Lynn Knight was born in Derbyshire and lives in London. The women of her family passed on many stories along with beaded bags and buttoned gauntlets, and fostered her interest in the texture and narratives of women’s lives. She is the author of The Biography of Clarice Cliff (2005), a memoir, Lemon Sherbet and Dolly Blue: The Story of an Accidental Family (2011), and The Button Box: The Story of Women in the 20th Century, Told Through the Clothes They Wore (2016).
Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread is her first novel.
BOOK REVIEW
In 1925 London, Rose Burnham is trying to make a success of her new business, a dressmaking shop, and has been encouraged by the many orders from Miss Holmes, who wants to impress a new suitor. The most recent dress is gorgeous and expensive to make, so Rose is quite concerned when Miss Holmes cannot pay for it. In tears, she explains that her suitor, Reginald, was a fraud. He talked her into advancing him 800 pounds for a business, and now he has disappeared, money and all. She explains she met him through a matrimonial agency. Outraged, Rose decides to pretend to be a client of the matrimonial agency, Cupid’s Arrow, and bring this “suitor” to justice.
I really enjoyed and connected with the characters in this book, especially Rose and her sisters. Rose has had the opportunity to leave employment with a department store and start her own business, and this book highlights the difficulties of and discrimination against women in business at that time. Rose’s determination to get justice for women being swindled is encouraging and heartwarming. The mystery surrounding the suitor, Reginald, is intriguing, and I could feel Rose’s outrage as she tries to track him down. There is a secondary mystery involving anonymous poisoned pen letters that are being left for Rose’s friend. This novel has a modern connection–everything that plays out in both of these mysteries in 1925 London is still going on today, but on social media. Recommended to all Mystery fans and fans of Women’s Fiction.
Thank you to Zooloo’s Book Tours for a free copy of this novel. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
*This is another review I did for The Historical Novel Society. It is an outstanding collection of short stories that was selected as an Editor’s Choice.
This amazing collection of short stories looks at the equine from many perspectives, from 19th-century London to New York’s Coney Island in the early 20th century to Hollywood movies and beyond. The majority of the stories are set from the mid-19th through the mid-20th centuries and mostly in various parts of the United States.
“The Mammoth Horse,” set in London, is a sad look at the abuse of animals in the circuses and follies of the 19th century. “Shooting A Mule” tells of the violent execution of a mule with explosives at a military base in Willett’s Point, NY, in 1881. “The Lost Hoof of Fire Horse #12” tells the story of a lone horse’s hoof that now gathers dust in the Smithsonian. “One Trick Pony” describes the abuse of stunt horses during the 1939 movie Jesse James.
I was so impressed by “Two on a Horse,” set on the Steeplechase ride at Coney Island in the early 20th century. Although the horses were made of wood, they were part of a harrowing ride, and Bowers describes the personal stories of the riders in vivid detail. From the first lady to attempt to ride the Steeplechase astride to a sexual assault occurring during the ride itself, the story has a strong impact, and the reader can see and feel the violence of the ride as well as the trauma of the riders.
Equally fine is “Of Course, Of Course,” which on the surface is about a young newlywed couple who discover a horse abandoned on their new property. However, underneath lurks a saga of a wife awakening to her own abandonment, abuse, and neglect in 1960s California.
These perfectly crafted tales create a tragic picture that will have an emotional impact on the reader. Highly recommended.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (FROM HER WEBSITE)
Jess Bowers lives in St. Louis, Missouri, where she works as an Associate Professor of English at Maryville University. But she’s originally from York, Pennsylvania, the first capital of the United States (so they claim) and hometown of the 90s rock band Live (that one’s true).
Her debut collection, HORSE SHOW, was published by Santa Fe Writers Project, and recently named one of “The Most Exciting Debut Short Story Collections of 2024” by Electric Literature.
Her short fiction has also appeared in The Portland Review, cream city review, Redivider, StoryQuarterly, The Indiana Review, Zone 3, Oyez Review, and other journals, been nominated for Pushcart Prizes, Sundress Publications’ Best of the Net Award, and other honors. She won Laurel Review‘s Midwest Short Fiction Prize and the Winter Anthology Prize, which was pretty cool.
She’s also a co-editor at Cartridge Lit, an online journal publishing literature about video games, which she’s loved since she first played Fishing Derby on her Atari 2600.
Bowers holds a B.A. in English and creative writing from Goucher College, an M.A. in the same from Hollins University, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Missouri, where she studied fiction writing, film, and 19th-century literature and visual culture.
In her free time, she thinks about the hungry ghosts of silent Hollywood while riding her little yellow pony through the woods. She also watches far too much T.V.
*This is a book I reviewed for the February issue of Historical Novels Review.
BOOK REVIEW
Ireland, 1765. When young Mary Kearney is sent to work at Goward Hall, she joins her brother and sister in service and lightens the load of her impoverished father, who has too many mouths to feed. She begins to wait on the very married Lady Mitchelstown, who is involved in a scandalous romance with Lord and Lady Goward’s son James. James eventually arranges for Mary to learn to read and write, and as they become much closer, the outrage of both the upper and lower classes descends upon them. They enter into a secret marriage, but in the eyes of the world, Mary is a mistress, and only a few at the time know that she is James’ wife. And nearby, an evil man waits, determined to ruin Mary for good.
Late 18th to early 19th-century Ireland comes alive in this book, as the characters speak to us from the past in a dialect true to the time. There is a great deal of epistolary work, and it is woven in beautifully. Letters, articles, documents, and diary entries highlight the many voices, bringing each character to life with great effect. The novel begins with the dictated words of Mary’s father, who cannot read or write. The letters contain everything from love to gossip to threats, depending upon the writer. The class differences of the time are highlighted well, and the Catholic versus Protestant conflict is explored. The attempted uprising by the United Irishmen is well researched, and its consequences spill across the page. The captivating love story of James and Mary endures many hardships, including plotting and scheming from wicked people. Honest and intriguing, this gripping saga will transport and inspire you, and it just might break your heart. Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katherine Mezzacappa is Irish but currently lives in Carrara, between the Apuan Alps and the Tyrrhenian Sea. She is the author of The Maiden of Florence (Fairlight, 2024) and The Ballad of Mary Kearney (Histria Books, 2025). As Katie Hutton, she has published four historical novels with Bonnier Zaffre (2020-2023), The Gypsy Bride, The Gypsy’s Daughter, Annie of Ainsworth’s Mill and The Maid of Lindal Hall. Katherine’s short fiction has been published in a variety of journals worldwide.
Katherine has been the recipient of residencies from the Irish Writers Centre, the Danish Centre for Writers and Translators and (to come) the Latvian Writers House. She also works as a manuscript assessor and as a reader and judge for three fiction competitions. Katherine holds a first degree in History of Art from UEA, an M.Litt. in Eng. Lit. from Durham and a Masters in Creative Writing from Canterbury Christ Church.
Q&A WITH THE AUTHOR
Bonnie: Hi Katherine. Thanks so much for visiting with us! You mentioned to me that you started The Ballad of Mary Kearney in about 2016. Can you tell us the story of your initial inspiration for the book and your journey to get it published?
Katherine: That was my second full-length novel (the first can just stay in the drawer…). The inspiration came on a visit to the Gibside estate in northeast England, which had belonged to the Bowes-Lyon family, the Earls of Strathmore. I had done some research on the Bowes’ presence in County Durham while working for a museum in the area, some years previously. Thackeray had worked for John Bowes as his election agent; Bowes had indiscreetly told the novelist the story of his grandmother’s two marriages, which inspired The Luck of Barry Lyndon. I was interested in this woman’s son’s story, however. On the last day of his life, he was carried on a litter into the fashionable church of St George’s, Hanover Square in London, to marry the servant he had been living with for years and with whom he’d had a son (Thackeray’s erstwhile employer). In that parkland, in the front of the Bowes-Lyon chapel, inspired by Palladio’s Villa Rotonda, I ‘saw’ that story, but transposed to my native Ireland. What if an Ascendancy noble in 18c Ireland married his servant, but in secret? He’d be breaking the law, for a start, as he would be Protestant and she would likely be Catholic. And meanwhile, the stormclouds that broke as the United Irishmen rebellion of 1798 were gathering: a rebellion, it’s often forgotten, led by enlightened Protestants.
The book got quite a lot of interest, but no agent nor publisher. However, as it was doing the rounds I was already writing the next book, as I was terrified that if I paused I wouldn’t get back into writing again. That book, as Merripen (later The Gypsy Bride), was longlisted for the Historical Novel Society’s novel prize and was published in 2020. But, I didn’t lose faith in Mary Kearney. It went through a number of redrafts before I realized that the market I really ought to be aiming for was Irish America, so I started submitting in the US and found Histria Books.
Bonnie: I assume there was a great deal of research required for this book. How did you approach the research?
Katherine: I read everything relevant that I could get my hands on, starting with William Edward Hartpole Lecky’s magisterial, if biased, A History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century (five volumes; he earned his statue outside Trinity College Dublin). I absorbed a lot of novels of the period, which explains why some of my book is epistolary, in search of the right ‘voice.’ I also read journals such as: The Leadbeter Papers, written by the Quaker Mary Leadbeter in Co Kildare; the sometimes highly-coloured memoirs accounts of the Dublin lawyer Jonah Barrington; court proceedings for the trials of the United Irishmen and so on. The late Dr Brian Traynor, formerly the director of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, was a great help and support.
Bonnie: The book is set in a time when women, especially poor women, had few rights and few choices. Some authors are tempted to insert modern circumstances and outcomes into their stories. Was it difficult to stay true to the period while still portraying a strong woman in Mary Kearney, and how important was it to you to do so?
Katherine: It was of crucial importance that I got the context right. Mary’s agency is indeed limited, whether as servant or fine lady (though she never quite feels that she is the latter), so her choices are indeed circumscribed. A book can’t claim to be a historical novel if all the author has done is put modern characters in historical costumes and make them refer to a reticule every third sentence. Shows like Bridgerton are great fun, but they are not history; I’m not referring to the color-blind casting, but to the fact that people of that class at that time would not for the most part behave as they do on screen, at least not prior to marriage. There was a particular challenge in writing the character of Mary Kearney because accounts of the lives of women like her are pretty thin on the ground. Some of the character of Mary Milner, the mistress of the Earl of Strathmore and my Mary’s prototype, came into play. While she was Strathmore’s mistress, she was reticent about meeting people from his social stratum, so while she lived with him as though she was the countess, she would disappear when his family members called. After his death, she was very dignified and truthful in giving evidence in their son’s failed attempt to be declared legitimate.
Bonnie: I’m a fan of great epistolary work in a novel, and there is a lot of it in this book, such as letters, records, diary entries, etc. It is a wonderful way to show the personalities of many of the characters. I haven’t read your other books yet. Is this the first time you have done this type of writing in a novel, and how would you describe the epistolary writing experience?
Katherine: Yes, it is the first time I have done it, partly because of the guide I had from the sources I was using and also because the epistolary form lent itself to what I was doing. People communicated through letters then; they had to. People kept diaries. I have also used it in other books though not to the same extent. In The Gypsy Bride, the hero is illiterate and starts to read and write only when he is in prison, where his attempts at correspondence have a deeper poignancy. The withholding or destruction of letters also has a greater impact than would be the case now; we know when a WhatsApp message has been read. We can also see if someone has written and then recalled their message. A great deal of our communication is fleeting in the way that pen on paper isn’t. In The Maiden of Florence, there is someone writing his ‘ricordanze’, a kind of daybook, a common practice amongst educated Renaissance Florentines, thanks to which we know a lot more about them than we otherwise would.
Bonnie: Are you working on a new book, and if so, can you tell us about it?
Katherine: I am working on a Renaissance crime novel. Crime is a new departure for me, obliging me to plan more than I usually would. My hero is a physician, the illegitimate son of a Florentine banker. The banker existed (his ancestor was the father of Dante’s Beatrice, and the hospital that ancestor founded in 1285 functions to this day) but the doctor is my invention. He trained at the School of Salerno and so was influenced by Arab medicine. Salerno also trained women, but I decided to make my lead character a male to give him greater agency and to enable him to move around the courts of various city states (I plan five books). So right now I am immersed in Renaissance medical treatises and accounts of the organization of hospitals of the period.
I have another novel out on submission currently. It’s the fictionalized story of the mistress of the novelist Samuel Butler and of his best friend and biographer (an arrangement set up and paid for by Butler; the lady’s reaction to this is not recorded), so it’s a tale from the hidden part of Victorian life.
Bonnie: Both of these books sound amazing! Let’s go beyond the bio. Tell us something about yourself that we might not know from reading your bio.
Katherine: I got married to the same man twice. We married civilly in 1995 and ten years later had a quiet religious ceremony with our two little boys present. I made my dress each time.
Bonnie: That’s awesome to have a later ceremony with your children! Thanks again, Katherine, for agreeing to this interview. I absolutely loved your book.
Katherine: I am so glad you did. The Ballad of Mary Kearney means a lot to me.
*This is another review I did for The Historical Novel Society.
In 1812 New York, Easter Hackley is born to a white man and a Native American (Algonquin) woman. She grows up as America is growing. She marries young and accompanies her husband Will to Ohio, looking for land to homestead. As Easter and her family survive on the land, America is struggling. Andrew Jackson has come up with a plan to relocate the “natives.” Congressman David Crockett is horrified, and he joins with John Ross, the son of a white man and a Cherokee woman, to try and stop the removal. As Easter’s family continues to grow, so does America, and with that growth comes the good and the bad.
Easter is described as an amazing woman, and she definitely knows how to survive on the land better than most of the other female pioneers. She provides well for her family by using the skills her Algonquin mother taught her, fighting against great odds and extreme circumstances.
Easter’s story is entertaining, but this book also tells the story of America through the points of view of a large cast of characters, including Davy Crockett. Some of views become almost separate stories unto themselves, as they are not closely tied or tied at all to Easter. This makes the novel less cohesive, but still interesting and informative.
In this novel, Easter is the daughter of an Algonquin woman, Sooleawa. Sooleawa is fictionalized, but it is hard to reconcile the fact that Easter is portrayed as half Native American and still supported Andrew Jackson and willingly took over land in Ohio from which Native Americans had been “cleared.” This makes her appear much less remarkable than she is otherwise portrayed.
I received a free copy of this book via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
Miranda Quinn is back in the courtroom working as a legal aid attorney when she’s asked to represent Lennon, the daughter of a high school friend currently serving time in prison. Still struggling with guilt from the role she played in her friend’s downfall, Miranda agrees to help.
The former assistant DA has given up a lucrative career as a legal talk radio host to better serve her community. In her spare time, she volunteers as a counselor for at-risk teens. It’s challenging but rewarding, at least until the young women begin to mysteriously disappear. As Miranda struggles to find out who is responsible, it becomes clear that Lennon is in danger as well. As the police piece together Miranda’s clues, they realize they’re dealing with a much larger and farther-reaching organization than they had expected.
Miranda has faced her share of adversaries, both in and out of the courtroom. To expose the sex traffickers preying on the group of girls she has sworn to protect, she’ll need to keep her eyes and ears open. But to save the one young woman who needs her most, she’ll have to open her heart.
She’s in for the fight of her life.
BOOK REVIEW
Miranda meets Lennon, who is charged with stealing a package of frozen lobster, in a courtroom. They are connected by Lennon’s mother, Charlene, a childhood friend of Miranda’s who still blames her for her descent into drugs and subsequent prison sentence. Miranda’s big crime was kissing Charlene’s crush while in high school. Feeling unnecessary guilt and a responsibility for Lennon, Miranda represents her in court and finds out about a much bigger problem–Lennon’s friends are going missing.
This is an excellent continuation of the Miranda series. I enjoyed Miranda’s relationship with Lennon. Miranda reads as almost like an aunt to Lennon instead of “estranged friend of her mother.” Lennon is a smart young woman who has been through a lot, is living in the system, and is easy to root for. The difficult subject of sex trafficking is explored honestly, and while the reader is shown a culprit early on, there are many layers and levels to this thriller. The vulnerability of those in foster care is an important point in this story. The characters are all well-written, and I felt like Lennon walked straight into my heart. Readers should check out this touching and thrilling novel.
In addition to downloading this book from Kindle Unlimited, I also purchased the audiobook, which was narrated very well by Penny Coffeen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gail Ward Olmsted was a marketing executive and a college professor before she began writing fiction on a full-time basis. A trip to Sedona, AZ inspired her first novel Jeep Tour. Three more novels followed before Landscape of a Marriage, a biographical novel featuring landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, a distant cousin of her husband’s, and his wife Mary. Miranda Fights is the third book in the Miranda Quinn Legal Twist series. Olmsted enjoys writing about quirky, wonderful women in search of a second chance at a happy ever after. When not writing, she loves being on the water, especially in a kayak. She is well known for her blonde brownies, and coffee is her love language. For more, visit her on Facebook and Instagram
PURCHASE LINK
*Click the image below to purchase on Amazon. **Kindle Unlimited subscribers may borrow this for free.
WWW Wednesdays asks three questions: What Are you Currently Reading?, What Did You Just Finish Reading?, and What Will You Read Next?. Thanks to Taking On A World of Words for hosting WWW Wednesday.
MY CURRENT READ
This one should be ready for Indie Weekend. Book Description: Miranda Quinn is back in the courtroom working as a legal aid attorney when she’s asked to represent Lennon, the daughter of a high school friend currently serving time in prison. Still struggling with guilt from the role she played in her friend’s downfall, Miranda agrees to help.
The former assistant DA has given up a lucrative career as a legal talk radio host to better serve her community. In her spare time, she volunteers as a counselor for at-risk teens. It’s challenging but rewarding, at least until the young women begin to mysteriously disappear. As Miranda struggles to find out who is responsible, it becomes clear that Lennon is in danger as well.
WHAT I JUST FINISHED
LIGHTS, CAMERA, MAYHEM by Jodi Taylor: This is Jodi Taylor’s Christmas novella this year. Not really a Christmas story, but released on Christmas morning, this one was so much fun. St. Mary’s is hosting the filming of a movie! Chaos begins from there as somehow our disaster magnets end up in Troy–with the leading lady. I read it on Christmas morning and then just listened to it again recently on Audible.
WHAT I’M READING NEXT
Here is the book sitting on my desk as I type this:
1938, London. The four queens of British crime fiction, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, are hosting a gala to raise money for the Women’s Voluntary Service to help Britain prepare for war. Baronet Sir Henry Heathcote has loaned Hursley House for the event, and all the elites of London society are attending. The gala is a brilliant success, despite a few hiccups, but the next morning, Sir Henry is found dead in the library.
Detective Chief Inspectors Lilian Wyles and Richard Davidson from Scotland Yard are quickly summoned and discover a cluster of potential suspects among the guests, including an upset fiancée, a politically ambitious son, a reserved but protective brother, an irate son-in-law, a rebellious teenage daughter, and the deputy home secretary.
LIFE UPDATE
The view this morning is almost heavenly. I stood outside long enough to snap a picture. It’s 23 degrees. We had just a little bit of snow Monday, and the mountains are tipped with a beautiful frost.
I am slowly (very slowly) transitioning away from my couch potato phase of retirement. I have Netflix and Chilled to my heart’s content. We watched all of the TV series Bones, and are just finishing up Star Trek Voyager. Next we will watch Doc Martin. I have also been reading/editing/reviewing for the Historical Novel Society quite a bit.
I am venturing out on the icy roads today to run errands. Wish me luck!
**This is a review I did for the November issue of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society. You can see it here on the Historical Novel Society website, as well as below.
In 16th-century Florence, Leonardo da Vinci meets Lisa del Giocondo, whose husband has commissioned a portrait of her. They begin a close relationship as Leonardo works on what will become possibly his greatest masterpiece. In 20th-century Florence, a nun, Valentina Amati, becomes the custodian of a box of letters written between Leonardo and Lisa. As the Nazis approach, Valentina tries to safeguard the precious letters, which her convent has protected for 400 years. But as she attempts to prepare for the Nazi threat, Valentina finds that she is also haunted by a relentless demon from her own past who will not stop until all she holds dear is destroyed. Also in 20th-century Italy, Meira and her parents, who are Jewish, are facing persecution from the Nazis.
This dual-timeline novel works on all levels. Both timelines support each other seamlessly, and the storylines and characters are balanced and make sense. The life of Leonardo da Vinci is well researched. The relationship between Leonardo and Lisa is fictional, but fascinating, and the author makes it utterly believable. The reader is also given an intriguing glimpse of the art world during the Florentine Renaissance, and we get to meet Michelangelo and see evidence of his difficult personality. The World War II Florence timeline is just as strong. Valentina is an incredibly brave and resilient woman, and her story is both heartbreaking and inspiring. Meira’s part in this book appears separate at first, but instead it is another layer that makes the complete work even more powerful. I felt transported to both periods of history and enjoyed the incredible stories in each one. Captivating, engrossing, and compelling. Highly recommended.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
(From the Author’s Amazon page): I’m Belle Ami, and if you’re reading this bio, then you may be a lover of historical fiction, historical romance, time travel thrillers with romantic elements, and romantic suspense because that’s my passion, and that’s what I write. I’m a #1 Amazon bestseller of THE GIRL WHO KNEW DA VINCI, THE GIRL WHO LOVED CARAVAGGIO, & THE GIRL WHO ADORED REMBRANDT – Books 1, 2, and 3 in the compelling OUT OF TIME SERIES—art thrillers with a time-travel twist.
Be sure to pick up a copy of my brand new historical fiction novel MONA LISA’S DAUGHTER, I believe this is my best book to date. A truly unique look at the maestro Leonardo da Vinci!
Historical Romance is a genre I’ve just begun to write, and I love it! My publisher, Dragonblade, is the cat’s meow when it comes to historical romance. There is no publisher better or more supportive. My release of LUCK OF THE LYON (Lyon’s Den Series) is quite a romp filled with challenges for my star-crossed lovers. I’m stoked to hear from my readers what they think of this new addition to my oeuvre. Be sure to drop me a note and let me know how you enjoy this book, because there are more historical romances coming! View the rest of Belle Ami’s Bio on Amazon.
Indie Weekend is my effort to help Indie Authors promote their books. You can help too by sharing this post with all of your social media followers. Also, if you read this book, please leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and everywhere else you review books. Let’s all work together to promote Indie authors and help them succeed. Below is a review of Darlene Foster’s Amanda in Scotland: The Standing Stones.
This is another wonderful adventure in the Amanda Travels series by Darlene Foster. This time, Amanda visits the Scottish Isle of Arran. As always, readers of all ages will learn from Amanda’s experiences. This time, we visit a sheepdog trial, the famous standing stones, and Brodick Castle. Then Amanda rescues a mysterious woman dressed in old-fashioned clothes who seems to vanish afterward. Was she the ghost of Morag, the long-missing girl from Machrie Moor? Amanda’s friend Leah is also along for the trip, but is worried that she hasn’t heard from her father.
As always, I enjoyed Amanda’s adventures and learned a lot about this little island in Scotland. The mystery is well-constructed and fun to figure out. The history and culture of this part of Scotland are so well described that the reader feels as if they are there, exploring a castle or participating in a ceilidh (A Scottish social gathering). The combination of mystery, travel, and adventure is what makes the Amanda books so enjoyable. If you can’t travel in person right now, you can still journey with Amanda through these wonderful books. Readers of all ages will love them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Growing up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, Darlene Foster dreamt of writing, traveling the world, and meeting interesting people. She also believed in making her dreams come true. It’s no surprise she’s now the award-winning author of Amanda Travels, a children’s adventure series featuring a spunky twelve-year-old who loves to travel to unique places. Readers of all ages enjoy following Amanda as she unravels one mystery after another. When not traveling herself, Darlene divides her time between the west coast of Canada and the Costa Blanca, Spain with her husband and entertaining rescue dogs, Dot and Lia. http://www.darlenefoster.ca
Remember, if you choose to read Amanda in Scotland, please leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and other sites that allow book reviews. If you are hesitant to write reviews, remember, they do not have to be long or fancy. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will help the author so much. Thank you in advance.
It’s March 1941 at the shirt factory in Ridley, Yorkshire. Ness is a typist in the office, and her friend Eileen works as a seamstress on the shop floor. Nobody could have imagined the consequences when as a result of a prank Eileen plays on her friend, Ness’s name and address ends up in the pockets of two shirts destined for Royal Navy personnel on active service. The fallout from Eileen’s action takes Ness on a challenging, life-changing journey where she must develop her talent for dressmaking and acquire the skills needed to run a business. It is not easy during wartime, when money is short, clothes rationing is widespread and negative attitudes prevail. Can she win through? Or will a painful secret she must conceal destroy her chances?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ninette Hartley is a writer, mother, grandmother, wife and teacher. She has followed many paths – from acting and dancing to magazine publishing, and even driving a pony and trap – but she has always come back to storytelling.
Ninette has an MA in creative writing and has been published in three short story collections. Her first memoir Dear Tosh, published in May 2021 was shortlisted in the Selfies Book Awards and long-listed in the Dorchester Literary Festival Writing Prize 2022. From 2008 -2016 she lived in Italy on an olive farm, returning to the UK to live in Dorset for eight years. Never one to stay in one place for long, she has recently moved to France where she plans to continue writing more works of fiction and poetry.
Loose Ends is her debut novel. You can read more about her on her website: www.ninettehartley.com and you can also follow her on social media.
This thought-provoking novel shows how an innocent prank can change lives forever. Ness’s friend Eileen is just trying to introduce some new men into her life, but when Ness’s address is slipped into the shirt pockets of two unknown men who are going off to war, Ness’s life will never be the same. Both of the men have life-changing impact on her, and it is not all positive. This puts Ness in a complicated situation, and her response helps her build a new life. I liked the plot as a whole. My only criticism concerns the villain in this story, who did not quite face the justice they deserved. The characters are well-written, especially Alf, and I liked the multiple points of view. This is contemplative historical fiction that shows how much each person’s every action, innocent or not, can drastically affect the lives of others. Recommend.
Thank you to Zooloo’s Book Tours for a free copy of this book. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
Below please see my mini reviews of BEAR by Julia Phillips and THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach. Click on the book covers to go to the Amazon link.
BOOK DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON)
They were sisters and they would last past the end of time.
Sam and Elena dream of another life. On the island off the coast of Washington where they were born and raised, they and their mother struggle to survive. Sam works on the ferry that delivers wealthy mainlanders to their vacation homes while Elena bartends at the local golf club, but even together they can’t earn enough to get by, stirring their frustration about the limits that shape their existence.
Then one night on the boat, Sam spots a bear swimming the dark waters of the channel. Where is it going? What does it want? When the bear turns up by their home, Sam, terrified, is more convinced than ever that it’s time to leave the island. But Elena responds differently to the massive beast. Enchanted by its presence, she throws into doubt the desire to escape and puts their long-held dream in danger.
A story about the bonds of sisterhood and the mysteries of the animals that live among us—and within us—Bear is a propulsive, mythical, richly imagined novel from one of the most acclaimed young writers in America.
BOOK REVIEW
BEAR is beautifully written. There are some absolutely gorgeous passages in this book. That’s not the issue I had with it. The plot moved too slowly, and it was hard to keep my attention because there wasn’t much happening. I also did not like the ending. It was a great premise with fantastic writing, and it still fell flat for me. I love great writing, but I NEED a compelling story.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe’s plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.
In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW
Phoebe checks into a luxury hotel, which she has chosen as her “happy place,” in order to commit suicide. She ends up meeting the bride and is included in the “wedding week” festivities.
This is an interesting premise, and the narrator does a great job, but I feel this book is too lighthearted for a suicide topic. Suicide is a dark, deep, devastating thing. I would have liked to see fewer wedding-related activities, and I would have loved for the author to delve more into the reality of suicide.
Overall, though, it is an enjoyable read. I think I would have liked it better if suicide wasn’t even part of it. I can’t embrace the topic of suicide in a comedy. Suicide isn’t funny.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: What do you think about putting the topic of suicide in a comedy?
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