#BookReview by Lou of A Family Reunion by Patricia Scanlan @patriciascanl18 @simonschusterUK @TeamBATC @RandomTTours #AFAmilyReunion

A Family Reunion
By Patricia Scanlan
Rated: 5 stars *****

A Family Reunion by Patricia Scanlan is highly charged as it unravels buried secrets, emotions, betrayals of some fiesty characters. It delves into both light and dark corners of life, religion, family, all the way to a very satisfying end.

Thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the blog tour to review and to the publisher- Simon & Schuster for a copy of A Family Reunion.

Meander down to find out more about the author, the blurb and my review.

About the Author

Patricia Scanlan lives in Dublin. Her books, all number one bestsellers, have sold worldwide and been translated into many languages.

Blurb

One explosive family reunion. A lifetime of secrets revealed.
When four feisty women from the same family, get together at a family reunion, anything can happen…
Marie-Claire, betrayed by her partner Marc plans her revenge to teach him a lesson he will never forget. She travels from Toronto, home to Ireland, to the house of the Four Winds, for her great aunt Reverend Mother Brigid’s eightieth birthday celebrations. It will be a long-awaited reunion for three generations of
family, bringing together her mother, Keelin and grandmother, Imelda – who have never quite got along.
And then all hell breaks loose.

Bitter, jealous Imelda makes a shocking revelation that forces them all to confront their pasts, admit mistakes, and face the truths that have shaped their lives. With four fierce, opinionated women in one family, will they ever be able to forgive the past and share a future?
And what of Marc?
It’s never too late to make amends…or is it?
Spanning generations and covering seismic shifts in the lives of women, A Family Reunion is a compelling,
thought-provoking, important and highly emotional novel from a trailblazing author in women’s fiction.

Review

A Family Reunion promises secrets right from the start, where there is a pertinent quote by George Orwell, and suddenly the curiosity builds from this single quote. Right from the prologue, an image is instantly painted from the descriptions and a timeline is established and is handled very smoothly – 1953, mid 80’s, 2017. There is Marie-Claire, Keelin, Reverand Mother Brigid and Imelda, heading up the main character list. Although it starts with Christmas Eve, even though it is now past Christmas, this is okay as it isn’t totally about Christmas and time does move on. This book is about life and how it isn’t always a bed of roses.

They all meet in Ireland for the birthday party, like one grand reunion and the scene is set for moving the story onwards and the whole family dynamics gets very interesting indeed. It isn’t all as cosy and jovial as one might expect as tensions rise and emotions that have been kept buried deep down bubble up to the surface and overspill. It also shows the characters as they grow as time moves onwards. It shows the trials and tribulations of betrayal (especially Marc with Marie-Claire), trying to grow-up and be indpendent in the face of parental views,(especially in Keelin’s life, where her dad has a whole covert operation planned that is at odds with his wife).

There’s huge twists and facts that each character has to face, sometimes shocking, sometimes also highly emotional. The characters are often strong and have a feisty part of their personalities.

The book also depicts both the positives and negatives of religion, including some atrocities, which means the points of view are balanced and rounded.

It’s a big book is just over 500 pages, but once started, it doesn’t feel so big as It becomes immersive and involving as the characters are richly developed as their pasts and life circumstances unfold. I felt that Patricia Scanlan has a good grasp of the different times and attitudes of the time and shows this well in character’s viewpoints. It is good that she didn’t shy away from anything, even though society has moved on a quite a lot since the earlier dates the book is set in. It gives it solid grounding, identity and authentic, which makes for a strong plot. There’s also some words of wisdom imparted here and there within the plot as it progresses. As the book concludes, it does so, leaving a very satisfied feeling.

#BookReview by Lou of Space Hopper by Helen Fisher @HFisherAuthor @simonschusteruk @RandomTTours #SpaceHopper #JumpWithMe

Space Hopper
By Helen Fisher
Rated: 5 Stars *****

I was absolutely delighted to recieve The Space Hopper by Helen Fisher, one of the biggest books of 2021. I have the blurb, the review and a bit about the author. Take a look to see if this emotional yet fun book lived totally up to expectations. It tackles grief, but in such a moving, yet uplifting and intriguing way, plus adults of a certain age, can re-live small parts of their childhood, which is the fun element.
Thanks to Random Things Tours for inviting me and for Simon & Schuster for the book.

Blurb

They say those we love never truly leave us, and I’ve found that to be true. But not in the way you might expect. In fact, none of this is what you’d expect.
I’ve been visiting my mother who died when I was eight. And I’m talking about flesh and blood, tea-and-biscuits-on-the-table visiting here.
Right now, you probably think I’m going mad.
Let me explain…
Although Faye is happy with her life, the loss of her mother as a child weighs on her mind even more now that she is a mother herself. So she is amazed when, in an extraordinary turn of events, she finds herself back in her childhood home in the 1970s. Faced with the chance to finally seek answers to her questions – but away from her own family – how much is she willing to give up for another moment with her mother?
For fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife comes an original and heartwarming story about bittersweet memories, how the past shapes the future, and a love so strong it makes you do things that are slightly bonkers.

Review

How can anyone resist an invitation into a book that has the tagline – “Take My Hand And Jump With Me”. Of course I wanted to take her hand and go with her to see where we ended up.
The staff at Simon & Schuster have really championed this book, so much so that they turned their profile pictures to the rollerskates of the front-cover. I was intrigued and excited, when invited to the blog tour of this long-awaited book, to see if it really is as good as it sounds.

Rollerskates and spacehoppers take me back to being a child of the 80’s and 90’s. It’s outdoor toys that I can relate to. I can also relate to loss of a family member, which is a theme in the book, in this instance, it is her mother. She has a husband who is training to be a clergyman and it would make her a vicar’s wife, what is brilliant is the juxtaposition of his and her views, as she is a bit more scientific that what he is in their beliefs, and yet they are together and have children, which is also good as it shows that you can be a bit different and yet still have love. This however has all sorts of elements of love, not just the romantic kind.

The beginning feels like you are perhaps sitting having a cup of tea or wine (or whatever beverage), with her as Faye starts to tell her story, which all starts with a photograph. The book takes readers into her grief for her mother. It’s such a taboo subject that is such a part of the cycle of life, that is finally being talked about a bit more on tv and in books and it is not all as it looks. It is not all doom and gloom at all. There is something pleasing about this for a start. It also confronts the feelings and thoughts of grief very well. It really does feel like you’ve literally taken Faye’s hand and jumped with her, down a hole and into a Space Hopper Box. It’s all in the way the book is written that really makes it that involving.

How she ends up there is wildly interesting and begins a fantastical journey into her past, which is as intriguing as it is to how she will return home to her, rather astute husband, Eddie and her children. She ends up meeting her younger self, with all the toys and annuals, that would take readers of a certain age back to their childhoods; and she wants to conduct an interview with her younger self. The book has fascinating concepts that create an enthralling story, which also has cleverly placed titles of enchanting and popular children’s books and comics, within it, all in the context of the plot of Space Hopper and all that adults of a certain age would be certain to remember.

The book is profound and yet also has a clever lightness to it as it tackles grief, challenges in the characters past and present times and also shows people’s vulnerabilities as well as their resilience. It also questions what if you could travel back to your past and ask all the unasked and questions that may float around your head and makes it pertinent to ask your relatives them before it is too late.

It’s a very moving book about clinging onto the past, grieving and letting go, a bit. The ending left me a bit flumoxed, but apart from that, it’s indeed a great book and one that is so tenderly mesmerising and beautiful.

About The Author

Helen Fisher spent her early life in America, but grew up mainly in Suffolk where she now lives with her two children. She studied Psychology at Westminster University and Ergonomics at UCL and worked as a senior evaluator in research at RNIB. Space Hopper is her first novel.

#BookReview by Lou – Happy Publication Day to @HollyH_Author for Coming Home To Brightwater Bay by Holly Hepburn @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours

Coming Home To Brightwater Bay
By Holly Hepburn
Rated: 5 Stars *****

It is with great pleasure that I am kicking off the blog tour for the delightfully romantic – Coming Home To Brightwater Bay. It is a book that will charmingly feed all senses with its scenery, food and lush looking guys, that may well have readers wanting to visit Orkney.

Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to review and for sending me a book via Simon and Schuster publishers.

Follow onto a bit about the author, the blurb and full review to read more of my thoughts on this wonderful book.

About the Author

Holly Hepburn is the much-loved author of commercial women’s fiction. She lives near London with her grey tabby cat, Portia. They both have an unhealthy obsession with Marmite.

Follow Holly on Twitter @HollyH_Author.

Blurb

**The BRAND NEW series from Holly Hepburn, perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley and Katie Fforde**
On paper, Merina Wilde has it all: a successful career writing the kind of romantic novels that make even the hardest hearts swoon, a perfect carousel of book launches and parties to keep her social life buzzing, and a childhood sweetheart who thinks she’s a goddess. But Merry has a secret: the magic has stopped flowing from her fingers. Try as she might, she can’t summon up the sparkle that makes her stories shine. And as her deadline whooshes by, her personal life falls apart too. Alex tells her he wants something other than the future she’d always imagined for them and Merry finds herself single for the first time since – well, ever.

Desperate to get her life back on track, Merry leaves London and escapes to the windswept Orkney Islands, locking herself away in a secluded clifftop cottage to try to heal her heart and rediscover her passion for writing. But can the beauty of the islands and the kindness of strangers help Merry to fool herself into believing in love again, if only long enough to finish her book? Or is it time for her to give up the career she’s always adored and find something new to set her soul alight?

The brand new series from Holly Hepburn, first published as four ebook parts: BROKEN HEARTS AT BRIGHTWATER BAY, SEA BREEZES AT BRIGHTWATER BAY, DANGEROUS TIDES AT BRIGHTWATER BAY and SUNSET OVER BRIGHTWATER BAY.

Review

Merry Wilde (Merina) , a bestselling author and her other half, Alex, just no longer fit together as snugly as, say, a jigsaw piece as that uncomfortable relationship chat comes. Whether you’ve been the instigator of it or on the receiving end, the feeling is relatable. She then moves to Orkney to begin a new life, after seeing an advertisement for a Writer in Residence ro promote reading for pleasure around the island and work with the libraries, despite currently having a case of writer’s block to deal with. On the island she meets Bridget McGinty, who is a friendly, welcoming sort of woman, who intorduces her to Niall. It is great that he isn’t “typical” librarian-like in how he looks.

The author – Holly Hepburn seems to have a passion for Orkney that oozes out of the pages in the tone and descriptions of the island as Merry sets out on her new life adventure, looking for escapism and to start her new job.

The book is warm with glints of humour sprinkled throughout, the type that is laugh out loud and is a joy to read. Readers attitudes and attitudes to events, especially when held in a library, is captured especially well and are slightly pointed, which is brave realism and will perhaps have people really taking note and find thought-provoking, before turning to a positive to her Merry’s actual writer’s event to have the story carry readers onwards.

Magnús Ólaffson may well be a Viking, readers will have to find out, but he captures Merry’s eye, so does Niall. As Merry is such a likeable character, she is easy to root for, hoping she gets a good life in Orkney and that her broken-heart does mend. She is also a character with anxieties of doing events and also not wanting to jump into any new relationship straight away and commit, which is rather commendable and also plays on the “will she, won’t she” element. There is also the ex, who left her in a state, leaving her little texts. This is a book that also heartwarmingly demonstrates strong friendships and just what that means, but there is some tension there too, over a guy.

There is the romance of the scenery, food and the lighthouse, which just delights on the pages.

Coming Home to Brightwater Bay has a warm, cosy feeling to it, that whisks readers away for some escapism. This charming book keeps you guessing until the end as to who or even if Merry will ever fall completely in love.

The Smallest Man by Frances Quinn #Bookreview by Lou @franquinn @jessbarratt88 @simonschusteruk #HistoricalFiction

The Smallest Man
By Frances Quinn
Rated: 4 stars ****

Enchanting, refreshingly original with an uplifting quality, The Smallest Man is a great historical fiction book that eases readers through an amazing journey.

Thanks to Jess Barratt at Simon & Schuster for gifting me a proof copy for review.

The Smallest Man

Blurb

‘I want you to remember something, Nat. You’re small on the outside. But inside you’re as big as everyone else. You show people that and you won’t go far wrong in life.’

A compelling story perfect for fans of The Doll Factory, The Illumination of Ursula Flight and The Familiars.

My name is Nat Davy. Perhaps you’ve heard of me? There was a time when people up and down the land knew my name, though they only ever knew half the story.

The year of 1625, it was, when a single shilling changed my life. That shilling got me taken off to London, where they hid me in a pie, of all things, so I could be given as a gift to the new queen of England.

They called me the queen’s dwarf, but I was more than that. I was her friend, when she had no one else, and later on, when the people of England turned against their king, it was me who saved her life. When they turned the world upside down, I was there, right at the heart of it, and this is my story.

Inspired by a true story, and spanning two decades that changed England for ever, The Smallest Man is a heartwarming tale about being different, but not letting it hold you back. About being brave enough to take a chance, even if the odds aren’t good. And about how, when everything else is falling apart, true friendship holds people together.

The Smallest Man cover

Review

The cover is amazing! It takes you on a journey right there and then, with the inside leading you into the life of Nat Davy – The Smallest Man, which is based on a true story, although this a fictional novel, but there is a strong basis of truth to it. The first page is just utterly inspired! The narrative of how it tells readers, almost accidentally (although obviously it is cleverly thought out), of a little nugget here and there of Nat’s early life just in where he is not going to start his story, but then it all begins in Oakham.

This isn’t your usual sort of story set in such historical times, this takes readers to the fair and not just any fair – to one featuring freak shows and a decision to be made about whether to sell Nat to it or not has to be made. This makes for some great reading and is so different from other historical fiction novels. There are of course characters to be found like a duke, a queen and a king, lords and more, which adds to the exquisitiveness; but then if that doesn’t capture you, there are also gallows and Catholic martyrs. There are also run-ins with Crofts and his gang of friends.

This isn’t some lavish period piece of a season of dancing, nor is it some romp through the bedcovers, this tells a whole different side to history, and more pertinently, within 1625 and still has a richness to the story and in its textures and scenery. It is through the eyes of The Smallest Man and how his life is and how he is different from other people and seen as a freak. There is a tender emotion within the book as well as a sense of surviving and accomplishing against the odds and also shows that no matter how unlikely a friendship is to be formed, there are possibilities that they can. This book has hope within it and is which in turn adds an uplifting quality it.

Going deeper into the royal family and what are essentially death threats changes the tone, but still in keeping with the book and moves this plucky, refreshingly written story onto killer plots and a different layer of intrigue.

The Author’s Note is also fascinating and sheds a bit of light on a man, who perhaps was more on the edges of history, but nonetheless interesting.

Some praise for the book:

I loved this book – a fascinating tale of extraordinary accomplishment, and a story about how anything is possible and how love has always been a beacon of hope’ Phillip Schofield

‘An enchanting tale about a small man with a big heart. Nat Davy is so charming that I couldn’t bear to put this book down. I loved it’ Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City

The finished copy has some lovely green sprayed edges to it

#Bookreview by Lou of House of Correction by Nicci French @FrenchNicci @jessbarratt88 @simonschusterUK #HouseofCorrection #crimefiction

House of Correction
By Nicci French
Rated: 5 stars *****

Published in September, it also makes a great read leading up to and beyond Christmas as some of the plot line focuses around that period of time, but not soley as it is is an enthralling book that takes readers from prison to the court to witness prison life, preparing for court and entering the court itself and what happens next in this standalone book.

It was to my absolute delight and excitement that Jess Barratt at Simon & Schuster had some proof copies of this book and whatsmore, sent one to me.
Thank you very much to Jess Barratt at Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy.
Read further for the blurb and full review.

Blurb

Everyone knows she killed Stuart Rees – why else would his dead body be found in her shed?
So now Tabitha is in prison, awaiting trial.

Coming back to the remote coastal village where she grew up was a mistake. She didn’t fit in then, and she doesn’t fit in now.

That day is such a blur, she can’t remember clearly what happened. There is something she is missing, something important… She only knows one thing. She is not capable of murder.

And the only one she can trust to help her out of this situation is herself.
So she must fight. Against the odds.

For her life.

Review

House of Correction is an all encompassing, absorbing book from prison to court!
The murder of Stuart Rees was brutal as Mora Piozza reads out how the fatal day played out to her client – Tabatha, who is in the House of Correction. What makes the book so fascinating is that it takes place, in part, in the lead-up to the court case and Tabitha is in prison and being questioned by officials like a doctor and solicitor. It works so well and adds to the compelling nature of the read of the book and adds to the intrigue of Tabatha and her life history and present. It’s also interesting reading her story in being prepared by her solicitor for court. Readers are then taken to the court with her to hear the case unfold further and a certain strength of character is shown mixed with some desperation to clear her name.

The story moves onto the Prosecution process and is still as enthralling as it is when it all starts. It’s great getting to know Tabitha a bit more in a court environment, but also the people she meets like Simon Brocklebank, acting for the Crown and Dr. Garner, the pathologist and others. It is all so well detailed, not heavily so, more authentically so. Every inch of this book kept me curious and keen to read on and on. It is all so fascinating as it progresses onto the Defence. It’s a whole look from prison to court. It’s a wonderful take on the crime fiction genre and it’s good and insightful and interesting with some twists in each of the four parts within the book, that create a whole, rounded story of Tabitha’s life at this period of time, which is created so well.

#Bookreview by Lou of The Winter Garden By Heidi Swain @Heidi_Swain @simonschusterUK

The Winter Garden By Heidi Swain Rated: 5 stars *****

The Winter Garden is a gorgeous, uplifting book by Heidi Swain that covers amazing ground within a community of people in Nightengale Square. Follow the blurb and review below to find out more. Thank you very much to Simon & Schuster for accepting my request to review.

Blurb

***The sparkling new Christmas novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author Heidi Swain!*** Will love bloom this winter? Freya Fuller is living her dream, working as a live-in gardener on a beautiful Suffolk estate. But when the owner dies, Freya finds herself forced out of her job and her home with nowhere to go. However, with luck on her side, she’s soon moving to Nightingale Square and helping to create a beautiful winter garden that will be open to the public in time for Christmas. There’s a warm welcome from all in Nightingale Square, except from local artist Finn. No matter how hard the pair try, they just can’t get along, and working together to bring the winter garden to life quickly becomes a struggle for them both. Will Freya and Finn be able to put their differences aside in time for Christmas? Or will the arrival of a face from Freya’s past send them all spiralling? The Winter Garden is the perfect read this Christmas, promising snowfall, warm fires and breath-taking seasonal romance. Perfect for fans of Carole Matthews, Cathy Bramley and Sarah Morgan.

Review

Eloise Thurlow-Forbes is an octogenarian estate owner in Broadmeadows, country estate, Suffolk and sad events kick start something new and positive in Freya Fuller’s life. It seems very apt at the moment with all that is going on in the world. Certain things in her life, she decides need to change, such as her job, where she isn’t entirely happy. There is a bit of strength of character shown in the way she works things out and speaks up about how things were. This starts off as a journey of self-discovery as Freya stumbles over local radio stations that guide her to Nightengale Square that has a community garden at Prosperous Place, a place with a history and one that is going to have a future in the fact that people have come together to do renovations. It’s a gentle way of guiding readers to where the destination is going to be. There is then planning and plotting between Freya and Luke for turning the garden one fit for winter. Both she and Luke have some heartache in their lives and there seems to be a positivity in the book about them turning their lives around and there are elements of mental well-being within what is a gentle, cosy read as the colder months come in.

The book has stories within it of other characters and how they came to be in Nightengale Square that make a community working towards the aim of transforming the garden. It is realistic and not all plain-sailing. There are ups and downs between people and much that I think readers will be able to relate to, as they get to know each other and try to work together to meet the same goal; but tempers fray at times and romance buds amongst them. In the story, it’s as people try to create Winterfest, but the same applies for any group of people coming together trying to do something new and also discover more about themselves and each other. The book doesn’t shy away from mental health conditions and it is shown in bursts as you get to know the characters as their backgrounds are revealed. The book, however, gives a sense of positivity as the “Grow Well” group develops and all feels authentic as the story moves along in its build up to Christmas, feel-good vibe that has a lot of compassion and community throughout.