Category Archives: Book Review

Review of Rosemary Noble’s Sadie’s War

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The blurb:

Sadie’s Wars: An Australian Saga (Currency Girls Book 3)

An astonishing tale, spanning continents, where truth is stranger than fiction. This historical saga of an extraordinary Australian pioneer family continues into a new generation.

Sadie is brought up amongst the vineyards of the Yarra Valley whilst her work-obsessed father reaps riches from the boom years before the Great War.
With post-war depression looming, Sadie’s only option is to flee from her disastrous marriage, seeking refuge in Cleethorpes, a small seaside town in northern England.
Years later, when her sons are in RAF Bomber Command, she receives a letter from her long-lost brother which forces her to confront the past and her part in her family’s downfall.

Can old wounds be healed?
Will she find new love?
Will this second war destroy everyone she saved?

Genre: Historical Fiction / Saga

My review:

I read Sadie’s War as a stand-alone novel and had no problem following the story or discovering who the characters were. Spanning decades and continents, I found it a fascinating insight into the lives of those who were dramatically affected by the first and second world wars. The author has clearly done her research and the fact the characters are based on real people from her family made it all the more vivid in its depiction. I sometimes despaired for Sadie, willed her to be strong and urged her to accept the moments of happiness allowed to her. It was a fascinating read, that started at a steady pace but soon drew me – I cared for Sadie and the plight of her family as the story of their lives unfolded.

Buy Sadie’s War.

Other books in the Currency Girl Series:

Search for the Light: An Australian Saga (Currency Girls Book 1)

A moment’s foolish mistake costs sixteen-year old Nora her freedom and her family. Sentenced to transportation she has to grow up fast to survive prison, the long journey and then life as an assigned servant in Van Diemen’s Land of the 1820s. She is sustained by real friendships with other prisoners, Sarah and Helen. Can anyone of them overcome the pitfalls of convict life to become pioneering settlers of modern day Tasmania? This is a story of love and friendship amidst the trials of 19th century Australian colonial life.

Buy Search for the Light.

The Digger’s Daughter: An Australian Saga (Currency Girls Book 2)

Jane is a tough, pioneering woman, who’s lived a long life. She remembers Melbourne from the 1830s and lived throughout the gold-rush era and into the twentieth century. She has a story to tell, but is determined to keep her background secret from her family. Her nurse, Mary, has a secret from the Great War. Will they help each other come to terms with what they have each hidden in the past? Based on a true story, this novel is a broad sweep over the early years in Victoria, Australia.

Buy The Digger’s Daughter.

About Rosemary Noble:

Rosemary Noble lives in West Sussex and worked as an education librarian. Books have been her life, ever since she walked into a library at five-years-old and found a treasure trove. Her other love is social history. She got hooked on family history before retirement and discovered so many stories that deserved to be told.

Her first book, Search for the Light, tells the story of three young girls transported to Australia in 1824. Friendship sustains them through the horrors of the journey and their enforced service in Tasmania. The Digger’s Daughter tells of the next generation of gold-diggers and a pioneering woman who lives almost through the first hundred years in Victoria. The third in the trilogy, Sadie’s Wars takes the reader to the fourth generation and into the twentieth century. The trilogy is based on the author’s family. It tells of secrecy and lies, of determination and grit and how all can be done or undone by luck.

Rosemary is a member of CHINDI independent authors and is involved in literary events in and around Chichester. She also loves to travel, especially to Australia and Europe and not least, she loves spending time with her grandchildren, one of whom is a budding author herself.

You can discover more about Rosemary here: Facebook | Twitter | blog

Thank you for the fascinating read, Rosemary, my reviews are added to Amazon UK and Goodreads. x

Review of Mhairi McFarlane’s Don’t You Forget About Me

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The blurb:

It began with four words: ‘I love your laugh. x’

But that was twelve years ago. It really began the day Georgina was fired from The Worst Restaurant in Sheffield (© Tripadvisor) and found The Worst Boyfriend in the World (© Georgina’s best friends) in bed with someone else.

So when her new boss, Lucas McCarthy, turns out to be the boy who wrote those words to her all that time ago, it feels like the start of something.

The only problem? He doesn’t seem to remember Georgina – at all…

Genre: Literary humour
Published by: HarperCollins

My review:

I have read and enjoyed all of Mhairi McFarlane’s books. I like her sense of humour and her ability, to sum up a situation in a single phrase. If you are a romantic comedy fan and you haven’t read her books you’re missing a treat.

Don’t You Forget About Me is a fabulous read. As you’d expect, if you’ve read Mhairi’s other books, there was a degree of humour, but more than that this book drew me in (literally I stayed up until 2am to finish it), it explored different relationships at different levels; it made me laugh, but it also made me cry. The ending was gorgeous and delivered all and more than I had hoped for. The main characters were brilliant. Georgina was wonderfully portrayed, and I loved Lucas, his dog and his brother, actually I could go on – they are a fabulous bunch of characters whose world you’re happy to inhabit for the duration of the book. I was excited when I saw this book was coming out and it didn’t disappoint. It was another wonderful Mhairi McFarlane read.

Buy the book.

About Mhairi McFarlane:

Mhairi McFarlane was born in Scotland in 1976 and got the fringe hairstyle locked down early so she could concentrate on wider issues affecting society, like why Cadbury’s don’t make plain chocolate buttons. Surely the demand is there. She writtes rom-com books and is trying to write another and not be distracted by Netflix or Twitter, with varying success.

You can discover more about Mhairi McFarlane via her website | Facebook | Twitter

Thank you for the great read, and for lovely Lucas, Mhairi, my reviews are added to Amazon Uk and Goodreads. xx

Review of Tracy Bloom’s Dinner Party

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The blurb:

Never has an unexpected guest caused such chaos!

Three couples take it in turns to host a monthly dinner party.

Beth, Sarah and Marie have been friends forever. Now they are grown up, with busy lives, busy husbands, busy kids… but they still find time to meet up over dinner once a month. A cosy, comfortable gathering of happy couples – or so they thought.

Until one night, someone brings along a last-minute guest whose wife has just left him. 

Simon is standing on the doorstep in floods of tears. While the women do their best to console him, their husbands feel the need to mark their territory.

And as Simon becomes more involved with the group, his presence changes everything these three couples thought they knew about each other, leading to a final dinner party that no-one will ever forget.

Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Literary Humour

My review:

I always enjoy Tracy Bloom’s books. This one follows a different format to Tracy’s other books and is less of a laugh out loud read, but I found myself hooked and enjoyed discovering more about each of the characters. The storyline was interesting. Each of the characters and their individual relationships had something to add the story and I really enjoyed the developments throwing somebody new into the mix produced. Towards the end, the pace quickens as the intrigue and action increase. Overall this was another great Tracy Bloom read, I’d definitely recommend.

Click here to buy the book:

About the author:

Tracy Bloom started writing when her cruel, heartless husband ripped her away from her dream job shopping for rollercoasters for the UK’s leading theme parks, to live in America with a brand new baby and no mates. In a cunning plan to avoid domestic duties and people who didn’t understand her Derbyshire accent, she wrote her romantic comedy, No-One Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday. This debut novel went on to be successfully published internationally and became a #1 Best Seller.

You can find Tracy via her website | Facebook | Twitter

Thank you for the great read Tracy, my reviews are added to Amazon Uk and Goodreads. xx

Three Fabulous Festive Reads

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With one week to go until Christmas, I am sharing some of my recent Christmas reads. They have left me feeling thoroughly festive, so if you’re looking for a fabulous Christmas read, here’s some recommendations:

One Magical Christmas by Berni Stevens

The Blurb:

When Annie Berry collides with Nik Knoll in a car park on the day of her sister’s wedding, it feels like all of Nik’s Christmases have come at once. Annie seems like just the sort of woman he’d like to get to know, and the chance nature of their encounter is almost like, well … Christmas magic.

My Review:

I love Christmas and read this book with a big smile. The story takes you by the hand, wraps you in Christmas magic and leaves you with a warm, cosy feeling. As a novella, it was a speedy read, which was ideal for me, as a busy mum during the festive period. Berni Stevens’ gorgeous story enabled me to escape for a few hours and to claim a little Christmas magic for myself; a great read with very likeable characters. Recommended for all those who wish they could still believe!

Buy Christmas One Magical Christmas.

Christmas at Black Cherry Retreat by Angela Britnell

The Blurb:

What if you had nowhere to call home for Christmas? 
When Fee Winter books a winter break at the remote Black Cherry Retreat in the small town of Pine Ridge, Tennessee, it’s with the idea that the peace and quiet will help her recuperate from her hectic life as a photographer.

But what she didn’t bank on was meeting Tom Chambers and his huge, interfering yet lovable family. With them, could Fee finally experience the warmth and support that’s been missing from her own life – and maybe even find a place to call home in time for Christmas?

My Review:

This story begins in late fall and moves towards Christmas set in the Tennessee mountains. Told from the point of view of both Fee and Tom, it soon becomes apparent that each of the main characters has issues from their past to overcome.

As the two discover more about each other, the reader is drawn into their story and to understand their motivations. Tom is lovely – a mountain man with a big family and a heart to match. I found I liked the character of Fee more as the story progressed and willed her to allow herself to find happiness.

I loved Tom’s family and the community they inhabited around the Black Cherry Retreat. They provided levity and offered support and guidance to both Tom and Fee. With a touch of intrigue, suspense, a blossoming romance, and some emotional moments this book packs plenty in for an enjoyable Christmas read.

Buy Christmas at Black Cherry Retreat.

Christmas at Borteen Bay by Morton S Gray

The Blurb:

Christmas is a bittersweet time for Pippa Freeman. There are good memories, of course – but some painful ones too. Then her mother is implicated in a mysterious occurrence in their home town of Borteen, and Pippa wonders if she’ll ever experience a happy Christmas again – especially when a family secret is revealed.
But when police officer and old school friend Ethan Gibson offers his support, Pippa begins to realise that even though her life has been turned upside down, a happy and hopeful Christmas isn’t impossible …

(Set in the same fictional village as Morton’s other books but can be read as a standalone.)

My Review:

I greatly enjoyed my third visit to Borteen Bay. The small mentions given to characters from previous books made me smile. Having said that this book can be read and enjoyed as a standalone novella. With a shocking discovery on the beach early on and a touch of intrigue created by family secrets, it hooks you from the start – as you’d expect from Morton S Gray.

The story is told from the point of view of the main characters, Ethan and Pippa, who are both still touched by occurrences from their past, that have divided them. So when Pippa has to turn to Ethan for help, it is more than a body on the beach that is brought to the surface. As the two are thrown together it becomes apparent that Ethan is a different type of romantic hero; he is more measured in his responses and passions, he is flawed and yet thoroughly likeable.

As a novella, it is great to escape into for a few hours over the busy Christmas period. I enjoy Morton’s writing style and the world she has created in her Borteen Bay series. I look forward to visiting again in the future.

Buy Christmas at Borteen Bay.

With three great books to choose from, why not get a hot chocolate, put your feet up and indulge in a Christmas read? And if you haven’t read it yet (shock, horror, what have you been doing with your time?), don’t forget you could also read The Purrfect Pet Sitter, to join Lisa Blake in the French Alps for a Christmas she’ll never forget.

My reviews are posted on Amazon UK and Goodreads. xx

Review of Rosie Green’s Christmas at the Little Duck Pond Cafe

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Today, I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for Rosie Green’s Christmas at the Little Duck Pond Cafe. This is the third of Rosie’s Little Duck Pond novellas.


The blurb:

Fen has always hated being the centre of attention. She loves her new job, working behind the scenes at the Little Duck Pond Cafe and baking the scrumptious cakes that have helped its reputation soar. But frankly, she’d rather scrub the public toilet floor with a toothbrush than have to come out and talk to the customers.

She’s always been happy to stay in the background as long as she has a good supply of books to escape into. That’s her kind of romance – the fictional sort where she can read about other people taking a chance on love, but she doesn’t have to risk her own heart.
But that was before Ethan Fox arrived in the village and turned her world upside down. Ethan is a leading light in the local amateur dramatics theatre company and Fen knows he’s way out of her league.

But when the popular village Christmas pantomime hits a crisis, Fen and Ethan find themselves thrown together. Can Fen overcome her shyness and find the courage to step on stage and save the day?

Genre: Contemporary Romance / Romantic Comedy / novella

My review:

This was my third visit to the Little Duck Pond Cafe and so it felt like returning to catch up on old friends.

Christmas at the Little Duck Pond Cafe follows the story of Fen, who is introduced in the first novella. Fen has been a bit of a shy character in previous books, never really coming to the fore and so it was great to see her take centre stage and shine in this novella. It was good to get to know her better and to will her to find her confidence and the happy ending she deserved.

This was a lovely story about personal growth, finding love and discovering who your friends really are. Being a novella, it is ideal to fit in, during the busy lead up to Christmas and was a great way to escape for a few hours; I am always happy to lose myself in the warm and welcoming world of those who live in and around The Little Duck Pond Cafe and look forward to the next in the series.

Click to buy the book.

About the author:

Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centred on life in a village café. The first two stories in the series are: Spring at The Little Duck Pond Cafe and Summer at The Little Duck Pond Café, you can read my reviews of these books here.

You can find Rosie on Twitter.

Thank you, Rosie, for another great read! Thank you, also to Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for the advance copy of Christmas at the Little Duck Pond Cafe, and for having me along as part of the blog tour.

My reviews are posted on Amazon UK and Goodreads. xx