Thursday, 6 February 2025

📖 Book Review ~ Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister



Penguin
30 January 2025

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book



It’s Camilla’s first day back at work, her daughter’s first day at nursery.

But husband Luke is nowhere to be seen. The only trace of him is an unfinished note. Camilla tries to put it out of her mind; there must be a rational explanation.

At work, there are welcomes back, and too many distractions.

Then it starts.

Breaking news: there's a hostage situation developing in London. The police arrive: Luke is caught up in it.

But he isn't a hostage. Luke - doting father, successful writer, enthusiastic runner and eternal optimist - is the gunman.

What Camilla does next is crucial. Because only she knows what the note he left behind says, and the clues it might hold…


📖My Review..


Literary agent, Camilla’s first day back to work after her maternity leave is not the peaceful transition she wanted as she is horrified to discover that her husband has been caught up in a hostage situation. When Camilla discovers that her normally peaceable husband is not the victim but the perpetrator her whole world falls apart.

What then follows is a tense and cleverly plotted thriller in which we follow this complex story as it unfolds. We get to know Camilla, her life after the event and her overwhelming need to discover just what made her loving husband act in the way he did and what drove him to such a desperate situation. With a strong cast of supporting characters including, Niall, the police negotiator, who played such a pivotal role in the hostage crisis, a picture of a complex crime starts to emerge. 

This is one of those intriguing stories in which it would be all too easy to give away something important so I won’t reveal any spoilers only to say that this kept me engrossed trying to understand why a seemingly mild mannered family man would act so out of character. There are enough twists and turns to keep the momentum going and some dark moments which fit in well with the plot.  I enjoyed the reveal, parts of which I didn’t see coming, and felt a great deal of satisfaction at the conclusion of the story and the hidden meaning in the book’s title. 

Famous Last Words is a well written mystery/thriller by a talented writer who brings such a sense of reality to her stories. 





Gillian McAllister is the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of eight stand-alone novels. Her books have been selected for the Radio 2 Book Club, Reese's Book Club, the Richard & Judy Book Club, and is published in thirty-six languages.


Twitter @gillianmauthor #FamousLastWords


@MichaelJBooks





Wednesday, 5 February 2025

📖 Book Review ~ Six Poppies by Lisa Carter

 


Penguin
Michael Joseph
30 January 2025

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book


Afghanistan, 2007. Carl meets Sarah, a nurse, at Camp Bastion and they feel an instant connection. But she’s the girlfriend of his fellow soldier, Danny, so he pledges to keep his distance.

Finally back in England, Carl vows to never forget those who didn't make it home, honouring each of them with a tattoo of a poppy. While many miles away, Sarah tries to forget the man she swore to leave behind.

But when Carl and Sarah are thrown back together, it’s clear that both of them are broken. But do the scars of what they went through run to deep, or is there a chance they can find happiness again, together…


📖 My Review..

There is no doubt that the war in Afghanistan left its mark on those service personnel who fought and died there. Six Poppies is an emotional story which, although fiction, is based on factual experiences and highlights the difficulties of adapting to life when you feel you have lost everything and of the horrors of PTSD, which so often goes untreated.

Carl and Sarah meet at Camp Bastion and although there’s an instant connection between them Sarah is the girl friend of Danny, Carl’s fellow soldier, and is therefore off limits. With emotions running high and danger never far away this group of soldiers bond together like brothers , they feel loss sharply and grieve keenly for those who never make it home. Back in England, Carl picks up the pieces of his life, honouring his lost comrades with a poppy design inked onto his back by a talented tattooist. However, even though his life is returning to some semblance of a new normal, Carl can never forget Sarah and the dream of what might have been…

This beautiful story is told from both Carl and Sarah’s perspective, we find out more about them, their lives going forward and the hurt they each carry within them. And as each beautiful poppy is etched painfully into skin we learn the significance of each one, the memories evoked, and the raw pain of not being able to do more for those who lost their lives. Carl and Sarah’s story broke my heart into a million pieces and as their connection becomes ever more irresistible so we learn more about the harsh reality of living life broken in mind and spirit.

Poignant, beautiful, emotionally charged, this is one love story which will stay with me for a long time.



About the Author


Lisa Carter is a journalist who has worked for The Sun, The Mirror and the Daily Mail where she edited the Femail pages for over ten years. She lives in London with her husband and three sons.



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Tuesday, 4 February 2025

📖 Book Review ~ Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell




Simon & Schuster
30 January 2025

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
 

On a bright spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change everything. Grabbing an armful of clothes from the washing line, Ciara straps her two young daughters into her car and drives away. Head spinning, all she knows for certain is that home is no longer safe.

This was meant to be an escape. But with dwindling savings, no job, and her family across the sea, Ciara finds herself adrift, facing a broken housing system and the voice of her own demons. As summer passes and winter closes in, she must navigate raising her children in a hotel room, searching for a new home and dealing with her husband Ryan’s relentless campaign to get her to come back. Because leaving is one thing, but staying away is another.

What will it take for Ciara to reinvent her life? Can she ever truly break away from Ryan’s control – and what will be the cost?

Tense, beautiful, and underpinned by an unassailable love, hope and resilience, this is the story of one woman’s bid to start over.


📖 My Review..

With ‘home’ no longer a safe place Ciara Fay makes the momentous decision to flee from an abusive marriage in order to take herself and her daughters to safety. With no plan in place, little money and no close family support Ciara faces the bureaucracy of the Irish housing system and comes up against so many obstacles that sometimes it feels as if she has left one difficult life only to encounter another which is just as obstructive.

Nesting is a difficult book to read as not only does Ciara’s husband present a real danger to her and her children but from necessity she reaches out to a social system which is beyond broken and which doesn’t offer much respite from the horror of simply surviving on a daily basis.  My heart broke for Ciara as she struggles with motherhood, poverty, and a husband who is hellbent on destroying her spirit, her body and her soul. However, despite what life throws at her Ciara will not be beaten, she fights for herself and her children, knowing that whatever meagre amounts she can give in terms of material possessions she more than makes up for in abiding love and the sheer determination to survive against all odds..

All credit must go to this exceptional debut writer who has highlighted the emotional aspect of homelessness in a very thoughtful way. I won’t forget Nesting in a long time.



About the Author


Roisín O'Donnell is an award-winning writer. In 2018, Roisín won the prize for Short Story of the Year at the A Post Irish Book Awards, and was shortlisted for the same prize again in 2022. She is the author of the story collection Wild Quiet, which was longlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize and shortlisted for the Kate O’Brien Award. Her short fiction has featured in numerous publications, including The Stinging Fly, The Tangerineand the Irish Times. Nesting is her debut novel. She lives near Dublin with her two children.


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Monday, 3 February 2025

📖 Book of my Month ~ Grace of the Empire State by Gemma Tizzard



Headline
28 January 2025

Thanks to the publisher for the invitation to read this book



As the Great Depression bites, show dancer Grace's Irish immigrant family can't afford the rising rents, nor the medicine that her little sister urgently needs. When her twin brother is injured and can no longer work on the construction of the half-built Empire State Building, Grace steps up - literally. She trades her dancing shoes for worker boots, braving deadly metal work hundreds of feet in the sky.

But survival isn't guaranteed. Failure could mean not only losing her job, but also her life, and the livelihood of her family and team. Sparks fly across the great metal beams, as a terrible accident and a split-second decision leaves Grace re-evaluating everything that she thought she knew about herself.


📖 My Review..

It’s not often I experience vertigo when reading a book but from the nerve wracking opening chapter of this fascinating novel my heart was quite literally in my mouth as I observed Grace O’Connell take those first few steps out onto the shell of the Empire State Building in 1930s New York.

When her twin brother Patrick is injured at work and with her family’s, already precarious, financial state affected by the deep depression, Grace takes her brother’s place in a four man team of riveters employed to work on the outer shell of the Empire State Building. This is no place for a woman but with her identity hidden, and masquerading as her brother, Grace grows in skill and confidence but is always aware that being hundreds of feet above street level, with nothing but steel and air below her, definitely brings its own dangerous challenges.

The author has captured to perfection the sheer scale of the danger faced by all those who once worked on this iconic building. The constant fear of falling, the heat of the metal, the unpredictability of the weather and the absolute terror that Grace would be discovered meant that I raced through the book in a couple of sittings. I was eager to learn more about this intrepid young woman whose love for dancing gives Grace the strength and poise she needed to keep her balance on the steel beams. The  city of New York, deep in depression, came alive, the hustle for jobs, the unscrupulous landlords who took but never gave back, the overwhelming power of friendship and the deep abiding loyalty of all those who tried to protect Grace’s secret.

Grace of the Empire State is so impeccably researched it brought history alive in a really authentic way and so, knowing absolutely nothing about the construction of the Empire State Building I was inspired to look at the archive photographs of Lewis Hines, the official photographer, and marvelled at the bravery of the ‘sky boys’ those structural workers who risked their lives as they put the gigantic steel frame together.

It’s definitely going to be one of my reads of the year and for that reason I am delighted to make Grace of the Empire State the Book of My Month for February.



About the Author


Gemma Tizzard has a degree in American Studies, with a particular interest in twentieth century American history and untold women’s stories. From Berkshire, she now lives in Southampton, where she works as a marketing manager. She also writes romantic comedies and was longlisted for the 2021 and 2022 Comedy Women in Print (CWIP) Unpublished Novel Prize. Grace of the Empire State is her first historical novel.



Keep up with Gemma Tizzard on Instagram @gemma_tizzard.

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Friday, 31 January 2025

📖 Blog Tour ~ The House of Echoes by Alexandra Walsh



Boldwood Books
30 January 2025

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



‘The Brandon blood is dark with lies and treachery and as it flows through my heart, my vow is this: they will all pay.’


Hampton Court Palace - 1530s

Anne Brandon has always understood the power of a king’s patronage and, though the court of Henry VIII is a dangerous place for women, as the daughter of the king’s best friend, Anne feels safer than most. But Anne’s husband Lord Powis is tiring of her childlessness and when Henry VIII begins plotting to rid himself of a queen in his quest for an heir, suddenly Anne’s life is in danger. And as whispers of the name of her friend Anne Boleyn get ever louder, there is peril in every loose word, every forbidden conversation.

Pembrokshire - Present Day

Caroline Harvey has spent years helping her grandfather, the reclusive bestselling novelist Dexter Blake, hide from his legions of fans in his home on the Pembrokshire coast. After his death, the vultures begin to circle Dexter’s fortune. When Caroline’s ownership of the house she has inherited is called into question, her research into its history reveals it was once owned by Anne Brandon who had sought refuge there. Intrigued, Caroline is determined to discover why Anne fled the court of Henry VIII.

Two women divided by centuries but joined by secrets and courage. And when a twist in their histories threatens them both with the same fate – losing the man they love – their revenge will be the same too. Because there’s no one mightier than a woman underestimated or more powerful than the need to save those they love.







My Review..

Growing up in the shadow of the Tudor court was no easy place to be and with her step-mother being, not only Mary Tudor, Dowager Queen of France, but also Henry VIII’s beloved younger sister, Anne Brandon is more than familiar with court intrigue. Anne’s ill-fated arranged marriage to Edward Grey of Powis and the subsequent scandal of Anne living openly with another man forms part of the story and is the link to the modern day element of the book which features Caroline Harvey and her quest to discover more about the history of her Pembrokeshire house, and land on which she is living.

The dual time plot is complicated and whilst both heroines are very different there are connections which are revealed as the story moves along. I found both Anne and Caroline fascinating and not knowing much about Anne Brandon other than her scandalous relationship with a man who was not her husband, I looked to discover more about her, as women at this time had little choice in the way they lived their lives, so it was interesting to see how all the stands of her particular puzzle came together. I also really enjoyed the literary references in Caroline’s part of the story and in particular her association with a series of sci-fi novels written by her grandfather. I thought this was cleverly done and brought an interesting dynamic, especially when some big twists are revealed at the end of the book. Keeping everything together is the House of Echoes itself which gives up its secrets slowly. 

The House of Echoes is an interesting dual time story about the lives of two strong women and the place which connects them both.




About the Author






Alexandra Walsh is the bestselling author of dual timeline historical mysteries, previously published by Sapere. Her books range from the fifteenth century to the Victorian era and are inspired by the hidden voices of women that have been lost over the centuries. Formerly a journalist, writing for national newspapers, magazines and TV, her first book for Boldwood will be published in Spring 2023.



Facebook: @themarquesshousetrilogy

Twitter: @purplemermaid25 #TheHouseOfEchoes

Instagram: @purplemermaid25

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Thursday, 30 January 2025

📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay




Headline Review
30 January 2025

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book


They whisper her name in every corner of town.
The lady with a hundred faces, a thousand lives.
Five moves, five days - for such are the rules of her game.

1898. Quinn Le Blanc, London's most talented con woman, has five days to pull off the seemingly impossible: trick an eligible duke into marriage and lift a fortune from the richest family in England.

Masquerading as a wealthy debutante, Quinn is the jewel of the season. Her brilliant act opens doors to the grand drawing rooms and lavish balls of high society - and propels her into the inner circle of her target: the corrupt, charismatic Kendals.

But as she spins in and out of their world, Quinn becomes tangled in a dangerous web of love, lies and loyalty. The Kendal family all have secrets of their own, and she may not be the only one playing a game of high deception...


📖My Review

Having enjoyed this author’s debut book, The Housekeepers, I have been delighted to discover that his second novel is every bit as good as the first as with skilful manipulation we are drawn into a devilishly clever story of conspiracy and subterfuge. Quinn Le Blanc is the infamous Queen of Fives, a mistress of deception in a long line of female con artists however, being short of money Quinn needs to pull off one of her most audacious confidence tricks. Setting her sights on the wealthy Duke of Kendal, Quinn must entice him into a quick marriage but the stakes are higher than even Quinn could have anticipated. 

Deep, dark and filled with secrets of a family in turmoil, Quinn must be able to pull off the subterfuge within the obligatory five days without revealing her true identity however, there are people who have their own agenda, as Quinn soon discovers. I raced through the book with all the eagerness of an amateur sleuth trying, sometime in vain, to put together all the pieces of the complex puzzle which the author blends together so cleverly. There are secrets and lies to be disclosed but before the final pieces of the puzzle click together there is a tremendous adventure to enjoy. The Victorian world comes alive with all its dark and complex ways, and as we sit in the grand drawing rooms alongside Quinn so we get embroiled in her world of deception, intrigue and deadly danger. And as Quinn enters the world of high society, a place so riddled with secrets, it soon becomes impossible to see where the truth ends and the lies begins.

Intricately plotted, and with a feisty protagonist at its heart, The Queen of Fives is every bit as good as I hoped it would be. I look forward to reading more exciting historical fiction from this talented writer.



About the Author


Alex Hay grew up in Cambridge and Cardiff and has been writing as long as he can remember. He studied History at the University of York, and wrote his dissertation on female power at royal courts, combing the archives for every scrap of drama and skulduggery he could find. He has worked in magazine publishing and the charity sector, and is a graduate of the Curtis Brown Write Your Novel course. The Housekeepers is his debut novel and won the Caledonia Novel Award 2022. 



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Wednesday, 29 January 2025

📖 Book Review ~ January Conversations, with dogs by Di Slaney



Valley Press
January 2025

Illustrations by Jane Burn

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book


In this tender, observational journey through the rhythms of winter walks and quiet companionship, Di Slaney captures the feeling of crisp air, frosted fields, and the warmth of connection – inviting readers to reflect on the solace of routine and the stories carried by every wagging tail.


📖 My Review…

Those who know me understand that I am more of a cat lover than I am a dog person however, I enjoy country walks and come upon many interesting people out walking their dogs and am often struck by the way that dog walkers have a penchant for conversation and how they all seem to know each other and how they often wonder where my dog is as if walking without a dog is rather lonely.

Starting on January 5th, and taking us through to the 25th January, each poem is accompanied by a lovely bright illustration which captures the essence of each poem so beautifully that it becomes a real delight to turn each page. Each poem is so well observed, I felt as if I was alongside the author, and her dog, as they walk their walks through muddy fields, glimpsing hawks, and runners and tall men with Mohican haircuts. The verses are delicately done, spare of words, sometimes succinct but always emotive with a real sense of purpose. Difficult to choose a favourite as they all deserve praise but I think 20th January and meeting a ‘widowed friend in the wood’ was so poignant, it stuck with me, and needed more than one reading.

A way with words is a phrase much used, often maligned, as it’s only when you read something by someone who really does have a way with words that you appreciate what a privilege it is to read something so beautifully put together. Coming in at forty-two pages, with twenty-one poems, you can comfortably read the poems in just a short time and yet I found myself going back over the ones I had read, maybe reading the pamphlet a couple of times and finding something different to observe each time. 

January Conversations, with dogs would make a lovely gift for anyone who likes dogs, walking in nature or just appreciating the gentle observations of country life.


About the Author


Di Slaney lives in an ancient farmhouse on the edge of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, where she runs livestock sanctuary Manor Farm Charitable Trust and independent publisher Candlestick Press. She has a degree in English and European Literature from the University of Warwick and an MA in Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University. Di was the winner of The Plough Poetry Prize 2022, and her poems have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4, widely anthologised, and highly commended in the Forward Prize 2016 and Bridport Prize 2020. She is Poet in Residence at Nottinghamshire Local History Association.

Jane Burn is an award-winning poet, hybrid writer, artist and illustrator who lives for most of the year off-grid in Northumberland. Her illustrations have been used for many poetry book covers.




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Tuesday, 28 January 2025

📖 Blog Tour ~ The Student by H M Lynn



Boldwood Books
28 January

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



Some secrets should never be shared…

I’ve spent years running from my past.

After what happened to my parents, I needed to start fresh, far away from the whispers and stares. Now, as a struggling university student, I barely scrape by, living in a new town where no one knows me or the tragedy I’ve tried to forget.

To make ends meet, I take on a ghostwriting job for a high-profile client. But the deal comes with one strange condition: their identity must remain a secret. Their only communication is through a distorted voice on an app.

At first, it seems like just another job. But as I work with this mysterious person more, their ideas hit too close to home. It’s as if they know everything about me, even the darkest parts of my past.

When my oldest friend goes missing, I realise I can't trust this client. But I can't escape their hold on me.

Because they know how this story ends. I survived once, but can I survive this?


📖 My Review..

University student, Francesca is an aspiring writer so when she is offered the chance to become a ghostwriter, with a lucrative pay out, she jumps at the opportunity as the money offered would give her and her boyfriend the opportunity to rent a place of their own. However, when Francesca meets the enigmatic client online she is met with a sinister robotic figure, who seems to know far than is comfortable about Francesca’s troubled past. With little choice but to continue with the job, Francesca soon finds that strange and frightening things start to occur and her trying to keep one step ahead of danger, whilst doubting her instincts, is what makes this story all the more compelling.

The story moves quickly, with short and snappy chapters, which helps to keep the suspense level set to high. There are lots of twists, turns and red herrings and I enjoyed trying to put all the pieces in place. Francesca is a complex protagonist, with some major flaws in her character, which makes what is happening to her all the more fascinating. The way in which the tension builds certainly helped to keep my attention and I thought that the last few chapters were particularly tense with all the threads of the plot finally coming together in a way I really didn’t see coming.

The Student is a real pager turner of a read which fired my imagination from start to finish.



About the Author





Hannah has had twenty of her works published, spanning a number of genres and has been translated into half a dozen languages. After travelling extensively, she is now settled back in the UK with her husband, daughter and clowder of cats, she spends her days writing romantic comedies and historical fiction.


Facebook: @HannahLynn

Twitter: @HMLynnauthor

Instagram: @hannahlynnwrites

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Friday, 24 January 2025

📖 Book Review ~The House of Second Chances by Lauren Westwood



Boldwood Books
1 January 2025


If you save a crumbling mansion, will it mend a broken heart?

A month ago, Amy Wood had her perfect home, perfect boyfriend, and perfect job in London. Now she’s broken-hearted, living in her parents’ tiny bungalow, and working in an estate agents in Bath.

But Amy gets a new lease on life when she undertakes to sell Rosemont Hall, a crumbling Georgian mansion riddled with woodworm, dry rot – and secrets.

Amy searches for the perfect owner to restore the house to its former glory, but time is running out for Rosemont Hall. As Amy clashes with unscrupulous property developers and the enigmatic heir to the house, she begins to uncover pieces of the past that some people would rather remain hidden.


📖 My Review…


After a disastrous breakup with her boyfriend, Amy returns to her parents bungalow and with her self esteem at a low ebb she takes on a minor role at a local estate agent. Once there she is given the task of finding someone who would be interested in buying a seriously neglected property. With emotions running high, Amy discovers an affinity with the neglected Rosemont Hall and is determined to do her best for this crumbling estate. The house very soon becomes another character in the story and I loved watching Rosemont Hall come alive in the imagination especially as Amy encounters lots of problems and hidden secrets along the way.

The story flows beautifully, Amy is a lovely character and grows both in  confidence and self esteem as the story progresses and the author describes everything in such detail that I could well imagine the dusty rooms and the allure of the mysterious painting of the young woman whose identity is gradually revealed.

The House of Second Chances was everything I wanted in a story, a crumbling gothic mansion, a feisty heroine and a cast of characters who each bring their own dynamic to this lovely story.

Previously Published as Finding Home.




About the Author





Lauren Westwood is the US author of bestselling atmospheric historical mystery novels. Her first new book with Boldwood, The House of Light and Shadows, will be published in February 2025.


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