Review ~ The Unfinished Symphony of You and Me by Lucy Robinson

Penguin

19th June 2014

Brilliantly Fresh

Gorgeously Romantic

Hilariously Funny

As a child Sally had to quietly hide her skill and love of opera from her unimaginative parents and when as an adult she takes a job as assistant dresser at the prestigious Royal Opera House, she never reveals that actually she can sing opera like the best of the best. Only her teddy bear Carrot and the inside of her wardrobe know just how good Sally’s voice really is. Going to New York, on an opera tour opens up the possibility of Sally actually pursuing her operatic dream, but there’s also the heady possibility of a love affair which could change her life forever.

This is a lovely, warm, witty and intelligent summer read which has all the possibility of becoming one my favourite of Lucy Robinson’s books to date. She has created, in Sally, a slightly quirky heroine who warms your heart from the beginning and in whose company you feel a rosy glow. You can’t help but want her to succeed in her chosen career and continue to hope that she finds love somewhere along the line.

Once I started to read, I found that the pages sort of turned themselves; it’s an incredibly easy read and nicely divided into operatic segments with some nice musical references threaded through out the story. This is one of those lovely summer reads which is best read in glorious sunshine with a glass of something cold nearby.

My thanks to Penguin Books and Real Readers for my review copy of The Unfinished Symphony of You and Me.

About the Author

http://lucy-robinson.co.uk/

***

***Giveaway now closed **

WINNER CHOSEN BY RANDOM.ORG IS

Margaret

Well Done 

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 ~ A Dark and Twisted Tide by Sharon Bolton

Random House UK, Transworld Publishers
2014

It would seem that Lacey Flint has a morbid fascination for water and for the River Thames in particular. Her current penchant for wild water swimming in the gloomy waters of the Thames leads her to a gruesome discovery which will take her into the very dark and twisted world of missing women. Attached as she is to the marine police division Lacey should really know to leave the investigative policing to her detective colleagues, but from necessity Lacey and her nemesis, Dana Tulloch, have to join forces in order to plunge, quite literally, into the murky depths that hide beneath the waters of the hidden creeks and wharfs of London’s ancient river.

As we have come to expect from a Sharon Bolton novel, the action is fast and furious. No stone is left unturned and no detail is left unexamined and as always, the deeper into the story you venture, the more questions are left unanswered. Lacey commands your attention, she is the quintessential enigma. She has so many layers it’s like peeling an onion to reach into her heart and soul, and truthfully, I’m not convinced that we will ever truly find out what make this complex young woman tick. Her heart, as always, remains hidden, but at least in this story, she is granted a very short respite, with a couple of tender moments, which make you hope that one day she’ll be able to find some sort of comfort.

Maintaining a long running crime series requires investment both from the author and the reader and a real emotional bond needs to develop between the characters. There is no doubt that Sharon Bolton has created in Lacey Flint one of crimes most unfathomable protagonists, whose multi layered character really does drive forward these novels to such a degree that as I turn the last page and read the last word, I am already longing for the story to be continued in the not too distant future.

My thanks to NetGalley for my review copy of A Dark and Twisted Tide.

Published by Random House UK, Transworld publishers in May 2014.

About the Author

http://www.sjbolton.com/

BookADay ...part three

Great fun currently on Twitter with this initiative from @boroughpress

Borough Press

#BookADayUK

I'm joining in on twitter @jaffareadstoo

 I will also post my book choice on this thread.

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Made to read at school





Hooked me into reading

Never finished it

Should have sold more copies

Want to be one of the characters

Bought at my favourite independent bookshop

Ebb and Flo Bookshop

The one I have reread the most often

Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon

Would save if my house burned down

Without doubt this one

My signed 20th Anniversay edition

Sunday War Poet....

Alan Seeger

1888- 1916

Rendezvous

I have a rendezvous with Death

At some disputed barricade,

I have a rendezvous with Death

At some disputed barricade,

When Spring comes back with rustling shade

And apple-blossoms fill the air - 

I have a rendezvous with Death

When Spring brings back blue days and fair.

It may be he shall take my hand

And lead me into his dark land

And close my eyes and quench my breath -

It may be I shall pass him still.

I have a rendezvous with Death

On some scarred slope of battered hill,

When Spring comes round again this year

And the first meadow-flowers appear.

God knows 'twere better to be deep

Pillowed in silk and scented down,

Where love throbs out in blissful sleep,

Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath,

Where hushed awakenings are dear...

But I've a rendezvous with Death

At midnight in some flaming town,

When Spring trips north again this year,

And I to my pledged word am true,

I shall not fail that rendezvous.

***

Alan Seeger was an American Poet who fought and died in WW1 during the Battle of the Somme serving in the French Foreign Legion He is most well known for having authored the poem, I Have a Rendezvous with Death, a favourite of President John F Kennedy. A statue modelled after Seeger is found on the monument honouring fallen Americans who volunteered for France during the war, located in Paris.

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Review and Giveaway ~ Payback by Kimberley Chambers

Family. They’re supposed to watch your back. Not stab you in it.

Vinny and Michael Butler are two of the hard men of London’s East End, they rule the roost with a rod of iron and woe betide anyone who messes with their family. But for those they have crossed, revenge is a dish best served cold and the Butler’s are about to find out that payback comes when you least expect it.

This is my first Kimberley Chambers novel and at first I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to pick up the back story enough to enjoy this continuation which began in the previous book, The Trap. But I needn’t have worried because the author does a really good job of filling in the history of the Butlers and very soon into the story I became absorbed in this dark and gritty world of East End family politics. Neither Vinny nor Michael are in the slightest bit likeable as they have no reservations about dispatching people who get in their way but the inclusion into the story of their mother Queenie and their Aunt Vivian, and of their assorted girlfriends, wives, mistresses and children, allows us a tantalising glimpse into their softer side. Vinny adores his young daughter Molly, but when Molly goes missing, there is a whole list of people who hate Vinny enough to wreak this sort of vengeance.

Fast paced, gritty and very realistic, the story soon becomes a real page turner and the need to find out just what’s going on means that the pages fly by in the blink of an eye. The ending when it comes is a bit of a shocker but the conclusion does then lend itself to a continuation of the story in the next instalment – The Wronged – which is due in 2015. For Kimberley Chambers legions of fans, I am sure that 2015 won’t come quick enough but for new fans, like me, we have a whole back catalogue of delights still waiting for us.

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**Enter this Giveaway **

For a fabulous chance to win a copy of Payback 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My thanks to Louise Swannell at Harper Fiction for kindly providing this giveaway copy

The Author in my spotlight is ....Kimberley Chambers

I am delighted to welcome to the blog

Kimberley Chambers

© by kind permission

whose latest novel

Payback is out in paperback today

Published 19 June

Harper Collins Publishers

This gritty and thrilling novel set in the seedy world of drugs, violence and poverty with all the ingredients of a fast-paced novel that will have you gripped to the very last word. 

PAYBACK reached no 1 in The Sunday Times bestseller charts on Hardback publication in January 2014. 

***

Kimberley ~ welcome to Jaffareadstoo and thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions.

 What can you tell us about Payback that will pique the reader’s interest?

 The story is based around a young child who goes missing. Molly Butler is as cute as they come, but her father has made many enemies in his lifetime. The truth about Molly's disappearance doesn't come to light until the very end of the book, and it's shocking to say the least !

Where do you get the inspiration for your stories?

I've led a different life to most authors. I grew up in Dagenham where you had to be streetwise to survive. I also worked as a market trader in the East End for many years, so have always been surrounded by colourful characters. I find it relatively easy to create strong dysfunctional families like the Butlers. My family wasn't exactly normal. 

Do you outline the plot first, or do you let the story go wherever it takes you?

I usually have a beginning and an end. But nine times out of ten, I change my mind about the ending. I just tend to let the story go with the flow. As I finish a chapter, the next naturally springs to mind. For instance, I was going to kill Eddie Mitchell off at the end of The Feud. So glad I didn't as that trilogy has been very popular and without Eddie, it wouldn't have worked.

Do you ever base your characters on people you know?

No. I prefer to create my own. 

What do you think makes a good fictional villain?

Keeping them real. Plus power, wealth, fear etc. It helps if they're good looking as well. I’ve had many of my female readers tell me they wouldn't kick the likes of Vinny and Michael Butler out of bed. Same goes for Eddie Mitchell. Male readers wanted to be him, and it's unprintable what the women said ;-) 

If Payback was optioned for a TV drama, who would you choose to play Vinny and Michael?

To be honest, I've never really thought about it. The reason being is if it ever went to drama, I probably wouldn't get much say in the matter. Vinny's quite sinister, so if it were up to me i,d opt for a powerful actor such as Tom Hardy. As for Michael Butler, I think Danny Dyer would play him rather well.

Can you tell us what you are writing next?

I've just finished The Wronged. It's another in the Butler series. Follows on from Payback and comes out early Feb.

About the author

Kimberley Chambers lives in Romford and has been, at various times, a disc jockey and a street trader. She is now a full-time writer and is the author of seven previous novels.

 For further information about Kimberly visit:

Kimberlychambers.com

***

Thank you Kimberley - It's been a real pleasure to host this interview.

Jaffa and I wish you continued success with your writing.

~*~*~*