Book Synopsis:

St Petersburg, 1825. Imperial Russia still basks in the glory of victory over Napoleon, but in the army and elsewhere resentment is growing against serfdom and autocracy. Vasily, a pleasure loving, privileged young man, returns home from abroad expecting to embark on a glittering career. Having become entangled in an impossible love affair, he joins a conspiracy to overthrow the government. Threatened by exile to Siberia or death, he is forced to flee the Tsar’s vengeance. Vasily hopes to rebuild his life in a distant provincial town. But he cannot forget his lost love, and now finds himself pursued by a rival who aims to destroy him. Can he escape the past, mend his broken relationships and find a better way to change the world?

My Review:

Small Acts Of Kindness is a fascinating journey into a period of Russian history I didn’t know much about.

Firstly I always love learning new things so I found it very interesting to learn more about the Russian Revolution, particularly the earlier one in 1825 which I didn’t know had happened before reading this book. It was very emotional learning more about the treatment of the Serfs and how they were reduced to being slaves, denied an education or any hope of independent living.

Vasily was a very interesting character and I enjoyed following his journey through the book from a naive young man to a more mature individual. I thought he was incredibly courageous trying to fight for what he believed in despite all the dangers involved in going against the government. His relationship with Irena was lovely to read about and brought some softer moments to the book. I wish there had been a bit more about their romance in the book though maybe that would have made it into a completely different story.

Overall I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to historical fiction fans. The author is clearly very knowledgeable about Russian history and I loved all the details about the Russian culture at that time. The pace of the book is a bit slow at times but I feel this was made up for by all the wonderful descriptions of Russia.

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:

Jennifer Antill studied Russian Language, Literature and Politics, at UCL SSEES, and has travelled widely in the country, often living with Russian families. She gives talks on Russian cultural topics to a wide variety of organisations. In a former life she worked in the City of London as an Investment Analyst and for eleven years served as a local councillor. Jennifer is married to Nick, has two sons and lives in Suffolk.

Book Synopsis:

It’s nearly Christmas, a time for peace and goodwill. Or maybe not.
First the house of a Spanish family of flamenco dancers is burned down, then a Dutch man is nearly battered to death with his own clogs. On the night of the carol service, at which the Worldwide Friendship Club’s choir is singing, a Scottish bagpiper is found dead. By Martha, who has come across enough dead bodies already this year to last her a lifetime.
Convinced there’s a link to the choir, Martha and best friend Lottie set out on the trail of the murderer. Their unconventional sleuthing methods land one of them in rather a lot of trouble…
‘Dead In Tune’, the sequel to ‘Hate Bale’, is an entertaining, festive cosy mystery set in rural France.

My Review:

Dead In Tune is a fun, quirky read that is perfect for reading during the festive period.

Firstly I loved the setting of this book, especially Martha’s lovely sounding farm. I’ve always day dreamed of staying on a farm (perhaps forgetting how much hard work it can be) so this setting really appealed to me. It was interesting as well to discover what it’s like being British and living in France.

I loved Martha and enjoyed following her throughout the book. Her friendship with Lottie was brilliant to read about and I loved all the banter they have together. They are very different woman but seem to compliment each other well and I loved the support they gave to each other.

The murder mystery starts off slow but soon becomes very intriguing indeed. There are lots of twists that kept me guessing and I liked that I was unable to work out who the murderer was until the end.

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

About The Author:

I’m Stephanie Dagg, married to Chris for nearly 25 years and mum to Benj (19), Caiti (17) and Ruadhri (9). We live on a 75 acre farm in rural Creuse with llamas, alpacas and three lakes full of carp. We run a fishery and gite, and also a llama trekking business. We moved here in 2006 from Ireland, where we’d lived for 15 years.

Before that we lived in England. You can follow our French adventures at http://www.bloginfrance.com.I’m an English graduate (Somerville College, Oxford) and Publishing Studies postgraduate (Stirling). I began a career in publishing in 1985 as a desk editor with Hodder and Stoughton, then I deviated from the path to become a sales rep for a couple of years for some academic presses and then an accountant. This is what meeting and marrying a guy who has a job in Newcastle does for you!

Anyway, in 1992 I got back on track by becoming a freelance editor and indexer, working from home part-time around the kids. The same year we moved to Ireland.I began to write stories for Benj, and then Caiti, and I won second prize in a contest in a magazine with one of my tales. That prompted me to begin contacting publishers. I got plenty of rejections but finally hit the right place at the right time with Mentor Press and O’Brien Press in Ireland 1n 1998. For the next eight years I wrote prolifically and spent many happy hours visiting schools and libraries to do workshops with kids.Then we moved to France and I stopped writing due to sheer exhaustion. Renovating a 200 year old farm that is falling apart takes a lot of effort. But I kept a blog and diaries and I’m using those experiences now in my book about moving to and living in France. I decided late last year (2010) to relaunch my writing career, this time in the adult market. I am writing a blog is about my journey to getting published again, with a look at other books about France, the Kindle and electronic publishing and where to find good advice on the Web.

I might have been a tad ambitious with my December TBR as with three kids to prepare for Christmas, two birthdays this month (husband & youngest child) plus lots of Christmas social events I’m not sure how much time I’ll have for reading. I’m really hoping I get to read these 8 books though as I’ve heard great things about all of them.

I’m a huge fan of the Lizzie Hardwicke books so I’m excited to read Georgina Clarke’s new book Dazzle Of The Light, especially as I’ve heard great things from fellow blogger’s. I’ve been trying to keep up with the Reece’s book club reads so I’m hoping to finally read Tiny Beautiful Things this month as I’m very intrigued by the synopsis.

As a huge Agatha Christie fan Marple instantly appealed to me and I think, as it’s short stories, it might be a good book to fit in with all the rush before Christmas. Colleen Hoover has quickly become a firm favourite of mine, her books are always fantastic and another one I think will encourage me to read more this month!

I’ve heard that The Winter Garden is really magical so it seems fitting to read it this month and Sarah Morgan is always a must read at Christmas time. I’ve heard great things about Ninth House and The House In The Cerulean Sea so I really want to finish them before the end of the year. I’ve actually pre-ordered the sequel to Ninth House in the Black Friday sale so fingers crossed I like it 🤣

What are you hoping to read this month? Have you read any of these?

Book Synopsis:

Welcome to The Starlings… sun, sea and neighbours to die for.

Security, a sparkling sea view and the best kind of neighbours – The Starlings gated community has it all. Here, doors are left open, children run free, and at the heart of it all is the entrepreneurial Gold Family, who first dreamed up this aspirational vision of ‘Dorset’s Safest Community’. To the outside world the popular family appears glitteringly blessed… until an idyllic party takes a dark turn and one of their number is found slumped at the foot of the clocktower. Who knows what really happened? And what answers are harboured within the old building, the former Highcap Mother and Baby Home?’

A mesmerising, character-rich thriller with a long-buried secret vibrating at its core: this is Isabel Ashdown at her heart-stopping best, for readers who enjoyed Big Little Lies, Dr Foster or Little Fires Everywhere.

My Review:

Homecoming is another intriguing, addictive thriller from a talented author. It’s going to be a difficult book to review as I don’t want to give anything away.

Firstly I loved the setting of this book in a gated apartment block which has a dark past as it used to be a Mother and Baby home. As the story progresses and we learn more about what happens there this helps contribute to the atmosphere in the book. I found it very emotional to listen to some of the stories revealed and to learn more about what happened there.

The characters were all interesting creations that I enjoyed following throughout the book. I don’t think I warmed to any of them particularly as none of them were very likeable but I soon found myself thoroughly intrigued by them. They all seemed to be hiding something and I found I wanted to keep reading to find out what their secrets were.

Overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future. This isn’t a very fast paced book but it is highly addictive and I often found myself trying to read just one more chapter as I was so intrigued by what was going on. The author does a great job of slowly revealing all the secrets and keeping me guessing until the end.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orion for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Isabel Ashdown is the author of nine novels, including her Amazon Bestseller LITTLE SISTER and award winning debut GLASSHOPPER. Two of her novels have been shortlisted in the prestigious Dead Good Reader Awards, and in several translations her dark family dramas continue to hook readers across the globe. Her recent ‘ingenious thriller’ (Sunday Times) 33 WOMEN was an Amazon Bestseller within its first month of sale, and her latest HOMECOMING is out now in eBook and audio (paperback June 2023).

Isabel was born in London, grew up on the Sussex coast, and now spends much of her time in a writing cabin in Dorset. She is a full-time novelist, a Royal Literary Fund associate and an occasional creative writer tutor and festival speaker.

You can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or via her newsletter at http://www.isabelashdown.com

Book Synopsis:

The Orphanage Girls reunite in the second installment of a moving saga series about an orphanage in London’s East End, from the bestselling author of The Jam Factory Girls, Mary Wood.

Ellen
Abandoned by her father for the second time, left scarred from the orphanage, Ellen finally finds happiness and hope – reunited with her long-lost gran. But it cannot compensate for being torn apart from her beloved friends Ruth and Amy. When a devastating encounter leaves Ellen broken and desperate, she is forced to fight her past demons.

Ruth
Ruth has found peace, building a new life as an actress surrounded by new friends. But still, she longs to be with Ellen and Amy after everything they endured together in the orphanage. Amy was shipped to Canada with hundreds of other orphans, what hope have they of finding her?
One wish comes true when Ruth’s acting career leads her to Ellen. No sooner has the dust settled, war is on the horizon. Friendship locked them into each other’s her hearts forever.

Will they find Amy? Can The Orphanage Girls ever unite?

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author and always look forward to another book from her. This was another gritty, emotional and heartwarming read that I really enjoyed.

Firstly I really liked The Orphanage Girls and had been hoping for a sequel as I wanted to find out what happened to them. It was great to see where life has taken them and to see that their wonderful relationship had managed to endure their separation. The two girls are incredibly close and I loved reading about how they support each other in difficult times.

The story is told from the point of view of Ellen and Ruth which I liked as it was good to get to know more about the girls. Although I did enjoy Ruth’s story it was Ellen’s story that I found most intriguing. Not much was known about mental health problems in the early 1900’s and I found it heartbreaking to see Ellen struggle. Some of societies attitudes towards Ellen was hard to read about and I found myself feeling very grateful that things have improved.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and hope there is more to come in this fantastic series. The author has clearly done her research and I felt completely transported to prewar London, experiencing everything alongside the girls. This is quite a gritty read as the author doesn’t sugar coat what it would have been like for the girls and there were moments I cried and moments that I celebrated with them. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

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:

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, United Kingdom 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 happy Sunday!

My youngest has a birthday party this morning and then I’m hoping to read some more of the fabulous My Husband’s Killer by Laura Marshall before we put up our Christmas tree! Arguments about whose turn it is to put the star on the tree has already began….

What are you plans today?

Book Synopsis:

Three couples. One murder. A holiday to die for . . .

We arrived at a villa on the Amalfi Coast, ready to enjoy a sun-soaked weekend with our oldest friends – and one new face.

By the end of the weekend, my husband is found dead.

But how can I mourn him, when on the day of his funeral I discover he was having an affair?

The only suspects are the women we went on holiday with. My oldest, closest friends.

I really want to dig into my husband’s secret? Do I really want to know who betrayed me?

📚 Favourite November Reads!

I’ve read some amazing books this month. It’s become my routine to put the kids to bed and snuggle up to read with a cup of tea or a glass of wine. These were some of my favourite reads from November:

⭐Cat Lady by Dawn O’Porter
⭐ Dawnlands by Philippa Gregory
⭐ The Sanctuary by Emma Haughton
⭐ Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

⭐My Life In France by Julia Child

⭐ The Christmas Postcards by Karen Swan

⭐ Jacqueline In Paris by Ann Mah

⭐ One Woman’s War by Christine Wells

What was your favourite November Read?

Good morning everyone and happy Friday! This week on JoJo Recommends I’m featuring the debut EP from the fantastic Joshua Woo!

Joshua is a British singer songwriter from Essex in the UK. He streams regularly on twitch, which is where I first discovered him and he has quickly become one of my favourite streamers! Josh is a skilled musician and is able to play bass guitar, lead guitar, piano and Kazoo. He’s also an amazing looper and can create some amazing music on stream.

He performs his original music and a variety of covers on his stream. My favourite songs to request are ones that have an epic guitar solo in them as Josh plays them so amazingly.

If you haven’t discovered twitch yet and are a music fan I highly recommend trying it out. It’s free to watch and there are some fantastic musicians on there. Josh’s streams are a great place to start as not only is he very talented, his streams are always great fun and the community there is wonderful.

If you would like to follow Josh on twitch or social media you can do by clicking the links below.

Beyond The Glass: How To Listen

Beyond The Glass is the first EP from Joshua Woo and it was something he never planned to do, until he listened to the songs together and realised they told a story when played together. One of the things I love about Josh’s music is that the lyrics are always really inspiring and have a hidden, motivational meaning behind them.

Beyond The Glass features 6 songs all a slightly different vibe from each other.

1. Beyond The Glass

Beyond The Glass is available on all streaming platforms or to buy on Bandcamp. I have included Goodbye which is his latest single and Sunflower Seeds which is my all time favourite song by him.

JoJo Recommends on Island Vibing Presents:

I now do a weekly feature on the fabulous Island Vibing Presents twitch stream which I really enjoy. Their’s is another stream I thoroughly recommend as it’s a great way to find new streamers and again the community is so lovely there. Everyone’s been hugely supportive of me whilst I learn how to do my features and I really appreciate it.

If you would like to watch the feature or follow Island Vibing Presents on twitch please click on the link below.

JoJo Recommends Playlist:

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

Thanks for reading and happy listening!

Book Synopsis:

In 1960s Memphis, a young mother finds refuge in a boardinghouse where family encompasses more than just blood and hidden truths can bury you or set you free.  

Sara King has nothing, save for her secrets and the baby in her belly, as she boards the bus to Memphis, hoping to outrun her past in Chicago. She is welcomed with open arms by Mama Sugar, a kindly matriarch and owner of the popular boardinghouse The Scarlet Poplar.

Like many cities in early 1960s America, Memphis is still segregated, but change is in the air. News spreads of the Freedom Riders. Across the country, people like Martin Luther King Jr. are leading the fight for equal rights. Black literature and music provide the stories and soundtrack for these turbulent and hopeful times, and Sara finds herself drawn in by conversations of education, politics and a brighter tomorrow with Jonas, a local schoolteacher. Romance blooms between them, but secrets from Mama Sugar’s past threaten their newfound happiness and lead Sara to make decisions that will reshape the rest of their lives.

With a charismatic cast of characters, The Two Lives of Sara is an emotional and unforgettable story of hope, the limitations of resilience and unexpected love.

My Review:

The Two Lives Of Sara is a beautiful, intense powerful story that will definitely be staying with me. The cover of this book is beautiful. It’s so striking and a picture I’d love to have framed in my wall as I just love it!

The story starts of slowly as the author sets the scene and introduces the characters. I quickly grew fond of the wonderful female characters and enjoyed following them throughout the book. The author has done a great job of describing the Memphis community and I liked spending time with them. It was heartbreaking at times to learn about their stories and hear their hopes for a better life.

I must admit to not knowing much about this period of history so I found it fascinating to learn more about it. I eagerly drank in all the details of life then, enjoying the sense of community but feeling angry about the racial inequality that was common at the time. There are some important topics discussed in this book,though they might not be nice for everyone to read about. I think I went through every emotion whilst reading going from hopeful one moment to despairing the next. I think this would make a great book club read as I think there would be lots to discuss.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper 360 for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Catherine Adel West was born and raised in Chicago, where she currently resides. She graduated with both her Bachelors and Masters of Science in Journalism from the University of Illinois – Urbana. Her work is published in Black Fox Literary Magazine, Five2One, Better than Starbucks, Doors Ajar, 805 Lit + Art, The Helix Magazine, Lunch Ticket and Gay Magazine. Author of Saving Ruby King, Catherine was named one of USA TODAYS Black Authors You Should Know. The Two Lives of Sara is her sophomore novel.

Good morning everyone today I’m doing a spotlight feature in this beautiful book that I’ve bought my nephew for his Christmas present.

When I say this books beautiful, it’s absolutely stunning! My picture honestly doesn’t do it justice. It has a gold cover with sparkling gold bits on it and gold sprayed edges too. There are some wonderful illustrations inside too which help break up the text which I would have loved as a kid. I’m very hopeful that my nephew will like it and that I’ll be aunty of the year!

Book Synopsis:

** SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES AND FOYLES BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS **

The world is more astonishing, more miraculous and more wonderful than our wildest imaginings. In this passionately persuasive and sharply funny book, Katherine Rundell tells us how and why.

A lavishly illustrated collection of the lives of some of the Earth’s most astounding animals, The Golden Mole is a chance to be awestruck and lovestruck – to reckon with the beauty of the world, its fragility, and its strangeness.

A swift flies two million kilometres in its lifetime. That’s far enough to get to the moon and back twice over – and then once more to the moon. A pangolin keeps its tongue furled in a pouch by its hip. A Greenland shark can live five hundred years. A wombat once inspired a love poem.

About The Author:

One of the most inventive and original authors of children’s fiction writing today, Katherine Rundell’s writing career was spearheaded by Waterstones who awarded her The Waterstones Children’s Book Prize in 2014 for her novel Rooftoppers.

Born in Kent, Rundell grew up in Zimbabwe and her experiences of her life there and of leaving to move to Brussels when she was 14 were a strong influence on her first novel, The Girl Savage, written when she was just 21.

A fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, Rundell wrote Rooftoppers – a novel influenced by her own hobby of clambering on Oxford’s college roofs – whilst studying for her masters. She followed this with The Wolf Wilder, The Explorer, which won the Costa Book Award, One Christmas Wish, The Good Thieves and Into the Jungle, a sequel to Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.

In addition to her stellar writing for children, Rundell has also penned two highly acclaimed non-fiction books for adults; The Golden Mole, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year 2022, and Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne, which scooped the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2022.

What books are you planning to buy as gifts this Christmas?