📖 Publication Day Review ~ The Last Dance by Mark Billingham

Sphere
25 May 2023

Detective Miller #1

My thanks to the publisher and Laura Sherlock PR for my copy of this book

THE FIRST NEW SERIES FROM #1 BESTSELLER MARK BILLINGHAM IN 20 YEARS.

Meet Detective Miller: unique, unconventional, and criminally underestimated...

A double murder in a seaside hotel sees grieving Detective Miller return to work to solve what appears to be a case of mistaken identity. Will this eccentric, offbeat sleuth find answers where more traditional police have found only a puzzle?

📖 My Review..

In this first book of a new series we are introduced to Detective Declan Miller, who it must be said, has a rather unconventional approach to policing, but whose thoroughness and ability to leave no stone unturned makes him what matters, that is, a good copper and an altogether decent bloke. 

At the start of the novel Miller is recently returned to work, the reasons for this are slowly and thoughtfully unraveled, and his first job is to investigate a double murder which takes place on his home patch in the seaside town of Blackpool. What then follows is a tight and well controlled crime novel which has numerous red herrings, umpteen loose ends and more than enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Rather unexpectedly, and away from his maverick style of policing, Declan Miller has a passion for ballroom, well, after all,  this is set in Blackpool, home of ballroom dancing, and so it is this softer side of his nature which allows us a tantalising glimpse into the man and the reasons for his, at times, unbearable sadness.

I'm not going to spoil The Last Dance by giving you the ins and outs of the plot, that's for you to find out for yourself but I have enjoyed spending time with Declan Miller, he's a detective I'd like to know more about and if the buzz of excitement on social media about this new series is anything to go off I would hope that Miller makes another appearance very soon.

About the Author

Mark Billingham was born and brought up in Birmingham. Having worked for some years as an actor and more recently as a TV writer and stand-up comedian his first crime novel was published in 2001. Mark lives in North London with his wife and two children.

Twitter @MarkBillingham #TheLastDance

@BooksSphere

@laurasherlock21

Website 

🎄Book Review ~ The Gingerbread Café by Anita Faulkner

Sphere
27 October 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

The Gingerbread Café is always full of Christmas magic. Come rain or shine (or even a July heatwave), there's always a hot chocolate bursting with cinnamon and marshmallows waiting for you. For introverted Gretel, it's been the perfect escape from 'real life'. The owner, Nell, is Gretel's last link to her late mum, and hiding out at the café feels so much safer than making new friends. 

So when Nell suddenly passes, Gretel is left heartbroken. Then she discovers that Nell has left the café to her - but there's a catch. Gretel has to share the running of The Gingerbread Café with the least festive person ever: Nell's nephew, Lukas. Head chef at the local fancy restaurant, Lukas makes it clear he has no time for the café, Gretel or even Christmas itself, and Gretel's too busy struggling to save her burnt batches of gingerbread to work out why.

Gretel is determined to keep Christmas alive and make the café a success before Lukas hands the keys over to the scrooge-like developers. But she can't do it alone; besides an over friendly ferret and a waitress with a secret, the only person she has now is Lukas. Will it take a Christmas miracle to get the pair to finally see eye to eye, or could the ice already be melting?

🎄My Review

What a scrumptious festive treat this has turned out to be, filled with warmth and wit the story is the perfect antidote to festive stress although lovely Gretel Rosenheart has her share of stress when she is bequeathed a part share in The Gingerbread Café, a place which is very dear to her heart, but which is not something she ever envisaged taking over. The least festive person ever is Lukas who shares the other half of the cafe and together under the terms of their benefactor's will they must run the cafe together. This is no easy task as there is someone waiting on the sidelines who is determined to make a take over bid for the cafe and turn it into one of those ghastly chain coffee shops. 

With a strength of will she never knew she possessed Gretel aims to make The Gingerbread Café a success and with no culinary skills and constantly at odds with Lukas, Gretel has a hard task on her hands. However, with skill, perseverance and the help of friends she shows that anything can be achieved. There's so much to enjoy in this lovely story, from the idea of a Christmas themed cafe which is open all year round, to the interaction between the characters, especially lovely Gretel, and the brooding Lukas, everything just seems to fit together perfectly and right from the start The Gingerbread Café  oozes festive appeal.

Best read with...a gingery lebkuchen biscuit and a comforting cup of hot cinnamon chocolate

About the Author

Anita Faulkner writes warm and fuzzy romcoms from her upcycled bureau in the south west of England. She grew up sniffing books and devouring stories. And she insists it was perfectly normal to squirrel boxes of pretty stationery that felt far too magical to actually use. She's also accumulated a brave and patient husband and a strong-willed little boy who brighten up her world.

Twitter @anita_falkner_  #TheGingerbreadCafe

@BooksSphere

@_natashagill

Amazon UK

📖 The Italian Escape by Catherine Mangan

 

Sphere
28 April 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Niamh Kelly's life hasn't turned out quite as she'd expected. She's thirty-three, still living at home and was recently dumped . . . by her boss. So when her sister invites her to tag along on a work trip to the sun-drenched Italian coast, Niamh jumps at the chance, eager to escape into a world of sparkling prosecco, delicious food, and breath-taking beaches.

Upon her arrival, Niamh immediately falls in love with the beautiful Italian town they're staying in and realises she never wants to leave, deciding instead to stay and open up a quaint coffee shop nestled in charming old town streets - even if she has no idea what she's doing. But when a family tragedy and a tricky tourist season threaten her new business, Niamh isn't so sure she can stick it out.

With help from her new-found Italian friends - and the possibility of romance on the horizon - can she make her new life in the sun a success?

📖 My Review..

Niamh Kelly's personal and professional life has fallen apart so when her older sister invites her to travel to Italy with her, Niamh jumps at the chance of getting away from all her worries. The beautiful Italian town of Santa Margarita is everything that her home town isn't and Niamh, reluctant to go back to Ireland decides to stay in Italy and opens a quirky coffee shop in the town, however, as she discovers, things don't work out in the way she expected them too.

Niamh discovers that her time in Italy is filled with obstacles especially as she doesn't have a grip on the language but her way forward is interesting and with strength of spirit, and a few good friends, Niamh does her best to keep going despite the setbacks which inevitably come her way.

The author writes well and brings time, place and people alive in the imagination and with a nice romantic edge there is more than enough to keep turning the pages to see what happens next for Niamh on her fascinating Italian escape.

The Italian Escape is a lovely immersive story which has all the right ingredients for an escapist summer/holiday read and I can imagine that this story will go really well if you are lounging by the pool or just sitting in your favourite chair in the garden.

🍷Best read with ...an Aperol spritz or a creamy cappuccino.

About the Author

Catherine Mangan gre up in Ireland before embarking on her own Italian escape. She studies languages at University College Cork before moving to Italy (briefly) with friends, which was the start of he life long love affair with the country. She now divides her time between Ireland and Silicon Valley. 

Twitter @Cath_mangan

@BooksSphere

📖 Blog Tour ~ A Colourful Country Escape by Anita Faulkner

 

Sphere 
9 June 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and the invitation to the blog tour

Falling in love isn't always so black and white...

When vibrant but penniless Lexie is dumped by her posh boyfriend who is looking for a more financially suitable match, she decides to pack up her beloved orange campervan Penny in search of a new path. Stumbling upon a vacancy at a family-run paint company in the Cotswolds, Lexie believes she's found her perfect match

Lexie arrives at Nutgrass Hall, home of Carrington Paints, but it seems that owner Benedict Carrington is less than impressed with her arrival, and Lexie realises she'll have her work cut out for her if she's to convince stuffy "Beige Ben" to trust her with rescuing his out-of-touch business. But Ben has more on his mind than just the company - his mother is determined to find him a suitable wife worthy of carrying the Carrington family name, or she'll take the business from him.

As Lexie sets to work on injecting some life colour into Carrington Paints, Ben allows himself to be set up with Tewkesbury's finest ladies. But the more time the pair spend together, the more they realise their feelings for each other aren't so black and white. Will Lexie be able to brighten into Ben's colourless world before it's too late?

📖 My Review...

A Colourful Country Escape is just what I needed over this bank holiday weekend, a lovely light hearted romance with characters who steal into your heart right from the start.

After a love affair goes wrong, Lexie packs up her beloved orange camper van, imaginatively named Penny, and heads off for a new adventure. Arriving for a job interview at the beautiful Nutgrass Hall, home to the Carrington Paint company, Lexie is promptly given the job of promoting this family run business much to the concern of Benedict, who is the elder of two brothers who run this outdated paint company. It's a job which will have interesting consequences, not just for Lexie, whose quirky humour sees her through many tricky situations, but also for Ben who is something of a traditionalist and the rather formidable, Mrs Carrington-Noble, the matriarch, who has her doubts about Lexie's suitability, in more ways than one.

The characterisation is really lovely, there are those who you dislike and equally there are those people you just love, especially Mrs Moon, the housekeeper, whose outlook on life and delicious cooking was such a pleasure to read, and even Beige Ben, who turns out not to be quite so beige after all. There's lots to think about in this debut novel which the author brings into focus with a lovely light touch and a fine eye for the minutiae of life with all its ups, downs, sadness and joys.

A Colourful Country Escape is lovely warm-hearted read, with lots of humour and quirky characters who, from start to finish, make this story such a joy.

🍵Best Read with...a cup of lemon balm tea and some of Mrs Moon's Lavender shortbread.

About the Author

ANITA FAULKNER writes warm and fuzzy romcoms from her upcycled bureau in the south west of England. She grew up sniffing books and devouring stories. And she insists it was perfectly normal to squirrel boxes of pretty stationary that felt far too magical to actually use. She’s accumulated a brave and patient husband and a strong-willed little boy who brighten up her world

Twitter @anita_falkner_ #A ColourfulCountryEscape

@booksphere

@_natashagill

Amazon UK

📖 Blog Tour ~ The Mother's Day Victory by Rosie Hendry

Little Brown, Sphere
3 March 2022

#2 Women on the Home Front

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

 

Norfolk, 1940. As war rages on, sisters Prue and Thea, along with the wider community of Great Plumstead, are doing all they can to help the war effort,from running the mobile canteen for the Women's Voluntary Service to organising clothing drives and collecting salvage.When, Anna, a young German girl who fled her country, seeks refuge in the village, Thea opens up her home, Rookery House, and invites Anna into their growing family. But while many in the village welcome Anna with open arms, others are suspicious of the new arrival.

As the war intensifies and panic sweeps the country, Anna is taken by the government who fear she's a spy. The women of Great Plumstead are already fighting their own battles on the Home Front, but will they come together in Anna's time of need to keep the newest member of their community safe from war?

📖My Review.. 

Those who have read the first book in this wonderful series will be as delighted as I was to return to the village of Great Plumstead in Norfolk where we meet again the characters we grew to know, and love,  in The Mother's Day Club. This story begins with the story of Anna Weissenborn who has escaped persecution in Germany in order to make a new life in England. However, in 1940 all enemy aliens are viewed with suspicion even those who pose no threat to the country's security. At first Anna is welcomed at Rookery House without prejudice from Thea, Hettie and Marianne, but there are some in the village who are, initially less welcoming. As the war grows ever stronger, Anna finds that her past is about to come back to haunt her, much to the dismay of those who have grown to know and love her.

I think this latest novel emphasises the difficulties that were being experienced on the home front. The very real threat of a German invasion is very much at the forefront of everyone's mind, and frequent air raid warnings and nights spent in Anderson shelters brings this danger ever closer. The way the women of Great Plumstead pull together in this time of great trouble is very much in evidence, be they making do and mending, restoring old clothes to use again, collecting bits of household rubbish to use as salvage or driving the WVS canteen around the area.

The Mother's Day Victory is a beautifully written story with a true sense of the camaraderie which brings the wartime spirit very much alive. There's warmth and wisdom, happiness and sadness, and yet throughout it all the women of Great Plumstead rally forth with stoicism and practical common sense.

📖 Best Read with... a slice of Hettie's Victoria sponge and a nice cup of tea.

About the Author

Rosie Hendry lives by the sea in North Norfolk with her husband and children. She writes uplifting, heart-warming historical fiction based on true events from our social history.Listening to her father’s tales of life during the Second World War sparked her interest in this period and she loves researching further, seeking out gems of real-life stories which inspire her writing.

Twitter @hendry_rosie

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Website

@rararesources

📖 Book Review ~ Betrayed by Roberta Kray

Sphere
18 March 2021

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

After losing her mum in a tragic accident, Chrissy Moss fought to survive on one of the East End’s most notorious estates. When a fifteen-year-old girl disappears, hours after delivering a message for a local gang leader, the residents take the law into their own hands, causing buried secrets to resurface.

And you must fight to survive.

With rumours flying about the girl’s disappearance, the truth about Chrissy’s mother is called into question, and Chrissy begins to suspect her death was no accident: it was murder. But people on the estate are refusing to talk, and to find answers Chrissy must unravel an age-old web of deceit that runs right into the heart of London’s East End.

As Chrissy grows nearer to the truth, she unwittingly inches closer to danger. Could it be that she, like her mother, has put her trust in the wrong person?

📖 My thoughts...

Chrissy Moss and her two teenage friends are whiling away a boring Sunday afternoon when the arrival of a handsome older boy shakes them out of their lethargy. When he asks them to deliver a message, this, seemingly innocent action, sets off a chain of events which has repercussions for each of the girls' in the future but it also has links to hidden secrets which have been buried for far too long. 

Not for the faint hearted, Betrayed brings into sharp focus a rundown London estate where neither hope nor charity is allowed to linger and where poverty and abusive behaviour is considered normal. Chrissy and her friends seem to be caught in a quagmire with no escape, so when one of them goes missing, it's only a matter of time before the tinder box of unrest and disquiet goes out of control.

Filled with an abundance of twists and turns, Betrayed rolls along with gusto, cleverly moving forwards in time as we get to know Chrissy, the feisty protagonist of the story, in some detail and it is her voice which comes across loud and clear as she tries to make sense of what happened on that fateful Sunday in 1975, when her best friend went missing.

In Betrayed, the author brings to life the seamier side of life in London's East End with a sense of drama and intrigue and with a palpable tension which lasts from first page to last.

About the Author

Through her marriage to Reggie Kray, Roberta Kray has a unique and authentic insight into London’s East End. Roberta met Reggie in early 1996 and they married the following year; they were together until Reggie’s death in 2000. Roberta is the author of many previous bestsellers including No Mercy, Dangerous Promises, Exposed and Survivor.

Twitter @LittleBrownUK

📖 Book Review ~ A Week at the Shore by Barbara Delinsky

Sphere
18 March 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky explores how lives and relationships are forever changed when three sisters reunite at their family Rhode Island beach house.

It’s been twenty years since Mallory left home, running from the scandal that tore her family apart and ended her relationship with her first love. But now her father is sick, and Mallory, along with her estranged sisters, must return to the lives they left behind.

Soon after her arrival, Mallory bumps into Jack, the only man she’s ever loved and the reason she left town. Jack is different now, no longer the rebel she once knew, but as much as the pair wish to reconnect, the secrets that tore them apart decades ago continue to divide them.

While caring for her father and trying to repair her rocky relationship with her sisters, Mallory, with Jack’s help, chases down answers about the scandal that separated them. Could it be that the truth they’re seeing lies much closer to home?

📖 My thoughts..

After receiving a disturbing phone call about her father, Mallory Aldiss returns to Rhode Island after an absence of twenty years. The Aldiss family are complicated, especially as hints of a scandal twenty years ago still lingers in the shadows. Mallory's relationship with her elderly father is fractured and whilst he is pleased to see Mallory and his young teenage granddaughter, he  seems unsettled, and his growing confusion only heightens the family tension. Being back home in Bay Bluff brings back all the complicated reasons of just why Mallory left twenty years ago, and when she meets again with her ex-boyfriend, everything that she had buried so carefully comes back to haunt her. 

It takes a while for the story to get going but the author maintains her usual style for slow and considered writing. The careful veneer with which the Aldiss family have surrounded themselves forms the heart of the story, old resentments linger and family secrets threaten to overshadow everything and it's only by confronting her problems will Mallory ever be able to move on with her life.

Set against the glorious background of the Rhode Island coastline which the author describes so beautifully I feel as if my feet touched the sand and walked alongside Mallory as she attempts to make sense of how her life had taken her back to this moment. 

A Week at the Shore carefully rolls out family secrets which, once revealed, can never be hidden again.

About the Author

Barbara Delinsky lives in Needham, Massachusetts. With thirty million copies of her novels in print, in twenty-five different languages, Delinsky is one of the world’s most beloved and revered storytellers. A lifelong New Englander, she uses the area as settings in most of her stories. In her spare time, Barbara enjoys kayaking, aerobics and needlepoint, in addition to spending time with family and friends. She is also a breast cancer survivor, and strives to be a positive role model for other women facing the disease.

Twitter @BarbaraDelinsky #AWeekAtTheShore

@LittleBrownUK

Book Review ~ The Graves of Whitechapel by Claire Evans ☼

Sphere
20 June 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

In the gripping new novel by the author of The Fourteenth Letter, a lawyer in Victorian London must find a man he got off a murder charge - and who seems to have killed again . . .

Victorian London, 1882. Five years ago, crusading lawyer Cage Lackmann successfully defended Moses Pickering against a charge of murder. Now, a body is found bearing all the disturbing hallmarks of that victim - and Pickering is missing. Did Cage free a brutal murderer?

Cage's reputation is in tatters, and worse, he is implicated in this new murder by the bitter detective who led the first failed case. Left with no other alternative, Cage must find Pickering to prove his innocence.

His increasingly desperate search takes him back to the past, to a woman he never thought to see again, and down into a warren of lies and betrayals concealed beneath Holland Park mansions and the mean streets of Whitechapel - where a murderer, heartbreak and revenge lie in wait.

What did I think about it.. 

The story opens with lawyer, Cage Lackmann in a somewhat precarious position as it would seem that, in his role defending the thieves and vagabonds who call the dark streets of Whitechapel home, he has made some deadly enemies. Trying to prove his innocence will be the challenge of a lifetime and before the story is done Cage will have to confront the dark secrets in his own chequered past.

I've really enjoyed spending time in Victorian London with this enigmatic lawyer. Cage is a strange and rather unusual man of law as he seems to keep more than one foot on the wrong side. However, when Cage gets embroiled in the hunt for a vicious killer whose modus operandi is remarkably similar to a suspect he successfully defended some years past, Cage gets pulled further and further into a mystery of epic proportions.

The author writes with skilful accuracy and certainly knows how to crank up the tension whilst at the same time keeping the historical accuracy completely authentic. The Victorian underbelly of society comes gloriously alive, whether it be festering in the deep bowels of Newgate prison, lurking in the shadows and alleyways of East London, or languishing in the brothels and molly houses who cater for all manner of tastes and delectation.

The Graves of Whitechapel is a lively historical thriller which has more than enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, I certainly never anticipated what was to come. Whilst this is a stand alone story I would rather hope that the author could bring Cage Lackmann back in another adventure as I am sure that the rather mean and moody streets of Whitechapel in the latter part of the nineteenth century could find Cage once again embroiled in a dark and devious crime investigation.

About the Author

Claire Evans is an established business specialist in the UK television industry. After finishing her law degree, she qualified as an accountant, but realising her mistake quickly ran away to work at the National Theatre before finally landing a job at the BBC. Once there, she rose through the ranks to head up operations and business affairs across the TV commissioning teams. She left the BBC in 2013 to pursue her writing career. Since then she has advised a number of drama and film production companies, most recently working on The Honourable Woman and Doctor Foster. She is also the Chief Operating Officer at Two Brothers Pictures Ltd, the creators of The Missing.

Twitter @claireevans113 #TheGravesofWhitechapel

@TheCrimeVault

Amazon UK

Book Review ~ Winning at Life by Kathryn Wallace

Sphere
6 February 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

A funny and uplifting novel about parenting by the author of Absolutely Smashing It and internet sensation behind the fantastically funny I Know, I Need to Stop Talking. 

It’s back to a new school term for the kids. Their mums – Gemma and Becky – are breathing a huge sigh of relief and reaching for the gin bottle. Except for the fact that Becky appears to be accidentally a little bit pregnant… 

But that’s not the first shock for the parents in the playground. Over the summer, part of their beloved Redcoats Primary has burned down. The school needs to raise thousands of pounds to stay open – and Gemma and Becky have been forced on to the fundraising committee (just to add to the millions of messages from their online parent groups). 

In a year that will see new babies (for Becky), new schools (for Same), and a whole new business for Gemma, will they all keep their heads above water – and find out that they’re #winningatlife?

What did I think about it..

I haven't read, Absolutely Smashing It, the book that precedes this one, which first introduces Gemma and her children, Sam and Ava, but that really didn't matter as I was soon caught up in Gemma's world as she struggles with being a single parent, whilst at the same time trying to keep her home and burgeoning love life on track.

There's so much to enjoy in this novel which looks at all the vagaries of modern life, from getting your children up and ready for school, juggling a full time and demanding job, to all those other complicated bits and pieces which make up the minutiae of the daily workings of a modern family. When her children's primary school burns down, Gemma, along with her best friend, Becky, somehow gets drawn into the fund raising committee with some really funny results.

I've really enjoyed this light hearted look at families and of the very real problems which can seem absolutely huge at the time and can threaten to get out of all proportion. The author brings her characters alive with a real dollop of realism whilst at the same time keeping everything witty and laugh out loud funny. In particular, Gemma's children Sam and Ava are great little characters and I found myself laughing so much at Ava, she's brilliant and a real breath of fresh air. It's quite sweary in places but never offensive and that adds to its charm as you're never quite sure what the children, particularly Ava is going to say, or do, next.

The author writes well with a light and easy style so that it feels like you're having a chat with your best friend over a coffee or a glass, or two, of wine.

Recommended ✅if you like feisty, fun reads about family, friendship and love.

About the Author

Kathryn Wallace is an experienced blogger, whose writing career started with a post that she wrote about her front bottom’s run in with some mint and tea tree Original Source shower gel went viral and ended up being ready by more than 30 million people globally. #lifegoals. A full-time working parent, Kathryn somehow finds the time in between regularly losing her shit and screaming “TEETH! HAIR! SHOES” on repeat to update her blog. I know, I Need To Stop Talking, which has around 175,000 followers on Facebook and is growing rapidly. In her spare time, Kathryn likes to lie face down on the sofa screaming silently into a cushion or attempt to convince her children that urination doesn’t require an audience.

Twitter @IKINTST #WinningatLife

Facebook

@LittleBrownUK

Hist Fic Saturday~ The Magick of Master Lilly by Tobsha Learner

On Hist Fic saturday

Let's go back to ...1641

Sphere
1 November 2018

In 1641, the country of England stands divided. London has become a wasps' nest of spies, and under the eyes of the Roundheads those who practice magic are routinely sent to hang.

Living in exile in the Surrey countryside is the Master Astrologer and learned magician William Lilly. Since rumours of occult practice lost him the favour of Parliament, he has not returned to the city. But his talents are well-known, and soon he is called up to London once more, to read the fate of His Majesty the King.

My thoughts about it..

There's an awful lot going on in this novel which looks not only at the way superstition and astrology was used to try to make sense of a world that was becoming increasingly dangerous, but it also covers the interesting and complex time which we associate with the English Civil War.

William Lilly is both a magician and astrologer who gets caught up in the momentous events of this time and who, it would seem, is able to accurately predict some aspects of future events, however, to do so in such a difficult time was not only dangerous but in some situations perhaps even a little foolhardy.

Whilst it took me a while to get into this story, and I'm still not altogether sure, even by the end of the story, that I really liked Master Lilly, and yet, there is no doubt that he was a fascinating character and the fact that he actually existed makes the story all the more interesting. Once I became more used to the author's distinct style of writing I found the novel to be an enjoyable and thought-provoking read and it was certainly interesting to have an altogether different interpretation of this, rather complicated, period in English history. 

The author writes well and it is obvious from the historical content within the story that a great deal of research has been done about the life of Master Lilly. All the sights, sounds and sensations of the seventeenth century come realistically to life which help to create a memorable atmosphere and some truly unforgettable characters.

About the Author

Tobsha Learner was born and raised in England; she now divides her time between Australia, the UK and the USA. She is well known in Australia as an author and playwright.

Amazon UK

Blog Tour ~ The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club by Sophie Green

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be part of the blog tour for The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club

Sphere
1 March 2018

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of the book and the invitation to to be part of this blog tour

Books bring them together – But friendship will transform all their lives

In 1978 the Northern Territory in Australia has begun to self-govern and telephones are not yet a common fixture. Life is hard and people are isolated, but these five women find a way to connect.

Sybil, the matriarch of Fairvale Station, misses her eldest son and is looking for a distraction.

Kate, Sybil's daughter-in-law, is thousands of miles away from home and finding it difficult to adjust to life at Fairvale.

Sallyanne, mother of three, dreams of a life far removed from the dusty town where she lives with her difficult husband.

Rita, Sybil's oldest friend, is living far away in Alice Springs and working for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

And Della, who left Texas for Australia looking for adventure and work on the land, needs some purpose in her life.

Sybil comes up with a way to give them all companionship: they all love to read, and she forms a book club. As these five women bond over their love of books, they form friendships that will last a lifetime.

My thoughts about it...

Sybil Baxter, and her husband, Joe own the Fairvale Ranch and are respected keepers of the land but life can be lonely and tough for the women of the Northern Territory and so, Sybil, in an effort to draw five very different women together organises a book club, which, although only able to meet a few times a year, when the weather is favourable, gives this group of women something to look forward to. Each of them have their own set of problems and yet, it is their shared interest and compassion for each other which will see them through the worst of their troubles. 

The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club is a lovely gentle story which brings to life the difficulties and isolation of living in such a remote area. The 1970s setting is a perfect choice and brings to life not just the people but also the inaccessibility of living in such an untamed land. For not only is the land difficult to work with, it must also be remembered that this is a less sophisticated time when telephones were still shared party lines and transport was often difficult. However, friendship is very much a vital commodity in this time when women were very often seen as superfluous to men. 

The author writes well and allows the quiet pace of the story to unfold gradually. Time and place is captured perfectly and I really enjoyed the descriptions of wide open spaces and big skies. However, there is far more to the story than the splendour of the Australian outback, it is also about love and loss, heartbreak and romance, sadness and despair and running throughout like a silken thread is the strength of the ties that bind them all together. 

Combining a love of books with the intricacies of female friendship is such a strong premise for a novel that it really couldn’t fail to entice me in from the very start.

About the Author

Sophie Green is an author and publisher who lives in Sydney. She has written several fiction and non-fiction books, some under other names. In her spare time she writes about country music on her blog, Jolene. She fell in love with the Northern Territory the first time she visited and subsequent visits inspired the story in The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club. 

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Twitter @sophiegreenauth @LittleBrownUK

Review ~ The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman

Sphere
22 February 2018

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

What's it all about..

In the three years since her husband died in a car accident, Lili has just about managed to resume her day-to-day life as a single mother and successful illustrator. She can now get her two girls to school, show up to work and watch TV like a pro. But there's still the small problem of the aching loss she feels inside.

When she's commissioned to illustrate a series of horticultural books, and signs up to a weekly gardening class, finally her life starts to bloom again.

The class provides Lili with a new network of unexpected friends - friends with their own heartaches and problems - and, maybe, another chance at love

My thoughts about it...

Lilian has had her share of life's difficulties but, three years after she was tragically widowed, she is bravely battling on, looking after her two children and keeping her job as a textbook illustrator. When she is offered the opportunity to illustrate a series of vegetable guides she is little taken aback when the proviso for her getting the job is that she must attend a vegetable growing class at the Los Angeles Botanical Garden. This is really far out of her comfort zone but with her children and sister accompanying her, Lilian finds that gardening opens up all sorts of unexpected possibilities.

Getting to know new people gives Lilian new found confidence and it was  interesting to see how her character progressed throughout the story. There are some lovely light hearted moments which made me smile but there also some quite sad reflective moments as Lilian, after a difficult few years, and with the help of her friends starts, to look forward into the future.

The Garden of Small Beginnings is a charming and inspirational story about finding out about what makes you truly happy. The author writes well and the novel has a lovely contemporary feel. I especially enjoyed reading the lovely gardening snippets which are interspersed throughout the novel.

Published today by Sphere.

About the Author

Website

Twitter @amplecat 

Amazon UK

Blog Tour ~ East End Angels by Rosie Hendry

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to host today's stop on the 

East End Angels Blog Tour

Meet The East End Angels, the newest members of Station Seventy-Five’s ambulance crew – when the war arrives, only true friendship will see them through.

Sphere
14 December 2017

My thanks to the publishers for my invitation to be part of this blog tour and for my copy of the book

Strong-willed Winnie loves being part of the crew at Station Seventy-Five but her parents are less than happy. She has managed to avoid their pleas to join the WRENS so far but when a tragedy hits too close to home she finds herself wondering if she’s cut out for this life after all. 

Former housemaid Bella was forced to leave the place she loved when she lost it all and it’s taken her a while to find somewhere else to call home. She’s finally starting to build a new life but when the air raids begin, it seems she may have to start over once again. 

East-Ender Frankie’s sense of loyalty keeps her tied to home so it’s not easy for her to stay focused at work. With her head and heart pulling in different directions, will she find the strength to come through for her friends when they need her the most? 

Brought together at LAAS Station Seventy-Five in London’s East End during 1940, these three very different women soon realise that they’ll need each other if they’re to get through the days ahead. But can the ties of friendship, love and family all remain unbroken?

What did I think about it ...

Winnie, Bella and Frankie are a feisty bunch of young women who work closely together as ambulance crew at the LAAS Station Seventy-Five in London’s East End. They are constantly called out to attend the devastation and destruction caused by the nightly bombing raids on London during the Blitz in 1940. The horror they witness on nightly basis bonds the group very firmly together and as they share the ups and downs of their lives so their friendship becomes stronger and stronger. Nicknamed the East End Angels, the ambulance team provide a vital service during this devastating time during WW2.

The separate lives of the three women come together in a lovely way, and even though Winnie, Bella and Frankie are all very different, it is in their shared experiences where the story starts to become really interesting. I didn't know anything about the London ambulance service during WW2, so it was fascinating to read this fictional account of what the crews faced on a regular basis and of the hardships they endured.

The author creates an authentic sense of time and place which really captures the uncertain war time mood. The deadly danger of trying to survive against all odds comes across as does the stoicism of the East Enders who tried to make the best of what life threw at them.The story flows nicely and amidst the gloom, there are some lovely light moments which add necessary light and shade.

And as the private lives of Winnie, Bella and Frankie start to mix with their working lives you can't help but form emotional bonds with  each of them. This trio of strong female protagonists are a lively bunch, they make you laugh out loud at some of their antics and yet, they also show huge compassionate and expertise in the most dire of circumstances.

East End Angels is a lovely war time saga with more than enough adventure and a smattering of romance. It is encouraging to note that there will be a continuation of the East End Angels story in the next book Secrets of the East End Angels which is coming soon.

About the Author

Rosie Hendry lives by the sea in Norfolk with her husband and two children. East End Angels is the first book in her uplifting and heart-warming saga series that follows the lives and loves of Winnie, Frankie and Bella, who all work for the London Auxiliary Ambulance Service (LAAS) during the Blitz. Listening to her father’s tales of life during the Second World War sparked Rosie’s interest in this period and she loves researching further, searching out gems of real life events which inspire her writing. 

Keep up-to-date with Rosie 

Website

Twitter @hendry_rosie #EastEndAngels @LittleBookCafe

Become her friend on Facebook rosie.hendry.94

Amazon UK

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Blog Tour ~ Burned and Broken by Mark Hardie

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be part of the Burned and Broken Blog Tour

Peter James meets James Oswald in this gripping, gritty British crime debut

Now available in eBook

Sphere

The charred body of an enigmatic policeman – currently the subject of an internal investigation – is found in the burnt-out shell of his car on the Southend sea front.

Meanwhile, a vulnerable young woman, fresh out of the care system, is trying to discover the truth behind the sudden death of her best friend.

As DS Frank Pearson and DC Catherine Russell from the Essex Police Major Investigation Team are brought in to solve the mystery of their colleague's death, dark, dangerous secrets begin to surface. Can they solve both cases,  before it's too late?

My thoughts about the book...



The story starts with a rather brutal prologue which sets the scene for this dark and gritty crime novel which investigates the murder of a serving police officer and the unexplained the death of a vulnerable young woman who has recently left the care system. On the surface these two deaths should be unrelated but as the Essex Police Major Investigation Team find out, nothing is ever as it should be when dealing with the complexities of major crime incidents. Set in the seaside town of Southend-on -Sea, there is a definite air of faded gentility to a town that is going downhill fast, and for police investigators DS Frank Pearson and DC Catherine Russell the more they delve into the events leading up to both these deaths, the more deadly secrets they start to unravel.

As with any new police procedural crime series there is a certain amount of getting to know the major characters and both Frank Pearson and Catherine Russell are written with more than enough going on in their private lives to be able to make an emotional connection to them. However, I thought that some of the other characters lagged behind in the personality stakes a little, but that's no bad thing, as sometimes, inevitably, you will like one character above another, that's the way life goes. The police procedural element to the story is well written with more than enough twists and turns in the plot to keep the reader guessing until the end, and I must say that I enjoyed trying to second guess the investigation.


Burned and Broken is this author's debut novel and I am sure that as the series progresses we will see the writing go from strength to strength. 

Best Read With...  A few prawns, some crusty bread and a large glass of Chardonnay

About the Author

Mark Hardie was born in 1960 in Bow, East London. He began writing fulltime after completely losing his eyesight in 2002. He has completed a creative writing course and an advanced creative writing course at the Open University, both with distinction.

Mark lives with his wife Debbie in Southend-on-Sea.

Follow on Twitter @Markhardiecrime

#BurnedandBroken @TheCrimeVault

My thanks to Clara at Little, Brown for the invitation to be part of this exciting blog tour.

Burned and Broken will be out in paperback in May 2017

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Review ~ Cleopatra's Shadows by Emily Holleman

Sphere
June 2016

There's just something about a well-placed Egyptian eye that conjures Cleopatra's Egypt like nothing else and yet, this book, in a refreshing twist, focuses on Cleopatra's sisters, namely Arsinoe and Berenice, who find themselves out of Cleopatra's shadow when in 58 BC Berenice usurps the throne to become the first queen of Egypt in a thousand years.  Arsinoe, then just eight years old, is in constant fear for her life as Berenice is not as supportive a sister as Cleopatra, and to Arsinoe's dismay, Cleopatra is now in exile and can no longer be of help to her.

What then follows is an atmospheric tale of two sisters who find themselves at the centre of Egyptian politics, in a court which is rife with intrigue, alive with danger and ridden with superstitions. Cleverly divided into alternate chapters, the story brings together both the elder and the younger sister thus giving vibrant life to Arsinoe and Berenice, and at the same time allowing a unique perspective into the intimate details of their lives.

As very little is known about either Berenice or Arsinoe I think that the author has done a credible job in bringing them to life so that they feel authentic, without being too contrived. Time and place is cleverly described and the opulence of living within the confines of the Egyptian court is cleverly juxtaposed against the collusion and conspiracies which lured the unsuspecting to their violent deaths.

Time and place comes alive in the imagination. The constant hint of danger, the uncertainty of life which was so easily destroyed, at whim, shows very cleverly the destructive nature of a family constantly at odds with itself. Of course, it must not be forgotten that this is historical fiction, but by blending together known facts, a fascinating story of the Ptolemaic dynasty emerges, and as I became immersed in the plots and machinations of Upper Egypt, Cleopatra’s Shadow was never very far away.

A good debut novel from a talented new author of Historical fiction.

Best Read with ..goblets of spiced Egyptian wine and platters of minted veal and honeyed duck

About the author

Emily Holleman became fascinated with Cleopatra's younger sister Arsinoe on a in 2011 trip to Egypt and has been researching and writing about the Ptolemies ever since. A graduate of Yale university, Holleman spent several years as an editor for salon.com - a job she left to follow Arsinoe and her quest for the throne of Alexandria. She lives and works in Brooklyn and is, unsurprisingly, a younger sister.

Find the author on Facebook and Twitter @emilyjholleman

Amazon UK

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book.

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