A stunning novel about motherhood and betrayal, for readers who love Sarah Vaughan and Louise Candlish.
‘Deliciously dark and totally twisted’ ERIN KELLY
‘Very acute on class, aspiration, women and status’ SARAH PERRY, author of THE ESSEX SERPENT
Kate trusts Della, and Della trusts Kate. Their downfall is each other.
When Kate moves to London after the disappearance of her sister, she’s in need of a friend. A chance meeting leads Kate to Della, a life coach who runs support groups for young women, dubbed by Kate as ‘the Janes.’
Della takes a special interest in Kate, and Kate soon finds herself entangled in Della’s life – her house, her family, and her husband. It’s only when she realises that she’s in too deep that Della’s veneer begins to crumble, and the warnings from ‘the Janes’ begin to come true.
Why is Della so keen to keep Kate by her side? What does Kate have that Della might want? And what really lies beneath the surface of their friendship?
A twisty psychological thriller for fans of Louise Candlish and Harriet Tyce.
The House Guest is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using one of the links below.
The Guest House was an intriguing, clever read which I couldn’t believe was a debut book.
I was immediately drawn into the story and into the characters lives, my interest immediately piqued by the situation the characters find themselves them. I had to read more and often found myself reading too late at night as I was desperate to discover what would happen next.
The characters were all fantastic creations that I enjoyed learning more about. They two main characters were both fairly unlikable but that actually made the book more fun for me as I didn’t have to choose a side . I actually wish there had been a little more about Della as I thought she was a particularly interesting, complex character and I’d have liked to be able to get into her head a little more but maybe that is for a different book.
I thought this was quite a dark story in places with some if the scenes being quite unsettling but this helped build the atmosphere. The author cleverly increases the tension and unease in the book so that I was soon unable to put the book down. I found myself reading faster as I both wanted to know what would happen next but was also slightly nervous about it. There are lots of twists that kept me guessing to the end and I thought the ending was very well done as it completely surprised me which I always enjoy. It’s one of those books that I’d like to read again now as I’m wondering if I missed so clues on the way.
Huge thanks to Emily from Harper Collins for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via netgalley.
About The Author:
Charlotte Northedge is the joint editor of Guardian Review and Head of Books for the Guardian. Charlotte has previously written for a range of newspapers and magazines, including the Guardian, Psychologies and Cosmopolitan. She has an MA in Modern and Contemporary Literature from Birkbeck and is an alumni of the Curtis Brown Creative writing course.
The Secrets of the Lake is a gripping wartime novel, by the author of The Silk Weaver, Liz Trenow.
‘Masterful storytelling, immersive locations, and characters that inhabit your heart from the first page’ – Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife.
The war may be over, but for Molly life is still in turmoil. Uprooted from London after the death of her mother, Molly, her father and younger brother Jimmy are starting again in a quiet village in the countryside of Colchester. As summer sets in, the heat is almost as oppressive as the village gossip. Molly dreams of becoming a journalist, finding a voice in the world, but most of the time must act as Jimmy’s carer. At just ten years old he is Molly’s shadow, following her around the village as she falls under the spell of local boy Kit. Kit is clever, funny and a natural-born rebel. Rowing on the waters of the lake with him becomes Molly’s escape from domestic duty. But there is something Kit is not telling Molly.
As the village gossip starts building up with whispers against Molly’s father over missing church funds, everything Molly thought she knew is turned upside down. And on one stormy night, when she sneaks out of the house to try to put things right, Jimmy vanishes. Never to be seen again.
Decades later, Molly is an elderly woman in sheltered housing, still haunted by the disappearance of her brother. When two police officers arrive to say that the remains of a body have been found at the bottom of the lake, it seems like Molly will at long last have her answer . . .
The Secrets Of The Lake is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using one of the links below.
The Secrets Of The Lake is an atmospheric, absorbing dual timeline read from one of my favourite authors.
As always I felt completely drawn into the story and into Molly’s life. The author’s brilliant descriptions helped put me into the story and into the sleepy village that Molly’s family go to life in. I felt I could envision the beautiful countryside and the lake so well that I could almost feel the cold water myself. The village is definitely an interesting place which seems an idyllic place to live but which quickly becomes apparent has some sinister undercurrents in it. I really enjoyed learning more about the village and getting to know the eclectic mix of villagers that live there.
Molly was a fantastic main character who I quickly grew to like and felt a great deal of sympathy with. My favourite character had to be Jimmy who was easy to fall in love with and through him it was interesting to see the attitudes of the time towards people with learning disabilities. My heart hurt to read about how awful people were towards him and how much Molly had to protect him.
Overall I thought this was a well written story that just flowed beautifully. The story is interspersed with bits of a children’s book that Molly had written for Jimmy about some of the local folklore that surrounds the village. This helped add a different quality to the book that was almost magical and made the book a fantastic read. I will be definitely be recommending this book to all fans of dual timeline historical fiction or just anyone looking for a brilliant read.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Pan Macmillan for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Liz Trenow is the author of several historical novels, including The Last Telegram, The Forgotten Seamstress, and The Poppy Factory. Liz’s family have been silk weavers for nearly three hundred years, and she grew up in the house next to the mill in Suffolk, England, which still operates today, weaving for top-end fashion houses and royal commissions. This unique history inspired her first two novels and her fourth novel, The Silk Weaver.
Liz is a former journalist who spent fifteen years on regional and national newspapers, and on BBC radio and television news, before turning her hand to fiction. She lives in East Anglia, UK, with her artist husband, and they have two grown-up daughters.
Good morning everyone and welcome to another Music Monday! Today I’m hugely excited as I have my first ever Music interview with the fantastic Dead Shoto to celebrate the release of his new EP God Eater.
Dead Shoto is from New York City. When he’s not creating amazing music he works as a graphic designer and is the owner of a skateboard company. He also streams a variety of games on twitch and his streams are always great fun to watch. He is working on possibly starting to stream music too.
If you would like to follow Dead Shoto on social media or check out his streams on twitch click the links below.
I first got into music, Rap music specifically, because I was captured by the rhythm and rhyme schemes some of the Artists were doing back in the day on TV. Just painting pictures and telling stories by putting clever words together was so interesting to me. I wanted to be as creative as some of the people I looked up to so I started working on my craft at the age of 14.
Who inspired you to make music?
I was first inspired to make music from 50 Cent and Eminem. Listening to that duo religiously while I was growing up and seeing their chemistry with each other and the beats they were making music over, I wanted that.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
I would say the music I make falls under “Experimental Rap”. I have some traditional elements to the genre but do like to get creative with the overall sound and I definitely don’t sound like anyone else. I make music you can crank the volume all the way up to.
What is your creative process like?
Hmm, this is an interesting question because it’s really different every time. One day, I can hear a sick beat, create a melody in my head and start writing from beginning to end. Then record immediately after. Other times, I can be on the toilet and find inspiration with no beat and start writing. I guess you never know when inspiration will strike so I always keep my phone nearby.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
I would definitely love to create a song with A$AP Ferg or Megan Thee Stallion. Me and Ferg are both from New York and I feel our styles will make a hit song that’ll be everyone’s guilty pleasure, capturing that true New York sound. With Meg Thee Stallion, I feel like our song will be lyrically brilliant and have Top 100 potential.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
To be honest, I would love to open for Lana Del Rey. I just love her and her music so much.
What is one message you would give to your fans?
As cliché as it sounds, never stop pushing towards your goals. No matter how hard it gets and even if no one is there to support you, don’t give up and I guarantee you will reach that finish line. Consistency is key to everything in life.
What is the most useless talent you have?
My useless talent is that I can tap my temple and make my eyebrow twitch on command. I’ll probably be the world’s most useless superhero with that one. Call me, “The Incredible Winker”.
Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
YES. The shower is where my vocal talent shines the brightest. Two songs I love singing the most are How To Save A Life by The Fray and Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood. You will catch me singing these at karaoke too.
What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?
I will probably be doing Graphic Design full time. It’s what I went to school for and I still have a burning passion for it.
Where have you performed? What are your favourite and least favourite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
I have performed at Pianos NYC which is a pretty popular small venue in downtown New York City. Based on videos and photos, SOB’s in New York is probably one of my favorite looking venues. A lot of big rappers such as Drake started performing at that location. No upcoming shows right now but I’ll soon be on the search to perform again once Covid settles down.
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
To put it vaguely, it’s a gift and a curse. It has given so many artists such as myself a platform to easily upload your music and get heard by hundreds without breaking the bank. But at the same time, it has diluted the industry a lot. So many people doing the same thing, not giving a chance for the real talent to be discovered since we sometimes get overshadowed by bad music.
What is your favourite song to perform?
Based on my first show, I loved performing my song Yellow Bone. I used it as an opener and got the crowd pumped! It’s raunchy but also a song you can dance to.
Which famous musicians do you admire?
I admire Eminem because I’ve learned so much about Rap/Hip-Hop from him. Truly a top tier Artist if I do say so myself.
What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
Once when I was in high school, me and a couple of friends were playing man hunt (the grown up version of tag) and to try and escape from being caught, I found myself in the girls locker room. I was soon discovered by security guards and suspended from school for a few days. I still laugh about this till this day. Luckily, the locker room was empty at the time.
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
Never stop pushing. Even when it feels like no one is listening, keep going as if the room was filled with thousands of people.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
I would change the fact that garbage music floods the internet and radio. To each their own but I wish there was a certain threshold you had to reach in skill and passion before your music can reach the masses. Like, have all music heard by the Hip-Hop Gods and they decide who moves forward and who doesn’t but everyone has an equal chance. This way, every single Artist would have an equal opportunity to shine. One can only dream, right?
What’s next for you?
Now that I finally released my God Eater EP, I will release a butt load of fun singles and collaborations without the pressure of releasing a project. I truly feel the rest of the year will be an exciting one for me with my music. Get excited and look forward to what’s coming because I WILL NOT BE STOPPED! Oh yea, I’m also hoping to perform again by the end of the year in New York City so be on the lookout for that too.
God Eater EP:
Dead Shoto’s new EP, God Eater, consists of four songs that are very different to each other. As always the four songs have some amazing, creative lyrics which are great to listen to. I have included the two youtube videos of my favourite songs below for easy listening. Dead Shot jokingly refers to Give Me Space as his Covid19 anthem as some of the lyrics in the song refer to lockdown and social distancing.
You can now listen to Dead Shoto and all the previously featured Music Monday artist in a special playlist I have created on Spotify. If you like the playlist why not give it a follow!
Unique Investigator Colter Shaw is searching for the answer to his father’s final, posthumous riddle. It will lead him to evidence that will topple the secretive espionage company, BlackBridge.
Twist right.
He believes BlackBridge to be responsible for his father’s murder and brother’s disappearance. They can outmanoeuvre anyone, as the long trail of bodies behind them can confirm. But they haven’t yet met Colter Shaw.
Don’t slip up.
This time the stakes are huge – the fate of a nation is in Colter’s hands. He must find the solution as to why his father died – but to do that he needs to stay alive…
The Final Twist is another addictive and entertaining thriller from Jeffery Deaver. I always look forward to this author’s books as they are always amazing and this book was no exception.
Firstly I really like the main character in this book who helps give the book an unusual edge to it. His unusual upbringing has given him some unusual skills which help make him an intriguing investigator as well as a slightly unpredictable enemy as your never sure how he’ll get out of situations. The author manages to describe events so that at times it felt like I was Shaw and I was experiencing things as he did which I thought was very clever.
This book gripped me from the first page and I found the book very hard to put down as there was always lots of action to ensure I was glued to the page. There were lots of twists and plenty of misdirection that made the book a very exciting read. Just when I thought I’d figured things out something would happen to send the story in a completely different direction which I always enjoy.
This is the third book in the trilogy and while it could perhaps be read as a standalone it’s probably best to read the books in order so that you get more background about what has been so far.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper Collins for my copy of this book via netgalley.
About The Author:
Jeffery Deaver is the #1 international bestselling and award-winning author of more than forty novels, three collections of short stories, and a nonfiction law book. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into twenty-five languages. A former journalist, folksinger, and attorney, he was born outside of Chicago and has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from Fordham University.
Secrets of the Jam Factory Girls is a moving saga novel of friendship set in the heart of pre-WWI London from bestselling author, Mary Wood.
Elsie’s worked her way up at Swift’s Jam Factory from the shop floor to the top, and now it’s her time to shine. But when she’s involved in an incident involving her half-sister Millie’s new husband, she is forced to keep it secret – the truth could threaten their sisterly bond.
Dot is dogged by fear, coming to terms with her mother’s rejection of her. She should be enjoying the happiness she craves with her beloved Cess; instead, she’s trapped in an asylum, haunted by the horrifying cries of inmates. All she wants is to get married, but what chance is there for her if she’s locked away?
Millie is trying to build a life with her new husband. But the man she loves is not all he seems . . .
Can the Jam Factory girls create the future they all deserve?
Secrets Of The Jam Factory Girls is available in paperback and ebook now. You can put your copy by clicking one of the buttons below.
As regular readers of my blog will know I’m a rather big fan of this author and I always look forward to new books from her. I loved the first book in this series so was excited to be back with Elise, Millie and their friends.
Mary has an amazing way of vividly describing the characters world so that you feel like you are actually there experiencing everything alongside the characters. I felt like I actually knew the characters so cared about what was happening to them. Mary definitely doesn’t give her characters an easy time and I often felt very angry on their behalf about everything they were going through. I wished I could get involve in what was happening and I especially wished I could thump Len who I absolutely hated.
The author has included some great historical details and I enjoyed reading more about what life was like before the first world war. I don’t think I’ve read much about what working conditions were like in factories at this time so I found it very interesting to learn more about this. It was good to see that conditions were slowly changing for employee’s for the better but also frustrating to read that some people were against this.
Overall I really enjoyed this gripping read which manages to be both gritty and uplifting at the same time. This is the second book in the series and although it’s probably best to read them in order it can be read as a standalone as most of what you need to know is explained. I’m now really excited to read more in this series.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Pan Macmillan for my copy of this book. If you like historical sagas then you definitely need to read this series.
About The Author:
Born in Maidstone, Kent, in 1945, the thirteenth child of fifteen children, Mary’s family settled in Leicestershire after the war ended.
Mary married young and now, after 54 years of happy marriage, four children, 12 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren, Mary and her husband live in Blackpool during the summer and Spain during the winter – a place that Mary calls, ‘her writing retreat’.
After many jobs from cleaning to catering, all chosen to fit in with bringing up her family, and boost the family money-pot, Mary ended her 9 – 5 working days as a Probation Service Officer, a job that showed her another side to life, and which influences her writing, bringing a realism and grittiness to her novels
Mary first put pen to paper, in 1989, but it wasn’t until 2010 that she finally found some success by self-publishing on kindle.
Being spotted by an editor at Pan Macmillan in 2013, finally saw Mary reach her publishing dream.
When not writing, Mary enjoys family time, reading, eating out, and gardening. One of her favourite pastimes is interacting with her readers on her Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/HistoricalNovels And on her web page: http://www.authormarywood.com She is also on Twitter: @Authormary
Mary welcomes all contact with her readers and feedback on her work.
Good morning everyone and welcome to another Music Monday. Today I’m featuring Beautiful Tragedy by Josh Taerk.
Josh is a singer songwriter and, you guessed it, twitch streamer from Canada. His streams are always very high energy and I always love how welcoming Josh is, often remembering little details about previous conversations despite having a lot of people in his streams. His original music is very beautiful with some truly amazing, heart felt lyrics which make them wonderful to listen to. He also does some fabulous medleys which I alway enjoy listening to on streams. His whole family is musical too with his dad and brother often joining him for family jam sessions on streams.
If you would like to follow Josh on social media or watch him.on twitch please click one of the buttons below.
As mentioned above Josh has a lot of original music and it was hard to choose which ones to feature. I’ve chosen Beautiful Tragedy as it’s one of my personal favourites and I’m here which is a new original that Josh is hoping to get produced by Mike Shinoda in a competition he’s running at the moment.
Josh’s Music is available on all the normal streaming platforms. To listen simply click one of the buttons below.
You can now listen to Josh and all previously featured Music Monday artists on a special playlist I’ve created on Spotify. If you like the playlist why not give it a follow?
“Queen Floss lives in a castle grand,The finest one across the land.Sir Lambalot is her busiest knight,With quests to do both day and night…”Queen Floss is determined to rid her land of dragons, giants and trolls so she turns to Sir Lambalot to help. He soon realises they aren’t quite so scary after all. Written in rhyme and full of fun, this lovely story has an important message about kindness, tolerance and acceptance. “Another triumph by the queen of storytelling in Lamby and Flossie’s new adventure, Sir Lambalot. Full of fun and new friends, along with the ever present important message hidden within its pages. Lamby’s best adventure yet!” Cath Roberts”Jude Lennon’s storytelling skills are already legendary, so it’s very fitting that Sir Lambalot now has his own legend” Bob Stone owner of Write Blend bookshop.
Sir Lambalot is available in paperback now. To get your copy click on one of the links below.
Sir Lambalot is a charming children’s book with an important message. It has quickly become one of my daughter’s favourite books and she often asks for it at bed time.
The story has a gentle rhyme to it which makes the book easy to read with some parts repeated at times making it easy for my daughter to join in with. There is a lovely message behind the story not to exclude people who are different just from the way they looked which I thought was a nice touch especially as it lead to a few conversations about the subject with my daughter.
There are some beautiful illustrations to accompany the story which are bright and colourful helping younger readers to understand the story. My daughter loves them and uses them when trying to tell the story to herself. They really helped increase her enjoyment of the story, especially finding the little details that she might have missed before.
Overall I thought that this was a lovely children’s book which I’ll definitely be recommending to other parents. Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of the book.
About The Author:
“I used to be a teacher who loved writing, now I’m an author who loves storytelling.” Jude Lennon is a former Early Years teacher who now works as a Storyteller under the name Little Lamb Tales. She tells stories at Primary schools, community events, festivals and libraries. Jude is also a children’s author and is the current Disney Winnie the Pooh Laureate for the North West of England. As an official Patron of Reading, Jude works with schools to spread the message about reading and writing for pleasure. Jude published her first book, The Dragon of Allerton Oak in 2015. Set in her local park (Calderstones) it features the real Allerton Oak which has stood there for 1000 years. Since then, Jude has gone on to publish seventeen further books. Her books cover topics as diverse as Mindfulness for children, phonics, dragons, pirates, astronauts and books set in other countries (including two bilingual English/Spanish ones). Jude has written two books for the Bobby Colleran Trust to support their Slow Down For Bobby road safety campaign. As part of the campaign, Jude visits Primary schools across Merseyside delivering funded assemblies to highlight the importance of Road Safety. To date she has read the books to over 150,000 children across the area. Jude is currently working with Will (Hal’s Books) a young man with Autism. Together they have written two books featuring an autistic main character. Jude and Will’s mum provide assemblies for schools to raise awareness about autism. In October 2019, Jude launched her first book for adults – a collection of short stories called ‘A Slice of Lennon’. It was very well received and she is now working on a full length novel.
THE NEW UP-ALL-NIGHT THRILLER FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER CARA HUNTER, PERFECT FOR FANS OF LINE OF DUTY
She has everything at stake; he has everything to lose. But one of them is lying, all the same.
When an Oxford student accuses one of the university’s professors of sexual assault, DI Adam Fawley’s team think they’ve heard it all before. But they couldn’t be more wrong.
Because this time, the predator is a woman and the shining star of the department, and the student a six-foot male rugby player.
Soon DI Fawley and his team are up against the clock to figure out the truth. What they don’t realise is that someone is watching.
And they have a plan to put Fawley out of action for good…
The Whole Truth is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy via the links below.
The Whole Truth is another compelling and immersive book from one of my favourite authors. It’s going to be a difficult book to review as I don’t want to give away any spoilers.
I’ve always loved this author’s ability to create fantastic plots that quickly draw the reader into the story. Her books are always well constructed and very believable which allows the reader to just enjoy the story. The story has lots of twists to it that kept me guessing and I found myself changing my opinion of what happened throughout. The author kept varying the pace of the story to reflect what was happening, with the author slowing down parts of the story that needed more contemplation but speeding up the more action packed ones which I thought very clever and helped keep me on my toes.
It was great to be back with Adam and solving a case with his fantastic team. As always the author has created some wonderful, believable characters that are great fun to follow, and in some cases catch up with, throughout the book. The author stays away from the normal police stereotypes that usually feature in crime books which is refreshing. There is a little bit about Adam’s personal life but the book is mostly about the case which made for a very interesting read.
Overall I really enjoyed this interesting, fast paced read and can’t wait to read more from her in the future. The book had a modern feel to it with the story being interspersed with social media posts, texts and the new addition of podcasts which I thought was a nice touch. I found this book hard to put down and often found myself reading much to late at night as I had to know what would happen next.
Huge thanks to Ellie Hudson from Viking for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you are looking for a new addictive crime book then I highly recommend this one.
About The Author:
Cara Hunter is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling crime novels Close to Home, In the Dark, No Way Out and All the Rage, all featuring DI Adam Fawley and his Oxford-based police team. Close to Home was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick and was shortlisted for Crime Book of the Year in the British Book Awards 2019. No Way Out was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 best crime novels since 1945. Cara’s novels have sold more than a million copies worldwide, and the TV rights to the series have now been acquired by the Fremantle group. She lives in Oxford, on a street not unlike those featured in her books.
Good Morning everyone and if you’re in the UK happy bank holiday Monday. Today on Music Monday I’m featuring On Your Side the new single by the lovely Charlotte Campbell.
Charlotte is a busker and twitch streamer from London who can normally be found busking by The London Eye. Since Corona hit the country she’s been streaming more on twitch where her upbeat streams never fail to make me smile. When I was up all night with tooth ache recently I joined her stream as I knew it would make me feel better. Charlotte is a talented guitar player and singer/ songwriter and I always love hearing her play her original music. She’s a huge Taylor Swift fan and it’s very interesting to hear her talk about this and her busking stories on stream.
You can follow Charlotte on social media by clicking on the links below.
Charlotte has written some amazing music all based on real life experiences which makes them seem more authentic. On Your Side is her latest single and I have included the video for it below as well as the video for Streets Of London which is another firm favourite of mine.
Charlotte has been writing music for 10 years so has an amazing back catalogue for you to listen to and enjoy. Her music is available on all the streaming platforms, available to own on Bandcamp and physical copies are available via her website.
You can now listen to Charlotte’s music and all other previously featured artists via a special playlist on Spotify. If you like what you here why not give the playlist a follow.
When Miranda moves to the Alexandra Quarter with her husband Gerry, she hopes it will bring the fresh start they need.
Though their life in ex-pat society is full of luxury, Miranda can’t help feeling like an outsider, and her relationship with Gerry becomes increasingly distant.
When doctor Nick Wythenshaw encourages Miranda to work within the local community, she finds new purpose away from her protected world that opens her eyes to a new way of life.
But as riots erupt across the region and danger draws close to home, Miranda must make an impossible choice.
Will she sacrifice everything she holds dear to find happiness?
Journey To Paradise is available in ebook now and will be published in paperback on the 30th December 2021. You can get your copy using the link below.
Journey to Paradise is a beautifully written, absorbing journey through Singapore which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Firstly I think the thing that most stood out for me about this book was the wonderful descriptions that made me feel I was actually there visiting the country alongside the characters. The author has cleverly written the book so that the reader experiences the country as the characters do so we get access to all of the sights and sounds of the city which was just glorious to read about. I felt like I could smell the food and hear the busy city as I read which helped me get lost in the book for hours.
I didn’t know much about Singapore’s history before reading this book so I found it interesting to learn about the political unrest there and to find out more about the reasons behind it. There is a lot of tension and divides in the country which helped create a bit of an uncertain atmosphere in the book as I wasn’t sure when it was all going to spill over.
I really liked the main character Miranda and felt a lot if sympathy for her . I can imagine how difficult it must be to move to a foreign country, not know anyone and to have a quite distant husband as your only companion. I enjoyed going on the journey with her and found myself reading faster as the story continued as I really cared about what happened.
Overall I really enjoyed this immersive read and can’t wait to read more from this author. I found myself trying to make the last few pages last as I didn’t want the book to end as I didn’t want to leave Singapore behind. It’s definitely a country I’d love to visit in the future.
Huge thanks to Isabelle Ralph for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Arrow publishing for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Paula has lived in various places, including Singapore, where she was based for three years. It was while living in Singapore that the first seeds of her debut novel, Journey to Paradise developed. The crumbling buildings and the modern high-rises popping up almost overnight seemed to be a metaphor for the social diversity and change in Singapore at that time. However, as a young mother living there, she wondered what it must have been like as a post-war colonial wife living miles away from the familiarity of home. Despite the gloss and glamour of colonial living, women were frequently stuck in unhappy marriages, often unable to follow careers or have the independence to divorce if things went wrong – which they inevitably did.
Her writing, although set against exotic backgrounds, is set on the cusp of change – the shift from colonial dominance to independence. She likes to dig into a variety of issues, and her main protagonist is, in many ways, a metaphor for the events surrounding her at that time. It isn’t always an easy journey, but in the end, success comes her way.
Over The Rainbow Blog 