Tag: romance

Blog Tour/Review: Court of Lions by Jane Johnson

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Court of Lions PB blog tour

I’m delighted to be co-hosting the first stop on the blog tour to celebrate the publication in paperback of Court of Lions by Jane Johnson.  I really enjoyed this book when I read it last year and I love its gorgeous new cover (although the previous cover was pretty special too).  Below you can read my review of this fascinating story which moves between the city of Granada in the 15th century and the present day.

Oh, and do pop over and visit my co-host I’ll Be Fine Alone Reads to read an extract from Court of Lions.

COURT OF LIONS_PBAbout the Book

Kate Fordham, escaping terrible trauma, has fled to the beautiful sunlit city of Granada, the ancient capital of the Moors in Spain, where she is scraping by with an unfulfilling job in a busy bar. One day in the glorious gardens of the Alhambra, once home to Sultan Abu Abdullah Mohammed, also known as Boabdil, Kate finds a scrap of paper hidden in one of the ancient walls. Upon it, in strange symbols, has been inscribed a message from another age. It has lain undiscovered since before the Fall of Granada in 1492, when the city was surrendered to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Born of love, in a time of danger and desperation, the fragment will be the catalyst that changes Kate’s life forever.

Court of Lions brings one of the great turning-points in history to life, telling the stories of a modern woman and the last Moorish sultan of Granada, as they both move towards their cataclysmic destinies.

Format: Paperback (448 pp.)                                    Publisher: Head of Zeus
Published in paperback: 11th January 2018        Genre: Historical Fiction

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

Find Court of Lions on Goodreads

My Review

The story of Sultan Abu Abdullah Mohammed, known as Momo, is related through the eyes of Blessings, a slave brought as a young orphan from a desert tribe to be companion to the then Prince.   Despite their different status, Blessings and Momo quickly form a deep and lasting friendship although for Blessings, the relationship becomes more than friendship. Their relationship will be tested over the years of political turmoil and war as Granada fights for its survival against the forces of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain and to protect the Muslim faith of its people.

I found the story of Sultan Abu Abdullah Mohammed utterly compelling and admired the way the author brought it to life in such vivid and colourful detail.  For me, there was a perfect balance between the intimate, personal story of Momo and Blessings and the wider story of the historical events of the time – the plots, alliances, treaties, battles and, ultimately defeats.     In the end, both Momo and Blessings are forced to make heart-breaking compromises.

In the contemporary story, Kate’s troubles are domestic in nature and gradually revealed throughout the novel.  For her Granada is a refuge and a chance to leave behind unhappy memories and traumatic events.   The scrap of paper she finds in a crevice in the walls of the Alhambra and a chance encounter eventually provide the opportunity for her to move on in her life but not before she is forced to confront her traumatic past.  I was slightly less drawn to Kate’s story than to the parts of the book set in the past but that’s a personal thing because the modern day story is expertly told.  There are subtle connections between the two story lines: secrets, religious fundamentalism and discrimination.

I received a review copy courtesy of Head of Zeus in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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In three words: Compelling, well-researched, intimate

Try something similar: Secrets of the Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford

JaneJohnsonAbout the Author

Jane Johnson is from Cornwall and has worked in the book industry for over 20 years, as a bookseller, publisher and writer. She is responsible for the publishing of many major authors, including George RR Martin.  In 2005 she was in Morocco researching the story of a distant family member who was abducted from a Cornish church in 1625 by Barbary pirates and sold into slavery in North Africa, when a near-fatal climbing incident caused her to rethink her future. She returned home, gave up her office job in London, and moved to Morocco.  She married her own ‘Berber pirate’ and now they split their time between Cornwall and a village in the Anti-Atlas Mountains. She still works, remotely, as Fiction Publishing Director for HarperCollins.

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Blog Tour/Review: The Moral Compass by K A Servian

whatcathyreadnext4 Comments

The Moral Compass_Blog Tour Banner_FINAL

I’m delighted to co-host today’s stop on the blog tour for The Moral Compass by K A Servian. Set in 19th century New Zealand, The Moral Compass is the first in the Shaking The Tree series.   You can read my review of this fascinating novel below.

The Moral CompassAbout the Book

Florence lives like a Princess attending dinner parties and balls away from the gritty reality, filth and poverty of Victorian London.  However, her world comes crashing around her when her father suffers a spectacular fall from grace. She must abandon her life of luxury, leave behind the man she loves and sail to the far side of the world where compromise and suffering beyond anything she can imagine await her.

When she is offered the opportunity to regain some of what she has lost, she takes it, but soon discovers that not everything is as it seems. The choice she has made has a high price attached and she must live with the heart-breaking consequences of her decision.

Format: eBook, paperback (285 pp.) Publisher: SweetPea Publishing
Published: 17th October 2017             Genre: Historical Fiction

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

 Find The Moral Compass on Goodreads

My Review

Following a scandal that has seen them travel half way across the world, Florence and her hapless brother, Bertram, find themselves alone, orphaned and penniless.  ‘Everything she had taken for granted: their beautiful home, her many books, a cupboard overflowing with silk gowns, delicious food, being warm, clean and secure were all gone.’

A potential way out of their dire situation is offered by trader and shop owner, Jack Cameron, but it involves a course of action that Florence, or any other woman, would be reluctant to take.   However, it soon becomes clear that there is no alternative.  The man Florence loved is far away in England and unlikely to consider her a good marriage prospect now.

As things turn out, Florence’s worst fears are not realised and, for a time, she glimpses the possibility of happiness and even fulfilment. Unfortunately, others have different plans. Enter a good old-fashioned villain! From that point on, events conspire to thwart the happiness Florence has found, including ships that almost literally pass in the night!

I particularly liked how the reader sees Florence develop as a character: from naïve, cosseted girl, totally unprepared for the life into which she has been thrust, to mature, principled young woman.  Along the way she learns that what’s important in life is not airs and graces, the rules of etiquette or one’s position in society, but how you treat others.  If you like, through her experiences, Florence learns how to orientate her ‘moral compass’ to true North.   The message of the book is that people shouldn’t be judged based on their social status (or lack of it), their appearance or their race but by their actions and their values.   A message we could do well heed to today.

The setting of the book was one of the things that attracted to me to it and I enjoyed some of the early scenes which give a sense of the natural beauty of New Zealand and the culture of the native Maoris.  Personally, I would have welcomed more of this local colour.   However, I was captivated by the story and the ending definitely left me wanting to find out what happens next.

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

In three words: Engaging, dramatic, romantic

Try something similar…The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd (click here to read my review)

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K A ServianAbout the Author

As a life-long creative, Kathy gained qualifications in fashion design, applied design to fabric and jewellery making and enjoyed a twenty-year-plus career in the fashion and applied arts industries as a pattern maker, designer and owner of her own clothing and jewellery labels.  She then discovered a love of teaching and began passing on the skills accumulated over the years – design, pattern-making, sewing, Art Clay Silver, screen-printing and machine embroidery to name a few.  Creative writing started as a self-dare to see if she had the chops to write a manuscript. Writing quickly became an obsession and Kathy’s first novel, Peak Hill, which was developed from the original manuscript, was a finalist in the Romance Writers of New Zealand Pacific Hearts Full Manuscript contest in 2016.

Kathy now squeezes full-time study for an advanced diploma in creative writing in around working on her novels, knocking out the occasional short story, teaching part-time and being a wife and mother.

Connect with Kathy

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