Veronika Jordan's Blog, page 55

Scrap by Kathy Biggs

Life has become stale for best friends Mackie and Sharon, who never imagined they’d end up working in a scrapyard.

Sharon has dreams of becoming a cruise ship star, while a browbeaten Mackie cares for his wayward daughter’s twins. But fate takes an unexpected turn when a mysterious kid is discovered in the boot of a car.

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He has a remarkable gift—he can draw visions of the future, and this opens up new avenues that neither could have foreseen…

Scrap is a modern fable about the human capacity to overcome the hand life deals us and start afresh.

My Review

It’s six o’clock in the morning and I’m sitting in bed crying. Not because I have to get up – I don’t – but because I just finished reading Scrap. Partly because I didn’t want it to end and partly because it did and it was sad, happy and emotional all at the same time.

What a book! All the main characters – Mackie, Sharon and Trev have their own back stories. They work together at Tranter’s Scrap Yard, which is where they discover the kid. He’s found in an old Merc at the top of a pile of cars, dehydrated and malnourished, because he’s been there for days. Thank goodness they didn’t crush the car.

The ambulance arrives and takes him to hospital, with Mackie accompanying him. For some reason Mackie feels compelled to visit him, even though he doesn’t know him. When he wakes the kid says ‘Oh it’s you.’ Mackie has no idea why.

As well as working at Tranter’s, Mackie’s best friend Sharon is a singer at a night club. She dreams of being discovered and performing on the cruise ships. All she has accomplished so far is a seedy affair with the club’s owner Barry, who is married, of course. Aren’t they always.

Trev lives with his mum Bertha, who is terrifying and Trev is terrified of her. But deep down he’s clever and a mine of useless information, though thanks to the kid’s visions, his knowledge is now becoming invaluable.

Other characters in Scrap are vividly brought to life – the kid’s criminal brother Marco, Tranter himself, his wife Arlene, and Mackie’s daughter Lauren, who dumps the twins on him whenever it suits her. And then disappears for days. They are all a bit larger than life.

But in the end, it’s all about the kid. He draws the future (remember Isaac Mendez in Heroes?), but the results are both realistic and often devastating.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Kathy Biggs is originally from Yorkshire. She took a summer job in Mid Wales in 1985 – and never left. She has two grown children and lives with her husband, Paul. After studying a number of Creative Writing courses linked to Aberystwyth University, she discovered a talent for writing. The Luck was her first novel.

Killer Bodies by Heleen Kist

Be careful what you wish for.

In a prestigious Edinburgh apartment building, gym receptionist Evie whiles away long hours doodling the deaths of residents who’ve annoyed her.

On her birthday of all days, a man slumps off the exercise bike — dead. She tries to get help, but someone has locked the doors and the phones are out of reach.

#KillerBodies @hkist #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #BlogTour

When another resident collapses inexplicably, Evie realises the deaths resemble those she drew … and her sketchbook is missing.

Was she framed…

… or is she next?

My Review

Sharp and witty, with cutting observations, this is a book that says it like it is. Most of the characters are truly horrid – selfish, full of themselves, and liars to boot. Or rather to designer trainers.

Evie is the receptionist at the gym belonging to a prestigious Edinburgh apartment building. The only resident she likes is the very elderly Mrs M who lives on the top floor. Mrs M accepts Evie completely, with her Manga-inspired, creepy tattoos and a penchant for drawing the other residents in the throes of death by horrific means. It’s only for fun after all. Evie’s boyfriend Kaif supplies Mrs M with marihuana, and their friend Martina works in IT.

Residents Charles and Fiona have a small fluffy dog called Pebbles, who regularly gets dumped on Evie while they ‘work-out’ and Stephen just gets sweaty in the gym. Beatrice is a right old cow. Dave is ex-forces, and runs a security company, while Suki has only just moved in. She’s always going on about ‘leverage’. The building manager is called Alan and he’s a real charmer.

Saturday is Evie’s birthday, but instead of celebrating all day with Kaif and Martina, she’s inexplicably called in to work. A number of the residents have received messages to say that the gym will be closed at 10.30. This means they turn up early. And that’s when it all goes horribly wrong.

The doors are locked, their phones are in the lockers they can’t access. and the internet is down. The windows are made of unbreakable glass and anyway, they are on the twelfth floor. Then one of the residents slumps off the exercise bike and so the fun begins. There are some truly bizarre moments, a rising body count and plenty of dark humour, like who accompanies who to the toilet and who is safe to be left alone. Then Evie realises her sketch book is missing, the one with all the dead residents in it.

Dark, often hilarious and at times just plain weird, I highly recommend this locked room mystery book.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

PS ‘Hate is a big word. I’m not a big fan of this dog, or most dogs.’ She carried Pebbles to Evie. ‘That doesn’t make me a bad person.’ Oh yes it does!

About the Author

Heleen Kist is a Dutch, formerly globetrotting career woman who fell in love with a Scotsman and his country, and now writes about its (sometimes scary) people from her garden office in Glasgow. Killer Bodies is her fourth novel, inspired by her hatred of exercise. She was chosen as an up-and-coming new author at Bloody Scotland 2018. Her novels have been finalists in a variety of awards, both in the UK and USA, and she years to someday ‘be the bride’.

Heleen hopes you enjoy her writing, and would love to hear from you on twitter @hkist Faceboook @heleenkistauthor or Goodreads. You can also sign up to her newsletter on www.heleenkist.com

Photo Credit Scott Cadenhead

Gallow Falls by Alex Nye

A remote Scottish estate. A missing teenager.

When a young archaeologist discovers bones at the site of her Bronze Age broch on Gallows Hill, the community of Kilbroch hold their breath. Ex-detective Callum MacGarvey came to work on the estate in order to escape from his past, but when a friend asks for his help, he cannot refuse. Missing teenager Robbie MacBride’s grandmother wants answers. She doesn’t believe what the family tell her, and Callum finds himself reluctantly drawn into a historic missing person case. He suspects that everyone is hiding a secret, including George Strabane, the landowner whom Callum works for.

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While the police believe Robbie ran away from home more than a decade ago, not everyone is convinced. The archaeologist, Laura, ex-detective, Callum MacGarvey and Robbie’s grandmother continue to investigate, while Robbie’s sister, the silent Ruthie, remains haunted by her childhood flashbacks. Sometimes the truth is so dark, it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.

My Review

The first thing I had to do was establish who is who. This took a bit of time, but I got there in the end. And it was worth it.

Callum MacGarvey lives alone in a remote Scottish ‘village’ – and I use the term loosely. He used to be a police detective in Glasgow, but he was hounded out of the force. He now lives a simple life in his tied cottage, selling chopped firewood and generally doing whatever you do in the countryside when you’ve lost your job, your wife and your child.

His friend Joan is the 70-year-old grandmother of teenager Robbie, who disappeared 12 years ago. Because he took some supplies and his passport, the police surmised that he just ran away from home. Joan is not convinced. She is sure he’s still here. And she wants Callum to help her find out the truth. But she may not like what she finds.

Robbie’s younger sister Ruthie now lives with her dad Owen – neither of them ever see or speak to Joan since Robbie vanished and Ruthie’s mother died. In fact Ruthie never speaks at all. She chooses not to do so. What is she afraid she will say if she does?

Then 20-something archaeologist Laura Pettigrew arrives to excavate the site on Gallows Hill, where it is believed stands the remains of a Bronze Age broch. But the bones she discovers are not from the Bronze Age, and she finds herself embroiled in an historic missing persons case. Add the vile landowner George Strabane into the mix and you have all the makings of a creepy thriller, full of mystery, secrets, and superstition.

Such a brilliant book with a ‘guess what’s next’ shocking and intricate story, a massive twist and the writing is perfect. We see it from different points of view – Callum, Laura, Joan and Ruthie. Each has their own story to tell, but there are some who don’t want the truth to come out.

Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of the #GallowFallsTour

About the Author

Alex Nye is the award-winning author of seven novels. She is also a Teaching Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund at the University of Glasgow. She has several times been a Writer in Residence and Creative Writing Mentor through the Scottish Book Trust. She has written books about Mary Queen of Scots, Mary Shelley, Glencoe, the Jacobites, refugees and the care system in Scotland. Her previous novel was a collection of stories which touched on challenging subjects as diverse as Tianenman Square and the school shootings at Dunblane. As a teenager she won the WH Smith Young Writers Award with a piece of reflective prose about a Biology lesson, where the pupils examined a foetus in a glass jar.

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Arrietty by Abby Davies

Our loved ones protect us. 

So what if you woke up one day to find yours gone?  Your mum, your friends, your freedom – all gone.  And the one person you trust may be hiding a terrible secret. 

#Arrietty @Abby13Richards #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours 

Welcome to Arrietty’s life. 

My Review

So what if you woke up one day to find everything you thought you knew was turned on its head. Not once or twice but again and again. You can’t trust anyone. You maybe can’t even trust yourself.

Arrietty is almost impossible to review because everything is a spoiler. Suffice to say that one night at midnight her mum walks out and is never seen again. There is only her father, who won’t tell her what happened, and her little brother Eddie. Eddie is four years old and Arrietty adores him.

The story is told in two timelines – now and two years earlier. There was significant trauma in her life, but we don’t know what it was. We hear from her mum Sofia’s point of view as well as from Arrietty’s.

Then it all changes and we start seeing something totally different. Is Arrietty a reliable narrator? Then it changes again and – oh my goodness – it turns into something so dark and terrifying, I was literally blown away. Good job I don’t have a cliff with a thirty foot drop at the bottom of my garden or I’d be down there. An amazing third book from a bright, new author.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

Abby Davies was born in Macclesfield in 1984. She grew up in Bedfordshire in a seventeenth century cottage near Flitton Moor and started writing ‘thrillers’ when she was seven years old. After reading English Literature at Sheffield University and training to be an English teacher, she wrote novels in her free time.

She was shortlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition in 2018 and longlisted for the Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award in 2019. Her debut Mother Loves Me was published by HarperCollins in 2020. The Cult came out in 2021. Arrietty is her third novel.

She lives in Wiltshire with her husband, daughter and two crazy cocker spaniels.

The Crooked Little Pieces: Volume 3 by Sophia Lambton

Dreams are a red flag for the danger-prone.

Postwar van der Holts. Sophistication sticks to Head of Music Isabel – and so does new headmaster, the mysterious and semi-dictatorial Richard Schneider. Dissent from doctorly conventionality leads Anneliese into digressions deviant even for her as she squares off not just against Susanna but a serial offender of the law. Sparks fly between old flames; new fears prove equally exciting. Loyalties are switched and cravings itched in this compendium of the forbidden driven by foreboding: a mere taste of the temptations still to come.

Treats are aplenty for the reader who prefers vicarious living in The Crooked Little Pieces: Volume 3: a world abundant in the traps of passion’s shackles.

Into the higher stakes we go.

My Review

As I’ve said in my previous reviews:

‘…. it’s very different. Don’t expect straightforward historical fiction. It’s more about emotions and the relationship between two women, who even though they are twins are disparate and diverse.’ 

So here we are again. We are approaching the 1950s and the twins are almost 30 years old. I am not going to recap volumes 1 and 2, because I am assuming you have read them. If you haven’t, then you should.

Psychiatrist Anneliese is still married to barrister Stephen, though they never seem to spend any time together. But then Anneliese has no interest in being a mother or having a physical relationship with her husband or anyone.

Isabel has been apart from her husband Steven (is there a reason they are both called Stev/phen?) for a number of years, their sado-masochistic games having gone too far. They were no longer games and Isabel had to escape before she was seriously hurt. She now concentrates on her position as Head of Music at Croham Hurst girls school, where Richard Schneider is the new headmaster. Isabel is horrified that they have appointed a man. He must be a pervert.

I can’t help liking Richard even though I probably wouldn’t in real life (no not because he’s a pervert – he isn’t). He’s cultured and interesting, but what secrets is he hiding behind that oh-so respectable demeanor? Vincent, on the other hand, would give me hayfever.

Once again another nod to my mother – the tenor Gigli, who she loved, and who Richard hates.

In the meantime, Anneliese becomes obsessed with the lawyer who defended the killer – allegedly – of her psychiatrist Susanna’s daughter Lily, many years earlier. She inveigles herself into his home by helping to treat his schizophrenic young daughter, Rosalind.

Another great book in this fantastic series. It’s so brilliantly written in its own inimitable style. Many thanks to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

Sophia Lambton became a professional classical music critic at the age of seventeen when she began writing for Musical Opinion, Britain’s oldest music magazine. Since then she has contributed to The Guardian, Bachtrack, musicOMH, BroadwayWorld, BBC Music Magazine and OperaWire, and conducted operatic research around the world for a non-fiction work set to be published in 2023. Crepuscular Musings – her recently spawned cultural Substack – provides vivid explorations of tv and cinema together with reviews of operas, concerts and recitals at sophialambton.substack.com.

The Crooked Little Pieces is her first literary saga. This is volume 3. She lives in London.

Salt & Skin by Eliza Henry Jones

Grief-stricken and on the verge of a breakdown, photographer Luda Managan leaves Australia for a commission, bringing her two teenage children to a remote, weather- ravaged but beautiful Scottish island.

Luda, isolated from her two resentful teenagers, turns her attention to the records from the 17th century island witch hunts and the fragmented life stories of the executed women. Min, her daughter, restless and strong, tries to fill up the space in their family left by her father. She soon finds comfort in both the sea and an unlikely friendship.

#SaltandSkin @elizahenryjones @septemberbooks #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours

But the only thing that beautiful and gifted Darcy cares about is getting marks high enough for entry into university – one very, very far away from his mother. Until he meets the wild foundling, Theo, who is slowly self-destructing in a community that is both protective and violent towards him.
 
But when a tragic accident unleashes ghosts and the echoes of long-ago violence and betrayal into their lives, the Managans must confront their unspoken histories in order to survive.

Luminously-written, Salt & Skin is a compelling modern family drama, threaded with folklore and building to an incredible, climactic ending. It’s a story of wild landscapes, incomers, outsiders and changelings, and a meditation on the absence of women’s voices in stories and history. And like a hymn to the sea, it is unpredictable, startling and beautiful.

My Review

I’ve only ever read two books that I can compare this with, and they are She Never Told Me About The Ocean by Elizabeth Sharp McKetta and The Unravelling by Polly Crosby. They all have that same whimsical, magical unworldliness, and the first two became my top books of the year in 2021 and 2022. I have a feeling Salt & Skin will be in my top books of 2023.

It’s hard to describe what Salt & Skin is about, because it’s so much more than a story. It’s beautiful, lyrical and filled with superstition and magic. It’s about a family and their journey across the world to find a new beginning, but it’s also about motherhood, grief, love and community. It’s about the witches who were executed in the 17th century and the religion that fears them and would still persecute them if they could.

Following the tragic death of her husband Joshua, Luda Managan leaves her home in Australia, taking her two teenage children with her, having accepted a commission to photograph the natural surroundings on a remote Scottish isle. The Managans are distantly related to an old lady named Cassandra who lives there. They are to lodge in ‘the ghost house’, where there is barely room for them all to sleep. And there are markings on the wall that are of interest to local archeologist, Tristan.

The children hate the move, until Min becomes a friend to Cassandra and finds going out on a boat and deep diving in the cold sea far more interesting than school, while her older brother Darcy is only interested in getting the grades to go to University. Then Darcy meets the luminous foundling Theo, wild and untamed, an abandoned child with webbed fingers. He was found washed up on the beach when he was around seven years old and is now seventeen. No-one knows where he came from. In the meantime, Luda alienates the whole community because of a photo which she took and published.

This book is so beautiful, I can’t get it out of my head. It will remain with me for many years to come. It made me gasp and it made me cry and its profound effect will ripple through my life like the waves on the beach at Seannay.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Eliza Henry-Jones is a writer and academic based on a little flower farm in Victoria, Australia. Her previous novels have been listed for multiple literary awards including the ABIA, NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and QLD Literary Awards. Her work has also been published widely, appearing in places such as the Guardian, Country Style, The Big Issue and The Age. Eliza has qualifications in psychology as well as grief, loss and trauma counselling. @elizahenryjones

You Can’t See Me by Eva Björg Ægisdótti (Forbidden Iceland #4) translated by Victoria Cribb

The wealthy, powerful Snæberg clan has gathered for a family reunion at a futuristic hotel set amongst the dark lava flows of Iceland’s remote Snæfellsnes peninsula.

Petra Snæberg, a successful interior designer, is anxious about the event, and her troubled teenage daughter, Lea, whose social media presence has attracted the wrong kind of followers. Ageing carpenter Tryggvi is an outsider, only tolerated because he’s the boyfriend of Petra’s aunt, but he’s struggling to avoid alcohol because he knows what happens when he drinks … Humble hotel employee, Irma, is excited to meet this rich and famous family and observe them at close quarters … perhaps too close…

#YouCantSeeMe @evaaegisdottir @OrendaBooks @victoriacribb 
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As the weather deteriorates and the alcohol flows, one of the guests disappears, and it becomes clear that there is a prowler lurking in the dark.

But is the real danger inside … within the family itself?

My Review

In the previous three books, Detective Elma was the central character, but in You Can’t See Me, the leading investigators are Sævar and Hordur – it’s the prequel so Elma hasn’t appeared yet – though to be honest they don’t figure that much at all.

The story focuses around the wealthy family Snæberg who have booked an ultra-modern and hugely expensive hotel in the Lava fields for some kind of reunion. There will be lots of wonderful food and drink (and boy do they drink – they all seem half pissed nearly all the time), plus trips out including one on a boat and evening fun for all.

There are numerous points of view – from teenager Lea, to her mum Petra, Tryggvi, the partner of Aunt Oddny (who almost dies because of her alcohol abuse), and hotel employee Irma, whose disadvantaged childhood makes her want to meet this famous lot.

There are lots of other characters whose points of view we don’t hear, including Petra’s cousins Viktor and childhood bosom pal Steffy, the dreadful, though film-star handsome, cousin Hakon who chucks cocaine into the mix, Petra’s brother and parents, Harpa, who is almost 18 and encourages Lea to drink, and Edda who runs the hotel.

Then one of the guests goes missing (though who is it – we don’t know till almost the end) and there also appears to be a prowler about. This was an unusual and very clever twist as I didn’t guess who was missing right up to the point of being told who it was.

The hotel is in the middle of nowhere with snow and storms all around – no wonder untoward things happen – and virtually no escape. It’s all very complicated and it takes a while to remember who is who (though sometimes it doesn’t matter with the more minor characters), and I found it fascinating. Money may not be the root of all evil in this case, but it doesn’t always make you happier.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Born in Akranes in 1988, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir studied for an MSc in Globalisation in Norway before returning to Iceland and deciding to write a novel – something she had wanted to do since she won a short-story competition at the age of fifteen. After nine months combining her writing with work as a stewardess and caring for her children, Eva finished The Creak on the Stairs. It was published in 2018, and became a bestseller in Iceland. It also went on to win the Blackbird Award, a prize set up by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir and Ragnar Jónasson to encourage new Icelandic crime writers. It was published in English by Orenda Books in 2020. Eva lives in Reykjavík with her husband and three children and is currently working on the third book in the Forbidden Iceland series. Follow her on @evaaegisdottir

Orenda Books is a small independent publishing company specialising in literary fiction with a heavy emphasis on crime/thrillers, and approximately half the list in translation. They’ve been twice shortlisted for the Nick Robinson Best Newcomer Award at the IPG awards, and publisher and owner Karen Sullivan was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. In 2018, they were awarded a prestigious Creative Europe grant for their translated books programme. Three authors, including Agnes Ravatn, Matt Wesolowski and Amanda Jennings have been WHSmith Fresh Talent picks, and Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, won an English PEN Translation Award, and adapted for BBC Radio Four ’s Book at Bedtime. Six titles have been short- or long-listed for the CWA Daggers. Launched in 2014 with a mission to bring more international literature to the UK market, Orenda Books publishes a host of debuts, many of which have gone on to sell millions worldwide, and looks for fresh, exciting new voices that push the genre in new directions. Bestselling authors include Ragnar Jonasson, Antti Tuomainen, Gunnar Staalesen, Michael J. Malone, Kjell Ola Dahl, Louise Beech, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Sarah Stovell.

Reflections On The Boulevard by LJ Ambrosio

Michael’s story continues from A Reservoir Man (2022) where we find him teaching at a university ready to retire. He unexpectedly meets a young man named Ron who becomes his protégé and journeys with him in a haphazard adventure throughout America and Europe. In Michael’s final journey in life, each twist and turn of the road brings unexpected adventures. The journey taken is one of joy, friendship, and discovery.

Excerpt

“As the ferry entered the river, one would barely know they were sailing. The breeze brushed against his face; he saw the water pass him just as life had. He looked at the stern of the ferry seeing all his relationships, career, and spirituality disappear in an endless stream of the river, moving them away but not forgotten. Michael felt as if the bow moving upriver was pushing towards his future with the thrust of a young man stealing second base.

“From the corner of his eyes, he saw a well-built, nice looking young man, nerdy, longish dirty blonde hair that either needed cutting or a ponytail. He was talking to himself, no, Michael thought, “he is talking on the phone.” But no, the young man was actually talking to himself, or a bird. Suddenly, the young man saw Michael and flashed a small smile.

“Oh no I have been here too many times; those moments are up the river,” thought Michael. The young man approached Michael asking if he knew him.
“I could not imagine how,” said Michael, in disbelief.
“Yes,” the young man said, “in the park near the university. You were always reading on that same bench. I remember when the pigeons shit on your book and once on your jacket; the whole bench was full of shit,” the young man said with a slight devilish smile.
“Right!” said Michael. “Are you getting off here?”
“In the middle of the river, how could I?”
“You could always try,” said Michael, with a slight but cold smile.”

Competition

The author will award a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner and an autographed copy of the book to a second randomly drawn winner.

Enter to win a $20 Amazon/BN GC or an autographed copy of your book – a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Review

This was so emotional. I read and reviewed A Reservoir Man last year but it didn’t affect me like this. I think it’s partly because of Rhonda, so let me explain.

Rhonda is a dog. She’s a wire-haired Jack Russell. ‘She had a squatty little body with long hair and a mostly white body. Her little head was brown and there was a sad look in her eyes.’ Ron adopts her as a stray, shortly after meeting Michael. We’ve had two Jack Russells – Cookie who crossed the rainbow bridge eight years ago, and Pancake who we lost in September 2021, aged 17. I therefore fell in love with Rhonda from the first time she is introduced into the story.

Ron meets Michael on the ferry and tries to engage with him. He’s lost and doesn’t know which way to turn. Michael is understandably nervous – he’s in his late sixties and here is a young man who may pose a threat to him. He leaves him a couple of streets away from his house, but Ron finds him and knocks on his door. They talk. Michael realises that Ron isn’t a threat and their friendship blossoms.

Ron learns a lot about life from Michael, who becomes his mentor. Eventually he moves in with him and returns to college to finish his degree. It’s when he first moves in that he adopts Rhonda. Michael soon grows fond of the little dog – who wouldn’t.

Together they embark on a trip around America, visiting many cities, states and places of natural beauty. They go to Death Valley and Yosemite. Rhonda is always with them.

But Michael knows he is not well. He has always had stomach problems and acid reflux, but he knows this is something worse. His decline is gradual. He tells Ron that when his time comes, he wants him to leave the window open for a couple of hours so he can ‘leave’, and asks that Ron and Michael’s family prepare his body for burial.

Michael talks a lot about religion, and the part it plays in his life. ‘Religion is good.’ he says, ‘It makes us feel hopeful.’ Not organised religion though, but the spirit of Jesus as the embodiment of goodness. He also explains about the Reservoir Men.

‘They would dart into the bushes and disappear for a time,’ Michael continued,’ they lived in untruths. Lies to themselves and to their families. They were dangerous, they are dangerous, they want you, too, to hide your truth.’

This is a wonderful book, full of truth and love and friendship. Michael tells Ron to always forgive and not to hang on to hatred, because that’s how hatred wins. It shows us how love can be so much bigger than physical love – the love of friends and family and even of a dog. We are all part of something, we are one with each other.

Many thanks to Goddess Fish Promotions and the author for inviting me to be part of the review tour.

About the Author

Louis J. Ambrosio ran one of the most nurturing bi-coastal talent agencies in Los Angeles and New York. He started his career as a theatrical producer, running two major regional theaters for eight seasons. Ambrosio taught at seven universities. Ambrosio also distinguished himself as an award-winning film producer and novelist over the course of his impressive career.

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorlambrosio
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/louis.ambrosio
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/ljambrosio
Blog: https://ljambrosio.blogspot.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI2XkCETDOj_VUtCFcB74ig
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reflections-on-the-boulevard-lj-
ambrosio/1143396462
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Boulevard-LJ-Ambrosio-
ebook/dp/B0C2F31BLW/ref=sr_1_1
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/reflections-on-the-boulevard/id6448296429
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the-boulevard

The Other Side of Mrs. Wood by Lucy Barker

For fans of The Lost Apothecary or the Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, a deliciously atmospheric historical novel about the rivalry between two female mediums during Victorian London’s obsession with Spiritualism.

Mrs. Violet Wood is London’s premier medium. Her ambition and work ethic are relentless, and her unique abilities have earned her quite the reputation among London’s elite. Mrs. Wood knows just how to read her wealthy patrons and deliver them exactly the messages they long to hear from their loved ones visiting from beyond the grave.

However, one London newspaperman is on a quest to expose the false mediums among them, just as the pressure increases to outperform the upstart Americans—who, to Mrs. Wood’s horror, are promising their audiences more and more fantastical visions. When Mrs. Wood learns her own finances are in crisis, she realizes she must raise her own profile to secure her career and her place in society, or risk being quickly replaced by the next big thing.

Her solution? Accepting as an apprentice the sweet young girl who appears at her door, who carries an uncanny talent for the craft. But is Miss Finch everything she appears to be? And will she be Mrs. Wood’s salvation, or her downfall?

My Review

This was a cracking read! And such a lot of fun. A few months ago I attended a ‘seance’ as part of a podcast recording, where we attempted to debunk some of the myths around mediumship. It was fascinating. Seances were always held in pitch darkness – not to prevent the spirits from getting upset – but to allow the medium to perform their ‘tricks’ without being seen. You’d never get away with it today, but in those days the participants were far more impressionable. Especially when celebrities such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were firm believers (though this is set earlier in 1873).

Widowed Mrs Violet Wood is London’s most famous – and trusted – medium. She performs elaborate Grand Seances, private readings and visits to her patron’s houses, with the assistance of her friend Miss Newman. While there is some trickery involved (illusion is everything), she really believes she is helping people overcome their grief, by contacting the spirit of their dead loved one and letting them know that they are happy. She goes into a trance and receives messages from the other side. And people are genuinely made to feel better.

But for many it’s not enough. They want sensationalism and full spirit materialisation, as is happening in America. Mrs Wood does not want this, but with her finances failing she needs to put herself back on the map. She needs something new. Then one day she encounters a girl who has been hanging around her house for weeks. Sixteen-year-old Emmeline Finch begs Mrs Wood to teach her to become a medium, tells her how much she admires her, believes she has talent. And for the first time ever, Mrs Wood agrees.

The girl is pretty and clever and learns quickly – too quickly. Editor of The Spiritual Times, Magnus Clore is fascinated by ‘Emmie’, but he also wants to expose false mediums. Mrs Wood warns Emmie not to try and impress too fast, but she soon finds out that the girl is not to be trusted and the rivalry begins.

What a brilliant read this was, full of intrigue, warmth and humour. I have always been fascinated by reading books about mediums and seances (yes I have done it – haven’t we all?), and The Other Side of Mrs Wood is up there with the best.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read. 

About the Author

Lucy Barker was the runner-up for the Curtis Brown First Novel Prize with an early extract from The Other Side of Mrs Wood. She holds an MA in Victorian Studies from Birkbeck College and is a Curtis Brown Creative and Novelry alumna. Lucy worked for years as a PA in theatre and heritage, including coordinating the Solstice celebrations at Stonehenge, before moving into social media management. She is currently a freelance copywriter and lives in rural Hampshire with her husband, two young children and the dog.

Dorothy Dustbucket by Christina B Bianco

Join happy helpful Dorothy on her magical adventures as she secretly tidies up after the messy Lees family home every night, but with a mischievous twist

From putting things in the wrong places to discovering newfangled contraptions like mobile phones and washing machines, Dorothy’s antics are sure to tickle your funny bone.

#DorothyDustbucket @christi87942442 @Zooloo’s Book Tours @zooloo2008 #ZooloosBookTours #blogtour #childrensfiction

This hilarious poetry picture book is perfect for kids aged 2-6 who love a good laugh and don’t mind a bit of dust in their fairy tales. So grab your wand and get ready to laugh with Dorothy Dustbucket!

My Review

I wish my dust was fairy dust and Dorothy could come and help with the housework. I used to tell my kids that there is no such thing as the underpants fairy, but now there is.

While everyone is asleep, Dorothy goes from room to room tidying and cleaning. But she doesn’t always get it right from ‘putting things in the wrong places to discovering newfangled contraptions like mobile phones and washing machines’. Ha ha Dorothy – washing machines are not exactly newfangled – they’ve been around for decades.

This is such fun. Hilarious pictures of Dorothy rushing around the house. Kids aged 2 – 6 will adore it.

Many thanks to @zooloo2008 for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author

Christina has had a successful career in the Art, Design and TV Industry before owning her very own Art Gallery. Inspired by her love of reading and doodling, Christina decided to put pen to paper and create ‘Dorothy Dustbucket.’ Splitting time between Europe and the UK, she lives in the beautiful county of Cheshire, along with her husband and two children, who provided much of the inspiration for the children’s books.

Christina’s Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/christi87942442
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christina_b_bianco_/
Tik Tok : https://www.tiktok.com/@1christinabbianco

Book Links
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156737966-dorothy-dustbucket
Buy Link – https://mybook.to/DorothyDustbucket-zbt