‘No More Games’ by Gordon J. Brown ~ @GoJaBrown @RedDogTweets #BookReview

‘No More Games’ was published in paperback and eBook on the 30th March by Red Dog Press. I would like to thank the publisher for my review copy of this book.

Book Synopsis

Glasgow, 1974 – a time of power cuts, strikes and the three-day week.
Twelve-year-old Ginger Bannerman is playing in the local woods when he stumbles across a gunman in hiding. The man has incriminating evidence of police corruption and forces Ginger to steal a tape recording from a major criminal’s flat.
But when Ginger discovers that his dad, a police constable, is mentioned on the tape, his world is turned upside down.
With both the gunman and the criminal in hot pursuit, he must prevent the tape falling into the wrong hands if he’s going to save himself and his family. Things have suddenly got very serious.

My Review

I enjoyed this book from start to finish and thought the way it started was very interesting indeed.  I liked the way the chapters were set out.  This was a dark and tense read which left me with bated breath.  I absolutely loved the author’s style of writing.

Set in Glasgow in 1974, this book had me totally gripped.  It gave me a very good picture of what Glasgow was really like in the 1970s.  I have never visited Glasgow but hope to very soon. 

I followed Ginger’s story all the way through.  I thought he and Milky were very courageous.  They found themselves involved in something that they should never have been a part of.  It was hard to like the majority of characters and I even found myself doubting Ginger’s father as well.

‘No More Games’ will have you on the edge of your seat.  You will find yourself turning the pages until the very end.

I am definitely interested in reading more from this author.

‘No More Games’ can be purchased from:

Red Dog Press

Amazon UK

‘The First Spark of Fire’ by Marion Kummerow ~ @MarionKummerow @bookouture #BlogTour #Extract

‘The First Spark of Fire’, German Wives Book 1, is Marion Kummerow’s brand new book. It was published on the 11th April by Bookouture and is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook.

Book Synopsis

Germany, 1938. ‘No,’ she cries out as she falls to the floor, fear clutching desperately at her chest, ‘They can’t have taken him, they can’t have taken my husband.’ As her tear-filled eyes dart wildly around the empty room, she realises she has no one to turn to. She is his only hope. But how can she possibly save him?

When shy, beautiful Edith first met Jewish-born Julius it was love at first sight. Julius swept her off her feet, whisking her from humble beginnings into the sparkling society and glittering ballrooms of Berlin’s powerful elite. It felt like all her dreams had come true.

But her perfect world begins to crack with rumblings of the Nazi party growing in power and influence. Every day there are new laws to strip Jews of their money and their freedom. And there are even more frightening rumours, of horrifying camps, and people disappearing in the night…

Then when Edith’s own brother Joseph enlists as an SS officer, and her whole family turn their backs on them, she knows that it is only a matter of time before they come for her husband. She pleads with Julius that their only chance is to run away and start again. Who cares about worldly possessions if they can still be together, their lives intact? But despite everything, he refuses to believe he is in danger.

Then one terrible night, the sounds of cries and breaking glass ring out across the city as the Nazis wreak their destruction. Edith’s worst fears have been realised— Julius has been taken.

For so long, Edith has led a sheltered life, secluded from the real world. But the only way to save her beloved husband is to defy the Nazis and put herself in grave danger. Can she draw on every bit of strength she has to fight for love and save him… or is she already too late?

A totally devastating, powerful, and ultimately uplifting story, perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, My Name is Eva and Sold on a Monday.

Extract

Early in the morning, Edith Falkenstein woke up, realizing her husband Julius had once again not returned home to sleep in his bed, because she couldn’t hear him snoring in the adjacent room.

Fixing her eyes on the clear blue sky streaming in through the curtains, she gave a sigh. Julius had a habit of throwing himself into work, and with rampant hyperinflation, he was needed at the bank he owned day and night.

Another sigh escaped her throat. Despite all their riches, even they felt the desolation taking hold of the German population. After they had lost the Great War, the country had rapidly spiraled downward until it seemed like everyone was out of a job. Beggars and war invalids lined the streets of the formerly rich and beautiful city of Munich.

She rang the bell on her nightstand, and mere moments later her maid Laura entered the room in her freshly starched black dress, a white apron and white bonnet completing the outfit. At least some things hadn’t changed.

Laura curtsied. “How may I serve you, gnädige Frau?”

It had taken Edith a long time to get used to having servants  around, speaking to her so formally. In contrast to her husband, a rich and powerful man fifteen years her senior, who came from a long line of merchants and bank owners, she’d grown up as the daughter of an elementary schoolteacher on the outskirts of Berlin.

Five years ago, after their wedding, she had followed Julius to Munich, way down in the South of Germany, far away from her family and friends.

“Please prepare coffee for me, and advise the driver to shine the car, as I’m going to pick up my brother from the train station later today.”

“Yes, gnädige Frau.” Laura was an industrious girl, quite versatile in all household chores and a devout Christian. Unlike Edith and Julius, who were Protestants in name only, and rarely, if ever, went to church.

“Have you had word from Herr Falkenstein?” She only ever referred to her husband by his last name in the presence of staff.

“He called around three a.m. to advise the driver that he had been held up at work and wished to be picked up for breakfast,” Laura said. “If you wait for another hour, you may eat with him.”

“Thank you, I will wait then. Bring me the coffee now, will you?” Even without comprehending much about business, Edith understood that Julius was fighting for the survival of his bank. Nonetheless, she wished he would spend more time with her.

‘The First Spark of Fire can be purchased from Amazon.

About the Author

Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to “discover the world” and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she’s now living with her family.

Inspired by the true story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime, she started writing historical fiction, set during World War II. Her books are filled with raw emotions, fierce loyalty and resilience. She loves to put her characters through the mangle, making them reach deep within to find the strength to face moral dilemma, take difficult decisions or fight for what is right. And she never forgets to include humor and undying love in her books, because ultimately love is what makes the world go round.

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