A Little Bird Told Me by Marianne Holmes 

Summary

Besides, if you were one half evil, wouldn’t you want to know about the other half? 

In the scorching summer of 1976, Robyn spends her days swimming at the Lido and tagging after her brother. It’s the perfect holiday – except for the crying women her mum keeps bringing home. 

As the heatwave boils on, tensions in the town begin to simmer. Everyone is gossiping about her mum, a strange man is following her around, and worst of all, no one will tell Robyn the truth. But this town isn’t good at keeping secrets… 

Twelve years later Robyn returns home, to a house that has stood empty for years and a town that hasn’t moved on, forced to confront the mystery that haunted her that summer. 

And atone for the part she played in it. 

My Review 

A Little Bird Told Me is Marianne Holmes' debut novel and it is truly stunning. The story is narrated by Robyn and switches between the summers of 1976 and 1988. Seeing the story unfold through the eyes of a child, one trying to understand the confusing behaviour of the adults around her, makes the mystery all the more haunting.

The relationship between Robyn and her big brother Kit is one of the many strengths of this book. His memories of the events that led to them having to leave their home are much clearer than Robyn's, but he is unaware of the secrets and guilt that have preyed on her mind ever since. 

The writing is beautiful, and I found myself rereading paragraphs for the sheer joy of revisiting the images the words portrayed. The characters step off the page and draw you into their tale; I felt the children's apprehension, their fear as things spin out of control and their world turns upside down. 

An intriguing mystery that had me hooked from the beginning and guessing to the very last page. 

I'd like to thank Agora Books and Netgalley for the advance copy of this book. 

Check out the authors website here and read all about the inspiration behind this book.

Book Information
Title: A Little Bird Told Me
Author: Marianne Holmes
Publisher: Agora Books 
Isbn: 9781912194858
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                     Blood of the Red Rose by P.J.Gray #Blogtour

I was very excited when asked if I'd like to be involved in the Blood of the Red Rose blog tour. I love historical fiction and find the details, fictional or otherwise, of the lives and loves of the British nobility and Royal families throughout history fascinating.

My Review:
The year is 1464, King Henry VI is imprisoned and Edward IV has taken the throne. Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, a staunch supporter of King Henry VI, has escaped to France, after hearing of his elder brother's execution, on command of the new king. There he dedicates himself to Henry's wife, Marguerite of Anjou and helps to raise her son, preparing him for his role as Prince and future King, if only they can somehow reverse their fortunes and take back the throne.
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, nicknamed the Kingmaker, his wife and daughters are living a fortuitous life, that is until Edward IV decides that he no longer needs the guidance of his cousin Warwick. Feeling shunned and furious at the loss of his position of power in the kingdom, Warwick retaliates, aligning himself with House of Lancaster and so the next chapter in the War of the Roses begins.

Author P.J.Gray's genius in bringing to life these historical characters shines in this book. I adore Elizabeth Woodville (wife of King Edward IV) and find her story utterly captivating; I knew that the Blood of the Red Rose would be setting me firmly on the wrong side of the characters in history that I know and love. Somehow, the author made me care about Warwick and his family. The introduction of a fictional character, an illegitimate daughter borne to the only woman he ever truly loved, shows another side to Lord Neville. He is no doubt a successful soldier and politician, but Katherine makes him more accessible, more human.

Lord Somerset, despite his many faults, jumps off the page and into the heart of the reader. He is brave, handsome and troubled, a devastating combination and I admit that I may have developed another crush on a literary character.

Women throughout history have been used as pawns in the political war game. Here we see their spirit, their resilience and their strength as they are forced to submit to the lives that have been chosen for them. They are no longer mere pretty faces in the pages of history, but intelligent, determined women, who have their own story to tell.

Every time I opened the pages of this book I was transported back in time, and found myself completely immersed in the lives of the characters. If you like Phillipa Gregory's books then you will love Blood of the Red Rose, it is a triumph in historical fiction.

Information about the Book
Title: Blood of the Red Rose
Author: P. J. Gray
Release Date: 14th August 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Clink Street Publishing
Format: Paperback

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Author Information

Philippa was born in Chichester and developed a passion for history whilst growing up in Cyprus and then North Yorkshire. She began writing when she was at junior school, winning the school prize for English, and wrote and illustrated her own stories which she read to her long-suffering friends. She started her first novel, Blood of the Red Rose, when her elder daughter was a baby and finally completed it twenty-eight years later. Philippa has two daughters, four grandchildren and a grand-cat and now lives in Cyprus with Paul, her husband of twenty-five years, three dogs and four cats.

                                         I Invited Her In by Adele Parks 

My review

I read this book in one sitting, once I'd picked it up, I just couldn't put it back down again. I was utterly gripped with Mel and Abi's story. 

When Mel was at university, she and Abi were best friends. Abi was the only one who supported Mel when she fell pregnant after a one night stand. But when Mel dropped out of university, they drifted apart. Mel's life as a single mum was all about her baby boy, he became the centre of her universe. Abi on the other hand, married her boyfriend and moved to LA, where built a successful career in television. Mel's life was full of dirty nappies and baby food, whereas Abi was attending celebrity parties and living a life of luxury. 

Seventeen years later, Mel and her son Liam are part of a loving family, she has married the gorgeous Ben and they have two beautiful daughters together. Unexpectedly, she receives an email from Abi, who is heartbroken and homeless because her husband has been cheating on her,  she is coming back to the UK and needs a friend. Mel extends an open invitation to her once best friend, and welcomes her into her family home.

Now all this sounds lovely, long lost friends reunite and reminisce about their younger years, but things are about to take a dark turn, Abi may not be all that she seems, and Mel has opened up her family to devastation and pain. I Invited Her In is a story of revenge, of twisted jealousy and unimaginable malice. With each chapter it picks up pace and leaves the reader anxiously wondering what the next page will bring. 

Adele Parks makes you care about her characters, you become invested in their lives and their choices and find yourself emotionally connected to them. You smile with them, cry with them and rage with them. I felt Mel's happiness , I paced the floor with her, I blushed and giggled with her, I felt her excitement and her anguish. 

I loved the emotional rollercoaster this book took me on and am looking forward to reading more books by this brilliant author. 

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.

                                        Only Child by Rhiannon Navin 

Summary

We went to school that Tuesday like normal. Not all of us came home...

Huddled in a cloakroom with his classmates and teacher, six-year-old Zach can hear shots ringing through the corridors of his school. A gunman has entered the building and, in a matter of minutes, will have taken nineteen lives.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the close knit community and it's families are devastated. Everyone deals with the tragedy differently. Zach's father absents himself; his mother pursues a quest for justice – while Zach retreats into his super-secret hideout and loses himself in a world of books and drawing.

Ultimately though, it is Zach who will show the adults in his life the way forward – as, sometimes, only a child can.

Review

From the opening paragraph, until the very last word, Only Child had me gripped. As parents, all we want , no need , is to protect our children from harm. This novel speaks to that worry, that fear...

The book opens with Zach, his teacher and classmates hiding in a closet. A gunman is walking through the school and they can hear the shots...

'POP POP POP

It sounded a lot like the sounds from the Star Wars game I sometimes play on the Xbox.'

But it isn't a game, it isn't even a lockdown drill, this is real.

The first chapter is a chilling recounting of those horrifying minutes when a class of infants is cowering in a closet, wondering if they are going to die. The anxiety, the distress, the terror is palpable and I had tears running down my face within the first couple of pages.

Only Child is told through the eyes of six-year-old Zach, and reading this heartbreaking narrative from such an honest and innocent perspective adds to the agony.

The shooting is just the beginning. Nineteen lives have been taken, and the ripples of this violent crime are felt throughout the entire community. How do you carry on when your child has been taken from you in such a brutal way? How do you survive when your heart has suffered so much damage? Zach's mum and dad both fall apart, each trying desperately to find a way to carry on, but neither of them coping.

Rhiannon Navin writes beautifully and honestly, and in Only Child she has given us a book of hope. Even in the darkest hours we can and must search for light. Tragedies happen, but through the pain, there is always the promise of healing and happiness. Yes, this book WILL make you cry, but it will also make you smile,and it will leave you with a slightly battered by hopeful heart.

Title: Only Child
Author: Rhiannon Navin
isbn: 978159855582
publisher: Pan Macmillan
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