To Die To Live

To Die To Live by Jason Hershey

It's tough being a teenager but for Thelonious Mitchell (Theo) it's extra tough.  Starting a new school in a new area, Theo has no idea what to expect.  It's probably not the hostility and jibes he is met with.  But friendship comes from an unexpected quarter when he is rescued from a fight by Draven, a tough guy with a reputation for trouble.
Draven doesn't have friends either. Trying to support his grandma and mum who has a drug habit means Draven has made bad choices but he has dreams. Dreams to better himself and help others like him better themselves.
It's an unlikely friendship but one both boys come to value.  For Theo, having had a very turbulent year, it means learning to trust someone again, to give and take confidences.  For Draven, it's knowing someone is there for him, someone who likes him and has taken the time to get to know him.
This is a well written, simple but poignant story about two boys who need and find a friend.  The troubles they have experienced in their short lives are terrible but they are determined to make something of themselves.  Theo's voice throughout is determined and strong even when he is beset by grief.  It is a simple story of a boy who has faced adversity and loss finding the strength and motivation to do something with his life and as such is an inspiration to all young readers.
Theo's strength and determination show throughout this short story and prove that where there is a will there is always a way.

The Paying Guests

1922 and the world is changing following WW1. It is certainly changing for Frances and her mother who, since the deaths of their menfolks, have to rely on their own wits for money to live.  Much to their distaste their once grand house has been altered to enable them to take in lodgers.  As the neigbours sneer their disdain at such low goings-on, Frances dons head-covering and apron to distemper walls and scrub floors.  Philosophical about events that have brought them to having to take lodgers, Frances gets on and does what needs doing, rising to such challenges as making a decent meal out of cheap cuts of meat or stripping the stove.  Frances is stoical and practical, finding reward in small things, a cigarette or an outing to the cinema but yes, there is also restlessness...longings and desires that just have to be dealt with.  Before the first chapter is done, the reader gets an inkling where these desires might lie with the introduction of the lodgers, the Barbers.
Naturally enough, the Barbers become a source of fascination for both Frances and her mother and before long Frances has struck up a tentative friendship with Lily but it's a friendship that will lead them both into a web of deceit and worse.
This is, on all counts, a fascinating book, giving insight as it does into the post war world of the Twenties, when women were finding their independence but yet still restrained by convention and male rules; it details with finesse the struggles of the soldiers returned from war, often injured, often unemployed, feeling bitter and angry at the world that has rendered their masculinity useless.  It crosses the boundaries of what was acceptable at that time with regards to love and sexuality and yet emphasises just how restricting life could be and how prejudiced.  It does an immensely terrific job of getting into the psyche of two very different women from two very different backgrounds who struggle against what life has destined them for and of showing the consequences of  going against that destiny.
The characters are all quite realistic and believable and make a perfect kaleidoscope of the colourful, entertaining, worrying and thoughtful, all of which makes the story even more compelling.  For every sympathy you have for a character, you will have a feeling of annoyance or horror or sadness, for this really is a novel that will make you feel as well as think and it is this that immerses you into the lives of the characters.
This is the first book by Sarah Waters that I have read, although I do have her back numbers, and it has certainly lived up to the reputation that precedes her. I shall look forward to more of the descriptive, emotive writing and succinct detail that I have enjoyed in The Paying Guests.


Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

The Fire Child

As a lover of Cornwall, what could be more perfect than reading a book that is set in my most favourite place? Well, it didn't disappoint.
The book starts off describing Morvellan Mine and how sad and reproachful it looks and immediately I was drawn into the mystique that IS Cornwall.  The mines that scatter Cornwall do look ghostly and forlorn and when you add in the description of the 'booming wave's and 'silhouetted blackness' then you know you are in for an atmospheric and mysterious read.
The beginning doesn't disappoint as it goes on to describe how Rachel has given up her old life to marry a widower with a child; how she is, literally, lady of the manor with a large house to restore, finishing what her predecessor Nina started; looking after Jamie, the son and getting to know all about the history and myths of Carnhallow in idyllic surroundings.
It is not long however before Rachel becomes unnerved by her new life.  Lonely, isolated and with Jamie acting strangely, Rachel starts to learn things about her new husband,David, his first wife and her mysterious death. Things which don't add up and which lead Rachel to investigate further, putting untold stress on her marriage.
It is a very intriguing tale which leaves the reader trying to second guess what has happened to David's first wife, if anything, or is it all in Rachel's mind?  As you read and get to know the characters it seems to be clear that all are hiding something and as the story is interspersed with Rachel learning about the history of the house and mining and as  the descriptions of the weather and surroundings becomes ever more doleful and eerie, there is a definite feeling of something not quite right, a sense of foreboding, of an other-worldly element in play which makes you, anxiously, keep turning the pages wanting answers.  Of course the characters are a big part of the intrigue and very cleverly portrayed to keep the reader guessing whether they are in fact sane or playing tricks or have ulterior motives.
S.K.Tremayne has a knack for keeping the reader on the edge.  The foreboding is palpable and at times I wanted to warn Rachel, at others I wanted to cover my eyes, even as I read on, because I felt sure something horrific was about to happen and I could picture the scenes so clearly it was as if I was there, observing in the mist and damp!
It is without doubt a clever and compelling read, just as The Ice Twins was, with descriptions that will set the stage and atmosphere and will keep drip-feeding that sense of doom and mystery until you almost feel you are living it.
Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of this book.

Small Great Things

A welcome return to Jodi Picoult and her fantastic new novel Small Great Things.  Some may say that her tried and tested, formulaic writing is a bit old but for me it works.  Finding a legal case in her novels somehow emphasises the points she makes, gets the reader thinking and opening the mind to new ideas.  Jodi writes about serious issues; issues that in America, even in the 21st century are often taboo and her writing about them the way she does makes them more than just a story, it makes them believable, it makes you realise things like this are happening in the real world.
In Small Great Things we meet Ruth, a black midwife, devoted to her son and to the safe delivery of babies.  Of course, Ruth is more than aware that her colour is a problem for some people just as she is aware that the education she received is a problem for people of her own background and colour.  As such Ruth often feels she is neither one or the other but she carries on, determined to see the good in people, determined that things can change.
And then she meets the Bauers, patients just delivered of a baby boy and put into her care.  Except they don't want it because Ruth is black and they are white supremacists.
When tragedy strikes, Ruth becomes the one who is blamed and so begins the intricacies of the story and its players as we discover what makes them tick, why they are as they are, why people behave as they do.
Although this is a very interesting and topical story it doesn't always make for very comfortable reading.  If you think that in the 21st century racism is pretty much a thing of the past, this book opens your eyes.  Not only is it not a thing of the past, it is becoming worse and white supremacy groups are claiming hold on many people.  It is not an easy thing to to read or think about but Jodi Picoult does it with finesse by confronting the unspeakable head-on and certainly making me think about just what is going on in parts of the so-called civilised world.
Her characters, as always are realistic, sometimes frighteningly so in this book as we come face to face with members of white supremacist groups and learn exactly what they are capable of.  Ruth, although the innocent, is not a perfect character and it is easy to see why she fights for equality and education, for the best for her son but it is also clear that she too has issues, understandably perhaps, but it does make her a sympathetic and likable character.
As I read, I was a mass of contradictory feelings.  The injustice and the cruelty, wickedness even, were horrific to read juxtaposed by Ruth's gentle but determined nature and then there were times when I felt it was all over for Ruth and how could she carry on?  I was angry at the lawyer, at Ruth for her stubbornness, at her son and then felt nothing but sad for them.  For the Bauers I felt everything from disgust and horror to despise and yet, was there a tiny bit of sympathy too, for the things that had led them down such a disgusting path, if not for their actual beliefs?
 I would say it is nigh on impossible to read this book without a lot of deep thinking and feeling.  It was a book, like all her others, that I read quickly and was totally immersed in; the story, the backgrounds, the characters, the reasons, the history, all held me spellbound.
If you love Jodi's previous books, I am sure you will love this one too.  If you are new to her books and fancy the sound of this, I am positive you will be looking up her back numbers.  Yes, a tried and tested method of writing but another hard hitting, fascinating, gritty book that really hits home.

Barron's Sword by R.Michael Brown

Today, a warm welcome to author R.Michael Brown as I review his second published novel Barron's Sword, the second in the Barron series which follows on from Barron's Thistle and in which the reader is reacquainted with the enigmatic ex-SAS man Barron.


A new detective/crime novel from relatively new author R. Michael Brown starts off innocuously enough at the Highland games where Barron and his team are providing security. By the end of the day a body has been discovered with its head severed by a sword.
When the victim is identified, it turns out he was a crook, well known to the police, who disappeared without trace ten years previously. When the murder of a further two gangsters takes place it is obvious the murders are connected and it is up to Barron and his team to find out exactly what the connections are and what these deaths mean.
Trekking from Inverness to Edinburgh, putting together the clues, Barron and his team carefully unravel some mysteries from the past ten years and finally crack the gang that caused so much havoc previously.
Although this is a crime novel it is a cosy, heart warming one as the team are like one big family headed by Barron and MacGregor. The team members have their own personal 'stuff' going on with their families but Barron always takes the time to make sure everyone is okay and to listen. He has a very caring nature about him although he gives the impression of being a big, hard, ex-SAS man who takes no nonsense; he is however, well thought of and respected and we see his softer side when his old friend and colleague MacGregor suffers a bad angina attack.
All the main characters come through as real people who have their own worries but are devoted to their job of tackling crime and work well together, for the most part, to make a difference. I personally felt I was getting to know the characters and that there is more to find out about them.
Although spanners are thrown into the works regarding the investigation, it is clear that cool-headed Barron knows what he is about and will save the day. There are some good twists and a bit of a surprise at the end as the culprit is revealed.
All in all a very enjoyable read and one I would recommend.

Beneath the Apple Blossom

Genre: Contemporary women’s fiction

Release Date: 04/08/16

Publisher: Lemon Tree Press.

Four women, linked by blood ties, friendship, betrayal, loss and hope, struggle with the choices they’ve made and the hand that life’s dealt them.
All Pippa’s ever wanted is marriage and kids, but at thirty-four and about to embark on IVF, her dream of having a family is far from certain. Her younger sister Georgie has the opposite problem, juggling her career, her lover, a young daughter and a husband who wants baby number two.
Pippa’s best friend Sienna has a successful career in the film world, and despite her boyfriend pressurising her to settle down, a baby is the last thing she wants. Happily married Connie shares the trauma of fertility treatment with Pippa, but underestimates the impact being unable to conceive will have on her and her marriage.
As their lives collide in a way they could never have predicted, will any of them get to see their hopes realised?

EXTRACT
Connie stopped and looked around. She had wandered a little way off the path and was in a small grassy clearing surrounded by trees heavy with spring leaves and blossom. Not in the mood for making small talk with a stranger, she chose a spot in semi-shade out of sight of the path, leant back against the slender tree trunk and closed her eyes. A slight breeze caressed her face and every so often she got the wonderful sensation of sunlight on her. She took a deep breath and drank in the scent of damp grass and spring flowers – fresh, sweet and alive – then opened her eyes to the canopy of white against the blue sky. The apple tree was bursting with blossom like masses of white teardrops.
She had everything to live for even if it didn’t feel like it right now. Life was a journey, and the best journeys were the ones that couldn’t be predicted before setting off, or that weren’t an easy ride to reach the destination. Right then, on    a perfect spring day beneath the apple blossom, she made a pact with herself to keep loving life whatever was thrown at her. She may have suffered yet more disappointment but she could still see beauty in the world and feel at peace.

BUY LINKS
AMAZON UK
AMAZON US


MY REVIEW

I have just finished this delightful book and am so glad that I had the chance to read and review it because it has been a very moving, thoughtful and insightful read.
In it we meet four very different women who have very different lives and very different hopes for their futures and the story follows these four woman as they face the many highs and lows that beset their lives.

Pippa is thirty four and has been trying for a baby with husband Clive for over 3 years and is about to embark on IVF treatment for the first time. A family is all Pippa has ever wanted and IVF is her last chance at achieving her dreams.
For her sister Georgie, married young and pregnant within a few years of being married, it is a different story.  She loves her daughter Daisy but also resents that she has to give time to her when she could be pursuing a great career in advertising.  Her husband is pressuring her to have another baby and Georgie is not ready and not sure she ever will be.
Pippa's best friend Sienna is another for whom marriage and a child are low on the agenda.  She loves her job and her boyfriend but values her independence and nothing would make her give up her high flying career in the film industry, even when boyfriend Ashton wants more.
And finally Connie, who is also undergoing fertility treatment.  She and Pippa become friendly through an online fertility group, sharing their experiences. Connie's husband is the infertile one but Connie is the one who has to go through the treatment in their quest to become pregnant.
Life is a mystery and none of these four women know what is in store for them but there are more than a few surprises and plenty of disappointments.

Fertility is a very delicate subject, everyone knows someone who has fertility problems and so probably has some broad idea about what it means but this book does a fabulous job of, not just telling a story, but educating the reader about the nitty-gritty of fertility treatment.  It is plain to see, during the reading of this novel, that a great deal of thought and research has gone into it to make it very true and sympathetic, so it comes as no great surprise that the author herself underwent fertility treatment and is now, happily, the mother of a little boy.  The pain, despair and longing she writes about in Pippa's and Connie's stories are tangible; you'd have to have a very hard heart not to feel their anguish and want their dreams to come true.  The more I read, the more involved I became with their hopes and fears and when  hopes came to a big, fat bloody nothing, I really felt for them and it really brought home the fact that this happens day after day after day in real life.  And yet, Connie and Pippa carry on, never giving up, wondering if there will come a day when they have to face the reality that they will never have a child of their own.

Of course, there is very much an opposite to wanting a child and that is not wanting one.  Another taboo subject which Kate Frost writes about with as much empathy and knowledge as she does the urge to have one, and one in which I was equally enthralled.  In Sienna and Georgie, Kate Frost has created two very different characters, one has had a child she has struggled to bond with and emphatically does not want that experience again, and the other never wants a child to get in the way of her life.  Each situation leads to difficult decisions as it becomes clear that their choices affect not just themselves but their partners and their commitments to them.

Although the book is focused on the four women and their choices, their men do get a look in and again Kate Frost writes a very clear and insightful portrayal of their feelings about having children, wanting children and not being able to have children.  If you think men can't get broody and don't have a natural urge to have children, think again.  The partners of the women, Clive, Felix, Ashton and Nathan have a variety of emotions and feelings as to what it means to have or not have a family.

Kate Frost has written very realistic characters for her book; characters who have flaws and faults and behave just like anyone would.  They are not always likable or admirable but they are relatable and you can at least understand the reasons for some of their actions even if you don't agree with them.  I absolutely got involved in their lives and the more I read the more enthralled I was, not least because the writing was fresh and interesting and I just wanted to keep following their stories.  Subject wise, I found it fascinating; I often found myself thinking about people I know who have been through fertility treatment, thinking that I never really knew what it involved and wondering how much or little they had kept to themselves.  It has been very eye opening and informative.

I am hoping that we might see more of Connie, Pippa, Sienna and Georgie and get to find out what happens next. Their lives seems so real with stories that could be continued......maybe?  I hope so because this has been one of the most refreshing books I have read this year for it's subject and depth of feeling and knowledge.  It's really touched me and I hope that you will all buy it, read it and be as moved as I was.



ABOUT KATE FROST

Kate Frost is a writer and author with a MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University where she has also taught the lifewriting course to Creative Writing undergraduates. Alongside writing articles and short stories for magazines such as New Welsh Review, The London Magazine and QWF, Kate has worked in a bookshop, a cinema, as ground staff at Edgebaston Tennis Tournament and as a Supporting Artist in the films Vanity Fair, King Arthur and The Duchess.
Kate’s debut novel, The Butterfly Storm, was published in 2013 and featured on Amazon’s Movers and Shakers chart. Beneath the Apple Blossom is the first book in a series and Kate also plans to release the first in a time travel adventure trilogy for children by the end of 2016.
Kate lives in Bristol with her husband, her young son and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and fits in writing and publishing books around looking after – and being amused by – an energetic toddler.


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The Missing

The Missing by C.L. Taylor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Six months ago Billy disappeared. Leaving no clue and taking little Billy seemingly disappeared into thin air. Now, six months on, it is the morning of a television appeal which will hopefully jog someone's memory and bring Billy back to his family.
Convinced he is still alive, Claire continues to search for her beloved son alone. Life at home is stressful with the relationship between herself and her husband strained and the relationship between their other son Jake and Mark more so. To add more confusion and stress Claire begins to have blackouts and finds herself in places with no recollection of how she got there or what she has done whilst unaware.
In her heightened state of anxiety Claire begins to search for clues as to Billy's disappearance. A missing photo album, destroyed pictures, comments, all push Claire further and further to the edge as she tries to piece together exactly what happened to Billy.
And when she does......It's not what she ever expected to hear.....
This book is amazing! I was intrigued from the very start and was kept involved and guessing all the way through and the end...Well! I never saw that coming!
The characters are all so convincing and I could absolutely sympathise with Claire and her family as they try to carry on a normal life whilst hoping Billy will come home. C.L.Taylor has perfectly portrayed them as a family struggling with day to day life; all have faults and there are secrets aplenty but we learn through narrative why they are this way. The relationships between the characters also speak volumes and are again realistic and enlightening. Mark has always struggled to maintain a good relationship with his sons and Claire is caught between them which affects hers and Mark's relationship. Then there is timid Kira, Jake's girlfriend; unwanted and abused by her own family but struggling, despite their efforts, to find her place with Claire's. All tormented by Billy's disappearance and all coping in very different ways.
As for the writing, Cally Taylor leads the reader down one path with one twist after another but gives very little away, leaving the reader intrigued and turning those pages! The text extracts interspersed between chapters are titillating and frustrating as we don't know who these texts are between and it's just one more thing to keep guessing at and another answer to keep turning the pages for, as well as providing us with some clues although you don't know until the end how they fit in exactly. I for one was reluctant to put it down and stayed up reading way past my bedtime to find out 'whodunnit'. I think I can honestly say it's the best surprise I have had since Gone Girl, which is not to compare it to that but just that I loved that twist and I loved the one in The Missing too.
You will not be disappointed to read this and I can vouch that C. L Taylor will be heading up your list of favourite domestic noir writers this year.

With thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollinsUK for the ARC of this book.



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