait Girl by Nicole Swengley

Breakthrough Books
10 October 2024

My thanks to the publisher and Random Things Tours for the book
and the invitation to the blog tour 

The Portrait Girl thrusts its bereaved and beleaguered heroine, jewellery designer Freya Wetherby, into an astonishing world of re-enacted Victorian art salons and the devious machinations of modern art theft.

Seeking the identity of a miniature portrait found in her late mother’s belongings, Freya becomes enraptured not only by this mysterious young woman but also by the hypnotic personality of art collector Ralph Merrick and his colourful entourage, including the dangerously attractive ‘Jack.’

Thoroughly researched, the milieu in which The Portrait Girl would have moved is beautifully rendered by Swengley, as are the artworks and jewellery designs imagined in the novel. Freya’s own contemporary world and circumstances form a dramatic backdrop to the seductive ‘time slip’ episodes, a mirage created by Merrick that draws her into his web.

📖 My Review..

When jewellery designer Freya Wetherby discovers a beautiful Victorian miniature amongst her late mother’s belongings she is perplexed as she doesn’t know the beautiful young woman in the portrait nor is she aware of her mother’s connection to it. Her quest to discover more about the portrait takes her into the complex world of art history where a chance meeting with art collector, Ralph Merrick, launches Freya on a rather dark and mysterious journey into the past. The lure of the portrait beguiles Freya, so much so, she is prepared go to great lengths to find out more and in doing so risks great danger. 

Beautifully recreating the story of the girl in the portrait, and I won’t give away any clues as to her identity, this is well written historical fiction with a fascinating glimpse into the modern art world. Together with Freya we step into sumptuous art galleries and dusty museums and also take part in grand soirées and dark seances in fashionable London and in doing so we learn more about the portrait girl and the world she inhabited.  The fascination for Victorian art and the lengths that unscrupulous people will go to in order to own a piece of this bygone world is layered beautifully and becomes quite a complex part of the plot. 

With its unique Victorian atmosphere running alongside its distinctively contemporary feel and bringing the art world, both past and present, to life, The Portrait Girl is a fascinating dual time story with an interesting and unexpected twist. I loved it and will look forward to more from this author.

About the Author

Nicole Swengley is a highly regarded and experienced journalist who has written about art and design for titles such as The Times, Financial Times, the Telegraph, London Evening Standard and many others. A past student of the Faber Academy, Nicole has written non-fiction books for Collins and Adlard Coles, and has had several short stories published in magazines and anthologies. The Portrait Girl is her first full length work of fiction.

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📖 Blog Tour ~ A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Darcy McGuire

Boldwood
12 October 2024
The Queen’s Deadly Damsels #2

My thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the book
and the invitation to the blog tour

Wallflower at risk of ruin…

Secret femme-fatale in training Millicent Whittenburg needs to escape her unpleasant betrothal. Taking matters into her own hands, she plans her eventual ruin! Then she can disappear from society to carry out the Queen’s deadly missions. Step 1: seduce the one man who despises marriage more than her!

However, she hugely underestimates her target. Major General Beaufort Drake. Fearsome private investigator, he’s notoriously cold and visibly battle scarred. But Millie’s scandalously public kiss awakens a deeply suppressed desire in Drake. Instead of allowing them both to succumb to shame he does the unthinkable, and offers for her hand in a convenient marriage.

Nothing prepares them for the fireworks when a fearless damsel collides with a dangerous Major General! And as their secret missions align they face their hardest test on the glittering battlefield – a week long wedding house party where there is nowhere to escape…only new and wicked lessons to be learnt!

My Review..

Millicent Whittenburg is desperate to get out of becoming betrothed so she decides to put into practice the idea of compromising her honour with a gentleman more of her own choosing. Major General Beaufort Drake, is no pushover but Millicent discovers, to her cost, that Drake, when confronted with Millicent’s suggestion rises to the challenge. He doesn’t, however, as yet, know of Millicent’s involvement as one of the Queen’s  investigators. 

Those who have read the first book in this Deadly Damsels series will be aware of the foundations of the story and so to have another femme-fatale and one as deadly as Millicent makes this story into a rollicking good romp. Wickedly spicy and with passion burning up the pages both Drake and Millie have met their match which, between them, keeps the passion, and the spice right up at boiling point.

These stories are great fun to read, not to be taken too seriously but at its core there is a sharp message which reminds us of how little choice women in the Victoria era had not just over their own bodies but also their limited sense of freedom and autonomy. The author writes well, with razor sharp wit and more than one caustic put down and with a real sense of the women in the story calling all the shots. It’s also a passionate love story with some truly steamy moments which helps in making Millie and Drake into characters you won’t forget in a hurry.

It’s perfectly possible to read  A Lady's Lesson in Scandal as a standalone story but it does make sense to get to know some of the recurring characters as that way you understand what makes them tick. I’m already looking forward to book number three in the Deadly Damsels series.

About the Author

Darcy McGuire is a high school counsellor who grew up in the wilds of New Zealand but happily settled in the Pacific Northwest. Darcy loves writing about fierce female protagonists who may dodge daggers and bullets but never seem to escape Cupid's arrow.

 

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Little Provence Bookshop by Gillian Harvey

Boldwood
9 October 2024

My thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the book 
and the invitation to the blog tour

As the sun rises over the little Provence village where single mother Adeline has escaped with her little girl Lili, she breathes deeply. This is their new beginning. Here, she can forget the lies her family told her. Here, she can start her story again.

Later she opens the door to the town’s tiny bookstore, where she is to work, ready to meet the mysterious owner Monique for the first time.

She expected an ordinary bookshop. But this bookstore feels somehow different… magical. Breathing in the smell of books, she feels a jolt of something. It feels like a new chapter beginning.

As she gets to know the villagers – including the handsome Andre and friendly Michel – she starts to believe in the magic of this new start. But can a runaway like Adeline ever find what she’s looking for? Or is a happy-ever-after just another fiction?

📖 My Review..

After learning some devastating news, Adeline, and her daughter Lili, relocate from London to a pretty French village where Adeline takes up a sales assistant position in the tiny village bookshop. In Le Petit Libraire she meets and forms a close friendship with Monique, the enigmatic owner of the book shop, who has her own special way of helping customers find just the right book.

This is such a lovely warm-hearted story that I was quite captivated by the idea of a magical bookshop and a special sort of owner who could match a particular book to the needs of the reader. I’m a great believer in a book coming along at the right time and this story explores this idea with some lovely detail. I especially enjoyed the snippets from a few Emily Dickinson poems which are scattered like gemstones throughout. It’s a gentle story, moving along at its own pace, but it does so with such nice attention to detail and some lovely characterisation. Monique is a fascinating character adding her own special brand of magic to the story. There is a twist to the plot which I did see coming but that was perfectly fine as everything worked out exactly as I hoped it would.

With a smattering of romance, the joy of friendship and a delicious sense of everything coming full circle The Little Provence Bookshop is a light and easy read filled with a cosy sense of warmth and a little bit of magic. 

About the Author

Gillian Harvey is a freelance journalist and the author of two well-reviewed women’s fiction novels published by Orion. She has lived in Limousin, France for the past twelve years, from where she derives the inspiration and settings for her books such as A Year at the French Farmhouse and A Month in Provence. 

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