My grateful thanks to Ben Willis at Penguin Random House for an advanced reader copy of ‘The Widow’ by Fiona Barton in return for an honest review. It is published by Transworld on 14th January 2016. and is available here in the UK and here in the US.

When Glen Taylor is killed in a road accident, his widow Jean is finally free to tell her version of events surrounding Glen’s actions the day two year old Bella went missing.

I have to admit to being a bit reluctant to getting started with The Widow as there seemed to be so much publicity about it, with some mixed reviews, that I was afraid I’d be disappointed. I wasn’t. Sometimes there’s a book that just seems to get everything right and ‘The Widow’ is just such a book.

There’s an oppressive, claustrophobic feel so compelling that it is impossible not to read just one more page and then another as the plot twists its way along. What works so well is that much of the action is set against the prosaic mundanity of life and a dull marriage so that it is entirely believable. I think Fiona Barton’s background in journalism is part of this success. She doesn’t overstate the journalistic elements, but presents them with a realism that convinces the reader utterly.

I loved the way in which ‘The Widow’ moved between the 2010, and the widow Jean Taylor’s first person account of events, and the third person past tense account of the events from Bella’s disappearance in 2006 because I thought it added depth and tension. Fiona Barton weaves these timescales together so the novel is satisfyingly resolved.

Fiona Barton reveals character with consummate skill so that even Detective Bob Sparkes’ wife, Eileen, who features for only a few lines, is known to the reader. But the real talent is in what she withholds too. The reader is kept guessing about Jean right to the end of the story. I hated Glen with a passion from the moment he was introduced.

Some readers might find it hard to read a book concerning the disappearance of a child, about online pornography and about the scruples or otherwise of the media, and Fiona Barton raises real issues about how well we know the people we live with and what we might do in the same situation as Jean. For me it is these things that make ‘The Widow’ such a success. Life is sleazy and muddy and ‘The Widow’ shows that element of our society to perfection. I wonder how many people are living with someone whom they suspect of something terrible but dismiss as their ‘nonsense’. The psychological aspect of the novel, whilst actually quite understated, is quite disturbing.

Having initially been reluctant to read ‘The Widow’ by Fiona Barton, I now want to shout about it from the rooftops. Creepy, compelling, absorbing, it is stunningly good and deserves to be one of THE books of 2016.

You can follow Fiona Barton on Twitter or visit her web site for more information.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of ‘ASAP Science: Answers to the World’s Weirdest Questions, Most Persistent Rumours, and Unexplained Phenomena’ in a Twitter competition run by Scribe Books. Jointly written by Mitchell Moffit and Greg Brown, it is available in both hardback and paperback. It is available to buy here in the UK and here in the US or direct from the publisher.

This is a great book for adults and older teenagers (with a word of caution about the chapter ‘Hot Sex and Other Amorous Pursuits’), scientists and lay folk alike. Credit for its success must partly be given to Jessica Carroll who, along with the writers, helped produce the cartoon illustrations that help bring the text to life. The unifying blue, black and white colour scheme and the excellent balance of white space make this a book readers can dip in to for instant entertainment whilst being educated.

There are seven sections to the book where all kinds of scientific aspects are explored. I especially liked the comments about sleep, given that I never seem to get enough and I had never heard of ‘brain farts’ before! I think everyone wants to know about the age-old question ‘Which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ So, In essence, there’s something here for everyone.

Many of the features are written in a quirky and erudite style so that there is real humour as well as science presented here. As an aspiring author I loved the section on ‘The Science of Procrastination’. Who knew that wasting time on Twitter, Facebook et al is hyperbolic discounting? Now I know why I procrastinate and what to do about it, but you’ll have to read the book yourself to find out!

I thoroughly enjoyed ‘ASAP Science’ (and I haven’t done science since O’Level biology over forty years ago) as did my husband to whom I gave it (and he has a PhD in Chemistry) so I think there really is something for everyone in this smart, accessible, witty and entertaining book.

You can find out more about ASAP science by subscribing to the Youtube account here  as well as following Mitchell Moffit and Greg Brown  on Twitter.

‘Howl’ by Miles Salter features James Small and Neville Heavy and is published in paperback by Caboodle available here in the UK and here in the US. It is aimed at children aged 7 to 10.

When James Small and Neville Heavy get a new teacher, Mr Grindell, for their primary school class, they little realise just what a difference he might make. They notice he has particularly hairy hands, but that is just the start of their adventures.

Although it’s difficult to judge accurately as a woman in her fifties as opposed to a child of seven to ten, I can’t see how any child would fail to love this wonderful story. Certainly, those I’ve taught in the past would be utterly entranced by it. I also liked the literacy ideas at the back of the novel that teachers or parents could use to help children develop their own writing skills.

The writing flows beautifully and Miles Salter’s storytelling is flawless, including all the elements children like such as danger, friendship and humour. Miles salter has been extremely clever as the cultural references and funny elements won’t date for several years so that there is a longevity to this read. Witches, werewolves, missing dogs, grave yards and Halloween with a full moon all contribute to a highly entertaining narrative. The story ends with ‘To be continued…’so although there is sufficient resolution at the end, there is also room for a child’s imagination before they read the next installment of James Small and Neville Heavy’s adventures.

Vivid, well crafted descriptions help even the most reluctant reader engage with and understand both character and plot. Indeed, the plot is so fast paced that it is thoroughly entertaining. I think ‘Howl’ would make a fantastic children’s television programme and had it been written by someone more famous I’m certain it would have been commissioned by now. It really is brilliant.

You can follow Miles on his web site on Twitter and on Authors Abroad. If you’d like to find out more about how Miles Salter came to write ‘Howl’ please click here.

It is my very great pleasure to feature Wendy Holden’s ‘Born Survivors’ here today. ‘Born Survivors’ is historic non-fiction and was published by Little Brown in May 2015. (ISBN: 978-0-7515574-1-1) It is available to buy here in the UK and here in the US in ebook, hardback and paperback.

About Born Survivors

Among millions of Holocaust victims sent to Auschwitz II-Birkenau in 1944, Priska, Rachel, and Anka each passed through its infamous gates with a secret. Strangers to each other, they were newly pregnant, and facing an uncertain fate without their husbands. Alone, scared, and with so many loved ones already lost to the Nazis, these young women were privately determined to hold on to all they had left: their lives, and those of their unborn babies.

That the gas chambers ran out of Zyklon-B just after the babies were born, before they and their mothers could be exterminated, is just one of several miracles that allowed them all to survive and rebuild their lives after World War II. Born Survivors follows the mothers’ incredible journey – first to Auschwitz, where they each came under the murderous scrutiny of Dr. Josef Mengele; then to a German slave labour camp where, half-starved and almost worked to death, they struggled to conceal their condition; and finally, as the Allies closed in, their hellish 17-day train journey with thousands of other prisoners to the Mauthausen death camp in Austria.

Hundreds died along the way but the courage and kindness of strangers, including guards and civilians, helped save these women and their children. Sixty-five years later, the three ‘miracle babies’ met for the first time at Mauthausen for the anniversary of the liberation that ultimately saved them. United by their remarkable experiences of survival against all odds, they now consider each other “siblings of the heart.”

In Born Survivors, now published in 21 countries and translated into 16 languages, Wendy Holden brings all three stories together for the first time to mark their seventieth birthdays and the seventieth anniversary of the ending of the war. A heart-stopping account of how three mothers and their newborns fought to survive the Holocaust, Born Survivors is also a life-affirming celebration of our capacity to care and to love amid inconceivable cruelty.

 

Reviews:

“An exceptionally fresh history, a work of prodigious original research, written with zealous empathy.” New York Times

“A work of quite extraordinary investigative dedication… Married to (the) narrative skills, Born Survivors is a moving testament of faith.” Sir Harold Evans

“An incredible true story… In this meticulously detailed account, Holden compiles an enormous amount of information… The graphic history places readers in the moment and the story’s truth is chillingly portrayed. An engrossing, intense, and highly descriptive narrative chronicling the ghastly conditions three pregnant women suffered through at the hands of the Nazis.” Kirkus Reviews

“Holden weaves.. written, oral and recorded accounts, plus an array of historical records, into a spellbinding story of perseverance amid systematic abuse.” American Jewish World

“One of the most important books of the year.” Last Word Reviews

About the Author

Wendy Holden was a journalist for eighteen years, including a decade at the Daily Telegraph where she worked as a foreign and war correspondent. She is author and the co-author of more than thirty books, including several bestselling wartime biographies, including Tomorrow to be Brave, Till the Sun Grows Cold, and Behind Enemy Lines. She lives in Suffolk, England with her husband and two dogs and divides her time between the U.K. and the U.S.

Website and blog: www.wendyholden.com Wendy also invites you to follow her on Facebook, on Twitter, at wendholden on Instagram and on Tumblr, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

It’s my pleasure today to have a guest piece about writing from Julia Roberts, author of ‘If He Really Loved Me…’ which is the second in ‘The Liberty Sands’ trilogy and is available here in both ebook and paperback.

Julia tells us about how she began writing novels and the part words have always played in her life.

My Life in Words

Although I have only recently started writing novels, I think it’s fair to say that ‘words’ have been my business for almost thirty years. My first job as a presenter was in 1989. It was a series of live presentations for Vauxhall Motors at the Motor Fair at Earls Court Exhibition Centre. I had to learn a script, something I’m not very good at, which was full of facts, figures and technical data. There was a presentation on the hour, every hour and by the last day of the show the script was finally committed to memory. It was very different from the presenting job that I have had at QVC (the shopping channel) for the past twenty-two years. Of course I do have to learn facts about the products I’m presenting but there is no ‘script’ as such. Each presenter is given more or less free rein in the choice of language they use to present products or interview product guests.

In essence, I talk for a living and I think this has helped me write believable dialogue for the characters in my books. I love writing dialogue and I don’t just write the words, I say them in my head as I’m writing them and at the end of each day of writing I read everything out loud to my long-suffering other half just to be doubly sure that it sounds ‘right’.

I do tend to keep my two ‘jobs’ separate though. I prefer to sit and write for several hours at a stretch, anything from 1000 to 4000 words, and I like to be able to give it my full attention. Knowing that I have a time limit and will need to leave for work in a couple of hours doesn’t work for me creatively, although I don’t mind editing. The shift pattern I have at QVC works really well for me; I work eight days out of nine and then I have five days off. I am usually pretty shattered on the first of my days off but then I have a clear run of writing, which I certainly needed to meet the six month deadline I had given myself for my second novel, ‘If He Really Loved Me…’

I had taken around fifteen months to write my first novel, ‘Life’s a Beach and Then…’ and then another six months deciding whether to self-publish or go in search of an agent and/or publisher. I had tracked down the copy-editor that Random House used for my memoir, ‘One Hundred Lengths of the Pool’, and, after we had finished working on the manuscript together, she suggested a few agents to submit to.

I’ve discovered that while I can sell most things on QVC, I am pretty useless at ‘selling’ myself and I found it very time-consuming to try. My decision to self-publish was reached after a novelist friend of mine told me of the nightmare she had just had with her publisher. She didn’t hit it off with her copy editor, they made her change the title and she had no say in the cover. I wouldn’t say I’m a control freak but I did want my first novel to be ‘more or less’ as I’d written it. Thankfully, another friend of mine, Debbie Flint, who self-published her first four novels, put me in touch with a fabulous cover designer and a formatter. I certainly couldn’t have achieved the end product I did without seeking some help from these professionals and if you are going down the self-publishing route I would definitely recommend you consider doing the same. I’m very grateful to Debbie for sharing her contacts and her own experiences and will happily do the same. My webpage is here if you would like to message me.

Julia Roberts

Julia’s final book in ‘The Liberty Sands’ trilogy,’It’s Never Too Late to Say…’ will be out in May 2016.

You can follow Julia on Twitter.

I have some brilliant reads on my book pile and I couldn’t believe it when I saw the events Dulwich has planned in the next few months as so many of them feature so I thought I’d share them with you.

LIVE EVENTS PROGRAMME FOR 2016.

Launching in January, with venues at both Dulwich Books in West Dulwich and the legendary The Bedford in Balham, events will feature both renowned writers and debut novelists including Fiona Barton, author of The Widow (2016’s The Girl on The Train?) and award-winning novelists Kate Mosse and Helen Dunmore.

January – March Event highlights at Dulwich Books
Dulwich Books, 6 Croxted Road, SE21 8SW

DEADLY IN DULWICH with Fiona Barton and Ann Morgan
21st January, 7pm. Tickets are £10 and include a mystery cocktail

Fiona Barton and Ann Morgan, two of the most exciting names in contemporary page-turning fiction, are the stars of the inaugural Dulwich Books crime and thriller event series, Deadly in Dulwich.

Fiona’s debut novel The Widow will be published on the 14th January and is already tipped to become next year’s The Girl On The Train. Ann Morgan, famous for her previous book Reading The World, in which she recorded her attempt to read one book from every country in the world, has written her first psychological thriller Beside Myself, a tense story about the fragility of identity.

 

Award-winning novelist Helen Dunmore launches her new spy novel, Exposure
28^th January, 7pm. Tickets are £10 and include a glass of Prosecco

British poet, novelist and children’s writer, Helen Dunmore joins Dulwich Books for the evening to celebrate the launch of her latest novel Exposure, a spy thriller set during the Cold War. Having won the Orange Prize for Fiction with her novel A Spell of Winter, her new book is a remarkable story of forbidden love, intimate betrayal and the devastating power of exposure drive. 

In conversation with Susie Nicklin, Helen will discuss her incredibly powerful book before welcoming guests to ask questions and celebrate its publication with Prosecco.

NEW VOICES with Monica Wood and Jem Lester
4^th February, 7pm. Tickets are £10 and include a glass of wine and a proof copy of Monica’s novel The One-in-a-Million Boy.

Monica Wood, already an award-winning author in the US, will present her debut UK novel The One in a Million Boy, a heart-wrenching book due for publication in April. A story of an unlikely friendship between a mentally sharp, determinedly independent woman of 104 and a world-records-obsessed eleven-year-old boy, this UK debut is insightful, inventive and full of surprises.

Jem Lester’s debut novel Shtum is a funny, engaging and beautiful novel about a young boy called Jonah who suffers from autism and has never spoken. Set in North London, his single father, Ben, must learn to cope with the challenge of having a child who keeps shtum, a book perfect for fans of David Nicholls, The Shock of the Fall and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

January – March Event Highlights at The Bedford
The Bedford, 77 Bedford Hill, Balham, SW12 9HD

Dulwich Books are also delighted to announce a new series of events taking place at legendary live music and comedy venue The Bedford in Balham.

Originally a hotel developed in the 1830’s, The Bedford is still the central community hub of Balham. In the late sixties and seventies it was a spit and sawdust live music venue serving as a springboard for early gigs by acts including The Clash and U2 and now, it will host some of the most fantastic literary talent of the modern day as part of Dulwich Books. 

 I CALL MYSELF A FEMINIST with Kate & Martha Mosse, Meltem Avcil, Amy Annette, Caroline Kent, Hajar Wright and others.
14^th January, 7pm. Tickets are £6 entry only, or £10 with a paperback copy of I Call Myself a Feminist included

Is feminism still a dirty word? I Call Myself A Feminist brings together twenty-five of the brightest, funniest, bravest young women, to ask what it means to be a feminist in 2015. For this special one-off evening, the launch of Dulwich Books’ 2016 events programme in its new location, Kate & Martha Mosse will be speaking as mother and daughter about intergenerational feminism alongside Meltem Avcil, Amy Annette, Caroline Kent, Hajar Wright, and others.

With readings, discussions, and opportunities for audiences to participate, all interspersed with breaks to visit the bar, there’ll also be an after-party with music and dancing.

GROWING UP COMMUNIST with David Aaronovitch and Jo McMillan
11^th February, 7.30pm. Tickets are £6, which is fully redeemable against a purchase of either Party Animals or Motherland

Join David Aaronovitch and Jo McMillan to discuss an upbringing on the fringes of political life. Tracing the decline of the communist tradition in Britain, Party Animals is a deeply personal account of what it’s like to grow up in a family on the far-left. Written by David Aaronovitch, a well-known journalist and commentator, it is a memoir that stands out from the crowd.

Jo McMillan’s debut novel Motherland, published in hardback last year, is an incredible story of a childhood in struggle. In this case the struggle is that of thirteen-year-old Jessica, whose mother Eleanor is unerring in her attempts to radicalise the sleepy midlands town of Tamworth. Unfortunately for Jessica, those attempts are mostly met with indifference and hostility. But a visit to the Democratic Republic of Germany beckons…

DISPLACEMENTS with Ben Rawlence
10^th March, 7.30pm. Tickets are £6 and are fully redeemable against a purchase of City of Thorns

Over the course of four years, Ben Rawlence became a first-hand witness to a strange and desperate limbo-land. To the charity workers, Dadaab refugee camp is a humanitarian crisis; to the Kenyan government, it is a ‘nursery for terrorists’; to the western media, it is a dangerous no-go area; but to its half a million residents, it is their last resort. Among those seeking sanctuary there are Guled, a former child soldier who lives for football; Nisho, who scrapes an existence by pushing a wheelbarrow and dreaming of riches; Tawane, the indomitable youth leader; and schoolgirl Kheyro, whose future hangs upon her education. In City of Thorns, Rawlence interweaves the stories of nine individuals to show what life is like in the camp and to sketch the wider political forces that keep the refugees trapped there.

Ben will share his stories of life in the camp, explaining why he wrote the book and what he thinks can be done to improve the lives of refugees around the world.

TICKETS You can buy tickets for events at both locations online at www.dulwichbooks.co.uk, by email at hello@dulwichbooks.co.uk, on the phone on 020 8670 1920 or in Dulwich Bookshop

For press enquiries and author interview requests please contact Sophie Goodfellow and Hayley Steed at ed public relations on sophie@edpr.co.uk /hayley@edpr.co.uk or call on 020 7732 4796

For more information about the events including ticket prices,  patron tickets and venue details please visit
www.dulwichbooks.co.uk or call 020 8670 1920
Find us on Twitter: @DulwichBooks/@TheBedfordPub

I’ve always loved everything I’ve ever read by Amanda Prowse and couldn’t believe it when I realised I hadn’t read anything by her since I began Linda’s Book Bag almost a year ago. It’s beyond time to put that right so I am delighted to be reviewing her latest book, ‘Another Love’ which is published by Head of Zeus in Kindle on 16th January 2016. It will also be out in hardback and paperback and is available here.

Romilly has everything. Glorious red hair, a husband, David, who adores her, a fabulous scientific brain, a good job, a lovely home and a perfect child in Celeste. She also has a drink problem – a problem that is about to alter her life forever.

I approached reading ‘Another Love’ with some trepidation as there’s always a slight fear that a much loved author will not meet expectations. However, in common with all Amanda Prowse’s writing, I was hooked from the very first word and by the end I was a sobbing wreck. ‘Another Love’ is perfect reading. Written from two viewpoints; the first person account from Celeste and the third person narrative about Romilly and David there is a balance to the plot that satisfies the reader completely. The writing is never sugary or judgemental. It presents life – real life.

In essence, the subject matter is pretty stark and Amanda Prowse does not shy away from the grim reality of what an alcohol dependent person will do when consumed by the disease of alcoholism. Romilly behaves in ways no well person can contemplate but those who have encountered a friend or relative with similar problems will know that the depiction of Romilly’s fall from grace is terrifyingly accurate.

What Amanda Prowse seems to do so effortlessly though, is to ensure the reader’s empathy and engage their emotions so completely that they are not merely reading a story, but are living Romilly’s life with her – I’d even go so far as to say, as her.

So compelling is the story telling that I put my life on hold to read this book and absolutely consumed it in two sittings. It’s the skill of portraying humanity so realistically that makes it impossible not to want to find out what happens next to the characters who instantly feel like family. I thought about them the whole time I wasn’t reading and couldn’t wait to return to the book.

If you want to read a book that is emotional, gorgeously written and that will stay in your mind for a very long time, ‘Another Love’ is exactly what you’re looking for.

You can follow Amanda Prowse on Twitter and visit her web site here. You will also find her on Facebook.

All of Amanda Prowse’s wonderful writing is available here .

I’m delighted to be starting the launch celebrations of ‘Bella Broomstick’ by Lou Kuenzler with Faye Rogers Publicity. ‘

Here’s what you need to know about the book and I have a review too.

Title: Bella Broomstick (Bella Broomstick #1)

Author: Lou Kuenzler

Release Date: 7^th January 2016

Genre: MG Fantasy

Publisher: Scholastic UK

Format: Paperback and E-book and available here

This delightful new series, full of doodle illustrations and themes of friendship and fitting in, will have young readers bewitched from the very first page! Bella Broomstick is a hopeless witch. So hopeless that nasty Aunt Hemlock is sending her to live in Person World – with the warning that she must never do magic again! But when Bella finds a kitten in trouble, a spell is the only way to rescue it. What is Bella to do? For where there is magic, trouble is never far away!

My Review

Orphan Belladonna Broomstick is a useless witch, so when she fails her witch exams for the third time her Aunt Hemlock banishes her from the Magic Realm to the Person World. When she arrives, her adventures begin.

I loved this children’s book. It has some worthy themes as it explores love and belonging, failure and success and responsibility and family, but these are enriching layers in a super plot that races along and would be sure to enthrall any child. There is a blistering pace that keeps the reader entertained from start to finish.

The characters are easily identifiable to children without being two dimensional. The kitten Rascal is equally as good a character as Bella and the subsidiary cast give real variety so that all types of people, good and bad, are explored in the village setting.

There’s great humour in the writing and the descriptions are vivid and effective. I also really liked the annotations and notes from Bella as if she is talking directly to the reader alongside the actual narrative.

‘Bella Broomstick’ is the first in a new series and I’m sure children will be clamouring for every one. It’s a great read.

About the Author

Lou Kuenzler likes to write stories which make children laugh.

Her popular SHRINKING VIOLET books are funny, action-packed adventures about a little girl who suddenly shrinks …. Think Mrs Pepperpot with a 21st century twist!

And then Lou’s next series PRINCESS DISGRACE introduces the clumsiest princess ever in a comic romp through life at a posh princess academy – unicorns, dragons and japes galore!

For slightly younger readers, Lou’s AESOP’S AWESOME RYHMES add a comic, rhyming twist to the classic moral tales.

While JACK SPLAT: SUPERFLY PEST and JACK SPLAT: DOG’S DINNER tell the fly-on-the-wall adventures of … well, of a fly!

You can find out more about Lou on her website, on Goodreads and you can follow her on Twitter

There are lots more blog posts coming up as part of the launch of ‘Bella Broomstick’, so don’t forget to visit these too:

I have a huge ‘to be read’ (TBR) pile sitting on my desk, but there are so many exciting books due in 2016 that I thought I’d select just ten that I’m really looking forward to reading in the very near future.

Who can resist a psychological thriller? ‘Try Not to Breathe‘ by Holly Seddon looks brilliant. It is published by Corvus on 7th January in hardback and ebook.

‘The Widow‘ by Fiona Barton is almost at the top of my TBR pile. I anticipate it will be one of those books like ‘Disclaimer‘ by Renee Knight that divides opinion but I can’t wait to get in to it. Published in ebook and hardback by Bantam Press it is out on 14th January.

Tim Baker’s thriller ‘Fever City‘ is out on 21st January in ebook and hardcover, published by Faber and Faber and promises to be an exciting read.

I know many bloggers have already read this, but although I’m a bit late to the party, I’m looking forward to ‘In a Land of Paper Gods‘ by Rebecca Mackenzie as I think the setting will be one I enjoy. It is published by Tinder Press in ebook and hardback on 28th January.

Also published in ebook, paperback and hardback on 28th January by Doubleday, ‘For the Most Beautiful‘ by Emily Hauser looks a sumptuous read set in Troy.

Here’s another book that I think will take the blogging world by storm in 2016. ‘The Ballroom‘ by Anna Hope is out on 11th February in hardback and ebook and is published by Doubleday. The atmosphere suggested looks just my kind of read.

Also released in paperback on 11th February after being out in ebook, is Anna North’s ‘The Life and Death of Sophie Stark‘. It is published by Weidenfield and Nicholon, an imprint of Orion. Backed by a big campaign, I think this will be a huge success.

Having been a sensation in Japan, selling a million copies in six days, ‘Six Four‘ by Hideo Yokoyama and  translated by Jonathan Lloyd-Davies is published in hardback and ebook by Quercus on 3rd March.

Out on 5th April is ‘One in a Million Boy‘ by Monica Wood. Available in hardback and ebook it is published by Headline Review.

 ‘Shtum‘ by Jem Lester I think might be one of THE books of 2016. It is published in ebook and paperback by Orion on 7th April which happens to be my birthday so how could I resist?

Those lovely people at Quercus Books have sent me a copy of ‘The Canary Girls’ by Rosie Archer for review which is published in ebook and paperback on 7th January 2016. You can buy ‘The Canary Girls’ here. I’m really looking forward to reading it. However, as a lovely New Year prize, Quercus have allowed me to give one lucky UK reader their own paperback copy, so please enter by clicking on the Giveaway below.

In love and war, who can you trust?

1944, Hampshire.

Her face still bearing the scars from the explosion at the factory, Rita Brown is nonetheless back on her feet. She’s caught the eye of local wide boy Blackie Bristow, who’s sweeping her around the country in a life of shady glamour.

But there’s a war on, and life is not all fun and games. Some of the local men are taking advantage of the topsy-turvy world to break more than just hearts, and standing up to them comes with its own costs.

Rita keeps calm and carries on with a little help from her friends at the factory. But then she discovers someone there has been leaking secrets to the Germans. With D-Day on the horizon, Rita must work out who she can rely on – and fast.

Here’s your chance to win your own copy and you have until noon UK time on 8th January to enter:a Rafflecopter giveaway