#BlogTour Songs for Your Mother by Gordon MacMillan

It's my turn on the BlogTour Songs for Your Mother by Gordon MacMillan.

About the Author

Gordon Macmillan is a debut novelist and former journalist who now works for Twitter in London. Follow @GordonMacMillan on Twitter.

About the book

I'm greeted by the strangest sight. A small dark-haired boy is standing there. It’s like he’s a human parcel, delivered to my front door. ‘My name is Luke,’ he says. When Johnny meets Lauren in a bar in Santa Cruz, there’s an instant connection. On an American road trip with best friend Will, Johnny promises to return to the girl who has stolen his heart.

Until tragedy strikes, forcing Johnny to fly back home without ever seeing Lauren again. Six years later, Johnny is living his life in London, even if he’s never forgotten the girl with the grey eyes and dark hair.

Until one September morning, he opens his door to find a little boy standing there – a child, Johnny quickly comes to learn, who was created that one magical night. Lauren is dying, and her last wish is to reunite five-year-old Luke with the father he doesn’t yet know.

Thrown into unexpected parenthood, Johnny finds himself navigating school-gate politics, Disney movies and tantrums, guided by the notes Lauren has written for him.

Life as an instant dad isn’t always easy, but as Johnny and Luke open their hearts to each other, Johnny is about to discover that life’s joy isn’t always where you expected it.

Review

It's a night that changed everything. Boy meets girl, girl and boy hook up and life gets complicated. In what can only be described as a love at first sight and a lifetime of regrets story, because neither of them returned to that special connection to explore what could have been and instead have to deal with what is instead.

Years later and Johnny gets a special doorstop delivery courtesy of the best friend stork transport and has to revaluate what is important in his life. Is there some way to repair the past and not make a little boy suffer the consequences of two people who were too invested in their own version of a real life romcom to realise he isn't a character in a film. He is a living breathing child who deserves some accountability from his parents.

This is a combination of the nostalgic and tragic tone of The Book of Us by Andrea Michael and the humour of Big Daddy. The author balances the two elements perfectly to create an emotional and yet often quite lighthearted read. It's never too over the top tragic or ridiculously hilarious. 

It had a bit of a YA flair given the way Lauren and Johnny meet and their ages respectively both before and after, and the general voice of the story. That doesn't detract from the gist of premise, but perhaps gives the book a chance to slide into other demographics too.

I think it's really a story about what if's and being intensely introspective on actions, words and choices in the past and the way they have impacted the present. A coming-of-age story, how the boy finally becomes the man and eventually the parent. It's a delightful tale that tugs on the heartstrings.

Buy Songs for Your Mother at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Hera pub date 12 May 2021. Buy at Amazon com. Kobo. Apple.

#BlogTour Wartime With the Tram Girls by Lynn Johnson

Happy Publication Day to Wartime with the Tram Girls by Lynn Johnson.

About the Author

Lynn Johnson was born and raised in The Potteries. She went to school in Burslem, the setting for her novels, and left with no qualifications. Like Ginnie, she had ambitions. In her own time she obtained a BA Hons in Humanities with Literature from the Open University, and a Diploma in Management Studies from Staffordshire Polytechnic and became a Human Resources Manager with a large County Council.

She began to research her family tree and it inspired her to write short stories, one of which became the basis for her debut novel, The Girl from the Workhouse, the first of The Potteries Girls series. The second book in the series, Wartime with the Tram Girls was published in March 2021. Lynn is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors.

Although Lynn still has a close affinity to The Potteries, she now lives in Orkney with her husband and six beautiful cats.

Follow @lynnjohnsondots on Twitter, Visit Lynnjohnsonauthor.com

About the book

July 1914: Britain is in turmoil as WW1 begins to change the world. While the young men disappear off to foreign battlefields, the women left at home throw themselves into jobs meant for the boys.

Hiding her privileged background and her suffragette past, Constance Copeland signs up to be a Clippie - collecting money and giving out tickets - on the trams, despite her parents’ disapproval. Constance, now known as Connie, soon finds there is more to life than the wealth she was born into and she soon makes fast friends with lively fellow Clippies, Betty and Jean, as well as growing closer to the charming, gentle Inspector Robert Caldwell. But Connie is haunted by another secret; and if it comes out, it could destroy her new life.

After war ends and the men return to take back their roles, will Connie find that she can return to her previous existence? Or has she been changed forever by seeing a new world through the tram windows?

Review

Constance becomes interested in the suffragette movement, which is the beginning of her coming-of-age and the first step to changing her view of the world she lives in. Stepping into the world of those who have previously served her and are deemed to be under her in the class hierarchy, it's a move full of hard lessons, but also one that teaches her more than she can imagine.

How frightfully misinformed and obsessively coercive people were about the men - young or old - who didn't go to war. It is abundantly clear when Constance fulfills her feather duties. Judgemental and terribly blinkered with only a strange version of patriotism and anger to fuel their small acts of silent destruction.

The author gives a good insight into the vast difference between upstairs, downstairs mentality and the way those differences melded and changed during the 20th century. Goals, needs and opinions became more of a common goal, which in turn led to a revolution of sorts in the way the class structures were perceived and those people perceived themselves.

Women marched for women, men fought beside each other as equals and Constance emerges as Connie with all her new experiences with humility and as part of something bigger, as opposed to one of the smaller elite.

It's historical fiction that gives readers a good feel for the many changes the world and women went through in the early 20th century.

Buy Wartime with the Tram Girls at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Hera pub date 3 Mar. 2021. Buy at Amazon com, on Kobo, at Apple.

#BlogTour Summer at the Highland Coral Beach by Kiley Dunbar

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Summer at the Highland Coral Beach by Kiley Dunbar.

About the Author
Kiley Dunbar is the author of heart-warming, escapist, romantic fiction set in beautiful places.

Joan Hessayon Award for Debut Novelists Finalist 2019 for One Summer's Night.

Kiley is Scottish and lives in England with her husband, two kids and Amos the Bedlington Terrier. She writes around her work at a University in the North of England where she lectures in English Literature and creative writing. She is proud to be a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and a graduate of their New Writers' Scheme.

Kiley's third novel, Summer at the Highland Coral Beach (coming 27th March 2020) The first of the Port Willow Bay series is on Pre-order right now!!

One Summer's Night was Kiley's first novel (published by Hera Books) and is on sale now! Don't forget there's also a fabulous audible audiobook narrated by Eilidh Beaton.

Kiley's cosy, sexy-swoony, very snowy festive romcom Christmas at Frozen Falls is on sale NOW too!

Follow @KileyDunbar on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Buy Summer at the Highland Coral Beach

About the book
Escape to the Highland Coral Beach – where broken hearts can be healed
Beatrice Halliday needs a break from life. Booking a trip to the Highlands on a whim, Beatrice hopes learning Gaelic in a beautiful Scottish village might help her heal her grief after losing her baby, her husband and her much loved job in a space of months.

But Port Willow Bay isn’t exactly as the website promised. Instead of learning a new language, she’s booked in to learn the ancient skill of willow weaving, her hotel room is Princess and the Pea themed (with a stack of mattresses for her bed!) and worse still, her tutor is Atholl Fergusson, grumpy landlord of the hotel where Beatrice is staying – and she’s the only one doing the course.

But as Beatrice finds herself falling in love with Port Willow Bay and its people, and as she discovers the kind heart beneath Atholl’s stony exterior, can she really leave?

Escape to the beautiful Scottish Highlands with this utterly romantic, feelgood book; one visit to Port Willow Bay and you’ll want to come back! Fans of Sarah Morgan, Carole Matthews and Holly Martin will be captivated.

Review
The story starts off with Beatrice planning the rest of her life with her husband and the baby she is expecting. Daydreaming about the three of them being a family. Then the story skips forward to Beatrice arriving at her holiday destination. A place to forget, forgive and to get over her loss.

Her marriage is over and her baby is gone, and for some reason her spontaneous trip is turning into a disaster too. Grumpy hosts, tiny bedrooms and instead of learning Gaelic they expect her to weave baskets.

When she least expects it, and isn't looking for it, she discovers friendship, peace and beauty. She finally stops long enough to appreciate the world is bigger than her little cosmos. Outside of her self-drawn boundaries there is so much to discover and perhaps even a handsome bloke to meet and get to know.

It's a feel good romcom - a highly entertaining story of starting over.

Dunbar has a talent for the comical moments and amusing characters. The cow scene had me laughing out loud and the whole Princess bed conjured up all kinds of images. Gene and Atholl's interactions are a breath of fresh air and add plenty of comedy to this feel good story - actually I might add Echo the dog with the super-hearing to that group.

Dunbar certainly delivers the kind of read readers reach for when they want love, laughter and happiness.

Buy Summer at the Highland Coral Beach at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Hera; pub date 27 Mar. 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Girl from the Workhouse by Lynn Johnson

It's Publication Day for The Girl from the Workhouse by Lynn Johnson and also my turn on the BlogTour.

About the Author
Lynn Johnson was born in the Staffordshire Potteries and went to school in Burslem, where the novel is set. She left school with no qualifications and got a job as a dental nurse (and lasted a day), a nursery assistant, and a library assistant before her ambition grew and she enrolled at the Elms Technical College, Stoke-on-Trent and obtained six O’levels. She obtained a Diploma in Management Studies and a BA Hons in Humanities with Literature from the Open University while working full-time.

Most of her working life was spent in Local Government in England and Scotland, and ultimately became a Human Resources Manager with a large county council.

She started to write after taking early retirement and moving to the north of Scotland with her husband where she did relief work in the famous Orkney Library and Archives, and voluntary work with Orkney’s Learning Link. Voluntary work with Cats Protection resulted in them sharing their home with six cats.

She joined Stromness Writing Group and, three months after moving to Orkney, wrote a short story which would become the Prologue to The Girl From the Workhouse.

Follow @lynnjohnsonjots on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit lynnjohnsonauthor.com, 

Buy The Girl from the Workhouse 

About the book
Even in the darkest of times, she never gave up hope
Staffordshire, 1911. Ginnie Jones’s childhood is spent in the shadow of the famous Potteries, living with her mother, father and older sister Mabel. But with Father’s eyesight failing, money is in short supply, and too often the family find their bellies aching with hunger. With no hope in sight, Ginnie is sent to Haddon Workhouse.

Separated from everything she has known, Ginnie has to grow up fast, earning her keep by looking after the other children with no families of their own. When she meets Clara and Sam, she hopes that she has made friends for life… until tragedy strikes, snatching away her newfound happiness.

Leaving Haddon three years later, Ginnie finds work as a mouldrunner at the Potteries, but never stops thinking about her friends in the workhouse – especially Sam, now a caring, handsome young man. When Sam and Ginnie are reunited, their bond is as strong as ever – until Sam is sent to fight in WW1. Faced with uncertainty, can Ginnie find the joy that she’s never had? Or will her heart be broken once again?

An emotional, uplifting and nostalgic family saga that will make you smile, while tugging on your heart-strings. Fans of Sheila Newbury, Kitty Neale and Sheila Riley will love this beautiful read.

Review
When her parents are unable to feed themselves and their children they end up being sent to the workhouse, well everyone except Mabel. Ginnie is thrust into a world without the daily love and care of her parents, but one could argue that her memories are slightly nostalgic.

Ginnie finds a new family in the Haddon Workhouse, which isn't defined by blood or complicated relationships. It's all about support, truth and being there for each other. They understand what it's like to be abandoned by parents, to be delegated to the lowest tier in society.

The reader follows Ginnie as she learns to comprehend the difference between what you see and experience in a person, and what is hidden behind the exterior. She remembers and experiences her sister Mabel as someone who found it easy to forget Ginnie exists, that is until she needs a skivvy in her home.

It takes a little growing up to differentiate between face value and the face people put on for others. Perhaps Mabel isn't the cold-hearted fish she appears to be. Everyone keeps a part of themselves secret, especially if they do it so they protect themselves and their emotions. However Sam has always been consistent in his behaviour towards her and their friendship.

It's a coming-of-age story and one of a budding romance. Johnson has a Cookson flair, perhaps with a little less heartbreak and topographical tinge, but she does capture the heart and soul of her characters.

Buy The Girl from the Workhouse at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Hera, pub date 18 Feb. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Kobo.

#BlogTour Call Me Maybe by Steph Chapman

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Call Me Maybe by Steph Chapman.

About the Author
Stephie was born in England in the mid 1980s, which makes her thirty-something (but if you ask, she'll probably tell you she's 27). Now, she lives on the South coast of the UK, has a day job to keep her holiday budget topped up, and two kids and a husband to keep an eye on.

Getting Over Jesse Franklin and Jetplanes to Jupiter were born out of a healthy appreciation of bass guitars (and the dudes who play them), and Franko was very much inspired by her favourite band as a teenager. So now you know.

Follow @imcountingufoz on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit stephiechapman.wordpress.com, Buy Call Me Maybe

About the book
What if you got a second chance with your first love?
What happens when you meet your teenage heart-throb – when you’re both all grown up? When Cassie was fifteen, all she wanted was to marry Jesse Franklin, the bassist from her favourite band, Franko. Now she’s single, in her late twenties and wondering what happened to that teenage dream.
A chance encounter on Facebook soon leads to a transatlantic hook up, and soon, Jesse and Cassie are having a long-distance love affair spanning five thousand miles.

Cassie is on cloud nine – until she hears something that makes her think that Jessie might not be all that he seems. They say never meet your heroes – but what happens when you fall in love with them…?

Are Cassie and Jessie star crossed lovers, destined to be together? Or should Cassie have left her crush in the box marked teenage memories?

Review
I can imagine this is somewhat of a dream scenario for some people. Could you even imagine meeting a celeb you had a massive crush on as a teenager and then having a relationship with them? I'd just like to point out that mine would be all wrinkly now.

In the blurb it says what if you got a second chance with your first love, but that isn't really the premise of this story. Having a crush, even a really obsessive strong emotional swoony crush on a celebrity or some unattainable person in the public eye, is not the same as your first love.

It made me wonder whether I would want to meet a teenage crush (if I can remember that far back), thereby possibly destroying the myth and the magic. Clearly Cassie doesn't have the same fears, and she does have concerns that she might come across as a crazy stalker fan.

When Jesse replies to Cassie she just can't believe it and she definitely isn't expecting them to click and end up meeting in person. Is this meant to be or is it all too good to be true?

It's a romcom - a dream come true scenario for some. Chapman has used modern media, text message exchanges, instead of dialogue per se, which gives the story even more of a contemporary vibe. The dialogue and writing is also very much in tune with a YA book. It's easy to forget that the main characters are late twenties and older, because their exchanges are very similar to people in their late teens and early twenties. This is an easy and fun read.

Buy Call Me Maybe at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Hera; pub date 9 Oct. 2019. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Kobo.