Island of Secrets

by

Patricia Wilson

Blurb

All her life, London-born Angelika has been intrigued by her mother's secret past. Now planning her wedding, she feels she must visit the remote Crete village her mother grew up in.

Angie's estranged elderly grandmother, Maria, is dying. She welcomes Angie with open arms - it's time to unburden herself, and tell the story she'll otherwise take to her grave.

It's the story of the Nazi occupation of Crete during the Second World War, of horror, of courage and of the lengths to which a mother will go to protect her children. And it's the story of bitter secrets that broke a family apart, and of three enchanting women who come together to heal wounds that have damaged two generations.

Review

I am a huge fan of Victoria Hislop and when I read the blurb about this book I knew I was going to enjoy it, but when I kept reading on social media how fantastic this book was, I had to resist the urge to read it straightaway as I wanted to save it for my holiday in Turkey!

Angelika is in the middle of organising her wedding to the lovely Nick when she decides to go to Crete to try to mend the pieces of her broken family. Her mother Maria has had no contact with her mother and brothers for nearly 40 years after she fled Crete one day and never returned and Angelika doesn’t know the reason why.

On arriving on the island of Crete, Angelika meets her Grandmother who is prepared to tell her everything on the promise that she tells her story in a book. Her Grandmother begins her story during the German occupation of Crete during WWII and tells Angelika the atrocious stories of how the Germans treated the local people, including herself and her children and what they had to do to survive those harrowing times.

The author did an amazing job with her research and her attention to detail is second to none. It can be a harrowing read at times, but when you think that a lot of what was written was true, it makes it all the more interesting.

I cannot praise this book enough and just hope that the author writes another book soon. It was a fabulous read and will definitely be one of my books of the year. I read this book on holiday in Turkey and it was just perfect for a summer read.  If you haven’t read it yet, why not!!


To order a copy of Island of Secrets click here 

Paper Hearts & Summer Kisses

by

Carole Matthews

Blurb

Christie Chapman is a single mum who spends her days commuting to her secretarial job in London and looking after her teenage son, Finn. It's not an easy life but Christie finds comfort in her love of crafting, and spends her spare time working on her beautiful creations. From intricately designed cards to personalised gifts, Christie's flair for the handmade knows no bounds and it's not long before opportunity comes knocking.

Christie can see a future full of hope and possibility for her and Finn - and if the handsome Max is to be believed, one full of love too. It's all there for the taking. And then, all of sudden, her world is turned upside down.

Christie knows that something has to give, but can she really give up her dreams and the chance of real love? Will Christie find her happy ending in . . . Paper Hearts and Summer Kisses.

Review

It’s no secret that I am a huge Carole Matthew’s fan and eagerly await her new books. I try to save them for my holidays and this one was no exception. It had to be my first read though and seems to be a bit of a holiday tradition with me now!

Carole often writes about people she knows and the character of Christie Chapman was based on one of her friends and real life events.

Christie is a single mum who is trying hard to juggle a full time Legal Secretarial job in London and bringing up her teenage son Finn. Travelling to and from London by coach from her home in Milton Keynes every day is taking it’s toll, especially on her passion of crafting, but she has to put a roof over her son’s head and this is the only way she knows of doing that.

Finn is under pressure at school as he is about to take his GCSE’s, but is complaining daily of severe headaches. Christie thinks it is the pressure and stress of taking exams and so does their GP, who prescribes fresh air!

When Christie’s circumstances at work change, she decides that if she is going to change her career path it has to be now, but with Finn feeling so unwell, will her dream of owning her own business one day be just that, a dream.

I absolutely loved this book and the characters were so likeable (especially Christie’s parents). I wasn’t sure that a novel about crafting could be so enjoyable, but how wrong I was!!

Thank you once again Carole for a corker of a book and as usual, I can’t wait for the next one!


To order a copy of the book from Amazon click here

99 Red Balloons

by

Elisabeth Carpenter

Blog Tour

It's my turn on the Blog Tour for 99 Red Balloons. It's a psychological thriller debut by Elisabeth Carpenter. I have an extract for you today, but I can't wait to read this one!

Extract

How has using scissors become so difficult? My stupid hands. It has taken me nearly an hour to cut out twelve pictures. Of course, it didn’t help that the photos are so bloody small. The newspapers haven’t printed many pictures of Grace Harper’s family – they’re not as important as the little girl. But they’re important to me.

I’ve placed the grainy black and white ones – most of them duplicates – around the big picture of Sarah in the middle of the coffee table. It’s like looking at lots of little Sarahs – the likeness is incredible. Is it the sickness clouding my thoughts – making me see things that aren’t there? No. It can’t be.

The photo in the middle is the clearest I have of Sarah. We didn’t bother taking photographs after Zoe went missing – why would we? There was no happiness in this house after that – no good news to celebrate and document. With each year Zoe was absent, Sarah faded further away. I blamed the booze, but perhaps using drink was how she lasted so long without her daughter.

She only started drinking after Zoe was taken. I don’t think she was depressed as such, just so desperately sad. I can’t imagine my own child being taken from me like that, the not knowing where she is. It’s bad enough when it’s your granddaughter – but your very own daughter who’d grown inside you. The thought is horrific.

I get up from the settee, using the coffee table as a crutch. I’m so tired: mind-tired, body-tired. Why am I still living? If I were still a religious person, I’d believe I was being tested, but I left God behind years ago – or did God leave me? I keep wondering what I did so terribly wrong in the past to make everything turn out like this, but I can’t think of anything. All those petty little things I made up in confession as a child: thinking bad thoughts about my parents, not helping with chores. Maybe these weren’t the sins they were looking for,because now I question my very being. Perhaps I just wasn’t good enough as a mother.

In the kitchen, there’s a bottle of sherry, half-empty, from a Christmas too long ago. How long does that stuff last? It’s behind cans of prunes, peaches, and a little pile of tinned pies. Ron loved those pies, but I can’t stand them. I don’t know why they’re still there. Comforting, I imagine.

The neck of the bottle is crusted. I put it to my nose: it still smells like sherry. It’ll be fine. I grab a tiny glass from the cupboard and take it into the front room. I’ve never been a drinker; never had more than a tot at Christmas. I’m usually in bed by seven – do people drink in the evening to quash the loneliness?

I land further from the table than I thought and have to shuffle with the bottle and glass in my hands. If anyone could see me, they’d think me ridiculous, a lush. The lid grates on the crust as I unscrew it. I hold up the glass after it’s filled. It still looks like sherry. It still tastes like sherry – or what I remember sherry to taste like.

It doesn’t take long to feel its heat. A fake warmth, but a warmth nonetheless. That’s why this stuff is evil. I stroke Sarah’s cheek on the photograph. My poor darling girl.

I refill my glass and take another sip. I feel a calm I haven’t felt in years. I pick up her photo and hold it to my chest. I close my eyes. I often talk to her in my head. I used to speak out loud in case her spirit, her essence, could hear me, but the silence that followed was too much.

I miss you, Sarah.

To pre-order a copy of 99 Red Balloons from Amazon click here

Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage

by

Heidi Swain

Guest Review

by

Julie Williams

Guest Review

This gorgeous summer read is must for the romantics amongst us and the cover is so adorable to boot!

Lottie Foster finds herself owner of the beautiful quaint Cuckoo Cottage when an old family friend Gwen dies. Lottie hopes this will be a much needed fresh start and shake up her life needs.

Unfortunately some of the village folk of Wynbridge are not so happy with the new owner and their constant gossiping is something that Lottie finds hard to get to grips with. Luckily her neighbours are on hand to help and try to help her see that this is what living in a small village is like. 

Lottie finds herself in turmoil with two men Will and Matt vying for her affection and fighting for her attention. 

Let’s just say that living in Cuckoo Cottage is not plain sailing and gaining the trust of the locals is no easy feat.

I found myself engrossed in this delightful tale and willing Lottie to open her eyes and discover who is being sincere. 

This novel has a lovely mix of characters that I warmed to straight away. 

This is the fourth novel around Wynbridge but can be read as a standalone. I am already looking forward to the next instalment!

To order a copy of this book click here

Another Woman's Husband

by

Gill Paul

BLOG TOUR

1911 At the age of fifteen, carefree Mary Kirk and indomitable Wallis Warfield meet at summer camp. Their friendship will survive heartbreaks, separation and the demands of the British Crown until it is shattered by one unforgivable betrayal. 

1997 Rachel's romantic break in Paris with her fiancé ends in tragedy when the car ahead crashes. Inside was Princess Diana. Back in Brighton, Rachel is haunted by the accident, and intrigued to learn the princess had visited the last home of Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, only hours before the crash. Soon, the discovery of a long-forgotten link to Wallis Simpson leads Rachel to the truth behind a scandal that shook the world...

Richly imagined and beautifully written, ANOTHER WOMAN'S HUSBAND is a gripping, moving novel about two women thrust into the spotlight, followed by scandal, touched by loss.

Review

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Gill Paul’s novels, so when I found out that her latest novel, Another Woman’s Husband was based on the fictional connection between Wallis Simpson and Princess Diana, I just knew I would love this book! I am a passionate royalist and always loved Princess Diana from the very moment she came into the public eye. With the 20th anniversary approaching of Diana’s death, it seems very poignant that memories of her are kept alive. I will remember 31st August 1997 for the rest of my life as a day full of extreme sadness and unbelievable shock that one of the most famous women in the world had died so tragically.

Mary and Wallis meet at Summer camp in America in the early 1900’s when they were teenagers. From the very start, Wallis is the more dominant, confident character, with Mary tagging along in awe of her new found friend. Wallis seems very headstrong and mature for her age, especially in front of the young men!

Meanwhile Rachel and Alex are driving through the Alma tunnel in Paris on 31st August 1997 when just ahead there is an almighty crash and everything is at a standstill. Alex gets out of the car to see what has happened and returns shortly afterwards with a look of total shock on his face when he tells Rachel that the crash involves Princess Diana and she is in a bad way.

The chapters alternate from Wallis and Mary’s early lives to 1997 in the aftermath of the crash and the coming weeks when the press is full of conspiracy theories as to how and why Diana died. How could Wallis & Mary’s lives have anything in common with Diana?

This is a fantastic story which made me want to read “just one more chapter” so that I could find out what the connection was! The author is such a great historian, who researches her books wonderfully and this one is no exception. I have enjoyed all of Gill Paul’s books, but I really think this is my favourite so far!

To order a copy of Another Woman's Husband click here

** COVER REVEAL **

The Key

by

Kathryn Hughes

From the author of The Secret I am pleased to reveal the cover of Kathryn Hughes' new novel The Key. You will have to wait until next year for this one to be published, but i'm sure it will be worth waiting for!

Published by Headline in April 2018

The Wardrobe Mistress

by

Natalie Meg Evans

It's my turn on The Wardrobe Mistress by Natalie Meg Evans Blog Tour and here is my review.

Review

When I saw the cover for this book and the title, I knew straight away I wanted to read it. I haven’t read any of the author’s previous books, but I thought this one would be a great way to start!

One of Vanessa’s earliest memories is her Father taking her to a theatre in London and meeting all the fascinating people who worked there. She vividly remembers a lady called Eva making a huge fuss over her and Eva giving her a key on a chain. At 5 years old, Vanessa has no idea at the time how important the key becomes in revealing the secrets of her identity.

War breaks out and Vanessa finds herself being called up and posted to the other end of the country, which she finds a relief to get away from her difficult mother.

After the war ends, Vanessa feels drawn to the theatre once again and decides to apply for a position at the very theatre her Father used to take her to, as a Wardrobe Mistress. Huge obstacles lie in wait for Vanessa, especially as the post asks for the position to be held by a man with experience and she is neither a man or has any experience!! But with Vanessa’s true grit and determination, she doesn’t let small matters like that get in her way, especially with the new owner who happens to be one of her best friend’s husband!

This is the start of an unravelling amount of secrets and lies which Vanessa has to work out to find her true identity and she also finds out along the way that people aren’t who they really are!

The author must have done a huge amount of thorough research for this book and it clearly shows in the in depth description to detail.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I am a true theatre buff and am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

To order a copy of The Wardrobe Mistress from Amazon click here