The Woman Before Me - Ruth Dugdall

Is this a result of a senior moment? Because I've read this book before! I read it in 2018. And I reviewed it in 2018! And this is what I wrote.

The story introduces the character of Cate Austin who features in subsequent novels of Ms. Dugdall. Cate is a probation officer who has to decide whether Rose Wilks convicted of child manslaughter should be considered for parole based on whether she is remorseful for the death of the child. I veer away from anything that might resemble a spoiler so I’ll say no more than that.

But what I will say is that this is an very well plotted story giving us parallel accounts; Cate’s is in familiar third person narrative and Rose’s true account is given in a first person narrative and in the form of her ‘Black Book’ entries written for her partner, Jason, and allows the reader to witness with Rose the unfurling of what actually happened. It’s very much a ‘did she, didn’t she’, ‘will she,wont she’ type story but when that is well done it is delicious to read. And it’s well done here with a twist at the end which I found curiously subliminal in that I half suspected it but ultimately rejected it. 

The specific prison locations and protocols were authentic and believable, well researched but then I find that Ms. Dugdall was herself a probation officer. What was that they used to tell us in school? Write about what you know. Well, here is the perfect example and the more believable for it. 

It’s dark and disturbing but keeps the reader gripped throughout. I didn’t find any of the characters especially engaging or likeable, especially Rose but I’m not sure I was supposed to. I think it was necessary to remain dispassionate almost. But paradoxically there is a lot of emotion in the book especially for mothers and an all embracing sadness that speaks of things that should have been avoidable but never were, wrong places, wrong times, recipes for disaster.

It’s an easy read, undemanding in terms of a well paced, flowing narrative and a most pleasant way to while way a few hours. So if you’re finding yourself snowbound this week grab yourself a copy!!

Is it a copout to just reproduce something I've already written? Maybe. Can I add anything to what I've already written? We'll see. Nowadays rereading a book is something of a luxury because I just have so many unread books and there are so many new books coming out that I want to read I seldom get around to it. This was an opportunity to reread a book that I might not have chosen to reread. And I'm always curious as to whether my response changes. What is also interesting is the incarnations that this book has gone through. Because I believe it was originally published in 2006, published in 2018 and again now in 2026 with a different publisher. The author acknowledges this book's journey at the conclusion of the book. And recognises that some of the social and cultural changes in the world mean that there is a heightened understanding of importance of probation officers. So it's a smart move to republish the Cate Austin books. I think it raises interesting considerations about time and place. Perhaps this book is more relevant now than when it was first published? But I would stick by everything I said originally, the shifting climate of our times hasn't changed the essence of the book for me anyway. But twenty years since it was first published? Might you be forgiven to think that it could come across as dated? You might, but it doesn't. It feels very fresh and relevant. And I find it a curious coincidence that when I read and reviewed it before we were in the grips of snow and here we are again...... in the grips of snow!

My thanks to HQ stories for my 2026 copy.

December 2025 Round Up

 I've only read four books this month. I say only because that is quite a small amount for me. And of course it doesn't matter. I'm blaming it on the festive nonsense that's been going on. Coupled with reading an e-book which takes me ages because I can't read at night. And two of the books were pretty hefty volumes at 400/600 pages odd, not that I'm making excuses. I don't need to. But I've only read four books this month!😂

The first was lent to me by my Yoga teacher. It's Philippa Gregory's current book, Boleyn Traitor. I absolutely loved it as I do all of her books. Some of that's because I love the Tudor period in history. But when I also love is the way she takes a female character and explores perhaps an undiscovered or unconsidered side of them. Here it's Jane Boleyn. She married George Boleyn. Gregory's treatment of her is more sympathetic than, say, Hilary Mantel's. There is a wide body of thought that she's implicated in the death and downfall of Anne and George Boleyn but that isn't the case in this story. It's a fascinating fictional interpretation of another of history's, perhaps, misunderstood yet colourful characters.

The next was Dan Brown's The Secret of Secrets. Okay, so I've read a Dan Brown. Don't judge me. His writing may not be the best but the plot isn't that bad and some of the twists got me. Always formulaic, but it's reasonably entertaining. Robert Langdon never seems to age! Although he must be well into his 60s by now. He still cavorting around like a younger man. But, hey, that's fiction!

Next is the e-book I mentioned. It's Ravenglass by Carolyn Kirby. I love her books. And I've blogged about this one - here.

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/12/ravenglass-carolyn-kirby.html

Finally it's Jo Wood's the Resurrection of Flo. I was reading this in bed because I couldn't read the e-book at night. I have a signed copy of this because Jo came to our local bookshop and I spent a very entertaining evening listening to her. This is her first attempt at fiction. It's not the best written book I've ever read, I'm sorry to say. I so wanted to love it. It's entertaining enough. Flo is recently divorced and is trying to make her way through life. It paints a colourful picture which I'm sure must be based on a lot of Jo's life as ex-wife of Ronnie Wood. And I suspect a lot of the events in the book are from firsthand knowledge.

Ravenglass - Carolyn Kirby

 

I am pleased to say that I have now read all of Carolyn Kirby’s books. See below for links.

 

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-conviction-of-cora-burns-carolyn.html

 

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2020/05/when-we-fall-carolyn-kirby.html

 

 

This most recent one, Ravenglass, has been very much a labour of reading love! I was offered an ebook from Carolyn’s publicist, Ana McLaughlin. Reader, I don’t do e reading! I’ve never been particularly keen, but sometimes it was a necessity. Unfortunately, as I’ve aged it affects my eyes more and more. So I can’t read digitally at night, I can only read in daylight. So, it’s taken me much longer than I would’ve liked to read this engrossing novel.

 

Let us begin with the blurb…….

 

‘In 18th century Whitehaven, Kit Ravenglass grows up in a house of secrets. A shameful mystery surrounds his mother’s death, and his formidable, newly rich father is gambling everything on shipping ventures. Kit takes solace in his beloved sister Fliss, and her sumptuous silks, although he knows better than to reveal his delight in feminine fashion. As the family’s debts mount, Kit’s father turns to the transatlantic slave trade – a ruthless and bloody traffic to which more than a fortune might be lost.
 
Adventures will see Kit turn fugitive and begin living as ‘Stella,’ before being swept into the heady violence of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rebellion. Driven by love, revenge and a desire to live truly and freely, Kit must find a way to survive these turbulent times - and to unravel the tragic secrets of the Ravenglass family.’

 

An absolute must for lovers of historical fiction. The reader is transported back to eighteenth century social and political values and invited into the life and mind set of conflicted Kit who you will root for right from the very beginning. His dilemmas are fascinating to explore alongside our contemporary attitudes to such difficulties and make you wonder whether much has changed significantly.

 

The narrative and the prose engage your senses. I think, at one point, I was holding my nose at some of the descriptions of unwashed sailors! But the sights and sounds of the nautical world and Kit’s social world are palpable as you accompany him on his odyssey of life. 

 

There is no sentiment in Carolyn Kirby’s writing, she has the ability to confront things as they were – lives could be harsh and brutal – but there is no shortage of emotion. I think this is something that struck me, particularly with the Conviction of Cora Burns, the skill of eliciting an emotional response from the reader towards the characters.  It’s a skill that not all historical fiction writers have but Carolyn Kirby has it in droves. 

 

So much is covered in the book from the sea faring episodes, fashion, in terms of dressmaking, embroidery and millinery, the expansion of the slave trade in the UK, all against the backdrop of the Jacobite rebellion. 

 

And then of course there’s the secrets of the Ravenglass family which I can’t possibly divulge here because they wouldn’t be secrets then would they?!

 

All in all you’ve got a compelling, engaging, beautifully written story.

 

My thanks to Ana McLaughlin for a PDF copy.

 

 

 

 

  

November Round Up

 I managed five books this month and two of those Library books and one was a book that was lent to me. It pains me to say it but I'm actively trying not to acquire so many books. I'm getting old. And I don't know what will happen to them when I put my clogs. So I've been giving some away. I'm not finding easy but I'm trying to be sensible. Five books is quite low for me, but the Philip Pullman was over 600 pages but that's a pathetic excuse. Bottom line is I didn't read as much this month as I've done in previous months. Does it matter? Of course not.

This book was one of those rare things nowadays - a copy from a publisher to read, review and blog about. I did all of those things. Here.   https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-bookbinders-secret-adbell.html

One of life's little coincidences. I had a free trial of the streaming platform from Paramount. And one of the films they had on offer was called The Substance. I remembered that it had been up for several awards. I didn't actually enjoy the film to be honest. It was pretty gory. And then in my local library I saw this autobiography from one of the film's stars, Demi Moore. I remembered her Work from earlier decades and there was always a hint of controversy about some of them. So I thought the book might be worth a read. It was okay. I quite enjoyed it but as an autobiography, it didn't stand out as anything special.

A long wait for the final part of the story. Was it worth it? Was it worth the wait? For me, it was. I've been enthralled by the whole saga and story of Lyra. I felt very sad that this is it. The end. And if I'm honest, I was a little disappointed by the conclusion. For it didn't seem conclusive, but maybe it never could be. It feels as if all the stories is now converge in this final volume. There's some nailbiting moments and the final denouement is a white knuckle ride. But I guess there's an element that even though our journey is at an end, the characters will endure and go forward and go forth with their lives and we can only imagine how that would be.

A friend lent this to me. The same friend that lent me the Susan Lewis book I read in July! This one was much longer and more convoluted. I regarded it as a bit of light relief after the 600+ pages of the Philip Pullman.

And my month rounds itself out with a Library book and a booker prize winner no less. Book awards always puzzle me to a degree. I like to try and read the winner and I often find myself wondering why it is this particular book that has gone at such an accolade. What is it that makes this book better than all the others. I don't know. I did enjoy it. I thought it was well written. I found it a very dispassionate exploration of one man's life, his rise and fall. But it's very clever, for the economy of words conveys as much as a verbose tale. It's all paired down to a minimum.

This Small Moment's Shelter - Imogen Scott

 

I always read poetry aloud. To me it seems the most natural way to enjoy the medium. I’ve even been known to record myself reading poetry aloud to listen to at a later date. But I don’t like hearing the sound of my own voice played back, so I don’t do it that often! Sometimes it can be quite hard to read a poem aloud the first time that you see it. However, with this absolutely delightful and thought-provoking collection from Imogen Scott I found it unbelievably easy. The words just flowed, and I found as I read them out loud (only to myself) the meaning and the intention behind these words became so much more than if I had simply read them from the printed page.

 

As with many collections of poetry interpretation lies very much in the hands of the reader. Words, phrases resonate and draw you further in to join the poet who has laid their soul bare to share with you their take on living and life.

 

The collection is something of a meditation upon the fragility and transience of life and invites us to take a moment to shelter beneath a canopy of intricate words. It’s a collection for those of us worn raw by the shifts all around us who long for some stasis.

 

The language is tender yet uncompromising, fierce yet delicate. 

 

‘It’s on the tip of your tongue,

the promise of a life where each moment bleeds,

screaming to be seen, 

like a pressure on your chest.

 

There’ll be plenty more days, 

but there will never be enough.

 

There’s a perception and astuteness to the rhythms of life within a natural world and that intrinsic ability to philosophise that seems to exist within folk of certain sensibilities.

 

We do not know of the gods,

except the laws that make up

the world in which we inhabit,

immediate or otherwise.

 

Who’s to say that the magic of it

doesn’t live up in the trees,

sketched into the underbelly

of roots that reach to one another

like hands under the earth.

 

That the mushroom does not bear witness.

to the greater folds of universes,

trapped inside one another

like the curves of a seashell.

I could continue to quote great swathes of the book. But I think it would be much better if you were to seek out a copy for yourself! But perhaps I’ll end with one last, shorter poem, in its entirety, entitled Divided.

 

I feel my time is limited,

and sometimes feel the brush of it behind me,

like a hand reaching across a divide.

I was told it was a thin veil,

a sheet in the wind, hung up to dry,

and you are standing behind it.

 

Apparently, this is a debut collection. It doesn’t read like a debut collection, it reads like an experienced poet. I 

absolutely love it.

 

My thanks to the author and to Librarything for a gifted copy.

 

 

The Bookbinder's Secret - A.D.Bell

 When you’re a book lover and you get an historical fiction book that’s about books which is also a mystery and a story with a story then you’ve hit the jackpot!

The Bookbinder’s Secret is all of those things. I was absorbed from the first word to the last full stop. It also allowed me into a world I had not encountered before – bookbinding. In fact, the book world in general and it seems that the world of books at the turn of the century had its darker side. Although the book begins in 1901, I did find there was quite a Victorian feel to the story.

Enter Lillian, Lily, daughter of a book seller and an apprentice bookbinder. Not a run of the mill profession back then and another compelling aspect of this story is the place of the women in a professional world and the attitudes they encountered. Sometimes, sadly, it feels that not everything has changed. 

Lily is an interesting character. Strong, stubborn maybe, very resourceful. But possessed of an indomitable spirit. There were times when I found her hard to like but overall, I celebrated her resilience and her perseverance. There are some other really great characters in the book. I couldn’t help feeling such affection for Mr Caxton. And I loved Ambrose Fane, he did provide a little light relief for me certainly. 

The catalyst for the story is Lily’s acquisition of a burned book. Hidden underneath the binding of that book she finds a letter that hints of romance and homicide. Intrigued by her find Lily wants to know more. And it is this curiosity that sends her spiralling into a mystery that threatens her and those she loves. And I’m reluctant to give too much more away!

 

Well researched, well-paced and plotted ,it is a dark story that somehow seems perfect for autumn and winter days. The ending is largely redemptive and whether it is the author’s intention or not there was a strong hint that there may be more stories of Lily and the world of books to follow. Unless that’s just wishful thinking on my part! My understanding is that this is the first book by this writer. I fervently hope that it is not the last.

 

My thanks to HQ stories for a gifted copy. 

 

First Dawn Breaks - L.G.Jenkins

 

Dystopian fiction as a genre seems to lend itself to series of books rather than standalone fictions. That can be extremely enjoyable. When a whole new world has been created with characters who almost start to become your friends.(I know, I need to get out more!), a dictatorial,  totalitarian regime dominates that world and you long for those opposing it to win you hungrily, feverishly, turn the pages and bemoan the ending of one book but you know there’s going to be another!T Even if you have to wait a while for it. The anticipation is there.The problem arises when you come to the final book in a series. You’ve longed for it. You’ve got it, you’ve read it and then ……..that’s it. There’s that sense of loss when you’ve turned that last page.

I’ve just finished First Dawn Breaks, the fourth and final book in the Merit Hunter series. I’ve been with this series since the beginning. The honour I have bestowed upon this author is that I have read it as an online PDF. The reason that is an honour is because I LOATHE e-reading! But I just couldn’t wait to find out what happened. I have ordered a signed hardcopy of the book, but it has yet to arrive.

I have written about all three books on my blog. I’ll put the links here. Please note, though that the titles of the first two have been changed.  Crown Worthy is now Sun of Endless Days. Stolen Crowns is now Storm at Dusk.

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2021/04/crowned-worthy-lg-jenkins-blog-tour.html

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2022/01/stolen-crowns-lgjenkins.html

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2024/12/quiet-echoes-at-night-lgjenkins.html

So what is it about this particular series that so attracts my loyalty? All books embody, that fundamental essence of dystopian fiction - an oppressive regime that exerts an unreasonable control over the population. There's usually some sense of freedom and individuality being lost. People live in fear and anxiety. Technology often plays a large part. It does here in the form of a Watch that records each wearers merit and actions. In this series citizens must earn merit through all of their actions and they are judged on how much merit they have. The setting is the fictional city of Tulo. In the effort to be more productive citizens take drugs to skip sleep.

The two main characters are Ajay Amber's and Genni. There are a couple in the first book but whether that endures in the next three I'll leave you to read and find out! Both of them attempt to steer their way through the system uncovering anomalies along the way. They are both from different backgrounds and perspectives and as the series progresses they both begin to question the ultimate meaning of merit and worth beyond standings and accomplishments, albeit in different ways.

This final book in the series is an explosive conclusion that follows organically from the previous three books. Friendships, family bonds, civil unrest and civic responsibility all play a part as characters we've previously met all seem to come together in one crescendo of rebellion as the seemingly inviolable system collapses. Questions are answered and ends are tied up but not necessarily in a "they all live happily ever after" way. There's room for conjecture. For the most part, it was a satisfying conclusion, but I still feel a sense of loss that there will be no more in the series.

Ultimately, I think the series  invites comparisons with others such as The Hunger Games or the Divergent trilogy. So if you love those worlds and you want to enter a new one, this series is for you.

For me, I also like to see how a writer progresses throughout a series. Can they maintain what they've created in the first book? Can they develop their characters in a believable and relatable way? And the answers to both those questions here or a resounding yes. I think the writing this book is the tightest and most assured of all the books. And I can't wait for my signed copy to arrive so that I can read it again! When it does, I can add my trademark photo with spectacles to this post! (Just done it today!)

My thanks to the author for an advanced PDF copy of the book.