Book Review: The Island of Lost Girls by Alex Marwood
1985
For twelve-year-old Mercedes, La Kastellana is the place she calls home. It is an island untouched by the modern world, with deep-rooted traditions – though that is all about to change with the arrival of multimillionaire Matthew Meade and his spoiled young daughter, Tatiana. The Meades bring with them unimaginable wealth, but the price they will all pay is far darker than Mercedes and the islanders could ever have imagined.
2016
Robin is desperately searching for her seventeen-year-old daughter Gemma, who has been missing for over a year. Finding herself on La Kastellana, the island playground of the international jet set, Robin is out of her depth. Nobody wants to help and Robin fears she is running out of time to find her child.
But someone has been watching, silently waiting for their moment to expose the dark truth and reveal to the world what really happens on the island of lost girls.
*****
It’s 1985.
Twelve-year-old Mercedes has known nothing but La Kastellana. This island is home, untouched by the modern world beyond.
That is until multi-millionaire Matthew Meade shows up with his spoiled, thirteen-year-old daughter, Tatiana.
It isn’t long before Mercedes and her family are tied to the Meades and Matthew’s influence runs deep.
2016.
Robin finds herself on La Kastellana in her search for her missing seventeen-year-old daughter, Gemma.
Surrounded by the rich, little help is given to Robin and she has a feeling she’s running out of time.
But someone is waiting to expose the truth about the Meades, however dark.
This was my introduction to Alex Marwood and from page one, I was hooked. Spilt across multiple points of view, the story goes between 1985 and 2016.
In 1985, Mercedes is a very sheltered girl who is used to growing up amongst her island’s traditions. So, when she meets self-assured Tatiana, she is thrown into a whole different world, one she is not prepared for.
by 
Review: Lush Monthly Subscription Box
I don’t know about you but, for me, books and a warm bath often go hand in hand. It’s part of my routine at night and something I look forward to especially if I get to use a product from one of my favourite shops. So, a little something different review wise today – The Lush Subscription Box.
I was aware that Lush had started a subscription box and decided to recently sign up after seeing a review for a previous box online.
The box is £35 + postage. For many, me included, that’s a lot. However, as mentioned above, my baths are a big part of my day and so, I felt it was worth giving it a go.
How it works – at the beginning of the month, subscribers are given the chance to vote for a selection of items. The four products with the most votes get put into the box, along with a couple of surprises thrown in. I loved this process and it made me all the more excited for the box to arrive.
You get charged on 5th of the month. The box then dispatches at the end of that month.
When the box arrived, it was a little like Christmas. Opening the box felt like I was standing in the middle of a Lush store – you know that smell, right.
The theme of this month seems to be Citrus which is perfect for summer.
OK, so on to the contents. There were six full size products included which I was impressed with. All the products are also self-preserving. In my opinion, with the products I have previously used, this seems to give the item a longer shelf life.
So without further ado, let’s dive into this Lush box.
Turtle Jelly Bomb.
I seem to remember that this product divided opinion amongst my friends when it was first released in the shops and I have to admit, I hadn’t noticed that it had disappeared. However, I was so pleased to see this little guy again.
I, for one, loved the jelly bombs. Yes, they are a little messy and slippy but so much fun.
It has sandalwood, sea salt and pine listed amongst the ingredients. It smells fresh, like that lovely smell of salted air near the beach. I am looking forward to using this product.
Nausicaa’s Golden Flask Shower Oil.
by Book Extract: Twelve Nights by Penny Ingham
I am pleased to be welcoming Penny Ingham to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Twelve Nights.
The Theatre
London, 1592
When a player is murdered, suspicion falls on the wardrobe mistress, Magdalen Bisset, because everyone knows poison is a woman’s weapon. The scandal-pamphlets vilify her. The coroner is convinced of her guilt.
Magdalen is innocent, although few are willing to help her prove it. Her much-loved grandmother is too old and sick. Will Shakespeare is benignly detached, and her friend Christopher Marlowe is wholly unreliable. Only one man offers his assistance, but dare she trust him when nothing about him rings true?
With just two weeks until the inquest, Magdalen ignores anonymous threats to ‘leave it be’, and delves into the dangerous underworld of a city seething with religious and racial tension. As time runs out, she must risk everything in her search for the true killer – for all other roads lead to the gallows.
Penny has shared an extract from Twelve Nights with us today. Enjoy!
*****beginning of extract*****
Thank you so much to Laura at Novel Kicks for letting me share my latest novel with her readers.
Twelve Nights is set in 1592, in the wild and glamourous heart of Elizabethan theatreland. When a player is murdered, suspicion falls on the wardrobe mistress, Magdalen Bisset, because everyone knows poison is a woman’s weapon.
Magdalen is innocent, although few are willing to help her prove it. Her much-loved grandmother is too old and sick. Will Shakespeare is benignly detached, and her friend Christopher Marlowe is wholly unreliable. Only one man offers his assistance – she is drawn to handsome Matthew Hilliard, but dare she trust him when nothing about him rings true?
With just two weeks until the inquest, Magdalen ignores anonymous threats to ‘leave it be’, and delves into the dangerous underworld of a city seething with religious and racial tension. As time runs out, she must risk everything in her search for the true killer – for all other roads lead to the gallows.
Here’s a sneak preview of the first few pages:
“John Wood looked very ill. A rivulet of sweat ran through his face paint, and his hand trembled as he straightened his long blond wig. Magdalen would have liked to ask what ailed him, but her lips were clamped around half a dozen tiny dressmaking pins. She shook her head, a silent plea for him to be still whilst she attached the sleeves to his gown.
A cacophony of frantic voices vied for her attention:
‘Where are my yellow stockings?’
‘Help me fasten my laces!’
‘I can’t find the cushions for Orsino’s palace!’
by My Writing Ramblings: My June Favourites
Netflix, 2022
Hello July. It’s so lovely to see you. Summer is here. Let’s hope the nice weather continues.
As we’ve said goodbye to June, I wanted to share some of my favourites from last month with you. So, here we go.
Stranger Things.
I was so excited when the new episodes for Stranger Things 4 were announced. Netflix did something a little different this time and released the series in two volumes; the first seven episodes being available on 27th May and the last two releasing at the beginning of July.
My husband and I didn’t immediately watch it. We wanted to wait until the end of June so we wouldn’t have to wait too long for the last two episodes and I was so glad we did.
I loved every moment of this series. It was so well written and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I just couldn’t see where it was going. Incidentally, the creators of Stranger Things have done a class on Masterclass that I am very interested in viewing.
Now, I am not a ‘horror film and TV’ person but this series, for the most part, is AMAZING. If you’ve not given it a go yet, I recommend it (although there is one scene in a previous series I could have done without.)
Disney, Jam City Inc.
Aside from anything else, it has a fantastic 80’s soundtrack including great inclusion of ‘Running Up That Hill’ by Kate Bush and Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) by Journey.
Oh, I love it.
Disney Emoji Blitz (Apple and Google Play.)
My second favourite is an app – Disney Emoji Blitz. I want to start with the thing I dislike most about this app (yes, I know, strange considering it’s a favourites post.) It can be very expensive to play. You can progress without spending much but it will take a lot longer so, if you’ve got more patience than me, it’s perfect.
It’s like Candy Crush Saga in that it’s a match game and yes, it’s Disney. I am in my 40’s and I love Disney. I admit it. I’m proud of it. LOL.
If you can get over the cost, it’s a very fun yet calming game to play. I usually play it before I go to sleep as it helps to chill me out and calms the anxiety.
The Fire Killer by Ross Greenwood.
by Book Extract: Ember by Catherine Yardley
Welcome to Catherine Yardley. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Ember.
A family torn apart by their father’s infidelity are forced to confront the past thirty years later. As Natalie’s younger sister, Amanda, prepares for marriage and impending motherhood, her plea for the family to reunite uncovers pent-up tension and animosity. Can they forget the past and become a family again?
Natalie’s life begins to unravel as their father starts to creep back into their lives and family tensions resurface, affecting her relationship with her boyfriend, Rob. Will the couple find their way back to each other, and can a family that has been torn apart ever heal their wounds?
Can you ever walk away from someone you love, or do some fires never die out?
Catherine has shared an extract with us today. Enjoy!
(Warning: Language.)
*****beginning of extract*****
Ember is a dual timeline novel about childhood trauma and how we carry it around with us. Natalie had a terrible childhood being a parent to her younger siblings. Her father broke up the family on Christmas day after an affair. It’s thirty years later and her younger sister is getting married and gets pregnant before her. Their father wants back into their lives. But every sibling remembers their childhood differently and Natalie is ganged up on by her siblings and father. She self destructs and leaves her loving boyfriend. Will she heal her wound and get her life back on track? Read Ember to find out.
That Moment
Rob
Watching Natalie drive off, leaving me on the side of the motorway, felt like an out-of-body experience. Had that really happened? Hell, what, had just happened? Looking around and almost expecting to wake up from a dream, it finally hits me and I snap.
‘That’s actually my fucking car!’
Out of all of the grand theft auto in history, this one has to be the most vicious. And original.
It feels like I have been walking along the motorway for days. Car headlights blind me. Everything is grey and dour. I keep going over every single detail about today. What could possibly have triggered such an extreme reaction? I cannot think of one thing I could have said to upset her. Never mind get dumped on the side of a motorway. We had not argued. The entire thing was such bullshit. It was just a pre-wedding get-together in the country. Partly to meet Neil’s family and partly to just have a get-together. Nothing happened. Nothing I can think of anyway.
by Book Club
