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The Queen of Bushy House by Molly Gartland #Review

  One house. Two women. Both determined to endure. July 1818. Dorothea Jordan – celebrated actress and long-time companion of the Duke of Clarence has returned. Not in flesh, but in spirit. For fifteen years Bushy House was her sanctuary, filled with  laughter and her ten children – the FitzClarences. Now she watches as her portraits are taken down  and her daughters sent away, in preparation for the duke’s new bride. Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen arrives in England with duty pressing upon her shoulders. At twenty-five, she has accepted a proposal no other princess would take. She must tame the duke’s debts, win over his unruly children and – above all – produce an heir to secure the British throne. But Adelaide soon senses a presence in Bushy House. As she struggles to find her place in a household shaped by another woman’s love, the restless spirit of Mrs Jordan lingers – watchful, wounded and unwilling to be forgotten. Inspired by the tru...
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 The Last Act of Adam Campbell will be published by Hodder Paperbacks on the 29th April 2021.

Adam has twelve months to fix his life, before his time runs out.

A year can go quickly. Particularly when it's your last.

Adam had a pretty good life: a job he enjoyed, a nice house, a loving partner and a bright energetic six-year-old daughter. Then he cheated on his partner. Then she kicked him out of their home. And then he was given approximately twelve months live.

Despite the devastating news, Adam is determined to turn his life around before it finally runs out. Help comes in the form of an ex-junky, a cantankerous train driver, a nun experiencing a crisis of faith, and a teenager intent on losing her virginity - all living on borrowed time, all desperate to feel alive before their time is up.

 This beautifully written and heart-warming book is perfect for fans of Nick Hornby and David Nicholls. 

 

My Thoughts

This was a thought provoking and emotional read which took me by surprise. There is an element of black humour behind the story as most of the characters are faced by their mortality and the subject matter could be a trigger for some people. The people Andy meets are a richly varied bunch who all have a story to tell. However, it is Andy himself who takes centre stage and his relationship with his daughter and ex-partner is poignant and touching. 

    The group decide to put on a play based on a mash -up of deaths from Shakespeare plays. There are plenty of emotional moments and you can't help but empathise with the feelings of lost opportunities which Adam has to face up to. There is plenty to think about regarding what matters in life and the effect of terminal disease on the wider family and friends. This is an honest look at life which is raw at times but a rewarding read. 

In short: An emotional but never downhearted look at mortality.
 
 
About the Author

  In one form or another, Andy has always been a writer. At school, he passed notes in class and scribbled rude words on lamp posts. At university, he wrote a PhD in biochemistry and forged tickets to various balls, and as an advertising copywriter, he has written adverts for everything from baby food to booze. But it wasn’t until he was well into his thirties that Andy started writing fiction. If he could write a letter to his younger self, it would urge him to stop messing about and get on with it. Andy lives in London with his wife and two little girls. Chances are, he’s writing something.

Find Andy on Twitter and Instagram, and on Facebook.

Book link: Amazon UK  pre-order before 29th April 2021 

Thanks to the author and Jenny Platt of Hodder and Stoughton for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

Follow the rest of the tour! 
 

 


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