Isabella Belucci is a famous actress and Livia Moretti is a student. Both of their lives are turned upside down by the Second World War and they face danger and even death. Both women choose to fight the oppression of Nazism as well as expectations based on age, gender, class and career.
The Italian Girls is a powerful book. Once again, Debbie Rix has used real stories as the basis for her novel which gives it an authenticity and human spark that is often missing from historical novels. I felt that the use of historical characters added to the gravitas of the plot and I enjoyed researching these people to find out more about their real lives.
The plot is gripping as Livia and Isabella become embroiled in secret work to undermine Fascism and German occupation. This is fraught with danger for both women and made me feel very tense with anticipation and dread.
The two main characters are so different from each other and, although I initially warmed to Livia, by the end I felt equally involved with both leads. The women have a connection with the same man Vicenzo and the relationships change over the course of the book.
Through the eyes of Livia and Isabella, we see the best and worst of humanity. Brutality and murder are pitted against bravery and sacrifice. Perspective is also important as terrible acts are planned and carried out in the name of fighting oppression, yet these often lead to more suffering in the short term.
The Italian Girls is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book and I found myself immersed in 1940s Italy as the descriptions were so vivid and realistic.
The Italian Girls book description:
The sun hung low in the sky, casting pink light all over the city. A faint breeze blew over the rooftops, as flocks of starlings swirled above her, swooping and diving in unison. It seemed unimaginable that, even now, German soldiers were marching along the streets below. It was time, she decided, for direct action. It was time to fight back.
Each morning Livia Moretti makes her way from an apartment overlooking Florence’s famous Duomo to a nearby café, where she drinks espresso and reads the newspaper. To the crowds of tourists who pass by, snapping selfies, nothing about Livia will be memorable. She is simply an old lady. They walk on without knowing the part she played in ensuring the future of this beautiful city. And to Livia now, those dark days feel very far away too.
But today, when she opens the paper, she sees a name she has not heard for a long time. A name that will bring memories flooding back of Nazi troops marching through the city and the dangers she faced as a young woman, carrying out secret missions for the resistance.
Isabella Bellucci.
A siren of the silver screen, Isabella cultivated all the right connections to ensure her rise to stardom. But when Rome falls to the Nazis, Isabella is suddenly faced with the choice between protecting herself, and all she has worked for, or sacrificing everything to save the man she loves.
As the war rages across Europe, a terrible misunderstanding causes the fates of Isabella and Livia to become forever intertwined. And each woman must decide what they’re willing to risk, to protect the ones they hold dear from a brutal enemy.
Inspired by the incredible true stories of two women in wartime Italy, this is a heart-wrenching and unforgettable tale of love, resistance, betrayal and hope. Fans of Kate Furnivall, Fiona Valpy and My Name is Eva will be absolutely gripped by this sweeping Second World War novel.
Author Bio:
Debbie Rix has had a long career in journalism, including working as a presenter for the BBC. Her first novel, The Girl with Emerald Eyes was set around the building of the tower of Pisa and she has since released Daughters of the Silk Road and The Silk Weaver’s Wife. Debbie writes heartbreaking historical novels about love, tragedy and secrets.
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It is 1971 and Tim Russell has gone through a messy divorce. Anxious to make some money, he buys a run down property to renovate for profit. However, as soon as he moves in, he is confronted by a family of ghosts…
Tim calls on the estate agent to help him to investigate the history of the farmhouse and they discover that the previous owners had been haunted as well. They piece together the evidence of the past to understand why the ghosts cannot rest in peace. But Tim and Holly are in danger from one ghost in particular…
The Patience of a Dead Man is seriously spooky and I would advise reading in daylight! I went to bed last night convinced that Mildred would be waiting for me… The ghosts are creepy throughout the whole book, with moments of downright terror that made my heart thud with fear.
Tim is an instantly likeable character and our sympathy with his personal and financial situation gives us an investment in his story. We are also invited to empathise with the father and son ghosts as we see scenes reenacted through journal recounts or as seen by Tim.
Mildred is the main ghost and author Michael Clark has constructed her character in a really interesting way. There is no doubt she is scary, and she murders a character right at the beginning as she feels threatened. Her evil seems to fluctuate in response to the actions of the owners and her timeline of reenactments. But there are also hints about an unhappy childhood which make explain but not excuse her behaviour.
The Patience of a Dead Man was an excellent read. It has enough of a conclusion to satisfy readers but is the first in a trilogy so there is an open ending. I can’t wait to read the next books!
Tim Russell just put his last dollar on a handyman’s dream; a quaint but dilapidated farmhouse in New Hampshire. Newly single after a messy divorce, his plan is to live in the house as he restores it for resale. To his horror, as soon as the papers are signed and his work starts, ghosts begin to appear. A bone-white little boy. A woman covered in flies. Tim can’t afford to leave and lose it all, so he turns to his real estate agent Holly Burns to help him decide whether he has any shot at solving his haunted problem. Can they solve the mystery before he loses his investment…or maybe his life?
Michael Clark was raised in New Hampshire and lived in the house The Patience of a Dead Man is based. The bats really circled the rafters of the barn all day long, and there really was a grove hidden in the forest. He now lives in Massachusetts with his wife Josi and his dog Bubba.
The Patience of a Dead Man, Dead Woman Scorned & Anger is an Acid are his first three novels.
Jenna returns to her hometown at Lake Summers to care for her mother who has had a fall and may have mild dementia. She is nursing a sore heart following the end of her marriage and her ex’s subsequent engagement which he has not told their daughter Sophie about. Her heart is further confused when she discovers that her neighbour and first love Troy has also returned to the town…
The Bluebell Girls is a book of family, love and second chances. The pace is quite slow but the writing is warm and engaging. There is also a hint of mystery as young Sophie tries to uncover the truth about her grandmother’s past.
Talking of the past, Jenna and Troy are both haunted by their teenage years when they almost ran away together which resulted in tragic consequences. I wanted to shout at them both to be brave but author Barbara Josselsohn is much more subtle and gentle than me!
I enjoyed the intergenerational plot and the gradual revealing of the events in Jenna and her mother’s pasts. I thought that important issues like caring for the elderly, grief and marriage breakdown were handled sensitively.
The Bluebell Girls is an enjoyable novel and is the second book set in this location. I have not read the first and didn’t know until I’d finished! So it works perfectly well as a stand alone story.
The Bluebell Girls book description:
Three generations. One summer that will change everything.
Growing up in Lake Summers, Jenna and her mother Sweet were known as the bluebell girls. Jenna was carefree, always running barefoot through their wildflower garden, and no one expected her to live in their little lake house in the Adirondack Mountains forever. But when Sweet’s health declines Jenna must return from her life near New York, and with her own daughter Sophie in tow, their family home comes to life again.
Away from the stress of her recent divorce, Jenna finds comfort in lazy afternoons along the water and long nights watching Sweet tell Sophie stories about her long-lost loves. And when she meets Sweet’s new next-door neighbour Troy, she recognizes him instantly as the boy with whom she shared her first kiss.
Seeing Troy reminds Jenna of just how reckless she once was, but as their feelings resurface, so do the secrets they hide about a tragedy in their past. And with Sweet and Sophie closer than ever before, Jenna is forced to make a choice: will she flee again, or is she finally brave enough to be honest with Troy and settle down in Lake Summers forever?
An unforgettable romance that will whisk you away to the sunny shores of Lake Summers. Perfect for fans of Carolyn Brown, Debbie Macomber, Mary Alice Monroe and anyone who’s ever dreamed of rekindling a long-lost love.
Author Bio:
Barbara Josselsohn is an award-winning journalist and novelist who loves crafting stories about strong protagonists facing a fork in the road. Her novels center around second chances, family relationships and, of course, romance. She is the author of the Lake Summers series set in the fictional town of Lake Summers, nestled in the Adirondacks Mountains, which includes the books The Lilac House and The Bluebell Girls. Before joining with Bookouture, she published The Last Dreamer, a women’s-fiction novel from Lake Union Publishing, along with hundreds of articles and essays in major and regional publications about family, home and relationships. She lives just north of New York City and enjoys escaping to the beach or the mountains whenever she can. Other than writing, her biggest passion is her family: husband, her three kids, and her indefatigable shih-poo!
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The Stolen Letter begins with Stella travelling to Italy to stay with her stepmother who has just remarried. It is 1938 and tensions are high in Europe. Stella’s father was an art dealer at a time when the Nazis were stealing Jewish art. Stella’s stepmother is hunting for missing paintings and hopes Stella can find them for her. But the danger of war becomes a reality before Stella can search…
The Italian location and historical era are well developed in the first part of the book. The descriptions are vivid so the situations are easy to imagine, however, the pace of the entire book is quite slow as we are introduced to the plot and characters then the changing world or war and relationships.
The plotline about the missing paintings becomes secondary as the war takes prominence. I felt a little disappointed by this as the prologue gave the impression of the book going in a certain direction but then the personal politics of love took over.
Stella is quite an innocent, still griefstricken by the death of her father. She needs to negotiate first love in the climate of impending war. I felt more in tune with her character after part one as we get more involved in her unhappy marital situation.
There are plenty of important themes addressed in this book including domestic violence, class differences, personal and global warfare. I found it interesting to read about the everyday war experiences of the Italians as this has been under-represented in other WW2 historical fiction.
The Stolen Letter was an enjoyable book to read and felt authentic (good research by the author, I think!)
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Title: The Stolen Letter
Author: Clara Benson
Publication Day: 24/09/2020
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Description:
The longer her imprisonment went on, the more she cast her mind back to the stolen hours they had spent together. His love had blown in like an unexpected breath of warm summer air, giving her the promise of life and joy. But now they had been torn apart and she was tormented by the thought that they might never be reunited.
Italy, 1938: When Stella arrives in Florence, it’s love at first sight. She is wowed by the rolling hills dotted with olive trees, the buttermilk villas with shuttered windows and terracotta roofs that glow gloriously in the sunlight. Even the breeze holds the scent of freedom – freedom from England, where the shadow of her past haunted her.
Then there is Ted, an American journalist who is wild and mischievous, with an arrogance bordering on rude. Stella is infuriated by him – but she cannot deny the lure of the danger and excitement he promises.
But there is something dark under the bright surface of this beautiful country, with unspeakable tragedies just around the corner. When the Nazis take control of Italy, Stella and Ted – and whatever dreams the future held for them – are ripped apart. As bombs descend, destroying everything in their wake, there is nothing to do but sit in darkness, praying to see tomorrow.
And it seems that even in Italy, Stella’s past has found her. Somewhere in the winding streets of Florence there is a letter that could change the course of her fate. Unknown to her, it holds a secret with the power to rewrite her past, and everything she has been running away from. But will she live to find it? And with the odds stacked against her, will she ever see Ted again?
This beautifully spun and stirring tale is about the impossible tragedies of war and the miraculous possibilities of love. Fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, Rhys Bowen’s The Tuscan Child, and The Letter by Kathryn Hughes will be utterly captivated by this spectacular historical page-turner.
Readers absolutely love Clara Benson:
‘Amazing… One of my favourite stories… A brilliant story that is full of twists and turns… I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the whole time while reading… A must-read.’ Chells and Books, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Oh my word, this was definitely an emotive and additive read, and then some… I felt myself well up… I fully immersed myself in the story and I knew that nothing much would be done for the rest of the day as I would be too busy reading!… I was too hooked… Superbly written… I became so emotionally involved with certain characters that every time they felt pain, I felt pain…The author uses such vivid and realistic descriptions that I actually felt as though I was part of the story myself.’ Ginger Book Geek, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Amazing… I truly loved this book… Clara Benson does a masterful job of bringing her characters to life.’ Historically Yours, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Stirring, captivating and electrifying… So poignant it could sever readers’ heartstrings.’ Bookish Jottings, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A beautifully devastating book. Highly emotional and utterly captivating from the first page to the last.’ Loopyloulaura, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Author Bio:
Clara Benson is the author of the Angela Marchmont Mysteries and Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventures – traditional English whodunits in authentic style set in the 1920s and 30s. One day she would like to drink cocktails and solve mysteries in a sequinned dress and evening gloves. In the meantime, she lives in the north of England with her family and doesn’t do any of those things.
To find out about new releases and receive a FREE, exclusive Angela Marchmont short story, sign up to her mailing list at clarabenson.com/newsletter.
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New York detective Kimberley King moves to the small town where her mother now lives. Dead Woman Crossing is named after the unsolved murder of a young woman in front of her baby over a hundred years ago. The townsfolk are traditional especially with regard to gender roles so Kimberley struggles to adapt from city life and attitudes. Then a woman is murdered in a copycat way to the old unsolved case…
Dead Woman Crossing is the first book in a new series and the first third of the book is dedicated to introducing us to Kimberley King and the town. There is NO WAY I would move to somewhere with this place name and the history of being named after a murder!
The pace picks up after that when the body is discovered and the investigation begins. As a single mother herself, Kimberley can identify with the victim and the case takes on a more personal feel. There is little graphic forensic detail and the horror of the murder is subtly told: we only see the aftermath and have no insight into the experience of the culprit or victim. Interrogation of suspects is the main source fo information for the team, hindered by Kimberley’s position as an outsider and a woman.
Kimberley herself is a likeable lead character, fiercely protective of her daughter having been abandoned by the father and suffering abuse from her own. Her relationship with her mother is strained as she attempts to fit in with her new step family while still feeling resentful that her mother didn’t protect her as a child. Over the course of the book we see flashbacks to Kimberley’s childhood as well as her experiences as a detective in NY searching for a serial killer.
Dead Woman Crossing was an enjoyable police procedural novel and offers a good introduction to a new detective and series.
Dead Woman Crossing book description:
She threw open the door, running to the crib. When she looked inside, she gasped. The world around her went silent. Inside, there was nothing but a small stuffed elephant. Where was her baby?
When young, single mother Hannah is found murdered by the banks of a twisting Oklahoma creek, her one-year-old daughter sleeping in a stroller near her body, the small town of Dead Woman Crossing reels in horror.
Detective Kimberley King, recently relocated from New York to Oklahoma, with her young daughter Jessica, can’t ignore the similarity of Hannah’s death to the case of Katie James, the woman that the town of Dead Woman Crossing is named after. Katie was murdered in front of her small daughter in 1905, on the banks of the same creek, and it seems that someone is drawing inspiration from the crime. Could this killer be a copycat?
But as she interviews suspects, Kimberley is met with blank faces and closed lips. In a small town, people won’t talk and when she pursues a promising lead, her own family turn their back on her. Kimberley isn’t afraid to ask questions, but when she receives a threatening note, she realises that, as a single mother to a young daughter, she might be putting herself dangerously in the killer’s sights …
A gripping, atmospheric crime thriller inspired by true events, about a town on the edge of collapse and a murder that shakes the community. Dead Woman Crossing is perfect for fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Jane Harper.
Author Bio:
Originally from Wisconsin, J.R. Adler currently lives in Ithaca, New York with her husband, Drew, and her English Bulldog, Winston. When not writing, you can find her reading, playing board games, travelling, and binge watching The Office for the umpteenth time.
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