Blog Tour: Widows Waive the Rules by Julia Jarman

 

Zelda, Viv and Janet are back, and this time they are taking a trip on Queen Mary 2 from the UK to New York. Zelda has managed to find an affordable repositioning cruise, to convince Viv to share a cabin and for Janet to join them, although she will be travelling in style in a fancy suite.

It wasn't easy to convince Janet that she needed to come on the cruise. She has recently lost her second husband and so, even with her luxury suite, she isn't always in a party mood. That isn't helped when they meet another woman, Primrose Carmichael, who seems to have a lot in common with Janet, including perhaps the same former husband!

Zelda and Viv aren't convinced that Primrose is telling the truth, and that she might be some kind of trickster and so they put on their sleuthing hats and try to find out once and for all what is going on. They are somewhat hampered by intermittent internet outages which makes finding documentary evidence of any kind difficult, a massive storm and more. Zelda is also a little distracted when she hits it off with one of the musicians on the ship, a blind cellist by the name of William and his guide dog, Billie.

This is the third book in the Widows Wine Club series, and for me, this is the best of the series so far. I enjoyed the dynamics between the characters, the setting on the cruise ship, and the quick visit to New York at the end of the book. I also really enjoyed getting to know William and Billie, and the work that they did in spreading the word about the important work of guide dog associations. My reviews for the first two books can be found here and here.

I have done a couple of cruises now. The first was with a friend and our boys, who had just turned 18. The biggest mystery for us was if we could find them on the ship and how much money they could spend on board over the course of 10 days. Those balloon glass cocktails are expensive!

My husband and I are going on our next cruise in a couple of months time. I hope it is a lot less eventful than the one in this book. 

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. 

Rating 4/5

About the book

Widows Waive the Rules

The Widows Wine Club of Viv, Janet and Zelda have navigated choppy waters before.

Having supported each other through the first shaky years of widowhood, the future was starting to look brighter. But when Janet is dealt another blow, it’s all hands on deck for the firm friends.

Deciding what Janet needs is a change of scenery, Viv and Zelda book a luxury cruise on the Queen Mary 2, heading for the bright lights of New York. And once on board, the women are entranced. A floating pleasure palace, the Queen Mary is just what the doctor ordered. From tai chi to dance lessons, cocktails to crafting, there’s nothing they can’t do to while away the miles at sea.

But when they are joined at their first supper by fellow widow Primrose Carmichael, the holiday takes an unexpected turn. Because not only does Primrose share Janet’s surname, but their late-husbands were both called Mal… As the similarities between the two women stack up, so do Viv and Zelda’s suspicions. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery before they’re in sight of the Statue of Liberty, the friends are ready to waive a few rules…

Julia Jarman’s warm, wise and witty novels are perfect for everyone who believes age is just a number. Perfect for fans of Caroline James, Judy Leigh and Maddie Please.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/widowswaivetherules

About the author 

Julia Jarman has written over a hundred books for children, and is now turning her hand to uplifting, golden years women’s fiction. Drawing on her own experience of bereavement, female friendship and late-life dating, The Widows’ Wine Club will be published by Boldwood in June 2023.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: @julia.jarman.9
Twitter: @juliajarman
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JuliaJarmanNews
Bookbub profile: @julia454

Blog Tour: Widows on the Wine Path by Julia Jarman

Last year I read and enjoyed Julia Jarman's book The Widow's Wine Club. Whilst she had written many many childrens books but this was her first book for adults. I really enjoyed it so I knew that I would read the next one. The premise is that a group of strangers meet and bond over the fact that they are now widows. They become known as The Muscateers.

In this book, The Muscateers are back! Zelda, Viv and Janet have continued to meet on a regular basis and support each other through times of joy, time of triumph and tribulation. Now though, they have a fourth member. 

Libby has been a widow for around a year after losing her husband of over 30 years, Jim. Her mother has dementia, she spends some of her time caring for her granddaughter, and of course there are the regular meetings of the Muscateers. One of her favourite places to meet her friends is at The Olive Tree, which features totally delicious sounding Greek food!

Whilst going to a show at a London theatre, Libby runs into an old crush who she originally met at drama school. Monty is handsome, charming and it doesn't take long for Libby to fall for his charms. Soon she is regularly travelling to London to see more shows and spending more and more time with him.

Zelda, who is also one of Libby's neighbours, is concerned, especially when the relationship starts to escalate quite quickly after a slow start. Soon Libby is missing Muscateer's catch ups, and when she goes on holiday to Greece becomes increasingly difficult to get hold of. 

Libby was undoubtedly vulnerable, and this is something that can make someone like her an easy target. And  as she starts to be separated in various ways from her friends and family, that vulnerability is exposed.

In some ways, there isn't a lot of subtlety in the characterisations, but is the kind of story that you hear about regularly in real life. I don't know if you have ever watched one of your friends meet someone who causes everyone around them to be concerned. I have, so I really related to the concerns that were being expressed by the Muscateers. It can be very difficult when you try to share your concerns and they fall on deaf ears and you have to sit back and wait until you are needed.

This is a book about a very serious subject and yet it is still surprisingly readable. I loved the friendship between the women, some of the food mentioned in the story sounded delicious and take me away to Greece!! I did find it kind of meta that the author referenced one of her own kids books in the story, but that book deals with the subject of dementia so it was relevant to the story

In the acknowledgements, the author mentions that the next book will be called Widows on the Waves. I am already down for that book!

Thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for this review book.

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog

About the book

Widows on the Wine Path

Viv, Janet and Zelda know all about facing the wobbly first year of becoming a widow as their friendship was forged when they ran away from the same dreary support group. Forming instead the much more lively widows' wine club – The Muscateers – they welcome new member Libby with open arms.

Libby feels lost without Jim, her husband of more than thirty years, but the warmth, friendship and fun the women wrap her up in inspires her to begin to look to the future. When a solo trip to the theatre brings a blast from the past back into her life, things are looking up.

But as cravat-wearing, smooth-talking Monty Charles sweeps Libby off her feet, the women of the Muscateers smell a rat. They know only too well that the first year of widowhood is prime for making mistakes, and they’re determined to protect their friend. And as Monty soon finds out to his cost, never underestimate a Widow on the Wine Path…

Julia Jarman is back with her latest big-hearted tale of love and laughter, friendship and finding your feet. Perfect for all fans of Judy Leigh, Maddie Please and Cathy Kelly.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/winepathsocial

About the author

Julia Jarman has written over a hundred books for children, and is now turning her hand to uplifting, golden years women’s fiction. Drawing on her own experience of bereavement, female friendship and late-life dating, The Widows’ Wine Club will be published by Boldwood in June 2023.

Social Media Links  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julia.jarman.9

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuliaJarman

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jarman6745/

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JuliaJarmanNews

Bookbub profile: Julia Jarman Books - BookBub

Blog Tour: The Widows Wine Club by Julia Jarman

 

Earlier this week, I did a Top Ten Tuesday post where I listed ten books with yellow covers! Somehow, I didn't include this book even though I knew that I was reading it this week! My excuse is that I have it on my Kindle and therefore the cover is in black and white!

Originally I was planning to have this as my Weekend Cooking post for today. After all, with wine club in the title that kind of indicated that there might be something about wine in the book but, apart from occasionally mentioning wine, there really wasn't, so I had to rethink. Somewhat strangely, I was actually reading two books with wine in the title in the last week, which is more wine than I actually drink!

Zelda, Viv and Janet meet in the most unfortunate of circumstances at the funeral home where they are making arrangements for their husband's funerals. When they are all invited to join a bereavement support club which meets in their town, they meet again. They take one look at the group and agree it is not for them. Instead, they become the Three Muscateers.

The book follows the three very different women as they navigate life on their own, from family dramas to deciding if they want to take another chance at love, health issues, and for some of them, learning things about their past that change their perception of their lives.

Each of the women have their own interests, but there were times where I was left wondering which one we were talking about as I tried to keep up with the chopping and changing between their stories. Through their various interests we learned about gardening, New Zealand, and a search for a wartime GI.

Julia Jarman has published more than 100 children's books but this is her first book for adults. I do hope she writes more.

Thanks to the Rachel's Random Resources, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this.

Rating - 3.5/5

About the Book

The Widows’ Wine Club

The beginning of Janet, Viv and Zelda’s friendship could not have been less promising…

Navigating their new lives as widows, the three women venture to the same dreary bereavement group in a chilly church hall. But what bonds them is not their shared predicament, but instead how quickly they all decide to flee the depressing gathering, choosing instead to share a bottle of wine. The Three Muscat-eers is born.

The women may be down but they’re not out; in their sixties but certainly not past it. They agree a mission: to find fulfilment as single women and recover their joie de vivre. And as they start to feel ready to face the world again, the friends support each other to dive headlong into new hobbies, new adventures, and even to dip their toes into the wonderful world of dating again.

When one of the ladies gets life-changing news, there’s only one thing for it. The Widows’ Wine Club closes rank, and it’s ‘one for all and all for one’. Because when they stick together, there’s nothing the friends can’t achieve.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/widowswineclubsocial

About the author

Julia Jarman has written over a hundred books for children, and is now turning her hand to uplifting, golden years women’s fiction. She is now drawing on her own experience of bereavement, female friendship and late-life dating.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julia.jarman.9/

Twitter https://twitter.com/JuliaJarman