Tag: dual time

#BlogBlitz #Giveaway #BookReview Christmas at Ladywell by Nicola Slade @nicolasladeUK @rararesources

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Christmas at Ladywell

I’m delighted to be joining a host of other book bloggers in celebrating the publication today of Christmas at Ladywell by Nicola Slade. Thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part and to Crooked Cat Books for my review copy.

Giveaway Prize - corpsecover3plusshoutTo complete the celebrations there’s a giveaway (open internationally) with a chance for one lucky person to win a .mobi or .PDF copy of Nicola’s book, The Convalescent Corpse. Enter via Rafflecopter here.

Giveaway Terms and Conditions:

  • Worldwide entries welcome.
  • The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email.
  • If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner.
  • Open to entrants aged 18 or over.
  • Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.
  • I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Christmas at LadywellAbout the Book

A time for spilling secrets…

Having refurbished her inherited house and upcycled her whole life in the process, Freya – now happily married to Patrick, and with a small child –  has to transform her tiny stone barn into a romantic hideaway for a mystery guest who is also looking for change. With Christmas only a week away, things don’t go according to plan…

In the past old uncertainties are resolved when an elderly woman seeks the truth of a legend on Christmas Eve and confesses to a deception; a Tudor wife listens to a story that must never be repeated and is given a precious relic that must never be displayed; and in the early nineteenth century an old woman tells a younger one the story of the hares at Ladywell.

Past and present are only a whisper apart when Freya learns of an astonishing discovery that will make Ladywell famous, but meanwhile her house is full of unexpected visitors, she has a turkey to cook – and a very special secret of her own that must be told.

Format: ebook (97 pages)                         Publisher: Crooked Cat Books
Publication date: 4th November 2019  Genre: Historical Fiction

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

Find Christmas at Ladywell on Goodreads

My Review

Christmas at Ladywell features some of the characters from the author’s book, The House at Ladywell, but has been perfectly crafted as a standalone novella so if, like me, you haven’t read the earlier book you won’t be at a disadvantage. However, like me, it may well make you decide to add The House at Ladywell to your wishlist.

Christmas at Ladywell sees Freya in the midst of preparations for the festive season, including catering for some unexpected and rather special guests. Interlaced with Freya’s present day activities are scenes from Ladywell’s past, starting in the 14th century with stops along the way in the 16th and 19th centuries. As the reader will learn, some of Ladywell’s past inhabitants have been witnesses to historic events.

There’s a real sense of history with stories, folklore and even objects handed down through the generations, especially by women. And of course, at Ladywell history is evident in the very building itself.

Christmas at Ladywell is the ideal read for a dark winter evening. It’s like a delightful Christmas potpourri with its mixture of present day festive preparations, surprise discoveries and fragrant echoes of the past.

In three words: Atmospheric, festive, engaging

Try something similar: Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase

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Christmas at Ladywell - AuthorAbout the Author

Nicola Slade is an award-winning, bestselling author of historical and contemporary mysteries and romantic fiction, all set in and around Winchester and Romsey in Hampshire – which is where she lives. The House at Ladywell – a contemporary romantic novel with historical echoes – won the Chatelaine Grand Prize for Romantic Fiction at the CIBA awards in April 2019.

She is the author of the mid-Victorian ‘Charlotte Richmond’ mysteries and the contemporary ‘Harriet Quigley’ mysteries. The Convalescent Corpse, published in November 2018, is the first in a new series, ‘The Fyttleton Mysteries’, set in 1918.

Connect with Nicola
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#BlogTour #BookReview Nadine by John Steinberg

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Nadine

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Nadine by John Steinberg. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation to join the tour and for my review copy.

NadineAbout the Book

London 1974 and Peter Greenberg is riding high. Thanks to his magic touch, every play he puts on in Theatreland is a hit and the money is rolling in. The young man’s empire feels secure – but then everything changes. One evening, he calls in to see a rival’s musical and falls head over heels in love.

The beautiful Paris-born dancer who catches his eye is Nadine – a major star in the making. Like Greenberg, the young dancer too is in love – but with someone else. The eternal triangle is complicated by the birth of a child, and by tragic secrets that go back before World War Two; slowly,those secrets reveal themselves in a drama that out-performs anything on the West End stage or Broadway.

Nadine is a poignant story of unrequited love, a love that will one day be returned – and in a most unexpected way…

Format: ebook (244 pp.)                    Publisher: 2QT Publishing
Publication date: 22nd May 2019  Genre: Historical Fiction

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

Find Nadine on Goodreads

My Review

When Peter Greenberg catches sight of dancer, Nadine Bertrand, it sets in train a series of events that will dominate the course of his life. His obsession with Nadine sees him attempt to help her career but also make her a permanent fixture in his life. Unfortunately he is unaware of much that is going on in her life and the dramatic effect this will have on her mental stability. He never wavers in his love for her and, even when tragedy strikes, he remains determined to demonstrate his adoration in the only way he knows how. As he discovers, he is not alone in his devotion to Nadine.

The book takes the reader behind the scenes of the world of musical theatre production, from concept and script development, to hiring composers and directors, to casting actors. It’s a high risk business where the possibility of financial ruin lies always around the corner.

The event involving a key character which takes place part way through the book represents a bold move on the author’s part but as a coup de théâtre is in keeping with the nature of the storyline. It’s the sort of thing that would have an audience of a play buzzing with conversation at the interval.

Readers attracted to the book, like me, by the mention in the blurb of secrets from World War Two may appreciate knowing that these play a very minor role in the story. The author also introduces a side story concerning financial shenanigans by a particularly dodgy individual.

In Nadine, the author presents the reader with a picture of the power of love to last a lifetime, or even beyond.

In three words: Emotional, dramatic, tragic
Try something similar: Bells of Avalon by Libbet Bradstreet (read my review here)

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Nadine AuthorAbout the Author

John Steinberg was born in 1952 and spent many years in business before becoming a writer in 2007. Since then, he has co-written and produced comedies for the stage and has created a series of books for children. Nadine is his third novel. He is married with three children and lives in North London.

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