Monday 28 April 2014

Q & A WITH CHRIS KUZNESKI AUTHOR OF THE FORBIDDEN TOMB


I am delighted today to bring you an interview with best-selling author Chris Kuzneski, who's latest novel is out now.  As you'll see he has a wicked sense of humour!

Firstly, thank you Chris for chatting to Carole's Book Corner today.



Can you tell us a little bit about The Forbidden Tomb in 140 characters?
The Hunters—an elite group assembled to locate the world’s greatest treasures—are asked to find the legendary tomb of Alexander the Great.

Which one of the Hunters is most like you?
Probably Josh McNutt. Both of us love to joke around in inappropriate settings, and both of us are smarter than we pretend to be. (Which isn’t saying much.)

What fascinating fact did you discover in your research about Alexander the Great?
I never knew this, but he was my grandfather.

What's your least favourite part of the whole writing/publishing process?
When I’m writing a book, I rarely (if ever) take days off. My mind gets so wrapped up in the story that I have to see it through to the end—even if that means locking myself in my office for months at a time…. By the way, what year is it?

How do you choose names for your characters? 
I don’t. They choose my characters. (I have no idea what that means, but I’ve always wanted to answer a media question in an existential way.)

Where do you see yourself in ten years time?
Dead.

Why do you think your books seem to be more popular in the UK than in the US?
Obviously Brits have better taste in literature.

Congratulations on your new movie deal for the Hunters!  What's your favourite film? 
I have to go with Raiders of the Lost Ark. I saw it as a child, and it definitely made an impact. It’s probably the main reason that I write action-adventure novels.

Your least favourite movie?
A year ago, I would have been willing to answer that question. But now my biggest fear is that I insult some crappy movie and then find out the gaffer or key grip on that film is suddenly working on The Hunters. Next thing you know I die in an on-set explosion, and my sarcastic answer about myself in ten years is suddenly accurate.

What are you working on now?
Book three in the Hunters series. After that, I’m taking a vacation.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks Chris. I wish you every success with your new book.

Here are my thoughts on The Forbidden Tomb




Saturday 26 April 2014

Book Tour Review: THE CARRIER BY PRESTON LANG

THE CARRIER
BY
PRESTON LANG


Genre: Crime Fiction
Published by: 280 Steps
Publication Date: March 2014
Number of Pages: 250
ISBN: 978-82-93326-18-2
Purchase Links:   

About the Book:
A Debut Novel in the vein of Tim Dorsey, Carl Hiaasen and Laurence Shames It’s a bad idea for a drug courier to pick up strange women in roadside bars. Cyril learns this lesson when the girl he brings back to his motel room points a gun at him. But Willow isn’t the only one after the goods that Cyril’s been hired to pick up. A fast talking sex-offender and his oversized neighbor are also on the trail, as is Cyril’s sinister brother, Duane. Willow and Cyril soon form an uneasy alliance based on necessity, lust, and the desire for a quick payday. But with so many dangerous players giving chase, will they nab their package?  

My Thoughts:

The Carrier of the title is Cyril, a young man who is hired to pick up drugs or anything else that his hapless boss Pat, a man who had worn out the meagre connections of this brain, tells him to collect.

Cyril thinks it will be just another job but things do not go according to plan this time.  Little does he know that he is being followed by several others who are also interested in his pick up, including a very sexy young woman with a gun,  Marcus, 'a big stupid-looking guy' who's not as dumb as he looks and Danny, a short Asian, who's recently been in prison for a sex offence.....and there may be others!

The main story centres around the journey and the events of the main characters leading up to the pick up.

This is an excerpt where Cyril's boss is telling him about the jobs:


"There's no reason you should ever get picked up.  It just shouldn't happen.  If you get stopped, take a ticket - that's fine.  If they want to search, tell them to get a warrant.  If they don't have one, do not let them inside the car.  If they bring in the dogs and you get arrested, then just do the time.  If you try to do something else, we'll kill you.  You get that, right?"
"Yes," said Cyril.
"That's something you understand?"
"That is something I understand."

The storyline was quite enjoyable, the writing flowed pretty easily, though I did feel that some of the conversations were a little unrealistic, they just didn't sound normal.

This was quite light-hearted, there is very little swearing, almost no violence, with plenty of quirky characters.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read which kept my interest throughout, I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen if/when the pick up occurred and how the characters would react.  If Preston Lang writes another book I would definitely like to read it, if he tweaked the conversations to make them sound more realistic!

Preston Lang is a freelance writer, living and working in New York City. The Carrier is his debut novel. 

Available to buy now from
 
Source:  I received this ebook from Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.




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Tuesday 22 April 2014

Promo Book Blitz: DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN BY KELLIE WALLACE + EBOOK GIVEAWAY




Darkness Before Dawn - PROMO Blitz
By Kellie Wallace

Historical Fiction
Date Published: 7/17/2013

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In June 1940, Germany bombed the Island of Guernsey, bringing World War II to the Channel Islands. With her home in the midst of war, jazz singer Catherine La Mar must adapt to change. Within days, the island is overun. Resistance cells start to emerge, hindering the German forces. Catherine’s life is inevitably changed when childhood friend Thomas Potter is linked as the ringleader to one of the Island’s biggest cells.

The people she once knew are no longer who they seem to be. But nothing could prepare her for when she meets Nazi officer Captain Max Engel. Her view on the war forever changes when she is given a chance for love and new beginnings. For once in her mundane life she unveils her true self, as Max teaches her how to truly live. Their love puts a strain on Catherine’s family, risking the lives her sisters and friends. As the war intensifies and divides the people on Guernsey, Max and Catherine must decide if their love is really worth risking it all?


EXCERPT

Plush greenery cushioned Catherine’s as she trudged through the knee-length grass towards the cliff face. A violent wind came up from the sea whipping at her dress and hair. Brightly coloured daisies and narcissi flowers dotted the swaying plain.
A sense of ease and sovereignty came over her as she stood in the wind, moving gently against its brunt. German tankers tarnished the vast ocean in front of her. Seagulls and kestrels sang in the air, catching the passing wind like dancers.
She always loved coming here to revel in nature’s beauty, believing nothing will ever change it. With the occupation taking force, it seems inevitable the world she knew will never be the same again.
Visiting the cliff tops on her own was risk, but as headstrong as she might be, Catherine wanted a release, to see a part of Guernsey not yet touched by the Reich. She slunk past
German patrols on her way, blending into the environment like a chameleon.
As she stared out into blue azure of the ocean, movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. A young man teetered on the edge of the cliff, peering over the brink. Without a second thought, she ran towards him, slowing her pace when he saw her approach. His eyes wide with fear.
“I’ll do it,” he warned, his body stiff as though he was still deciding to jump. The wind grew stronger and the man appeared to be using all of his strength to stay upright.
“Are you alright, sir?” she asked calmly.
His hair was blown high on top of his head and the wind already made its mark upon his skin. “No . . .”
“Did you lose something?” Catherine said carefully. “Has someone fallen off the cliff?”
“I don’t want . . . I don’t want this,” he cried.
“Don’t want what?”
The man stole a quick glance towards the tankers dotting the ocean horizon and turned back to Catherine. “I don’t want them,” he yelled, pointing towards the sea. “I don’t want to be ruled by those murderers!”
Catherine now understood the catalyst to the man’s distress. No one on Guernsey wanted an occupation by the Germans. Half the population had fled in terror.
Catherine took another step closer, wary of the fear in his brown eyes as she did so. She reached out her hand until they were inches apart. “What’s your name?”
“Ben.”
“Ben, what about you with come with me and grab a nice piece of cake at the cake shop? How does that sound?”
The young man shook his head furiously. “No, they will be there! They have taken over everything!”
“No, they won’t be,” Catherine said slowly. “It will only be you and me.”
Ben looked behind him to the crashing waves below, his body limp in defeat. He let out a sigh and turned towards her. “Okay,
I will come with you.” He reached for her hand, when another voice broke through the defiant wind.
“What’s going on here?”
Catherine glanced over her should to see a young German officer standing behind them, bracing against the wind.
Ben’s eyes widened at the sight and he started to back up towards the edge of the cliff. “No, no, no,” he mumbled, slipping on the lip of the cliff.
Heart pounding, Catherine stretched out her hand to the distressed youth. “Ben! Please, come with me,” she ordered, ignoring the figure behind her.
Ben shook his head, his hands outstretched as though seeking redemption from above. “I’m sorry. I cannot do it,” he said. “Not with him around.” Ben’s swollen eyes glanced at
Catherine once more, before turning into the wind, and jumping off the cliff.
“Nooo!” Her body flashed hot then cold as she fell to her knees in the damp grass, her hand stretched outright, grasping nothing but thin air. She felt the officer brush past her as he poked his head over the cliff.
The man’s body lay crucified on the rocks, blood speckling the blue ocean water.
Catherine ignored the tugging on her arm as the German officer hauled her to her feet. Violently, she pushed him away.
“Get off me!” she screamed, regaining her footing. He was close now, close enough she could see the lines of youth etched in his face.
“What is your name?” he asked calmly.
“Catherine La Mar.” She almost spat her name at him.
The officer dipped his head in a polite greeting as if what happened meant nothing to him. “May I see your papers?” he asked, bringing out his hand.
Catherine sucked in a breath of indignation and pulled her papers, which consisted of an identity card and birth certificate from a pocket in her dress. She watched him as he scanned them over. It was the first time she managed to have a good look at him.
It was his eyes that caught her breath, standing out in contrast to his dull uniform. They were the same shade of the sea, crashing and spitting below them. His straw-coloured hair was slicked under his visor cap. He was the perfect example of Hitler’s Aryan race.
The officer handed her papers back to her. She wanted a fight; wanted anything to contest him. “Why didn’t you stop him?” she asked.

About the Author Kellie Wallace

Author Kellie Wallace photo Kellie20Wallace20author20pic_zps71441c21.jpgBorn in Sydney, Australia Kellie Wallace developed a love for the written word early in life, recalling her earliest memory when she was three years old. Her father used to read to her when she was a child, establishing a deep love and respect for books. Kellie wrote a bit in high school, most memorably her first fantasy book called Giblin the Conquer, an X Files fan fiction and a military fiction.
After finishing high school, Kellie moved to the sunny Northern Beaches from the Central Coast and carved a successful career in the media/advertising industry writing for numerous Sydney based publications.
An aspiring novelist, Kellie fulfilled a dream in 2008 having her first book All She Ever Wanted published by Zeus Publications at the age of 22 years old.
In 2013, Kellie released her newest catalogue of books, Darkness before Dawn and Skylark. In her spare time she loves to write, game and draw. Her first crime fiction novel To lean of falling men will be out in April 2014, along with EarthWalker (out now!) and dystopian Edge of Tomorrow (August 2014).
She currently resides in Sydney with her husband.

Author Links

Buy Link


Giveaway

Copy of Darkness before Dawn

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Monday 21 April 2014

Book Excerpt: RETARDED GIRL RAISED IN DOG PEN BY LAUREN LEIGH

Retarded Girl Raised in Dog Pen by Lauren Leigh is a spellbinding murder mystery that offers a sympathetic look at the struggles faced by individuals with disabilities.

Publication Date:  March 15, 2014
Genre: Fiction / Mystery
Publisher: Sartoris Literary Group

Synopsis:

Baby is every adoptive parent’s nightmare—blind, paralyzed from the waist down, unable to speak, and diagnosed with developmental and intellectual disabilities. For the first 10 years of her life she is raised outside in a dog pen by a cruel adoptive father, a Mississippi deputy sheriff who values his bird dogs more than his daughter.

Retarded Girl Raised in Dog Pen is the story of Baby’s placement in a Mississippi mental institution for individuals with profound retardation after the brutal murder of her father and the arrest of her mother, and her desperate attempt to escape the institution.

Once the mother is convicted of murder and sentenced to death, the story takes a bizarre twist as mental health professions discover that Baby is capable of communication, despite being trapped inside a grotesque body that holds her prisoner.

How much does Baby know? Can she prove her mother’s innocence?

As the mother sits on death row, the clock ticking, a brilliant psychologist has the shock of her life when she discovers that Baby is not who she seems. The question is will the psychologist be able to solve the mystery in time to save the mother’s life?

Similar to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in the manner in which it reveals the inner workings of a mental institution, it is, in the end, about the triumph of intellect and passion over indifference and cruelty. It is written in the tradition of The Sound and the Fury and To Kill a Mockingbird, two novels that address the complex issue of intellectual disabilities.

About the Author:

Lauren Leigh is a mental health professional who has devoted her life to working with individuals with intellectual disabilities. This is her first novel.


-----------------------
Retarded Girl
Raised in Dog Pen
Authorities Say Girl Witness to Murder


LAUREN LEIGH




------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Excerpt


When Thad Vanderbilt arrived at the county jail, he was eating a hamburger that he’d picked up at the drive-through window of a fast-food restaurant. He took bites of the burger and sips from a cup filled with iced tea as he walked into the building and asked to meet with Rivers in a private conference room.
As she walked in the door, he was in the process of wadding up the paper wrapping around the burger. He tossed it into a nearby trash can and then took a sip from the cup, gurgling the last few drops from the bottom of the cup before discarding it. Left behind was a touch of mayo that stuck about an inch from the corner of his mouth. Rivers noticed it, but said nothing, not really caring whether her lawyer looked foolish or not.
Thad stood and extended his hand as she approached the table and sat in a folding chair. His fingers felt damp from the soft drink cup, and she wiped her hand against her jumpsuit.
“I’m Thad Vanderbilt,” he said. “I’ve seen you around town, but I don’t think we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.”
“I’ve seen you in your convertible.”
Thad laughed. “Yes, and it will be paid for in another three years, just in time to trade it in for a new one.”
Rivers didn’t think that was funny and she did not respond with a laugh of her own.
Thad looked at a legal pad, reading over his scribbled notes.
“I see your husband was a deputy.”
Rivers nodded.
“And you have a little girl named Baby. Is that correct?”
“Yes. Have you seen her?”
“No, I haven’t. I understand she was taken away and placed at Silverstone Retardation Center.”
“That’s what the sheriff told me.”
“She’ll be well taken care of there.”
“I hope so. She’s not used to strangers.”
“They are used to people like her.”
“What do you mean, people like her?”
“You know, retarded.”
“Oh.”
“How do you want to plead on this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Guilty or not guilty.”
“Oh.”
Rivers didn’t answer, sort of drifted away, lost in thought.
“Did you hear me?”
“What?”
“Guilty or not guilty?”
“What’s the difference?”
“If you plead guilty, there is no trial and the judge decides your sentence. If you plead not guilty, you go to trial and listen to people say a lot of bad things about you, and then the jury decides if you are guilty or not guilty, and then, if you are guilty, they pass sentence.”
“And if the jury decides I am not guilty?”
“Then they send you home.”
“In that case, who goes to prison?”
“The prosecutor will decide if there is someone else he wants to prosecute. If there is, then he will go after them and try to get a conviction.
“Oh.”
“So what do you want to do?”
“Did the sheriff give you any information about Angus?”
“I don’t understand.”
“Did the sheriff give you any details about what happened to him?”
 “Sure.”
“Would you mind telling me what you know?”
“No problem.” He looked over his notes. “OK. They found his body yesterday, buried along the tree line of your property, about fifty yards from the dog pen.”
“Did he look upset?”
“Excuse me?”
“Did it look like he was upset over being dead?”
Thad paused again, this time to collect his thoughts. “Ma’am, when you’re dead I don’t think you necessarily look upset or not upset.”
“I see.” She lowered her eyes, looking down at her lap, where her fingers were intertwined in a knot. “Does it say anything about how he died?”
“Yes, ma’am, it says he was struck in the chest with an ax.”
“That all?”
“No, it says he was hacked on a little bit.”
“Do they have the ax?”
“Apparently, it was buried with him.”
Rivers sat quietly for a while. Then she put her hand on her chest, feeling her thumping heart. “Would you mind seeing after the burial?”
“That’s not really what I do.”
“Baby and I are the only family he’s got. If not you, then who?”
“Ma’am, you’ve put me on the spot.”
“I know that.”
Thad doodled on his legal pad as he struggled with her request. He had moved to Murphy County from Memphis, where lawyers played by a different set of rules. In Memphis, her request would have been laughed at, but not in a rural community where everyone knows everyone else, or if they don’t, they know of them or have heard stories about them.
“That’s not something I usually do,” he said. “But I’ll make an exception in your case.”
“Thank you.”
“But you still haven’t answered me.”
“About what?”
“About your plea.”
“Can I decide what goes on the tombstone?”
“I don’t know for sure, but assume that would not be a problem. You are his wife.”
“Will there be flowers?”
“Yes—if I have to send them myself.”
“That’s nice.”
 “I don’t mean to be rude, ma’am, but I need to know your plea.”
Rivers looked up, as if searching for the answer on the ceiling. Inexplicably, a serene look appeared on her face. “What will happen to me if I plead guilty?”
“It is a capital offense to kill a police officer, so the penalty would be death by injection.”
“I see.”
“Is that what you would like to do?”
“Yes, I believe it is.”


Sunday 20 April 2014

Book Review: ROBERT B. PARKER'S WONDERLAND (The new Spenser Novel) BY ACE ATKINS

ROBERT B. PARKER'S
WONDERLAND
(The new Spenser novel)
BY
ACE ATKINS

Paperback:  190 pages
My Rating:  9 / 10

About the Book:

Henry Cimoli and Spenser have been friends for years, yet the old boxing trainer has never asked the private eye for a favor. Until now. A heavy-handed developer is trying to buy up Henry's condo on Revere Beach and sends thugs to move the process along. Soon Spenser and his apprentice, Zebulon Sixkill, find a trail leading to a mysterious and beautiful woman, a megalomaniacal Las Vegas kingpin, and plans to turn a chunk of land north of Boston into a sprawling casino. Bitter rivals emerge, alliances turn, and the uglier pieces of the Boston political machine look to put an end to Spenser's investigation.
Aspiration, greed, and twisted dreams all focus on the old Wonderland dog track where the famous amusement park once fronted the ocean. For Spenser and Z, this simple favor to Henry will become the fight of their lives.

My Thoughts:

Wonderland is the first 'Spenser' novel I've read so I didn't know quite what to expect.  I was worried that it may be too 'heavy' and dull and full of references to past novels that I hadn't read......but to my surprise and delight, it was none of those.  I actually really enjoyed it.

I immediately liked Spenser, a wise-cracking intelligent thug who's dry humour made me laugh:


I got out of my car and met them halfway up the path.
'You Spenser?' said the bald guy.
'Yep.'
'You come here to see Mr. Rose?'
'Yep.'
The beefy guy eyed me.  He stuck his hands in his pockets and turned to his partner.  His mouth twitched a bit.  The bald guy just stared straight at me, not appraising as much as telegraphing unpleasantness.  'Mr. Rose doesn't know who the f**k you are.' Beefy said.
'I take it you are paraphrasing.'
'What?'
'Well, surely a former Harvard professor would never say "f**k." 


Even though the above paragraph has bad language in it, there is not a great amount of swearing in the novel. 

The Wonderland in the story was an Amusement Park built around a hundred years ago, now it was an abandoned dog track in a prime location on the beach.  The story centres on building a Casino and making money, lots of it. 

A disused Amusement Park, similar to the one in the story called 'Wonderland'




Three organisations all wanted the casino licence and some were prepared to murder to get it.  The story was filled with double dealing, dodgy politicians, the mob, a beautiful mysterious woman,  memorable characters and our hero, Spenser, in the middle of it all! 

A great read which I thoroughly enjoyed.

About the Author:

A former journalist who cut his teeth as a crime reporter in the newsroom of The Tampa Tribune, Ace Atkins published his first novel, Crossroad Blues, at 27 and became a full-time novelist at 30. In addition to numerous awards, Ace was selected by the Robert B. Parker estate to continue the bestselling adventures of Boston's iconic private eye, Spenser.

Available to buy now from:




Source:  I received this book from RealReaders in exchange for an honest review.





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Friday 18 April 2014

Guest Post by LEIGH RUSSELL: Author of COLD SACRIFICE




COLD SACRIFICE
BY LEIGH RUSSELL

On Sale 29 April 2014
Harper Collins Publishers




The first book in a series of atmospheric, psychological thrillers featuring Detective Ian Peterson, as he solves deadly crimes in the UK.



When three dead bodies are discovered in Detective Ian Peterson’s hometown of Kent, it becomes clear that a vicious killer is on the loose. And without his trusted colleague, Detective Geraldine Steel, by his side Ian’s left to take the lead on a complex murder case with few clues.
The first victim is a middle-aged woman named Martha brutally stabbed to death in the local park. Her husband, who does not report her missing, is the prime suspect until a young prostitute, Della, reveals his whereabouts the night Martha was murdered. But then she is strangled to death in her apartment. While the police are frantically gathering evidence and looking for a connection, a second prostitute is suffocated.

With nothing but the timing of the murders to tie the three women to each other, Ian and his new partner, Polly Mortimer, struggle to make sense of the case and find the elusive killer before he strikes again. But, by the time Ian realizes the truth, it may be too late to save Polly.


LEIGH RUSSELL is the award-winning author of the Geraldine Steel and Ian Peterson mysteries. She is an English teacher who lives in the UK with her family.

 ---------------------------------------------


I am delighted that Leigh Russell has written a guest post on my blog today
  I read Cold Sacrifice last year and you can read my thoughts here.
 




What I have learned since I started writing.

Over the six years since my debut, Cut Short, was first published, I have learned about many things. As a result of my research I now know a little about rigor mortis, DNA, police procedure, poisons, and fatal knife wounds, to name just a few areas.

The internet is a fantastic resource, but I prefer to conduct my research with real people whenever possible. So you will find acknowledgements in my books to many people who have helped me, including a Professor of Forensic Medicine, a Human Remains expert at the British Museum, and a Consultant Forensic Psychotherapist at Broadmoor, to name a few. Everyone has been really helpful, and I have learned a lot. The research is fascinating!

Yet in the course of my writing career, I have learned more than information. I have also learned about how to survive the challenges faced by an author.

To survive as a bestselling author requires nerves of steel, and a hide like a rhinoceros. There have been many thrills  along the way - major awards, great reviews, many bestseller lists (including Number 1 overall on kindle in the UK) and invitations to appear at literary festivals around the world. In addition to the many public accolades, fans frequently email me via my website. It is wonderful to read their messages.

But there are lows as well, days when no one seems to like my books, an event I was looking forward to is cancelled, I discover someone appears to be plagiarising my books, and I'm losing the tussle to make a plot work. So life as a bestselling author is a roller coaster ride. You need to be tough to survive!

Finally, I've learned something about how to write. It's impossible to convey in a few words what I've learned about the craft of writing, although I am keen to encourage other writers. I run occasional courses for The Society of Authors in London, and for The Writers Lab in Greece and on the Isle of Wight, and recently I've agreed to informally mentor a young aspiring writer who approached me through the Crime Writers Association.

Eugene Ionesco said: 'A writer never has a vacation. For a writer life consists of writing or thinking about writing'. Once you are hooked on writing, you may well find it becomes, in William McIlvanney's words, 'an inexplicable compulsion'. So my Top Tip for new writers would be to make sure you enjoy what you are writing. Because once you get hooked on writing, you are likely to devote a lot of time to it.

You can read more about Cold Sacrifice and Leigh's other books at her website: leighrussell.co.uk/

Available to buy from



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Thursday 17 April 2014

Book Review: IVY LANE: SPRING: PART ONE BY CATHY BRAMLEY

IVY LANE:  SPRING:  PART ONE
BY 
CATHY BRAMLEY

Published by Tranworld  3 April 2014
85 Pages

My Rating  9 / 10

About the Book:

Friendship blossoms at Ivy Lane...

Tilly Parker needs a fresh start, fresh air and a fresh attitude if she is ever to leave the past behind and move on with her life. As she settles in to a new town seeking peace and solitude, taking on her own plot at Ivy Lane allotments seems like the perfect solution. But the vibrant, friendly Ivy Lane community has other ideas and endeavour to entice Tilly into seedling swaps and Easter egg hunts. Can Tilly let new friends into her life, or will she stay a wallflower for good?

Ivy Lane is a serialized novel told in four parts - taking you from spring to summer, autumn to winter - which tell a charming, light-hearted and moving story you won't want to put down.

Each part of Ivy Lane contains ten chapters, and is a quarter of a full-length novel.


My Thoughts

Ivy Lane: Spring is the first in a four part series featuring Tilly Parker, who has moved 20 miles away to escape the pitying smiles and awkward silences.  She has a new job, new home and now plot 16B at Ivy Lane allotments where she wants to keep busy and keep herself to herself ..... well, that was her plan!  This describes the state of her allotment when she first sees it:

So this was to be my 'new interest'.  Hands on hips, I surveyed the brambles, nettles, thistles, dockleaves and some other trailing weed and tried to conjure up positive thoughts.

Tilly is 28, a teacher in a Junior School and has such a lovely personality that you can't help but warm to her and wonder what or who she wants to 'move on' from.  Early on the name of James is mentioned so we know that he is part (or possibly all) of the reason but we don't know what happened.  Cathy Bramley keeps us guessing.

This is such a charming, feel-good story and I think it's quite original how Cathy has made it into the four seasonal parts.  We are introduced to some of the warm and wacky people who use the allotment but I would have liked to have had more of their back stories, I didn't feel that I got to know any of them too well, but I presume we'll have plenty of time over the year to discover everyone's secrets! I can't wait......oh, and I just love that cover.

Ivy Lane:  Summer is out on 3 July 2014

You can get in touch with Cathy via her website:  www.cathybramleyauthor.com/
Or on Twitter:  @CathyBramley

Source:  I received an eBook via the publishes from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review






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