The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss

The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss

First published in the UK by Simon and Schuster in November 2004.

How I got this book:

Bought a paperback copy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An Extraordinary and Death-Defying Tour of Edwardian Low Life and High Society, accompanied by our host Lucifer Box Esq - artist, dandy, rake ... and lethal secret agent.

Lucifer Box is the darling of the Edwardian belle monde - society's most fashionable portrait painter is a wit, a dandy, a rake, the guest all hostesses (and not a few hosts) must have.

But few know that Lucifer Box is also His Majesty's most accomplished and daring secret agent. Beneath London's façade of Imperial grandeur and divine aesthetes seethes an underworld of crazed anarchists, murder, and despicable vice, and Box is at home in both.

And so of course when Britain's most prominent scientists begin turning up dead, there is only one man his country can turn to.

Lucifer Box ruthlessly deduces and seduces his way from his elegant townhouse at Number 9 Downing Street (all his father left him), to private stews of London and the seediest, most colourful back alleys of Italy, in search of the mighty secret society that may hold the fate of the world in its claw-like hands - the Vesuvius Club.


This review was first blogged on Stephanie Jane in May 2014.

I first read The Vesuvius Club seven years ago and it is still my favourite steampunk novel. Our hero, Lucifer Box, is wonderfully decadent and louche, his adventures as bizarre as the improbable names of his supporting cast. Allegedly set in early twentieth century London and Naples, I know other readers have criticised the writing for historical inaccuracies, but I think they've missed the point. The Vesuvius Club isn't a extensively researched historical novel, it's a fun, dark, fantasy sci-fi spy thriller or, as Mr Gatiss claims, A Bit Of Fluff. If you're into lightly depraved escapism, this is the book for you!

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	Vintage Carriage  and Driver Brooch by Yos Finds in Canada Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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XYZ by Anna Katharine Green + #FreeBook

XYZ by Anna Katharine Green

Published in America by G P Putnam's Sons in 1883.

X for my 2019 Alphabet Soup Challenge

How I got this book:

Downloaded the free ebook from Project Gutenberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Anna Katharine Green (November 11, 1846 - April 11, 1935) was an American poet and novelist. She was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and distinguished herself by writing well plotted, legally accurate stories. Green has been called "the mother of the detective novel." Green is credited with shaping detective fiction into its classic form, and developing the series detective. In addition to creating elderly spinster and young female sleuths, Green's innovative plot devices included dead bodies in libraries, newspaper clippings as "clews," the coroner's inquest, and expert witnesses. Green was in some ways a progressive woman for her time - succeeding in a genre dominated by male writers - but she did not approve of many of her feminist contemporaries, and she was opposed to women's suffrage.


In this short story, an unnamed detective is sent to a small town, Brandon, in Massachusetts where he hopes to uncover the ringleaders of a counterfeiting scam. Instead, in following his suspicions, he finds himself in the midst of a very different crime altogether.

I'd never heard of Anna Katharine Green prior to stumbling upon this X book for my Alphabet Soup challenge. I certainly had no idea of her legacy as a detective fiction author and, having now read XYZ, I wonder why she isn't as famous as Agatha Christie. Indeed, it's all too possible that Christie was inspired and influenced by Green's writing. Perhaps we need a similar book to Monster, She Wrote, but detailing early female crime fiction authors. Is anyone currently writing this book?

XYZ is an ingenious and cleverly plotted story. It's first person narrator never identifies himself other than to say that he is a detective, so he has a compelling level of mystery surrounding him especially as we learn very little about him as a person. We read his innermost thoughts concerning the investigation as it unfolds, but this isn't a man given to recounting past anecdotes or diverting from his focus. In fact, none of the characters are portrayed in any great depth. Green manages to put across their essential attributes through brief sketches which suits the feel of the story. XYZ is only about fifty pages long so spending more time on description would slow its pace right down. As it is, I felt I knew enough to envisage the people and locations while remaining gripped by the mystery. I very much enjoyed reading XYZ and would happily pick out more Anna Katharine Green books in the future.

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	Yellow Masquerade Mask by Masks And Tiaras in Crewe, England Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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Zophiel by Maria Gowen Brooks + #FreeBook

Zophiel by Maria Gowen Brooks

Published in America by Richardson and Lord in 1825.

Z for my 2019 Alphabet Soup Challenge

How I got this book:

Downloaded the free ebook from Project Gutenberg

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Wishing to make a continued effort, in an art which, though almost in secret, has been adored and assiduously cultivated from earliest infancy, it was my intention to have chosen some incident from Pagan history, as the foundation of my contemplated poem. But, looking over the Jewish annals, I was induced to select for my purpose, one of their well-known stories which besides its extreme beauty, seemed to Open an extensive field for the imagination which might therein avail itself not only of important and elevated truths but pleasing and popular superstitions.


As you can probably tell from the start of Brooks' flowery introduction quoted above, Zophiel is very much a book of its time! I chose it based purely on its title beginning with a Z and its page count being low because, at the time, I had three weeks left in the year and five letters still to tick off my Alphabet Soup challenge. Brooks herself was an interesting woman, married to a much older man who had been her guardian before she came of age and, through selling her poetry, the breadwinner of this partnership. I'd love to read a biography of her, if one does exist, however I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to find more of her poetry. It's very much of the Get On With It school of writing!

Zophiel, eventually, became a poem in seven cantos of which this book is the first. I did like the story and Brooks does have a vivid turn of phrase when evoking scenes or characters. A retelling of an ancient epic, here a young woman, Egla, is persuaded by her parents to marry a man she doesn't particularly care for. However on her wedding night another man, the eponymous Zophiel, attempts to seduce her instead - with disastrous results. Unfortunately Brooks takes many, many verses to get to the action (for want of a better word!) and frequently diverts into footnotes describing relevant history, recounting moments from her sojourn in Cuba, or explaining literary allusions. I found it difficult enough to understand the poem without constantly being led astray. If you love Regency-era poetry or are in desperate need of a Z book, then Zophiel might be worth a download. Personally though, while I'm pleased that I struggled through the main poem and I did prefer a couple of her other short works tacked on the end, I can't say I'm now converted to a Brooks fan.

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	Jophiel Angel  wood icon by Holy Spirit Art in Thessaloniki, Greece Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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Hard Times by Charles Dickens

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

Published in the UK by Bradbury And Evans in 1854.

One of my Classics Club reads

How I got this book:

Bought an ebook edition via Amazon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hard Times – For These Times (commonly known as Hard Times) is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. The book tells the tragic story of Louisa Gradgrind and her father. When Louisa, trapped in a loveless marriage, falls prey to an idle seducer, the crisis forces her father to reconsider his cherished system. Yet even as the development of the story reflects Dickens's growing pessimism about human nature and society, Hard Times marks his return to the theme which had made his early works so popular: the amusements of the people.

Coketown is dominated by the figure of Mr Thomas Gradgrind, school owner and model of Utilitarian success. Feeding both his pupils and his family with facts, he bans fancy and wonder from young minds. As a consequence his young daughter Louisa marries the loveless businessman and “bully of humility” Mr Bounderby, and his son Tom rebels to become embroiled in gambling and robbery. And, as their fortunes cross with those of free-spirited circus girl Sissy Jupe and victimized weaver Stephen Blackpool, Gradgrind is eventually forced to recognize the value of the human heart in an age of materialism and machinery. 


I've initiated two Christmas reading traditions over the past few years. One is to immerse myself in Deborah Garner's latest Moonglow Cafe Christmas novella. The other is to blog my review of a Charles Dickens novel on Christmas Day, necessitating reading one each December. I never read proper Dickens when I was growing up, instead we had a few children's abbreviated versions of his most famous stories. I've noticed though that many of his characters and storylines are referenced in other novels leaving me somewhat at a disadvantage by not always understanding or even recognising them. Hence the annual Dickens project. I admit I am easily intimidated by the sheer length of his books which is why I only attempt one a year and am gradually working up from A Christmas Carol to David Copperfield. This December I chose Hard Times which actually turned out to be very apt considering I started reading it on Election Day!

My overriding memory of Hard Times, unfortunately, will probably be boredom. I really did want much more storyline and a lot less small talk dialogue, especially from the characters whose words were entirely written phonetically. This was seriously overdone! I understood Dickens wanted to put across an idea of their speech, but I found it frequently almost unintelligible! That said, overall, the characterisations were my favourite part of Hard Times, particularly those of the older people. Thomas Gradgrind's insistence on Facts! Joseph Bounderby with his terrible childhood,  demure Mrs Sparsit and overlooked Mrs Gradgrind. Dickens' illustrating the social injustices endured by Coketown's workers must have a brave move at the time, especially as I imagine more of his contemporary readers would have been Owners and their families rather than Hands. It's both a look at England of 160 years ago and a glimpse into the far-too-near future! I'm glad to have now read Hard Times, but I probably won't ever read it again.

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	Hard Times  book page art print by Literary Lodge in Manchester, England Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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The Abbot's Ghost by Louisa May Alcott + #FreeBook

The Abbot's Ghost by Louisa May Alcott

First published under the pen name A M Barnard in 1867.

How I got this book:

Downloaded via Project Gutenberg

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Download Free from  Project Gutenberg

Maurice Traherne is wrongly accused of fraud and gambling and must play a careful hand if he is to win his love, Octavia, from the grasp of other, less honorable men and retain the trust of those who had faith in him. Traherne is temporarily crippled saving the life of his well-born friend, Jasper. Thus, Jasper is assured of inheriting his father's estate, but it is expected that Traherne will inherit great wealth as gratitude for saving the heir. But--surprise!--on the death of Jasper's father all are shocked to learn that Traherne has been disinherited: the will has been changed at the last minute and only the suffering Traherne knows why but won't tell and then he falls in love with Jasper's sister, the fair Octavia. However, Octavia is forbidden to marry, as Traherne is penniless.

I wanted to find a short ghost story, preferably a free one, for a traditional Christmas Eve blog post so was delighted when Project Gutenberg showed me The Abbot's Ghost by Louisa May Alcott - it's a ghost story and a Christmas story in one, plus at one point the characters are telling each other ghost stories on Christmas Eve. I don't think I could have found a more apt tale to feature than this! It's a gothic story of a country house gathering where a young woman is persuaded to abandon her love for her disabled cousin in favour of a more socially acceptable match. Over the course of Christmas week, guilty secrets are uncovered and the eponymous ghost puts in an unwelcome appearance.

Admittedly, The Abbot's Ghost isn't the best example of Alcott's talent as a writer although I found it a pleasant enough diversion for a couple of hours. Perhaps this is why it was originally published under a pseudonym? The storyline is surprisingly compelling and the characters become more distinct as the tale progresses. I kept muddling people up early on which made everything more confusing than it needed to be! There's lots of repressed emotion and characters trying to coolly pretend they're not madly in love with unsuitable partners. Throw in eerily screeching peacocks and easily frightened servants, improbable peril and a heartbreaking death scene, and you've got an entertaining seasonal read!

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	Louisa May Alcott  bookmark by The Huge Manatee in Ballarat, Australia Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Published in the UK by HarperCollins on the 15th April 2019.

One of my 2019 New Release Challenge reads

How I got this book:

Received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

British-born Punjabi sisters Rajni, Jezmeen and Shirina have never been close but when their mother died, she had only one request: that they take a pilgrimage across India to carry out her final rites. While an extended family holiday is the last thing they want, each sister has her own reasons to run away from her life.

Rajni is the archetypal know-it-all eldest but her son dropped a devastating bombshell before she left and for the first time she doesn’t know what the future holds.

Middle sister Jezmeen was always a loudmouth, translating her need for attention into life as a struggling actress. But her career is on the skids after an incident went viral and now she’s desperate to find her voice again.

Shirina has always been the golden child, who confounded expectations by having an arranged marriage and moving to the other side of the world. But her perfect life isn’t what it seems and time is running out to make the right choice.

As the miles rack up on their jaunt across India, the secrets of the past and present are sure to spill out…


I had such a good time reading The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters, The three sisters are very different, yet believably so, and I could appreciate their somewhat fraught relationships. This is a novel about building friendships which seems very apt in today's angry world! Having recently read Soulla Christodoulou's story, Unlocked, also set in India, I was interested to see how the Shergill sisters view of this country was coloured by their personal experiences while travelling. Being effectively women alone for the duration of their journey allows readers to see deep misogyny running rife through society. Rajni's experience particularly shows that this hasn't changed in recent decades and Shirina discovers that other women can be just as abusive as men.

The only aspect I struggled to believe was the device of the whole India trip being prompted by the sisters' mother writing a letter to them during her last night alive. It's a long letter and, being reminded of my own mother's last weeks with cancer, I just couldn't see how she had the energy. That aside though, I loved Jaswal's engaging prose style and would happily pick up more of her books in the future. I think The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters would appeal to fans of writers like Amanda Prowse, and to readers who appreciate a good family drama.

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	Three Sisters  silhouette print by Claudines Art in Worthing, England Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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Yekl by Abraham Cahan + #FreeBook

Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto by Abraham Cahan

Published by D Appleton and Company in America in 1896.

Y for my 2019 Alphabet Soup Challenge and a Classics Club read

How I got this book:

Downloaded a free copy via Project Gutenberg

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The operatives of the cloak-shop in which Jake was employed had been idle all the morning. It was after twelve o'clock and the "boss" had not yet returned from Broadway, whither he had betaken himself two or three hours before in quest of work. The little sweltering assemblage—for it was an oppressive day in midsummer—beguiled their suspense variously. A rabbinical-looking man of thirty, who sat with the back of his chair tilted against his sewing machine, was intent upon an English newspaper.

Yekl is one of a selection of obscurely titled Project Gutenberg books I downloaded last week in an attempt to complete my 2019 Alphabet Soup challenge before I run out of year! It was first published in 1896, but I didn't feel as if the writing style dated from more than 120 years ago and the actions and attitudes of the characters are reflective of the present day. Yekl's themes of immigration and integration are very timely.

The novel follows Eastern European Jew Yekl, who has renamed himself Jake, through several months of his life in New York City. He arrived in America a couple of years previously and has already acclimatised himself to some extent. Jake is very much the young metropolitan man - cutting a dash at dances and entertaining a number of girlfriends - but he has a wife and child back in Europe desperately waiting for him to send their tickets to follow him. I loved Cahan's portrayals of Jake and of Gitl, his wife, even though I didn't actually like either of the people themselves. Jake is immature, selfish and, ultimately, weak. He treats Gitl appallingly allowing her no time to get used to American life but instead sneering at her backwards dress and behaviour. Gitl is, understandably, completely bewildered by her new environment. Even though the couple have rooms in the midst of a Jewish community, it comprises Jews from various nations and traditions so even their Yiddish differs from person to person. Cahan makes a brave effort to illustrate these pronunciations through differing phonetic spellings for each person. The idea comes across well, but I found the device detracted from my comprehension, especially in the early chapters. This annoyed me until Gitl arrives in New York and I realised that my earlier language difficulties were nothing compared to her experience!

Yekl is not a particularly long book, but I felt it gave an accurately detailed impression of New York life for Jews at the turn of the last century. Cahan expertly captures personality through speech so his characters spring to life and don't descend into caricature. I would recommend this novel for its immigration theme and also for its depiction of women's expectations in 1890s America. It was interesting for me to remember that Yekl isn't historical fiction, but was written at the time it is set so Cahan's ideas aren't filtered through a twenty-first century lens.

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	1900s East Side  Jewish Market  photograph by Chromatone in Romania Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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Death in Room Five by George Bellairs

Death in Room Five (The Inspector Littlejohn Mysteries Book 23) by George Bellairs

First published in the UK in 1955. Republished by Agora Books on the 13th November 2019.

One of my Classics Club reads and my 1950s book for my 2019-20 Decade Challenge

How I got this book:

Received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The British bulldog does not let go until the murderer is brought to justice. But this is not Scotland Yard, Inspector. This is France…

This trip to the French Riviera isn’t what anyone signed up for: while Littlejohn loses his vacation, another man loses his life. When Alderman Dawson, the victim of a deathly stabbing, calls Littlejohn to his deathbed, the inspector is left with no choice but to investigate. With twelve suspects in play and motives dating back to WWII, this might be one of his toughest cases yet. More bodies are turning up and the French police are unwilling to investigate… could this be the case that even Littlejohn can’t solve?

About Inspector Littlejohn 
Inspector Thomas Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is a shrewd yet courteous sleuth who splits his time between quaint English villages, the scenic Isle of Man and French Provinces. With a sharp tongue and a dry sense of humour, Littlejohn approaches his work with poise and confidence, shifting through red-herrings and solving even the most perplexing of cases.


After reading book 20 (A Knife For Harry Dodd) and book 13 (The Case Of The Demented Spiv) of George Bellairs' Inspector Littlejohn crime mystery series, I've now jumped to book 23! This is not deliberately intended to irritate people who resolutely read series in the correct order, it's just how the review copies are appearing on NetGalley! In this novel, Inspector Littlejohn has travelled to the beautiful French Riviera for a holiday, but soons finds himself abandoning his remarkably patient wife to her own devices as he throws himself into solving a complicated murder mystery.

George Bellairs travelled frequently in France himself and his love of the country and its culture is much in evidence throughout this story. He is also very much aware of the standard Little Englander mistrust of anything 'forrin' which is brilliantly well depicted in the behaviours of Alderman Dawson's holiday party. This group of a dozen people travelled from their Bolchester homes to their Cannes villa for a taste of French life, but they insist on only English food being served and only go en masse on strictly organised excursions. I'd like to say that this is a quaint portrait of 1950s attitudes, but sadly such isolationism is still all too common today. Of course, when one of the Bolchester party, Alderman Dawson, is stabbed and dies this just serves to reinforce the negativity - even when evidence suggests that the murderer might not actually be French after all.

The storyline is entertaining and, for me, sufficiently complicated that I was kept gripped for several hours. I didn't quite accept the denouement as plausible, but appreciated the hoops Bellairs had everyone jump through in order to get there. I loved the seedily glamorous Cannes locations too, especially the way they are contrasted with a brief glimpse of small town Bolchester. What absolutely made this book for me was Bellairs' characterisations. I am now getting used to Inspector Littlejohn being a bit of a nondescript plodder because it gives chances to everyone around him to ruthlessly scenesteal. In Death In Room Five Mrs Beaumont is a glorious creation - think of a fervently teetotal Hyacinth Bucket! I also liked weaselly Marriott and the permanently pissed coach driver. (There should be a drunk driving trigger warning for this novel.)

Death In Room Five is a satisfying murder mystery with a good sense of style and place. I did fear that transplanting Inspector Littlejohn to France would be Bellairs' way of compensating for a lack of story ideas after writing so many books (he actually wrote over 50 Littlejohn novels in the end!) so was pleased to find a strong narrative, lots of good local detail, and plenty of of entertaining humour.

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	1950s Cannes souvenir  wooden box by Au Bonheur Des Dames in La Rochelle, France Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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The Hills Reply by Tarjei Vesaas

The Hills Reply by Tarjei Vesaas
First published in Norwegian as Beaten om kvelden in Norway in 1968. English language translation by Elizabeth Rokkan published by Archipelago Press on the 10th December 2019.

One of my Classics Club Challenge reads, my 1960s read for my 2019-20 Decade Challenge and a 2019 New Release Challenge read

How I got this book:
Received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


An intensely graceful novel recounting scenes of the Norwegian countryside from one of Norway's most beloved 20th-century writers.

Tarjei Vesaas's final work before his death, this episodic novel drifts between dream-like abstraction and vivid description of seemingly ordinary yet heightened scenes of the Norwegian countryside. The many overlapping, semi-autobiographical vignettes of The Hills Reply relate a deep appreciation for the complexity of the human condition, nature, and relationships.

Although described as a novel in the synopsis, The Hills Reply felt to me more like a short story collection or, rather, a collection of disconnected scenes because several of these sixteen vignettes don't have much in the way of a narrative thread. I absolutely loved three of the stories: As It Stands In The Memory, The Drifter And The Mirrors, and Washed Cheeks. Each has gorgeously poetic prose, vivid scenery and a narrative in which I could completely empathise with the characters. The three are very different in idea and tone, but I felt that each spoke to me on a deeply emotional level. I ended up with my three star rating because of their strengths. In fact it is fortunate that one was the first story and another comes earlier in the collection because otherwise The Hills Reply could easily, unfortunately, have been a DNF.

I understand that The Hills Reply was Vesaas' last complete book and I did wonder if the esteem in which he was held clouded some editorial judgements! I was disappointed that alongside the previously mentioned glimpses of amazing writing there was plenty that I simply found impenetrable. Streams of words which gave me no clue to what Vesaas wanted to say or what his scenes were supposed to depict. It was like suddenly being faced with an untranslated story (or six) although I am confident I wasn't trying to read Norwegian! A hit and miss collection that sadly for me was heavier on the misses.

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	Horse In Snow  charcoal drawing by Yelena Shabrova Art in Oregon, USA Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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Queen Of The Flaming Diamond by Leroy Yerxa + #FreeBook

Queen Of The Flaming Diamond by Leroy Yerxa

Published in Amazing Stories in America in January 1943.

Q for my 2019 Alphabet Soup Challenge

How I got this book:

Downloaded a free copy via Project Gutenberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

He succeeded in dragging his charge up the three low steps that led toward the coat room. A silvery crash of music drowned out Puffy's voice with the suddenness of striking lightning. He dropped his arm from Drake's waist and pivoted, surprise on his broad face. Something weird and lovely about the sound turned them both toward the stage. His chin dropped in delight. This wasn't Lardner's usual nightly feature.

With only a few weeks remaining in 2019, I had thought about abandoning my Alphabet Soup challenge with five letters still unread (J, Q, X, Y and Z). However, leaving such things unfinished rankles with me, probably far more than it should do, so I've been scouring Project Gutenberg for suitable books. Queen Of The Flaming Diamond's lurid cover art caught my eye.

This 64-page story is a curious blend of crime caper and shapeshifting fantasy. It reads like a pulp novel which makes sense as that's exactly what it is, so there's no great depth to any of the character portrayals or logical explanation to the bizarre events that unfold. That doesn't really matter though and it's probably for the best that the narrative races over its many gaping plotholes! For all my literary complaints, Queen Of The Flaming Diamond is good fun. I happily read in on a cold, rainy afternoon and was transported to a Bugsy Malone-style world of mobsters, nightclubs, diamond thieves and shapeshifting foxes. As you do! If you fancy an entertaining escapist read, this story will do the trick.

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	Silver Fox  Wrap Ring by Villa Sorgenfrei in Berlin, Germany Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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Love Potions and Other Calamities by Charlie Laidlaw

Love Potions and Other Calamities by Charlie Laidlaw

First published in the UK by Ringwood Publishing as The Herbal Detective by Charles Grey in 2015. Republished under its new title by Headline Accent on the 7th November 2019.

How I got this book:

Received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A comic tale of love, mystery and unintended consequences ...

Rosie McLeod, pub proprietor and a gifted herbalist of local renown, is thirty-nine and holding, but only just. The talons of her fortieth birthday are in her back and her bloody, bloody husband hasn't laid a lustful hand on her for months.

Rosie sets out to discover if her husband is having an affair, using deductive powers based solely on the careful preparation of plants and herbs. But as her well-laid plans entirely fall apart, the sighting of a large black cat sets off another chain of events.

Rosie now realises that a psychopath is on the loose and that she's been selected as his next victim.

Love Potions And Other Calamities is the second of the witchcraft-themed novels I've reviewed this week (L C Tyler's The Bleak Midwinter being the first). This humorous and frequently irreverent mystery is set in rural East Lothian where the landlady of the village pub puts her herbalist training to good (or bad, depending on your point of view) use in her attempts to stave off the psychological damage wrought by her impending fortieth birthday. I was lucky to not be too bothered by the passing of my fortieth, but I know many people who actively dreaded this milestone so I could empathise with Rosie's need to bolster her self esteem. I'm not sure I can so easily condone her actions however - even though I did giggle at their unfortunate aftermath. Love Potions is a wickedly funny novel with some truly cringeworthy scenes that I loved!

This is the third Charlie Laidlaw novel I've enjoyed. As always, his characters feel authentic, even while the scenarios in which they find themselves get more and more outlandish. I could easily picture Holy Cross village in all its tourism-grabbing glory. Perhaps the physiological explanations of Rosie's herbalism got a bit much over time, but I did like the inclusion of Albertus Magnus' ancient remedies (none of which should be tried at home!). The mystery aspect of Love Potions is often overshadowed by Rosie-caused mayhem (that poor vicar!) so I really wasn't up to speed when it came to that denouement, but I'd appreciated the entertaining journey to get there and would happily rejoin Rosie and the rest of the Holy Cross villagers should Laidlaw pen a sequel to Love Potions And Other Calamities.

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	Peeping Black Cat  Necklace by Whisper To The Moon in London, England Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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After Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks by Nancy Jardine + #Giveaway

After Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks (Celtic Fervour series #3) by Nancy Jardine
First published by Crooked Cat Publishing in March 2014.


Add After Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks to your Goodreads

AD 73 Northern Roman Britain

Brennus of Garrigill—Bran—monitors Roman activity across Brigantia. Stability prevails till AD 78 when Agricola, Governor of Britannia, orders complete conquest of all barbarians. Brennus heads north, seeking the Caledon who will lead the northern tribes against Rome.
Ineda treks northwards with her master, Tribune Valerius – supplies officer for Agricola’s Britannia campaigns. At Pinnata Castra, she escapes and seeks fellow Brigantes congregating for battle in the north.

The Legions of the Roman Empire and the Caledon allies clash at Beinn na Ciche in AD 84, but where are Brennus and Ineda?

The adventures of the Garrigill Clan continue…

After Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks is the third in Nancy Jardine's Celtic Fervour series. The book follows on from The Beltane Choice and After Whorl: Bran Reborn, and I think this series is one that's best read in the right order! This novel takes place over quite a long period of time and the characters all travel considerable distances so the storyline felt quite different to the previous books. I liked Jardine's portrayal of changes in the way Ineda and the Roman Tribune relate to each other. I can understand the difficulty and precariousness of Ineda's situation so it was interesting to see how she dealt with this.

Brennus - or Bran - however seemed to be left out on his own so I wasn't as keen on his storyline. Jardine gave herself a lot of ground to cover which I felt left insufficient room for readers to get to know characters such as Lleia. Consequently they didn't feel as authentic to me and important scenes seemed to rush by too quickly. I don't want to spoil anything for people who haven't read Donning Double Cloaks yet, but I wanted more to be made of some of the intensely emotional moments. Instead we got to learn a lot about how the different factions of the Roman army worked and fought together. I enjoy visiting ancient sites like Vindolanda so could envisage their forts and newly laid roads across the countryside!

Donning Double Cloaks did feel like a 'middle book' to me. It's an unusual situation for me as a reader to be rooting for people who I know will eventually lose - history tells us the Romans were pretty successful overall in Britain! All the tribe names did get quite confusing, even though I could look at a map of their territories to refresh my memory. I imagine the final book of this quartet will pull all the threads together and complete this epic Celtic-Roman story.

Meet the author

Nancy Jardine writes historical fiction; time-travel historical adventure; contemporary mystery thrillers; and romantic comedy. She lives in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where life is never quiet or boring since she regularly child minds her young grandchildren who happen to be her next-door neighbours. Her garden is often creatively managed by them, though she does all the work! Her husband is a fantastic purveyor of coffee and tea…excellent food and wine! (Restorative, of course)

A member of the Historical Novel Society; Scottish Association of Writers; Federation of Writers Scotland; Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Independent Alliance of Authors, her work has achieved finalist status in UK competitions.

Author links: 
Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon

And now it's time for the Giveaway!

Win x1 signed paperback of After Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks to one UK winner and x1 kindle copy worldwide
Open internationally until the 3rd January 2019.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Terms and Conditions – Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box above. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Etsy Find!
	Roman Chariot  vintage metal toy by Natural State Salvage in Arkansas, USA Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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Books by Nancy Jardine / Historical fiction / Books from Scotland

The Bleak Midwinter by L C Tyler

The Bleak Midwinter by L C Tyler

Published in the UK by Constable on the 27th December 2018.

How I got this book:

Received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

1668.

John Grey is now a Justice of the Peace and lives in the manor house he has inherited on his mother's death with his new wife, Aminta.

As the village is cut off from the rest of the world by a heavy snowfall, George Barwell is discovered dead in the woods. Grey is called to examine the horribly disfigured body amidst the rumours that the attack has been the work of the Devil as the victim had been cursed by reputed witch Alice Mardike just days before his violent death.

As Barwell's father-in-law leads the villagers into kidnapping Alice and throwing her into the millpond to see if she floats as a witch or drowns as an innocent woman, Grey agrees to investigate the murder: his main suspect is the very man leading the witch hunt. But if Grey can't solve the mystery of George Barwell's death within a week, Mardike will be tried for witchcraft - and the sentence has already been decided . . .

The Bleak Midwinter is the first of two witchcraft-themed novels I've read back-to-back (the other being Love Potions And Other Calamities by Charlie Laidlaw which I'll be reviewing here on Sunday). It is set at this time of year so is perfect for a December read, but takes us back to a chillingly well evoked 17th century Essex, a time of intense superstitious beliefs. A witch, Alice Mardike, has lived in this rural community all her life. Essentially a herbalist, most of the villagers see no problem in visiting Alice for medicines and charms and have done so for years, but George Barwell's shocking murder frightens them so much that they eagerly allow their fear to overrule everything else when a single dominating voice insists Alice must have murdered George.

At the heart of The Bleak Midwinter is a battle between traditional superstition and John Grey's newfangled ideas of crime detection. This is the fifth novel featuring John Grey and, fortunately, it works well as a standalone tale because, unsurprisingly for me, I haven't read any of the earlier four books although on the strength of this one I am now very keen to do so. Tyler cleverly drops clues and red herrings for readers, all the while increasing the story's tension as we see the villagers becoming more hysterical. I appreciated Tyler's showing how, en masse, the people are so easily led and Grey's exasperation at this herd mentality is palpable. I liked Grey. He is a bundle of contradictions trying to reconcile city training with rural life whilst stepping into his father's Lord Of The Manor shoes.

I felt convincing historical details added significantly to the overall atmosphere of The Bleak Midwinter and the complex mystery was a joy to unravel. As an afternote, Tyler mentions being angry as he wrote and I had sensed this through the story, mostly as a result of the gross unfairness and appalling treatment meted out to Alice and women like her. Tyler has obviously done his research on witchcraft at this time and it was sobering to remember that, while The Bleak Midwinter itself is fiction, lots of the events and actions described were very real to many people 350 years ago. As a compelling historical crime novel, I highly recommend The Bleak Midwinter and its cold snowy setting should be a strong enticement to read it before Christmas!

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	Winter Solstice  Willow Pentacle by Ena Harmony in Macedonia Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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Suncatcher by Romesh Gunesekera

Suncatcher by Romesh Gunesekera

Published in the UK by Bloomsbury on the 28th November 2019.

One of my 2019 New Release Challenge reads and my Book Of The Month for December 2019

How I got this book:

Received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ceylon is on the brink of change. But Kairo is at a loose end. School is closed, the government is in disarray, the press is under threat and the religious right are flexing their muscles. Kairo's hard-working mother blows off steam at her cha-cha-cha classes; his Trotskyite father grumbles over the state of the nation between his secret flutters on horseraces in faraway England. All Kairo wants to do is hide in his room and flick over second-hand westerns and superhero comics, or escape on his bicycle and daydream. 

Then he meets the magnetic teenage Jay, and his whole world is turned inside out. 

A budding naturalist and a born rebel, Jay keeps fish and traps birds for an aviary he is building in the garden of his grand home. The adults in Jay's life have no say in what he does or where he goes: he holds his beautiful, fragile mother in contempt, and his wealthy father seems fuelled by anger. But his Uncle Elvin, suave and worldly, is his encourager. As Jay guides him from the realm of make believe into one of hunting-guns and fast cars and introduces him to a girl - Niromi - Kairo begins to understand the price of privilege and embarks on a journey of devastating consequence. 

Taut and luminous, graceful and wild, Suncatcher is a poignant coming-of-age novel about difficult friendships and sudden awakenings. Mesmerizingly it charts the loss of innocence and our recurring search for love - or consolation - bringing these extraordinary lives into our own.

I was blown away by Romesh Gunesekera's gorgeous prose throughout Suncatcher. It's such a beautifully written novel which vividly captures the sweltering and stifling atmosphere of 1960s Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was called back then). We see the nation at a social and political turning point, but through the eyes of young Kairo who isn't yet even old enough to really understand the dynamics of his own parents' relationship let alone the manoeuvrings of a whole nation. Gunesekera has created a completely convincing character in Kairo and, surprisingly, one with whom I could easily empathise, despite never having been a young boy myself! His desperate need for the older boy, Jay's, approval carries Suncatcher's compelling narrative. We know something must go wrong because this glorious coming-of-age summer cannot last indefinitely, however we have no way to tell where the threat to Kairo's innocence lies. There are several fate-tempting contenders.

I loved how Gunesekara portrays the unintentional callousness of teenagers. Jay has no real idea of how his actions affect others or the impact his ill-chosen insults have. He stands up for a bullied child, but then crushes his mother with a few words. The aviary is an interesting metaphor too. I saw in it reflections of most of the adult characters surrounding the boys, each trapped by circumstances beyond what they believe they can control. Suncatcher, I think, can be understood on various levels. It is an excellent historical novel which also has a lot to say about human relationships ostensibly in Ceylon, but similar interactions occur the world over. Indeed the multifaith Ceylon community could be a useful template for more fragmented societies. At the time of Suncatcher, we can see that religion will become divisive, but it hasn't happened yet. Instead two boys have one last burst of freedom before the adult world closes in.

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	Sri Lankan Kingfisher  Inktober Drawing by SLYstudiosINK in New Mexico, USA Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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