Saturday 29 April 2023

πŸ“– Hist Fic Saturday ~ The Night She Met the Duke by Sarah Mallory



On Hist Fic Saturday


Let's go back to ... Regency England,



Harlequin Historical
27 April 2023

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

 

Her mysterious midnight visitor?

The duke!

Hearing herself described as "a lady as dull as her name" is the final straw in Prudence Clifford’s disastrous season, so she decides to stay with her aunt in Bath. But Pru’s new life is anything but dull when one night she finds an uninvited, devastatingly handsome duke at her kitchen table! Pru will never forget the emotional connection they shared. But it’s their unexpected reunion three months later that will prove truly unforgettable..


πŸ“– My review..

Prudence Clifford has no pretensions of marriage and lives a very comfortable life in Bath as a companion to her elderly aunt Minerva. Prudence fills her days with charitable works and is entirely comfortable with her own company until, late one night, she discovers a very handsome man sitting at her kitchen table. This unorthodox meeting with the Duke of Hartland leads Prudence into a very different sort of life which, once tasted, is very difficult to give up.

I loved this Regency romance from start to finish, the story is beautifully written and feels wonderfully authentic whether it be taking tea in the grand salons of London's upper classes or dancing an intimate waltz at one of the many evening soirees. There is so much to enjoy and with both Prudence and the Duke being such fascinating characters there is never a dull moment between them. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing along with a frisson of delicious romance which runs like a silken thread throughout the whole of the story.

I do love reading a good Regency romance and this author is certainly one of my favourite writers of this increasingly fashionable genre. Pure escapism from start to finish,  I loved it.



About the Author




Sarah Mallory was born in the West Country and grew up with a love of books and history. She has had over 40 historical novels published and won the Rona Rose Award from the Romantic Novelists Association in 2012 and 2013.




Twitter @SarahMRomance












Friday 28 April 2023

πŸ“– Author in the Spotlight ~ Teuta Metra

 


I'm delighted to welcome author, Teuta Metra to Jaffareadstoo





Welcome to Jaffareadstoo, Teuta. Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started as an author.

As a child, I remember burying my head in books, and would often fantasize about writing my own stories. I had my own heroines and I could create a world that was only mine. I remember I had two notebooks full of stories. I used to keep them in my grandmother's attic, as I knew nobody would go there and read them. Unfortunately, one day, it rained heavily, and water started leaking through the roof, destroying everything. That didn’t discourage me though. When people saw me reading books while other children were playing outside I heard them say: she will be a teacher one day. But I didn't want to be a teacher. All I wanted was to read books and write my own stories. When I told them I would be a writer or a journalist, they would smile at me, pat my head, and say, "Oh, you poor little dreamer!"

As it turned out, I pursued both of these passions. While living and working in Albania, I worked as a journalist, and I absolutely loved my job. I still miss radio, especially when I'm feeling nostalgic. However, my life took a turn when I fell in love with my boyfriend, who is now my husband. He lived in the Netherlands, so I had to make a choice. I decided to move to the Netherlands and start a new chapter of my life, which is when I turned to fiction writing.



For readers who aren’t familiar with your writing, what can they expect from your novels?

As a person with one foot in Eastern Europe and the other in the West, I write about the blending of cultures between East and West. I cover topics such as politics, women's issues, humanity, and friendship. My first novel was published in Albanian, but I felt trapped within borders. For 50 years, Albania's borders were closed, and people were trapped in a cage. If I wrote only in Albanian, I would feel trapped again, and my stories would remain within borders. I yearned to explore the world, so I decided to try writing in English. It has not been easy, as English is not my first language. Now, I'm not sure if it's my second, third, or fourth language, but I did it. My latest novel, On the Other Side, was published in March. The story follows a young woman who enters the UK illegally in search of her missing boyfriend. But just as she thinks she can start a new life, someone pushes her under a train in London, and she finds herself in a coma. The feedback I have received has been positive, and that means I should start working on my next book.







Do you write the type of books you like to read and which authors have influenced you?

Through my books, I strive to advocate for women's rights in my home country and beyond, as I firmly believe in the transformative power of words. In other words, I write books that I hope will raise awareness about this issues. One of the authors that I admire is Elif Shafak. I think I’ve read all her books.


Where do your ideas for your stories come from, and as one book finishes do you already know where the next book will take you?

I pay attention to what I read in the news, but I'm also a careful listener, so ideas often pop up in my head. The challenge is finding a way to link something that happens in Albania with the outside world. My aim is to write stories that will provoke the interest of the Western reader while remaining true to the heart of the Albanian experience.


Tell us about your writing day - are you disciplined, strictly 9 till 5, or are you more of a have a cup of coffee and think about it sort of writer?

As a mother of two young children and a librarian by day, finding time to write can be challenging. When my friends ask me how I do it, I say: "I invent time" ;) When they were younger, I used the notepad on my phone to write down things that would pop up in my head while they were playing in the sandpit. Now, I wake up at 5 a.m. and write before the kids go to school. Of course, there are days when I can't write and I feel bad about it, but I try to compensate on the weekends when the kids sleep in a bit longer or when my husband takes them to the swimming pool or weekend training.


Can you tell us if you have another novel planned?

Yes, the first draft of my next novel is ready. Now that On the Other Side is in the hands of the readers, I’ll start the editing process of the new novel, which mostly involves deleting what I have already written.


And finally for fun! 😊


Tell us four essential things every writer needs!

Write every single day and at the end of the month you’ll have 30 pages done.

Don’t let your one-star rating bring you down.

Talk to other writers.

Believe in your work.


If your life was a book, what would be its title?

A love story across borders  πŸ˜Š



About the Author


Teuta Metra is an Albanian/Dutch writer living in Rotterdam. She holds a degree in Literature and Linguistics from the University of Tirana and has a background in journalism. Through her fiction books, Teuta advocates for women's rights in her home country. Her latest novel, On the Other Side, was released in March and earned a five-star seal from Readers’ Favorite. She is a firm believer in the transformative power of words and literature. By day, Teuta works as a librarian in Rotterdam and by night, she dedicates herself to writing and weaving stories that inspire and empower.


Teuta, where can we follow you on social media?


Twitter: @Teuta_Metra

Instagram teutametra

Facebook: Teuta Metra - Author





Thank you so much Teuta for taking part in this author spotlight

It's been great fun!









Thursday 27 April 2023

πŸ“– Publication Day Review ~ Eighteen Seconds by Louise Beech




Mardle Books
27 April 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book



My mother once said to me, ‘I wish you could feel the way I do for eighteen seconds. Just eighteen seconds, so you’d know how awful it is.’

I thought about it. Realised we could all learn from being in another person’s head for eighteen seconds. Eighteen seconds inside Grandma Roberts’ head as she sat alone with her evening cup of tea, us girls upstairs in bed. Eighteen seconds inside one-year-old Colin’s head when he woke up in a foster home without his family. Eighteen seconds inside the head of a girl waiting for her bedroom door to open.

Writer, Louise Beech, looks back on the events that led to the day her mother wrote down her last words, then jumped off the Humber Bridge. She missed witnessing the horror herself by minutes.

Louise recounts the pain and trauma of her childhood alongside her love for her siblings with a delicious dark humour and a profound voice of hope for the future.

πŸ“– My Review

We never know what is going on inside someone's head, we may think we do but its impossible to truly know another person's thought processes. However, in Eighteen Seconds, writer, Louise Beech, lays bare her thoughts and feelings as she shares this very personal account of her life, from her upbringing by a narcissistic, and negligent, mother, to the time when, in 2019, her mother jumped off the Humber Bridge, in a tragedy, which has had long lasting repercussions.

Eighteen Seconds is not an easy book to read and there were times when I had to stop and take a breather but there was never a second when I wasn't emotionally involved especially when the saddest moments of the author's life were shared in heartbreaking detail. Any personal memoir can sometimes feel intrusive and uncomfortable but Eighteen Seconds is none of these things. With skilful writing, which this author does so well, we are given a unique glimpse into her life, and that of her siblings, which is, at times, raw, brave and brutally honest, however, there is also tremendous energy, and the family's wry sense of humour and the obvious love between the siblings, brings some light relief. Tremendous credit must therefore go to the author for bringing the minutiae of her life into sharp focus and for allowing us a privileged glimpse into her family's painful past.

Over the last few years Louise Beech has written some of my absolute favourite novels, her writing is beautifully empathic and her ability to bring her characters to life is remarkable. It is humbling to now know that during some of her darkest days she was writing the novels which have come to mean so much to so many people.


About the Author





Louise's debut novel, How to be Brave, was a Guardian Readers' pick in 2015 and a top ten bestseller on Amazon. The Mountain in my Shoe longlisted for the Guardian's Not The Booker Prize 2016. The Sunday Mirror called Maria in the Moon 'quirky, darkly comic, original and heartfelt'. It was also a Must Read in the Sunday Express and a Book of the Year at LoveReadingUK. The Lion Tamer Who Lost was described as 'engrossing and captivating' by the Daily Express. It also shortlisted for the RNA's Romantic Novel of the Year and longlisted for the Polari Prize 2019. Call Me Star Girl hit number one on Kobo. It also longlisted for the Not The Booker Prize and won the Best magazine Big Book Award 2019. I Am Dust was a Top Six pick in Crime Monthly and a LoveReadingUK Monthly Pick. This Is How We Are Human was a Clare Mackintosh August Book of the Month 2021. Memoir Daffodils came out in audiobook 2022, as well as novel, Nothing Else. Memoir will come out in paperback as Eighteen Seconds 27th April 2023.



Twitter Twitter @louisewriter #EighteenSeconds


@MardleBooks















Thursday 20 April 2023

πŸ“– Book Review ~ The One Who Fell by Kerry Wilkinson




Bookouture
17 April 2023

Whitecliff Bay Mystery #1

Mt thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book 



In the seaside town of Whitecliff, everyone looks out for each other. Everyone knows your name. And everyone knows your secrets…

Moonlight falls on the figure of the girl standing on the red-tiled roof. Her white dress and blonde hair flutter in the freezing night wind. And suddenly – she is gone.

Volunteering at the local nursing home is Millie Westlake’s one escape from the rumours that swirl around Whitecliff about her past. But speaking with elderly resident, Ingrid, as they play board games, Millie gets chills at her strange story about a young girl being pushed from a roof, somewhere across the valley…

Everybody thinks Ingrid is confused: but Millie knows how it feels to not be believed. Her parents died a year ago, and the residents of Whitecliff – such a quiet place, other than crashing waves and cawing seagulls – are convinced Millie killed them.

Desperately searching for evidence to find the girl Ingrid saw, a broken roof tile could prove Ingrid was telling the truth. But when strange footprints appear in Millie’s garden, she’s certain someone out there is watching.

Have Ingrid and Millie stumbled across something terribly dangerous? And with the town against her, will Millie have to face up to her own secrets to solve the mystery before it becomes deadly?


πŸ“– My Review..

The dark shadow of Millie Westlake's past follows her wherever she goes but she finds comfort in volunteering at the local nursing home where she has a close bond with some of the residents who live there. When one of the elderly residents tells Millie of a strange occurrence she witnessed happening Millie can't help but be drawn into discovering more about this mystery and is determined to follow the clues which seem to suggest that something sinister is going on in the small seaside town of Whitecliff.

This cosy crime mystery is something of a departure for this author who I normally associate with quite gritty crime thrillers so it was with some trepidation that I began the first in this new series of cosy mysteries. I think this venture works reasonably well with this first book setting the scene quite nicely with an array of quirky characters. Millie is an interesting creation who I'm sure we will get to know more as the series develops. Overall, this is a nice easy read and a good start, with the added bonus that books 1-3 are now available.


 





About the Author


Kerry Wilkinson has had No.1 crime bestsellers in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Singapore. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States. His book, Ten Birthdays, won the RNA award for Young Adult Novel of the Year in 2018 and Close To You won the International Thriller Award for best ebook in 2020.

As well as his million-selling Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written the Silver Blackthorn trilogy - a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults - a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.



Twitter @kerrywk


@bookouture





Wednesday 19 April 2023

πŸ“– Blog Tour ~ Promises of the Runes by Christina Courtenay

 


Headline Review
13 April 2023

Runes #5

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



He travelled through time to capture her heart.

The amulet was still in the palm of his hand. Was it some sort of conduit to the past? The image of the anguished woman in his vision was seared into his mind. Perhaps it could help him find her?

Ivar Thoresson is desperate for adventure. As an archaeologist specialising in Viking times, he wants nothing more than to travel back to the ninth century as his loved ones have done, to learn everything he can about the era which fascinates him. And whilst his adopted family have always made him feel loved, the chance to meet a true ancestor, the warrior Thorald, is a temptation he cannot resist.

But while Ivar is preparing to go, he uncovers an amulet which shows him a vision of an arresting woman with red-gold hair. Clearly in distress, she is pleading for help. Convinced of the power of the charm and its message, Ivar’s journey takes on a new purpose. He steps back in time determined to follow his destiny – and find the woman who has called to his heart.


πŸ“– My Review..

It's always a real pleasure to go back in time with this talented writer and this Viking series has been a particular favourite of mine especially as each story brings a new and exciting character whilst taking us back to what has become a quite familiar world. This fifth book in the series is deliciously different as it gives us the story from a male point of view.

Ivar Thoresson is an archaeologist who specialises in the ninth century world of the Vikings and he would dearly love to travel back in time in order to discover, at first hand, what it was like to live amongst his ancestors. When Ivar discovers a rather unusual silver amulet he is irresistibly drawn towards the plight of a young woman who appears to pleading for help. Armed with with only a vague notion of what time travel is really like, Ivar sets out to discover more about this ancient world with fascinating and rather unexpected consequences. 

Ivar is irresistibly drawn to Viking life and although he has some reservations about life in the ninth century, he soon begins to feel at home there, especially as he gets to know the people, their customs and their way of life. The story soon draws you in and the author's flair for detail and her impeccable research makes this time slip novel feel beautifully authentic, each chapter flows seamlessly bringing the Viking world to life in glorious detail.Nicely descriptive and with a wonderful romantic element, Promises of the Runes is another wonderful Viking adventure from this talented writer of historical fiction.

Whilst Promises of the Runes is the fifth book in this Runes series of historical time slip novels, each can be read as a standalone however, as with any series it does make sense to start at the beginning, and if you are new to this author's skilful writing you won't be disappointed.



About the Author




Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a former chairman of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the Runes. Promises of the Runes (time travel romance published by Headline Review 13th April 2023) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).



Twitter @PiaCCourtenay


@rararesources







Friday 14 April 2023

πŸ“– Pick a shelf ~ The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer

 

Bantam Press
2016




There’s no safety in numbers . . .

Eve Singer needs death. With her career as a TV crime reporter flagging, she’ll do anything to satisfy her ghoulish audience.

The killer needs death too. He even advertises his macabre public performances, where he hopes to show the whole world the beauty of dying.

When he contacts Eve, she welcomes the chance to be first with the news from every gory scene. Until she realizes that the killer has two obsessions.

One is public murder.

And the other one is her..



πŸ“– My Review..

It's my mission to read the books which have been left undisturbed on my book shelf for several years, however, with so many current reads dropping through the door or landing on my e-reader, it's not always possible. 

Determined to rectify this I adopted the pick a shelf, seven books along theory and my eye spotted the distinctive cover of The Beautiful Dead and within minutes of reading the first few pages I was hooked on the story of journalist Eve Singer who, in her quest to be the best investigative TV reporter, comes into contact with a serial killer who is determined to continue his deadly killing spree, whilst at the same time, by fair means or foul, he draws Eve ever closer into his net. This imagined bond between the killer and Eve forms the basis of the story which is also nicely padded out with an insight into Eve's personal life, her struggle to look after an elderly father and her growing fondness for her cameraman, Joe, which all adds an extra dimension to what is an exciting and lively crime novel.

Belinda Bauer never disappoints. Her writing is always crisp and clean, she takes you into the mind of a serial killer and yet splashes the story with poignant humour, especially when describing Eve and her father's conversations. There's enough action to keep you turning the pages and I found that I wanted to read the story quickly so that I could keep up with what was happening on the page.

I'm sorry that The Beautiful Dead has languished on my shelf for so long, it didn't deserve to as its a great story and deserves to be read. so if you see it quietly reposing in a book shop do take it home and let its story come to life.



About the Author


Belinda Bauer grew up in England and South Africa and now lives in Wales.She worked as a journalist and a screenwriter before finally writing a book t appease her nagging mother. Her debut Badlands was awarded the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Crime Novel of the Year. She went on to win the CWA Dagger in the Library for her body of work in 2013.






Thursday 13 April 2023

πŸ“– Publication Day Review ~ Rivers of Treason by K J Maitland



Headline Review
13 April 2023

Daniel Pursglove #3

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book


From the stark Yorkshire landscape to the dark underbelly of Jacobean London, Daniel Pursglove's new mission sees him fall prey to a ruthless copycat killer...

London, 1607. As dawn breaks, Daniel Pursglove rides north, away from the watchful eye of the King and his spies.

He returns, disguised, to his childhood home in Yorkshire - with his own score to settle. The locals have little reason to trust a prying stranger, and those who remember Daniel do so with contempt.

When a body is found with rope burns about the neck, Daniel falls under suspicion. On the run, across the country, he is pursued by a ruthless killer whose victims all share the same gallows mark. Are these the crimes of someone with a cruel personal vendetta - or has Daniel become embroiled in a bigger, and far more sinister, conspiracy?

A new river of treason is rising, flowing from the fields of Yorkshire right to the heart of the King's court...

πŸ“– My Review..

This is now the third book in the Daniel Pursglove series of historical mysteries and once again we meet Daniel when he is embroiled in the shady world of intelligencers and conspirators. Never one for making life easy for himself we travel with Daniel back to his native Yorkshire where he attempts to make sense of his past and of the secrets which have been hidden there for so long. 

With a new King barely settled onto his throne, this new Jacobean age is a time of unease and religious mistrust. People are naturally wary of strangers and Daniel, ever the master of disguise, and subterfuge, discovers that he must keep his considerable wits about him as he seeks to keep one step ahead of those dangerous individuals who seek to pursue him, almost to death. Drawn into a ring of conspiracy, Daniel neither knows nor understands what the aim of the game is however, the one thing he knows for certain is that there is someone following him who is intent on harm.

This series just continues to go from strength to strength, meticulously researched, as always, and beautifully atmospheric, we walk the same mud encrusted streets as Daniel, we share a pot of small beer in dusty taverns and listen in on clandestine conversations which drop us very firmly in England in 1607. The story ends on something of a cliffhanger which lends itself very nicely to a further continuation of this excellent historical series.








K J Maitland is an historical novelist, lecturer and teacher of Creative Writing, with over twenty books to her name. She grew up in Malta, which inspired her passion for history, and travelled and worked all over the world before settling in the United Kingdom. She has a doctorate in psycho linguistics, and now lives on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon.



Twitter #KJMaitland #RiversofTreason #DanielPursglove


@headlinepg





Wednesday 12 April 2023

Book Review ~ The Mirror of Simple Souls by Aline Kiner ( Translated by Susan Emanuel)

   


Pushkin Press
6 April 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book




A heretical text, a vengeful husband, a forbidden love...

It's 1310 and Paris is alive with talk of the trial of the Templars. Religious repression is on the rise, and the smoke of execution pyres blackens the sky above the city. But sheltered behind the walls of Paris's great beguinage, a community of women are still free to work, study and live their lives away from the domination of men.

When a wild, red-haired child clothed in rags arrives at the beguinage gate one morning, with a sinister Franciscan monk on her tail, she sets in motion a chain of events that will shatter the peace of this little world-plunging it into grave danger..


πŸ“– My Review..

The title of the book takes its inspiration from a medieval work on Divine Love written by Marguerite Porete who was burned at the stake for heresy in Paris in 1310. Set against the background of medieval Paris and with its focus on those women who chose to spend their lives in contemplation, safely ensconced behind the walls of the Beguinage of Paris, we meet Ysabel, the infirmiere, who tends her garden, nurturing both the soil, and her patients as tenderly as children. 

When Maheut, an emotionally damaged girl, arrives at the beguinage, Ysabel is determined to help this red-haired young woman whose secrets lie hidden however, there is a sinister Franciscan monk seeking her who also wants information. Caught up in those who seek the whereabouts of this mysterious young woman, The Mirror of Simple Souls shines a spotlight on a dangerous period in French history and of both the strength, and vulnerabilities, of women living during this difficult time of religious persecution.

Beautifully written, and sensitively translated, from its original French the medieval world comes vibrantly alive. Whilst I knew a little about the role of the beguinage in medieval Europe, it has been fascinating to discover more about this lifestyle choice and of the women who took no holy orders and yet who lived their lives in quiet contemplation.


About the Author


Aline Kiner (18 June 1959 – 7 January 2019) was a French journalist and novelist. Kiner began as a journalist for Sciences et Avenir in 1995, and was then named editor-in-chief of special issues in 2008. She also collaborated with the French documentary series Thalassa, and for the French newspaper LibΓ©ration.






Friday 7 April 2023

πŸ“– Book Review ~ Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry

 

Faber and Faber
2 March 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book



Recently retired policeman Tom Kettle is settling into the quiet of his new home, a lean-to annexed to a Victorian castle overlooking the Irish Sea. For months he has barely seen a soul, catching only glimpses of his eccentric landlord and a nervous young mother who has moved in next door. Occasionally, fond memories return, of his family, his beloved wife June and their two children.

But when two former colleagues turn up at his door with questions about a decades-old case, one which Tom never quite came to terms with, he finds himself pulled into the darkest currents of his past.


πŸ“– My Review..

Newly retired from the Irish police force Tom Kettle lives with a certain truth which he has kept carefully hidden. Alone and isolated in his small apartment annexed on the edge of an Irish castle, Tom looks across at the grey Irish sea and remembers snippets of his life, memories which are as painful to forget as they are to remember.

The story is beautifully written with a starkness to the narrative which belies its strength and although painful to read it is eerily compulsive, especially as Tom Kettle's stream of consciousness brings to the fore everything he has tried so hard to forget. I read it quickly, immersed in Tom's story and its dreadful reminder of  Ireland's painful Catholic past, with the sins of the religious fathers lying heavily on those who were the victims of abuse and shame.

Old God's Time is a haunting and rather melancholic story and Tom Kettle is a character who will stay with me for quite a while.



About the Author


Sebastian Barry is an Irish playwright, novelist and poet. He is noted for his dense literary writing style and is considered one of Ireland's finest writers.


#SebastianBarry #OldGodsTime

@FaberBooks





Thursday 6 April 2023

πŸ“– Road to Reading ~ Couch to 5k

 



The national charity The Reading Agency have launching a brand new “Couch to 5k” initiative for new and lapsed readers – the Road to Reading.

From the 5th April people will be able to sign up for the challenge to read for 30 minutes each week over a 10-week period, receiving helpful tips along the way and see what a difference regular reading makes to their lives.

Endorsed by ambassadors including Katie Piper, Louise Pentland and Shaparak Khorsandi, the Road to Reading kicks off officially on World Book Night (Sunday 23 April), when together with the whole nation participants will be invited to tick off their first 30 minutes of reading during the Reading Hour.

We all read more during lockdown, but many might now be finding it hard to read regularly. Designed for lapsed and seasoned readers alike, the Road to Reading is the perfect way to fall back in love with books, and see your life transformed by the benefits of regular reading.



@WorldBookNight / @ReadingAgency

#WorldBookNight / #RoadToReading










Wednesday 5 April 2023

πŸ“– Featured Book of the Month ~ Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose

 

Penguin
24 March 2023

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book



Keep your friends close and your neighbours closer . . .

Ciara has it all – a loving husband, well-behaved children and an immaculate home. But behind the filters, her reality is far from what it seems.

Mishti is stuck in a loveless marriage, raising her daughter in a country that is too cold, among children who look nothing like her.

Lauren is mostly happy, despite being outcast for her woo-woo beliefs and her kids who run naked, wild and free.

But then Ciara is found murdered in her pristine home and suddenly everyone is a suspect.


πŸ“– My Review..

Ciara seems to have everything, a loving husband, beautiful children and a lifestyle that she enjoys sharing on her social media channels but as we soon discover there are flaws aplenty in Ciara’s life and pretty soon we start to see not just her dirty laundry but everyone else’s dirty laundry being aired in public.

I enjoyed getting to know Ciara and although she not a very likeable character and as brittle as a cut glass vase there were times when I felt a modicum of sympathy for her. However, for me, it was Mishti who was the stand out character, she deserved so much more than life had given her. Lauren, with her Mother Earth qualities had her own vulnerabilities which added another fascinating dimension to this compelling story about motherhood, friendship and the difficulties of keeping your enemies closer than your friends.

There’s so much to enjoy in this suspenseful thriller that’s it’s difficult to share very much without giving the plot away and believe me this is one of those addictive stories which is better read with no preconceptions, as that way the twists and turns, when they come, will take you as much by surprise as they did me.

A real page turner from beginning to end, I have no hesitation in making Dirty Laundry my Featured Book of the Month for April.




Disha Bose was born and raised in India, and now lives in Ireland. She worked in Tech before quitting to return to writing. Dirty Laundry is her first novel.


Twitter @dishabossy #DirtyLaundry

@PenguinUK