The Seventh Son by Sebastian Faulks.

 

                                                       

Hardback: 356 pages

Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction

Publisher:  2023

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: 'Letter for you', Talissa, said the superintendent, holding out an envelope from his desk in the lobby. 'A letter? Wow. Is this the nineteenth century?'

Setting:  New York, London and the Scottish Highlands in the future 2030-2056

Review Quote: 'A genuinely thought-provoking piece of fiction' THE TIMES

My Opinion:  Science fiction is not a genre I read very often, but as a fan of Sebastian Faulks writing for over twenty five years I wanted to read ‘The Seventh Son’. It is a well written sci-fi story that is scarily feasible.

Seth is the protagonist and set in the period 2030 to 2056 we follow his development from child to man as the son of Mary and Aldric. They had experienced difficulties conceiving and it was eventually with the help of a specialist clinic that they became parents with the help of a surrogate mother Talissa.  Unbeknown to them the clinic was stretching the ethical boundaries, whilst helping people become parents. Information that only came to light many years later and had a devastating effect on Seth.

This is a very thought provoking novel as it shows the damage humans can cause each other for the sake of science. Due to the somewhat controversial subject matter this novel would be an excellent choice for Book Club discussion. It certainly seems to be a story that you will probably love or hate.  I love Sebastian Faulk’s descriptive writing as always, but I must admit some of the subject matter was near the other end of that spectrum for me. Not his favourite novel of mine by far but I am glad I read it.

Previous Reviews:  Sebastian Faulks  Engleby  Human Traces  Devil May Care

A Week in December.  Snow Country

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

A child will be born who will change everything.

When a young woman named Talissa answers an advert to carry a child, she cannot begin to imagine the consequences.

Behind the doors of the Parn Institute, a billionaire entrepreneur plans to stretch the boundaries of ethics as never before. Through a series of IVF treatments, one they hope no one ever discovers, they set in motion an experiment that is set to upend the human race as we know it.

Seth, a baby, is delivered to hopeful parents Mary and Alaric, but when his differences start to mark him out from his peers, he begins to attract unwanted attention.

The Seventh Son is a spectacular examination of what it is to be human. Sweeping between New York, London, and the Scottish Highlands, this is an extraordinary novel about unrequited love and unearned power. It asks the question: just because you can do something, does it mean you should?

Author Profile:

                                           

                                           Photo Courtesy of Author Website                                                                

Sebastian Faulks CBE (born 20 April 1953) is a British journalist and novelist. I recommend reading his interesting Biography on his Website

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Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicki French

                                              

Hardback: 530 pages

Genre: Crime Thriller

Publisher: Simon and Schuster 2024

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: Thirty years ago, in a village in East Anglia where the land is swallowed up by mudflats and marshes and a hard wind blows in from the sea, a woman went missing.

Setting:  East Anglia, England

Review Quote: 'As well as a fantastic mystery, Nicci French has written  a powerful, moving and wise story about the damage that loss does to families, with characters you can’t forget. I loved it' Jo Callaghan 

My Opinion:  I have been aware of the married couple Nicci Gerard and Sean French who write together as Nicci French for a long time. However this is the first time I have read one of their novels. Probably because crime thrillers are not a genre I read very often, but this one caught my attention recently at the library. The blurb appealed and home it came with me!

The Salter family are celebrating their father Alec’s 50th Birthday with a party. The children Etty, Niall, Paul and Ollie are devastated when their mother Charlotte fails to put in an appearance. She was thought to be on her way and her no show is very out of character. As the hours then the days go by, it seems she has disappeared without trace. The police investigation at the time is unsuccessful and it three decades later that any real progress is made. The story of the investigation unfolds at a pace that kept me engrossed.

This emotional and complex novel is recommended to all fans of crime thrillers. 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

She’s loved by all who meet her. But someone wants her gone . . .

Then 

When beautiful and vivacious Charlotte Salter fails to turn up to her husband Alec’s 50th birthday party, her kids are worried, but Alec is not. As the days pass and there’s still no word from Charlie, her daughter, Etty, and her sons, Niall, Paul and Ollie, all struggle to come to terms with her disappearance.
How can anyone just vanish without a trace?
Left with no answers and in limbo, the Salter children try and go on with their lives, all the while thinking that their mother’s killer is potentially very close to home.

Now

After years away, Etty returns home to the small East Anglian village where she grew up to help move her father into a care home. Now in his eighties, Alec has dementia and often mistakes his daughter for her mother. 
Etty is a changed woman from the trouble-free girl she was when Charlie was still around - all the Salter children have spent decades running and hiding from their mother’s disappearance.
But when their childhood friends, Greg and Morgen Ackerley, decide to do a podcast about Charlotte’s disappearance, it seems like the town’s buried secrets – and the Salters’ – might finally come to light.

After all this time, will they finally find out what really happened to Charlotte Salter?

Author Profile:

                                                                                   Photo Courtesy of Amazon                                                                 

Note: (Nicci Gerrard and Sean French also write separately.)

Nicci Gerrard was born in June 1958 in Worcestershire. After graduating with a first class honours degree in English Literature from Oxford University, she began her first job, working with emotionally disturbed children in Sheffield. In that same year she married journalist Colin Hughes.

In the early eighties she taught English Literature in Sheffield, London and Los Angeles, but moved into publishing in 1985 with the launch of Women's Review, a magazine for women on art, literature and female issues. In 1987 Nicci had a son, Edgar, followed by a daughter, Anna, in 1988, but a year later her marriage to Colin Hughes broke down.

In 1989 she became acting literary editor at the New Statesman, before moving to the Observer, where she was deputy literary editor for five years, and then a feature writer and executive editor. It was while she was at the New Statesman that she met Sean French.

Sean French was born in May 1959 in Bristol, to a British father and Swedish mother. He too studied English Literature at Oxford University at the same time as Nicci, also graduating with a first class degree, but their paths didn't cross until 1990. In 1981 he won Vogue magazine's Writing Talent Contest, and from 1981 to 1986 he was their theatre critic. During that time he also worked at the Sunday Times as deputy literary editor and television critic, and was the film critic for Marie Claire and deputy editor of New Society.

Sean and Nicci were married in Hackney in October 1990. Their daughters, Hadley and Molly, were born in 1991 and 1993.

In 1995 Nicci and Sean began work on their first joint novel and adopted the pseudonym of Nicci French. 

Photographs, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

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The Drowned Village By Norma Curtis

                                              

Ebook:  280 pages

Genre: Historical Romantic Fiction 

Publisher: Bookouture Feb 2022

Source: My Kindle

First Sentences: During the long, troubled nights when Virginia groans restlessly next to him and Al can't sleep, he keeps his heavy eyelids shut and returns secretly to the tiny village of Capel Celyn, nestled snugly in the green foothills of North Wales.

Setting: Wales

My Opinion:  

I added this title to My Kindle collection recently as it is set in Wales and the author was born in Wrexham. 

The Drowned Village is historical fiction based on fact, in that the village of Capel Ceylon really did exist until the surrounding valley was flooded for a reservoir.  I found this to be a slow paced but intriguing story, especially knowing the area. 

After a gap of sixty-five years the protagonist of the story, Al Locke an American Navy Captain has returned to the area to try and reconnect with Elin, the young lady he fell in love with. The chances are slim, bearing in mind they are now both in their eighties, however his determination overcomes obstacles that he encounters.

An emotional read for those readers that enjoy a love story.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

She’s guarded her secret for a lifetime. He’s not ready to let go.

Sixty-five years ago. Pushing aside drooping hollyhocks, Elin Jenkins tosses back her dark hair and runs up the familiar path to the tiny village of Capel Celyn, past the mossy graveyard with its crumbling stones, towards the farm that’s been in her family for generations. Laughing, Al catches her around the waist, squeezing her tight. ‘Marry me,’ he whispers. ‘I’ll use my Navy liberty leave, we’ll go ask your parents. I don’t want this to end.’ Tears prick her eyes as she smiles up at him.

Three days later, Al is on his ship back to Pennsylvania. And in the months that follow, Elin’s frantic telegrams to him go unanswered. Then she receives the wedding invitation. Scribbled on the back are three words: No hard feelings.

Present day. Al Locke, retired Navy Captain, smooths his silver hair and finishes up with a spritz of aftershave. With a spring in his step he hasn’t had for decades, he sets off up the well-worn track through the valley. As he rounds the last bend, his heart begins to race. He has no doubt he will meet her in the village today. He will at last hear the horrible truth of what happened to Elin after he left, and he’ll confess why he couldn’t face coming back… until now.

As Al crests the final, familiar hill, a startling brightness draws him in like a vision. Before him, a glittering lake fills the entire valley. The pretty stone village of Capel Celyn, and all trace of Elin, are gone…

A beautiful and heartbreaking story about lost love, forgiveness and family secrets. Fans of Fiona Valpy, Kate Morton and Kathleen McGurl will love this book.

Author Profile:         

                                                                                  

                                        Photo Courtesy of  Goodreads                                                                   

 Norma Curtis was born near Wrexham, North Wales, where her family still resides, and now lives in London, England, with her husband and a son. She is a novelist and short story writer, and she was elected the twentieth Chairman (1999–2001) of the Romantic Novelists' Association.

Her first novel, "Living It Up, Living It Down", published in 1994 by HarperCollins, won the Romantic Novelists' Association New Writers’ Award, and also featured in the WH Smith Fresh Talent promotion. Her other books, The House Husband (Quality Time) and The Last Place You Look have also been published by HarperCollins. Her short stories have appeared in Woman, Woman and Home and Woman’s Own, anthologies and teenage magazines. She writes with a unique blend of dry humour, warmth, wisdom and originality.

Photographs, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile.    Amazon Author Page

A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin

 

                                               

Hardback: 388 pages

Genre: Historical Romantic Fiction 

Publisher: Harper Collins 2023

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: 'Come now, Eliza, surely you can manage one tear? Mrs Balfour whispered to her daughter. 'It is expected from the widow!'

Favourite Quote: “Was she really to allow any man to make such demands of her, anymore? Allow her life to be ordained, in perpetuity, by their high-handed judgements or capricious moods?”

Setting: 1819, London and Bath England

Review Quote: ‘A delicious Regency romp for fans of Bridgerton.’ Red

My Opinion:  Sophie Irwin has a fresh approach to historical romance, with her first two novels being set in regency England. They are very reminiscent of Georgette Heyer of whom I was fan, in my teens, many years ago.

In A Lady's Guide to Scandal we meet Lady Eliza Somerset, a widow in her late twenties. Eliza finds herself part of a love triangle, but barely out of full mourning she is required to behave in a very modest fashion. With plenty of humour and strong characters facing the prejudices of the era, it is an entertaining read.

This will appeal to fans of historical romance, particularly those that enjoy the Regency period.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

When shy Miss Eliza Balfour married the austere Earl of Somerset, twenty years her senior, it was the match of the season--no matter that he was not the husband Eliza would have chosen.

But ten years later, Eliza is widowed. And at eight and twenty years, she is suddenly left titled, rich, and, for the first time in her life, utterly in control of her own future. Instead of living out her mourning quietly, Eliza heads to Bath with her cousin Margaret. After years of living according to everyone else’s rules, Eliza has resolved, at last, to do as she wants.

But when the ripples of the dowager Lady Somerset’s behavior reach the new Lord Somerset—whom Eliza knew, once, as a younger woman—Eliza is forced to confront the fact that freedom does not come without consequences, though it also brings unexpected opportunities . . .

Previous Review:   A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting

Author Profile:         

                                        

Photo Courtesy of Twitter                                                                         

Sophie Irwin grew up in Dorset before moving to south London after university. She has spent years immersed in the study of historical fiction, from a dissertation on how Georgette Heyer helped win World War Two, to time spent in dusty stacks and old tomes losing herself in Regency London while researching this book. Her love and passion for historical fiction bring a breath of fresh air and a contemporary energy to the genre, and Sophie hopes to transport readers to a time when ballrooms were more like battlegrounds.

Photographs, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

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The Guest by B.A. Paris

                                            

Hardback:  359 pages      

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary Psychological Thriller,                                   

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton 2024

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: Gabriel handed a glass of champagne to Iris, then gave one to Esme, his fingers shaking slightly on the stem.

Review Quote: 'Addictive, gripping with a twist that will knock your socks off' HEAT

My Opinion:  A domestic drama unfolds when married couple Iris and Gabriel return home from a holiday to find family friend Laure ensconced in their home. apparently she and her husband need some time apart and feeling very distraught Laura has turned to her good friends for help. She soon outstays her welcome as the situation deteriorates.

It certainly kept me guessing and the shocking twist in the final pages caught me by surprise! Certainly recommended to readers who are fans of psychological thrillers.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Some secrets never leave.

Iris and Gabriel have just arrived home from a make-or-break holiday. But a shock awaits them. One of their closest friends, Laure, is in their house. The atmosphere quickly becomes tense as she oversteps again and sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris' clothes, even rearranging the furniture. 

Laure has walked out on her husband—and their good friend—Pierre, over his confession of an affair and a secret child. Iris and Gabriel want to be supportive of their friends, but as Laure's mood becomes increasingly unpredictable, her presence takes its toll. 

Iris and Gabriel's only respite comes in the form of a couple new to town. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past. Soon, secrets from all their pasts will unravel, some more dangerous than they could have known.

Author Profile:

                

                Photo courtesy of Twitter                       

B.A. Paris is the New York Times and Sunday Times Number 1 bestselling author of seven novels including the word-of-mouth hit, Behind Closed Doors.

Over 7 million editions of her work have been sold worldwide and her books have been translated into 41 languages. Her novels have been optioned for major screen adaptations with a film of The Breakdown, titled Blackwater Lane, in post production.

Before becoming an author, B.A. Paris worked as a bank trader and teacher in France. Today, she writes from her cottage in Hampshire, England, where she lives with her husband with visits from her five grown-up daughters. She has a newsletter baparis.com and is on social media @baparisauthor

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

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The Wedding of the Year by Jill Mansell

                                      

Hardback:  372 pages      

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fiction                                   

Publisher: Headline 2024

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: Oh my God, it was him. It was actually him.

Review Quote: A fun, witty romcom with a lot of heart ― Woman & Home

My Opinion:  I have been reading novels written by Jill Mansell for over twenty five years, (gulp!) and have always enjoyed the uplifting stories that she publishes.

The female protagonists, Lottie, Freya, Ruby and iris are introduced to the reader via a wedding that does not proceed as one would expect. The story unfolds as it follows the lives of these women as the events of that fateful day change their lives for ever.

Another cleverly told engaging story full of secrets, lies and romance. Recommended to anyone looking for a lighthearted romantic read.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Love, friendship and secrets revealed as the sun beats down on dazzling blue Cornish seas . . . 

It's set to be the perfect wedding - till the chauffeur is asked to keep driving the bride round the church. This wedding is not going as planned. 

Lottie is a guest at the wedding when she sees Max for the first time in fifteen years. No kiss since has matched their last kiss together. They were on the brink of a beautiful love story. Then something shocking happened that tore them apart. Now here he is, handsome as ever, teasing Lottie in the old way - and that tingling electric attraction is back. But Max is out of bounds. 

Ruby has been the perfect vicar's wife. But when she finds out the truth about her husband Peter, outrage and disbelief drive her to act impulsively, without a thought for the consequences. And nothing will ever be the same again. 

There will be a wedding of the year - but maybe not yet. When love is in the air, anything can happen . . .

Previous Review of a Jill Mansell Novel. Promise Me

Author Profile:

                                                                                               

Jill Mansell’s books are full of love, life and friendship and have been bringing joy to readers for twenty-five years. She started writing fiction while working in the NHS, after joining a local creative writing class. She has since written over twenty Sunday Times bestsellers, including MAYBE THIS TIME, THIS COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING and YOU AND ME, ALWAYS, and her books have sold over 11 million copies around the world.

Jill's hobbies include buying stationery, particularly magical new colours of ink for the fountain pen she uses to write all her books – Jill is one of the few authors who still write their books by hand. Jill also loves people-watching and finding new characters to put in her novels. So when you’re out, make sure to always be on your best behaviour. And beware of beady-eyed authors carrying notebooks . . .

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

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

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