Keep You Safe by Melissa Hill. Review and Giveaway.

As the HPV vaccination debate heats up in Ireland, there is a very timely new release from Irish author, Melissa Hill. Every parent has their own views on vaccines and no matter which side of the debate you are on, this is a novel that will drag you in to its story and may even introduce doubts that you never had. The MMR vaccine has saved million of lives and introduced the concept of herd immunity. But what happens when your child is not vaccinated and then contracts measles? Hill explores this idea in Keep You Safe, and it is a page-turning experience.

 I have five copies of this book, in a hat trick of giveaways: Two copies here on the blog (just leave a comment below); Two copies on twitter @margaretbmadden (see pinned tweet) and a copy over on the facebook page of Bleach House Library, (see pinned post). The giveaways end on 1st October and are open INT. Good Luck!

Photo from @MelissaHillBks

My Review

(originally posted in The Sunday Independent, 11 Sep 2017)

Kate's five-year-old daughter Rosie could not be vaccinated because of an intolerance to the gelatine used in live vaccines. Her classmate Clara was not vaccinated either - her mother Madeleine chose not to, fearful of its side-effects. Neither women anticipated the outcome of their decision, and Melissa Hill's new novel examines how both their worlds are turned upside down when their children are hit by the measles virus.

It is not against the law to refuse the childhood vaccination programme in Ireland, and Madeleine and her husband Tom genuinely believe they are protecting their daughter by refusing it: "They'd been hugely uncomfortable about the vaccine's link to autism, and while the original research paper suggesting the connection had long been discredited, it was very difficult to ignore the multitude of real-life anecdotal experiences that were so prevalent". On the other hand, nurse Kate, who thoroughly researched her decision, would gladly have vaccinated Rosie were it not for her allergy. While she is now widowed, her husband had approved her decision: "We had no choice but to opt Rosie out of the standard childhood vaccination programme and hope against hope that herd immunity would prevail".

Kate finds herself in a terrifying situation when Rosie is hospitalised. Meanwhile, Clara recovers from her illness but parenting blogger Madeleine is feeling the pressure in another way: "The public loved to express an opinion - never more so than on the internet - and right now, the full force of those primarily negative opinions was heading directly her way". The two women find themselves embroiled in a legal battle which seeks to assign blame. The media are having a field day with sympathy leaning toward Kate and Rosie while Madeleine and Tom are not being afforded the same respect: "It wasn't just her and Tom's decision on vaccination that was on trial here - it was their parenting".

Kate is homely, medically trained and dealing with the long-term effects of her daughter's illness; Madeleine - wealthy and media-savvy, is judged more for her personality than for her decision. Told from both mothers' perspectives, Keep You Safe is both astute and divisive and Hill (pictured left) has addressed the vaccine debate in a fictional tale of fear, judgement and choice. A topical, timely read.


Keep You Safe is published by HQ and is available in HB, TPB and ebook format. You can order your copy, with Free Worldwide Postage, HERE. The ebook can be ordered via amazon link below:

The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor: Exclusive excerpt and giveaway.

Thanks to Harper Collins in Ireland, I have an exclusive excerpt from Hazel Gaynor's latest novel, The Cottingley Secret, published on 7th September. There is also an amazing giveaway of an  early copy of the book and a fairy house, for one lucky winner! Just enter via rafflecopter link below. Open IRL/UK and closes on 25th August. Good luck!

Giveaway Prize

The Blurb

The New York Times bestselling author turns the clock back to a time when two young girls convinced the world that fairies really did exist…

1917: When two young cousins, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright from Cottingley, England, announce they have photographed fairies at the bottom of the garden, their parents are astonished. But when the great novelist, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, endorses the photographs’ authenticity, the girls become a sensation; their discovery offering something to believe in amid a world ravaged by war.

One hundred years later When Olivia Kavanagh finds an old manuscript and a photograph in her late grandfather’s bookshop she becomes fascinated by the story of the two young girls who mystified the world. As Olivia is drawn into events a century ago, she becomes aware of the past and the present intertwining, blurring her understanding of what is real and what is imagined. As she begins to understand why a nation once believed in fairies, will Olivia find a way to believe in herself? 

Exclusive Excerpt from The Cottingley Secret:

                   Fairies will not be rushed. I know this now; know I must

                   be patient.

                   Stiff and still in my favourite seat, formed from the

                   natural bend in the bough of a willow tree, I am wildly

                   alert, detecting every shifting shape and shadow; every

                   snap and crack of twig. I dangle my bare feet in the beck,

                   enjoying the cool rush of the water as it finds a natural

                   course between my toes. I imagine that if I sat here for

                   a hundred years, the water would smooth and round

                   them, like the pebbles I collect from the riverbed and keep

                   in my pockets.

                   In the distance I can see Mr Gardner, the man they sent

                   from London, with his round spectacles and bow tie and

                   endless questions. He peers around the trunk of an oak

                   tree, watches for a moment, and scribbles his observations

                   in his notebook. I know what he writes: remarks about

                   the weather, our precise location, the peculiar sense of

                   something different in the air.

                   Elsie stands on the riverbank beside me, her camera

                   ready. ‘Can’t you ’tice them?’ she urges. ‘Say some secret

                   words?’

                   I shrug. ‘They’re here, Elsie. I can feel them.’ But like

                   the soft breath of wind that brushes against my skin, the

                   things we feel cannot always be seen.

                   I know that the best time to see them is in that perfect

                   hour before sunset when the sun sinks low on the horizon

                   like a ripe peach and sends shafts of gold bursting through

                   the trees. The ‘in between’, I call it. No longer day, not

                   yet night; some other place and time when magic hangs

                   in the air and the light plays tricks on the eye. You might

                   easily miss the flash of violet and emerald, but I – according

                   to my teacher, Mrs Hogan – am ‘a curiously observant

                   child’. I see their misty forms among the flowers and leaves.

                   I know my patience will be rewarded if I watch and listen,

                   if I believe.

                  Tired of waiting, Elsie takes her camera and returns to

                  the house, where Aunt Polly is waiting to hear if we

                  managed any new photographs. The others soon follow:

                  Mr Gardner, the newspaper reporters, the ‘fairy hunters’

                  who come to snoop and trample all over the wildflowers

                  and spoil things. My little friends won’t appear just to

                  please these onlookers. They move according to the patterns

                  and rhythms of nature, not the whims of so-called experts

                  from London. Fairies, I understand. These men, I do not.

                  Glad to be alone again, I watch the pond skaters and

                  dragonflies, listen to the steady giggle of the water, sense

                  the prickle of anticipation all around me. The sun dazzles

                  on the water and I squint to shield my eyes as the heat

                  at the back of my neck makes me drowsy and tugs at my

                  eyelids, heavy with the desire to sleep.

                  I press my palms against the bark, smoothed from

                  decades of weather and countless children who have sat

                  here. How many of them have seen, I wonder? How many

                  of them have known? I wait and I wait, whispering the

                  words from my picture book: ‘“There shall be no veil

                  between them, / Though her head be old and wise. / You

                  shall know that she has seen them, / By the glory in her

                   eyes.”’

                  And then . . .

                  The lightest ringing at my ears. The slightest movement

                  of fern and leaf.

                  My heart flutters. My eyes widen with excitement.

                  A flash of vibrant emerald. Another of softest

                  lavender-blue.

                  I lean forward. Draw in my breath. Don’t make a sound.

                  They are here.

The Cottingley Secret is published on 7th September in TPB and ebook format. You can order your copy via amazon link below:

To be in with a chance of winning an early edition of The Cottingley Secret, with a delightful and magical Irish Fairy Door (you just need to believe), just enter via rafflecopter link below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

via tumblr.com

Book Review: The Woman At Number 24 by Juliet Ashton

A Georgian villa in Notting Hill. A mixed bunch of residents. A houseful of stories. Sarah lives on the floor above her ex-husband and his new wife. She is supposedly renovating their apartment, in order to sell and split the proceeds. In reality, she is in denial and struggling to move on. When Tom and Jane move in to number 24, the atmosphere rises a notch and the residents are soon enamored with the enigmatic young couple. 

Tom is an instant hit with Sarah, showing his gentle nature in his approach to the youngest resident of the house. (Una is a timid little girl, who is damaged by her parents separation and refuses to speak). Meanwhile, in the basement flat, lives Mavis. An elderly, cranky lady who is a law unto herself. All the residents begin to open their doors, albeit tentatively,  and as the summer progresses, new friendships form and the building finds a new lease of life. There are secret liaisons; hidden truths; unspoken words; hedgehog rescues...

Opening up with Sarah attending the wedding of her ex-husband, the tensions within the walls of number 24 become apparent. A child psychologist,  she is dragged down with a sense of unworthiness and is uncertain of her future. She has lost a husband, a friend and her joie de vivre.  Una is a child that lingers on the edge of the story, with her sad eyes and solitary stress. Tom is the handsome neighbour who adds some sparkle to the tale, but surprising the reader along the way. Jane takes Sarah under her wing and the two form a firm friendship. Leo (Sarah's ex) is smarmy and repugnant, with his new wife, Helena, rubbing salt in Sarah's newly opened wounds. Mavis is an eccentric character and she saves the book from becoming  run-of-the-mill. She is sarcastic, quirky and her unusual personality unfolds gradually.


The house is brought to life, page by page, and the interlinking stories are all told from Sarah's point of view. A warm and genuine read, slowly paced but with plenty to keep the reader entertained. (Mikey the hedgehog deserves his own picture book).

Well worth adding to your wishlist, The Woman At Number 24 is ideal for escaping the madness of your own household; the daily commute; the pile of ironing. Peeking into the lives of others, without having to leave the house...

**I received a copy of this title, from the publisher, in return for an honest review.**

The Woman At Number 24 is published by Simon and Schuster and is available in PB and ebook format. You can order your copy, with Free Worldwide Delivery, HERE. The ebook is available via amazon link below:

The Summer Of Serendipity by Ali McNamara - Review and Giveaway.

I am delighted to help kick off the blog tour for Ali McNamara's latest novel, The Summer Of Serendipity. I also have a copy of the book to giveaway to one lucky reader. Just enter via pinned post on Bleach House Library facebook page. Open INT and closes on Monday, 31st July. Good Luck! Serendipity Parker is a property hunter, who matches her clients with their dream homes. Travelling with her assistant, Kiki, the trip to Ireland proves more problematic that they anticipated. Although they have found the perfect property, in the small village of Ballykiltara, there is more to the house than meets the eye. Local folklore, century-old legends and a protective community all throw a spanner in the works. Serendipity and Kiki get to know the locals a little better and begin to see the magic in the small, touristy village.

 It's that time of the year: Summer is well and truly here and our reading tastes alter accordingly. The need for something light, fun and easy-going is what summer is all about. While we may not all have a holiday booked, or a sunlounger to rest on, the pace certainly eases over the summer months and sometimes all you want is a charming book that does not require too much concentration. This may just be what you are looking for. This is female fiction with a rom-com feel. Serendipity (or Ren, as she is known) is a businesswoman first and foremost and is used to getting what she wants. Her trip to Ireland sees a shift in her mentality, as she begins to see that a house is not just about the location or its prospective buyer. Kiki is a great character, with her tendency to mix-up well-known sayings resulting in some great comedic moments. Along with the hotel staff (especially Finn and Donal) there is a great selection of personalities and they blend well together.

This is a light-hearted read, with some nice nods to Irish History and Archaeology, and gives a glimpse into village life and the craic that can be had. It is not all woolly sheep and Guinness souvenirs; it is the people; the views and the historic atmosphere. There may be lots of cliché in the novel, but the banter makes up for it. A lovely, warm and sweet read.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ali McNamara attributes her over-active and very vivid imagination to one thing – being an only child. Time spent dreaming up adventures when she was young has left her with a head bursting with stories waiting to be told.

When stories she wrote for fun on Ronan Keating’s website became so popular they were sold as a fundraising project for his cancer awareness charity, Ali realised that not only was writing something she enjoyed doing, but something others enjoyed reading too.

www.alimcnamara.co.uk | @AliMcNamara

The Summer Of Serendipity is published by Sphere and is available in PB and ebook format.

LMFM #LateLunchBookclub July recommendations.

      

#LateLunchBookclub 

July Recommendations

  
 Friday, 7th July.

Here are the books I have chosen for July's #LateLunchBookclub. It can be hard to please all readers, so I have chosen from different genres in the hope of finding you a perfect summer read. All these books are available from your local bookstore, library or online. (Remember, if you can't find a book in-store, your bookseller can order it in for you.)

I really hope you enjoy the recommendations and feel free to leave me a comment on the blog, twitter: @margaretbmadden or facebook: Bleach House Library. Follow #LateLunchBookclub for all LMFM book reviews, interviews and chances to win some book bundles.  #LateLunchBookclub Podcasts are also available on the LMFM website. So, here we go...

JULY READS

*************************************************************

Female Fiction: The Woman at 72 Derry Lane by Carmel Harrington

On a leafy suburban street in Dublin, beautiful, poised Stella Greene lives with her successful husband, Matt. The perfect couple in every way, Stella appears to have it all. Next door, at number 72 however, lives Rea Brady. Gruff, bad-tempered and rarely seen besides the twitching of her net curtains, rumour has it she’s lost it all…including her marbles if you believe the neighbourhood gossip.

But appearances can be deceiving and when Stella and Rea’s worlds collide they realise they have much in common. Both are trapped in a prison of their own making.

Has help been next door without them realising it?

With the warmth and wit of Maeve Binchy and the secrets and twists of Liane Moriarty, this is the utterly original and compelling new novel from Irish Timesbestseller Carmel Harrington.

*************************************

General Fiction: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.

Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.

Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything.

One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life.

Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than… fine?

*************************************

Thriller: Honeymoon by Tina Seskis

There's trouble in paradise . . .

For as long as she can remember, Jemma has been planning the perfect honeymoon. A fortnight's retreat to a five-star resort in the Maldives, complete with luxury villas, personal butlers and absolute privacy.

It should be paradise. But it's turned into a nightmare.

Because the man Jemma married a week ago has just disappeared from the island without a trace. And now her perfect new life is vanishing just as quickly before her eyes.

After everything they've been through together, how can this be happening? Is there anyone on the island who Jemma can trust? And above all - where has her husband gone?

*************************************

Non-Fiction: The Boy Who Gave His Heart Away by Cole Moreton

‘How do you say thank you to someone for giving you their heart? It is the greatest gift a person can ever give.’

Marc is a promising young footballers of 15, growing up in Scotland. A few hundred miles away in England, Martin is a fun-loving 16-year-old. Both are enjoying their summers when they are suddenly struck down by debilitating illnesses. Within days, the boys are close to death.

Although their paths have never crossed, their fortunes are about to be bound in the most extraordinary, intimate way. One of them will die and in doing so, he will save the other’s life.

This is a deeply powerful and dramatic story. It is extremely rare for the family of a donor to have any personal contact with the recipient of their loved one’s organ. Yet remarkably, the mothers of these two boys meet and become friends, enabling the extraordinary, bittersweet moment in which a mother who has lost her son meets the boy he saved. Reaching out and placing her palm flat against his chest, she feels the heart of her son beating away inside another. Her boy, the boy who gave his heart away.

*************************************

Young Adult: Girl In Between by Sarah Carroll

I know the mill has a story cos there’s something strange going on. I heard something. I’ve decided that I’m going to find out what it is later today when Ma leaves. Cos even if it is scary, we live here and we’re never leaving. So if there’s something going on, I need to know. 

In an old, abandoned mill, a girl and her ma take shelter from their memories of life on the streets. To the girl it’s home, her safe place, the Castle. But as her ma spins out of control and the Authorities move ever closer, the girl finds herself trapped – stuck in the crumbling mill with only the ghosts of the past for company.

Can she move on before it’s too late? 

*************************************

Short Stories: Joyride To Jupiter by Nuala O'Connor

 

A heartbroken man deals with his wife s Alzheimer's as best he can. The Jesus of O'Connell Street reflects on his situation, which isn't half bad. A too-young girl witnesses her father s shocking infidelity. A quiet murder on a riverbank. Imperfect lovers and unlikely friends thwart and bolster each other as they act out their dramas on the beaches of Brazil, in the bedrooms of Dublin, and in the wilds of North America.

 With prose both lyrical and profound, the award-winning Nuala O'Connor writes of maternal love and cross-generational friendship but here, also, are stories of ageing, suicide, and the buoyancy of new love. In these urgent, humane stories of ill-advised couplings, loneliness and burgeoning hope, we find O Connor's trademark humour and sensuality, and the quest for longed-for truths. A truly stunning collection by one of Ireland's finest writers.

       

   

Here's hoping you find some of these recommendations in your hands this summer. Enjoy!

Book Review: The Break by Marian Keyes.

Forty-four-year-old Amy is gobsmacked when her husband, Hugh, declares that he wants to take a break from their marriage. He plans to travel through South East Asia and sever all contact for six months. Leaving Amy and three children behind, he heads off with a rucksack, a quick-dry towel and a newly discovered sense of freedom. Amy is devastated but, in true Irish style, she picks herself up and carries on, regardless. With some words of (not your average) wisdom from her daughters, sisters and feisty mother, Amy slowly learns what it is like to be a separated mother and struggles to adapt to her new role, albeit in great vintage clothes.

It is twenty two years since Marian Keyes burst onto the fiction scene, with her debut, Watermelon. Twelve worldwide bestselling novels later, she returns with a fresh and zingy new host of characters. Amy is an extremely likable and well-rounded personality; in her prime, yet delightfully immature; attractive, yet insecure; career confident, yet equally happy to be at home. She has raised three very unique children and is a loving aunt to many. Her eldest daughter, Neeve, (who's father is a virtually-absent former footballer) is a make-up vlogger, even managing to rope in her Granny for the odd session. There is her quiet and contemplative niece, Sofie, who has been living with Amy and Hugh since her early childhood and is rarely seen without boyfriend, Jackson. Finally there is Kiara, a dream-child who gives her parents no worries. This houseful of females is awash with ongoing shenanigans and all-round mayhem which builds up momentum for the weekly extended-family meal. Add in Amy's regular commute to London, for her celeb clients requiring media-makeovers, and the story line never dips.

Keyes has come back with a bang. She has deposited some of her own insightful, warm wit into her characters and let them come to life in their own unique way. Fans will recognise many familiar topics dotted throughout the narrative; a love of all things cosmetic-related; a monthly cheese-subscription; a wife who is weary with the arduous task of caring for her husband with dementia; a fear of hairdressers; the joy of seeing a baby car seat being removed from a sibling's car. However, there are more universal moments. The delight of the first sip of crisp, white wine at the end of a crappy day; the 'mean-girl' effect on on adults who need friends, not enemies; the pre-date preparations required to make an older-woman feel confident enough to strip-off. There are also very valid and serious issues addressed. The ongoing Repeal the 8th campaign is tackled head-on with a character needing to travel abroad to end her pregnancy. Women, on this island, have no rights to their own bodies. Under Irish law, it is a criminal offense to procure abortion pills or seek termination in Ireland. In The Break, a female has made her choice, but cannot legally do anything about it. Choice is the key word.  It may not be a story line that everyone will be comfortable with, but it is a reflection of our times.  Unfair treatment of females in the workplace is also alluded to:

 "These days, my friends of child-bearing age, who work any sizable company, tell me that life is like a dystopian novel, one where women have to swallow their pill in a public ceremony every morning in the workplace. ('They watch over you like a hawk. You can't sneak off to puke from a hangover or put on even an ounce. If they suspect you're pregnant, you're immediately sidelined onto the worst project ever, to make you resign.')

But, there are lots of laughs. Bucket-loads of laughs. Amy is the kind of friend that you would want at your party. She's fun, sassy and you know she would have your back. Her ability to laugh and enjoy life, even through the darker moments, are endearing and despite being kicked in the teeth, she does not wallow in self-pity. (Instead, choosing to shop online, despite dwindling finances.) She is a great mother and a fantastic daughter. She gets her chance for her own 'mid-life crisis' and Jaypers, she gets right up on that horse. The sex scenes are real and raunchy, without being gratuitous, and are all the better for it. The body-shaming and 'things you should never wear over the age of forty' lists get the middle finger from Marian Keyes, and rightly so. There are some amazingly astute one-liners, all the way through:

"A soul-mate is like one of those seventy-nine-euro flights  to New York - a lovely idea but they don't exist."

"There are times when your heart is bursting with love for them and there are spells when you tense up at the sound of them entering the room."

Flashbacks give the reader a chance to know more about Amy and Hugh, allowing more depth to their relationship. The pacing is great, the language is a balance of the colloquial and generic and all emotions are examined; grief, anger, joy, surprise, despair, excitement (sexual and retail - YES!) and acceptance. Amy's mother is a breath of fresh air and like The Walsh Family novels, the diverse personalities within the family unit are the making of the story. I cannot fault this book at all. I am delighted to see Ms. Keyes back in flying form and spreading the joy to her readers. We are definitely a better nation for her. An outstanding look at life for the modern Irish woman.  Highly Recommended.

The Break is published by Michael Joseph on 7th September 2017 in HB. You can pre-order your copy via your local bookshop or via amazon link below:

Exclusive Cover Reveal and Giveaway: A House Full Of Secrets by Zoe Miller..

I am delighted, and honoured, to be the first to share the cover of Zoe Miller's latest novel, A House Full of Secrets.  I also have a copy of the book to giveaway to one lucky reader, to be posted on publication day, 3rd August. To be in with a chance of winning this first edition, please enter via rafflecopter link below. Open INT and closes on 7th July. Good Luck!

*Drum Roll Please*

THE BLURB

When Londoner Vikki receives an invitation from Niall Blake to join him for a weekend at his family home in a remote part of Ireland, she hopes it will be the perfect opportunity to turn their friendship into something more significant. But Niall has a different reason for his proposition …

As the weekend takes a sinister turn and Vikki discovers more about Niall, his estranged older brother Alex and his over-compensating sister Lainey, it becomes clear that the family harbours a long-buried secret. But who is out to destroy them? Could it be one of their own? And why did Niall invite Vikki along for the weekend?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zoë Miller writes contemporary fiction laced with mystery and intrigue. She is married and lives on the south side of Dublin, close to the foot of the Dublin Mountains. She has two daughters and a son. Zoë has been writing since childhood, when she loved reading so much that she felt compelled to write stories herself. Before having the time to devote to writing novels, she had short stories and feature journalism published. Zoë has successful eight novels published by Hachette Books Ireland, including The Compromise, A Husband’s Confession, A Question of Betrayal and Someone New.

  You can contact Zoë at www.zoemillerauthor.com, or Twitter @zoemillerauthor, or Facebook.com/zoemillerauthor.

A House Full of Secrets is published by Hachette Ireland on 3 August 2017 and in UK PB in Feb 2018. You can pre-order your copy via amazon link below:

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Book Review: Love In Row 27 by Eithne Shortall.

Airline check-in agent, Cora Hendricks, is the queen of match-making. With the help of online research, she sees potential mates and brings them together on board Aer Lingus short-haul routes. Row 27 has been earmarked by herself and her cabin-crew friend, Nancy; where the unsuspecting singles are seated together and given some on-board VIP treatment. Not all the matches are successful, but Cora and Nancy cross their fingers and wait for the magic to happen. Meanwhile, Cupid's arrow seems to have flown right past Cora and she despairs at ever meeting Mr. Right. 

The search for the perfect summer read ends here. Eithne Shortall has written a wonderfully fun and uplifting tale, with Cora at its heart. Based in London Heathrow, the world of human interaction is temporarily restored when self-service and online check-in are suspended for a time. The days of queuing at an airline desk and chatting to the agent ceased back in the late 1990s and air travel lost a bit of its wonder. Staff become almost invisible and match-making opportunities were all but gone. By suspending passengers ability to ignore check-in, the story is given wings that would otherwise have been clipped. Cora's co-workers are a mixed bunch and the banter between all departments in the airport is just as real as it is in real-life. Ground crew; Cabin crew; baggage handlers; airport security; concession staff; they all work in the climate controlled, permanently busy airport. There is never a dull day and no two passengers are the same. 

Cora's mother is suffering from early on-set dementia and has been placed in a care-facility. Visits can be difficult and memories are becoming harder and harder to grasp. Nancy is hoping for promotion and to be seen more than just the 'coffee or tea? girl. A host of other airline staff are ever-present and the new-found fame of one of the gang leads to some hilarious antics in front of a TV crew. As the passengers board flights, they are unaware of the bigger story.  Female fiction doesn't get much better than this. Love in Row 27 is a refreshing and rewarding read, definitely worth packing in your suitcase. Highly recommended.

Love in Row 27 is published by Corvus and is available in PB an ebook format. You can order your copy, with Free Worldwide Postage, HERE. The ebook can be ordered via amazon link below:

Book Review: All At Sea by Pauline Lawless.

A Caribbean cruise is fairly high up on everyone's wish-list, right? Escaping from the Irish weather; the daily commute; the housework and the sameness of everyday life. Three sets of Irish passengers board the Liberté in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, not realising the impact the trip could have on their individual lives.

The McElroys are led by their matriarch, Bunny, who gathers her flock with distinctive style. Herself and husband, Richard, have treated their grown children to the luxury cruise and the vision of an ideal family trip is not shaping up as they imagined. 

The Jordans are on on their 'second honeymoon', yet Cassie is unaware that Declan's bit-on-the-side is also embarking.  Alix is determined to get her man, no matter who gets hurt along the way.

The Kennys are escaping the exhausting family routine of Christmas and think a cruise is an ideal way to avoid stress and strife. While their young adult children make the most of their surroundings, Ann and Tony drift further and further apart. A lonesome passenger becomes Ann's ally, while Tony creates his own fun.

Pauline Lawless had hit the summer blockbuster market with a bang. The story is full of sun, sea, sex and scandal. The younger passengers are not the only ones making the most of the all-inclusive drinks and on-board entertainment. The over-powering Bunny is outrageously overbearing and her youngest daughter, Sarah is a self-centered, spoiled brat who needs to be given a good life-lesson. Recently separated Jess is not much better and completes the family tradition of frightful women. Declan is the atypical mid-life-crisis kind of man; full of a newly discovered sex-drive and a veritable briefcase full of lies. His wife Cassie is naive and taken for granted. A similar tale is told via Tony and Ann Kenny. Another middle-aged man; another downtrodden wife. Their two kids are bland and wholesome, yet manage to find their perfect matches. The overall tone does not portray women in a particularly good light. It implies that all men can be 'controlled' by a bit of forward planning and making them think they are actually the boss:

"Jess couldn't but admire her mother's scheming mind. She certainly knew how to manipulate her husband. Women who could do that always seemed to get what they wanted. Jess took note."

While two wives suddenly discover they don't need their husbands to survive, both seem to have only noticed this after said husbands had been caught cheating. I think us women deserve more credit for knowing what makes us happy, and what doesn't. 

This is a novel that is destined for holiday carry-on luggage as it is a complete package of escapism. It is like an episode of The Love Boat mixed up with the story lines of Dallas and Dynasty; all with Irish characters. Not for everyone, but sure to delight many. 

All At Sea is published by Poolbeg and is available in paperback and ebook format. 

The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor: Exclusive Cover Reveal and Giveaway

Thanks to Harper Collins in Ireland, I have the pleasure of the revealing the UK/IRE cover of The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor, published on 7th September 2017. There is also a chance to win a limited edition ARC. Just enter via the rafflecopter link below. Open INT and ends on 5th June.

Drum Roll Please...

The Blurb

The New York Times bestselling author turns the clock back to a time when two young girls convinced the world that fairies really did exist…

 Cottingley, Yorkshire, 1917: When two young cousins, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright, announce they have photographed fairies at the bottom of the garden, their parents are astonished. But when the great novelist, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, endorses the photographs’ authenticity, the girls become a sensation; their discovery offering something to believe in amid a world ravaged by war.

One hundred years later: When Olivia Kavanagh finds an old manuscript and a photograph in her late grandfather’s bookshop it sparks a fascination with the story of the two young girls who mystified the world. Delving deeper into the past, and the truth behind an innocent game that became a national obsession, Olivia begins to question her own beliefs. And as she begins to understand why a nation once believed in fairies, will Olivia find a way to believe in herself? 

Praise for The Cottingley Secret

The Cottingley Fairies

“I adored The Cottingley Secret. Gaynor has penned in majestic prose an enchanting and enthralling tale of childhood magic, forgotten dreams, and finding the parts of ourselves we thought were lost forever." - Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan's Tale

"There is real magic in these pages. And beauty. And heart." - Nicole Mary Kelby, author of The Pink Suit

About The Author

Hazel Gaynor’s debut novel The Girl Who Came Home—A Novel of the Titanic—was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller and was awarded the 2015 RNA Historical Novel of the Year award. Her second novel A Memory of Violets, also hit the New York Timesbestseller list and her third, The Girl from the Savoy was an Irish Times and Globe & Mail Canada bestseller. The book was also a finalist for the 2016 Irish Book Awards. Hazel is also a contributing author to WWI anthology Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War. Her novels have been translated into several languages.

Hazel was selected by US Library Journal as one of ‘Ten Big Breakout Authors’ for 2015, was a WHSmith Fresh Talent selection in spring 2015, and the recipient of the 2012 Cecil Day Lewis Award for Emerging Writers. As features writer for national Irish writing website writing.ie Hazel has interviewed Philippa Gregory, Sebastian Faulks, Kate Mosse, Jojo Moyes and Cheryl Strayed, among others.

Following American publication in August, THE COTTINGLEY SECRET will be published by HarperCollins in Ireland in September 2017, with UK paperback publication to follow in March 2018. Later this year, Hazel’s epistolary novel LAST CHRISTMAS IN PARIS, co-written with Heather Webb, will also be published by HarperCollins.

Hazel lives in Kildare with her husband and two children. She is represented by Michelle Brower of Aevitas Creative, New York. For more information visit www.hazelgaynor.com, @HazelGaynor on Twitter, or @hazelgaynorbooks on Facebook

  

Hazel Gaynor & Margaret Madden

Praise for Hazel Gaynor:

*‘Addictive, charming and gleaming with Jazz Age glitz’ The Lady 

*‘Sumptuous, gorgeous, authentic and surprising, Hazel Gaynor has written another hit.’ Sunday Independent 

*‘Peopled with unforgettable characters…Once begun, I dare you to put it down.’ Kathleen Tessaro, author of The Perfume Collector

The Cottingley Secret is published by Harper Collins in Ireland, in TPB and ebook format, on the 7th September and is available for pre-order HERE. 

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