Tizi’s Book Review

Can Christmas truly be avoided?

Synopsis

Two Scrooges come together for a festive-free holiday season by the sea and find all their anti-Christmas plans going up in smoke when they decide to play Santa for a single mom and her child.

Eloise Garrett thinks Christmas is overpriced, overhyped, and overrated, and without any family to share it with, she feels sad, lonely and isolated. The “season for giving” is just a constant reminder that she’s single, sixty(ish), and staring down retirement. But not this Christmas. Determined to avoid the most magical time of the year, Eloise decides to spend Christmas in Honeycombe Bay. Surely a seaside village in the middle of winter won’t be too festive?

Ever since his wife passed away, Bartholomew Knott hasn’t felt up to welcoming visitors to his guest house. With the prospect of another long, lonely winter, and having become more Scrooge than Santa over the years, Bart is dreading Christmas. However, when he’s contacted by someone who dislikes decking the halls just as much as he does, Bart has the brilliant idea of opening the guest house to people who want to escape all things festive.

Christmas isn’t easy to ignore, though, not even in off-season Honeycombe Bay. So when fate forces Bart to give shelter to a single mother and child whose holiday has been devastated by a terrible fire, Eloise finds herself playing Mrs. Claus to Bart’s Santa—dragging the house’s other guest, a heartbroken teacher looking for a break during the holidays, into the action as well. But holiday cheer isn’t the only thing sparking under the mistletoe. Will the guests at Honeycombe Bay realize that, sometimes, the best way to escape Christmas is to let it into your heart?

PERFECT FOR FANS OF

– Small-town Christmas vibes

– Later-in-life romance

– Forced proximity

– Grumpy x sunshine

My review

What Eloise Garrett wants the most this Christmas, is to not be surrounded by it at all. And as she has no family to celebrate it, instead of feeling sad, lonely and being forced to face her single-being, she decides to spend it at a B&B at a seaside village. Because who would want to spend Christmas there, even with a lovely name as Honeycombe Bay. And she has found the perfect guest house, where Christmas is not welcome. Because Bart Knott, ever since he has lost his beloved wife, is dreading everything festive. So when Eloise contacts Bart, despite the initial refusal as Bart does not want to welcome guests, Bart sees the perfect idea: to open the guest house for everyone who wants to escape the holidays. However, unexpectedly, Honeycombe is more festive than ever, and when a young mother and her son need shelter, Bart and Eloise find themselves suddenly wanting to give the little boy the best Christmas ever…

I am not the biggest fan of Christmas. And before you wish me any harm, let me explain 😊. I love spending those days with my family, going to my parents, spending time together, eating the typical Italian Christmas dishes, en yes, even opening those gifts. But while I enjoy those precious moments, I also believe that Christmas has been over-commercialized. The lights come up earlier and earlier each year, the pressure of buying the most extravagant gifts… For me, that is not what Christmas is about.

So in that aspect I could truly comprehend Eloise. And especially in her case, with no family and being single, Christmas isn’t the jolliest of times… I liked the decision Eloise took. Not wanting to burden anyone about her personal feelings, she decides to ga away, to a place where normally Christmas isn’t being commercialised.

I know that this is a fictional story, but what a luck Eloise has finding Bart’s Guesthouse.  Because the last thing on Bart’s mind is celebrating Christmas.

Not that Bart is a total Scrooge or Grinch, but he is still grieving over the loss of his lovely and beloved wife. And as they were a real power couple running the guesthouse, I could also understand that the will and the enthusiasm is no longer there to even just open the guesthouse.

So even if Bart is not looking to open the guesthouse, he sees an opportunity to give people the quiet and peace during the holidays, offering a Christmas – free stay.

A stay that attracts Mitch, who may seem all rough and tough, but quickly turns out to be a real ‘teddy bear’! Mitch shows us that no matter how you look like, it is the interior that counts, and he truly has his heart at the right place, even if he has been burnt by love before…

But that is something all three of them show in this book, upon the arrival of Sarah and little, adorable Toby.

Arrival… in a terrible sense of the word, as it s purely because Bart opens his house for the unlucky pair. Because while initially we just see heartwarming scenes between mother and son, a fire destroys their home. And the pair has (momentarily) no place to go (reminds you of another very famous story that took place more than 2000 years ago in a way? 😊).

It broke my heart reading not only what Sarah and Toby have just been going through, but also and as which we discover later on in the book, what already happened to them.

Yet at the same time, it was just so heartwarming reading how Bart, Mitch and even Eloise welcome the both of them in the guesthouse, and are helping out, in every possible way. And yes, even the Grinches/ Scrooges are changing their tunes, for Toby’s sake.

Of course several things are taking place. But whether it is Eloise and Bart getting closer, yet also fearful of admitting the feelings, or Eloise, Bart and Mitch wanting to give Sarah and Toby an unforgettable Christmas filled with amazing gifts yet Sarah not wanting to be a charity case, the main thread in this beautiful story is the warmth, love and kindness of people.

Because no matter how Bart, Eloise and even Mitch are feeling at the start of the book, we see all three of them slowly ‘melting’. And we see that even if they are closed off, we see their true characters, their true selves emerge. Ad what a delight it was to discover the wonderful persona of each character!

Of course I did not have an ounce of doubt that the characters of this book would be lovely. But I wondered how it would all come together, how each of them would un-Scrooge. And it was lovely to see that no matter how different each character is, they befriend each other, they become close and understand each other.

I loved reading this book, reading how people so adamant to keep Christmas outside, are not immune to the magic, the love and the warmth that Christmas brings. A wonderful tale, what more can I say!

When are you sure of your soulmate?

Synopsis

Destiny promised Hanna Bailey her soulmate, but delivered a divorce instead. So, when the career opportunity of a lifetime comes calling, she’s ready to answer. Alone.

Joining the tour of rising rock band His Locked Heart is her chance to start again. Sold-out shows, endless miles, and the freedom to leave her past behind

But fate has a habit of rewriting the lyrics.

Behind the spotlight, the band’s brooding songwriter, Nathaniel Cole, is about to become the one person Hanna never expected. As friendships deepen and long-buried truths surface, Hanna finds herself torn between the life she built and a love that could burn the whole thing down.

Some songs are written in secret.

Some loves refuse to stay hidden.

And sometimes you get the chance to rewrite your own story.

My review

Twenty years ago, a fortune-teller told Hanna Bailey that she would have three loves in her life. And that the third one would be everything. Now is Hanna divorced and she is ready for the career opportunity of a lifetime. And so she finds herself joining the tour of rock band His Locked Heart. Where you would think that the members of the band would look down at Hanna, each member is quickly becoming a friend, between shows and riding miles. But Nathaniel Cole is the one that becomes the closest to her, their friendship only deepens the more time they spend together. Nathaniel finds himself writing the most heartfelt love songs about his feelings for Hanna, Hanna is at a crossroad. Because should she follow the path with someone else she has started on, or should she dare to take a step towards a love that could be amazing but also terrifying?

When I started reading this book, purely based on the blurb, I thought it would be the ‘typical’ romance or contemporary story. Nothing wrong with such stories, as I love reading them. But once this one got me, it truly *got* me and I realized that not only is this a story that was amazing to read, but it is also unique in its special way.

Now, I have to say, even if it was twenty years ago, how Hanna holds on to the ‘prophecy’ of the fortune-teller. On the other hand, being young and in love, twenty years ago, wouldn’t you also hold on to the information that brings you love?

But even if Hanna holds on to the believe that the third love would be her everything, it felt to me that this story goes way deeper than just that.

I was happy at the start of the book that Hanna is just unapologetically Hanna. Of course she has her self-doubts and insecurities. Yet she has found her own style and she enjoys the career path she has chosen. And while a rock band for sure can be a challenge, Hanna hit the jackpot with His Locked Heart.

I liked reading how Hanna genuinely cares about each member of the band, how she knows what they need without even saying it out loud. Whenever there is an issue, the band knows that Hanna is the person to go to.

But just like most people, Hanna is missing that special someone in her life. Don’t we all need someone to love and that loves us? So when Aaron makes it clear that he is into her, I could understand how they got together, even if I honestly wanted Hanna’s love life go a different direction.

And I am not saying that because Nathaniel from his first meeting starts to fall for Hanna. But because Nathaniel shows in so many different ways how he cares about Hanna. And yes, Nathaniel is just a real darling!

Nathaniel not only has an amazing writing talent. But he is also a genuine, caring, lovely person. We do not only see this with his feelings for Hanna, but also how homesick he feels at moments and how close he is with his family, despite the physical distance.

Of course the greatest part of the book is about what Hanna is going through and lesser about Nathaniel point of view. But that doesn’t take away that we see what a great friend Nathaniel is for Hanna, how he just gets her, and how Hanna can always count on him, no matter what.

The more the story evolves, the more it becomes clear that Hanna in fact *needs* Nathaniel for support. Because over time, we see how the light is dimming in Hanna’s eyes, how small she is becoming.

And that angered me, reading those bits. Not angry at Hanna herself, but how ‘easy’ someone can make you feel so small and indifferent, or in the wrong all the time. I just despise people who think that can just gaslight people…

But because of the above, we also see the growth in Hanna, and the unconditional love and support she receives from Nathaniel. And we see how difficult it can be to see what is being done to you, and how difficult it can be to make the right choice, for yourself.

But we also see how difficult it is for those the closest to you, to see you retreat in yourself more and more. And see you become just a shadow of your former self. Because we also all know, stepping in, saying something about it, forcing in a way, could have the complete opposite effect. In that aspect, my respect for Nathaniel only grew more and more. Because he sees what is happening to Hanna, and he wants to help her, but he also knows that it has to come from Hanna herself. And when the decision has been made, he will be there, as always, for her.

This whole story was a punch in my heart. It broke my heart to see Hanna’s struggles. But at the same time, it was so heartwarming and beautiful to see how strong the bond between Hanna and Nathaniel is and how their relationship evolves. But we also see how we carry the burdens of what we have endured and how it can scare us to accept the obvious and embrace it.Hann

I gave this book the full five stars, something I don’t do easily. But with everything that Hanna and also Nathaniel go through, I just couldn’t find it in my heart to give just less than the maximum. And reading the lyrics Nathaniel writes throughout the whole book… just wow!

Can the magic and Lara do their thing once again?

Synopsis

CAN LARA ADD A SPRINKLING OF MAGIC THIS CHRISTMAS?

Jacob introduces ever tastier treats to the Sugar and Spice cafe’s menu as the Christmas Spirit knits her magic into the lives of those finding this Christmas tough.

Florence is struggling to make ends meet and afford the present she knows her son wants for Christmas. Her ex-husband flaunting his new girlfriend and their baby isn’t helping her mood.

Widower Jude feels a failure as a father to his two young children after the tragic death of his wife. The move to Winstanton was meant to make life easier. Can he learn to carve out time to build new friendships and give himself the chance to grieve?

Rachel’s boss has given the promotion he promised her to the man twenty years her junior, whom she trained. She’s fed up with being taken for granted, and the lack of sympathy from her husband and teenage children.

Retired David feels Grinch-like as his son expects him to look after his grandchildren all the time, without taking his life into consideration. He used to love Christmas, but this year it has lost its sparkle.

Can the warm welcome at the Sugar and Spice café help them find their Christmas spirit?

A feel-good festive romance with a heartwarming community and a generous helping of Christmas spirit!

My review

With Christmas looming around the corner, Lara is adamant to make the magic work as usual. This year maybe it would be a real challenge… Because there is Florence, struggling to not only afford the Christmas present her son wants, but to just get to the end of the month. Especially as her ex couldn’t be bothered to take his responsibilities. Then there is widower Jude, who moved to Winstanton after the death of his wife. While he is still grieving, he also feels like a failure as a father, as his two young children are also grieving and he does not know to make the children happy again. And Rachel is angry as the promised promotion went to the man she trained and that is twenty years her junior. And she doesn’t get the support she expected from her own husband. Meanwhile, David enjoys his retirement, but starts to feel as being taken for granted as his son expects more and more that David will look after his grandchildren, and drop everything when Lewis has other plans. So Lara for sure has work to do, but luckily she can also count on her Uncle Jacob and his treats of the Sugar and Spice Café.

There are books that put a smile on your face, even before you have read one word of it. And Susan’s books is just like that. Just knowing that this would be my next read, made me all happy on the inside! 😊

At the start, I was very curious to see what challenge Lara would be facing now, and if her ‘magic’ would be able to do the trick once again. Because for sure it is a real challenge this time around!

Lara is still that wonderful child, eager, kind and just so welcoming with a warm hearth. She is not only making new friends of her own age, but she also sees the struggles of the adults around her and Lara just wants to make them happy again. Somehow, I truly see Lara like a Santa’s Little Helper 😊.

With my first encounter of each character, I thought that I had found my favourite character, or the character I felt the most for. Yet the more the story evolved, the more I realized that I liked each character equally, even if perhaps their situation was not something I could relate to.

My heart went out to Florence. She is struggling to not only find a job, but each month is a struggle to make ends meet. And she cannot count on the support of her ex – husband for contributing for the care of their son Rain.

However, at the same time, I also admired Florence. Being on your own isn’t easy. Yet that doesn’t take away that Florence would do anything for Rain. She loves him with all her heart. And no matter how much struggles she is facing, she tries to be the best mum she can be, and not let Rain see how much in fact she is having a hard time.

What I also liked about Florence, is how she just doesn’t give up. Yes, she isn’t always getting the jobs she wants, but she is not a quitter. After every setback, she keeps her head up high, and believes that something will come her way.

I found it also sweet to see how Florence even dares to hope for love again, or at least she has an attraction towards Jude.

Jude… well maybe he *is* my favourite character in this book after all…

Because what he has been through with his family is so unfair. But unfortunately, life isn’t always fair, is it?

Losing the person you love so deeply is already difficult. But if you have two children to look after, it’s even harder. Grief is difficult for an adult, but how can children cope with the loss of their mother?

And here we see that also Jude does all he can for his two children. I could understand the reason for their move to Winstanton, to have more support. And yes, perhaps also to have a new start, to not be constantly reminded of what they have all lost?

Not that Jude wants to forget about his beloved wife, but slowly he just wants to live again, see the beautiful things that life can have. Just move on, without carrying the heavy burden of grief all the time…

Perhaps even Florence could be part of the beautiful things in his life?

In Rachel’s situation, I felt a lot on anger. Not towards her, I would never dare, but the situation she finds herself in career-wise. I truly cannot understand the injustice she has to go through. Not only does she not get the promotion she was promised and it goes to someone she trained. But also the more time passes, the more she is being used and being treated badly.

I don’t know if it is typical a man – thing, but it frustrated me too the lack of support Rachel has from her own husband. Is truly that hard for men to see the struggles we women have to face, and how unfair life still is? But I also have to say, he redeems himself 😊.

David is perhaps the furthest away from my own personal situation, as he is freshly retired and I am still enthusiastically working. But I could understand how his frustrations are only adding up. Of course he wants to help his son with the grandchildren. But I also felt it may not become a habit. Just because someone is retired, does not mean that he can drop everything when you need him to help out.

The not understanding of David’s son Lewis, and even how Lewis gets angry and ‘disappears’ with his whole family, truly angered me. Perhaps because I am a people – pleaser myself and have been taken advantage of several times, I just wanted to knock some common sense in Lewis.

Now, it may seem that I got a lot of anger in this book. And yes, there for sure were some frustrating moments. But the heart of the story, the warmth of the story, the beauty of the story (may or may not be in the form of delightful Lara), emanates from all the pages.

Because we see that no matter what you have endured in the past, no matter what you are enduring now, with a little bit of Christmas magic, nice treats of a lovely Café, being embraced by a lovely and caring community, things can take a turn for the better.

I found this, may it not be obvious already 😊, a wonderful, heartwarming, Christmassy story, filled with wonderful characters, lovely treats and delightful drinks. And once again a Lara that keeps on surprising me in the best of possible ways! 😊

When one diagnosis exposes more than thought…

Synopsis

Lizzie thinks the difficult years are behind her.

She has a happy marriage, a career she loves, and a daughter beginning to find her place in the world. But when her husband Ed receives a devastating diagnosis, long-buried secrets surface – shattering everything Lizzie believes about their life together.

Now Ed is desperate to set things right before his memories slip away. 

Meanwhile, their adopted daughter Beck is searching for answers of her own that could change the family forever.

After rediscovering her love of singing, Lizzie brings together a community where friendship, kindness and music forge unexpected connections — and perhaps a way back to one another.

My review

Lizzie’s and Ed’s worlds are falling apart when Ed is diagnosed with an illness that will affect his memories. Just now that the married couple would be enjoying life now that the hardest years are behind them. But with memories slipping away, also long – kept secrets are being exposed, putting Lizzie’s and Ed’s marriage on a bigger strain than just Ed’s illness. Add that their daughter Beck is looking for answers of her own, like looking for her biological mother, and just finding her place in the world. Unexpectedly, Lizzie finds her love for signing again, joining a choir with her best friend. And then music turns out to be what could possibly bring Lizzie back closer to her loved ones. But can music heal all the pain that have been caused in the past? And can it bring forgiveness? And could it even bring back the people we think we have lost?

I was a bit doubtful if I should read this story or not. Not because I thought it would a bad story, but more because I knew it would be a heavy story. Ed’s diagnose is not a light matter and it affects many people in the world. It is difficult for the person itself, but also for the people around him/her. So my curiosity for the story had the upper hand.

At the start of the book, Ed is a bit reluctant to go let himself check out. And I could understand that in a way. Because when it is just being a ‘normal’ forgetfulness and when is there something else going on? Aren’t we all having moments where we seem to forget something?

Even when Ed’s diagnose is made, obviously everyone is a bit shocked as it is news that nobody was expecting, I could understand how Ed is a bit in denial. Where Lizzie is trying to find remedies, treatments or things can just help a little but, Ed does not want to be faced constantly with the diagnose and just want to go on with his life as it was before. Which is of course just wishful thinking…

We see how the disease, the diagnose, affects everyone, how now things just have to change in a way, because living as before is just not an option.

I thought that the book would be only about how the family would face the changes in their lives, but the more I was reading more, the more I realized that just because someone gets bad news, that the rest in life pauses.

Because, and perhaps Ed’s situation ‘helps’ in this case, suddenly Lizzie discovers a secret Ed has been keeping, making the blissful marriage she believed she had with Ed turn into the opposite. While Lizzie is in the dark about what to do next, she doesn’t want to be the wife that leaves her sick husband, she also just has her heart broken over the betrayal.

And also Lizzie is someone I could understand, because no matter what you would do in this situation, it is never the right thing…

I was happy for Lizzie that she then finds comfort in music and the choir she is joining. Now, I was happy reading that it isn’t a choir in the classical sense of the word, but a choir where all kind of songs are being sung. Being in the choir is an escape for her, but it is also about Lizzie growing her own self – esteem again. And I admired how Lizzie understand how important music can be, and even comes up with great ideas to help others.

Like I said, we see how an illness, a diagnose doesn’t put the rest on hold. And we also see this with Beck, the daughter.

We see here a young woman that is in fact a little bit lost. She doesn’t know what to do with her life, has been doing several things but hasn’t find that one thing that she loves doing. The fact that she is also adopted, leaves her with many questions. She has and is still being loved by Ed and Lizzie, but still Beck has a felling of not belonging anywhere.

Perhaps I did not feel truly sad for Beck, but I could understand her inner turmoil. It is not easy, especially in these times, trying to find not only your place in the world, but also the answers to all her questions. And then the devastating news about her adoptive father…

Now, it may sound like a depressing story, and for sure it isn’t an easy one. There is Ed’s illness, his struggles and we see how slowly are taking a turn for the worse. There is Ed’s secret that suddenly is being exposed and his attempts to explain and make things right. There is Lizzie devastated by not only Ed’s illness, but also by that secret, making her doubt what to do next. And Beck just trying to answers.

But in fact, we also see so many moments filled with hope and love. And we see, something we perhaps should pay more attention to, how important and how impactful music can be. It can bring you joy, it can bring you hope, it can connect you again with others.

Not an easy story, but for sure an important one, that makes you reflect about your own life, about what truly matters in your life.

Secrets…

Synopsis

When new girl Ivy starts working at the café, Maddy suspects she might be hiding something. But when Ivy’s secret is finally revealed, it’s more heart-breaking than anyone could possibly have imagined.

My review

Ivy is over the moon that she has gotten the job at The Little Duck Pond Café. She believes that this could be the start of a new chapter in her life, after a devastating and heartbreaking event. However, the past is still haunting her somehow, and even at the café they suspect that Ivy is hiding something, especially Maddy her radar is going off. While Ivy rather wants to keep it all to herself, she also realizes how liberating it can be to confide in someone. And when the truth comes out, no one could have ever imagined what Ivy has been through…

It may not be a big secret that I am always over the moon when I can return to Sunnybrook and this delightful café. However, I have to also admit, that I wasn’t ready for this story and Ivy’s tale…

Right from the start it is obvious that Ivy is haunted by something/ someone from the past. It is not clear what exactly happened, and I have to say, Rosie did a great job to lead on down the wrong path 😊.

While Ivy is clearly not at ease and she is clearly tormented and even told a few white lies in order to get the job at the café, it is also obvious that she would be a great addition to the bunch that we all know and love. Because everything about Ivy says that she is a caring, loving and gentle character.

And then the moments of torment she goes through… those bits truly saddened me, seeing her scared in her own home, seeing her standing in the rain looking at the pond and searching for a specific duck… If it were possible, I would enter the book and give Ivy a big hug and tell her I am there for her and that things will work out, somehow… And that before I even knew her true tale of woe…

A tale of woe that absolutely broke my heart! A tale of woe that made me think the worse but also where my gut feeling was telling me there was more to it than we may think…

It is easy to think that Ivy got her heart broken in one of the worst possible ways, and I was perhaps also thinking not so nice things about her ex. And yes, perhaps Ivy shouldn’t have let her own self-doubts take the overhand, but I could also understand where she was coming from.

We see with Ivy’s story how perhaps you can self – destruct a wonderful relationship, but also how people’s interferences can ‘help’ with making things worse. Shows once again that there are some nasty people in this world, isn’t it? And then I am not talking about the discoveries later on in the book! Let me tell you I was flabbergasted!!!

Luckily Ivy can count on her new friend of The Little Pond Duck Café, who quickly show her that she is part of their group now and that means that Ivy can always rely on them, confide in them and they will always have her back and they will support her.

Maddy also plays a big part in this story, not only as Ivy’s biggest supporter, but also on a funnier, more hilarious way, her quest to buy a home together with the love of her life. And laugh that I did with Maddy!!! 😊Because let’s be honest, her attempts of gentle persuasion, playing innocent, nobody falls for it! 😊

Perhaps this next chapter in a just *marvellous* series broke my heart the most. Because what Ivy has been through, it is just terrible. But it is also, and that is as usual, an uplifting story, a warm story and even an inspiring story.

Because even if your heart has been broken in a million little pieces, it can be healed again, tiny bit by tiny bit again. By finding new, loyal and loving friends, by finding your passion again and finding the courage to pursue in that passion.

I don’t know how Rosie Green keeps on finding the inspiration to write amazing story after amazing story, without ever being repetitive somehow. Each new story is just something I *need* and *must* read, as in the end I always end with a big smile on my face and a feeling of contentment!

Today a little tease for my followers

Synopsis

In early 20th century Britain, society was changing rapidly, but not much was changing for women. From different ends of the social spectrum, Celia Mapperley and May Hallam wrestle with rules and circumstances beyond their control and must navigate love, sex, war, and the thin line between conformity and scandal. As they each bear the shame of a devastating family secret, their stories come together in ways that neither could have imagined.    

GuestPost

Behind the Bridal Veil

As a lifelong reader of novels set in the 19th and early 20th century Britain, I’ve always wondered about how young women on the marriage market felt as they approached the unveiling of the great mystery of sex. Because British society before the First World War tried to safeguard the innocence of young, unmarried women by keeping them from any knowledge of what happens between husband and wife, many must have been startled and even horrified by what they encountered on their wedding night.

Just how badly this strategy could backfire is the theme of the two parallel stories in my novel Ancestral Virgins, set before, during, and after World War I. In the novel, I wanted to show how badly these young women could be damaged by being brought up in ignorance and hedged about with so many proscriptions.

The first of the two stories grew out of my theory that some potential brides might have been more fascinated than repulsed by what they gleaned from the few hints and whispers about sex that came their way. Thus, my character Celia Mapperley was born, a young aristocrat touched by no-one but her maid, kept in the dark but longing to discover the mysterious no man’s land that divided married women irrevocably from their unmarried sisters. Aristocratic parents tended to be distant in those days, and some treated their daughters merely as pawns in a marital lottery. I’d noticed how many of the heroines of novels written during that period had their most loving and tactile relationships with their brothers, even if it was just playing tennis or rough housing – Lucy Honeychurch and her brother Freddie in E.M. Forster’s A Room with a View spring to mind. And I started to wonder what could happen if this went awry – if a young woman who feels unmoored and afraid of being married off to a stranger cleaves to the only person with whom she feels completely comfortable and safe.

The second of the two stories involves a young woman, Lily Hallam, one of six siblings who live and work on the country estate of Celia’s family estate in Nottinghamshire. Lily grows up in close proximity to her brothers but is as innocent and unquestioning as any other girl of the era about the relations between men and women. When, aged only 15, she’s sent away from home to work as a housemaid in a gentleman’s manor house in Sussex, she finds herself confused and conflicted as her charming employer becomes increasingly keen to enjoy her company. 

“Lily wished Mrs. Goodwin could see how properly he always behaved, parting from her at the foot of the stairs each evening with a bow and a peck on the back of her hand. She’d felt no urgency from him, none of the pressing attentions that Mam had warned her about when it came to men. All he seemed to want was the lightness that they had when they were together, the lightness that helped him to forget the war for a little while. Yet there were also his kisses – long, trembling, addictive – and sometimes in the night, she’d lie awake in bed in the attic, hardly able to breathe as she relived them. It was like balancing on a very high and very narrow wall stretching far ahead and far behind, and only by taking one very careful step after another would she manage not to fall.”   

As Celia and Lily’s stories draw ever closer together, the consequences for both women are dire and shocking and have long-lasting implications for all who know and love them.   

When finding yourself suddenly with wards changes everything

Synopsis

Bath, 1810.
Lord James Brotherton, the charismatic Earl of Avon, is wealthy, intelligent—and marked for death. His own cousin believes him an imposter and has enlisted corrupt lawyers and treacherous servants to remove him permanently.
Enter Sofia Brotherton.
Unconventional, outspoken, and entirely irresistible, Sofia turns James’s ordered world upside down. He falls for her instantly. She follows a week later.
As danger closes in, their growing attraction becomes both a refuge and a risk. With enemies plotting murder and passions running high, James and Sofia must fight for love—and survival.
A witty, action-packed Regency romance filled with intrigue, danger, and deliciously sensuous tension.

My review

Lord James Brotherton is the Earl of Avon. But being an Earl is not an easy task, but in James’s case, his own cousin believes him to be an imposter and thus James is fearing for his own life. Not being married or otherwise attached to someone, it also means that he can do as he pleases, and does not have to take in account that his own behaviour is not always Earl – like, with outbursts of anger. When he learns that there are young women, sisters, that are in fact related to him, but have no guardian, James does not hesitate to take up his own duty. As the sisters themselves do not know about James’s existence, they have made sure that their future is somehow protected by taking up jobs. The first sister that James finds, is the eldest, Sofia Brotherton. What for James is love at first sight, Sofia slowly also starts to have growing feelings towards James. But with danger lurking around every corner, and Sofia’s determination to not wed, the both of them have not only to fight for love, but also for survival..

In these kind of stories, my heart always goes out to the characters that have faced a loss, and suddenly their lives as they used to know, is over. How will their lives change, and how will they make the best out of their new situation?

And I liked reading how from the very start, the sisters are taking matter in their own hands, looking for jobs and not just wallow in sorrow. It shows already a certain kind of determination and sense for independence.

Especially Sofia, the female main character in this book, shows her independence, her need for it especially. She doesn’t long for a marriage, like everyone else does. She wants to stand on her own feet, not depend of somebody else. And that I admired, because now it is obvious, but in 1810 it for sure wasn’t!

I could understand her somewhat reluctance to go live with James as a ward. Sofia understand why she doesn’t really has a choice in the matter, but she also makes it very clear from the start that she will only agree with it until she has come of age, and can live her life as she wants.

And I admired James, as he does not hesitate to take in complete strangers in his home, even if they are family. I don’t know, even in those times, if I would do the same (beside the fact that I am a woman and I would never find myself in James’s situation 😊).

But I have to also admit, while I liked James for doing the right thing, several times in fact, I also got a bit frustrated with him on several occasions. There are moments where it seems he lacks interest in how his household is being run, resulting that people are sabotaging him on several occasions. And also his ‘violent’ reactions at moments made my brows frown. Not that he is an actual violent person, but let’s say he likes to break things in his home…

And yes, I was even a bit surprised at how fast feelings between James and Sofia are developing. For James almost just one look has been enough to make him fall in love with his ward, and for Sofia it takes a little longer, but still, for me, a bit too fast. But that can also be because I have never fallen head over heels in love, so that can be why I cannot imagine happening like this 😊.

James and Sofia are very different, and that is not only because they have had different upbringing. But they also disagree on several aspects. So you would think that they wouldn’t work on paper, but somehow, they also agree on so many other things. They connect in an unexpected way.

Living together, make the both of them more mellow in a way. Sofia act towards people and animals in a way James never saw before, and makes him also understand that things can be handled differently. And Sofia at the same times learns how the world works. And Sofia learns about how love looks like.

It was sweet reading how Sofia and James are bonding, over music, horses and dogs. It shows that the attraction goes beyond and their connection is real, even if there are bumps on the roads.

A connection that brings out a protective side to both of them, as it becomes clear that James’s life is at risk and puts also Sofia in jeopardy. But it shows once again how deep their feelings are.

We see in this book how also in the past, how quickly things can develop, how unexpected. But just because something happens fast or unexpected, doesn’t mean it isn’t genuine. And that former ideas or resolutions can be changed, because that is the power of love.

When an inhabitant of Britain’s safest village suddenly dies, could it be actual murder?

Synopsis

Bob and Shirley run a lovely country pub. They also solve murders …

A warmly funny, gloriously British cozy crime and murder mystery series that can be read as standalones or part of a series. Set in a village where the pub is the heart of country life and served with warmth, wit and a very good Sunday roast.

“Murder? In our quiet, little English village?

Great Oakley is a place of hanging baskets, tearooms and riverside walks. We’ve won ‘Britain’s safest village’ 10 years running. I keep three pound coins, a box of toffees and a bottle of Pepto-Bismol on my dashboard at all times, and I’ve never needed to lock my car.

Certainly, Bevvy Hogg was disliked. She ran the local Waist Watchers group, yet came to our pub for fish and chips, treacle tart and a bottle of Chardonnay every Friday. But I don’t think she was murdered …”

When Bevvy Hogg is found dead in the Goose and Gander pub garden, with an empty treacle tart plate beside her and several dress sizes slimmer than anyone remembers, Great Oakley’s winning streak as Britain’s safest village comes to an abrupt end.

My review

If there is something that the community of Great Oakley is proud of, is that for 10 years they have won the prize of ‘Britain’s safest village’. Bob and Shirley run together the Goose and Gander pub, a place where everyone is welcome. Even people that perhaps aren’t all that well liked, people like Bevvy Hogg. So when Bevvy is found dead in the pub garden, with an empty treacle tart plate and much slimmer than she ever was, Bob and Shirley both believe that the impossible has happened in their village: an actual murder! Even when the police closes the case as a naturel death, Bob and Shirley are not ready to just agree with that claim. And they start their own investigation, with possible suspects, motives and ways that Bevvy could have been murdered….

Normally, cozy mysteries aren’t my go – to books, as I am more a romantic person at heart. But there are moments where I do need a murder but not the heaviness that brings a thriller. And if an author that I know, writes a cozy mystery, of course I want to read it! And that is how I found myself reading this guide to murder.

Now, there is one thing that took me some time to get used to, being the writing style. The story switches between Bob and Shirley, sometimes with short chapters. We read their thoughts about the events in their village, but also the thoughts about the conversations they have between them.

Yet in a way that is also the charm and the fun in this book. Because even if a murder has taken place, reading how 2 married characters think about the incident, how they think differently about things, how they think alike about things and how they also think about each other at moments 😊.

How often do we think badly about a person we dislike? And perhaps we even think that Karma should be a… and that the person should have something bad happening to them. But of course there is a different thing thinking about it in the heat of the moment, and actually have that person going through that.

Bevvy for sure isn’t the most popular person in the village, as she ran the local Waist Watchers, but was being a hypocrite by going to the pub for fish and chips… And her sudden weight loss, mainly discovered after her death, raises several eyebrows. But that doesn’t mean she truly deserved to die on her own in the pub garden…

I also believe that if the incident would have taken place somewhere else in the village, Bob and Shirley would have found a way to interfere. That is just the kind of people they are 😊.

Now, even if it is a cozy mystery, I for sure was also intrigued by what truly had happened  to Bevvy and if she was truly murdered, and more important, who did it?

In a small village, it is also a fact that there aren’t a million of suspects. So that that specific list rather short. A list where Bob and Shirley add people to, delete people from after their ‘serious’ investigation.

While both Bob and Shirley are determined to discover the actual truth, perhaps they are bit reckless and too intrusive too. Of course we know they do it with the best intentions, but perhaps they should think twice about accusing loudly and publicly people 😊.

It also needs to be said, that I admire their loyalty and their unwavering friendship and love. Even when there are many indications towards someone close to them, they do not hesitate to put their trust and faith in that person. Yet that doesn’t take away they are still following every lead.

As of course not only Bob and Shirley make hilarious blunders in this book, this was a very light and entertaining book to read. While perhaps initially I wouldn’t put my trust in these two as investigators, you cannot ignore their passion, fire and determination to uncover the truth and unmask the real murderer!

And there is a giveaway!

Giveaway to Win an e-copy of  Bob and Shirley’s Killer Cuppa Puzzle (Open INT)

One of Great Oakley’s five open gardens served poisoned tea. Can you work out which one before Bob does?

‘Like Murdle and a cozy mystery rolled into one.’

Murder mystery logic puzzle stories for fans of The Killer Isn’t Alice, Murdle and Can You Solve the Murder?

These are ‘Puzzlories’. Read them like stories, solve them like puzzles. Each one takes about an hour to read and solve.

It’s Open Gardens weekend in Great Oakley. Five gardeners have opened their gardens to the public, and each is offering a unique drink, cake, flower and interesting garden feature to their fellow villagers.

Unfortunately, one garden owner poured poisoned tea. Probably not on purpose. But you never know. There are more murders in Britain’s safest village than you might imagine.

Village pub landlady Shirley Duffy visited all five open gardens before returning to the Goose and Gander for a much-needed beer and a sit down. One of those five gardens was the scene of the crime.

The trouble is, Shirley’s memory is known to be … selective. She can remember every cake she’s eaten since 1987, but not necessarily when and where she ate it. And she can’t remember which garden served tea on Saturday afternoon.

Shirley’s husband, Bob, is frustrated that Shirley can’t remember one garden from another. But he finds many things about his wife frustrating, and loves her anyway.

As Bob presses Shirley for details, the clues pile up. Your job is to note them down and work out who served the tea before Bob does.

Twenty clues, one in every short chapter. Fill in your detective’s grid, cross off your suspects and name the poisoner.

Grab your notebook, put the kettle on (carefully) and see if you can beat Bob to the answer.

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

https://gleam.io/sR8sl/win-an-e-copy-of-bob-and-shirleys-killer-cuppa-puzzle-open-int

The way a first love can be always on your mind

Synopsis

BRAND NEW from bestselling author Julie Houston comes a powerful story of first love, long-hidden secrets and second chances. Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Marian Keyes, David Nichols and Ruth Jones.

First love, long-hidden secrets and second chances.

Anna Piasecki thought she had left her university heartbreak behind. After spending decades building a successful life, she arrives at sixty with everything as she wants it – a glittering career, a devoted partner and brightest star of all, her brilliant son Noah, the apple of her eye.

Theo Mandeville is trapped. Bound by aristocratic duty to his sprawling Yorkshire estate, he has spent decades living the life that was expected of him while regretting the star-crossed romance he walked away from.

When their children meet at college, Anna and Theo suddenly find their carefully constructed lives colliding. With a devastating forty-year-old secret hanging over them, can their families survive the truth and do they dare to trust that fate has other plans for them?

Spanning decades, The Way We Are Now is a sweeping, heartwarming and life-affirming tale of first love, friendship and second chances perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Marian Keyes, David Nichols and Ruth Jones.

My review

While Anna Piasecki is at university in the ‘80’s, she never expects how the events of her time then will affect the rest of her life. Like the matter of her best friend Fliss, or Anna’s first yet impossible love, with Theo Mandeville. But Theo is not like Anna, as Anna’s family is working as miners, and Theo’s family has estates, and even are aristocrats. And it is only a matter of time when the differences between Anna and Theo will break them up. Now at her being sixty, Anna has built a successful life, a satisfying career, a devoted partner and a son she adores. But when her son Noah meets Theo’s daughter Immi, Anna’s and Theo’s lives are colliding and with a secret over forty years old still hanging over them, what else can the future be possible have again in store for them?

When you are young, don’t you think how your future will be? The people you meet then, will they still be in your life decades later? And will the person you love then, still be your loved one? What about the personal growth you go through and what will shape you into the person you will become?

And in this book, we see the complete journey Anna is going through, from university as a young woman to a woman with wisdom at sixty. And let me tell you this, a lot happens in just one lifespan!

At the start of the book, as we meet a young Anna, I felt an instant like towards her. She is full of joy, spirit, fire and sees a bright future ahead. I also liked it how she is sharing her temporarily home with other young women. Perhaps Anna doesn’t get along with every one of them the same, as Fliss is for sure her best friend at university. But there is a bond between all the young women.

With Anna and Fliss we see how a friendship can form your future self and how a friendship can still affect you after many years. But we also see with this friendship that how good do you truly know someone? No matter how close you are with someone, we see how secrets are kept, lies being told, to only end in a terrible way…

We also see how there has been and still is a difference in society. Anna is a woman who has been raised in a family of miners. And then there is Theo, who even comes with a title and has a rather privileged life. Despite the differences and the awkward first meeting between the pair, we see how sparks always find a way, somehow.

Life never goes as excepted or hoped, as we see that the love between Anna and Theo is not strong (enough) or that just life gets in the way, or that events push you apart.

Life never goes as expected, as events can decide for you or help you decide which direction your life goes.

As in this book we go over decades in Anna’s life, we read how she encounters new people, how she grows and matures, and how she becomes a strong independent woman. Yet while her life moves on, we also see how there are also a few regrets from het past.

I found it intriguing in a way, reading how Anna’s life was going. How she goes from a young woman perhaps a little bit gullible, to this woman fighting for the right cause, with a family. And I was of course also curious how her life would get entwined with Theo’s life again. And how it would affect the both of them.

This is a book about life and how quickly everything can change. But it is also about how the past can still have a hold on you. It is also about how no matter how young you are, how big an impact love can have. It is also about following your heart, yet also making mistakes. It is about everyone can or are able to keep secrets, or lie.

But it is also about that somehow, somewhere, someday, the pieces will fall into place. You may not know how, but it will..

This is a realistic book, and perhaps it will be a difficult start – like it was for me – but you will find yourself drawn into Anna’s life and realize that some wisdoms in it are for sure applicable in your own life too!