Paperback, 304 pages
Published December 31st 2015 by Fig Tree (first published February 16th 2015)
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley
Blurb
"1976: Peggy Hillcoat is eight. She spends her summer camping with her father, playing her beloved record of The Railway Children and listening to her mother's grand piano, but her pretty life is about to change.
Her survivalist father, who has been stockpiling provisions for the end which is surely coming soon, takes her from London to a cabin in a remote European forest. There he tells Peggy the rest of the world has disappeared. And so her life is reduced to a piano which makes music but no sound, a forest where all that grows is a means of survival. And a tiny wooden hut that is Everything.
Peggy is not seen again for another nine years.
1985: Peggy has returned to the family home. But what happened to her in the forest? And why has she come back now?"
My Review
This is quite a mysterious book which builds up the tension well. However, Peggy is an unreliable narrator and she left me confused at times, which I imagine was the author's intention.
There is some beautiful writing in this book with very vivid descriptions. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where Peggy learns to play the silent piano. The cover of this book is stunning as well.
This book is dark and haunting, I felt sad for Peggy's lost childhood.
Unfortunately, I read this a few months ago and I have found that it hasn't stayed with me very well. As a result, I would give this 3 out of 5.
This book is available on Amazon in Hardback, Paperback and Kindle.
About the Author
Claire Fuller trained as a sculptor before working in marketing for many years. In 2013 she completed an MA in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of Winchester, and wrote her first novel, Our Endless Numbered Days. It has been published in the UK by Fig Tree (Penguin), in the US by Tin House, in Canada by House of Anansi and in Israel and Taiwan. It will be published in a further four countries. Our Endless Numbered Days won the 2015 Desmond Elliott prize.
Claire's second novel, Swimming Lessons will be published in early 2017.
Paperback
Published January 28th 2016 by HarperImpulse
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Blurb
"She wanted a birthday surprise, just not the one she got…
The last thing Sally Summers expected from her husband on her special day was that he’d leave her for a Latvian lap dancer half her age. So with her world in tatters, Sally jets off to Turkey for some sun, sea and sanctuary.
The Blue Bay resort brings new friends and the perfect balm for Sally’s broken heart in gorgeous Dubliner James. He’s just the birthday present she needs. And when the chemistry between them continues to spark as the holiday ends, Sally wonders if this is more than just a summer fling.
But James has scars of his own and Sally isn’t quite ready to turn her back on her marriage. This birthday might have changed everything, but what will the next one bring?"
My Review
This is my new favourite book by Debbie Johnson, it was hilarious and made me laugh out loud so much my boyfriend had to keep asking what was going on! Sally is a warm character with a difficult family, her daughter in particular is a nightmare of teenage hormones and bad attitude. Sally reminds me of an older Bridget Jones in that trouble seems to follow her around but she will always make the best of a bad situation.
An emotional tale of friendship, heartbreak and learning to love yourself, it brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion.
I loved this book and highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 from me.
It is available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle format.
About the Author
Debbie Johnson lives and works in Liverpool, where she divides her time between writing, caring for a small tribe of children and animals, and not doing the housework. She writes romance, fantasy and crime - which is as confusing as it sounds! Her first humorous contemporary romance, Cold Feet At Christmas, a seasonal tale of snow-bound fun, was released by HarperImpulse last year, and became an Amazon top ten best-seller. You can also find her supernatural crime thriller, Fear No Evil, featuring Liverpool PI Jayne McCartney, on Amazon, published by Maze/Avon Books. Debbie also writes urban fantasy, set in modern day Liverpool. Dark Vision and the follow-up Dark Touch are published by Del Rey UK. Debbie blogs at www.debbiejohnsonauthor.com. She lives with her family in Merseyside and is available to write features.
Paperback, 442 pages
Published August 6th 2015 by London Wall (first published August 1st 2015)
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Blurb:
"A young writer becomes entangled in an illicit gypsy love affair, pulling her into a world of secrets, deception and dark desire.
Summer, 1976. Luz de Rueda returns to her beloved Spain and takes a job as the biographer of a famous artist. On her first day back in Cádiz, she encounters a bewitching, passionate young gypsy, Leandro, who immediately captures her heart, even though relationships with his kind are taboo. Haunted by this forbidden love, she meets her new employer, the sophisticated Andrés de Calderón. Reserved yet darkly compelling, he is totally different to Leandro but almost the gypsy's double. Both men stir unfamiliar and exciting feelings in Luz, although mystery and danger surround them in ways she has still to discover.
Luz must decide what she truly desires as glistening Cádiz, with its enigmatic moon and whispering turquoise shores, seeps back into her blood. Why is she so drawn to the wild and magical sea gypsies? What is behind the old fortune-teller’s sinister warnings about ‘Gemini’? Through this maze of secrets and lies, will Luz finally find her happiness… or her ruin?
Masquerade is a story of forbidden love, truth and trust. Are appearances always deceptive?"
My Review:
This is a romance set in 1970's Spain. It is the follow up to 'Indiscretion', the story of which has a significant impact on the Luz's life. I hadn't read the first book which was quite good as it meant I had to find out what happened with Luz.
I enjoyed the beautiful imagery of the Spanish countryside but this book was a bit over-descriptive for my tastes and some of the descriptions get repetitive. Am I the only person who gets annoyed when a main character is soooo beautiful and rich and happens to be very intelligent too? That's just far too annoying! If I had to read one more time about her beautiful long black hair and her sapphire eyes and all the men swooning over her I was going to throw the book out the window.
I did finish this book but by the time I was 250 pages through I was so bored I decided to skim read the rest (which I never do). There's quite a good twist in this book if you can be bothered to battle through the descriptions of how moody and virile Andrés is and how wild and sexy Leandro is.
I would give this book 2 out of 5.
About the Author:
Hannah Fielding was born and grew up in Alexandria, Egypt. Her family home was a large rambling house overlooking the Mediterranean where she lived with her parents and her grandmother, Esther Fanous, who had been a revolutionary feminist and writer in Egypt during the early 1900s.
Fluent in French, English and Arabic, Hannah’s left school at 18 and travelled extensively all over the world. Hannah met her husband in England and they lived in Cairo for 10 years before returning to England in 1989. They settled in Kent, bringing up two children in a Georgian rectory, surrounded by dogs, horses and the English countryside. During this time, Hannah established a very successful business as an interior designer renovating rundown cottages.
With her children now grown up, Hannah now has the time to indulge in her one true passion, which is writing. Hannah has so far published three novels: Burning Embers set in 1970s Africa, The Echoes of Love set in 1980s Venice, and Indiscretion set in 1950s Spain. Her romance novels are adored by readers all over the world.
Published by Mills & Boon in paperback and e-book
19th November 2015 - £7.99
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Blurb:
"If the women on Sex and the City got dates on a daily basis, and even the more normal-looking girls on Girls, then why wasn’t I? If I wanted to live the fun, twentysomething life I was destined to live, I was going to have to up my game.
Ellie used to be a virgin, but now she’s a woman with sexual experience. Well, some sexual experience. She also has debt, an unpaid magazine internship, and three flatmates who left her with the single room to match her single status.
That’s okay. She doesn’t want a boyfriend anyway—she wants several. And if the sex is exciting enough, her ruthless magazine-editor boss can exploit her dating life for a column.
But after countless hookups and forced attempts at seeming sexy backfire, Ellie starts to witness the emotional wreckage she’s leaving in her wake. Turns out that sex can be hard—and there’s a downside to giving it up too easy…"
My Review:
This was an entertaining read that made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion. This is the second book in a series following the main character, Ellie, who was on a mission to lose her virginity in the first book. I didn't realise that this was a follow-up when I first started reading it, so it can definitely work as a stand-alone book too.
Ellie is a funny character, clueless and haphazard in her attempts to expand her sexual horizons. However, she is a bit annoying as she whines a lot and gets obsessed with silly things, and is a bit too determined to play the field. She becomes more selfish and blinded as the novel progresses. While I was reading it I felt like she was playing at being someone else which made me a bit uncomfortable.
This is a good read if you want to laugh at someone having awkward sexual experiences.
I would give this book 3 out of 5.
About the Author:
Radhika Sanghani is a 23-year-old full-time journalist for The Daily Telegraph where she specialises in writing about women and women’s issues. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism from City University London, a BA in English Literature from University College London, and recently came second in GQ’s Norman Mailer writing competition. Her debut novel V!RG!N was published in 2014.
Kindle Edition, 201 pages
Published March 5th 2015 by Pilrig Press
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Blurb:
"The year is 1886 and Swedish teenager Ingrid Andersdotter is about to face a series of life-changing events – the rural poverty of her family which her carelessness suddenly makes worse, her attraction to the new school teacher which leads to ostracism and shame, the pressure of the church to conform to things she doesn’t believe, and her strong opinions which put her at odds with her traditional community.
Ingrid’s only option is to leave her home and family, first to Stockholm as a lonely servant in a rich household, where she soon discovers her vulnerability. Just when she fears she’ll be thrown onto the street, a turn of events gives her the chance of a new life – in America. But is she brave enough to make an ocean crossing to a strange land on her own, leaving everything she knows far behind? And will she find the freedom she dreams of if she takes such a risk?
Told through the lens of a Swedish fairy tale, this epic coming-of-age story, is both a page-turning personal account of one feisty young woman’s determination to seek a better life, and the tale of many single women who emigrated from Sweden to America in the 19th century."
My Review:
Ingrid is an interesting character, by turns naive, strong-willed and hopeful. She comes from a life of poverty in rural Sweden where her family scratch a living from the land. Her horizons are gradually expanded as she meets different people and she begins to question the values which have been drilled into her from birth. As she grows up she is forced to move away from the family she loves and to start out on her own. This is a moving tale of courage and hope and Ingrid is a likeable character who sticks to her principles.
I enjoyed learning more about Swedish culture in the late nineteenth century and the book felt well-researched and realistic. I particularly liked the descriptions of the Swedish countryside and of Ingrid's travels.
My criticisms for this book would be that it was slow to start off and I felt that the writer's style developed and became stronger as the novel progressed. It also felt like the author was trying out different writing techniques during the novel, by using diary entries and letters as well as narrative. I think the letters worked better in progressing the story than the diary entries. I thought the prologue and epilogue told from Ingrid's point of view in the future were a bit unnecessary. It didn't particularly feel like a fairy tale to me, which is how it is advertised, and the tale of the 'Forest King's Daughter' within the story was a little pointless.
It seems like I have given this book a lot of criticism but I did really enjoy it and I will look forward to reading more by the author in the future.
I would give this book 3 out of 5.
The book is available here.
About the Author:
Kendra Olson lives in London, England with her husband and two cats. The Forest King's Daughter is her first novel.
