To celebrate the release of the new book in the series, Veiled Scars, we want to reacquaint you with the first installment, The Timewalker Archives! Visit our Instagram page for a chance to win a paperback edition of this beauty!
The Timewalker Archives (The Timewalker Archives, Vol 1)
Publication Date: May 2023
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Time Travel
Hidden Abilities
Secret Societies
Deadly Competition
Historical Descendants
Slow Burn
Trauma & Anxiety Rep
Rivals to Lovers
Women in History
Hidden Clues
Unlikely alliances, ancient lineages, and a rich history shrouded in secrets propel Adelaide Anson in her search for the only thing that matters—the truth behind the fire that claimed her parents’ lives.
When a mysterious letter appears promising answers, she finds herself joining the allusive time traveling order of the Red Rose Society. As she makes her way from the French Revolution to the American Civil War and back again, Adelaide is left wondering who she can trust, and more importantly, who she’ll be. With danger and dashing companions at every turn, her emerging ability to see fragments of history leads her on a path to uncover the answers she seeks—and some she did not ask for.
While time unravels in ways she never thought possible, she’s forced to examine her role in history’s making. But as she quickly learns, the truth comes with a price, and some secrets are better left buried. Adelaide’s tale of twisted time will leave her asking the ultimate question—is protecting the past worth sacrificing your future?
The Timewalker Archives is the first book in a young adult historical fantasy series perfect for fans of NBC’s Timeless and Alyson Noël’s Stealing Infinity.
Adored only child of Henry VIII and his Queen, Katherine of Aragon, Princess Mary is raised in the golden splendour of her father’s court. But the King wants a son and heir.
With her parents’ marriage, and England, in crisis, Mary’s perfect world begins to fall apart. Exiled from the court and her beloved mother, she seeks solace in her faith, praying for her father to bring her home. But when the King does promise to restore her to favour, his love comes with a condition.
The choice Mary faces will haunt her for years to come – in her allegiances, her marriage and her own fight for the crown. Can she become the queen she was born to be?
MARY I. HER STORY.
Alison Weir’s new Tudor novel is the tale, full of drama and tragedy, of how a princess with such promise, loved by all who knew her, became the infamous Bloody Mary.
Alison Weir is a bestselling historical novelist of Tudor fiction, and the leading female historian in the United Kingdom. She has published more than thirty books, including many leading works of non-fiction, and has sold over three million copies worldwide.
Her novels include the Tudor Rose trilogy, which spans three generations of history’s most iconic family – the Tudors, and the highly acclaimed Six Tudor Queens series about the wives of Henry VIII, all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers.
Alison is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an honorary life patron of Historic Royal Palaces.
alisonweir.org.uk – @AlisonWeirBooks
BLOODY MARY?
Alison Weir’s personal take on Mary I.
When Headline commissioned my Tudor Rose trilogy of novels, I was gripped by the prospect of writing the final book in the trilogy, Mary I: Queen of Sorrows. I had already covered her reign in my non-fiction work Children of England: The Heirs of Henry VIII, which was published in 1996 and focused on Henry’s three successors, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, and his niece, Lady Jane Grey. Having undertaken extensive research, I was very familiar with Mary’s story and her later notoriety as ‘Bloody Mary’. But there was a personal reason for my enthusiasm too. I have enormous sympathy for Mary as the child of a broken marriage and, later, a woman fighting for the right to practise her religion. She was eleven when her parents’ marriage started to fall apart; I was eleven when mine split up. In each case, there was another woman involved, whom I loathed as much as Mary loathed Anne Boleyn. In each case, the break-up was complicated and painfully drawn out. My father did not spare me the emotional traumas from which he should have protected me, and the same could be said of Henry VIII’s treatment of Mary. My mother was as staunchly loving and supportive of me as Katherine of Aragon was of Mary. Like Katherine, she was threatened with prison if she defied my father. I understand Mary’s nervous reactions, for I reacted in a similar way, having suffered life-long anxiety as a consequence of what my father did, and I too frequently hark back to the safe, happy world of my childhood, which seems like a golden age in retrospect, as Mary’s must have done to her. My own experiences therefore inform this book. I am well placed to understand how the ‘Great Matter’ of the ‘Divorce’ impacted on Mary. I would not now define myself as a victim, but that was nevertheless what I was – and what Mary was. And both of us, I feel, eventually rose above it. Since I published Children of England, much new research has been done on Mary, and new biographies have been published, focusing on her achievements. In recent years, I have become aware that there has been a concerted attempt to rehabilitate her reputation. Yet when I came to write this novel, and revisited my own research, I found that I could not entirely support this new view. Yes, it is important to credit Mary for her achievements, the greatest of which was her successful taking of the throne that was rightfully hers. No one could doubt her courage or her presence of mind. Against tremendous odds, she overcame an attempt to replace her with her cousin, Lady Jane Grey, and emerged triumphant, to a roar of popular acclaim. But there, with her accession, my sympathy for Mary begins to evaporate. As a novelist, it was a challenge to make her a wholly sympathetic heroine, because I find it impossible to see her that way. I have tried to look at things from her point of view, but I cannot go against what the historical evidence is telling me – and this book is based closely on the historical record. And so this novel offers what I hope is a balanced – if controversial – portrayal.
My thoughts: I found this to be quite a balanced view of Mary I, from her turbulent childhood and all it’s worries, over succession and legitimacy, being shunted from Royal residence to Royal residence, having the people she cared for removed and given new servants depending on the whim of the King and whichever Queen he had at the time. Being separated from her mother for long periods of time, her complicated relationships with her siblings and stepmothers.
Then when she does take the throne, the repressive nature of her reign. The terrible religious persecution of those years, the political upheaval and throughout, her terrible health problems. She married late in life and her inability to produce an heir weighed heavily on her. Her insistence that England should return to Rome caused endless problems that she refused to allow her council to temper.
Alison Weir is a writer I really like, her novels are always well researched and written, she makes even the most unpleasant members of the court interesting, I think Henry VIII was a monster, but she gives us his daughter’ loving but bewildered view of him here, she cannot understand his behaviour towards her mother, Katherine of Aragon, or herself, when he declares her illegitimate.
Mary is not the most likeable monarch and history has not portrayed her well, but I can empathise with her health worries and loneliness, if not her intolerance and rigidity. Her marriage isn’t a good one, and the weight of expectation on her was somewhat cruel, although her life was one of extreme privilege.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
On an ordinary day in 2017, Jo receives a phone call about her 18-year-old daughter, Jessie. It is the call that every parent dreads. In 1940, 17-year-old Alice ties on her facemask and enters a laboratory to harvest a potential new miracle drug called penicillin. The lives of these women become entwined when Jo finds Alice’s diary in a vintage handbag. Past and present overlap and merge as life-changing events resonate for them all across the gulf of time.
This is a story about a diary opening a door on the past, chronicling a young woman’s determination to succeed against all odds, while unknowingly inspiring others to step into a better life. Set against the backdrop of the Second World War, the infancy of antibiotics and a modern medical emergency and its consequences, it not only reminds us how fortunate we are to live now, but also serves as a stark warning about the fragility of life and the dangers of complacency.
Margot Shepherd is a British author who was born in Yorkshire where she spent her childhood. She now lives in rural Sussex with her husband and Springer Spaniel, Genni. When she’s not writing she works in medical research at the University of Surrey. She writes about family relationships with a particular emphasis on women and science from a female point of view.
My thoughts: Jo finds Alice’s diary from 1940 in a vintage handbag, and inspired by Alice’s life, both Jo and her daughter decide to make changes to their lives. Jessie has contracted meningitis, and thankfully has recovered, Alice’s diary helps her as she and Jo read it.
Alice works in a lab in 1940 helping develop penicillin – and make huge changes in treating infectious diseases, saving lives. Her father is away fighting in the war, and she struggles with her mum and brother. Her work inspires her to want more and apply to be a nurse.
As Jo and Jessie read Alice’s diary and the story moves back and forth in time, these three women will all become more than they are.
I felt personally connected to Alice’s story, my mum had a serious kidney condition as a child and was hospitalised – antibiotics saved her life, I wouldn’t be here if they didn’t exist thanks to scientists and their assistants like Alice. And much like Alice, my mum trained as a nurse and served in the NHS for over 40 years.
I also really loved Jo and Jessie – their relationship is strengthened as they live together during Jessie’s recovery, Jo realises she’s surrendered her life in order to do what her husband thought best, and that she should rebuild her career and do something for herself now both her daughters are grown up.
Jessie also decides a bit more about her future – she’s studying physics and wants to work on antibiotic resistance, so more people can survive illnesses like the meningitis she contracted.
The book is full of hope – all three women across both timelines are moving towards hopeful, bright new futures.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
He once destroyed everything she loved. Now, only he can save her from ruin. Can she forgive, and even love, her enemy?
This cover is giving LIFE! We love a good gothic cover and the book sounds even more amazing!
The Island King
Expected Publication Date: Summer 2024
Genre: Dark Gothic Romance/ Dark Historical Romance
🌺Dark History
🌺Fierce FMC
🌺Adventure
🌺Forbidden Love
🌺Cliffhanger Ending
🌺Exotic Setting
🌺African Spirituality
🌺Marriage of Convenience
🌺Enemies to Lovers
🌺Touch Her & 💀
🌺He Falls First
🌺Found Family
🌺F0rced Pr0ximity
🌺Ghostly Interruptions
🌺Love Triangle
🌺Political Corruption
🌺Mysteries & Secrets
🌺Thick Tension
In this dark, immersive tale, the author of STRANGE EDEN returns to colonial Nassau to continue the story of Eliza Sharpe’s volatile marriage to Charles Sharpe.
1792: In the aftermath of her lover Jean’s death, Eliza harbors a secret that threatens to make her fraught situation even worse. She is carrying his child. But when the clairvoyant slave Cleo comes to her aid, the solution holds devastating consequences.
Charles, meanwhile, is engaged in his own secret dealings. When he reveals his plans to Eliza, she is forced to do the unthinkable: to reframe the man she’s viewed for so long as an enemy, into an ally, perhaps even a friend.
Perhaps more.
Events directed by Lord Dunmore’s insatiable greed threaten to destroy their shaky reconciliation. Clandestine political meetings emerge as the other colonists seek an end to the corruption on the island, and they turn to Charles for leadership. But the governor of the Bahamas wants him dead, and he’s hired the perfect man for the deed.
Can Eliza forgive the man she once viewed as a monster? Or has the desperation and darkness that lurks within the walls of Pleasant Hall finally driven her to madness?
TW: Suicidal ideation & attempted suicide
About the Author
Gina Giordano always had an insatiable curiosity and a penchant for history. Born in New York City, she is a writer, artist, and a conjurer of the past. She holds a BA in history and a master’s degree in historical fiction from New York University, and has traveled to over fifty countries across the globe. When she is not climbing ancient ruins or exploring forgotten palaces, she enjoys swimming with sharks in remote pristine waters. STRANGE EDEN is her debut novel.
To sign up for exciting news and to find out more about the author, visit her website at http://www.ginagiordano.net.
The Honourable Cressida Fawcett is expecting the cathedral crypt to be full of dry old bones. But when she finds a body murdered just moments before, she’ll need divine inspiration to solve her most mysterious case yet…
Winchester, 1925. When heiress and amateur sleuth Cressida Fawcett is invited to her aunt’s mansion on Cloister Close, she is looking forward to a quiet stay in the historic town. The views of the cathedral are heavenly – and her aunt’s maid, Nancy, makes devilishly good ginger biscuits! But it seems Cressy and her pug Ruby won’t be allowed to rest in peace… On a tour of the crypt, they are shocked to stumble across the body of Anthony, the gentle, devoted verger. And a wild-eyed Nancy is standing over him, bloodied candlestick in hand…
Since Nancy was caught red-handed and the only other suspect is the Silent Friar, the legendary local ghost, Detective Andrews of Scotland Yard thinks the case is closed. But Nancy swears she would never have killed Anthony; they were in love. And while Cressy may not believe in ghosts, she does believe Nancy. So, whose soul is full of murder most foul? And will they strike again?
As she digs through parishioner gossip, Cressy discovers that for a man of the cloth, the verger had a surprising number of enemies. Was a local antiques dealer driven to murder over an illegal trade in holy relics? Would the head bellringer kill to achieve his musical ambitions? Or is the saintly Dean, whose black-cloaked figure resembles the Silent Friar and whose wife recently drowned, hiding a deadly sin?
The cathedral conceals many secrets, and it seems Cressy will need a miracle to uncover the truth. But then Cressy finds a hidden passageway to the crypt. Is this how the murderer escaped? The sceptical police lack faith in her theories, but can she catch the killer and save Nancy from the hangman’s noose? Or will she be too late to prevent another funeral march?
A totally gripping and deliciously witty historical murder mystery with a gasp-out-loud reveal, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss.
Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter.
InstagramTwitter Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Fliss Chester here
You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love
My thoughts: after all the murders and other crimes Cressida has dealt with, she’s looking for a quiet break at her aunt’s in Winchester, in the shadow of the cathedral. Accompanied by her loyal pug Ruby, and joined by Dotty and Alfred, it should be a lovely break.
Unfortunately Cressida’s luck doesn’t hold and she and Aunt Mary stumble across the body of the cathedral’s verger, Anthony, with Nancy, her aunt’s maid standing over him, holding the murder weapon.
Cressida calls in DCI Andrews to help the local police, who are baffled, as Nancy swears blind she didn’t kill anyone.
Obviously Cressida can’t help but investigate, and after spotting some family silver in a local pawn shop, she starts putting the pieces together. She just needs a few more.
Uncovering a conspiracy involving the bones of former Bishop, St Swithun, and with Ruby literally sniffing out some clues, it’s another compelling case for Cressida and Co.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
The Jagged Scar is a spin-off from Nick Rippington’s much-acclaimed Boxer Boys series.
Troubled schoolgirl Red and her best friend Marc visit London for a Valentine’s party but they get separated and she ends up in a police cell.
While behind bars the teenager befriends mysterious glamour girl Kat who negotiates her release and invites her to a 70s Soho awash with strip clubs, porn shops, shady characters and bent cops.
Unhappy with her home life back in Wales, she opts to stay and lands a job in the nightclub empire of former stripper Blaize and her porn king husband Jack.
Before long she has made friends, settled into the lifestyle and forgotten all about the problems at home.
That is until her world is turned upside down by a sequence of tragic events. It leads her to question those around her and brings her to the notice of some leading players in London’s dark underbelly who will stop at nothing to keep their unlawful activities under wraps.
And as she closes in on the truth, Red is about to make the shocking discovery that her new life is inextricably linked with the past she’s so desperate to leave behind.
Nick Rippington would like it to be known that although he once worked for the News of the World he has never hacked a mobile phone. For that matter, most of the time he can’t even remember his own passcode.
A national sports journalist with a wealth of experience, Nick took the plunge and began writing crime thrillers when Rupert Murdoch shut down Europe’s biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in 2011 as a result of the phone hacking scandal.
His debut novel Crossing The Whitewash came out in 2015, receiving an honourable mention in the Writers’ Digest Self-publishing eBook awards.
That launched the Boxer Boys series, which has found a niche in the growing UK gangland market. To date, there are four books in the series – Crossing The Whitewash, Spark Out, Dying Seconds and Bare Lies.
Nick’s creation of the notorious Dolan family, their associates and enemies has been greeted with acclaim by some of the country’s most prestigious book bloggers.
Meanwhile, his standalone psychological thriller Rabette Run has been described as ‘Alice in Wonderland… with tanks and guns’ with a twist you didn’t see coming. Rabette Run (published by Red Dragon) and Crossing the Whitewash are both available as audio books while the first three novels in the Boxer Boys series are available in digital format with Amazon as a box set.
The Jagged Scar, Nick’s 6th novel, is a spin-off of the Boxer Boys which can be read as a standalone, as can all his books. It is based in 1970s Soho, London, and you may notice a few characters that appear much later in the saga.
Nick has now moved out of East London to the wilds of Suffolk with wife Liz and daughter Livvy.
My thoughts: two teenagers run away from a small Welsh village to London in the 70s. Separated they follow their own paths – Red finds work in a Soho club as the assistant to the owner, Blaize. She’s naive and doesn’t really understand what business her new friends are in.
Things take dark turns and her naivety is soon worn away, and after a friend is killed in police custody, she vows revenge.
Meanwhile, the siblings the friends left behind in Wales start looking for them, following tiny clues to track down their beloved sister and brother.
This was a really fascinating and gripping look at the dark side of 70s London life through the lens of several young and innocent souls. There’s a lot that happens to them and some shocking, terrible things come to light. Red in particular goes through an enormous amount and Marc’s story was heartbreaking.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Lady Georgiana Pendlebury is no stranger to breaking the rules of polite society. But when a so-called ‘friend’ invites her to a clandestine party, Georgiana is shocked to discover the event is more scandalous than even she could have imagined. So when a mysterious stranger offers help, she accepts, not realising their encounter will turn her life upside down.
Later that summer, Georgiana is invited to attend a house party at an infamous castle in Yorkshire.
The gathering is a loosely veiled effort to arrange a marriage for the Duke of Northriding, who desperately needs an heir. Duke Gabriel Mauleverer has a terrible reputation as a rake, and Georgiana is happy to be a guest purely for the entertainment, but upon arrival, she is shocked to discover that the Duke is none other than the stranger who rescued her weeks earlier.
As the other ladies vie for the Duke’s attention, Georgiana is desperate to avoid their shocking secret getting out. But she finds herself caught, unable to avoid Gabriel’s gaze. Are they a threat to each other? Or could they be the answer to each other’s greatest desires?
Emma Orchard is the author of several well-reviewed regency romance novels published by Allison & Busby. In her other life she is a literary agent. Her first book with Boldwood is a raunchy romp set in Regency London.
My thoughts: Georgiana and Gabriel are very well suited to each other, despite her determination not to fall for him. But after getting caught in a compromising clinch at the Duke’s ball, they have no choice but to announce their engagement.
But despite feeling like they’ve been forced into it, they can’t deny their feelings and even when threatened at literal gunpoint, they stick together, proving a strong united front that will stand them in good stead as the Duke and Duchess of Northriding.
A fun, frothy, spicy Regency romance with two strong willed protagonists destined to be together.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
‘My defloration was talked about in all the courts of Europe. The Prince boasted of his prowess, even as preparations were being made for his wedding, as boldly as if he had ridden across that causeway with bloodstained sheet tied to his lance.’
1584, Italy: Twenty-year-old Giulia expects she will live and die incarcerated as a silk weaver within the walls of her Florentine orphanage, where she has never so much as glimpsed her own face. This all changes with the visit of the Medici family’s most trusted advisor, promising her a generous dowry and a husband if she agrees to a small sacrifice that will bring honour and glory to her native city.
Vincenzo Gonzaga, libertine heir to the dukedom of Mantua, wants to marry the Grand-Duke of Tuscany’s eldest daughter, but the rumours around his unconsummated first marriage must be silenced first. Eager for a dynastic alliance that will be a bulwark against the threat of Protestant heresy beyond the Alps, the Pope and his cardinals turn a blind eye to a mortal sin.
A powerful #MeToo story of the Renaissance, based on true events.
Katherine Mezzacappa is an Irish writer of mainly historical fiction, currently living in Italy. She has published several novels under pen names with publishers Bonnier Zaffre and eXtasy. She works as a manuscript assessor for The Literary Consultancy. Katherine reviews for Historical Novel Society’s quarterly journal and is one of the organisers of the Society’s 2022 UK conference.
In her spare time she volunteers with a used book charity of which she is a founder member.
My thoughts: based on real events, this follows Guilia, a young woman raised in a Florentine orphanage and chosen to be the virgin offered up to prove the Prince of Mantua’s virility.
Used and abused by cruel men, Guilia finds happiness with the husband found for her by the politician Vinta, a man who has become obsessed with her and who spies on her family.
Writing her memoirs as a letter to the mother she never knew, Guilia’s story is one of tragedy and joy, moving and charming. She’s a true survivor and with her husband and children lives a good, virtuous life, as women of the Renaissance were expected to. But Vinta casts a long shadow and threatens her son, causing her to seek aid from the Grand Duke of Mantua – formerly the Prince she once thought she loved. Her story goes full circle.
Fascinating and filled with the detail of Italian life in the 16th century, as she was raised to weave, Guilia often comments on fabrics and designs.
The situation she is placed in as a young woman is shocking and not in keeping with the religiosity of the age, but since it’s all supposed to be secret, and bloodlines, heirs and wealth were so central to how the city states ran, it isn’t entirely surprising someone came up with this test.
While the real Guilia disappears from the historical record shortly after this, Katherine Mezzacappa brings her and her world vividly to life in this novel.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
**Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.**
We’re thrilled to share another of Elyse Hoffman’s genre-blurring and thought-provoking stories. This one is called Adiel and the Führer and it’s now available!
Adiel and the Führer: A Thought-Provoking Tale of Alternate History
Publication Date: April 20, 2024
Gere: Historical Fantasy
A chance to prevent the rise of Hitler… but at what cost?
Adiel Goldstein has a good life. Despite the anti-Semitism he faces as a German Jew, he has everything he wants. A dream job as an art professor, good friends, a loving father, and a precious nine-year-old daughter, Kaia. But his life is about to be upended. An old comrade from his time fighting in the Great War is gaining power: a man named Hitler. Adiel’s father insists that they need to leave the country before Hitler becomes the leader of Germany.
Adiel and his family plan to move to America, but before they can even pack their bags, he and Kaia make a shocking discovery. Adiel’s father, Natan Goldstein, is from the future. A Holocaust survivor who lost his family to unspeakable tragedy, Natan was given the chance to go back in time and take the life of Adolf Hitler. But when Natan failed to kill the future Führer, he devoted himself to his new family and awaited the inevitable.
Natan can’t face the Holocaust again, but Adiel’s unique connection to Hitler means he might be able to succeed where his father failed. Adiel now has a choice: escape as planned and let history repeat itself, or sacrifice everything to stop the Holocaust before it can begin.
Award winning author Elyse Hoffman has crafted a thought-provoking and daring work of historical fiction which will tug at your heartstrings.
Elyse Hoffman is an award-winning author who strives to tell historical tales with new twists. She loves to meld WWII and Jewish history with fantasy, folklore, and the paranormal. She has written six works of Holocaust historical fiction: The Barracks of the Holocaust five-book series and The Book of Uriel. Elyse’s books are the way to go if you love history and want to read some unique stories.
“A Prayer for Junie is a compelling and atmospheric story about friendship, love and the lengths people will go to in order to save those they care about.” Caroline Bishop, The Other Daughter, The Lost Chapter
Newly married Junie has found love but she has no idea who her husband really is. When her life is in danger, there is only one way this relationship can end.
Philomena has known Junie’s abusive husband, Gregory, since they were children and has grown to fear him. Set apart from the rest of the village community on a secluded plain, the women develop a strong bond. While Philomena plots to run away with her, Junie hopes the child she is carrying will change her husband’s violent behaviour.
When Philomena’s friendship is put to the test, she soon discovers how far she will go to protect her friend. Now a death on the plain and Junie’s disappearance has the whole village talking.
Can Philomena live with what she has done and will she ever let go of Junie’s memory?
In this powerful novel of lies, love and compassion a mystery unravels.
Fran Clark writes Women’s Fiction, both contemporary and historical. Her first novel was published by Indigo Dreams in 2014. In the same year she achieved a Distinction in her Creative Writing MA from Brunel University. In 2016 she was shortlisted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize. In February 2024, her Island Secrets Book Series will be published, starting with Holding Paradise Book 1.
Originally from London, Fran moved to the English countryside with her musician husband. A musician herself, Fran teaches vocals and leads a local choir. She has two sons.
Fran also writes under the pseudonym, Rosa Temple, writing contemporary fiction and published by HQ Digital and Simon & Schuster UK
My thoughts: set in 1950s Dominica, this is a love story, a story about survival, about a crime and about finding a way out.
When Philomena meets Junie, brought to her village by the glowering boy next door, Gregory, a man who has never cared for his neighbours, there’s an instant connection between the two women. But Gregory, violent, drunk and insanely jealous doesn’t like the friendship between them and uses his fists to control his wife.
Philomena is determined to save her friend, to help her get away from the abuse and fear she lives in. Her own life, marriage to her colleague at the school and plans to move to New York, offer a possible way out for Junie.
As Gregory seems to get worse, becoming more aggressive and controlling, landing Junie in the hospital, Philomena realises her feelings are deeper than friendship for Junie, and that she would do almost anything for her.
Things take a darker turn and Junie vanishes, leaving Philomena frantic. But she’s due to leave for the US and can’t find her friend anywhere. She may never know what happened to Junie.
Moving, intelligent writing with compelling and interesting characters, A Prayer for Junie is timeless and powerful story telling.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 