BLOG TOUR: Silent Y - Katherine Benfante

In 2142, women control human reproduction—and they're about to weaponize it.

Dart Maylord is a brilliant but isolated endocrinology researcher working for the Department of Reproduction in the female-ruled half of a divided America. She’s never met a man, never questioned the wall that splits Washington, D.C., or the lies told about what stretches beyond it.

Until one day, a male researcher crosses that wall.

Alex Smern isn’t the violent Neanderthal Dart was led to expect—he’s sharp, disarmingly funny, and curious about the world she’s never dared to question. Their collaboration begins with science but quickly becomes something more dangerous: connection. Trust. Desire.

Then Dart stumbles on a classified document she shouldn’t see. The reproductive system isn't just being managed—it's being manipulated. And men are being systematically erased.

Worse still, Dart’s own family may be orchestrating the scheme.

As she digs deeper, Dart must choose between protecting the people she loves and exposing a truth that could unravel the fragile balance of power. With Alex by her side and everything she thought she knew crumbling around her, Dart has to decide: is losing family worth rebellion?

Because if she doesn’t act soon, there may be nothing left to save.

 

What did I think?

Wow, just wow!  I'm putting my head above the parapet and stating that Silent Y is THE feminist, dystopian novel of our time.  It is simply breathtaking!

This is a disturbing future that sees men and women so strictly segregated that reproduction is controlled via IVF with boy babies sent through the wall to the men and girl babies remaining with their mothers.  The women controlling reproduction want to go a step further and completely remove men from existence.  This gives me chills just thinking about it now.

Dart Maylord has been brought up on the female side of the wall and her life is about to change when she is asked to collaborate with a scientist from the other side.  The chemistry between Dart and Alex is clear to see and, even though society demands that they are kept  apart, they find a way to be together...and they're not the only ones.  I'm singing 'Stand Up For Your Love Rights' in my head now!

Katherine Benfante's writing is as stunning as her imagination and she certainly 'puts the science in science fiction' in an way that is easy to understand.  I was completely drawn into the story and couldn't read it fast enough.  I will definitely be reading it again - it's THAT good!

Compelling, thought-provoking and highly original, Silent Y is a powerful and essential novel that absolutely blew me away.  You will never say you 'don't read science fiction' after reading this unforgettable and unmissable book!  An easy five stars and very highly recommended.

I received a gifted paperback for the Love Books Tours Bookstagram Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Waterstones

Amazon

About the author:

Katherine Benfante writes science fiction, and she likes to “put the science in science fiction.” Of all the dream careers she’s been fortunate to have so far, including as mechanical engineer and French teacher, being an author is the most satisfying and enjoyable. Katherine lives in New Jersey with her husband and two daughters, across the street from a lake overrun by swans and Canadian geese. Voracious readers all, her family can be found reading together, playing games, hiking Jersey’s remaining wilderness, and visiting family. Her short story "Convergence” appeared in The Accidental Time Traveler's Collective Volume 3. She's currently working on a standalone science fiction novel and drafting a sequel to Scattered.

Social media links:

Website: https://katherinebenfante.com/

Instagram: @KatherineBenfante

Facebook: KatherineBenfanteAuthor

X: @KDBenfante

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BLOG TOUR: The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge - Rachel Hore

Uncovering secrets that span generations, Rachel Hore delivers intriguing, involving and emotive narrative reading group fiction like few other writers can.

Nancy Foster has harboured a devastating secret that shattered her professional and personal life.  On meeting her, journalist Stef Lansdown realizes that she has the power to restore Nancy’s reputation and to heal the wounds, if only Nancy will trust her. But someone else wants to get to the bottom of the story first, someone who doesn’t want it to be told. 

Set in the beautiful environs of the Norfolk Broads in 2010, and in London in the '40s and ‘50s, when life for career-driven women was so different, The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge is Sunday Times multi-million copy bestselling author Rachel Hore’s utterly compelling new novel, interweaving the past and the present. 

 

What did I think?

This is the first book by Rachel Hore that I have read and I absolutely loved it so I'm already looking to add more of her books to my TBR.  The writing is exquisite and it completely captivated me from start to finish.

The story revolves around two women: Nancy and Steph.  Steph is writing a book and wants to tell Nancy's story but Nancy and her family are suspicious of Steph's intentions.  There is no hidden agenda to Steph; she simply wants to tell Nancy's story and Nancy soon begins to trust Steph and open up to her.

I loved the Norfolk community spirit that weaves its way through the story; although they aren't quite so welcoming to Steph at first, but then she is a journalist.  There are a lot of intriguing elements to the plot, both past and present, and I couldn't tear my eyes from the page.  

I was halfway through when I felt that it had a distinct ring of truth about it so I wasn't surprised to learn that the author was inspired by a story from her own family.  It's just so infuriating to read how women were treated in the not so distant past.  I mean things just as simple as referring to a woman who has earned the title of 'Doctor' as 'Miss' - it's so patronising and misogynistic.  Nancy definitely needed one of those mugs with "It's Dr, actually" printed on it!

So beautifully written, The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge is a powerful, thought-provoking and completely mesmerising novel.  I adored it and would highly recommend it.

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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BLOG TOUR: Not Having It All - Jennie Ensor

Not Having It All by Jennie Ensor has had a makeover and to celebrate the new cover some fabulous bloggers are sharing guest posts, extracts and reviews along with news of a fabulous giveaway (see the end of my post for details).  

I'm sharing an extract which follows the details about the book below, but you can also click HERE to read my review.

“I read most of the book with a smile on my face; a fabulous bit of feel-good fiction” – The Book Magnet

This is the story of four middle-aged people who are definitely NOT having it all. Meet Bea, Kurt, Maddie and Colin.

Senior lecturer Bea Hudson juggles her job at the ‘Psycho Lab’ with looking after her demanding five-year-old daughter, badly-behaved dog and next-to-useless au pair. When her chief exec husband is sent overseas and she’s left without childcare, Bea turns to best friend Maddie for help.

Kurt, downing whiskies in his hotel room as he imagines what his wife is up to, is convinced that Bea is becoming a little too friendly with Maddie. With characteristic obsession he enlists his neighbour’s help in a secret surveillance operation.

Found-object artist Maddie longs for a child of her own with a man she can trust – and he must love cats.

Divorced, risk-averse Colin is a senior manager at ‘the nation’s number one pussy insurer’. When he meets Maddie in a lift he’s smitten, and resolves to displace Maddie’s feline companions on her sofa. But he starts to fear that Maddie sees him only as ‘a handy stud with a fat wallet’.

Can Bea and Kurt find happiness again? Can Maddie and Colin risk falling in love?

 

A story about love, relationships and second chances, perfect for fans of Marian Keyes and Jojo Moyes, and anyone who loved Bridget Jones’ Diary or Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. If you enjoy novels with depth, heart and laugh-out-loud humour, you’ll love this razor-sharp romantic comedy like no other.

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

EXTRACT

Bea’s journal

Portrait of a stranded scientist, make-do mother and weary wife 

Right now, I can confidently tick all of the above. All three strands of Bea Hudson seem to be plummeting to a nadir.

Where to begin? Too many thoughts to put down. But if I don’t, they’ll spend what’s left of the night partying in my cerebral cortex and sleep will be even more impossible.

Before I forget, I’d better mention it’s 3.03am sometime in late May – or is it June already? My brain has switched off. It’s definitely still 2018.

Academically, I’m still floundering in a sea of two-star journals without hope of rescue any time soon. On the plus side, there’s still some way to go before self-annihilation George Price style – or some other style, as I’m not good with gore. (He killed himself after being fleeced by homeless alcoholics – so my tutor at uni impressed upon us – while trying to perform random acts of kindness to disprove his theory of altruism as he didn’t want to believe that everyone is essentially selfish.) Perhaps I need a more positive role model than an underappreciated, mentally questionable biologist.

Motherhood ranking is nearing an all-time low following another battle with Fran over her habit of putting Mr Gruffy on top of the wardrobe so he falls on anyone opening the door, hot on the heels of yesterday’s announcement at dinner that from now on she will not be eating anything orange in addition to anything green (thus excluding runner beans, Katya’s carrot and parsnip mash, and the mango I’d bought for dessert). 

Marital satisfaction index is in steep decline after this week’s arguments with Kurt – who left the freezer door open and who should be responsible for vetting Fran’s use of stray computing devices, come to mind (and other arguments I’m too weary to recall). 

Then there’s Kurt’s cattier-than-ever comments about Maddie – our text messages to each other take up more bandwidth than a week’s output from BBC iPlayer (!) and she’s a bad influence on our daughter, not to mention me, for exposing us to foreign films about transvestites and Channel 4 documentaries about bodily hang-ups. (A huge exaggeration, apart from that Almodóvar film we watched one Friday afternoon while Fran was trampolining and a program about people with tattoos in unusual places, which I turned off at the first sniff of age-inappropriate content). Soon I won’t even be able to ask Maddie over for a cup of tea without Kurt dissecting the teabags afterwards.

Things can only get better. 

I wonder – what are the chances of Kurt finding this? 

Probably shouldn’t worry too much. If anyone manages to extract this clapped-out WH Smith exercise book from the bottom of my stack of Neuron journals, has the slightest inclination to open it, wade past the evidence of how much I’ve spent on cappuccinos at every conference I’ve attended since 2013 and then has the gumption to decipher this scribble, good luck to them. 

That’s what the man from the halfway house wished me yesterday when I was walking back from the park with Big Ears. ‘Good luck’ I mean. That’s the only thing he seems to say, apart from ‘With looks like that you shouldn’t be allowed out.’ (??) I certainly could do with some good luck. Maybe the reason my research never yields gobsmackingly brilliant results isn’t because I’m not doing the right experiments or my team is too small or I’m too damn tired most of the time to do anything properly – I’m just unlucky. 

Picked up another batch of hairs from the shower yesterday (long and brown so not Kurt’s). At this rate, I’ll soon be going bald as well as grey. Hope Kurt won’t mind – better book an appointment at the hair salon. My hair is no longer as big as a squirrel’s tail, as he used to tell me in wonder and admiration. At least I still have my big eyes, big hips and big bosom. 

Better stop, Kurt’s hissing about a pencil rustling.

About the author:

A Londoner with Irish heritage, Jennie Ensor began her writing career as a journalist, obtaining a Masters in Journalism (winning two awards) and covering topics from forced marriage to accidents in the mining industry. She isn’t afraid to tackle controversial issues in her novels, either: Islamic terrorism, Russian gangsters and war crimes in her debut BLIND SIDE (a psychological mystery blended with a love story), domestic abuse and sexual exploitation in her second, THE GIRL IN HIS EYES. 

Her third novel NOT HAVING IT ALL, a relationship comedy, is an excursion to the brighter side of life. A new edition was published in January 2021. 

Ms Ensor’s poetry has appeared in many publications including Poetry Salzburg Review, Ink Sweat and Tears. Her poem ‘Lost Connection’ placed second in the Breakout Prose category of the Fish Lockdown Prize in 2020. 

In her spare time (?) she reads, walks and attempts twice-weekly yoga. She regularly cycles the punishing hills of north London and at the end of the day enjoys collapsing with a bar of chocolate/glass of strong alcohol in front of a TV crime drama.

Author links

Author website: https://jennieensor.com

Author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JennieEnsorAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jennie_Ensor  

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

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jennie-Ensor/e/B01IXCE0HU/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1 

GIVEAWAY

A prize draw to celebrate the relaunch will be held at 6pm on 23 February on Jennie Ensor's FaceBook page:  https://www.facebook.com/JennieEnsorAuthor (the giveaway post is pinned to the page). 

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The Christmas Hypothesis - Anna Blix

Fifteen years at the North Pole.

Niklas has dedicated his life to science, but is still waiting for the big breakthrough when he will finally get the recognition he deserves…

…And on top of that he has an embarrassing problem. Every year before Christmas, he receives a huge amount of misdirected post — children’s wish lists to Santa Claus.

When Niklas loses his funding he tumbles into an identity crisis. If he isn’t the brilliant scientist he has fancied himself, then who is he?

He follows one of the letters to London. There he meets Scottish reindeer herder Clare, who hates everything about Christmas…

…and his eccentric landlady Mrs Dollimore, who believes that those letters were not misdirected at all, and that Niklas is the real Santa Claus...

There’s only one way to find out! Together they come up with The Christmas Hypothesis.

The Christmas Hypothesis is the funny and heart-warming story of a lost man who sets out to find purpose in life. Perfect for fans of The Rosie Project, The Hundred Year Old Man and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

What did I think?

A man called Niklas living at the North Pole is naturally going to get A LOT of post in December, and so we meet our hero of The Christmas Hypothesis: not omnipresent Saint Nicholas but Finnish Niklas Heikkinen.  What starts off as meeting a very annoying anti-social man soon becomes a heartwarming festive tale and it certainly warmed the cockles of my heart.

Niklas is one of those people who seem to be busy doing nothing and he's got away with it for quite some time, until after 15 years of producing absolutely nothing from the North Pole science station his funding is withdrawn and he is forced to leave.  With no family at home in Finland he hops on a plane to London hoping to work out what to do next.  Unfortunately, Mary and Joseph had more luck finding a room in Bethlehem than Nicklas did of finding a hotel room in London in December.  Then fate intervenes, or maybe it was a sprinkling of Christmas magic that sees him knocking on the door of Mrs. Dollimore's B&B at the dead of night.  

Niklas arrives at Mrs. Dollimore's with a letter addressed to Santa in his pocket and Mrs. Dollimore is convinced that he wouldn't have received it unless he was the real Santa.  Niklas and Mrs. Dollimore come up with a scientific experiment to prove whether or not he is Santa.  As the test criteria get ticked off, even the acquisition of a reindeer, and Christmas approaches Niklas just needs to do one final thing: deliver a present to Sophie, the letter writer, but she didn't put her address on the letter.  Science and Christmas magic can sort that one out, surely?

I really loved seeing the development of Niklas' character.  I must admit he really annoyed me at first with his lethargic work ethic and lack of camaraderie but as the story progressed we do see another side to him.  He doesn't really have many people skills but he certainly brings some fun and friendship to Mrs. Dollimore's life and he practically doubles his social circle overnight after a literal run in with reindeer herder, Clare.

Whether you think it's fate or Christmas magic, The Christmas Hypothesis is a charming story; perfect to read on a magical Christmas Eve snuggled up by the fire.  Heartwarming and delightful, with a sprinkling of magic, The Christmas Hypothesis is the perfect festive read.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Shadow - James Swallow

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of NOMAD and EXILE, things are about to go viral for Marc Dane in his most dangerous adventure yet . . .

Marc Dane is Britain’s answer to Jason Bourne, and it is about to go viral in his most thrilling and dangerous adventure yet. . .

Marc and his partner - former US Delta Force sniper Lucy Keyes - are pitted against their most terrifying challenge yet, when a genius bio-researcher with the ability to create a deadly biological weapon is kidnapped by a ruthless terrorist. 

Their desperate search for the missing scientist takes them across the world, from the desolate wilderness of Iceland to the slums of the Near East and the dark underbelly of a fracturing Europe, where they will discover a shocking atrocity in the making. 

Backed by shadowy interests, a cadre of hardline ultra-right-wing extremists plan to unleash a lethal virus among the population of a major European city. 

Only Marc Dane can prevent this devastating attack from taking place - before a whole continent is plunged into terror...

What did I think?

I have wanted to read a James Swallow book for a while and as much as I don't like to jump into the middle of series, I decided to start with Shadow, which is book 4 of the Marc Dane series.  I can say with conviction that you can most definitely read Shadow as a standalone thriller but I'm even more eager to read the previous books now as there is such an amazing dynamic between the main characters, Marc and Lucy.

Marc Dane is a former MI6 data guy who has been thrust into the action, and there isn't half some action in Shadow as a worldwide hunt begins to stop a deadly bioweapon from releasing a killer virus.  I found the idea of a bioprinter that can create deadly viruses at the touch of a button very scary indeed and would like to think it's science fiction but a quick google tells me otherwise.  It's amazing to think that bioprinting could be used for transplants in the future but as with anything that is created to benefit people there is always the risk that someone will manipulate it for their own ends.  A theoretical Dr Evil could hold the whole world to ransom; thanks for the nightmares, James Swallow!

There is an awful lot going on in Shadow and I got myself a bit mixed up at times over who was who, but I couldn't stop reading as I needed to find out what was going to happen next.  I loved the character of Marc Dane, especially as he can quote the original Star Wars trilogy from memory, and I thought of him as a kind of geeky James Bond.  The geek in me also loved that Star Wars was mentioned on page 77 as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was released in 1977.  I love little details, or coincidences, like this.

Shadow is a full-throttle, high-octane, action-packed thriller; I am now chomping at the bit to read more Marc Dane and Lucy Keyes books.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




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BLOG BLITZ: Not Having It All - Jennie Ensor

Neuroscientist Bea Hudson fears she is a bad mother and that her career will be thwarted by family life. When her husband suspects Bea of having an affair with her best friend, a chain of events is triggered, leading to a crisis in Bea’s life.

Bea Hudson, a neuropsychologist living in Godalming, is struggling to cope with the challenging behaviour of her obsessive husband Kurt and their disruptive four-year-old daughter Fran. On top of this, her boss is pressuring her to get results from her research. Bea has her work cut out.

Things come to a head when Kurt goes away on an extended business assignment. While sacking staff and drinking heavily, Kurt’s insecurities run amok and he becomes convinced that Bea’s close friend Madeleine is seducing his wife and unduly influencing his daughter.

Meanwhile, childless artist Madeleine sees her friend torn between the demands of work and offers to help with Fran. But when she reveals a startling desire to her unsympathetic therapist Mr Rowley, he advises her to focus on the attention of Colin, a man she met in a lift.

Can Bea survive the demands of her career and the turmoil in her marriage without having a breakdown? Can Madeleine survive Kurt’s anger and find happiness with Colin? And can love survive marriage, middle-age, alcohol and ambition?

Not Having It All is about a scientist torn between her stalling career and the demands of her family. With themes of trust, deception and obsession, it is a mercilessly playful take on modern friendships, relationships and family life.

What did I think?

I have been a fan of Jennie Ensor's books since I read her stunning debut, Blind Side, so I was very excited to read Not Having It All.  This is very different to Jennie Ensor's other books but it really shows the depth of talent that Jennie has.

The format of the book is very unusual comprised of emails, letters, journal entries and texts, but the variety really held my interest.  It rather feels as if you are spying on the characters as you become privy to their innermost thoughts and fears.  This all helps to create well rounded characters that I really felt as if I got to know over the course of the book.  

There is a lot of humour woven into the pages of Not Having It All; I frequently laughed out loud, mainly at Katie's journal as she looked after four year old Fran, aka Little Fiend.  I also found Kurt's escalating paranoia totally hilarious as his imagination ran wild and he took completely over the top steps to keep an eye on things at home while he worked away.

Although Bea is the main character, she has a stunning supporting cast in addition to those I've already mentioned.  There's Bea's friend, Maddie who is mad by name and mad by nature, Maddie's new man Colin, who is sick of denying pet insurance claims as well as Maddie's therapist, Nigel, who seems to get some reverse therapy from Maddie and Bea & Kurt's next-door neighbour, Adrian, who Kurt enlists for operation Get Rid of Madeleine.

There is so much going on that you can't help but race through the book; Not Having It All is highly entertaining and completely action packed.  It is literally laugh out loud hilarious at times and I read most of the book with a smile on my face; a fabulous bit of feel-good fiction from Jennie Ensor.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Jennie Ensor lives in London and has Irish roots. During a long trip overseas she obtained a Masters in Journalism and began her writing career as a journalist, covering topics from forced marriages to accidents in the mining industry. Her debut novel BLIND SIDE was published by Unbound in 2016. In January 2018 her short story ‘The Gift’ was placed in the Top 40 of the Words and Women national prose competition. Her poetry has appeared in many UK and overseas publications, most recently Ink Sweat and Tears. She sings in a chamber choir.

Links

Author website & blog: https://jennieensor.com

Author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JennieEnsorAuthor

Twitter: @jennie_ensor 

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

Blind Side on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31200537-blind-side

Blind Side on Amazon

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