Sherry has been reading Burke and the Lines of Torres Vedras by Tom Williams
Another great spy story from Tom Williams starring his spy, Burke and the sergeant, William, who helps him in his missions. I had not heard of the fortifications at Torres Vedras before picking up this book.
I love this series as it combines history with intrigue and exciting stories. This one was no exception. It was more of a slow burn than a minute by minute danger zone, but was very enjoyable. Our hero is tasked with rooting out spies in the Portugal city of Lisbon and the surrounding area. It wasn’t going to be quick and it wasn’t going to be easy. The pacing was slower than the last book, but as a fan of the series, I can see how that was necessary for the plot. While every minute of a spy’s day is dangerous due to the nature of the work, the actual tedium of doing the groundwork to root out the spy being sought might not be moments of breathless excitement.
Poor William caught the brunt of the issues in this adventure. I felt sorry for him. Poor guy. But as usual, he didn’t let it bring him down.
The respect Burke shows to one of the adversaries near the end of the book was intriguing and admirable even though I was a bit surprised. He’s a good man and I love the way the author has taken a real historical figure and made him someone we in this modern era can relate to even if we sometimes can’t relate to the tactics that were used in those days in the Army and the art of war.
In short, this was another success and I recommend it for those who enjoy historical fiction with a lot of realistic scenes of danger and violence as each side of a war try to win. Man’s inhumanity to man is definitely on display in this one. Five stars.
Book description
1810 and Wellington needs to protect his army against Napoleon’s stronger forces in the Peninsula. His answer? The Lines of Torres one of the greatest defensive works the world has ever seen. But for his strategy to work, the Lines must stay a secret until the French arrive.
Fresh from a successful mission in Paris, Burke is sent to Lisbon. The Portuguese capital is home to French sympathisers, disaffected aristocrats, and desperate men who will do anything for money. Can Burke hunt down Napoleon’s agents hidden among them? The outcome of the Peninsular War could depend on his success.
The latest of the James Burke stories finds the soldier-spy fighting French plots against a background of real people and historically accurate events.
James Burke appeals particularly to fans of Bernard Cornwell’s ‘Sharpe’ stories, but also to people who like spy tales of any period.
A Room Made Of Leaves is mainly set in Australia in the late 1700s and is a fictional account written as a memoir of Elizabeth Macarthur. Opening chapters explain how Elizabeth and her husband met and what led them to travel to New South Wales. While the main body of the story is about the early days of the Sydney colony and how Elizabeth’s husband gained his own land which became Elizabeth farm.
I liked how the author gave a voice to Elizabeth; so few women had their stories told in history and life for a female in the penal colony made this very interesting. However, I would have liked a bit more detail about the harsh conditions of the day-to-day life to make it more believable. In the notes at the back of the book we learn that Elizabeth was a real person and the author has used facts and historical documents to weave a fiction story around them. Mostly, it works well, I was invested in the story, especially the farming aspects, but I had hoped for a larger amount of time spent on the farming and the sheep story.
What if Elizabeth Macarthur-wife of the notorious John Macarthur, wool baron in early Sydney-had written a shockingly frank secret memoir?
In her introduction Kate Grenville tells, tongue firmly in cheek, of discovering a long-hidden box containing that memoir. What follows is a playful dance of possibilities between the real and the invented.
Grenville’s Elizabeth Macarthur is a passionate woman managing her complicated life-marriage to a ruthless bully, the impulses of her own heart, the search for power in a society that gave her none-with spirit, cunning and sly wit.
Her memoir reveals the dark underbelly of the polite world of Jane Austen. It explodes the stereotype of the women of the past- devoted and docile, accepting of their narrow choices. That was their public face-here’s what one of them really thought.
At the heart of this book is one of the most toxic issues of our times- the seductive appeal of false stories. Beneath the surface of Elizabeth Macarthur’s life and the violent colonial world she navigated are secrets and lies with the dangerous power to shape reality.
A Room Made of Leaves is the internationally acclaimed author Kate Grenville’s first novel in almost a decade. It is historical fiction turned inside out, a stunning sleight of hand that gives the past the piercing immediacy of the present.
Today’s team review is from Liz. Liz blogs here https://lizannelloyd.wordpress.com/ Liz has been reading Burke And The Lines Of Torres Vedras by Tom Williams This was my second meeting with the charismatic James Burke although the seventh of Tom Williams’ … Continue reading →
Olga has been reading Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect by P D Alleva
I discovered PD Alleva thanks to his novel Golem, which showed a peculiar world vision and writing style, and much of what I wrote about that novel could apply to this one: his ability for combining elements of a variety of myths, literary genres, horror subgenres, occultism, demonology, without relying on standard religious tenets. In this case, we also have elements of science-fiction, and galactic horror, and some of the scenes and events brought to my mind some of the classic 1950s sci-fi/horror movies, where aliens managed to infiltrate the Earth and humanity. But this is not the whole of the story, and the narrative is much more complex and with many more layers than those we can find in some of those beloved (and often revisited) stories. And I shouldn’t forget a nod at Lovecraft or two.
The description of the plot, although not too detailed, provides a good glimpse of what you might find, and it is difficult to elaborate much more on the story without spoiling it, so I will not be too detailed in my comments. One thing I have to say, though; do heed the author’s warning about the content. This is not a book for the faint-hearted, and even those who love extreme and hardcore horror might find it heavy going.
The novel is divided into 7 parts, told from multiple points of view (although always in the third person), and there is an extremely varied and large cast of characters, human, “other” (some of those, like Kera —a favourite of mine— more than human sometimes), and anywhere in between; and most of them are not particularly likeable, easy to engage with or root for. Having said that, readers are likely to re-evaluate their thoughts and opinions on most of the characters at some point or other, and good and evil, innocence and guilt are moveable feasts. This is a very ambitious book, with a complex narrative, served extremely well by the various point of view, some of them pretty uncomfortable to share, and readers are often left wondering if things are happening in our world, in a parallel universe, or in the mind of a character whose sanity is, at the very least, suspect. These narratives appear, at first, totally unconnected, and although readers might wonder about the chronology, we eventually realise that all the stories are taking place in the same place and time and in roughly chronological order, and there is a ticking-clock effect towards the end that ramps up the tension and accelerates the pace of the narrative into a frenzy.
From the warning, readers will surmise this is not a story for those who prefer gentle tales and loveable characters. Quite the opposite. Almost all types of depravity, crimes, and evil deeds one can think of —and some most of us would prefer not to contemplate— appear in this book. The characters “literally” got to Hell and back, and we have warlocks, clowns, gods, goddesses, demons, extraterrestrial beings, teenage murderers, aspiring actresses with few scruples, teachers, mothers, tough book reviewers, FBI and CIA agents, children, adults, and a very singular carnival with all its inhabitants. The author manages to combine all those elements and create complex imagery and mythos, a world where the characters might be pawns in someone else’s game, but things are not that straightforward either. The nature of good and evil is questioned, and there are many possible readings and interpretations of the events. The author’s imagination knows no bounds, and he manages to create a total more horrific than all of these seemingly disparate parts.
This is an ambitious and fairly long novel, but it does not feel slow, and readers need to pay close attention to all the details, as they might miss something that later on plays an important part, although thanks to the spiralling and multipronged shape of the narrative, it is not difficult to pick up the thread and get a full picture of the story. The ending makes us question everything we’ve read before and is perfect for a horror book. And, by the way, there is a link between this novel and Golem, but you’ll have to read both (if you dare) to find out what (or who) that is.
Despite the terrible things that take place in the novel, there are moving and poignant moments and funny retorts and events (for those who love black humour, really funny at times). This is a book in which the horror reaches beyond the story and creates an uneasy feeling that will stay with the readers for a long time.
I recommend this book to hardcore readers of horror who enjoy mix-genre books, don’t shy away from extreme cruelty and gore, and especially those with a taste for complex narratives, conspiracy theories, and not looking for a reassuring ending. If you have a thing for clowns… beware, and if you don’t, well, that might have changed by the end of the book.
Although readers might want to check a sample of the book to see if it suits their taste, I thought I’d share a couple of quotes that can be easily understood without much context, as examples of the special sense of humour of the book, and also because… well, I like them.
Here, one of the characters notices that another one, a female character (Cassandra, she is quite something) is bleeding, and tells her so, and she replies:
“I don’t have time to bleed.”
Here, the main character, Jigglyspot, talks about some of the things he will not put up with.
“The first was idiocy. He loathed stupidity to his core, idiocy has no place in the world and if you were born without enough brain cells then you were better off dead, because one day you might become president and then that stupidity would run the nation and the world for that matter. And there’s too many of them already.” I’ll leave you to imagine the rest.
And during a particularly scary scene, one of the characters calls out to God and this is the reply she gets.
“God, my lady… is not allowed in this place.”
Book description
Carnivals, Cannibals, and Clowns. Oh My!
Wanna go for a ride?
Meet Jigglyspot, a five-foot tall half human half warlock carnival clown who spends his free time moonlighting as a drug dealing pimp and lackey for demonic entities who prey on the weak and vulnerable, casting their dark shadow across humanity through manipulation, and fear.
Jigglyspot was selected to serve as the event coordinator for 2019’s Summer Solstice Celebration at the prestigious Cannibal Café. A celebration that brings together both demon and human alike. But with less than two weeks before the celebration, Jigglyspot’s got so much to do and little time to do it. And the feds are hot on his tail. Between securing new recruits for demonic possession, choosing fresh bodies to slice and dice for dinner, and the fact that his girlfriend, Kera, is eating up most of his time, Jiggly’s at his wit’s end.
Hopefully, those demons appreciate all his sacrifices. Hopefully, but unlikely. Those demons can be hell to deal with. Jigglyspot knows; he’s been dealing with them for decades.
Will he rise above, or will tragedy and mayhem lead to dire discoveries poisoned with manipulation and betrayal that will ultimately destroy all Jigglyspot holds dear?
Discover Jigglyspot and his cast of clowns, killers, demons, and wretched fiends, in a novel like you’ve never experienced. Horror, mayhem, thrills, chills, fantasy, and spoils are waiting for your reading eyes with an escape into the underworld of mind control and human slavery.
Warning: This book contains scenes with profound psychological suffering, and graphically violent acts, behaviors, thoughts, deeds, and ridicule. No one has been spared, and no label is safe. Although we are proud to report, no animals were harmed during the writing of this novel, so that’s a good thing. Everyone else is fair game. After all, if you were a demon, what would you think of humanity?
Fans of Grady Hendrix, Catriona Ward, Clive Barker, and Stephen King will be captivated by this edge of your seat, eye-popping, wtf horror novel that is certain to be your next addictive read. As they say, you don’t just read Jigglyspot… You DEVOUR Jigglyspot!
Cathy has been reading Dark Highland Skies by Lizzie Lamb
Halley Dunbar has returned to Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands from her home and job in Hawaii, after a long absence, to represent her family and organise her great uncle Tam’s funeral, as well taking on the emotional task of sorting out his belongings. She used to stay with Tam every summer when she was a teenager in his bothy by Loch Morar, which was part of Sir Montgomery Strachan’s estate. Tam had been the laird’s batman and he and Sir Monty had shared a special and long standing friendship. Sir Monty had gifted the bothy to Tam despite his wife’s strong objections.
Halley is devastated that she left it too late to see the great uncle she loved, and although they did keep in touch over the years, it wasn’t the same as in person. After her last visit and the resulting trauma, Halley found it impossible to return. Now she wished wholeheartedly she had tried to explain why she felt the need to stay away. There was nothing to keep here in Scotland now and she planned to leave straight after the funeral.
‘Luckily, the moment she set foot on the silver sands, the clouds parted, and the pale light of a gibbous moon showed the way to the old salmon bothy. Straightening, Halley looked across the loch towards the lights on the far shore and despite her earlier resolution, memories crowded in thick and fast. Voices. Laughter. The touch of a hand on her skin. A Judas kiss. Now she could finally admit that putting her uncle’s affairs in order wasn’t the only reason for making this trip.
She had ghosts to lay.’
Halley hoped she could avoid meeting any of the Strachan family but an unexpected encounter with the eldest of the laird’s children, Hector, put paid to that in a very unexpected way. Hector, or Tor as he is known, is trying to come to terms with his experiences and a severe injury in Afghanistan, also the resulting PTSD, by living alone in his converted Airstream. Halley and Tor both have issues to work through, and with questionable activity going on there’s never a dull moment.
Halley’s plans to steer clear of the Strachans took a further knock when she learned how devastated Sir Monty was by Tam’s death and that he wanted to do as much as he could with regard to the funeral. She found herself becoming involved with the family as her old friend Rowan, who had succeeded her father as undertaker, introduced her to Tor’s sister, Lexie. Her friendship with Tor blossomed and she couldn’t help but like Sir Monty. But her life and work were thousands of miles away and she wanted to get back to it.
I always enjoy Lizzie Lamb’s books for the beautiful settings and sense of place, also the wonderful, sometimes quirky, well developed characters and of course the writing. The characters are engaging, with a couple of exceptions, and realistic. I enjoyed the historical details also. Recommended for those who enjoy a slow burn, believable romance, great characters and stories set in Scotland.
Book description
Astrophysicist Halley Dunbar has spent her career peering into the space hoping to find the one-in-a-billion exoplanet outside our solar system capable of sustaining life. Such a find would be the climax of her scientific career and establish her as a force majeure in a male-dominated world. When her great-uncle dies, she travels to Lochaber in Scotland to arrange his funeral, reluctant to leave her research and her million-pound telescope behind in Hawaii. In Scotland, she encounters an assortment of characters who make her realise there’s more to life than searching for something that might not exist. The years are ticking by and Halley (35), starts to question the life she’s chosen. When the laird’s son, Tor Strachan, rocks up, he turns her world upside down and Halley discovers, not the new exoplanet she’s spent her academic life searching for, but the one-in-a-billion man who can make her happy. Forced to question her life choices, Halley wonders if she’ll be able to return to stargazing and leave behind a place and a man she’s come to love. However, Afghan veteran Tor has demons of his own to confront before he can be the man Halley deserves. And, as for Halley, she has secrets of her own; ones she can’t share with anyone, including Tor.
The Misery House is book #1 in The House On The Hill series of Gothic style modern day thrillers.
Set in a small American town, this story touches on prejudices and small town traditions that often smother those who live there and that make new comers feel unwelcome. All this is set against the eerie empty House on The Hill. A place kept alive by stories and something else lurking in the shadows.
The story steps along at a good pace and is told from several points of view, as the tension and horror builds fueled by people’s fears.
It is quite rare for me to read any horror, but the gothic style house somewhat appealed and the storytelling kept me reading on. It is well-written with very good vivid descriptions of the place and the people. The finale is open-ended ready for the next book in the series and some readers may find the cliff-hanger annoying rather than satisfying.
Sometimes the quietest little towns are haunted by the darkest secrets. A psychological thriller and a family you’ll never forget.
New Haven: This rural town has never seen a string of tragedies like this. A local store burns to the ground with two bodies inside. A newlywed couple goes missing, and all signs point to the abandoned house. With no answers, the townsfolk grow more and more worried.
The Woods family has lived here forever. But when their friends and their own children are put in danger, the threat hits home. This close-knit family must risk everything to find answers, but time is running out.
New Haven has secrets. And a haunted house like you’ve never seen before.
The Misery House is a chilling, suspenseful novel that will keep you guessing until the very end and set the stage for an epic three-book haunting. With its twists and turns, a likable family thrust into danger, this page-turner will keep you up late into the night.
It’s up to the Woods family. Some fates are worse than death. Is it too late to save their town… and each other?
Of Water And Dragons is a tale of Celtic mythology set in Roman Britain.
An injured Roman soldier is rescued and healed by a water fairy. Nemu has spent many years alone in her forest; she hasn’t realised that she felt loneliness until patient is ready to return to his legion.
Ambiorix is both attracted to and horrified by Nemu; her wings frighten him, but he is also romantically drawn to her. When Ambiorix goes back to civilisation, Nemu wanders through some of Celtic Britain, then goes in search of Ambiorix’ home on the borders; his stories of it intrigued her.
This is a story of battles, druids, Romans and magical mysticism. I could easily picture the settings of the era and Nemu was a wonderful character. The Celtic and spiritual aspects drew me into this story, but I also enjoyed the touches of Roman Britain.
Do you like enemies to lovers romances with magic, mythology, and Roman history? Of Water and Dragons weaves the Roman history and Celtic lore of ancient Britain and Scotland to create an unforgettable story of love and sacrifice. They were destined to meet, but they will have to fight everything they believe in to stay together. Nemu, a half-human, half-water faery woman, lives in the untamed land the Romans call Caledonia. Soon after the devastating battle of Mons Graupius ends, she finds a wounded Roman soldier named Ambiorix. Despite her distrust of humans, she takes him in and heals his wounds. Ambiorix is a Roman soldier with a strong sense of duty. He’s been taught that the Celts are barbaric and need to be conquered, but when Nemu heals him after the Romans win a key battle over the Celtic armies, he questions everything he has been taught. Though they are from different worlds, they are mysteriously drawn to each other, but unforeseen forces keep them apart until their worlds collide in a fury of fire, blood, and darkness. ˃˃˃ This compelling story mixes Roman military history with Celtic mythology. Of Water and Dragons takes place on the mystical island of Britannia from the dark enchanted lochs of Scotland to the grand bathhouses of Roman Britain. The battle of Mons Graupius in AD 84 is one of the most profound battles in history when the Romans, though greatly outnumbered, defeated the Celtic tribes of ancient Scotland and furthered the expansion of the Roman Empire.
Sandra has been reading Dark Highland Skies by Lizzie Lamb.
Having enjoyed a few of Lizzie Lamb’s novels before, I was looking forward to reading Dark Highland Skies and was not disappointed. Halley Dunbar has come back to Scotland to arrange the funeral of her great-uncle Tam whom she had not seen for twenty years. She plans to clear out Tam’s bothy, and go back home to Hawaii straight after the funeral, but life is never that simple. She had not reckoned on the various members of the Strachan family she would have to deal with, and once again falling under the spell of this beautiful part of the world.
Lizzie Lamb obviously loves the highlands of Scotland as she visits every year to research her books, and this shows in the vivid descriptions of the Silver Sands of Morar. I spent many holidays there and can vouch that she does it justice. If you remember the 1983 film Local Hero, some of the beach scenes were filmed there. After reading Dark Highland Skies, I’m sure many readers will be keen to visit and see the silver sands and dark skies for themselves.
Tor Strachan is portrayed in a believable and sympathetic light, as an ex-Major in the army coming to terms with a life-changing injury and the ongoing effects of PTSD. Halley Dunbar is a highly intelligent woman with a promising career ahead of her, but needs to come to terms with what happened to her all those years ago before it colours the rest of her life. They are supported by a wonderfully drawn cast of characters who range from the quirky to the downright nasty. The story is told from both Halley and Tor’s points of view so we get a more rounded picture. They both have issues to work through before there is room in their lives for a relationship, but they have a strong connection so hopefully it will all work out. I really enjoyed my trip back to Morar in Dark Highland Skies, and look forward to Lizzie Lamb’s next Highland adventure.
Book description
Astrophysicist Halley Dunbar has spent her career peering into the space hoping to find the one-in-a-billion exoplanet outside our solar system capable of sustaining life. Such a find would be the climax of her scientific career and establish her as a force majeure in a male-dominated world. When her great-uncle dies, she travels to Lochaber in Scotland to arrange his funeral, reluctant to leave her research and her million-pound telescope behind in Hawaii. In Scotland, she encounters an assortment of characters who make her realise there’s more to life than searching for something that might not exist. The years are ticking by and Halley (35), starts to question the life she’s chosen. When the laird’s son, Tor Strachan, rocks up, he turns her world upside down and Halley discovers, not the new exoplanet she’s spent her academic life searching for, but the one-in-a-billion man who can make her happy. Forced to question her life choices, Halley wonders if she’ll be able to return to stargazing and leave behind a place and a man she’s come to love. However, Afghan veteran Tor has demons of his own to confront before he can be the man Halley deserves. And, as for Halley, she has secrets of her own; ones she can’t share with anyone, including Tor.
Snail’s Pace is a science fiction novella. Although the story opens on the streets of Hong Kong in 1884, the majority of the book takes place on a spaceship.
Susannah, is so desperate for employment that she quickly accepts the chance of adventure. She is employed to teach English etiquettes to the son of her employers. On a ship filled with intergalactic beings, Susannah is thrown deeply into a new world.
For her part Susannah accepts most of her new surroundings easily, however, her ability to act sensibly leaves her in some difficult situations.
I liked the concept of this story and the aliens were refreshing to read about; this was a character led story, but the short length of the tale made it feel rushed in places, especially at the end.
Orphaned and penniless in Hong Kong in 1884 — what’s a young gentlewoman to do?
Impulsive, adventurous, and self-confident, Susannah accepts an offer to become the governess to a young foreigner on a ship. She does not expect the ship to be in space, or the foreign child to be an alien who looks like a giant snail. Nevertheless, she throws herself into the job of bringing Victorian decorum to the natives.
But when she is accused of spying and put on trial in an alien court, Susannah has to challenge the law of the aliens to save herself — and her young and slimy student.
Fiona has been reading The Misery House by David Kummer
Five stars
“New Haven: This rural town has never seen a string of tragedies like this. A local store burns to the ground with two bodies inside. A newlywed couple goes missing, and all signs point to the abandoned house. With no answers, the townsfolk grow more and more worried.”
If I tell you that this tale starts out with a creepy old house you might think that a cliche was on its way, but it is done so beautifully, the cliche is avoided. Small town ordinariness is built in to a narrative out of which the shocking arises almost naturally.
As a Brit reader, I don’t have an idea of where New Haven is but I still managed to appreciate the picture drawn in this book of the constant tension that small town life engenders – security or suffocation? The descriptions of the hills, the weather and Kaia’s beloved forest are beautiful, adding yet another layer to New Haven.
Events are sparked off as a middle school baseball game is played out under a baking sun. I found this opening excellent, building the sense of unease gradually from something as innocent and wholesome as a family attending the game. The fire that starts the action devastates the town but brings out some people’s suspicion of outsiders. The action is complicated by the fact that most of the characters have known each other all their lives: they have a natural reluctance to judge one another.
From the beginning though, the Woods family stand out because Cliff married Naomi, a girl he met a college, different in her appearance and her willingness to challenge the easy road, the acceptable version. Their children Nathaniel and Kaia are also given the chance to be different, and Kaia in particularly dreams of leaving New Haven despite her love for it, and her close friendship with Allison who has already married the loathsome Maliki. Led by Naomi’s strength the Woods family are going to challenge the easy assumptions of others, the people who want to believe that “…strangers mean trouble. New people mean trouble.”
The creepiness surrounding the abandoned old house is beautifully built up and unusually for me I read the book in one go. In fact, I was surprised when I reached the end – the story really does grab you and hold you. Watch out though – it ends on a terrific cliffhanger and you are going to wait impatiently for the next installment!
Book description
Sometimes the quietest little towns are haunted by the darkest secrets. A psychological thriller and a family you’ll never forget.
New Haven: This rural town has never seen a string of tragedies like this. A local store burns to the ground with two bodies inside. A newlywed couple goes missing, and all signs point to the abandoned house. With no answers, the townsfolk grow more and more worried.
The Woods family has lived here forever. But when their friends and their own children are put in danger, the threat hits home. This close-knit family must risk everything to find answers, but time is running out.
New Haven has secrets. And a haunted house like you’ve never seen before.
The Misery House is a chilling, suspenseful novel that will keep you guessing until the very end and set the stage for an epic three-book haunting. With its twists and turns, a likable family thrust into danger, this page-turner will keep you up late into the night.
It’s up to the Woods family. Some fates are worse than death. Is it too late to save their town… and each other?
Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
Rosie Amber 