So what if you woke up one day to find yours gone?
Your mum, your friends, your freedom – all gone.
And the one person you trust may be hiding a terrible secret.
Welcome to Arrietty’s life.
Abby Davies was born in Macclesfield in 1984. She grew up in Bedfordshire in a seventeenth century cottage near Flitton Moor and started writing ‘thrillers’ when she was seven years old.
After reading English Literature at Sheffield University and training to be an English teacher, she wrote novels in her free time.
She was shortlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition in 2018 and longlisted for the Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award in 2019. Her debut Mother Loves Me was published by HarperCollins in 2020. The Cult came out in 2021. Arrietty is her third novel.
She lives in Wiltshire with her husband, daughter and two crazy cocker spaniels.
My thoughts: it takes a while to get into Arrietty’s world, things aren’t quite right. Her dad seems very angry, her mum’s missing and she doesn’t know why, she can’t remember things and her little brother is getting very upset.
As the story unfolds you won’t know who to trust, even Arrietty is questioning herself, can she be trusted when she can’t remember anything? What has happened to her family and why is her therapist Rose so friendly to her dad?
A strange and at times upsetting, disturbing story of mental health, reality, memory loss, grief and sadness. It becomes very hard to understand at times, like Arrietty we don’t know who to trust or what’s going on, I found myself as lost as she is, but it starts to come together before another shocking twist. Interesting and illustrated with Arrietty’s sketches.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Aspiring comedian Abi has always been told that she’s too much, but never felt like enough. Until she meets Will, who changes everything she’s been made to believe by men, the media and her mum. He loves her just the way she is.
HIS KIDS.
But Will is a package deal and comes with two daughters from a previous relationship. Suddenly Abi finds herself thrown into the spotlight, and not just on the stage…
CAN SHE WIN OVER THIS TOUGH CROWD?
Abi is used to playing to difficult audiences, but step-parenting, and winning over the girls, is going to be her toughest challenge yet. Can she finally prove her critics wrong and triumph at her biggest gig to date?
A fun and feel-good romantic comedy about love, friendship and family for anyone who’s struggled to feel like enough and find their place. Fans of Beth O’Leary and Ruth Jones will love this warm and witty page-turner.
My thoughts: this was very funny and I was highly entertained. I remember seeing Andi on TV and she’s really hilarious so of course the book is. I loved Abi, she’s a great character. Larger than life, but not so lucky in love, she’s just trying to get her comedy career going up a level, and meet the man of her dreams, like any woman.
Will might just be that man, one problem – he’s got two daughters and the teenage one doesn’t seem very keen on Abi at all.
Cue a silent war, attempts at friendship rebuffed, struggling with whether to say anything to her boyfriend, and getting super frustrated. Plus Abi’s mum is a nightmare, her sister is keeping secrets and she’s fallen out with her friends. Plenty of drama to go round.
Thankfully Abi realises she needs to put on her big girl pants and dig herself out of this rut, get her act (literally) together and be the grown up. But the journey is lots of fun to read!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for my review but all opinions remain my own.
Ginny Splinter, acclaimed radio host and relationship expert, prides herself on knowing what’s best for others. So, she’s sure her husband, Adrian, will love the special trip to Italy she’s planned for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. But when Ginny presents the gift, he surprises her with his own very different plan: a divorce.
Beside herself with heartache, Ginny impulsively goes live on air to invite four heartbroken listeners to join her instead. From hiking the hills of Bologna to sharing a gondola in Venice and dancing until dawn, Ginny and her guests embark on a holiday of full of fun, hope and healing.
Sunny, tender and brimming with charm, The Little Italian Hotel explores love, the importance of friendship, and reclaiming the present moment – even if it means leaving the past behind.
My thoughts: this was lovely, really heartwarming, hug in a book stuff as Ginny and her new friends embrace all that Italy has to offer, sun, amazing food, stunning views, beautiful architecture and oodles of history, and learn to heal, to live for the moment and not to mourn. Each of them has a secret heartbreak, and tragedy but all of them can find a new lease on life by getting to know one another and opening up.
Even hotel owner Nico and his teenage daughter Loretta need to heal and move on from their own losses and live their lives, whether they stay at the hotel Splendido or move on.
Ginny finally stops trying to fix everything for everyone else and starts to do the things she really wants to do, on her terms. It’s never too late to start over and find happiness.
This book will lift you up, make you laugh and possibly cry but ultimately feel rather cheerful.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for my review but all opinions remain my own.
When Mrs King, housekeeper to the most illustrious home in Mayfair, is suddenly dismissed after years of loyal service, she knows just who to recruit to help her take revenge.
A black-market queen out to settle her scores. An actress desperate for a magnificent part. A seamstress dreaming of a better life. And Mrs King’s predecessor, who has been keeping the dark secrets of Park Lane far too long.
Mrs King has an audacious plan in mind, one that will reunite her women in the depths of the house on the night of a magnificent ball – and play out right under the noses of her former employers…
THEY COME FROM NOTHING. BUT THEY’LL LEAVE WITH EVERYTHING.
A note from the author… I love books full of big houses, broken families, loyal friendships and wild ambitions – textured with all the glorious sights, scents and sounds of the past. When I started The Housekeepers, I was itching to write a novel set in the early 1900s, to revel in the era’s extraordinary opulence, scrappy characters, remarkable flashes of modernity, and layers of corruption that exist just underneath the polished exterior. I’d also always adored the slick engineering of a juicy heist plot, and was longing to try and write one of my own. I was washing the dishes – apt, in hindsight – when it occurred to me that the marbled drawing rooms and glittering saloons of Edwardian London had all the gumption and gloss of a Las Vegas casino, and could make the perfect backdrop for a high-stakes heist. My mind’s eye turned slowly to a green baize door, and a cast of servants began sidling out of the shadows, each with their own desire for revenge… I’ve been asked why I turned to an alliance of women to lead the cast of The Housekeepers, and it’s a good question, and one I’ve considered myself too. The truthful answer is that I never really saw this tale any other way; the decision was instinctive. I love Mrs King and her gang – they feel a bonedeep desire to imprint themselves on the world and the systems that marginalise them, as I think many of us do. The Housekeepers is, of course, a work of fiction, but the glittering Park Lane mansion at the heart of this story is inspired by extraordinary houses that once stood all around the wealthiest parts of West London. Stand outside the present-day Dorchester Hotel and you can still glimpse Stanhope House, turreted and gargoyled, commissioned for soap manufacturer Robert William Hudson in 1899. It faced 25 Park Lane, a luxury townhouse built for Barney Barnato, a music-hall actor who made an eyewatering fortune in diamond-mining before dying mysteriously at sea. These were homes built for rich and powerful men, containing the most decadent and costly treasures, attended to by a seemingly endless supply of obedient servants. But just imagine what might have happened if some of those working below stairs had decided to claim a little of that power for themselves.
Alex Hay grew up in Cambridge and Cardiff and has been writing as long as he can remember. He studied History at the University of York, and wrote his dissertation on female power at royal courts, combing the archives for every scrap of drama and skulduggery he could find. He has worked in magazine publishing and the charity sector, and is a graduate of the Curtis Brown Write Your Novel course. The Housekeepers is his debut novel and won the Caledonia Novel Award 2022. Alex lives with his husband in South East London. T: @AlexHayBooks I: @AlexHayBooks Website: alexhaybooks.com #TheHousekeepers
My thoughts: this was very good, really enjoyable and clever. I loved Mrs King and her gang of actors, thieves and reprobates. They decide to turn the tables on the people they’ve worked for, the ones who could barely be bothered to acknowledge them most of the time, one servant’s the same as any other. But they know all of your secrets and that knowledge means everything.
The plan is incredibly complex and so well done, pulled off with great flair and leaving the “Upstairs” crowd completely unaware of what’s gone on right under their noses. Never underestimate a housekeeper who’s had enough.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own
Two years on from the start of a devastating pandemic, food shortages are becoming critical, and rationing looms. So it’s more than embarrassing when a lorry full of luxury food for Scottish Virus Minister’s banquet goes missing. When Bernard and Maitland from the HET team find it, the food is missing – but there is a dead body.
My thoughts: this series is very funny and clever and keeps me entertained. The hapless team at the North Edinburgh HET are tasked with finding a missing van load of food, that might have been pinched by eco terrorists, which could be very awkward for their ghastly boss. But then there’s dead bodies and still the hangover of their last case and chaos ensues.
Even though some of the team are technically police officers seconded to HET, they’re not empowered to arrest anyone or even demand more than a Health Check, which is just what they need. And now the police liaison officers have vanished and they’ve been given a new manager, who doesn’t want to be there.
Mona’s still looking into the Bryce matter from before, getting a bit distracted by a hunky Belgian terrorist, who might be somehow involved in both cases. And they’ve finally let their pet IT nerd out in the field, not that he’s got a clue either.
It’s all madness as ever and none of its really a Health matter, except the Minister says it is, but really it’s about embarrassing headlines at an awkward moment. Bernard also has some family matters to sort out, hardly great timing. Can’t wait to see how it all falls out in the next book.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own
A catastrophic climate emergency has spawned a one-child policy in the UK, ruthlessly enforced by a totalitarian regime. Compulsory abortion of ‘excess’ pregnancies and mandatory contraceptive implants are now the norm, and families must adhere to strict consumption quotas as the world descends into chaos. Kai is a 25-year-old ‘baby reaper’, working for the Ministry of Population and Family Planning. If any of her assigned families attempts to exceed their child quota, she ensures they pay the price. Until, one morning, she discovers that an illegal sibling on her Ministry hitlist is hers. And to protect her parents from severe penalties, she must secretly investigate before anyone else finds out. Kai’s hunt for her forbidden sister unearths much more than a dark family secret. As she stumbles across a series of heinous crimes perpetrated by the people she trusted most, she makes a devastating discovery that could bring down the government … and tear her family apart.
Eve Smith writes speculative thrillers, mainly about the things that scare her. Longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize and described by Waterstones as ‘an exciting new voice in crime fiction’, Eve’s debut novel, The Waiting Rooms, set in the aftermath of an antibiotic resistance crisis, was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize First Novel Award and was a Book of the Month in the Guardian, who compared her writing to Michael Crichton’s. It was followed by Off-Target, about a world where genetic engineering of children is routine. Eve’s previous job at an environmental charity took her to research projects across Asia, Africa and the Americas, and she has an ongoing passion for wild creatures, wild science and far-flung places. She lives in Oxfordshire with her family.
My thoughts: oh this one is a doozy. Blending fact and fiction into a chilling potential future where women’s bodies are even more policed than they ever have been, where government agents will literally drag you off to an abortion if you’re exceeding the draconian one child policy. Your every move is monitored, every resource you consume – food, power, travel, is documented.
Kai believes in the system, she’s part of it. But when she discovers a family secret that could destroy everything she knows, and is then pulled into a huge conspiracy with far reaching consequences, will she do the right thing and help stop the government she works for or will she shut her eyes to the sinister truth?
Absolutely gripping and totally shocking, this is another powerhouse of speculative fiction that may just give you nightmares. Would the real UK government go this far in the face of the climate crisis? I don’t know, and I really hope Eve can’t predict the future.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Everyone is talking about Oppenheimer but we want to talk about the extraordinary women in his life! Read on for more!
An Atomic Love Story
11 May 2023…Just weeks before the July 21 opening of Christopher Nolan’s much-anticipated film, Oppenheimer, Turner Book Publishing has released a revised paperback edition of An Atomic Love Story: The Extraordinary Women In Robert Opppenheimer’s Life. While Emily Blunt (Kitty) and Florence Pugh (Jean) briefly appear in the movie trailer, the real women they portray are thoroughly fleshed out in the book by authors Shirley Streshinsky and Patricia Klaus.
Set against a dramatic backdrop of war, spies, and nuclear bombs, An Atomic Love Story unveils a vivid new view of a tumultuous era and one of its most important figures. In the early decades of the 20th century, three highly ambitious women found their way to the West Coast, where each was destined to collide with the young Oppenheimer, the enigmatic physicist whose work in creating the atomic bomb would forever impact modern history. His first and most intense love was for Jean Tatlock, though he married the tempestuous Kitty Harrison—both were members of the Communist Party—and was rumored to have had a scandalous affair with the brilliant Ruth Sherman Tolman, ten years his senior and the wife of another celebrated physicist. Each was connected through a relationship to Oppenheimer Their experiences reflect important changes in the lives of American women in the 20th century: the conflict between career and marriage; the need for a woman to define herself independently; experimentation with sexuality; and the growth of career opportunities.
Beautifully written and superbly researched through a rich collection of firsthand accounts, this intimate portrait shares the tragedies, betrayals, and romances of an alluring man and three bold women, revealing how they pushed to the very forefront of social and cultural changes in a fascinating, volatile era.
Shirley Streshinsky is a critically acclaimed author of three works of nonfiction and four historical novels. As a journalist and travel essayist, she has written extensively for a wide range of national magazines such as Glamour, Preservation, American Heritage, The American Scholar, and Condé Nast Traveler. She is the recipient of the Society of Magazine Writers’ Award for Excellence and the National Council for the Advancement of Education Writing award, and was cited by The Educational Press Association of America for “superlative achievement in features.” Her travel essays have been a feature on National Public Radio. She was married to the late photojournalist Ted Streshinsky and lives in Kensington (Berkeley), California.
Patricia Klaus is an independent scholar who attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, and then Stanford University where she earned a Ph.D. in Modern British History. She taught twentieth-century British history at Yale University, was a visiting lecturer at the University of Virginia and Stanford, and has written a number of historical articles. Her particular interests are women in nineteenth and twentieth century England as well as the study of war and literature, which made working on a book about the remarkable women of the Atomic Age especially appealing.
Now in its 7th year the DESIblitz Literature Festival 2023, will take place across venues in Birmingham including from 20th – 29th October and will feature some of the biggest names in British South Asian writing, fiction, poetry, storytelling, music, film, TV and publishing as well as exciting up and coming talent.
DESIblitz founder Indi Deol set up the DESIblitz Literature Festival because he wanted to create a platform that would establish writing as a viable career among British South Asian communities. At the heart of the festival is the desire to showcase the talents of established British South Asian writers to demonstrate to young minds and budding writers that it is possible to be a professional writer in the UK if you are from an Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Lankan background. In order to make literature as accessible as possible most of the festival events are free. Tickets are available via Eventbrite, the DESIblitz Literature Festival website and through partner venues.
The DESIblitz Literature Festival also has a focus on bringing writing, storytelling and culture from South Asia to schools across the UK with the DESIblitz Truck Art Bus. The Truck Art Bus was decorated last year by world-renowned professional truck artist Haider Ali from Pakistan and has so far visited 11 schools and will be at the festival this year with a programme of story telling from a range of South Asian cultures.
The headline event at the 2023 DESIblitz Literature Festival will be a 25th Anniversary panel with the cast of Goodness Gracious Me. Actors including Kulvinder Ghir and Nina Wadia will be joined by original script writer Sanjeev Kholi to discuss why Goodness Gracious Me was a watershed moment for actors from the British South Asian Community, and the legacy of the show 25 years later.
Broadcaster and Journalist Saima Mir, talking about her critically acclaimed Muslim female led crime novel The Khan with the theatre director and crime writer Ajay Chowdhury will discuss his latest crime novel The Detective published by Penguin Vintage in April. Historical fiction novelist Melissa Addey has written several historical fiction series covering histories in Morocco, Ancient Greece and India and will discuss her latest release.
Inspiration for children will come from established authors Bali Rai and Jasbinder Bilan. Bali Rai’s popular children’s book Rani & Sukh described as a “true mash-up of Shakespeare, Bollywood and Punjabi folk tales”, was published in 2004 and later became a GCSE set-text, his latest novel A Sudden Storm comes out in October, while Jasbinder Bilan is the Costa Award winning children’s author of Asha and the Spirit Bird. In her writing she loves creating magical worlds inspired by her love of nature and wild places.
Nonfiction comes from some of the UK’s leading Doctors and Lawyers including Dr Shahed Yousaf is a prison doctor dedicated to caring for people on the margins of society. An outsider on the inside, in his memoir Stitched Up (Penguin August 2023) he introduces us to a cast of unforgettable characters, including killers, con men and auto-cannibals.
At a time when medicine is a highly sought-after career for Indian women, it is hard to imagine what it was like for the pioneers. Lady Doctors: The Untold Stories of India’s First Women in Medicine by Kavitha Rao (Jacaranda Books August 2023) tells the story of how women were bound by the restraints of family, caste and society, and how fiercely they fought to escape.
Founder Indi Deol
Nash Ramji, who arrived as a refugee from Uganda in 70s and has gone on to become one of Leicester’s leading law practitioners and a justice of the peace, his novel The Price Of Honour: A Thrilling Story About An Honour Killing is inspired by the true story of an honour killing that he presided over.
Music will come from Channi SinghOBE the “godfather” of Bhangra in the West, Punjabi Music Composer Harbans Singh Jandhu, Kulwant Singh Bhamrah from the traditional Bhangra street band Apna Sangeet, up and coming Punjabi folk singers the Grewal Twins as well as the master of bhangra dancing Sukhi Bart.
A woman who’s lost everything. A demon without a care. And a chance encounter that sparks an unwanted passion.
Lena Sommer can’t win. Her marriage is a failure. The yoga studio she founded no longer needs her. And she just lost her grandma, the only family she’s ever known. Alone, grieving, and determined not to repeat the mistakes of her past, she tries to ignore the advances of a rakish singer she meets on the beach. But his carefree nature is infectious, and his mesmerizing voice proves too seductive to resist.
Elias Georgiou has it all—a loving family, the endless ocean, and, most importantly, his independence. Constrained by nothing but the pursuit of pleasure, the last thing he’s interested in is a relationship with any of the countless admirers he charms with his song. Until he meets Lena, and a future with the resilient and courageous woman becomes more tempting than freedom.
Can Lena learn to trust herself and Elias in the face of past betrayal? Or will the enchanted song of a consummate bachelor ruin all hope for a future filled with love?
Enter a world parallel to our own. A world touched by the supernatural. A world where demons live among us.
Each novella in this contemporary paranormal romance series delivers a guaranteed HEA between sexy demons and ambitious, professionally-driven women. With mature characters and vibrant settings, the Demons Among Us series explores the erotic connections between our modern world and its demonic shadow.
When Kiara is dumped by text and then ghosted by her boyfriend, she resolves to concentrate on her successful artist career and leave dating to those who can handle that heartbreak. But the chance to dress up as a teacup work of art and participate in a scavenger hunt at the New York City modern art museum to win her favorite artist’s painting has her pairing up with a stranger dressed as a Rembrandt. He may not know much about modern art, but he certainly knows how to make her heart beat. Can Kiara take a chance on love again?
Kathy Strobos is a writer living in New York City with her husband and two children, amid a growing collection of books, toys and dollhouses. She previously worked as a lawyer before switching careers to write romantic comedies full-time and get in shape. Born and raised in Manhattan, she loves writing about NYC and the accomplished heroines who live and fall in love there, amidst its vibrant energy and the aroma of Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookies. She is the author of A Scavenger Hunt for Hearts, Partner Pursuit, Is This for Real?, Caper Crush, and My Book Boyfriend. She is still working on getting in shape.
My thoughts: this novella is short and sweet, as dejected artist Kiara, dressed as a furry cup and saucer, joins forces with lawyer Finn, dressed as a Rembrandt self portrait, to take part in an art scavenger hunt. But they find more than they bargained for as they bond and begin to fall for one another. Can she get past her ex and her broken heart to see the man in front of her?
Cute and charming, this is part of an interconnected series of romance stories, all available now.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own
ramblingmads 