The Fractured Globe by Angela Fish

 

Nature? Nurture? Or just plain luck?

Single mums, Tia and Kay, meet when their sons are born on the same day.

Tia is a product of the welfare system but wants a better life for her son. Her entrapment by her manipulative and controlling boyfriend in the world of drink, drugs, crime and enforced prostitution suggests otherwise. Is she a ‘born devil’ or can she change and break free?

Kay comes from a stable home but sacrifices it all, initially, to live her own kind of life.

Overshadowed by betrayals, mistakes, regrets, and the mystery of an abandoned child, their paths – and those of their families – run parallel or criss-cross over twenty-five years.

Can determination and the power of the snow globe offer a chance of happiness?

I was exited to be part of this blog tour and read The Fractured Globe. It is a different book to what I’ve read before, laid out over 25 years and each chapter is a different year. Each chapter is broken down into parts and each part is told from a different point of view. It’s full of close calls, near misses, and a lot of intertwined stories.

Tia and Kay are the main characters, I liked them both and felt so sorry for them for different reasons. Kay’s character was the more sensible of the 2, but still has had troubles and is struggling to find her feet living alone with a newborn baby. Tia has lived a life full of trouble, abuse and more. My heart went out to her massively, and poor baby Luke had no idea what a normal life and family was.

There is a strong storyline of physical, sexual and mental abuse, and drug and alcohol addiction in the book, so be warned before you read it if these are triggers. At times I did feel it was a bit much, but it added to how bad things can be and how easy it is for someone in that position to find themselves not being able to get out of it. 

It was strange to see the differences between the girls lives, as they grew up and the boys grew up, how one hing can turn your life around in either a good way or bad way. The story does pan 25 years so we see big changes in a small amount of words if that makes sense. I do think the book could have been a little longer and put more in, but it worked. It was nice to see the boys growing up and not only be focused on them as babies.

There was one thing which bugged me a little and that was how many times people saw someone but couldn’t place where they recognised them. Like one of the girls would see a family member down the street and not be able to place where they know them from. Apart from that I thought this was a really good story and I finished the last 70% in almost a day.

Thanks for asking me to join in on the tour and as always thank you for the advanced e-copy for review.

About Angela Fish: Angela worked in medical research, electronic and electrical engineering, and administration. In her mid-thirties, she decided to change direction and returned to university to study Humanities, specialising in Literature and Creative Writing. She then completed an MPhil (Literature) focussing on how women writers in Wales, between 1850 and 1950, portrayed their female characters. Following this, Angela joined the staff the University of Glamorgan where, in 2000, she set up and directed The Wales Centre for Intergenerational Practice. As well as providing training and advice, she worked with local schools and communities, over a period of ten years, to improve communication between the generations. She has been in demand, nationally and internationally, as a conference presenter and an invited speaker in her field.  

 

Her publications include non-fiction, short stories, poetry, and fiction for children. The Fractured Globe is her first full-length novel and explores the nature/nurture question through the lives of two single mums, their sons, and families, over twenty-five years. This debate, together with an interest in mythology and magic, has significantly influenced her writing.

 

Angela is a member of The Society of Authors [SoA], and the SoA Children's Writers and Illustrators Group.

 

She lives in south Wales.

 

 

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/angelaEfish

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AngelaFishAuthor

Website: www.angela-fish.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Angela-Fish/e/B01MPXRE8F?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14428605.Angela_Fish?from_search=true&from_srp=true

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/uthors/angela-fish

 

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/3iLhPRl

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/39Y9JAP

 

 

Publishing Information:

Published in paperback and digital formats by Darkstroke Books on 3rd December 2020

You can find Damp Pebbles on Twitter @damppebbles. Instagram @damppebbles, Facebook @damppebblesblogtours

BLOG TOUR Fake by Roz Kay

James Cowper-art dealer, gambler, thief-is going straight and on the brink of redeeming himself with his disillusioned wife, Imani. He's still broke, but all he needs to take care of that is a rare art find. Then trouble arrives in the shape of a scheming landlord and an unwelcome dinner party with his boss. As events spin out of his control it appears that nobody, including Imani, is what they pretend. And over everything looms one make-or-break question for James: can he get a grip on his exploding life?

I was happy to be asked to have a stop on the blog tour for this book. I was sent a copy of the book for free from Emma over at Damp Pebbles Book Tours, and was happy to read and review.

The story is told from 2 different points of view, on one hand there is James and his wife Imani, then there is Bruce and his wife Davorka. It’s set in Philadelphia where Bruce and Davorka lived, but now rent their gorgeous house out to James and Imani, while they have retired to the Florida Keys.

But something brings Bruce and Davorka back to Philadelphia for a visit, and they decide they are entitled to stay in their rented out property, even with tenants living there!! Gah Bruce bugged me!! He was so condescending and annoying! I didn’t mind Davorka as much though, but even she was a little irritating. But to me this is a sign of a good writer, I’ve always said if someone can write a character and you end up disliking them, it’s obviously good writing.

The story focuses a lot more on people than art, which isnt’ what I expected, but the undertone of art is always there in the background. James is the art dealer, and we learn a few things about it throughout. I like Imani, she was my favourite character.

I hope you manage to grab a copy and read it soon! Thanks for stopping by!

About Roz Kay: Roz Kay is a writer and former journalist. Her debut children’s novel, The Keeper of the Stones, was published in March 2020 by Hayloft Publishing and she’s had literary short stories published under the name Roz DeKett. Roz, who now lives in Wiltshire, England, has lived in Ghana, Canada, Malaysia, Brunei, and the United States—including nearly six years in Philadelphia where Fake is set. Fake is her debut novel for adults. 

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_RozKay

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RozKayWriter

Website: https://rozdekett.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_rozkay/

 

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/39BNW1W

Waterstones: http://bit.ly/35QNpb4

Bookshop.org: http://bit.ly/3sy5vbK

 

 

Publishing Information:

Published in paperback format by Darley Press on 21stSeptember 2020

You can find Damp Pebbles on Twitter @damppebbles, Instagram @damppebbles, Facebook @damppebblesblogtours