This book has just confirmed that I love Emily Henry’s writing. It’s funny, sad, poignant, heartwarming, hot, sexy and just fab! The only problem thatThis book has just confirmed that I love Emily Henry’s writing. It’s funny, sad, poignant, heartwarming, hot, sexy and just fab! The only problem that I have is that I just read her books in one gulp. I can’t put them down and so they don’t last long enough for me! I need to make myself slow down and savour them a bit more! Maybe with the next book!
Daphne has a great story of how she met her fiance Peter. He tells it the best, which considering she is a children’s librarian is pretty funny. What isn’t funny is when he comes home from his bachelor party to say she is dumped and he is going off with his best friend Petra. Devastated, Daphne ends up moving in with Miles, Petra’s ex. Who is gorgeous. So when she gets an invite to their wedding she says she is bringing Miles, her boyfriend! What first starts as a plan to get back at them with cute selfies, becomes so much more when they realise they are falling for each other.
Oh so complicated but at its heart so simple. It’s just love and I adored this book!...more
UPSTAIRS, MADAM IS PLANNING THE PARTY OF THE SEASON. DOWNSTAIRS, THE SERVANTS ARE PLOTTING THE HEIST OF THE CENTURY. When Mrs King, housekeeper to tUPSTAIRS, MADAM IS PLANNING THE PARTY OF THE SEASON. DOWNSTAIRS, THE SERVANTS ARE PLOTTING THE HEIST OF THE CENTURY. When Mrs King, housekeeper to the most illustrious home in Mayfair, is suddenly dismissed after years of loyal service, she knows just who to recruit to help her take revenge.
‘The house….New built, all diamond money, glinting white. It obliterated the light, shrivelled everything around it. The neighbours hated it.’ A black-market queen out to settle her scores. An actress desperate for a magnificent part. A seamstress dreaming of a better life. And Mrs King's predecessor, who has been keeping the dark secrets of Park Lane far too long. Mrs King has an audacious plan in mind, one that will reunite her women in the depths of the house on the night of a magnificent ball - and play out right under the noses of her former employers…
‘Her first theft. Or, rather: the first correction. It wasn’t simply stealing, not at all.’
Ooh I rubbed my hands together with GLEE at this one, stupendous! The Housekeepers by Alex Hay is simply THE perfect combo of historical fiction and heist movie. Oceans crossed with Downton crossed with Bridgerton.
‘This is a robbery, not opening night at the Coliseum.’
I loved the cast of characters, Miss De Vries; the image of propriety, ice cold. Mrs King, controlled, strong, clever. Mrs Bone, brilliantly sharp, tough as nails, speaks her mind. The women are front and centre with the men relegated to bit parts, it’s a joy to read, I loved how the tension increased throughout and there is a dark undercurrent to the plot which adds an extra layer.
‘Get Out…. It pleased her. It gave her exactly what she needed. Permission to do her worst.’
And secrets, so many secrets, what a tangled web we weave! Masterfully crafted, drip fed to keep you wanting more, I couldn’t leave this one, I HAD to know if they would succeed, and did they?…well dear reader, you shall simply have to get this one and find out!...more
This is the fifth of the Barsetshire Chronicles and is the longest so far of thegreatanthonytrollopereadlaong
We are introduced to Lily Dale and her loThis is the fifth of the Barsetshire Chronicles and is the longest so far of thegreatanthonytrollopereadlaong
We are introduced to Lily Dale and her love for the ambitious and self serving Crosbie. When she is jilted by him, she is crushed, yet tries to hide her grief. When her honest suitor Johnny Eames wishes for more with her, she is determined to keep to a life of spinsterhood, feeling that her heart will always belong to Crosbie. There are multiple threads to this story, . The titular Small House is lived in by Bell, Lily and their mother rent free from Kit Dale who is the girls Uncle. He feels some ownership of the girls and wants to marry Bell to her cousin Bernard, heir to The Great and Small house. But Bell isn’t having any of it and they decide to leave The small House to the chagrin of Kit. There are a myriad of brilliant characters including the fabulous Lord de Guest and Lady Julia, an altercation with a bull, from which Johnny Eames rescues him. Crosbie wheedles his way into the De Courcy family, marrying Alexandrina, it doesn’t end well ( little fist pump here- he deserves it). The hilarious Sir Raffle Buffle, who is Johnny’s boss, the wonderful Hopkins, gardener at Allington, the Ropers and house guests in London- the list goes on. I just can’t do it justice.
The story dips and dives, people flit in and out, there is a cameo appearance by my beloved Mr Harding and we meet Plantagenet Palliser, who will feature later in the year in our Palliser series.
Trollope is a master of complex stories, of love and Victorian relationships. He draws a vivid picture and a contrast between country and city life, it can be scrambling and rambling at times but it’s wonderful to sink into the world of Barchester and Trollope and feel miles away from the real world!...more
My review is taken from my Bookstagram update posts *contains spoilers*
And here we are away from the cathedral city of Barchester to Greshamsbury wherMy review is taken from my Bookstagram update posts *contains spoilers*
And here we are away from the cathedral city of Barchester to Greshamsbury where matrimonial prospects abound.
Young Frank Gresham is heir to the impoverished estate and loves with all his heart Mary Thorne, niece of the local and titular doctor. An unsuitable marriage many feel, including Mary herself at the outset as her mother came from poverty, and of whom no-one except her Uncle knows or mentions.
The De Courcy’s; Frank’s relations; are hilarious, Arabella in particular is much in the vein of Lady Catherine de Bourgh and other well known ‘haaaandbag’ speeches which just makes me smile. They ban Mary from Greshamsbury thinking she wants to get her hands on Frank and the estate.
It transpires that Mary May in fact be heir to a huge fortune and as Frank Gresham is meant to marry for money, what will happen to this lovely couple?
Trollope is on fine form, the writing is lighthearted, witty and is a joy to spend time in this books pages!
——————————- Further tales from Greshamsbury
Frank is off to Courcy Castle. His aunt is matchmaking, of which he is not keen, as we readers know he holds a candle for Mary Thorne.
Trollope is quite tongue in cheek at times with his writing, he is with us on the outside, laughing with a knowing wink at some of these characters; Mr Nearthewinde a parliamentary agent ( remind you of anyone?!), Mr Closerstil, Doctor Filgrave, Reddypalm the publican; all have raised a chortle from me with my reading! Even the Bishop of Barchester and Mrs Proudie, who as we know is the actual bishop ...more
I’ve said it before but DS George Cross is just a fantastic character and one of my all time favourite detectives. Diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum DiI’ve said it before but DS George Cross is just a fantastic character and one of my all time favourite detectives. Diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder he can be blunt and socially awkward but he solves cases and sees things that others don’t. DS Ottey is his partner and facilitates this ability whilst also trying to help him negotiate his social faux pas. Their relationship is the glue to this fantastic series:
‘How long have you been here in this community, Father?’ Ottey asked. ‘At St Eustace’s? Gosh, over sixty years now. Before that I was at Prinknash Abbey.’ ‘Near Gloucester,’ Cross monksplained, needlessly, to Ottey. ‘You must have seen a lot of change in that time,’ Ottey continued, ignoring her partner.’
As the title suggests, the titular monk is our victim. Brother Dominic reported missing and then found murdered quite brutally in a wood near to the monastery. But who would kill a monk?
‘Cross couldn’t imagine why such a fate would befall a man who had made the decision to withdraw himself from everyday life and devote himself to one of contemplation and prayer. What could possibly provoke someone to do this to a monk?’
Cross is tenacious in his investigation and dots all the i’s and crosses all the t’s. I love his attention to detail. The plot appears to meander much in the way a real investigation must do and I love the pace of this but it is complex, as facts come to light we follow this pair on their journey to unmask a killer.
‘An emotional reaction to a crime scene was an unnecessary distraction.’
It’s a tightly woven plot with plenty of twists and turns. I spotted one or two but not all which is the genius of Sullivan. I think this series of books would be TV Gold personally, let’s hope it gets made!
One hot summer day, stuck in traffic on her way to pick up the cake for her daughter's sixteenth birthday party, Amazing Grace Adams - Fran Littlewood
One hot summer day, stuck in traffic on her way to pick up the cake for her daughter's sixteenth birthday party, Grace Adams snaps. She doesn't scream or break something or cry. She simply abandons her car and walks away. Today she'll show her daughter that no matter how far we fall we can always get back up again. Because Grace Adams was amazing. Her husband and daughter once thought so. They and the world might have forgotten. But Grace is about to remind them ...
‘She speaks five languages yet she could not find the vocabulary to articulate her heart sickness, to negotiate their grief.’
I loved Grace from the very first page, in the sweltering heat as Grace walks away from her car, I just knew I was going to love her! She has more brains than I’ll ever have, gifted, anxious, terrified, an amazing linguist, a brave superwoman and a little bit broken perhaps -within a few pages I just felt I knew her.
‘Quietly, calmly, she has taken the bolt-cutters to social convention. She has set herself free.’
As the book progresses we jump back and forth in time unravelling the story of Grace, Lotte and Ben. I found this a bit tricky at times to place, due to the format I was reading but it still flows well. I also found it a hard read at times, I think because I have had teenage kids, the thought of some of the issues got to me and so I read this in segments over a longer period than I would usually.
‘It’s impossible to tell where the perimenopause stops and she begins, and she’s asking herself who she would be if it wasn’t for these chemical enemies raging through her body,’
However the characterisation is wonderful, you can feel the tension mounting as Grace’s day progresses, it’s an emotional maelstrom and incredibly vivid to read.
‘‘That’s not rage, darling. That’s your fear, your grief exploded.’ She pinches her fingers together, then springs them apart so that her empty hands are stars.’
I think there was just one conversation that I really loved and that was the kindly lady who buys her a drink and tends her wounds, worldly wise and truthful- it’s beauty in word form.
‘I know you feel like no one sees you,’ the woman says, and her breath is sweet, like lilac. ‘I’m here telling you, I see you.’
It is a book about words and languages and the power of words that are spoken and even more so those that are not. That even though we have these words we cannot sometimes articulate how we feel. It’s total and literally visceral heartbreak come the end, this book has taken me on an absolute rollercoaster of emotion and I urge you to do the same. ...more
Twenty years ago: One rainy night, Olivia Rutherford is driving three friends home when a figure in the road causes her to swerve and crash. RegainingTwenty years ago: One rainy night, Olivia Rutherford is driving three friends home when a figure in the road causes her to swerve and crash. Regaining consciousness, she finds herself alone in the car - her friends have vanished and are never seen again. Now: Journalist Jenna Halliday visits the close-knit community of Stafferbury to persuade Olivia to talk and solve the mystery of the girls' disappearance. But Olivia won't speak. What happened? Jenna believes Olivia is hiding something, the people of the village seem frightened and there are a lot of hidden secrets to be uncovered.
Wow! I was gripped from the start with this one. This book is so full of foreboding and atmosphere, creepy and tense, I could feel the tension rising as I read. It has really great flow to read, written from different characters POV it works well. A truly eerie read I got totally sucked in, imagining the surroundings of Jenna’s cabin isolated in the forest, reading this at night is not a good idea I can tell you! I was turning over all sorts of possibilities in my mind and was quite jumpy too. I didn’t trust anyone and my perceptions of the characters kept reframing. I was rooting for Jenna but of the other characters, with the twists and turns I didn’t know what to think! On tenterhooks I raced towards the end and oh it was good!
A perfectly creepy thriller for the autumn season.
Thanks so much to Penguin UK Books and Claire Douglas for my copy of this book to review...more
‘Men like the Dogs, who made their way in life with their fists, wits and weapons…Always looking for a job. Always spoiling for a fight.’
July 1346
Wow,‘Men like the Dogs, who made their way in life with their fists, wits and weapons…Always looking for a job. Always spoiling for a fight.’
July 1346
Wow, with a punch we are in the midst of war, fighting our way off the beach in Normandy with the Essex Dogs, a band of ten men, sword and longbow arms to anyone who pays. In this case Sir Robert le Straunge and through him Lord Warwick and King Edward at the start of the Hundred Years War and a March through France.
Straight away I got a real sense of who these characters all were, fleshed out, you could smell the dirt, the blood, the fear. The plot moves fast and this is one addictive read. Dan Jones really know his stuff, this is so apparent on reading, little details woven in makes it an immersive experience to read.
I raced through this one, it is full to the brim with action, muck, blood and history. Enthralling, exciting, just superb
I cannot tell you how good this book is, although it is fiction, it is based in fact and I was googling people all over the place to read more. Dan Jones has stepped nimbly from non fiction to fiction with neat aplomb and I want MORE!!
Basically from the off I wanted to just write in shouty caps how good this book is! I was gripped from the start and the longer I read the more I justBasically from the off I wanted to just write in shouty caps how good this book is! I was gripped from the start and the longer I read the more I just wanted to stand and give a standing ovation. So stand up and take a bow Helen Fields because this is one of the best crime novels I’ve read!
In search of a new life, Adriana Clark’s family moves to the ancient, ocean-battered Isle of Mull. Then she goes missing. Faced with hostile locals and indifferent police, her desperate parents turn to private investigator Sadie Levesque. Sadie is the best at what she does. But when she finds Adriana’s body in a cliffside cave, a seaweed crown carefully arranged on her head, she knows she’s dealing with something she’s never encountered before. The deeper she digs into the island’s secrets, the closer danger creeps – and the more urgent her quest to find the killer grows.
Gripping story - check. Great female lead character full of feistiness and sass - check. Twists and turns galore - check. Remote location - check. Tension that build and builds - oh yes!!
Gripping, grisly, heart thumping and completely enthralling - the final pages just blew me away, my jaw was on the floor! What a shock and out of the blue, on the level of Agatha’s And Then There Were None in the twist stakes. I absolutely did not see it coming and that is the best sort of read!
Do I want to read more from this author? YES. Loads of caps, all the stars!!
I just really enjoyed this step back in time and a reimagining of Anne Sharpe, who was indeed governess to Fanny Austen. Hornby has been meticulous inI just really enjoyed this step back in time and a reimagining of Anne Sharpe, who was indeed governess to Fanny Austen. Hornby has been meticulous in her research and it is clear she has a love of Jane Austen and her world. It full of period detail but I just loved the story, the emotion of it and although I know what happened in real life, I really was rooting for Anne and for there to be a different ending in some ways! The tensions of life above and below stairs are so well done with poor Anne in a halfway house. It is witty and the characterisations are wonderful, I also really liked the realisation of Jane Austen herself. I think it is a great addition to the Austen universe....more
‘I’m so…lonely. I’m lonely like a big ache all the time’
This story is heartwrenchingly good, I felt like I wasThat Green Eyed Girl - Julie Owen Moylan
‘I’m so…lonely. I’m lonely like a big ache all the time’
This story is heartwrenchingly good, I felt like I was in a bubble that I didn’t want to burst such was the power these characters had over me.
‘Her eyes, that lying mouth that kissed me goodnight.’
In cool, mid century New York the stories of Dovie, Gillian, Ava and Mary- Lynn are completely absorbing. Hidden lives, secrets, deception betrayal and love are tenderly told. I felt immersed in smoke filled jazz bars, could feel the heat of a sweltering New York apartment, the cruelty of what is is to be a teenage girl with all the heartache and the horror and fear of what it meant to have to hide your sexuality and what could happen if you were found out.
‘I wanted her to know that I knew everything and I would never forgive her.’
It is utterly compelling, page turning and atmospheric and I didn’t want it to end.
‘I had not prepared for the chance that I might like her.’
Evoking memories of Imelda Marcos and Elena Ceaușescu, here the Dictators wife of the title ‘I had not prepared for the chance that I might like her.’
Evoking memories of Imelda Marcos and Elena Ceaușescu, here the Dictators wife of the title is Marija Popa. Set in fictional Yanussia, Laura returns to the land of her family as part of the defence team for the woman, wife and mother of a nation who was married to a toppled dictator and is now on trial for her life and his crimes. She says she is not the person they say, she is not her husband, she is innocent but do we, the reader believe her and can Laura find out the truth?
‘How can it be that what terrifies us may also entrance us, despite, because of, our fear?’
Wow! I know this is fiction but this felt really real! The scenes at the press conference with rabid crowds surging, the violence, you could feel the rage. We’ve seen scenes this on the TV but I felt like I was in these places whilst reading, a really believable world has been created and I found myself half holding my breath at times, on tenterhooks to see what would happen next!
‘Strange how glamour enchants us, how it makes us forget. A fur coat insists on us ignoring the abattoir.’
I felt in thrall to Marija reading this, she is addictive. It’s an intoxicating read and deliciously good. Berry keeps you just off kilter enough to make you feel like you are the one being watched, it is outstanding!
‘The name conjured a glimmering swarm of contradictions. A sumptuous banquet crawling with maggots.’
I think because I knew that this has happened in some form in the real world made it all the more compelling. Laura is enticed into the spiders web of Marija; the little mother, groomed since childhood to believe in her power. I could feel the pressure that Laura felt, the risks she takes, giving me a dry mouth, my heart thumping as I read, it was so well done.
I found myself reading faster and faster to get to the end, to find out Laura and Marija’s fates, what happens? You will have to see, innocent or not, you won’t be able to look away! You will be held spellbound by The Dictators Wife.
✩✩✩✩
[AD PR PRODUCT]
Thanks to Headline and Squadpod2021 for my copy of this ebook...more
Henri Koskinen is a mathematician and actuary. He calculates everything to the last little detail. Then he lose hisThe Rabbit Factor - Antti Tuomainen
Henri Koskinen is a mathematician and actuary. He calculates everything to the last little detail. Then he lose his job and inherits an adventure park from his brother, with its peculiar employees and its financial problems. These seem to consist of very big loans from some rather nasty criminals who want their money back. Henri is what would be considered ‘ a stiff’ he can’t compute relationships - he doesn’t have them. But there is Laura, the park manager and artist and he can’t pin down his emotions about her, even as the criminal gang start going to extreme lengths to collect their money.
1914: Anton Heideck is in Vienna, trying to make his way as a journalist. He encounters Delphine whilst working as a prSnow Country - Sebastian Faulks
1914: Anton Heideck is in Vienna, trying to make his way as a journalist. He encounters Delphine whilst working as a private tutor. He is entranced by her candour, there is something inexplicably familiar and he is drawn to her, his first love.
1927: Lena has led an impoverished life with her drunken mother, she is convinced that her life will amount to nothing until she meets Rudolf Plischke who takes her to Vienna- it is not what she expected and she leaves to take a job at the Schloss Seeblick, a snow bound Sanatorium.
1933: Anton, now an established writer is asked to write an article on the mysterious Schloss Seeblick, he struggles with the loss of his friends who died on the Eastern Front, feeling fortunate to be alive at all. At the Schloss he again encounters Lena.
I absolutely loved The Prison Healer when I read it earlier this year and I was excited to read the second instalment of The Gilded Cage - Lynette Noni
I absolutely loved The Prison Healer when I read it earlier this year and I was excited to read the second instalment of this magical fantasy series. I wasn’t disappointed.
This book opens with Kiva Meridan or, as we now know, Corentine having escaped Zalindov prison with Jaren Vallentis who is in fact the heir to the throne of Evalon - her families throne. Kiva has sworn to get back to her family and take back their rightful throne and have vengeance for the deaths of her family years before. Kiva is taken into the inner circle of the royal Vallentis family, they trust her but the question is will she betray them to her family? Is family everything?
travelsalongmybookshelf
>
Books:
fiction
(108)
