One Moment

by

Becky Hunter

PAPERBACK PUBLICATION DAY BLOG BLITZ 

The day Scarlett dies should have been one of the most important of her life. It doesn't feel fair that she'll never have the chance to fulfil her dreams - all because she stopped to help a stranger. And now, she's still ... here - wherever here is - watching the ripple effect of her death on those she loved the most.
Evie cannot contemplate her life without Scarlett, and she certainly cannot forgive Nate, the man she blames for her best friend's death. But Nate keeps popping up when she least expects him to, catapulting Evie's life in directions she'd never let herself imagine possible.
If you could go back, knowing everything that happens after, everything that happens because of one choice you made, would you change the course of history or would you do it all again?

Review

Evie and Scarlett are the best of friends, but when Scarlett is killed on her way to work, Evie is grief stricken and doesn't know how she will ever get over her friends death. 

Scarlett tries to be a good samaritan and goes to help when she sees a man get knocked off his bike, but it's while she is helping him that she herself is hit and is fatally injured. 

Scarlett realises straight away that she is dead. She cannot communicate with Evie, but she can see how she is struggling with everyday things. Evie has MS and is not only trying to come to terms with Scarlett's untimely death, but also how to deal with her diagnosis. 

When Evie finds out that it was a man called Nate who Scarlett was helping when she was killed, she finds it so hard to forgive him, but he himself is tormented by the incident and then Evie and Nate find comfort in each other over the coming months. 

When I read the blurb of this book, I just knew it was going to be a page turner. I have read several books where one of the main characters is dead and I just love how the author writes from their perspective. Scarlett was not only sad seeing Evie having to deal with her grief, but she was also devastated that she would not be around to fulfil her own  ambitions in life. 

This was a fantastic read that I finished in just a couple of days. I didn't realise at first that this was the author's debut and I really hope it isn't too long before she writes another one. I will definitely be reading it!

About the Author

Becky Hunter worked for many years in London in the publishing industry, before taking a career break in Mozambique, where she volunteered with horses and decided to give writing a go. She now works as a freelance book publicist. One Moment is her debut novel

 The Low Road

by

Katharine Quarmby

Norfolk, 1813. In the quiet Waveney Valley, the body of a woman – Mary Tyrell – is staked through the heart after her death by suicide. She had been under arrest for the suspected murder of her newborn child. Mary leaves behind a young daughter, Hannah, who is later sent away to the Refuge for the Destitute in London, where she will be trained for a life of domestic service.

It is at the Refuge that Hannah meets Annie Simpkins, a fellow resident, and together they forge a friendship that deepens into passionate love. But the strength of this bond is put to the test when the girls are caught stealing from the Refuge's laundry, and they are sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay, setting them on separate paths that may never cross again.

Drawing on real events, The Low Road is a gripping, atmospheric tale that brings to life the forgotten voices of the past – convicts, servants, the rural poor – as well as a moving evocation of love that blossomed in the face of prejudice and ill fortune.

REVIEW

There are some books that you just know you are going to love and this was one of them. When I read the blurb and saw that it was based in Harleston, Norfolk, I knew I had to read it as I have visited there several times and heard lots of stories about local customs and even witchcraft!

Hannah is the illegitimate child of Mary Tyrell. They live on a farm and help milk the cows and are cared for by the farmer and his wife. 

When Mary gets pregnant again and gives birth in secret, Hannah helps deliver the baby and rocks her to sleep in her cradle. When Hannah wakes up the next day the baby is dead and so Mary tells her she must get rid of it. Hannah carefully bundles the baby up and puts her in a nearby river, hoping that she won't be found. 

The baby is found a few days later and Mary is accused of it's murder and thinking of no other way out, she commits suicide, leaving Hannah to be sent to a Refuge. Poor Hannah has to endure the heartbreak of her Mother being ridiculed in public after her death, because suicide was thought of as a crime in the 1800's.

It is in the Refuge that she meets Annie Simpkins. They become firm friends which then turns to love, but when the girls are caught stealing clothes from the laundry, they are put on trial and their punishment is that they will be transported to Botany Bay. 

I read three quarters of this book in one day, I just could not put it down. I needed to find out what happened to Hannah and Annie! 

The book was very well researched by the author and as I have visited the area in Norfolk where it is based, I have heard a lot of stories of folklore and witches, so this interested me from page one. 

Thank you so much to Unbounders for sending me a copy for an honest review. I absolutely loved this book and can't believe it is this author's first novel. I really hope she writes more (and soon!) as I for one, will look forward to reading it!

All Good Things by Amanda Prowse

All Good Things

By

Amanda Prowse

Review by Julie Williams

Lake Union 15/08/23

All Good Things is Amanda Prowse’s latest fabulous novel that I really enjoyed.

This is a family drama that delves into the lives of two families. The Kelleways, who outwardly appear perfect in every way and their neighbours, the Harrops, who just muddle through life enduring whatever is thrown at them. 

There are no main characters in this story as each family member has a prominent role and I found this refreshing and interesting. Each person has something to unravel, be it dishonesty, pain or love. The individual chapters are told by the person. 
Secrets unfold and shock the naivety of the characters as their pretence is unravelled. Ignorance is bliss for some but profoundly hurtful for others.  

I have no hesitation in awarding 5 stars to this delightful story that held my attention throughout.