Book Synopsis:

Welcome to No.12 rue des Amants

A beautiful old apartment block, far from the glittering lights of the Eiffel Tower and the bustling banks of the Seine. Where nothing goes unseen, and everyone has a story to unlock.

The watchful concierge
The scorned lover
The prying journalist
The naïve student
The unwanted guest

There was a murder here last night.
A mystery lies behind the door of apartment three.

My Review:

I loved this author’s last two books so I was very excited to start reading this one, keeping it until I could sit down and properly enjoy it.

The story starts off slowly as the author sets the scene, while we get introduced the mysterious, apartment blocks and the interesting residents. From the start I had a bad feelings about the apartment blocks and admired Jess’s courage that she stayed there so long when I think I’d have run away.

Each character has a chance to narrate the story and we get to hear each of their points of view. It was very intriguing to learn more about them and their history with each other. All of them have secrets which are slowly revealed and makes the book difficult to put down as there always seemed to be something happening. I had mixed feelings about the main character Jess. She seemed very real as she had moments of strength but also vulnerability where I just wanted to reach into the book and give her a huge hug. She did frustrate me at times though as she seemed oblivious to the danger she was in and just seemed to wander into situations without any thought about her safety.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to others. The tension builds slowly until the book becomes very hard to put down. There always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest and lots of twists that helped keep me guessing as to what way the story was going. I liked that the author keeps the story going for a little bit after the dramatic ending so we find out what happens to everyone.

If you’re a fan of gripping, atmospheric mysteries I highly recommend this book!

About The Author:

Lucy Foley studied English Literature at Durham and UCL universities. She then worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry – during which time she also wrote her debut, The Book of Lost and Found. Lucy now writes full-time, and is busy travelling (for research, naturally!) and working on her next novel.Visit her Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/LucyFoleyAuthor and follow her on Twitter @lucyfoleytweets

Good Morning everyone today on JoJo Recommends I’m featuring Cringe Binge by Sea Elephant.

Sea Elephant are an Indie rock band from Utah consisting of Jackson Harden, Hayden Berg, Jeshua Anderson, and Nathan Jones. They have been together 7 years and Cringe Binge is their debut album. One of their members, Jackson Harden, streams on twitch and I was one of his first viewers!

If you live locally they are having an album release party on the 6th August at the Velvour Music Lounge in Utah.

You can follow Sea Elephant on social media or Jackson on twitch by clicking on the links below.

How To Listen:

Cringe Binge has 11 songs on it each one slightly different to each other and ranging in style from Indie rock to folk. It is available on all major streaming platforms some of which I’ve linked below or you can buy their music on Bandcamp. I have included my favourites from the album and the title song below.

JoJo Recommends Playlist:

You can now listen to Sea Elephant and all previously featured artists on a special playlist I’ve created on Spotify.

Thanks for reading and happy listening!

Book Synopsis:

War is fleeting, but true love last forever…

May 1944 Hope and excitement is in the air when news breaks of the allied forces landing in Normandy. D Day has arrived. However, the day-to-day struggles for the Tobacco Girls continue.Carole Thomas wants her old life back. She is burdened with the guilt of being a young single mother and considers having baby Paula adopted, but Maisie Miles will do anything to stop her.Phyllis Mason having found the love of her life is getting married in Malta to Mick Fairbrother, but will the dangerous legacies of war plague her happy day?Bridget O’Neill finds herself posted to one of the hospitals receiving the injured from the D-Day landing beaches. Her most fervent hope is that her husband, Lyndon, does not become one of them.Peace is on the horizon, but will their wishes and dreams win through and bring them a happy ever after?

My Review:

I’ve been a huge fan of The Tobacco Girls since the beginning and have always looked forward to a new addition to the series. I’ve grown extremely fond of the three main characters Maisie, Bridget and Phyllis as the series has unfolded. It’s been great fun to follow them throughout their war time experiences.

One of the things that always stands out in this series is the fantastic historical details that really makes the story come to life. I enjoyed learning more about this period in the war when the tide finally seemed to turn in favour of the allies. It was also interesting to learn more about the atmosphere back home with evidence of the war still visible but with a slightly more hopeful shift towards the future.

As always we go through some real highs and lows with the girls but I found it heartwarming to see that, despite being separated, they were still there for each other as much as they could be. The introduction of single mother Carol was very interesting and helped me fall more in love with the wonderful Maisie as it shows how kind hearted she is. The ending was beautiful and I closed the book satisfied and excited to find out what happens next.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Boldwood for my copy of this book via netgalley.

About The Author:

Lizzie Lane is the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. She was born and bred in Bristol where many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories. This has inspired her saga series for Boldwood The Tobacco Girls.

Book Synopsis:

This is going to be the longest week of Washington Poe’s life…

Detective Sergeant Washington Poe can count on one hand the number of friends he has. And he’d still have his thumb left. There’s the guilelessly innocent civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw of course. Insanely brilliant, she’s a bit of a social hand grenade. He’s known his beleaguered boss, Detective Inspector Stephanie Flynn for years as he has his nearest neighbour, full-time shepherd/part-time dog sitter, Victoria.

And then there’s Estelle Doyle. Dark and dangerous and sexy as hell. It’s true the caustic pathologist has never walked down the sunny side of the street, but has she gone too far this time? Shot twice in the head, her father’s murder appears to be an open and shut case. Estelle has firearms discharge residue on her hands, and, in a house surrounded by fresh snow, hers are the only footprints. Since her arrest she’s only said three words: ‘Tell Washington Poe.’

Meanwhile, a poisoner called the Botanist is sending the nation’s most reviled people poems and pressed flowers. Twisted and ingenious, he seems to be able to walk through walls and, despite the advance notice given to his victims, and regardless of the security measures taken, he is able to kill with impunity.

Poe hates locked room mysteries and now he has two to solve. To unravel them he’s going to have to draw on every resource he has: Tilly Bradshaw, an organised crime boss, even an alcoholic ex-journalist. Because if he doesn’t, the bodies are going to keep piling up . . .

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author so I pre-ordered this book as soon as I knew about it. Once again the author has written a gripping, twisty book that was hard to put down.

It was great being back with Tilly and Poe following them as they tried to catch another murderer. The Botanist has to be one of the worse villains I’ve come across in a book. Not because he was particularly cruel or violent but because of how cold and calculated he was. He seemed to have absolutely no regard for people he considered below him (most people as it turned out) and this sent a shiver down my spine as I read. He seemed impossible to catch which I found very interesting and I enjoyed following Tilly and Poe as they investigated.

As always the fab police team was very entertaining to follow throughout the book. I loved the easy banter and in jokes that exist between them which helps break up some of the darker moments in the book. I felt like I was part of the team at times which I really enjoyed, especially as I recognised some of the in jokes that are mentioned from previous books.

This story drew me in from the start and I quickly found that I couldn’t put the book down. There was always something happening to keep my attention either from the case or from the teams antics. There were lots of twists and red herrings that kept me guessing and I honestly couldn’t figure out how the botanist was doing it until the characters figured it out in the book. It was nice to see a different side of Poe too and for him to get a win in his personal life for once. The double twist ending was brilliant, and unexpected as I thought the story was winding down. Highly recommended from me!

About The Author:

Multi-award winning author M. W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle. He joined the army at sixteen, leaving ten years later to complete a social work degree. Seventeen years after taking up a probation officer role in Cumbria, at the rank of assistant chief officer, he became a full-time author. The Puppet Show, the first book in his Cumbria-set Washington Poe series, was published by Little, Brown in 2018 and went on to win the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger in 2019. It has now been translated into twenty-one languages. Black Summer, the second in the series, was longlisted for the 2020 Gold Dagger as was book three, The Curator. The fourth in the series, Dead Ground, was published last June and became an instant Sunday Times bestseller.Website: mwcraven.comTwitter: @MWCravenUK

Book Synopsis:

When journalist Jessie Daly loses everything she holds dear, she travels home to Ireland’s west coast, and helps an old friend researching life during the famine. Jessie becomes drawn into the heartbreaking story of a brave young mother, Bridget Moloney, and her daughter, Norah.

On the other side of the ocean, in Boston, Kaitlin Wilson is researching her family tree. She unearths a fascinating story, but her research forces her to confront uncomfortable truths about the past, as she uncovers an unexpected connection to Ireland in famine times.

Generations before, in the small town of Boherbreen, a young mother faced a heart-wrenching choice: to watch her baby girl perish with hunger, or to start out for a new life in America, alone, in order to protect the one she loves most…

My Review:

The Letter Home is a powerful dual timeline novel that will stay with me for a long time.

Firstly I knew a little about the Irish Potato Famine but I hadn’t realised how long it lasted and therefore hadn’t realised it’s true impact. It was heartbreaking to see all the families struggling and the awful circumstances they had to live through. It was an absolutely gut wrenching to read about at times, particularly as you know it actually happened. The author has clearly done her research and I often felt that I was actually there experiencing everything alongside them.

Both timelines were beautifully written and I found myself enjoying both of them equally. The wonderful storytelling kept me captivated by what was happening and the many twists ensured I couldn’t put the book down. I found myself lost in the story for hours at a time and has to force myself back into the present. The plot was fantastic and I really liked how the two timelines unravelled and came together at the end.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Headline for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Rachael English is a bestselling novelist and presenter on Ireland’s most popular radio show, Morning Ireland. During more than twenty years as a journalist, she has worked on most of RTE Radio’s leading current affairs programmes, covering a huge range of national and international stories. The American Girl, The Night of the Party and The Paper Bracelet were all top 5 Irish bestsellers.

Book Synopsis:

The incredible untold story of how Ann Lowe, a Black woman and granddaughter of slaves, rose above personal struggles and racial prejudice to design and create one of America’s most famous wedding dresses of all time for Jackie Kennedy.

1953, New York City

Less than a week before the society wedding of the year where Jacqueline Bouvier will marry John F. Kennedy, a pipe bursts at Ann Lowe’s dress shop and ruins eleven dresses, including the expensive wedding dress, a dress that will be judged by thousands. A Black designer who has fought every step of the way, Ann knows this is only one struggle after a lifetime of them. She and her seamstresses will find the way to re-create the dresses. It may take all day and all night for the next week to accomplish the task, but they will do it.

1918, Tampa

Raised in Jim Crow Alabama, Ann learned the art of sewing from her mother and her grandmother, a former slave, who are the most talented seamstresses in the state. After Ann elopes at twelve with an older man who soon proves himself to be an abusive alcoholic, her dreams of becoming a celebrated designer seem to be put on hold. But then a wealthy Tampa socialite sees Ann’s talent and offers her an amazing opportunity—the chance to sew and design clothing for Florida’s society elite. Taking her young son in the middle of the night, Ann escapes her husband and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime.

Based on the true story of one of the most famous designers of the twenties through the sixties who has since been unjustly forgotten, By Her Own Design is an unforgettable novel of determination despite countless obstacles and a triumph celebrated by the world.

My Review:

This was a captivating, powerful and emotional story that was very inspirational.

Firstly I hadn’t heard of Ann Lowe before reading this book, which is perhaps unsurprising as she wasn’t always credited for her work. The author does a great job bringing her to life. We get to know Ann from her childhood so I felt I really got to know her and understood what made her tick. I also enjoyed researching her while I was reading and looking up some of her amazing designs.

The story is beautifully told with a great balance between sad moments and the joyful ones. It was so inspiring to see her succeed despite the odds stacked against her. I found myself getting quite angry at times that she was denied the recognition she deserved just because she was black.

Overall I loved this book and will definitely be recommending it to fellow historical fiction lovers. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I’m excited to read more from her in the future. Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Piper Huguley is the author of the Home to Milford College and the Migrations of the Heart series. She is a multiple-time Golden Heart finalist. Piper blogs about the history behind her novels on her website. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and son.

Good morning everyone this week on JoJo Recommends I’m featuring Peter Pan by Charlotte Campbell.

Charlotte is a singer songwriter and full time busker from London. She’s also a twitch streamer and I always enjoy her relaxing streams. Charlotte is always very welcoming on her stream and has a fabulous collection of cute headbands that she loves to wear.

If you’d like to follow Charlotte on twitch or social media please click the buttons below.

How To Listen:

Peter Pan is a song Charlotte wrote about her big brother who has special needs and has stayed the childhood pal Charlotte knew as a little girl. Her brother is the boy who never grew up. The song has some beautiful, heartwarming lyrics to them and is quite an emotional song to listen to. Charlotte’s music is available on all the normal streaming platforms or you can buy it on Bandcamp.

JoJo Recommends on Island Vibing Presents:

Jo Jo Recommends is now on Island Vibing Presents twitch stream which is live every Thursday at 10pm EST, 7pm PST or Friday at 3am BST. There is a special EU friendly stream the first Saturday of each month at 8pm BST, 5pm EST or 2pm PST

If you missed the show and would like to watch it you can do so by clicking on the link below.

JoJo Recommends Playlist:

You can now listen to Charlotte and all previously featured artists on a special playlist I’ve created on Spotify.

Thanks for reading and happy listening.

Book Synopsis:

Remember Me? is a memoir about caring for a parent with dementia and the memories that resurface in the process.

In her first book, Shobna Gulati sets out to reclaim her mother’s past after her death, and in turn, discovers a huge amount about herself and their relationship.

Remember Me? captures the powerful emotions that these memories hold to both Shobna and her mother; secrets they had collectively buried and also the concealment of her mother’s condition. What ensues is a story of cultural assimilation, identity and familial shame.

My Review:

This was a wonderfully written, powerful book that reads as beautiful love story to the author’s mother.

Firstly Dementia is something that I’m quite scared of developing when I get older so I always take the opportunity to learn more about it when I can. It was very emotional following Shobna as she deals with her mum’s gradual decline and the affects it has on the family. I did enjoy getting to know the author’s family throughout the book and learning more about her mother as she delves into her mother’s past and her memories. I think it’s so important to try and capture memories before they are lost for ever.

The book is written in a very engaging way that draws the reader into the book from the start. I liked how realistic it is and that the author didn’t over dramatise the story. The author is very frank with her experience too and I appreciated that as I thought it will be much more informative for people wanted to know more about Dementia.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Octopus books for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Shobna became a household name for her role as Anita in Victoria Wood’s Dinnerladies and as Sunita, in Coronation Street. She also appeared as a presenter on Loose Women (ITV), and most starred in Series 1 of the BBC One television show River Walks. On radio, Shobna hosted her own late night show on BBC Radio Manchester, and has appeared in many plays for BBC Radio 4, most recently in the sitcom ‘The Break’.She trained at Manchester University, Trinity Laban Conservatorie of Music and Dance, Goldsmith’s College, London, Darpana Academy for Performing Arts, India, and has also completed a post graduate diploma in teaching dance from Middlesex University.Shobna has just finished filming the role of Ray in the upcoming feature film Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

Book Synopsis:

Jess, Priyanka and Stephanie are all happily married to men they think they know inside out.

Then each woman receives a letter accusing her husband of involvement in a sexual assault that took place 20 years ago.

Who do they believe, what should they do and can they come together as their lives are upended?

A compelling, beautifully crafted thriller about consent, friendship and prejudice which asks – would you sacrifice your family life in support of another woman?

My Review:

Good Husbands is a gripping, compelling and thought provoking read. The story follows three wives who get a letter from someone named Holly with some serious accusations about their husbands.

Firstly I thought it was interesting to see how differently the three reacted to the news. Jess, the self appointed leader of the group, automatically believed the letter whereas the other two were more reluctant to believe the letter despite all the evidence. It made me wonder how I do react if I received such a letter and what I’d do.

Following the dramatic opening the story flashes back letting the reader have a glimpse into each characters past and an insight into why the women’s reactions were so different to each other. The women each decide to get revenge on their husbands in different, eye-opening (and perhaps a little hypercritical) ways which was interesting to watch unfold.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author in future. The author has taken an difficult subject and handled it in a sensitive and thought provoking way. The plot was very gripping and I enjoyed watching everything unfold.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Octopus for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Cate Ray writes suspense novels with compelling moral dilemmas, shining a light on the issues affecting women today. Her stories are created for readers to treasure and share with booklovers everywhere. She is the author of four previous novels of suspense published under the name Cath Weeks. She was named an ‘Author to Watch’ by ELLE. Cate lives in Bath with her family.

Book Synopsis:

For most of her life, Chrysta Bilton was one member of a small, if dysfunctional, family of four. There was her sister, Kaitlyn, her hedonistic, glamorous, gay mum Debra, and Jeffrey, who Debra hand-picked, in an LA hairdressers, to be the father of her children. During Chrysta’s unstable childhood, Debra struggled to keep the family afloat and Jeffrey wandered in and out of their lives.

Then, in her twenties, Chrysta discovered that her father had secretly donated his sperm over 500 times – and that she had at least 35 other siblings.

A Normal Family is a captivating coming-of-age memoir about Chrysta’s reckoning with the secrets both parents had carefully kept from her. Heartfelt, warm and funny, it’s a story of embracing the family we have, in all the forms we find it.

My Review:

This was a well written, captivating memoir which is hard to believe is a true story.

Chrysta and her family are very intriguing characters who I enjoyed following throughout their story. They had more then their fair share of problems which was fascinating to read about and definitely helped keep my interest. We follow the family through a whole range of issues from substance abuse to eating disorders which were quite poignant to witness at times.

I found it very interesting to learn more about sperm donating in the states and found it hard to to believe that someone would donate without consulting their spouse or thinking of the consequences. I found myself wondering how I’d react if I found out I had loads of half siblings.

Overall I really enjoyed this book which took me through all the emotions as I read. There were times of laughter with the family but also some quite sad moments that made me tear up. The book is well written with lots of twists that helped ensure I kept reading until the end.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author: