Tag: advance review copy

#BookReview Dublin’s Girl by Eimear Lawlor @Aria_Fiction

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Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Dublin’s Girl by Eimear Lawlor. My thanks to Vicky at Aria for inviting me to take part in the tour and for my digital review copy via NetGalley. Dublin’s Girl was published as an ebook on 28th January and will be available in hardcover in April.

Dublin's GirlAbout the Book

1917. A farm girl from Cavan, Veronica McDermott is desperate to find more to life than peeling potatoes. Persuading her family to let her stay with her aunt and uncle in Dublin so she can attend secretarial college, she has no idea what she is getting into. Recruited by Father Michael O’Flanagan to type for Éamon de Valera, Veronica is soon caught up in the danger and intrigue of those fighting for Ireland’s independence from Britain.

The attentions of a handsome British soldier, Major Harry Fairfax, do not go unnoticed by Veronica’s superiors. But when Veronica is tasked with earning his affections to gather intelligence for Sinn Féin, it isn’t long before her loyalty to her countrymen and her feelings for Harry are in conflict. To choose one is to betray the other…

Format: ebook (278 pages)                    Publisher: Aria
Publication date: 28th January 2021 Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Find Dublin’s Girl on Goodreads

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Amazon UK
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My Review

Published to coincide with the centenary of the end of the Irish War of Independence in 1921 and inspired by real life events, the book transports the reader to the city of Dublin in the wake of the Easter Rising in 1916, a troubled period of Ireland’s history.

I enjoyed witnessing Dublin through Veronica’s eyes. With its grand hotels, tearooms and picture houses it’s a far cry from the countryside where she grew up. If you’re familiar with the city, I’m sure you’ll be able to follow Veronica’s travels in your mind’s eye. As vividly conveyed by the author, it’s a city where wealth resides side by side with extreme poverty, poor housing and children scrabbling for scraps in alleyways. Furthermore, hanging over much of the population is the threat of arrest – or worse – by British forces.

Thanks to her shorthand and typing skills, Veronica gets to rub shoulders with some of the key figures in the fight for Irish independence, in particular Michael Collins. It’s a role not without danger because of the frequent raids on the Sinn Féin offices, although Veronica has already demonstrated her courage and commitment to the cause earlier in the book. Like Veronica, the reader gets to witness key events such as Sinn Féin’s victory in the 1918 election, the establishment of an independent parliament (the Dail Eireann) and, eventually, the birth of the Irish Free State.

The historical aspects of the story I found especially interesting, filling in many gaps in my knowledge of Irish history during this period.  The relationship between Veronica and Harry, while touching and heartfelt did seem to rely a fair bit on coincidence – or perhaps it was fate? And I had my doubts about how useful the few bits of information Veronica gleaned from Harry over tea and scones would have been. However, Harry’s more enlightened view of the Irish people’s situation made an interesting counterpoint to the attitude of other British soldiers. It was certainly easy to understand Veronica’s conflicted feelings. “She wanted to be repulsed by him, she wanted to hate him, but she felt herself becoming comfortable in his company.” No doubt the handsome Harry’s broad shoulders and ‘chiselled chin’ helped a bit!

As they find themselves on opposing sides of a conflict, can there be a place in Veronica’s life for Harry, her ‘guardian angel’? You’ll have to read the book – and its touching epilogue – to find out.

In three words: Dramatic, emotional, engaging

Try something similar: The Girl From Vichy by Andie Newton

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Eimear LawlorAbout the Author

Dublin’s Girl is Eimear Lawlor’s first novel and is inspired by the true story of her aunt who typed for Éamon De Valera. She lives with her family in Kilkenny. (Photo credit: author Facebook profile)

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#BookReview A Prince and a Spy (Tom Wilde 5) by Rory Clements @ZaffreBooks

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A Prince and a SpyAbout the Book

Sweden, 1942. Two old friends meet. They are cousins. One is Prince George, Duke of Kent, brother of the King of England. The other is Prince Philipp von Hesse, a committed Nazi and close friend of Adolf Hitler.

Days later, Prince George is killed in a plane crash in the north of Scotland. The official story is that it was an accident – though not everyone is convinced. There is even a suggestion that the Duke’s plane was sabotaged.

With no evidence, Cambridge spy Tom Wilde is sent north to investigate. What he discovers will have grave consequences not only for Britain, but for the entire world…

Format: Hardcover (480 pages)          Publisher: Zaffre
Publication date: 21st January 2021 Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Find A Prince and a Spy (Tom Wilde #5) on Goodreads

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Hive | Amazon UK
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My Review

As far as I’m concerned it’s always a cause for celebration when a new book in Rory Clements’ Tom Wilde series arrives. As my reviews will testify, I’ve loved all the previous books in the series – Corpus, Nucleus, Nemesis and Hitler’s Secret – but to my mind A Prince and a Spy is the best yet.

The novel is inspired by the real-life events surrounding the death of King George V’s brother, the Duke of Kent, in a plane crash in the far north of Scotland in August 1942. All but one of the occupants of the plane were killed, including the Duke. The author has used the continuing mystery surrounding the circumstances of the crash as the starting point for a story involving wartime atrocities, covert operations and a conspiracy at the heart of the British establishment.

If that isn’t enough to whet your appetite there are also dramatic pursuits across land and sea by ruthless enemies who will stop at nothing, the use of truth drugs to extract information and some rather unconventional flight accommodation. And fans of the series will no doubt share my delight as Tom Wilde fires up his trusty Rudge Special motorcycle for breakneck journeys across the country.

Sent to Scotland to investigate the air crash, Wilde just can’t stop himself from asking questions that go well beyond his stated cover story, bringing him to the attention of some particularly dangerous individuals and to others whose motives are less than clear. At one point, Wilde is warned, “Now you’re getting in tricky waters, Tom. Any herring man will tell you to stay away from the shallows and the rocks”. But, as anyone familiar with Tom Wilde will know, he’s just as likely to steer straight towards them.

Moving between Scotland, Sweden and wartime London, at certain points the author also transports the reader to the heart of the Third Reich giving a chilling insight into its evil efficiency and the personal rivalries between its key figures.

Eventually all the threads are brought together in order to explain the background to the dramatic event that opens the book. Although dark deeds dominate most of the book, its ending is just perfect and offers a much needed ray of light.  However Tom being Tom, there are still unanswered questions that linger in his mind. I would have liked a more prominent role for Lydia, Wilde’s partner and the mother of his son, as she’s rather consigned to the domestic sidelines. However, that’s only a very minor gripe because in every other respect A Prince and a Spy has everything I look for in a historical thriller.

The author’s historical note provides fascinating information about the individuals who inspired some of the fictional characters, about the afterlives (where known) of the real characters and about some of the events portrayed in the book.  Sadly, some of the most shocking scenes in the book are based on historical fact.

I received an advance review copy courtesy of Zaffre and Readers First. A Prince and a Spy is also available as an ebook and audio book.

In three words: Gripping, dramatic, action-packed

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RoryClementsAbout the Author

Rory Clements was born on the edge of England in Dover. After a career in national newspapers, he now writes full time in a quiet corner of Norfolk, where he lives with his wife, the artist Naomi Clements Wright. He won the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award in 2010 for his second novel, Revenger, and the CWA Historical Dagger in 2018 for Nucleus. Three of his other novels – Martyr, Prince and The Heretics – have been shortlisted for awards. A Prince and a Spy is the fifth of his thriller series featuring Professor Tom Wilde. The first four – Corpus, Nucleus, Nemesis and Hitler’s Secret – are available in paperback now.

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