Eve Koguce's Blog, page 19

Book review / Here Today, Scone Tomorrow by R.A. Hutchins

Here Today, Scone Tomorrow by R.A. Hutchins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


If you are on the look-out for a perfect recipe of a cozy mystery, look no further! “Here Today, Scone Tomorrow” by R.A. Hutchins is what you’ve been looking for.

Ingredients:

- a newly-divorced forty-something lady with a hefty check from her ex-husband on its way and a glamorous wardrobe
- a quirky English village
- even quirkier village inhabitants
- a talking parrot
- a murder (the victim is an extremely unpleasant individual over whose demise nobody mourns)
- a handsome detective

Spiced with humour, delicious pastry, and secrets of the village inhabitants.
Cooking method:

Transplant a high-level “white-collar” career woman who spent twenty years climbing the corporate ladder and married to an equally ambitious and successful guy from the city of London to a traditional English village, where it seems that the time had stopped when Jane Austen was still alive.

Add all the ingredients mentioned above. Don’t forget to throw in a hearty portion of the required spices.

I don’t hide that I have a soft spot in my book-obsessed heart for heroines who are long past their adolescence years. I mean there is nothing wrong with teenage angst “he loves me / he loves me not”, but we all have our preferences in everything, and this is mine. I love reading about grown-up women who have been through their life struggles – and those struggles can be a good old lousy marriage that didn’t work or “I’m not pretty” even though men fall in dozens to her feet – and who start afresh. And I also love pets.

So, Flora with her exquisite dresses and shoes that don’t really fit into the Baker’s Rise rural picture, and the parrot who can’t keep his tongue tied even when the words he utters can put him and others in danger, were the most welcome guests on my bookshelf.

Besides, I love small-town stories where the secrets of its inhabitants get gradually revealed.

“Here Today, Scone Tomorrow” is the first instalment of Baker’s Rise Mysteries. Don’t hesitate to come in for a freshly baked scone with a dash of mystery and English humour.






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Book review / The Dinner Club by Helen Aitchison

The Dinner Club by Helen Aitchison

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“The Dinner Club” by Helen Aitchison is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. This book has a soul, and this soul saturates the pages with true, deep emotions you can’t just shake off when you finish reading. Not that you’d want to. On the contrary, you’d want to continue to bathe in the beauty and heart-caressing wisdom of this story forever.

Derek, Florence, Violet, Eddie, and Cara. I feel like I have gotten to know them, not just read about them. The author has introduced readers to – not created – people – rather than characters – who now hold a special place in my heart.

“If only we saw what was in the hearts and minds of people, rather than just their outer shells, the suits of pretence, the costumes of make-believe. People desperate to stay afloat.” So many times, I’ve pondered over people – even intelligent and kind – being reserved and distant when they see those around them grieve. I understand that it’s a coping mechanism, which, in a way, helps the world to move on, not crumble under each person’s problems and tragedies. But, on the other hand, the question that keeps bothering me is where is a limit to the self-preservation instinct being a justification for not helping those around you. When does self-preservation turn into cruelty and indifference? “People don’t know what to say around grief, so they try, and fail, to comfort.”

“The Dinner Club” isn’t solely about grief. Far from it! It’s a story about starting again, a hope renewed, new beginnings, and one person’s life making a huge impact on those who got to know that person. This is a story about the courage to look for who you really are. This is a story of people’s strength and determination to change their stars. And this is definitely a story that will make you laugh, cry, and dig out of your memory those things that you liked doing when you were a kid. The things that made you feel good – ecstatic even – about life and the future.

Helen Aitchison proves to us what we tend to discard as trivial – that life is beautiful despite myriads of sad, ugly, heart-breaking, and unfair things that happen to us along the way. The author draws out the beauty of the world, of the human spirit, and holds it firmly up above her head for all of us to see. Helen Aitchison does it with the most powerful weapon there exists – a word.

I loved the feeling of being transported across distance and time back to the years I had spent living in England. The author put me back to those days when a cashier at Tesco called me “love” and complimented my hair, and people walking their dogs or riding their horses on the coast path always said hello.

And the last quote from this amazing book I simply couldn’t not write down. “Social media could depress you chronically or uplift you immensely and absolutely nothing between.”

“The Dinner Club” is a story about people whom we meet at work, in a supermarket, walking a dog, jogging in the park. This is a story about what often hides behind their smiles and polite nods. This book with a soul of its own is a getaway behind other people's facades and into their hearts.







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Book review / Captive Hearts by Kelly Miller

Captive Hearts: A Persuasion Variation by Kelly Miller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Captive Hearts” by Kelly Miller is an absolutely delightful “Persuasion” variation. In my opinion, among the author’s books “Captive Hearts” is the book that Jane Austen could have written herself. While reading, I was enchanted by the elegance of writing style, and I virtually could feel the stiffness of societal rules of that period. Kelly Miller has managed to convey the mood of the Regency era.

“Persuasion” is my second favourite Jane Austen novel. I’ve always liked it more than the more popular “Sense and Sensibility” or “Emma”. There was something special in the story of Miss Elliot and Captain Wentworth that drew me in and made me return to the book and reread it again and again. It’s possible that “Persuasion” is the reflection of Austen’s dreams that have never come true. She was twenty when she met a young man she – presumably, of course – fell in love with but couldn’t marry because of financial considerations of their families. And she was twenty-seven, like Anne Elliot, when she received the only known about marriage proposal. Maybe the love story of Anne and Frederick Wentworth was her secret dream, and she even accepted the marriage proposal from the man she didn’t love influenced by it. As if she thought that getting married would be a kind of revanche for the love match she was denied to make. She withdrew her acceptance, but who knows what initial impulse made her say yes.

“Captive Hearts” offers a more complete story of how Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth broke up and then reunited again. It also draws more nuanced portraits of secondary characters. With her trademark style to add a bit of spice to the narrative – strictly within the limits of acceptable plotlines for the Regency era – Kelly Miller makes readers clutch their books or Kindles worrying about the characters’ well-being when an unexpected twist puts them in danger.






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Book review / Untitled: Crimes Against the Crown by Wendy Bayne

Untitled: Crimes Against the Crown by Wendy Bayne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Beau monde of London and smugglers of the Dorset coast. Dark secrets and suddenly answered hopes. Aristocracy and working class. Unpunished crimes and long-overdue justice. All of it and more is found in “Untitled: Crimes Against the Crown” by Wendy Bayne, the first instalment of this exciting historical series.

The beginning of the story lulls you into believing you are about to read one kind of book, something like “Jane Eyre” or “Mansfield Park”. You prepare yourself to read the story of a young girl’s coming-of-age struggle in a somewhat familiar setting of a big, rich house with an uncaring and cruel father and them, in a matter of several pages, you simply get blown away by the story moving into the direction you could have never foreseen.

The book is full of diverse characters; some of them are likeable, others – absolutely adorable, with quite a significant number of those who can fight for the number one villain status. I liked that there are also such characters who astonished me by showing their true faces. Another thing I liked about the book is that it offers some deeply satisfying turns in the characters’ lives.

Reading this book was like being transported back in time and transplanted into characters’ reality. I woke up and went to bed with them, enjoyed tasty meals in the warm circle of friends and family, and felt my insides shiver with fright that we – pardon, they! – won’t make it through yet another dangerous trouble.

In the most unique way, “Untitled: Crimes Against the Crown” combines a page-turner, which doesn’t let you stop reading, with a rich narrative that draws detailed pictures of the events and also offers a deep understanding of the characters.

“Untitled: Crimes Against the Crown” is a multi-dimensional book full of adventure, risky endeavours, heart-melting love stories, and high society intrigues. I won’t even try to guess what the next instalment of the series hides between its pages since the author has confidently proved that it would be a futile attempt.

In addition to the intriguing plot twists and compelling characters, it was a special pleasure visualising pirates and smugglers roaming the familiar coast of Dorset and Cornwall. Many years ago, walking along the winding coast paths, my imagination drew exactly such scenes amidst the dangerous cliffs and angry, frothy waves of the majestic Jurassic Coast.






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Book review / Where the Story Starts by Imogen Clark

Where the Story Starts by Imogen Clark

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“Where the Story Starts” by Imogen Clark is a story of four women and one man. Following diverse plotlines, the book untangles the knot of relationships, deceit, and lies, simultaneously drawing portraits of the characters.

Melissa meets a man of her dreams. He is handsome and funny, he treats her like no man treated her before, and on top of all that, he is a bodyguard.

Grace is rich. She has a title and a stately home. And on top of that, she is blessed with a husband who adores her and the lovely children she gets herself completely immersed into.

Leah is a single mother who raises her two children alone, but she is rather brilliant at it. Besides, her little house in a tiny coastal town belongs to her, and it places her far above all her childhood friends and neighbours who are struggling with rent, landlords, and mortgages.

Clio doesn’t have a job or a purpose in life, but the good news is she doesn’t need to desperately seek either. Her family has it all, and she doesn’t really need to go into any trouble.

And then, there is Charles. A man of many talents and virtues, but who obviously isn’t always using them in the interests of those who love him.

I’d say that the mix of things untold and certain predictability of the plot is one of the main charms of this book. Although readers guess Charles’ secret almost right away, it’s not the mystery that holds their interest. It’s the characters, their past and present, and their reactions to what life throws at them.

Set in North East England, “Where the Story Starts” explores how one person’s actions influence the lives of everyone whom he pulls into his orbit. Readers are left to decide whether the bad outweighed the good in that person’s intentions.





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Book review / Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy

Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“Scarlet Feather” didn’t feel like a usual Maeve Binchy book. On the one hand, it has all the components that make millions of readers fall in love with her novels, while on the other, it is darker in tone.

Cathy Scarlet is married to the man of her dreams. Their love story is a modern interpretation of “Romeo and Juliet”, only with a happy ending. Not everything is easy and perfect in terms of relationships with their families, but at least they are together.

Tom Feather is in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, and sometimes he can’t believe his own luck that this girl loves him back. She dreams of becoming a professional model, and even though it doesn’t go well together with his dream to have a family, he supports her.

“Scarlet Feather” is a catering company, a dream Cathy and Tom share. They finally have come to the stage of actually implementing it. The premises are found, first clients secured, first praise received. What can go wrong when good people do everything in the right way?

Maeve Binchy’s answer to that question is – absolutely everything.

As in every book by this amazing author, there are many characters in this book. Their lives are messy, they make mistakes, and life constantly puts them through all kinds of troubles. Some of them are quirky, while others are quite ordinary. Not every one of them is likeable, and not every one of them gets a second chance, a new beginning, or a happy ending. This is that special symphony of Maeve Binchy’s books you can’t have enough of while you read her stories.

“Scarlet Feather” was the winner of the 2001 WH Smith Literary Award for Fiction.





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Book review / The Last of the Atalanteans by P.L. Stuart

The Last of the Atalanteans by P.L. Stuart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What does it take to be a leader of the nation? Is it enough with just royal origins or does one have to prove to the people one’s worth as a king?

Othrun, once Second Prince of the mightiest kingdom in the world, doesn’t have a choice in the matter. The kingdom he had been exiled from had been swallowed by the merciless ocean with the assistance of a fierce volcano. And with Atalantyx’s drowning, his already slim chances to become more than a second prince, vanished too. Othrun has to prove to those who are willing to give him a chance to restore – and maybe increase – his power and glory that he possesses what it takes to be a ruler.

In the second instalment of The Drowned Kingdom Saga “The Last of the Atalanteans”, begins Othrun’s journey through his personal purgatory. And the outcome of that journey will determine the fate of the remnants of the Atalanteans.

Othurn, with the help of those faithful to him, makes a plan how to return the kingdom of King Wely to its rightful owner. It is absolutely crucial that he succeeds since only King Wely can give Othrun what he wants. A new kingdom. New hope to become a great king.

The plan is audacious. It seems it could never work. I loved the feeling of incredulity that kept jangling my nerves throughout the first part of the book. “They aren’t going to make it” ran through my mind, and I kept turning the pages unwilling to stop reading before I find out if it was true.

Yet again, just like in the first book of the saga “A Drowned Kingdom”, P.L. Stuart has created a set of complex characters, none of which can be placed into some stiff category. Can a guy who’s betrayed once, be trusted again? Even if he seems a changed man. But maybe there were deeper reasons for his betrayal than those that seem obvious? Do cruel warlords have a conscience? Characters in “The Last of the Atalanteans” surprise the reader, and that is what makes the book so compelling. Our protagonist Othrun has changed too. His belief in being a chosen one by higher powers is still strong, but he starts seeing other people as worthy. Some – only as assets, while others like true friends who support him not only out of the feeling of duty.

It is always fascinating to follow book characters’ development – be it growth or degradation. It makes them real, and as a result, they evoke real emotions in readers. The story weaves its way through the intertwining and contending interests of mortal enemies, those connected with ties of kinship, and strangers who have just arrived into the new lands but are already plotting their own agenda.

“The Last of the Atalanteans” by P.L. Stuart is a truly epic fantasy book with excellent world-building, a set of diverse characters, packed with action and political intrigues.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.






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Book review / Portrait of a Marriga by Pearl S. Buck

Portrait of a Marriage: A Novel by Pearl S. Buck

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Is it possible to spend fifty years living with one person and keep the feeling that you are in love intact? Is it possible to do so with a person who is the complete opposite of yourself? Pearl S. Buck gives her answers to these questions, and some of these answers will certainly surprise some readers.

Everyone knows the story. A rich man, used to idleness and with every opportunity in the world open for him. And a girl from the countryside, used to hard work, limited by her origins. From the moment they meet, we all know what will happen. Either a man uses the girl dishonestly and hurries back into his glamorous life without a backward glance – if only a brief moment of melancholy sweeps him back in time in his memories from time to time. Or they marry, and the girl moves into the big house and starts playing a role of a rich lady, discarding her roots and never looking back at her humble past.

It's not what happens in “Portrait of a Marriage”.

Pearl S. Buck will surprise the reader, and pleasantly so, the one who wouldn’t mind the slow pace of the story, and who would wish to invest in two spouses’ inner worlds, in both of which the author dives with thorough knowledge of human nature.

William and Ruth dedicate their lives to each other. Each in their own way, sacrificing things to gain something more significant in return. It’s been an almost hypnotising experience reading through the years and decades they spent together. The choices they make, fates of their children, relationship with their families – nothing seemed cliché or strained.

For some readers, it might feel a little repetitive, but I found the way the author describes Ruth through William’s eyes absolutely mesmerising. In his eyes, her beauty never diminishes despite her age. He is a painter, and maybe that’s what lets him see her differently than a non-creative man would have seen her. But maybe it’s love that has – not clouded! – righted his vision.

I loved that the author doesn’t slip into describing the long marriage of two so different people like an idyll. But through highlighting the problems and disagreements spouses inevitably face living their whole life together, Pearl S. Buck illuminates the worth of the commitment two people enter when they give their wedding vows.






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Book review / New London by J.G. MacLeod

New London by J.G. MacLeod

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It’s not my usual reading style to start reading from the last page of the book, neither do I have a habit to begin reading series from the final instalment. Still, I don’t regret that my acquaintance with Lady Ellen has started in this manner. First, I felt more intrigued while trying to untangle the events of the past, and second, there was enough intrigue, gasp moments, and adventure in “New London” to keep me glued to its pages.

“New London” by J.G. MacLeod is a final instalment of the historical romance series “Adventures of Lady Ellen Montagu”. The book is set in 19th century Canada, the country that is still unsettled in its ways, with the inhabitants who are trying to find themselves and make this new land their home.
Lady Ellen and Lord Ardilaun are Irish immigrants in Upper Canada. In addition to difficulties many immigrants irrespective of their social status face in a new place, this couple is struggling with personal unsolved issues and unanswered questions they brought with them from their homeland.

It doesn’t help Lady Ellen and Lord Ardilaun to settle fully into cosy, domestic bliss since people from their past have chosen Canada as their new home too.

The book is full of unexpected plot twists. At first, it lulls the readers into believing that this is a story of aristocrats, who have found themselves in a challenging situation, but with wealth and influence, their problems remain on the level of “soul wanderings”. But then the author throws in one twist after another, and you find that you cannot imagine what will happen next in the characters’ lives.

I loved the realistic portrayal of Lady Ellen. She is naïve, and although life hasn’t always treated her as one would expect considering her status, her basic needs have been taken care of by servants and other people. She is stubborn and her abilities to evaluate different situations are definitely lacking. But she has inner strength, as well as warmth and intuition.

I will definitely read the first two books of “Adventures of Lady Ellen Montagu”. I look forward to meeting the characters in Ireland. I am certain that the beginning of Lady Ellen’s story is no less vivid and fascinating than its brilliant finale.





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Book review / Faith by Shane Scott

FAITH: Stories from the All by Shane Scott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“God of Nothing” by Shane Scott is one of the best books I read last year. That’s why I was waiting impatiently for the author to publish the next story set in the magnificent and awe-inspiring universe of the ALL.

Although “Faith” is a novella, and it certainly left me craving for more, the author has done it again – Shane Scott pulled me back into the universe he has masterfully created, and despite its being not the kind of place anyone would feel grateful to be born in, I didn’t want to leave.

The story is short, but it’s packed with action and the characters are multi-dimensional and relatable.

My heart made a leap when my favourite characters from “God of Nothing” appeared in the story. And in the most intriguing way! I’d love to read a whole book set in the ALL dedicated solely to Eva and Cassy. I can’t imagine how Eva could end up… well, I won’t make spoilers here. I don’t want to spoil other readers the pleasure of surprise.

“Faith” can be read as a standalone story, but I would recommend everyone who enjoyed reading it, not to rob themselves of the opportunity to expand their horizons into the land of Dragons, Titans, Bool, and other inhabitants of the ALL.





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