Tag Archives: book

The Taste of Summer by Kate Lord Brown Review by Frances Colville

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book reviews The Taste of Summer by Kate Lord Brown Review by Frances ColvilleFinancial problems with a rambling castle in south west Ireland, a busy hotel and restaurant, the filming of a favourite cookery competition for TV, a tangled web of relationships both current and in the past, mother and daughter issues, childhood memories, alcoholism, food-blogging, cake baking, house building, a disturbed and manipulative main character, kidnapping, sabotage, a fire and possible murder all vie for position in this new novel from Kate Lord Brown.  A bit much?
Yes, probably.  But I did keep turning the pages to see how it was all going to work out and although some parts of the ending were clearly signposted I didn’t get everything sorted in my head.  Not sure it’s quite a relaxing beach read given that you need to concentrate.  Perhaps despite the title, it’s better suited to a long winter’s evening when you’re feeling in need of that taste of summer.

 

The Taste of Summer by Kate Lord Brown is published by Orion on 28 July 2016 in paperback priced at £7.99.

 

 

The Santiago Sisters by Victoria Fox Book Review

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The Santiago Sisters by Victoria Fox Book Review

This is another glitzy extravaganza from Victoria Fox, just right for the summer.

 

Now, now, stop your fussing, we might just get one.

 

Not only is this a pacey and exciting read, but Fox’s writing romps away from the beginning. Let me quote:

 

She wondered, sometimes, if they had started off as one person. All things combined, until a silver blade entered their mother’s womb and curled them apart. 

 

 Isn’t that ‘curled’ sharp  and well imagined. And so it goes on. Buy it, whether the sun is out or not.

 

So what is it about?

 

When Argentinian twin sisters Calida and Terisita Santiago are separated aged fifteen they think they will never see each other again. Wrenched from her poor but happy life on their family farm Terisita is adopted by world-famous British actress Simone Geddes, who plans to make her into a superstar actress and showers her with all that money can buy. Terisita, who has spent her childhood reading Mills & Boon novels, is in her element and on the road to becoming one of the world’s most loved movie stars.

 

Betrayed by her sister,, Calida vows that no matter how famous or successful her twin sister becomes, she will fight her way to the top and take on Terisita. So, have camera, will travel. And Calida does, through the ranks of the world of fashion photography.

 

The rest you will have to read for yourselves, but I reckon it could well be your cup of tea, or glass of champagne.

 

Harlequin Mira: July 28th. Paperpack original £7.99

 

 

Chains of Sand by Jemma Wayne Reviewed by Frances Colville

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Chains of Sand by Jemma Wayne Reviewed by Frances Coalville book review

Chains of Sand by Jemma Wayne will haunt you long after you have reached the last page.  It’s a wonderful story, which draws you in from the very beginning and grips you until the final reveal. And it’s well written too.

 

This is a book about identity, about what it means to be Jewish in London and in Israel, about what life is like for Israeli citizens, and for Palestinians living in Gaza. It explores religious beliefs, racism and anti-semitism, and looks at the strength of family ties and the power of relationships.  There is also a strong thread of feminism, cleverly worked into the story given that the two main characters (both of whom we can empathise wholeheartedly with) are male.

 

And for me, showing us more than one side of the debate is perhaps the main strength of this book; as we follow the lives of the two men, one of whom is desperate to leave Israel and the other to move there permanently, and also dip into the lives of several other characters, both male and female, we are made aware that of course there is no easy answer to any of the huge questions which the author raises.

 

But above all, this is a book about people, not facts or philosophies or doctrines.  And those people have lodged themselves firmly in my head.

 

Chains of Sand by Jemma Wayne is published by Legend Press and available as a Paperback Original priced £9.99 from 7 July 2016.

 

 

The Salt Marsh by Clare Marsh

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The Salt Marsh by Clare Marsh

As a bestselling author I am increasingly impressed by the standard of novels being published by Head of Zeus. I have not read one I have disliked or thought lacking in expertise or originality.

 

The Salt Marsh is another of this ilk . It is a ‘haunting thriller’, so says the blurb, set in the windswept marshes of Kent and Norfolk.

 

I can assure you that it is indeed haunting, it is also well written and evocative with a great sense tension and of place. Clare Carson has bags of empathy, and the characters live. There is pace and rhythm. So what more can I say?

 

The Salt Marsh tells of Sam, who can’t lay her father’s ghost to rest. Jim was an undercover agent living a double life, and Sam has left university to find out the truth about his work.

 

The story moves from the nightclubs of 80s Soho to the salt marshes and shingle spits of Norfolk and Kent. I remember both – the cigarette heavy gloom of the nightclubs, and the salt laden winds of the east coast. I can also remember the smugglers’ huts but never found any buried bones. It is here, in these two arenas that Jim’s secret past beckons her. So, will Sam walk away and pick up her own life? Or become an undercover operative herself and continue her father’s work in the shadows?

 

Read it and find out. Let me know your thoughts. frost@margaret-graham.com

 

The Salt Marsh, Head of Zeus, HB £18.99

 

 

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry Review by Frances Colville

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How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica HenryVeronica Henry’s new novel How to Find Love in a Bookshop is a feel-good, happy-ever-after story, perfect for reading if you’re in need of a bit of escapism or light relief.   It’s a quick, undemanding and engaging read and thoroughly enjoyable.

 

The central character Emilia Nightingale inherits a book shop in the idyllic Cotswold town of Peasebrook and initially struggles both emotionally and financially with the idea of keeping it going.  But the local community rallies round, there are plenty of lovely characters ready to pitch in and help out and of course lots of budding relationships and love stories.  All centred on a wonderfully atmospheric bookshop and interwoven with lists of book titles relevant to the content of the chapters.  Having worked in a small independent bookstore myself, I was hooked the moment I read the title – and I wasn’t disappointed.

 

But I would like to know more about what happened to everyone. Is there going to be a sequel?  I hope so.

 

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry is published by Orion Books and available in hardback priced £12.99 from 16th June 2016.  Also available in ebook and audio.

 

 

A House Divided An Easterleigh Hall Novel By Margaret Graham Review

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Margaret Graham a house divided book reviewI have read a lot of books by Margaret Graham and anyone who reads Frost regularly will know that I am a fan. They will also know that she is the contributing editor of this here magazine. In fact, it says so in the book. Which made me scream in joy when I saw it.

Anyway, back to the review. This novel is the third in the popular Easterleigh Hall series. I have loved all of them but I have to say that this one is my favourite. Margaret is a historian and her novels are always as education as they are entertaining. She weaves history and prose together in such a way it leaves you slightly breathless. I found it hard to put this fantastic book down and only did so when motherhood called. It has the great pacing that all good novels have. You can’t help but want to race to the end to find out what is going to happen next. Yes it is well written, but that is the least of it. This book is fascinating. I feel the cover lets it down as the interior is riveting and fun. You feel that you know the characters not just because you have read about them before, but because they are so brilliantly brought to life by Margaret’s words.

With no bias at all I can tell you that this is one of Margaret’s best books. High praise indeed considering her back catalogue. Watch out for our interview and day in the life with Margaret soon. Meanwhile buy this book.

 

19 May 2016| Arrow| Paperback| £5.99

 

1937

Evie and her family have struggle to keep Easterleigh Hall, now a hotel, running during the depression, and with war looming, she worries for the children, who have to find their way in a changing world.

Bridie is learning her trade at her mother Evie’s side, and is becoming a talented chef. Her cousin James has run away to fight in Spain, leaving the family devastated.

And Tim, the boy Bridie has always loved, shocks everyone by joining the Black Shirts and going to Germany, discovering too late that he’s playing a dangerous game.

Heartbroken at Tim’s defection, Bridie isn’t sure she can ever forgive him. But somehow these three must find a way to reconcile, because if war does come, they will need each other more than ever.

Margaret Graham has been writing for thirty years. Her first novel was published in 1986 and she is now working on her sixteenth. As a bestselling author her novels have been published in UK, Europe and the USA.

Margaret has written two plays, co-researched a television documentary – which grew out of Canopy of Silence, and has written numerous short stories and features. She is a writing tutor and speaker and has written regularly for Writers’ Forum. She also created and runs the Yeovil Literary Prize to raise funds for the creative arts of the Yeovil area. Now living near High Wycombe she is about to launch a flash fiction writing prize to raise funds for the rehabilitation of wounded troops.

For more information about Margaret Graham visit her website at www.margaret-graham.com

 

Under Italian Skies By Nicky Pellegrino Reviewed By Frances Colville

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Under Italian Skies By Nicky Pellegrino Reviewed By Frances Colville

Frost writer Jan Speedie reviewed Under Italian Skies, now Frances Colville giver her opinion.

Stella, in her 40s, divorced, no children, loses a friend and a job she loved, and decides to embark on an adult gap year beginning with a house swap from her London flat to a beautiful old villa in southern Italy.   As she settles into her new life, makes new friends, explores new ideas and falls in love with Italy, she maintains an email exchange with the owner of the Italian villa, builds an idea in her mind of what he is like and wonders if she will ever meet him in person.  And of course if she does, will the reality live up to the image she has created of him in her head?

 

That Nicky Pellegrino knows Italy well and is passionate about the country and the people who live there is obvious on every page of this book.  The story flows, the characters are easy to identify with and the descriptions of lifestyle and food just make the reader want to be there, living the dream.  The sort of book that you can read purely for pleasure, Under Italian Skies is perfect for taking on a summer holiday – or for that matter enjoying with a glass of wine and a box of chocolates on a cold winter’s evening.  Either way you won’t be able to help feeling warm and happy

 

Under Italian Skies is published by Orion Books and is now available in paperback £12.99 and as an Ebook at £6.99

 

 

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz Reviewed by Margaret Graham

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The Passenger by Lisa Lutz Reviewed by Margaret Graham

This is the road trip to beat all road trips…

 

Lisa Lutz, the New York Times bestselling author of the Spellman Files, has written, in The Passenger, a thriller about murder, secrets and increasing desperation as Tanya flees the scene of her dead husband’s accident.

 

But is she Tanya, and is his death an accident? Such are the questions that slowly, and irrevocably are answered as the novel proceeds and the miles unfold. Tanya, or is it Debra, and what about Sonia, drives from danger,  but is it to safety? Nah, nothing so easy. She reaches a temporary sanctuary each time, and huddles beneath its roof, and the umbrella of another new identity but that’s as far as it goes.

 

The miles seem to put no distance between her and the past, but instead, through numerous encounters carefully managed by Lutz, she edges towards home, and a startling denouement, for her, and for us.

 

The Passenger shows the loneliness of the ‘long distance driver’, someone who has left a life, and all ties behind, who does not even own her own name. It reveals the depths of fear, pain and desperation of someone wanting, or needing, to disappear.

 

Written with verve, plot twists, and cleanly etched characters, but does it work?

 

On the whole, yes though I found I was hoping about halfway through that things would start coming together more quickly than they actually were. But this could have been me. I’m getting picky in my old age.

 

The layer upon layer of revelation, and consequences built the tension as I left the slight sag behind and soon I was hanging on for grim death as we roared, with a g force I admired, round hair pin bends of revelation towards the finishing line.

 

Should you read it? Yep, and prove me wrong about the sag and anyway, I really enjoyed it.  It was thought provoking.

 

The Passenger    Liza Lutz   Titan Books. Paperback and ebook