📖 Paperback Publication Day ~ Deception by Lesley Pearse

 

Penguin Michael Joseph
25 May 2023

My thanks to the publisher and edpr 

What happens when you learn the person closest to you has led a life of deception? After her mother’s funeral, Alice Kent is approached by a stranger called Angus Tweedy – a man who claims to be her real father. But why now? What could Angus hope to gain, thirty years on? As Alice wrestles with the possibility that her much-loved dad Ralph is not her real father, her quest for the truth takes her on a journey into the past. As she unravels the secrets her mother kept so desperately hidden, whatever the cost, a very different woman is unveiled; a woman shaped by trauma and poverty, and a childhood beyond her daughter’s imagination.

📖 My Review..

When Alice Kent is approached by a stranger at her mother's funeral claiming to be Alice's father it opens up so many secrets about her mother's life that Alice doesn't really know where to start to get to grips with it all. Not wanting to upset the man she considers her father, or her young sister, Alice decides to trace her mother's life and so a story emerges of a woman who did what she had to do in order to survive.

Deception takes the concept of thinking we know everything there is to know about someone we love and yet as Alice discovers underneath is a story of secrets, lies and heartbreak. This is the kind of story which this talented author does so well, she knows how to build up the tension whilst at the same time giving us a story which really tugs away at the heartstrings. The poverty of the nineteen-fifties and the relative freedom of the swinging sixties is very much at the heart of the novel and I enjoyed following Alice's journey as she goes back in time to discover who exactly was the woman she called her mother.

What is always guaranteed with a Lesley Pearse novel is great entertainment and this thirtieth novel in her repertoire is certainly no exception as, right from the start, Deception captured my imagination and became a fascinating read about a woman who took the chances life gave her and made the best of what she had.

About the Author

© Charlotte Murphy 2014

Lesley Pearse is a global No.1 bestseller with fans across the world and sales of over 10 million copies of her books to date; this year she celebrates the publication of her highly anticipated 30th novel. One of the nation’s best-loved storytellers – a Lesley Pearse book is sold every 4 minutes in the UK – Lesley is a master of the gripping storyline, always introducing her readers to characters that are impossible to forget. Although there is no set formula or easily defined genre for a Lesley Pearse novel, strong heroines and jeopardy are pervasive, and she always engages the reader completely. 

Deception is Lesley’s 30th bestselling novel.

Twitter @LesleyPearse #LoveLesley30 #Deception

@michaeljbooks

@ed_pr

📖 Paperback Publication Day ~ Goshawk Summer by James Aldred

 

Elliot & Thompson
Out in paperback 2 June 2022

In early 2020, wildlife cameraman James Aldred was commissioned to film the lives of a family of Goshawks in the New Forest, his childhood home. He began to plan a treetop hide in a remote site that would allow him to film the Gos nest, the newly hatched chicks and the lives of these elusive and enchanting birds.

Then lockdown. And as the world retreated, something remarkable happened. The noise of our everyday stilled. No more cars, no more off-roaders, no more airplanes roaring in the skies, no one in the Goshawk woods – except James.

At this unique moment, James was granted a once in a lifetime opportunity to keep filming. And so, over Spring and into Summer, he began to record his experiences in a place empty of people but filled with birdsong and new life.

Amidst the fragility and the fear, there was silver moonlight, tumbling fox cubs, calling curlew and, of course, the soaring Goshawks – shining like fire through one of our darkest times.

A Goshawk summer unlike any other.

📖 My Review..

Over  the pandemic some of us were privileged to discover something of the beauty of the natural world and the calm mindfulness of walking in woodland, admiring the sounds of birds and the soft whisper of the wind in the trees. Whilst I didn't discover a Goshawk nest I did marvel at seeing things in nature I hadn't seen before, like watching a huge murmuration of starlings in the early dusk of a winter afternoon, and being in awe of the magnitude and magic of a natural spectacle of nature.

In Goshawk Summer, Emmy Award winning filmmaker, James Aldred writes very eloquently about his once in a lifetime privilege of observing, at close quarters, a female goshawk, and her mate, as they attempt to rear their offspring, in a place where even the hunters face their own immediate danger.

The country had been in lockdown for just two weeks in April 2020 when the author was given the unique opportunity to film a pair of mated goshawks in the New Forest. Magnificent hunting birds, who value their privacy so much that tracking their chosen nesting area makes for fascinating reading. However, it is in the description of these ancient hunters which brings the story to life with a lyricism which caught my attention from the very first page...

"The goshawk. Steel grey, the colour of chain mail. Sharp as a sword. A medieval bird for a medieval forest. A timeless scene..."

The book moves softly, and silently, through the months of summer from April, until the end of June 2020, and does so in diary entries which record just what James observed in the woods, his relationship with nature, and more importantly what he learned about, and from the goshawks, as they live out their challenging, but majestic lives. Sharply observed, every nuance of the woodland area is investigated and brought to life, and the narrative is so finely placed it feels cinematic in quality just as though you are cocooned high above the canopy of the New Forest watching as the ancient woodland unfolds deep below you to share its innermost secrets.

I found the whole of Goshawk Summer quite magical and if you enjoy the natural world, then I am sure you will too. A portion of royalties from Goshawk Summer are being donated to the Marie Curie charity.

About the Author

James Aldred is an EMMY award-winning cameraman, adventurer and professional tree climber who has made a career out of travelling the world, filming wildlife for the BBC and climbing trees.

Author website

Twitter  @jraldred #GoshawkSummer

@eantbooks

📖 Paperback Publication Day ~ Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller

 

Happy Paperback Publication Day

Winner Costa Novel Award 2021

Penguin Viking

Paperback 6 January 2022

What if the life you have always known is taken from you in an instant? What would you do to get it back?

Twins Jeanie and Julius have always been different from other people. At 51 years old, they still live with their mother, Dot, in rural isolation and poverty. Their rented cottage is simultaneously their armour against the world and their sanctuary. Inside its walls they make music, in its garden they grow (and sometimes kill) everything they need for sustenance.

But when Dot dies suddenly, threats to their livelihood start raining down. At risk of losing everything, Jeanie and her brother must fight to survive in an increasingly dangerous world as their mother's secrets unfold, putting everything they thought they knew about their lives at stake.

This is a thrilling novel of resilience and hope, of love and survival, that explores with dazzling emotional power how the truths closest to us are often hardest to see.

📖 My thoughts...

I featured Unsettled Ground on my blog when the hardback edition came out in March 2021. I was so overwhelmed by the story that I made it my Featured Book of the Month in April 2021 and it featured on my Reads of the Year list for 2021. I am delighted to see it published today in paperback with a stunning new cover.

I'm also delighted to announce that Unsettled Ground is the winner of the Costa Novel Award 2021 ~ an award so richly deserved.

This is what I thought about it...

Middle-aged twins, Jeannie and Julius Seeder, live an isolated life, scraping out a meagre existence in their rural location, which is made so much worse by the sudden death of their mother. With their main support gone, Jeannie and Julius are left floundering in world which doesn't understand their naivety, or sense their total lack of awareness. Jeannie is the weaker of the twins and yet it is her powerful narrative which relates what happens to them when their world tumbles down around them, and when old secrets, so carefully hidden, threaten to destroy everything they rely on to survive.

Unsettled Ground is a disturbing read and whilst beautifully focused on what is happening in the present, there are hints back to a time when the twins were much younger and the story of a family tragedy which had far reaching effects on all their lives. The strength of the story lies with this author's uncanny ability to make the ordinary into something extraordinary and in creating Jeannie and Julius Seeder she gives us characters who are so engulfing that even when you move away from their story, you still wonder what is going to happen next for them.

There's a deep underlying sadness to the story which is difficult to move away from, and the confining and secluded nature of Jeannie's life, in particular, makes for emotional reading and yet there is also hope in the twins' shared love of music, Jeannie's tender loving care of her garden, and in Julius's strength of character when courage is needed. My heart broke into so many pieces, that there were times when I had to stop reading in order to make a restorative cup of tea just so I could gather my thoughts.

Unsettled Ground is a strong and forceful family drama which made me feel quite angry at the injustice of what happened to Jeannie and Julius in the aftermath of their mother's death, and yet there were also times when the story was so tenderly compassionate, and so beautifully observed, that it, quite simply, took my breath away.

About the Author

Claire Fuller was born in Oxfordshire, England. She gained a degree in sculpture fromWinchester School of art, but went on to have a long career in marketing and didn't start writing until she was forty. She has written three previous novels, Our Endless Numbered Days which won the Desmond Elliot Prize, Swimming Lessons, which was shortlisted for the RSI Encore award, and Bitter Orange. She has an MA in Creative and Critical Writing from the University of Winchester and lives in Hampshire with her husband.

Twitter @ClaireFuller2 #UnsettledGround

@VikingBooksUK

Instagram @vikingbooksuk @clairefullerwriter

📖 Book Review ~ Journey to Paradise by Paula Greenlees

Out now in paperback

Arrow

Paperback Publication Day 30 December 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Singapore:1948

When Miranda steps onto the pier with her husband Gerry at Singapore she hopes that this will be a fresh start; a chance to run from her darkest secret, and heal the scars from her past.

Gerry's new role at the British foreign office affords a certain kind of lifestyle; a beautiful house, servants, and invites the best parties in town. But life in Singapore feels worlds apart from Miranda's beloved home in England. True friends are hard to find in ex-pat society, and with Gerry spending all his time at work or drinking at the club, she loses hope that Singapore would save their marriage. So when Miranda meets kind-hearted Nick Wythenshaw, when volunteering at the local hospital, she begins to realise the depth of her own unhappiness, and dares to hope for more...

Meanwhile, riots are erupting across the region, and Singapore is becoming an increasingly dangerous place to be British. As the danger draws ever closer to home, Miranda must make the toughest decision she has ever had to face - to choose between duty and happiness, and risk ruin.

📖 My Thoughts..

Post war Singapore in 1948 is a place of contrasts especially for the last of the colonials who travel from England to take up positions of authority in local government. Miranda Lewis, and her husband Gerry, are hoping that their move to Singapore will help to chase away some of the sadness in their marriage but rather than bringing them closer it would seem that the move only accentuates their opposing viewpoints.

Nick Wythenshawe is a young doctor who is currently involved in working at a Catholic mission, in Singapore, for orphan children. When he and Miranda first meet they find that they have much in common especially when Miranda decides to help out at the mission. Their compassionate natures draw them to each other but they must choose their way forward very carefully.

Singapore is beautifully recreated and the sights, sounds and rather volatile atmosphere comes alive in the author's skilful recreation of this beautiful place. This is a dangerous time to be English in Singapore, resentments run deep especially in the juxtaposition between the decadent lifestyles of the colonials against the poverty and insecurity of the local people. The author brings this sense of danger into the story and whilst the English party through the night at their clubs and private dinner parties, there is more going on politically and socially than they could ever have imagined.

Journey to Paradise is a lovely story with an authentic historical background and a wonderful sense of time and place which all help to bring this exotic paradise to life in a meaningful and thoughtful way.

Best read with ...a dish of black olives and a Singapore sling..

About the Author

Paula Greenlees has an undergraduate degree in English and European Thought and Literature, and a Masters Degree in Creative Writing. She spent three years living in Singapore surrounded by the history and culture that provided the inspiration for her first novel, Journey to Paradise.

Twitter @PGreenlees #JourneytoParadise

Instagram @paulagreenlees

@centurybooksuk

📖 Paperback Publication Day ~ Fifty Words for Snow by Nancy Campbell

 

Elliot & Thompson
1 November 2021

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

The perfect winter gift – each of these linguistic snow crystals offers a whole world of myth and story.

In this lyrical, evocative book, Arctic traveller and award-winning writer Nancy Campbell digs deep into the meanings and etymologies, the histories and the futures of fifty words for snow, using them as clues to the many ways in which we are all connected to one another and to our planet.

From Iceland to Hawaii, every language and culture has its own word for the magical,mesmerising flakes that fall from the sky. Fifty Words... is a journey from the ornate ice houses of country estates to the artificial snow of the movies, from the snow roads across the frozen lakes of Estonia to Kilimanjaro’s snowy peak – a meeting point between the human and the divine. 

Exploring language in its broadest sense, Campbell includes American Sign Language for ‘snowboard’ and shares how the Inuktitut oral language came to be transcribed.

Every language and culture has its own word for the magical, mesmerising flakes that fall from the sky. From Iceland to Hawaii, frozen forest to mountain peak, school yard to park, snow may be welcomed, feared, played with or prized. 

In this lyrical, evocative book, Arctic traveller and award-winning writer, Nancy Campbell, digs deep into the meanings and etymologies, the histories and the futures of fifty words for snow from across the globe, using them as clues to the many ways in which we are all connected to one another and to our planet.

Fifty words… is a journey from the ornate ice houses on country estates to the artificial snow of the movies, the construction of iglu by Inuit, and jäätee, the ice roads across frozen lakes of Estonia. Exploring language in its broadest sense, Campbell includes American Sign Language for snowboard and shares how the Inuktitut oral language came to be transcribed. At a time of great environmental change, it is a celebration of climate, and a warning of what may be lost.

📖 What did I think about it...

I was lucky to be able to review this rather special book on its blog tour in November last year. I am delighted to re-post my review on its paperback publication day and to share its pretty new cover.

Not only is Fifty Words for Snow a fascinating look at how we view the 'feather like flakes that fall from the sky' but it's also a trip, in fifty words, to some amazing places around the world. From the Sámi people of northern Norway, Finland, Sweden, through to Suncups which form in the snowfields of the northern hemisphere, including England, the author describes the myths and stories which follow this glorious phenomenon around the world.

Wonderfully presented Fifty Words for Snow draws you into a magical world which the author describes so beautifully. Each chapter is complete within itself and is headed by a lovely illustration, from the original photographs of snowflakes taken by Wilson Bentley and just as each snowflake is individual so is each special meaning.

I started the book with the intention of dipping wherever took my fancy but after the first chapter I found that I read the book in snowflake order, captivated by the lyrical quality of the stories as they unfolded in the fifty very different words for snow. I love the way that snow quietly transforms even the bleakest of landscapes, turning the vista into a magical and sparkling world, and I think, in this lovely book, the author has captured the very essence of snow, and what it means to different cultures.

Fifty Words for Snow has brought a little bit of sparkly magic into my world and it is definitely a perfect gift for anyone who loves the beauty of words or the simple joy of making angels in the snow.

About the Author

Nancy Campbell is an award-winning writer, described as ‘deft, dangerous and dazzling’ by the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. Her travels in the Arctic between 2010 and 2017 have resulted in several projects responding to the environment, most recently The Library of Ice: Readings in a Cold Climate (S&S), which was longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2019. Her previous book on the polar environment, Disko Bay, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection in 2016. She has been a Marie Claire ‘Wonder Woman’, a Hawthornden Fellow and Visual and Performing Artist in Residence at Oxford University. She is currently a Literature Fellow at Internationales Kunstlerhaus Villa Concordia in Bamberg, Germany.

Twitter @nancycampbelle #fiftywordsforsnow

@eandtbooks

@alisonmenziespr

📖 Paperback Publiction Day ~ When the Music Stops by Joe Heap

 

Harper Collins
28 October 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

This is the story of Ella. And Robert. And of all the things they should have said, but never did.

‘What have you been up to?’ 

I shrug, ‘Just existing, I guess.’ 

‘Looks like more than just existing.’ 

Robert gestures at the baby, the lifeboat, the ocean. 

‘All right, not existing. Surviving.’ 

He laughs, not unkindly. ‘Sounds grim.’

 ‘It wasn’t so bad, really. 

But I wish you’d been there.’ 

Ella has known Robert all her life. Through seven key moments and seven key people their journey intertwines. From the streets of Glasgow during WW2 to the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll of London in the 60s and beyond, this is a story of love and near misses. Of those who come in to our lives and leave it too soon. And of those who stay with you forever…

📖 What did I think about it..

This time last year I was involved in the blog tour launch for this book. On its paperback publication day I am delighted to share my book review again.

When the Music Stops is a fascinating look through all the myriad facets which make up the minutiae of a life. From childhood, through to the infirmity of old age, we follow the story of Ella and Robert from their school days in wartime Glasgow, through to the London of the swinging sixties, and beyond, and each time their lives intertwine so little pieces of themselves are left behind.

Through seven important key points and with a continuous love for music, Ella's life is explored in detail, gently examining those moments which have been so important to her. Moving as it does between time frames, we begin to understand more about Ella, not just her past, but also her present, her regrets, and her successes, all of which give credence to her world which, in her eighties, has begun to be confusing to her.

I enjoyed following Ella's journey through her fascinating life and the interesting way the story evolves helps to keep everything flowing in a thought-provoking way. Ella's colourful life as a musician comes to life, in particular through the music scores which are scattered like jewels throughout the more pertinent moments of her life.

Taking inspiration from his own grandparents story, the author has written a beautifully, described look at love, loss, regrets and, ultimately, the treasure of keeping alive the memory of those people who capture our heart forever.

About the Author

Joe Heap was born in 1986 and grew up in Bradford, the son of two teachers. His debut novel The Rules of Seeing won Best Debut at the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards in 2019 and was shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Reader Awards. Joe lives in London with his girlfriend, their two sons and a cat who wishes they would get out of the house more often.

Twitter @Joe_Heap_ #When the MusicStops

@fictionpubteam

📖 Book Review ~ Paperback Publication Day ~The Cabinet of Calm by Paul Anthony Jones

📖 Happy Paperback Publication Day 📖 

Elliot&Thompson
Paperback 8 April 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Open The Cabinet of Calm and discover a soothing word that’s equal to your troubles…

‘These are words to soothe an unquiet mind. To inspire our creativity. To encourage fellow thinking and community spirit, and to give us fresh hope. In essence, collected here are nothing but kind words, for these unkind times.’

For almost a decade, Paul Anthony Jones has written about the oddities and origins of the English language, amassing a vast collection of some of its more unusual words. Last year, doubly bereaved and struggling to regain his spirits, he turned to words – words that could be applied to difficult, challenging times and found solace. The Cabinet of Calm is the result.

Paul has unearthed fifty-one linguistic remedies to offer reassurance, inspiration and hope in the face of such feelings as grief and despair, homesickness and exhaustion, missing our friends and a loss of hope.

My Thoughts...

This lovely book came into my life when we were facing such a troubled time during the first national lockdown, little did I know that, a year later, we would still be in the grip of this global pandemic which has altered our world forever. I'm delighted to share my review of The Cabinet of Calm on its paperback publication day.

Words can be such a comfort in times of trouble and none more valuable than in this difficult time in which we find ourselves. I have been turning more and more to inspirational verse in order to make sense of a world which seems to have been set completely off its axis.

Opening The Cabinet of Calm is like an emotional toolbox, and peeping inside has soothed my imagination in so many different ways and I have found so much to encourage and ponder over that I have been quite mesmerised by the power of its expression.

In more ways than one, The Cabinet of Calm is a beautifully designed book, not just because its content is so fascinating, I never knew that so much could be expressed in a single word, but also in the perfection of its cover design which is really beautiful to behold. Wonderfully tactile and handily sized so that you can carry the book around with you tucked into a pocket, or a handbag - a handy reference guide when a specific word is needed, like Villeggiaturia, meaning city-weary.

Each of the fifty-one words which make up The Cabinet of Calm will appeal and have meaning and so many times when reading through the book I found myself nodding in appreciation because the word described was just completely right in context.

In these times of countless challenges and so often in last few weeks I have struggled to feel positive, not being able to interact with family and friends has been a heartbreaking struggle, so the chapter entitled, Agathism, which is a word for when you are feeling disillusionment or struggling to remain positive, was a very helpful reminder that all we have to do is wait, "enduring the bad times as best we can, and focusing on the good times that will - no matter how distant they might feel at the moment - eventually return"

Beautifully written, each chapter of The Cabinet of Calm is complete in itself so that this is something which you can easily dip into and out of at whim. If you have a love for the more obscure words in our beautiful language, or even if you are trying to make sense of world which is completely out of kilter, then I am sure that you will find as much to ponder over in this lovely book as I did.

About the Author

Paul has a Masters in Linguistics and is a language blogger from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. His obsession with words began with a child’s dictionary he received as a Christmas present when he was eight years old. As @HaggardHawks he has tweeted obscure words since 2013 and now has a social media following of over 75k, including the likes of JK Rowling, Robert Macfarlane, Susie Dent, Richard Osman, Greg Jenner, Ian McMillan, Rufus Sewell, Simon Mayo, Michael Rosen and Cerys Matthews.

HaggardHawks.com brings together the entire HH network including a blog, books, quizzes & games, the 500 Words YouTube series, Instagram gallery and newsletter. He regularly contributes to the media.

Twitter @HaggardHawks #CabinetofCalmWords

@enandtbooks

 

📖 Paperback Publication Day ~ Liar by Lesley Pearse

Penguin
Micheal Joseph

4 March 2021

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

Amelia White dreamed of being a reporter, but the closest she'd come was selling advertising in the local paper. Until the fateful day she stumbles on a truly shocking scoop.

A murder victim, round the corner from her home.

When the police and reporters descend, Amelia is horrified at the assumptions made and lies soon to be spread about this poor young woman. Convincing her local paper to let her take up the story herself, Amelia is determined to protect the victim from these smears. But when another body is found, the police investigation stalls. Now, Amelia's own unfolding investigation may be the only chance of uncovering the truth, and stopping more killings.

If only she can work out who the liar is...

📖 My thoughts..

I love the anticipation of a new Lesley Pearse novel and Liar, her 28th novel, is every bit as good as I hoped it would be.

Amelia White works on the local paper and whilst she has ambitions to be a reporter her days are largely spent in selling advertising space to local businesses. That is until she discovers the body of a dead girl in a pile of rubbish and with an exclusive scoop on her hands, Amelia is encouraged, by her boss, to delve a little deeper. 

What then follows is a convoluted and complex murder/mystery which has more than enough twists and turns to keep the action exciting. And yet, the story is about so much more than a murder mystery, it’s also a close examination of what makes people act in the way that they do. Nature versus nurture, that's for us to discover in this intricate story of murder, mayhem and despair. Whilst I had very sympathy for Amelia and her search for truth and justice, it is the other fascinating characters who flit into and out of Amelia’s life which add interesting light and shade into what is a rather dark and dangerous story.

I’ve never yet read a Lesley Pearse novel that I didn’t enjoy. She has such an easy style of writing and delivers romance, crime and historical fiction with fine attention to detail, and with impeccable accuracy she always gets right into the very heart and soul of her lead characters.

Liar is this author writing at her most skillful, she brings the rather dreary 1970s to life in a thought provoking murder/ mystery which flits and flutters through some difficult scenes but which never fails to entertain on every level.

About the Author

©Charlotte Murphy

Lesley Pearse is a global No.1 bestseller with fans across the world and sales of over 10 million copies of her books to date. One of the nation’s best-loved storytellers, Lesley is a master of the gripping story line, always introducing her readers to characters that are impossible not to care about or forget. With a ‘Lesley Pearse’ book purchased every 4 minutes in the UK, there is no formula to her books or easily defined genre and, whether historical drama like her No.1 bestselling Belle trilogy or the emotionally powerful Trust Me based on the true-life scandal of British child migrants sent to Australia in the post-war period, she always engages the reader completely.You’ll Never See Me Again is Lesley’s 27th novel.

Lesley Pearse was told as a child that she had too much imagination for her own good. She left home at 15 and headed to London where she worked her way through many jobs – from corsetry sales in Cooks of St. Pauls (featured in Dead to Me), to musician’s muse (her second husband was a musician managed by Don Arden) to bunny girl to nanny; from gift shop owner to dressmaker – finally finding her true vocation when she became a published author age 49. Since then Lesley has become an internationally bestselling author, with over 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide. 

A true storyteller and a master of gripping storylines, there is no set formula for a Lesley Pearse novel although strong heroines and difficult circumstances are pervasive. Whether historical adventures such as Gypsy or Never Look Back or the passionately emotive Trust Me, Lesley is inspired by stories of courage and adversity and often gives voice to women lost in history and people damaged by their childhood experiences. She is passionate about her research and her stories have taken her far and wide; from Alaska to the Crimea. Lesley now lives in Torquay in Devon where she loves to spend time walking on the beach with her grandchildren and dogs. A fantastic speaker and committed and passionate fundraiser for the NSPCC, Lesley is a much sought-after guest at literary lunches, library events and festivals up and down the country.

Twitter @LesleyPearse #LoveLesley

@MichaelJBooks

@ed_pr

Publication Day Review ~ You'll Never See Me Again by Lesley Pearse

Delighted to share my review of this lovely story on its

Paperback Publication Day

Michael Joseph
5 March 2020

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

Betty Wellows dreams of settling down to an ordinary life in the little fishing village of Hallsands in Devon with her husband. But when he returns broken and haunted from the Great War, she finds herself persecuted by his distraught mother - and yearns to escape. It is only when a storm devastates the village that Betty sees her chance. 

Fleeing to Bristol and changing her name to Mabel Brook, she seeks a new life - only to discover destiny has other plans. Penniless and alone, Mabel suffers a brutal attack before being rescued by a psychic named Nora Nightingale. She gets her first taste of communications from the dead and realizes she may have this power herself. But Mabel fears her gift may be a terrible curse as it becomes ever harder to hide from the truth about who she once was - and the tragic life she left behind. Then, one day an all too real message from her past appears and Mabel is forced back to the very place she has escaped. A place of heartbreak, and perhaps even murder, she must confront her actions one last time in order to secure any hope of a future. 

Gripping, exhilarating and ever suspenseful, Lesley Pearse's You'll Never See Me Again is a tale of one woman's fight to escape her past and find her destiny.

What did I think about it..

The novel's dramatic opening chapter sets the scene for this latest historical saga by one of my favourite authors. Betty Wellows can only dream of the life she had before her young husband was tragically damaged whilst fighting in the Great War. His return home, suffering with shell shock, means that Betty must move in with her harridan of a mother in law who makes Betty's life a complete misery even to sending Betty out in a violent storm. At the end of her tether Betty decides to use the advantage of the storm to disappear and start a new life under an assumed name, and it is this new life as Mabel Brook which forms the heart of the story.

I loved getting to know to know Mabel, she is a very resilient young woman and despite several hardships she makes the best of every situation she finds herself caught up in. This is what this author does so well, she brings alive characters who, over the course of the story, you get to know and love. I really wanted everything to work out for Mabel as she deserves a happy and settled life, but, of course, she has to work through some pretty tough situations before the ending becomes clear.

The author is the absolute queen of the historical saga and writes with such love and passion that every book she delivers is filled with an abundance of rich and varied characters and each story succeeds in delighting her audience of loyal readers. You'll Never See Me Again has everything that this author does so well, a strong female lead character, an authentic historical background and more than a hint of intrigue, danger and compassion. I loved it ♡

About the Author 

©Charlotte Murphy

Lesley Pearse is a global No.1 bestseller with fans across the world and sales of over 10 million copies of her books to date. One of the nation’s best-loved storytellers, Lesley is a master of the gripping story line, always introducing her readers to characters that are impossible not to care about or forget. With a ‘Lesley Pearse’ book purchased every 4 minutes in the UK, there is no formula to her books or easily defined genre and, whether historical drama like her No.1 bestselling Belle trilogy or the emotionally powerful Trust Me based on the true-life scandal of British child migrants sent to Australia in the post-war period, she always engages the reader completely.You’ll Never See Me Again is Lesley’s 27th novel.

Lesley Pearse was told as a child that she had too much imagination for her own good. She left home at 15 and headed to London where she worked her way through many jobs – from corsetry sales in Cooks of St. Pauls (featured in Dead to Me), to musician’s muse (her second husband was a musician managed by Don Arden) to bunny girl to nanny; from gift shop owner to dressmaker – finally finding her true vocation when she became a published author age 49. Since then Lesley has become an internationally bestselling author, with over 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide. 

A true storyteller and a master of gripping storylines, there is no set formula for a Lesley Pearse novel although strong heroines and difficult circumstances are pervasive. Whether historical adventures such as Gypsy or Never Look Back or the passionately emotive Trust Me, Lesley is inspired by stories of courage and adversity and often gives voice to women lost in history and people damaged by their childhood experiences. She is passionate about her research and her stories have taken her far and wide; from Alaska to the Crimea. Lesley now lives in Torquay in Devon where she loves to spend time walking on the beach with her grandchildren and dogs. A fantastic speaker and committed and passionate fundraiser for the NSPCC, Lesley is a much sought-after guest at literary lunches, library events and festivals up and down the country.

Twitter @LesleyPearse #LoveLesley

@MichaelJBooks

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Paperback Publication Day ~ Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

✼✼ I'm delighted to feature my review of Blood Orange on its Paperback Publication Day✼✼

Headline
12 December 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

I read Blood Orange in February when I was part of the hardback publication blog tour and I absolutely loved the story. I am delighted to feature my review again on the book's paperback publication day. The cover is stunning - Jaffa and I love it !

Alison has it all. A doting husband, adorable daughter, and a career on the rise – she’s just been given her first murder case to defend. But all is never as it seems…

Just one more night. Then I’ll end it.

Alison drinks too much. She’s neglecting her family. And she’s having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries may be more than she can handle.

I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up.

Alison’s client doesn’t deny that she stabbed her husband – she wants to plead guilty. And yet something about her story is deeply amiss. Saving this woman may be the first step to Alison saving herself.

I’m watching you. I know what you’re doing.

But someone knows Alison’s secrets. Someone who wants to make her pay for what she’s done, and who won’t stop until she’s lost everything….

What did I think about it..

Oh, what a tangled web we weave, and there is no more tangled a web than the one which weaves its way piece by jagged piece through Blood Orange. The story is dark and edgy, furiously explicit in terms of sexual content, and with some deeply disturbing psychological influences which are implicit right from the start, with a prologue, which, it must be said, chills to the bone.

The story opens as Alison, a talented barrister, is about to take the lead in her first murder defence, but in a world where stability and control matter, Alison isn’t the most steady of characters, she works hard, plays hard, drinks too much and doesn’t always realise when she is dangerously out of control. And yet, even though, you sense that she is teetering towards some inevitable disaster, there is always a compulsion to urge her on to greater transgressions, and in this respect Alison doesn’t let you down. I've never known anyone press so many self-destruct buttons!

There are several story strands, the cleverly constructed murder mystery, in which Alison is involved from a legal perspective, forms a small part of the story, however, it is in the toxic relationship Alison has with her husband Carl, and her work colleague, Patrick where the story really takes off in a whole different direction, and which, as the story progresses, leaves you reeling in disbelief.

Blood Orange is an absolutely gripping psychological thriller, utterly convincing both in terms of plot and malice, and is, without doubt, a stunning debut from an author who knows how to hold the reader in the palm of her hand, cranking up the tension to impossible heights, and never letting go of the action until the whole of the story is revealed in glorious detail.

About the Author

Harriet Tyce grew up in Edinburgh and studied English at Oxford University beforedoing a law conversion course at City University. She practised as a criminal barrister in Londonfor nearly a decade. She is currently doing a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. She lives in north London. Blood Orange is her debut novel.

Website

Twitter @harriet_tyce #BloodOrange

Amazon UK

Review ~ The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins

✨✨ Out now in paperback ✨✨

Penguin
1 August 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my paperback copy of this book

1826, and all of London is in a frenzy. Crowds gather at the gates of the Old Bailey to watch as Frannie Langton, maid to Mr and Mrs Benham, goes on trial for their murder. The testimonies against her are damning - slave, whore, seductress. And they may be the truth. But they are not the whole truth.

For the first time Frannie must tell her story. It begins with a girl learning to read on a plantation in Jamaica, and it ends in a grand house in London, where a beautiful woman waits to be freed.

But through her fevered confessions, one burning question haunts Frannie Langton: could she have murdered the only person she ever loved?

A beautiful and haunting tale about one woman's fight to tell her story, The Confessions of Frannie Langton leads you through laudanum-laced dressing rooms and dark-as-night back alleys, into the enthralling heart of Georgian London.

I was thrilled to be invited onto the blog our for this exciting historical novel and I'm so pleased that its paperback publication now gives me the opportunity to re-post my original review. I thought the hardback cover was impressive but this dark green cover really captures the brooding essence of the story...

In London, in 1826, Frances Langton stands in the Old Bailey, accused of murdering her employers in a dramatic and heinous crime. However, as Frannie’s sad and sorry life story starts to emege we learn so much about this complicated woman who started life on a Jamaican plantation where she once lived as a house slave. 

Never quite sure of her parentage, Frances comes to London with her slave owner, Mr. Langton, where she is given into the employment of George and Marguerite Benham. Once she is settled in the household Frannie's wit and intelligence attracts the attention of the unconventional Marguerite whose moral standards are, it must be said, rather unusual for the time. However, as it turns out, Frannie’s time with the Benham’s in their household, means that she exchanges one kind of servitude for another, with, as it turns out, disastrous consequences. 

The Confessions of Frannie Langton is a really fascinating historical narrative which is made all the more interesting for shining a spotlight on a terribly shameful past, and which then,very cleverly, links the way in which Frances, a woman who was conflicted by her gender, race and class, was forever let down by her lowly station in life. 

The Confessions of Frannie Langton is a very clever debut, beautifully written with a distinctly authentic feel,  it is one of those fascinating, but cautionary, stories which stays with you long after the last page is finished.

The Confessions of Frannie Langton was Waterstones book of the month in August 

About the Author

Sara Collins studied law at the London School of Economics and worked as a lawyer for seventeen years. In 2014 she embarked upon the Creative Writing Masters at Cambridge University, where she won the 2015 Michael Holroyd Prize of Re-creative Writing and was shortlisted for the 2016 Lucy Cavendish Prize for a book inspired by her love of gothic fiction. This turned into her first novel, The Confessions of Frannie Langton.

Twitter @mrsjaneymac #FrannieLangton

@PenguinUKBooks

His Fic Saturday ~ The Garden of Lost and Found by Harriet Evans

On Hist Fic Saturday

Let's go back to .....1919

Headline
5 September 2019
My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book


✨✨ Out now in paperback ✨✨

Nightingale House, 1919. Liddy Horner discovers her husband, the world-famousartist Sir Edward Horner, burning his best-known painting The Garden of Lost and Found days before his sudden death.

Nightingale House was the Horner family’s beloved home - a gem of design created to inspire happiness - and it was here Ned painted The Garden of Lost and Found, capturing his children on a perfect day.

One magical moment. Before it all came tumbling down...

When Ned and Liddy’s great-granddaughter Juliet is sent the key to Nightingale House, she starts a new life with her three children, and opens the door onto a forgotten world. The house holds its mysteries close but she is in search of answers.

For who would choose to destroy what they love most? Whether Ned’s masterpiece - or,in Juliet’s case, her own children’s happiness.

Something shattered this corner of paradise. But what?


What did I think about it...

I really enjoyed this book when I posted my review when part of the blog tour earlier in the year. It is with pleasure that I re-post my review on the book's paperback publication.

Set between two times frames we meet with Juliet Horner in the present time who is a descendant of Ned Horner, a respected Edwardian artist whose most famous art work was destroyed many years ago in a fire. When Juliet’s home circumstances change she takes her three lively children back to Nightingale House, the now dilapidated residence which was once Ned’s home and which has been owned by various members of Juliet’s family since the house was built in late 1800s.

Moving seamlessly between two frames a complicated story of hurt and despair starts to be revealed and without giving too much away about the historical part of the novel, it’s safe to say, that both time scales have their own unique strength. I was just as comfortable reading about the goings on in the Edwardian era as I was in learning all about Juliet and her complex family drama in the present day.

The author has given us such an absolute gem of story that once I started The House of Lost and Found I found that I really couldn’t put the book down. The story is beautifully reminiscent of a bygone time with all of the social and moral predicaments which so blighted the early years of the twentieth century. And yet, the modern day dilemmas of infidelity, marriage breakdown and complicated motherhood are also highlighted with a genuine sense of reality.

The Garden of Lost and Found brings the world of art to life in a glorious tale of long lost treasure and devastating family secrets which, in the hands of this talented writer, reach out from the past to threaten the future.

I’ve now read several of this author’s excellent books and, without doubt, The Garden of Lost and Found, is my favourite story to date.

About the Author

Harriet Evans is the author, Going Home, A Hopeless Romantic, The Love of Her Life, I Remember You, Love Always, Happily Ever After and Not Without You. Before becoming a full time writer Harriet was a successful editor for a London publishing house. She lives in London with her family.

Twitter@HarrietEvans #GardenOfLostAndFound

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