Sarita Mandana

        Good Hope Road by Sarita Mandana

Good Hope Road transported me to the front during the First World War. The cold and despair in the trenches, the futility of lives lost in order to advance but a few feet, the hunger, the pain of missing loved ones was all tangible and yet the hope, the camaraderie, the bravery and determination was so prevalent it brought tears to my eyes. 

The story is in parts narrated by Obadaiah Nelson, an American volunteer fighting with the French Foreign Legion in The Great War in 1914, but then jumps forward almost two decades and is Major James Stonebridge's story and the fallout of him returning from the Front a damaged, haunted man.

This book is a must read, a glimpse into the heartbreak and devastation of war, but also the damage both physical and emotional to the young men fighting and the lack of assistance and understanding when they return home. 

Elizabeth Fremantle

Watch The Lady by Elizabeth Fremantle 

              Stella star of heavenly fire,
              Stella lodestar of desire.

                                    Sir Philip Sidney, Astrophil and Stella




Penelope Devereux is a beauty that inspires exquisite poetry. But that is not all she is; fascinating, intelligent, prudent, unafraid of flirting with danger... had she been a man, she would have surely been a renowned figure in English history. Goddaughter of Queen Elizabeth I, sister of the Earl of Essex, she loves Philip Sidney but her heart is to be broken when she is forced to marry another.

This book is like a doorway to the past. On opening it to the first page you found yourself transported to Elizabethan England. You don't just follow Penelope in her life in the English Court but you feel her happiness, heartache and fears.

When Sidney looks at her, you feel your heart skip a beat and your breath catch in your throat. When in the Queen's presence your hands tremble slightly and every word is measured carefully before being spoken. Fear of unintentionally saying the wrong thing or displeasing the Queen in any way is palpable.

Beautifully written, enchantingly told, this story brings to life a most alluring character whose story deserves to be told.

When We Were Animals

When We Were Animals by Joshua Gaylord

"In the town where I grew up, when the boys and girls reached a certain age, the parents locked themselves up in their houses, and the teenagers ran wild..."


This is a dark coming of age novel.

Lumen lives with her widowed father, she's a well behaved girl, trustworthy, intelligent, and excels at school. But, she lives in a strange town. A town where when they reach puberty, the teenagers go through what they call "breaching". They run naked at night when the moon is full, all social restrictions are thrown to the wind and their animal instincts take over.

The story is told by Lumen, Alternating between her as a teenager, and then years later as a married mother.

At times it reads like a nightmare, happenings beyond your control, panic, fear, running, and nothing making sense. Which is essentially what it means to be a teenager. Feelings of uncertainty, of waiting, wanting something but not knowing what that something is, prevail for Lumen.

This book is beautifully written, honest and savage at times. The characters are not just believable but recognisable. Every adult reading the story will find something of themselves in there. My only negative comment would be that occasionally I felt it stopped short of how brutal, how ruthless teenagers without restraints can be.

I really enjoyed When We Were Animals and look forward to reading more by this author.


I give When We Were Animals four stars ★★★★
isbn 9781785030949
Published in 2015 by Del Rey
I received an uncorrected proof copy in a goodreads giveaway

Des Farry

Did Socrates Get Pissed? by Des Farry

This is a humorous short story, very tongue in cheek, hilarious in parts. The characters are all self obsessed but don't mind telling everyone else how to live their lives. Pretty much everyone get's on each other's nerves and the management speak is priceless. 

I only gave this book three stars because the characters grated on my nerves and by the end of the book I could have happily banged their heads together... but maybe that's just me.

No Place For A Lady by Gill Paul

1854 and Britain is the grip of the Crimean War.

Young Lucy Harvington after a whirlwind romance travels to the Crimea with her husband Charlie. Her older sister Dorothea Gray follows her to the front as a pioneering nurse working alongside Florence Nightingale.

Both sisters will risk their lives and face unimaginable horrors. How will they survive?



                                                      *************************


I picked up this book and couldn't put it down. I felt an immediate affinity with the older sister Dorothea and both hers and Lucy's stories grabbed me and refused to let go.

This is a beautifully written book, the images portrayed are done in a way that allows you to step into the story and live the adventure with the characters. The horror of war is described honestly, without holding back at all on the brutality, the fear and the devastation  it brings.

I love the story, the history entwined into the lives of these fictional characters is fascinating. This book is a must read and I can't wait to read more of this authors work.

Memoirs of an Ordinary Guy, Not Rich, Not Famous, Just Truths by Mel RJ Smith

A fascinating story of one man's adventures from boyhood, through adolescence and into adulthood. Funny tales that had me giggling. Painful memories and wrong choices that turned his life upside down and tore at my heartstrings. Recollections of happy times that made me smile. All of these shaped his life and brought him to where his is today.

An honestly written, witty and compelling read.

The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redondo

A killer is at large in a remote Basque Country valley, enter Inspector Amaia Salazar. 

Young teenage girls are being brutally murdered, and this evil brings Amaia back to Elizondo, back to the place of her childhood, determined to find the killer and exorcise a few demons of her own. Reality and myth intertwine as Inspector Salazar searches for the truth. 

I really enjoyed this story, I found the character of Inspector Salazar fascinating.  She's intelligent, insightful, courageous and confident yet at times vulnerable and haunted. She's a very strong leading lady. well supported by a cast of beautifully written characters, from the almost too perfect to be true James, to the controlling, bitter and malicious Flora. 

As the search for the killer progresses, we find ourselves learning more and more about Amaia, her family, her past and the history of Elizondo and it's surrounding areas. Legends of the community tangle with the facts, as we are taken on a pilgrimage through darkness, horror and evil, with light coming from places least expected. 

The only issue I had with this book, is that it creeps forwards a little too slowly, with so much detailed description, I sometimes felt a little bogged down. It could be possible that something got lost in the translation, or that I was simply too anxious to find out what was going to happen next. 

To conclude, a fascinating thriller, part of a trilogy and I for one will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series.