March books

My favourite reads from March are:

Margaret Amatt - Stolen Kisses at the Loch View Hotel

This is a light-hearted romance set in Scotland, filled with a cast of interesting characters and lots of secrets to be uncovered. Briony has inherited a run-down hotel from her grandmother, who was never close to her. It's Briony's dream to make the hotel a success, especially now she's divorced from her cheating husband. But lacking the necessary funds, she needs to find an investor for it, or even a purchaser who will let her stay on as manager. Young American Zach has been sent by his boss, Mr. Beyer, to look over the hotel and see if it's going to be worth his investment. There are surprises in store when Briony and Zach discover that they met a few years earlier, when a series of misunderstandings damaged their original attraction to each other. Plus it turns out that Mr. Beyer has ulterior motives for looking at the Loch View Hotel. Lots of twists and turns, a delinquent soppy dog, local legends and family secrets in this enjoyable story told from the point of view of both Briony and Zach. Plus I learned some new American terms - who knew that on the other side of the Atlantic, 'walkers' aren't people who enjoy a pleasant hike, but are actually zombies! 

Jenni Keer - No. 23 Burlington Square

This was a delight of a book! Agnes Humphries has lived all her life in the same house in Kensington. After her father died and the younger sister she brought up married, Agnes couldn't bring herself to move away from her memories. Eventually she decided to open the house to lodgers. But now, in August 1927, one of her lodgers has passed away, and she needs to find another tenant for the room. She has a choice of three - young Mrs. Mercy Mayweather, who lost her husband in the War; Stephen Thompson, a middle-aged bank clerk; and her sister's daughter Clara, who leads a wild life and has now been barred from her own home by her father. Each one of the proposed tenants harbours a shocking secret. Whichever one she chooses will lead to a vastly different outcome for Agnes and the other residents of the house. The author writes the story of the different consequences that would unfold, depending on who Agnes takes into no. 23. Fascinating, enthralling, and an engaging sense of time and place. I thoroughly recommend this novel.

Erica James - A Secret Garden Affair

It's some time since I read a book by Erica James, but this one reminded me how much I enjoy her writing. At first the novel appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary, but as it developed I was pulled into the fascinating back-story. In the lead-up to Prince Charles and Lady Diana's much-hyped royal wedding, Libby discovers just weeks before her own wedding that her fiance Marcus has cheated on her. She flees to the place where she feels most comfortable - Larkspur House, and her beloved Great Aunt Bess. When Bess was a young girl, she started work there as maid to Elfrida, the daughter of the owner. As the years went by the two women became indispensible to each other, as they experienced love, heartache, and tragedy. As Libby begins to negotiate her changed circumstances, Bess and Elfrida's stories are also revealed to the reader, with the secrets that they share and never wish to be known. But somehow these begin to seep out, and the ripples upturn the lives of others connected to them. A beautifully-written tale of women's experiences in different decades of the twentieth century.

February Books

The best books from my February reading are:

Imogen Clark - In a Single Moment

The novel opens in Lincoln in the summer of 1976, when two mothers give birth in the same hospital room in the middle of the heatwave. For Michelle, it's her fourth child, although she and Dean married young. Sylvie, in contrast, is an older mum having her first child. The babies are taken to the nursery to settle overnight. But when she returns to her simple but bustling home, Michelle begins to wonder if there has been some mistake. She'd thought little Donna was the image of her father, but no longer sees any resemblance. Could the babies have been swapped accidentally? Sylivie, in the well-heeled part of town, finds it hard to bond with new baby Leonora, but attributes it to the fact that motherhood was not a role she particuarly desired. As the years go by, Michelle can never quite forget her uncertainty about Donna, much as she loves her. Then unexpectedly, she sees Sylvie and recognises her. Ought she to voice her suspicions to her, or let things lie? If it turned out to be true, the knowledge could cause much heartache to both the girls and their families. But even keeping  such a momentous secret can disrupt lives. This is a novel that keeps the reader guessing throughout. Will the truth ever be known? 

Gail Muller - Unlost

A non-fiction memoir about a woman finding herself through an extreme outdoor experience. Englishwoman Gail Muller developed an excruciating pain syndrome in early adulthood. For years she tried to live a normal life, concealing the extent of her illness from friends for the sake of acceptance. Following life-changing but little-known treatment, she decided to walk the Appalachian Trail, an almost 2000-mile-long hiking trail, following the east coast of America, in an attempt to regain her confidence. Although some people hike this trail for recreation, there are a huge number who walk it from beginning to end, carrying all their needs in one backpack and camping along the way. This is the account of how she endures hardship, discomfort, extreme weather and danger to find something lost within herself. The book is peopled with a selection of varied characters, from her gritty determined fellow-hikers to the people who help them along the way. We learn about the strange codes of conduct and the insulated world of the long-distance hikers who test their endurance to the limit, cut off from the world with the bare minimum of goods needed to survive. It's a fascinating read, seeing how Gail finds her inner courage and strength after many years of poor health, and how it restored her belief in herself.

Luisa A. Jones - The Broken Vow

This is actually the second book in a series, and I hadn't read the first one. However, I was intrigued when I read an excerpt, and I'm a fan of World War I fiction, so decided to read it. I wasn't disappointed. The beginning of the novel supplies us with a secret which is never revealed to Charlotte, the heroine. This is a clever device because presumably it will be revealed in a future novel in this series, and is an enticement to read on! In 1914, Charlotte is mourning the loss of her beloved father. Her emotionally distant stepmother Rosamund is expecting a baby, and if this turns out to be a boy, Charlotte will lose her inheritance. There's some consolation in the fact that she's now engaged to Eustace, in fulfilment of her father's dream for her to marry into the aristocracy. But the wedding is delayed as she's in mourning and Eustace has gone off to fight in France. As the War begins to reveal that it's not a jolly men's adventure after all, and the grim reality of its horrors begin to affect so many families back in England, Charlotte too is forced to face up to real life. Finding a determination and strength inside, she opens the doors of her father's house, Plas Norton, to be used as a convalescent home for injured officers. It's harder than she could ever have imagined, but with the help of her friend Venetia and others from all levels of society, she finally begins to grow up - but at what cost? And will the birth of a little half-brother take it all away from her? Well-written with plenty of historical detail to set the drama in its time.

January Books

 These are my favourite reads from January:

Jamie Beck - The Happy Accidents

Successful artist Jess invites her younger sister Liz and her friend Chloe to celebrate her birthday with her. Jess can't get over the break-up of her marriage to Dennis, believing he was the love of her life. But there was one thing he wanted that she was unwilling to compromise over. The day after isn't good - she wakes up after having a one-night stand, to find that Liz is regretting a drunken rant about her co-host on daytime tv, and that Chloe has gambled away five thousand dollars which she can't afford. Back in her lonely house, Jess has no inspiration to create. She knows that she needs to find a new path in life, and wonders whether maybe she could build bridges with her successful, career-oriented parents who frowned upon her artistic talent. Meanwhile the fall-out from Liz's faux-pas devastates her own career. Chloe has to face that her husband Jeff is disappointed in her, while feeling powerless to do anything about this debt because she's a stay-at-home mother. But what if this is a turning-point in all of their lives? What if the way to overcome all of their mistakes is to turn to a new direction? Three very different characters beautifully drawn by the author, and a story that pulls along the reader as we join the three women on their rocky roads and cheer them on as they try to find the courage to change.  

Jenny Kane - Frost Falls over the Potting Shed

Maddie's father, Tony, agreed to leave her his house and their plant nursery, The Potting Shed, while her sister Sabi would get valuables that would be more meaningful for her role as husband to a successful architecht and mother to their daughter. However, Tony died before his will could be changed. Now the two young women are joint owners of The Potting Shed, and it's been a struggle for Maddie to bring it through the Pandemic. It has become her sole dream to upgrade it to a garden centre, as she and her father had wished. Then a large garden centre company offers to buy their land as storage for their new branch that they're proposing to open nearby. Sabi jumps at the chance, as her dream house has come up for sale. Maddie can't afford to buy out her sister, and will struggle even to pay the local solicitors her share of their bill. Surprisingly, the attractive new partner, Ed, is willing to help her with her fight against Big Garden Centres, and he's interested in her romantically. But Maddie has too much on her mind, especially as it looks like her family is falling apart and she's going to lose her livelihood too. As Christmas approaches, Maddie wonders if she can trust anyone. A warm-hearted tale of reaching for dreams and finding that all may not be lost when the chips are down.

Matthew FitzSimmons - Chance (Constance Book #2)

I've already blogged about my appreciation of the first book in this series (Constance), set in the not-too-distant future. This is a plausible near-future world. The novels circle around human cloning, which has become possible in the author's world. Yet again the reader is flung into a roller-coaster thriller and mystery. Chance is only twenty one years old, but was cloned as a boy when he was killed by his kidnappers, as was his older brother Marley. But Marley is really dead now, and Chance spends his time doing life-threatening stunts. He's now on his fifth clone. He believes that his father, a former director of Palingenesis (the cloning company) isn't telling him the truth about his abduction. He has no memory of his kidnapping because his consciousness was uploaded a month before that. But his mindset has changed, and all he wants is to escape with Maggie, the woman he loves. Unexpectedly he wakens from another download into a clone, and finds that he's being charged with murder - the killing of one of his abductors. Soon he discovers that it's not only his father who's hiding secrets. As Chance fights to find out the truth about his past and find meaning in his life, he may be uncovering concealed facts that are too shocking to know, and may destroy him forever. Another gripping story in this series.

December books

My favourite reads from December are:

Caroline Montague - Shadows over the Spanish Sun

While I was reading this novel that I realised that I was also watching Michael Portillo's television series on Andalucia, where the novel is set! It was very helpful to picture the scenes better in my mind, as this is a region I've never visited. However, television backup is not required to enjoy this dual-time novel. In the year 2000, Mia travels to Spain to look after her eighty-five year old grandfather Leonardo, who has been severely injured by a riding accident. Mia has grown up in England, as her mother Rafaela ran away to marry there. But Mia has always had a strong connection to Leonardo, and feels dissatisfied with her life. Caring for him brings her new insights into her own situation and what she needs to leave behind, although her way ahead is still unclear. As the weeks go by, long-buried secrets of the past and the shadows of the Spanish Civil War begin to emerge. Leonardo's story is revealed, as well as that of his adopted sister, Valeria, a woman who broke the boundaries of the time with her talent and bravery. A fascinating insight into this history, brutal and honest at times, but filled with tenderness and respect for those who tried to fight for their freedom. A book that drew in my attention and kept it until the last word.

Kimberley Adams - Love Lindisfarne

A bright and engaging Christmas novel about a magical, historic island in my region of the country. Ellie has a disastrous ending to her relationship with her boyfriend, who's also her work colleague. Longing to escape her dull job in London, she takes a short-term post as an animal-sitter in Lindisfarne in Northumberland. When she arrives there, she discovers that it's actually a tidal island. Rescued from the incoming tide by gorgeous islander Zen, she finds herself living in a castle and caring for a motley group of animals at the shelter, including two alpacas! To her surprise, the other islanders take her to their hearts. Ellie learns how to trust again while experiencing the wonder of the beautiful skies, the history of Holy Island, the wild beaches and the tranquility of being far from the city. Although she's smitten by Zen, his sister has told her that he's still getting over a brokwn heart. Ellie wonders if she should instead have a fling with Aidan, the devastatingly attractive younger son of the local Lord, who owns the castle. As Christmas approaches and they have to deal with the vicissitudes of nature, Ellie realises that she's come to love Lindisfarne, and all the islanders too. What choices must she make for the future? Warm and enticing, a Christmas novel with a difference.

Sue Watson - The Sister-in-Law

Clare and Dan and their three young children join his parents for an Italian villa summer holiday. It's what Clare has longed for - she and Dan are trying to rebuild their marriage after his second affair. He's contrite, not wanting to lose her, but Clare longs for the peace of the villa to give them time to rediscover their love for each other. She's also looking forward to spending time with Dan's adventurous younger brother, Jamie, who always brings fun to the holidays. But when Jamie arrives, he's not alone. There's a beautiful young woman with him, and he introduces Ella as his wife. Suddenly the atmosphere of the holiday changes. Clare feels belittled by Ella's constant remarks that make her feel unattractive and over-the-hill. She also seems to have usurped Clare's warm relationship with her mother-in-law, Joy, has attracted attention from the errant Dan, and has become a subject of hero-worship for Clare's nine-year-old daughter, Violet. The reader feels Clare's despair as her hopes of mending her marriage begin to crumble. But it's clear from her narrative that everything is heading for a dreadful conclusion. As we're kept guessing, this is a real edge-of-the-seat novel, full of emotional suspense as it forges forward towards its conclusion.

November Books

These are my favourite reads from November:

Matthew FitzSimmons - Constance

Set around twenty years in the future, I found this an excellent read. The advances in technology are plausible, the world feels real. In this future, human cloning has become a reality. Constance D'Arcy (Con) wakes in a laboratory as a clone. The last she remembers is her twenty-four-year-old self attending an appointment for her latest 'upload' - a record of her body and her mind that takes place every month. But Con has no recollection of the last eighteen months between her 'upload' and the day she becomes conscious. Physically adjusting to life as a clone is tricky, especially as she shouldn't have been allowed to revive at all. Knowing that it means that her 'real' self is dead, Con escapes the lab into a hostile world. Many people think clones are an abomination, and it's just a struggle to survive. But she's determined to fill in the events of those missing eighteen months, and discover what happened to her old self. But who can she trust? In constant fear for her life, she follows leads, uncovering disturbing truths, as layer after layer of plot is revealed. Twists and turns abound, almost at each corner, as the leader is led along a thrilling journey with Con until she uncovers the final shocking reason for her existence. Brilliant.

Dr Gladys McGarey - The Well-lived Life: a 102-year-old doctor's six secrets to health and happiness at every age

This is an amazing non-fiction book. This incredible woman is still going strong at the age of 102. In the book she recounts episodes from her long and varied life, and how they have formed her way of living and working. Her philosophy of treating people is to teach them not to battle what life throws in their way, but approach it with love. She's healed many people that conventional medicine considered to be untreatable. She's also survived two diagnoses of different types of cancer, plus several other devastating experiences in her life. This is a book which gives a different way of looking at life's challenges, and how there can be other routes to wellness that conventional treatment has overlooked. Her so-called Six Secrets offer much food for thought.

Natasha Solomons - I, Mona Lisa

When I chose this novel, I thought it was going to be about the life of the subject of the Mona Lisa painting, Lisa del Giocondo. However, it turns out to be the story of the painting, sentient and able to communicate with her creator, Leonardo da Vinci. She can also speak to artists of genius, and over the centuries she interacts with, among others,  Michaelangelo and Picasso. Through her eyes we see the studio of her master, his assistants, the other artists who visit Leonardo plus nobility, popes, and royalty. Leonardo takes the portrait everywhere, treats her like a beloved daughter, confides in her. As the centuries pass, we follow her journey to France, see the court through her eyes, and discover how she ends up in the Louvre museum, where she experiences theft and concealment for her safety. I found myself drawn into the story of this enigmatic masterpiece of art, and how the author envisions the soul of the painted woman. A very different but intriguing novel which brings to life the world of the artist in vivid detail and the historic details of the existence of the Mona Lisa.

October books

My best reads from October are:

Jen Black - Fair Border Bride

Set in Tudor times in the borders between England and Scotland, this is an enjoyable historical romance. Alina is the daughter of a border nobleman, and it is her duty to marry well to form a beneficial alliance for her family. But a chance encounter at a nearby market town, when young Harry Scott saves her from an escaped bull, opens Alina's mind to another future. He's on a secret mission for his father, and can't reveal his true name, so she believes he's from one of the local reiving families. These are outlaws steal cattle and horses, and make life difficult for the wealthy of the area. Harry too is smitten by Alina, and his reckless trip to spy on her home leads him to imprisonment by her father. Harry and Alina must overcome separation, rivalry, and family hostility if they want to be together. This novel is full of adventure as hero and heroine struggle against the obstacles that threaten to keep them apart. 

Barbara Davis - The Echo of Old Books

Bookshop owner Ashlyn has a rare ability - she can feel the emotions of the people who previously owned the books she holds in her hands. When two anonymous books come into her possession from a house clearance, the intensity of the emotions associated with them takes her breath away. It's the same story in each book, written from two different points of view. Somehow the stories within them ring true, and she begins a journey to discover the identities of the authors. As she makes a connection with Ethan, who donated the books after his father's death, the novel dips in and out of the two mysterious books, and we begin to follow the love affair of the two unnamed protagonists. A fascinating novel, pulling the reader into this mystery and the intensity of the love, hurt and loss of the two authors of the old books, as well as Ashlyn's own story. Excellent.

Soraya M. Lane - The Last Correspondent

This World War II novel about the trials and adventures of women news correspondents is exciting and detailed. In1943, American Danni is convinced she's as good as any male news photographer, and keeps up with her English writing partner Andy as they join soldiers at the front line. Ella, meanwhile, reports in the USA under a male pseudonym until her identity is discovered and she loses her job. Despite her trepidation, this spurs her to head to London to make a name for herself. Andy's sister Chloe also aspires to follow her own dream, to rekindle her love affair with Gabriel, who she met during a pre-war modelling assignment in Paris. She's determined to find a way to join him in occupied France, but is unaware of the dangers she might face and how the War may have changed him. As D-Day approaches and both Danni and Ella defy the stunting rules about female correspondents staying away from the action, the three women's stories gradually become entwined. The horrors of war and the courage of women like them is brought vividly to life in this fast-paced story of love, loss and fortitude. The author reveals that the three heroines were inspired by the real women who went to war in those challenging times. Riveting.

September books

My favourite reads from September are: 

Jenni Keer - Secrets of Hawthorne Place

This is a dual-time novel which is refreshingly different. Two identical houses, built hundreds of miles apart, that have a strange connection;the secret love of a Victorian architect for a married woman; plus a modern day young woman who seems to be stuck in her teenage persona and unable to grow up, until family hearbreak and an eerie discovery force her to take responsibility for her own life. Molly is a flawed heroine, immature and selfish. But as she learns basic life skills and finds that she's thinking of others rather than herself, she begins to develop her own talents in researching the history of her grandfather's house. Alongside the story the reader also gets a fascinating insight into  Arts and Crafts architecture. It's a coming-of-age story with a difference, with a lot of fun as well as emotional depth. 

Diana Gabaldon - Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone

This is the ninth novel in Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander' series. I'm including it in my favourite reads because I'm a long-time fan of the books, but I wouldn't recommend anyone to read it without having finished the previous eight novels, as you need knowledge of so much back story to fully appreciate it. Yet again it's full of her vivid historical detail, as Clare and Jamie's story continues during the American War of Independence, while their pre-knowledge of historical facts affects their lives and choices. We also see further development of the lives of the next generation: the families of their daughter Brianna and her husband Roger, plus Jamie's adopted son Fergus and his family, as well as Jamie's son William. Yes, it's a long book, possibly too long as she lingers over so many (amazing) historical details. However, it's sweeping, informative, and somehow magnetic, keeping my attention throughout its 1300 or so pages.

Jen Wheeler - The Light on Farallon Island

A fascinating debut novel from this American author. In mid-19th Century, Farallon Island off San Francisco is a remote place, reached only by a treacherous boat journey. Here the lighthouse is tended by a group of three keepers, who live there with their families. But it's also the site of a bizarre - and lucrative - harvest each year. A group of men called the 'Eggers' arrive from the mainland and spend weeks gathering the eggs of the seabirds known as 'murre' (we call them guillemots). Just before the egg gatherers arrive in 1859, Amelia steps on to Farralon Island to take up the post of teacher to the six children of the keepers. She's assumed her friend Lucy's name, hiding a dreadful secret and hoping to escape the nightmares of her past life. But her meeting with the Eggers' supervisor, Will Sisson, turns out to be a fateful one. As she embraces life on this wild and remote island, Amelia finds that her emotions are stirred, but fear lurks in unexpected places, and she discovers that she's not as safe from her past as she would have liked. Captivating, raw, realistic, full of harsh realities on the edge of mysticism, I found I couldn't put down this novel with all its unforseen twists and turns.