#Blogtour Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway

It's a absolute pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway.

'A gripping new novel set in the universe of John le Carré's most iconic spy, George Smiley, written by le Carré’s son, the acclaimed novelist Nick Harkaway.'

About the Author

Nick Harkaway is the author of eight novels: The Gone-Away World, Angelmaker, Tigerman,  Gnomon, The Price You Pay (as Aidan Truhen), Seven Demons (as Aidan Truhen), Titanium Noir and Karla’s Choice. He has variously been described as "JG Ballard's geeky younger brother" and "William Makepeace Thackeray on acid" and compared to Martin Amis, Thomas Pynchon and Haruki Murakami. 

Harkaway's real name is Nicholas Cornwell and he is the fourth son of the David Cornwell (who wrote as John le Carré) and his second wife Jane Cornwell. In 2021, after the death of John le Carré, Harkaway took the writer's role in bringing the final unpublished le Carré novel, Silverview, to publication. He said then that the point of the exercise was that he be as invisible as possible. In 2022 he was called upon to do the final work on A Private Spy, the collected edition of his father's letters, after his older brother Tim Cornwell, who was editing the work, sadly died. He lives in London with Clare and their two children, and a very needy dog. Visit nickharkaway.com

John le Carré was born in 1931. For six decades, he wrote novels that came to define our age. The son of a confidence trickster, he spent his childhood between boarding school and the London underworld. At sixteen he found refuge at the University of Bern, then later at Oxford. A spell of teaching at Eton led him to a short career in British Intelligence (MI5 and MI6). 

He published his debut novel, Call for the Dead, in 1961 while still a secret servant. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, secured him a worldwide reputation, which was consolidated by the acclaim for his trilogy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People. At the end of the Cold War, le Carré widened his scope to explore an international landscape including the arms trade and the War on Terror. His  memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel, was published in 2016 and the last George Smiley novel, A Legacy of Spies, appeared in 2017. He died on 12 December 2020. His posthumous novel, Silverview, was published in 2021.

About the book

Set in the missing decade between two iconic instalments in the Smiley saga, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Karla’s Choice marks a momentous return to the world of spy fiction’s greatest writer as the legacy passes from father to son.

It is spring in 1963 and George Smiley has left the Circus. With the wreckage of the West's spy war with the Soviets strewn across Europe, he has eyes only on a more peaceful life. And indeed, with his marriage more secure than ever, there is a rumour in Whitehall – unconfirmed and a little scandalous – that George Smiley might almost be happy.

But Control has other plans. A Russian agent has defected in the most unusual of circumstances, and the man he was sent to kill in London is nowhere to be found. Smiley reluctantly agrees to one last simple task: interview Susanna, a Hungarian émigré and employee of the missing man, and sniff out a lead. But in his absence the shadows of Moscow have lengthened. Smiley will soon find himself entangled in a perilous mystery that will define the battles to come, and strike at the heart of his greatest enemy…

Review

Nostalgia is what I felt reading this - it's quite uncanny how the author hits the nail on the head from a le Carré style perspective, and yet simultaneously manages to infuse their own voice into the story. It's a little bit like stepping back into time, old school spydom and worldbuilding. It's less about tempo and more about the plot, setting and descriptive text becoming the dialogue enveloping the actual dialogue. The dialogue itself is pithy, sharp, a weapon of destruction when wielded with intent.

Pitting, plotting and battles of the minds. The Cold War that many have forgotten, even more have no real concept of, and of course that includes the machination of the spy networks that used to have a different set of rules.

I think its a wonderful hook to draw new readers (and the original Smiley readers) back into this world. In particular with a breath of fresh air that evokes memories of old, whilst giving a variety of homages to the way the main character has been portrayed, redeveloped and experienced.

In an era where Herron is pulling readers and viewers with the kind of spydom le Carré's world was and is, I welcome and open the door to the old friend that left such a lasting imprint in the first place. It's a worthy accolade, let's have some more.

Buy Karla's Choice at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Viking Books | Hardback | pub date 24.10.2024 | £22.00. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Sunny Side of the House by David G. Bailey

It's my turn on the Blogtour The Sunny Side of the House: When Life Gives You Strawberries – Memories of a Fenland Boy by David G. Bailey.

About the Author

David G. Bailey's debut publication in 2021 was Seventeen, a football fantasy adventure novel aimed at and beyond young adults. Them Roper Girls (2022) returned to a world more recognisably our own, tracing in their own voices the lives of four sisters over more than sixty years from their 1950s childhood. 

A husband of a Roper sister takes centre stage in Them Feltwell Boys (2023). With the same gritty realism and sometimes dark humour found in its predecessor, this follows Ray Roden's crude attempts at teenage love in counterpoint to his cynical womanising as an adult. The Sunny Side of the House (2024) is a first venture into non-fiction in another projected series, When Life Gives You Strawberries - Memories of a Fenland Boy. The origin story of Seventeen appears within the clear-eyed narrative of a 1960s boyhood in East Anglia, where both David's contemporary novels are partly set. He currently lives in the Midlands.

To read more of and about David's work, including a quarterly newsletter and new content daily comprising extracts from diaries and other writing over more than fifty years, visit his website davidgbailey.com. Visit David Bailey on @dgbaileywriter on X,  @davidgbaileywriter on Instagram

About the book

You can’t choose your mum and dad, even when they choose you.

In my early teens I had a taste for horror comics. In one strip I read of a handsome young couple at last alone in their honeymoon suite. He is crisply suited, clean-cut. She, lovely in her wedding finery, offers him the chance to watch her disrobe.

The bride is not shy. She reveals herself, frame by frame, to be a hideous crone gloating at having tricked her new husband. He is unfazed, setting her to screaming as he removes his own head to stow it, grinning still, under his arm. Years later, when I thought of writing a memoir or fictionalised account of my parents’ marriage, the title I toyed with was ‘The Hag and the Head’.

If this gripping narration of a 1960s Fenland boyhood sometimes reads like fiction, the detailed evocation of characters and events, by turns humorous and traumatic, anchors it in remembered facts. The author does not soft-pedal the dysfunction at the core of a wide, supportive family in which the boy faces adult challenges, including jarring discoveries about his parents’ past and wartime history.

Review

I often feel in memoirs that brevity is the gatekeeper to the core emotions connected with memories. A coping mechanism that has become a life companion, and indeed one that is hard to detach yourself from. Behind the brevity - the gate - lies a certain level of disconnect or disassociation, which is the key to said gate. Everything seen through the coping mechanism and retold for self and scores more - it becomes a way of life.

That was my experience when reading, perhaps equally you recognise elements of self in the way you retell things or the way actions and words are framed for strangers ears or eyes. It's what resonated with me, and that in itself is testament, because any resonance with words, story, memoir is better than none at all.

I wonder also how often this picture of dysfunction that functions with often invisible threads of a greater socially, economic and familial expected connections, is actually the truth for the majority of us. Life, in general, isn't a picket fence adventure with a delightfully inspiring family and bountiful chapters of joy and peace. It's usually a roller coaster ride of trauma, pain and realisations with moments of laughter and snuck in for normality.

It's a story full of self- deprecation, humour and insightful observations. The magnifying glass observation from above, but in a way that doesn't sever heads or pass judgement - well perhaps a bit here and there. 

Buy The Sunny Side of the House at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏ : ‎ SilverWood Books, pub date 17 Aug. 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin.

About the Author

Madeline Martin is a New York Times, USA TODAY, and international bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance with books that have been translated into over twenty different languages. Follow @MadelineMMartin on X

About the book

A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of books that bring them together, by the NYT bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London.  

In the tranquil rural town of Nottingham, England, widow Emma Taylor finds herself in desperate need of a job. She and her beloved daughter Olivia have always managed just fine on their own, but with shadows of war on the horizon and the legal restrictions prohibiting widows from most employment opportunities, she’s left with only one option: persuading the manageress at Boots’ Booklover’s Library to take a chance on her with a job.

Then the unthinkable happens: as England prepares to enter the war, Olivia must be evacuated to the countryside. In the wake of being separated from her daughter, Emma seeks solace in the unlikely friendships she forms with her neighbours and coworkers, and a renewed sense of purpose through the recommendations she provides to the library’s quirky regulars – including the (very handsome!) Mr. Fisk. But the job doesn’t come without its difficulties: books are mysteriously misshelved and disappearing, she desperately misses her daughter, and the library forces her to confront the memories of her late father and the bookstore they once owned together before a terrible accident.

As the Blitz intensifies in Nottingham and Emma fights to reunite with her daughter, she must learn to depend on her community and the power of literature more than ever to find hope in the darkest of times.

Review

I have to admit I'd never heard of Boots’ Booklover’s Library before - I always enjoy when historical fiction adds factual information that may not be well known. I actually told someone about this straight after reading the book. Absolutely fascinating, so it ends up being both an interesting fact and the epi-centre of the story.

Also leaning into the Booklover's Library the very patriarchal attitudes and rules towards women. The assumption or linear thinking that only single women without children would be a stable employee, because of course doing your 'duties' as wife and mother take precedent over everything else, especially work and being financially independent. Note the same people making up said rules were quite happy to use women as a workforce at home when the men were at war, then equally quite happy to return to previous arrangements when or if the men came home. 

This story was a story of loss, empowerment, sisterhood and also how the love of books can connect memories, people and relationships. It's also a story that shows a determination to survive, despite doors being closed and opportunities being taken away. In a way it also has an important message about the small moments of support, kindness and positivity towards someone who might need it more than you will ever know - how influential these moments can be. Lovely read.

Buy The Booklovers' Library at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hanover Square Press, pub date 10 Oct. 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins.

About the Author

Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, she moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller, The Girl on the Train, has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide. Published in over fifty languages, it has been a No.1 bestseller around the world and was a box-office-hit film starring Emily Blunt. Paula’s thrillers Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning were also instant No.1 bestsellers.

About the book

When a small bone at the centre of a famous sculpture is revealed to be human, three people become intimately connected by the secrets and lies that put it there.

Set on a Scottish tidal island connected to the mainland for just a few hours each day, and home to only one inhabitant, The Blue Hour asks questions of ambition, power, art and perception.

Paula Hawkin’s singular fourth thriller cements her place among the very best of our most nuanced, powerful and stylish storytellers.

Review

Was it just me? The last page - especially the last small paragraph - reads like an epitaph. It resonates hard, perhaps more so after such an introspective and often menacing read.

If this gets made into a visual experience I hope they get the scenery right. In the story the island - let's just call it that - it becomes a  character in its own right. The place that offers isolation, solitude, safety, threat and danger - all in equal measure. A metaphor for self, for the engagement with relationships, and for life.

It's a bit of a broken web story, and at the end I'm not sure the web is restored in its entirety, but I think that might just be the point. Life doesn't always give us a resolution to the threads we encounter. We make choices, judgements, decisions that alter the paths we take.

Thrown into the mixture of this psychological thriller, is the way art is perceived and created. The relationship between integrity, ethics, morals and creativity. Becker is a prime example of integrity of artwork over possible crime, obsession melds with professional interest.

As the layers are unpacked from a variety of directions the reader is taken on a journey of fear vs inspiration, menace vs a search for peace. Hawkins always delivers a fascinating read.

Buy The Blue Hour at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher Doubleday, pub date 10th October 2024 | Hardback | £22.00. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Witch's Daughter by Imogen Edwards-Jones

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Witch's Daughter by Imogen Edwards-Jones.

About the Author

Imogen Edwards-Jones studied Russian at Bristol University. Her first book, The Taming of Eagles, was about the first 100 days of the collapse of communism. A writer and journalist, she has travelled extensively within the old Soviet Union, studying in Kyiv.

She is the author of twenty books including the best-selling Babylon series. Married with two children, Imogen lives in London. She is also a member of the London College of Psychic Studies and an honorary Cossack. Her latest novel, The Witch's Daughter, is the sequel to The Witches of St Petersburg. Visit @iedwardsjones on Instagram

About the book

A city burning. A revolution raging. A woman on the run. - Nadezhda has never wanted to be a witch. But the occult is in her blood. Her mother, Militza, conjured Rasputin and introduced him into the Romanov court, releasing the devil himself. Now he is dead, but Militza still dreams of him – stalking her sleep and haunting her waking hours.

As Petrograd burns and the Russian Empire crumbles, Nadezhda escapes through the capital, concealing a book of generational magic. But as danger grows closer, she may be forced to embrace her heritage to save what she loves most...

Based on a true story, The Witch’s Daughter is an epic tale of women rising from the ashes of an empire, perfect for fans of Elodie Harper's The Wolf Den and Madeline Miller’s Circe.

Review

Aside from the superstitious and magical realism aspect of this historical fiction, it was interesting to read a slightly different perspective on that particular era. The Russian Revolution often tends to play second best to the tragedy of the Imperial family and the vast universe of conspiracy theories connected to said tragedy.

Always with the executions as the starting point, despite the fact it was the culmination of frustration and signal for change. Also focusing on the impact Rasputin had on the Tsar, his wife and their children. The kind of influence one could call cultish, grooming and an almost desperate infatuation with hope and the promise of a miracle cure. In this light we see the influential privilege heading an avenue of historical destruction, which leads to the dismantling of Imperial Russia.

Adding the aspect of witchcraft - this is the second book in the Russian Witches series - gives the read an ominous feeling, as if there is always something lurking in the background. When you call on the dark sometimes it answers tenfold, which is something Militza realises and Nadezhda discovers.

It's a read packed full of history, and yet simultaneously it winds an element of energy and ancestral power through it. From mother to daughter - to sisterhood. 

Buy The Witch's Daughter at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Aria; Paperback pub date 10th October 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Dissonance of Bird Song by Alexandra Beaumont

It's my turn on the Blogtour Dissonance of Bird Song by Alexandra Beaumont.

About the Author

Alexandra Beaumont is a British fantasy novelist with a passion for folklore, playing musical instruments and exploring the wilds of the UK. She has a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, specialising in gothic literature, and her lyrical books weave together myth, magic and intrigue. Connect with Alexandra Beaumont via @ABeaumontWriter on X, @ABeaumontWriter on Instagram, ABeaumontWrites on Facebook or visit abeaumont75.wixsite.com/home

About the book

In the storm-riven wilds of ancient Cornwall the sea's whisper will charm us all.

Dissonance of Bird Song is the folkloric-fantasy tale of Eseld, a song-weaver fleeing her home to cure the sacred birds of her people and save her sister. Locked between the lies of land-dwellers and the snare of an ancient sea queen, Eseld must fight to find her own path. 

Amidst a storm of betrayal and heartbreak, what will Eseld sacrifice to save the ones she loves?

Review

Beaumont is an author to watch. The way myth, folklore, culture and landscape are woven together with a tightly knitted blanket of prose. The creativity of ideas and bold use of said ideas in the midst of an ever evolving narrative and strong characters, makes it a treat to emerge yourself into as a reader.

Eseld holds power - wielded at times, but always with a lack of knowledge of presence. As we begin the story there is merely the picture of young innocent person with a strong will to survive and save her friends, loved ones and the people who are equally reliant on the healthy birds. Birds that are life, are the essence of life for a whole community. Without them they are doomed to die, go mad or be delegated to forced labour.

Eseld is determined to find out why the birds are going missing, and the remaining ones are becoming so ill they are unable to sustain the people they are connected to. Now that in itself sounds like a fascinating plot, but it's actually just the tip of the iceberg.

I was particularly fascinated by the myst, the birds and the way the two determine the survival of Eseld and her people. The concept leans into magical realism, mists of folklore with a cemented core in fantasy. I wonder if the world will be revisited at some point?

I highly recommend this read.

Buy Dissonance of Bird Song at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Brigids Gate Press.

#Blogtour The Stranger's Door To Talliston by John Tarrow

It's a pleasure to revisit the world of Talliston and take part in the Blogtour The Stranger's Door to Talliston by John Tarrow.

The Stranger's Door To Talliston is a YA fantasy adventure set in Britain's most extraordinary home: Talliston House & Gardens. It is both sequel & prequel to The Stranger’s Guide To Talliston (2019) & Letters From The Labyrinth (2020) books.

About the Author

John Tarrow is a storyteller, poet, shaman, award-winning author and creator of Britain’s most extraordinary home; Talliston House & Gardens. The Stranger's Door To Talliston Buy: mybook.to/TheStrangersDoor More info: John Tarrow - linktr.ee/JohnTarrow

About the book

It is Twelfth Night 1590 and thirteen-year-old Bríane races to save her grandmother from execution for crimes of witchcraft. Only one thing can prove her innocence; a magical grimoire owned by the town’s dark and sinister lord. In the attempt the girl loses the precious book at a crossroad of all worlds called The Forest of Doors. Can she locate the spell book in time to save Old Mother Moore from her terrible fate? Or will she fall victim to the wood’s dark and dangerous puzzle of doors and rooms?

Both sequel and prequel to The Stranger’s Guide To Talliston, this new story revisits many of the original thirteen locations but in entirely different moments – plus adds two dozen new rooms in its extraordinary expanded universe. Starting in Elizabethan Essex, The Stranger’s Door To Talliston goes deeper into the mysteries, adventures and heroes battling to save the last magical places on Earth.

The house - The novel is inspired by and set inside a unique and amazing house and gardens. Talliston was a 25-year project that took the UK’s most ordinary house and transformed it, room by room, by ordinary people on an ordinary budget, into Britain’s Most Extraordinary Home. 

Starting as a three-bedroomed, semi-detached, ex-council house in Essex, today not a single square centimetre of the original house remains. In its place is an extraordinary labyrinth of locations, each set in different times and places.

Review

At a time when the oppression and subjugation of girls and women are at the forefront of the majority of political, religious and social agendas, witchcraft seems like the obvious place to go. At the heart of this tale is Briane trying desperately to save her grandmother from the accusation of witchcraft and planned execution because of said accusation.

Being bold enough to steal the solution means she is in the crosshairs of accusations and threats levelled against her, and when she loses the grimoire that holds the solution to her problems, there begins  a journey of confusion and desperation.

I'm going to go back to something I said about the Stranger's Guide to Talliston - It's an intricate, fascinating and ambitious YA fantasy. I can understand wanting everything in one story or book, however the sheer magnitude of ideas and worlds probably needed more depth and page space. A series of books perhaps or this one and then a series of books with a focus on a different area each time. - And although this one has more of main character at the core with the worlds revolving around her as she is hurtled to and fro - the point remains the same.

It offers such a wide range of context, concepts, worlds and forever intertwining thoughts and ideas, that it sometimes feels like riding a complex rollercoaster with spontaneous destination stops - and yet they are all connected. It's a book and series I would recommend to older teens, advanced fantasy buffs, then again it is also the kind of book that has the ability to create a lover of complex plots. 

I'm intrigued to see where Tarrow will take the Chronicles next and remain intrigued by Talliston - the amazing house a visual concept and inspiration to art and soul.

Buy The Stranger's Door To Talliston at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd; pub date 25 Sept. 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Reawakening by Alethea Lyons

It's my turn on the Blogtour Reawakening by Alethea Lyons, a collection of short stories in The Seer of York universe.

About the Author

Alethea (she/ze) writes various forms of SFF, with a particular love for science-fantasy, dark fantasy, dystopias, and folklore. Many of her works take place at the intersection between technology and magic. She enjoys writing stories with subtle political and philosophical messages, but primarily wants her stories to be great tales with characters readers will love. She also has soft spots for found family, hopeless romances, and non-human characters. Her short stories can be found in a variety of publications and links for these are on her website.

Alethea lives in Manchester, UK with her husband, little Sprite, a cacophony of stringed instruments, and more tea than she can drink in a lifetime.

Bonus content for The Hiding & other works can be found on her website: alethealyons.wixsite.com/stories/seerofyork, Social media: linktr.ee/alethearlyons

About the book

After centuries of suppression, the magic of England is Reawakening...

Return to the world of The Seer of York with this collection of new tales set in the aftermath of The Hiding.

Harper, Grace, Saqib, Heresy, and AJ bond as a team and as a family to save innocents, supernatural and human, despite hunters pursuing them.

Introducing Zero, a starlight cat with a bleak and painful past.

Demonic-possession, Faery circles, Pūcas, And more…

Review

Although the beginning and intro sets up the world of The Seer of York universe, the intro and stories have a different feeling. Whereas the intro to the supernatural, dark and demonic element of York has a more ancient almost medieval feel to it, the stories have a present day vibe. In a way it sets the two worlds apart, despite their commonalities.

It's a short collection, novella length. Each of the stories opens the door to both a new adventure and front seat to the machinations of the power that is hidden in plain sight and the merry band of monster hunters who are intent on keeping them at bay.

Might be an interesting idea for a small screen series, nobody has quite managed to fill the Buffy sphere since that waved goodbye, but perhaps that isn't doing the individual stories real justice. They vary in depth, in walks through folklore, myths and legends. Ghoulish, grim, disturbing and balancing the scales are the monster hunters.

I like to see some of the shorts developed with more depth - possible ideas for the next book in the series perhaps, although I'm sure there are plenty more where these came from. It's definitely world-building with a lot of potential - looking forward to seeing where the author takes it.

Buy Reawakening at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Brigids Gate Press, pub date 24 Sept. 2024. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via BrigidsGatePress.

#Blogtour Lace by Catrin Kean

It's an absolute pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Lace by Catrin Kean.

Honno, Welsh Women’s Press presents Lace, the “enthralling” sequel to the prize-winning Salt. 

'Landing on shelves on the 18th July 2024, Honno, Welsh Women’s Press will be publishing Lace by Catrin Kean. An emotional and intricate follow-up to her award winning novel, Lace introduces us to a new generation and a dark history stirred by a birth in the family.'

About the Author

Catrin Kean was awarded a place on the Hay Festival Writers At Work scheme for emerging writers from 2016 – 18. Her short stories have been published in Riptide Journal, Bridge House Anthologies, The Ghastling, and Syncopation Journal. Her debut novel 'Salt' won the 2021 Rhys Davies Fiction award,  the Wales Arts Review People’s Choice Award, and the overall Wales Book of the Year Award. Lace is her second novel. She lives in the Garw Valley with her partner and three ridgeback dogs. Follow @kean_catrin on X

About the book

The sequel to the prizewinning novel Salt - Weaving between Cardiff in the mid-1920’s and a Wicklow convent in the early 1900’s, Kean recount’s Mary’s story, a tale inspired by her grandmother.

In the early 1900s in Wicklow, Ireland, the lives of six year old Mary and her siblings are torn apart when their father dies leaving the family penniless. Mary's mother is forced to travel to Dublin to find work. She places her children in an orphanage for a short stay, which turns into years. 

Many years later Mary settles in Cardiff with her Welsh/Bajan husband Louis, and is thrilled at the arrival of their first child, Teresa. But the birth of the baby dredges up long hidden memories that Mary must confront before she can bond with her daughter. 

Review

I'm going to have to read Salt now, not because this is a sequel - it's actually more of a giving readers a more complete picture of the story - but rather because Kean is such an incredible writer. Much like Claire Keegan, there is core talent of encapsulating either a moment or a lifetime of emotions in a short read. Not something every writer can pull off. 

Even without the racial element, the racism, fearmongering and hatred, the story is at the core is one of family. The deconstruction and restructuring of family units, which are constantly interchangeable and a moving living breathing entity. Trauma, grief, love and both new and old dynamics.

In Mary's case the birth of her daughter awakens deeply buried childhood trauma. The kind of traumatic losses, experiences and memories that cause a disconnect and lack of bonding between mother and child. This is an exploration of how the past impacts the present and the future. It determines whether one foot can be placed before the other.

I think it's easy to forget that ancestors, and indeed parents or grandparents, have lived entire lives before we enter the picture. What we as their children or grandchildren experience of them is often the version haunted by or the product of a sum of their prior relationships and experiences.

I hope to see this author receive the recognition they deserve and heading prize lists in the future. Excellent read.

Buy Lace at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Honno.

#Blogtour Deadly Choice by S. Lee Manning

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Deadly Choices by S. Lee Manning.

About the Author

An award-winning writer, S. Lee Manning is the author of international thrillers, Trojan Horse, Nerve Attack, and Bloody Soil. In 2023, Bloody Soil won the award for Best Genre Fiction Novel from Independent Publishers of New England. She spent two years as managing editor of Law Enforcement Communications before embarking on a subsequent career as an attorney that spanned from a first-tier New York law firm, to working for the State of New Jersey, to solo practice until retiring from law to write full-time. 

Manning and her husband J. B. Manning—the award-winning author of Richter the Mighty—do talks, presentations, and YouTube videos as A Killing Couple and live in Vermont with their very vocal cats, Xiao and Dmitri. S. Lee Manning is currently working on her next Kolya Petrov thriller. For the latest updates on her novels, follow @SLeeManning1952  on X or visit sleemanning.com. 

About the book

After her daughter bleeds out from a miscarriage in Texas, Patricia Scott kills the doctor who had failed to perform a medically necessary abortion. She then sets her sights on the attorney who’d advised against the abortion out of personal ambition, taking a job as a housekeeper as the first step of her plot.

Hired by the doctor’s widow after police labelled her husband’s death a suicide, Lizzie Vaughn, an investigator with her own dark past, begins the hunt for the killer. But Lizzie’s hunt is side-lined when she is also hired to find a young woman with a heart condition who was kidnapped to prevent her from ending the pregnancy that threatens her life. Patricia not only unexpectedly finds herself bonding with the children of the woman she plans to kill, she also learns that a young woman could die unless someone intervenes. Can Lizzie and Patricia set aside their individual quests to prevent a second tragedy

Review

The core of the story is a hot topic, a controversial one and one that causes great division. In a way the crime element shines a light on the lilt towards a dystopian and backward journey certain countries are currently on in regard to women and the healthcare they need and are entitled to.

The slide back into medieval patriarchal control of girls and women, which follows on with the consequence of a Gileadesque state of affairs. Women, girls will die at the hands of the ignorant, suffer at the hands of laws made based on falsities and misinformation. False and hypocritical people imposing their idea of righteousness on others. 

It is a travesty that the story, and indeed the author, takes inspiration from actual reality. In the 21st century no woman or girl should be made secondary - their life and their choice.

It's understandable the path Patricia takes. Why shouldn't the cruel, inhumane and upholders of intentionally harmful laws and consequences be punished for killing and causing the deaths of the innocents. Equally the storylines allow a glimpse at where logic goes to die and hypocrisy reigns supreme.

I really enjoyed the fact the author doesn't shy away from the reality, which we all need to fight to ensure future generations of women and girls are not burdened by the hypocrisy of the patriarchy.

Buy Deadly Choice at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Encircle Pub.

#Blogtour Goddess With A Thousand Faces by Jasmine Elmer

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Goddess With A Thousand Faces by Jasmine Elmer, published by Renegade Books - 12th September 2024.

About the Author

Jasmine Elmer is a straight-talking ancient world expert. Deciding her subject needed a 'glow up', she began her mission in 2020 to make the subject relatable and representative. Outside of writing, she spends her time bringing that energy to television screens, appearing on broadcast channels such as Channel 4, Channel 5 and National Geographic, as well as hosting and featuring on many podcasts. Her podcast Legit Classics has a mission to make everyone love the Classics as much as she does.

Her debut book Goddess with a Thousand Faces is a bold exploration of world goddesses, blending storytelling with historical fact. It follows years of research as a student at universities like UCL, Cambridge and Exeter and a career as a secondary school teacher of Classics. 

She is of dual heritage, Pakistani and white, and her mother was born in Canada. She grew up in East London but now lives in Exeter, Devon with her husband and son. She has five cats and is absolutely not ashamed of that fact! When she has some downtime, she loves spending time in nature, curling up with a good book and a hot choc, and having a laugh with her friends. She flits between meditation and being frazzled. Such is life. Follow @jasmine_elmer on X, more about Jasmine here: legitclassicist

About the book

Goddess with a Thousand Faces is the first of its kind, blending multiple genres to create an accessible read for everyone. It offers a fresh and necessary perspective on the ancient world, transcending culture, race and time.

Steeped in ancient magic, dark divinity and wild ways, Goddess with a Thousand Faces takes you on a historical journey like no other...

Blending mythological retellings with historical research, and stunning illustrations, Goddess with a Thousand Faces traverses the world and transports through time to bring ten formidable and inspiring ancient goddesses to life. Meet Artemis, the Greek goddess of the wilderness, never without her bow and arrow; Sedna, Inuit goddess of the ocean, guarding the icy waters and all its creatures; Isis, Egyptian goddess of healing, who dwells by the River Nile, just to name a few...

Jasmine Elmer explores these goddesses of our past, uncovering their truths, their rebellion and their freedom. For too long, they have been written out of history; lost to the sands of time and stamped into silence. Goddess with a Thousand Faces restores these women to their deserving glory.

Pour over this treasure trove of myths, legends and mighty goddesses. Hear the messages echoing through the ages and see yourself in the faces of these icons. For while their stories might be ancient, today they are more important – and more powerful – than ever.

A treasure trove of beautiful storytelling and ancient wisdom, perfect for fans of Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola and Storyland by Amy Jeffs. Goddess with a Thousand Faces will be available to buy from bookshops on 12th September 2024 ahead of a major TV project of Jasmine’s – yet to be announced – which is due to air next year.

Jasmine Elmer is an expert in the classics who wants the subject to be relatable and easily accessible for all to understand. She has directed much of her passion into widening participation in the subject for all.

Review

I'd love to know how other readers felt at the beginning of this reading journey and then towards the end, especially after reading the afterword. It really puts a different slant on things. I also think that is indicative of the general gist of this book. What we see, what we are told, where and with whom do we connect, why and what that says about our own experiences in life.

Not gonna lie, the first goddess we encounter, her story made me have a core reaction of anger. There is an element of control, choice and ownership - I'll give Freyja and the author that. My gut was screaming misogyny, patriarchy and the injustice of it all. Along the way the bigger picture becomes more evident.

In the end the book - and I'm sure opinions can differ on whether it is our perspective or the perspective of others - is a canvas of womanhood. A multi faceted kaleidoscope of the strengths, characteristics, personalities, experiences of the women - the goddesses, and how it relates to women of today.

I really enjoyed the read and highly recommend it, and also hope there will be more of this genre bending material from this particular author.

I can't leave a review without mentioning the stunning hardback cover and the art for each goddess. at the start of every chapter. It gives the story the other-worldly feeling it deserves, and yet simultaneously it is a story grounded with facts - which creates a reading experience like no other. The cover and the story stays with you. It made me want to shout - Awaken and Fight. We are all of them and they are each one of us.

Buy Goddess with a Thousand Faces at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published by Renegade Books, pub date 12th September 2024 Hardback | £22.00. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Heart, Be at Peace by Donal Ryan

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Heart, Be at Peace by Donal Ryan.'

'A stunning lyrical novel from the Number one bestselling author Donal Ryan about love, loss, hope and connection.'

About the Author

Donal Ryan is an award-winning author from Nenagh, County Tipperary, whose work has been published in over twenty languages to major critical acclaim. The Spinning Heart won the Guardian First Book Award, the EU Prize for Literature (Ireland), and Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards; it was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize, and was voted 'Irish Book of the Decade'. 

His fourth novel, From a Low and Quiet Sea, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2018, and won the Jean Monnet Prize for European Literature. His novel, Strange Flowers, was voted Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, and was a number one bestseller, as was his most recent novel The Queen of Dirt Island, which was also shortlisted for Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. Donal lectures in Creative Writing at the University of Limerick. He lives with his wife Anne Marie and their two children just outside Limerick City.

About the book

2019. Small town rural Island. 21 voices. - A standalone novel that can also be read as a companion to Donal Ryan's multi-award-winning bestseller, The Spinning Heart, voted ‘The Irish Book of the Decade’.

‘I said it before. Madness comes circling around. Ten-year cycles, as true as the sun will rise…’ Some things can send a heart spinning; others will crack it in two.

In a small town in rural Ireland, the local people have weathered the storms of economic collapse and are looking towards the future. The jobs are back, the dramas of the past seemingly lulled, and although the town bears the marks of its history, new stories are unfolding.

But a fresh menace is creeping around the lakeshore and the lanes of the town, and the peace of the community is about to be shattered in an unimaginable way. Young people are being drawn towards the promise of fast money whilst the generation above them tries to push back the tide of an enemy no one can touch…

Review

I highly recommend not only reading this, but also giving the audio version a twirl. It gives the read/listen a slightly more in person cultural feel. The ingrained identities that can be accurately experienced, the individuality of characters and personas more accurately felt - I can imagine this being a great theatrical experience.

Although this can be read as a standalone, it is a follow-up to The Spinning Heart, I am of two minds whether to suggest reading one before the other. I think the two books work both in tandem and as solitary experiences, not sue whether that was intentional or it's just a case of whatever takes your fancy when it comes to the happenstance of literary beauty that captures people, thoughts, culture and country in such an intensely personal way.

Ryan certainly knows how to sit inside his characters heads, hearts and souls - and equally how to place the reader beside them as they rage, toil, reminisce, regret, weep and sometimes wander to a point called peace. In a sense the word peace, and indeed this book, becomes an exploration and even explanation of living, of life and both the inner and outer daily barter we have with ourselves.

The whole book is also a six degrees of separation woven web of human interactions and reactions. How each person responds and reacts differently depending on on their own frame of reference and subsequently can have a completely different response someone else. That sounds like something or nothing, but when told with such an eloquence and insight it becomes an amazing read. 

Buy Heart, Be at Peace at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Doubleday; pub date 8th August 2024 | Hardback | £16.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of the Temperance Brennan series - Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs, Temperance Brennan book 23. It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour!

About the Author

Kathy Reichs’s first novel Déjà Dead, published in 1997, won the Ellis Award for Best First Novel and was an international bestseller. Kathy was also a producer of Fox Television’s longest running scripted drama Bones, which is based on her work and her novels. 

Kathy uses her own dramatic experiences as a forensic anthropologist to bring her mesmerizing thrillers to life. One of very few forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, Kathy divides her time between Charlotte, North Carolina, and Montreal, Québec. Follow @KathyReichs on X

About the book

It's never easy working fire scenes. - Called to Washington, DC to analyse the victims of a mysterious arson attack, Tempe quickly finds her misgivings justified. The fire site is in Foggy Bottom, a neighbourhood with a colourful history, and as the pieces start falling into place, the property’s ownership becomes more and more suspicious.

Sensing a good story, Tempe teams up with a new ally, telejournalist Ivy Doyle. Delving into the past, the duo learns that back in the Thirties and Forties the home was the hangout of a group of bootleggers and racketeers known as the Foggy Bottom Gang. Though interesting, this fact seems irrelevant – until the son of one of the gang members is shot dead at his farm in Virginia.

When another Foggy Bottom Gang-linked property burns to the ground, claiming one more victim, what might have been coincidence starts to look more like targeted attacks. As she and Ivy dig deeper, Tempe’s instincts point towards the obvious: somehow, her every move since coming to Washington has been anticipated in advance. And every path forward brings with it a lethal threat.

Review

Might just be me, but I find some of the shorter Tempe books tend to pack more of a punch, especially when it comes to core issues incorporated into the story. Often ends up being an interesting learning experience, despite the gruesome murders along the way. I still occasionally whip out what I learnt about Burmese Pythons and the Everglades in one of said shorter books.

Tempe is drawn into a string of fire related deaths, the place and property seem to to play an important part in the solution. In a tense exquisitely detailed venture into forgotten crimes and the waves they often create far into the future, this crime takes a bite out of history to weave an unforgettable tale.

This one is also a testament to what a talented storyteller the author is - it ends with mixed feelings of nostalgia, helplessness and the realisation that sometimes there is no such thing as justice for the most heinous of crimes.

Still going strong after all these years, with no sign of the popularity of this fan favourite diminishing, the Tempe series is the gift that keeps on giving. Always an auto-buy author for me, because Reichs always delivers a great read.

Buy Fire and Bones at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon and Schuster Uk; pub date 6th August 2024 | £20.00. Buy at Amazon com.