Category: Blog

Blog Tour: Sugarplum Way by Debbie Mason

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Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: October 31, 2017

Publisher: Forever

Genre: ContemporaryRomance

Blurb:

Romance writer Julia Landon knows how to write a happily-ever-after. Creating one for herself is a whole different story. But after a surprising–and surprisingly passionate–kiss under the mistletoe at Harmony Harbor’s holiday party last year, Julia thought she might have finally found her very own chance at true love. Until she learns her Mr. Tall, Dark, and Broodingly Handsome has sworn off relationships. Well, if she can’t have him in real life, Julia knows just how to get the next best thing….

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Aidan’s only priority is to be the best single dad ever. And this year, he plans to make the holidays magical for his little girl, Ella Rose. But visions of stolen kisses under the mistletoe keep dancing in his head, and when he finds out Julia has written him into her latest novel, he can’t help imagining the possibilities of a future together. Little does he know, though, Julia has been keeping a secret that threatens all their dreams. Luckily, ’tis the season for a little Christmas magic.

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Sugarplum Way! If you want to follow along with the rest of the tour check out TLC Book Tours.

Review:

Even though I’ve been reading Christmas books since like September, I feel like today officially begins the Christmas season and this is THE perfect book to put you into the spirit of the holidays. It’s cute, funny and the ideal book to curl up with while listening to Christmas music and sipping some hot chocolate.

Julia was an adorable, likable heroine, exactly what you expect from Mason. She’s quirky enough to make her interesting and she’s one of the sweetest characters I’ve come across in awhile. Aidan is the quintessential grumpy, brooding, handsome hero but there was a surprising amount of depth to the storyline that caught me off guard. I took this for a cookie cutter romance, and yes elements were exactly that, but there was some history that made things interesting and allowed for unexpected moments as well.

I should mention this is the fourth in a series set in Harmony Harbor but even though there were quite a few characters to keep track of, Mason did a great job of providing enough pertinent background information so I wasn’t confused. There was a hint of magical realism and the supernatural here that I wasn’t anticipating and it added something super fun to an already feel good, happy go lucky read! I’ve been a fan of the author for awhile and will definitely continue to be one.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for my review copy.

About the Author:

Debbie Mason is the USA Today bestselling author of the Christmas, Colorado and Harmony Harbor series. Her books have been praised for their “likable characters, clever dialogue and juicy plots” (RT Book Reviews). When she isn’t writing or reading, Debbie enjoys spending time with her very own real-life hero, three wonderful children, two adorable grandbabies, and a yappy Yorkie named Bella in Ontario, Canada.

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Connect with Debbie

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Blog Tour: And a Sixpence for Luck by Lilac Mills @LilacMills @NeverlandBT

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Goodreads|Amazon US|Amazon UK
Release date: September 30, 2017

Publisher: Lilac Tree Books

Genre: Chick Lit

Blurb: 

Daisy Jones has hit rock bottom. Or so she believes.

A cheating boyfriend, trouble at work, having to move back in with her mother, and being forced to compare her brother’s loved-up, newly-wed status and brand-new shiny house with her own dire lack of prospects, isn’t what she imagined her life was going to be like at thirty. To top it all off, Christmas is just around the corner!

 

Daisy, bless her, thinks things can’t possibly get any worse, but when her ancient great-grandmother persuades her to plant a silver sixpence in the Christmas pud for luck, Daisy is about to discover that they most definitely can.

I’m thrilled to be one of the stops on the blog tour for And a Sixpence for Luck today! I have a fabulous guest post from the author to share.

Guest Post:
Most of us like routines, and most of us stick to them, whether it be a regular game of squash on a Thursday night (nope, not me), or going out for a drink with friends on the third Saturday in every month (that’s more like it!), we all tend to do set things, at set times, on set days.

Now, some of us have no choice – like having to get the kids ready for school and/or going to work – and others, such as my elderly mother, enjoy the familiarity of knowing what they will be doing today when they get up in the morning.

As for me? I’m the Routine Queen. I wouldn’t be able to survive without one! Aside from the work thing (meh!) which I can’t avoid if I want to pay the bills, now that I’ve become an author as well I find I have more and more to shoehorn into my day.

I start at 6am (before that if I wake earlier), and quickly check my emails to make sure nothing untoward has happened overnight (it never really does…), then a swift look on social media, and a glance at the sales figures (I often have to psych myself up to do that), then I give myself a stern talking to get myself to write, because if I was left to my own devices, I’d sit and read a couple of chapters of someone else’s hard work instead of concentrating on my own.

Then the family decide to come downstairs purely to annoy me. Okay, that’s a lie – they’ve got to get ready to face their own working day, but it feels like they’re interrupting my stream of thought on purpose.

As usual, I leave it to the very last minute to hop into the shower, and then it’s a frantic dash to get to work on time.

During my lunchbreak I write if I can find a quiet corner to hide in, or I do some marketing and promotional stuff, or check my emails again (and sales, but I don’t want to talk about it because it sounds as if I’m slightly obsessed), if all the quiet corners have been appropriated by others wanting to hide from their managers for five sneaky minutes.

Then, finally home-time and some peace to write a few words more before the family descend on me again, demanding to be fed, and wanting to have clean clothes for tomorrow, and annoying stuff like that. At the end of a long day I get to luxuriate in the bath and, if the mood takes me, I scribble away some more, but it’s not easy balancing my phone on the edge of the bath, and paper tends to get a bit soggy from all the steam.

But if I’m really tired then I crawl into bed, and try to sleep. I say “try” because those darned voices in my head are louder than an elephant snoring, and sometimes they won’t let me snooze until they’ve had their say.

Ah well, I’m not going to knock it, because without the characters in my head I’d not have any stories to write, and writing stories, I’ve found, has become a bit of addiction.

 

 About the Author:


Lilac spends all her time writing, or reading, or thinking about writing or reading, often to the detriment of her day job, her family, and the housework. She apologises to her employer and her loved ones, but the house will simply have to deal with it!
She calls Worcester home, though she would prefer to call somewhere hot and sunny home, somewhere with a beach and cocktails and endless opportunities for snoozing in the sun…
When she isn’t hunched over a computer or dreaming about foreign shores, she enjoys creating strange, inedible dishes in the kitchen, accusing her daughter of stealing (she meant to say “borrowing”) her clothes, and fighting with her husband over whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher.
Website: http://www.lilacmills.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lilacmills

Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/LilacMills/

 

 

Blog Tour: The Silent Foutain by Victoria Fox

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Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: October 31, 2017

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb:

Something terrible happened here…Hollywood, 1975: Tragedy sends troubled film star Vivien Lockhart into the arms of Giovanni Moretti, and it seems her fortunes have finally changed. Until she meets his sister, and learns that her new husband’s past holds dark secrets. Tuscany, Present day: Everyone in London is searching for Lucy Whittaker – so Lucy needs to disappear. But her new home, the crumbling Castillo Barbarossa, is far from the secluded paradise it seemed. Across the decades, Vivien and Lucy find themselves trapped in the idyllic Italian villa. And if they are ever to truly escape its walls, they must first unearth its secrets…

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Silent Fountain. Check out TLC Book Tours for the full schedule.

Review:

I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting when I started reading The Silent Fountain but whatever I had been anticipating could in no way live up to my actual experience reading this little gem of a book. It had a little bit of everything and then some, there was suspense, tension, intrigue, scandal, romance all steeped in a dark and painful history. It was also extremely evocative and took me on quite an emotional journey that I won’t soon forget.

This is told using dual narratives, you have Lucy in the present day who is fleeing London after a troubled past to seek work in Tuscany and then there’s Vivien in the seventies who lived in the house where Lucy will be working. This was a very compelling read but I did find myself more drawn to Vivien’s sections, I think I was just more emotionally connected to her and fully invested in her story. The pacing was great, it flipped back and forth effortlessly until things almost merged together in a heartbreaking conclusion.

Fox is an amazing writer, her imagery was beautiful and I was swept away to Italy inside the walls of Barbarossa. She did an awesome job of constructing a haunting setting in the old, worn out mansion and I could easily imagine each and every scene I read. The stunning cover didn’t hurt either, I swear I kept staring at it time and time again! Fox has a new fan in me, I’ll definitely be following her closely, this was an excellent read.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for my review copy.

About the Author:

Victoria Fox is a bestselling author in the UK. She used to work in publishing and is now the author of six novels. The Silent Fountain is her breakout novel in North America. She divides her time between Bristol and London.

Connect with Victoria

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Extract: Murder on the Minneapolis by Anita Davison @aria_fiction

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Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: October 1, 2016

Publisher: Aria

Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb:

NEW YORK 1900.  A captivating historical drama on-board the maiden voyage of the S.S. Minneapolis featuring series character Flora Maguire. For fans of Downton Abbey.

Young governess Flora Maguire is on her way home from America on the maiden voyage of the S.S. Minneapolis with her young charge Eddy, Viscount Trent, when she discovers a dead body.

Unconvinced when the death is pronounced an accident, Flora starts asking questions, but following threats, a near drowning and a second murder, the hunt is on for a killer. Time is running out as the Minneapolis approaches the English coast.

Will Flora be able to protect Eddy, as well as herself?

Is her burgeoning relationship with the handsome Bunny Harrington only a shipboard dalliance, or something more?  And what secrets must Flora keep in order to stay safe?

Hey everyone, hope y’all are having a wonderful week. I have an extract from Murder on the Minneapolis to share today!

Extract:

Chapter 1

Saturday

Well-wishers stood four deep on Pier 39 in New York Harbour beneath a sea of colourful hats wide as sailboats, their owners waving handkerchiefs or sobbing into them. Horse-drawn carriages with crests on the doors lined up alongside hired hackneys to disgorge elegantly dressed couples and businessmen with their matronly wives, all of whom joined the clamour on the quayside taking farewell of friends and relatives. The clatter of hooves vied with shouts from newsboys and costermongers plying their wares to the waiting crowd, their voices combined in an inaudible concert.

Boisterous children darted between them, miniature flags held aloft on sticks; Union Jacks and Stars and Stripes in equal numbers. Harassed nurses made vain attempts to round them up, while their parents looked on with bored disinterest. Porters strained behind loaded trolleys calling out their warnings to make way, while imperious matrons issued braying instructions for the disposition of their luggage.

‘It’s huge!’ Flora stood at the bottom of the gangplank, her foot tapping in time to the music from a brass band led by an enthusiastic conductor in a rendition of the ‘Washington Post’ march. She had seen ocean-going steamers before, even travelled on one, yet there was something awe-inspiring about the Minneapolis, with her gleaming black hull, bright red smoke stack and taut metal winch lines draped with multi-coloured bunting.’

‘This is her maiden voyage,’ Eddy shouted as he waved the shipping line brochure that had been his constant companion this past week under Flora’s nose: ‘Listen to this,’ he opened the booklet and read aloud. ‘She’s six hundred feet long, and 13,400 tonnes, which means she has the largest tonnage of any ship afloat, apart from the SS Oceanic.’

‘Which was the ship we came over on three months ago,’ Flora reminded him.

‘I know, but Minneapolis is a brand new ship.’ He looked up briefly from the brochure. ‘This is her maiden voyage, and she’s carrying only seventy-eight first-class passengers and a hundred and fifty five crew. That’s almost two crew members for each passenger. Just think, Flora we’ll be the first people to travel on her.’ He tucked the booklet back into his pocket, his gaze following a man who walked past with a boy of about his own age. The man pointed items of interest out to the boy, who laughed and chatted at his side, both intent on each other.

‘I’m sorry you have only me for company on the trip home.’ Flora caressed Eddy’s shoulder gently with one hand. ‘Your parents would have stayed to see you off, but they had a train to catch.’

‘I don’t mind being with you, Flora. For a governess, you’re a good egg.’ Eddy swiped a hand across eyes that looked suspiciously wet, then trained a morose glare on the emotional farewells taking place on the quayside. ‘Mama didn’t even bother to get out of the carriage.’

Although tall for thirteen, with well-defined features that promised to mature into male handsomeness in years to come, Edward, Viscount Trent, was still very much a child.

‘You’re very important to your father.’ Flora bit her lip at the disappointment in his voice. ‘You’re Lord Vaughn’s heir, remember.’

She tried to imagine how she would feel, if her parents had packed her off back to England while they toured the Eastern United States. The question was moot, for her mother had died when she was young and, as Lord Vaughn’s head butler, her father didn’t possess the resources to send her anywhere. Flora had resigned herself long ago to viewing the peripatetic lives of the English aristocracy from the shadows.

‘I would sooner be just his son.’ Eddy broke away from her and pounded up the gangplank.

Sighing, Flora prepared to follow, but was prevented by a young man in a shabby brown suit who stepped in front of her, a bulky camera raised to his face. ‘Photograph, Miss?’

‘Er no, thank you.’ Flora stood on tiptoe to keep Eddy in sight, he had reached the saloon deck and was on his way to the outside companionway. ‘Maybe later.’

Lowering the camera, the youth pressed a pasteboard card into her hand. ‘Printed in our own darkroom, and available throughout the voyage,’ his sales patter continued unabated. ‘Perfect to send to your loved ones as postcards.’

‘I’m sure.’ Thanking him with a smile, Flora shoved the card into a pocket without looking at it, and joined a queue of passengers further up the gangplank.

An officer saluted her with a smile, and flattered, she stood a little straighter before proceeding to the packed deck where a group of sailors held out baskets of tightly coiled paper streamers in pastel colours. Flora grabbed a handful, pausing to allow an elderly matron to totter past with a tiny white dog on a leash. With a sharp eye open for Eddy, she eased through the press of bodies, where a barrage of feathers and silk flowers batted her face, their owners with world-weary expressions oblivious to her repeated and increasingly urgent “excuse me’s”.

She spotted Eddy again on the promenade deck, where he strolled the row of doors of the suites where she guessed he was trying to find theirs. Flora started up the companionway to join him, forced to a halt at the top when a noisy family shoved past her. She stepped back to let them pass, where her attention was caught by an arrestingly pretty woman beneath the deck canopy. In a claret wool travelling coat with mutton leg sleeves and fox fur trim, she looked to be about Flora’s own age. Her features were set hard, eyes narrowed and her fists clenched at her sides in barely restrained anger.

The object of her fury was older, with slightly receding hair, olive skin and thick eyebrows that met in the middle. He accepted her tirade in silence, while he repeatedly eased his collar away from his throat with a finger.

Her message delivered, the lady shot him a final hard glare, swivelled on her heel and stalked away.

The man inhaled deeply from a lit cheroot, shot the smoke in a straight upward stream, turned and leaned both forearms on the rail, hunched forward as if the encounter had drained him.

Flora took in his yellow-stained fingers and badly cut hair as she passed, intrigued as to what someone like him could have to say to the immaculate girl in her expensive clothes.

About the Author:

Born in London, Anita has always had a penchant for all things historical.  She now lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, the backdrop for her Flora Maguire mysteries.

Anita’s Blog – http:thedisorganisedauthor.blogspot.co.uk

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/anita.davison

Twitter – https://twitter.com/AnitaSDavison

Q & A with Pankaj Giri, Author of The Fragile Thread of Hope @_PankajGiri

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Goodreads|Amazon US|Amazon UK

Release date: October 29, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Blurb:

In the autumn of 2012, destiny wreaks havoc on two unsuspecting people–Soham and Fiona.

 

Although his devastating past involving his brother still haunted him, Soham had established a promising career for himself in Bangalore.

 

After a difficult childhood, Fiona’s fortunes had finally taken a turn for the better. She had married her beloved, and her life was as perfect as she had ever imagined it to be.

 

But when tragedy strikes them yet again, their fundamentally fragile lives threaten to fall apart.

 

Can Fiona and Soham overcome their grief?

 

Will the overwhelming pain destroy their lives?

 

Seasoned with the flavours of exotic Nepalese traditions and set in the picturesque Indian hill station, Gangtok, The Fragile Thread of Hope explores the themes of spirituality, faith, alcoholism, love, and guilt while navigating the complex maze of familial relationships.

 

Inspirational and heart-wrenchingly intimate, it urges you to wonder–does hope stand a chance in this travesty called life?

Happy Saturday everyone!! This book first caught my eye after I read Jules review and while unfortunately I do not have room in my schedule  to read this anytime soon, I was pleased to be able to interview the author! Enjoy.

Q & A:

1. What’s a typical writing day for you look like? Describe your perfect writing environment.

 

I write whenever I get time, at home or at the office, especially if I am in the process of writing a book. Else, I take a break and enjoy my life.

 

My perfect writing environment would be a silent room with my laptop, a cup of black tea, a box of chocolates, and a good internet connection. Contrary to traditional belief that internet distracts a writer, I need the internet to find perfect synonyms, check if a sentence is grammatically correct, and research facts necessary for my book.

 

 

2. How did you get started writing? Was it something that you’ve always loved?

 

Frankly speaking, I never even dreamt ofbecoming a writer. In fact, I didn’t even use to read (except for Harry Potter, which I read in my late teens). But after my father passed away four years back, some of my friends suggested me to start reading to divert my mind from the pain. I followed their suggestion, and slowly I fell in love with reading. I also began writing, starting with book reviews. Over the years, having read many books and developed my writing skills by writing several blog posts, I thought of trying my hand at writing a novel. A plot slowly developed in my mind, and soon I started writing. The rest is history.

 

 

3. Who are your favorite writers/inspirations?

 

My favorite writers are Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner is arguably my favorite book), Renita D’Silva (a UK-based, award-nominated, critically acclaimed writer of six bestselling books), Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (award-winning bestselling US-based writer), and J.K.Rowling (can never forget the magical experience which has become a part of my life).

 

 

4. Anything you can tell us about upcoming projects?

 

I have not thought about it yet as I am busy promoting The Fragile Thread of Hope. Once I settle down, I will reflect on my next book.

 

 

5. Normally how do you develop plots/characters? Brief us on your process.

 

More than two years ago, the plot of The Fragile Thread of Hope took birth in my mind. Probably the story was influenced by the books I was reading at that time–the complex brotherly love between Hassan and Amir in The Kite Runner and the beautiful love between Noah and Allie in The Notebook. Those themes stuck with me, so I felt like weaving a story based on love, loss, and family relationships. Gradually, the characters developed in my mind, and scenes began taking shape and haunting me. After a few weeks, the characters began putting pressure on me, as if prodding me to bring them to life on the canvas of my novel. Then, as I finally obliged, The Fragile Thread of Hope was born.

 

(The Notebook is one of my favorite books!!)

6. Preferred method for readers to contact you?

 

Readers can either contact me via mail (pankajgiri.ps@gmail.com) or via social media.

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PankajGiriAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_pankajgiri

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pankajgiri.ps/

 

 

7. On average, how long does it take you to write a book?

 

Generally, it takes me around a year to write a book, but editing takes a lot of time thereafter. Overall, I can produce a decently edited book in two years.

 

 

8. Which one of your characters do you relate to the most?

 

That has to be Soham. He is my alter ego. Not only do we share pains, but we share many characteristics as well. However, I made him a bit more mentally stronger than me because eventually, it’s the writer’s choice. 🙂

 

 

9. If writing wasn’t your career what would you be doing?

 

I used to work in the software industry in Bangalore, but after my father’s death, I had to relocate to Gangtok, my native place. Now, I work in a government job. But my passion lies in writing, and I devote a majority of my time on it.

 

 

10. What’s the best compliment that you’ve received about your work?

 

When Renita D’Silva–a marvellous writer and my literary idol–read my book and said that it is one of her favorite books. Whenever I remember that, I always get a very special feeling.

(Renita is a brilliant writer, what an amazing compliment!)

About the Author:


Pankaj Giri was born and brought up in Gangtok, Sikkim–a picturesque hill station in India. He began his writing career with a book review blog, and now, after several years of honing his writing skills, he has written a novel–The Fragile Thread of Hope, a literary inspirational fiction dealing with love, loss, and family relationships. He is currently working in the government sector in Sikkim. He likes to kill time by listening to progressive metal music and watching cricket.

Blog Tour: The Puppet Master by Abigail Osborne @Abigail_Author @Bloodhoundbook

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Goodreads|Amazon US|Amazon UK
Release date: November 13, 2017

Publisher: Bloodhound Books

Genre: Psychological Thriller 

Blurb: 

Billie is hiding from the world in fear of a man who nearly destroyed her. But a chance meeting with budding journalist, Adam, sparks a relationship that could free her from her life of isolation and fear.


Unbeknown to Billie, Adam knows exactly who Billie is and is determined to expose her and get justice for the lives he believes she has ruined. But first, he needs to convince her to open up to him. As an unwanted attraction blossoms between them, Adam comes to realise that all is not as it seems.


Who is really pulling the strings? And are Adam and Billie both being played?


One thing is for sure, The Master wants his puppets back – and he’ll do anything to keep them.

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Puppet Master! I have a guest post from the author to share today. 


Guest Post:

Why I used Scrivener to Write ‘The Puppet Master’

 

There is no doubt that you can use the good old-fashioned pen and paper or even just a blank word document to write a novel. But my full-time job is centred upon using technology to make lives easier for people with disabilities. So, I feel drawn to using software and apps in my writing process. Scrivener is the most important of these when writing my book.

 

I tried to use just MS Word to write my book but I don’t like to write in order. I write the scene that is in my head at the time. This was causing me to feel chaotic as I would either have 20 word documents with different scenes or I would have to spend time navigating an excessively long document where nothing was in order and I kept losing sections or repeating myself. This was too stressful and after some research, the answer to my prayers came in the form of Scrivener. I’m not going to go into too much depth as you can find all you need to know about Scrivener on YouTube and lots of writing blogs. But for me, Scrivener is great because it allows me to break my work down into sections, even chapters or sub chapters. Whatever way you want to break your ideas down it gives you a visual and easy way to do it. These sections are then represented by a post-it note on a virtual cork board. Which means I can move sections around and reorder them any way I want, without having to copy and paste anything and I don’t lose anything or repeat anything because work is organised and accessible very easily. I can easily flick between sections and add things here and there.

 

The other way it works for me is that I can set word targets and it will let me know when I have reached my goal. This helps with productivity as I can feel like I’ve accomplished something when I meet my target and I am less likely to write until I burn out which will then stop me writing for days. I break up writing periods so that I can write little and often. It also allows me to analyse my own work and make notes of things I need to add or change without having to do this in the manuscript. Goodbye yellow highlights and caps locks in the document and the worry I hadn’t deleted them all!

 

Scrivener also has the capacity to hold your research. You can easily add word documents and pictures to your research sections. By using this, I was able to have a section for each character and the locations. This was beneficial because it means when writing a section about a particular character, I can have the picture I selected as my influence on how they would look on the screen as well as my manuscript. This is great for helping write detailed descriptions and saved me time printing everything out or flicking between the picture and my writing. It kept me in the zone and help with my visualisation of what I was writing about.

 

These are the main things I love about Scrivener but it has a lot more to offer than what I’ve described. It even has a handy little name generator which is fascinating and fun to play with. I would definitely give this software a try even just for your first draft. It’s not too expensive and if it works for you it can be the key to unlocking that novel hiding within you.

 About the Author:


Abigail is originally from the Lake District but moved to the West Midlands for University where she completed an English Literature & History degree and also met her husband. She is a passionate reader and has an unsustainable collection of books. This obsession with books has led to her creating her own Dewey decimal system and she has been known to issue fines to family and friends if her book is not returned on time. ‘The Puppet Master’ is Abigail’s debut novel and has unleashed a passion for writing. When not writing or reading Abigail is usually playing her violin or hiding from her much too energetic cats. She also works as a Needs Assessor for disabled university students in the West Midlands.

https://www.facebook.com/abigailosborneauthor/

https://twitter.com/Abigail_Author?lang=en-gb

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Blog Tour: The Forgotten Child by Anita Davison @AnitaSDavison @Aria_Fiction

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Goodreads|Amazon
Release date: November 1, 2017

Publisher: Aria Fiction 

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Blurb: 

The forgotten children of London are going missing, apparently being sold by their own families. Can she save them before it’s too late…


Flora Maguire’s life is perfect – a beautiful home in Belgravia teeming with servants, a loving husband, and new baby Arthur to enjoy. But when she is invited to tour St Philomena’s Children’s Hospital in deprived Southwark, she gets a harsh insight into the darker side of Edwardian London.


Shocked by the conditions people are living in, she soon uncovers a scandal with a dark heart – children are going missing from the hospital, apparently sold by their own families, and their fate is too awful to imagine. With the police seemingly unable or unwilling to investigate, Flora teams up with the matron of the hospital, Alice Finch, to try to get to the bottom of it.


Soon Flora is immersed in the seedy, dangerous underbelly of criminal London, and time is running out to save the children. Will they get to them in time, or was their fate decided the day they were born poor…

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Forgotten Children! I have an extract to share today. 


Extract: 

Chapter 1

London, September 1904


Flora tilted her hat over her left eye and pouted at her reflection in the mirror above the mantelpiece. Bunny appeared at her shoulder and plucked a sheet of pasteboard propped against the clock.

‘That’s the third time you’ve scrutinized that card in the last hour.’ She frowned as she returned the grey velvet confection to its original position.

‘Don’t you find it strange that we’ve been invited to tour a hospital neither of us has ever heard of?’ He tapped the card against his thumbnail. ‘Incidentally, I like that hat the other way.’

‘St Philomena’s Hospital is a charity founded by a wealthy philanthropist to provide medical care for children of the poor.’ Sighing, she adjusted the hat again.

‘An admirable endeavour, no doubt, but why have we been invited?’ He pushed his spectacles further up his nose with a middle finger and tucked the card into his inside pocket. ‘If Arthur became ill, we’re unlikely to take him to a hospital in Southwark.’

Flora suppressed a shiver at the mention of illness in respect of their infant son, who currently enjoyed chubby good health. ‘Charities are always looking for funds; maybe they regard Mr Ptolemy Harrington, Solicitor at Law, as a viable proposition?’

‘Trust you to get to the bottom of the thing.’ Bunny joined her by the front door being held open by their butler. ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go in the motor car?’

‘No, and it’s too late to change your mind, the taxi is already here.’ She smiled at his downcast expression that was so like Arthur’s. ‘And Southwark is hardly a suitable place to leave your beloved Aster, no matter how many street urchins you pay to watch it.’

‘Taxi it is, then.’ Bunny handed her inside the motor taxi that idled at the kerb whilst giving the house a slow appraising glance through the window.

The façade of Portland stone that rose four floors from the street always sent a possessive thrill up Flora’s spine. A pair of Ionic columns flanked a shiny black-painted front door with a set of railed stone steps that descended into basement kitchens equipped with the latest innovations Flora had insisted upon. Aware of what life was like in the servants’ hall at her childhood home, Cleeve Abbey in Gloucestershire, with its outdated facilities, she had been determined to make her own servants’ lives a little easier. She had unwisely expressed this sentiment in the presence of her mother-in-law, the memory of whose contempt still made Flora’s cheeks burn.

The taxi headed east along Victoria Street, past the Catholic cathedral and around Parliament Square, past monumental buildings that represented the might of the British Empire.

On the far side of Westminster Bridge, Portland stone and red brick gave way to wood and steel of the industrial area of the city, deteriorating more with each mile. The taxi’s route took them in a wide circle and back to the river where the sparkling new structure of Tower Bridge reached into a darkening sky.

‘It’s hard to believe we’re only three miles from Belgravia.’ Flora wiped a gloved hand to clear the mist on the rain-streaked taxi window as they entered Quilp Street and passed beneath a wrought-iron archway that displayed the words St Philomena’s Hospital for Sick Children.

The hospital was a solid, rectangular building with a mansard roof that squatted amongst its less imposing neighbours like an elegant woman who had known better days; the red brick having faded to a dirty russet colour by forty years of coal smoke from the surrounding factories and tanneries.

‘Is that baking I can smell?’ She sniffed appreciatively at an enticing aroma of burned sugar that seeped into the cab.

‘Probably. The Peek Frean’s factory is one of the main employers in this area,’ Bunny said, handing her out of the cab. ‘They call this place “Biscuit Town”.’

Their heads down against a sudden rainstorm, they ran for the entrance, splashing through puddles that soaked their feet, and exploded into the entrance hall laughing delightedly. A group of ladies in wide-brimmed hats and black-suited gentleman gave the newcomers slow, appraising looks, some curious, others of bored disinterest, before going back to their conversations.

Bunny handed the porter who held open the door for them the printed invitation that had so perplexed him earlier.

‘Mr and Mrs Harrington, is it?’ He squinted at the square of pasteboard. ‘As you can see, we have quite a few visitors today, but someone will be here shortly to show you around.’

About the Author:


Born in London, Anita has always had a penchant for all things historical. She now lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, the backdrop for her Flora Maguire mysteries.

 

Anita’s Blog – http:thedisorganisedauthor.blogspot.co.uk

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/anita.davison

Twitter – https://twitter.com/AnitaSDavison

Blog Tour: Blood Rites by David Stuart Davies @Urbanebooks

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Goodreads|Amazon US|Amazon UK
Release date: November 9, 2017

Publisher: Urbane

Genre: Crime Fiction 

Blurb:

Blood Rites is the latest gripping DI Paul Snow thriller from renowned crime writer David Stiart Davies. 1980s Yorkshire. DI Paul Snow has a personal demon. He is a homosexual but is desperate to keep it secret, knowing it would finish his career in the intolerant police force. As this personal drama unfolds, he is involved in investigating a series of violent murders in the town. All the victims appear to be chosen at random and appear to have no connection with each other. After the fourth murder, he is removed from the case for not finding the killer but continues investigating the matter privately. Gradually, Paul manages to determine a link between the murder victims, but this places his own life in great danger. Can Paul unmask the killer as he wrestles with his own demons? 

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Blood Rites! I have a fantastic guest post from the author to share today. 


Detective Inspector Paul Snow

 

 

Paul Snow is homosexual. He is also a high ranking police officer. In the 1980s when Blood Rites is set, to be gay in the police force was not something one could admit to without the admission having a detrimental effect on career and standing within the force. It was an era when gays kept their sexual preferences under wraps. As Peter Tatchell observed: ‘In the past, LGBT+ police officers were closeted and repressed. They were agents of a homophobic institution and lived in fear of being outed and sacked’. Indeed Snow has the constant worry of being outed. As a result, he lives a celibate life and fuels all his passions into his police work, but the danger of exposure is always present. There is another danger, of course: that of dropping his guard and giving way to his natural impulses. He tries hard to prevent this happening, but sometimes fate intervenes. Paul is only human after all.

In Blood Rites, however, Paul has a girlfriend, Matilda, of whom he is very fond but his emotions go no further than that. She does not interest him sexually. He feels guilty in his relationship with her because he realises it gives him a shield of acceptability behind which to hide. He is aware that a man in his thirties without a wife or a girlfriend may very well raise suspicions within the police as to why this might be the case. Things become even more complicated when Matilda’s brother arrives on the scene. He is also gay and takes a shine to Paul and this stirs our hero’s emotions.

Of course there is more to Paul Snow than his sexuality. He is a bright, dogged and perceptive policeman and he certainly has to be in Blood Rites, which concerns a series of murders in Paul’s patch, the Yorkshire town of Huddersfield. There is no apparent link between the victims which gives him nothing to go on in tracing the killer. After the fourth murder, he is removed from the case, but continues investigating the matter privately. It is a matter of pride with him now to solve this case and bring the murderer to justice. As he comes closer to a solution both his private and professional life spiral into free fall and the climax of the novel is shocking in the extreme.

Snow is a good man and a good police officer but sometimes circumstances force him into behaving badly. He is tall and thin, gaunt even, which reflects his Spartan life style. In general, even in police work, he keeps his own counsel. He dresses simply but smartly in a conventional fashion. While not exactly good looking, he is quite attractive. He a sensitive quiet and a gentle man. Despite his weaknesses and failings, I do believe the reader will side with him during the course of the story.

As a writer, I conjure characters out of my imagination but I believe it is essential that they ring true as real people. As soon as I began to sketch in the character of Paul, I found him a fascinating fellow. He is an iceberg creation. There is much more below the surface than is visible. During the course of the novel as we learn more of Paul’s thoughts and motives, we are allowed to dip below the waterline a little. But even I, as his creator, have not yet been able to probe all his feelings and secrets. That is what makes him such a fascinating character. I hope you get to meet him.

 Oohh Paul Snow sure sounds interesting to me, I’ll definitely be adding Blood Rites to me TBR! 

Extract: Hattie’s Home by Mary Gibson @HoZ_books

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Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: November 2, 2017

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb:

Three very different women struggle against incredible hardship in post-war South London.

Hattie, a rising star in the ATS, finds herself relegated to the factory floor on her return from the war. Her work mates are unforgiving at Hattie’s attempt to raise herself up and she is soon ostracised. After journeying across the world to Australia to marry her husband, Clara is betrayed and returns penniless, homeless and trying to raise a child in the face of prejudice. Lou, a war widow, has lost more than most in the war. Her daughter and parents are dead, killed in a bomb blast on an air raid shelter. By day, she works at the factory, by night she roams the bombsites half mad with grief.

These women will forge a bond that will ultimately allow each of them to overcome crippling grief, harsh prejudice and post-war deprivation to find hope in a better tomorrow for themselves and their children.

Extract:

The Wasteland

January 1947

Life was moving on for Hattie Wright, but it seemed the number forty-seven bus to Bermondsey was not. Too much snow and too little skill on the part of the driver had brought the bus to a halt in Tooley Street. A resigned groan from her fellow passengers rippled along the bus. Hattie stood up. Hefting her well-worn army kitbag down from the overhead rack, she hopped off the running board into the deep bank of snow piled against the kerb. Still wearing her stout army shoes and ats greatcoat, at least she’d be warm. They were calling this the worst winter in living memory, but she’d been hardened up by three biting winters in Belgium.

The journey by rail from Southampton had been predictably slow. Everything in the country seemed broken. Trains, rails, ticket machines, buffet cars, signals and even the people, hustling along platforms, huddling in smoke-filled, freezing carriages, seemed worn out beyond repair. There was a national stoop she’d noticed – which surely hadn’t been there last time she was home – a universal taut-faced, clenched-fist bowing to the bitter Arctic wind sweeping across the country. She marched along Tooley Street, glimpsing herself in an office window. Had she developed the stoop? Not yet. Her tall figure was slim and strong. Perhaps staying on in the army had saved her. Her shoulders were square beneath the kitbag’s weight and, in spite of the hampering snow, her stride purposeful. At twenty-seven, her pale ivory skin was still good, her pointed chin taut and her red-gold hair still abundant. The war hadn’t worn her out; it had honed her.

Hattie hadn’t been back to Bermondsey since 1942; five long years and it hadn’t been long enough. She certainly didn’t want to be here now. But what choice did she have? Eight years as an ats sergeant fighting the war hadn’t prepared her at all for the peace. The sort of roles she felt ready for were being reserved for returning servicemen. Besides, her mother had made a rare plea for her to come home. She was, she’d said, finding it hard to cope these days and was nearly blind. Sometimes her mother was prone to exaggeration, but the spidery, blotted handwriting of her letter spoke more persuasively than her words.

The devastation along the riverside was plainly visible from Tooley Street. It wasn’t so much what was still there, as what was now gone that struck her. Here, the Thames had always been obscured by slab-faced offices and docks, but now through jagged gaps she could see the river riding high, a dull afternoon sun raddling its ice-black surface. The destruction in this area was exactly what she’d expected. The docks had always been the target, of course.

Hattie cut down Bermondsey Street – a whole tract of which had disappeared in a tumbled wreckage. Burned, eyeless windows stared from shells of buildings and she passed one tall house, still inhabited by the looks of it, which stood exposed on three sides. Wallpaper and fireplaces patterned its outside walls as it stood in isolation amongst the piles of rubble. She wondered who would have wanted to stay living there, and yet where else would they go? She wasn’t the only one facing a life of limited choices.

But as she came to the end of Bermondsey Street shock hit her like a bomb blast. She was about to cut across one of the many small side streets leading into Abbey Street, but she couldn’t find one of them. Where was Larnaca Street? Stanworth Street? There was nothing left. Instead she was forced to cross a moraine of tumbled bricks, stone boulders and splintered timber. Where rows of terraced houses ought to have been, was instead a wide tract of wasteland, littered with rubble, heaped with pyramids of charred beams, punctuated by twisted metal. In one street, only the back wall of a row of houses was left standing – a patchwork mural of water- and fire-damaged wallpapers.

She pushed on, astonished that in the twenty months since the war’s end so few areas had been cleared. But in those that had, no sign was left of their former occupants or usage, all trace of the life that had gone on in that place had been eradicated. The cleared sites looked somehow more forlorn than the jumble of walls and collapsed roofs. At least they remained a memorial to the life that had been lived before the war.

About the Author:

Mary Gibson was brought up in Bermondsey, London – the setting for her novels, Custard Tarts and Broken Hearts, Jam & Roses, and Gunner Girls and Fighter Boys. Find out more at www.marygibsonauthor.co.uk

Blog Tour: The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

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Goodreads|Amazon|Publisher Website

Release date: January 9, 2018

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Genre: Psychological Thriller

A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.

You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.

You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.

You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.

You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.

Assume nothing.

Discover the next blockbuster novel of suspense, and get ready for the read of your life.

I’m thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for The Wife Between Us today!

Review:

Have you already been seeing the major buzz surrounding this book? I can’t imagine any active reader not seeing this somewhere, but in case you haven’t I’m here to ensure that you really need to add this to your must read list for 2018. The hype is real you guys, this book was SO fantastic, it’s fresh, exciting and I guarantee everyone will be raving about it in the new year AND it’s already been optioned as a movie!

There’s a reason that the blurb for this is so vague, I fear saying too much will ruin things, but I’ll do my best. Assume nothing is solid advice, this is not the book you think it is, it’s better and so much more than what it appears to be. It’s divided into three parts and the first part alternates between Nellie and Vanessa. Be patient here because the best is yet to come, I was by no means bored during this section, it was highly entertaining and addictive but when part two begins and things get flipped on their head I was beyond shocked. I’m talking jaw dropping stunned, this was so cleverly, sharply executed, it blew my mind! I had to reread several pages after some heart stopping twists just to make sure that I had indeed read correctly. I had and again, I was floored.

You know those special books that you want to immediately read again as soon as you finish because it was THAT amazing? This is that book. Even knowing what I now know wouldn’t take away from my enjoyment on a reread I don’t think, instead I think I would be more like, ahh ok I see what Hendricks and Pekkanen did here, look at this smart little breadcrumb! Outstanding characterization, an insanely twisty and complicated plot and a super addictive writing style will make this a huge book in 2018, preorder this one now and thank me later!

Overall rating: 5/5 (ALL THE STARS)

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.