Friday recommends..

Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited (6 Jun 2013)

After Flodden 

by 

Rosemary Goring

Eighty miles south of Edinburgh in the devastated village of Flodden, the aftermath of battle can be seen in the ruins of despair. Patrick Paniter, the deceased king’s secretary is a troubled man, hounded by nightmares and memories he would rather forget. Louise Brenier is a feisty young heroine, whose family has been profoundly affected by the consequences of Flodden. Her search for her brother, Benoit, missing since the battle, will lead Louise into the very depths of political danger and will force her to re-evaluate everything she has ever known about love and loss.

After Flodden is an epic adventure on a grand scale, and by combining fact with fiction, the author has skilfully merged the thrill of conspiracy, with a touch of romance. Rich in atmosphere, and alive with intrigue, the unfurling narrative sweeps effortlessly through three months during 1513, with vivid flashbacks to the Scottish preparations for battle, and describes in detail the traumatic consequences of a country in conflict. The utter desolation of the Scottish borderland and the warring factions of clan against clan are fearsomely described within a story of duplicitous deception. By accurately blending factual historical figures within a strong fictitious cast, the authenticity of the story is maintained, and the sights, sounds and smells of sixteenth century Scotland are impressively recreated.

I am reassured that the author is already planning to continue the story, as there is no doubt that the political consequences of the Scottish defeat at Flodden had a lasting legacy.

Huge thanks to newbooks for the opportunity to read this book in advance of its UK publication.

Guest Author ~ Caitriona Leslie

I am delighted to welcome

Caitriona Leslie

Photo by kind permission of the author



Author of Alice - Rose

XLIBRIS (31 Oct 2012)

What inspired you to become an author?


I have a long commute to work and some years ago I started to listen to books on tape to pass the time. Listening to books is a great way to ‘read’ – you hear every written word and I think it gives you a better understanding of the writing process.

At some point I began to think, rightly or wrongly, that I could possibly “do that”. We have an old PC at home and I began dabbling with storylines. None really worked for me until I came up with the bones of ‘Alice-Rose’. Once I came up with the essence of this story I found that writing really became a joy – I was suddenly unstuck!


So no, I didn’t grow up with a deep desire to write and I never did a creative writing course or joined a writer’s group; in fact the only person who ever read a word of ‘Alice-Rose’ prior to its publication was the copy-editor.



Where did you get the inspiration for Alice-Rose?

I love old houses and although I don’t live in one, I regularly fantasise about owning one. In my youth I babysat for four children who lived in a beautiful old farmhouse on the outskirts of the village where I grew up. Their house, or ‘Streete House’ as it is known, would definitely have been foremost in my thoughts when it came to describing ‘Alice-Rose’.



What came first, the plot or the people? 

The people, or person in this case, definitely came first. I searched around in my imagination for a long time before I came up with Libby Finn and once I had her firmly established in my imagination, the rest followed quite easily. By the time I came to putting pen to paper I felt very passionately about Libby and, like her mother, I wanted only the very best for this girl. Libby Finn had essentially become my child.



Did you base your characters on people you know?

I wouldn’t say that any one character was based entirely on any one person, but all of my characters, even the less likeable ones, certainly have personality traits and features of people I know, including myself. I think drawing on real events, places and people for inspiration is essential for all writers if their story is to have any resonance with readers.

Do you write stories for yourself, or other people?

So far I have only written for myself. However, in writing for myself I am always hopeful that there are some like-minded individuals out there who might enjoy reading about the same things that interest and inspire me, the things that essentially give me joy.


Do you have a special place to do your writing?

Yes, I do have a special place where I do the bulk of my writing. We have a small home office and I wrote most of ‘Alice-Rose’ on a ten year old PC with no access to the internet. However, my husband, Timmy, bought me a laptop last year and we managed to get satellite broadband, so the sky is the limit now. I put the finishing touches to the book sitting on the sofa in the sitting room. The kitchen table has also been used but only when the house is empty – Timmy likes to fill me in on the contents of the Farmer’s Journal if he’s around and that can be very distracting!


And Finally for fun...

What books are on your bedside table?

I have recently discovered two local authors living close by and I have just finished reading their books. The first is called ‘Foolish Pride’ by Anne Skelly and the second is called ‘Witch’ by Lorne Patterson. There are also two books by Dean Koontz, ‘Brother Odd’ and ‘Breathless’. I was a huge fan of Koontz in my youth and I found these on the book-swap shelf in work and decided to see if I still was. I haven’t started either yet, but I will. Lastly, I have ‘On Kingdom Mountain’ by Howard Frank Mosher, an American author.

Alice-Rose is my Friday Recommended Read

Libby Finn is a young widow of independent means, who has recently returned to the Irish town of Ballyedmond to live in a small cottage on her parent’s estate. When she sees the dilapidated state of a house named locally as Alice- Rose, she not only falls in love with the property, but also becomes determined to restore the house to its former glory. When she meets Dan, the local estate agent, there is a frisson of attraction between them, which over time becomes difficult to ignore. What then follows is a delightful romantic tale, which is enhanced further by the ‘will they, won’t they’ aspect of Libby and Dan’s relationship.

From the opening chapter of Alice-Rose, I was enthralled not just with the warm and witty characters in the book but also with the story of a house and its transformation into something special. The author has captured to perfection the sometimes overwhelming feeling of living in a small town, where everyone knows each other’s business, and where even clandestine love affairs can be the talk of gossip and innuendo in just a matter of hours. Libby is a delightful heroine, and by the end of the novel she had become my friend, I could almost imagine sitting and having a coffee with her, whilst putting the world of Ballyedmond to rights!

Without doubt this is a really good debut novel, and I would hope that Alice-Rose is just the first of many books by this talented new author.

5*****

Caitriona - thank you so much for taking the time to visit Jaffareadstoo and for giving us such a wonderful insight into the creating of Alice-Rose. 

Jaffa and I wish you much success with your writing career

Friday Recommends ....

Published by Orion
9 May 2013

Appetite

 by 

Philip Kazan. 

Set against the glorious backdrop of renaissance Italy, this disturbingly addictive story is as enticing as the most sumptuous of banquets, and will sweep you far away from the commonplace, and into the dark and dirty world of human excess and scintillating debauchery.

Nino Latino has an instinctive passion for creating food, and this rare culinary skill, takes him far away from his father’s butcher’s shop in the back streets of Florence, and hurtles him towards the luxurious world of the Medici’s, and into the decadent and opulent court of Italy’s greatest Renaissance city. With voyeuristic horror, a debauched world of gluttonous excess is laid bare, and as Nino’s passionate story emerges, you become completely captivated, not just by the lavish imagery of food, people and places, but also with the glory of art, and the fine balance of delicate frescoes. The vibrancy of the story blazes through the medieval kitchens of Florence and Rome with an intoxicating passion, and even as the vivid descriptions of food dazzles the senses, each turn of the page will take you deeper and deeper into a decadent and self indulgent world, where petty jealousies and political manoeuvrings are roused by the magic of the culinary maestro.

There is no doubt that Appetite is a gastronomic masterpiece, the impressive fervour of Kazan’s narrative paints a passionate picture of undeniable greed and overwhelming ambition, in a story which lingers in the mind, long after the last page is turned. 

5*****

It's a long time since I was so excited by a debut book. The writing is masterful and compelling and equally as absorbing as Patrick Suskind's Perfume .If you love Italy, food and well written historic adventure, then you will love this one as much as I did. 

If I could give it more than five stars I would.

I was given the opportunity to read this part as part of the LoveReading  review panel. 

Early reading reviews of this book can be found here 

Appetite is published by Orion on the 9 May 2013

Friday Recommends..

Penguin Group Viking
April  18 2013

The Plantagenets

by

Dan Jones

This is a well written and informative look at the lives of the Kings and Queens who  ruled England during the turbulent years of Plantagenet supremacy. Starting with the catastrophic sinking of the White Ship in 1120 with the loss of Henry I's male heir, and continuing through to the demise of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, the whole of the Plantagenet dynasty is set out in easy to read and nicely arranged sections.

It's a long book, coming in at well over 500 pages, but it is one of those delightful history books which you can easily dip into and out of at whim, and if you have a passion for the middle ages, you will find that all the major historical players are nicely contained and easy to find.

As my interest in reading historical fiction borders on the obsessive, this is definitely one of those books that will have  a special place on my book shelf.

About the Author

Dan Jones is a historian and award-winning columnist for the Evening Standard. A graduate of Cambridge University, where he was a star student of David Starkey, he is one of the most gifted British historians of his generation. He lives in London. 

Visit him on the web at http://www.summerofblood.com/

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for an ecopy of this book to review.

Friday Recommends...

27 December 2012
Weidenfeld & Nicolson

The Orchardist

 by 

Amanda Coplin

Set in the early part of the twentieth century in the American North West, and hidden amongst a remote community, Talmadge is the taciturn orchardist whose bone deep grief sets him apart, and whose attachment to his beloved apples and apricots are his salvation. When two pregnant girls creep onto his land, he is unprepared for the effect that their presence will have, not just on him, but also on the landscape.

The slow, and almost mesmerizing quality of The Orchardist is so finely done, that even before you reach the end of the first chapter, you realise that you are reading something very special. There is an oblique gentleness to the story, and sometimes it seems that not much is happening, but therein lies its strength, as this book has moments which are far from gentle, and which shock their way into your subconscious with a real jolt. However, there is such a beautiful feeling to the story that even with its burden of tortured feelings and hidden emotions, there is always the hope that the fragility of life will triumph.

To say any more about the story would be unfair, as this book deserves to be read without any preconceptions. I would hope that most reading groups have this somewhere on their reading agenda as it worth talking about in great detail.

On a personal level, I am sure that I have found one of my favourite books of 2013.

My thanks to Newbooks for a review copy of this book.

Friday Recommends...

Published February 5th 2013 by Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster

Iscariot

by

Tosca Lee

To be familiar with the story of Judas Iscariot is to assume that the Judas who betrayed Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver is the true mark of the man. However, in Iscariot, Tosca Lee has taken the fragments of the biblical story and has formed a credible and enlightening account of Judas’s life, which is rich in historical atmosphere and strong on culpability. The historical narrative is quite compelling with strong emphasis on the early life of Judas, and his quest to find answers for a particularly tragic set of circumstances. In attaching himself to Jesus, the Nazarene, Judas hopes he will find the salvation he so desperately seeks.

The story works well on several levels. As a straightforward historical novel, the writing is strong and captures perfectly the atmosphere of living in the oppressive shadow of Roman occupation. The detailed imagery as the story unfolds is instructive without getting too caught up with religious fervour and the humanising of biblical characters adds credence to the story.

Overall, I thought that the book was really good read with a strong and impressive story line.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an e-copy of this book.

Friday Recommends...

Penguin
Michale Joseph
April 11 2013

 The Rosie Project

by

Graeme Simsion

Don Tillman, by his own admission, is a bit of an oddball. He likes his life to be structured and organised, so when he sets out on the quest to find a suitable life partner, he uses his skill as a professor of genetics to construct a sixteen-page scientifically produced document with the intention of finding the perfect partner. When Rosie Jarman enters Don’s life, she is everything that Don dislikes about women, she certainly doesn't fulfil the criteria of his questionnaire, but when she enlists his help in searching out her real father, Don finds himself drawn into the quest which becomes known as The Rosie Project.

From the beginning of the novel it is implied that Don has some form of autism, he’s like the proverbial round peg in a square hole, fiercely intelligent and strangely captivating, and yet when Rosie turns his life upside down, there is an observed sensitivity about Don, which is as charming as it is poignant.

Overall, I thought that the book was really nicely done; the story was easy to read, with a warm and witty dialogue which had me laughing out loud in places, and yet there was an underlying compassion which revealed Don’s inner sensitivity. I thought Rosie was a great character, she’s quirky, completely off the wall at times, but the interaction between her and Don is lovely to observe. 

The Rosie Project is a unique reminder that love comes in many different guises, and with or without a sixteen-page questionnaire, most of us seem to get it right, at least once.

5*****

My thanks to Real Readers for an Advance Reading Copy of this book.

Book Review ~ The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

favourites

Nicola Marter has the unique ability to be able to hold an object and see into its past. This exceptional gift is something that in her professional life in London, as a Russian antiquities dealer, she attempts to hide, but when she is allowed to touch a beautiful wooden carving of a Russian firebird she is instantly aware of the history surrounding it. Nicola’s boss Sebastian convinces the seller of the firebird that it is worthless, but Nicola realising how precious the firebird is to the seller, is determined to find out more about its history. Travelling to Scotland, Nicola recruits the help of her friend, Rob McMorran, who also has this special psychic gift, and together they set out on a quest, which will take them from Scotland, to Belgium and finally, to St Petersburg in Russia.

There is not a single minute of wasted reading time in this book as the story line is compelling. The dual time narrative is seamless and captivates throughout in a story which is rich in emotion and strong on historical detail. There is no doubt that Susanna Kearsley is a master story teller, her ability to weave written magic is present in every word of her dialogue and in the way in which she effortlessly crosses time to create an unshakeable emotional bond with all her characters.

The added inclusion of references to a couple of her previous novels, adds a nice touch of continuity, but it’s really not essential to have read either The Shadowy Horses or Sophia’s Secret, as The Firebird is more than capable of standing alone.

I have now read all of Susanna Kearsley’s books to date and without doubt The Firebird is one of my

Friday Recommends..

Expected Publication 1 March 2013
Harlequin (UK) Mira

The Forbidden Queen

 by 

Anne O’Brien

In the aftermath of the Battle of Agincourt, Katherine de Valois is offered as a political pawn in marriage to Henry V of England. The alliance is expedient in uniting France and England, but Henry, the soldier King is more focused on the intricacies of war than on his young, desirable bride. However, Katherine’s role is to provide the stability of a male heir for the English crown, which she does in 1421 when the future Henry VI is born. Following the premature death of Henry V, Katherine is left a widow at 21, and as her tiny son becomes King in name only, Katherine finds herself once more the pawn of ambitious and malicious statesmen. By necessity, as Dowager Queen, Katherine is forced to live circumspectly, and yet her beauty and desirability continue to make her a magnet for unscrupulous matchmaking. When Katherine falls in love with her servant, Owen Tudor, the scandal is enough to shake the foundations of the nation. 

The Forbidden Queen is the story of how a beautiful young woman was manipulated into a loveless marriage, and then forced to live her life in the shadow of powerful men. Katherine’s story draws you in from the very beginning as we rejoice to see her as an innocent bride and gently protective mother, but then grieve as she learns to live her life as a beautiful young widow, but what really brings the novel to life is the way in which this gentle, charismatic Queen was treated by the powerful men who were appointed as the young King’s protectors.

Anne O’Brien has a great skill with words and undoubtedly makes history come alive, so much so, you are easily transported back in time to an age when women were largely seen but not heard, and as the 21st century begins to fade and the echoes of the past resonate within your imagination, you feel the cold of the castle walls and sense Katherine’s unease as she finds herself caught between love and duty.

There is no doubt that history has much to thank Katherine de Valois for, as this largely forgotten queen was not only the mother of a King of England, but was also the grandmother of the Tudor dynasty, in this novel Anne O'Brien more than does justice to a story that needed to be told.

There is no doubt that Anne O'Brien's historical narratives just get better and better, and The Forbidden Queen, is one of my favourite of her novels to date. 

My thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin (UK) for an advance ecopy of this book to read and review.

Friday Recommends...

Published February 2012

The Snow Child

by

Eowyn Ivey

After they fashion a snow child, both Jack and Mabel are bewildered when they glimpse a young girl running in the snow -  is the child real or a figment of their imagination.....?

I enjoyed this magical fantasy set in the wilds of the Alaskan wilderness. The starkness of the landscape is portrayed in such a believable way that you can sense the chill from the snow and feel the isolation as pioneers, Jack and Mabel try to eke out a living in this inhospitable land.

At first the child, Faina, answers a need in them which is painful to witness but as the story progresses it becomes more obvious that the child, Faina is with them for a reason.

Based on the classic Russian fairy tale Snegurochka, The Snow Child is a haunting tale of love, loss and the power of friendship.

4****

Friday Recommends...

Berkley Publishing Group (6 Nov 2012)

The Perfect Hope

by

Nora Roberts

This is book three in the Boonsboro Trilogy which has seen the construction and opening of the Inn at Boonsboro, in Maryland. As always, the book focuses on a love story - this time between the last remaining Montgomery Brother, the enigmatic and taciturn Ryder, and the deliciously perfect innkeeper, Hope Beaumont.
 Filled with family life, children, dogs,and assorted members of the Montgomery family,  this story of Ryder and Hope evolves just the way you hoped it would.


Nora Roberts has a gift for story telling, The Perfect Hope is delicious, frothy and unashamedly romantic ~ I loved every word.

As this is book three in the trilogy , I would advise anyone interested in this series to start at the beginning.

Book 1 The Next Always
Book 2 The Last Boyfriend
Book 3 The Perfect Hope

Friday recommends...

Published 8 Jaunuary 2013
Soho Press

Little Wolves 

by

Thomas Maltman

When a seemingly senseless act of violence shatters the isolated town in the Minnesota hills, it uncovers small town prejudices which reverberate throughout the whole community and draws together two unlikely protagonists. Grizz, the embittered old farmer who is coping with unutterable grief and loss, and Clara, the pastor’s wife, who whilst searching for her own answers, finds comfort in the myths and legends of her beloved ancient literature. On the surface, these two people have nothing in common, and yet shared tragedy will let loose emotions and secrets which have been long buried.

Beautifully written, and filled with snippets of mysterious mythological analogies, the story starts with a seemingly unrelated piece of folk legend, but it pays to take notice of this beginning, as it is far from superfluous to the story. As the novel progresses, there is a lyricism to the narrative which keeps you turning the pages, and yet, it is far from an easy book to enjoy as there are some dark and dirty moments, particularly towards the end of the book that had me on the edge of my seat.

Combining murder, mystery and mysticism Little Wolves is a difficult novel to categorise as it falls into several genres, but fundamentally it is the story of how lives are influenced by past events and the realisation that the passage of time does not lessen the effect of either grief or fate.

I enjoyed it.

4****

My thanks to NetGalley and Soho Press for a digital copy of this book to review.

Friday Recommended ..

 The Queen's Promise by Lyn Andrews

The story of Anne Boleyn's early fated love affair with Henry Percy is well documented but normally this relationship is glossed over before the more interesting aspects of her life start to evolve around her life at court with Henry VIII.
Interestingly, The Queen's Promise tells the story of Anne Boleyn and Henry Percy from three perspectives. We have Henry Percy himself, weak, enigmatic, easily persuaded against fighting for the love of his life, alongside Anne, capricious, beautiful and as always with an eye for her future development.
The third voice is by far the most interesting , we have a fictitious man servant of Henry Percy who speaks for the common man and who can therefore view things more objectively,from the position of ordinary life as opposed to the rarefied atmosphere of the Tudor court.

I thought that the story was well written and although there really isn't much new evidence to be discovered in the story, overall, I enjoyed the book.

Lyn Andrews in one the the UK's top one hundred paper-back best-sellers  Born and brought up in Liverpool, she is the daughter of a policeman who also married a policeman. After becoming the mother of triplets, she took some time off from her writing whilst she raised her children. Shortlisted for the romantic Novelists' Association Award in 1993, she has now written twenty-one hugely successful novels. Lyn Andrews divides her time between Merseyside and Ireland.

Friday Recommends

The Glass Guardian

by 

Linda Gillard

Gripped by the sense of the past, The Glass Guardian is a paranormal story which delves into, not just the pain of love and loss, but also into the resilience of the human spirit.

They say that you should save the best until last, and I knew when I clicked open The Glass Guardian on my Kindle I wouldn't want to put it down, and so my Christmas ‘end of year’ treat to myself was to read the story uninterrupted once the family festivities were finished. To be immersed in a Linda Gillard novel is to lose all sense of your own time and place as almost without realising it you become as one with the characters she creates. With incredible skill she brings the story to life in such a realistic way that I really felt like I was sitting with Ruth in the kitchen at Tigh-na-Linne, and I actually felt a shiver of cold along my spine as the temperature in the house dropped and the emotional secrets of the Glass Guardian window were revealed.

There is so much to talk about with this novel, but to do so would reveal the heart and soul of the story, and this is definitely one of those books that you really should discover for yourself.

The Glass Guardian is a treat well worth savouring.

Now available in Paperback

Friday Recommended Read...

Friday again, and it's time for my choice of book for Friday recommends...

This is an exciting book blog hop that book bloggers can take part in once a week to share with their followers, the books that they most recommend reading!

The rules for Friday Recommends are:

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.

Pick a book that you've read, and have enjoyed enough to recommend to other readers. It can be a book you've read recently, or a book you read years ago - it's up to you - but make sure you tell us why you love the book (like a mini review). You make the post as long or as short as you like.

Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

My Friday recommended read is the third book in the Crowther / Westerman series of Gothic suspense novels from Imogen Robertson. 

My thanks to Real Readers for supplying a copy of this book to review

Island of Bones

by

Imogen Roberston.

Headline Review (29 Mar 2012) 

My Review

Against the backdrop of the glorious English Lake District, reclusive anatomist, Gabriel Crowther and his companion, Harriet Westerman meet again in a gothic story of intrigue, mystery and long dead secrets. The Island of Bones is the third book in the Crowther/ Westerman series of Gothic suspense novels, and is a fast and furious blend of history, deception and danger.

When an extra body is discovered in an ancient grave on the aptly named Island of Bones, Gabriel Crowther and Harriet Westerman are called upon to travel to Derwent Water, Cumberland, in order to investigate the mystery surrounding this unknown body. With added poignancy, Gabriel must return to what was once his family home in Keswick, which he abandoned during a scandal many years ago. The wild and untamed beauty of the area is richly juxtaposed alongside a story of disloyalty, disgrace and discredited honour. There are some really nice touches; Imogen Robertson has a nice way of writing, her characterisation is excellent, and her stunning description of the landscape, and superstition surrounding the Island of Bones, makes for interesting reading. The late Georgian era is captured to perfection, and the suspicion and superstition associated with this small Cumberland town is well explored.

With no prior knowledge of the previous two books in the series, it took me a little while to warm to the central characters, but once I understood a little more of their distinctive personalities, I found the narrative flowed very well, and I then became absorbed in the story. I particularly enjoyed reading the parts which involved Harriet’s young son Stephen, his relationship with the eccentric Casper Grace was by far my favourite part of the novel.

Overall, I thought that this was a fascinating and suspenseful murder mystery. I’m always happy to find a new author to follow, and it is now my intention to read the previous two books in the Crowther/ Westerman series.

4 ****

The previous Crowther / Westerman books by Imogen Robertson

Instruments of Darkness (2009)

Anatomy of Murder (2010)

Island of Bones (2011)

Circle of Shadows (due in 2012)