Thursday 23 February 2017

Holding by Graham Norton - Book review ~ @grahnort


TITLE - Holding

AUTHOR - Graham Norton

PUBLISHER - Hodder and Stoughton

PAGES - 320


Buy Link - Click here

Synopsis -

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn't always been this overweight; mother of­ two Brid Riordan hasn't always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn't always felt that her life was a total waste.

So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke - a former­ love of both Brid and Evelyn - the village's dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.

Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad. Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters, and explore - with searing honesty - the complexities and contradictions that make us human.

Graham Norton's masterful debut is an intelligently crafted story of love, secrets and loss.




https://shereadstoomuch.com


When I saw there was a book to be reviewed by Graham Norton, I assumed that it would be a comedy, as that is what Mr Norton is best loved for. Although having the odd comedic line here and there, nothing could be further from the truth. It's a family drama, full of secrets, a lot of lies and a great deal of heartache. 

With all that aside there are some warm hearted moments, mixed with crime and intrigue. There's the lovable PJ who is the SGT from the local Garda, with the setting being the Irish hamlet of Duneen, who lives in the police house, watched over by Mrs Meaney who cooks and cleans for him. Life seems easy and laid back in this quiet part of Ireland, that is until the local developers unearth some bones on a new development. What or who do they belong to? Time to open a whole can of worms. You must pick up the book to find out more. 

It is descriptive in that it helps you picture the locations of each chapter and each character . It's an intriguing debut novel; written with some simplicity rather than a hard hitting gritty crime novel, but nonetheless it was not predictable and did keep the reader guessing. It was a surprisingly good read, and I look forward to what else there is to come from the author. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I was thrilled to be able to review this book as Mr Norton is my favourite TV chat
show hosts. He took over the prestigious Friday Night slot on BBC1 in 2010. He is also an Irish Radio host and also a DJ, Comedian and author. 

He regularly presents on Radio 2, and is also the BBC television host for the European Song Contest. 


Catch up with Graham on Twitter and YouTube

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to review this book. 

Wednesday 22 February 2017

After She's Gone by Sheryl Browne - Book Promotion PLUS a giveaway!



AFTER SHE’S GONE
BY SHERYL BROWNE

Genre: Thriller
Release Date: 21st Feb 2017
Publisher: Choc Lit (Death by Choc Lit)

He’s killed your child and kidnapped your wife. What would YOU do?
There’s evil and then there’s Patrick Sullivan. A drug dealer, pimp and murderer, there are no depths to which Patrick would not sink, and Detective Inspector Matthew Adams has found this out in the most devastating way imaginable. 
When Patrick’s brother is shot dead in a drug bust gone wrong, the bitter battle between the two men intensifies, and Matthew finds it increasingly difficult to hold the moral high ground. All he wants is to make the pimping scum suffer the way he did … the way Lily did.
But being at war with such a depraved individual means that it’s not just Matthew who’s in danger. Patrick has taken a lot from Matthew, but he hasn’t taken everything – and now he wants everything.


EXCERPT

Prologue


‘Oi, you can’t park there!’ a police officer yelled as Matthew mounted the kerb, careering his car haphazardly to a stop on the pavement.
His gut twisting violently inside him, his head reeling, Matthew ignored him, ramming his door open instead to scramble from the car and set off at a run.
‘What the …?’
Vaguely aware of the man giving chase, Matthew kept going, attempting to push past another officer closing in in front of him, only to be caught from behind.
‘Whoa. Come on, mate, you need to get back.’ Taking hold of his arm, the officer behind attempted to steer him away. ‘There’s been an accident up ahead. We need to clear—’
‘Shit, it’s Adams.’ The officer in front intervened.
‘Who?’ The man still hanging on to his arm asked.
‘Detective Inspector Adams,’ the officer in front supplied warily. ‘Let him through.’
Stumbling forwards as the guy behind relaxed his grip, his legs like dead weights beneath him, Matthew forced himself on, bypassing other officers, who now stood respectfully aside.
His wife was with her. Matthew swallowed back a hard knot in his throat. She was crouched over her, holding her impossibly small hand in her own. She didn’t look up. Rebecca kept her gaze focussed on their daughter. His daughter. Matthew felt something break inside him as he took in his baby’s injuries, her broken body, the slow trickle of lifeblood pooling beneath her, staining the drab, grey road crimson.
Please don’t. Matthew prayed hopelessly as he moved closer. Please don’t do this. The world seeming to slow to a stop around him, the use of his legs finally deserting him, Matthew dropped to his knees at the side of the child he’d loved with every fibre of his being ever since he’d first glimpsed her tiny form on the monitor.
‘Hey, Tigerlily,’ he said, his voice cracking as Lily’s eyes fluttered open. Wide blue eyes, once crystal clear with the innocence of childhood, they were filled with confusion and pain as she looked pleadingly up at him, silently begging him, her daddy, to fix it. His heart turned over as her lips parted. She wanted to speak. She couldn’t. Please don’t try to speak, baby. Tears he couldn’t hope to hide streaming down his face, Matthew leaned towards her, brushing her blood-matted, beautiful blonde hair gently away from her face. ‘Daddy’s here, darling,’ he choked. ‘It’s going to be just fine.’
Lies. Lies. He screamed inside. It was going to be fine. It could never be. He couldn’t fix it. How could he let his little girl go knowing he couldn’t? Cradling his baby gently in his arms, Matthew’s heart splintered inside him as he watched her life ebb away.

****

They were taking her away in an ambulance. What use was an ambulance? Panic engulfing him, Matthew took a faltering step towards it, and stopped. He couldn’t. Couldn’t ride with her, watch as the warmth drained from her body, her baby-soft skin turning blue and cold. Life fucking extinct.
‘Matthew!’ Rebecca called to him as, his chest heaving, Matthew turned away. Terrified of what he might see in her eyes, he couldn’t turn back. This was his fault. He should have been there. He’d promised to drive them to the cinema. He’d known Patrick Sullivan might make good his threat. He should have been there! A potent mixture of grief and rage broiling inside him, Matthew recalled his last encounter with the sadistic piece of scum with sickening clarity. Sullivan’s expression hadn’t altered when he’d informed him his brother had been an unfortunate casualty in a drug bust gone wrong. Matthew had been surprised. Sullivan’s hatred of him went way back since they were kids in school. Guessing he would hold him personally responsible, Matthew had been bracing himself for Sullivan to reach across the table and attack him right there in the prison interview room. Instead, Sullivan had reached casually for a cigarette. Lighting up, he’d glanced down and scratched his forehead slowly with his thumb.
‘How’s that pretty young wife of yours, DI Adams? Pregnant again, isn’t she?’ he’d enquired eventually, blowing smoke circles into the air as he’d looked back at him. ‘Give her my regards, won’t you?’
Sullivan had then leaned forwards, a twisted smirk on his face, his eyes as black as molasses and swimming with pure evil. ‘I would do it myself, but I’m a bit busy … banged up … in here.’
It had been a threat. Innocent to all ears but Matthew’s, it had been a direct threat. And now, still sitting pretty in prison with a cast iron alibi, Sullivan was no doubt congratulating himself on a job well done, imagining that he’d also succeeded in warning Matthew off pursuing him once he got out. Wrong, you bastard.

BUY LINK

Full range of buying options on the Choc Lit Site!




ABOUT SHERYL BROWNE

Heartache, humour, love, loss & betrayal, Sheryl Browne brings you edgy, sexy, heart-wrenching fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and shortlisted for the Best Romantic e-book Love Stories Award 2015, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies, where she completed her MA in Creative Writing.
Recommended to the publisher by the WH Smith Travel fiction buyer, Sheryl’s contemporary fiction comes to you from award winning Choc Lit.



Author Links

GIVEAWAY




ECOPY OF THE BOOK
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday 18 February 2017

Tracey Sinclair on New York - Guest Author gives her top tips

Today I'd like to welcome Author Tracey Sinclair to my blog, who is sharing with us, her love of New York. Thank you Tracey for sharing your thoughts and tips about New York. I can't wait to visit!  


No one is ever disappointed in New York. Whatever you want it to be, it is: I’ve never known anyone visit and come back sad that they went. In the nearly 20 years I have going to the city, each time I arrive, it dazzles me anew. No wonder I decided to set a book there! So here are just some of my favourite places – why not check them out?

Sign at the High Line

One of the things I love most about New York is it’s a walking city – you get the most out of it from simply walking around. And while there’s plenty to see just talking a meander round whatever neighbourhood you are staying in, and Central Park is a must-visit, if the weather is halfway decent you can’t beat a visit to the High Line – a former elevated railway line that has been turned, with no little thought and care, into a public park that gives you an elevated view of the city.

Although it gets very crammed and touristy, I will always
have a soft spot for Chelsea Market – one of my closest friends used to live around the corner, so I have fond memories of spending my mornings eating artisanal muffins in one of the multitude of trendy coffee shops and restaurants the place is home to. It’s only a few blocks away from one of the entrances to the High Line, so doing both in one day is an ideal jaunt, but be careful – there are so many cute little shops, from crafts and clothes to cuisine, that if you go here first you might have a lot to carry when you tackle your walk! Be sure to check out lovely boutique bookshop Posman Books, which I have never managed to leave empty handed.

American women worship Sephora, and it’s not hard to see why. If you are remotely interested in skincare or cosmetics, you can spend hours browsing one of the many stores that litter the city, and you’re guaranteed to come out with something! Pro-tip: Get a loyalty card, even if you’re only visiting. It’s really easy to rack up enough points to get a freebie.

Cocktails
They take their cocktails seriously in New York (and pour them with a liberal hand – consume with caution!) so there are great bars all over the city, with new ones popping up every day. My current favourites are Death & Company, Raines Law Room (where a birthday night out inspired my story A Vampire in New York), and the Up & Up.

Theatre
Library at the Public, New York
A Broadway show will stretch the budget of most travellers, but there’s a wealth of great theatre in New York if you are willing to look beyond the big shows. Check out the Public Theater for talent on the rise (Hamilton made its debut here!) – and, bonus, they have a great bar, The Library.


Don’t stick to the city
If you have time, it’s worth heading across the bridge to Brooklyn (if for no other reason than crossing that iconic bridge!): whether it’s the hipster delights of Williamsburg or the galleries in Dumbo, there’s plenty to enjoy. My favourite discovery last year was Fort Greene’s Greenlight Bookstore, a gorgeous little bookshop set amidst enough coffee shops to keep you happily caffeinated!

Read all about it
There are probably more books on New York than there are actual New Yorkers, so there’s no dearth of reading material about the city. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of the most famous – and though it has less charm than the film, it’s worth a read. You might also like Fifth Avenue, Five AM, Sam Wasson’s fascinating story of how the film got made, or Melanie Benjamin’s The Swans of Fifth Avenue, which is a fictional account of Truman Capote and the women who inspired his writing. However, if you want a ‘life is stranger than art’ story which revolves around the world Swans is set in, I recommend Daniel Okrent’s fascinating GreatFortune: The Epic of the Rockefeller Center, which shows the forces and personalities that literally shaped New York.

Tips for travellers


Take comfy shoes: you get so much out of the city if you are able to walk around it.

Take photo ID: most standard bars and restaurants will serve you alcohol if you look over 21, but lots of cocktail bars, particularly those with a ‘speakeasy’ vibe or a doorman, won’t let you in unless you have ID – no matter how old you are!

Tipping is not optional: If you’re not used to it, the amount of money you are expected to tip at restaurants can seem extortionate, but just think of it as part of the bill. Luckily, most places now will state on the bill suggested tips, to save you having to do the maths, but you can find a decent guide to tipping etiquette here.

Don’t over-schedule: It’s great to do research to narrow down your options, and some things will need advance planning and booking, but you’ll really get more out of the city if you allow yourself time to wander and discover. Your best meal will be that little neighbourhood Mexican place that you just happened to walk past; you’ll find that cute little shop you would never have thought to look for. But remember: New York is like London. Don’t walk too slowly on a city sidewalk, or a native might just mow you down…

About the Author

Tracey Sinclair, Author
Tracey Sinclair is an author and freelance editor and writer. Her books include the romcom The Bridesmaid Blues and the Dark Dates/Cassandra Bick series, the latest of which, Angel Falls, is out now. She wrote A Vampire in New York after a very boozy birthday night out in the city.

@thriftygal

CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF


Wednesday 15 February 2017

336 Hours by Rachel Cartan ~ Book Blitz - Humorous read

336 HOURS
by Rachel Cartan


Genre:Based on the author’s true life experiences, 336 Hours is a humorous and poignant diary about one woman’s quest to be a mother.’

Release Date: 13th February 2017
Publisher: SilverWood Books

The next 336 hours will be tough. No, the next 336 hours will be really tough…
I feel like an Olympian, waiting to see whether the years of hard work, sacrifice and dedication are finally going to pay off, or whether my body is about to fail me at the last hurdle and make me wonder why I ever hoped I could win.
My best friend is pregnant, my single friends are planning their pregnancies and, after five long years of tests and investigations, I’m coming to the end of my third – and supposedly final – IVF treatment. There are 336 hours to survive before I’ll know if I get to join the motherhood club. That’s 224 waking hours of pure psychological torture. 112 sleeping hours to stare at the ceiling and wonder, what the hell am I going to do with my life if it turns out I can’t have kids?
Based on the author’s true life experiences, 336 Hours is a humorous and poignant diary about one woman’s quest to be a mother.

Extract 
I can’t pretend to have a clue what she means, of course. I don’t know what it’s like to have little people shouting, ‘Mummy! Mummy! MUUMMEEE!’ all day long, to never be able to go for a wee on your own, to make spaghetti bolognese and then watch your dinner dates tip it straight over their heads, to stay up all night comforting a teething toddler, to spend hours coercing and pleading with very small people to put shoes and coats on so you can at last leave the fucking house.
But I want to know this life. Because that stuff gives you stories, first-hand experiences, and the right to exchange knowing smiles of solidarity with other frazzled parents as you all manoeuvre your wayward shopping trolleys around the aisles of Tesco.
And it comes with other stuff, too: the good stuff.
BUY LINK

ABOUT RACHEL CATHAN

RACHEL CATHAN is a writer from Bedfordshire. In 2001, a mutual friend introduced her to a part-time pub DJ in Southend-on-Sea. A month later, they had moved in together, around seven years later they tied the knot, and a little while after that – just like so many couples before them – they made the exciting and terrifying decision to start a family. And then, like a growing number of couples today, well...not a lot happened.
Throughout the subsequent years of fertility investigations and failed treatments, Rachel kept a diary of her experiences, and it’s from these first- hand encounters in the world of infertility and IVF that her first book, 336 Hours has been adapted.




GIVEAWAY


2 ECOPIES OF THE BOOK
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday 14 February 2017

Showcase - Stolen by Carey Baldwin - Suspense/Thriller

Stolen

by Carey Baldwin

on Tour February 14 - March 3, 2017

Synopsis:

Stolen by Carey Baldwin

Is she missing…or a murderer?

When Laura Chaucer, daughter of a U.S. senator, vanishes from her college campus, celebrated FBI profilers Special Agent Atticus Spenser and forensic psychiatrist Dr. Caitlin Cassidy are called in. Thirteen years ago, Laura and her nanny disappeared from her family’s Denver home. Laura was found alive, but her nanny wasn’t so lucky… and the killer was never caught. Laura could identify him—if only she didn’t have a deep, dark hole in her memory.
Now she’s missing again. Did the troubled young woman run away or has the kidnapper returned? As women who look eerily similar to Laura’s nanny begin turning up dead, the Chaucer family psychiatrist renders a disturbing opinion: Laura is unstable, a danger to herself and others. Who knows what terrible secrets lurk in the shadowy recesses of her mind? Cassidy and Spenser must solve one of the most infamous cold cases ever to uncover the answer: Is Laura a killer, or is a monster still out there, waiting to claim another victim?

Book Details:

Genre: Suspense, Thriller
Published by: Witness Impulse
Publication Date: February 14th 2017
Number of Pages: 352
ISBN: 0062495542 (ISBN13: 9780062495549)
Series: Cassidy & Spenser #4
Purchase Links: Amazon  | Barnes & Noble  | Goodreads 

Read an excerpt:

Chapter One

Twilight
Somewhere in the Rocky Mountains
Consciousness was the enemy and Laura Chaucer its captive. No matter how badly she wanted to flee into a dark, unseeing void, the menacing chill of the knife pressed against her neck forced her to keep her chin high and her eyes open. As her pulse raged, pounding against the deadly blade, she wondered, horrified, if it was possible for her throat to slit itself.
If only her mind would drop into an abyss. If only she could crawl into a black hole and escape awareness, at least then she wouldn’t suffer. Cowardice dragged her eyelids shut.
Stop running away.
From deep within, a voice demanded she bear witness to her own death. Like broken wings beating against a gale, her eyelids fluttered up. Evil had been swirling around her for as long as she could remember, but she’d never had the courage to face it. Now, in her last moments, she must find the will. Before she left this twisted world, she needed to know the truth.
Who are you?
The answer she’d been running from her entire life loomed right behind her.
But the knife prevented her from swiveling her head to confront the bastard. A defiant move like that would surely cost her whatever precious seconds she had left. His breath, warm on her cheek reeked of booze, its stench curdling in her already woozy stomach.
Careful not to move her head, she braved a glance down and noted a wood floor.
Where am I?
A candle nub flickered in the dark; its yellow light illuminating patches of dust caked on an uneven plank tabletop. Bare log walls surrounded her. Eager for more clues, she sniffed. The scent of rain and earth hung heavily in the air. He must’ve stolen her from her room and brought her to a cabin—a primitive one.
Who was he?
You know, the voice within insisted. Stop pretending you don’t.
“I-I don’t know anything,” she answered, as if he and her thoughts were one and the same. “P-please, just let me go.”
The knife slipped across her throat, leaving fire trailing in its wake. Blood, warm and sticky, dribbled down her chest. Her head became heavy. The room spun. It would be so easy to let her chin fall, to drift into blessed unconsciousness, to leave it all behind.
But that would mean dying the same way she’d lived: running from the truth.
It’s not too late. As long as you have one breath left, there’s still time to change your craven ways.
Watching the blood, already darkening from contact with the air, snake between her breasts, she took it all in, and a gasp agonized its way up her throat.
She was naked.
Bound around the waist, chest and ankles to a chair.
It all seemed so…unreal. But the scrape of splintered wood beneath her bottom, the shivers that wracked her body from the frigid air, told her this was no dream. This wasn’t another one of her ubiquitous nightmares.
If she closed her eyes now, she’d never wake up.
Her throat burned with the urge to scream. But sensing that might give him pleasure, she clamped her teeth together, stuffing her fear down deep. She inhaled a fortifying breath through her nose. Wiggled her freezing fingers. But when she tried to shift her arms into a more comfortable position, she found that they, too, were tied to the chair, just up to the elbows. He’d left her hands and lower arms free, giving her enough slack to cross her palms in her lap and cover herself. Tears of gratitude for this small kindness welled in her eyes.
Maybe he of the knife had a tiny, shriveled semblance of a heart.
He proved he did not by dragging the jagged blade across her neck again—a shallow retracing of its former path that produced exquisite pain and more hot red blood. The need to cry out shook her body so hard the legs of the chair rattled against the floor. Then he pressed the knife’s point into the hollow of her neck—that spot that ought to be reserved for a lover’s kiss. It was as if this monster could not decide whether he wanted to kill her with a long, decimating swipe or by a swift, stabbing impalement. She didn’t know whether he was deliberately prolonging her agony or working up his nerve.
A spasm of fear knotted her toes. Her vocal chords trembled from the impossible effort of restraint. Finally, she opened her mouth, releasing a hysterical noise.
He wanted to hear her scream? Let him hear her laugh instead. Her pulse bounded harder against the blade, but she no longer feared the consequence.
Whether he revealed himself to her or not, she suddenly didn’t care. It didn’t matter who he was. It only mattered who she was. Relief flooded her entire being, drenching her in joy. Her death would be a victory.
Because it answered, once and for all, the question that had haunted her since the age of eight.
She was not a murderer.
Excerpt from Stolen by Carey Baldwin. Copyright © 2017 by Carey Baldwin & WitnessImpulse. Reproduced with permission from WitnessImpulse. All rights reserved.

Kudos for Carey Baldwin:

JUDGMENT, the first book in my Cassidy & Spenser Thriller series, has been named one of the "BEST BOOKS of 2014" by SUSPENSE MAGAZINE. Both JUDGMENT & CONFESSION are BOOKSELLERS BEST AWARD Finalists JUDGMENT is a DAPHNE DU MAURIER AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Finalist and a SILVER FALCHION finalist.

Author Bio:

Carey BaldwinCarey Baldwin is a mild-mannered doctor by day and an award-winning author of edgy suspense by night. She holds two doctoral degrees, one in medicine and one in psychology. She loves reading and writing stories that keep you off balance and on the edge of your seat. Carey lives in the southwestern United States with her amazing family. In her spare time she enjoys hiking and chasing wildflowers.

Catch Up With Ms. Baldwin On: Website , Goodreads, Twitter , & Facebook !

 

Tour Participants:

 

Giveaway:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Carey Baldwin and William Morrow | WitnessImpulse. There will be 5 US winners of one (1) eBook copy of Stolen by Carey Baldwin. The giveaway begins on February 12th and runs through March 5th, 2017.
a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

 

Monday 13 February 2017

Guest Travel blog post - Hastings, East Sussex by Author Madeleine Reiss

Today I'd like to introduce Author Madeleine REISS to my blog. She's talking about her love of the beautiful town of Hastings in East Sussex. Thank you Madeleine

HASTINGS.

I managed to get all the way to 51 years of age without ever visiting Hastings, which is quite an achievement given that my mother lives in nearby Eastbourne. I was always dazzled by the lure of Brighton with its shops and restaurants and I never made the short journey further down the coast. I think all I knew about the town before I visited was its 1066 battle - although the famous skirmish actually took place seven miles away, and the fact that celebrated resident John Logie Baird made a prototype television out of an old hat-box, a couple of bicycle lights and some darning needles while he was living there.

Hastings from the West cliff

I first visited the town when it was in the midst of its annual Jack In The Green Festival in which residents and visitors cavort in costumes covered in leaves and dance and sing their way through four days of celebration which culminates in the symbolic killing of poor old Jack, an act that is said to release the spirit of summer. I seem to remember that despite his murder, the skies stayed resolutely overcast. Although I find Morris dancing less than riveting, I fell in love with the town almost instantly.

Morris Dancers outside a fish and chip shop
                                     
I am drawn to places were you have to put a bit of effort in to discover their beauty. It is fair to say that parts of Hastings are still a work in progress and the town has perhaps more than its fair share of social problems, but nevertheless, it has a subtle, luminous beauty that knocks a lot of smarter seaside resorts right out of the water. There is that light for a start. A lemony yellow hue which bounces of the sandstone cliffs and makes the sky all smeary, like a painting by Turner. The town beach is lovely because despite being within spitting distance of amenities it still feels slightly wild and the sea is the sea in all its uncluttered glory.

Hastings Seafront

                                                              
In the Old Town to the east, there is a wealth of beautiful Georgian houses and narrow streets laced with narrow passageways called ‘twittens’, and lots of independent shops and galleries selling locally sourced crafts and paintings.  There is not one, but two funiculars which take you to beautiful cliff top walks and down below, on the Stade, is the Fisherman’s Museum which is definitely in my top ten museums of all time. It houses an albatross in a glass case and an effigy of a member of the Winkle Club, a man in a shell-covered suit who bears a startling resemblance to Tony Blackburn. To the west is St Leonards, which became part of the town in the 19th Century and has its own share of interesting architecture including Marine Court, an art-deco building shaped like a liner.
The Albatross at the Fisherman's Museum
                                      
Tony Blackburn's alter ego (Famous UK DJ)

I never saw Hastings pier in its former incarnation before sea, suspect business decisions and fire destroyed most of it, but recently I visited the newly opened version which is wonderfully wide and made for walking and playing on. The old pier features in my novel as a place where my lovers went as children and then later as adults. It seems to be a symbol of Hastings. Despite neglect and damage, it didn’t ever, quite, disintegrate but hung on, knowing that better days would come. The fishing fleet, although sadly diminished, still thrives, still launches its boats in the same way it always did, although rusting tractors have taken the place of horses. It is this mixture of resilience and the ability to adapt that makes me love the town. The cliffs may crumble, buildings may fall into disrepair, you may even think that the town’s heyday has been and gone, but all the time the place is hanging on to its treasures, knowing they will glitter again, showing them quietly to anyone with the patience to notice.

Hastings at Sunset


                                                    
BOOKS SET IN THE AREA - Courtesy of Author and  www.tripfiction.com 
For books set in Hastings why not try one by the author of the blog post Madeleine Reiss, currently at the time of writing only 98p for the Kindle, and a perfect Valentine read; and one by Susan Elliot Wright. 
Title - This Last Kiss
Author - Madeleine Reiss
Buy linksAmazon UK // Amazon US
Synopsis - As original as One Day and as heartbreaking as Me Before You, This Last Kiss is the perfect emotional and romantic read.
Rora Raine is finally coming home to Hastings, twelve years after she left her grief-stricken father, and fled the love of her life, Carl.
Struggling to support her bright but troubled daughter, Rora has convinced herself she'll never love again.
When she meets a bumblingly charming stranger, Rora's heart begins to thaw. But, try as she might, she can't run from true love forever.

Title - The Secrets We Left Behind
Author - Susan Elliot Wright
Synopsis - It was a summer of love, and a summer of secrets…She has built a good life: a husband who adores her, a daughter she is fiercely proud of, a home with warmth and love at its heart. But things were not always so good, and the truth is that she has done things she can never admit.
Then one evening a phone call comes out of the blue. It is a voice from long ago, from a past that she has tried so hard to hide. Scott knows who she really is and what she has done. Now he is dying and he gives her an ultimatum: either she tells the truth, or he will. And so we are taken back to that long hot summer of 1976 to a house by the sea, where her story begins and where the truth will be revealed…
HASTINGS BY AIR

Have a look at Hastings from the air. It will give you a better feel to the Town. 
The Battle Fields are also a tourist site to see. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
Madeleine Reiss was born in Athens. She worked for some years at an agency for street performers and comedians and then as a journalist and publicist. She has two sons and lives in Cambridge with her husband. She works part-time at a brain injury charity and writes for the rest of the week. She has published two novels- 'Someone To Watch Over Me' and 'This Last Kiss’ and is currently working on her third novel.
Twitter: @MadeleineReiss


Thank you so much Madeleine for contributing your marvellous piece on Hastings.