Published April 13th, 2023 by Hodder & Stoughton Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Biographical Fiction
For my stop on the blog tour for I, Julian I am delighted to share an exclusive extract with you all. Thank you to Rhoda Hardie PR for the invitation to take part and to Hodder & Stoughton for the gifted copy of the book.
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EXTRACT:
*This extract describes the moment when Julian, after a funeral-like service to mark her farewell to the world, is bricked up in the anchorhold attached to the cathedral where she will spend the rest of her life*
‘Stillness. There is a quiet rustling of clothes and patter of feet as the people leave the church, then the thin cry of a baby rises, piercing the silence: is it a cry of pain or for new life or both? The cry leaves the church with the people and silence returns.
I rise and release the curtain over the squint and I turn to face my cell, my coffin, my small home.
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I have never felt so fully alive.
*
I am not expecting this. I was expecting to feel tortured by confinement at this moment, as the portal is bricked up, the impervious walls pressing upon me like the walls of my home with Martin in the city, my breath short and shallow, and panic only just kept under control. But the panic I felt when I first kneeled has gone. At last, at last I am alone, I am at home. My breath is deep and satisfying, like drinking delicious clean water and slaking a thirst I hardly knew I had. I stand in the vast space that feels like the cathedral, made bigger not smaller by the walls, and it is all my own. Grateful relief floods through me like a balm. At last, I can ask the world to recede, and it will. All I have to do is to close the curtain and I will be left in peace. Dona nobis pacem. So much space, just for me. And warm! A fire has been lit in the little fireplace, life in new death. I reach with careful fingertips and touch the east wall where my altar stands beneath my crucifix, towards the dawn, towards new life, towards God. I kneel, and weep tears of joy and speak words of thanks, for the time that is granted me here, now. Time, and space, and strength, for the long, slow interior journey. I have come home.’
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SYNOPSIS: ‘So I will write in English, pressing new words from this beautiful plain language spoken by all. Not courtly French to introduce God politely. Not church Latin to construct arguments. English to show it as it is. Even though it is not safe to do so.’
From the author of Miles to Go before I Sleep comes I, Julian, the account of a medieval woman who dares to tell her own story, battling grief, plague, the church and societal expectations to do so. Compelled by the powerful visions she had when close to death, Julian finds a way to live a life of freedom – as an anchoress, bricked up in a small room on the side of a church – and to write of what she has seen. The result, passed from hand to hand, is the first book to be written by a woman in English.
Tender, luminous, meditative and powerful, Julian writes of her love for God, and God’s love for the whole of creation. ‘All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.’
‘Written with profound insight, spiritual and psychological, and a rare sensitivity to the everyday world of the fourteenth century, I, Julian is a brilliantly illuminating companion to one of the greatest works of spiritual writing in English.’Rowan Williams, Magdalene College, Cambridge University
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Claire Gilbert grew up in London of English, Jewish, Scottish and Spanish heritage. She writes and speaks about ethics and spirituality in politics and public service, medicine, ecology and on Julian of Norwich. She is founding Director of Westminster Abbey Institute for ethics in public life. With her husband Seán she divides her time between London, Hastings and the west of Ireland.
Published April 20th, 2023 by Viper Books Mystery, Thriller, Gothic Fiction, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Horror Fiction
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Today I’m sharing my review for the mesmerising and haunting Looking Glass Sound. Apologies that this is a few days late due to illness. Thank you to Angie at Viper Books for the invitation to take part and the gifted proof copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS: Writers are monsters. We eat everything we see…
In a windswept cottage overlooking the sea, Wilder Harlow begins the last book he will ever write. It is the story of his childhood companions and the shadowy figure of the Daggerman, who stalked the New England town where they spent their summers. Of a horror that has followed Wilder through the decades. And of Sky, Wilder’s one-time friend, who stole his unfinished memoir and turned it into a lurid bestselling novel, The Sound and the Dagger.
This book will be Wilder’s revenge on Sky, who betrayed his trust and died without ever telling him why. But as he writes, Wilder begins to find notes written in Sky’s signature green ink, and events in his manuscript start to chime eerily with the present. Is Sky haunting him? And who is the dark-haired woman drowning in the cove, whom no one else can see?
No longer able to trust his own eyes, Wilder feels his grip on reality slipping. And he begins to fear that this will not only be his last book, but the last thing he ever does.
Discover the new dark thriller from the bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street
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MY REIVEW:
“Writers are monsters, really. We eat everything we see.”
Take a bow, Catriona Ward, because once again you have knocked it out of the park! Looking Glass Sound is everything I hoped for, while also being nothing like I expected it to be. And like Ward’s sensational debut, The Last House on Needless Street, it left me wondering what the hell I’d just read but loving whatever it was. Haunting, twisty, forbidding and utterly remarkable, it reads like one of the eerie local folklore stories kids whisper to each other in the night or tell around the campfire. But what is real and what is in the imagination? That’s the question you’ll be trying to answer as you read this book. And with its ideal combination of making you feel like you never want it to end while also making you feel like you need to devour it whole, you won’t want to put it down. I would have inhaled this in one sitting if not for my eyelids betraying me and forcing me to tear myself away to go to bed in the early hours.
Looking Glass Sound is a book best read almost blind. The less you know, the better it is. So I’m going to talk very little about the plot. What I will tell you is that the story follows a young man named Wilder Harlow, and the events at Whistler Bay that shook the small seaside town to its core. He writes a memoir about what happened only to have it stolen by someone he trusts, leaving Wilder plotting his revenge for decades. When he finally returns to Whistler Bay to take that vengeance, strange things begin to happen that make Wilder question what he sees and hears. Could there be something supernatural at play? Or is his grip on reality slipping away? Told in multiple timelines and filled with unreliable, shady characters who have ulterior motives, you will have no idea who or what you can trust in this inventive smoke and mirrors horror thriller.
“It was just my mind, making pictures in the dark. Old fears, reaching long fingers up from the pit of the past. Did I really expect there would be no consequences, when I decided to open the coffin of the past and poke at its corpse?”
Catriona Ward is without a doubt one of the most original voices in fiction today. Her books are instantly recognisable as her own unique brand of thriller; she lulls her reader into accepting the story as one thing while hiding another underneath it. After reading her first book I knew it was there; this secret, hidden part of the story that I wasn’t seeing. But it didn’t spoil anything for me. In fact, it only heightened the tension as I waited for the shoe to drop, desperately trying to predict the twists. But once again she blindsided me with her revelations, leaving me trying to pick up my jaw from the floor. Ward is also a master at blurring the lines between what is real and what is in the imagination – including just enough of a supernatural feeling to make you question what is really happening. She is a master storyteller, which is evident in the book through flawless plotting, perfect pacing, imaginative twists, and a constant tempo of nerve-shredding malevolence and foreboding that will keep you on the edge of your seat. And let’s not forget the scene-setting, which is so evocative that it felt like the story came alive around me, something that was intensified by my proof copy having some sentences underlined and notes written in green ink, just like in Sky’s original manuscript. Some of the notes even addressed me by name, sending chills down my spine and covering me in goosebumps. A terrifying and unique addition to the story, it was a stroke of genius! Whoever came up with this idea deserves a raise!
Darkly atmospheric, unnerving, sinister and brilliantly bizarre, this mesmerising story will linger long after you close that final page.
READ. IT. NOW.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
CATRIONA WARD was born in Washington, DC and grew up in the United States, Kenya, Madagascar, Yemen, and Morocco. She read English at St Edmund Hall, Oxford and is a graduate of the Creative Writing MA at the University of East Anglia.
‘The Last House on Needless Street’ (Viper Books, Tor Nightfire) was a Times Book of the Month, Observer Book of the Month, March Editor’s Pick on Open Book, a Between the Covers BBC2 book club selection, a Times bestseller, and is being developed for film by Andy Serkis’s production company, The Imaginarium.
‘Little Eve’ (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2018) won the 2019 Shirley Jackson Award and the August Derleth Prize for Best Horror Novel at the 2019 British Fantasy Awards, making her the only woman to have won the prize twice, and was a Guardian best book of 2018. Her debut Rawblood (W&N, 2015) won Best Horror Novel at the 2016 British Fantasy Awards, was shortlisted for the Author’s Club Best First Novel Award and a WHSmith Fresh Talent title. Her short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. She lives in London and Devon.
Published April 13th, 2023 by Zaffre Books Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romance Novel
Welcome to my review for the gorgeous and heartfelt The Girl on the 88 Bus. Thank you to Zaffre books for the gifted copy of the book and for the invitation to take part in the tour.
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SYNOPSIS: ‘The characters are relatable and lovable; the story is uplifting and romantic, full of emotions and heart, celebrating the importance of making human connections and embracing our dreams. This book is my happy place!’ Ali Hazelwood, author of The Love Hypothesis
‘I loved it ‘ Hannah Tovey
‘Heartwarming, gorgeously written and I fell instantly in love with the quirky cast of characters’ Jessica Ryn
‘A must-read’ Sarah J. Harris
When Libby Nicholls arrives in London, broken-hearted and with her life in tatters, the first person she meets on the bus is elderly pensioner Frank. He tells her about the time in 1962 he met a girl on the number 88 bus with beautiful red hair just like her own. They made plans for a date, but Frank lost the ticket with her number written on it. For the past sixty years, he’s ridden the same bus trying to find her.
Libby is inspired by the story and, with the help of an unlikely companion, she makes it her mission to continue Frank’s search. As she begins to open her guarded heart to strangers and new connections, Libby’s tightly controlled world expands. But with Frank’s dementia progressing quickly, their chance of finding the girl on the 88 bus is slipping away . . .
More than anything, Libby wants Frank to see his lost love one more time. But their quest also shows Libby just how important it is to embrace her own chance for happiness – before it’s too late.
The author of The Last Library brings us this beautifully uplifting novel about how one chance meeting can change the course of your life forever
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MY REVIEW:
“In the space of one bus ride I’d fallen head over heels in love, and now I had no way of finding her again.”
Endearing, heartwarming and uplifting, The Girl on the 88 Bus feels like a big hug that warms you from the inside out. It will make you laugh, make you cry, make your heart ache, and make it soar as you go on an unforgettable journey with characters that will stay with you long after reading. Filled withromance and hope, this book is both an unconventional love story and a journey of self discovery, with some valuable life lessons sprinkled in along the way.
When I picked up this book I was needing something lighthearted after reading some heavier books back-to-back. I remembered how much I loved Freya Sampson’s debut and was hoping for some of that same magic again. I was not disappointed. Once again Ms. Sampson has written a truly special story that I didn’t want to put down. The meet-cute at the beginning of the book has to be the most adorable one I’ve ever read. *Sigh*. And while it was this scene alone that cemented it as a book that would stay with me, it was the exquisite writing, surprising depth and unexpected curveballs of this story that left me reeling and made it one of my favourite books so far this year.
“On the 88 there’s always the chance for a bit of drama or a brief chat with a stranger, a nugget of something new.”
This wonderful story is elevated by the motley crew of quirky characters who are impossible not to love. I was captivated by them, invested in them, and rooting for them to find the elusive redhead who had rocked Franks’ world. Libby is a compelling protagonist with problems that many of us will relate to. I enjoyed watching her rediscover herself and her confidence after coming out of her long relationship. It is so easy to lose ourselves when with the wrong person but not realise until it’s too late, leaving us adrift and trying desperately to reconnect with ourselves when that relationship ends. I’ve been there and Libby captures those feelings perfectly. But dear old Frank was the character who stole the show for me. I had a soft spot for him immediately and fell in love with him more and more as we discovered more about him; how he’s been making friends and changing lives on the 88 bus for years. It was a reminder that the smallest acts of kindness can impact people in the biggest ways, how we never know the impression we have on someone, and how our lives can change in a moment. No character is too small or inconsequential to make an impact in this book, which I loved. I could mention them all, but instead I’ll give a shout-out to the delightfulEsme, who made me laugh every time she was on the page, and Peggy, the mysterious lady who we are never quite sure where she fits in, but most of us can relate to for her love of people watching on the bus. They both made lasting impressions from their first appearances in the book and jumped from the pages again and again.
A bingeable read full of heart and humour, this is feel-good fiction at its best. An absolute must-read.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Freya Sampson is the USA Today bestselling author of two novels, The Last Chance Library and The Lost Ticket/The Girl on the 88 Bus. She worked in TV as an executive producer and her credits include two documentary series for the BBC about the British Royal Family, and a number of factual and entertainment series.
She studied History at Cambridge University and in 2018 was shortlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize.
She lives in London with her husband, two young children and an antisocial cat.
Published April 6th, 2023 by Thomas & Mercer Thriller, Crime Fiction, Crime Series, Police Procedural
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Today is my stop on the blog tour for the tense, twisty and gripping A Truth For A Truth. Thank you to Zoe at Zooloos Book Tours for the invitation to take part, and to Carol Wyer for the signed copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS: DI Kate Young’s team is hunting for a killer. What they don’t know…is that the killer is her.
DI Kate Young has known for years that her boss, Superintendent John Dickson, is a violent and evil man. But when she finally confronts him and accidentally shoots and kills him, she’s forced to cover her tracks before anyone can pin his death on her. With revelations about his corruption soon to become public knowledge, Kate sets up a trail of evidence to make it seem that Dickson has conveniently vanished…
But Kate knows the corruption doesn’t end with Dickson. As she heads up the team investigating his supposed disappearance, she also pursues other loose ends. Stanka, the sex worker who supplied the evidence against Dickson, leads her to crucial information on another corrupt officer, DI Harriet Khatri, and her dubious involvement with sex traffickers.
As the noose starts to tighten on Kate, she finds herself targeted by traffickers, the bent cops on her force and even her own team of detectives. Can she stay one step ahead of them all and bring Harriet to justice? Can she trust anyone around her? And can she possibly get away with murder?
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MY REVIEW:
DI Kate Young’s team is hunting for a killer. What they don’t know…is that the killer is her.
For years, DI Kate Young has known that her boss, Superintendent John Dickson, is not only dodgy, but cruel and violent. Finally armed with the evidence she needs to expose him, she decides to confront him. But things don’t go to plan and she accidentally kills him in self defence, leaving Kate covering her tracks with a trail of evidence designed to make her colleagues think he’s vanished after allegations of his crimes are printed by the press.
But avoiding capture for murder isn’t Kate’s only worry. Dickson wasn’t working alone and there is a whole team of corrupt officers she must track down before they discover what she did. With no idea who she can trust and feeling increasingly desperate to share her secrets with someone, things increasingly spiral out of control. Will Kate be able to bring the corrupt officers to justice and get away with murder?
“There is a way out of this. But if she takes it, she will never be the same person again.”
Wow! The stakes are higher than ever in this fourth instalment of Carol Wyer’s Kate Young series, and you feel it from the first page. Fast-paced, tense and twist-filled, this is a crazy thrill-ride full of foreboding that I flew through in under a day. Wyer succinctly catches you up on the events of book three, allowing you to understand how Kate found herself in this shocking position. I was on tenterhooks from beginning to end, the menacing suspense leaping from the pages and into my bloodstream so that my heart was literally racing. Wyer’s ability to create such tension is one of the reasons I love her books. They are always brilliantly written, fast paced, filled with gritty storylines, and full of compelling characters.
DI Kate Young is a very different woman in this book than the one we are used to. She is still determined and feisty, but she is also a woman grappling with having become the very thing she detests and you can feel her heart-pounding anxiety, stress and strain radiating from the pages. Her mental state is also more shaky than ever, now haunted by the taunting voice of Dickson in her head instead of being comforted by the supporting voice of her late husband, Chris. Kate is having to put on the performance of her life and the cost of failure is unimaginable. Despite being wracked with guilt over what she’s done and the lies she must tell, she still burns with the need to unmask Dickson and his cohorts for the vile, evil people they are and find justice for their victims. I was rooting for her, but found myself torn because she’s covering up her crime. Was our moral protagonist now the villain? I wrestled with this but couldn’t deny I wanted her to succeed.
Intense, riveting and addictive, Ms. Wyer has once again delivered a first-rate thriller that isn’t to be missed. And that ending! I was not ready. I need book five ASAP!
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Carol Wyer is a USA Today bestselling author and winner of the People’s Book Prize Award. Her crime novels have sold over one million copies and been translated into nine languages.
A move from writing comedies to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in Little Girl Lost and proved that Carol had found her true niche.
In 2021, An Eye For An Eye, the first in the DI Kate Young series, was chosen as a Kindle First Reads. It became the #1bestselling book on Amazon UK, USA and Australia. Since then, two further books in the series have been published, with a fourth, A Truth for a Truth due out April 6th 2023.
Her first standalone psychological thriller, Behind Closed Doors, was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and selected as one of the Best Books of December 2022.
Carol has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’, featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and written for the Huffington Post. She’s also been interviewed on numerous radio shows and on Sky and BBC Breakfast television.
She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband, Mr. Grumpy . . . who is very, very grumpy.
Today is my stop on the blog tour for the darkly voyeuristic The Ugly Truth. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and Bantam press for the proof copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS:
‘A whip-smart and ingenious thriller that homes in on our toxic addiction to celebrity’ Lesley Kara, bestselling author of THE RUMOUR
Melanie Lange has disappeared.
Her father, Sir Peter Lange, says she is a danger to herself and has been admitted to a private mental health clinic.
Her ex-husband, Finn, and best friend, Nell, say she has been kidnapped.
The media will say whichever gets them the most views.
But whose side are you on? #SaveMelanie #HelpPeter
Told via interviews, transcripts and diary entries, The Ugly Truth is a shocking and addictive thriller about fame, power and the truth behind the headlines.
‘#FreeBritney meets The Appeal in this addictively unique thriller. Get ready to be utterly hooked’ Jack Jordan, author of Do No Harm
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MY REVIEW
“My father is keeping me prisoner. I don’t think I’ll ever be free again. ”
Melanie Lange has not been seen in public since the day before her 33rd birthday. The next day, the influencer, businesswoman and former modeposted a video to her YouTube channel saying she was taking a break from public life. She hasn’t been seen since.
Six months later videos surface of Melanie claiming she’s being kept prisoner by her father and begging for help. They spark an online movement to save her. But while many believe her claims, there are just as many others who believe her father, business tycoon Sir Peter Lange, who says she’s safe in a private mental health clinic.
It’s time to find out which team you are on.
#SaveMelanie or #HelpPeter
Addictive, unique and darkly voyeuristic, The Ugly Truth is a topical thriller exploring the toxic side of celebrity and social media. Soaked in salacious gossip, sensational headlines, it keeps you guessing right up until its metaphoric punch-to-the-gut finale. So buckle up and hold on tight, because you’re in for one hell of a ride!
I’d heard a lot of great things about L.C. North’s books, but this was my first time reading one. Now I’m wondering what took me so long?! Fast-paced, skillfully written and scalpel sharp, this character-laden epistolary novel had me hooked from start to finish. North perfectly portrays the poisoned chalice of modern celebrity in this thought-provoking thriller; exploring our growing obsession with every facet of celebrities’ lives, our harsh judgement of their every move, and the toll of media harassment. She also explores topics such as trauma, grief, anxiety and depression, examining the toll the pressure of the spotlight puts on those illuminated by it. It really makes you wonder if the price of fame and fortune is too high. It feels part #FreeBritney and part ‘I Am Paris’, adding to the authentic and familiar vibe you get as you’re reading.
The story is told from multiple points of view, seamlessly moving between the different voices, formats and timelines. This immerses you in the story and creates an atmosphere that makes the reader feel like you are part of the action, rather than just reading a book. The multiple narrators also help to add confusion about who is telling the truth, who you can trust, who the good guys are, and who are the villains. I found my thoughts on this vacillated throughout the book and I really enjoyed the tension this extra uncertainty brought to the story. The characters are all messy as hell, unsympathetic and not that likeable, but fun and compelling to read. And while Melanie is the centre of the storyline, she feels quite enigmatic, being seen mostly through the eyes of the other characters. There is no denying her glamour and allure, but she feels ‘other’, lost, and out of reach. Though I was desperate to know the truth of what had happened to her, I only found myself connecting and relating with her as she became more human than ‘celebrity’. I think there’s a lesson in that…
Jaw-dropping, original and totally bingeable, this cautionary taleis a must for every thriller lover’s TBR.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
L.C. North studied psychology at university before pursuing a career in Public Relations. Her first book club thriller – The Ugly Truth – combines her love of psychology and her fascination with the celebrities in the public eye. L.C. North is currently working on her second novel, and when she’s not writing, she co-hosts the crime thriller podcast, In Suspense. L.C. North lives on the Suffolk borders with her family. L.C. North is the pen name of Lauren North.
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the extraordinary All The Little Bird-Hearts. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to tkae part and to Tinder Press for the gifted copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS:
‘Glorious. Unforgettable’ Melissa Harrison ‘Funny, lyrical, deft and devastating’ Amy Sackville ‘A distinct and poetic new voice’ Clare Pollard
I lived for and loved a bird-heart that summer; I only knew it afterwards.
Sunday Forrester lives with her sixteen-year-old daughter, Dolly, in the house she grew up in. She does things more carefully than most people. On quiet days, she must eat only white foods. Her etiquette handbook guides her through confusing social situations, and to escape, she turns to her treasury of Sicilian folklore. The one thing very much out of her control is Dolly – her clever, headstrong daughter, now on the cusp of leaving home.
Into this carefully ordered world step Vita and Rollo, a couple who move in next door, disarm Sunday with their charm, and proceed to deliciously break just about every rule in Sunday’s book. Soon they are in and out of each others’ homes, and Sunday feels loved and accepted like never before. But beneath Vita and Rollo’s polish lies something else, something darker. For Sunday has precisely what Vita has always wanted for herself: a daughter of her own.
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MY REVIEW:
“I lived for and loved a bird-heart that summer, I only knew it afterwards.”
An enthralling and beautifully crafted debut, this book stole my heart. Filled with joy, anguish, judgement, honesty, and love, this is a story about being an outsider, and about overcoming the difficulties life throws at us. Lyrical and poetic, it is so exquisitely written that I lost myself in the prose and could have highlighted every word. Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow is a phenomenal new talent and definitely one to watch. I still can’t believe this is a debut novel and am very excited to see what she writes next.
“I still believed, then, that my way of not seeing only made me strange and unpopular; I did not know, then, that it blinded me to all the fires that were not in the fields.”
And while the writing is a huge part of the beauty of this book, what makes it extraordinary for me is the protagonist, Sunday Forrester. Sunday is the outsider. The oddity. The one who is always misunderstood. But inside she is kind, loving, genuine and funny; the sort of person we should aspire to be. Sunday also has autism. And she takes centre stage in the book, telling her own story in the first person; her acerbic, eye-opening and witty observations permeating the narrative. This puts the reader inside her head, offering us a unique insight into how it feels to see the world differently and giving us the chance to experience what it’s like to navigate a world you don’t really understand. I laughed with her, cried with her, felt her joy, and felt her pain. She has taught me so much about humanity and acceptance and is now one of my favourite protagonists.
“I do not expect to know another Vita. She was a person-shaped precious stone, something mined and brought up to the surface to live among the pebbles, a shiny reminder of our comparative dullness. Where I am pale and insubstantial, Vita was dark and deliberately formed, as real as a piece of marble.”
The other characters were also brilliantly written. I loved watching the friendship between Sunday and Vita grow, how Vita opened Sunday up to things she had never experienced, and how she was the yin to her yang. We know from the start that something went wrong between them and a sense of darkness and foreboding hovers over the pages. Yet I couldn’t quite decide how things would play out and was kept guessing right up until the end, creating a tension you can’t escape.
“I existed already in a form of maternal grieving, a refusal to accept that I had somehow lost my greatest love while still living alongside her.”
I also enjoyed how the author explores the complexities of the mother/daughter relationship throughout the book through many of the characters. But it is most evident in the relationships between Sunday and her mother, and Sunday and her daughter, Dolly. Sunday’s love for Dolly is all-consuming. She doesn’t understand her, but loves her fiercely and is incredibly proud of her headstrong only child. At 16, Dolly is full of teenage disdain for her mother and Sunday is left trying to navigate this new dynamic to their relationship. As a mother of two teenagers, I could relate to this, as well as to the pain Sunday felt at having lost her child in some way already, even though she was still there. But Sunday isn’t a good mother by example. Sadly her own mother never shows her any love and is often cruel and dismissive. She sees her as strange and wrong because of her autism. Sunday’s pain at this rejection leaped from the pages in heartbreaking clarity, as did her determination to ensure Dolly never feels the same rejection and pain she did. This made me love her character all the more.
“I do not envy other people’s ability to adapt; I find it alarming. Their minds are like caught fish, shining and struggling and engaged in a perpetual and pointless circular motion. Those like me swim on, unaffected by the change in currents around them.”
Illuminating, magnificent, heartbreaking and hopeful, All The Little Bird-Hearts is an unforgettable debut. It will stay with me for a long time and I cherish the new understanding it has given me. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow left school without any qualifications. When her youngest children started school she began studying too, and earned first-class undergraduate and postgraduate degrees followed by a PhD. Her first book, All the Little Bird-Hearts, will be published in 2023 and she is currently writing her second novel.
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for If I Let You Go. Thank you to Chloe at Pan Macmillan for the invitation to take part, and to Bookbreak for the gifted copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS:
‘Simultaneously tragic and uplifting. And I have to say at times funny. Charlotte Levin is SUCH a clever writer . . . A magnificent read.’ – Ruth Jones, author of Love Untold
A gripping, darkly comic tale of searing loss, coercive control and the consequences of taking the wrong path.
Every morning Janet Brown goes to work cleaning offices. It calms her, cleanliness, neatness. All the things she’s unable to do with her soul can be achieved with a damp cloth and a splash of bleach. However, the guilt she still carries about a devastating loss that happened eleven years ago, cannot be erased.
Then, Janet finds herself involved in a train crash and, recognising the chance to do what she couldn’t all those years ago, she makes a decision. As news spreads of Janet’s actions, her story inspires everyone around her, and for the first time her life has purpose and the future is filled with hope.
But Janet’s story isn’t quite what it seems, and as events spiral out of control, she soon discovers that coming clean isn’t an option. Because if Janet washes away the lies, what long-buried truths will she finally have to face.
If I Let You Go by Charlotte Levin is a deeply moving and gripping portrayal of a woman coming to terms with loss.
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MY REVIEW:
“That’s what she does. Smile through it all. And it’s exhausting.”
Moving, heartrending and achingly real, If I Let You Go packs an emotional punch. It is one of those books where it is best to go in blind and just enjoy watching the story unfold. Charlotte Levin has written a compelling tale enmeshed in drama and heartache that has some great moments of dark humour to lighten the mood. I was transfixed and inhaled it in just a few hours.
Narrator Janet’s world is a bleak place filled with grief, guilt, despair and dysfunction. She lives in prison with bars made of blame and coercive control, her husband cruelly and methodically chipping away at her daily to make her a shadow of the person she once was. She dreams of freedom, but also believes she doesn’t deserve it because her daughter Claire’s death was her fault. She is very real and I liked how the author lets the reader into her innermost thoughts and feelings, allowing her to confide her darkest secrets so that we understand her rather than judge. I loved that she was morally complex, reminding us that even the nicest people with the best of intentions can make terrible choices.. The background characters are just as well written, with Colin making my skin crawl every time he was on the page. As an abuse survivor reading this story was like stepping back into the life I broke free from and I appreciate the authentic way in which it was written. It made me feel all the more invested in the story and I was rooting for Janet to finally find the strength to leave.
A deeply human story that manages to be both heartbreaking and hopeful, I highly recommend adding this one to your TBR.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Charlotte Levin has been shortlisted for the Andrea Badenoch Award, part of the New Writers North Awards, and for the Mslexia Short Story Competition. IF I CAN’T HAVE YOU is her debut novel, and IF I LET YOU GO is out in March 2023. Charlotte lives in Manchester with her cat Opal Moon and kittens Leonard and Walter.
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this unflinching locked-room thriller. Thank you to Avon Books for the invitation to take part and the gifted copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS:
They’re locked up for your safety. Now, you’re locked in with them.
Dr Connie Woolwine has five days to catch a killer.
On a locked ward in the world’s highest-security prison hospital, a scream shatters the night. The next morning, a nurse’s body is found and her daughter has been taken. A ransom must be paid, and the clock is ticking.
Forensic profiler Dr Connie Woolwine is renowned for her ability to get inside the mind of a murderer. Now, she must go deep undercover among the most deranged and dangerous men on earth and use her unique skills to find the girl – before it’s too late.
But as the walls close in around her, can Connie get the killer before The Institution gets her?
A claustrophobic, haunting crime thriller that will keep you up at night, perfect for those who couldn’t put down The Sanatorium and Amy McCulloch’s Breathless.
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MY REIVEW:
“The people inside these walls are broken. All of them. It’s bad enough being here against your will. Imagine having so little to live for that of all the places in the world, you would choose to spend the precious years allocated to you in this godforsaken place. “
She’s done it again! A crime fiction powerhouse, Helen Fields can always be relied upon to write sinister, never-shredding stories that leave you breathless. And with The Institution she has done exactly that. This chilling masterpiece certainly packs a punch. The prose is brutal poetry, every word gleaming with malice, and there’s an undercurrent of danger and foreboding running through the pages that made dread crawl up my spine as I read. I couldn’t put it down and devoured the story whole. The many twists, turns, and red herrings left me unable to catch my breath and, as I approached the finale, the threads began to tangle together at breakneck speed. And that ending! I did not see it coming. Bravo, Ms. Fields. Bravo.
“She turned as she walked, looking around, uncharacteristically spooked. Not that it was ghosts she feared. The killers she was profiling were so much worse than the spectres of myths and legends. Ghosts were simple in comparison.”
How do you find a killer when you’re surrounded by them? That’s the dilemma facing Dr Connie Woolwine in this dark, twisty and unnerving thriller. Dropped inside of a nightmare, Connie is sent to The Institute, a high-security prison, to investigate the death of Tara, one of the nurses who works there. Tara has been found brutally slain, her unborn daughter ripped from her womb in the attack, and there is a ransom demand for her safe return. With one life already extinguished and another whose clock is ticking down to death, the forensic profiler goes deep undercover to try and find the killer.
A dark, forbidding and eerie fortress, The Institute houses the criminally insane. It is a cesspit of evil where the worst of society are sent to live out the rest of their days. The saying ‘humans are the scariest of monsters’ has never been more apt, and the humans inside these walls are truly terrifying. Violent, disturbed, depraved, repugnant and mercurial, you would be crazy yourself if you weren’t scared of these men. And it is amongst them that Connie must live and work, going undercover to find a killer. But when a frightful storm cuts them off from the rest of the world, the only person who knows her real identity is stranded elsewhere, leaving Connie even more vulnerable.
“Don’t believe anything they tell you. Remember; the truth can be witnessed, but it can never be told.”
Helen Fields delves deep into the darkness that lurks inside the crevices of a twisted mind in this cast of richly drawn, compelling and completely unreliable characters. Even our protagonist can’t be trusted, the PTSD from her traumatic time in a psychiatric hospital giving her nightmares and making her see and hear things that even she isn’t sure are real. I was delighted to see Connie at the heart of another book after loving her character so much in The Shadow Man. Fierce, tenacious, intelligent and unorthodox, that quirky side is what has endeared her to me so much from the start. I enjoyed how we explored her intricately layered backstory more this time around, and how it intertwines to complicate the investigation in ways she hoped to avoid. Her trauma was powerfully and evocatively written, making my heart race as everything spiralled more and more out of control. I desperately hoped she was going to make it out of this okay and that we get to see more of her in the future.
Deliciously creepy, unflinching and addictive, The Institution gives you everything you could want from a first-class locked-room thriller. It’s Ms. Fields’ best book yet so make sure to add it to your TBR.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
An international and Amazon #1 best-selling author, Helen is a former criminal and family law barrister. Every book in the Callanach series has claimed an Amazon #1 bestseller flag. ‘Perfect Kill’ was longlisted for the Crime Writers Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger in 2020, and others have been longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize, Scottish crime novel of the year. Helen also writes as HS Chandler, and has released legal thriller ‘Degrees of Guilt’. In 2020 Perfect Remains was shortlisted for the Bronze Bat, Dutch debut crime novel of the year. In 2022, Helen was nominated for Best Crime Novel and Best Author in the Netherlands. Now translated into more than 20 languages, and also selling in the USA, Canada & Australasia, Helen’s books have won global recognition. She has written standalone novels, The Last Girl To Die, These Lost & Broken Things and The Shadow Man. Her first UK hardback, The Institution, comes out in March 2022. She regularly commutes between West Sussex, USA and Scotland. She lives with her husband and three children.
Apologies for the delay, but today I’m finally sharing my review for the mesmerising and unforgettable Beautiful Shining People. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and to Karen at Orenda books for the gifted copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS:
A damaged teenager meets an enigmatic waitress in a tiny Tokyo café, sparking an epic journey across Japan that will change everything, forever…
‘A fascinating exploration of what it means to be human in a world where everything can be faked, and an alarming projection into a not-too-distant and all-too-plausible future … wonderful, insightful and thoughtful’ James Oswald
‘Totally engrossing from the start – the story, characters and settings will linger in your imagination long after you’re finished … truly wonderful’ Jonathan Whitelaw
‘Exquisite world-building, this book had me invested from the very first page. Vivid plot and irresistible characters and a real tug at the soul … you’ll drown in it’ Lisa Bradley
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This world is anything but ordinary, and it’s about to change forever…
It’s our world, but decades into the future…
An ordinary world, where cars drive themselves, drones glide across the sky, and robots work in burger shops. There are two superpowers and a digital Cold War, but all conflicts are safely oceans away. People get up, work, and have dinner. Everything is as it should be…
Except for seventeen-year-old John, a tech prodigy from a damaged family, who hides a deeply personal secret. But everything starts to change for him when he enters a tiny café on a cold Tokyo night. A café run by a disgraced sumo wrestler, where a peculiar dog with a spherical head lives, alongside its owner, enigmatic waitress Neotnia…
But Neotnia hides a secret of her own – a secret that will turn John’s unhappy life upside down. A secret that will take them from the neon streets of Tokyo to Hiroshima’s tragic past to the snowy mountains of Nagano.
A secret that reveals that this world is anything ordinary – and it’s about to change forever…
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MY REVIEW:
“Before, I thought I understood the world. At least where it was heading. But now? Now, what do I know?”
Tokyo, many years into the future. 17-year-old John, a tech prodigy, enters a small cafe late at night and meets Neotina, a beautiful and enigmatic waitress. The spark is instant and they slowly begin to get to know each other. But they are each hiding a shameful secret, one they try to hide from the world and are terrified of being discovered. But it is what Neotina is hiding that will turn their worlds upside down and change things forever…
This book is a masterpiece. Mesmerising, dreamlike, and unforgettable, it took my breath away. A story about those who never fit in—the alienated outsiders who want to belong. It’s about the search for purpose, pain, suffering, and the shadows that live within all of us, and what it is that makes us human.
“Let people misjudge you – condemn you, even. Smile at them, then carry on with your life. Their faults weaken only them.”
Speculative and dystopian fiction is my least favourite genre, yet I was utterly blown away by this book. I lost myself in these pages, unable to stop reading yet also tried to savour every exquisite word. I loved how eclectic the vibe of this story was. It starts out calm and chilled but with a twist of anguish from the secret shame John is hiding, then the air fills with the flush of first love as he and Neotina get closer, before moving into an atmosphere that crackles with danger as shocking revelations change their entire world. Each shift in tension and pace was smooth and seamless, holding mehostage in the author’s web of words.
The characters in the book are a motley crew of outsiders who were likeable and very entertaining to read. Our narrator, John, is an American teenage coding genius hiding a secret shame he wants to fix. Like all teenagers, he just wants to be like everyone else, and he thinks if he fixes what’s wrong with him he’ll finally be ‘normal’. John’s voice perfectly captures the insecurity of those teenage years. That time where, more than ever, the opinion and acceptance of our peers matters so much and we want to fit in rather than stand out. These feelings are also explored in Neotina, the charismatic Japanese waitress he meets. Their relationship perfectly captures the innocence, joy, confusion and fear of falling in love for the first time. But we soon learn that these aren’t any other young people in love. There’s something extraordinary that sets them apart. Stealing the show on many occasions were Goeido, a former Sumo who owns the cafe where Notina works, and his dog, Inu, who has the craziest haircut and a strange story of his own. And then there is Joe, a character who appears briefly but makes a huge impact.
“My shadow is deep, and its ingredients are many. It’s rich in loneliness. Isolation. Alienation. Loathing.”
This may have been my first book by Michael Grothaus, but it will not be my last. Not only is his writing and characterisation exquisite, but transported me to the world he had created. A world that is fictional, yet believable, future. I can imagine everything he wrote coming true and it felt like a glimpse into the world that my grandchildren or great-grandchildren will know. But at the same time it was totally familiar, and it was only when I read a line about self-driving cars or bots serving you in a restaurant that I’d remember this is set in the future. I also loved how detailed the research was and I learned a lot about Japanese culture while reading the book. But what I think I enjoyed most is how he keeps the reader guessing. He had me on the edge of my seat with no idea where things were headed, even halfway through the book. But what I did know is that wherever this led, it was going to be spectacular. And then there is that twist. Wow. I sat there in awe, trying to make myself believe what I’d just read and wondering how I didn’t see it. The clues were all there in hindsight and I totally missed them, feeling as floored and as the character did when all was revealed.
Moving, powerful and enthralling, Beautiful Shining People is a phenomenal story that will stay with you. I have no doubt that this is going to be one of my books of the year and highly recommend it to everyone, even if the genre doesn’t seem like your thing. Just try it. I know I’m so glad that I did.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Michael Grothaus is a novelist and author. Born in Saint Louis, Missouri. He spent his twenties in Chicago where he earned his degree in filmmaking from Columbia and got his start in journalism writing for Screen. After working for institutions including The Art Institute of Chicago, Twentieth Century Fox, and Apple he earned his postgraduate degree with distinction in creative writing from the University of London. His writing has appeared in Fast Company, VICE, The Guardian, Litro Magazine, The Irish Times, Screen, Quartz, and others. His debut novel, EPIPHANY JONES, a story about sex trafficking among the Hollywood elite, was longlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger Award and named one of the 25 “Most Irresistible Hollywood Novels” by Entertainment Weekly.
His first non-fiction book is TRUST NO ONE: INSIDE THE WORLD OF DEEPFAKES. The book examines the human impact that artificially generated video will have on individuals and society in the years to come. His next novel is BEAUTIFUL SHINING PEOPLE, a speculative story set in Tokyo that explores how the things that cast us as outsiders can be the very things that draw us together, and examines whether there is an inherent meaning in the world to come, or if we must create our own.
Published: March 2nd, 2023 Publisher: Century Genre: Romance Novel, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Romantic Comedy Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the utterly delightful One Enchanted Evening. Thank you to EdPR for the invitation to take part and to Century for the gifted copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS:
Step into the world of Katie Fforde where love, romance and the happiest of happy endings are just around the corner. The new novel by the number one bestselling author and queen of feel-good romance. ____________
Ever since she can remember, Meg has wanted to be a professional cook.
But it’s 1966, and in restaurant kitchens all over England it is still a man’s world.
Then she gets a call from her mother who is running a small hotel in Dorset.
There’s an important banqueting event coming up. She needs help and she needs it now!
When Meg arrives, the hotel seems stuck in the past. But she loves a challenge, and sets to work.
Then Justin, the son of the hotel owner, appears, determined to take over the running of the kitchen.
Infuriated, Meg is determined to keep cooking – and soon sparks between them begin to fly.
Will their differences be a recipe for disaster? After all, the course of true love never did run smooth…
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MY REVIEW:
It’s 1966 and professional kitchens are still a man’s world. But all Meg has ever wanted is to be a chef. So when she gets a call from her mother asking her to help with an important banquet coming up at the hotel she’s running, Meg jumps at the chance.
Nightingale Woods Hotel is quaint and charming, but stuck firmly in the past and in need of some TLC. When Meg meets the owner’s son, Justin, it is clear that he has already consigned the hotel to the rubbish heap. Always up for a challenge, Meg sets to work updating the hotel, determined to modernise and attract new customers while proving Justin wrong. But she gets more than she bargained for when sparks begin to fly between them. Is this a recipe for disaster or has she found her happily ever after?
If you’re looking for an uplifting, feel-good read, then One Enchanted Evening is the book for you. A joy to read from start to finish, I was transported from the grey February skies of Sheffield to the summer sun of Dorset. I’m also a sucker for any book that has a good enemies-to-lovers romance, and this one certainly delivered with the bumpy road to love between Meg and Justin.
I liked Meg immediately. She’s a protagonist and it was easy to root for both her and her crusade to save Nightingale Woods Hotel. I was totally invested in the outcome of her endeavours and it was heartbreaking to think that this charming and quirky little country haven might be sold. I was also rooting for Meg’s happy ending to include not only saving the hotel she’d grown to love, but the man she loves too. Like he did with Meg, Justin took a while to grow on me as a character. And while their love story was predictable in places, it was no less compelling, with me shouting at them to get their act together and admit they were in love already!
This book also has a fantastic cast of background characters. I loved the sweet mother/daughter relationship between Meg and Louise and the friendship between Meg and her trio of old school friends. It was obvious that these characters have appeared in Ms. Fforde’s books before, but they soon felt like they were old friends of mine too. But my favourite character in this book was Ambrosine. Oh, I loved this sweet old lady. When her back story was finally revealed I loved her even more and would happily read an entire book about her life during the war (hint hint).
While I’d obviously heard the name Katie Fford, I must admit that this was my first time reading one of her books. Why did I wait so long? I have already bought some of her backlist books, including one of the books featuring Meg and her friends, and will be adding her future releases to my TBR.
Captivating, heartwarming and utterly delightful, One Enchanted Evening was a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
From her Amazon author page: I live in the beautiful Cotswold countryside with my family, and I’m a country girl at heart.
I first started writing when my mother gave me a writing kit for Christmas, and once I started I just couldn’t stop. Living Dangerously was my first novel and since then, I haven’t looked back.
Ideas for books are everywhere, and I’m constantly inspired by the people and places around me. From watching TV (yes, it is research) to overhearing conversations, I love how my writing gives me the chance to taste other people’s lives and try all the jobs I’ve never had.
Each of my books explores a different profession or background and my research has helped me bring these to life. I’ve been a porter in an auction house, tried my hand at pottery, refurbished furniture, delved behind the scenes of a dating website, and I’ve even been on a Ray Mears survival course.
I love being a writer; to me there isn’t a more satisfying and pleasing thing to do. I particularly enjoy writing love stories. I believe falling in love is the best thing in the world, and I want all my characters to experience it, and my readers to share their stories.
