March TBR 2020

March is one of those funny in between months isn't it? I tend to find myself travelling in March so this is going to be very much a pool of books to choose from since March is rather uncertain with jobs and travel and whatnot...

March Releases

March 3rd (US)

March 5th

March 5th

A Cat Called Cupid-Tilly Tennant-March 26th

March 17th (US)

Paige Toon Readalong

Other Books I want to Get To

Guest Review: Sunset Over the Cherry Orchard by Jo Thomas

It's time for Beti Winter to dance to her own beat.

After three failed engagements Beti is in desperate need of a fresh start. What better place than the sun-drenched hills of southern Spain?

But it's not all sangria and siestas. Beti finds work on an old Andalusian cherry farm where there are cherries to be picked, trees to be watered and her fiery boss, Antonio, to win over.

As the sun toasts her skin, Beti finds herself warming to the Spanish way of life. Embracing the art of flamenco, she discovers there is much to learn from the dance of passion. She just has to let loose and listen to the rhythm of her heart.

Review: Since reading, and thoroughly enjoying, Jo Thomas’s latest book, I have been catching up on her earlier stories and, at the same time wondering how they have passed me by previously. Sunset Over the Cherry Orchard is my latest read. As I am finding with this author’s work, I was quickly transported into the main characters’ world and lost there every time I picked up the book to read.

This story centres on Beti Winter, whose dream has been to own and run a bar in Spain. When she spots an ideal property, she sets off with her savings and latest fiancé to realise her ambitions. However, when her fiancé disappears with her money, she sees her dream floating away. Rather than return to the UK a failure, Beti finds a job with accommodation on a local cherry farm and restaurant, where, as well as washing dishes, tending the trees and preparing for the all important cherry harvest, she becomes immersed in the fortunes of the family who own the business, in particular her fierce boss, Antonio, and his teenager son. As time passes, Beti settles into traditional Spanish ways, learning all the time about the food and customs, and, in particular, about the art of flamenco dancing. She also gradually begins to warm to Antonio as she breaks down his gruff exterior.

At the end of this book, I felt as though I had had a really lovely holiday in Spain and learned a lot about the way of life there, away from the usual tourist activities. There is so much more to growing cherries than I ever knew. So well is the book written that the tension in the family as the harvest approached was palpable and I almost felt myself praying that nothing was going to spoil the cherries. Beti is a marvellous character who I really got behind, feeling for her as she took all manner of setbacks on the chin and grew in confidence with each page of the book. I wasn’t so sure about Antonio, but he gradually grew on me as he did on Beti. I admit that I have never been a fan of flamenco and even avoided it when on holiday in Spain, but after reading this book I feel I have a new insight into the art, and will be seeking it out on my next visit. I would recommend this book to all; in addition to the drama, the story brings with it all kinds of things such as a touch of humour and gentle romance along with the sights, sounds and smells of Spain.

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

Book Addiction Tag | How Many Books are on my Shelves?

via IFTTT

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Single Word Titles 3/3/20

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

When I first saw this list I thought, I don't know any books with just one word in the title and then I looked through my read books and my TBR and what do you know... there are actually more than you realise!

Blog Tour: Extract From Summer Thunder by AB Gibson

I am very excited to be part of the blog tour today for Summer Thunder by AB Gibson. I have an extract to share with you today and if you like the sound of that, you can click here to order your copy now. Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour for more exclusive content and reviews. 

Here's what it's all about...

A Modern-Day Fairytale That Will Have Readers Swooning

Lily is headstrong, independent, and stuck in a loop of bad luck. She makes fairy figurines that customers buy to bring them good luck, but her merchandise doesn’t seem to do the same for her. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t believe in them.

Theos is handsome and charismatic, a kite-surfing superstar who travels the world. So why is he drawn to Lily and the store on a California beach she struggles to keep afloat? And could she be the one to trigger the awakening of his unusual destiny?

And here's that extract for you...

Are you about ready, Lil? We’ve got a nice crowd.” Next door Lily was struggling with her costume. “Hang on,” she shouted into her speaker‐ phone. “One of my wings is jammed.” “Couldn’t you just fake it for now? I don’t want them to leave.” “Greta, calm down, okay? I’m working as fast as I can.” She gave one final tug, and the mechanism clicked into place. “There, fixed it! Let’s go!” The doors of their side-by-side shops flung open, and Lily and Greta emerged in full costume through the swirling thick carpet of theatrical fog and took their marks. Greta’s fog machine never failed to in‐ trigue the tourists, not that fake fog was novel. What made the effect so unexpected was finding such spookiness along the Myers Beach Boardwalk on a bright, sunny spring California morning. 

Equally unlikely for the random collection of passersby was stumbling onto a battle between good and evil. “Begone, witch!” Lily waived her luminescent wand in great protective circles to fend off the fright‐ ful-looking hag and the evil spell she threatened to cast her way. “You don’t scare me,” cackled Greta, as she limped closer using her broomstick as a crutch. Lily, the fair-skinned fairy, sparkled with good‐ ness and her perfect creamy complexion reflected glints of silver and gold. Her motorized delicate pink pointy wings fluttered cautiously, in sync with her defensive position. “I’ll show you, my pretty,” sneered Greta the Witch, inducing predictable snickers from those who stayed to witness the feud play out. Thin wisps of greenish smoke circled up like tendrils from the or‐ nate urn she shoved in Lily’s face. The fairy scrunched her nose at the odor and waved away the fumes. “I said, begone! You can’t hurt me.”

 Each spectator privately took sides, but there was a collective gasp when Lily unexpectedly flung a handful of powder into the air. All eyes followed the dazzling pinkish cloud of glitter as it slowly filtered down and enveloped the witch. “Bah! Look what you’ve done!” coughed Greta. “I’ll get you for ruining my day with your prettiness!” She shook a clenched fist at the fairy one final time before slouching backwards and disappearing through the murky fog into her store. “Brava!” shouted someone from the crowd. Lily turned toward the cheering voice and made her signature petite curtsy. Then, closing her eyes she returned the favor with a wave of her wand to be‐ stow goodness on her enthusiastic well-wishers. She opened her eyes, and her face fell when saw that she’d lost her audience. Greta had reemerged through the fog and with a grand swish of her cloak bowed her head and dropped to one knee like a diva, upstaging Lily. 

Meet the Author

@ABGibson1  

@LoveBooksGroup  

#Lovebookstours 

Blog Tour: Extract from Full Throttle by Jon Hartless

I'm very excited to be part of the blog tour for Full Throttle by Jon Hartless. I have an extract to share with you today and if you like the sound of that, you can click here to order a copy now. I have all the author info for you at the bottom of the post as well as the Goodreads link. Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour for more exclusive content and reviews. 

Here's what it's all about...

In an autocratic society that refuses to let her move forward, can Poppy stay ahead of the pack?As expensive steam-powered automobiles speed across the land, Poppy Orpington is trapped and going nowhere – until her father reveals his secret project, a petrol-fuelled car ready for the race track. But will they even be allowed to compete?Racing is the preserve of the wealthy elite and few will welcome a working class family onto their hallowed ground. Can Poppy overcome social prejudice and conformity, or will her one and only chance of a better life be crushed before it can even begin?Full Throttle; book one of a Steampunk motor racing adventure set in a world of division, intolerance and inequality that modern readers may find disturbingly familiar

And here's that extract for you...

Preface

Today, Poppy Orpington is hardly remembered at all. Some do know she was a famous racing driver, though only a minority of these are aware that her first car was called Thunderbus, not Thunderbolt, a mistake arising from her later company of that name. Others wrongly dismiss her as the first of the modern celebrities, working the media for fame and money, while a few will gleefully recall libellous newspaper reports of harlotry in a Parisian bawdy house whenever her name is mentioned.

Most, however, are familiar only with her stained reputation from the Great War – a reputation, I maintain, that is thoroughly undeserved. However, I must not get ahead of myself. I shall explore everything in the right order and put Poppy in the context of her era. Her exoneration, should you wish to grant it, must be given at the right time and with a fullunderstanding of Poppy’s character.

This, then, is the beginning of the testimony, taken from diaries, letters and personal contemporaneous interviews. Some may complain that my shaping of this material into a narrative rather than an academic account will diminish the authenticity of the work; I contest that Poppy’s biography is so dramatic in tone, and so rich in style, that it pulled itself naturally into this shape.

Nonetheless, a few disclaimers should be noted. Memory is fragile, and it is unsurprising to see the manner in which events can be transposed, altered and generally misunderstood. Please be assured that I have researched all areas as closely as possible and that everything in this book actually took place, though not necessarily in the order given.

Also, the spoken language at that time was rather more formal than today, especially amongst the upper classes and the well-educated, and this has driven me to lightly edit certain conversations between Poppy, Simeon, Helena and their contemporaries. Please be assured that I have endeavoured to keep the pith of each exchange, sacrificing the semi-archaic speech patterns only for the sake of lucidity.

The reader may ask just why I have devoted so much time to the Orpington archive of diaries, letters and more. Does it really matter what happened to an almost-forgotten woman over a century ago? In my opinion, and simply put; yes. Poppy’s life has many parallels today, while her eventual fate in the early years of the twentieth century could – tragically – easily happen again. I will accordingly interpose a series of editor’s notes on those aspects of Poppy’s life that I feel are relevant to us. I shall endeavour to keep these interjections to a minimum, however, as they serve to illuminate rather than to distract.

Join me, then, as we travel back to when motor sport was still open to amateurs – albeit only wealthy amateurs – who could race their own cars side-by-side with the professionals of the day. Back when the sport still boasted heroic individuality rather than corporate wrangling over fuel consumption and weight limits. Back when cars were designed by hand and built by imagination, and were as much for the public road as the racetrack, unlike today’s machine-designed racing vehicles that have no function outside the sport and no individuality within it.

Let us return to an age which is now regarded as a lost era of romance and rugged individualism, but which was also characterised by gross inequality, a rigid social order, casual violence towards women and unthinking submission towards authority. Truly, the past is golden only when viewed from afar.

About the Author

Jon Hartless was born in the 1970s and has spent much of his life in the Midlands and Worcestershire. His latest novels, a steampunk motor racing adventure examining the gulf between the rich and the poor, the powerful and the dispossessed, started with Full Throttle in August 2017 and continued with Rise of the Petrol Queen in 2019, both published by Accent Press.

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34095547-full-throttle?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=fmrLgjrBL3&rank=2

@JHartlessauthor

@LoveBooksGroup  

#Lovebookstours  

Guest Review: The Biography of Tottenham Hotspur By Julie Welch

New edition of this bestselling title, a colourful history of Tottenham Hotspur that gets to the heart and soul of the famous London football club. Packed with wonderful stories from the formation of the club to the present day, and the memories of legendary players, managers, supporters and other key figures, The Biography of Tottenham Hotspur brings the rich history of Spurs to life. First published in 2012, with a second edition in 2015, this third edition brings the story right up to date with full coverage of Pochetinno's time in charge and of the club's amazing new stadium.

Review: This is a book, first published in 2012 but revised and updated in 2019, that covers the history of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. It is written by the sports journalist and screenwriter Julie Welch, with numerous quotes from fans and former players. It begins with the founding of the club in 1882 by a group of schoolboys who played at Tottenham Marshes. They drew inspiration for the name of the club from Sir Henry "Hotspur" Percy, the 14th century son of the Earl of Northumberland. The book finishes at the end of the 2018-2019 season, so does not cover the recent managerial change at the football club.

Further periods throughout the club's history are covered, although with more detailed records and quotes available, the book is weighted towards more recent times. There is considerable emphasis on the Double winning season of 1960-1961 when Spurs won the League and the FA Cup, captained by the inspirational Danny Blanchflower who was such an influence on the author.

This is an authoritative history of a famous football club with interesting quotes and anecdotes throughout. There are also several photographs, although again these tend to be weighted towards more recent times. 

One thing that did slightly mar my enjoyment of the book was the numerous typographical errors scattered throughout the text. At times, this appeared to lead to some factual errors. For example, the Manchester City player Tommy Hutchison who scored for both sides in the 1981 FA Cup Final becomes Tommy Hutchinson; and the full back Kieran Trippier becomes Kevin Trippier. Perhaps most glaring is the statement that Henry "Hotspur" Percy, who died at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, was immortalised by Shakespeare in Henry V.  Hotspur's rebellion was against Henry IV, and is described in Shakespeare's earlier play Henry IV Part 1. (Henry IV's son Prince Henry was present at the Battle of Shrewsbury, during which he was wounded by an arrow in the face. However, after a period in the treatment room, he recovered and, on the death of his father, became King Henry V in 1413, before leading England to a stunning away victory in France.)

Overall, though, I found this to be a comprehensive history of the football club that should appeal to football fans of all persuasions, and not just those in the blue and white half of North London.

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