Novelicious - The Female Fiction and Chick Lit Blog

Review - The Queen's Secret by Victoria Lamb

REVIEWED BY CESCA MARTIN

The year is 1575 and Queen Elizabeth I has arrived at Kenilworth Castle – home to her favourite at court, the dashing Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.  Her “Robin” has pulled out all the stops to ensure his Queen is in no doubt as to his intentions.  The clocks are stopped and in this timeless haven he is her King Arthur and she is to be wooed like there is no tomorrow.  The trouble is “Robin” is having it away with the Countess of Essex – cousin to the Queen and younger model to her majesty.  There are also plots afoot that her spymaster Walsingham needs to sniff out: Italian bear baiters, suspicious looking acrobats and other glamorous strangers are all on this summer progress with the court.  Then there is Lucy Morgan, a young black singer, who seems to find herself caught up in all the court intrigue.  Who will lose their heads?  Who will survive the summer? 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  The sights and smells of Tudor England were on every page – the grim ride across country, the smells of unwashed people crammed together in the July heat, the splendour of the castle and all the royal trappings were fantastically drawn.  I was fascinated by Lamb’s depictions of some of the more colourful characters of the era; Leicester, Walsingham and of course the Queen herself.  The unknown black singer Lucy Morgan was a sympathetic character and it was her story I became most interested in as I turned the pages.  There was a great energy throughout and a rip-roaring ending that will get your wigs askew! 

Any fans of books by Philippa Gregory and the like need look no further.  This book has been thoroughly researched and should therefore prove popular even with the Tudor boffs on the lookout for errors.  Thank you to Bantam Press (Transworld) for sending me this book.

8/10

You can keep up to date with Victoria Lamb on her blog and also follow her on Twitter @victorialamb1

Review - Never Coming Home by Evonne Wareham

REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR

All she has left is hope. When Kaz Elmore is told her five-year-old daughter Jamie has died in a car crash, she struggles to accept that she’ll never see her little girl again. Then a stranger comes into her life offering the most dangerous substance in the world: hope. Devlin, security consultant and witness to the terrible accident scene, inadvertently reveals that Kaz’s daughter might not have been the girl in the car after all. What if Jamie is still alive? With no evidence, the police aren’t interested, so Devlin and Kaz have little choice but to investigate themselves. Devlin never gets involved with a client. Never. But the more time he spends with Kaz, the more he desires her – and the more his carefully constructed ice-man persona starts to unravel. The desperate search for Jamie leads down dangerous paths – to a murderous acquaintance from Devlin’s dark past, and all across Europe, to Italy, where deadly secrets await. But as long as Kaz has hope, she can’t stop looking…

Devlin and Kaz can’t help their mutual attraction for each other. There is so much about him he can’t tell her and the more she discovers the less she seems to know. His past is not something he discusses with people and as Kaz slowly learns more about the man she’s trusting to help her, she has to decide if she can hold this knowledge against him. She also has secrets from her past that quickly catch up with them both and as the two realize just how much danger they’re in, each has to make decisions about their own lives and what they’re getting into.

Devlin is a darker character than usual for Choc Lit heroes, but exciting, exuding danger and very attractive. Despite his need to protect Kaz, he also wants to be as honest with her as he can possibly allow himself to be. What starts out as a problem she’s paying him resolve, turns into a cat and mouse chase across Europe and USA where no one seems to be safe from the underworld the threatens to swallow them whole.

I began the novel thinking it was an enjoyable romantic tale, only to quickly discover that this story gets darker and more tense as you read on. It’s violent, but realistic and thoroughly satisfying. Devlin is everything you want in a hero, flawed, but tough, resilient and above all, sexy. Loved it.

8/10

Never Coming Home is published by Choc Lit Publishers and as this review is part of the 'Wispa It ...' blog tour they're offering a free copy of the book together with a Wispa to one lucky winner. Please leave a 'Pick Me' comment below to be in with a chance of winning. Winners will be announced next Thursday.

You can find out more about Evonne Wareham on her blog and follow her on Twitter @evonnewareham

Review - The Hanging Shed by Gordon Ferris

REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR

Glasgow 1946. The last time Brodie came home it was 1942 and he was a proud young man in a paratrooper's uniform. Now, the war is over but victory's wine has soured and Brodie's back in Scotland to try and save childhood friend Shug Donovan from the gallows. Everyone thought Donovan was dead, shot down in the war. Perhaps it would have been kinder if he had been killed. The man who returns from the war is unrecognisable: mutilated, horribly burned. Donovan keeps his own company, only venturing out for heroin to deaden the pain of his wounds. When a local boy is found raped and murdered, there is only one suspect. Donovan claims he's innocent but a mountain of evidence says otherwise. Despite the hideousness of the crime, ex-policeman Brodie feels compelled to try and help his one time friend. Working with advocate Samantha Campbell, Brodie trawls the mean streets of the Gorbals and the green hills of western Scotland in their search for the truth. What they find is an unholy alliance of troublesome priests, corrupt coppers and Glasgow's deadliest razor gang, happy to slaughter to protect their dark and dirty secrets. As time runs out for the condemned man, and the tally of murdered innocents rises, Brodie reverts to his wartime role as a trained killer. It's them or him.

This dark, brutal story shows Doug Brodie working as a journalist until his nemesis, Shug Donovan, calls him, asking for his help. I loved the vivid descriptions of the Gorbals in the 1940s where nothing seemed easy and life could be one long struggle. Brodie reluctantly returns to his childhood home where long-buried emotional wounds are re-opened and where he discovers that he has to be the bigger man if he’s going to help someone he’s resented for years. This book reminded me of black and white film noirs of the 1940s, it was dramatic, fast-paced and at times exceedingly violent, but somehow it all seemed to fit well into the story. It’s not an easy ride and you certainly don’t get what you assume will be the outcome, which was a little shocking at first and then ultimately very satisfying.

This story depicts a past that I know nothing about, but one which nonetheless fascinates me. I can imagine that this is one of those books that you either love or hate and for me it was the former. I enjoyed the tense discomfort endured by the protagonist and the way he had to work tirelessly with only Sam on his side. Her upbringing is completely different to Brodie's, but she's also had to put tragedy behind her to fight for what she wants out of life. This book shows a stark cruelty that people can be capable of towards others less fortunate, or at least different to themselves. There are quite a few shocks along the way, some I guessed and others I didn’t see coming. I’ll definitely read any future Gordon Ferris books.

8/10

You can find out more about Gordon Ferris on his website here.

Review - The Unseen by Katherine Webb

REVIEWED BY CESCA MARTIN

 

It is 2011 an unknown soldier from the First World War is unearthed in Northern France.  Found with a sealed tin containing two letters from one ‘H.Canning’ the quest to discover the identity of this mystery soldier is taken on by Leah – a writer searching for a new story.  As she delves into the past, chasing ghosts, she uncovers all sorts of other secrets buried with him.  The rest of the book is set in the hot summer of 1911.  The newly-wed Hester Canning has employed a feisty maid, Cat Morley, fresh out of Holloway, to help her run her household.  Her husband, Reverend Albert Canning, invites Robin Durrant, a theosophist, to stay and together they try to witness sightings of elementals, fairies, in the meadows around Thatcham.  Years later Leah tries to discover just what went on that summer in 1911 and what happened to all involved.  

 

Review - Smoked Meat by Rowena Macdonald

REVIEWED BY AMANDA KEATS 

In a cold wintery Montreal, people are going about their lives. There is the life-model coming between two best friends, the gay man living in denial with a woman and the former waitress looking to make it big in New York.

Rowena Macdonald takes an honest look at the everyday lives of Montreal's inhabitants as they strive to find work, love, acceptance, fulfilment and happiness and beautifully weaves their tales together in one clever book. Though the stories could easily stand alone as a series of short stories, there are links to connect them to each other. A person who is in the background of the first story suddenly becomes centre stage in the next.

There is no real beginning - middle - end to this book, rather a glimpse into the people's lives over the course of a year. It is a snapshot, nothing more, but in looking at how each life connects to others around it, Macdonald manages to build a bigger picture of what makes people move from one city to another, what makes them accept their lives and what makes them finally say that they've had enough and want better. The connections are great if you remember them but it doesn't detract anything from each person's story if you don't remember exactly where you read about them earlier. It is an adult book, as it deals with adult stories - apart from one - and the sex and complications that go along with it. But it does not use sex as a selling point or make it the raunchy focus of the book. It simply glides along and is relevant when it is relevant.

Novelicious Goes To... The Book Launch Of Tom-All-Alone's

By Amanda Keats

Last week I got to join in with the launch for Lynn Shepherd's new book Tom-All-Alone's, a Dickensean style mystery, inspired by Bleak House and set in the mirky depths of 1850's London. The launch itself was far from mirky. At the Dickens museum in London, we got to walk the halls of his former residence and see his original works. 

Shepherd was evidently delighted to be holding the launch in the museum, saying that if it's true that your life flashes before your eyes when you die - this moment will certainly make the reel. Then we were treated to a reading of the prologue to Tom-All-Alone's - Shepherd's homage to Bleak House.

 

Thank you to PR lady Emily for the invite and congratulations Lynn and all at Constable and Robinson for a great launch.

You can read my review for Tom-All-Alone's here

 

Review - There's Always Tomorrow by Pam Weaver

REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR

It doesn’t seem to matter what Dottie does, or how devoted she is to her husband, Reg, she never manages to please him. Reg isn’t the same man she married. He’s changed by his terrible experiences during World War II and far from being the kind, loving husband she remembers, he’s now violent and spiteful. Dottie has been brought up by an aunt who taught her that you have to find a way to live with your choices and marriages are supposed to be worked at and not given up on.

Desperate for a baby, Dottie knows that she is never going to experience motherhood with her relationship the way it is with Reg. One day Reg receives a letter and Dottie learns that he has fathered a child during the war. Reg decides to take on his newly orphaned daughter and whether Dottie likes it or not, she is forced to accept his eight-year-old child into her home. Things don’t turn out how Reg expects them to and it soon dawns on Dottie that the care of this child is going to be down to her. There are many aspects to Reg’s nature that she is oblivious to and as time goes on Dottie realizes that the man she thought she married is capable of cruelty she could never have imagined.

Review - Tom-All-Alone's by Lynn Shepherd

Reviewed by Amanda Keats

Policeman turned Private Detective, Charles Maddox has been hired to find a man - just to find him and pass on his whereabouts to his new employer. But his new employer - lawyer Edward Tulkinghorn - underestimates just how enquisitive Maddox really is. As he begins to delve deeper in his search for the truth, Maddox will put his life more at risk with every new piece of information he finds.

 

Author Lynn Shepherd's first book took a Jane Austen classic and twisted it with an Agatha Christie style murder mystery. This time, she has delved even deeper into the seedy underworld of Dickensian London - a world full of dirt and grime, poverty, prostitutes as young as twelve, violent murders and misunderstood mental illnesses.

 

For fans of the lighter work of Charles Dickens, be warned that this is no A Christmas Carol. Inspired by Bleak House, Tom-All-Alone's is not for the faint-hearted. The book opens in a foggy graveyard with the discovery of an unofficial grave full of babies and later contains some detailed accounts of mutilations and nasty murders. Behind all this violence though is a fascinating central character in Charles Maddox. Charles is a stubborn man and his determination as the story develops is both enfuriating and endearing. His relationship with his great-uncle Maddox - who is going senile in his old age - adds a certain depth to his character as he has idolized Maddox his entire life and struggles as the mind of his idol quickly deteriorates. Though there are brief moments of lucidity where the two great minds can discuss their findings, the moments where Maddox reverts back to his senility are heart-breaking.

 

Review - The Apothecary's Daughter by Charlotte Betts

REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR        

It’s 1665 and Susannah Leyton quietly works behind the scenes in her father’s apothecary shop in Fleet Street. She would love to be a recognized apothecary like her father, but the idea of a woman doing something so outrageous makes this dream an impossibility. Susannah likes nothing better than trying out new concoctions from the vast array of ingredients her father stores in his shop. Her mother died tragically years before giving birth to Susannah’s brother and since witnessing that horror, she’s always insisted that she doesn’t wish to marry, but is happy spending the rest of her life working with her father.

One day, Dr William Ambrose, a serious, unsmiling man, comes into the shop and asks to speak to her father. Susannah explains that he’s out and when Dr Ambrose tells her he urgently requires a potion for one of his patients, she offers to make it. He is not impressed with the notion and Susannah can’t help feeling insulted by his abrupt reaction. 

 Susannah’s orderly life is changes beyond recognition when her father falls in love with a young widow and marries her. Abigail and Susannah soon fall out when Abigail starts ordering Susannah around and expecting her to look after her three young stepsiblings. The two women become increasingly antagonistic towards each other, upsetting Susannah’s father, who, much to her distress, takes the side of his spoilt, lazy, bride.

Review - Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson

REVIEWED BY CESCA MARTIN

How can you not be utterly gripped by a book that begins like this: woman wakes up after one-night stand, goes to bathroom, looks in mirror, sees herself... only she’s 25 years too old?  This is the opening to S.J.Watson’s debut novel and from that moment you are hooked. 

Christine lives with Ben, her husband of more than twenty years, and wakes everyday never remembering what she knew before she fell asleep.  Sometimes she’s five and sometimes she’s in her early twenties.  Life is scary and unreal.  Christine is living today every day; over and over.  When a phone rings and Christine answers she hears the calm voice of one Dr Nash.  He tells her they have a meeting later that day, are working on her treatment.  Christine doesn’t remember ever meeting a Dr Nash but a note, in her own handwriting, confirms the appointment and she agrees to see him.  Then Dr Nash tells her not to tell her husband and the plot thickens...

Review - The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR

The Paris Wife is the story of Hadley Richardson, the first of Ernest Hemingway’s four wives. Hadley meets her future husband in 1920 when she’s twenty-eight. Up until that time she’s lived a quiet, secluded life and is only too thrilled to marry him and relocate with him to Paris where the couple soon become part of the enigmatic group of modernist writers and artists living in the capital. Their new friends include Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound, and eventually they also meet up with F Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda.

As a foreign correspondent, Ernest takes trips away from his wife. She hates being without him and finds it difficult to cope in his absence. When she falls pregnant Hadley is overjoyed. Ernest, on the other hand, isn’t ready for children and although he can’t help loving the baby who they nickname, Bumby, having him in their life causes their differences to intensify. Hadley loves it when Ernest takes time away from focusing on his writing so that they can spend time together. Most of the time though, he’s either writing, or drinking with his friends. Occasionally, they travel and rent rooms for weeks at a time.

Novelicious Goes To... the Catch Your Death Book Launch

Catch Your Death a co-written thriller by Louise Voss and Mark Edwards (see our interview with the delightful duo here) was officially launched in London on Thursday 12^th January.

The Dispensary at the Piccadilly Institute proved the perfect venue for the launch of this medically-themed thriller as guests milled below floating life-size, white, figurines chatting and buying copies of the paperback book.  Girls dressed as nurses served up beers and photo opportunities and there was a great deal of laughter and good feeling in the room.  This success story has been truly inspiring to read and the authors themselves were modest and incredibly positive about their shared writing experience.  I had a fabulous time meeting Mark, Louise and their agent Sam Copeland of RCW as well as a rabble of other writers, bloggers and bookish types.   

Thank you to Mark and Louise for inviting Novelicious to celebrate the launch of their novel. 

(Hover over images for description, click to make really big)

 

 

 

Review - The Promise by Lesley Pearse

REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR

Belle Reilly is only twenty, but has survived a painful, brutal and terrifying past. She is now happily married to her childhood sweetheart, Jimmy, and they live with his uncle Garth and Mog, Belle’s surrogate mother, above the public house Garth owns and runs with Jimmy.

Belle has realized her dream to own a hat shop. She has built up a respectable business for herself as milliner to the ladies of Blackheath and the surrounding area. She is happy and hopes that the cruelty of her past is now firmly behind her. One day, Etienne, her rescuer and the man she fell in love when she was sixteen, walks into her shop. He has tried to keep away from the beautiful girl that captured his heart a few years before, but his guilt at the part he played in her past kept him away and from telling her how he feels. He has only come back to see for himself that Belle does have the life he believes she deserves.

Review - The Fall by Claire McGowan

REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR   

Charlotte arrives home to the minimalist, tastefully decorated Belsize apartment she shares with her handsome, banker fiancé, Dan. She might look immaculate with her shiny, blonde hair and perfectly manicured nails, but she’s stressed out from phone calls about her wedding the following week. The last thing she needs to do is go out that night, but when Dan tells her there’s problems at the bank and suggests going out to a Jamaican club in Kingston Town for some fun, she reluctantly agrees.

Dan offers Charlotte cocaine and for the first time in her life she accepts it. Their evening doesn't go well and Dan angrily confronts the owner, Anthony, when he laughs at him and tells him that Dan’s business card has been cancelled and he has to pay for his drinks. 

Keisha Collins has a very different life to the one Charlotte enjoys. She lives in a run-down, rented flat with her temperamental boyfriend, Chris Deans. Chris is her daughter, Ruby’s, father and also the reason the little girl has been taken from Keisha. She wants her daughter back, but has loved Chris since she first saw him at school when she was twelve and can't imagine her life without him in it. Thankfully, Ruby is being looked after by her mum, Mercy, so Keisha can visit her and knows she’s well loved and properly cared for.