+ fiction, gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, review, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, superstition, thriller, twins, witchcraft, witches
The Murmurs by Michael J Malone (Annie Jackson Mysteries #1) revisited
Book two, The Torments, in the Annie Jackson Mysteries is out soon, so I’m reposting my original review.
On the first morning of her new job at Heartfield House, a care home for the elderly, Annie Jackson wakens from a terrifying dream.
And when she arrives at the home, she knows that the first old man she meets is going to die. How she knows this is a terrifying mystery, but it is the start of horrifying premonitions … a rekindling of the curse that has trickled through generations of women in her family – a wicked gift known only as ‘the murmurs’…
With its reappearance comes an old, forgotten fear that is about to grip Annie Jackson. And this time, it will never let go…
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My Review
I adored this book. I couldn’t wait to read it. Really spooky and scary, but the most terrifying part is when we go back in time to the ‘witches’ who were accused of witchcraft, forced to confess and then strangled before their bodies were thrown on the bonfire.
Annie Jackson comes from a line of women who have a ‘gift’ or is it a curse? She knows when someone is going to die and how. But when she tries to warn them, she is treated like a mad woman, even when she is only twelve years old. She can see the person dying, their faces turn into skulls, and she hears sounds and voices which are referred to as ‘the murmurs’.
On the first day of her new job in a nursing home (not the best place to avoid death premonitions), she sees an old man having a stroke on the bathroom floor and dying. Before she goes home, she tries to warn him, but he tells her to go away and leave him alone. It’s just the beginning of her terrifying dreams and visions. She can’t look at anyone, in case she sees their demise.
She tries to find out as much as she can about the family curse, but everyone seems to be keeping schtum. When she was still a child, her mother died in an accident, but Annie somehow survived. She remembers nothing about it and very little of her life beforehand. Then her father dies too and she and her twin brother go to live with a foster family.
As she starts to remember tiny snippets from her childhood, she discovers that her mother had two sisters – Sheila and Bridget – one of whom she met just once. She knew that Sheila was ill.
Her mother is very religious and they attend a church which is almost a cult. (Oh how I love this kind of thing as anyone who has read my reviews will know.) The local ‘pastor’ puts his hands on Annie’s head and tries to get rid of the devil inside her. It’s very creepy. Outside the church, an old woman whispers that Annie should be burnt at the stake. It’s all scary stuff with a gothic feel and a mixture of superstition and a hint of the supernatural.
We are interrupted during the story today, by flashbacks to the witches, episodes in Annie’s mother’s life and incidents of ‘the murmurs’ in Annie’s childhood. For instance she knew that a local girl would be involved in something terrible, but no-one will listen to her.
I’m going to say it again. I absolutely adored this book. It’s just up my street and I look forward to reading more about Annie in the future. I know this because it’s the first of the Annie Jackson Mysteries #1.
If I could offer Annie one word of advice it would be to accept what you see. You probably can’t prevent it anyway, without changing the future as well. While this would be devastating, it would surely be better than telling someone they are going to die and failing to prevent it. Or maybe not. Thank goodness I don’t have Annie’s gift.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours
About the Author
Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. His dark psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and is currently in production for the screen, and five powerful standalone thrillers followed suit. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr, where he also works as a hypnotherapist.
Orenda Books is a small independent publishing company specialising in literary fiction with a heavy emphasis on crime/thrillers, and approximately half the list in translation. They’ve been twice shortlisted for the Nick Robinson Best Newcomer Award at the IPG awards, and publisher and owner Karen Sullivan was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. In 2018, they were awarded a prestigious Creative Europe grant for their translated books programme. Three authors, including Agnes Ravatn, Matt Wesolowski and Amanda Jennings have been WHSmith Fresh Talent picks, and Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, won an English PEN Translation Award, and adapted for BBC Radio Four ’s Book at Bedtime. Six titles have been short- or long-listed for the CWA Daggers. Launched in 2014 with a mission to bring more international literature to the UK market, Orenda Books publishes a host of debuts, many of which have gone on to sell millions worldwide, and looks for fresh, exciting new voices that push the genre in new directions. Bestselling authors include Ragnar Jonasson, Antti Tuomainen, Gunnar Staalesen, Michael J. Malone, Kjell Ola Dahl, Louise Beech, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Sarah Stovell.
Stirling and Quebec, 1900
A tale of blackmail, kidnap and terrible secrets. Of children being sent abroad, and of women trying to do the right thing at a time when they were second class citizens.
How far will Jane Knight and Eliza Frew go to protect the ones they love … and save themselves?
Child rescue and migration are the backdrops to this historical drama that packs a punch.
An intelligent and emotionally rich story which is truly engaging.
Highly commended in the Pitlochry Quaich Historical Novel competition.
REVIEW TO FOLLOW!
About the Author
Elaine Whiteford is a Scottish writer of fiction and non-fiction. She is passionate about local history and women’s social history in late Victorian and Edwardian times. The Rescue Sisters is the first of her historical novels to be published. She has had extracts of two novels published in Gold Dust magazine and short fiction published by Stryvling Press. In non-fiction Elaine is the author of The Story of Stirling Golf Club, a contributor to Wild & Temperate Seas and has had photo articles about scuba diving and marine life published in a wide range of magazines.
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+ audio book, gothic, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, murder, review, secrets, Victorian Britain
The Burial Plot by Elizabeth Macneal
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Doll Factory, The Burial Plot is an unstoppable historical thriller about murder, manipulation, and a young woman trying to wrestle power from the hands of a dangerous man. But he’s always one step ahead . . .
London, 1839. Where the cemeteries are full and there is money to be made in death, Bonnie and Crawford lead a life of trickery, surviving off ill-gotten coin and nefarious schemes. But one hot evening, their luck runs out. A man lies in a pool of blood at Bonnie’s feet and now she needs to disappear.
Crawford secures her a position as lady’s maid in a grand house on the Thames, still deep in mourning for its late mistress. As Bonnie comes to understand this family – the eccentric Mr Moncrieff, obsessively drawing mausoleums grand enough for his dead wife, and their peculiar daughter Cissie, scribbling imaginary love letters to herself from the mysterious Lord Duggan – she begins to question what really happened to Mrs Moncrieff and whether her own presence here was planned from the beginning.
Because Crawford is watching, and perhaps he is plotting his greatest trick yet . . .
My Review
This is no reflection on the book, but I found it quite stressful to listen to at times. It’s because of Crawford. I want to hide behind the sofa. His plotting is just too awful. And it only gets worse. Is there no end to his scheming?
One of my favourite things about the book is the characters. First of all we have Bonnie, who has run away from her comfortable home to avoid being married off to a creepy man old enough to be her father. She goes to London where she meets Crawford, handsome and charming, he coerces her into doing his bidding, as he does his friend Rex (whose interest in Crawford is somewhat unhealthy). In fact they are little more than a couple of con artists, but Crawford has set his sights on a much higher ambition.
Poor naive Bonnie! Once in Crawford’s clutches, her intense love for him, together with being told she could go to prison for things he makes her believe she has done, and she’s hooked. And he has a plan. She is to become a lady’s maid at Endellion, a grand house on the Thames. She will take care of Cissie, a troubled girl who has recently lost her mother, and daughter of Aubrey Moncrieff, the master of the house.
But is that all Crawford has up his sleeve? Oh there is so much more to come and the twists arrive thick and fast, till you are out of breath with the suspense.
There is a fascination with cemeteries in the book, and it is central to the plot. Aubrey is obsessed with building a mausoleum for his late wife, but where will this lead. And Bonnie, now firmly ensconced in Endellion with her ‘brother’ Crawford, has plans of her own.
I loved this book. Gothic mystery is my favourite genre at the moment and The Burial Plot is a perfect example.
About the Author
Elizabeth Macneal was born in Edinburgh and now lives in East London. She is a writer and potter and works from a small studio at the bottom of her garden. She read English Literature at Oxford University, before working in the City for several years. In 2017, she completed the Creative Writing MA at UEA in 2017 where she was awarded the Malcolm Bradbury scholarship.
The Doll Factory, Elizabeth’s debut novel, won the Caledonia Noel Award 2018. It will be published in twenty-eight languages and TV rights have sold to Buccaneer Media.
When Varg Veum reads the newspaper headline ’YOUNG MAN MISSING’, he realises he’s seen the youth just a few days earlier – at a crossroads in the countryside, with his two friends.
It turns out that the three were on their way to a demonstration against a commercial fish-farming facility in the tiny village of Solvik, north of Bergen.
Varg heads to Solvik, initially out of curiosity, but when he chances upon a dead body in the sea, he’s pulled into a dark and complex web of secrets, feuds and jealousies.
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Is the body he’s found connected to the death of a journalist who was digging into the fish farm’s operations two years earlier? And does either incident have something to do with the competition between the two powerful families that dominate Solvik’s salmon-farming industry?
Or are the deaths the actions of the ‘Village Beast’ – the brutal small-town justice meted out by rural communities in this part of the world.
Shocking, timely and full of breathtaking twists and turns, Pursued by Death reaffirms Gunnar Staalesen as one of the world’s greatest crime writers.
My Review
There is a lot about fish in this book. Because salmon farming is one of the staple industries in Norway. A bit like sheep or dairy farming here. There is also a lot I didn’t understand about the difference between wild salmon farming and farm-bred salmon, but it’s the basis for the ‘salmon wars’ and the divide between the factions on either side. One thing it revolves around is salmon lice (which I can’t even think about without cringing), but I’m not going to go into detail. It just may put me off eating salmon ever again.
Varg Veum reads about a missing man and realises he saw him with two young women, a few days before. The missing man was one of a group of demonstrators, protesting against the whole exploitation of salmon farming. He then travels to the small town of Solvik out of curiosity, and heads out to a disused salmon farm with a local man, Aga Edvard, where they discover a camper van in the sea, with a dead body inside.
It’s a well written, excellently plotted crime thriller in the Nordic Noir tradition, perfectly translated by Don Bartlett. It has quite a lot of what I can only describe as throwaway humour, which could easily get lost in the drama, except it doesn’t. It’s also not quite as gritty as some Scandi Noir, so for those who find the genre all a bit gory, Pursued by Death will definitely appeal. The characters have depth and the descriptions are comprehensive, without being over the top. The plot twists and surprises are intricate and intelligent.
Pursued by Death is the latest in the Varg Veum series. I’ve met Varg Veum before (in Bitter Flowers written in 1991) and I liked him as much today as I did then. He’s now 62 years old, so not your average thirty-something cop we usually see in crime novels. In fact he’s a private investigator who was never a police officer. He’s just a regular guy. He does have an ex-wife, don’t they all, and though he likes a drink or three, he’s not an alcoholic, at least not any more. In Bitter Flowers, he’d just come out of rehab.
I wonder if the author has any more Varg Veum books still up his sleeve. I certainly hope so.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours
About the Author
One of the fathers of Nordic Noir, Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway, in 1947. He made his debut at the age of twenty-two with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. He is the author of over twenty titles, which have been published in twenty-four countries and sold over four million copies. Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, starring the popular Norwegian actor Trond Espen Seim.
Staalesen has won three Golden Pistols (including the Prize of Honour). Where Roses Never Die won the 2017 Petrona Award for Nordic Crime Fiction, and Big Sister was shortlisted for the award in 2019. He lives with his wife in Bergen.
Orenda Books is a small independent publishing company specialising in literary fiction with a heavy emphasis on crime/thrillers, and approximately half the list in translation. They’ve been twice shortlisted for the Nick Robinson Best Newcomer Award at the IPG awards, and publisher and owner Karen Sullivan was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. In 2018, they were awarded a prestigious Creative Europe grant for their translated books programme. Three authors, including Agnes Ravatn, Matt Wesolowski and Amanda Jennings have been WHSmith Fresh Talent picks, and Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, won an English PEN Translation Award, and adapted for BBC Radio Four ’s Book at Bedtime. Six titles have been short- or long-listed for the CWA Daggers. Launched in 2014 with a mission to bring more international literature to the UK market, Orenda Books publishes a host of debuts, many of which have gone on to sell millions worldwide, and looks for fresh, exciting new voices that push the genre in new directions. Bestselling authors include Ragnar Jonasson, Antti Tuomainen, Gunnar Staalesen, Michael J. Malone, Kjell Ola Dahl, Louise Beech, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Sarah Stovell.
+ alcoholism, childhood, dark humour, domestic noir, family, fiction, forgiveness, haunting, lies, loss, love, mental illness, motherhood, psychiatrist, review
The Guests by Charlotte Stevenson
They weren’t invited. But they refuse to leave…
Tamsin is being haunted by unwelcome visitors in her house she calls The Guests.
Nobody knows about their presence but her. After confiding in her husband, he left, and she won’t make that mistake again.
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Bloodhound
But now her relationship with her teenage daughter Summer is starting to suffer.
As each day passes, the presence of The Guests becomes harder to bear. They have infected her life and Tamsin needs help.
But just what do they want from her?
Will she be able to face the disturbing truth and banish The Guests, or is she destined to be haunted forever?
My Review
If I said I found the ending hilarious, you’d think I was really weird. I actually told my son about it and he laughed and said ‘I get it.’ However, the opening chapter with the baby crying at the end of the bed was heartbreaking and not one bit funny.
The book was nothing like I expected. The ‘Guests’ are not real in the sense that they are actual living flesh and blood. They haunt Tamsin, but they are not ghosts either. There are three of them and she knows they want something from her, but she has no idea what it is. She knows who they are, but not why they won’t leave her alone. Her answer is to drink every night and get totally smashed.
Tamsin’s husband Alex left her when she tried to tell him about the ‘Guests’. He just thought she’d gone bonkers and walked out, leaving her and teenage daughter Summer to get on with it.
In the meantime, we know that Tamsin’s dad was a really horrible person. He exercised such a degree of control over her mother that they both breathed a sigh of relief when he died. Her sister Hetty is disabled and he found her irritating and embarrassing. He also taunted Tamsin and made her feel responsible for his ‘unhappiness’. Now Alex has made her feel that she is entirely responsible for him leaving. She can’t cope with the guilt.
Tamsin has had enough of being drunk all the time, and wants to be a good mum to Summer, so she visits a psychiatrist called Dr McCabe. He of the colourful socks. He gradually helps her to unpick the truth about her deeply hidden past, and the revelations are shocking. In spite of all this, I still found humour in the outcome. It’s brilliantly written, suspenseful and engaging. I loved it.
Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of #TheGuests blog tour.
About the Author
Charlotte Stevenson is an author born and raised in North West Cumbria. Charlotte studied Medicine in Scotland and continues to work part-time as a doctor. She writes dark, twisty psychological thrillers with elements of psychological horror. She is fascinated by the complexity of human behaviour and the dark depths of the mind. The Serial Killer’s Son was her first novel.
Charlotte now resides in Greater Manchester with her husband, three wonderful children and two rambunctious dogs. When not writing or working, Charlotte is a voracious consumer of audiobooks and has an ever-expanding TBR pile that she has no desire to control. Follow and connect with Charlotte Stevenson on instagram @stevenson_charlotte
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Alfred Hitchcock expert Tony Lee Moral channels the Master of Suspense’s signature style of mystery storytelling in his latest thriller.
When famed curator Giovanni Montefiore’s is shockingly murdered at the Italian Opera in Rome following his bold proclamation regarding the authenticity of the True Cross, there are many suspects, but suspicion falls heavily upon his nephew, Mario Montefiore.
With his American girlfriend, actress Catriona Benedict, by his side, they embark on a perilous quest for truth and to uncover the real killer, leading them through some of Italy’s most iconic and glamorous cities.
But as the body count rises and the relentless pursuit of both law enforcement and paparazzi intensifies, they find themselves fleeing to Florence in search of the True Cross, which they hope holds the answers they need. Amidst the ancient streets of Florence, Catriona assumes a daring new identity, delving into a world of shadows and deception.
Will they uncover the secrets surrounding the True Cross before it’s too late?
The Passion Of The Cross will be published on 28th September 2024.
AND HERE IS THE FAB COVER. SEE YOU INSIDE THE BOOK SOON!
About the Author
Tony Lee Moral is a mystery and suspense writer who has previously published three novels, and four non-fiction books about the works of Alfred Hitchcock in both the UK and US. Find out more via his website: www.tonyleemoralbooks.com
Tony explains: “Alfred Hitchcock always wanted to begin the opening of a thriller in an Opera House and a murder takes place when the Soprano hits the high C. I start my novel with exactly that and the story is very much a homage to Hitchcock’s films with classic use of suspense, characters and Macguffins.”
+ family, fiction, friendship, Ireland, literature, loss, love, review
Heart Be At Peace by Donal Ryan
A stunning lyrical novel from the Number one bestselling author Donal Ryan about love, loss, hope and connection.
2019. Small town rural Island. 21 voices.
A standalone novel that can also be read as a companion to Donal Ryan’s multi-award-winning bestseller, The Spinning Heart, voted ‘The Irish Book of the Decade’
‘I said it before. Madness comes circling around. Ten-year cycles, as true as the sun will rise…’
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Some things can send a heart spinning; others will crack it in two.
In a small town in rural Ireland, the local people have weathered the storms of economic collapse and are looking towards the future. The jobs are back, the dramas of the past seemingly lulled, and although the town bears the marks of its history, new stories are unfolding.
But a fresh menace is creeping around the lakeshore and the lanes of the town, and the peace of the community is about to be shattered in an unimaginable way. Young people are being drawn towards the promise of fast money whilst the generation above them tries to push back the tide of an enemy no one can touch…
My Review
Because I didn’t read the first book, I didn’t know any of the characters. And there are a lot of them – 21 to be precise. So initially I was massively confused and I have to admit, overwhelmed by the bad language. I’m not a prude, but there is a limit. But then I have no experience or point of reference. I soon realised that these musings would be realistic. Gosh that makes me sound like such a snob.
However, as I read on, it all began to change. There was now real depth to Bobby, his wife Triona, best mate Seanie, is-she-a-witch Lily, her granddaughter Millicent etc that I didn’t expect. Lily was by far my favourite character. I felt so sad for her. Suddenly I became truly invested, and needed to find out what was going to happen.
Sadly, just as the town is starting to recover and get back to normal, there is a new evil emerging. It all revolves around drugs and the dealers who are destroying communities. Dealers like Augie, who has drawn Millicent into his depraved world. But she is too young and naive to see it. His treatment of her is unbelievable. Something has to be done. But are vigilantes ever justified?
The ending was a real shock, even more so as I was certain it would be someone else. And Triona’s last chapter had me in tears. A wonderful book.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours
About the Author
Donal Ryan is an award-winning author from Nenagh, County Tipperary, whose work has been published in over twenty languages to major critical acclaim. The Spinning Heart won the Guardian First Book Award, the EU Prize for Literature (Ireland), and Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards; it was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize, and was voted ‘Irish Book of the Decade’. His fourth novel, From a Low and Quiet Sea, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2018, and won the Jean Monnet Prize for European Literature. His novel, Strange Flowers, was voted Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, and was a number one bestseller, as was his most recent novel The Queen of Dirt Island, which was also shortlisted for Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. Donal lectures in Creative Writing at the University of Limerick. He lives with his wife Anne Marie and their two children just outside Limerick City.
+ adoption, charity, female friendship, fiction, friendship, Historical fiction, loss, love, memory, motherhood, rape, review, secrets, Victorian Britain
The House of Hope by Joanne Clague
In the dead of night, a young woman is found on the doorstep of the House of Help for Friendless Girls… Winter 1885.
Matron Hetty Barlow suspects Hope is lying when she claims to be suffering from amnesia. The girl is taken in, but it isn’t long before her pregnancy is discovered, which could put the future of the house – a new experiment in dealing with destitute women – in jeopardy. Hetty’s future depends on keeping her position as matron.
They named her Hope, but Emma Hyde knows she can’t keep up her deception forever. She’s hundreds of miles away from home, but her well-to-do parents will be searching for her.
Amelia yearns to break away from her overbearing sister, Hetty. She meets a man who offers an escape, but her ticket to freedom means revealing Emma’s secrets. Will she betray a friend for a chance at a new life?
My Review
I really enjoyed reading this with my book club, The Pigeonhole, but expected something a bit more raw and gritty. Even though Hope’s assault that caused her to arrive at the House of Help was horrific, it was – together with the experiences of the other girls – a bit sanitised, as if this were a BBC2 drama shown before the watershed.
Having said that, I still loved it, though it didn’t make me cry or feel the dirt under my fingernails, or relive the pain of childbirth. And they didn’t have the luxury of the pain relief that we have today.
Emma Hyde, now known as Hope, is obviously a well-brought up, educated, refined young woman, claiming to have amnesia. But Matron Hetty, who is carrying secrets of her own, is certain she’s lying, as does her younger sister Amelia. There’s too much that doesn’t fit, and Hope isn’t that good at keeping up the charade.
Over time, Hope’s education and experience become invaluable to the women of the house. She can read letters, organise outings, and even run evening classes to help those who want to learn to read and write. In fact she’s happier than she’s ever been. Her life has meaning.
It’s not long into the story before we discover why she’s ended up here – she’s pregnant – but by whom, and why did she arrive in such a state? The reader knows far more than the women of the house, but Hope can’t tell anyone in her real family, because they wouldn’t believe her.
An overall enjoyable read, and certainly a good one to read with fellow Pigeons, or with friends at your book club. And Hope, Amelia and Hetty will leave you wanting more.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author, and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
About the Author
Joanne Clague has worked in print, radio and broadcast journalism in the north west for the past three decades. Born and raised in Sheffield, Joanne lives in the coastal village of Laxey in the Isle of Man with her husband, children, dogs and other assorted wildlife. She is now a full-time writer of historical fiction set in nineteenth century Sheffield.
If you could be anything, what would you be?
Imagine being a seed, a tiny, pocket-sized seed. You could grow anywhere!
Perhaps in a lush, green meadow or in the middle of a well-walked path. You could settle in an old and forgotten pot or by your school’s front door. Or maybe somewhere entirely different!
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A fascinating subject to explore with children, encouraging thought-provoking conversations with infinite possibilities to consider and imagine. Delve into the rich world of words and be amazed by the beautiful and relentless power of nature.
My Review
This little book is just fabulous. It’s poetic and inspiring and Alex Garcia’s illustrations are breathtakingly beautiful in their simplicity. You can see an example of the watercolours and the text below.
But if you were to settle in a meadow…
You could grow.
You could grow amongst a hundred million others.
There would be, of course, the elements to be weary of and
worried, but together you could create a scene of wonders.
You could surely grow.
The book allows children, parents, grandparents (like me) and teachers to discuss the possibilities of life, imagination and the power of nature. Will you grow up to be contained in a pot (nothing wrong with that by the way) or do you want to take risks by the side of the road? Like in the poem, how wonderful to grow in a field amongst your like-minded ‘friends’ and help the bees and other insects and the planet (that’s my take on it anyway).
Or you could grow by the school where:
You would inspire and become the sparkle of brilliant ideas,
the warmest.
Your days will be filled with giggles, a splendid children’s
choir and everyone’s future desires.
There is so much more. The ideas just lovely and creative and limitless. Can you think of anywhere else you would like to grow? Maybe on the sand dunes near to the sea or in your own back garden or in the window box of a penthouse flat with a view for miles around.
I can’t wait to read it to my granddaughters next time they are here.
Many thanks to @ZooloosBT for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the Author
Born in Mexico City, Claudia is a keen traveller and a passionate educator. She began her career in teaching soon after becoming a mother. In the summer of 2015, while living in a charming old village house in the south of England, her decade-long idea of writing children’s books started to take shape and the idea of stepping into someone or something else’s journey through life, started to emerge.
As an educator, she has always tried to push the boundaries of language and imagination by providing exciting, ambitious vocabulary and ideas to children – as she believes there’s no better age to do so. She hopes to tap into children’s wondrous creativity and provide a way for parents, teachers and carers to rocket children’s imaginations with the beautiful world of words.
About The Illustrator
Alex Garcia began his artistic career at a young age. A playwright, director and actor in his early twenties, he produced thought-provoking theatre in Mexico City. Alex is a self-taught painter who began experimenting with watercolours a decade ago. He had his first watercolour exhibition in 2018 at V&S Gallery in the city of Mexico, where many of his pieces were highly sought after.
Alex has stepped out of his comfort zone with rigour and enthusiasm as an illustrator for the first time with this book. How happy we are that he has risen to the challenge! Alex lives in Mexico City with his beautiful wife, Anabeli, where he teaches English Language at University and paints for pleasure in his spare time.
+ Dogs, fiction, friends, friendship, grief, literature, loss, love
LJ Ambrosio Reflections of Michael Q&A
In Book One ‘A Reservoir Man’ we were introduced to Michael. Everywhere Michael turned he saw a Reservoir Man.
Michael’s endless trials of survival included sexual assault, the Vietnam War, an arrest in Spain, Hollywood scandal, the AIDS outbreak, 9/11 and beyond.
If only Michael could have found the one thing he valued most, his freedom. Michael’s coming-of-age was tarnished by many, but the courage to live his truth may have just kept Michael one step ahead…or would he succumb to the embraces of a Reservoir Man?
In Book Two ‘Reflections On The Boulevard’ Michael’s story continues from ‘A Reservoir Man’ where we find him teaching at a university ready to retire. He unexpectedly meets a young man named Ron who becomes his protégé and journeys with him in a haphazard adventure throughout America and Europe. In Michael’s final journey in life, each twist and turn of the road brings unexpected adventures. The journey taken is one of joy, friendship, and discovery.
In the final chapter ‘Exiles’, Ron’s story concludes from ‘Reflections on the Boulevard’.
Michael’s wish was for Ron to exile himself in the heart of Paris with its beautiful culture and citizens as they protest and fight for the soul of the city.
Ron’s journey is met with life-affirming friendships and lessons along the way. It’s the final book in the ‘Reflections of Michael Trilogy’.
I have read and reviewed all three books in the series, and I had some questions for the author, particularly about Rhonda, my favourite character.
Q&A
- Is Rhonda based on a real dog? If so, did she eat cheese and ham sandwiches?
I have had 14 rescue dogs in my life having a great relationship with all. Rhonda is based on all. Yes, one of my dogs ate turkey and cheese. - Where did you get the inspiration for Michael? Ron? Louise?
My life was my inspiration as were the people that were close to me. I tried to understand their pain, their attempt to have joy and peace. - Do you have a favorite of the three characters –
Lily and Louie are equally favorites of mine, I enjoyed them slowly understanding love. Being free is so important and so is experiencing all the different parts of life that help you grow as a person. - Are any or all of them based on people you know? Do you take inspiration from real life?
No, the first book had real people in them. My other novels had elements of people who I know and elements from myself. - How important is setting in your books?
Location is especially important in my book ‘Exiles’ for my characters. The urban setting in ‘Reservoir Man’ is extremely important. ‘America’ in ‘Reflections on the Boulevard’ is important in celebrating nature and God. - Where do you write? Do you have an office, or do you go out to a cafe, for instance?
I have a great office, with all the windows looking at a huge lawn and lots of plants. Every morning, I watch the birds in the bird house. It makes me feel at peace. - Do you listen to music while you write? Or do you prefer total silence?
From Leonard Cohen, Donna Summers, ZAZ is a great French signer and of course Piaf. The music prevents thoughts that have nothing to do what i am writing and some inspiration for their sound. - What sort of books did you read as a child, and what is your favorite book ever (adult or child)? You can have more than one!
Never read as a child—I was a bad student until high school where i still did not read. My favorite novel is Catcher in the Rye (JD Salinger) – also On the Road (Jack Kerouac) and Death in Venice (Thomas Mann). But when i started to read i did not stop—found so much of myself for my Rite of Passage. I took my pen name to honor JD SALINGER – LJ AMBROSIO. He started the ball rolling.
Competition
L.J. Ambrosio will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card, a dragonfly necklace, or a second dragonfly necklace, to three randomly drawn winners via Rafflecopter during the tour, and a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn host.
Many thanks to Goddess Fish Promotions and the author for inviting me to be part of the ‘Reflections of Michael’ tour.
About the Author
Louis J. Ambrosio ran one of the most nurturing bi-coastal talent agencies in Los Angeles and New York. He started his career as a theatrical producer, running two major regional theaters for eight seasons. Ambrosio taught at seven universities. Ambrosio also distinguished himself as an award-winning film producer and novelist over the course of his impressive career.
Buy Links
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Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/exiles-65
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Exiles-Reflections-Michael-Trilogy-Ambrosio/dp/B0CZHY93GQ/ref=sr_1_1
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+ abuse, alcoholism, child abuse, childhood, dark humour, female friendship, fiction, murder, Psychological fiction, revenge, review, secrets, thriller, twins
Don’t Tell A Soul by Jessica Huntley
She thinks she’s safe. She couldn’t be more wrong.
Elle, desperate to escape her abusive home, runs away to a seemingly cute small town where she gets a job as a waitress. And meets Vera, who offers her an attic room in her large house.
For the first time in years, Elle feels something like contentment as she bonds with Vera who becomes almost like a mother to her. Blossoming, Elle slowly begins to piece her life back together, make new friends and stand on her own two feet.
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But all is not as it seems.
Because this old house contains a dark secret. And much as she cares for Elle, Vera will do anything to protect it. That’s why she’s warned her young tenant that she must never, ever go down to the basement.
But Elle doesn’t obey this simple rule and when she sees what’s down there, she finally understands that her lovely new life is actually the gateway to a special kind of hell...
My Review
I love a book that is set in the area where I live. I’m going to assume that Barrow-on-the-Water is based on Bourton-on-the-Water, just down the road from me. I have been there so many times – last time about two weeks ago. Who knew there was so many sinister things going on behind the frilly curtains, coffee shops and antique dealerships. It’s a hive of tourist activity, cute, and chocolate box pretty.
So this is the place where 17-year-old Elle ends up, having run away from her abusive father. Here she meets Vera, also abused by her father, but rather than running away, Vera and twin brother Kevin had a different way of dealing with things. Having found a job in a cafe, Elle takes the attic room at Vera’s run-down spooky house. There are only a couple of rules including don’t go down in the basement, Well. we all know what that means!
I am not easily shocked, but some of the things that happened twenty years ago are so horrific, that even I had to take a break. It’s all very gory and descriptive, but who do we believe? There’s a massive twist part way through, but I still wasn’t sure what was going on.
Well written, tense and shocking, it’s a real page turner and I loved it. The characters of Vera particularly, together with Elle and Kevin are perfectly fleshed out, and then there’s Hamilton the dog at the first place Elle stays before meeting Vera. There’s an element of dark humour, which I love in these types of stories – it prevents the horror from being too overwhelming, though one wonders how anyone can find humour in something so dark.
Many thanks to @ZooloosBT for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the Author
Jessica Huntley is an author of dark and twisty psychological thrillers, which often focus on mental health topics and delve deep into the minds of her characters. She has a varied career background, having joined the Army as an Intelligence Analyst, then left to become a Personal Trainer. She is now living her life-long dream of writing from the comfort of her home, while looking after her young son and her disabled black Labrador. She enjoys keeping fit and drinking wine (not at the same time). This is her first psychological thriller with Inkubator Books.
Jessica’s Social Media
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Website: http://www.jessicahuntleyauthor.com
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Book Links
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/215947499-don-t-tell-a-soul
Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/donttellasoul-zbt
The original musical about the Suffragists who fought and won the right to vote for women!
19: The Musical is the dynamic and little-known story of Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, Susan B. Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt, Inez Milholland and the other suffragists who fought to get women the right to vote – The 19th Amendment.
The inspirational story of these fearless women is brought to life through jazz, traditional musical standards style, spoken word, and hints of gospel. Alice Paul and the suffragist’s fight for equality have been re-imagined for a new generation with a poignant and uplifting message that will resonate for years to come.
My Review
I wonder whether I would have joined these women if I had been alive back then? Would I have been brave enough? I doubt it. Yes I would have marched, but they were subjected to some terrible things. When Alice Paul goes on hunger strike in prison she is force fed with raw eggs, a nurse (albeit reluctantly) being ordered to hold her mouth open so the eggs can be rammed down her throat. Would I even have had the courage to refuse to hold her mouth open? Because standing by and doing something you don’t believe in is as bad as those giving the orders. But that’s an argument for another day.
Alice Paul, Ida B Wells, Carrie Chapman Catt, Lucy Burns, Inez Milholland (oh my God when she dies) and Susan B Anthony are the forgotten women who suffered for their cause at the turn of the last century until the suffrage bill was ratified in 1920. Without them American women would not have the vote. I’m surprised Donald Trump doesn’t want to take it away from them. But again I digress.
Here in England the Pankhursts and Emily Wilding Davison (who famously threw herself under the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby) for instance, are household names. They’ve made films and documentaries about them. The names I’ve listed above maybe household names in America – I’m afraid I don’t know.
19 The Musical (named after the 19th amendment) is a combination of the spoken word and songs in both the Jazz and Soul genres with a touch of Gospel. I particularly liked the songs in Act 1 Scene 19 ‘At Last Free’ and Act 2 Scene 4 the ‘Victory’ song. Also the amazing ‘Reclaiming My Time’ at the end. All the singers are very strong and some play multiple parts which I didn’t realise until the end credits.
I’d love to see it live on stage with all the costumes and sets. It would be fantastic. Of course it’s a true story and we can thank these courageous women for what they gave us, both here in the UK and in the US.
Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of #19TheMusical blog tour.
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