LOVE, FAIL, REPEAT Part 1: NOT SAFE by Alice Bohane

 5 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: Tense domestic thriller

What an excellent piece of writing this is - I was engrossed throughout.  It concerns Genna and her husband Melchior, and their five month old baby, Jim, and begins with a tragic scene that doesn't immediately connect to the rest of the story.  I love a prologue/first chapter that's a snapshot of an event in the past or one to come; done well, it means that the reader will keep turning the pages, eager to find out more, and this was executed very well indeed.

We realise early on that Genna is deeply affected by something in her past, to the extent that many of her security habits verge on OCD, but she's aware of her idiosyncrasies, and tries to keep a hold of herself.  Her fear and anxiety is so very cleverly drawn.  Intricate domestic details run through the whole book, but it's never boring, because the undercurrent of fear and possible danger is forever present. And just when you think she's imagining it...

Events take a turn for the worrying around halfway through, and it's real edge-of-your-seat stuff.  Gripping.  By the time the story was nearing its close, I suspected everyone of everything.

This is not a long book, it's either a long novella or a short novel, but it works perfectly for the length.  It's part one of a continuing story that will be told in three books, and as such it does not wrap up neatly at the end.  Suffice to say I'll be first in the queue for Book 2.

A great read, I highly recommend.

THE FOREST DWELLERS by Judith Arnopp @juditharnopp

 5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)

On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: one of my favourite authors, I shall eventually read them all!

The Blurb, from Amazon

When the Normans come, the people of the New Forest are persecuted, evicted from their homes and forced to live in exile from the lands Saxons have inhabited for generations. Life is hard. The Norman interlopers are hated.

Twelve years after the invasion, three Norman soldiers molest a forest girl who is fairer than any they have ever seen. Leo stops the attack in the only way he can ...violently.

His actions that day trigger a chain of events that will end only with the death of a king.

The format of this book was not what I expected, in a very good way.  The story is told from the point of view of several of the characters starting with Ælf, younger sibling of Leo.  The first half takes place over a short period of time, with much detail, and then about half way through it moves swiftly on.  This took me by surprise but I soon understood that the earlier time period had to be told in more detail to make the broader view of the second half work so well.  From about a third of the way through I was dying to know who killed William Rufus and why - when the answer arrives, it's a beautifully thought out take on a question discussed by historians for centuries.

I loved the detail about Saxon life, especially about the forest dwellers themselves.  Made me long to time travel even more than usual.  Suffice to say I was engrossed all the way through.  My favourite characters were Leo, Thurrold and Tyrell.

This is one of Judith Arnopp's earlier books, but it's all still here.  The way you know the character immediately he or she opens his mouth, the flowing storylines, the research and love for the time, the accessibility of her writing style.  Highly recommended!

THE SAMUEL PARADOX by John Westley Turnbull #RBRT

4 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: The danger of allowing an autonomous 'agent' into your house.  Set in Australia.

I enjoyed this book.  The writing is very accessible, and it flowed very well, throughout.  A good 'easy read'!

The basic plot: In the near future, Arthur and Patricia purchase an AI controlled robot to help with jobs around the house.  Before long they're talking to it as if it's human.  Naming it.  Introducing Samuel to the rest of the family.  Allowing it to make certain decisions itself, beyond their instruction.  What could possibly go wrong?

This is the second novel I've read recently about people thinking they can control AI, only to discover how wrong they are.  A warning to us all, if it's not already too late.

I had a couple of issues with the book, one of which is purely subjective - I found the ending a bit too cosy, and the twenty years later epilogue too long and detailed.  I must underline that this is only my opinion, and I am sure that many readers will like the way in which it is all wrapped up.  The other thing was Arthur and Patricia.  They're only in their early sixties, but they felt older, from times past, rather than a few years into the future.  I'm older than both characters, but I couldn't relate to them at all.

I liked that there was a certain amount of humour within the narrative and dialogue - that worked very well, as did the chapters from Samuel's POV.  This novel is definitely worth reading, and subtly emphasises the the craziness of relying on technology to undertake tasks that humans can do themselves.

IN DARKNESS BORN by Gemma Lawrence

 5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)

On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: A favourite author

In a Nutshell: The early life of Katherine Parr, sixth and final wife of Henry VIII.

I loved this book, a very promising start to a new series, and I can't wait to read the next instalment!

Book #1 covers the period from childhood to the beginning of her second marriage, to John Neville, Lord Latimer.

I was looking forward to this series as Katherine Parr had such a varied and interesting life, with her four marriages and somewhat daring approach to religion (for the time), which of course she had to keep hidden from so many people in her life, not least of all her husbands. She was known as being educated, a thinker, an intelligent woman, but fewer men appreciated a woman such as she in the early 16th century.  

One important new friend she made was her first father-in-law's chaplain, Matthew, who did much to simplify the basics of religious reform for her, and showed her how she could truly submit to God away from all the pomp and corruption of the Catholic Church.  I loved the religious detail in the book; Katherine's thoughts echoed many of mine. I was fascinated by the extent of the avarice amongst the Church VIPs.  One of the main reasons for this hadn't occurred to me until I read this book - younger sons of landed gentry or aristocracy, who would not inherit, often faced a future in the Church whether they had strong faith or not, so they made the most of the opportunities available.

If you're interested in the religious reform of the 16th century, do read this! 

At the time, what happened at the court of Henry VIII affected and enthralled everyone, especially those born into nobility like Katherine, so there is a fair bit of talk about Henry's Great Matter, but it doesn't take over the story any more than it must have featured in their lives.  I particularly liked Katherine's mother's take on the proceedings.  A sometimes unreliable but at the same time wise narrator.

I noted how Katherine, with all her dreams of love and passion like that between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, was level and wise enough to accept that she could still find happiness in her good life with Lord Latimer. 

Well done, Gemma! 

QUEEN ANNA (Stuart Queens Trilogy Book 1) by @tonyriches #RBRT

 5 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: The life of Anna, wife of James 1 of England.

I so enjoyed this book - particularly fascinating as I know next to nothing about the Stuart era, so I learned much.

Tony Riches portrays Anna as a woman who knew her own mind but was intelligent enough to know when to insist on what she wanted and when to keep quiet.  She felt like something of an 'old soul', even when she was younger; she was probably the best wife the inconstant James could have had.  I felt as though she understood her situation and decided, calmly, to make the best of it.  She never knew true romantic love, but she made up for this with her children, her interests, her friendships.

Of course the book is intricately researched, and I loved the detail about the masques that so absorbed Anna, about the customs of the time.  The novel flows beautifully all the way through, never too much information (I never had the feeling that Riches was writing from his research notes!), and it flows so well - it's a very 'easy read'.

I felt so, so sorry for Anna when she lost her children - Robert, Mary, Sophia and of course, Henry.  In an interview with the author that I read the other day, Riches describes Henry as the 'best king we never had', and that, coupled with what I read about him, made me wonder how we might have fared as a country, had there been a Henry IX.  Anna's failing health was very sad, too - if only she'd taken her doctor's advice early on, and kept away from the wine.

I highly recommend this book for all historical fiction lovers, especially if you're not already versed in the period - and I'm very much looking forward to the next book, about Henrietta, wife of Charles I.  Actually, I can't wait.

GONE LIKE A GOLDFISH by Anonymous

 5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)

On Goodreads

Blurb from Amazon

Alcoholic novelist Jim Hardwick-Callahan intends to kill himself at the end of one last sex-filled vacation to Japan with his ex-girlfriend, but a death in the family interrupts his plans. As the tragedies pile up and his life falls apart, his teenage twins begin to self-destruct. This anonymously written book is about loss and obsession. It is sad, vulgar, disturbing, and funny.

My Review

Excellent stuff, I loved it.

Jim Hardwick-Callahan deploys hedonism to mask his disappointment with himself, his guilt and pain, and because he really likes sex and drugs.  The temporary buzzes of alcohol, psychedelics, weed, recreational and kinky sex do a good job of masking the emptiness that calls out to him now and again. 

I stayed awake to finish it last night when I needed to sleep, because I was totally absorbed.  Then of course I lay awake thinking about it.  It's that sort of book.  This is a terrific writer, unusually so.  The book was produced in a very short time - this is mentioned in the author's note at the back, which you should definitely read - so I was surprised at how tight it was, such a great structure, spot-on dialogue and detailed labyrinths of inner thought that were sometimes so sad, other times droll, or breezy, or a mixture of all three.  The novel is perfectly paced, with never a wasted word.

Megan, with whom he is in love, is the main female character in that her actress name will appear second in the titles after that of Jim's when they make the film.  She's clever, creative and elusive, and has way too many issues for one person.  Just Jim's type.  

BTW, in case this marks your point of departure.  The Megan bits often contain lots of bad language and sex, some of it quite graphic.  Normally, I would choose not to read that, but I made an exception. It fits the book ... hard to explain.  If Jim had talked/thought/acted in a more delicate way it wouldn't have been Jim, it would have been a far less arresting character.  In other words, none of it is remotely gratuitous.  And it's often funny.

The book features scenes about Jim's father, Pete - I loved reading about him, and Jim's strange brother Cray.  Jim's twins Amanda and Todd are essentially sound kids but are both screwed up in the way only teenagers can be.  Enter ex-wife Pam.  Jim's relationship with her is subtly amusing.  Kind of tired.  The areas of friction are still there, but they've gone limp.  

Then there are the other women, comprising past, present and promising hook-ups.  

As Jim's world starts getting smaller, he becomes trapped in his own head...

Amongst all the grimly entertaining chaos are many threads of introspection, anger, loss and heartbreak laid bare.  A small amount of words that can illustrate the emotion so starkly; at one point I stopped reading in admiration.  'Boy can this guy write' moments were off the charts.  I expect I shall read it again before too long.

It's a snip at 77p, or free on Kindle Unlimited.

THE VERSION THAT SURVIVED by Vera Mercer #RBRT

 4 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: Psychological mystery about grief, guilt and lies

I was most intrigued by this book from the word go - I won't go into the plot as that's in the blurb.  I was struck by how clever the writing was, it flowed so well, and also I loved how the author did not reveal essential detail about the events the book hinged upon - I was thinking, what's going on here?  Happily, the writing was compelling enough to keep me wondering and turning the pages, as the picture came into focus.

Sadly, I did lose interest in the second half, much of which was dialogue between the main character (Nora), and various others, in which they discussed intricate points and details.  It started to feel like a report, rather than a story, which made the drama ebb, somewhat.  I realised then that I wanted to read the actual story from, when the accident took place, with Lydia's rise in real time, as they say.  Her scheming, her manipulation of just about everyone, her need to redeem herself.  She was a fascinating character, and I would have liked to see her in action.  Know more about her.  There is more than one way of telling a story - choosing the right one can be very difficult!

'The reveal' did bring all the threads together, and explain much that went before, with all its implications and long-ranging effects.  The change in character focus really worked.  Completely satisfying end (loved the very last lines), always appreciated.

This is a debut novel, and I wish Vera Mercer all the best in her literary career :)