#TheRoyalCorrespondent #NetGalley

Those who enjoy historical, women’s fiction should definitely mark their calendars for this title’s release date. It was a fun and absorbing read set in both Australia and England.

Protagoras Blase Hill grew up poor in Sydney. She has promise and wants a career. With the help of one of her teachers she secures a newspaper job. Blaise’s career will take her far, all the way to being the Royal Correspondent of the title.

Blaise’s early jobs taught her a lot about fashion so names like Yves St. Laurent, Mary Quant and Cecil Beaton make appearances in the novel. Her later career puts her in the midst of mid-century history; readers follow her as she covers Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones. Readers also meet John Profumo and Christine Keeler, and learn about spies including Kim Philby. It makes for a fascinating background.

This novel also has a romantic story line, family and friendships. Will Blaise find love with Charlie who seems to have it all; this includes a high government position, a family seat, charm and more. But…there is also the mysterious Adam Rule. He knows a dark secret from Blaise’s past; will he use this against her? Readers also get to know Blaise’s sister Ivy who contracted polio and the close friends with whom Blaise lives in England. Readers will be turning the pages as they await the resolution of the novel’s several strands.

Ms. Joel writes an interesting note at the end of the novel sharing her inspiration and resources. This background places the book in context.

The Royal Correspondent reads easily and I always looked forward to picking it up. Here is a good escapist read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

Four stars

The four books above are all recently published and available as e books for between five and ten dollars.

Other e book bargains:

The Bronte is free. There are additional books by Ms. Hilderbrand as bargains today. Check your retailer.

Falling by T J Newman

Sometimes a couple of books are published close together that have similar plots. That is the case of the novels Falling by T. J. Newman and Hostage by Clare Mackintosh. Each has a story line in which a threat is made to someone who works for an airline. These threats in both cases are to cause harm to family members of the employee unless certain demands are met. In each case, there are moral decisions to be made. Further, in each of these novels, there is a lot of action and that action includes some violence. Within that framework, I found the beginning of Falling to be rather grim, more so than the opening of Hostage.

In Falling, a pilot, Bill, is putting over 100 passengers at risk. Who will he enlist to possibly help thwart a total catastrophe? What decisions will he make? Can it possibly end well (or less badly)? To find out, read this novel that many have hailed as a best book of the summer while, other reviews, have been just one star.

If you feel brave about flying, learn more about this title and decide if it is for you. The author has worked for an airline and has some inside knowledge.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

The Living and the Lost by Ellen Feldman on BookBub. From the author of Paris Never Leaves You, Ellen Feldman’s The Living and the Lost is a gripping story of a young German Jewish woman who returns to Allied Occupied Berlin from America to face the past and unexpected future “A deeply satisfying…
— Read on www.bookbub.com/books/the-living-and-the-lost-by-ellen-feldman

Another review of this title

Sorry. This could not be forwarded to the blog but readers can find it on the Criminal Element site.

by Stephanie Ciatti

#LetsTalkBaby #NetGalley Pub Date 14 Oct 2021

This book offers adults the chance to encourage their baby’s verbal development by introducing simple sounds. This title begins with some advice for adults about how to help a child’s vocal development. These seem quite sensible and intuitive.

I am not a speech pathologist so cannot vouch for how well this book will do its job. I can say that it has adorable illustrations, repetition and simple sounds.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

A reading from The Heron’s Cry at Braunton Great Marsh, where part of the book is set.

New York Times bestselling author Ann Cleeves returns with The Heron…
— Read on m.youtube.com/watch

by Sarah Milne

#TheBookLoversGuidetoLondon #NetGalley Pub Date 30 Nov 2021

If ever a book was written that could combine two of my favorites, London and books, this is surely it! This title can be enjoyed by those in London or by armchair travelers. Divided by geographic areas, as for example, Central London or West London, readers can organize their read or walk to spend time where they most wish. The end of the book lists all of the writing included in the book and also contains a bibliography.

I was drawn to so many areas in my reading. I went to Soho, Charing Cross, Hampstead Heath, Belgravia and many more. Just a few of the authors about whom I read were Dickens, Virginia Woolf, and Sylvia Plath. There are many others. The reader’s fictional journey is enhanced by the many photographs that are part of this book.

So, book lovers, take a look when this one comes out. It is a fun read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

#TheHeronsCry #NetGalley

The Heron’s Cry is the second novel in the series featuring Matthew Venn. It follows on The Long Call. In that first novel, readers learn Matthew’s history. He was raised in a strict religious group where his sexual orientation and desire to work in the police force were in conflict with the values of those around him. Doing what was right for him has taken something out of Matthew. Luckily, his husband Jonathan offers support and love along with a different way of looking at the world.

Matthew’s current case takes place in a small community. There are several deaths. How are they connected? How will those around the victims cope and live their lives from this point on? Those characters are farmers, artists, pub owners and others with intersecting lives.

The first victim is Nigel Yeo. Was his death a personal vendetta or was it related to work that he was doing for an organization called Patients Together? How is the death of an artist related to this? And what about the cause of death of a third victim?

What Ann Cleeves does well:

-She creates a strong sense of place with her descriptions of the book’s settings.

-She forms a world filled with characters whose lives collide. All of these characters come alive. There are those who are present in this novel and also the recurring police characters and Matthew’s mother and husband. I enjoyed spending time with them.

-She raises an important social issue but it may require a trigger warning for some readers as the subject relates to suicide.

More than halfway into the novel, Matthew and Jonathan (his husband) see a heron. Watch for this and how Jonathan connects that bird to Matthew and his way of looking at the world. It seemed quite apt.

I was delighted to receive this ARC from NetGalley. I have read all of the Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez novels by this author and recommend them highly. When Ms. Cleeves announced that there would be no more Perez novels, I knew that I would miss them. The Matthew Venn novels are just a scintilla less engaging to me but I do recommend them. I hope that before long there will be a third Matthew Venn story.

Four stars