Fractured Dreams and Second Chances

This novel, Fractured Dreams and Second Chances, by Stephen Anthony Brotherton is semi-autobiographical.

It is a story of a first love, told through the eyes of two characters, Freddie and Jo-Jo.

Their love would, of course, last for ever. 

However, incidents within their childhoods had caused fractures and, eventually, all too soon, in fact, events both old and new caused their love to founder.

But what if there could be a second chance for Freddie and Jo-Jo? A second chance to get back together in later life to rekindle their love affair after three decades apart?

It's a well-told tale that explores the impacts of childhood traumas and how these can change the person you become as an adult.

It's published by the Book Guild at £9.99

Without Let or Hindrance

Without Let or Hindrance is a novel from author Geoffrey Charin. 

It's the summer of 1938 and the metaphorical clouds are gathering over Europe.

Veronica and Billy, her fascist boyfriend, attend a pro-German event that was hosted by the 5th Duke of Wellington.

It's a glamourous, glittering event and Veronica meets Sir Oswald Mosley and Diana Mitford. Veronica is invited to take a trip to Berlin, the capital of Germany.

As Europe stumbles toward war, many otherwise good people shake their heads, bewildered, apparently unable to do anything to stop the flow of evil that threatens not only continent of Europe but the entire world.

As Jews are more and more becoming victims of Nazi pogroms such as the evil of Kristallnacht, the British government is trapped between trying to apparently appease Herr Hitler and trying to deal with the question of Jewish refugees.

For Veronica, doing nothing is not an option she can feel comfortable with, so she decides to take action.

Veronica finds herself within the very heart of Nazi Germany. But what of Billy, the member of the British Union of Fascists? And what of Mosley and the Mitford sisters?

Victoria puts her life in danger to save Jewish refugees. But who can she trust? 

This novel is a tightly composed and well-written historical thriller that is based on factual occurrences. 

It is published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

 

A Victorian Rebel Fighting for Gay Rights Edward Carpenter

A Victorian Rebel Fighting for Gay Rights Edward Carpenter In his biography Brian Anderson examines the life story of Edward Carpenter.

It's likely that you might not have heard of Edward Carpenter who was an early campaigner for gay rights in Britain.

And Brian Anderson has decided to put this situation to rights.

During his research Anderson was able to locate a considerable number of Carpenter's letters (none of which had been previously published) to his friends, his lovers and other fellow socialists.

The book covers the details of his transition from a youth who was generally a normal, conforming  member of Victorian society, to a bold and somewhat outspoken critic of what he saw as the flaws and problems within Victorian society. Especially in the treatment of homosexual males.

As a gay youth his adolescence was more troubled than for some of his contemporaries, combined with his confusion about his sexual identity.

He attended Cambridge University which helped to broaden his horizons and Anderson reflects on his first, timid love affairs.

He soon developed into a radical socialist and became known as an author of polemical pieces. He later developed into a writer on sexual politics, though publishing his works was difficult due to the fallout from the Oscar Wilde scandal.     

He was criticised for what would be considered a misogynistic attitude, but Anderson questions whether or not this was the case. 

It's a very well-researched and well-written book which will be of interest to anyone interested in the history of Victorian society and the history of gay emancipation. 

It's published by Matador at £9.95.

The Cumbria and Lake District

The Cumbria and Lake District A Guide to Places to Visit, History: A Guide to Places to Visit, History and Wildlife from Morecambe Bay to the Solway Firth

On my desk, on the shelf to the left (I'm lefthanded) I have a copy of a book by Kevin Sene titled The Mersey Estuary: A Travel Guide which is one of my favourite guidebooks.

Now I have a companion volume by Kevin Sene, called The Cumbria and Lake District A Guide to Places to Visit, History: A Guide to Places to Visit, History and Wildlife from Morecambe Bay to the Solway Firth.

It's a highly detailed travel guide which takes you from Fleetwood all the way along to the Mull of Galloway.

The coast of Cumbria reaches from Morecambe Bay to the Solway Firth. It takes in, amongst other features and places The Lake District National Park.

The book is very well illustrated with stunningly beautiful full colour photographs, some which are full page.

You will learn of ideal places to view tidal bores from, good places to visit if historical buildings is your bag, nice spots to enjoy looking at wildlife. And if ancient, mysterious sites brings a thrill to your heart, Kevin has plenty of them for you.

Looking for waterside walks? There's a wide selection. Fancy a trip to the seaside for a paddle or even a holiday break? Kevin's got that covered, too.

Museums, especially maritime museums? Lots of them to explore with Kevin's most excellent guidebook.

And if your desire is to check out lighthouses and other maritime features? They are covered, too.

Maybe your desire is some beautiful inland walks? Step right this way!

It's published by Matador at £19.99. 

  

Fire of the Dark Triad

Fire of the Dark Triad is the first part of a series by Asya Semenovich.

It tells the story of a distant and dark dystopian future, where evil humans of the Dark Triads (who were born with a DNA strain that made them incredibly dangerous) have caused untold misery and destruction for hundreds of years. In fact, so wicked were they that they very nearly destroyed the planet Earth.

The rulers of Earth had attempted to bring purity to the human race by dissolving those genes from future generations.

But something is wrong. Because without the creative spark of the DNA of the Dark Triads, civilisation has begun to falter and to stagnate.

An elite group, called the Headhunters, was employed to locate and recruit Dark Trads from its many colonies and bring them back to planet Earth.

But Nick, the most adept and skilled of the Headhunters, who was under the impression that he was only involved in a routine mission soon discovers that things are not always what they appear to be. He becomes enmeshed in a hidden conspiracy which, if it is allowed to continue unchecked, could change the human race forever.

He finds himself fighting powerful groups on two planets in an attempt to head off the catastrophe that is threatened. Whilst also trying to save the life of the woman he loves.

It's a well constructed novel which is both pacey and punchy.

As an interesting aside the novel is featured in a documentary film called Married to Math which you can learn more about here https://marriedtomath.com/reviews/. 

It's published by Dark Triad Books at £15.00 and is available from all good bookshops including Waterstones and Amazon, etc. It's also available in eBook format at £3.53.

I'd like to thank Cameron Publicity & Marketing for working with me to create this review.  

Kittyhawk Down

Kittyhawk Down by Jonathan Nicholas.

It was a Sunday in June, 1942. Sunday 28th of June, to be exact. And RAF Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping was taking off in a Kittyhawk fighter 'plane for a very short flight across Egypt. But unfortunately he never arrived at his destination.

No more was known about the fate of Flight Sergeant Copping, at 24 an experienced fighter pilot or his aircraft for 70 years when oil exploration worker Jakub Perka found the virtually intact plane a hundred miles west of Farafra Oasis in central Egypt, three hundred miles south-west of Alexandria.

Evidence was found that established that Flight Sergeant Copping had been able to make a controlled emergency landing and that not only did he survive the landing, he stayed with the downed aircraft for a considerable period of time afterward. But his remains have, at least to date, never been found.

Why was the plane on the ground in the location it was found in? And what had happened to Dennis Copping?

Aviation enthusiast and licensed pilot Jonathan Nicholas has extensively researched the discovery of the downed plane, interviewing those who discovered it and talked with surviving relatives of Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping.

He has taken historical facts and information and used them to weave an interesting and moving account of what might have happened on Sunday 28th June, 1942.

It is published by the Book Guild at £9.99 and will make a very good gift for people who are interested in the history of military actions and real life mysteries. 

The Myths and Legends of Britain's Pubs: East of England

Rodney Simmonds' The Myths and Legends of Britain's Pubs: East of England ticks all my personal boxes, so to speak.

The sub-title of the book is "A Thousand Years of History and Trivia/"

Pubs, architecture, ales, history and myths. What more could a person want?

Let's begin this review with a few questions. What do you know about your local? Or the other pubs in your town or district?

Who decided on the name? What is the history of the name? Has the name of that particular pub ever changed? How old is the pub?

What's the pub's history? Is it haunted? And if it is haunted, what kind of ghosts inhabit it? Friendly ghosts or ghosts who are angry and unable to move on?

This  book is, literally, an A to Y of pubs throughout the East of England in 206 pages.

There's the Jolly Woodman in Burnham Beeches, in Buckinghamshire. First opened in 1832, it's starred in several films and TV series over the years.

In Luton, Bedfordshire, you'll find the English Rose public house. Opened in 1845 it was originally called the Rabbit. If you read the book you'll learn why. A piece of trivia regarding this pub is that the son of the then landlord married actress Diana Dors.

In the 1700s in Brigg, North Lincolnshire you'll learn about the Yarborough Hunt public house. It was originally constructed for the Earls of Yarborough who own an estate not too far away.

Previously a brewery tap for Sergeant's Brewery, which, sadly, was closed in 1967, the pub continued trading for a number of years under the ownership of several breweries.

For those interested in ghostly residents you will be interested in the Nutshell, otherwise known as the Traverse in Bury St Edmunds. Not only is it one of the smallest pubs in England, it is also reputedly haunted by a young boy. It's said he was murdered in one of the bedrooms of the premises. But for some reason he appears mainly in the area of the bar.

There's also another ghost, that of a monk who wears a long black habit. He also wears a large wooden cross. Sometimes, even when there is nobody wearing perfume in the pub, the scent of a woman's perfume can be detected.

It's a wonderful book and is very well researched and extremely well-written. And I would recommend buying this book either for yourself or as a gift for a friend or family member. However, the book does have a curious omission: There is not one illustration or photograph in the entire book.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

Ed & Lily

 

Ed & Lily tells the love story of Ed & Lily.

The story opens with Lily, feeling rather queasy. It's a couple of days before Christmas and she's about to leave the offices of the ecologically aware charity where she works. 

She has something important that she needs to tell Ed, her partner. But she knows full well that she has left it way too late to tell him.

Everyone knows that the relationship between them was fine. Better than fine, even! They all knew it was safe and rock-solid. Only, maybe it wasn't as sound a ship as everyone was thinking?

36 hours later they planned to be together to spend a wonderful holiday in Iceland for a truly fantastic and white Christmas break.

A visit to a pharmacy on the way to the train station (she needed peace of mind of the kind only readily available via pharmacies) was a disaster as she had left her bank card on the counter and was, as a result, unable to buy her ticket at Cardiff Central Station to London Paddington, because when she quickly made her way to the pharmacy, it was closed and the shutters down.

She decided to take the bus to London's Victoria Coach Station, instead. Even though the journey would be almost twice as long, she felt she had no other choice.

She spoke with Ed who, again, questioned why it was that she seemed to like making things more complicated? After all, he always could book train tickets for her?

But there were things happening with, or to, Lily that Ed didn't know about. Or was he trying desperately hard not to know about those things?

The fact that work had taken her away from the capital of England to the capital city of Wales had certainly complicated matters.

Is their relationship doomed? Wrecked beyond compare?

Then her charity work takes her to Serbia where she has to deal with the sad plight of sundry refugees from new violent hotspots.

Can she find time for Ed? And if she does, will Ed still be there for her?

This is a very finely crafted romance for our modern, highspeed lives.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99 and is written by Sofia Due.

Bleak Encounter at the Cape

Bleak Encounter at the Cape is a thriller novel from author Richard Trahair.

A Coastwatch volunteer makes a dramatic find. He discovers a corpse on the rocky shore.

He and his equally resourceful wife decide to investigate the mysterious death themselves. After all, what's the worst that can happen?

Quite a good deal as it happens.

For soon the couple themselves to be trapped in a burgeoning international conspiracy of threats and intimidation that put the lives of a great many people at risk.

The police become involved as the couple make their way across Europe as far as Lake Geneva in Switzerland and back home again to Cornwall for a dramatic and shocking conclusion back on the coast of West Cornwall.

Will they survive? Will the guilty be brought to justice?

It's an exciting novel and I hope to see more books from Richard who makes good use of his intimate knowledge of Cornwall for the backdrop of this novel.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.  

I am updating this review to point out that the author is donating profits from book sales to the National Coastwatch Institution. For details of this highly valuable organisation please visit https://www.nci.org.uk/

Fractures, Dreams and Second Chances

Fractures, Dreams and Second Chances is a fictional novel, but which is based on the life experiences of the author, Stephen Anthony Brotherton.

It tells the story of Freddie whose life was fractured by family tragedy.

Freddie meets Jo-Jo, a woman of determination and strong will. She knows what she wants out of life, she has her goals and aspirations.

However, like Freddie her life has also received fractures and circumstances forced the two young lovers to part.

The book tells their stories as individuals and also as a couple. It covers their teen romance, what happens to them after they part and their eventual attempts to rekindle their youthful first love after a separation of in excess of three decades.

The author uses their love story to reflect upon deep topics such as the possible impact of traumas that occur early in life.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

Family Reunited

Family Reunited is a new novel from the author of Fireworks to Thailand, J. R. Bonham.

It's a gripping family drama it tells the story of how Jan eventually plucks up the courage to leave her vile and abusive husband, Geoff after their 25 year marriage.

After she leaves Geoff she meets the man who she feels is her soulmate, Mike, who she marries. And with whom she has a happy second marriage.

Unfortunately her adult children, Louise and Steven blame Jane for, as they perceive it, breaking up their 'happy' home.

She's been totally estranged from her children and hasn't ever been able to meet her five grandchildren. 

Sadly, she becomes a widow and Jan's sense of loss is crippling in its intensity following 22 years of a loving, blissful marriage.

Louise, Jan's daughter, then dies which unleashes a tsunami of grief that further destroys the family.

Charlotte, Louise's daughter plunges into grief and takes on the persona of a 'wild child' to mask her sorrow. She is only 15 and when she falls pregnant she is thrown out of the family home.

Jan feels that enough is enough and she steps forward to try to bring her shattered family back together again. But how can she accomplish this? Will they listen to her ideas? acquiesce to her proposals to get everything back on track and to heal the family at long last?

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

The Fall Out

The Fall Out is a novel by D J Arthur.

Anita and Marilyn are an inseparable pair of women. Even though they have very different characters. 

Anita weds David and David's best friend, John, also falls for Marylin and they also marry. The lives of both couples become entwined.

John is a freelance writer and receives a surprise commission from an old friend to write for his firmly anti-EU publication The Swiftian.

He agrees to accept the job and begins to dig deep into matters regarding the EU.

However at the same time Anita receives a promotion to a full-time position in Brussels and David, which rather shocked everyone, is chosen as a Conservative Party candidate for Benfleet.

As John digs deeper and deeper into the EU the position that Anita has taken reveals itself as extremely Eurocentric. David must fight his party or his wife in order to remain true to himself.

However, Marylin has some secrets of her own that seem to be on the point of once again coming to the surface. Whilst the marriage of Anita and David seems to be heading to an unhappy conclusion.

What, exactly, will happen to the two couples?

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99. 

Stormfront

Stormfront is a new detective thriller from R. S. Sutton.

It features impecunious private detective Valerie Stone who owns a valuable old watch and a vintage jaguar.

She's already aware that she consumes far too many French cigarettes lives on a houseboat moored on the Thames. She has male admirers that she manages to keep at arms length.

A very lucrative insurance investigation job comes along which will keep her and her assistant Jane afloat for a while longer. Just have to pad the expenses out a bit, OK?

It was a simple job. Body found on the south coast. Just compile a report, take the insurance company's money and... things never go quite as smoothly as hoped.

Jane finds that a secretive, covert organisation also has an interest in the dead body and they blackmail her.

Some people will not say anything, other people are feeding misinformation to Jane and suddenly Valerie, Jane and others around her find themselves deep inside a storm. A very foul storm, indeed.

This is a good detective thriller, which also contains a good deal of pathos.

I hope we will read more novels featuring Valerie Stone and Jane in the future.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Down in the Country

Down in the Country is a Carlow Valley Mystery.

It's another novel from James Bowring featuring his character ex-DI Clive Walsingham.

The perfectly normal life of a married couple is brought to an abrupt and upsetting end. Discovering the naked corpse of a woman murdered by strangulation in your garden will do that.

Acting Police Inspector Beauregard has never been in charge of a murder investigation and he struggles with the whole concept of why the woman was murdered and why she was left in that particular garden.

He seeks out the assistance of ex-detective inspector Clive Walsingham. Clive is now a hotelier in Carlow Valley, but when he receives the request to help Inspector Beauregard, he leaps at the opportunity. 

Intriguing facts of the history of the dead woman's past come to light and suspicion falls upon a local businessman who has a reputation for being less than scrupulous. 

But  Inspector Beauregard has to leave the case in abeyance as he is called upon to investigate the unexpected disappearance of Lord Westleigh's daughter. This leaves Clive continuing the investigation with the "support" of a Detective Constable who is somewhat abrasive. 

So, what happens? Why was the woman murdered? Why was she murdered? And who was the real killer?

And why does Clive get the feeling that his own life is now in danger? And what link is there to his own hotel?

This is another great detective thriller featuring ex-DI Clive Walsingham.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

In the Silence Long-Forgotten Almond Trees Blossom

In the Silence Long-Forgotten Almond Trees Blossom David B P Mayne has written an interesting story set in the future. Not the far distant future, but the near future.

In the 1980s a geologist, Jack, working in Libya is jailed. Eventually Jack is released from jail by the daughter of rich Greek/Libyan parents, Bushra.

They have a decade-long affair which is fraught with problems. He is in a marriage from which love is totally absent and her political activism are just two of them.

Bushra gives birth to twins fathered by Jack. Against the wills of their parents the children are separated at birth. Emma leaves for London with Jack, Stravros is taken by Bushra's parents to Benghazi.

Moving into the 2020s, Russia sweeps through the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean and Greece.

The UN steps in to create two mandates in Libya. In the East is Cyrenaica, under Russian control. 

In the West is Tripolitania and Fezzan under the guidance of the EDA, the European Defence Alliance.

Other factors in the region cause instability including climate change and a growing refugee situation.

By 2031 Emma's daughter has joined the EDA. She is captured on the border and taken by force to Cyrenaica.

But who ordered her capture? And why?

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

No Man is an Island

In No Man is an Island by Joseph Hucknall we read the exciting historical novel sequel to The Boy In a Turban.

Set in London in the 1750s, James Cudlip, who was born of a plantation owner and a slave, he is adopted and taken to Britain by an English sea captain.

James is a talented musician and eventually he becomes a music teacher and he befriends the heir to the throne, who would become George 3rd.

However, he soon finds that the established court is hostile toward him and bears him animosity.

His personal life is fraught with problems and his attempts to seek personal fulfilment and to find love in his life are blighted by tragedy.

However, despite the machinations of some members of the court establishment, he has something that they cannot take away from him, Royal approval.

This gives James something to aspire to. But will this bring him everything he needs, everything he desires? 

It's a fascinating historical novel and is published by the Book Guild at £7.99.

False Truth

 

False Truth is a debut crime thriller from C. D. Steele.

Joe Wilde is a former MI6 agent who is now a private eye. 

He is contacted by Sally Devlin who is the mother of an up-and-coming football star, Liam Devlin.

Liam Devlin is missing and because his car has been found abandoned in Hackney at Lea Bridge, a know suicide blackspot, the authorities have declared him to be a victim of suicide.

However, his mother thinks otherwise and she is convinced her son is still alive and she tasks Joe Wilde to find him.

Together with retired MI6 data tech Mark Thompson Joe quickly discovers that Liam had a massive secret that he had been hiding. Or, at least one massive secret.

The police officer in charge of the case, D. I. Whatmore is not pleased that a private investigator is working on what he considers to be very much his case and warns him off.

Joe finds a lead that takes him to South America and then things become really very, very complicated indeed and the body count starts to rise. 

Can Joe keep himself safe and who, exactly, is involved and what is their true end game?

It's published by the Book Guild at £8.99 and I certainly hope there will be more crime thrillers featuring a new and totally believable British private investigator. 

Measure of Days

 

In Measure of Days The world is in the grips of a plague known as FED, or Flesh Eating Disease.

However, Deter Edison knows little or nothing about this. She has a privileged life and is a normal, ordinary young girl who leads a fairly ordinary life under the care of a guardian, Amery.

However, all this is brought to an abrupt end when Deter is subjected to a vicious and brutal abduction.

She finds herself suddenly living in a dystopian nightmare where she realises that she might have been betrayed by her guardian.

Her captors are scientists who believe that Deter has an exceedingly rare gene that they want to harvest. And they make it clear that nothing will stop them from taking it.

Deter discovers that she is caught up in a battle between her captors and government agencies. 

She is aware that she must escape to London and seek security and safety there. But how can she achieve this? And if she can achieve it, who can she trust? How can she remain at liberty and hidden from those who want to control her body and the gene it carries?

It's a novel with a great deal of soul and a little bit of science fiction. I can recommend it.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Stranger From Berlin

In Stranger From Berlin author Beverley Hansford brings her readers another intriguing novel.

After several years Tim Mallon meets up with an old university chum, Boris Smirnov. 

Boris has a girlfriend called Lena and Tim is puzzled yet intrigued by both the relationship between Boris and Lena. He is also intrigued by Lena. After all, Lena is a pretty and attractive young lady yet Boris treats her with contempt and humiliation, which doesn't seem to phase or perturb her in the slightest.

Boris suggests that Lena stays with Tim and, with some wariness, he agrees to the idea.

Over time they have an amiable relationship which, at least as Tim is concerned, develops into love.

Tim is puzzled that Lena is extremely reticent to talk about her past life. Does she have a secret that she doesn't want to reveal or to be revealed?

Suddenly their apparently idyllic relationship is brought to an abrupt end when Lena is kidnapped from Tim's own doorstep and she is taken back to Berlin.

Tim immediately departs for Berlin in an attempt to find and rescue her and to learn the truth about what has happened and the mystery surrounding Lena's life.

However, when Tim arrives in Berlin he finds that he is being drawn into a shadowy and mysterious world where nothing is quite what it seems and he quickly learns that outside forces are controlling the situation.

Who can Tim trust? Can he get himself out of the nightmare world that he has, somehow, fallen into?

It's a very readable mystery and will appeal to people still interested in the sometimes fraught relationships between West and East Germany only several years ago.

It's published by Matador at £8.99.

Bloody Dominions

Bloody Dominions is a new novel from author and historian Nick Macklin.

He takes his readers back to the years 58-56BC. Caesar has launched his campaign to conquer Gaul.  

He brings to life Atticus a gifted soldier and military tactician whose grandfather was a member of the legions and who served with distinction. Allerix who is the Chieftain of the Aduatuci who finds himself in the schizophrenic situation of, at times, fighting both for Caesar and against him. And there is Epona, who is the adopted sister of Allerix and also a skilled and fierce warrior in her own right.

The conflicts they engage in are brutal and the impacts on both victor and defeated are powerful.

The main characters are fated to repeatedly cross paths and swords as they are doomed by circumstances to be enemies. However, all is not what it appears. I will say no more on this point as it might risk spoiling the enjoyment of this novel by my readers.

Whilst reading this novel the reader is transported back to the open lands and the dense, dark forests of ancient Europe as they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with tribal warriors and Roman Legionaries as they fight for conquest or to keep their lands free of conquering enemies.

The battle scenes are particularly affecting, especially when friends realise they are fighting against friends.

It's the first novel in the series, so do keep an eye open for the rest of them. 

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

The Brotherhood

In The Brotherhood published author Martin M. McShane brings to readers a story that is based on historical events.

The Holy Order of Knights has become a powerful, influential and very rich body. So powerful, influential and very rich that jealous and covetous eyes are turned toward them. As these eyes belong to the Pope and the King of France the future of the Holy Order of Knights is far bleaker than its members can understand.

The Pope is fearful of them due to their power and the King is fearful of them because he owes them a hug fortune. For these two, different reasons, the Pope and the King desire the ending of the Holy Order of Knights.

They form a scheme together which causes the Knights to be lured to Poitiers Castle where skilled assassins lie in wait for them to wipe them out.

However, the massacre is not without witnesses and three brothers are able to slip away from their captors and they are able to flee for their lives to their homeland, England.

The French King cannot allow them to escape and he employs vicious mercenaries to hunt them down and kill them.

As they continue their flight to freedom the brothers fight amongst themselves and they quarrel over the best way to seek revenge against the King of France. But which brother will rise above the others and will his schemes succeed?

This is a stirring and thoughtful book and is ideal for people who like their novels with historical settings.

It's the first of a series of novels.

It is published by The Book Guild at £8.99