I’ve been enjoying some fantastic historical fiction this year so far and historian Juliet Nicholson’s debut novel sounds like another excellent read set in one of my favourite periods. The novel is released on June 7th so look out for a review soon!

England, 1936. After the recent death of George V, the nation has a new king, Edward VIII. But for all the confident pomp and ceremony of the accession, it is a turbulent time. Terrible poverty and unemployment affect many, but trouble few among the ruling elite; for others, Oswald Mosley’s New Party, which offers a version of the fascism on the rise in Germany, seems to offer the vision of the future.

Nineteen-year-old May Thomas has just disembarked at Liverpool Docks after making the long journey by steamer from Barbados to escape the constraints of her sugar-plantation childhood. Her first job as a secretary and chauffeuse to Sir Philip Blunt, Chief Whip in Baldwin’s Conservative government, will open her eyes to the upper echelons of British society…

The unlikely friendship she forms with Evangeline Nettlefold, American god-daughter of the Chief Whip’s wife and an old school friend of Wallis Simpson, will see her through family upheavals including the shocking, sudden loss of her mother; but more significant for May, the Blunts’ son Rupert has an Oxford University friend, Julian, a young man of conscience for whom, despite all barriers of class, she cannot help but fall.

Secrets, hidden truths, undeclared loves, unspoken sympathies and covert complicities are everywhere – biggest and most dangerous of them all, the truth about the new King’s relationship with a married woman, and the silent horror that few in Britain dare voice: the increasing inevitability of another world war…

Regular readers will know I’m a big fan of Ali’s books and I’m so excited about her next release which is a sequel to her debut From Notting Hill with Love … Actually. And the level of excitement and anticipation jumped a little higher when I saw the newly released cover image for From Notting Hill to New York … Actually and found the synopsis on the publisher website   Roll on November!

Scarlett O’Brien, utterly addicted to romantic films, has found her leading man. She’s convinced Sean is Mr Right, but the day-to-day reality of a relationship isn’t quite like the movies. With Sean constantly away on business, Scarlett and her new best friend Oscar decide to head to New York for the holiday of a lifetime.

From one famous landmark to the next, Scarlett and Oscar make many new friends during their adventure – including sailors in town for Fleet Week, a famous film star, and Jamie & Max, a TV reporter and cameraman. Scarlett finds herself strangely drawn to Jamie, they appear to have much in common: a love of films and Jamie’s search for a parent he never knew. But Scarlett has to ask herself why she is reacting like this to another man when she’s so in love with Sean . . .

(From the back cover) Former academic Arthur Opp weighs 550 pounds and hasn’t left his rambling Brooklyn home in a decade. Twenty miles away, in Yonkers, seventeen-year-old Kel Keller navigates life as the poor kid in a rich school and pins his hopes on what seems like a promising sporting career-if he can untangle himself from his family drama. The link between this unlikely pair is Kel’s mother, Charlene, a former student of Arthur’s. After nearly two decades of silence, it is Charlene’s unexpected phone call to Arthur – a plea for help-that jostles them into action.

Through Arthur and Kel’s own quirky and lovable voices, HEFT tells the winning story of two improbable heroes whose sudden connection transforms both their lives. It is a novel about love and family found in the most unexpected places.

Heft is a moving novel that is both heartbreakingly sad and hopeful at the same time. The story is narrated from the perspectives of two male characters; fifty-something professor turned recluse Arthur Opp and seventeen year old high school student Kel Keller. The link between the two is Kel’s mum, Charlene, who was once a student of Arthur’s.

At face value Arthur and Kel couldn’t be more different, but as I read their stories, I was struck by the similarities between them; both have complex family backgrounds, both raised by their mothers with distant father figures. Both are hiding; Arthur in the physical sense, having not left his home for years and Kel is hiding his background, having assumed a new persona to fit in with his school friends. Both are lonely. I thought both characters were very well written and as the book alternates between their stories I found it hard to put Heft down.

I loved Moore’s writing style but have been struggling to define it for this review. The narratives come across as straightforward and accessible, almost simple at times but beautifully written and gives Arthur and Kel their own unique voices with their own linguistic quirks like Arthur’s use of ‘O’ and writing and as ‘&’ and Kel’s short sentences which really seem to get into the mind of a seventeen year old boy. Heft was very easy to read but kept me thinking long after I’d finished it.

The story twists and turns surprised me and kept me guessing as to Kel and Arthur’s fates as a phone call from Charlene starts a series of events that changes both their lives dramatically. At times Heft was heartbreaking to read as the book examines issues including, obesity, alcoholism, mental health, teenage pregnancy and parenthood but I couldn’t put it down and was willing there to be a happy outcome for all characters.

In addition to Arthur and Kel, the supporting cast are well drawn and show the spectrum of family life and relationships and although I thought Arthur and Kel were excellent, my favourite character was Arthur’s cleaner Yolanda who affects a number of transformations in Arthur’s life and made me smile with her direct approach to problems.

Without giving away spoilers I was surprised by the way the novel played out. The ending left me with quite a lot of questions and wondering what happened next. I do like novels that tie up all the ends neatly but in this case I thought the more open ending was very apt. Heft is an enjoyable and thought provoking read with characters that are easy to take to your heart and a lovely hopeful message about what ‘family’ really is. Recommended!

4/5

Heft is out now and I’d like to thank publisher Random House for sending me a review copy.

You can find out more about Liz Moore and her writing at: http://www.lizmoore.net/

Last month I posted about Daniela Sacerdoti’s new book Dreams. Thanks to Daniela’s lovely publishers I’m very excited to be able to share the first chapter of Dreams with you to get your Monday off to a good start!  Dreams is out now as an ebook and will be released in paperback on 17th May. Happy reading

Dreams Chapter One

When Rosie decides to get her friends together for their very own version of Come Dine With Me she’s bursting with excitement, even though her husband Stephen is less than keen. But Rosie is adamant. Four couples, each hosting a dinner party on a different night of the week, with a prize at the end for the best one. It’ll be a good laugh, won’t it? And a great way for everyone to get to know each other. What could possibly go wrong?

What Rosie doesn’t anticipate are the lengths her fellow hosts might be prepared to go to in order to claim the prize — outlandish recipes, rare ingredients sourced from abroad, and a chocolate tart that looks just too good to be homemade…

But perhaps she should be more worried about the mounting tension between the guests, as backbiting breaks out over the appetisers and a glass of wine too many leads to indiscreet flirtation. As the pressure in the kitchen rises, relationships begin to crack under strain, high-minded principles collide and the oven gloves come off… But that’s all part of the fun. Isn’t it?

Dinner At Mine tells the story of a group of friends who decide to have a Come Dine With Me style competition to see who is the best dinner party cook and host. I have to admit that I wasn’t sure about this book at first -  I love Come Dine With Me but I couldn’t quite see how the format would work in a novel so, curious, I picked it up and started reading. An hour later I was still glued to the book having only meant to have a quick look. Chris Smyth has created a fantastic group of believable characters who are in turn, annoying, lovable, bitchy and at times crazy and the result is a very funny book that examines what happens when a group of friends get competitive!

The main story is the competition and I loved the solution the group came up with for voting at the end of each dinner party – their emails made the book for me. The story is split into four parts with each part covering one of the dinner parties which gives the book a nice pace and kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. Although the dinner parties are the main event, each section begins with chapters that cover the build up and preparation to the dinners and not only reveal a lot about each character but also delve deeper into some of the relationship sub-plots.

The novel only covers a period of four weeks but we get to know a surprising amount about the characters as the book progresses and although the competition is Rosie’s idea, all of the characters get equal billing which makes for an interesting and involving plot. The eight characters cover a lot of the relationship and personality bases and I’m sure readers will find plenty to identify with; competitive Rosie and husband Stephen – happily married with a young baby, highly competitive Marcus who likes to feel superior to everyone else and teacher girlfriend Sarah who is questioning where she is with her career and relationship; American Barbara – highly creative and highly strung and her socially conscious boyfriend Justin and finally the two singletons of the group, Charlotte – my favourite character for her pot stirring and Lawyer Matt.  I loved reading  the dynamics between the participants and as Rosie tries to pair off Charlotte with Matt, the sparks begin to fly in what is just a starter for dramas to come.

Smyth writes in the third person and does an excellent job of getting into the minds of both his male and female characters and I loved the subltle humour that came out as we see individual perspectives on the same event. I found the second half of the novel a little slower than the first but the drama level certainly steps up a notch during the last two dinner parties and I found myself reading as fast as I could to get to the end to find out who was the winner. Dinner at Mine is a fresh, original and funny read and a great debut from Chris Smyth -  I’ll be eagerly anticiating his next book!

If after reading the book you think you’d like to hold your own dining competition, publisher Simon and Schuster has produced a dinner party pack to accompany the book which includes scorecards, place settings and charts which can be downloaded at: http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/Dinner-at-Mine/Chris-Smyth/9780857205056

4/5

Dinner at Mine is out now and I’d like to thank Alice at Simon and Schuster for sending me a review copy.

In celebration of the paperback publication of her debut historical novel, The Last Summer, I’m very excited to welcome Judith Kinghorn to One More Page today. The Last Summer is my favourite of the books I’ve read so far this year – a beautiful and heartbreaking story of the First World War and its aftermath, telling the story of a lost generation. You can read my full review here. Welcome Judith!

I absolutely loved The Last Summer and felt it really captured the story of the survivors of the First World War. What drew you to the period and why did you decide to tell this particular story?

Thank you, Amanda. I’m delighted to hear that!

A few things came together to give me the idea for The Last Summer. Firstly, I’d recently reread Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca and decided that I’d like to write a first person narrative. Also, I’d been researching – and was immersed in – the years leading up to and including the First World War. And I knew I wanted to write a love story, because I believe all the greatest stories have that at their heart.  I realised that although there have been many books written about that time, and any number of novels set around the actual war – in the trenches, there are very few told from a single female perspective. So I decided that this book would offer a different perspective, and would tell the story of the war – and its effects – from very personal point of view, and from home.

This is your debut novel; how does it feel to finally see your words in print?

It feels great, but I haven’t had a lot of time to think about it yet, because I’ve been so busy working on my second novel. The most rewarding aspect of it all is hearing from readers. I’ve had messages and emails from all over the world, and that’s been wonderful.

I thought Clarissa was a wonderful character and really enjoyed watching her develop through the book. For readers who haven’t met her yet please could you describe her in one sentence.

Naive and vulnerable, a product of her background and time, Clarissa is tested when the world she knows collapses, and proves herself a survivor.

The descriptions of Clarissa’s childhood home, Deyning Park, are beautiful. Is it based on a real location?

No, Deyning Park is fictitious, but I know setting, the landscape, because it’s not far from where I live, and I very quickly saw the house and grounds in my mind’s eye. I think it’s an amalgamation of places I’ve visited or read about, or seen photographs of. And the more I thought about the place the more vividly it came to me.

At the heart of the last summer is a sweeping and heart-breaking romance; who are your favourite literary romantic figures?

Anna Karenina was one of the first great love stories that had an impact on me, along with Lady Chatterley’s Lover and The Great Gatsby. I also recently reread L P Harltey’s The Go-Between, which is a sublime read and chronicles the doomed love affair of Marian and Ted. And I’d have to include Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I think Mr Darcy remains pretty unbeatable as far as romantic heroes go.

Some of the events in The Last Summer are quite shocking and many of the social mores and cultural impacts of the war that are drawn out were a surprise to me; how did you go about your research and what was the most interesting part for you?

I’ve always read a lot of historical biographies and I returned to some of them during my research for The Last Summer. Whilst I was writing the book I limited my reading to biographies and novels specifically from that time. I also kept old postcards, images and photographs around me to act as visual prompts and reminders. I wanted the story to be seen as much as read, for the reader to be transported to that time. I wanted the book to be historically accurate without being too turgid or bogged down by detail, and for the voice to be authentic but at the same time not alienate the twenty-first century reader.

Almost everything I learned during the course of my research shocked me in one way or another, and often reduced me to tears. Over and over I was struck by the scale of loss, and grief, and the extraordinary bravery, not just of the men at the front, but of the mothers and families and those left at home. I have a teenage son, and so to read about boys as young as fourteen or fifteen who went off to fight was heart wrenching. And reading first hand accounts of mothers who lost not just one son, but – two, three, four – all of their sons, drove home the enormity of that loss, and of a nation crippled and brow-beaten by grief.

It’s a very emotional novel. Which character did you find hardest to write? 

Clarissa: because it is her story. And although at first I wasn’t sure if I liked her, she proved she could survive. Her journey was definitely the hardest, emotionally. When we first meet her she is very much a product of her background: naive and cosseted and destined to be married off. Three years later, her world and expectations have changed. She copes – the best way she can, in a time when women of her class were considered mere trophies, and whose main purpose in life was to produce an heir and a spare. In many ways, and according to the conventions and expectations of that time, she failed. Because she did not become the person she was destined and brought up to be.

For readers with a particular interest in the period which books and novels would you recommend as further reading?

Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain

The Perfect Summer by Juliet Nicolson

The Great Silence by Juliet Nicolson

Ettie by Richard Davenport-Hines

The Duff Cooper Diaries edited by John Julius Norwich

The Edwardians by Roy Hattersley

Forgotten Voices of the Great War by Max Arthur

Lost Voices of the Edwardians by Max Arthur

Daisy: the Life and Loves of the Countess of Warwick by Sushila Anand

Born 1900 by Hunter Davies

And finally … what can we expect next from Judith Kinghorn?

Well, I can tell you that the next book is set in the same era, but this time a few years before the outbreak of World War One. It’s a story about memory, and duplicity, and obsessive love.

I’m already looking forward to it! Many thanks Judith and happy publication day.

You can find out more about Judith and her writing at: http://judithkinghorn.blogspot.com/

Daisy Dangerfield has been brought up in the lap of luxury. Her father, Daddy Dangerfield, has given her the best of everything, she’s not known a moment’s doubt or worry. Until a shocking secret is revealed, and she is thrown out of the family with nothing but her dreams of revenge.

Meanwhile on a rough council estate in East London, Chanelle has wanted to be a dancer her whole life. Dancing is the one thing that takes her out of the grim reality of her life with her alcoholic mother and she is determined to use any means possible to become successful, no matter how underhand her methods.

Born on the same day Chanelle and Daisy’s lives could not be more different. Until everything changes, and they discover they have more in common than they could ever have imagined.

I read my first Lulu Taylor book last year (Beautiful Creatures) and I really enjoyed it, so I was very much looking forward to this new release. Having read it, all I can say is – wow!! Outrageous Fortune is a brilliant read that kept me up way past my bedtime and in my sleep-deprived state, it takes a lot to keep me up reading at the moment!

The story starts in 1985 with two very different births; at the exclusive Portland Hospital Daisy Dangerfield is born into luxury, doted upon by her father and destined for a wealthy, pampered future. In stark contrast on the other side of London, Chanelle Hughes is born addicted to heroin, to a drug and alcohol addicted mother and left to struggle for a chance for a better life. As they grow up, their lives are poles apart but some dramatic twists of fate find them both taking on new lives and having a lot more in common than they could ever have imagined! I love stories like this and Outrageous Fortune has everything you could wish for from a blockbuster novel; big bold dramatic story-lines, shocking twists, glamorous locations, very sexy men and two feisty and determined heroines.

The book is split into four parts and follows Daisy and Chanelle as they grow up and as their lives change dramatically. Just as the two girls’ fortunes change in the course of the novel, so did my opinion of them. I started off with a lot of sympathy for Chanelle and marveling at Daisy’s wonderful lifestyle. As Daisy grew up I thought she became quite spoiled and I found myself less taken by her character but as the big plot twist took place and Daisy’s world crashed down around her I was impressed by the way she picked herself up and moved on and she ended up being my favourite character in the novel. I also changed my opinion of Chanelle several times during the book and I love the way Lulu Taylor used the girls’ changing situations to bring out their full personalities. The mystery of the connections between Daisy and Chanelle makes Outrageous Fortune a real page turner and I was completely drawn into the story and their lives.

I enjoyed the romance aspect to the book a lot too. Both Daisy and Chanelle have chances at love and romance and in both cases, their relationships bring out a softer side in them. Outrageous Fortune has a much lighter feel to it than Beautiful Creatures which tackled some quite dark themes and I thought it was great that both girls got to have some romantic fun in amongst all the drama! That’s not to say that their love lives run smoothly – both girls find their pasts catching up with them as they are forced to keep secrets from the men they love.

I always imagine Lulu has great fun researching the wealthy glamorous sides of her books and creating the worlds of her uber-rich characters. I know I certainly enjoy escaping there but as well as being highly entertaining, the detail is also believable and very well researched with Outrageous Fortune taking us on a journey that encompasses luxury hotel empires, country estates, the sink estates of London and an iron ore mine in Russia!

As the book reaches its conclusion, the twists and turns had me turning the pages as fast as I could and despite its size, this was a quick read. Outrageous Fortune is a riches to rags to riches  story that had me completely engrossed for all of its six hundred plus pages. Glamorous, sexy, fun and gripping, I can’t recommend it highly enough as a wonderfully escapist read and am already eagerly anticipating Lulu Taylor’s next novel.

5/5

You can find our more abot Lulu Taylor and her books at: http://www.lulutaylor.co.uk/

Outrageous Fortune is out now and I’d like to thank Amelia at Random House for sending me a review copy.

Today I’m delighted to welcome Fanny Blake to One More Page. As well as being a novelist, Fanny is a journalist and the current books editor of Women and Home magazine. I enjoyed Fanny’s debut novel, What Women Want which was released last year and her fab second book, Women of a Dangerous Age is published this week. Welcome Fanny!

Your new novel Women of a Dangerous Age is published on 26^th April; please tell us a little about it and your inspiration for it.

I always think that birthdays are a bit of a pause for thought. After my last one, I decided I wanted to write about that nasty moment when you’re brought up short by life and ask yourself, is this it? Have I achieved everything I want to achieve? Is there anything more that I really want to do? And, most important of all, I wanted to ask the question: Is it ever too late to change? And then, in came Lou and Ali …

Lou is married to a man she realises no longer loves her. Their children have left home, so she decides to make a fresh start on her own and to fulfil a lifelong dream of setting up her own business. Ali, on the other hand, is thrilled that, after a series of long-term lovers, she is about to settle down with the most recent of them. The two women meet on holiday in India where they become friends. But when they return home, of course it’s not all plain sailing – especially when some unexpected revelations threaten to rock the boat.

This is your second novel; did you find it easier or harder to write than the first?

Both easier and harder, if that makes sense. It was easier in some ways because I knew more of what to expect while writing the novel. For me, the initial chapters seem to fall into place quite easily, I despair in the middle when all the balls are in the air, and am exhilarated by the sprint to the end. So when I did reach that inevitable middle stage, I knew that I should keep going. But it was harder too, not because anything went wrong, but because of course I wanted it to be better than the first, and as good as I could possibly make it. I think one of the problems of having been an editor myself is that I’m very self-critical.

In the novel, lead characters Lou and Ali meet on an escape trip to India? What drew you to India as a location and if you could escape anywhere this summer where would it be?

I’ve been on holiday to India a couple of times, and loved so much of what I saw there.  I was amused by the idea of starting a novel about two women and their changing relationships with men on Diana’s bench at the Taj Mahal. Seemed very apt. If I could escape anywhere this summer, I think I’d go to an empty Cornish beach and stretch of cliff path and then, in September, to Bhutan – somewhere I’ve always longed to go.

Your novels focus on female friendships and I found both What Women Want and Women of a Dangerous Age funny and realistic portrayals of the relationships we have with our female friends. What do you think are the three key factors in true friendship?

Trust, loyalty and a good sense of humour.

Who was your favourite character to write and why?

I think it has to be Lou in Women of a Dangerous Age. She’s slightly larger than life, feisty, flamboyant, and has decided to shake things up a bit. She’s my kind of gal. I think we’d be friends.

Women of a Dangerous Age is an interesting title; how did you choose it?

I was chatting to a friend and said something about ‘women of a certain age’, and she joked, ‘Yes, women of a dangerous age.’ We immediately pounced on the phrase as a great title that was a perfect match for the novel I was writing.

The novel also examines the spectrum of romantic and family relationships with some surprising revelations; how do you go about your research?

Researching that spectrum of relationships is done by talking to friends, reading newspapers and just generally absorbing stories I hear about other people’s lives. But I did research the vintage fashion market (Lou’s passion) by going to lots of vintage fairs, reading up about it and interviewing several people in the business. Ali is a goldsmith so I picked the brains of a goldsmith, visiting her studio and talking to her about how she spends her day and how she works.

And finally … what can we expect next from Fanny Blake?

I’m working on my third novel now, which is about the complexity of marriage, one’s own and other people’s. It’s called Other Women’s Husbands.

Thank you Fanny.

Women of a Dangerous Age is released on 26th April – please stop by later today for my review!

I’ve had this one on my wish list for a while and couldn’t resist posting the lovely cover. What I Did on My Holidays sounds like a fun and funny summer read and is released on 21st June.

Sophie Petworth can`t wait for her annual summer holiday. Not only will it be a week away from work, it will be a chance to reconnect with her boyfriend Callum.

So this upcoming trip to Majorca is a big deal. Sophie`s spent a lot of time getting ready. She`s bought a new wardrobe. She`s been waxed to within an inch of her life. She`s determined she and Callum will have the best time ever.

Then Callum dumps her, the night before they`re due to leave. In a show of bravery and independence, Sophie says she`ll go to Majorca alone – but in fact, she hides in her London flat. But when her friends, family, and even Callum seem so surprised and delighted at her single girl courage, Sophie decides to go all out and recreate the ultimate `fake break` . . . with hilarious results.

Dreams is the first book in the new Sarah Midnight Trilogy by Daniela Sacerdoti. I’m very intrigued by the synopsis and trailer and think the cover is great too. Dreams sounds quite different to anything I’ve read recently and I’m looking forward to reading it soon.

‘You’d never think it could happen to you. You’d never think that one day you’d stand in a graveyard, rain tapping on a sea of black umbrellas, watching your parents being lowered into the earth, never to come back. It’s happening to me. They said it was an accident. Only I know the truth. My parents were hunters, like their parents and grandparents before them, hundreds of years back, scores of ancestors behind me, fulfilling the same call. I must follow in their footsteps. I am the only one left to keep the promise. I can never give up the fight, this fight that has been handed down to me, thrust upon my unwilling shoulders. I’d rather be buried with my parents, my brave, fierce father and mother, who lived and died by the Midnight motto: Don’t Let Them Roam.’ 

Ever since her thirteenth birthday, seventeen-year-old Sarah Midnight’s dreams have been plagued by demons – but unlike most people’s nightmares, Sarah’s come true. Her dreams guide her parents’ hunt as Sarah remains in bed, terrified but safe, sheltered from the true horrors of the Midnight legacy. But all this is about to change. After the murder of her parents, she is cruelly thrust into a secret world of unimaginable danger as she is forced to take up their mission. Alone and unprepared for the fight that lies before her, Sarah must learn how to use the powers she’s inherited and decide whom to trust before it’s too late…

Dreams is released on 17th May and it’s already been chosen as a booksellers choice for Waterstones in Scotland for May!

You can find out more about Daniela and her writing on her website at: http://danielasacerdoti.com/en/