BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: The Sacred Virgin and the Spurned Bride - Dolan Cummings

What secrets survive when history forgets the truth?

In a land that has not yet become Scotland, old loyalties, buried histories, and dangerous ambitions are beginning to stir.

Euphemia has returned to her Pictish homeland after an absence of twenty years, no longer the mysterious young woman who vanished, but a mother carrying a complicated past of her own.

Freia, meanwhile, faces an uncertain future after leaving Bamburgh in scandal. Now a young mother, she guards the truth of her son Frey’s paternity from a world eager to speculate.

Connecting their stories is Bishop Boniface, a formidable churchman whose pursuit of family, influence, and Pictish history reaches far beyond the walls of the church.

When an obscure manuscript begins to illuminate a past nearly lost to history, questions of identity and inheritance draw these women into a web stretching across monasteries, royal courts, and the emerging kingdoms of an untamed medieval land.

The Sacred Virgin and the Spurned Bride is historical fiction rich in character, wit, intrigue, and the texture of early medieval life, a story of motherhood and memory, faith and ambition, and women determined to find their own place in a world busy deciding it for them.

Uncover the secrets history was never meant to forget.

 

What did I think?

The Sacred Virgin and the Spurned Bride completely exceeded my expectations; I'm so glad that I decided to read it when the Northumberland setting caught my eye.

It's very atmospheric with the rugged Northumberland coast being almost a character in its own right.  I don't read a lot of books set in medieval times but I really enjoyed learning about medieval life when there were different religions in Britain and the Picts inhabited Scotland.

There are two women in the story who are single mothers but they are treated very differently.  Euphemia is the niece of Bishop Boniface so her reputation is protected by the church whereas Freia should have been celebrating her marriage but finds herself pregnant and alone.  The contrast is sobering and it feels very unfair that women can lose so much whilst men get to walk away from the consequences of their actions.   

The characters are very well developed and I was really rooting for Freia; not that she needed it as she is a very strong woman who is determined to give her son the best life she possibly can.  As serious as the subject is, there are some very amusing scenes that made me smile and chuckle; I will never forget the moment when Freia goes to meet her suitor and it's making me laugh just thinking of it now.  No spoilers here though, you will have to read it for yourself.

The Sacred Virgin and the Spurned Bride is a surprisingly entertaining and evocative historical fiction novel that fully immersed me in the medieval period.  It's a must-read for anyone who loves historical fiction and I would highly recommend it.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the Love Books Tours Bookstagram Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Waterstones

Amazon

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READALONG: The Last Letter - Rebecca Yarros

Beckett,

If you're reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn't. I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride. My little sister Ella's there, raising the twins alone. If I'm gone, that means I can't be there for her. I can't help them through this. But you can. So I'm begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family. Please don't make her go through it alone.

Ryan

When Beckett follows his best friend’s dying wish and arrives in the small mountain town of Telluride, he expects grief, guilt, and the weight of a promise he’s not sure he can keep.

What he doesn’t expect is Ella. Fiercely independent and determined to hold her family together, Ella is still reeling from loss after loss. But as Beckett slowly becomes part of her life, their shared grief begins to turn into something neither of them saw coming.

But Ella knows that loving Beckett means risking heartbreak all over again…and this time she's not sure she'll survive.

 

What did I think?

If Rebecca Yarros had cut my heart out with a spoon it wouldn't have hurt as much as reading The Last Letter. My heart wasn't just broken, it was put through an emotional blender and shredded into tiny little bits.  I was certainly in bits at the end of it and at several times during it too, so have your tissues handy when you read it.

The whole 'last letter' theme gave me a lump in my throat and that was before I had even been introduced to any of the characters.  Once I got to know them, I fell in love with every single one of them and experienced their pain, joy, hopes and fears as they rode the rollercoaster of life.  Talk about 'stop the ride I want to get off' - this ride is not a fun one!

Told via a dual point of view, we follow single mother Ella and soldier Becket as they start writing to each other before they even met.  I loved reading their letters and felt it really showed depth to the characters.  They of course do eventually meet, but in such tragic circumstances, and one of them is not being completely honest. Uh-oh!

As heart shattering as the story was, I just couldn't stop reading it.  I'm glad I read it as part of a readalong as it gave me a chance to pause and take stock of my emotions.  I could have easily read it in one or two sittings but I would have felt like my heart had been pelted at a brick wall.  There's some romance with a bit of spice to lighten the distressing darker parts of the story so it is very well balanced.

The Last Letter is a completely devastating novel that is filled with so much emotion it really should come with waterproof pages.  I'm not sure I can forgive Rebecca Yarros for making my heart hurt so much but forgiveness is a theme of the novel so I am sure I will forgive her...eventually.

I received a gifted paperback for the Insta Book Tours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Paper Over It - Ruth Gresty

Jennifer Jones is in control.

Jen is confident she has complete control over the things that are trying to control her. Until she isn’t. Until she hasn’t. Until she realises she has never been in control at all. She’s been papering over it for years.

It's the start of the year 2000. A new millennium has arrived. For Jen and her three friends, university life in Manchester is full of possibility and endless fun. Sassiness, spontaneity, marvellous mayhem and youthful optimism reign in the Manchester rain.

But beneath the sometimes brash bravado sometimes even the most resilient, carefree, fun-loving characters who, on the surface look like they are living their best lives, are perilously close to falling apart. Over the course of one unforgettable year, the young women confront their own realities and truths. Some make foolish mistakes and others life changing choices.

Sometimes heartwarming and other times heartbreaking, but always brutally honest. This is a story of friendship, mistakes, self-discovery and acceptance; identity, love and the messy reality of becoming an adult. It's about the masks we wear, the mistakes and choices we make, and the courage it takes to stop papering over it and face ourselves when everything feels like it's falling apart.

It’s real, raw, raunchy, sometimes random and frankly rude at times. Just like Jen and her friends.

 

What did I think?

Paper Over It is a year in the life of four friends at the start of the new millennium.  Jen met Em, Lou and Kate at university in Manchester and although they are from different parts of the country and different walks of life, they have remained firm friends.

The book almost has its own playlist as each chapter lists a song that is relevant to what we have just read.  I loved seeing the theme song of each chapter and I found myself singing along (in my head) to some cracking tunes.  There are also some lovely excerpts from Winnie the Pooh that really demonstrates the ethos of friendship.

Although I'm a little older than Jen and her friends, it really took me back to my own experiences of the millennium year and stepping foot into working life for the first time.  It was both fun and scary and I think Ruth Gresty perfectly portrays this with the things that happen to Jen over the year.  Yes she makes mistakes, but some things that happened weren't her fault and I was so angry (with the other party) when her naivety allowed her to be taken advantage of.  It was just one more thing to paper over and forget it ever happened...but I hope things would be different nowadays.

It's a fantastic debut novel that is incredibly well written and the characters are so well developed I felt as if they were my own friends.  There are some serious subjects covered but they are handled sensitively and lightened somewhat by Ruth Gresty's sparkling wit.  I could totally see Paper Over It being made into a sitcom or mini series and I would certainly be adding it to my watchlist.

Incredibly nostalgic, entertaining and amusing, Paper Over It is a sharp and witty novel that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to readers of all genres.  It's a fabulous read and a stunning debut novel; Ruth Gresty is certainly one to watch and I'm looking forward to seeing what she writes next.

I received a gifted paperback for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon - paperback

Amazon - ebook

About the author: 

Ruth has worked in Marketing for twenty-seven years and has always loved writing and storytelling. Understanding people and their behaviour, creating stories that resonate and developing engaging and enduring narratives have all been key to success in her professional background.

From a personal perspective, Ruth is a Manchester born, bred and based menopausal mum of three boys (twelve, fifteen and twenty seven). She spends most of her weekends trying to manage the family mayhem with her partner Simon and watching their younger boys on the sideline of various sports pitches hunting for a loo (occasionally having to resort to a wild wee), a sausage sandwich and a brew while trying to keep warm in doubled-up big socks (mainly stolen from the males in her house) and multiple layers (having had it drilled into her since childhood that it is the number of layers that count, not the thickness of each layer - the complete opposite of friendships).

A nasty accident on Good (Bad) Friday in 2024 meant she spent several months sat on her arse with one leg having to be perpetually higher than said arse. As an energetic, self-confessed curator of chaos, she needed something to focus on and keep her from going frankly crazy. And keep her family from going crazy too. She found that you can’t do much when you're in acute pain with one leg in the air (including the jigsaws and ‘paint by numbers’ well-wishers had kindly gifted her). But you can read, reflect, think and you can definitely reminisce and daydream. And you can write. Which is what she did.

Her debut novel, Paper Over It, combines her sometimes over-enthusiastic imagination with insights gained from growing up in the 80s and becoming a young mum in the late 90s, her silent struggle with eating disorders in her earlier years, the power of some relationships and the destructive nature of others, and the joy of family, friendship, loyalty, hope and laughter.

Social Media Links – 

https://www.facebook.com/ruth.gresty

www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-gresty-6a336b9

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BLOG TOUR: Language of Angels (Ella Blake Thrillers) - Olly Jarvis

 

Have we reached the tipping point when AI becomes the master? Who holds the key that will prevent this power shift and is the answer in our history?

Barrister Ella Blake accepts a simple brief to defend a teenage genius on a charge of burglary – stealing books from a Cambridge University library.

Distracted by her daughter Lizzie’s sudden illness, nothing is what it seems. The case soon draws Ella into her greatest challenge – to find the ultimate formula – for life itself.

Ella’s frantic search through the historical clues risks not only her own life, but that of everyone close to her. Who are the shadowy entities in pursuit, thwarting Ella at every turn?

Winning is the only way Ella can save Lizzie – and humanity – but at what cost?

Language of Angels is an epic and gripping thriller by the brilliant Olly Jarvis that asks a question that has been guiding humanity since time began – what is the theory of everything?

What did I think?

Language of Angels is the second book featuring barrister Ella Blake but it can definitely be read as a standalone.  Prepare to get your mind blown when you pick it up though and clear your schedule as you won't be able to put it down.

Ella Blake is being pulled in different directions; one way as a barrister and one way as a mum.  Her daughter Lizzie needs her right now but Ella can't just walk out of court so she really is trying to compromise.  As someone who used to put work before absolutely everything else, I felt for Ella trying to balance the two most important things in her life: her daughter and her career.

What perhaps starts out as a legal thriller, Language of Angels gathers genres like a snowball rolling down a hill.  It's hard to describe but if Dan Brown and John Grisham collaborated on a book, it might be almost as good as an Olly Jarvis thriller.

There are some real locations mentioned in the book and I had a look on satellite images because they were places I had never heard of.  Although they are vividly described, it brings the book to life when you can see the locations with your own eyes rather than just your imagination.

Language of Angels is another cracking thriller from Olly Jarvis.  It's very imaginative and original with intrigue and action on every page.  It blew my mind a little but I loved it and I really couldn't put it down until I'd read every single word.  Very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

Hobeck Books

Amazon

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: A is for Amy - Steven Crandell

A is for Amy is a new kind of romance. It's a quick read with a big heart.

Amy Dellaconta Franklin is an independent mother of 3 kids under 5. Her life is often exhausting and isolating. Then, one day, love comes knocking at her front door.

Amy is a sassy, charming, yet lonely young widow who unexpectedly finds herself on the path of finding love again. Surprises overturn expectations at nearly every turn in this novella, which tells the story of how a life that seemed trapped in the too-hard basket became a voyage of romantic discovery.

A is for Amy tells it fast, straight and funny. From negativity to bliss. With no fluff and no wasted words.

Do you like reading but never seem to have enough space to start (or finish) a book? Each chapter in this romance can be enjoyed in the time it takes to drink a good cup of coffee.

This is a great gift for parents or parents-to-be. It looks like an alphabet book for children. But inside, it's a romantic adventure for grown-ups with a surprise ending that will touch your heart. 

What did I think?

A is for Amy is a very quick read with 100 pages and 26 chapters from A to Z.  I love that is designed to resemble a children's book and the chapters are short enough for busy parents to read when they get a spare 5 minutes.  I read it cover to cover and thoroughly enjoyed it.

It's a lot funnier than I expected and I frequently laughed out loud.  It's very clever the way that it is written to focus on each letter of the alphabet.  Although the alphabet and chosen focus words are on the cover, they don't always make an appearance in that letter's chapter.  For example, the N chapter doesn't mention Nutella (on Wheat Thins) and you have to wait until the Q chapter to find them. I was paying too much attention to the words on the cover rather than enjoying the story so I often thought I'd missed something and had to flick back a few pages.

The romance story is very sweet and heartwarming, especially as I felt like I'd got to know Amy over the course of the book.  She hasn't had the easiest life and she deserves to catch a break so I was really rooting for her to get her happily every after.

A is for Amy is a very amusing and entertaining book that I will definitely be reading again.  It made me laugh and smile so it's a very good pick-me-up type of book that can work its magic in a short space of time.  It's perfect for parents and all readers who enjoy romcoms.

I received a gifted hardback to read and review for the Love Books Tours bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: Like Me (The Millingham Series book 1) - Katharine Light

When exhausted single-mum Jess returns to Manchester for her twenty-year school reunion, she’s hoping for nothing more than a well-deserved break from reality. What she’s not expecting is to bump into her secret teenage crush, hot single-dad Sam, or to remember quite how much they have in common. 

But they live so far apart, their kids aren’t always easy, and there are events in their shared past it’s best not to revisit. Surely the idea of a future together is just a crazy dream in their messy, adult lives? 

Though when Sam invites Jess to accompany him to a mutual friend’s high-profile wedding, the years they spent apart once again melt away. What will it take for them to be together? Can they use their second chance to finally get it right?

 

What did I think?

Like Me is a superb debut novel from Katharine Light that is filled with drama, insecurities and romance.  You could call it a slow burn as the chemistry between the two main characters smoulders from start to finish.

Jess has always had a crush on Sam since they were at school together.  They have a bit of history as teenagers but it is very much a what might have been.  The school reunion brings Jess up from London to Manchester and her attraction to Sam has clearly not waned over the years.

I had my fingers crossed that Jess and Sam would finally get together this time but old insecurities resurface and it's almost like they revert back to having the feelings they had as teenagers.  With secrets and traumas buried in their pasts, neither of them have the confidence to declare their feelings.

Katharine Light's characterisation is outstanding and I was really invested in both characters as if they were real people that I knew.  Like Me isn't a simple love story; it is reminiscent of the trials and tribulations of real life and I couldn't put it down until I found out how it would end.

Like Me is an engaging and emotional romance novel that held my interest and introduced me to characters that I genuinely grew to care about.  It's well worth a read and I'm glad that the author has decided to make it into a series with another set of characters taking centre stage in the sequel, Me Too.

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

My rating:

Purchase link: https://amzn.to/3XRgWwC

About the author:

Katharine Light was born in Glasgow and lived there until her family moved to Manchester when she was ten. While in her teens, she began writing stories for her younger sister Emma. These mostly centred around a naïve heroine and a 1980s pop star (some would say the hero was modelled on John Taylor of Duran Duran).

She did a degree in psychology at University College London, and after a year travelling, worked in corporate film production for several years, before taking a break to raise her children. 

For many years she wrote mainly during the holidays, around her busy work for a local church.

Her first novel Like Me, published in 2023, was shortlisted for The Selfies Book Awards 2024. Her short story My arms are empty which is based on an episode from her second novel Me Too recently won the City University competition City Writes. 

She is a director of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, with responsibility for organising their conferences, gatherings and awards ceremonies. 

Katharine lives in London with her husband and quite often at least one of their adult children. She loves singing, walking, painting, looking at art, and going to the theatre.

Social Media Links – 

Instagram/Threads – katharinelightwrites1

Facebook – Katharinelightwrites

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Margo's Got Money Troubles - Rufi Thorpe

Margo Millet's got money troubles. As the child of a Hooter's waitress and an ex-Pro-Wrestler, she's always known she'd have to make it on her own. When she finds herself pregnant by her college professor - who is very keen not to be involved - she realizes she will need cash fast.

At twenty, alone with a baby, what Margo lacks in options she makes up for in ingenuity, and soon she has a plan: she'll start an OnlyFans as an experiment, producing content and writing storylines unlike anything else out there. Help arrives in the form of her live-action role-playing flatmate Suzie, and her father, Jinx - a recovering addict and veteran of the wrestling world, who has experience of making an audience fall in love.

Before she knows it, Margo is an online phenomenon. Could this be the answer to all of Margo's problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price?

 

What did I think?

I don't listen to a lot of audiobooks as I find it hard to concentrate on them but I was completely riveted by Margo's story in Margo's Got Money Troubles.  Elle Fanning's narration is flawless as she brings Margo to life and draws the listener into the story.  Elle is also set to play Margo in the upcoming TV series and I can't wait to watch it.

I really liked Margo; she is intelligent, sharp and caring in spite of her upbringing.  Her mother, Shayanne, is a Hooter's waitress with a gambling addiction and her father, Jinx, is an ex-pro wrestler with a heroin addiction.  It's no surprise that her married college professor, Mark, was able to take advantage of 19-year-old Margo and leave her pregnant, wanting nothing to do with the baby.

Margo has to come up with a plan to provide for her baby and it's actually rather ingenious, although her parents (who aren't together) are divided in their opinion of the suitability of Margo's job.  Then Mark finds out what Margo is doing and sues her for custody of Bodhi...

The story is both hilarious and heartbreaking as Margo is constantly questioned about her suitability as a mother.  Although it takes two to tango, I was so angry with Mark for wiping his hands of Margo in the first place and then deciding that he would be a better parent.  How dare he!!  Margo's parents have a lot to answer for too as she really needs their support but only one of them is prepared to put themselves out to help her.

There are so many funny moments as well as shocks and surprises that had me exclaiming out loud, so you might get some funny looks if you listen to this in public.  I was totally rooting for Margo from the start and I think she is an amazing woman who has more than her fair share of knocks in her young life but is destined for success and happiness.  Ok, I know she's not real but she sure felt real to me.

I absolutely loved listening to Margo's Got Money Troubles and I would highly recommend it.  This book is going to be huge so make sure you grab a copy and listen to it before the TV series comes out.

I received a gifted copy of the audiobook to listen to for the Adventures With Words listen-along and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon

Don't Stir the Goldfish - Eileen Wharton

Meet Amy, who’s juggling a bustling household with five children, a job organising historical re-enactments, and a broken heart caused by her husband’s betrayal and abandonment.

As she navigates the emotional rollercoaster of the break-up, Amy finds solace and guidance in her unique bond with Gupta, her AI confidante. Is artificial intelligence the answer? Can a woman really fall in love with a robot? Or will her manny steal her heart?

 

What did I think?

I love Eileen Wharton's books and, having had a cousin who did actually stir the goldfish with a wooden spoon, I just knew that I would love Don't Stir the Goldfish and indeed I did.  What I didn't expect was to feel such a wealth of emotions for Amy and her brood as I laughed, cried and felt everything in between while I was reading this fabulous book.

Single mother Amy's life is a bit like the circus as she juggles all of her commitments and tries to tame her five children.  Thank goodness she has Gupta (her AI assistant) to add a sense of calm to her busy life.  Amy is approaching her 40th birthday and the book is set out as a sort of diary as she counts down to the big day.  A lot can happen in a year and it certainly does for Amy.

This is easily the funniest book I have read this year but it's also the most poignant.  I totally expected to laugh out loud (and I did many times) but I didn't expect to cry too.  I know this is a book I will read again as I loved all of the characters and I was thoroughly entertained by all of their shenanigans.

Laugh out loud hilarious and tearjerkingly poignant, Don't Stir the Goldfish is a book I will be recommending for a long time.  It's completely unmissable and it's an easy five stars from me.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The Secret Orchard - Sharon Gosling

Set in a small community on the Scottish coast, the new feel-good story about family, belonging and finding peace with the past from the author of The Lighthouse Bookshop and The Forgotten Garden.

 

Bette and Nina Crowdie have never been close – the ten-year age difference doesn’t help, and Bette’s rarely been home since she left for university at eighteen. When their father passes away and unexpectedly splits the family farm between them, Nina is furious and afraid. She’s been working at the farm for the past five years. It’s the only home her young son, Barnaby, has ever had, and she’s convinced that Bette will sell at the first chance she gets.

When they discover the huge debt their father has been hiding, Bette reluctantly agrees to help her sister. But that means they have to find a way to work together, and Bette must face up to the real reason she left all those years ago.

Could a long-forgotten diary and the discovery of a secret orchard on their land help save the farm – and the sisters’ relationship?

 

What did I think?

Oh this beautiful book has it all: romance, mystery, broken family relationships, a faithful hound and a young superhero, to name but a few.  I absolutely adored it and I wanted to read it again the moment I finished it to prolong my visit to the Crowdie farm.

Sisters Bette and Nina couldn't be more different; Bette is a successful solicitor in London and Nina is an emotionally and physically scarred single mother living and working at the family farm in Scotland.  When their father dies, both sisters expected Nina to inherit the farm but his final wish was to share it between them.  What they didn't expect to inherit was a mountain of debt.

It is completely heartbreaking to see how the two sisters are almost strangers to each other but now that they have a common goal to save the farm they gradually begin to build a relationship built on trust and love.  This is helped immensely by Nina's cute son Barnaby, aka superhero Best Barnaby Barnacle, and his dog Limpet.

There is a lot going on in the book and so many different strands of intrigue that kept me well and truly hooked.  That was even before the discovery of the mysterious secret orchard that was really the cherry (or the apple) on top.  

Heartwarming, compelling and uplifting, The Secret Orchard is beautifully written and evokes a wealth of emotions in the reader.  It's an easy five stars from me and I simply can't recommend it highly enough.

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: The Thief of Joy - Stacey Murray

Single-mum Roz compares herself to everyone else, from her sister to friends to people on social media, and feels she's missing out. She wants what they've got - a husband, a father for her daughter, and respect.

When she meets Daniel, Roz thinks her dreams are possible, until he dies suddenly and tragically. Devastated by grief and loneliness, she rushes headlong into a relationship with Mark, a widower she meets in an online support group.

Yet as Mark's behaviour becomes more controlling and manipulative, Roz realises he isn't the man of her dreams. He is hiding a jaw-dropping secret that spells danger for Roz and her daughter...

 

What did I think?

The Thief of Joy is a very good slow burn thriller that smoulders from start to finish and I really enjoyed it.  Stacey Murray's suspenseful writing creates a web of intrigue that completely captured my attention.

I felt really sorry for Roz at the start when all the hopes and dreams of a new relationship are snatched away from her so cruelly.  Roz only knew Daniel for a short time so she doesn't get much sympathy from her family and turns to an online grief support group to validate her right to grieve.  

As with all online groups though, there are some nice people and some trolls so when Roz gets a message from an administrator the reader can't help but wonder which category Mark falls into.  As Mark gradually wheedles his way into Roz's life the chapters are interspersed with sinister snippets that let the reader know that all is not as it seems.

My sympathy for Roz ebbed and flowed like the tide as she is always comparing herself to other people and wanting what they have.  I'm not saying she's not unlucky but her desperation to find a partner causes her to overlook their flaws and this puts her and her daughter in danger.

Captivating and tense, The Thief of Joy is a riveting psychological thriller that is filled with suspense, envy and danger.  It's well worth a read and I think it's important to remind readers that some people online are not who they seem.

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:

Hobeck Books

Amazon

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The Semi-Detached Women - Alex Quaid

For a young woman in 1960s England, falling in love can be a crime—and could cost her everything . . .

In 1963 Manchester, England, a pregnancy is enough to get eighteen-year-old Janine thrown out by her mother—regardless of whether the baby’s father is Janine’s much older married boss, who’s taken advantage of her. Having spent her lonely childhood immersed in romantic books, Janine gets practical and rents out one-half of a stone cottage to wait for childbirth.

She isn’t alone long though. Laura, a newly divorced with an eight-year-old boy and a difficult past of her own, moves into the other half of the house. The two women become friends, and their relationship grows. But after Janine’s daughter is born, a social worker starts hovering, strongly suggesting that Janine allow the Catholic unwed mother’s home to put her child up for adoption.

To hold on to the happiness she’s found, Janine will have to stay strong against malicious forces—and accept help from some unexpected friends—in this richly emotional novel about finding out who you can truly depend on and who you really are.

 

What did I think?

The rainbow and the two women on the beautiful cover of The Semi-Detached Women tells the reader that this is a romance with a difference.  Not only is this a romance set in the sixties, but it's also the heartwarming relationship between two women.

I loved both the main characters of Janine and Laura.  Janine is a young pregnant unwed woman and what a scandal this is in the 1960s.  Forced out of her home she travels to Manchester where nobody knows her to make a new start with her baby.  Laura finds it hard to trust anyone after divorcing her cheating husband and she sets up home with her son next door to Janine.  

It's delightful to watch Janine and Laura's friendship develop and, although both women are confused by their feelings at first, it's lovely to see their relationship grow into something deeper.  It's quite thought-provoking for me (as a child of the seventies) to explore homosexuality in the sixties.  I thought it was illegal back then, and it was, but what I didn't realise is that it was only illegal for men.  It's quite sad really, considering the sixties had the whole free love ethos.  Clearly, free love wasn't free for all.

Alex Quaid uses words as building blocks to reconstruct the 1960s word by word and I felt as if I had stepped back in time.  I was so mad when the church tried to take Janine's perfectly healthy and much loved baby from her.  I  think perhaps people of the sixties found unwed mothers as shocking as homosexuals.  There's a hippy in a campervan in the story and something Ianto said really stayed with me, so much so that I wanted to share a quote from the book:

"You think in labels, man, but she doesn't.  She's just a woman in love."

Be more Ianto and stop thinking in labels!  The world will be a much better place for it.

So beautifully written, sensitive, thought-provoking and quietly affecting, The Semi-Detached Women is an outstanding and unforgettable novel.  

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The Stranger Beside Me - Caroline England

When no one is what they seem, who can you trust?

Katy Henry is lost and lonely. A single mother, plagued by fatigue and anxiety, she rarely has time for friends. But when she encounters Sibeal Matthews, all this changes. Sibeal is everything that Katy is not: assured, headstrong and charming.

Katy soon finds herself pulled out of her isolation into a fierce friendship. But Sibeal is not all that she seems. Tragedy haunts her, and for all her feistiness, she is startlingly dependent on her brother, Gabriel. And when her life begins to spectacularly unravel, Katy is swept up in the storm.

As Katy fights to protect herself and her son, it's not just Sibeal who threatens to endanger them - Katy's own past starts to rupture. Who can Katy trust? Can she even trust herself?

 

What did I think?

I have been a fan of Caroline England's books for a while now but she has totally knocked it out of the park with her new novel, The Stranger Beside Me - it is FANTASTIC!!  I was completely drawn into the web that Caroline's sublime writing created and I was totally blindsided by the stunning plot.

The characters are beautifully drawn and I loved Katy and her inquisitive son Milo.  There is a vulnerability about Katy and I was worried that she was heading into dangerous waters when she befriends Sibeal Matthews at her father's funeral.  Sibeal has an air of danger about her and it just feels like something is off with Sibeal and her brother Gabriel.

Caroline England has plotted this novel to perfection and it's a bit like a boxing match with punches and feints coming at you from all directions, until you're on the ropes and your opponent moves in for the killer blow.  BAM!  It's most definitely a knockout novel and I didn't see any of it coming.

The Stranger Beside Me is dark, tense, a little creepy and completely awesome; it's one of the easiest five star ratings I have ever given.  Very highly recommended and completely unmissable.

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

My rating:

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