My June Reads and Reviews

I was on holiday and spending time with my daughter, sightseeing and volunteering. BUT does a bookworm ever NOT read? In my case, there had to be a book or two, even if I was only reading in bed! Surely, it’s one of life’s great pleasures, to lounge in a comfy bed with a good book. We also browsed in a few charity shops for pre-loved cashmere ( sadly I didn’t find any) and books.

Bookshop browsing and charity shop book hunting

You may think murder might not be a good choice of bedtime reading , but Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club, manages to be both intriguing and relaxing. Five books in and the characters are like old friends.

The beautiful Miss Phoebe, my daughter’s cat.

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

Who’s got time to think about murder when there’s a wedding to plan?

It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favourite criminal.

But when Elizabeth meets a wedding guest who’s in trouble, kidnap and death are hot on their heels once more. A villain wants access to an uncrackable code and will stop at nothing to get it. Plunged back into action once more, can the gang solve the puzzle and a murder in time? Joyce’s daughter, Joanna, jumps into the fray to help the gang as they seek answers: Has someone kidnapped Nick? And what’s this uncrackable code they keep hearing about? Plunged back into action once more, can the four friends solve the puzzle and a murder in time?

My Review.

Perhaps it was because I was visiting my daughter, but I enjoyed the relationship between Joyce and her daughter Joanna. Ibrahim seems to have mellowed but is still oblivious to some of what goes on. The ‘crime’ itself involves high finance and high rollers, which was interesting to me, but not compelling. An elegant solution.

Maggie Dove By Susan Breen

Susan Breen introduces a charming new series heroine in this poignant and absorbing cozy mystery with a bite. Maggie Dove thinks everyone in her small Westchester County community knows everyone else’s secrets. Then murder comes to town.

When Sunday School teacher Maggie Dove finds her hateful next-door neighbor Marcus Bender lying dead under her beloved oak tree—the one he demanded she cut down—she figures the man dropped dead of a mean heart. But Marcus was murdered, and the prime suspect is a young man Maggie loves like a son. Peter Nelson was the worst of Maggie’s Sunday School students; he was also her late daughter’s fiancé, and he’s been a devoted friend to Maggie in the years since her daughter’s death.

Maggie can’t lose Peter, too. So she sets out to find the real murderer. To do that, she must move past the grief that has immobilized her all these years. She must probe the hidden corners of her little village on the Hudson River. And, when another death strikes even closer to home, Maggie must find the courage to defend the people and the town she loves—even if it kills her.

Genres .Mystery. Cosy Mystery. Fiction Contemporary.E – Book

236 pages, e book First published June 14, 2016

My Review.

An easy enough read and quite outside of my life experience. Its set-in small-town America, where religion is part and parcel of everyday lives. Maggie teaches Sunday school and tries to embody Christian principles. There was enough to keep me interested , but I doubt I will continue with the series.

Bookish: How Reading Shapes Our Lives by Lucy Mangan

As a child, Lucy Mangan was reading all the time, using books to navigate the challenges and complexities of this world and many others. As an adult, she usesher new relationship with literature to seize upon the most important (how) do books prepare us for life?

Bookish picks up where Bookworm left at the cusp of teenage, when everything – including the way we read – undergoes a not-so-subtle transformation. Here, Mangan vividly recounts her metamorphosis from bookworm to bookish adult, from the way GCSE curricula can impact our relationship with literature to the growing pains of swapping the pleasures of re-reading for those of book-hoarding. Revisiting the specific stories that ferried her through navigating various important stages of life – first love, first job, marriage, motherhood, and grief – Bookish maps the author’s coming-of-age in books and life lessons and sheds valuable light on how a love for reading can be nurtured intergenerationally.

Genres.Non Fiction Books about Books.Memoir. Autobiography Audiobook

291 pages, Kindle Edition First published March 13, 2025

My Review.

I picked up a copy in a charity shop, sensing that this was likely to be a book I would enjoy and I did. Reminders of long forgotten books, recommendations for books to look out for and just a general enthusiasm and enjoyment of reading. it ticked all my boxes. Must look out for Bookworm!

Perhaps I shouldn’t have left this one behind.

Now back to reality, and finishing work on the memoir.

My Memoir Journey: From Bus Conductor to Author

The Adventures of Dating and Writing:

Four years ago I began writing a memoir. It covered my early forced marriage, it’s breakup and loss of my children. Then, working as a bus conductor, not my ideal job, but it paid the bills. When I began writing I’d no idea how long it would take or how cathartic it would be. This week I finally wrote “ The End”.

Of course, it’s not the end at all. The work must be edited, proofread and sent to beta readers. While the book has grown, so has my understanding of my life, finally allowing for self-compassion.

Like most writers, I’m an avid reader and my reading has continued. For balance I’ve chosen to read books on the lighter side for now.

My dating life continued too with The Aussie Bloke. We went to see Jean Valjean; the movie. Part of a French Film Festival Its based on Victor Hugo’s Les Miserable with Gregory Gadebois as Jean. A deep character study and exploration of degradation, atonement and forgiveness.

In contrast the following week Aussie Bloke brought his dogs, who are generally well behaved and attentive to him, to my place. Henceforth known by me as the “Hellhounds” .

The dogs bark annoying his neighbours if left alone too long. We went to dinner, came back and settled the dogs. As I have a cat they can’t have full household access. They were allowed into the back garden and the garden room. At some time, one or both , began digging in the grass. The excavation was quite extensive. Aussie Bloke offered to fill it, but I foolishly said it was ok. Two days later I’d almost filled “the pit”. Dating has certainly adding excitement and variety to my life.

They really are good dogs they just got bored!

The Payback Plan by Amy Andrews.

The Karma Club 1 .

Introducing The Payback Plan, the first installment in this gorgeously spicy series The Karma Club…where just desserts are best served shared! Karma’s here to stay!

When fate strands Paige Parker at O’Hare airport during a snow storm little does she know her misfortune is the beginning of a wild and life-changing adventure. Because when she meets three complete strangers, they quickly bond over shared tales of betrayal and heartbreak. And just for fun, they concoct a scheme to exact sweet revenge on their exes!

Except when the plan becomes a reality, Paige finds herself in Cornwall with Olly Prendergast. Son of a movie star, grumpy recluse and responsible for jilting his fiancé on their wedding day with a text message. The payback plan has begun! Step one: move into his spare room and disrupt his peace and quiet. Step two: bring a pet hamster, adopt a dog and let chaos run loose. Step Three: unapologetically make a mess in his pristine house at every opportunity. Step 4: Show Mr Grumpy what fun looks like!

But Paige is unprepared when the plan begins to backfire and she starts to see the man behind the reputation. And when she can’t ignore their undeniable chemistry anymore Paige has to battle with the secret she’s been keeping from Olly and loyalty to her friend and The Karma Club…

Romance. Rom Com. Audiobook. Contemporary Fiction. Humour. 317 pages, Kindle Edition

My Review.

It starts with an impulsive promise, one that would never have happened if the women hadn’t got stuck at O’Hare airport. At first, Paige is hell bent on getting revenge , but as she gets to know Olly better, she finds herself drawn to him. He is nothing like she imagined. Some genuinely laugh out loud moments. Hot sexual chemistry and a couple who are perfect for each other, if only they will see it.

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis.

Two parents and their recently-bitten-werewolf daughter try to fit into a privileged New England society of magic aristocracy. But deadly terrors await them – ancient prophecies, remorseless magical trials, hidden conspiracies and the PTA bake sale

When Vivian’s kindergartner, Aria, gets bitten by a werewolf, she is rapidly inducted into the hidden community of magical schools. Reeling from their sudden move, Vivian finds herself having to pick the right sacrificial dagger for Aria, keep stocked up on chew toys and play PTA politics with sirens and chthonic nymphs and people who literally can set her hair on fire.
As Vivian careens from hellhounds in the school corridors and demons at the talent show, she races to keep up with all the arcane secrets of her new society – shops only accessible by magic portal, the brutal Trials to enter high school, and the eternal inferno that is the parents’ WhatsApp group.

And looming over everything is a prophecy of doom that sounds suspiciously like it’s about Aria. Vivian might be facing the end of days, just as soon as she can get her daughter dressed and out of the door…

Fantasy Fiction. Adult Magic. Vampires. Cozy Fantasy. Urban Magic.

My Review.

The title and cover were promising so I gave this a go. I read to the end but it’s not my book. It may be yours. There are some fun moments, but PTA politics overshadow much of the book. If I’d been paying more attention, it was clearly on the cover. So, a mismatch.

Tell Me Why by Sandi Wallace.

Georgie Harvey and John Franklin 1

WINNER 2015 DAVITT AWARD READERS’ CHOICE

What will they risk for answers?

Picturesque Daylesford has a darker side. Melbourne writer Georgie Harvey heads to the mineral springs region in central Victoria to look for a missing farmer, and soon links the woman’s disappearance with the unsolved mystery surrounding her husband.

Meanwhile, maverick police officer and solo dad John Franklin is working a case that’s a step up from Daylesford’s usual soft crime: a stalker targeting single mothers.

Georgie’s investigation stirs up long-buried secrets, and attracts enemies. When she reports the missing person to local cops, sparks fly between her and Franklin.

Has he dismissed the writer too quickly? And what will the truth cost?

Mystery Crime. eBooks. Fiction Suspense. Australia

452 pages, Kindle Edition First published September 1, 2014

My Review.

Sandi Wallace’s books have been on my mental “to read” list for ages, but this is the first that I’ve read. It made sense to go back to the beginning of her popular Georgie Harvey and John Franklin series. An intriguing set up and a genuine small-town feel. Neighbours looking out for neighbours and a disappearance that intrigues Melbourne based Georgie. A puzzle solved but the spark of a new relationship has left me thinking I must read book 2.

Risky Business by Amy Andrews

From bestselling author Amy Andrews comes a new single-title romance about putting pleasure before business, and the risks we all need to take when we find someone worth risking everything for.

Samantha Evans’s life is going to hell. Not only has she rage-quit her beloved, high-powered job, but she is suddenly afflicted by hormones, free time, and an unavoidable, unignorable, undeniably gorgeous irritant in the form of Nick Hawke, her extreme sports star neighbour, who has come home to take over the reins of his grandmother’s second-hand bookshop. Sam needs something to keep her from begging for her old job back until she’s good and sure her boss understands how wrong he was, and taking a low-risk, low-stress job helping Nick at the bookstore might be just the thing.

After all, it’s not like Nick is the right guy to help her with her hormones. He’ll just be fun to look at while she searches for the one.

Nick has six months to get over an injury before Everest and a big, fat contract beckon. That means no sports, no danger and, above all else, no risks. It means playing it safe. And Nick Hawke doesn’t do safe. So he’s going to need something to stave off the boredom while selling books he doesn’t read to people who wouldn’t know a carabineer from a crochet hook. What could be safer than hiring a cranky, unemployed accountant to help run the bookstore? Sam is efficient and methodical and messing up her neat, post-it note world could be a fun way to pass the time….

Risky Business mixes the classic romance of Philadelphia Story, the humour and wit of When Harry Met Sally, and a strong, contemporary Australian setting to create a delightful, irresistible, utterly satisfying treat of a novel.

Romance. Contemporary Romance. Humour. 257 pages, eBook First published July 1, 2014

My Review.

A total romp of a book, with sparkling dialogue, and sexual tension that rolls off the page. It’s funny , witty , sexy and relatable because high powered exec Samantha (size 14) is convinced she is fat and beyond hope. Meanwhile, she sees gorgeous Nick with a posse of young anorexic types and is convinced that is what he wants. Sam’s hormones though want action, a baby daddy and fast. Nick helpfully sets Sam up with supposedly “suitable ” men. But no one is right. Meanwhile, totally unsuitable Nick could be just what she needs -if she lets her heart rule her head. Nick has to convince her that she is gorgeous and what he wants too.

For now I’m editing and hoping to get the work to beta readers.

The book is written, but I have more work to do. Editing, getting rid of repetition, reading for clarity. Preparing questions for the beta readers. Recontacting the cover designer and talking to the editor.

Sadly, the Aussie Bloke and his “hellhounds” have departed my story. I am sad to see them go. It was good while it lasted. I’ll miss them and will always think of them fondly. Dating him and meeting them, has contributed to my growth, but life goes on and I have books to read and write and other adventures to experience.

Until next time

Exploring Romance and Books in Autumn

March and we were into seasonal change, slowly drifting into Autumn here in the Southern Hemisphere . It’s been a long hot summer. After an intense and immerse read with A Gentleman in Moscow I’ve opted to read some lighter books. Some books you savour and some you skip through. I enjoy both in my reading life.

My personal life continues to be interesting as The Aussie Bloke is still around. He swept into my life like a whirlwind, full of confidence, bravado and banter. A refreshing change from the blander type of man.

I met his dogs- or should I say hounds? Luckily, they were friendly, two large German shepherds who leaned against me in a welcoming fashion.

Mentally I visualised a younger Odin with Aussie Bloke’s tall frame draped in a scarlet wool cloak and his pair of protector wolves by his side . They allowed me to get close to him. At least there were no swooping ravens.

Really, I must get out more and quell my fevered imagination.

And we do go out. Aussie Bloke took me to see a play about Ruth Bader Ginsberg . A dazzling one woman show by Australian actress Heather Mitchell She richly deserved the standing ovation.

Heather Mitchell as Ruth Taylor Ginsberg photo Sydney Morning Herald

We’ve seen each other a few times since. I love a man who plans dates. So my personal life has expanded, but my reading time has suffered, I’m not complaining!

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility, a novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel—a beautifully transporting novel.

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal. He is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances give him access to a much larger world of emotional discovery.

Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.

Historical Fiction. Book Club Fiction. Historical Russia. Literary Fiction

495 pages, Paperback First published September 6, 2016

My Review.

An absolute tour de force, a quietly immersive book that leans into the minutiae and details of Alexi’s life. What is meant to be a punishment ends up enriching his life in so many ways.

He accepts the change in his circumstances with stoicism and with humour. His work ethic and his ability to form connections are part of the charm of the book while as always, he is quietly subversive.

His relationship with the inquisitive child Nina showed a new side of his personality, but the most heart-warming was his relationship with the child Sophia. Totally worth reading. Obviously it is a book club favourite.

Celebrity Shopper by Carmen Reid. Annie Valentine 4

She’s hit the big time…hasn’t she?

Personal shopper, Annie Valentine, is presenting her own popular TV fashion series. But despite this being Annie’s dream job, success isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and suddenly Annie is feeling the pressure!

Especially as boyfriend Ed is left at home looking after their brand-new twin babies, whilst Annie comes to terms with fame.

And as Annie gets more and more sucked into the celebrity showbiz world, she feels like she’s losing more and more of who she really is.

Could the big break she’s always wanted, actually be a big mistake?

Chick Lit. Romance Fiction., Contemporary Romance .Fashion

317 pages, Kindle Edition First published January 1, 2010

My Review.

Amazingly this was first published in 2010 and yet it feels completely current. Behind the glamour of Tv there is the pressure, of the ratings. You are only as good as your last show.

Annie is dealing with remaining current, getting some sleep, and avoiding the guilt that her darling babies and Ed are left out of much of her life. Annie is juggling like crazy but never feels adequate

New York Valentine By Carmen Reid.

Annie Valentine 5

Love is in the air!
Personal shopper Annie Valentine has a dream job in the heart of fabulous Manhattan.
Daughter Lana ( updated as Lauren) is lost in the heat of first love, but has she fallen for a heart-breaker?
In London husband Ed faces a scandal at work and knows, in his heart, he needs Annie back. What’s a girl to do when her true love is in London, but her new love is New York?
Does it have to be fashion or family, or can Annie Valentine have it all?

Chick Lit. Romance Fiction. New York. Adult Fiction.

384 pages, Paperback First published January 20, 2011

My Review.

Suspend disbelief as Annie continues her madcap adventures. She may be in the know with fashion, but her life has an amazing ability to keep unravelling. This is what makes her most relatable. Yes, you can have it all, but not all at the same time and this is where Annie is torn.

Shopping With The Enemy by Carmen Reid.

Annie Valentine No 6

The opponents: mothers vs. daughters

The battle scene: a boutique changing room
Fashion-guru Annie’s well-dressed world is falling apart – first she has lost her legendary sense of style, and now her daughter Lauren seems to have become her worst enemy. Even her multi-millionairess friend, Svetlana, is having daughter trouble – she’s at war with Elena over their business in New York.

A trip to a luxurious Italian spa seems like the perfect way for Annie to forget her problems. But celery juice and Pilates can’t solve the disasters that are about to strike . . .
Will Annie rescue her passion for fashion?
And can mothers and daughters ever truly be friends?

Chick Lit .Romance Fiction .Contemporary Fiction.

330 pages, Kindle Edition. First published October 11, 2012

My Review.

Annie has lost her fashion confidence and her innate styling ability. Daughter Lauren is still in New York with Elena ,Svetlana’s daughter.

The Perfect Dress Svetlana’s company has been a success, but the girls feel it’s a little staid.

Disagreements mount; Svetlana decides to whisk Annie away to the health retreat she swears by. It’s a huge shock to Annie’s system.

When Svetlana’s twin boys are kidnapped, she insists she is the only one who can deal with Igor her ex-husband. Another madcap Annie adventure.

UPDATE.

As some of you may remember I’ve been writing a memoir for a few years. A project that has been self-revealing and healing in many ways. I’ve finally got a complete draft of over 130,000 words and will now be working on revisions and towards publication. Watch this space!

It may also give me time to read a little more deeply than I have been doing. Books are for fun, for relaxation ,for information. To learn about others, to foster empathy and connection. We can never see inside someone’s head ,but books give us the opportunity to see and hear and feel how others experience the world.

My daughter and AI created this Viking image of me!

I’m hoping the Aussie Bloke and I will have more adventures, but I’m sure life will continue to unfold richly and rewardingly.

Two and Half Books and An Aussie Bloke. My Disrupted February 2026 Reading.

As a regular reader of this blog, you know I’ve been blogging about books for years. Throughout my married life, my husband’s illnesses, my academic studies , widowhood and grief. Books have been my companion and often consolation. I’ve usually managed to read four or five books each month. This month I read only two and half books and you can blame it on The Aussie Bloke.

I’m a British expat and a long-time resident in Australia. I thought I knew all about Aussie blokes, good hearted, salt of the earth types. They had weather-beaten skin, called women Sheila, and enjoyed a beer or three. Loved their cricket and footy, Holden cars and their dog. Mostly inarticulate and at a loss around women.

Then, I met this guy on a dating site. An Aussie bloke but not the typical Aussie bloke. A decent Ish photo -most blokes have terrible photos with an intelligent profile. Possible, well at least a maybe. Then, he ‘winked’ at me, an invitation to know him better.

We began exchanging messages and not the banal kind.

Credentials were established; he could banter with the best of them. Intellectually provocative and fun!

I could of course, feed his ego more, but its already pretty healthy. He’s tall, but not dark haired. Handsome? Maybe, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

We’ve met twice but there were definite sparks. He’s got the sensuality and the moves. We know we are here to play chess and not checkers.

In the interim we have those long conversations which meander for hours and suddenly its two in the morning. Which explains why I’ve read so little this month.

The Paris Bookshop Secret: An enchanting new historical mystery, the perfect gift for book lovers by Iris Costello

          How far will they go to find their story?
When Alexis meets Maeve – a reclusive woman in her eighties – they feel an unexpected and beautiful kinship. Alexis is embracing nomad life        after burning out as a big-shot editor. And Maeve is mourning her glory days as a bestselling author.

    Their friendship inspires Maeve to write again. Her last novel pours out of her – a story of love and heartbreak, centred around a bookshop in 1950s Paris.

     But the line between fact and fiction is as fine as a whisper, and the novel   unfurls a long-buried mystery, one that has haunted Maeve’s existence.

   And will reverberate into the lives of both women, decades later…

My Review.

I enjoyed this book although, there were hints of connectivity throughout. It’s a good story and fascinating how the strands were woven together. After a leisurely introduction the pace speeds up considerably. Poignant, even heart breaking, dealing with loss, abandonment ,doubt, and family secrets.

Onwards and Upwards by Celia Anderson

A retitled alternate cover edition of this ASIN B0D2JFP3WH can be found here A New Lease of Life

A laugh-out-loud story of fun and friendship, for women of a certain age!
Ingrid is desperate to sell up and move on. Recently widowed, she no longer needs the large house or the treasures (and tat) collected by her late husband, Tommy, an auctioneer. Then there’s the debt he left her with, too.

So, she jumps at the chance to downsize and move to Willowbrook on a temporary lease. She’ll open a pop-up shop for just one year – to dispose of Tommy’s accumulated goods – and then move on. No getting embroiled in village life.

But Ingrid hasn’t reckoned on Willowbrook’s extrovert local ladies (known as the Saga Louts). Or handsome local craftsman Joel, with whom there’s a definite attraction. They all want to help set up ‘The Treasure Trove’.
Surprisingly, it turns out Ingrid can also help them.

Will she ever achieve the fresh start and simpler life she craved? Or will Ingrid discover a wonderful new way to move onwards and upwards.

346 pages, Kindle Edition First published November 16, 2024

My Review.

Undemanding reading, but with some twists and turns along the way. There are more than few surprise for Ingrid, about Tommy, and their relationship and about herself. Currently I’m drawn to books about widows and enjoy books about new beginnings.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.

A Good Reads readers’ choice

495 pages, Paperback First published September 6, 2016

My Review.

The half book of the title. I’ve yet to finish reading, as it is a book to be savoured. Not a fast paced read , more of a meander through a series of vignettes.

Always make time to read…

Will I get more or less reading time next month ? Is my dating life going to impact more? Maybe I can plan my schedule better. Or choose shorter books. Whatever the choice, reading is and always will be a significant part of my life.

Escapism Through Reading: A January Journey

January seemed to drag on forever. Here in the Southern hemisphere it tends towards hot days and humid nights. Hot cross buns arrived in the shops on Boxing day and Christmas decorations and foods went on sale. In the heat the whole concept seemed unreal.

Forced to stay inside under the air conditioning I did what I do best, I picked up a book and read. There were legal processes I couldn’t hurry along and re-applying for my passport also had reams of paper work.

Her majesty the Queen Investigates #No 5

The Queen Who Came in From the Cold by S.J.Bennett.

It’s 1961 and the Queen is planning her state visit to Italy aboard Britannia. But before she goes, an unreliable witness claims to have seen a brutal murder from the royal train. Did it really happen, and could the victim be a missing friend of Princess Margaret’s new husband, Tony Armstrong Jones? The Queen and her assistant private secretary, Joan McGraw, get to work on their second joint investigation, little imagining that this time it will take them all the way to Venice in a tale of spies, lies and Cold War skulduggery.

Mystery Fiction .Audiobook Mystery ,British Literature Royalty

336 pages, Hardcover First published November 6, 2025M

My Review.

A socialite with a taste for heavy drinking and gossip, wanders where she shouldn’t on the Royal train .She returns claiming she saw a murder. No one believes her, but later a few coincidences convince Joan McGraw that it could be true. No one is reported as missing and they have an important trip to Italy to prepare for. Joan’s suspicions won’t go away and soon she is involved in situations she had thought to leave behind. Fun, and believable. Love how HM the Queen and HRH Prince Philip are portrayed. I can almost hear Philip’s commentary.

The Parasol Academy #I

The Nanny’s Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes by Amy Rose Bennett.

Mary Poppins meets Bridgerton in a feel-good blend of cozy fantasy magic, historical romance, humour, and Victorian era charm, as a recent graduate of the Parasol Academy for Exceptional Nannies and Governesses finds her supernatural abilities are little help when it comes to falling for the shy, mysterious inventor who happens to be her employer . . .

For readers of Heather Fawcett, Allison Saft, Katherine Arden, Freya Marske, and Olivia Atwater’s Regency Faerie Tales series.

Emmeline Chase, 25-year-old widow and new alumna, may be more high-spirited than the Academy would like. Few graduates, however, could turn a mismanaged teleportation onto a duke’s rooftop into an offer of employment. But Emmeline’s circumstances, along with her desperation to support her bankrupt, incarcerated father, have made her dauntless. Which seems the primary qualification to work for expert horologist Xavier Mason, Duke of St. Lawrence, and manage his three rambunctious wards. Yet Emmeline soon discovers that the nobleman’s heart-melting voice and captivating mind present an entirely different sort of trouble. She cannot risk losing her license by fraternizing with her employer . . .

Xavier’s wards have sent two nannies packing in a month thanks to frogs, firecrackers, and general mayhem. In addition, Xavier’s professional reputation is on the line. He’s already considered odd, with his talking raven companion and his fascination with timekeeping instead of pleasure-chasing with his peers. Charming, vivacious Emmeline seems intrigued with his quirks—but Xavier must have absolute peace to design London’s “King of Clocks” for Westminster Palace before the competition closes. Emmeline can no doubt restore order. As long as he doesn’t fall under her spell . . .

Yet, with a possible saboteur in their midst, and the attraction flaring between them threatening to become a deliciously disastrous distraction, a touch of magic may be required . . .

Romance Fantasy, Historical Romance Historical Fiction .Historical Magic Fiction

401 pages, Paperback First published September 30, 2025

My Review.

Suspend disbelief and enter into the fun of a talking raven who can communicate telepathically with Emmeline, a nanny with a touch of Mary Poppins. Mary was much too sensible to fall for her employer, but Emmeline finds the bashful and misunderstood Xavier hard to resist. Her charges are high spirted, but never nasty , merely bored with the sober routine of the household. Emmeline soon finds their interests and encourages them, even involving the Duke. Life would be perfect but for the household’s saboteur, is that merely mischief or something more sinister? At times the magic is a bit too convenient but overall, I enjoyed the book

Annie Valentine #1

The Personal Shopper by Carmen Reid.

Meet Annie Valentine: stylish, savvy, multi-tasker extraordinaire.

As a personal shopper in a swanky London fashion store, Annie can re-style and re-invent her clients from head to toe. In fact, this super-skilled dresser can be relied on to solve everyone’s problems . . . except her own.

Although she’s a busy single mum to stroppy teen Lana *and painfully shy Owen, there’s a gap in Annie’s wardrobe – sorry, life – for a new man. But finding the perfect partner is turning out to be so much trickier than finding the perfect pair of shoes.

Can she source a genuine classic? A lifelong investment? Will she end up with a mistake from the sale rail, who’ll have to be returned? Or maybe, just maybe, there’ll be someone new in this season who could be the one . . .

Lana is renamed Lauren in later books.
Chick Lit. Romance Fiction, Contemporary Rom Com. Fashion
354 pages, Kindle Edition First published January 1, 2007

My Review.

I read a much later book in the series book eight I think. I enjoyed it and thought Id start at the beginning. Annie is a relatable character- her work life is a success. She is a much in demand personal shopper attuned to trends and brands. She has an eye for style and repeat customers who swear by her abilities

The luxe lifestyle doesn’t continue at home, as single mum Annie tries to do it all. Life would be so much better if she had a partner-.and she tried one on for size, but is he really all he seems?

Annie Valentine #2

Late Night Shopping by Carmen Reid

The eagerly anticipated new novel from the author of The Personal Shopper sees Annie Valentine jetting off to Italy.

Annie Valentine is one ambitious lady, but does she know when to stop?
Uber-busy Annie Valentine — mum to two demanding children and personal shopper in a swanky London fashion store — is now intent on setting up a business of her own. She has ambitions for a shoe and handbag empire, and she’ll do anything to get there.
But what about her adorable new man? As someone who wants nothing more than a quiet life, Ed is shocked to discover Annie is staking their home on her success. And now their relationship is on the line.
Ed isn’t convinced that Annie’s surprise remedy — an extravagant friends and family holiday to Italy — is really what they all need. Especially when a dashing Italian businessman promises to fulfil Annie’s every dream. . .

Chick Lit. Romance Fiction. Adult Women’s Fiction ,Fashion Contemporary

304 pages, Kindle Edition First published June 30, 2008

My Review.

Annie has been single so long that it doesn’t occur to her she needs to consult her partner about any decision. It’s an obvious blind spot for a smart woman and she hadn’t realised she risks losing more than money. Annie’s impulsive nature both delights and infuriates. I didn’t find it as enjoyable as book one.

How Not To Shop by Carmen Reid.

Annie Valentine #3

Her passion is fashion…but she’s on a budget!

Personal shopper Annie Valentine is about to hit the big time: presenting a glamorous TV makeover series! This is it for Annie and her little family. No more scrimping and saving, finally all her hard work has paid off.

But life in the spotlight isn’t all its cracked up to be. Soon, Annie discovers this is TV on a shoestring and her budget is zip. But more than this, Annie feels s though the women she should be helping to look fabulous, go away feeling all the more like fashion failures!

Fans of Sophie Kinsella, Lindsey Kelk and Paige Toon will love this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from bestselling author Carmen Reid.

Chick Lit. Romance Fiction. Contemporary .Modern.

344 pages, Kindle Edition First published January 1, 2009

My Review.

Anyone who has enjoyed a makeover show should enjoy this book. It is quite revealing about production values, personality clashes, what makes good tv? After being a big fish in a small pond, Annie isn’t enjoying the experience. She still wants to do her best for the women she is supposed to be transforming. Annie has genuine empathy and this makes her efforts worthwhile.

You might have to stay where you are,but imagination can take you anywhere.

A frothy concoction of reading this month. I wasn’t in the headspace to read anything challenging or confronting. I choose escapism pure and simple. Next month? Who knows!

December Reflections: Celebrations and Reading Memories

Socialising, Celebrating and Reading, in December 2025.

Wasn’t it January 2025 a moment ago? This year has sped by and had more than its share of drama and surprises. I was invited to an “Orphan’s Christmas.” which meant they day was far pleasanter than I expected. It was a hot and humid day and we enjoyed prawns and crayfish.

Sadly, there were two family deaths earlier this year, my brother- in -law and my younger daughter. There was also the joy of re-establishing contact with my eldest daughter. Life is sprinkled with joy and sadness and the two can co-exist. Throughout it all, as usual, my books were a solace and distraction.

I began reading two books which I ultimately abandoned. I wont mention them here, except to say I have actually read more then I am reviewing.

Murder at the Christmas Emporium by Andreina Cordani.

It’s Christmas at The Emporium, a bespoke gift shop hidden in the depths of London’s winding streets featuring handcrafted delights unavailable anywhere else. Tinsel coils around the wooden beams, lights sparkle in the windows and the open fire crackles comfortingly. As closing time approaches after a busy trading day, only a few customers drift towards the exit – but they find they cannot leave. The doors are locked.

What initially seemed an innocent mix-up turns sinister as the shopkeepers seem strangely uninterested in lending assistance. The festive cheer has all but disappeared among a growing feeling of unease – and then a chilling discovery is made in Santa’s grotto.

For those that survive the night, it will be a Christmas to remember.

My Review.

A book that defies easy categorization, but an enjoyable read. It is like a fantasy once the Emporium has been entered. Personal facades are soon demolished, and no one is quite who they seem. It’s easy to imagine the trance like state that has been induced. If murder and mayhem aren’t your thing ,don’t read the book. Its perfect for those of us who don’t have the happiest of Christmas memories. A bit of a locked room mystery, a bit Agatha Christie.

The Love Game: Your next favourite laugh-out-loud spicy romantic comedy by Kat French.

Previously published as A Summer Scandal

‘Fun and sexy – a perfect beach read’ THE SUN

‘Brimming full of joy and sunshine’ JULES WAKE

As the mercury rises, so does their chemistry…

When Violet inherits a crumbling Victorian pier in the quirky seaside town of Swallow Beach, she sees more than peeling paint – she sees potential. Her vision? An adults-only boardwalk of boutique shops, artisan offerings and second chances.
Not everyone is thrilled with Violet’s bold plans, but she finds an unexpected ally in Calvin: gorgeous, mysterious and surprisingly handy. He’s got secrets he’s not sharing – and looks at Violet like he’s got nothing to lose.
As sparks fly and passions ignite, Violet must navigate small-town drama, nosy neighbours and a connection that might be more than just a summer fling.

Will this seaside romance survive the heat – or burn out before the summer ends?

292 pages, Kindle Edition Published July 24, 2025.

My Review.

A book that starts out as a fun quirky read and the develops into something deeper and slightly darker. There is a definite heavy sexual connection and vibe, but topics such as infidelity and suicide are also covered which might make it challenging for some readers.

Six Weeks by the Sea by Paula Byrne.

A vivid historical novel about Jane Austen that explores a question that has fascinated Janeites for years—Austen wrote some of the greatest love stories in existence, but did she ever fall in love?

When Jane Austen hears the news that her family is to leave their beloved country home for the city of Bath, she faints with surprise and horror. But there is one the promise of a six-week holiday by the sea while their new lodgings are being prepared. She relishes the bracing air and beautiful surroundings, takes pleasure in sea bathing, and shares laughter with her sister Cassandra and best friend Martha Lloyd.

To her joy, brother Frank arrives, fresh from naval exploits in the war against Napoleon. His friend Captain Parker seems to be making a play for Jane’s affections, but her sharp emotional intelligence tells her that something is not quite right. Meanwhile, she assists the eccentric Reverend Swete in finding a home for his bi-racial granddaughter who has arrived from the West Indies.

Jane initially takes against another visitor to the seaside resort of Sidmouth, the lawyer Samuel Rose, but as she gets to know him, a wholly different feeling begins to blossom. . . .

Written with a same wit and style that echos Austen herself, Paula Byrne expertly interweaves her deep knowledge of Austen and her world to imagine and give voice to the most romantic summer of the beloved author’s short life.

256 pages, Hardcover Published August 5, 2025

My Review.

While I initially found this interesting, I think it crammed too may topics into one slight story. We were implicitly promised romance but there was little of it in these pages. What is covered was attitudes towards mixed race people, slavery, morality, homosexuality. The research is obvious and it was disappointing to learn via another reviewer, Abigail Bok, that the facts had not always been respected.

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

A spicy small-town romance and TikTok phenomenon, perfect for fans of Hannah Grace and Stephanie Archer.

When Jeanie’s aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.

Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor’s gossip at all costs. But Jeanie’s arrival disrupts Logan’s routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Will Jeanie’s happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won’t fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes…

The Pumpkin Spice Café is a cozy romantic mystery for fans of Gilmore Girls, with a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!

Tropes:• grumpy x sunshine• small town• found family• spicy .First published August 30, 2023

My Review.

An easy-to-read romance that follows the tropes pretty closely. Jeanie is unused to small- town life, but she can’t pass up the opportunity to run the Pumpkin Spice Café. Logan wants to stay under the radar of the small- town gossips but he’s unwillingly drawn to Jeanie. Someone seems to have a grudge against Jeanie, or the cafe.

The iconic Cottesloe Beach, Australia on a perfect day.

New year has brought reflections and sadness, with thoughts of loss and of the fragility of life. Of those who aren’t here to celebrate the new year. It ‘s also inspired exciting plans for the year ahead. Of course, there will be more reading, and more writing. Maybe the memoir I’ve been writing for over two years will finally be finished. Exploring new friendships, treasuring old friendships and excitedly planning for upcoming travel and family visits.

Embracing November: Reflections on Life and Memoir Writing

Living in the Northern hemisphere, November was one of my least favourite months, only competing with February for the title. In November there was Christmas to look forward to. January had holiday brochures to check, while dreaming about far away tropical places .

February had no such excitement ,just a hard slog until Spring- date unknown. Spring could be early in April or May, or even feel like it was never arriving at all. In the Southern hemisphere November is still Spring, but with unexpected heatwave blasts like summer. Often, its a good time to be indoors under air-conditioning and that was my plan.

In theory I was supposed to be writing .Finishing the two years of hard slog on spent a project very close to my heart, my memoir. Life threw a curve ball into the mix. I reconnected with my daughter, after an absence of many years. To say I was delighted is to understate it. We have been messaging daily, and catching up on What’s App. The memoir is close to my heart, but my daughter is my heart.

I haven’t had the same time for reading or writing, so, it’s a short book list this month.

Annie in Paris by Carmen Reid.

If you love Emily in Paris, you will love this BRAND NEW book in the Annie Valentine series from bestselling author Carmen Reid. Personal shopper Annie Valentine is back! Older and bolder!

Fashion guru Annie is struggling to cope with her hectic life. With the demands of two older children, plus four-year-old twins, her marriage to Ed is in a romance-free rut and she’s clinging by a couture thread to her job as the nation’s favourite fashion fixer.

And where is Svetlana, her multi-millionaire friend, when Annie needs her? Busy with an expensive mid-life crisis, that’s where!

When Ed gets the chance to teach in Paris, Annie thinks time apart could be the answer. Wrong!

In Paris, Ed transforms into a debonair silver fox, attracting the attentions of stylish siren Sylvie.

Annie can’t lose her man or the job she loves, so bundling her bags, her babies and a reluctant Svetlana onto the Eurostar, she sets off to the rescue. But can the City of Love deliver the ooh la la that her marriage, and her fashion series, so desperately needs?

Another brilliant laugh out loud emotional read, perfect for fans of Fiona Gibson, Tracy Bloom and Sophie Ranald!

“Annie Valentine is a wonderful character – I want her to burst into my life and sort out my wardrobe for me!” Bestselling author, Jill Manse
338 pages, Kindle Edition Published April 30, 2024

My Review.

When I selected this book, I was unaware it was the seventh in the series. It didn’t really matter much as I was able to catch up on Annie’s story. She leads a frantic life as a fashion stylist, but also as a mum of teens and toddlers. I found the fashion advice added an extra je ne sais quoi to the story. It reminded me a little of Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series. I’d be happy to go back and start reading the series from book one. A light-hearted bit of fun.

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin.

Turn a tumbledown Paris hotel into a perfect boutique, bookish retreat, and have it open for Christmas? What could possibly go wrong? When Anais receives a near-derelict Paris hotel in her divorce settlement, her first thought is to tidy it up and sell it immediately. All she wants is to move on and forget her disaster of a marriage ever happened.

But selling it proves impossible, so she has only one to make it gorgeous and open by Christmas… when her funds will almost certainly run out.

She’s not counting on the grumpy American bar-owner next door, Noah, coming and interfering at every moment though. Nor is she expecting to find a mysterious room – which holds the key to a one-hundred-year-old secret – about a woman who chose love against the odds.

One thing’s for sure… as the fairy lights twinkle all over the city of lights and the first snowflakes start to fall… this will be a Christmas in Paris to remember.

338 pages Kindle

My Review.

This book ticked so many boxes for me. Paris, Christmas, renovations, books and reading and that is without even mentioning the burgeoning romance. Like curling up with a mug of steaming hot chocolate., warm and comforting. Hits all the seasonal highs while telling a slightly unpredictable storey.

Dealing with Annie by Jill Shalvis

Danger comes to Cooper’s Corner…

Annie Hughes had become the Martha Stewart of cosmetics. But when DEA agent Ethan McCall warned Annie that her company was the target of sabotage—and that she was in danger— she wouldn’t listen. Then Annie disappeared. And only Ethan could rescue her.

Originally published in 2003. 166 pages, Kindle Edition

My Review.

A speedy read, which feels slightly more of an outline for a story than a fully fleshed out story. It was quick to read and had enough to retain my interest .Obviously, if I had read the previous books in the series that might have made things clearer. Reluctant romance.

There are so many conflicting priorities. Finish the memoir, some social obligations, and reading, always a part of my life. Most important is growing my relationship with my daughter. My priorities have shifted. It’s all about reconnecting with my daughter, and of course making up for lost time Life has blessed us with a second chance and they don’t come along very often.

Apologies for the delayed reviews, of course, I will continue reading and reviewing. Books are part of the fabric of my life, enjoyment, entertainment, information, relaxation. I cannot imagine not reading. Could you?

Unraveling Family Lies in Homecoming: A Review

Sadly, I’m not Wonder Woman and I placed too many expectations on myself in October. I continued to write, and I’m now at 100,000 words . I eschewed most tv in favour of reading. My book of the month is definitely Homecoming what a tour de force!

Homecoming by Kate Morton

Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek on the grounds of the grand and mysterious mansion, a local delivery man makes a terrible discovery. A police investigation is called and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most shocking and perplexing murder cases in the history of South Australia.

Sixty years later, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for almost twenty years, she now finds herself laid off from her full-time job and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother, Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and been raced to the hospital.

Nora has always been a vibrant and strong presence: decisive, encouraging, young despite her years. When Jess visits her in the hospital, she is alarmed to find her grandmother frail and confused. It’s even more alarming to hear from Nora’s housekeeper that Nora had been distracted in the weeks before her accident and had fallen on the steps to the attic—the one place Jess was forbidden from playing in when she was small.

At loose ends in Nora’s house, Jess does some digging of her own. In Nora’s bedroom, she discovers a true crime book, chronicling the police investigation into a long-buried tragedy: the Turner Family Tragedy of Christmas Eve, 1959. It is only when Jess skims through the book that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this once-infamous crime—a crime that has never been resolved satisfactorily. And for a journalist without a story, a cold case might be the best distraction she can find…

An epic novel that spans generations, Homecoming asks what we would do for those we love, and how we protect the lies we tell. It explores the power of motherhood, the corrosive effects of tightly held secrets, and the healing nature of truth. Above all, it is a beguiling and immensely satisfying novel from one of the finest writers working today,

547 pages, Hardcover

My Review.

This book surprised me and continued to surprise me, each time I’d figured something out, the parameters shifted. As an expat myself, I know the sense of dislocation and divided loyalties that can engender. Families are complicated and none more so than in this story. Loneliness and isolation, regrets, secrets and lies, motherhood, identity, jealousy. Some lyrical descriptions of the Australian bush, a continually shifting landscape, which is as much a character as anyone. A big book, but you will be swept along and keep reading. It is so worth reading.

The Postcard by Fern Britton

Penny Leighton, TV Producer and wife of the local vicar Simon Canter, is struggling to cope with motherhood. The couple have had their only child Jenna, while Penny is in her forties and it’s been a big shock to her system. When Simon engages the services of a nanny, Ella, as a way of helping Penny, it only serves to push her further away from him and from Jenna.
After Penny’s sister arrives in the village after the death of the woman Penny called her mother, it brings memories of her troubled childhood to the surface. As a distraction, she finds herself drawn to the village’s new Doctor, but he isn’t quite the charmer than he seems, as new arrival, Ella, is about to find out. But will all this be too late for Penny, who is about to risk everything?

This is the first Fern Britton book that I have read. It wasn’t what I expected being quite depressing. Penny seems to have it all but is struggling with later in life motherhood. It was hard to like her, and I found myself reluctant to pick the book up. We all have our everyday problems and rather than being escapist fiction this plunged me into another person’s life and problems.

The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan.

“The perfect gift for readers who relish heartwarming tales of sisters and love.” — Booklist on The Christmas Sisters

In the snowy Highlands of Scotland, Suzanne McBride is dreaming of the perfect cozy Christmas. Her three adopted daughters are coming home for the holidays and she can’t wait to see them. But tensions are running high…

Workaholic Hannah knows she can’t avoid spending the holidays with her family two years in a row. But it’s not the weight of their expectations that’s panicking her—it’s the life-changing secret she’s hiding. Stay-at-home mom Beth is having a personal crisis. All she wants for Christmas is time to decide if she’s ready to return to work—seeing everyone was supposed to help her stress levels, not increase them! Posy isn’t sure she’s living her best life, but with her parents depending on her, making a change seems risky. But not as risky as falling for gorgeous new neighbor Luke…
As Suzanne’s dreams of the perfect McBride Christmas unravel, she must rely on the magic of the season to bring her daughters together. But will this new togetherness teach the sisters that their close-knit bond is strong enough to withstand anything—including a family Christmas?

My Review.

Having previously enjoyed Sarah Morgan’s books I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, for me it didn’t deliver, perhaps because my reading time was fragmented. I was continually having to remind myself who was who .If you can find some solid blocks of reading time, I’m sure its enjoyable

Mrs Spy by M.J Robotham

Get ready for a pulse-pounding, laugh-out-loud ride through 1960s London as Maggie Flynn, unexpected MI5 operative and single mum, unravels the intelligence agency’s most treacherous secrets.

Maggie Flynn isn’t your typical 1960s mum.

She’s a spy, an unsuspecting operative for MI5, stalking London’s streets in myriad disguises.

Widowed and balancing her clandestine career with raising a Beatles-mad teenage daughter, Maggie finds comfort and purpose in her profession – providing a connection to her late husband, whose own covert past only surfaced after his death.

But Maggie’s world spins out of control when a chance encounter with a mysterious Russian agent triggers a chilling he knew her husband. And what’s worse, the agent suspects someone on home soil betrayed him.

As Maggie searches for answers, she’ll question everyone – and everything – she thought she could trust. In the murky and perilous world of espionage, can she outsmart those determined to keep her silenced?

352 pages, Hardcover

My Review.

An interesting take on the spy genre, less glamour and more hard graft. Can an ordinary mum really find answers and if she does, who and what, does she endanger? Thought-provoking, but to me not quite believable.

Meanwhile, my cat sleeps on without a care in the world.

Will I ever finish this manuscript? It’s taken over two years of my life, but the end is in sight. I will miss it, but look forward to holding a real book in my hands instead of the many pages of notes and computer files. And the year end is approaching with a host of birthdays and Christmas festivities. I have another project once this memoir is finished an as yet untitled Viking romance already written and critiqued. But , that’s for next year.

A Sentimental Journey through September Memories

September, we were hoping for spring weather in the Southern hemisphere, but it’s been wetter than usual. Time to curl up with a good book, or even time to try and write one! My reviewing philosophy is,if I didn’t finish a book, or disliked it, I don’t review it.Taste is personal and what appeals to me, may not appeal to you. That’s fine, well have differing expectations and experiences we bring to our reading.

I’ve been industriously building my memoir.Like a spider’s web it has many strands.

I’m 92,000 words or so into the memoir and Im hoping to send it to my editor shortly. Briefly, it tells how when my marriage broke up, I started working as bus conductor in 1960 Britain

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven By Juno Dawson

If you look hard enough at old photographs, we’re there in the background: healers in the trenches; Suffragettes; Bletchley Park oracles; land girls and resistance fighters. Why is it we help in times of crisis? We have a gift. We are stronger than Mundanes, plain and simple.

At the dawn of their adolescence, on the eve of the summer solstice, four young girls–Helena, Leonie, Niamh and Elle–took the oath to join Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, established by Queen Elizabeth I as a covert government department. Now, decades later, the witch community is still reeling from a civil war and Helena is now the reigning High Priestess of the organization. Yet Helena is the only one of her friend group still enmeshed in the stale bureaucracy of HMRC. Elle is trying to pretend she’s a normal housewife, and Niamh has become a country vet, using her powers to heal sick animals. In what Helena perceives as the deepest betrayal, Leonie has defected to start her own more inclusive and intersectional coven, Diaspora. And now Helena has a bigger problem. A young warlock of extraordinary capabilities has been captured by authorities and seems to threaten the very existence of HMRC. With conflicting beliefs over the best course of action, the four friends must decide where their loyalties lie: with preserving tradition, or doing what is right.

Juno Dawson explores gender and the corrupting nature of power in a delightful and provocative story of magic and matriarchy, friendship and feminism. Dealing with all the aspects of contemporary womanhood, as well as being phenomenally powerful witches, Niamh, Helena, Leonie and Elle may have grown apart but they will always be bound by the sisterhood of the coven.

My Review

Initially I enjoyed reading this and the concepts it explores .Women are so often simply a foot note to history, marginalised or ignored. A story about women and not just women , but women with extraordinary powers was appealing. The empathy Niamh shows was very relatable. However, because I was reading it over a few days I gradually got confused about who each character was.

The concept of a ‘cursed child’ is often the stuff of fantasy so that too was relatable. Gradually, I began to experience less enjoyment in reading, feeling I was reading a polemic. I finished the book and decided that although the story remained unfinished, I wouldn’t read further volumes. It wasn’t for me; it may be for you.

Jane Austen, the Secret Radical by Helena Kelly.

A brilliant, illuminating reassessment of the life and work of Jane Austen that makes clear how Austen has been misread for the past two centuries and that shows us how she intended her books to be read, revealing, as well, how subversive and daring–how truly radical–a writer she was.

In this fascinating, revelatory work, Helena Kelly–dazzling Jane Austen authority–looks past the grand houses, the pretty young women, past the demure drawing room dramas and witty commentary on the narrow social worlds of her time that became the hallmark of Austen’s work to bring to light the serious, ambitious, deeply subversive nature of this beloved writer. Kelly illuminates the radical subjects–slavery, poverty, feminism, the Church, evolution, among them–considered treasonous at the time, that Austen deftly explored in the six novels that have come to embody an age. The author reveals just how in the novels we find the real Jane Austen: a clever, clear-sighted woman “of information,” fully aware of what was going on in the world and sure about what she thought of it. We see a writer who understood that the novel–until then seen as mindless “trash”–could be a great art form and who, perhaps more than any other writer up to that time, imbued it with its particular greatness.

My Review.

Jane Austen subversive. Jane Austen deliberately employed the despised novel not just to entertain, but also to inform her readership ,about so much that was going on in her time. The idea of Jane, a spinster, who hadn’t travelled far, as a country mouse is far from the truth. She had five brothers , men who were involved with the church, the military and the war. Doubtless she heard and understood plenty ,from the conversations around her and formed her own opinions. She had sisters in law whose pregnancies she observed, and she knew that this was a dangerous time for a woman as many died in childbirth. Of course her thinking permeated her novels-but she still wrote to tell an entertaining story, or who would buy her next book?

The Radio Hour: A Novel by Victoria Purman.

From the bestselling author of The Nurses’ War comes this charming, funny, pointed look at the golden years of radio broadcasting in post-war Australia, celebrating the extraordinary unseen women who wrote the radio plays that held a nation captive. For readers of Lessons in Chemistry.

Martha Berry is fifty years old, a spinster, and one of an army of polite and invisible women in 1956 Sydney who go to work each day and get things done without fuss, fanfare or reward.

Working at the country’s national broadcaster, she’s seen highly praised talent come and go over the years but when she is sent to work as a secretary on a brand-new radio serial, created to follow in the footsteps of Australia’s longest running show, Blue Hills, she finds herself at the mercy of an egotistical and erratic young producer without a clue, a conservative broadcaster frightened by the word ‘pregnant’ and a motley cast of actors with ideas of their own about their roles in the show.

When Martha is forced to step in to rescue the serial from impending cancellation, she ends up secretly ghost-writing scripts for As The Sun Sets, creating mayhem with management, and coming up with storylines that resonate with the serial’s growing and loyal audience of women listeners.

But she can’t keep her secret forever and when she’s threatened with exposure, Martha has to decide if she wants to remain in the shadows, or to finally step into the spotlight.

My Review.

I’ve just finished reading The Radio Hour, I enjoyed it so much and it really resonated with me. Maybe young women today will realise how far women have come and how easily those gains could be lost .

All this happened in my lifetime. It pains me to think how disparagingly women and girls were treated. Underappreciated, underpaid and the hard working glue that often held companies together. Casual sexism was a way of life.

The Vintage Village Bake Off by Judy Leigh.

Now in his seventies, Robert Parkin is stunned to find himself the unlikely sex symbol of the village gardening club.

Living in happy solitude with his cat Isaac Mewton in the Devon village of Millbrook, entertained by his mischievous chickens and goats, Robert has never figured out the rules of romance. But as the local ladies vie for his company, it soon becomes clear that Robert’s Victoria Sponge cake is the lure, and as his baking prowess grows, so does his confidence.

Cheesecakes, meringues, puddings, Robert can do it all, but his real masterpieces are his scones – ginger, rosemary, coconut, fruit, his recipes are inspired and soon come to the attention of the local media. Which county does the best cream tea – Devon or Cornwall? It’s time for an age-old debate to be settled with a competition.

Robert’s sisters Bunty and Hattie are both at crossroads in their lives, so news of their brother’s baking competition is the perfect excuse to bring them to Millbrook. And as the siblings relish each other’s company, and Robert relishes being at the heart of his community, a summer of scones may just light the way to long-lasting happiness for them all.

My Review.

I’m surprised the blurb for the book starts with Robert, as he only appears halfway through the story. Initially, we are introduced to Hattie, who is regaining her confidence after her controlling husband left her. It’s a delight to see her venture into new territory ,encouraged by her good neighbour.Then Bunty arrives, having left her marriage and Hattie had to assert herself. Robert lives in Devon and is a doyenne of the local gardening club. His sense of humour is revealed in the names of his animals, but his romantic senses are lacking. The local ladies vie subtly and not so subtly for his attentions. The cookery competition between rival counties is a highlight. Mouthwatering concoctions are mentioned and it’s a shame the book didn’t include a recipe section.

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The Payback Plan by Amy Andrews.

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis.

Tell Me Why by Sandi Wallace.

Risky Business by Amy Andrews

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Celebrity Shopper by Carmen Reid. Annie Valentine 4

New York Valentine By Carmen Reid.

Shopping With The Enemy by Carmen Reid.

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The Paris Bookshop Secret: An enchanting new historical mystery, the perfect gift for book lovers by Iris Costello

Onwards and Upwards by Celia Anderson

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.

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The Queen Who Came in From the Cold by S.J.Bennett.

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The Personal Shopper by Carmen Reid.

Late Night Shopping by Carmen Reid

How Not To Shop by Carmen Reid.

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Socialising, Celebrating and Reading, in December 2025.

Murder at the Christmas Emporium by Andreina Cordani.

The Love Game: Your next favourite laugh-out-loud spicy romantic comedy by Kat French.

Six Weeks by the Sea by Paula Byrne.

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

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Annie in Paris by Carmen Reid.

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin.

Dealing with Annie by Jill Shalvis

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Homecoming by Kate Morton

The Postcard by Fern Britton

The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan.

Mrs Spy by M.J Robotham

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Her Majesty’s Royal Coven By Juno Dawson

My Review

Jane Austen, the Secret Radical by Helena Kelly.

My Review.

The Radio Hour: A Novel by Victoria Purman.

My Review.

The Vintage Village Bake Off by Judy Leigh.

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