A family holiday in Hawaii, a dream coming true, right?

Synopsis

Love and Ohana Drama is a romantic comedy that explores the challenges of family dynamics and reminds readers that there is always hope for a second chance. Sometimes the most challenging situations bring the most happiness . . .

Twenty-something Cora Fletcher is a book-loving public relations executive who lives with her overly Zen best friend and attention-loving cat. Newly single and focusing on her exciting career, she feels like she’s in a good place. She’s even been invited on an all-expenses-paid Hawaiian vacation! The only catch—it’s a family reunion . . . and her family can be a lot to handle.

Cora vows to not let that get in the way, but even before the family has boarded the plane, the ohana drama begins. As usual, there’s the sister-in-law who is bent on causing friction, the self-centered cousins, and the aunt who loves to party a bit too much. Her mother has filled the itinerary with endless activities, and she’s even invited Cora’s ex-boyfriend in an attempt to get them back together.

Although she feels overwhelmed, Cora gets a blast from her past that could impact her life forever. This is one welcome reunion she did not expect . . .

Will Cora make it through a week of family togetherness? And will she be able to say aloha to someone she thought was out of her life forever?

My review

Cora Fletcher is totally focused on her job as a public relations executive. She lives together with her best friend Fran and her attention seeking cat Kiwi.
When she is invited by her parents on a free holiday in Hawaii, to celebrate their anniversary, despite her love for them, Cora is not really ecstatic.
And when Cora discovers it’s a family reunion, in the large sense of family, Cora is ready to find an excuse to skip it completely.
In the end she decides to participate anyway, trying to make the best of it and just to make her parents happy.

Little does she know that this holiday will be full of Ohana drama and surprises, both pleasant as unpleasant…

I can honestly swear that this book just swept me away! I started to read and I kept reading and reading and reading until I reached the end, which made me feel sad 😄

Cora is this young woman who is enjoying her life and is happily living with her best friend Fran and a cat I immediately fell in love with.
Initially I didn’t understand why she was reluctant to go Hawaii, of all places, with her family. But very quickly I completely understood her!
Even with all the best of intentions, all her family is constantly advising her what to do. And act on her behalf by inviting her ex to the family reunion too!
If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t be afraid of causing a scene right there at the airport, without caring who could hear me! 🤣

I also pitied Cora a bit. Because no matter who she is talking to, she is constantly being ‘judged’, having sneaky remarks and at the same time Cora is trying to keep the peace by not speaking out her real thoughts.

But don’t panic, there are so many lovely moments too! Not only the interactions between Cora and her ‘Peepaw’ is just adorable, but also the moments Cora spends with Owen, is just beautiful. And all this taking place in an idyllic setting like Hawaii… talking about escapism!

I enjoyed all the drama taking place, feeling a bit of a sadist, having fun at the expense of someone else. And believe me, it’s not just a little bit drama, but it’s a drama – overload!
Yet the issues of this family are so recognizable, some things even could be happening to my own family!

But the lovely moments are those that made my little heart the happiest. At those moments I wished I was there too, to be literally living those amazing moments!

This author was a real revelation for me and I cannot wait to read more of such romantic yet hilarious stories!

I KNEW IT!!!

Synopsis

When Isabelle Darby moves to the delightfully cosy village of Lower Dimblebrook, she’s searching for peace and quiet as well as a chance to escape from heartbreak. After making friends with Fiona Lambourne, another newcomer to the village, Issie is left reeling when tragedy strikes and Fiona is murdered, the second wife Anthony Lambourne has lost in unfortunate circumstances. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the local gossips insist that Fiona had been embroiled in an affair before her death, something which Issie knows not to be the case. Determined to clear her friend’s reputation and solve the mystery of the rumours, Issie takes on both the gossips and the handsome but stern DI Wainwright, making both friends and enemies along the way!

My review

Isabelle Darby recently just moved to Lower Dimblebrook. After having her heart broken, the only thing she wants is peace and quiet.
As she is rather keeping her distance, her only friend is Fiona Lambourne, also recently moved to Lower Dimblebrook after getting married to Anthony.
But when Fiona is murdered, Issie is determined to find out the truth, because she does not believe that her friend would have an affair, resulting in her death.
Issie is ready to investigate each rumour she hears, to the frustration of the handsome yet stern DI Wainwright.

I know this author and I truly enjoyed reading her other books. Yet as this is a slightly different genre, I was a bit afraid that I would enjoy it lesser.
But I was WRONG WRONG WRONG!!! 🤣

I could relate to Issie, having difficulties in setting in a new place and making new acquaintances. And in a little village like Lower Dimblebrook, where gossip is the main form of entrainment, I can imagine that Issie was not really adamant in making new friends and talk about her past.
Yet I was happy she found a friend in Fiona. And yes, as a reader you know that Fiona will be found murdered, but it did gave me a little shock in discovering the details of it.
Issie is shown a true friend, as she is determined to clear her friend’s name and want to find out the truth, no matter what gossip is saying.

Slowly we get to know more about the life Fiona was having. And it’s clear that nothing is what it seems.

Beside the investigation Issie is having, of course the real institutions are also doing their work. And I found it very amusing how Issie was able to frustrate DI Wainwright! And the pushing and pulling between Issie and the DI is certainly an unfinished business that I surely want to read more about!

Also it seemed so typical when the local enforcements were a bit fearful about investigating the Lambournes yet also a bit know – it – all concerning the people, frustrating the DI even more!
The way things are handled in Lower Dimblebrook seems so typical of smaller villages and I can imagine that is truly how things are handled in a small community.

Even if I found the culprit rather quickly (am I a good investigator or was it rather obvious, I don’t know…but I hope for the first one😀) I found this a very entertaining story. It may seem morbid to say this about a story about murder, but this is not the typical detective story.
There is this lightness in it, also many sweet moments that made this truly a nice read!

How disturbing a story can be…

Synopsis

Someone has been getting away with murder for over 100 years in the small town of Hurston, Ohio. But the wrong person has been convicted of those murders every time. In 2018, Cassie Meadows is on her way to school when a bright flash comes out of nowhere, and she wakes in millionaire Randy Davis’s body with blood on her hands…the blood of Randy’s wife, who lies in a pool of crimson in the bathtub with her throat slit. Meanwhile, an old man everyone calls Jimmy Williams raves that he’s the real Randy Davis as he lives out his days in a ward for the criminally insane. In 1914, young Helen Hawkins is unloved and repetitively abused by her father, who is also the town’s pastor. Her only escape is in her dreams, where she wakes in others’ bodies, living other lives, but when her dreams turn out to be reality, the tables are turned on her father. In a story where no one is who they seem, how can Cassie, the latest victim accused of a murder she didn’t commit, end the cycle?

My review

In 1914 is Helen Hawkins abused by her father. The only way she can escape the abuse is in her dreams, where she can dream of living other lives. But her dreams appear to be more than just dreams, because apparently she truly has the ability to switch to others’ bodies.
In 2018 young Cassie Meadows finds herself suddenly in the body of Randy Davis, accused of murdering his own wife.
And that while the real Randy Davis finds himself in the body of Jimmy Williams, an old man living in a ward for the criminally insane.
Is there a possibility for each one to get their own lives back? Or are they doomed to pay for a crime they didn’t commit?

Where initially I was sympathetic towards Helen, my feelings quickly changed into not so nice thoughts.
Even if she endured terrible things, ‘thanks’ to her father, the way she is evolving is the story is making her an even bigger monster.
All the sympathy I ever had for this young woman, evaporated into pure disgust and a hope that she someday she should pay for all the pain she has caused.

When the book goes forward into 2018, you have to keep your mind stuck to the story, to avoid a big confusion.
Yet both Cassie and Randy are people that I pitied. Finding yourself in the body of a stranger, and on top being accused of something you didn’t do… just the horror of it all!

While reading this story, you have to have a really open mind, otherwise you will find it hard to continue reading it.
Yet even if I truly believe that the whole concept of body – switching is truly science fiction, this story kept me going.
I was keeping my fingers crossed that  Cassie and Randy would find a way to get back to their own lives and that Helen would get what she deserved.

This was a disturbing story to read, about people who were done wrong, become doing the wrong and how victims of evil can see their whole lives destroyed without being able to prevent it.
It gave me goose bumps all the way, as there were terrifying moments, yet there were also some kinder moments, allowing the reader to take a breath of fresh air and having even more sympathy for Cassie and Randy.

This is truly a horror story, mixed with thriller and mystery and a lot of science fiction, that kept me on the edge of my seat!

When life throws you lemons…

Synopsis

Zip up your puffer coat, winter has arrived!

When Lexi Davies discovers that her father has sold the fishermen’s cottages she runs as holiday lets and where she also lives, she is heartbroken. Then, when Oliver Whimsy arrives at the boardwalk and announces that he is the new owner, Lexi realises that the future she was looking forward to enjoying at her cottages is over. 

Oliver might be handsome, wealthy and very sexy, but he’s new to the island and has already made a terrible impression on the locals. When he offers Lexi a job, she’s unsure whether she should accept. Unfortunately, she has little alternative if she wants a roof over her head for the winter.

As Lexi gets to know Oliver better, she discovers there’s far more to Oliver Whimsy than she or anyone else had imagined. Just what is the heartache Oliver’s trying so desperately to hide and why was he so determined to buy the cottages? Lexi wants to find out, but in order to do so she’s going to have to spend time with him…

My review

Lexi feels her life is falling apart. She has discovered that her father has sold the cottages she runs as holidays lets, and one of them is also the place she calls home.
Not only does she not have a job anymore, but also she has no place to stay and when she meets the new owner, Oliver Whimsy, her dreams are truly crushed.
He is new to the island, and has not made a very good first impression with the locals. Just shows that good looks and money is not everything.
Yet he offers Lexi a job and even if she is not adamant in accepting it, she does not have a lot of choice.

As Lexi gets to know Oliver better, she discovers that there is more to him than everyone thinks.

This was the first story I have read from this author and I was pleasantly surprised.

Okay, the fact that a father could just put his own daughter without a job or a home, left me flabbergasted. And together with Lexi I was thinking it was all because of Gloria, her father’s new girlfriend.
Even with the bad news on her way, I instantly liked Lexi. Her whole character screams ‘kind’, ‘caring’ and she is just someone I would like to call my friend.

Oliver truly seemed like the odd duck. He’s not from around and the way he acts makes more eyebrows frown.
But when together with Lexi we get to know him better, it’s obvious there is way more than I imagined.
And even before that knowledge, just the way he offers Lexi a job to help her out, gives us a glimpse of his real character.

This story has so many beautiful and sweet moments, that made it all an easy read. The harder bits were a bit harder to digest, because I just couldn’t grasp the reasons behind it. And the conclusion of those bits left me a bit unsatisfied, because it’s obvious there is more to it (is it also a ‘yet to come’?).

But overall I found this a great first acquaintance of this author, and as this was a part of a series, it made me curious about the other characters that obviously already have their own story! But do not worry, this can be perfectly be read as a standalone, it just made me personally curious about the other sweet characters who are just like Lexi, easy to love!

Oh Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy….

Synopsis

Jilted by the only woman he’s ever loved, Jeremy Lewis is a man on a mission to be a renowned player – both on and off the ice. Who needs monogamy anyway?
But when he falls during a game, Jeremy finds himself laid-up with a potentially career-ending injury and his support network, suddenly gone. His best friend, AJ, is busy in a new relationship, his teammates are pursuing their own dreams of hockey stardom, and Jeremy is left frustrated, broken and alone.
Will their friendship survive AJ’s new relationship? Are Jeremy’s feelings for Chelsea truly a thing of the past? And can he persevere through his recovery to get back on the ice?

My review

Jeremy Lewis is determined to make a great career on the ice. And he is also determined to get Chelsea out of his mind, after she did the disappearing act after one amazing night.
But when he gets injured, not only seems his career suddenly just a faraway dream, also his friends seem to get on with their lives. Jeremy starts to feel frustrated, impatient and worst of all, alone.
While he is trying to get his life back on track, it seems that AJ’s new relationship means the end of their friendship and that Chelsea is not someone that easily forgotten…

If in the first part I found myself falling in love with Jeremy, now my heart is truly belonging to him…
What happened to him earlier was already heart-breaking, but what he facing in this new part, is just not fair.
Not only is he now facing an injury which may jeopardize his career, he is also losing his best friend AJ because of a toxic relationship.
And then I am not talking about the feelings he has for Chelsea…

Again the author manages to write about real issues, with emotions that are raw, recognizable and crushing.
Jeremy proofs again what an amazing man he is, trying to help out his best friend, but also realizing that the only thing he can do, is just being there for AJ.
But he also shows how vulnerable he is… despite trying to act like he is ok, he is just so hurt, broken that I had a hard time keeping the tears from not falling.

This story cannot just be put away, the more I was into Jeremy and his life, the more I wanted to read, to discover what it would take to get his happily ever after, because if there is one person who truly deserves it, it is Jeremy.
So dear Lasairiona, don’t you dare to break Jeremy’s heart again, because I don’t think I would be able to forgive you that!!! 😀

And again Heartcross shows what a beautiful place it is!

Synopsis

There’s a newcomer to the village of Heartcross and she’s never been more in need of a friend. 

Ella is ready to start afresh ––and that could mean there’s love on the horizon in the form of the gorgeous Roman, the local water taxi driver. Every day Roman is there to ferry Ella to the restaurant on the other side of the lake and every night he makes sure she gets home safe. But Roman has secrets of his own…

Can the Love Heart Lane community offer Ella a chance of a new life? Or will the ghosts of her past catch up with her?

My review

Ella needs a start over. After having her heart broken in the worst way, and being left penniless, she can count on her best friend Callie to help her.
Looking forward to start her new job at local bistro The Lake House, she is adamant to put the past behind her.
Every day she takes the local water taxi to get to the bistro and there she meets Roman. Not only is Roman a handsome man, but he is also truly a gentleman because each evening he makes sure Ellie gets home safely and whenever Ellie needs a hand, Roman is the first to offer his help.
But Ellie is not the only one having secrets, because also Roman seems to have a few of his own…

Ooh how much I loved going back to the Love Heart Community! It felt like I got to see my old friends again, and make new ones too.

Initially I thought Ellie was a bit too naïve, after learning what has happened to her. But of course after putting everything in perspective, Ellie was just still trying to cope with her loss. And then it’s easy to be targeted by people with no so good intentions.
And my heart went out to her, because the person she thought that loved her, hurt her and made her even feel worse than she already did…

But Heartcross wouldn’t be Heartcross if there wouldn’t be any help. And this time it’s Callie at the rescue! Callie shows what an amazing friend she is, opening her home for Ellie, without expecting anything in return.
And not only Callie is making Ellie feel welcome, but it’s the whole community. Not one single person is judging Ellie for her mistakes, but just accept her as an extra member of their ‘family’.

Ellie starts to feel all the love from each character, allowing her to be herself again, and is starting to trust people even more. And with Roman there is even something deeper going on.
She also shows what an amazing friend she is herself, by trying to help out Roman.

A special mention has to go to Dolores. This woman is just so over the top, yet amazing and cheerful. I think that whenever you have a bad day, yet you have your own Dolores, you will start smiling again and see that nothing is insurmountable.

This next part of the series, that can be perfectly be read as a standalone – but the more you read the more you will fall in love with it, shows that starting over with the right friends is perfectly possible. In the right place you can find yourself a new home even after you lost everything and that new opportunities arise when you least expect it.

If I could, I would move to Heartcross myself and be happy from the first day with amazing people around me!

When a happy ending is just the start…

Synopsis

Brand new from the top 10 bestselling author of New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms and Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow.

With new arrivals comes new responsibilities…
The sun is shining, wild flowers are blooming and Hedgehog Hollow is officially open for business.

For Samantha, the proud owner of this beautiful rescue centre, life has never been busier. But with an influx of new hogs and hoglets to take care of, not to mention a full-time job and ongoing family issues, can she accept the possibility that she has taken on more than she can handle?

Fortunately, she has the love of her life, Josh, by her side for support and encouragement. But Josh has his own family troubles to deal with. And soon he must decide if he’s ready to do the one thing he swore he’d never do – forgive his father.

For both Samantha and Josh it’s a season of change and for figuring out whether the past can ever truly be forgotten.

Escape back to wonderful Hedgehog Hollow with top 10 bestseller Jessica Redland for the perfect uplifting read full of love, hope and forgiveness.

My review

Now that Samantha has finally opened her hedgehog rescue centre, life as never been busier. Sam loves taking care of the hedgehogs, but finding the perfect balance between the hedgehogs and her job as a tutor seems harder than it seems.
Especially as she is still recuperating of the fire was in, and her family is being typically selfish (with the exception of her father).

Also her perfect Josh is facing some serious troubles… his ex – girlfriend suddenly appears out of the blue, with news about his father.
Can the past just be put away and will Josh’s future include his father?

And will this beautiful couple be able to finally have the future they dream of? Or are there more changes in store for them?

If there is one couple I cannot get enough of, it’s Sam and Josh. It’s not only the love for each other that just sparks off each page, but also the love for animals that is something I can truly relate to.

But where the first part of the series was more about Sam and finding her place, this story was in my opinion even more dramatic…
Sam is a woman who does not want to let down anyone. And despite the things she has already been through, instead of taking things easy, she takes more than she can manage.
She does everything with the best intentions, but in the process she forgets about herself… that made me want to get into the book and talk some sense in her. But luckily she has a perfect boyfriend and great friends who did that!

In this part, we get to know more of Josh and his past, and it was even more terrible! I completely understood that Josh didn’t want to have any contact with his father and Beth. But lovely Josh wouldn’t be Josh if he could cut them all out so easily…

It’s not only the drama concerning both families that is going on, but also the troubles at the rescue centre are far from over. People show both their nastiness and their lack of heart towards innocent people and animals. But their actions are also wiped away by people that are the total opposite. Those people show that Sam and Josh are not the exception, that there are persons that care about animals, and will go lengths to protect those tiny, cute animals that are suffering more because of human beings ignorance…

This story broke my heart even more than the first part (which I truly recommend to read!).
We have Sam, with her heart at the right place, wanting to help out everything and everyone, but not getting much love from the people she needs it the most. Because no matter how much I despised her family in the first part, I truly started to hate her mother in this part… Even Chloe is now permanently in my book of person I do NOT LIKE AT ALL! And yet Sam tries to make amends, and is ready to open her heart again to those who just… do… not… deserve… it!
Also Josh had some heart-breaking moments, and yet no matter how hard he tries to block out his feelings, there are moments that are just overly sweet, thanks to a certain little boy…

I adored the first part, so I kind of feared that this story wouldn’t fulfil my expectations, but the author managed again to break my heart, healed it again, made me swoon, made me smile, made my cry, made me angry and in the end, just made me utterly happy… oh yes, and made me love hedgehogs even a little bit more! 😀

Love never comes how you expected!

Synopsis

A quiet governess…

An unruly heart

Sir Nicholas Denny is desperate to find a governess to care for his boisterous nieces and nephews. Demure vicar’s daughter Mary Smith seems ideal—at first. All too soon Nicholas discovers a different side to her… She’s a beautiful, vivacious woman, even if she infuriates him with her strong opinions! When he waltzes with Mary at a party he knows he’s in trouble—the spark between them is so tempting, but she challenges everything he thought he wanted in a wife!

My review

When Sir Nicholas Denny is looking for a governess to take care for his nieces and nephew, Mary Smith, daughter of a vicar, seems apparently just perfect for the job.
Little does he expect that Mary is not afraid to express her strong opinions and has an own way of educate his nieces and nephews.
Even if she infuriates him, after a waltz at a party, he starts to see Mary with different eyes. Yet Mary is not what he thought a wife of him should be like.

But Mary has her own agenda and is looking for a way to help her father. Will Nicholas stand by her side or will he think she is conspiring together with her father?

The thing I enjoyed the most about this story, is that Mary is absolutely NOT a damsel in distress. Yes, she is dependant of her father in the beginning, and further on in the story she has to work as a governess so that she’ll be able to maintain herself.
But her father raised her to question everything, and not just being a yes – woman. She has her own opinions and is not afraid to speak out.
Sometimes she has a bit of a temper, and at those moments I thought that maybe she should first calm a bit 😀)
She is also an inventive woman. She sees what is lacking in the education of the nieces and nephews and finds different way to peek their interest, intriguing them and thus wanting them to learn more.

Nicholas was from the beginning someone who intrigued me. He seems a distant, cold man and certainly not very happy when his sister and her children are staying with him. He wants his own peace and shows this also in being indifferent towards the children. It’s clear he cares about them, but is lacking somehow in the knowhow of showing this. Yet when someone (read: Mary 🤣) points out that there are things he has in common with them, we start to see the real Nicholas. And he surely was someone I liked!

This story has many intrigues and lot of things going on. Some things were obvious, other things were a surprise. There are characters in the story that I despised, some acted in a way I couldn’t agree. But there is growth in them.
Of course the bad guys remain bad, but the persons that are truly growing, evolving, admit their errors and know they have been wrong.

Everything happens for a reason, and that just kept me reading.

This story entertained me, with not only the blooming love between Nicholas and Mary, but also about having faith in the people we care, readjust your opinions and views but also about widen your own horizons and truly see what’s going on around you.  

Can a marriage made for money made into a marriage of love?

Synopsis

Money can buy her marriage

But will it lead to love?

Miss Lily Wilkins hopes her American money will compensate for her lack of etiquette, as she needs a prestigious marriage to save her sisters’ prospects. Raised to believe wealth was her greatest attribute, she’s stunned when her unconventional ways catch the eye of the notorious Duke of Lennox. He’s far from the safe, sensible match she’d planned on—but Lily might just discover he’s the one she needs!

My review

Lily Wilkins has moved from America, hoping to get a prestigious marriage. not only for herself, but to save her sisters’ prospects.
But despite the money everyone knows she has, not everybody is welcoming her and her family. Because people still care about etiquette. And her upbringing prepared Lily for many things, but etiquette is something she is still lacking.

Yet she attracts the attention of one man… the Duke of Lennox. Even if initially there seems to be a click, his past is a bit troublesome.
Can Lily marry someone only for money, even if her dream is to marry out of love? Or is there more to the mysterious Aidan, Duke of Lennox?

I cannot imagine what it must be like when you have to marry someone just for convenience and not of love.
To make it even harder to imagine, what if you have to leave your home and go to a whole other continent!
And yes, the language is still the same, but the way of living in England is totally different compared to the American way. And add the gossip you have to hear about yourself…
But this is exactly what Lily is going through. I understood how she does not like to be in the centre of the attention, and afraid to make a faux pas.

Her reluctance is cause of meeting Aidan. He also does not like to stand in the spotlight, and enjoys his far journeys more than being a Duke.

And yes, you know how the story will end, so why would you bother? But bother you should! Because the characters are not superficial. Lily knows why this specific Duke would want to marry her, purely because of the money that will come with her.
But like so many of us, we just want to be loved and give our love to someone who deserves it.

Lily and Aidan are both finding themselves in situations they don’t like, but because of destiny they have found each other.  They have obvious differences, but they have also so many things in common. And it’s finding those things that can make or break a relationship (any kind of relationship).

This story shows us that communication is what makes a relationship work. Both characters are not expressing their own feelings, afraid of being hurt. But not talking may cause even more heartache, and sometimes even unnecessary heartache. And it’s always better to say the truth, and having no secrets than keeping it for yourself, being afraid of the reaction.

When returning to a place means uncovering the truth.

Synopsis

Monte Carlo means different things to different people; a billionaires playground, overflowing with glitz and glamour but also where dangerous secrets hide.

For Nanette Weston, and her then fiancé, F1 racing driver Zac Ewart, their dream life came to an abrupt halt 3 years ago following a car accident which Zac walked away from, but left Nanette being airlifted back to the UK, never to return and never to see her fiancé again.

Monte Carlo was a place she wanted to forget, not revisit. But when her friend and employer, Vanessa asks Nanette to look after her children in the Principality for a few months, Nanette knew she had no choice but to return.

As the F1 circus once again comes to town, with Zac in pole position, mistakes of the past, leave legacies for the future…

This book was previously published as Follow Your Star by Jennifer Bohnet.

My review

Three years ago, Nanette Weston had a terrible accident in Monte Carlo. Not only does she not remember anything of the accident, it caused also her fiancé, F1 racing driver Zac Ewart to walk away from her in her time of need.
So it’s obvious that when her friend but also employer Vanessa asks to look after her kids there, Nanette is not over the moon.
But not wanting to disappoint her friend and making sure the children are looked after, Nanette returns to the place that caused her so much pain, literally and emotionally.

Her return to Monte Carlo takes place at the same time the F1 is there. A meeting with Zac seems inevitable…

I have to admit, I had a whole different story in mind. But also I have to say that I was glad this was not what I expected.

From the very start, it’s obvious that Nanette had a terrible accident, but the details are not clear, just like they aren’t clear to Nanette.
She is now living in the UK, employed by her friend Vanessa, and is looking after Vanessa’s children.
When Vanessa asks her to move temporarily to Monte Carlo, so that she can still look after the children while staying at their father’s place, it’s crystal-clear that Nanette wants to do everything except that.

When Vanessa explained why the move to Monte Carlo was necessary, I had to frown my eyebrows for a minute. I found it a hard concept to understand that Vanessa wanted to go with her new husband to the Amazon forest, but it was clear that there is a bigger picture in this story.

I have been just once in Monte Carlo, as a passing visit, so it was lovely to see all those places again. Just like Nanette I was discovering the Principality all over again.
But for Nanette it was also a place with an ugly past and encounters she truly didn’t want to make.
Slowly the cloudy mists over her past are chased away as her memory is returning. But it’s not at all what I expected.

Also the character of Zac was not what I expected, in a bad way. I hoped there was some kind of logic in what he did to Nanette, but the truth was just plain ugly…

This story was full of mystery, deception and secrets. Nothing was what it seemed, people surprised me both in a good way and in a bad way. I couldn’t see where some characters were going.
But it was also full of hope, because Vanessa found a purpose, love has been found in an unthinkable place, and laughs were caused by Nanette’s sister!

I found it a very difficult book to put away, because I wanted to know the truth, the outcome of everything and hoping for a happy ending for everyone I started to care about.