BLOG TOUR: The Art of Belonging - Eleanor Ray

Sometimes you need to open your heart to find where you truly belong . . .

When unexpected circumstances bring Grace's estranged daughter, Amelia, and granddaughter, Charlotte, to live in her home, complicated feelings start to emerge, revealing a messy and emotional past which drove this family apart.

It will take a school mystery, an exquisite miniature railway and some brave decisions to help them each find not only themselves, but also each other - and to appreciate what it truly means to belong together.

This uplifting novel will warm your heart and touch your soul, and remind you of all the reasons humans can be downright wonderful.

 

What did I think?

Having loved Eleanor Ray's debut novel, Everything is Beautiful, I couldn't wait to read her next novel and I absolutely adored it.  The Art of Belonging is everything I hoped it would be and more: beautiful, uplifting and filled with love.

Eleanor Ray has created three amazingly strong female characters that I immediately fell in love with.  Grace is starting to feel her age but she can manage very well on her own, thank you very much.  Grace's daughter Amelia knew her life wasn't perfect but she didn't expect to be moving back in with mum at this stage of her life.  Amelia's daughter Charlotte is delighted to be spending more time with her grandmother, even if it means she doesn't get to see her dad very much.  This is the story of their lives and I absolutely loved it.

I adored every single character in this gorgeous novel; the three main characters drive the story forwards but they are supported by a colourful and unforgettable cast of characters.  The writing is flawless and perfectly paced to allow the reader to savour every delicious word.

The Art of Belonging is a stunning novel that made me experience so many different emotions whilst reading it but it left me feeling incredibly uplifted and joyful.  An easy five stars from me and one I can't recommend highly enough.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: In Bloom - Eva Verde

A deeply affecting novel, In Bloom tells of strength, survival, forgiveness, resilience and determination, and the fierce love and unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters.

Delph has kept herself small and quiet as a form of self-protection, ever since the love of her life Sol’s untimely death left her pregnant and alone at the age of twenty-four. Theirs was such a once-in-a-lifetime love, that the loss of her soulmate broke her heart ‒ and almost broke her, too.

Years on, Delph’s protective bubble bursts when her daughter Roche moves out of the flat Delph shares with her partner Itsy and in with her estranged nan, Moon. Now that it’s just the two of them, the cracks in Delph and Itsy’s relationship begin to grow. Feeling on the outside of the bond between her fierce-yet-flaky tarot-reading mother and volatile martial-arts-champion daughter, Delph begins questioning her own freedom.

Is her life with Itsy all it seems? And has keeping small and safe truly been her choice all these years…?

 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, where do I begin?  This exceptional novel left me absolutely speechless and although it broke my heart at times, Eva Verde's powerful narrative put it back together piece by piece. 

The three generations of women in this story are incredibly inspirational.  Grandmother Moon has buried a terrible secret for most of her life and it's through her own strength of character that it didn't break her.  Moon's daughter Delph lost the love of her life in tragic circumstances but Sol's spirit lives on in their daughter Roche.  Delph's new partner Itsy is determined to drive a wedge between the three women as Moon and Roche see him for what he really is...if only Delph would open her eyes.

The story is dark at times as the full extent of Itsy's hold on Delph becomes apparent but Delph is stronger than she thinks and I was totally rooting for her.  I was furious on her behalf too.  What a horrible man Itsy is and it's even more shocking to think that people like him do actually exist.

Stunning, heartfelt and emotive, I absolutely adored In Bloom and I felt bereft when I turned the final page as these three wonderfully strong women had left a firm imprint on my heart.  A very highly recommended read and one I'll never forget.

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

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The Mystery Guest (A Molly the Maid mystery) - Nita Prose

A new mess.

A new mystery.

Molly the maid returns . . .

Molly Gray wears her Head Maid badge proudly for every shift at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows, sweeping up the guests’ secrets, silently restoring rooms to a state of perfection.

But when a renowned guest – a famous mystery writer – drops very dead in the grand tea room, Molly has an unusual clean-up on her hands.

As rumours and suspicion swirl in the hotel corridors, it’s clear there’s grime lurking beneath the gilt. And Molly knows that she alone holds the key to the mystery. But unlocking it means thinking about the past, about Gran, and everything else she’s kept tidied away in her memory for so long.

Because Molly knew the dead guest once upon a time – and he knew her . . .

 

What did I think?

After the success of The Maid, I'm absolutely delighted that Nita Prose decided to write another book starring my favourite maid, Molly Gray.  The Mystery Guest is one of my most eagerly anticipated books of 2023 and I loved it.  Whilst The Mystery Guest can be read as a standalone, I would advise reading The Maid first as there are some returning characters and we also find out more about Molly's childhood.

We return to the Regency Grand Hotel in The Mystery Guest where Molly is now Head Maid and she's preparing for a big event as a bestselling author is hosting a press conference in the hotel.  This isn't the first time that Molly has met author J.D. Grimthorpe and this leads on to the wonderful flashbacks of Molly's past.

I adore the relationship between Molly and her Gran and even when Gran isn't with her, Molly  hears Gran's wise words in her head.  There are so many brilliant Gran quotes but my favourite is: "A tissue for your issue."  I'm definitely adopting that and using it whenever I can.  

Molly is such a delightfully quirky character and I feel that she has really grown up since I last encountered her in The Maid.  She's in a sweet relationship with Juan Manuel (who disappointingly doesn't make an appearance as he is away visiting his family) and she has been promoted at work.  Even this new encounter with Detective Stark sees Molly eventually being treated with more respect.

Cosy mysteries don't get much cosier than The Mystery Guest and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Once you have met Molly Gray you will never forget her; The Mystery Guest will delight fans of The Maid and introduce Molly into the lives of many more readers.  

I received an ARC to read and review for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The Great Silence (The Skelfs Book 3) - Doug Johnstone

 

The discovery of a human foot in an Edinburgh park, the inexplicable circumstances of a dying woman, and the missing daughter of Jenny’s violent ex-husband present the Skelf women with their most challenging – and deadly – cases yet…

Keeping on top of the family funeral directors’ and private-investigation businesses is no easy task for the Skelf women, and when matriarch Dorothy discovers a human foot while walking the dog, a perplexing case presents itself … with potentially deadly results.

Daughter Jenny and grand-daughter Hannah have their hands full too: The mysterious circumstances of a dying woman lead them into an unexpected family drama, Hannah's new astrophysicist colleague claims he's receiving messages from outer space, and the Skelfs' teenaged lodger has yet another devastating experience.

Nothing is clear as the women are immersed ever deeper in their most challenging cases yet. But when the daughter of Jenny’s violent and fugitive ex-husband goes missing without trace and a wild animal is spotted roaming Edinburgh's parks, real danger presents itself, and all three Skelfs are in peril.

Taut, dark, warmly funny and unafraid to ask big questions – of us all – The Great Silence is the much-anticipated third instalment in the addictive, unforgettable Skelfs series, and the stakes are higher than ever.

What did I think?

I love The Skelfs series and couldn't wait to get my hands on book 3, The Great Silence.  The Skelfs are a family of funeral directors and private investigators so there's always lots going on and I was entertained from start to finish.  With recaps of the previous books scattered throughout, you can read this as a standalone but reading them in order has the benefit of seeing the characters develop and I felt like I was catching up with my old friends Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah.

With an awesome first line, Doug Johnstone's brilliant dark humour sets the scene for a gripping, intriguing and pretty wild ride.  It's entertainment at its finest with a wild panther on the loose, possible contact from aliens and Jenny's unhinged ex-husband Craig still at large so there's danger from all angles.  I just love how the wonderfully imaginative storylines keep the Skelfs busy and it really gives my eyes a workout as I can't read fast enough.

Even though a lot of it went over my head, I enjoyed reading the parts that touched on astrophysics as it really made me think about the universe and my place in it.  As it is set in a funeral directors' business, death and grief are explored sensitively and I particularly liked the Buddhist quote about waves and water that I shall never forget.

Hugely entertaining and incredibly addictive, if you're looking for something different to read The Great Silence will fit the bill.  I highly recommend the whole series.

I chose to read a digital ARC for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Orenda Books

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Doug Johnstone is the author of twelve previous novels, most recently The Big Chill (2020). Several of his books have been bestsellers and three, A Dark Matter (2020), Breakers (2019) and The Jump (2015), were shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions over the last decade – including at a funeral parlour ahead of writing A Dark Matter – and has been an arts journalist for over twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three solo EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also player-manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh. Follow Doug on Twitter @doug_johnstone and visit his website: dougjohnstone.com.

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The Big Chill (The Skelfs Book 2) - Doug Johnstone

 

Running private investigator and funeral home businesses means trouble is never far away, and the Skelf women take on their most perplexing, chilling cases yet in book two of the darkly funny, devastatingly tense and addictive new Skelfs series!

Haunted by their past, the Skelf women are hoping for a quieter life. But running both a funeral directors' and a private investigation business means trouble is never far away, and when a car crashes into the open grave at a funeral that matriarch Dorothy is conducting, she can't help looking into the dead driver's shadowy life.

While Dorothy uncovers a dark truth at the heart of Edinburgh society, her daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah have their own struggles. Jenny's ex-husband Craig is making plans that could shatter the Skelf women's lives, and the increasingly obsessive Hannah has formed a friendship with an elderly professor that is fast turning deadly.

But something even more sinister emerges when a drumming student of Dorothy's disappears and suspicion falls on her parents. The Skelf women find themselves sucked into an unbearable darkness but could the real threat be to themselves?

Following three women as they deal with the dead, help the living and find out who they are in the process, The Big Chill follows A Dark Matter, book one in the Skelfs series, which reboots the classic PI novel while asking the big existential questions, all with a big dose of pitch-black humour.

What did I think?

Since meeting the wonderfully quirky Skelf family in A Dark Matter, I have been looking forward to The Big Chill, the second book in the series.  As with all series, it's always best to read them in order, however, Doug Johnstone provides enough of a recap in The Big Chill to ensure that anyone who hasn't read A Dark Matter will not feel at a disadvantage.

Doug Johnstone has such an amazing sense of humour that you never know what's going to happen in his books.  The Big Chill has such an outstanding first chapter; it's so blackly comic that I struggled to contain my laughter at what certainly wouldn't have been a funny situation if it had happened in real life but is written in such a way that it wouldn't have looked out of place in a comedy sketch.  That's the beauty of Doug Johnstone's writing; if you have a good sense of humour you can pick up a lot of the witty little gems he has sprinkled through his prose.

The Skelf women (mother Dorothy, daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah) are such strong female characters that they effortlessly carry the hugely entertaining storyline along with them.  The Skelfs run a funeral home and a private investigation business which keeps them busy and when a homeless man turns up on the slab, the PI side of the business comes in useful as Dorothy tries to find out who the man is.  I absolutely loved this part of the story and felt like I was travelling the streets of Edinburgh with Dorothy as she attempted to identify the man she had named Jimmy X.

What I love about The Big Chill is that there are so many little strands of storylines running through the book that I could have knitted a multi-coloured scarf with them all.  It never gets confusing though as everything is perfectly timed and new minor characters are introduced at just the right time.  I think it's a female characteristic to personalise things and things certainly feel quite personal in The Big Chill as the Skelfs don't go looking for cases, cases definitely find them!

I absolutely loved The Big Chill; Doug Johnstone couldn't have written a better sequel to A Dark Matter.  Fast paced and deeply, darkly compelling my only disappointment was when I reached the end far too quickly.  I certainly can't recommend it highly enough, so pick up a copy for yourself; you won't be disappointed.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The Day She Came Back - Amanda Prowse

From the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes a story that asks: how do you forgive the family that lied to you, and love the mum you never had?

When her loving, free-spirited grandmother Primrose passes away, Victoria is bereft, yet resilient—she has survived tragedy before. But even her strength is tested when a mysterious woman attends Prim’s funeral and claims to be the mother Victoria thought was dead.

As the two women get to know each other and Victoria begins to learn more about her past, it becomes clear that her beloved grandmother had been keeping life-changing secrets from her. Desperate for answers, she still struggles to trust anyone to tell her the truth.

To live a full and happy life, Victoria knows she must not only uncover the truth, but find a way to forgive her family. But after so many years, is trusting them even possible?

What did I think?

I really don't know how Amanda Prowse writes so many amazing and completely different books in such a short space of time but I do know that you're always guaranteed a great read with one of her books.  The Day She Came Back is her latest novel and it explores family relationships and the effects of withholding family secrets.

After the untimely death of her mother, Sarah, when she was a baby, Victoria has been brought up by her grandmother, Prim.  When the octogenarian suddenly passes away, Victoria is left all alone in the world at only eighteen years of age.  Prim was such a massive part of Victoria's life, and it sounds like the pair were as much friends as family, that Victoria is completely devastated by Prim's death.  When a mysterious woman turns up at Prim's funeral claiming to be Victoria's mother, Victoria is sent into turmoil.  Why did her beloved Prim lie to her all these years?  If you can't trust those closest to you, who can you trust?

As Victoria deals with her grief over Prim's death and her confusion over Sarah's reappearance my heart really went out to her.  Victoria makes some questionable decisions and snaps at those closest to her but I could understand every one of her actions.  It felt like she was a runaway train and could go off the rails at any moment until she changed her destination to Norway, where Sarah now lives.  I loved the vivid description of Norway; it sounds so beautiful and it is clearly a destination that is close to Amanda Prowse's heart.

Nobody writes from the heart like Amanda Prowse and I always prepare myself to cry at some point when reading her novels.  The Day She Came Back felt a bit different from other Amanda Prowse books when Victoria's gran died so early in the story that I hadn't got to know her and I remained dry eyed.  I thought I was finally immune to Amanda Prowse's superpower of making me cry until the letters appeared.  Oh my word, the letters between Prim and Sarah are so heartfelt, emotional and poignant that I was completely powerless against the tears that brimmed and fell from my eyes.  

An emotional and poignant story, The Day She Came Back is another outstanding novel from Amanda Prowse.  Have your tissues at the ready, there'll not be a dry eye in the house when you read The Day She Came Back.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Amanda Prowse is one of the UK’s most prolific and loved storytellers with global sales of 8 million copies and legions of loyal readers.  Based in the West Country, Amanda is the author of 25 novels and 7 novellas with books sold in 22 countries and translated into 12 languages– no mean feat when you consider her first novel was only published in 2012!

A passionate reader since her first visit to the local library aged 6, Amanda would read everything and anything and – armed with her precious library ticket – would spend hours reading loved Enid Blyton, Anna Sewell, Judi Blume, Nina Bawden while scribbling short stories of her own. As time passed, she moved onto the more risqué delights of Lace, The Thorn Birds and A Woman of Substance; gritty, emotional stories that would inform her writing. 

A powerful storyteller and a master of the addictive plot, Amanda’s rich imagination and prolific writing talent has seen her write over 20 bestsellers with millions of copies sold across the world. She often writes for 15 hours a day and sees her plots like movies in her mind that she’s compelled to get down on paper. These heartfelt human stories have made her one of the most successful female writers of contemporary fiction today and she has become a regular interviewee on TV and radio as well as a successful journalistic writer. 

Amanda’s ambition has always been to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night; great characters that stay with you and stories that inhabit your mind so you can’t possibly read another book until the memory fades. She is also a passionate supporter of military charities and those that support women’s causes and holds regular ‘Evenings with Amanda’ events as fundraisers for her chosen charities.

Twitter – @MrsAmandaProwse
Facebook –  https://www.facebook.com/amandaprowsepage/

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BLOG TOUR: A Dark Matter (The Skelfs) - Doug Johnstone

After an unexpected death, three generations of women take over the family funeral-home and PI businesses in the first book of a brilliant, page-turning and darkly funny new series.

The Skelfs are a well-known Edinburgh family, proprietors of a long-established funeral-home business, and private investigators. When patriarch Jim dies, it’s left to his wife Dorothy, daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah to take charge of both businesses, kicking off an unexpected series of events. 

Dorothy discovers mysterious payments to another women, suggesting that Jim wasn’t the husband she thought he was. Hannah’s best friend Mel has vanished from university, and the simple adultery case that Jenny takes on leads to something stranger and far darker than any of them could have imagined. 

As the women struggle to come to terms with their grief, and the demands of the business threaten to overwhelm them, secrets from the past emerge, which change everything… It’s a compelling and tense thriller and a darkly funny, warm portrait of a family in turmoil. 

What did I think?

I saw Doug Johnstone on a Newcastle Noir 2019 panel and he absolutely had me in stitches with his amazing sense of humour, so I promptly added him to my 'authors I must read' list.  Although A Dark Matter is his eleventh novel, it is the first of his books I have read and most definitely will not be my last. 

I knew from the very first line that I was going to love this book; it immediately sent my mind off in the wrong direction and there is so much more of that to come.  I love that Jim Skelf wasn't just a funeral director, he was also a private investigator.  With two very different business in one, there is no end to the intrigue, mystery and emotion-fuelled drama.  Jim's death (this isn't a spoiler, it's in the blurb) sees the businesses left in the hands of his wife, Dorothy, helped by daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah.  All three are grieving Jim's loss but they are kept busy by intriguing new investigative cases and one old mystery.

Usually it would be high praise indeed to say that I couldn't put this book down, but I have gone one better with A Dark Matter.  I actually kept putting it down to tell anyone who was around how brilliant it was (I mean friends and family, not random commuters on public transport, although I'm sure I would have still done so if I had been reading it on the metro).  I only lifted my eyes from the page for a few seconds though, before being compelled to continue the story and what an amazing story it is.

What is exceptional about A Dark Matter is that it is so busy without being complicated; there's not just one case to investigate but at least three going on simultaneously and that's without the funerals that need to be carried out at the same time.  The three main characters are incredibly strong females, each carrying their own burden.  They are all brilliantly written, and I think Doug Johnstone absolutely nailed it when a now grown-up child (Jenny) returns to the family home; they do say you revert to a child again when you go back to live with your parents and Jenny certainly seemed to be reliving her rebellious youth.

Perfectly plotted and perfectly titled, A Dark Matter is such a darkly addictive read.  I am absolutely thrilled that this is the start of a new series, as I couldn't get enough of the Skelfs and didn't want it to end.  I'm going to pin my colours to the mast and say that even though it's only early January, I very much doubt that I will read a better book this year.  A Dark Matter is without doubt a 5+ star book and one that I unreservedly recommend.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Doug Johnstone is the author of ten novels, most recently Breakers (2018), which has been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. Several of his books have been bestsellers and award winners, and his work has been praised by the likes of Val McDermid, Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions – including a funeral home – and has been an arts journalist for twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also playermanager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh. 

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BLOG TOUR: Ghost - Helen Grant

I'm delighted to co-open the blog tour for Ghost, the latest novel by Helen Grant.  I'm releasing my review for the blog tour and I think this is a book that will appeal to so many people, especially those with a penchant for gothic tales.

Langlands House is haunted, but not by the ghost you think.

Augusta McAndrew lives on a remote Scottish estate with her grandmother, Rose. For her own safety, she hides from outsiders, as she has done her entire life. Visitors are few and far between - everyone knows that Langlands House is haunted.

One day Rose goes out and never returns, leaving Augusta utterly alone. Then Tom McAllister arrives - good-looking and fascinating, but dangerous. What he has to tell her could tear her whole world apart.

As Tom and Augusta become ever closer, they must face the question: is love enough to overcome the ghosts of the past?

In the end, Langlands House and its inhabitants hold more secrets than they did in the beginning...

What did I think?

I was really looking forward to reading Ghost; the mysterious key on the cover alone gave me goosebumps so I prepared myself for some spine-tingly reading.  It's an unbelievably addictive book; at only 10% in my Goodreads status shows that I found it 'intriguing and spine-tingling' and as the mystery unravels it gets even more interesting.

Augusta is living at Langlands with her Grandmother, Rose.  As a young child, Augusta couldn't pronounce her name correctly so the name of 'Ghost' stuck.  Rose keeps Ghost hidden from outsiders for her own protection as it's 1945 and there's a war on.  When there's some damage to the roof (from German bombers, as Ghost thinks), Tom McAllister arrives with his father to do the repairs.  Ghost secretly communicates with Tom, who thinks that she's the Langlands ghost of the spooky kind...at this point I thought that she very well might be as something wasn't quite right.

When Rose goes into the village one day and doesn't return, Ghost gets completely railroaded when reality hits.  Everything her Grandmother told her is a lie and she is determined to fit all of the missing pieces of the jigsaw together to find out the truth.  Luckily, Tom returns to Langlands to give Ghost the help she needs and we get to experience the purity of first love as Ghost and Tom grow closer together.  For reasons that become clear, I thought Ghost might think about leaving Langlands and it's shady history behind, but it's the only home she has ever known and Langlands has its own hold over Ghost.

One thing that really struck me was how well Langlands had been portrayed through the vivid descriptive writing of Helen Grant.  It felt as if the house itself was a dark and brooding character with hidden secrets.  People from the village stay away from Langlands and its ghost but perhaps Langlands itself is the ghost, it's certainly a shadow of its former colourful life.

Hauntingly beautiful, spine-tingling and eye-poppingly surprising, Ghost is a completely unique and intriguing mystery that shocked and thrilled me.  I'm definitely going to look out for Helen Grant's back catalogue whilst I await her next book.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon



About the author:

Helen Grant writes thrillers with a Gothic flavour and ghost stories. Her first novel, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden, was shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and won an ALA Alex Award in the US. Her other books include the exciting Forbidden Spaces trilogy. 

Helen's latest novel Ghost (Fledgling Press 2018) is set in Perthshire, where she has lived since 2011. When she is not writing, Helen loves to research the lost country houses of Scotland and to visit the sites where possible. Her experiences of exploring these fascinating places inspired her to write Ghost. 

Follow Helen on Twitter: @Helengrantsays 

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The Island - Victoria Hislop

The acclaimed million-copy number one bestseller and winner of Richard & Judy's Summer Read 2006 from Victoria Hislop is a dramatic tale of four generations, rent by war, illicit love, violence and leprosy, from the thirties, through the war, to the present day.

On the brink of a life-changing decision, Alexis Fielding longs to find out about her mother's past. But Sofia has never spoken of it. All she admits to is growing up in a small Cretan village before moving to London. When Alexis decides to visit Crete, however, Sofia gives her daughter a letter to take to an old friend, and promises that through her she will learn more.

Arriving in Plaka, Alexis is astonished to see that it lies a stone's throw from the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga - Greece's former leper colony. Then she finds Fotini, and at last hears the story that Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her great-grandmother Eleni and her daughters and a family rent by tragedy, war and passion. She discovers how intimately she is connected with the island, and how secrecy holds them all in its powerful grip...

What did I think?

When I read my first Victoria Hislop book, The Sunrise, I just knew that I had to read all of her other books, so I was delighted when my fairy godsister offered to loan me her copy of The Island which was Victoria Hislop's first novel.  What an amazing debut, it's absolutely breathtaking and it affected me so much that I found myself getting quite emotional quite a few times.

I have never been to Crete but my parents have been and I heard all about their trip to Spinalonga - the famous Greek leper colony.  What Victoria Hislop does so cleverly is that she breathes new life into history by creating characters you take to your heart so that you walk every step and feel every emotion with them.

The story starts in 2001 with Alexis Fielding visiting the small fishing village of Plaka to find out about her family history, it's a bit of an excuse to get away from her boyfriend for a few days on their holiday to Crete.  Alexis carries a letter from her mother, Sofia, to her old friend Fotini which asks Fotini to tell Alexis the story that Sofia can't bring herself to tell her daughter.  So the story rolls back to 1939 beginning with Sofia's grandparents, Georgis and Eleni, and their two daughters Anna and Maria.  The family are heartbroken when leprosy curses their house and a life on Spinalonga beckons for Eleni, but this isn't the only secret that Sofia has kept hidden from Alexis.

The story of Spinalonga is absolutely fascinating and I could imagine people's fear of leprosy before it was fully understood.  It's so sad to think that people could have been going about their everyday lives then noticing an odd patch of skin and before they know it they are ripped from their family and sent to live on the island.  It must have been soul destroying to be so close to mainland Crete but hopefully the residents made the best of it, as they did in this book.  This multi-coloured, hopeful and beautiful story is the history of Spinalonga that I want to remember and The Island is not a book I will ever forget.

A beautiful, breathtaking debut that breathes new life into this mysterious island and reveals its colourful history so vividly through Victoria Hislop's descriptive and emotional prose.  A definite recommended read and one that I will read again.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

99 Red Balloons - Elisabeth Carpenter

Two girls go missing, decades apart. What would you do if one was your daughter?

When eight-year-old Grace goes missing from a sweetshop on the way home from school, her mother Emma is plunged into a nightmare. Her family rallies around, but as the police hunt begins, cracks begin to emerge.

What are the secret emails sent between Emma’s husband and her sister? Why does her mother take so long to join the search? And is Emma really as innocent as she seems?

Meanwhile, ageing widow Maggie Taylor sees Grace’s picture in the newspaper. It’s a photograph that jolts her from the pain of her existence into a spiralling obsession with another girl – the first girl who disappeared…

This is a gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist that will take your breath away.

What did I think?

Wow!  I loved this book.  It's a super fast-paced story that had me on the edge of my seat and looking back now I can see that all of the clues were there but I walked, no make that RAN, past every one of them.  If reading was a race, I would have won a gold medal for reading 99 Red Balloons.

With two stories of missing children, both are absolutely heartbreaking.  Firstly, the story in the present is of sisters, Emma and Steph. Emma's daughter, Grace, has gone missing and it's usually a time when the family would rally round but this family is ODD.  Emma and Steph's mother virtually has to be dragged there to support her daughter and Emma's husband seems to be hiding something...something that Steph is privy to.

The past story is about Maggie whose granddaughter, Zoe, was abducted.  Zoe's mother, Sarah, died of a broken heart and Maggie never gave up looking for Zoe.  She knows exactly what Emma is going through and I've read enough psychological thrillers to know that the two stories would link somehow, but I didn't expect them to come together is such a spectacular fashion.

99 Red Balloons is a proper edge of your seat, race against time, rollercoaster ride that had my heart rate soaring to danger levels.  A magnificent debut by Elisabeth Carpenter that will be difficult to beat.  Highly recommended.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Elephant and Pinky Moon - Lilac Mills

Twenty-eight-year-old Nina lives a quiet, unassuming life, happy (ish) with her job, maybe not quite as happy with her non-existent love-life (but no one can have everything, right?) and content to trundle along with her nice, predictable daily routine.

That is, until Nina is persuaded to accompany her octogenarian grandmother on a beach holiday to Turkey.

Nina envisages sedate walks along the promenade, afternoon naps by the pool, and bingo in the evening. What she actually gets is too much vodka, adult games of "pin the tail on the donkey" and dancing on a bar whilst flaunting her knickers - and that's just her gran!

What did I think?

Oh I absolutely LOVED this book!  Having adored Lilac Mills' amazing debut, Under the Cherry Tree, I was like a kid in a sweet shop when Elephant and Pinky Moon dropped on my kindle.  Lilac Mills has such a fabulous lyrical writing style that she magically sweeps us away to picturesque Turkey in her latest novel.

Well I admit to wondering what the devil Elephant and Pinky Moon could be all about, as there was absolutely no clue in the title.  All is hilariously revealed as we follow Nina and her 84-going-on-24 year old grandmother on their trip to Turkey.  Nina is conned into going on the trip with her gran, taking the place of her granddad who recently passed away.  Yes, I did say Nina was conned by the unruly Flossie as the resort is meant for 30-45 year olds to have some sun, sea, sand and something else.

Nina couldn't be more unlike her gran.  Whereas Flossie is outgoing, outrageous and daring, Nina is reserved and often mortified by Flossie's actions but Flossie has a cunning plan: she is going to get Nina out of her comfort zone and paired up with a nice young man if it's the last thing that she does.  With dancing on bars, diving and paragliding in the mix, Flossie's plan is put into action and Nina starts to let her hair down a little.  Nina's choice of activities are some civilised excursions to see the historical sites in the area and with a little nudge from Flossie, she meets the lovely Leo.  I think I fell a little bit in love with Leo myself, but is he too good to be true?

There is LOTS of hilarity (and vodka) in Elephant and Pinky Moon but also some real life trials and tribulations, reminding us how precious and fragile life is.  A rollicking good read, bursting with wit, warmth and Nanna-isms, Elephant and Pinky Moon will take you on a side-splitting trip to scenic Turkey from the comfort of your own armchair.  It is a perfect pool-side read or an ideal escape from British Summer/Winter time on a chilly wet weekend.

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

My rating:

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