Today I’m pleased to be sharing my review of Tess And Tattoos as part of the blog tour. My review is written with thanks to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on the tour and for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

A suspenseful and emotional novella exploring whether we can ever be free from our past mistakes.

In this story, the reader is taken on a compelling journey into the human mind where genuine friendship offers the key to inner peace.

Meet Tess, an elderly lady living in a care home apartment in the outskirts of Edinburgh, whose past is haunted by a wrong decision. She meets Nurse Sandra, a warm and bubbly single mother of three, who is instantly intrigued by Tess’s personality and the mystery that surrounds her.

‘Tess and Tattoos’ is one of five gripping stories in HA Leuschel’s story collection Manipulated Lives centred around psychological manipulation. 

Review:

The first few pages of Tess And Tattoos describe the surroundings of the care home in which Tess lives. These are incredibly vivid, and appealed to all my senses, allowing me to inhabit Tess’ world and imagine how it feels to be part of it.
The narrative of Tess And Tattoos alternates between the viewpoints of Tess and Sandra. I felt that this worked well, as it allowed me to understand the circumstances in which both women had entered the friendship, and in doing so, understand their relationship. Tess and Sandra’s relationship is delightful, and I could not help but be enchanted by both characters.
I don’t often read short stories, and I was concerned that the characters of Tess and Sandra would be compromised by the restrictions posed by the short length of the story. However, this did not happen, and Leuschel gets the balance just right between giving the reader insight into Tess’ past and maintaining an air of mystery.
Tess And Tattoos is available from Amazon.