Whirligig Keeping The Promise by Richard Buxton

Release: June 23rd 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Ocoee Publishing
Source: HFV book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle

How far will one man go to keep a promise?
Lose everything he has?
Fight someone else’s war?

Shire knows a secret – a secret that could endanger the future of his childhood love. Bound by a promise he made as a boy, he sails to America to protect her, but falls into the throes of the raging Civil War.

War is a dangerous game, but for Shire there is a far greater peril. His enemies will stop at nothing to ensure that their secrets die with him.

Clara doesn’t want the future set before her in England. Drawn by the thought of a new world and a new life, she accepts a marriage proposal that brings her all the way to Tennessee.

Yet as she sits in the mansion of Comrie, she discovers its lonely rooms hold secrets of tragedy and bloodshed, secrets being slowly exhumed by a war that creeps ever closer.

Can Shire reach Clara in time? Or will he have sacrificed everything in vain?

What is love but a constant promise?

“Whirligig” is the debut novel from multi-award-winning short-story writer Richard Buxton. Read this heartbreaking and sweeping portrait of an impossible love set in a brutal war.

About the Author:

Richard lives with his family in the South Downs, Sussex, England. He completed an MA in Creative Writing at Chichester University in 2014. He has an abiding relationship with America, having studied at Syracuse University, New York State, in the late eighties. His short stories have won the Exeter Story Prize, the Bedford International Writing Competition and the Nivalis Short Story Award.

Richard’s first novel, Whirligig, was published in 2017 and shortlisted for the Rubery International Book Award. To learn more about Richard’s writing visit https://www.richardbuxton.net. You can also follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Whirligig Keeping The Promise Review:

I love stories that blend fact with fiction and Whirligig accomplished this wonderfully!

The first thing that drew me into the story was Shire. I loved his character and thought he was written so well. He is conflicted with emotions and struggles to survive in the Army. I also loved the relationship between the three main characters. For one thing, Clara has a volatile relationship with Taylor and you really don’t know how he is going to react. I liked Taylor as the complex negative character because he is confident, charming and bursts with self-confidence, yet, he is unpredictable and lets his emotions get the better of him. Shire and Clara share a wonderful friendship and it was interesting to see the chemistry between these three. Matlock and Trenholm also play an interesting role in the story.

The author also did a wonderful job in describing the American Civil War. As someone who doesn’t have much knowledge on the subject, I found the subject fascinating. Moreover, the author also talks about slavery and how it played a role. I particularly liked reading the passages of Clara’s thoughts on the topic. The supporting characters like Tuck, Ocks and Trenholm also added well to the canvas. In fact, I had no idea that characters like Opdycke and Trenholm were real characters. After reading this book, it was fun researching the characters to reflect parts of the story that took place.

The story is a bit slow at times, and but for the most part, it is wonderful and mesmerizing. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading the next book “The Copper Road”.

Giveaway:

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away 2 copies of The Copper Road by Richard Buxton! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on October 19th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Enter to win a copy of The Copper Road by Richard Buxton! 2 copies up for grabs!

Gleam Giveaway

Book Tour Schedule

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Whirligig Keeping The Promise by Richard Buxton Blog Tour hosted by HFV book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!