REVIEW: The Girl with Flaming Hair by Natalie Kleinman

The Girl with Flaming Hair by Natalie Kleinman

Genre: Regency romance, Historical fiction

Read: 21st June 2021

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Amazon

Published: 15th June 2021

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Sophie is plagued by the shadows of the past…

While driving his curricle, Rufus Solgrave, Earl of Luxton comes across Sophie Clifford lying unconscious in the road, having fallen from her horse. 

Not too far from home, he takes her back to Ashby, his country seat, leaving her in the care of his mother, Elizabeth, Countess of Luxton, and his sister, Lydia. Under their kindly supervision, Sophie soon begins to recover.

Upon discovering that Sophie has never mixed with London society, Elizabeth invites her to accompany the family to town for Lydia’s come-out. Unhappy with her homelife and eager to sample the delights of the season, Sophie accepts.

However, her enjoyment is marred when talk of an old scandal surrounding her birth resurfaces. What’s more, her devious stepbrother, Francis Follet, has followed her to London, intent on making her his bride.

Sensing Sophie’s distress, Rufus steps in to protect her from Francis’s unwelcome advances.

And although neither Rufus nor Sophie are yet thinking of marriage, both soon begin to wonder whether their comfortable friendship could blossom into something warmer…

MY REVIEW:

I'm excited to be taking part in the #BlogTour for Natalie Kleinman's delightful regency romance THE GIRL WITH FLAMING HAIR.

While I'm not generally a fan of romances per se, I do enjoy the gentle simplicity of regency romances...particularly as they are set against the backdrop of sweeping historical times. They have a bit of Downton-esque about them as well as a touch of Poldark (particularly those set in Cornwall) and almost every other period drama we love to devour. The are light and easy reads with a simple storyline that usually promises a scandal or a mystery within its plot ultimately ending in a happily ever after. THE GIRL WITH FLAMING HAIR is no different and I devoured it in one sitting over the course of about six hours.

When setting out on a journey, Rufus Solgrave, the Earl of Luxton, stumbles across the unconscious Sophie Clifford with her horse standing protectively over her. Without a second thought, he does the gentlemanly thing and transports her back to his estate of Ashby where she is left to recover under the care of his mother Lady Elizabeth Luxton and his sister Lydia. Over the course of the following days and weeks as Sophie recovers her health, it soon becomes clear that she is reluctant to return to her own unhappy family.

At 21 years of age, Sophie's mother died in childbirth and her father Baron Clifford remarried a most unlikeable woman who brought with her a son of her own, Francis Follet. None of her family spare any love for Sophie who has never ventured out of Buckinghamshire nor has she presented to society. Her step-brother Francis pursues Sophie relentlessly with designs of marriage - a prospect Sophie does not bear thinking about. Throughout her recovery at Ashby, Sophie's eyes were opened to different kind of family and lifestyle from which she had been sheltered all her life. Sensing her reluctance to return to Charnwood, Elizabeth invites Sophie to accompany them to London for Lydia's coming out season.

Once in London, Sophie discovers she loves the hustle and bustle and life of the capital and being introduced to society. She loves the shops and ordering new ballgowns, frocks and hats and meeting new people. Something she has never before experienced. But then, whilst there, she discovers a secret surrounding her birth that threatens to make her an outcast from the very society in which she is just immersing herself. And what's more, her devious step-brother has followed her to London intent on making her his bride. When she refuses him once again he alludes to the fact that his would be the only offer she is likely to get.

Not wanting a scandal to damage Lydia's chances of finding a suitable husband, Sophie moves out and takes up residence with the mother of one of Rufus' friends who does not care an ounce for scandalised whispers. But as the season nears its end, the Luxtons move back to the country and the newly independent Sophie, with her own fortune inherited from her mother, purchases a spacious cottage nearby.

But the scandal they thought they had left behind has followed them and Sophie finds her future may be under threat. Can she find love and happiness after all? Or will those secrets she carries be too damaging?

Carefully crafted, THE GIRL WITH FLAMING HAIR takes the reader back to regency society with all its airs and graces, its foibles and scandals as well as its love and romance. The pace is steady throughout with all the elements of mystery and danger to keep you turning the pages. As with the nature of regency romances, there is an element of predictability but there are also some unexpected twists to the story making it a delight to read.

THE GIRL WITH FLAMING HAIR is light and easy read filled with all the usual scandal, family skeletons, secrets, lies, manipulation, kindness and love all wrapped up in a happily ever after.

Delightfully entertaining, THE GIRL WITH FLAMING HAIR is a perfect escape from the frenetic pace of the 21st century for a few hours.

I would like to thank #NatalieKleinman, #Netgalley, #RachelsRandomResources and #SapereBooks for an ARC of #TheGirlWithFlamingHair in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Natalie’s passion for reading became a compulsion to write when she attended a ten-week course in creative writing some sixteen or so years ago. She takes delight in creating short stories of which more than forty have been published, but it was her lifelong love of Regency romance that led her to turn from contemporary romantic fiction to try her hand at her favourite genre. Raised on a diet of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, she is never happier than when immersed in an age of etiquette and manners, fashion and intrigue, all combined into a romping good tale. She lives on the London/Kent border, close to the capital’s plethora of museums and galleries which she uses for research as well as pleasure. A perfect day though is when she heads out of town to enjoy lunch by a pub on the river, any river, in company with her husband and friends. 

Natalie is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, the Society of Authors and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Island by Mary Grand

The Island by Mary Grand

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Noir, Suspense

Read: 19th July 2021

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Amazon

Published: 24th June 2021

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The Island - where everyone knows everyone, and secrets are impossible to keep...

‘Be careful, you don’t know them as well as you think. Remember - anyone can kill.’

Juliet has returned to the Isle of Wight from years abroad to visit her sick father and to be reunited with her three sisters – Cassie, a professional musician who seems to have lost her way in life, Mira, who is profoundly deaf, is married to the local vicar but their relationship is falling apart, and Rosalind, glamorous and charming but now deeply unhappy and secretive about her life. 

As Juliet’s father lies dying, he issues her with a warning. There is a killer on the loose, and they may be closer than she can ever imagine. He anxiously tells Juliet that he confided a family secret in son-in-law Rhys, and now regrets ever saying a word.

Days later, as the clock strikes one in the morning, a man comes out of Rhys’s church, walks along the path and is run down by a car driven by an unidentified person. When the finger of suspicion points to Juliet, she realises the only way to clear her name is to uncover the secrets her family has been keeping from her for years. But with a killer on the loose, danger is getting closer all the time…

The Island  is set on the Isle of Wight - insular,  claustrophobic, and where secrets are hard to keep. Mary Grand's heart-stopping who-dunnits are perfect for fans of Louise Candlish. Agatha Christie and Lucy Foley.

MY REVIEW:

I'm excited to be taking part in the #BlogTour for Mary Grand's atmospheric thriller THE ISLAND.

Although this author's first psychological thriller "The House Party" still sits on my shelf, I have yet to delve into it so therefore THE ISLAND is my first foray into the writings of Mary Grand and the simply beautifully atmospheric setting on the Isle of Wight. And what a setting it is! It gave the reader that sense of claustrophobia and foreboding throughout as the pieces of the puzzle are slowly pieced together. THE ISLAND simply drips with domestic tension as twist after twist reveals secrets slowly bubbling to the surface. Shadows in the night. Objects go missing. And then...there's murder.

After two years teaching English in China, Juliet returns home to the Isle of Wight after her father's tragic accident which leaves him clinging to life in hospital. Arriving just in time, her father's last words leave her with more questions than answers as he hints at a past death and issues her with a warning to be careful and to look after her mother and sisters. His last wish was to not give her youngest sister the musical box he had painstakingly made for her upcoming 21st birthday, as he had made each one of his girls. For what reason, she doesn't know. He also cryptically mentioned a key which was just as puzzling to her. But his biggest regret before taking his last breath was that he had confided in her sister Mira's husband Rhys, the local vicar, and feared he made a huge mistake in doing so.

Her father's last words were both alarming and confusing but Juliet feels compelled to respect his wishes and take heed of his warning, whatever it may mean. His death has left a gaping hole in their lives as her mother and sisters are filled with grief, each of them dealing with it in her own way. Mira turns to her husband. Juliet finds comfort in old flame Gabriel. Eldest sister Cassie draws her mother closer whilst keeping the rest of them at arm's length. And the youngest Rosalind escapes the confines of the house and the flood of grief that envelops them there. The complexities of the relationships of the sisters reflect their differences and highlight the fact that each of them are keeping secrets. And then Rhys' strange message at the funeral leaves Juliet with a sense of of unease as well as even more questions.

In the midst of their father's death and subsequent funeral fell Rosalind's 21st birthday which slipped by, not unnoticed, but not celebrated either. That came a week later when the family planned to celebrate her "coming home" with a small family party to honour the day Rosalind came home given the circumstances of her birth were a little unusual, having been unexpectedly born when her mother and Cassie were visiting London. What should have been a happy and enjoyable day ended in heated words. Rhys revealed that he was unable to keep the secret their father had imparted on him any longer and gave the family a chance to talk things over before he revealed the secret himself. 

But before he can, Rhys is killed in a tragic hit and run outside his church as he left in the wee hours. Who killed him? And was it only coincidence that it happened on the twenty-first anniversary of another hit and run on the island, when Gabriel's older brother Harry had been killed?

Suddenly Juliet begins to look at her family and all those closest to her in a different light. Who had the most to lose by Rhys revealing the secret? To understand that Juliet knew she had to find out what the secret was first before unmasking who could have killed him. She went over events of the evening in her mind and recalled hearing someone leave the house and seeing a shadow walk out their front gate. But as there are no street lights, all she saw was a shadow and had no way of identifying them. She also recalls seeing a light on in her father's workshed out the back. Who would be in there at midnight? And what on earth would they be doing? And she herself remembered how hot it had been that night and how she couldn't sleep, spending time chatting to Gabriel who video called her several times throughout the night worried about his mother Maddie who had been so sick at the time. What did any of this mean?

Despite everyone's wishes that she leave well enough alone, Juliet begins to investigate. And she soon discovers as secrets and lies begin to come to light, so too does suspicions arise.

I loved the setting of the Isle of Wight. The descriptions, the walks, the beach, the stillness, the storms, the breathtaking beauty...made for an atmospheric thriller with an eeriness and a sense of foreboding. It gave the reader the feeling of claustrophobia with it being an island that could see them cut off from the mainland at any time. And those storms were penultimate in their deliverance.

A domestic thriller of a different kind, THE ISLAND is a slow burn that gradually builds in tension creating an atmosphere that will have you looking over your shoulder as you turn the pages. While not a fan of slow burns especially, this one did hold my interest enough to keep me going until I drawn in completely and unable to put it down. The suspense and the tension are palpable to the point of a compelling need to uncover the truth.

There are plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing the killer's identity throughout. I know I changed my mind several times coming back to my first suspect early on and then the author threw in yet another twist to throw us off yet again. I figured out several of the secrets that had been simmering beneath the surface even if it took Juliet a lot longer to twig to the clues I picked up almost instantly. After one secret is discovered, it leads Juliet in another direction to uncover the truth. Even the reader is questioning how well we really know her sisters? Her mother even? But surely...not murder?

THE ISLAND is filled with mystery, suspense and tension throughout and is perfect for those who enjoy an atmospheric thriller without the graphic descriptions of those more gritty in nature. It's a riveting and completely absorbing read that is intense once it gets going. 

And of course, I cannot let this review go by without the mention of Lola, Mira's therapy dog. Although she doesn't play a key part, her presence makes a lovely addition. I also enjoyed the normality in which everyone treated Mira and, despite being profoundly deaf, her ability to lip read and converse through sign and voice was a wonderful touch. 

Whilst being a new voice in this genre, I think Mary Grand could be a name to watch for that touch of psychological and domestic noir with the atmospheric setting of the Isle of Wight.

I would like to thank #MaryGrand, #Netgalley, #RachelsRandomResources and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #TheIsland in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Mary Grand is the author of five novels and writes gripping, page-turning suspense, with a dark and often murderous underside. She grew up in Wales, was for many years a teacher of deaf children and now lives on the Isle of Wight where her new novel, The House Party, which was published by Boldwood in August 2020, is set.

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PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Boldwood Books by following them on these social media accounts.

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REVIEW: A Cut for A Cut by Carol Wyer

A Cut for A Cut (DI Kate Young #2) by Carol Wyer

Genre: Crime fiction, Police procedural, Crime thriller

Read: 28th June 2021

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Amazon

Published: 29th June 2021

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

DI Kate Young can’t trust anybody. Not even herself.

In the bleak countryside around Blithfield Reservoir, a serial murderer and rapist is leaving a trail of bloodshed. His savage calling card: the word ‘MINE’ carved into each of his victims.

DI Kate Young struggles to get the case moving—even when one of the team’s own investigators is found dead in a dumpster. But Kate is battling her own demons. Obsessed with exposing Superintendent John Dickson and convinced there’s a conspiracy running deep in the force, she no longer knows who to trust. Kate’s crusade has already cost her dearly. What will she lose next?

When her stepsister spills a long-buried secret, Kate realises she’s found the missing link—now she must prove it before the killer strikes again. With enemies closing in on all sides, she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to bring them down. But time is running out, and Kate's past has pushed her to the very edge. Can she stop herself from falling?

MY REVIEW:

"You're mine...forever!"

I'm always excited when Carol has a new book in the midst and eagerly await getting my hands on it ready to devour. Having followed DI Natalie Ward's story, I was thrilled to meet DI Kate Young in the first book back in January and while Carol left us dangling with a very alluring tidbit, I couldn't wait to rejoin Kate in her quest to bring down those responsible for the death of her beloved husband Chris and the corruption in the force linked to his murder. 

However, while "An Eye for An Eye" was more ambiguous in that we were still getting to know Kate's story, sifting through events and all had transpired to lead her to the point we met her at, A CUT FOR A CUT is a little more transparent in that we know who she's hunting in her personal quest for justice. Not knowing who to trust, Kate relies on her wits and her fading memory of Chris to keep her focussed. 

A word of advice for those wanting to jump in, you really need to read the first book "An Eye for An Eye" before delving into this one. Although the primary investigation is self-contained, the sub-plot is a recurring one carried over from the previous book and, while they are briefly referenced with enough information to keep the reader up to date, the get the full picture and background you really need to start from the beginning with the first book.

The prologue opens with Kate in a clandestine meeting with pimp Farai who supplied the underage sex workers to the Maddox club in the first book, in an attempt to garner whatever knowledge he had on her boss Superintendent John Dickson who she is sure is, not only corrupt, but behind her husband Chris's murder. Although Farai checks her over for a wire, Kate managed to secrete a tiny wireless tap in her bra to record their meeting, wanting a record of what took place should she need it.

Kate is enjoying having her once estranged step-sister back in her life having returned from Australia with young son Daniel in tow after the collapse of her marriage to Jordan, Kate's ex-fiance with home Tilly ran off with two decades ago. The sisters have plans to entertain Daniel by taking him to a theme park when Kate is summoned back to work to investigate the death of young woman found half naked in a restaurant dumpster and no ID on her. Her prints taken at the scene reveal her to be Laura Dean who lived alone in the village of Abbots Bromley with her adopted rescue cat Charcoal. She had been raped with the word "MINE" carved into her right shoulder before being strangled to death. 

Enquiries lead her to one of the solicitors at the firm she had recently resigned from in Stafford before moving to the quiet village in which she died. The team also delve into the background of Laura's father's partner Steve after learning that the couple had been seeing each other prior to Laura's mother's death from cancer. With no other leads forthcoming, these are their only suspects thus far.

Then another woman is found nearby the following morning and is immediately recognised as one of their own, Heather Gault - a civilian investigator tasked with investigating cases alongside police. The MO is identical and Kate fears the killer will strike again if they can't identify him quickly. Then when Kate discovers that Heather's computer has been sent directly to technicians with strict instructions not to reveal its contents unless there is anything pertaining to her investigation, she begins to suspect something else is going on. Had Dickson gone over her head and issued this order? What was he afraid of Kate and her team discovering on there? Was Heather looking into the very thing that Kate was "unofficially" investigating? Is that what lead to her death? Surely not. The MO from Laura's murder was identical to Heather's and Laura had nothing to do with police corruption or underage sex workers. Could this just be a coincidence?

In the midst of two investigations, albeit one unofficially, Kate learns of a third victim. But this one is still alive. Olivia Sandman was found in the construction site across the road from the new-build house in which she lived with her mother and when she hadn't turned up for work, her mother began ringing around friends and the police in an effort to find her missing daughter. Now she is hospital in and out of consciousness and Kate needs to speak with her as soon as possible. Olivia may have key information regarding the perpetrator. But with a third victim there's even more questions. How were these three women linked? And why did she survive? Had he been interrupted and had to make a quick exit before ensuring she was dead? Is this his first mistake?

Alongside her investigation into these brutal rapes and two murders, Kate continues to delve deeper into the police corruption Chris had been investigating and which had ultimately got him killed. When she receives word that the man who had helped bury the body of an underage boy in the previous book wants to speak with her, Kate makes every effort to arrange a visit at the prison in which he is incarcerated. But before she can see him the prison governor calls her with the news that the man, Cooper, took his own life that morning. But Kate refuses to believe it and is sure that someone knew she was going to visit him and had him killed before he could pass on whatever information he had to give her.

On top of all this Kate is still processing the various stages of grief, determined to remain in the anger stage until she can avenge her husband. She continues to talk to him with his words of wisdom she imagines he imparts helping her to remain focussed. And then there is Tilly. She hasn't seen her step-sister in two decades and the two women are finally putting the past behind them to move forward together as a family. After all, Tilly is all she has now.

As Kate and her team unearth clues to bring them closer to identifying the killer, Kate unwittingly discovers a shocking link closer to home that leaves her reeling as time seems to be running out fast. All the while, someone in her unofficial investigation seems to be one step ahead of her while others in the force are out to undermine her and her ability to lead a team. Will she catch a killer and get the evidence she needs to bring down Dickson at the same time?

I thoroughly enjoyed A CUT FOR A CUT which is an excellent addition to this new series. It is a good solid police procedural with clever insights into the killer's mind at the same time. Although the story is predominantly from Kate's perspective, I love how there are excerpts in the killer's narrative also, providing insight into the delusions that drive him. 

Admittedly, I identified the link to the killer and figured out who he was quite early on in the story. I also suspected another aspect about halfway through - one which came as a final twist at the end and possibly shocked many but instead of being surprise I felt vindicated as guessing correctly. It was a twist that was never even alluded to but I suspected it when there wasn't anything to suspect. Maybe I just have a suspicious mind. lol

I love Carol, her wit and her storytelling. And I love the undercurrent that simmers beneath the surface threatening to derail everything should Kate not succeed in bringing down Dickson and the underbelly of corruption within the force. The way Carol has left a breadcrumb trail throughout both books as we follow Kate in her quest for justice.

A rather compelling read, A CUT FOR A CUT is gritty and even brutal in parts, though not graphic in detail. Kate is incredibly flawed as she struggles with her grief and her mental health whilst trying to seek justice for her husband and bring down corruption within the force. Maybe she should call on AC-12.

Again, I cannot stress enough that the first book "An Eye for An Eye" is best read before this one or it could be a struggle to tie events and piece the puzzle together. The sub-plot of corruption, underage sex workers, paedophile rings and the death of her husband Chris all began in the first book and will continue to run in the background of each subsequent book until either Kate catches them or it runs its course. Who knows where it will end? Or how?

What I do know is that Kate is just getting started. So bring on book 3!!

Perfect for fans of gritty crime fiction.

I would like to thank #CarolWyer, #Netgalley and #AmazonPub for an ARC of #ACutForACut in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Carol Wyer writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction.

A move from humour to the 'dark side' in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in Little Girl Lost and demonstrated that stand-up comedian Carol, had found her true niche.

To date, her crime novels have sold over 800,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets.

The much-anticipated new series, featuring DI Kate Young, was published on 1st February 2021 with the first novel, An Eye For An Eye, and a second, A Cut for a Cut, to be  published on 24th June 2021.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ''Irritable Male Syndrome' and 'Ageing Disgracefully' and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines 'Woman's Weekly', featured in 'Take A Break', 'Choice', 'Yours' and 'Woman's Own' magazines and the Huffington Post.

She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy... who is very, very grumpy.

When she is not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: The Women at Hitler's Table by Rosella Postonrino

The Women at Hitler's Table by Rosella Postorino

Genre: Historical, WW2

Read: 24th July 2021

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Amazon

Published: 1st August 2019

★★ 2 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Inspired by the powerful true story of Margot Wölk, this is a heartbreaking and gripping historical novel for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Beekeeper of Aleppo

East Prussia, 1943. Hitler hides away in the Wolfsshanze – his hidden headquarters. The tide is turning in the war and his enemies circle ever closer.

Ten women are chosen.

Ten women to taste his food and protect him from poison.

Twenty-six-year-old Rosa has lost everything to this war. Her parents are dead. Her husband is fighting on the front line. Alone and scared, she faces the SS with nothing but the knowledge every bite might be her last.

 

Caught on the wrong side of history, how far is Rosa willing to go to survive?

MY REVIEW:

There are many many books written about the greatest atrocity of our time. And I have read many a historical fiction surrounding the Holocaust, concentration camps, the Nazi occupation of Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece and France. There have also been many a true story inspired account which have been fictionalised but still as shocking as the truth which had occurred. 

THE WOMEN AT HITLER'S TABLE offered something different in the form of the women who were Hitler's very own food tasters, inspired by the life of Margot Wölk (1917-2014), the last of his surviving tasters. It isn't until she is near the end of her life at 95 years old, that she decides to tell her story and reveals the truth before her death in 2014.

In this story, she becomes Rosa Sauer, a secretary from Berlin who upon marrying her boss anticipates a life of contentment and marital bliss. But when he is sent to war and bombs descend on her city, Rosa finds herself alone and without family so relocates reluctantly to the countryside and her in-laws. However, being a city girl in the country sets her apart and in 1942 she is conscripted along with many other women to become food tasters in Hitler's lair, should his food be poisoned.

The concept is an interesting one and I'm not sure whether it is because it has been translated but I found it difficult to hold my interest. I was unable to finish it though I did try to in an effort to see how things end. However, that is not to say that this book is not a fascinating tale because I daresay it is. And since movie rights have apparently been bought I look forward to seeing it played out on screen which might be far more interesting to follow. As it was compared to the likes of "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" and "Cilka's Journey", both of which I could not complete either, I should have taken that as a sign.

THE WOMEN AT HITLER'S TABLE is a highly regarded book by all accounts. It just didn't enthrall me.

I would like to thank #RosellaPostorino, #Netgalley and #HarperCollinsUK for an ARC of #TheWomenAtHitlersTable in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Rosella Postorino was born in Reggio Calabria in 1978 and is an internationally bestselling Italian author and an editor. She speaks fluent English, French and German.

"At the Wolf’s Table" (also titled "The Women at Hitler's Table") is her first novel to be translated into English. The book was an instant bestseller in Italy and won the prestigious Premio Campiello Literary Prize, one of Italy’s most important literary awards.

The rights for "At the Wolf’s Table" have now been sold to 22 publishers around the world and the book has been optioned for a film by Lionello Cerri’s Lumiere Film.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: The Shut Away Sisters by Suzanne Goldring

The Shut Away Sisters by Suzanne Goldring

Genre: Historical fiction, Dual timeline, WW1

Read: 23rd June 2021

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Published: 29th June 2021

★★★ 2.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

Two ordinary sisters. A long and brutal war. A heroic sacrifice…

London, 1915. As German bombs rain down on the East End of London and hungry children queue for rations in the blistering cold, fifteen-year-old Florrie is forced to grow up fast. With her father fighting in the muddy trenches, Florrie turns to her older sister Edith for comfort. But the war has changed Edith. She has grown quiet, with dark shadows under her eyes, and has started leaving the house at night in secret. When Florrie follows her sister through the dark and winding streets of London, she is shocked by what she discovers. But she knows she must keep her sister’s secret for the sake of their family, even if she herself must pay the ultimate price…

Years later Kate, running from her broken relationship, is sorting through her dead aunt Florrie’s house, which she shared with her sister Edith. As she sits on the threadbare carpets, looking at photos of Florrie during the war, she notices the change in her aunt – from carefree young girl with a hopeful smile to a hollow-cheeked young woman, with dark sad eyes.

Determined to put her family’s ghosts to rest, Kate must unearth the secret past of her two aunts. Why is there a hidden locked room in the little house they shared? What is the story behind the abandoned wedding dress wrapped in tissue and tied up with a ribbon? And when Kate discovers the tragic secrets that have bound her family together, will she ever be able to move on?

A heartbreaking historical novel of war, tragedy and the sacrifices we make for those we love. Fans of Fiona Valpy, Kristin Hannah and Victoria Hislop will be hooked by The Shut-Away Sisters.

MY REVIEW:

I've been am eager fan of Suzanne Goldring ever since her historical dual timeline debut "My Name is Eva", which absolutely loved, and was excited to delve into yet another of her heartbreaking historical reads. But sadly I found this one failed to live up to her other preceding three. At first I thought it was just a slow build up with a promise of things to come but it never actually got there.

1999: Thirty-something Kate is shocked to discover her partner of five years is having an affair so packs herself up and makes the journey to Dorset to stay with her parents. Whilst there, her father tells her that her Great-Aunt Florrie is in hospital and unlikely to return home to her large sprawling Victorian house on the outskirts of London. He suggests that Kate move into Florrie's house while she takes stock of her life and sorts herself out and then when the time comes, to help her father by sorting through things. 

Kate has vague memories of visiting her Great-Aunt there as a child but also remembers that both Florrie and her older sister Edith kept pretty much to themselves. In fact, she can't even recall a time she heard Edith speak. And Kate returns to the house and begins the process of creating an inventory of items before her brothers' horrid wives descend on the place like vultures picking at their prey. Soon after moving in, she visited Florrie in the hospital and appalled at the conditions and care she received there, made the necessary enquiries to relocate her to a comfortable nursing home. However, Florrie was only there a couple of days before she passed away and Kate berated herself for not being with her at the time.

Over time, she meets the neighbours - Marjorie, Peter, Tom and his wife, the widowed Dorothy and even the owners of the corner shop "All Hours" - who all remember Florrie fondly. It becomes clear that the residents of Coventry Road are a close-knit community that keep themselves to themselves but also look out for one another. But no one seems to remember much about Edith, who was too all intents and purposes, reclusive and only ventured out once a week for church at the end of the street.

It isn't long before Kate finds her demanding job as a public relations consultant is emotionally and physically draining and instead she finds solace in the peacefulness of Florrie's house. She meets antiques appraiser and dealer Nick at the church fete one day where she took an ugly looking vase along for appraisal. She was surprised to discover its value and wondered what else may lurk in the house of similar worth and although they continued to meet regularly, she never asked him to appraise anything else. 

And yet, she found herself becoming restless in her work and her life. Is this all that there is? Is this all her life is going to be? She thought she was on the cusp of marriage and children with David but look how that turned out. Could she, should she dare to hope for more?

1915: The country is at war and families are trying to hold it through rationing, loss of loved ones and terrible hardship. Florrie Henderson is faced with one tragedy after another as she relinquishes her own chances at happiness for her sister. We first meet Florrie when she is 13 years old and helping her mother run their household whilst her 18 year old sister Edith shuts herself away in her room upstairs writing poems and letters to her sweetheart Frank who left to fight the year before. Every day Edith listens for the postman for letters from Frank and is dismayed when there are none but delighted on the days there are. Either way, she shuts herself in her room to reflect and to write...something which Florrie can see no use in. Her father is also sent away to fight some years later and soon returns home at the end of the war but not without scars. Her younger brother Georgie was too young to fight but instead learnt his father's trade so he could one day take over the business.

When their father returned home, Edith was beside herself asking him if he had seen Frank. Where was Frank? Was he on his way home too? But their father hadn't seen him, saying that there were thousands of men out there. As the days and weeks turned into months and still there was no news of Frank, Edith still shut herself away writing. 

Florrie was 16 when the war ended and with it came the Spanish flu. When their mother collapsed and took ill, it was left to Florrie to keep the house and cook for them all, ensuring their father and Georgie were well fed while Edith only picked at her food...if she ever came down for meals at all. And then Florrie awoke one day after two weeks of sickness in which their father had to care for them all, and he was not well himself, what with the scars of the war he now carried from the mustard gas the Germans used. But now as she recovered from the Spanish flu, Florrie knew the responsibilities now sit on her shoulders as their mother had succumbed to it whilst Florrie was ill. All the while, Edith continued to believe that Frank was coming home to her and did little else but shut herself away and write day after day. 

One day, when walking in the park with their brother Georgie, Edith spots some soldiers and boys gathered together and she smiles coyly at them. Soon after, she began to disappear every week and then almost every day, rain or shine, returning hours later and locking herself away once again. When Florrie confronted her about her daily jaunts, Edith gushed her relief at being able to confide in her that Frank had returned and she had been meeting him. Florrie thought this unlikely but accepted her sister's story. It had become clear that Edith was so deranged with grief she was convinced Frank had returned to her. 

But what she didn't know was that Edith had a secret. A secret that could ruin her. And it is one that, once she discovered it, she would keep forever...to protect Edith. Even if it meant forgoing her own happiness.

Many years later, as Kate rifles through Florrie and Edith's possessions she comes across a locked door to which there is no key. Well, not one she has found anyway. What lies behind that door? What secrets does it hold? And will it reveal why the sisters never married?

THE SHUT AWAY SISTERS is told in dual perspectives of Florrie in the years 1915 through to 1924 and Kate in 1999 and this is generally my preferred style of book for historical fiction. But it felt as if I were reading two different books. I felt no connection between Florrie and Kate, despite their relationship to each other, nor any between the two differing eras. I kept waiting for something to happen to weave the stories together but nothing came. Although there is a link between the stories, it is threadbare and barely there at all. This saddened me greatly as I so love Suzanne's books but for me this one missed the mark.

Florrie's narrative is told in the form of a diary though no diary had really been uncovered or read to connect the two stories. Kate did come across one diary but shut it quickly believing it to be private so therefore didn't think of it again. It would have connected the two stories better had she began reading her Great-Aunt's diaries as Florrie's story unfolded in the alternating chapters from then on. But then I was confused as to the second lot of diaries which were discovered toward the end and she spent the time pouring over them and the secrets it held. But by then it was too late to connect the stories. And I though Florrie's diaries were sitting on a shelf in the sitting room downstairs...so what were these diaries? It was never really made clear although it alluded to them being Florrie's. All Edith seemed to write was poetry...and letters to Frank. I found that a little confusing.

The characters were hard to connect with and I couldn't bring myself to like Edith as much as tried to sympathise with her. She came across as selfish and thoughtless, did nothing to help at a time the family needed to pull together. Florrie was younger than her and was keeping things together whilst Edith ran off to "meet Frank" or shut herself in her room. If she was questioned, she would say "I'm busy writing" as if that were an excuse for everything. I'm not sure I liked Kate much either. I honestly couldn't decide.

This book had so much potential and I honestly struggled to finish it. I love Suzanne's dual timeline historical tales but I was sadly disappointed in this one. It could have been so much more. Still...I eagerly await her next historical read which I'm sure will be as equally heartbreaking and heartwarming as her previous tales.

I would like to thank #SuzanneGoldring, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheShutAwaySisters in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Following an eventful career as a public relations consultant, specialising in business and travel, Suzanne Goldring turned to writing the kind of novels she likes to read, about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. Whether she is working in her thatched cottage in Hampshire or her seaside home in North Cornwall, Suzanne finds inspiration in the secrets hidden by everyday life.  

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REVIEW: The Guilty Wife by Alison James

The Guilty Wife by Alison James

Genre: Psychological thriller, Psychological drama, Suspense, Mystery

Read: 14th June 2021

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Published: 22nd June 2021

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

At a luxury resort in the Maldives, two newlywed couples are on honeymoon. On the surface, they seem to have it all. But behind the filtered photos and fake smiles is the truth…

Tansy isn’t really in love.

Daniel is trying to escape the biggest mistake of his life.

Nikki’s past is catching up with her.

Arne’s heart is about to be broken.

They all have secrets. And before the honeymoon is over, their happiness will be shattered.

Because one of them is going to die…

This dark, addictive thriller will have you gripped until the final, shocking twist. Fans of Behind Closed Doors, The Guest List and The Wife Between Us will be hooked by the latest page-turner from US top five bestseller Alison James.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Alison James' latest psychological thriller THE GUILTY WIFE (previously titled "Happily Ever After").

First of all, the luxury resort was not in The Maldives (which is off the coast of India) but Mauritius (which is off the coast of South Africa) - the only similarity being that they are both in the Indian Ocean. I was kind of disappointed that it wasn't in The Maldives, as the premise promised, as I've always wanted to go there so it would have been nice to visit via a book. Sometimes one has to wonder if whoever writes these premises has actually read the book, some of them are so way off base. 

But that aside THE GUILTY WIFE, which I believe was better of titled with it's original "Happily Ever After", turned out to be not what I expected. Particularly as the setting for this rather complicated psychological thriller takes the reader on a whirlwind ride across continents from England, Mauritius, Australia and Thailand. I felt jet-lagged just reading the book!

Two hours before she is due to marry Alistair, Pippa Bryant turns up to the registry office already crowded with their guests clad in jeans and a t-shirt to call off their wedding. Realising that while they are comfortable together, they aren't actually in love anymore. So since her parents paid for their luxury honeymoon to Mauritius, which was non-refundable, Pippa decides to enjoy the holiday on her own. But she soon discovers that being alone in a resprt rife with honeymooners is not quite as much fun as she had anticipated. 

Surrounded by loved-up couples, Pippa hones in on the only other vacationer who appears to be on their own - a seemingly grumpy middle-aged man who rebuffs her attempts at conversation. She tries to befriend him but he isn't receptive though he does introduce himself as James Cardle. After a bit of web-surfing she discovers that Cardle is a private investigator from London. So what is he doing on Mauritius? Or rather, who is he investigating here? Determined not to spend her entire holiday alone and armed with a bottle of wine one evening, Pippa turns up at Cardle's hut to share a couple of drinks together. As they enjoy a playful banter, they hear a couple of screams followed by the appearance of one of the honeymooners, a look of shock on his face. Pippa and Cardle follow the direction in which the man, Daniel Halligan, was pointing and are shocked by their discovery.

We have two honeymooning couples who are hiding their own secrets...but is it enough to have one of them killed? So who of the players do we have that could be involved? 

Tansy - wealthy and beautiful Australian/Filipino and social media influencer who makes a living out of sponsors gifting her their products for her to sprout them to the world via social media. Her honeymoon was a gift from one of her sponsors and she is there, not to enjoy the first forays of wedded bliss, but to document her entire honeymoon with live coverage for her fans. As with anything Tansy, the honeymoon is fake, as she arrives with her hair stylist and makeup artist to ensure she looks her best for her fans. Back home in Australia, she is a the founder and proprietor of Hiraya Shakes, a green health food shake she promotes as having cured her of lupus while recruiting "angels" to sell for her therefore making money off them.

Daniel - Tansy's new-suffering husband, who left Britain some years before to backpack around Australia before settling in Sydney. He is escaping his second worst nightmare, an ill-fated property venture that has all but bankrupted him and from which his new wife had rescued him. He spends their honeymoon sipping drinks by the pool and going on catamaran trips to see dolphins. Alone.

Nikki - a thirty-something young woman from Britain who has arrived in Mauritius with her husband Arne to enjoy their first days of wedded bliss. She compliments Tansy on a designer dress she is wearing one evening, pouring over its beauty, when Tansy proclaims she will have it cleaned and sent to her to keep, as she has plenty of items by this designer anyway. Nikki is thrilled and gushing her thanks. But Nikki has a secret from her past that is about to catch up with her.

Arne - Swedish and the oldest of the couples, he is a wealthy and successful with possibly a lot to lose. But he loves Nikki and the couple are most definitely loved-up honouring their vows "till death to us part". They are the only couple intent on living the dream of wedded bliss on their honeymoon. Until it all goes wrong...

After the incident, police are called and everyone gives their statements. And then, everyone goes their separate ways. The Halligans flee back to Australia, the Lindgrens to Sweden whilst Pippa returns to England and her mundane job in insurance. She also has to deal with moving out of the flat she and Alistair had shared for nearly six years. But nothing would prepare her for what she discovers the day after she returns...and all at once the late nights, the no sex and the withdrawal of affection makes perfect sense. Alistair had been seeing someone else. And now she is moving in and taking Pippa's place.

Life couldn't get any worse, that is until Pippa finds herself out of a job as well as homeless. But she soon finds a flat above an old coach house and a sometimes companion for an independent elderly lady, and though the rent is cheap, Pippa knows she needs to find herself a job. So she looks up Jim Cardle and heads over to his office offering her services to keep some sort of order to his incredibly messy office and filing system. And soon the pair are jet-setting off to Australia to investigate claims of Tansy's fraud and the possibility of Daniel Halligan's guilt over what happened in Mauritius, given that they fled soon after. Their investigations take them all over Australia to Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth with the only capitals not visited being Hobart, Adelaide and Darwin. But their travels didn't stop there...and I got jet-lagged just reading it!

THE GUILTY WIFE begins at a steady pace, I wouldn't say slow, but just a relaxed pace as the couple settle into their honeymoon with Pippa people-watching. You think it will be another predictable run of the mill thriller but that's where you're wrong. Once this tale gets warmed up, the plotting becomes very complex indeed, very clever and very compelling. With a tapestry of circumstances cleverly woven together, we are confronted with blackmail, murder, suicide, fraud and grief to name a few...not to mention vanity, self-absorption and the fakeness portrayed to highlight that things are not always what they seem. And this book is definitely one of them!

There are twists that are unexpected and a lot of jet-setting for Pippa who's teamed up with James to help solve the underlying mysteries. They certainly make a good team as they travel the globe to uncover the truth amidst the lies. There is most definitely a chemistry between them that is hard to ignore and at times becomes intense.

The characters are all well developed with some likeable and one most definitely not so likeable. Throughout the book, we are given glimpses into their stories and what lead them to where they are now and more importantly, to Mauritius. The story unfolds through the eyes and narratives of Pippa and Daniel, but through them we get to know the other players just as well. The book itself is divided into five parts as the story begins with Pippa and Daniel respectively on Mauritius but then goes back a year to Daniel's story in Australia and what lead him to where he now finds himself before moving back to the present day and the underlying investigation. Don't be fooled into thinking it's confusing, because it's not. It is incredibly well thought out and cleverly written. 

My only complaints, firstly the fact that there was a discrepancy with the name of a church, in which a couple had been married citing it being the same church that one of them was then buried, was actually two different names - St Nicholas as the first and the second St Peters and yet it was stated as being the same church. I found it just a small error but within the space of the same chapter it should have been picked up. 

My biggest issue with the book is the ending. I felt the Epilogue was practically a non-event and didn't see why it was even included as there was no real finality to it. As it ended at the bottom of the page, I flicked it over expecting there to be more...and there wasn't. I was a little disappointed given how things had developed to have left it there. While other reviewers are hoping for a second book to pick up where this one left off, I'm fully aware that that's not how these thrillers pan out. They are not a series so therefore there will not be a sequel. And that's why the ending is somewhat disappointing.

I also think the original title "Happily Ever After" is far more fitting than THE GUILTY WIFE, which I don't believe fits, because in the end...no one is happy ever after.

But that aside, THE GUILTY WIFE is a delicious drama that is most definitely a riveting read. The pace begins steadily but picks up to the rate of knots which will have you turning the pages to find out what happens next. Though it's not her best book, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and have no hesitation in recommending it to those who enjoy complex psychological thrillers.

I would like to thank #AlisonJames, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGuiltyWife in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Born in the Cotswolds, Alison spent most of her formative years abroad. She studied languages at Oxford, then became a journalist and author, returning to university after her two children to take a law degree. After a three-year stint as a criminal paralegal, Alison worked as a commercial copywriter and then a TV storyliner, before coming full circle to write fiction again.

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REVIEW: Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls by Lizzie Lane

Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls (The Tobacco Girls #2) by Lizzie Lane

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, Wartime fiction, WW2

Read: 17th June 2021

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Published: 8th June 2021

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Nothing will stop the The Tobacco Girls, not even war...

BRISTOL 1940.

The Tobacco Girls cling together as they realise that the clouds of war are turning dark, the world is becoming more dangerous and their lives more unpredictable. 

Bridget Milligan’s big, happy family fragments when her siblings are evacuated to North Devon, then a letter from America further fills her with dismay.

Maisie Miles safe haven from both Eddie Bridgeman and her father is jeopardised and she is forced to move on, but where too this time? 

Phyllis Mason is struck down by tragedy and her life spirals downwards into despair until a new horizons beckons, but also perhaps great danger...

Regardless of the rationing, shortages and an ever-worsening situation, The Tobacco Girls all pull together and hope for better days to come.

MY REVIEW:

I'm excited to be taking part in the #BlogTour for the second exciting installment in Lizzie Lane's wartime saga DARK DAYS FOR THE TOBACCO GIRLS.

Following on from "The Tobacco Girls", DARK DAYS FOR THE TOBACCO GIRLS is the delightful second book revisiting the girls and their ventures in working class Bristol since the outbreak of war. Lives have changed for them all as the danger looms closer than ever before with the growing threat that Britain will be invaded at any time. 

Once again we meet up with Bridget, Maisie and Phyllis in 1940s Bristol as the city prepares for bombing with the installation of air raid shelters, ARP patrols and incendiary duty on top of the tobacco factory in which the girls worked. Calling themselves the 3 M's due to their respective surnames - Milligan, Miles and Mason - the three women have remained steadfast friends despite Phyllis' recent marriage which then saw her giving up work at the tobacco factory. 

With the threat of invasion and bombings, Bridget's parents decide to evacuate the six younger siblings to the North Devon countryside. But no sooner have they gone than her mother experiences the heartache and anguish of letting her babies go. But they know that the children, ranging in ages from four to thirteen, will be safe from any harm there...which is resoundingly reiterated when bombing soon begins. Spending most of her spare time with her parents in the absence of a house full of children, Bridget watches for the postman every day...hoping against all hope that Lyndon O'Neill remembers her and has written. Bridget met Lyndon, an American whose family own a the factory's biggest supplier of tobacco, the previous year when he was touring the factory. At the time, Bridget had shown Lyndon the historical sites of Bristol but it was apparent that there was really only one sight he was interested in and that was Bridget herself. 

But now that he is back in America, his snobbish mother has contrived a meeting of one of her wealthy friends' daughter in the hope of combining their fortunes. But Lyndon, knowing his mother all too well, saw through her scheming and refused to partake in the possible nuptials insisting to his father his intentions of returning to England...and Bridget. But in his absence, his letters have been few and Bridget wonders if he has lost interest. And then, the Milligans travel to North Devon to spend a week with their children in the sprawling farmhouse in which four of their children have been billeted. It is there that Bridget meets their son, James Cottrell. And the likeness to Lyndon is uncanny. Is Bridget about to fall in love with James? Or will she stay true to Lyndon and the hope he will return?

Since escaping York Street in one of the filthiest parts of the city as well as the clutches of Eddie Bridgeman and her evil stepfather Frank Miles, Maisie has moved into the Llandoger Trow pub with Aggie Hill, who also works at the tobacco factory. Whilst by day she strips tobacco and by night she serves behind the bar, Maisie feels as though life is looking up for her at last. She may not have two pennies to rub together or talk proper like her well-read friend Bridget or Phyllis now that she's married up, but she doesn't suffer fools and isn't afraid to call a spade a spade. So when she hears that Eddie has been looking for her and that Frank has been released from prison, Maisie can't help but feel her world is about to come crumbling down. With the younger children having been evacuated, Bridget offers one of their rooms on a temporary basis until she can find something more suitable...preferably as far away from both Eddie and Frank as possible. But just how long can she escape them?

While married women generally do give up work, given there is a war raging they are entitled to remain employed, particularly if their husbands are away fighting. However, when Phyllis married Robert Harvey she gave up her right to independence as he forbade any wife of his working. So Phyllis had to resign herself to life under the same roof as her cruel and unkind mother-in-law Hilda Harvey who saw fit to make her life miserable at every turn. Hilda didn't even allow her friends, Bridget and Maisie, to visit because they were of a lower class and as she was now Robert's wife she had a middle class reputation to uphold. But Phyllis didn't care for social niceties. She didn't love Robert, or even like him! After a fling with her typing tutor, Phyllis had found herself in the family way so she accepted Robert's proposal to maintain her reputation and that of her unborn child. But Hilda saw right through the announcement of a "honeymoon baby" and didn't hesitate to snip and snipe at Phyllis about it. Phyllis found herself missing the life she once had and her friends, locked away in the Harvey household like a virtual prisoner.

Then a telegram arrives from the War Office stating that Robert is "missing, presumed dead". Relief floods through Phyllis at the thought that she could possibly be free and begins to plot her escape from the stifling clutches of Hilda Harvey, who firmly believes her place is at their house awaiting Robert's return. Unable to gain access to her war pension payment book as Hilda keeps it locked in her bureau, Phyllis enlists the help of her two closest friends to find her a job and a place to stay...far away from Hilda and without any chance of her tracking her down. Although she is sad to leave her father-in-law who is lovely, he is sadly so under Hilda's thumb and Phyllis knows if she is to survive she needs to escape the clutches of her dreadful and controlling mother-in-law.

As war continues to rage around Bristol, the three women are battling wars of a different kind as they each face their own personal challenges amidst food rationing and shortages, evacuation, air raids whilst trying to keep a roof over their heads. Relationships can be fleeting but during wartime they are precious, as no one knows what tomorrow may bring. This can lead to decisions made in haste with far reaching consequences.

The story is told from various perspectives but is easy enough to follow throughout. We are privy to secrets, love interests, conundrums and even criminality as the reader is given a glimpse of each character throughout. Although DARK DAYS FOR THE TOBACCO GIRLS is the second in the series, it can be read as a standalone with enough backstory given to keep the reader up to date. However, to do so would rob one of all of the compelling circumstances that lead our Three M's to where they are now. So if you haven't already done so, do yourself a favour and read the first book "The Tobacco Girls".

Wonderful historical wartime fiction, DARK DAYS FOR THE TOBACCO GIRLS touches on the very real circumstances in which those who lived through the war endured. The food shortages, the rationing, the black market, the air-raids, the horror of the bombings and the loss of their loved ones over the course of six years. But throughout such dire hardships, there is a stoicness in these women and anyone who lived through it which shines through the pages of this captivating series set in wartime.

I was a bit surprised by the ending. It just kind of stopped...and to be honest I did expect a little more to end on. Still, this is a series and I expect a third one is in the pipeline as I write this. I look forward to seeing where the next one will lead us...and Bridget, Maisie and Phyllis as we await the happiness for which they are searching.

A tale of lasting friendships and of strength amidst war, DARK DAYS FOR THE TOBACCO GIRLS is both heartbreaking and heartwarming...and is sure to touch your heart.

I would like to thank #LizzieLane, #Netgalley, #RachelsRandomResources and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #DarkDaysForTheTobaccoGirls in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lizzie Lane is the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. She was born and bred in Bristol where many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories. This has inspired her new saga series for Boldwood The Tobacco Girls, the first part of which will be published in January 2021. 

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