Two Heads Are Better Than One

Published 10 June 2021

Hope you enjoy my review for the blog tour of this stunning book!

SYNOPSIS

Following the breakdown of her marriage, Theo has bought a tumbledown cottage on the banks of the river Tamar which divides Cornwall and Devon. The peace and tranquillity of Boatman’s Cottage, nestled by the water, is just what she needs to heal.

Yet soon after her arrival, Theo discovers a stash of hidden letters tied with a ribbon, untouched for more than a century. The letters – sent from the battlefields of France during WW1 – tell of a young servant from the nearby manor house, Abbotswood, and his love for a woman he was destined to lose.

As she begins to bring Boatman’s Cottage and its gardens back to life, Theo pieces together a story of star-crossed lovers played out against the river, while finding her own new path to happiness.

MY REVIEW

A compelling story of forbidden love, secrets, and new beginnings told over a dual timeline between 1914 and 2019. All the elements required for a captivating story and Liz does not disappoint!

When Theo and her husband divorce she moves to a little cottage by a river which separates Devon and Cornwall. She has bought it without viewing so is a little disappointed when she arrives to find it so run down she has to sleep in her car the first night. She soon becomes friendly with the local hotel manager and his acquaintances who help get the run down cottage habitable. Whilst cleaning, Theo finds a box in a hidden compartment in the bedroom containing letters dating back to the great war. She sends them to an archivist to help uncover the identities and the stories of the addressee and the writer – ‘Z’

We also have the earlier storyline in which Lady Alice is being prepared for her first debutant ball. Her aunt is desperate to find her a husband but Alice is not interested in marriage. She is too focused on being an independent woman and promoting votes for women. When she speaks up to the King and Queen about allowing women’s votes, she is quickly sent away to Abbotswood with her nanny and cousin under a cloud of shame. She surprisingly falls head over heels for a young gillie, Zach, who lives in the cottage and is teaching her fly fishing, but they would never be allowed to marry. Alice is expected to marry at her own social level or above if possible.

When war breaks out, Zach goes to enlist along with all the other men, not knowing Alice is expecting his child.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and as usual with dual timeline books I preferred the ‘past’ story as the history is so interesting. There are many secrets to be uncovered and surprises along the way which will keep you turning those pages!

I highly recommend this book and will be reading more from this author.

Star rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ from me and a big thank you to HQ for having me on the tour and for providing an ARC Via NetGalley.

An interesting extra to add to my review for this book is a ‘Top 5 Things About Cornwall’ post written by Liz herself! She has written a piece on the top 5 gins just for me. She must know me well! Here it is …

Top Five… Cornish Gins

I’m becoming known for my Friday Night Gin posts on Instagram. I have to hand this love of gin onto my former agent Carole Blake. I miss her all the time and every time I pour a gin I hear her voice say…home measures! Gin and tonic hadn’t been my goto choice until the Romantic Novelists’ Association conference in Sheffield. It was unusually hot that July and Carole poured me a home measure’s G & T. It had never tasted so good and since then I have sought out glorious gins from all over. But Cornwall is now blessed with all sorts of gin…from London dry to Old Tom sweeter. A bit like with ice creams when trying a new ginI use Fever Tree refreshingly light tonic…I want to taste the gin…and of course I couldn’t just choose five!!1. Tarquins…love their Cornish Dry Gin but have also loved their limited edition ones too.2. Curio…Wild Coast Gin… another gorgeous gin.3. Dr Squid Gin from Pocket Full of Stones in Penzance. This gin is purple and little bit salty!4. Tinkture’s Rose gin is perfect for a summer evening when I can garnish with my own rose petals!5. Holly’s Gin…another goto favourite gin.6. Monterey Gin – made on the Helford and divine.7. G and Tea Gin is a new one to me and I’m enjoying their 80 Days gin which is deliciously cinnamon flavoured.

I was a bit concerned this book would be depressing as it began with the death of a 12 year old boy, but I could not have been more wrong.

Norman and his best friend Jax had a plan to take their comedy double act to the Fringe. When Jax tragically dies, Norman decides he will still achieve their dream of performing at the Fringe albeit solo.

He sets off with his mum, Sadie, and a family friend, 80 odd year old Leonard on a trip to Edinburgh with a few stops on the way as Norman has also decided he would like to meet his father. Trouble is his mother is not sure who his father actually is! She has a shortlist and they aim to meet each one.

The story is told In alternating chapters from the POV of both Norman and Sadie. The story is full of laugh out loud moments, tearful moments, the kindness of strangers, but overall it is a story of not giving up and having hope for the future.

I read and loved Sarah’s last book, The Weekend Away, so jumped at the chance to read an advance copy of her new book which is due out 8/7/21.

All I can say is put an afternoon aside as you will want to read this in one day.

Newlyweds Liam and Laura head to a deserted Scottish island for their honeymoon. The island has only one property which has recently been bought to rent out and they are the first to stay there. The island also has a terrible history which they are unaware of until they arrive.

With no phone, mobile signal or Wi-fi this should be a romantic getaway with no distractions.

Or so they think. When they start to feel they are being watched and are not alone on the island as promised, Liam is initially annoyed, but annoyance soon turns to fear when a threatening message is scratched into their window and they realise there is a stalker out there.

Oh my gosh what a pulse racer of a thriller! The tension builds and builds throughout and what an ending! I could feel the fear bursting off the pages.

Highly recommended.

Sarah has been added to my list of must read authors!

Thank you to Ellie at Avon books for an advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

I originally read and reviewed this wonderful book last year for its release date. Now, thanks to the publisher, I have had the pleasure of listening to the audio book for the blog tour to coincide with both the paperback publication day and the start of Pride Month. I hope many more readers and listeners meet Albert. The audio book is brilliantly narrated by Layton Williams who brings the characters to life so well.

MY REVIEW of what ended up as my top read of 2021….

How do. Grab yourself a Crunchie bar and join Albert on his emotional, funny, life changing journey to find the long lost love of his life.

Albert is a postman. He is a loner, keeps himself to himself and is terrified of actually having to talk to anyone. He has his well practised excuses to get away, should any of his customers try to start a conversation.

He has lived alone since his mother, who he cared for, died almost 20 years ago.

He is due to retire in a few months on his 65th birthday.

He has regrets about his life but comes to a monumental decision. He is going to do whatever it takes to find the love of his life. The thing is that it is a man and no-one knows he is gay.

As he begins his search he becomes friends with Nicole, a young single mum, who has her own challenges. He needs her help with all this social media stuff!

As he begins to come out of his shell and reveal the real Albert he gains more friends and more support than he could ever have imagined.

Will he find the love and happiness he deserves and live happily ever after? You will just have to read it and find out.

Have the tissues ready!

I just loved this book. I fell in love with Albert immediately. What a gentleman. The other characters are very well written and relatable, most are going through some personal trauma or difficulty in their lives just as we all are.

I highly recommend this book. It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling similar to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I know it is going to stay with me for a very long time and was my top read of 2021.

Here is a link to listen to a short preview of the audio book:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt Cain is a writer, broadcaster, and a leading commentator on LGBT+ issues. 

He was Channel 4’s first Culture Editor, Editor-In-Chief of Attitude magazine, has written for all the major national newspapers, and presented the flagship discussion show on Virgin Radio Pride. He’s also an ambassador for Manchester Pride and the Albert Kennedy Trust, plus a patron of LGBT+ History Month. 

Matt’s first two novels, Shot Through the Heart and Nothing But Trouble, were published by Pan Macmillan. His third, The Madonna Of Bolton, became Unbound’s fastest crowdfunded novel ever before its publication in 2018. His latest, The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle, was published by Headline Review in May 2021 and Becoming Ted will follow in January 2023. 

Born in Bury and brought up in Bolton, Matt now lives in London with his partner, Harry, and their cat, Nelly. 

For more information, please visit http://www.mattcainwriter.com.

publication date 13 May 2021

Today is my day on the blog tour. Hope you enjoy my review!

SYNOPSIS

He jumped to his death in front of witnesses. Now his wife is charged with murder . . .

Five years ago, Erin Kennedy moved to New York following a family tragedy. She now lives happily with her detective husband in the scenic seaside town of Newport, LoGgng Island. When Erin answers the door to Danny’s police colleagues one morning, it’s the start of an ordinary day. But behind her, Danny walks to the window of their fourth-floor apartment and jumps to his death.

Eighteen months later, Erin is in court, charged with her husband’s murder. Over that year and a half, Erin has learned things about Danny she could never have imagined. She thought he was perfect. She thought their life was perfect.

But it was all built on the perfect lie.

MY REVIEW

The book has three storylines.

The story begins 2 years ago with an event which had me completely hooked. Erin is stunned when her husband of 2 years commits suicide right in front of her. She is shunned by his police colleagues who won’t let her see his body and won’t talk to her. They do reveal Danny was being investigated. Why did his partner turn up at their door with bad news? What was so bad it prompted Danny to jump out of their 4th floor apartment window? She begins her quest to find out the truth.

We have a second storyline also set 2 years in the past where Lauren, an 18 year old student at Harvard, has been attacked, but is reluctant to report the crime. She is eventually cajoled by Ally, her proctor, to report the attack to her boyfriend who is a police officer.

The third storyline running throughout the book is set in the present with Erin who is in court charged with murder.

I felt so sorry for Erin. Her family live in Ireland and she doesn’t have any friends to help her through this difficult time. When a stranger comes into her life in the form of the handsome and very rich Cal, she is unsure of his intent and whether he can be trusted. He has appeared in her life at just the right time to support her.

The storyline is quite complicated and there is a lot of going back and forth between timelines but what a satisfying ending! 

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ from me and a big thank you to Milly at Quercus Books for having me on the tour and for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley.

Having read Clare’s debut last year, The Secrets of Saffron Hall (buy it immediately if you haven’t read it) I jumped at the chance to read an early review copy of her second novel. I already have it on pre-order so am looking forward to having the actual book in my forever collection.

Saffron Hall was my number one book of 2020, and I had a feeling book two would not disappoint. It didn’t. Clare has produced another enthralling, page turning book of exquisiteness and I absolutely loved it!

Again, Clare has written this historical fiction novel along a dual timeline.

The historical element gives us a very satisfactory conclusion to what happened to Eleanor and Tom after they fled England at the end of Saffron Hall. What a cliffhanger that was! Tom who is deaf and mute, moves back to England from France in 1584 and finds himself working as an assistant to the Queen’s apothecary, having learned his craft from his adoptive mother, Eleanor. The Queen’s spymaster, Walsingham, soon sees the benefit of Tom’s lip reading abilities and he is made to spy for the Queen. The Babington plot is under way to remove Elizabeth from the throne and replace her with the Catholic Queen Mary. One of Tom’s only personal belongings is a triptych which is a 3 part painting he is completing with snippets of his life.

The present day part is set in 2021 where Mathilde receives a solicitor’s letter urgently summoning her from her converted ambulance moving home to Lutton Hall Norfolk. Mathilde has lived alone and on the road, selling her photographs to make her living, since her mother died when Mathilde was only 16. She has always longed for a proper family. When she arrives at Lutton Hall she is astounded to find she has a half sister, a niece and an Aunt and Uncle waiting for her. Her father, whom she thought had died when she was a baby, had actually been searching for her all of her life but had sadly just died without ever finding her. He left Lutton Hall to Mathilde in his will in the hope that his solicitor would find her. She initially thinks she will stay a short while and sell the property, but when she finds the Triptych on a wall in the chapel behind a boarded up wall, she becomes determined to find out who painted it and the story behind it.

The past and present story lines are equally as enjoyable. The characters are developed extremely well, the plot intertwines perfectly, the research into the historical part is obviously thoroughly completed and I didn’t want it to end! Although the conclusion to both parts in extremely satisfying. It’s going to take me a few days to pick up another book as I’m still living in the worlds of Tom and Mathilde.

I can’t recommend Clare’s books highly enough.

Thank you to Avon books and NetGalley for allowing me early access to this book in return for a review.

Welcome to my blog tour post!

Best friends tell each other everything.Or do they?

Georgia and Lydia have been best friends for over 20 years. Lydia’s parents died in a car crash when they were both studying illustration at college and Georgia was there to help her through. They became very close, in fact more like sisters, as Lydia had no other family other than an auntie living in America.

🐶

20 YEARS LATER

Georgia is happily married and has grown up twins who have flown the nest. She has become a successful author, creating and illustrating a series of children’s books about Wilbur the Wallaby. She feels guilty about her success around Lydia who has not progressed very far with her career, and Georgia is unaware she is always on the search for a book deal which has never happened. She is still single and lives alone but is obsessive about posting images of herself and her ‘happy’ life on Instagram.

Georgia and her husband Nick decide to adopt a rescue dog and along comes Igor, the biggest, friendliest dog you could imagine.

When Georgia sets up a fake Twitter account as ‘Patricia’ to try to boost Lydia’s dwindling confidence, she has no idea this will set the ball rolling with a series of events which threaten her friendships and even her happy marriage. Lydia starts confiding in ‘Patricia’ by Twitter messages secrets she knows about Georgia.

Lydia has always hidden her resentment at Georgia’s happy life and success but she has a plan in place to get what she wants, and not even her best friend will get in her way.

🐶

My thoughts on the book

I raced through this book. What a joy to read! It is the second of Jane’s books I have read and she is now up there with my favourite authors. The writing style is so easy to get absorbed in. Although most of the events are quite serious I love the humour Jane adds and had a few laugh out loud moments, especially around Igor. I loved Igor!

I enjoyed reading about the friendships, betrayed trust, deep resentment but also successes and forgiveness.

The book was written from Georgia’s point of view until the end of part one of the book so we had no idea what Lydia was thinking. In part two we begin to hear from Lydia and it throws what we think we know up in the air!

Highly recommended!

4/5 stars

When Megan and her 5 friends decide to drive the wrong way on a motorway at night, not for the first time, they have no idea this decision will change their lives forever.

A car swerves to avoid them and crashes. The occupants are killed.

Megan, never quite fitting in to the group, offers to take the blame in return for a favour from each of her friends when she is released from prison. They agree.

When Megan is released from prison 20 years later, she seeks out the friends who have never contacted her or visited her in prison. She has found out everything she can about them and worms her way back into their lives. She is calling in the favours which are beyond anything the friends could have imagined.

They can’t follow through with their promises.

Then one of them is found murdered.

I enjoyed Sharon’s last book so much I had to put this to the top of my pile. This one is a slow burner which builds up to a nail biting, heart racing conclusion.

Many thanks to Trapeze Books and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. Publication date 27/5/21

5/5 stars

Read in a day – I couldn’t put it down.

Nell has always been an outsider. Born with birth marks covering her face and body, she has always hidden herself away.

When Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Curiosities comes to town, Nell’s father takes the opportunity to get rid of the daughter he didn’t want around, and make some money at the same time. He sells her to the circus.

Her initial horror and desperation to escape very quickly changes to a feeling of acceptance. Can she finally find where she belongs, and feel at home with this group of ‘curiosities’?

We follow her as Jasper makes her into a star, seeing her as the object which will finally give him the fame and fortune he is desperately seeking.

The story is told from 3 points of view: Nell, Jasper and Jasper’s brother Toby, who also feels like he lives on the outside looking in.

There is also a very interesting back story of their time at war and how it has shaped their lives.

A fabulously woven, almost magical tale.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy to read and review. I already have my indie special edition on order for my forever shelf!

5/5 stars

I was very lucky to have received a proof to review from HQ and send them my thanks.