✩ ✩ Jaffareadstoo Tenth Blogoversary ✩ ✩

 

Ten years ago I took a leap of faith and with time on my hands and a burning desire to pass on my love of reading to a wider audience I took my first tentative steps into the world of book blogging. I had no idea of how to set up a web site and had no presence on social media but with fingers crossed and the help of a few like minded blogger friends I set up Jaffareadstoo.

Ten years later, we continue to survive and thrive in our little corner of the blogging world. Jaffa and I are both older and wiser than when we set out on this great adventure but what has remained constant throughout the years is my passion for sharing the book love to those who read my blog. With several thousand viewers a month stopping by to read my reviews, with over a 1000 following by email, and over 2700 followers on Twitter we can't be doing much wrong.

It's been a real privilege to interact with authors, publishers, publicists and blog tour operators and we have built a solid rapport with them and I like to think that our reputation, so carefully built over the last ten years, is what brings them back time after time. It's lovely to see authors revisiting us with news of their latest book, they are always welcome guests on the blog and being involved in promoting books on publication day or as part of a well organised blog tour is an absolute joy and is still something we never take for granted. However, it is the readers who make my day when they tweet, or message me, to say that due to reading one of my reviews they have gone out to purchase the book, or have discovered a new favourite author.

And as we go into our second decade I am still hugely excited to discover fabulous stories from talented authors and will continue to shout about them with as much enthusiasm as I did back in 2011 when Jaffareadstoo's grand blogging adventure was just beginning.

♡Thank you all for being part of our adventure ♡

Rather than hosting a giveaway I will make a donation to the National Literacy Trust

an independent charity working with schools and communities to give disadvantaged children the literary skills to succeed in life.

📖 Blog Tour ~ Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

  

 📖 Delighted to host today's stop on this blog tour 📖

Wildfire Books
29 April 2021

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

As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur - Minos's greatest shame and Ariadne's brother - demands blood every year.

When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods - drawing their attention can cost you everything.

In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne's decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover's ambition?

Ariadne gives a voice to the forgotten women of one of the most famous Greek myths, and speaks to their strength in the face of angry, petulant Gods. 

📖 My Thoughts..

What a fascinating story this turned out to be ! 

I started reading Ariadne with some trepidation as the ancient myths and legends of Greece are not something that I am overly familiar with and whilst I had a smattering of knowledge about King Minos of Crete and the legendary Minotaur, I had no idea of his creation as the son of Queen Pasiphaë, or his fate at the hands of Theseus of Athens.

Ariadne is the daughter of King Minos and is considered to be little more than a pawn in her father's ambition. When Theseus arrives as part of the annual consignment of sacrifice to the Minotaur everything about Ariadne and her world falls gloriously apart. Forced to flee, Ariadne is abandoned on the Greek island of Naxos where she comes into contact with the God Dionysus and the course of her life changes forever.

Making the ancient Greek world accessible in such an enjoyable way is no mean feat, and all credit to the author for making this story of Ariadne, Princess of Crete, into such a fascinating study between good and evil, love and loss, sibling rivalry and ultimately, male dominance in an Alpha male world. I especially enjoyed Ariadne's life on Naxos, her relationship with Dionysus is done in a thoughtful way, which brings the frenzied nature of this charismatic God of the harvest, wine-making and fertility to life in a vibrant and exciting way. It was interesting to discover the association of the Maenads, Dionysus' lady followers, who are often inspired into a state of ecstatic frenzy by Dionysus, hence the term frenzied Maenad.

The story of Ariadne is based on what is known in mythology about this classical princess and it rejuvenates the story for a new audience of readers to enjoy, and even if, like me, your knowledge of the ancient world of Gods and Goddesses is painfully lacking there is still much to enjoy in this fascinating journey into the myths and legends of Ancient Greece. 

About the Author 

Due to a lifelong fascination with Ancient Greek mythology, Jennifer Saint read Classical Studies at King’s College, London. She spent the next thirteen years as an English teacher, sharing a love of literature and creative writing with her students. ARIADNE is her first novel and she is working on another retelling of ancient myth for her second.

Twitter @jennysaint #Ariadne

@Wildfirebks @headlinepg

@RandomTTours

📖 Blog Tour ~ Journey to Paradise by Paula Greenlees

 

📖 Delighted to be hosting a stop on this blog tour 📖

Arrow
EBook Release 1 May 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and the invitation to the Blog Tour

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.

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

Indsagram @paulagreenlees

@arrowpublishing

📖 Book Review ~ Don't Turn Around by Jessica Barry

 

Vintage
15 April 2021

My thanks to the publishers and to Graeme Williams Marketing for my ecopy of this book

Two strangers, Cait and Rebecca, are driving across America.

Cait's job is to transport women to safety. Out of respect, she never asks any questions. Like most of the women, Rebecca is trying to escape something.

But what if Rebecca's secrets put them both in danger? There's a reason Cait chooses to keep on the road, helping strangers. She has a past of her own, and knows what it's like to be followed.

And there is someone right behind them, watching their every move...

 📖 My Thoughts...

Two women, both of them strangers to each other, set off on a hazardous 322 mile journey across America, from Texas to New Mexico. One of them is in danger whilst the other is part of the Sisters of Service a clandestine organisation which helps to remove women from dangerous situations and take them to a place where they won't be found. 

Cait Monaghan never asks questions, she merely waits, and once she has her passenger safely installed in her beloved old Jeep she drives the long and lonely stretches of highway until the feeling of being followed goes away. However, when she picks up Rebecca McCrae, Cait discovers that this journey is going to be like no other, neither women have much in common, and both of them have their own good reasons for being in each other's company at this time.

The journey is filled with tension and the long creepy drive towards a future destination is filled with both danger and trepidation. This adds an altogether different dimension to the story as both Cait and Rebecca guard their secrets well. Cait more than most knows what its like to be looking over your shoulder, and Rebecca, both wary and distrustful, keeps her story locked away inside.

This cleverly put together psychological thriller takes a little bit of adjustment as the story moves between different time frames, and whilst they help us to understand just what has happened to bring Cait and Rebecca together at this particular moment in time, it can make the narrative seem a little disjointed at times. Having said that, the short and snappy chapters work really well and I particularly enjoyed the countdown to each destination which made me feel like I was a back seat passenger in the Jeep as it went on its long, lonely and decidedly, dangerous journey.

Don't Turn Around is a timely piece of writing which has more than a hint towards #MeToo issues.

About the Author

Jessica Barry is a pseudonym for an American author who grew up in a small town in Massachusetts and was raised on a steady diet of library books and PBS.

She attended Boston University, where she majored in English and Art History, before moving to London in 2004 to pursue an MA from University College London.

She lives with her husband, Simon, and their two cats, Roger Livesey and BoJack Horseman

Twitter @jessbarryauthor #DontTurnAround

@VintageBooks

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ The Dream Weavers by Barbara Erskine

 

Harper Collins
15 April 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

A nest of vipers, they called us. But that is not how it was.

Mercia, 775 AD. In the grand Saxon halls of Mercia, King Offa rules with ruthless ambition. Aggressive and relentlessly acquisitive, his three daughters are destined to marry advantageously in service of their country. Eadburh, the youngest, is neither the cleverest nor the most beautiful of the three. But, with her father’s ruthless spirit and the secret gifts passed down from her mother, she is determined to carve her own path in the world.

2021. Simon Armstrong has escaped to a secluded cottage on the English-Welsh borders, desperate to finish his book about Anglo-Saxon King Offa. But he soon finds himself disturbed by unsettling noises and visions. Calling in local expert Bea to identify the issue, Simon hopes to get back some peace – but soon Bea is as embroiled as he is, feeling increasingly connected to a ghostly presence that is growing ever-stronger in its desire for revenge. And when Simon’s daughter disappears, centuries of secrets and resentment begin to tumble out…

An epic tale of deceit, revenge and exile from the queen of timeslip historical fiction.Time is running out as the past and present collide.

📖 My thoughts..

There is nothing I like better than to sit for several hours immersed in one of this author's engrossing supernatural tales. Combining a strong sense of history with a plausible time slip element is just what makes these stories so special.

Author, Simon Armitage, has moved into a remote cottage close to what remains of Offa's Dyke on the English/Welsh border in order to finish writing his book about the Anglo Saxon King Offa. This isolated area is a place of secrets and shadows and with no obvious explanation for the distressed voices he starts to hear Simon calls on the help of Bea Dalloway, whose skill in dealing with paranormal activity is a closely guarded secret. 

Unleashing the ancient power that swirls around this remote cottage has a profound effect on Bea and soon she is consumed by the turbulent story of Eadburh, the spirited younger daughter of King Offa, whose shadowy presence dominates, and whose history, it would seem, needs to be heard before she can find the peace she so desperately craves.

The Dream Weavers is beautifully written and so skilfully put together that even as you move seamlessly between past and present, the history, and the characters, which the author so skillfully brings to life, start to come alive in the imagination. And as neither the past nor the present is allowed to outshine the other, and with each time frame so scarily realistic, the ancient world of 775 AD is just as vivid as the paranormal events which start to unfold in 2021. As the shadows bloom and shimmer so the curtain to the past is lifted and time reveals its deadly secrets.

I've long been a fan of this author's exceptionally skilful writing, in fact, I still can't believe that the first book I read, back in 1986, The Lady of Hay, has just celebrated its 35th anniversary. Without doubt Barbra Erskine is the Queen of the time-slip genre and I think that The Dream Weavers is up there amongst her best which is why I have no hesitation in making it my Featured Book for the Month in May.

About the Author

A historian by training, Barbara Erskine is the author of many bestselling novels that demonstrate her interest in both history and the supernatural, plus three collections of short stories. Her books have appeared in at least twenty-six languages. Her first novel, Lady of Hay, has sold over two million copies worldwide. She lives with her family in an ancient manor house near Colchester and in a cottage near Hay-on-Wye,

Twitter @barbaraerskine #TheDreamWeavers

@HarperCollinsUK

🍴 Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo ~ Susan Lanigan

 

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 Susan Lanigan to our Sunday Brunch today🍴

🍴Welcome, Susan. What favourite food are you bringing to Sunday brunch?

Hello Jo! Thank you for inviting me. Of late I have grown very fond of a bowl of soya yoghurt with granola and blueberries. If we have bananas, I’ll chuck those in too! If we’re at a café I like and this accursed lockdown isn’t preventing us, I’ll have huevos rancheros too.

 

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

It would be a mug of instant coffee or made in a cafetiere. If it’s a slow morning, I’ll grind my own beans! And a good dollop of milk. My sisters gave me a mug for my birthday with a picture of the cover of White Feathers on it and I always drink my coffee out of that.

 

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

I think in a set of comfy chairs near a bay window looking out onto a garden, cradling our warm mugs and watching the finches feed on the bird feeder.

 

🍴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?

For background music, Billie Holiday, particularly “These Foolish Things”. A song that raises my spirits is Don’t Sacrifice by Mirenda R. I’d had so much nonsense and spite from certain people in the Irish literary world and there had been a health issue in my immediate family so I just said enough of these people, I’m not getting any money for this dog’s abuse they’re giving me, and broke ties. And every time I hear that soaring middle 8, “I know that I am worthy”, a shiver runs up my spine. There’s a passage in Lucia’s War where she looks at her hands and tells herself “These hands have done worthy things” that is eerily similar given I hadn’t heard the song yet when I was writing it.

Wow that ended up being longer than I thought! I obviously have Issues about this topic 😊

 

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

I always reckoned DH Lawrence would be a bit of a hoot because he would be wildly entertaining – up till the point where he turns on you and has to be ejected of course. I’d say James Baldwin would have a lot of wisdom to share, and DH Lawrence wouldn’t faze him in the slightest. Maeve Binchy would have the two of them eating out of her hand. If Lucia were a real person and coming to brunch, she would probably bring along a few dead composers so she could argue with them about their long phrasing!

 

🍴Which favourite book will you bring to Sunday Brunch?

Probably Jane Eyre. I’ve been listening to Rowan Coleman’s live Instagram read-along and it’s wonderful. So much richness in the narrative. I think both my novels, White Feathers and Lucia’s War, have been heavily influenced by it. Less so Unfortunate Stars though.

Also, it’s not a book, but definitely the Chick Lit 4 Life podcast – you need to hear it to experience it 😊

🍴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’d love to read David Olusoga’s book on WWI but I’d say it’s a big one. As for books, I often don’t know in advance what I want to read until I see it in front of me. An exception to that is The Tainted by Cauvery Madhavan, a historical fiction about Irish soldiers in India and the mutiny back home. That had been on my radar for a while before I bought the paperback.

Hope Road
2020

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

A book of essays by Charles Lamb, I think it’s a first edition or something. Not sure where it is right now though.

🍴Where do you find the inspiration for your novels?

Regarding World War One, I did my final year essay on the Battle of Verdun, so I’ve always been a bit obsessed. Also with music, which prompts Lucia’s War. I used to play several instruments and sing in a choir. Unfortunate Stars was inspired by a real story I saw in a museum in Cologne, which I talk about in the afterword of the book. The title was taken from a poem by Goethe.

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

I can write pretty much anywhere that has a decent chair, a desk the right height and the right light.

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

I think when I’m in the zone for a prolonged time like that, I tend to inhabit it nearly constantly. That can be troublesome when day to day commitments impose!

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

Connections. If you don’t have connections, then a day job and sheer brutal determination will do. I have both the latter, which might help me with the former, and then again might not!

A desire to tell the story that overrules everything else. You have to want it badly enough.

Time, whenever you can get it.

Access to a laptop or at the very least a keyboard with Bluetooth to a screen. I’m not writing longhand.

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

It’s set in West Cork and concerns the intersection of future worries about climate and past tensions from the Irish Civil War. I’m just starting the second draft now.

Latest Novel

London, 1950. Soprano Lucia Percival has overcome racism and many obstacles to become a renowned opera singer. She is now due to perform her last concert. But she has no intention of going onstage. A terrible secret from her service during the First World War has finally caught up with her.

London, 1917. Lucia, a young Jamaican exile, hopes to make it as a musician. But she is haunted by a tragic separation that is still fresh in her memory - and when she meets Lilian, an old woman damaged by a similar wartime loss, she agrees to a pact that could destroy everything she has fought so hard to achieve.

From the Western Front and the mean streets of Glasgow, to black society in London, Lucia’s story tells a tale of music, motherhood, loss and redemption.

More about Susan

Susan Lanigan graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a degree in English and History in the late 90s, then pursued a Graduate Diploma in I.T. in Dublin City University and a Masters in Writing in NUI Galway.

Her first novel White Feathers, a tale of passion, betrayal and war, was selected as one of the final ten in the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair, 2013, and published in 2014 by Brandon Books. The book won critical acclaim and was shortlisted for the UK Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2015.

Her second novel, Lucia’s War, also concerning WWI as well as race, music and motherhood, was published in June 2020 and has been named as the Coffee Pot Book Club Honourable Mention in the Modern Historical Book of the Year Award.

Susan, where can we follow you on social media?

 Twitter: @susanl_author

Website

Thank you for taking part in Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo.

Follow us on Twitter @jaffareadstoo #SundayBrunchwithJaffareadstoo

One Day Blog Blitz ~ Primrose Park by Christie Barlow

 

One More Chapter
30 April 2021

Love Heart Lane #6

My thanks to the publishers and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book
and the invitation to the blog tour

Vet Molly has always been career driven and focussed on caring for her animals, but when she meets a gorgeous Mystery Man at a conference and their connection is off the charts, well, one night off work won’t hurt anyone…except the next morning he’s vanished and all Molly knows about him is his first name.

Three months later, back in Love Heart Lane, everyone loves the story of Molly's amazing one-night stand. It's so unlike her! But when Mystery Man turns up walking his dog through Primrose Park and their night together seems to mean nothing to him, Molly needs her friends and neighbours more than ever. And especially when she’s left with the most unexpected of surprises...

📖 My thoughts..

When Molly McKendrick attends a conference she doesn't expect to find the man of her dreams there but pretty much from the start she is charmed by a handsome stranger. The connection between Molly and Cam is electric from the start and they share a special night of passion only for Molly to find that that next morning her handsome stranger has disappeared.

Once back home, Molly tries to forget her gorgeous stranger but fate has a habit of stepping in when you least expect it and when Molly bumps into Cam, in Primrose Park, this unexpected meeting opens up more questions than it does answers for both of them.

I raced through this story in one sitting as I thoroughly enjoyed meeting all the lovely characters who make reading Primrose Park such an absolute pleasure. Molly and Cam's relationship is made all the more intriguing by the added complications in their lives which the author skillfully weaves into the story. There's a fun element, an unashamedly romantic element and also a lovely look at all the little quirks and foibles that make up village life. I especially loved meeting Dixie, and Darling, two of my favourite characters who made me smile every time they appeared. It's not all hearts and flowers though as the author also covers some quite serious issues along the way but she does so with a lovely light touch and a flair for getting right into the heart and soul of the situation.

I am delighted to have started, albeit at book #6, this delightful journey into the Love Heart Lane series of romantic, feel-good novels. Primrose Park  is a lovely, heart-warming read and is great escapism in what can seem a very grey world at times. 

About the Author

Christie Barlow is the number one international bestselling author of fifteen romantic comedies including the iconic Love Heart Lane Series, A Home at Honeysuckle Farm and Kitty's Countryside Dream. She lives in a ramshackle cottage in a quaint village in the heart of Staffordshire with her four children and two dogs.

Her writing career has come as a lovely surprise when Christie decided to write a book to teach her children a valuable life lesson and show them that they are capable of achieving their dreams. Christie's dream was to become a writer and the book she wrote to prove a point went on to become a #1 international bestseller in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia.

When Christie isn't writing she co-presents The Book Show on Radio Northwich, enjoys playing the piano, is a keen gardener and loves to paint and upcycle furniture.

Christie is an ambassador for the @ZuriProject alongside Patron of the charity, Emmerdale’s Bhasker Patel. They raise money and awareness for communities in Uganda.

Twitter @ChristieJBarlow #PrimrosePark

@0nemorechapter 

@rararesources

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