Readers, download this title as soon as you have seen this post. Buzz Books is a fantastic resource for discovering next reads. There are numerous generous excerpts as well as lists of books in a variety of fiction and non-fiction categories. For example, see what new memoirs and biographies are forthcoming. Find out about everything from debut fiction to literary fiction to commercial fiction. Plus, there is so much more.
This publication is always one of my favorites.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Publishers Lunch Buzz Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
by Sulari Gentill is an e book bargain for 14 May 2024
Here is the very first title in the wonderful Rowley Sinclair mystery series. It is sure to be enjoyed by historical mystery fans who will want to go on to read all of the others. Luckily, there will be at least nine more for readers to devour.
Rowly doesn’t quite fit in with the expectations of his aristocratic family in 1930s Australia. His mother confuses him with a son who died. He has friends who are communists, poets and artists, clearly not like his brother Wilf’s friends.
When Rowly’s uncle, also named Rowly, is killed it is up to our Rowly to figure out what happened and why. Readers will enjoy following the clues with him.
If readers don’t already know this series, they are lucky as they have some good stories ahead.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pantera Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 01 September 2017
Note: In the U.S. this series is published by Poison Pen Press.
Natalie Jenner has written two previous works of historical fiction, The Jane Austen Society, and Bloomsbury Girls. I enjoyed both of these very much. Her new novel, Every Time We Say Goodbye, is also worth the reader’s time.
I have read many works of WWII fiction that were set in Britain, France or Germany. I was less familiar with the impact of the war in Italy. Ms. Jenner brings the repercussions of the war and the internal conflicts in Italy to life in these pages. There were the Axis powers, but also Mussolini and the partisan resistance making for a complex existence for the Italians.
One part of the novel tells the story of a woman assassin and her fate. This brings the war and the risks of resistance to life. Other parts of the novel take place post war in the 1950s.
In the 50s, readers experience the world of the movies in post WWII Italy, specifically at the Cinecitta Studios. There are the many movie stars, the directors, and more but also the strong presence of the Catholic church. The characters in this time period include Vivien (a character from Bloomsbury Girls), who is a writer working on scripts. Readers learn much of her backstory, the absence of her fiance David, her attraction to John Lassiter, her connection to the adopted Margarita and many more. Her friends include DuMaurier and Peggy Guggenheim. They also follow Levi who is Jewish; what did the war cost him?
Jenner creates a broad canvas of intertwined lives. Readers will care about the people in this story and will be turning the pages to find out how they fare. Here is very good historical fiction. I recommend this one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own. Thanks too to Macmillan Audio for the expertly crafted listen. I alternated between the two forms.
I am so delighted to see that this collection of Franklin stories will be coming out in the spring. I have fond memories of reading Franklin stories to my children.
Franklin in the Dark, the first story, was always a favorite in our house. Here, there is that story plus others about every day life. Franklin goes to school, he makes friends, rides a bike, goes to the hospital and say I Love You in these pages.
The stories themselves are engaging and address the kinds of fears that kids may have. The illustrations add to the pleasure for the child who is hearing the stories.
I am a great fan of historical fiction. I find it intriguing to look into the lives of people who lived before us. Ms. Wood previously wrote a novel where she told readers about the woman who was responsible for the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge. Now, she has turned her attention to Edith Bolling Galt Wilson. The story is a fascinating and involving one that gives readers insight into the United States and President Wilson. Nowadays, Wilson has been called to task for some of his views. Here readers get to meet him, being introduced to him when he was a fifty-something year old widower and the head of the nation. All this, as WWI was looming.
As the novel opens, time has moved forward. Edith is revisiting the hotel where she spent her honeymoon. It is now the 1940s. She wonders if she could have done more, been more influential and altered history in a better way. Readers will watch as she made her decisions.
SPOILER (though many know this): Edith is well known for having been very influential in Wilson’s presidency, especially when he became ill. She took over decision making in many ways at that point.
I became very involved with the time and people in this novel. I started looking up photos, Wilson and Edith’s wedding coverage and more. Clearly, the author was able to intrigue me.
Recommended for fans of historical fiction. Anyone who read The First Ladies will most likely enjoy this one as well.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this title. All opinions are my own.
Greenwich Park is the London neighborhood that readers get to know well over the course of this domestic thriller. This is the first novel by Katherine Faulkner but I feel that she has done her research on how to write this type of popular book.
Readers get to know a number of women in this story that is told in alternating voices. That, of course, does not tell readers who is truthful or what exactly will happen. There are:
Helen-She finally seems to be having a successful pregnancy after heartache. Her husband seems to work late an awful lot of nights. Keep an eye out for his computer.
Serena: She is also pregnant with a baby due not so long after Helen’s. She is married to one of Helen’s brothers. What is the meaning of the note that is secreted in a cupboard and that has the initial W?
Katie: She is a reporter covering a rape case in which the accused are public school boys. She is involved with Helen’s other brother, Charlie.
These characters all know and interact with one another. Into this mix comes Rachel.
Rachel attaches herself to Helen in an ante-natal group and soon insidiously makes her way into Helen’s life. Who is her baby’s father? Rachel is portrayed as manipulative, presumptuous and able to insinuate her way into other’s lives. Why does she want to be with this group?
Helen, Serena and their respective partners all went to Cambridge together. What happened when they were there? How will that resonate in the present day? Readers know from the first chapter’s first sentence that someone is in jail but who is it and why? Pick up the novel to find out.
I enjoyed this book. I was taken in by its sense of menace, often finding myself wanting to warn the characters. I thought I knew what would happen. Will you feel this way? Will you be right?
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
Greenwich Park was an enjoyable, twisty novel and the first that I read by this author. Here again, in The Other Mothers, Faulkner successfully creates characters, a setting, and a suspenseful plot. The pages just turn and I was constantly wanting to know what answers might eventually be revealed.
Anyone who has ever wondered if they fit in at the school gates may have empathy for Tash. Her son is in a playgroup filled with what are generally called ‘yummy mummies.’ When she is invited into the inner circle of this gilded world Tash is uncomfortable, intrigued and curious. There are secrets here, she is sure.
Tash has been working as a freelance journalist. She becomes deeply involved in trying to learn b what led to the death of an au pair named Sophie. (Readers get to know Sophie when she was alive through her journal.) Of course, the storylines will converge. How will it all resolve?
qThis is a perfect book to read for escape. It is quite an enticing read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
I think that this long (over 500 pages) book is going to be one of the big novels of the fall. It tells an involving story of a young girl called Red as the story opens and later called Rachel. She travels about with her father who is a man of unique talents. Red does not know anything about her mother as the book opens and she is curious.
Red has learned to tell fortunes using the square of sevens. Apparently this takes some talent. This cartomancy is important to the story.
SPOILER BUT EARLY IN THE BOOK: Red’s father dies.
Red later lives wit a guardian who introduces her to a much more luxurious lifestyle than she and her father had; they were close to destitute. Red becomes Rachel and moves to Bath from Cornwall.
I don’t want to give anything away as the plot is important in this novel. There are adventures, secrets, lives lost, charlatans and better people, will and inheritance issues, mysterious documents, the cards and so much more.I will say that this story, which takes places in Georgian England is Dickensian in scope. This is true both of characters and the story itself as can be seen from the summary above.
Will Red learn who her mother was? If yes, will she be welcomed by her family? Will Red find happiness? How much will the Square of Sevens be part of her life?
For readers who want to settle down with a long and involving (if a bit slow at times) read, you may just have found your next book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 05 September 2023
From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“The Square of Sevens captured me from the opening lines to the breathtaking ending. With a mysterious heroine who is a sheer delight to follow through Georgian England, this is a story that will sweep you away. Secrets reveal themselves in a Gothic and suspenseful tale that will keep you guessing until the very end. Intricate, haunting and magical by turns, Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s tale is an absolute immersive read you won’t soon forget.” —Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea
“A reminder that Laura Shepherd-Robinson is riding high in the historical crime stakes….a sprawling epic novel.” —Financial Times
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 