The Island Love Song

by

Emma Cowell

Hydra, the picturesque Greek island, is a paradise for most, yet for sisters Ella and Georgia, it is a place where their darkest secrets dwell. And now the time has come for them to confront their past as they return to Greece to scatter their mother’s ashes.

Ella is haunted by a love song that was written for her by the man who broke her heart years earlier and she longs to find peace so she can move on with her life.

Georgia pretends everything in her life is perfect, but she is plagued with guilt. If what she’s kept hidden for decades was revealed, their family would never be the same again.

The island is urging the sisters to confront the truth, but can they build a future on the ruins of their past?

REVIEW

Ella and Georgia are sisters, but complete opposites. Ella is carefree and travels the world as a photographer and Georgia is married with a daughter, Phoenix and pretends she has the perfect life, but they come together to take a trip back to the island of their birth, Hydra, which is a Greek island to scatter their late mother's ashes. 

Ella really doesn't want to go back to the island as it holds too many sad memories, especially when she had her heart broken.

As you can imagine, things do not go to plan and Ella and Georgia have different ideas of what they want to do whilst they're on the island and Georgia is worried that secrets from the past could come back to haunt her and her family.

This is such a lovely summer holiday read, with a few twists and turns along the way. I really love this author's writing and this one is no exception. 

 A Fatal Love

by

Louisa Treger

Following Ruth Ellis' long-awaited posthumous conditional pardon in July 2026, never has there been a more compelling moment to revisit the woman behind one of Britain's most enduring legal cases.

It is Easter Sunday in 1955 and a young man lies face-down on the ground covered in blood. A woman, blonde and petite, stands over him with a gun in her hand. This is the story of Ruth Ellis as never told before...

As Ruth awaits her trial in Holloway Prison, she recollects growing up in England during the Second World War and the events that led to the death of her lover, David Blakely.

Meanwhile, Kitty Carrington - the assistant to Ruth's trial lawyer - tries to forge her own path through the male-dominated legal world of the 1950s and ensure that Ruth receives a fair trial.

Navigating secrets, betrayal and a broken justice system, Ruth and Kitty try to take control of their own lives and narratives. But do we ever really know the full story?

REVIEW

We all know the story of Ruth Ellis, who was the last woman to be hanged in Britain in the 50s, but this story goes beyond the sentencing and gives an insight into how Ruth felt towards her lover David Blakely and how this affected her children, her family and also herself. 

Ruth is separated from her husband George Ellis and she is a hostess in a club in London when she meets David Blakely. They instantly have a connection to one another, but Ruth falls hard for David who is a wannabe racing driver, but without the financial means to pursue his career. He doesn't seem to want to introduce Ruth to his family and often asks Ruth for money when his "allowance" from his parents has run out. 

David is physically and emotionally abusive to Ruth and his coercive behaviour worries a lot of her friends, especially Desmond Cussen, who was Ruth's on off lover who was very kind to her and helped her out with her son Andy, but Ruth just played him along with David, which infuriated him and caused her a lot of pain.

When Ruth is arrested for shooting David at point blank range, she is adamant she doesn't want to be vindicated for her actions and that she deserves whatever punishment she is given, but her Lawyer and his assistant (Kitty) think otherwise and desperately try to get her to change her plea.

This is such a sad story because of the way Ruth was treated up to the killing by David, but really men in general. She was abused, coerced and her mental health and emotional state would certainly have been questioned in a court of law today. 

This was a fabulous read and I read it in only a few days. One of my books of the year and would thoroughly recommend. 

 The Forgetting

by 

Hannah Beckerman

When Anna Bradshaw wakes up in a hospital bed in London, she remembers nothing, not even her loving husband, Stephen. The doctors say her amnesia is to be expected, but Anna feels cut adrift from her entire life.

In Bristol, Livvy Nicholson is newly married to Dominic and eager to get back to work after six months’ maternity leave. But when Dominic’s estranged mother appears, making a series of unnerving claims, Livvy is sucked into a version of herself she doesn’t recognise.

A hundred miles apart, both women feel trapped and disorientated, and their stories are about to collide. Can they uncover the secret that connects them and reconstruct their fractured lives?

REVIEW

Anna Bradshaw has woken up in hospital in London after a car crash unable to remember anything at all, especially her husband Stephen who is at her bedside trying to comfort her as best he can.

Livvy Nicholson thinks she has the perfect life - a loving husband Dominic, a gorgeous baby boy called Leo, her family nearby and the chance of promotion when she goes back to work after her maternity leave, so why does she feel trapped and torn between her husband and her family?

When Anna gets home she still cannot remember anything at all about her previous life. Stephen tells her to rest and that her memory will come back eventually, but doesn't try to get her to remember anything and it's only when she starts looking around the house for memories and finds some packing boxes that things get even more confusing for her.

When Dominic drops a bombshell to Livvy that he has been offered a new job in London and that they should pack up their things and go on a big adventure, Livvy is more than a bit anxious, but Dominic persuades her that it will be great for their careers.

Anna and Livvy have more in common than they could possibly realise, you will just have to read it find out what!

I love how this book goes from Anna to Livvy in every chapter. The characters were really well thought out and I honestly couldn't put this book down and read it in just a few days. Its short chapters just kept wanting me to read one more to find out what happens! It gets all of your emotions - it's sad and a bit creepy, but so well written that it is a real page turner! I love this authors writing. 

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 Wings over Valetta

by

Tracy Cook

As the bombs rain down, love and hope refuse to surrender.

Malta, 1941. As bombs fall across the island and invasion looms, Kitty Campbell is haunted by the daughter she was forced to give up for adoption years before. Desperate to find her child, Kitty begins searching for answers – but uncovering the trail is complicated by her father’s secretive past and a mysterious stranger on the island.

Working as an Aircraft Plotter at Fighter Command in Valletta, tracking the fierce air battles raging in the skies above Malta, Kitty uncovers secrets that could change everything – and faces an impossible choice between duty, love, and the child she has never forgotten.

REVIEW

Kitty Campbell and her mother Lydia live on the island of Malta and she is the daughter of a Naval Commander and when she got pregnant without being married, her father took things into his own hands and told Kitty that he had put her daughter (who she named Alice) up for adoption as it would be "for the best".

When her father dies Kitty sees it as the perfect time to try and find Alice, but she just needs to get the information she needs to trace her, but her father doesn't leave her any paperwork, but here father's will does bring up more mysteries when it states that her family home in England needs to be sold and half the proceed go to a mysterious person.

Kitty's mother has had enough and wants to return to England, but Kitty remains in Malta and wants to help the war effort and becomes an Aircraft Plotter at Fighter Command in Valletta where a certain RAF Pilot, Bill is stationed. 

Can Kitty trust Bill enough to tell him about Alice and to help her find out who the mystery person is in her father's will so that she can try to stop the sale of her beloved home in England. Does that house hold the secrets to where Alice could be?

Oh my goodness, this was a corker of a book. I think it could well be one of my favourites of the year. The attention to detail and the research that must have gone into it made it a real page turner. Full of great characters and Kitty was adorable. I can't believe this is the author's first book. I really hope there is another in the pipeline. I will definitely be recommending it. 

 Dining at Davinci's

by

Annette Hannah

BLOG TOUR

It's my turn on the Blog Tour for Dining at Davinci's and I am delighted to give you my review below. 

Thank you to the lovely Annette Hannah who reached out to me and asked me to be on this blog tour. I have known Annette for many years through blogging and I'm so pleased she is now an established author. 

Two love stories, one heartbreaking secret.
1975
When seventeen-year-old art student, Dolly Davinci’s fiancé goes to work in Australia for a year, she moves to the quaint market town of Bramblewood for a summer job in a hotel. But when she meets Tom, her boss’s dangerously handsome son, sparks begin to fly and Dolly’s destiny is irrevocably changed forever.
2018
Gracie Hart is devastated to find her fiancé has been lying to her, denying her the one thing she wants most in life. Whilst looking after his children for the past ten years, Gracie has lost sight of who she is.
When she receives a mysterious bunch of keys from her late friend and mentor Dolly, she heads to Bramblewood to search for the address engraved on the keyring.
Whilst exploring Dolly’s favourite haunts, Gracie meets gorgeous blue-eyed engineer, Finn and with the help of a cassette player and Dolly’s paintings, found in her old canal boat, they unravel the hidden truths in Dolly’s past.
Will they be able to piece together the fragments of Dolly’s heart and will Gracie find the inspiration to paint the future of her dreams with Finn?

REVIEW

This is the story of two friends Dolly and Gracie. When Dolly dies and leaves a bunch of keys and a message for Gracie, she goes to the village of Bramblewood to find out what the message entails.

Dolly lived in Bramblewood in the 70's and where she meets Tom she thinks this is it, but little does she know what is in store for her.

In 2018 Gracie finds out her fiancé has lied to her and turns her world upside down, so when she receives news that her good friend Dolly has died she is in a turmoil, but decides to travel to Bramblewood to visit Dolly's canal boat and to find out more about her life before she died. 

Gracie also doesn't expect to meet the handsome engineer Finn along the way. Will sparks fly between them!

This is a story of love, loss and everything else in between! a story that brings the past into the future. I would thoroughly recommend. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Annette Hannah is a Liver Bird who relocated from Liverpool to leafy Hertfordshire in the 80’s and now lives near a river with her husband, two of their three grown up children and a crazy black cocker spaniel. She writes Romantic comedies in settings inspired by the beautiful countryside around her and always with a nod to her home town.

She worked in Marketing for many years as a qualified Marketeer which she loved as it tapped into her creative side.

As an avid reader, she began to review the books she read, became a book blogger and eventually plucked up the courage to fulfil her life long dream of writing a book.

For four years she was a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s, New Writers’ Scheme, during which time she wrote a book a year. After signing a two book deal with Orion Dash in 2020 she graduated to full member of the organisation and was also their Press Officer and a Director for six years.

She loves long walks along the river, travelling to far flung places and spending time with her friends and family.

 Beneath the Orange Blossom

by

Emma Cowell

 Lost love. A devastating secret. And a summer that could change everything…

Two years on from her husband’s death, dressmaker Ellen is learning how to live again and put memories of a difficult marriage behind her.

However, never far from her mind is another memory: Alexandros, her first love from the summer she turned eighteen.

The moment she'd arrived in his hometown of Kardamyli in Greece, Ellen had been intoxicated by the scent of orange blossom in the air, the days of endless sunshine and sparkling azure waters – but most of all by Alexandros himself. They were meant to be, until a devastating secret forced Ellen to leave and never look back…

But now, when her best friend suggests they recreate their teenage summer in Greece, Ellen knows it’s time to confront her past. Will Greece give her the freedom – and happiness – she desperately craves? And there, amidst the lush olive groves, could she rediscover the love she thought she’d lost forever?

REVIEW

When Ellen loses her husband suddenly, everyone thinks she is the grieving widow, but little do they know that she is glad to finally be free of him. After decades of living with her abusive husband (who was a highly respected Police Inspector) and finally having enough of being her grandchildren's babysitter, she jets off to Greece to the place where she met the only man she ever truly loved. Alexandros. 

Ellen arrives in the little town of Kardamyli in Greece with her friend Penny to try to relive a little bit of their youth, but will Alexandros still be there and if so, how will she explain to him how and why she left, not to return for decades.

The two women are only in the town for a matter of days when Ellen (who is a seamstress) is pulled in to help the local dressmaker make the costumes for a festival that is happening in only a few days time and her friend Penny (who can be a piece of work at times!) is not happy at being left to her own devices, but Ellen is in her element and works all the hours she can to help the local dressmaker who is indisposed.

It's only when Ellen is at the festival amongst all the crowds that she sees a familiar face and all the memories from long ago come flooding back...

This holiday to Greece was supposed to be a trip down memory lane, but a whole can of worms open up instead. 

A real page turner with great characters and such attention to detail that really puts you in the holiday mood and I can't wait to read more from this author. 

 Somewhere Only We Know

by

Cathy Bramley

When Magnolia Jones finds her daughter's travel journal, she can think of no better way to honour her life than setting off on the gap year trip that twenty-three-year-old Brontë had dreamed of taking.

It was meant to be Brontë's adventure, but perhaps following her daughter's footsteps around the world is exactly what Magnolia needs to piece her broken heart back together and begin to heal.

As her travels take her further away from home, memories of a long-ago summer come flooding back. Magnolia barely recognises that girl she used to be - the dreams she had, the freedom ahead, the midnight kisses on the beach with curly-haired, brown eyed Jackson.

Maybe, just maybe, in this magical place that is somewhere only they know, Magnolia is about to discover that her journey isn't over - it's just about to begin...

REVIEW

Maggie (Magnolia) lives with her daughter Brontë and things are going along nicely when Brontë says she wants to go on a gap year after just landing a fantastic job. Maggie does not take it well, but when tragedy strikes and Brontë is killed by hit and run driver, Maggie finds Brontë's gap year book and once opening it, she decides that the only way she can honour her daughter's memory is to go to all the places that Brontë wanted to visit, including Bali where Brontë was conceived to try to find her father.

Once Maggie starts her travels she has memories of when she went travelling herself to Bali and met the love of her life Jackson. Little did she know that when she got back to the UK she would be pregnant, but that would be the last she saw of him for a very long time. 

Although the trip is difficult for Maggie, the people she meets along the way will influence her life forever and the little signs she gets, she knows that Brontë is with her on her journey.

This is such a lovely, heart felt and sometimes heartbreaking read. I loved the characters and really felt the grief that Maggie had, but her strong will to also move on with her own life was there throughout the book, she just had to push herself to find it. 

I loved this book and would thoroughly recommend it.