Tizi’s Book Review

What would you do?

Synopsis

TWO PEOPLE HARBORING SECRETS…

A stranger from the future comes to Paige’s cabin in rural Georgia with a treatment for her early onset Alzheimer’s disease. He bargains with the skeptical patient to give her The Cure if she’ll conduct a longitudinal study for him, proving his drug’s efficacy to a future world full of clients that need it. Faced with her dire diagnosis, he might be her only hope. She grapples with the side effects of his offer and learns to suppress her own dangerous truth: trust no one.

Seldom lucky in love, Paige finds herself competing with her best friend for his attention, knowing there can be no good end for their stolen moments of passion. Can she stay under the radar of the medical and legal communities to carry out his requests? And how will their complicated pasts bring them together physically, emotionally and professionally in a successful, if unethical, partnership?

Many lives will be changed, but at what cost… and to whom?

My review

When Paige receives the news that she is in an early stage of Alzheimer, her world falls apart. But when she receives a visit from a stranger, claiming he’s from the future, she does not know what to do. He claims that in the future a cure has been found for Alzheimer, and he wants her to take part in the study to see what the future side effects will be.

Of course Paige is skeptical, but in the end, what’s the worst thing that can happen to her? Main problem in the present is to stay under the radar and not be exposed in the medical and legal communities as she and her partner ‘in crime’ are searching for more guinea pigs…

Paige is a woman who is rather solitaire. She has her small circle of true friends, but has never been someone who has fallen in love, or is searching for love. She had her share of encounters, resulting also in losing her precious little girl.
Even when her world starts to fall apart, she has her doubts when the perfect solution is handed to her. She does not believe him blindly, and want to be sure he is not just a scam.

It’s a story about travelling in time but not only. All the characters have to go through some self-discovery. Paige has to face her past, and decide for herself what her future will look like.
The stranger from the future has his own second agenda of the why he went back in the past.
And Paige’s best friend also has her own reasons to be part of the team.

While reading the story, the depths of each character come at light. Is what we initially know the whole truth? Or is there more than meets the eye? And what extend will the decisions made now will have in the future?
Somehow, I was dragged into the story, wanting to know the result in the future, wanting to know the effects of each action.

Each character is well developed, and we get to know them on a better level, even if it means that our sympathy sometimes disappears.
And after reaching the end, you are left with answers, but also with more questions!

Wow, what an amazing, promising cover!!!

Synopsis

Esther’s life isn’t perfect (whose is?) – but she’s happy enough living in her little flat with her boyfriend, Josh.

But that’s about to change.

Bored out of her mind in work, she wishes that something, anything, would happen to liven her life up.

Unfortunately, her wish comes true when Josh calls her from the airport to tell her he’s going to work in a bar in Spain, and she’s not invited, Esther is devastated, and her unhappiness is compounded when she discovers she can actually view the bar via a webcam link and watch him chatting up other girls.

But when she inadvertently clicks on a link to another webcam which shows a pretty cottage and the rather hunky man who lives in it, her interest is piqued and she wishes she could get to know him.

Wishes don’t really come true, though – do they…?

Forgiveness is a great gift if you can give it!

Synopsis

The wedding bells for Lorna and Tristan Blake toll doom right as the honeymoon begins with an unexpected turn in Tristan’s health. While World War II winds down, Lorna receives a letter from the War Department informing her that the brother she thought killed in action is still alive. She is overjoyed, but his return will dredge up a devastating secret about their parents’ tragic death –a secret that could destroy her new marriage and threaten her husband’s physical and mental well-being. What unfolds is balancing act of keeping the faith and shattering the pieces of the life she’s worked so hard to put back together.

My review

Lorna and Tristan are enjoying their just found happiness together. But too soon their happiness comes to an end when Tristan’s suddenly goes for the worse.
Luckily for them, a ray of light appears when Lorna receives the news that her brother is still alive, as earlier he was assumed to be killed during the war.
Lorna is obviously over the moon with this news, but how will Chucky react when he finds out who Lorna married?

This story somehow hit me emotionally on a level that is indescribable…
Both Lorna and Tristan have been through so much in their lives, separately and together, I just hoped they could find their happily ever after quickly.

For those who have read the first part of this series, know that forgiveness is an amazing gift, what Lorna gave Tristan.
But what about Chucky when he finds out the truth?
In the past happened so many things that effected their lives, and not everybody has been able to grieve like it should.

The whole time I was reading, I almost felt the ache in my heart… the sad parts were so heart-gripping I felt sad and depressed myself hours after put the book away…
And when there were happy moments, my spirits were lifted! All the emotions in the story had an effect on my own emotions!

An amazing book that will touch your heart and will be in your mind long after you reached the end!

What would you do when you don’t remember the last days???

Synopsis

Arriving at work to find she’s lost more than five-and-a-half days (133 hours), Briony Chaplin, has no recollection of where she’d been or what had happened to her. She is distraught. Has she been ill, or had a breakdown, or could she have been drugged and abducted?

Doubting her own sanity, Briony is fearful of what she’ll find. Yet she’s driven to discover the truth. When she trawls her memories, she’s terrified by visions, believing she may have been abused and raped.

Assisted by her friends Alesha and Jenny, and supported by a retired detective, she’s determined to learn where she’s been and why.

My review

Briony finds herself at work in a confused state. She doesn’t remember how she got at the station and what happened the past weekend.
With help from her best friend and surprisingly from a colleague and her supervisor, she tries to figure out what happened to her.
And are the visions she is having memories or is it her imagination going wild?

This book got me on the edge of my seat from the very start!
It all seemed so strange that Briony had no recollection at all from the past days. When she arrives at work, in first instance she doesn’t get much sympathy, but once her situation is clear, the people she least expected it, are there for her. She gets help from Alesha and Margareth, and once her best friend is aware of what happened to Briony, also Jenny stands by her side.

During the whole story I felt sympathy for Briony, as not knowing what happened to you seems like hell to me…

Slowly the mist of not knowing clears up, but can she trust what she sees or is she just filling up the gaps by going from worst case scenario and imagining things?

Briony goes through sereval thoughts: who can she trust? Can she trust herself? Is her mysterious past somehow involved? Is she just going mental?
Despite her desperation, good things happen also, as she finds herself new friends in people she would never imagine being friendly.

While I was reading the book, I had my suspicions of what happened, and in some way, I would have been a good detective, but the extent of the facts was not something I would have foreseen!
If you want mystery and want to binge-read, I really suggest this book!

Not a chance I won’t read how the story will go on!!!

Synopsis

As spring slips away from the hotel Penmarrow, excitement builds for an exclusive auction hosted at the hotel, featuring priceless possessions from a Hollywood actress turned lady of the manor, including her famous diamonds. Celebrities and collectors form a crowd that is keeping Maisie and the rest of staff busy, even as Maisie faces a crossroads for her manuscript.

But when the diamonds are stolen and Sidney is accused by the authorities, Maisie’s dilemma as a writer is pushed aside out of fear that his future in Port Hewer is in jeopardy. Desperation to prove that someone else is behind the theft will lead Maisie to uncover a very different secret outside of jewel thieves and village rumors … one that could change her life and her future forever.

Can Maisie deal with the latest secrets exposed — including those that paint Sidney’s past in a questionable light? And as summer’s dawn alters her idyllic life in Cornwall, will Maisie’s feelings for Sidney change as well?

My review

When an exclusive auction takes place at the hotel, it’s the perfect opportunity for a lot of special guests for staying over.
But soon the situation escalates as diamonds are stolen and Sidney is the main suspect.
Maisie is certain of his innocence and will do whatever she can to prove it!
And between all this drama, she is still struggling with her own novel and her feelings towards Sidney….

It was nice to read about Maisie and her adventures again! This time it’s going all for the worse as Sidney is getting arrested for stealing diamonds.
But Maisie’s faith in Sidney is so admirable, if it was someone else, it would have been so easy to just dump him and move on with her life without him.
For an unexplainable reason, she believes him completely, proving that you don’t have to know every detail about someone to know what he’s capable of.

Maisie is getting though the whole series more independent, and is aware of her own capabilities. Sometimes she just needs to find the guts to go after her dreams!
But which dream is more important to her to chase when she’s at a crossroad?

The ending nearly got me on the verge of crying as I didn’t want Maisie to make a choice, but that was unfortunately not an option!
So now I NEED to know what will happen next, as I won’t take this ending as the final words!

Is it the real thing?

Synopsis

Roxy found love . . . but is it enough?
In the second installment of the Polo Diaries series, polo player Roxy goes back to Argentina a year after the events in Single in Buenos Aires, filled with dreams of settling down with the man she loves. This time, once again, Argentina is full of surprises and things are not what they appear to be. Or maybe they’re exactly what they’re meant to be, as a fortune-teller informs her. 

Roxy takes a leap of faith and follows her dreams once again. She spends time at glamorous party venues of Buenos Aires and travels to the rough and wild pampas. Along the way, Roxy’s friends support and champion her quest for love, but when things get out of hand, Roxy realizes she needs to listen to her own inner voice and must make a hard choice. Two paths open in front of her, each one with far-reaching consequences. Which will she choose?

My review

A year after leaving Argentina and Rodrigo, Roxy decides to give love a chance and moves back to the place she left her heart.
But moving to Argentina is just the first of many difficult steps… Is the love between her and Rodrigo the real thing? And will it survive the many differences?

This is the second installment of the series, continuing where the first left us. Roxy finally found the guts to come clean about her feelings for Rodrigo and is ready to take a leap of faith.
Also in this part, I admired Roxy, as she does what her heart tells her, even if it’s completely the opposite what her friends tell her.
Despite her fear of being all too good to be true, she sets her mind of making everything work.

Even if her friends don’t agree with her decisions, they love her unconditionally and let her make her own mistakes, ready to be there for her whenever she needs them.
And when another injury takes place, again they are ready to take care of her, without asking something in return.

For me, this series is not a story about finding your true love, but about finding your inner peace. What makes you happy? What can you live without? But what if the thing that makes you happy is also the thing that destroys you?
It shows you that wanting something so badly, isn’t always enough. You have to find the strength to say goodbye to the thing you love but hurts you.

The art of making lists – or not?

Synopsis

Roxy plays polo… but dreams of love.
Forty-one-year-old polo player Roxy arrives in Argentina with 

a to-do list that includes healing from a polo injury and falling in love with a handsome Argentine. From polo boots to tango shoes, the adrenaline of riding horses to glamorous after-game parties, Roxy learns to navigate this unfamiliar landscape with the help of new friends who teach her to take life as it comes. But will she find true love? Over three months in Buenos Aires, nothing goes according to plan, and yet, all the items on her list mysteriously get ticked off in the end. Just not the way she had imagined. 

Fans of the Bridget Jones series will love the blend of humor, travel, and romantic comedy at the heart of Single in Buenos Aires, all topped off with the unforgettable flavor of life in one of the most sensual and passionate cities in the world.

My review

After a polo injury, Roxy goes to Argentina to heal. She also makes a list with things she want to accomplish. So she wants to heal completely from her injury, but also fall in love with a handsome Argentine.
With the help of her friends she wants to take her life back in her own hands.

The very little I know about polo is that you sit on a horse and have to kick a ball into a goal. And yes, I know there is so much more to it, but let’s be honest, in Belgium is polo not the most important sport in the world.
Thanks to this book, my knowledge has been a little expanded.

While I was reading this book, I had admiration for Roxy. It doesn’t seem easy to me, to move for several months to a complete different country, only having a few friends to rely on.
But somehow I also felt sorry for her. She truly loves polo, but because of her injuries she cannot do what she loves the most.

This book shows that it’s very easy to make friends at first sight, but also that you always have to be a bit wary. Roxy meets several people who apparently think that she is the catch of the year. But it’s made clear that for Argentines it’s just a pick up line. And it’s not always easy to distinguish the hitting on someone and the genuine feelings.

What I liked the most is that friends can become more than just that, and they can be like a real family, always there for you in time of need, with no quid pro quo. When you care and love someone, you do it unconditionally, not expecting something in return.

Cake is all you need!

Synopsis

1960’s Somerset is no fun for cousins Polly and Annabelle Williams. Mourning their non-existent love lives, and the mundanity of village life, their only pleasure is baking – until a chance encounter has them magically transported to the bright lights of London… in 2019!

Promised a chance of love, first they must teach the people of the future about the simpler pleasures of life by becoming Cake Fairies. Over the course of a year they set off on a delectable tour of the UK, dropping off cakes in the most unexpected of places and replacing the lure of technology with much sweeter temptations.

But will their philanthropical endeavours lead them to everlasting love? Or will they discover you can’t have your cake and eat it?

My review

Polly and Annabelle are living in the sixties, baking cakes all the way but having a non – existing love life.
After a strange encounter they suddenly find themselves in London 2019.
As this will be their last chance to find their true love, they have no other choice but follow the given instructions. Their task is to show people how to socially interact again, by becoming Cake Fairies. Over a year, they travel all the UK, dropping cakes as being told.
Will they manage to bring joy everywhere they go and will they find their true love?

A story which involves cakes always scores with me! So reading this book made me hungry each time Polly and Annabelle were working on their cakes, or describing what they made.
But I enjoyed the whole story, not only the cake part! It was nice to read how the two lived during the sixties, and struggled with all the high tech of 2019!
Despite the jumping into a whole new decennia, Polly and Annabelle manage to find friendships. And during times they don’t know what to do, a sudden random appearance helps them in time of need.

During their quest, you also get to learn them better. Polly seems more frightened by everything that is happening, while Annabelle sees opportunities everywhere.
It’s also fascinating to see the relationship between them. As they are family, it makes sense they care about each other, but it goes so much deeper than that. They’re not just cousins, but also each other best friends.
And when for one of the two an opportunity for love shows, it’s intriguing to see how the reactions are, and even jealousy surfaces.

I enjoyed reading it all, because you get the whole story. You see family, friendship, love, but also the negative feelings like jealousy, indifference, greed at some point.

It’s a complete story, you get the characters, and the ending is just perfect.

But a sweet warning: before you start reading this book, make sure you are NOT hungry and have a full stomach, because otherwise you’ll be searching anywhere you can for cake! 😁