📖 Publication Day Review ~ Henry VIII : The Heart and the Crown by Alison Weir

 

Headline
11 May 2023

Tudor Rose #2

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Having completed her Six Tudor Queens series of novels on the wives of Henry VIII, extensively researched and written from each queen’s point of view, Alison Weir now gives Henry himself a voice, telling the story of his remarkable thirty-six-year reign and his six marriages.

A young boy grows up dreaming of knights and chivalry. Henry is the second son. He is never meant to rule.

But the death of his brother changes everything, and  a great destiny awaits this young prince. One day he will be the infamous King in English history.

📖 My Review..

We all know the story of Henry VIII and his Six Wives but most often the story is told from the perspective of the wronged wives. In this account, historian, Alison Weir brings us Henry's point of view, from his early days as a charismatic young king, to the irascible, and malevolent, old man who struck terror into the hearts of his people. Blending historical fact, with fiction, this book continues the Tudor Rose trilogy which  began with The Last White Rose: A Novel of Elizabeth of York.

In Henry VIII : The Heart and the Crown, Alison Weir uses her considerable knowledge of the Tudor period to bring us this very personal look at Henry's life and his relationships, not just with his wives but also with those courtiers, and noblemen, who made up his coterie of advisors. And as you would expect from a historian who has written extensively about the Tudor age, the writing feels beautifully authentic, from the detailed descriptions of the clothes worn, the sumptuous foods eaten, and the lively entertainment which provided light relief in a court which was so often fraught with scandalous danger and political intrigue.

Coming in at over 700 pages, it takes quite an investment in time, however, the story is so well told that the pages almost turned themselves and I was soon back in time to the court of this infamous King who was never destined to be King of England however, the untimely death of his older brother, Arthur, meant that this spare went on to become one of the most notorious Kings in English history.

About the Author

Alison Weir is the bestselling female historian in the United Kingdom, and has sold over 3 million books worldwide. She has published twenty history books. Alison is also the author of twelve historical novels, including the highly acclaimed Six Tudor Queens series all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. Alison is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an honorary life patron of Historic Royal Palaces.

Twitter @alisonweirbooks

#TudorRoseTrilogy #HenryVIIIHeartAndCrown

@headlinepg

Website

📖 Publication Day Review ~ Rivers of Treason by K J Maitland

Headline Review
13 April 2023

Daniel Pursglove #3

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

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

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

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

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

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

📖 My Review..

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

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

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

About the Author

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

Twitter #KJMaitland #RiversofTreason #DanielPursglove

@headlinepg

📖 Blog Tour ~ Hidden in the Mists by Christina Courtenay ( and Giveaway)

Headline
18 August 2022

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

A love forged in fire lives on through the ages . . .

Skye Logan has been struggling to run her remote farm on Scotland's west coast alone ever since her marriage fell apart. When a handsome stranger turns up looking for work, it seems that her wish for help has been granted.

Rafe Carlisle is searching for peace and somewhere he can forget about the last few years. But echoes of the distant past won't leave Skye and Rafe alone, and they begin to experience vivid dreams which appear to be linked to the Viking jewellery they each wear.

It seems that the ghosts of the past have secrets . . . and they have something that they want Skye and Rafe to know.

📖 My Review..

Through the mists of time comes a dual time story which takes us from an isolated croft in Scotland where Skye Logan in struggling to maintain the farm where she and her husband once hoped to build a future together and then further back in time to a ninth century Viking settlement where Ásta Thorfinnsdóttir is left alone following the death of her father.

Both time elements blend seamlessly with no awkward moments which detract from the beauty of the story. Travelling back in time to a Viking settlement is done with fine attention to detail, bringing everything to life in an authentic way. It's difficult for us to imagine what it was like in ninth century Scotland but all credit to this talented writer for giving us a special glimpse into life in a Viking settlement and a sense of what it might have been like to sit at table in the hall surrounded by the sights, sounds and dangerous atmosphere of this ancient world. Equally, I was just as comfortable in present day Auchenbeag as Skye tends her smallholding with enthusiasm and passion, and as someone who loves yarn, I was especially interested in the author's intricate descriptions of dying the yarn from Skye's small flock of sheep, blending natural dyes from plants found in the woodland around Skye's house.

Linked by gold, the secrets of the past are revealed, and as Skye and Ásta's lives intertwine so the elements of the past and present come to life as we follow in the footsteps of these two indomitable women, and of the men who fall in love with them.

Best read with...a sip or two of mead

About the Author

Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden–hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a former chairman of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan(2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the Runes.Hidden inthe Mists (timeslip/dual time romance published by Headline Review 18th August 2022) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety)

Twitter @PiaCCourtenay #HiddenintheMists

Website Facebook Instagram

Amazon UK

@headlinepg

@rararesources

Giveaway to Win a signed copy of Hidden in the Mists, Viking tea-towel and Viking carved butter knife (Open INT)

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Last Hours In Paris by Ruth Druart

Headline
7 July 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book and the invitation to the blog tour

Paris 1944. Elise Chevalier knows what it is to love...and to hate. Her fiancé, a young French soldier, was killed by the German army at the Maginot Line. Living amongst the enemy Elise must keep her rage buried deep within.

Sebastian Kleinhaus no longer recognises himself. After four years spent fighting a war he doesn't believe in, wearing a uniform he despises, he longs for a way out. For something, someone, to be his salvation.

Brittany 1963. Reaching for the suitcase under her mother's bed, eighteen-year-old Josephine Chevalier uncovers a secret that shakes her to the core. Determined to find the truth, she travels to Paris where she discovers the story of a dangerous love that grew as a city fought for its freedom. Of the last stolen hours before the first light of liberation. And of a betrayal so deep that it would irrevocably change the course of two young lives life for ever.

📖 My review..

This powerful dual timeline story takes us back to occupied Paris in 1944 when Élise Chevalier is eking out a meagre existence with her mother and younger sister. Poverty strikes hard and even Élise's job at the bank isn’t enough to keep her family from going hungry however, Élise isn’t content to just let the Germans manipulate her beloved city and does all she can to help those who are in need. When she meets Sébastian Kleinhaus, in a book shop, Élise is little prepared for the effect that meeting this young German officer will have on her life.

The story then flips between Élise and Sébastian’s emotionally powerful story in the spring and summer of 1944 and that of Joséphine Chevalier, a young woman, in 1963, who is searching to find out more about her past and is determined to discover why her mother, Élise, has kept so many secrets from her. Both time frames are equally compelling and whilst I was comfortable in 1963 with Joséphine and her quest for the truth, I was definitely more engrossed in Élise and Sébastian's story especially as the war time element really tugs away at the heartstrings. 

Beautifully, and emotionally, written, The Last Hours in Paris combines the very best of historical fiction with a powerful and gripping love story.

🍜Best read with..a bowl of French onion soup and a freshly baked baguette

About the Author

Ruth Druart has lived in Paris since 1983, the city that inspired her to write her first novel. The Last Hours in Paris.

Twitter @RuthDruart #TheLastHoursInParis

@headlinepg

 

📖 Blog Tour ~ Elizabeth of York : The Last White Rose by Alison Weir

Headline
12 May 2022

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book and
to Random Things Tours for the invitation to the blog tour

 

Mother. Survivor.Queen.

An English Princess, born into a war between two families. Eldest daughter of the royal House of York, Elizabeth dreams of a crown to call her own. But when her beloved father, King Edward, dies suddenly, her destiny is rewritten. Her family's enemies close in. Two young princes are murdered in the Tower. Then her uncle seizes power - and vows to make Elizabeth his queen. But another claimant seeks the throne, the upstart son of the rival royal House of Lancaster. Marriage to this Henry Tudor would unite the white rose of York and the red of Lancaster - and change everything. A great new age awaits. Now Elizabeth must choose her allies - and husband - wisely, and fight for her right to rule.

📖 My Review ...

A few years ago I read Alison Weir's excellent biography of Elizabeth of York which put the early years of the Tudor dynasty into political perspective and this fictional account of Elizabeth fleshes out those moments of her life which we can only imagine. As the eldest child of Edward IV, Elizabeth was always aware of her place in royal life but her turbulent early years were often filled with uncertainty as her father fought and re-fought to claim the English crown. This instability continued after her father's untimely death and later when Richard III's defeat at the Battle of Bosworth resulted in Elizabeth's expedient marriage to Henry VII, a marriage which did so much to unite the warring factions of the War of the Roses.

First and foremost the story is fiction but the author's in-depth knowledge of the Tudor age helps to lend credence to the story, particularly in the warm and loving relationship between Elizabeth and Henry. Beautifully written and meticulously researched as all of this author's writing, I found much to enjoy in this comprehensive account of Elizabeth of York's short life. Her tenacity and determination shine through, personality traits which I think she passed on to her granddaughter, and namesake, Elizabeth I.

Politics, passion and intrigue all combine to paint a dramatic picture of the tentative early years of the Tudor dynasty and thanks to the joy of good historical fiction we can spend intimate time with Elizabeth  and be a fly on the wall at some of the most momentous events in early Tudor history.

🍷Best Read with... cups of good strong wine

About the Author

Alison Weir is the bestselling female historian in the United Kingdom, and has sold over 3 million books worldwide. She has published twenty history books. Alison is also the author of twelve historical novels, including the highly acclaimed Six Tudor Queens series all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. Alison is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an honorary life patron of Historic Royal Palaces.

Twitter @alisonweirbooks

#RedRoseWhiteRose #TudorRoseTrilogy

@headlinepg

Website

@RandomTTours

📖 Hist Fic Saturday ~ Traitor in the Ice by K J Maitland

 

On Hist fic Saturday

Let's go back to ....England, 1607

Headline
31 March

Daniel Pursglove #2

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Winter, 1607. A man is struck down in the grounds of Battle Abbey, Sussex. Before dawn breaks, he is dead.

Home to the Montagues, Battle has caught the paranoid eye of King James. The Catholic household is rumoured to shelter those loyal to the Pope, disguising them as servants within the abbey walls. And the last man sent to expose them was silenced before his report could reach London.

Daniel Pursglove is summoned to infiltrate Battle and find proof of treachery. He soon discovers that nearly everyone at the abbey has something to hide - for deeds far more dangerous than religious dissent. But one lone figure he senses only in the shadows, carefully concealed from the world. Could the notorious traitor Spero Pettingar finally be close at hand?

As more bodies are unearthed, Daniel determines to catch the culprit. But how do you unmask a killer when nobody is who they seem?

📖 My Review.. 

Traitor in the Ice is the second book in this historical crime series which sees Daniel Pursglove, once again, on a dangerous mission. This time is he charged with the task of infiltrating Battle Abbey, home to the staunchly Catholic Viscountess Montague whose impressive home is a hotbed of recusant activity. The last pursuivant to undertake this task has been found dead, in suspicious circumstances, so it is with some trepidation that Purslove enters the fray only to find that there are more secrets at Battle Abbey than he could ever have imagined.

Spending time again with Daniel Pursglove is a real treat especially as his unorthodox methods of investigation invariably draw him right into the centre of recusant conspiracy with, it must be said, devastating consequences. Add into the mix the country's growing resentment towards King James I, the gossip and intrigue of the Jacobean court, the inherent danger of being a Catholic in a Protestant land, and you have all the right ingredients for a lively and engrossing mystery.

Intelligently written, with a real sense of time and place, we go back to a time which has been so faithfully recreated it feels like stepping off a time machine into the age of the great frost of 1607 when the country was halted by a cold which cut so deep that people froze where they lay, and the equally chilling atmosphere of Battle Abbey, with its secret passage ways and strange portents, is brought vividly to life. The dangerous world of Catholic intrigue is very much the focus of the novel, placing those would hear the forbidden Catholic mass right at the centre of the story. Battle Abbey with its hidden priest holes and dark and shadowy corners is the perfect eerie setting for an engrossing novel which plunges you deep into the dark secrets of the past.

🍷Best Read with.. a cup of small ale, heady with yeast, and a bowl of mutton pottage

About the Author

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

Twitter #KJMaitland #TraitorInTheIce #DanielPursglove

@headlinepg

📖 Book Review ~ The Best Things by Mel Giedroyc

Headline
17 February 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

It's the story of a family who lose everything, only to find themselves, and each other, along the way.

Sally and Frank Parker have it all.

Then one day, because of Frank, they don't.

As the bailiffs move in and the money runs out, Sally realises that she and her children don't have a clue about how to survive.

Or do they?

The Parkers are about to discover that the best things in life aren't things at all..

📖 My Review ..

Frank and Sally Parker have a lifestyle which is the envy of their friends. The Parker family really do seem to have it all and yet they barely communicate with other as so wrapped up in themselves they go blindly through life expecting much and giving nothing back in return. Frank's seemingly successful hedge fund business is what supports this charmed life but when it all comes crashing down around them, the Parkers begin to realise that perhaps what they had before really wasn't important and what matters more is the way they interact with each other.

The story is smart and funny and moves along with gusto and I could very much hear Mel Giedroyc's distinctive voice in my head as the story progressed. I found her writing style clever and appealing and her description of Sally's life at the start of the story had me laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all. However, there is also a poignancy to the story which comes through loud and clear as the family come to turns with living their life in very different circumstances.

The news is so dire at the moment that any chance of a bit of escapism is very welcome and that's what The Best Things gave me, the chance to sit and just be entertained by a story which is as funny and witty as the author is herself.

📖 Best read with ...a Mojito cocktail, heavy on the rum..

About the Author

Mel Giedroyc has been entertaining the nation of over thirty years. A comedian, write, actor and presenter, Mel is best known for her work with Sue Perkins in the double act Mel and Sue. Mel has written two non-fiction books and has appeared many times on television.  She lives in London with her husband and two daughters, The Best Things is her debut novel.

Twitter @headlinepg #TheBestThings #MelGiedroyc

📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ The Letter Home by Rachael English

 

Headline Review 

e-Book 3 February 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

A faded letter. A mother lost. A daughter found..

When journalist Jessie Daly loses everything she holds dear, she travels home to Ireland's west coast, and helps an old friend researching life during the famine. Jessie becomes drawn into the heartbreaking story of a brave young mother, Bridget Moloney, and her daughter, Norah.

On the other side of the ocean, in Boston, Kaitlin Wilson is researching her family tree. She unearths a fascinating story, but her research forces her to confront uncomfortable truths about the past, as she uncovers an unexpected connection to Ireland in famine times.

Generations before, in the small town of Boherbreen, a young mother faced a heart-wrenching choice: to watch her baby girl perish with hunger, or to start out for a new life in America, alone, in order to protect the one she loves most...

📖 My Review.. 

There are a few authors on my list who I know will never let me down and Rachael English is one such storyteller. From the start of The Letter Home I was engrossed in the way that the past, and the present, are brought to life in a family drama which spans generations and which tugs away at the heartstrings.

Initially set in Ireland in the mid-nineteenth century, at the height of the potato famine, we meet Bridget Maloney and her young daughter Nora who are facing the worst hardships imaginable. We then move forward to the present day and meet, Jessie and Kaitlin, two very modern young women who are separated by an ocean but who discover in searching for clues about their family history that there are secrets which have been hidden away for generations. 

Beautifully written, and impeccably researched, I enjoyed all the many different aspects of The Letter Home. The history, and hardship, of nineteenth century Ireland comes alive but then so does the present day with all its modern challenges and I found that I enjoyed reading Jessie and Kaitlin's story as much as Bridget's decision to say goodbye to everything she loved. By carefully threading together the missing pieces of this family history we encounter every emotion from sadness and despair, through to acceptance and remembrance.

The heartbreaking connection to the past is what binds future generations together and The Letter Home is a poignant story about surviving incredible hardship and of making a brave new start against all odds.

About the Author

Rachael English is a bestselling novelist and presenter on Ireland’s most popular radio show, Morning Ireland. During more than twenty years as a journalist, she has worked on most of RTE Radio’s leading current affairs programmes, covering a huge range of national and international stories. The American Girl, The Night of the Party and The Paper Bracelet were all top 5 Irish bestsellers.

@EnglishRachael #TheLetterHome

@headlinepg

@HeadlineFiction

📖 Book Review ~ I know What You've Done by Dorothy Koomson

 

Headline
December 2021

My thanks to the publisher and ed pr for my copy of this book

What if all your neighbours’ secrets landed in a diary on your doorstep?

What if the woman who gave it to you was murdered by one of the people in the diary?

What if the police asked if you knew anything?

Would you hand over the book of secrets?

Or … would you try to find out what everyone had done?

📖 My Review...

Oh, what a tangled web we weave springs to mind about the people who call Acacia Villas in Brighton their home and with this talented author in charge of the comings and goings of their lives, well nothing is ever going to be as it seems. What we have in I Know What You've Done is an intricately woven piece of literary tapestry in which all the residents of Acacia Villas have a role to play and no stone is left unturned in the quest to pore over the minutiae of everyone's lives.

Priscilla is the one to watch as she can see the whole of the street from her house and boy, does she observe what everyone is up to, so much so that she writes it all down in her diary, and that's when things start to get interesting especially when someone tries to kill her.  Leaving one of the residents in possession of this infamous diary only serves to put everyone under the spotlight and heightens the tension in this classy mystery. Once I got used to the moving around in time I was absolutely glued to the page and couldn't wait to find out exactly what was going on and who was really out to get Priscilla. There are so many dirty little secrets waiting to be discovered and the excitement of finding out just how many neighbours would be exposed is what makes the story so deliciously readable.

Clever, sophisticated and with all the trademark brilliance which this author brings to her stories I Know What You've Done is my favourite of her stories to date... but then all of Dorothy Koomson's stories are my favourites 😉

Best Read with... a chilled glass of Prosecco and a few crackers..

About the Author

Dorothy Koomson is the award-winning author of fifteen novels including the Sunday Times bestsellers My Best Friend’s Girl, The Ice Cream Girls and Goodnight, Beautiful. Dorothy’s novels have been translated into over 30 languages, and a TV adaptation based on The Ice Cream Girls was shown on ITV1 in 2013. After briefly living in Australia, Dorothy now lives in Brighton.

Twitter @DorothyKoomson  #IKnowWhatYouveDone

Website

@headlinepg

@ed_pr

📖 Blog Tour ~ The Ex-Husband by Karen Hamilton

 

Delighted to host a stop on this Blog Tour

Wildfire Books
19 August 2021

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

Charlotte and Sam were partners. In life, and in crime. They never stole from anyone who couldn't afford it. Wealthy clients, luxury cruise ships. It was easy money, and harmless. At least, that's what Charlotte told herself, until the world caved in on her.

But now, years after she tried to put that past life behind her, it comes rushing back when her estranged ex-husband Sam suddenly goes missing - and someone threatens to expose what they did.

Desperate to escape whoever is tormenting her, Charlotte takes a job as events planner for an engagement party onboard a super yacht in the Caribbean. For a while, her plan seems to have worked, nothing but open ocean and clear skies ahead. Until it becomes clear that she's no longer a thousand miles away from harm.

Because whoever is behind it all is onboard too. And now there's nowhere left to run.

📖 My Thoughts..

What a roller coaster of a ride this turned out to be, especially as Charlotte and Sam seem, on the surface, to be the perfect couple. Only problem is, no-one is perfect, and pretty soon we start to see cracks developing in this relationship which definitely don't bode well for their future.

The opening of the novel, with its hint of intrigue, sets the scene, especially the back story of how Charlotte met Sam, their adventurous time working on luxury cruise ships together, and their rather unusual way of making a little extra on their trips from clients who have so much wealth they don't notice when some of it goes missing. However, nothing this good lasts forever, and Charlotte has a rude awakening which threatens her life in more ways than one.

What gradually emerges is a story of lies, deceit and danger which become all the more intriguing as we discover what's happening to Charlotte in the present, more about her relationship with her now ex-husband Sam, and her need to discover some vital truths about their past life together. Keeping the intrigue alive, the story flits between the events of the past and Charlotte's present time on board a luxury yacht in the Caribbean, where it would seem that there is someone on board who knows Charlotte's secrets.

Fast moving and pacy, with more than enough twists and turns to keep you guessing this intriguing story grips from the start and doesn't let go of your imagination until the dramatic ending which is every bit as good as I wanted it to be and which had me gasping out loud.

From its colourful cover, its intriguing plot and dangerous conclusion, The Ex-Husband is the perfect summer thriller especially if you find yourself reading it on board a luxury cruiser somewhere in the Caribbean 😊

About the Author

© Emma Moore

Karen Hamilton spent her childhood in Angola, Zimbabwe, Belgium and Italy and worked as a flight attendant for many years. Karen is a recent graduate of the Faber Academy and, having now put down roots in Hampshire to raise her young family with her husband, she satisfies her wanderlust by exploring the world through her writing.

Twitter @KJHAuthor #TheExHusband

@Wildfirebks

Blog Tour ~ Three Weddings and a Proposal by Sheila O’ Flanagan

 

Delighted to be part of this blog tour today 

Headline
20 May 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and to Random Things Tours for my invitation to the blog tour

Delphine is at a wedding when the shocking news comes. Suddenly her life changes for ever.

Delphine has worked hard for her success and she knows she’s got everything she wants. But not everyone agrees. Her opinionated family aren’t convinced that living alone with no plans to ‘settle down’ could possibly make her truly happy, and no one appreciates it when she drops everything, day or night, whenever her boss Conrad calls. Yet Delphine wouldn’t change a thing. And when Conrad makes her a surprise offer, it’s clear that her hard work is going to pay off.

A few short days later, Delphine’s life is unrecognisable. The man who once broke her heart has suddenly reappeared, and a shocking tragedy turns her world on its head.

Delphine must rethink everything that matters to her, and to those around her, and decide, once and for all, if love, family and a little compromise should come before career, security and independence... and if she’s prepared to make that choice.

My thoughts..

Delphine seems to have it all, with a perfect job working for the CEO of a successful investment company which takes her to lovely places around the world, and her beautiful home offers her the peace of an independent lifestyle. Delphine is perfectly content, and even though her family would rather see her settled and married, she is in no rush to find 'her Mr Right'. However, fate has a nasty way of intervening and when tragedy strikes at the heart of Delphine's world she is forced to take stock and discover just what is important to her.

Delphine is such a great character, both feisty and determined but with a vulnerable edge which the author brings out with her clever portrayal of the complicated world of corporate business. I enjoyed observing Delphine's story and followed the ups and downs of her life with great interest. Her family made me laugh, they're a great bunch, opinionated and caught up in their own lives and yet they still find time to offer Delphine well intentioned advice which, it must be said, she doesn't always appreciate.

The story portrays the rather vindictive world of business really well and shows again just what it's like to be a woman caught up in a man's world but all credit to the author for not making Delphine into a shrinking violet and allowing her the opportunity to go out there and get what she knew she deserved.

Beautifully written, and with all those subtle nuances of character development that this author does so well, Three Weddings and a Proposal focuses on the vagaries of modern life, and all the obstacles which can challenge even the most stalwart of people, but it's also about finding love, and having the strength of character to know what will work out best in the long term.

Sometimes a book comes along at just the right time and escaping into the lovely world that this author so cleverly creates has been just what I needed over the last couple of day.

About the Author

Sheila O’Flanagan is the author of nearly 30 bestselling chart-toppers, including The Women Who Ran Away, Her Husband’s Mistake, The Hideaway, What Happened That Night, The Missing Wife and All For You (winner of the Irish Independent Popular Fiction Book of the Year Award). After working in banking and finance for a number of years, Sheila’s love for writing blossomed into curating stories about relationships in all their many forms.

Twitter @sheilaoflanagan #ThreeWeddingsandaProposal

@headlinepg

@RandomTTours

📕Cover Reveal ~ The Memory Box by Kathryn Hughes

  

Happy Friday

📕 I'm delighted to be able to share the details of this fabulous cover reveal 📕

Isn't this a beauty!

Headline
November 2021

A heartbreakingly beautiful novel, The Memory Box unlocks an unforgettable epic story of love and war, f rom the million-copy-selling author of The Letter , Kathryn Hughes. If you adored The Nightingale , The Tuscan Contessa or My Name is Eva, this is the book for you.

Some love stories can't be forgotten...

Available now to pre-order from

Amazon UK

Bookshop.org

Waterstones

Kathryn Hughes

📖 Publication Day Review ~ All My Lies are True by Dorothy Koomson

 

📖 Happy Paperback Publication Day 📖

 

Headline
21 January 2021

My thanks to the publishers and to EDPR for my copy of this book

Verity is telling lies... and that’s why she’s about to be arrested for attempted murder.

Serena has been lying for years... and that may have driven her daughter Verity, to do something unthinkable. 

Poppy’s lies have come back to haunt her... so will her quest for the truth hurt everyone she loves?

30 years ago, teenagers Poppy Carlisle and Serena Gorringe were put on trial for the murder of their teacher. Poppy was convicted. Serena walked free. 10 years after Poppy’s release from prison, and now with families of their own, both women have spent a lifetime trying to forget. But time is no healer. The story is not theirs alone; their families have lived it too. Will the truth of what happened that night ever come to light, or will the abuses of the past destroy everyone they love? A story about family, obsession and psychological abuse, it seems that everyone lies... but whose lies are going to end in tragedy?

📖 My thoughts..

Anyone who has read The Ice Cream Girls will wonder what happened to Poppy and Serena in the years following their dramatic arrest and court appearance. Thankfully the author felt that it was now time to write a sequel, even though initially she said she wouldn't, and I'm really pleased that we have in All My Lies are True a worthy continuation of this compelling story.

All my Lies are True picks up the story several years after the first story finished. Poppy is out of prison and Serena has been living her life seemingly unscathed in the intervening years. However, scars run deep, and although neither women have much contact with the other they remain ever present in each other's thoughts. The passage of time doesn't dim the connection but there is now a new generation for whom the troubles of the past are about to threaten the future. When the events of the present, and I'm not going to say what they are as that would spoil everything, start to spiral out of control then the whole sad and sorry cycle is about to start all over again.

The story is beautifully told, with a scarily realistic edge, and with central characters who get right inside your head and who you invest in from the first page. Some I liked more than others and there's one in particular I was wary of from the start but that's what makes the story so compelling, characters who you believe one minute, and then start to doubt at other times. The story is told from different timelines and several points of view, that of Verity, Serena's grown up daughter, Serena herself, and also Poppy, each of them have a story to tell and each is as compelling as the others.

All My Lies are True has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and because nothing is ever as it seems, I think, that's what makes this book such a riveting and engrossing read. My opinion is that you don't need to re-read the first book in order to get the most out of this follow up as the author gives enough back story for it all to make sense. However, if you've not done, then I do think that you would get more enjoyment if you first read The Ice Cream Girls. 

 📖  All My Lies are True by Dorothy Koomson is out in paperback today 📖 

📖About the Author 📖

Dorothy Koomson is an award-winning, global bestselling author whose novels include the Sunday Times bestsellers The Friend, That Girl from Nowhere, The Ice Cream Girls, The Woman He Loved Before, The Chocolate Run and My Best Friend’s Girl. Her books have been translated into more than 30 languages with sales that exceed 2 million copies in the UK alone. Dorothy’s books are powerful, thought-provoking and compelling ‘emotional thrillers’ where moral dilemmas are central and where the complex emotions of family and friendships are explored. 

Her third book, My Best Friend’s Girl, was selected for the Richard & Judy Summer Reads of 2006, and her novels The Ice Cream Girls and The Rose Petal Beach were both shortlisted for the British Book Awards in 2010 and 2013, respectively. A TV adaptation loosely based on The Ice Cream Girls was first shown on ITV1 in 2013. Her novels have all been Sunday Times Top 10 bestsellers including That Girl from Nowhere, When I Was Invisible, The Friend and Tell Me Your Secret. Dorothy was a 2018 Quick Reads author with The Beach Wedding which was also selected as a World Book Night giveaway title in the same year, with The Ice Cream Girls a 2019 World Book Night title.

Passionate about the importance of reading and literacy, Dorothy is a regular speaker in libraries and at festivals and supports the work of the National Literacy Trust, an independent charity that transforms lives through literacy www.literacytrust.org.uk and Little Green Pig www.littlegreenpig.org.uk, a Brighton and Hove based charity that offers free writing workshops for young people in need. Dorothy lives in Brighton (well, Hove, actually) and the city is an ever-present character in her novels.

Twitter @DorothyKoomson #AllMyLiesAreTrue

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Amazon UK

Book Review ~ The Secret Life of the Savoy and the D'Oyly Carte Family by Olivia Williams

 

Headline
3 September 2020

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

In 1889, Victorian impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte opened The Savoy, Britain's first luxury hotel. Allowing the rich to live like royalty, it attracted glamour, scandal and a cast of eccentric characters, with the D'Oyly Carte family elevated to a unique vantage point on high society.

The Secret Life of the Savoy tells their story through three generations: Richard (a showman who made his fortune from the Gilbert and Sullivan operas), Rupert (who expanded the D'Oyly Carte empire through two world wars and the roaring twenties), and Bridget (the reluctant heiress and last of the family line).

In this, the first biography of the family, Olivia Williams revives their extraordinary cultural legacy, told through the prism of their iconic hotel and its many distinguished guests. 

What did I think about it...

What an education this comprehensive look at the world famous Savoy Hotel turned out to be. I have never been inside this iconic hotel but have, on my very rare visits to the capital, seen the beautiful white and gold facade and wondered what glorious stories the hotel could tell. 

In The Secret Life of the Savoy and the D'Oyly Carte Family we are given a privileged look into the complex history of this grand old institution. We go from Victorian London, and the humble origins of the original entrepreneur, Richard D'Oyly Carte, and share in his enlightened vision of what a grand hotel should look like. We get to know his interesting collaboration with the popular operatic duo, Gilbert and Sullivan, and the formation of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. We also get to stay with the family, right the way through to the last owner, Bridget D'Oyly Carte, and her death in 1985, when the hotel slipped out of the family's hands after three generations.

It's been a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era when the rich and famous rubbed shoulders with all echelons of society, from the glamorous stars of the silent movies in the early part of the twentieth century, to the socialites and royalty in the 1960s, there has never been a moment when the hotel didn't leave its mark on London's high society. The shenanigans and machinations of those who wined and dined there and all the fascinating guests who made the Savoy Hotel their home give an interesting and often decadent look at the how the super rich spent their money.

However, its not just about the rich and famous, this is an intimate look at three generations of a family who lived their hectic lives, not without their own personal tragedy, but always with an opportunistic eye on the main chance, using everything that was available at the time to their own advantage, and that, I think,  is what makes this such a fascinating and informative read.

About the Author

Olivia Williams graduated with a scholarship in modern history from St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where she remained for her masters degree. In her final year, she won the Rupert Murdoch Scholarship for journalism. She worked as a trainee journalist at the Daily Mail before writing her first book Gin Glorious Gin. Olivia lives in London, where she is a freelance writer.

Twitter @tweetingolivia

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