#Blogtour #Review: December Girl by Nicola Cassidy @ladynicci @bombshellpub

Release date - 26th October 2017
Book length - 304 pages
Publisher - www.bombshellbooks.com
Book Depository - www.bookdepository.com
Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk
Amazon US - www.amazon.com

*I want to thank Nicola Cassidy and Bombshell Books for providing me with a copy of this book for review.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Molly Thomas is a feisty, independent soul, born on the Winter Solstice. At every stage of her life, she has faced troubles.

As a young woman, her family are evicted from their home at Christmas. Molly swears vengeance on the jealous neighbour and land agent responsible, Flann Montgomery.

Then in 1896, her baby son is taken from his pram. While Molly searches the streets for little Oliver, the police are called but her baby is gone.

Why does trouble seem to follow Molly? And will she ever find out what happened to her child?

December Girl is a tale of family bonds, love, revenge and murder.

MY REVIEW

DECEMBER GIRL by Nicola Cassidy is a powerful historical novel that emotionally battered me from all angles as I instantly got sucked into another time and place with gritty characters that will haunt me for a long time to come. 

It is the 19th Century and Molly Thomas is her daddy's December girl but when greed and corruption find the Thomas family turfed onto the side of the road, it will have unbearable and long-standing consequences on Molly who longs for justice. Fast forward a few years and Molly is dealt another blow when her little baby is taken from his pram and simply vanishes into thin air. How can one woman survive the trauma and ordeals that she has suffered? But somehow she does, however, the dark horrors of her past are always there, waiting in the background, calling her name ...

DECEMBER GIRL by Nicola Cassidy is the perfect example of a stunning debut with exquisite attention to historical detail, characters that burrow into your heart and soul, and a plot that throws many unexpected twists along the way to take your breath away. This is not a nostalgic look back at a simpler time but a harrowing story that got under my skin and made me so emotional as I prayed, yes actually prayed, that Molly would find the peace that she deserved. The topics of family loyalty, corruption, power, and revenge are expertly handled as the story moves from different characters points of view and different years within the 19th Century.

​I couldn't put DECEMBER GIRL down, yet I didn't want to reach the last page for fear of what it might hold, but this outstanding story of strength, courage, and that spark of Irish spirit that nobody can ever really explain makes this novel one of the best debuts I have ever read. I cannot wait to see what is next from Nicola Cassidy. 

Author Bio:
​
Nicola Cassidy is a writer and blogger from Co. Louth, Ireland. She started her writing career early, entering short story competitions as a child and became an avid reader ‘Matilda’ style. She knew that one day, she would like to write a book.

Encouraged by her English teachers, she chose to study journalism at Dublin City University and while working in political PR and marketing, studied a series of advanced creative writing courses at the Irish Writers' Centre. Later she set up a lifestyle and literary blog www.LadyNicci.com, which was nominated in the Ireland Blog Awards in 2015 and 2016.

December Girl, Nicola’s debut historical fiction novel is inspired by true events and is set in the mystical and ancient Boyne Valley, Co. Meath, famed for its stone age passage tombs, near to where she grew up.  She signed with Trace Literary Agency in 2016.

As well as being placed or shortlisted in a number of writing competitions, Nicola’s writing has been featured on widely read websites RTE Lifestyle, The Journal.ie, The Irish Times and Irish Central.com.

She lives with her husband and two young daughters in Termonfeckin, Co. Louth.

For more information:
Website - ladynicci.com
Twitter - twitter.com/ladynicci
Facebook - www.facebook.com/ladynicciblog
Instagram - www.instagram.com/ladynicci/

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT ALL OF THE OTHER STOPS ALONG THE WAY ON #DECEMBERGIRL BLOG TOUR!!!