A romp of a read

 

Loved this book 

We have Henrietta who has secretly loved Lord Alrerton ( Arthur) since they were children. He is actually interested in her as most men at the time were only interested in fortunes. But there is a but not in the way Henrietta really wants.

Three years pass as Aruthur goes to war, he  returns to London, he is ruined finacially, London has changed and do has Herietta no longer the shy girl he left behind.

So she has one season in the summer to shine and will Arthur notice her 

Will there be love .....

Really well written, researched and a joy to read 

Great 2nd series

 

I had previously reviewed the Sea Stone Sisters and was so pleased when the publishers invited me to review this book 

I loved this, this is the second book in the series. This time we see Lily and the clever dual timelines. We see the french Riveria in the 1930s to the present day mystery surrounding the sisters. There is mystery, family secrets and more. I could not put this book down I was lucky as the school was closed so had 2 heat days off.

Recommended series but sadly reader will have to wait till January 14 2027 to read this. Looking forward to the next book.

Lovely Read

 

This book came at the same time as I had seen our local youth theatre The old Mill Theatre company in Tewkesbury who are fab - a plug on a book review.

Gill Piper is moving back to her family home in Leatherhead at the age of 48. She is embarking on a new venture at the Old Edith Evans Theatre. Like a lot of theatres these were once the go to place in town and Gill dreamed of a future on the stage.

Gill is tasked with bringing back the Outreach project called Young Lights but having to put on a play in 2 months in order to secure fundng for the theatre. As expected it  is a hard task to get young people to sign up for this and to make matters worse and aging star Carla Keswick is trying to ensure Gill and the theatre fails. So a bit of a tall order. 

The cast are a fab bunch of characters and it was in the red heat alert in the south west of englsnd when I read this yesterday this was a complete joy to read. 

Mel can write a good story. 

Recommended and due for publication during the fab long school summer holidays.

A lovely story

 

I was so pleased to review Sara Cox new novel and was interested to see if she can write as there is a lot of "celebrity" authors around.

My verdict yes Sara can write and she writes so well. This story is about friendship, coming of age and forbidden love.

Two friends Christy and Abi are friends who grew up next door to each other sharing everything that comes with growing up and their parents were close.

Christy an executive producer has to come back to Manchester as her father is ill but Abi who is now living next door due to an unhsppy marriage and following her mother death.

This story is told through the two girls and their timelines. As their friendship is now on the rocks will this be revived ?

A lovely well written story.

I will be seeking out other novels written by Sarah Cox

Due for publication just as the long school holidays start and will be up there in the top ten this summer.

 

I love Rachel Hores books and was super pleased when I was asked to review this novel

So well researched and I have read a great deal around World War 2.

The story is set in London and France following Marie-Louise and Sarah. These women made huge sacrifices to ensure that the Nazis were not going to win the war. 

Marie-Louise is a leader of Alliance who essentially was gathering intelligence for MI6. Sarah on the other hand turned her house into a safe home for the resistence.

The story is harrowing at times as readers will understand but the author balances this with compassion and excellent research.

Well worth reading and will make a great summer read as published just in time for the fab long summer holidays

An Interesting read

 

I was intrigued and interested to read this 1990s novel. As a fan of Robert Harris I was not disapointed.

The Berlin wall fell on the 9th November 1989 and I remember watching the news at the time. The story is set just after the fall of the wall. and Michael Braun a freelance English journalist. He has been writing about hunting down Nazis who are now older and turning them in for the terrible war crimes they comitted. An editor asks Braun to investigate the Head of the Gestapo- Heinrich Muller. This man is still alive and shockingly working at a Jewish Organisation!!

The hunt is on for Braun to find him and as the hunt intensifires Braun learns that  there is more than just him looking and some of the people searching have a great deal to loose if Heinrich is uncovered.

The plot is fast paced and interesting in a time of post war and post Berlin wall fall.

Recommended read and due for publication October 1st 2026 - so will make a good Christmas present for someone

A MUST READ WE CANNOT FORGET

 

I was interested about this book as this is a lost manuscript and historically so significant and we all know this nuclear bomb ended the war in Japan and ultimately the  end of World War 2.

Growing up the feeling from relatives who had lived through the war was this was so necessary but was it ? apart from famous footage I knew very little of the lives of the people of Hiroshima on the 6th August 1945 - 81 years ago. This is not someome who has researched this, this is first hand and does make for uncomfortsble reading but this is their story and it needs to be told.

These were real people who were not part of Japanese cruelty, they did not personslly invade Singapore and Malya they were ordinary people who happened to be a target to end a world war.

There was the sheer helplessness of the people who did not know the long term effects we do now but why would they have known. Written by the author and understandably  is his way of writing in english so ignore the reviews about being stilited this is his personal account. I particularly aplaud his daughter for writing the forward and from a childs view as well.

This is such an importsnt historical account not just on the day but for remembrance, rebuilding a city looking beyone to peace and why these events should not happen. The human cost of war in this story is just so unforgivable.

This needs to be on school curiculums for history GCSE and A Level. There is so much to learn here.

A recommended read to understand this time in history where soon there will be no one left to tell this story.

Due for publication August 6th 2026

Thank you to NetGalley, Modern Library and the people of Hiroshima for letting me read this significant historical account.

Interesting Read

 

 A lovely read - young woman whose life is not really going anywhere, a forgotten bookshop that a load of cats are living in, a stranfe clock with a secret that may give her the nudge she needs to find her path in life. This story brings hope, love of books, mystery and secrets snd a feel of nostagia.

An interesting read and will resonate with cat lovers too.

Due for publication 27th August 2026

Good Witchy Read

 

I was really pleased when I was sent this book from the publisher 

In this unpresidented red heat what better than a cosy witch read with a Half term Halloween feel. This is romance, witchery, magic and a good laugh too.

Lucy and Benedict - who were childhood rivals- this is essentially a journey from rivalry as children with pranks and humour to love and this journey is so nice. 

The town of Foxford is full of magic, witches, and potions

A lovely read and looking forward to a cooler Halloween 

Already in publication so readers get reading this, this summer.

Thought Provoking

 

I was so pleased to be asked by NetGalley to review this book by the aclaimed historian Tracy Boorman.

 

We are all intrigued by the Anne Boleyn story and that she was probably executed on lies and Henry VIII obsession with a male heir. There is the family too and this novel explores the real and imagined lives of the Boleyn family, Hever Castle and the occupants that lived there in the turbulant.Tudor times.

Tracey explores the family from childhoods of the children of Thomas Boleyn. We paint a picture of a power hungry father with expectations for his children, Tracey has a more sympathetic take on this father as he really did not have any control over his life or family.

Well written by a historian who is always breaking the boundaries of historical fact and who puts her own stamp on arguements, historical information and makes the reader sit up and think about the subject we all think we know.

So recommended and due for publication 4th August 2026, just in time to nbe up there on the top ten shelf and the long school holidays.