The Secret Daughter of Venice by Juliet Greenwood BLOG TOUR #TheSecretDaughterofVenice @julietgreenwood @Stormbooks_co @rararesources #AuthorGuestPost

 

The paper is stiff and brittle with age as Kate unfolds it with trembling hands. She gasps at the pencil sketch of a rippling waterway, lined by tall buildings, curving towards the dome of a cathedral. She feels a connection deep in her heart. Venice.

England, 1941. When Kate Arden discovers a secret stash of drawings hidden in the pages of an old volume of poetry given to her as a baby, her breath catches. All her life, she has felt like an outsider in her aristocratic adoptive family, who refuse to answer any questions about her past. But the drawings spark a forgotten memory: a long journey by boat… warm arms that held her tight, and then let go.

Could these pictures unlock the secret of who she is? Why her mother left her? With war raging around the continent, she will brave everything to find out…

A gripping, emotional historical novel of love and art that will captivate fans of The Venice Sketchbook, The Woman on the Bridge and The Nightingale.

The Secret Daughter of Venice by Juliet Greenwood was published on 22 April 2024 by Storm Publishing. As part of this Blog Tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources I am delighted to share a guest post written by the author. 

Guest Post from Juliet Greenwood, author of The Secret Daughter of Venice

The motivation of characters – for good and ill! 

One of the characters I most loved to hate while I was writing The Secret Daughter of Venice, was that of the contessa, the heroine’s grandmother and owner of a faded Renaissance palazzo on the Grand Canal in Venice. As Kate gradually uncovers, it’s the contessa’s machinations that lie behind the central events of the story, driven by a ruthless bid for power. 

Pure evil is fun to write, but it’s even more satisfying when it’s not, like Lady Macbeth, who sticks in the mind, like so many of Shakespeare’s characters, exactly because she isn’t simply a carboard cut-out of a murderess. After all the ruthless dispatching of all who stand in her way, it’s the sleepwalking scene at the end that brings Lady Macbeth alive. For the audience, having just seen the murder of a woman and her children, the line ‘the than of Fife had a wife: where is she now?’ is chilling, as that of woman waking up to the reality of what she has set in motion, and which can never be lived with, let alone undone. 

While it’s Lady Macbeth’s humanity that drives her mad, the contessa remains horribly sane, unable to face the consequences of her actions on her many innocent victims. All the same, I could see where she was coming from, as a woman who had survived being born into destitution, destined for a short and nasty life as a sex worker, who has clawed her way up into a position of wealth and power. I could see exactly why she would sell her soul to Mussolini’s fascist regime to keep herself from falling back into the gutter. It’s no excuse, but it does give the motivation for what she does. 

That’s also where I found the character of Magdalena, the contessa’s maid, becoming increasingly interesting as she began to take on a life of her own (as characters tend to do, however hard the author tries to corral them!). When I was planning the story, Magdalena appeared in a single line. A vital part of the plot, but no more. But as the story grew, so did Magdalena, with her irascibility and her pride, along with her own barely suppressed guilt for her own part in the contessa’s cruelty. Magdalena is from a similar background to the contessa, and with the same terror of finding herself back on the streets to face a life of prostitution and a violent and undignified end, but the choices she makes are not always the same. 

Writing the story of The Secret Daughter of Venice made me more than ever aware of the complex dilemmas ordinary citizens faced under fascism in Italy, as well as in Germany and lands occupied by the Nazi regime. How do you protect your children, your family, your community, and all those you love under such circumstances? Particularly and when whatever you do may have the power to hurt others – even if it is something as simple as no longer using the Jewish grocer’s where you have shopped all your life, forcing them out of business. Getting to know the contessa, and in particular Magdalena, has made me understand the horrors of such choices. When I was younger, it felt so much simpler, far more black and white. Good was good, and evil was evil. I was struck recently by a friend explaining that she had tried to gently explain to her teenage granddaughter that at that age you have no real of idea of how much about life you don’t know. That comes with age, and experience, and having had the responsibility for babies, the old, and all those vulnerable you’d do anything to keep alive. Unlike my own youthful certainty, I’m no longer certain what I would do in such circumstances. I hope I would do what was right. Most of all, cowardly as it may seem, I hope I never need to find out. 

Juliet Greenwood is the author of eight historical novels, published by Orion and Storm Publishing. Her first book was a finalist for The People’s Book Prize, and her previous book with Storm Publishing, The Last Train from Paris, reached the top 100 kindle chart in the USA and #19 in the UK kindle store. She has long been inspired by the histories of the women in her family, and in particular with how strong-minded and independent women have overcome the limitations imposed on them by the constraints of their time, and the way generations of women hold families and communities together in times of crisis, including during WW2. 

Juliet now lives in a traditional quarryman’s cottage in Snowdonia, North Wales, set between the mountains and the sea, with an overgrown garden (good for insects!) and a surprisingly successful grapevine. She can be found dog walking in all weathers working on the plot for her next novel, camera to hand. 

The Secret Daughter of Venice https://geni.us/338-al-aut-am

Website: http://www.julietgreenwood.co.uk/

Blog: http://julietgreenwoodauthor.wordpress.com/

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Moon Road by Sarah Leipciger #MoonRoad @SarahLeipciger @DoubledayUK #BookReview

 

Kathleen and Yannick have not spoken for nineteen years, not since what happened with their daughter.

Now, there’s unexpected news from the other side of the country, and the call for a road trip they can only make together.

As they rattle over two thousand miles in a pick-up, through forests, over mountains and into service stations, an alluring history reveals itself: of fierce love, complicated ex-wives and headstrong children, and of a unique bond that never really went away.

As they drive, argue, gossip and reminisce, an unexpected future for this once estranged couple begins to emerge.

MOON ROAD captures the wonder and grief of watching our children grow up; of recovering from long buried pain, and rediscovering those closest to us when we think we know all there is to know; and of learning to live and love in a completely new way.

Moon Road by Sarah Leipciger was published on 16 May 2024 by Doubleday. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

Moon Road is an exquisitely written novel. It is totally character led, and what amazing characters these two are. The sense of place is just incredible, the vast landscapes of Canada experienced during an extraordinary land trip. It is atmospheric and beautifully done. 

Kathleen and Yannick married young and had a daughter Una. Although they separated, their daughter was their link, until the day that Una disappeared. Una has been missing for well over twenty years now and Kathleen and Yannick have not spoken to each other for the past nineteen years.  However, they've received information that human bones have been discovered, the only way that they could identify these as being Una is for Kathleen to give a DNA sample.  

Kathleen and Yannick meet for the first time in many years. It is a strange meeting, they are older, years have past and Yannick wants to travel the thousands of miles across Canada to the site where the bones were found. 

Kathleen is a complex, multi layered character. She is happiest on her own, tending to the flowers in her garden that she sells wholesale. Her interactions with others are usually blunt and verging on rude. Her very few friends seem to be fond of her, yet she often treats them with disdain. Yannick is a serial husband, since Kathleen, he has gone on to marry a few times and is a father again. He's not a great husband and a dubious father figure too. These are two people, always tied together by loss who have struggled with life for many years.  The thought of spending days together, in a truck, on what could be a journey with no answers is daunting, but they decide to do it. 

Readers are also given a glimpse into their earlier lives, concentrating on Kathleen's relationship with daughter Una and the events leading up to her disappearance. Kathleen, and the reader, will often contemplate her mothering skills, what she did wrong, what could have been different, how things may have changed. 

Alongside the main story, we hear from an anonymous character, although it is easy to understand who that may be. Those parts are often quite dream like, the narrator may not be reliable, but it's another depth to this stunning story. 

This author took me on an incredible journey alongside two of the most cleverly created characters that I've met in many years. Her description of place and location is perfect, from the vast roads through Canada, to the small run-down towns and diners, the the first sight of the imposing mountains. It really is so beautifully put together. 

Moon Road is a tough read at times, Kathleen is a difficult to like character. However, it is an engrossing delve into a relationship that has included falling in love, separation and reconciliation. Highly recommended. 

Born and raised in Canada, Sarah Leipciger lives in London with her three children. 

She is Associate Lecture in Creative Writing at Birkbeck University and also teaches at City Lit London. 

Her short fiction has been shortlisted for the Asham Award, the Fish Prize and the Bridport Prize. 

She is the author of the critically acclaimed THE MOUNTAIN CAN WAIT (2015) and COMING UP FOR AIR (2020). MOON ROAD is her third novel.

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Untangled by Kirsty Maynor #Untangled #NavigatingChange @KirstyMaynor @matadorbooks #BookReview

 

You’re facing change. Right now. Today. And you probably don’t feel you have everything you need to get through it. In fact, if it’s change you’d love to create in your life, you may even stall and not make it a reality. And if life keeps handing you curve balls, you might feel that you don’t know where to start.

Untangled busts the myths we believe about what it takes to handle change in our life. Whether there’s change we long to create, or the tectonic plates of our life have shifted and we need to adjust, Kirsty Maynor’s inspirational and practical guide to change in our lives is here to help.

Combining personal experience with professional expertise, Kirsty’s warm and supporting style as an accredited and experienced executive coach and change strategist helps readers to unravel the knots of change, choose the threads to keep and weave a new future for themselves.

Untangled: A Practical and Inspirational Guide to Changes We Choose and Change We Don't by by Kirsty Maynor was published on 23 November 2023 by Matador. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review. 

My first thoughts when opening the package that contained my copy of Untangled was delight at the beautiful presentation. The colourful cover and the high quality of the printing is just wonderful. Whilst this is a paperback book, the cover is made from a very thick, hard wearing card and both the front and back cover are gatefold.

The cover artwork is by Kindah Kalidy and is is great to see the artist mentioned on the inside cover. There's also a full index at the back, with some blank pages left for note taking. 

Kirsty Maynor has written this book by reflecting on her own experiences of change, her writing is straightforward and sensible. She doesn't make ridiculous claims and is totally aware that every reader will have their own experiences to draw on and also be aware of their own strengths. What she does so very well is to reinforce her ideas and make them appropriate to the reader's individual circumstances. 

When I read this, I had already made a major career change which fortunately, so far, has worked well for me. However, I am in no doubt at all that had I had access to this book during that change that I would have felt more confident during certain stages of the process. 

Kirsty has written a full introduction to the book, outlining her own personal journey, she also makes a promise to readers and includes information about journalling. There is a separate Untangled Journal available to buy too. 

Untangled is presented in four main parts; 1 - Untangling the Myths, 2 - Untangling Your Path, 3 - Untangling Your Way and 4 - The Untanglers.  Each of the parts have individual chapters, all detailed at the front of the book.

Whilst I did read the book from start to finish, this is also a book that you can pick and choose which parts you need at your own moment in time. It's so easy to pick up, read a few sections and then put them into practice.

Untangled is such a useful book, one that will be welcomed by many. Kirsty Maynor is both professional and personal with her advice. She encourages her readers, and will leave most of us feeling empowered and ready to embrace the change. Highly recommended. 

Navigating change has been part of Kirsty Maynor’s professional and personal life for
more than three decades. She has the studies, research, and lived experience to bust the myths we believe about what it takes to handle change and to unravel the knots of both change you choose (think moving house) and change you don’t (think redundancy and bereavement).

Kirsty founded her business, The Firefly Group, in 2011 and has supported over ten thousand leaders across private, public and government sectors to create better futures for their organisations and stakeholders. She is a Certified Co-active Coach (CPCC); accredited with the International Coaching Federation (PCC) and a certified facilitator of Dare to Lead™.

Kirsty has an MSc. in Organisational Behaviour from Birkbeck, University of London, has tutored MSc. students at the University of Edinburgh and is the first Scottish member of the elite global Transformational Leadership Council.

Kirsty works internationally and lives in Edinburgh with her cat, a collection of houseplants and a bookshelf that will need its own room soon. 

www.kirstymaynor.com

www.untangledbook.com

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Breaststrokes by Margaux Vialleron BLOG TOUR #Breaststrokes @margauxvlln @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours #Win #Competition #Giveaway #Competition

 

A novel on consent told in five acts over the course of one weekend.

Cloe and Gertrude and the Jenkins-Bell sisters, Mathilde and Sarah, have never met. They are strangers who share a city.

 

It is Sunday morning. Cloe has woken-up in someone else’s home; Gertrude starts her shift in the pub kitchen, while Mathilde and Sarah are on their way to lunch.

Soon, these four women’s lives will overlap.

Saturday felt like a normal day, but on Sunday the past will catch-up with them as they realise that there never is only one side to a story.

Sharply observed and painfully relatable, Breaststrokes is a novel that seems to emerge from the haze of our current time. This story of unexpected encounters and intimacies is perfect for fans of Cleopatra and Frankenstein and Beautiful World, Where Are You.

Breaststrokes by Margaux Vialleron was published on 9 May 2024 by Simon and Schuster. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour I am delighted to have one copy to give away today. Entry is simple, just fill out the competition widget in the blog post. UK entries only please. 

GOOD LUCK! 

One copy of Breaststrokes by Margaux Vialleron

MARGAUX VIALLERON is French-born, Glasgow-based writer, who is co-host of the
SPK Book Club – a podcast, reading and culinary community. Her short stories and essays have been published in magazines including Harper’s Bazaar and Compound Butter.

She is the author of The Yellow Kitchen and Breaststrokes is her second novel. 

Read more from Margaux by subscribing to her substack newsletter, The Onion Papers, or connect with her on Twitter and Instagram @margauxvlln. 

Her Name Was Rose by Claire Allan #HerNameWasRose @ClaireAllan @AvonBooksUK #BookReview

 

Her name was Rose. You watched her die. And her death has created a vacancy.

When Emily lets a stranger step out in front of her, she never imagines that split second will change her life. But after Emily watches a car plough into the young mother – killing her instantly – she finds herself unable to move on.

And then she makes a decision she can never take back.

Because Rose had everything Emily had ever dreamed of. A beautiful, loving family, a great job and a stunning home. And now Rose’s husband misses his wife, and their son needs a mother. Why couldn’t Emily fill that space?

But as Emily is about to discover, no one’s life is perfect … and not everything is as it seems.

Her Name Was Rose by Claire Allan was published in paperback in June 2018 by Avon Books. 

I read this when I was on holiday in Maderia in March and totally forgot to write my review until now! 

Her Name Was Rose is Claire Allan's first psychological thriller, before this, she was well know for writing what is generally considered to be 'women's contemporary fiction'. She's written a lot more psychological thrillers since this one and I really need to catch up! 

Lead character Emily is a troubled, deeply complex character. She's managed to get through a traumatic relationship with her ex boyfriend, but the emotional scars left from her experiences have isolated her. She's vulnerable and a little paranoid. 

When she allows a stranger to go in front of her when exiting a lift onto a main road, she is horrified to witness the death of that women. Mown down by a car, Rose's life is extinguished in an instant, leaving her small son without a mother, and her dedicated husband without a wife. 

Emily is convinced that it was a case of mistaken identity and that she was the intended victim. She cannot get Rose out of her head and becomes obsessed with stories of this wonderful, kind, caring woman who had a life that she could only dream of, with a handsome husband who adored her and work mates who are devastated by her death.  Emily's obsession with Social Media and stories about Rose lead her to make the drastic decision to be just like Rose. She applies for Rose's job as a dental receptionist and gets the job. It is not long before she becomes a shoulder for Rose's husband Cian, listening to him, slowly working her way into his life. 

But, as with most things on Social Media,  Emily begins to realise that things were not quite so wonderful as people were led to believe. We've all done it, drooled over someone else's food photos, or their holiday snaps and their beautiful clothes, we've all probably painted a nicer picture of our own lives at times too. 

With hurtling twists and turns along the way, the reader follows Emily's journey as she learns more and more about the real Rose and her real life. At times I wanted to scream at Emily, to make her stop and think.  However, it is Emily's own insecurities that make her continue and there's not much that will stop her. 

This is a detailed and excellent study in human nature, and how things are often air brushed so much that we just don't know what to believe. There are some pretty despicable main characters who are drawn so very well and the plot is both intriguing and entertaining. 

I will certainly be picking up more from this author, and soon. Recommended. 

Claire Allan is a bestselling author of pyschological thrillers and, in the past, women's fiction. 

A former reporter with the Derry Journal, she published eight contemporary women's fiction novels with Poolbeg Press in Ireland before becoming a full time author, and switching genre to 'unleash her darker side'

Her first domestic noir novel, Her Name Was Rose was published by Avon/ HarperCollins in 2018 and was an instant bestseller in several countries. Claire's novels have been translated into multiple languages.

Latterly. Claire worked as a story consultant on series one of the huge successful BBC drama series 'Blue Lights' with Two Cities Productions. She has also written a number of rom-coms under the pen-name Freya Kennedy, and supported Sunday Times Bestseller Serena Terry while she was writing her Mammy Banter titles.

In 2023 Claire signed a multi-book deal with Boldwood Books to write four thrillers as Claire Allan, and three rom-coms as Freya Kennedy, securing her publishing into 2026.

Her first thriller with Boldwood - THE AFFAIR - publishes in May 2024.

Claire still lives in Derry with her family.

www.claireallan.com

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The Next Girl by Emiko Jean #TheNextGirl #EmikoJean @VikingBooksUK @RosieSafaty #BookReview

 

I guess you're probably wondering about the next girl. Because there's always another girl, right? A girl waiting to be taken. To be swept away. I'll tell you about her.

It's been twenty years since Detective Chelsey Calhoun lost her sister, and she's been searching ever since: for signs, for closure, for other missing girls. Happy endings are rare in Chelsey's line of work.

Until one day, local teenager Ellie Black is found in Washington State woods. Two years after her disappearance, she's an echo of herself, but alive.

But something's not right about this girl. Where has she been, and who is she protecting?

Chelsey has to find out. For herself, for her sister, and before the next girl is taken.

The Next Girl by Emiko Jean was published on 9 May 2024 by Viking. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

This is a captivating, intriguing and beautifully written thriller that kept me turning the pages very quickly. I was able to read this in almost one sitting on a train journey and it is haunting in parts, with some dark themes detailed with sensitivity. 

Elizabeth Black disappeared after a late-night party in a motel two years ago. Detective Chelsey Calhoun is called from her bed in the early hours of one morning. Elizabeth has turned up, over the past two years Chelsey has worked this case, interviewing Elizabeth's friends and family, growing close to her parents, never giving up. Not only is Chelsey a dedicated and committed detective, she also has her own personal tragedy to bear. Twenty years ago, her older sister was murdered. Following her father's footsteps into the police service seemed inevitable for Chelsey, she has always been determined that no other family should bear what hers did. Her sister's murder fractured her small family, her father is now dead, she's estranged from her mother. She's married, but her job puts a strain on her relationship with her husband. 

Elizabeth Black is obviously traumatised. She's no longer that headstrong teenager that caused her parents so much stress. She's a shadow of her former self, withdrawn, unwilling to speak about her experiences. Despite Chelsey's best efforts, Elizabeth will not open up and Chelsey sees so many red flags. She's convinced there's a huge story behind this, and when the DNA of another girl is found on the clothes that Elizabeth is wearing, Chelsey is convinced that there's more than just one missing girl. 

Interwoven into the current day investigation, the reader is told Elizabeth's story in her own words. This is such a fabulous way to add depth and tension to the plot line. We know so much more than Chelsey, but we don't know why it happened, or who was behind it. 

This is not a fast paced story by any means. The author takes care in creating her character and describing the horrors of what Elizabeth has endured. Never gratuitous, it's what we are not told, but know has happened that is most shocking, and perfectly handled by Emiko Jean. 

Whilst this is most certainly a thriller / police procedural, it is also a study in relationships. The ties that bind people who find themselves in the same situation, and how they survive this and how they protect each other. The difficulties in family relationships and how life events can impact ones later actions.

It's chilling, emotional and totally gripping. Dark and atmospheric with a conclusion that shocked me to the core and was totally unexpected. Highly recommended by me. 

Emiko Jean is a New York Times best-selling author of adult and young adult fiction.

Her books have been published in over thirty languages. 

Her work has been featured on Good Morning America as a GMA book club pick, by Reese Witherspoon as a young adult book club pick, and in publications such as: Marie Claire, Entertainment Weekly, Time, Cosmopolitan, Shondaland and Bustle. 

She lives in Washington with her husband and two kids.

www.emikojean.com

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Hold Back The Night by Jessica Moor BLOG TOUR #HoldBackTheNight @jessicammoor @ZaffreBooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n #BookReview

 

March 2020. Annie is alone in her house as the world shuts down, only the ghosts of her memories for company. But then she receives a phone call which plunges her deeper into the past.

1959. Annie and Rita are student nurses at Fairlie Hall mental hospital. Working long, gruelling hours, they soon learn that the only way to appease their terrifying matron is to follow the rules unthinkingly. But what is happening in the hospital's hidden side wards? And at what point does following the rules turn into complicity - and betrayal?

1983. Annie is reeling from the loss of her husband and struggling to face raising her daughter alone. Following a chance encounter, she offers a sick young man a bed for the night, a good deed that soon leads to another. Before long, she finds herself entering a new life of service - her home a haven for those who are cruelly shunned. But can we ever really atone?

Hold Back The Night by Jessica Moor is published in hardback on 9 May 2024 by Manilla Press. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Compulsive Readers Blog Tour 

Hold Back The Night is a short novel that delivers so much, it is beautifully formed, filled with colourful and exquisitely created characters who will tear at your heart. The author deals with some of the darkest, most troublesome issues in our recent history. She does it with style and compassion, and creates so many questions to ask, with debates to be had. It is the perfect book for discussion. 

This is Annie's life story, told in three eras.  Whilst the novel begins in 2020 at the start of the Covid pandemic when Annie is in her later years, it is the earlier times that really shape the woman that Annie will be. 

In the late 1950s Annie and her friend Rita are student nurses at Fairlie Hall mental hospital. Annie always knew that she wanted to make people feel better, but her hatred of blood meant that general nursing was not for her. Fairlie with its community of patients suffering from a variety of mental disorders will suit her. However, it isn't really how she'd imagined it to be. Their Matron is a stern, cold woman and Annie and Rita soon realise that they must do exactly as they are ordered.

In the mid 1980s Annie is recently widowed. She and her teenage daughter have used the money received after her husband's industrial accident to buy a bigger house. When Annie meets Robbie and Jim on the street near a nightclub, she realises that Robbie is seriously ill. His landlady has evicted her and it seems the right thing for Annie to offer him a bed, after all, she could do with the cash, a lodger will be no trouble at all. 

Jessica Moor explores the issues around conversion therapy, carried out at Fairlie Hall in the guise as a treatment for the patient's mental illness. Homosexuality was still illegal in those days, and these treatments were both horrifying and undignified, for the patients and for Annie and Rita.  In the 1980s, the AIDS epidemic was just beginning, along with the illogical thinking of most medics; the hysteria created by the media; the lack of information, the wealth of misinformation, yet Annie continues to take in these pitiful men who have nowhere else to go. 

In 2020 we find the beginning of the Covid era, again the bombardment of misinformation, the terror spread by the media and the division of communities rears its ugly head. 

Annie is a complex character. She's not the stereotypical nursing sort, at times it feels as though she does things, sometimes extraordinary things, without really thinking about why. She has an innermost feeling that she must do it, she must help, but she does it in a quiet way, sometimes worrying about herself and her daughter, often not really knowing if what she is doing is right. 

The biggest beauty of this novel are the friendships created. Whilst Annie and Rita are not always close throughout the years, it is Rita's death that creates Annie's most vivid memories, and it is joyful to read. Her relationship with Jim; Robbie's partner, and Paul, Rita's widower are so strong and have formed Annie so much. 

This is a novel to savour. The issues raised add such a depth to the story and are both moving and anger inducing at the same time. Highly recommended. 

Jessica Moor studied English at Cambridge before completing a Creative Writing MA at
Manchester University. 

Moor was selected as one of the Observer's debut novelists of 2020, and her first novel, Keeper was chosen by the Sunday Times, Independent and Cosmopolitan as one of their top debuts of the year. 

Keeper was nominated for the Desmond Elliott Prize and an Edgar Award. 

Young Women is her second novel.

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