Blog Tour Review: The Runaway Wife by Rosie Clarke

The Runaway Wife by Rosie Clarke

Published: 1st February 2018

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 426

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Love, marriage, obsession, betrayal and treachery in 1920s London – a powerful and gritty saga perfect for fans of Kitty Neale, Josephine Cox and Rosie Goodwin.

The hedonism of London in the roaring '20s is a world away from Annabel Tarleton's ordinary country existence. Until a chance meeting with the charming Richard Fortescue at a society ball changes her life for ever.

Swept off her feet by the dashing Richard, and his renowned fortune, Annabel soon realises that all that glitters isn't gold. Her bid for freedom has come at a terrible price and she finds herself trapped inside a marriage that behind closed doors is cruel and brutal.

Annabel has no choice but to flee, and will do everything to save herself, and her unborn baby, from destitution. But the very rich and very powerful expect to get what they want – and Richard wants only one thing – Annabel...

Review

The Runaway Wife was a book which I was really looking forward to reading. Firstly because it’s written by Rosie Clarke who is fast becoming one of my favourite authors in the saga genre and secondly it was set in the 1920s and 1930s a period of history I love reading about for all the glitz and glamour. It’s a book which didn’t disappoint and was devoured in just a couple of days as I tend to get lost in Ms. Clarke’s writing.

Annabel and her family are feeling the pressure of money troubles after their father lost most of their money in bad investments during the stock market crash. They still have their home but its at the point of falling down around them. Annabel is a woman with intelligence, tenacity and charm longs to go out into the world and find a job. But her mother has other ideas Annabel must marry well like her brother Ben and secure some money for the family, Annabel has too much of a sense of duty to disobey her mother.  Which is how she finds herself married to Richard Hansen, instead of the man she has fallen in love with working class Paul Keifer, a printer.  Richard is a man who is rich, handsome and completely charming on the outside, much approved by Annabel’s mother. Alone in their marriage Annabel soon learns Richard is a cruel and violent man who will stop at nothing to get his own way. Fearing for her own life Annabel decides she’s had enough and runs away…after all any life is better than one with Richard.

Annabel is a great character, she hard-working, honest and has any easy nature which seems to put those around totally at ease and I loved how much she changed throughout the novel. At the beginning she has her hopes and dreams but ultimately is controlled by her mother. After her marriage to Richard begins to go wrong she grows in independence and is determined to make her own decisions about her future.

I found The Runaway Wife to be a realistic and well-rounded portrayal of life in the roaring twenties. Every detail has been thought of and described from the glamourous costumes and hairstyles of the rich and famous to the everyday details of making the families bread on the farm. Written at a time when society was beginning to be more equal with the rich people facing the losses of the stock market and women demanding their right to vote this was a very exciting and uneasy time in history and I think Rosie Clarke has managed to capture this atmosphere perfectly in her novel.  It’s a book which brings together all classes of people with this well written and gripping story. I loved that is was a bit grittier than your usual saga featuring some more unpleasant aspects of life.

I really enjoyed The Runaway Wife and think anyone who has an interest in this period in history will enjoy this book.  Thank you to Rosie Clarke for writing another brilliant story and thank you to the publishers Aria for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

Blog Tour Review: Prosecco and Promises by A.L. Michael

Prosecco and Promises (Martini Club #2) by A.L. Michael 

Published: 12th February 2018

Publisher: Canelo

Pages: 202

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

A feel-good story of self-discovery and love in the face of grief, join Mia in the beautiful Italian island of Ischia. Perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Lindsey Kelk and Lucy Vine.

Since her mother died when Mia was a child, her dad has been her best friend and her idol. Now, the cancer he survived years before is back, and this time there’s no fighting it. To make matters worse her dad’s last request is for Mia to leave him and visit her mother’s family on the Italian island of Ischia so she doesn’t have to be there at the end.
Arriving at the sun-soaked island, Mia is embraced by the warm, crazy family she doesn’t know. While she waits for the phone to ring with the dreaded news, Mia desperately looks for a connection to the mother she never knew. Stumbling upon an antique shop run by the charming Antonio and his grouchy but handsome grandson Salvatore, she throws herself into helping with the shop restoration. As Mia and Salvatore’s bickering soon turns to chemistry, will she risk having her heart broken when she knows what’s waiting for her at home?

Review

Prosecco and Promises is the second novel in A.L Michael’s Martini Club series. I haven’t read the first book in this series Cocktails and Dreams yet but as I enjoyed Prosecco and Promises so much I intend to go back and read it very soon. Don’t worry if you haven’t read Cocktails and Dreams either as Prosecco and Promises focuses on another of the club’s regulars Mia and works perfectly well as a standalone novel.

Mia’s heart is on the verge of breaking. She’s losing her dad and instead of staying by his side until the end, he has sent her away to the island of Ischia near Naples to learn more about her mother’s family. Being among relatives is strange to Mia at first as its been just her and her dad for so long but and she resents being pushed away during his last few days. It’s not long before Mia starts to unwind and finds that being around people who care about her is something she could get used to. Her stay on the island is also helped by the handsome but arrogant Salvatore who Mia just can’t seem to stay away from.

I have always loved A.L. Michael’s ability to create sassy strong female characters and I think Mia is my favourite to date. She’s had a lot of hurt in her life which makes her blunt and a little closed off. She isn’t easily swayed by looks or meaningless gestures as Salvatore finds out, unlike the rest of the women on the island Mia doesn’t instantly fall at his feet, she stands her ground and is true to herself. I loved seeing her passion for history shine throughout the novel, especially on her trip to Naples with her endless questions to the tour guides. I’m glad she was brave enough after her fathers passing to embrace her dreams fully.

This is a wonderful book with some surprising twists throughout which added more depth to this gentle romance. It’s a book full characters which you can’t help but adore, some being very stereotypically Italian, but I loved them all. Enzo however was my favourite, I loved reading about all his over the top romantic gestures and had my fingers crossed he’d finally get his girl. It’s a book about family, passion and heartbreak. If you can read this and not be on the verge of tears at least once I’ll be impressed.  I feel the heart-breaking moments are perfectly balanced though with romance and laughter making this a perfect read.

I’m off to read Cocktails and Dreams now and learn more about Savvy, Mia’s best friend and keeping my fingers crossed that my guess for the next character to have their story told is correct. Thank you so much to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with this copy to review and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour, I loved everything about Prosecco and Promises.

Blog Tour Review: Behind Her back by Jane Lythell

Behind Her Back (StoryWorld #2) by Jane Lythell

Published: 8th February 2018

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Pages: 368

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 4/5

Blurb

Liz Lyon is a television producer and busy single mum to a teenage daughter. She works at StoryWorld, the UK's favourite morning show. As both confidante and team leader, she is the person tasked with controlling the conflicts and tantrums that flare up off-air. Having just started dating again, she's also having to deal with a few conflicts and tantrums at home...

Following a blissfully peaceful two-week holiday in Italy, Liz has returned to find a new colleague has joined the station. Lori Kerwell has been brought in to increase the show's profitability. But Liz is not sure that's the only thing on Lori's agenda.

As Lori builds her power base with the bosses, Liz finds herself wondering what's really going on behind her back...

Review

Behind Her Back by Jane Lythell is the story of Liz Lyons, a TV produces for the hit daytime show StoryWorld. On her return to work after a two week break there’s a new member to the StoryWorld team Lori Kerwell. A woman who knows exactly what she wants and takes no prisoners on her way to get there.  There is instant tension between her and Liz, as Liz is used to being the woman in control and doesn’t like her job criticized from an outsider. Along with the tensions building between Liz and Lori there is also a storm brewing among returning presenter Fizzy and her stand-in Leyton, both wanting to be the solo star of the show.  In among the rivalry, secrets and back-stabbing Liz also finds time to juggle caring for her teenage daughter Flo, keeping her house in order and finds time for the occasional date.

I really liked Liz as a character, she’s driven to do well in her job but not to the extent that it takes over all her life. She’s a single mum and makes sure that fifteen-year-old daughter Flo knows she’s loved and that Liz is there for her always, despite usually getting the brunt of Flo’s teenage angst when things don’t turn out quite as she planned. She’s also very loyal towards her team and tries her best to make sure they are all happy at work and will defend them when any of them come under-fire. Liz has also kept secrets for various members of her team, which in the wrong hands could have ruined their careers and their private lives. My favourite part was reading about her getting ready for the big awards dinner and looking for the perfect dress and all the insecurities which go with that. These scenes showed her at her best a real woman which many of us can relate, who every now and then gets to be the princess.

Lori, couldn’t be more different from Liz and was not someone I warmed to. She’s cold-hearted, ruthless and will manipulate people to get what she wants. The way she made suggestions for the programme which were frankly stupid was annoying, more so that the big bosses seemed to run with her idea and the leave Liz with the blame when it went wrong made me angry for Liz. I didn’t like Fizzy much either as she seemed to be able to manipulate people, especially men into doing what she wanted too, the only difference was she has a much bubblier personality than Lori so got away with it more.  

Written from Liz’s perspective, it felt very much like reading a diary as there is a lot of narrative where Liz is contemplating events which have happened to herself. I really liked this format of writing as it mirrored the storyline making it feel like one of those real-life TV documentaries.  I was unaware until about a third of the way through the book that this is the second StoryWorld novel. Events from the previous novel are described enough that I didn’t feel I missed out by not reading the first book. I was a little sad that just as I had really got into the novel it seemed like it had ended, leaving me with a few questions as to what happened next, like what happened with Ron? Hopefully this means there is a third StoryWorld novel on its way…fingers crossed.

Behind Her Back is a realistic look at life behind the lens, looking at the relationships between presenters and producers and the underlying tensions and rivalries among them all. It is a book I enjoyed very much and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Blog Tour Extract: Unconvicted by Olly Jarvis

Unconvicted by Olly Jarvis

Published: 29th January 2018

Publisher: Canelo

Pages: 318

Genre: Legal Thriller, Thriller,

Available on Kindle

Amazon (UK)

Today on the blog I am delighted to be part of the blog tour for Unconvicted by Olly Jarvis. This is Olly's second Jack  Kowalski novel, following on from Cut-Throat Defence, published in 2016. Hope you enjoy reading this extract from this addictive legal thriller. 

Blurb

In a razor-sharp legal thriller, Jack Kowalski must win two challenging trials to save his reputation and his career

Junior barrister Jack Kowalski is crushed. His client Timothy Smart appears to have committed a monstrous crime while on bail – a bail application Jack fought hard to win.

When a high-profile Polish footballer is charged with rape and demands a fellow countryman represent him, Jack must overcome his guilt and get back to work. Before long he takes on a second case, a GBH for instructing solicitor Lara Panassai, who Jack remains desperate to impress. But neither case is what it seems, and Jack will face an extraordinary uphill battle to see that justice is done…

The second Jack Kowalski novel, Unconvicted is a gripping courtroom drama written with the expert insight of a practicing criminal barrister, perfect for fans of William L. Myers, Deborah Hawkins, and Scott Turow.

Extract

Chapter 4

Jack robed in double-quick time. He rushed down to Court 8, flicking through the brief to take in the basic grounds of the application for bail. He had butterflies, but not for fear of going into Court: he’d all but conquered that in his first few months of tenancy. No, he was nervous about being unprepared, and at the possibility of getting a dressing-down from the judge.

But it was all part of being a barrister, and Jack could handle it. He was on his way, he’d won a few trials, his diary was starting to fill up, and solicitors were actually briefing him in his own name. And most important of all, he was starting to feel comfortable, not only in a wig and gown, but in his own skin.

His opponent was already in Court. Barry Smith worked in-house at the Crown Prosecution Service. A sensible and fair prosecutor who gave every brief the same meticulous consideration.

‘Here he is! Cutting it a bit fine, aren’t you, Kowalski?’ he said as Jack flung his papers onto an empty lectern on counsel’s row.

‘Don’t even go there,’ Jack replied. ‘I’ve read the basics, Barry. No previous, denies it completely. Anything else I should know?’

‘Only that we’re really worried about this one.’ His humour had vanished. ‘He’s gone totally psycho, flipped out, smashed up the house and did some pretty strange things leading up to the rape. We really don’t want him out there. This brief has got danger written  all over it.’

‘Bloody hell, Barry! Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?’ asked Jack. ‘I wouldn’t worry though, mate. I’ll never get bail in this.’

‘All rise!’

Her Honour Judge Beddingfield entered the courtroom and took her seat on the bench.

‘Yes?’ she said, not wasting any time.

The court clerk stood up. ‘The bail application of Timothy Smart, Your Honour. Mr Smith is for the Crown and Mr Kowalski defends.’

‘Very good. Let’s get on with it, gentlemen. I’m anxious not to keep the jury waiting in my trial. What are your objections to bail, Mr Smith?’

‘Quite simply, risk of further offences, Your Honour. The defendant has committed a very serious offence – rape of his estranged wife. He’s very unstable. There’s been a pattern of offending, all directed towards Mrs Smart: harassment, smashing windows, even entering the house uninvited and leaving bizarre and threatening messages on the walls. She’s terrified, Your Honour.’

The prosecutor handed forward some photographs of the lounge, the first of which showed the words ‘sin no more’ written in three-foot-high letters along one wall.

‘Yes, I see,’ said the judge, looking through the other photos, clearly concerned. ‘What do you say, Mr Kowalski?’

Jack got stuck in immediately: ‘There’s absolutely no corroboration for any of this, Your Honour. It all comes from Mrs Smith; only her word. There’s no bruising or injury that suggests a forced sexual act.’ Jack paused to let his points sink in. ‘Your Honour, as far  as the allegations of criminal damage are concerned, it’s pure speculation that they were committed by the defendant. There is not a shred of evidence to link him to the offences. No forensics, nor eyewitness evidence. And, as I understand it, Mrs Smart did not report any of these matters to the police at the time they were allegedly committed. Only later, when she made the allegation of rape.’

Her Honour raised an eyebrow. ‘Is that right, Mr Smith?’

‘Yes it is, Your Honour. Mrs Smart made her reasons quite clear in her witness statement. She didn’t want to aggravate matters by involving the police. She was desperately trying to find a way to appease the defendant and resolve matters amicably, for the sake of the children. He reacted very badly when she told him she wanted a divorce.’

The judge nodded. ‘Yes, I see.’

Smith continued: ‘She’d already managed to persuade the defendant to move out some months earlier. Even then, she noticed how his behaviour was becoming more erratic. As far as any lack of injury is concerned, it’s well known that it takes the case no further. There is frequently no bruising or other injury where intercourse is forced.’

‘Semen?’ said the judge.

‘None, Your Honour. The defendant suffered from sexual dysfunction during the marriage – unable to ejaculate. There was a partial DNA profile on a vaginal swab, which matched the defendant.’ Smith sat down. He’d done enough.

About the Author

Olly Jarvis is a writer and criminal defence barrister, originally from London but now working in Manchester. Drawing on his experiences, he writes both fiction and non-fiction with a particular understanding of the pressures and excitement of life in the courtroom. He wrote the highly acclaimed Radio 4 drama Judgement, and wrote and presented the BBC documentary Mum Knows Best. He is also the author of Death by Dangerous. Olly has two children and lives in Cheshire.

You can follow Olly on Twitter @OllyJarviso

Blog Tour Review: Dreaming of Florence by T.A. Williams

Dreaming of Florence by T.A. Williams

Published: 8th January 2018

Publisher: Canelo

Pages: 254

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Today it's my stop on the Dreaming of Florence blog tour organised by Ellie from Canelo. Thank you Ellie for inviting me to be part of the tour and sending me a copy of this wonderful book to review. 

Blurb

Fresh pasta, red wine, fine art… and love? Find enchantment this year in the magical city of Florence When Debbie Waterson’s bicycle crashes into handsome doctor Pierluigi, she wonders if her luck has changed. Determinedly single after ending a long relationship, at last, a man worth bumping into, Inspired to visit Florence, she soon runs headlong into that old foe: reality. But is Pierluigi the man of her dreams? Then there’s her booze obsessed boss, his forbidding secretary and her noisy inconsiderate neighbours. But could her luck be about to change? Will she find love after all?

Review

I’ve never read anything by T.A. Williams but when I saw Dreaming of Florence was up for review I knew this was the book to try out this new to me author. I’m so glad I did as Dreaming of Florence is a book which has many things to love in it, a great setting, adorable characters and a storyline which had so much more than your average romance novel.

Deborah Harper or Debbie as she likes to be known is a language teacher specialising in teaching foreigners English. Her small language school in Cambridge is struggling and Debbie is on the verge of losing her job. When Debbie quite literally runs into Doctor Pierluigi Masino she’s distraught, not only has she made a fool of herself in front of a handsome stranger, she’s also ruined her bike and with no spare money it means she’ll be walking to work from now on. She can’t believe her luck when later he turns up on her doorstep with a new bike. He’s her dream man, not only is he super handsome, he’s Italian and from Florence, the place which holds special meaning for Debbie. Believing Pierluigi to be the man for her Debbie decides to follow her heart and sets off for a new life in Florence. Despite not having the dream start she was longing for Debbie’s move to Florence turns out to be the best thing she’s ever done.

I have a love affair with Italy just through books so anything set in Italy immediately piques my interest and this book captured the essence of Italy perfectly and had me wishing that I could be Debbie and pack my suitcase and simply start a new life.  It was so wonderful to experience Florence through Debbie’s eyes and feel her enjoyment as she takes in the sights, the sounds, the smells and the tastes of Italy. Reading this book has made me long to visit this beautiful city even more.

Debbie’s a character you can’t help but adore. She has such a naïve attitude towards people, particularly men believing that their intentions are as good as hers and time and time again she finds herself broken-hearted and disappointed. But she also has a resilience about her which makes her dust herself down and get on with the next thing in her life. She has such a caring and helpful nature which sometimes leads her into trouble but also opens the gate to some marvellous opportunities.

This is a book which I enjoyed immensely. I loved following Debbie on her journey to happiness and reading this book has left me feeling very inspired. Debbie has taught me that its not enough to dream about the life you want, you must take a risk and go and find it for yourself. So that is what I intend to do and if anyone is needing some inspiration or motivation then Dreaming of Florence is the ideal book to read.

Faking Friends by Jane Fallon

Faking Friends by Jane Fallon

Published: 11th January 2018

Publisher: Penguin 

Pages: 448

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Amy thought she knew everything there was to know about her best friend Melissa. Then again, Amy also thought she was on the verge of the wedding of her dreams to her long-distance fiancé.

Until she pays a surprise trip home to London. Jack is out, but it's clear another woman has been making herself at home in their flat.

There's something about her stuff that feels oddly familiar . . . and then it hits Amy. The Other Woman is Melissa.

Amy has lost her home, her fiancé and her best friend in one disastrous weekend - but instead of falling apart, she's determined to get her own back.

Piecing her life back together won't be half as fun as dismantling theirs, after all.

Review

Faking Friends is the latest twisty chick lit novel from Jane Fallon exploring the effects of a toxic friendship. In this book we meet best friends since childhood Amy and Mel, who’ve shared their hopes, dreams, secrets and stood by each other for years, or so Amy thought. Amy has been working away as an actress in New York leaving fiancé Jack alone in their London flat. With Mel’s fortieth about to happen and Amy’s contract in New York over she decides to make a surprise visit home. On entering the flat she shares with Jack its immediately obvious to Amy that another woman has been there. Her clothes and beauty products and are scattered all over the apartment and to top it off the place is spotless, something Amy knows Jack is not capable of managing himself.

When Amy works out that the other woman is Mel she decides not to get upset but get even. All throughout their friendship Mel has taken what she wanted and left Amy to pick up the pieces, but this time its different, this time Mel is going to get what she deserves.

With the help of friends Kat and Greg, Amy manages to inflict sneaky acts of revenge on Jack and Mel whilst finding herself a new flat, a new job and a blossoming new romance. This is a great and addictive read full of twists and turns as sometimes Amy’s revenge plans have a habit of back-firing.

Amy’s a very resilient character who is quite easily able to pick up the pieces from this devastating news and move on with her life. I feel a little sad for Jack really, as although he’s behaved badly Amy doesn’t even seem to give him a second thought once she’s decided on her revenge plan, surely, she must have had some regrets over all their years together.

Written mostly from the point of view of Amy it was refreshing to finally get Mel’s take on things when about half way though her voice is added to the narrative. This may come as a shock to some readers as there is no indication of this in the book. But having read previous Jane Fallon novels it was something I was expecting to happen and after a couple of pages its pretty clear which character is narrating.

At times I did start to feel sorry for Mel (a little) but then you turn the page and read more of the devious things she’s done in the past and think she’s getting everything she deserves. Does Amy manage carry out the ultimate revenge or does Mel get the last word as usual, read it for yourself and find out.

From the author of Strictly Between Us and My Sweet Revenge, Faking Friends is another fantastic not to be missed read from Jane Fallon.

Blog Tour: The Girl I Used to Know by Faith Hogan

The Girl I Used to Know by Faith Hogan

Published: 1st Deceber 2017

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 298

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Amanda King and Tess Cuffe are strangers who share the same Georgian house, but their lives couldn't be more different.

Amanda seems to have it all, absolute perfection. She projects all the accoutrements of a lady who lunches. Sadly, the reality is a soulless home, an unfaithful husband and a very lonely heart.

By comparison, in the basement flat, unwanted tenant Tess has spent a lifetime hiding and shutting her heart to love.

It takes a bossy doctor, a handsome gardener, a pushy teenager and an abandoned cat to show these two women that sometimes letting go is the first step to moving forward and new friendships can come from the most unlikely situations.

Review

Tess Cuffe and Amanda King have shared the same house for almost twenty years and yet they know nothing about each other. Amanda has lived in the top three floors of their Georgian townhouse with husband David and their children Casper and Robyn. Tess has lived alone in the basement flat, an unwanted tenant that Amanda and David have battled to be rid of.  But both of these women have one thing in common they’re both lonely and as the new year beckons they both begin to question their life choices and slowly the hostility between them begins to thaw.

Helped along by a stray cat, a sexy gardener named Carlos, a meddling Doctor and Amanda’s caring daughter Robyn and  the pair begin to form an unlikely friendship as they set about resolving the mistakes from their past.

This was an incredibly well written story and I can’t believe Faith Hogan is an author I’ve not come across before, her story-telling is so heartfelt and engaging. I loved the journey that Tess and Amanda went on in this book. At the beginning Tess comes across as a grumpy and rather sarcastic old woman and Amanda as a preened and polished airhead, luckily through the flashbacks to their earlier years we realise this is not the case. Both women have deeply hidden passions which have been crushed by unthoughtful men in their lives.

This is a wonderful story of friendship, family, love, loss and betrayal. It’s a story about second chances and how it’s never too late to change your life, no matter how old you are. It’s about forgiveness and following your dreams. It’s one of those books where you find yourself just reading one more chapter because you just need to know what happens next.  I loved every page of this book and can’t wait to devour more of Faith Hogan’s writing.

Thank you so much to Melanie at Aria for sending me a copy to review and inviting me to be part of this blog tour.