#Blogtour Mongrel by Hanako Footman

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Mongrel by Hanako Footman, which is a 2024 debut novel you don't want to miss.

About the Author

Hanako Footman is a British-Japanese actor and author living in London. Mongrel is her debut novel. Follow @hanakofootman on Instagram

About the book

Mei loses her Japanese mother at age six. Growing up in suburban Surrey, she yearns to fit in, suppressing both her heritage and her growing love for her best friend Fran.

Yuki leaves the Japanese countryside to pursue her dream of becoming a concert violinist in London. Lonely and far from home, she finds herself caught up in the charms of her older teacher.

Haruka attempts to navigate Tokyo’s nightlife and all of its many vices, working as a hostess in seedy bars. She grieves a mother who hid so many secrets from her, until finally one of those secrets comes to light . . .

Shifting between three intertwining narratives, Mongrel reveals a tangled web of isolation, desire, love, and ultimately, hope.

Review

With Mei we experience the coming-of-age, the awakening of her sexuality, the tasting of the hidden rather than forbidden fruit. The confusion, betrayal and the search for answers. With Yuki the reader can see the writing on the wall, despite not knowing the importance of her role at the beginning. Then there is Haruka who becomes the physical representation of rejection, the inability to swallow pride to save her sanity and she is also the road upon which healing can be built.

As the threads between Mei, Yuki and Haruka become more visual to the eye of the beholder, the better the reader understands each woman. Their experiences, regardless of their age at the time, and how their past, similarities and connections have an impact on their lives and relationships.

I also found it fascinating how the author manages to give each subjective view of the characters who intersect the lives of the women at different times. The person I meet and experience is not the person you meet and experience, much like each child has a different version of their parent, which means their interactions and views can differ vastly from each other.

Sometimes you find stories that have the capacity to go beyond the hook of a great read and story, they connect with the reader on a visceral level. I find it's often the case when the beauty of the prose elevates the story to a level above a mere reaction of compassion, empathy, pain, despair or just the recognition of some element of self. Footman has that je ne sais quoi, and the ability to deliver in word what the eye perceives and heart feels.

Buy Mongrel at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Footnote Press, pub date 8 Feb. 2024. Buy via Bookshop org.

#BlogTour Other Parents by Sarah Stovell

 It's a pleasure to take part in the BlgTour Other Parents by Sarah Stovell.

About the Author

Sarah Stovell was born in Kent in 1977 and now lives in Northumberland with her partner and two children. She has an MA and a PhD in creative writing and is a lecturer in creative writing at Lincoln University. She is the author of four previous novels, Mothernight, The Night Flower, Exquisite and The Home. Exquisite was chosen by The Times as one of the top 40 crime novels of the past 50 years. Follow @sarahlovescrime on Twitter

About the book

They all have opinions. They all have secrets. - In a small town like West Burntridge, it should be impossible to keep a secret. But the problem with having your nose in everyone’s business is that you can miss what’s staring you in the face.

Rachel Saunders knows gossip is the price you pay for a rural lifestyle and outstanding schools. The latest town scandal is her divorce – and the fact that her new girlfriend has moved into the family home.

Laura Spence lives in a poky bedsit on the wrong side of town. She and her son Jake don’t really belong, and his violent tantrums are threatening to expose the very thing she’s trying to hide.

When the local school introduces a new LGBTQ+-friendly curriculum, Rachel and Laura find themselves on opposite sides of a fearsome debate. But the problem with having your nose in everyone else’s business is that you often miss what’s happening in your own home.

Review

This tells the story of the interconnecting lives of women with children at the same school. Nothing in common except that fact, which is actually the case for the majority of parents and carers. You have no idea what each person is pretending to be or is dealing with in real life.

What playground parents are unfortunately quite good at is gossip, rumours, reputation destroying conversations, but most importantly at changing the path of how their children experience school and their peers.

One of the scenes that had me muttering along in agreement was the hypocritical attitude of give and take of the sanctimonious parent brigade. Wanting to control every aspect of their children's lives in the name of allegedly higher moral ground than the lesser people who walk among us, such as parents in same-sex relationships. Judging and pointing with one hand and holding out the other palm for silver at the same time.

And the way the PTA feels as if it has the power to change, decide and choose the curriculum and rules in school. They become a very loud, social media vocal, mob of angry judgemental people who become the tool that can be used for good and bad. Their last thought, if they think of them at all, are the children who are in the middle of these conflicts.

I thought the plot lost of bit of the initial drive and focus about three quarters way through, then too many cooks are in the kitchen in regard to the various threads or sub-plots. It takes the wind out of the sails for the storyline I felt was the most powerful and will hopefully leave the largest impact, then again stories like this will resonate differently with reader.

Stovell always brings an intriguing and captivating read to the table - hitting the nail on the head when it comes to relevant topics and very human interactions. 

Buy Other Parents at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. At Harper Collins.

#BlogTour The Love Curse of Melody Mcintyre by Robin Talley

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Love Curse of Melody Mcintyre by Robin Talley.

About the Author

Robin Talley (she/her) is a queer author who grew up in southwest Virginia and now lives in Washington, D.C., with her wife and their kids. She did digital communications work for LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, educational equity, and other progressive causes for fifteen years before she turned to writing full-time, and is now the New York Times-bestselling author of six novels for teen readers: Music From Another World, Pulp, Our Own Private Universe, As I Descended, What We Left Behind, and Lies We Tell Ourselves.

Her books have won accolades including the Amnesty CILIP Honour and the Concorde Book Award, have been short-listed for the Lambda Literary Award and the CILIP Carnegie Medal, and have appeared on the Junior Library Guild, Amelia Bloomer Project, Kids’ Indie Next, and ALA Rainbow lists. They’ve also been covered in media outlets including Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, The Chicago Tribune, Teen Vogue, NPR, Buzzfeed, Vulture, Huffington Post, Vice, and Bustle.

Her short stories have appeared in the young adult collections Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft, All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages, A Tyranny of Petticoats: 15 Stories of Belles, Bank Robbers and Other Badass Girls, and Feral Youth.

Follow @robin_talley on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit robintalley.com, Buy The Love Curse of Melody Mcintyre

About the book

Melody McIntyre, stage manager extraordinaire, has a plan for everything.

What she doesn’t have? Success with love. Every time she falls for someone during a school performance, both the romance and the show end in catastrophe. So, Mel swears off any entanglements until their upcoming production of Les Mis is over.

Of course, Mel didn’t count on Odile Rose, rising star in the acting world, auditioning for the spring performance. And she definitely didn’t expect Odile to be sweet and funny, and care as much about the play’s success as Mel.

Which means that Melody McIntyre’s only plan now is trying desperately not to fall in love.

Review

First thoughts - goodness how extremely serious do they take their plays, musicals and world of theatre in general. Then multiply that by drama and teenage angst tenfold, add on years of superstition and the result is a bubbling mess of a stage manager called Melody.

Melody believes that curses determine the success or failure of the production she is in charge of. Some of the curses seem to be made up as they go along, such as deciding that Melody's love life has a negative impact on their show, hence her being forbidden from falling in love henceforth. Sounds a lot easier than it actually is, especially when love is closer to her than she thinks.

I took a step back from this after reading it and thought about the story in relation to other work by Talley, who has without a doubt been able to bring social commentary, racism, identity politics, civil rights, sexual identity and discrimination to the table for YA genre - in a way that is both hard-hitting, relatable and empowering. Her thought process is always to ensure something remains long after the read. I will never forget reading Lies We Tell Ourselves. There is a reason she is a critically acclaimed author.

With that in mind I wondered at the seeming simplicity and what appears to be a lot of teenage angst, drama and common YA unicorn fluff. What is it that lurks beneath the surface of the water as the reader bobs for the apple?  

Buy The Love Curse of Melody Mcintyre at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ Young Adult; pub date 12 Nov. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. At Hive.co.uk. At Bookshop.org

#BlogTour Killer Queen by T.S. Hunter

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Killer Queen, the fifth part of the Soho Noir series, by T.S. Hunter.

About the Author
Claiming to be only half-Welsh, T.S. Hunter lived in South Wales for much of his latter teens, moving to London as soon as confidence and finances allowed. He never looked back.

He has variously been a teacher, a cocktail waiter, a podium dancer and a removal man, but his passion for writing has been the only constant.

He's a confident and engaging speaker and guest, who is as passionate about writing and storytelling as he is about promoting mainstream LGBT fiction. He now lives with his husband in the country, and is active on social media as @TSHunter5.

Follow @TSHunter5 @RedDogTweets on Twitter, on Goodreads, Buy Killer Queen

About the book
It’s 1988. A mild summer after a turbulent political year for LGBT rights. While working as an assistant to a successful theatre director , Joe Stone finds himself unwittingly embroiled in another Murder investigation. Lexi Goode , a young , up and coming actress had her bright future cut short when she is found murdered in her exclusive top floor apartment in the posh end of Soho. Knowing that the police are as racist as they are homophobic, Joe and Russell inevitably take it on themselves to investigate what happened to the young woman.

Along the way they discover illicit liaisons , a string of admirers , a secret life that was helping to pay for the glamorous lifestyle no young actress should have been able to afford. But who would want to kill Lexi?

Finding the answer to that question put’s Joe In mortal danger and a young police officer in an awkward position.

Review
This is the fifth book in the Soho Noir series. It's a fantastic LGBTQ cosy crime series set in the 80s with characters who are just getting settled in. What Joe and Russell have in common is a discovery and exploration of self and their sexuality, and a propensity for falling into crime scenarios. It's no wonder their nemesis gives them the side-eye every time one of them falls over a dead body.

This time Joe stumbles upon the body of a young actress, who appears to have been leading a dubious double life. Is it a case of stage envy - the world of theatre can be rather deadly. Or has her secret life led to her early demise?

I think Hunter is just getting his groove when it comes to this series. The hidden Christie vibes are starting the permeate the surface of the stories.

The Soho Noir series shines a light on an important era for the LGBTQ community. The rising acceptance was cut short by the paranoia and fear caused by the AIDS pandemic, which resulted in any advancement and change in opinion about homosexuality being cut short for a long time. In that sense this is also a poignant political and sociological perspective on sexuality in that era. Hunter has created an excellent balance between crime and mystery, and social contextual development of sexual identities in this series.

It's a cosy crime mystery series - quick perfect pocket reads. I also have to note, once again because I get such joy from it, that the covers are great and the titles cause the worst case of earworm ever.

Buy Killer Queen (Soho Noir #5) at Amazon Uk. Publisher: Red Dog Press, pub date 15 Nov. 2019. Buy the ebook edition. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Red Dog Press.

Also by T.S. Hunter - Soho Noir series:
Read my review of Tainted Love (Soho Noir #1)
Read my review of Who's That Girl (Soho Noir #2)
Read my review of Careless Whisper (Soho Noir #3)
Read my review of Crazy For You (Soho Noir #4)

#BlogTour Crazy For You by T.S. Hunter

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Crazy For You by T.S. Hunter. It's the fourth part in the Soho Noir series.

About the Author
Claiming to be only half-Welsh, T.S. Hunter lived in South Wales for much of his latter teens, moving to London as soon as confidence and finances allowed. He never looked back.

He has variously been a teacher, a cocktail waiter, a podium dancer and a removal man, but his passion for writing has been the only constant.

He's a confident and engaging speaker and guest, who is as passionate about writing and storytelling as he is about promoting mainstream LGBT fiction. He now lives with his husband in the country, and is active on social media as @TSHunter5.

Follow @TSHunter5 @RedDogTweets on Twitter, on Goodreads, Buy Crazy For You

About the book
The course of true love never runs smooth.
It’s 1987, and Soho is in the grip of another hot summer. While working part-time in The Red Lion, Joe finds himself agreeing to help a notorious gangster search for her missing girlfriend.

Antonia The Gecko Lagorio is daughter to the ruthless but ageing gang boss, Tony The Lizard Lagorio. When her girlfriend, Charlotte Fenwick, goes missing, Antonia turns to Joe for help, believing her to have been kidnapped by a rival gang.

Charlotte Fenwick is daughter to multi-millionaire, Charles Fenwick—who also happens to be one of Freddie Gillespie’s bigger clients. Keen to keep any hint of a scandal out of the public eye, Charles Fenwick had already asked Freddie to recruit Russell and Joe to help him find his daughter discreetly.

With both of them on the case, Joe and Russell find themselves trying to stop a turf war between the two rival gangs while uncovering all manner of dark secrets about the missing heiress and her troubled life.

Meanwhile Freddie Gillespie has a run in with an old foe that could see him lose both his job and his relationship with Russell.

Review
The inadvertent sleuthing duo is back. Joe and Russell, who both seem to fall into crimes with an alarming frequency. I think they need to worry about whether they have fallen into a Midsomer Murder postcode area. Their adventures or the crimes they get involved with tend to have a cosy feel, despite the fact Hunter combines that feeling with important historical topics, which are still relevant in our era.

It's what makes this series so readable, and the fact each book can be read as a standalone. Personally, and I can't say this enough, I really like the Quick Read feature of the Soho Noir series. It doesn't purport to be overly complex or long. Its strength is the fact it can be read anywhere and finished too. The perfect pocket read.

In this book Joe is asked to look for the missing girlfriend of The Gecko, the daughter of a local mobster. Then soon after he is asked to look for the missing daughter of a very wealthy and influential businessman. Same girl. Seems as if the young woman isn't as innocent as her father thinks she is or as sincere as her girlfriend thinks she is.

It's a cosy crime and LGBTQ read set in the 80s with memorable and often highly entertaining characters. I would definitely both recommend the series and buy the books or box set as a present.

There is one more thing I want to say about this series, which has beautiful covers by the way, and catchy 80s songs as titles. It might be because the 80s was my era, but every time I read one of the titles the soundtrack plays in my head. It's an automatic reaction - I blame Hunter for the earworms.

Buy Crazy For You at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Red Dog Press, pub date 22 Oct. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my reviews of Tainted Love (Soho Noir #1), Who's That Girl (Soho Noir #2) and Careless Whisper (Soho Noir #3) by T.S. Hunter.