Book Review – Rivals of the Republic by Annelise Freisenbruch @Duckbooks @afreisenbruch

Tags

ancient rome, book review, bookreview, Duckworth Overlook

About the Book

In this “stunning novel” (bestselling author Alison Weir), Annelise Freisenbruch presents the great new heroine of Roman historical fiction, who must navigate the male dominated courts of law in her quest to uncover a sinister plot to overthrow the Republic.
As Rivals of the Republic begins, Roman high society is humming with gossip about the sudden, suspicious suicide of a Roman senator. Shortly afterwards, the body of a Vestal Virgin is discovered in the river Tiber. When the Roman authorities turn a strangely blind eye, Hortensia, the daughter of the capital’s most celebrated lawyer, begins investigating a trail of murders that leads straight into the dark heart of Rome.

Defying her husband and her father and rebelling against the constraints imposed upon her sex, Hortensia plunges deeper into the corrupt underworld that lurks in the shadows cast by the city’s all-powerful elite. When more key witnesses are silenced by an unknown mastermind, Hortensia is forced to seek an unconventional ally: Lucrio, an ex-gladiator with secrets of his own.

Using her supreme knowledge of the period and drawing from historical accounts of the daughter of famed Roman orator Quintus Hortensius Hortalus, Annelise Freisenbruch delivers a meticulously accurate and suspenseful story that will have readers gripped until the final, harrowing pages.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this political thriller set in Ancient Rome. Although it started off slowly setting the scene, it picked up speed with plot twists and unsavoury characters. The author’s descriptions of everyday life, for both rich and poor were wonderful, enabling me to feel as though I was there wandering down the streets with the different characters.

I really liked Hortensia. I admired her independence and bravery whilst facing the different situations she found herself in. 

I must confess, I did get confused by similar sounding names at times, so I was relieved that the author had provided a cast of characters at the beginning of the book, to remind me who was who, throughout.  

I look forward to reading more in this new series, and definitely recommend this if you enjoy historical fiction, mystery and thrillers. 

Thanks so much to Duckworth Overlook for my copy.

 

 

 

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Book Review – Stranger by David Bergen @Duckbooks

Tags

book review, canadian author, david bergen, Duckworth Overlook, guatemala, immigrants, kidnapping, mother's love, poverty

About the Book

Íso Perdido, a young Guatemalan woman, works at a fertility clinic at Ixchel, named for the Mayan goddess of creation and destruction. Íso tends to the rich women who visit the clinic for the supposed conception-enhancing properties of the local lake. She is also the lover of Dr. Mann, the American doctor in residence. When an accident forces the doctor to leave Guatemala abruptly, Íso is abandoned, pregnant. After the birth, tended to by the manager of the clinic, the baby disappears.

Determined to reclaim her daughter, Íso follows a trail north, eventually crossing illegally into a United States where the rich live in safe zones, walled away from the indigent masses. Travelling without documentation, and with little money, Íso must penetrate this world, and in this place of menace and shifting boundaries, she must determine who she can trust and how much, aware that she might lose her daughter forever.

My Review

This book turned out to be a very pleasant surprise, as I wasn’t too sure if I was going to enjoy it at first. The simple prose grew on me, and I couldn’t put it down in the end, desperately wanting to discover what happened to Íso and her baby.

As a mother I was rooting for Íso the whole time, although I did wonder what her plan was.  I was very glad to discover that she wasn’t a ‘bad-ass’ woman on the rampage, but a young mother who was quietly determined to get her stolen baby back.

The description of her journey to the United States was so clear in my mind’s eye as I was reading and felt for her as she struggled to keep out of harm’s way. I enjoyed meeting the different characters she met along the way, making me wonder how I would behave in each situation.

I definitely recommend it if you prefer quiet determined characters rather than super hero ‘badass’ types.

Thanks so much to Duckworth Overlook for my paperback advanced reading copy.

Stranger A Novel by David Bergen is published on 7 September 2017 by Duckworth Overlook.

Book Review – What She Left by Rosie Fiore

Tags

book review, bookreview, domestic drama

About The Book

 

Helen Cooper has a charmed life. She’s beautiful, accomplished, organised – the star parent at the school. Until she disappears.

But Helen wasn’t abducted or murdered. She’s chosen to walk away, abandoning her family, husband Sam, and her home. Where has Helen gone, and why? What has driven her from her seemingly perfect life? What is she looking for? Sam is tormented by these questions, and gradually begins to lose his grip on work and his family life. He sees Helen everywhere in the faces of strangers. He’s losing control.

But then one day, it really is Helen’s face he sees…

 

My Review

I was intrigued after reading the first few chapters through Readers First ‘first look’, and then won a copy to read and review. I couldn’t wait to find out what had happened to Helen, and why she walked away from a seemingly perfect life.

The story unfolds through the different points of view, of Sam, Helen’s husband, Miranda his eldest daughter, and Lara a single mum at Miranda’s school. I confess that I skimmed Sam’s chapters sometimes as he really annoyed me. I even ended up shouting out loud at him on quite a few occasions. Good job I was at home and not in a café having a coffee!!

I enjoyed Lara’s part of the story as I liked her and felt a lot of sympathy for her situation. Miranda’s version of events was very well done even though I didn’t like her.

Helen’s point of view was rather sparse and only really appears towards the last third of the book, when you find out why and how she disappeared. I definitely would’ve enjoyed reading more about her, as I admired her, and her ability to just up sticks and walk away.

I would recommend this if you enjoy character driven domestic dramas, as there is a lot in this book.

 

Book Review – Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Tags

book review, favourites, lisa jewell, london, missing persons, psychological thriller, then she was gone

About the Book

THEN
She was fifteen, her mother’s
golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.
NOW
It’s been ten years since Ellie
disappeared, but Laurel has never given up
hope of finding her daughter.

And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet. Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.
Poppy is precocious and pretty – and meeting her completely takes Laurel’s breath away. Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go? Who still has secrets to hide?

My Thoughts

I loved this dark, creepy,  latest novel from one of my favourite authors. I was hooked from the first page right through to the last.

What I love about Lisa Jewell’s books is the way she writes and develops such believable characters and scenarios. I feel that I could  be reading about my neighbours, ordinary people that I past on the street everyday who I know nothing about. Her world building is so strong that I can see everything so clearly in my mind’s eye as I get slowly absorbed into her books.

Then She Was Gone, was slightly different in that I got into this book so fast that I was quite surprised by the speed of the plot. I enjoyed the telling of the story from the different characters, and the flitting between the past and present definitely added to the tension throughout. The mystery of what happened to Ellie is slowly but surely revealed with a such a force that I felt emotionally overwhelmed by the last page.

It’s a book that will definitely stay with me for sometime and I will be reading again in the future.

If you like a creepy, dark read that’ll you make your flesh creep then this is a book for you.

I received an Arc through NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone but actually read my own copy that I’d pre-ordered from Waterstones.

 

Book Review – The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde by Eve Chase

Tags

1950s, book review, book reviews, bookreview, favourites, mystery, the cotswolds

The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde by Eve Chase

From the present day . . .  

Applecote Manor captivates Jessie with it promise of hazy summers in the Cotswolds. She believes it’s the perfect escape for her troubled family. But the house has an unsettling history, and strange rumours surround the estate.                                     

to the fifties . . .

When teenage Margot and her three sisters arrive at Applecote during the heatwave of ’59, they find their aunt and uncle still reeling from the disappearance of their daughter Audrey five years before. The sisters are drawn into the mystery of Audrey’s vanishing – until the stifling summer takes a shocking, deadly turn.

Will one unthinkable choice bind them together, or tear them apart?

My Review

I loved everything about this book the setting, the story, the characters, the house.

The writing is beautiful and instantly transported me to the present day Cotswolds and back to the summer of 1959, so full of nostalgia but also something dark and mysterious.

The 1959 story is told by Margot the second youngest and plainest of the sisters and the closest to Audrey. She desperately wants to finds out what happened to her cousin and asks the awkward question that nobody wants to vocalise. Having sisters myself, I loved the Wilde girls’ relationships, the closeness and teasing and yearned for my carefree childhood days with my siblings.

The present-day storyline is full of tension in a different way. Jessie and her blended family want to make a fresh start in the countryside, getting away from the stresses and strains of life in London. The tense atmosphere between Jessie and her stepdaughter Bella came across really well as the story took a more menacing turn at times.   Is there something malevolent in the house or is it all in Jessie’s imagination?

This isn’t a dramatic novel, although there are moments filled with drama, but one that slowly builds revealing it’s secrets through undulating twists and turns right up until the end, with a very satisfying ending.

This is one of my favourite books this year. I definitely recommend this if you enjoy books about family relationships and family secrets. This is my first book by Eve chase and it certainly won’t be my last.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for my complimentary digital copy.

Book Review – Friend Request by Laura Marshall – Buddy Read

Tags

book review, bookreview, Buddy Read, crime, psychological thriller

 

When this came up on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read it and was delighted to join Zuky@BookBum in a buddy read. It was great fun discussing the characters, plot and possible reveals. You can read Zuky’s review as well as mine in this post.

 

When Louise Williams receives a message from someone left long in the past she feels sick.

Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook.

Because Maria Weston has been missing for over twenty years. She was last seen the night of a school leavers’ party, and the world believes her to be dead. Particularly Louise, who has lived her adult life knowing herself responsible for Maria’s disappearance. But now Maria is back. Or is she?

As Maria’s messages start to escalate, Louise forces herself to reconnect with the old friends she once tried so hard to impress, to try to piece together exactly what happened that fateful night. But when another friend’s body turns up in the woods outside their old school, Louise realises she can’t trust anyone and that she must confront her own awful secret to discover the whole truth of what happened to Maria . . .

My Review 

So, what would you do if someone you’d gone to school with, but had sadly died years ago, sends you a friend request on Facebook? Would you accept it or would you immediately think it couldn’t be possible and delete it? I know it would freak me out and probably make me stay away from Facebook for days, but of course that wouldn’t make a fast paced psychological thriller though, would it?

This started off really creepily and had me flipping the pages on my device so quickly I couldn’t get enough of it.  As the story developed and Louise, the main character, became more unsure of what was going on, I really like the way it was headed. As with reading any thriller there were so many suspects amongst the cast of minor characters, but that also meant that there were probably lots of red herrings. This was a great way to draw me in and had me constantly wondering changing my mind as to what was going on.

Unfortunately for me as got past the half way mark I got very irritated with the main character’s emotions, and the way she was behaving, making some of the plot rather far-fetched. I kept reading though because I really wanted to find out what was going on. The first twist was okay, but towards the end of the book, the second twist felt like it was from a different book, with something much darker going on that I personally felt didn’t fit in with the original story.

Even though I was disappointed I still think this would a good book if you don’t normally read this genre.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, and Little Brown Group UK, Sphere for my digital copy.

Zuky’s Review

Honestly, I went into this one just because I needed to read it before publication, but I wasn’t exactly excited about it. I just thought it was going to be another throwaway thriller – fun while I was reading it, but nothing special. I was certainly surprised when I went into it and it sucked me in straight away! Unfortunately, its ending was a major let down and I can’t see me using this as a recommendation when someone asks.

One of the great things about this novel is that there are lots of characters to try and pin the blame on. You think you’re happy with a theory you’ve come up with and then all of a sudden something pops up with someone else and you get suspicious again. I love novels like this where you can’t make up your mind on who you think the bad guy is!

I also enjoyed the writing in this one. I’m not saying it’s anything super special, it’s reasonably simple and there aren’t a lot of beautiful descriptions of things, but it’s easy to read and definitely keeps you reading. I also thought the characters in this novel were very believable which isn’t always the easiest to do, so props to Marshall for that!

Now, for the negative. Agh, both me and Nicki were so disappointed by the ending of this one! Personally, I felt that all the build up to the reveal led to something very mediocre. Nicki came up with such an excellent ending about Maria that I was so sure she had got it right because it would have been amazing! But, alas, It was not what we thought and turned out to be something much more boring.

I don’t want to give anything away by saying too much but at the end, there are two reveals and one of them felt like it was put into the story just for the sake of having another “dun, dun, dunnn” moment. It was still good for concluding the novel but it was a bit left field.

I also think some parts of the book dragged out a bit and could have been edited back. It would have been punchier and quicker had a few bits been taken out.

I don’t hate this novel, but I also don’t love it. It was definitely a page turner to begin with, but it slowly got less interesting and then ended on a downer. I would have definitely given it 4 stars had it not been for the ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

 

Book Review : English Lessons by Andrea Lucado @christianaudio

Tags

audiobook, book review, christianaudio, memoir

 

The Book

The Questions Would Teach Her More Than the Answers

It wasn’t long after arriving in Oxford for graduate school that twenty-two-year-old Andrea Lucado – preacher’s daughter from Texas – faced not only culture shock, a severe lack of coffee, but also some unexpected hard questions: Who am I? Who is God? Why do I believe what I believe?
 
“So many nights in Oxford, I felt like the details of my faiths were getting fuzzier. Nights turned restless with the questions and the thoughts. I questioned God’s existence and the doubt, it was getting into my bones….”
 
In this engaging memoir, Andrea speaks to all of us who wrestle with faith, doubt, and spiritual identity. Join Andrea as she navigates the Thames River, the Oxford Atheist Society, romance in ancient pubs—and a new perspective on who God is. As Andrea learned, sometimes it takes letting go of old ideas to discover lasting truth.
The church wasn’t just a part of Andrea Lucado’s childhood. It was her childhood. It provided more than happy moments. It provided an invitation to know Jesus.

When Andrea arrived in England the year after she graduated from college, she expected to meet God there. What she didn’t expect was that God would be much bigger than she knew.
 
In English Lessons, Andrea takes us through the roads of England and the paths of the soul. Here she explores the journey of a changing faith and an unchanging God—and why growing up starts with realizing just how small we are.

My Thoughts

I’m a sucker for anything to do with Oxford, having had a family member live there for many years, so when I saw this audiobook available for review I jumped at the chance. It’s a lovely short memoir beautiful written in a poetic style making it a delightful listen. As I Brit listening to an American struggle with a new country, language and culture I cringed at times but also laughed as she got to grips with it all.

Sometimes when an author reads their own book it doesn’t always work for me, as they can seem unsure and rather mechanical. Fortunately Andrea Lucado read this perfectly, full of emotion as if she was reliving each moment as she was reading. I particularly enjoyed her recollections of giving up caffeine for Lent, going along to the Oxford Atheist Society, and getting used to living without a microwave.

I definitely recommend this for anyone going off to college or moving to a different country. I think it would work really well in a youth group setting and make the perfect  gift for a new student.

Thanks so much to christianaudio.com’s reviewers program for my free copy.

Book Review: The Women of the Castle by Jessica Shattuck

Tags

book review, Germany, readers first, WW2

“A resistance widow. A silent co-conspirator. The only one who survived.

Bavaria, Germany. June, 1945.

The Third Reich has crumbled. The Russians are coming.
Can Marianne von Lingenfels and the women in her care survive and build their ravaged world anew?

Marianne – widow of a resistor to the Nazi regime – returns to the grand, crumbling castle where she once played host to all of German high society. She assembles a makeshift family from the ruins of her husband’s movement, rescuing her dearest friend’s widow, Benita, from sexual slavery to the Russian army, and Ania from a work camp for political prisoners. She is certain their shared past will bind them together.

But as Benita begins a clandestine relationship and Ania struggles to conceal her role in the Nazi regime, Marianne learns that her clear-cut, highly principled world view has no place in these new, frightening and emotionally-charged days.

All three women must grapple with the realities they now face, and the consequences of decisions each made in the darkest of times . . .”

My Thoughts

I’ve read many fictional and biographical accounts covering the war years and so I was very keen to read this new account told from the perspective of German women. It really was a very powerful story, told very well by the author who took seven years of researching and delving into her own family history to write it. I  imagine that there are innumerable women of German descent who have this same history and many that have never spoken it out loud or shared it beyond their own family circles.

I enjoyed this a lot, although it wasn’t always a comfortable read, as at times it felt more memoir than historical fiction. I was fascinated by the historical details learning so much about the ordinary Germans, those caught up with Hitler’s promises of a new united nation and those appalled at what he was doing.  It does flip between eras with the main character’s stories so I was very glad to have a print copy as it meant it was easier to look back on dates in the time line of the story.

The main characters and their struggles felt so real, making me wonder if they are based on any particular women that the author knows. Being an idealist myself I could identify more with Marianne than Ania or Benita, I really felt for her as tried to uphold the promise she made to her oldest friend.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is interested in the era and wants a different perspective on the subject.

Thanks so much to Readers First for my hardback copy, which really did add to my reading experience.

Book review: Sandpiper Cove by Irene Hannon

Tags

audiobook, book review, christian, christianaudio

Blurb From Goodreads

 

“Hope Harbor police chief Lexie Graham has plenty on her plate raising her son alone and dealing with a sudden rash of petty theft and vandalism in her coastal Oregon home town. As a result, she has zero time for extracurricular activities–including romance.

 

Ex-con Adam Stone isn’t looking for love either–but how ironic is it that the first woman to catch his eye is a police chief? Yet wishing for things that can never be is foolish.

Nevertheless, when Lexie enlists Adam’s help to keep a young man from falling into a life of crime, sparks begin to fly. And as they work together, it soon becomes apparent that God may have a different–and better–future planned for them than either could imagine.”

My Thoughts

This started off quite well for me and I was hoping for an uplifting listen. I liked the story with the theme of second chances which was running through it and I loved all the parts with Clyde the dog. I really enjoyed the brilliant narration by Therese Plummer,  as she brought all the characters, male and female, young and old to life.

Unfortunately though I gave up about a third of they way through when the inner dialogue for both main characters were just too repetitive to keep listening. If this had been in a different format, I would’ve skimmed those parts, but I ended up muttering ‘enough’ to both Lexi and Adam whenever they kept talking to themselves about why they shouldn’t be getting serious with each other.

I also found the Christian message was a bit too preachy for me and spoilt the story.

I’m sure if you enjoy romances with a strong Christian message you’d enjoy this. Unfortunately this audiobook just wasn’t for me at this time.

Thanks so much to christianaudio.com Reviewer’s Program for my free copy.

Book Review: One Italian Summer by Keris Stainton

Tags

@bookblogger, book review, bookreview, family life, italy, readers first, sisters, travel

“It’s been a year since Milly, Elyse and Leonie’s dad died, and a year since their last trip to Rome. Summer’s here again, and once again they are heading with their mum to Italy – but what’s it going to be like going without Dad? Rome still holds its familiar charms – the sun is still as warm, the gelato as delicious, the people as welcoming. But nothing is quite as it once was …

With grief still raw for all of them, Milly is facing the additional awfulness of having to see Luke again – gorgeous, gorgeous Luke, who she had a fling with last year, and who she made a total fool of herself with – or so she thinks. What’s going to happen this time? What’s more, things between Milly, her sisters and their mum are rocky – Leonie is being tempestuous and unpredictable, Elyse is caught up with her new boyfriend, and Milly feels like she just doesn’t know how she fits in any more. Over one Italian summer, can Milly find a way back to the life she once had?”

 

This was a real change for me as I don’t normally read YA books, but once I got myself into Young Adult mode it made a nice change to read something fun and romantic.

The Rome setting really worked and characters felt real with all the sisters squabbling at times and then having fun together. I must admit I did a little bit confused with the sisters ages and couldn’t remember who was the oldest, middle and youngest.

I could sympathise with Milly’s wild imagination and wanting to keep everyone safe and also with their Mum keeping herself busy at work following the death of her husband.

I think it would make a great book group read especially for teenagers and families as there are themes of grief, relationships and LGBTQ running through it. It’s perfect for lovers of YA and romance.

Thanks to Reader’s First for my paperback copy which added to my reading experience.