I’ve been enjoying some fantastic historical fiction this year so far and historian Juliet Nicholson’s debut novel sounds like another excellent read set in one of my favourite periods. The novel is released on June 7th so look out for a review soon!

England, 1936. After the recent death of George V, the nation has a new king, Edward VIII. But for all the confident pomp and ceremony of the accession, it is a turbulent time. Terrible poverty and unemployment affect many, but trouble few among the ruling elite; for others, Oswald Mosley’s New Party, which offers a version of the fascism on the rise in Germany, seems to offer the vision of the future.

Nineteen-year-old May Thomas has just disembarked at Liverpool Docks after making the long journey by steamer from Barbados to escape the constraints of her sugar-plantation childhood. Her first job as a secretary and chauffeuse to Sir Philip Blunt, Chief Whip in Baldwin’s Conservative government, will open her eyes to the upper echelons of British society…

The unlikely friendship she forms with Evangeline Nettlefold, American god-daughter of the Chief Whip’s wife and an old school friend of Wallis Simpson, will see her through family upheavals including the shocking, sudden loss of her mother; but more significant for May, the Blunts’ son Rupert has an Oxford University friend, Julian, a young man of conscience for whom, despite all barriers of class, she cannot help but fall.

Secrets, hidden truths, undeclared loves, unspoken sympathies and covert complicities are everywhere – biggest and most dangerous of them all, the truth about the new King’s relationship with a married woman, and the silent horror that few in Britain dare voice: the increasing inevitability of another world war…

Lydia, Robyn and Dean don’t know each other – yet.

They live very different lives but each of them, independently, has always felt that something is missing.

What they don’t know is that a letter is about to arrive that will turn their lives upside down.

It is a letter containing a secret – one that will bind them together, and show them what love and family and friendship really mean…

I’ve been a fan of Lisa Jewell’s books for a long time now and have read almost everything she’s written. Up until now my firm favourite of her novels was The Truth About Melody Browne but The Making of Us has changed that and I think it’s Lisa’s best book to date. With a gripping storyline, a varied cast of lovably flawed characters and a series of clever twists and turns, The Making of Us is a brilliant read that I couldn’t put down.

Each chapter is simply titled with the name of the character who is telling that part of the story. We start in 1979 as Glenys and Rodney make a decision that will have far reaching effects that they could never have predicted. Moving on to the present day we meet Lydia, Robyn, Dean and Maggie; four characters who couldn’t be more different but are united by their link to one man – Daniel.

Jewell has created a wonderfully complex group of characters and initially it seems that they have nothing in common. Lydia, the self made but almost reclusive millionaire whose mum died in mysterious circumstances when she was very young; Dean from Deptford soon to be a father himself for the first time and eighteen year old Robyn, the golden Essex princess with the bright future. But as the story unfolds all three are forced to examine their lives and try to deal with the events fate has dealt them. All are in some way dealing with loss, loneliness and trying to find their own identities.

Daniel’s is just one of the factors bringing the group together. I loved that Jewell gave Lydia, Dean and Robyn each their own reasons for wanting to find out more about their histories and each other. The Making of Us examines parenthood, family and friendship from a myriad of perspectives and I was impressed by the way that Jewell covered the different opinions, debates and impacts on relationships of having children.

The storyline is superbly plotted with the individual stories taking their own twists and sometimes shocking turns to bring the characters together. There are a number of mysteries as the novel unfolds which kept me turning the pages and as the story moves from one character to another, Jewell often drops in cliffhanger chapter endings and then moves on to the next character’s story which had me reading as fast as I could to find out what happened to them all! When the characters do finally meet, I thought the chemistry between them was brilliant.

Although there are sad and heartbreaking elements throughout the book, it is a warm and positive read overall and deals with what could be depressing events in a warm and sensitive way. As I was reading The Making of Us I kept thinking, ‘why did it take me so long to read this?’ – the book was released in a large paperback format last year and has just been released in paperback with the lovely new cover pictured above and includes an excellent interview with Lisa Jewell at the back. The new cover is quite a change in direction for Lisa’s covers but I think it fits the book perfectly.

Lisa’s writing goes from strength to strength and I can’t recommend The Making of Us highly enough. I’m very excited about her next novel, Before I Met You which is out in July and partly set in 1920′s London.

5/5

With thanks to Najma at Random House for sending me a review copy of this novel.

Regular readers will know I’m a big fan of Ali’s books and I’m so excited about her next release which is a sequel to her debut From Notting Hill with Love … Actually. And the level of excitement and anticipation jumped a little higher when I saw the newly released cover image for From Notting Hill to New York … Actually and found the synopsis on the publisher website   Roll on November!

Scarlett O’Brien, utterly addicted to romantic films, has found her leading man. She’s convinced Sean is Mr Right, but the day-to-day reality of a relationship isn’t quite like the movies. With Sean constantly away on business, Scarlett and her new best friend Oscar decide to head to New York for the holiday of a lifetime.

From one famous landmark to the next, Scarlett and Oscar make many new friends during their adventure – including sailors in town for Fleet Week, a famous film star, and Jamie & Max, a TV reporter and cameraman. Scarlett finds herself strangely drawn to Jamie, they appear to have much in common: a love of films and Jamie’s search for a parent he never knew. But Scarlett has to ask herself why she is reacting like this to another man when she’s so in love with Sean . . .

(From the back cover) Former academic Arthur Opp weighs 550 pounds and hasn’t left his rambling Brooklyn home in a decade. Twenty miles away, in Yonkers, seventeen-year-old Kel Keller navigates life as the poor kid in a rich school and pins his hopes on what seems like a promising sporting career-if he can untangle himself from his family drama. The link between this unlikely pair is Kel’s mother, Charlene, a former student of Arthur’s. After nearly two decades of silence, it is Charlene’s unexpected phone call to Arthur – a plea for help-that jostles them into action.

Through Arthur and Kel’s own quirky and lovable voices, HEFT tells the winning story of two improbable heroes whose sudden connection transforms both their lives. It is a novel about love and family found in the most unexpected places.

Heft is a moving novel that is both heartbreakingly sad and hopeful at the same time. The story is narrated from the perspectives of two male characters; fifty-something professor turned recluse Arthur Opp and seventeen year old high school student Kel Keller. The link between the two is Kel’s mum, Charlene, who was once a student of Arthur’s.

At face value Arthur and Kel couldn’t be more different, but as I read their stories, I was struck by the similarities between them; both have complex family backgrounds, both raised by their mothers with distant father figures. Both are hiding; Arthur in the physical sense, having not left his home for years and Kel is hiding his background, having assumed a new persona to fit in with his school friends. Both are lonely. I thought both characters were very well written and as the book alternates between their stories I found it hard to put Heft down.

I loved Moore’s writing style but have been struggling to define it for this review. The narratives come across as straightforward and accessible, almost simple at times but beautifully written and gives Arthur and Kel their own unique voices with their own linguistic quirks like Arthur’s use of ‘O’ and writing and as ‘&’ and Kel’s short sentences which really seem to get into the mind of a seventeen year old boy. Heft was very easy to read but kept me thinking long after I’d finished it.

The story twists and turns surprised me and kept me guessing as to Kel and Arthur’s fates as a phone call from Charlene starts a series of events that changes both their lives dramatically. At times Heft was heartbreaking to read as the book examines issues including, obesity, alcoholism, mental health, teenage pregnancy and parenthood but I couldn’t put it down and was willing there to be a happy outcome for all characters.

In addition to Arthur and Kel, the supporting cast are well drawn and show the spectrum of family life and relationships and although I thought Arthur and Kel were excellent, my favourite character was Arthur’s cleaner Yolanda who affects a number of transformations in Arthur’s life and made me smile with her direct approach to problems.

Without giving away spoilers I was surprised by the way the novel played out. The ending left me with quite a lot of questions and wondering what happened next. I do like novels that tie up all the ends neatly but in this case I thought the more open ending was very apt. Heft is an enjoyable and thought provoking read with characters that are easy to take to your heart and a lovely hopeful message about what ‘family’ really is. Recommended!

4/5

Heft is out now and I’d like to thank publisher Random House for sending me a review copy.

You can find out more about Liz Moore and her writing at: http://www.lizmoore.net/

Last month I posted about Daniela Sacerdoti’s new book Dreams. Thanks to Daniela’s lovely publishers I’m very excited to be able to share the first chapter of Dreams with you to get your Monday off to a good start!  Dreams is out now as an ebook and will be released in paperback on 17th May. Happy reading

Dreams Chapter One

The winners are …

Olu, Margaret, Brita, Pearl and Julia

Congratulations! I have sent you all an email. Thanks to everyone who entered. Please look out for more giveaways coming soon!

When Rosie decides to get her friends together for their very own version of Come Dine With Me she’s bursting with excitement, even though her husband Stephen is less than keen. But Rosie is adamant. Four couples, each hosting a dinner party on a different night of the week, with a prize at the end for the best one. It’ll be a good laugh, won’t it? And a great way for everyone to get to know each other. What could possibly go wrong?

What Rosie doesn’t anticipate are the lengths her fellow hosts might be prepared to go to in order to claim the prize — outlandish recipes, rare ingredients sourced from abroad, and a chocolate tart that looks just too good to be homemade…

But perhaps she should be more worried about the mounting tension between the guests, as backbiting breaks out over the appetisers and a glass of wine too many leads to indiscreet flirtation. As the pressure in the kitchen rises, relationships begin to crack under strain, high-minded principles collide and the oven gloves come off… But that’s all part of the fun. Isn’t it?

Dinner At Mine tells the story of a group of friends who decide to have a Come Dine With Me style competition to see who is the best dinner party cook and host. I have to admit that I wasn’t sure about this book at first -  I love Come Dine With Me but I couldn’t quite see how the format would work in a novel so, curious, I picked it up and started reading. An hour later I was still glued to the book having only meant to have a quick look. Chris Smyth has created a fantastic group of believable characters who are in turn, annoying, lovable, bitchy and at times crazy and the result is a very funny book that examines what happens when a group of friends get competitive!

The main story is the competition and I loved the solution the group came up with for voting at the end of each dinner party – their emails made the book for me. The story is split into four parts with each part covering one of the dinner parties which gives the book a nice pace and kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. Although the dinner parties are the main event, each section begins with chapters that cover the build up and preparation to the dinners and not only reveal a lot about each character but also delve deeper into some of the relationship sub-plots.

The novel only covers a period of four weeks but we get to know a surprising amount about the characters as the book progresses and although the competition is Rosie’s idea, all of the characters get equal billing which makes for an interesting and involving plot. The eight characters cover a lot of the relationship and personality bases and I’m sure readers will find plenty to identify with; competitive Rosie and husband Stephen – happily married with a young baby, highly competitive Marcus who likes to feel superior to everyone else and teacher girlfriend Sarah who is questioning where she is with her career and relationship; American Barbara – highly creative and highly strung and her socially conscious boyfriend Justin and finally the two singletons of the group, Charlotte – my favourite character for her pot stirring and Lawyer Matt.  I loved reading  the dynamics between the participants and as Rosie tries to pair off Charlotte with Matt, the sparks begin to fly in what is just a starter for dramas to come.

Smyth writes in the third person and does an excellent job of getting into the minds of both his male and female characters and I loved the subltle humour that came out as we see individual perspectives on the same event. I found the second half of the novel a little slower than the first but the drama level certainly steps up a notch during the last two dinner parties and I found myself reading as fast as I could to get to the end to find out who was the winner. Dinner at Mine is a fresh, original and funny read and a great debut from Chris Smyth -  I’ll be eagerly anticiating his next book!

If after reading the book you think you’d like to hold your own dining competition, publisher Simon and Schuster has produced a dinner party pack to accompany the book which includes scorecards, place settings and charts which can be downloaded at: http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/Dinner-at-Mine/Chris-Smyth/9780857205056

4/5

Dinner at Mine is out now and I’d like to thank Alice at Simon and Schuster for sending me a review copy.

Is love at first sight too hot to handle?

After a decade in love with dashing Francis, Allegra North thought that the grass was greener on the other side of the fence and they parted. But a year later she returns to the beautiful Devon coast where romance first blossomed, believing she must rekindle the old flame to save her sanity, her family and her career.

But childhood sweetheart Francis has a ravishing new girlfriend, Kizzy, and he only seems interested in faking romance with Allegra to settle family politics. As summer storms circle, the exes juggle badly behaving parents, vengeful family members, and a very reluctant celebrity who holds the key to everybody’s future. When a chance encounter threatens to spark something that could burn bridges as fast as she can build them, Allegra faces a dilemma: Should she rekindle her old flame, or trust in love at first sight . . .?

I really enjoyed Sealed With a Kiss, Fiona Walker’s short story prequel to The Love Letter – it left me wanting to find out what happened next and learn more about main character Allegra (Legs) North and her love life! The Love Letter certainly delivers on that front, giving our heroine not one, not two, but three very different love interests during the course of the novel. This is a big caper of a novel filled with a huge cast of eccentric characters and lots of romance and comedy and despite a slow start, I found it an enjoyable read.

Allegra came across as a fun and funny character. She works for a literary agency and her emails to reclusive super-author Gordon Lapis made me laugh out loud. She’s certainly a lady who says what she thinks! Allegra manages to get herself into a number of awkward situations during the course of the novel, not least having to return to Farcombe, the home of her childhood sweetheart (and recipient of the title love letter) Francis to try to persuade him to allow Gordon to reveal is true identity at the highly selective Farcombe festival.

The story takes off as Allegra arrives in Farcombe with a complex web of family feuds, affairs and double crosses. At times I found it hard to keep all the characters and their histories in my head but the descriptions of the fictional village in which the story is set are lovely and through its varied inhabitants, I felt like I knew the place. I loved the local pub/restaurant/B&B, The Book Inn and thought the literary references throughout the book were nicely done.

At almost 700 pages, there is a lot of plot in The Love Letter and several key story lines. The reveal storyline for Gordon Lapis, author of a bestselling Children’s magical adventure series was my favourite thread and I loved the twists to the tale as his real identity was revealed. The love letter story line also kept me guessing as I wondered who Allegra would eventually end up with and I was surprised by the turns that the romantic side of the book took, especially as the mysterious Mr Byrne entered the frame.

The Love Letter is a fun, lighthearted romp of a read with a gorgeous Devon setting, an entertaining cast of characters and a romantic storyline that will keep you guessing to the end. I was pleased to see in my interview with Fiona earlier that she plans to revisit some of the other characters from Sealed with a Kiss in her next book and I’m looking forward to reading more from Fiona in future.

3/5

You can find out more about Fiona and her books on her website at: http://www.fionawalker.com/

Today One More Page is celebrating the publication of The Love Letter by Fiona Walker. I hope you enjoyed my interview with Fiona earlier. Thanks to fab publisher Sphere I have five copies of The Love Letter to give away to lucky readers.

To enter just leave a ‘pick me’ comment in the box below and I’ll draw five winners using random.org after the closing date.

UK entries only please. Entries will close at midnight on Saturday 5th May.

Is love at first sight too hot to handle?

After a decade in love with dashing Francis, Allegra North thought that the grass was greener on the other side of the fence and they parted. But a year later she returns to the beautiful Devon coast where romance first blossomed, believing she must rekindle the old flame to save her sanity, her family and her career.

But childhood sweetheart Francis has a ravishing new girlfriend, Kizzy, and he only seems interested in faking romance with Allegra to settle family politics. As summer storms circle, the exes juggle badly behaving parents, vengeful family members, and a very reluctant celebrity who holds the key to everybody’s future. When a chance encounter threatens to spark something that could burn bridges as fast as she can build them, Allegra faces a dilemma: Should she rekindle her old flame, or trust in love at first sight . . .?

Today I’m very pleased to welcome Fiona Walker to the interview spot as part of the blog tour for her new novel The Love Letter which was released last week. Welcome Fiona!

The Love Letter is your twelfth novel; how do you keep coming up with new ideas and what was your inspiration for this book?

I’m incurably nosy, and a very active imagination adds fuel – I only have to hear a snatch of overheard conversation to want to fill in all the gaps, whether by fact or fiction. I find stories everywhere, and have more issues trying to limit the number I put into each book than wondering what to write about. I rip pages from magazines and newspapers all the time, bookmark web features or see a new face across a room that I know has to belong to a book character. The initial idea for The Love Letter came from a magazine article about an eccentric and feuding family that runs an arts festival in their stately home, and when I added in the imaginary characters and romantic plot twists that had been queuing up in my head, it took off.

We’ve had a sneak preview of some of the characters in The Love Letter with the release of your first e-book short story, Sealed With A Kiss, which came out in March. Do all of the characters from Sealed With a Kiss feature in The Love Letter?

The star of the story is definitely the main book’s heroine Legs, but as I wrote it, I realised I had the makings of a new novel springboard in there too and two of the minor characters in Sealed With A Kiss actually go on to feature in my next book.  I always love the idea of characters walking from one book to another, which is why I sometimes write in series, although each book always has a stand-alone storyline, and The Love Letter is peopled with entirely new characters. Similarly, Sealed With A Kiss is intended to be a ‘mini bonkbuster’, so while it introduces The Love Letter cast, it has its own world.

Leading lady, Allegra (Legs) North really made me laugh as I was reading. For readers who have yet to meet her, please could you sum her up in five words?

Headstrong, compassionate, inquisitive, romantic and coffee-loving.

I loved eccentric and reclusive author Gordon Lapis and his emails and messages to Allegra made me smile; who was your favourite character to write?

I always relish writing the wild-men, so brooding Jago Byrne and misbehaving roué Hector Protheroe were huge fun to bring on, particularly the latter who was always half naked and carrying a bassoon, an image which cheered me through many a late night writing session.

The coastal Devon setting for The Love Letter is lovely; why did you choose this setting and do the places described actually exist?

Years ago when I was struggling to finish a book in the midst of a house move that was being held up by the Foot and Mouth outbreak, I rented a holiday ‘writing retreat’ cottage very cheaply and discovered the Hartland peninsular, where The Love Letter is set. I wrote by night and walked the dog by day and fell in love with the area. Fictional Farcombe village and its estate and coastline is an amalgamation of several places along that peninsular, but it became totally real in my imagination and I drew maps and sketched the houses to pin around the desk as writing aids.

Allegra sends a love letter explaining her regrets; what’s the most exciting piece of mail you’ve received?!

I have shoeboxes crammed with old letters dating back to university and beyond, and I’d love to say I had a wildly romantic correspondence with a lover, one side of which is still bound up in red ribbon in one of those boxes, but my taste in pragmatic, gung ho men has resulted in lots of postcards from adventurous spots and a few Valentine’s cards featuring gorillas in bras. The most exciting letter I ever received was probably from the (then) literary agent Carol Smith back in pre-email days when she replied to the unsolicited submission of my first novel with a letter that started ‘I LOVE the way you write!’ I must have read it a hundred times before I dared believe it.

What do you like to read when you’re not writing?

I prefer laughing out loud to crying or screaming into the pages, so I love Sadie Jones, Marian Keyes, M C Beaton and Marina Lewycka, and I read an awful lot on recommendation which has led me to discover wonderful writers like Esther Freud and Bella Pollen. I always have a teetering pile of books by my bed (and now that I have a Kindle, I have a stack of downloads queuing up to be read too), and I’m also a devoted re-reader, so a year will never go past when I don’t read a favourite Angela Carter, Jilly Cooper, Georgette Heyer or Tom Sharpe. Since the advent of small children and annual deadlines, I read far less than I used to, which I find hugely frustrating, but I will still stay up all night finishing a good book, and know of nothing to beat that total absorption.

And finally … what can we expect next from Fiona Walker?

My next book has no official title yet although I’ve nick-named it ‘Hot Air’ because it features hot air balloons on steamy summer days. It’s another big-hearted, big-cast romp, this time set between The Chilterns, LA, Andalucia and Kenya, focusing on a group of friends who studied drama together at university twenty years ago and share secrets that start to unravel when a daughter decides to get married. I’ve just delivered the first draft, packed full of eccentric characters, gorgeous Spanish horses and high jinx, and will edit it through summer ready for release next spring.

Many thanks Fiona!

Look out for my review of The Love Letter coming later today. I’ll also be launching a giveaway to win one of five copies of The Love Letter this afternoon so please stay tuned

You can find out more about Fiona and her novels and read an extract from The Love Letter on her website at: http://www.fionawalker.com/