BLOG TOUR: The Starling Dance - Lucy Elena

 

In a sweltering Roman summer, Laure is trying to start a new life. But can she manage in a city where walls have ears, trees have eyes and even the birds are acting strangely?

It’s been exactly one year since the shit hit the fan and Laure's anxiety exploded into a full-blown burn out. In search of a new start she’s moved to Rome – pasta, Aperol and sunshine should make everything better, right?

But with her 30s around the corner, la bella vita isn’t going to plan.

1. Her boyfriend, the dreamy Davide, has disappeared (Either Laure’s been ghosted or he’s accidentally fallen off a cliff – hopefully)
2. She wants to murder her neighbours: their arguments are keeping her up all night.

In her local café, Laure meets a handsome stranger and the sparks fly, that is until she finds herself caught in a big lie.

‘Hmmm, it’s not ideal,’ says her best friend Eva, as she puffs on a spliff in the bathtub.

Just as things are heating up, a talking tree enters the fray (as if this Roman summer wasn’t weird enough, just ask the birds).

That tree is Viviano, a dynamic and adventurous street performer who poses around the Eternal City dressed as a tree, well, sometimes a cat too and sometimes a ripe tomato. He could be thriving in life but something is holding him back. One thing is certain though: he wants to meet Laure.

Will Laure find her path? Will she accidentally put pineapple on a pizza? And is there a real love story to be found in the surreal swirls of the Italian capital?

The Starling Dance is a love story full of quirk, humour and heart-warming characters, each trying to overcome their personal obstacles and demons to give themselves a chance at life and love.

What did I think?

The Starling Dance is a fantastic debut novel from Lucy Elena.  It may be quite a short book with 184 pages but it is packed with drama, fun and romance.  

I empathised with Laure right from the start as both the work burnout and the noisy neighbours are something I have experienced myself.  Laure is such a strong character though; it takes real courage to leave your home and start again in a new country.  If only her boyfriend hadn't gone radio silent and her neighbours would give the arguing a break for once.

It is very funny when Laure meets a new man in a café and what starts off as a small lie suddenly spirals out of control.  The lies just keep on growing and with Laure being so sleep deprived, it's almost certainly going to trip her up at some point.

Interspersed with Laure's story, we are introduced to Viviano who is very observant human statue.  Viviano has been watching Laure, not in a creepy way but in a love at first sight kind of way, but he has never had the opportunity to speak to her...until now.  Oh I loved Viviano and I was rooting for him to get his girl.

As well as the heartwarming and unusual love story, there are lots of laughs in the book and just thinking of a particular scene in Laure's office is making me laugh out loud now.  I'm not going to spoil it but the attempt to get a photo is hilarious.

Beautifully written, incredibly entertaining and completely mesmerising, The Starling Dance is a stunning first novel that makes me very excited to see what Lucy Elena writes next.  A very highly recommended read and one that I would like to read again.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the Rachel's Random Resources blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the author:

Lucy Elena is a Londoner with a love of languages and exploring new different cultures. For most of her career she has been a journalist reporting across Europe and Latin America. But she has also experimented with career forays into pasta making (yes, like an Italian nonna) and teaching. Lucy has always loved dreaming up and telling stories and The Starling Dance is her debut novel. When not writing or working, Lucy enjoys spending time with friends and family, trying out new foods and pretending she can play the ukulele.

Social Media Links – 

Instagram: lucyelenabooks

Facebook: Lucy Elena

Tiktok: @lucyelenabooks

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BLOG TOUR: Costanza - Rachel Blackmore

Rome, 1636: In the scorched city of Rome, the cobbled streets hum with gossip and sin...

Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife - until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini, the famed sculptor and star of Roman society, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.

Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza's reputation is at stake. Meanwhile, Bernini has a dangerous desire: he wants to make Costanza immortal. He vows to possess her not just in body and soul, but also in marble.

When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza, she is exposed as his lover, marking the undoing of their affair - and the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society. For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go.

Betrayed. Abandoned. Banished. This was meant to be the end of Costanza's story. But Costanza is no ordinary woman: from the ashes, she will rise...

History calls her a Muse. Temptress. Fallen woman. This is her story. Costanza is a dizzying, sensual novel that brings to life a feminist icon who has been written out of history. This utterly addictive tale of desire and betrayal is perfect for fans of The Marriage Portrait and The Miniaturist.

 

What did I think?

Costanza is absolutely unmissable for historical fiction fans; it is as stunning inside as out, I mean just look at that beautiful cover!  I had no idea that Costanza Piccolomini was a real historical figure until I read the author's note at the end of the book.  Even more astonishing is that this is Rachel Blackmore's debut novel - brava!

The tantalising prologue haunted me throughout the novel and I couldn't read fast enough to discover whose life was in danger and how it came to be.  So I stepped back into 17th century Rome and devoured every single perfectly crafted word in this stunningly breathtaking novel.  

I was completely riveted as I discovered Costanza's story and my heart went out to her when her marriage didn't turn out quite as she planned.  If circumstances had been different, I think she still would have been attracted to sculptor Bernini but she would have been more reluctant to act upon it.  Bernini takes advantage of Costanza's situation and moulds her into the woman of his dreams.  Of course, he is completely blameless when it all goes wrong as he had been powerless to resist seduction by a temptress!

Magnificent, compelling and powerful, Costanza is an absolute masterpiece filled with passion and betrayal and it evoked such fury in me at the way women were treated and often still are.  I really must applaud Rachel Blackmore for giving Costanza such a strong and powerful voice and writing her back into history where she belongs.  

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Born in Birmingham, Rachel spent her childhood in the Northeast, then the Midlands. She studied history at King's College London, where her fascination for women's history took root. After a brief stint in politics, Rachel built a career in corporate communications. In 2021, she was runner-up in the Harper's Bazaar Short Story Competition and won the Irish Writers Centre 2022 Novel Fair. Rachel lives in London with her three teenagers, two cats and one dog.

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BLOG TOUR: Virgin & Child - Maggie Hamand

A genre-busting, gender-bending Vatican thriller. What happens when everything you know is thrown into doubt?

And you’re the Pope?

The recently elected Irish Pope Patrick has plans for his future Church. Then he is attacked in St Peter’s Square. Cardinals turn against him. Shocking revelations threaten his traditional status and his faith. In this novel where nothing is as it seems, Catholicism and modern morality are held in tension. Pope Patrick has to face challenges and make choices he could never have imagined.

 

What did I think?

I was so intrigued by the synopsis of this novel that I just had to read it and I am so pleased that I did as I have never read anything like it.

Patrick is set to make history as the first Irish pope but his tenure may be short-lived when he finds himself in an impossible predicament.  The church will not survive such a scandal but its position is clear so Patrick has quite a dilemma.  Does he go against the church and his own beliefs or does he bring down the church and papacy?

What a dilemma!  It's so easy for people in power to make and enforce rules when it doesn't apply to them, but as soon as it affects them they want to break the very same rules.  It feels like almost every action and thought is a sin in Catholicism, but hypocrisy is more of a sin than the original sin, in my opinion.  I'm being purposefully vague about the highly original plot as it's really one to be experienced for yourself.

Maggie Hamand's groundbreaking novel is beautifully written and completely enthralling.  Brave, bold, powerful and incredibly thought-provoking, Virgin & Child prompts so much debate that I have continued to talk about it long after turning the final page.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Maggie Hamand is a London-based novelist, journalist, and non-fiction author. She was the winner of the first World One-Day Novel cup and her novel, The Resurrection of the Body, has been optioned for film and television. Maggie followed a degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s in Theology with a PhD in Creative Writing, and lectures at the University of Hull.

Maggie has also taught at Morley College, Holloway Prison, and London University of the Arts. She pioneered creative writing teaching in London through The Complete Creative Writing Course at The Groucho Club, and is the author of the best-selling Creative Writing for Dummies and Creative Writing Exercises for Dummies. As a publisher, Maggie founded and ran the acclaimed independent The Maia Press. Maggie’s home is in Hackney, while Normandy provides a writing retreat. For more information visit: www.maggiehamand.com

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BLOG TOUR: Bad (Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know Trilogy) - Chloé Esposito

She stole the life she wanted. Now someone wants to steal it back . . . 

Alvie Knightly may be waking up in the Ritz, but her life is no bed of roses.

Firstly, she has the mother of all hangovers.

Secondly, her beautiful, spoiled twin sister Beth has just been found dead in Sicily - and the police want Alvie for questioning.

And thirdly, Alvie's hot new boyfriend has vanished with every penny of the millions they stole from Beth.

But he picked the wrong girl to mess with.

Alvie will pursue her ex to Rome in a game of cat and mouse that only one of them can survive.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned . . .

But can Alvie get revenge before her crimes catch up with her? 

What did I think?

If I had known that this was the second book in a trilogy, I wouldn't have picked it up but thank goodness I didn't realise this because I have never had as much fun reading a book in all my life.  I think I laughed most of the way through it, often sniggering like a schoolgirl and noting down some of the hilarious names that Alvie calls her boyfriend.  So, as I enjoyed it so much, you clearly can read this book as a standalone and I never felt at a disadvantage at all as there is a quick recap of what happened in the first book to fill in all of the blanks for readers jumping in at book two.

Alvie Knightly is on the run after the suspicious death of her sister, Betta, so she has a really great idea to steal her twin sister's identity.  The police aren't looking for a dead woman, are they?  After getting double crossed by her boyfriend, Nino, Alvie vows revenge and tracks him to Rome - it's fortunate that she installed that tracker on his phone, isn't it?  The scrapes that Alvie gets into along the way had me roaring with laughter and I'm even tittering away now as I think of them.  She is one crazy woman and she's not afraid to go after what she wants...and snatch it from whoever has it, like a spoilt child.

I'm not going to mention the hilarious things that happen, but I have to say that Alvie's decision to get a tattoo and the subsequent inking was one of the funniest things I have ever read.  Whilst a lot of the book is funny, it is also often quite steamy and the sex scenes were a little descriptive for my delicate disposition.  It's par for the course in this type of book so it's to be expected and Alvie is such an extreme character that you never know what, or who, she's going to do next.  There's a lot more to this book than the steamy scenes so I'm loathe to call it 'trashy', however, my fairy godsister loves a trashy novel and I think she will absolutely love this; I'll be passing my copy her way to see what she thinks of it.

Alvie's crime capers almost have a slapstick feel to them which lulled me into a false sense of security, so I got quite a rude awakening at the end...which leads nicely on to book 3.  I'm definitely going to pick up the first book in the series, Mad, to see exactly what Alvie got up to in Sicily and I'm looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy, Dangerous to Know, when it is released in October.

Full of side-splitting hilarity, Bad is the perfect book to take on holiday this year but be prepared for some funny looks as you won't be able to contain your laughter!  

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon


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Author Interview: Q&A with Ian Ross

I was absolutely delighted to receive a treasured signed copy of Battle for Rome from Suzanne at Head of Zeus.  Battle for Rome is the third book in The Twilight of Empire series by Ian Ross but it was the first Roman historical novel that I have read, and I was so impressed that I jumped at the chance to submit some questions to the author.  Many thanks to Suzanne for arranging the Q&A and to Ian for answering my questions.

I do hope you enjoy reading the below Q&A with Ian Ross, and if you want to read the book, head over to Amazon to pick up a copy, and if you hurry you'll get it for the fantastic price of 99p for kindle.

Q: Battle for Rome is your third book. What inspired you to write Roman historical fiction?

A: I’ve always been drawn to the historical background – the idea of this vast empire which endured for centuries and dominated the world, then collapsed into the ruins we see around us today. I’d written a few novels before, but with these books I think I found my perfect combination of interests!

Q: There are so many diverse characters in Battle for Rome. Who is your favourite character and why?

A: Castus himself remains my favourite, luckily enough, although I found the sinister imperial agent Nigrinus very entertaining to write. He started out in the first novel as an outright villain, but steadily acquired more sympathetic nuances as things went on. Of the historical characters, I’d long been intrigued by Maxentius. He’s had a bad press, I think, and several years ago I was actually thinking of writing a novel about his rise and fall. Fausta, Constantine’s wife, remains a favourite though. We’ll be hearing a lot more about her in future instalments…

Q: Battle for Rome is based on an actual historical event – the battle of Milvian Bridge in AD312. How long did it take you to research and write?

A: I usually spend two months on active research and planning for each book, which in this case included a trip to Italy to follow the course of the military campaign and visit the site on the anniversary of the battle (mainly to check the weather!). But I’m drawing on many years of previous reading and research; Roman history is so very rich and complex, there’s always something new to discover. The writing itself took me four months. I always try to plan as meticulously as possible before I start, which in theory stops me running into difficulties halfway through. In practice, of course, things are seldom so easy!

Q: If you had been alive during Roman times, where do you think you would have lived and what would your role have been?

A: I would hope to have lived in Rome itself, and to have been a free citizen with sufficient wealth to live well. The population of the city under the empire were granted extraordinary benefits, and generally seem to have had a splendid time of it for many centuries. More likely, given my background, I would have ended up a slave or a semi-Romanised inhabitant of some rainy frontier province. But even being a slave in the city of Rome wasn’t always an entirely unpleasant fate.

Q: I think Battle for Rome would make a great film or TV series. Who would you like to see playing the roles of Castus, Sabina and Constantine?

A: Thanks! Actually this is difficult for me to answer, as I watch little TV and few films. I have a very clear picture of what all my characters look like, their mannerisms and attitudes, so it would be hard, I think, to try and find actors to fit them. In a way, I would prefer that each reader builds their own ideas of the characters, rather than having them imposed by a casting director. But it would be fascinating, nonetheless, to see how somebody else interpreted the roles.

Q: Do you have a set number of books planned for the Twilight of Empire series? What's next after Battle for Rome and will we be reading more about Castus?

A: There will be six books in all. I planned it that way from the beginning, and had the overall story mapped out before I began the first book. Each instalment I write tends to diverge a little further from my initial plan though, so while the general historical background remains the same, the characters often develop in ways I had not initially foreseen. But the story of Castus will certainly continue, yes. It’s strange, actually, that so many accounts of the Emperor Constantine’s career more or less end with the battle of Milvian Bridge in AD312; in fact he reigned for another quarter of a century, with plenty of drama, intrigue and violence along the way. So there’s a lot more adventure and action still to come.

Q: It must be quite exhausting researching and writing an action-packed Roman epic. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

A: It does tend to be pretty time consuming, yes! But there are perks aside from the writing itself – I’ll shortly be heading off on a research trip to Greece and Turkey, for example. Generally, I travel as much as I can; it’s the best fuel for the imagination, and I love immersing myself in foreign places and different cultures. But even a long walk in the woods can be beneficial.

Q: I'm fortunate to live close to Hadrian's Wall and consider it one of my favourite places to visit. If you could visit one Roman historical landmark anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

A: Hadrian’s Wall’s a wonderful place, yes, and you’re fortunate indeed! I’ve actually never visited Hadrian’s Villa, near Rome, and always meant to, although I suspect it’s one of those places more appealing in theory than reality… Just recently I was reading Freya Stark’s book Rome on the Euphrates, and it rekindled a desire to visit the ancient sites of the eastern frontier, in modern Syria and Iraq. Sadly, of course, that won’t be possible for a very long time, and many of these places have already been cruelly vandalised. Even Leptis Magna in Libya, another place I’ve always wanted to go, is now under threat. It’s often sobering to be reminded, when writing of the violence of the distant past, of the ongoing violence of the present day.

Find out more about Ian Ross on his website - make sure you check out the 'Journal' section for some spectacular photographs and interesting posts.

Click here for my review of Battle for Rome.

Battle for Rome (Twilight of Empire III) - Ian Ross

The Roman Empire is on the brink of civil war. Only Maxentius, tyrant of Rome, stands between the emperor Constantine and supreme power in the west.

Aurelius Castus, promoted from the ranks for valour and loyalty, is now a tribune in Constantine's army. But great honour brings new challenges: Castus is tormented by suspicions that his aristocratic wife, the mother of his child, has been unfaithful. And as Constantine becomes increasingly devoted to Christianity, Castus is forced to ask himself whether he is backing the wrong man.

All know that the coming war will decide the fate of empire. But Castus's own battle will carry him much further - into the shadowy realms of treachery at the heart of Rome itself.

The third book in the brilliant Twilight of Empire.

What did I think?

I've always enjoyed historical fiction and as a lover of Roman history, it's quite surprising that I've never read any Roman historical fiction.  I don't usually like to start reading mid-way through a series but I enjoyed this book so much that I don't think it was a necessity to read books 1 and 2 first.  I'm sure it would enhance the story by reading them in order, but Battle for Rome was immensely enjoyable as a standalone novel.

Castus is a very strong character - he commands the page as he does his army.  Although the book has a lot of fighting in it, and it's no surprise given the title of Battle for Rome, there is the human element of Castus and Sabina's marriage.  As Castus has been fighting across the Roman Empire, it has clearly left a strain on his marriage.  Has Sabina started to look elsewhere for comfort or has Castus' absence left her weak to corruption?

The only time I felt that I was missing something by not having read the earlier books was when Nigrinus was introduced.  I felt that there was some history between Castus and Nigrinus as they clearly detest each other, but there is so much treachery and backstabbing that nobody can be trusted.  I really enjoyed part 3 of the book when Castus is forced to work with Nigrinus and goes on a mission to Rome.  There were plenty of shocks and surprises in store to keep my heart racing.

Ian Ross has written a masterpiece that effortlessly transports the reader from the comfort of their home in 2015 to the Roman Empire in 312AD.  Every clash of sword and shield resounds from each page and, through Ian's descriptive writing, I could almost smell the blood and sweat of the Roman army.  This book has everything you would expect from a Roman epic - there is the opulence and splendour of Rome, power and riches of senators, madness of emperors and the brutality of battle.  I absolutely raced through it and definitely want to read the two earlier books in the series.

Special thanks go to Suzanne from Head of Zeus for sending me a treasured signed copy in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon