The Unreliable Death of Lady Grange by Sue Lawrence Blog Tour

Today is my stop on the blog tour for "The Unreliable Death of Lady Grange" by Sue Lawrence, I am the last stop and closing the tour, please check out the previous stops, we all offer different content.


About the book:




Blurb

Edinburgh, January 1732: It's Lady Grange's funeral. Her death is a shock: still young, she'd shown no signs of ill health. But Rachel is, in fact, alive. She's been brutally kidnapped by the man who has falsified her death - her husband of 25 years, a pillar of society with whom she has raised a family. Her punishment, perhaps, for railing against his infidelity - or for uncovering evidence of his treasonable plottings against the government. Whether to conceal his Jacobite leanings, or simply to `replace' a wife with a long-time mistress, Lord Grange banishes Rachel to the remote Hebridean Monach Isles, until she's removed again to distant St Kilda, far into the Atlantic - to an isolated life of primitive conditions, with no shared language - somewhere she can never be found. This is the incredible and gripping story of a woman who has until now been remembered mostly by her husband's unflattering account. Sue Lawrence reconstructs a remarkable tale of how the real Lady Grange may have coped with such a dramatic fate, with courage and grace.


The book is out to buy NOW Publisher on Twitter

About the author




As well as writing popular historical thrillers, including Down to the Sea, Sue Lawrence is a leading cookery writer. After winning BBC's MasterChef in 1991, she became a regular contributor to the Sunday Times, Scotland on Sunday and other leading magazines. Raised in Dundee, she now lives in Edinburgh. She has won two Guild of Food Writers Awards. You can catch the author on Twitter @SueHLawrence




This is a #LoveBooksTours run by Kelly Lacey, please check them out HERE

For my stop I have my review, enjoy

The Unreliable Death of Lady Grange by Sue Lawrence
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out as able over 1 week

Pages - 304

Publisher - Contraband

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Edinburgh, January 1732: It's Lady Grange's funeral. Her death is a shock: still young, she'd shown no signs of ill health. But Rachel is, in fact, alive. She's been brutally kidnapped by the man who has falsified her death - her husband of 25 years, a pillar of society with whom she has raised a family. Her punishment, perhaps, for railing against his infidelity - or for uncovering evidence of his treasonable plottings against the government. Whether to conceal his Jacobite leanings, or simply to `replace' a wife with a long-time mistress, Lord Grange banishes Rachel to the remote Hebridean Monach Isles, until she's removed again to distant St Kilda, far into the Atlantic - to an isolated life of primitive conditions, with no shared language - somewhere she can never be found. This is the incredible and gripping story of a woman who has until now been remembered mostly by her husband's unflattering account. Sue Lawrence reconstructs a remarkable tale of how the real Lady Grange may have coped with such a dramatic fate, with courage and grace



My Review

So I hadn't heard of Lady Grange ever before let alone her disappearance, to be fair my knowledge on history is pretty sparse. I liked the sound of this one so signed up for the tour, we are headed back to the 1700s and we meet Rachel and hear how she came to be Lady Grange. She has a bit of a stain on her past, her families name rather so is delighted to catch the eye of someone so prominent. Marriage and babies come along and quickly we head to her disappearance and death.

The chapters are titled for who is speaking so easy enough to follow, Rachel is a bit of a lively character, especially for ladies of that time. Expected to behave in a certain way Rachel is very much an anomaly in her behaviour. We follow her through her early relationship with her husband to be until later when she is kidnapped and everything that follows.

The book doesn't go into any horrific details so if you fancy a book that has a genteel pace but still a flash of darkness then this is for you. Not much is known about Lady Grange, Lawrence has done her research on what she could find and made an account of what she thought may well have been Rachel's thoughts/actions during what we do know of her life. I am interested in reading more about this historical character and even the locations where the story is set. I have lived in Scotland my whole life but a bit like my history, my knowledge of places is very lax and I do like islands and remote places. The pace and feel definitely turned in the last quarter of the book and I ended up keeping the book in hand and read the last quarter in one sitting. This was my first time reading this author, I will be checking out their other works.

View all my reviews

Stand Against Injustice by Michelle Diskin Blog Tour

Today is my turn and closing stop on the blog tour (Love Books Group Tours) for "Stand Against Injustice" by Michelle Diskin.







About the author (from Amazon)

Mother of three, campaigner for justice and Committed Christian.

Michelle campaigned for eight years for the release of her disabled brother, Barry George, after he was wrongly convicted in 2001, for the high profile murder of BBC television presenter, Jill Dando. Mr George was acquitted in 2007 and sent for re-trial in 2008. He was found not guilty, by unanimous jury verdict on 1st August 2008.

Born in Fulham, London in 1955, Michelle lived in West London until 1973. She then moved to Cork, Ireland, where she lived until 2012, with her three adult children. Michelle's first husband, Patrick, died unexpectedly in 2007 after a short illness, but, with God's grace, she is now married again, to Peter, who supports her in her Miscarriage of Justice (MOJ) activities. They are both committed Christians, who worship at a Baptist church in Northamptonshire, taking on many responsibilities within the fellowship.




About the book

On April 26, 1999, BBC TV presenter Jill Dando was murdered outside her home in London. Barry George was convicted and imprisoned for the murder but was later acquitted after an appeal and retrial. Stand Against Injustice is the powerful memoir of the sister of Barry George. For the first time, Michelle Diskin Bates tells her story, the human side and truth behind one of recent history's most high profile and damaging miscarriages of justice whose life is inextricably interwoven in the drama, the trauma, the conspiracy and the fight for justice. A self-confessed 'ordinary housewife', Michelle's voice weaves the personal everyday struggles that bring depth, color, and passion into what is an extraordinary account. A troubled childhood weighted with overbearing responsibility, fear and insecurity, depression, and the challenges of marriage and adult relationships, Michelle's life has never been easy. However, the one constant in her life - her faith in God - underpins and provides the foundation upon which she now stands - against injustice.

Buy Link
https://amzn.to/2pc2i5o

Twitter Handles

@malcolmdown

@Michelle_Diskin

@LoveBooksGroup




For my stop I have my review, enjoy.

Stand Against Injustice by Michelle Diskin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Pages - 280

Publisher - Malcolm Down

Source - Review Book

Blurb from Goodreads

On April 26, 1999, BBC TV presenter Jill Dando was murdered outside her home in London. Barry George was convicted and imprisoned for the murder but was later acquitted after an appeal and retrial. Stand Against Injustice is the powerful memoir of the sister of Barry George.

For the first time, Michelle Diskin tells her story, the human side and truth behind one of recent history's most high profile and damaging miscarriages of justice whose life is inextricably interwoven in the drama, the trauma, the conspiracy and the fight for justice. A self-confessed "ordinary housewife," Diskin's voice weaves the personal everyday struggles that bring depth, color, and passion into what is an extraordinary account.

A troubled childhood weighted with overbearing responsibility, fear and insecurity, depression, and the challenges of marriage and adult relationships, Diskin's life has never been easy. However, the one constant in her life - her faith in God - underpins and provides the foundation upon which she now stands - against injustice.

My Review

I don't think there is one person, of a certain age and above, who hadn't heard of the Jill Dando murder. She was a big tv personality on Crime Watch so we all knew of her and when it was announced she had been murdered everyone was shocked. That is about as much as I remember, I don't remember following anything in the news as I was younger and didn't really follow anything like that. So when the opportunity came to read this book I absolutely agreed, I like reading true crime and it would be interesting to read more about the case.

It is worth noting that this is not all about Barry George, the man accused of killing Dando although he does of course feature a lot in it. This is his sister Michelle's story, everything is through her, where she was when she heard, everything that transpired afterwords through her experiences. Background and family history of Barry and Michelle, their relations, upbringing and the journey they went through, experiences with the police, prison, media and how it affected them and their immediate family. As well as battling to prove her brothers innocence, Diskin also reveals the loss and heart break she experiences during this time and how she her faith got her through some of the hardest times during it all. There are also verses included from the bible and at the very end an inclusion of the organisations that helped Barry and Michelle during their ordeal. Michelle has spoken in many places and done interviews in relation to what they experienced and survived.

It is a book that spans across twenty years and we hear a little snippet from Diskin's grown children, how they felt, looking back on everything that happened. There are a few mentions of other people who were wrongly accused and a bit explaining what the organisations are and what they do with links added for readers to explore more if they so wish. Raw in places and an emotive book I imagine for her to write, her faith is evident through many of the passages. Absolutely worth a read and it makes you realise how quick many of us are to make judgments based upon things we read/see on the newspapers/tv and the toll that can take on others, 3.5/5 for me.

View all my reviews

The Wrong Envelope by Liz Treacher

Welcome to the blog blitz for "The Wrong Envelope" by Liz Treacher, this is a blog blitz for #LoveBooksTours.




Blurb for the book

Summer 1920. Two worlds are about to collide.Evie Brunton loves her job. Twice a day, she spins along the narrow lanes of Devon on her bicycle, delivering letters from a heavy post bag. When the flamboyant London artist, Bernard Cavalier, drops like a meteor into her sleepy village, everything changes. Bernard is supposed to be painting for an important exhibition, but the countryside has its own charms, in particular his young post lady…Light and witty, and full of twists and turns, The Wrong Envelope is a charming romantic comedy. It captures the spirit of another age – when letters could change lives.

Buy Link from Amazon.






About the author

Liz is a writer, a Creative Writing teacher and an Art photographer. She lives in the Highlands of Scotland with a view of the sea. Her love of images influences her writing.

Her debut novel, 'The Wrong Envelope', is a romantic comedy, set in 1920 in Devon, England. It tells the story of Bernard, an impulsive artist and Evie, his beautiful post lady. You can watch the trailer on this page, under 'Videos'. Light and witty, and full of twists and turns, 'The Wrong Envelope' captures the spirit of another age - when letters could change lives.

The sequel, 'The Wrong Direction', follows Evie and Bernard to London, and charts their further adventures in Mayfair's high society. Wild parties, flirtatious models, jealous friends - Bernard and Evie must negotiate many twists and turns if they are to hold on to each other.

You can find Liz on her website and Twitter

For my stop I have a wee extract from the book, enjoy!




This extract is about when the post lady, Evie Brunton invites the artist, Bernard Cavalier for dinner with her parents.

Mr Brunton looked pointedly at his watch. ‘I’m sure he’ll be here any minute—’ Evie began. ‘I hope so dear, or the chicken will be overdone,’ said Mrs Brunton, hurrying out to have another look at it.‘I can’t abide lateness in a young man,’ said Mr Brunton.

The doorbell rang and Evie rushed to get it. Bernard was well turned out in a jacket and tie. But in the pocket of his jacket, an enormous spotted hanky, possibly the one that had earlier acted as a germ barrier, fanned out in an over-exuberant way. It seemed so out of place in their dingy porch that she couldn’t bear to look at it. It also made her dress look shabby somehow. ‘Do come in,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’ He was holding a bunch of flowers and they hadn’t travelled well. As he stepped into the house, a few heads fell off and landed on the carpet. She led him into the parlour where her father was waiting. ‘Bernard Cavalier,’ said her father, getting up to greet him. He said cavalier, like the adjective. ‘E – A. Caval E – A, like the French knight,’ Evie said quickly. ‘Mr Burnton,’ Bernard smiled, getting his own back. Mrs Brunton emerged from the kitchen, flushed from the range. Bernard gave a low bow. ‘Enchanté, Madame!’ he said and, taking her hand, kissed it in a very gallant manner. Mrs Brunton giggled. Then he held out the wilting posy. ‘Thank you. Wild flowers are my favourite,’ said Mrs Brunton graciously.

Evie quickly took them from her mother. ‘They look as though they need a drink,’ she said, keen to escape, even for a few moments. She ran into the kitchen, steamy from the vegetables boiling on the stove, opened a window and leaned her forehead against it. This was going to be a nightmare. When she came back through, Bernard was talking loudly, waving a glass of sherry around as he spoke. ‘I didn’t actually see active service,’ he was saying, ‘you see, luckily for me war ended while I was still in training.’ ‘I see,’ said Mr Brunton. ‘It feels awkward sometimes,’ confessed Bernard. ‘What, not getting maimed, gassed or killed?’ asked Mr Brunton helpfully. ‘I suppose I feel as if I didn’t really do my bit.’ ‘Well, I suppose you didn’t. Is dinner ready, dear?’

They moved from the parlour into the dining room. As they made the short silent walk from one room to the other, Bernard spied a piano across the hallway. ‘Do you play?’ he asked Mrs Brunton. ‘A little,’ said Mrs Brunton and she giggled again. The table was set with their best china and cutlery. Evie thought it looked very old-fashioned. Bernard sat opposite her and beside Mrs Brunton. As one, the Bruntons released their napkins from their rings, unfolded them and put them on their laps. Bernard ignored his. Between the grapefruit starter and the roast chicken, it rolled sadly onto the floor. The conversation improved over dinner: Mrs Brunton asked about London and Bernard was full of stories about people he knew and she had heard of. Evie picked at her chicken wing. Despite snubbing his napkin, Bernard had decent table manners. He managed to polish off his chicken, peas and roast potatoes without talking with his mouth full, spitting or elbowing Evie’s mother. This was silently noted by all three Bruntons. After the main course, Evie sprang up, cleared the plates and brought in the jam roly-poly.

The pudding was not one of Mrs Brunton’s best. The sponge had dried up, taking most of the jam with it, and the whole thing tasted rather rubbery. The covering of custard did little to disguise the disappointment of what lay beneath. Bernard gallantly pushed his helping around the plate and Mrs Brunton noticed. ‘I’m sorry about the pudding,’ she mumbled. ‘Mais Madame,’ replied Bernard, reverting to the French of earlier, ‘Votre cuisine est magnifique!’ ‘I beg your pardon, sir?’ Mr Brunton spoke fluent French. ‘I feel a song coming on!’ cried Bernard. As Evie choked on the last of her roly-poly, he jumped up and nimbly hopped over to the piano room opposite, leaving the door open. He settled himself on the piano stool and started to compose a ballad for his hostess.

The grapefruit was divine, the chicken was sublime, So who cares if the dessert is just a little tough? Yes, just a little rough, at least it’s not as dry as a desert. The reluctant audience could hear Bernard loud and clear, but they could only catch glimpses of him smiling at them as he swayed backwards and forwards, coming in and out of view from behind the doorframe, singing his heart out. Mrs Brunton looked confused and embarrassed; an expressionless Mr Brunton took the opportunity to stretch his neck, backwards and forwards, this way and that. Evie thought she might die of excruciation, wished she could, but she would first murder Bernard.