Lover by Moonlight by Emily Arden

 

Lover by Moonlight is an engaging erotic romance that takes the reader on a whirlwind of emotions, set against an idyllic backdrop of Oxford, the English countryside and Verona.

The story is essentially the sexual awakening of twenty year old Rosa as she falls in love for the first time. Complications arise as the object of her desire is her step brother, Roberto. Although her feelings are returned, Roberto embarks upon the subterfuge of pretending to be someone else, in order to make love to Rosa thus setting in motion a complex chain of events.

In Rosa, Emily Arden has constructed a realistic young woman, who is studying at Oxford and desperate to spread her wings and experience more of life. She is on the cusp between girl and woman and Arden very effectively illustrates all of the confusing feelings that are part and parcel of that time.

The story is told to us from the perspective of both Rosa and Roberto, so we are able to see how each of them is trying to avoid what they are feeling. As they hide behind pretences and, other characters such as heart throb actor, Aaron Forsythe and Italian beauty Lysabella are drawn into their midst to cloud issues even further, Arden successfully builds the tension that adds an extra spark to the story.

Arden also creates the perfect backdrop to her story as the setting changes from Oxford to Rosa’s family home in the countryside and Roberto’s villa in Verona. The descriptions of Italy are particularly sumptuous and the reader can almost experience the warmth of the sun and the wonderful food that intensifies the romance being played out between Rosa and Roberto. The skill with which Arden employs descriptive language is also evident in the sex scenes, which are neither smutty nor gratuitous.

I think in Rosa, Arden creates a convincing and likeable character. She is a naive girl and I particular liked her friendships with Sara and the more flighty Tamsin. I have to confess though that I had more trouble liking Roberto, partly because of the way he manipulates Rosa. In fairness, he tortures himself over his behaviour but I found it hard to forgive him. I also had slight issues about the fact that at 34, he’s a lot older than Rosa and has in fact been her step brother since she was three.

Arden goes to great pains, however, to show that the relationship is equal and both characters have been attracted to each other long before their sexual liaison. In fact, even though Rosa thinks she is having sex with someone else, she is fantasising that it is Roberto so maybe I am being over-sensitive.

The lovely Italian backdrop makes this book the perfect choice for a summer read and, if you like romance with a hint of erotica, then I think this could be just the book for you.

The Girl In The White Pajamas by Chris Birdy

The Girl In The White Pajamas is the literary equivalent of comfort food. It hooked me in from the opening page and, after the stresses and strains of everyday life, I found myself looking forward to the time spent with my kindle getting my nightly fix. It’s the kind of book that demands nothing of you but delivers entertainment and escapism in spades.

The novel starts with a fatal shooting which weaves a web of mystery that becomes increasingly complex and keeps us guessing until the very end. The murder forces Bogie McGruder to leave his new home in Florida and return to Boston, where he has to deal with his estranged family and an ex-lover. At the same time he is forging a relationship with a three year old daughter who he gets to meet for the first time. All of the characters are somehow linked to the murder of a man, who turns out to be a cop and Bogie’s half brother. It becomes a race against time for Bogie and his colleagues at R&B Investigations to try and unravel the mystery.

As gripping as the plot is, for me it’s the characters who make the novel so readable. Bogie has survived a horrendous childhood at the hands of a father and step mother who didn’t want him but despite this he is a kind person and a loving father. Bogie’s strength is that he cares about people and consequently is able to create a sense of family wherever he goes. He even takes care of the step mother who made his life hell as she succumbs to dementia and falls on hard times.

Chris Birdy also offers us a fabulous cast of likeable, strong female characters, ranging from the delightfully precocious three year old Isabella to Bogie’s designer clad, no-nonsense partner Rose. Bogie’s relationship with Bailey, the mother of his child is as complex as she is. An unsuccessful lawyer, drowning in debt, Bailey’s sense of helplessness in the face of her predicament is conveyed effectively by Birdy and elicits much sympathy.

The Girl In The White Pajamas is the first in the Pajama series and my only slight issue with it is that it read a lot like a sequel. So much so that I did in fact check that I was reading the right book. It in no way impeded my enjoyment of the novel but, at times I felt as if I was being plunged headlong into a story and relationships that had already been developed as there is very little background given.

What Birdy does give us though is a very satisfying read with characters that are easy to engage with and like. If you’re looking for a novel to take you away from what’s going on in the real world for a while then I think this is the book for you. I am very much looking forward to reading the next story in the series and catching up with Bogie and his ‘family’. 

The Highlander (The Rise of the Aztecs Series Book 1) by Zoe Saadia

The Highlander is the story of two boys whose friendship defies tribal feuds and wars. Initially, I wasn’t sure whether the novel was aimed at a teenage or adult audience but it quickly became apparent that it doesn’t really matter. The Highlander is a thrilling, thought provoking read for all ages.

The two boys, Kuini, a Highlander and Coyotl, who is from the lowlands are both something of free spirits and meet by chance as children. Their friendship endures through secret meetings and notes and the main action of the story takes place when they are fifteen and political tensions within the region are at a crisis point. Zoe Saadia uses her novel to communicate the valuable message, particularly for young people, that our similarities as human beings are far more important than any cultural differences.

Kuini and Coyotl couldn’t have had more different upbringings. Kuini has been raised to be a warrior in the more remote, harsh conditions of the Highlands where his father is a Warlord while Coyotl has enjoyed a pampered childhood as the first son of the Emperor in the more urbane Great Capital. However, both boys possess an openness and curiosity about life beyond their own experiences. It is this natural curiosity that lends excitement to the plot and places the boys, particularly Kuini, in a perilous situation.

Saadia’s passion and knowledge of history is evident on every page and this lends a great deal of credence to the novel. There are lots of names and places that are difficult to remember but, as I lost myself in the sheer pleasure of the story, the names that mattered stuck and the rest simply melted away without standing in the way of my enjoyment.

I particularly liked the way Saadia uses the character of Iztac, who is Coyotl’s half-sister, to show how women were used as pawns, offered by up by their fathers as a means of appeasing other men. Watching Iztac’s fate unfold and her spirit and intelligence squandered, is heartbreaking. We also see how wives are displaced at the whim of their husbands as Iztac’s own mother has never recovered from the indignity of being replaced as the Emperor’s chief wife.

All in all, The Highlander is a thoroughly engaging read about friendship but there are very serious undertones that make it a relevant choice for readers of all ages. The Highlander is book one in The Rise of the Aztecs’ series and it sets a very high bar indeed. 

Hollywood Shakedown by Mark Barry

Hollywood Shakedown is an atmospheric crime novel in the tradition of Chandler and Ellroy. Set against a backdrop of the seedy side of LA, the plot is driven by a quest to find a rare manuscript that may or may not exist and Barry takes us on a breakneck journey with mini-sojourns in Chicago and London along the way.

The main protagonist is Buddy Chinn, a writer who doesn’t write but spends all his time drinking, gambling and wondering about the whereabouts of his lover and soul mate Monique instead. Buddy is a complex character, who tests our patience and ultimately has the potential to disappoint us. Barry’s skill and confidence as a writer, however, is evident in the way he gives us Buddy, warts and all, to make of what we will. Buddy’s fatal flaw is his fear of abandonment brought about by having to live in the shadow of a mostly absent father, a father who also happened to be an alcoholic and successful writer. Buddy’s entire life is defined by his insecurity and a crippling fear of failure.

His relationships with others are inevitably difficult. He loves Monique more than he’s ever loved anyone but he can’t trust her and their relationship is tainted by his fear of being truthful about who he is and what he wants. Monique is a free spirit, who pays a heavy price for loving Buddy and we are left in the end wondering if she deserves better. The heart of the novel turns out to be Simon Harris, a transplanted Brit who, despite being a bit of a wide boy, provides the conscience and reason that Buddy lacks.

One of my favourite themes in novels is when cultures collide and this is played out to great effect in Hollywood Shakedown. Barry takes great delight in setting Buddy, a life-long Los Angeleno, loose in a world that couldn’t be more different to his own. I laughed out loud several times as Buddy navigates pubs and has to endure a football game complete with Bovril. During his travels, Buddy encounters a myriad of characters and, one of Barry’s strengths is that there are no ‘throwaway’ characters, no matter how small or insignificant their function within the novel may be.

As the novel draws to a close with Buddy and Simon preparing to face their tormentor, the tension becomes almost palpable. Barry can’t resist playing with us a little bit, offering an alternative ending, but finally we are left feeling battered, bruised and a little bit heartbroken, much like Buddy himself.

As Snow Falls by Elle Klass

As Snow Falls is a simple, unusual story, in which Elle Klass affords us a glimpse of a woman’s life in its entirety. The novella begins with an old woman, who has reached the end of her life, reminiscing about the unusual twists and turns it has taken.

The novella starts off in an almost cinematic style, which is very effective and allows the reader to get a vivid image of where the old woman is. The isolation is emphasised, not only by the fact that she is in a cabin far from the beaten track, but also due to the heavy snowfall that will further cut the cabin off from the world.

The style of the novella is unusual in that there are no characters, dialogue or interactions. All events are related to us by the old woman, who remains nameless, which creates a sense of distance, seeming to further isolate us from her. Each chapter is essentially a memory which ends with a description of the old woman resting in her chair, waiting to die. This repetition and rhythm mirrors the rhythm of the woman’s life.

The woman’s memories begin in the womb with her reluctance to leave her “sanctuary” and thus start a journey that is not always easy. The woman is a prickly character, especially during her childhood and young adulthood, where she finds it difficult to get on with people. She sees society as an “evil” for forcing her to attend school and then go into the work place where she is unhappy.

The novella adopts a supernatural/spiritual tone, when the woman meets a seeming stranger in a park, and decides to change her life by embarking upon several years of travel. Dreams and premonitions also feature heavily in the story. The woman’s life improves when she finds true love and from then on her memories are the more conventional ones of marriage, children and the loss of loved ones.

I think As Snow Falls has a lot to recommend it. Klass is clearly an assured writer and she sets a scene of isolation beautifully. My only misgiving is that the nature of the story makes it difficult to connect with what is essentially the only character in the book. Klass clearly demonstrates how we are all isolated within ourselves, no matter how much we may love other people but has ultimately isolated us from the heart of the story by not allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in it.  That being said, I really admire the fact that Klass has tried to do something different with her writing and if you are looking for an original, quirky read then you should give this one a try. 

One Summer In France by Bev Spicer

One summer in France is a light-hearted, breezy memoir, which will resonate with anyone who survived the 80s. Bev Spicer’s account of a 1979 summer spent with her friend Carol in France is littered with cultural references such as pop music and the notoriously popular ‘Charlie’ perfume.

Spicer’s description of her university life in Keele will strike a chord with those of us who have endured communal living. She humorously depicts the mix of people you are likely to find yourself living amongst, including the universally loathed obsessive food labeller.

The memoir is set at a time when the world was a more innocent, less security conscious place and life moved at a slower pace. Education was not only free but bursaries were being handed out like biscuits, hence the £350 that Bev is awarded for a so-called cultural experience in France. Spicer captures the sheer joy, naiveté and arrogance that goes along with being twenty but tempers it with the wry nod of her older self. It’s her a 80s adult voice that acknowledges how lucky students of the 70s and 80s were in comparison to now and we sense her adult dismay at the wild abandon with which the girls travel helmetless and fearlessly on their hired mopeds.

 Interrailing, for lots of us in the 80s, was a rite of passage and Spicer perfectly evokes the mood of that time when every European kid under the age of twenty five seemed to be on the move. Her memoir is, for the most part, a series of encounters that Bev and Carol have with different people such as the locals whose only livelihood comes from tourism, parents who are desperate to offload their kids onto the girls and the spectacular fifteen year old Swedish girl happily travelling around Europe by herself. We see the cultural differences filtered through the eyes of two middle-class students whose only agenda is to have a good time. What comes across loud and clear is something that we probably already know but is always pleasing to revisit and that’s the fact that people are generally good and decent wherever in the world you happen to go.

What I particularly enjoyed about the memoir is the relationship between Carol and Bev. The girls are very different; Carol is loud and confident whereas Bev fancies herself as a bit of an intellectual, taking great pains to let the people around her know she is reading the likes of Moliere or Baudelaire. The story though, at its heart, is a celebration of friendship and the kind of intense friendship that is unique to young women.

If you are looking for a light read that will take you down memory lane and have you chuckling at Bev and Carol’s adventures then this is the book for you. 

Presidential Shift by C. G. Cooper

Presidential Shift by C. G. Cooper is the perfect weekend read if you’re looking for a bit of escapism from the grind of real life. It’s the fourth book in the Corps Justice series although, given that it is the first one I’ve read, I was able to enjoy it as a standalone read. There are some references to incidents that have gone before and relationships have obviously developed throughout the series but none of this impeded on the flow of the story.

The novel is driven by political intrigue and chicanery and centres on a company called SSI which is manned by ex- service personnel. The lead character, whose father founded the company, is a former Marine named Cal Stokes and he is hired by the President to investigate corruption within the US government.

Events take a more sinister turn when two attempts are made on the First Lady’s life and Cal and his SSI colleagues become caught up in a domestic terrorist plot that leads them to a group of white supremacists. The main cast of characters are convincing and the banter between them believable. Some of the relationships had obviously been forged through events in previous novels which made me want to read more. My curiosity was particular piqued by Senator Brandon Zimmer, Stokes’ former foe who is now his good friend.

The narrative is fuelled by action with lots of twists and turns and there is a surprising twist at the end which adds an extra punch to the story. If you enjoy losing yourself in ‘24’ style adventure then this will be your kind of thing.