Tag: time travel

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl – Lisa Hall

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Murder and scandal in the heat of 1950s Las Vegas: can Lily Jones stop a murder that happened before she was born?

Lily Jones can’t forget her incredible time-slip adventure back to the Golden Age of Hollywood and the friends she made there – especially a handsome barman by the name of Louis, with whom she felt such a strong connection.

Back in 2020, life isn’t going so well for her and Lily is idly googling when she is horrified to discover that Evelyn, Louis’ ex-girlfriend, is brutally murdered in 1953.

She is compelled to go back to the 1950s and try to save Evelyn’s life, but this time it isn’t just the gilded stars of Tinseltown she will have to contend with, but The Mob as she finds herself in the seedy glamour of Vegas and learns that Evelyn’s future depends upon her first solving the murder of a Vegas showgirl.

Thankfully she has Louis and his sister, Tilda, to help her, but her own life is in danger as she tries to find the killer and change Evelyn’s fate. What will she risk to save a life?

Goodreads Purchase

Lisa Hall is the bestselling author of six psychological thrillers and the Hotel Hollywood time-slip murder mystery series. Her debut novel Between You and Me was a Kindle UK number one bestseller, sitting in the top spot for over four weeks. Lisa has a First Class Honours degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. She lives in Kent with her husband and their three children.

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My thoughts: Lily has tried to forget her strange time travelling episode, but when she learns that Evelyn was murdered in 1953, she decides she to at least try to go back in time again and save her.

But time travel doesn’t always go quite right and instead she’s back in 1950, six months after she left, and Evelyn’s boyfriend has been arrested for murder. So now Lily has to solve that case before she can prevent Evelyn’s death.

So it’s off to Las Vegas, gangsters, glamour and crime. Except that Vegas wasn’t really Vegas yet, The Golden Nugget was there, but not all the crazy hotels and casinos that now line the strip, but it’s beginning to grow and stars are going there. Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, the rest of the Rat Pack and Judy Garland hanging out.

The victim was a dancer, a showgirl, although the press say she was a waitress. And the Mob are running the town, so perhaps she got involved with something, or someone, she shouldn’t have…

Heading out on the case with Louis and Tilda in tow, Lily soon picks up a clue but as the trio dig, they put themselves in the firing line, the mobsters don’t mess around and they certainly don’t take kindly to anyone looking into their business. When Tilda goes missing, it’s up to Lily and Louis to find her and get the answers they need, and hopefully save Evelyn too.

I really like this series and this is a great read, lots of action and adventure in the desert and stars everywhere you turn. It’s murder with a touch of true glamour.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Priest’s Wife – A.G. Rivett

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When her husband the priest dies, Morag loses more than her life partner. With him goes her home and her place in the community. In addition to these misfortunes, in a society that sets great store by lineage, she is challenged about the mysterious identity of her mother, and it is this that sets her on a quest of discovery that comes, at first, upon a blank, but in time leads her to the circle of the island’s ‘Guardians’, who mediate her discovery of her mother’s identity, and, step by step, her own deeper self-knowing and self-acceptance. 

When Aidan, the new priest, undertakes a campaign to upturn the township’s spirituality, which has accommodated older druidical forms alongside the Christ story, both he and the community are set on a collision course. As tension builds the shareg (headman) of the town, must intervene. Finding no way through that conforms to the norms of his world, he must take a radical and unconventional step. 

The book explores mental breakdown (Aidan’s) and severe depression (Morag’s, at the mid-point of the story when she finds herself at an impasse). It reflects religious tensions that have existed historically. It celebrates the natural world and the resilience of the human spirit in resisting a coercive authority. In doing so, Morag steps into her full personhood.

Goodreads Purchase

Ceredigion author A G Rivett claims to have lived several lives in the course of his one life. Born in London, raised in the Home Counties, he has been a doctor, a priest, and a crofter in the Scottish Highlands. He has lived in rural Northern Nigeria and knows what a simpler life looks like, less dependent on technology. He now lives in West Wales with his wife, Gillian Paschkes-Bell, who works with him as a writing team. There, he grows fruit and vegetables and has sewn a wildflower meadow. He has three daughters and two grandsons.

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My thoughts: I felt for Morag, with her husband’s death she loses not only her partner but her home and her standing in the village. With nowhere for her, she leaves to travel back to the place she grew up, hoping to find a home there. She has questions about her mother’s identity that she alone cannot answer and on her quest for a new home, she must also reckon with her past. Meeting the Guardians helps her, and gives her guidance, but the rest is up to her.

At a point in her life where she might have expected stability and the quiet comforts of home and family, she is thrust into a quest for answers about her past and her future.

Meanwhile the new priest must contend with the islanders unique belief system, his own ambitions and try to find a place in this community that is wary of outsiders. Aiden must attempt to master the challenges of his role and rise to the beliefs his church leaders have in him.

Morag and Aidan are a study in contrast, both are starting again at points in their lives they did not expect and must overcome others’ assumptions about them and their place in the world as well as contend with their own personal internal worries.

It’s another interesting study of change and belief, as with Morag’s adopted son in The Seaborne.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Seaborne – A.G. Rivett

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John Finlay is fleeing from failure. His engineering business has failed. His relationship has failed. His flight from debts leads him to disaster – and to the Island, where he must learn to live anew.

Dermot, pulling a boy barely alive from the water, has never seen anyone so strangely dressed. His Celtic island knows nothing of debt, nor engineering. Where has this man come from?

John struggles to accept that he has been carried across time and into another world – both like and unlike his own. How he got there is a mystery. But John, the foreigner, must turn slowly into Dhion, the Islander.

Still, he brings with him unfinished business that must be faced, and ideas that may not always be welcomed. Meanwhile Dermot, consumed with a growing jealousy, develops his own deadly agenda.

The whole community finds itself caught up in what becomes a matter of survival – or transformation. A tale of loss and change. A spiritual inquiry. And a love story.

Goodreads Purchase

Ceredigion author A G Rivett claims to have lived several lives in the course of his one life. Born in London, raised in the Home Counties, he has been a doctor, a priest, and a crofter in the Scottish Highlands. He has lived in rural Northern Nigeria and knows what a simpler life looks like, less dependent on technology. He now lives in West Wales with his wife, Gillian Paschkes-Bell, who works with him as a writing team. There, he grows fruit and vegetables and has sewn a wildflower meadow. He has three daughters and two grandsons.

Facebook Website

My thoughts: John finds himself on an island that might be a bit like a lost Scottish/Irish one, where people speak  sort of Gaelic/Celtic language, where Christianity has mixed into their traditional beliefs, and where they still believe in the sidhe (the fae/faeries/fair folk) as well as God the Father and Gaia the Mother.

John is unable at first to communicate with his rescuers, they don’t understand his modern English, too far removed from its mish-mashed roots in Latin, French, Greek and Germanic languages. He slowly learns their language and tries to adapt to the very different way of living, something closer to the way people lived a thousand years ago or so when the Anglo-Saxons and Norse lived in England.

As he adjusts to the island life, he forms relationships with some of the villagers he lives among, attempts to find work he can do, as an engineer he’s keen to build things and introduce some technology to the place. One of the young women becomes interested in him, and this adds to the enmity Dermot, a young man there, begins to feel, seeing John as his rival. A rivalry John does not feel. 

Offered a chance to return to his own time and world, John must choose the life he has found on the island, or the one he was running from – his business, his family and Helen, the woman he left behind. Can he start again there or has the life he has begun to build amongst the islanders become his real life? 

An interesting and imaginative book, would we, if offered a similar chance to begin somewhere new, choose it or return to our technologically advanced but disconnected one? Thought-provoking and intriguing.  

*I was kindly gifted a copy of the book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Mysterious Double Death of Honey Black – Lisa Hall

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You know she has been murdered. Can you stop it happening twice?

Two very different lives

It is 2019 and Lily Jones is living her dream in LA. Sort of. It hasn’t quite turned out as she planned and instead of working as a movie producer, she is cleaning at the prestigious Beverly Hills Hotel. At least she gets to work in the renowned Paul Williams suite, site of the brutal murder of Honey Black 70 years ago, shrouded in rumour and dark glamour.

It is 1949 and Honey Black is about to hit the big time. She may have started out a country girl from Hicksville but now she is a star. And Hollywood had better watch out nothing can stop her now!

One Hollywood murder

After an accidental bump to the head, Lily finds herself in Hollywood, 1949. Like a dream come true, she is rubbing shoulders with the great and good of Tinseltown. Including Honey Black…

Horrified, Lily realises that the actress has only two weeks left to live before she will be murdered. Could this be why she has found herself in 1949? To find the killer and stop them in their tracks?

Goodreads Purchase

Lisa Hall is the bestselling author of six psychological thrillers and the Hotel Hollywood time-slip murder mystery series. Her debut novel Between You and Me was a Kindle UK number one bestseller, sitting in the top spot for over four weeks. Lisa has a First Class Honours degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. She lives in Kent with her husband and their three children.

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My thoughts: Lily suffers a very nasty bump on the head while cleaning a hotel bathroom and somehow she’s in 1949, but complete with her 2019 brain. She knows it’s two weeks until movie star Holly Black will be murdered, and she’s going to try to stop it, if she can.

Luckily being a fan of all things vintage, she manages to fit in pretty well and even gets a job that might bring her closer to Holly, close enough to save her?

But she also might need to find a way back to her own life somehow. Can she stop a murder and figure out time travel? Well, she’s got to try and she doesn’t have a lot of time left. The countdown is on to find a killer in this clever and funny time travelling crime caper, Lily is a fantastic sleuth in some regards, she knows details of Holly’s death but not who the killer was, so that’s a problem.

I really like this series so I’m glad to have a reason to re-read this book, I couldn’t remember whether Lily managed it or not, so it felt like reading it for the first time. It’s a fun read and Lily’s a great protagonist, 40s Hollywood is a really interesting time, largely cut off from the realities of post-war life, making glamorous films, and operating under the unpopular Hays Code.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Rune Stone – Julia Ibbotson

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When Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, finds a mysterious runic inscription on a Rune Stone in the graveyard of her husband’s village church, she unwittingly sets off a chain of circumstances that disturb their quiet lives in ways she never expected. 

She, once again, feels the echoes of the past resonate through time and into the present. 

Can she unlock the secrets of the runes in the life of the 6th century Lady Vivianne and in Viv’s own life? 

Again, lives of the past and present intertwine alarmingly as Viv desperately tries to save them both, without changing the course of history.

Goodreads Purchase

Dr Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of resonances across time. She sees her author brand as a historical fiction writer of romantic mysteries that are character-driven, well-paced, evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. 

Her current series focuses on early medieval dual-time/time-slip mysteries. 

Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/ literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. 

Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. She has also indie-published three other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her latest, Daughter of Mercia, is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon dual time mystery/romances where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries. 

Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘compelling character-driven novels’, ‘a skilled story-teller’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘incredible writing style’, ‘intricately written’, ‘absorbing and captivating’, and ‘an absolute gem of a trilogy’

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My thoughts: and so we come to the last book in this series, The Rune Stone. Viv and Rory are back from Madeira and adjusting to life in their Derbyshire village when an unusual discovery in the churchyard sets off Viv’s time travelling adventures once more. This time Lady Vivianne is in trouble, faced with invaders, an advanced pregnancy and war rumoured to be coming from all directions, she reaches through the centuries to her descendant for strength. And despite the worry she might drop the baby while having one of her turns, Viv answers. The carved stone in the churchyard might just refer to Lady Vivianne. But what does eccentric Ivy have to do with it all and can Viv stop a predatory parishioner stealing her husband at the same time?

I really enjoyed this series, the blend of historical fiction and modern day Time Team style investigations – especially once Tilly gets involved. I liked the linking of ancient traditions with more modern ones and the need to put things back where they belong so the dead can rest easy.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Dragon Tree – Julia Ibbotson

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Echoes of the past resonate through time and disturb medievalist Dr DuLac as she struggles with misfortune in the present. 

She and Rev Rory have escaped to the island of Madeira on a secondment from their posts, yet they are not to find peace – until they can solve the mystery of the shard of azulejo and the ancient ammonite. 

Viv’s search brings her into contact with two troubled women: a noblewoman shipwrecked on the island in the 14th century and a rebellious nun from the 16th century. 

As Viv reaches out across the centuries, their lives become intertwined, and she must uncover the secrets of the ominous Dragon Tree in order to locate lost artefacts that can shape the future.

Goodreads Purchase

Dr Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of resonances across time. She sees her author brand as a historical fiction writer of romantic mysteries that are character-driven, well-paced, evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. 

Her current series focuses on early medieval dual-time/time-slip mysteries. 

Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/ literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. 

Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. She has also indie-published three other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her latest, Daughter of Mercia, is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon dual time mystery/romances where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries. 

Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘compelling character-driven novels’, ‘a skilled story-teller’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘incredible writing style’, ‘intricately written’, ‘absorbing and captivating’, and ‘an absolute gem of a trilogy’

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My thoughts: it took me a bit longer to get into this second time travelling adventure, perhaps because it opened on such sadness, or maybe because I haven’t been to Madeira (although I’ve certainly eaten the cake) and don’t know a lot about it or Portuguese history in general. Portugal is that bit further and seems to have wisely stayed out of various mix ups in history that England, France and Spain seemed determined to have. Sensible place really.

But as Viv starts to connect more with the island’s history, Ana and her descendants, finding out more about the turbulent past and the casual erasure of the (most probably) real original settlers – the Moors, and their influences, I enjoyed it more. Viv is reeling for a tragedy and she and Rory are drifting from each other, each in their own private pain.

Moving to Madeira might seem an extreme way to handle grief, but I can see the desire for a place that doesn’t hold the sad memories the way their home in the UK does. Viv’s research has moved forward too – into a later part of the medieval period- the reign of the English Edward III, who doesn’t come across too well in Ana’s memories, shared by Viv. His wife, Philippa of Hainault is an interesting figure and I would have liked a tiny bit more of her.

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Blog Tour: Dissonance – Sarah Emmer

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Dissonance

Welcome to the book tour for Sarah Emmer’s time travel fantasy, Dissonance. Read on for more details!

ebook (1)

Dissonance (The Timekeepers of Laeviin Book 2)

Publication Date: December 2023

Genre: Romantic Fantasy/ Time Travel

End the Dissonance. Restart the Timeline.

Nirel and Jase escape, but arrive in the past injured and far from their destination. A new mission emerges: rescue the prince from the assassination that began the war.

However, the Goddess of Time is silent, leaving them without guidance when they need it the most.

In the present, Corvin fears the worst when he cannot locate Nirel, not even with the assistance of forbidden magic. This new power urges him to take innocent lives, and his spiral threatens destruction for the entire kingdom.

If those in the past can’t save the present, the future will cease to exist at all.

Available on Amazon

About the Author

Sarah Emmer, Romantic Fantasy Author

Sarah is a romantic fantasy and contemporary romance author and audiobook narrator. She loves to weave reality within imagined worlds and explore the depths of human emotion in her characters. Sarah has two very special sons that inspire her stories every day.

Sarah Emmer

Book Tour Schedule

January 15th

http://rrbooktours.com Landing Page

https://instagram.com/the_bookish_cave_of_wonders?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA== – Review

https://www.instagram.com/lit.and.Elle/ – Review

https://lshadowlynauthor.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/authormariereed/ – Feature

January 16th

https://rissreviewsx.wixsite.com/website – Review

https://www.instagram.com/book.aholic003/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D – Review

https://www.instagram.com/emerald.moon.reads/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/samanthainfantasyworld/ – Feature

January 17th

https://www.instagram.com/squeakeysundergroundlibrary/ – Review

https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/ilovebooksandstuffblog/

https://darkfantasyreviews.wordpress.com – Feature

January 18th

https://www.instagram.com/littleredpandareader/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/booked_by_megs/  – Review

https://www.instagram.com/bookish_lady_night/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D – Feature

https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/ – Feature

January 19th

https://www.instagram.com/bookgrlobsessed/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/shandyreadsromantasy/?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw%3D%3D – Review

http://ramblingmads.com – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/dragonmoshpit.reads/?hl=en – Feature

Book Tour Organized By:

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Blog Tour: The Rune Stone – Julia Ibbotson

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Click to go to the review of the previous title in this series – The Dragon Tree

The Rune Stone (Dr DuLac series Book 3)
A haunting time-slip mystery of runes and romance.
When Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, finds a mysterious runic inscription on a Rune Stone in the graveyard of her husband’s village church, she unwittingly sets off a chain of circumstances that disturb their quiet lives in ways she never expected. Once again, she feels the echoes of the past resonate through time and into the present. Can she unlock the secrets of the runes in the life of the 6th century Lady Vivianne and in Viv’s own life? Lives of the past and present intertwine alarmingly as Viv desperately tries to save them both, without changing the course of history.
For fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, Christina Courtenay.

Medieval church cross shaft


(for A Shape on the Air) “In the best Barbara Erskine tradition …I would highly recommend this novel” -Historical Novel Society
(for the series) “Julia does an incredible job of setting up the idea of time-shift so that it’s believable and makes sense” – book tour reviewer
“Dr Ibbotson has created living, breathing characters that will remain in the reader’s mind long after the book is read … The characters are brought to life beautifully with perfect economy of description … fabulous!” – Melissa Morgan
“A rich and evocative time-slip novel that beautifully and satisfyingly concludes this superb trilogy.
The story is woven seamlessly and skilfully between the past and the present and the reader is drawn deeply into both worlds. Her portrayal of the 6th century and its way of life are authoritative, vivid and memorable” – Kate Sullivan
Purchase

Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She sees her author brand as a historical fiction writer of romantic mysteries that are evocative of time and place, well-
researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries. Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author
came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books (Endeavour) for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her work in progress is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon mysteries (Daughter of Mercia) where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries. Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’,
‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.

Amazon Author website & blog Facebook
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My thoughts: and so we come to the last book in this series, The Rune Stone. Viv and Rory are back from Madeira and adjusting to life in their Derbyshire village when an unusual discovery in the churchyard sets off Viv’s time travelling adventures once more. This time Lady Vivianne is in trouble, faced with invaders, an advanced pregnancy and war rumoured to be coming from all directions, she reaches through the centuries to her descendant for strength. And despite the worry she might drop the baby while having one of her turns, Viv answers. The carved stone in the churchyard might just refer to Lady Vivianne. But what does eccentric Ivy have to do with it all and can Viv stop a predatory parishioner stealing her husband at the same time?

I really enjoyed this series, the blend of historical fiction and modern day Time Team style investigations – especially once Tilly gets involved. I liked the linking of ancient traditions with more modern ones and the need to put things back where they belong so the dead can rest easy.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Dragon Tree – Julia Ibbotson

ramblingmads
Click to go to review of previous title in this series – A Shape on the Air

The Dragon Tree (Dr DuLac series Book 2)
A haunting medieval time-slip.
Echoes of the past resonate through time and disturb medievalist Dr DuLac as she struggles with misfortune in the present. She and Rev Rory have escaped to the island of Madeira on a secondment from their posts, yet they are not to find peace – until they can solve the mystery of the shard of azulejo and the ancient ammonite. Viv’s search brings her into contact with two troubled women: a
noblewoman shipwrecked on the island in the 14th century and a rebellious nun at the island convent in the 16th century. As Viv reaches out across the centuries, their lives become intertwined, and she must uncover the secrets of the ominous Dragon Tree in order to locate lost artefacts that
can shape the future.
For fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, Christina Courtenay.

(for A Shape on the Air) “In the best Barbara Erskine tradition …I would highly recommend this novel” -Historical Novel Society
(for the series) “Julia does an incredible job of setting up the idea of time-shift so that it’s believable and makes sense” – book tour reviewer
“The idea of being able to ‘feel’ what happened in the past is enticing … The sense of the island is really wonderful … Julia brings it to life evocatively” – Joanna Barnden
“an engaging and original time-slip novel that keeps the reader turning the pages…the characters are authentic and the mystery is neatly woven between the centuries … seamless time transitions”
– Melissa Morgan
Purchase

A sea boat in Madeira
Madeira mountains
Madeira boats in Camara Bay

Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She sees her author brand as a historical fiction writer of romantic mysteries that are evocative of time and place, well-
researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries. Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books (Endeavour) for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her work in progress is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon mysteries (Daughter of Mercia) where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries. Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’,
‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.

Amazon Author page Author website & blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
Goodreads

My thoughts: it took me a bit longer to get into this second time travelling adventure, perhaps because it opened on such sadness, or maybe because I haven’t been to Madeira (although I’ve certainly eaten the cake) and don’t know a lot about it or Portuguese history in general. Portugal is that bit further and seems to have wisely stayed out of various mix ups in history that England, France and Spain seemed determined to have. Sensible place really.

But as Viv starts to connect more with the island’s history, Ana and her descendants, finding out more about the turbulent past and the casual erasure of the (most probably) real original settlers – the Moors, and their influences, I enjoyed it more. Viv is reeling for a tragedy and she and Rory are drifting from each other, each in their own private pain.

Moving to Madeira might seem an extreme way to handle grief, but I can see the desire for a place that doesn’t hold the sad memories the way their home in the UK does. Viv’s research has moved forward too – into a later part of the medieval period- the reign of the English Edward III, who doesn’t come across too well in Ana’s memories, shared by Viv. His wife, Philippa of Hainault is an interesting figure and I would have liked a tiny bit more of her.

I didn’t embrace this book as enthusiastically as A Shape in the Air, which is a shame, although I did find it interesting and want to look at some wider medieval history. Book 3, The Rune Stone, will be reviewed later this week, so stay tuned.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: A Shape on the Air – Julia Ibbotson

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A Shape on the Air (Dr DuLac Book 1)
A haunting Anglo-Saxon time-slip of mystery and romance.
Can echoes of the past threaten the present? They are 1500 years apart, but can they reach out to each other across the centuries? One woman faces a traumatic truth in the present day. The other is
forced to marry the man she hates as the ‘dark ages’ unfold.
How can Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, unlock the secrets of the past? Traumatised by betrayal, she slips into 499 AD and into the body of Lady Vivianne, who is also battling treachery. Viv must uncover the mystery of the key that she unwittingly brings back with her to the present day, as echoes of the past resonate through time. But little does Viv realise just how much both their lives across the centuries will become so intertwined. And in the end, how can they help each other
across the ages without changing the course of history?
For fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, Christina Courtenay.

“In the best Barbara Erskine tradition …I would highly recommend this novel” -Historical Novel Society
“Amazing …a really great book …I just couldn’t put it down” -Hazel Morgan
“Well-rounded characters and a wealth of historical research make this a real page-turner” – Amazon review
“Enthralling” -Amazon review
“Julia does an incredible job of setting up the idea of time-shift so that it’s believable and makes sense” – Amazon review
“Viv/Lady Vivianne … lovely identifiable heroine in both time periods….I love her strength and vulnerability. And Rory/Roland is simply gorgeous!” – Melissa Morgan
“gripping … a very real sense of threat and danger, an enthralling mystery … a wholly convincing romance, across both timelines” – Anne Williams
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Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She sees her author brand as a historical fiction writer of romantic mysteries that are evocative of time and place, well-
researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries. Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books (Endeavour) for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her work in progress is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon mysteries (Daughter of Mercia) where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries. Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’,
‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.

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My thoughts: if you’ve been loitering around here long enough you’ll know by now that I am a massive history nerd, I love historical fiction and have a particular passion for the period between the end of Roman occupation and the medieval period (I will not be using the term that rhymes with fark fages) as well as the medieval period itself. While there isn’t a huge wealth of recorded detail of the period, writing being very primitive, mostly done by priests (the Romans however kept very detailed records) and paper expensive. So we have to use our imaginations a fair bit.

Which is why we get such fun books, like this and Christina Courtney’s books (although they’re set a bit later when the Vikings were settling in Britain) complete with time travel and mythical figures who may or may not have been real to some extent (yes, I’m talking about King Arthur, especially as Viv in this book is related very distantly to Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, who gave him Excalibur).

Viv has just had her heart broken by a horrible little man, when she first starts to time slip, finding herself in the body of Lady Vivianne, a Briton, herself hostage to another horrid man, who plans to forcibly marry her and cement his theft of her lands, titles and people, after her parents’ brutal deaths. But both modern Viv and historic Vivianne are tough women, smart and capable and surrounded by good friends who want to help them get back what’s theirs.

Thankfully Viv’s friends don’t immediately think she’s lost it, although they’re a little sceptical, but less so once hunky vicar (a thing I have never seen despite a lifetime of involvement in various bits of the church, including working for it and being educated by it – supposedly) Rory steps into the frame. Turns out he’s a fellow time traveller, who’s own equivalent avatar is Sir Roland, Lady Vivienne’s handsome friend (convenient that!).

Look, I loved this book, it’s a lot of fun, there’s lots of history, some romance, the women aren’t soppy but strong and stand on their own two feet, with excellent pals around them (even if, like Tilly, they’re a bit nuts) and I can’t wait to share the rest of the series with you – book 2 tomorrow!

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.