The life of a Second Wife by Margaret Graham

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Frost is so pleased to see Elizabeth Buchan’s novel, The Second Wife picked out by Daisy Goodwin in her feature in the Daily Mail: Second Marriages – key novels to help you through the trickier times in life.

Daisy Goodwin discusses Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, Before She Met Me by John Barnes, and Sunday Times No 1 bestselling author, and patron of Words for the Wounded, Elizabeth Buchan, and her novel The Second Wife.

The Second Wife explores the world of the mistress who becomes the wife – overtones of Sir James Goldsmith who did just that, and thereby created a vacancy. Ouch.
According to Buchan the second marriage is a world that can be less than appealing, full of pitfalls and of course, baggage. Elizabeth Buchan, who spoke recently at the Words for the Wounded LitFest at Downley, High Wycombe, (Frost’s editor, Catherine Balavage spoke later in the day) examines Minty’s experiences of a second marriage sympathetically, but with her usual incisive wit and elegance. It is a compelling and heart-warming novel, as are her others, the most recent being the thought provoking and excellent I Can’t Begin to Tell You set in Denmark during the 2nd World War.

It’s great to see The Second Wife having another outing. Go on, give yourself a treat – it is very well worth reading.

Elizabeth Buchan’s latest book The New Mrs Clifton will be out in August 1016. Frost is looking forward to reviewing it.

The Second Wife                 published by Penguin
I Can’t Begin to Tell you        published by Penguin
The New Mrs Clifton             published by Penguin August 2016

The European Startup Revolution Book Review

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Margaret Graham

The European Startup Revolution is a book of interviews with leading European entrepreneurs and investors.

This is a book for the entrepreneurs amongst you, and perhaps those who are not yet, but hope to be.

Ivo Spigel, co-founding editor of the technology blog www.Tech.eu has interviewed 28 European startup founders and investors over a period of 6 years for his book, “The European Startup Revolution“.

The European startup and technology ecosystem has changed dramatically over the past 6 years, as it recovers from the 2008 financial crisis. No longer content to take the back seat, founders of European startups have been busy creating global winners, particularly in areas such as fintech (TransferWise), music (SoundCloud, Deezer) and gaming (Supercell, Nordeus, Playfish).

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Ivo Spigel has interviewed many of Europe’s most successful startup founders, from Spain to Finland and from Britain to Hungary. In the 28 chapters of The European Startup Revolution, the author takes an intimate look into the company with the founders to explore their early days, the critical steps to the evolution of their companies and how they developed over time.

Each chapter has a ‘before’ and ‘after’ part, speaking to the entrepreneurs first in 2010 – 2011 and then revisiting them 4-5 years later to learn what has become of their ventures. Most have been very successful, but there are valuable lessons to be learned from those who have not.

The companies covered are many, and include Zemanta, the venture funds Atlas, as well as Skimlinks, Playfish, Last.fm, Rebate Networks, Dailymotion, PriceMinister, Getjar, Index Ventures, Supercell, and others.

“The European tech landscape is changing“ commented author Ivo Spigel “and there is a need to report on these dynamic developments. Europe has nurtured some amazing companies that have not always had the media attention they deserve. I’ve written this book as an exploration and a celebration of European entrepreneurship.“

The book, is available at www.europeanstartuprevolution.com and www.Tech.eu, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Apple Books and Kobo.

A Girl’s Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber Reviewed by Jan Speedie

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Leanne and her daughter-in-Law Nichole are both coping with the aftermath of divorce and decide to compile a guide to help them move on. Two years on both Leanne and Nichole have pushed forward with their careers and have found new relationships. Just as they feel life is good, people from their past try to spoil their new happiness and bring difficult family challenges which they must overcome to secure their bright future.

Debbie Macomber is a bestselling author in the USA with over 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. It is said she is a master of feel good stories, ones which raise the spirits of those dealing with relationship problems.

So how much of a master is she?

A Girl’s Guide to Moving On is easy reading and it certainly does bring raise the spirits in our hum drum world, especially as we wait for spring to be sprung.

The pace is brisk, the emotive thrust draws us in, and it is one of there rare things these days, a wholesome and satisfying read.

Another few million sales on the way it would seem. Great stuff.

Debbie lives with her husband, Wayne in Port Orchard, Washington. As well as her best selling fiction Debbie has published two cookbooks, numerous non-fiction works and two children books. Debbie is a devoted grandmother and works for several charities. Debbie and Wayne spend their winters in Florida.

Published by Arrow in paperback on 10th March 2016 at £5.99

The Last Thing I Remember by Deborah Bee Reviewed by Frances Colville

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Margaret Graham

One of the launch titles for Twenty7 books, an imprint of Bonnier Publishing Fiction, The Last Thing I Remember by Deborah Bee is a gripping read. Sarah is in an induced coma after a mugging, unable to move, see or communicate or to remember anything about herself and her past life. She is, however, able to listen in to conversations going on around her. Can she make sense of what has happened to her, remember who she is and alert the medical team to the fact that she is not brain dead? Kelly is a stroppy yet sensitive and intelligent teenager who spends a great deal of time at Sarah’s bedside. What part does she play in all this and can she help Sarah recover? And who is the man who appears at Sarah’s bedside when no-one else is around and whom no-one knows?

Deborah Bee keeps the tension high and the reader guessing until the very last page. I couldn’t put it down. If you’re a fan of Gone Girl, or The Girl on the Train or any of Sophie Hannah’s psychological thrillers, this is a book for you. Just one word of warning, if you object to very frequent (albeit integral to the story) use of the f-word then it might not suit you.

The Last Thing I Remember (Twenty7 books) is available as an Ebook from 3 March 2016 and in paperback from 28 July 2016.

The Glory By Katie Flynn (writing as Judith Saxton) Reviewed by Janet Speedie

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Frostie

Katie Flynn is a well known and successful writer who also writes as Judith Saxton.

Book two of this family saga follows the Neyler family through the dark years of WW1 and their hopes for a brighter future.

The Glory follows the lives of Ted and Tina’s family and friends during a dark and difficult period. The story starts in Norfolk in 1912 when there are only distant rumours of war.

Follow and enjoy the Neyler’s trials and tribulations of family life, though, if you haven’t read the previous novel in the series, you might find that you flounder a bit in the early stages trying to work out who is who. Once you get the hang of the characters, though, and sink into a poignant and readable wartime story you’ll thoroughly enjoy it. Keep your hankie at the ready though, and be amused by the twist at the end.

What adventures will Judith Saxton aka Katie Flynn bring to the Neyler family in Book 3? I can hardly wait.

Katie Flynn was born in Norfolk but moved with her husband and family to the North West. Katie is a compulsive writer with over 80 titles published under several names, one of which is Judith Saxton. Even suffering with ME for the past few years, Katie continues to write her stories for which I am grateful.

Published by Arrow on 10^th March 2016 priced £6.99

Song of the Skylark by Erica James Reviewed by Frances Colville

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Song of the Skylark is Erica James 20^th novel and having read all the others I can confidently say that it doesn’t disappoint. Telling the stories of Clarissa Dallimore before and during the Second World War and Lizzie Moran in the present day, this is really two books in one, but there are enough links between the two to make the story flow and the plotting work well.

Lizzie has a reputation for attracting bad luck and the story begins with her ending a relationship, losing a much loved job and being compelled through lack of money to move back to her parents’ home. Against her better judgment she begins a temporary job and meets Mrs Dallimore who is also reluctantly having to adjust to a new situation, in her case old age necessitating a move to a care home. A friendship develops between the two as they learn about each other’s past, and try to adapt to their present situations.

Both main characters are well-drawn and easy to identify with, as are the other more minor characters in the book. And Erica James has a delightfully fluent style of writing which draws you in and means that you don’t want to stop reading. If a good story and the feel-good factor is what you are looking for, I recommend this wholeheartedly and the same goes for all Erica James’ other books.

Song of the Skylark: Orion Books – available in hardback from 17 March 2016, with paperback and ebook editions to follow.

March Top Picks: Rhubarb Gin, Mesa Sunrise, Books & Beard Oil

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Frostie

Mesa Sunrise Gluten Free Cereal

Mesa Sunrise is a gluten free cereal. It is crispy multigrain cereal flakes made with organic corn, flax, quinoa and amaranth. It is also wheat free. I thought this cereal would taste healthy. Not good healthy like avocado but, bad healthy. How wrong I was. At a loss for what to have for lunch because I had not gone shopping, I grabbed the cereal and: it’s delicious. I would definitely buy it again. It is crispy and filling too. A win.

The Great British Grooming Company Beard Oil.

Smooths and softens beards, it has Argan oil which helps to alleviate a dry, coarse beard. The bearded men of Frost thought it was great.

The Book: Springtime at Cherry Tree Cottage.

A fun and enjoyable read from bestselling author Cathy Woodman. If you love animals and horses this book will definitely be a hit.

After years of training, horse-mad Flick has finally achieved her dream of becoming one of the few female blacksmiths in the country.

Her first job is in Talyton St George. The little cottage on the green where she is staying is idyllic, and it feels like the fresh start she needs. But she soon finds she is having to work overtime to prove her abilities to the not-so-welcoming locals.

One person very much on her side though is Robbie Salterton. He’s a bit of a local celebrity – a handsome stunt rider who does charity work in his spare time – and he seems to be going out of his way to look out for Flick. But is he just being friendly or does he see Flick as something more?

Despite swearing off men, Flick can’t help wanting to find out . . .

Springtime at Cherry Tree Cottage is available here.

This comes in a gorgeous pink bottle. Warner Edward’s Victoria’s Rhubarb Gin is made using ingredients from the Warner Edwards farm, real rhubarb. It is a tangy gin. It tastes great and is just that little bit different.

Rhubarb Gin Cocktail recipe, give it a try….

Rhubarb Fizz

Classic flavours go into this cocktail and they all work perfectly together. The ginger adds a zing to the drink whilst the lemon balances the sweetness. We tried quite a few variations of this one which were all amazing but this recipe stood out as the best. Another great drink for a celebration.

Ingredients:

50ml WarnerEdwards Victoria’s Rhubarb Gin
10ml Lemon juice
1 Teaspoon grated ginger
10ml Sugar syrup
Prosecco

Garnish: Sage leaves

Glassware: Martini

Method: Shake all ingredients (excluding the Prosecco) together and pour into champagne flute then top up with prosecco

Warner Edwards Distillery Victoria’s Rhubarb Gin is available here.

Lover by Anna Raverat. A review by Frances Colville

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Frostie

What happens when the relationship you thought was solid, even if not earth-shattering, comes to an unexpected end, leaving you with two young children to care for (and explain things to) at the same time as the job you loved starts to become complicated and untenable? In her new novel, Lover, Anna Raverat tells the story of Kate and how she copes with just that situation. T

he book begins with a Charlie M Schulz quote: Sometimes I lie awake at night, and ask, ‘Where have I gone wrong?’ Then a voice says to me, ‘This is going to take more than one night.’ which sets the scene and tone nicely.

Kate is a well-drawn character with whom it’s not hard to sympathise and her story is told with sensitivity and intuitiveness. And while it’s not a wholly original plot, there is enough individuality here to make this novel a good read.

Lover by Anna Raverat is published by Picador and available in hardback and as an ebook from 10 March 2016

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