Blog Tour ~ The Other Woman by Amanda Brookfield

 

Delighted to host today's blog tour stop

Boldwood Books
13 October 2020

My thanks to the publishers and Rachel's Random Resources for my ecopy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

On a normal day, in a normal house, on a normal street, wife and mother Fran has had enough. She packs a case, leaves a note for her bullying husband Pete, and one for her beloved twenty year old son Harry, and heads to the airport and freedom. 

In another house, on another street, Helena is desperately baiting her husband Jack into a fight. 

These days it feels like the only way to get Jack to take notice of her. Passionate, volatile, increasingly fragile, Helena is fast running out of hope. 

What Helena and Fran don’t know, is that soon their lives are going to come crashing together in ways neither expect nor understand. And if Fran and Helena are going to change their own futures, then first they will have to change each other’s. 

What did I think about it..

There are always two sides to every story and in The Other Woman we get to see the reason why Fran feels compelled to leave her husband of twenty years and also why in another marriage, which is also on the brink of destruction, we get to see the lengths that Helena will go to in order to cling onto a husband she seems to despise.

The first section of the book is taken up with Fran's story which leads us through a whole range of emotions binding us quite firmly onto Fran's side. Beautifully written, we experience Fran's emotional turmoil as she considers leaving a marriage which is going nowhere, with a husband whose domineering nature is constantly wearing down her self esteem.

By contrast in Helena's section of the story we meet a very different woman. She is brittle, argumentative, quick to anger, drinks far too much and goads her husband into taking notice of her at at every opportunity. She was the least likeable of the two women but her story was just as compelling.

The final section of the book brings all the threads together and what a complicated tapestry they make of two very different marriages and two very different women. The author writes this type of relationship drama well and cleverly weaves all the strands together in a fascinating story which grabbed my attention from the beginning. I raced through at top speed ready to journey with both Fran and Helena and keeping a close watch on how their complex stories eventually pulled together.

If you enjoy relationship stories, which draw you in emotionally, then The Other Woman is a perfect book to read on a crisp, autumn, afternoon by the fire. 

About the Author

Amanda Brookfield is the bestselling author of many novels including Good Girls, Relative Love and Before I Knew You , and a memoir, For the Love of a Dog starring her Golden Doodle Mabel. She lives in London.

Website

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Blog Tour ~ Author spotlight ~ Sophie Cousens

 

On today's blog tour stop I am delighted to welcome the author

Sophie Cousens

Photo credit:Holly Smith

Hi Sophie, welcome to Jaffareadstoo and thanks for spending time with us today

Where did you get the first flash of inspiration for This Time, Next Year?

I lived in Primrose Hill when I first moved to London at twenty-two. I saw these huge, beautiful houses across the road from the tiny bedsit where I stayed, and it made me wonder if the people who lived in those beautiful homes had perfect lives. That was the seed of an idea. Often people can seem to have it all from the outside, but no one really knows what’s going on behind closed doors.

My editor Sonny and I worked closely on many other ingredients in the book. We liked lots of ideas: a book set around New Year’s Eve, babies born one minutes apart whose lives take very different paths, a sense of ‘missed connections’, fate and luck. I chucked all these ingredients into a big pot (my laptop) and out popped This Time Next Year, baked and ready to eat.

Tell us three fascinating facts about This Time, Next Year?

The airport scene pretty much happened to me. If you’ve read it… you know. Cringe.

The book started off being called The First of January Club. I’m glad we changed it, as This Time Next Year is so much better, but in all the first drafts on my laptop it’s still called The First of January Club.

All my siblings get a name check in the book; I have a Polly, Lucy, Rupert and Edward and they all feature somewhere within the pages.

Whilst you are writing you must live with your characters. How do you feel about them when the book is finished? Are they the people you expected them to be?

It’s funny how your characters develop and change as you write a book. I am not a particularly superstitious person, but Minnie, my heroine is deeply superstitious when the book begins. Bad things seem to happen to her at New Year’s Eve and she is convinced she is jinxed and shouldn’t leave the house. By the time I’d written all the awful things that happen to Minnie over the years, I think I had a lot more sympathy for her belief in ‘the jinx’ – because, well, I was jinxing her!

There are so many minor characters in this book who I loved creating. Fleur, Clive and Minnie’s Dad are all favourites of mine, and I almost wish that there had been more time to spend with them or see where their lives went to next.

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

I feel a bit like Bev at the moment. Bev is concerned about the environment and about her place in the world, but she doesn’t know what to do about it. She’s watched too much Brian Cox on BBC4 which results her existential life crisis. I think all of us can feel overwhelmed by the world outside sometimes, by all the things we should be doing in order to be a good person; saving the planet, recycling, making a difference. Sometimes you just want to hide under your duvet because you don’t know how you can even begin to make the change you want to see in the world.  

This Time Next Year is your debut novel, have you always wanted to write and how did you get started?

I have always wanted to write and have written short stories from a young age. I think I wrote my first romantic novel when I was thirteen and read it out to my friends at school. There was a hero called Troy and lots of dramatic lightning storms. I think I’d just discovered the film Reality Bites and was basically writing fan fiction about Ethan Hawke.

The dream of being published started to become a reality a few years ago when I won a competition called Love at First Write. That lead me to get an agent, which in turn set me on course to being published and seeing my name on a printed novel for the very first time.

Tell us about your writing day- are you disciplined, strictly 9 til 5, or are you more of a have a cup of tea and think about it sort of writer?

I actually wrote This Time Next Year in the evenings around a full-time job and two small children so I had to be very disciplined with my time and could only write between 8-11pm. Now I’m lucky enough to be a full-time writer and do it as my day job, but I fear I just use that extra time to procrastinate. My working day consists of 5% writing time, 95% Instagram, making coffee, eating biscuits and looking out of the window ponderously. I wish I could be more efficient, but some of the best ideas only seem to come when you allow them time to percolate.

And finally for fun! 😊

Tell us four essential things every writer needs!

Other writer friends. I have only just discovered a few, and they are mainly online, but they are essential to have, especially when you need to celebrate or commiserate about something!

If you are in a relationship, an understanding partner. Being a writer means sitting in your room, alone for many many hours and evenings. It can be a very antisocial job than consumes a lot of your brain, time and energy. You need to be with someone tolerant of you being married to your laptop.

Strawberry laces. The best sweets ever.

An amazing agent. Not everyone needs an agent, but I definitely do. Not only does my agent Clare give me fantastic advice, edit notes and do all the hard work of negotiating book deals for me, but she’s also a friend and someone I can call and just rant to about everything from word counts to Amazon Ranking and ‘why did I drink all the wine and now I’m too drunk to write?’

If your life was a book, what would be its title?

Revenge of The Strawberry Laces

Or The Big Badger Bonanza.

Thank you x

Penguin
Paperback out 15 October 2020

Get ready to fall for this year's most extraordinary love story...

Quinn and Minnie are born on New Year’s Eve, in the same hospital, one minute apart.Their lives may begin together, but their worlds couldn’t be more different. Thirty years later they find themselves together again in the same place, at the same time.

What if fate is trying to bring them together?

The clock strikes midnight, their moment passes, and another year begins. But if Quinn and Minnie are from different worlds, why do they keep bumping into each other? And why is it that each frustrating interaction somehow seems to push their lives in the right direction? Could it be that instead of clashing, their different outlooks might complement each other?

Perhaps now is the time to take a chance...

Sophie Cousens worked as a TV producer in London for more than twelve years and now lives on the island of Jersey in the UK, balancing her writing career with working for an arts charity and taking care of her two small children. This Time Next Year is her first novel.

Twitter @SophieCous #ThisTimeNextYear

Instagram @Sophie_Cousens

@ArrowPublishing

Book Review ~ Where Hope is Found by Rebecca L. Marsh

 

 15 October
My thanks to the author for my ecopy of this book

One tiny moment in time can shatter your whole world.

A family beach vacation turns to tragedy and Marissa must find a way for her and her traumatized eight-year-old daughter, Maisy, to move forward and heal. But memories of what she lost surround her, threatening to take her to a dark place; a place she can never go again.

When her brother extends an invitation for her and Maisy to move in with him on Princess Island, Marissa thinks it might just be the fresh start she needs. But can she really find hope and healing on an island surrounded by the same ocean that broke her heart?

What did I think about it..

After a family tragedy, which is every wife and mother's worst nightmare, Marissa must find a way of coping, not just for herself but also for her eight year old daughter, Maisy. However, devastating grief has a tendency to overshadow everything and Marissa cannot find it within herself to be strong enough to carry on. 

Where Hope is Found is a powerful story of love and loss when everything is overshadowed by grief, and even though Marissa knows that she must hold everything together for the sake of her daughter, she finds little, within herself, to help her with this devastating journey. When Marissa's brother offers her a refuge on the beautifully named, Princess Island, Marissa hopes that this move will be just what is needed, a fresh start to get the fractured pieces of her life, and that of her daughter, placed back together.

This story explores the concept of grief and loss in a very readable way, highlighting those issues, particularly with children, which can so often be overlooked. The author writes well and has a lovely way of drawing the reader into the intimacy of the novel, getting inside the psyche of her characters and generously allowing them time to tell their sad story in their own special way. I loved the island setting which is nicely described in ways which bring the place, and its people alive, in the imagination.

Emotional, heartbreaking in places but warmly and compassionately written, Where Hope is Found is a lovely, if rather sad, family saga.

Where Hope is Found is published 15 October and is available to pre -order

  Amazon UK

About the author

Rebecca L. Marsh is an author of women's fiction and a member of the Paulding County Writer’s Guild. She grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina, and now lives in Dallas, Georgia, with her husband and daughter.

Website

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🍴 Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo ~ Anna Belfrage

On this quiet Sunday morning why don't you put the kettle on, make your favourite breakfast and settle down for Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo

🍴I'm delighted to welcome, author, Anna Belfrage to our Sunday Brunch today🍴

🍴Good morning, Anna. What favourite food are you bringing to Sunday brunch? 

Oh dear: I am a big fan of pancakes but should probably steer clear of those (and the syrup that goes with them) which is why I’ll go with a nice creamy omelette. 

🍴Would you like a pot of English breakfast tea, a strong Americano, or a glass of Bucks Fizz? 

Tea please. No sugar, no milk. 

🍴Where shall we eat brunch – around the kitchen table, in the formal dining room, or outside on the patio? 

I am something of a kitchen person, so if I get to choose, we’ll settle down around your kitchen table. Besides, it is my experience kitchens not only draw people but also their pets, so I am assuming we will have cat company as well. 

🍴Shall we have music playing in the background? And if so will you share with us a favourite song or piece of music that makes you happy? 

My children would tell you that nothing gets me moving quite as fast as “It’s raining men”, but when enjoying a good meal, I prefer something less energetic. My grandfather played the cello, which has left me with a permanent fondness for Liszt’s Liebestraum. 

🍴Which of your literary heroes (dead or alive) are joining us for Sunday Brunch today? 

Ah. Literary as “in books”? If I am to choose among my own protagonists, I’d have to include Alex Graham. Seeing as the poor woman fell three centuries back in time to land in the late 17th century, she’d be delighted to sit in a modern home, eating modern food (especially if you have something chocolaty) Other peeps I’d like to join are John Marshal (William Marshal’s father) as depicted by Elizabeth Chadwick, Llywellyn Fawr as depicted by Sharon Penman, Kristin Lavransdotter (Sigrid Undset’s medieval power lady), my very own Adam de Guirande, Helen Hollick’s Jeasamiah Acorne and, last but not least, Scheherazade from Thousand and One Nights. 

🍴Which favourite book will you bring to Sunday Brunch? 

Here be Dragons by Sharon Penman. The copy I have is so worn the spine has been taped repeatedly, the pages dog-eared and blotched. This is the book that inspired our entire honey moon and I can’t quite count the number of times I’ve read it. 

Pan 2012

🍴When you are writing do you still find time to read for pleasure? And is there a book you would like to read but haven’t had time for …yet! 

I read a lot for pleasure, but I tend to avoid the genre/period I am presently writing in. So when writing about medieval Wales, I’d steer clear of others (like Sharon Penman or Ellis Pargeter) while submersed in my own WIP. A book that has been on my TBR for quite some while is Educated by Tara Westover.

 

Windmill  Books 2018

🍴What’s the oldest book on your book shelf? 

Probably my copy of The Lord of the Rings (yet another carefully taped and repaired book) 

🍴Where do you find the inspiration for your novels?

 Historically, usually when I am doing research for one of my blog posts. It is strange, really: I set off researching the Aragonese Crusade, am distracted by the sad story of the unnamed bastard of Roussillon, end up deep into an article about Alfonso X and his wife, and then suddenly I am back with Eleanor of Castile and her marriage to Edward I. At least I have a lot of fun! I am also very inspired by visuals: a sheet flapping in the wind, the sunlight on dewy grass, a horse moving effortlessly through its meadow. Then, of course, I have those stories I’ve always wanted to write. His Castilian Hawk, my latest release, is set during Edward I’s invasion of Wales, and I’ve known for years I wanted to write something set in that period. 

🍴Have you a favourite place to settle down to write and do you find it easier to write in winter or summer? 

I like my kitchen table, which hubby says is a big no-no as I have a good desk with a much better chair than our wooden kitchen chairs. But I like having the tea kettle close by! 

🍴When writing to a deadline are you easily distracted and if so how do you bring back focus on your writing?

 No. I am very much like a machine when working towards a date. I think it’s my professional background that has me very organised and time conscious. I do thorough back-planning to deliver as promised. 

🍴Give us four essential items that a writer absolutely needs? 

Tea. Chocolate. A supportive and very patient partner. A vivid imagination 

🍴What can you tell us about your latest novel or your current work in progress? 

Ah. My latest novel is His Castilian Hawk and is the story of Robert FitzStephan and his new wife, Eleanor d’Outremer: It is 1282 and Edward I amasses his forces, determined to crush Wales underfoot and wipe every Welsh princeling out of existence. Not everyone agrees with his harsh intentions. Eleanor (Noor to friends and family) will do what she can to keep one innocent child safe despite the risk to herself and her husband, the king’s loyal captain Robert FitzStephan. Will Robert stand by his king or will he do whatever has to be done to protect his young wife, his very own Castilian hawk?

Timelight Press
September 2020
Amazon

As I seem incapable of writing stand-alone novels, my work in progress, The Castilian Pomegranate, features Robert and Noor and their adventures in medieval Spain. 

🍴Anna, where can we follow you on social media? 🍴

Twitter:  @abelfrageauthor

Facebook page

Instagram: annabelfrageauthor 

Website

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with two absorbing interests: history and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England. 

More recently, Anna has published The Wanderer, a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense trilogy with paranormal and time-slip ingredients. While she loved stepping out of her comfort zone (and will likely do so again ) she is delighted to be back in medieval times in her September 2020 release, His Castilian Hawk. Set against the complications of Edward I’s invasion of Wales, His Castilian Hawk is a story of loyalty, integrity—and love 

Amazon 

Thanks so much, Anna, for joining us for Sunday Brunch 

It's been great fun!

My pleasure! 

Follow us on Twitter @Jaffareadstoo

#SundayBrunchwithJaffareadstoo

Blog Tour ~ A Widow's Vow by Rachel Brimble

 

On Hist Fic Saturday I'm delighted to host one of today's Blog Tour stops

Aria
10 September 2020

My thanks to the author and to Rachel's Random Resources for my ecopy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

From grieving widow...

1851 After her merchant husband saved her from a life of prostitution, Louisa Hill was briefly happy as a housewife in Bristol. But then a constable arrives at her door. Her husband has been found hanged in a Bath hotel room, a note and a key to a property in Bath the only things she has left of him. And now the debt collectors will come calling.

To a new life as a madam.

Forced to leave everything she knows behind, Louisa finds more painful betrayals waiting for her in the house in Bath. Left with no means of income, Louisa knows she has nothing to turn to but her old way of life. But this time, she'll do it on her own terms by turning her home into a brothel for upper class gentleman. And she's determined to spare the girls she saves from the street the horrors she endured in the past.

Enlisting the help of Jacob Jackson, a quiet but feared boxer, to watch over the house, Louisa is about to embark on a life she never envisaged. Can she find the courage to forge this new path?

A Widow's Vow is the first in a gripping and gritty new Victorian saga series. 

What did I think about it..

Louisa's arrival in Bath doesn't go smoothly especially when she discovers that the house she has inherited comes with rather more problems than she anticipated. With rising debts, Louisa and her companion, Nancy, decide to return to their old profession and open the Bath town house as an exclusive brothel. They enlist the help of the enigmatic fighter, Jacob Jackson , to offer them protection.

The author writes well and the story entertains from the beginning bringing the Victoria underbelly of Bath society to life in an altogether different sort of way. I expected there to be more about the intimacies of the brothel and was pleasantly surprised that the author didn't go into explicit detail, instead leaving more to the imagination of what went on behind the brothel bedroom doors.  The story focuses on the close relationship between Louisa and her 'girls', the problems they have in trying to build up their reputation, and the growing friendship between Louisa and Jacob. Jacob's story is an interesting addition, he's a solid and dependable figure, and yet his penchant for violence is shown in the particularly shadowy world of fist fights and drinking dens.

Filled with an air of mystery and with a smattering of romance A Widow's Vow is an interesting start to a new Victorian saga series. The ending was entirely appropriate and lends itself very nicely towards the next story in the saga, which I hope won't be too long away.

About the Author

Rachel lives with her husband and their two daughters in a small town near Bath, England. She is the author of over 20 published novels including the Pennington’s department store series (Aria Fiction) and the Templeton Cove Stories (Harlequin). 

Her next project is a Victorian trilogy set in a Bath brothel which she recently signed with Aria Fiction. The series will feature three heroines determined to change their lives and those of other women. The first book. A Widow’s Vow is due for release in September and available for Amazon pre-order now. 

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and has thousands of social media followers all over the world

To sign up for Rachel's newsletter click here

Website

 Twitter @RachelBrimble #AWidowsVow

Facebook

@rararesources

Amazon UK

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

 

Headline
3 September 2020

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

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

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

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

What did I think about it...

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

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

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

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

About the Author

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

Twitter @tweetingolivia

@headlinepg

@bookywookydooda

Blog Tour ~ Stick A Flag In It by Arran Lomas

 

Thrilled to host today's blog tour stop

Unbound
2020

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

The British people have always been eccentric, occasionally ingenious and, sure, sometimes unhinged – from mad monarchs to mass-murdering lepers. Here, Arran Lomas shows us how they harnessed those traits to forge the British nation, and indeed the world, we know today.

Follow history’s greatest adventurers from the swashbuckling waters of the Caribbean to the vast white wasteland of the Antarctic wilderness. Learn about the British spy who infiltrated a top-secret Indian brothel, and the priest who hid inside a wall but forgot to bring a packed lunch. You’ll discover Henry VIII’s favourite arse-wipe, whether the flying alchemist ever made it from Scotland to France, and the connection between Victorian coffee houses and dildos.

What did I think about it..

I love reading the quirky bits of history, which make up our heritage, and Stick A Flag In It takes us through a thousand years, from the moment of William's conquest in 1066, right the way through to Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic exploration aboard the Endurance in 1916.

All the relevant historical ages are covered, each with fascinating snippets of facts that you really didn't learn in school, and all of which are presented in an easy to read format. The author has a relaxed style of writing so that it feels like you are having a conversation with him, just taking in the bizarre bits of history which make our isles and islands such a fascinating conundrum. There's nothing boring or stuffy about Stick A Flag In It and I soon found that I was quite often smiling at some unusual piece of history. 

Stick A Flag In It can be read by starting at the beginning and working your way through, or you can, as I did, dip into and out of which ever period in history takes your fancy. Each section is clearly marked in the index so  you can very easily jump from the Crusades to Revolution in a matter of moments. My first port of call was in 1216 with John loses the Crown Jewels in the Wash, I've always been fascinated that a king could lose his entire baggage filled with vast wealth ...and in 900 years it's never resurfaced,

Stick A Flag In It is for those who don't take their history too seriously but that doesn't mean its weak on content, far from it, there's  been a tremendous amount of research undertaken to bring this book to life and all credit to the author for making a thousand years of history into such a fun and lively read!

About the Author

Arran Lomas is the man behind the hit YouTube channel Thoughty2. Since 2012 he has created videos on every topic from space, crime and medicine to conspiracy theories, food and social issues and, of course, history. He was raised in Lancashire – the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution  and has always been captivated by the world around him, driving him to uncover its history and secret.

Twitter #ArranLomas #StickAFlagInIt

@unbounders

@RandomTTours