BLOG TOUR: When Stars Will Shine - Various Authors

When Stars Will Shine is a collection of short stories from your favourite authors who have come together to deliver you a Christmas read with a twist.

With true war tales that will break your heart, gritty Christmas crimes that will shake you to your core, and heart-warming tales of love lost and found, this anthology has something for everyone. And, with every penny made being sent to support our troops, you can rest assured that you’re helping our heroes, one page at a time.

From authors such as Louise Jensen, Graham Smith, Malcolm Hollingdrake, Lucy Cameron, Val Portelli, and Alex Kane, you are in for one heck of a ride! 

When Stars Will Shine is the perfect Christmas gift for the bookworms in your life!

What did I think?

I'm not usually a fan of short stories, strangely enough because I feel like it takes me too long to read them as an anthology doesn't flow as well as a novel, however, When Stars Will Shine has certainly changed my mind about that.  Without pausing, I effortlessly read one story after another to the point where I was like a child in a sweet shop wondering what festive delight I could devour next.  The best thing about this book is, not only do you get 24 fantastic stories from a vast array of outstanding authors (and what a terrific line up it is), but the sale of every single copy raises funds for the amazing charity Help for Heroes.  I consider many of the authors among my favourites and I was delighted to see that the talented writers of North East England make up a good proportion of this anthology.

Part of me wants to say 'stop reading now and just buy the book' but please do read on and I'll try my best to tell you how awesome When Stars Will Shine really is.  There is definitely something for everyone in this anthology with a good mix of military and Christmas stories, each one making me experience a range of emotions.  I can't possibly mention every single story in my review, and to single out any in particular would be unfair because they are all brilliant, but they range from heartwarming, poignant, thought-provoking, hopeful, spooky, spine-tingling, sobering, scary and as downright chilly as the winter snow.

If you're not tempted yet, have a look at the list of contents below.  Can you spot your favourite author?  Perhaps you'll find a new favourite among them as there are some absolutely brilliant books in their back catalogues.  There are certainly a few new (to me) authors that I intend to check out, having read their outstanding stories in When Stars Will Shine.

Contents
Fredrick Snellgrove, Private 23208 by Rob Ashman

Four Seasons by Robert Scragg

The Close Encounter by Gordon Bickerstaff 

Believe by Mark Brownless 

What Can Possibly Go Wrong? by Lucy Cameron 

Mountain Dew by Paul T. Campbell

The Art of War and Peace by John Carson 

A Gift for Christmas by Kris Egleton 

Free Time by Stewart Giles 

Died of Wounds by Malcolm Hollingdrake 

The Christmas Killer by Louise Jensen 

The Village Hotel by Alex Kane

A Present of Presence by HR Kemp 

The Invitation by Billy McLaughlin

Brothers Forever by Paul Moore

Girl in a Red Shirt by Owen Mullen 

Pivotal Moments by Anna Franklin Osborne

Uncle Christmas by Val Portelli

Time for a Barbeque by Carmen Radtke
Christmas Present by Lexi Rees

Inside Out by KA Richardson

Penance by Jane Risdon

New Year’s Resolution by Robert Scragg

Family Time by Graham Smith

Emma Mitchell has really outdone herself in pulling together this marvellous anthology and she deserves every accolade for arranging publication of this masterpiece.  With more variety than a Christmas selection box, make sure that you ask Santa for a copy of When Stars Will Shine or better still, buy a copy for all of your family and friends.  

With stories that will make you laugh, smile and cry but best of all support our troops while you're reading, When Stars Will Shine is the must read book of the year.  It is my absolute pleasure to give a rating of 5 shiny stars. 

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

My rating:

Buy it from: 
Amazon UK
Amazon US

Follow the authors on Twitter:

Robert Scragg: @robert_scragg

Paul Moore: @mooros69

Graham Smith: @grahamsmith1972

Malcolm Hollingdrake: @MHollingdrake

Alex Kane: @AlexKaneWriter

Owen Mullen: @OwenMullen6

Gordon Bickerstaff: @GFBickerstaff

Lexi Rees: @Lexi_Rees

Megan Steer: @tjsarcat15

Anna Franklin Osborne: @HomeOsborne

Stewart Giles: @stewartGiles

Jane Risdon: @Jane_Risdon

Louise Jensen: @fabricating_fiction

Rob Ashman: @RobAshmanAuthor

Carmen Radtke: @carmenradtke1

Val Portelli: @ValPortelli

Mark Brownless: @MarkBrownless

John Carson: @JohnCarsonBooks

Kris Egleton: @Mouse6420

Paul T. Campbell: @PtcCampbell

Lucy Cameron: @lucycomeron22

KA Richardson: @KerryAnn77

Billy McLaughlin: @bilbob20

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BLOG TOUR: Silent Winter - Maggie James

No sound.  No light.  No hope.

On an icy November night, Drew Blackmore is beaten unconscious, then abducted.  He awakes to find himself in total darkness, naked and chained to the floor.  Fed just enough to keep him alive, Drew is unable to identify his captor, or the reason for his incarceration. As reality fades, hallucinations take over. Can Drew escape his prison before madness claims him?

Meanwhile Drew's wife, Holly, despairing of ever seeing him again, turns to his brother for comfort. As the worst winter in decades sweeps the UK, she learns of Drew's tragic past. Could his disappearance be connected with that of a prostitute years before?

A story of how the mind responds to solitary confinement, Silent Winter examines one man's desperate attempt to survive the unthinkable.

What did I think?

Who knew Maggie James had such a dark and twisted imagination?  Maggie James' new novel, Silent Winter, is so very dark, especially in contrast to the crisp white snow on the cover.  It's a book that doesn't so much get under your skin as worm its way into your brain due to the fascinating subject matter of solitary confinement.

When Holly's husband, Drew, doesn't return home from work one night she knows something is seriously wrong and calls Drew's brother, Todd.  Todd thinks Drew has just gone for a few drinks to blow off steam and will return home full of remorse the following day.  When Drew doesn't return and the days turn to weeks they wonder whether Drew has walked away from his marriage voluntarily.

Meanwhile, the reader is party to the secret of Drew's abduction.  As if it isn't bad enough to be kept in a makeshift prison, Drew is deprived of sights and sounds; he is kept in the dark and his captor doesn't utter a word to him.  Drew has no idea why he has been targeted and there are several threads to untangle before the reader can even find that out.

There are so many layers to this story that kept my eyes glued to the page: Holly and Drew's marriage, Holly and Todd's history, Todd and Drew's dark family secret and the captor's motivation.  Most of all, I was fascinated by the sensory deprivation that Drew suffered in captivity.  It was interesting to see how the brain reacts to such things and I wondered how long I would last without stimulation; probably not long at all if I had no books!

Silent Winter is an outstanding book that reminds me of a boxing match; it packs a big punch at the beginning, keeps the reader on their toes throughout until the final knockout blow at the end.  Maggie James has really raised the bar in the psychological thriller genre with this exceptional and unforgettable book.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon



About the author:

Maggie James is a British author who lives near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She writes psychological suspense novels.

Before turning her hand to writing, Maggie worked mainly as an accountant, with a diversion into practising as a nutritional therapist. Diet and health remain high on her list of interests, along with travel. Accountancy does not, but then it never did. The urge to pack a bag and go off travelling is always lurking in the background! When not writing, going to the gym, practising yoga or travelling, Maggie can be found seeking new four-legged friends to pet; animals are a lifelong love!

Social media links:

Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-James-Fiction/191644207648375

https://www.facebook.com/MJamesFiction/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjamesfiction

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/maggie-james/64/381/727

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/828751.Maggie_James

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/maggiejamesfict/

Amazon: https://author.to/MJF)

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maggie-james

Maggie James – psychological suspense novelist

Website and blog: www.maggiejamesfiction.com

Facebook: Maggie James Fiction

Twitter: @mjamesfiction

Amazon: Maggie James

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BLOG TOUR: Unexpected Lessons in Love - Lucy Dillon

What happens when 'I do' turns into 'I don't know'?

Jeannie always wanted to fall in love, and now she’s finally got the whirlwind romance she dreamed of. Dan’s gorgeous, he’s a successful young vet, and he flew her to New York and proposed on Brooklyn Bridge. Jeannie has to remind herself this is actually her life. It seems too perfect, too magical, to be real. Yet it is.

But now she’s on her way to the wedding she can’t shake off the tight sensation crushing her chest. Is it just nerves . . . or is this all happening a bit too fast?

Jeannie has one last chance to shout, ‘Stop!’ But just as she grabs it, a twist of fate throws everything she knows into the air like confetti. What Jeannie learns about Dan, about her own heart, and about the power of love itself, will change her world for ever . . .

What did I think?

I was delighted to win an advance copy of Unexpected Lessons in Love on Twitter as I have wanted to read a Lucy Dillon book for some time.  What an amazing introduction to this fabulous author.  I have to say that I half expected an overdose of romantic hearts and flowers but I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of sloppy slushiness.

Jeannie and Dan appear to have the perfect relationship; they're a couple in love hurtling towards married life after Dan surprised Jeannie with a romantic proposal.  The only problem is they haven't known each other long enough to find out everything about each other.  Once they are engaged, their time is taken up with wedding preparations rather than learning everything they need to know about each other.  Jeannie learns her lesson the hard way as this fact finally hits her: how can she marry Dan when she doesn't even know him?  Good on her for being brave enough to trust her gut and voice her concern, although her timing could have been better.

The aftermath of the non-wedding is where I completely fell in love with the storyline, thanks to a handful of rescued dogs and puppies.  The dogs really stole the show (and my heart) as Lucy Dillon touches on the plight of dogs in puppy farms.  The effect on the dogs is horrific, especially when they are naturally social animals.  It is Jeannie's new friend, Rachel, who runs a charity to look after rescued dogs but Rachel is seriously lacking funds to take care of this new intake and she can't possibly turn them away.  Jeannie and Rachel, together with Natalie from the animal shelter, come up with an amazing fundraising idea and as donations come pouring in, the stories that accompany them really put a smile on my face.

Not that it ever disappeared completely (there's just too many books and not enough time), but Lucy Dillon has reawakened my love of romantic/women's fiction.  Unexpected Lessons in Love is a fabulously heartwarming book with a riveting storyline that takes the reader in a completely unexpected direction.  I absolutely loved it and, having been immersed in the crime and thriller genre for so long, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.

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 TOUR: Stay Mad, Sweetheart - Heleen Kist

THERE’S A FINE LINE BETWEEN INNOCENCE AND GUILT. AN EVEN FINER LINE BETWEEN JUSTICE AND REVENGE.

Data scientist Laura prefers the company of her books to the real world – let alone that cesspit online. But when her best friend Emily becomes the victim of horrific cyberbullying, she makes it her all-engulfing mission to track down the worst culprits.

Petite corporate financier Suki is about to outshine the stupid boys at her firm: she’s leading the acquisition of Edinburgh’s most exciting start-up. If only she could get its brilliant, but distracted, co-founder Laura to engage.

Event planner Claire is left to salvage the start-up's annual conference after her colleague Emily fails to return to work. She’s determined to get a promotion out of it, but her boss isn’t playing ball.

As the women's paths intertwine, the insidious discrimination they each face comes to light. Emboldened by Emily’s tragic experience, they join forces to plot the downfall of all those who've wronged them.

But with emotions running high, will the punishments fit the crimes?

A pacy suspense fiction with its feet firmly in the #MeToo era. 9 to 5 meets Suits with a dash of Black Mirror.

What did I think?

I haven't read many feminist novels (shame on me) but I was drawn to this book not only by its subject matter but by its comparison to the TV show Suits.  Although the comparison is obvious, there is definitely more drama, skullduggery and ambition in Stay Mad, Sweetheart than there is in a whole series of Suits.  Stay Mad, Sweetheart would make an amazing series and I hope it gets snapped up for TV.

Laura is my favourite character as she most resonated with me.  Laura just wants to do a good job and feel valued without having to compare her worth to her co-workers.  Nothing good ever came out of opening that Pandora's box but I know that such inequality still goes on and it saddens me.  I loved how Laura went on a crusade to identify the cyberbullies who made her friend's life a living hell.  I've always said, it's not so much the person who fires the gun as the one who provides the bullets; the people who launch a virtual hand-grenade and then step back while others do the damage.  If only a real-life Laura existed who could identify these cowardly cretins.

Anger is the overriding emotion that I experienced a lot throughout the book, especially at the way Claire and Suki were discriminated against at work.  Suki in particular has to put up with blatant sexism and racism in the corporate finance world and is constantly patronised even though she is a financial whizz.  I'm a little naive sometimes so I was horrified to learn how derogatory Suki's nickname was, as I have heard people being called this in the real world.  

Now it's not all burning bras and misandry as there is a scene where Claire and her friends ogle a hunky plumber in a cafe.  It struck me as very different to how women are treated by men as the women keep their opinions within their group and the man was none the wiser.  If it was the other way round, a group of men would be wolf whistling and making suggestive comments out loud to a beautiful woman, making her feel uncomfortable.  I know this doesn't apply to all men and I'm generalising here but it just shows the difference between the sexes; men really are from Mars.

Mad by name and mad by nature; this exceptional book will incite your fury.  It's a feminist novel for the digital age and I think Margaret Atwood will be kicking herself that she hadn't written it herself; I can see this replacing or maybe accompanying The Handmaid's Tale in the school curriculum in the not too distant future.  A must read thought-provoking book that everyone (no discrimination) should read.  

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon
Buy it from Red Dog Press




About the author:

Heleen Kist has been fondled, patronised and ordered to smile by random men. So she wrote ‘Stay Mad, Sweetheart’, a feminist tale of revenge. Whilst her professional knowledge of technology start-ups fed the novel’s setting, its theme of harassment and workplace discrimination required no research: it is familiar to all women.

Heleen was chosen as an up and coming new author at Bloody Scotland 2018. Her first novel, ‘In Servitude’ won the silver medal for Best European Fiction at the Independent Publishers Book Awards in the USA and was shortlisted for The Selfies awarded at London Book Fair.

A Dutch strategy consultant living in Glasgow and married to a Scotsman, she’s raising their son to be a good man and their daughter to kick ass.

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BLOG TOUR: Death Makes No Distinction: A Dan Foster Mystery - Lucienne Boyce

The Rachel's Random Resources Blog Tour for Death Makes No Distinction by Lucienne Boyce is visiting my blog today and I am delighted to release my review as part of the tour.

Two women at opposite ends of the social scale, both brutally murdered.

Principal Officer Dan Foster of the Bow Street Runners is surprised when his old rival John Townsend requests his help to investigate the murder of Louise Parmeter, a beautiful writer who once shared the bed of the Prince of Wales. Her jewellery is missing, savagely torn from her body. Her memoirs, which threaten to expose the indiscretions of the great and the good, are also missing.

Frustrated by the chief magistrate’s demand that he drop the investigation into the death of the unknown beggar woman, found savagely raped and beaten and left to die in the outhouse of a Holborn tavern, Dan is determined to get to the bottom of both murders. But as his enquiries take him into both the richest and the foulest places in London, and Townsend’s real reason for requesting his help gradually becomes clear, Dan is forced to face a shocking new reality when the people he loves are targeted by a shadowy and merciless adversary.

The investigation has suddenly got personal.

What did I think?

Having loved Bloodie Bones, the first Dan Foster Mystery, I have been eager to get back to this period of Georgian history.  Although I haven't yet read book 2, I didn't feel disadvantaged at all as Lucienne Boyce gives enough of Dan Foster's back story to fill in any blanks I may have had.

Dan Foster's story is one thread of the book and I'll come back to that in a moment, but the murders he is investigating are the main story.  Dan is just about to investigate the brutal murder of a penniless woman, presumed to be a prostitute, when a lady of higher class is murdered and his focus is forcibly shifted.  Dan isn't the sort of policeman to give up without a fight (pun intended) and it is his talent for pugilism that draws him into boxing at the request of the Prince of Wales.  I love that word 'pugilism', it makes boxing sound so fancy!

There's a lot going on in Dan's life at the moment; he has a wife and a son, although his wife isn't his son's mother.  As if that isn't intriguing enough, he is also in love with his wife's sister who has just got married.  What on earth have I missed?  I need to read The Butcher's Block immediately!  Although I have clearly missed things by missing out book 2; it didn't spoil my enjoyment one bit, it just makes book 2 all the more alluring to me in order to fully fill in the blanks.

I really felt as if I had been transported to the slums of London when reading Death Makes No Distinction.  I think with the Prince of Wales featuring and gentlemen huzzah-ing now and again, I pictured the scene somewhat like Blackadder III, with garishly painted ladies of the night and drunken madams frequenting the pubs and rowdy drunken lords patronising the gentlemens clubs.

The murder mystery aspect is excellent and there are so many suspects that I really couldn't have guessed who the actual perpetrators were.  I think it was because it was so hard to guess that I didn't really try to work it out and just enjoyed the thrill of sniffing out clues along with Dan Foster.

Death Makes No Distinction is a superb historical murder mystery with a down to earth and realistic protagonist.  I think it could definitely be read as a standalone and I have no doubt that any readers picking up Dan Foster's story at this stage will be eager to read the previous books too.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:
Book Depository
Wordery
Foyles
Amazon UK
Amazon US




About the author:

Lucienne Boyce writes historical fiction, non-fiction and biography. After gaining an MA in English Literature (with Distinction) with the Open University in 2007, specialising in eighteenth-century fiction, she published her first historical novel, To The Fair Land, in 2012, an eighteenth-century thriller set in Bristol and the South Seas.

Her second novel, Bloodie Bones: A Dan Foster Mystery (2015) is the first of the Dan Foster Mysteries and follows the fortunes of a Bow Street Runner who is also an amateur pugilist. Bloodie Bones was joint winner of the Historical Novel Society Indie Award 2016, and was also a semi-finalist for the M M Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction 2016. The second Dan Foster Mystery, The Butcher’s Block, was published in 2017 and was awarded an IndieBrag Medallion in 2018. The third in the series, Death Makes No Distinction, was published in 2019. In 2017 an e-book Dan Foster novella, The Fatal Coin, was trade published by SBooks.

In 2013, Lucienne published The Bristol Suffragettes, a history of the suffragette movement in Bristol and the west country. In 2017 she published a collection of short essays, The Road to Representation: Essays on the Women’s Suffrage Campaign.

Contributions to other publications include:-

‘Not So Militant Browne’ in Suffrage Stories: Tales from Knebworth, Stevenage, Hitchin and Letchworth (Stevenage Museum, 2019)

‘Victoria Lidiard’ in The Women Who Built Bristol, Jane Duffus (Tangent Books, 2018)

‘Tramgirls, Tommies and the Vote’ in Bristol and the First World War: The Great Reading Adventure 2014 (Bristol Cultural Development Partnership/Bristol Festival of Ideas, 2014)

Articles, interviews and reviews in various publications including Bristol Times, Clifton Life, The Local Historian, Historical Novels Review (Historical Novel Society), Nonesuch, Bristol 24/7, Bristol History Podcast, etc.

Lucienne has appeared on television and radio in connection with her fiction and non-fiction work. She regularly gives talks and leads walks about the women’s suffrage movement. She also gives talks and runs workshops on historical fiction for literary festivals, Women’s Institutes, local history societies, and other organisations. She has been a radio presenter on BCfm, and a course tutor.

In 2018 she was instrumental in devising and delivering Votes for Women 100, a programme of commemorative events by the West of England and South Wales Women’s History Network in partnership with Bristol M Shed and others. She also campaigned and raised funds for a Blue Plaque for the Bristol and West of England Women’s Suffrage Society.

She is on the steering committee of the West of England and South Wales Women’s History Network, and is also a member of the Historical Novel Society, the Society of Authors, and the Alliance of Independent Authors.

She is currently working on the fourth full-length Dan Foster Mystery, and a biography of suffrage campaigner Millicent Browne.

Lucienne was born in Wolverhampton and now lives in Bristol.

Social Media Links –

Twitter: @LucienneWrite

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LucienneWriter

Blog: https://francesca-scriblerus.blogspot.com/http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6437832.Lucienne_Boyce

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BLOG TOUR: A Million Dreams - Dani Atkins

Beth Brandon always dreamed of owning a florist, but today the bouquets of peonies and bright spring flowers are failing to calm her nerves. Because today, Beth has a life-changing decision to share with her husband.

Izzy Vaughan thought she and her husband would stay together forever, but sometime last year, their love began to fade. They both find such joy in their young son Noah – but is he enough to keep them together?

Eight years ago, something happened to these two women. Something that is about to bring them together in a way no-one thought possible...

Thought-provoking, emotional and uplifting, this is a gripping love story for fans of Jojo Moyes and Amanda Prowse.

What did I think?

Oh my giddy aunt, this book has broken me; in fact A Million Dreams hasn't just broken me, it has shattered me into a million pieces.  I have to admit that as a HUGE fan of The Greatest Showman, I picked this book up solely because of its title without reading what it was about and, even though Hugh Jackman's not even mentioned in it, I am delighted to say that it completely exceeded my expectations.  I was absolutely floored at the end of Chapter One and continued reading with a lump in my throat that didn't go away and resulted in tears on several occasions.  

Dani Atkins has created two very strong female characters in Beth and Izzy who each have to deal with their own inner turmoil.  Beth's story is heartbreaking but she's so pragmatic that I couldn't help but admire her.  I wasn't really quite sure what was going on with Izzy; it felt as if she was pushing her husband away with no good reason to do so.  As their two stories intertwine, Dani Atkins puts the reader through an emotional wringer; not only was I predominantly heartbroken but I realised that I had also felt a myriad emotions ranging from devastation to hope.

I can't say any more without spoiling the story but seriously, take my word for it and read this book; I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed.  There are so many things to think about and I wondered what I would do in the same situation.  I know for sure that A Million Dreams is a book that will stay with me for a very long time as I've found myself thinking about it long after I finished it.  

A Million Dreams is completely heart-shattering, incredibly thought-provoking and surprisingly uplifting; I'd give it a rating of a million stars if I could as scooping the full 5 stars doesn't seem nearly enough.

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

My rating:

Buy links:

Amazon

Kobo

iBooks

Google Play

About the author:

Dani Atkins is an award-winning novelist. Her 2013 debut FRACTURED (published as THEN AND ALWAYS in North America) has been translated into sixteen languages and has sold more than half a million copies since first publication in the UK. Dani is the author of four other bestselling novels, one of which, This Love, won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2018. Dani lives in a small village in Hertfordshire with her husband, one Siamese cat and a very soppy Border Collie.

Follow Dani:

Twitter: @AtkinsDani

Facebook: @DaniAtkinsAuthor

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BLOG TOUR: The Mother I Could Have Been - Kerry Fisher

Why would you walk away from the one person you can’t live without?

As a child, Vicky Hall never had the sort of family she wanted. The least important person in her new step-family, ignored by her mother in favour of her two younger half-siblings, Vicky was always an afterthought. Sitting alone at her graduation ceremony at the age of twenty-one, she vows to create her own family and her own life, one which is full of the love and attention she has always craved.

When Vicky meets William and falls pregnant in Greece that summer, it isn’t planned. But the two of them believe they can make it work, showering their child with the love which they believe should be enough.

But when her son Theo is two, Vicky leaves him in the care of her mother-in-law, walks out of her front door and drives to a hotel where she takes a room for the night. She doesn’t return.

It’s unthinkable.

What kind of mother does that?

The kind who is hiding a story you can never imagine.

The Mother I Could Have Been is a heartbreaking story of impossible decisions and second chances, from the bestselling author of The Silent Wife and The Woman I Was Before. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.  

What did I think?

I love Kerry Fisher books so I couldn't wait to dive into her latest novel, The Mother I Could Have Been.  I experienced a wealth of emotions whilst reading this book; predominantly anger at the way Vicky is treated by her partner's mother, in fact I was absolutely raging and don't blame Vicky one bit for walking out.  Of course I can say that as I am not a mother, but I'm sure many people wouldn't be able to understand her walking out on her two year old son, Theo.

Oh Vicky, what can I say?  Vicky felt very pushed out when her mother had two children with her new partner; we'll never know how much was in her imagination but it affected Vicky so badly that she went to Corfu after her graduation and never saw her mother again.  Vicky meets William in Corfu and I really felt that she was just searching for the love that she was missing from her mother.  Be careful what you wish for, Vicky, as when she discovers she is pregnant she ends up moving in with William's family and his mother, Barbara, doesn't half like to take over.

I really wanted Vicky to stand up to Barbara, although William doesn't seem to manage it.  I knew this was going to end badly when they let Barbara talk them out of the name they had chosen for their son.  It gets even worse than that though, ending up with Vicky feeling like her son doesn't even like her, let alone love her.  So many things happen that you wonder how Vicky managed to stay in Barbara's house for so long and I could even understand her thinking that she was doing the best thing for everyone by walking out and never going back.

For a change of pace we are introduced to Caro and her family and I wondered how she would fit into the story.  Caro not only gives Vicky a job in the family business but she welcomes her into the family.  Despite having a tumultuous relationship with her own daughter, who I wanted to shake some sense into, Caro gives Vicky the unconditional love she has been craving and finally helps her to see what she has been missing.

This kind of story would make an amazing TV drama; it has all the drama of Dynasty with Barbara in an Alexis Colby style role contrasting with Caro as the motherly Annie Sugden from Emmerdale Farm.  Kerry Fisher has written an extremely emotive and highly explosive family drama that had me reading at the speed of light to find out how it would all play out.  Heartbreaking and moving one minute and heartwarming and uplifting the next, The Mother I Could Have Been is very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon



About the author:

Kerry Fisher is the bestselling author of five novels, including The Silent Wife and The Secret Child. She was born in Peterborough, studied French and Italian at the University of Bath and spent several years living in Spain, Italy and Corsica. After returning to England to work as a journalist, she eventually abandoned real life stories for the secrets of fictional families. She now lives in Surrey with her husband, two teenage children and a naughty Lab/Schnauzer called Poppy. 

Links:

http://www.kerryfisherauthor.com/ 

https://twitter.com/KerryFSwayne  







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