She's Having Her Baby Kindle Edition

Very disappointed with this book it started out with a lot of interest but soon got bogged down with flash backs and repeats and at the end left you up in the air

She’s Having Her Baby is a funny and bittersweet debut chick lit novel from Lauren Sams.

“This is it. She’s going to ask me to be her surrogate. No, she won’t. Surely she won’t. That only happens in Katherine Heigl movies, Jesus f** Christ, what if she asks? What am I going to say? There’s only one answer, right? Jesus f**”

Thirty something magazine editor, Georgie Henderson, has never wanted kids but her best friend, Nina Doherty, wants nothing more than to be a mother and when her latest IVF attempt fails, she asks Georgie for the ultimate favour. Reluctantly Georgie agrees to become Nina’s surrogate, willing to help Nina’s dream come true, but Georgie is wholly unprepared for what comes next…

Life doesn’t always go to plan and in She’s Having Her Baby the plot doesn’t quite develop as the reader may expect. Sharply observed, the author explores the themes of infertility, surrogacy, motherhood and friendship in a manner that is funny, poignant and compassionate.

I found Georgie to be an interesting character, she definitely has her flaws, being somewhat inflexible and self absorbed, but she is amusing, feisty and loyal in her own way. I admired Georgia for deciding to help Nina, though I think choosing not to have children for whatever reason is a perfectly valid decision, and though Georgia doesn’t cope particularly well when things don’t work out as expected, including with her relationship and career, she eventually pulls it together.

I’ve witnessed the toll infertility can take on the soul, and relationships, and I really felt for Nina, her desperation is authentic and moving. I laughed out loud at the passages describing the parenting styles of Ellie and the mothers at the playground. Those type of ‘helicopter’, holier than thou parents drove me crazy when my children were babies so I agreed . It’s not like I let mine play with knives or fed them a steady diet of McDonalds but they watched ABC Kids, ate jarred baby foods and wore disposable nappies, and let me assure you they are all bright, healthy and happy children.

The writing is of a good standard, the dialogue is natural, and humour is used to good effect, without undermining the more serious issues. The pacing works well with some surprises in the plot and a conclusion that is satisfying but not too neat.

I enjoyed She’s Having Her Baby, I found it to be both an entertaining and touching novel tackling issues relevant to the modern woman. Lauren Sams is a debut author with promise.

Learn more about Lauren Sams and her writing process in he guest post published earlier today at Book’d Out

She’s Having Her Baby is available to purchase from

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and all good bookstores.

*****
GIVEAWAY

Courtesy of Nero Books

I have 5 print editions of

She’s Having Her Baby by Lauren Sams

to giveaway.

*Sorry, only Australian residents may enter*

Please leave a comment on this post and then
CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Entries close March 22nd 2015

****

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AWW Feature & Giveaway: Lauren Sams on Writing

12 Mar 2015 3 Comments

by shelleyrae @ Book'd Out in Australian Reading, Australian Women Writers, Author Interview/Guest Post, Chicklit & Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Provided by Publisher/Author Edit

Lauren Sams

Today I am pleased to introduce Lauren Sams and the release of her debut novel, She’s Having Her Baby. Lauren Sams began her career at Cosmopolitan, before moving to Girlfriend as Deputy Editor. She’s now back at Cosmo as Associate Editor. She writes for ELLE, marie claire, Sunday Style and Daily Life. She lives in Sydney with her husband, daughter and two dogs.

She’s Having Her Baby is published by Nero Books.

“Georgie Henderson doesn’t want to have kids, but her best friend, Nina Doherty, has wanted to have a baby for as long as she can remember. Sadly, Nina’s uterus refuses to cooperate. One drunken evening, Nina asks Georgie for the ultimate favour: would she carry a baby for her? Georgie says yes – and spends the next nine months wondering why!
With intense bacon-and-egg roll cravings and distant memories of what her feet look like, Georgie tries to keep it all together in her dream job as the editor of Jolie magazine. Her love life’s a mess – and sauvignon blanc’s off the menu – leaving Georgie to deal with twists in her life she never expected“

My review of She’s Having Her Baby can be read HERE, but first please read on to learn more about the novel and how you could win one of five print editions…

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Writing: the best career ever except for CEO of Haigh’s and Amy Poehler’s Personal Assistant

People are always banging on about how hard it is to write a book. Or just, to write, in general. It’s lonely, they say. It’s exhausting, I hear. It’s hardly ever worth it, apparently. It’s enough to drive you to drink, says Ernest Hemingway and a bunch of his mates.

What utter rubbish (except the drinking part; I enjoy a dirty martini as much as the next scribe and possibly more).

The thing is, writing – if it’s your bag – is just about the most fun thing ever. It is also patently indulgent – perhaps even selfish. So when people – writers – complain about it, I want to stand up, reach across and gently slap them in the face. We’re not saving lives in Darfur, people. We’re writing. Get over it.

The process of writing my first novel, She’s Having Her Baby, was hard only because it was tiring. I had to fit writing into an already crammed life – I am the associate editor at Cosmopolitan, the acting managing editor at Cosmopolitan Bride and I freelance for a bunch of mags. Oh, and I have a husband and a two-year-old. So making sure all the balls were still in the air, inflated and bouncing happily was a challenge. But the writing itself? THAT was fun. I didn’t think of it as work.

And I didn’t think of it as lonely, either. I love my two main characters, Georgie and Nina. Georgie is a bit older than me, and though people may assume we are one and the same (first novels do have a tendency to be autobiographical, I know), we are not. Put simply, Georgie is kind of a flake. A lovable flake, sure, but nonetheless, a flake. She’s opinionated, likes a wine and doesn’t get why people would want to have kids. She’s fiercely loyal to and protective of her best friend, Nina. Nina, unlike Georgie, has her shit decidedly together and considers it her job to tell Georgie the cold hard truth once in a while. Nina wants to have a baby with a kind of desperation that I see in a lot of women – a quiet longing that gives way to outright anger at the injustice of infertility. So Nina asks Georgie the ultimate favour – would she be her surrogate?

I came to love my cast of characters (almost all of them female). Ellie, another of Georgie’s friends, was a bit of a surprise to me. Ellie is the mother of a toddler and in Georgie’s eyes, “gave up her licence to be an adult the day she got pregnant.” I was prepared to dislike Ellie from the start – she’s not the kind of mother I want to be and I had little sympathy for her. But as the writing process went on, I came to empathise with Ellie. She’s trying to be a great mum the best – and only – way she knows how, and while she knows her (childless) friends don’t approve, she doesn’t care. I kind of loved that about her. It was a joy getting to know Ellie (I know she’s not real; I am aware I’m sounding a little crazy).

I’ll concede that yes, it was exhausting trying to squeeze in writing and editing whenever I could, but again: this was a hugely indulgent exercise for me. Plus I have an excellent husband who makes fab coffee on demand (he is also available in Small and Large). I have a wife named Rochelle who is also my mother and says helpful things like, “How about I do a load of washing for you?” as I nod vigorously (then she folds it, in that way only mums know how).

And now, it’s out in the world and I’m ready to start work on book number two (the sequel!). So yep, it may be tiring. I may emerge, 90,000 words later, with bags under my eyes heavier than North West’s carry-on. But I will have had so much fun along the way, I won’t even mind.

Especially when I start drinking.

*****
GIVEAWAY

Courtesy of Nero Books

I have 5 print editions of

She’s Having Her Baby by Lauren Sams

to giveaway.

*Sorry, only Australian residents may enter*

Please leave a comment on this post and then
CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Entries close March 22nd 2015

****

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Review: Razorhurst by Justine Larbalaestier

10 Mar 2015 Leave a comment

by shelleyrae @ Book'd Out in Aussie Author Challenge, Australian Reading, Australian Women Writers, ★★★★1/2, Fiction, Historical, Provided by Publisher/Author, Young Adult Edit

Title: Razorhurst

Author: Justine Larbalaestier

Published: Soho Teen March 2015

Read an Excerpt

Status: Read from March 07 to 9, 2015 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher}

My Thoughts:

Justine Larbalaestier’s Razorhurst is gritty, intriguing novel blending history and the paranormal to create an interesting and exciting story with crossover appeal for both young adult and adult audiences.

It’s 1932 and the tentative truce between Sydney’s rival underworld gangs, headed by Gloriana Nelson and Mr Davidson, is on the verge of collapse when Gloriana’s right hand man, Jimmy Palmer is murdered in his bed.
For Dymphna, Gloria’s ‘best girl’ and Jimmy’s girlfriend, Jimmy’s death is a problem. Was he murdered by Mr Davidson in a calculated move against Glory, or was he killed because Glory learned of his and Dymphna’s plans to oust her?
Climbing into the Surrey Hills dosshouse housing Gloriana’s men in search of food, street urchin Kelpie is shocked to find Dymphna standing over the body of her murdered lover.
Both are forced to flee as the police close in, with Dymphna insisting Kelpie remains with her for protection, but safety is hard to come by on the streets of ‘Razorhurst’.

Razorhurst is told from the alternating perspectives of Kelpie and Dymphna, interspersed with brief omniscient vignettes. Both girls are feisty, brave, and smart, but most importantly they are survivors.
Kelpie is an appealing character. When her mother died in childbirth, she was taken in by ‘Old Ma’ who raised her as best she could. Upon Old Ma’s death, desperate to escape the Welfare, Kelpie took to the streets, surviving with the occasional kindness of local hard man, Snowy, and the ghosts that she can both see and hear that haunt the streets.
Dymphna was born to privilege but tragedy left her orphaned twice and she was forced to find a way to survive. As Glory’s ‘best girl’, she has earned status among the underworld, but she wants more. She too can see and hear ghosts but hiding her ability has become second nature.

Larbalaestier’s gangland characters are inspired by infamous Sydney identities (most notably Tilly Divine and Kate Leigh), and the author’s research into the ‘razor’ gangs of Sydney, so named because straight edge razors were the weapon of choice during the 1930’s.
I loved the historical elements that evoke inner city Sydney during the period. Grounded firmly in fact, the setting is fascinating and vividly drawn, from the slum of Frog Hollow to the seedy streets of Surry ‘Sorrow’ Hills lined with bordello’s, opium dens and gambling houses.

Unfolding over the course of a single day the pacing of the novel is well managed, the action is non stop as Dymphna and Kelpie scramble to survive. There are explicit, though not gratuitous, references to violence and the occasional use of language. A touch of humour and romance tempers the ever present sense of menace and danger.

Entertaining, thrilling and original, Razorhurst is a great read I’d widely recommend and I’m really hoping Larbalestier has plans for a sequel.

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

09 Mar 2015 15 Comments

by shelleyrae @ Book'd Out in It's Monday! What Are You Reading?, Memes Edit

The Its Monday! What Are You Reading meme is hosted at Book Journey.
Life…

The past week has been stressful for one reason and another, and my brain hurts.

The bright spot was celebrating my great aunts 90th birthday with family, despite the 6 hour round trip. Aunty Dot is an amazing woman.

auntydot90
What I Read Last Week

Claiming Noah by Amanda Ortlepp

The Reluctant Midwife by Patricia Harman

Rose River by Margareta Osborn

Witch Upon a Star by Jennifer Harlow

Cranky Ladies of History by Tehani Wessley

New Posts

(click the titles to read my reviews)

Review: Yes, Chef! by Lisa Joy ★★★

AWW Feature: Amanda Ortlepp and Claiming Noah

Review: Claiming Noah by Amanda Ortlepp ★★★★

Review: The Reluctant Midwife by Patricia Harman ★★★★

Review: Rose River by Margareta Osborn ★★★1/2

Review: Witch Upon a Star by Jennifer Harlow ★★1/2

Review: Nothing Sacred by David Thorne ★★

International Women’s Day: Cranky Ladies of History by Tehani Wessley ★★★★

What I Am Reading Today

Sydney’s deadly Razorhurst neighborhood, 1932. Gloriana Nelson and Mr. Davidson, two ruthless mob bosses, have reached a fragile peace—one maintained by “razor men.” Kelpie, orphaned and homeless, is blessed (and cursed) with the ability to see Razorhurst’s many ghosts. They tell her secrets the living can’t know about the cracks already forming in the mobs’ truce. Then Kelpie meets Dymphna Campbell, a legendary beauty and prized moll of Gloriana Nelson. She’s earned the nickname “Angel of Death” because none of her beaus has ever survived knowing her. Unbeknownst to Kelpie, Dymphna can see ghosts, too, and she knows that Gloriana’s hold is crumbling one henchman at a time. As loyalties shift and betrayal threatens the two girls at every turn, Dymphna is determined not only to survive, but to rise to the top with Kelpie at her side.
What I Plan To Read This Week

(click the covers to view at Goodreads)

Georgie Henderson doesn’t want to have kids, but her best friend, Nina Doherty, has wanted to have a baby for as long as she can remember. Sadly, Nina’s uterus refuses to cooperate. One drunken evening, Nina asks Georgie for the ultimate favour: would she carry a baby for her? Georgie says yes – and spends the next nine months wondering why!
With intense bacon-and-egg roll cravings and distant memories of what her feet look like, Georgie tries to keep it all together in her dream job as the editor of Jolie magazine. Her love life’s a mess – and sauvignon blanc’s off the menu – leaving Georgie to deal with twists in her life she never expected.

Hanna Schutt never suspected that her younger daughter’s happiness would lead to her husband’s death and the destruction of their family. When Dawn brings her new boyfriend home from college for a visit, her parents and sister try to hide their doubts because they’re glad that Dawn – always an awkward child – appears to have grown into a confident, mature young woman in her relationship with Rud. But when Hanna and her husband, Joe, are beaten savagely in their bed, Rud becomes the chief suspect and stands trial for Joe’s murder.
Claiming her boyfriend’s innocence, Dawn estranges herself from her mother, who survived the attack with serious injuries and impaired memory. When Rud wins an appeal and Dawn returns to the family home saying she wants to support her mother, Hanna decides to try to remember details of that traumatic night so she can testify to keep her husband’s murderer in jail, never guessing that the process might cause her to question everything she thought she knew about her daughter.

Ivo fell for her. He fell for a girl he can’t get back. Now he’s hoping for something. While he waits he plays a game: He chooses a body part and tells us its link to the past he threw away. He tells us the story of how she found him, and how he lost her. But he doesn’t have long. And he still has one thing left to do …

It should have been a time of acquiring confidence, building self respect and independence, of fostering a connection with the natural world through long hikes… A gripping, compulsively readable memoir of bullying at an elite country boarding school.

A dragon brings down the Vice President’s plane, a monster army is camped outside Omaha, and an empath demon springs an undercover operation in New York. New Orleans was just the beginning. New and different demons are breaking through all over America, and Dave Hooper has a new enemy with more guile and guts than the celebrity superhero, still stumbling in his role as Champion. While his agent fields offers for movies and merchandise, Dave is tasked with ending a siege in Omaha, saving his friends and deciphering the underrealms’ plans to take over the earth. As an ancient and legion evil threatens to destroy mankind, Dave has to decide what kind of man he wants to be and the nature of his role in this new world. He may not be the hero humanity deserves, but he’s the only one we’ve got.

***********

Thanks for stopping by!

International Women’s Day: Cranky Ladies of History by Tehani Wessley (Ed.)

08 Mar 2015 1 Comment

by shelleyrae @ Book'd Out in Australian Reading, Australian Women Writers, ★★★★, Fiction, Historical, Provided by Publisher/Author Edit

iwd_long

In honour of International Womens Day 2015, I am pleased to introduce Cranky Ladies of History, an anthology launched today from Fablecroft Publishing.

Title: Cranky Ladies of History

Author: Tehani Wessley (Editor)

Published: Fablecroft Publishing March 2015

Status: Read from March 07 to 08, 2015 — I own a copy {Courtsey the publisher)

My Thoughts:

Cranky Ladies of History is an anthology conceived and developed by Tehani Wessley of Fablecroft Publishing and author, Tansy Rayner Roberts. Crowdfunded through Pozible during Womens History Month in 2014, the concept attracted many supporters eager to be a part of project.

Twenty two authors have contributed to Cranky Ladies of History, including award winner’s Thoraiya Dyer, Juliet Marillier, Jane Yolen and Garth Nix.

Each short story in Cranky Ladies of History features a real female historical figure. I’m not familiar enough with history to separate fact from fiction in these pieces but these strong, often fierce women are those who challenged society’s rules and ideas about how women should behave, though not always in heroic or noble ways. While Garth Nix honours Lady Godiva in ‘The Company of Women’, ‘Look How Cold My Hands Are’ by Deborah Biancotti features Countess Bathory, an insane serial killer.

The women featured include an Ancient Egyptian ruler (‘Neter Nefer’ by Amanda Pillar), a Chinese Empress (‘Charmed Life’ by Joyce Chng), a British women’s rights campaigner (“Mary, Mary” by Kirstyn McDermott) and an Australia doctor (‘Due Care And Attention’ by Sylvia Kelso. Some of the protagonists represent well known figures such as Queen Elizabeth 1 (‘Glorious’ by Faith Mudge) while others feature woman whose lives have all but been forgotten, such as the Icelandic Viking warrior, Hallgerðr Höskuldsdóttir (‘For So Great A Misdeed’ by Lisa L. Hannett)

An entertaining and interesting anthology, Cranky Ladies of History is an important collection of fiction that gives voice to an extraordinary selection of women from a broad range of backgrounds, era’s and cultures. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

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Review: Nothing Sacred by David Thorne

07 Mar 2015 Leave a comment

by shelleyrae @ Book'd Out in ★★★, Crime & Mystery, Fiction, Provided by Publisher/Author, Thriller & Suspense Edit

Title: Nothing Sacred {Daniel Connell #2}

Author: David Thorne

Published: Corvus : Allen & Unwin March 2015

Status: Read from March 01 to 02, 2015 — I own a copy

My Thoughts:

A gritty crime thriller Nothing Sacred is the second book from David Thorne to feature disgraced lawyer, Daniel Connell, following East of Innocence.

In Nothing Sacred, Daniel is reluctantly drawn into the underworld of Essex by the tearful pleas of his ex girlfriend Victoria who is being tormented by an unseen force and has lost custody of her young children. Meanwhile, Daniel’s childhood best friend Gabe, a veteran whose military career was cut short when he lost his leg, is mixed up in something deadly that has followed him from the battlefield of Afghanistan.

Nothing Sacred was a little too brutal and bleak for my tastes, but the action is fast-paced and the plot is well thought out. There are several twists and Thorne brings it all together well.
The characters are convincing, if somewhat stereotypical for the genre. Daniel’s sense of justice overrides his confidence in the law and he has no problem crossing the line when he feels justified in doing so.

A quick, solid read with a noir-ish feel, Nothing Sacred should appeal to crime fiction fans with a hard edge.

Nothing Sacred is available to purchase from

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Review: Witch Upon a Star by Jennifer Harlow

06 Mar 2015 Leave a comment

by shelleyrae @ Book'd Out in ★★★, Fiction, Paranormal & Urban Fantasy, Provided by Publisher/Author Edit

Title: Witch Upon a Star {A Midnight Magic Mystery #3}

Author: Jennifer Harlow

Published: Midnight Ink March 2015

Read an Excerpt

Status: Read from March 05 to 07, 2015 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher/Netgalley}

My Thoughts:

The events in Witch Upon a Star take place twenty years before Mind Over Monsters and twenty one years before the events in What’s a Witch to Do?.

Anna Olmstead is just nine when she meets Asher, a dashing, centuries old vampire who rescues her from her father pimping both his daughter’s magical talent and more to any one with a few dollars. Asher is her saviour, he provides her a life of wealth and privilege, love and protection and as Anna grows she is determined to always be at his side. At fourteen she becomes Asher’s legal consort and later his lover, believing all of her dreams have come true. Eventually however the relationship begins to sour as Asher’s true nature asserts itself, and things begin to spiral out of control. Still she can’t let go, and Asher refuses to free her, until one murderous, bloody night.
Almost a decade later Anna is happily married and the mother of two young sons, her life with Asher behind her, when an attempt is made to kidnap her and Anna has no choice except to confront the man she once loved with all her heart.

Witch Upon a Star is not what I expected, it has none of the lightness found in What’s a Witch to Do? and is much darker than Werewolf Sings the Blues though is still billed as A Midnight Magic Mystery.

Witch Upon a Star is actually a story of corrupted innocence and dark obsession. There is little humour, and the themes are confronting touching on child abuse, drug addiction and exploitation. Don’t get me wrong, the novel is well written and the story is quite affecting but I was thrown by the unexpected seriousness.

To be fair the synopsis hints at the seriousness of the story but the whimsical title, cutesy cover and the reputation of the author for snarky humour, contradicts it. As long as the reader is aware of what they are getting into, Witch Upon A Star is a good read.

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Also by Jennifer Harlow

Blog Tour Review: Rose River by Margareta Osborn

05 Mar 2015 Leave a comment

by shelleyrae @ Book'd Out in Australian Reading, Australian Women Writers, ★★★, Challenge Reading, Chicklit & Romance, Fiction, Provided by Publisher/Author Tags: Australia, Victoria Edit

Title: Rose River

Author: Margareta Osborn

Published: Random House March 2015

Status: Read from March 04 to 05, 2015 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher/Netgalley}

My Thoughts:

Rose River is a lighthearted contemporary rural romance from Margareta Osborn, expanded from her 2012 novella, A Bush Christmas.

Jamie Hanrahan can’t see any reason to celebrate Christmas, a year ago her beloved father suddenly passed away and now she has been unceremoniously retrenched from her high-paying executive PR job. Eager to escape the festive season in Melbourne, Jamie impulsively accepts an offer to housesit in Burdekin’s Gap, high up in the East Gippsland Mountains. Jamie is looking forward to peace and quiet, but then Polly Plains House manager, Stirling McEvoy roars into her life on his gleaming Yamaha and suddenly Jamie may be able to find a few reasons to celebrate the season after all.

It took me a little while to warm up to Jamie but she surprised me when she willingly helped Stirling draft cattle, despite being clueless, and quickly, if a touch reluctantly, involved herself in the Burdekin’s Gap community. Emotionally Jamie is a bit of a mess, still grieving for her father and angry at her mother for her quick remarriage, but Burdekin’s Gap, and the friends she makes, reveals a strength she never knew she had.

Stirling isn’t terribly happy to make Jamie’s acquaintance, he had been expecting a housesitter who could help around the station, not a Sass and Bide, Jimmy Choo wearing city slicker ‘Princess’. I liked Stirling, whom Jamie nicknames ‘Marble Man’ due in part to his impressive physique, though I felt there were some inconsistencies in what I expected of his character in the second half of the novel, after his ex girlfriend shows up.

Complications between Stirling and Jamie arise in the form of Stirling’s bitchy ex-girlfriend, Tiffany, who is reluctant to let go, and Jamie’s stepfather’s nephew, Marty, who seems determined to win Jamie’s affection despite her oft repeated disinterest. With their relationship so new and undefined, neither Stirling nor Jamie are willing to declare themselves and misunderstandings abound.

I really enjoyed Osborn’s portrayal of the Burdekin’s Gap community, from Stirling’s immediate family to pub owners Bluey and Jean, and the fundraising events, including Buck (naked) Cricket, and Cow (poo) Lotto, that unites the residents. The setting is also wonderfully drawn from the town itself, to the surrounding country landscape.

Those that read A Bush Christmas should enjoy the continuation of Jamie and Stirling’s romance, though it should be noted that novella is reproduced almost verbatim within the story. I found Rose River to be a straight forward, high spirited romance, that should appeal to fans of the genre.

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Also by Margareta Osborn

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Review: The Reluctant Midwife by Patricia Harman

04 Mar 2015 1 Comment

by shelleyrae @ Book'd Out in ★★★★, Fiction, Historical, Provided by Publisher/Author Tags: USA Edit

Title: The Reluctant Midwife { A Hope River Novel #2}

Author: Patricia Harman

Published: William Morrow: HarperCollins March 2015

Read an Excerpt

Status: Read from March 02 to 04, 2015 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher/Edelwiess}

My Thoughts:

The Reluctant Midwife is a heartwarming and engaging novel by Patricia Harman, set in the same location and era as her fiction debut, The Midwife of Hope River.

Penniless, homeless and the sole carer of her inexplicably catatonic ex-employer, Dr Isaac Blum, nurse Becky Myers is in desperate straits by the time she arrives in Hope River, rural West Virgina. It is the 1930’s, times are tough for everyone, and with few options, Becky is forced to figure out a way to support herself and Blum.

Harman effortlessly evokes the era in which The Reluctant Midwife is set. The focus is on the challenges of the Great Depression, in rural areas unemployment rose to around 80% leaving hundreds of thousands of people struggling to survive.

With a little luck and hard work, Becky finds a way to eke out a living as the Depression ravages the country. Though initially forced to rely on the generosity of friends and neighbours, she delivers groceries, reluctantly assists the local midwife Patience Murphy, and becomes a part time staff nurse at a nearby Civilian Conservation Corps camp.

Characterisation is a real strength of Harman’s writing. Becky is not a saint, she can be uptight and prideful, she is often frustrated by Blum’s non responsiveness and resents having to work as a midwife when the whole notion of childbirth horrifies her, however it is difficult to fault her drive to better her circumstances. I really enjoyed the way her hard edges softened over the course of the novel.
Readers familiar with The Midwife of Hope River may remember Dr Blum as an arrogant and cold man. His unexplained catatonia was precipitated by the death of his wife, and he is now a pitiful man but his silence also hides a secret.
I loved reconnecting with Patience Murphy, Hope River’s sole midwife, now married to the ‘new’ vet, Daniel Hester and the mother of a young son, but even more minor characters, like Nico and Captain Wolfe are well drawn and believable.

The Reluctant Midwife is a captivating story of hardship, loss, friendship, and hope. Though its not necessary to have read The Midwife of Hope River to enjoy The Reluctant Midwife, I would recommend it, simply because it too is a wonderful story.

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Review: Claiming Noah by Amanda Ortlepp

03 Mar 2015 7 Comments

by shelleyrae @ Book'd Out in Aust