AN IDLE KING by Andrew Paterson #RBRT #TuesdayBookBlog

4.5 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Military drama set mostly in Afghanistan

'An Idle King is a modern retelling of an ancient story about lost soldiers who can never go home.'

Callum King, a former army officer, is trying to come to terms with civilian life, including family difficulties and the depressing veterans' meetings.  Following news about one of his soldiers who was involved in the incident that led to Callum's discharge, he joins a team employed by a private security company, going back into Afghanistan for a chaotic, dangerous and mysterious mission.

That the author has a military background is clear from this book, not only in the practical detail but the way in which he describes the emotional state rigours of his characters.  The book is extremely well-written and certainly kept me turning the pages; Andrew Paterson has a good deal of understated talent.

The secondary characters are a fairly stereotypical bunch that one would expect in a story of this genre, whether in a book or a film - the naïve newbie, the brute, the big fatherly guy who doesn't talk much, the one female officer who becomes his right-hand-woman, the psychological wreck ... but because they're so well-drawn they didn't feel clichéd at all.  Callum himself is complex and confused; although the book is written in the third person, it still manages to show us inside his and others' heads rather than coming from a detached, omniscient narrator.

The revelation about the true nature of the mission comes as a shock to the reader as well as to Callum - it says a lot about this world, and none of it good.  There were so many quotes I loved, that spoke about the wider world as well as the country that Paterson clearly has great feeling for:

'Your people have been coming here for thousands of years trying to conquer our country.  You might as well throw sand against a mountain.'

'Habs spots a caravan of Kuchis trundling along the dried out riverbed ... mostly men in long wool coats, shepherding goats and sheep.  But some women, too, riding on the backs of camels or walking with small children in their arms ... together on some ancient migration, following routes seared deep into their forgotten histories.'

'Nation states are finished.  The future is the market state.  Instead of parliament and politicians, now the world's run by hedge fund managers and venture capitalists.'

'Callum knows all these men even though he hasn't met them before ... the scars on their faces, the missing limbs, the suffering in their eyes.  They're the children of war, soldiers in name only.  Boys who grew up without fathers.  Boys who were handed a rifle or the trigger to an improvised explosive device by old men who live far away ... and when the old men were finished with them, they were tossed aside like spent shell casings.'

'They're two old soldiers who went away to fight wars in far off places started by fat men for petty reasons.'

The ending is one of those that offers some resolution but not too much; it's sad and kind of mournful, but so right for the story.  It really is a very good book; I'd most definitely recommend.

THE UNVEILING OF POLLY FORREST by Charlotte Whitney #RBRT #TuesdayBookBlog

4 out of 5 stars

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On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Family drama/mystery set in rural Michigan during the 1930s Depression

A book about America's Great Depression always piques my interest; this suspense-filled story of sisters Sarah and Polly, living in farming country in Michigan in 1934, certainly conjured up the atmosphere.  Elder sister and vicar's wife Sarah is dutiful, industrious, a tad self-righteous and bitterly jealous of Polly;  Polly is stunningly pretty, stylish (with a penchant for glamorous hats), and newly married to the mysterious Sam.

It's clear that the author has a passion for this period of history and really understands the hardship people lived through, with no knowledge of how or when it would end, and I so appreciated all the detail of the every day lives.  As for the characters, I found that at first I sympathised with Sarah and wasn't so keen on Polly, but as more insight was given, I soon felt the other way round, and felt the claustrophobia of Polly's life, while disliking Sarah's attitude.  I very much liked how the truth about Sam and Polly emerged so gradually; a slow 'unveiling' indeed.

The book is told from the POVs of Sarah, Polly and Sarah's husband Wes; I did feel that Sarah and Wes's 'voices' were too alike, and I'd sometimes have to flick back to remind myself whose chapter I was reading.  

I didn't realise straight away that I'd read another book by this author for the review team, a while back; I refreshed my memory about it, and think this is a much more interesting novel, with a more complex and intriguing plot, though one storyline seemed superfluous - a forbidden desire that I thought was going to go somewhere exciting but just petered out, as if the author had got bored with it.  Aside from the start being a little exposition heavy, to set the scene and give background information, I enjoyed the unfolding of the story and was completely taken by surprise when the 'reveal' came - that's always a real bonus!  

LADY PSYCHE by Gemma Lawrence

4.5 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book:  Been waiting for it!

In a Nutshell: Book #2 of The Armillary Sphere series, about Lady Jane Rochford

The weighty events of the King's 'Great Matter', ie his quest to divorce Katherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn, are just beginning as this part of Jane Rochford's story continues; the book takes us up to Henry's break from Rome.  

My favourite aspects of this book:

• The descriptive passages about the sweating sickness plague; it is talked about in other Tudor era books by Gemma Lawrence, but in Lady Psyche Jane tells us what it was actually like to live in a time and place when a deadly disease was rampant—a disease that was not understood, and from which few recovered.  She gives detail about how it was to live with this, on a daily basis; I was engrossed.
• The picture painted of the 'cage' Jane was in (as described by a woman she met on a visit to Bedlam); she felt invisible and probably was, to a large extent, sitting as she did on the sidelines of the Boleyn family.  So in love with her husband and longing for a child, each day being reminded of her empty womb and her husband's indifference, and being faced with the realisation that she was not of importance to anyone.  Her fears for the future, her sanity and her soul once Henry named himself Head of the Church, and her constant loneliness.  Rarely have I seen illustrated so well how bleak was the lot of women in those days.  Put simply, she had no choice in how her life was lived.
• How Jane has been given a slight and believable psychic ability, the occasional vision of the future.  I loved reading about the times when she saw what was to come but could not interpret it, and would have loved to see more, but on balance I think Ms Lawrence was wise to show this only sparsely.  

This is the fourth series by Gemma Lawrence in which the 'Great Matter' takes centre stage; it also features prominently in her series about Anne Boleyn (obviously!), Jane Seymour and Catherine Howard.  Each time it is told from a different point of view, which is clever, though I wonder if the accounts might benefit from a little pruning of detail, so that it remained, in this case, primarily Jane's story, rather than that of Anne, Henry, Wolsey, etc.  Having said that, the royal love triangle would have been the main topic of conversation for anyone in court circles at the time, Jane's fortunes were inextricably linked with Anne's, and ladies-in-waiting did not do a great deal apart from attend their mistress and take part in court gossip!  

I look forward to the next book, very much.

NEANDER: EVOLUTION by Harald Johnson @AuthorHarald #RBRT #TuesdayBookBlog

4 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Book #3 of a time travel series between now and 40K years ago.

Evolution is the final book in the highly original and well-researched Neander trilogy, in which science journalist Tom finds himself back in prehistoric times, and develops a life there, whilst keeping the portal to the present (and, as he discovers, the future) open.

His journeys between the worlds have not remained a secret, and scientists dedicated to genetic modification are anxious to milk this opportunity for all they can - while Tom, back in pre-history, wants to strengthen and educate the Neanderthal people he has grown to love, so that they will not be rendered extinct by the Sapiens.

The portal between the worlds is becoming unreliable, with Tom returning to the present and finding it to be the future - there is also an instance of a return to times much longer ago.  I loved this idea, and wished there had been more of it; I would have loved to see the world through Tom/Rusty's eyes before man, or, say, about five thousand years ago.  As with the other books, the narrative flows well and I read it quickly, anxious to know what was going to happen.

This is a great idea, the books are well-written, though I think it could have been explored still further - Tom talks about changing the present by actions he takes in the past, a most fascinating concept, and I would have loved to see more of this.  However, these are Harald Johnson's books, not mine, and as such I am not telling him what to write!  Suffice to say that if he decides to return to this world, I will be happy to read the results.

(Incidentally, I was most interested to read that prehistoric people were biologically unable to tolerate the milk of goats, or cows when they were introduced.  Humans being lactose tolerant is a relatively new phenomena; bearing in mind the amount of people who find that many minor ailments clear up once they stop taking in dairy produce makes me wonder how the change came about.)  

LOYALTY IN CONFLICT by April Taylor @authapriltaylor #TuesdayBookBlog

 4 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: I know the author from Twitter and heard she was writing about this time period, one that always interests me.

In a Nutshell: Schemes and skulduggery during the Wars of the Roses!

Loyalty in Conflict is set in the period of the Wars of the Roses when Edward IV had been king for ten years, and when his brother George, Duke of Clarence, had teamed up with the Earl of Warwickshire to support the other side.  In case you are not familiar with this time in history, April Taylor has provided a brief and helpful summary of the state of play at the time when this story starts.

As the story is named 'A Gideon Rooke Adventure', I assume there will be more; Gideon is the son of the marshal at Lord Richard Welles' Lincolnshire manor at Eresby.  He works in the stable, though his basic intelligence must be hidden in a time when those of his station were thought of as dim-witted.

The household supports the red rose, but Gideon's father believes that Edward IV is the king the country needs, and sets out a plan for Gideon to inform the king about a planned rebellion.

The book is flows so well, a very 'easy read', sometimes with an almost 'cosy mystery' feel to it.  Gideon's personal development once he steps outside his own little world is most interesting, and the characters of Edward and Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III) were just as I've always imagined them.  As I often find with historical fiction of this period, an aspect that I loved was the detail that showed how people lived in this time; the book is clearly well researched.

Later in the book is a detailed account of Gideon's impression of the battlefield, which is shocking and moving, and shows that battle is no glorious adventure.  I look forward to reading more about this world that April Taylor has created. 

IF SHE WAKES by Erik Therme

3 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)

On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: dark family drama

I didn't realise when I opened this novel on my Kindle that it was a sequel, as I don't look a book up on Amazon after choosing it for review so I can't be influenced by others.  I gather that in the first book, Tess and Josh's daughter Lily was killed in an RTA by Brady, after which Tess stalked his family (wife Meg and daughter Amy), and Meg faked Amy being kidnapped.  Also, Tess's brother Colin died of cancer - he was married to Torrie, and they have a son, Levi.  I learned this from a prologue and first chapter that contained a little too much exposition; a brief 'story so far' in the introduction might have worked better.

The title refers to Torrie, who falls into a coma early in the story, the rest of which centres around Tess and Josh's necessary but difficult relationships with Torrie's family members, as care for Levi is of prime importance.  Mysteries abound concerning Torrie and her family.  Although certain conclusions are reached by the end of the book, it's clear that it's making way for a third novel as the story is by no means finished.

I'm afraid I found this novel a little 'flat'; it flowed well and is professionally presented; the author has thought up a reasonable plot and delivered it, and the characters are fairly well represented.  The emotional problems within Tess and Josh's marriage are well written and realistic, but none of the characters are likeable (you need at least one person to root for!) and I felt that the conversation and narrative lacked spark.  An example: 'I nod, as if I didn't already know this. "Better to go tonight and get it done, as something might change in the morning, and we wouldn't have time.  I'll go.  I just need a few minutes to relax after I finish clearing the table.  It's been a long day".'  It's all like that.  Nothing wrong with it, but it just didn't grab me.  A couple of times I got a little excited by what appeared to be the beginning of a good plot line, but each time it fizzled out quickly. The twist at the end was over-explained and a bit tenuous, I thought.

It's not bad, but for me it was just 'okay'.  This is, of course, always so subjective, and others might feel differently, particularly if they loved the first book.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN by Lionel Shriver

 5 out of 5 stars

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On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: Watched the film for the first time a few years back.

In a Nutshell: Can a child be born evil?

This film popped into my head recently and I watched it again, then decided, on impulse, to get the book too.  You'll probably have heard about it - it's about Eva, happily married to Franklin, deciding to start a family.  Throughout the pregnancy she's not sure if she's done the right thing, and from the moment Kevin is born she does not bond with him at all.  From when he's a toddler, she begins to believe that he either hates her, or was born evil.  Events pile up, over the years, until just before his sixteenth birthday when he instigates catastrophe.

The book is written in the form of Eva's letters to Franklin, after the life-changing events of April 8th, 1999.  It's hard to say how much I would have understood about what she insinuates had I not seen the film, though some of the outcome is made clear from the beginning.  Some reviews have criticised this, but there is more to find out right at the end, if you haven't seen the film.  The unfolding of the family's life after Kevin's birth, in her letters, is truly shocking.

It's an unusual structure and format, being written partly in the second person, but for me it totally worked, and I was engrossed throughout.  Highly recommended (and in answer to the book club question examples at the end, yes, I think he was born evil and no, I don't think any of it was Eva's fault!).