THE NANNY by MELISSA NATHAN

 THE NANNY

by

MELISSA NATHAN

THE BLURB:

When Jo Green takes a nannying job in London to escape her small-town routine, complicated family and perfect-on-paper boyfriend Shaun, culture shock doesn't even begin to describe it...

Dick and Vanessa Fitzgerald are the most incompatible pair since Tom and Jerry, and their children- glittery warrior pixie Cassandra, bloodthirsty Zak and shy little Tallulah- are downright mystifying. Suddenly village life terribly appealing.

Then, just as Jo's getting the hang of their designer lifestyle, the Fitzgerald's acquire a new lodger and suddenly she's sharing her nanny flat with the distractingly good-looking but inexplicably moody Josh. So when Shaun turns up things get even trickier...

THE REALITY:

I did worry about this one- a tome but about a light-and-trite subject? Hmmm. But I couldn't have been more wrong! This book is a real study in human relationships and a lesson that just because things appear a certain way on the surface, doesn't mean that appearances tell the whole truth- or even something approaching anywhere near it. It was also a good way for me to learn how to write about children and their foibles. I don't have children, nieces and nephews or godchildren, wasn't a big sister and, to be honest, don't have much to do with kids, and therefore know nothing about them. But this book certainly delivered me a lesson and an insight into their worlds, and I loved how they sometimes got whole sections of the book to themselves.

I can certainly relate to small-town backward ideals, as I myself had to escape them. I do like the way maratial relationships are explored; with both Jo's parents and Jo's employers, and I (spoiler alert!) managed to work out that it was Sheila Shaun would eventually end up with- they do come across as compatible.

But it was the humour that got to me throughout- there were several laugh out loud moments, especially when Vanessa enquires over the phone to Jo as to whether little Zak has been holding his willy today (it appears to be his self-comforting move) and her boss walks in and says, 'I hope that's not a client you're talking to!' And policeman Gerry's fancying of Jo, naming the four kids he thinks they'll be having and the treading in of shit by policeman Nick and spreading it over a crime scene (in fact poos feature more than once, which would impress lavatorial little moi!) I also enjoyed the Highgate references, and the allusion to how well-connected and monied people live, and how, at the end of the day, everyone is human; with foibles, and the problems that human beings suffer.

All in all, a nicely written novel.

VENETIAN WATERWAYS YOUTUBE VLOG LIVE!

  My Venetian Waterways YouTube vlog is now live!

Link:-

https://youtu.be/Fi3wLiRYkW8

The Venetian Waterways sit just north of Britannia Pier, in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Built between 1926 and 1928, the site sat derelict for years following the 1960s decline in British tourism. Closed to the public since 2011, lottery funding allowed for their redevelopment and, since their 2019 reopening, they've been an elegant addition to the town.

Come and take a walk in my shoes over cute bridges; past authentic thatched seating areas; into secluded, manicured gardens and learn about some of the flora and fauna of this area. As well as there being a little café, you can hire a pedalo or boat during good weather. Have I ever done so? Nah, on yer bike! If I'm hiring a boat then I expect it to come with an engine- if I've paid good money then there's no way I'm operating the damn thing myself!

I have to admit, maybe February wasn't the best time to film this vlog, as the waterways are much prettier during Spring and Summer- but I will be back. I will also show you a part of Great Yarmouth that I refer to as No Man's Land...

Do remember to like, subscribe and click on the notifications bell!

As you know, I will always be a writer before anything else, and I have these blogs for you to read:-

Venetian Waterways blog:-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2018/05/miss-elaineous-visits-venetian.html

General Great Yarmouth blog (this blog is huge, and features the Venetian Waterways):-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2019/09/miss-elaineous-visits-great-yarmouth.html

Remember to like and subscribe, and don't forget to follow this blog as well!

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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MAGDALA TAVERN YOUTUBE VLOG LIVE!

 My Magdala Tavern YouTube vlog is now live!

Link:-

https://youtu.be/--p4EHun-IA

The Magdala Tavern is infamous as the site where nightclub manageress Ruth Ellis- the last woman to be hanged in Great Britain- shot her faithless lover, racing driver David Blakely, dead.

This case is very important from a historical point of view. Aside from being the last female to be hanged, Ruth Ellis' case was also instrumental in bringing about two significant legal changes. Two years later, in 1957, diminished responsibility was added into British law as a defence for murder and hers was one of a handful of cases instrumental in pushing forward the campaign for the abolition of capital punishment. From 1965 a person could no longer be hanged in Britain for committing murder. The Ruth Ellis story is well-documented: in dramatisations such as A Cruel Love and Dance With A Stranger, but also in factual programmes.

Come and take a walk in my shoes and I'll take you to where the shooting scene was filmed in Dance With A Stranger- and it's not the Magdala! Then we will visit the Magdala Tavern, which sits near Hampstead Heath Overground station, and which is very much still an operating pub. I'll take a look at the actual bullet holes left over from the crime, which are embedded in the outside wall- but are they really bullet holes?

Do remember to like, subscribe and click on the notifications bell!

As you know, I will always be a writer before anything else, and I have a selection of Hampstead vlogs for you to read:-

General Hampstead blog (this one features the Magdala):-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2023/06/miss-elaineous-visits-hampstead.html

Golders Hill Park:-
https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2024/08/miss-elaineous-visits-golders-hill-park.html

The Hill Garden and Pergola:-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2024/08/miss-elaineous-visits-hill-garden-and.html

Kenwood House:-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2024/08/miss-elaineous-visits-kenwood-house.html

Fenton House:-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2022/08/miss-elaineous-visits-fenton-house.html

Remember to like and subscribe, and don't forget to follow this blog as well!

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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THE ACCIDENTAL CALL GIRL by PORTIA DA COSTA

 THE ACCIDENTAL CALL GIRL

by

PORTIA DA COSTA

THE BLURB:

It's the ultimate fantasy:

When Lizzie meets an attractive older man in the bar of a hotel, he mistakes her for a high class call girl on the look-out for a wealthy client.

With a man she can't resist...

Lizzie finds herself following him to his hotel room for an unforgettable night where she learns the pleasure of submitting to the hands of a master. But what will happen when John discovers that Lizzie is far more than she seems...?

A sexy, thrilling erotic romance for every woman who has ever had a “Pretty Woman” fantasy.

THE REALITY:

Hmm... Well, if it's sex, sex and more sex that you want then this book certainly delivers! It's all happening almost from the first page and, to be honest, it did get a bit boring until some semblance of a story came through, at the point where John takes “Betty” away for the weekend (more than half way through the book). By that time we've already had a steady drip of what makes “Betty” (aka Lizzie- I have to say Betty suits her better!) tick, and I do like the fact that she's into olde-worlde glamour and makes a lot of her slightly alternative style clothing herself. I can relate to that. It's at this point we start to find out what makes John tick.

I did wonder if I'd be able to relate to the role of a female submissive, when I am certainly of the female dominant type! But it is interestingly explored in language that doesn't make you cringe, and it also shows that everybody has a level of dominance/ submissiveness within them- it's just a case of finding it, and this is explored. I did love the glamorous locations Betty was taken to, and the opulent dom/sub orgy they attended (very “Eyes Wide Shut,” and this film is referenced in the book!)

The add-on characters of Lizzie's housemates (and her cat) were interesting and Brent, in particular, was important to the storyline, but it's John's history that really interested me (titled, indeed!) I also liked how family relationships are explored in this novel, and I'm glad the book didn't end with “and reader she married him...” Rather, Lizzie and John come to their own arrangement, and there is another book in the series after this. Do I want to read it? Hell, yes!

Did I find the story sexually stimulating? Well, it wasn't boring, but no, I did not. Maybe it's that female submissive angle, or maybe it's the fact that I was reading this to gain some writing tips (I've already written my first erotic short story (featuring a dominant woman and her temporary slave, under a nom de plume). So stay tuned for my future efforts- although you won't know that they come from my pen! Like the author, sometimes you need to distance yourself from certain genres of work, lest it has a detrimental effect on the rest of your career. It's actually a shame that it has to be that way, but at the same time, an erotic and suggestive nom de plume is a hell of a lot of fun!

CAISTER ROMAN FORT YOUTUBE VLOG LIVE!

  My Caister Roman Fort YouTube vlog is now live!

Link:-

https://youtu.be/spHzH6xiZ2o

Caister Roman Fort, Great Yarmouth, was part of a chain of forts that were built to act as defence mechanisms to Saxon seaborne invaders, and was occupied by the Roman army and navy. It was built around AD 200 as a military base unit, but archaeological objects such as beads, brooches, bracelets and hairpins have been found (as well as spearheads, arrowheads and masculine buckles) suggesting that women and children lived alongside the soldiers, as families. The fort occupied a small island on the north side of the estuary of the rivers Yare, Waveney, Bure and Ant. These were important routes into East Anglia, where people lived in settlements, and are now mostly dry and have become modern Great Yarmouth.

Part of the fort and its defences were discovered during archaeological digs between 1951 and 1955. It is not a large, or deep, fort and the remaining foundations are only about 18 inches high at best. I have been known to describe it as “bas-relief” and that's very naughty as it was very significant find and it's perhaps not quite that shallow!

Come and take a walk in my shoes and I'll tell you more about this Roman fort. Then we'll wander through Caister Cemetery, where the nine lifeboatmen killed during a rescue mission, known as the Beauchamp disaster of 1901, are buried, then on to Caister Lifeboat, who operate as an independent concern. Finally, we'll take a look at the Caister lions- two stone animals which guard a gap in the concrete sea wall.

As you know, I will always be a writer before anything else, and my Caister Roman Fort blog can be viewed here:-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2018/10/miss-elaineous-visits-caister-roman-fort.html

As can my blog featuring the Caister lions:-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2021/10/miss-elaineous-visits-great-yarmouth.html

...And my large blog featuring Caister Lifeboat:-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2019/09/miss-elaineous-visits-great-yarmouth.html

Remember to like and subscribe, and don't forget to follow my blog as well!

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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EATING THE ELEPHANT by ALICE WELLS

 EATING THE ELEPHANT

by

ALICE WELLS

THE BLURB:

A shocking and powerful story of a marriage torn apart by lies, bereavement and abuse.

Alice, a dedicated doctor and mother of two children, bravely tells the story of her marriage to a man hiding a terrible secret- one into which he has drawn their 4-year-old daughter, Grace. As the shocking truth about their family life unfolds at a heartstopping pace, Alice struggles to learn how to survive the impact and piece together her shattered world. The devastation of what Alice is forced to face when her life is hit by catastrophic pain, and the trauma of wondering if she overlooked the signs, is laid bare in a way that will stay with you for a long time to come.

How do you eat an elephant, one bite at a time?

THE REALITY:

I chose this from a reduced basket outside a part-new/ part-second-hand shop, for the princely sum of 50p, intrigued by its title and the fact that it's based on truth. I also bought it because a flick through led me to see the word Cairo (Alice and Mark meet there) and the novel I was reading at the time coincidentally featured a stay in Cairo. On opening the pages I found that it was a total memoir, which I believe is written under a pseudonym (and I can see why). The term “eating the elephant” relates to the elephant in the room: something huge which needs to be addressed. It didn't take me much of a read to realise that I was looking at a story about a woman who finds out her husband has been dealing with pornography online, and child porn- paedophilia- at that. Then he goes and smashes his car up and dies, which is believed by all to be an accident (although I'm not so sure about that).

This book clearly had something going for it, as I read it in a day but... After finding out what the story was about (and the fact that it's true makes it a million times worse) I felt soiled by the content, and didn't want it in my hands any longer than was necessary. Again, I sped through the content (but not so much that I didn't understand what was going on) but felt compelled to read it rather than put it down, and I think that's because this is something that we all need to know about- how these perverted people hide in plain sight. Mark comes alive on the pages as a person, and we have to acknowledge the fact that not everyone is “good” or “bad.” In fact, the average person will have elements of both aspects in their character, and this is sensitively approached. Here we see a woman with a very serious profession- that of a palliative care consultant- which does seem a depressing profession if ever there was one, but someone's got to do it. You also see how she's torn between two cultures, that of the USA and UK, and find out that her romance with Mark is far from ideal and, to me, it comes across as being that way right from the beginning. You do question why Alice married him, and also certain signs (such as Mark liking Alice's teenage figure, and hating her pregnant or post giving birth shape) pop up into her head and ours.

One thing that really kept me compelled was the sheer coincidence of Mark dying on my birthday!!!!!  I found myself wound up by the sheer hoops Alice had to go through to transfer her skills from US training to UK practice- I know we are dealing with the serious profession of healthcare, but does it really have to be that difficult? I was also concerned as to whether Mark had got his daughter involved (he had) and whether she was “moving on” (she seemed to be). The writing moved along but a few paragraphs did come across as rather convoluted and confusing. I did enjoy the elephant references, and do hope that Alice managed to find happiness in real life, as her marriage was certainly doomed from the start.

This is a book that no one will want to read; but everyone should.

THE CHRISTMAS ROSE by DILLY COURT

THE CHRISTMAS ROSE

by

DILLY COURT

THE BLURB:

Standing on London's Royal Dock with the wind biting through her shawl, Rose Munday realises she's been abandoned by her sweetheart...

Rose had risked everything to get to London but, stumbling through the peasoup fog, she has nowhere to go, and no one to turn to.

Scared and alone, Rose steps straight into danger, only to be rescued by two women with even less to their names- a woman of the night and her young sidekick, Sparrow. Left with only a cluster of love letters and all hope of her sweetheart's return fading, Rose finds herself forging a new life with her unlikely companions.

But when a good deed turns sour, a dangerous enemy threatens to ruin them all. Will Rose be able to save her new friends and her future? If she can, a Christmas gift awaits that will change her life forever...

THE REALITY:

I actually started this book just before Christmas, but finished it a couple of months later. Like a soap opera, it was easy to pick up on the thread with only a little backtracking and re-reading after an absence. Rose was a lovely character, but I did find a bit of a cliché going on- it has been mentioned before that too many heroines have red hair and green eyes but, to be fair to the author, it wasn't something that was shoved down your throat.

This was a good study of London life in 1882, but not too detailed, and I think these “feel good” novels are meant to be that way. I did adore some of the characters; such as Rose's boss Eugene, and his sister, Cecilia. I also loved Sparrow, and it was easy to pick up on a lot of her experiences just by the way she came across, and also by the way she spoke and pronounced her words. I do think the bad characters in the book could have been explored in more depth though, and I'm thinking of Gilroy, Piggin and Regan. I'm always interested in what drives such miscreants, and eager to feel the full stench of their characters leap off the page, and it was a wasted opportunity as that didn't happen with this story (again, it's due to the “feel good” nature of the novel, and these reads do tend to skirt over reality a bit too much). It was heartwarming, however, to find that most of the people in this book were inherently good (I'm thinking of Cora, who helps Rose out even though she doesn't know her). Is that a reality? Do people like this really exist en masse in real life? Hmm, I'm not overly sure, but maybe that's just the cynic (or realist!) in me!

The Cairo sections were extreme fun, as was seeing Rose's relationship with Max developing- for the worse. It was easy to see that Rose was going to end up with (spoiler alert!) Eugene, and I can't say that I blame her- physically, his dashing, tall, musketeer looks were more appealing than Max's blondness. I did enjoy these chapters immensely, and found the way Rose seemed stuck between the working and the upper classes very subtly depicted. I also liked that Rose was a pioneer for her time, being a female journalist when women were, generally speaking, banned from having a career. She had to write under a pseudonym; much like Ellis Bell, Currer Bell, Acton Bell and Mary Ann Evans (that's Emily Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, Anne Bronte and George Elliot to you!)

As with these novels, there is a huge element of convenience all round, especially with Eugene being rich and in love with Rose from day one. But I cant say that it soured the novel- just made it predictable. A nice read.