'Little Miss Merrywell has hurt her little finger and quite likes the surgeon who strokes it gently and wears a plaid tie. Is it a sign? Invited to a 'Little Miss Merrywell has hurt her little finger and quite likes the surgeon who strokes it gently and wears a plaid tie. Is it a sign? Invited to a ball where everyone 'must wear tartan,' she hesitates before dressing in her little red kilt and is charmed by the stranger popping his tongue between her pink lips.
A new man. A new adventure. That feeling of hesitation and haste as the cab whisks them through the cold night to her door, hard to open with that damaged finger. That kiss becomes another kiss. She wavers on 'jelly legs' as he lifts her skirt an inch and lowers her tights so that she is tied at the ankles...
Reading this charming, quirky, well-written narrative was like looking into a mirror and seeing, not myself, exactly, but my avatar, a shadowy reflection of myself in a little red kilt.
Merged review:
'Little Miss Merrywell has hurt her little finger and quite likes the surgeon who strokes it gently and wears a plaid tie. Is it a sign? Invited to a ball where everyone 'must wear tartan,' she hesitates before dressing in her little red kilt and is charmed by the stranger popping his tongue between her pink lips.
A new man. A new adventure. That feeling of hesitation and haste as the cab whisks them through the cold night to her door, hard to open with that damaged finger. That kiss becomes another kiss. She wavers on 'jelly legs' as he lifts her skirt an inch and lowers her tights so that she is tied at the ankles...
Reading this charming, quirky, well-written narrative was like looking into a mirror and seeing, not myself, exactly, but my avatar, a shadowy reflection of myself in a little red kilt....more
Holiday reading and holiday romance are like the right skirt with the right top: they make the perfect fit. Holidays are for shrugging off the daily rHoliday reading and holiday romance are like the right skirt with the right top: they make the perfect fit. Holidays are for shrugging off the daily ritual of work, the non-stop hammering of news reports and chaos, the time to float away to your dream destination.
Kathy Gates in 'Hide & Seek' takes us across the Mediterranean to Malta where Dana, a young Australian, is falling in love with Sean while she searches for her long lost uncle. When she meets Callie, a fellow Aussie nearly twenty years older than her, the two women become huge mates and Callie adds her worldly wisdom to the search.
That is until she meets Helmut, the dishy art historian and a holiday fling finds the 46-year-old Callie – pregnant. Should she follow Helmut to Berlin or become a single mum? Is Sean really the key to Dana finding her uncle? Good holiday reading requires suspense and no spoilers. Hide & Seek fulfils the first criterion, it's good, well-paced, with stand-out characters and some laugh out loud moments I won't spoil but, rather, urge you to discover them for yourself.
Merged review:
Holiday reading and holiday romance are like the right skirt with the right top: they make the perfect fit. Holidays are for shrugging off the daily ritual of work, the non-stop hammering of news reports and chaos, the time to float away to your dream destination.
Kathy Gates in 'Hide & Seek' takes us across the Mediterranean to Malta where Dana, a young Australian, is falling in love with Sean while she searches for her long lost uncle. When she meets Callie, a fellow Aussie nearly twenty years older than her, the two women become huge mates and Callie adds her worldly wisdom to the search.
That is until she meets Helmut, the dishy art historian and a holiday fling finds the 46-year-old Callie – pregnant. Should she follow Helmut to Berlin or become a single mum? Is Sean really the key to Dana finding her uncle? Good holiday reading requires suspense and no spoilers. Hide & Seek fulfils the first criterion, it's good, well-paced, with stand-out characters and some laugh out loud moments I won't spoil but, rather, urge you to discover them for yourself....more
Should John Grisham and EL James have a secret love child, she would no doubt pen legal thrillers with a luscious layer of the erotic. They would nameShould John Grisham and EL James have a secret love child, she would no doubt pen legal thrillers with a luscious layer of the erotic. They would name their child Muffy Wilson and send her to Stephen King for some pointers in the paranormal.
Wilson, in the obliquely titled "The Para-Portage of Emily", interweaves these three diverse genres into a compelling, magic carpet of a novel that takes Emily Macque from Chicago to a bitter island estate two hundreds miles north in the frozen sea. Emily is the striking junior partner in her father’s law firm, her mission, to settle the probate on an estate, her destiny to fall into the arms of Colin Jorgenson, a seaman haunted by a past love that torments his life.
Intelligent, well-written, with fully fleshed out characters and a story with more twists than a spiral staircase, "The Para-Portage of Emily" had me gripped until the very last page.
Merged review:
Should John Grisham and EL James have a secret love child, she would no doubt pen legal thrillers with a luscious layer of the erotic. They would name their child Muffy Wilson and send her to Stephen King for some pointers in the paranormal.
Wilson, in the obliquely titled "The Para-Portage of Emily", interweaves these three diverse genres into a compelling, magic carpet of a novel that takes Emily Macque from Chicago to a bitter island estate two hundreds miles north in the frozen sea. Emily is the striking junior partner in her father’s law firm, her mission, to settle the probate on an estate, her destiny to fall into the arms of Colin Jorgenson, a seaman haunted by a past love that torments his life.
Intelligent, well-written, with fully fleshed out characters and a story with more twists than a spiral staircase, "The Para-Portage of Emily" had me gripped until the very last page....more
I have never been a heavy smoker, but from the age of about 14, when smoking seemed sexy and adult, I have always succumbed to the cigarette. To show I have never been a heavy smoker, but from the age of about 14, when smoking seemed sexy and adult, I have always succumbed to the cigarette. To show off, I suppose, I have also puffed on the occasional cigar. Well, one won’t hurt! The truth is, one does hurt because one leads to another and that leads to addiction and all the terrible diseases waiting out there (or, rather, in there), to get us.
In STOP SMOKING NOW, Josephine Spire has written an inspirational guide to find the strength inside to quit the nicotine habit once and for all. If you are already a non-smoker, you will enjoy this book for the prose alone. As for me, a chill runs down my spine every time I see someone else lighting up and I have this awful urge to run up to them with the advice that they put the fag out and read Ms Spire's book. Immediately....more
I recall reading HG Wells's 'The Time Machine' under the blankets at boarding school with a torch and the sense of excitement it provided - doing someI recall reading HG Wells's 'The Time Machine' under the blankets at boarding school with a torch and the sense of excitement it provided - doing something illicit is always exciting - came back to me reading Juniper Riley's updated, science fiction, from here to eternity quest across time played out in full erotic rainbow colours by one unfortunate, or perhaps that should read: fortunate lab assistant who gets blown, lifted or teleported back through time to gladiatorial combat in the Roman Arena. Pretty scary, but then, there's those charismatic to-die-for gladiators. Will Amelia ever get home? Her journey begins when Amelia discovers she can only shift through the time warp when she has an orgasm - what a way to go! I...more
In ‘The Warlords,’ the closing novel of the Britannia trilogy, Britain suffers misrule and is falling apart while the Roman conquerors after four centIn ‘The Warlords,’ the closing novel of the Britannia trilogy, Britain suffers misrule and is falling apart while the Roman conquerors after four centuries are unsure whether to cross the Channel and head back to Rome, or remain as exiles in Britannia – themes that resonate with the refugee and constitutional crises now effecting the Continent.
With larger than life characters, plot twists that keep you glued to the page and a breath-taking culmination to this highly-acclaimed series, authors Richard Denham and MJ Trow bring history to life through the power of great story-telling and make it relevant to our life today....more
In a world of PR, hyperbole, braggarts and phonies, Geoff Nordass is the real thing: a Royal Marine Commando who was dodging bullets on the streets ofIn a world of PR, hyperbole, braggarts and phonies, Geoff Nordass is the real thing: a Royal Marine Commando who was dodging bullets on the streets of Belfast during the Troubles, faced the Argentines across the windswept moors of the Falklands and ran the daily desert gauntlet of snipers and roadside bombs in Iraq.
After the military took him into scores of hotspots across the world, he entered the glamorous world of celebrity security and worked as a bodyguard to Dodi al-Fayed, who died in a car wreck in Paris with Princess Diana in 1997. His long, dangerous, edge-of-the-seat career, stitched together with co-writer Ralph Riegel, is told with wit, pathos and an authenticity that rises from every page. There are a lot of soldier memoirs out there. This is one of the best....more
Just as the Europeans grabbed chunks of Asia and the Middle East two centuries ago, the Chinese dragon is gobbling up vast swathes of resource rich AfJust as the Europeans grabbed chunks of Asia and the Middle East two centuries ago, the Chinese dragon is gobbling up vast swathes of resource rich Africa today.
Cal Winter knows Africa. He’s been banged up in prison there and is sprung to lead a bunch of mercenaries to get an MI6 colonel out of a hilltop fortress guarded by elite Chinese commandos. Winter’s team is out-gunned, out-manned and there’s a traitor in their ranks.
The result: a thrill-a page-espionage thriller with more plot twists than a bag of snakes, characters that come alive (albeit blood-soaked) from the page and a race to a breathless ending that may be what you expected but not in the way you expected it. Dominic Adler is a master story teller at the top of his game....more
Covering the seven days before the Armistice that ended the First World War on the 11th of November 1918, Nicholas Best in ‘The Greatest Day in HistorCovering the seven days before the Armistice that ended the First World War on the 11th of November 1918, Nicholas Best in ‘The Greatest Day in History’ brings us a moving account of many people who took part and how the rest of their lives unfolded. With these short biographical histories, it is a book you can dip into, but Best’s compulsive style will almost certainly keep you glued to the pages....more
Few who lived through World War I (1914-1918) are still alive today, but its impact on modern society, culture and technology cannot be underestimatedFew who lived through World War I (1914-1918) are still alive today, but its impact on modern society, culture and technology cannot be underestimated. Adrian Gilbert in ‘World War One’ promises a concise history of that devastating conflict and explains in an energetic, authorities style the war’s origins, it’s bloody battles and lasting consequences....more
When you have finished writing something, the creative right side of your brain may feel content, but the hysterical voice on the analytical left screWhen you have finished writing something, the creative right side of your brain may feel content, but the hysterical voice on the analytical left screams out as you are about to press send: ‘Come on, have another read through, one more edit. You can make it better.’ When you finally do let go of the book, short story, the essay, the relief is tainted by a feeling of failure – the spur to start again.
The writer disease is something Lynne Barrett-Lee understands extremely well. A best-selling author who cut her teeth writing short stories, she brings that special skill to ‘Telling Tales: How to Write Sensational Short Stories,’ an easy to follow guide to creating character (it is characters who create stories not their creators), plotting, writing natural dialogue that lifts like heavenly songs from the page and setting out with your characters on the adventure that is the written word.
From beginners with the first blank sheet in front of them to jaded pros with books already on the shelf, ‘Telling Tales’ is an essential tool to place on the desk beside the sharpened pencils and yellow notepad scribbled with the notes that will be woven into a sensational story. In a word: sensational....more
Venice is one of the most beautiful and most visited places in the world – a twin-edged sword author Ian Littlewood takes into account as he leads hisVenice is one of the most beautiful and most visited places in the world – a twin-edged sword author Ian Littlewood takes into account as he leads his readers through the labyrinthine side streets and backwaters of the city painted so vividly in the writings of Thomas Mann, Bryon, DH Lawrence, Henry James and, before them, Byron and Casanova.
With lyrical prose and vivid descriptions, Littlewood takes us on a literary journey with judiciously chosen excerpts from the great writers of the past and some rather good writing of his own. There are many guide books to Venice, enough, I imagine, to fill an entire library, but if your plans take you to the City of Bridges and Masks, Littlewood’s “Venice” is the perfect companion....more
Bruce describes the multi-faceted story of the battle for Palestine in the First World War in a way that is easy to follow and brings this little knowBruce describes the multi-faceted story of the battle for Palestine in the First World War in a way that is easy to follow and brings this little known campaign to life. Anyone with an interest in this, the first modern war, it’s battles and larger-than-life personalities should have this important book on their shelf....more
We all know about the daring exploits of the infamous SAS. For some reason, the SBS – the Special Boat Services – have been somewhat overshadowed, andWe all know about the daring exploits of the infamous SAS. For some reason, the SBS – the Special Boat Services – have been somewhat overshadowed, and unfairly so. With personnel drawn from the Royal Marines and Marine Commando Units after the most robust selection process ever devised, the truth is the SBS is the oldest, most-decorated and most frequently first into battle of any regiment that flies the British flag.
The appropriately titled ‘First Into Action’ brings readers the riveting inside story of the SBS by Duncan Falconer, a special forces operative who has served the cause in scores of hotspots and writes this memoir of his experiences in a compelling style that sends shivers down your spine and brings the smell of cordite right off the page. Falconer’s skill is bringing action to life and does so by developing full-bloodied characters with their life and death decisions, their errors, successes and unbridled bravery. Excellent....more
Years ago I read ‘A Year in Provence’ and have myself enjoyed a similar experience spending long periods of time in a Spanish village still, it often Years ago I read ‘A Year in Provence’ and have myself enjoyed a similar experience spending long periods of time in a Spanish village still, it often seemed, trying to get over the Spanish Civil War.
Anthony Stancomb has taken this well-used formula and reached new heights in bringing his readers Notes From A Very Small Island – the island being Vis in Croatia, to where he moved with his Croatian wife Ivana in order, as he puts it, to escape the madding crowds of his old life with an art business in West London and all the obligations that go with it.
We learn a great deal about life on this small speck of an island by the sea, Croatian politics and the changes brought about by Croatia joining the EU – a reminder, if one needs it, that the UK may in June go in the opposite direction and itself become the isolated island.
With threads of travelogue, politics and history woven together with humour provided in the shape of the grouchy and at times overbearing housekeeper, Anthony Stancomb weaves together a tapestry revealing both a portrait of Vis and a subtle, self-effacing autobiography....more
Does life have meaning? Or is random, absurd, a dead shooting star with its light still glimmering in the abyss? Surely the US election campaigns are Does life have meaning? Or is random, absurd, a dead shooting star with its light still glimmering in the abyss? Surely the US election campaigns are an allegory for the chaos and violence eating out the heart of politics, business, the banks and family life – in the United States of America, as in the rest of the world, the downside of globalization?
How do we find meaning? How do we discover who we are, what we want, what we should do and how we should live when we feel as if “we have been conditioned for a climate-controlled life in a storage box with an apron and the Book of Mormon?”
This is a contemporary dilemma; from before the industrial revolution until the end of the Second World War, most families across the planet worked to survive and there was no time for existential inquiry, casual sex, casual drug taking.
Modern life creates modern puzzles, which Vanessa Gonzales sets out to explore in her mesmerizing début novel ‘The Light in the Sound,’ a title that awoke in me memories of ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being,’ Milan Kundera’s superlative opus, both in the rhythm of the title and the struggle Rachel Richardson takes on to make sense of it all.
And author Vanessa Gonzales makes her protagonist’s life harder than it may have been by putting her before the displays of sex aids, porn videos, crotchless panties, uniforms and edible underwear in a porn shop in, by contrast, Seattle, Washington – one of the prettiest places in the world to set a story.
Family miles away, shaky friendships with drop-outs, chancers, the lost and downtrodden, Rachel sleepwalks through life feeling isolated, feeling that there is something she should so, she has to do, but she can’t get her head around what it is.
Rachel’s insomnia develops into night terrors, her few friendships grow more fragile and she sees about her an apocalyptic world that is greying, decaying, going off course. She wanders the dark streets, finds a moment’s relief in bars among characters who may feel half dead but come alive off the page, people the reader will relate to, revile and, sometimes, want to gather up in their arms.
Are there millions of lonesome young women wandering the misty night spots that litter America’s city streets and broken highways with heads full of dreams and uncertainty? ‘The Light in the Sound’ will answer that question and, on reading it, you will grow slowly, grudgingly, to admire Rachel Richardson as she fights to make sense of it all and to find that part of herself that will give her strength to carry on. Is this an easy book to read? No. But what comes too easy is rarely worthwhile. Vanessa Gonzales has a fine ear for dialogue, a sense of pace and is a writer to look out for....more
It is essential for a writer to develop, to extend themselves, to go to the edge and then take a leap – of faith, into the unknown. Anything but keep It is essential for a writer to develop, to extend themselves, to go to the edge and then take a leap – of faith, into the unknown. Anything but keep digging in the same hole. That’s is what RB O’Brien has done with ‘Thorne: Rose's Dark Contract.’ Again, we find flawed, complex characters well-drawn and multi-dimensional, but the mood is more edgy, the writing more compelling.
The ‘dark contract’ is drawn up by Thorne – a man who admits from the off that he is ‘a monster,’ a drunk, a liar, a greedy manipulator - and signed by Victoria Rose. A trusting ingénue taken on as an assistant, Victoria is drawn into Thorne’s furtive world and overwhelmed by his powerful personality. Thorne is a user, an abuser, a man who takes what he wants, sucks out its essence and spits out what remains. Relationships, real relationships, are not for him.
But there’s something about Victoria Rose, maybe her innocence, her youth, her sadness – her beauty, that gets into his blood and into his brain. He wants to be rid of her and she wants to know what terrible secret lies at the heart of his cruelty – a puzzle O’Brien plants in your head and it nags you as you race through the pages to an ending that is both satisfying and leaves you ready for more. ...more
I read in the author notes the following words: ‘Heroes are not born. We make choices that define us.’ This is a principle Patricia Renard Scholes hasI read in the author notes the following words: ‘Heroes are not born. We make choices that define us.’ This is a principle Patricia Renard Scholes has taken to heart and implants in the characters as they make the choices that define them in ‘Her Darkest Beauty, Book I of the series Lorekeeper of the Tapestry.’
The Homeland is invaded by the Nevians, their weapon of choice misty, mysterious beings that feed off human frailties and emotions. They hunger for people with distinctive talents which they twist and take under their control. With this power, the Nevians are able to counteract the Molochs – something people alone could never do.
Karra is a young girl with exceptional gifts, something she will one day pass on to her own daughter, Chalatta. A Moloch aware of these gifts promises to provide her with the power to overcome the dark forces that have turned the world to anarchy and turmoil. As she becomes aware that the Moloch is feeding off her emotions ‘in all their darkest beauty,’ Karra has the greatest battle of her life – the battle to be herself, to remain herself, to protect those she loves and make the right choices.
Dark, complex, intriguing, ‘Her Darkest Beauty’ will make you wonder when you hear voices in your head whether they belong to you or something that resembles you but is completely alien....more
In classic film noir, the gritty opening scenes find colour when the screen is graced by the femme fatale, a striking, flawed woman who psychologicallIn classic film noir, the gritty opening scenes find colour when the screen is graced by the femme fatale, a striking, flawed woman who psychologically challenges the status quo represented by a dominant, usually charismatic male.
This movie trope was borrowed from pulp fiction writers – Dashiell Hammett, Elmore Leonard, Raymond Chandler, and has been taken back by writers in various forms such as Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club, where young professionals are seen as empty drones finding meaning beyond the cubicle walls of open offices by bare-knuckle brawls.
Rachel de Vine in “Songbird” provides an erotic twist to the genre with her vivid portrait of Harry, an adrenaline addicted mid-thirties alpha male with women he changes as often as his suits, a man with a taste for money, kink and domination. Harry’s world is turned upside-down when he sees and hears the new chanteuse at a night club run by his friend Jake. Pascale is the classic femme fatale, French, of course, a woman with secrets on the run from an abusive past, and a soft mesmerizing accent that penetrates Harry’s heart and soul.
Pascale’s onstage persona is at odds with the introverted woman Harry meets backstage, but there’s that frisson, that chemistry couples feel and can’t describe. They become lovers. Harry is drawn into Pascale’s world but can never find out what haunts her.
While Jake, in a desperate, unhappy marriage, has a fling with one of his staff, the two couples go through a period of bliss, the calm before the storm gathering about them as they enter the last act. Harry is away on business when Pascale’s past finally catches up with her and you’ll burn your fingers flicking through the pages of “Songbird” as the plot twists and turns in unexpected ways that leads to an ending you may have expected but not in the way you expected.
Rachel de Vine is a skilled writer who draws believable portraits of complex characters and allows them the freedom to unveil their mysteries and weave their own plots. This was 5***** pleasure read in two tasty chunks. ...more
The secret of a great love story is that the lovers are drawn together like magnets, then torn apart by circumstances. Or, as the Greeks would say: FaThe secret of a great love story is that the lovers are drawn together like magnets, then torn apart by circumstances. Or, as the Greeks would say: Fate. Orpheus and Eurydice were meant for each other, but they had to go through Hell (literally) to be together.
Ameerah Arrowood in Rebekkah Ford’s complex and moving paranormal novel “Ameerah” suffers a similar fate. Adopted by the dark spirits after being murdered in an insane asylum, Ameerah gleefully possesses the souls of wastrel, self-indulgent, duplicitous humans - of which, in her human incarnation, she knew only too well.
Why her parents betrayed Ameerah as a teenager continues to haunt her. To find out, she enlists the help of the abstruse spirit Derek – a being halfway across the Rubicon void between paradise and hades. Can Ameerah find redemption, reclaim her lost soul and find a way back to the lower world to save the one great love she left behind?
Opening in 1925, as Ms Ford takes her readers on a journey between the past and present, between heaven and hell, we are invited to take a closer look at good and evil, the righteous and the soulless, until we take a closer look at ourselves – the point of all good literature. ...more
Loading...
