Today I’m reviewing Lily: A Tale of Revenge by Rose Tremain.

Here’s the blurb

Nobody knows yet that she is a murderer…

London, 1850. On a freezing winter’s night, a baby is abandoned at the gates of a park only to be saved by a young policeman and taken to the Foundling Hospital.

After suffering years of brutal hardship at the Hospital, Lily is released into the world of Victorian London. But she is hiding a dreadful secret…

When Lily and the policeman meet again, Lily is convinced that he holds the key to her happiness. But might he also be the one to uncover her crime and so condemn her to death?

Review

3 things stood out when I first noticed this book, foremost my daughters middle name is Lily so that actually caught my eye, not just the name but the fact it’s a short, sharp title for a book which intrigued me, I also loved the vivid colours on the book cover, it’s very pleasing on the eye. I picked up the book to check the blurb and after that there was zero chance I could walk away without buying a copy. I imagined a very emotional journey but I had no idea just how emotional it would be and I underestimated greatly how I would feel.

As a young girl Lily is abandoned, only to be saved from certain death.. but as you read on it can I feels like death might have been a blessing from the terrors she will see in her life.

Lily is taken to the Foundling Hospital.. but care is not there primary aim.. it’s obedience and failing to do as commanded has severe consequences.

It’s a horrible cruel journey but one Lily isn’t really aware of yet, she’s too young and at first each foundling has a chance to be fostered for a short time with a real family, but for some this means they form strong connections with the family but these families are bound by rules to return the children.

Lily, among others, loves her foster family.. it’s only when they are to be returned to the hospital that many find out they are a foundling.. they were too young when fostered so the family is all they know and in a split second they are torn from that family comfort and thrust into a life of terror.. beating.. head shaving..I can’t even find the words to describe how horrible the hospital is.. but the worst is yet to come.

At one point Lily makes a very close friend and they plot to escape and go back to their foster families..they manage to escape but being young girls they don’t manage to get far and in that short time they are free they see how cruel the outside world can be.. just a glimpse but a taster of things to come.

When they arrive back at the hospital they are separated and not allowed to comfort each other. I won’t spoil what happens next but to say Lily’s small world is crushed is an understatement, added to mental pain she endures physical pain too as there’s a nurse obsessed with sin, who isnt above a bit of abuse.. you have no idea how bad she is,

When Lily is old enough, she leaves the hospital, finds a job and in time reconnects with the man who saved her.. and he still wants to save her.

The mental heartache continues when a strange connection grows between them..there’s also some striking events that happen when Lily revisits her past that could lead to the end of the connection the pair have.

In the end Lily revisits her past.. as far back as she can go and more heartache awaits her.. but maybe also her chance of a new life, of redemption.. who knows?

You can probably tell as I’ve ranted on so long that I loved the plot, engrossing and so damn emotionally draining..you feel every low with Lily, her heartache.. the moments when she just admits defeat.. the moment she snaps.. a lot of her pain in held inside but as you read the story you kind of take the role of Lily on so when events play out it’s like it’s your own emotions playing out on paper!

I don’t think many books have managed to emotionally connect with me as a reader as much as Lily did. I can’t praise this one enough. There’s a lot of tough moments but I would really recommend this to anyone who wants to feel that connection with a character as I’ve no doubt at all that you’ll love Lily just as much as I did!

5/5 Stars

To find out more head to Amazon or Goodreads

Today I’m pleased to be taking part in the blog tour for Caring Conservationists Who Are Changing Our Planet by Kate Peridot.

Here’s the blurb

Travel around the world and discover the stories of 20 conservationists and the endangered animals they are helping to save, including the orangutang, blue whale, Indian tiger, rhino, honeybee, Komodo dragon and sea turtle. Positive, uplifting and packed full of information, with 20 fun activities for children to try, this book will show children no one is too small to make a difference.  

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Review

Caring Conservationists is a wonderfully colourful introduction to conservation, the people who are devoting their lives and the animals they hope to save.

From the off, the book is perfectly targeted to catch your eye with beautiful illustrations by Sarah Long.

As we work our way through the book it’s the way the detail is presented that just make this a fun read, there’s facts but also fun activities to help engage your little ones, I love the idea of making a bee hotel, along with more in-depth topics such as learning about palm oil. The key message from the book is knowledge sharing. Conservation is a big topic but the book breaks some of this down and helps you learn what you can do to help such as participating in a beach clean-up. Rubbish is one of my pet peeves.. there’s so much litter floating around and a lot of this can be harmful to animals so we all need to be a little better and considerate.

As a parent I believe this a great addition for your children’s book collection, so would certainly recommend you buy a copy or encourage your local schools to do so. We focus so much on skills that sometimes other topics can be overshadowed, it’s all important so we need to give our children the tools to learn and encourage them find their own path in life.

Overall Kate Peridot has given the readers a colourful and engaging book, packed full of detail and the writers love of the topic shines through.

5/5 stars

My thanks go to Kate Peridot, Walker Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I accept ARCs to aid timely reviews but i’ll certainly be adding this one to my purchased collection, I just need to decide if I want paperback or hardback ha.

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Extract

To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon

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Why not follow the tour?

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Author Bio –

About Kate

Kate is an author of both fiction and non-fiction children’s books. Originally from London, she now lives with her family in the South of France. She writes wild and adventurous stories about animals, people and STEM that encourages a can-do spirit, a quest for knowledge and a sense of adventure. 

Caring Conservationists (Walker Books) is her first non-fiction children’s books. A further nine books are in production launching between 2023-2025. Find out more about Kate and her books at www.kateperidot.com .

Social Media Links –

https://www.instagram.com/kateperidot/

https://www.facebook.com/kate.peridot.7/

I’m thrilled to share my review today Of Darkness and Fire. This is the first book in a trilogy by Amber Palmer!

Here’s the blurb

Of Darkness and Fire #1

Publication Date: February 28th, 2022

Genre: Fantasy/ Romantic Fantasy

Over 100 years ago, Aethion was thrown in the middle of what would forever be known as The Great War. Kingdoms were torn apart, countless innocent lives lost because of the greed and lust for power of one man – Lachlan Roarke. His band of misfits called themselves The Horde. Which was fitting, seeing as they tended to overrun and eradicate everything in their path.

He’s the reason I lost my mother. The reason I can’t sleep at night without constant nightmares plaguing my mind. Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is her. Everything I am today is because of her and the night I was forced to stand by and watch as she was murdered.

Now, as the time draws near when I must fulfill my destiny as queen of Helia, we find ourselves on the brink of war once again. The Horde is back, although with someone unknown at their helm as leader.

The time for revenge is now, and I know it’ll be the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted. It’s my duty to save my kingdom. Not only do I owe it to my people, whom I love and swore to protect, but also to make good on the promise I made myself the night I saw the light fade from my mother’s eyes.

I will destroy all those who seek to destroy me. I only hope it won’t be the last thing I do.

Author Note: This book contains explicit content and darker elements, including mature language, violence, and sexual content. It is not not intended for anyone under 18 years of age.

Review

As soon as I read the synopsis I was intrigued by the author note..I love a bit of fantasy but this would be my first journey into romantic fantasy. Romance just isnt my thing but with that synopsis I just had to give it a go.. and I’m so glad I did.

Something I really enjoyed was the writing style.. it’s emotive. For me with fantasy it’s about setting that scene.. getting the pace just right.. I need to be able to really immerse myself in the authors world and the fast placed plot added to strong emotional scenes really helped me settle into the story.

One of the topics covered that I really liked exploring was the idea of mates, as in there is only one person out there truly for you, it’s not like you can’t care about anyone else but when you find that one.. the power it can produce..

The explicit content within the tale actually helps you understand the characters.. at times powerless to their own actions.. isnt that effect lust/love has on us?

Plot wise the flow was fast but written well and I loved how each character developed. It was almost effortless to read..to find characters you liked, flaws you hated.. traits that made you angry..again it’s all about the emotion..the connection formed with the reader.

The twists and turns really helped give this tale a kick..you can feel the build up coming.. the energy is palpable.

I’m very glad to know there’s the series continues. It’s a great start and I’m looing forward to seeing the character development moving forward. Everything is there is to hook me in so will I be reading more? Definitely.

Overall a lot of promise which I’m looking forward to seeing develop further.

4/5 Stars

To fund out more head to Amazon or Goodreads.

My thanks go to the author and RRBookTours for having me on the tour and for providing an ARC for review. As usual if you follow my blog you’ll know by know.. I’ve bought a copy too.. No free rides at David’s Book Blurg 😊

Interested?

Excerpt

You won’t make it. You’re going to be too late.

The voices in my head continued to torment and taunt me as I raced through the gilded halls of the palace. My home. I slipped around the corner of a corridor, chancing a glance briefly at the sentries standing guard by an archway. They reached out for me, tried to stop me, but their shouts fell on deaf ears; I didn’t have time to stop and explain. I was racing against an invisible clock, counting down the seconds until my life was altered—changed so irrevocably, I didn’t know how I would move on.

Their footsteps echoed off of the stone walls behind me. My heart was racing, aching as I pushed myself further, harder than I ever had before. Decades of training should have prepared me for this type of situation, but I was royally fucked. No amount of killing or training could prepare me for this. The cost of my failure would be far too great if I didn’t make it in time. Dark corridors seemed to stretch on indefinitely, drifting into a never-ending time loop.

The screams of my people rang off the palace walls. Pure, unbridled chaos from the world outside these walls continued to reign around me. Helia was under attack. There wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it from happening. They were here, The Horde, and they delighted in the torturing of my people. I was a simple fool to believe we could’ve stopped this from happening. My heart seemed to fracture. One particular scream sounded out above the rest into the chilly night air, the only one that mattered in this moment.

No. No. No.

My head was pounding, aching as my magic coiled underneath the surface of my skin. It begged to be set free, physically hurting me to keep it restrained. But I required every single last drop to do what I needed to do.

The door to the throne room came into view as I rounded the last corner, the golden archway contorting into tight vines above the entry. I kicked open the doors, my breathing erratic as I took in the scene in front of me. My mother was lying in the middle of the room. Her body was broken and battered, but her face remained masked in steely defiance. She was beautiful, even as she laid before me. A masked assailant was the only force holding her body up, one hand solidly gripping her hair. My eyes frantically searched my mother’s, instantly realizing my worst fears were coming to fruition. She had accepted her fate. I was too late. She lifted her neck, meeting my gaze, and I nearly gasped. Her eyes were blazing, two beacons calling to me on the darkest of nights. They held within them a promise Fato guide and haunt me until the end of my days.

“I love you, sweet girl. Never stop fighting,” she whispered to me, right as a blade plunged into her chest and pierced her heart.

About the Author

Amber Palmer is an American fantasy romance author. She was born in Arizona, but raised in Texas. She is the proud parent of three (evil) cats and one puppy dog, and when she isn’t nose deep in a spicy fantasy novel, she’s listening to her bookish Spotify playlists and making notes for her next project! A passionate advocate for mental health, Amber features characters processing various traumas in her work. She is an unapologetic lover of anything spicy, while also making time to game with her husband. 

Amber Palmer | Facebook | TikTok | Instagram | Etsy

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