Book review: Anything for Her by G J Minett

Publication date: ebook 30th November 2017 paperback 22 March 2018

I received an ecopy of this novel from publisher Bonnier Zaffre via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Book description

You'd do anything for the one that got away . . . wouldn't you?

When Billy Orr returns home to spend time with his dying sister, he bumps into his ex-girlfriend Aimi, the love of his life. He might not have seen her in eleven years, but Billy's never forgotten her. He'd do anything for her then, and he'd do anything for her now.
When Aimi tells him that she wants to escape her abusive husband, Billy agrees to help her fake her own death. But is she still the Aimi that Billy remembers from all those years ago?
Once Aimi disappears, Billy has to face the possibility that perhaps she had different reasons for disappearing - reasons that might be more dangerous than she's led him to believe . . .

Sometimes trusting the one you love is the wrong thing to do.

My review:

This is the second book I have read by this author, having requested the title partly based on the description of the book and partly due to the fact that I enjoyed his previous work. 
The concept that someone would do something for their first love solely down to the fact that they still had feelings for that person kind of intrigued me.  How far would you go to try and rekindle a relationship with them?  And would that person feel the same way?
Billy and Aimi dated for a while when they were teenagers, and their relationship came to an abrupt end when Aimi's parents divorced and she was forced to move away from the area to live with her father. Now 11 years later, Aimi is married to the son of an influential local "businessman" with fingers in many pies, many of them rather dubious.  Billy is back in the area visiting his sister who has some difficult news to share with him, and bumps into Aimi in the local supermarket where they swap phone numbers.  From there on in Billy finds himself getting in deeper and deeper with Aimi and her in-laws, not really knowing whose version of recent events to believe.  I felt very mistrusting of Aimi yet the pressures her family were putting on Billy made me wonder whether maybe she was genuine.  She recruits him to help her fake her own death and before long questions are being asked of Billy that even he cannot answer, despite him being heavily involved.  Things just don't add up for anyone - not even Billy. 
Billy seems a very troubled young man, and I wondered whether he perhaps had signs of autism or something similar.  Aimi certainly underestimated him, as did a few other characters.  He has a very methodical way of dealing with life which is probably why he was such a whizz kid with computers - his mind works in a logical process like a computer and this only helps him deal with the fallout of Aimi's disappearance.  It may take him a while to work it out, but slowly but surely he gets there and ultimately has his own solution to the whole situation. 
The ending surprised me - while I was expecting some kind of extreme action to conclude things it certainly was not what the author had in store for Billy and Aimi and their families. 
Once again I enjoyed the author's work and I found it a very quick read. I definitely recommend it.

Find out more about the author at www.grahamminett.com

Book Review: Her Frozen Heart by Lulu Taylor

Publication date: 30 November 2017

I received a review copy from publisher Pan MacMillan via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Book description:

Caitlyn, there’s something I have to tell you. About Sara.

Caitlyn thinks her marriage to Patrick is a success. For one thing, he is one of the few people not to fall head over heels for her beautiful friend, Sara. Life is lived on his terms, but they are happy.

Aren’t they?

When a devastating accident turns her existence upside down, Caitlyn is forced to reassess everything she thought about her marriage, what she truly knows about Patrick, and his real feelings for her best friend. In the refuge of an old manor house, she begins to discover the truth.

In 1947, the worst winter in decades hits England, cutting off entirely the inhabitants of Kings Harcourt Manor. For Tommy Carter, widowed at the start of war, it is particularly hard: the burden of the family falls on her. She has the solace of her children, and the interesting presence of her brother’s friend, Fred. But there is also Barbara, a mysterious figure from her past who appears to want a piece of Tommy’s future as well.

My review:

This is a cleverly written tale of two women in separate time frames: 1940s post war England and the 21st century in the same area of the country.  Caitlyn and Patrick have what would appear to be a perfect life. Happy marriage, nice house, young son. Post war England and Tommy is a widow living with family in a big house, struggling to keep their heads above water in times of strict rationing and hard work.
The similarities between the two women soon become clear when Patrick is killed in a car accident whilst on the phone to Caitlyn.  Both have to dig deep to find inner strength they don't know whether they have. Both have to deal with secrets within their marriages - Tommy is aware of the secrets in her marriage and becoming a widow is a blessed relief to her, whereas Caitlyn only discovers the secrets within her marriage after Patrick's death and she is left to try and work out what was the truth and what people will do and say to try and tarnish her happy memories.  They each find out that not everyone is out to support you, and sometimes those you have known longest are the ones who have the longest held grudges.  There are some great characters in this novel, some are lovely - notably Fred Burton Brown, who is the most genuine man ever - and some are really unpleasant - Caitlyn's "friend" Sara.
I really wasn't sure how the two storylines would entwine and this is my only disappointment with the book.  I felt it was a very weak connection and had hoped for something rather more exciting. 
Overall a nice read, with the descriptions of the severe weather and hardships in 1947 really well described and a great story of trusting your gut instinct when it comes to sussing out people's intentions and personalities.

About the author:

Lulu was brought up in the Oxfordshire countryside, attended a girls’ school and then went to Oxford University, where she read English Literature. After university, she worked in publishing for several years, before becoming a novelist.

Lulu says of her books: ‘I’ve always adored stories of the rich and reckless at play, everything from The Great Gatsby to the brilliant blockbuster novels of the 80s. It’s fantastic escapism, and I’ve always loved creating my own stories of adventure, romance and luxury. My heroines are often very privileged and blessed with great looks and good health – but that doesn’t mean their lives are simple – far from it. They go through plenty of drama and suffering before everything is finally resolved.It’s all about entertaining and amusing the reader, and enjoying being inside my characters’ glamorous, rarefied existence. ‘I’m always thrilled when someone enjoys reading my book as much I enjoyed writing it.’

Lulu is married and lives in London

Book review: Can You Keep a Secret? by Karen Perry

Publication date: 30th November 2017

I received a review copy of this novel from publisher Penguin UK via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Book description:
It's time for a reunion
Lindsey hasn't spoken to Rachael in twenty years, not since her brother's 18th birthday party at their parents' remote country house. A night that shattered so many friendships - and left Rachel's father dead.
Now Thornbury Hall is up for sale, and the old gang are back there, together again. A weekend to say goodbye to the old place, to talk about the past. But twenty years of secrets aren't given up lightly. Some won't speak about what happened that night. While others want to ensure that no one does. Surviving the weekend is going to depend on whether you can keep a secret . .

My review:

Wow. I have just finished reading this book, and have to say it really isn't what I expected from the title.  Can you keep a secret? A secret- singular.  This book is riddled with secrets and shadows - Just about every character has a something to hide!
The book moves between two time frames,  1991: The group of youngsters who feature in the story meet at a private school after Lindsey moves there to try and avoid the attentions of bullies at her local state school. She is befriended by Rachel Bagenal whose family quickly seem to welcome her into their family home, Thornbury Hall. A huge family seat of a mansion in Ireland, a setting far removed from Lindsey's family's background.  The Bagenal family all accept Lindsey into the fold, all except mum Heather who for some reason seems to mistrust her and suspects she has ulterior motives for visiting Thornbury - even though there is no apparent reason for her suspicions.
2017: Rachel's older brother Patrick is now head of the family after tragic events over the years leave both his parents dead.  Thornbury is falling into disrepair and he has decided to hold one last reunion party of the old gang of school friends before he finally lets the house go for sale.
I was completely absorbed into the middle class world of Thornbury Hall, with its noisy plumbing, sprawling grounds and tales of hauntings in the attic. The excellent descriptive writing in this book made me feel like I was actually part of the cast of characters - a fly on the wall watching and listening as the different events unfolded both in the earlier time frame and later on as revelations and accusations started to come out. 
There is so much going on in this book that it is hard to encompass everything within a review without either watering it down or giving too much away that it would ruin the overall story.  The Bagenals are rather a dysfunctional family in their own way with liberal parenting, raucous parties and too many secrets and misunderstandings between the family members it was only a matter of time before things were to go tragically wrong.  I was shocked but impressed by the author's ability to keep some of the secrets so closely guarded until the conclusion of the book - not one of the characters knew the whole story of how each other fitted in to the grand scheme of events at Thornbury over the years and while I felt quite sad at the closing scenes of the book, there really didn't seem to be any other more appropriate ending for the old place. 
I would definitely recommend this book - it's like a modern Downton Abbey (with fewer servants) crossed with EastEnders!

About the authors:

Karen Perry is the pen name of Dublin-based authors Paul Perry and Karen Gillece.
Paul Perry is the author of a number of critically acclaimed books. A winner of The Hennessy New Irish Writer of the Year Award, he is a writer and course director in poetry at the Faber Academy in Dublin.
Karen Gillece is the author of four critically acclaimed novels. In 2009 she won the European Union Prize for Literature (Ireland).

The Secret Child by Kerry Fisher

6

Publication Date 29 November 2017

Advance Review Copy courtesy of Bookouture and Netgalley

Book Description:

Just for a moment, I was young and invincible again, back before I made the decision that changed the rest of my life…
 
Susie did something that she knows she will always regret: giving her baby son up for adoption, to keep her infidelity secret from her family.  

Louise, Susie’s daughter, feels the effects of that decision echoing down through the years – her mother has always been difficult, too strict with her but not strict enough with her sister Grace, who is wild and out-of-control. And Danny, Susie’s husband, adores her, but has always sensed something wrong at the heart of their marriage. 
 
When tragedy strikes the family, and a chance discovery threatens to bring the truth to light, the sisters’ relationship is put to the test as they are faced with an impossible choice… 

My thoughts:

When I requested this book I really wasn't sure whether it might not be my kind of book. How could I have got it so wrong??? I wanted to know how the story ended but it was so good that I wanted to keep reading.
The tale is set in the south of England in the late 1960s and the story covers half a century of life within the Duarte family. Dad Danny is a sailor in the navy and mum Susie is a stay at home mum to toddler Louise. Susie loves to sing and one night a week goes to the dance hall where she takes to the stage with a local band. Life reaches a crossroads after a talent scout arrives in town making offers of recording deals and Susie realises that she can never be part of that scene with a family in tow but finds herself with bigger decisions to make.  The dilemma she faces is one of the biggest ones any woman can face and we follow her life afterwards as she copes with the consequences and secrets. The emotional effects of her decision are written brilliantly and I felt like I was taking every step of her journey with her.

The second part of the story is told from Susie's daughter Grace's perspective which demonstrates the effects Susie's decision had on her family without them knowing the reasons why she treated life and people the way she did. As a reader we have that insight and I felt this added depth to the storyline. The conclusion to the story I found satisfying and made me love Danny and Grace even more. The only character I didn't warm to was Louise but I feel that this was deliberate on the author's part as it reflects the whole dynamic of the relationship between her and her mother.
Kerry Fisher has presented us with a very believable story which will pull on your heartstrings from every direction possible. A sure fire bestseller.

My rating: *****

BLOG TOUR: Blood Rites by David Stuart Davies

Publication date: 9th November 2017

I am extremely honoured to have been invited to be part of the blog tour for this excellent police procedural novel by David Stuart Davies on behalf of Urbane publications.

Book description: 
Blood Rites is the latest gripping DI Paul Snow thriller from renowned crime writer David Stuart Davies. 1980s Yorkshire. DI Paul Snow has a personal demon. He is a homosexual but is desperate to keep it secret, knowing it would finish his career in the intolerant police force. As this personal drama unfolds, he is involved in investigating a series of violent murders in the town. All the victims appear to be chosen at random and appear to have no connection with each other. After the fourth murder, he is removed from the case for not finding the killer but continues investigating the matter privately. Gradually, Paul manages to determine a link between the murder victims, but this places his own life in great danger. Can Paul unmask the killer as he wrestles with his own demons?

My review:

Set in mid 1980's Yorkshire, detective Paul Snow is struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality himself, let alone letting anyone else know about it as he knows his police career would be ended in an instant.  He tries to fit in to "normality" by dating a local school headmistress in the hope that this will not only create a smokescreen while he comes to terms with things but also in the hope that he might be able maintain a heterosexual relationship which will make him "snap out of it". In today's more open-minded society it is difficult to think that so many people must have faced the same dilemma in the past, especially those in positions of authority where it just was not an acceptable thing.

The book opens with a chapter named "the end" which I felt was very clever as the reader is led to think they know the conclusion - which in a way they do, but maybe not quite how you think. 

I very much liked the idea of cause and effect - or karma, if you like - and how it influenced the thinking of the murderer in this book.  How the killer justified why he took the lives he did helps us understand a little of what makes him tick, albeit in a very warped manner.  We are introduced to each victim in turn during the course of the book and the events which cause them to appear on the radar of our killer are described in a way that society would maybe back the killer's reasoning.  The clues available to our team of detectives are very limited, and due to lack of progress Paul Snow is taken off the case much to his disgust.  I loved the way his colleague valued his input and included him in the case in an unofficial capacity.

I had thought I had worked out the "whodunit" part of the story fairly early on, but then a couple of other options came in to play to keep me wondering just how well I had done.  This book made me think about how much we judge people based on events which sometimes are out of their control, and often how much we judge without knowing the full facts.  

I really wasn't expecting the book to end as it did - and was in a way disappointed that the possible follow up story that my mind had considered would not now be possible.  Once Paul Snow had been taken off the case I had thought up a few different career options for him alongside his detective sergeant, Bob Fellows.  We finish the book as we started with the chapter named "the end" but with rather more insight into what it all means. Clever writing, I'm sure you will agree.

I found this to be a very readable novel in its genre and will definitely look out for more titles from the author. 

A 4 star rating from me, and thanks again to Urbane publishers and the tour organiser for the opportunity to review this novel as part of the tour.

About the author: David Stuart Davies was born in 1946. He was a teacher of English before becoming a full-time editor, writer, and playwright. Davies has written extensively about Sherlock Holmes, both fiction and non-fiction. He is the editor of Red Herrings, the monthly in-house publication of the Crime Writers' Association.

October's round-up and a taste of things to come

Rather later than intended, here's a quick at a glance view of what I read in October:

Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak

The Secret Child by Kerry Fisher

Blood Rites by David Stuart Davies

Last Seen Alive by Claire Douglas

Can You Keep a Secret? by Karen Perry

The Bone Keeper by Luca Veste

 Reviews of all of these will appear on the blog nearer their publication dates - except Last Seen Alive by Claire Douglas which you can already read earlier on the page.
A special mention goes to Blood Rites by David Stuart Davies as it will feature here as part of the blog tour on 17th November.

Be sure to keep popping by throughout November and December as there are lots of strong authors bringing out new titles for the remainder of the year which I will keep you posted with my reviews.

January 2018 is also looking like a busy month for established and debut authors alike. All genres seem to be covered so there's bound to be something for everybody's taste - from a historical novel based on a the story of a real prisoner of Auschwitz by Heather Morris to a fabulously chilling debut thriller from Emily Koch and a follow up novel by Gillian McAllister relating the decisions a lady has to make after her actions send a man tumbling down a flight of stairs leaving him motionless at the bottom.

BLOG TOUR: Dead Lands by Lloyd Otis

Welcome to the very first blog tour post on Sandie's book shelves: Dead Lands by Lloyd Otis.

Book description:

Dead Lands is a thrilling crime story set in the 1970s. When a woman's body is found a special team is called in to investigate and prime suspect Alex Troy is arrested for the murder. Desperate to remain a free man, Troy protests his innocence, but refuses to use his alibi. Trying to protect the woman he loves becomes a dangerous game - questions are asked and suspicions deepen. When the prime suspect completes a daring escape from custody, DI Breck and DS Kearns begin the hunt. Breck wants out of the force while Kearns has her own agenda and seeks revenge. Breck has his suspicions and she wants to keep it from him, and a right-wing march provides an explosive backdrop to their hunt for Troy. Lloyd Otis brings a startling account of the past back to life over a burgeoning '70s landscape, and delivers a thrilling piece of crime fiction that will excite any fan of the genre.

From the author:  "Dead Lands: creating a fictional place set amongst real locations" 

I conducted a lot of research for Dead Lands and the decade of the 70s saw the introduction to the three-day week. There was the punk scene, unemployment issues, and the controversies over the ‘sus’ law. Prime Minister Wilson and Callaghan had a go at running the country, and later Thatcher. Some of this is referenced in my story Dead Lands but careful consideration had to go into something else. Creating a fictional place set amongst real locations. I wanted an area within the story that would give me a degree of narrative freedom if I desired it, because I knew where the crux of the story would be located. So Cransham was born, but that was only the beginning. 

The biggest problem faced when creating a fictional place amongst real locations was how to fit it in. Geography can be tricky, how big should this location be and can it actually slot in right next to real areas? In the end I slotted Cransham next to Lewisham but why would I want this degree of freedom?

The idea to create a fictional space would give me the scope to be totally adventurous if I wanted. A fictional escape within the fiction. A place where I could create the sort of culture and set the rules without disrupting the other layers of the story and how they would interlace with each other. Cransham has many sides to each of its cardinal points. East is different to the west, which is different to the north, which is different to the south. And of course when a crime is committed in your fictional place there isn’t too much that you need to consider. It doesn’t matter how the victim meets their end, whether it’s with a coat hanger or something weightier. Or whether it occurs five years ago, or ten years ago, as opposed to a real place, where you’ll hope to avoid any such coincidences.

During the pursuit of prime suspect Alexander Troy, the backdrop in Dead Lands is a ‘real-life’ march so it would be near impossible for me to introduce something too far-fetched around the streets of South East London during 1977. But I’d have more flexibility with doing that in the fictional setting of Cransham. By creating Cransham, I could bend the rules within that particular moment in history, and almost be as wild and reckless as I wanted with the inhabitants and the environment that lived within it.

Once the geography was in place, the next thing to do was to build it. Set the climate and the culture, so that the readers would understand. They needed to breathe the air so to speak.

If you create a fictional place within a city environment, make sure there are accessible transport routes going into it from the real settings. Consider how this would work, and decide on how much of a part it will play in the story. For me, having a lot of criminal activity take place in my fictional setting allowed me to bounce the real-life locations off it. So much so, that it soon doesn’t become apparent that Cransham is fictional at all. In fact someone once asked me, ‘Is it a real place?’ and I replied, ‘No it isn’t, but it could be’.

Author Bio 

Lloyd was born in London and attained a BA (Hons) in Media and Communication. After gaining several years of valuable experience within the finance and digital sectors, he completed a course in journalism. Lloyd has interviewed a host of bestselling authors, such as Mark Billingham, Hugh Howey, Kerry Hudson, and Lawrence Block. Two of his short stories were selected for publication in the ‘Out of My Window’ anthology, and he currently works as an Editor.

Authors links:

Web: http://www.lloydotis.com/

Via Urbane: http://urbanepublications.com/book_author/lloyd-otis/

Twitter: @LloydOtisWriter

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

Welcome to the launch party! Featuring Love, Secrets and Absolution by K L Loveley

#LoveSecretsAbsolution by @K_L_Loveley 

#ReleaseBlitz  #PublicationDay

#giveaway #win signed #book

Love, Secrets, and Absolution: An emotional and gripping psychological, family drama.

Author: K.L Loveley

Release date: 1 November 2017

Genre: Contemporary fiction

Publisher: Globeflower Books

Buy: Amazon USA  - Amazon UK

Book Blurb

People in the village gossip about Grace’s son, Alfie.

He’s a lonely boy full of secrets, lies, and obsessive thoughts.

How far can a mother’s love go? Will she ultimately sacrifice her life for his?

Set in Nottinghamshire, this family drama follows the lives of Grace and Alfie as he transforms from a naïve, young boy into a teenager spiralling out of control.

Love, Secrets, and Absolution is a coming of age story with a difference.

Deceit, betrayal, love, and addiction, a family falling apart in the midst of teenage angst and torn loyalties; will anybody find absolution?

Book Trailer

Giveaway

The Globeflower Agency is offering one lucky winner a signed copy of Love, Secrets, and Absolution, a book bag, and a £25 Amazon gift card. The Rafflecopter giveaway ends on 30 November and is open to everyone.

Enter the giveaway here: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

About the author

K.L Loveley is a former nurse, who has seen, heard, and dealt with a wide range of medical, social and family dramas. She has used her nursing experience, along with her excellent people-watching skills to create fascinating characters and intriguing scenarios within her books. She writes contemporary fiction, psychological dramas, and poetry.

Her debut novel Alice was published in February 2017, and the story tackles alcoholism head-on and presents the reader with an empathetic account of a spiralling addiction and the resulting pattern of hopelessness that many fall into.

K.L Loveley’s second novel Love, Secrets, and Absolution: An emotional and gripping psychological, family drama is a coming of age story with a difference. Deceit, betrayal, love, and addiction, this story is about a family falling apart in the midst of teenage angst and torn loyalties.

If you enjoy reading authors like Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain, you will enjoy K.L Loveley!

K.L Loveley lives in Nottinghamshire, England and loves socialising with friends and family. She is an avid reader and enjoys a variety of genres including psychological, thrillers and historical fiction. Her favourite authors include John le Carré, K.L Slater, Marian Keyes and Philippa Gregory.