Guest Review: The Fort by Bernard Cornwell

A slight change from my usual Wednesday guest review. Today I'm bringing you one of my usual Sunday reviews because I have been on quite a few Sunday blog tours of late. Sp if you've been missing your reviews of historical or sport-related books, here you go!

‘Captivate, kill or destroy the whole force of the enemy’ was the order given to the American soldiers.

THE FORT is the blistering novel from worldwide bestseller Bernard Cornwell.

Summer 1779.

Seven hundred and fifty British soldiers and three small ships of the Royal Navy. Their orders: to build a fort above a harbour to create a base from which to control the New England seaboard.

Forty-one American ships and over nine hundred men. Their orders: to expel the British.

The battle that followed was a classic example of how the best-laid plans can be disrupted by personality and politics, and of how warfare can bring out both the best and worst in men. It is a timeless tale of men at war, written by a master storyteller.

Review: Bernard Cornwell is well known for his historical action novels, particularly the Sharpe series set during the Napoleonic Wars and dramatised on television. This novel is set some 20 to 30 years earlier during the American War of Independence. In 1779, the third year of the war, the British established a garrison at Majabigwaduce on a peninsula in the Penobscot River in what is now Maine but was then the eastern province of Massachusetts. Their aim was to establish a base to protect British shipping between Nova Scotia in Canada and New York, still held by the British. A second aim was to provide a safe haven for American Loyalists, who did not seek independence but wished to remain loyal to the British Crown, many of whom had fled to that part of New England from Boston, Massachusetts to escape persecution after the American Patriots had taken that city.

Hence, a force of 750 British troops comprising two Scots regiments, supported by artillery and three Royal Navy warships, landed and began to erect a fort on the high ground, which they named Fort George in honour of the King. In response, the State of Massachusetts dispatched a fleet of over forty vessels, the largest fleet assembled by the Patriots during the War of Independence, to expel the British. These ships carried men of the Massachusetts Militia, the Massachusetts Artillery and Federal Continental Marines. Altogether, there were some 900 men, and the whole expedition came to be known as the Penobscot Expedition.

The book covers the events of the Penobscot Expedition, from the landing of the British, the dispatch of the Expedition, the landing of the Americans and the subsequent fighting that took place on and around the peninsula. The narrative follows both the American and British sides of the engagement and by doing so, Bernard Cornwell has attempted to give a balanced view of the War of Independence, certainly more balanced than that usually offered by Hollywood. He also provides a chapter at the end of the book, entitled Historical Note, discussing the events of the Expedition and its aftermath.

I found the story very exciting and was kept guessing about the outcome of the engagement until the dramatic climax. I particularly liked the way the story alternated between the two opposing sides and found that I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. I should warn that it is not for the faint-hearted, since there are some very graphic accounts of the battle scenes.

Like much of Bernard Cornwell's work, the book is based on actual events and characters. Of interest are two famous individuals, one from each side. Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Revere commanded the Massachusetts Artillery during the Expedition. He was one of the riders dispatched in 1775 to warn the towns of Concord and Lexington that British regulars were marching from Boston, and is immortalised in Henry Longfellow's poem, "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere", published in 1861. Lieutenant John More was an eighteen-year in the British 82nd Regiment of Foot and first saw action at Majabigwaduce. He rose subsequently to the rank of Lieutenant-General, was knighted and died in action at Corunna during the Napoleonic Wars. Statues of Paul Revere and John Moore can be found in Boston and Glasgow, respectively, whilst the walls of Fort George can still be seen in what is now Maine.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Blog Tour: Extract from The Fear by CL Taylor

I am so excited to be part of the blog tour for The Fear by CL Taylor. CL Taylor is one of my favourite authors and she is definitely an auto-buy author for me! The Fear was published on 22nd March in the UK and you can read my review of this novel by clicking here!

Here's what its all about...

Sometimes your first love won’t let you go…

When Lou Wandsworth ran away to France with her teacher Mike Hughes, she thought he was the love of her life. But Mike wasn’t what he seemed and he left her life in pieces.

Now 32, Lou discovers that he is involved with teenager Chloe Meadows. Determined to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself, she returns home to confront him for the damage he’s caused.

But Mike is a predator of the worst kind, and as Lou tries to bring him to justice, it’s clear that she could once again become his prey…

You can order your copy of The Fear by clicking here!

And now I will leave you with an extract from the book-so exciting! Don't forget to check out the other stops on this tour for more exclusive content!

‘Jay, where are you?’ a blonde woman called from behind him. A second later she hurtled down the hallway, knocking into the walls like a bowling ball thrown by a pre-schooler. ‘Oh, there you are.’ She looped her arm around his neck and peered out at Wendy through red-rimmed eyes. ‘Who are you?’

    Wendy tried very hard not to sigh. The woman was obviously drunk and, from the look of her grubby feet, she’d walked barefoot back from the pub. ‘I’m Jason’s next-door neighbour. I’d like you to turn the noise down please. I can’t sleep.’

    ‘But it’s his birthday,’ the woman wailed before she pressed her smudged lips against the side of his neck. ‘Don’t be an old killjoy.’

    ‘I’m not an old anything,’ Wendy said tightly. ‘But I’ve got work in the morning and I suggest you save your partying for the weekend.’

    Jay sighed. ‘We’ll turn it down.’

    ‘And spoil your birthday? No chance!’ The blonde waggled a hand in Wendy’s face. ‘You need to go home and have sex with your husband. It might loosen you up a bit.’

    ‘Lisa!’ Jay tried to extricate himself from her octopus-like grip. ‘You can’t talk to her like that. Sorry,’ he said over his shoulder to Wendy as he attempted to wrangle Lisa back down the hallway. ‘She’s a bit of a livewire.’

    ‘I’d rather be a livewire than a dried-up prune,’ Lisa shouted up at him. ‘I don’t want to get old. Not if I end up like her. Will you shoot me if I do, please?’

    ‘You’ll never be like her.’

    Wendy reached forward and tugged on the door handle of the open front door. The glass in the top panel shook as she slammed it shut.

Review: I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman

Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making plans to run away from home to find the boy that he loves, and Nathaniel is arriving in New York City after a family tragedy leaves him isolated on the outskirts of Washington state. After the three of them collide in Central Park, they slowly reveal the parts of their past that they haven't been able to confront,and together, they find their way back to who they're supposed to be. 

Told over the course of a single day from three different perspectives, this is a story about the power of friendship and being true to who you are. 

 

Review: Do you ever read a book and think "this book was so clever, I wish that I had written it!"? Well this was one of those books. Firstly I love a book that takes place over just one day and secondly I love a book with multiple narratives and this fabulous book had both of those. This book is also relatively short which was very refreshing, I didn't feel intimidated by reading it and read it over the weekend which was just perfect! Safe to say, one of my favourite things about this book was the way it was structured!

The characters were pretty awesome too though! Firstly we have Freya who is definitely a celebrity. She is of Ethiopian origin and so I loved that diverse aspect of her character. She has a rocky relationship with her family and she has definitely lost her way. Then we have Harun, whose family is Pakistani. Harun has some secrets he is keeping, some of them even from himself. I like Harun a lot but found him a little frustrating, I wanted to jump into the book and fix him. Nathanial is definitely my favourite of the three characters here. He also has some secrets but we, as readers, get a little peak at what those might be. I also wanted to jump into the book and fix him but I had a little more faith that his new friends would be able to help him out with that so I wouldn't have to. I worried about him the entire way through, I think I felt a very motherly connection to him-oh dear!

Because this book is set over just one day, the storyline is pretty intense but we are treated to lots of flashbacks so each of the characters will have a chapter where we learn a little bit about how they lost their way. I loved this structure, as I have already mentioned and feel like these flashbacks gave the characters and the storyline depth. I couldn't directly relate to any of the reasons these characters had lost their way but because I liked all three of the characters, i definitely felt sympathy for them. I loved the structure of this book and the diversity of the three characters; it was  quick read and definitely something I would recommend picking up sooner rather than later!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Blog Tour: Review of The Man I Think I Know by Mike Gayle

I am very excited to be part of the blog tour for Mike Gayle's new novel The Man I Think I Know. It was released in the UK on April 19th and the links to order are below my review!

Ever since The Incident, James DeWitt has stayed on the safe side.

He likes to know what happens next.

Danny Allen is not on the safe side. He is more past the point of no return.

The past is about to catch up with both of them in a way that which will change their lives forever, unexpectedly.

But redemption can come in the most unlikely ways.

Review: Now I love a Mike Gayle novel but I knew as soon as I started this one that I was in for something different, this was something extra special! This books lured me in right from the word go by being structured as a dual narrative. Both of our narrators are Male which is unusual for me, but I loved both of them and wanted to know everything about them as soon as they started telling their story. The title of this novel is so clever because it is them talking about themselves as much as it is them talking about each other, just mind-blowing!

I loved both of these characters because they are both such strong characters but they both have their flaws. I loved reading about people who aren't perfect because we aren't perfect and I love an author that tells the truth like that. James is a fabulous character because he had a life changing event and so her is very much starting again and forming a new life for himself. Danny is pretty much doing the same thing although for completely different reasons. They are connected in so many ways and on so many levels that I'm not even sure I have discovered all of them yet! They have both made questionable decisions and sometimes not been 'nice' to other people but it's who they are now that matters and boy are they learning that as well!

The story takes place as these two men become involved in each others lives but we get to know their individual lives as much as we get to know their lives together and so this storyline can get fairly complicated. It also deals with some difficult issues which may prove to be triggers for some readers so make sure you read the synopsis before digging in. I went in blind but I felt that the more troubling and difficult of the issues that these men have to deal with were dealt with incredibly well. I loved the narrative and I left this novel feeling totally uplifted and like I had gone through this journey with them. I loved this book and I now feel like there is some hope in the world!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Recent UK Book Events

Whilst I've been in the UK, I've been lucky enough to have been invited to some fabulous bookish events. I've also found some wonderful events using the Eventbrite app and so have been a busy book blogger/BookTuber of late! I have shared some video footage of these events with you as well so I will link those in this post or you can check out my YouTube channel to watch those in full!

UK Launch of Our House by Louise Candlish

The first event I was invited to was the launch of Our House by Louise Candlish. I was invited by Simon and Schuster to the event in Hatchards Piccadilly on the books's UK release day-5th April. The event had so many wonderful bookish people in attendance including so many lovely Simon and Schuster/Books and The City people, other authors, other bloggers and of course the wonderful Louise Candlish herself! You can order a copy of the book by clicking here!

I also shared some footage at the end of my review video for Our House

UK Book Blogger Awards and London Book Fair

The next events I attended were both part of London Book Fair which I was also able to attend this year. I attended specifically to go to the Book Blogger awards which I shared news of with you a few weeks ago. It was great to have book blogger finally recognised in their own awards ceremony. I don't think I would go to the book fair again unless it was to attend the awards again or if I had a reason to meet with specific publishers. It's definitely a site to behold but unless you have a meeting arranged its just stands as far as the eye can see!

The other event that was London Book Fair related was a London Book and Screen week screening of the movie Suffragette with a talk from 3 amazing women beforehand. Here's the video footage and a couple of clips from both of these events. 

Ruth Jones Never Greener with Chorleywood Bookshop

I then was lucky enough to get tickets to the Chorleywood Bookshop event with Ruth Jones in celebration of her new novel Never Greener. Ruth was interviewed by Hannah Beckerman and spoke of how the book started out life as a screen play, how she included some decent sex scenes in the book and the fact that the character Belinda is basically modelled on her from 1985. She had us all laughing and definitely convinced me to start reading the book, which is currently at number one, ASAP. As always Chorleywood Bookshop put on an amazing event, if you live anywhere nearby, definitely sign up to their mailing list! You can order a copy of Never Greener by clicking here. 

UK Launch of You, Me, Everything by Catherine Isaac

Catherine Isaac launched her new novel You, Me Everything in Waterstones Liverpool One last night. She was interviewed by journalist and friend Dawn Collinson. She talked about the fact that she had changed her  name for this novel because it is quite different from the ten novels she wrote as Jane Costello; who she would want to cast in the main roles if the movie of the novel gets underway and what it was like writing about the relationship between mother and son as a mother of sons herself. It was a fabulous evening in a great venue and it was wonderful to see so many others authors there to support the launch of this book. If you want to see my review of this book, you can click here!

You can order a copy of the book by clicking here!

Review: You, Me, Everything by Catherine Isaac

Set in the French countryside on an idyllic summer vacation, a delicious, tender novel about finding every bit of joy in life no matter what's thrown at us

Sick of his lies, cheating ways, and complete lack of interest in fatherhood, Jessica left her boyfriend, Adam, only months after she gave birth to their son--and never looked back. Adam moved to France to follow his dream, unencumbered by a serious relationship and the child he never wanted.

Ten years later, Susan, Jess's mother, lies in a nursing home, battling a debilitating disease. Susan forces Jess to recognize what she's always refused to acknowledge: that William needs his father in his life. 

So, Jess and ten-year-old William set off to spend the summer at Château de Roussignol, deep in the rich, sunlit hills of the Dordogne, where Adam runs a beautiful hotel. There, Jess has a mission: to make Adam fall in love with his own son.

By turns heartbreaking and hopeful, You Me Everything is a novel about one woman's fierce determination to grab hold of the family she has, and a romantic story about finding love even under the most unexpected circumstances.

Review: I loved this book, i loved the way the story was told and I loved Jess as a lead character. This books is exactly what it says it is, heartbreaking and hopefully all the same time. You will not want to put it down once you have picked it up because Jess is such a great character to spend time with, but also you will need to know what is going to happen next. As soon as I started reading this book, I felt like I just needed to settle in for the night because once I was there, there was no way I was moving. 

I am deliberately not mentioning the story line here because I read this book completely unspoiled, to be honest I went into this book completely blind, I didn't even read the synopsis and I really enjoyed it because I didn't have a clue what was coming my way. I loved the setting, it reminded me of my year 8 trip to France, and the weather you get during the summer there, the feelings and the smells of that time of year. I also loved the structure of the book. There are flashbacks to Jess's past, far back in the past but also back to the recent past and this really helps you get to know her as a character, but also helps you continue to turn to the pages of the book hungrily, to find out what impact the past will have had on Jess's present!

As I have already mentioned, Jess is a great main character for this novel. She is so easy to relate to and get along with because she has flaws. She is not perfect and we know that as soon as we meet her. I feel sure that, like me, you will love that about her and love this author for writing a flawed character who is just like you and me. She is a mum and, like most mums, she feels like she isn't doing a good enough job, but she is also a daughter, and like most of us too, she feels she isn't doing a good enough job at that too. She is a great character to tell this story and I really hope that you will fall in love with her too. 

This book is just lovely and once you pick it up you really will want to settle in, get to know Jess and go on this journey with her from start to finish. You will feel like you are in France with her and William and I guarantee you will end this book feeling incredibly hopeful and fulfilled. I loved it and I am sure you will too!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US (published May 1st in US)

Guest Review: The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland

Ailsa Rae is learning how to live.

She's only a few months past the heart transplant that - just in time - saved her life. Life should be a joyful adventure. But . . .

Her relationship with her mother is at breaking point and she wants to find her father.

Have her friends left her behind?

And she's felt so helpless for so long that she's let polls on her blog make her decisions for her. She barely knows where to start on her own.

Then there's Lennox. Her best friend and one time lover. He was sick too. He didn't make it. And now she's supposed to face all of this without him.

But her new heart is a bold heart. 

She just needs to learn to listen to it . . .

Review: This is the second novel I have read from Stephanie Butland. I thoroughly enjoyed her last book, Lost for Words, and was looking forward to reading this one. The subject area sounded interesting and unusual. 

The story concerns 28-year-old Alisa Rae. Born with a heart defect, her life has been a long series of hospital stays and operations until a transplant has become her only hope. When, miraculously, a match is found and she has a new heart and hope for the future, she has to adapt to a way of life that she has never known before. It almost seems overwhelming to have choices where there were none before. However, this change brings with it its own problems. Her mother, who has been through all of the past difficulties with her from birth is also faced with new challenges as she now has to allow Alisa to make her own way in life. For many years, Alisa has written a blog documenting her day-to-day life.  She has also used the blog to help her decide on all sorts of issues through the opinions of her followers. Once she is well and has so many opportunities open to her, can she, and should she, relinquish her dependence on her social media friends? 

I found this a moving and thought-provoking story of a girl coping with an enormous change in her life, told with a fair amount of humour that balances out the serious nature of the topic. As well as a tale of someone recovering from a life threatening situation, there is friendship and romance. The narrative does flit around a bit, from past to present, and blog post to email, making it difficult for me to follow at times. However, it does bring home the message that organ donation is an important choice for us all and that having a transplant is not the end of the journey. 

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US