Good afternoon everyone and welcome to another Music Monday. Today I’m featuring Ionse and his song Espíritu. Ionse is a singer songwriter from Bolivia who I met on twitch. I always enjoy watching ionse’s streams as not only does his music have a great indie vibe to it he has a collection of very cute jumpers that always makes me smile.. Ionse is always very welcoming on his streams and seems to remember little details about his viewers which I think is really nice.

If you would like to follow Ionse on social media or on twitch please click on the links below.

How To Listen:

Ionse’s music is available to listen to on the streaming platforms linked below or you can buy his music via Bandcamp. I have included the YouTube video for Espíritu and another of my favourite songs below.

Interview:

Tell us a little about yourself? 

Hello there Joanna, first of I really appreciate your interest on what I do, and i'm glad we had the chance to meet through Twitch, I'm ionse from La Paz, Bolivia I lived here my entire life, but I had the chance to travel a little bit thanks to music.
 
What first got you into music?

While i was studying Architecture, I was playing video games with a friend one day, but then he checked out his phone and worried, because he was late for his band rehearsal, i was so curious about that, that i asked him if i could go to his rehearsal with him, when we arrived at the place, the guitar player of the band was later, so they asked me if i could play the guitar, i had no idea on how, but they teached me a couple chords for a very simple song, and as soon as i felt the electric guitar with the amp sound i fell in love for ever with the sound, since then i never stopped making music.

Who inspired you to make music?

"Who" could be translated to "When" or "How" considering that I do music with lyrics that are related to different moments of my life and circunstances that really touch me at the moment, sometimes I imagine things that would be nice that happened me, and I just imagine myself in different scenarios, so inspiration is always there.

How would you describe the music that you typically create?

Very simple but with words that mean a lot to me

What is your creative process like?

Most of the times I just grab a guitar and start playing some chords that i like then I start mumbling vocal melodys then I start playing around with words and give structure and find a point where I like what i'm singing that follows the melody.

Who would you most like to collaborate with?

Anyone that shows interest I been doing a lot of collaborations this way

If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?

The Drums, Cigarrettes After Sex, King Krule, Silversun Pickups

What is one message you would give to your fans?
Enjoy your life is later thank you think

What is the most useless talent you have?

My lack of Music Theory Knowledge is my most useless talent, I tried to learn many times, but I always get distracted and I can't retain the information haha

Do you sing in the shower? What songs?

Oh yes I do, most of the time, I do different songs it could be a very chill song like Kokomo from the beach boys or some latin song like me rehuso from Danny Ocean it depends on what I been listening lately

What would you be doing right now, if it wasn't for your music career?
Maybe being an Architect or doing profit sales

Where have you performed? What are your favourite and least favourite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
One of my favorite ones was when I had a music festival in Cochabamba, I was a little bit down about music, thinking that probably it wasn't for me, and I was going to this music festival without expectations, it was like a goodbye for me, but when I went to this place and I saw how people really enjoyed what I was doing, it motivated me a lot knowing that there is always someone out there who's gonna dig what you do, so since then I never stopped.

How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
In the most and best positive way, which is amazing, if it wasn't for the internet I would be stuck locally probably, and I know we wouldn't have meet or know other artist that we enjoy nowadays, what's going on right now on the internet is fascinating it's giving everyone a chance to get known, breaking barriers, and connecting everyone who is willing to join in, for example something that I like a lot is that here in Bolivia artists would blame on the lack of support of the goverment or that we are a small country with not so much population and that is hard to reach other areas, but now with the internet everyone is in the same bag, it just depends on creating something that can move itself the rest is there, there is a bunch of platforms, that you can just expose your work and the rest will come if it's good, so there is no more excuses.

On the other side what i think it's inevitable is the fact that since it's getting more accessible and easier to make music it's cool that everyone can make it, even if you have no idea about how to do it which is my case, but I think in a soon future there will be tools that will allow us to make songs on the go just with melodies that you think of, and the mass production of it will maybe play against those who study music for years and give their best effort to perform, by regular people that just play around for a bit with tools to help you out making some music, I don't quite now if this will be good or bad, I have mixed feelings about it, but maybe being a music idol, or a "famous" character might not have the impact that it has right now, as you can see it's starting to show, that for example if you go on instagram or tik tok, normal people that show themselves as they really are, are growing more than the old fashioned way of an artist that has a mysterious air gimmick, that we know to little about the lifes and we only know them for them performances, so being this said i think transparency and simplicity is getting a more welcome nowadays from my perception.

What is your favourite song to perform?
From my originals I think my favorite is Isla and when I cover a song I think Pursuit of Happiness at the moment.

Which famous musicians do you admire?

Jonathan Pierce from the Drums, Tyler The Creator, Jack Johnson, Beck, and many others

What is the most trouble you've ever gotten into?

Dropping out Architecture

What is the best advice you've been given?

If you don't do it, someone else is going to do it.
Patience comes to those who wait

If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

Well, the industry it's changing itself already, labels are adapting to it, everyone can start independently and labels got a lot to pick from on who to work with, so people really needs to outstand on whatever they do, which is nature itself the "law of the strongest" can be consider here if you will like it always been, but as i mention before the best part is that everyone got the chance to try it, it's easier and more accessible, so i can't complain about the now

What's next for you?

I took this day off from producing to learn music theory and enjoy the music i always liked to refill myself on stuff to use in my own stuff, so i'm hoping next year i can come back and keep producing even more songs with more quality, i'm always aiming to improve and get better from the very beginning.

Thanks so much for answering my questions Ionse!

Music Monday Playlist:

You can now listen to Ionse and all other previously featured Music Monday artists in a special playlist I’ve created on Spotify.

Thanks for reading and happy listening!

Book Synopsis:

‘Glitz, glamour and ambition … Ruthless Women is the binge read we all need right now’ Woman & Home

Ambition can be deadly

Broadcast to millions from its picturesque location off the coast of Jersey, Falcon Bay was once the world’s most popular soap opera. But with ratings at an all-time low, a new network owner, the malevolent Madeline Kane, arrives on the private island determined to do whatever it takes to get the show back to the number 1 slot.

Director Farrah, leading lady Catherine and producer Amanda are the driven, ambitious women who’ve been trying to hold the production together. But thanks to their handsome but corrupt boss, Jake Monroe, Farrah is losing episodes to male colleagues, seventy-year-old Catherine is terrified of losing the public’s adoration, and Amanda is battling her desire for a forbidden affair with a handsome new employee.

As Madeline’s pressure to revive the show intensifies, she unleashes a true battle of the sexes where the women will do anything to stay in the jobs they love and on the island they call home. Can they team up to bring down their rivals? Or will jealousy, betrayal and revenge rip their friendships apart? As the story reaches its shocking climax, one thing is for certain: only the most ruthless woman will survive…

Everyone’s talking about Ruthless Women…

Ruthless Women is now available in all formats. The ebook is currently only 99p. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

Ruthless women is an incredibly addictive, fun thriller which has to be one of the best books I’ve read this year. It was very entertaining to read and was perfect for getting away from reality for a while.

Anyone who reads my blog regularly will know what a fan I am of strong female characters so you can imagine how much I enjoyed this book with its three incredibly strong, sassy and ruthless women. I went between wanting to be like them or at least friends with them to being slightly terrified of them and sure that if I was in the same room as them I’d be shrinking into the corner. These women definitely know what they want and aren’t afraid to try and get it. I loved their casual attitude towards things which would reduce most women into tears and that they didn’t take no for an answer.

The setting of a TV soap set was a perfect setting for the story and the author’s rich descriptions made it easy for me to imagine what life would be like on set. The interesting tactics that the staff have to make the soap stay relevant seemed very realistic and it made me wonder if some of them actually happen in real life. You can just imagine the high pressure, bitchy atmosphere of such a place and I felt myself tingling with anticipation as I read as I was never really sure where the next drama would come from.

The story starts off slow as we are introduced to the characters and the setting but it soon gets going and becomes impossible to put down. Its very addictive and I found myself often trying to sneak away from the kids to try and read a little bit more, almost like I was afraid of missing some of the action. The chapters are told from different characters points of view which helps increase the atmosphere and the tension in the book as it always seemed to add another layer to the story meaning I was always reading faster trying to find out what was going to happen. The twist at the end was amazing, seriously one of the best twists I think I’ve read I was completely taken by surprise which I always love. I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.

Huge thanks to Midas publicity for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Head Of Zeus for my copy of this book. Highly, highly recommend this book!

About The Author:

Melanie Blake regularly writes columns for national newspapers and her first novel, The Thunder Girls, was a top-ten bestseller before it was adapted into a successful play. But she is best-known as the ‘Queen of Soaps’ for her success within the entertainment industry. Her London-based talent agency represents stars of Coronation Street, Eastenders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks as well as the US drama Dynasty. A true insider, Melanie has seen everything that goes on behind the velvet rope of showbiz. And now, through her fiction, she’s sharing those secrets… Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @MelanieBlakeUK

Book Synopsis:

There is a piece of cod-wisdom regularly dispensed to single women: romance will arrive when you least expect it. I had assumed it would also make its own travel arrangements too.

Emma John is in her 40s; she is neither married, nor partnered, with child or planning to be.

In her hilarious and unflinching memoir, Self Contained, she asks why the world only views a woman as complete when she is no longer a single figure and addresses what it means to be alone when everyone else isn’t.

In her book, she captures what it is to be single in your forties, from sharing a twin room with someone you’ve never met on a group holiday (because the couples have all the doubles with ensuite) to coming to the realisation that maybe your singleness isn’t a temporary arrangement, that maybe you aren’t pre-married at all, and in fact you are self-contained.

The book is an exploration of being lifelong single and what happens if you don’t meet the right person, don’t settle down with the wrong person and realise the biggest commitment is to yourself.

Self Contained is out now in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

Self Contained is a moving and honest account of the author’s experiences of being single in a world that still expects women to partner off.

Firstly I had heard a lot about this book before reading so I was very intrigued by it. I did wonder though, as a married mother with three kids, whether I would enjoy the book. I need not have worried though as the author writes in a way that will appeal to everyone and quickly drew me into the story.

I really enjoyed how the author recounts her stories with honesty but never preaches at the reader. I found myself laughing out loud one moment and then sobbing the next as I read. I loved her message in this book that women have the right to live the life they want and not what others expect from them.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely be recommending it to others. I think it is a book that everyone should read as it has an important message at its heart. For that reason it would also make a great book club read as I there would be lots to discuss.

Huge thanks to Charlotte from Love Reading for inviting me onto the book buzz and to Octopus for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Book Synopsis:

The stunning new thriller from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author

You thought no one saw you. You were wrong.

Leigh and her sister Callie are not bad people – but one night, more than two decades ago, they did something terrible. And the result was a childhood tarnished by secrets, broken by betrayal, devastated by violence.

Years later, Leigh has pushed that night from her mind and become a successful lawyer – but when she is forced to take on a new client against her will, her world begins to spiral out of control.

Because the client knows the truth about what happened twenty-three years ago. He knows what Leigh and Callie did. And unless they stop him, he’s going to tear their lives apart …

Just because you didn’t see the witness … doesn’t mean he wasn’t there.

False Witness is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

False Witness is another dark, gripping and emotional read from one of my favourite authors. It’s going to be a hard book to review as I don’t want to give anything away.

This books follows two sisters Callie and Leigh who on the surface seem very different to each other. One is a drug addict who steals drugs from her work to sell, the other is a successful lawyer. However they have a secret from childhood that they are desperate to keep hidden. The sisters were interesting characters as they were quite cruel and ruthless in their actions at times that I really didn’t like them. However at other times they surprised me with the love they obviously had for each other and I found myself feeling a bit sorry for them as their desperation to keep their secret hidden was almost palpable.

I thought this book was a very past paced, addictive read which I found very hard to put down. It is very dark in places which won’t be to everyone’s taste but I felt these moments were balanced with the emotional storyline which stopped it becoming too much. The atmosphere in the book slowly build as the book continues and there was lots of twists that kept me guessing until the end. I thought the covid references were an interesting inclusion and made the book seem more real which made the storyline a little more hard hitting.

If you are a fan of this author’s previous books then you will love this book as it is the author at her best.

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

About The Author:

Karin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular and acclaimed storytellers. Published in 120 countries with more than 35 million copies sold across the globe, her 20 novels include the Grant County and Will Trent books, as well as the Edgar-nominated Cop Town and the instant Sunday Times bestselling novels Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter and Pieces of Her. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project―a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, Karin Slaughter lives in Atlanta. Her standalone novel Pieces of Her is in development with Netflix and the Grant County and Will Trent series are in development for television.

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to another Music Monday. Today I am featuring Lucy May Walker and her new single Don’t You Want Me which is a cover of the famous The Human League song.

Lucy is originally from Redditch in Worcestershire but currently lives in London where she can often be found busking around the capital. When she gets a chance in her hectic schedule Lucy also streams on twitch where her beautiful voice and great choice of songs always make for great entertainment.

I was lucky enough to get Lucy to answer my questions about her music and you can read her answers below!

You can follow Lucy on twitch or social media by clicking one of the links below.

Music:

Lucy has been making music for a few years so there’s a great back catalogue of her music to listen to. These are all available on all the major streaming platforms linked below. I have included her latest single and her song Bad Day which is a personal favourite of mine as it always makes me smile.

Interview:

• Tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hi, I’m Lucy May Walker I’m a Singer/Songwriter originally from Worcestershire but based in London. 

• What first got you into music?

From as long as I remember I’ve always been performing – my Grandma was a singer, and my mom was a piano teacher so it does run in the family. I studied performing arts to degree level, but really started concentrating solely on music after that.

• Who inspired you to make music?

For a long time before I wrote my own music, I was inspired by covers I heard on BBC Live Lounge – I loved hearing the really unusual ones that you wouldn’t expect. I remember loving Lily Allen’s version of Naive and Natasha Bedingfield did a couple of really cool ones – I remember being inspired to really to find my own sound like they did.

• How would you describe the music that you typically create?

I’d say the best way to describe my songwriting is story-telling. I write very honestly from my own experiences, and I’m always careful to capture emotion in there. Whatever song I write, I want people to listen to the lyrics and I hope to make them *feel* something. 

• What is your creative process like?

I always tend to write acoustically, sat at home with my guitar. I like to sit down and decide exactly what I’m going to write about, I write a load of feelings down about that subject and then I base it around that.

• Who would you most like to collaborate with?

So many people! I’d love to write with Nina Nesbitt, Maisie Peters, Gabrielle Aplin, Lewis Capaldi, Ed Sheeran… the list goes on!

• If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?

I’ve always been pretty desperate to support Lucy Rose. I fell in love with her music after I heard her feature on Bombay Bicycle Club’s songs. 

• What is one message you would give to your fans?

Always choose kindness over everything.

• What is the most useless talent you have?

I am really good at picking things up with my feet – it actually does come into handy quite often, especially when I drop something in the shower!

• Do you sing in the shower? What songs?

I definitely used to, the walls are a bit too thin in London.

• What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?

I know that growing up you’re constantly told to have a ‘back up plan’ but honestly for me, I intentionally never had one because I never wanted an excuse to not do music.

• Where have you performed? What are your favourite and least favourite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?

I have performed in all sorts of weird and wonderful places, from Thorpe Park to City hall. For me, I love an intimate seated venue – the first place I played in London was a little room in the basement of a pub called The Slaughtered Lamb which is pretty special to me. I am actually returning to that venue for my headline show on Thursday 28th October. I’m not sure I really have any bad venues to mention, but I do prefer playing gigs that don’t have distractions like people ordering drinks or hand-driers going off mid-set!

• How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?

I actually think it’s been a great thing for independent musicians especially, as it allows us to reach a wider audience than we have access to without the support of labels and advertising etc. I think platforms like TikTok have made discovering new musicians much easier and more exciting. 

• What is your favourite song to perform?

It changes, but I love singing original songs where the audience sing along, so Heartbreak Songs is always a fun one – I always love leaving the stage with that buzz.

• Which famous musicians do you admire?

I love seeing strong independent women in music – I think Taylor Swift is incredible, Maisie Peters, Jade Bird… but honestly, just anyone who is passionate and has something important to say, it makes me want to listen.

• What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?

Sorry to be very boring but I am a bit of a goody two shoes so probably the wrong person to ask!

• What is the best advice you’ve been given?

I’ve attended a number of BBC Introducing Live events in London which is a 3 day event of panels in the music industry. I can’t remember specifics but I do recall someone saying there’s no one out there that is going to work harder than YOU to make you successful. You have to believe in yourself and you can’t always rely on other people to make it happen for you so put yourself out there for opportunities and remember, the worst thing that can happen is people say no.

• If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

I would love to see more women in music – I still see festival lineups being very male dominated, and the big bosses who make decisions all seem to be men. It would be great to have more diversity in the industry.

• What’s next for you?

I have a few singles lined up for the next few months on the lead up to my two headline shows this October which I’m really excited about. Head to my website for ticket details www.lucymaywalkerofficial.com. I think 2022 is going to be a really exciting year for music once all restrictions are lifted and I can’t wait to get back to doing what I love to do.

Thanks for answering my questions Lucy and good luck with the new single!

Music Monday Playlist:

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

Thanks for reading and happy listening!

Book Synopsis:

*The must-read book of the summer*

‘Utterly transporting’ Stylist

‘A gorgeous, one-gulp novel’ Red

‘Emma Brodie perfectly channels the languorous romance of the time . . . I got chills’ Kevin Kwan, No.1 bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians

Behind every greatest hit, is an even greater love story.

THE SUMMER OF 1969

From the moment Jane Quinn steps barefoot onto the main stage at Island Folk festival, her golden hair glinting, her voice soaring into the summer dusk, a star is born – and so is a passionate love story.

Jane’s band hits the road with none other than Jesse Reid, the musician whose bright blue eyes are setting hearts alight everywhere. And as the summer streaks by in a haze of crowds, wild nights and magenta sunsets, Jane is pulled into the orbit of Jesse’s star.
 
But Jesse’s rise could mean Jane’s fall. And when she discovers a dark secret beneath his music, she picks up her guitar and writes her heartache into the album that could make or break her: Songs in Ursa Major.

Set against the heady haze of the 70s and alive with music, sex and sun-soaked hedonism, SONGS IN URSA MAJOR is an unforgettable debut and the soundtrack to a love story like no other.

Songs In Ursa Major is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

Songs In Ursa Major is a brilliant, escaping read partly based on the real life relationship of James Taylor and Joni Mitchell.

Firstly I think this author does a great job of capturing the era with all the freedom and changes that it brought. My parent’s hay day was the 70’s so I grew up on lots of stories, and music, from that time which the book reminded me of. I so enjoyed following all the characters through this book and living precariously through them. I felt like I was able to experience the era a bit through them which was great as the 70’s is the era I’d like to be able to time travel back to.

The characters were brilliant, realistic characters that I found it easy to warm to. I particularly liked Jane as I admired her confidence and her willingness to stand up for herself. The sexism she experiences in the music industry made me very cross and I wanted to applaud her when she made a stand against it. Her relationship with Jessie was wonderfully, dreamy to read about, come on we’ve all dreamed about dating a rock star, and I found it very interesting to watch it develop. I liked that the author wasn’t afraid to put some darker plot twists into the book which made the book seem more realistic but also stopped it from being too sugary sweet and just about the budding romance between the two main characters.

The books has a great pace to it and I quickly found myself drawn into the story. I liked the huge contrast between the hectic, wild music scenes and the more gentle life on the island which helped refocus the reader at times. There was always something happening to keep my attention and some very dramatic moments which moved the story in a complete different direction. The ending was perfect in my opinion and I especially liked how everything wasn’t tied up in a bow but instead left at a realistic place.

This is the author’s debut novel and I’m very excited to read more from her in the future. There is a Spotify playlist with the same name as the book available on Spotify which is perfect to listen to whilst reading.

Huge thanks to Jen Harlow for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

EMMA BRODIE has worked in book publishing for a decade, most recently as an executive editor at Little, Brown’s Voracious imprint. She graduated from the Johns Hopkins University’s Writing Seminars program, and is a longtime contributor to HuffPost and a faculty member at Catapult. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their dog, Freddie Mercury.

Book Synopsis:

Everything stays the same for the tenants of The Beresford, a grand old apartment building just outside the city … until the doorbell rings… Will Carver returns with an eerie, deliciously and uncomfortably dark standalone thriller.

Just outside the city – any city, every city – is a grand, spacious but affordable apartment building called The Beresford.

There’s a routine at The Beresford.

For Mrs May, every day’s the same: a cup of cold, black coffee in the morning, pruning roses, checking on her tenants, wine, prayer and an afternoon nap. She never leaves the building.

Abe Schwartz also lives at The Beresford. His housemate, Sythe, no longer does. Because Abe just killed him. 

In exactly sixty seconds, Blair Conroy will ring the doorbell to her new home and Abe will answer the door. They will become friends. Perhaps lovers. 

And, when the time comes for one of them to die, as is always the case at The Beresford, there will be sixty seconds to move the body before the next unknowing soul arrives at the door.

Because nothing changes at The Beresford, until the doorbell rings…

Eerie, dark, superbly twisted and majestically plotted, The Beresford is the stunning standalone thriller from one of crime fiction’s most exciting names.

The Beresford is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

Advance Praise:

‘A gripping novel laced with humour and cutting character insight … a thrill from start to finish. Expect the unexpected!’ Sarah Pinborough
 
‘Equally enthralling and appalling … unlike anything I’ve read in a very long while’ James Oswald
 
‘Ridiculously addictive’ S J Watson

Giveaway:

I’m excited to have a paperback copy of The Beresford to giveaway today. It is an international giveaway so anyone can enter.

To enter all you need to do is:

You can enter on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Like, share and tag some friends who you think might be interested. On Instagram you can get an extra entry if you share my post to your story.

The giveaway will finish at 10am Sunday 4th July BST and I will get one of my kids to draw the winner for me. Good luck everyone!

Please note that Over The Rainbow Book Blog is not responsible for posting the book to the winner and will not have access to any postal addresses.

About The Author:

Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series. He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company. He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, and lives in Reading with his two children. Will’s latest title published by Orenda Books, The Beresford is out in July 2021. His previous title Hinton Hollow Death Trip was longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize, while Nothing Important Happened Today was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Good Samaritans was book of the year in Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Express, and hit number one on the ebook charts.

Book Synopsis:

They wanted to get away. But now they can’t get out.

Seven friends gather at a castle in the Scottish Borders. One last weekend before Georgie’s wedding. Near the castle, through a path in the woods, is a loch. After a few drinks, they head down to the water to take photos. The loch is wild, lonely, and stunningly beautiful. They set their camera to self-timer and take some group shots. Later, looking back at the pictures, they see something impossible.

Behind them, eyes wide, a small, drenched boy emerges from the water.

But none of them saw him, and nobody knows where he went. They’re miles from the nearest town. How did he get there? Where did he go?

As the weekend unravels and terrible secrets come to light, it soon becomes clear that their perfect weekend is turning into a perfect nightmare. They’re desperate to leave – but someone won’t let them.

Down By The Water is available in ebook now and in hardback on the 8th July 2021. You can purchase or pre-order your copy using the links below.

My Review:

Down By The Water is a creepy, atmospheric thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. This book wasn’t what I was expecting but in a good way! I thought going in that it would be a ghost story but it’s actually more of a psychological thriller.

As I might have mentioned before I love books featuring a group of old friends as there is always so much potential there. This book was no exception as we join a group of old university friends on a hen trip. It quickly becomes clear that there is a lot of tension and secrets in the group which I found very intriguing. I enjoyed unpicking their complicated relationships and learning more about them as the book went on. I had to find out what they were all hiding so found I had to keep reading to find out what was going on.

The setting in this book is superb with the isolated Scottish island helping to create lots of atmosphere so I could well imagine the creepy events happening there. I had to admit it got in my head a bit and I found I couldn’t move around at night without putting a light on as I was wondering if something would appear. A few of the plot twists give the characters plenty of opportunity to explore the island and I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck as I read wondering what would happen.

I thought this book was a bit of a slow burn at the beginning as we are introduced to the setting and all the characters. There are quite a few of them so it did take me a little while to get to know them all. The second half is much faster with the author slowly increasing the feeling of menace until I found it hard to put the book down. None of the characters were particularly likeable and I hoped that a few of them would get their just desserts at the end.

This is the author’s first psychological thriller and I would definitely be interested in reading more from her in the future.

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

About The Author:

Elle Connel is the pseudonym of Lucy Ribchester, whose previous novels, The Hourglass Factory and The Amber Shadows, were historical thrillers. She has a first class degree in English from the University of St Andrews and a Masters in Shakespeare Studies from Kings College London. Her previous work has won her a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award, a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship, and short-listings for the Costa Short Story Award and Manchester Fiction Prize. She lives in Edinburgh with her partner and two sons. Down by the Water is her first book as Elle Connel.

Book Synopsis:

What secrets hide beneath the veil? When her mother departs for a tour of the continent, Georgina is sent from the rural backwaters to stay with her cousin, George Talbot, in London. The 1835 season is at its height, but Georgina is determined to attend neither balls nor plays, and to eschew Society. She hides her face beneath an impenetrable veil. Her extraordinary appearance only sets off gossip and speculation as to her identity. Who is the mysterious lady beneath the veil?The Lady in the Veil follows on from The House in the Hollow, but stands just as well alone.

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Extract:

In my book The Lady in the Veil, my villain takes the form of a woman. Lady Jane Talbot is as shrewish as possible, avid for gossip, scheming and altogether nasty. How she came to be married at all, and to such an amiable man as George Talbot, is amazing.

Here, I describe their first meeting and subsequent engagement.

The year had been 1817. Her father had taken her to Chelsea, to Ranelagh Gardens, prompted by a sudden urge to visit the pleasure ground of his youth. His outrage and dismay upon finding it demolished, with only a rough-strewn field of nettles and rubble where he had spent so many happy—and dissolute—hours in former years had brought a sort of convulsion upon him. She had looked on in helpless despair as her father had stamped and raged, his face turning from a wrathful white to an apoplectic red and finally to a dark, suffused shade of heliotrope. The coachman had been unable to persuade the earl back into his conveyance or to procure medical aid. A small crowd had gathered—snot-nosed boys and shabby-looking labourers, a gaggle of women on their way to the public wash house—none of whom had provided assistance or advice but who had merely stood by as though the earl were an escaped inmate from Bedlam. Lady Jane had scant love for her father or sympathy for his display of childish truculence but she did very much mind being the object of such public curiosity and embarrassment. She had been on the very verge of her own display of hysterics, which would have ill-become any young lady, when a sole rider—a gentleman—had come to her rescue. Dismounting quickly, he had thrown the reins to a by-stander, barked a rebuke at the groom and hoisted the earl from the road. A coin flung in the direction of the least wily-looking on-looker had summoned a medical man and a brusque gesture had dispersed the other gawping by-standers to their business. The immediate crisis dealt with, the gentleman had turned on Lady Jane a smile of such winning pleasantness that it banished utterly her horror and dismay but replaced it with something almost as violent. She blushed, stammered her thanks, felt her heart fluttering with unwonted puissance in her breast and at last swooned, but not before taking the three or four steps required to ensure that his arms would catch her. 

Their courtship had been short; three or four calls to enquire for the earl, a chance meeting at the home of a mutual acquaintance, a ball and a ride in the park had been all the intercourse needed to persuade Lady Jane that a marriage between them would add materially to her happiness and satisfaction. George Talbot was a widower, well-respected in the mercantile sphere, and wealthy. At twenty-six he was still a young man. To be sure, he was encumbered with two children—half Indian, if you please—and had no name of note, no title, no blood. He cared nothing for these things, insisting in his thoroughly good-humoured but altogether sincere way that he esteemed his master of horse more highly than any marquis he had ever met and that a duke was just a man like any other when reduced to his under drawers. 

‘I think I can meet most men of rank face to face and pound for pound,’ he declared.

His attitude was singular but then he was unlike any gentleman she had ever met. In comparison to her sisters’ husbands he was extraordinary; confident, worldly and uninhibited. His oddness was universally forgiven, however, even by the baronets and earls he despised; he was popular with gentry and common folk alike. And he was handsome, although grief, it was murmured, had stolen the full bloom of his beauty away. 

Lady Jane was no beauty, she knew that, and at twenty-nine it was not to be supposed her personal attractions would increase. Her nature—she had been told, by her sisters and several governesses—was sullen, bitter and resentful. But George Talbot was of that irrepressibly good-humoured disposition that can overlook the surliness of others. Lady Jane decided that if he would live with her shortcomings—and she made little attempt, after their second or third meeting, to disguise them—she could accommodate herself to a man who, in the eyes of her sisters and her papa was nobody, even if a rich nobody. Where there was money—and there was a great deal in this case—inconvenience and incompatibility need be no barrier. She was a Lady, she was his superior in birth, but she was not stupid; it was unlikely that any other offer would come her way.

She had acceded to his proposal with ladylike grace and the sufficient quantity of blushing reticence before putting aside such silliness in favour of business-like pragmatism. So much good, she decided, would come to Lady Jane Talbot that had evaded Lady Jane Brougham, and she made her stipulations. The house in Grosvenor Square must be made-over; it was old-fashioned and gloomy, the furniture altogether spartan and the kitchens by no means sufficient to entertain le bon ton to the dinners and balls Lady Jane hoped to hold. She must have a house in Brighton for the summer season. Fashionable society flocked there now that the Prince Regent’s pavilion was complete. She would not endure the dullness of Ecklington, the Talbots’ country seat, for more than a few weeks at Christmas. She must have her own carriage. So much for the outward manifestation of all that would accrue to her on her marriage. As for the private expressions of marriage, well, the unpleasantnesses of the matrimonial bed had been endured by other women before her and she was sure she was equal to them; she set her face to endure it. A small voice she would barely acknowledge whispered that even that, with him, might not be so awful, but she rebuked it. To submit physically to the objectionable exigencies of the nuptial bed was one thing; to have her heart subjugated would be worse. She would not endure it; she would be nobody’s vassal.

About The Author:

Allie Cresswell is the recipient of two coveted One Stop Fiction Five Star Awards and three Readers’ Favorite Awards Allie was born in Stockport, UK and began writing fiction as soon as she could hold a pencil. Allie recalls: ‘I was about 8 years old. Our teacher asked us to write about a family occasion and I launched into a detailed, harrowing and entirely fictional account of my grandfather’s funeral. I think he died very soon after I was born; certainly I have no memory of him and definitely did not attend his funeral, but I got right into the details, making them up as I went along (I decided he had been a Vicar, which I spelled ‘Vice’). My teacher obviously considered this outpouring very good bereavement therapy so she allowed me to continue with the story on several subsequent days, and I got out of maths and PE on a few occasions before I was rumbled.’ She went on to do a BA in English Literature at Birmingham University and an MA at Queen Mary College, London. She has been a print-buyer, a pub landlady, a book-keeper, run a B & B and a group of boutique holiday cottages. Nowadays Allie writes full time having retired from teaching literature to lifelong learners. She has two grown-up children, two granddaughters and two grandsons, is married to Tim and lives in Cumbria.