🎄 Featured Book of the Month ~ Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

Harper Collins
21 November 2021

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

December, 1952

As a young Queen Elizabeth II prepares to deliver her first Christmas speech, staff work behind the scenes to get ready for the festivities at Sandringham Estate. Among them are Jack and Olive – old friends who are surprised to be reunited after seven years apart.

While Olive works for the BBC reporting on the royal family, and Jack is employed in the queen’s kitchens, their bond deepens – until a secret threatens to tear them apart. When the truth comes to light, it could change Olive and Jack's lives forever.

But maybe Christmas has one last gift to deliver…

🎄My Review..

As I start this month of festive reads I can think of no better story to have as my featured book of the month in December than Christmas with the Queen. Right from the very start of this lovely story, which covers the years 1952-1957, I was taken back in time to the early years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, watching her grow in confidence as she takes on the daunting task of broadcasting her first Christmas speech to the nation and commonwealth.

Not only is this a fascinating look at how the Queen’s Christmas Day broadcasts developed, but it also gives us the chance get to know the two lovely lead characters who hold the story together in such a special way. Olive Carter is a fledgling journalist working at the BBC and hoping to become a royal correspondent and American, Jack Devereux, a talented chef, who gets the opportunity to work in the royal kitchens at Buckingham Palace, Sandringham and Balmoral. Told in individual chapter we learn more about Olive and Jack, and also about Queen Elizabeth herself which makes for a fascinating glimpse into this royal world. However, running alongside is the story of Jack and Olive’s friendship which began in 1945 at the end of WWII and of a secret which, once discovered, will test Olive and Jack’s will they, won’t they relationship to the limit.

Beautifully written, with such a heartwarming message, Christmas with the Queen captured my imagination from the start. It sweeps you from post war London, to the elegant beauty of the Royal estate at Sandringham and gives a tantalising glimpse into life there however,  it is with Olive and Jack where the heart of the story lies, and it is their story running alongside that of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip which makes this into such a special festive read.

About the Authors

Hazel Gaynor is an award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author know fir her deeply moving historical novels which explore the defining moments of the 20th century. A recipient of the 2015 RNA Historical novel of the year award. Hazel’s wotk has been translated into twenty languages and is published in twenty-seven territories to date. She lives in Ireland with her family.

Heather Webb is the award winning and bestselling author of ten historical novels. To date her books have been translated into eighteen languages. She lives in Connecticut with her family and two mischievous cats.

Hazel and Heather’s co-written historical novels include:

Last Christmas in Paris

Meet me in Monaco 

Three Words for Goodbye 

Christmas with the Queen

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📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

Doubleday
10 October 2024

Thanks to the publisher for the copy of the book

Eris, an island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day.

Once home to Vanessa. A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.

Now home to Grace. A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.

But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling.

And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge . . .

📖 My Review..

Eris is a tiny, isolated island off the Scottish coast and for years it was home to the enigmatic artist, Vanessa Chapman. Now it is the solitary home to her companion and carer, Grace and whilst it has become a place of sanctuary, it is also filled with shadows from the past. With memories of her time with Vanessa constantly on her mind Grace must face her greatest challenge namely that of protecting Vanessa’s legacy and the secrets she took with her to the grave. With Vanessa’s artistic collection finding recognition, it also opens her private life to scrutiny and when a shocking discovery is made concerning one of her more memorable artistic pieces, there are suddenly serious questions to be answered.

The story takes a while to gain its pace which I think is entirely in keeping with the disquieting nature of the plot, the place and the people. It takes a while to warm to the characters particularly Vanessa whose distinctive voice we hear in snippets from her letters and diary entries. Grace also is a strange character to like although there were times when I felt sorry for her and I think that’s the strength of the novel in that unlikeable people become the pivotal focus. I enjoyed getting to know Becker, his obsession with Vanessa’s work really helps to bring the art to life and I was sorry I couldn’t actually see the paintings and ceramics which help to form such a vivid backdrop.

The Blue Hour is well crafted, quite sparse in places and as mercurial as the tides which crash upon the wild shores of Eris. It brings into focus a life of willful obsession and of those people who would do anything to protect Vanessa's memory. I have a feeling that this may well be something of a marmite book but I enjoyed it’s slow and measured pace and the brooding atmosphere brought it all together in a convincing way and so for that reason I’m happy to make it my Featured Book of the Month for October.

About the Author

Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller, The Girl on the Train, has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide. Published in over fifty languages, it has been a Number 1 bestseller around( the world and was a box office hit film starring Emily Blunt.

Paula's thrillers, Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning, were also instant Number 1 bestsellers.

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ Scandalous Women by Gill Paul

Avon Books UK
13 August 2024

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book 

1966: In London, Jackie Collins's racy The World is Full of Married Men hits bookshops and launches her career. In New York, Jacqueline Susann's debut novel Valley of the Dolls is published, and she's desperate for it to be a bestseller. But both are about to discover the price they will pay for being women who dare to write about sex.

Meanwhile, college graduate Nancy White is excited to take up her dream job at a Manhattan publishing house. But Nancy could never be prepared for the rampant sexism she is about to encounter.

When Nancy introduces the two Jackies, she fears they will become rivals in their race to top the charts. As she strives to achieve her ambition of becoming an editor, can all three women succeed despite the men determined to hold them back?

📖My Review..

Sadly, I have to admit to never having read any of Jacqueline Susann’s novels, perhaps a little before my time, however, in the nineteen eighties I did devour the later novels of Jackie Collins by which time she was firmly established in the publishing world. To have this novel centred around two of the most groundbreaking female novelists of the twentieth century is a real insight in the perils and pitfalls of the then largely dominated male publishing world. 

This is such an insightful fictional glimpse into the lives of two fascinating women who took on the male establishment and who fought to get their work published even though they were ridiculed and criticised for writing rather risqué stories which women absolutely adored. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the two Jackies, both women had their individual challenges, made all the more complex by their desire to write the stories they wanted to write, whilst at the same time being ostracised for the gritty content of their books, even though women were buying them in their thousands.

The author has captured this time to perfection, the daring fashion, the hedonistic lifestyle, the danger of recreational drugs and the excitement of noisy nightclubs, all combine to bring the swinging sixties to life in a unique way and paring these two feisty women together in a story is a real treat. I devoured the book in a couple of afternoons, beguiled not just by the authors but also by Nancy’s story who holds everything together so beautifully.

Beautifully written and impeccably researched as all this author’s stories undoubtedly are Scandalous Women is a real page turner, highlighting the misogyny they all encountered and their sheer grit and determination in trail blazing their way through the difficult early days of women’s publishing and marketing. It’s such a fascinating read that I have no hesitation in making Scandalous Women my Featured Book of the Month for September. 

About the Author

Gill Paul is an author of historical fiction, specialising in the twentieth century and often writing about the lives of real women. Her novels have topped bestseller lists in the US and Canada as well as the UK and have been translated into twenty languages. The Secret Wife has sold over half a million copies and is a book-club favourite worldwide.

She is also the author of several non-fiction books on historical subjects. She lives in London and swims year-round in a wild pond.

X @GillPaulAUTHOR

X@AvonBooksUK

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ A Little Trickerie by Rosanna Pike

Fig Tree
Penguin
1 August 2024

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Listen. My one-time friend Maria did tell me once: "Make your own paradise, Tibb, since this world is no sweet place for people like us."

Born a vagabond, Tibb Ingleby has never had a roof of her own. But her mother has taught her that if you're not too bound by the Big Man's rules, there are many ways a woman can find shelter in this world. Now her ma is dead in a trick gone wrong and young Tibb is orphaned and alone.

As she wends her way across the fields and forests of medieval England, Tibb will discover there are people who will care for her, as well as those who mean her harm. And there are a great many others who are prepared to believe just about anything.

And so, when the opportunity presents itself to escape the shackles society has placed on them, Tibb and her new friends conjure an audacious plan: her greatest trickerie yet. But before they know it, their hoax takes on a life of its own, drawing crowds - and vengeful enemies - to their door...

A Little Trickerie is blazingly original, disarmingly funny and deeply moving. Portraying a side of Tudor England rarely seen, it's a tale of belief and superstition, kinship and courage, with a ragtag cast of characters and an unforgettable and distinctly unangelic heroine.

📖My Review..

Tibb Ingleby is definitely a heroine who leaps from the page with as much bravado as she can muster, surviving all kinds of trouble which she does with sharp wit and an eye for opportunity. A devastating event at the beginning of the story helps to get A Little Trickerie off to a dramatic start and alongside Tibb we get to know, Ivo, her rescuer who is the calm to Tibb's storm and the light at the end of a dark tunnel. However, as the story travels through the vagaries of fifteenth century England we learn what it means to be a vagrant and to live under the shadow of being different. Being poor was not an option for Tibb but her stoic deliverance sees her survive in places where lesser people would have failed, and, undoubtedly, it is her strength of character which gives the book its humour and also its soul.

From the very start of the story I was transported to Tudor England which was depicted as a place of thieves and vagabonds, of ruses and trickery, of religious fervour and superstitious bigotry. It doesn't sugar coat life but brings to the core the power of friendship, the strength in togetherness and the ability to get back up when life knocks you down. Beautifully written, with a lyricism which I absolutely loved and an authentic style all of its own, this series of imaginative vignettes introduces us to Tibb's world. We feel her sorrow, hurt when she hurts, laugh out loud at some of her more colourful phrases and ultimately are completely charmed by this unangelic heroine who pulls off, with the help of her friends, the most audacious scam and does so with a joyful naivety, which is as refreshing, as it it cunning.

A Little Trickerie gives us a strong heroine in Tibb Ingleby. She is feisty and funny, quirky and as soft hearted as mallow and yet her core of steel makes her into a character I won't easily forget. I have no hesitation in making A Little Trickerie  my Featured Book of the Month for August.

About the Author

Rosanna Pike studied English literature at Exeter University. She is a graduate of Curtis Brown Creative and the Faber Academy. She lives in south-west London with her family.

X @FigTreePenguin

#RosannaPike #ALittleTrickerie

📖 Book Review ~ The House in the Water by Victoria Darke

Boldwood Books
27 May 2024

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

A secluded house. A lost notebook. A wartime secret.

1942: Young Irish nurse Ellen arrives at May Day House, tasked with helping the men there rehabilitate. But there’s something strange about the house, surrounded by water, on its own island in the Thames. And then there are the traumatised by their experiences of war, and subject to troubling methods in a desperate race to get them back to duty. As Ellen gets drawn into the world of May Day House, she starts to realise this will be no place to hide away from her own troubles…

2013: Philip and Meredith are the proud new owners of May Day House. Following a string of tragedies, the couple have moved to the area in search of a new start. But all is not what it seems in the riverside community. As their plans for the rundown house meet resistance from the neighbours, Meredith finds herself slowly she hears voices on the water, sees figures where there can be no one there. When she finds an old notebook from the war, she seeks solace in the stories about the former patients of the island.

But will shadows from the past threaten her future happiness – and even her life?

📖 My Review..

Meredith and Philip sink all of their money into the dilapidated May Day House but with local opposition renovations are not going to be easy. Meredith spends far too much time alone in the house and with some sinister goings on she pretty much finds that she is isolated and becomes more and more afraid of things that only see can see.

Back in 1942, Ellen, a young Irish nurse, arrives at May Day House to help care for those WW2 soldiers who have been sent to the secluded hospital to recuperate from mental trauma. However, the brutal methods employed by the doctors cause Ellen much distress especially as she is also hiding some traumatic secrets of her own.

This is such an immersive novel that I barely looked up from the page and such was the pull of each time frame that each fitted comfortably within the concept of the story. I was slightly more drawn to the WW2 sections and Ellen's story and yet the modern day setting with Meredith and Philip was filled with such sinister undertones that it kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked the hint of mystery which runs like a thread and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching how all the stands of this complicated story come together. 

The House in the Water is a fast paced and brooding dual timeline mystery with more than enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. 

About the Author

Victoria Darke has been a journalist for many media outlets including the BBC and The Telegraph. She is the author of three novels as Victoria Scott, published by Head of Zeus. Her first book for Boldwood, a Gothic timeslip novel, The House in the Water, was published in May 2024

Twitter / X @ToryScott #TheHouseintheWater

@BoldwoodBooks

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ The Lost Memories by Lorna Cook

Avon Books
28 March 2024

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Suffolk, 1944. American pilot Charlie’s second tour is about to draw to a close, but his heart is forever changed when he meets Kitty, a local girl with dreams of joining the Women’s Land Army. As love blooms, the pair are all too aware that every perilous mission Charlie flies may well be his last…

Suffolk, 2011. When Kitty’s granddaughter and ambitious tearoom owner Amy meets American tourist and photographer Jack, she agrees to show him around in exchange for his photographic talents. The deal quickly grows into an unexpected bond – but when long-buried secrets emerge, neither of their worlds will ever be the same again..

📖 My Review..

This dual timeline story shares the story of Kitty and Charlie in 1944 and that of Kitty's granddaughter, Amy in 2011. Both time frames sit comfortably together and as the stories start to weave together and overlap so a beautiful love story starts to emerge. 

Long buried secrets which Kitty has kept hidden gives the book its heart and soul and as her story evolves so we get to know more about the quiet Suffolk village where her father owns the local pub and the effect of having a US air force base so close to the village has on the villagers. Time and place come alive and I was equally at home in 1944 sharing the excitement as the American bombers fly backwards and forwards on their missions into Europe, as I was with Amy's life in 2011 running her tea-shop and catering for local events.

This emotional story really tugs away at the heart strings but it is so beautifully described that I couldn't help but be invested in all of the characters, especially Kitty and Charlie in 1944 whose fated love story reiterated just how much couples suffered during the war time years. The  uncertainty of life was never taken for granted, and young lovers living for the moment is given wings to fly in this lovely story of lost love, and forever love.

Beautifully written, and imaginatively described, as all this talented author's historical novels are, I have no hesitation of making The Lost Memories my Featured Book of the Month for May.

About the Author

Lorna Cook is the author of six historical fiction novels, weaving secrets and forgotten history with mystery and romance. She also writes contemporary fiction under the name Elle Cook.

Website

X @lornacookauthor

@AvonBooksUK

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ What We Did in the Storm by Tina Baker

 

Viper/ Serpents Tail
15 February 2024

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

On the beautiful and windswept island of Tresco, two worlds live side by side. The wealthy visitors come by helicopter to stay at their lavish time-share properties. The estate staff travel by boat, and work all hours to keep them happy, to keep the money flowing in. But while the blue skies and savage waves make the island seem a wild paradise, under the surface the inhabitants are concealing more than they dare reveal. The truths about their marriages, their love affairs, and what they do in the darkness while their neighbours are sleeping. As black clouds come rolling in and a storm hits the island, truths and rumours begin to tumble out, wreaking terrible damage. In the midst of the tempest, two women are attacked and one goes missing. The secrets of this fragile community can no longer be hidden if it hopes to survive. The islanders must finally reveal what they did in the storm, no matter the cost.

📖 My Review…

 

The beautiful island of Tresco is the setting for this compelling mystery which looks at the dark underside of this idyllic island getaway. For those with money Tresco offers a sumptuous retreat from the humdrum of life and yet for those who eke out a living in the hospitality trade there is little rest from the demands of their jobs, pandering to the whims and fancies of those who have money to spend. However, all is not as it seems on the island and with simmering tensions bubbling it only takes one unusual event to alter the dynamic of the place and its people. When a vicious storm threatens the equilibrium of the island it would seem that unbearable tensions, already heightened, will soon start to spiral out of control.

Intricately plotted, with a strong set of characters, and oodles of tension this atmospheric thriller is a real page turner which keeps you guessing from start to finish. Filled with all the trademarks of this author’s fine story telling skills there is never a moment when the plot doesn’t draw you in and so many times I thought I had it all figured out only to find, in the end, that I was nowhere near. There are a few authors who get my pulse racing and Tina Baker is definitely up there with the best of them as each book she shares with us just gets better and better and What We Did in the Storm is no exception which is why I have no hesitation in making it my Featured Book of the Month for February.

What We Did in the Storm will be published on the 15th February 2024

Twitter @TinaBakerBooks #WhatWeDidInTheStorm

Website 

@ViperBooks

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ The Unpicking by Donna Moore

 

Fly on the Wall Press
27 October 2023

My thanks to Isabelle at Fly on the Wall Press for my copy of this book

"I had read enough mystery stories to know that girls who went out to meet strangers at night never came to a good end..."

Stirling, 1877. Lillias Gilfillan, a recently orphaned girl of sixteen, falls in love and elopes with a man who sees her as wealthy and naïve: ‘a little boat without its oars’. In a sea of rising debt and deception, Lillias must learn quickly, or drown.

Glasgow, 1894. Clementina knows little mercy living in a home for ‘wayward girls’. With the ‘Jingling Devil’ always lurking in the shadows and a child growing inside her, can she outrun him and save her best friend in the process?

Glasgow, 1919. Mabel is one of the first policewomen in Glasgow, on a mission to find a murderer. In doing so, she finds a web of corruption and now the ‘Jingling Devil’ wants her dead.

‘The Unpicking’ spans three generations of ‘hysterical women’ who take on systemic corruption and injustice, despite all odds.

📖 My Review..

The Unpicking is a story of three parts and there is definitely a sense of the unpicking of lives which have been shaped and altered by the difficult circumstances of their lives. Often quite stark, the individual stories of Lillias, Clementina and Mabel, although bonded by blood, their lives have been very different. Whilst the stories are very self contained there is a definite theme running through the stories which I don't want to spoil as that would be to do the book, and the author a great disservice. 

History is recreated well, the latter part of the nineteenth century was very much a period of great social and moral changes however, as we see from Lillias Gilfillan's sad story nothing much changed for women who could still be manipulated and have their lives destroyed by men who were supposed to care for them. Parts of the story made me rail against the injustice of it all and I think that, for me, this is where the strength of the story lies. It brought into sharp focus what it was like to be a vulnerable woman in the late nineteenth century and even as we move forward with Mabel's story into a new century there is still a real sense of abuse, hurt and wrong-doing. The author has recreated time and place with a fine eye for detail and both Stirling and Glasgow, places which feature strongly in the story, are very much part of the narrative.

The Unpicking is a difficult read in places but beautifully done and quite compelling and is a story which stays with you long after the last page is turned. I am delighted to make it my Featured Book of the Month for October.

 

About the Author

Donna Moore is the author of crime fiction and historical fiction. Her first novel,a Private Eye spoof called Go To Helena Handbasket, won the Lefty Award for most humorous crime fiction novel and her second novel, Old Dogs, was shortlisted for both the Lefty and Last Laugh Awards. Her short stories havebeen published in various anthologies. In her day job she works as an adultliteracy tutor for marginalised and vulnerable women, facilitates creativewriting workshops and has a PhD in creative writing around women’s historyand gender-based violence. She is also co-host of the CrimeFest crime fictionconvention and is a fan of film noir, 1970s punk rock and German Expressionist.

Twitter @BadsvilleBroad

@fly_press

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ The Forgotten Shore by Sarah Maine

Hodder & Stoughton
10 August 2023

My thanks to the publisher for the invitation to read this book

Scotland, 1940. Wounded in action, Archie Maxwell has returned to his family estate of Rosslie. But between the uneasy company of his father's beautiful new wife, and the memories that haunt his nights, he finds the house more of a battleground than a refuge.

Forty years later, Eva Bayne is a journalist looking for a story. Ever since the disappearance of Rosslie's heir during the war, the Maxwells have lived under a shadow - and Eva is drawn to the mystery. Especially when the glimpse of an old photograph stirs up long-buried memories of her childhood in Newfoundland . . .

Could uncovering the truth heal the wounds of Eva's past? And what will it cost for Rosslie to give up its secrets?

📖 My Review..

Wounded whilst on active service in 1940, Archie Maxwell returns to his family home in Scotland to convalesce however, with his nightmares haunting his sleep, Archie finds little solace and is often belligerent with those who seek to help him recuperate. Archie's tempestuous relationship with his father's new wife only adds to the uneasy atmosphere which pervades Rosslie House.

Forty years later, journalist, Eva Bayne finds that her childhood memories of living in Newfoundland have been triggered by a glimpse of an old photograph which brings back memories she thought she had forgotten. Intrigued by these memories Eva is determined to uncover the past which reveals far more long buried secrets.

This beautifully evocative story takes us from the wilds of a Scottish ancestral home, to the cloistered and rather forbidding atmosphere of the Newfoundland coast and does so with a detailed imagining of what it was like to live through two very different time frames.  The author brings both to life so well that I was equally comfortable reading of Archie's recuperation at Rosslie as I was spending time with Eva during her unusual childhood living at Heart's Repose in 1966.

The Forgotten Shore is an emotional and thought provoking read about the long buried hurt which people carry with them and the inevitability of the shedding of secrets which if left too long can fester and destroy. I was captivated by this story which is why I have no hesitation in making it my Featured Book of the Month for September as it's a perfect autumnal read.

 

About the Author

Sarah Maine was born in England and emigrated to Canada with her family at the age of ten. A small northern Ontario community was home for the next two years before the family moved south, and Sarah went to high school in Toronto. She returned to England to study archaeology, stayed on to do research and work, married there and has two sons.

Books were always important. She grew up on a diet of Arthur Ransome and Robert Louis Stevenson but also the classics, Jane Austen and the Brontés and, of course, Daphne du Maurier - but now enjoys a wide range of contemporary fiction.

Twitter@sarahmainebooks #TheForgottenShore

Website

@HodderBooks

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

 

Mantle
22 June 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

‘My father had spelt it out to me. Choice was a luxury I couldn’t afford. This is your story, Red. You must tell it well . . .’

A girl known only as Red, the daughter of a Cornish fortune-teller, travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient method: the Square of Sevens. When her father suddenly dies, Red becomes the ward of a gentleman scholar.

Now raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendour of Bath, her fortune-telling is a delight to high society. But she cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul: who was her mother? How did she die? And who are the mysterious enemies her father was always terrified would find him?

The pursuit of these mysteries takes her from Cornwall and Bath to London and Devon, from the rough ribaldry of the Bartholomew Fair to the grand houses of two of the most powerful families in England. And while Red's quest brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads into her grave danger..,

📖 My Review..

A child, known only as Red, travels the country fairs with her father, together they tell fortunes using the ancient method of the Square of Sevens. They've each known hard times and sad times and their familial bond is precious so when Red's father becomes dangerously ill there is no-one, other than a casual acquaintance, who can take responsibility for this precociously talented child.

Moving seamlessly into the world of the Georgian middle classes we follow Red's journey as she learns how to be a lady amongst the elite of Bath society. From the inside of matronly salons, to the gossip of the Pump Room, Red absorbs everything around her whilst at the same time continues to share her prodigious talent for fortune telling. However, even as the lure of the Square of Sevens continues to entrance and delight, so the news of the resurgence of this ancient method of fortune telling disturbs those who know its history only too well and who would rather the secret of the cards remain hidden.

Long buried family secrets, deadly lies and scurrilous gossip abound in this wonderful Dickensian-like tale of Georgian England. It's mean, it's moody, it creates such an ambiance that at times I forgot where I was and it was only on looking up I realised that I wasn't  actually in Georgian London, watching the viciousness of bear baiting, fighting my corner in the Magpie or strolling amongst the crowds at the Bartholomew Fair.

To say this author brings history alive is an understatement, the story zings with anticipation, gloriously detailing a long standing family feud and controlling all the many players with a skillful eye for even the smallest detail and at centre stage stands Red, a feisty and all-consuming heroine, it is her story.

Beautifully written from start to finish I have no hesitation in making The Square of Sevens my Featured book of the Month for July.

About the Author

Laura Shepherd-Robinson was born in Bristol in 1976. She has a BSc in Politics from the University of Bristol and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics. Laura worked in politics for nearly twenty years before re-entering normal life to complete an MA in Creative Writing at City University. She lives in London with her husband.

Twitter @laurasrobinson

Website

@mantlebooks

🎧 Featured Book of the Month ~ Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

 

Doubleday
2022

Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing.

But it's the 1960s, and despite the fact that she is a scientist, her male peers are very unscientific when it comes to equality. The only good thing to happen on her road to professional fulfilment is a run-in with famous colleague Calvin Evans, legend and Nobel nominee. He's also awkward, kind and tenacious. Theirs is true chemistry.

But life is never predictable and three years later Elizabeth Zott is an unwed, single mother and star of America's best loved cooking show Supper at Six. Her singular approach to cooking - 'take one pint of H2O and add a pinch of sodium chloride' - and empowering message prove revolutionary. Because Elizabeth isn't just teaching housewives how to cook, but how to change their lives.

📖 🎧 My Review..

I have to own up to being rather late to the party with this one as it was published last year but with an Audible credit newly arrived in my in-box I decided to listen to the words and haven't been disappointed as it's a wonderfully immersive sort of read.  

Beautifully narrated by Miranda Raison, Elizabeth Zott comes gloriously alive, along with all her single-minded eccentricities, her foibles and her determination to empower women, not just in the work place, but also in the home. Elizabeth’s brilliant analytical brain is overshadowed by the misogynistic attitude of the men working alongside her, as even in the laboratory, Elizabeth, although an exceptionally gifted scientist, is seen as second best and not good enough to be one of the boys. However, it is her meaningful relationship with fellow scientist Calvin Evans which takes Elizabeth Zott's life in a very different direction.

Thanks to skilful storytelling we get to know Elizabeth very well, and whilst at first I wasn’t terribly keen on her, I did start to warm towards her as we gradually get to know her as woman, a scientist, a mother and finally a celebrity hosting a successful TV programme. I found Lessons in Chemistry to be a real breath of fresh air, it’s an interesting read which kept me entertained from start to finish. Elizabeth Zott is funny without meaning to be and her deep bond with 6:30, meaning will become apparent if you read the book, is so endearing that I couldn’t help but come to love her. Elizabeth is definitely one of those characters who stays with you long after the book is finished.

I have no hesitation in making Lessons in Chemistry my Featured Book of the Month for June.

Bonnie Garmus was recently awarded Author of the Year at The British Book Awards 2023

Twitter @bonniegarmus #LessonsinChemistry

@DoubledayUK @TransworldBooks

@Audible

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ Go As A River by Shelley Read

 

Doubleday Books
Transworld
13 April 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

On a cool autumn day in 1948, Victoria Nash delivers late-season peaches from her family's farm set amid the wild beauty of Colorado. As she heads into her village, a dishevelled stranger stops to ask her the way. How she chooses to answer will unknowingly alter the course of both their young lives.

So begins the mesmerising story of split-second choices and courageous acts that propel Victoria away from the only home she has ever known and towards a reckoning with loss, hope and her own untapped strength.

Gathering all the pieces of her small and extraordinary existence, spinning through the eddies of desire, heartbreak and betrayal, she will arrive at a single rocky decision that will change her life for ever.

📖 My Review..

Victoria Nash lives with her somewhat depleted family in the isolated beauty of a peach farm in rural Colorado. That her life is bleak and without meaning is evident from the very start, she toils ceaselessly often without thanks and certainly without love. The beautiful moment when she meets a charismatic stranger opens her heart to a world of possibility but it also heralds catastrophic change in the lives of those around her.

I think Go As a River is one of the saddest books I have read for some time and yet it is as beautiful as it is poignant. The writing so wonderfully lyrical that I had to stop and re-read whole sentences because they were just so descriptive. And as the tangled wilderness of the Colorado hills are laid open so we enter deep in to Victoria's soul as she faces tragedy on such a huge scale that it's impossible to comprehend the effect that this deep sadness has on her life going forward.

The story had such a profound effect on me that even now, days after finishing Go As A River, I am still imagining life with Victoria Nash, her bravery and beauty will live on forever in this lovely story.  I have no hesitation in making Go As A River Featured Book of the Month for May.

About the Author

Shelley Read is a fifth generation Coloradoan who lives with her family in the Elk Mountains of the Western Slope. She was a Senior Lecturer at Western Colorado University for nearly three decades, where she taught writing, literature, environmental studies, and Honors, and was a founder of the Environment & Sustainability major and a support program for first-generation and at-risk students. Shelley holds degrees in writing and literary studies from the University of Denver and Temple University’s Graduate Program in Creative Writing. She is a regular contributor to Crested Butte Magazine and Gunnison Valley Journal, and has written for the Denver Post and a variety of publications.

Twitter #ShelleyRead #GoAsARiver

@DoubledayUK @TransworldBooks

📖 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.

📖 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.

About the Author

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

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ The Hidden Letters by Lorna Cook

 

Avon
2 March 2023

My thanks to the publishers for the invitation to read this book

On the eve of a world war, a forbidden love will blossom in the garden of a stately home and one young woman will make a choice that will change her life forever…

As the storm clouds of war gather, Cordelia seeks refuge in the grounds of her family estate.

Isaac has recently arrived to tend to the gardens, and the connection between him and Cordelia is as immediate as it is forbidden.

Isaac begins to secretly teach her how to cultivate the gardens, so when he and all the young men are called away to war, Cordelia takes over.

From the battlefields of Europe, Isaac sends her letters, that give her hope for a future in peacetime.

But when these messages abruptly cease, Cordelia must face up to the worst and take her future – and the fate of the garden they both loved – into her own hands...

📖 My Review...

Isaac Leigh has been employed to make improvements to the garden at Pencallick House and under normal circumstances would never come into contact with Cordelia Carr-Lyon who, as the daughter of the big house, has limitations placed upon her, and a burgeoning friendship with a handsome gardener is strictly out of bounds. However, the country is on the brink of war and social restrictions whilst still in place seem to melt into insignificance as Isaac and Cordelia gradually get to know each other. It is this secret friendship and clandestine bond which must sustain their relationship through some deeply troubling times especially as the storm clouds of WW1 gather their inevitable momentum over Europe. 

Lorna Cook writes the most wonderfully detailed historical dramas which are filled with an abundance of emotions, from love and passion, through to sadness and despair and, believe me, there were many times during this beautiful novel when I had to reach for the tissue box. The story moves from the wild and windswept Cornish coast, to war ravaged Europe and from stately manor house to humble cottages and all the while keeping at its heart a love story which beguiles, entertains and tugs away at the heartstrings.

The Hidden Letters is every bit as good as I hoped it would be from this talented author and I have no hesitation in making it my Featured Book of the Month for March.

About the Author

Lorna Cook is the author of the Kindle bestseller The Forgotten Village. It was her debut novel and the recipient of the Romantic Novelists' Association Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers as well as winner of the Katie Fforde Debut Romantic Novel of the Year Award. Lorna lives in coastal South East England with her husband and two daughters.

Twitter @lornacookauthor

@AvonBooksUK

The Hidden Letters is published today by Avon Books

 and is available from wherever you buy your books.

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

 

Viper Books
19 January 2023

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Open the safe deposit box. Inside you will find research material for a true crime book. You must read the documents, then make a decision. Will you destroy them? Or will you take them to the police?

Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels: the cult-like group who were convinced one of their member's babies was the anti-Christ, and they had a divine mission to kill it - until the baby's mother, Holly, came to her senses and called the police. The Angels committed suicide rather than go to prison, and Holly - and the baby - disappeared into the care system.

Nearly two decades later, true-crime author Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the Angels. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen and can finally be interviewed - if Amanda can find them, it will be the true-crime scoop of the year, and will save her flagging career. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and is also on the baby's trail.

As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realise that what everyone thinks they know about the Angels is wrong, and the truth is something much darker and stranger than they'd ever imagined.

This story is far from over - and it won't have a happy ending.

📖 My Review..

As always this clever author draws the reader right into the mystery of the Alperton Angels with this intriguing opening message...

"Open the safe deposit box. Inside you will find research material for a true crime book. You must read the documents, then make a decision. Will you destroy them? Or will you take them to the police?"

Bringing the epistolary novel right up to date, the story of the mysterious Alperton Angels comes to light in a series of clever communications between the main protagonists, as they seek to discover more about a series of killings which took place eighteen years previously and of the baby who mysteriously disappeared at the time and who is now about to come of age. The menacing atmosphere of this cult like group is revealed ever so slowly in a series of emails, text messages, conversation transcripts, and for Amanda Bailey, an author who has been commissioned to write a true exposé of the events, there are far more questions about this sinister group of people than she could ever have imagined.

Absolutely believable from the outset and with all the trademarks we have come to expect from this talented author The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels brings to life the secret and shadowy world of a charismatic and dangerous cult leader who manipulated everyone into believing he was the Archangel Gabriel and of the deadly consequences of vulnerable people who were sucked in by his twisted theology.

Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish I have no hesitation in making The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels my Featured Book of the Month in February.

About the Author

Janice Hallett studied English at UCL, and spent several years as a magazine editor, winning two awards for journalism. After gaining an MA in Screenwriting at Royal Holloway, she co-wrote the feature film Retreat. The Appeal is inspired by her lifelong interest in amateur dramatics. Her second novel, The Twyford Code, is published by Viper in 2022. When not indulging her passion for global adventure travel, she is based in West London.

Twitter @JaniceHallett #TheAlpertonAngels

@ViperBooks