JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Six Tudor Queens: Anna of Kleve by Alison Weir

The fourth novel in the highly acclaimed SIX TUDOR QUEENS series by historian and Sunday Times bestselling author, Alison Weir.

Alison Weir, historian and author of KATHERINE OF ARAGON: THE TRUE QUEEN, ANNE BOLEYN: A KING’S OBSESSION and JANE SEYMOUR: THE HAUNTED QUEEN, paints a spellbinding portrait of Anna of Kleve, Henry VIII’s fourth queen.

A GERMAN PRINCESS WITH A GUILTY SECRET.

The King is in love with Anna’s portrait, but she has none of the accomplishments he seeks in a new bride. She prays she will please Henry, for the balance of power in Europe rests on this marriage alliance. But Anna’s past is never far from her thoughts, and the rumours rife at court could be her downfall. Everyone knows the King won’t stand for a problem queen.

ANNA OF KLEVE
THE FOURTH OF HENRY’S QUEENS
HER STORY

Acclaimed, bestselling historian Alison Weir draws on new evidence to conjure a startling image of Anna as you’ve never seen her before. A charming, spirited woman, she was loved by all who knew her – and even, ultimately, by the King who rejected her.

History tells us she was never crowned.
But her story does not end there.

This is one of my favourite book series’ and every year, I look forward to the latest Alison Weir Tudor Queens novel. Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets, the fourth book in this series, was just as fabulous as the books that precede it.

Anna is probably one of the lesser known Queens, perhaps because she was the least scandalous. She travelled from Spain to England to marry the King, but he never fancied her and so the whole marriage ended after just six months together.

Alison illustrates Anna as kind, compassionate and sensible. She is naive and a little too trusting at times, but she is determined and she’s intelligent. When she is very young, she falls in love with her cousin Otho von Wylich and gives birth to a secret child. Otho doesn’t even know about it, and Anna stays away from home in secret to have the child. The boy is then adopted to a loving family.

When King Henry chooses Anna to be his next wife, Anna must work hard to keep her secret.

“Picking up her mirror, she gazed into the burnished silver and appraised her image. Yes, it was pleasing, but beautiful? No. She had a rosy complexion, and a heart-shaped face with a pretty mouth and finely arched brows, but her eyes were too heavy-lidded, her chin too pointed, and her nose too long, too broad at the tip. Yet she was tall and graceful, with a good, slender figure and delicate hands.”

These books read like they’re a fictional story, but they’re based on some truths. Each Queen is portrayed so vividly that you feel like you really understand them and their motives. Very little is known about Anna of Kleve, so there’s a lot of fiction to this book, but that’s what makes it so fabulous.

It’s interesting reading about Henry VIII as the books progress. He’s now 46 years old, he’s overweight, and the sores on his leg are infected and oozing pus, and they’re causing him a great deal of pain. He’s no longer the seductive King he once was! Anna and Henry’s marriage was never consummated and from the sound of it, that was a huge blessing for Anna. Not sure Henry was very desirable at this stage.

“This could not be the man in the portrait she had seen at Calais! He had been in his prime, attractive and smooth-featured. He bore barely any resemblance to the man standing before her now. Why had no one thought to prepare her for the reality? For the King looked far older than a man not yet fifty; his ace was stern, and bore the marks of temper and ill health. And he was huge!”

From reading the author’s note at the end, it’s clear that this book has fictionalised her tale and added more to her story than the other Queens before here. There’s no evidence that Anna had an illegitimate child, or that she was in love with her cousin. But given Anna was Queen for only six months, and she was — as we understand it — the most liked Queen after her divorce and the least scandalous one, I imagine her story wouldn’t be that interesting if there wasn’t embellishments.

I was actually wondering how Alison was going to write this book without making it very short and very boring. I’m glad she embellished — it makes everything much more entertaining! You can always read Alison’s author’s note at the end to find out what is fact and what is fiction — those author’s notes are always really interesting.

“Anna felt a sense of relief seeping through her veins. How humiliating for a man as powerful as the King to suffer impotence. Perhaps he had been dreading this marriage as much as she! And yet, he had been aroused — she had felt it. Was it the sight of her body that had unmanned him?”

I love this series, and this latest instalment. For anyone even remotely interested in Henry VIII’s wives, I recommend you start at the beginning with Katherine and make your way through Alison Weir’s books. They read like fiction, but they’re researched and they’re all fascinating reads.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets
Alison Weir
May 2019
Hachette Book Publishers

If You Could Go Anywhere by Paige Toon

Angie has always wanted to travel, but at twenty-seven she has barely even stepped outside the Australian mining town where she was born. Instead, she discovers the world through stories told to her by passing travellers, dreaming that one day she’ll see it all for herself.

When her grandmother passes away, leaving Angie with no remaining family, she is ready to start her own adventures. Then she finds a letter revealing the address of the father she never knew, and realises instantly where her journey must begin: Italy.

As Angie sets out to find the truth – about her family, her past and who she really is – will mysterious and reckless Italian Alessandro help guide the way?

If You Could Go Anywhere by Paige Toon is a contemporary romance novel about a young girl’s desire to connect with her biological father, and travel the world.

Angie has been taking care of her grandparents for most of her life — she’s 27 years old and has never left her home town of Coober Pedy, in rural South Australia. She’s desperate to travel and see the world, but she’s also eager to find out more about her biological father. Her mother died shortly after giving birth to Angie, and her grandparents claim not to know any information about his identity. When Angie uncovers a letter with more information into her mother’s past, Angie is able to track down her father — Giulio — in Italy.

“He doesn’t really ask me much about myself, but he’s happy to talk and I do my best to listen. I hear about the time the mayor came into his restaurant, and another occasion when he met with the Pope, along with countless other anecdotes.”

The story itself will appeal to anyone who is a huge fan of romance novels, but for me, I didn’t overly enjoy the book. The story moves so fast in the beginning, that I never really felt connected to Angie’s character.

I never felt drawn to her or her motives — I felt like I was detached from her in some way. She finds out about her father and then meets him in such a short amount of time, it just felt incredibly unrealistic.

Additionally, there doesn’t seem to be much tension to the story. Angie finds the letter, tracks her dad down immediately, he welcomes her with open arms, and then Angie spends majority of the novel trying to form a friendship and/or relationship with Giulio’s adopted son Alessandro. It all feels a little too easy.

“My feet seem to have glued themselves to the spot, but my father steps forward and embraces me, squeezing me tightly. I could not feel more bizarre as I squeeze him back. He smells of cologne and wood smoke — sort of homely and welcoming — and for a split second, my senses are flooded with the memory of what my grandfather used to smell like.”

Angie is 27 but at times, she reads like a teenager. She has quite a juvenile dialogue — external and internal — and despite Angie and I being of similar age, I felt like I was reading a story from the POV of a high school student who has been set free in Italy without adult supervision.

If you’re a die-hard fan of romance novels, then you’ll love this book despite its flaws in pacing and believability. But if you’re like me and you only dabble in romance every now and then, I’m not sure that this book is for you.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

If You Could Go Anywhere
Paige Toon
May 2019
Penguin Random House Australia

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

Tiffy and Leon share a flat
Tiffy and Leon share a bed
Tiffy and Leon have never met…

Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.

But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly-imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window…

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary is a gorgeous, uplifting romantic comedy about two London flatmates who share a bed but have never met.

Leon is a palliative care nurse who works evenings and spends all his weekends at his girlfriend’s house. His brother is in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and Leon is using whatever money he has to pay his brother’s lawyer. Leon decides to advertise online for a roommate. The arrangement makes perfect sense — Leon would have the flat during the day, and the roommate would have the flat to themselves on the weeknights and weekends. They’d never even need to meet!

Leon chooses Tiffy to be his flatmate. She’s a quirky, upbeat book editor at a publishing house with a passion for reading and a habit of baking and cooking too much food. Her boyfriend Justin has dumped her for the girl he cheated on her with, and she needs a new place to live that doesn’t cost a fortune.

“I was so lucky to have him. Justin was always so…fun. Everything was a whirlwind; we’d by flying from country to country, trying everything, staying up until four in the morning and climbing on to the roof to watch the sunrise. Yes, we fought a lot an dI made a lot of mistakes in that relationship, but mostly I’d just felt so lucky to be with him. Without him I feel….lost.”
TIFFY

Leon and Tiffy slowly build a friendship in a most unconventional manner, bonding over post-it notes, text messages and leftover food. The book moves through the year quite clearly, consistently switching back and forth between Tiffy and Leon’s POV. Leon is shy, punctual, factual and to-the-point. He’s observant and logical and practical.

Tiffy is a chaotic person — hopeful, energetic, cheerful and always trusting. She worries a bit too much about things she shouldn’t need to worry about, and she’s caring and considerate towards her friends and colleagues.

Beth O’Leary has done a fabulous job of capturing Leon and Tiffy’s unique voices from their internal and external dialogue, and the various post-it notes that each characters leaves around the apartment.

“Letter is crumpled in trouser pocket. Tiffy asked me to read it before I send it on to Richie. But haven’t, yet. It’s painful. Feel suddenly sure that she won’t understand. That she’ll say he’s a calculating criminal, just like the judge did. Say his excuses don’t add up, that given his character and his past he’s exactly what we should all have expected.”
LEON

Admittedly, I felt there were a few flaws. It’s quite a long book and three-quarters of the way through the story I felt like it was a bit too slow. There are a lot of post-it notes and text messages, and a lot of chapters that felt like they were being dragged out.

There’s also a particular scene at the end of the novel involving Tiffy and her ex-boyfriend that felt unrealistic and quite cringeworthy. And the friendship between Tiffy and Leon’s brother, and her involvement in his appeal is all a little bit ‘Hollywood’ that is a bit hard to believe at times. It’s nice and pleasing, but I do think you have to stretch the imagination to go along with the story.

I recommend The Flatshare to readers of romance comedy, light-hearted and tender novels about family and relationships. It’s fun and cute, but it is also emotional and heartfelt. By the end, you’ll want to move in with Tiffy and Leon.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Flatshare
Beth O’Leary
May 2019
Hachette Book Publishers

The Bad Mothers’ Book Club by Keris Stainton

Meet Emma, the new Mum on the block. Since moving to the Liverpudlian seaside after her husband’s career change, her life consists of the following: long walks on the beach (with the dog), early nights (with the kids) and Netflix (no chill).

Bored and lonely, when Emma is cordially invited to the exclusive cool school-mums’ book club, she thinks her luck may finally be about to change. But she soon finds the women of the club aren’t quite what they seem – and after an unfortunate incident involving red wine and a white carpet, she finds herself unceremoniously kicked out.

The answer? Start her own book club – for bad mothers who just want to drink wine and share stories. But will this town let two book clubs exist? Or is there only room for one queen of the school gates…?

The Bad Mothers’ Book Club is a fun, contemporary fiction by Keris Stainton — it’s about struggling mothers, failing relationships, well-kept secrets, and the difficulties that women face on a day-to-day basis.

Emma is bored and lonely. She’s just moved to a new town, her husband is at a new job and is working really long hours. Emma is left to take care of the kids and the home, and all that comes with it. She doesn’t feel like she belongs in Liverpudlian yet, and on her kids’ first day, she makes an enemy out of the glamorous and popular Jools.

“Emma was early for pick up. She’d walked and made sure to set off in plenty of time; she really didn’t want a repeat of the morning’s chaos. She’d taken Buddy for such a long run that morning that he’d spent the entire afternoon asleep on the sofa in the kitchen.”

The chapters move between different women. There’s Emma, who’s struggling with how different her life has become since moving. There’s Maggie, whose husband Jim is keeping secrets from her and is staying out late each night. And there’s Jools, who is keeping a secret of her own because she wants to feel in control of her life.

All of the women have something to prove, someone or something they’re either fighting for or trying to understand. Readers will be able to relate to all of the women, and even though this is a fun read, there are moments in the book that are emotional and turbulent, and challenging.

“She’d been looking forward to him coming home too. Thought maybe they could have had a glass of wine together and sat at the kitchen table talking about their day, the way they used to in London.”

I’m not sure what to make of the positioning of the book — in particular, the blurb and the overall plot of the story. The bad mothers’ book club? That group is only formed towards the very end of the book, so the entire story doesn’t really have anything to do with that.

I couldn’t help but feel that the story started in the wrong place, that perhaps we spend too much time reading about these women before they form their own book club. I think there could’ve been more tension and conflict built from the bad mothers book club, but it would’ve needed to have been created earlier in the story.

“Maggie drank more tea. It actually was what she’d imagined for herself. Growing up, she’d pictured adulthood as a house and a car and a family that looked exactly like this — almost exactly, there would actually be two kids — and she hadn’t really thought beyond that.”

I recommend this book to readers of romance fiction, and contemporary fiction. It’s light and quick to read — quirky and fun. There’s plenty of heart and humour, and fantastic characters.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Bad Mothers’ Book Club
Keris Stainton
May 2019
Hachette Book Publishers

The Woman in Darkness by Charlie Donlea

As a forensic reconstructionist, Rory Moore sheds light on cold-case homicides by piecing together details others fail to see. And while cleaning out her late father’s law office, she takes a call that plunges her into a forty-year-old mystery. In the summer of 1979, five Chicago women went missing.

The predator, nicknamed The Thief, left no bodies and no clues behind – until police received a package from a mysterious woman named Angela Mitchell, which uncovered his identity. But before police could question her, Angela disappeared.

Forty years later, The Thief is about to be paroled for Angela’s murder – the only killing the DA could pin on him. But a cryptic file found in her father’s office suggests to Rory there is more to the case than anyone knew.

Soon Rory is helplessly entangled in the enigma of Angela Mitchell and what happened to her. Drawing connections between the past and present, she uncovers dark truths about the reclusive woman, her own father, and the man called The Thief.

But not even Rory is prepared for the terrifying secrets about to emerge…

The Woman in Darkness by Charlie Donlea is a suspense thriller about a young woman trying to manage her deceased father’s old case work, and a prisoner who was accused of murdering his wife 40 years earlier. The book is fascinating and compelling and fast-paced — a real page-turner.

The book switches between 1979 and 2019. Angela was a young wife living with her husband Thomas. She’s autistic, although that term wasn’t created back then and so people treated her horribly because they didn’t understand why she was different to everyone else. She is fascinated with the recent disappearances of young women in her area, and starts collecting evidence in an effort to discover who is behind the crimes.

“Angela didn’t need to look into Bill Blackwell’s eyes to see the disgusted look on his face. She sensed it. It was an expression that sent Angela back to her childhood. Most people looked at her this way throughout her adolescence, and today Angela felt much of the confidence she had learned in the last few years slipping away.”

In 2019, we meet forensic reconstructionist Rory. She’s trying to find out what happened to a young woman who was murdered 1 year earlier, but that case is put on hold when her attorney father dies and she goes through all his open case files. One of the prisoners he was defending is set to be released on parole. Forty years earlier, he was jailed for the murder of his wife. He was suspected of murdering dozens of other women, but they could never prove it was him.

There’s a strong connection between Rory and Angela — similarities in their personality and their compulsions, and their manner. They’re both strong protagonists, inviting the reader in and keeping them engaged until the final page. Both of them are incredibly intelligent women with brilliant minds — they’re simply misunderstood by the people around them.

The writing is tight and cohesive, the dialogue realistic and relatable. The characters draw you in, but also keep you guessing. There are so many people who will love this book.

“She’d spent the entire evening suppressing her obsessive-compulsive needs. Angela’s freshly learned self-restraint had done her well. It opened up a new world with Thomas, and had allowed her to forge a friendship with Catherine. But Angela knew she could not completely ignore the needs of her mind and the demands of her central nervous system, which screamed for her to organise and list and break down the things that made no sense.”

A small flaw with the book is that Rory is signed on to solve that case about the murdered woman
one year earlier, and there is no development in it at all in the entire book. And then there’s an
open end about it. Perhaps that’s to allow for a sequel, but it actually just felt really disappointing.
That side storyline didn’t even need to be in the book, and there could’ve been other ways that
Rory was written into the premise.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves crime and thriller novels. The premise draws you in
and the characters keep you there. Angela is a fantastic character, and her story is not only well
written, but evocative and interesting and enthralling. I loved reading about her.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Woman in Darkness
Charlie Donlea
April 2019
Penguin Random House Publishers

%d bloggers like this: