It seemed impossible that I hadn’t read any books in March. Life was hectic and filled with the unexpected. but whatever the circumstances I always find time to read. Finally, I found them! Here is what I was reading.
The Garden of Forgotten Wishes by Trisha Ashley
The brilliant new novel from Top Five Sunday Times bestselling author Trisha Ashley
All Marnie wants is somewhere to call home. Mourning lost years spent in a marriage that has finally come to an end, she needs a fresh start and time to heal. Things she hopes to find in the rural west Lancashire village her mother always told her about.
With nothing but her two green thumbs, Marnie takes a job as a gardener, which comes with a little cottage to make her own. The garden is beautiful – filled with roses, lavender and honeysuckle – and only a little rough around the edges. Which is more than can be said for her next-door-neighbour, Ned Mars.
Marnie remembers Ned from her school days but he’s far from the untroubled man she once knew. A recent relationship has left him with a heart as bruised as her own.
My review. Returning from France where she’d fled five years previously, after her acrimonious marriage break up, all Marnie wants is a roof over her head and obscurity. The Lancashire village of Jericho’s End promises a fresh start. Here she can work as a gardener, have a place to live and rebuild her life. Of course, it can’t be that simple, can it? I enjoyed this story about rebuilding a garden and a life.
The Polly Principle by Davina Stone.
Polly Fletcher loves marrying off her friends. Which is kind of weird considering she has no intention of ever walking down the aisle herself. Social worker by day, sex siren by night Polly has a clear set of principles that guide her life; her Tinder app, her Jimmy Choo shoes and a packet of condoms in her clutch.
So when she meets a sexy, silver-eyed stranger at a friend’s wedding, all she’s after is a wild night between the sheets.
Solo Jakoby has his Ducati motorbike, a backpack of his belongings, and a disaster he’s running away from in Sydney. And sure, he’s wildly attracted to the curvaceous beauty, but he has a job to do, and some unpleasant memories to forget. So what if their night together blew his mind? They’re never going to meet again.
But when Solo and Polly are flung together in quite different circumstances how are they going to handle the chemistry that just won’t seem to let up between them?
And when they start to uncover each other’s past hurts and vulnerabilities, is their crazy attraction set to turn into something deeper? Something that may just challenge Polly’s firmly upheld principle—to never, ever give away her heart.
Published March 29th 2021 by Feathers and Stone Publishing
| Exuberant Polly first appeared in The Alice Equation, encouraging Alice to ditch predictability for sexiness and sass. Both are qualities Polly exemplifies when she has a fling at a country wedding. She’s feeling a little down, as her ‘friends with benefits,’ guy is getting married. Not that Polly wants marriage, she’s content with uncomplicated sex, with no promises, and no commitment. So, after that one night, she’s comfortable that Solo, the sexy stranger, will ride his Ducati motorbike away and out of her life. Practical workaday Polly is serious about her job, and she doesn’t encourage any distractions there. But changes are in the air and there are diversions she can’t ignore. Can party girl Polly resist making an appearance, when the new guy at work is sexy as hell? Can colleagues take it up a notch, or does that risk their working relationship? There is depth to the story as it deals with some mental health issues, sensitively and thoughtfully. I received an ARC and this is my honest review. |
Fiddling with Fate by Kathleen Ernst.
Chloe has a devil of a time unravelling the mysteries of Norway’s fiddle and dance traditions.
After her mother’s unexpected death, curator Chloe Ellefson discovers hidden antiques that hint at family secrets. Determined to find answers, Chloe accepts a consultant job in Norway, her ancestors’ homeland. She’s thrilled with the opportunity to explore Hardanger fiddle and dance traditions . . . and her own heritage.
Once their plane lands, however, Chloe and her fiancé, cop Roelke McKenna, encounter only disharmony. Chloe’s research reveals strong women and the importance of fiddle music in their lives. But folklore warns against “the devil’s instrument” and old evils may yet linger among the fjords and mountains. As Chloe fine-tunes her search for the truth, a killer’s desire to stop her builds to a deadly crescendo.
My Review. Chloe Ellefson has questions she wants answered. Is it because of grief after her mother’s untimely death, or is there something to find in her ancestral home of Norway? She is fascinated by the Hardanger dance and fiddle traditions. Traditions that are well established, but changed in her American home. Chloe and Roelke-her fiancé and a cop, are dogged by strange occurrences. Roelke’s cop sense tells him these are more than mere coincidence and that Chloe is in danger. Although this is the tenth book in a series, I was able to read it as stand-alone. An interesting look at Norwegian culture combined with a mystery. It appealed to me because I have visited the region mentioned.
Tidelands By Philippa Gregory.
- New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory begins a sweeping new series with the story of a poor, uneducated midwife named Alinor who is tempted by a forbidden love affair–but all too aware of the dangers awaiting a woman who dares to step out of the place society carved for her.
England 1648. A dangerous time for a woman to be different . . .
Midsummer’s Eve, 1648, and England is in the grip of civil war between renegade King and rebellious Parliament. The struggle reaches every corner of the kingdom, even to the remote Tidelands – the marshy landscape of the south coast.
Alinor, a descendant of wise women, crushed by poverty and superstition, waits in the graveyard under the full moon for a ghost who will declare her free from her abusive husband. Instead she meets James, a young man on the run, and shows him the secret ways across the treacherous marsh, not knowing that she is leading disaster into the heart of her life.
Suspected of possessing dark secrets in superstitious times, Alinor’s ambition and determination mark her out from her neighbours. This is the time of witch-mania, and Alinor, a woman without a husband, skilled with herbs, suddenly enriched, arouses envy in her rivals and fear among the villagers, who are ready to take lethal action into their own hands.
Paperback, 438 pages Published August 20th 2019 by Simon & Schuster
My Review.
Tidelands begins slowly, but it draws you into this edge of the world place. The book deals with the fate of Alinor, a deserted wife. She ekes out a subsistence existence as a herbalist and midwife. An unexpected encounter leads her to a passion she could never have expected. Intertwined in the plot is the story of the captured King Charles the first and the plans to rescue him. The story speeds up to its almost inevitable end. As I hadn’t realised this was the first book in a series I was left wanting, but feeling let down and reluctant to continue with further books.
A Home From Home by Veronica Henry
Sunshine, cider and family secrets…
Dragonfly Farm has been a home and a haven for generations of Melchiors – arch rivals to the Culbones, the wealthy family who live the other side of the river. Life there is dictated by the seasons and cider-making, and everyone falls under its spell.
For cousins Tabitha and Georgia, it has always been a home from home. When a tragedy befalls their beloved great-uncle Matthew, it seems the place where they’ve always belonged might now belong to them…
But the will reveals that a third of the farm has also been left to a total stranger. Gabriel Culbone has no idea why he’s been included, or what his connection to the farm – or the Melchiors – can be.
As the first apples start to fall for the cider harvest, will Dragonfly Farm begin to give up its secrets?
A Home from Home is the very best of Veronica Henry’s storytelling – gorgeous scenes you wish you could step into, a cast of characters who feel like friends, and an irresistibly feel-good family drama crossing three generations.
Paperback, 416 pages. Published October 8th 2019 by Orion (first published July 25th 2019)
My Review. I generally enjoy books by this author, and this was no exception. I was drawn in immediately by the delightfully named Dragonfly Farm. It is a warm and sheltering home for generations of Melchiors. They live across the river from their rivals the Culbones. A long-ago feud means there is bad blood between the families. Dragonfly Farm is under threat as their uncle’s will has thrown up an unsettling surprise. Tabitha calls the farm home, and it is her cousin Georgia’s second home. They are shocked to learn that a third share of the farm has been left to a Culbone. What possessed Uncle Matthew to do that? The past must be explored to reveal the reasons for this decision.
A Year at Castle Court by Holly Hepburn.
Previously published as four e -books
The brand new novel from bestselling author Holly Hepburn, perfect for anyone who loves Jenny Colgan, Veronica Henry and Lucy Diamond. A Year at Castle Court is Holly Hepburn’s four Castle Court e-novellas collected together as a novel for the first time.
Sadie is a single mum, nursing a broken heart. Her best friend from childhood, Cat, is burned out from working long hours as a chef in Paris. In need of a change, they decide to invest in their dream – running their own handmade biscuit shop in gorgeous Castle Court, a three-storey food court tucked away behind Chester’s bustling streets.
They soon discover that Castle Court has its own community – a little haven of delight against the stresses of the outside world. But not everyone welcomes the new business; the patisserie owner is less than pleased by what she sees as direct competition and Greg, who runs the fancy bistro that dominates one end of the courtyard, doesn’t think Sadie and Cat have the talent or business acumen to succeed. Luckily, there’s support in the form of the delectable Jaren, who owns the Dutch waffle house opposite Smart Cookies, and Swiss chocolate-shop owner, Elin. And if all else fails, the friends can drown their sorrows in Seb‘s cocktail bar on the third floor!
My Review. A new author to add to my list. I found it an enjoyable read and it added to my pleasure that it was set in Chester, UK. The story flowed well, as Sadie and Cat began to establish their custom-made biscuit shop. In Castle Court, they find both friendship and rivalry and events that will challenge and change them. and a life.
Sonia Bellhouse- Author. 