Review: 'Bourbon Creams and Tattered Dreams' by Mary Gibson (2017)

Frank Rossi promised Matty the world. The Cockney Canary would become a world famous movie star. As his wife, she would be one half of a power couple, feted and adored by all. But the Wall Street crash puts paid to that and as Frank becomes more violent and unstable, Matty knows she must escape and so she flees at dead of night. Once home in Bermondsey, she goes into hiding and starts desperately looking for work. But only the hated biscuit factory, Peek Frean's, is hiring. Then, as a secret from her past comes back to hurt her, Matty learns that Frank is on the move, determined to find her and get her back.
Last year I had the pleasure of being introduced to author Mary Gibson; her novel ‘Gunner Girls and Fighter Boys’ was a great read (click here to read my review), so when I was contacted about possibly reviewing her latest book ‘Bourbon Creams and Tattered Dreams’ I didn’t have to think twice about my answer. This latest read by Mary Gibson was released in January 2017 and tells the story of main character Matty. I immediately liked the sound of the story and was curious to give it a try, keeping my fingers crossed for a just as enjoyable reading experience as with the author’s previous novel!
Matty Gilbie has always loved to sing and there’s a reason she is known as the Cockney Canary. When she met Frank Rossi, she couldn’t help but fall head over heels in love with him and his promises to make her a big star. But now, after following Frank to America, these promises have lost their shine and especially with the Wall Street Crash making everything more difficult, Matty only wants to get away from Frank and return back home to Bermondsey. One evening she just decides to leave and tries her best to build up a quiet life back in the UK. But she knows Frank is looking for her; will she be able to leave behind her singing career and stay away from the spotlight? And can a new life in the UK, working in a factory, really offer her what she always wanted…?
If you enjoy historical and/or women’s fiction, I can recommend picking up a Mary Gibson novel. I thoroughly enjoyed her book ‘Gunner Girls and Fighter Boys’ and now got the chance to read ‘Bourbon Creams and Tattered Dreams’ which focuses on main character Matty Gilbie. Her singing voice brought her to America, but due to circumstances she now finds herself back home with her family in Bermondsey, trying to lead a quiet life, not drawing any attention to herself. As a reader I thoroughly enjoyed joining Matty during this particular time in her life; at the start of the novel she is basically forced to start all over again, and we follow her and get to see how she continues to be brave, trying to find happiness while not losing sight of who she is as a person and discovering what really makes her happy.
One of the strengths of the novel, and the author’s writing, is the ability to create that feeling of community; people coming together and caring about each other. I loved the Bermondsey community and getting to know the different secondary characters in the book, and how they all come together to help and support Matty. While I personally thought the story became a bit slow-paced and too much of the same towards the middle of the book, I still really enjoyed it and Mary Gibson is certainly on my list of authors to keep an eye on. All in all, ‘Bourbon Creams and Tattered Dreams’ is a heartfelt and well-written historical/women’s fiction read with a determined and brave leading lady at its core; a thoroughly enjoyable read!

Rating:8,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 'Gunner Girls and Fighter Boys' by Mary Gibson (2016)

May Lloyd's father calls her his homing pigeon because of her uncanny knack of navigating her way around the streets of South London – even in pitch darkness. It is a gift that will save her life when the Blitz destroys nearly everything that she holds dear.
With her home in ruins, May joins the ATS – the women's branch of the British Army – and becomes a gunner girl, operating Ack Ack guns against the Luftwaffe. Meanwhile, her sister Peggy makes a daring bid to escape a stifling marriage and find love and freedom amid the heady chaos of war.
As I've mentioned before on this blog, I quite enjoy some historical fiction every now and again, next to the usual chick lit and women's fiction. Over the past few years I've had the chance to read and review some great wartime romances by authors such as Margaret Graham and Katie Flynn. When I was contacted about possibly reviewing 'Gunner Girls and Fighter Boys' by Mary Gibson, I said 'yes' because I straight away liked the sound of the novel. I had heard some positive things about the author's book 'Custard Tarts and Broken Hearts', so I was both curious and excited to be given the chance to check out Mary Gibson's writing for myself and dive into another wartime saga at the same time!
When the Blitz hits London and destroys almost everything around them, Peggy and May Lloyd, two sisters from Bermondsey, know their lives are about to be turned completely upside down. May can't sit around and do nothing, so decides to join the ATs and becomes a gunner girl, operating ack-ack guns. While she makes new friends, she can't help but miss home and worry about her parents. At the same time, May's older sister Peggy is trapped in her marriage and the war suddenly provides her with an unexpected chance of freedom. When she finds real love within the chaos of the ongoing war, she will need to make some important life-changing decisions...
Mary Gibson's latest release 'Gunner Girls and Fighter Boys' looked like a captivating and promising read to me when I picked it up, and I'm really glad to say the novel definitely managed to meet my expectations. The author's well-paced and detailed writing style combined with a selection of fascinating characters grabbed my attention from the start and after just a few chapters I was already completely engrossed in the novel, curious to find out what would happen next. I really liked the fact that there were two main characters the novel focussed on: sisters May and Peggy. They each had their own storyline, different from one another but also connected in various ways, and they were both engaging characters that I easily warmed to.
I personally find it really interesting to read about women's lives during the war, and Mary Gibson has obviously done her research and manages to paint a realistic and touching picture, making it easy to envisage everything in my mind, almost as if I was there myself. The book is quite a long read with almost 500 pages, but both Peggy's and May's storyline were fascinating and kept my attention at all times. I thoroughly enjoyed this and already hope to pick up more of the author's works in the future. Overall, 'Gunner Girls and Fighter Boys' is a captivating, interesting and touching historical read which I really enjoyed from start to finish; a read that is definitely worth picking up, especially if you're a wartime saga fan!

Rating:9/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.