REVIEW: The Secret Notebook by Julia Wild

The Secret Notebook by Julia Wild

Genre: Historical fiction, Dual Timeline, Contemporary fiction, WW2

Read: 2nd July 2021

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Published: 8th July 2021

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

When Izzie Dean’s beloved nan, Molly Blackshaw, passes away, Izzie returns to the Blackpool bungalow where she grew up, to say goodbye once and for all. When Izzie’s homecoming reunites her with her first love, Justin Swift, every emotion that Izzie has repressed since the day he broke her heart comes rushing to the surface. But then an unexpected discovery changes everything.

Between the pages of the battered secret diary Molly kept during WWII, Izzie discovers a story of love, heartbreak, and the incomparable hardship of life in a world at war. Reading her grandmother’s words soon puts her own story into perspective, and suddenly Izzie realises that the only thing holding her back from happiness, might be herself. Now she just has to convince Justin that they deserve a second chance at forever…

MY REVIEW:

In this day and age of texts and emails where everything is instant, the art of writing letters or a diary seems lost to history. But to be able to re-read them, to touch them and to breathe in their essence. To know that your loved one had touched them and written those words with their own hand, pouring out their heart and their soul...it's so much better than a text. Letters are so personal that at any time you can take them out, re-read them and step back in time to relive those memories. The same could be said for a diary one may have once kept with each word etched in time on every page that had meant something to you at that moment in time. And to be swept away by the emotion in every word. It's very essence is so powerful that to be able to capture it and remember it is something special indeed.

THE SECRET NOTEBOOK brings to life the very essence of words and the memories it can stir up and the stories it tells. It reminds us of another time when the lost art of letter writing brought such happiness.

West Hampstead, London, 2017: After the death of her husband the year before, Izzie Dean is left languishing in the house they shared and the fulfulling job which first brought them together. But one day she receives a call from an old flame, Justin, asking her to return home to Blackpool as her 95 year old Nan, Molly, has pneumonia and has been taken to hospital. Izzie packs her bags, takes leave from work and hurries north to Blackpool. She arrives at the hospital in time for her nan to utter a few garbled final words of "...attic...book..." to which Izzie tearfully tells her that she'll sort it. Her nan then smiles and takes her last breath.

Distraught by her death, Izzie begins the task of sorting through her nan's possessions and redecorating the sprawling seafront house in which she had spent a happy childhood. Estranged from her mother who now lives in South Africa with her stepfather, Izzie had moved in with her nan and grandpop during her teenage years. The house was a mismatch of patterns and colours which her nan had loved after the drabness and lack of colour during the war. Izzie snapped some photos of her nan's haphazard decorating before stripping the wallpaper and repainting each room afresh, with Justin on hand to help with the heavy lifting.

Whilst cleaning out the loft room which had once been her bedroom, Izzie revisits many memories of the time she had there. Her grandpop's painting took pride of place on her wall where it still hangs today reminding her of a time she tried to emulate him and he hung her effort in the kitchen as a trade. The memory brings a smile to her face as she carefully lifts the painting from its hook...and is surprised to find a small nook carved out in the wall behind it. She opens the tiny door and inside is a parcel wrapped carefully in newspaper in which she discovers to be a beautiful green embroidered notebook bulging with pages and letters lost to time. It's her nan's diary dated from 1943 holding the secrets she shared with no one...until now. Remembering her nan's final words, Izzie wonders if the notebook had been left there for her to find...in her old room.

After reading the first entry, Izzie shares the find with Justin and together they are immersed within the story her grandmother tells through the poignant heartfelt words poured out on page after page. The love, the heartbreak, the struggles, the secrets and the effects of war. The sharing of her nan's story this brings cause for Izzie to reflect upon her own life and heartaches. And though reluctant to bare her heart and soul again, what she discovers surprises her.

Blackpool 1943: Twenty-one year old Molly lives in the boarding house her stepmother Enid owns and runs when twins Joe and Jack Blackshaw, resplendent in their blue RAF uniforms, are billeted there for six weeks. From the moment she sets eyes on Joe, Molly is swept away by his dancing eyes and charming smile. After her daily chores are complete, she and Joe spend most evenings walking along the promenade sometimes with her best friend Dora and his brother Jack and sometimes alone whilst on Saturdays they often go dancing. With his arms around her Molly sees no one else but Joe and when he asks her to be his girl and her heart leaps with joy. With Joe by her side, Molly feels herself falling completely and utterly in love with him. No one can spoil her good mood...not even Enid when she snipes at behaving herself and that if she gets herself in the family way she'll be out on her ear. But Molly knows that will never happen to her.

Until one night in the shelter on the prom, Joe expresses his desire to take things further. Molly hesitates. No, she mustn't. But something has shifted between them and over the following nights, Joe busies himself studying his his course to become a flight engineer. Meanwhile Molly remains busy at the boarding house, often playing cards with Jack and the other billets in the evenings. 

When the time approaches for them to leave, Joe takes Molly out for one final walk on the prom and in the shadows of their shelter she capitulates and bathes in the afterglow of love in what will be his absence. She waves him goodbye and utters that she loves him to which he just smiles and bids her a heartfelt farewell. Molly knows their love will see them through their separation till the end of the war as she begins planning their future in her head. She writes to Joe regularly but doesn't lose heart when she receives no reply. Mail is sporadic during wartime often taking weeks or even months to get through. Meanwhile she continues working alongside Enid at the boarding house and enjoying a Saturday dance with Dora.

Until one day, something happens to bring her world crashing down. And she receives a letter she never expected...

Molly's story is brought to life through her heartfelt words carefully penned in THE SECRET NOTEBOOK through diary form, cleverly entwined with Izzie's present day narrative. The dual timeline is completely absorbing and compelling, particularly Molly's tale, that is both emotional and poignant throughout. 

While it did take a while to gain momentum in the beginning with Izzie's story, it was Molly's that had me completely immersed both in story and time. Once I had started I didn't want to put it down and longed to see how it would all end. And then just when we thought we knew it all...there is a final sting in the tail to bring one life unravelling. Although I admit to suspecting it before its discovery.

Engaging and well-written, THE SECRET NOTEBOOK is a beautiful and sweeping tale of a contemporary wartime romance about love, loss and secrets. I am so glad I picked up this book as it is one that I will remember for some time to come.

I would like to thank #JuliaWild, #Netgalley, #RachelsRandomResources and #OneMoreChapter for an ARC of #TheSecretNotebook in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lancashire born, I moved to Bedfordshire in the late seventies, married and started a family. I’m a past Hon Sec of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, have been a member since 1993 when I joined their New Writers’ Scheme as a probationer. That came about after winning a week’s historical writing course on the strength of the first chapter of my third Poldark-era romance. The tutor on the last day loved the story and handed me details of the Romantic Novelists’ Association – she said I absolutely must join as they would be able to help me towards publication.

Some four years later my first published book, Dark Canvas, won the RNA’s New Writer’s Award in 1997, the sixth, Illusions, won the RNA’s Romance Prize in 2003.

After working in the local library service for 18 years, during library cut-backs I took the leap to become self-employed as a writer and worked on releasing my backlist as eBooks for Kindle. 

Most recently, I’ve had the pleasure of working with amazing Charlotte Ledger when she pulled me from the writing wilderness and have now signed a three-book deal with One More Chapter.

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REVIEW: Harpers Heroes by Rosie Clarke

Harpers Heroes (Harpers Emporium #4) by Rosie Clarke

Genre: Historical fiction, WW1, Sagas

Read: 6th July 2021

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Published: 19th November 2020

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The Harpers Girls come face to face with the harsh reality of the cruelty of war.

Oxford Street, London 1915

Sally Harper quietly battles to keep Harpers afloat in the difficult days of the war, whilst husband Ben is working all hours for the War Office.

Beth Burrows is fighting concern for her husband Jack, now at sea with the Merchant Navy, and the fear she may never see him again and be blessed with a child.

Driven to exhaustion, Maggie Gibbs, is now working as a nursing assistant on the battlefields in France. With the everyday horrors of the casualties of war to contend with she suffers her own personal tragedy when her fiancé's plane ditches in the sea.

Can the Harpers Girls and their loved ones survive the perils of war and find a path to future happiness?

A heart-warming saga following the lives, loves and losses of the Harpers Girls. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries, Pam Howes and Dilly Court.

MY REVIEW:

Having thoroughly enjoyed "Rainy Days for the Harpers Girls" I was excited to continue the series with the fourth book HARPERS HEROES. And the story really is about the heroes of Harpers, or those associated with the department store through family members or friends, as the Great War begins to touch the lives of everyone. Beginning in 1915 at the height of wartime, the women are doing their best to keep spirits up and the home fires burning in support of their menfolk away in the battlefields and the muddy trenches.

I admit I had to refresh my memory as to where book 3 left off to pick up the stories of the Harpers girls. But once I did, I was soon back in the throng of things behind the counter or walking the floor of Harpers Emporium. I remember the story that touched me the most in the previous book was that of Marion Kaye and in this installment I still have a soft spot for her, what with all she's had to face and the way she makes the best of it all.

HARPERS HEROES opens with Sally Harper, as a new mother to baby Jenny, balances the running of Harpers and motherhood all whilst worrying about her husband, Ben, in his work for the War Office. Whilst rationing has not yet begun for the most part, Sally is finding shortages in many of their usual lines with their suppliers and having to find an alternative way to sell substandard products slightly faulty and not up to Harpers usual standards. But even selling them on for a fraction of their usual price with a donation made to the wounded soldiers, she is able to keep Harpers wheels turning and the business thriving. She trumps Harry Selfridge in buying up all the suppliers' faulty goods and selling them on for a fraction of their price and still making a profit. And if that wasn't enough, Sally has also taken to visiting wounded soldiers and endeavouring to make top surgeons available to the men and to treat them. After calling a Newcastle-based doctor several times to no avail, Sally boards a train and makes the journey to his office in Newcastle to secure his services. Is it any wonder she is admired by all who cross her path?

Beth Burrows has been promoted to supervisor of her department hoping to distract herself from concern for husband Jack who is often at sea with the Merchant Navy bringing in much-needed stock for the country. When weeks go by without word from him, Beth begins to fear the worst. Since her marriage to Jack, Beth has moved into the Burrows home she now shares with father-in-law Fred who also works at Harpers. Her close friend Maggie also lived with them until she signed up for the VAD as did Miss Minnie until her marriage in the previous book to Mr Stockbridge. Beth spends a lot of time supervising her department and caring for the girls working under her, but when some devastating news arrives from the War Office, Beth fears her world is about to collapse.

The youngest of the original Harpers girls, Maggie Gibbs left the store to join the war effort. Leaving behind her job, her friends and all she knows, Maggie signs up to the VAD as a volunteer nurse's aid and heads to the front for six months in a field hospital. The work is hard and it's gruelling but Maggie believes she is making a difference to the soldiers she helps - some of them in their final hours. Secretly engaged to Jack Burrow's brother Tim, Maggie keeps this fact secret as nurses must be unmarried and unencumbered of children to be able to devote their time and energies to the patients they help care for. Her hope is that if she can help the men, then she is also helping Tim who is with the Flying Corps. The couple hoped to meet up when they both had leave should Tim ever be in the vicinity of the hospital where Maggie is stationed. But she has heard little from him since being in France and she hasn't seen him in months. Does this mean the worst? Or that mail is taking its time getting through? Even on her toughest days, Maggie continues to have hope that they will be reunited again soon and marry when the war is over and she returns to Harpers.

Newly married Rachel Bailey has been promoted to floor walker, overseeing all the departments throughout Harpers and greeting customers. Her husband William is also heavily tied up with his work with the War Office and is absent more often than he is at home. Taking comfort in her friends when she feels a little lonely, Rachel is thrilled when Sally introduces her to the hospital that she herself frequents comforting the wounded soldiers who have returned from the front for lengthy treatment or convalescence. It isn't long before Rachel finds her niche there and no longer accompanies Sally but rather visits the soldiers herself, giving hope where it's needed.

Marion Kaye is a recent addition to the store but is already part of the Harpers family. Her story which was tragic and heartbreaking in the previous book now thrives as Marion finds her feet both personally and professionally. After the tragic death of her mother at the hands of her abusive father, Marion holds the fort at home caring for her younger siblings - Kathy, Dickon and Milly - whilst her older brothers Dan and Robbie are off fighting the Hun. Marion is lucky to have the help and care of her neighbour Mrs Jackson to take in 7 year old Milly after school while she is at work. She had recently been stepping out with neighbour Reggie Jackson but refused his offers of marriage because as the oldest sibling her brother and sisters' care falls to her to do what she can to keep them fed and clothed. But now that Reggie is also away fighting, Marion worries that she may have missed her chance at happiness should something happen to her Reggie. Then when a knock at the door one day reveals her brother Dan's heavily pregnant wife, Marion doesn't hesitate to take young Sarah in and between them the two women have the Kaye household soon running smoothly. Until the day Marion returns home to find Sarah in premature labour. Marion has seen her mother give birth enough to know what to expect, but is she able to do enough to save Sarah and the baby?

Harpers' resident window dresser, Mr Marco, surprisingly left the safety of the Harpers family to sign up and do his bit for the war. But whilst in training, he was singled out by his superiors for his fluency in French, German and Italian as well as his musical ability. He was therefore placed undercover as a nightclub singer playing the piano in an establishment with dubious links to the enemy. He befriends a young German officer who slips him tidbits of information that Marco moves up the Resistance chain to help thwart the German's advance. But his cover is threatened when the young officer is captured for leaking information. Will he buckle under torture and unveil Marco as a spy?

Meanwhile, there are other stories that are intricately linked to one another from Britain to France between Harpers and those on the frontline from Sally to old friend Mick Sullivan to Maggie to her colleague and friend Sadie to love interest Pierre to Marco. The way they entwine is cleverly done as the details of life at home and those on the front are woven together against the backdrop of the Great War.

There is so much detail in HARPERS HEROES that the stories are quite complex and very involved but wonderfully written. It is an enjoyable read, particularly Marion's story which touched me in the last book also. I have to say I think she is my favourite character probably because of where she comes from and all she has had to endure and yet still she picks herself up and keeps going regardless. The other woman seem to a little more privileged than Marion which is maybe why I relate to her more as she has had to work for her place. Though each character has definitely grown and evolved over time.

I think I enjoyed the previous one more because there was an undercurrent of mystery and subterfuge running throughout whereas this one is more a collection of stories amidst a war. It is still a great read and I definitely recommend it but I think it is best read in order from the beginning, though there is enough information to keep the reader up to date from previous novels. I did feel the book simply ended with no real direction and the following book is really needed to continue the story.

I already have the next book "Wartime Blues for the Harpers Girls" lined up to read next in anticipation of its release (which incidentally was yesterday).

I recommend this book and the series to lovers of historical fiction and wartime dramas.

I would like to thank #RosieClarke, #Netgalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #HarpersHeroes in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Rosie Clarke has been writing for several years and has written under various names for a variety of publishers.  She lives in Cambridgeshire, is happily married and enjoys life with her husband.  She likes to walk in the Spanish sunshine and eating out at favourite restaurants in Marbella is a favourite pastime, but writing is her passion.

Rosie loves shoes, especially those impossibly high heels you can buy and has a gorgeous pair of Jimmy Choos but can't wear them so they sit on the mantlepiece.

Rosie also writes under the name of Anne Herries and Linda Sole.

 

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EXTRACT: His Other Woman by Louise Voss

His Other Woman by Louise Voss

Genre: Contemporary fiction, Women's Fiction, Family drama

Read: 1st July 2021

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Published: 2nd July 2021

DESCRIPTION:

What would you do if the love of your life forgot you… and met someone else?

I waved my husband goodbye at the airport, and he vanished without a trace. I sat awake, night after night, looking at photos of our family. I knew he would never leave us.

And then I found him.

Now he lives with the younger, beautiful woman he thinks he loves. And he doesn’t even recognise me.

Who will he choose? Can I forgive him? And will I ever be able to look into his eyes without thinking of his other woman?

From the bestselling author Louise Voss comes a heartbreakingly emotional story about family and forgiveness, that will make you cry and hold on tight to the ones you love. Perfect for fans of Nicole Trope, Kerry Fisher and The Silent Daughter.

EXTRACT:

Alanda 

April 

Despite the early flight, the kids had all stayed over so they could come and see their dad off at Gatwick. They were bleary-eyed and hungover in the back of the people carrier, after way too much wine at the leaving dinner Alanda had cooked the night before. Now they clustered around him, yawning, as Liam transferred a few travel toiletries into a clear plastic bag ready for the security inspections. 

Alanda was rooting through the smaller of Liam’s two backpacks, the light foldable one he was using as hand luggage: ‘Oh Liam! You can’t take that through.’ She pulled out a bottle of Diet Coke and handed it to Becky. 

‘Brilliant. Thanks!’ she said, guffawing, as she screwed off the cap. It fizzed loudly and spewed brown liquid for a moment before she got her mouth around the top. 

‘Oops,’ said Liam. ‘Forgot you have to buy your drinks on the other side. That’s how long it’s been since I last flew. Amateur mistake.’ 

‘Anything else in there you can’t take through? Happy to relieve you of any expensive aftershave,’ Jake asked hopefully, as Alanda continued to search.  

‘Nice try, son. Even if I had brought expensive aftershave, you wouldn’t get to keep it. I’m only going for three weeks, not three years.’ 

‘Did you see that YouTube video of the man farting in the x-ray machine? You know, the one you have to stand like this in?’ 

Becky assumed a stance, legs apart and arms held up at right angles. ‘It’s so funny, it comes out in this little white cloud on the video.’ 

Liam laughed. Since childhood, Becky had always found anything fart-related utterly hilarious, particularly on the occasions when it concerned her twin brother. Alanda and Liam privately found it endearingly amusing. 

‘I’ll make sure I don’t embarrass myself,’ he said, hugging her, as Heather rolled her eyes. 

‘Gosh, I’m going to miss you all,’ he added, gazing at his family. Heather started twisting her engagement ring round her finger and looking anxious. 

‘Dad,’ she began, but Liam already knew what she was going to say. 

‘Of course I’ll be back in time! Wild horses wouldn’t keep me away from walking you up the aisle.’ 

Still holding Becky with one arm, Liam put his other one around his youngest daughter’s plump shoulder. She didn’t look mollified though. 

To be honest, Alanda thought, she didn’t blame Heather for being worried. She would never admit it to the kids but she had butterflies flapping blindly in her belly at the thought of Liam being away for this long. It wasn’t panic – she was a grown, independent woman. Worrying about surviving for a few weeks without her other half; how pathetic would that be? But she did feel concerned. 

Whilst they’d never been apart for anything like as long as this, it wasn’t herself she was concerned for; it was Liam. The fact that they had both acknowledged the need for him to get away and have some time on his own was a worrying indication of his current state of mind.  

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Over her twenty-year writing career, Louise Voss has published books via pretty much every publishing model there is, from deals with major traditional publishing houses (Transworld and HarperCollins), to digital (Thomas & Mercer and Bookouture) and self-publishing. In 2011, she and co-author Mark Edwards were the first UK indie-published authors to hit the No.1 spot on Amazon UK.

Louise has written thirteen novels in total, seven solo and six co-written, across psychological thrillers, police procedurals and contemporary fiction. 


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REVIEW: The Orchard Girls by Nikola Scott

The Orchard Girls by Nikola Scott

Genre: Historical fiction, Dual timeline, Contemporary fiction, Women's fiction

Read: 29th June 2021

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Published: 1st July 2021

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

London, 2004. Frankie didn't always have it easy. Growing up motherless, she was raised by her grandmother, who loved her – and betrayed her. For years, the rift between them seemed irreparable. But when their paths suddenly cross again, Frankie is shocked to realise that her grandmother is slowly losing control of her memory. There is a darkness in her past that won't stay buried – secrets going back to wartime that may have a devastating effect on Frankie's own life.

Somerset, 1940. When seventeen-year-old Violet's life is ripped apart by the London Blitz, she runs away to join the Women's Land Army, wanting nothing more than to leave her grief behind. But as well as the terror of enemy air raids, the land girls at Winterbourne Orchards face a powerful enemy closer to home. One terrible night, their courage will be put to the test – and the truth of what happened must be kept hidden, forever . . .

MY REVIEW:

Oh I do so love a dual timeline tale, particularly those set during WW2, and even moreso when there is a tangible thread through which the interwoven stories move seamlessly. While it took me a while to become fully immersed within the story, before things became really interesting, once it did I was completely absorbed. THE ORCHARD GIRLS really crept up on me as I didn't know what to expect but this foray into the past through a mind that is slowly declining is so beautifully written that I was swept smoothly between the past and the present.

London and Somerset 1940: Seventeen year old Violet Etherington yearns to break free of the constraints from which her mother has her tethered. There may be a war on, but that's no reason to let social niceties slide and abandon any future prospects of a husband, for which a woman like Violet is bred. Her mother has lined up the boorishly dull Edward Forester and Violet cannot think of anything worse. So when they attend a society wedding at the Wentworth, she finds herself having to dance with Edward much to the delight of her mother. But when Edward asks if they may have a moment as he has something of importance to say, Violet panics and rushes out into the night with her cousins Romy and Duffy. 

But the streets of London in September 1940 was not a safe place to be and as an air raid siren sounds, the three of them rush to find the nearest shelter. They could see the orange glow of the whole East End ablaze and still the Germans were coming back for more. But that night would be a turning point for Violet, changing her and her outlook from there on in.

In the wake of tragedy, Violet's mother decides that they are moving to Yorkshire for the remainder of the war...however long that will be. But Violet doesn't want to go to Yorkshire, so with Duffy's help she makes her escape to the country and joins the Women's Land Army, settling at Winterbourne Orchards in Somerset. 

Under the pseudonym of Lily Burns, Violet accepts her new normal, which is far from the smiling posters she'd seen plastered across London, and she soon discovers the harsh reality of working under the brutal hand of overseer Mr Hardwick. The conditions in which the girls must live are near appalling, on straw beds in a cold and draughty barn in which they are locked every night. Not to mention the impossible requirements Hardwick imposes on them, changing the rules as he goes so that they never see the light at the end of the tunnel. He punishes them all for the fault of one, withholding their pay, their mail and making them work late so that they miss their days off. He threatens them that if they complain he will only make it worse for them.

The only light the women have is little 8 year old Marigold, whose family own the orchards that Hardwick oversees. She joins them daily saying little but enjoying their company and even working alongside them. The little girl is starved of love and human companionship in the wake of the death of her older brother Oliver in the battlefields. Her other brother Guy has returned after an injury invalided him out to run Winterbourne Orchards though all he does is shout at her while her mother barely notices her existence.

Then one night, the workers and the Land Girls gather for a celebration to mark the end of the harvest and a much-needed rest. But a tragedy is to come as Violet recognises the stuttering drone of enemy aircraft making their way across the skies towards them. Bonfires are doused and lights extinguished but it's too late as bombs rain down on the fields surrounding them. Will they get out of this alive?

London 2004: It's Frankie O'Brien's 28th birthday though she doesn't really celebrate them anymore. Not since her grandmother Violet Etherington and her father Harry's attempts to outdo the other in celebrations for her. And definitely not for the past ten years since she walked out of her grandmother's house in Belgravia for the last time. But today, she celebrates with her friends Con and Bea as the three of them are starting their new jobs at The London Post. Little do they know what to really expect of the shamelessly cut-throat business.

As soon as her new boss Hugo learns of her link to reclusive socialite Violet Etherington, he demands she get an interview with her as well as the dirt on one of her friends, recently the focus of a highly publicised and messy divorce. When she fails, he has Con throw something together but puts her name to it not as Frankie O'Brien...but as Francesca Etherington. It's clear from the start that Hugo wants to captialise on Frankie's link to Violet and the Etherington name. 

But Frankie has bigger concerns after meeting her grandmother again after the ten year estrangement. Although their relationship is strained at best, Frankie cannot help but notice changes in her staunch and stoic grandmother when she sees flashes of panic along with a vague and vacant look on her face. But nothing prepares her for what she sees when she lets herself into Cavendish House after Violet was found wandering vaguely in the park. Notes posted everywhere as if to serve a reminder to her grandmother should she forget. Close the blinds, shoes here, put milk in fridge, one teabag only, turn off hob. And then signs on doors to various rooms - my room, bathroom. And the truth slowly dawns on Frankie. No. Not her grandmother. Not her strong capable grandmother.

Despite their strained relationship, Frankie moves back into Cavendish House. She reinstates the housekeeper her grandmother had let go for fear that she would notice the changes in her and she organises for someone to be with her at the times when Frankie is in the office. When she comes across a photo of four women identifying them as Kit, Joan, Red and Lily, Frankie recognises her grandmother immediately but not the names on the back. She tries coaxing the information out of her grandmother's lifelong friend Jools but she refuses to say anything. 

And then the unthinkable happens. Hugo sees the photo and recognises its value and demands Frankie write a story on the Land Girls and her grandmother's time with them, dredging up as many secrets as she can. And if she doesn't, then Con will. But Frankie wants to protect her grandmother and honour her wishes to keep her failing mind out of the public eye. How can she do that when her job security relies on her delving into the secrets of the past and bringing them to light in the present?

But nothing will prepare Frankie for what she is about to discover...

As much as I enjoyed THE ORCHARD GIRLS, reading about the cut-throat behaviour of the media newsroom angered me on Frankie's behalf as much as Hardwick's appalling and brutal treatment of the Land Girls made my skin crawl. The injustice of both aspects made for uncomfortable reading at times but it was Violet's decline into the early stages of dementia that were the most difficult. I doubt there is a person on earth who hasn't been touched or affected by dementia and memory related frailties. It is so widespread and so completely devastating. While I didn't care for the newsroom politics and bitchiness, I found myself completely absorbed within Violet's story both in the past and the present. And what was the secret she and her friends had guarded for over six decades?

The story unfolds through Violet and Frankie's narrative in 1940 and 2004 respectively and is expertly woven together seamlessly. The rich cast of characters throughout both timelines are well developed and add a real depth to the story. There were particularly some love-to-hate characters which gave  it that edge and keeps you turning the pages. Full of intrigue and historical detail, THE ORCHARD GIRLS is a gem of a book. It expertly handles the difficult subject of dementia as well as some other darker elements throughout with sensitivity.

Superbly written, THE ORCHARD GIRLS is my first time reading this author and I would put her up there with Lorna Cook and Kathleen McGurl with her cross-genre of contemporary women's fiction and historical.

I would like to thank #NikolaScott, #Netgalley, #RachelsRandomResources and #HeadlineFiction for an ARC of #TheOrchardGirls in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Nikola Scott started out in book publishing and worked as a crime fiction editor in America and England for many years. Turning her back on blood-spattered paperback covers and dead bodies found in woods, she sat down at her kitchen table one day to start her first novel — and hasn’t stopped writing since. Obsessed with history and family stories (‘How exactly did you feel when your parents gave the house to your brother?’) she is well-known – and feared – for digging up dark secrets at dinner parties and turning them into novels. 

Her first two books, My Mother's Shadow and Summer of Secrets, have both been international bestsellers and were translated widely around the world. Nikola lives in Frankfurt with her husband and two boys (and a kitchen table). 

Once a month, Nikola sends out a popular newsletter about writing, reading, book news, freebies and loads of therapeutic baking. Join in here if you’d love to be a part of it all

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REVIEW: The Evidence by K.L. Slater

The Evidence by KL Slater

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Suspense

Read: 25th June 2021

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Published: 1st July 2021

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I can see her through the glass door. She’s smaller in real life than I expected. She looks the exact opposite of the type of woman that might murder her husband.

Everyone’s heard of Simone Fischer. The young mother accused of killing her husband in cold blood, one sunny afternoon, while their son played in the room next door.

So when journalist Esme secures an exclusive interview with her it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. Simone has remained silent since her husband’s death but after a decade in prison, she is willing to talk to Esme. And Esme, recently freed from her own toxic marriage, is confident she can get Simone to open up.

At their first meeting, when Esme sees Simone sitting across the table from her in jeans and a lemon tunic top, she is stuck by her ordinariness. Then Simone begins to tell her story of an abusive relationship where she was a prisoner in her own home, and Esme decides that the truth needs to come out.

But not everyone is pleased that Esme is telling Simone’s story. And when Esme’s beloved sister is left for dead in a nearby wood, Esme’s life begins to unravel. Forced to question what Simone has told her, she can’t help but wonder if murder was the only way out of Simone’s marriage. Why has it taken Simone so long to tell the world the truth? And will the consequences be devastating for Esme?

An utterly addictive and jaw-dropping read from bestselling author K.L. Slater about the darkness behind closed doors. If you like Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train you will LOVE The Evidence.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for K.L. Slater's latest addictive psychological thriller THE EVIDENCE.

It goes without saying that I am a HUGE fan of Kim Slater and her cunningly twisted thrillers never disappoint and never cease to delight me. As soon as I see one I must have it as I can never resist the pull of the wild ride I am sure to find myself on. And she almost always surprises me...no matter how much I figure out what's going on, she always has an extra twist to throw in. THE EVIDENCE is certainly not what I was expecting and offered something a little different from the usual domestic dramas that generally unfold amidst the twists and thrills. Sure, we get some of that...but we also get something else entirely.

"There are a thousand ways to control and be controlled."

Investigative journalist Esme Fox left her day job to start up her own podcasting business The Speaking Fox with her sister Michelle and has secured a tell-all interview with convicted murderer Simone Fischer, incarcerated ten years ago for the brutal stabbing murder of her husband Grant Fischer. Simone has never spoken up before and when she finally begins to outline her life with Grant and the abuse that lead her to breaking point, Esme recognises similar red flags in her own marriage to estranged husband Owen. The put-downs disguised as compliments, the wit that is really sarcasm, the chipping away at your self-belief. Was this her life too?

Already struggling with life as a single mum, caring for 9 year old Zach who had been partially disabled in a hit and run accident 18 months previous, Esme must also contend with her brash and pushy estranged husband who refuses to accept that their marriage is over as well running a full-time business. She is grateful that her sister Michelle moved in to help with Zach's care and the school run at the times when Esme herself is busy. But despite their separation, Owen continues to behave as if it's just temporary and helps himself around the house that he now no longer lives in. Michelle, however, is quick to point out to Esme the liberties that Owen keeps making and so she finds herself in a bit of a quandary because Zach adores his father and longs for him to move back home so they could be a family again. 

Due to his injuries sustained in the accident, Zach often wakes at night in extreme pain and suffers from ongoing anxiety. As a result, Esme tends to wrap him in cotton wool believing him to be "fragile" whilst tormented by the fact that someone out there has not been brought to justice for the lifelong handicaps they have caused her young son. All the while, Esme continues to juggle her personal life with her new business, often being made to feel guilty, by Owen, for prioritising her visits to a convicted murderer over the needs of their son. But getting the podcast up and running is important because it will guarantee financial stability and security for both herself and Zach, so her long drives to HMP Bronzefield to interview Simone are a necessity.

Then one day, her sister Michelle fails to arrive to an important meeting with the prospect of serialising their podcast for screen and she is left to handle it herself. But her worry for her sister combined with her  unfamiliarity with the details Michelle takes care of leaves her looking like an unprepared mess and the meeting is therefore deemed a disaster. She returns home where Owen arrives after collecting their son from school and she leaves them to go in search of the last known places Michelle might have been...to no avail.

A couple of days later two detectives knock at her door with the news that Michelle has been found brutally attacked in some nearby woods and is now in a medically induced coma in ICU. Esme is shocked. Who would want to hurt her sister? Was it a random attack? Or was it targeted? But as Esme begins her own investigation into Michelle's attack alongside her visits to the prison to continue the interviews with Simone for her podcast, she discovers that things may not be as they appear.

Then when Owen is taken in for questioning and later arrested, Esme finds herself having to contend with her monstrous mother-in-law, Brooke Painter, who then moves herself into her home uninvited and proceeds to take over their lives. The women have never gotten on and Esme is at pains to have her here even now...but as Brooke points out, she needs her to help with looking after Zach while she visits Michelle and "that convicted murderer". But knowing Brooke as she does, she cannot help but suspect that she maybe up to something...but what exactly. 

And as her personal life crumbles, Esme continues with her podcast and in the process is confronted with some hard truths and secrets making her doubt who of those closest to her, if anyone, can she trust?

The story is told predominantly from Esme's narrative with the odd chapter devoted to the podcast interviews with Simone. We also hear the voice of one of Esme's colleagues, Justine, gathering intel of some kind for who knows what behind the scenes which leaves the reader with a shadow of doubt as to her loyalty. The characters are all well developed and equally flawed, including Esme who is something of a control freak which then causes resentment in others. But at the same time, the reader is left questioning who to trust and just exactly what their motives are. Brooke is my least favourite character and boy, did she make my blood boil! A fantastic love-to-hate character if ever there was one!

Domestic abuse is a common thread in books today but THE EVIDENCE reveals how it can often fall under the cracks going unnoticed and under the guise of care and concern. It shines a light on gas-lighting and coercive control and that abuse doesn't always leave bruises you can see.

An entertaining, easy read that will have you addicted from the first page, there is some predictability but Kim hoodwinks us with those and then hits us with surprises from out of nowhere that you least expect. There is plenty to keep you guessing whilst you turn the pages long into the night. THE EVIDENCE is sure have you absorbed from beginning to end.

A clever psychological thriller that blends domestic drama with the chilling undercurrent of coercive control, THE EVIDENCE is a page-turner full of surprises.

I would like to thank #KLSlater, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheEvidence 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" he 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.

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REVIEW: His Other Woman by Louise Voss

His Other Woman by Louise Voss

Genre: Contemporary fiction, Women's Fiction, Family drama

Read: 1st July 2021

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Published: 2nd July 2021

★★ 2.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

What would you do if the love of your life forgot you… and met someone else?

I waved my husband goodbye at the airport, and he vanished without a trace. I sat awake, night after night, looking at photos of our family. I knew he would never leave us.

And then I found him.

Now he lives with the younger, beautiful woman he thinks he loves. And he doesn’t even recognise me.

Who will he choose? Can I forgive him? And will I ever be able to look into his eyes without thinking of his other woman?

From the bestselling author Louise Voss comes a heartbreakingly emotional story about family and forgiveness, that will make you cry and hold on tight to the ones you love. Perfect for fans of Nicole Trope, Kerry Fisher and The Silent Daughter.

MY REVIEW:

Ok so this book was not what I was expecting. I don't usually read women's fiction unless it's an author I like who writes across genres and given that this author has co-written several thrillers with Mark Edwards, it's my fault entirely for requesting a book I assumed to be domestic thriller or suspense. However, I plunged in as the premise sounded engaging and promised an interesting story. And it was...to a point. But it lost it somewhere about 60 % through and left me feeling what was the point.

After losing his twin brother to suicide and placing his mother who is suffering dementia into a home, Liam Lodge is encouraged by his wife and children to embark on a three week break trekking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. But once he arrives in Madrid, a poster advertising skiing invites him to make a snap decision to change his plans and travel to Les Gets in France to spend a few days skiing before continuing on his planned route. He texts his wife Alandra to let her know he has arrived in Madrid but decides to say nothing of his change of plans until he arrives at the ski resort. Having taken out a new credit card for his travel expenses, he resolves he has enough for a few nights' stay and hire of ski equipment. 

And then he disappears.

Back home in England, Alandra is beginning to worry when she has heard nothing more after his text from Madrid and soon the hours turn into days and then weeks as the family now worry for his safety. Liam is usually so predictable that it is not like him to not keep in contact and let them know he is safe and well. No updates, no nothing. They report his sudden disappearance to the police who send them a Family Liasion Officer, PC Harding, who Alandra's son Jake nicknames "PC Laptop" due to his small stature making him a small PC. However, the family feel the police are not taking Liam's disappearance seriously, believing him to have run off and left his family. But Alandra knows Liam would never do that. Particularly with youngest daughter Heather's wedding coming up, which ultimately goes ahead without her father and brother Jake walks Heather down the aisle in his place.

When the weeks turn into months with still no clue as to Liam's whereabouts, Jake starts a social media campaign on Twitter, Facebook and other platforms in the hope that someone somewhere has seen his father. And then one day, a promising lead gives the family hope that maybe Liam is still alive.

Meanwhile in a hospital in France, a man wakes with his leg in traction and plastered from hip to foot. He has no idea who he is, where he is or what happened to him. The hospital have named him "Jack" but know nothing else about the man who was found on the ski slopes having crashed into a tree. He had no ID on him, no phone, no wallet - nothing. No one knows who he is...not even him. Each day he sits in his hospital bed watching the hustle and bustle of the ward. And then he meets Katya.

On sojourn from her complicated life in London, Katya is visiting her sick uncle when she notices the man in the bed opposite is struggling to communicate with the staff, some of whom don't speak English. She translates for him as needed and before long spends time talking with him whilst her uncle sleeps. When her uncle passes away suddenly, Katya has no reason to continue visiting the hospital...except that she does...to see the man they call Jack. He has no family and no idea who is so therefore no one visits him. Over time, the two become close and when the day comes that Jack is finally to be discharged, he has nowhere to go. So Katya offers him the spare room at her uncle's flat where she has been staying...at least until she prepares it for sale. 

Katya and Jack grow closer and, although she knows he probably has a family somewhere and that his memory will one day return, Katya cannot help but seize the moment and relish what she now has with Jack. It isn't long before they become a couple and in the weeks after, Katya announces that she is pregnant. Jack is over the moon and Katya is thrilled to discover his excitement at the prospect of becoming a father. The couple know Jack more than likely had a life before her but he promises her that what they have now in this moment is what matters and that he loves her.

And then Katya receives a phone call. Jack has been identified and his wife is looking for him. Katya knew this would all come to an end...but she holds on for just a few more days before telling him. But she doesn't get the chance. A knock at the door one evening while they are sitting down to dinner brings an unexpected visitor. 

And Jack's past comes flooding back as soon as he sees the woman standing at the door.

What ensues is a complicated journey for Alandra, Liam and Katya as they navigate the new reality of their situation. For Alandra, she thought once she found Liam everything would be straightforward and they would return to their lives back in Salisbury, England. For Katya, she hoped life with Jack would be her new beginning despite knowing that one day it could all end. For Liam, he finds himself in a quandary of being in love with both women and not wanting to hurt either of them. But he has a three decade history with Alandra and three children he adores. With Katya he had something new and different, even if it wasn't quite real. So which road does he choose? And how does he tell Alandra of the new life he is expecting with Katya?

Up to this point, I really enjoyed the story. It was heartfelt and tragic as the search for Liam ensued while his life was beginning again as Jack, suffering retrograde amnesia, with the beautiful and younger Katya. While it is a mystery for his family, the reader knows exactly where he is even if neither party knows what's happened. And yet there is still an element of mystery to the story to come which is revealed later and I was shocked, and not in a good way. 

The journey from here on in became annoying and irritating and left me shaking my head at the ludicrousness of the situation. I could not believe after all that the direction the story then took. I don't think Liam was the only one suffering a mid-life crisis as it was utterly ridiculous the decisions and directions taken in the wake of his return. There was a lot of eye-rolling and disbelief that plummeted this story from the 4 stars of the first half of the book to a disappointing 2 stars by the end.

It only takes a split second to make an impromptu decision...and everyone in this story has to live with the consequences of their stupid and selfish choices. Sadly, mine was to choose this book without first checking its genre because I think it would have made a far better tale as a thriller than an exploration into stupid decisions.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Over her twenty-year writing career, Louise Voss has published books via pretty much every publishing model there is, from deals with major traditional publishing houses (Transworld and HarperCollins), to digital (Thomas & Mercer and Bookouture) and self-publishing. In 2011, she and co-author Mark Edwards were the first UK indie-published authors to hit the No.1 spot on Amazon UK.

Louise has written thirteen novels in total, seven solo and six co-written, across psychological thrillers, police procedurals and contemporary fiction. 


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EXTRACT: The Shut Away Sisters by Suzanne Goldring

 

The Shut Away Sisters by Suzanne Goldring

Genre: Historical fiction, Dual timeline, WW1

Read: 23rd June 2021

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Published: 29th June 2021

DESCRIPTION:

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

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

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

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

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

EXTRACT:

November 1999

Kate traced her fingertip through the film of dust that powdered the contents of the locked room. Everything, the bookcase, the desk, the row of books supported by onyx bookends, all was dusted in sleep. And the cover of the maroon book squarely centred on the blotter on the desk was faded, even though very little sunlight filtered through the window, almost completely shrouded as it was by Virginia creeper. 

She opened the book, letting the pages fall open. Dates at the top of each page made it clear that this was a diary. The ink was still crisp and clear, curling and looping in handwriting formed by strict schooldays. She could see the stern schoolmistress, rows of desks, pens dipping into inkwells, tracing the script on straight lines. And the books standing neatly side by side before the window were also diaries. They were inviting her to read them, to discover why they had not been destroyed by their author, but had been locked in a room without a key for many years. 

She flicked through the pages, then read, I fear for Edith’s wellbeing, but feel I must act with the utmost discretion for fear of drawing unwanted attention to her fragile state of mind. 

Kate shivered. Perhaps she shouldn’t read any further. It felt like prying, reading a diary written by someone she knew, or at least thought she knew. But because Great-aunt Florrie was no longer here and because the events covered in these pages had happened so long ago, it seemed as if she’d been granted leave to read, to understand and maybe even begin to make amends. 

And as she looked at the tired, faded journal in her hands and turned the closely written pages, she told herself that she should not be afraid to read its story. This time she could not be hurt and shocked. This time there would be no pain. This time she could just look on and observe. 

But as she started to read, she felt the ache once more. Twisting, churning agony deep inside her, reminding her how she felt the day she discovered what David was really like, the day she uncovered the truth.  

MEET THE AUTHOR:

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

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