*Blog Tour: There's Only One Danny Garvey by David F Ross

Today I'm on the Blog Tour for the fantastic There's Only One Danny Garvey by David F Ross. I received an e-copy free of charge to enable me to take part in the tour. 

Danny Garvey was a sixteen-year old footballing prodigy. Professional clubs clamoured to sign him, and a glittering future beckoned.

 

And yet, his early promise remained unfulfilled, and Danny is back home in the tiny village of Barshaw to manage the struggling junior team he once played for. What’s more, he’s hiding a secret about a tragic night, thirteen years earlier, that changed the course of several lives. There’s only one Danny Garvey, they once chanted … and that’s the problem.

 

A story of irrational hopes and fevered dreams – of unstoppable passion and unflinching commitment in the face of defeat – There’s Only One Danny Garvey is, above all, an unforgettable tale about finding hope and redemption in the most unexpected of places.

About the Author:

David F Ross was born in Glasgow in 1964 and has lived in Kilmarnock for over 30 years. He is a graduate of the Mackintosh School of Architecture at Glasgow School of Art, an architect by day, and a hilarious social media commentator, author and enabler by night. His debut novel The Last Days of Disco was shortlisted for the Authors Club Best First Novel Award, and received exceptional critical acclaim, as did the other two books in the Disco Days Trilogy: The Rise & Fall of the Miraculous Vespas and The Man Who Loved Islands. David lives in Ayrshire.

My thoughts?

I devoured this book in two sittings! Ex-Star Player, Danny Garvey is coming back to Barshaw to manage the Barshaw Bridge Football Club. He never thought he'd come back having left just before a big match - have the townsfolk really forgiven him for turning his back on them on the eve of the Cup Final? Well, he's about to find out..

Coming back was always going to be hard. The team aren't the best and need to be licked into shape, his mother is dying and he needs to now make time for her and her needs, thankfully his controlling brother Raymond is still inside, family friend and football daft Higgy, is always on his side and of course, Nancy and his nephew Damo, both of whom he'd like to get to know.

He finds himself revisiting the past more and more often now and finds out things which help him make more sense of things which happened in his past. 

There are however some moments of humour like when he and Nancy end up at the house party! But, he realises however much he likes her she'll always belong to his brother. 

It's a story of the joy of football, families, community, small town life, secrets and loss and I absolutely loved it (it's always the sign of a good read when you're still thinking about the storylines and characters long after you finish the book).