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Raven – Paul Leatherdale
Book Blurb Raven is the story of four teenage boys growing up in the Suffolk countryside who enlist to fight in the First World War. One of the boys falls in love with an enchantingly beautiful, blue-eyed, dark-haired, local, young girl of the same age before going off to war, but she is clearly not of this world and has a supernatural secret. The raven is her companion, a mysterious, red-eyed bird who accompanies her wherever she goes. The bird is powerful and strong and highly intelligent and has endured across the ages. The book spans three distinct periods, modern-day 1985, the turn of the century, and the 17th century.…
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The MX book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories – part XXI-2020
This year, MX Publishing’s annual anthologies brought us three jewels: part XIX, XX, and XXI in their MX BOOKS OF NEW SHERLOCK HOLMES STORIES. The books are a delight to read with stories, created by various authors, assembled and compiled by David Marcum. A must-have for any Sherlock Holmes fan. Introduction Today, I am very pleased to welcome a guest reviewer, author Wendy Heyman-Marsaw, on my blog with a fabulous review for the MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories – Part XXI-2020 Annual (1898-1923). Wendy is not only an avid reader, she is the author of Memoirs from Mrs Hudson’s Kitchen, in which she puts herself in Mrs Hudson’s shoes,…
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The Girl in the Pink Raincoat – Alrene Hughes
Love this wonderfully melancholic, sad, yet uplifting novel, set in wartime Manchester! It is a story of war and insecurity, of working hard to provide for your daily meals, of manipulators and persecution but most of all, it is a story of love. Introduction Picture this: Manchester, 1939. Gracie and her single mother Sarah work hard – Sarah works at a hotel, Gracie at the Rosenberg Raincoats factory. Owned by the Jewish Rosenberg family, who came over from Germany long ago. Whenever Jacob Rosenberg, the boss’s nephew, walks by, Gracie just has to observe him. He is good-looking, dressed smartly, and not only knows his business but also every employee…
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Letters to the Pianist – S.D. Mayes
Letters to the Pianist is S.D. Mayes fascinating, gripping, emotive, and harrowing tale of a family torn apart in wartime London – of a plucky daughter on a quest to keep her family together, to find her father – of a man without memory, who discovers his talent and falls into a bed of roses. Roses have ugly thorns though and in this case, carry a gruesome legacy… Introduction London, 1941. Despite the danger, Joseph Goldberg is adamant their family, with their three children, Ruth, Hannah, and Gabi, stays together. One fateful night, the family home is bombed. Life changes dramatically for the children – without parents, they have to live with an aunt and uncle. Unluckily…
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The Million Dollar Duchesses – Julie Ferry
The Million Dollar Duchesses offers the reader fascinating insights into the lives of American heiresses, eager to marry into the British aristocracy. With names we all recognise as Churchill, Cunard, Astor, and Vanderbilt, this book shows us how these marriages were arranged and how, in the end, only a few of these marriages were happy, based upon love and respect. Introduction Set in 1895, this is a description of the life of the New York society matron, Marietta Stevens, and her daughter, Minnie Paget, accomplished society hostesses very successful in bringing American heiresses in contact with eligible British bachelors – eligible in the sense that above anything, a title was…
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The Penultimate Man – Malcolm Hollingdrake
*Short Story* Malcolm Hollingdrake’s The Penultimate Man is beautiful, touching and poignant. I highly recommend this emotive short story. *Lest we forget* Introduction “War is what happens when language fails.” – Mark Twain World War I, the war that “would be over by Christmas” (1914) showed us the cruelty of men and the horrors we inflict upon others. The use of mustard gas gave new ways to torture and suffering and the war of the trenches – a war of slaughter, carnage and destruction. The ending of WWI – the war to end all wars – created the conditions for WWII. Europe was devastated and European society forever destabilised. We…
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1066: What Fates Impose – G.K. Holloway
This brilliant historical novel provides us with remarkable insights of the events in the years preceding the infamous 1066 Battle of Hastings If you have ideas about bravery in war and heroes in conquest you should definitely read this book. If you feel working long arduous hours, having little to eat and the permanent fear of poverty hanging over you makes for ‘strong men and women’ – think again. The foreword in this book makes it abundantly clear that nobody really wins when the effects of war and lack of prosperity leave a country and its inhabitants devastated. What happened? The Battle of Hastings, the culmination of ruthless and dramatic…
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Kingmaker – Adrian Hyde
Harry King is in Norway with the British Army during WWII. A secret mission brings murders, devious plans, a touch of romance and a traitor in their midst. Introduction A Harry King Thriller Kingmaker is an exciting read and captivating thriller that you just cannot put down. What secret plot is being planned in Norway during WWII? Norwegian King Haakon refuses to comply with the Nazi Regime, but the politician Quisling is only too willing to work under the occupation and command of Nazi Germany. Harry King, Lieutenant in the British Army, seeks revenge on the killer of his father. There is a traitor in their midst and only one man to…
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The Spy – Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho’s fascinating tale of the Dutch spy Mata Hari who captured the hearts of so many men but died in front of a firing squad. Abandoned. Alone. Introduction “May the future never see me as a victim, but as someone who moved forward with courage, fearlessly paying the price she had to pay.” Mata Hari, 1917, shortly before standing in front of the firing squad – without blindfold, looking death in the eye Who doesn’t remember the femme fatale, that gorgeous creature who seduced men into giving away their secrets during WWI? Mata Hari, Margaretha Zelle, daughter of Adam and Antje Zelle, could a name be more prosaic and further…
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The Virgin of the Wind Rose – Glen Craney
A captivating tale combining adventurous 15th Century tales, famous Portuguese explorers, a Portuguese chapel and the discovery of the sea route to the East Introduction How can you describe all the book’s tales without using several pages, the fascinating adventures of the 15th Century during Prince Henry’s reign over Portugal – Henry the Navigator, who loved sailing but was physically unable to do so? His dream of finding unknown worlds far away inspired sailors to forget their fears about falling off the disc-shaped earth and try to push beyond what seemed humanly possible. Who has not heard of the Knights Templar but did you know in their ranks were distinguished,…
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