Another investigation for our beloved Private Investigator

Synopsis

A brand-new cozy crime series set in gorgeous Tuscany…It’s murder in paradise!

A glamourous film star…

Life as a private investigator in the suburbs of Florence isn’t always as glamourous as Dan Armstrong imagined it to be, until he is asked to investigate a recent spate of violent attacks on a Hollywood movie set in Florence. The star of the show, movie-star royalty Selena Gardner, fears her life is in imminent danger…

Foul play on set…

As Dan investigates, he discovers secrets and scandals are rife within the cast and crew. But with no actual murder, Dan believes these attacks could simply be warnings to someone…until the first body is found.

A dangerous killer on the loose.

Now Dan and his trusty sidekick Oscar are in a race against time to catch the murderer. But the more Dan uncovers, the more the killer strikes and Dan finds himself caught in the line of fire too! Is this one case Dan and Oscar will regret?

A gripping new murder mystery series by bestselling author T.A. Williams, perfect for fans of Lee Strauss and Beth Byers.

My review

Dan Armstrong is now completely settled down in Tuscany with his loyal canine companion Oscar. He enjoys his life as a private investigation, even if that means to find proof of a cheating husband. Glamourous his life is not, until his skills are required to investigate a series of violent attacks on a movie set in Florence.
Suddenly he finds himself wandering around in tights on sets, meeting a famous actress and even having a small cameo in the movie that is being shot. However, his job prevails and he and Oscar are looking for the culprit. A culprit that started with just some treats but is now turning deadly serious as there are actual victims at the scene… 

Oooh just what a lovely reencounter with Dan and Oscar! I am following this series from the start and with each stories I just like each character more and more, and fall deeper in love with the setting! 

While I liked the previous parts too, I may think that perhaps this one may be my favourite (for now). Why?
Well, because somehow we see a lighter version of Dan. We see a Dan who is happy with the choice of moving to Tuscany, who is at ease with his current life. Of course he regrets the errors he made in the past, resulting in the end of his marriage, but now he is at peace with how things are. 

There is also a funnier side we see in Dan, by choice or not. And I have to admit, I had the most laughs at moments that Dan involuntarily was being funny. I could truly imagine him being all dressed up to the part, just to blend easier in on set. But also when he says things with the right intention but with the o so wrong words, risking to make things blow up before they even started. And that was also a great addition, having a possible love interest for Dan, while this never happened in the previous books. 

But obviously, this is a cozy mystery, so the focus for Dan is to discover who is posing a threat for the people involved in the latest movie being shot in Florence.
And the author manages again to make me think in one direction to then suddenly change complete direction.
Together with Dan, I was trying to figure out who would ever have any reason to have a grudge against the movie being made.
Not knowing who the real victim or target was, added even more to the mystery but also added more joy for me to read. Was the clumsy PA the target? Or was she the culprit? Or what about the director? Or the male main protagonist with a background? So many possibilities in either direction! I love it! 

With an amazing setting, I knew beforehand that this author would be definitely scoring with me. Once again I felt like I was literally walking alongside Dan and Oscar, enjoying the fresh air, the aroma’s and the sights of Florence.
Oscar obviously deserves again all the possible treats, as while he may seem the laziest and most spoiled dog in the world, yet once again he shows his worth when it truly matters! 

This was again a great story from an amazing author, who knows how to captivate his audience with a great story filled with intrigue, mystery, friendship, laughter and even sweetness in it! T. A. Williams is showing again where his talent lays and I cannot wait to read his next tale!

Three women, somehow connected through time

Synopsis

In an underground labyrinth a lost soul wanders, waiting for revenge, waiting for love… 

London 1900

Alice Webster has made the worst decision of her life. When her Aunt Agatha offers her the chance to go on a Grand Tour she jumps at the opportunity to get away from the glare of scandal. Heading off to see the world as the century turns, Alice begins to believe her broken heart can be healed, and a chance encounter on a train bound for Paris changes everything. When their journey takes them to a Cretan house thick with history, and the world-famous dig at Knossos, stories from the past begin to echo through Alice’s life.

London Present Day

Eloise De’Ath is meant to be a grieving widow. But if people knew the truth about her late husband, they’d understand why she can’t even pretend. Needing to escape, Eloise heads to Crete and the house her father-in-law Quinn left her, and slowly Quinn’s home begins to reveal its mysteries. In his office Eloise discovers his life’s work: the study of the Victorian excavation to find the Minotaur’s labyrinth. Fascinated by the diaries of a young woman from the dig, Eloise is drawn into Alice’s tale of lost love and her growing obsession with Ariadne, the princess of the labyrinth.

Three women divided by time but connected by the long-hidden secrets of the past. As their stories join in a golden thread, a terrible injustice might finally be undone…

My review

In London 1900, Alice Webster has made a terrible mistake, one that she will regret forever. Despite her family’s support, she jumps at the opportunity to join her Aunt Agatha on a Grand Tour. At least there she will not be followed by the scandal.
Going visiting the most beautiful places in Europe, slowly Alice starts to believe that her broken heart can be healed. And once in Crete, Alice finds a passion at a dig in Knossos she didn’t know she had. She gets intrigued by the tales and legends of monsters and labyrinths.
And somehow her tale get entwined with that of Eloise De’Ath in the present time. Even if Eloise is a recent widow, she is not the heartbroken woman everyone expects her to be. Because her late husband was not what everyone thinks.
Needing an escape too, she flies over to Crete, to the house she inherited from her father – in – law Quinn. There she finds herself submerged in his life’s work, the study of the Victorian excavation and the search for the Minotaur’s labyrinth, after finding the diaries of a young woman who worked at the dig.
These two women have one thing in common: their interest in the true tale of Ariadne, princess of the labyrinth. 

Dual timelines are always tricky, and somehow this was also a bit of a triple timeline, even greater risk of making things complicated!
Yet the author managed easily to keep the two main stories separated but also linking them without confusing her readers. 

Of both main female character, I found it easier to like Eloise. Even if we don’t know the complete background from the start, it’s easy to see that things are not as simple as it may seem.
And even if you wouldn’t have an inkling about it, the way Eloise’s late husband’s family treated Eloise, you would know that there is more to her story. 

Her escaping to Crete could be seen as a cowardly action, but it gave us also the opportunity to truly get to know Eloise, without a dark cloud surrounding her, literally and figuratively speaking.
We see her opening up, and that Eloise was such a bright, kind and colourful character. Yet her being in Crete also allows her to open up about her past and her multiple struggles during her marriage.
And reading those bits was so saddening and so hurtful, but unfortunately at some levels also a reality for people in the world. 

And then there is Alice’s story… Just like Eloise, we don’t know the full extent of what the scandal is, the only thing we do know, is that involves a man and that Alice’s heart is truly broken.
Even if we don’t know the details, and when we finally do, I liked it how she still had her family’s support and how they wanted to protect her. 

In Alice’s story I liked to read how Alice realized that how terrible she may be feeling, with a broken heart, that time will heel the wounds. Slowly she starts to see things no longer through rose – colored glasses.
And what I liked the most is how one chance encounter would turn out to be of a greater importance later on. 

On a smaller account, there is even a third story told here, one we all think we know, but  perhaps with a kinder and gentler touch, even if the final outcome is the time. And it’s the tale of Ariadne and the Minotaur that ends up being the common tread, that what links Eloise and Alice. 

But even if Ariadne’s story is what brings Eloise and Alice together, the three women have one thing all in common… they have been all betrayed in a terrible yet different way by someone who was supposed to love them.
However, towards the end, they all find the strength to overcome their initial pain and even dare to have feelings of love again in one way or another, and these feelings will be for one that will be truly worthy of their hearts. 

And even if perhaps, from my personal view, that last final step was taken a bit too hastened, I admired all these women for not giving up on love… Because everyone deserves to find happiness, and how we get there, the quick way or the long way, it doesn’t matter as the reward will be worth of the journey!

When do things ever go as we thought they would?

Synopsis

A family reunion takes everyone by surprise…

Jago Treneary hasn’t been home since his father’s funeral three years ago. Now, he’s returning to the Isles of Scilly for his brother’s wedding and is intent on building bridges with his family.

When a last-minute guest arrives to stay at his mum’s house, the trip takes an unexpected turn.

Soon, he’s playing tour guide for Sylvie and rediscovering the beautiful islands he grew up on.

He never expected to feel so at home.

But with his attention on Sylvie he neglects his family.

Before long he’s faced with a choice: follow his heart and see where things lead with Sylvie, or put the work into making things right with his family.

One thing seems certain: he can’t have it all.

With his time on Scilly coming to end, he needs to make some big decisions… fast.

My review

Sylvie couldn’t be more happier now that she is slowly reconnecting with her cousin Lowen Treneary. They spent so many holidays together which she has fondly memories of. To surprise him, she decides to pay him a visit on the Idle of Scilly. However, Lowen doesn’t appear to be all too thrilled to see Sylvie. On the contrary, he avoids spending time with her, and whenever they are together, he is acting very distant and cold. He for sure is not the Lowen Sylvie remembers!
But on the other hand, Sylvie is now spending a lot of time with Lowen’s brother Jago, who has returned from America.
While Scilly is his home, he hasn’t been visiting since his father’s funeral. But now the time has come to make amends.
Together, Sylvie and Jago (re)explore the island, only to realize that they have a connection. But at what cost will their connection come? And what about the future? 

I have read each story of the Isles of Scilly – series. And while I have loved each brother, Jago was the most mysterious one, even more than Lowen. And that because him being absent for most of the parts.
So I didn’t know what to think of him at the start of the book. But also knowing the whole series and this author, I knew I would like him as much as I like all the other brothers. 

Of course, as a first meeting between Sylvie and Jago, it was a very funny one! I truly enjoyed reading how Sylvie tried to start a conversation only to realize that Jago would not be up to it. And then I truly snickered seeing how Jago needed actually Sylvie’s support during the flight. Which I of course understand, as I think many people aren’t actual fan of turbulence! 

Yet it was clear to see that there was just *something* between them. As a reader obviously we know where the story will take us, but reading the surprise of seeing each other again and discovering the link between them, was truly fun. 

The story is clearly that of Jago and Sylvie, but I have to admit that I didn’t like Lowen at all in this story. And yes, we know what happened before in the past with him, and how he is still struggling with it. But still it pained me to see how he acted towards Sylvie, while she was making all the efforts.
It was just not fair of him to ignore Sylvie like that, linking all the bad memories he has to Sylvie, while Sylvie has so many happy memories to hold on to, even if things weren’t always that good. 

But Lowen being the former Lowen again, also gave the perfect opportunity for Jago and Sylvie to spend time together. And that was a real treat!
Sylvie has never been to Scilly and it was just amazing exploring the island with her and Jago. And it was the perfect opportunity to get to know the elusive brother. 

I found it sweet and tender to see how these two complete strangers found a connection. But not only that, but also how they appeared to understand each other or try to understand each other. There were several occasions that we also could understand better how both characters have been through, making it even more easier to like them, even if at moments they acted like idiots… 

I loved it to read how both Jago and Sylvie want to support the other one, encouraging to follow their dreams, giving enough space for it. While they both wanted them to work as an item, they also didn’t want to rush into things. They both have been burnt in the past, not only romantically, and it makes sense of now wanting to take things slow, only frustrating the readers! 😊 

This was a wonderful slow – burn romance (too slow even! 😊) with two main characters that have more than just one hurdle to take. While some hurdles may be harder to take, I admired their courage to move forward, even dare to chase their dreams (again). 

This entire series shows us not only how in one family there can so many different characters, but also so much of unconditional love. But it shows us that for every pot there is a lid, and that we just have to allow that lid to find us and to be open to be found.
And no matter how difficult things may get, nothing is insurmountable when it comes to matters of the heart!

A devastating eruption in Pompeii, a majestic building in Rome and a slave and her master…

Synopsis

They called it the Flavian Amphitheatre. We call it the Colosseum. Let the Games begin. 

Rome, 80AD. A gigantic new amphitheatre is being built. The Emperor has plans for gladiatorial Games on a scale no-one has ever seen before. But the Games don’t just happen by themselves. They must be made. And Marcus, the man in charge of creating them, has just lost everything he held dear when Pompeii disappeared under the searing wrath of Vesuvius.

Now it will fall to Althea, the slave woman who serves as his scribe, to ensure the Colosseum is inaugurated on time – and that Marcus makes his way out of the darkness that calls to him.

Can a motley crew comprising a retired centurion, slaves, a prostitute and an ex Vestal Virgin pull off the greatest gladiatorial Games ever seen? Or will they fail and find themselves in the arena as punishment? Time is running out to deliver an unforgettable spectacle.

From the Ashes is the first, fast-paced novel in the gripping new Colosseum series. Follow the quick-witted and fiercely loyal backstage team of the Colosseum through the devastation of Pompeii, plague and fire. This is historical fiction at its most captivating: both action-packed and tender.

Take a front row seat at the Colosseum’s inaugural gladiatorial Games. Buy From the Ashes today.

My review

Althea is a Greek woman, now a slave working for her domina in Pompeii. But as often with slaves, her dominus sells her to a man in charge of creating the most amazing gladiatorial Games in a new amphitheatre that is being built in Rome.
As Althea is able to read and write, she is an asset to Marcus, her new dominus.
But while they are in Rome, news arrive that Pompeii has disappeared and that everyone and everything they cared for are no longer…
How can Marcus, after losing his wife and child, fulfil the Emperor’s wishes? With not only Althea by his side, but also a prostitute yet loyal friend, and an ex Vestal Virgin, it’s a race again not only time to let the Games begin… 

We have all learnt about the devastation the Vesuvius brought in 80AD at school. And I think it’s safe to say we all have watched or read movies, series, books about Ancient Rome, the fights in the amphitheatre and how life was supposed to be. And some things could be for sure extravagant, as we can also read in the first few chapters of this book. 

Despite everything we know from the eruption of the volcano, it’s not easy to have an emotional link to what happened. Of course it was horrible, but we cannot really say that we know someone that has a far member of the family who has lost someone, can we?
So reading about Marcus’ loss, feeling his pain, made it possible for me to feel that utter despair that people who have seen it all and lost it all, had.
But also the somehow injustice of it all, because many innocent lives were lost at the hand of ‘just’ nature… 

It’s clear from the start that Marcus is one of the good guys, treating his ‘staff’ correctly and not taking advantage of his status. Being a former centurion, he now wants nothing more to live in peace with his wife and son, buying back land. He doesn’t like his job necessarily, but he will do what it takes to make his dream come true.
He is also the kind of person who looks at you for who you are, and not what you are. So he does not see Althea and his other loyal servants as such, but he sees their potential and allow them to rise up. 

Althea may be perhaps a slave, but she is also a smart woman, with great insights but she is also very perceptive and understanding.
When it’s clear that Marcus has lost everything, she feels his pain and understand his grief. But she also understands that he cannot allow himself to jeopardize the job in Rome, and protects him to fall into a deeper downward spiral. 

This book is a race against time, as the amphitheatre must be ready for its inauguration, while our main characters are facing several severe setbacks that come at a price.
Both Marcus and Althea are in an alliance together, to make things happen. Yet seeing this particular alliance, purely based on mutual respect and nothing more, showed me that not everything can be bought or comes with a price. 

A story that takes its reader way back into Ancient Rome, showing its brutalities, not only of the eruption but also the brutalities of the fights in the amphitheatre, but also the honest yet unlikely friendship between a centurion and a slave.

Can a lighthouse bring light in more than just one aspect?

Synopsis

A perfect new start in Cornwall…

Meredith’s life is at a standstill. She’s stuck in a dead-end job, approaching fifty, and her dating life is a string of disasters. But one evening, while browsing the internet, she sees an ad for a lighthouse, and in a moment of impulsiveness, she makes a ridiculous bid for it.

With the help of local handyman Clem, she sets about renovating. And as they work together, a bond begins to form. But when Meredith finds out that Clem is keeping a secret from her, it changes everything. Will they find a way to build something more meaningful together?

A delightful story about community, friendship and having the courage to start over, perfect for fans of Carole Matthews, Milly Johnson and Lucy Dillon

My review

Even if her life is rather dull, Meredith never does something spontaneous. She’s stuck at her job, she is nearly fifty and het love life is non – existing.
Obviously, surfing the internet with a bottle of wine is never a good idea, especially when Meredith realizes the next morning that she has bought an actual lighthouse in Cornwall.
Even if the locals aren’t welcoming her with open arms, she is determined to turn the lighthouse into a home, despite it needing more fixing up than expected.
With the help of local handyman Clem, she starts to turn the place for the better. And it’s not only the house itself that is starting to make Meredith more at home.
But when Clem’s secret is out, will their bond be already strong enough?  

I have not read all the books this author has written, but what I have read always put a smile on my face. So when I started to read this new story, I was both anxiously curious to see if this one would have the same effect on my mood. 

At first I wasn’t that sure, as our lovely main character Meredith is a bit older than myself and we didn’t have that much in common.
However, me of little faith! It’s not because a character doesn’t have a lot in common that I cannot enjoy getting to know her better! 

I felt sorry for Meredith on several levels. Her job wasn’t the most exciting one, her mother won’t ever win any awards for her parenting.
However, even if Meredith may not have an exhilarating life, she has a best friend that supports her in every way, even if their relationship is one that you need to get used to at the start 😊. 

Not being a big drinker myself (I can hardly digest two glasses of wine, so that you get an idea of my drinking abilities), I was a bit flabbergasted to read that Meredith managed to buy not just a house, but an actual lighthouse after an evening of drinking!
Yet I also admired her as she didn’t pull back, but saw it more as some kind of sign to take that step and start all over again. 

However, what I liked the most about Meredith is her actual behaviour. Yes yes, rather quickly she clashes with a local over a parking spot. But after this episode we see how she keeps on keeping her head high. No matter how obnoxious or even rude people are, she is killing them all with kindness! And that for sure put several smiles on my face, reading how those unkind people didn’t know how to respond! Even at moments where I wouldn’t be able to keep my calm, she keeps on giving the benefit of the doubt, even if she feels that things don’t match up. 

It truly warmed my heart to see how Meredith makes efforts all around, to people she has barely met, just out of the kindness of her heart (even if she claims it’s also for her own benefit).
And reading how she and Clem, despite their initial clashing, slowly and unintentionally are growing closer, was one of the sweetest things!
Seeing the both of them together, at ease with each other, trusting each other gave me many ‘aaaaw’ moments. 

Obviously there has to be some kind of struggle somewhere in this story, and while many things point into a certain direction, I knew immediately, without any doubt that things would turn out to be completely different than the author wants to make us believe for a moment. 

This book for sure was easy and truly enjoyable to read. The author shows us that not only it’s never to start all over again, but also that we can find a place to call home in the weirdest places, even in a lighthouse.
We also see that kindness will get rewarded, and that it will be the thing that will make people like you and allow you into their close community.
And that love doesn’t look at age or at age difference, but at who is right for you. And you can have an inkling at who that is, by seeing the efforts they are ready to put while moving into a lighthouse!

Looking for answers in Venice, finding so much more

Synopsis

A bundle of mysterious letters. A trip to Venice. A journey she’ll never forget.

When Luna loses her beloved mother, she’s bereft: her mother was her only family, and without her Luna feels rootless. Then the chance discovery of a collection of letters in her mother’s belongings sends her on an unexpected journey.

Following a clue in the letters, Luna packs her bags and heads to Venice, to a gorgeous but faded bookshop overlooking the canals, hoping to uncover the truth about her mother’s mysterious past.

Will Luna find the answers she’s looking for – and finally find the place she belongs?

My review

Luna and her mother have always been very close. They explored the world together, following their wanderlust.
So when Luna loses her mother, it’s obvious that she is at loss without her rock.
However, when Luna is going through her mother’s belongings, she finds a collection of letters, revealing a past of her mother Luna didn’t know about.
Those letters lead her to Venice, where a little bookshop is located and where Luna hopes to find an answer to all her questions. And perhaps Luna will find more than that… 

Obviously, I am always a bit prejudiced when a story takes place in Italy. Obviously it’s going to be an amazing story!
However, a story taking place in Venice… I have been in Venice several times and it’s just not my favourite city…
I understand the allure but it’s not just my cup of tea. Yet the premise of this story sounded very good, thus I put my own feelings towards the city aside and started to read about Luna’s journey. 

While the story itself was a good one, a young woman who just lost her mother makes some discoveries and it adamant to get answers to all her questions, I found it a bit difficult to feel really connected with Luna.
Was it because her own background differed so much from my own? Or because she seems to be the kind of woman who puts all her belief in her gut or reading the cards?
I cannot put my finger on what it exactly was, but throughout the whole book, I felt a small emotional distance between us. 

But that doesn’t take away that I truly did enjoy reading this book! Yes, there is the cliché of the Italian male population, but I didn’t mind it at all, on the contrary, Sebastiano’s behaviour was so over the top that it even became hilarious!
While even being an Italian, I wasn’t sorry to see Sebastiano leave the stage, and be replaced by a much better fit for Luna, being Oscar. 

The first encounter between Luna and Oscar is one by sheer coincidence, and at first I didn’t pay that much attention to it. So I was very delighted to read how Oscar would become a character of big importance. Not only for the development of the story itself, but also for Luna.  

I loved discovering together with Luna the bookshop, and finding not only Giancarlo but all the cats with their own features. And I admired how Luna, even not knowing if she could stay working at the place, had several great ideas to turn the bookshop into an alluring place to visit.
And seeing how Luna could always rely on her best friend Gigi to stand by her side, or as the people of her community were, are, and always will be only a phone call away, was really sweet.  

Of course Luna is there to find out more about her mother’s past. And while I could follow her reasoning, as a reader you know things won’t be as easy or simple as they may seem.
Once the truth was out, it saddened me to read what happened so many years ago. Yet it also made me happy to realize that perhaps Luna didn’t find what she thought she would, but it turned out to be exactly what she needed to find. 

After finishing this story, I was glad I kept an open mind about it. Just because something doesn’t seem to be my cup of tea, doesn’t mean I cannot enjoy it.
Luna’s journey was one where we learn that we don’t always know everything of those who we love the most. But also that we can find that missing link in our lives, even if it’s not the exact link we were looking for.

When your passion takes you to the world, but home calls you back…

Synopsis

Sometimes life is full of surprises, especially when you least expect them…

Born into the Scottish Clan MacBain and the 17th century ancestral home, Drumblair Castle, Liv MacBain has always dreamed of leaving the ancient homestead and becoming her own person in the world of fashion.

From a young age, she worshipped the trailblazing designs of the haute couture glitterati, hoping one day to join them.

With older brother Kerr, the rightful heir, Liv has been free to spread her wings.

Fast forward. Liv, is now 28 years old, working at a high-end fashion house and living her dream life in New York. She’s never been happier.

Until everything changes with one devastating phone call from her brother, Kerr, that brings her rushing back to Scotland.

Old friends and adversaries resurface and Liv faces a difficult decision that could mean her dream future can no longer be a reality.

Or can you have your castle and your career?

My review

Even if Liv Macbain’s family goes way back until the 17th century and have all been living in Drumblair Castle, Liv always dreamt of a career in the world of fashion. And with her brother Kerr being the rightful heir, she has been able to follow her passion and made it become a reality.
At the age of 28, she is truly enjoying her life in New York, working for a famous fashion house. But it takes only one call from her brother with devastating news to take her back to Scotland. Yet the loss of her beloved mother is not the only shocking news, because now Liv finds herself inheriting what was supposed to go to Kerr…
Liv knows the importance of the Castle, but is she ready to give up her own dreams for the sake of her family’s legacy? 

I have always been in love with stories set in the Highlands, contemporary stories or even those set in the past. And visiting these places is for sure very high on my bucket list, hoping I can thick if of very quickly. Meanwhile I will enjoy using my imagination and reading wonderful stories. And having this author having written a story in the Highlands, of course I couldn’t resist temptation! 

Being a ‘normal’ person myself, without any fancy title (although, Lady Tiziana, it has a nice ring, doesn’t it 😊), it’s not easy to grasp the rules for families who go way back.
So reading how Liv’s brother Kerr will be inheriting everything according those rules, well, in my eyes it doesn’t seem 100% right, but who am I ?
Yet having Kerr inheriting it all, made it also possible for Liv to chase her own dreams, not having any big worry about her legacy. 

Even if Liv is living the dream, it was still sweet to see how close she still was with her mother, despite the distance and time difference.
Yet it also made it more heart – breaking to read about that one phone call from her brother.  And of course Liv doesn’t hesitate to fly back home. 

Once back home although, things does not go as expected for her, yet as a reader we may already know that things will get shaken up rather quickly.  

While some may find it annoying how Liv is doubting herself all the time, not knowing what to do, I could also understand her doubts. If I were in her position, having found my place and having a blooming career, I wouldn’t know what to do either. And I would doubt every move I made too.
Liv understands the legacy of her family, and she wants to protect it. But does that mean that she should give up her own passion for the sake of the family?  

And then there is Kerr… while I would assume that in the most difficult moments, siblings would find each other even if they don’t really get along, seeing Kerr and his antics, made it impossible to be in my good book. Kerr does everything that is possible to be disliked.
Even if towards the end it seems he is turning for the better, I don’t know if things could get forgiven so easily in real life. 

Of course while Liv is attempting to do the right thing not only herself but also the place and everyone who has something at stake, there may or may not be a love interest too.
A love interest that may not be as straightforward and while it is a heart – breaking revelation in the end, I also admired the courage of Lisa Hobman to turn the tables, showing us that the roles of victims and perpetrator can also be switched, even if we too often don’t hear about it in real life. 

While reading, it’s obvious that the romance isn’t the main topic. But it’s about trying to figure out where the future will take us, about finding a way to make things work. It’s about doing what you should be doing, but without losing yourself and give up your own passions.
We see how hard Liv is trying to find the correct balance, wanting to make her family proud of her, but not wanting to lose that what makes her happy.
And while Liv is the one who has to make all the decisions, she has to cut the cord at some point, we also see that surrounding yourself with kindness, love and friendship, those decisions are easier to make with their input. 

This was a lovely book to read, even if there were some sad moments in it. But those sad moments were thwarted by funny, sweet moments with kind, generous and loveable characters, human and not, supporting a main character that is standing at a crossroads but deserves to have the best of both worlds.

Does sunshine always truly comes after rain?

Synopsis

Welcome back to The Starfish Café for a glorious summer, but with a few dark clouds on the horizon…

A new beginning…

As her summer wedding to Jake approaches, Hollie is excited for their new beginning as a family. But when some unexpected news threatens the future she and Jake had hoped for, Hollie will need to find the strength to overcome heartache once more.

A fragile heart….

Single mum, Kerry, loves her job at The Starfish Café, but behind the brave smiles and laughter with customers there is a sadness deep within. So when someone from her past re-appears in her life, Kerry can either hide away or face her demons and try to finally move on from her heartbreak.

A summer to remember…

For Hollie and Kerry it promises to be an emotional rollercoaster of a summer, but the community at The Starfish Café will always be there to help them through – after all, with courage nothing is impossible…

Join top 10 bestseller Jessica Redland for a wonderful summer at the seaside, full of love, friendship and community spirit.

My review

Hollie cannot wait to finally marry her Jake. After they both have been through, in the past and even recently, they are ready to start their lives officially together, filled with happiness and love.
However, they both realize that their happily ever after won’t be so easy to have, as once again they have to face some news that turn everything into heartbreak once again…
Luckily, Hollie has an amazing team at the Starfish Café, who not only look after the place with all the possible care and love, but they are also all a shoulder to cry on.
That even includes Kerry, a single mother of four, who loves working at the Café. But Kerry has her own demons to face…
She has always put her children before everything, putting her own (love) life on hold. But just when perhaps she is ready to dip her toe again into those waters, someone from her past resurfaces in her life to mess things up even more… 

Okay, I have made a decision and I am going to need every little bit of courage and determination to follow through…
I have decided to stop reading any of Jessica’s book, because my poor heart just cannot take it anymore! (Joking around here, for those who don’t know my attempts of being somehow funny 😊) 

There are people in the world (the fictional one and the real one) who just deserve all the best and all the happiness and joy and love. And Hollie and Jake for sure are such people.
After everything they have been through, which we all know about, it brought me to tears when they were *finally* able to get married.
And there were several other moments with this lovely couples that made me cry out of joy.  

However – and for that I do love you a little bit less Jessica – I also had several cries of sadness…
Because unfortunately this amazing author keeps on finding ways to break our characters’ hearts and mine too!
Both Hollie and Jake have to face again a few setbacks, and just like they say themselves, haven’t they have been through enough already? 

Despite everything dark on their paths (again!), it also brought me to tears to see how this couple is just perfect for each other. They understand each other without words, they know how to comfort each other. They know when to speak out, or when to keep quiet.
That is the kind of love that I now need to find myself. I will not settle for anything less! Because even if their love may seem corny, it’s just perfect in every possible way. 

I also loved reading Kerry’s story, even if that one too brought me to tears!
As a reader, we already know that her life is a hectic one, as she is being a single mother of four kids. Yet I didn’t expect that her tale would be so heart – breaking. With some flashbacks, we get to know how she ended up being single. And with those flashbacks, we see what a loving person she truly was and still is.
Her ex for sure didn’t score any points in my book, all the things he did to our lovely Kerry and thinks he can still get things his way with a sudden reappearance after many years of radio silence. 

Kerry is amazing as a person, but also a wonderful, marvellous mother. Despite her own feelings, she does what’s best for her children. And everything she does, is done for her children. I loved seeing her in mum – modus, being kind and gentle when needed, but also firm and strict when the children would act out.
And she isn’t afraid to act all firm and strict towards her ex, when his behaviour is risking to get her children all messed up. 

Kerry is the kind of person that would put her own happiness aside for her children. So while perhaps there may be or not may be someone for her, her main focus is and will always be her children. With so many changes in their young lives, Kerry cannot give any of her time to love.
And luckily for us, Artie is the most understanding person in the world. He knows that Kerry’s children will always be Nr. 1 on her list.  

This was again a wonderful story, bringing me laughter but also many tears. Sometimes it were the small bits making me cry, but also the bigger events made me sob…
Jessica Redland shows again with this book that life has its ups and downs. Everyone experiences heartbreak at more moments in life.
Yet Jessica also shows us that there are many rainbows and lovely summer nights making all the wrong things right again.
When you have your people, even the worst things cannot bring you down. With all their support and love, you will find the motivation, the courage and the will to move on.  

Now Jessica, can you please write a story which won’t turn me into a mess with a tear – streaked face, unable to talk to people for a long while after closing your book??? 😊

When the past is forgotten for real, yet remains a hurtful memory…

Synopsis

Sometimes when you can’t see the way forwards, the best thing to do is to look back…

When Jessie left home at eighteen, she swore she’d never go back. But when life takes a turn for the complicated, she’s forced to move in with her twin, Isaac, and his two best friends. To her dismay, one of these is Elliot, the boy Jessie once loved, until his life was changed forever by a terrible accident that Jessie still blames herself for.

Cohabiting with three alarmingly unhouse-trained males was not in Jessie’s life plan so when Isaac, Elliot and Arthur offer her a generous rent discount if she’ll help them with their ‘Boys to Men Project’, designed to end years of disastrous dating, she reluctantly accepts the challenge.

As Jessie embraces the comfort of being home, revelling in her new job at her parents’ day centre full of people determined to grow old disgracefully, she realises her housemates aren’t the only ones needing to make some changes. And maybe, if she can finally forgive herself for Elliot’s accident, she can start to look forward to a future, with or without him by her side.

My review

Jessie left her home at eighteen, with the intention of never ging back. However, now she has no other option than moving in with her twin brother Isaac.
But she couldn’t be more shocked realizing that she would not only be living with Isaac, but also with his two best friends. Normally it wouldn’t be such a great deal, if it weren’t that it would mean living together with Elliot, Jessie’s first love. A first love that never took off, as Elliot’s life changed dramatically after a terrible accident that Jessie blames herself for.
Yet Jessie finds herself helping the three men with their ‘Boys To Men Project’, with the purpose of finding love, and show people Isaac, Arthur and Elliot can be real adults.
Being back home means for Jessie to find back a lost comfort, making people’s day while working at her parents’ day centre and perhaps even find a way to forgive herself for Elliot’s accident and finally have the chance to move on? 

Reading a story written by Beth Moran is not always easy. Not because she is a terrible writer, on the contrary! But it’s just that she writes stories where her characters had gone or have to go through terrible things…
Yet I also know that every tear will be worth as in the end, I will have read a beautiful, hopeful and heart – warming tale 

At the beginning, I found it hard to understand how Jessie would be able to stay away from her family, and especially her twin and also best friend Isaac. Even knowing that something terrible had happened in the past, and she is still blaming herself for it, I couldn’t do what she did as I am also very close to my brother and my parents. 

And not knowing what had happened, or what the consequences were of that accident, had my mind going in overdrive. I NEEDED to know what exactly happened, and how it had affected everyone. So meeting Elliot for the first time was somehow a shock to me, as he appeared to be rather unscratched.
But it’s only after getting to know him better and having Jessie’s flashbacks that I truly understood what the accident did to Elliot. 

While the focus was mainly on Jessie and her feelings of guilt and feeling at loss, I found that this story went much deeper than just a woman going back hope and meeting her first love again.
Yes, absolutely, it was great to read how Jessie finds her home again, and even excelled at her job. Yet it felt also like a lesson somehow. Because starting all over again, like Jessie, but also like Elliot, is not easy. Especially as you are not the person who you were before, or the person people expect you to be. 

It broke my heart to see how Elliot is still struggling with just life in general. But on the other hand it also melted my heart to see how he keeps on trying to be an example to children, by showing that different doesn’t mean not good enough.
I for sure could comprehend Elliot’s anger when there was some wrong – doing and I cannot say I would have been able to keep my calm either!. 

This story is filled with wonderful, marvellous but also hilarious moments! Especially Arthur deserves his own credit as his behaviour was often odd, yet it made me smile if not laugh every time he entered the scene! 

Beth Moran showed again with this book how wrong we sometimes can be in our own head, and like in Jessie’s case, even sabotage ourselves in a way, because of our guilt.
But she also shows us that sometimes life goes as it goes, and we cannot keep on carrying that guilt around. Because not always that guilt is justified.
And that perhaps a second chance can be found.  

While reading, I managed to keep my tears where they belonged, yet those last few chapters, with an amazing revelation that perhaps didn’t come as a total surprise, I found myself crying of joy. And when a book can bring you to express such emotions, you knew you read something amazing!

Love over several decades…

Synopsis

1939 – American heiress Vivi Miles falls for naval officer Nathan as soon as she arrives in England. And, under the threat of war, they marry in a whirlwind before he leaves to join his ship.

When Nathan returns from Dunkirk injured, he is distant, aloof, and no longer the man Vivi fell in love with. But it’s not just because of his brutal experiences of war. Nathan has a secret and Vivi suspects it’s linked to the mysterious evacuee at the secluded house in the woods on his Kent estate.

As war continues to rage, Vivi battles her own grief and loneliness, and tries to find out the truth of the girl’s identity, uncovering a scandal from the past.

Is her love for Nathan strong enough to survive?

My review

Vivi Miles moves in 1939 from America to England. Little did she know that she would fall in love so quickly with naval officer Nathan. With the threat of war, they decide to get married before Nathan leaves to join his ship.
Vivi is waiting anxiously for his return, but Nathan is not the same after being in Dunkirk and got injured. Vivi does her best to find the man back she fell in love with, but it’s not easy, especially as she suspects that Nathan is keeping secrets from her.
With the war still going on, and even when the war is definitely over, Vivi is surrounded by grief, loneliness, and even heart – break as she discovers scandals and secrets not only from a faraway past, but also a more recent one, affecting her more than she would think… 

A story taking place during war always intrigues. I want to know how the characters experience those hard times and how they try to keep on moving on, despite all the terrible things happening around them.
And then there is this story, which contains all the above, but also shows us what happens several years later. 

When Vivi arrived in England, I was curious to see how this American girl would adapt in a whole different world and with a looming war around the corner.
So when she meets Nathan, I was somehow happy to see how she could envision her future in England with a man she has fallen in love with.
Yet I have to admit that it happened all rather quickly for me. They met, they write letters and then they marry. But that is maybe also an effect of the war, wanting to catch the moment, and enjoy those happy moments whenever you can. 

However, it appears that Vivi wasn’t meant to have many happy moments… she quickly had to face several tragedies on her own, not having someone close to confide in…
Yet these tragedies also shows the readers what a surprisingly strong character Vivi is.
Obviously, each tragedy Vivi needed her time to process it all, yet each time she manged to get up again and move on from it. 

It saddened me to read how Nathan changed with thank to the war, and how cold he was around Vivi. Of course he has seen terrible things and he is literally scarred by the war, yet I found it not always easy to like him. And living his life or just living next to him cannot have been easy, as it wasn’t in real life. 

The secret he had wasn’t really a great shock, but perhaps I would have liked to see more of the run – up and more depth? Also, with that prologue I expected more from Elise’s character, while now she was more on the background, while her presence in the book for sure had important consequences. And while the focus was on Vivi, I also felt that Elise deserved her own spotlight, even if Fate didn’t treat her that well. 

However, despite everything our main characters went through, it is clear that people would do anything for love, and are ready to face the consequences of their choices. I admired Vivi’s strength and kind heart, doing the impossible after a betrayal. But I also understood Nathan’s limbo and scars and also saw and comprehended Elise’s feelings, courage and strength. 

This was a story filled with sadness, hardships, pain and betrayal, but love, compassion and care stood above all those negative feelings. And even during the thirty years’ time span, it shows that wonderful things can come from things that hurt us the most.