Summer Read ~ The Spanish Promise by Karen Swan

Pan Macmillan
11 July 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Charlotte, a wealth counsellor who knows from personal experience the complications that a sudden inheritance can bring, helps her clients navigate the emotional side effects of sudden wealth syndrome. When she is asked by Mateo Mendoza, heir to a huge Spanish estate, to fly to Madrid to help resolve an issue in his father's will, she's confident it will be straightforward. The timing isn't great as Charlotte's due to get married the following week, but once her client signs on the dotted line, Charlotte can return to her life in London and her wedding, and live happily ever after. Marrying Stephen might not fill her with excitement, but she doesn't want to live in the fast lane anymore - safe and predictable is good.

But Carlos Mendoza's final bequest opens up a generation of secrets, and Charlotte finds herself compelled to unravel the mystery. As Charlotte digs deeper, she uncovers the story of a family divided by Spain's Civil War, and of a love affair across the battle lines that ended in tragedy.

And while she is consumed in the drama of the Mendozas, Charlotte's own tragic past catches up with her, threatening to overturn everything in her life she's worked so hard to build

What did I think..

The story gets off to a dramatic start and sets the scene for something which happened in Spain in 1937. Moving forwards in time, to 2018, we meet with Charlotte Fairfax, whose role as a personal wealth counsellor sees her involved in an unusual situation in which a mysterious bequest from, the extremely wealthy, Carlos Mendoza is about to change an unknown beneficiary's life forever. Equally, this is not an easy time for Charlotte as she is about to get married and the last thing she needs, with her wedding just a week away, is to be involved in a complicated case.  

The story flips between two time frames and we get to spend time in Spain during the momentous years of the Spanish Civil war, gradually getting to know the Mendoza family and learning of the volatile role they played within the local community. What gradually emerges is a story of long buried family secrets, and of a time when dangerous rivalries and tensions between families ran extremely high. Meanwhile, in the present Charlotte is involved in helping her client come to terms with what is happening, whilst at the same time trying to keep control of her own complicated personal life, which seems about to spiral out of control.

The author writes well with a real sense of history whilst at the same time keeping the interest of a modern day conundrum in which family secrets and hidden passions start to come to life. The Spanish Promise has a dramatic setting in Ronda in Andalusia, and the author does a great job of setting the scene and bringing all of the heat and passion of this part of Spain alive in the imagination. The dual aspect works really well with both time frames equally compelling so that neither one outshines the other.

The Spanish Promise is a great summer read and one which is perfect for lazy afternoon by the pool or a quiet afternoon in the garden.

About the Author

Karen swan is a Sunday Times best selling writer. She is the author of fifteen other novels, although she been a writer all her life. She previously worked as an editor in the fashion industry but she soon realised she was better suited as a novelist. She lives in West Sussex.

Twitter @KarenSwan1 #TheSpanishPromise

@panmacmillan

Blog Tour ~ The Photographer of the Lost by Caroline Scott

It's such a thrill to be involved in the Pre-Publication Blog Tour for this exciting historical novel

 ✴ I am absolutely delighted to be able to reveal this stunning book cover ✴

Simon & Schuster
October 2019
512 pages
ISBN13: 9781471186394

...Until she knows her husband’s fate, she cannot decide her own...

An epic debut novel of forbidden love, loss, and the shattered hearts left behind in the wake of World War I

1921. Families are desperately trying to piece together the fragments of their broken lives. While many survivors of the Great War have been reunited with their loved ones, Edie’s husband Francis has not come home. He is considered ‘missing in action’, but when Edie receives a mysterious photograph taken by Francis in the post, hope flares. And so she beings to search.

Harry, Francis’s brother, fought alongside him. He too longs for Francis to be alive, so they can forgive each other for the last things they ever said. Both brothers shared a love of photography and it is that which brings Harry back to the Western Front. Hired by grieving families to photograph gravesites, as he travels through battle-scarred France gathering news for British wives and mothers, Harry also searches for evidence of his brother.

And as Harry and Edie’s paths converge, they get closer to a startling truth.

What did I think about it ...

I was really excited about this book when I read the blurb and saw the proof copy when it arrived from the publishers. I always seem know when a book is going to be rather special, it's that indefinable 'something' which speaks to me from seeing and touching the cover.

The Photographer of the Lost starts in 1921, in the aftermath of the First World War, as those relatives who are bewildered by loss cling to any conceivable hope that their loved ones, who are amongst the many hundreds of thousands who are still missing, may, by some miracle, still be found alive. Those who have been to the battlefields of Northern Europe will understand the sheer size of the war cemeteries and can therefore imagine just how traumatic it must have been, in the chaotic aftermath of war, when grieving relatives desperate for something to focus their grief, clutched at absolutely anything in order to gain even a modicum of comfort.

From the start of the story we are introduced to Edie, whose  husband, Francis is amongst the missing, and also to Harry, himself a war survivor, and also Francis' brother, who is now using his considerable skill as a photographer to travel around the grave sites and battlefields of northern France and Belgium, taking photographs, in the hope of bringing comfort to those who are grieving beyond measure.

I'm purposely not spoiling this novel by recounting any detail as that would do the author a great disservice, as the story, not published until October, deserves to be read without any spoilers from me. However, it's safe to say that I was absolutely fascinated by the author's ability to bring such a poignant period in history alive with such emotional detail, and switching as it does between two different time frames, not only brings the events of WW1 into focus, but also adds a poignant reminder of those lives which were lost in dreadful circumstances but were never forgotten by those who stayed at home and waited.

And that is really where the remarkable strength of this novel lies, and I started by saying that just holding the proof copy suggested to me that this book was about to be rather special, and now that I've been privileged to read an early copy I am even more convinced that The Photographer of the Lost is very special indeed.

The Photographer of the Lost will be published in hardback in October by Simon & Schuster

And now, thanks to the kind permission of the publishers I can the share the stunning book cover today.

About the Author

Photo Credit : Johnny Ring

Caroline Scott is a freelance writer and historian specializing in WWI and women’s history. The Photographer of the Lost is partially inspired by her family history.

Twitter @CScottBooks #PhotographeroftheLost


@simonschusteruk

#RandomThingsTours


Amazon UK

Thanks to the generosity of publishers I can give away a beautiful proof copy of
 The Photographer of the Lost to one lucky UK winner.

Entry by Rafflecopter

Good Luck

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Instagram and Blog Tour ~ Fairlight Moderns

I'm really thrilled to be part of the Fairlight Moderns Blog Tour  

The Nail House by Gregory Baines

Fairlight Moderns
1 August 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this novella and the opportunity to be part of this blog tour

Lindon, an Australian project manager with a failed marriage behind him, is lured to China with the promise of a lucrative salary. His task: to solve the problem of a ‘Nail House’, the home of a stubborn old man who refuses to relocate, even as the bulldozers move in and the skyscrapers grow around him.

But as Lindon negotiates with the old man’s family, he finds sense where there is none. And love where there is war.

My thoughts..

Lindon has relocated to China having left a failed marriage behind in Australia. He soon finds that his new role as a project manager for a construction company hits problems right from the start as he discovers, to his cost, that he must first demolish a building which is known as a 'Nail House', a term  used when the owner of a property is offered money, so that the house in which they live can be demolished, but they refuse to budge despite a financial incentive.

Zhen Yi's parents live in the eponymous Nail House, and whilst Zhen is hoping to move away to live with her fiancé, she gets caught up in the complications concerning her family home, and so the repercussions linger, with both Lindon and Zhen Yi being drawn together over the space of the story. I was drawn into the complicated process of both of their lives, Lindon seems rather a gloomy individual, he's definitely out of his comfort zone in an unfamiliar environment, and struggles with lots of complicated emotions. Zhen Yi's confusion at her family's involvement only add to her overall sense that her life is spinning out of control.

The novella comes in at just around 152 pages and can be comfortably read in an afternoon, however, whilst it is a quick read, it's definitely not light on content. It's interesting to see how the story plays out with both Lindon and Zhen Yi's alternate chapters giving great insight into what is evolving from their own perspective.

The author writes knowledgeably, and manages to convey both atmosphere and intrigue. whilst at the same time keeping alive the integrity of the culture in which the story is set.

For Summer 2019 a collection of new short modern fictions from around the world

from Fairlight Modern

   

 

About the Author

Gregory Baines lives just outside Canberra, Australia. He has an arts degree from Newcastle University. He lived in China for thirteen years, where he also met his wife. There he wrote his first novel and had short stories published in anthologies and online.

Twitter @FairlightBooks #FairlightModerns

Review ~ Ten Poems about Love from Candlestick Press

💘 Jaffareadstoo is delighted to share this latest poetry pamphlet from Candlestick Press 💘

Candlestick Press
July 2019

This second edition of Candlestick's popular mini-anthology calls at every stop on love’s roller-coaster journey – from the first dizzy declarations of passion, to the clear-eyed devotion of a couple in old age. In one of the most celebrated of modern love poems, we sense the boundless optimism of love at full tilt:

“…you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you”

from ‘i carry your heart with me’ by ee cummings

Along the way there’s also humour and warmth in the form of a battered straw hat that has come to symbolise what it means to be together for the long haul. These are poems that capture all the light and shade of love; poems to make you think and feel.

The selection is edited and introduced by Lorraine Mariner, a poet and librarian who works at the National Poetry Library in London.

My thoughts about it..

We tend to think of love poetry around Valentine's day, a special wedding day, or an anniversary, but this beautifully designed pamphlet reminds us that love is all around us everyday.  As an angst ridden teenager I dabbled in mediocre love poetry, which thankfully has now been relegated to the recycle bin, but it goes to show that all of us have the ability, perhaps not to write love poetry, but to appreciate it when it's done as beautifully as these ten poems so clearly demonstrate. 

Lorraine Mariner has done a wonderful job in bringing together this poignant collection with such a sense of vibrancy. I loved Love Poem which she wrote to celebrate her sister's wedding. It's also lovely see included  i carry your heart with me by e.e cummings which is so perfect for weddings, but the one that brought me to tears was A Marriage by R. S. Thomas which reminded me so much of the fifty years my parents spent together before my father's untimely death:

"...Fifty years passed,

love's moment

in a world 

in servitude to time...."

It's so difficult for me to pick out an absolute favourite as each poem conjures something special, and there's such a sense of frankness and honesty to each of them, which reminds us that love is itself flawed and  uniquely vulnerable ♡

Ten Poems about Love is deservedly romantic and makes a perfect gift for a wedding or special anniversary.

Candlestick Press is a small, independent press publishing sumptuously produced poetry pamphlets that serve as a wonderful alternative to a greetings card, with matching envelopes and bookmarks left blank for your message. Their subjects include Clouds, Walking, Birds, Home and Kindness. Candlestick Press pamphlets are stocked by chain and independent bookshops, galleries and garden centres nationwide and available to order online.

Connect: www.candlestickpress.co.uk 

Twitter @PoetryCandle

Blog Tour ~ Secrets of the Homefront Girls by Kate Thompson

On Hist Fic Saturday 

It's a real pleasure to host today's Blog Tour stop

and go back to ...1939

Hodder Book
25 July 2019
Homefront Girls #1

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

1939. ‘Beauty as Duty’ was an official propaganda campaign, backed by Winston Churchill, encouraging women to continue to pursue fashion and beauty despite the hardship that they had to endure, and discouraging the notion that devoting attention to their appearances was trivial or petty.

Although England may be at war, for the young women working the lipstick production line at Yardley's cosmetics factory in East London, it's business as usual. For headstrong and flirtatious Renee Gunn, that means taking Esther, a young Austrian refugee, under her wing and teaching her how to be a true cockney. But when Lily, Renee's older sister, suddenly returns home after six years away, it's clear that life in Stratford is changing for good. In the face of the Blitz, could the secrets that Renee, Lily and Esther are keeping be the most dangerous weapon of all?

The richly colourful characters and events in Secrets of the Homefront Girls are inspired by Kate’s research, speaking to those who worked at Yardley, and even reuniting factory friends after 70 years.

What did I think about it...

I must admit that I never gave much thought to just how necessary it was, during the war years, for cosmetic production to continue, for as long as it could, and yet, in the confusion of wartime it was even more important for women to feel that they had those important beauty products which made them feel special.

'Beauty as a Duty' was something which was actively encouraged, and in Secrets of the Homefront Girls we go right into the heart of the industry and spend time in the Yardley cosmetic factory in Stratford, East London. There we meet a delightful group of feisty young women who work in the factory on the lipstick production line, and, with the newly returned, Lily Gunn as their line manager, we soon become part of their group and become emotionally involved in the nitty-gritty of their lives.

They're a lively bunch, and yet, there is a real sense of togetherness and camaraderie as their strong fighting spirit makes them all the more determined to survive the war in their own inimitable style. However, it’s obvious from the start that there are some deeper elements to the story, particularly around Esther, a young Jewish refugee, who has arrived in the East End after fleeing persecution in Austria, and also around the abject poverty and indiscriminate violence of the East End. The sections of the story which focus on the effects of the Blitz are particularly well done and I must admit to shedding a few tears. The author handles the darker elements of the story with compassion and a fine eye for historical accuracy.

Secrets of the Homefront Girls revolves around stories of friendship, love, and of the family we make for ourselves, who might not always be related by blood, but who stick together through good times and bad. And as always, the author writes with huge warmth and brings a real sense of authenticity to both people and place. From the author notes at the end of the story it is obvious that a great deal of research has been done in order to do justice to the strength of spirit of those Yardley Girls who lived and worked in the East of London during the momentous war years.

This is the first book in the series and I have really enjoyed getting to know all of the Homefront Girls and have followed their adventures with great interest so that I was really sorry to say goodbye to them. However, it’s not the end of their adventures, as book number two - Secrets of the Lavender Girls - is due to be published in 2020.

Secrets of the Homefront Girls is published now in paperback and ebook by Hodder.

About the Author

Kate Thompson is an award winning journalist, ghost writer and novelist, who has spent the last two decades in the UK mas market and book publishing industry. Over the past eight years Kate has written nine fiction and non fiction titles, three of which have made The Sunday Times top ten bestseller list, Secrets of the Homefront Girls is her tenth book.

‘My research has taken me into the homes of so many women and I have listened rapt as they explained how they lived through cataclysmic times. It is often the quiet voices, which are the most revealing. Working-class women and their unassuming thoughts and feelings tell us so much about how difficult, but also how rewarding it was to be a woman in pre-welfare state Britain.’

©Kate Thompson

In 2020, Yardley celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Twitter @katethompson380 #SecretsoftheHomefrontGirls

@hodderbooks

Blog Tour ~ A Cornish Affair by Jo Lambert

☀ It's great to be involved in this summer blog tour ☀

Choc Lit
18 June 2019

My thanks to the author, publisher, and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of this summer blog tour

In the close-knit community of Carrenporth in Cornwall everyone knows everyone else’s business. Luke Carrack is only too aware of this. He’s been away for two years but nothing has changed – from the town gossips who can’t see past the scandal of his childhood, to the cold way he is treated by some of his so-called family.

The only person who seems to understand is local hotelier’s daughter Cat Trevelyan, although even Luke’s new friendship with her could set tongues wagging.

But Carrenporth is about to experience far bigger scandals than the return of Luke Carrack – and the secrets unearthed in the process will shake the sleepy seaside town to its core.

What did I think about it..

I've spent an enjoyable couple of afternoons in the beautiful Cornish town of Carrenporth, getting to know Cat Trevelyan, whose family owns one of the local hotels, and the blissfully handsome, Luke Carrack, whose return to the town, after an absence, is causing something of a  consternation amongst the ladies.

Throughout A Cornish Affair there's a real sense of community, and the little Cornish town comes alive with all of its quirky characters. I especially enjoyed getting to know Cat and her family, and of the role they play in the local community, and in particular, the antics of Aunt 'Em' and her friends made me smile, and yet, it is in Cat's burgeoning relationship with the enigmatic, Luke Carrack where the story starts to get a more complicated romantic edge.

Whilst the story is undoubtedly about love and relationships, and believe me, Cat and Luke don't make things easy for themselves, it's also about family, friendship, and the ties of  loyalty and of the deep and, sometimes, complicated secrets which can so often linger if left unchallenged for far too long.

I enjoyed the way the author immerses the reader and makes everything feel so believable, so that the pages almost turn themselves. I was really sorry to say goodbye to all of the characters, especially Cat and Luke, but I guess that's the sign of a good story which has been well told.

A Cornish Affair is a lovely summer story which is such a joy to read on a lazy afternoon. So tuck yourself away in your favourite shady spot, with a glass of something ice cold to hand, and escape to the Cornwall of this talented author's imagination.

About the Author

Jo Lambert lives on the eastern edge of Bath with her husband, one small grey feline called Mollie and a green MGB GT. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors. She has been writing since 2008. Her first five books, a set of linked romantic sagas following the lives of several families in West Somerset, was followed in 2015 by Summer Moved On, a contemporary romance set in South Devon. A sequel, Watercolours in the Rain followed in 2017, 

In June 2018 Jo signed to Choc Lit and her debut A Cornish Affair, set in North Cornwall, has just been published. Jo is currently working on another coastal romance, this time set in South Cornwall.

When she isn't writing she reads and reviews. She also has an active blog. Jo loves travel, red wine and rock music and she often takes the odd photograph or two.

 Blog

Facebook 

Twitter @jolambertwriter

@rararesources

@choclituk

Purchase Link

Review ~ The July Girls by Phoebe Locke

Wildfire
25 July 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Every year, on the same night in July, a woman is taken from the streets of London; snatched by a killer who moves through the city like a ghost. 

Addie has a secret. On the morning of her tenth birthday, four bombs were detonated across the capital. That night her dad came home covered in blood. She thought he was hurt in the attacks - but then her sister Jessie found a missing woman's purse hidden in his room. Jessie says they mustn't tell. She says there's nothing to worry about. But when she takes a job looking after the woman's baby daughter, Addie starts to realise that her big sister doesn't always tell her the whole story. And that the secrets they're keeping may start costing lives.

What did I think about it..

July is not a safe month in the city of London because for several years on the same date a woman has been taken by a perpetrator who leaves no clues and who despite the best efforts of the police has never been found.

Since her mum left home, Addie has been brought up by her dad and older sister, Jessie. Addie and Jessie are particularly close knit, as Jessie, in the absence of their mum has done everything for Addie, from making sure that she was clothed and fed, to arriving at school on time, however, everything changes when, on Addie's tenth birthday, their dad comes home covered in blood.

What then follows is a particularly tense thriller which grips from the very beginning and which leads you into some very dark places. It's not really about what is happening with the investigation into the missing girls, but of course, that's always there in the background, it's rather more about how living under an air of suspicion affects both Jessie and Addie as they try to move forward.

I remember being really impressed with this author's debut novel, The Tall Man which was published in 2018 and which captured my imagination, the story's delicious creepiness made me jump at shadows, so I was really excited to read this, her second novel. In my opinion, The July Girls feels an altogether different read, it's very, very polished, and is written with such confidence, that I was absolutely bowled over, not just by the strength of the story, but of the author's uncanny ability to get right into the heart of such a deeply complex mystery, and by allowing everything to feel so beautifully authentic.

I'm not going to spoil it by recounting much about the nitty-gritty of the story but if you like unputdownable mysteries which capture your attention from the very beginning then I'm sure you'll love it as much as I did.  I started reading The July Girls early on a sunny day in the garden and didn't look up, except for restorative cups of tea, until I had finished the story in one sitting. It's definitely one of my best reads of the summer, so far 💮

The July Girls is published by Wildfire Books on the 25th September 2019

About the Author

Phoebe Locke is the pseudonym of full-time writer Nicci Cloke. She previously worked at the Faber Academy, and hosted London literary salon Speakeasy. She lives and writes in Cambridgeshire. Phoebe Locke is the author of two psychological thrillers, THE TALL MAN, published 2018, and THE JULY GIRLS, out now.

Twitter @phoebe_locke #TheJulyGirls

@headlinepg

@Wildfirebks