Book description:

Scotland,1893. Nineteen-year-old Evelyn Ballantyre, the daughter of a wealthy landowner, has rarely strayed from her family’s estate in the Scottish Borders. She was once close to her philanthropist father, but his silence over what really happened on the day a poacher was shot on estate land has come between them.

An invitation to accompany her father to Canada is a chance for Evelyn to escape her limited existence. But once there, on the wild and turbulent Nipigon river, she is shocked to discover that their guide is James Douglas, Ballantyre’s former stable hand, and once her friend. He disappeared the night of the murder, charged with the shooting.

Evelyn never believed that James was guilty – and her father’s role in the killing has always been mysterious. What does he have to hide? In the wild landscape of a new world, far from the constraints of polite society, the secrets and lies surrounding that night are finally stripped away, with dramatic consequences.

My Review:

This is a fantastic piece of historical fiction and one that I really didn’t want to end! The author’s beautiful descriptions really draw the reader in and helps give you a sense of time and place. The descriptions of the fishing trip were brilliant and made me feel like I was right there, in the canoe, watching all the events unfold. It was fascinating to learn more about how people used to travel, what it involved and what type of stuff they were expected to bring. The inclusion of a water closet for the ladies would be unthinkable now! It was also very interesting to learn more about the world fair and what types of exhibits they had.

The characters were all brilliantly evoked and very likable. The stand out character for me was James. I immediately liked him and felt strong sympathy towards him. He has strong principles and stands by them no matter what is thrown at him, which made me admire him. The relationship he has with Evelyn was lovely to read about too. He is so sweet, gentle and kind to her that I fell a little in love with him! I also ended up liking Ballantyre, though I initially didn’t. He is a very clever and ruthless character but he stands up for justice despite what it might cost him and is quite fair in his dealing with everyone.

I thought the ending was great. The reader is kept guessing until pretty much the last few pages as to how it will end and who will win. The tension was almost unbearable as I waited to see how it would play out and I was very pleased by the outcome. I didn’t want the book to end where it did as I would have loved to have found out what happened next. I’m hopeful that the author might write a sequel though!

This is Sarah Maine’s second book though the first book of hers that i have read. I will definitely be reading more of her books in future.

Thank you Emily Kitchin and Hodder and Stoughton for my copy of this book. If you like beautiful historical fiction, rich in historical detail with a bit of a mystery you’ll love this book!

About the author:

Sarah Maine was born in England but grew up partly in Canada before returning to England for university. She studied archaeology and for many years worked in the profession but is now a freelance writer and researcher. She lives in York with her family. Sarah’s debut novel was published as Bhalla Strand in the UK and as The House Between Tides in the US. Beyond the Wild River is her second novel.

 

A society divided by the Zodiac.

A series of murders.

Every murder is a sign.

Bodies are being found.  Murder victims from totally different walks of life.

In a society divided according to Zodiac signs – where status is cast at birth and binding for life – it could be a misguided revolution…. or the work of a serial killer.

All eyes are on detective Jerome Burton  and astrological profiler Lindi Childs, as they work to solve the case.  But they are divided in their beliefs over whether the answer is written in the stars.

Together, they will unravel a dark tale of betrayal, lost love, broken promises and a devastating truth with the power to tear their world apart….

My review:

In Zodiac, Sam Wilson has created the most amazingly realistic and frightening world. It was scary to imagine a world were something like star signs could determine your whole life.  Especially if you are an Aries, like me, so would be one of the criminal underclass in this world.  The author does a great job in describing the world and the reader quickly gets immersed into it.  I liked that the author had even created unique words like ‘signist’, meaning someone who is prejudice against the lower signs.

There is a lot of unfairness throughout this book which, at times, made my blood boil.  Some of the inequality described towards the lower signs was astounding.  I couldn’t believe that there were laws that allowed the police to deal with out of control Aries whatever way they wanted without fear of repercussions.  It reminded me a bit of apartheid in South Africa where I believe the police had similar powers, although I’m not sure that’s what the author intended.

The book tackles a lot of interesting theories which have led to great debates between my family and friends.  Does your star sign determine your personality and would the same person turn out differently if they were given different opportunities or chances.  This is something that is touched upon a lot throughout the book, especially when one character discovers he’s a lower sign then he had thought.  He had grown up with a great education, childhood, lots of friends and had ended up with a great career which he wouldn’t have had his true sign been known.  It made me wonder if this is true in our world.

The story is told from two points of view.  The first is detective Burton, the lead detective in the murder investigation.  The second is Daniel Lapton, a business man looking for his missing daughter and for a way to make the world more equal for everyone.  I liked both characters and enjoyed reading both parts of the story.  They both go through a huge journey throughout the book as they discover more about themselves and the unfairness of the world they live in.  I found that I cared for them both and kept reading to find out what would happen next.  They way their two stories comes together was very exciting and unexpected.  It was one of those moments that made me sit up and read faster as I absorbed what was happening!

The murder investigation, although part of the book, isn’t always the main focus of the story.  Instead the story sometimes moves other ways, which gives the reader more insight into the characters and the world they inhabit.

There is a lot of astrology mentioned in the book which was very interesting to learn more about though some parts, I’ll admit, were a little complicated for me to follow.

The ending was brilliant! So action packed that I couldn’t put it down and read long into the night.  I don’t think I remember a better ending for a book, as most of the time the action tends to stop towards the end but this one was action packed right to the end.  There were a few characters that I would have like to have seen get their comeuppance but that might have made the ending too perfect.

This is Sam Wilson’s debut novel and I will definitely be reading more of his books.  In fact I believe there is a sequel planned set in the same world which I will look forward to! If you like action packed, dystopian novels you’ll love this book.  It might also suit people who like fantasy or science fiction as the author has really created a fascinating world.

Huge thanks to Sarah Harwood and Michael St Joseph publishers for my copy of this book. I absolutely loved it and its definitely one of my top books ever!

Rating: 5/5 stars

About the author:

Sam Wilson, born in London and now residing in South African, has written, developed and directed a number of television programmes and documentaries.  In 2011, he was listed as one of the ‘Top 200 young South Africans’.  Zodiac is his debut novel.  You can follow him on Twitter: @WombatSam

Book description:

A shocking discovery starts a trail of mayhem on the Cornish coast.

Alice Green is a beekeeper in the small Cornish village of Polgarrow. She lives with her pet jackdaw in a beautiful cottage not far from the sea. One evening, Alice finds something strange under the hollyhock bush in her garden. The gruesome discovery will change everyone’s lives. And then Alice’s best friend Milly disappears . . .

Detective Harriet Taylor has just transferred to the area from Edinburgh. As she investigates a series of shocking crimes, she grows close to the old beekeeper and is determined to bring the criminals to justice. But who is really what they seem and who can she trust?

A crime mystery with a touch of black humour. You’ll enjoy this fast-paced and dark unearthing of the secrets of a sleepy Cornish village.

Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, LJ Ross, or TE Kinsey.

My Review:

The Beekeeper is an interesting mystery that is quite easy to read as it is fast flowing and there is always something happening or being discovered which makes the book difficult to put down.

I really liked the main character Alice, the Beekeeper, who is a fantastic character really kookie and entertaining.  I enjoyed reading about her exploits throughout the book and discovering more about her.  Her hobby of beekeeping was fascinating and I enjoyed learning more about what it involved.  I also liked Harriet Taylor who seemed quite a strong woman, despite her sad background.  It was lovely to see her grow in confidence throughout the book and settle into her new job. I especially liked her determination to do her job to the best of her abilities and that she fought to ensure she got the right results.

It was great to be able to follow an investigation from the start to its conclusion and be able to see the ins and outs of a police investigation.  The author includes descriptions of how the police get to their conclusions and how they conduct their investigations which was fascinating to read about.

The internal politics of a police station and how important or necessary each person is considered by others was very interesting.  The conversations between the police officers was very telling and could get quite personal at times leading to some funny moments.

There are some gory bits in the book, where the author goes into quite a lot of vivid detail about how a corpse looks.  If you are squeamish you might be better avoiding this book. Some of the descriptions made me feel quite sick at times.

I did unfortunately guess early on who the murderer was.  I read a lot of mysteries and thrillers and I think that was why I was able to guess rather than anything being wrong with the book.  Even though I had guessed I enjoyed reading the rest of the book while I waited to discover if I was right.

This is Stewart Giles’s debut novel and I would be interested in reading more of his books as I did enjoy most of the book its just a shame I worked it out.

Huge thank you to Joffe Books and Jill Burkinshaw for my copy of this book.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

More about the author:

After reading English & Drama at three different English Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling and finally ended up in South Africa, where I still live. I enjoy the serene life running a boat shop on the banks of the Vaal Dam. I came up with the DS Jason Smith idea after my wife dropped a rather large speaker on my head. Whether it was intentional still remains a mystery. Smith, the first in the series was finished in September 2013 and was closely followed by Boomerang and Ladybird. Occam’s Razor, Harlequin and Phobia (a series of short stories detailing Smith’s early life) were all completed in one hazy 365 days and Selene was done and dusted a few months later. Horsemen, the seventh in the DS Smith thriller series is out now. The Beekeeper, a departure from the DS Smith series will be released through Joffe Books on 22 May.

Follow the tour!

 

When Aisling arrives in the Middle East she is looking forward to a grand adventure in a new country. She soon immerses herself in the new culture, enjoying meeting new people and experiencing the night life. However Aisling soon discovers that everything is not as it seems. Strange and sinister things start happening at work and her expat colleagues are arrested or disappear. Not knowing who to trust Aisling must try and find out the answers but will she be able to or will she disappear like her colleagues. Electric Souk is vivid, colorful and unique. What makes it so unique is the way it is written. For most of the book it seems to just be a description of Aisling’s everyday life but then something will happen that makes you think otherwise. Slowly sinister things start coming to the surface as people reveal their true natures and things start happening at work. This gradual unveiling helps add a lot of tension to the book which kept me reading as I wanted to know what was happening. It is hard to put this book into one genre as it has bits of all of them in it but this never seems forced or is confusing and adds to the books uniqueness. The author managed to take you to another time and place with her brilliant description. I especially loved the description of the Souk where I could perfectly imagine the hustle and bustle and almost smell the spices. It was very interesting to learn more about daily life in a middle Eastern country and how different it is to ours. The characters are very varied and quite colourful. I enjoyed reading about them and found I cared about what might happen to them. Some of the evil characters in the book I loved to hate. Especially Brian who was quite scary at times! The ending was brilliant and very fitting to the story. It was nice that the author didn’t go for the easy ending and instead chose one quite hard hitting. This is Rose McGintry’s debut novel and I look forward to reading more from her. Huge thanks to Matthew from Urbane Publishers for my copy of this book. Rating: 4/5 stars

About the author:

Rose McGinty lives in England and works for the NHS.  She studied at Trinity College Dublin and is an alumna of the Faber Academy.  She has worked overseas, including the Middle East.  She has won a number of writing competitions.  Electric Soul is her debut novel.

 

 

My Review:

It’s 1940 and the war is in full swing. Edie takes a job with the SOE, as an escape from a turbulent past and soon finds herself being dispatched to occupied France to work as a wireless operator. Once there she discovers how dangerous things are in France and has to learn the ropes very quickly. When the unthinkable happens, Edie has to draw on all her strength and training to survive. In London, Vera works hard at her job with the SOE training and dispatching agents to occupied France. But Vera is hiding a secret of her own and when Edie goes missing her loyalty is tested.

Clare Harvey certainly knows how to write gripping and atmospheric historical fiction. I was immediately drawn into the story wanting to read more to discover what was going to happen next. I felt that she perfectly evoked the atmosphere of World War Two London and Paris. There was a constant feeling throughout the book of unease, uncertainty and fear that something was about to happen. The description of war time Paris where Gestapo raids are part of everyday life added to the already tense atmosphere as no one knew who would be next. The authors use of real places that were used by the Germans as headquarters or offices helped make the story and events more real.

I have long been a fan of strong, confident female characters so I was thrilled that this book contained two of them. I loved reading about their exploits and how they never let being a women get in their way. Both women go through a huge journey throughout the book as they discover what they are capable of. This is especially true of Edie who starts the book with people being unsure that she’ll make a good agent to her becoming a confident and capable agent towards the end.
The tension in the book is gradually increased as the book goes on. I don’t want to say to much about what happens as I don’t want to give anything away but towards the end I found myself holding my breath as events unfolded.

I thought the ending was brilliant and very fitting for all the characters involved. I wish it hadn’t ended there as I would have loved to have read more about what happened next but maybe, hopefully, there is a sequel planned.

This is Clare Harvey’s second book although this is the first one I’ve read. Her first book, The Gunner Girl, is a prequel to this one and feature Edie again. This book can be read as a stand alone book through, which is what I gave done and it works perfectly well.

Huge thanks to Jess Barrett and Simon & Schuster for giving me a copy of this book.

About the author:

Clare Harvey is an ex-army wife.  The Gunner Girl, her debut novel, was inspired by her mother-in-laws experience during WW2 and written while her husband was on active service in Afghanistan.  She has travelled widely and worked all over the world, doing voluntary work in Tanzania and as a journalist and tutor, in Nepal, Germany and Northern Ireland.  She hitchhiked from Zanzibar to Cape Town, and went to work for an overseas charity before falling in love with a soldier.  She now lives in Nottingham with her family.

Find out more: 

Facebook: Facebook.com/clareharvey13

Twitter: @ClareHarveyauth

Website: http://www.clareharvey.net

Her next novel, The Night Raid will be published in hardback 27 July 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.5 stars. Review part of blog tour:

Maggie is 17 when she decides to abandon her A-levels and pursue a career in nursing. Moving to London Maggie soon falls in love with the city, and after making new friends enjoys the social life the city offers. Although initially finding nursing difficult, Maggie works hard and, despite her tutors reservations, passes her nursing account. Not Your Average Nurse follows Maggie through her nursing training and career as she lives and loves, nurses in a variety of places and finds a true passion for nursing.

Any student nurse is a fascinating, enjoyable but sometimes poignant glimpse into nursing and life in 1970’s London. Firstly I loved Maggie. She is such a strong, confident lady who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself and others when needed. I really enjoyed reading about her exploits with her friends and colleagues. It was very funny to hear what they got up to both at work and in their spare time. I wanted to be a part of their group enjoying the social life in London with them.

It was very educational for me to learn about the differences between nursing then compared with nursing now. With a lot of modern techniques and treatment not available, nursing then seemed quite primitive. It was fascinating to find out how things were done then. It was also interesting to discover more about how nurses and women were viewed then. There seemed to be a lot of sexism towards women stil. The poor pay, hours and working conditions were attributed to the fact that nursing was mainly a female career. It was great to read about Maggie and her colleagues attempt to fight against this.

To me the most enlightening part of the book was learning more about the different types of nursing available, outside of a hospital. Who knew there was a thing called Industrial nursing, that involved nurses working in shops or theatres and that a nurse might be needed in a convent. I certainly didn’t!

The tales of some of the patients Maggie nursed throughout the years were quite poignant. Learning how their experiences during the war had caused their current condition was heart breaking at times. As was her accounts of how illnesses caused by living conditions which couldn’t always be helped. It was lovely to hear how the NHS helped treat such people back then. There was such warmth and compassion shown to them, which was lovely to read about and probably wouldn’t happen now.

This is not Maggie Groff’s first book but it is the first book of hers that I have read. I will definitely be going back and reading some more of her work as I enjoyed this one very much.

Huge thanks to Rosie Margesson and Transworld publisher s for providing me with a copy of this book. If you enjoyed the Call The Midwife books you’ll love this one!