#BlogTour The Silent Daughter by Kirsty Ferguson

 

It's my turn on the BlogTour The Silent Daughter by Kirsty Ferguson.

About the Author

Kirsty Ferguson is a born and bred Australian. She writes crimes and mystery novels. Her stories center around strong women and dark themes that are topical and relevant to today. Kirsty chooses to deconstruct and enthrall her readers with the secrets of any everyday person behind closed doors. She has long been a lover or writing and reading, creating stories from a young age

Follow @kfergusonauthor on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, Visit www.kirstyferguson.com, Buy The Silent Daughter

About the book

Secrets can kill and Danni Brooks knows that better than anyone.

When her husband and two of her three children perish in a devastating house fire, Danni is sure it is arson. She’s even more sure that her and her eldest daughter Mia were meant to die in the fire too. But they are just a normal family. Who would want them dead? 

Mia doesn’t talk. She can’t. She is locked in her own world where no one, not even her mother can reach her. 

Desperate for answers, and convinced the truth might help her to reach her daughter, Danni tries to piece together the events leading up to that murderous night and uncover the arsonist. But with so many lies to untangle, what is the truth?

Prepare to have your breath taken away by an unforgettable twist that will leave you reeling...

Review

It's one of those stupid accidents, everyone does it. A mistake, but one with devastating consequences. Now the only person Danni has left is treating her with utter disdain. Is it grief or is there more to the story?

It's a very dark domestic thriller and perhaps one that will make people uncomfortable about a few home truths there are in it. The first being that sisterly love is a concept romanticised by the media, society and most definitely social media. Why? Because it sounds so much better, the cotton candy fluffy supportive love between sisters, as opposed to the destructive, violent, jealous and often hidden hatred that lurks just beneath the surface. Then again sometimes it doesn't even bother lurking.

Kudos to Ferguson for that, even if the storyline is merely in the fictional context of this story- it is still refreshing to read the reality of what a sisterly relationship can look like when it doesn't conform to the norm. When movies, books and people tell you that the person closest to you in the family unit should be your biggest supporter and confidante, and instead is your most vicious enemy intent on harming you. It happens - it's very real.

This is a dark, sinister read with graphic scenes at times and characters who are quite unforgiving when it comes to emotional distress and harming each other. It's not escapism and it doesn't try to be. Ferguson wants you to wonder about the the stories and gossip you hear, perhaps this will make you look at someone from a different perspective.

Buy The Silent Daughter at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Boldwood Books; pub date 10 Nov. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Hive. Buy at Bookshop.org. Buy at Boldwood Books

#BlogBlitz A Wing and a Prayer by M. W. Arnold

 

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the Blog Blitz A Wing and a Prayer by M.W. Arnold.

About the Author

Mick is a hopeless romantic who was born in England and spent fifteen years roaming around the world in the pay of HM Queen Elisabeth II in the Royal Air Force before putting down roots and realizing how much he missed the travel. This he’s replaced somewhat with his writing, including reviewing books and supporting fellow saga and romance authors in promoting their novels. 

He’s the proud keeper of two Romanian cats, is mad on the music of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, and enjoys the theatre and loving his Manchester-United-supporting wife. 

Finally, Mick is a full member of the Romantic Novelists Association. A Wing and a Prayer will be his second published novel, and he is very proud to be welcomed into The Rose Garden.

Follow  @Mick859 on Twitter, on Instagram, on Facebook, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Buy A Wing and a Prayer 

About the book

When Betty Palmer's sister dies under suspicious circumstances whilst landing her Tiger Moth, Betty and three other women pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary in WWII England unite to discover who killed her and why.

Estranged from her family, Penny Blake wants simply to belong. American Doris Winter, running from a personal tragedy, yearns for a new start. Naturally shy Mary Whitworth-Baines struggles to fit in. Together though, they are a force to be reckoned with as they face the mystery that confronts them.

Against the backdrop of war, when ties of friendship are exceptionally strong, they strive to unravel the puzzle's complex threads, risking their lives as they seek justice for Betty's sister.

Review

When Betty Palmer's sister dies, she just has this feeling that something isn't quite right. Penny, Doris and Mary all unite and become drawn into the dangerous mystery, whilst dealing with their own trials and tribulations.

I think the roles of women in past wars tend to be overlooked, especially if it was in more of a voluntary capacity, although plenty of roles became mandatory for single women of a certain age bracket. To a certain degree it's because it is spoken about less, the women and their contributions tend to be considered as less grand of a sacrifice or gesture, whereas a man in any contributory role tends to be put on a pedestal. 

That doesn't mean their sacrifice is diminished in any way - it's just pointing out a fact of life. The women of the Air Transport Auxillary played a big role in the war, perhaps more so because they filled gaps caused by the deployment of so many able bodied men, who would have been in the role had they not been needed elsewhere.

Arnold manages to balance to importance of the historical facts with the feeling of sisterhood, support and friendship. It then isn't just a mystery or women's fiction, it becomes war fiction in its own right, but with a sleuthing feel to it. Also perhaps a smidgen of a Carry On humour vibe to ease the more serious aspects of the story.

Given the way it finishes I think there may be more to come from the mixed bag of women introduced in this book. Their individual stories may have only just begun.

Buy A Wing and a Prayer at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Hive. Buy at Bookshop.org. Buy at Barnes & Noble. iBooks. Amazon Au.

#BlogTour Meet Me in the Treehouse by Kelly Tink

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Mett Me in the Treehouse by Kelly Tink.

About the Author

Kelly Tink is a cancer nurse, writer and hopeless romantic, living in Cambridgeshire. She enjoys exploring fun outdoor places with her husband and two sons, especially if it involves eating ice cream by the sea. 

She’s an avid reader, loves a good film or TV series and drinks lots of tea. Meet Me in the Treehouse is Kelly’s debut novel. It would mean the world to Kelly if you would consider taking a few moments to write a review. These reviews let new readers know what you thought of Meet Me in the Treehouse. Thank you. 

Follow @kelly_tink on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Instagram, on Facebook, on Amazon,Visit kellytink.com, Buy Meet Me in the Treehouse

About the book

In their secret tree house, nine-year-old Emma and her best friend Chris made a promise: ‘You and me forever’. 

It’s been five years since Emma left her hometown with her soon to be ex-husband and eight years since the tragedy that taught her and Chris that nothing lasts forever.  

Now thirty, Emma is an unemployed nurse living back on her parents’ farm, her life in tatters. Chris, however, is finally healing and making a success of his family’s country estate. 

They step into their old friendship as if it were yesterday, but as Emma sets out to rebuild her life, will their past and Chris’s future throw her further off balance? 

Or will she find the happiness she left behind by returning to the treehouse? 

Review

Emma has gone full circle and returned to the place and the emotions she ran away from in the first place. Grief sent her on a path that turned out to be a mistake, and one that rocked her world in a way she never expected it to. Now she is back - the question is whether she can remove herself from a vicious cycle of her own creation?

I think for me the emphasis was on Emma being able to acknowledge and be capable of building a life on her own terms and having strength without feeling as if she needs a partner to do so. Society often propels us into these stereotypical scenarios we are often unaware of. It's the norm, hence everyone does it, which doesn't mean it's wrong, but it might not be right for everyone either.

Learning to cope with the destruction of stability, a sandcastle built on the dreams of grief and loneliness can destroy someone, and to be fair Emma comes quite close. Taking apart a knitted blanket she has enveloped herself with takes time, but stitch by stitch she starts to find comprehension and peace with in herself.

What Tink captures quite well, and I am sure there are plenty of readers who may see the main character as weak and tell her to just get over it, is that divorce is a traumatic experience. More so when it doesn't happen in an amicable way. Not everyone is able to just gloss over it.

Also that to be successful in your next relationship you have to heal from the last one and more importantly examine how you contributed to the demise of the relationship, even if it is just enabling a certain complacency. Until then it is never a good idea to start a new one, because you will probably end up just running on the same hamster wheel again.

It's a romantic read at heart and very much one about a woman taking stock of what is important to herself, her well-being and mental health, and not just what is important to other people.

Buy Meet Me at the Treehouse at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Middlemist Publishing; pub date 12 Nov. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. 

#BlogTour Just Between Friends by Rosie Nixon

 

It's my turn on the BlogTour Just Between Friends by Rosie Nixon.

About the Author

Rosie Nixon lives in London and is Editor-in-Chief of Hello! magazine, where she has worked for over a decade. She is a mother of two and the author of two previous novels, The Stylist (2016) and sequel, Amber Green takes Manhattan (2017), which have been published around the world. the Stylist is in development as a major motion picture. Her third novel, Just between Friends is published by HQ November 2020.

Follow @Rosie_Nixon on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Buy Just Between Friends

About the book

Aisha Moore is eight months pregnant. She’s thrilled, and a little scared. Not least because her husband Jason hasn’t quite wrapped his head around the fact.

Lucy is having her first child too. She has finally got her wish – although the circumstances aren’t quite what she had hoped. Oscar will be a great dad though, won’t he?

When the two women join the same baby group, they quickly become friends and before long they’re confiding in each other. Only there’s one thing Lucy hasn’t told Aisha. And while a baby may turn your life upside-down, a secret this big will change everything.

Review

Aisha is nearing the end of her pregnancy and has decided to try and connect with other mums-to-be. Her partner Jason doesn't seem so enthusiastic about joining. Luckily she instantly makes a friend called Lucy, who is equally invested in getting to know someone also looking forward to being a mother, but also a little fearsome of what that might entail in its entirety.

They seem to have a lot in common. Absentee partners, concern about the impending births and how ridiculous the birthing course is.

For me the strongest element of the book wasn't the main plot, but rather the way Nixon brings the critical role of motherhood and how controversial each decision can be when it comes to birthing, babies and doing what you feel is best for your child. 

Women are pitted against other women like gladiators in an arena. The breast or bottle battle comes to mind straight away, but one of the most bizarre arguments has to be inane comments made by women who say only Vag-birthers are real mothers and a C-section mother isn't. Judgemental, critical to the point of being unkind, which is perhaps the saddest thing to see, hear and experience in a world where women should be supporting each other. Clearly sisterhood is just a theoretical concept to so many.

Aside from the relationship chaos of certain characters, the division between men and women as the relationship a woman has with her body changes creates conflict between a couple.

Overall it's a read that brings real issues to the table, whilst delivering conflict, betrayal and the reality of complex relationships.

Buy Just Between Friends at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ; pub date 12 Nov. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Hive. Buy at Bookshop.org.

#BlogTour The Snow Song by Sally Gardner

 

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Snow Song by Sally Gardner.

About the Author

Wray Delaney is the pseudonym of the award winning novelist Sally Gardner. She has sold over 2 million books in the UK and her work has been translated in to more than 22 languages. She has won both the Costa Children’s Book Prize and the Carnegie Medal 2013 for Maggot Moon. She also won the 2005 Nestle Children’s Book Prize for her debut novel I, Coriander. She writes books for children aged seven and upwards.

The Beauty of the Wolf was her second adult novel. Her debut adult novel, An Almond for a Parrot is a fascinating combination of historical fiction with a cheeky touch of soft erotica. The Beauty of the Wolf is a timely, feminist retelling of Beauty and the Beast, reversing the gender roles of the original fairytale with subtle undercurrents of topical themes such as gender and sexuality and body positivity.

The Snow Song is her third enchanting venture into a world of magical realism and fairytale.

Follow @TheSallyGardner on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit sallygardner.net, Buy The Snow Song

About the book

Women imprisoned by superstition, chained by guilt.

Perched on a mountain in a land of ancient forests is a village, rife with secrets. Cut off from the outside world it is run by the elders, men to whom tradition is all.

Edith lives alone with her alcoholic father who is forcing her to marry the village butcher. But she is in love with a shepherd who promised to return to her.

As the village becomes isolated in a sea of snow, Edith loses her power of speech. And it is this enchantment that will have far-reaching consequences, not only for Edith but for the whole village.

Review

'She was surprised at how easy it was to let go of another person's words.' So poignant in every sense, regardless of situation, context or indeed in a fictional and factual setting. It's also a sign of what is written and is yet to come.

Although at the beginning the story may appear to be just a tale told in the style and setting of an age long forgotten, perhaps it may even remind some of other tales steeped in lore. Stick with it - it unfolds itself as a flower raises it's head towards the sun as spring peeks slowly around the corner.

It's the story of an unexpected love between Edith and Demetrius - the shepherd and the village girl. Love that is prevented from every direction and yet endeavours to survive, despite all the obstacles, whether they be living ones or not.

I just adore when Gardener aka Wray Delaney drops the mantle of what is expected in a commercial and contemporary sense and wanders between the veil of two worlds. Never quite here nor there it is always a story full of magical realism combined with something that halts or grounds the reader - in this case it is the element of fairytale and folklore.

Kudos to Gardner for turning a tale that could have been merely a blip of mysticism and magic into a statement of empowerment. A call to support instead of reject and using our silence as a weapon as it has been used against us since time began.

Buy The Snow Song at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ; pub date 12 Nov. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Hive. Buy at Bookshop.org.

#BlogTour The Coral Bride by Roxanne Bouchard

It's an absolute pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Coral Bride by Roxanne Bouchard, translated by David Warriner.

About the Author

Over ten years ago, Roxanne Bouchard decided it was time she found her sea legs. So she learned to sail, first on the St Lawrence River, before taking to the open waters off the Gaspé Peninsula. The local fishermen soon invited her aboard to reel in their lobster nets, and Roxanne saw for herself that the sunrise over Bonaventure never lies. Her fifth novel (first translated into English) We Were the Salt of the Sea was published in 2018 to resounding critical acclaim, sure to be followed by its sequel, The Coral Bride. She lives in Quebec.

Follow @RBouchard72  @orendabooks on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit roxannebouchard.com, Buy The Coral Bride

David Warriner grew up in deepest Yorkshire, has lived in France and Quebec, and now calls British Columbia home. He translated Johanna Gustawsson's Blood Song for Orenda Books, and his translation of Roxanne Bouchard's We Were The Sale of the Sea was a runner-up for the 2019 Scott Moncrieff Prize for French-English translation.

Follow David - @givemeawave on Twitter, Visit wtranslation.ca

About the book

When an abandoned lobster trawler is found adrift off the coast of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, DS Joaquin Moralès begins a straightforward search for the boat ’s missing captain, Angel Roberts – a woman in a male-dominated world. But Moralès finds himself blocked at every turn – by his police colleagues, by fisheries bureaucrats, and by his grown-up son, who has turned up at his door with a host of his own personal problems.

When Angel’s body is finally discovered, it ’s clear something very sinister is afoot, and Moralès and son are pulled into murky, dangerous waters, where old resentments run deep…

An exquisitely written, evocative and poetic thriller, The Coral Bride powerfully conjures the might of the sea and the communities who depend on it, the never-ending struggle between the generations, and an extraordinary mystery at the heart of both.

Review

Moralès is surprised when his son turns up in a rather dishevelled state, something which confuses and annoys him when he is also asked to look into the case of a missing woman. He is confronted with colleagues who treat him with contempt, and a community who keep their secrets close.

I can't remember if I caught this particular aspect of the sea and the world of those working it in We Were the Salt of the Sea, which is the first in the Detective Moralès series. The patriarchal hold that man has over bodies of water, their understanding of the dangers and pleasures, and the connection they believe to be singular unto them. 

Granted traditional hunter gatherer roles in the majority of societies are filled by men and women were or are considered bad omens when on board sailing vessels, which makes it all the more peculiar that the vessels are seen as the opposite gender in the context of language.

I digress as usual, but it is a fair point to make that the gender of the victim and her reluctance to bow down and be submissive to the men around her, certainly plays a pivotal role in the story. I would love to write about the who and the why - the truth is Bouchard captures both with such accuracy and lucidity in the last few chapters and it explains the submission to the inevitable at the very beginning.

If you haven't read the first in the Detective Moralès series, then please do give it a read. Bouchard writes with such a lyrical beauty, which is captured perfectly by her equally as talented translator Warriner. 

I do so love the way Bouchard writes. The connection she creates between the sea and her writing, the story and of course the readers - it's visceral. It's also something you are drawn to inexplicably. The romantic mystical notion of the sea and the danger we forget, because the sight, smell and touch creates a sense of nostalgia and longing within us.

Buy The Coral Bride at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher Orenda Books, pub date 12 Aug. 2020 | Paperback Original | £8.99. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Orenda Books. Buy at Hive. Buy at Bookshop.org.

Read my review of We Were the Salt of the Sea by Roxanne Bouchard.

#PublicationDayPush The Tobacconist's Wife by AnneMarie Brear

Today it's the Publication Day Push for The Tobacconist's Wife by AnneMarie Brear.

About the Author

Award winning & Amazon UK Bestseller AnneMarie Brear has been a life-long reader and started writing in 1997 when her children were small. She has a love of history, of grand old English houses and a fascination of what might have happened beyond their walls. Her interests include reading, travelling, watching movies, spending time with family and eating chocolate - not always in that order! She is the author of historical family saga novels.

Follow @Annemariebrear on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Facebook, on Instagram, Visit annemariebrear.com, Buy The Tobacconist's Wife

About the book

Having lost her father, Thea Goodson is alone in the world.

It is true she has a husband, but Ernie is a brutal man, more inclined to use his fists to keep Thea in line than to build on their marriage. And besides, Ernie Goodson has secrets – secrets that even his wife cannot share.

But in Victorian Yorkshire, appearances must be kept up, so Thea goes on powdering her bruises and forcing a smile as she toils in Ernie’s home and tobacco shop. There seems to be no other option.

That is, until a handsome and well-bred stranger arrives to set up shop next door…

Can Thea escape her misery and break from the conventions of society? Or will the clutches of her abusive husband confine her forever?

Review

Thea is trapped in a repetitive cycle of violence and her fate being controlled by men, as was usually the case in this particular era. Every day she tries to prove her worth to a man, who is neither interested in her or in any profit he could make from her or in her as a wife. She is merely a burden. A favour to her, as he often reminds Thea, saving her from the streets.

Is a roof over her head, food and clothing worth the physical and verbal abuse and resentment she receives. When it comes down to making a choice Thea isn't brave enough to choose what is best for her personally.

She doesn't realise how much her life is going to change when a new neighbour takes over the shop next door. One can only hope it gets better than the humiliation and pain she already has to endure.

Brear writes a story of determination, survival, pain and endurance. The slim shiver of hope on the horizon of a bleak existence, and yet with it a blossoming friendship and love. Fighting against what society considers to be the norm and thereby ignored.

Buy The Tobacconist's Wife at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Lume Books; pub date 12 Nov. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Hive. Buy at Bookshop.org.