📖 Book Nostalgia ~ Love Story by Erich Segal

  

I'm really privileged to read so many latest release books which are so current they haven't even hit the book store shelves that I forget about the books which have influenced my reading over the years.

So, welcome to my mid-month Book Nostalgia feature where I'm allowing myself the luxury of going back in time with some of my favourite reads.

Let's wallow in book memories...

1970 edition

Oliver Barrett IV went to Harvard and Jenny Cavilleri to Radcliffe. He was rich, she was poor. 

He was sporty, she played music.

But they fell in love

This is their story.

Love Story was originally adapted as a screen play and then picked up by Paramount Pictures. The author, Erich Segal was asked to write the play into a novel as a preview for the film, and so, Love Story, all 127 pages of it, was published to coincide with Valentine's Day in 1970. It became a publishing phenomenon spending 41 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list. 

This book came to my notice when the movie, starring Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw, became a box office sensation. After its general release in the UK, I went to see the film with friends from school and my lasting memory is of sitting in a darkened cinema on a summer afternoon watching this tragic tale unfold. It is the first film that made me cry and the only film that I have watched twice back to back on the same afternoon, in the same cinema! It's also the first grown up book I bought for myself.

I was already familiar with Ryan O'Neal having been a teen fan of the American daytime drama Peyton Place in which O'Neal had a starring role but it was Love Story which catapulted this charismatic young actor into the hearts of millions. Safe to say Love Story remains one of the highest grossing films of all time.

Segal's original idea, became THE film of the early seventies, and the book, despite it's small size, has become a publishing giant and is definitely a case of less is more. The story which is simplicity itself is a classic tale of boy meets girl. They meet at college, fall in love, marry against the odds and just when they have struggled through hardships and are facing a more settled future, tragedy strikes at the very heart of the novel. The book has remained in print since the day it was published, and sadly, after a couple of house moves, I lost my original, well-thumbed copy but I quickly replaced it with a new copy in 1987. I've lost count of the amount of times I've read it and it remains one of my favourite stories of all time.

Classic, beautiful, timeless Love Story is the novel which led me, by the hand, into a lifelong love of romantic fiction.

What can you say about a twenty-five year old girl who died? 

That she was beautiful. And brilliant. 

That she loved Mozart and Bach. 

And the Beatles.

And me.

📖 Book Review ~ David and Ameena by Ami Rao

Fairlight Books
4 February 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Modern-day New York, a subway train. David, an American-Jewish jazz musician, torn between his dreams and his parents' expectations, sees a woman across the carriage. Ameena, a British-Pakistani artist who left Manchester to escape the pressure from her conservative family, sees David. When a moment of sublime beauty occurs unexpectedly, the two connect, moved by their shared experience. From this flows a love that it appears will triumph above all. But as David and Ameena navigate their relationship, their ambitions and the city they love, they discover the external world is not so easy to keep at bay. Ami Rao's masterful debut novel picks apart the lives of two people, stripping them of their collective identities and, in doing so, facing up to the challenge of today: can love give us the freedom to accept our differences?

📖 My thoughts..

Quite by chance David and Ameena meet on a New York subway, their connection is instant and the two find a connective bond which transcends their different cultures for Ameena is a British- Pakistani who grew up in Manchester, England, whilst David comes from an American Jewish background. These two cultures come together in a thoughtful and introspective look at different lives which are brought together by love.

At first, I thought there was something of a hesitancy to the story, which, for me, took a while to get going, but once I had the characters firmly placed in my head and could visualise both David and Ameena, I settled into the story and started to feel more comfortable with it. I especially enjoyed how the author interspersed details of Ameena's family back in England and showed the difficulties they faced from racial prejudice, however, as we know, intolerance is not confined to just one place and both David and Ameena have to face their own dilemmas which are both cultural, and personal.

David and Ameena, whilst quietly reflective about culture and romance, also brings to life the fascinating world of art and jazz. All in all, an interesting debut by an emerging new author.

About the Author

Ami Rao is a British-American writer. Born in Calcutta, India, Ami has lived and worked in New York, London, Paris, San Francisco and Los Angeles. She has a BA in English Literature and Economics from Ohio Wesleyan University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. In 2017 she co-authored the sports memoir Centaur with Declan Murphy, published by Doubleday, which was awarded the General Outstanding Sports Book of the Year Award and shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2017. Ami most recently worked as a banking professional in London. She has mentored girls of colour for the past twelve years, with a keen emphasis on the merits of reading and education. David and Ameena is her debut fiction novel.

David and Ameena is published on the 4 February by Fairlight Books and is available to buy from all good book retailers.

Twitter #DavidandAmeena

@FairlightBooks

Book review ~ The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey

Mantle
5 March 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Some secrets are unspoken. Others are unspeakable . . .

August 1939.

Thirty-year-old Hetty Cartwright is tasked with the evacuation and safekeeping of the natural history museum’s collection of mammals. Once she and her exhibits arrive at Lockwood Manor, however, where they are to stay for the duration of the war, Hetty soon realizes that she’s taken on more than she’d bargained for.

Protecting her charges from the irascible Lord Lockwood and resentful servants is work enough, but when some of the animals go missing, and worse, Hetty begins to suspect someone – or something – is stalking her through the darkened corridors of the house.

As the disasters mount, Hetty finds herself falling under the spell of Lucy, Lord Lockwood’s beautiful but clearly haunted daughter. But why is Lucy so traumatized? Does she know something she’s not telling? And is there any truth to local rumours of ghosts and curses?

Part love story, part mystery, The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey is a gripping and atmospheric tale of family madness, long-buried secrets and hidden desires.

What did I think about it..

At the start of the second world war, Hetty Cartwright is the museum curator who is in charge of relocating the mammal exhibits from the Natural History Museum in London to a safer environment in the countryside. Lockwood Manor is the place which has been chosen to store the precious collection but right from Hetty's arrival it is obvious that there is something rather dark and dangerous about Lockwood Manor and it's inhabitants.

Combining a strong sense of history with the natural world and setting it against a backdrop of gothic gloom is an interesting one, and this is certainly a creepy story, especially when some of the artifacts go missing and Hetty begins to doubt not just her own sanity but that of those around her, particularly the daughter of the house, Lucy Lockwood, who has her own share of insecurities and terrifying nightmares.

Combining a haunting ghost story with a tentative and rather sweet love story, the author brings several  strands of the story together in an interesting and unusual way. I enjoyed the attention to detail  and the particularly lyrical way of explaining time and place.  Some of the narrative is a little slow in places but I think this works as it helps to create a certain amount of tension.

With more than a nod towards those gothic classics- Jane Eyre, Woman in White and more recently Fingersmith and Affinity, The Animals of Lockwood Manor is an interesting addition to the genre.

About the Author

Jane Healey studied English Literature at Warwick University. She has been shortlisted for the Bristol Short Story Prize 2013, the Costa Short Story Award 2014, the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2016 and the Penguin Random House WriteNow mentoring programme 2017. The Animals at Lockwood Manor is her first novel. She lives in Edinburgh.

Twitter @Healey_Jane #TheAnimalsatLockwoodManor

@MantleBooks

Blog Tour ~ Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver

Delighted to host a stop on this lovely blog tour

Penguin
30 January 2020

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of this tour today

Two Lives. Two Loves. One Impossible Choice.

Lydia and Freddie. Freddie and Lydia. They've been together for almost a decade, and Lydia thinks their love is indestructible.

But she's wrong. Because on her 27th birthday, Freddie dies in a car accident.

So now it's just Lydia, and all she wants to do is hide indoors and sob 'til her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to live her life well. So, enlisting the help of his best friend and her sister Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world and starts to live - perhaps even to love - again.

But then something inexplicable happens, which gives her another chance at her old life with Freddie. A life where none of the tragic events of the past few months have happened. But what if there's someone in in her new life who wants her to stay?

What did I think about it..

Throughout the whole of Lydia Bird's story we move seamlessly through a myriad of emotional connections, it will make you laugh out loud one minute, and cry big sobby tears the next, and you won't want to stop turning the pages until Lydia and Freddie's story is complete in all its beautiful detail. I loved Lydia from the start, she's feisty and funny and yet is so consumed by an all encompassing grief that it dominates her every waking thought, she stumbles through her days, only to seek oblivion in comforting thoughts of Freddie.

Those who have experienced great loss will know that gut wrenching emptiness which fills you up and the thought of having just one more glimpse of a loved one is so very tempting that you would do anything to bring them back. With sensitive and compassionate detail the author has captured the very essence of that longing and even though we know, right from the start, that Freddie Hunter is dead, that doesn't stop him from being one of the central characters in The Two Lives of Lydia Bird. What follows is a heartwarming and touching story which will steal your heart and break it into a million small pieces.

I'm deliberately not giving anything of the story away as that would be unforgivable as this beautifully written story should be allowed to evolve without any spoilers, however, it is safe to say that I absolutely loved every minute of reading The Two Lives of Lydia Bird and right from the very start I became totally engrossed in both of her lives, neither one outshining the other and both are equally compelling.

Back in 2018 I was privileged to read an early copy of this author's debut novel. At the time of reviewing One Day in December I wrote " it gave me a joyful feeling that comes from reading written magic ". After reading The Two Lives of Lydia Bird I am still of the opinion that this talented author is a magical weaver of tales, and with each successive story I am sure that she will continue to give us more of her special blend of written magic.

Recommended: Absolutely ✅ It's a perfect read for for lovers of romantic fiction.

About the Author

Josie Silver is an unashamed romantic who met her husband when she stepped on his foot on his twenty-first birthday. She lives with him, her two young sons, and their cats in a little midlands town in England.

Website

Twitter @JosieSilver_#TheTwoLivesofLydiaBird

@VikingBooksUK

Blog Tour ~ The Museum of Lost Love by Gary Barker

📖 Delighted to be part of this blog tour today 📖

World Editions
1 October 2019

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

In Zagreb is an unusual museum: it displays mementos of broken relationships. Each exhibit describes a unique story of a broken heart, of love gone awry.

When Katia and Goran visit the museum, Goran stumbles upon an exhibit that seems to be addressed to him, from a girl he met in a Sarajevo refugee camp at age fourteen. A reminder of two days spent together while he and his mother and brother waited anxiously for visas to America to escape the war.

Encouraged by Katia, a therapist, to reconnect with his lost past, Goran confronts the youth he lost during the Yugoslav Wars. Similarly Katia, adopted by Americans at one week old after her birth mother was murdered in a gangland killing in Brazil, heads back to Brazil to uncover her own family history.

Meanwhile Tyler, a military veteran and one of Katia’s patients, attempts to put the Afghan war behind him, and finds love in unexpected circumstances.

Drawing upon his own experiences working in conflict zones, Gary Barker’s powerful novels dive deep into human love and longing. Crossing continents, and set against backdrops of war, deprivation, and violence, The Museum of Lost Love is a soulful testament to the resilience of the human heart.

What did I think about it..

This is an interesting idea for a book as not only does it explore the lives of three very different characters but it also gives us a glimpse into the poignant exhibits which are to found in the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb.

I found this to be a story of several parts, initially that of Tyler who is an Afghanistan veteran, struggling with therapy, and trying to come terms with the way his life has evolved, and of his tentative relationship with his young son, Sammy. And then running alongside is the story Katia and Goran who are in a relationship but they each have deep emotional issues in their past which need to be properly addressed.

Whilst the character driven element of the novel works well, especially the author’s exploration of the intricacies of their individual lives, I think what worked best for me was the haunting and very personal exhibits which were found in the museum. Reading of love both lost and won, and of the poignant reminders, be they written or physical, made me realise the importance of keeping special such memories alive.

The Museum of Lost Love is a perceptive story which took me to places I can only visit in my imagination and which reminded me that, if we let it, love can tear us apart.

About the Author

Photo credit: Andy DelGiudice

GARY BARKER is an author, researcher, and human rights activist. He is founder and director of Promundo, an international organization that works with men and boys in more than 25 countries to achieve gender equality and end violence against women. He has been awarded an Ashoka Fellowship and an Open Society Fellowship for his work in conflict zones. His previous novels include Luisa’s Last Words, Mary of Kivu, and The Afghan Vampires Book Club (co-written with Michael Kaufman). Barker lives in Washington, DC. 

Website

Twitter @WORLDEDBOOKS #MuseumOfLostLove

Zagreb Museum

Amazon UK

Social Media Blast ~ The Dollmaker by Nina Allen

Riverrun
4 April 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Stitch by perfect stitch, Andrew Garvie makes exquisite dolls in the finest antique style. Like him, they are diminutive but graceful, unique, and with surprising depths. Perhaps that's why he answers the enigmatic personal ad in his collector's magazine.

Letter by letter, Bramber Winters reveals more of her strange, sheltered life in an institution on Bodmin Moor, and the terrible events that put her there as a child. Andrew knows what it is to be trapped, and as they knit closer together, he weaves a curious plan to rescue her.

On his journey through the old towns of England, he reads the fairy tales of Ewa Chaplin--potent, eldritch stories which, like her lifelike dolls, pluck at the edges of reality and thread their way into his mind. When Andrew and Bramber meet at last, they will have a choice--to break free and, unlike their dolls, come to life.

My thoughts..

Andrew Garvie has liked dolls ever since he saw Marina Blue sitting in the shop window just before his seventh birthday. And what then started was, for Andrew, a complete obsession with dolls of all shapes and sizes, both antique and modern. When he answers an advert and starts a correspondence with a young woman with the glorious name of Bramber Winters, he realises that he has found a kindred spirit.

What then follows is a really unusual but beautifully atmospheric love story which looks at what it's like to be different in a world which doesn't always understand diversity. Both Andrew and Bramber have their own special difficulties which are sensitively explored and as we discover more about them as people, so the story of the doll maker becomes all the more persuasive.

The Dollmaker is not always an easy read as it's sometimes quite dark, however the lyricism of the writing is convincing, being part fantasy, part magical realism, and always with a tantalising glimpse of a hidden obsessive world in which Andrew and Bramber are the only two participants. I was especially impressed with the way the story is constructed, with chapters which are individually very different and yet, which reveal completely both Andrew and Bramber's stories, and yet, there's also the inclusion of several complete fairy stories by the author Ewa Chaplin, who features somewhat ethereally in the story, but whose influence, nevertheless dominates.

The Dollmaker is quirkily different with a unique style which may not appeal to everyone but which kept me entertained from start to finish.

About the Author

Nina Allen is a novelist and short story writer. Her previous fiction has won several prizes, including the British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel, the Novella Award and the Grand Prix de L'Imaginaire for Best Translated Work. She lives and works in Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute. The Dollmaker is her third novel.

Twitter #AndrewandBramber

@katyaellis_@anabooks

@riverrunbooks

Twitter and Instagram @QuercusBooks

Review ~ How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

Pan
9 August 2018

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

What's it all about ..

Margaret Jacobsen has it all: The fantastic job, a bright future, and the man of her dreams. One day, on what was supposed to be the most special day of her life, a freak accident turns Margaret’s life upside down. 

Suddenly, Margaret is full of questions she never thought she would have to ask - 

Is her fiancé actually her fiancé? Why is her estranged sister here? But most importantly, will she ever walk again? 

For fans of Jojo Moyes, How to Walk Away is an unforgettable love story about finding joy and hope in the darkest of circumstances.

My thoughts about it ..

Margaret Jacobsen and her perfect boyfriend Charlie seem about to spend an idyllic night together and Margaret is sure that on this night Charlie will propose to her, but the fate has a nasty way of intervening and in the blink of an eye Margaret's life is changed forever. Waking up in a trauma unit with life limiting injuries is the start of Margaret's long road to recovery. And whilst she finds that Charlie is less than supportive there are others who do their best to bring Margaret back to some semblance of 'normal' life.

How to Walk Away is an interesting story about family dynamics and how a catastrophic event can either bring out the worst, or the best in people.  There are some lovely light moments within the story particularly with Margaret's sister, Kitty, who has come back into her life after being estranged from the family for three years, we gradually learn the reason for this estrangement as the story progresses. However, it is in the relationship that Margaret has with her physiotherapist, Iain, where the story starts to come alive. It was interesting to observe just how much of Margaret's recovery relied upon the taciturn Iain who, on occasion, tested her endurance to breaking point, and whose maverick approach to rehab often landed him in trouble. I enjoyed the 'will they, won't they' aspect of Margaret's relationship with Iain, who with his Scottish stoicism is quite the hero with his no nonsense approach to physical therapy. 

I enjoyed reading this story which is both sad and happy in equal measure. The author has clearly done her research about the type of injuries that Margaret sustains and whilst the story doesn't dwell too much on the more serious medical aspects of Margaret's condition there is enough information there to make it feel convincing. Margaret's slow rehabilitation shows just how fragile is the life we once felt we held safe and shows that help comes in all sorts of different ways.

About the Author

New York Times best selling writer Katherine Center writes bittersweet comic novels about how we get back up after life has knocked us down. She writes about hope, and love, and how we hold onto life’s joys, even in the midst of all its hardship. Katherine is the author of six novels, with more on the way. Her fourth novel, The Lost Husband, was recently optioned for a movie.

Twitter @katherinecenter #HowToWalkAway

@panmacmillan

Blog Tour ~ Somewhere Beyond the Sea by Miranda Dickinson

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be hosting the first stop on the 

Somewhere Beyond the Sea  Blog Tour

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is published on 14th June by Pan Macmillan in paperback, eBook and audiobook.

My thanks to the publishers and ed public relations for my invitation to be part of the blog tour and also for my copy of the book

 I am delighted to have the author, Miranda Dickinson, as my guest today to tell me a little more about Somewhere Beyond the Sea

©Miranda Dickinson

Miranda, welcome to Jaffareadstoo. Tell us a little about yourself. Have you always wanted to write and how did you get started?

I always wanted to write stories, from as soon as I realised you could make up your own. I remember asking my Mum, aged about five, if she thought our local library would put one of my books on their shelves – I think that was when I first started dreaming about being a writer! I wrote throughout my teens, but stopped for a while when a guy I fancied at college said he thought writing stories was childish (moral of this story: never listen to boys you fancy when you’re 18. They know nothing!) 

In my late twenties a friend gave me a dinosaur of an old PC and I started writing what eventually became my first novel, Fairytale of New York. It took me eight years to write, on and off, mainly because for a long time I didn’t realise I was writing a novel. Then I decided to be brave and put it on Authonomy – a website for unpublished writers that sadly is no more. Within a month an editor at HarperCollins contacted me, asking for the full manuscript. Then, two weeks later, they offered me a three-book deal! Five Sunday Times Bestselling novels later I was able to become a full-time writer and that’s what I do now. I feel very lucky!

Without giving too much away, what can you tell us about Somewhere Beyond the Sea?

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a love story, told from two characters’ perspectives – Seren MacArthur and Jack Dixon. Both of them have recently lost someone: Seren’s father has just passed away and left her trying to keep his seaside gallery in St Ives afloat; while Jack’s wife died seven months ago in a freak accident at work – she left him with their young daughter, Nessie, to look after and a financial mess that led to their home being repossessed. But their response to grief is very different. Seren is hurting and overwhelmed by what she’s been left with, Jack is angry and terrified he won’t be able to provide for his little girl. 

Without realising, they become connected with a game on Gwithian Beach, just around St Ives Bay from the town itself. Seren, who beachcombs seaglass pieces from local beaches to make jewellery in her spare time, finds a star shape on the beach made of seaglass with one of its points missing. She completes it with the pieces she has found. Then, that evening, Jack and Nessie return to the beach to check on the star they made the night before, only to find it complete. Making and completing the seaglass stars becomes a lovely game that lifts Seren and Jack from the worries of their lives and gives them hope – a little bit of magic in their day.

Then, they meet in real life – but it’s on opposing sides of a debate that threatens to split the community of St Ives. Seren is leading the campaign her father started to save a local landmark, while Jack is working for the developer who wants to turn it into luxury apartments. They don’t know the other is their secret starmaker and both believe strongly in their side of the debate. Who will win? And will they discover the truth about the seaglass stars on Gwithian Beach?

I wanted to write a real love story, told from two sides. As a reader I love it when I get an insight into a story that its protagonists don’t yet see – I think it’s fun to see something unfold from two sides. Will they meet? Will they miss? Love it! But I also wanted to write a real love story – about ordinary people and life in all its chaos and messiness and beauty. So the story takes in grief (and how it affects everyone differently), the challenges of living and working in a seaside location, the importance of community, respecting the past and looking to the future. But at its heart it’s a story of hope, of finding magic and joy where you least expect it.

Whilst you are writing you must live with your characters. Do they ever dictate how the story progresses or do you stick with a writing plan from the beginning?

It doesn’t always happen that characters arrive immediately when I start writing a new book. Sometimes I have to hang out with them for a long time before I really understand what their story should be. With Somewhere Beyond the Sea, I wrote the first two chapters of the book to see if Seren and Jack worked – thankfully they appeared straight away and the opening chapters didn’t change between first draft and the finished book. That set the tone for the rest of the book, which was a lovely thing to happen. 

Jack and Nessie arrived with a bang in their first chapter (Chapter 2 in the book) and Jack’s voice was very strong. Seren took longer because just before I began writing the book in earnest my lovely Dad passed away after a short illness. Writing about a character who has lost a parent when it’s just happened to you in real life is surreal and difficult. So while it didn’t change the story – I pretty much knew what was going to happen and the characters let me stick to it – it probably changed my approach to how I wrote it. A lot of Jack’s scenes with Nessie were written early on, mostly because they were fun to write and I could fully immerse myself in their lovely relationship.

Which character in the story did you identify with the most?

Obviously Seren, for the reasons above. But I also identified with Jack and how he feels about being a parent. I have a four-year-old daughter, Florence, so a lot of the terror/joy/fun/fears Jack talks about chime with my experience of being Flo’s mum. I felt very much that Seren and Jack were like two sides of my personality: Seren for the inspiration she draws from the sea and beautiful St Ives and Jack for how he finds humour in every situation, no matter how scared he might be.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is set in Cornwall. In researching the book did you visit any of the locations and did anything leave a lasting impression on you?

St Ives is my favourite place in the world and hugely important to my family, so I wanted to pour all my love for the town and Cornwall in general into this story. All the places named in the book are real and you can visit them, apart from a group of standing stones called The Maidens where Seren and her best friend Aggie have hung out since they were teenagers, and Bethel Parsonage, the local landmark Seren is trying to save. My favourite beach in St Ives is Porthmeor Beach, which is mentioned in the book. Our favourite ice cream parlour, Moomaid of Zennor, gets several mentions, as does my favourite bookshop, St Ives Bookseller. Gwithian Beach and Godrevy Lighthouse are very special to my husband Bob and his family, so that’s why Seren, Jack and Nessie make the seaglass stars there. I visited St Ives four times while writing this book and a lot of the scenes were written on the actual beaches they take place on and sitting in café’s in Fore Street, where Seren’s dad’s gallery MacArthur’s is located. It’s my love letter to St Ives and I hope it makes readers fall in love with this incredible place, too!

Thanks so much for having me on your blog and for your lovely questions!

Brightest wishes

Miranda xx

Miranda, thank you for being our guest today. It's been huge fun 😻

Here's what I thought about Somewhere Beyond the Sea..

This is such a lovely, lovely story that I was quite enchanted by Seren's and Jack's developing relationship and I found that I was eagerly looking forward to their individual stories which are told in alternate chapters, each giving a unique perspective into the way the story moves forward.

To say too much of what's going on in the whole of the story would be to give too much away and that would really spoil things. However, the difficulties that both Seren and Jack face feel all too real, especially Seren's financial worries over her arts and craft shop and the constant need to keep everything going well in order to honour her father's memory. Jack's obvious need to provide a secure future for himself and his young daughter, Nessie, adds a poignant, richness to the story, especially in Jack's dealings with the local people of St Ives as they fight to save one of their most cherished landmark buildings. It's safe to say that all the characters are brought to life in a really believable way, however, it was young Nessie, who stole my heart, she's quite simply adorable, wise beyond her years and such a force to be reckoned with that every time she appeared on the page she made smile.

Cornwall, in all its glory, comes beautifully alive so that I felt as if I walked the narrow streets of St Ives, or stopped to buy a strong coffee at Aggie's coffee hut on Porthgwidden Beach, but most of all I sat on on Gwithian Beach on the dawn of a spring morning and watched as Seren picked the most beautiful pieces of sea washed glass which are so much a part of this story.

Beautifully written with a strong story line and a stunning set of characters, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, is my perfect summer read. 

About the Author


Website

Twitter @wurdsmyth #Somewhere BeyondTheSea

@PanMacmillan #TeamSparkly


@ed_pr

Blog Tour - The Sapphire Widow by Dinah Jefferies

Jaffareadstoo is thrilled to be hosting today's stop on The Sapphire Widow Blog Tour

Penguin
5 April 2018

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

What's it all about..

Ceylon, 1935. Louisa Reeve, the daughter of a successful British gem trader, and her husband Elliot, a charming, thrill-seeking businessman, seem like the couple who have it all. Except what they long for more than anything: a child.

While Louisa struggles with miscarriages, Elliot is increasingly absent, spending much of his time at a nearby cinnamon plantation, overlooking the Indian ocean. After his sudden death, Louisa is left alone to solve the mystery he left behind. Revisiting the plantation at Cinnamon Hills, she finds herself unexpectedly drawn towards the owner Leo, a rugged outdoors man with a chequered past. The plantation casts a spell, but all is not as it seems. And when Elliot's shocking betrayal is revealed, Louisa has only Leo to turn to...

My thoughts...

Louisa Reeve is the daughter of a wealthy gem trader in 1930s Ceylon and her marriage to the charismatic, Elliot should have ensured that her charmed life continued, but there are dark secrets within the marriage which seek threaten everything that’s precious in Louisa’s world. 

From the very start of the novel I was absorbed in the story. I loved reading of Louisa and Elliot’s life in the beautiful walled town of Galle and of their life amidst the great and the good of this close community. That they have social standing within this community is evident in the way Louisa comfortably goes about her life, and her relationship with Elliot is both tender and loving. When tragedy strikes, heartache seems set to follow Louisa, and she needs every ounce of her strength to get through the chaos left in its wake. 

There is no doubt that the author has a wonderful eye for detail and the glorious setting of Ceylon truly comes alive in the imagination. From the pungent scent of cinnamon and citronella, through to the salty tang of the Indian Ocean, I felt as if I had travelled every word of the story with Louisa, who was by far my favourite character, although the ruggedly handsome Leo is definitely in close second place.

There are some sensitive issues explored within the novel, infertility, infidelity, betrayal, bereavement and grief and the author has developed these painful themes with a delicate understanding so that the writing never becomes mawkishly sentimental, but which, as the story develops, goes on to show the strength and resilience of the human spirit. 

At its heart The Sapphire Widow is a wonderful story of love and devastating betrayal which sweeps the reader away from the mundane and into a faraway world of scent and spices. 

About the Author

Facebook

Twitter @DinahJefferies #TheSapphireWidow

@PenguinBooksUK

Amazon UK

One from the Shelf...

Heron Books
Quercus
2016

My book from the shelf this month has been sitting around since 2016, and I was originally drawn to it by the beauty of its cover. Just why it has stayed on my shelf for so long is a mystery, as I can remember being fond of this author's previous work, and in particular, The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, was a personal favourite when it was published in 2005.

Love Notes for Freddie starts off in the cloistered atmosphere of an all-girls boarding school and tells of an unlikely encounter between studious, Marnie Fitzpatrick and the more wayward, Rachel Porter. The two girls couldn't be more different and so when something happens which causes both girls to be expelled from St Libbys, there is no-one more shocked than Marnie's maths teacher, Julie Crewe, who had expected Marnie to go on to a brilliant career in mathematics.

Suddenly, Marnie feels that her life is ruined, that is, until she meets and becomes romantically obsessed with the quirkily named, Freddie Friday, a young man who has the potential to rise above his humble upbringing to become a dancer.

The story is told in two distinct voices, that of Marnie and her obsession with Freddie, and also that of Miss Crewe, who we learn once had a dream to be a dancer, and through their insightful narratives, a story emerges of the sadness caused by lost dreams and the pain of first love.

Love Notes for Freddie is a lovely coming of age story which emphasises the idea that we should never give up on our dreams. The author writes well and gives such an authentic voice to the characters that they literally leap off the pages. I enjoyed getting to know Marnie, Freddie and Julie and watched with interest as their stories started to merge in such a tender and realistic way.

Overall, what comes across in Love Notes for Freddie is the idea that love can break down barriers and that everyone should allowed to have a second chance and that with perseverance and hard work, dreams are there for the taking.

About the Author

Twitter @EvaRiceAuthor

Amazon UK

Summer Read 2017 ~ Felicity at the Cross Hotel by Helena Fairfax

Helena Fairfax
July 2017

What's it all about...

A quaint hotel in a romantic location. The Lake District is the perfect getaway. Or is it?

Felicity Everdene needs a break from the family business. Driving through the Lake District to the Cross Hotel, past the shining lake and the mountains, everything seems perfect. But Felicity soon discovers all is not well at the Cross Hotel …

Patrick Cross left the village of Emmside years ago never intending to return, but his father has left him the family’s hotel in his will, and now he's forced to come back. With a missing barmaid, a grumpy chef, and the hotel losing money, the arrival of Felicity Everdene from the notorious Everdene family only adds to Patrick’s troubles.

With so much to overcome, can Felicity and Patrick bring happiness to the Cross Hotel … and find happiness for themselves.

What did I think about it ..

When Felicity Everdene arrives at the Cross Hotel in the Lake District she is viewed with suspicion because she is part of the hugely successful Everdene hotel chain who are known for their ruthless takeovers of struggling hotels. That the Cross Hotel is struggling is evident in its shabby decor and in its dejected air of just about managing to survive in a competitive business world.

Felicity really isn't there to take over the hotel for her family but trying to convince the hotel employees of this proves to be difficult and yet, Felicity's warm nature and expertise soon starts to win over people's affections. However, the hardest person to convince of her honourable intentions is Patrick Cross who has had to leave his successful business in the Caribbean in order to come home to run the hotel after the death of his father.

What then follows is a delightful tale of how Felicity and Patrick's rocky relationship develops and of how the gradual building of trust between them helps to set the hotel on a very different path.

I really enjoyed travelling to the Lake District with Felicity as she discovered for herself the unique charm of this very special place. The author has captured the place and its people so well that it is a joy to see the area come alive so vibrantly. With clever description we can see how the light glimmers on the waters of the lake and how the constantly changing weather patterns allow the stunning landscape to become an important part of the novel. The author has captured the very essence of the Lake District's special characteristics and has interwoven a delightful story of love and loss and of the importance of family commitments.

Felicity at the Cross Hotel is the perfect antidote to a rainy summer as the story fills you with sunshine. From the quirkiness of Felicity's character, through to Patrick's grumpiness, the shabby charm of the Cross Hotel, the eccentricities of the hotel employees, all combine to make a delightful summer read. A story which is just perfect for an afternoon in the garden, or better still somewhere in the English Lake District, with a view of a lake shimmering before you, regardless of the weather.

About the author

Helena Fairfax writes engaging contemporary romances with sympathetic heroines and heroes she's secretly in love with. Her novels have been shortlisted for several awards, including the Exeter Novel Prize, the Global eBook Awards, and the I Heart Indie Awards. Her first novel was a contender for the UK's Romantic Novelists' Association New Writers' Scheme Award.

Helena is a British author who was born in Uganda and came to England as a child. She's grown used to the cold now, and these days she lives in an old Victorian mill town in the north of England, right next door to the windswept Yorkshire moors. She walks this romantic landscape every day with her rescue dog, finding it the perfect place to dream up her heroes and her happy endings.

Follow on Twitter @helenafairfax

Find on Facebook

Website

Amazon UK

My thanks to the author for sharing her story with me 

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Review ~ Another You by Jane Cable

Endeavour Press
2017

What's it all about..

When the present is unbearable, can you be saved by the past?

Marie Johnson is trapped by her job as a chef in a Dorset pub and by her increasingly poisonous marriage to its landlord. Worn down by his string of affairs she has no self-confidence, no self-respect and the only thing that keeps her going is watching her son turn into a talented artist.

But the sixtieth anniversary of a D-Day exercise which ended in disaster triggers chance meetings which prove unlikely catalysts for change as Marie discovers that sometimes the hardest person to save is yourself.

What did I think about it ..

Marie Johnson cuts rather a solitary figure and is often to be found walking the headland, near to her home, in Studland Bay. Often lost in her own thoughts, Marie has much to consider, not just about her life and destructive marriage, but also about what she wants for herself and her son, Jude. And as she watches the preparations take place on the beach below for the sixtieth anniversary of a D-Day exercise, Marie gets caught up in the excitement of the commemoration, and also in the history of what happened sixty years ago during World War Two.

As always, this clever author gets right into the emotional heart of a story which looks at all the complexities of living life both in the here and now, and also of the repercussions of the past, which, at times, threatens to overshadow the future. The story is beautifully atmospheric, with lots of enticing threads and thought-provoking layers. I enjoyed seeing how the story played out in the wider context, and of how Marie’s rather lonely character developed and changed as the story progressed. Setting Another You with the stunning Studland Bay as its backdrop allows the author to give full rein to her descriptive talents. It is obvious that a great deal of historical research has been done in order to give the WW2 element such an authentic feel, and as the story progresses both time and place really start to come alive in the imagination.

This is now the third book I have had the pleasure to read by this talented author and I can say that I have enjoyed them all immensely. Jane Cable writes with such passion and love for her subject that each story is a real joy to read.

Best Read with..a sausage butty and a strong cup of tea..

About the author

Jane Cable writes romance stories with a strong element of mystery and suspense. Her first novel, The Cheesemaker’s House, was a finalist in The Alan Titchmarsh Show’s People’s Novelist competition and won the Words for the Wounded Independent Book of the Year Award in 2015

More about the author can be found on her website by clicking here  or on Facebook by clicking here 

Follow on Twitter @JaneCable 

Another You is published by Endeavour Press

Read an interview by the author by clicking here.

My thanks to the author for providing a review copy of Another You

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Review ~ Sealskin by Su Bristow

Orenda Books
2017

What's it all about..

Donald is a young fisherman, eking out a lonely living on the west coast of Scotland. One night he witnesses something miraculous, and makes a terrible mistake. His action changes lives—not only his own, but those of his family and the entire tightly knit community in which they live. Can he ever atone for the wrong he has done, and can love grow when its foundation is violence? Based on the legend of the selkies—seals who can transform into people—evokes the harsh beauty of the landscape, the resilience of its people, both human and animal, and the triumph of hope over fear and prejudice. With exquisite grace, Su Bristow transports us to a different world, subtly and beautifully exploring what it means to be an outsider, and our innate capacity for forgiveness and acceptance. Rich with myth and magic, Sealskin is, nonetheless, a very human story, as relevant to our world as to the timeless place in which it is set.

Out now in ebook @OrendaBooks

What did I think of it..

The myths and legends of our isles and islands are in the very fabric of our bones, they're in the call of the wind and in the ebb and flo of our tides. They come to us in the memories of those who have gone before us, and are as familiar as family, and yet, can also be as uncomfortable as a stranger in our midst.

Sealskin is a story that starts with a great wrong. A wrong so wrong that it may never be put right, but it's also about the power of love, the inherent need for forgiveness and the genetic call of the wild, which lives in all of us.

The writing is wonderfully lyrical with words that have magic and meaning and yet, there is also the irresistible simplicity of silence when everything is conveyed by a look and or a glance and in the soft touch of hands which say ‘I remember’ far more eloquently than any words. Sealskin shows us that love, in its many guises, can bring us together or it can tear us apart. It can be the most glorious feeling in the world or it can devastate us so much that we become as jagged as a stone.

In many ways Sealskin acts a cautionary warning, which leaves us in no doubt that, for all of our actions, be they good or bad, there is always a price to be paid, and reminds us that, so often, after great happiness comes great hurt. And yet, for all of its inherent sadness, there is also celebration and, ultimately, Sealskin is a glorious love story to the myth and legend of our shared heritage. 

There is no doubt that the literary magic lingers long after the last beautifully written word is ended. He does not forget, and neither will I.

Best Read with... A single malt whiskey, pure and clear, with the irresistible tang of generations of peat fires.

About the Author

Su Bristow is a consultant medical herbalist by day. She's the author of two books on herbal medicine: The Herbal Medicine Chest and The Herb Handbook; and two on relationship skills: The Courage to Love and Falling in Love, Staying in Love, co-written with psychotherapist, Malcolm Stern. Her published fiction includes 'Troll Steps' (in the anthology, Barcelona to Bihar), and 'Changes' which came second in the 2010 Creative Writing Matters flash fiction competition. Sealskin is set in the Hebrides, and it's a reworking of the Scottish and Nordic legend of the selkies, or seals who can turn into people. It won the Exeter Novel Prize 2013. Her writing has been described as 'magical realism; Angela Carter meets Eowyn Ivey'.

Follow on Twitter @SuBristow #Sealskin

@orendabooks

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Blog Tour ~ My Last Continent by Midge Raymond

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to host today's stop on the 

My Last Continent Blog Tour

Please welcome the author

Midge Raymond to tell us more about her novel

Hi Midge, tell us a little about yourself.

How long have you been writing and what got you started?

I’ve been writing since I was a young girl, though as I got older I switched from making up stories to telling real ones. I published my first article in a local newspaper when I was fifteen years old and continued in journalism until my mid-twenties, when I returned to making up stories. I published my first short story in 1999; my first book, a short story collection, Forgetting English, in 2009; and my first novel, My Last Continent, this year. 

Where did you get your inspiration for the story from – were you inspired by people, places or did you draw purely from your imagination?

As with most of my stories, My Last Continent was inspired by a specific moment, and it grew from there. The novel began as a short story that came to me when I was on an expedition in Antarctica and saw a passenger fall on the ice near a penguin colony. He was fine, fortunately, but seeing this happen reinforced the notion that, at the bottom of the world, you are at the mercy of the conditions and of the few people who are with you. This idea stuck with me and, combined with the concern of our shipboard naturalists about the larger cruise ships that visit the region, inspired me to write the novel, which tells the bigger story of what would happen if a cruise liner were to sink in the Southern Ocean, where conditions are unpredictable and rescuers can be several days away.

Your writing is very atmospheric – how do you ‘set the scene’ in your novels and how much research did you need to do in order to bring the story to life?

I love to travel and see new places, whether a new neighborhood or a new country. Often there’s something specific about a place that makes me want to write about it, whether it’s the otherworldly landscape of Antarctica or a wildly bright and noisy street in Tokyo. I find that people are very much a part of their environments, so for me exploring place is similar to exploring character. I love it when my research can be firsthand — the details are so much easier for me to convey this way — but if I can’t visit, or can’t return to a place I’ve seen, I use my photos, memories, and also read as much as I can to get a deeper understanding of a place. 

What do you consider to be your strongest points as a writer?

I love revision. Many writers dislike this part of the process, so I consider myself lucky to enjoy it! I’m at my best when I have a lot to work with on the page, and bringing what’s there to the next level is the most fun and rewarding part of the process for me.

In what skill (as a writer) would you most like to improve?

I would like to enjoy the blank page a bit more. This is my least favorite part of a writing project, how to begin with nothing but an idea. I’d love to be able to organize my thoughts better from the beginning. 

And finally - how can readers find out more about you and your writing?

Readers can visit me online and can also find me on Facebook 

Twitter @MidgeRaymond and Instagram 

Text Publishing
28th July
Amazon UK

About the book..  

It  is  only  at  the  end  of  the  world –  among  the  glacier  mountains  and  frigid  waters  of  Antarctica –where Deb Gardner and Keller Sullivan feel at home. For the few blissful weeks they spend each year studying  the  habits  of  penguins,  Deb  and  Keller  can  escape  the  frustrations  and  sorrows  of  their separate  lives  and  find  solace  in  each  other.  But  Antarctica,  like  their  fleeting  romance,  is  tenuous, imperiled by the world to the north. A new travel and research season has just begun, and Deb and Keller are ready to play tour guide to the  passengers  on  the  small expedition  ship  that  ferries  them  to  their  research  destination.  Except that this year, Keller fails to appear on board. Shortly into the trip, Deb’s ship receives an emergency signal from the Australis, a cruise liner that has hit desperate trouble in the ice-choked waters. And among the crew of the sinking ship is Keller...An  unforgettable  debut  love  story,  set  against  the  dramatic  landscape  of  Antarctica.  Lyrical, page-turning and emotionally intelligent, My Last Continent is a stunning novel of love and loss in one of the most remote places on earth.

And here are my thoughts about My Last Continent..

The glacier, cold waters of Antarctica are home to creatures who survive in bone biting cold. However, their isolation and remoteness does not render them safe from the elements, but rather puts them at the mercy of nature which is so often unpredictable and cruel. The inhospitable surroundings are not a natural environment for humans and yet, researcher, Deb Gardner feels perfectly at home at the edge of the world, where amongst her beloved Adélie Penguins, she has learned to cope with solitude. That is until she meets Keller Sullivan and falls in love… 

Adélie Penguins

Cleverly told in a series of flashbacks, the story moves forwards and backwards in time, which helps to give a clear understanding of both Deb and Keller as individuals, whilst at the same time allows the author to draw you into an isolated, frozen world. A world which is so believable, that you can, quite literally, feel the bone biting cold, and see the penguin colonies in your imagination, and before long you begin to worry about Deb and Keller and all the other people who exist in this inhospitable part of the world..

The writing is wonderfully lyrical with an otherworldly dreaminess to it, which is rather difficult to describe without giving anything away, and I don’t want to spoil anything. However, what I will say is that My Last Continent is one of the most emotionally affecting novels I have read in a long time. It’s so visually descriptive that, even though I will never, in my wildest dreams, travel to Antarctica, I now feel that I have just survived a journey where I stepped ashore on Petermann Island, slept on a bunk at McMurdo Station, experienced fifteen foot sea swells aboard the M/S Cormorant and listened in gentle awe to the purrs and squawks of groups of penguins. 

Everything about the story feels so beautifully realistic that it’s almost like being immersed in a travelogue, with the added benefit of making an emotional connection to both the characters and the scenery. I am sure like me, you will read through to the end with a real sense of affinity, to the people, the landscape and more importantly to the penguins, especially Admiral Byrd.

My Last Continent is a very different love story, it’s honest, believable and so beautifully written that it will break your heart into a million pieces.

Best Read With..Southern fried tofu with crinkly fries and a bottle of ice cold beer

About the Author

Midge  Raymond  is  an  award-winning  short-story  writer  who  worked  in  publishing  in  New  York before  moving  to  Boston,  where  she  taught  creative  writing.  She has published two books for writers, Everyday Writing and Everyday Book Marketing. Midge lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she is co-founder of the boutique publisher Ashland Creek Press. My Last Continent is her first novel.

Twitter @MidgeRaymond



Huge thanks to the author for answering my questions so thoughtfully and for spending time with us today and also to Alice at FMcM Associates for my invitation to be part of this Blog Tour.

Blog Tour runs between 21st July- 27th July 2016

Do visit the other stops for more interesting content about

My Last Continent 

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