Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

​Within Jayne Seymour: The Haunted Queen acclaimed historian and novelist Alison Weir creatively tells the story of Jayne Seymour through fiction. This book has everything from romance, drama, political intrigue to executions and court hearings.

From the epic Six Tudor Queens series Weir clearly captures the tension of the time surrounding Anne Boleyn's fall from grace and power through to Jane's subtle and endearing nature.

I enjoyed Alison's portrayal of Jane, it's how I envisaged her being; trusting, endearing, loving, loyal - but also a little naive. It showed her journey from a country maid to lady at court and eventually Queen of England.

What was really intriguing about this novel was her interactions with other characters and the growth and development of her as an individual from - Jayne the loyal servant, Jayne the loving daughter/sister/aunt, Jayne the loving companion and finally Jayne the Queen. I felt like I had been taken on quite the journey with Jayne.

Personally I did not like the character of Anne in this novel, however it will be interesting if this changes when reading the second novel in the series - Anne Boleyn: A Kings Obsession. Katherine of Aragon's character was very regal and pious and I look forward to reading her story, especially about the beginning of her relationship with Henry - from her perspective, in Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen. 

I have digested this series in a rather odd way in reading the third book of the series first, however, I had an opportunity through Pigeonhole - and if you have not yet explored this site/app you should, it's awesome - to read this pre-publication. 

This book has been given five-out-of-five stars because I enjoyed it very much and could not fault it in anyway. If you get a chance please do check out Alison Weirs - Six Tudor Queens series. It offers a whole new perspective on such a poignant and critical period within English history.

Genre: F/F, Romance, Erotica, Female Fiction, Adult Fiction, LGBTQI

Love Without Limits is the second instalment of the Josephine and Caitlin love story from the Pink Bean series by Harper Bliss. It goes deeper in detail to understanding non-monogamous relationships.

The narrative of this story tests Jo and Caitlin's relationship. It also explores a relationship deeper into it's duration and not just at the formation of the relationship. 

Non-monogamy is debated thoroughly throughout this book and its place within the relationships within modern society. To be honest before reading any of the Pink Bean series and reading about Caitlin and her work/beliefs I had not really known much about non-monogamy. 

Harper's writing lends nicely to the discursive nature of the narrative of this book. It also showed the progression of the characters, especially Jo, from the first book - Everything Between Us, where we were introduced to both protagonists and the exploration of body image and self-confidence within lesbian relationships was shown within the narrative.

The reason why I only gave this book two-out-of-five stars is purely for the non-monogamy element, as personally I do not believe in it. There also was not as much development of the characters within this, especially in Caitlin. However, the book did read well and I could see how some people could enjoy this. It will be interesting to see how the Pink Bean series develops from this...

Genre: F/F, Romance, Erotica, Female Fiction, Adult Fiction, LGBTQI

Twice in a Lifetime is the first book I have read from Clare Lydon and I must, I did enjoy it. It's the story of two individuals, Harriet and Sally, who meet again years after their initial relationship.

What this book does well is it explores the second chance at love very well. It does this by providing flashback memories to their relationship and comparing each character as they are now.

I liked the introduction of Harriets aunt Paula, who's eccentricity helps Harriet in a more unconventional way. She's a firework.

Due to the narrative it makes the character development for both Sally and Harriet very clear. It was especially interesting to see the development of Sally throughout the book and how she had change since their initial dalliance.

Away from the narrative, I really enjoyed the writing style of Clare - it made the story flow and made it easy to read. In essence Clare did not try to make this book more than what it is in her writing. She provided enough detail to help me, as the reader, visualise what it is she is saying, but not to the detriment to the flow of the book. 

I gave this book four-out-of-five stars because it was a good read. It had a clear plot and outline and the flashbacks added context to their meetings. I look forward to reading more by Clare in the future.

Genre: Writing, English Language, Politics, History

This book was no surprise to me when I come to think of George Orwell. In fact it has everything you can ask for from a class Orwellian masterpiece - political intrigue and debate followed by a distinct argument and perspective.

​Notably this collection of works by Orwell does this in a more direct way than his fictionalised counterparts. Gone are the use of metaphors and similes and replaced with direct references and assumptions. I do believe, however, that if this had used the former then it would not have been as greater impact.

My only criticism of this collection of essays is the bias and reluctance to consider multiple points of views within the arguments of each essay, and where this has been done they have been ridiculed or put-down.

The essay, 'Politics and the English Language', although fairly wordy offers some insightful and useful techniques for writing; especially his 6 rules for writing, which I would employ every professional and aspiring writer to know and take heed of.

I gave this book four stars because overall I enjoyed reading Orwell's arguments and seeing his perspective, it has made me want to read more from the 'Penguin Books: Great Ideas' collection. More reviews on books like this to come soon, watch this space...

Genre: Poetry

Sinéad Morrissey's latest collection acts as the metaphorical scales for the worlds political, economical and down-right sensible issues not only in the modern era but throughout time itself.

It is clear to see from the outset how On Balance has become one of the leading collections in the world of poetry and how it won the 2017 Forward Prize and shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards 2017. 

Morrissey has been extremely creative in her selection of topics to cover within the narrative make-up of each piece. The book itself seems to glide effortlessly from one issue to the next.

Her use of imagery within every piece is thought-provoking and striking making me consider every element used in their construction.

I liked how each piece enhanced not only the topics/issues it discussed but also the way that it made me consider and perceive each subject in new ways.

Sinéad's writing style flows effortlessly and uses technical devices to enhance each piece methodically but with done so with ease and finesse. 

So, I gave this book five out of five stars because I enjoyed it immensely and it had everything I could possibly want from a collection of poetry. I will definitely be following Sinéad's work a lot more closely and I most certainly look forward to seeing what comes next from her...

Genre: Poetry

​Jo Shapcott shows off her 'poetic prowess' with this collection of imaginative verse. It has everything you could want from a collection of poetry.
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Within 'Of Mutability' are poems utilising strong poetical forms and technical devices to create very powerful imagery.

​It is clear from the outset why this collection won the Costa Book of the Year award in 2010.

What I liked within the collection was it's subtlety. The poems contained various technical devices to enhance the images created in each piece.

I felt like I was standing, as a spectator, while reading these poems, which intensified my experience of Jo's writing.

I had the pleasure of seeing Jo perform some of her poems on the 21st of November at the incredible Keats House Museum - see a video below of Jo performing her poem 'At Guys' :

Genre: Poetry, Children's Poetry

I found Little Lemur Laughing in a local library - and I got very excited seeing as I have had the opportunity to meet and see Joshua perform in person. 

The poems within this collection, however, were much different to what I had seen Joshua perform previously. It's aim was definitely to children - which is evident in both style and composition of the book.

Inside the poems are constructed in a very formulaic way, using a lot of technical devices, such as; alliteration, repetition, questions and similes. By utilising these tools the poems felt very aimed at a much younger audience.

Even though, technically I'm not really the target audience for this publication I really enjoyed it. It flowed really well and I loved the topics covered within it's covers.

Below is a poem written by Joshua in a similar style to the poems included within this collection. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Other works by Joshua include:

• I Don't Like Poetry
• Just Like Me!
• Morris Wants More
• My Grandpa's Beard

I gave this book four out of five stars because it does exactly what it sets out to do - entertain children and a young audience. This is a great collection of poetry for children. If you have children - they'll love it.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing what's next from Joshua...

Genre: F/F, Romance, Female Fiction, LGBTQI, Erotica.

No Other Love is the 6th book in the Pink Bean series by Harper Bliss - and it continued to add to the unique stories already told.

Harper has been clever within this story, as she tackled the dynamics of an 'older' lesbian relationship, but she did this delicately and sensitively. 

I liked the way the story highlighted the struggles and pitfalls faced within a lesbian relationship that has lasted over two decades. 

Jane and Annie are lovely as a couple and I really felt that I got to know both of them really well when reading this book. However, I did feel more of a connection with Jane, due to being a writer myself - I could really relate to her.

One occasion while reading this Jane was telling her story and I got so into it she even inspired me to sit down and write, which I duly did. I had not felt a buzz like that in quite a while.
 
The reason why I only gave this book three out of five stars is due to the fact that I wanted more. I thought there was an opportunity (and still is) to know the story of the beginning of their relationship, like what Harper did with Sheryl and Kristin's story, there is space here to do this.

I'm being greedy here, but as I was reading it I couldn't help but feel that if I knew more of their back story I would have more context to the issues they were facing together in the present.

Harper I think there could be an opportunity for another Pink Bean Novella here! Can't wait to see what happens next...

Genre: Poetry, Chapbooks, History

In this short publication Hannah O'Reilly cleverly expands on the First World War poetry with this very visual and poignant chapbook.

Letter to an Unknown Soldier contains powerful imagery and very touching account of not only the life of a soldier during the First World War, but also of their friends and family and the emotional journey that they also went through.

Hannah is clever with her use of technical devises such as metaphors, similes and repetition. However, I feel her strongest asset within this poem was the simple, but delicate use of rhetorical questions. This makes the reader think and imagine the answers to these questions, therefore they create their own ideas and images of the scene that Hannah sets.

Prior to being introduced to this pamphlet styled book by a colleague before I had never come across the Chapbook styled publication before - and I must say I was not disappointed.

Alban's illustrations compliments the poem extremely well in providing a direction to the answers to the rhetorical questions set-out within the text. The style, theme and artistic style of the drawing cannot be faulted within this little Chapbook.

I gave this book four out of five stars for what this book was trying too and did achieve in its construction. It has uniquely added itself to the vast array of First World War poetry out there by giving it a more contemporary and inquisitive nature, which allowed us to question aspects of a soldiers life previously not considered.

On a whole - I enjoyed this book immensely. So much so that I may even look at producing one myself in the not-so-distant future. Watch this space...

Genre: Poetry

​I should start by saying that Numbered Boxes by Pete 'the Temp' Bearder is so good that I read it in its entirety over the course of one evening. 

When initially reading this I was hit with a complete sense of nostalgia. The way Pete spoke and the topics he talked about ignited memories from my childhood and my school life.

As I progressed through the collection I noticed that became gradually darker and darker, which was a clever move. It subtly shows the way that as we get older the world becomes a more complex place.

Within the collection the poem "Der Tale O Bellingham Yael"  is written in a 'Chaucer' esq. style. Initially I thought that reading this one was going to be a struggle, but I was pleasantly surprised. It flowed, and more than that, it made me concentrate harder and think more about what I was reading in front of me.

I gave this book four out of five stars because it did not try to be more than what it set out to be. Numbered Boxes is a good read filled with lot's of imagery, and metaphors, and symbolism. It will make you think and reminisce. It's definitely a book you want to sit and devour with a good cuppa. 

Give it a go. It's a treat...