The Unforgetting by Rose Black - Book Review and Blog Tour

The Unforgetting by Rose Black - Book Review and Blog Tour

I'm inviting you to join me and my fellow book bloggers on the Blog Tour for the new historical novel #TheUnforgetting by #RoseBlack published by @orionbooks.

I'm rounding up this tour today with my review of this fabulous new book set in Victorian England. Literary, clever and riddled with secrets its an engaging and enjoyable read with a gorgeous cover. Thank you Random Things Tours for inviting me along.

In the mid 19th century, there is little opportunity for a woman to carve out a career in acting, but that is what Lily Bell dreams of, the bright lights and magic of entertaining folk from a stage.

She thinks her dreams have come true when Erasmus Salt offers her the chance to be part of his spectacular stage show. She sets off to join him and his sister Faye, only to discover that she is not to appear live on stage but is to take the part of a ghost, in a daring illusion Erasmus is desperate to perfect. Aided by his manservant the mute and eerie Balthazar, she become part of a show of smoke and mirrors as Erasmus tries to take her identity away from her.

She is part of a bargain and her step father has sold her, body and soul as payment of a debt and has forfeited any free will Lily may have had.

As her parents believe she is dead she throws herself into the work, falls in love with a travelling juggler but Erasmus has another agenda in mind and ulterior motives which his sister Faye cannot fathom and which leave Lily trapped and alone.

As the Unforgetting begins however, secrets gradually reveal themselves from the past wich looms up to play a part in the future and Lily needs to make one terrible decision, will she live to regret it?

Filled with the magic of the Victorian era theatre, Lilys story is captivating and complicated. She meets some wonderful characters, fairground folk (which confused me somewhat - they refer to themselves as Gyptians - a term I believed was coined by Philip Pullmann for his Dark Materials series?) 

Putting this aside, there are some lovely almost Dickensian characters (and some rather dastardly ones). Fabulous locations from Ramsgate to London through various towns in the UK to the Town Moor in Newcastle. I was thrilled to find my own home town of Darlington even plays a small part, though it doesn't come over in a very good light!!

There is a deep vein of mystery and sadness at the core of this book and I am sure it will appeal to readers who enjoyed The Miniaturist, the Essex Serpent and the Silent Companions. Any book which gets a few more people reading and enjoying well researched and imaginative historical fiction such as this serves a grand purpose and this is a super example of the genre.

Find the book on Amazon or on the publishers website

The Blurb

Power, theatre and ghosts in a Victorian gothic historical, perfect for fans of The Silent Companions, The Night Circus and The Familiars.

When Lily Bell is sold by her father to a 'Professor of Ghosts' to settle a bad debt, she thinks she about to hit the London stage as an actress. But little does she know that the professor intends her to be his very own ghost, part of an elaborate illusion for a fascinated audience.

Obsessed with perfection, the professor covers all bases to ensure his illusion is realistic - and when Lily comes across her own obituary in the paper, and then her own headstone in the cemetery, she soon realises that she is trapped, her parents think she is dead - and soon her fate is to become even darker...

About the author

Rose Black has written stories all her life. Her long-standing fascination with the Victorians and 19th century England underlies this novel. An award-winning freelance writer, she's covered health, overseas development and education. Married, with two children, she lives partly in London and at other times by the sea. In her spare time, she enjoys wild swimming and growing food and flowers on her allotment.

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Spotlighting The Beltane Choice by Nancy Jardine for #rararesources

Today I'm joining the Blog Tour for the first in an exciting historical fiction saga series of books by Nancy Jardine.

Entitled The Beltane Choice its the first of a series of 4 books set in Roman Britain the Celtic Fervour Series.

Here's the description to whet your appetite:

AD 71 Northern Roman Britain

Lorcan of the Brigantes knows that unity of the northern tribes is essential when the Ancient Roman legions advance northwards to Brigantia. Yet, everything comes at a price. Using his captive, Nara, as a political bargain with the Selgovae comes with impossible stipulations. Battle at Whorl – Iron Age tribes against the Romans – is inevitable.

Will Nara have her Beltane choice?

The adventures of the Garrigill Clan begin…

How fabulous does this series sound!

Read more or buy it here 

About the Author:

Author Bio – Nancy Jardine writes historical fiction; time-travel historical adventure; contemporary mystery thrillers; and romantic comedy. She lives in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where life is never quiet or boring since she regularly child minds her young grandchildren who happen to be her next-door neighbours. Her garden is often creatively managed by them, though she does all the work! Her husband is a fantastic purveyor of coffee and tea…excellent food and wine! (Restorative, of course)  

A member of the Historical Novel Society; Scottish Association of Writers; Federation of Writers Scotland; Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Independent Alliance of Authors, her work has achieved finalist status in UK competitions.

Social Media Links – 

Blog: http://nancyjardine.blogspot.co.uk  

Website: www.nancyjardineauthor.com/   

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/XeQdkG 

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The Sunday Girl by Pip Drysdale - My review and Blog Tour

The Sunday Girl by Pip Drysdale

My Review

The Sunday Girl by Pip Drysdale is a great Domestic Noir debut for this new author who has shown she is wickedly capable of the cunningly warped and twisted thoughts fans of psychological thrillers love.

The eponymous Sunday Girl of the title is one Taylor Bishop, a modern girl many readers will find it easy to relate to. She has a successful career and lives in a great area of London, albeit in a minuscule flat. She’s bright, sexy and sassy, she is also ragingly, seriously angry and hurt and about to prove that “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” as the old adage goes.

She has just split up with her long term boyfriend Angus, who she hoped was THE one, her forever man, but turned out to be the boyfriend you really don’t want to be involved with and he’s about to prove he’s an even worse louse than he at first appeared to be.

This book is heart-racingly fast-paced, pulls no punches and reminded me of the original twisty tome Gone Girl. Although this thriller has plenty of twists it is really quite straightforward in that it is a tale of a woman on a mission of revenge who will stop at nothing to get her own back on her nasty ex-boyfriend.

Angus, with whom she has just broken up, really hurt her he treated her very badly, he even took his ex-girlfriend on the holiday which was booked for him and Taylor! The shit! She is still reeling from the break up when she discovers he is even more of a cad than she already thinks when she finds some very private moments between the two of them, splattered all over the internet. These explicit sex tapes can only have been put there by Angus and she sees red. Vowing revenge and setting out to achieve it any way she can with her very own plan of war. Spitting venom and screaming hate she wants him ruined.

As their past together is revealed it becomes obvious that he is a controlling, domineering, excuse for a man and the only reason she stayed with him, despite her best instincts is that she was in love with the swine.

Taylor vows to get her own back and intent on getting back at the guy who’s revealed himself as bad and dangerous to know, she tries to fight fire with a burning flame of her own. 

She sets in motion a series of vengeful events which soon spiral out of control. They say that revenge is a dish best served cold but she dishes it up straight from the oven. She is hurt and on the rebound and totally focussed on revenge and as she begins a series of retaliatory acts to get back at Angus she dives into a night or two of passion of her own, with an ex friend with benefits and a new flame who is set to burn brightly in her future but creates even more problems to pile on her already overloaded plate. 

Her behaviour is excusable and understandable, she has almost lost her reason over this guy but manages to keep her cool, considering how wrong things go! But just how far will she go and will she get away with it? As events gather momentum we are swept along as vengeance is served but it seems as though it might come back and bite the hand that is feeding it.

That’s what kept me turning the pages and I fair rattled through this stunning debut novel.

Contemporary, sexy and all about retribution it’s a well plotted, unpredictable thriller which I devoured.

The Blurb

The Girl on the Train meets Before I Go to

Sleep in this chilling tale of love gone horribly

wrong …

“Some love affairs change you forever. Someone comes into your orbit

and swivels you on your axis, like the wind working on a rooftop

weather vane. And when they leave, as the wind always does, you are

different; you have a new direction. And it’s not always north.”

Any woman who’s ever been involved with a bad, bad

man and been dumped will understand what it feels like to

be broken, broken-hearted and bent on revenge.

Taylor Bishop is hurt, angry and wants to destroy Angus

Hollingsworth in the way he destroyed her: ‘Insidiously.

Irreparably. Like a puzzle he’d slowly dissembled … stolen

a couple of pieces from, and then discarded, knowing that

nobody would ever be able to put it back together ever

again.’

So Taylor consults The Art of War and makes a plan. Then

she takes the next irrevocable step – one that will change

her life forever.

Things start to spiral out of her control – and The Sunday Girl becomes impossible to put down.

Pip Drysdale is a writer, actor and musician who grew up in Africa and Australia. At 20 she moved to

New York to study acting, worked in indie films and off-off Broadway theatre, started writing songs

and made four records. After graduating with a BA in English, Pip moved to London where she dated

some interesting men and played shows across Europe. The Sunday Girl is her first novel and she is

working on a second. She currently lives in Australia.

You can find the book on Amazon or look for it in your favourite bookshop

I'd like to thank @simonschusterUK and Random Things Tours for inviting me along for this roller coaster ride. 

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Blog Tour East of England by Eamonn Griffin - guest post

Blog Tour East of England by Eamonn Griffin

Today I welcome author Eamonn Griffin to Beadyjansbooks as part of the Blog Tour for his brand new "East Coast Noir" thriller - East of England.

He has written this fab article for my blog where he shares his thoughts on writing in movies ... It's hardly surprising that Stephen King features as it's clear the darkness in his books have seeped into Eamonns deliciously dark writing style.

Please read the article he has so kindly provided and then go read his dark and thrnew book. East of England which is available now in paperback and kindle editions.

The Blurb:

Dan Matlock is out of jail. He’s got a choice. Stay or leave. Go back to where it all went wrong, or just get out of the county. Disappear. Start again as someone else. But it’s not as simple as that. 

There’s the matter of the man he killed. It wasn’t murder, but even so. You tell that to the family. Especially when that family is the Mintons, who own half of what’s profitable and two-thirds of what’s crooked between the Wolds and the coast. Who could have got to Matlock as easy as you like in prison, but who haven’t touched him. Not yet.

Like Matlock found out in prison, there’s no getting away from yourself. So what’s the point in not facing up to other people?


It’s time to go home.

Author Eamonn Griffin

Find Eamonn on Twitter @eamonngriffin

Eamonn Griffin on movies about writing

Because I write, I’m interested in writing. There are loads of movies about writing and writers, for example.

Sometimes, it’s because the job (if it is a job in the ordinary sense of the word) seems to allow that character to have time to explore whatever the rest of the plot of that movie is. Sometimes, though, the movie is about writing itself, or at least about how writing is a struggle for that author. That’s there the conflict of such movies, is. A writer doing writing is pretty boring to watch. It’s indistinguishable from typing. But a writer not writing? There’s fun to be had there. So here’s a few favourite films that play with this idea:

American Splendor (2003): the true-ish story of Harvey Pekar, a lowly administrator who documents his dull life and his awkward romances in a series of graphic novels, and becomes a minor celebrity in so doing.

Prick Up Your Ears (1987): a film about the playwright Joe Orton and his partner Kenneth Halliwell, played by Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina. As Orton’s career takes off, Halliwell’s own writing stalls, and this is part of the collapse of their relationship, leading to murder/suicide.

Before Sunrise / Sunset / Midnight (1995/2004/2013): Richard Linklater’s trilogy of movies about Jesse (he’s the writer here) and Celine - played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy – who meet up for a few hours at different points in their lives. Not much happens, and that’s sort of the point.

Misery (1990): One of several Stephen King adaptations - like Secret Window, The Shining, and The Dark Half – that explore the horror in the writer’s life. Here, it’s
the obsessed fan story, as James Caan’s successful romance author gets himself held prisoner by superfan Kathy Bates who is insistent (really, really insistent) that he resurrects his recently-killed off series heroine for one last novel.

Adaptation (2002): Charlie Kaufman (played by a never-better Nicolas Cage) has writer’s block when trying to adapt a delicate novel into a screenplay, so he turns to his action genre-oriented brother Donald (also Cage), for reluctant help.

Wonder Boys (2000): Michael Douglas’s university lecturer character is stuck writing his second novel, years after having a single success, so he too looks for help ending up on a road trip with his literary agent and a talented young writing student.


There are plenty of others, of course, from biopics of famous writers (or sometimes, of the writing of a great novel or play) to stories which use the idea of a writer character as a way to explore the plot and character concerns of the movie in question. The crime writer as detective, for example is an often-used example. 

If you’ve got a film that for you is interesting / funny / perceptive about writing, then mention it in the comments below!

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Blog Tour - The Merest Loss Steven Neil

Today I am part of the Blog Tour for the New Historical novel from Steven Neil which sounds great, full of rich historical detail and a fast-paced fascinating story.

The Blurb:

A story of love and political intrigue, set against the backdrop of the English
hunting shires and the streets of Victorian London and post-revolutionary Paris.

When Harriet Howard becomes Louis Napoleon’s mistress and financial backer and appears at his side in Paris in 1848, it is as if she has emerged from nowhere. How did the English daughter of a Norfolk boot-maker meet the future Emperor? Who is the mysterious Nicholas Sly and what is his hold over Harriet?

Can Harriet meet her obligations and return to her former life and the man she left behind? What is her involvement with British Government secret services? Can Harriet’s friend, jockey Tom Olliver, help her son Martin solve his own mystery: the identity of his father?

The central character is Harriet Howard and the action takes place between 1836 and 1873. The plot centres on Harriet’s relationships with Louis Napoleon and famous Grand National winning jockey, Jem Mason. 

The backdrop to the action includes significant characters from the age, including Lord Palmerston, Queen Victoria and the Duke of Grafton, as well as Emperor Napoleon III. The worlds of horse racing, hunting and government provide the scope for rural settings to contrast with the city scenes of London and Paris and for racing skulduggery to vie with political chicanery.


The Merest Loss is historical fiction with a twist. It’s pacy and exciting with captivating characters and a distinctive narrative voice.

Steven has prepared this blog tour post for Beadyjans's Books illustrating the depth of research he conducts when writing a historical work such as this which features real historical characters and events.

Steven Neil

From Steven Neil, the author of THE MEREST LOSS:

A story of love and political intrigue, set against the backdrop of the English hunting shires and the streets of Victorian London and post-revolutionary Paris.

Researching and writing the historical timeline:

I write a historical timeline for the whole novel before I start drafting. This gives me a clear picture of the political setting and the major events but also locates the development of music, theatre and art; invaluable elements for creating an authentic fictional world. The timeline for The Merest Loss spanned 1836-1873 but here is an excerpt.

The Merest Loss: TIMELINE excerpt 1836-1846

1836 King William IV, monarch. Viscount Melbourne, Prime Minister. Charles Darwin returns to Falmouth on HMS Beagle. Battle of the Alamo.  Charles Dickens publishes Pickwick Papers. Robert Schumann – Fantasie in C  Gaetano Donizetti – Belisario Honoré de Balzac - Le Lys dans la vallée ("The Lily of the Valley")

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot – Diana Surprised By Actaeon Tom Olliver meets Harriet Howard, then Elizabeth Ann Harryet.

1837 Queen Victoria becomes monarch. Euston Station opens. Fourth legislature of the July Monarchy in France. Hector Berlioz – Grande Messe des Morts

1838 Anti Corn Law league founded. London and Birmingham railway opens. Felix Mendelssohn – String Quartets Op. 44, No. 3 in D Major and No. 5 in E-Flat Major Hector Berlioz – Benvenuto Cellini Robert Smith Surtees - Jorrocks' Jaunts and Jollities Jem Mason and Harriet Howard meet.

1839 Chartists riot in Birmingham. Bradshaw’s first national railway timetable published. Felix Mendelssohn – Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 49 Frédéric Chopin – Piano Sonata No. 2 "Funeral March" Giuseppe Verdi's first opera, Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio, opens at La Scala, Milan. Honoré de Balzac Béatrix Charles Dickens - Nicholas Nickleby Edgar Allan Poe -The Fall of the House of Usher Jem Mason wins the first Grand National on Lottery.

1840 Queen Victoria marries her cousin Prince Albert. Adolphe Thiers becomes French Prime Minister. Remains of Napoleon are brought back to France and buried at Les Invalides in Paris. February 11 – Gaetano Donizetti's opera La Fille du Regiment premieres in Paris. William Makepeace Thackeray - Catherine Victor Hugo - Les Rayons et les Ombres      Louis Napoleon imprisoned near Reims, France after failed coup attempt.

1841 Robert Peel becomes Prime Minister. Adolphe Adam – Giselle (ballet) Gaetano Donizetti – Adelia Edgar Allan Poe – "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" Dion Boucicault – London Assurance

Gustave Courbet – Self-portrait with black dog

Jem Mason and Harriet Howard living at 277 Oxford Street, London.

1842 Riots against the Corn Laws and in favour of the Chartists. Tom Olliver wins the Grand National on Gaylad. Frédéric Chopin – Polonaise for Piano in A flat major, B 147/Op. 53 "Heroic" Felix Mendelssohn – Symphony No. 3 ("Scottish") Giuseppe Verdi – Nabucco, March 9 at La Scala, Milan  Honoré de Balzac – The Black Sheep  George Sand – Un hiver à Majorque ("A Winter in Majorca") Harriet Howard has a son Martin.

1843 SS Great Britain launched. Engels and Marx meet in France. Tom Olliver wins his second Grand National on Vanguard. Frédéric Chopin – Impromptu No. 3 in G-flat major, opus 51; Ballade No. 4 in F minor, opus 52  November 13 – Gaetano Donizetti's final opera Dom Sébastien is premiered at the Paris Opera. Victor Hugo – Les Burgraves Robert Smith Surtees – Handley Cross Harriet Howard comes under the guardianship of Capt. Francis Mountjoy Martin, Life Guards. She is provided with a trust fund and residence (Rockingham House, London) by Mountjoy Martin.

1844 Charles Dickens publishes Martin Chuzzlewit. Thackeray publishes The Luck of Barry Lyndon. Felix Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night's Dream incidental music (including the Wedding March) Alexandre Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo&The Three Musketeers

1845 Irish potato famine. Bizet writes Carmen. Robert Schumann – Piano Concerto in A minor Robert Smith Surtees – Hillingdon Hall Tom Olliver and Jem Mason regular visitors to Paris to ride in French steeplechases 1845-55.

1846 Lord John Russell becomes Prime Minister. Seventh legislature of the July Monarchy in France. Hector Berlioz – La damnation de Faust  Frederic Chopin - Polonaise-Fantaisie

Jean-Léon Gérôme – Young Greeks at a Cockfight

Louis Napoleon escapes from prison and arrives in London. Harriet Howard meets Louis Napoleon in London. Harriet Howard moves to 9 Berkeley Square, London.

© Steven Neil

THE MEREST LOSS is available in paperback and eBook in the UK, US, France, Canada and Australia.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Merest-Loss-Steven-Neil-ebook/dp/B077D9SHB5

https://www.amazon.com/Merest-Loss-Steven-Neil-ebook/dp/B077D9SHB5

https://www.amazon.fr/Merest-Loss-English-Steven-Neil-ebook/dp/B077D9SHB5

https://www.amazon.ca/Merest-Loss-Steven-Neil-ebook/dp/B077D9SHB5

https://www.amazon.com.au/Merest-Loss-Steven-Neil-ebook/dp/B077D9SHB5

Follow Steven Neil on https://twitter.com/stevenneil12 for information on how to purchase the paperback through an independent bookseller in the UK.

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Blog Tour The Cold Cold Sea - Linda Huber an extract

Today I welcome Linda Huber to my blog as part of the blog tour for her book The Cold Cold Sea. Linda has provided an enticing extract from her book to whet your appetite.

Book Description and info:

Blurb:

They stared at each other, and Maggie felt the tightness in her middle expand as it shifted, burning its way up… Painful sobs rose in her throat as Colin, his face expressionless now, reached for his mobile and tapped 999.

When three-year-old Olivia disappears from the beach, a happy family holiday comes to an abrupt end. Maggie is plunged into the darkest nightmare imaginable – what happened to her little girl? 

Further along the coast, another mother is having problems too. Jennifer's daughter Hailey is starting school, and it should be such a happy time, but the child is increasingly moody and silent. Family life has never seemed so awkward, and Jennifer struggles to maintain control.

The tide ebbs and flows, and summer dies, but there is no comfort for Maggie, alone now at the cottage, or for Jennifer, still swamped by doubts.

‘A psychologically astute, edge-of-the-seat story.’ Hilary Johnson

‘Unsettling and disturbing… I couldn’t put it down.’ Rebecca Muddiman

‘Breathtaking and utterly compelling.’ Debi Alper

Heres an extract so you can have a taster of Linda's writing before you rush out and order your own copy

Maggie stood in the doorway and stared into Olivia’s bedroom. It was tiny, like all the rooms in the cottage, but this one was still. Toys, games… everything in here had been motionless for a week now. Baby dolls vied with Barbies on the shelf, an assortment of soft toys lay strewn across the bed, and Olivia’s darling Old Bear was sitting on a wooden chair by the window.

   Maggie could hear the sea battering against the cliffs. High tide. The beach would be covered in water now; surging, white-tipped waves beneath a flawless blue sky. How beautiful Cornwall was, and how lucky they were to have a holiday cottage here. That’s what they’d thought until last week, anyway. If this had been a normal day they’d have been picnicking on the clifftop, or shopping in Newquay. Or just relaxing around the cottage, laughing and squabbling and eating too much. All the usual holiday stuff.

   But nothing was normal anymore, and Maggie knew that tomorrow was going to be the worst day yet. The twenty-third of August. Olivia’s birthday. Right now, Maggie and her daughter should have been making the cake Olivia had planned so happily, the raspberry jam sponge with pink icing and four pink and white candles. 

   No need for any of that now. Maggie stepped into the room, grabbed the pillow from the bed and buried her face in it, inhaling deeply, searching for one final whiff of Olivia, one last particle of her child. But the only smells left were those of an unused room: stale air, and dust.

   ‘Livvy, come back to me, baby,’ she whispered, replacing the pillow and cradling Old Bear instead, tears burning in her eyes as she remembered holding Olivia like this, when Joe had whacked her with a plastic golf club on the second day of their holiday. She’d had two children then. She hadn’t known how lucky she was.

   ‘I didn’t mean it, I didn’t.’ Her voice cracked, and she fell forwards, her kneecaps thudding painfully on the wooden floor. How could she live on, in a world without Olivia? 

   ‘I’m sorry, Livvy, I’m sorry!’ 

   She had barely spoken aloud all week, and the words came out in an unrecognisable high-pitched whimper. Bent over Old Bear on the floor, Maggie began to weep. Her voice echoed round the empty cottage as she rocked back and forth, crying out her distress.

   But no-one was there to hear.

Linda Huber

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Blog Tour The Theatre of Dreams by Rosie Travers

Blog Tour The Theatre of Dreams - Rosie Travers

Today I've hopped on the Blog Tour for The Theatre of dreams by Rosie Travers as invited by @rararesources

This colourful and fascinating debut romantic novel sounds wonderful and I'd like to be one of the first to wish the Author great success with her new book set in the world of theatre.

Purchase a copy from Amazon UK

Here's what it's about to whet your appetite:
The Blurb

Musical theatre actress Tara is down on her luck and in desperate need of a job. 

When terminally-ill octogenarian Kitty invites her to take over the running of her former dance academy in the old-fashioned resort of Hookes Bay, Tara thinks she’s found her guardian angel. 

But it soon becomes very clear Kitty is being far from benevolent. 

Too late, Tara realises helping Kitty will signal the end of an already tarnished career, unless she can pull off the performance of a life-time...

The Author: Rosie Travers

Find her website here

Join her on Facebook

or Twitter where she is @RosieTravers 

Here's what the author has to say ...

I like to write stories with a twist, a sprinkling of humour and a dash of tragedy.  My aim is to entertain and raise a smile.

I’ve always had a very vivid imagination and my passion for writing began at a very early age.  

As a teenager I scribbled, then typed, numerous novels and short stories, none of which I was ever brave enough to show to anyone. My hobby was put on hold while mortgages, marriage, and motherhood took over. In fact, it stayed hidden for a good twenty or so years until I unexpectedly found myself with some spare time on my hands. In 2009 I left the UK to accompany my husband on an overseas work assignment to California. 

I started a blog about my life in the US, and from there everything mushroomed. I re-discovered my creative juices. 

 I am a member of the Romantic Novelists Association New Writers Scheme and Hampshire Writers Society. I now live on the south coast of England with my husband and a very spoilt cat.

The Theatre of Dreams is my first novel.

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Blog Tour and my review of An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

Blog Tour and my review of An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena. Published by Bantam Press at Transworld publishers it is out on 26th July in Hardback.

My Review:

Welcome to the blog tour for An Unwanted guest, the new book by Shari Lapena author of twisty thrillers including the gripping book The Couple Next Door.

Come in out of the snow, pull up a chair in front of a roaring fire and settle down for this twisty and puzzling thriller. (I know it’s still summer and this is a great holiday read, but its also one perfect winter read to look forward to as the nights draw in)

This book is like a game of Consequences (I hope you used to play that party game when you were young or this isn’t a great start to my review)

Cluedo meets Agatha Christie at the Hotel from the Shining, people die in mysterious circumstances, nobody knows who they can trust and the consequence is … everybody suspects each other of murder.

Well, that sums it up quite nicely I think. It’s an out and out Whodunnit, which don't always float my boat but the author does it so very well you just get sucked right in and go along for the scary ride.

The tension builds nicely as the guests arrive at the remote hotel amidst a whiteout blizzard and find the hostelry staffed only by the owner and his son. They are all rapidly stranded and as the electricity fails and the disparate bunch of guests get to know one another, we begin to feel shivers, not just from the bitter cold weather, or the beautiful but chilling ice house in the grounds, but as realization dawns that there is a killer amongst this small group.

We get just the right amount of background on each guest to feel we are getting to know them, yet enough is left out to make sure we harbour doubts and suspect everyone in turn as things so from bad to worse, to absolutely terrible.

Plenty of curved balls are thrown at the reader to divert and distract us and the whole book is delightfully entertaining and creepy.

Great for thriller aficionados and readers who like to examine characters motives and flaws, whilst trying to guess who did what to whom and why!



The Blurb

We can’t choose the strangers we meet.

As the guests arrive at beautiful, remote Mitchell’s Inn, they’re all looking forward to a relaxing weekend deep in the forest, miles from anywhere. They watch their fellow guests with interest, from a polite distance. 

Usually we can avoid the people who make us nervous, make us afraid.

With a violent storm raging, the group finds itself completely cut off from the outside world. Nobody can get in – or out. And then the first body is found . . . and the horrifying truth comes to light. There’s a killer among them – and nowhere to run. 


Until we find ourselves in a situation we can’t escape. Trapped.

My thanks to #RandomThingsTours for my copy.

Buy yours now on Amazon and all good booksellers.

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The Man in the #Needlecordjacket by Linda MacDonald #Blogtour and #Review

Blog Tour and Review – The Man in the Needlecord jacket – Linda MacDonald

My thanks go to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in the blog tour for this new novel.

Here are my thoughts after reading it…

All the lead characters in this book are the same side of 50 as me, making it hold great appeal. They are all also putting behind them failed relationships and trying to build new ones and galloping towards old age with dread and disbelief (well I know how that feels!).

The eponymous Man in the Needlecord jacket is Coll, an artist, self-centred and in my eyes a dislikeable arrogant absolute prat. We view him through the eyes of 2 of the women in his life. Sarah, who was widowed young and has been developing a long term relationship with Coll over quite a few years. It’s rapidly apparent that her self-esteem is low and no wonder, she is involved with this revolting man who sneakily manipulates and undermines her, so she is barely aware he is doing it. She loves this deeply unlovable guy, but is this reciprocated?

Coll is a flirty, womanising divorcee, he gathers admiring women to stroke his fractured ego. When he meets Felicity a slightly flighty restauranteur also recently separated and in the midst of great upheaval in her life, the last thing she needs is another complication but it arrives, nevertheless, in the form of Coll who develops an obsession with her and seeks to woo her in his own peculiar way.

The story flows well and drags you into the lives of these disparate characters who are all quite deeply flawed, which gives them great depth whilst making them real and believable, but this also created a difficulty to build empathy with any of them. I was constantly thinking “I’m glad I’m not her” about all of the women, even the sub characters, Marianne Fanclub to name just one, and “I’m glad I don’t know him” about the men!!

But people aren’t perfect and lives even less so, and it would seem that even the people we could most envy, harbour the deepest fears and insecurities. The book focusses on the mental and emotional aspects of why people do things and the long term results of events out of our control and within it but along badly chosen paths.

This is an emotional and engaging read, well angled towards the more mature reader and tackles emotional abuse and coping with loss and broken relationships.

It is part of a series of books by Linda MacDonald, but can be read as a stand alone, though if you intend to read them all getting them in the right order would be the best approach as the characters in this book are featured in her others.

You can find out more about the series by visiting Linda’s Amazon page  where you can also order this book and her other titles.

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#MariaInTheMoon by Louise Beech @Louisewriter - BLOG TOUR and review @OrendaBooks

Maria in the Moon by Louise Beech

Follow the blog tour by visiting my fellow bloggers too.

I’m made up to have been selected to be part of the blog tour to launch this wonderful heart-warming book from the amazing selection of beautiful, readable and unforgettable books from Orenda books the wonderful British publishing company whose titles nearly always ring my bell.

If you haven't discovered their titles yet you must have a peek at their website - HANG ON, not yet, please read my review before dashing off.

The cover

My review:

Not having read either of the two previous highly acclaimed novels by this author I opened it without any preconceptions ... and was immediately captivated by the authors easy and engaging writing style, which absorbed me deep into the story instantly.

The main protagonist is Catherine, a 31 year old woman who has recently been affected by locally devastating floods which wrecked her home and affected the lives of many local folk.

Catherine (or Katrina as she becomes known) used to be called Catherine-Maria when she was little, but like many of the fuzzy events of her childhood, she is unable to remember quite why she had a sudden name change when she was 9. In fact a lot of her life is shrouded in fog and her memories have a huge gaping hole in them.

Catherine likes to help other people. Smarting from a recent, broken relationship, living in a flat share whilst her flooded out home is renovated and repaired, doing a job she finds pretty unrewarding, she volunteers to work on a telephone help line set up to enable victims of flooding (and loneliness and despair) to phone in and chat. Whilst she listens and counsels and cares for others it becomes apparent that it’s not just the helpline callers who have problems.

Catherines father died when she was young, her Mum died at Catherines birth and her beloved Nanny Eve died too and now she is left with an uncaring stepmother to rival Cinderella's and the snarling step sister bitch from hell, together with her lovely “Aunt Hairy” whom I adored. Yes I did say Hairy – read it and you’ll find out!

All Catherine’s ever wanted is to be loved, but she's learnt that "if it doesn’t hurt it’s not love" and she just can’t take much more pain, so she puts up a wall, developing a snippy snappy persona and a swear word for every occasion, yet she finds catharsis in listening to other folks woes.

Giving folks secret nicknames is just one way of keeping them at arms length and we will meet Jangly Jane and Robin who’s not called Robin at all.

Just as the incoming helpline calls from actress Kate with which she deals, reveal it’s not really about the trees, I was quite surprised that, being based around a flood help line, it’s not really about the floods either!

Skilfully painted with a deft hand this highly emotional read has a lovely touch of humour, interspersed with some terribly dark and emotive topics.

To say any more would be to be guilty of spoilers and this amazing book doesn’t deserve that. But enough to say some sensitive readers may find parts of the story upsetting to read as dark deeds are revealed and there is definitely something nasty in the woodshed alright.

I loved this novel, suffice to say that I galloped through it, found it wonderful and moving harrowing and uplifting and funny all at the same time, so prepare to have your emotions wrung tightly out and hung up to dry.

I cried so much near the end I was nearly sick – Oh I’m a glutton for a good old sob-fest me!

It's proving rather difficult to find the right words to explain how superb this book is, so I'll leave you with a thought,
THIS thought .....

READ THIS BOOK! (Oh yeah, I think I got that across alright)

Now that I’ve discovered how delightful an author Louise Beech is I will be adding her other books – How to be Brave and The Mountain in my shoe to my to be read list forthwith. I suggest this may be a good course of action for you too.

The Author - Louise Beech

NOW you can dash over to Orenda and drool over their books.

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Man Made Boy REVIEW + GIVEAWAY

Review Time! Man Made Boy is the latest book from YA author Jon Skovron (usually writes books that are dark, strange and humorous - he kinda looks like a vampire too). This review and giveaway was initially part of the Australian Blog Tour but that was back in November and I had exam block so I completely couldn't make my posting date! HOWEVER better late than never right? You can purchase Man Made Boy from The Book Depository | The Nile | Fishpond | Bookworld. Thanks to Allen and Unwin for the review copy and the giveaway!

(Goodreads) Love can be a real monster.

Sixteen-year-old Boy’s never left home. When you’re the son of Frankenstein’s monster and the Bride, it’s tough to go out in public, unless you want to draw the attention of a torch-wielding mob. And since Boy and his family live in a secret enclave of monsters hidden under Times Square, it’s important they maintain a low profile.

Boy’s only interactions with the world are through the Internet, where he’s a hacker extraordinaire who can hide his hulking body and stitched-together face behind a layer of code. When conflict erupts at home, Boy runs away and embarks on a cross-country road trip with the granddaughters of Jekyll and Hyde, who introduce him to malls and diners, love and heartbreak. But no matter how far Boy runs, he can’t escape his demons—both literal and figurative—until he faces his family once more.

The Short Story? - An imaginative and interesting concept that was executed nicely! I definitely felt this book was directed more towards a male audience (male protagonist, writing seemed fit for more of a guy reader etc etc.) however I enjoyed it (and I'm SWEAR I'm not a guy) so it's definitely a book everyone can get into and enjoy! A coming to age novel about Boy, the son of Frankenstein and Bride and how he struggles between monster and man, obligations and desires and finding who he really is. Cute, funny and entertaining from cover to cover, Skovron's Man Made Boy is a hilarious story about a boy (haha!) who struggles to find his place in the world!

The Long Story? - I'm not really quite sure how to describe this book because it's not really a retelling or a re-imagining. It's more like a imagining of a what if situation...do you get me? I'm not a huge fan of coming-to-age novels (they're just not my cup of tea) however I thoroughly enjoyed Man Made Boy because although it was a coming-to-age novel, there were so many supernatural elements to the story. Firstly, the characters aren't human and secondly the plot was very different. In Skovron's world, monsters are living in hiding among humans. Boy's family is part of The Show, a broadway production run completely by monsters. The Show is a source of income as well as a haven for monsters in New York. Boy struggles between wanting to live a life of his own or staying at The Show. The pace of the book is a little slow and the writing style and narration takes a little to get used to however that aside, it was beautifully written, the plot was imaginative and interesting and a little bittersweet. The romance was cute and most importantly it was funny!

It's always easier for me to forge a connection with a character if they have boobs. Let's face it, girls understand girls (most of the time) better than they do of the opposite sex. It was a little hard to connect with Boy initially not only did he not have boobs, he was quiet and shy and conserved (which is three things that I definitely am not) however as the boob progressed, I found myself growing closer to Boy. You can definitely see Boy grow into a completely different person from cover to cover. He grew a backbone, he started living his own life and he gave himself an identity. It's wonderful when you can see a character grow throughout a novel as their experiences shape them into a different person. Boy was a fantastic character! Claire and Sophie were as different as day and night however I adored both characters. They were a very nice balance of each other and their relationship with Boy was completely adorable! 

I found myself enjoying Man Made Boy a lot more than I thought I would! It seemed like such a "guy book" and although there were elements that suggest this, overall I found myself thoroughly enjoying Skovron's humorous "sorta re-imagining" of Frankenstein. A highly unique concept that was executed very well with likeable characters and an interesting plot! I definitely recommend this book to lovers of both contemporary fiction and supernatural fiction!

What's it Worth? - Hand Over the Paycheck

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY

Since I enjoyed Man Made Boy so much, Allen and Unwin has provided me with an opportunity to provide THREE (3) lucky winners with the same opportunity! We are giving away a copy of Man Made Boy by Jon Skovron to three AUSTRALIAN READERS!

- AUSTRALIAN RESIDENTS ONLY

- Ends 25th of December

- Must be 13 or older

- Optional Entries :

   * Leaving comment on this review +3

   * Follow Me on Twitter +1

   * Follow Allen and Unwin on Twitter +1 (@AllenAndUnwin)

   * Tweeting Giveaway +1

   * Follow Badass Bookie via GFC/Linky or RSS +2

To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below:

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Badass Bookie xx

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