Book Review: Skylarking by Kate Mildenhall

Kate Mildenhall’s debut novel is based on a true story, a tragedy that occurred on Cape St George, New South Wales, Australia, in the late 1880s.

Harriet and Kate are lighthouse keepers’ daughters. Inseparable, they share their daily lives and their inner most secrets. Harriet, the elder by two years, looks forward to a future which involves marriage and motherhood, while Kate yearns for adventures beyond the restrictive world of the tiny community in which they live. Their friendship is tested when McPhail, a fisherman, takes up residence in a hut on the beach, becoming the romantic focus of the two girls.

Life on the Cape is idyllic when the girls are younger.

Book Review: The Blood on My Hands by Shannon O'Leary

The Blood  on My Hands is Shannon O'Leary's memoir of growing up in Australia during the 1960s/70s.  It recounts the terrible domestic abuse that Shannon, her mother and brothers suffered at the hands of her father, a serial killer who suffered from a  multiple personality disorder.

Aside from the horrific acts of physical and mental cruelty that dominate this book, there is one other fact that stands out : the lack of help available to the family despite repeated appeals to doctors, police, the Church and relatives. Attitudes and laws have changed over the years, but it is still hard to believe that back then no one wanted to get involved and that the family was left to deal with the situation the best way they could.

The Blood on My Hands is not an easy book to read due to its subject matter and the uncomfortable feelings it evokes.  Often sickened by what I was reading, I set it aside a number of times but was drawn back to it hoping that the family's ordeal would end. It did, eventually, with the death of Shannon's father.

This review was difficult to write and as you can see I haven't gone into too much detail. I believe this book was written as a form of closure and I hope Shannon has achieved her aim, though I doubt she will ever be completely free of these memories.

Can I recommend you read this book? No, but it should be read, if only to acknowledge the courage it took for Shannon O'Leary to expose her childhood to the world and her part in her father's horrendous crimes. Simply told, this is a powerful story and one that I will never forget.


I received a free copy of this book from Book Publicity Services.

Book Review: Foxing the Geese by Janet Woods

She is a spinster with a secret fortune . . . He is an impoverished earl who must marry money or face ruin . . . Theirs is a love match to be reckoned with.

1812. Clever, strong-willed Vivienne Fox is unexpectedly endowed with riches beyond her wildest dreams when a remote cousin dies, leaving her his fortune. Unwed at twenty-four, Vivienne still hopes the right man is out there, but she despairs of ever finding him, and she is determined that rumours of her new-found wealth be quashed, lest she be courted for her purse rather than her heart.

Renowned rake Lord Alex LeSayres comes to an unpleasant decision after the death of his father. If he is to save their family lands, he must marry a wealthy woman and quickly. Introduced to Miss Fox, his interest is soon piqued. But he must set aside his rising feelings, or else his family will face disaster . . .

**********

I've read a number of Janet Woods' historical romance novels and enjoyed everyone of them. Her latest offering, Foxing the Geese, is no exception. Though the outcome of the story is predictable, as Regency romances usually are, getting to it was very entertaining due mainly to the ease with which Janet Woods writes, her deft handling of the many sub-plots and the diverse characters she introduces along the way.

No regency romance would be complete without a benevolent uncle, a meddlesome aunt, a frivolous cousin, loyal servants, unwanted suitors and, of course, a villain. Stereotypical though these characters may be they enlivened the story no end and I loved them all, even the villain who got his comeuppance in an unexpected way.  A believable heroine and hero, well aware of their positions in the matrimonial stakes, with or without fortunes, complete the cast and their no-nonsense approach to their quests engaged me from the start.

Humour and witty dialogue also add to this book's appeal, giving it that light-heartedness I look for in a Regency romance. Like minded fans of this genre will love it.

Book Review: On Track For Murder by Stephen Childs

On Track for Murder  is Stephen Childs' debut novel. It is set in 1889 and, as the title and elegant book cover suggest, is a mystery with a railway connection.

Eighteen year old Abigail Sergeant and her younger brother, Bertrand, disembark from a steamship in Fremantle, Western Australia, looking forward to being reunited with their father and starting a new life.

Mr. Sergeant, a railway engineer, sent out from England years before, has overseen the connection of the railway between Perth and the port city of Albany, on the south-east coast.

While joyfully welcomed by their father, Abigail and Bertrand's  reunion with their step-mother, Frances, is not so happy. A mutual dislike between Abigail and Frances causes unrest in the home, but Abigail is determined to let nothing threaten her and Bertrand's pleasure at being with their father and the security of living as a family once more.
   
Abigail's hopes of a happy family life are shattered when her father is murdered and Bertrand is found holding the murder weapon. He is arrested, but Abigail knows Bertrand is  innocent. She just needs time to contact a witness. Granted five days by the Detective Inspector in charge of the case, Abigail sets off for Albany, accompanied by Constable Dunning, a policeman she met previously at the Fremantle docks.

Abigail is an unconventional eighteen year old. She finds steam engines and all things mechanical interesting. An interest encouraged by her father and frowned upon by her step-mother, who thinks such interests unnatural in a female. A well-bred young lady should be focusing on marriage and domestic affairs.

Abigail's mechanical knowledge plays a large part in the story and adds credibility to the way she extricates herself from a number of difficult situations. She is also very protective of her brother, who finds it hard to communicate and interact with people, and faced life in an institution had they remained in England. When the investigation threatens to overwhelm her and she is niggled by self-doubt, thoughts of Bertrand unjustly accused makes her more determined to bring the real culprit to justice.

Constable Dunning is also unusual for his time. He readily accepts Abigail's fascination with trains and steam engines and sees her as a capable partner in the task they have been assigned. A little awkward around Abigail at first, he is cool-headed and methodical in his approach to the investigation, his pencil stub and notebook never faraway. 

The relationship between Abigail and Constable Dunning is sweetly developed. Abigail's preconceived view that her ideal mate would be someone sharing her mechanical interests is completely overthrown when she realises that Constable Dunning also has an enquiring mind and is not the weakling she first thought. There are some lovely moments and humourous exchanges between the two as their feelings for each other grow.

Packed with drama from the first chapter, it is easy to be swept along with Abigail and Constable Dunning in their quest to prove Bertrand is innocent. Kidnapping, arson and attempted murder bring them into contact with a thuggish seaman, petty criminals and a religious fanatic before the case is solved. Though I had my suspicions who the murderer was, there are a number of suspects with equally strong motives just to complicate matters and add an element of doubt. A plot twist at the end is a clever distraction before the murderer is finally revealed.

On Track for Murder is a fast-paced, well-written historical mystery with a touch of romance. Victorian era views and prejudices, plausible plot lines, credible outcomes, believable protagonists, all combine to make this a very entertaining read.  I enjoyed this novel and look forward to more from Stephen Childs.

Note: I received a free copy of this novel from Authoright in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

On Track for Murder  is published by Clink Street Publishing and is available September 1, 2015, from The Book Depository, Amazon US and other book sellers.

Book Review: Wild Wood by Posie Graeme-Evans

Jessie Marley learns she is adopted and leaves Australia to seek out her birth mother in England. In London, distracted by what she has discovered, Jessie steps into the road and is involved in an accident that puts her in hospital with concussion and a shoulder injury.

Unable to speak or use her right hand, Jessie clumsily communicates with pencil and paper using her left. Not an artist, Jessie is mystified when she begins to draw pictures of a place and people she has no memory of, made even more suprising by the fact that she is doing it left-handed.

Rory Brandon, her neurologist, believes Jessie's new found abilities are the result of her head trauma. When he recognizes one of her drawings as the place where he grew up, he suggests Jesse go there with him to recuperate and assist in his research. Reluctantly Jesse agrees.

At the centre of this dual time frame narrative is Hundredfield, a castle in the Scottish borderlands. In the 14th century it is the medieval power base of the de Dieudonné family; in the 20th century it is a rundown estate desperately in need of money and the home of Alicia Donne.

The 14th century story opens with Maugris and Bayard de Dieudonné returning to Hundredfield to find their brother Godefroi has married the mysterious Lady Flore, who does not speak and is viewed with suspicion by the people. In their absence, Godefroi has also become a brutal overlord and has allowed conditions at Hundredfield to deteriorate to the point where its people are starving and some are deserting the castle to join a band of brigands in the forest.

Bayard de Dieudonné, the youngest and most likeable of the three brothers, is sensitive to the Lady Flore. To him, she is an enigma, but deserving of respect as his brother's wife. When Hundredfield comes under attack and Bayard must defend his family, he becomes privy to an ancient secret concerning the Lady of the Forest.

Through hypnosis Jesse is pulled further into the past and when Hundredfield is in danger of being lost again centuries later, she realises that she has been given the means to save it.

I'm a fan of dual time frame novels and I wasn't disappointed by this one from Posie Graeme-Evans. The time frames are clearly defined by being written in different points of view. The 20th century part in the third person; the 14th century part in the first, from the perspective of Bayard de Dieudonné.

Both stories held my interest, though I preferred medieval Hundredfield, where the action was more dramatic. Understandably so, as it was shrouded in myth, superstition and supernatural occurrences. I was also enthralled by Bayard's character: a medieval warrior with empathy for the common folk.

There is no doubt that the setting of this novel helps evoke the sense of mystery and myth. The cover image also drew me to this story. It's easy to imagine the events at Hundredfield taking place in such a wild and beautiful area. However, what kept me reading was the ease in which Posie Graeme-Evans built her story, slipping in tantalising clues along the way, until skilfully uniting past and present in the final scenes. The ending was very well done: family secrets, the circumstances of Jessie's birth and adoption, and what links the characters to Hundredfield are all explained by an unexpected revelation.

Wild Wood is an entertaining read and I enjoyed it immensely. I look forward to reading more by Posie Graeme-Evans.

TimeStorm by Steve Harrison: But What Genre is It?

I recently submitted my blog to the Australian Book Blogger Directory. This morning I was making my way down the list of blogs in the Historical Fiction section when I came across Steve Harrison's entitled Storming Time dedicated to his debut novel TimeStorm.

This is a very entertaining blog, but what actually made me chuckle is his post on publishers having difficulty allocating his novel to a particular genre and his praise for Elsewhen Press who took up the challenge and published it.

 " ... They weren’t daunted by the 4,356 genres included in the novel ... and instead let the story speak for itself ..."

4,356 genres? A slight exaggeration, perhaps, but I love it!

Of course, being a historical fiction fan, I was hooked by the first sentence of the book description. Reading further I realised this wasn't going to be the straight historical I'd expected.

Did I still want to read it? Yes!

Why? There are a number of reasons. Besides being an unusual idea for a novel, references to C.S. Forester, Patrick O'Brian and Alexander Kent can't be ignored. Plus it has all the right elements for an exciting read. Another incentive was the great reviews I read on Amazon and Goodreads. Steve Harrison, though born in Yorkshire, U.K., is considered to be an Australian author and I can add this book to the Aussie Author Challenge 2015. Love the title. Love the cover.

So, what genre is it? For my purposes I'm calling it a historical fiction time slip novel. I don't have the stamina or the will to list all 4,356 genres ...

 In 1795 a convict ship leaves England for New South Wales in Australia. Nearing its destination, it encounters a savage storm but, miraculously, their battered ship stays afloat and limps into Sydney Harbour. Here, the convicts rebel, overpower the crew and make their escape, destroying the ship in the process. Fleeing the sinking vessel with only the clothes on their backs, the survivors struggle ashore. Among the escaped convicts, seething resentments fuel an appetite for brutal revenge against their former captors while, for their part, the crew attempts to track down and kill or recapture the escapees. However, it soon becomes apparent that both convicts and crew have more to concern them than shipwreck and a ruthless fight for survival; they have arrived in Sydney in 2017. TimeStorm is a thrilling epic adventure story of revenge, survival and honour set in a strange new world of unfamiliar technology and equally unfathomable social norms. 

 In the literary footsteps of Hornblower, comes Lieutenant Christopher 'Kit' Blaney, an old-fashioned hero, a man of honour, duty and principle, dragged into the 21st century - literally. A great fan of the grand seafaring adventure fiction of CS Forester, Patrick O'Brien and Alexander Kent, and modern action thriller writers such as Lee Child, Steve Harrison combines several genres in his debut novel. 

The book was inspired by a replica 18th century sailing ship on Sydney Harbour and a question from Steve's brother, Tony: "What if that was a real convict ship?" TimeStorm explores that question in a fast-paced story as a group of desperate men from the 1700s clash in 21st century Sydney.


TimeStorm is available as an e-book or paperback from Amazon AU, Amazon US, Amazon UK or direct from Elsewhen Press

Debut Novel: The Anchoress by Robyn Cadwallader

Imagine my excitement this morning when I opened an email from Harper Collins Australia to discover a debut novel from an Australian author. The Anchoress by Robyn Cadwallader won the Varuna LitLink NSW Byron Bay Unpublished Manuscript Award in 2010 and has been released in February this year by various publishers, Harper Collins Australia included. It will be released in the USA and France in May. Currently available from Australian booksellers as an ebook or paperback.

Set in the twelfth century, The Anchoress tells the story of Sarah, only seventeen when she chooses to become an anchoress, a holy woman shut away in a small cell, measuring seven paces by nine, at the side of the village church. Fleeing the grief of losing a much-loved sister in childbirth and the pressure to marry, she decides to renounce the world, with all its dangers, desires and temptations, and to commit herself to a life of prayer and service to God. But as she slowly begins to understand, even the thick, unforgiving walls of her cell cannot keep the outside world away, and it is soon clear that Sarah's body and soul are still in great danger......

 'Robyn Cadwallader does the real work of historical fiction, creating a detailed, sensuous and richly imagined shard of the past. She has successfully placed her narrator, the anchoress, in that tantalizing, precarious, delicate realm: convincingly of her own distant era, yet emotionally engaging and vividly present to us in our own.' Geraldine Brooks

'An intense, atmospheric and very assured debut, this is one of the most eagerly anticipated novels of the year ...This one will will appeal to readers who loved Hannah Kent's bestselling Burial Rites.' Caroline Baum

The simplicity of the cover masks the complexity of the theme. This book is definitely one for my reading pile and will be an excellent read for the Australian Women Writers 2015 Reading Challenge. My copy of The Anchoress has been ordered and hopefully is now on its way to my mail box. What a great start to a Thursday morning!