Book Synopsis:

On a winter’s night in 1892, Kate Williams, the daughter of a Baptist Minister, leaves Abergavenny and sets out for London with a wild plan: she is going to become a strongwoman.

But it is not only her ambition she is chasing. William Roberts, the leader of a music hall troupe, has captured her imagination and her heart. In London, William reinvents Kate as ‘Vulcana – Most Beautiful Woman on Earth’, and himself ‘Atlas’. Soon they are performing in Britain, France, Australia and Algiers.

But as Vulcana’s star rises, Altas’ fades, and Kate finds herself holding together a troupe of performers and a family. Kate is a woman driven by love – for William, her children, performing and for life. Can she find a way to be a voice for women and true to herself?

My Review:

Vulcana is an atmospheric, absorbing read that I really enjoyed.

Firstly I absolutely loved Vulcana and enjoyed following her throughout the book. She’s a strong, confident lady, who knows what she want and I really admired her having the strength to go against the times to achieve it. I thought she was very inspiring and I liked that she wanted to help other women realise the joy of weight lifting.

The author has obviously done a lot of research and I enjoyed learning more about the period, especially all the little details the author includes in the story. Some of the details, like the ice skating on the Thames at the beginning, made me smile as I could really picture it in my mind. It was also interesting to learn more about the music halls and what it was like to work in one as I’ve only really read about them in passing before. It’s definitely a place that I’d like to experience for myself, though in the audience as I’m not sure I’d be brave enough for the stage.

The book has a good pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest. I loved the bird’s eye view of life in that period and felt fully absorbed into Vulcana’s life. Vulcana and William are real life characters and I found it very interesting to be able to Google them and find out more about them.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book. If you’re a fan of historical fiction I highly recommend this book.

About The Author:

Rebecca F. John was born in 1986 and grew up on the south Wales coast. Her short stories have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 4Extra. In 2015, her short story ‘The Glove Maker’s Numbers’ was shortlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award. She is the winner of the PEN International New Voices Award 2015. Her debut novel, The Haunting of Henry Twist, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award. She lives in Swansea.

Book Synopsis:

On a winter’s night in 1892, Kate Williams, the daughter of a Baptist Minister, leaves Abergavenny and sets out for London with a wild plan: she is going to become a strongwoman.

But it is not only her ambition she is chasing. William Roberts, the leader of a music hall troupe, has captured her imagination and her heart. In London, William reinvents Kate as ‘Vulcana – Most Beautiful Woman on Earth’, and himself ‘Atlas’. Soon they are performing in Britain, France, Australia and Algiers.

But as Vulcana’s star rises, Altas’ fades, and Kate finds herself holding together a troupe of performers and a family. Kate is a woman driven by love – for William, her children, performing and for life. Can she find a way to be a voice for women and true to herself?

My Review:

Vulcana is an atmospheric, absorbing read that I really enjoyed.

Firstly I absolutely loved Vulcana and enjoyed following her throughout the book. She’s a strong, confident lady, who knows what she want and I really admired her having the strength to go against the times to achieve it. I thought she was very inspiring and I liked that she wanted to help other women realise the joy of weight lifting.

The author has obviously done a lot of research and I enjoyed learning more about the period, especially all the little details the author includes in the story. Some of the details, like the ice skating on the Thames at the beginning, made me smile as I could really picture it in my mind. It was also interesting to learn more about the music halls and what it was like to work in one as I’ve only really read about them in passing before. It’s definitely a place that I’d like to experience for myself, though in the audience as I’m not sure I’d be brave enough for the stage.

The book has a good pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest. I loved the bird’s eye view of life in that period and felt fully absorbed into Vulcana’s life. Vulcana and William are real life characters and I found it very interesting to be able to Google them and find out more about them.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book. If you’re a fan of historical fiction I highly recommend this book.

About The Author:

Rebecca F. John was born in 1986 and grew up on the south Wales coast. Her short stories have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 4Extra. In 2015, her short story ‘The Glove Maker’s Numbers’ was shortlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award. She is the winner of the PEN International New Voices Award 2015. Her debut novel, The Haunting of Henry Twist, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award. She lives in Swansea.

Good morning everyone here is some of the great bookpost I’ve received recently.

⭐The End Of Us by Olivia Kiernan
⭐The Beach Holiday by Isabelle Broom
⭐The Greek Secret by Francesca Catlow
⭐A Portrait In Shadow by Nicole Jarvis

Huge thanks to the lovely tagged publishers and authors for sending these to me. A Portrait In Shadow was a giveaway win from the lovely @mylittlebookhome. All these sound great and I can’t wait to read them soon.

Today is a sad day for me as my family is going away on holiday without me sob . Having just got a new job I felt it was too early to book annual leave so my husband is taking the kids to the beach for a few days. I’ll miss them so much and will be distracting myself by reading lots (and working).

The End Of Us by Olivia Kiernan

It all started to go wrong the day the Wrights moved in next door

Myles and Lana Butler live on a gorgeous new development in Wimbledon, leaning on a mortgage that is just within reach. When one of Myles’ investments fails they are bound to lose everything.

Gabriel and Holly Wright have just moved in next door. The Wrights are sophisticated, ambitious and apparently very wealthy. At an after-dinner drink with their new neighbours, Myles and Lana share their worries and a solution is suggested between the couples. Life Insurance fraud. For a cut of the pay out, the Wrights would help them.

No one thought they were being serious. No one agreed they’d actually go through with it. And no one mentioned it would involve murder.

Then, one night, Lana doesn’t come home.

The Beach Holiday by Isabelle Broom

A somebody. A nobody.
A love story waiting to be written . . .

All aspiring novelist Honor has ever wanted is to be successful. It’s the only way she can impress the father who abandoned her, the boyfriend who gave up on her, and the nagging voice in her head that tells her she’s not good enough.

Still, wanting to tell a story is not the same as having a story to tell, and Honor knows she needs to find a new source of inspiration.

When she’s invited to spend a summer abroad in The Hamptons, Honor realises it could be the dream setting for a book, especially when a chance encounter provides her with the perfect leading man.

But blurring fact and fiction is a dangerous game, and Honor soon discovers that writing her way to success might come at the expense of her own happy ever after . . .

A Portrait In Shadow by Nicole Jarvis

Enter a sumptuous world of art and magic in 17th-century Florence as Artemisia Gentileschi is determined to make her mark as a painter, and exact her revenge – perfect for fans of Alix E. Harrow, Elena Ferrante and Susanna Clarke.

When Artemisia Gentileschi arrives in Florence seeking a haven for her art, she faces instant opposition from the powerful Accademia, self-proclaimed gatekeepers of Florence’s magical art world. As artists create their masterpieces, they add layer upon layer of magics drawn from their own life essence, giving each work the power to heal – or to curse. The all-male Accademia jealously guards its power and has no place for an ambitious young woman arriving from Rome under a cloud of scandal. Haunted by the shadow of her harrowing past and fighting for every commission, Artemisia begins winning allies among luminaries such as Galileo Galilei, the influential Cristina de’ Medici and the charming, wealthy Francesco Maria Maringhi. But not everyone in Florence wants to see Artemisia succeed, and when an incendiary preacher turns his ire from Galileo to the art world, Artemisia must choose between revenge and her dream of creating a legacy that will span the generations.

Greek Secret by Francesca Catlow

What if you could never tell anyone how a relationship really ended?

Then

Ruby is starting to realise her boyfriend, Jonathan, is manipulating her every move. He’s the life and soul of a party, everyone loves him, but she’s starting to see him differently. She wants to make a change, but does she have the strength to let go of the life they have built?

Now

Ruby’s life in England has hit an all-time low, so she agrees to spend the summer working for her aunt in Corfu. While there, she’s mortified to feel an attraction to her step cousin, Yianni, who runs the family restaurant.

However much she tries to avoid her feelings, she can’t avoid Yianni or the romantic setting of Corfu. But is there any point trying to get close to him when she harbours an all-consuming secret. Is Ruby able to tell him the truth about how her relationship with Jonathan really ended? A truth she has never told a soul? And if she can trust him enough to tell him, what will he think of Ruby’s shocking past?

Perfect for fans of Paige Toon and Kate Frost. It’s time to escape to the idyllic island of Corfu this summer with Francesca Catlow’s latest emotional and heart wrenching love story. Greek Secret is a standalone novel and the perfect Greek beach read for 2023.

Good morning everyone. Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two special paperback editions I’ve bought recently from @rossiter_books. I’ve actually not got any paperbacks with spredges so I was very excited when I saw these.

I used to love Shooting Stars and I’ve heard The Satsuma Complex is hilarious so I can’t wait to read this. Our Wives Under The Sea is a book I’ve heard lots about from my fellow blogger’s but haven’t read yet. I must admit the beautiful spredges swayed me to buy!

Do you have any paperback Spredges?

The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer

My name is Gary. I’m a thirty-year-old legal assistant with a firm of solicitors in London. To describe me as anonymous would be unfair but to notice me other than in passing would be a rarity. I did make a good connection with a girl, but that blew up in my face and smacked my arse with a fish slice.

Gary Thorn goes for a pint with a work acquaintance called Brendan. When Brendan leaves early, Gary meets a girl in the pub. He doesn’t catch her name, but falls for her anyway. When she suddenly disappears without saying goodbye, all Gary has to remember her by is the book she was reading: The Satsuma Complex. But when Brendan goes missing, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Satsuma to get some answers.

And so begins Gary’s quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to finally bring some love and excitement into his unremarkable life…

A page-turning story with a cast of unforgettable characters, The Satsuma Complex is the brilliantly funny smash hit first novel by bestselling author and comedian Bob Mortimer.

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

My name is Gary. I’m a thirty-year-old legal assistant with a firm of solicitors in London. To describe me as anonymous would be unfair but to notice me other than in passing would be a rarity. I did make a good connection with a girl, but that blew up in my face and smacked my arse with a fish slice.

Gary Thorn goes for a pint with a work acquaintance called Brendan. When Brendan leaves early, Gary meets a girl in the pub. He doesn’t catch her name, but falls for her anyway. When she suddenly disappears without saying goodbye, all Gary has to remember her by is the book she was reading: The Satsuma Complex. But when Brendan goes missing, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Satsuma to get some answers.

And so begins Gary’s quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to finally bring some love and excitement into his unremarkable life…

A page-turning story with a cast of unforgettable characters, The Satsuma Complex is the brilliantly funny smash hit first novel by bestselling author and comedian Bob Mortimer.

Good morning everyone and happy Bank Holiday Monday. I treated myself to these three books on pay day as they are ones I’ve been wanting to read for ages.

I loved A Man Called Ove when I read it as part of the Tandem Read-along so I’ve been wanting to read more by Frederick Backman. I’ve seen lots of love on here for the Beartown series so wanted to read it. The Night Circus is a book that I’ve been recommended a few times but when one of my new colleagues recommended it I knew I had to get it and Ancestry is a book I’ve been very intrigued by for a while, though again I was finally swayed to get it when I saw the lovely @portybelle ‘s review as I know we have similar taste in books.

What books have you bought recently?

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

In a large Swedish forest Beartown hides a dark secret . . .

Cut-off from everywhere else it experiences the kind of isolation that tears people apart.

And each year more and more of the town is swallowed by the forest.

Then the town is offered a bright new future.

But it is all put in jeopardy by a single, brutal act.

It divides the town into those who think it should be hushed up and forgotten, and those who’ll risk the future to see justice done.

Who will speak up?

Could you stand by and stay silent?

Or would you risk everything for justice?

Which side would you be on?

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Against the grey sky the towering tents are striped black and white. A sign hanging upon an iron gates reads:

Opens at Nightfall
Closes at Dawn

Full of breath-taking amazements and open only at night, Le Cirque des Rêves seems to cast a spell over all who wander its circular paths. But behind the glittering acrobats, fortune-tellers and contortionists a fierce competition is underway.

Celia and Marco are two young magicians who have been trained since childhood for a deadly duel. With the lives of everyone at the Circus of Dreams at stake, they must test the very limits of the imagination, and of their love.

Ancestry by Simon Mawer

Almost two hundred years ago, Abraham, an illiterate urchin, scavenges on a Suffolk beach and dreams of running away to sea … Naomi, a seventeen-year-old seamstress, imagines a new life in the big city … George, a private soldier of the 50th Regiment of Food, marries his Irish bride, Annie, in the cathedral in Manchester and together they face married life under arms. Now these people exist only in the bare bones of registers and census lists but they were once real enough.

Simon Mawer puts flesh on our ancestors’ bones to bring them to life and give them voice. There is birth and death; there is love, both open and legal but also hidden and illicit. Yet the thread that connects these disparate figures is something that they cannot have known – the unbreakable bond of family.

Good morning everyone and Happy Sunday! This gorgeous special edition came through the post this week. I’ve been hearing lots about this one so I’m excited to read it, plus I absolutely love the spredges 🥰

Is this book on your radar?

Book Synopsis:

Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody.

White lies
When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song.

Dark humour
But as evidence threatens June’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

Deadly consequences…
What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.

About The Author:

Rebecca F. Kuang is the #1 New York Times bestselling and Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award nominated author of Babel, the Poppy War trilogy, and the forthcoming Yellowface. She is a Marshall Scholar, translator, and has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford. She is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.

Good morning everyone and happy Bank Holiday weekend or happy half term if you’re a parent.

I was tagged by the lovely @laurapatriciarosereads to share a lavender book stack so here are some of my beautiful purple books. I actually had more then I thought I did which was nice.

Today I’m having a quiet morning as my youngest too are going to swimming with their dad and then we’re hoping to go to the family reading group at our library this afternoon, followed by our first BBQ of the year tonight.

I’ve tagged a few people on Instagram who might want to take part but, as always, no pressure.

What are your weekend plans?

Good morning everyone and Happy Friday. If been fairly good with the book buying recently but I have been tempted by these two historical fiction books as I’ve been hearing lots about them from my fellow book bloggers.

I’m very intrigued to read these as they’re both set in World War Two (my favourite era) with The Girl With The Red Hair featuring a real life resistance fighter which I always love.

If you live near Cheltenham Rossiter books are hosting an author event with AJ Pearce to celebrate her new book at the Parabola Art Centre on Tuesday 30th May at 7pm.

Dear Mrs Bird by A. J. Pearce

London, 1941. Amid the falling bombs Emmeline Lake dreams of becoming a fearless Lady War Correspondent. Unfortunately, Emmy instead finds herself employed as a typist for the formidable Henrietta Bird, the renowned agony aunt at Woman’s Friend magazine. Mrs Bird refuses to read, let alone answer, letters containing any form of Unpleasantness, and definitely not those from the lovelorn, grief-stricken or morally conflicted.

But the thought of these desperate women waiting for an answer at this most desperate of times becomes impossible for Emmy to ignore. She decides she simply must help and secretly starts to write back – after all, what harm could that possibly do?

The Girl With The Red Hair by Buzzy Jackson

1940, Amsterdam.

You’re nineteen years old. The war has stolen your future and your country is under siege. The people you love are no longer safe.

Will you stand aside as the menace of Nazi evil tightens its grip on your homeland? Or do you unleash your fury, joining forces with your enemies’ enemies, plotting to strike?

Because if not you, then who?

You’re drawn deep into a web of plots, disguises and assassinations. The Resistance trained you for this. You flash your enemies a smile and beckon them closer.

Little do they know you’ve grown used to the weight of a gun in your hand.

Soon, they will all know your name . . .

Book Synopsis:

Cat Crawford is not especially good at her job.

Erin Goodman is the woman Cat wants to be when she’s older – smart, successful, and the best part? She’s earned it – nothing was ever handed to Erin on a plate, or to Cat.

But Erin doesn’t notice Cat. Not until something awful happens and Cat, finding herself in the right place at the right time, writes the article that goes viral. Now she’s got Erin’s attention.

The difference is, Cat knows Erin is onto her. And Cat is more than happy to toy with her colleague, especially if it gets her an even bigger story to report on.

In the game of cat and mouse, there can be only one winner.

My Review:

Kill For It is an addictive, intense, twisty read which I really enjoyed.

The story is told from the point of view of the two main characters Cat and Erin- who.are two very different ladies. Cat has been working at the newspaper for two years without getting anywhere, whereas Erin is one of the newspapers top reporters. It was very interesting getting to know the two women as well as following the changes in their friendship. It was fascinating to find out more about their personal lives and background as the story went on.

I felt this book gave a great insight into what it’s like to work in the newspaper business and I was a little shocked by how cut throat it seemed. In a world were everybody seemed to be out for themselves I initially loved Erin for helping Cat, however I felt sorry for them both when the competitive element of their job meant the friendship couldn’t continue. It made my blood boil to realise how women can be easily overlooked by male bosses and how they are often given the more menial office tasks.

I found this book incredibly fast paced and very gripping making it hard to put down. There were lots of twists that kept me guessing and a few red herrings that completely threw me. The main story in broken up with articles and tweets which I thought was very clever. I can’t wait to read more from this author in future.

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

About The Author:

Lizzie Fry is a debut author of high concept thriller The Coven (published by Sphere books), but you might know her better as LV Hay. LV’s books previous books were crime fiction: The Other Twin, Do No Harm (Orenda Books) and Never Have I Ever (Hodder). The Other Twin is currently being adapted for the screen by Agatha Raisin producers Free@Last TV.

I was a huge fan of The Midnight House, this author’s first book so I was hugely excited to get a copy of her new book The Moon Gate. Her style reminds me a bit of Kate Morton’s, who is one of my favourite ever authors. I’m very excited to read this book soon as part of the blog tour.

Huge thanks to @headlinebooks for sending me this book.

Out 8th June 2023

Book Synopsis:

1939: On the eve of war, young English heiress Grace Grey travels from London to the wilderness of Tasmania. Coaxed out of her shell by the attentions of her Irish neighbour, Daniel – Grace finally learns to live. But when Australian forces are called to the frontline, and Daniel with them, he leaves behind a devastating secret which will forever bind them together.

1975: Artist Willow Hawkins, and her new husband, Ben, can’t believe their luck when an anonymous benefactor leaves them a house on the remote Tasmanian coast. Confused and delighted, they set out to unmask Towerhurst’s previous owner – unwittingly altering the course of their lives.

2004: Libby Andrews has always been sheltered from the truth behind her father Ben’s death. When she travels to London and discovers a faded photograph, a long-buried memory is unlocked, and she begins to follow an investigation that Ben could never complete. But will she realise that some secrets are best left buried . . .?

About The Author:

I have always loved dual-timeline novels, where stories from the past weave with those of the present day. I want to write books that transport you to another time and place, where secrets lie just beneath the surface if only the characters know where to look.

My new novel, The Moon Gate, is set across three locations I ADORE: Tasmania (my home state), London (where I rented a houseboat for many years) and County Kerry, Ireland (where I now live with my family). Each of these places is special to me and I hope you’ll feel you’re entering the temperate rainforest with Grace, opening the door to Towerhurst with Willow, walking through London’s layered history with Libby and stepping out to the heather-clad hills of County Kerry with … well, with several characters, the names of who I won’t reveal here!

The inspiration for my first novel, The Midnight House, appeared in the rafters of our Irish home, a two-hundred-year-old stone building perched on the edge of the Atlantic. Hidden there was a message, scratched into wood: ‘When this comes down, pray for me. Tim O’Shea 1911’. As I held that piece of timber in my hands, dust clinging to my paint-stained clothes, I was humbled that a person’s fingerprint could, in a thousand ways, transcend time, and I wanted nothing more than to capture that feeling of discovery on the page.

I’m also a geologist who loves to explore the world’s remote places. Luckily for me, writing novels provides a similar sense of wonder and discovery; but the warm office, fresh food and a shower in the evening make the conditions rather more comfortable!

It’s also the perfect excuse to regularly curl up by a fire with a great book (often by the wonderful authors who write in my genre). I treasure my reading time, and I know you do too, so thank you for taking a chance on my books.

Come over to Instagram and Twitter (@amandageard) where I share plenty of photos of the wild settings in The Midnight House. You can also find me on Facebook (@amandageardauthor).