Good Books for the Weekend

Before getting back to a regular author spotlight slot, I thought it would be good to highlight a few recent novels from fellow bloggers. Below in alphabetical order, you’ll find each book’s cover art, blurb, and links. Happy reading!

Basic Theology for Fallen Women by Frances Garrood

Alice, Mavis and Gabs are three very different women who share one very big secret. Gabs is, to put it bluntly, a tart (although she prefers to call herself a "high-class escort"), and Mavis and Alice are each hopelessly enmeshed in their affairs with married men.

Having fallen foul of the Catholic Church (and the euphemistically-named "Basic Theology" classes designed to direct them back into the fold), the three women decide to carry on with their own monthly meetings (not to mention their nefarious goings-on), and an unlikely alliance forms between them. This novel follows their lives during a year in which all three experience both change and tragedy, for as everyone knows, life does not always go according to plan, and the path of true (and not so true) love can prove to be fraught with difficulties.

One top Amazon reviewer wrote of the novel:

"Frances Garrood writes with humour and sensitivity, there were times when I snorted with laughter and others when I gulped back a tear or two. No erotica in this story, but a bit of raunchiness now and again. The three main characters are drawn wonderfully well, no matter if you agree with their morals, you cannot help but love each one of them. The women are backed up by a great supporting cast of characters, not least Mavis' mother Maudie who although ageing and confused at times, often hits the nail right on the head – adding some comedy along the way."

Available from Amazon UK and US
Frances’ Blog

Gipsy Moth by Jean Bull

It’s 1929, and Kathy’s greatest wish is to fly a Gipsy Moth like her childhood sweetheart, Ben. But when his parents find out she’s expecting his baby, they forbid them to marry, and Kathy is dispatched to her aunt’s in Devon in disgrace, whilst Ben is sent to Lincolnshire for his RAF officer training.

How can their love survive when they’re so far apart? Especially now that Kathy has met her aunt’s stepson, Paul, who encourages her to take some flying lessons at Haldon Aerodrome despite her pregnancy. And Kathy’s imagination has been captured by Amy Johnson who is proposing to fly solo to Australia.

But when Ben’s plane is lost at sea, Kathy is torn between raising her baby alone and being frowned upon by society, or giving it up for adoption and pursuing her dream of flying. On top of this, she uncovers a disturbing family secret which makes her decision all the harder.

Available from Amazon UK and US
Jean’s Blog

Paint me a Picture by Patsy Collins

Mavis Forthright carefully rehearses her jump from Portsmouth's Round Tower. She's existed for over five decades. Lived hardly at all. Will end her misery with a few second's fall into the cold sea. Except she's not quite ready to die. A half day's delay to try a bacon sandwich from the cafe won't matter; Mother's no longer there to disapprove.

She delays another day to lend Janice a book. Then a week to use her new paints. A month. Until the end of term. Mavis makes new plans: to live, to create paintings full of emotion, perhaps even make friends.

As if to balance her survival a number of people connected to Mavis die. At first that doesn't matter. They're people she dislikes. Mavis continues painting, tending her garden, feeding the birds and keeping her home properly clean, without additional concern. Then people who've been kind to Mavis are killed or injured. That shouldn't happen.

Why are people dying? Is it because of charming Norman who's back from her past, or is that strange boy Jake her mistaken guardian angel? Perhaps Mavis herself is to blame. She must learn the truth, stop the deaths and protect those she's learned to care about before she can enjoy the new life she's making for herself.

Available from Amazon UK and US
Patsy’s Blog

Torn by Gilli Allan – relaunched with a new cover and now also available in print
She can escape her past but can she ever escape herself ?

Life is not a fairy tale; it can be confusing and difficult. Sex is not always awesome; it can be awkward and embarrassing, and it has consequences. You don't always fall for Mr Right, even if he falls for you. And realising you're in love is not always good news. It can make the future look daunting.

Jess has made a series of bad choices. Job, relationships and life-style have all let her down. By escaping the turmoil of her London life, she is putting her young child first. This time she wants to get it right, to devote herself to being a mother. But the country does not offer the ‘good life’ idyll she pictured. The landscape she looks out on is under threat, new friends have hidden agendas, two very different men pull her in opposing directions.

And in the face of temptation old habits die hard. She is torn between the suitable man and the unsuitable boy.

Available from Amazon UK (paperback) (ebook) and Amazon US
Gilli’s Blog