#Bookreview – The Daughter-in-law Syndrome by Stevie Turner

Thanks to Robbie Cheadle for this brilliant review of ‘The Daughter-in-law Syndrome’.

Robbie's inspiration

What Amazon says

The Daughter-in-law Syndrome investigates the complicated relationship causing much friction between Grandmother Edna Deane and her daughter-in-law Arla. In addition it focuses on the sometimes tumultuous partnership between Arla and her husband Ric.

Arla Deane sometimes likens her marriage to undergoing daily psychological warfare. Husband Ric will never voice an opinion, and puts his mother Edna up high on a pedestal. Arla is sick of always feeling that she comes in at only second best to her mother-in-law, who much to Arla’s fury is never told anything by Ric or his sisters that she would not want to hear.

This novel explores the husband/wife, mother/son, and mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationships. After twenty eight years of marriage, Arla, the daughter-in-law, is at the end of her tether and persuades a reluctant Ric to accompany her for marriage guidance. As they look back over their lives with Counsellor Toni Beecher, Arla…

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5 Star Review by Stephen Bentley for ‘Partners in Time’.

Tags

#paranormal romance, #SeniSal, Review

I just had to share a brilliant Goodreads’ review that my latest novel ‘Partners in Time‘ has recently received from Stephen Bentley:

‘One could argue the tagline for this excellent book could be ‘Emily is still desperate for a husband and children, and John is the answer to her dreams.’ The trouble is Emily and John are separated in time by over one hundred years.

Emily is introduced at the start of the book and at first, I thought I was about to read an excellent work of historical fiction as the setting, language, and social conventions are firmly placed in Victorian England. The other main characters are John Finbow and his wife, Kay, who are introduced in a modern-day 1990s setting. The rest of the story is told through the points of view of Emily, John, and Kay and most of the chapters alternate between those characters.

John Finbow is an apparently successful and wealthy screenwriter. He and his wife Kay move into Southcombe Rectory, a large Victorian house that has been empty since the 1960s. It had previously been owned by the Cuthbertson family who had lived there for generations. The ‘Emily’ referred to is the youngest of eight offspring of the late Reverend Arthur Cuthbertson and his wife Delia.

We soon learn about the strain in John and Kay’s marriage as 39-year-old John, would like to start a family, but Kay, 34, doesn’t relish the idea.

It is only after the Finbows move into the rectory we are treated to a brilliantly written paranormal novel. There are apparitions and other ‘out-of -this -world’ experiences which drew me in right from the start. Not only did they draw me in, but I was kept enthralled by the plot and the quality of the writing as I turned page after page. It was during my frenzy of page-turning, I thought this author should be renamed Stevie Page-Turner.

As the plot develops, we are also treated to a nice sub-plot: will John get arrested? [no spoilers from me]

This brilliant book is more than a paranormal novel as it operates at several levels including romance, urban fiction, and a good dollop of crime fiction. It’s worthy of turning into a movie.

As the book description says: One hundred and thirty years separate them. Will Emily and John’s love survive time’s relentless march?

You really do need to read it and find out for yourself. Highly recommended!’ 

Thank you,  Stephen!

 

Review of Nick Alexander’s ‘Things We Never Said’.

Tags

book reviews

Blurb:

All the love she ever gave. Every secret she never told.

Catherine was the love of Sean’s life. But now she is gone. All that’s left is a box full of envelopes, each containing a snapshot and a cassette tape.

Through a series of recordings, Catherine shares their long love story, but will Sean recognise the story she tells? Catherine’s words have been chosen with love, but are painfully honest—and sometimes simply painful. She reveals every unspoken thought and every secret she kept from her husband—revelations that will shake everything Sean thought he knew about their life together.

But as disconcerting as the tapes turn out to be, Sean prays that they will ultimately confirm the one thing he never dared question. Does destiny exist? And were his and Catherine’s love and life together always meant to be?

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Things-Never-Said-Nick-Alexander-ebook/dp/B07B2VLK3D

First of all I was surprised this book was written by a man.  Nick Alexander’s main character Sean is grieving for the loss of his wife Catherine from cancer, who recorded several cassettes for Sean during her last days.  Mr Alexander has grasped the feminine POV very well, which is evident in the cassettes’ contents.  Sean learns secrets from Catherine that he had no idea about, and now has to deal with the aftermath of what he has learned.  Will he be able to forgive his wife for what she has done in the past?

It’s a good plot for a story, and I enjoyed the book enough to keep turning the pages.  However, I have a little quibble in the fact that the tenses/first person/third person jumped about a bit and to me didn’t quite gel.  Also, Sean and Catherine had been married for 30 years, and to me it seemed as though they didn’t really know much about each other at all, or about communicating their fears and feelings.

I have given this book 4 stars, as it did appeal to me but it also surprised me that a male author can write such a touching story about relationships!

Thursday Book Feature: Understanding

Thanks to Abbie Johnson Taylor for this review of our anthology ‘Understanding’.

My Corner

Understanding: An Anthology of Significant and True Life Events

by Stevie Turner et al.

Copyright 2019

In this anthology, edited by fellow blogger Stevie Turner, contributors, me included, share stories of life-altering events such as sexual abuse, traumatic accidents, and teen pregnancy. My story is about my years of caring for my late husband as outlined in My Ideal Partner- How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds Stevie also includes her story of how she survived thyroid cancer.

Most stories are in the form of an interview. Stevie sent us each twenty questions about our experiences, which most of us answered. One author, though, chose to provide her answers in the form of an essay. At the beginning of each story is the author’s biographical information.

I enjoyed reading many of these uplifting stories of courage and determination in the face of…

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5 Star Review from Janice Spina for ‘The Daughter-in-law Syndrome

I’d like to share a 5 star review I received on May 30th from Janice Spina, who enjoyed my family relationship novel ‘THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW SYNDROME’.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2XPRI32YX89H4/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00Y9270XU

Anyone who is or has ever been a daughter-in-law will see something of themselves in this wonderful story. The relationship between a mother-in-law and her son’s wife is a tricky situation in many cases as demonstrated by this talented author. She delved into the lives and loves of family that touched home with me and I’m sure many other readers. Stevie Turner gave the views of both sides and brought up some sensitive issues.

Edna, the mother-in-law, can’t accept the idea that her son has chosen a woman to take her place in his heart. Can she ever embrace this woman? Arla, the daughter-in-law, has her own demons to face with her husband and his sisters. She always feels on the outside looking in. What can she do to be accepted into this dysfunctional family? She even goes to a marriage counselor to try to get her husband, Ric, to open up to her about his family.

I enjoyed following along with their journey as they discovered some surprising revelations about themselves and how they grew closer in spite of the chasm that had opened up at the beginning of their marriage. When Arla has to face similar circumstances as her own son marries she begins to connect more with her own mother-in-law. Can she accept the woman that her son has married? If not, then why not?

This was an eye-opening story that could be used as a self-help book for anyone who is dealing with these problems in their own marriage and with a stubborn mother-in-law. The author has a deep understanding of the feelings and angst of being a daughter-in-law who is living on the outside and looking in at her new family.

I found this to be an enjoyable read as I began to care about these characters and their outcome. This is a sign of a well-developed storyline and characters. I highly recommend this wonderful book!

Thank you Janice!

Review of ‘Ripples From the Edge of Life’, by Roland Chesters

I love reading autobiographies/biographies, and was pleased that ‘Ripples From the Edge of Life’ had been recommended on one of my social media sites.

Roland Chesters’ life was turned upside down on the day he was diagnosed with AIDS.  He had been feeling unwell for some time, and doctors could not find out what was wrong.  However, he is not in the ‘at risk’ groups.  He is gay, but is monogamous and is in a long-term relationship.  He had only ever had one other relationship (also long term), but his ex-partner had undergone a blood transfusion in the days when AIDS was not widely known about…

This book charts Roland’s journey through his various medical treatments up to the present day, and we read of the thoughts and feelings of those around him; his partner Richard, his consultant, and his close friends.  I for one didn’t realise that AIDS sufferers today can lead relatively normal lives while taking their retroviral medication (a shame this wasn’t available for Freddie Mercury!).

Of course the big step for anybody diagnosed with HIV/AIDS is who to tell and when to tell them.  Roland knew that once that information is broadcast, there is no going back, as ripples spread far and wide as people pass on the information to others.

This book is well written and informative, and I learned a lot by reading it.  Roland Chesters’ positive attitude is truly an inspiration to all those living with HIV/AIDS.  I give this book 5 stars for honesty and for Roland’s bravery in writing just what it’s like to live with an AIDS diagnosis.

Smorgasbord Book Reviews – Understanding: An Anthology of True and Significant Life Events-compiled by Stevie Turner

Thanks to Sally Cronin for this promotion and for a great review.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Over the last three weeks I have been featuring the contributors to this anthology of true and significant events. Writers share intimate and life changing events in their lives with courage and honesty whilst inspiring others.

Compiled by author Stevie Turner – the proceeds from this anthology will be going to Cancer Research and it is a very worthy cause.

Here is the link to the previous post where you can also find the link to the first posts in the series:Contributors part six

About the anthology

The following authors and bloggers answered questions posed by Stevie Turner regarding significant life experiences they had undergone. These events include sexual abuse, a near death experience, alcoholism, being diagnosed with cancer, depression, losing weight, getting married, being a mother to many children, being the daughter of a narcissistic mother, and many more!

The contributors to the anthology.

Alienora Browning – Sally…

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Review of The Woman in the Window, by A.J Finn

I read the best-selling and rather gripping psychological thriller recently The Woman in the Window, by A.J Finn.

Amazon Description:

What did she see?

It’s been 10 long months since Anna Fox last left her home. Ten months during which she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house like a ghost, lost in her memories, too terrified to step outside.

Anna’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits day after day, watching her neighbours. When the Russells move in, Anna is instantly drawn to them. A picture-perfect family of three, they are an echo of the life that was once hers.

But one evening, a frenzied scream rips across the silence, and Anna witnesses something no one was supposed to see. Now she must do everything she can to uncover the truth about what really happened. But even if she does, will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?

My Review:

The book is written in the first person, which immediately brings the reader straight into the story.  It’s well-written, fast-paced, and it interested me enough to stop me skipping bits to get to the end.  It’s definitely a 5 star read!

Agoraphobic Anna, unwilling to venture outside because of a past trauma,  consumes far more wine than she should and spends her days gazing out of her window.

One day she is visited by a new neighbour Jane Russell, but soon after this meeting Anna hears a scream.  When she looks through her window at the Russells’ house, she cannot see Jane anymore, but instead another woman has taken her place.

Anna tries to inform the authorities and her therapist, but because she is more often than not drunk they dismiss her fears.  Alistair tells the police she is hallucinating and that the woman never existed. However, Anna knows what she saw even though everybody around her is telling her otherwise.

Is Anna suffering from the ‘gaslighting’ effect?  What happens next would give away spoilers. All I can say is that this book is is a must-read for fans of psychological suspense.

Review of Fiona Valpy’s ‘The Beekeeper’s Promise’

Tags

historical fiction, The beekeeper's promise, WWII

This book is a number 1 bestseller.  Here is my 4 star review below:

Abi is broken, having just escaped from an abusive and controlling husband.  She takes a summer job at the Chateau Bellevue, hoping that a change of scene will begin to heal her emotional scars.  Her employers tell her the story of Eliane and her family, who had lived at the chateau some 80 years before.  Abi discovers more about herself as she learns of Eliane’s struggles during World War II.

It’s a great novel, but I didn’t really like how the two timelines run concurrently throughout the story.  I think it would have been better if the author had told Eliane’s story first, and then told Abi’s, who of course comes along many years later. Timelines chop and change with each chapter, and you cannot get into Eliane’s life as on the next page you’re then thrust into Abi’s story.

Nevertheless, there are wonderful descriptive passages which took me back to a holiday I had in rural France 10 years’ ago.  The romance aspect of the book could have been a bit better developed, but on the whole an enjoyable read for fans of historical WWII fiction.

https://www.amazon.com/Beekeepers-Promise-Fiona-Valpy-ebook/dp/B0776PXPFK/

Our Review of House Without Windows by Stevie Turner #RomanticSuspense @StevieTurner6

Thanks to Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes for this great review of my suspense story ‘A House Without Windows’.

anita dawes and jaye marie

Dr Beth Nichols thinks she has been held captive by Edwin Evans for about 8 or 9 years now. Amidst her grief she often looks back and thinks about her fiancé Liam. She lies awake at night staring at the one light bulb that is never switched off, and prays that Liam is still out there somewhere searching for her.

Our Review

This is an incredibly sad yet powerful, well written story.

One that will shred your nerves and try repeatedly to break your heart.

Most of us couldn’t begin to imagine what happens to Beth, or how she  manages to cope with it all and remain sane.

I don’t think I would have, for simply reading this story has left scars on my emotions. You keep telling yourself it is fiction and didn’t really happen, but we know only too well that it does. This story is probably far…

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