REVIEW: A Christmas Wish for the Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell

A Christmas Wish for the Shipyard Girls (The Shipyard Girls #9) by Nancy Revell

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW2

Read: 30th September 2020

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 1st October 2020

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Sunderland, 1943: As Christmas approaches in the shipyards, everyone is hoping for a little magic…

Helen would love to find the courage to tell the dashing Dr Parker of her true feelings for him. But how can she when he clearly has eyes for someone else?

More than a year has passed since Bel’s wedding to sweetheart Joe. She knows she has much to feel thankful for and yet there is still one burning desire which she cannot ignore.

And as Polly grows with child, she hopes against hope for a safe delivery – and that her husband Tommy can soon return from the front line to meet their new arrival.

There will be storms to weather, but guided by their strength and friendship there is still hope for each of the shipyard girls that their Christmas wishes will come true.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BlogTour for Nancy Revell's latest in the exciting Shipyard Girls series, A CHRISTMAS WISH FOR THE SHIPYARD GIRLS.

Having come in to the series with the last book "Triumph for the Shipyard Girls", I have only just been introduced to the girls that make up this wonderful series. So needless to say, I was thrilled with the opportunity to read the next installment A CHRISTMAS WISH FOR THE SHIPYARD GIRLS. The lives, the loves, the heartbreaks the girls are faced with continue from where the previous one left off. And what a cliffhanger that was!

Sunderland, 1943: Shipyard manager Helen Crawford spent most of the last book denying and then trying to find the courage to confess her true feelings to Dr John Parker. By the end, she had harnessed that courage and took herself up to the Ryhope and tell him once and for all. But upon arriving, she was greeted with the sight of her beloved John in the arms of another woman, Dr Claire Eris. So Helen has now resigned herself to the fact that she and John will just be friends, after all she was daft to think that he might love her. Men like John didn't marry women like Helen - soiled goods, as her mother was often quick to remind her.

New to the asylum attached to the Ryhope, Dr Claire Eris had set her sights on the dashing Dr John Parker from the moment she set eyes on him. She knew of his close friendship with Helen Crawford and while she openly stated she had no problem with that, inwardly she would do everything within her power to keep the two apart. Claire could see that the two were smitten with each other, even if neither of them could, so it would do nothing for her plans if they were to spend any time together and suddenly realise their feelings were reciprocated. So when Helen would call for John, the message would be surreptitiously  be given to Claire who would "pass it on to John"...only she wouldn't. Therefore, John would think Helen no longer wanted to confide in him and Helen would think John didn't care enough for her to return her calls. The next step in her plan was to snare John as her husband...and then Helen would never stand a chance.

Also at the end of the last book, Pearl Hardwick had gotten herself lost in the rabbit warren of corridors of the Ryhope, in search of Bill who had been injured in the latest air raid. The room she found herself in was of someone from her past who she thought she would never see again. Over the ensuing months, Pearl would visit the mysterious Miss Girling in the asylum as the two shared confidences...and Miss Girling ultimately rewarded Pearl with the information she needed to bring down the great Charles Havelock.

In the meantime, Polly is getting nearer her due date still not having seen her husband Tommy since they were married last Christmas. Due to her advance stage of her pregnancy, Polly now works in the office with the intention of returning to the welding yard after the birth of her baby.

Bel Elliot is still coming to terms with the news that Charles Havelock is her father and the circumstances surrounding her conception. Only her and Helen are privy to the information, aside from her mother, but how will the women use this information? Charles Havelock is a powerful man and to bring him down will not only take great courage but an even greater power. But Bel is also unsettled with having been married to Joe for three years and not being able to fall pregnant. Just watching her sister in law Polly glow throughout her pregnancy brings feelings of jealousy mixed with happiness. Polly conceived as soon her and Tommy married, yet Bel can't even manage that.

Gloria is still missing Jack, who has been banished to Glasgow by his wife Miriam Crawford, for daring to fall in love with another and have a child together. Miriam refuses to allow Jack to return, using the secrets she has gathered on each of the shipyard girls as her weapon by dangling the threat of exposure. Little does she know, that threat is an empty one and makes no difference to the girls.

Rosie, and her sister Charlotte, have taken a backseat in this book when they were so much at the forefront in the last one. Despite learning the truth about her sister and about Lily, Charlotte is still enamoured with Lily and insists on spending as much time with her as possible. Rosie's husband Peter is still working undercover for the SOE and eagerly awaits any news from him or of him. 

Dorothy, Angie, Martha, Hannah and the others all play their own parts throughout the story as does Agnes, Joe's mum. Dorothy has a beau, Toby, and will Angie finally realise her true feelings for Quentin?

Then as Christmas arrives, the girls gather together to celebrate a little differently than they did the year before when it was Polly and Tommy's wedding. As they gathered around the wireless to listen to the King's speech, Bel and Pearl steal away to deliver a Christmas gift of their own. And what a gift it was!! It was the penultimate climax that brought everything together and you can't help but silently cheer on the two women for their bravery.

One final Christmas wish was fulfilled the following day on Boxing Day, also St Stephen's Day also known as "the feast of Stephen". And it brings a heartfelt close to the story. And yet, there are still questions. Will Helen and John get their chance to declare their love for each other before it's too late? Will the house of Charles Havelock fall once and for all? Will Jack finally return to where should be, with Gloria and his baby Hope? And will Bel have her happy ever after? Those questions and more are yet to be answered and I look forward to finding where the next book "The Shipyard Girls on the Home Front" takes them.

There are some unexpected surprises in A CHRISTMAS WISH FOR THE SHIPYARD GIRLS - some good and some not so good - but for most of the girls, they do get their Christmas wish granted in one way or another.

A wonderful addition to this delightful series that I really must catch up on when I find a moment or three, A CHRISTMAS WISH FOR THE SHIPYARD GIRLS is a heartwarming gentle easy read that brings each of the characters to life. I cannot fault anything except the addition of Claire Eris, who makes my skin crawl and in some ways, spoilt the story for me a little. I didn't welcome the bitchiness and underhandedness she brought to the story as I felt there was enough at the hands of Charles Havelock and Miriam without Claire spoiling things for Helen and John. I really hope to see the back of her in the next book as I am not sure I can stomach her for much longer...lol

Claire aside, I really enjoyed A CHRISTMAS WISH FOR THE SHIPYARD GIRLS and look forward to the next installment "The Shipyard Girls on the Home Front".

A wonderful series that should ideally be read from the beginning and perfect for fans of wartime historical fiction and sagas.

I would like to thank #NancyRevell, #NetGalley and #PenguinHouseUK and #ArrowPublishing for an ARC of #AChristmasWishForTheShipyardGirls in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Revell is the pseudonym of Amanda Revell Walton a writer and journalist that has worked for all the national newspapers, providing them with hard-hitting news stories and in-depth features. She has also worked for just about every woman's magazine in the country, writing amazing and inspirational true life stories. 

Nancy has recently relocated back to her home town of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, with her husband, Paul, and their English Bull Mastiff, Rosie. They live just a short walk away from the beautiful award-winning beaches of Roker and Seaburn, within a mile of where The Shipyard Girls series is set. The subject is close to Nancy's heart as she comes from a long line of shipbuilders, who were well-known in the area.

Social Media links:

Twitter | Goodreads

REVIEW: Wartime at Liberty's by Fiona Ford

 

Wartime at Liberty's (The Liberty Girls #1) by Fiona Ford

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW2

Read: 4th September 2020

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 30th April 2020

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

London, 1942

Flo Canning’s heart is beyond repair following the news that she has been dreading since the outbreak of war. As Flo throws herself into the role of fabric manager at Liberty’s, old and new friends alike help pull her from a whirl of despair.

Between work and home life there’s plenty to keep Flo occupied. Not least new deputy store manager, Henry Masters, whose arrival has consequences that Flo and her workmates could never have foreseen.

But there is more tragedy still to come, and Flo and her friends will need each other more than ever if they are to survive the uncertainty ahead.

MY REVIEW:

I love a good historical fiction and these style of WW2 era books I find are a good light read to just lose yourself in for hours at a time. Although I was unaware at the time of requesting that WARTIME AT LIBERTY'S by Fiona Ford was in fact the third in a series. However, from what I can gather from the premise for each book is that they each focus on the story of one or another of the Liberty Girls so that they suffice as a standalone. Although, there are some references made to past events but I think there is enough pertainable information given that does neither detract nor spoil this book or the previous ones.

London, 1942: Florence Canning is the Fabric Manager for Liberty's department store with four girls working under her - Alice, Mary, Dot and Jean. In the space of a few months she has lost her beloved aunt Aggie, who brought her up after her mother had left her at 3 years old, and her dear husband Neil, whose ship was torpedoed leaving no survivors. News of his death sent her into a state of shock and now she is struggling. Because Flo's grief at the loss of her husband is compounded by the fact the two of them had parted on a disagreement. 

When Neil was home on leave just two months prior, he had discovered that Flo had lied to him...something which he cannot abide. Since their recent marriage, Neil thought it crass and unseemly for a married woman to be singing in pubs, most of which were filled with hoards of single men home on leave. She had promised she would give up singing but she continued performing, assuring her husband that she had. He was angry that she had lied to him and she was annoyed that he felt he had the right to stop her from doing something she loved. When she sang, she came alive. Just like her aunt Aggie when she sang. In the end, it wasn't about the singing but about the fact that she had lied to him.

Now Neil has gone and Flo feels somehow responsible for his tragic death. She knows her life will never be the same again and having lost all hope, she throws herself into her work at Liberty's which proves to be a salve for her broken heart. She is surrounded by her friends - Alice, Mary, Dot, Jean and Rose - who are there to ease her suffering in any way they can. But still Neil is never far from her thoughts.

On her return to Liberty's after her distressing news, Flo is surprised to discover a strange man seated in her boss' office who introduces himself as Mr Henry Masters. He is the deputy head sitting in for Mr Button who has been seconded to the Board of Trades for some kind of "hush hush" assignment. The two get off on the wrong foot when Henry initially claims that the store is haemorraging money and the board insists that every department must let one of their staff go. Flo is aghast. Each girl working under her needs their job and her department needs the staff! They can't afford to let anyone go...but needs must. So Flo has the unenviable task of deciding who she must let go, knowing the decision will not make her very popular whatever the outcome.

And as predicted, at their busiest times the department is flooded with customers and very little staff so Henry jumps in to assist, with quite a substantial background in fabrics from his previous position. The customers love him and his presence brings them back time and again. Realising the error of judgement on his part, Henry insists that Flo reinstate Jean aware that the department needed all hands on deck. 

But tragedy strikes before Jean could return to her duties at Liberty's, leaving Flo a staff member down. Henry helps out when he can but he is also needed in the office to run the entire store in Mr Button's absence. So Mr Button organises for Evie Allingham to help out a few afternoons a week until Jean is able to return. Flo warmed to her immediately but Dot did not, taking an instant dislike to her on sight. However, it isn't long before Flo begins to notice things about Evie that are inappropriate, putting the two women at constant loggerheads. Evie comes in and tries taking over and undermining Flo when she isn't around. But she couldn't afford to get rid of her either as they needed her help and expertise...at least until Jean returned.

In the meantime, despite getting off on the wrong foot, Flo and Henry begin to form a friendship as she unwittingly confides in him about her loss. Wanting to help, Henry finds her a small position at his brother Stan's school as a piano player for their music class where she meets Celia Hallam, the music teacher. Flo finds playing music for the children brings a sort of calm over her as she drifts into another world built on her memories of aunt Aggie...until those of Neil remind her why she can never sing again. To do so would be to betray him. But Celia encourages Flo to follow her heart and her dreams but Flo doesn't think she can.

But there is tragedy, heartache and betrayal as well as happy moments to come as the Liberty girls band together to bring cheer to what is very much a grim time for everyone. The war is far from over and they only have each other to help see them through the darkest days. And by the end of Flo's story you will feel like close friends with them all.

A story about friendship, WARTIME AT LIBERTY'S is a charming and engaging read that is lighthearted despite the grim setting of wartime London. I loved how each of the girls interacted and the important parts they played as backdrop to Flo's heartbreaking story. While the series focuses on the girls of Liberty's, I enjoy seeing the inclusion of Mr Button and the introduction of Henry who I look forward to seeing more of in the future.

WARTIME AT LIBERTY'S is wonderfully written and incredibly emotional as the reader loses themselves in wartime London - to the hope, the despair, the heartbreak and the happiness.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, there was an inconsistency I felt that was portrayed in a far different way than what would normally have been tolerated for that time period. I don't think it reflects the time accurately in doing so and as a result I have knocked off a half star due to the implausibility of it.

I have not read the preceding two books in this series but I look forward to revisiting the girls in them at a later date. 

Definitely recommended to fans of historical fiction, particularly sagas and the WW2 era.

I would like to thank #FionaFord, #NetGalley and #Arrow for an ARC of #WartimeAtLibertys in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Fiona Ford is a freelance journalist. She has spent the last 15 years writing gritty real-life stories, news and a smidgeon of celebrity tittle-tattle for national newspapers and magazines. Following a stint as a ghost writer, Fiona plucked up the courage to combine her love of writing and history to write a novel in her own name. The Spark Girl, is her first saga.

Originally from Bath, Fiona now lives in Berkshire and is married with two cats. Thankfully, both her husband and pets have all mastered the art of pretending to listen patiently as she begins yet another anecdote with the words, 'during the war'. When she is not writing or researching World War 2, Fiona can be found running along the Thames Path, training for a half marathon of some kind and wishing she was sat on the sofa eating chocolate instead.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Three Perfect Liars by Heidi Perks

 

Three Perfect Liars by Heidi Perks
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 26th August 2020
Goodreads
Amazon
Published: 30th April 2020

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

GOSSIP SPREADS FAST.
LIES CAN BE TOXIC.
SECRETS CAN KILL.

When an office fire ends in murder, three women are first in line for questioning.

What is Laura trying to hide?

What is Mia trying to protect?

What would Janie risk for revenge?

Laura has returned to work at Morris and Wood after her maternity leave, only to discover that the woman she brought in to cover for her isn’t planning on going anywhere. Despite her close relationship with the agency’s powerful CEO, Harry Wood, she feels sidelined—and outmaneuvered—as she struggles to balance the twin demands of work and motherhood.

Mia was only supposed to be a temporary hire at Morris and Wood, but she’s managed to make herself indispensable to everyone. Everyone, that is, except Laura. If people only knew why she was so desperate to keep her job, they might not want her to stay.

Janie gave up everything to support her husband and the successful agency he runs. But she has her own dark secret to protect…and will go to any lengths to keep it safe.

They never thought it would come to this.

But nothing can be hidden forever...

MY REVIEW:

I really enjoyed the last Heidi Perks book I read "Come Back for Me" so naturally I was excited to read THREE PERFECT LIARS. However, this book just didn't do it for me. It was slow paced and took me a while to get into.

Meet Laura, Mia and Janie. All three women who are all determined, who all have a mission of some sort and who are all linked...although they don't realise it yet.

Laura returns from six months maternity leave to discover Mia, her temp who was covering for her during that time, had not only been given a permanent position at Morris & Wood but had taken over her biggest and most important client account. When she had interviewed Mia for the position six months prior, Mia had given no indication that she was looking to park her feet under her desk indefinitely...or even permanently. In fact, the complete opposite. Mia just wanted a temp position to tide her over before moving on. At least, that's what she said. 

Now Laura is set on not only retaining her position in the company but getting back her major account. So set on this outcome, she becomes consumed with catching Mia out to the point of being obsessed. It's all she can talk about with husband Nate whenever she's home that he has grown tired of her constant tirade over Mia. What about their baby son? While she's battling it out with her boss Harry at work over Mia, she is missing out on precious time with her six month old baby son Bobby. Is Mia really worth that?

When Mia saw the advertisement for maternity cover at Morris & Wood advertising agency, she knew she would do whatever it took to get that job. And keep it. Then when Laura went into labour four weeks early, Mia picked up the slack, proved her worth and made herself indispensable. Everyone loved having Mia around. She was fun, she was a laugh and she was an all round nice girl. Is it any wonder she still remained when Laura returned six months later? 

But Mia has a secret. The real reason she took this job which no one else knows. Not even her family. It was important that she had to see it through.

Janie is the wife of Morris & Wood's CEO, Harry. Five years ago, she was a successful defence barrister in London but Harry had decided to branch out and open an arm of the agency in Lymington on the south coast. So therefore it was decided that Janie and the girls move south, rather than have Harry commute all week. Janie just accepted this as it was meant to be. But after her last case, Janie wasn't sure she could continue in her line of work. She was disillusioned and disheartened...and she needed to get away.

And then a name from Janie's past walked into Morris & Wood one day and her world came crashing down again. Miles Morgan. What the hell was he doing here and what did he want with Harry? After everything, how could Harry do business with him?

Two months after Laura returned from maternity leave all three women stood on Lymington Quay on the other side of the river watching the illustrious mirrored building of Morris & Wood go up in flames. Which one of them did it? Which one of them had the biggest secret to hide? Which one of them was the biggest liar?

But none of them were prepared for a body to be pulled from the flames. All three women watched in shock and horror. Which one of them was now a murderer?

A clever tale is spun weaving every intricate detail in this elaborate plan gone wrong. THREE PERFECT LIARS is the story of three women whose lives intersect in a way they never thought possible as it draws you into its secrets and entangling you further.

I didn't really like either Laura or Mia and with Janie - I didn't either like or dislike her. She was just neutral. I don't think her character was built quite as much as the other two. While I didn't much like Laura, I hated Mia coming in and stealing her job and wondered why she had done so. It certainly did look as though she had something in for Laura, so I couldn't blame Laura for feeling that way. But at the same time, I also grew tired of her constant complaining about "Mia this and Mia that". But really, all three women I really didn't care much for.

Told from the perspectives of all three women leading up to the fire, as well as in police interviews in the days after, THREE PERFECT LIARS is a slow burn where the tension builds as events unfold. The format in which it was written was cleverly done, although I felt the police interviews SHOULD have been in completely separate chapters to break it up a little more and separate events rather than have them tacked on the end of chapters.

What let this book down was the ending. While the tension was palpable throughout as it built slowly, the conclusion was a little anti-climatic. I guessed the identity of the culprit just shortly before it was revealed as it all of a sudden became clear to me. But it wasn't that that was disappointing, but rather what came after that. Suffice to say, there are times when someone has just been through enough. I can't say anymore without spoiling it.

Despite my reservations, THREE PERFECT LIARS is a good read and I still relatively enjoyed it. And while I didn't either love or hate it, I have no hesitation in recommending it to fans who love a slow burn thriller.

I would like to thank #HeidiPerks, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #CornerstoneDigital for an ARC of #ThreePerfectLiars in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Heidi Perks was born in 1973 and has always loved reading and writing for as long as she could remember, making up stories and poems and even magazines she would sell to unsuspecting family member for 20p. She somehow managed to get through her GCSE's and A levels while spending most of her lessons staring out of the window and creating other worlds in her head.

Heidi graduated from Bournemouth University in 1997 with a BA (Hons) in Retail Management, and then, moving to London, enjoyed a career in Marketing before leaving in 2012 and returning to Bournemouth to focus on both bringing up her family and writing.

Heidi successfully applied for a place on the inaugural Curtis Brown Creative online Novel Writing Course and after that dedicated her time to completing her first novel, Beneath The Surface.

She has a huge interest in what makes people tick and loves to write about family relationships, especially where some of the characters are slightly dysfunctional.

Heidi lives by the sea in Bournemouth with her husband and two children.

Kim's Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Cotton Spinner by Libby Ashworth

 

The Cotton Spinner (Mill Town Lassies #1) by Libby Ashworth
Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas
Read: 13th August 2020
Goodreads
Amazon
Published: 16th July 2020

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Lancashire, 1830

When Jennet and Titus Eastwood are forced to move from their idyllic cottage into the centre of Blackburn to find work in the cotton mills, their lives are changed in ways they could never have imagined and their new home on Paradise Lane is anything but . . .

Then Titus is arrested and sent to prison for attending a Reform meeting. Jennet is left to fend for herself and things go from bad to worse as she finds herself pregnant and alone – with another man’s child . . .

MY REVIEW:

What a delightful read THE COTTON SPINNER by Libby Ashworth is! Set in the industrial north west amidst poverty as well as the gentry, once I was there I didn't want to leave. It is well written, captivating and wholly engrossing from beginning to end.

Lancashire, 1830: Jennet and Titus Eastwood are struggling to make a living and move from their comfortable home in the country to Paradise Lane, Blackburn for work in the cotton mills. They are both accustomed to working from home, with Jennet a cotton spinner and Titus a weaver, as they have done all their lives like their families before them. But when the mills began to take all their trade, Jennet and Titus found there was no work for hand spinners and weavers with their ability to produce more cloth in a much faster time.

The house in Paradise Lane was a poor sight in comparison to the one they left behind and the air now thick with dust and smoke from the mills, making the clean country air they were accustomed to a distant memory. But with a young baby to care for, they had to go where the work was and Titus soon found himself employed at the local mill on one of the machines. But the hours are long and the wages are low and when their young daughter is taken ill, Jennet must use some of the money from the sale of their hand loom to pay for a doctor. Then when the mill owners discover they are producing cloth quicker than they can sell it, they have to let some of their workers go...and on a last come first to go basis, Titus soon finds himself out of work once again.

When they first moved into number 10 Paradise Lane Jennet and Titus knew no one, but they were soon befriended by their kindly neighbours Lizzie and George. Lizzie, especially, became a good friend to Jennet during the long days when Titus was still at the mill. Jennet thought about finding some work herself and Lizzie gave her the name of a woman who minds children should she do so and need someone to take little Peggy during working hours. But Jennet was accustomed to having Peggy with her while she worked and refused to entertain the idea of someone else caring for her child.

But she had to do something as the money from the sale of their loom was fast dwindling and with Titus out of work, they still needed to eat and pay the rent. Then one night George next door tells Titus of a reform meeting taking place up on the moors, and despite Jennet's misgivings, Titus is drawn into attending. But it all goes horribly wrong when the meeting is hijacked and a decision is made to storm the mill. Then when he and George become separated, Titus finds himself carried along with the surge of the crowd and is ultimately in the wrong place at the wrong time. When the constables arrive, he is arrested along with the others and taken to Preston until his hearing in a couple of days.

When Jennet sees that George has returned home but Titus hasn't, she begins to worry. George has no idea what happened to Titus as they had become separated but he agreed to stand up and speak to his character at his hearing. But on the morning of the hearing, George informs her that he cannot go as he must stay with Lizzie who has been ill and taken a turn for the worse. So Jennet and her father make the journey on their own. They return disheartened with the news that Titus has been bound over for trial at the Assizes in Lancaster in three months time.

How will Jennet and Peggy survive without Titus' income? Can she find work and look after Peggy at the same time? Will her parents be able to help her, though they live more than an hours' walk away? 

Then Jennet's sister Hannah comes to stay with her and the two women get work at the mill while Peggy stays with her parents in the country. But it is long and hard and there is also the roving eye and wandering hands of Mr Hargreaves. But more than that, Jennet soon finds herself pregnant with another man's child and worries what Titus will say when he finds out. And soon she finds herself begging for relief from the vicar's wife for assistance to help feed Peggy.

THE COTTON SPINNER is a beautifully spun historical saga which sweeps us back in time to the harsh realities of poverty and life in the industrial north west. It takes us from the countryside to the grim streets of Blackburn to the noise and dust on the factory floor to the harsh working conditions and low wages and then into the Victorian penal system - it was the epitome of hell on earth. 

Libby Ashworth uses her own ancestors as inspiration for this story, bringing the time period alive and the lives of Jennet and Titus in this beautifully told tale.

THE COTTON SPINNER is the first the Mill Town Lassies series set in the industrial north west. I read this book in one sitting, loved it and cannot wait to devour the next installment "A Lancashire Lass".

Perfect for fans of Catherine Cookson and Dilly Court and lovers of historical fiction sagas.

I would like to thank #LibbyAshworth, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #CornerstoneDigital for an ARC of #TheCottonSpinner in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Libby Ashworth (Elizabeth) has been a published writer since she sold her first short story to Pony Annual as a teenager.

Her debut saga, The Cotton Spinner (Arrow, April 2020), the first in the Mill Town Lasses trilogy, is set against the backdrop of 19th Century industrialisation. When Jennet and Titus Eastwood are forced to move from their idyllic cottage into the centre of Blackburn to find work in the cotton mills, their lives are changed in ways they could never have imagined.

Elizabeth was born and raised in Lancashire, where she can trace her family back to the Middle Ages. It was while researching her family history that she realised there were so many stories about ordinary working people that she wanted to tell. She has previously written historical novels - The de Lacy Inheritance (Myrmidon Books) and By Loyalty Bound (Pen and Sword) – as well as local history books for Countryside Books and Sigma Press.

She currently lives in Lancashire with her son.

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

REVIEW: The Prisoner's Wife by Maggie Brookes

The Prisoner's Wife by Maggie Brookes

Genre: Historical, True story, WW2

Read: 9th August 2020

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 16th April 2020

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Inspired by the true story of a daring deception, a young Czech woman is plunged into the horrors of a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp to be with the English soldier she loves.

1944: In the dead of night a young Czech woman and a British soldier creep through the war-torn countryside

Izabela and prisoner-of-war Bill have secretly married, and are on the run, with Izzy dressed as a man and her hair cut short. The young husband and wife evade capture for as long as possible, until they are cornered by Nazi soldiers with tracker dogs. 

Izzy’s disguise works. The couple are assumed to be two escaped British soldiers and transported to a PoW camp. However, their true test has just begun as they face terrible living conditions and the constant terror of Izzy’s exposure. But in the midst of unimaginable horrors comes hope, for the young couple are befriended by a small group of fellow prisoners. These men become their new family, willing to jeopardize their lives to save Izzy from being discovered and shot.

The Prisoner's Wife tells of an incredible risk, and how our deepest bonds are tested in desperate times. Bill and Izzy's is a story of love and survival, against the darkest odds.

The novel is based on a true story told to the author in a lift by an ex-World War 2 prisoner of war. It was researched extensively in eastern Europe, uncovering largely forgotten aspects of the war. 

MY REVIEW:

I have read many books set in Europe during WW2, usually of the Jewish ghetto and concentration camps, but this one is something completely different. THE PRISONER'S WIFE is just that...the story of a prisoner of war's wife...but not in the way you would expect it.

June 1944: Izzy (Izabela) is 20 year old woman living and working on the family farm in Czechoslovakia alongside her mother. Her father and older brother Jan left at the beginning of the war to join the Resistance, leaving the two women and 8 year old Marek unable to tend to their farm and crops on their own. When an SS captain approaches their farm one day, Izzy fears he has come to requisition it for the Reich. But Captain Meier comes to offer assistance in the form of a prisoner of war work camp, to which her mother heartily and thankfully agrees.

When the POWs arrive, one blonde blue eyed soldier stands out to her. Their eyes meet and the attraction is instant. However, upon learning they are British she cannot converse with them as she is only fluent in Czech and German. So Izzy befriends the elderly guard (who had once been a school teacher) who accompanies them each day on the pretense of learning English from him. She is a quick learner and before long the guard encourages her to talk with the British POWs to hone her accent and pronunciation. Not needing any encouragement, Izzy seeks out her soldier whose name is Bill King who continues to teach her English, and the guard pays them no more attention.

The two fall in love but her mother reminds her that it is a union that cannot be. He is a prisoner of war and she is a farm girl. But Izzy will not be swayed. She meets Bill at the camp on the days he is not at the farm, even going so far as to sneak out one night to visit him. But her mother catches her returning home, accusing her of giving herself to a man she barely knows. When Izzy tells her they are in love and will marry at the end of the war, her mother scoffs saying "they all say that to get what they want from you". But Izzy knows that Bill loves her just as she loves him. And so she sets a plan in motion.

The unlikely couple secretly marry in the village near her family's farm and abscond with the hope of joining Izzy's father and brother in the Resistance. But for safety's sake and in order to remain together, Izzy disguises herself as man, cutting her hair and dressing in some of her brother's clothing. They evade capture for a couple of weeks but are eventually apprehended by the Nazis and sent to the Lamsdorf POW camp with Izzy disguised as a mute young soldier with shell shock.

They face appalling conditions in the camp and the constant fear that Izzy will be exposed. In an attempt to keep his new wife safe, he confides in a small group of fellow prisoners and together they protect Izzy from the other prisoners as well as the guards. These men become their family and soon Izzy cannot imagine life beyond the camp and her fellow prisoners. Should Izzy be revealed as a woman she would be deemed a spy and would therefore be shot. Izzy knows what each man is putting on the line to keep her secret.

Told mostly through the eyes of Izzy in the first person and Bill in the third person, THE PRISONER'S WIFE is a heartbreaking tale of love and sacrifice in the face of war. It is horrifying, it is atmospheric, it is compelling. How one person could put themselves through something so barbaric all in the name of love...and to find such joy in the simple things. Throughout the entire book, the reader is left wondering just how this is all going to end.

Will they be rescued? Will they survive? Will they get their happily ever after?

Based on a true story of an unknown couple, THE PRISONER'S WIFE is so beautifully written and wonderfully told that it will have you reaching for the tissues as the reality of the horrors come to life within the pages.

I loved both characters of Izzy and Bill, as well as those of Ralph, Scotty and even Max. This story is as much theirs as it is Izzy's and Bill's...for they helped keep their secret right up till the end. No matter what the cost.

THE PRISONER'S WIFE is a tale of sheer resilience. It is an absorbing read that will stay with you long after you have finished. And will leave you wondering about the real Izzy and Bill, and who they might have been. The author has researched the historical facts brilliantly, despite the story being a loosely based one on a couple she had been told about by a former POW. This story was a gift Maggie Brookes so beautifully and delicately retold in her own words, painting a portrait like no other of a woman in a man's world.

An absolutely wonderful tale I definitely recommend.

I would like to thank #MaggieBrookes, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #CornerstoneDigital for an ARC of #ThePrisonersWife in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Maggie Brookes is a British ex-journalist and BBC television producer turned poet and novelist.

The Prisoner’s Wife is based on an extraordinary true story of love and courage, told to her by an ex-WW2 prisoner of war. Maggie visited the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany as part of her research for the book, learning largely forgotten aspects of the war.

The Prisoner’s Wife is due to be published by imprints of Penguin Random House in the UK and in the US in May 2020. Publication in other countries, including Holland, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic will follow.

As well as being a writer, Maggie is an advisory fellow for the Royal Literary Fund and also an Associate Professor at Middlesex University, London, England, where she has taught creative writing since 1990. She lives in London and Whitstable, Kent and is married, with two grown-up daughters.

She has published five poetry collections in the UK under her married name of Maggie Butt. 

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense, Gothic noir

Read: 27th July 2020

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 2nd April 2020

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

THEIR DREAM HOUSE WILL BECOME HER WORST NIGHTMARE

When Rowan comes across the advert, it seems too good to be true: a live-in nanny position, with an extremely generous salary.

What she doesn't know is that she's stepping into a nightmare – one that will end with her in a cell awaiting trial for murder.

She knows she's made mistakes.
But she's not guilty – at least not of murder.
Which means someone else is...


MY REVIEW:

WANTED: Large family seeks experienced live-in nanny.

ABOUT US: We are a busy family of four children, living in a beautiful (but remote!) house in the Highlands. Mum and dad co-run the family architecture practice.

ABOUT YOU: We are seeking an experienced nanny, used to working with children of all ages, from babyhood to teens. You must be practical, unflappable and comfortable looking after children on your own. Excellent references, DB check, first-aid certificate and clean driving licence are a must.

ABOUT THE POST: Mum and dad work mainly from home and during those periods you will have a simple 8 - 5 post, with one night a week babysitting, and weekends off. As far as possible we arrange our schedule so that one parent is always around. However, there are times when we may both need to be away (very occasionally for up to a fortnight), and when this occurs, you will be in loco parentis.

In return, we can offer a highly competitive renumeration package totalling £55,000 per annum (gross, including bonus), use of a car and eight weeks' holiday a year.

Applications to Sandra and Bill Elincourt, Heatherbrae House, Carn Bridge


This is my third book by Ruth Ware so I know how accomplished she is at creating a creepy atmosphere...and THE TURN OF THE KEY did not disappoint. It is a dark and twisted thriller that is both compelling and haunting, pulling me from the first page and had me completely absorbed from start to finish.

Right from the beginning there is an intense sense of foreboding as the story opens with a series of letters written by Rowan Caine to a lawyer she is pleading with to take on her case as she sits in prison awaiting trial for the murder of a child. It is essentially a slow burn (which I don't normally favour) but the tension is palpable and the intensity increases with fervour as the story slowly unfolds. She tells him she is innocent and needs his assistance to help plead her case. The entire book is cleverly told in a series of letters, mostly by Rowan to the lawyer Mr Wexham, as she relates her story by providing a detailed account of her time at Heatherbrae.

Rowan Caine is 30 years old, working as a nanny in a London nursery and flatshares with her friend Rachel. She enjoys her job but is unfulfilled as she was passed over for the promotion she had been hoping for when Rachel left the nursery to travel. When she comes across an ad online seeking a nanny to live in the remote highlands of Scotland, it sounds too good to be true. The house is beautiful, the family lovely and the pay is beyond anything she could imagine. She sends off an application and is both surprised and thrilled to be offered the position.

When she arrives in Carn Bridge and the Gothic Victorian house that is Heatherbrae, Rowan hits the ground running when she learns that Sandra and Bill are leaving the following morning for a week long conference of meetings, leaving her solely in charge of Maddie (8), Ellie (5) and toddler Petra, whose age is not really mentioned but it is alluded to "the terrible twos". The fourth, 14 year old Rhiannon, is away at boarding school in Inverness and comes home at weekends.

However, what she isn't prepared for is the 250 page manifesto manual detailing the children's every routine from dawn till dusk, mealtimes and bedtime, school and play time. She has barely had time to read any of it before she is thrust into control of caring for the three children, which gets off to a rocky start. When their parents leave, Ellie is inconsolable and refuses Rowan's ministrations. Maddie is nowhere to be seen and Petra appears to take a perverse pleasure in flinging porridge and all kinds of food stuffs at her new nanny. Added to that, Rowan must also master the smart panels that control every door, every light, every bathroom and every appliance from coffee to music to heating to cooling as well as the Happy app which allows her to order groceries and monitor the children via camera. Stalkerish, much. Sandra had proudly informed her that their house was a "smart home" but Rowan couldn't help but find it more than a little creepy. She was relieved, however, to find that the utility room door at the back of the house was locked with a traditional brass key.

What Rowan doesn't know is that Heatherbrae has a haunted past. More than one child has met their fate here and it is insinuated that their ghosts, and of one such parent, haunt the hallowed halls of Heatherbrae. And then there are the nannies...several of whom have left suddenly without so much as a word, despite the job paying well.

From the first night, dark and disturbing events begin to take place. Creepy noises could be heard above Rowan's room, despite her being on the top floor. Things going missing. A disturbing drawing found in her bedside drawer with the beginnings of a letter to other nannies from the previous one. Creaking floors, secret attics, ghost stories, mysterious deaths, creepy dolls, runaway nannies. Then the state of the art technology that envelops the house suddenly takes on a life of its own and Rowan has no way of overriding it and restore calm to this creepy house.

Then Rhiannon returns home from school and, whilst she may be ready for the usual teenage angst, nothing can prepare her for the match she meets in the 14 year old.

Told entirely through a series of letters by Rowan herself (bar for the penultimate climax), THE TURN OF THE KEY is a cleverly written tale with an unreliable narrator that the reader must discern is telling the truth or not. Or has she just gone mad? That possibility is alluded to on a few occasions by 8 year old Maddie - "being alone can make you go mad". Rowan insists that she doesn't believe in ghosts but what else is there to explain the strange goings on? Or is she truly going mad? And throughout the entire book, we are left thinking "who is it that Rowan is supposed to have killed"?

There are but a handful of characters in the story. There's Rowan, of course; Jack, handyman-come-driver (who is no groundskeeper Willie); the children, Maddie, Ellie, Petra and Rhiannon; Jean McKenzie, the cleaner who comes in twice a day; and of course, Sandra and Bill Elincourt. But the greatest character of all is Heatherbrae House itself. The Gothic Victorian structure, that Sandra and Bill had gutted and rebuilt complete with state of the art technology to run their home with, is a character in its own right with an atmospheric personality all of its own.

Compelling dark and twisted, THE TURN OF THE KEY has an intense sense of foreboding that creates such an atmosphere, making it an addictive and gripping tale to read. The format was so different and yet so clever, it draws the reader in that you actually feel as if Rowan is writing to you.

THE TURN OF THE KEY has so many layers to it that unravelling all the twists and red herrings thrown in made it one completely addictive read! I can usually guess many twists buried deep within but I didn't see these ones coming! I may have had the odd suspicion but nothing prepared me for their big reveals. And that made the twists even more delicious.

I love how the story is framed within letters to a solicitor. The recounting and retelling of the tale worked so well. Ruth Ware's ability to create such an atmosphere that is so vivid and so hair-raisingly suspenseful that it had me eternally grateful that I didn't live in an entirely "smart home" that was smarter than me. Yes, I have the odd "smart" item here and there...but nothing so creepily on this scale!

Unlike many others, I loved the ending. And usually, I hate vague conclusions with no closure. But in true Ruth Ware style, it is left ambiguous for the reader to form their own opinion...but for me, the outcome was clear. Although part of me wanted more, I also felt it was a clever touch to conclude on. But then, all opinions are relative.

I was immediately immersed within this creepy atmospheric tale and I could not turn the pages quick enough. I thoroughly enjoyed THE TURN OF THE KEY and I would have to say so far, that this is my favourite Ruth Ware book!

I would like to thank #RuthWare, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #VintagePublishing for an ARC of #TheTurnOfTheKey in exchange for an honest review.


MEET THE AUTHOR:

Ruth Ware grew up in Sussex, on the south coast of England. After graduating from Manchester University she moved to Paris, before settling in North London. She has worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language and a press officer. She is married with two small children, and In a Dark, Dark Wood is her début thriller.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

REVIEW: Keep Him Close by Emily Koch (ARC)

Keep Him Close by Emily Koch

Genre: Domestic thriller

Read: 1st July 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 19th March 2020)

★★★★ 4 stars

One son lied. One son died.

That's the catchphrase for Emily Koch's exciting new thriller KEEP HIM CLOSE, a dark domestic psychological mystery drama with a slow burn that builds with a tension that's palpable. I wouldn't call it a thriller as such but there are parts to it that does have a thriller element. I don't generally like slow burns but this is one that keeps your interest despite its slow pace to begin with.

The story opens with a snippet of the event that is clearly at the centre of this dark mystery. The moment is tense with a fear that is palpable. And then it is gone. Leaving readers questioning "what just happened?"

Alice Hyde is single mother of two teenage sons who couldn't be more different from each other. Benny, the eldest, is sweet and gentle and about to start university in Exeter whilst Lou is the troubled younger child who has never given her a moments peace since the day he was born. But Alice loves her boys despite their differences...and the fact that Lou's intimidating behaviour sometimes scares her that she wonders if she'll ever be free of him. She hates that she thinks that of her own son but unlike Benny, Lou knows how to push her buttons.

The opening chapter, after the rather dramatic prologue, Alice is preparing for Benny's departure for university as well as dealing with the growing fractiousness with younger son Lou. The conversation and barbs Lou alludes to whilst dancing over the loft opening, which he knows will provoke his stoic mother, gives readers the opinion that this boy had little or no respect for her. The boy certainly grated on my nerves as Alice herself presented as cold and aloof. Neither of them are completely likable...at first.

When Ben and Lou leave the house that evening for a night on the town, Alice doesn't know it will be the last time she sees her youngest son. Her boys are 18 and 19, old enough to look after themselves and she doesn't worry when they haven't returned by the time she goes to bed that night. But in the early hours when she gets a knock on the door, she knows something is wrong. Police inform her that there had been an incident which has resulted in Lou's death.

When Benny returns home, he is quiet. He says little though he admits to being there but not at the time of Lou's death so he never saw anything. But Alice fears he is hiding something when things don't add up.

Indigo Owen is also a single mother to 19 year old Kane. He was out with Benny and Lou the night of Lou's death and he is riddled with guilt over something Indigo can't quite understand. He breaks down and tells his mother all he knows and she suggests they tell the police. After all, they are piecing together the events of that night to discover what happened to Lou. But little does Indigo know that this step of honesty on her son's part does little to close the chapter on his guilt over that night. After hours of questioning, police then inform her that they are charging Kane with Lou's murder after he confessed to the incident. Indigo is outraged. She knows her son and she knows he is innocent.

Both Alice and Indigo are desperate to uncover what really happened on that tragic night. Two very different women who, after a chance meeting, unite to find out the truth in the midst of secrets. What will they uncover? Who else was there that night Lou fell to his death? What did they see, if anything? And why, if he is innocent, did Kane confess to killing Lou? Is he protecting someone? If so, who? And Benny - what is he hiding? He certainly seems to know more than what he's letting on.

Alice and Indigo believe they know their boys...but do they really?

A very different type of psychological thriller blended with taut domestic drama that is both dark and tense throughout, KEEP HIM CLOSE is a thought provoking and emotional read. Although it is a slow burn, it is addictive in its tension and powerful emotion. As the story unfolds and the truth slowly emerges, a light is finally cast on the shadow of doubt surrounding that fateful night.

Told primarily from Alice and Indigo's perspectives throughout, readers are also given a short glimpse from the other players on the night in question - Benny, Kane and even Lou himself. These chapters are equally revealing as well as adding to the mystery. A very cleverly written story, KEEP HIM CLOSE is not fast paced or even action packed, but it is addictive with an underlying suspense that will keep the reader hooked to the very last page.

I would like to thank #EmilyKoch, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #VintagePublishing for an ARC of #KeepHimClose in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Triumph of the Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell (ARC)

Triumph of the Shipyard Girls (The Shipyard Girls #8) by Nancy Revell

Genre: Historical fiction, WW2, Sagas

Read: 29th June 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 19th March 2020)

★★★★★ 5 stars

An addictive read from the start, TRIUMPH OF THE SHIPYARD GIRLS by Nancy Revell is the eighth in the series but it is my first. However, I didn't feel as if I had missed anything as readers' memories are refreshed to past events therefore giving me a little more insight. I was all ready to recommend that it could be read as a standalone, because it really did read as one...until I got the end. And then I was like NOOO! You can't end it there! lol So now I am hanging for the next book to see what happens.

The prologue takes readers back to 1936 for a hard-hitting opening that is both shocking and heartbreaking before picking up on Christmas Day 1942 in the wake of Tommy and Polly's wedding. The couple had their honeymoon the week before the wedding as Tommy returned to his job as a mine clearance diver for the war on Boxing Day. When Polly returns home after her wedding night and bidding her new husband goodbye, she is greeted with the sad news that Tommy's grandfather Arthur passed away in his sleep.

Helen is the granddaughter of the owners of the Shipyard and shares a love hate relationship with her mother, Miriam. The woman is hateful, to be honest, as she continues a hold over Helen and the women welders of the the Shipyard, as well as Helen's beloved father who now lives in Glasgow. But secrets make you bitter, as they seem to have done so with her mother, but now Helen has stumbled across one her mother appears to know nothing about. Her main confidante is Dr John Parker. It is obvious from the beginning, even to me who has come into the series partway, that John adores Helen but thanks to her spiteful mother's barbs she doesn't believe that he could love a woman like her. There are two types of women for men - those they choose to marry and those they keep for sleeping with. And according to Miriam Crawford, her daughter is not marrying as a man prefers "unsullied goods" in a wife. Aside from that, it is obvious both Helen and John adore each other but I wish they would get on with it as Helen's indecision drove me mad. John will be dead before Helen declares her feelings for him!

Bel is a relative newcomer to the yard and appears to be enjoying her work there, though her mother Pearl is not so thrilled. The two women have a secret that could rock another's world as the past is about to come to light for them all. Having being married to Teddy who was lost to the war, Bel is now married to his twin Joe with toddler LuLu (Lucille) from her first marriage, but yearns for a child of their own. After a year with no joy, Bel is both thrilled and jealous when another in their fold falls pregnant.

Rosie Miller and her younger sister Charlotte are the at the forefront of this story as Charlotte grows older and begins to question anomalies she has noticed with regard to her schooling, Rosie's work and friendship with Lily. Charlotte appears to have an obsession with Lily, who she has come to see as a mother figure of sorts, bombarding Rosie with endless questions she isn't sure how to answer. Rosie has worked hard to shelter her sister from the truth...but is she doing the right thing? Or are some secrets best left untold?

Then throughout the story there are flashback chapters following on from the opening prologue, revealing a little more about Rosie's troubled past, her decision to place Charlotte in a boarding school in the middle of nowhere, her early days as an apprentice welder as well as working in Lily's bordello.

The strength of the women welders against the backdrop of the shadow of war and relentless bombing of the Luftwaffe continues to shine through despite the troubles they are faced with. Life amidst air raids where homes are destroyed, lives are lost, production is delayed in the shipyard but the girls maintain their dignity and their courage throughout it all. I may not have read the first seven books of this series, but I was immediately drawn to each and every character and I found myself invested in their stories.

Then just when you think you have it all worked out and know what it coming next...readers are given a shock twist at the very end that no one will see coming! It's not like it's a thriller where you expect it to end with a twist! But that final page left me wanting more and I look forward to the next book "A Christmas Wish for the Shipyard Girls" coming in October 2020 to see how that pans out and how it will affect a key character.

TRIUMPH OF THE SHIPYARD GIRLS is a wonderfully lighthearted read that is addictive from start to finish. Once I started, I did not want to put it down. The stories within the pages are both heartwarming and heartbreaking and through it all the women continue to shine with dignity and strength in the face of war.

After reading TRIUMPH OF THE SHIPYARD GIRLS, I have added the rest of the series to my ever-growing TBR list and hope to slot them in when I can. I know I will enjoy them just as much as I have this one.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction, particularly WW2 era and sagas.

I would like to thank #NancyRevell, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #CornerstoneDigital for an ARC of #TriumphOfTheShipyardGirls in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: You Never Told Me by Sarah Jasmon (ARC)

You Never Told Me by Sarah Jasmon

Genre: Women's fiction, chick lit

Read: 25th June 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 19th March 2020)

★★ 2 stars

I'm not sure how to review this book because I didn't really enjoy it. The premise promised so much more but by the end there were so many questions and loose ends.

A year ago, Charlie had it all - a beautiful house, a lovable dog and an upcoming wedding. But feeling trapped and ignoring all warnings from her family, she left it all and fled to the other side of the world. A year later in Thailand, Charlie has nothing to show for it but a restlessness for home and an empty bank account. Logging into her email at an internet cafe, she sees an email from her sister and calls her. Their mother has taken ill and is in hospital. Charlie needs to get home now. But with no money for her ticket, she panics...until a friend talks her housemates into repaying her for their share of the rent.

Now she is back in dreary England. Stepping off the train and no money left for a taxi, she walks the remaining distance to the hospital...in the rain. She arrives to find she is too late. Her mother has gone. Why couldn't she get here earlier to have just one more moment with her?

The reception from her father and sister is somewhat distant as they return to the family home. The house needs to be sold and their father is moving in with her sister Eleanor and her family. But what is Charlie to do? This was her home once upon a time. She had less than a month to find a job and somewhere to live...because she didn't suppose her boyfriend Max would take her back. She's not sure she would want to go back. But she did want Bella. She missed Bella, her scruffy lovable dog.

But then Eleanor hands her an envelope. Inside are some documents relating to a bank account in Eleanor's name and a key. What's the key for, Charlie asked. Oh, it's for her boat, says Eleanor. Their mother had a boat? A narrowboat or canal boat. So Charlie took herself down to the canal and so began her journey of discovery, I guess you could call it. She met a few people along the way - Bob and Lydia, Dave, Margereta - and even reconnected with Max in a way. But as Charlie steered through the locks, canals and junctions...she discovers her mother had secrets. And she travelled the canal looking for the answers to her questions about the mother she never really knew.

From the premise I had expected YOU NEVER TOLD ME to so much more exciting with the layers of secrets their mother kept hidden but instead it was more a journey of Charlie's own self discovery. Sure she uncovered some of her mother's secrets but we still don't get all the answers at the end. It left everything up in the air with an unsatisfactory end. I even questioned some characters' roles in the story because they didn't appear to go anywhere either.

The only part that had me in tears was the picture painted of poor Bella looking all forlorn on the back step, with just a plastic bed and thin blanket for comfort...chained up in the rain, cold and alone. No dog deserves to be treated like that. I cried buckets for the poor thing and whooped for joy when Charlie rescued her.

I loved the canal boat setting. These narrowboats have delighted me and I would love to travel one should I ever find myself in the UK. There is something peaceful and so tranquil about being on the water. But that is where my interest ended.

I really can't say much else about this book because I honestly felt it was a waste of my time reading it, sadly. I didn't enjoy it and found the ending unsatisfactory.

I would like to thank #SarahJasmon, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #TransworldPublishers for an ARC of #YouNeverToldMe in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Second Wife by Rebecca Fleet (ARC)

The Second Wife by Rebecca Fleet

Genre: Psychological thriller, domestic thriller

Read: 15th June 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 5th March 2020)

★★★★ 4 stars

Everyone brings baggage to a new relationship...but this is on a whole other level!

After the death of his first wife to cancer, Alex Carmichael finally met the woman of his dreams. Natalie is beautiful, smart and appears to be the perfect wife and stepmother to his daughter Jade. Their life in Brighton is perfect and Alex and Natalie couldn't be happier.

One evening, Alex stays late for drinks with a client and returns to find his house on fire. Natalie is unhurt though dazed but there is no sign of Jade. He bursts into the burning building to rescue his unconscious daughter before carrying her outside to safety, barely alive. When 14 year old Jade wakes from her coma she tells her father that she saw a man in the house that night although Natalie refutes this, denying any knowledge of an intruder.

Alex then finds himself faced with an impossible choice - to believe his wife or his daughter? He returns to the burnt remains of his house, surprised to find that it was as badly damaged as it at first seemed, and rummages through Natalie's wardrobe looking for answers. He comes across a box of items belonging to someone called Rachel and a photo in which the woman closely resembles his wife and the man beside her looking decidedly shifty. Now Alex has even more questions. Who is Rachel? Who are the people in the photo? What has this all have to do with his wife and what secrets is she keeping?

Natalie has always been controlled, keeping things close to her chest. She has a past that Alex doesn't know about and when he approaches her with questions and that wretched photo she should have thrown away, she has no alternative to tell him about her past and who she really is.

1999: Rachel lives in a London flat with her younger and free-spirited sister Sadie. Their parents are both dead and from early on Rachel took it upon herself to look after and look out for Sadie. The sisters had grown up inseparable but upon reaching her teens, Sadie morphed into someone different...staying out late, drinking and taking drugs.

One day, the sisters meet the charismatic Kaspar Kashani, who is promoting his new nightclub, and Sadie is instantly taken with him. Rachel knows there is something off about him but Sadie refuses to listen to her reservations and goes to the new club. There she falls in love with Kas and does everything she can to be with him, despite Rachel's warnings.

When things start to get messy and go incredibly wrong, Rachel is there to pick up the pieces of her sister's life once again. But in the process she alienates her even further when she becomes a witness in a trial that will change the course of her life forever. After which, she is given a new identity and a new home away from London to start her life all over again.

Compelling with plenty of twists, I love the way the story is told from several perspectives, including Alex and Natalie, in dual timelines from 1999 and 2017. It keeps you guessing as to exactly what is going on and just who is, or isn't, telling the truth. Although a did find there was a lull when the 1999 narratives began as I wasn't sure where they fit in, it soon picked up pace as the narratives switched back and forth to keep you guessing.

What is the link between Alex and Natalie, and Rachel and Sadie? And who was responsible for the house fire that very nearly claimed Jade's life? Alex is determined to uncover what happened, but is he prepared for the truth?

It is so hard to review THE SECOND WIFE without giving anything away. While at first I was puzzled, the plot soon became obvious and I predicted what was coming from about midway through. But that did not impact on my enjoyment because it is still a wonderfully twisty read that keeps you hooked until the very end.

THE SECOND WIFE is a dark tale of secrets, lies and a twisted obsession that is thrilling, intense, dangerous and addictive. It is like a car crash that you find yourself unable to look away, turning the pages to discover the truth and what Natalie has been hiding.

My first book by Rebecca Fleet, THE SECOND WIFE gripped me from the beginning and I found myself invested deeply in Alex and Natalie's story and wanting to uncover the truth. So many whispers of doubt alluded to things not adding up and I suspected the truth in part from early on, while the rest fell into place a little later. The clues were peppered subtly throughout which made uncovering them a little victory for me each time.

A book riddled with chameleon characters, secrets, lies and obsession made this fast paced domestic thriller a must read for any thriller fan.

I would like to thank #RebeccaFleet, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #TransworldDigital for an ARC of #TheSecondWife in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Miss Austen by Gil Hornby (ARC)

Miss Austen by Gil Hornby

Genre: Historical fiction

Read: 4th April 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 23rd January 2020)

★★ 2.5 stars

When one hears the term MISS AUSTEN one immediately thinks of Jane Austen, the author of "Pride and Prejudice", "Sense and Sensibility" and "Emma" to name a few. But in actuality, the title of Miss Austen belonged to Jane's eldest sister Cassandra, of whom this story is about.

Cassandra (Cassy) was the most significant person in Jane's life as her confidante, closest friend and companion. And after her death, Cassandra became her censor in destroying so much of Jane's letters, protecting her sister's memory and shaping the narrative of what was her life.

The book begins in 1840 with the now older Miss Austen arriving at the home of her long dead fiance's family, the Fowles. The Reverend Fowle has recently passed and it falls to his youngest unmarried daughter Isabella to pack up the family's possessions to make way for the new vicar. It's an inconvenient time but Cassandra has a purpose in tracking down all of her Jane's letters and to destroy them. Although she is unwelcome, Cassandra is nothing if not loyal as she endeavours to protect her sister's memory. When the letters are found, she then pieces together alternate versions of events from various parties as the letters recount the story of both Cassandra and her more famous sister.

The narrative moves between the past 1795 and the present 1840 with Cassandra as both a young woman and an elderly one much later in life. She reminisces on Tom Fowle's proposal and her acceptance followed by the excitement of her first visit to Kintbury as a prospective bride which then is in contrast with her now unwelcome arrival as an elderly spinster. This is the tragedy for which Cassandra is known. The girl who loved Tom Fowle, who died before he would marry her and she was consumed by her silent grief for his memory for the rest of her life.

The revelation of Jane's letters recounting Cassandra's relationship with Tom gave a shadow of hope in that the story would become a little more compelling but it did not. I liked the story, but I found it difficult to connect with it. I didn't find it as easy read as I had thought I would...but then I have never read any of Jane Austen's books either. I've only seen the TV adaptions and thoroughly enjoyed them.

While the plot is simple enough the story is slow to progress and I guess that's what I found difficult to connect with. I don't like slow stories as a rule, but prefer a much faster pace. I'm not sure what I expected but I was somewhat disappointed. However, there are those who may appreciate it's slow detailed stroll through MISS AUSTEN and her memories.

MISS AUSTEN is not a bad book. It just failed to enthrall me as much as I'd hoped. In my opinion, I believe you may well need to be an Austen fan to fully appreciate this book...or it won't be as enjoyable. As I have never read any Austen, this may be why I didn't.

I found it incredibly difficult to follow the unformatted copy (moreso than others) so I may go back an re-read it at a later date so I can fully appreciate it more. That being said, fans of Austen will enjoy MISS AUSTEN.

Can I just say how much I love the embroidered cover? It is soooo delighful and very fitting for the time period of this book.

I would like to thank #GilHornby, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK for an ARC of #MissAusten in exchange for an honest review.