The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Cherry Radford @CherryRad @urbanebooks @lovebooksgroup #lovebookstours

Description

After the break-up of her marriage, Imogen escapes to her aunt's converted lighthouse on Beachy Head. Writing for a tedious online magazine but hoping to start a novel, she wants to be alone until she finds an entrancing flamenco CD in her borrowed car and contacts the artist via Twitter. It turns out that actor-musician Santiago needs help with English, and is soon calling her profesora.

Through her window, the other lighthouse winks at her across the sea. The one where her father was a keeper until he mysteriously drowned there in 1982. Her aunt is sending extracts from his diary, and Imogen is intrigued to learn that, like her and Santi, her father had a penfriend.

Meanwhile, despite their differences, Imogen is surrounded by emotional and geographical barriers, Santi surrounded by family and land-locked Madrid their friendship develops. So, she reads, did her father's but shocking revelations cause Imogen to question whether she ever really knew him.

Two stories of communication: the hilarious mistakes, the painful misunderstandings, and the miracle or tragedy of finding someone out there with whom you have an unforeseen, irresistible connection.

Review

What a truly unique story this really is. With the dual locations of Beachy Head and Madrid so beautifully and poignantly described, this book is unlike anything I have ever read before.

With the meeting of Imogen and Santi being made through Twitter this book has a very contemporary feel, although it is set in 2012. Imogen is staying alone in a lighthouse, which looks out onto another lighthouse; the one from which her Father lost his life in 1982. 

As Imogen begins to converse with Santi through Twitter her Aunt is drip feeding her extracts from her Father's diary by post. Why can't she just send the whole diary to her wonders Imogen? Soon she begins to see a parallel in her own situation and that of her Father. 

Meanwhile in Madrid. Santi is a musician and actor and has a life surrounded by family and friends, so much going on for him. But, he needs to improve his English in order to get a part. So begins his friendship with Imogen who helps and corrects him over the internet and then later in real life.

The book flips between the two locations over many months, and is told from both Imogen's and Santi's perspective. The information on suicides and the people working at Beachy Head was very moving and not something I was expecting. It is dealt with sensitively and even with some humour too.

I really enjoyed  how the author used Spanish dialogue (even though I don't speak Spanish) and also the way all the dialogue was at times left unfinished, hanging in the air. Although I had to re read it sometimes, it was so true to life. People speaking over one another, a turned head and missed words.  

There is a lot more than this basic outline I've given happening within the book. Failed romances/marriages, teenage angst, misunderstandings - to name but a few. I rapidly read the pages as I really wanted to know how it was all going to end. Then I was in tears and then they were wiped away, only to lurk again. I can't say much more as the story needs to come as a surprise to you, as it did to me.

I loved this book so much and I know it is one that will stay with me.  I'm giving this book 5 out of  5 stars. My thanks to Love Book Tours for a copy of the book to review.

Author Bio

Cherry Radford was a piano teacher at the Royal Ballet Junior School, a keyboard player in a band, and then a research optometrist at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. She now lives in Eastbourne, UK and Almería, Spain. Her third novel, The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter, publishes April 2018.

WEBSITE: www.cherryradford.co.uk

BLA BLA LAND BLOG: https://cherryradforddotblog.wordpress.com

TWITTER: @CherryRad

Buy Link 

https://amzn.to/3oSH0Em

337 by M. Jonathan Lee @mjonathanlee - #337LEE @HideawayFall @lovebooksgroup #lovebookstours

 

Please note the double-ended upside-down opening for this book is available in books ordered in hard copy from UK booksellers only.

337 follows the life of Samuel Darte whose mother vanished when he was in his teens. It was his brother, Tom who found her wedding ring on the kitchen table along with the note.

While their father pays the price of his mother’s disappearance, Sam learns that his long-estranged Gramma is living out her last days in a nursing home nearby.

Keen to learn about what really happened that day and realising the importance of how little time there is, he visits her to finally get the truth.

Soon it’ll be too late and the family secrets will be lost forever. Reduced to ashes. But in a story like this, nothing is as it seems.

 I'm delighted to be able to share an excerpt from 337 with you today...

“I suggest you do,” he says in a voice which suggests there may be ramifications if I choose not to.

My only remaining thread of control is severed when he hangs up the phone. I take a deep breath and wait for him to call back, which is something he does when he feels he may not have made his point as clearly as he might. I lay there staring at the dust that has collected in the corners of my phone. The screen stays black, and after a minute or two passes I feel safe again. I place the phone on the duvet and turn my face into the darkness of the pillow.

For a moment I am gripped by anger, a feeling that twists in my chest like a coiled rope. I have spent a good part of the last ten years trying to remove this feeling from my life. I have been told on a number of occasions that if I cannot leave it behind, it will eventually consume me. I’ll be tossed into the black hole of its throat like Jonah and his whale. Gobbled up in one. My final resting place will be the belly of the giant beast and, unlike Jonah, I’ll never be seen again.

The last person who told me this was Sara. In fact, she told me plenty of times that I needed to change aspects of myself. For some time I listened to her, convinced that my macabre back story was reason enough to be the person I’ve become. It was only latterly, when I had an awakening, that I realised that her criticisms of me were actually a product of her own insecurities. Her insecurities moulding me into an angry and self-pitying person. A person I never used to be, nor ever wanted to be. And so, over the last year or so, the words I had listened to so attentively were rubberised and deflected, unheard, back to where they came from.

And of course, as I am sure you can now guess, Sara is gone.

And I feel the real me returning.

Slowly.

Author Bio

M Jonathan Lee is a nationally shortlisted author and mental health campaigner. His first novel The Radio was nationally shortlisted in the Novel Prize 2012. Since that time he has gone on to publish five further novels with ‘337’ being his sixth novel. Jonathan is a tireless campaigner for mental health awareness and writes his own column regularly for the Huffington Post. He has recently written for the Big Issue and spoken at length about his own personal struggle in the British national press on the BBC and Radio Talk Europe.

Endlessly fascinated by the human condition and what leads people to do the things they do to one another, Jonathan is obsessed with writing stories with twists where nothing is exactly how it first appears. 

Buy Link 

https://amzn.to/2JG2Nz1

The Memories We Bury by H.A. Leuschel @HALeuschel @lovebooksgroup #lovebookstours

I'm so pleased to be on the Book Tour today.

Description

An emotionally charged and captivating novel about the complexities of female friendship and motherhood

Lizzie Thomson has landed her first job as a music teacher, and after a whirlwind romance with Markus, the newlywed couple move into a beautiful new home in the outskirts of Edinburgh. Lizzie quickly befriends their neighbour Morag, an elderly, resourceful yet lonely widow, whose own children rarely visit her. Everything seems perfect in Lizzie’s life until she finds out she is pregnant and her relationship with both Morag and Markus change beyond her control.

Can Lizzie really trust Morag and why is Markus keeping secrets from her?

In The Memories We Bury the author explores the dangerous bonds we can create with strangers and how past memories can cast long shadows over the present.

Review

This book on the surface appears to be a tale of complete domesticity. A young married couple with no close support and a neighbour who longs to be able to be helpful, especially when a baby arrives. For a while I felt nothing untoward was going to happen, and the book was really more about the relationships past and present of the the two women; but then the drama unfolded.

Lizzie has her baby and some things start to appear strange to her, she harks back to her own childhood a lot and her beloved Grandad. As a reader I began to wonder if it wasn't just fatigue from the birth and coping with a baby virtually on her own. Her husband Markus quickly becomes quite frankly a waste of space and no support with the baby. What was he up to when he wasn't around?

I realise looking back that there was a huge clue dropped in by the author early on, I remember reading it twice and thinking it strange, but couldn't understand how it fitted in. To say anymore would ruin the book for you. So I will just say that the tale of domesticity that began the book becomes a phycological minefield and the tension just grew and grew. I think the fact that it was such an ordinary scene of everyday life made it all the more frightening and worrying. 

The writing is so very clever. Towards the end of the book, just when I had begun to decide on my own truth of what had happened, a seed of doubt was sown again. Then the very last line of the book - well - it was just genius, maybe a little dark humour? That last line keeps coming back to me time and time again.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Love Books Tours for the ARC to review. 

Author Bio

Helene Andrea Leuschel gained a Master in Journalism & Communication, which led to a career in radio and television in Brussels, London and Edinburgh. She later acquired a Master in Philosophy, specializing in the study of the mind.

Helene has a particular interest in emotional, psychological and social well-being and this led her to write her first novel, Manipulated Lives, a fictional collection of five novellas, each highlighting the dangers of interacting with narcissists.

She lives with her husband and two children in Portugal. Please find out more about Helene at heleneleuschel.com or on Facebook and Twitter.

http://www.heleneleuschel.com

https://twitter.com/HALeuschel

https://www.facebook.com/HALeuschel

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15337013.H_A_Leuschel

Buy Link 

https://amzn.to/2EcmFHy

Unhinged by Olena Rose @lovebooksgroup #lovebookstours

 

So happy to be on the blog tour for this poetry book today.

Synopsis:

Unhinged: Putting the Pieces Back Together by Olena Rose showcases the unshakable strength and perseverance of the human spirit during times of romantic turmoil. Through emotionally-charged poetic storytelling, the reader is taken on a journey of healing and transformation that gains momentum page by page. By book’s end, one is instilled with an unwavering sense of self-empowerment and confidence to overcome any challenges of the heart.

Review

This is a book of poetry with four sections named as follows:-

Unhinged - Putting the pieces back together

Falling

Holding On

Letting Go

It's beautifully typeset with so much wonderful white space so as to let the words really hang and sink in, with different fonts also occasionally used too. 

You may not be a poetry reader, but this book is also I think a kind of self help book. It contains almost mantra like staves which struck a chord with me. Whilst you may not have time to read a wordy book to find a message that speaks to you, these easily accessible poems all have a message within them. Some are a little ruthless and obviously come from a place of hurt but even these have a healing message.

One of my favourite poems is "Smile Algorithm" from the Letting Go section. Wise words, easy to read and memorable. A book I will be dipping into over and over again.

I'm giving this book five out of five stars. My thanks to Love Books Tours and Olena Rose for a copy of the book to review.

Author Bio and Image:

Olena Rose is an American Poet based in New York City. If there is one constant in her life, it is her penchant for writing stories.

Buy Link: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unhinged-Putting-Pieces-Back-Together/dp/B0892HSXLM/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1592299179&sr=8-1

Self Confident Sally - Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Self-Confident Sandy by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino 

Sandy was full of self-confidence. Where did it come from? She could do anything, but why? Ah, she had a special mantra that she used to explain herself. “” You may ask me why I can do anything I try… and the only answer can be: all these things are inside me!’ Yes, I can do most anything. Once I set my mind and heart to it, I find that there is nothing to it. Still, I keep my mantra handy,” explained Self-Confident Sandy!

Buy Link

https://amzn.to/2USHPPd

Author/Illustrator Sally Huss creates children’s books to uplift the lives of children. She does this by giving them tools to overcome obstacles; by helping them value themselves and others; and by inspiring them to be the best that they can be. Her catalog of books now exceeds 100.

"Bright and happy," "light and whimsical" have been the catch phrases attached to the writings and art of Sally Huss for over 30 years. Sweet images dance across all of Sally's creations, whether in the form of children's books, paintings, wallpaper, ceramics, baby bibs, purses, clothing, or her King Features syndicated newspaper panel "Happy Musings."

Sally is a graduate of USC with a degree in Fine Art and through the years has had 26 of her own licensed art galleries throughout the world. sallyhuss.com.

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino is one of America's foremost personal and corporate development consultants. She is the creator of The Best Ever You Network (or Best Ever You), a leading multimedia provider of lifestyle and self-help content. While participating in the Harvard Business School for Leadership program, Elizabeth serves as a Leadership Advisor for the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute.

In 2020 Elizabeth joined Sally Huss to create the best-selling children’s book A Lesson for Every Child: Learning About Food Allergies. Living with life-threatening food allergies for many years, Elizabeth added her personal experience and her expertise to the project. She also sits on several boards of organizations and foundations that bring awareness to this life-threatening condition.

Elizabeth is also the best-selling author of Percolate – Let Your Best Self Filter Through (Hay House Publishing). elizabethguarino.com.

Daisy on the Outer Line - Ross Sayers | Cover Reveal with #LoveBooksGroupTours

Blurb:

Life, Death and Time Travel on the Glasgow Subway...

When selfish student Daisy trashes her stepdad’s funeral, she gets blind drunk and wakes up on the Glasgow subway to find she has travelled back in time. To make amends for her behaviour, she must save a life—but she doesn’t know who, how, or where to begin. She’ll have to find out fast if she wants to make it back to her old life and avoid being trapped in

the wrong timeline forever.

This novel was awarded one of the first Scots Language Publication Grants funded by the Scottish Government and administered by the Scottish Book Trust.

Publication Date: 5th November 2020

ISBN:

Paperback 978-1-911279-77-8

eBook 978-1-911279-78-5

Ross Bio:

Ross Sayers grew up in Stirling and now lives in Edinburgh. He’s still finding his way around. His debut novel, Mary’s the Name was released in 2017 and was shortlisted for the Saltire First Book Award. He’s currently working on a sequel to one of his books... You can tweet him praise or abuse @Sayers33

The Weighing of the Heart - Paul Tudor Owen #LoveBooksGroupTours

Description

Following a sudden break-up, Englishman in New York Nick Braeburn takes a room with the elderly Peacock sisters in their lavish Upper East Side apartment, and finds himself increasingly drawn to the priceless piece of Egyptian art on their study wall - and to Lydia, the beautiful Portuguese artist who lives across the roof garden.

But as Nick draws Lydia into a crime he hopes will bring them together, they both begin to unravel, and each find that the other is not quite who they seem.

Paul Tudor Owen's intriguing debut novel brilliantly evokes the New York of Paul Auster and Joseph O'Neill.

Review

I am thrilled to be on the blog tour for this book. I thought from the description it would be a book I'd like, especially as it is set in New York. Well I didn't just like it, I LOVED it!

Straight away I just loved the character of Nick, a Brit in NY.  I'm not sure why exactly maybe it was his slightly laid back approach to life and his calm narration. I adored his voice in the book and the fact that he got himself a room in a Fifth Avenue Apartment, the stuff that dreams are made of. The sisters who owned the Apartment were also fascinating, and I eagerly absorbed their New York life and business transactions.  Through scene setting and the wonderfully descriptive writing I was instantly transported to New York.

There are strong links to Egyptology throughout the book and this is so cleverly interwoven into the story, sometimes spookily, as with the dead bees he finds. The title of the book refers to the ancient Egyptians and their belief that to enter your afterlife, your heart had to be light. So I also learnt a few things about the Egyptians too.

The book description states that "Nick draws Lydia into a crime" and for a while I wasn't sure how this nice man was going to do that. In fact I was so enjoying reading about his day to day life and his romantic pursuit of Lydia, that I totally forgot that aspect of the book.  Nick also seemed to be someone so unlikely to commit a crime, let alone entice someone else who was even further from being a potential criminal. Well, as they say "still waters run deep" and without giving anything away, what a character Nick turns out to be, and yet I still liked him.

There were also twists and turns so subtly crafted so as to be so believable. However,  I can't believe that this is a first novel. Paul is compared to Auster who I also love to read, but I would say that Paul's work is a lot more accessible, but I can see why it has been compared to Auster. 

I have no hesitation in giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. I read it in two sittings, it would have been less if time had allowed, I really didn't want to put it down. It's rare I read a book twice, but I think this will be going on the "to be read again" shelf. I will be watching for more from this author.

My thanks to Paul for a dedicated copy of the book to review and to Kelly at Love Books Group Tours without whom I would not have found this wonderful book.

You can buy your copy by following this link https://amzn.to/2Ygx8tz

About the author

Paul Tudor Owen was born in Manchester in 1978, and was educated at the University of Sheffield, the University of Pittsburgh, and the London School of Economics.

He began his career as a local newspaper reporter in north-west London, and currently works at the Guardian, where he spent three years as deputy head of US news at the paper's New York office.  

@PaulTOwen

@ObliteratiPress

Blog Tour! What Kitty Did Next - Carrie Kablean #LoveBooksGroupTours

I'm so pleased to be a part of the Blog Tour today for this wonderful book

Description

If you loved Pride and Prejudice, you will love What Kitty Did Next
England, 1813 Nineteen-year-old Catherine Bennet lives in the shadow of her two eldest sisters, Elizabeth and Jane, who have both made excellent marriages. No one expects Kitty to amount to anything. Left at home in rural Hertfordshire with her neurotic and nagging mother, and a father who derides her as silly and ignorant, Kitty is lonely, diffident and at a loss as to how to improve her situation. When her world unexpectedly expands to London and the Darcys' magnificent country estate in Derbyshire, she is overjoyed. Keen to impress this new society, and to change her family's prejudice, Kitty does everything she can to improve her mind and manners and for the first time feels liked and respected. However, one fateful night at Pemberley, a series of events and misunderstandings conspire to ruin Kitty's reputation. But Kitty has learnt from her new experiences and what she does next does next will not only surprise herself, but everyone else too.

Based on Jane Austen's much-loved characters, this is the story of one young woman's struggle to overcome the obstacles of her time and place and truly find herself.

Review

I began to read this book with a little trepidation - would it live up to Jane Austen? I have read other books which are a follow on to great works and been disappointed - but not this time - I LOVED it.

I cannot imagine how you go about writing a novel where the speech and nuances of the characters have to transport you to 19th Centrury England, but this book did just that. So faithfully did it recreate the characters of Pride and Prejudice that I began to forget it wasn't written by Austen herself.

I loved catching up with Lizzie and Jane to see what happened to them after their respective marriages and of course the dashing Darcy. Never once did I think "that would never have happened" but rather I had a train of thought of "so, that's what happened next" lol!

We catch up too with Georgiana, Darcy's sister. When Georgiana takes Kitty into her confidence and reveals what went on between Lydia and Wickham and her brother's part in it, I was at first confused. Because I forgot of course, that I as the reader knew what had happened, but not everyone in the book did! When Kitty gets invited to Pemberley a terrible misunderstanding occurs. So true to Austen was this tale, that I felt the author really must have found an unpublished manuscript by Austen.

The social history aspect of the book was wonderful. So many well written details that brought the book to life. I loved the character of Felicia and her announcement to Kitty that one day she will dare not to ride side saddle!!!

As I neared the end of the book I was delighted in the outcome for Kitty - I had a little tear in my eye. The very ending made me smile so very much. I don't do spoilers so you will need to read it for yourself - really! if you have been wondering what happened when Pride and Prejudice ended this is the book for you.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars - Carrie Kablean is a very worthy successor to Jane Austen.

My thanks to Love Books Group for an advance copy of the book for review.

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