Finding Hope, by Marie-Louise Jensen. Reviewed by Saviour Pirotta

Title: Finding Hope
Author: Marie-Louise Jensen
Publisher Fiction Express

Jake, an only boy, lives an idyllic life in the UK. His main passion in life is horse riding and he is looking forward to riding Thunder, his trusted horse, at the next showjumping event.

But when Jake's parents adopt a refugee called Faly, he finds that having a new sister is probably more than a cool kid can handle. Faly speaks no English. In fact she doesn't speak at all. Jake is resentful that he now has to share his parents' attention with a newcomer and that the new arrival is eating into his training time for the imminent showjumping event.  But gradually Jake and Faly bond and when it seems that the refugee has been kidnapped by two men in a black van, Jake proves to be a real hero and brother.

The 'hope' of the title is the name given to a rescued horse that is taken in by the stables where Jake trains. The horse's story mirrors that of Faly, who must start seeing hope in what she considers a desperate situation.

Originally written for the Fiction Express platform, this is a fast-paced story that deals with the topic of migrants in a sensitive but entertaining away. Told from the two points of view - Faly and Jakes's - it really lets you in on what the main characters are thinking and feeling. Faly's story includes her nightmare journey across the Sahara desert and the loss of her parents in the Med.  Jake's journey towards accepting his new sister is no less interesting. Absorbing stuff!

Saviour Pirotta's latest books are the Ancient Greek Mysteries series from Bloomsbury. Pirates of Poseidon is out now. Follow him on twitter @spirotta.








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SMUGGLER'S KISS by Marie-Louise Jensen. Reviewed by Ann Turnbull.

A runaway teenage girl, smugglers, romance, humour and secrets - Marie-Louise Jensen's latest novel has them all.  Her story is set around the windswept coastline of Dorset, which she describes so well that the narrative seems borne along on the movement of wind and waves.

The story begins in 1720, when fifteen-year-old Isabelle tries to drown herself and is rescued by the crew of a smugglers' ship, The Invisible.  The smugglers are forced to keep her on board for fear of being betrayed to the Revenue men.  But Isabelle is a lady, accustomed to being looked after by servants.  Spoilt and arrogant, she infuriates nearly everyone - and in particular Will, a mysterious young man who has the bearing of a gentleman, yet dresses like the other rough men and is clearly a key member of the crew.  Gradually Isabelle grows stronger and more self-reliant as Will and the captain involve her in helping with their dangerous trade; and she develops more sympathy for the harsh lives of the men, who turn to smuggling in the winter season to keep their families from starvation.  She also discovers a kinder side to Will - but their burgeoning romance still involves plenty of sparring.

The story is full of social detail from the 18th Century.  Cross-dressing girls are common in fiction, but few are as shocked and ashamed as Isabelle when she's obliged to wear men's breeches - not only used and unwashed, but in a working-man's style far below her social station.  Realistic, too, is Will's response to being 'winged' by a bullet while escaping from the Revenue officers.  Like all heroes, he says it's "only a nick" - but he bleeds heavily, turns faint, and has to lie low for a day to recover.

The secrets carried by Will and Isabelle reveal the unsavoury side of Georgian high society, in which rich men might be venturers in the contraband trade and women were chattels.  Although it touches on some very dark issues, there is nothing unsuitable here for readers of eleven or twelve upwards, and the romance is exciting but chaste.

The gradual revelation of secrets, combined with the smuggling drama, made me unwilling to put this story down, and nothing much got done around the house until I'd finished it.

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