Two Heads Are Better Than One

By Evie Woods

Publisher: One More Chapter

Publication Date: 27/4/25

SYNOPSIS

Nestled among the cobblestone streets of Compiègne, there existed a bakery unlike any other. 

Rumours were whispered through the town that its pastries offered a taste of magic, chasing away the darkest of sorrows. Just one bite of a croissant might bring luck, unlock a precious memory or reveal hidden longings.

But dark clouds were looming on the horizon…

For Edie Lane, a recipe for disaster doesn’t require that many ingredients. Take an unhealthy amount of wishful thinking and a sprinkle of desperation and that’s how Edie left everything behind in Ireland for her dream job at a bakery in Paris. Except the bakery isn’t in Paris – and neither is Edie.

This might not be where Edie intended to be but she soon realizes it’s exactly where she needs to be…

MY REVIEW

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as part of the readalong organised by One More Chapter. I had to go out and buy croissants as I suddenly developed a craving for them whilst reading!

Edith is stuck in a rut when she stumbles upon a job opportunity in Paris and goes for it! How brave and how exciting. A quaint bakery in Paris certainly sounds like somewhere a person could escape to find themselves.

When she arrives she has second thoughts especially after meeting Madame Moreau , the brusque owner. Once she settles in and meets the handsome Hugo things start looking up.

This is quite the rollercoaster of a story with good things happening, then the bakery’s owner reveals something which takes Edith down to rock bottom before she decides to pull herself together and do something about it.

And there is a ghost! How wonderful!

I loved the back stories of the characters and the Bakery’s previous owner. The connection to a well known musician had me researching him in the internet and listening to some of his music as I read. 

This is the first book I have read by this author and, left with a happy fuzzy feeling, I’m eager to read more!

AUTHOR LETTER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Evie Woods is the author of The Lost Bookshop, the #1 Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, Spiegel and Amazon Kindle bestseller, which was shortlisted for a British Book Award, and translated into 31 languages. Her new novel, The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris will be published in March 2025.

Evie lives on the West Coast of Ireland where she escapes the inclement weather by writing stories that push the boundary between what is real and what we wish were so. Drawing inspiration from the unseen forces that shape our lives and the healing power of storytelling, she invites the reader to embrace the magic that exists in our ordinary lives.

READALONG CHALLENGES

Holly Barmby

Publication Date: 18/3/25

Publisher: Hobeck

SYNOPSIS

Harriet (Haitch) Boswell’s career as an artist could be about to go stratospheric. She’s been nominated for a prestigious bursary that would change everything. To secure it, she needs to see off five other hopefuls and charm the man who holds the purse strings during a weekend at a stunning location in Spain.

But just before she’s due to leave, she falls ill. There’s no way she can attend the event. Perhaps there’s a solution… her twin sister, Tilda.

But Tilda’s life is in turmoil. Her husband Sam has left her, declaring his love for a mystery woman. Spending a weekend schmoozing with the cream of the creative world while pretending to be her sister, is the very last thing she wants to do.
But the bonds of sisterhood are strong. Haitch begs her, and Tilda agrees.

What if she’s discovered as an imposter? There’s Haitch’s egotistical agent Damian to get past first. Then there’s the small matter of surviving the selection process – all five nominees are pitted against each other in an intellectual beauty contest.

And then when someone discovers a body the next day, no one is prepared for what comes next…

MY REVIEW

Having already read and enjoyed two of Hilly’s books, I was expecting a really good read and I was not disappointed. This is another gripping page turner I read in just two sitting.

I loved the setting in Spain for the ‘main event’ of the story. 

The story is told from a variety of POV’s, taking us right into the thoughts behind the actions.

The twins are like chalk and cheese in their personalities although identical in their looks. When Tilda agrees to replace her ill sister Haitch at an important party she is unsure she can carry it off, but having just been dumped by her husband she decides why not give it a go. It could be fun and it could be worth a lot of money for her sister. But Tilda has no idea what secrets her sister is keeping.

Highly recommended if you enjoy a good psychological thriller.

Thanks to Rebecca at Hobeck for my spot on the blog tour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

At the age of seventeen, having been told by her English Literature teacher to sit on her hands in lessons, as she spoke more eloquently with them than actual words, Hilly decided to prove her wrong. It started with a bout of terrible poetry and has finally culminated in the publication of her first novel. She is also a painter and ceramicist, and has a lady-shed in the middle of an organic fruit farm on a mountainside in southern Spain. She lives with her musician partner and two rescue dogs.

Mary Watson

Publication Date: 16/1/25

Publisher: Transworld

SYNOPSIS

It’s not dust she’s looking for.
It’s dirt.

Esmie is meant to be invisible. Just a cleaner with a foreign accent that no one quite has time to place, and a uniform of leggings and a duster that allows her to explore the homes of the wealthy Woodlands gated community, unnoticed. 

Which is exactly what she wants. Because Esmie isn’t really a cleaner. 

One of the residents of Woodlands has ruined her life. And when she finds out who, she’s going to make them pay . . .

MY REVIEW

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Oh what a tangled web we weave ….

A brilliantly plotted psychological thriller. Dark and gripping, I couldn’t whiz through those pages quickly enough.

It really makes you think of what goes on behind closed doors. The things your neighbours never tell you.

Esmie poses as a cleaner to work a few houses in a posh gated community, but her secret aim is to find out which of these women had a fling with her brother and ruined his life.

Plenty of twists and shocks along the way.

A fabulous adult debut from Mary Watson.

Thank you to Alison Bartow for kindly sending me a finished hardback.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Watson grew up in Cape Town, South Africa where she worked as an art museum guide, library assistant, actor in children’s musicals, front-of-house duty manager and university lecturer. She now lives on the west coast of Ireland with her husband and three children.

Annabelle Thorpe

Publication Date: 20/3/25

Publisher: Aria

SYNOPSIS

Hidden loves and dangerous secrets may be uncovered as suspicion and lies swirl around trattoria Casa Maria and the Nazis tighten their grip on power in Italy in the powerful follow-up to Annabelle Thorpe’s The Village Trattoria.

Family-run Casa Maria is the beating heart of beautiful Amatino in Umbria. But now it is under Nazi control, to the fury of matriarch Elena Capaldi. Forced to give board to a hated young German soldier, she reluctantly realises he shares her passion for cooking and can be a real help. But should an enemy soldier ever be trusted?

In Rome, Elena’s charismatic grandson, Giorgio, is undercover at the other family trattoria, leaving his new wife, Sophia, to keep the secret of his whereabouts. Amatino is seething with conspiracies and some would happily bring down the Capaldis and all they stand for. In war, there are always people ready to do business with the enemy…

Return to Casa Maria in this heart-wrenching follow-up to The Village Trattoria!

MY REVIEW

Having read this as a stand alone which was absolutely do-able, I now want to read the first book to give me more background on the multitude of characters, and to find out more about why Giorgio had to flee to Rome leaving his new wife and his family behind.

I had to read the first few chapters a few times to get my head around the characters as a lot are introduced together but once I got into it I soon knew who was who as they were all so different and well written. I was particularly fond of young Otto the German soldier. He was sent to live at Casa Maria much to the annoyance of Elena; but once she started getting to know him and found they had a shared love of cooking she started to treat him like family. Some not so likeable characters in there too and I’m talking mainly about Messell who is in charge of the section of the German army currently occupying Amatino. Not a nice man. Also one of their trusted inner circle is passing information to the Germans. 

There are plenty of strong characters in the cast both male and female and I was rooting for them all to survive, knowing that the war was coming to an end. 

The author’s depiction of what it must have been like living in an occupied country during the war was, I can imagine, very true to life. The Italians living on scraps of food whilst the Germans eat like kings, though Elena and Otto have the ability to make tasty meals out of almost nothing. The determination to survive and to bring down the Nazis. To not show any fear. 

I very much enjoyed reading The Moonlit Piazza. Thank you to Shannon at Head of Zeus for sending me a proof copy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After twenty-five years as an award-winning travel and features journalist, writing for The Times and many other national broadsheets and magazines, Annabelle made the transition to fiction with The People We Were Before, the tale of a young boy and his family living through the Balkan Wars of the 1990s. The book was born of her experiences in travelling to Croatia for over thirty years, and witnessing the country’s spectacular fall and rise. Her second novel, What Lies Within, tells the story of a couple, Paul and Freya, who relocate to Marrakech, and explores the challenges of living in an unfamiliar culture. 

Her novel The Enemy of Love is set in Italy during the time of Mussolini’s removal from power and the armistice with the Allies, and was published in April 2023. The first of a series, the novel tells the story of two Umbrian families, the Capaldis and the di Lucas, and the struggle to maintain their lives, loves and businesses through the trauma of war and the Nazi occupation.

As a travel writer, she has visited over 60 countries, including driving through the Omani desert, trekking in the New Zealand rainforest, learning (and failing) to sail in Bermuda and narrowly escaping being run over in Tripoli. Her fiction brings in locations she knows intimately; Croatia in The People We Were Before, Marrakech and Qatar in her second, and Rome and Umbria in The Enemy of Love.

Follow Annabelle on Twitter @annabellet

Or drop by http://www.annabellethorpe.co.uk

Clare Marchant

Published 11/3/25 by Boldwood Books

SYNOPSIS

Now: When Sarah’s summoned by her godmother to remote Norfolk, she doesn’t want to go. Crossing the bridges where the two rivers meet, said to be haunted by the ghost of a little boy, a large Tudor house looms in front of her. And Sarah’s instantly reminded her of the summer when she last visited. The summer she would like to forget. Which left her unable to ever move forward… Can a person ever recover from the loss of a sibling?

1571: Anne Howard, newly-made countess of Arundel, has also lost a sibling. And been dragged from the relative safety of her home in remote Norfolk to London, by her overbearing, manipulative, new father-in-law Thomas Howard; the very person she suspects of killing her beloved only brother. The Howards have greater secrets than this though. Secrets that will lead Anne to a tragedy that will echo down the ages…

When Sarah finds a mysterious book of poems in a hidden chamber of her godmother’s house, she is drawn into Anne’s story. Perhaps the mystery will take her mind off her own loss? But – as the flood waters begin to rise under the bridges – is Sarah laying ghosts to rest, or bringing truths to the surface that should stay beneath?

MY REVIEW

Another wonderfully absorbing and atmospheric multiple timeline novel, rich in history and spanning centuries, from one of my favourite authors. 

A centuries old mansion with ghosts, its own graveyard and a sad tale of a young boy who died when falling off his rocking horse. Barnhamcross Hall in Norfolk had once been a convent but in 1569 is home to Anna. Her younger brother George dies, in a murder which is made to look like an accident. Her greedy stepfather is responsible and Anna makes it her aim in life to see he is punished, her story talking her to London and to meet Queen Elizabeth. Married to his 16 year old son without any say in the matter, she is taken to live in her stepfather’s / father in law’s house in London which has secret tunnels enabling her to spy on him and his plotting.

In the present, Sarah is asked by her dying godmother to return to her home which she has left to Sarah in her will. Sarah is very reluctant as she hasn’t been back since something very bad happened there in 2004. Is history destined to keep repeating itself?

Fabulous storytelling and historical facts with fiction cleverly woven through. The pace is spot on and it kept me turning the pages as I got to know more about Anna and her quest for revenge. I was desperate for Sarah to work out what Anna’s poetry book, which she found concealed in a hidden cupboard, is to reveal. And very well done to Clare for writing such clever poetry. 

Two strong women connected through the years by their losses and by a diary, both of whom must find their way in life without the support of their parents. 

Loved it. It will remain with me along with Clare’s other fabulous books and I highly recommend every one!

Thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for my spot on the tour. 

BLOG TOUR HOSTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clare Marchant is the author of dual timeline historical fiction. Her books have been translated into seven languages, and she is a USA Today bestseller. Clare spends her time writing and exploring local castles, or visiting the nearby coast.

Follow Clare

Facebook: @claremarchantauthor

Twitter: @claremarchant1

Instagram: @claremarchantauthor

Simon Scarrow

Publication Date: 13 March 3025

Publisher: Headline

Blog your organiser: Ransom PR

SYNOPSIS

BERLIN. MAY 1940. AS HITLER PREPARES TO INVADE WESTERN EUROPE, THERE IS BLOODSHED CLOSER TO HOME

CI Horst Schenke is an investigator with the Kripo unit. Powerless against the consequences of the war, he fights to keep criminals off his patch. But with doubts growing about his loyalty to the Nazi regime, he is walking a tightrope. If his relationship with a Jewish woman is exposed, a dreadful fate awaits.

Berlin’s gangsters run their crime rings with impunity. Decadent senior Nazis protect them. Schenke is different. He won’t turn a blind eye when innocents are caught in the crossfire between warring gangs. But dangerous enemies know everything about him. They will do whatever it takes to bend him to their will . . . 

From the seedy wartime nightlife scene to aristocratic homes frequented by the Führer, as the distant war spirals ever closer, A Death in Berlin conveys the horror and banality of evil – and the terrible danger for those who dare stand against it.

The stunning new Berlin wartime thriller from the author of Blackout and Dead of Night.

MY REVIEW

Book three in this superb series of thrillers set in Berlin in 1940, early in the Second World War. 

You don’t get to be a bestselling author without being able to write a cracking story and Simon Scarrow comes up with the goods every time. Just like Simon’s other books, this one grabbed me right from the beginning. 

In this instalment, we again meet the dedicated CI Horst Schenke of the Kripo unit which is the criminal investigation department of the police force, as he and his team are investigating forgery of ration coupons. 

To add to his workload, the gangster owner of a seedy club is shot dead in his car in a dead end street. His lady friend is injured in the shooting. There are no doubt many who wanted to see him dead so DI Schenke has his work cut out to investigate the murder whilst also being pushed to quickly find those responsible for the ration coupon forgeries. 

Schenke is an excellent investigator who does not agree with the Nazi regime, politely refusing offers to join the SS. He must keep his thoughts and opinions to himself however, as if his opinions were found out it would put his life at risk. We get to know Schenke well, and hear his innermost thoughts and concerns as Germany heads deeper into war.

Scarrow is keen to bring as much authenticity to his writing as possible and has done a great deal of research into this period of time in Germany. I could feel the atmosphere seeping from the pages and how worried and scared the people of Berlin are as the war is not ending as quickly as expected. The Jewish population are suffering and just trying to survive. Hitler, himself, makes a brief but impactful appearance.

I thoroughly enjoyed this intriguing thriller. The setting, the characters, the storyline all combine to produce another gripping thriller and I look forward, and hope for, a book 4 in the series as I’m not ready to say goodbye to Horst Schenke.

Thank you to Sophie at Ransom PR for my spot on the tour and to Headline for a finished copy of the book which my husband is now going to read as he is also a fan.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Simon Scarrow is a Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author. After a childhood spent travelling the world, he pursued his great love of history as a teacher, before becoming a full-time writer. His Roman soldier heroes Cato and Macro made their debut in 2000 in UNDER THE EAGLE, and have subsequently appeared in many bestsellers in the Eagles of the Empire series, including CENTURION, INVICTUS and DAY OF THE CAESARS.

Simon Scarrow is also the author of a quartet of novels about the lives of the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte, YOUNG BLOODS, THE GENERALS, FIRE AND SWORD and THE FIELDS OF DEATH; a novel about the 1565 Siege of Malta, SWORD & SCIMITAR; HEARTS OF STONE, set in Greece during the Second World War; and PLAYING WITH DEATH, a contemporary thriller written with Lee Francis. He also wrote the novels ARENA and INVADER with T. J. Andrews.

For exciting news, extracts and exclusive content from Simon visit http://www.simonscarrow.co.uk, follow him on Twitter @SimonScarrow or like his author page on Facebook/OfficialSimonScarrow.

If you want to catch Simon on his book tour, you can find dates here:

https://geni.us/uDNx

Belinda Bauer

Publication Date : 27th February 2025

Publisher : Transworld

My rating : 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟

SYNOPSIS

It was the greatest mystery never told . . .

1926. On the towering cliffs of Yorkshire, men are lowered on ropes to steal the eggs of the sea birds who nest there. The most beautiful are sold for large sums. But when small and hungry Celie Sheppard finds an ‘impossible’ red egg, it will forever alter the course of her life – and the lives of others.

One hundred years later in a remote cottage in Wales, Patrick Fort discovers his friend, Nick, and his mother tied up and robbed. The only thing missing: a carved case containing an incredible scarlet egg. Doggedly attempting to retrieve it, Patrick and Nick discover the cruel world of egg trafficking, and soon find themselves on the trail of a priceless collection of eggs lost to history. Until now.

MY REVIEW

I really must read more books by Belinda. Having absolutely loved ‘Exit’, I was over the moon to be offered an early e-copy of The Impossible Thing.

A gripping first chapter had me eagerly turning the pages to find more about the fascination of collecting birds eggs, which is illegal now. The obsession to find the most rare eggs and the prices they could reach is mind blowing.

The novel easily goes back and forth between the present and the time leading up to and during the second world war, when collecting birds eggs was a lucrative but dangerous task for those prepared to hang from the cliffs and rob the birds of their precious babies.

Don’t let the subject put you off this brilliantly written book. The characters are so well developed and I especially loved Celie who, with the help of her friend Robert, accidentally found what would become to be known as the Metland Egg off the dangerous overhang of the cliffs of Bempton in Yorkshire. A cliff where even experienced climmers would not risk their lives to visit, but which would change hers and her family’s lives. I also loved neurodiverse Patrick and the relationship he had with his friend which is a huge part of the story. They are chalk and cheese but get on well together.

I was so interested in this topic I did some research and found the Metland Eggs are real. Belinda came up with this fascinating story when years ago, she was driving in her car listening to the radio when a news story came on about this real life mystery

There is so much to enjoy in this book and a fair amount of dry humour too which did not go unnoticed! Also some sadness, a lot of plotting and an overall sense of everything being nicely tied up as the story ends.

And that ending. As I was reading, I had in my mind what I thought would be the perfect ending for the story and it ended exactly as I had hoped! I’m so happy!

Thank you so much to the publishers for my early copy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Belinda Bauer grew up in England and South Africa and now lives in Wales. She worked as a journalist and a screenwriter before finally writing a book to appease her nagging mother. With her debut, Blacklands, Belinda was awarded the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year. She went on to win the CWA Dagger in the Library for her body of work in 2013. Her fourth novel Rubbernecker was voted 2014 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. In 2018 her eighth novel, Snap, was longlisted for the Man Booker prize. Her books have been translated into 21 languages. She has also written the thriller High Rollers under the pen-name Jack Bowman

COFFIN MOON
by Keith Rosson, author of The Fever House duology

Publication Date: 9 September 2025

Publisher: Black Crow Books

The horror author EVERYONE is talking about
‘One of the most unnerving and commanding voices in modern horror fiction’
—Joe Hill
‘Keith Rosson is a master’
—Richard Price

From the author of the ‘exciting, suspenseful, horrifying’ (Stephen King) Fever House, a Vietnam veteran and his adopted niece hunt – and are hunted by – the vampire that slaughtered their family.

It’s the winter of 1975, and Duane Minor, back home in Portland, Oregon after a tour in Vietnam, is struggling to quell his anger and keep his drinking in check, keep his young marriage intact, and keep the nightmares away. Things get even more complicated when his thirteen-year-old niece, Julia, is sent across the country to live with her Aunt Heidi and Uncle Duane after a tragedy. But slowly, care-
fully, guided by Heidi’s love and patience, the three of them are building a family.
Then Minor crosses the wrong man: John Varley, a criminal with a bloody history
and a trail of bodies behind him. Varley, who sleeps during the day beneath loose
drifts of earth and grows teeth in the light of the moon. In an act of brutal retaliation, Varley kills Heidi, leaving Minor broken with guilt and Julia shot through with rage. The two of them are left united by only one thing: the desire for vengeance.

As their quest brings them into the dark orbit of immortal, undead children, silver bullet casters, and the bevy of broken men drawn to Varley’s ferocity, Minor and Julia follow his path of destruction from the gritty alleyways of 1970s Portland to the desolate highways of the Northwest and the snow-lashed plains of North Dakota only to have him turn his vicious power back on them. Who will prevail, who will survive, and what remains of our humanity when our thirst for revenge trumps everything else?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Keith Rosson is the author of the critically acclaimed Fever House duology, and novels Smoke City, Road Seven, and The Mercy of the Tide, as well as the Shirley Jackson Award-winning story collection Folk Songs for
Trauma Surgeons. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his family. Fever House is currently in development for televi-
sion by MRC with acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Richard Price attached.

IG: @rossonkeith;

BLUESKY: @keithrosson.bsky.social;

TIKTOK: @keithrosson

UK Publisher: @blackcrow_bks Cover designer: Aarushi Menon IG: @aarushimenon.dsgn 

PRE-ORDER LINKS:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coffin-Moon-Keith-Rosson/dp/1805530062/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/coffin-moon/keith-rosson/9781805530060

(Little Duck Pond Café, Book 38)

Rosie Green

Publication Date: 31/1/25

SYNOPSIS

What happens when a romantic Victorian pile that was meant to be your ‘forever home’ turns out to be a disaster in disguise? One Little Duck Pond Café pair are about to find out. Could the fall-out wreck their relationship? One thing’s for sure – it will take nothing short of a miracle to turn this turkey into the house of their dreams . . .

MY REVIEW

I’m a big fan of Rosie’s Little Duck Pond novellas. They are always an absolute joy to read.

The Forever Home was just wonderful. Secrets, lies, and I shed a fair few tears too!

I loved reading about Ellie and Max’s new home. A dilapidated house in the country which needs complete renovation. The house holds secrets of its past inhabitants and Ellie fears there may even be a ghost after she sees a face at a window!

Max is going away every weekend to write his new book and, heavily pregnant, Ellie has to manage the new house renovations, the cafe and bakery, not to mention the glamping site! Is Max hiding a secret from his weekends away?

Then there is the lovely Rhona who arrives at Sunnybrook and enters Ellie’s life at just the right time, like a guardian angel. Ultra helpful to everyone she meets, but she is hiding a heartbreaking secret.

I couldn’t put this one down I just had to know how it ended! 

All of Rosie’s books are exceptional but I think this may be my favourite so far. 

Thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for my spot on the blog tour.

Purchase Links 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Forever-Home-Little-Duck-Pond-ebook/dp/B0DHQXSLWZ

https://www.amazon.com/Forever-Home-Little-Duck-Pond-ebook/dp/B0DHQXSLWZ

Author Bio 

Rosie Green burst onto the writing scene at the age of nine, anonymously penning a weekly magazine for her five-year-old brother (mysteriously titled the ‘Willy’ comic) and fooling him completely by posting it through the letterbox every Thursday. Rosie’s continuing love of writing saw her study English at Dundee University and spend her twenties working on various teenage magazines, including Jackie and Blue Jeans, and meeting pop stars. Then 

she got serious and worked as a newspaper sub-editor at the Dundee Courier before moving to Surrey and setting up an organic veg box delivery business.

These days, she lives with her family in the beautiful county of Northumberland and has finally realised a life-long dream of becoming a published author. She currently writes the Little Duck Pond Cafe series of novellas, which is centred around life in a village cafe. Each book can be read as a stand-alone story.

Rosie has also written traditionally-published books under the name Catherine Ferguson.

Follow Rosie on Twitter – https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green88

Lora Jones

Publication Date: 20th February 2025

Publisher: Sphere / Little Brown

SYNOPSIS

Paris, 1789. The Oberst Factory, which crafts exquisite wallpaper for the most fashionable French homes, is a place shrouded in mystery. Most enigmatic is the woman pictured in each of its prints, rumoured to be the late Mrs Oberst, who died in peculiar circumstances.

When sisters Lara and Sofi arrive there for work, they quickly form a friendship with Josef Oberst, the motherless heir to the factory. Whilst Sofi’s political fervour intensifies, Lara is disturbed by the uncanny way her life appears mirrored in the wallpaper. Meanwhile Hortense, Josef’s spoilt aristocratic wife, is similarly unnerved by the scenes that line the walls of her new home. With the mobs growing ever more violent, is she in danger of meeting the same untimely end as the last Mrs Oberst?

As revolution blazes across France, the lives of Sofi, Lara and Hortense are set to collide in unimaginable and irrevocable ways. Can they change what lies ahead, or are some patterns destined to be repeated?

MY REVIEW

I saw this book keep popping up on X and it quickly got added to my list of must reads. I was very lucky to have received a beautiful hardback proof copy from Little Brown group which was an absolute joy to read.

The story dates back to 1789 where we meet Sofi and Lara, teenage sisters living a difficult life of poverty with their parents. After a heartbreaking accident they move to Paris to take up menial work in the flourishing Oberst wallpaper factory. The Obersts have their own personal tragedy in their past. The son and heir to the factory, Josef, bonds very quickly with Lara.

On the other side of the coin is the rich, spoiled, Hortense. Living in the palace with her aristocratic parents and her ridiculously pampered pooch. I’ll bet she was so much fun to write! 

I was completely absorbed by this book. Following Lara and Sofi and hoping their lives would get easier. And hoping Hortense would be taken down a peg or ten.

The book is narrated by the three main female characters and we find just how nasty and conniving Hortense can be. 

There is one scene in particular which is going to stay with me for some time. You will know which when you reach it!

I will definitely read Lora’s next book.

Really huge thanks to Lucie at Little Brown for sending me a stunning hardback proof copy .

It is a long book but it doesn’t feel drawn out at all and I would happily have read more.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After studying English Literature at the University of Durham, Lora began her career working in the TV industry in London, reading scripts for ITV’s Drama Department, and writing factual programme content and comedy material for the BBC, Channel 4 and others. She also spent over a decade assisting professional TV and stage magicians, and gathering up their secrets.

Lora now lives amongst the rugged hills of North Wales where she is currently rewilding an 18th century sheep farm. In her spare time she paints wildlife and sells her work in aid of wildlife conservation charities.

Passionate about creating and writing original stories, The Woman in the Wallpaper is Lora’s first novel. She is also the co-creator/host of The Magician’s Wife podcast.