tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929396435320731082024-03-05T20:59:53.249+00:00Reflections of a ReaderMy thoughts on all things bookish....Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.comBlogger357125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-24828065375879634322022-05-02T16:24:00.001+01:002022-05-02T16:24:32.922+01:00#BookReview Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa @OneworldNews #SweetBeanPaste #DurianSukegawa <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfNUx-UOlEwTB-hm63z7ubgKrvDeI5e8vL7J7e8M-LXxYLxzWcHZBDC9mW9sEQUaQy0vjHbIS7woeQ9kMfBw1pQpsk8fkmnWNx649SOmZAHHB4nrEJVidRV8q40iy_pHSyjdT8sPKQ2N06_zuRmr6DfghLTER9jzBLXKdnkL76_TBhQvOjpvxmonc/s500/416ZAihNncL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfNUx-UOlEwTB-hm63z7ubgKrvDeI5e8vL7J7e8M-LXxYLxzWcHZBDC9mW9sEQUaQy0vjHbIS7woeQ9kMfBw1pQpsk8fkmnWNx649SOmZAHHB4nrEJVidRV8q40iy_pHSyjdT8sPKQ2N06_zuRmr6DfghLTER9jzBLXKdnkL76_TBhQvOjpvxmonc/w261-h400/416ZAihNncL.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa is translated from Japanese by Alison Watts. It was first published in the United Kingdom in 2017 by Oneworld Publications.</span> </div><div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content a-expander-content-expanded" style="padding-bottom: 20px; text-align: center;"> <i><span class="a-text-bold"> </span></i></div><div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content a-expander-content-expanded" style="padding-bottom: 20px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="a-text-bold">'I'm in story heaven with this book.' Cecelia Ahern, author of </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">P.S. I Love You</span><span><br /> <br /></span><span class="a-text-bold">A charming tale of friendship, love and loneliness in contemporary Japan</span><span><br /> <br />Sentaro
has failed. He has a criminal record, drinks too much, and his dream of
becoming a writer is just a distant memory. With only the blossoming of
the cherry trees to mark the passing of time, he spends his days in a
tiny confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with
sweet bean paste.<br /> <br />But everything is about to change.<br /> <br />Into
his life comes Tokue, an elderly woman with disfigured hands and a
troubled past. Tokue makes the best sweet bean paste Sentaro has ever
tasted. She begins to teach him her craft, but as their friendship
flourishes, social pressures become impossible to escape and Tokue’s
dark secret is revealed,<br /> with devastating consequences.<br /> <br /></span><span class="a-text-italic">Sweet Bean Paste</span><span>
is a moving novel about the burden of the past and the redemptive power
of friendship. Translated into English for the first time, Durian
Sukegawa’s beautiful prose is capturing hearts all over the world.</span></i></span></div><div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content a-expander-content-expanded" style="padding-bottom: 20px; text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: small;"><span>My Thoughts: </span></span></u></div><div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content a-expander-content-expanded" style="padding-bottom: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I was instantly drawn to this gorgeous looking book, the cherry blossom irresistible to me. Sweet Bean Paste is a short novel really at a little over 200 pages but I found it to be utterly charming, enchanting me and sweeping me away to another place and time. </span></span></span></div><div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content a-expander-content-expanded" style="padding-bottom: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>When we first meet Sentaro he is a fairly angry man that lacks scope and direction. He has taken a few wrong turns in life and is on the brink of giving up. His two sole purposes are to drink and to work at Doraharu to settle a debt and he does not wish to work a day longer than is absolutely necessary. Doraharu is a confectionery shop whose speciality is Dorayaki. Dorayaki is a pancake filled with the sweet bean paste synonymous with the title. </span></span></span></div><div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content a-expander-content-expanded" style="padding-bottom: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Sentaro is distracted and can't make sweet bean paste to save his life. He has little care and attention for what he is doing and is coasting through the days. This is until the day he meets Tokue, an elderly lady who is desperate to work in the shop. She is rebuffed numerous times by Sentaro as being too elderly, too infirm and not up to the job. Sentaro relents and it is a good job he does as Tokue makes the greatest sweet bean paste he has ever tasted and the shop begins to become very successful. That is until people start making judgments based on things they don't understand and the past slowly starts to impact on the present for both Sentaro and Tokue. </span></span></span></div><div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content a-expander-content-expanded" style="padding-bottom: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> I simply adored what is on the surface a very simple story of an unlikely friendship but upon digging a little the reader is presented with an exploration of prejudice, injustice and the judgment of others and the healing and redemptive power of acceptance. </span></span></span></div><div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content a-expander-content-expanded" style="padding-bottom: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The prose here is simply sublime. I could almost sense myself walking down the street of cherry blossom and feel the wind wafting the scents of that and the sweet pancakes on the breeze. Ultimately a very moving story and one that I will remember for some time to come. </span></span></span></div><div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content a-expander-content-expanded" style="padding-bottom: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">A perfect book to continue my exploration of Japanese fiction. Would love to hear of any other recommendations that people have. </span> <br /></span></span></div><div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content a-expander-content-expanded" style="padding-bottom: 20px; text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: small;"><span>About the Author: </span></span></u></div><div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content a-expander-content-expanded" style="padding-bottom: 20px; text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: small;"><span></span></span></u> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Durian Sukegawa</strong> studied oriental philosophy at Waseda
University, before going on to work as a reporter in Berlin and Cambodia
in the early 1990s. He has written a number of books and essays, TV
programmes and films. He lives in Tokyo.<br />
<br /><strong>Alison Watts</strong> is a freelance translator, translating literature from Japanese into English. She lives in Ibaraki, Japan.</span></span></div>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-13755115909261851412021-08-16T20:08:00.001+01:002021-08-16T20:08:38.209+01:00#BlogTour: The Gathering Storm by Alan Jones @alanjonesbooks #TheGatheringStorm @RandomTTours #SturmtaucherTrilogy #Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8cvnedA-iBo-uTpo3a6WC053ajRZEjoiRDcxyAgFnNxOMfnGVi8v1QtLtOfWsfZfyaR9sx0eY6M0u-34SVajD05del91jTD5KUx-bf5S88wjaTi2IN8shmsjFnRZD4slLP-x8gHOTqk/s2000/Sturmtaucher_cover_Final_Book+1_Darkened.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8cvnedA-iBo-uTpo3a6WC053ajRZEjoiRDcxyAgFnNxOMfnGVi8v1QtLtOfWsfZfyaR9sx0eY6M0u-34SVajD05del91jTD5KUx-bf5S88wjaTi2IN8shmsjFnRZD4slLP-x8gHOTqk/s320/Sturmtaucher_cover_Final_Book+1_Darkened.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Gathering Storm by Alan Jones is published on 19th August 2021.It is available for pre order <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gathering-Storm-Sturmtaucher-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B09BZWR7Z4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+gathering+storm+by+alan+jones&qid=1629138359&sr=8-1" target="_blank">here</a> now and is the first in The Sturmtaucher Trilogy. My thanks to the author for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the blog tour invitation.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <i><span>‘Kiel, Northern Germany, 1933. A naval city, <span class="il">the</span> base for <span class="il">the</span> German Baltic<br />
fleet, and <span class="il">the</span> centre for German sailing, <span class="il">the</span> venue for <span class="il">the</span> upcoming Olympic<br />
regatta in 1936. <br />
<br />
<span class="il">The</span> Kästners, a prominent Military family, are part of <span class="il">the</span> fabric of <span class="il">the</span><br />
city, and its social, naval and yachting circles. <span class="il">The</span> Nussbaums are <span class="il">the</span><br />
second generation of their family to be in service with <span class="il">the</span> Kästners as<br />
domestic staff, but <span class="il">the</span> two households have a closer bond than most. <br />
<br />
As Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Party claw their way to power in<br />
1933, life has never looked better for families like <span class="il">the</span> Kästners. There is<br />
only one problem.<br />
<br />
<span class="il">The</span> Nussbaums are Jews.<br />
<br />
<span class="il">The</span> Sturmtaucher Trilogy documents <span class="il">the</span> devastating effect on both families<br />
of <span class="il">the</span> Nazis’ hateful ideology and <span class="il">the</span> insidious erosion of <span class="il">the</span> rights of<br />
Germany's Jews.<br />
<br />
When Germany descends ever deeper into dictatorship, General Erich Kästner<br />
tries desperately to protect his employees, and to spirit them to safety.<br />
<br />
As <span class="il">the</span> country tears itself apart, <span class="il">the</span> darkness which envelops a nation<br />
threatens not only to destroy two families, but to plunge an entire<br />
continent into war.’</span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span> </span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiin8g_dPocL99usZT5GpH0wT5YQLde0p2DBs2NEjerBI47HUTsK0ElFRJ423p7uLJWm_nnWNKZkADRbxebk38oAOVpM8VV7YqpBiD7nOWssdKViw2TjucWSktsdkR4__uE9XEo32EK99U/s1280/Three+Books+Covers+.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1280" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiin8g_dPocL99usZT5GpH0wT5YQLde0p2DBs2NEjerBI47HUTsK0ElFRJ423p7uLJWm_nnWNKZkADRbxebk38oAOVpM8VV7YqpBiD7nOWssdKViw2TjucWSktsdkR4__uE9XEo32EK99U/w400-h221/Three+Books+Covers+.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>My Thoughts</span></span></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>This isn't the first time I have read a book by this author having previously read and reviewed <a href="https://reflectionsofareader.blogspot.com/search?q=Blue+Wicked#.YRqwcbjviYg">Blue Wicked</a>. The Gathering Storm is a complete change of genre and serves to show the versatility of this wonderful writer.I should start by saying that I was apprehensive. This one is over 800 pages and historical fiction and I admit I thought I would struggle but I am so pleased to say I couldn't have been more wrong and I was able to form that opinion after only a couple of chapters. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The Gathering Storm is set in 1933 in Kiel, Germany and tells the story of two families. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The Kästners who are a well regarded military family and The Nussbaums who serve as domestic staff to the </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Kästners. The Nussbaums do cooking, cleaning, driving and other household chores but perhaps unusually the two families are also friends and their children also mix. There is a tight bond that has developed through the years. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I guess despite the obvious differences there is also the fact that The Nussbaums are Jews in a time when Hitler is beginning to make is mark and the rumblings of Nazi's and dictatorship are beginning to make there marks across a country and its people. I found it fascinating to read about the lead up to the second world war and what initially starts as confusion amongst people slowly builds into a crescendo of fear and a divide that opens across a nation and even families. The title of this book is so apt in that sense.The sense of something building that is dark and gloomy. <br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The amount of research and care that has gone into this book is truly breathtaking. It could read more like a textbook and that wouldn't be as engaging but it doesn't. The characters are magnificently written, they are rounded, nuanced and memorable. I can feel the care with which the author has written about this part of history across every single page. It just comes to life and was moving and raw. <br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I have read many books about the second world war, Hitler and the Nazis etc and they are more often told from the perspectives of the Jewish people. I found it interesting that The Gathering Storm tells the story of both sides. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The Gathering Storm is an important and memorable book that has been brilliantly done. It is important because we should never forget this part of history and what happened. The stories need to be told and then told again. I have visited Bergen Belsen when I lived in Germany and it shocked me to the core. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I am in awe of this book, can't wait to read the other two either. I would be very surprised if this one isn't my book of the year, that is how strongly I feel about it. <br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span></span><i><span></span></i><u><span>About the Author </span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKO1DSulnAG640P8hQRYsq1DiLJ2NpolskO4xZ6tOffk9D0nm4bUar8bpEZ8hQQUY449-F8yGCzdhAg_nNhdc74Pa4w4Zh-j80H5MTZlJLXK_VMTpyvSwiHKJUw4nr1zEhp6ZAkM-n0k/s1280/Alan+Jone+Author+Pic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="853" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKO1DSulnAG640P8hQRYsq1DiLJ2NpolskO4xZ6tOffk9D0nm4bUar8bpEZ8hQQUY449-F8yGCzdhAg_nNhdc74Pa4w4Zh-j80H5MTZlJLXK_VMTpyvSwiHKJUw4nr1zEhp6ZAkM-n0k/s320/Alan+Jone+Author+Pic.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div></u></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><div class="xmsonormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; padding: 0cm;">Alan Jones is a Scottish author with three gritty
crime stories to his name, the first two set in Glasgow, the third one based in
London. He has now switched genres, and his WW2 trilogy will be published in
August 2021. It is a Holocaust story set in Northern Germany.</span><span style="color: #201f1e;"></span></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="xmsonormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; padding: 0cm;">He is married with four grown up children and
four wonderful grandchildren.</span><span style="color: #201f1e;"></span></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="xmsonormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; padding: 0cm;">He has recently retired as a mixed-practice vet
in a small Scottish coastal town in Ayrshire and is one of the RNLI volunteer
coxswains on the local lifeboat. He makes furniture in his spare time, and
maintains and sails a 45-year-old yacht in the Irish Sea and on the beautiful
west coast of Scotland. He loves reading, watching films and cooking. He still
plays football despite being just the wrong side of sixty.</span><span style="color: #201f1e;"></span></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="xmsonormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; padding: 0cm;">His crime novels are not for the faint-hearted,
with some strong language, violence, and various degrees of sexual content. The
first two books also contain a fair smattering of Glasgow slang.</span><span style="color: #201f1e;"></span></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="xmsonormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; padding: 0cm;">He is one of the few self-published authors to be
given a panel at Bloody Scotland and has done two pop-up book launches at the
festival in Stirling.</span><span style="color: #201f1e;"></span></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="xmsonormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; padding: 0cm;">He has spent the last five years researching and
writing the Sturmtaucher Trilogy.</span></span></span></div><div class="xmsonormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; padding: 0cm;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="xmsonormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; padding: 0cm;">You find the author on Twitter: @alanjonesbooks or on his website <a href="https://www.alanjonesbooks.co.uk/">https://www.alanjonesbooks.co.uk/</a> </span></span></span></div><div class="xmsonormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; padding: 0cm;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="xmsonormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; padding: 0cm;">Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour. </span></span></span></div><div class="xmsonormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; padding: 0cm;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="xmsonormal" style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; padding: 0cm;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKmGplHOnrfmOMydGcRr53mN2jHe5RASq-sxcu_LX6OZ77Vk2LQHfLcj5Ir2R7p3GuJtTx0ZbHqO2VbSKeTGEYY5UmLIlts124dZxdQN-BT44oTM9DObOa7eoZ7P51JOOX3G5XKB72h4/s1280/The+Gathering+Storm+BT+Poster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="1280" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKmGplHOnrfmOMydGcRr53mN2jHe5RASq-sxcu_LX6OZ77Vk2LQHfLcj5Ir2R7p3GuJtTx0ZbHqO2VbSKeTGEYY5UmLIlts124dZxdQN-BT44oTM9DObOa7eoZ7P51JOOX3G5XKB72h4/w640-h430/The+Gathering+Storm+BT+Poster.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
<p></p>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-91437204962367169502021-08-15T17:30:00.000+01:002021-08-15T17:30:15.212+01:00#BookTrailer The Gathering Storm by Alan Jones @alanjonesbooks #SturmtaucherTrilogy<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVwHcPCD5MjeQSUZrBaKRzAgMvsuPLSBxwltjjY16LmzVm9WArpUQxxe_tpqnJElYaGnKFMQ_OjCMN8nFye6yO1pRHrKvvvh8EHTyU6kpLBdpA98DjvP4AO6JeJGy_Vbwmcw23DLbzp8/s2000/Sturmtaucher_cover_Final_Book+1_Darkened.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVwHcPCD5MjeQSUZrBaKRzAgMvsuPLSBxwltjjY16LmzVm9WArpUQxxe_tpqnJElYaGnKFMQ_OjCMN8nFye6yO1pRHrKvvvh8EHTyU6kpLBdpA98DjvP4AO6JeJGy_Vbwmcw23DLbzp8/s320/Sturmtaucher_cover_Final_Book+1_Darkened.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>The Gathering Storm by Alan Jones is published 19th August 2021 and is available to preorder now. The Gathering Storm is Book 1 in the Sturmtaucher Trilogy. <br />
<br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">‘Kiel, Northern Germany, 1933. A naval city, <span class="il">the</span> base for <span class="il">the</span> German Baltic<br />
fleet, and <span class="il">the</span> centre for German sailing, <span class="il">the</span> venue for <span class="il">the</span> upcoming Olympic<br />
regatta in 1936. <br />
<br />
<span class="il">The</span> Kästners, a prominent Military family, are part of <span class="il">the</span> fabric of <span class="il">the</span><br />
city, and its social, naval and yachting circles. <span class="il">The</span> Nussbaums are <span class="il">the</span><br />
second generation of their family to be in service with <span class="il">the</span> Kästners as<br />
domestic staff, but <span class="il">the</span> two households have a closer bond than most. <br />
<br />
As Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Party claw their way to power in<br />
1933, life has never looked better for families like <span class="il">the</span> Kästners. There is<br />
only one problem.<br />
<br />
<span class="il">The</span> Nussbaums are Jews.<br />
<br />
<span class="il">The</span> Sturmtaucher Trilogy documents <span class="il">the</span> devastating effect on both families<br />
of <span class="il">the</span> Nazis’ hateful ideology and <span class="il">the</span> insidious erosion of <span class="il">the</span> rights of<br />
Germany's Jews.<br />
<br />
When Germany descends ever deeper into dictatorship, General Erich Kästner<br />
tries desperately to protect his employees, and to spirit them to safety.<br />
<br />
As <span class="il">the</span> country tears itself apart, <span class="il">the</span> darkness which envelops a nation<br />
threatens not only to destroy two families, but to plunge an entire<br />
continent into war.’</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5TbC7eiFfRM" width="555" youtube-src-id="5TbC7eiFfRM"></iframe></div> </span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So what do you think about that? If this has got your interest you can pre order your copy <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gathering-Storm-Sturmtaucher-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B09BZWR7Z4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+gathering+storm+alan+jones&qid=1629044713&sr=8-1" target="_blank">here. </a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can also pop back tomorrow to see my thoughts as part of the Blog Tour organised by Random Things Tours. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><span style="font-size: small;">About the Author:</span></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMQ3H8mKPyTPbv90u3HTM4-TkR2EQkMg_AVAi9P3PMwOjA_S_BKZOG3xWkBXbUh2a2sI7nqVdnt8aFOl_xiJVmjRuGNrv8Wy3hhekQmy0vP3hC6PC2kRo-ahUBUtjQ76gHjtnjK6MZ60/s900/Alan+Jones037+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMQ3H8mKPyTPbv90u3HTM4-TkR2EQkMg_AVAi9P3PMwOjA_S_BKZOG3xWkBXbUh2a2sI7nqVdnt8aFOl_xiJVmjRuGNrv8Wy3hhekQmy0vP3hC6PC2kRo-ahUBUtjQ76gHjtnjK6MZ60/s320/Alan+Jones037+Small.jpg" width="213" /></a></div></span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alan Jones is a Scottish author with three gritty crime stories to his name,<br />
<span class="il">the</span> first two set in Glasgow, <span class="il">the</span> third one based in London. He has now<br />
switched genres, and his WW2 trilogy will be published from August to<br />
December 2021. It is a Holocaust story set in Northern Germany. <br />
He is married with four grown up children and four wonderful grandchildren.<br />
He has recently retired as a mixed-practice vet in a small Scottish coastal<br />
town in Ayrshire and is one of <span class="il">the</span> coxswains on <span class="il">the</span> local RNLI lifeboat. He<br />
makes furniture in his spare time, and maintains and sails a 45-year-old<br />
yacht, cruising in <span class="il">the</span> Irish Sea and on <span class="il">the</span> beautiful west coast of<br />
Scotland. He loves reading, watching films and cooking. He still plays<br />
football despite being just <span class="il">the</span> wrong side of sixty.<br />
His crime novels are not for <span class="il">the</span> faint-hearted, with some strong language,<br />
violence, and various degrees of sexual content. <span class="il">The</span> first two books also<br />
contain a fair smattering of Glasgow slang.<br />
He is one of <span class="il">the</span> few self-published authors to be given a panel at <span class="il">the</span><br />
Bloody Scotland crime fiction festival in Stirling and has done two pop-up<br />
book launches at previous festivals.<br />
He has spent <span class="il">the</span> last five years researching and writing <span class="il">the</span> Sturmtaucher<br />
Trilogy.<br />
To find out more, please visit <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.alanjonesbooks.co.uk/&source=gmail&ust=1629129878505000&usg=AFQjCNGFJP2qT9NZctRhIcdc0CvFYsCuMA" href="https://www.alanjonesbooks.co.uk/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.alanjonesbooks.co.<wbr></wbr>uk/</a></span></div>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-32272166917793119772021-08-12T19:46:00.000+01:002021-08-12T19:46:18.885+01:00#BlogTour: The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood @NualaWrites @PenguinUKBooks @EllieeHud #ThePerfectLife<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGGqUzETTfYei-LBUH4PV51KKjgpfiaMqU3qTwVB7Q37CblDB-JlU_zgcR-rJZa0FOwTKwOHrMQY_ET-pWups8mD_zanqBVbAC490QxLhpkSdJXzmMaZR9vSD-1oSO4XNWCelIKCSIxA/s293/510xSh7GsGS._SY291_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_QL40_ML2_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="192" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGGqUzETTfYei-LBUH4PV51KKjgpfiaMqU3qTwVB7Q37CblDB-JlU_zgcR-rJZa0FOwTKwOHrMQY_ET-pWups8mD_zanqBVbAC490QxLhpkSdJXzmMaZR9vSD-1oSO4XNWCelIKCSIxA/s0/510xSh7GsGS._SY291_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_QL40_ML2_.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood was published on 5th August 2021 by Viking Books which is an imprint of Penguin. My thanks to the publishers for the review copy and the blog tour invitation. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO BE SOMEONE ELSE?</b><br /><br />Vanessa has
always found it easy to pretend to be somebody different, somebody
better. When things get tough in her real life, all she has to do is
throw on some nicer clothes, adopt a new accent and she can escape.<br /><br />That's how it started: looking round houses she couldn't possibly afford. Harmless fun really. Until it wasn't.<br /><br /><b>Because a man who lived in one of those houses is dead.</b><br /><br /><b>And everyone thinks Vanessa killed him...</b></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>My Thoughts: </u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood is just one of those books. It has a short blurb that is just enough to hook the reader. I love this author so I was sold straight away. She manages to take things that on the surface look ordinary and uncomplicated but manages to unravel them and reveal an underside that leaves the readers head spinning. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Vanessa or Nessa as she is more commonly known is the main protagonist in this story that is told across two timelines. Nessa hasn't had it easy, her mother died when she was little and her older sister helped to bring her up. A sense of belonging is important to Nessa and she longs for stability and a place to call home. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What slowly starts as an idea to view property slowly slides into an obsession with wanting to be somebody else, of wanting more. A continual striving for perfection. What if everything on the surface is supposed to make you happy but it just doesn't. Is this just a form of escapism and an overactive imagination or is there more to it. Is Nessa playing a dangerous game? When a body is found at one of the properties she has recently viewed suspicions start to be drawn but surely there is more to it than that. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nessa seems to have it all already a steady relationship and a good job. So when cracks start to appear the pace and the plot pick up and the reader is taken in unexpected directions. This author creates some of the best suspense that I have read. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is unsettling and shocking and just when you think you have it all worked out. Something else happens. Highly recommended if you enjoy thrillers where the author is always several steps ahead. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I loved it. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>About the Author:</u></span></span><b> </b></div><p><b> </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCOa3_Igz0bpmm6hzsKvPvwEd6VF2iKjUaEVv3ldHO4Cbt9dujuCFOe5MR23HjZNkcN_h3oULD120zoU9D4oKOfO1gjy2ZHLeD7sVfnu5jRnX2PPf53iQ26AozPkkayPnxDPMXJIWGGBY/s400/fxk91-vz_400x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCOa3_Igz0bpmm6hzsKvPvwEd6VF2iKjUaEVv3ldHO4Cbt9dujuCFOe5MR23HjZNkcN_h3oULD120zoU9D4oKOfO1gjy2ZHLeD7sVfnu5jRnX2PPf53iQ26AozPkkayPnxDPMXJIWGGBY/s320/fxk91-vz_400x400.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nuala Ellwood is the author of three bestselling novels: My Sister's
Bones for which she was selected as one of the Observer's 'New Faces of
Fiction 2017', Day of the Accident and The House on the Lake. Nuala
lives in York with her young son.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can find the author on Twitter: @NualaWrites</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5GZo_WO2_flJNyI-ojlexqezKNLgJdAwszrx9Ihb61fMqOWN3xnCFg5qBns6YpGT6ITpEUFKpp0_RAQzUtDI2OYD5mpccsS0FALYdWPmakk5JocJ6CUX68kh2fp4acJRrVVf-ohELdg/s1024/Blog+tour+1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5GZo_WO2_flJNyI-ojlexqezKNLgJdAwszrx9Ihb61fMqOWN3xnCFg5qBns6YpGT6ITpEUFKpp0_RAQzUtDI2OYD5mpccsS0FALYdWPmakk5JocJ6CUX68kh2fp4acJRrVVf-ohELdg/w640-h320/Blog+tour+1+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqbMNyHUVIXWNijH8QgeaDCVqZBGpr5oC7qyHTxC_tqt50VbqexE7nSXtdAyPchvPOauBbT3l9ADFXvr-1eQbPfaHidY4fbPLFFJXZloiAUQeYEDuXBcjiO73K9oIU-H_YgFvs_uSYRQ/s1024/Blog+tour+2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqbMNyHUVIXWNijH8QgeaDCVqZBGpr5oC7qyHTxC_tqt50VbqexE7nSXtdAyPchvPOauBbT3l9ADFXvr-1eQbPfaHidY4fbPLFFJXZloiAUQeYEDuXBcjiO73K9oIU-H_YgFvs_uSYRQ/w640-h320/Blog+tour+2+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-3442286626073873202021-07-16T20:08:00.001+01:002021-07-16T20:08:51.988+01:00#BlogTour The Price by Kerry Kaya @KerryKayaWriter @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources @bookandtonic #ThePrice #boldwoodbloggers<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiD5zIM2R5bm6gDK_sLf3S25ZQ30x_8GZLIuD2HEyDQjXPFZmLOej4H0mHsQvoJXwUDORWQzr1Mh83wthAnFHBLQxyzQLHZSZvwxtzIVvCJjse5li34Xk7cgbCRFL8PV6l5J8tzDy79Wo/s700/The+Price.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiD5zIM2R5bm6gDK_sLf3S25ZQ30x_8GZLIuD2HEyDQjXPFZmLOej4H0mHsQvoJXwUDORWQzr1Mh83wthAnFHBLQxyzQLHZSZvwxtzIVvCJjse5li34Xk7cgbCRFL8PV6l5J8tzDy79Wo/w640-h252/The+Price.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Price by Kerry Kaya was published by Boldwood Books on 13th July 2021. My thanks to the publisher for the review copy and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for the blog tour invitation. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1VctD1JRNHDhBAvoL7WtOdtoVYKAEWbX0VTVV3_HbiQv94-5n8ypCHxmYh0A1G5RFeCvgBWLZ_VQGj6O8zBoJMysCzgqWRYNKQX97OEc3yvxxUSk0zuKn1Z-NBOArKqgovtm0gqrqiw/s2048/9781801629072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1335" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1VctD1JRNHDhBAvoL7WtOdtoVYKAEWbX0VTVV3_HbiQv94-5n8ypCHxmYh0A1G5RFeCvgBWLZ_VQGj6O8zBoJMysCzgqWRYNKQX97OEc3yvxxUSk0zuKn1Z-NBOArKqgovtm0gqrqiw/s320/9781801629072.jpg" /></a></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<h2 style="line-height: 130%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; page-break-after: auto; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 130%;">Break
the rules…</span></b></span></span></i></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">Harry Fletcher – Fletch to
his friends – has spent his life surviving the tough streets of the East End.
He knows working for notorious gangster Billy King is dangerous, and sleeping
with Billy’s beautiful wife, Susan is deadly…but rules are meant to be broken. </span></span></span></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></i></div><h2 style="line-height: 130%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; page-break-after: auto; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_nquv8ztxol5g"></a><b><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 130%;">Pay the price.</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 130%;"></span></b></span></span></i></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">If Billy discovers the
affair, Fletch is a dead man. But the closer he gets to Susan the more reckless
Fletch becomes. And soon, Fletch realises that every one - even him - must pay
the price for his actions.</span></span></span></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">But just what is Fletch
prepared to lose…and will the cost be too high, even for him?</span></span></span></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"> </span></span></span></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">Purchase Link: </span></b><a href="https://amzn.to/3fFNB19">https://amzn.to/3fFNB19</a></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Thoughts: </span></span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Price is the first book I have read by Kerry Kaya but it certainly won't be my last. I always seem to enjoy being swept up into this genre. The grit and the pace coupled with the sense of real people and real lives always has me turning the pages at lightening speed. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">In this captivating story we follow Fletch and his brother Spence. Fletch, who might have just bitten off more than he can chew. He is working for Billy King and as a gangster and leader you would not want to get on the his wrong side. Fletch is really playing with fire though and is having an affair with Billy King's wife Susan. Just what are the consequences to such behaviour should Billy find out? </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Price is about the tough guys and the mean streets but there is also a likeability to the characters. In particular Fletch just seemed to charm me. There are portions of the book that are grittier and with the anticipated bits of violence. There are also parts that lighten the tone a little. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I always find gangland fiction such page turners and there are usually plenty of twist and turns. The Price fits in the genre perfectly and I thoroughly enjoyed it. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I would definitely seek out more of this authors books in future. She is definitely a firm fixture for this type of book. <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>About the Author:</u></span></span><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYGnchUPYGrlVdgyThMDc5tkjWjo2PLZ55WEeURkndpepHtvvCBQ3EDc8FmVyrH3sQ7-834dfGci_VnHTESkYYZzmMDoDZI9Crd0OhpoVwNHU9lYhRbwbZsKOQn4ywuOhJSMnmi05m5c/s960/book+pic+for+kerry+kaya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="758" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYGnchUPYGrlVdgyThMDc5tkjWjo2PLZ55WEeURkndpepHtvvCBQ3EDc8FmVyrH3sQ7-834dfGci_VnHTESkYYZzmMDoDZI9Crd0OhpoVwNHU9lYhRbwbZsKOQn4ywuOhJSMnmi05m5c/s320/book+pic+for+kerry+kaya.jpg" /></a></i></div><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</span></i><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0f1111;">Kerry Kaya is the hugely
popular author of Essex-based gritty gangland thrillers with strong family
dynamics. She grew up on one of the largest council estates in the UK, where
she sets her novels. She also works full-time in a busy maternity department
for the NHS. She has signed a nine-book deal with Boldwood for both new and
backlist titles. Her first book The Price will be published in July 2021.</span></p></span></span><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0f1111;"> </span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Social Media Links – </b><span> </span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Facebook
</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/KerryKayaAuthor">https://www.facebook.com/KerryKayaAuthor</a> </p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Twitter</span><a href="https://twitter.com/@LisaJHobmanAuth"> </a><a href="https://twitter.com/https:/twitter.com/KerryKayaWriter">https://twitter.com/KerryKayaWriter
on Twitter</a> </p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Instagram
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://instagram.com/https:/www.instagram.com/kerry_kaya_writer/">https://www.instagram.com/kerry_kaya_writer/
on Instagram</a></span></span></p></span></i><div><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JHpLOB-d4UvZllX46vO7KNiwdidYdGTigupIs1rBKzI3_xYUw5n15U-MIMLWSVy45_HHaLE-aAcSlJ4WWCAcbREDZeoXHOexmguGSrDO0SNA6Axx4CuOjBZAvh-5pHsg1pFFqn6mfDA/s2572/The+Price+Full+Tour+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1222" data-original-width="2572" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JHpLOB-d4UvZllX46vO7KNiwdidYdGTigupIs1rBKzI3_xYUw5n15U-MIMLWSVy45_HHaLE-aAcSlJ4WWCAcbREDZeoXHOexmguGSrDO0SNA6Axx4CuOjBZAvh-5pHsg1pFFqn6mfDA/w640-h304/The+Price+Full+Tour+Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span><p></p></i></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<![endif]--><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-16414669049772659512021-07-07T19:32:00.000+01:002021-07-07T19:32:15.950+01:00#BlogTour: Shame by Elizabeth Forbes @lizzieforbes @RandomTTours #Shame<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaGYDB2DC2Zfg8TmXQMhJKPYmIvrLiQNm_Upfk2WRP3a7wGO3A7edmI5kLjPT7o_Sh8J1Dt5Ge9kE5zCVPrMtFhRsabe_JBLMO2gvkMrWysMIkj3-4MWaBdJJqf-TU5hxEIqe5tQAH6I/s1544/Shame+Cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1544" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaGYDB2DC2Zfg8TmXQMhJKPYmIvrLiQNm_Upfk2WRP3a7wGO3A7edmI5kLjPT7o_Sh8J1Dt5Ge9kE5zCVPrMtFhRsabe_JBLMO2gvkMrWysMIkj3-4MWaBdJJqf-TU5hxEIqe5tQAH6I/s320/Shame+Cover.jpeg" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shame by Elizabeth Forbes was independently published on 30th May 2021. My thanks to the author for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the blog tour invitation. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">George and Martha have things they’d rather keep
hidden from each other: private thoughts, desires and secrets which, if
discovered, could cause untold shame. But to an outsider they appear to have a
happy, contented and conventional family life. At their twins’ Fred and
Delilah’s twenty-first birthday party events conspire to uncover disturbing
emotional connections, and threaten to reveal a past that has long been
concealed.Soon after, a holiday designed to repair the damage exposes further
rifts that could spread beyond the family and possibly change their futures
forever. As a GP, Martha is used to helping her patients mend physically and
mentally, but can she do the same for her husband and children, or will the
ensuing damage leave wounds that will never heal?</span></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"> </span></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">My Thoughts: </span></span></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">I am just going to start by saying that Elizabeth Forbes is one of my favourite authors. Her writing is intelligent and consistent and always leaves me scratching my head and with my thoughts and expectations of people in tatters. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"></span></span></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">I have reviewed the authors previous books, <a href="https://reflectionsofareader.blogspot.com/2021/05/nearest-thing-to-crazy-by-elizabeth.html#.YOXs_LjviYg">Nearest Thing to Crazy</a> and <a href="https://reflectionsofareader.blogspot.com/2014/06/who-are-you-by-elizabeth-forbes.html#.YOXtq7jviYg">Who Are You?</a> You can read my reviews by clicking on the titles. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">The author has really excelled herself with Shame. If you are expecting something with the pace of a steam train then this might not be the book for you. It is however an exploration of a marriage and how it is possible for everything to slowly unravel, particularly when you start to peel back the layers and start to put people under a microscope.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">George and Martha have been married a long time. On the outside everyone would say they are the perfect couple but just lately Martha has been feeling like her and George and drifting apart. She feels dissatisfied and under appreciated. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">She even feels distanced from her grown up children, especially Delilah. So when their 21st birthday is coming around perhaps it is a chance for Martha to bond with her children and husband. Things are complicated as they always are and it transpires that the kids 21st is to be organised by Georges Brother and Sister in Law. This is due to family history that means George and his brother live very different lives. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">The party and a family holiday is the catalyst really for events going forward and slow unfolding of a truck full of family secrets, lies and shame. The reader is drip fed little morsels here and there and I must admit I was shocked at the full scale of the cover ups etc that were involved. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">What I love about Elizabeth Forbes is the depth with which she writes her flawed characters and the unapologetic way the readers loyalty is challenged. I constantly flitted between agreeing with more than one character or the other. In families and love there are no sides only people. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">I will read everything this author writes. If you were to push me I would probably say that Shame is my favourite one so far. Beautiful writing and an accomplished plot that got right underneath my skin and as always left me wanting more when the final page turned. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">Definitely not to be missed. <br /></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"> <br /></span></span></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"></span></span></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">About the Author: </span></span></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfc5FGwskMdKLMSXm5RU5eQriP1XzVEYNrZ2fqy33G0Y15KnhEcBbuqd3Cj3m80Ty0AXHVaOCCCNXItlWG04Vgr_AHlCfhKUA3SwnJ4LicAa6rui1YyNijXfOkbpA2Cu14tf9jsEOfFd4/s1280/Lizzie+Forbes+Author+Pic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfc5FGwskMdKLMSXm5RU5eQriP1XzVEYNrZ2fqy33G0Y15KnhEcBbuqd3Cj3m80Ty0AXHVaOCCCNXItlWG04Vgr_AHlCfhKUA3SwnJ4LicAa6rui1YyNijXfOkbpA2Cu14tf9jsEOfFd4/s320/Lizzie+Forbes+Author+Pic.jpeg" /></a></div></span></span></u><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0f1111;">Elizabeth Forbes was born and raised on the Isle of
Wight and now lives in Herefordshire with her husband, two dogs and two hens.
She published three romantic thrillers under the name Elizabeth Harrington: The
Corporate Wife, Making Up and Daddy Darling. She then took a break from writing
and enrolled with the Open University to study for a degree in Literature. She
completed her BA with First Class Honours, and also achieved the OU's Diploma
in Creative Writing. Her first psychological suspense novel, Nearest Thing to
Crazy, was published by Cutting Edge Press in 2013. BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour
and the Mail Online featured the novel because of its gaslighting subject
matter. It was a bestseller in Amazon UK's psychological thriller charts. Her
second novel published by Cutting Edge Press in 2014 was Who Are You? which is
a dark and twisty tale focussing on the stormy marriage of two people affected
by PTSD and childhood trauma. Elizabeth has recently re-published these novels
independently with Amazon KDP.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div> You can find the author on Twitter: @lizzieforbes<p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju74-xc3Fx_kR1_MA41vFFuU9Odc5j2d0mFwM3dVbd-flw5llp0S6mQBYLDHwXZBqb1YAb-ypUHWeMwdFRsGa-2LGeZ75ZogWYPQSmTcfz7YUJKeoecdawIX5mtaRwAqJOrHyQaF2KCcw/s1099/Shame+BT+Poster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="1099" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju74-xc3Fx_kR1_MA41vFFuU9Odc5j2d0mFwM3dVbd-flw5llp0S6mQBYLDHwXZBqb1YAb-ypUHWeMwdFRsGa-2LGeZ75ZogWYPQSmTcfz7YUJKeoecdawIX5mtaRwAqJOrHyQaF2KCcw/w640-h454/Shame+BT+Poster.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;"></span></span></span></u><br /></div>
<p></p>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-47808665796312637292021-06-24T14:03:00.001+01:002021-06-24T14:03:21.363+01:00#BlogTour In the Mirror, a Peacock Danced by Justine Bothwick @Bothwick_Cro @AgoraBookLDN #APeacockDanced<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DHXnorgc4zVzQNiylg0lAU2loSXtu79rbNCdgSyp37js9IYCseuhXf0Pz0oCSoA3MLTKvPpAa7j68BtoMC7UTq1nxeQEBgWkjqnMVTMBwcZBW649BPaXfugW3MX8yY7W472Qx1TG5mk/s2048/In+the+Mirror%252C+a+Peacock+Danced+eBook+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1334" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DHXnorgc4zVzQNiylg0lAU2loSXtu79rbNCdgSyp37js9IYCseuhXf0Pz0oCSoA3MLTKvPpAa7j68BtoMC7UTq1nxeQEBgWkjqnMVTMBwcZBW649BPaXfugW3MX8yY7W472Qx1TG5mk/s320/In+the+Mirror%252C+a+Peacock+Danced+eBook+Cover.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the Mirror, a Peacock Danced is published by Agora Books on 24th June 2021. My thanks to the publisher for the review copy and the blog tour invitation. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Agra, 1938</b>: Eighteen-year-old Florence Hunt has grown up riding horses past the Taj Mahal and chasing peacocks through her backyard under the critical gaze of her father. Increasingly enamoured with his work on the booming railway, Florence yearns to know more, but finds herself brushed away, encouraged only to perform the more ladylike hobbies of singing and entertaining guests. So when a dazzling young engineer walks into her life, she finds herself not only gripped by secret lessons in physics but swept entirely off her feet.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /><b>Portsmouth, 1953</b>: Fifteen years later, Florence finds herself pregnant and alone in post-war England – a far cry from her sun-drenched existence in India. Struggling to cope with the bleakness of everyday life in a male-dominated world, Florence is desperate to find the woman she used to be. But when someone from her past reaches out, Florence might just have a chance to start over.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Soaring from the shimmering heights of the big top to the depths of heartbreak, can Florence find the happiness, independence, and passion she once had in order to start living again?</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /><b>Set against the lush backdrop of early 20th-century India, In the Mirror, a Peacock Danced – the debut novel from Justine Bothwick – is the moving story of one woman’s journey back to herself.</b></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b> </b></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Thoughts: </span></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I just want to start by saying everything about In the Mirror, a Peacock Danced drew me in. Initially that gorgeous cover and the title that initally sparks the readers interest. This book is the richly drawn and immersive story of Florence Hunt. The reader gets to meet Florence in 1938 Agra and again in Portsmouth in 1953 in this dual timeline story that captured my imagination. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When we met Florence at 18 years old she is living in Agra with her Father it is 1938. The backdrop is sumptuous, there are parties, horse riding and on the surface what would be described as a life of privilege. Florence loves to spend time adoring the peacocks in the yard. Florence however longs for something more. She is unhappy with her father and feels stifled and unappreciated. Her father at times was mean and cruel and often belittled Florence. Florence wants to better herself and learn. She is interested in Science and Engineering but these are perceived to be interests that are only pursued by men. Florence's father feels that she would be more suited to womanly pastimes such as singing. She has spent a lot of time around the railway where her father works and she is interested in the workings but as it transpires her interest is also piqued by a young man there who seems to be perfect and full of promise.... </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fast forward fifteen years and it is now 1953 Florence has left Agra behind and now lives in Portsmouth. We meet her here when she is pregnant. It was so interesting the way that even though in a different time and place Florence is still unhappy and constrained by males. So, is a chance meeting with the past going to lead to the future for Florence and is she ever going to see those peacocks dance again. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Florence is such a wonderfully written character I really felt for her and hoped for a good outcome for her story. I wanted for her to be able to exactly what she wanted to do rather than having to pander to all of those around her. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Both timelines worked wonderfully and the history was woven in seamlessly. A rich and evocative portrayal of the life of a woman who just wants to do more and to be more. The writing her is wonderful and the plot memorable. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A really beautiful book inside and outside. <br /></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">About the Author: </span></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94GDG4n347HMvmlCxu79MiYcpcamqy7JlIcUMMFVxhMSQlDw0WRmkimevb6wuWPilkuCfLi8N7w50I34GGqasRnpQjVEXgF61gvQ94dxY6p_TqOWuqXbZeNq9wOzjS2t69IoOT-x30Co/s441/Bothwick+Author+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94GDG4n347HMvmlCxu79MiYcpcamqy7JlIcUMMFVxhMSQlDw0WRmkimevb6wuWPilkuCfLi8N7w50I34GGqasRnpQjVEXgF61gvQ94dxY6p_TqOWuqXbZeNq9wOzjS2t69IoOT-x30Co/s320/Bothwick+Author+Photo.jpg" /></a></div></u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Justine Bothwick grew up in Kent and Hampshire, and studied in London. In 2005, she moved to Italy and now teaches English in an international secondary school in Rome. She is married to a Roman architect. Together they have a flat in the city with a small balcony on which she grows her ever expanding collection of plants and watches the local birdlife.<br />Justine is a graduate of the Manchester Writing School’s Creative Writing MA programme and has short stories published in Fictive Dream, Virtual Zine, Confingo Magazine, and forthcoming in The Lonely Crowd, and with Nightjar Press.<br />In the Mirror, a Peacock Danced is her debut novel.</span></span><u><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">You can follow on Twitter: @Bothwick_Cro</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0dXYQo0i3mXCw2Vtx-4Iw916VU9_S1AsK5JX8p-NMa-iOAzNLXAYRfXvSBGVPcdu2vmkzarfqW4WoPlIaNt0lQNQ3w3xssHGyU80uCyTonhW2_feHnyY-VPpUm1OT95soyd2Y_yqjAk/s1200/Peacock+Blog+Tour+Image+%2528Week+1%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="1200" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0dXYQo0i3mXCw2Vtx-4Iw916VU9_S1AsK5JX8p-NMa-iOAzNLXAYRfXvSBGVPcdu2vmkzarfqW4WoPlIaNt0lQNQ3w3xssHGyU80uCyTonhW2_feHnyY-VPpUm1OT95soyd2Y_yqjAk/w640-h386/Peacock+Blog+Tour+Image+%2528Week+1%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbLtMwxbuDmmO0DKpOcGYHJurQ4y56C3WIip-Nw40HjxKhkah_ks0jb2rM0o0XvhR1hRG1MC-I7YeeEJYUXjFeIpVWYa6Va10hOIoABT1jGeiLzonB2lZIX8wQ-Vj1cHTtpUgMHI2wOM/s1200/Peacock+Blog+Tour+Image+%2528Week+2%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="1200" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbLtMwxbuDmmO0DKpOcGYHJurQ4y56C3WIip-Nw40HjxKhkah_ks0jb2rM0o0XvhR1hRG1MC-I7YeeEJYUXjFeIpVWYa6Va10hOIoABT1jGeiLzonB2lZIX8wQ-Vj1cHTtpUgMHI2wOM/w640-h386/Peacock+Blog+Tour+Image+%2528Week+2%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-44876711649899284492021-06-23T09:24:00.001+01:002021-06-23T09:27:57.608+01:00#BlogTour This Much Huxley Knows by Gail Aldwin @gailaldwin @brwpublisher #ThisMuchHuxleyKnows<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1yrKiEGjccyAmCLArBJjeeJNNCIrNfOiyEvi5EZPYwhmGgWUnTw-7lFjkfvHDS4eEdaHKpogFo7Y3Eu5-dpm-VlSX_yyl8mwRxSd1cJoYMEkxwXX-oNT8fT87LPfRLSrckXAlUYnHGw/s320/unnamed2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1yrKiEGjccyAmCLArBJjeeJNNCIrNfOiyEvi5EZPYwhmGgWUnTw-7lFjkfvHDS4eEdaHKpogFo7Y3Eu5-dpm-VlSX_yyl8mwRxSd1cJoYMEkxwXX-oNT8fT87LPfRLSrckXAlUYnHGw/s0/unnamed2.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">This Much Huxley Know by Gail Aldwin is published by Black Rose Writing on 8th July 2021. My thanks to the author for the review copy and the blog tour invitation. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">I’m
seven years old and I’ve never had a best mate. Trouble is, no one gets
my jokes. And Breaks-it isn’t helping. Ha! You get it, don’t you?
Brexit means everyone’s falling out and breaking up.</span></i></span></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Huxley
is growing up in the suburbs of London at a time of community tensions.
To make matters worse, a gang of youths is targeting isolated
residents. When Leonard, an elderly newcomer chats with Huxley, his
parents are suspicious. But Huxley is lonely and thinks Leonard is too.
Can they become friends?</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Funny and compassionate, this contemporary novel for adults explores issues of belonging, friendship and what it means to trust.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">'Read this and feel young again’ – Joe Siple, author of <i>The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>‘</i>Moving and ultimately upbeat’<i> – </i>Christopher Wakling, author of<i> What I Did</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>‘</i>A joyous novel with the wonderfully exuberant character of Huxley<i>’ – </i>Sara Gethin, author of <i>Not Thomas</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBwdUP9d9DKHfMvLtqLtVpsTs__2rXkEpsycn-tAyqHFnmLBAIfwHgGr4dHKD_sq4GtoV9WymHkeyn2-QsONkVP5PU-KxQlSnMzMaO3hqN_xrZOyK792H2EJGPX5tjVzCcbMwd_JURhs/s378/for+signature.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBwdUP9d9DKHfMvLtqLtVpsTs__2rXkEpsycn-tAyqHFnmLBAIfwHgGr4dHKD_sq4GtoV9WymHkeyn2-QsONkVP5PU-KxQlSnMzMaO3hqN_xrZOyK792H2EJGPX5tjVzCcbMwd_JURhs/s320/for+signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Pre-order Links</b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/This-Much-Huxley-Knows-Misunderstandings-ebook/dp/B0944Q8SGV/ref%3Dsr_1_1?dchild%3D1%26keywords%3Dgail%2Baldwin%26qid%3D1620570803%26sr%3D8-1&source=gmail&ust=1624469721653000&usg=AFQjCNFCqeXU6iJQG2PMGNhzTPQD6dhhAw" href="https://www.amazon.com/This-Much-Huxley-Knows-Misunderstandings-ebook/dp/B0944Q8SGV/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=gail+aldwin&qid=1620570803&sr=8-1" target="_blank">: AmazonUS</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Much-Huxley-Knows-Misunderstandings/dp/1684337313/ref%3Dsr_1_5?dchild%3D1%26keywords%3Dgail%2Baldwin%26qid%3D1620570758%26sr%3D8-5&source=gmail&ust=1624469721653000&usg=AFQjCNGg9CZ5AYPXuPOj9HzIfKyl9KcTsA" href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Much-Huxley-Knows-Misunderstandings/dp/1684337313/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=gail+aldwin&qid=1620570758&sr=8-5" target="_blank">AmazonUK</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/this-much-huxley-knows-gail-aldwin/1139371520?ean%3D9781684337316&source=gmail&ust=1624469721653000&usg=AFQjCNFScE3WJ_tBhmY845tE0QpGHCRdDg" href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/this-much-huxley-knows-gail-aldwin/1139371520?ean=9781684337316" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Aldwin-Gail-Aldwin/This-Much-Huxley-Knows--A-Story-of-Innocence-Misunderstan/26097118&source=gmail&ust=1624469721653000&usg=AFQjCNHEPVU6LC8a9OOftPeozx0p4LQUgQ" href="https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Aldwin-Gail-Aldwin/This-Much-Huxley-Knows--A-Story-of-Innocence-Misunderstan/26097118" target="_blank">HiveUK</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bookdepository.com/This-Much-Huxley-Knows-Gail-Aldwin/9781684337316?ref%3Dgrid-view%26qid%3D1620565325631%26sr%3D1-1&source=gmail&ust=1624469721653000&usg=AFQjCNGSc9R-cmSHV33Fp4EDVWvZnWu5Aw" href="https://www.bookdepository.com/This-Much-Huxley-Knows-Gail-Aldwin/9781684337316?ref=grid-view&qid=1620565325631&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Thoughts: </span></span></u></div><p></p><p>This Much Huxley Knows is a story told from the perspective of Huxley. A pretty remarkable 7 year and one that captured me hook, line and sinker through this remarkable and enriching story. Telling the story from the perspective of Huxley was a great choice by the author. Huxley begged to be listened too. </p><p>This book highlights a great many themes but through the eyes and innocence of a 7 year old. Huxley looks at the world with joy and wonder and the reader can't help but go along with it. The author tackles social biases, bullying and right and wrong and all of the other things that go along with adulthood. The innocence of Huxley wanting to make friends with Leonard who seems lonely on his mobility scooter was a particularly memorable event. <br /></p><p>I loved the way Huxley's imagination was abundant and his lust for life effervescent. He was intelligent, inquistive and his voice shone through loud and clear. Some of the ways that he understands words said by adults also had me chuckling away to myself. <br /></p><p>Gail Aldwin is a superb writer and I will remember Huxley for a very long time. This is a wonderful perspective of the innocence of childhood offset against some of the truths of adulthood and the darker connotations. She has managed to create a book that is not only thought provoking but also heart warming. <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>About the Author: </u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlBIN1Mqtqgt5HKaFeODw1oHaKd0jhxLHFRo55sCfDN_eq54iJ08oeZzMfQaFz5G_LsquiDRTMwwv7PrdP2EsGdzsoZJJhNuxTKmBAykpTZvyEWkS_ZU-Lnea8W_9xFGo7hEJ418ig7k/s264/unnamed.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlBIN1Mqtqgt5HKaFeODw1oHaKd0jhxLHFRo55sCfDN_eq54iJ08oeZzMfQaFz5G_LsquiDRTMwwv7PrdP2EsGdzsoZJJhNuxTKmBAykpTZvyEWkS_ZU-Lnea8W_9xFGo7hEJ418ig7k/s0/unnamed.jpg" /></a></div></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Novelist, poet and scriptwriter, Gail Aldwin’s debut coming-of-age novel <i>The String Games </i>was
a finalist in The People’s Book Prize and the DLF Writing Prize 2020.
Following a stint as a university lecturer, Gail’s children’s picture
book <i>Pandemonium</i> was published. Gail loves to appear at national
and international literary and fringe festivals. Prior to Covid-19, she
volunteered at Bidibidi in Uganda, the second largest refugee settlement
in the world. When she’s not gallivanting around, Gail writes at her
home overlooking water meadows in Dorset. </span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Twitter: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/gailaldwin&source=gmail&ust=1624469721653000&usg=AFQjCNGLfU4KLqrFW19rUOcQfHZkLTeeaA" href="https://twitter.com/gailaldwin" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">https://twitter.com/<wbr></wbr>gailaldwin</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Facebook: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/gailaldwinwriter/&source=gmail&ust=1624469721653000&usg=AFQjCNE-JM8n3IXDrxRJAJOnEIADEZ3heA" href="https://www.facebook.com/gailaldwinwriter/" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>gailaldwinwriter/</span></a><span><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="background-color: white;">Blog: </span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://gailaldwin.com/&source=gmail&ust=1624469721653000&usg=AFQjCNEst3XR1eoTh1ghvgwL3kWoe-zWhQ" href="https://gailaldwin.com/" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">https://<wbr></wbr>gailaldwin.com</span></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLR7m8v58jwvc7n1rzVdHzlXumnMQEAl5Oh9-wlZbC3TlGnWqnSUPMR_LFVV44bd5wU0XTTb2r_oTQVJUSwzxIpXLenc1SYN_y4yPndEvUaWlkT-BMq2PZJygr_vU6bXXzCl8D4o-hGU/s1280/REVISED+Huxley+blog+tour+poster.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLR7m8v58jwvc7n1rzVdHzlXumnMQEAl5Oh9-wlZbC3TlGnWqnSUPMR_LFVV44bd5wU0XTTb2r_oTQVJUSwzxIpXLenc1SYN_y4yPndEvUaWlkT-BMq2PZJygr_vU6bXXzCl8D4o-hGU/w640-h360/REVISED+Huxley+blog+tour+poster.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <br /></span></span></span></div>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-63391409872002697122021-06-21T19:44:00.001+01:002021-06-21T19:44:27.813+01:00#BlogTour True Crime Story by Joseph Knox @josephknox__ @DoubledayUK #TrueCrimeStory @RandomTTours<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMm7qRmv9mk79bKEKYqRyidbFLQcCNrP3rJPk1uHPaOuUBKraIKr93kWqlCm_du0eZeBUm5kpYQ-L6b8hqaZ52OT6PAoAVnXhSJjdAllbl6oxrDF7kHj-hLOp7RZ6I4U4rq59gXR1xrqw/s1280/True+Crime+Story+Cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="901" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMm7qRmv9mk79bKEKYqRyidbFLQcCNrP3rJPk1uHPaOuUBKraIKr93kWqlCm_du0eZeBUm5kpYQ-L6b8hqaZ52OT6PAoAVnXhSJjdAllbl6oxrDF7kHj-hLOp7RZ6I4U4rq59gXR1xrqw/s320/True+Crime+Story+Cover.jpeg" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">True Crime Story by Joseph Knox was published on 17th June 2021 by Doubleday. My thanks to the publisher for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the blog tour invitation. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>'What happens to those girls who go missing? What happens to the Zoe Nolans of the world?'</b><br /><br />In
the early hours of Saturday 17 December 2011, Zoe Nolan, a
nineteen-year-old Manchester University student, walked out of a party
taking place in the shared accommodation where she had been living for
three months.<br /><br />She was never seen again.<br /><br />Seven years after
her disappearance, struggling writer Evelyn Mitchell finds herself drawn
into the mystery. Through interviews with Zoe's closest friends and
family, she begins piecing together what really happened in 2011. But
where some versions of events overlap, aligning perfectly with one
another, others stand in stark contrast, giving rise to troubling
inconsistencies.<br /><br />Shaken by revelations of Zoe's secret life, and
stalked by a figure from the shadows, Evelyn turns to crime writer
Joseph Knox to help make sense of a case where everyone has something to
hide.<br /><br />Zoe Nolan may be missing presumed dead, but her story is only just beginning.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHX4f9NMsNgeuZvt2rW2mMNW8N6Sb4eqRaMU5bk4ADP_K4YpQG7X_H1tFOfVox019BfFOB7k5Zw6oaAR_J4seD59MkjD7vNJPJc39_GbI-g9xpdBewN6Xulbvf4kF6T62S1VnOAtZe2Eo/s970/5520585e-2f0c-41c7-9ac5-30af64f153c8.__CR0%252C0%252C970%252C300_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="970" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHX4f9NMsNgeuZvt2rW2mMNW8N6Sb4eqRaMU5bk4ADP_K4YpQG7X_H1tFOfVox019BfFOB7k5Zw6oaAR_J4seD59MkjD7vNJPJc39_GbI-g9xpdBewN6Xulbvf4kF6T62S1VnOAtZe2Eo/w400-h124/5520585e-2f0c-41c7-9ac5-30af64f153c8.__CR0%252C0%252C970%252C300_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Thoughts: </span></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I finished reading True Crime Story by Joseph Knox two weeks ago in anticipation for this blog tour. Let me just tell you now there is so much I am bursting to tell you but this is one of the difficult books to review, one of those where you just had to be there to form your own opinions. I have been struggling with what to say but have come to the conclusion that nothing I can say will do this book justice but surely you want to find out what happened to Zoe Nolan as much as I did.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rather embarassingly this is the first book I have read by this author and so therefore I did not know what to expect. I was so pleasantly surprised and bewildered by the originality and the scale of this. The strands of a story told in snapshots by different people and mediums. Sometimes there seemed a lot to go on in the quest to find out what happened to Zoe Nolan and at other times there was nothing at all. The author skilfully draws the author in and then pushes them away, a game of cat and mouse. A tale with shadows that lurk just around the corner. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Zoe Nolan disappeared in 2011. She was a student, who one day just walked away from a party and wasn't seen again. Evelyn Mitchell is on the hunt for the scoop of her career the story that will propel her in the world as a credible mytery writer, she enlists the help of Joseph Knox (I know!) a crime writer and secure interviews with friends and family. The reader gets to read this and also the emails between Joseph Knox and Evelyn Mitchell. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Slowly the story is teased out and the ending was unexpected and expected all at the same time. The plotting was magnificent and I loved the way the author was able to create something so special by not being afraid to do something new. It is as original as it is audacious. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I loved True Crime Story. I like to be kept on my toes, favourite programmes include Black Mirror and Inside No. 9. This had the elements of mystery and enough to keep me guessing all whilst tackling important themes and even prejudices. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I know I have told you everything and nothing at all but if you read one crime book this year then I implore you to make it True Crime Story.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>About the Author:</u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjsV-KYKnqmdGOG5mI_NIG-OV8Rzr6iiTVKOcZb8dkurhmrye_HqUhsGoU1lftKIVb4SH06A3wqH-LYFqjLYIZE9Yz4tWi_3wL_F4u3SAJdLlSf02hJDHfNWTSwcgXNgM6A48vZrYyUk/s631/Joseph+Knox+Author+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="631" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjsV-KYKnqmdGOG5mI_NIG-OV8Rzr6iiTVKOcZb8dkurhmrye_HqUhsGoU1lftKIVb4SH06A3wqH-LYFqjLYIZE9Yz4tWi_3wL_F4u3SAJdLlSf02hJDHfNWTSwcgXNgM6A48vZrYyUk/s320/Joseph+Knox+Author+Pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Joseph Knox was born and raised in and around Stoke-On-Trent and
Manchester, where he worked in bars and bookshops before moving to
London. He runs, writes and reads compulsively.<br /><br />Sirens, his debut novel, was a Sunday Times bestseller, and his work has now been translated into 18 languages. <br /><br />The Sleepwalker, his third novel, was released in July, 2019. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can find the author on Twitter: @josephknox__</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdH_kL39jJ7NG6YfSXE16C3GpeWzTYNEI9qd9f1DJ0pWLqtqkwjfMJe0Fq40QNcIUXqBMd1yNSaHub7Z4hdtLrVoQrGUkyVbL9bzqWKkp3th5e76HhowZOQbHdFoPsRNS_QpuoCXjOlE/s1280/True+Crime+Story+BT+Poster+.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="821" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdH_kL39jJ7NG6YfSXE16C3GpeWzTYNEI9qd9f1DJ0pWLqtqkwjfMJe0Fq40QNcIUXqBMd1yNSaHub7Z4hdtLrVoQrGUkyVbL9bzqWKkp3th5e76HhowZOQbHdFoPsRNS_QpuoCXjOlE/w410-h640/True+Crime+Story+BT+Poster+.jpeg" width="410" /></a></div><br /> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></span></div>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-6585599896863535692021-06-19T11:38:00.000+01:002021-06-19T11:38:07.519+01:00#BlogTour The Memories We Bury by H.A. Leuschel @HALeuschel @zooloo2008 #TheMemoriesWeBury #ZooloosBookTours<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4xLUwnCOnetdwQCufvtZDwg25FEI96qj48GBsYCRoet-Yc8Nv01mT3vTvqI88eYuFYd5kJUZC8NgOkP11xpf-kxLV01Gz9Zd8dWZVl1hjxdiURWHGJp75vE2xVUfsIIyS4qUjyKk4Xw/s2048/The+Memories+We+Bury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4xLUwnCOnetdwQCufvtZDwg25FEI96qj48GBsYCRoet-Yc8Nv01mT3vTvqI88eYuFYd5kJUZC8NgOkP11xpf-kxLV01Gz9Zd8dWZVl1hjxdiURWHGJp75vE2xVUfsIIyS4qUjyKk4Xw/s320/The+Memories+We+Bury.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;">The Memories We Bury by H.A. Leuschel was published 17th April 2020 by EKT Selection Ltd. My thanks to the author/publisher for the review copy and Zoe of Zooloo's Book Tours for the blog tour invitation. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;">An emotionally charged and
captivating novel about the complexities of female friendship and motherhood.</span></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;">Lizzie Thomson has landed her
first job as a music teacher, and after a whirlwind romance with Markus, the
newlywed couple move into a beautiful new home in the outskirts of Edinburgh.
Lizzie quickly befriends their neighbour Morag, an elderly, resourceful yet
lonely widow, whose own children rarely visit her. Everything seems perfect in
Lizzie’s life until she finds out she is pregnant and her relationship with
both Morag and Markus change beyond her control.</span></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;">Can Lizzie really trust Morag and
why is Markus keeping secrets from her?</span></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;">In 'The Memories We Bury' the author explores
the dangerous bonds we can create with strangers and how past memories can cast
long shadows over the present.</span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"> </span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;">My Thoughts:</span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;">I was really excited when invited to review The Memories We Bury as I have read and reviewed two books by this author previously and you can read my thoughts for <a href="https://reflectionsofareader.blogspot.com/2017/03/manipulated-lives-by-ha-leuschel.html#.YM3AI7jviYg">Manipulated Lives </a>and then <a href="https://reflectionsofareader.blogspot.com/2017/12/review-my-sweet-friend-by-ha-leuschel.html#.YM2_wbjviYg" target="_blank">My Sweet Friend .</a></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;">Once again I have been hopelessly sucked in to this compelling pyschological story. The fascination of the mind by the author is paramount to this stories success and it might just be the authors best work to date. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;">The story very much focuses on the characters and how we come to rely on people based on our past experiences and how the past somehow seems to haunt and impact upon the present. It is a little creepy and has a sense of foreboding and sense of something toxic that lasts throughout until all is revealed. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><u><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"></span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;">Lizzie is pregnant and her husband Markus doesn't seem prepared. They move next door to Morag who seems helpful, experienced and a steady voice although she does seem a little on the lonely side. Everybody has a past and the past has a way of colliding with the present. When nothing is ever as it seems, who do you trust. <br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><u><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"></span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;">The story is told from the perspectives of both Lizzie and Morag and as we get to know them we also get to find out their pasts. I found this book absolutely fascinating and the tension as the pages turned just seemed to grow and grow until I came to a point where I understood what was going on. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><u><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"></span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;">H.A. Leuschel writes with real style and I have loved everything I have read by her. She really manages to drill down in to what drives people and also what makes them human and who they are. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><u><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"></span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;">This one is a step above though, absolutely superb. <br /></span><u><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"></span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><u>About the Author: </u></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPHi5IrNxiyQaJzNYRHLvVU_C5JD-XqXFeZt4lBVBZDGp4fQqs8XWHmgtZn4rJs2AHS7h5GAhK8w0_C4T4khWhc8GTLm7o182UAj2scOvXJv917h8SeP9bMXba2V7etoo3zuQYZ3xtnM/s1686/H.A+Leuschel+Author+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1686" data-original-width="1584" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPHi5IrNxiyQaJzNYRHLvVU_C5JD-XqXFeZt4lBVBZDGp4fQqs8XWHmgtZn4rJs2AHS7h5GAhK8w0_C4T4khWhc8GTLm7o182UAj2scOvXJv917h8SeP9bMXba2V7etoo3zuQYZ3xtnM/s320/H.A+Leuschel+Author+photo.jpg" /></a></div></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Helene Andrea
Leuschel gained a Master in Journalism & Communication, which led to a
career in radio and television in Brussels, London and Edinburgh. She later
acquired a Master in Philosophy, specializing in the study of the mind.</span></p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Helene has a
particular interest in emotional, psychological and social well-being and this
led her to write her first novel, Manipulated Lives, a fictional collection of
five novellas, each highlighting the dangers of interacting with narcissists.</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">She lives with
her husband and two children in Portugal. Please find out more about Helene at
heleneleuschel.com or on Facebook and Twitter.<br />
<br />
Follow her at:<br />
<b>Facebook</b>: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/HALeuschel"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://www.facebook.com/HALeuschel</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Instagram</span></b><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">: </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/haleuschel/"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://www.instagram.com/haleuschel/</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Twitter</span></b><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/HALeuschel"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://twitter.com/HALeuschel</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Goodreads </span></b><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">: </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15337013.H_A_Leuschel"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15337013.H_A_Leuschel</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Website : </span></b><a href="https://www.heleneleuschel.com/"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://www.heleneleuschel.com/</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibONCjVUBFMUm1bGn5SE6g42Sywio8bOUPzecWcf3x7YVOa9UmYEo9kln42HZonhLxCvozJblepzpnHjAyNzLoE3IdnDdTKbtmSoIwo9Cl07fEyydcvylv63LO4kIEiVZrq1PKweFsX4w/s1640/The+Memories+We+Bury+Tour+Poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibONCjVUBFMUm1bGn5SE6g42Sywio8bOUPzecWcf3x7YVOa9UmYEo9kln42HZonhLxCvozJblepzpnHjAyNzLoE3IdnDdTKbtmSoIwo9Cl07fEyydcvylv63LO4kIEiVZrq1PKweFsX4w/w640-h360/The+Memories+We+Bury+Tour+Poster.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzm-RSyTdk-RAHQgLOmPj1Oir4GPHNvg89R1NTu8A2k9XqV0H1JLX3DfnefTYXGqMZO1jqsaUO2GUSUpC0wubCVTy_-89TN2Xbkhc-CevGUPKept18yMgFhCbla2nptfqghMS4Qv9PPNM/s1080/Zooloos+Book+Tours.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzm-RSyTdk-RAHQgLOmPj1Oir4GPHNvg89R1NTu8A2k9XqV0H1JLX3DfnefTYXGqMZO1jqsaUO2GUSUpC0wubCVTy_-89TN2Xbkhc-CevGUPKept18yMgFhCbla2nptfqghMS4Qv9PPNM/s320/Zooloos+Book+Tours.png" /></a></div><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Arial Nova"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"></span><p></p>
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<![endif]--></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.heleneleuschel.com/"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"></span></a></span><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Arial Nova"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"></span></p></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"></span></i></span></span></div>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-23912818859005025382021-06-04T19:34:00.002+01:002021-06-04T19:34:35.087+01:00#BlogTour Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home by Anne Goodwin #MatildaWindsorIsComingHome @Annecdotist @InspiredQuill @RandomTTours #BookReview<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKdtp2gcze53JI5WcXtPTakSABUx8Ny2RRgkuIhXfGN1iFGPCQm9uwrh2rQsNGXeXFxcgXAb8g7zhikqQW1R404Vv2oxEh8C3KsdxDviSLd7cKLXTjkG19tEaFLPNPSR4KVJ7-IEYEj4/s1500/Matilda+Windsor+Banner.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKdtp2gcze53JI5WcXtPTakSABUx8Ny2RRgkuIhXfGN1iFGPCQm9uwrh2rQsNGXeXFxcgXAb8g7zhikqQW1R404Vv2oxEh8C3KsdxDviSLd7cKLXTjkG19tEaFLPNPSR4KVJ7-IEYEj4/w640-h214/Matilda+Windsor+Banner.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home by Anne Goodwin was published by <a href="https://www.inspired-quill.com/" target="_blank">Inspired Quill</a> on 29th May 2021. Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the blog tour invitation. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qxQHguctzyJp9PiZwPS8IdplvqOisMuPtfrDE0kct6ZcGZgBwNFLewdrDJsGQkCKf7JehleesbWSe86MPKfDHT8U21zgaJonMWm0oyG1ABqXNzXwh4oman3RMB5nROyu_0b7-ohC6f4/s1280/Matilda+Windsor+Cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="785" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qxQHguctzyJp9PiZwPS8IdplvqOisMuPtfrDE0kct6ZcGZgBwNFLewdrDJsGQkCKf7JehleesbWSe86MPKfDHT8U21zgaJonMWm0oyG1ABqXNzXwh4oman3RMB5nROyu_0b7-ohC6f4/s320/Matilda+Windsor+Cover.jpeg" /></a></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i><span>In the dying days of the old asylums, three paths intersect.</span></i></b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Henry was only a boy when he
waved goodbye to his glamorous grown-up sister; approaching sixty, his life is
still on hold as he awaits her return.</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>As a high-society hostess
renowned for her recitals, Matty’s burden weighs heavily upon her, but she
bears it with fortitude and grace<span style="line-height: 115%;">.</span></i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Janice, a young social worker,
wants to set the world to rights, but she needs to tackle challenges closer to
home.</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i><span>A brother and sister separated by decades of deceit. Will truth prevail
over bigotry, or will the buried secret keep family apart?</span></i></b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>In this, her third novel, Anne Goodwin has drawn on the
language and landscapes of her native Cumbria and on the culture of long-stay
psychiatric hospitals where she began her clinical psychology career.</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;">Find out more on <a href="https://annegoodwin.weebly.com/matilda-windsor.html">Matilda Windsor’s
webpage</a></span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxJErkV28PZRw6v-DDSqSFjiPFJ4zFREsrZV6sX3SeIDZR3kFRCZqGhyMDAdVe4omB121_x2ztKTQ9IIH7EsZckgEjwei4TR607UFVxdwBuYpJGayjRcdI3m_5UplHkd5PlpFpk1EwHc/s500/Mat+Windsor+Graphic+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="500" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxJErkV28PZRw6v-DDSqSFjiPFJ4zFREsrZV6sX3SeIDZR3kFRCZqGhyMDAdVe4omB121_x2ztKTQ9IIH7EsZckgEjwei4TR607UFVxdwBuYpJGayjRcdI3m_5UplHkd5PlpFpk1EwHc/w320-h208/Mat+Windsor+Graphic+3.png" width="320" /></a></div></span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">My Thoughts:</span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home is an incredibly poignant and thought provoking read. I actually found that it angered me in places when I thought about the way things used to be. <br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The story focuses on Matty who has spent most of her life institutionalised in a long stay psychiatric hospital. The sections featuring Matty herself were an absolute delight, full of warmth and wit. I found her character to be well rounded and endearing. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> The reader also gets to learn a little about Henry who is the brother of Matty. I found it moving to think that he had never given up on her going home. She had somebody in her corner, rooting for her for her whole life. Especially in what must have been a lonely and isolating situation. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I adored Janice in every way. She was headstrong with a can do attitude who was not afraid to stand up and use her voice to speak up for the rights of her patients. She arrives at a time when things are changing and the long stay institutions are hopefully going to become a part of the past. She shows a great deal of care and compassion. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The author touches on social commentary and manages to provide an excellent sense of time and place. The authors experience in the industry shines through and makes for a knowledgable read that I found endearing and life affirming. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I look forward to reading more in the future. </span><u><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">About the Author: <br /></span></u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></u><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-00lglglyp4Ajgui91udtPHPWhi1Io4-WuqrtaGZL15Bh3fZ69tVb3pKniDJEd7aq-FcxZTVzHkAuNhZKiNSSWxTiOTmTimhPpt_V6P_D1nPYpG5V8g5_nk9wReH3kMHV9e5OJx5ewo4/s289/Anne+Goodwin+Author+Pic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-00lglglyp4Ajgui91udtPHPWhi1Io4-WuqrtaGZL15Bh3fZ69tVb3pKniDJEd7aq-FcxZTVzHkAuNhZKiNSSWxTiOTmTimhPpt_V6P_D1nPYpG5V8g5_nk9wReH3kMHV9e5OJx5ewo4/s16000/Anne+Goodwin+Author+Pic.jpeg" /></a></div></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><p class="MsoNormal">Anne Goodwin grew up in the non-touristy part of Cumbria,
where this novel is set. When she went to university ninety miles away, no-one
could understand her accent. After nine years of studying, her first post on
qualifying as a clinical psychologist was in a long-stay psychiatric hospital
in the process of closing.</p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Her debut novel,<span> Sugar and Snails</span>, about a woman who has
kept her past identity a secret for thirty years, was shortlisted for the 2016
Polari First Book Prize. Her second novel, Underneath<span>,</span> about a man who keeps a woman captive
in his cellar, was published in 2017. Her <span>short story collection, Becoming Someone, on the theme of
identity,</span> was published in <span>November
2018. </span>Subscribers to her newsletter can <a href="https://bit.ly/daughtershorts">download a free e-book</a> of
prize-winning short stories.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->Website: <a href="https://annegoodwin.weebly.com/">annegoodwin.weebly.com</a>
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<![endif]--><p><br /></p>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-46691958215055080302021-05-30T11:54:00.000+01:002021-05-30T11:54:07.165+01:00Nothing But Blue Sky by Kathleen MacMahon @KathleenMacM @PenguinIEBooks #NothingButBlueSky<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKeh0AdCIxywM_HBPjZ3jFtsbhUzY2gHc7o1-jhc7eZl4cYZim0TO-6ycxSCshq5z_p_JkwaGqh5zT75ctClx8lgINhHvyXUE37o1GWzrZW9dEBdED0f5hxMePYOILhWKwovw_n_4ZD4/s293/index.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKeh0AdCIxywM_HBPjZ3jFtsbhUzY2gHc7o1-jhc7eZl4cYZim0TO-6ycxSCshq5z_p_JkwaGqh5zT75ctClx8lgINhHvyXUE37o1GWzrZW9dEBdED0f5hxMePYOILhWKwovw_n_4ZD4/s0/index.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nothing But Blue Sky by Kathleen MacMahon was published by Penguin Ireland on 30th July 2020</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Is there such a thing as a perfect marriage?</b><br /><br />David thought
so. But when his wife Mary Rose dies suddenly he has to think again. In
reliving their twenty years together David sees that the ground beneath
them had shifted and he simply hadn't noticed. Or had chosen not to.<br /><br />Figuring
out who Mary Rose really was and the secrets that she kept - some of
these hidden in plain sight - makes David wonder if he really knew her.
Did he even know himself?<br /><br /><b>Nothing But Blue Sky is a
precise and tender story of love in marriage - a gripping examination of
what binds couples together and of what keeps them apart.</b></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Thoughts: </span></span></u></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nothing But Blue Sky is a beautiful portrayal of love, marriage and bereavement. Introspective in a lot of ways with a great depth of understanding and emotion. I found it to be deeply affecting. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The story centres around the marriage of David and Mary Rose. We hear the story from David's perspective as Mary Rose has died and when we meet David he is just trying to navigate his way through his loss and reflect upon his marriage. He is trying to learn what to do when the person that is always there one day isn't. He has good friends around him who are well meaning and try to help. David though now lacks that closeness and familiarity and he appears to be just sitting on the periphery. He struggles to understand how he will go on. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">David worries that his memories of Mary Rose are slipping away from him much like sand running through his fingers. The best times he spent with Mary Rose was on their regular holidays so he embarks on a trip to Aiguaclara in Costa Brava where they spent a great deal of time. I feel that this is where David begins to heal as it is when he lets his guard down and feels most relaxed. The reader begins to gain more of an understanding at this point as the character slowly reveals himself. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">I loved the way that this book did not paint the characters and their marriage as perfect. As no marriage surely is all of the time. It was realistic and drew me in. If I am honest I found David a little bit unlikeable and set in his ways. He seemed to rely more on Mary Rose than she would have on him. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The language and vivid way that the author tells the story of a man and memories of his love brought me to tears. It was a moving portrayal of what is such a unique experience. We all go through loss and this was a difficult but beautiful read. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">This book is not plot driven in any way but the scenery of the Costa Brava and David's voice shone through. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">About the Author: </span></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QewZVJ2HVa-WRCLjHfYLF29Kon7goRd64yBLZd9eQiVrVc-5btC7pgEtXbqod98acN7BFLKeeg2l94WGmvyPWZp2nqkNiL_3mONTQ4i_iQnWKPCRr4cJI6fQpZP73y3RbVkoDbN7JN4/s400/MpH0MBbx_400x400.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QewZVJ2HVa-WRCLjHfYLF29Kon7goRd64yBLZd9eQiVrVc-5btC7pgEtXbqod98acN7BFLKeeg2l94WGmvyPWZp2nqkNiL_3mONTQ4i_iQnWKPCRr4cJI6fQpZP73y3RbVkoDbN7JN4/s320/MpH0MBbx_400x400.jpg" /></a></div></u><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nothing But Blue Sky is Kathleen MacMahon's third novel. Her first, This
is How it Ends, published in 2012, was translated into more than twenty
languages, spent five weeks at the top of the bestseller lists in
Ireland, and was a Richard and Judy Book Club choice in the UK. Her
second novel, The Long, Hot Summer was published to much acclaim in 2015
and was also a bestseller in Ireland. Kathleen is a former radio and
television journalist with Ireland's national broadcaster, RTÉ, and she
lives in Dublin with her family.</span></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></u><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can find the author on Twitter: @KathleenMacM</span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">or on her website:</span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="http://kathleenmacmahon.com/" target="_blank">http://kathleenmacmahon.com/</a><br /></span></u></div>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-55227373485976486682021-05-26T19:22:00.000+01:002021-05-26T19:22:29.246+01:00Nearest Thing to Crazy by Elizabeth Forbes #NearestThingToCrazy @lizzieforbes @RandomTTours<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMxkRd3CTmnORg-Jmf5Gs8l3lqNhHhquvZVSOb_mDGYkgmll7NTw9Jo2qCbF3IVkv_IkrlMAkbtZi7K574qmcgTih6K6TbLQaNdwn2s0PWg6LT2eIdty8LV_Ohyphenhyphen1904JL0ObX9CRlKgM/s1280/Nearest+Thing+To+Crazy+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="829" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMxkRd3CTmnORg-Jmf5Gs8l3lqNhHhquvZVSOb_mDGYkgmll7NTw9Jo2qCbF3IVkv_IkrlMAkbtZi7K574qmcgTih6K6TbLQaNdwn2s0PWg6LT2eIdty8LV_Ohyphenhyphen1904JL0ObX9CRlKgM/s320/Nearest+Thing+To+Crazy+Cover.jpg" /></a></div>Nearest Thing to Crazy by Elizabeth Forbes was originally published in 2013. It was republished independently on 10th February 2021. My thanks to the author and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the blog tour invitation. <br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Cassandra and a group of her friends enjoy Sunday lunch together on a perfect summer’s day. They’re pleased to welcome their<br />glamorous
new neighbour and novelist, Ellie, who has rented a house in the
village to work on her book. She likes to place herself in the centre of
her plots, she says, although it’s hard to see what she’ll find to
write about in this quiet country backwater.<br /><br />As Ellie slots
effortlessly into the village social scene, Cass begins to feel
increasingly alienated from her friends and isolated from her family
but, for the life of her, she can’t fathom out why . . .</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><u>My Thoughts:</u></p><p style="text-align: left;">Nearest Thing to Crazy by Elizabeth Forbes is hands down one of the greatest psychological suspense novels I have ever read. A bold claim I know but it is true and if you have read it then let me know your thoughts. It is expertly written and it has lingered in my mind and thoughts. The author is a rare talent that has managed to weave a plot that on the surface is simple but with threads that are all there taut beneath the surface . You would have to read the book to find out which one snaps first. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Ellie is an author and is new to the village and indeed to village life. She seems quiet but keen to fit in and make new friends although it is a little hazy why the sudden lifestyle change. Her methods of ingratiating herself to the other local ladies seem a bit extra and it was a little infuriating at times how naive and instantly disloyal some of them were prepared to be. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Cassandra takes a dislike to Ellie from the offset. Ellie is everything that Cass doesn't think she is, extrovert, glamorous and alluring. So when Ellie is welcomed whole-heartedly to the detriment of Cass she becomes more and more resentful. </p><p style="text-align: left;">When strange things start to happen like Ellie denying some thing that Cass said, Cass begins to doubt herself because surely Ellie wouldn't have done that? If she is doing those things then why and who is going to believe Cass who has been more than a little sidelined recently. </p><p style="text-align: left;">There is a quiet intensity to this story so much so that the reader is drawn in too and pulled along without even realising it. Rightly or wrongly the reader is challenged to pick a side. A host of unreliable narrators flesh out the plot and the reader is torn from one side to the other and then feeling guilty for feeling this way or that - like I said very, very clever writing. </p><p style="text-align: left;">One of the scariest things about this as I read the last few pages without blinking is the sheer possibility of it and the plausibility of the plot. The sadness, loneliness and anguish that is caused by human beings for their own personal gain and vendettas but also the reasons and events that drive people too. </p><p style="text-align: left;">So very, very clever. Dark, devious and ultimately sad. Written by a talented writer with a skill for exploring the human condition and all of its flaws. This is magnificent. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><u>About the Author: </u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wKYQe4OB5vjvf6OVqm0Y8s0uqYBX_SPrV85YseL764RATV83R1m5GT8jnb-7C7ptHS1uIOP6Xq1WtuysqF05OP3zlabybGrFw79VYWr1vR5VZ7VVy2ECKcatbLofPi-sEstrvHYe9Yo/s400/Elizabeth+Forbes+Author+Pic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wKYQe4OB5vjvf6OVqm0Y8s0uqYBX_SPrV85YseL764RATV83R1m5GT8jnb-7C7ptHS1uIOP6Xq1WtuysqF05OP3zlabybGrFw79VYWr1vR5VZ7VVy2ECKcatbLofPi-sEstrvHYe9Yo/s320/Elizabeth+Forbes+Author+Pic.jpeg" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Elizabeth Forbes was born and raised on the Isle of Wight and now lives
in Herefordshire with her husband, two dogs and two hens. She published
three romantic thrillers under the name Elizabeth Harrington: The
Corporate Wife, Making Up and Daddy Darling. She then took a break from
writing and enrolled with the Open University to study for a degree in
Literature. She completed her BA with First Class Honours, and also
achieved the OU's Diploma in Creative Writing. Her first psychological
suspense novel, Nearest Thing to Crazy, was published by Cutting Edge
Press in 2013. BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour and the Mail Online featured
the novel because of its gaslighting subject matter. It was a bestseller
in Amazon UK's psychological thriller charts. Her second novel
published by Cutting Edge Press in 2014 was Who Are You? which is a dark
and twisty tale focussing on the stormy marriage of two people affected
by PTSD and childhood trauma. Elizabeth has recently re-published these
novels independently with Amazon KDP, and plans to publish a new novel
in the summer of 2021.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please do have a look at the other stops along the blog tour. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9lPgen69jI24hVROmPnfImnvqEcJ5Nityn8MBn98TKGaruN26YBZnsrz3o2zr3VwMbJpNVskLKVTELFFVlDul85NN_wZOe4xWg5LdovlAQ5CCxtW8gV0Kyf4KiN-1pGhi5iAecnl5hUE/s1280/Nearest+Thing+To+Crazy+-+BT+Poster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1280" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9lPgen69jI24hVROmPnfImnvqEcJ5Nityn8MBn98TKGaruN26YBZnsrz3o2zr3VwMbJpNVskLKVTELFFVlDul85NN_wZOe4xWg5LdovlAQ5CCxtW8gV0Kyf4KiN-1pGhi5iAecnl5hUE/w640-h462/Nearest+Thing+To+Crazy+-+BT+Poster.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /> <br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i> <br /></i></p>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-72777396092039826842021-05-20T13:41:00.000+01:002021-05-20T13:41:21.999+01:00The Sadness of The King George by Shaun Hand #SadnessOfTheKingGeorge @ShaunHandAuthor @BADPRESSiNK @RandomTTours<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDIyb2Jov9BywJyRW0toCgN9xAIjUHlAvpxQ9gWjp17q4_WauUTXpIHnhtGt0zKb5TiRHIW14ihO_-wtcyyZ8Rui0aPoJJ9nURZg3LqDkrBEdZhNzJCgtdbrK2ftTsll4MGhy1qlCcpk/s1280/The+Sadness+of+King+George+Cover+Image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="830" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDIyb2Jov9BywJyRW0toCgN9xAIjUHlAvpxQ9gWjp17q4_WauUTXpIHnhtGt0zKb5TiRHIW14ihO_-wtcyyZ8Rui0aPoJJ9nURZg3LqDkrBEdZhNzJCgtdbrK2ftTsll4MGhy1qlCcpk/s320/The+Sadness+of+King+George+Cover+Image.jpeg" /></a></div><p></p><div id="iframeContent" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Sadness of The King George by Shaun Hand was published by BAD PRESS iNK on 14th February 2021. My thanks to the publisher for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the Blog Tour invitation. </span></span><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span></span></i></span></div><h2><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Welcome to The King George. </span></span></i></span></h2> <h3><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">You know it. Your old local. Back in the day. </span></span></i></span></h3> <h3><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
stink of beer and piss, sticky carpets, nicotine stains on the ceiling,
soggy bar towels, and the chance of a punch-up on a Saturday night – or
anytime for that matter. </span></span></i></span></h3> <h3><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And in amongst it all an awkward
20-year-old, trapped behind the bar, with nothing to do but pull pints
and wait for the next fag break. </span></span></i></span></h3> <h3><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Until he finds Amy. And life. And an escape – if he dares. </span></span></i></span></h3> <h3><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">From
West Midlands writer Shaun Hand comes a comedy novel set in a
Birmingham pub, well Sutton Coldfield to be precise. Funny, poignant and
unflinchingly honest, The Sadness of The King George captures the
moment when the easy idealism of youth collides with the hard realities
of conservative suburbia. </span></span></i></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Thoughts:</span></span></span></u></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am going to start by saying that everybody knows a pub like The King George. They have either drunk in one or they have worked in one. I have done both and it is what initially drew me in to reading this book. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The King George is the sort of pub where you have to watch where you put your elbows on the bar in case it is sticky. It is the sort of pub that sets it clocks by the regulars, those that are there for opening time and those that are there for closing time. All the colourful characters, the quiet characters and everything in between. Those that swear and those that are racist. The sort of person that say I am not racist but...<br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">A unique take on the coming of age story we get to learn something about being that 20 year behind the bar and the feeling like life is always going to be this way. No dreams and aspirations and nothing to get him out of The King George although there is a glimmer that starts to poke through. We also get to read about some of the characters and their stories and voices. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I often said when I was working in a pub just like The King George serving half a bitter and a bottle of pale ale at 12pm on a Sunday that I should write a book about it. Shaun Hand has done just that and it was an utter delight. Yes the language is a bit coarse at times, and the characters are not all likeable but I loved this book and I loved the fact that it made me laugh out loud. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">There is much to admire here and I would read more of this authors writing in the future. <br /></span></span></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">About the Author: </span></span></span></u><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></i></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFjIJYqJNE26hhTYMMAZOx0bPPJRT3k0nUIKCQJgVm-tCSU64anPlf434PyDJCJlfwWDI8WBByp0e2TL8dwi5GJDmLYXQOPZjmydjg1v8RbXSlMJv9m6TstTWg2uRcVqZ5nxssqaCLuU/s1024/Shaun+Hand+Author+Pic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFjIJYqJNE26hhTYMMAZOx0bPPJRT3k0nUIKCQJgVm-tCSU64anPlf434PyDJCJlfwWDI8WBByp0e2TL8dwi5GJDmLYXQOPZjmydjg1v8RbXSlMJv9m6TstTWg2uRcVqZ5nxssqaCLuU/s320/Shaun+Hand+Author+Pic.jpeg" /></a></div></span></i><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</span></i></h3><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><p class="KingGnarrative" style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">You know that
feeling you get when you’re stood freezing on the Welsh moors, wrapped in a
cloak you got cheap off eBay, your singer miming backwards in a bathtub as you
make a video for your band’s song that’s been used in an American teen drama
and become the unofficial theme tune to a podcast about Sasquatch?</span></p></span></span></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span><p align="left" class="KingGnarrative" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Shaun Hand, an
author and musician from Birmingham, knows all about it.</span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span></span></h3><div><span style="font-size: small;"><p class="KingGnarrative" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Things weren’t
always that strange for our intrepid late-starter. After drifting into various
dead-ends, Shaun began studying English at night school aged 22 – to get a
night off from the pub he was working at six days a week as much as anything
else. </span></span></p></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span></span></h3><p><span style="font-size: small;"></span></p><p align="left" class="KingGnarrative" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">After going to
university in Wolverhampton and graduating with a First in Creative Writing, he
promptly continued to work in local pubs and bars, using his spare time to
procrastinate, make music and hang around on the Welsh moors with his band
FABRIK and, eventually, begin writing books. His literary career kicked off
with Pop Art Poems: The Music of The Jam, widely regarded as
one of the best books ever written about the group.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><p align="left" class="KingGnarrative" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Now a full-time
freelance writer, he currently lives in Wolverhampton with his wife, daughter,
cat, and record collection.</span></span></p><p align="left" class="KingGnarrative" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">You can find the author on Twitter: @ShaunHandAuthor</span></span></p><p align="left" class="KingGnarrative" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Please do have a look at some on the other stops on the blog tour. </span></span></p><p align="left" class="KingGnarrative" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-2uX7ofyfNkC4wQSoJfBryvlGvnufee0aie0t5SbSMBHoVeUm4mYtALbbnop5PwWZZ6ufsi5fOjDwoZNPQDWFISy97L_lEKor4TAplohxDNJYkbSTjcm13E5xK4k6IinAau79PXShFA/s1280/FINAL+The+Sadness+BT+Poster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="1280" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-2uX7ofyfNkC4wQSoJfBryvlGvnufee0aie0t5SbSMBHoVeUm4mYtALbbnop5PwWZZ6ufsi5fOjDwoZNPQDWFISy97L_lEKor4TAplohxDNJYkbSTjcm13E5xK4k6IinAau79PXShFA/w640-h292/FINAL+The+Sadness+BT+Poster.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></i></h3></div>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-85663615228245005442021-04-29T19:34:00.003+01:002021-04-29T19:34:54.980+01:00#BlogBlast Love in Five Acts by Daniela Krien #LoveInFiveActs @QuercusBooks @maclehosepress<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pHy8LPF7gMXHnAh7t9WVlmv9SR8L2wIeQCNDCdBEzi-pZ8NEWiHekif9GdUjynEO63j4xkkPgAiFTsDFPZcUgNcp4-mWVAd3CfrFevArbx1UDM8ud3cZOIjzRS_p9GNqJh7Dunl7ILg/s293/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pHy8LPF7gMXHnAh7t9WVlmv9SR8L2wIeQCNDCdBEzi-pZ8NEWiHekif9GdUjynEO63j4xkkPgAiFTsDFPZcUgNcp4-mWVAd3CfrFevArbx1UDM8ud3cZOIjzRS_p9GNqJh7Dunl7ILg/s0/index.jpg" /></a></div>Love in Five Acts by Daniela Krien is published today. My thanks to the publisher for the review copy. <p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bookseller <b>Paula</b> has lost a child, and a husband. Where will she find her happiness? Fiercely independent <b>Judith</b> thinks more of horses than men, but that doesn't stop her looking for love online. <b>Brida</b> is a writer with no time to write, until she faces a choice between her work and her family. Abandoned by the "perfect" man, <b>Malika</b> struggles for recognition from her parents. Her sister <b>Jorinde</b>, an actor, is pregnant for a third time, but how can she provide for her family alone?</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i> <i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Love in Five Acts
explores what is left to five women when they have fulfilled their
roles as wives, mothers, friends, lovers, sisters and daughters. As
teenagers they experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall, but freedom
brings with it another form of pressure: the pressure of choice.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /> Punchy and entirely of the moment, Love in Five Acts engages head-on with what it is to be a woman in the twenty-first century.</span></span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b> </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dUJgoK5AImTKi54NwuNlltRiwdJrqwbccI9ovIf_gYiIH1tgk9SSB_fEaKcU2HV4C7QiHlzPJ6Jj4bG4hj2wqrGyJL2V6RhzXI1lHcVvmLUwkZfUO9mDYWnVuMPxJEyD_OKW80kdtkc/s970/6b101cb2-65fa-4754-b1c5-a95cf1449422.__CR0%252C0%252C970%252C300_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="970" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dUJgoK5AImTKi54NwuNlltRiwdJrqwbccI9ovIf_gYiIH1tgk9SSB_fEaKcU2HV4C7QiHlzPJ6Jj4bG4hj2wqrGyJL2V6RhzXI1lHcVvmLUwkZfUO9mDYWnVuMPxJEyD_OKW80kdtkc/w400-h124/6b101cb2-65fa-4754-b1c5-a95cf1449422.__CR0%252C0%252C970%252C300_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>My Thoughts:</u><b> </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Love in Five Acts is a tricky book to review. It is one that I think needs to be read and then left to settle and sink in. It is the memorable and thought provoking story of five connected women and their quest for love in the many different guises. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The reader learns the story of Paula, Judith, Brida, Malika and Jorinde. Their stories read like five short stories but they all lead nicely into one another and familiarity builds as the pages of this relatively short book pass. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Love in Five Acts has been expertly translated from German by Jamie Bulloch and I think he has done a wonderful job of maintaining the integrity of these 'Acts'. So much so I would not have known it was translated at all. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The characters oftentimes seemed distant and cold, unapproachable maybe but that made me feel as a reader that I was a fly on the wall just observing a brief snatch of the lives of the women concerned. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I guess this could be described as an exploration of feminity and the challenges of living in the modern world and the expectations to conform to the perceived norms of society. I loved the fact that these women were challenging that. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I admire the boldness of this book and the unexpected way it has challenged me. I don't think I have read something like this before. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>About the Author: </u></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5na_EdhWw0VjPVVr34bzDopde5X94Wint9MxOTRNSitc98rkYFPNZgpdubXVrr8JZCncm5go5S5X4JtntQNivQ5FJeRl09WdFo_8OG7WpkNIVQ2EzP6qV1JnlJdz8AIH_YgXwxfrPR50/s380/contributor-daniela-krien-61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="253" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5na_EdhWw0VjPVVr34bzDopde5X94Wint9MxOTRNSitc98rkYFPNZgpdubXVrr8JZCncm5go5S5X4JtntQNivQ5FJeRl09WdFo_8OG7WpkNIVQ2EzP6qV1JnlJdz8AIH_YgXwxfrPR50/s320/contributor-daniela-krien-61.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="contributor-header__description truncate" data-load-more-target="contributor-header__read-more" id="contributor-header__description-1435754959-truncate" style="height: auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daniela Krien was born in 1975 in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, then in the G.D.R. Her first novel, <i>Someday We’ll Tell Each Other Everything</i>, was published in English in 2013 (MacLehose Press) and in fourteen other languages. For a subsequent volume of short stories, <i>Muldental</i>, she was awarded the Nicolaus Born Prize. <i>Love in Five Acts</i> has been sold for translation into twenty languages. She lives in Leipzig with her two daughters. </span></span></div><div class="contributor-header__description truncate" data-load-more-target="contributor-header__read-more" id="contributor-header__description-1435754959-truncate" style="height: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="contributor-header__description truncate" data-load-more-target="contributor-header__read-more" id="contributor-header__description-1435754959-truncate" style="height: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Jamie Bulloch is a German-English translator of authors such as Robert Menasse, Timur Vermes or Birgit Vanderbeke, and a winner of the Schlegel-Tieck Prize for German Translation. He lives in London with his wife and three daughters.</span></span></span></div>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5YQekDBpyREZkhLDeC-6Yc280O8eEc8fdU0M_ObNZElw4wLpj3_xrCjXEnxxqF6hcMSaAkOkyI1GCPoJWn3xQZYekv1hBI-cwXAhuY9_skSrMyxEzET-p43gZ6Y5xrQ9gB4d1l9PSjU/s1200/Blog+blast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5YQekDBpyREZkhLDeC-6Yc280O8eEc8fdU0M_ObNZElw4wLpj3_xrCjXEnxxqF6hcMSaAkOkyI1GCPoJWn3xQZYekv1hBI-cwXAhuY9_skSrMyxEzET-p43gZ6Y5xrQ9gB4d1l9PSjU/w640-h320/Blog+blast.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div><b><br /><br /></b><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></p>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-2009009025258993562021-04-12T20:06:00.007+01:002021-04-12T20:16:38.859+01:00Darke Matter by Rick Gekoski @RGekoski @LittleBrownUK @RandomTTours #DarkeMatter<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKL88VPUKj-GkMbW8rw3wj518fpr4aJlLH81gxhmSgqcqlDu8i2zzYC6djznQbMfyK7JhEtzQVvbzZwtnfA7Fsr_BR5AqjdJ2fKIWG2mD18wzFxnXO4-xDlC1FCZZsjU67f1QHGvtS9Io/s1280/Darke+Matter+Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="795" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKL88VPUKj-GkMbW8rw3wj518fpr4aJlLH81gxhmSgqcqlDu8i2zzYC6djznQbMfyK7JhEtzQVvbzZwtnfA7Fsr_BR5AqjdJ2fKIWG2mD18wzFxnXO4-xDlC1FCZZsjU67f1QHGvtS9Io/s320/Darke+Matter+Cover.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Darke Matter by Rick Gekoski was published by Constable on 1st April 2021. My thanks to the publisher for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the blog tour invitation. <i> <br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>James Darke is dreading the first family Christmas without his wife Suzy.
Engulfed by grief, his grudging preparations are interrupted by a
persistent knock at the door. Questions about the circumstances of his
wife's death force him to confront the outside world and what really
happened to her.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />Isolated, angry and diminished, James soon faces
a crisis both legal and psychological. It will test his resolve and
threaten his freedom. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />Darke Matter is a brilliant,
mordant examination of the nature and obligations of love. Both
immensely sad and extremely funny, the story wrestles with one of the
great moral issues of our time.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />The surprising sequel to Darke . . . </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>My Thoughts: </u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Darke Matter is going to be a tricky book to review. It follows on from Darke but you do not need to have read that first. There is more character study and thoughtful examination of humanity rather than pace and drama. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dr James Darke is certainly in the running for the award for most memorable character. At the outset he has barricaded himself in and has no interest in seeing or speaking to anyone. He has given up on everyone and everything, even himself. Even his family drive him up the pole, he feels obligated at Christmas time. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It soon becomes clear that James Darke is a bit older and his wife Suzy has died of cancer. He thinks if he stays in then no one can bother him and he won't have to consider what actually happened. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The wit and humour that rolls off of every page is sublime and there are literary references throughout which were engaging and thoroughly entertaining and I am assuming a testament to the long career of the author surrounded by the written word.. It is a book that kept me on my toes and the sort of book that I would reread to go back over the wry and humorous bits I missed the first time around. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I fear that I haven't managed very well to do this one the justice it deserves but it is a moving portrayal of love and grief and exactly what it takes to let go. All wrapped up for us by the curmudgeonly and often cantankerous Dr James Darke. A character I will always remember. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>About the Author: </u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjitz7cXxvLq3VBjr7BW2UuhvZbUYOI22l4DGZ5vOJgI0OWBlVqC6Brz40Qs8267q7guSBd1BLbl-qXdTocWhGXfsHFn-h5xRJRQnhm06leZ-1KfRq19M9PkTnGIE18rT6H6MAqhLpnM/s394/Rick+Gekoski+Author+Pic.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="394" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjitz7cXxvLq3VBjr7BW2UuhvZbUYOI22l4DGZ5vOJgI0OWBlVqC6Brz40Qs8267q7guSBd1BLbl-qXdTocWhGXfsHFn-h5xRJRQnhm06leZ-1KfRq19M9PkTnGIE18rT6H6MAqhLpnM/s320/Rick+Gekoski+Author+Pic.jpeg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rick Gekoski came from his native America to do a PhD at Oxford, and went on to teach English at the University of Warwick. In 1982, sick of lecturing, he decided to become a full-time rare book dealer, specialising in important twentieth-century first editions and manuscripts. He lives in London and spends time each year in Paris and New Zealand.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlObi5WKCC0dYE1tFZasmftSRj73DSvlzY1VbvPidCLsIkf_7F7EwFV4jfyaEH3jiv3OIi34oJHzo5Ir0XDIhxroq6sXwEiAsx_X3ZNxtqK_GOKXmpaFU-BmSca9O9imrL-p54wONlJM/s1280/Darke+Matter+BT+Poster.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="1280" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlObi5WKCC0dYE1tFZasmftSRj73DSvlzY1VbvPidCLsIkf_7F7EwFV4jfyaEH3jiv3OIi34oJHzo5Ir0XDIhxroq6sXwEiAsx_X3ZNxtqK_GOKXmpaFU-BmSca9O9imrL-p54wONlJM/w640-h410/Darke+Matter+BT+Poster.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i></div>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-85688342650918682752021-04-12T19:07:00.001+01:002021-04-12T19:09:06.820+01:00The Imposter by Anna Wharton #TheImposter @whartonswords @MantleBooks @panmacmillan @RKbookpublicist @RandomTTours<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDaVpT5F0AcY_VdV0FbULfWToyF_RoAute7c8xLucnMy31TPW2FXBKFeYxHRQOMR0pQjLHlkYyay3BAK5IrkBBd8RjYjXcwmUWTx-ZOsZnijmcX0AQCA20PWklLKORWhpplSLNSDRKE0/s1280/The+Imposter+Cover+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="830" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDaVpT5F0AcY_VdV0FbULfWToyF_RoAute7c8xLucnMy31TPW2FXBKFeYxHRQOMR0pQjLHlkYyay3BAK5IrkBBd8RjYjXcwmUWTx-ZOsZnijmcX0AQCA20PWklLKORWhpplSLNSDRKE0/s320/The+Imposter+Cover+Image.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b>A girl who went missing. A family who never gave up. A lonely young woman who only wanted to help . . .<br />Anna Wharton’s fiction debut, The Imposter, is a gripping story of obsession, loneliness and the lies we tell ourselves in order to live with ourselves . . .</b></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b> </b></i><br /><i>Chloe lives a quiet life. Working as a newspaper archivist in the day and taking care of her Nan in the evening, she's happy simply to read about the lives of others as she files away the news clippings from the safety of her desk.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br />But there's one story that she can't stop thinking about. The case of Angie Kyle - a girl, Chloe's age, who went missing as a child. A girl whose parents never gave up hope.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br />When Chloe's Nan gets moved into a nursing home, leaving Chloe on the brink of homelessness, she takes a desperate step: answering an ad to be a lodger in the missing girl's family home. It could be the perfect opportunity to get closer to the story she's read so much about. But it's not long until she realizes this couple aren't all they seem from the outside . . .</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br />But with everyone in the house hiding something, the question is – whose secrets are the most dangerous?</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><u>My Thoughts:</u></p><p style="text-align: left;">On the surface it might sound like The Imposter is a straight forward story and even when I was reading I thought I understood what it was all about. However it soon became much more than I anticipated. The nuances of the plot slowly unravelling much like the mental health of some of the characters. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Chloe works at a newspaper as an archivist. She seems pretty happy doing this and minding her own business. She has her Nan to take care of after all. Nan has got Alzheimers and is becoming more and more forgetful and difficult to look after. Chloe initially out of distraction I guess becomes obsessed with the story of a girl that went missing called Angie. The story soon becomes all Chloe can think about and if she can't reign it in she is going to lose everything. </p><p style="text-align: left;">After Nan goes missing social services are wanting to put her in a home. Chloe feels a sense of abandonment and doesn't know what to do with herself, at this stage her behaviour also becomes more erratic and dangerous with even her best friend Hollie unable to get through to her. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Call it fate or more like fate and a little bit of digging Chloe answers an advert to become a lodger in the home of Angie's parents. I can't possibly tell you what happens next though but I guess the question would be does Chloe get the happy ever after she so desperately seeks. </p><p style="text-align: left;">I found this story whilst a mystery was so much more thought provoking than just the mystery element. The Imposter is a story about a search for a place to call home, a place to feel loved and wanted. It is also about the lengths people would go to be accepted. So well written, completely gripping and a conclusion that was satisfying and unexpected.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The tension built as every page turned and the complexities of the multi faceted characters is something to be admired. An assured and brilliant first novel. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><u>About the Author: </u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-I0EUUz4q8ururi9yZkctkeomyIfhHhYBToKa3Ge_GL2TSidTYlbWBC22j3Wn21U0zIvv-qJvAF2X_Aj0PogVunQ4vcM4VNMhzmFeoRB2M_RQgyHS6wI6n6o52yIkmu7f6pX4fNoc5k/s400/Anna+Wharton+Author+Pic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-I0EUUz4q8ururi9yZkctkeomyIfhHhYBToKa3Ge_GL2TSidTYlbWBC22j3Wn21U0zIvv-qJvAF2X_Aj0PogVunQ4vcM4VNMhzmFeoRB2M_RQgyHS6wI6n6o52yIkmu7f6pX4fNoc5k/s320/Anna+Wharton+Author+Pic.jpeg" /></a></div><p>ANNA WHARTON has been a print and broadcast journalist for more than twenty years, writing for newspapers including The Times, Guardian, Sunday Times Magazine, Grazia and Red. She was formally an executive editor at The Daily Mail. Anna has ghostwritten four memoirs including the Sunday Times bestseller Somebody I Used To Know and Orwell Prize longlisted CUT: One Woman’s Fight Against FGM in Britain Today. The Imposter is her first novel.</p><p>Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjSgGSyC10hAhB_ukuIjWZRcF7qbTQk8Dz6lI3zKVo_1zsMGM0GZ-7Sa_7PQTRxVIriDNfielGRwzrEmeFw7srHRZyZVeDI8Yvf7u-D20dhgu781TbetYvd7Khh9mSjEb2opir6Yz3mQ/s1280/The+Imposter+BT+Poster+.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1280" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjSgGSyC10hAhB_ukuIjWZRcF7qbTQk8Dz6lI3zKVo_1zsMGM0GZ-7Sa_7PQTRxVIriDNfielGRwzrEmeFw7srHRZyZVeDI8Yvf7u-D20dhgu781TbetYvd7Khh9mSjEb2opir6Yz3mQ/w640-h600/The+Imposter+BT+Poster+.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-71525551908232068882021-04-05T10:47:00.000+01:002021-04-05T10:47:25.154+01:00Repentance by Eloísa Díaz #Repentance @eloisaescribe @wnbooks @RandomTTours <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZIm3YjaKKXGgR4BcH7tGosV1QAiCuJxGsrgq3RI6zerwYUAtb0LzhTARIaBNttU3RdKv-_T8-Ks-CE23hvnt_QTm9pDt5sJ5yIGphdEyoNjC3Rztvk2QzCJygC5qwsu-yECEDkOMA5s/s1280/Repentance+Cover+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="794" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZIm3YjaKKXGgR4BcH7tGosV1QAiCuJxGsrgq3RI6zerwYUAtb0LzhTARIaBNttU3RdKv-_T8-Ks-CE23hvnt_QTm9pDt5sJ5yIGphdEyoNjC3Rztvk2QzCJygC5qwsu-yECEDkOMA5s/s320/Repentance+Cover+Image.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson on 4th February 2021. My thanks to the publisher for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the blog tour invitation. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b><span>Buenos Aires, 1981.</span></b></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b><span> </span></b></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span>Inspector Alzada’s work in the Buenos Aires police
force during the Dirty War exposes him to the many realities of life under a
repressive military regime: desperate people, angry people and - most of all -
missing people.</span></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span> </span></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span>Personally, he prefers to stay out of politics,
favouring a steady job and domesticity with his wife Paula over the path taken
by his hot-headed revolutionary brother, Jorge.<span>
</span>But when Jorge is disappeared, Alzada knows he will stop at nothing to
recover him.</span></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b><span> </span></b></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b><span>Buenos Aires, 2001.</span></b></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b><span> </span></b></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span>Argentina is in the midst of yet another devastating
economic crisis.</span></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span> </span></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span>Alzada is still an inspector. He’s burnt out,
frustrated that he hasn’t been able to affect real change, and convinced of the
futility of yet another doomed Argentinian attempt at democracy. This time he
is determined to remain a detached bystander, to keep his head down in
anticipation of a peaceful retirement with Paula and the nephew they’ve raised
together.</span></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span> </span></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span>However, his plans are once again derailed as the
riots gain traction and a young woman’s dead body lands in the dumpster behind
the morgue on the same day that a woman from one of the city’s wealthiest
families goes missing.</span></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span> </span></i></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span>Past and present collide in this sharp, darkly funny debut
crime novel set during turbulent times in Argentina. Capturing the spirit of
Buenos Aires, the desire for change and the protagonist’s moral dilemmas, this
is crime writing with real atmosphere and a cast of characters to fall in love
with.</span></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span> </span></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span>My Thoughts: </span></u></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Repentance is a fascinating novel about Inspector Joaquín Alzada, his family and colleagues but far more importantly a novel that shines a light on the history of Argentina. In a dual narrative the reader gets to learn about the period of state terrorism in 1981 and the economic crisis and uprising in 2001. I willingly admit to not knowing anything about the events that took place and it was equally fascinating, scary and jaw dropping to read about, particularly having happened in such relatively recent times. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Inspector Alzada is well due his retirement but unfortunately the money is not there for his pension. Disillusioned and confined to a desk job, he feels saddled when a new partner called <span class="cr-widget-FocalReviews" data-hook="cr-widget-FocalReviews"><span class="a-size-base review-text" data-hook="review-body"><span>Estrático</span></span></span> joins. His partner seems to want to follow the rules to the letter something that seems to rile Alzada. I think that Alzada immediately and unfairly writes his partner off, especially as events unfold...</p><p style="text-align: left;">Amongst the chaos the body of a female turns up in a wheelie bin at the same time a female is reported as missing. Missing from one of the richest families in Buenos Aires. Mystery surrounds whether these things are linked but this book is about so much more than this as a tension builds and sense of unease to match the climate spreads across the pages. </p><p style="text-align: left;">You see the events of 2001 have happened before, Alzada lives in fear of history repeating itself with his nephew and the impact that can cause. In 1981 his brother Jorge who was a revolutionary and an activist was disappeared. Events of which I found truly shocking in every way. </p><p style="text-align: left;">The ending to this book seemed very abrupt and final. It left me wanting more in a good way. I could have read so much more about Argentina, Inspector Alzada and his cohorts. I really hope there is more from this author in the future. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Repentance is important, memorable and recommended by me. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span>About the Author: </span></u></span></span><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkDoyj6krRnTBSwHfISPOtPNU7qJjDY3iUwho-0vOAHH10xUvXYoMM19roxRBy5IziJlyA1UzigJIhgjXkuv7hLwjkvGgnnKqMZXLzf0tBMa2SvnMN1NQehhbsv0lv45dW2hlYmspgPk/s434/eloisa+Diaz+Author+Pic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkDoyj6krRnTBSwHfISPOtPNU7qJjDY3iUwho-0vOAHH10xUvXYoMM19roxRBy5IziJlyA1UzigJIhgjXkuv7hLwjkvGgnnKqMZXLzf0tBMa2SvnMN1NQehhbsv0lv45dW2hlYmspgPk/s320/eloisa+Diaz+Author+Pic.jpeg" /></a></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Eloísa
Díaz </b></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">is a Spanish writer and
lawyer living in Madrid. She completed her MFA in Creative Writing from
Columbia University in 2013. Díaz’s parents emigrated from Argentina to Spain
to escape the dictatorship, her father arriving when he was just a child and
her mother, as a teenager. <b>REPENTANCE</b>, which Díaz wrote in English, is her
debut novel. You can find the author on Twitter @eloisaescribe</span></span><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcU5O75JGQXqxPMh5nnwCgGR1tBPAo807A8N2xliNhDTNTyPcJ7qu7Uz5fAQcd8jICGBTpaB4flY2Q_wiuXq2qin_bfZEOfQ-Iwhv6egz24bAIxCw0peDGrAXDjVDaGq98C_93au7pCJY/s1280/Repentance+BT+Poster+.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="1280" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcU5O75JGQXqxPMh5nnwCgGR1tBPAo807A8N2xliNhDTNTyPcJ7qu7Uz5fAQcd8jICGBTpaB4flY2Q_wiuXq2qin_bfZEOfQ-Iwhv6egz24bAIxCw0peDGrAXDjVDaGq98C_93au7pCJY/w640-h432/Repentance+BT+Poster+.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /><i><br /><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></i></p>
<p></p>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-30451978354461571012021-04-02T09:42:00.000+01:002021-04-02T09:42:02.275+01:00The April Dead By Alan Parks #TheAprilDead @AlanJParks @blackthornbks #HarryMcCoy @RandomTTours<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4bdxZHZNxP5enkdya2sa4RX-5tWI8DUEwHbANtHAetGCYzvPMpT408xjg2Yd6QJbQR8hdgMs4vhYh6Iy9txPNUqICy2ppn9G_PVPO67jdKrqy9HEQaKM5YpQdpm7ZifgsWx-IJF3d8E/s970/April+Dead+Banner+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="970" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4bdxZHZNxP5enkdya2sa4RX-5tWI8DUEwHbANtHAetGCYzvPMpT408xjg2Yd6QJbQR8hdgMs4vhYh6Iy9txPNUqICy2ppn9G_PVPO67jdKrqy9HEQaKM5YpQdpm7ZifgsWx-IJF3d8E/w400-h124/April+Dead+Banner+.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Published 25th March 2021 by Black Thorn Books. My thanks to the publisher for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me on to the blog tour. The April Dead by Alan Parks is the fourth book to feature Harry McCoy. The previous titles are: <p></p><p>Bloody January (Book 1)<br />February's Son (Book 2)<br />Bobby March Will Live Forever (Book 3)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdm_DpGGNDYFwhDFX4brdGTC6f2l6TEACUZX25rvlSwg8CitFov1YppQo_VjY7P1twrehjSu5VJ8d5fFwXf5m_WJmnlXIExe5wv_71rlv3ywG3RK0PsRoUBYjKq_69sX13F5NV7_oOT8/s1280/FINAL+April+Dead+Cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="832" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdm_DpGGNDYFwhDFX4brdGTC6f2l6TEACUZX25rvlSwg8CitFov1YppQo_VjY7P1twrehjSu5VJ8d5fFwXf5m_WJmnlXIExe5wv_71rlv3ywG3RK0PsRoUBYjKq_69sX13F5NV7_oOT8/s320/FINAL+April+Dead+Cover.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b>NO ONE WILL FORGET . . .</b></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b> </b><br />In a grimy flat in Glasgow, a homemade bomb explodes, leaving few remains<br />to identify its maker.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br />Detective Harry McCoy knows in his gut that there’ll be more to follow. The<br />hunt for a missing sailor from the local US naval base leads him to the<br />secretive group behind the bomb, and their disturbing, dominating leader.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br />On top of that, McCoy thinks he’s doing an old friend a favour when he<br />passes on a warning, but instead he’s pulled into a vicious gang feud. And in<br />the meantime, there’s word another bigger explosion is coming Glasgow’s<br />way – so if the city is to survive, it’ll take everything McCoy’s got . . .</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5BjRiu9NfrlHt484KQQ0Q-xTr6-q_-dgV2c82zCmY3AnNyXxI972xxf3h_f6oBStjuPrbrbpPq-9d7Al0OeJ4b8V13NHUe1wFHpeWDA51hGa4uinPvvl1iVqxdOGKr96UDWfXqi9K0g/s970/April.+Dead+Banner+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="970" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5BjRiu9NfrlHt484KQQ0Q-xTr6-q_-dgV2c82zCmY3AnNyXxI972xxf3h_f6oBStjuPrbrbpPq-9d7Al0OeJ4b8V13NHUe1wFHpeWDA51hGa4uinPvvl1iVqxdOGKr96UDWfXqi9K0g/w400-h124/April.+Dead+Banner+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><u>My Thoughts:</u> </p><p style="text-align: left;"> The April Dead is my second instalment of Detective Harry McCoy as I read and reviewed Bobby March Will Live Forever last month. I was so looking forward to returning to the streets of Glasgow and I was not disappointed. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Reading this series is so immersive. I instantly felt transported to April 1974 in Glasgow. If it is at all possible the streets seemed that little bit seedier and dirtier this time around. Bombs are going off and Harry McCoy knows this is only the beginning. So at the outset when a bomb maker has met their own maker Harry has got his work cut out once again. He needs to put a stop to this before is goes too far. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">At the same time a missing sailor leads Harry McCoy to a US naval base. Is it possible that the bombs and the missing person are interlinked? Or is Harry McCoy sailing a bit close to the wind himself. He has got an ulcer and has been told to stop smoking and drinking, to take care of himself. I don't think that is going to happen somehow. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Whilst all of the above is going on Harry McCoy is still mixing with gangs. His old pal Stevie Cooper has just got out of prison. As always nothing is ever simple and I adore the way that Harry McCoy treads the invisible line between right and wrong, moral and immoral, polis or corrupt. He is quite simply one of my favourite detectives of all time. I would far rather have him in my corner than against me. He is memorable and incredibly likeable despite his flaws. I very much enjoyed the interaction between Harry and his partner Wattie too.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I welcomed this return to the streets of Glasgow with open arms and it did not disappoint. In fact I enjoyed this one even more than Bobby March. I love the way the story developed and the strands unravelled. Alan Parks is a magnificent story teller. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"> I will definitely be going back to buy the first two so I can say that I have read them all. I can't wait for the next one. My only disappointment is that I don't know when that will be. </p><p style="text-align: left;"> Highly recommended, so good! <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><u>About the Author:</u> </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVFu22mDNn5rucN1m4oYim-TjMYOsF2BITwesLf1_ipmpfVaNw143pLuCey0tBVKY9_37nlbvMVj9Uz0VCce0J-PZBZnHN9-sng5IqSh5j9QYRf-MtE0K_8v1B0G9m0jvjwamsorzCbk/s300/Alan+Parks+.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVFu22mDNn5rucN1m4oYim-TjMYOsF2BITwesLf1_ipmpfVaNw143pLuCey0tBVKY9_37nlbvMVj9Uz0VCce0J-PZBZnHN9-sng5IqSh5j9QYRf-MtE0K_8v1B0G9m0jvjwamsorzCbk/s0/Alan+Parks+.jpeg" /></a></div>Alan Parks has worked in the music industry for over twenty years. His debut<br />novel Bloody January was shortlisted for the Grand Prix de Littérature<br />Policière. He lives and works in Glasgow.<br />The April Dead is the fourth Harry McCoy thriller.<p></p><p style="text-align: left;">You can find the author on Twitter: @AlanJParks</p><p style="text-align: left;">Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /><i> </i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZq0-6OGCIzO1gdy-4oWFtAGCG4hdjY3wZDG_xgycjx3o8r3S3PtI89LauElu9c2WxYqaZKKn0ASkduim4tGf56rEFcrhU275g6wCzKxqEVXxm6raPTDiTnxuF0bd_NdrJtuJrzLhEVM/s1280/FINAL+The+April+Dead+BT+Poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1280" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZq0-6OGCIzO1gdy-4oWFtAGCG4hdjY3wZDG_xgycjx3o8r3S3PtI89LauElu9c2WxYqaZKKn0ASkduim4tGf56rEFcrhU275g6wCzKxqEVXxm6raPTDiTnxuF0bd_NdrJtuJrzLhEVM/w640-h448/FINAL+The+April+Dead+BT+Poster.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-89300948797680057312021-03-25T20:49:00.009+00:002021-03-25T20:55:08.140+00:00Backstories by Simon Van der Velde @SimonVdVwriter #Backstories <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXG60NA0gcs33HOoZjVZ6UsnXQp1UaIK_S4MEsBECerN1KYV9DRlCqf0S6cmZYQyNQvj-aokRAqMHcuwP-JjLj4tS3FeF2_zsAMGCQjiMNIzBu0aqtsM6nztxTWPDoAna48F_mm4Hic8/s346/51yJPAqCN1L._SY346_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="226" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXG60NA0gcs33HOoZjVZ6UsnXQp1UaIK_S4MEsBECerN1KYV9DRlCqf0S6cmZYQyNQvj-aokRAqMHcuwP-JjLj4tS3FeF2_zsAMGCQjiMNIzBu0aqtsM6nztxTWPDoAna48F_mm4Hic8/s320/51yJPAqCN1L._SY346_.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today is publication day for Backstories by Simon Van Der Velde. My thanks to the author for the review copy. You can find your copy on Amazon <a href="http://bit.ly/Amazon-Backstories" target="_blank">here.</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The author is also sharing 30% of all profits from Backstories with Friends of the Earth, Stop Hate UK and The North-East Autism Society. See <a href="http://www.simonvandervelde.com">www.simonvandervelde.com</a> for further details. I am also buying a copy for one person reading this see the details at the end of the post for ways to enter. <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Dreamers, singers, talkers and killers; they can dazzle with their beauty or<br />their talent or their unmitigated evil, but inside themselves they are as frail<br />and desperate as the rest of us. But can you see them? Can you unravel the<br />truth?<br />These are people you know, but not as you know them.<br />Peel back the mask and see.</i></span></span><br /></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6GMOvalfSsdQ2DDPwHdaS5gnFAFl0w8uGqi9L9X9YHncFLYEfgmIxdcTDFRT1aRnI_UGJaFyKK0A2Gl9wU6FitzCGUcuc_lCOE2gqaYuP15QL67Bo3kuwt4p81RHSPZGYlg9Ct4lwfU/s650/unnamed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="650" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6GMOvalfSsdQ2DDPwHdaS5gnFAFl0w8uGqi9L9X9YHncFLYEfgmIxdcTDFRT1aRnI_UGJaFyKK0A2Gl9wU6FitzCGUcuc_lCOE2gqaYuP15QL67Bo3kuwt4p81RHSPZGYlg9Ct4lwfU/w400-h93/unnamed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Backstories is a unique collection of stories each told from the point of view<br />of a famous, (or notorious) person at a pivotal moment in their lives. The<br />writing is literary but accessible and the voices vividly real. The settings are<br />mostly 60's and 70's UK and USA, and the driving themes are inclusion,<br />social justice and of course, nostalgia - but the real key to these stories is<br />that the protagonists' identities are withheld. This means that your job is<br />to find them, leading to that Eureka moment when you realise who's mind<br />you've been inhabiting for the last twenty minutes.</span></i></span></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span></i></span></div><p><u>My Thoughts: </u></p><p>I was intrigued by the premise for Backstories from the moment I was approached by the author. The idea of short stories always appeals to me, the need to draw the reader in quickly and create an impact. Backstories is unlike any other set of short stories I have read. It encourages the reader to engage and submerge themselves in a game of Guess Who. </p><p>If you take the stories at face value then yes you can go along guessing each of the 14 famous and infamous people and that element is very appealing but if you scratch a little deeper there is a great insight to these fictionalised back stories. Voices are given to important themes and makes the reader rethink what they believe to be true.</p><p>Simon Van der Velde's writing is outstanding. Some stories provoked a strong reaction in me and others amused me, all are as equally memorable. </p><p> I can't describe the stories individually as I don't want to give anything away but suffice to say this is a story of what might be when you look behind the face and facade. An excellent look at what is behind all the layers and a social commentary and conscience that stopped me in my tracks. </p><p> Absolute knockout of a book, more where that came from please. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><u>About the Author: </u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIrmv17ZYPcIp2bWKjTZbivj2zTsu9jApyryDYzA1KKIhW3eCQ9AM0o3JHV-ARRiag3Y0JtgXw-SvYSvvzSnFk7BaMvAgME1Aebuo1Z-zFZyFQpMlwPEdeSJQg6kMvzfcPW4pv9skau0/s230/p123jdundsilmun6pmgpkljaks._US230_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIrmv17ZYPcIp2bWKjTZbivj2zTsu9jApyryDYzA1KKIhW3eCQ9AM0o3JHV-ARRiag3Y0JtgXw-SvYSvvzSnFk7BaMvAgME1Aebuo1Z-zFZyFQpMlwPEdeSJQg6kMvzfcPW4pv9skau0/s0/p123jdundsilmun6pmgpkljaks._US230_.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Simon Van der Velde has worked variously as a barman, labourer,<br />teacher, caterer and lawyer, as well as travelling throughout Europe and<br />South America collecting characters and insights for his award-winning<br />stories. Since completing a creative writing M.A. (with distinction)<br />in 2010, Simon’s work has won and been shortlisted for numerous<br />awards including; The Yeovil Literary Prize, (twice), The Wasafiri<br />New Writing Prize, The Luke Bitmead Bursary, The Frome Shortstory<br />Prize, The Harry Bowling Prize, The Henshaw Press Short Story<br />Competition and The National Association of Writers’ Groups Open<br />Competition - establishing him as one of the UK’s foremost<br />short-story writers.<br />Simon now lives in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, with his wife,<br />Nicola, their labradoodle, Barney and two tyrannical children.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div>
<a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/583802308/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="583802308" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_m7qyb9gt">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-76154776896985310912021-03-15T19:37:00.001+00:002021-03-15T19:37:26.438+00:00The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan @VaseemKhanUK @mulhollandbooks #BabyGanesh <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLawiRtgtpHV84VuURDszBoKqXSVC73PkZjZzRV1ppoGsFVBtlwWabfpLdRhXcuCz5aGb9leRFF20Vgba8x0kc_iEz1W2t1yluVt5PawWHxf-8VK0dnRcHlJl0ivV3Wp_TJjh-uqqt-k/s218/81UxMFfcXqL._AC_UY218_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLawiRtgtpHV84VuURDszBoKqXSVC73PkZjZzRV1ppoGsFVBtlwWabfpLdRhXcuCz5aGb9leRFF20Vgba8x0kc_iEz1W2t1yluVt5PawWHxf-8VK0dnRcHlJl0ivV3Wp_TJjh-uqqt-k/s0/81UxMFfcXqL._AC_UY218_.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan was published on 31st December 2015 by Mulholland Books. It is the first book in the Baby Ganesh Agency series.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>On the day he retires, Inspector Ashwin Chopra inherits two unexpected mysteries.</b><br /><br /> The first is the case of a drowned boy, whose suspicious death no one seems to want solved. And the second is a baby elephant.<br /><br />
As his search for clues takes him across the teeming city of Mumbai,
from its grand high rises to its sprawling slums and deep into its murky
underworld, Chopra begins to suspect that there may be a great deal
more to both his last case and his new ward than he thought.<br /><br /> And he soon learns that when the going gets tough, a determined elephant may be exactly what an honest man needs. . . </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>My Thoughts: </u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am a recent read<span style="font-family: inherit;">er of Va<span style="font-family: inherit;">seem Khan<span style="font-family: inherit;">. <span style="font-family: inherit;">I<span style="font-family: inherit;">n fact th<span style="font-family: inherit;">is is<span style="font-family: inherit;"> t<span style="font-family: inherit;">he first <span style="font-family: inherit;">book I have read by this author. I<span style="font-family: inherit;"> purchase<span style="font-family: inherit;">d</span> i<span style="font-family: inherit;">t</span></span> after a recomm<span style="font-family: inherit;">endation by a fellow blogger<span style="font-family: inherit;">, <span style="font-family: inherit;">a recomm<span style="font-family: inherit;">endation I am pleased I listened to.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I think that Inspect<span style="font-family: inherit;">or Ashwin Chopra is<span style="font-family: inherit;"> now in the list of m<span style="font-family: inherit;">y <span style="font-family: inherit;">literary heroes. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Inspector Ashwin Chopra is winding down<span style="font-family: inherit;">, ho<span style="font-family: inherit;">nest, dependable<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and reliab<span style="font-family: inherit;">le with rock sol<span style="font-family: inherit;">id morals he<span style="font-family: inherit;"> has finall<span style="font-family: inherit;">y reached his r<span style="font-family: inherit;">etirement. Trouble is he doesn't quite kno<span style="font-family: inherit;">w what he is going to do with himself<span style="font-family: inherit;">, so when tw<span style="font-family: inherit;">o mysteries arrive <span style="font-family: inherit;">h<span style="font-family: inherit;">e</span></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">is first in the line for one last hurrah<span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What Inspector Chopra hadn't expected<span style="font-family: inherit;"> however was <span style="font-family: inherit;">to be accompan<span style="font-family: inherit;">ied in his p<span style="font-family: inherit;">ursuits by<span style="font-family: inherit;"> a <span style="font-family: inherit;">ba<span style="font-family: inherit;">by elepha<span style="font-family: inherit;">nt called G<span style="font-family: inherit;">anesh. One of the more unu<span style="font-family: inherit;">sual retirement <span style="font-family: inherit;">presents I am s<span style="font-family: inherit;">ure we woul<span style="font-family: inherit;">d all a<span style="font-family: inherit;">gree. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Ch<span style="font-family: inherit;">opra is really not sure a<span style="font-family: inherit;">bout <span style="font-family: inherit;">Ganesh a<span style="font-family: inherit;">t first. I mean <span style="font-family: inherit;">what e<span style="font-family: inherit;">xactly does <span style="font-family: inherit;">one do with a baby elephant anyway. A<span style="font-family: inherit;">cross the book though a bond forms,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> begrud<span style="font-family: inherit;">gingly at first but it is soon there for all to s<span style="font-family: inherit;">e<span style="font-family: inherit;">e.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This book <span style="font-family: inherit;">is an absolute triumph and a p<span style="font-family: inherit;">iece <span style="font-family: inherit;">of pure <span style="font-family: inherit;">escapism<span style="font-family: inherit;">. I<span style="font-family: inherit;">t honestly broug<span style="font-family: inherit;">ht me utter joy, t<span style="font-family: inherit;">here <span style="font-family: inherit;">was the war<span style="font-family: inherit;">mth of the characters and a particular mention must a<span style="font-family: inherit;">lso go to Inspector Chopra's wife Poppy<span style="font-family: inherit;"> who was a<span style="font-family: inherit;"> delight. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Don't get me wrong there is also a dark underside to this story<span style="font-family: inherit;">, <span style="font-family: inherit;">a story of poverty and underbelly o<span style="font-family: inherit;">f Mumbai. <span style="font-family: inherit;">A darker side that the author is not afraid to shy away from but the portrait w<span style="font-family: inherit;">as painted of a<span style="font-family: inherit;"> landscape in all of its <span style="font-family: inherit;">s<span style="font-family: inherit;">ha<span style="font-family: inherit;">de<span style="font-family: inherit;">s. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you are <span style="font-family: inherit;">looking for some<span style="font-family: inherit;">thing that moves along a<span style="font-family: inherit;">t the pace of a Form<span style="font-family: inherit;">ula <span style="font-family: inherit;">1 car then this might not be for you but if you are on the hunt for something mem<span style="font-family: inherit;">orable an<span style="font-family: inherit;">d that bit different then I <span style="font-family: inherit;">would implore you to give this one a go. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>About the Author: </u></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkFvAOVCInLxnmPx5KCrrF9jnTdTJZf8oHygoOk2hYCYBB7T66a531NJPmD8js-sMeYq4r2qz_cwQQZcBDFtH569x7Ujfs0e9oT8GVSdaYPfZDSisRd6frgU1BM6hRDaOo1IiYXUYBsM/s700/vaseem-khan-cr-nirupama-khan.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkFvAOVCInLxnmPx5KCrrF9jnTdTJZf8oHygoOk2hYCYBB7T66a531NJPmD8js-sMeYq4r2qz_cwQQZcBDFtH569x7Ujfs0e9oT8GVSdaYPfZDSisRd6frgU1BM6hRDaOo1IiYXUYBsM/s320/vaseem-khan-cr-nirupama-khan.jpeg" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Vaseem Khan</b> first saw an elephant lumbering down the middle of
the road in 1997 when he arrived in India to work as a consultant. It
was the most unusual thing he’d ever encountered and served as the
inspiration behind his series of crime novels. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />He returned to
the UK in 2006 and now works at University College London for the
Department of Security and Crime Science where he is astonished daily by
the way modern science is being employed to tackle crime.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can find the author on Twitter: VaseemKhanUK</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">or on his website: <a href="http://www.vaseemkhan.com" target="_blank">www.vaseemkhan.com</a></span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></p>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-66739188898184334782021-03-14T12:02:00.000+00:002021-03-14T12:02:14.289+00:00Bobby March Will Live Forever by Alan Parks @AlanJParks @blackthornbks @RandomTTours #BobbyMarch #HarryMcCoy<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPykW3Ut2sZ6Wn2tH-Bh_5fi9NeP9NhAuYeLPeSnz7TjbrCYumygsj1bwEobXipiF98VDz3QJyZI-zLylnA8UqUw11bMnypzlw5iDUjix4yUdivN-bl0xdM_sTan0RGyyZugaBRovm1Z4/s1280/Bobby+March+PB+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPykW3Ut2sZ6Wn2tH-Bh_5fi9NeP9NhAuYeLPeSnz7TjbrCYumygsj1bwEobXipiF98VDz3QJyZI-zLylnA8UqUw11bMnypzlw5iDUjix4yUdivN-bl0xdM_sTan0RGyyZugaBRovm1Z4/s320/Bobby+March+PB+Cover.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Published on 5th March 2021 by Blackthorn books. My thanks to the publisher for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the blog tour invitation. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>WHO IS TO BLAME WHEN NO ONE IS INNOCENT?<br /><br />There’s a heatwave in
Glasgow and the drugs trade is booming. The whole force is searching for
missing thirteen-year-old Alice Kelly. All except Harry McCoy, who has
been taken off the case after a run-in with the boss, and is instead
sent alone to investigate the death of rock-star Bobby March, who has
just overdosed in the Royal Stuart hotel.<br /><br />The papers want blood. The force wants results. McCoy has a hunch. But does he have enough time?</i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGSEFUB3N70tP6PPursGWQYd9Q09toIkVHBxT0H2JTzhWod35lmUh8TKAxbh87VMz8zoNfZdr4XvmuOZ8ttHlyXgcRtJybRsAgArU_ooTMFmfS0AQ-XrcbwqMzXF899PnUDOUxEI552g/s970/46f432ab-e0a0-4aef-a2fd-abadf8ade847.__CR0%252C0%252C970%252C300_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="970" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGSEFUB3N70tP6PPursGWQYd9Q09toIkVHBxT0H2JTzhWod35lmUh8TKAxbh87VMz8zoNfZdr4XvmuOZ8ttHlyXgcRtJybRsAgArU_ooTMFmfS0AQ-XrcbwqMzXF899PnUDOUxEI552g/w400-h124/46f432ab-e0a0-4aef-a2fd-abadf8ade847.__CR0%252C0%252C970%252C300_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>My Thoughts:</u></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bobby March Will Live Forever is the third book in the Harry McCoy series and the first I've read. It reads exceptionally well as a standalone but as I swiftly discovered I must go back and read the first two as this sort of fiction, described as Tartan Noir is right up my street. </span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">This book had a remarkable way of instantly transporting me to the streets of Glasgow in the 1970's. It was authentic and completely immersive. </span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Harry McCoy is Polis but he also has his enemies and seemed equally at home on the mean streets of Glasgow. One of those that dislikes McCoy with a passion is Detective Sargeant R<span>aeburn who is temporaily in charge as McCoys boss Chief Inspector Murray has been sent to work elsewhere. Mind you the feeling seems to run both ways but McCoy is attempting to keep himself in check. It is becoming increasingly difficult though when he out of spite has been put on menial tasks. </span></span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Harry McCoy is more than annoyed when he is not allowed to work on the case of missing youngster Alice Kelly but finds his hands more than full when Bobby March turns up dead of a drugs overdose in a hotel room. The guitarist only having played a concert the night before. Also alongside an off the books case for Chief Inspector Murray whose niece seems to have got in with bad crowd and is also missing. The family want her found off the books to avoid bad publicity. <br /></span></span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Set amongst the heat of summer I could almost sense this coming off the page and fell into the glasgow dialect straightaway, the voices of the characters raw and real. Drugs,unsavoury characters, opinions and corrupt police form just some of the themes of this richly imagined crime story. Seemingly more than one law seemed to run at that time. </span></span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I thoroughly enjoyed the many facets to this story and the way I completely engaged with it. I cannot wait to go back and read the first two now. One of the reasons I enjoy doing blog tours is the discovery of some absolute diamonds in the rough and Harry McCoy is one of those. </span></span> </span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span></span><span></span><u>About the Author: </u></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNuXBQE_dcwvCERvKh-qnzr9omm_Q1rHgWDs_tJAz2nyhRv4uv3kEh9nM7w1FjIOp9cSx6gnIaSlHW1Dw-lQqbThnz4vxPiKVVq6Iwc5fDr8D8bdL45g5eAl5mkBSgKEbsabvvQm8-v4/s1000/Alan+Parks+Author+Pic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNuXBQE_dcwvCERvKh-qnzr9omm_Q1rHgWDs_tJAz2nyhRv4uv3kEh9nM7w1FjIOp9cSx6gnIaSlHW1Dw-lQqbThnz4vxPiKVVq6Iwc5fDr8D8bdL45g5eAl5mkBSgKEbsabvvQm8-v4/s320/Alan+Parks+Author+Pic.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;">Alan Parks </span></b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;">has worked in the music industry for over
twenty years. His debut novel Bloody January was shortlisted for the Grand Prix
de Littérature Policière. He lives and works in Glasgow.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"> </span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><i><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;">Bobby March Will Live Forever</span></i><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"> is the third Harry McCoy thriller.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;">Please also do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22LYm11erb46OPnzuK31443Cf2N4BqC5_249svUiC8ilpncouqcGMckhY-cQ6GrIwwf6Od4EJaS5hF_bjqBtfQquWNKpRxpuczUmeVIgbc9pPQ1_hOE_IQZWh0wiN-RRg20sQYTjwZ6g/s1280/Bobby+March+PB+BT+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="1280" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22LYm11erb46OPnzuK31443Cf2N4BqC5_249svUiC8ilpncouqcGMckhY-cQ6GrIwwf6Od4EJaS5hF_bjqBtfQquWNKpRxpuczUmeVIgbc9pPQ1_hOE_IQZWh0wiN-RRg20sQYTjwZ6g/w640-h396/Bobby+March+PB+BT+Poster.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <br /></span></div>
<br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></p>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-87598197486660797232021-03-03T19:01:00.000+00:002021-03-03T19:01:27.117+00:00Can You See Me Now? by Trisha Sakhlecha @TrishaSakhlecha @panmacmillan @RandomTTours #CanYouSeeMeNow?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxJ6lA4oeHBALyfz3OZF0ummhudR3LKG4MM2YawF-jLkhWrb-_tHg8GjerOnv1HU8waZde0sSlFpimywFJidDKmC4fgplJ1WryaugA1RAlNG-l17gr_XFJvkE5NUbuBLZLiGFW65y77Y/s499/Can+You+See+Me+Now+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxJ6lA4oeHBALyfz3OZF0ummhudR3LKG4MM2YawF-jLkhWrb-_tHg8GjerOnv1HU8waZde0sSlFpimywFJidDKmC4fgplJ1WryaugA1RAlNG-l17gr_XFJvkE5NUbuBLZLiGFW65y77Y/s320/Can+You+See+Me+Now+Cover.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can You See Me Now? was published by Pan Macmillan on 4th February 2021. My thanks to the publisher for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me on to the blog tour. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>‘Have you
ever made a mistake, Alia?’</i></span></span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Noor’s face
floats in front of my eyes.<span> </span>I don’t say
anything.</i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>‘Because
I’m going to find every mistake you’ve ever made and I am going to use it.<span> </span>We all have skeletons in our closet.<span> </span>Keep this up and I’m going to drag yours out
for all the world to see.’</i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Three Indian girls. One horrific scandal.<span> </span>And fifteen years later, secrets that refuse
to stay buried…</span></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fifteen years
ago, three sixteen-year-old girls meet at Wescott, an exclusive private school
in India.<span> </span>Two, Sabah and Noor, are the
most popular girls in their year. One, Alia, is a new arrival from England, who
feels her happiness depends on their acceptance.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before she
knows it, Sabah and Noor’s intoxicating world of privilege and intimacy opens
up to Alia and, for the first time, after years of neglect from her parents,
she feels she is exactly where, and with whom, she belongs.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">But with
intimacy comes jealousy, and with privilege, resentment, and Alia finds that it
only takes one night for her bright new world to shatter around her.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Now
Alia, a cabinet minister in the Indian government, is about to find her secrets
have no intention of staying buried . . .</span></span></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYdzv2BdFmUlz23YMhnhHWExkAwLjN31Wse9I6Oak2KVan5koYrQlU-52oJHjr_h4a23KSMXF9ipv4wzN82JdbQLAEoMPGvGojnnacw9hq9k7wDCjjA4STpqllw4lxf78KBaIfk6XNbs/s970/Can+You+See+Me+Know+Banner+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="970" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYdzv2BdFmUlz23YMhnhHWExkAwLjN31Wse9I6Oak2KVan5koYrQlU-52oJHjr_h4a23KSMXF9ipv4wzN82JdbQLAEoMPGvGojnnacw9hq9k7wDCjjA4STpqllw4lxf78KBaIfk6XNbs/w640-h398/Can+You+See+Me+Know+Banner+.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> <u>My Thoughts</u></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I love books that draw you in from the outset. The elements of mystery, suspense and intrigue taking off from the very first page. Can You See Me Now? managed to do that perfectly. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The story is set across dual timelines 15 years apart and tells the tale of Noor, Sabah and Alia. The earlier timeline allows events to unfold of the teenage girls lives and the other timeline brings us up to the present. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> The girls attend Westcott a private school in Delhi, full of privilege and mystery. Noor and Sabah are best friends and Alia longs to be accepted into the group. She feels isolated and just wants to fit in. This is an exploration of the lengths she would go to, to do so. It is a skewed take on a coming of age story but about all the elements of school and the way people can be cruel to one another. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Alia is an over achiever and it was no surprise that she made it to be a cabinet minister, but now she is in the public eye. The events of the past are coming to light and under scrutiny but they are not really quite as they seem not by any stretch. The ending of this one took me by surprise. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I found it interesting that I did not particularly warm to any of the characters. You would expect a life of privilege to make things easier somehow but all I could see was expectation of the girls and a sadness from them they were expected to conform to societal beliefs. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">There was a certain melancholy surrounding the mystery. A feeling that the girls took forward into their adult lives. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> The chapters were short and punchy and I raced through to the end. I didn't find the ending to be a punch to the gut but more that I found the slow unravelling to an unexpected conclusion very satisfying. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> I am so pleased that I have this authors previous book on my pile to be read now. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><u>About the Author</u></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMp3Th9UPoAWL_wL4DubHYzInzub8zbyayC4h1LQOT1RErOzJcLU11cBG3cjuSZuVMbgM1dNLpWTkoIghXAgS4UmLWO1KUm7u9__zQgNuspNlELIbSjBcmjV7radeldmNkhp5AIo_FHZE/s400/Trisha+Sakhlecha+Author+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMp3Th9UPoAWL_wL4DubHYzInzub8zbyayC4h1LQOT1RErOzJcLU11cBG3cjuSZuVMbgM1dNLpWTkoIghXAgS4UmLWO1KUm7u9__zQgNuspNlELIbSjBcmjV7radeldmNkhp5AIo_FHZE/s320/Trisha+Sakhlecha+Author+pic.jpg" /></a></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Trisha
Sakhlecha</b> grew up in
New Delhi and now lives in London.<span> </span>For
her new novel she draws upon a true story – a famous scandal that erupted at
her own high school and which changed India.<span>
</span>She works in fashion and is a graduate of the acclaimed Faber Academy
writing course. In the past, Trisha has worked as a designer, trend forecaster,
and lecturer.<span> </span>She is the author of <i>Your
Truth Or Mine?</i> <a href="www. trishasakhlecha.com" target="_blank">www. trishasakhlecha.com</a> or on Instagram @trishasakhlecha</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour. </span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96h9OvZGWaU-4s-elI0FxwNNZTDFZ4z6L240VM94iu9RvTUQdpK6VYq6MumoZvDftHXx-PmygLuWg_Azr32YYCWAME7ed9AP4_i1MN0ENsBDgEu3q9Q662CbX3eXTtm5n6Rteq3VQFxs/s1280/Can+You+See+Me+Now+BT+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96h9OvZGWaU-4s-elI0FxwNNZTDFZ4z6L240VM94iu9RvTUQdpK6VYq6MumoZvDftHXx-PmygLuWg_Azr32YYCWAME7ed9AP4_i1MN0ENsBDgEu3q9Q662CbX3eXTtm5n6Rteq3VQFxs/w640-h360/Can+You+See+Me+Now+BT+Poster.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p>
<br /><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><u><br /> </u><br /></span></p>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-34411753352760756442021-02-02T13:56:00.001+00:002021-02-02T13:56:11.495+00:00News of the World by Paulette Jiles @harper360UK #NewOfTheWorldBook #PauletteJiles<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Udgdu07HDPIyqpZ_n-0MhYp4dvfD3XMCeFUJhzhIuRisJYYx90x84wpJM1YcXwvmR9CgcClS2YN6Lp49lEa0plkg5AArcprS1cOnwwsJv6NkiMD3eeqDh0GP3iYS_NJU5lVBp2jHrrw/s648/9780063011953_8fc419a8-5061-4fb3-8111-ba7a0d87cc71.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="483" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Udgdu07HDPIyqpZ_n-0MhYp4dvfD3XMCeFUJhzhIuRisJYYx90x84wpJM1YcXwvmR9CgcClS2YN6Lp49lEa0plkg5AArcprS1cOnwwsJv6NkiMD3eeqDh0GP3iYS_NJU5lVBp2jHrrw/s320/9780063011953_8fc419a8-5061-4fb3-8111-ba7a0d87cc71.jpg" /></a></div>News of the World by Paulette Jiles was published by Harper Collins in 2017. This edition has been republished to coincide with the film release starring Tom Hanks. In the UK the film comes to Netflix next month. <br /><p></p><div class="product-description_wrapper read-more_wrapper active"> <div id="hc-product-description" style="text-align: center;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>It
is 1870 and Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas,
giving live readings to paying audiences hungry for news of the world.
An elderly widower who has lived through three wars and fought in two of
them, the captain enjoys his rootless, solitary existence.</i></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>In
Wichita Falls, he is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver a young orphan
to her relatives in San Antonio. Four years earlier, a band of Kiowa
raiders killed Johanna’s parents and sister; sparing the little girl,
they raised her as one of their own. Recently rescued by the U.S. army,
the ten-year-old has once again been torn away from the only home she
knows.</i></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Their 400-mile journey south through unsettled territory
and unforgiving terrain proves difficult and at times dangerous. Johanna
has forgotten the English language, tries to escape at every
opportunity, throws away her shoes, and refuses to act “civilised.” Yet
as the miles pass, the two lonely survivors tentatively begin to trust
each other, forging a bond that marks the difference between life and
death in this treacherous land.</i></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Arriving in San Antonio, the
reunion is neither happy nor welcome. The captain must hand Johanna over
to an aunt and uncle she does not remember—strangers who regard her as
an unwanted burden. A respectable man, Captain Kidd is faced with a
terrible choice: abandon the girl to her fate or become—in the eyes of
the law—a kidnapper himself.</i></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Exquisitely rendered and morally
complex, News of the World is a brilliant work of historical fiction
that explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honour, and
trust.</i></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> My Thoughts:</span></span></u></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">This book</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> was a step outside my comfort zone. I don't read a lot of historical fiction and certainly don't think I have ever read what could be described as a western. This book was a delight and welcome change of pace and direction for my reading. It was memorable and explores some wonderful themes. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is 1870 and Captain Kidd has been tasked with returning Johanna to her family members. Johanna is an orphan and her parents have been killed. Johanna doesn't speak English and so at the beginning of the journey communication is difficult. As time goes by the pair form a bond that was wonderful to read about. Captain Kidd is patient and kind and Johanna starts remembering and learning she begins to look up to her kep-dun. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The journey is a long one, and Captain Kidd makes his money by reading the Newspapers aloud in town to town. The written word and language here is wonderfully portrayed. The thirst for knowledge and information evident in every place they passed through. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When returning Johanna the family members seem less than welcoming, seeing Johanna as another pair of hands to work and even though she is ten years old they have intentions for her to do just that. Captain Kidd is loathe to leave Johanna there although if he doesn't leave her, he would effectively become a kidnapper too. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is rich and vibrant. Although set in a completely different lifetime and place it was easy to imagine being there. I adored the bond between Captain Kidd and Johanna. Opposite ends of the spectrum but it is clear to see that they both were seeking freedom, trust and acceptance. Captain Kidd for his nomadic lifestyle and Johanna from the constraints of what everybody expected for her. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An untimately uplifting and rewarding tale of morality and doing the right thing even though that might bring questions and also about finally being free. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I cannot wait to watch the film now. I adore Tom Hanks. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>About the Author: </u></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1cnKGlv0e7wG9cUwJ4cMH2KDFth7tMM_NFN8nYijHh25yY4CdgTYLy4CJUTgXKgBKbXzyuOpF19pjTvaYEq4rVGNeTECUJD5fDeaIuxHaxdoFo4ZB8BZ9v3nQ5MYwkl_M7bFICDacJI/s618/x500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1cnKGlv0e7wG9cUwJ4cMH2KDFth7tMM_NFN8nYijHh25yY4CdgTYLy4CJUTgXKgBKbXzyuOpF19pjTvaYEq4rVGNeTECUJD5fDeaIuxHaxdoFo4ZB8BZ9v3nQ5MYwkl_M7bFICDacJI/s320/x500.JPG" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><p></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Paulette Jiles was born and raised in the Missouri Ozarks. A critically
acclaimed poet, she is a past winner of the Canadian Governor General
Award, Canada’s highest literary honour. She lives with her husband in
San Antonio, Texas. She has written several novels.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTzPk4I9ORCVT6gyRdvMFid64FoYRNEPBapOWxaC6-ynmHUBI_byG5-5YRhyphenhyphenoNWz-NelV_ruvnx5dlBZYAQ_cpxV24BvRU7QlqiqIRciikp0JDCN4nFVvYQDKdc4HYC7O6yBA8rCO11Q/s1080/%2523NewsOfTheWorldBook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTzPk4I9ORCVT6gyRdvMFid64FoYRNEPBapOWxaC6-ynmHUBI_byG5-5YRhyphenhyphenoNWz-NelV_ruvnx5dlBZYAQ_cpxV24BvRU7QlqiqIRciikp0JDCN4nFVvYQDKdc4HYC7O6yBA8rCO11Q/w400-h400/%2523NewsOfTheWorldBook.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <br /></span></span></div></div></div>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92939643532073108.post-71811228548052726392021-01-27T19:53:00.001+00:002021-01-27T19:53:28.426+00:00My Best Friend's Murder by Polly Phillips @perthectpolly @simonschusteruk @RandomTTours #MyBestFriendsMurder #BlogTour<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7i2HEOkBDHAJTb047GFAnaoaGXDz-Fg59ADeJK8QQyAlZ7llVwQ6VQm5yM-xhWFl1uK5Awn4pYsCflzMoNr7aenZJRdi9STLQOdJwXMDPHPNP23hq8SrPEyg9X5_iVqTybmH1g157XPk/s499/My+Best+Friend%2527s+Murder+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7i2HEOkBDHAJTb047GFAnaoaGXDz-Fg59ADeJK8QQyAlZ7llVwQ6VQm5yM-xhWFl1uK5Awn4pYsCflzMoNr7aenZJRdi9STLQOdJwXMDPHPNP23hq8SrPEyg9X5_iVqTybmH1g157XPk/s320/My+Best+Friend%2527s+Murder+Cover.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Published by Simon & Schuster in E-Book and Audio on 21st of January. The paperback will be available 8th July 2021. My thanks to the publisher for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tour for inviting me on to the blog tour. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>There are so many ways to kill a friendship . . .</b></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b> </b><br />You’re lying, sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, legs bent, arms wide.<br />And while this could be a tragic accident, if anyone’s got a motive to hurt you, it’s me.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Bec and Izzy have been best friends their whole lives. They have been through a lot together – from the death of Bec’s mother to the birth of Izzy’s daughter. But there’s a darker side to their friendship, and once it has been exposed, there is no turning back.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />So when Izzy’s body is found, Bec knows that if the police decide to look for a killer, she will be the prime suspect. Because those closest to you are the ones who can hurt you the most . . .</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /><b>The Rumour meets The Holiday in this compulsive thriller with a toxic friendship at its heart that keeps you in the dark until the final breathless pages.</b></i></span></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b></b></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZjJx_fSFoywMUceoyTHGae_As-1hLtEJwqorn26evP39bWIqKE3PzlVcYPBoaQ7A14h4Xu3mY8MJL0xswO9KvlaOG97DMJDKiQjmmhiKrrlP0Q0NGdxovuGrbwoNDCnWaYWTS36xCQ8/s1024/My+Best+Friend%2527s+Murder+Graphic+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZjJx_fSFoywMUceoyTHGae_As-1hLtEJwqorn26evP39bWIqKE3PzlVcYPBoaQ7A14h4Xu3mY8MJL0xswO9KvlaOG97DMJDKiQjmmhiKrrlP0Q0NGdxovuGrbwoNDCnWaYWTS36xCQ8/w640-h320/My+Best+Friend%2527s+Murder+Graphic+.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><u>My Thoughts: </u></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">My Best Friend's Murder is the sort of book that grabs you from the opening chapter as if it is defying you to walk away and not get involved. At the outset Izzy is lying at the bottom of the stairs with Bec standing over her. So we know the outcome but what are the events that led up to that point and is everything exactly as it seems. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Izzy and Bec have been friends since childhood, although neither of them can see how toxic their friendship has actually become. Izzy seems to have it all, the money, big house, handsome husband and a hold over Bec. Whatever Izzy says Bec comes running, until one day she doesn't. This is the catalyst and unravelling of the events. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">I loved being a fly on the wall in this story that seems to have the art of manipulative and unreliable characters down to a fine skill. Straight off it is clear that Izzy is a piece of work but it also seemed to me that Bec thrived off of that and at times was manipulative and demanding in her own right. I found neither character particularly likeable and that was delightful because I didn't take sides. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">There was plenty of tension that kept me riveted and few little twists and turns that kept me holding on. I for one did not guess the final outcome. I found this plot to be sinister and yet easy to believe. I am sure we have all met people like the ladies concerned. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Really recommended reading. Dark and dangerous. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGajZizN3CtsYmipqged6n85_MTsznrnEURX2baQOSxUm4ohj4avfyFw_w9n07sDlLArE1xXIn19MMkUm-d5L075nhlh3fcOnOHaLXYMFe_88YhEQ_Fm6ltZwyKtsVMTp6TSAeppTRCww/s970/My+Best+Friends+Murder+Graphic+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="970" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGajZizN3CtsYmipqged6n85_MTsznrnEURX2baQOSxUm4ohj4avfyFw_w9n07sDlLArE1xXIn19MMkUm-d5L075nhlh3fcOnOHaLXYMFe_88YhEQ_Fm6ltZwyKtsVMTp6TSAeppTRCww/w640-h198/My+Best+Friends+Murder+Graphic+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>About the Author: </u></div><p style="text-align: left;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiu7cmVSr8swIazY9ybH45MOBndZPSmIagh3rF6zl7hoZTWcX36rP8W2_d7fuLTuYN0HW5d-_7_iP7p1UP1gLA9PhUSwpPnRQHJOsYBuCZRF4i1S8fYU4wFNpWEMgVDWW1GsDaaaPpFF0/s2048/Polly+Phillips+Author+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiu7cmVSr8swIazY9ybH45MOBndZPSmIagh3rF6zl7hoZTWcX36rP8W2_d7fuLTuYN0HW5d-_7_iP7p1UP1gLA9PhUSwpPnRQHJOsYBuCZRF4i1S8fYU4wFNpWEMgVDWW1GsDaaaPpFF0/s320/Polly+Phillips+Author+Pic.jpg" /></a></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Polly Phillips</b> currently lives in Australia, although she is originally from the UK. My Best Friend’s Murder won the Montegrappa Writing Prize at the Emirates Literature Festival in 2019. Polly has worked as a journalist in Australia, Dubai, Denmark and the UK. My Best Friend's Murder is her debut novel.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5xV5Tjf-FVAnW40b8tn2ja13KrnibyzwlnxsIJf8Pe7gDS1mxBpEN25gwZhdMioXvZfwjpONlJltSTFsY4ljljRKyIncyZdIrSId2HzZcIfXNf9al0J5_Yjd45t_2RKgP0AogKQNhio/s1280/My+Best+Friend%2527s+Murder+BT+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1280" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5xV5Tjf-FVAnW40b8tn2ja13KrnibyzwlnxsIJf8Pe7gDS1mxBpEN25gwZhdMioXvZfwjpONlJltSTFsY4ljljRKyIncyZdIrSId2HzZcIfXNf9al0J5_Yjd45t_2RKgP0AogKQNhio/w640-h410/My+Best+Friend%2527s+Murder+BT+Poster.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <br /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><i><b><br /></b></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b> </b></i><br /></p>Leah Moysehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533700577404278015noreply@blogger.com1