A thought provoking read about the lives of a group of people in one small town left changed by the Covid pandemic. A reminder that we all sometimes neA thought provoking read about the lives of a group of people in one small town left changed by the Covid pandemic. A reminder that we all sometimes need help to find our true purpose in life. Penny Parkes has captured something in her writing that should be shared with politicians and employers. I loved seeing how her characters lives changed....more
First book I’ve read by this author and I look forward to reading more in the future. A group of women are at crossroads in their lives, can a stay atFirst book I’ve read by this author and I look forward to reading more in the future. A group of women are at crossroads in their lives, can a stay at the Willows guesthouse help them clear their minds, aided by a chat with my favourite character, Esme? Happy to recommend...more
Enjoyed the book. Nancy and Alice are both great main characters who have issues to deal with but with some humour throughout this is a book to make yEnjoyed the book. Nancy and Alice are both great main characters who have issues to deal with but with some humour throughout this is a book to make you smile. Looking forward to reading more...more
Regular readers of my reviews will know how much I enjoyed Jean’s Ration Book series over the past 3 years and I recently enjoyed reading Jean’s biogrRegular readers of my reviews will know how much I enjoyed Jean’s Ration Book series over the past 3 years and I recently enjoyed reading Jean’s biography, A Child of The East End. You can read my review here: https://mentoringmumof2bookreviews.ho...
I enjoyed meeting the Carmichael family as they moved to Stepney when Prue’s father took over a new parish. I love how Jean creates characters who you quickly find yourself caring about and brings the wartime era to life.
Prue finds herself a job to help the war, and meets someone who helped her when she first moved in, Jack. Whilst Prue and Jack slowly get to know each other, Prue finds herself helping refugees and desperately seeking information about her brother who is missing in action.
I’m pleased to see that this is the start of a series because I need to know what happens next to the Carmichael family. Happy to recommend this well written and researched book from one of my favourite authors....more
Thank you to Anne of Random Things Tours and Harper 360 UK for the opportunity to read and review The Royal Correspondent by Alexandra Joel and a copyThank you to Anne of Random Things Tours and Harper 360 UK for the opportunity to read and review The Royal Correspondent by Alexandra Joel and a copy of the paperback.
This was the perfect book to curl up with last weekend as many of us were enjoying the extra bank holiday weekend in the UK for the Royal Coronation.
Blaise is a fantastic character, who battles to be taken seriously in a man’s world of journalism in Australia in the late 1950’s. This leads to her travelling to London to report on the marriage of the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret at the start of the 1960’s.
I loved how the story looked at how different life was for young women during this era, both in Australia and England. Alexandra Joel brings the era to life, from the fashions to social expectations. In addition to the Royal Wedding, other historical events feature in the story, which features secrets and intrigue, friendship and romance.
Happy to recommend this well written historical fiction novel and I look forward to reading more from Alexandra Joel in the future....more
Thank you to HQ Books for this beautiful hardback copy of The Secret Shore by Liz Fenwick to read and review for the blog tour. The Secret Shore is puThank you to HQ Books for this beautiful hardback copy of The Secret Shore by Liz Fenwick to read and review for the blog tour. The Secret Shore is published in the UK today. I’ve read a few of Liz’s books and you can read my last review here : https://mentoringmumof2bookreviews.ho...
So why did I enjoy this book so much that it was given a 5 star review? Well this was one of those books that swept me away into the past and I genuinely didn’t want to put it down, desperately wanting to know what happened next.
Merry is a wonderful main character. A bright young woman who has to work twice as hard to be taken seriously in academia just because she is a woman. She has experienced tragedy in her family life too but now has important work to do to help the war effort.
I loved how Liz wove the story, mixing family issues, social history and new beginnings into a period in history where people were fighting to keep the UK safe and to help other countries reclaim their freedom. This is also a reminder about the beauty of Cornwall and I’m sure that many holidaymakers will be unaware of how it was used during the 1940’s to prepare troops.
I would love to see this book turned into a TV series or film, so that non bookish people could enjoy the rollercoaster of emotions Merry experiences during the story. This is beautifully written book, a reminder of the bravery of the men and women during World War 2. and in my top ten reads of the year. Please add it to your reading lists....more
Thank you to Anne of Random Things Tours and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to join the blog tour for The Forgotten Garden by Sharon Gosling, puThank you to Anne of Random Things Tours and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to join the blog tour for The Forgotten Garden by Sharon Gosling, published last month. I’ve enjoyed reading Sharon’s previous books and you can read my last review here: https://mentoringmumof2bookreviews.ho...
This is another fabulous book from the pen (and/or keyboard) of Sharon Gosling. The story starts slowly as we meet Luisa, Cas and Harper, and find out more about their lives. They meet at Collaton, where Luisa finds herself helping create a community garden.
I enjoyed how this story evolved, as the characters got to know each other and started to invite local people to get involved with the community garden. Not everyone is happy with the idea initially. This is a hard hitting story in places and features issues affecting many young people, who find themselves stuck in difficult situations trying to avoid the problems Harper faces.
I enjoyed escaping into this book and found myself wrapped up in the story, feeling the highs and lows experienced by Luisa, Harper and Cas. Usually I have a favourite character in a book but all three main characters felt real and interesting.
An excellent story with community, new beginnings, gardening and sustainability at the heart of the book. Happy to recommend this five star read. I look forward to reading more books by Sharon in the future....more
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