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Short Book and Scribes

Category: Tales from the Backlist

ShortBookandScribes #TalesFromTheBacklist #BookReview – Few Eggs and No Oranges by Vere Hodgson

Posted on 1st May 2020 By Nicola

Welcome to what is likely to be a very occasional series of posts about either books I read pre-blog which I’d like to showcase now […]

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Reviews, Tales from the Backlist

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Ad/PR product. New review: The Daughter by Liz Web Ad/PR product. New review: The Daughter by Liz Webb. Published by @allisonandbusby and out now.
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Families can be murder. Well, Hannah Davidson’s family certainly are. Having moved back to live with her elderly father who is suffering with dementia, she wants to find out what really happened to her mother who died when Hannah was a teenager.
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The story is peppered with sharp humour. Hannah is on something of a collision course, lurching from one alcohol-fuelled episode to another as she reconnects with her brother, deals with her father thinking she’s her mother, and just generally tries to get to the bottom of her past. Matters are compounded because she’s almost the age her mother was when she died and she’s starting to look more and more like her.
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The Daughter has a darkness to it, tempered by that humour I mentioned. A slow-burn first half leads to a second half which is faster-paced and has some unexpected and canny twists and turns.
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The characters were, for the most part, pretty difficult to like but I think Hannah’s own narrative made her story easier to engage with than if the story had been told in the third person. She comes across as rather unreliable and a bit erratic and this makes her very interesting.
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This domestic noir feels a bit different to all the others and makes for a very good debut novel from Liz Webb.
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Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy of the book and @richardson_helen for the place on the #blogtour.
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#TheDaughter #bookreview #bookblogger #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #instabooks #instareads #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #thrillerbooks #thrillerreads #instathrillers #shortbookandscribes
#CoverReveal 👀 'Definitely 'best books of 2022 #CoverReveal 👀

'Definitely 'best books of 2022' material' - Glamour US #MikaInRealLife.

Mika has been living a lie. Is it finally time to come clean?

Mika In Real Life by Emiko Jean is out 1st September 2022.

Available on Netgalley and for pre-order now.

@michaeljbooks @emikojeanbooks
Ad/PR product. New review: Young Women by Jessica Ad/PR product. New review: Young Women by Jessica Moor. Published by Manilla Press on 26th May.
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Young Women is narrated by Emily who meets Tamsin at a protest. Instantly she is beguiled by her and they become friends. Emily constantly tries too hard whilst Tamsin seems to find everything effortless but there’s a lot hovering beneath the surface and Emily starts to discover what that is and finds out more about her new friend.
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A very relevant book in the MeToo era, this is a story of abuse and power, and also of female friendships and how they can often become toxic. It’s incredibly thought-provoking and made me consider how much women’s behaviour, both conscious and subconscious, is dictated by men. It chimed in with some of the reports we have been hearing in the news over the last couple of years.
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This is not a particularly long book at just over 300 pages but it packs a punch. Despite the difficult subject matter I found it easy to read and I raced through it. It’s a slice of life story, a snapshot of a particular time in Emily’s life. I didn’t always like her very much and found her quite selfish, contrary and easily influenced, but she made for a fascinating character to read about.
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There’s a moral dilemma to be found between the pages, I suppose one of whether we see abuse of women as something that is personal to each one or affecting us all, whether or not we have personal experience of it. Either way, it illustrates the battle a woman has ahead of her in proving it.
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I loved Keeper, Jessica Moor’s first novel, and Young Women is an excellent follow up. Whilst the stories themselves are quite different, the underlying message is not and I look forward to Moor’s third book in the hope that it is equally as insightful and relevant.
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Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy of the book.
@ms_jessica_moor @manilla_press #WeAreYoungWomen
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Ad/PR product. New review: Think of Me by Frances Ad/PR product. New review: Think of Me by Frances Liardet. Published by 4th Estate and out now.
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Think of Me tells the story of James Acton, a vicar. One strand is set in 1974 when he feels compelled to move from his comfortable parish to the more remote one of Upton and Barrow End. The other is from the point of view of his late wife, Yvette, whom he met in Eqypt when he was a Hurricane pilot during the war.
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One of the reasons I was drawn to this book was James’s role as a vicar in a small village setting, and as expected this was my favourite of the two narratives. I enjoyed his arrival in Upton, his meeting his new parishioners and the realisations he came to along the way. I hesitate to speak of characters going on a journey but that’s exactly what James does, both physically and emotionally.
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I particularly enjoyed the way he explored his faith and how it was tested more than once throughout his life. Anyone would be tested by what he experienced during the war but it’s put into perspective by one of my favourite characters, Archdeacon Ronald Frobisher, a man James is initially averse to but who undergoes something of a transformation in James’ mind throughout the book.
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Think of Me is told at an unhurried pace and is beautifully and thoughtfully written. Its intricate detail and depiction of trauma, loss, grief and bravery meant it could not be rushed and nor did I want to rush through it. Ultimately it’s the story of James and Yvette’s love for each other and how secrets from the past challenge the love that James recalls for his late wife.
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I’ve only just realised that Liardet’s previous book, We Must Be Brave, features at least a couple of the same characters and I would like to read it and see them from a different angle at some point. I enjoyed this intense and satisfying read.
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Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy of the book.
@4thestatebooks #ThinkOfMe
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#bookreview #historicalfiction #warfiction #bookblogger #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #instabooks #instareads #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #bookishlove #bookish #bookworm #shortbookandscribes
Ad/PR product. New review: Wrong Place Wrong Time Ad/PR product. New review: Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister. Published 12th May by Michael Joseph.
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I’d always, without hesitation, read a Gillian McAllister book but when I heard about the concept of Wrong Place Wrong Time I was instantly smitten. I knew a time travel book would be twisty but I didn’t reckon on how completely and utterly thrilling it would be, how every twist in the tale would lead me to have to shut the book and process it excitedly, before going onto the next chapter.
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I won’t mention anything about the story other than what is in the synopsis, which is that Jen witnesses her teenage son commit a murder and then somehow she wakes up each morning in the past looking for answers to why her lovely son could murder somebody in cold blood. To know anymore would be to spoil the way this amazing book unfolds.
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McAllister writes with such empathy and depth of feeling about family life and the difficulty and guilt of juggling motherhood and a career. Billed as a crime novel or a thriller, for me it’s not about the crime but about what we will do for those we love. I felt unexpectedly teary at the end. Just like with my other favourite McAllister, How to Disappear, she’s hit the nail on the head when it comes to family relationships and love, and made me care about the outcome.
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The plotting is impeccable in every way. This is one very clever novel, perfectly executed and totally unforgettable. It is jaw-droppingly good and completely original. I love the time-travel genre and this is a real standout for me.
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Trust me, there is no Wrong Time to pick up this book. This is a story that could have been difficult to pull off but McAllister has nailed it. I thought it was faultless, superb, and very special indeed.
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Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy of the book.
@gillianmauthor 
@michaeljbooks
Ad/PR product. New review: Cold Reckoning by Russ Ad/PR product. New review: Cold Reckoning by Russ Thomas. Published by Simon & Schuster on 12th May.
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After the shock at the end of Nighthawking (so shocking that I made notes so I didn’t forget what happened) I was so excited to pick up Cold Reckoning, book three in the DS Adam Tyler series. I have to say that this is probably my favourite one so far, and I *really* loved the first two. Like most books that form part of a series, you can read this one as a standalone but I would heartily recommend picking up Firewatching and Nighthawking because there’s a very important back story and threads that run throughout all three.
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Cold Reckoning sees Tyler investigating a frozen body found in the local reservoir and possible links to a cold case, alongside DC Mina Rabbani and DCI Jim Doggett. Russ Thomas’s characterisations are very strong and I was so keen to meet these three again. Tyler is also looking into his father’s death sixteen years ago which appeared to be suicide but which Tyler has his doubts about.
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There are very distinct Line of Duty vibes to this book and I just couldn’t put it down. I was thoroughly engrossed in the unfolding action and the fast-paced story, which takes place over the course of one week. Tyler’s a bit of a maverick, He’s a good cop but he knows that not all police are the same. He, and I, didn’t know who to trust and it makes for a nailbitingly thrilling experience.
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I’m hoping there’s more ahead for Tyler. Certainly there is a possible liaison to be explored further and the ending left me wanting to know what happened next. Thomas is a brilliant writer, bringing to life the Sheffield sights that are so familiar to me with an amazing and gripping plot and fantastically complex characters. Cold Reckoning had me well and truly hooked.
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Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy of the book.
#CoverReveal 🚝 A new Linda Green novel is alwa #CoverReveal 
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A new Linda Green novel is always exciting and #InLittleStars sounds absolutely brilliant.
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Out in eBook in September and in hardback February 2023.

@lindagreenbooks 
@quercusbooks
Ad/PR product. New review: The Midnight House by A Ad/PR product. New review: The Midnight House by Amanda Geard. Published on 12th May by Headline Review.
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My imagination was immediately captured by the inky image of a lake and a house beyond it on the cover of The Midnight House. I started to wonder what secrets it could hold. Well, quite a few as it happens. This is a triple timeframe story with family intrigue from 1940 and 1958 rippling down into the present day storyline in 2019.
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Ellie Fitzgerald is running away from a scandal in Dublin in 2019 and she retreats to her family farm in Ballinn, County Kerry. There, a letter found between the pages of a book lead her to investigate the disappearance of Lady Charlotte Rathmore in 1940 from the grounds of nearby Blackwater Hall.
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This is exactly my kind of book. As is usual, initially I was most interested in the storyline in 2019, and I was fascinated and enthralled by the digging that Ellie does into the past and the way that it was revealed. But, as the story progressed, I found myself becoming just as engrossed in the other two strands, set in the past, and I found it was like I was putting together a jigsaw, with it all starting to make sense as more pieces were gathered. I loved that sense of collecting and collating memories and facts to build a picture of the past.
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There’s a family tree at the beginning. I was excited by this and envisaged lots of turning back to see who everybody was. In fact, I didn’t need to do that. Ok, there weren’t a huge amount of people to keep track of but I think it was more because the characters were so beautifully portrayed and realistic. I was totally invested in their lives, both the main players and also the more minor characters, such as the owner of the little coffee shop that Ellie frequents.
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If, like me, you’re a Kate Morton fan waiting for her to write her next book then look no further than The Midnight House. Amanda Geard has written a captivating debut encompassing a mystery which unfolds between the covers, family secrets and female friendship in a spellbinding setting. I absolutely loved it.
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Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy of the book.

@amandageard @headlinebooks @emilybooks_pr
April Reads 🌼 Only 8 books read this month but April Reads
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Only 8 books read this month but if I added all the DNFs it would be more. 🤷‍♀️ Is it the books or is it me? Who knows.  Anyway, I've still managed to read some crackers and I'm really looking forward to what May has to offer on the reading front.
🌼
What was your favourite April read?
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#AprilReads #April2022Reads #AprilReads2022 #sundaystack #stacksunday #bookstack #booksread #bookblogger #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #instabooks #instareads #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #bookishlove #bookish #shortbookandscribes
Ad/PR product. New review: Out of Her Depth by Liz Ad/PR product. New review: Out of Her Depth by Lizzy Barber. Published by Pan Macmillan in paperback today.
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Twenty-one years ago, Rachel had a summer job at a stunning hotel in Italy. There she met Diana and Sebastian, much the same age as her but from a completely different background, one where spending daddy’s money and having no regard for anybody else is the order of the day. In alternating chapters we follow Rachel then, hurtling towards something that will change her life forever, and Rachel now, as the past catches up with her all over again.
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The past offers a heady and intoxicating look at teenage privilege and jealousy in a beautiful setting. What should have been the experience of a lifetime for Rachel turned very sour indeed. There were no real surprises about what happened as it’s alluded to throughout, but we see the build up and the consequences of Rachel and her friends’ behaviour.
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I particularly enjoyed the chapters set in the present day, even if I couldn’t bring myself to like Rachel, whose behaviour I felt was concerning. Despite having built a tentative new life for herself, it felt like she was just waiting for the events of the past to rear their ugly head again.
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This is an intriguing and taut literary thriller. Not particularly fast-paced but with a simmering tension and an edgy feel to it. It was clear that the pressure cooker of teenage hormones was about to explode and take out somebody standing close to it. It’s a story of dangerous friendships, those ones where one person shines the brightest and the others stand in their shadow, and the treacherous path that being a follower can lead to.
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Thank you to @ed.pr for the review copy of the book and the place on the #blogtour.
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#bookreview #OutOfHerDepth #bookblogger #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #thrillersofinstagram #instabooks #instathrillers #instareads #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #bookishlove #thrillerbooks #thrillerreads #italianfiction #italianbooks #shortbookandscribes
New review: The Orphanage by Lizzie Page. Publishe New review: The Orphanage by Lizzie Page. Published by Bookouture and out now.
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I love Lizzie Page’s books. She’s an author whose books I always look forward to reading. The Orphanage is a bit of a departure from her usual stories, both because it’s set after the Second World War in 1948 rather than during wartime, and because it’s the first in a series set at Shilling Grange Children’s Home in Suffolk.
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Clara Newton takes a job as the Housemother at Shilling Grange. She lost her fiancé in the war and her new role offers a new start with eight children of varying ages to look after. She makes plenty of mistakes and it certainly doesn’t come naturally to her, but looking after the children offers them the love they have lacked and Clara learns a lot about herself and her abilities along the way.
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I thought this was a thoroughly absorbing and lovely book, and I really took to Clara and her brood. The Children’s Act had just been established in 1948 and for the first time the state was responsible for children’s care. It was long overdue and for the children in the book it means that for the first time they are properly cared for and listened to. I didn’t really have a favourite amongst them as they were all brilliant characters and quite an eclectic bunch. They made me laugh but there were also some very sad and moving times in their lives and it really was heartbreaking to think of what they had been through.
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Page has a fantastic writing voice which draws the reader in and puts them in the heart of the story with her insightful descriptions and astute observations. She also writes with a dry humour that I really appreciate and which invariably brings a smile to my face. I’m wondering what will happen to Clara and the children in book two and whether Clara’s love life sorts itself out or not. I can’t wait to find out! I really loved The Orphanage.
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@lizziepagewriter
@bookouture 
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#bookreview #TheOrphanage #historicalfiction #histfic #bookblogger #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #instabooks #instareads #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #bookishlove #bookish #shortbookandscribes
Ad/PR product. New review: The Birdcage by Eve Cha Ad/PR product. New review: The Birdcage by Eve Chase. Published by Michael Joseph on 28th April.
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The Birdcage is a beautifully written story of family and secrets. I loved Eve Chase’s previous book and I think this one is even better.
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Flora, Kat and Lauren return to Rock Point, the cliff top home in Cornwall of their artist father, Charlie Finch. He has asked them to go there as he has an announcement to make. The women are half-sisters and after fractured childhoods they haven’t been very close as adults either, mainly because of something that happened at Rock Point during the fateful summer of the total solar eclipse in 1999. As I say, there are secrets galore in this story with each character seeming to be holding something back. As the past collides with the present there’s a chance that what was once hidden will all come tumbling out amidst the sibling rivalries that simmer in the background of the sisters’ relationship with each other.
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I loved the setting of Rock Point which felt very rugged and had a sort of faded glamour to it. The action never steps away from that little corner of the world and it didn’t need to; the coastline and the house formed characters all of their own, along with Bertha, the family parrot who plays a surprisingly large role in the story.
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The Birdcage is an enchanting story which I enjoyed very much. It has some twisty elements to it which I did mostly guess but the beauty of it is not the unexpected but the gradual metamorphosis of the three women, particularly Lauren who had the most torrid time in 1999. A wonderful novel, evocative and atmospheric, gentle yet bursting with intrigue.
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Thank you @michaeljbooks for the proof copy of the book.
@evepollychase 
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#bookreview #bookblogger #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #instabooks #instareads #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #bookworm #TheBirdcage #bookishlove #bookish #shortbookandscribes
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