Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May

Wild and Wicked Things takes place in the 1920s, when people partied hard to forget the traumas of the War, but it is set in an alternative reality, where magic is real and dangerous. Witches controlled the soldiers and the fighting, so now magic is banned. Even being caught with magic paraphernalia is likely to result in being executed. One exception is Crow Island, where real magic is sold to the tourists as the fake, harmless kind.

The story is told in the main part from Annie's point of view, as she arrives on Crow Island to close up her late father's house and finds herself completely out-of-her-depth amongst the fashionable Bright Young Things. Even though Annie is wary of her glamorous neighbours and their out-of-control parties, she is drawn to them in equal measure, particularly the owner of Cross House, Emmeline Delacroix. 

Emmeline was my favourite character; outwardly tough and hard, with an uncompromising attitude that wins her few friends on Crow Island, but who would do anything to help someone she loves, even put her own life at risk. The characters are a particular strength of this story. Along with Emmeline, there is Isobel, whose magic can affect the weather, and Nathan, a gentle soul whose power is to see into the darkness of others. And it was lovely to see Annie grow in confidence to become more than a match for Emmeline!

The story was a little bit slow to start and I would have loved more world-building - particularly backstory about Crow Island and the mysterious Council - but the characters were brilliant, the tension built up to a terrific finish, and there was even a sweet romance. A kind of mash-up between Gentleman Jack, The Great Gatsby and Practical Magic! Fabulous!

Thank you to Francesca May and Orbit for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily. 

  

Review: All Things Bright and Strange by James Markert

I chose this book because I liked the look of the cover, I thought the title was clever and the story sounded a little bit different.

All Things Bright and Strange opens in 1917. Despite the differences in race and religion, the people of Bellhaven have always got along with each other. But then a group of men wearing white robes and carrying flaming torches track a young black boy, Raphael, to the town and set fire to the town hall. Several people are killed, including Eliza Newberry, the wife of Michael Elsworth Newberry.

Three years later and Elsworth is still grieving for Eliza. He lost his leg during the war, along with his best friend, and is still suffering from PTSD. He's considering suicide when a cardinal (American bird) crashes into his window, distracting him. While he's been holed up at home, strange things have been happening in the town. Trees and flowers are blossoming at the same time, the cardinals are everywhere, and what about that strange old chapel in the woods, where it's rumoured you can speak to the dead...

The strength of this story is definitely in the brilliant characters and I loved the way they interacted with each other, their old friendships shining through. The story is told by Elsworth, who has an entertaining, dry sense of humour, but I also loved Raphael, Gabriel and Anna Belle. The setting is very atmospheric and the mystery surrounding that sinister chapel kept me gripped too - until 1.00 am in the morning!

However, about halfway through the book the viewpoint switches to that of several townspeople, one after the other, revealing the grudges they feel towards their neighbours, and their plans to get their own back. This went on a bit too long and I'm afraid I ended up skipping it. And the shoot-out scene didn't seem to go with the magic realism style. Apart from that, I really did enjoy this unusual story and would give it 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

All Things Bright and Strange would appeal to fans of Stephen King (Needful Things) and Neil Gaiman (American Gods). 

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book, which will be published on 30th January 2017.

Thank you to James Markert, Thomas Nelson, and Netgalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor

Do you believe in fairies?

This is the premise of this enchanting novel from Hazel Gaynor, which draws part of the plot from the real-life story of the Cottingley Fairies. When I heard about this book I was intrigued as to the direction Hazel Gaynor would take it. And I wasn't disappointed!

In present-day Ireland, Olivia Kavanagh inherits her grandfather's secondhand bookshop. Olivia is at a crossroads in her life. She's engaged to be married, the date is hurtling towards her, and she's inundated with emails from her wedding planner. She certainly doesn't have time to revitalise a failing bookshop. But amongst the clutter she discovers a manuscript written by Frances Griffiths, about her life in Yorkshire, England, at the beginning of the 20th century.

I found it hard to decide which timeline I liked the best, and in the end I couldn't! I loved hearing about Frances's life, and how she and her cousin inadvertently became involved in what was to be known as one of the greatest hoaxes of the 20th century, and why it was so important for the people of that time to believe in magic. I also enjoyed how Olivia, in the present-day, rediscovered her true self and realised what was really important to her. I particularly loved the description of the bookshop (it reminded me a bit of You've Got Mail), and the characters of Ross and Iris.

The Cottingley Secret is a truly enchanting story and I absolutely loved it! I would recommend it to anyone who loves reading historical stories with a little bit of a mystery, or quirky tales with engaging characters and more than a sprinkling of magic! One of my favourites this year. It's like a hug in a book, and made me feel all warm and fuzzy!

At the time of writing, the ebook is available as a 99p download on Kindle.

Review: The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes

I've always been fascinated by the Mitford sisters, so I was really looking forward to reading this. And I did like it a lot, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I had thought it would be an Agatha Christie style cosy mystery, with the Mitfords as the detectives (or friends of the detectives). Instead, The Mitford Murders is more historical drama with the murder mystery as a sub-plot. And, as it is set from 1919-1921, the Mitford sisters are quite young children, with only the eldest, Nancy, featuring in the story.

In addition to the Mitfords, the plot features the real-life unsolved murder of Florence Nightingale Shore - goddaughter to the famous nurse. The story starts with her walking to her death, then skips back in time to introduce Louisa Cannon, a young woman desperate to escape her life of poverty in the East End of London and an abusive uncle, by applying for the job of nursery maid to the Mitfords. By coincidence, Louisa ends up travelling on the same train as Florence, although she doesn't realise it at the time. When Nancy discovers this, plus the other connections Florence has to the Mitford family, she is determined to investigate the murder and solve the crime.

I really enjoyed this book. I particularly liked the insider information on the Mitfords and the glimpse into their lives, and I loved Nancy! So this would definitely appeal to anyone who loves historical novels or Sunday evening period dramas such as Downton Abbey. However, I do feel that readers expecting a 'golden age' cosy crime in the style of Agatha Christie, would find there is too much day-to-day detail about the Mitfords and not enough murder mystery.

Thank you to Jessica Fellowes, Sphere, and Netgalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.