The Staffymum's Book Nook: November 2023

Published: 16th November 2023

★★★ 3.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Every family has secrets. Would you kill to keep yours?

It’s midnight in the hospital when Jude’s phone rings, interrupting her precious fifteen-minute break. When she sees it’s her seventy-year-old mother, Margaret, she braces herself for the usual complaints. But her blood runs cold at four words that will change everything... ‘Something terrible has happened.’

Margaret has been accused of an unspeakable crime committed twenty years ago. She insists she’s not guilty, and begs Jude to help her prove it. But as Jude is drawn into the dark secrets of her family’s past, she starts to question whether her mother is really as innocent as she claims to be.

Soon, Jude realises what happened twenty years ago is more entangled with her own life than she could ever have imagined. And as she stands face-to-face with her mother’s accuser, she knows the cost of protecting her family will be someone else’s life...

From bestselling author Lucy Dawson comes an insanely compelling page-turner perfect for anyone who tore through The Family Upstairs and Gone Girl.

MY THOUGHTS:

How far will she go to hide the truth...?

I'm not sure about the night she lied...depending on who you're talking about, they lie throughout the entire book it seems! Well, one character in particular anyway. I mean, every family have complex dynamics and hold their own secrets. But those that are facing Jude, threaten to turn her entire world on its axis.

Jude is an A&E nurse working the endless night shifts, at her behest, having lost of her partner a year before and suffering insomnia ever since. Becoming nocturnal is her way of coping. During the break of one of her shifts, she meets charasmatic Rik who is also nocturnal by choice and the two form a kind of understanding and, dare she say it, friendship. Until one night, she receives a troubling phone call from her mother prompting her to drop everything and race up to Berkshire. What awaits her is nothing short of a nightmare.

Lady Margaret Fawkes has been evicted from her lifelong home at Highcombe (Hall, Manor...I can't remember which - a big stately house at any rate), in which she had grown up as a child and spent her married life there alongside her newspaper mogul husband Benedict, at her father's and then her brother's discretion. Highcombe is entailed to pass down to the next male heir in the line and after the death of Lady Margaret's brother Anthony, the estate is then passed down to her nephew Timothy who has returned from his home in South Africa with his family to restore Highcombe and make it a working/running estate gaining income from functions and open days. Lady Margaret is appalled at the idea. But Lady Margaret has been evicted to a cottage on the estate, which is still a mansion by most people's standards...but not Lady Margaret.

When Jude arrives at Highcombe, it is to the devastating news that her mother Lady Margaret has been arrested and charged with historic sexual abuse. Jude is shocked. Her mother? This cannot be true. But there is an even bigger shock to come. And the hole that Lady Margaret pushes for Jude to dig herself just gets bigger and bigger...until she is left to flounder alone!

From the cliffhanger the prologue left us with as it then rewound a couple of years, readers know that something jawdropping is going to happen before the end. So it is expected. But is it what we expected? Or something else entirely? For me, it was a mixture of both while at the same time I didn't find it to be as earth shattering as I thought. Maybe because I knew it was coming? I don't know. At any rate, it does throw a different spin on things although right from the life-changing event happening, we knew what really happened but what everyone else got was lie after lie after lie. The shocker was Jude's cousin Timothy's testimony in court. That threw a whole new light on things. But did it change anything?

The characters are a complex bunch. I didn't really warm to Jude though I did sympathise with her. Rik, I wasn't too sure about as his appearance seemed a little too coincidental, but at first glance I liked him. But was he to be trusted? Johnnie was the poor hapless solicitor friend of the family who I found endearing. Timothy was caught in the middle of Lady Margaret's complex drama and then there was Lady Margaret herself. She was something else. A complex but completely horrible character. The way she treated everyone as if they were dirt on her shoe, the way she could take a character trait and turn it into a failing, especially when it came to her daughter, was appalling. She was a completely horrible character.

The story unfolds through the past and present, with a few flashback chapters to 1994 when the alleged abuse occurred. It is mostly told in Jude's first person narrative but also switches to the third person perspective of the cold and aloof Lady Margaret as well as detailing childhood scenes from 1994. It is quite a dark read and while it does feature child sexual abuse it is not graphic in nature and is only alluded to in part.

This is a hard book to rate. I enjoyed it for the most part but it's not one of Dawson's best. I'm not sure why. I was certainly engaged throughout though I did feel it dip a little and drag out some, but on the whole there was something missing. Maybe the characters being so unlikeable it was hard to connect with any of them though it was still an interesting read. I wanted to love this book but by the end, it did fall a little flat for me.

I would like to thank #LucyDawson, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheNightSheLied in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lucy has been writing psychological suspense novels since 2008, when her first bestseller - His Other Lover - was published. Since then her work has been translated into numerous languages.

Her gripping books jump in at the deep end... the extraordinary things that can happen to ordinary couples, families and friends with devastating conclusions.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

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

Tuesday 28 November 2023

REVIEW: The Altar Girls by Patricia Gibney

The Altar Girls (Detective Lottie Parker #13) by Patricia Gibney

Genre: Crime fiction, Crime thriller, Mystery, Police procedural

Read: 27th November 2023

Published: 9th November 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The little girl looked like an angel in her thin white robe, her long black hair spread around her head like a dark halo on the snow. Her hands rested on her chest, fingers interlaced as if she had fallen asleep while praying. But she would never wake up again…

When Detective Lottie Parker receives news that a child’s body has been found in the frozen grounds of the cathedral, a shiver runs down her spine. She’s terrified it will be eight-year-old Willow Devine, reported missing that morning.

But when she arrives at the cathedral, holding a photo of Willow with her blonde ponytail and gap-toothed smile, she gets a terrible shock. The body is a young girl, wrapped in a white shroud, a rosary clutched in her frozen fingers. But her hair is dark, not fair. This girl isn’t Willow but another eight-year-old, Naomi.

Desperate to find a connection between the two girls and to find Willow before it is too late, Lottie speaks to the girls’ families and discovers that both girls were altar servers at the cathedral. The charismatic priest Father Maguire has a watertight alibi for the time the girls went missing, but Lottie suspects the confused old lady traumatised by the discovery of Naomi’s body is hiding something…

A day later, Willow’s little body is found wrapped in a white robe in the snowy grounds of a church across town. Lottie is devastated, convinced now that she can’t trust anyone, least of all the girls’ parents. Why did Willow’s mother claim the girls didn’t know each other? And why are there no photos of Naomi in her mother’s shabby house?

But when a little boy from the choir goes missing too, Lottie realises she must spread her net wider. Can she stop this twisted killer before another precious life is stolen?

A completely compelling page-turner from bestselling author Patricia Gibney. If you like Rachel Caine, Kendra Elliott and Robert Dugoni, The Altar Girls will have you hooked.

MY THOUGHTS:

The thirteenth installment of the Lottie Parker series, I'm beginning to wonder if Lottie and Boyd are ever getting married. They've been engaged forever. But then again, life hasn't gotten easier either.

Last book Boyd had brought his 8 year old son Sergio to England to live with him...until Boyd's ex-wife Jackie returned and snatched him back, thus scarpering and living in hiding for the past three months. Boyd has spent the past three months searching for them to no no avail. Jackie and Sergio had vanished.

As for Lottie, her mum's dementia is progressing and this time I am finding that part of the storyline a little confronting as my own dad suffers from dementia and we have just put him in a care facility kicking and screaming, so it was just a little too close to home for him this time round. Of course, I don't see why her children don't help out a little more. They are all living at home and are better placed to do so rather than Lottie who works 20 hour days, especially when on an investigation.

This time the case at hand are two little girls found within hours of each other in the midst of a snowtstorm in the cathedral ground, clasping a hymn sheet in their hands. Why would someone kill two 8 year old girls? They were both in the choir there and from single parent families struggling to make ends meet. Is this a coincidence? The more Lottie digs, the answers keep coming back to Father Keith Macguire and the cathedral. Is he as innocent as he claims?

A parallel story is one of a car crash in Ballina in the north of the country with the body of an unidentified woman inside. No one knows who she is. There was no handbag, no identification, nothing to indicate who she might be. What has she to do with the case in Ragmullin?

This is one of the longer tales Gibney has spun at over 500 pages but it didn't feel as such with the short snappy chapters that kept the pace moving steadily along. But every time I pick up a book in this series it always seems to be snowing and is perpetually freezing. I know they have a totally different climate to me but it can't always be that cold ALL THE TIME. hahaha. I have friends from Northern Ireland and it rains...a lot...but they do get blue skies and the occasional nice day. Every book in this series seems to be shrouded in snow.

Anyway, it is another exciting addition to the series and wrapped up nicely by the end. I do have to wonder will Boyd and Lottie ever get married? They very nearly made it twice but now life just seems to get in the way. Ms Gibney, please give them their happy ending.

Overall, another compelling and enjoyable addition to the series.

I would like to thank #PatriciaGibney, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheAltarGirls in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Patricia Gibney is an Irish author of crime fiction who sold 100,000 copies of her first crime thriller as an e-book, and had total sales exceeding 500,000 copies in 2018. By 2019, total book sales had passed one million.

Patricia is from Mullingar, County Westmeath and has lived there all her life. She spent 30 years working with Westmeath County Council.

When her husband died in 2009, aged 49, three months after a diagnosis of cancer, Patricia turned to art and writing, self-publishing a children's book entitled 'Spring Sprong Sally'. She then started writing crime fiction and created her first novel in that genre featuring DI Lottie Parker with 'The Missing Ones'. She worked with the Irish Writers Centre to improve her writing. Eventually she began a second novel 'The Stolen Girls' and through that acquired an agent and a publishing contract with Bookouture.

Patricia currently has 11 DI Lottie Parker novels to date, with the eleventh 'The Guilty Girl' to be published in June 2021, and is set in the fictional Irish town of Ragmullin, which is an anagram of the real-life town of Mullingar, where Patricia lives.

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

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

Friday 24 November 2023

COVER REVEAL: What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena

Are you ready to be chilled and thrilled?

Are you ready for the new Shari Lapena thriller?

Then look no further!
Today this stunning new cover has been revealed for the chilling new thriller
"What Have You Done?"
(description below)

Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill, Vermont.

The teenagers get their kicks telling ghost stories in the old graveyard. The parents trust their kids will arrive home safe from school. Everyone knows everyone. Curtains rarely twitch. Front doors are left unlocked.

But this morning all of that will change.

Because Diana Brewer isn’t lying safely in her bed where she belongs. Instead she lies in a hayfield, circled by vultures, discovered by a local farmer.

How quickly a girl becomes a ghost. How quickly a town of friendly, familiar faces becomes a town of suspects, a place of fear and paranoia.

Someone in Fairhill did this. Everyone wants answers.

And one innocent question could be deadly.

Coming 18th July 2024

Thanks to Bantam Books UK (Transworld Books) and Shari Lapena

REVIEW: Trouble at Fishers Wharf by Tracy Baines

Trouble at Fishers Wharf (Fishers Wharf #2) by Tracy Baines

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW1

Read: 24th November 2023

Published: 9th November 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The winds of war bring uncertainty but also opportunity…

With the outbreak of War, the fishing fleet is confined to port, bringing hardship to the families and businesses of Fishers Wharf.

Ruth Evans awaits the safe return of her father’s last trawler carrying her wayward brother Henry, the future of the family business. But unbeknown to their father, Henry sees war as a chance to break free from the constraints of his privileged background and follow his heart.

Much is expected of Ruth. Her marriage to Arthur Marshall will help realise her father’s dream uniting two of the largest trawler companies in Grimsby. But will Ruth choose the path of duty or destiny?

Ruth’s friendship with hardworking Letty Hardy sustains her. Separated by class, they are united through their work for the Fishermen’s Mission as Letty battles to keep her business and family afloat while husband Alec serves on the minesweepers.

Can they navigate the treacherous waters ahead – or will they be caught by hidden dangers?

MY THOUGHTS:

A little kindness goes a long way...

This is the second book in the Fishers Wharf series though it can easily be read as a standalone...as the first one can too. While the first one focused on Letty establishing herself a life outside of the fishers wharves whilst bumping heads with her cantankerous mother-in-law Dorcas, this one centres on Ruth Evans who is of a different class to Letty though the two women do become friends in a world where one doesn't cross the great class divide.

Ruth Evans lives a very comfortable life with her father, Richard, and two brothers Henry and Charles. Having lost her mother at a young age, it had been up to her father's sister, Helen Frampton, to help raise her and her brothers whilst steering her towards a suitable match in Arthur Marshall. Unfortunately, the match is one of practicality and not of love for Ruth finds him somewhat dull as dishwater but Arthur's family has one of the three largest trawler companies - her father's being one and Frampton's being the other. This marriage will unite the Evans and the Marshalls to create an even bigger empire. But is it what Ruth really wants? Unfortunately what she wants doesn't come into it.

Her brother Charles has bought a commission as an officer and is in training for battle. Her youngest brother Henry who, at just 19, was to oversee the trawlers so that he can help take on the reigns when their father retires. But Henry has other ideas. He doesn't want to push paper or sit behind a desk. He wants to work with the men, get his hands dirty. But his father believes that is beneath him as an Evans. And then he announces that he wants to join the naval branch of trawlers (name escapes me just now) to which his father throws an apoplectic fit. Ruth doesn't want to see either brother lost and would rather they both remain home.

Ruth befriends Letty Hardy much to the annoyance of their counterparts. Ruth is middle class while Letty is working class...and never the twain shall meet. But these two women don't care much or stand on ceremony. Life is too short for such nonsense and with the war raging just across the channel, it is also precious. The two form a friendship whilst working at the Fisherman's mission. Added to her success at Parker's, she opens a cafe which proves just as successful. But alas, she becomes burnt out whilst keeping the home fires burning whilst husband Alec is at sea as a minesweeper. She returns to her family farm in Lowestoft for a break but ends up feeling much worse. Meanwhile Ruth gets stuck in helping out at the mission.

There is so much more to this story but you will just have to check it out yourself. It is a nice easy read but to be honest, I did like the first one better. Though this one was a close second. Even Dorcas, who can be a little cantankerous at times grows on you.

I love the backdrop of WW1 which was a completely different time to that of WW2 and the expectations and life of those at home were a lot different. Another wonderful tale from Tracy Baines and the shores of Lincolnshire (though no Guy Martin in these pages...lol) The ending is a little up in the air but that of course is to pave the way for a third installment for which I can't wait.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Tracy Baines was born in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire. When she was eight her parents took over the management of the pub opposite the pier, The Pier Hotel. One of the rooms had been closed up and her father reopened it as a music venue bringing performers such as Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, Billy J Kramer and Billy Fury to start the ball rolling.

So began her love of live entertainment, and with something of a virtual free pass, Tracy and her sisters got to see many variety performers who appeared in summer seasons and pantomimes on the end of the pier show.

From the age of sixteen, Tracy worked backstage during summer seasons, pantomimes and everything else in-between on the pier. She met her husband when he was appearing with the Nolan Sisters and she was Assistant Stage Manager.

The first two books in the Variety Girls series are set in Cleethorpes, in the square mile that was her childhood home.

Tracy lives in Dorset with her husband and springer spaniel, Harry. Her children and grandchildren live close by.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Thursday 23 November 2023

REVIEW: We All Keep Secrets by Sheryl Browne

We All Keep Secrets by Sheryl Browne

Genre: Domestic suspense, Psychological thriller

Read: 23rd November 2023

Amazon

Published: 6th November 2023

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I look into baby Fern’s crib, and my heart pounds. I’m her nanny, I was supposed to keep her safe. I hear the police downstairs, and the next words I hear make my legs buckle underneath me. ‘It was the nanny. She’s guilty’.

When I first walked into Jake and Megan’s immaculate home, I felt totally at ease. Sitting in the crisp white living room, they held hands and talked lovingly about their baby girl, Fern.

As the weeks passed, I began to think I’d made a mistake in taking the job. Jake was overly friendly from the start, watching my every move and always offering to drop me home, even though it was out of his way. And Megan seemed to take pleasure in telling me off in front of her husband, blaming me for things I hadn’t done.

The first time I heard the Haringtons arguing behind the door to their bedroom, I heard my name mentioned, and then they went silent. I should have left right there and then.

Now, as I stand accused of something terrible, my whole past is revealed and the Haringtons admit to knowing every detail about why I was sacked from my last job. We all have secrets, but little do they realise, I know theirs too…

With twist after twist, this is perfect for fans of The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and The Girl on the Train. A gripping thriller you don’t want to miss!

MY THOUGHTS:

We all keep secrets...do we? Except in Jake and Megan's case they really didn't. They shouted them from the rooftops in a bid to outwit the other. This entire domestic debacle is a shouting match from start to finish. I don't know who's worse as they are both as bad as each other. And Ellie? She's a deluded fool. There were warning bells and red flags flashing all about that house and still she stayed. I would have run a mile.

It is hard to like any of the handful of characters in this very messy tale. Because none of them are likeable. And none of them are completely believable either. So who is telling the biggest whoppers of them all?

And then there are the children. Six year old Ollie and three month olf Fern, who becomes a tragic victim at the centre of this nightmare. Both who completely deserved better. And still Jake and Megan scream at other. In front of their children, in front of Ellie, in front of dinner guests. Have they no shame?

It's clear the marriage is in tatters and it's beyond me why either of them stayed. And yet it's a secret that keeps them bound to each other. That and the kids. But really? And was it all worth it? For one of them, probably; for the other, definitely not. The entire book was a cat and mouse game between them that I just wanted to bang their heads together and couldn't wait to escape their presence altogether. The pair of them were clearly toxic.

The first half of the book is told from unsuspecting Ellie's perspective before we move into the second half which alternates between Jake and Megan's inflammatory narratives, most of which retells the first half but from their perspective. And then we get a different insight into what was actually happening when Ellie opened the door to find Jake there or when she was walking down the stairs as Megan came storming in. While it did provide a few insights it wasn't all that enlightening because it was clear they were both nutters anyway.

And then there was the ending. I was disappointed in that and unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. I was hoping for a twist that was bound to shock or surprise (as Sheryl has been known to do) but none materialised and the epilogue simply left me frustrated and unsatisifed. I mean, what? After the build up and that's what happened?

The writing was skilful and it was was well-plotted. I just didn't warm to any of the characters and was left disappointed for an ending I stuck around for expecting better. Not a bad read but not one of her best either. But never fear...Sheryl is a skilled writer with a fantabulous library of thrillers under her belt so I know that while I may not enjoy every book, her next one will probably leave me breathless.

I would like to thank #SherylBrowne, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #WeAllKeepSecrets in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Sheryl Browne writes psychological thriller and edgy contemporary fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and awarded a Red Ribbon by The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies, where she completed her MA in Creative Writing.

When she's not writing Sheryl can usually be found messing about on the water in her little narrowboat, Aquaduck, which she says she can generally be found falling off and she admits to being a bit accident prone.

Sheryl lives in Worcestershire with her partner and a variety of disabled dogs, of whom she says "my furry-friends give me back much more than I could ever give them. I really wouldn’t be me without them." According to readers of her thrillers, she also apparently makes an excellent psychopath.

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

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

Wednesday 22 November 2023

REVIEW: Husband and Wife by K.L. Slater

Husband and Wife by K.L. Slater

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 21st November 2023

Published: 3rd November 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

We promised to keep each other’s secrets. Until they found the body…

The Wife:

My husband and I are fighting for our lives in hospital after a terrible car accident. But despite my pain, all I can think about is what our families will find behind our front door. The scarf that has been all over the news, belonging to a dead young woman with honey-coloured hair. I have to speak to the police before my husband can…

The Husband:

I’m drifting in and out of consciousness, but when I hear my wife talking to the police, accusing me of the murder of an innocent woman, a cold fear grips me. I know I’ve got a temper. That I’ve not always been faithful. Will they think I killed her?

I think of my wife’s jealous streak, of the lies she’s told our loved ones. But if I tell the whole truth, they’ll look into her past. And that will destroy me, too…

Two people fighting for their lives. Two people with secrets to hide. Who will you believe?

A completely compelling and twisty page-turner from number 1 bestselling author K.L. Slater. Fans of Lisa Jewell and Freida McFadden will be hooked by Husband and Wife.

MY THOUGHTS:

"I have something very important to tell you. But you mustn't tell anyone..."

Kim Slater continues to thrive with her deluge of thrillers and this one she well and truly had me hoodwinked. Though when the villain was revealed I was surprised but not shocked...because everything just fell into place with that one piece of knowledge. All throughout, with her sleight of hand deftly moving the pieces, Kim weaves a tale which pitches wife against husband and husband against wife. And despite having the facts laid out before us, I was still blindly lead up a false trail wanting so badly for the villain to be someone else entirely. And while she was deftly moving the pieces behind the scenes, I didn't see the truth until she spelled it out for us. And it had been hiding in plain sight.

Nicola and Cal are excited to be babysitting their seven year old grandson, a rare occurrence given that their relationship with their son and his wife appear to be somewhat strained. But a night out at a dinner dance his firm is holding, Parker delivers their son to his parents on their way out for the evening and into the night. His wife Luna naturally remains in the car and Nicola can't understand why the woman never makes an effort with them. But regardless, for Parker's and Barney's sakes she tries to offer an olive branch but it's swept away each time.

Before leaving, Parker whispers to his mother that he needs to talk to her the following day when his father was at work and Luna safely back at home. His words "I have something very important to tell you. But you mustn't tell anyone" have her intrigued and pondering what could be so important that he only wished to confide in her. And without his wife's knowledge.

But the conversation was never to take place. Because at 2am the following morning, she's shaken awake by Cal and the strobing blue lights lighting up their bedroom. Downstairs the police rang the doorbell. There had been a very serious road traffic accident in which their son Parker and his wife Luna had been seriously injured.

Leaving Cal at home to look after their sleeping grandson, Nicola rushes the hospital to find out just how serious this accident was and in what condition her son was. When she arrives, Parker is in the trauma unit and is barely coherent. Knowing that his condition is critical and that Luna is also injured, Nicola realises that it's left up to her to take over the care of her grandson Barney in his parents' absence and makes arrangements with the nursing staff to access Parker's belongings so that she can go to their house to collect some clothes and toys for Barney.

As she pulls up in front of her son's illustrious detached home, she cannot believe what she is seeing. Why hasn't Parker told them? Understandably frazzled by this latest revelation, Nicola swiftly enters the house, disarms the alarm and goes in search of Barney's room to pack a few things. As she wanders the rooms she continually tells herself "I will not snoop...I will not snoop...wait! What?" But the revelations inside the house were nothing compared to what she found when she decided to put their bin out...a piece of evidence that links her son to a murdered woman. This cannot be happening.

Now, armed with this new knowledge, Nicola scrambles to protect her family.

The story unfolds through various timelines and a handful of characters. While not in a straightforward timeline, it goes back and forth in a mish mash of times that would normally confuse a reader but made perfect sense given what was really unfolding. As the story progressed, the more questions were raised. I had my suspicions but this time I was way off base.

I love that Kim's books continue to involve DI Helena Price and her DS Brewster. It makes them feel almost like a series without being a series. And you don't get bogged down in all that police procedural info when all you want is a fun, entertaining and interesting thriller to devour.

Another addictive read from Kim sure to thrill fans alike!

I would like to thank #KLSlater, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HusbandAndWife in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

After years of trying to get published and never getting further than the slush pile, Kim went back to university at the age of 40 where she gained a first-class honours degree in English & Creative Writing and an MA in Creative Writing with distinction.

Kim's first adult psychological thriller for Bookouture, ‘Safe with Me’, actually started life as a dissertation on her English & Creative Writing degree in 2010. She says "the creepy voice of Anna came to me strong and insistent . . . she wanted to be written, she wouldn’t go away. I’m so glad I listened!"

Kim first became published writing Young Adult fiction for Macmillan Children’s Books under the name Kim Slater. Her award-winning YA debut, SMART, started life as a short story for her MA in Creative Writing in 2012.

Kim is now a full-time writer. She has a daughter and two stepsons and live with her husband Mac in Nottingham and Yorkshire.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

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

Monday 20 November 2023

REVIEW: No 23 Burlington Square by Jenni Keer

No 23 Burlington Square by Jenni Keer

Genre: Historical fiction, Contemporary fiction

Read: 19th November 2023

Published: 30th October 2023

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

London, 1927: One house. Three lives. A decision that will change everything.

A powerful, unique timeslip story, perfect for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The Miniaturist, and Lucinda Riley.

On the morning of Friday 5th August, 1927, Miss Agnes Humphries – the landlady of the attractive, if-slightly-shabby, white-fronted townhouse at Number 23 Burlington Square – has a decision to make.

The rooms of the second floor lie empty, since poor Mr Blandford’s unfortunate demise, God rest his soul. And Agnes must make up her mind as to who will be her new lodger… Will it be her spirited, young niece Clara, who drifts through the glamorous world of London’s Bright Young Things? Or Stephen, the sensible, church-going, respectable banker who seems just be too good to be true? Or the timid war widow named Mercy, who is clearly running from something – or someone…?

Agnes must choose between them. But what will her decision lead to? One of the choices could result in scandal, one in devastation, and one could even lead to happiness. If only she gets it right…

As all three lodgers enter Number 23, in alternate timelines, relationships are formed and destroyed, feathers are ruffled, and secrets are exposed. Three different choices. Three very different paths. And Agnes is to discover that nobody – including herself – is quite who they seem…

MY THOUGHTS:

One house...three lives...a decision that will change everything...

What a delightful tale this was! I thoroughly enjoyed every moment and quite honestly didn't want it to end. And when it did, I suffered a sorry case of book hangover (which I do for only a handful of books) as I so wanted to climb back into the pages and relive it all over again.

The premise was intriguing and as you follow the story of the three lives therein, the story takes on a "sliding doors" narrative in which there are three different scenarios and three possible endings. And of course the era was a delightful one between the two wars of the roaring twenties when women were starting to be recognised in their own right with the handful of those shining their own respective lights in this endearing tale.

London 1927: Sixty something spinster Agnes Humphries has lived at No 23 Burlington Square all her life. She grew up as a child there, lost her mother there, raised her younger sister there and nursed her father until his demise there. The house is jam-packed full of memories of the life she knew and the one she longed for. Every crevice, every surface holds a memory for her and sentimental fool that she is, holds onto everything that highlights a memory of something she holds dear - whether the item is related to the memory or not. Such as, the newspaper headlining the Whitechapel murders bears the date that her sister Daphne took her first steps. Neither are related but it holds a memory just the same.

Then after the death of her father, Agnes was rather at a loose end and living alone in the sprawling home in Burlington Square when she decided to rent out not just the rooms but entire floors of rooms to others in the hope that she will find a family in her tenants. The attic rooms were rented out to young Gilbert Adams who does something with cameras; the first floor is home to Polish musician Alexander Gorski while the basement rooms housed the Smith family, mother Jemima, her husband Nicholas and their daughters Matilda, Ellen and Frances. Poor Jemima has virtually been pregnant since their honeymoon with baby number four on the way. The ground floor is Agnes' own residence while the second floor was Mr Blandford's until his sudden demise and thus paving the way for a new tenant.

Now Agnes has a conundrum. She has interviewed two deserving prospective tenants. Firstly, Stephen Thompson whose position a bank clerk lends a respectability to No 23. Then there is Mrs Mercy Mayweather, a young war widow who is all alone in the world and doing her best make ends meet at the glove counter at Pembertons. But her sister is expecting her to let her rooms her wayward niece Clara Goodwin whose impulsive behaviour has confounded her parents to the point she has been banished from the family home under a cloud of mystery. So who is the more deserving? Who needs the rooms the most? And who will fit in at No 23 Burlington Square the best?

So on 5th August 1927 Agnes takes up her pen, dips it in ink and writes out a letter offering the room to one of the three after which she gets young Gilbert to take it to the postbox for her. The tale is then divided into three parts in which each prospective tenant is given their own narrative becoming the protagonist and thus taking up residence in the second floor rooms of No 23 Burlington Square. Within each part, a story unfolds of possible scenarios that all meet one another at the end to make a more than satisfactory and very clever conclusion. The entire tale ends with one more scenario of that particular day when Agnes' own story becomes the highlight offering yet another happy ever after.

I really didn't know what to expect when I began this engrossing and entertaining tale but I'm so glad I ventured to pick it up. The entire tale is a riot from start to finish, particularly where young Clara is concerned, making you laugh, cry and basically just enjoy sharing the Kensington residence with these handful of colourful characters and their secrets. Peppered throughout each of the respective narratives are the odd chapter revealing just a little bit more about Miss Agnes Humphries and her own secrets. The story is so cleverly plotted that while we start with one of the three, we are left wondering throughout the mystery of the last prospective tenant. Because although each part is unique in how each one is the successful applicant, all three are carefully and cleverly interwoven throughout the other parts in some way or other. It really is incredibly genius.

So much is at stake with the promise of which of the applicants to offer the room to that the story takes us on a journey of love, kindness, trust, duty and a chance to redeem oneself. But above all, is friendship. The tale is so endearing, so heartwarming that is so immersive I simply could not - DID NOT! - want to put it down. The characters are a mixed bunch and some you aren't quite sure what to make of them however by the end you do get the measure of them, some of whom you come to love. I didn't like the flightly Clara at the beginning and loathe to have the rooms given to her but hers was the most enthralling part of the tale and by the end I really grew to love the enchanting yet self entitled young woman.

While this book is historical in nature, being set in 1927 and thus some flashback scenes to some further key points in history (such as the Whitechapel murders, Queen Victoria's passing and the Great War) it doesn't really feel like an historical tale and has more of a contemporary feel. That is no bad thing because the entire tale is so engaging and compelling from beginning to end that I enjoyed every flipping minute of it! Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't feel Clara's was too long at all (although it was the longest). In fact, I enjoyed her tale the most with Mercy's a close second. Stephen was not a character I warmed to at all but his was a story that was an imperative part of the tale.

Every so often, a book comes along that just makes you feel as its sheer blend of magic and brilliance. I completely loved this addictive and immersive read that really made you feel as if you too were one of the tenants of No 23 Burlington Square.

A well deserved 5 stars!

I would like to thank #JenniKeer, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #No23BurlingtonSquare in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Jenni Keer is the well-reviewed author of historical romances, often with a mystery at their heart.

After gaining a history degree, Jenni embarked on an career in contract flooring before settling in the middle of the Suffolk countryside with her antique-restorer husband and their four teenage boys. She has valiantly attempted to master the ancient art of housework, but it remains a mystery, so is more usually found at her keyboard writing fun romantic comedies with #blindcat Seymour by her side.

When not up to her elbows in family life, she can be found busy with her Edwardian marquetry business, planning her next fancy dress party or practising her formation dance moves.

Most recently published by Headline and shortlisted for the 2023 RNA Historical Romantic Novel of the Year, her first book with Boldwood No 23 Burlington Square was published in October 2023.

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Thursday 16 November 2023

REVIEW: The House Guest by Alison James

The House Guest by Alison James

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 16th November 2023

Published: 1st November 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

She thinks she can steal my perfect life. But I know her secret…

I open the creaking oak front door of my beautiful country house to see a woman with glossy red hair and flawless make up. She introduces herself as Alexis and tells me she’s a distant relative. My husband Hugh welcomes her in. Because everything has been so tense between us lately I feel I can’t say no…

We drink wine and Alexis shares the truth about her sad childhood. Her green eyes are mesmerising and I can see Hugh is being drawn in by her story. Then she asks for our help. I should feel sorry for her but I don’t trust her. There’s something about her perfect smile that makes my stomach flip. Before I can speak, Hugh invites her to stay. I’m suspicious. Why does he want her here?

I’ve never completely felt at home in this luxury world that’s so different to my old life. But Alexis seems made for it – swimming carefree in our outdoor pool and cosying up to Hugh. She’s pushing me out and making me feel like I’m stranger in my own home – in my own marriage. Did she plan this all along?

But nothing is as it seems. And Alexis has underestimated me. Because I’ve uncovered her secret. I’m not just going to let her steal the life I’ve worked so hard for. I’ll do whatever it takes to stop her…

An absolutely addictive and unputdownable psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the last page. For anyone who loves Ruth Ware, Freida McFadden and Claire McGowan.

MY THOUGHTS:

OK firstly, scrap the book's description because quite honestly it's nothing like how the story goes at all. There is no DNA test result and the red haired beauty on the doorstep doesn't ask for help and the narrator of the piece does not open up to her suggested. And then what is this secret that is discovered? I have to wonder if the proofreaders have read the same book I have because the descriptions are often way off course.

Secondly, you're going to need to suspend belief when reading this tale. And I mean REALLY suspend belief. It all starts out innocuously enough but then it just gets nuts and I mean really way-off-base-never-going-to-happen-in-a-million-years in all probability. Once you take this on board, you're in for a fast paced entertaining, if not idiotic, ride.

Mullens End. It's a beautiful 18th century Queen Anne stately home in which Juliet and her husband Hugh reside. Hugh is the last of a thin line, a very thin line, of Mullens and while he is not the last branch on the tree he is the last on his branch. The home was built in the 1700s but purchased by Hugh's great grandfather in his attempt to stake his claim in the landed gentry and in doing so, crafted a will in which Mullens End is not entailed (much to his ancestor's chagrin) but is tightly bound in a legalese version of such in that only direct descendants of the Mullen line can inherit Mullens End with a life tenancy. Meaning Mullens End can never be sold. And then there is the fact that it is Grade 1 listed meaning no alterations can be made without permission. Thankfully, there is a trust which pays for the exorbidant costs of running a stately home attracts.

So Juliet and Hugh live rather comfortably albeit modestly at Mullens End. The plan was that Juliet provide Hugh with an heir to inherit the grand home as the trust dictates but alas that was not to be, leaving Hugh the last Mullen perched on his branch of the family tree. But their life is good, even amidst the dreaded Open Days such as the one at the beginning of the book that had Juliet dreading. But everyone loves a stately home and their stunning gardens which have been kept immaculate thanks to their gardener Pete. And thankfully it's only once a year they have to open their gardens up to the public.

It's at a dinner party Juliet and Hugh are hosting that they receive an unexpected knock on their door. On the doorstep is a young red haired beauty who introduces herself as Alexis Lambert, the heir to Mullens End, and as she's between flats at the minute has popped in to introduce herself, wheeling her large suitcase in behind her and plonking herself down at the dinner table. As Juliet awkwardly presents the roast lamb to their guests, Alexis informs them that she's vegan which sends Hugh off looking for something veggie for their unexpected house guest.

If you think that's awkward, stick around for the rest of the mucky story because it gets a whole lot more convoluted and murky than that! Again, that whole believability thing. Still the tightly-woven plot makes for plenty of twists (believable or not) and a compelling read that is both entertaining and suspenseful.

The characters are a crafty bunch. None of them are particularly likable. Even Juliet, who is probably the most likable, is so rigid and practically unemotional it's hard to connect with her. And Hugh is so self entitled and spoilt, he expects everything to fall into place according to what he wants. Alexis is naturally devious. And Belinda is decidedly shifty. What I love though is the narratives are divided into seven parts throughout and four separate perspectives with each character becoming the protagonist in their own narrative, and therefore allowing each one of them to develop with the right amount of depth and authenticity. This only adds to the complexities within the already complex plot. And makes for such delicious reading.

There is, however, a downside. Unfortunately I must make mention a TRIGGER WARNING here with the death of a beloved dog. And not just a death, but a cruel one, which I find unnecessary to any story and I always down-rate one that includes one. Granted, it wasn't prolonged or mulled over for long and passed within a page or so but it was mentioned within three separate narratives from their respective perspectives, and I had to relive the poor dog's cruel demise all over again.

But that aside, THE HOUSE GUEST is a fun an entertaining thriller that you really do have to suspend belief but it's such fun who cares at the end of it? I did love the ending which was so much more than satisfactory. If not for the dog death, this was a close 5 star read.

I would like to thank #AlisonJames, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheHouseGuest 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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