Monstrum by Lottie Mills

 

Monstrum by Lottie Mills.

Published 16th May 2024 by One World.

From the cover of the book:

From Lottie Mills, the winner of the BBC Young Writers' Award in 2020, comes this beautifully crafted collection of stories.

A father and daughter build a life for themselves on an isolated beach. But the outside world is pressing in. It's only a matter of time before their secret refuge is discovered.

A young disabled woman opts to receive a perfect, pain-free body. Soon, however, she finds herself haunted by the one she cast off.

A travelling circus master discovers the ideal addition to his cabinet of curiosities: 'damaged', 'grotesque', gifted. He plans to make her the star of his show; she plans to take her revenge.

Monstrum captures the experience of characters excluded by a society that cannot accept their difference. Eerie, fantastical and hugely ambitious, this collection announces the arrival of an outstanding new literary voice.

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Monstrum is a beautifully gothic collection of short stories by Lottie Mills, winner of the BBC Young Writers' Award for 'The Changeling' (which is included in this book), and it is incredibly difficult to sum up the powerful emotions they evoked within me in a short review.

Mills weaves spellbinding themes throughout this collection, playing on the fascination with and fear of 'difference', and exploring aspects of the lives of those who are often excluded from society because of their 'otherness'. Cleverly using the format of traditional fairy tales, speculative horror fiction, atmospheric folklore yarns, and mythological retellings, she challenges you to alter your thinking about what society considers 'normal'. Disabilities become wondrous conditions that tell of hidden magical abilities; the pursuit of perfection leads to macabre consequences; characters are subjected to misguided, or malevolent, attention; and yearnings for freedom, or kinship, create intricately involved storylines that pull you in and compel you not to look away.

These are the kinds of stories that are made up of layer upon elaborate layer, so that each time you read them you find different shades of meaning in her words, and curiously relatable echoes. Some are so eerie that they will inevitably become part of your darkest nightmares ('The Body', for me), and some will have you punching the air as well deserved revenge is served cold, but among them there are also golden threads that hold you in the moment, celebrating connection, warmth, acceptance, and love.

This is impressive writing for a debut author, and this haunting little collection of stories will really stay with me. If I had to pick I favourite, I think it might be 'The Selkie', with its feminist themes, but they are all glorious in their own way. I am so looking forward to following Lottie Mills' career as a writer, because this is a brilliant beginning. 

Monstrum is available to buy now in hardcover and ebook formas.

Thank you to Oneworld for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Lottie Mills was born in Hampshire and grew up in West Sussex, Hertfordshire, and Essex. She studied English at Newnham College, Cambridge, and contributed to Varsity and The Mays during her time there. In 2020, she won the BBC Young Writers’ Award for her short story ‘The Changeling’, having been previously shortlisted in 2018. Her work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 4, and she has appeared on programmes including Look East, Life Hacks, and Woman’s Hour to discuss her writing. Monstrum is her debut book.

For Such A Time As This by Shani Akilah

 

For Such A Time As This by Shani Akilah.

Published 20th June 2024 by Magpie.

From the cover of the book:

A group of young, Black British friends navigate their way through the ups and downs of modern London life, in this richly imagined collection of linked stories.

These are the people who sustain us through good times and bad.

Meet Niah and her friends. They’re young, they’re smart, they’re part of a tight friendship group determined to make the most of every day. And their lives are about to change forever.

From the tingling excitement of a new relationship to the challenges of online dating, from the shadow of racism in the workplace to the isolation of Covid-19, the stories in For Such a Time as This burst with romance and friendship. This stunning new collection is a powerful snapshot of the relationships – and moments – that make us who we are.

***********

For Such A Time As This is a rich and revealing debut short story collection from Black-British Caribbean writer, Shani Akilah. The interconnected stories follow a group of friends as they navigate the highs and lows of their personal and professional lives, and touch on almost every aspect about being young, British and Black in London.

Niah and her friends are smart, ambitious, and intensely supportive of each other as they try to live their lives to the full, and Akilah brings them vividly to life as she shines insightful light on their intimate day to day struggles with relationships and feelings, and the wider issues they face in a modern landscape that thrums with age-old prejudices. 

Beautifully written, each story evokes strong feelings, and throws up a host of topics for you to ponder upon. I defy you not to feel furious about the way Akilah lays bare the reality of ingrained racism that lies beneath lip-service paid to addressing the barriers it presents, particularly when it comes to career progression; the constant burden of wearing microaggressions; and the endless struggle to make your voice heard. There is a lot to think about here.

And amidst all the thought provoking storylines, there is such a spark of warmth that thrums from the interactions between the friends and their family members, weaving around themes of love, loss, identity, belonging, acceptance, and cultural legacy. I took these characters to my heart and felt every moment of their yearning, their sorrows, and their joy. Tears were shed...

This is a stunning book from start to finish, and the way Akilah manages to bring everything full circle is a delight to behold. If you are ever in any doubt that a short story collection can ebb and flow with as much power as a novel, then I give you For Such A Time As This. I cannot wait to read more from this talented young author.

For Such A Time As This  is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Magpie for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Shani Akilah is a Black-British Caribbean writer and screenwriter from South London. She is a book influencer, co-founder of the Nyah Network, a book club for Black women, and was a literary judge for the Nota Bene Prize 2023. Shani has a Masters degree in African Studies from Oxford University. For Such A Time As This is her debut short-story collection.

The Midnight Hour by Eve Chase

 

The Midnight Hour by Eve Chase.

Published 27th June 2024 by Michael Joseph.

From the cover of the book:

Notting Hill, London. One May evening, seventeen-year-old Maggie Parker's mother walks out of their front door and doesn't return . . .

With her little brother in tow, desperate to find her mother, Maggie is drawn into a labyrinthine world of antiques and shadowy figures. There she befriends someone else living on their wits. But can he help solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance?

Twenty-one years later, in a Parisian apartment, Maggie’s phone rings and her hard-won grown-up life shatters. While in London, the new owner of the Parker’s old house is excavating the basement, unaware of what might lie beneath.

Sweeping from bustling London streets, the boulevards of Paris to an old English country house, The Midnight Hour is a thrilling, richly woven story about a golden family with a hidden past – and a woman trying to turn back the hands of time before it’s too late.

***********

Notting Hill, 1998. When seventeen-year-old Maggie Parker's mother does not return from a night out, she finds herself in sole charge of her six-year-old brother, Kit, and at a loss to explain her disappearance. As the days go by, and their mother does not reappear, Maggie is forced to confront the truth that their lives may have unravelled a bit more since the death of her father than she has been prepared to acknowledge. With Kit in tow, Maggie wanders the streets of Notting Hill looking for her mother, where she meets antique dealer Wolf, a young man unlike any other she has met before - a meeting that takes them on a rocky path...

2019. Twenty years later, Maggie now lives in Paris and makes her living as a romance writer. She has regrets, but is more or less content, until a shocking phone call brings the past rushing back. The new owner of the Notting Hill house where she once lived is digging up the basement, and Maggie is terrified of what they might find. She must return to London and face the consequences of the events that brought her and Wolf together, and then tore them apart...

Eve Chase is one of those authors who knows now to write about messy families and secrets to utter perfection, and The Midnight Hour is a delicious showcase of her talents. Unfurling in two timelines from the perspectives of both Maggie and Kit, this novel weaves between 1998, when their mother went missing, and 2019, when the consequences of this disappearance come back to throw the lives of those affected into disarray.

Chase's plotting is superb, with layers of mystery that are peeled back over the course of the story. The little pieces of the puzzle come together ever so gradually, with Chase using the intense relationship that develops between Maggie, Kit and Wolf, in 1998, to explain how it shaped them into the people they are twenty years later. The disappearance of Maggie's mother proves to be the catalyst for everything that happens, flooding the whole book with reflected themes, in the past and the present, about secrets, lies, love, loss, expectation, memory, and how the weight of things unsaid has warped the dynamics of this family. 

The characterisation is gorgeous, beginning with the beautifully written central characters and branching outwards to family and friends who each have an important role to play in how the twists and turns develop. Maggie is especially well-written, flipping between the emotional turmoil of her seventeen-year-old self, as passionate feelings of first love conflict with the fear of her situation, and the grown woman filled with thoughts of what-could-have-been and terror for the future. And Kit is portrayed with such vulnerability that it is impossible not to feel a tenderness for him - something that puts your heart firmly in your mouth in the latter, gripping stages of the book. 

The fear of spoilers prevents me from waxing lyrical about how cleverly Chase manages every single aspect of this novel. With perfect pace, she carries you along on a thrilling tide from the intriguing hook of the opening chapter, to the tear-jerking finish - and I loved the little mentions of the filming of the movie Notting Hill along the way. I consumed it whole!

The Midnight House is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Michael Joseph for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Eve Chase writes page-turning mysteries set in beautiful places, thick with secrets. Her last novel, The Birdcage, won great acclaim and sales and The Glass House was a Sunday Times bestseller and Richard and Judy Book Club pick. The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde was longlisted for the HWA Gold Crown Award and Black Rabbit Hall won the Saint-Maur en Poche prize in Paris for Best Foreign Fiction. Both were runaway Amazon bestsellers. The Midnight Hour is her fifth novel. Her novels have been translated into twenty languages. Married with three children, she lives in Oxford.

The Bedlam Cadaver (Hunt And Hooke Book Three) by Robert J. Lloyd

 

The Bedlam Cadaver (Hunt And Hooke Book Three) by Robert J. Lloyd.

Published 13th June 2024 by Melville House.

From the cover of the book:

In late 17th Century London rich young women are being kidnapped, then murdered. Harry Hunt, formerly of the Royal Society but now a rich gentleman, is falsely accused. To clear his name, he must rely on his abandoned scientific expertise and battle the full force of the British aristocracy.

1681. London cooks in summer heat. Bonfires are lit in protest against the King’s brother, James, heir to the throne but openly Catholic. Rumours abound of a ‘Black Box’, said to conceal proof the King’s illegitimate son is really the rightful heir.

When a wealthy merchant’s daughter is kidnapped and murdered―even though a ransom was paid―the King orders Harry Hunt of the Royal Society to help investigate.

A second woman goes missing: Elizabeth Thynne, England’s richest heiress. Her husband has a ransom letter from the same kidnappers.

Pressured by powerful men to find the killers and rescue Elizabeth, Harry uncovers a disturbing link to Bethlehem Hospital, better known as Bedlam. But he is falsely accused of the crimes.

To prove his innocence, he must find the real culprits. Harry’s search takes him from Rotherhithe to Whitehall Palace, and to the house of Sir Peter Lely, the famous portrait-painter, in Covent Garden. And back to Bedlam. He has the Monarchy’s future in his hands.

***********

London, 1681. Harry Hunt is now living the life of a gentleman, having been rewarded handsomely for his services to the Crown. Decked out in his new foppery, Hunt attends a dissection carried out by his former colleagues at the Royal Academy, only to discover that the cadaver apparently provided by Bethlehem (Bedlam) Hospital is actually the body of his wealthy Bloomsbury neighbour, Miss Diana Cantley. Once again, Hunt finds himself embroiled in a murky mystery at the behest of King Charles II. His task is to get to the bottom of how the body of a young society woman, who it seems had been kidnapped, ended up on a dissecting table instead of that of a Bedlam inmate - even though a sizeable ransom had been paid for her return.

When a second young woman goes missing, this time the heiress Elizabeth Tynne, the evidence points to her having been taken by the same kidnappers who killed Diana Cantley. Hunt beings to realise that there is more behind this business than demands for money: someone intends to railroad the future of the Monarchy, and they will stop at nothing to prevent him getting to the truth - even falsely implicating him in their crimes. Against the backdrop of a sweltering London that threatens to erupt into political turmoil, Hunt must clear his name and find the real culprits before it is too late...

The Bedlam Cadaver is the third gripping instalment of the Hooke and Hunt series, set in the vividly recreated setting of Restoration England (and occasionally further afield). The books can be read as standalone novels, but I highly recommend taking in books one and two as well, The Bloodless Boy and The Poison Machine, as they add wonderful texture to the characters and plot of this third book - and they are cracking reads!

In what is starting to be a pattern for Harry Hunt's life, he is once again landed with the difficult task of trying to foil a plot to destabilise the Monarchy, at the request of charismatic King Charles II. These missions have certainly been profitable, but have got him into more than a few scrapes with danger. This adventure is no exception to the rule. 

In a rollicking tale full of twists and turns, the plot follows Hunt's investigation into the murder of Diana Cantley, then broadens into a multi-stranded mystery about kidnappings, murder, subterfuge with mortal remains, and the hunt for a 'black box' that holds documents vital to deciding the Succession. The inquiry takes Hunt all over a London sweating under sultry summer temperatures, leading him to palaces and parlours; houses of intellectual aspirations and dubious ambitions; and intriguingly, the sinister environs of Bedlam Hospital, in a side-plot based on unsettling fact. And as Hunt traces the threads of knotty puzzles to their shocking conclusions, via lovely episodes in the salons of a famous painter, and on the 'wrong' side of the river, he unexpectedly rediscovers himself under the guise of 'gentleman' he has been carefully trying to cultivate - with surprising developments on the romantic front too.

As in the earlier novels, Lloyd's considerable skill in blending fact and fiction means that Hunt's third adventure is just as spellbinding as I have come to expect from his writing. This thrums with delicious Alexandre Dumas-esque vibes, dripping with politically motivated plots within plots, and shines insightful light on fascinating history about Restoration England - in this instance, delving into the far-reaching consequences of Charles II's wanderings outside of the marital bed, when his illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, made a bid to be named heir to the throne. Lloyd also continues to bring the London of ideas and architecture of this period alive, as it is reborn from the ashes of the Great Fire of 1666, under the guiding hands of famous figures like Sir Christopher Wren and Hunt's close friend, and mentor, Robert Hooke. It is such fun tracing the origins of well-known parts of London that have become landmarks of this sprawling city, and the scientific developments that grew from the work of the Royal Society, and really connects you to the wealth of historical detail Lloyd includes in his novels.

I consumed this book from cover to cover. Lloyd just gets better with each Hooke and Hunt novel, and this is my favourite one yet. His books easily deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the great Andrew Taylor and Ken Follett, so if classy historical fiction is your bag then you really should check out this series. I cannot wait for book four!

The Bedlam Cadaver is available to buy now in paperback and ebook formats.

Thank you to Melville House for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Robert Lloyd, the son of parents who worked in the British Foreign Office, grew up in South London, Innsbruck, and Kinshasa. He studied for a Fine Art degree, starting as a landscape painter, but it was while studying for his MA degree in the History of Ideas that he first read Robert Hooke's diary, detailing the life and experiments of this extraordinary man. 

After a twenty-year career as a secondary school teacher, he has now returned to painting and writing, and is working on the fourth book in the Hunt and Hooke series.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

 

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

This edition published 31st October 2019 by Harper Collins.

Originally published in 1939.

From the cover of the book:

‘We’re not going to leave the island. None of us will ever leave. It’s the end, you see – the end of everything…’

1939. Europe teeters on the brink of war. Ten strangers are invited to Soldier Island, an isolated rock near the Devon coast. Cut off from the mainland, with their generous hosts Mr and Mrs U.N. Owen mysteriously absent, they are each accused of a terrible crime. When one of the party dies suddenly they realise they may be harbouring a murderer among their number.

The 10 strangers include a reckless playboy, a troubled Harley Street doctor, a formidable judge, an uncouth detective, an unscrupulous mercenary, a God-fearing spinster, two restless servants, a highly decorated general and an anxious secretary. One by one they are picked off.

Who will survive? And who is the killer? Copies of an ominous nursery rhyme hang in each room, the murders mimicking the awful fates of its ‘Ten Little Soldier Boys’.

***********

And Then There Were None is the best selling crime novel of all time. Its captivating plot about ten guilty strangers lured to a tiny island off the coast of Devon, and then successively bumped off, is one which has made it a worldwide hit - so much so that in 2015, to mark Christie's 125th anniversary, it was voted the global Favourite Christie novel.

There are many things about this novel that make it memorable: the quite brilliant concept of bringing ten murderers together who have gotten away with their crimes; the cracking locked-room setting; the disturbing ways they meet their ends in relation to the macabre nursery rhyme; and the almost impossible task of identifying the murderer. Only Christie could pull this off, and she was pretty pleased with herself when she managed to her satisfaction.

Ten little Soldier Boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Soldier Boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little Soldier Boys travelling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little Soldier Boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six little Soldier Boys playing with a hive; A stung one and then there were five.
Five little Soldier Boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four.
Four little Soldier Boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little Soldier Boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little Soldier Boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one.
One little Soldier Boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none...

The marks of Christie's genius are all over this mystery. The cast of characters is so beautifully 'Christie' - doctor, judge, detective, mercenary, spinster, general, secretary, playboy, and two apparently meek servants - handpicked from her typical fayre. And yet there is something off about each and every one, as you discover in double quick time in the meat of one her fastest paced novels of all. Her favourite methods of murder all get an airing too.

She creates such a lovely atmosphere of menace on Soldier Island, so near and yet so far from the safety of the mainland , especially when a storm sets in, and the level of fear is curiously heightened in some indefinable way by placing her characters in a stylish, modern house, rather than a creaky old manor. How she builds suspense and suspicion by splitting loyalties within the group is quite marvellous too.

And yet... and yet... no matter how much I enjoy the mystery Christie poses, and despite the well-deserved accolades piled on this story, each time I read this one I find myself vaguely unsatisfied when I turn the last page, and I am not sure why. Perhaps, it has to do with my love of a detective to guide the story and lead you to enlightenment in Christie's novels? For me, this would be so much better with a classic Poirot finger-pointing gathering (albeit with corpses), or a Miss Marple summation over a cup of tea. I cheerfully acknowledge I am clearly in the minority here, though.

In any case, it was lovely to spend time with my favourite of audio book narrators, Hugh Fraser, as I consumed this story once more for my June pick for #ReadChristie2024 as one of her books written in the 1930s. I am looking forward to moving onto Christie's books from the 40s and 50s next!

And Then There Were None is available to buy in multiple formats.

About the author:

Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.

The King's Witches by Kate Foster

 

The King's Witches by Kate Foster.

Published 6th June 2024 by Mantle.

From the cover of the book:

The King’s Witches by Kate Foster is a compelling and beautiful historical novel that gives voices to the women at the heart of the real-life witch trials in sixteenth-century Scotland.

Women whisper secrets to each other; it is how we survive.

1589. Princess Anna of Denmark is betrothed to King James VI of Scotland. Before they can wed, Anna must pass the trial period: one year of marriage to prove herself worthy of being Scotland's new Queen. Determined to fulfil her duties to King and country, Anna resolves to be the perfect royal bride. Until she meets Lord Henry . . .

By her side is Kirsten Sorenson, her loyal and pious lady-in-waiting. But, whilst tending to Anna's every need, Kirsten has her own secret motives for the royal marriage to succeed . . .

Meanwhile, in North Berwick, young housemaid Jura practises the healing charms taught to her by her mother. When she realizes she is no longer safe, she escapes to Edinburgh, only to find herself caught up in the witchcraft mania that has gripped not just the capital, but the new queen . . .

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1589. Princess Anna of Demark is betrothed to King James VI of Scotland. She is under no doubt that she must please King James in the year's trial period that lays before her, but before she can meet her new lord and master she must sail across dangerous seas to reach Scotland. This voyage proves to be more perilous that anticipated and on the way she falls in love with Lord Henry Roxburgh, who has been sent to tutor her in the things she must learn to be Queen. She is torn between her duty and her heart.

With Anna is her lady's maid Kirsten Sorenson, a woman who will accompany her in her new life. Kirsten longs to return to Scotland, where she spent her youth, for secretive reasons of her own. It is important for them both that this new life goes smoothly. Anna must be persuaded to follow her destiny as Queen, and they must do their best to distance themselves from the rumours of witchy goings on in their homeland.

In Scotland, Jura has become a housemaid to the Kincaid family in North Berwick, ruled with a rod of iron by the predatory Baillie Kincaid. Healing charms and potions, taught to her by her cunning woman mother, are a natural part of her life, but when they get her into trouble she flees to Edinburgh. Little does she know that the frenzy for witch hunting that is sweeping across Europe is about to tie her fate to that of the two women from Denmark.

Based on the North Berwick witch trials of the sixteenth century, Kate Foster once again blends fact and fiction to create an epic historical novel that holds you fast from the first page to the last. The story unfurls through the intricate and emotional narratives of Anna, Kirsten and Jura. Through them, we follow the Danish women in their near disastrous journey to Scotland, where Anna's happiness is soured by the realisation that King James is not the man she hoped he would be and Kirsten must do her utmost to protect those she cares for from witch hunting fever, while Jura must fight for her very survival. 

The stories of the three women weave seamlessly together, rife with themes of female expectations dashed in the face of patriarchal power, even though their background are very different. As in Foster's debut, The Maiden, she does an incredible job of giving you a glimpse into the hidden lives of women in history, their notions of love, and the harsh realties of the choices they must make, but this time she also uses their plight to write a stunning exploration of the rise of the witch hunting fever that swept through Europe at this time of political instability. 

Anyone interested in Jacobean history will surely know of James VI of Scotland (later James I of a united realm of Scotland and England) and his obsession with witches, dark magic and devilry, but how did he become so enmeshed in his endeavours? Armed with the knowledge that his interest in witches arose around the time of his meeting with Anna of Denmark, Foster makes an excellent fictional case for the hows, whys and wherefores of the actions that colour his reign, and she does so by way of a story that is spellbinding (if you will pardon the pun).

My heart was in my mouth for almost all of this book, and the way the threads of the women's stories come together is beautifully contrived, slowly revealing the secrets that bind them to each other. There are so many scenes that are difficult to read and will incite you to rage, and Foster uses them all to force you to look long and hard at the perfect storm of fear, political machinations, religious fervour, and cruelty that brought about the deaths of so many innocent men and women - especially of cunning women and those deemed 'difficult'. Superb!

If you loved The Maiden, then you will adore The King's Witches. I cannot wait to see which part of history Foster turns her pen to next. 

The King's Witches is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Kate Foster has been a national newspaper journalist for over twenty years. Growing up in Edinburgh, she became fascinated by its history and often uses it as inspiration for her stories. The Maiden won the Bloody Scotland Pitch Perfect 2020 prize for new writers. She lives in Edinburgh with her two children.

Hedgelands by Christopher Hart

Hedgelands: A Wild Wander Around Britain's Greatest Habitat by Christopher Hart.

Published 18th April 2024 by Chelsea Green Publishing.

From the cover of the book:

In this joyous journey around the wild edges of Britain, Christopher Hart takes us through the life, ecology and history of the humble British hedge, showing us how this much-loved (but somewhat overlooked) feature is inextricably woven into our language, history and culture.

Hedges – or hedgerows – have long been an integral part of the British landscape; a bastion of privacy for our gardens, a protective presence on winding country lanes and a vital hiding place for birds and beasts on farmland.

This man-made marvel is finally getting its time in the sun. Recognised as an environmental hero and a powerful climate ally, hedgerow is now considered the greatest edge habitat on earth, offering thorny scrub, mature woodland, grassland and even wetland. It plays a critical role in carbon sequestration and provides essential protection against the elements.

Hedgelands highlights the hawthorn and hazel of ancient hedges; the abundance of wildlife, from the elusive dunnock to the striking nightingale, the industrious hedgehog to the little harvest mouse; and the free pickings that the hedgerow offers, making it an essential – and delicious – element of any countryside ramble.

Hedgelands will tell you everything you never thought you needed to know about this wild, diverse and rich habitat – and you might even look at your humble hedge in a whole new way.

***********

Hedgelands, by novelist Christopher Hart, is a fascinating celebration of the humble British countryside hedge - which you soon learn is not so humble after all...

Hart begins his journey with an introduction about a rewilding project in Wiltshire, at Underhill Wood Nature Reserve, which involved rejuvenating tired hedgerows using age-old traditional hedge-laying and management methods, and resulted in a wondrous explosion of wildlife. He then uses this exciting venture as a spring-board to extol the virtues of our long-suffering hedgerows to explain why, not just preserving them, but re-establishing them across the countryside is something we should be endeavouring to support.

From the history of hedgerows; to planting and managing them; and on to how important they can be in combatting climate change; Hart gives you a lot to consider. The first thing, and perhaps most obvious factor, is the benefit of a well-managed hedgerow to our native flora and fauna - trees, shrubs, flowering plants, fungi, lichen, insects, birds, small mammals, and amphibians... the list of species who can find sanctuary in its leafy environs is extensive, many of which are already threatened by the loss of traditional habitats. Not to mention the vital importance of hedges as 'corridors' via which animal life can move around the countryside. 

But there is so much more! Hedgerows are an important food source for wildlife, and for us humans too - foraging has become especially fashionable in recent years, and more hedgerows would provide a valuable resource for those who like to go trudging about the countryside. This is before we even get into the nitty gritty of how important they can be in terms of ecological factors such as acting as 'carbon' banks', and ways to counteract the soil erosion and flooding issues modern farming and housing development methods only make worse. 

Hart's enthusiasm is infectious, and this love letter to the British hedge is highly engaging, - especially when it comes to thinking about the things our ancient hedges have been witness to over the years, and the way they are inextricably woven into our social history and language. Parts of this book are a little ambitious for the average suburban gardener, and unless you have an acre or two to spare the details about managing hedges might not be something you will find yourself getting involved with. However, this book really does make you think about how you can improve areas of your own garden to be more welcoming to wildlife in a hedgerow fashion. There are definitely things we can all do, however small. Highly recommended if you love well written nature books that inform just as much as they entertain. 

Hedgelands is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio book formats.

About the author:

Christopher Hart's latest novel is Lost Children, published by Prospero Books. His previous titles include The Harvest and Rescue Me. His historical fiction, written under the pen name of William Napier, includes Julia, and the best-selling Attila trilogy and Last Crusaders trilogy.

His work has been praised in a range of publications, including both the Times Literary Supplement and the Sunday Sport, which is unusual.

He is married and lives in Wiltshire. When not writing he prefers to be outdoors - ideally up a mountain.

Boys Who Hurt (Forbidden Iceland Book Five) by Eva Björg Aegisdóttir

 

Boys Who Hurt (Forbidden Iceland Book Five) by Eva Björg Aegisdóttir.

Translated by Victoria Cribb.

Published 20th June 2024 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

Fresh from maternity leave, Detective Elma finds herself confronted with a complex case, when a man is found murdered in a holiday cottage in the depths of the Icelandic countryside – the victim of a frenzied knife attack, with a shocking message scrawled on the wall above him.

At home with their baby daughter, Sævar is finding it hard to let go of work, until the chance discovery in a discarded box provides him with a distraction. Could the diary of a young boy, detailing the events of a long-ago summer have a bearing on Elma's case?

Once again, the team at West Iceland CID have to contend with local secrets in the small town of Akranes, where someone has a vested interest in preventing the truth from coming to light. And Sævar has secrets of his own that threaten to destroy his and Elma's newfound happiness.

Tense, twisty and shocking, Boys Who Hurt is the next, addictive instalment in the award-winning Forbidden Iceland series, as dark events from the past endanger everything…

***********

Having just returned from maternity leave, Detective Elma is thrown back into the deep of end of police work with a complex murder case to solve. In the run up to Christmas, a missing man in his forties is found brutally stabbed at his mother's holiday home in Akranes, with a cryptic message scrawled in the wall above his body. She and her boss Hörður are hard put to discover why the son of an upstanding and deeply religious local woman has been killed. All clues point to this being a revenge attack, but whether his murder is related to his personal or professional lives is hard to determine.

Meanwhile, Elma's partner, Detective Sævar is at home with their baby on paternity leave, juggling fatherhood and unpacking from their recent move into a house looks directly onto the home of the murdered man's mother. While sorting through boxes, he comes across the journal of a youth detailing shocking events at nearby religious summer camp, twenty-five years ago. As he tries to find out more about the boy's family, he begins to realise that things the boy writes about might have bearing on the recent murder case. It is clear that someone has been instrumental in keeping sins of the past quiet, but Sævar fears that in uncovering the truth he might also be risking everything...

In the latest cracking instalment of the brilliant Forbidden Iceland series, Eva Björg Aegisdóttir takes us back to the small town of Akranes, where everybody knows everything about their neighbours... or do they? Beginning with a chilling prologue that hints at dark sins from the past, this beautifully contrived mystery unfurls from multiple points of view, including that of the murdered man himself, moving between timelines until many skeletons come tumbling out of their closets - set against the dramatic landscape of the country she writes about so vividly. 

Eva Björg Aegisdóttir spins the threads of this story in a way that displays exactly why she is described as the Icelandic Agatha Christie. Like the Queen of Crime herself, the plotting is tight as a drum, motives are murky, emotions are twisted, and their are several mysteries to be uncovered in a masterclass of misdirection. Things are never quite as they appear to be at first glance, and neither are the characters.

The story follows a heart-pounding beat rife with themes about how family dysfunction and covered-up misdeeds lead to consequences that ripple through time to extract a bloody toll on Akranes. Each little piece of the puzzle comes together through the separate investigative efforts of Elma, Hörður, and Sævar, while they contend with the highs and lows of their personal lives. Diverse testimonies, collected evidence, journals, and hunches about things unsaid drive the investigation, and you are kept on tenterhooks as the investigators follow scattered trails of breadcrumbs, until all the icy blind alleys have been traversed on the way to unexpected truths.

Gradually, the guilty are stripped to their bare bones, exposing the vulnerabilities and tempestuous feelings that hide beneath brittle shells. You come to see how their sins have shaped them into the people they are, and in doing so, our talented author explores so many shades of her title, Boys Who Hurt, that it is impossible to cover them all here. Grief, loss, the impact of events of a community, the burden of secrets, yearning for connection, fatherhood, marriage, bitterness, betrayal, domestic violence, the legacy of abuse... all this, and more, comes under her microscope, building fathomless depth into this mystery in a way that it rarely done so well.

Superbly translated by Victoria Cribb, I consumed this book in one tasty bite, carried along on the elegant twists and turns that make this a first class Icelandic crime thriller. Roll on book six! 

Boys Who Hurt is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can support indie publishing by buying direct from Orenda Books HERE

About the author:

Born in Akranes in 1988, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir studied for an MSc in globalisation in Norway before returning to Iceland to write her first novel. Combining writing with work as a stewardess and caring for her children,

Eva finished her debut thriller The Creak on the Stairs, which was published in 2018. It became a bestseller in Iceland, going on to win the Blackbird Award. Published in English by Orenda Books in 2020, it became a digital number-one bestseller in three countries, was shortlisted for the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Awards in two categories and won the CWA John Creasey Dagger in 2021. Girls Who Lie, the second book in the Forbidden Iceland series was shortlisted for the Petrona Award and the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger, and Night Shadows followed suit.

With over 200,000 copies sold in English alone, Eva has become one of Iceland’s – and crime-fiction’s – most highly regarded authors. She lives in Reykjavik with her husband and three children.

The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey

 

The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey.

Published 11th June 2024 by Boldwood Books.

From the cover of the book:

Would you swap houses with a stranger?

Nina has always played it safe. But when her divorce papers come through on her fortieth birthday she decides enough is enough.

She’s always chosen the sensible route, staying in her stable job and marrying her rather boring ex. In fact – she realises – she’s chosen security over excitement for years. Ever since she refused to elope with her first love: beautiful, poetic, thoughtful Pierre, the man she met aged 17, on her French exchange. The only man who ever made her heart race.

Maybe it’s time to take a few risks?

Impulsively she goes online and finds another kind of French exchange… a house-swap. She can’t imagine what French businessman Jean-Luc wants with her terraced home in rural England, but she can’t wait to stay in his beautiful, spacious, bougainvillea-strewn villa on the French riviera.

She’s not just there for the house though. She’s decided to find the love she missed all those years ago. But will Pierre still be the man of her dreams after all this time?

As two lives collide, will love bloom on the French riviera? A gorgeously escapist story for fans of The Holiday, from the bestselling author of A Year at the French Farmhouse.

***********

Nina has spent her life staying firmly within her comfort zone. Her 40th birthday has now arrived, and none of her 'safe' choices has turned out quite how she expected - something made very clear when the anticipated birthday card she opens turns out to be her final divorce papers. It is time to shake up her life a bit and tick off some of those things that have been waiting on her bucket list for far too long.

Reflecting on the past reminds Nina of handsome Pierre, who she met on a French student exchange holiday when she was seventeen, and in a burst of adventurous spirit she decides that a trip to the town where she fell in love might be just the thing to set her on a new path. The ideal opportunity just happens to present itself on a house swap website, so she sets off for a month at a beautiful villa near Nice, while its owner, Jean-Luc, comes to stay in her Victorian terrace in St Albans. Will Pierre still be there? And, if so, could that passionate flame be rekindled?

Gillian Harvey's latest gorgeous, French escapade is a delightful play on The Holiday, which finds forty-year-old Nina picking up the threads of the life her seventeen-year-old self might have had. The story unfurls in two timelines, following Nina's French adventure in the present and the events of the exchange trip in the past that have always stayed with her, which combine to make this something of a coming of age journey for both her forty-year-old and seventeen-year-old-selves.

Harvey floods this book with her trademark themes of friendship, family, and second chances in picturesque France, and the way she explores teenage notions of love is poignantly relatable. There are lovely (and not so lovely) characters to get to know, with storylines that weave romantic suspense and luscious humour throughout - the text and email conversations Nina has with her friends and parents in St Albans, and her lists of Pros and Cons around pivotal decisions are especially comedy gold. But what really makes the story is the relationship Nina develops with tender-heared Antoine and his sister, free-spirited Sabine, in France, who help her on the way to a new destiny. 

This book sums up everything I have come to love in Harvey's enchanting stories, carrying you away on an escapist tide to a warm and ahh-filled ending full of hope. Perfect for snuggling up with on the sofa while the unseasonable rain falls outside. 

The Riviera House Swap is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Gillian Harvey for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Rachel's Random Resources Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Gillian Harvey is a freelance writer and bestselling author who lives in France.

She writes escapist fiction set in France, including bestsellers A Year at the French Farmhouse and A Month in Provence.

The Last Summer (The Wild Isles Book One) by Karen Swan

 

The Last Summer (The Wild Isles Book One) by Karen Swan.

Published in paperback 13th April 2023 by Pan Macmillan.

From the cover of the book:

Summer on St Kilda – a wild, remote Scottish island. In the 1930s, two strangers from drastically different worlds meet...

Wild-spirited Effie Gillies has lived all her life on the small island of St Kilda. But when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, visits, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week she guides the handsome young visitor around the isle, falling in love for the first time – until a storm hits and her world falls apart.

Three months later, St Kilda lays silent as the islanders are evacuated for a better life on the mainland. With her friends and family scattered, Effie is surprised to be offered a position working on the Earl’s estate. Sholto is back in her life but their differences now seem insurmountable, even as the simmering tension between them grows...

Then, when a shocking discovery is made back on St Kilda, all her dreams for this bright new life are threatened by the dark secrets Effie and her friends thought they had left behind.

Opposites attract in this epic and spellbinding novel, which transports us from the untamed beauty of St Kilda to the glamour and intrigues of high society in the 1930s.

The Last Summer is the first book in the Wild Isle series by Sunday Times bestseller Karen Swan, inspired by the true history of St Kilda and its small island community. It is followed by The Stolen Hours.

***********

St Kilda, 1930. Effie Gillies is a fierce and determined young woman, who has lived her whole life on the remote, and starkly beautiful Scottish island of St Kilda. Life is a constant struggle for the dwindling community on St Kilda, and the burden is particularly hard on Effie as the sole surviving child of her widowed and infirm father, as she feels the responsibility to step up as the bread-winner of the family. But Effie is up for the challenge: a better climber has never been seen on the island, something that does not particularly endear her to her male compatriots, and her knowledge of the local birdlife the islanders rely on for survival is second to none.

When Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, and his father the Earl make a visit to the island, Effie becomes their guide for the week. The attraction between her and Sholto is instant, and Effie finds herself falling in love for the first time. But their lives are worlds apart, and when circumstances conspire to part them, Effie's world falls apart.

Three months later, the people of St Kilda are being evacuated from the island to be relocated on the mainland. This means an end to the harsh and traditional lives they have always lived, and most are looking forward to a better future, but Effie is dreading what fate has in store for her when this little community is scattered. Unexpectedly, she is offered a job on the estate of the Earl of Dumfries, which brings her and Sholto back together, but their reunion is not quite as she pictured, and when secrets emerge about the things Effie and her friends have left behind, the happiness she once hoped for seems further away than ever...

Based on real events around the history of wild and remote St Kilda, Karen Swan creates a fabulous character-driven, sweeping tale of love, loss, and new beginnings, set against one of the most fascinating eras of the past. The story unfurls from the aspect of wonderful protagonist Effie Gillies, beginning with a portentous prologue about Effie and her friends, and then spitting between the time BEFORE the evacuation when she meets Sholto, and AFTER when the community is evacuated to the mainland.

Swan layers this love story with luscious detail of life on the island of St Kilda, holding nothing back about the harsh environment the small community battled in order to survive, but also taking care to show the wild and magnificent side of the island and her people. Every character has a part to play in the drama that runs through this book, sparked by the budding relationship between Effie and Sholto, and Swan keeps some pretty momentous secrets to herself that will come back to haunt Effie later in the story...

My heart bled for the islanders when the golden promise of better prospects is tarnished by the reality of resettlement in an environment they were not prepared for, under the uncomfortable spotlight of a media frenzy. Once removed from every aspect of the lives and landscape they are familiar with, there are a lot of adjustments to be made, controlled by strict social boundaries, and coloured by the expectation that they be grateful for the questionable largesse directed their way. And Effie carries you through the conflicted feelings of the community to perfection.

In a delicious turn, Swan then goes on to explore class, money and entitlement is all its 1930s glory, as Effie finds herself caught up in the upstairs-downstairs drama of a grand Scottish estate, where her status as a St Kildan only enhances her position as an outsider. The ripples from events on St Kilda weave through this part of the story, ramping up the romantic and mysterious suspense as the full truth of the gulf between Effie and Sholto hits home, with lovely meandering mishaps and misunderstandings underpinned with themes of jealousy and betrayal - and the most entertaining sideways glance at the debauched decadence of the Bright Young Things.

I am always a sucker for a book that combines a spellbinding story, vivid characters, an intriguing look at the past, and a wealth of social history, and this book does that in spades. There is a wonderful little surprise in the closing moments of the book too, hooking you into the next instalment of the series, The Stolen Hours, which picks up the story from the point of view of Effie's close friend Mhairi. Guess which book is next on my reading pile... I cannot wait!

The Last Summer is available to buy now in hardcover, paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for sending me a paperback copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times Top Three and international best-selling author. Her novels sell all over the world and she writes two books each year - one for the summer period and one for the Christmas season. Her books are known for their evocative locations and Karen sees travel as vital research for each story. She loves to set deep, complicated love stories within twisting plots.

The Last Summer is the first book in her five-book historical series called The Wild Isle Girls, set around the dramatic evacuation of the Scottish island St Kilda in the summer of 1930. It was partly inspired by Karen’s Scottish roots: her father’s family came from Skye, moving to Fort William where Karen was christened and where many of her family still live. Her childhood memories are full of Christmases, Hogmanay and summer holidays spent in the Highlands and she was married there in 2001.

She lives in Sussex with her husband, three children and two dogs.

Under Her Roof by A.A. Chaudhuri

 

Under Her Roof by A.A. Chaudhuri.

Published 13th June 2024 by Hera.

From the cover of the book:

It seems too good to be true…

When struggling writer Sebastian finds a room to let in a palatial Hampstead residence he cannot believe his luck. The rent is ridiculously cheap and he immediately feels a connection with his beautiful widowed landlady, Adriana.

It is.

Things take a dark turn when he finds out what happened to the last lodger. Could this be why the house is a fortress of security, and why Adriana seems so fragile? Adriana doesn’t want to talk about the death and sadness that seem to follow her wherever she goes and Sebastian has secrets of his own.

Now someone is watching their every move and there is nowhere to hide.

This house of light becomes a dark nightmare as the threat ramps up - what does the watcher want? And how far will they go to get it?

A gripping, twisty thriller perfect for fans of B.A. Paris, Shari Lapena and Lucy Foley. If you were hooked by Netflix series You or The Watcher then you will love this.

***********

Aspiring writer Seb longs to able to afford his own pad in Hampstead, but he can never hope to afford the price tag that comes with a home in its leafy environs. His chance comes when he spots an advert for a lodger in swanky house overlooking the heath - the rent is unbelievably cheap, and his prospective landlady, elegant widow Adrianna. is a dream. He has no qualms about moving in straightaway. 

Seb spots a kindred soul in Adrianna, as a person who likes to keep her personal life just that, after all he has his secrets too - but there is something strange about her obsession with the strict security measures she has in place around her palatial home, and the house rules he must follow. 

When he finds out that the previous lodger died under suspicious circumstances, and that someone is watching their every move, Seb begins to wonder what Adrianna is hiding, and whether there is a chance that his own secrets may be exposed too.

A new A.A. Chaudhuri book is always a treat, and having read every one of her thrillers, I could not wait to get stuck into Under Her Roof. The novel unfurls through the narratives of lodger Seb and landlady Adrianna, two characters who have a lot to hide, interspersed with delicious little snippets from our 'watcher'. As they tell their tales, the action moves back and forth in time to pull you into a devilishly devious plot with threads that twist around each other in a slick display of literary choreography.

The tone begins light, hinting at loneliness, family dysfunction, and relationship heartbreak that evokes sympathy with their situations. However, before long it becomes clear that Seb and Adrianna are being sucked into a dark and sadistic dance, in which someone else is calling the tune, and are forced to play an unwilling part in a performance that you cannot tear you eyes away from. Each move and counter move, each touch and spinning turn is precisely judged by Chaudhuri, and as the unsettling feeling of watching eyes and dark intent steal over you, a discordant tempo begins to beat.

Chaudhuri builds the layers of mystery beautifully through the voices of the characters, and uses sinister emails, text messages, and flashbacks to therapy sessions to ramp up the unsettling vibes. She keeps the secrets of Seb and Adrianna close until the final throes of the piece, leading you gently in a direction that has you convinced you know where the story is going, but when the moment comes for the years of guilt, deceit, and jaw-dropping cruelty to be stripped away, I promise you will be knocked sideways.

This book thrums with themes that echo between the past and the present, and in the threads of the separate histories of Seb and Adrianna, and Chaudhuri uses them all to brilliant effect. I would so love to wax lyrical about them, but the fear of spoilers prevents me, so you will just have to read this creepy gem to discover them for yourselves. Dark, complex, and a joy to devour, this is Chaudhuri at the top of her game!

Under Her Roof is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to A.A. Chaudhuri for sending me an ecopy of this book in return for an honest review. 

About the author:

A. A. Chaudhuri is a former City lawyer. After gaining a degree in History at University College London, she later trained as a solicitor and worked for several major London law firms before leaving law to pursue her passion for writing. She lives in Surrey with her family, and loves films, all things Italian and a good margarita!

Raising The Roof by Jack Pepper

 

Raising The Roof by Jack Pepper.

Published 6th June 2024 by Templar Publishing.

From the cover of the book:

Composer and broadcaster Jack Pepper introduces the world of classical music - and its colourful characters - as you've never seen it before... LET'S ROCK!

Take a tour of musical history, and learn your timbre from your tempo, your tuba from your cello and your symphony from your concerto. Rub shoulders with 20 great composers - including child prodigy Mozart, pioneering musician Florence Price and film score composer Hans Zimmer - and find out what it really takes to write a timeless classical hit!

Listen as you read, using the playlist inside, with over 40 classical pieces covering 1,000 years of music. The story doesn't stop here, as Classical continues to influence music today and future sounds.

Informal, funny and written with infectious enthusiasm, this book is sure to inspire the budding composer in every reader and open up this dazzling world of music to new fans.

***********

Something a little bit different today! Raising the Roof is a brilliant new take on introducing the world of classical music to a wider audience, by Jack Pepper, one of the UK's youngest composers and the youngest ever national radio presenter. The book is in lovely hardcover format, and a veritable feast for the eyes with a bold, bright cover, and full-page illustrations by Michele Bruttomesso, which suitably reflect the kind of fascinating and colourful information you will find within about classical music and its composers inside.

Beginning with an introduction that tells you all about Jack Pepper himself, he then goes on to explore what the term classical music means, its history, sound, and different kinds of classical music, before exploring twenty of classical music's 'rock stars' through the ages in more depth (plus a handful of notable mentions) - some of whom you will be familiar with, and many who will undoubtably be new to you (they certainly were to me). The book then rounds off with detail about how classical music influences the music scene today (a lot), and a few musings about what it might look like in the future.

The tone throughout is informative and conversational in style, with lots of humour, which makes it a very engaging read. Pepper has gone outside of the normal boundaries of the kinds of music you might expect to see in a book like this to bring in a wonderfully diverse set of composers too. For a start there are more than a few female composers in these pages, which delighted me - yes, they have always been there, but have been overshadowed by their male counterparts - and there are so many mentions of different musical traditions, and composers from a wide rage of cultural backgrounds; as well as composers who overcame disabilities to write fabulous music.

Pepper uses an innovative way to introduce you to the music he is talking about with suggestions of specific pieces to go in search of, indicated by musical symbols - this makes the book a joyous interactive experience, and brings the character and intentions of the composers alive. You can easily find the pieces of music on-line via streaming platforms or You-Tube, and I recommend listening to them as you go through the book, as it enhances the reading experience no end.

This is a book primarily aimed at teaching children about the world of classical music in an accessible way, but it has incredible appeal for adults too. The recommended reading age is 9+ years, although some of the language used is quite tricky, so I would suggest it is more suitable for older middle grade children who are confident readers rather than younger ones. The format particularly lends itself to use as an adult-child readalong book for you to sit down and enjoy together.  

From Gregorian chants, to traditional orchestral standards, jazz, film scores, and avant garde modern pieces, I guarantee this will open your eyes about the nature of classical music and its influence. You may not like everything you listen to, but even if you think classical music is not or you, there really is something here for everyone, and you are sure to find some composers whose music you want to listen to in more depth. As an adult with a pretty good knowledge of classical music I learned so much in a very entertaining way, and I am sure you will too!

Raising the Roof is available to buy now in hardcover.

Thank you to Bonnier Books for ending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Jack Pepper is one of the UK's youngest commissioned composers and youngest-ever national radio presenters. In his teens, he wrote for the Royal Opera House, Classic FM, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Band of HM Royal Marines, alongside pop, jazz and theatre work that saw his music nominated for a Canadian JUNO Award and performed everywhere from the Royal Albert Holl to the Roundhouse. He has presented for Scala Radio and Magic at the Musicals, and hosts both the musical theatre and classical shows for British Airways.

About the illustrator:

Born and raised in Vicenza, Italy, Michele Bruttomesso is an illustrator that consistently brings a touch of joy to every project he works on. A great punk rock music fan, he came to prominence while still in art school by drawing album reviews for local bands. He has illustrated for magazines, children's books, board games, posters and animation. He's the author of Drengexplosion (2019), an experimental webcomic that mixes cartoon and animation.

Love in Provence by Jo Thomas

 

Love in Provence by Jo Thomas.

Published 6th June 2024 by Penguin.

From the cover of the book:

Escape to the beautiful lavender fields of Provence this summer...

Del moved to the south of France three years ago and hasn’t looked back. She’s found new friends, new purpose, and new love with gorgeous Fabien.

But just as harvest on her little lavender farm is due to begin, Del gets some shocking news. With no time to dwell as she welcomes a new crew of lavender pickers, she unexpectedly waves goodbye to Fabien for the summer.

Usually cooking – the thing she loves best – would help soothe her troubles, but Del doesn’t remember how . . . And then chef Zacharie comes to town, dropping another bombshell!

Over one summer in Provence that’s full of surprises, friends old and new rally round. Can they complete the harvest and pull the community back together? And if Fabien returns, will Del finally get her happy-ever-after?

***********

After three years in the South of France, Del feels like she has found happiness on the lavender farm Le Petit Mas with gorgeous younger man Fabian, splitting her time between the lavender, indulging her love for cooking at Henri's bistro, and enjoying the company of all the friends she has made in Provence.

Just as things seem to be falling in place for Del, Fabian and this little community, the Mistral wind blows in a turn in their fortunes. Out of the blue, bad news arrives, followed closely by Henri's contentious son, chef Zacharie, who has ambitious plans for the bistro that don't include Del, and Fabian is called away for the summer. Del is not sure how she will cope with the lavender harvest about to come in, or with the loss of income from the bistro, and just as she needs to be on her game to feed the pickers who are about to arrive, she suddenly forgets all the cookery skills that Henri has taught her... Can the community of friends, old and new, pull together to make the summer a success?

For her latest lovely, escapist gem, Jo Thomas returns to the story of Del from her earlier book, Escape to the French Farmhouse. But do not worry if you have not read about Del's previous French adventures, as Thomas includes just enough about her past life to fill you in with everything you need to know to immerse yourself completely in this book.

Just as Del thinks she is sailing in smooth waters, Thomas throws a host of new challenges her way, which make her realise that she has perhaps, been spreading herself too thin and neglecting the important things in her life - something she vowed she would never do. As a result her insecurities start to rise to the surface, especially when it comes to the age gap between her and Fabian.

For me, it is the way the new characters among this season's lavender pickers begin to blossom that makes this story - 'digital nomad' Jen, older gay couple Graham and Keith, quiet Maria and her brash Aussie boyfriend Marco, and promising lawyer Ed. Over the course of the book we gradually learn about their own relationship troubles, empty nest worries, and quests for belonging, and in pulling together to support Del they find their own way forward too - not necessarily in the directions they had anticipated. 

As expected, Thomas focuses the themes she writes about so well, love, friendship, finding your way, second chances, community... and of course, food... weaving them through a story that runs the gamut of your emotions. There are misunderstandings and mishaps galore, tense confrontations, and anger inducing rotters to contend with, but everything turns out well in the end with lashings of lovely bonding over yummy food, and Thomas' trademark twist of a reconciliation you never see coming. Ahh...

I took the lavender pickers to my heart (except for Marco) and really did not want to let them go at the end of the story. I really hope Jo Thomas revisits Provence once more, as I really need to know what happens next! Heart warmed, and tears shed... and recipes at the end to keep the delicious French vibes going. All round another winner from Jo Thomas!

Love in Provence is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Penguin for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Jo Thomas worked for many years as a reporter and producer, including time at Radio 4's Woman's Hour and Radio 2's The Steve Wright Show.

Jo's debut novel, The Oyster Catcher, was a runaway bestseller and won both the RNA Joan Hessayon Award and the Festival of Romance Best eBook Award. Her book Escape to the French Farmhouse was a #1 bestselling eBook. 

Jo loves to explore new countries and discover the food produced there, both of which she thoroughly enjoys researching. Jo lives in Pembrokeshire with her husband and three children, where cooking and gathering around the kitchen table are a hugely important and fun part of their family life.

The Island Love Song by Emma Cowell

 

The Island Love Song by Emma Cowell.

Published 6th June 2024 by Avon.

From the cover of the book:

Escape to the beautiful Greek Island of Hydra with this moving novel, filled with family secrets and romance...

Emma Cowell, author of THE HOUSE IN THE OLIVE GROVE, returns with her brand new, emotional and romantic novel set on an idyllic Greek Island.

Hydra, the picturesque Greek island, is a paradise for most, yet for sisters Ella and Georgia, it is a place where their darkest secrets dwell. And now the time has come for them to confront their past as they return to Greece to scatter their mother’s ashes.

Ella is haunted by a love song that was written for her by the man who broke her heart years earlier and she longs to find peace so she can move on with her life.

Georgia pretends everything in her life is perfect, but she is plagued with guilt. If what she’s kept hidden for decades was revealed, their family would never be the same again.

The island is urging the sisters to confront the truth, but can they build a future on the ruins of their past?

***********

Sisters Ella and Georgia have never resembled each other, either in looks, or temperament: olive-skinned, Ella is a free-spirited photographer who travels the world and has never put down roots; while fair-skinned Georgia is a stay-at-home mother who keeps a tight rein on herself, careful to cultivate an image of the perfect, conventional existence. They seem to have always rubbed each other the wrong way, but the shared love of their mother and of Georgia's daughter Phoenix, who resembles her Aunt Ella, has kept them tied together.

When Ella and Georgia's mother dies, they are brought together with a bump. They must set off on a journey with Phoenix to fulfil her last wish - to scatter her ashes on the Greek island of Hydra. Hydra is a place that both sisters have been reluctant to return to, despite spending happy childhood holidays there, because of the difficult memories the island now holds for them - Ella due to the heartache she feels over the musician lover who abandoned her in her darkest hour, something she is constantly reminded of by the hit song he wrote about their relationship; and Georgia because of guilty acts she wishes she could forget. But Hydra has been waiting for their return... the time has come for them to confront the past, reveal the secrets they have kept from each other, and find a way to move on.

Emma Cowell's third enchanting novel, The Island Love Song, returns to beautiful Greece, this time for a heartfelt story on the picturesque island of Hydra. The story unfurls mostly through the narratives of Ella and Georgia, immersing you in the past and present of the difficult relationship that has developed between them, interspersed with delicious little snippets of prose from Hydra that thrum with mythological vibes of Gods and Goddesses looking upon the fate of the sisters from Olympian heights.

It is tricky to talk about how beautifully Cowell weaves the threads of the story without giving the game away, but essentially this is a tale of how the weight of secrets has built barriers between the sisters, resulting in tricky family dynamics that have them taking barbed pot-shots at each other every time they meet. Being forced together on Hydra brings matters to an explosive head, as multiple, shocking skeletons in this family closet start to work their way out into the dazzling sunshine, especially when a face from the past intrudes upon an already tense situation. 

Cowell delves beautifully into the opposing natures of the sisters, with heartsore Ella contemplating 'what could have beens', and a neurotic Georgia terrified of what she might lose, while a wise beyond her years Phoenix sits in the middle. A lot of cleverly contrived drama results, on an island which may or may not have a magical influence on the Greek tragedy-esque spectacle playing out on its stunning rocky stage. Luscious themes of family (both blood and found), motherhood, loss, love and fate echo through the story, which are used to build layers of mystery around decades of secrets, and there are very clever twists and turns to be negotiated on the way to the most poignant of endings. I absolutely adored how Cowell uses music to heighten the emotional content throughout, in suitably pitch perfect style, and the thread about 'twin flames' will pierce you to the very core. 

I loved this story from start to finish. It is Cowell's most complex novel, and my favourite of her books to date. Sweeping, escapist, tender, and drop dead gorgeous. Tears were well and truly shed!

The Island Love Song is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Avon for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Emma lives in Cornwall with her husband, Tony, and their fur baby, a Russian Blue called Papoushka Gerald Cowell. A former actress and BBC presenter, segueing from being paid to talk for a living into writing was a natural progression, since story telling has been at the heart of her career to date. Outside of work, Emma is a keen angler and is attempting to learn Greek to maintain her love affair with the country where she has set her novels. She is yet to achieve a level of proficiency outside of tavernas and bakeries.