Tag: NetGalley

#BookReview Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman

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About the Book

The truth depends on who you ask…

Ten years ago, after a sun-soaked summer spent in Greece, Bess and Joni were cleared of having any involvement in their best friend Evangeline ‘s death. But that didn’t stop the media from calling them everything under the wild, promiscuous, liars, guilty .

Now Joni is tangled up in a crime in LA eerily similar to that one fateful night, and when she turns up at her old friend’s doorstep asking for an alibi, Bess has no choice. She still owes her.

They say the truth will set you free but can Bess face up to what happened that night?

She should know by now… you can’t be an innocent woman when everyone wants you to be guilty.

Format: eARC (384 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 13th July 2023 Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Thriller

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My Review

To quote Joni, Before We Were Innocent is ‘the story of three perfectly imperfect women who hurt each other in all the most obvious ways, but who loved each other enough for a lifetime.’ Well, that’s how she chooses to frame it.

Moving between 2018 and ten years earlier, the book gradually reveals how a dramatic event on the island of Tinos changed Bess and Joni’s relationship from that of inseparable best friends to virtual strangers. And how it changed them as individuals too. Whereas Bess has retreated into self-imposed isolation, punctuated by episodes of risk-taking behaviour, Joni has seemingly put the past behind her, reinventing herself and using her experiences as a springboard for her career. But although Bess and Joni may have become estranged they are bound together forever by a lie. ‘Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive’ as someone once said…

Although narrated almost exclusively from the point of view of Bess, this isn’t a case of being either ‘Team Bess’ or ‘Team Joni’ because we’re never quite sure about the reliability of what we’re being told. While I didn’t find either Bess and Joni particularly likeable or their actions laudable (perhaps because my wild – if they ever were – teenage years are well behind me), they’re definitely nuanced characters and the author skilfully ensures your empathy moves back and forth between them.

Three into two don’t go, there’s always one left over. This is definitely Evangeline to whom Bess and Joni are actually quite horrible at times. Some of this ganging up comes back to haunt them. For me, Evangeline always remained a rather hazy character and I didn’t get any sense of the strong bond that supposedly existed between her and Joni before Bess came on the scene.

Before We Were Innocent is part coming-of-age story, part depiction of the complexity of friendships, and part intriguing mystery. It also exposes the impact of intrusive media attention on individuals and their families and the toxic nature of online discourse. Although it has plenty of twists and turns, for me it simmered but never really reached boiling point.

I received a digital review copy courtesy of Head of Zeus via NetGalley.

In three words: Intense, intriguing, twisty

Try something similar: Sister of Mine by Laurie Petrou

About the Author

Ella Berman grew up in both London and Los Angeles and worked at Sony Music before starting the clothing brand London Loves LA. She lives in London with her husband, James, and their dog, Rocky.

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#BookReview Para Bellum by Simon Turney @AriesFiction @HoZ_Books @SJATurney #ParaBellum

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About the Book

Book Cover Para Bellum by Simon Turney

AD 381. Five years have gone by since a Roman governor ordered the deaths of a Gothic king and his attendants at a feast in their honour. This disastrous act led to warfare in the Roman Empire and the death of the Emperor Valens.

Now, the Empire is calm once more, but for the eight legionaries who committed the killings, the bloodshed is only just beginning. Fritigern, brother of the murdered king, has sworn revenge on his brother’s killers. Now king of a powerful Gothic tribe, he will not rest until the men are hunted down.

Flavius Focalis is one of those legionaries. Surviving an attack at his villa, he realises the danger he and his family are in, and seeks to warn his former comrades, for he knows Fritigern will give them no quarter. So begins a deadly game of cat-and-mouse across the Empire, as, by land and sea, the former soldiers face the wrath of their implacable enemy, and return to the scene of the greatest battle of their Adrianople.

For war is coming again – and the only question is, do they die now, or die later?

Format: eARC (369 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 6th July 2023 Genre: Historical Fiction

Find Para Bellum on Goodreads

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My Review

The author describes Para Bellum as a story of revenge and a very compelling one it is too. Taking advantage of the fact that little is known about the fate of Fritigern following the murder of his brother, the author imagines him embarking on a single-minded mission to track down and kill the legionaries involved. It’s a scenario Flavius Focalis, along with his fellow legionaries, has been preparing for for years, fortifying his home, keeping weapons close at hand and ensuring his son Martius is trained to defend himself. And it’s just as well because when Fritigern’s men come they do so with deadly intent.

Flavius Focalis, although battle hardened, was never a cold-blooded ruthless killer, just a loyal soldier carrying out orders that he now realises were at best foolish and at worst the product of ruthess ambition. He is haunted by memories of the event and, being a Christian, wonders if he deserves to be punished for his sins. What trumps that though is his determination to honour the memory of his dead wife by keeping his son safe whatever the cost, even if that means him sacrificing his own life in the process. As it turns out, Martius has inherited a lot of his father’s fighting spirit.

Much like The Magnificent Seven, each member of the group brings different skills, whether that’s a prowess with artillery, the ability to come up with a cunning plan or expertise in creating ingenious defensive mechanisms. And, of course, there’s something to be said for sheer muscle even if it does result in some rather grisly encounters. (Those who are squeamish might want to skip some of the deadlier skirmishes.) And like The Magnificent Seven, not all of them will survive the cat-and-mouse game and be there as the final credits roll. Having said that, don’t underestimate the author’s ability to spring a surprise or two.

Para Bellum has all the full-on bone-crunching action and meticulous historical detail you’d expect from a Simon Turney novel but with the feel and pace of a thriller. As Para Bellum is a standalone novel, you don’t need to have read any of Simon’s previous books to enjoy it, although you’ll probably want to after this. And he leaves us with the prospect of another standalone to come, saying ‘there is another tale that I am twitching to tell’. If it’s as good as Para Bellum, I can’t wait.

In three words: Action-packed, gripping, dramatic

Try something similar: Legionary by Gordon Doherty

About the Author

Simon Turney

Simon Turney is from Yorkshire and, having spent much of his childhood visiting historic sites, fell in love with the Roman heritage of the region. His fascination with the ancient world snowballed from there with great interest in Rome, Egypt, Greece and Byzantium. His works include the Marius’ Mules and Praetorian series, the Tales of the Empire and The Damned Emperor series, and the Rise of Emperors books with Gordon Doherty. He lives in North Yorkshire with his family.

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