#Review By Lou of That Time Everything Was On Fire by Kerry Downes #KerryDownes @HQstories #summer #debutauthor

Everything Was On Fire
By Kerry Downes

Review by Louise Cannon

Looking for a debut novel this summer to read? Everything On Fire provides well-written characters in their thirties trying to navigate this next stage of life and friendships. Discover the blurb and my full review below.

Blurb

Sam and Daisy have been best friends since university. Back then Daisy was a wild, Fleetwood Mac-obsessed girl descended from the Yorkshire Moors, while Sam’s youth was misspent traipsing around Liverpool on shopping trips and nights out.

But as they lean against each other on a wooden bench in the tired garden of their beloved local pub, gazing out at Sam’s wedding, they have no idea that their paths are about to truly diverge for the first time.

As Sam’s desire to become a mother consumes her, and Daisy’s inability to resist temptation haunts her, these best of friends will lose sight of themselves – and each other. With each misstep and unintentional betrayal the gulf widens. But can they build a bridge, or will they let it burn?

Review

Everything Was On Fire is a bit of a slow-burn to begin with, but stick with it. It then hooks you in good and proper and a plot that just gets better and better the deeper you dive into the characters lives.

Sam and Daisy were best friends. Daisy was obsessed with Fleetwood-Mac and the book has some music vibes, which goes well with the story and summer.

Lives don’t always have the youthful carefree summer feel. Friendships change and so does the way they connect and relate to each other as they age. Sam and Daisy lose sight of themselves as desires consume them and those once strong bridges that created a pathway to each other, weaken. There are also other challenges that life has presented, such as needing to go through rounds of IVF to try to conceive.

It’s a book that nonetheless carries summer vibes within it and the relationships become absorbing to read about. There’s warmth and wit as well as big challenges in life to face.

That Time Everything Was On Fire is a good, solid debut and I look forward to seeing more from its author, Kerry Downes.

@BloodyScotland panel write up by Lou – A Law Unto Themselves @nadinematheson @robbierinder @jeffknottingham #TheTrial #TheBinding

A Law Unto Themselves
Featuring – Nadine Matheson and Rob Rinder

Write up by Louise Cannon (Lou)

‘A Law Unto Themselves’ is a panel I would have been compelled to listen to for so much longer as what was said was absolutely fascinating, but all good things have an end point. Find out more about the panel, what their books are, what was covered and what is coming next from them, also which author was in the spotlight, below…

Author in the Spotlight

This event also hosted “Author In the Spotlight”. It gives new authors an opportunity to be seen and heard as they read a little from their book ahead of the main event.
J.K. Nottingham told about his book that is inspired by someone who was killed on their doorstep in Scotland.
He sounds like an author to watch out for and check out his writing.

Now onto the main event with Nadine Matheson and Rob Rinder.

Nadine Matheson is a criminal solicitor. She is the author of The Jigsaw Man (optioned for TV) and The Binding Room. She is also host of The Conversation podcast.
Buy Link Waterstones

Rob Rinder practiced criminal law and now uses his knowledge in the media. He has been on several TV programmes such as Judge Rinder, Strictly Come Dancing, Who Do You Think You Are and more… He was also awarded an MBE for his services to Holocaust education and an honorary doctorate for his legal work.
He also has podcasts about the holocaust and other things too.
Buy Link: Waterstones

They have both worked in law, at the bar and now turned authors. I will say, at the time of writing this, I am half-way through The Trial by Rob Rinder and a review will be coming soon and the podcasts sound interesting…

Both Rinder and Matheson sound fascinating people. It was a panel I felt I could have listened to for even longer.

Interestingly they talked about their time at the bar, the lifestyle, the unsociable hours, including using evening hours to work on the prep. They also talked about the driving purpose, that fighting for others came through, mentioned by Matheson, whereby Rinder talked about why he chose not to pursue this career any more and no longer practices law. It could have been all so different, he quips about his friend, Benedict Cumberbatch, who just happened to make a better actor than him. He talked about joining youth orchestra, loving teaching and the academic path he took to chambers.

They both offered up fascinating facts about the “worlds” they live and work in, some relatable, some to learn from.

Influences and Writing

Matheson read a lot of Stephen King and was influenced by him. She talked candidly about overwriting and basically having to pull back, make edits and finding that getting the rhythm, the ‘music’ of the book right, in a way that made it sound like this is really important.

What was fascinating was that Rinder talked about reading for “currency”, a way out of things. He talked about Agatha Christie being an influence when he was at uni, stating the puzzle and structure interesting him.

Rinder talked about his own book – The Trial and bringing a sanitised version of chambers, yet remaining authentic, wanting to show the world of chambers to be seen around pupils, pupil masters, mock trials, dinners, so deconstructed this into his book for readers.

Upcoming Books

Rob Rinder’s new book – The Suspect will be published 20.06.2024.
Rinder revealed it takes place in the world of daytime tv, someone dies and then there’s an implosion and eccentric behaviours present. At the heart of it is a mystery.
Already, I reckon it sounds like it has strong potential to be a compelling read. Definitely one to watch out for!

Nadine Matheson’s new book – The Kill List will be published 01.02.2024
5 shocking murders, a legacy under threat and a hunt for a killer.
Look out for this one!

#Review By Lou of Within You, Without You By Sara O’Donovan @saraodonovanwriter @valleypress @RandomTTours #BlogTour #WithinYouWithoutYou #Debut

Within You, Without You
By Sara O’Donovan

Thanks to Valley Press and Random T. Tours I have a review on a book reminiscent of the film Sliding Doors. So, slide down to discover the blurb and the review of this well constructed debut novel.

Kathryn Johnson’s life is at a standstill. Stuck in a lacklustre marriage, the spark that once burned so brightly within her has since been snuffed out by the monotony of the everyday.

Returning to England after many years of living in Ireland, she is shocked to discover a familiar face on the side of the road one dark and stormy night. But a person can’t just reappear like that. Not when they’ve been dead for twenty years.

Uncovering long-buried memories of first love and its devastating loss, Kathryn returns to the past to see if she can rewrite her present. But love divided by time is a complicated equation to solve.

Review

There’s a dreamy beginning as you enter Kathryn’s life in the prologue and then a startling revelation that is sure to reawaken your senses with a jolt, before slipping into the first chapter to see more of her life as it pierces with grief before swinging you into 1992 and there’s Ed and his love of horses and the racing fixtures. There’s also the life, culture and music of Liverpool, the 90’s films like Top Gun and Ed and Kat’s love blossoming. The party and drugs scenes, however are also in full flow. In fact, The Beatles had a song called Within You, Without You. It is worth a listen to, perhaps after reading this book. It interestingly does in some respects marry up to the book. I don’t know if this is what the author had in mind or the film Sliding Doors, or both, but this works pretty well.

It is an intense read, but quite compelling as you see her life in the past and present. It is quite sliding doors in a sense. This is what makes it compelling as you really need to get to the end to work it all out and what truly happened and also to find if and how lives work out. Investing time and required concentration in their lives certainly is worth it as you go through all the twists and turns and pangs of nostalgia throughout.

#BookReview of The Garnett Girls By Georgina Moore @PublicityBooks #TheGarnettGirls #ContemporaryFiction #Debut #readingcommunity

The Garnett Girls
By Georgina Moore

The Garnett Girls is a terrific debut! It is easy to lose yourself as you enter this family’s complex lives. Discover the blurb and full review below.

Blurb

Forbidden, passionate and all-encompassing, Margo and Richard’s love affair was the stuff of legend– but, ultimately, doomed.

When Richard walked out, Margo locked herself away, leaving her three daughters, Rachel, Imogen and Sasha, to run wild.

Years later, charismatic Margo entertains lovers and friends in her cottage on the Isle of Wight, refusing to ever speak of Richard and her painful past. But her silence is keeping each of the Garnett girls from finding true happiness.

Rachel is desperate to return to London, but is held hostage by responsibility for Sandcove, their beloved but crumbling family home.

Dreamy Imogen feels the pressure to marry her kind, considerate fiancé, even when life is taking an unexpected turn.

And wild, passionate Sasha, trapped between her fractured family and controlling husband, is weighed down by a secret that could shake the family to its core…

The Garnett Girls, the captivating debut from Georgina Moore, asks whether children can ever be free of the mistakes of their parents.

Review

Set between Venice, The Isle of Wight and London, the lives of the Garnett Girls unfolds, swirling and captivating from the moment the book is open.
After an exquisite prologue, then sweep into the opening chapter in captivating Venice, where Imogen, a playwright and is interested in Russia when it had Tsars, before it became a Communist state, is, with her imminent fiancé, William. You quickly learn how she and her mother, Margo used to holiday with all the busyness of the fun things to do, I rather like that!
The book is intriguing from the start as Margo loves Italy and yet never took her daughters – Rachel (married to Gabriel) Imogen (engaged to William in Venice) and Sasha (married to Phil, doesn’t appreciate the arts and instead went into medicine, travelling to set up medical crises centres around the world with a charity). There’s also their father – Richard, who’s a dark character as secrets and truths come to light about him.Margo is heading for 60. She also dwells a bit on her age and how she will soon have a bus pass. I must say, what a privilege and better than the other things you read about that happens as you age.

It quickly becomes apparent that this family is complex in so many ways, from the decisions they make, past and present to their relationships between each other and others.

This sweeping story is attention grabbing from the beginning and remains ever curious all the way through to the end. It is a highly accomplished debut novel that is easy to lose yourself in.

Thanks to HQ for gifting me the book in exchange of an honest review.

#Review By Lou of Dirty Little Secret By Jonathan Peace @JPwritescrime @HobeckBooks #CrimeFiction #Thriller #LouiseMillerSeries #Debut #readingcommunity

Dirty Little Secret
By Jonathan Peace

Dirty Little Secret is gritty, entertaining and packs a twisty punch. It’s a great police procedural debut novel.
Find out more in the blurb and my review below. Thanks to the publisher – Hobeck Books for inviting me to review and for gifting me to book.

Blurb

March 1987
Ossett, West Yorkshire
A town of flower shows, Maypole parades and Sunday football games. Behind all the closed doors and drawn curtains live hidden truths and shameful lies.

A body is found
WDC Louise Miller’s first case as detective in her hometown is hampered by the sexism and misogyny of small-town policing. Her four years on the force in Manchester have prepared her for this. Along with ally WPC Elizabeth Hines, the pair work the case together.

What truths lie hidden?
As their inquiries deepen, the towns secrets reveal even darker truths that could lead to the identity of the killer. But when a second girl goes missing, Louise realises that some secrets should stay hidden.

Review

Be prepared to be transported to the 1980’s, an era captured well by Peace, with its telephone boxes (one which a body is found) and terminology. This is Jonathan Peace’s debut novel and also his main character’s first job in her new location in West Yorkshire – WDC Louise Miller. She had perviously been working in Manchester, so the transfer is quite a change of scene for her.
The year is 1987 and the opening date is Friday the 13th, adding a bit of a chill to the spine and even more so with some gruesome murders.

WDC Miller works with WPC Hines, the only other female on this West Yorkshire force. They get a bit of flack from the male officers, but they’re strong women and it’s nothing that they can’t handle. WDC Miller is compassionate, hardworking (since she has to give 110% at the very least) and is full of tenacity. She’s a great character to follow for a series of books.

There is a lot of authenticity to the writing, which immediately draws you in with its style. It’s a bit like Life on Mars like in characterisations which makes it quite entertaining and there are several twists in its grittiness. There are also references to real-life past cases, which adds to the atmosphere and interest in this fast-moving plot where all sorts of secrets begin to unravel, some of which were hidden for quite some time…

I recommend this book and there are more to come from Jonathan Peace.

#Review By Lou of Yinka, Where Is You Huzband @DamilolaLizzie @VikingBooks #YINKA #UpliftingFiction #ContemporaryFiction #BlogTour #Romcom

Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband
By Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
Rated 4 1/2 stars

Today I am excited to be on the blog tour for the highly entertaining and fun book – Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband. I had good vibes about it just a few pages in…Thanks to Viking Books for gifting me a proof copy and for inviting me on the blog tour. Find out more below in the blurb and full review, as well as what critically acclaimed authors such as Marian Keyes and Beth O’Leary say…

Blurb

Yinka wants to find love. Her mum wants to find it for her.

She also has too many aunties who frequently pray for her delivery from singledom, a preference for chicken and chips over traditional Nigerian food, and a bum she’s sure is far too small as a result. Oh, and the fact that she’s a thirty-one-year-old South-Londoner who doesn’t believe in sex before marriage is a bit of an obstacle too…

When her cousin gets engaged, Yinka commences ‘Operation Find A Date for Rachel’s Wedding’. Armed with a totally flawless, incredibly specific plan, will Yinka find herself a huzband?

What if the thing she really needs to find is herself?

Review

Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband is so relatable, especially to singletons who are asked that eternal question about a partner. Yinka has many aunties who want to know when she is going to find a man and get married, after all, she is in her 30’s and this seems important to them. It is interesting to see Yinka trying to forge her own life. She is also career driven, until one day, something happens that changes her life plans, which forces her to plan new life-goals.

I was interested to see if Yinka would find a man and there are some very funny steps that are taken in her hunt for one, but I was also engrossed in other aspects of her and the other characters lives too.

It is interesting how organised Yinka is, even in her personal life and the text shows this through well-placed tables and lists. There are also letters pertaining her employment status too. These are very well-conceived and placed and not over-done.

The book is great for cosying up to on a cold day as it is easy to get wrapped up in the story, and yet is as light as a summer breeze, where you can easily sit with it and take in the rays of the sun. It is a feel-good, highly entertaining read that is joyous and fun!

Readers who like Bridget Jones Diary and Shopaholic series in style are sure to enjoy Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband. It is just as humorous and a fun debut novel!
I highly recommend this book and would be interested to see what comes next from the author -Lizzie Damilola Blackburn.