The Summer of Secrets by Alison Lucy

 

Set in glamorous Mexico, three young women set off on personal adventures. Each hoping to unlock the missing clues that will help them find out who they really are ...

One heady summer. Three big secrets.

 

1989:

Newlyweds Danny and Harriet arrive at their honeymoon paradise in the Caribbean. Days later Harriet returns home. Danny is left distraught but finds comfort in the arms of two women. Nine months later, three baby girls are born...

 

2010:

Megan leaves her childhood sweetheart behind in the UK to go in search of her long-lost father. Miles from home and temptation is at every corner - not least in the arms of the gorgeous Ray...

 

Esmé, a Mexican beauty, married Miguel at fifteen. In unlocking the secrets of her past, can she shed the shackles of her enforced marriage? Claudia has led a life of privilege but she's never really known what it feels like to be loved. Could David be the answer? Or will he disappoint her, just like her mother always did?

 

Three women set off on an adventure to uncover the secrets surrounding their missing father. It may be the only way to lay their demons to rest but seeking out the truth could tear their lives apart.

 

 

The Summer Secrets is full of intrigue as Megan, Esme and Claudia search for their father, Danny Featherbow. Danny hasn't been seen since 1989 and is presumed dead so what happened on the night he was last seen alive?

 

All three women have been brought up in very different circumstances; Megan was raised believing another man was her father and rebelled from the day she discovered the truth, Esme married a man she didn't love at 16 while Claudia was born into a rich family but lacked any real love.

 

I loved the journey each woman took to decide she must go in search of Danny. All three have their own issues but I cared about each of them and willed them on in their quest.

 

The Summer of Secrets isn't just about the mystery surrounding Danny Featherbow; it is about love - or the lack of love - and its complications and consequences. I found it to be a great read and when I had to put it down, I was itching to pick it back up again. This is Alison Lucy's first novel and I will definitely be on the look out for her books in the future.

 

The Summer of Secrets will be released on 17th May 2012

 

 

Thank you to Constable & Robinson for sending me a copy to review.

Roll Up! Roll Up!

On Friday we surprised the kids with a trip to the circus as it had been set up a 15-20 minute walk away from us. We had really good ringside seats so we got to see everything (and got wet, twice, by the clowns).

There was something for everyone, from Mickey Mouse and friends taking part in their own version of Britain's Got Talent, to clowns, acrobats, illusionists, strongmen, motorbike tricks and plenty of scantily clad ladies. I think the partner and I enjoyed it just as much as the kids did!

Book 2 - Cutting, Pasting and New Names

One day I will write a first draft and when I start the second draft it will be straight forward, with the scenes all there and in the right order. They'll be no cutting and pasting involved, only a bit of tidying up.

But unfortunately not with this book.

Actually, I'm enjoying this draft. Granted, it's only been just over a week so we're still very much in the honeymoon period. There's already been quite a bit of work going on. I've had to shift quite a few scenes, delete some pap and write new scenes from scratch as Karen's love life is a bit more complicated in this draft.

That's my main character's shiny new name by the way. She used to be Joanna but it didn't feel right and didn't go with her love interest's name as they had the same initial and it sounded a bit cheesy and clunky. I didn't realise this until I'd almost reached the end of the first draft. I thought it would be weird changing her name  after so long but it hasn't been. It feels like she's always been Karen so I'm taking that as a good sign.

Women & Children First by Gill Paul

Women & Children First is set on the Titanic and tells the story of Reg, Juliette and Annie.

Reg Parsons is a 21 year old first class steward. He has worked on many ships but he is hoping one day he will save enough money to set up a business of his own and afford some of the luxuries he sees around him on a daily basis in first class.

Juliette Mason-Parker is a first class passenger who is travelling with her mother, Lady Mason-Parker. Her mother is desperate to find Juliette a rich husband on board but Juliette isn't so keen. 

Annie is a third class passenger travelling with her children to America where her husband is waiting. She hasn't seen Seamus for 18 months and she can't wait to start their new life together.

The first part of the book centres around the ill-fated voyage and the passengers on board. Reg is intrigued when he sees a beautiful young woman aboard the ship who nobody else seems to have seen. Where is she and why is she hiding? We also discover the reason Lady Mason-Parker is so desperate to find a husband for her daughter.

The second part deals with the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic, following some of the survivors and seeing how they coped and dealt with life afterwards. Secrets are discovered and nobody's life will be the same.

I really enjoyed Women and Children First. I find stories of the Titanic tragic yet fascinating and what I liked most about the book is it continued their stories beyond the sinking and being rescued. It dealt with the problems and traumas of trying to get back to normal when you have been through something so horrific and lost the people you loved the most. The book has clearly been researched thoroughly, which came across in the details of the ship and the events that unfolded.

At the end of the book there are facts about the Titanic and Gill Paul also explained the inspiration of the characters she wrote about, which, as an aspiring writer I absolutely loved.

The Love Letter by Fiona Walker

When Allegra North parted from first love Francis after a decade together, she poured all her regret into a letter. He didn't reply. A year later, her job brings her back to the beautiful Devon coast where romance first blossomed and she hopes that they can start a new chapter.

As summer storms circle, the exes juggle rebellious parents, vengeful family members and a very reluctant celebrity author who holds the key to everybody's future . . .


I have to admit it took me quite a while to get into the book and I found myself struggling. There were a lot of characters and their histories to absorb all at once and, if I'm honest, I didn't think I would make it to the end.

But I perservered and then, quite suddenly, I became hooked. It was at approximately 150 pages in, but as the book is quite a hefty one at over 600 pages, I still had plenty of book left to enjoy. I was drawn into Farcombe and the many twists, turns and mysteries surrounding the Protheroe family.

I found Allegra (aka Legs) to be a fun, flirty character and I loved both the budding friendship with author Gordon Lapis and the tension between her and Byrne.

I'd already read Sealed With a Kiss, the short story prequel to The Love Letter but both are stand alone stories in their own right so it isn't essential to read both, although it did add further insight into both the letter and Legs' relationships with Francis and her boss, Conrad.

Book 2 - Editing With Rose-Tinted Glasses

After a month away from Book 2, I have started the 2nd draft. The month away did the book the world of good (I hope) as taking a step back allowed me to see where I had gone wrong or how I could improve what was already there.

It dawned on me suddenly that it was all too easy with the love element of the book. She meets the dude and they start dating, they fall in love. Then there is a slight hiccup at the end but that is quickly resolved. While this may be fantastic for the character involved, it isn't as interesting for the reader. We need a few spanners thrown into the works, a twist here, a turn there. No smooth A-B for me, please.

So I'm sorry, dear Main Character, but your life is about to get a bit more complicated. I hope you'll forgive me (psst, don't tell anyone but it all works out in the end).

This means the 2nd draft isn't going to be quite as simple as I'd envisaged. I'm feeling a bit of deja vu. I thought the 2nd draft of Book 1 was going to be plain sailing. It was far from it. I rewrote almost the whole book in the end, which was worth it when I finally finished but bloody hard work.

Ah, yes. Now I remember the hard work. I'd been quite looking forward to getting my hands back on Book 2 for the 2nd draft, playing around with it. A bit of cutting and pasting, adding in the odd scene. It was going to be wonderfully creative. And now I have just burst my own bubble. I've been looking forward to the 2nd draft with rose-tinted glasses.

The 2nd draft is going to be hell.

But I'm ready for it (I think). At least this time I know what I'm letting myself in for. Eek!

Insecure Writer's Support Group

The idea of the Insecure Writers Support Group is for writers to blog on the first Wednesday of the month about their fears, struggles and triumphs they have experienced with their writing.


Last week I received my first 'ever so slightly positive' rejection for Book 1. I've only ever received the standard 'thanks but no thanks' type and thought this was no different.

I won't lie. I was gutted. I really REALLY wanted to be taken on by this agent. I read the email quickly, getting the jist. Another big fat no.

But I read it again and that's when I saw the teeniest glimmer of hope. The book wasn't right for them. However, they would be interested in seeing any other submissions I wished to send to them.

Now, this could be standard for this agency. They might just be super duper nice in their rejections but I have decided to take this as a positive (cling to it, actually). Maybe, just maybe, my writing isn't such tripe that they never want me to darken their inbox with it again.

Hey, there's a chance. I hope.