BLOG TOUR: Heart of Stone - John Jackson

I had the pleasure of meeting John Jackson recently and, as a fan of histfic, my ears pricked up when he told me he had written an historical novel.  As I was remaining in Newcastle from afternoon to evening, I had a self-imposed book buying ban but luckily there was an upcoming blog tour that I could join, so I am thrilled to release my review for the tour.

Genre: Historic Fiction

Release Date: 24^th October 2017

Publisher: Crooked Cat Books

Dublin, 1730

When young and beautiful Mary Molesworth is forced to marry Robert Rochfort, widowed heir to the earldom of Belfield, she finds that her idea of love is not returned. Jealous, cruel and manipulative, Robert ignores her after she has provided him with a male heir, preferring to spend his nights with his mistress. Power-hungry, Robert builds up a reputation that sees him reach for the highest positions in Ireland. 

Caught in an unhappy marriage, Mary begins to grow closer to Robert’s younger brother, Arthur. Acknowledging their love for each other, they will risk everything to be together. But Robert’s revenge threatens their lives and tears them apart. 

Will Mary and Arthur find a way to escape Robert’s clutches? 

Based on real events, Heart of Stone is a tale of power, jealousy, imprisonment, and love, set in 1740s Ireland.

What did I think?

John Jackson has based his debut novel on his real ancestors and states that, as a work of fiction, this is the story that he thinks they should have had.  The real Robert Rochfort can even be seen on the cover of the book, and I think perhaps that John has put him on there so that many readers can stick pins in him!  Robert Rochfort is an odious, officious man!  He did anything he wanted and treated people like dirt, simply because he could.  His answer whenever challenged was: 'because I can.'  As the first born son, he lorded over and envied his brothers: Arthur and George.

When Robert finds himself widowed and without an heir, he arranges to marry young and beautiful Mary Molesworth.  I thought of her a bit like Cinderella as her father clearly loves her but her (wicked) step-mother wants rid of her so she can concentrate on marrying off her own daughters.  Mary thought she was happy on her wedding day until she locks eyes with Robert's brother, Arthur.  In that one precious moment, she fell in love.  How cruel to fall in love on your wedding day, but not with your husband.  Mary is a respectable young woman, so she does her duty and, after bearing him a daughter, produces an heir for Robert.  Robert now has what he wants so drops Mary and spends all his time with his mistresses.  Trapped in a loveless marriage, Mary's eyes once again catch those of Arthur and she finds that her feelings are mirrored in his eyes.  They begin a very dangerous liaison, knowing that they will face the full force of Robert's fury should they ever be found out.

As this story is based around fact, it makes it so much more emotional.  The fate awaiting Arthur and Mary would melt even the coldest heart, although it didn't even chip Robert's Heart of Stone.  Robert is a cold and jealous man, who treats people like his property and has no concern for their feelings.  His jealousy for his brothers, especially George who inherited the family home, had me absolutely mesmerised and eventually in stitches.  You will not even believe the lengths Robert will go to in order to get one over on George and that part of the story is true!

The writing is impeccable; it is engrossing and authentic and the fact that it is based on real people makes it a superb read.  I do hope John Jackson has more stories up his sleeve as Heart of Stone was so hard to difficult to put down and I wouldn't hesitate to read more of John's books.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon UK

Buy it from Amazon US

About the author:

Following a lifetime at sea, John Jackson has now retired and lives in York and has now turned his hand to writing fiction.

An avid genealogist, he found a rich vein of ancestors. They included Irish peers, country parsons, and army and navy officers. They opened up Canada and Australia and fought at Waterloo.

John is a keen member of the Romantic Novelists Association and graduated through their New Writers Scheme. He is also a member of the Historic Novel Society and an enthusiastic conference-goer for both.

He describes himself as being "Brought up on Georgette Heyer from an early age, and, like many of my age devoured R L Stevenson, Jane Austen, Edgar Allen Poe and the like."

His modern favorite authors include Bernard Cornwell, Simon Scarrow, Lindsey Davis, Liz Fenwick and Kate Mosse.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=597036631

Twitter: @jjackson42

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17103004.John_Jackson?from_search=true

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john5642/

Blog: https://johnjacksonauthor.com/

Broken Branches - M. Jonathan Lee

Family curses don't exist.  Sure, some families seem to suffer more pain than others, but a curse?  An actual curse?  I don't think so.

A family tragedy was the catalyst for Ian Perkins to return to the isolated cottage with his wife and young son.  But now they are back, it seems yet more grief might befall the family.

There is still time to act, but that means Ian must face the uncomfortable truth about his past.  And in doing so, he must uncover the truth behind the supposed family curse.

What did I think?

Whoa!  What have I just read?  Part ghost story, part psychological thriller - it certainly kept me on my toes right to the very end.  Welcome to the Perkins family, who appear to have a curse hanging over them which takes their first born sons.  Only by investigating the family tree will Ian Perkins get to the root of the curse and save his family from certain doom.

Ian inherited Cobweb Cottage under unfortunate circumstances.  Being back at the cottage with his wife and young son brings back memories of his youth.  A youth where he had a brother and an uncle, both since erased from the family tree.  The only constant being the sycamore tree that looms menacingly on the front lawn, seeing everything but not revealing its secrets.  The tree plays such a pivotal role in the story that it's almost a character in its own right, and is it wrong of me to say that it was my favourite character?  Even thinking of it now gives me goosebumps!

Broken Branches really plays with your mind as you see the curse being played out in front of your eyes.  Ian is frantically researching the family tree to get to the root of the problem, but can he save his own son from the destiny that awaits him?  I called Ian's sanity into question many a time, as his wife has a lock on her bedroom door and he sees strange apparitions in the night.  How much is real and how much is insanity?  That's for the reader to decide, after you release the breath you didn't realise you had been holding throughout the last few paragraphs.  Broken Branches is one mighty fine book and I heartily recommend it, as I flick through M. Jonathan Lee's back-catalogue wondering what to read next.  This is Quality writing with a capital 'Q'!

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Blood Detective - Dan Waddell

I joined this blog tour at the last minute but I think that fate played a hand as this is an AMAZING book and I am so pleased that I have read it so I can share my thoughts with you.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom of my post to win your very own e-copy of this brilliant book!

Genre: Crime

Release Date: 28/02/2017

Nominated for the CWA New Blood Dagger in the UK and Macavity First Book award in the USA, and winner of the Prix Cezam Littéraire.

As dawn breaks over London, the body of a young man is discovered in a Notting Hill churchyard. The killer has left DCI Grant Foster and his team a grisly, cryptic clue. It's not until the clue is handed to Nigel Barnes, a specialist in compiling family trees, that the full message becomes spine-chillingly clear. It leads Barnes back more than one hundred years – to the victim of a demented Victorian serial killer. When a second body is discovered Foster needs Barnes's skills more than ever. The murderer's clues appear to run along the tangled bloodlines that lie between 1879 and now. And if Barnes is right, the killing spree has only just begun . . .

The Blood Detective is a haunting crime novel of blood-stained family histories and gruesome secrets.

What did I think?

A couple of years ago I decided to trace my family tree and it is such an addictive hobby, in fact it is almost as addictive as this amazing book!  The Blood Detective is so fast-paced that I absolutely whizzed through it in no time at all with my heart pounding at a million miles per hour as it approached the gripping sweaty-palmed conclusion.  You definitely don't need any interest in, or prior knowledge of, genealogy to enjoy it as it is such a brilliant piece of crime fiction in its own right.

I loved all 3 of the main characters: DCI Grant Foster, who doesn't want to close his eyes for fear of missing the killer, his right hand woman, DS Heather Jenkins, and tweed wearing genealogist Nigel Barnes.  Foster and Jenkins work brilliantly together, it feels like they have know each other for years and can almost second guess what the other is going to do or say, which comes in pretty handy towards the end.  Nigel Barnes was my favourite though, living in his dusty flat surrounded by towering piles of books (sounds like heaven!).  The way that he sliced through years of history like a knife through butter was a joy to behold, relying on his experience and gut feelings to trace both ancestors and descendants.

The story revolves around murders in London and their link to the Kensington Horrors of 1879.  Even the police didn't see this one coming as they race to uncover clues before the next victim is revealed.  Nigel works day and night at the Family Records Office to trace descendants from the original crimes and hits more than his fair share of brick walls.  A brick wall to you and me is just a slight nuisance to Nigel as he knows how people changed their names to become more anglicised.  You really don't know what is in your past until you look.

I absolutely loved this book!  I found the genealogy storyline riveting and not just because I have an interest in it myself, but because it felt like clues were being unearthed right before my eyes.  Foster and Jenkins make a brilliant team and I hope that there are lots more books planned in this excellent series.

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

My rating:

BUY LINKS

AMAZON UK
AMAZON US

About the Author

Dan Waddell is the award-winning author of more than 20 works of fiction and non-fiction, among them the bestselling book which accompanied the BBC TV series Who Do You Think You Are? His first crime novel, the critically-acclaimed The Blood Detective, won the prestigious Prix Cezam Littéraire in France and was nominated for debut awards in the UK and USA. He lives in London with his family.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dan-Waddell-26697085916/?ref=bookmarks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/danwaddell

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/646165.Dan_Waddell

Website: www.danwaddell.net

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