#PublicationDayPush Parasite? The Secret Diary of a Landlord by The Secret Landlord

Today it's the Publication Day Push for The Secret Diary of a Landlord by The Secret Landlord.

About the  Author

The Secret Landlord has been renting, refurbishing and selling properties across the UK for almost two decades. An award winning landlord, as judged by the National Landlords Association, The Secret Landlord has provided accommodation for hundreds of tenants from all walks of life. 

Follow @landlord_secret on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit thesecretlandlord.com, Buy Parasite? The Secret Diary of a Landlord

About the book

Get ready to learn what really happens behind closed doors. 

Landlords have become one of the most hated groups in society. Parasites, they’re often called. And there’s a lot of them. The Treasury estimates there are almost 2.6 million landlords in the UK with around 5.45 million rental properties.

But the real life of a professional landlord is very different to what most people think. From burglaries and break-ins to drug raids, police warrants, crazy tenant antics, bailiffs, squatters, lawsuits, wrecked properties, interfering council officers, game-playing freeholders to moments of heartfelt joy and happiness, the life of a landlord is never dull. Especially when the government keeps moving the goalposts.

This explosive front line exposé blows the lid off what it’s really like to be a landlord and the shocking reality of renting out a property. Hovering close to a nervous breakdown and likely suffering PTSD, The Secret Landlord exposes truths rarely shared. Stories that will grip you, move you and smack you in the face. 

This is the truth, the other side of the door. 

Review

I can see this book being a bit of a controversial read. Possibly because those dabbling in the realms of being landlords, especially with multiple properties, are in the minority. The majority of people are renters, somewhere in the middle will be outright buyers. Saying that, it's becoming harder nowadays to pick up properties because there are so many landlords willing to add yet another place to their portfolio.

Let's be frank though, SL, as the Secret Landlord calls herself, very much has a right to her perspective on the situation and the problems which arise from being a landlord and responsible for multiple properties. They might not be pretty observations, and often seem to lack empathy, but then one has to remember that we are talking money and a business venture. When being a landlord is a job, a business then takes precedent over anything else. Money talks, as they say, especially when you are losing it.

Of course there is always another side to the story and each renter has their own story to tell. Having been on both renter and owner side of the story - not as a landlord however - it's easier to see both sides. Some landlords believe they own you, your lifestyle, your interior decorating style and habits in general, just because you pay them money to stay in their property. Landlords have to deal with the disrespect their properties are treated with, the constant emergencies and the money-pits some of these properties become because of bad tenants.

Either way, it's an interesting piece of non-fiction, which comes off now and again as harsh, but then reality the world of renting isn't an easy one to navigate.

Buy Parasite? The Secret Diary of a Landlord at Amazon UK or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Alethea; pub date 15 Oct. 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour All About Us by Tom Ellen

 

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour All About Us by Tom Ellen and it's Paperback Publication Day!

About the Author

Tom Ellen is the co-author of three critically acclaimed Young Adult novels: Lobsters (which was shortlisted for the Bookseller's inaugural YA Book Prize), Never Evers and Freshers. His books have been widely translated and are published in 15 countries. He is a  regular contributor to Viz magazine, and as a journalist he has written for Cosmopolitan, Empire, Evening Standard Magazine, Glamour, NME, Shortlist, Time Out, Vice and many more. All About Us is his debut adult novel.

Follow @TomEllen7 on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Buy All About Us

About the book

If you could turn back the clock, would you choose a different life?

Ben’s always loved the month of December, but this year, with his relationship with Daphne on the rocks, it’s missing its usual magic. And then his old friend Alice gets back in touch. Ben’s always thought of Alice as the one that got away, and he can’t help but wonder: what if he’d done things differently all those years ago?

He never imagines he might get to find out… but when a stranger sells Ben a mysterious watch one freezing winter’s night, he’s astonished to wake up the next morning on 5th December 2005: the day he first kissed Daphne, leaving Alice behind.

Now Ben must make the biggest decision of his life, all over again. But this time around, will he finally find the courage to follow his heart?

Review

Ben has the perfect life and a beautiful life, well that's what he tells himself. He also wonders what would have happened if he had chosen another woman when he had the chance. Would he be the man he always wanted to be instead of never quite aspiring to his own ambitions.

Instead he lives a life full of regret and searches for blame in all the wrong places, everywhere except with himself. His memories have adjusted themselves to suit the narrative he has built around his life, which of course is often the case.

I think the premise is something plenty of people will think of now and again. What if? We all come to important crossroads in our lives and ultimately make decisions that shape our lives. Some of those crossroads are the ones that stay with us, because when life becomes a bit bumpy it's only natural to think about what it would be like if we had taken a different path.

Ellen takes that simple concept, combines it with a wee bit of Dickens Christmas ghosts past, present and future, and turns it into a contemporary read every reader can relate to. I especially enjoyed the fact it has a man as the main character, as opposed to the typical woman reflects on her disastrous love life tale.

It's also very much a story about trusting your instincts, coping with grief and loss, mistaking regret for a realistic second chance. Sometimes the right choice is what you squander away while you spend your time looking for something better. Grass isn't greener on the other side - it's still just green grass.

Buy All About Us at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ; pub date 20 Aug. 2020. Buy at Amazon.com.

#BlogTour The Peacock Room by Anna Sayburn Lane

 Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Peacock Room by Anna Sayburn Lane.

About the Author

Anna Sayburn Lane is a novelist, short story writer and storyteller, inspired by the history and contemporary life of London. Unlawful Things is her first novel.

She has published award-winning short stories in a number of magazines, including Mslexia, Scribble and One Eye Grey.

Her Mslexia award-winning story Conservation was described by judge and Booker-longlisted author Alison MacLeod as “a powerful and profound contemporary piece in which one man’s story stands for an entire nation’s… it’s a punch to the heart, a story that will haunt and touch its readers deeply”.

She has told stories at London club The Story Party and One Eye Grey’s Halloween event, Moon Over the Lido.

Follow Anna Sayburn Lane @BloomsburyBlue on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit annasayburnlane.com, Buy The Peacock Room

About the book

A literary obsession. An angry young man with a gun. And one woman trying to foil his deadly plan.

When Helen Oddfellow starts work as a lecturer in English literature, she’s hoping for a quiet life. But trouble knows where to find her.

There’s something wrong with her new students. Their unhappiness seems to be linked to their flamboyant former tutor, Professor Petrarch Greenwood, who holds decadent parties in his beautiful Bloomsbury apartment.

When Helen is asked to take over his course on the Romantic poet William Blake, life and art start to show uncomfortable parallels. Disturbing poison pen letters lead down dark paths, until Helen is the only person standing between a lone gunman and a massacre.

The Peacock Room is the intriguing follow-up to the acclaimed thriller Unlawful Things, which introduced the literary sleuth Helen Oddfellow.

Review

This is the second book in the Helen Oddfellow Mystery series, both can be read as standalone novels. This time Helen is drawn into a disturbing world where fantasy and art collide. 

Her allegedly firm career foundations are being jostled in favour of a colleague who is more accomplished, but is there more to the man than meets the eye. Is he just playing a role and secretly harbouring resentment and cruel thoughts. Thoughts and fantasies he has found a place to live out with like minded creatures who live in the darkness.

Much like The Following where killers are enamoured by the morbidity of Poe - this book also draws parallels from the art and talent of Blake through Rintrah the Reprobate. Art inspires both love and death, but in this case it is also combined with obsession.

Sayburn Lane creates a fascinating mystery which weaves literary works and the academic world with secrets and emotional quagmires, both of which can be seen between humans regardless of the era and how famous a person is. 

Mystery in the world of academia also comes with a healthy portion of the competition, misogyny and sexism in said world. A patriarchal system, which still tends to like to sneer at the opposite gender, especially when they dare to challenge theories and opinions. The author gives readers a look into that world, whilst also giving them a great mystery.

Buy The Peacock Room at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Anna Sayburn Lane; pub date 17 Sept. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Waterstones.

#PublicationDayPush A Bachelor's Pledge by Penny Hampson

 

Today it's the Publication Day Push for A Bachelor's Pledge by Penny Hampson.

About the Author

Some time ago Penny Hampson decided to follow her passion for history by studying with the Open University. She graduated with honours and went on to complete a post-graduate degree.

Penny then landed her dream role, working in an environment where she was surrounded by rare books and historical manuscripts. Flash forward nineteen years, and the opportunity came along to indulge her other main passion – writing. Penny joined the New Writers’ Scheme of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and  three years later published her debut novel, A Gentleman’s Promise, a historical mystery/romance and the first in The Gentlemen Series. An Officer’s Vow soon followed and the latest in the series is A Bachelor’s Pledge.

But never happy in a rut, Penny also writes contemporary suspense with paranormal and romantic elements. Her first book in this genre is The Unquiet Spirit, published by Darkstroke.

Penny lives with her family in Oxfordshire, and when she is not writing, she enjoys reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same time).

For more on Penny’s writing, visit her blog: https://pennyhampson.co.uk/blog/

Follow @penny_hampson on Twitter, on Facebook, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit pennyhampson.co.uk, Buy A Bachelor's Pledge

About the book

The woman who haunts his dreams - Secret agent Phil Cullen is upset when he discovers that the young woman he rescued from Mrs Newbody’s establishment has absconded from his housekeeper’s care without a word. Thinking he has been deceived, he resolves to forget about her… something easier said than done. The man she wants to forget

Sophia Turner is horrified when she is duped into entering a notorious house of ill-repute. Then a handsome stranger comes to her aid. Desperate that no one learns of this scandalous episode, Sophia flees to the one friend she knows she can trust. With luck, she will never see her mysterious rescuer again.

But fate has other plans…

Months later, Phil is on the trail of an elusive French agent and Sophia is a respectable lady’s companion when fate again intervenes, taking their lives on a collision course.

Traitors, spies, and shameful family secrets - will these bring Sophia and Phil together… or drive them apart?

Review

There seems to be much too much interest in a simple orphan, who was more or less sold off to a disreputable house, but her enemies want her back now. Seems like a bizarre reaction to a young woman with no prospects and little more than her clothing to her name, and there is also the case of her reputation being in tatters due to landing in a brothel.

Phil, a gentleman and a spy, happens upon her by chance and decides to rescue her, which leads to an intertwining of their lives in a way they never expected. Sophia is determined to be the driver of her own decisions and future, instead of being dictated to by a man, because that is the way the society is structured.

Hampson writes a delightful historical romance, a combination of suspense and relationship that builds slowly. Shame, confusion and the determination of a woman with a fierce sense of independence and a man who wants to protect the vulnerable woman. Two strong personalities clash, which could potentially be dangerous for both of them if they are unable to connect as a team against the forces against them.

It's an enjoyable read, escapism for those who like their potential couples to squabble before they realise the attraction they have for each, with the added element of the poor maiden in danger and in distress.

Buy A Bachelor's Pledge (Gentlemen Book ) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: PP&M Publishing; pub date 23 Sept. 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Betrayal by Lilja Sigurðardóttir

 

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour by Lilja Sigurðardóttir - translated by Quentin Bates.

About the Author

Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurdardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written four crime novels, including Snare, Trap and Cage, making up the Reykjavik Noir trilogy, which have hit bestseller lists worldwide. The film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.

Follow @lilja1972 on Twitter,  on Goodreads, Visit liljawriter.com, Buy Betrayal 

About the book

Burned out and traumatised by her horrifying experiences around the world, aid worker Ursula has returned to Iceland. Unable to settle, she accepts a high-profile government role in which she hopes to make a difference again.

But on her first day in the post, Úrsula promises to help a mother seeking justice for her daughter, who had been raped by a policeman, and life in high office soon becomes much more harrowing than Úrsula could ever have imagined. A homeless man is stalking her – but is he hounding her, or warning her of some danger? And the death of her father in police custody so many years rears its head once again.

As Úrsula is drawn into dirty politics, facing increasingly deadly threats, the lives of her stalker, her bodyguard and even a witchlike cleaning lady intertwine. Small betrayals become large ones,  and the stakes are raised ever higher…

Review

Ursula is offered a dream job. A job that comes with risks, threats and dangerous political machinations. It puts her in her danger and she hasn't thought about the fact it could put her family at risk too. She becomes drawn into the schemes of others and is also being threatened by an unstable man. simultaneously she wants to help a mother to bring the rapist of her daughter to justice.

This is Scandi Noir - crime fiction, but the author weaves a more important element throughout the story, one that is usually brought into connection with soldiers and veterans. Civilians, victims and bystanders can also suffer repercussions from witnessing the horrors of war, crime or pandemics.

It has caused an emotional disconnect between Ursula and those closest to her - they don't don't know that though. Her husband can't quite put a finger on it, this feeling of distance or pretense, but she knows. The flashbacks, the triggers, the sense of displacement and of living in the past, which often interferes with the present.

Sigurðardóttir writes a gripping story, one that takes the reader on a bumpy ride of hidden crimes and monsters lurking in plain. Of course setting the tale in the world of cutthroat politics makes it even more intriguing, because it is ruthless and full of betrayals. Power games built on patriarchal rules and driven by misogyny and sexism. Using the little woman as a pawn, because she is always going to be dispensable. It's a fast-paced gripping read.

Buy Betrayal at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher Orenda Books: Publication date: 15 October 2020 | Paperback Original | £8.99. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Orendabooks.

Read my reviews of Snare, Cage and Trap by Lilja Sigurðardóttir.

#BlogTour Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody

 

Today is my turn on the BlogTour Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody. It is the third and final part in the Shadow Game series.

About the Author

Amanda Foody has always considered imagination to be our best attempt at magic. After a double life as an accountant preparing taxes for multinational corporations, she now spends her free time brewing and fermenting foods much more easily obtained at her local grocery store. She lives in Boston, MA with a hoard of books guarded by the most vicious of feline companions, Jelly Bean.

She is the author of The Shadow Game series and more. Her middle grade debut, Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice, hits shelves March 30, 2021, and All of US Villains, co-written with Christine Lynn Herman, releases in September 2021.

Subscribe to Amanda's newsletter here, Follow @AmandaFoody on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Instagram, Visit amandafoody.com, Buy Queen of Volts

About the book

Return to the City of Sin, where the final game is about to begin…and winning will demand the ultimate sacrifice.

Only days after a corrupt election and brutal street war, one last bloodthirsty game has begun. The players? The twenty-two most powerful, notorious people in New Reynes.

After realizing they have no choice but to play, Enne Scordata and Levi Glaisyer are desperate to forge new alliances and bargain for their safety. But while Levi offers false smiles and an even falser peace to the city’s politicians, Enne must face a world where her true Mizer identity has been revealed…and any misstep could turn deadly.

Meanwhile, a far more dangerous opponent has appeared on the board, one plucked right from the most gruesome legends of New Reynes. As the game takes its final, vicious turn, Levi and Enne must decide once and for all whether to be partners or enemies.

Because in a game for survival, there are only losers…and monsters.

Review

This is the third book in The Shadow Game series and also unfortunately the conclusion to this fantastic Young Adult fantasy trilogy. I would absolutely recommend reading the other two in the series just to get the whole gist of it and experience the pleasure of the entire story.

It was interesting and also important given the age group this is marketed to for the author to take the time to insert scenes with certain characters engaging in discussions about toxic relationships. You can love each other till the cows come home or be attracted to each other like a bee to pollen, but when your relationship is toxic you eventually have to realise that being apart is sometimes the best for both of you. Looking at you Enne and Levi, and Bryce and Henry. When the toxicity becomes abusive, which it is because Bryce is a lost soul with a lack of compassion - Henry needs to just find the strength to sever those really tight ties.

The Shadow Game takes on an even sinister feel, and every time the players think they have played and won - there is actually no winning when it comes to this game, just saying - then a knife is twisted and the cards are reshuffled once more.

A few pages in I remembered why I love this series so much, and why I need to go back and re-read the first two in the series. I absolutely adore the complexity of this plot, the writing, the world-building, the depth of the characters and just in general the story overall. Also the way Foody took the opportunity to address certain tropes in the Young Adult genre.

This has a bit of a Caraval vibe and is most certainly one of those series that has slipped under the radar a little bit - underrated. Foody needs to be right up there with the best. Not quite sure why her talent for storytelling, weaving a plot and writing doesn't get the recognition it deserves. I'm hoping this isn't her last venture into this genre, perhaps an off-shoot of this series or a step up beyond young adult. Either way she is an author to keep an eye on.

Buy Queen of Volts (The Shadow Game #3) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ Young Adult; pub date 1 Sept. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Waterstones.

Read my reviews of Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1) and King of Fools (The Shadow Game #2) by Amanda Foody.

#BlogTour Unto This Last by Rebecca Lipkin

Today it's my turn and the last day of the BlogTour Unto This Last by Rebecca Lipkin.

About the Author

Rebecca Lipkin has had a passion for Victorian art and literature from a young age. She first discovered John Ruskin through E.M. Forster's novel, A Room with a View, and later joined the Ruskin Society at the age of seventeen to learn more about Ruskin's work. Rebecca pursued a career in journalism, specialising in arts writing and theatre reviewed, and has worked for a number of national publications. 

Rebecca says, "Most accounts of John Ruskin's complex personal life focus on his brief marriage to Effie Gray, but his twenty-year relationship with Rosa La Touche was of huge importance to the evolution of his thinking; it is a captivating and tragic story of two people whose loving friendship transcended boundaries and conventions to the very end." 

Follow @rebecca_lipkin on Twitter, on Goodreads, Visit rebeccalipkin.com, Buy Unto This Last

About the book

London, 1858. Passionate, contradictory, and fiercely loyal to his friends, John Ruskin is an eccentric genius, famed across Britain for his writings in art and philosophy. Haunted by a scandalous past and determined never to love again, the 39-year-old Ruskin becomes infatuated with his enigmatic young student, Rose La Touche, an obsession with profound consequences that will change the course of his life and work.

Written in a style recalling Victorian literature and spanning a period of twenty years, the story poses questions about the nature of live, the boundaries of parenthood, and compatibility in marriage. Unto This Last is a portrait of Ruskin's tormented psyche and reveals a complex and misunderstood soul, longing for a life just out of reach.

Review

John Ruskin is very much a man of his privileged upbringing, but also one who has clearly struggled in the past to fit into society, because he refuses to conform when it comes to certain areas. He is already a man with an established reputation as art critic, artist, teacher and philosopher, however the contrast to those exceptional traits is his scandalous personal life.

In his fourth decade he becomes enamoured by a young girl called Rose, perhaps because they both share an openness when it comes to discovering the world around them - the ability to look beyond the boundaries others set, and the inability to abide by all the restrictions others set.

John is a constant disappointment to his parents, and yet is bound to them like a young child unwilling to sever the ties, whereas Rose is bound by parents who expect their daughter to obey and not bring a hint of scandal upon them. Unfortunately their story, although a long one, doesn't end well for either.

I think a distinction should be made, although one could argue that the two are inseparable, between Ruskin's vision, talent and his sexuality, his lack of interaction in his short-lived marriage, and of course his attraction to Rose. Obviously his relationship and love for Rose can be classed as hebophilia, and would be today. However given his marriage and lack of interest in his wife I think he was probably a man who had experienced a lack of affection and love or perhaps it was just a matter of asexuality. Being asexual would explain both scenarios and especially why he felt as if he had found someone who understood him, his soul if you like, in young Rose.

George Shaw makes an interesting point; 'Isn’t he a Victorian Warhol, on the edge and in the centre at all times? And like Warhol, he saw his own philosophy and his belief not within himself but in the world around him.'

You have the genius, perhaps before his time, who is regarded as peculiar and as not always adhering to societal standards. In fact his aptitude in regards to art and the way artists held him in regard and  the way he endeavoured to share this love, without any self-recognition of his own talent in comparison, is very telling. Isn't that always the way of things that men and women who have the capacity to think beyond the norms and boundaries, that they are often slotted into categories of the mentally ill, a danger to society, heretics and so on, depending on the era they live or lived in. I think that is also the case for Ruskin.

Lipkin absolutely does his life, the disparity between the way historians regard him, and the way he was both perceived and he perceived himself, absolute justice. It's actually strange to think of it as a fictional account, albeit one based on factual events, records and historical records, because Lipkin seems to capture him so well.

I'd also agree and kudos to the author for looking beyond the short marriage and the questions which arose from it, and perhaps also for steering clear of recent televised accounts of his life. Instead the story is an attempt to understand the man behind the reputation, the rumours and more importantly behind the mind of the man who left a the legacy for future generations to enjoy.

Buy Unto This Last at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Book Guild Publishing: pub date 28 August 2020 - £9.99. Buy at Book Guild. Buy at Waterstones.