Pitching Up by Deborah Aubrey

                                          

Paperback:  331 pages      

Genre: Humorous Contemporary Fiction                                    

Publisher: Independently Published 2021

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: It suddenly occurred to Faye that  she wasn't sure where they were headed. Brian had, of course, told her at some point but she hadn't paid much attention

My Opinion:  I probably would not have picked this book to read, had it not been recommended by one of the librarians. A successful recommendation  as I enjoyed it and found myself laughing out loud. A good laugh was just what I needed.

Basically a story about a weekend on a campsite in the Cotswolds, where the campers in residence were all looking for relaxation in their own way.  However it turns into a camping trip like no other with some interesting and hilarious situations arising!

I shall certainly be on the look out for the sequels. They say laughter is the best medicine and this really did deliver the laughs and will appeal to campers and non-campers alike.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

 

A thoroughly entertaining read with a wonderful cast of charismatic characters in caravans who romp from one dramatic catastrophe to another. Touching, captivating, and very, very funny.

A group of strangers pitching up on a Cotswold caravan site, looking for rest and relaxation but instead encountering starvation, sleep deprivation, dehydration, motorbikers, drunken yummy-mummies, the police, shredded feet, unexpected nakedness, curries, the great loo run, and a line dancing barbecue. Oh, and the creepy guy in a tent at the bottom of the field.

It was a camping trip like no other and it would change all their lives.

A charismatic cast of characters that you’ll fall in love with. It’s about friendship, the kindness of campers, and the heart-warming humor of people getting on each other’s nerves.

You’ll be so emotionally exhausted after reading this you’ll need a holiday to recover.

Author Profile:      

                                    

                                                                                        

Born and lives in Birmingham, UK. Whilst raising three sons I sold short stories to national magazines, including Woman’s Weekly, People’s Friend, Take a Break and, oddly, Motor Caravan World. I also ran a successful online blog, Brummie Blogs, for many years, and a weekly piece for the Sunday Mercury newspaper as Brummie Broad.

I've worked as a city centre secretary, personal assistant and 'temp', and utilise this vast experience in my writing (office staff of Birmingham, be afraid, be very afraid). I ran a transcription business at home for 16 years, before flinging caution to the wind to become a full-time writer.

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page.   Goodreads Page. Facebook - Debbie Aubrey - Author

A History of Burning by Janika Oza

 

                                    

Hardback:  393 pages      

Genre: Historical Fiction                                   

Publisher: Chatto and Windus 2023

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: The last day Pirbhai spent in Gujarat was ignited by a sun that could not last. The heat was a dry beast, scorching the fields yellow as gora hair.

Review Quote: An ambitious, powerful read, it will transport you through time and across the globe, with a story that you won't forget ― Glamour, 

My Opinion: 

 ‘A History of Burning’ is a debut novel taking its inspiration from historical events in India, East Africa, England and Canada between 1898 and 1992. The author has obviously used her imagination, but has also done extensive research. Some events and chronology have been altered or compressed for the sake of the storyline. Wow, what a story!

A multi generational family saga, following Pirbhai and his descendants, from the time Pirbhai, at just thirteen years of age is coerced into labouring on the railway in India. He meets and marries Sonal, and they have three daughters, Latika, Mayuri and Kiya. Parents, children and grandchildren disperse across the world as they flee the brutality of life in Uganda.

A moving story full of trust and determination in the family’s ability to survive all that life throws at them. An ambitious intense novel that I can recommend to anyone that wants to learn more about this period in history from the Indian/Ugandan point of view.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Tricked aboard a boat to East Africa, Pirbhai is only thirteen when he is forced by the British into labouring on the railway. Under sweltering heat, hungry and frightened, he commits a terrible act just to survive.

He will never tell a soul, even when he meets Sonal, a fierce, loving woman with whom he starts a family in hope of a better life. But their granddaughters come of age in a divided nation. Latika falls headlong into the student protest movement, Mayuri's ambitions take her far from home, while Kiya's friendship with a Black Ugandan boy threatens them both.

Finally forced to flee, the family scatters across the world. They take with them a favourite rolling pin, a handful of photos, and a secret - that one day, will help them find each other again.

Author Profile:      

                                                           

                                                                                        

Janika Oza is a writer based in Toronto.

 

She was the winner of a 2022 O. Henry Prize for Short Fiction and the 2020 Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest. She has received fellowships and support from VONA, Tin House, One Story, the Millay Colony, the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts. 

​

Her debut novel, A History of Burning, was published in May 2023

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Profile.  Janika Oza - Official Website.   Instagram Profile

Twitter Profile

Promise Me by Jill Mansell

                                 

Hardback:  391 pages      

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fiction                                   

Publisher: Headline 2023

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: 'How much?' The old man ahead of Lou at the supermarket checkouts was glaring in disbelief at the female cashier.

Review Quote: This heartwarming new read from the queen of the feelgood romcom is the perfect thing to curl up with on a wet afternoon ― Good Housekeeping

My Opinion:  Jill Mansell has to be one of the most prolific writers of heart-warming love stories. By my count ‘Promise Me’ is her 34th, of which I have read just under half of them. The first one was back in 1998 and prior to this one, I was shocked to discover the last one was fifteen years ago. Yes I keep a record!  I have no idea why it has been so long as I have always enjoyed her novels. On a recent visit to my local library I was delighted to find her latest novel and home it came with me.

‘Promise Me’ finds Lou, recently made jobless and homeless accepting a live in housekeepers position for extremely grumpy Edgar in a beautiful Cotswold location. The storyline concentrates on the relationship between Lou and Edgar with plenty of other well portrayed characters introduced along with their own stories, that all link together to make for an uplifting read.

A gentle and compassionate story, recommended for the feel good factor from one of the Queens of the genre.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

One minute Lou is happily employed, with a perfect flat. The next, her home and job have gone. Suddenly she has to start over.

The last thing Lou wants is to move to a tiny Cotswolds village. She certainly doesn't intend to work for curmudgeonly eighty-year-old Edgar Allsopp. But Edgar is about to make her the kind of promise nobody could ignore. In return, she secretly vows to help him fall in love with life again.

Foxwell is also home to Remy, whose charm and charisma are proving hard to ignore. But Lou hasn't recovered from the last time she fell for a charmer. She needs a distraction - and luckily one's about to turn up.

Secrets never stay hidden for long in Foxwell, nor are promises always kept. And no one could guess what lies ahead...

Author Profile:

                                                        

Jill Mansell lives with her partner and children in Bristol, and writes full time. Actually that’s not true; she watches TV, eats fruit gums, admires the rugby players training in the sports field behind her house, and spends hours on the internet marvelling at how many other writers have blogs. Only when she’s completely run out of displacement activities does she write.


Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page.   Jill Mansell - Official Author Website    Goodreads Author Profile

Facebook - Jill Mansell    Twitter Profile.  Instagram Profile

The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell

                                                     

Paperback:  431 pages      

Genre: Mystery,Thriller                                             

Publisher: Century, Penguin, Random House 2022

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: 'Jason Mott?' 'Yes. Here. That's me.' I stare down at the young man who stands below ankle-deep in the mud of the banks of the Thames.

Review Quote: 'A sheer PLEASURE to read' Harriet Tyce: Author

My Opinion: 

I have been wanting to read this much anticipated sequel to ‘The Family Upstairs’ ever since I read it last year. Lisa Jewell is apparently not a fan of sequels so rarely writes them. Thankfully she decided to do so this time as she has produced a cracker of a continuation, tying up all the loose ends surrounding the Lamb family.

A complicated plot with the children from the previous novel now grown up, but living with terrible mental scars from their childhood. Told over several timelines via the viewpoints of the main protagonists, Rachel, Lucy and Henry the story unfolds with an excellent finale.

A stand alone novel because the author provides references back to the prequel throughout. However I personally would recommend you read ‘The Family Upstairs’ first for a more rounded experience of this intense thriller. Highly recommend to fans of the genre.

Links to Previous Reviews:  Then She Was Gone  Watching You  The House We Grew Up In. The Family Upstairs  The Night She Disappeared

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

LONDON. Early morning, June 2019: on the foreshore of the river Thames, a bag of bones is discovered. Human bones.

DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene and quickly sends the bag for forensic examination. The bones are those of a young woman, killed by a blow to the head many years ago.

Also inside the bag is a trail of clues, in particular the seeds of a rare tree which lead DCI Owusu back to a mansion in Chelsea where, nearly thirty years previously, three people lay dead in a kitchen, and a baby waited upstairs for someone to pick her up.

The clues point forward too to a brother and sister in Chicago searching for the only person who can make sense of their pasts.

Four deaths. An unsolved mystery. A family whose secrets can't stay buried for ever ...

Author Profile:

Lisa Jewell is an internationally bestselling author of successful  novels, including, Then She Was Gone, I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In. Her debut novel in 1998 Ralph’s Party, was an instant bestseller. In total, her novels have sold over 2 million copies across the English speaking world. Her work has also been translated into sixteen languages. Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters.

For more biographical information check out her Goodreads Profile


Photograph, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Amazon Author Page    Lisa Jewell - Official Facebook Page     Wikipedia - Lisa Jewell

Twitter Profile    Goodreads Author Profile

The Officer's Wife by Catherine Law

                                           

Paperback:  311 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher:  Boldwood 2023

Source:  Tywyn Public Library 

First Sentence: The beach was hers: the water, blue and wide, waves cresting in the salty air.

My Opinion: 

Catherine Law is a new author to me and I just happened to come across 'the Officer's Wife on a recent library visit. As someone who swears to never judge a book by its cover, I have to admit it was the cover that attracted me!

A love story set in WWII England, where the protagonist Viv Miles, an American Heiress newly arrived almost instantly falls in love. A whirlwind romance and a wartime marriage mean that Viv's life changes dramatically as she finds herself with many trials and tribulations to cope with. The coincidences within the story are central to Vivi having to find immense strength of character to enable her marriage to survive.

If you are a fan of love stories set in WWII then this is one for you.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

1939 - American heiress Vivi Miles falls for naval officer Nathan as soon as she arrives in England. And, under the threat of war, they marry in a whirlwind before he leaves to join his ship.
When Nathan returns from Dunkirk injured, he is distant, aloof, and no longer the man Vivi fell in love with. But it's not just because of his brutal experiences of war. Nathan has a secret and Vivi suspects it's linked to the mysterious evacuee at the secluded house in the woods on his Kent estate.
As war continues to rage, Vivi battles her own grief and loneliness, and tries to find out the truth of the girl's identity, uncovering a scandal from the past.
Is her love for Nathan strong enough to survive?

Author Profile

                                         

       CATHERINE LAW was born in Harrow, Middlesex, in 1965 she now lives ten minutes from the sea in Margate. She started her career as a secretary at the BBC in the days of manual typewriters and carbon copies before moving into the world of glossy magazines, where she worked as a sub editor for over 30 years. And, ever since she was a little girl, she’s had her nose in a book and scribbled stories.

Her novels are set in the first half of the 20th century, in and around the First and Second World Wars, inspired by the tales our mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers tell us, and the secrets they keep.                                                    

Photo and words courtesy of Amazon and Goodreads

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Profile.  Twitter Profile     Catherine Law Books - Facebook

Instagram Profile.  Goodreads Author

The Pavilion in the Clouds by Alexander McCall Smith

 

                                                  

Paperback:  245 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Polygon 2021

Source:  Tywyn Library - Book Club Choice

First Sentence: This began in 1938, in what was then Ceylon, in a bungalow halfway up a hill.

Review Quote:  'The ever fecund Alexander McCall Smith continues to surprise as well as please... This is one of the most enjoyable of his many enjoyable novels'. Allan Massie ― The Scotsman

My Opinion:  'The Pavilion in the Clouds' is a stand alone novel from the prolific author Alexander McCall Smith. Most well known I believe for his series 'The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency' of which I have only ever read the first one back in 1998 when it was published. I doubt therefore that if this title had not been our Book Club Choice this month that I would have read it. The Sri Lankan (still Ceylon at the time)and St Andrews settings both appealed to me and the author creates the atmosphere of the locations perfectly.

The storyline hinges around three females, Bella Ferguson, Virginia Ferguson and Lavender White. Bella is the young daughter of the tea plantation owner, where the story is set, and his wife Virginia. The latter's strained relationship with Bella's governess Lavender causes tensions and misunderstandings between the three of them.

An easy gentle read about the dramatic tensions that rise and surround life in the colonies. Worth a read if you have an interest in this period.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

It is 1938 and the final days of the British Empire. In a bungalow high up in the green hills above the plains of Ceylon, under a vast blue sky, live the Ferguson family: Bella, a precocious eight-year-old, her father Henry – owner of Pitlochry, a tea plantation – and her mother Virginia. The story centres around the Pavilion in the Clouds, nestled in idyllic grounds carved out of the wilderness. But all is not as serene as it seems. Bella is suspicious of her governess Miss White’s intentions. Her intuition sparks off her mother’s imagination, and, after an unfortunate series of events, a confrontation results in a gunshot ringing out through the valley.

Years later, Bella, now living back in Scotland at university in St Andrews, is faced, once again, with her past. Will she at last find out what happened between her father and Miss White? And will the guilt she has lived with all these years be reconciled by a long-overdue apology?

Author Profile

                                                           

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie Series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Edinburgh Scotland, married to a doctor and has two daughters. 

Photo and words courtesy of Amazon and Goodreads

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page.  Authors Official Website - Biography.   Facebook Profile

Twitter Profile

The Secrets We Keep by Theresa Howes

 

                            

Paperback: 339 pages

Genre: Historical Romantic Fiction

Publisher: HQ, Harper Collins. 2022

Source:  Lent to me by a friend.

First Sentence: It would only take the crack of a twig to give Marguerite away as she crept through the park in the dead of night.

Review Quote:  Truly gripping… I loved it.’ Jill Mansell, Sunday Times bestseller

My Opinion:  

Essentially a love story ‘ The Secrets We Keep’ is an exciting debut from Theresa Howes. Her inspiration for this touching story is her love of art combined with visits to the Cote d’Azur. The latter prompting her to imagine what life must have been like under occupation for the locals.

Marguerite, the protagonist is an artist, though English she has moved to France to escape an unhappy past and live quietly in the countryside. The war has meant that she feels honour bound to help in any way she can, in the fight against the enemy. Into her life in an unexpected way comes Etienne, who as a priest finds himself, out of a duty to God, having to be agreeable to the occupying soldiers.

The story is an engaging one and is written in an appealing descriptive style. Recommended to fans of the genre.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

A heartbreakingly beautiful novel which captures the endurance and strength of ordinary people in the darkest of times, and the courage of one woman who put her life on the line to join the resistance. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale and The Secret Messenger . 1944, the Cote d’Azur.
Artist Marguerite Segal is recruited by British Intelligence into befriending Etienne Valade, a local priest. Her mission is to persuade him to pass on information from the high-ranking German officers who attend his evidence of their war crimes. Connected by a passion for art, Marguerite and Etienne soon fall in love, but their association increasingly puts her at danger of violent reprisals. With his church frequented by Nazis, Etienne is a suspected collaborator, and distrust is high. And Marguerite is keeping her own secret too. Like the Jews whose identity cards she forges to hide them from the Third Reich, she is hiding behind a false name, her true identity and past known only to her closest friend. Marguerite must get hold of the documents that will condemn the German officers but, in a world where everything is at stake, can she truly trust anyone – even the man she loves? 

Author Profile

                                                     

Theresa Howes grew up in Shropshire and has a background as an actor. Her historical fiction has been long-listed for the Mslexia Novel Award, The Bath Novel Award, The Caledonia Novel Award and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize.

She lives in London with her husband and Claude, a larger than average cat. When she isn’t writing or reading, she enjoys seeing how many more plants she can cram into her tiny London garden, walking, and putting the world to rights over a gin and tonic.

Her debut novel, The Secrets We Keep was published in November 2022. This will be followed by a second novel, The Honey Trap in October 2023

Photo and words courtesy of Amazon

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Authors Official Website.  Amazon Author Profile   Goodreads Author Profile

Twitter Profile

Happy Families by Julie Ma

                                            

Paperback:  360 pages

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Welbeck Fiction Ltd. 2021

Source:  My bookshelves.

First Sentence: As I drive past my old school, I can't help noticing someone has daubed 'HMP' above the words 'Cawsmenyn High'

Review Quote: 'Delightful ... You'll want to devour this in seconds' Heat, 'Read of the Week'

My Opinion: The Welsh setting, a Hong Kong connection and the fact it was the winner of Richard and Judy's Bookclub, 'Search for a Bestseller' drew my attention to 'HappyFamilies.'

A quick and easy read about three generations of Chinese immigrants and their family business 'Yau Sum' a Chinese Takeaway. Amy Li the narrator has recently given up a successful career to return home and work in the family firm. The storyline rambles because the author tries to cover so much of the family history and I found it difficult therefore to retain my interest.

Although interesting it did not really inspire me, despite appreciating that the author was trying to get readers to understand that there is much more to peoples lives than there appears on the surface.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Three generations, two secrets, one extended family . . .

Amy is thirty-four and has just given up her glittering career in the big (Welsh) city to move back in with her grandfather, returning to work in the small-town Chinese takeaway where she spent her bookish and boring childhood. Why? That's a secret she won't tell.

Just like the secret of why her grandfather, Ah Goong, and her father, TC Li, haven't spoken to each other in thirty years. Weirder still, they've lived in the same small flat about the takeaway for the majority of those years, with Amy's mother Joan acting as their unfortunate go-between and buffer.

Now Amy's parents have moved, leaving her in charge of looking after the old man. But then Ah Goong collapses in the street and Amy realises time is running out if she wants to play happy families again . . .

Author Profile

Photo and words courtesy of Amazon

Julie Ma is the winner of the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller 2020. Her first novel Happy Families was published on 18 February 2021. As she now has an Amazon Author Page, she thinks she can legitimately call herself a writer. That time she wrote online product reviews for £0.03 per word probably didn’t count. Neither did the times she wrote replies to customer complaints for Virgin Media, Santander, Lloyds Bank and BT.She firmly believes in the ratio of 70% backside-in-the-chair writing time and 30% thinking about writing while walking a dog. Her most glamorous moment was being kindly congratulated on winning the competition while bending over to scoop some poop. She lives in west Wales with far too many members of her immediate family a stone’s throw away.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page.   Goodreads Author Page

My Other Husband by Dorothy Koomson

 

                                         

Hardback:  419 pages

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Headline 2022

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: 'Cleo Forum Pryce, I am arresting you on the suspicion of attempted murder.'

Review Quote: A richly-crafted psychological thriller, Koomson's clever tale makes for disturbing and compulsive reading ― Woman

My Opinion:  I usually find Dorothy Koomson's writing entertaining from page one. However this time I struggled at first, as it took me quite awhile to get to grips with the somewhat perplexing plot. Once everything clicked into place, it continued as as intriguing read.

The protagonist Cleo's world is a complicated one and the reader is continually thrown new twists and turns to keep them guessing. It appears her life has become very messy and she does not know which way to turn as she tries to extricate herself from a difficult situation.

In the end this turned out to be a compelling thriller which I can recommend to those readers that are fans of the genre.

Previous Review:  I Know What You've Done

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

What if your murderous fantasies start to come true?

Someone is trying to frame me for murder.

They're hurting people in the ways I write about - and making sure I'm the prime suspect.

I think I know why.

But I can't tell the police or even use my rock-solid alibi . . .

Because then I'd have to confess about my other husband.

A series of terrifying murders. A set of complex lies.

And a woman with no way to clear her name.

My Other Husband is the latest gripping thriller from the Queen of The Big Reveal.

Author Profile

Courtesy of Goodreads

Dorothy's Personal Profile can be found at About Me - Dorothy Koomson 

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Author Official Website   Dorothy Koomson - Goodreads Profile   Twitter - Dorothy Koomson

Facebook Profile  Instagram - Dorothy Koomson