#Blogtour #Review: Staying On by C.M. Taylor @CMTaylorStory @Duckbooks @annecater #StayingOn #RandomThingsTours

Available Now
Book length - 233 pages
Publisher - Duckworth 
Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk
Amazon US - www.amazon.com

I want to thank Anne from randomthingsthroughmyletterbox.blogspot.com for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour and for providing me with a copy of this book for review.


ABOUT THIS BOOK

Staying On is a geriatric coming-of-age story and a comedy-drama about an expat family played out between a working patriarch and his charming, self-possessed daughter-in-law.

Tony Metcalfe, a seventy-year-old Yorkshireman and his wife Laney run Viva Espagne, a bar in a small village in the mountains beyond the Costa Blanca. Set amongst the bawdy working class expats of Spain - the por favors as the Spanish call them - the monoglot, post-war babies who retired early on good pensions, flocking to the dream of wine and rest and sun around the pool. But now their retirement paradise is shadowed by Brexit: the pound has fallen, pensions are frozen and the property crash happened long ago. Tony dreams of moving back to enjoy the remainder of his life in his childhood home, but Laney wants to stay in the happy valley and forget about England and the dark, unresolved feelings it provokes in their marriage.

Tony loves his wife and keeps his dreams to himself along with the fact that Viva is losing money. He couldn't go home even if he tried - nobody would buy an ailing bar in a recession. Tony's only chance of getting home lies in puncturing the silence and blame in his marriage, and turning his bar to profit to sell. This looks impossible for passive, amiable Tony until his only son Nick arrives for an unexpectedly long stay, bringing his young wife Jo and son Fred in tow. Their arrival signals a new chapter in Tony's life, but will it be one in which his dreams are finally realised?


MY REVIEW

Who hasn't dreamed of retiring in the sun and possibly running a cafe or restaurant while enjoying the beach and spending quality time with your loved ones?

Well, that was Tony and Laney's dream when they moved to Spain and opened up a bar, Viva Espagne, in a small village brimming with like-minded ex-pat pensioners. But with Brexit bringing things to the boil it isn't long before all of their friends are packing up and returning to their families in England, a move that Tony would be more than happy to make but Laney has vowed never to set foot on English soil again and there is nothing he can do to persuade her.
Worried about his wife, and losing money by the second through the bar which is always empty, and Tony isn't sure what to do to sort out their future but when his son, daughter-in-law, and little grandson arrive for an impromptu visit it may just be the answer to their prayers. That is if everyone can be honest and confront the secrets nestling among them.

Compelling, enjoyable, and relatable STAYING ON by C.M. Taylor is a story that really connects with readers through the author's engaging characters that pull you quickly into the drama. This is a book that doesn't shy away from the fear and mess of Brexit but brings it home in a very real and honest way which is admirable. The setting works and there is never a moment that drags or feels forced and I thoroughly enjoyed uncovering the mystery that surrounds this family. 

STAYING ON by C.M. Taylor is a great read about family, secrets, and finding real happiness and I highly recommend it to contemporary fiction fans everywhere. 

AUTHOR BIO

Craig Taylor lives in Oxford, teaching at the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies where he is an Associate Lecturer. He also teaches for Jericho Writers and is a freelance editor of fiction. Under the pen name C M Taylor, he is the author of Premiership Psycho (Corsair 2011) and Group of Death (Corsair 2012), two-thirds of a satirical trilogy. Premiership Psycho has been optioned for television.

For more information:
Twitter - twitter.com/CMTaylorStory

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT ALL OF THE OTHER STOPS ALONG THE WAY!!!