Review ~ The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick

HQ
2016

What's it all about...

Browsing antiques shops in Wiltshire, Alison Bannister stumbles across a delicate old portrait – supposedly of Anne Boleyn. Except Alison knows better… The woman is Mary Seymour, the daughter of Katherine Parr who was taken to Wolf Hall in 1557 as an unwanted orphan and presumed dead after going missing as a child.

The painting is more than just a beautiful object from Alison’s past – it holds the key to her future, unlocking the mystery surrounding Mary’s disappearance, and the enigma of Alison’s son.

But Alison’s quest soon takes a dark and foreboding turn, as a meeting place called the Phantom Tree harbours secrets in its shadows…

What did I think about it...

It's been a while since a good time slip novel caught my imagination and I am delighted that this latest novel by Nicola Cornick really grabbed my attention from the start. I love travelling back in time and in the hands of an accomplished author it should be rather like stepping aboard a time travel machine. What's so refreshing about this book is that the author has flipped the idea on its head by having a protagonist from the past end up in the future which somehow takes the idea of time slip to a whole different level. The history feels authentic as does the story which surrounds the mystery, and moving seamlessly, as it does, between past and present it is very easy to get caught up in the story of Alison Bannister and Mary Seymour.

The Phantom Tree gets right into the heart of a Tudor mystery and gives us a possible explanation for the alleged disappearance of Mary Seymour. What I love so much about clever historical fiction is that whilst it brings history alive in special way it also allows a talented author to put their own individual slant on what might have happened.  Of course I know that time travel doesn’t exist but in the hands of a gifted writer it just shows that nothing is impossible to achieve.

Time slip novels are notoriously difficult to pull off successfully, but when they are done well they are a joy to read and The Phantom Tree certainly gets it right on every level. The author has the balance exactly right with neither one time element seeking to overshadow the other. I was equally comfortable reading about Alison Bannister in the present and then slipping back through time to read Mary Seymour’s story in the past and as both women are feisty protagonists they are equally deserving of the reader’s attention.

There is much to enjoy in this story which will appeal to all lovers of historical time slip novels. Nicola Cornick is fast becoming one of my favourite authors and I can’t wait to see what she come up with next.

Best Read with .. A tankard of small beer and  a venison pasty, rich and succulent 

More about the author can be found on her website by clicking here

International bestselling author Nicola Cornick writes romantic historical mysteries and witty and passionate Regency romance. She studied History at London and Oxford and was awarded a distinction for her dissertation on historical heroes. It was a tough study but someone had to do it. Nicola has a “double life” as a writer and guide at the stunning 17th century hunting lodge, Ashdown House.

Follow on Twitter @NicolaCornick

The Phantom Tree was my community Library read

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Blog Tour ~Another You by Jane Cable

Jaffareadstoo is delighted be part of the Another You Blog Tour   

And to welcome back to the blog the author Jane Cable

Today , Jane is explaining to us the connection between her latest novel, Another You and World War II...

Like most novels Another You had many iterations before the final story fell into place. The first version was based on a real ghost story from Studland in Dorset where the book is set, but as I began to research the history of the area I realised there was actually something far more interesting going on.

On my first visit to Studland in 2009 a friend had taken me to Fort Henry, a huge concrete blockhouse overlooking the beach, and explained it had been built for D-Day rehearsals witnessed by the very top brass including Churchill and King George VI. What I didn’t realise at the time was the extent of those rehearsals, and the tragic fact that six men died during the first of them.

This was, in fact, kept secret for a very long while. I stumbled across the story when googling Studland in World War II led me to a naval history message board. On it was a thread about the rehearsals including a heartfelt plea for information from the son of one of the men who died. It was answered by tank restorer and WWII historian, John Pearson, and I got in touch with him.

John was generous with his time and his knowledge. His starting point had been the restoration of his Valentine Double Duplex tank which had been used in the first of the Studland D-Day rehearsals, code named Exercise Smash. Double Duplex meant that the tank was made seaworthy (or not, as the case may be) by the addition of a canvas skirt held up by hydraulics so it could power ashore from landing craft and be in action on the beaches straight away.

At Studland things did not go according to plan. Normally the most peaceful of bays, on the morning of the exercise the wind turned and came in from the east making the sea unusually choppy. The tanks were launched three miles out and seven of them did not make it to shore with the lives of six soldiers from the 4/7 Dragoon Guards being lost. Lessons were learnt by the British at least and on D-Day the tanks were launched much closer to the beaches. At Omaha, however, the Americans launched from 5,000 yards and only three of their tanks made it which had a massive effect on the loss of life there.

On the sixtieth anniversary of D-Day, helped by the National Trust and various arms of the military, John Pearson organised a permanent memorial to the men who died in Smash which was unveiled by one of their widows. He also brought his newly restored Valentine DD to Studland to put it through its paces. Ten years later it was back there again and I was lucky enough to meet John and to attend a moving memorial service at Fort Henry.

By then I knew that wartime memories would be central to my story. One of the few surviving veterans was there that day and so I created the character of George, a former soldier with a proud but cynical view of the war effort, who provides my heroine Marie with a direct link to the past. After The Cheesemaker’s House I had really wanted to write in a time where this was possible, where there was a character who could ground the smoke and mirrors in historical truth.

Even when I was close to finishing the book I felt there were huge gaps in my knowledge about everyday life in wartime Studland. I had joined the Facebook group of the local historical society and they put me in touch with National Trust warden Stewart Rainbird who had pulled together an oral history of the time by talking to locals who had lived through it. His knowledge enabled me to bring the whole period to life in more subtle ways, such as the constant noise of the shelling which went on for weeks – but stopped at weekends so that the ranges could be cleared.

Although Another You is set in 2004, what happened sixty years before is the vital beating heart of the story and the catalyst for change in Marie’s life. As a tribute to the men who died and in order to help survivors of combat I will be donating £1 to Words for the Wounded for every review on Amazon in the UK and in the US.

 

Marie Johnson is trapped by her job as a chef in a Dorset pub and by her increasingly poisonous marriage to its landlord. Worn down by his string of affairs she has no self-confidence, no self-respect and the only thing that keeps her going is watching her son turn into a talented artist.

But the sixtieth anniversary of a D-Day exercise which ended in disaster triggers chance meetings which prove unlikely catalysts for change as Marie discovers that sometimes the hardest person to save is yourself.

More about the author can be found on her website by clicking here  or on Facebook by clicking here 

Follow on Twitter @JaneCable 

Huge thanks to Jane for this fascinating guest post and for the invitation to be part of her Blog Tour.

Another You is published by Endeavour Press

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Review ~ Echoes of Time by Anne Allen

Sarnia Press
2016

A bit of blurb..

1940. Olive marries farmer Bill Falla. The Germans occupy Guernsey. 

All too soon Olive realises she’s made a mistake. 

Her life changes when she meets Wolfgang, a German officer- 

but there’s a price to pay. . . 

2010. Natalie Ogier returns to Guernsey to escape an abusive relationship – only to be plagued by odd happenings in her beautiful cottage on the site of a derelict and secluded farm. Disturbing dreams, disembodied voices and uncanny visions from the past. She becomes increasingly ill at ease as someone else’s past catches up with her own… 

Her only immediate neighbour, Stuart, is the grandson of the original owners, Bill and Olive. 

Thrown together in a bid to find out what really happened to Olive, can they each survive the repercussions of the past and move on? 

My thoughts..

This is now the fifth book in the Guernsey series of novels and even though each novel comfortably sits on its own merits as a stand alone story, there are threads which run through each one, and fans of the series will recognise people and places previously mentioned.

As always the author draws you so completely into the story that the here and now quite simply disappears and you are transported back in time to the Guernsey occupation during the Second World War, a time when fear and suspicion was rife. Olive's sad and sorry tale is told with such sensitivity that there were times when I was moved to shed a few tears.

I loved the modern day element and as always the author intersperses the story with believable characters. I really got to like and admire both Natalie and Stuart and felt an emotional attachment to them from the beginning. I also had real cottage envy and wanted to move into "Beauregard" with Natalie, and sip wine with Stuart whilst looking through the sheer glass window of the Old Barn.   

The time- slip element of the story is done quite seamlessly and the obvious attention to historical detail emphasises just how much research goes into making each of the stories feel truly authentic. There is no doubt that this author has found a real gem of a series in her Guernsey stories. Each one is as precious as the next and I am sure that the story, should the author be willing , can only continue to go from strength to strength.

Best Read With...A glass of home brewed gooseberry wine and a slice of home cured ham..

About the Author

Find the author on her website by clicking here

Follow on Twitter @AnneAllen21

My thanks to the author for sharing her story with me 

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Review ~ The Forgotten Promise by Kate Ryder

2013

On the surface, Maddie O'Brien seems to have everything she needs, a busy life in London working for a film production company and a semi-serious relationship with her boyfriend, Dan. And yet, there is something nagging away at Maddie, a desire for change, which shimmers just beyond reach.

When a film shoot in a pretty Dorset village leads her to a 17th century blacksmith cottage, Maddie is overcome with the sensation of having come home, and yet she has no logical reason for the emotion she feels when she sees the cottage, she only knows that she is drawn to the place and the story it has to tell. Making a rash decision to give up her job and move into the blacksmith’s cottage, Maddie soon finds that life in The Olde Smithy is far from what she imagined.

Switching effortlessly between time frames, the story looks at Maddie’s connection to The Olde Smithy, and as the shadows of the past start to encroach on Maddie’s modern world we are led inexorably back to the dark and dangerous years of the English Civil War. The contemporary story, of Maddie's move to the cottage and her growing attraction, to the enigmatic Nick Corbin, is delightfully romantic. And yet, the real focus of the story is Maddie’s connection to past events and the retelling of a story, which hidden for centuries, now finally, has the chance to be retold.

The author has done a commendable job in recreating a very believable time slip novel. Very often time slips can feel a little contrived, but not so with this story which seems to blend past and present quite seamlessly. The author clearly loves storytelling and this comes across in the fine attention to detail and the way in which the story is allowed to develop at its own pace. There was just the right amount of tension in the story to keep me engrossed and enough twists and turns in the historical mystery to keep me guessing about its eventual outcome.  The added inclusion of a wonderful black cat called Storm helped to make the story even more enjoyable!

Best Read with… a ploughman’s lunch, heavy on the pickle and a pewter tankard of rich and malty dark ale…

About the Author

 Find Kate her website

Follow on Twitter @KateRyder_Books

My thanks to the author for sharing her book with me

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Blog Tour ~ The Ruby Ring by Grace Macdonald

Corazon Books
22 February 2016

A spellbinding timeslip story of two young women, each with a secret. A ring unites them, a century divides them. An international bestseller, set in a seaside town in Devon in Victorian times and the present day.

After a whirlwind romance, Laura Marchmont marries the charming Charles Haywood. Leaving her old life behind, she struggles to fit into Charles’s world, and to be accepted by his young daughters from his first marriage. Laura also hides a terrible secret from her new husband, which casts a shadow over her life. Then, she discovers the story of a young girl who lived more than a century before. Laura is compelled to uncover the fate of Mary Rose.

1886. When Mary Rose Marchmont’s widowed father remarries it signals the end of her childhood. A series of tragic events leads Mary Rose to be accused of a shocking crime, after which her life will never be the same again.

A moving family story of history, romance and secrets.

Grace Macdonald is a pen name of the hugely popular romantic fiction author Sophie King.

HOW I DID MY HISTORICAL RESEARCH FOR ‘THE RUBY RING’ 

by 

GRACE MACDONALD

When I first started writing, I didn’t see myself as an historical writer, partly because I was daunted by the prospect of research. How could I make sure I got something right? My background is in journalism and, contrary to what you might read, most journalists try very hard to be accurate. But how could I know exactly went on in the past? After all, I hadn’t been there. I was also aware that some of my readers might well be experts in a particular period. If I got it wrong, I knew they wouldn’t be happy. And quite right too.

Then I went to a talk by a successful historical writer who pointed out that emotions don’t change over the years. We feel fear and happiness; worry and love; rejection and uncertainty, just as the generations before us did. We might be concerned about different things (smallpox has been replaced by more modern illnesses) but the deep-down feelings are still the same. So I could simply transfer the emotions of a modern-day heroine (or myself) into my characters.

But that still didn’t solve the problem of knowing how the world worked at the time of my novels. What was going on? How did people speak? How did they dress? The answer, I decided, was to pick a period of time where you could find out these facts fairly easily. I’ve always been fascinated by the late Victorian period, partly because I did it during my History A-level. I also had a great aunt who was born at the turn of the century who told some extraordinary stories to me when I was young. Luckily I remembered them.

I set about reading as much as I could about the 1860s onwards. Politics. Fashion. Religion. Laws relating to women’s control over property and children. And so on. At the same time, I knew exactly what I wanted to write about. Journalists are used to writing about things that have really happened. So I wanted to base my novel on a real-life event. My second husband and I moved to the south west a few years ago and one of our local beauty spots is a lovely garden open to the public. It used to belong to a house that has since been demolished. In the gardens is a plaque describing how the owner of the house had had a daughter. She was accused of murdering her half-brother and was sent to prison for many years. On her release, she went to Australia.

The story fired my imagination. What if she was innocent? Supposing a mistake had been made? The real-life event had actually happened early in the nineteenth century but I shifted it to the 1860s through to the 1900s. Part of my plot involved Victorian prisons where my heroine was sentenced. So I rang up the local council and, after several more calls, found myself in the local archives centre. There I was actually allowed to look through huge albums - so big that I was given a pillow to prop them up on the desk. Inside was picture after picture of Victorian female inmates who were, apparently, always photographed when they came into prison.

It made for tragic reading. Some were sentenced for no more than stealing a loaf of bread. Their pictures pleaded with me. Tell my story. Mix it with the truth. Make people understand what we went through. One little girl in particular stared out at me. She had a half-smile. Was it defiance? Or nerves? The latter, I felt. But the danger was that it might have been read as being ‘difficult.’

It was then I knew I’d found my heroine.

You can read all about her in THE RUBY RING. I hope you like her. 

Meanwhile, I’m back off to the library to research the next historical ...

Corazon Books

Amazon UK

 Huge thanks to Grace Macdonald for this insightful guest post and to Corazon books for my review copy of The Ruby Ring.



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Review ~ House of Shadows by Pamela Hartshorne

Macmillan
December 2015

A few years ago, I had membership of the National Trust and spent a very happy year travelling between stately homes, wandering in and out of dusty rooms and tripping along the echoing corridors of Elizabethan long galleries, and I guess, there's always a tendency to stop and peer into shadows. The historian in me always wishes that the vestiges of a bygone era will, somehow, manifest itself, and I will get to see the shadowy occupants going about their daily business. However, having just finished House of Shadows, I'm not so sure that I would now want to look too closely into those shadowy recesses, for fear of what I would find lurking there.

Kate Vavasour wakes in hospital after a devastating fall, she has no memory of what happened or, indeed,of who she is. People come to visit her in hospital and  remind her that she is a young widow with a small son, but this means nothing to Kate, even her name feels wrong and as a tight band settles around her head, she begins to experience a life that has no reality in the here and now. Returning to Askerby Hall, a home she shares with her in-laws, Kate attempts to make sense of her surroundings, but Kate's memories, which are frighteningly real, belong not to the present, but to Isabel Vavasour , some four hundred years earlier.

House of Shadows is now the fourth book by this talented author that I have read, and as always, as soon as my eyes light on the first opening sentence, I know that she will not let me down. I'm guilty of reading her books far too quickly, telling myself at the start that I should take it slowly and savor each word, but of course I don't. I gallop through at speed and read until my eyes ache and I become immersed in a story that flits effortlessly between past and present, with neither timescale outshining the other and always with a real sense of purpose and readability. I am taken into a world that is believable, frighteningly realistic, and more than a little scary and even as Isabel and Kate's worlds start to collide, you can't help but want to believe that somehow it might work, that voices can speak to us across centuries, and that stories left untold will be finished, and that resolution for troubled souls can be achieved. 

Pamela Hartshorne has overwhelmingly cornered this niche in the dual time narrative genre. She is quite simply a master story teller, a weaver of words and her books are a joy to read. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Best read with a tankard of small ale and a trencher soaked with  rich, venison broth....

About the Author

Website

Facebook

Twitter @PamHartshorne

Amazon UK

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The author in my spotlight is ...Kirsten McKenzie

I am delighted to introduce the author

Kirsten McKenzie

Kirsten is talking about her debut novel


Fifteen Postcards

Accent Press
2015

Hello Kirsten and welcome to Jaffareadstoo...

Where did you get the first flash of inspiration for your novel, Fifteen Postcards?

I was sorting through an ice cream container full of old postcards which I'd found out in the back room of the shop. Mixed in the cards were a series of numbered postcards a soldier had written to his mother in WWI. Every time I tried sorting them into chronological order, someone would come into the shop, and I'd had to put them aside. They were essentially the beginning of 'Fifteen Postcards'. I only wish I knew whether the soldier survived.

Tell us three interesting things about your novel which will pique the reader’s interest?

The shop in Fifteen Postcards, The Old Curiosity Shop, is loosely based on Antique Alley, the antique shop my father started in 1971. The description of the front window, the shop counter, the aisles, is what I see everyday I'm at work. And yes, it really is that messy and disorganised.

If you are familiar with Charles Dickens' novel The Old Curiosity Shop, you'll recognise some crossover of character names, which I've sprinkled through Fifteen Postcards.

The descriptions of the antiques in Fifteen Postcards, are all based on articles which really exist. I've pinned images of most of them to my Pinterest board. It is astonishing the worth of some articles which were everyday items to some segments of society in days gone by. The only exception are the Paul de Lamere candleabra. While he was a prolific silversmith, records of his work were lost, so the candleabra in Fifteen Postcards are based on silverware owned by Queen Elizabeth II which were made by him, and pieces of his held in the V&A in London.

In your research for Fifteen Postcards did you discover anything which surprised you?

The population in both Simla in India, and in Bruce Bay in New Zealand. For the times, they really were bustling towns. Simla (or Shimla now) is of course a large town with plenty of tourists and university students, but Bruce Bay has long emptied of most of its inhabitants, and nature once again reigns supreme.

Fifteen Postcards is a Time Slip novel   - how did you control the narrative, or did the narrative ever control you?

It very much controlled me. It sounds peculiar to tell people that I had no idea what was going to happen with the story, but the slightest interesting thing which came across the counter at work, or something I read for research, could easily send me off on a tangent neither I nor my characters expected!

There was a point during the editing process though, when I realised I've left a relatively important character standing on the side of the road in India. Poor man. I had to then weave him back into the story, which is just as well as he plays a very important role in the next book.

What do you hope readers will take away from your novel?

That everything was once loved and desired. Everything you see in an antique shop was once new, and desired, by someone. I guess that goes for people too. That old man at the bus stop, was once young and vibrant. Take the time to talk to him, because you never know his story. Everything old has a history behind it, and that history can be fascinating.

What can we look forward to next ?

You can look forward to walking beside Sarah as she continues on her quest to be reunited with her parents. Will Warden William Price find her? What revenge will Richard Grey seek? I'm two thirds of the way through writing the next installment, so hopefully I can figure out how its going to end soon...

Amazon UK

Amazon.com

My Review

About the Author

Find Kirsten on her website

Follow her on Twitter @Kiwimrsmac

Find her on Pinterest

My thanks to Kirsten for taking the time answer our questions and to Accent Press for my copy of Fifteen Postcards.

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Review ~ Fifteen Postcards by Kirsten McKenzie

Accent Press
2015

When Sarah Lester's mother and father mysteriously disappear in separate incidents, she is left with a sense of devastating grief, not just from the loss of her beloved parents, but also from the unexplained mystery which surrounds their disappearance. Being solely responsible for running The Old Curiosity Shop, the family's aptly named antiques shop, means that, Sarah is surrounded by antiquities,which she cares for with a loving touch. When she is given the opportunity to take over some of the antique contents of a house estate, she is unprepared for the effect that some of the artifacts, particularly a set of fifteen antique postcards, will have on her life.

What then follows is a well written historical time slip novel which moves effortlessly between time frames in a story which is filled with vivid descriptions of time and place, and beautifully authentic of both speech and character. I think the author has done a commendable job in bringing the story to life and it’s obvious that she has used extensive historical research to ensure that the story always feels authentic and that’s not an easy feat to pull off, particularly with time slip novels which can sometimes feel a little bit clumsy. Overall, the story evolved really nicely, there is enough going on in the novel to maintain interest and the ending of the story lends itself very nicely to a sequel.I also need to add that the cover is really striking and compliments the story beautifully.

My thoughts are that Fifteen Postcards is a good debut novel and I’m sure the author will continue to go from strength to strength. 

My thanks to the author for sharing her novel with me.

About the author.

Visit Kirsten's website

Follow her on Twitter @kiwimrsmac

 Amazon UK
Amazon.com

Review ~ Wild Wood by Posie Graeme-Evans

Simon & Schuster
March 2015

Australian, Jesse Marley comes to the UK in 1981 to discover more about her background. An unexpected accident results in Jesse coming into contact with a neurology doctor, Rory Brandon, who is intrigued by Jesse and her ability to draw pictures of his family home in Scotland.

In 1321, the Dieudonné family, custodians of Hundredfield, are a Scottish/Norman borderland family, who are intrigued by a strange young woman, who comes into their home and who makes them question everything they once knew to be true. What then follows is a dual time novel which blends very different times frames in a story which alludes to the struggle women have had, throughout the ages, to be heard and recognised.

I have to admit to being rather disappointed with this story. I so much wanted to like it and yet found myself increasingly irritated by Jesse, to the point where I didn’t really care enough about what happened to her. The historical time flip, was for me the strongest part of the story, and, I’m afraid that even this failed to live up to my expectations. I thought the story was disappointing , and whilst I have long been a fan of this author’s work and have read everything she has written to date, I do feel that this story lets her down and isn’t as strong as her previous work.

The hint of a suggestion that this book compares favourably to Diana Gabaldon’s excellent Outlander is misleading. There is no link to be made, apart from the Scottish setting, as neither the strength of the story, nor the time frame bears any such comparison.

I hate being disappointed by a favourite author but as always make up your own mind , you may well find something in the story that I didn't , and that to me, is what makes reading such a fascinating adventure.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my copy of this book.

About the author

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Review ~ The Edge of Dark by Pamela Hartshorne

Pan Macmillan

2014

Be Careful What you Wish for....

Roz Acclam has just been appointed as the events manager at the newly renovated Holmwood Hall in the city of York, a fifteenth century town house, once the home of a prominent York family. From the beginning the dark and brooding nature of the house overwhelms Roz and as she starts to experience sights, sounds and sensations from the past, it is obvious that someone within the house has unfinished business.

In 1569, Jane is the eldest daughter of York butcher Henry Birkby. Her social standing and lack of beauty do not bode well for a good marriage and so plain Jane has resigned herself to being forever in the shadow of her more beautiful and flighty younger sister, Juliana. When an offer of marriage is made to Jane from the prestigious Holmwood family, she is amazed when her new bridegroom, Robert, is neither ill favoured, nor as ugly as a toad.

With skilful storytelling, a dramatic story emerges of two women both badly damaged by life events and of two marriages affected by circumstances. By using Roz as a conduit, every aspect of Jane’s bizarre married life is revealed and the very real drama being played out by Jane and Robert Holmwood in the sixteenth century becomes as compelling and just as convincing as the very modern marriage dilemmas being faced by Roz and her husband Nick.

The malign forces at play in Holmwood House have survived throughout the centuries and the immersion into the past in such a visceral and realistic way only emphasises the idea that just on the edge of dark, twixt night and day, is the most powerful time, and there is no doubt that the gut wrenching fear which is stirred throughout the novel powerfully evokes the edge of dark.

With each successive novel, Pamela Hartshorne’s writing goes from strength to strength. There is no doubt that she has captured the idea of the time slip/dual narrative historical novel to perfection and she continues to enthral, beguile and entertain.

Recommended if you like dual time narratives by Barbara Erskine, Susanna Kearsley, Rachel Hore.

More about the Author

Amazon UK


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One from the Book Shelf ~ Kingdom of Shadows by Barbara Erskine

My new feature of 'One from the Book Shelf' takes an old friend, a book that I have had for years and  gives me the chance to re-read and review  it.

My July ~ One from the Book Shelf 

is

Harper Collins

Last week saw commemorations in Scotland for the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn which witnessed the defeat of the forces of the English King Edward II, by the army of the Scottish King Robert the Bruce in 1314. This battle for Scottish independence was the culmination of a long fight which had started during the reign of Edward I, who is better known by the sobriquet the ‘Hammer of the Scots’, and who became infamous for his brutal execution of the noble warrior, William Wallace.

Kingdom of Shadows takes the story of the tragic Isobel of Buchan whose support of Robert the Bruce put her in defiance of both her husband and the English King. The disaster of her life is well documented, although perhaps the reason behind her actions is less known. What Barbara Erskine has done is to add flesh to the story and has produced an unforgettable heroine and a tragedy of epic proportions.

The time slip story, which uses as its focus the 20C story of Claire Royland and her fiercely ambitious husband, mirrors that of Isobel, who trapped in the 13C uses Claire as the medium through which her story is told. The transition between time frames is seamless and whilst for me the 13C story became more compelling, there is no doubt that the situation which develops between Claire and her husband, is no less forceful as the conflict between Isobel and her husband.

The novel was originally published in 1988, and I remember reading Kingdom of Shadows for the first time in the early 1990s. The story is beautifully told, rich in historic detail and alive with mystery and intrigue. Isobel’s final punishment by a malicious and ill favoured King is stark and brutal, and yet in the hands of this talented writer, Isobel’s human fragility, combined with her strength of spirit truly comes alive.

And as the final tragedy of the story is revealed, the mists of time shimmer and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as Isobel's ghostly figure tells you that for her the story is never finished and that as long as Kingdom of Shadows remains in print she will be heard time and time again.

*~*~*

About the Author

Barbara Erskine's latest novel

The Darkest Hour

Published by Harper Collins

Is due on July 3rd 2014



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Review ~ Written in my own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon

Orion Books UK

10 June 2014

"In the light of eternity, time casts no shadow"

 Written in my Own Heart’s Blood continues where An Echo in the Bone left off. It’s 1778, and as the British army withdraws from Philadelphia, Washington’s army is in active pursuit. Newly returned from the dead, Jamie Fraser finds that life as a rebel General is not for the faint hearted, nor does he take his wife, Claire’s, reactionary marriage to Lord John Grey lightly. For the rest of the extended Fraser family and also for those characters left on the periphery, the vagaries of life continue to perplex, and as always there is much going on and many threads to pick up.

There are moments of high drama as both Jamie and Claire find that life is never going to be peaceful nor across the centuries is life any less stressful for Roger and Brianna, but what is important to remember is that all the pieces of this gigantic jigsaw puzzle seem to be finally coming together. There feels to be almost a sense of resolution as inevitably the story must finally face a conclusion. In fact, it’s almost akin to a homecoming as the younger generation are given the chance to take centre stage and believe me their stories are no less valiant. The past meets the present as we go backwards, or is it forwards in time to meet up with characters who together make up the sum of the book’s parts. Everyone has a role to play, and the minutiae of relationships is examined and perfected so beautifully, and each seamless transition is done with such confidence, that there is never a moment when the action doesn't totally absorb, from the inner workings of a rebel army, through to the finer points of using Roquefort cheese as an anti bacterial antibiotic.

As always the author delivers a whopping good read, as contained within the book’s 800 or so pages are plots, counter plots, ruinations, machinations, scenes to make you weep, scenes that will have you stamping your feet in irritation at the folly of men, and whole sections that will have you reading and then re-reading in order to clarify just what hidden meaning is concealed within each tantalising chapter, and with over 141 chapters, there is sometimes a lot of re-reading needed !

With brilliant observation the Outlander series continues to weave its magic and as the finer points of the twenty-first century blend into the background, I am enthralled, beguiled and totally absorbed, so much so, that when I am reading time simply ceases to exist, and I move effortlessly back to a place that I know well and with characters who are as precious to me as family. Of course, there is still much left unsaid and the book’s entirely appropriate finale lends itself to the continuation of the story.

And for the legions of Diana Gabaldon fans worldwide, book 9 can’t come quick enough.

And out of interest ~ The symbolic use of the eight sided Octothorpe on the book cover pays homage to the eight major characters in the book.

More about Diana Gabaldon on her website here and find her on Facebook and Twitter

Review ~ Daughter of the Winds by Jo Bunt

When the Turkish invade Cyprus in 1974 Pru, a young British Army wife, has her life turned upside down. Two weeks later she flees the country with a baby who isn't hers.

Over thirty years later that baby, now a grown woman called Leni, returns to the island of her birth to find out about the chain of events that led her to be brought up as Pru's child. She discovers the true cost of war, how the hurt still continues through the generations and what being a family really means.

In this story of love and loss Leni will lay ghosts to rest in more ways than one

About the author

Jo Bunt was born in Cyprus to British parents. It made sense to her that her first novel should be based there.

Following the family's return to England Jo went to school in Nottingham, university in Hull and then worked in London as a Recruitment Consultant for PwC for many years. Following a family illness Jo moved to Derbyshire where she now lives with her husband and her twin sons. This has enabled her to focus on her two great loves in life; her family and her writing.

She remembers writing her first 'novel' when she was seven but spent her angst-ridden teenage years writing miserable and dark poetry. She mostly writes mainstream fiction but is also working on a series of children's adventure books, largely guided by her own children. When she is not writing or looking after the children Jo is an avid reader and self-confessed food snob. If she can combine the two she is a very happy lady indeed.

~*~*~

My thoughts on Daughter of the Winds

This multi generational story weaves together the present day story of Leni as she returns to Cyprus to discover the truth about her family, in order to lay the ghosts of the past and to find out what happened during the political unrest of 1974 when Leni’s adoptive mother Pru fled the island with a baby that didn't belong to her. Leni’s attempt to piece together the fragments of her past opens up a story of secrets, lies and devastating loss.

I enjoyed the story, there is nice attention to detail and the Cypriot culture both past and present is imaginatively described. The present day island comes alive with stunning descriptions of food and hospitality. The warmth of the Cypriot sunshine infuses the pages with a compassion which is in direct contrast to the description of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Overall, the fine distinction between factual evidence is nicely blended with an interesting fictional story and both time frames blend together quite well. 

An enjoyable story written in the easy style of Victoria Hislop, I think the combination of history and sunshine makes this an ideal holiday read.

***

Daughter of the Winds is now available on Kindle for just 99p as part of a special Valentine's Day promotion

14th - 20th February 2014.


My thanks to pubshelf for my copy of this book.