Tag Archives: Chindi Authors

Review of Angela Petch’s Tuscan Roots

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The blurb:

In 1943, in occupied, war-torn Italy, Ines Santini’s sheltered existence is turned upside down when she meets Norman, an escaped British POW.
In 1999, Anna Swilland, their daughter, starts to unravel Italian war stories from diaries left to her after her mother’s death. She travels to the breathtakingly beautiful Tuscan Apennines, where the family saga and romance unfolds.
In researching her parents’ past, she will discover secrets about the war, her parents’ hardship and herself, which will change her life forever…

My review:

A fascinating, well-crafted read, I would recommend.

Having studied literature and history (particularly women’s history), Tuscan Roots combined two things that fascinate me; a well-crafted tale and an insight into a woman’s life who otherwise might have been forgotten from history.

Tuscan Roots is, on one level, a tale of two love stories, set a generation apart, as we follow the lives of Anna and, through the letters and writings she has been left, Ines – Anna’s late mother. And yet it is also so much more.

I soon found myself engaged in the lives of the lead characters, both past and present, English and Italian. The story was beautifully told, with emotive language describing the landscape, both in Tuscany and in post-war England, weaved into the narrative.

Ines’ diaries are heartfelt and honest, giving an insight into her hopes and dreams, as well as the turmoil she ultimately finds herself in. To a modern audience, as to her daughter Anna, Innes’ decisions can seem frustrating at times. However, as you read her story, learn her motives and gain a greater understanding about the circumstances of the life she finds herself in, you cannot help but feel for her – and the men and women of her generation.

While Anna’s journey through the novel is less dramatic than that of Innes’ it is a wonderful tale of self-discovery, of learning who she really is and of discovering the Tuscan Roots her mother ultimately got to share with her.

A great read, with characters who will stay with you long after the book is closed.

Click here to buy the book.

And don’t miss the sequel Now and Then in Tuscany:

A lovingly researched account, based on true stories, about Giuseppe Starnucci, a young Italian boy, at the start of the twentieth century, as he journeys on foot with shepherds from his mountain village in the Tuscan Apennines to the coast. His adventures are tracked by his great grandson one hundred years later and we learn of present day problems mirroring those of his ancestors. A story of hardship, secrets and romance which brings to light the customs and people of rural Tuscany in a troubled period of history, when the dominance of Mussolini is always lurking in the background. The author’s literary style has been praised as: “a great combination of a true account and fiction.” This is sequel to the author’s first novel, “Tuscan Roots”, praised by Julia Gregson for its “vivid, natural and direct…writing. Moving and interesting with lovely touches of humour.” Both of these family sagas about Tuscany are stand-alone.

Click here to buy the book.

About the author:

Angela Petch is a prize-winning author who lives six months of the year in Tuscany and the remaining half year in Sussex, England. She lived in Rome for six formative years, where her passion for Italy was born. “Tuscan Roots” is her first novel and a sequel was published in April 2017: “Now and Then in Tuscany”. Angela Petch also writes short stories that appear in national magazines in Great Britain. Both books are written in English but have Italian content. Angela is also a member of the Chindi Authors group, known for celebrating and helping independent authors, and a member of the Arun Scribes writing group.

This Autumn, September 11th-18th 2018, you can join Angela Petch and experienced writing tutor Sonja Price in beautiful Tuscany for a week long writing retreat. Be inspired by fellow writers and the beautiful location.

For more details contact Angela via: Facebook | Twitter | Blog

Thank you for the great read, Angela. I look forward to reading Now and then in Tuscany. My reviews are posted on Amazon UK and Goodreads x

 

Review of Helen Christmas’ Visions

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Visions by Helen J. Christmas

The Blurb

Visions is a psychological thriller mystery set in rural England. The year is 1985. It’s been 12 years since Eleanor escaped London, discarding the fragments of her tragic past to discover a new life. She is hiding in a remote country village, a place where she truly believes she will be safe.

Her neighbour, James Barton-Wells is desperate to save his beautiful historic country house from ruin; but this has attracted the attention of a wealthy property developer from London whose seemingly altruistic offer to bankroll the restoration masks a sinister game plan. Jarred by suspicion, Eleanor consults her friend, Charles Bailey. Charlie has his own story – fearful that Perry Hampton is the man who undoubtedly ruined his future.

Against all odds, the characters are drawn together in a battle to save Westbourne House, oblivious to the menace that surrounds them. Yet it is not until Eleanor comes face to face with a deadly adversary, she finally understands the dangers that threatens those she loves.

Can Eleanor unravel the clues that conceal an evil crime from the 70s? This book will draw you into a world of suspense with shocking psychological twists you will never see coming…

Visions is book 2 of the ‘Same Face Different Place’ series. 

Genre: Thriller / Suspense / Psychological
Publisher: Chichester Publishing

Guest review by Amelia Thomas:

Visions’ is part two of the series, ‘Same Face Different Place’. I had enjoyed the first in the series, Beginnings that was set in the 1970s, and so I was looking forward to this, and discovering what happened next to Eleanor.

Time had moved on to the 1980s. It took me a while to get into the story once more as I got to grips with the time shift and how Eleanor had moved forward with her son, Elijah.

While some of the story is slower and more descriptive, it still had dramatic elements that gripped me and made me read on. The ending particularly picks up pace. With scenes of sex, crime, violence, and assault the novel can be graphic at times, but this is in the context of the action of the gangland criminals, of the time. I enjoyed the historical aspect of this novel and the references to the decade, which Helen Christmas adds in through the action of the story.

Click to buy the book.

Same Face Different Place, the series: Beginnings | Visions | Pleasures | Retribution Phase One | Retribution End Game (See my review of Beginnings here.)

About the author:

Helen J. Christmas lives on the south coast of Sussex with her husband. With a love of writing since childhood, she started her decade spanning thriller series Same Face Different Place in 2011. Her first book Beginnings, set in 1970s London, combines romantic suspense with a hard-hitting conspiracy thriller. Writing is something she juggles around family and social life.

Helen is self employed and enjoys running the web design company, she and her husband set up from home. They have no children but enjoy the company of a faithful border collie and a fluffy white cat. Helen confesses to have got most of her ideas for writing, whilst walking Barney along the beach.

Discover more about Helen J. Christmas and the Same Face Different Place Series here: website | blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Helen is also a member of the Chindi Authors group known for celebrating and helping independent authors.

Thank you, Helen!

Amelia’s review has been added to Amazon Uk x

Publication Celebrations for The Purrfect Pet Sitter

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As I am sure you are aware (I’ve done a lot of shouting about it) The Purrfect Pet Sitter was released on April 24th and a wonderful week of celebrations ensued.

I am so grateful to everyone who helped to make the week special. Online, fellow writers were super supportive. My Ruby Fiction and Choc Lit family were great, and book bloggers were as fabulous as ever, as they shared early reviews and started giving my book mentions (there’s more to come on this when my book starts its official blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources on May 15th).

Early reviews

Early reviews are in and I am overwhelmed by the lovely things people are saying about The Purrfect Pet Sitter:

“Packed with fun, humour, twists and depth. What a read!” MiniMaxi

“All I can say is that this ticked every single box. Choc Lit’s Ruby is for stories which tap into the reader’s emotions and The Purrfect Pet Sitter certainly did that for me.” Jo Osborne

“The Purrfect Pet Sitter is a good story that I was really entertained by on a wet and windy bank holiday weekend. It took me on a lovely journey of personal growth and even features a couple of gorgeous men too.” Rachel Gilbey

And if you haven’t downloaded it yet, the good news is it is still only 99p across all ebook retailers! Click to buy.

Thoroughly spoilt

In the week since publication I have been thoroughly spoilt by my family and friends with lovely cards, flowers, meals out, cake and more cake!

And just as in The Purrfect Pet Sitter, here are a couple of pictures to prove children and animals bring their own special element of chaos to the proceedings!

Author of the Week
To celebrate publication week, my fabulous fellow Chindi Authors also made me their Author of the Week. I went on a tour of their blogs, chatting about all things related to The Purrfect Pet Sitter in a variety of guest posts and interviews. If you missed the posts you can catch up on my Chindi blog tour here:

A big thank you to all of the Chindi Authors who took part and allowed me to gatecrash their blogs! I really appreciate your support.

Thank you so much to everyone for making the publication of The Purrfect Pet Sitter so special, and if you have read it please leave a review on the site you purchased it from. Reviews, no matter what their length, make a huge difference to authors, and help them and their work get noticed.

Now to stop eating cake (sigh!) and to crack on with the next book! xx

Review of Helen J. Christmas’ Beginnings

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Beginnings by Helen J. Christmas

The Blurb

Beginnings is a romantic thriller set in the criminal underworld of 1970s London. Eleanor Chapman is 16. She has no idea her father is employed in a world of organised crime until the day he is forced to go on the run, leaving her at the mercy of dangerous people.

Her life is spiralling out of control yet on the night she plans to escape, she stumbles across a mysterious prisoner. His name is Jake, a rock musician from Holland and he has a contract on his life.

Their daring escape across London eventually draws them into a place of hiding before Jake’s chilling story begins to unfold. He was the one vital witness to a sinister scene leading up to the death of a British MP and now those responsible want him silenced. As two young people, thrown together by fate they develop intense feelings for each other. It does not take long for Eleanor to realise that she will do anything possible to keep Jake alive.

Their tender love bond keeps you turning the pages as they live on a knife edge, desperate to escape London. Will they outrun the deadly enemies who stalk them? Or are the people at the top more powerful than they think?

Beginnings: Book 1 of the series “Same Face Different Place” a romantic British thriller through the decades.

Genre: Thriller / Romantic Thriller / YA

Publisher: Chichester Publishing

My review:

As you may have noticed, I generally read contemporary romances and romantic comedies so this romantic thriller was a departure from the norm for me and I have to say I really enjoyed it. The story was edgy, at times shocking, gave an intriguing insight into the criminal underworld of London in the 1970s and yet remained a romantic tale of two people desperate to survive their circumstances and be together.

All characters are portrayed well giving clear mental images of what each is like as the story unfolds like a film displayed before you; I willed Eleanor and Jake, the main characters, to find their escape and I recoiled from the particularly nasty villain Theakston (who by the end of the book becomes more complex than he first appears). And I liked the fact that amongst all the drama Eleanor finds support from characters whose warmth and kindness are evident.

The end of the book, for me, felt like a pause in the action, there is a shift in direction, mood and atmosphere, opposed to closure, which left me temporarily content with where the main characters were at, but wanting to know more. This must surely be the mark of a good opening novel to a series. I look forward to reading Visions, the next story in the Same Face Different Place series!

YA guest review by Amelia Thomas:

Beginnings was full of action and insight into a world I previously knew little about. I was interested to learn more about the gangs and violence in London during the 1970s – it was intriguing and at times horrifying. Theakston, the criminal, was a well written nasty character, with horrible ideas about how to hurt or murder people.

I was interested to see how, like today, newspapers could report incidents one way while the “reality” was more dramatic and far reaching. I liked Eleanor and Jake, the main characters. Eleanor, particularly, was strong and determined, I hope she continues to be as the series continues.

Click to buy the book.

About the author:

Helen J. Christmas lives on the south coast of England with her husband. She has a passion for gripping stories with strong characters. With a love of writing since childhood, she started her own series of books ‘Same Face Different Place’. Her first book ‘Beginnings’ is set in the 1970s: a London thriller entwined with romantic suspense. Helen finished her 2nd book, ‘Visions,’ in 2013: a 1980s psychological thriller set in the counties of London and Kent. Her 3rd book, ‘Pleasures’ was published in 2015 and new for 2017 comes the final instalment ‘Retribution’ in 2 parts.

Writing is something she juggles around her family and social life as well as running a web design company, she and her husband set up from home.

Discover more about Helen J. Christmas and the Same Face Different Place Series here: website | blog | Facebook | Twitter

Helen J. Christmas is also a member of the Chindi Authors group known for celebrating and helping independent authors.

Thank you for the great read Helen!

My reviews are added to Amazon UK and Goodreads x

What do reviews mean to you?

Book Review, Guest Post, , , , , , , , ,

Some people agree with Thumper’s dad, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all”, while others feel entitled to an opinion no matter what that opinion is.

But no matter what your stance, whether you are a writer or a reader – receiving or leaving reviews – one thing is for certain, reviews matter!

This week I’ve been asking my fellow Chindi Authors, known for celebrating and helping independent authors, what reviews mean to them as writers and, as readers, what their opinion is on leaving reviews ranging from 1-5 stars.

Helen Christmas, thriller writer: “I am happy with the mix of reviews I have which includes 5, 4 and 3 stars. I draw more strength from what the reviewer writes as this is what people look at.”

J. L. Dean, historical novelist: “I find a considered review more valuable (and more fulfilling) than an unsupported 5 star review.

“When I write reviews, I come at them as an editor. I can thoroughly enjoy a book while seeing its faults.  If I write a purely positive (or negative) review, I am going to affect how that writer feels about themselves, their book or even me for that day but if I write a critical review, then it may contribute to that writer’s craft, and writing is a craft.”

Dan Jones, author of books on Autism and Hypnotherapy: “I like to have at least a couple of good, honest (4/5 star) reviews early on in a book’s launch. I don’t think about reviews beyond this. And I only look at my reviews if perhaps I want to share some comments onto Twitter or Facebook. I’m more interested in readers sharing that they liked my books with their friends.

“If I have strong views on something I will leave a review and rating 1-5. I’ve no problem leaving any rating if I feel strongly about it and feel I should say what I want to say.”

Christopher Joyce, children’s author: ” I think authors may get a little obsessed about reviews mistakingly thinking they affect sales rankings. They don’t. When your book is found on Amazon, they certainly help. The trick is getting it found in the first place.”

Rosemary Noble, historical novelist: “I am slightly ambivalent. It’s great to have some good reviews, but there are always people who will hate your book. I am astonished when I read something amazing and then see reviews of 1 and 2 stars.”

Derek Nudd, non-fiction author and reviewer: “To me, star reviews are just too blunt an instrument. Five should really be kept for something of truly pivotal influence, either on the language or the wider world. For most of us that leaves four to play with – dock one for this and another for that, we can easily sound unjustly harsh. I have given three-star ratings – with explanation – and positive written reviews to books I keep by me in the ready-reference pile. I have to say I’m mainly thinking of non-fiction here.”

Michael Parker, thriller writer: “Reviews seem to be a necessary evil in the book world. I try very hard not to read my reviews because often the review says more about the reviewer than the book itself.”

Angela Pitch, historical novelist: “Reviews to me are very important, especially when they come from complete strangers; it means so much when somebody objective comments.

“I always review books I read but would not bother if I felt less than 3 stars was deserved. If I felt it would help the author, I would send a private message with a suggestion for improvement.”

Patricia Feinberg Stoner, author of comic verse and limericks: “I think honest reviews are useful. The problem comes when someone you know gives you their book to review. If you hate it, what do you do? And even if you love it, can you be totally unbiased?”

Emily Williams, author of women’s fiction and YA novels: “I love to receive reviews, and they all mean a lot to me when I receive them, that someone has taken time to read my book and leave their thoughts. They do seem to make a difference to sales, as in the larger quantity of reviews the more sales.

“When it comes to writing reviews I do tend to just write the positives I found and leave out anything negative, especially public reviews on Amazon. Thoughts and advice, on the other hand, can be shared privately.”

Thank you to all of the Chindi Authors who kindly shared their opinions.

For me, I love to receive reviews that show someone has taken something positive from their reading experience. As I know how important they are to me as a writer, I also make sure I leave reviews when I have enjoyed a book too. A glance through my blog will show you my motto that size doesn’t matter, even a short review will do, and for authors trying to get their work, and their name noticed this is very true. It also reminds readers that if they could take a moment to leave even a sentence or two, it is appreciated.

Thank you so much for reading my blog. Whether you are a reader, a writer or both, I’d love to hear what reviews mean to you too! x