Author Archives: Jane Cable

CARIADS’ CHOICE: MAY BOOK REVIEWS

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Jan Baynham’s Her Mother’s Secret, reviewed by Judith Barrow

Her Mother’s Secret is set against the background of the Greek island of Péfka during different eras; 1969 and 2011. Two time frames linked by the two main characters, Alexandra and her mother, Elin; connected through time, by the diary that Alexandra finds after her mother’s death.

Elin and Alexandra are complex, well-rounded characters; very much of their time. Although never together in any scenes, the love they have for each other is threaded throughout the story. And the author has ensured that the reader becomes engrossed in these characters by intertwining their stories with a cast of believable minor characters.

The portrayals of the settings give an evocative sense of place.

There are many themes: of love, relationships, mystery, crime, secrets and friendships, woven to give a good balance of romance with a believable darker side of life.

Her Mother’s Secret is a novel I recommend to readers who enjoys a story grounded in the Romance genre but reveals itself to be so much more.

 

Angela Petch’s The Tuscan House, reviewed by Jessie Cahalin

A story about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people during World War Two. The colours and culture of Italy are scarred with the horrors of war, and I was transported to war torn Italy by this clever, sensory writer.

Fosca’s resilience and resourcefulness impressed me.  She recounts the bravery of women resistance fighters (partigiani) who took unthinkable risks, but never boasts about her own wonderful courage. Petch creates wonderfully real characters who involve you in their emotional journeys and you witness them change.  Fosca shares the wisdom she had learned throughout.

Tuscan House is also crammed with action sequences and a wonderful secret. This complex world is presented effortlessly and explores love, motherhood, friendship and courage.

Another gripping novel from this writer. This novel is so much more than another story of a Tuscan house and I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to read the next book.

 

Kate Field’s Finding Home, reviewed by Morton Gray

Loved this book and the concept that a chance encounter can lead to a whole new way of life. I related to Mim and her wounded soul. The story made me long to be at the seaside again and to find out more about fossil hunting. The characters are well drawn and the hero, Corin very attractive on the page. I even worried about the dog! I’ve loved all of Kate Field’s books and this was no exception. More please …

 

Suzanne Fortin’s The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger, reviewed by Carol Thomas

When I saw this book’s gorgeous front cover I knew I wanted to read it. From the very start, I was drawn into Arthur Pettinger’s life, a man in his nineties struggling with his memory as dementia is increasingly taking hold.

I adored Arthur, who has led an incredible life, including his SOE role in the war. His granddaughter, Maddy, and great-granddaughter, Esther, were lovely, supportive characters. Their warmth towards Arthur, compassion and understanding was touching.

The dual timeline that runs through the book, revealing snippets of Arthur’s life and love in WWII occupied France, had me turning the pages, as did the present-day search for Maryse (his past love).

The story is one of emotional highs and lows, love and loss. The ending is beautifully written, albeit that it had me sobbing. I loved this emotional, heartfelt read as much as I did Arthur, but I would advise having tissues at the ready.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CARIADS’ CHOICE: BANK HOLIDAY SPECIAL BOOK REVIEWS

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Lizzie Lamb’s Harper’s Highland Fling, reviewed by Jessie Cahalin

Harper expected to travel to Tibet on her holiday adventure, but her niece decided to run away to Scotland with the son of the local car mechanic. Witty, feisty headmistress, Harper, meets her match and is forced to squeeze into biker’s leathers to travel with Rocco to Scotland.

‘At least she hadn’t fallen off the motorbike…or clung to him like a medieval maiden slung across a knight’s errant saddle.’

Forget Nepal, Harper must save Ariel, or does Harper really need to save herself? The novel is packed with expectation, and stereotypes of a headmistress and car mechanic are challenged as we get to know and love the characters – perfect.

Rocco is not about to save the feisty maiden but ‘without meaning to she’d got under his skin and he couldn’t resist winding her up.’ On the other hand, Harper thinks Rocco is ‘an enigma wrapped in a conundrum.’

 

Maggie Mason’s The Halfpenny Girls, reviewed by Susanna Bavin

What I loved about this book, and what made it, for me, a stand-out saga, was the concentration on family life. Sagas often revolve around the work-place, but this pre-war story is firmly rooted in the hardships faced by three close friends because of their family circumstances. Violence, alcoholism, betrayal and dementia are all woven into the tale – alongside love, loyalty and the determination of the three young heroines to do their very best for their nearest and dearest, despite every hardship. There are no easy answers to the problems each family faces – just a wealth of warmth and understanding from an accomplished author. This is a complex story with strong, cleverly interwoven plots; well-drawn, multi-layered characters; and, above all, a powerful sense of the importance of family.

 

Faith Hogan’s The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club, reviewed by Morton Gray

Loved this book on so many different levels – the characters and the challenges they face. I didn’t think I would like the book being written from so many different points of view, but it was seamless and added to the story. He doesn’t even feature in the novel, but I wanted to bop Elizabeth’s late husband on the nose, especially towards the end of the book. I was praying for Lucy’s son, Niall to make the right choices, shed tears over Jo and Dan. I want to go and stay in Dan’s rented house on the hill and take part in the Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club. Great book and I’m off to find the author’s other stories.

 

Helga Jensen’s Twice in a Lifetime, reviewed by Natalie Normann

This book is pure enjoyment from start to finish.

Amelia is the mother of twin boys, recently divorced and mostly a sensible woman. She struggles  with how her life has turned out. When Amelia finds the phone number of a gorgeous man she met in New York years earlier, her best friend Sian starts looking for him. And despite all of Amelia’s attempts to hold back, she soon finds herself in a huge mess. It’s hilarious!

This book got me through tax season, by providing a wonderful distraction and lots of laughs. Amelia is such a lovely person who tries so hard, you can’t help falling in love with her. There are twists that I didn’t see coming, and I loved the surprises. All I wanted was for it not to end! Helga Jensen knows how to tell a good story that stands out in the crowd. It’s right there on my top romcoms list now. That’s a five stars from me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WELSH WRITING WEDNESDAYS: JUDITH BARROW ON HONNO PRESS

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“Great Women, Great Writing, Great Stories”

Honno Press was set up in 1986 with four core aims: to provide a feminist perspective, to give Welsh women writers an opportunity to see their work published, to get earlier important, but neglected, writing by Welsh women back into print and to provide employment in publishing for women in Wales.

At the time, none of the publishing houses in Wales were particularly interested in promoting Women’s literature or writers, especially not in English.  There was a practice of publishing Welsh-language material by winners of competitions in the National Eisteddfod by the traditional presses, who would then pursue those particular authors. But the thought of going out to look for new female talent and female voices was not a priority

The establishment of Honno, their active search for women writers in both languages in Wales widened opportunities for women and saw all the Welsh publishers take women’s writing and the subjects women write about more seriously.

When asked why there is such a great variety in the books published by Honno, Janet Thomas, former editor of Honno and now on the committee, says, “I think a key reason for the vitality of Honno’s list that we are run as a group, with a variety of tastes, enthusiasms and expertise.  Honno tries to be open to all the broad range of writing that Welsh women want to write, looking for talent as widely as possible, Welsh and English, in all different kinds of fiction and non-fiction. As long as the skill is there, whatever the genre, style or subject matter, Honno will consider publishing their work.”

The commitment to provide opportunities for women in Wales in the publishing world is still at the heart of Honno. As well as the experienced staff, who appreciate the chance to work in publishing in mid-Wales, over the years there have been many volunteers in the Honno office, allowing them to gain practical experience and an insight into how publishing works. Volunteers generally take part in marketing activities, read manuscripts, help with general office procedure, and work on other projects as required. Gaining experience at Honno has helped many to go on to work in various areas of publishing.  (Of course, at the time of writing, due to the pandemic, this is on hold.)

Throughout the years the Press and its titles have garnered many awards including Wales Book of the Year. Even so, as Caroline Oakley, Editor for Honno says, “For independent presses to survive and compete against the big publishers they need strong customer support and to build a community of enthusiastic readers – a lot of which recent tech advances enable. Social media is vital to creating a groundswell of interest in any new title from a small press with ‘word of mouth’ (or more likely ‘tweet’) becoming an essential viral marketing tool.”

Finally, when asked to sum up what Honno have done, Janet says, “It’s hard not to see all we haven’t done – the writers we want to find, the histories we want to tell. I have a note my late father once wrote out for me, a quote from Ecclesiastes: ‘And of the making of books there is no end.’ I think he gave it to me as a comfort when I was feeling overwhelmed by one project or another, but it’s also optimistic. We keep going. Books matter. They last. The books we haven’t published yet are, with luck, the books we will publish next year. For Honno to have survived thirty-five years is a great achievement and a testimony to all the women who’ve been part of it.  It’s also, hopefully, just the beginning.”

https://www.honno.co.uk/

 

 

M W ARNOLD – A MAN IN A WOMAN’S WORLD?

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Not all romance writers are women… so I asked Mick Arnold to write about his publishing journey.

Good day and thank you very much for having me. My name is Mick Arnold and I write sagas as M W Arnold.

Those are words I certainly don’t think I’d have been putting down even a year or two back. So what was I doing at that time? Well, doing my best to recover after being laid low by illness, to be truthful and writing wasn’t top of my to-do list. I had written and indeed, had a women’s fiction novel, ‘The Season for Love’ published back in 2017, but whilst recovering I hadn’t been able to pick up my work-in-progress. An author friend persuaded me to try something different, something which wouldn’t put me in a bad place, so to speak.

Shortly after she’d made this suggestion – the author in question was Elaine Everest by the way – I watched a documentary on the Air Transport Auxiliary. This sparked something inside me and shortly after, I found myself scrolling around the internet to find out more about this organization who were responsible for the delivery of the military aircraft used by the Royal Air Force during WW2.

Fast forward about nine or so months, and I found myself pitching the story to some agents at the Romantic Novelists’ Association conference. Nothing came of that, so I began to pitch it to publishers online. I ended up with a contract for what became ‘A Wing and a Prayer’ with the American publishing house, The Wild Rose Press. From virtually out of nowhere, I was being published again.

Once more, I’ve found myself published in a predominantly female line of publishing…I couldn’t be happier! I’ve many good friends in the romance genre due to my previous book and my membership of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and I’m very happy to have found the same very warm welcome in the saga/historical genre. I do find this a little strange as in most lines of work where you are in direct competition, there is much back-stabbing, but there has been none of that. Everyone has been so very welcoming and I feel as if I’m in a big, happy family. I don’t feel like I’ve been treated any different being a man as I would if I were a woman, and there aren’t many lines of work I reckon could say that.

My one regret? Well, no prizes for guessing. I’ve only, like everyone else, been able to chat online with my fellow authors and I really can’t wait for that to end!

Find out more about Mick and his books at https://www.facebook.com/MWArnoldAuthor

 

 

 

WHOSE HOUSE? JANE CABLE TALKS TO AUTHORS MORTON S GRAY AND CAROL THOMAS

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It seems a year of lockdowns and an inability to travel has caused authors to look closer to home for inspiration. This summer is seeing a surge in books with large or stately homes as their setting and family secrets at their centre.

For Morton S Gray and Carol Thomas, both published by the award winning romance publisher Choc Lit, their similarities in setting choice only came to light when their covers were revealed. The friends, who message each other almost every day, were unaware of the coincidence but saw the funny side. With Morton writing romantic suspense and Carol writing romantic comedy they are confident their stories are very different, but I was intrigued to find out more.

Summarise your story in a single sentence

 M: Summer at Lucerne Lodge is a contemporary novel set in my fictional seaside town of Borteen about family secrets and their consequences for main characters Tanner Bryant and Rosie Phillips.

C: A Summer of Second Chances is a romantic comedy telling the story of Ava Flynn who runs a charity shop and receives a donation that unlocks secrets and passions relating to her past.

Tell us more about those stately looking homes on your covers

 M: Lucerne Lodge is an almost stately home, near my fictional seaside town of Borteen. It has a wrought-iron gate, gardens and a lake. At the start of the book there is a huge marquee on the lawn to house a charity auction.

C: Dapplebury House is a stately home that has been in the Bramlington family for generations, but with changes afoot in the village, the future of the house and its estate are in jeopardy.

The house in my book was inspired by visits to Petworth House and Uppark. I was lucky enough to visit Uppark with my dad, just before the first lockdown, we wandered through the wonderful house and gardens soaking up the atmosphere.

What inspired your story?

 M: I love writing about mysteries. I don’t plan my books, so I am telling myself the story as I write. At the beginning of Summer at Lucerne Lodge hero Tanner has found a private investigator’s file on his father’s desk about Rosie Phillips and wants to know why his father is so interested in her.

C: I volunteer in a charity shop and received a donation of a photo album. As I was checking the quality of it for resale I spotted a single photograph that had been left inside. My mind began to weave plots and possibilities from that.

Who is your favourite character and why?

M: Rosie is my favourite, because she goes through so much emotion in the course of the book. However, I liked one of my secondary characters so much – Buzz, a mystic man who runs a crystal shop in Borteen, that I’ve almost finished a novel about his story too!

C: I always love my K-9 characters but also fall a little for my hero because I think its important to feel the attraction my heroine has for him, so I’ll go with my lead, Henry Bramlington, who has to face up to his past and all that he has been running away from in order to forge the future he wants.

How can we find out more about you and your books?

M: My website is at www.mortonsgray.com, where you will also find a link to my weekly blog.

C: I love readers getting in touch and enjoy getting followers involved with my research. My contact and social media information can all be found on my website. http://www.carol-thomas.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WELSH WRITING WEDNESDAYS: INTRODUCING JUDITH BARROW

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As a child and into my teens I wrote voraciously. I wrote for competitions, wrote for the school magazine, wrote for the sheer joy of making images through words.

Then I entered the workplace; the Civil Service – where words meant facts, policies, rules – and I met my future husband.

We were young and infatuated with one another – we married – writing flew out of the window; there was no time to live in the imaginary world; we had the real world to explore, to live.

Seven years later, with three children under five, an old cottage half renovated, and my husband’s small business that took up a lot of time, we decided to get off the treadmill. At least for a fortnight.

Pre children, cottage and business, we holidayed abroad. Too expensive, too ambitious with three children we decided to go to Wales. David’s grandfather originated from Four Crosses, near Welshpool; we’d call there on our way to Pembrokeshire. Though, in nineteen seventy-eight, there was no easy route from the North of England to West Wales, it was still easier than going abroad.

And it was to change our lives.

We found a lovely big house that needed TLC – or so husband decided. We could afford it – or so husband thought. And with Pembrokeshire’s wonderful beaches for the children, how could we not put in a bid?

One cold, wet, miserable November, we moved from England to Wales.

Years passed, Husband started a new business, it flourished, the children had many hobbies, in the spirit of giving something back I was on every committee (usually as the secretary). We had two aunts living with us in the flat attached to the house (both of whom eventually developed dementia). We did a stint at B&B.

But I realised I was yearning to write again.

I hadn’t been allowed to stay on for the sixth form in school so, in my forties by now, I took my A level in English Literature, completed various creative writing courses, took a script writing/drama course at Swansea University, and started a BA degree course with the Open University. This took longer than I expected due to contracting breast cancer halfway through the course.

During those years I had short stories and poems published, a play performed at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea and one play filmed.

Eventually I gained a MA degree at what was then, Trinity College, in Carmarthen.

Shortly afterwards I was asked if I would tutor some creative writing classes for Pembrokeshire County Council, under an adult Lifelong Learning Scheme. Something I’m still doing. I will be so glad to get back to the classrooms once we can carry on in ‘real’ life.

I write family sagas which crosses various genres, and, over the last twelve years, I have been published by Honno, the longest-standing independent women’s press in the UK.

I made many friends in the writing world. One of those was Jan Baynham. Although she lives some miles away, we managed to meet up to ‘talk writing’. She is one of the original members of the Cardiff Chapter, now renamed the Cariad Chapter. I became a member of the RNA. Unfortunately, I was unable to go to the meetings as they were held at the same time as I was teaching, Still, I kept in touch with all the news.

The lockdown brought many problems, one of which was keeping in touch online. Eventually I bought a new laptop to replace my ancient PC which enabled me to be on Zoom and join in with RNA and Cariad Chapter meetings, and the courses and workshops.

And who knows, one of these days I’ll be able to attend one of the Romantic Novelists’ Association conferences. Certainly something to look forward to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CARIADS’ CHOICE: APRIL BOOK REVIEWS

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Natalie Meg Evans’ Into the Burning Dawn, reviewed by Jill Barry

This sweeping novel is a step away from the world of Parisian haute couture for Natalie Meg Evans, whose books often feature heroines involved in fashion. A successful author of historical fiction, Evans mixes intricate details of a family business with an absorbing plot.  If you enjoy plenty of conflict in a love story, this novel will delight you. Set in Italy, descriptions of the sparkling sea, the scent of ripening lemons and the undercurrent of wartime passions all combine to make this World War Two romance an absorbing read. Heroine Imogen, faced with tough choices, is forced to decide which path to take. And her personal safety and determination to remain in her job are doubly important as she seeks to provide love and stability for the children in her charge.

Judith Barrow’s The Heart Stone, reviewed by Jessie Cahalin

It is 1914 and war is declared. Childhood friends, Jessie and Arthur, declare their love for each other on the day he set to join the army and consummate the relationship. Jessie falls pregnant and her life becomes a series of trials and conflict, but she fights and fights. She is a well-drawn character with a distinct voice during a time when women did not have a voice. The enthralling narrative is fraught with conflict and heartbreak, but there are powerful moments of kindness and tenderness. Thank goodness for the warmth of the maternal role models in Jessie’s life – what an inspiration! This love story remained with me long after I had turned the first page.

I adore all of Judith Barrow’s novels as her writing breathes life into history through her characters; she is not afraid to deal with hardship and horrible people.

Sophie Nicholls’ The Dress, reviewed by Angela Petch

I’d listened to Sophie Nicholls talking about writing. Lines from The Dress were discussed and caught my attention: “The best words are chosen. They choose themselves while working on the garment… Let the words find you.”  In this novel, Fabia is a dressmaker, a salvager of vintage clothes, who sews mindful words into seams and hems of garments she creates. A heading for a different item kicks off each chapter.

This is “the story of Mamma and me,” her daughter Ella tells us and “a story that belongs to all of us, if it belongs to anyone.”

Mother and daughter (who have a particular gift of sixth sense) are continually on the move to city to escape the mother’s secret. But Ella, at fifteen, wants to settle and has made friends: Billy and Katrina. Nicholls is good at teenagers; I loved these cameos.

I would award 5 stars for the dreamy, magical prose but have to subtract half because of a guessable twist.

Lucy Diamond’s Something to Tell You, reviewed by Carol Thomas

Something to Tell You is a light, family-based read that tells the Mortimer family’s story as they come to terms with secrets that threaten their stability. It is a book of two halves. The earlier chapters include an attention-grabbing hook, while the later chapters, with their slower pace and happy resolutions, lead the reader by the hand to the story’s conclusion.

There were many characters to keep track of, each with their own issues, so the book required focus. The majority of the characters were likeable and optimistic. The author touched on some harder-hitting issues in their pasts but not in great depth. Because of that, it remained an easy-going read (as I had hoped). The resolutions felt a little easily won, but as I was looking for a book with little angst, it didn’t detract from the reading pleasure.

 

 

 

JANE CABLE REVIEWS TWO NOVELS WITH LINKS TO THE FIRST WORLD WAR

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I am coming to think that I enjoy a saga more than any other sort of book. Yes, I poke fun at so many of them being ‘The Something Girls’, but it does mean you know what you are getting; a well constructed and multi-layered story about female friendship – and finding love – in the face of adversity. You often have the added security of knowing that if you enjoy the book, there will be at least two more to follow.

Poppy Cooper’s debut, The Post Office Girls, bears all the hallmarks of a quality saga. The classic cover featuring the three protagonists, a war going on to throw them out of their comfort zones, and some very assured writing.

The writing is, in fact, a delight. The main character, Beth, is just eighteen years old and the author has slipped easily into the head of one so young, making her an utterly believable and compelling character. It was done with such skill that I even forgave the exclamation marks. Because they were right!

The Post Office Girls, once it gets going, is a good pacey story too. In classic saga style three girls from vastly different backgrounds decide to do their bit in World War One by working at the sorting office erected in Regents Park for the duration. Beth is a shopkeeper’s daughter from the Home Counties whose parents are horrified she would dare do such a thing. Milly is from the East End and is a bit of a loose cannon, and gangly Nora comes from a very wealthy background indeed. They all have different views on life – and on how they should each support the suffrage movement, which plays an increasing role in the book.

It was a brave move to pick a man with moral objections to the war as Beth’s potential love interest and I am really looking forward to seeing how this plays out in subsequent books. The Post Office Girls is set in 1915, pre conscription, so it was less of an issue then, although as a reader you shudder to know what James will face.

This book strikes just the right balance between the internal conflicts of the characters and the action that surrounds them. There is peril and drama, without ever going over the top. There is plenty of laughter and quite a few tears, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone.

To review alongside The Post Office Girls I chose another book with links to the First World War, but this one a dual timeline. Patricia Wilson’s Summer in Greece is marketed as a holiday read – just look at that cover, with its promise of Greek Islands.

It isn’t a promise the book delivered for me and I felt a little let down that much of the present day action takes place in Dover, with just a couple of trips to Greece, and the Greek parts were so very beautiful it made me especially sorry that was the case.

Far more of the 1916 timeline was set in the Mediterranean and centred around the sinking of the hospital ship Britannic. There is a gritty truth in the way both this and working in a field hospital are described with no question at all of young VAD Gertie flitting between beds mopping brows.

If I am totally honest there were a few too many twists and turns in the contemporary narrative for me and I found myself wondering how many more tragedies could have possibly have befallen poor Shelly as one unheralded surprise revealed itself after another. But I know many readers will enjoy the story; after all there is a reason why Patricia Wilson is so very successful.