The War of the Wives by Tamar Cohen

review by Maryom

When Simon Busfield dies in strange circumstances his wife Selina not only has grief and shock to cope with but the sudden appearance of another wife, Lottie, and a daughter! She soon discovers that for 17 years, while she thought he was away on business, Simon was living with his other family. While the two women struggle to come to terms with the startling turn of events, the police begin to query why Simon was in London when both wives believed him abroad and where he's siphoned off huge amounts of money to.

Told alternately from the point of view of Selina and Lottie, the writing captures their differing characters and reactions to his death and the revelations about his life that seem to just keep coming. They are very different women - Selina's a well-preserved 51 year old housewife, living in a huge house, frequenting an expensive gym, one of those ladies who 'lunch'; Lottie is completely different - younger, artistic, a much freer spirit. Sometimes I felt one deserved my sympathy, sometimes the other.
It's cleverly plotted with five sections  - Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance - relating to the emotions experienced on hearing of the death of someone close (I'm not sure if the author intended this to be a reference to a Simpsons' episode in which Homer learns of his imminent death and reacts in these ways - perhaps I'm making connections that aren't intended to be there)

I was pleased that the story didn't descend into soap-style bickering and fights  - two wives at a funeral has a lot of potential for screaming and cat-calling - but at the same time I'd expected a somehow more dramatic ending.

Maryom's review - 4 stars

Publisher - Doubleday

Genre - adult fiction,  

Buy The War of the Wives from Amazon

The Wishing Stone by Steve Smallman and Rebecca Elliot

Review by The Mole

Armadillo has no friends but wants to make some so when he hears people wishing he decides to help them out.

Another colourful picture book from QED with lots of action and an important message about making friends and one that, when shared with a parent, may have the child joining in in a pantomime like fashion. Fun and laughter while learning - the best way.

Once again with notes for parents and teachers on the subject of making friends at the back of the book to suggest how the book can be used to maximum effect.

Publisher - QED Publishing
Genre - Children's, Picture Book 

Buy The Wishing Stone (Storytime) from Amazon

The Enchanted Riddle by Charlotte Kandel

Review by The Mole

Thirteen year old Daphne is an orphan living in St. Jude's orphanage and has a love of dancing. In fact it's more an all-consuming passion to be a ballerina. However a convent orphanage is not a place to be taught ballet and although Sister Mary Euphoria encourages and supports Daphne, that is as far as her dancing goes. Then one day a parcel arrives for Daphne containing a book called How To Teach Yourself Ballet and some stockings. Hand written inside the book is a riddle that Daphne feels she must get to understand. But who could have sent the parcel? And why to her?

I have to admit that I was taken aback by this book but knowing the publisher to be Strident, I shouldn't have been. The formula says the magical stockings make everything OK and she goes on to become the world's best ballerina, but not so. Throughout most of the book I wondered what the point of the stockings actually was!

This is a story of ambition, hard work, set backs and small successes. Despite the stockings she is told she is not good enough yet she continues to pursue her dream and works long hard hours, on her own, making her feet bleed, to improve with the help of the book only to be turned down yet again.

In these reviews I always try, but don't always succeed, to avoid reusing words but this book is magic, magic, magic! It shows a child who pursues her self belief, her ambitions, her dreams and how this all consuming goal can wreck friendships, families and trusts - or it can strengthen these bonds.

A wonderful story that will delight children, I'm sure, whether they have dreams yet or not.

Publisher - Strident Publishing
Genre - Childrens' fiction (9+)

Buy The Enchanted Riddle from Amazon

Grandma Bendy - Blog Tour

The Mole read, and loved, Izy Penguin's tale of Grandma Bendy and we are pleased to be included in the blog tour. Here we learn about Grandma Bendy and Izy.

Grandma Bendy is Izy Penguin's first picture book and certainly wasn't inspired by her own Gran, who far from sliding down the banisters, used to walk down the stairs backwards, but from a real life yoga teaching (young) grandma. 


Izy was born in Hexham, a small town in Northumberland and started making up tales from an early age, even convincing her neighbour that there was a witch living in the shed of next doors garden.

Izy studied an advertising & graphic design degree at Manchester Metropolitan University before moving to London, where she currently works as an advertising creative. This means she gets to think up ideas for adverts and keep her writing and illustrating skills up to scratch everyday. 

Before Grandma Bendy, Izy illustrated and wrote books (and the odd silly rhyme) for her friend’s children, before finding a publisher 5 years later! 

Also now available on The NOOK in the US and Canada, Grandma Bendy is looking to become truly global.  

And our thanks to Izy and Maverick Books for this opportunity.

Olympic Flames by Emma Lee Potter

review by Maryom

At only 22, Mimi Carter is the youngest member of the British Olympic Show-jumping team - and the only woman. She's worked her way up to this position the hard way, through mucking out stables just to be around horses and now she can hardly believe her luck to have been chosen for the Olympic team. The one fly in the ointment is the sudden reappearance of ex-boyfriend US show-jumper Jack Stone who walked out on Mimi 4 years ago without a word of explanation. She's determined that he's not going distract her from her Olympic dream but how long can she resist him? All is going well and Mimi's dreams look like coming true till her horse is spooked by a protester and Mimi ends up in hospital. Is this the end of her Olympic dreams?

Olympic Flames is a story of love and horses that should appeal to anyone, adult or teen, passionate about horses. There's enough explanation of horsey-jargon to not leave 'outsiders' flummoxed but not so much as to get in the way. At 60 pages there isn't time or space for in depth character and plot development but it's an enjoyable light 'chick lit' read to fill in the gaps between Olympic events.

                                         -----------------------

Since I read and reviewed this novella, it's had a change or two - a new cover and a new name.

Publisher - Endeavour Press

Genre - teen/ adult fiction,  chick lit/rom com

Buy Love's Hurdles from Amazon on Kindle only

A Private Venus by Giorgio Scerbanenco

review by Maryom

Duca Lamberti used to be a doctor, until he was jailed for the mercy killing of a patient. Now, on his release from prison, his previous career is closed to him so he takes a position offered by a wealthy businessman to help cure his son Davide's alcoholism. In trying to find the cause of Davide's excessive drinking, Duca uncovers a sordid tale of prostitution and murder, and takes it upon himself to track down the mastermind behind it and bring him to justice. Along the way he enlists the help of Livia Ussaro, a young woman with a very strange outlook on life  - seeing everything as an experiment.

First published in Italy in 1966 but only now available in an English translation, A Private Venus is the first of a crime series 'starring' Duca Lamberti. In some ways I thought its age was showing - not in the storyline and denouement but in its attitudes towards women and homosexuals. I suspect though that this is more a reflection of attitudes generally at the time rather than of the author's personal viewpoint. It's also a little less violent than maybe today's crime-reader is used to - the worst happening 'off-screen'.

In the introduction Scerbanenco is likened to Georges Simenon but I felt many of the plot elements to have more in common with Raymond Chandler, particularly the aspect of a city hiding crime beneath a veneer of respectability and wealth. The story moves along at a brisk pace as Lamberti peels back the surface layers to uncover the seedier world beneath, building to a nail-biting climax. An excellent discovery of 'classic crime' that I'm rather surprised hasn't been available here before.

Maryom's review - 4 stars

Publisher - Hersilia Press

Genre - crime, adult fiction,  

Buy A Private Venus from Amazon

Sometimes by Rebecca Elliot

Review by The Mole

It is a stressful time when a child is hospitalised. But it is also stressful and distressing for their siblings.

In this book Clemmie's brother tells of his sister's trials and tribulations in being hospitalised and how he becomes involved in trying to make her time in hospital more bearable for them both.

The bright and busy pictures are snapshots from their imaginations during their games.

Shared with a child this book will help siblings come to terms with illness, including long-term, in their brothers and sisters and to cope with many of the emotions that everyone feels. Tips for parents and a help for a sibling to see how it can be approached.

Publisher - Lion Children's
Genre - Children's 5+

Buy Sometimes from Amazon