These are the books that I most enjoyed reading in March:
Julie Johnson - The Wind Weaver
I enjoyed reading this first book in a fantasy series, a tale of magic and ancient legends. Rhya has been raised by a human guardian, but she is actually half fae, mostly feared by humans. When her guardian is killed and she's sentenced to death, she's rescued by the formidable Captain Scythe, a fearsome fighter. He and his troop of men carry her off to the hidden world of Caldera. There she learns of her true nature, and the prophecy of which she is a part - that there are four mystical fae beings, strong in magic, each capable of manipulating one of the four elements - air, fire, water and earth. She also discovers the astonishing truth about her captor. But her life is still in danger, and there are even darker forces hunting her, also threatening those she is learning to love and trust. Exciting, with dark twists and turns, this captured my imagination despite being occasionally a little long-winded. I'm intrigued to read more of the series.
Denise Robertson - Remember the Moment
I decided to revisit one of the excellent novels by the much-missed novelist and TV agony aunt, Denise Robertson. The detail of her settings and roundness of her characters is second to none. The little touches she adds about what the main character reads and views in the news, while living their own stories, bring the era to life. We also experience what they're eating, wearing, striving for, and this creates a vivid and lively story. The heroine, Emma, is in her thirties and she believes she knows what she wants from life. She's a sharp businesswoman, heading a firm in Manchester while running her late mother's dress shop along with her mother's elderly business partner, Poppy. But she lives a secret life - she's having an affair with her younger colleague, Keith, who's married with a young family. She believes that he will eventually leave his wife and make a life with her. But when she receives a telephone call from nineteen-year old Stephen, with the challenging accusation "What did you mean to my father?", her life is turned upside down. She's never heard of him, or his father, but bizarrely she's been named as a co-beneficiary in his will, alongside Stephen and his sister Avril. Eventually she must face the situation, and travels to Durham in order to unravel the mystery. There she clashes swords with Robert, their solicitor, while trying to sort out her relationship with Keith. A skillful and deep book with many twists and turns.
Sue Moorcroft - Over the Sea to Skye
This is the third of the author's Skye Sisters trilogy, focusing on Valentina, the eldest of the three adopted sisters. The English sisters have all ended up living in Scotland - the younger two, Essie and Thea, on the picturesque Isle of Skye, while Valentina lives in Inverness with her family. Her marriage to Gary having broken down, she leaves her job and escapes for the summer with her young son, Barney, to her recently purchased holiday home on the island to be near her sisters. On the journey, she meets American tourist Xander, who's searching for his roots in Skye and has brought his nephew MacDonald with him. Valentina tries to make life as normal as possible for her son whilst nursing her emotional wounds. But her restorative holiday is knocked off-course when a disturbing accident means that she is summoned back to Inverness to deal with Gary's family and his new partner, the much-younger Minerva. Life becomes a nightmarish balancing act, trying to forge a new life while doing what she feels is right for the welfare of her son. There's also an unexpected communication from someone who could be related to her. And surely the added complication of attractive American Xander who is showing her attention is something she doesn't need right now? Another excellent novel of family, sisterhood, and what love really means.
