Review - A Murder at Rosamund's Gate by Susanna Calkins

St Martin's Press
23 April 2013

In seventeenth century England, and particularly in Restoration London, life for a chambermaid was one of repetitive drudgery, whilst Lucy Campion accepts this way of life without question, tragedy in the shape of an unexplained murder jolts the household, and Lucy, into a world of suspicion and mistrust. When Lucy starts to become curious and investigates the murder, she is drawn into the disturbing world of the English justice system, which during the restoration period was largely open to conjecture. The accused were nearly always treated as guilty until proven innocent and were left to languish in the direst of prison circumstances.

On the whole, I thought that the novel was well written, there is historical authenticity to the narrative, and the inclusion of the plague and the Great Fire of London into the story, firmly dates the novel into 1665 and 1666. The murder mystery blends well alongside the historical feel of the story, and as Lucy Campion is a feisty heroine there is always something to maintain the reader’s attention.

With impeccable research, Susanna Calkins successfully conveys the sights, sounds and smells of the foul and pestilential streets of Restoration London, a place where cut-throats and street pads rub shoulders with the gentry, and where danger is never very far away.

The final strands of the story are pulled together nicely into a satisfactory conclusion, and there is the tantalising promise of further murder / mystery adventures for Lucy Campion in a continuation of the series. 

4****

My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an ecopy of this book. 

Review ~ The Offering by Angela Hunt

May 14th 2013 by Howard Books

To maintain financial security for her family, Amanda takes the momentous decision to carry a child for a childless couple in return for money. The decision to become a surrogacy is not taken lightly, and the emotional conflict is all too easy to imagine, as Amanda loves children, and would like a larger family of her own. As the pregnancy progresses, predictably the surrogacy comes with emotional baggage, and Amanda, struggling with devastating personal tragedy, has to make some tough choices.



Whilst the emotive subject matter of the story is interesting enough, I found that I was a little bored with the writing style and despite a certain amount of sympathy for the main characters , I didn’t fully engage with the story as much as I would have liked. It’s not that the writing is bad or the story unsettling, it’s just that I was indifferent to the outcome and didn’t really care enough about the conclusion.



But that’s just my own personal opinion, and I’m sure that the author’s fans will find much to enjoy in the book.

3***

Thanks to NetGalley and Howard Books for the opportunity to read an ecopy of this book.

Samantha Young ~ Author Spotlight

I am delighted to welcome

Samantha Young

Photograph by kind permission of the author

author

 of 

Down London Road

Published  7 May 2013
Penguin

Samantha, congratulations of the publication of Down London Road.

How would you describe Down London Road to a reader who hasn't read any of your books before?

Down London Road is down to earth, sexy, funny, relatable and hot. It's the story of a young woman who takes care of her family, and one of the ways she does this is to date men who have money. That is until she meets Cameron MacCabe, an opinionated tattooed bartender who takes the time to show her that there is so much more to her than just a pretty face. It's a story about loyalty, self-discovery, friendship, passion and family.



Do you outline the plot first, or do you let the story go wherever it takes you?

I'm a plotter, definitely a plotter. I wish I could just sit down and start tapping away at the keyboard but I have to create character profiles and chapter summaries before I feel comfortable enough to start the novel.

Johanna Walker is a strong and feisty heroine, and yet has a hidden vulnerability – where did you find the inspiration for Johanna’s character?

When I decided to write a second book in this series I zeroed in on Jo as the main character because she's unlike any heroine I've written before. I wasn't inspired by any one thing or person; I was just inspired by the challenge of her character development because she's pretty complex.

Down London Road is the second book in the On Dublin Street series – have you any plans to continue the story from the point of view of some of the other characters in the books?

I signed a deal with NAL (Penguin) for a third book in the On Dublin Street series, and although I'm keeping quiet for now on who the main characters are, you'll definitely be seeing familiar faces in the third book.

Inspired by Club 39 the club where Johanna works – if you could have a cocktail named after you – what would it be, and why?

Probably a mojito. It's a really refreshing cocktail and I'd like people to think that about me as an author—a refreshing cocktail! 

You are a gifted story teller – have you been inspired in your writing by any particular era, author or book?

Thank you! I so appreciate that.

As for inspiration, I'm inspired by many things but mostly by music, history, and the people around me.

***

 Samantha ~ thank you so much for taking the time to visit jaffareadstoo.

We have loved reading all about Down London Road, and wish you continued success

with your writing career.

http://www.samanthayoungbooks.com/

***

My Review

Johanna Walker is a troubled soul; she’s fiercely protective of her younger brother, Cole and will do anything she can to provide a stable and loving home for him, including deliberately choosing her romantic attachments to men who can offer her a high degree of stability and material comfort. When she meets the deliciously handsome Cameron, Johanna is determined to fight against the undeniable attraction she feels for him. What then follows is the story of Johanna and Cameron’s feisty relationship, which abounds with sexual tension and romantic skulduggery.

Down London Road reads very easily, the plot is steady and well written and whilst it focuses mainly on the ‘will they, won’t they’ aspect of Johanna and Cameron’s relationship, the inclusion of well loved characters from On Dublin Street adds a nice blend of continuity and offers a different perspective on Johanna’s character and about what motivates her to act in the way she does.

I think that the author has got the balance of story and sexual content levelled just right, as neither one attempts to outshine the other. The sexual content is explicit but fits in with both the story and the characters, so you never feel like you are reading sexual activity just for the sake of filling up space. I felt a real connection with the characters, and loved Johanna’s protectiveness towards her younger brother – oh yes, and Cameron is pretty easy to read about too!

Overall, a great read and a worthy follow up to Down London Road. Can’t wait for the next book!

My thanks to Katie Sheldrake at Penguin for my review copy of this book.

                                                                    www.penguin.co.uk

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Review ~ The Disillusioned by D. J. Williams

Published May 1st 2013 by WestBow Pres

Book Blurb

A mother's suicide threatens to destroy a family legacy. Her sons, Sam and Daniel, are forced to leave their comfortable worlds behind and search for a woman they believe can unlock the secrets that have remained hidden. They are propelled into separate journeys from Los Angeles to the heart of the Zambezi, where they are forced to confront a man known as Die Duiwel, the Devil. On their adventures they will find themselves in a place where death is one breath away, where thousands of children are disappearing into the darkness, and where the woman they are searching for is on the hunt for revenge. When they stand face-to-face with the forgotten slaves of Africa, they will fight to redeem what has been lost.

Review

Following their mother’s suicide, Sam and Daniel Armstrong leave behind a comfortable world to search for the truth about long buried family secrets. Their individual journeys take them from Los Angeles and into Zambezi, to the heart of a dark and very dangerous place, where children are disappearing and where the ultimate revenge threatens their very existence.

The corruption at the heart of the story focuses on the very depths of human despair, and intertwines a humanist perspective alongside a story of religious fervour and moral principle. Whilst the evangelical and religious nature of the narrative is central to the plot, it does not overly detract from what is in effect a competent and convincing adventure story. The short and concise nature of the individual chapters seem to give credence to a mystery with many twists and turns, and which keeps the reader guessing until the very end. 

Overall, I thought this was a well written and interesting story. 

4****

More about the author can be found http://www.djwilliamsbooks.com/

Amazon

My thanks to D J Williams for my review copy of this book.

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Review ~ Stop Dead by Leigh Russell

No Exit Press

30 May 2013

When a successful business man is found brutally murdered, the search for his killer will take DI Geraldine Steel and her team into a murky world of secrets and lies. Contained within the story are the usual smattering of stereotypical suspects, with one or two red herrings, and a few well written twists and turns, which add interest, to what seems to be a fairly average crime thriller. There are no huge surprises, the story is easy to read, and even picking up the book after an absence of a few days, I could still follow the plot, without the need to back track in case I had forgotten anything.

This is the first of Leigh Russell’s crime series featuring DI Geraldine Steel that I have read, and even though I didn’t know any of the back stories, I was soon able to learn enough about the characters to form some sort of impression. There are vague clues into why DI Steel had moved from Kent to work in the Metropolitan police force in London, which explains why she reacts as she does in certain situations.

Overall, I thought it was a good read. The story kept my attention and even though I had sort of guessed whodunnit  the final strands of the plot are pulled together nicely, and the ending, of course lends itself to a continuation of the series.

My thanks to Real Readers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Literary Walk ~ In the footsteps of the Brontës...

 My latest literary walk took me into Brontë country and a trip to Haworth in Yorkshire.

Home of Branwell, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë

Patrick and Maria Brontë and their six young children arrived in Haworth in April 1820. 

Patrick had been appointed as the perpetual curate of St Michael’s and All Angels church in Haworth, and the attractive parsonage at the top of the village was to be their home. However, tragedy was about to strike the family, when less than a year later, Maria Brontë died, leaving her six young children in the care of her husband and her sister, Elizabeth.

This shows the parsonage and the adjacent churchyard.
The rooks in the trees above keep up a cacophony of  raucous sound 

This  shows the cobbled street at the side of the parsonage
which the Brontës would have used to get into the village of Haworth

This is The Black Bull Pub
where Branwell Bronte was a frequent visitor.

Haworth is a pretty Yorkshire town

but flat shoes are preferable on the cobblestones!

View along Main Street which shows the cobbled street

View down Main Street against the back drop of the
Yorkshire hills

St Michael and All Angels Church
Haworth.


The stone shows where the gate once stood which the Brontes used to get into the churchyard
from the parsonage.

East Window
St Michaels and All Angels Church
Haworth

Brontës in Memoriam

This view from the parsonage no doubt inspired Emily when she wrote
Wuthering Heights.

I enjoyed my tour of the parsonage, it's a fascinating experience to wander around the home of the Brontës. To see the dining room where Charlotte, Emily and Anne sat late at night composing their great literary works gives a better insight into their world.

There is no photography allowed inside the parsonage, but you'll find more details
at

The Brontë Society & Brontë Parsonage Museum

All photographs ©Digital Images 2013