Hold Back The Night by Jessica Moor BLOG TOUR #HoldBackTheNight @jessicammoor @ZaffreBooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n #BookReview

 

March 2020. Annie is alone in her house as the world shuts down, only the ghosts of her memories for company. But then she receives a phone call which plunges her deeper into the past.

1959. Annie and Rita are student nurses at Fairlie Hall mental hospital. Working long, gruelling hours, they soon learn that the only way to appease their terrifying matron is to follow the rules unthinkingly. But what is happening in the hospital's hidden side wards? And at what point does following the rules turn into complicity - and betrayal?

1983. Annie is reeling from the loss of her husband and struggling to face raising her daughter alone. Following a chance encounter, she offers a sick young man a bed for the night, a good deed that soon leads to another. Before long, she finds herself entering a new life of service - her home a haven for those who are cruelly shunned. But can we ever really atone?

Hold Back The Night by Jessica Moor is published in hardback on 9 May 2024 by Manilla Press. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Compulsive Readers Blog Tour 

Hold Back The Night is a short novel that delivers so much, it is beautifully formed, filled with colourful and exquisitely created characters who will tear at your heart. The author deals with some of the darkest, most troublesome issues in our recent history. She does it with style and compassion, and creates so many questions to ask, with debates to be had. It is the perfect book for discussion. 

This is Annie's life story, told in three eras.  Whilst the novel begins in 2020 at the start of the Covid pandemic when Annie is in her later years, it is the earlier times that really shape the woman that Annie will be. 

In the late 1950s Annie and her friend Rita are student nurses at Fairlie Hall mental hospital. Annie always knew that she wanted to make people feel better, but her hatred of blood meant that general nursing was not for her. Fairlie with its community of patients suffering from a variety of mental disorders will suit her. However, it isn't really how she'd imagined it to be. Their Matron is a stern, cold woman and Annie and Rita soon realise that they must do exactly as they are ordered.

In the mid 1980s Annie is recently widowed. She and her teenage daughter have used the money received after her husband's industrial accident to buy a bigger house. When Annie meets Robbie and Jim on the street near a nightclub, she realises that Robbie is seriously ill. His landlady has evicted her and it seems the right thing for Annie to offer him a bed, after all, she could do with the cash, a lodger will be no trouble at all. 

Jessica Moor explores the issues around conversion therapy, carried out at Fairlie Hall in the guise as a treatment for the patient's mental illness. Homosexuality was still illegal in those days, and these treatments were both horrifying and undignified, for the patients and for Annie and Rita.  In the 1980s, the AIDS epidemic was just beginning, along with the illogical thinking of most medics; the hysteria created by the media; the lack of information, the wealth of misinformation, yet Annie continues to take in these pitiful men who have nowhere else to go. 

In 2020 we find the beginning of the Covid era, again the bombardment of misinformation, the terror spread by the media and the division of communities rears its ugly head. 

Annie is a complex character. She's not the stereotypical nursing sort, at times it feels as though she does things, sometimes extraordinary things, without really thinking about why. She has an innermost feeling that she must do it, she must help, but she does it in a quiet way, sometimes worrying about herself and her daughter, often not really knowing if what she is doing is right. 

The biggest beauty of this novel are the friendships created. Whilst Annie and Rita are not always close throughout the years, it is Rita's death that creates Annie's most vivid memories, and it is joyful to read. Her relationship with Jim; Robbie's partner, and Paul, Rita's widower are so strong and have formed Annie so much. 

This is a novel to savour. The issues raised add such a depth to the story and are both moving and anger inducing at the same time. Highly recommended. 

Jessica Moor studied English at Cambridge before completing a Creative Writing MA at
Manchester University. 

Moor was selected as one of the Observer's debut novelists of 2020, and her first novel, Keeper was chosen by the Sunday Times, Independent and Cosmopolitan as one of their top debuts of the year. 

Keeper was nominated for the Desmond Elliott Prize and an Edgar Award. 

Young Women is her second novel.

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The Restaurant in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen BLOG TOUR #TheRestaurantinPelicanCrossing @MaggieChriste33 @rararesources #BookSpotlight

 

Poppy Taylor has always been content with her life in Pelican Crossing, but as she watches her youngest daughter get married, she can't help but feel that there’s something missing. Never would Poppy have predicted the dramatic transformation that occurs as she reunites with an old love and makes a choice that will reshape everything.

Cam Mitchell has always felt a strong attraction to Poppy, and when she reveals her plans to make changes in her life, Cam sees it as his chance to finally reveal his feelings. But Cam's hopes are crushed when he discovers Poppy's past love is back in the picture.

Cam becomes increasingly sceptical of the man from Poppy's past – a feeling that escalates when he uncovers his shocking plans for Pelican Crossing.

With their town now at risk, Cam and Poppy must work together to save their home and find their own happy ending. But will their feelings for each other be enough to overcome the obstacles in their way?

For fans of small-town romances and heartwarming stories of second chances, Pelican Crossing is a must-read. A captivating tale of love, loyalty, and the fight to protect what matters most.

The Restaurant in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen was published on 9 May 2024 by Cala Publishing. As part of this Blog Tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources I am delighted to shine a spotlight on the book for you today. 

After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing romantic women’s fiction, feel good stories of second chances.  
Her travels inspire her writing, be it her trips to visit family in Scotland, in Oregon, USA or her home on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast.  

Maggie writes of mature heroines coming to terms with changes in their lives and the heroes worthy of them.  

Maggie has been called the queen of mature age fiction and her writing has been described by one reviewer as like a nice warm cup of tea. It is warm, nourishing, comforting and embracing.

From the small town in Scotland where she grew up, Maggie was lured to Australia by the call to ‘Come and teach in the sun’. 

Once there, she worked as a primary school teacher, university lecturer and in educational management. 

Now living with her husband of over thirty years on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, she loves walking on the deserted beach in the early mornings and having coffee by the river on weekends. 

Her days are spent surrounded by books, either reading or writing them – her idea of heaven!

 

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Estella's Revenge by Barbara Havelocke #EstellasRevenge @BCopperthwait @HeraBooks #BookReview

 

You know Miss Havisham.

The world's most famous jilted bride.

This is her daughter’s story.

Raised in the darkness of Satis House where the clocks never tick, the beautiful Estella is bred to hate men and to keep her heart cold as the grave.

She knows she doesn’t feel things quite like other people do but is this just the result of her strange upbringing?

As she watches the brutal treatment of women around her, hatred hardens into a core of vengeance and when she finds herself married to the abusive Drummle, she is forced to make a deadly choice:

Should she embrace the darkness within her and exact her revenge?

A stunningly original, gripping Gothic read, perfect for fans of Stacey Halls, Madeline Miller and Jessie Burton.

Estella's Revenge by Barbara Havelocke was published in hardback on 9 May 2024 by Canelo/Hera. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

A total change of genre for this author, who many will know as Barbara Copperthwaite. So totally different to her usual psychological thrillers, so new name, new genre, and wow, it's fabulous! 

I will be the first to admit that the classics such as Dickens don't really rock my boat. I found them such a struggle when I was in school, always desperate to get back to my Jackie Collins,  Shirley Conran and other forbidden fruits. However, Great Expectations was one of my studied books at O Level (yes, I am that old!), and it's not a story that many will forget.

Estella's Revenge is a re-telling of Great Expectations, told by the tragic Miss Haversham's adopted daughter and I loved every word of it.  Estella played a small part in the original story, but here she take centre stage throughout and Havelocke has created a magical character. An isolated child, living among the dust and cobwebs of Satis House with a mother who has mourned her lost love for as long as Estella has been living there. With only the vermin as friends, Estella is groomed by her mother to learn that men can never be trusted, that she must never give her heart to a man and must always treat them as unkindly as possible. 

It's a dual time line story (which I love), we hear from Estella as a child as she comes up against family members who would like to see the back of her, and we also hear from her as a grown woman; married but totally let down by her husband, she's beginning to realise that her mother often spoke the truth, despite her hysteria and drama. 

This is a wonderful book. From the dark, dusty room of Satis House, to the streets of Paris, it is so vibrant and rich. The descriptive prose is so imaginative, the characters are a joy to discover and the compelling and intriguing plot line just keeps the reader hanging on for more. 

Don't worry if you've not read Great Expectations, or if you don't remember the story. Don't worry if you are not really a fan of the classics, because this novel stands firmly on its own. It is so refreshing to read a story set in those times that see things from a woman's point of view, there's a definite feminist slant to the telling and for me, that adds so much depth and so much more to think about. 

Highly recommended by me, get a copy and immerse yourself into Estella's world, you may not always like her, or the things that she does, but I can assure you, you will love her story. 

Barbara is an international bestselling author, whose psychological thrillers have topped Amazon and Kobo.

Her writing career started in journalism, interviewing the real victims of crime - and the perpetrators. The realistic, complex characters who populate her fiction reflect this deep understanding.

When not writing, Barbara is found walking her two dogs, Scamp and Buddy, or taking photos of wildlife.

www.barbaracopperthwaite.com

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Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen t. Megan E Turney #ThirtyDaysofDarkness @JennyLundMadsen @OrendaBooks BLOG TOUR #BookReview

 

Copenhagen author Hannah is the darling of the literary community and her novels have achieved massive critical acclaim. But nobody actually reads them, and frustrated by writer’s block, Hannah has the feeling that she’s doing something wrong.

 When she expresses her contempt for genre fiction, Hanna is publicly challenged to write a crime novel in thirty days. Scared that she will lose face, she accepts, and her editor sends her to Húsafjöður – a quiet, tight-knit village in Iceland, filled with colourful local characters – for inspiration.

But two days after her arrival, the body of a fisherman’s young son is pulled from the water … and what begins as a search for plot material quickly turns into a messy and dangerous investigation that threatens to uncover secrets that put everything at risk … including Hannah…

 Atmospheric, dramatic and full of nerve-jangling twists and turns, Thirty Days of Darkness is a darkly funny, unsettling debut Nordic Noir thriller that marks the start of a breath-taking new series.

Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen is published in paperback by Orenda Books today; 9 May 2024. It is translated by Megan E Turney

I read and reviewed this one for hardback publication and am delighted to share that review to mark paperback publication day for this Blog Tour 

A snobbish Danish literary author is challenged to write a crime novel in thirty days, travelling to a small village in Iceland for inspiration, and then a body appears … an atmospheric, darkly funny, twisty debut thriller, first in an addictive new series.

Thirty Days of Darkness is a thrilling crime novel, it’s also packed with humour and lightness. The perfect combination that produces an extremely satisfying read. 

Hannah Krause-Bendix is a literary author from Denmark. Her novels are critically acclaimed, but sell very little copies. Hannah is a snob, she considers crime fiction, and the authors that write it to be beneath her. 

Her nemesis is a best-selling crime fiction author. Adored by his fans, his books sell millions of copies. When Hannah claims that she could write a crime novel in thirty days, her agent sends her to a small Icelandic town to do just that. 

Whilst the town of Húsafjöður is certainly small, and very isolated, it doesn’t stay quiet for very long. The body of a local fisherman’s son is pulled from the water, and Hannah becomes caught up in what she believes is a murder. Not only does this give her great material for the novel that she really doesn’t want to write, but it also exposes her to some dangerous and potentially deadly situations. 

Hannah is an amazing character, fuelled by alcohol, cigarettes and a very sharp tongue, there are laugh out loud moments woven between the bleakness of the the Icelandic setting and the progressive dangers of the murder case. 

The suspense builds throughout the novel as Hannah discovers more hidden secrets, building to a reveal that is both unexpected and utterly brilliant. 

So dark, so atmospheric, so funny and so very tense. This is the perfect balance of murder, mayhem and humour. 

**Winner of the Harald Mogensen Prize for Best Danish Crime Novel**

**Shortlisted for the Glass Key Award**

‘An original and thoroughly enjoyable treat’ Guardian

‘Dark and sharp … A lot of fun’ Val McDermid

‘Witty, dark, meta, ingenious and hugely compelling. I LOVED the Icelandic setting and satirical observations’ Will Dean

 ‘Hilariously scathing. Satirises genre fiction while creating a first-class example of it, full of suspects, red herrings and twists … wit and originality make it a joy to read’ Mark Sanderson, The Times CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH

Jenny Lund Madsen is one of Denmark’s most acclaimed scriptwriters (including the
international hits Rita and Follow the Money) and is known as an advocate for better representation for sexual and ethnic minorities in Danish TV and film. 

She recently made her debut as a playwright with the critically acclaimed Audition (Aarhus Teater) and her debut literary thriller, Thirty Days of Darkness, first in an addictive new series, won the Harald Mogensen Prize for Best Danish Crime Novel of the year and was shortlisted for the coveted Glass Key Award. 

She lives in Denmark with her young family.

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The Many Lies of Veronica Hawkins by Kristina Pérez #TheManyLiesofVeronicaHawkins @kkperezbooks @LittleBrownUK #BookReview #Giveaway #Win #Prize #Competition

 

When Martina Torres arrives in the glamorous and vibrant metropolis of Hong Kong, newly married to her high school sweetheart, the world seems to be her oyster. But looks can be deceiving. Adrift in a foreign city, with no job and no friends, Martina chafes in her new role as Expat Wife.

Her luck changes when she meets Veronica Hawkins. Beautiful, sophisticated, and very, very rich, Veronica is the epitome of Old Hong Kong - the last surviving member of a British mercantile dynasty that built the city during its colonial heyday. Martina can hardly believe her fortune when she's taken under Veronica's wing and into her confidence, with Veronica helping her to find a new apartment, a new career, and most importantly, a new self.

Veronica transforms Martina's life and then, shockingly, she dies. She disappears over the side of a yacht during a party attended by Hong Kong's most influential people - yet somehow there are no witnesses.

Was it murder? Suicide? A terrible accident? What really happened to Veronica Hawkins?

Somebody knows but nobody's telling.

The Many Lies of Veronica Hawkins by Kristina Pérez was published by Constable on 2 May 2024. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.

I also have one hardback copy to give away. Entry is simple, just fill out the competition widget in this blog post. UK entries only please. 

GOOD LUCK! 

The Many Lies of Veronica Hawkins reminded me of the huge blockbuster novels that I read years ago. It is full of glamour and intrigue, beautiful people doing awful things. Hypocrisy, double dealing and ballgowns. Wealth and power go hand in hand with dreadful deeds, it's an intriguing story that kept my interest.

I especially loved the setting. Hong Kong is a place steeped in history, and the more recent events that we've all seen unfold are excellently portrayed. The ex-pat community thrive and Pérez cleverly explores the themes of identity and belonging whilst also producing a tense mystery at its core. 

Martina Torres was always an outlier. Not quite white enough down to her Argentinian background, she felt lesser than the other girls at her school in New York. It was always her mother's dearest wish that Martina should be 'someone', and her marriage to wealthy Spencer has opened so many doors. Arriving in Hong Kong where Spencer has a new job, Martina is classed as a dependent spouse. A trained journalist, she'd rather work and be her own woman, and when she gets the opportunity to interview Veronica Hawkins, her life changes. 

Veronica is Martina's ultimate woman. Old money, lots of it and very powerful, she takes Martina under her wing and it's not long before Martina is her very own woman, with no need for her husband who is struggling to fit in himself. 

The novel is cleverly structured, appearing to be Martina's memoir and told her in voice. The reader is aware from the very beginning that Veronica is dead, drowned off a yacht at a fancy party and Martina is grieving, lost without her best friend and struggling to come to terms with what could really have happened. Was it an accident, suicide, or was Veronica murdered? 

The second half of the novel finds Martina making her own way in the world, a couple of years after Veronica's death. Martina is now wealthy in her own right, heading up the charitable foundation that Veronica created before her death. However, there are still questions that she wants to answer and her determination to find out the truth will put her in danger. It will also reveal that nobody in Hong Kong are really who they appear to be.

An entertaining read with a mix of characters who the reader will either love or hate, in a setting that is exotic and dangerous, mixed with the crazy history of this unique place. Recommended. 

One hardback copy of The Many Lies of Veronica Hawkins by Kristina Perez

Kristina Pérez is the author of the YA fantasy SWEET BLACK WAVES trilogy
(Macmillan), a Tristan and Isolde retelling.

She holds a PhD in Medieval Literature from the University of Cambridge and is also the author of the academic monograph, THE MYTH OF MORGAN LA FEY (Palgrave Macmillan).

In addition, writing as K.K. Pérez, she is the author of THE TESLA LEGACY (Tor Teen).

Her first book for adults, THE MANY LIES OF VERONICA HAWKINS is published by Little, Brown in 2024.

She currently resides in London where she is the Managing Director of Pérez Literary & Entertainment.

www.kristinaperez.com

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The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard #TheOtherValley #ScottAlexanderHoward @AtlanticBooks #BookReview

 

For fans of Emily St John Mandel and Kazuo Ishiguro, an exhilarating literary speculative novel about an isolated town neighboured by its own past and future, and a young girl who faces an impossible choice...

A literary speculative novel about an isolated town neighbored by its own past and future

Sixteen-year-old Odile is an awkward, quiet girl vying for a coveted seat on the Conseil. If she earns the position, she’ll decide who may cross her town’s heavily guarded borders. On the other side, it’s the same valley, the same town--except to the east, the town is twenty years ahead in time. To the west, it’s twenty years behind. The towns repeat in an endless sequence across the wilderness.

When Odile recognizes two visitors she wasn’t supposed to see, she realizes that the parents of her friend Edme have been escorted across the border from the future, on a mourning tour, to view their son while he’s still alive in Odile’s present. Edme––who is brilliant, funny, and the only person to truly see Odile––is about to die. Sworn to secrecy in order to preserve the timeline, Odile now becomes the Conseil’s top candidate, yet she finds herself drawing closer to the doomed boy, imperiling her entire future.

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard was published in hardback on 18 April 2024 by Atlantic Books. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I adore speculative fiction, I think, if pushed, I'd say it was my favourite genre and this debut from the incredibly talented Scott Alexander Howard is so brilliantly done. It is like nothing I've read before, a mix of beautiful lyrical literary prose with a unique premise that creates questions for the reader. 

Before I go further, I have to let you know that there are no speech marks in this book. I didn't actually notice this when reading, it was only when I went back to find a quote that I realised. I know that some people really dislike a lack of speech marks, that is why I mention it, but honestly, for me, it made no difference at all. 

Sixteen year old Odile Ozanne is the lead character and narrator of this novel. It is her mother's dearest wish that Odile becomes an apprentice in the Conseil, most people who know her think that this is her destiny, that she's the perfect candidate. 

The Conseil is a committe of trained people who give permission for residents to travel to the two neighbouring valleys.  There are three identical communities, in three valleys. Odile's community is in the middle valley. The valley to the east is twenty years in the future, and to the west it is twenty years in the past. It's a forbidden, dangerous journey to travel to another valley, and applications must be made to the Conseil. Applicants must have genuine reasons to travel, and the Conseil must be sure that they will do nothing whilst there to interfere with what has happened, or may happen. 

Odile glances a couple of visitors to her valley. They are easily identifiable as people from the other valley, escorted by guards and wearing masks. Residents are told not to look, but it's too late for Odile. She recognises them, and also then realises that her dear friend Edme is going to die. Odile knows that she can do nothing to stop this, but what a painful place to be in. 

The second part of the book finds an older Odile. She's not in the place that I as a reader expected, although I think it's the place that she feels that she deserves. The contrast between the early Odile and the more mature one is startling, even her surroundings seem darker and more cruel. The people she meets are fickle and unreliable, and yet, she is still so strong willed despite her fragility. 

This is a difficult book to review as the plot is so complex, yet absolutely finely and delicately structured. It is full of moral questions, it is a love story but is not romantic. The reader is shown so many dilemmas, so many questions to answer, so many ways that the story could move forward. There are times that it is so heart-felt and so poignant that it brought a lump to my throat. 

Just phenomenal, unique and quite stunning. Highly recommended

Scott Alexander Howard has a PhD in philosophy from the University of Toronto, where he wrote an award-winning dissertation on literary emotions and the passage of time. 

His articles have appeared in journals such as Philosophical Quarterly and Analysis. 

Upon completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard, he decided to pursue fiction. 

He now lives in Vancouver.

Silver Wish Farm by K T Dady BLOG TOUR #SilverWishFarm @kt_dady @rararesources #BookSpotlight

 

Silver Wish Farm: After Rhett left Heath on their wedding day, things were never the same for them, but because they have a daughter, they’ve always tried their best to keep the peace. 

But then life changes for Heath, and he suddenly wants answers about their past and the future he believes he should have had, but will Rhett tell him the real reason she left him all those years ago?

Silver Wish Farm by K T Dady was published on 1 May 2024. I am delighted to join the Blog Tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources today, to shine a spotlight on this book

Welcome to Pepper Bay, where you’ll find love, drama, and a happily ever after.

Snuggle down with this cosy, feel-good, comfort read that whisks you away to a beautiful bay on the Isle of Wight – Perfect for fans of Christie Barlow, Alison Sherlock, Rachael Lucas, and Holly Martin.

The Pepper Bay books are standalone stories, best read in order, that intertwine with recurring characters.

Author Bio 

Hello, I’m K.T. Dady. 

I’m the bestselling author of the Pepper Bay series. 

I’m also a chocolate lover, mum to a grown-up daughter, and a huge fan of a HEA. 

I was born and raised in the East End of London, and I’ve been happily writing stories since I was a little girl. 

When I’m not writing, I’m reading, baking cakes, or pottering around in my little garden in Essex, trying not to kill the flowers.

https://ktdady.com 

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