The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page

                                   

Paperback:  374 pages      

Genre:  Contemporary Fiction,                                          

Publisher: One More Chapter, Harper Collins 2022

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: Everyone has a story to tell. But what if you don't have a story? What then? if you are Janice, you become a collector of other people's stories.

Review Quote: ‘Janice is a wonderful woman whose authenticity pulls you along…the breadth and originality of supporting characters makes this debut an immersive delight’ Dorset Magazine

Favourite Quote: “Please, please, please say you like books.”

Main Character: Janice

Setting:   Cambridge, England.

My Opinion: 

Sally Page has recently published her third novel 'The Secrets of Flowers'. As this title is already on my Wishlist I have decided to read this her debut and 'The Book of Beginnings ' first, as her writing has been recommended to me.

The protagonist and collector of stories is Janice. she works as a Domestic cleaner and the story revolves around her clients stories and those of others in her life. Janice also has a story of her own, that she certainly does not want to share.

This winsome novel was such delight to read. I highly recommend it to any reader looking for something lighthearted, amusing and distinctive.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

She can’t recall what started her collection. Maybe it was in a fragment of conversation overheard as she cleaned a sink? Before long (as she dusted a sitting room or defrosted a fridge) she noticed people were telling her their stories. Perhaps they always had done, but now it is different, now the stories are reaching out to her and she gathers them to her…

When Janice starts cleaning for Mrs B – a shrewd and tricksy woman in her nineties – she meets someone who wants to hear her story. But Janice is clear: she is the keeper of stories, she doesn’t have a story to tell. At least, not one she can share.

Mrs B is no fool and knows there is more to Janice than meets the eye. What is she hiding? After all, doesn’t everyone have a story to tell?

Author Profile: 

Courtesy of Author Website

After studying history at university, Sally moved to London to work in advertising. In her spare time she studied floristry at night school and eventually opened her own flower shop. Sally came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and she began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, she continued her interest in writing when she founded her fountain pen company, Plooms.co.uk.

In her debut novel, The Keeper of Stories, Sally combines her love of history and writing with her abiding interest in the stories people have to tell. Sally now lives in Dorset. Her eldest daughter, Alex, is studying to be a doctor and her younger daughter is the author, Libby Page. Both are keen wild swimmers.

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

Amazon Author Page.    Author's Official Website.   Instagram Profile  Twitter Profile

Facebook - SallyPageAuthor

The Couple on the Train by Claire Cooper

                                        

Ebook: 356 pages      

Genre:  Thriller, Mystery, Fiction                                    

Publisher:  August 23, 2024  Bookouture

Source: NetGalley

First Sentences: There are times when I am deeply grateful I live at the end of the line. This is one of them. 

Review Quote:  A completely compulsive thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat! If you like Lisa Jewell, Andrea Mara and Shari Lapena, you’ll love The Couple on the Train.

My Opinion: 

With a title that caught my attention and the fact it was recommended for fans of Lisa Jewell and Shari Lapena  I decided this book was one for me.

Written in a then and now format 'The Couple on the Train' gets off to a slow start. As the reader gets to know the protagonist Laura and discovers the reasons behind her quest for answers it picks up pace. Laura's determination to help a girl she believes to be in trouble leads to some interesting revelations about her past. Nothing is as it seems.

Overall a readable psychological thriller which held my interest. I did mostly predict how it would end, though it was not a spoiler. Fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

I look at where the woman was sitting. There’s a scrap of paper tucked into the gap between the seats. With shaking hands, I pick it up. The note Help me. 

At first glance, the couple on the train look normal. She’s dressed smartly, a floral patterned bag on her lap. But her hands are clenched, her fingers white. The man with her has his arm looped through hers, but not in a comforting way. He’s holding her too tightly.

She catches my eye and I see desperation there. I’m opening my mouth to speak when the train grinds to a halt and the man stands, hauling her away. She looks at me again, then at the seat behind her, her face pale.

I find the message she left behind. Help me .

When I call the police, there’s no sign of the couple on CCTV. The kind detective gently suggests that it’s not surprising, with my history, that I am imagining things. Wanting to save someone.

I know what I saw. If no one will believe me, I’ll find her myself.

But as I search, what I find seems personal. Little things that remind me of what happened ten years ago. And I think I’m being followed, that someone broke into my flat.

The hunt for the woman on the train is leading me somewhere I should never go. Can I save her, or will I be next?

Author Profile:                

                               

                              

                                    Courtesy of Amazon Profile

Claire Cooper grew up in a small village in south Wales before moving to London to study for a degree in Ancient History and Egyptology. After a spell as a development worker in Nepal, she lived in the capital for many years, spending much of that time as a civil servant in a range of different Government departments. She hung up her bowler hat when she discovered she much preferred writing about psychotic killers to Ministerial speeches. More recently, she returned to Wales, and now lives with her husband by the sea in Pembrokeshire. She also writes as C. J. Cooper.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Profile.    Goodreads Profile

The Hotel Maid by Michelle Dunne

                              

Ebook:  266 pages      

Genre:  Thriller, Mystery, Fiction                                    

Publisher: Storm Publishing  August 23rd 2024

Source: NetGalley

First Sentence: Just inside the door of Room 208, the maid stood uncharacteristically still.

Review Quote:  ‘I was hooked from the first page.’ Reader Review,

My Opinion: 

The synopsis of this novel led me to believe that this was something I was going to enjoy. It turned out to be somewhat darker than expected and sadly did not meet my expectations.

The protagonist is June, the Hotel Maid of the title.  The story is told by multiple characters who all have dark secrets involving self-harm, murder and child abuse. Just a few of the many disturbing topics covered by an unlikeable cast of characters.  The mystery built slowly as told from the different perspectives and sometimes it was difficult to differentiate between the past and present parts.

If you are a fan of really dark thrillers then 'The Hotel Maid' maybe to your taste, but disappointed to say it was not to mine. With thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

I straighten the apron wrapped around my waist and swipe the key card in the guest room door. As I place the cleaning bucket by my feet, I see the woman lying unmoving on the plush carpet, her eyes frozen.

Each morning, I arrive at the luxury Cedarwood Manor hotel, put on my crisp maid’s uniform and clean the rooms. I take great care in my work as I slip from one floor to the other.

Most guests barely know my name. I’m invisible to them. That’s ok. I prefer people didn’t know my secrets.

But today a woman has been found dead in her room and a ten-year-old little girl has been reported missing from the hotel.

Today, someone has left me a note saying they know who I am.

Author Profile:                

                                         

                                        Courtesy of Goodreads Profile

Michelle Dunne was born in Cork, Ireland, she writes crime and thriller novels. 

This month,  August 2024 The Hotel Maid, will be released as part of a two book contract with Storm Publishing. This follows June Calloway, a maid who finds the body of a murdered woman in her hotel room, just as a child is reported missing on hotel grounds. 

Michelle also wrote While Nobody is Watching and The Invisible, a series of thrillers following former soldier and UN Peacekeeper Lindsey Ryan as she tries to adapt to her new life in the clutches of PTSD. The series is currently in development for television and is inspired by Michelle’s own experiences as an infantry soldier and United Nations Peacekeeper.

Michelle is organiser and programmer of the Spike Island Literary Festival – a crime-themed festival set in Ireland's very own Alcatraz! 

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Profile.   Twitter Profile

Bonjour Sophie by Elizabeth Buchan

 

                                                    

Hardback:  428 pages      

Genre:  Fiction, Historical Fiction                                           

Publisher: Corvus 2024

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: The dying Camille talked to her seven-year-old daughter. 'We had to fight but I ever imagined that I would relish being a warrior. Your father was one too and a hero. One day you will go to Paris and find out what happened to him.'

Review Quote: 'A coming-of-age-story steeped in wisdom with an incredible sense of time and place' - Antonia Senior in The Times

Favourite Quote: I sit in the sun and think about whether I can afford a slice of Camembert from the cremerie or not. Paris has a strong, upside down effect on one.

So does marriage, said Hattie, adding, so does Dorking.

Main Character: Sophie Morel

Setting:  Sussex, England and Paris, France 

My Opinion: 

Elizabeth Buchan has been a favourite author mine for over twenty years. I have a particular soft spot for her as she was born in Guildford, Surrey not that many miles from my own birthplace Dorking. In fact Dorking gets a mention in ‘Bonjour Sophie’!

It is 1959 and although WWII has been over for nearly fifteen years the aftermath  is still being felt by everyone. The protagonist of the novel Sophie Morel is now eighteen and having just left boarding school finds life with her foster parents dull and difficult to say the least. With a great deal of spirit, she plans and succeeds in travelling to Paris to discover more about her background than the little she knows.

There is no doubt that the author is a talented storyteller and ‘Bonjour Sophie’ is another one written in her astute and atmospheric style.  Highly recommend this to all her fans, plus anyone that has not yet discovered her writing and likes to fully immerse themselves in a novel.

Links to Previous Reviews:  Two Women in Rome.   The Museum of Broken Promises

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

It's 1959 and eighteen-year-old Sophie is determined that now is the time for her real life to start. Her existence in the village of Poynsdean, Sussex, with her austere foster-father, the Reverend Osbert Knox, and his frustrated wife Alice, is stultifying. She finds brief excitement in an illicit love affair, but soon realizes that if she wants to live life on a bigger canvas she must take matters into her own hands. 

She dreams of escape to Paris, the Wartime home her mother fled before her birth. Getting there will take spirit and ingenuity, but also offers the chance to discover more about her family background, and perhaps find a place where she can finally belong.

When Sophie eventually arrives in the city of her dreams it's both everything she imagined, and not at all what she expected.

Author Profile: 

Courtesy of Goodreads

Elizabeth spent her childhood moving home every three years – including living for brief periods in Egypt and Nigeria before moving to Guildford, York and Edinburgh.

After graduating from the University of Kent at Canterbury with a double honours degree in English and History, she began her career as a blurb writer at Penguin Books. This was a job which required the hide of a rhinoceros, a nimble mind and the – occasional – box of tissues. People tend to shout at blurb writers but they are resourceful creatures which she and the team proved by continuing to produce a stream of copy for back jackets through thick and thin. Looking back, it was a golden era. Not many people are paid to spend their time reading through the treasury which is Penguin Books and there was no better education. Later, after having married and producing two children, she moved on to become a fiction editor at Random House before leaving to write full time which was something she had always planned to do since childhood – when she was frequently caught reading under the bedclothes with a torch after being put to bed which gave both books and reading a deliciously subversive tinge.

It was not an easy decision to take the gamble but she has never regretted it. As a writer, she has travelled all over the world and one of the many pleasures of the book tour has been to meet readers of all ages and to share with them a mutual passion for books and reading. She is in touch on line with many of them.

Elizabeth Buchan’s short stories are broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and published in magazines. She has reviewed for The Times, the Sunday Times, the Daily Telegraph and, currently, for the Daily Mail. She has chaired the Betty Trask and Desmond Elliott literary prizes, and twice been a judge for the Whitbread (now Costa) awards. She is a patron of the Guildford Book Festival, a co-founder of the Clapham Book Festival and a past Chairman of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.   Reproduced from Author's Official Website 

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

Elizabeth Buchan - Author Website   Twitter Profile   Facebook - Elizabeth Buchan 

Amazon Author Page   Goodreads Author Profile

Costanza by Rachel Blackmore

                                                     

Ebook:  427 pages      

Genre:   Historical Fiction                                    

Publisher: Renegade Books Aug 1st  2024

Source: NetGalley

First Sentence: Rome, August 1638, Despite the great heat the man is hurrying - half walking, half running through the streets of Rome.

Review Quote:  'I loved it... Rich and evocative in its portrayal of 17th Century Rome. A fabulous, evocative novel' Elizabeth Chadwick

My Opinion:

I am always delighted to discover a new historical fiction writer and Rachel Blackmore with her debut novel 'Costanza' has made it straight on to the list of authors I follow. I have learnt that Costanza Piccolomini was living, at the time of her marriage in Viterbo, Italy a town I lived in for some years and know well!

'Costanza' is the story of a young woman who was persecuted and disfigured in an attack of violence, after a controlling love affair with the famous sculptor Bernini goes wrong.  Lorenzo Bernini's son Domenico described his father's affair with Constanza as 'fieramente inamorato' - wildly in love.  Costanza was a strong woman in a society where attitudes towards women were particularly unpleasant.

The author has taken a true story and woven it into a compelling novel. If you are a fan of historical novels who likes to also learn along the way then I hope you will love this as much as I did. Highly recommended to all historical fiction fans. It is with thanks to Renegade Books and NetGalley that this title was made available for me to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Rome, 1636. History calls her a Muse. Temptress. Fallen woman. This is her story.

In the scorched city of Rome, the cobbled streets hum with gossip and sin. Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife - until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini, the famed sculptor and star of Roman society, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.

Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza's reputation is at stake. Meanwhile, Bernini has a dangerous desire: he wants to make Costanza immortal. He vows to possess her not just in body and soul, but also in marble.

When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza, she is exposed as his lover, marking the undoing of their affair - and the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society. For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go.

Betrayed. Abandoned. Banished. This was meant to be the end of Costanza's story. But Costanza is no ordinary woman: from the ashes, she will rise...

Based on a true story, Costanza is a dizzying and sensual historical novel that brings to life a feminist icon who has been written out of history. This utterly addictive tale of desire and betrayal is perfect for fans of The Marriage Portrait and The Miniaturist.

Author Profile:                

                                            

                                                        Courtesy of Amazon Profile

Born in Birmingham, Rachel spent her childhood in the Northeast, then the Midlands. She studied history at King's College London, where her fascination for women's history took root. After a brief stint in politics, Rachel built a senior career in corporate communications. In 2021, she was runner-up in the Harper's Bazaar Short Story Competition and won the Irish Writers Centre 2022 Novel Fair.

Rachel collects historical monuments the way other people collect stamps. She loves visiting anywhere old - houses, churches, mills, you name it. She also enjoys baking and once reached the last round of hopefuls to be chosen for the Great British Bake Off, before a millefeuille proved her undoing.

Rachel lives in London with her three teenagers, two cats and one dog.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page.   Goodreads Profile.    Twitter Profile.    Instagram Profile

Her Perfect Girl by Nicky Downes

                                                    

Ebook:  388 pages      

Genre:    Crime, Mystery, Fiction                                    

Publisher: Storm Publishing  July 12th 2024

Source: NetGalley

First Sentence: With a roar, the support band, Headsticks, played their final song.

Review Quote:  'A must-read for anyone who enjoys a meticulously crafted mystery that explores the darkest corners of human nature.’ Reader Review

My Opinion: 

It is the first time I have read anything by this author. 'The Perfect Girl' was in my opinion not the psychological thriller I was expecting from the blurb but more of a crime novel which was disappointing.

Written from the perspectives of not only the police investigating team and the parents of the missing girl, but also that of the murderer.  An intense storyline that unfolds in a large number of chapters, probably intended be short and sharp and therefore add to the urgency. For me though it just made the novel feel disjointed. To be honest I found the format spoilt the read for me.

Although not for me, I imagine ' The Perfect Girl' will appeal to fans of the genre and style. It is with thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley that this title was made available for me to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Trees rustle behind the empty park. The swing creaks in the breeze. Caught on its rusted chain is a pink hair ribbon. Charly only wore it to make me happy. Now it’s all I have to remember her by, my perfect girl...

A murder that shocks a small town…

Pictures of the missing girl Charly Dean are plastered across every newspaper and television screen in the country until a dog walker discovers her body in the woods. A chilling detail at the crime scene leads the local police to believe they have a serial killer on their hands, and he’s just getting started.

A killer with unfinished business…

Months later, with Charly’s murder still unsolved, her parents can hardly look at each other, torn apart by grief, blaming themselves – and each other. Then a second victim is found in the same woods. Charly’s parents will stop at nothing to find justice for both girls. But that means facing the shocking truth that the killer didn’t pick Charly at random. She was carefully chosen. And the sinister reason lies somewhere in their past…

Author Profile:                

                                                             

                                                        Courtesy of Goodreads Profile

Nicky Downes lives in Coventry, where she works as an education trade union officer. When she isn't working, or writing, you can often find her cruising the canals in the Midlands on her narrowboat, Chanelle. Nicky says, "I find it so relaxing at the tiller. It's where I get the best ideas for my novels."From an early age, Nicky spent hours in her local library devouring all the Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers' novels, being a huge fan of crime novels. Her favourite authors are Val McDermid, Mark Billingham and Fiona Cummins.Nicky has self-published four novels: a psychological thriller, Bat Girl, and a series, Traffic, Consent and Chained, featuring DI Amelia Barton of the National Crime Agency. Readers have described these books as "fast-paced, unputdownable thrillers." She is currently writing a police procedural series of books featuring mountaineer DI Jacqueline Kent, set in Birmingham.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Twitter Profile.    Goodreads Profile.   Amazon Profile

The Household by Stacey Halls

 

                                              

Hardback:    372 pages                                                                                                 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Manilla Press 2024

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: Martha is quite alone in the house. Another girl, Mrs Holdsworth said at breakfast, will arrive before supper.

Review Quote:  'Absorbing . . . Halls weaves together the elements of her story with great skill' Sunday Times

My Opinion: 

I have been reading Stacey Halls' novels since her debut was published in 2020 and with this latest, have now read and enjoyed all four.

In 1847 the author Charles Dickens helped his friend Angela Burnett-Coutts of the banking family set up Urania Cottage. It was a social experiment to give homes to young women living, for whatever reason, on the fringes of society. The idea was to give them a basic education and life skills before helping them emigrate to the colonies. This brilliant novel tells us the story of these young women and their benefactor Angela. A rich cast of characters whose lives unfold into an authentic feeling period novel, with plenty of intrigue.

In my opinion 'The Household' uses historical facts and real people to weave a compelling tale. Highly Recommended.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

From the Sunday Times bestseller and winner of the Women's Prize Futures Award, the captivating, highly anticipated new novel, inspired by real historical figures and events.

In a quiet house in the countryside outside London, the finishing touches are being made to welcome a group of young women. The house and its location are top secret, its residents unknown to one another, but the girls have one thing in they are fallen. Offering refuge for prostitutes, petty thieves and the destitute, Urania Cottage is a second chance at life - but how badly do they want it?

Meanwhile, a few miles away in a Piccadilly mansion, millionairess Angela Burdett-Coutts, one of the benefactors of Urania Cottage, makes a discovery that leaves her her stalker of 10 years has been released from prison . . .

As the women's worlds collide in ways they could never have expected, they will discover that freedom always comes at a price . . .

The Household is the new novel from the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars , The Foundling and Mrs England. Set against Charles Dicken's home for fallen women and inspired by real figures from history, it is Stacey Halls' most ambitious and compelling novel yet.

Links to my reviews of her previous novels: 

The Familiars   The Foundling.   Mrs England

 

Stacey Halls was born in 1989 and grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and has written for publications including the Guardian, Stylist, Psychologies, The Independent, The Sun and Fabulous. 

Her first book The Familiars was the bestselling debut novel of 2019. 

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile    Instagram Account    Twitter Profile   Author Website

Amazon Author Profile