Category: ARC August

Blog Tour/Book Review: Island on Fire by Sophie Schiller

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Island on Fire_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL

I’m delighted to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for Island on Fire by Sophie Schiller, set in the Caribbean island of Martinique.  Having been lucky enough to visit Martinique, albeit only for a day as a port of call on a Caribbean cruise, I simply couldn’t resist the invitation from Amy at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours to read and review the book.  You can find my review below.

On the tour page, you can check out the other great book bloggers taking part in the tour with links to their reviews of Island on Fire.  For example, Stacie at Pursuing Stacie described it as ‘an enjoyable, fast-paced historical fiction’, praising the author’s ‘impeccable research’.  Ashley at Oh, October described the book as ‘unique, well researched historical fiction’ and Briennai at Bri’s Book Nook loved the beautiful setting.

WinIf those comments have piqued your interest and you’re a US resident then, good news, as there’s a giveaway with a chance for one lucky person to win their very own copy of Island on Fire. Enter via the Gleam form at the bottom of the tour page.  Don’t hang about though as entries close on 14th August 2018.

Island on FireAbout the Book

In the lush, tropical world of Martinique where slavery is a distant memory and voodoo holds sway, Emilie Dujon discovers that her fiancé, a rich sugar planter, has been unfaithful. Desperate to leave him, she elicits the aid of a voodoo witch doctor and is lured into a shadowy world of black magic and extortion. When the volcano known as Mount Pelée begins to rumble and spew ash, she joins a scientific committee sent to investigate the crater. During the journey she meets Lt. Denis Rémy, an army officer with a mysterious past.

At the summit, the explorers discover that a second crater has formed and the volcano appears to be on the verge of eruption. But when they try to warn the governor, he orders them to bury the evidence for fear of upsetting the upcoming election. As the pressure builds, a deadly mudslide inundates Emilie’s plantation and she disappears. With ash and cinders raining down, chaos ensues. Left with no choice, Lt. Rémy deserts his post and sets off on a desperate quest to rescue Emilie. But with all roads blocked, can they escape the doomed city of St. Pierre before it’s too late?

Format: ebook, paperback (270 pp.)    Publisher:
Published: 15th March 2018          Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Island on Fire on Goodreads

My Review

In Island on Fire the author creates a picture of a society where, much like the volcano, a lot is going on underneath the surface, whether that is commercial and political machinations or continued belief in voodoo practices in an age of modern science and rationality.

Despite evidence to the contrary, those in authority choose to believe that there is no threat from the volcano, having more regard to the consequences of panic by the population than the possible risk to life and property. This will prove to have disastrous consequences.

The book’s heroine, Emilie, whilst in all other respects an intelligent, independent-minded young woman, reflects the dichotomy in Martinique society. As a result she acts in a way that seems out of character but which reflects the desperation she feels at the situation in which she finds herself.

Whilst the book description reveals much of the story (a little too much to my mind), the author creates a credible sense of melodrama as events unfold in dramatic fashion.

I really enjoyed the evocative portrayal of the island’s lush landscape, vegetation and wildlife. ‘Everywhere he looked, the island was teeming with life. Mango trees, sprawling bougainvillea, flaming flamboyant, majestic palm trees, and endless plantations dotting the hillsides like a parchwork quilt of sumptuous beauty.’ Plus, as regular followers of this blog will know, I can’t resist delicious descriptions of food and there are plenty of the local cuisine in the book.

Island on Fire reveals a fascinating aspect of the history of Martinique that was new to me as well as being an entertaining, if slightly melodramatic, story of betrayal, honour and love

I received a review copy courtesy of the author and Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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In three words: Romance, melodrama, adventure

Try something similar…Fireburn by Apple Gidley

Sophie SchillerAbout the Author

Sophie Schiller was born in Paterson, NJ and grew up in the West Indies. She loves stories that carry the reader back in time to exotic and far-flung locations. Kirkus Reviews called her “an accomplished thriller and historical adventure writer”. Her latest novel is Island on Fire, a thriller about the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century. She was educated at American University, Washington, DC and lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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Book Review: Happiness is a Collage by Gita V. Reddy

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Happiness is a CollageAbout the Book

This collection of fifteen stories leads the reader into a world that is at once Indian and universal. The stories explore love, life, loss, and relationships.

A painter derives inspiration from a long lost love. Every night after going to bed, a woman scours a vast desert for her missing husband. A young woman strides through two worlds. A son experiences the miracle of his father’s immense love. An actor’s wife struggles to keep her husband from slipping into his reel life. And a busy professional tries to factor in pregnancy and motherhood into her hectic life.  Among those traversing this space are a henpecked billionaire, a homeless boy, a middle-aged wife dealing with infidelity, and a seeker finding solace with a lion and a deer.

Format: ebook (153 pp.)    Publisher:
Published: 4th August 2018            Genre: Short Stories

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Happiness is a Collage on Goodreads

My Review

Having read and enjoyed the author’s previous collection of short stories, A Tapestry of Tears, and her book about Catherine Dickens, wife of Charles Dickens, Outside the Magic Circle, I was thrilled when Gita contacted me about reading her new collection of short stories, published today.

As in the author’s previous collection, in these stories modern day India meets traditional India, sometimes coming into conflict, sometimes depicting an intriguing evolution.   A few common themes emerge in the stories, such as: the ties and obligations of family (often encompassing the extended family of cousins and in-laws); the strains of married life; the tension between career and domestic life; the honour and respect due to elders and others.

It’s invariably the case in a short story collection that some of the stories connect more powerfully with the reader than others, and so it was with this collection.  To quote from the story that gives the collection its title, as the narrator’s grandmother observes, when constructing a collage ‘Contrast the dull with the bright’.

Bright points for me included ‘The Search’, in which a daughter has a persistent dream of being reunited with her father, ‘The Gift’, about the possibility for a second chance of happiness, ‘The Vigil’ in which an expectant mother comes to realise there are some things you can’t manage like a business project and ‘Reflection’, in which a chance meeting gives a woman cause to take stock of her life.

There is much to be enjoyed in this collection.  The stories are varied in subject matter, well-written, imaginative and will appeal to those of Indian heritage as well as readers with an interest in Indian culture.   Finally, in case you needed any more encouragement, there are some mouthwatering descriptions of food in many of the stories!

I received an advance review copy courtesy of the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.  Happiness is a Collage is my first book for ARC August (hashtag #arcaugust), hosted by the ladies at ReadSleepRepeat.

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In three words: Thoughtful, introspective, observational

Try something similar…A Tapestry of Tears by Gita V. Reddy (read my review here)

GitaVReddyAbout the Author

Gita V. Reddy is a writer of fiction for middle graders and adults. She enjoys thinking up tales of different genres. She has written mysteries, adventure, fantasy, science fiction, and even an animal tale for children.  She wrote and illustrated her first picture book for kids in August 2015. She plans to write a few more because the experience was very satisfying.

Ms Reddy was born in India, is a post graduate in Mathematics, worked in a bank for twenty-six years, is married to a physics professor, has a son doing research in neuro-electronics, and loves literature. Yes, her life is as mixed up as the multiple genres she writes.

She enjoys painting and spending time with her family, and LOVES walking in the rain.  She also writes under the name Heera Datta.

Connect with Gita

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