The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

A special thank you to Edelweiss, NetGalley, Gallery/Scout Press, and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rowan Caine is writing her lawyer from prison. She has been charged with the murder of a child in her care.

After answering an ad for a nanny with an extremely generous salary, Rowan arrives at Heatherbrae House set in the beautiful Scottish Highlands. She is instantly captivated by the "smart" house—that mixes the old charm with new modern conveniences—and by the Instagram-worthy family.

What Rowan doesn't know is that everything on the surface is a complete facade and that she's actually stepping into a nightmare. There's constant surveillance from cameras that appear to be in every room, noises coming from the attic, a poisonous garden, and the children are certainly not the well-behaved girls that were at her interview. Rowan has also been mislead in that she's been left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the mysterious handyman, Jack Grant.

While maintaining her innocence for the crime of murder, she is forthcoming about the other mistakes she's made. She's admitted to lying to get the job and that she's not a good nanny, but she is most definitely not a murderer. So this begs the question, who is?

Ware's The Death of Mrs. Westaway was a Gothic gem and I was expecting more of that; in this novel there is also a creepy Gothic Victorian. In fact, the house is not only the setting, but ends up being more of a character in the book. Other effective ominous elements were the poisonous garden, footstep noises, and the locked closet—these types of macabre nuances are where Ware excels in her execution.

The characters were intriguing, even the secondary and tertiary. From the opening, you can tell there is something not quite right where Rowan is concerned. Given that she's supposed to be a nanny, Rowan appears to be out of her element. I do however feel that Ware could have fleshed out the husband and wife more. I mean what kind of parents leave their three little girls—soon to be four when Rhiannon arrives home from boarding school—with a virtual stranger?

I loved that this was an epistolary novel. The letters were the perfect vehicle to deliver the story. Where the plot stalled was with the ending, especially given the extensive build up. This was a bit of a disappointment given that the narrative was a slow burn—with the pages and pages of the day-to-day childcare and feeding which got a bit mundane after a while—and the reader was not fully rewarded for their patience.

RUTH WARE is an international bestselling author whose thrillers include In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game and The Death of Mrs. Westaway.

Her books have been optioned for both film and TV, and she is published in more than 40 languages.

Ware lives near Brighton with her family. 

Stone Cold Heart by Caz Frear

A special thank you to the author, Edelweiss, HarperCollins Canada, and Bonnier Zaffre Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After a brief stint in the Mayor's Office, 26-year-old Detective Constable Cat Kinsella is back at the  London Metropolitan Police’s Murder Investigation Team. She is on the hunt for the killer of Naomi Lockhart, a visiting Australian temp worker who was last seen alive at a party thrown by her boss, Kirstie Conner. Her flatmate, Kieran Drake, an ex-con turned personal trainer, made the gruesome discovery of Naomi's body in their living room.

The evidence points to Kirstie's brother-in-law, Joseph Madden, who Cat recognizes as the owner/barista from the coffee shop around the corner from the police station. Madden insists he's being framed because at the time of the murder he was with his wife. But when the police question Rachel, she contradicts his alibi.

As the force build their case against Joseph, Cat is the one assigned with investigating the Maddens. She knows one of them is lying—she needs to figure out which one while also struggling with her own relationship issues.

Frear explores the secrets we keep from those we love and the ones that we want to remain in the dark.

The second instalment of the Cat Kinsella series is another banger! Frear is meticulous with her execution and is exceptionally gifted with character development and plotting. Even in the passages of Cat's inner dialogue there are so many subtle nuances that add layers to the storyline and ratchet up the tension.

Frear's ear for dialogue is exceptional—Cat and Luigi have such witty banter and I love DI Kate Steele. Why is this series not a TV show? But the best part, Frear has left her readers with a cliffhanger. I can't wait for the next book!

CAZ FREAR has a degree in History & Politics. When she’s not agonizing over snappy dialogue or incisive prose, she can be found shouting at Arsenal football matches or holding court in the pub on topics she knows nothing about. Sweet Little Lies is her first novel.

An Evening with Fredrik Backman

Photo credits: Girl Well Read and Blue Heron Books. Do not use without written permission.

Fredrik Backman was interviewed by award winning author, Terry Fallis, at the historic Uxbridge Music Hall. The event that was put on by Blue Heron Books, along with HarperCollins Canada, was in support of Backman's latest work, Us Against You (the follow up to Beartown). 

Backman, a huge sports fan, grew up playing all sports except (ironically) hockey because logistically he couldn't get himself there with all the equipment and he was a "fragile" kid. That being said, he was always a spectator. 

When doing research for Beartown and Us Against You, he said that he talked to a lot of people coming from the perspective of being an outsider which allowed him to ask stupid questions. Backman also admitted that he has never driven a Zamboni and Falls informed him that it was a Canadian invention to which he quipped "of course it is...you invented ice." What's remarkable about these two novels is that Backman initially thought that a book about hockey wouldn't do well. The books are doing so well in fact, that they have been optioned by HBO Europe as a limited series. Beartown could actually be any rural town in Canada and hopefully North American fans of the series will also get to see the books adapted for the small screen.

The idea of escape is prevalent in both the novels and in the writer himself. The town is in a state of economic decline and the hockey team is at the centre of the town—sports helps them elude their economic and personal issues. Backman fell in love with sports and literature at an early age and that was his break from reality. He said that he is "reality impaired" and that his need to escape is real. He used the example of going to a movie where it is a social contract of sorts to escape, but in his writing and life, he uses sports as the vehicle in which to do so. Backman hopes that the emotions he had while writing the book come through while reading it.

Throughout the novel, there is the repeated use of the word 'bang.' This was a conscious effort on Backman's part to not only explore the noise itself, but to link elements of the story. He also wanted the reader to think about the sound all throughout the chapter to figure out what kind of bang it was that they thought they heard.

Were there 'bangs' that could be taken out?

"No, I liked the bangs," Backman said. Part of the reasoning was he wanted to be long winded/bore the reader with a repetitious sound and then blindside them. Grief, pain, and fear work better when you are not prepared.

Backman plays with prejudice—especially with the people that say they aren't prejudice or don't have any. For example, Ove is the same person throughout the book, it is the reader that changes. Backman lets your preconception form and then he plays around with it.

The Beartown books are about the best and worst parts of sports and sports culture—the black and white of sports fans and by extension, the black and white of masculinity. He wanted to write a book that shows why hockey is so important and "hits the hockey fan over the head 150 pages in." Although more serious than what he intended, Backman's books talk about relationships and emotions. His characters become real to him because he cares about them and he explored what was important to each one with the town being the main character.

The whole book is about community and people making bad choices because it is something that they love—it is logical to them. "What is a community? It is the sum of our choices."

Describe your writing process, what does that look like?

Fredrik said that there are a lot of perspectives living in his head. He takes various notes on his phone and has to have a beginning and an end to start.

There is a brief window after the reader finishes where the author still has their attention and Backman wants to leave them with something.

In Sweden, Backman says that the all-seeing narrator is frowned upon. He actually feels the opposite and says that the omniscient narrator brings forth some awesome truths and offers foreshadowing. In the Beartown books, he needed the foreshadowing to keep the reader interested and to sneak up on them. The narrator is the town insider and outsider. They hate the town, but would defend it to its death. He never names them, instead uses 'we' to conjure up a "sense of belonging and intimacy." A book is intimate because it is between the author and the reader.

His writes his books in his native Swedish and then they are translated.

What is your approach to using humour?

Backman admits to sometimes being misunderstood, but that if you find something funny, you are more likely to care. "You like people that make you laugh." He also went on to say that "if you're funny, you tend to also forgive." He's also doesn't trust the reader to keep interested so he uses humour as a way to engage and keep the reader vested in the story.

What are you working on?

There will be another Beartown book. (Yay!) He also wrote a book about an involuntary hostage situation at an open house that was just published in Sweden.

Us Against You 

Can a town that is already broken, survive more tragedy?

After a scandal rocks Beartown and leaves a town divided, the citizens are dealt another blow when they learn that their beloved junior hockey team will be dismantled. Hockey is what binds them together and brings meaning to the term community. The only people that are happy about this are the former Beartown players that now play for the rival team in Hed. Tension is at an all time high and things are starting to get dangerous.

A new team starts to form around the fastest player, Amat; the loner, Benji; and instigator, Vidar. Under a new and unlikely coach, the boys learn to grow together, breaking old bonds and forging new ones.

As the big game between Beartown and Hed approaches, the incidents between the towns are piling up and the hatred is growing stronger day-by-day. Can Beartown hockey and its residents be saved?

FREDRIK BACKMAN is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove (soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks), Beartown, and Us Against You. His books are published in more than forty countries.

Backman lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children.

Losing My Inhibitions by Olivia Spring

A special thank you to the author, Olivia Spring, for inviting me to participate in the blog tour and for generously providing me with and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a fan of Sophie Kinsella and Lindsey Kelk, than this book is for you!

Roxy has finally got her groove back after a messy divorce. Her ex was controlling and manipulative, and along the way she lost herself.

A hot, younger man unexpectedly pops up and the timing seems perfect—after all, Roxy is single—but she’s been warned that he’s off-limits. So much so, that if she were to get involved with him, she would be putting her career and everything she’s worked so hard for at risk. Roxy repeated refuses his advances, but he is too charming for her own good… Will she put everything on the line for a forbidden fling?

Olivia Spring, you’ve done it again. This modern girl’s rom-com is about self-love, self-discovery, and to always be true to who you are. I devoured it!

I adore British authors. There are so many brilliant offerings—whether it’s chick lit or thrillers—and this book is no exception. With strong, relatable characters, Spring layers her stories with humour and heat (warning: some may be offended at the language and sex scenes). Roxy is a modern heroine that’s a breath of fresh air. Readers will be rooting for her as she navigates her way from being a consummate people-pleaser into an accomplished and admired middle-aged woman. There really needs to be more books written with these types of leading ladies and I applaud Spring for writing strong women.

Losing My Inhibitions can function as a standalone novel, or can be the prequel to The Middle-Aged Virgin and Only When It’s Love.

OLIVIA SPRING is a PR professional from London. She loves cake and has always wanted to be a writer. Because she still works in public relations, she adopted a pen name to spare the embarrassment of any clients that may read anything racy.

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Q & A with Olivia Spring

GWR: How did you know that you had a book in you?

OS: I always knew I wanted to be an author because I just loved writing so much! Even from as young as four, you would find me in my bedroom creating stories and then running downstairs to read them to my parents and whoever would listen. In fact, I recently came across an old English schoolbook from when I was eleven. As part of my homework, I had to say what I wanted to do as a career and I’d said I wanted to be a writer. It’s really great to look back on that now and know that I am!

In terms of knowing that I had a book in me, as I got older, even though the desire to write a novel still remained, I just didn't have that big idea, so I kept pushing it to the back of my mind. It wasn’t until January 2016 when a close friend suddenly passed away that I was driven to take the leap. I realised that life was too short not to start pursuing my dream. I woke up at 3 a.m. one morning soon afterwards and the ideas just flowed out of me! I sat in bed for hours just writing notes about the plot and the characters, then spent the next two and a half years writing and editing what then became my debut novel: The Middle-Aged Virgin.

The truth is, although I had accumulated a lot of writing experience in other forms through various PR and copywriting roles I’d had over the years, you never really know if you have a book in you, until you try. So in the end, I just had to believe in myself and take the plunge.

GWR: Tell me about your writing process. Do you plan things out, or are you more of a pantser (fly by the seat of your pants)?

OS: Definitely a planner. I have to have an outline before I start writing and know what’s going to happen in every chapter. That’s not to say that the finished novel follows the original plan exactly. When I’m writing, I always come up with new ideas to include. Then when the manuscript goes through the editing process, my editor will make suggestions on how to enhance the story, which always involves amending or deleting things and sometimes adding more chapters.

GWR: How long does it take you to write a book?

OS: Ooh — the million-dollar question! That really depends on the book and also the length. My first novel took around two and a half years to write, redraft, edit etc. That’s because it was my first book and I was also working full-time, so after finishing my day job, I'd start writing around 9 p.m. until sometimes two in the morning, then sleep and go to work and repeat the process. I’d write at weekends too. It also took a long time because it’s my largest novel.

Only When It's Love took around four or five months. My latest novel, Losing My Inhibitions just poured out of me. I couldn’t stop writing! I dedicated every spare second I had to it. In bed, on the train, in between seminars at the London Book Fair... I finished the first draft for that in about four weeks. But that was only a very small part of the process. You then have to go through draft number two, three, four, five million (only joking!), send it off to be edited, then make amends, then send it back to the editor, make more amends, get it proofread etc. So from concept to publication, that has taken about four months.

GWR: There are a lot of misconceptions about the Romance genre in that it is often perceived as being “fluff”. What attracted you to write Romance? 

OS: I write the kind of books I like to read and I’ve always enjoyed funny, sexy romance and chick lit novels. I think sometimes people can get a little bit snooty about books, but personally, I believe that everyone should be able to read whatever they enjoy.

As well as writing books which offer the fun, entertaining elements of a chick lit novel, I also aim to highlight real-life issues that women can identify with in my books and include positive, uplifting messages too. For example, in my latest novel Losing My Inhibitions, the protagonist, Roxy, is recovering from a toxic marriage and we see her finding her feet again after divorcing her controlling ex. So in addition to the romance and the humour side of things that she experiences as she embarks on a new adventure, the story is about self-love, new beginnings, forging your own path in life and being true to yourself.

GWR: Have you ever written out a character from one book only to have them surface in another?

OS: Absolutely! Roxy, the protagonist in Losing My Inhibitions also appears in The Middle-Aged Virgin and Only When It’s Love. As she was really popular with readers of my first two novels, I decided to create a dedicated book so that they could learn more about her story and find out how she became such a feisty character. Roxy has a heart of gold, but she speaks her mind and has zero filter, which is so fun to write and I hope, also to read! This novel acts as a prequel to my previous books, but can also be read as a standalone novel.

Losing My Inhibitions also includes appearances from Sophia (from The Middle-Aged Virgin) and Alex (the protagonist in Only When It’s Love).

GWR: How do you select the names of your characters?

OS: Good question! I use a number of different methods. Number one is probably Google – looking up popular names which fit the age and country that particular character is from. I also make a note when I come across a name that I like. So for example, when I’m at the supermarket or in the park and I hear someone’s name being called. Or sometimes, I choose a name because it’s one that I’ve liked for years. Sophia is one of my favourites, so that’s why it was used for my first novel.

The name also has to fit the character’s personality. I think that when we hear a name, rightly or wrongly, we have often have a preconceived idea of how we believe they will look, talk and act, so I try to take that into account too.

GWR: What book has gotten you through a challenging time in your life?

OS: I don’t recall having a book that got me through a challenging time personally. However, I do believe that books – both fiction and non-fiction definitely have the power to inspire and uplift us. For example, I’ve heard great things about Becoming, by Michelle Obama, so I’m looking forward to reading that at some point.

GWR: What are you working on next?

OS: I’m finishing off a novel with all-new characters. I started working on it last year, but got side-tracked writing Only When It’s Love. Then not long after that was published, I couldn’t get the idea for Losing My Inhibitions out of my head, so switched to write that instead. I really can’t wait to get back to working on this novel though, as I adore the characters. Particularly the love interest who is definitely one of my favourite book boyfriends…Swoon!

The ebook version of Losing My Inhibitions will be available FREE to Olivia's VIP Club members from Wednesday 26th June 2019. Sign up at www.oliviaspring.com.

The paperback is available to buy from Amazon from Wednesday 26th June: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07T9X66G5.

Follow Olivia on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @ospringauthor #LosingMyInhibitions Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18210898.Olivia_Spring.

Valencia and Valentine by Suzy Krause

A special thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Valencia has been working as a debt collector for the past 17 years. She suffers with crippling OCD and is incredibly timid. Of all her fears, it is both flying and turning 35 that are her worst. To help her break free from the constant trepidation that she feels, her therapist suggests that she fly somewhere before her birthday. After speaking with repeat caller James Mace from New York City, and developing feelings for him, Valencia thinks she has the perfect destination. The only problem is that he may not exist.

Mrs. Valentine is 87-years-old and fears her time is coming to an end. She has a mild fascination with death (after all she frequents the funeral home a lot) and is desperate for company of any kind. When her new cleaning girl, Anna, provides an ear, Mrs.Valentine recounts her life story which includes a love story and adventures with her husband before his mysterious disappearance.

Valencia and Mrs. Valentine appear to have nothing in common and are worlds apart, but life is never predictable.

Krause's debut effort is an unconventional love story with themes of loss, and second chances. Unfortunately it is not without issues. Not only did it take a while to get into the story, but I struggled with both characters—what was with their mild obsessions with death? I love quirky characters, but Valencia was exhausting.

The plot was convoluted at times and other times it was repetitious and circular. There was a pivotal event in high school—which was I assume the catalyst for Valencia's downward spiral—that should have packed more of an impact, but instead it left me with more questions. Also, there were some issues with timeline and the only thing I can come up with is that this was done on purpose to mislead the reader.

Surprisingly this book was a bit dark and depressing and I was expecting more of a feel-good story rather than a character study. But please don't let this review sway you away from reading it, Krause's writing is quite good, I just don't think the book was for me.

SUZY KRAUSE is a Canadian writer who, like Valencia, has worked as a debt collector, and like Mrs. Valentine, she likes to tell stories.

Valencia and Valentine is her first novel.

Little Lovely Things by Maureen Joyce Connolly

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Claire Rawlings is suffering from what she perceives to be an allergic reaction, but because she is a medical resident, she still has to go in for rounds. While driving to work—with her children in the vehicle—she is forced to pull over when her symptoms become unbearable. What seems like only moments later, she wakes up on the floor of a gas station restroom only to discover that her car, and her daughters, have been taken.

With no leads and no trace of her little girls, Claire is losing hope with each passing hour. A witness comes forward but proves to be unreliable and their hopes are dashed. The unspoken guilt and blame start to fracture Claire's marriage and she is barely keeping it together.

Little Lovely Things is a study in tragedy and how even small decisions can have a great impact on life's trajectory.

This book was completely captivating from the first chapter and had so much potential. The depiction of Claire's anxiety and sheer panic over her missing children was emotionally wrought and incredibly tense.

One of the more interesting characters is Jay White, a Native American with the gift of sight. He has feelings and visions of what happened to Claire's girls. Although dismissed by the police, Claire keeps in touch with Jay as he is a source of hope. The Native American folklore also provides a compelling dynamic to the story that would otherwise be flat without it.

Connolly's contemporary offering is told from multiple points of view that was stalled by the nonsensical secret language of the Irish Travelling Gypsies that kidnapped the girls. Not only was this hard for the reader to understand, but it completely detracted from the narrative. Claire's perspective was where she excelled—the writing was heartbreaking and fervent. Where the narrative completely lost momentum was with Moira's (abductor) point of view and unfortunately, by extension Andrea/Colleen's (the eldest daughter) which should have been a more pivotal role.

MAUREEN JOYCE CONNOLLY is a former owner of a consulting firm that helped specialty drug companies to develop medications for ultra-rare diseases. Her background in science and love of the natural world informs and inspires her writing.

Little Lovely Things is her debut.