Early Review: The Splendour Falls - Susanna Kearsley

1205 - the town of Chinon is beseiged by enemies of King John, and his young Queen calls upon a trusted servant to conceal her treasured jewels.

Emily Braden is intrigued by the medieval story of Queen Isabelle, and cannot resist when her cousin Harry, a historian, suggests a trip to the white-walled town of Chinon, nestling in France's Loire Valley. But when Harry vanishes and Emily begins to search for him, she stumbles across another intriguing mystery -- a second Isabelle, a chambermaid during the Second World War, who had her own tragedy, and her own treasure to hide.

As Emily explores the ancient town of labyrinthine tunnels, old enmities, and new loves, she finds herself drawn ever closer to the mysterious Isabelles and their long-kept secrets.

My thoughts:

This was my favorite Kearsley book to date, there was just something over it. The atmosphere, the French city of Chinon, the mystery, it all fell into place.

As often with Kearsley books there are more than 1 story. Though the the 2 other stories only get a few pages here and there. First we have Isabelle, the wife of King John, and during the siege of the Castle of Chinon she hides a treasure. During WWII a second Isabelle has her own share of tragedy.

The main story is about Emily who comes to Chinon because her cousin Henry is set on finding the missing treasure. And there we have the perfect setting of Chinon, and the guests of the hotel she is staying at. Lots of strange and fun people. And there might also be a chance of romance, but that is not the focus. That is on the mystery around the two Isabelle's and things are getting dangerous at the end.

Conclusion:

I liked all the characters and the mystery. And well all the revelations we get. It was well written and it kept me reading and reading.

cover

eh

Paperback, 384 pages
Expected publication: January 14th 2014 by "Sourcebooks Landmark" (first published December 7th 1995)
Fiction / Historical Fiction / mystery
For review

Review: Don't want to miss a thing - Jill Mansell

Dexter Yates loves his fun, care-free London life; he has money, looks and girlfriends galore. But everything changes overnight when his sister dies, leaving him in charge of her eight-month-old daughter Delphi. How is he ever going to cope? 

Comic-strip artist Molly Hayes lives in the beautiful Cotswold village of Briarwood. When it comes to relationships, she has a history of choosing all the wrong men. Leaving the city behind, Dex moves to Briarwood - a much better place to work on his parenting skills - and he and Molly become neighbours. There's an undeniable connection between them. But if Dexter's going to adapt, he first has a lot to learn about Molly, about other people's secrets...and about himself.

My thoughts:

As always you will get more than one HEA and that is why Mansell's books are so fun. I love the love in the air. Even side characters, that are truly on the side, gets a HEA.

But the book is about Dex and Molly. Dex is the womanizing partyboy (who I would not have liked if he had stayed like that). But he changes and becomes respectable, and is truly a god guy.

Molly is the nice down to earth neighbor. There are sparks, but are they just friendship sparks? These two have a very very long way to go.

And that is what I like, love that takes time, love that grows from friendship. Love that when you realize it's love, you already know each other well.

As for the side stories. There is a tale of lost love, hurt love and found love. You will see.

Conclusion:

Mansell's books are cute and always enjoyable.

Cover

Eh

Would I read more

Yes

Paperback, 432 pages
Published November 5th 2013 by Sourcebooks Landmark (first published January 29th 2013)
Romantic Fiction
For review

Review: Is This Love - Sue Moorcroft

When Tamara Rix's sister Lyddie is involved in a hit-and-run accident that leaves her in need of constant care, Tamara resolves to remain in the village she grew up in. Tamara would do anything for her sister, even sacrifice a long-term relationship. 

But when Lyddie's teenage sweetheart Jed Cassius returns to Middledip, he brings news that shakes the Rix family to their core. Jed's life is shrouded in mystery, particularly his job, but despite his strange background, Tamara can t help being intrigued by him.

Can Tamara find a balance between her love for Lyddie and growing feelings for Jed, or will she discover that some kinds of love just don't mix?

My thoughts:

Sue Moorcroft always keeps it real. Her couples take their time and there is always other things going on too.

Tamara has always helped her parents take care of her sister who was in a horrible accident as a teenager and now she mind has stayed a kid forever. But Tamara loves her sister so she wants to stay close. One could say she is a bit self sacrificing, but this is what she wants. She made her own way trough life and sure she has regrets but is still happy. And I liked her, and felt for her.

Jeb is an old friend of the family who shows up and dishes out some secrets. At times I did not know where to place him, read and find out, I wanted to like him, then doubt sneaked in, and then I liked him again.

The love affair takes time, there is no instalove. There is weariness, a bit of lust in their eyes and slowly they move towards each other and take it slow. Like I said, she keeps it real. She lets it build, the lets them have doubts. No need to rush love.

The book is about...oh what to spill now, Liddie, her sister. Jeb and the budding romance of course and a secondary story that adds a bit of something else, and a bit of drama too.

Conclusion:

 I enjoyed it and read it fast. It was sweet and real.

Paperback, 336 pages
Expected publication: November 15th 2013 by Choc Lit (out on ebook)
Women's fiction /romantic fiction
For review

Review: The Blue-ribbon jalapeno society jubilee - Carolyn Brown

Everything is calm in Cadillac, Texas until Aunt Agnes declares war on Violet Prescott, the president of the Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society, just in time for the annual jubilee. But after the festivities—and the hostilities—are over, it's four friends who are left standing, proving once again that friendship is forever.

My thoughts:

This book is about 3 women (and so much more). A small town, gossip, a group and how everything falls apart.

First we have Trixie who had a cheating husband (she still fools around with him cos she can't resist him). She was nice, but yes dump that idiot and move on! Then we have the twins Cathy and Marty. They could not be more different. The quiet and the loud one. Cathy is set to marry a boring man with a horrid mother. Marty is free and outspoken. I liked them both, maybe Cathy more since we followed her road to finding what she wants.

And then we have their aunt Agnes, the horrid Violet (Cathy's future mother-in-law!) who wants to rule the town and the society they are a part of. Darla Jean, the former prostitute who turned preacher,  and that  X (I will not say it cos I am a lady *coughs*) Anna Ruth who stole away Trixie's husband. Quite the set of characters and all with their agendas and dreams.

A nice story to read. Though I would not want to live there, maybe visit cos they all sound so fun! But before that Violet needs to go ;)

Conclusion:

Drama, gossip, romance, secrets and most of all friendship.

Cover

Both Meh and ok

Pages: 321
Genre: I do not really know where to place it...women's fiction /contemporary romance, something
Published: March 1st 2013 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Source. For review

Review: The Clippie Girls - Margaret Dickinson

Sisters in love. A family at war. A city in peril.
Rose and Myrtle Sylvester look up to their older sister, Peggy. She is the sensible, reliable one in the household of women headed by their grandmother, Grace Booth, and their mother, Mary Sylvester. When war is declared in 1939 they must face the hardships together and huge changes in their lives are inevitable. For Rose, there is the chance to fulfil her dream of becoming a clippie on Sheffield’s trams like Peggy. But for Myrtle, the studious, clever one in the family, war may shatter her ambitions.
When the tram on which Peggy is a conductress is caught in a bomb blast, she bravely helps to rescue her passengers. The shock waves that ripple through the family will affect each and every one of them and life will never be the same again.

My thoughts:

This was a family saga about 3 sisters, their mother and grandmother, in the time of WWII.

The war starts and sisters Peggy and Rose becomes clippies (conductresses). Peggy is the oldest, pretty levelheaded and careful. I liked her and understood why she was not over the heals in love with the man she was going out with. While Rose is the hellion (well almost) and who is in love with her sister's boyfriend. As you can see tension from the start.

Then we have a grandmother who says what she wants and has very firm opinions about things. A mother who stands in her own mother's shadow and the youngest sister who loves to study.

But it's mostly about Peggy and Rose. Their lives during the war as it changes everything. It's a book about friendship, love, family and heartache.

When the book reached a certain point I did not want to put it down. I needed to know what would happen to certain characters and I feared my heart would break.

Conclusion:

A good family saga.

Cover
meh, but at least it shows what it's about

Genre: Women's fiction

Pages: 438

Published: February 14th 2013 by Pan Publishing

Source: For review

Early Review: Move Over Darling - Christine Stovell

When is it time to stop running?

Coralie Casey is haunted by her past. Deciding it’s time for a fresh start, she sets up ‘Sweet Cleans’, a range of natural beauty and cleaning products, and escapes to Penmorfa, a quiet coastal village in west Wales.

Gethin Lewis thinks he’s about to put his home village Penmorfa behind him for good. Now an internationally-acclaimed artist living in New York, he just has to return one last time to wind up his father’s estate.

But the village soon disrupts their carefully laid plans. As truths are uncovered which threaten to split the community apart, Gethin is forced to question his real reasons for abandoning Penmorfa, and Coralie is made to face the fact that some stains just won’t go away.

My thoughts:

Romance in a quaint Welsh village, filled with gossiping ladies.

Coralie is running from her past, what past we do not know, but we learn. Sure it was...something, but I did feel she made too much of a big deal of it. But she is sweet, loves her new place and is just nice you know.

Gehtin hates the same village, he wanted out and out he went. Famous painter and disliked by certain people in Penmorfa. But he also is a nice guy. He had reasons to get out. These two together works, they are both not looking, so we know something will happen. The road there takes awhile. A bit of talking, which leads to flirting, which leads to talking. Yes no rush here. You can't rush love, not even lust at times.

Even with the gossiping old ladies this was a nice village. People felt close, even if they talked dirt behind each other's backs. There is a family that gets a backstory too as they know Coralie, and Gehtin. The parents have marital issues and their daughter is back and preggers. A sidestory that gives warmth and drama to this story.

Conclusion:

Romance that takes time, a village that I want to visit. That is this story.

Cover
Eh

Genre: Women's fiction
Pages: 336
To Be published: October 7th 2012 by Choc Lit
Source: For review

Amazon US
AMazon UK 

Review: The Road Back - Liz Harris

The Road Back is a split era novel set in the 1950s and 1995; it's a novel about relationships and how the past impacts upon the present. Set against a cultural background rarely featured in novels - that of the Buddhist part of Ladakh, a country to the west of Tibet - it tells of a passion that crosses cultures, of a love that lasts a lifetime, and of hope that can only come from revisiting the past.

When Patricia accompanies her father, Major George Carstairs, on a trip to Ladakh, north of the Himalayas, in the early 1960s, she sees it as a chance to step out from the shadow of her dead brother, James, and finally to win her father’s love.

What she doesn’t expect to do is meet Kalden – a local man destined by circumstances beyond his control to be a monk, but fated to be the love of her life.

Despite her father’s fury, the lovers are determined to be together, but their plans go tragically awry, and thirty -two years later a young woman comes knocking at Patricia’s door, looking for answers.

My thoughts:

This book takes place in the in the past, and a bit in the present too. But we know from the start that something went wrong. Patricia's daughter wants answer. So what happened?

The heroine Patricia is the perfect good girl, trying to to the best she can to make her father proud. Oh her dad, he was an ass, he mourned that his son never would follow in his footsteps. I could not have put up with it like Patricia did, but I understood why. And it is rooted deep within her since childhood.

Then we come to the love story that takes place in the early 60s when Patricia and her father go to Ladakh. To watch the scenery, take in the sights, and just explore.

While watching Patricia we also watched a young man grow up, Kalden, destined to be a monk. And when these two meet sparks fly. First love, so bittersweet. But it was such a different time, and with that prologue in mind I wondered what would happen to these too. For that reason I wish the prologue had not been there.

Conclusion:

It's a love story about a young man and a woman from different cultures. A different time, but then love will overcome anything and everything. It was a sweet story and I liked that the setting was so different. But it also made me cry.

Genre: Women's fiction
Pages: 356
Published: Sep 7th 2012
Source: For review

UK Kindle / US Kindle

Review: The Penny Bangle - Margaret James

When should you trust your heart? It's 1942 when Cassie Taylor reluctantly leaves Birmingham to become a land girl on a farm in Dorset. There she meets Robert and Stephen Denham, twins recovering from injuries sustained at Dunkirk. Cassie is instantly drawn to Stephen, but is wary of the more complex Robert - who doesn't seem to like Cassie one little bit. At first, Robert wants to sack the inexperienced city girl. But Cassie soon learns, and Robert comes to admire her courage, finding himself deeply attracted to Cassie. Just as their romance blossoms, he's called back into active service. Anxious to have adventures herself, Cassie joins the ATS. 

My thoughts:

This is actually part 3 in a series but it can well be read on its own. Book 1 took place during WWI, book 2 was about that couple's daughter and this book has a new heroine named Cassie who arrives at a farm to work. The farm owned by the couple from book 1. It's her story.

I have read the other two books but this was actually my favorite. I can't say what made it so, was the writing better? The story? The heroine? Who can tell what tiny detail makes me fall more? I did like the two previous books too but I guess Cassie won me over more. She was brave, did not give up and most of all, she was sweet.

The story is about the war, family and love. Cassie falls for the son in the family, luckily the Denhams are good people and not snobs as they come from a better family and she is gutter trash. All is good on that front. But the war is always there and Robert goes back. Their romance takes some time to blossom and I liked this. No rush, even if we know it will happen (as he does not like her from the start.) And as he is away fighting and she does her best to serve her country there is always that amount of danger in the air. It's not showed though.

It was nice to meet the Denhams again and Daisy from previous books. And the twins Stephen and Robert were so alike, but nice young men. There is also another landgirl named Frances who befriends Cassie.

One thing I did not like, but as this was about the story, it's a very personal opinion. Because of something that happened I would rather have the book end unhappily then how it ended now, all happily. Somethings I do not forgive.

Conclusion:

Easy to read; romance, conflicts and war always present. Heartache and happiness is promised. 

Cover.
I do like how all covers fit their era.

Genre: Women's fiction /romance, Pages: 304, Published: May 7th, 2012 by Choc Lit, Source: For review

Review: Please don't stop the Music - Jane Lovering

Genre: Contemporary romance  /Fiction

Pages: 304
Published: February 1st 2011 Choc-Lit

How much can you hide? Jemima Hutton is determined to build a successful new life and keep her past a dark secret. Trouble is, her jewellery business looks set to fail - until enigmatic Ben Davies offers to stock her handmade belt buckles in his guitar shop and things start looking up, on all fronts. But Ben has secrets too. When Jemima finds out he used to be the front man of hugely successful Indie rock band Willow Down, she wants to know more. Why did he desert the band on their US tour? Why is he now a semi-recluse? And the curiosity is mutual - which means that her own secret is no longer safe.

Plot:

Jemima Hutton makes belt buckles, and that leads her into the guitar store owned by Ben Davies. They both have secrets, and they both need someone.

My thoughts:

What can I say, it was real. I like this kind of romance. You know where a couple meet, are friends, and then something slowly builds up. It is real, it's life, there are doubts, and there is love.

Jemima is young woman trying to build a life. She is nice, but she is also broken. Why we do not know. But there are hints, something has happened in her past. That alone could have kept me reading, I do like secrets. Then there is Ben, a former celebrity from a band bigger than Coldplay. Why he suddenly left no one knows. He has issues too, and I though that I knew why while reading, but the truth is never that simple. His secret made me want to read on too. These two needed each other. Their way to romance was slow, but truthful, and it made me the happier when they took small steps.

There are also two side characters, Jason who shares a studio with Jemima. He was fun, and Rosie with her newborn son Harry. She was sweet and now I kind of want her story. And of course we need someone not to like and in comes Saskia, the resident bad guy. She does not want to sell Jemima's belt buckles anymore, she seems to have a stick up her ass, and she demands too much from Rosie (who makes handmade cards and sells them in Saskia's store). Something fishy is going on there, so there is a third mystery that makes the plot go forward.

This book had a mix of everything, and there was warmth, true friendship and feelings about loss and trying to hide who one really is. I could not put it down, I had to read on. It was a fast read, and wonderful read too. 

Final thoughts and recommendation:

I would recommend this one, it is not contemporary romance with whirlwind romances in a day, and big jealousy dramas. It's a more truthful look at a couple finding each other and opening up. While dealing with life. It was a wonderful book that I did not want to stop reading, and I do want to read more by this author.

Reason for reading:

I like Choc-lit books, Brit romances are fun :)

Cover:

Nice, but it does make  me think about what her belt buckles really look like with all those stones on it.

Review: The Snow Globe - Sheila Roberts

Genre: Fiction
Pages: 176
Published: October 2010

On a blustery afternoon, Kylie Gray wanders into an antique shop and buys an enchanting snow globe.  “There’s a story behind that snow globe,” the antique dealer tells her.  The original owner, he explains, was a German toymaker who lost his wife and son right before Christmas.  When the grieving widower received the handcrafted snow globe as a Christmas gift, he saw the image of a beautiful woman beneath the glass—a woman who would come into his life, mend his broken heart and bring him back to the world of the living.  For years, the snow globe has passed from generation to generation, somehow always landing in the hands of a person in special need of a Christmas miracle.

Kiley could use a miracle herself.  This year, all she wants for Christmas is someone to love.  A hopeful shake leads her on an adventure that makes a believer out of her. When Kylie shares the story of the snow globe with her best friends—two women with problems of their own—they don’t believe it.  But they’re about to discover that at Christmastime, sometimes the impossible becomes possible and miracles really do come true.

Plot:

A snowglobe, 3 women, 3 chances to find what they want.

My thoughts:

This was such a sweet book, and perfect for me since I wanted something about Christmas to read this week and then this one fell in lap.

The miracles are sure there, they can't all be hallucinating. Kylie is the one buying it. She has no job, and no man longer since he left her for her sister. Heart heart longs for something. And the globe is supposed to have given the man it was given to his heart's desire. And since this is a happy sweet book then you know it will be like that. Kylie then passes it so her friend who is so busy and cares only to have the perfect house, but she has something to learn about family. Lastly it passes to the third friend, who is going home to her horrible family for Christmas. All stories were lovely and short. Miracles work fast.

The book was so easy to read, you can just sit down a cold afternoon with some hot chocolate and find a bit of happiness in this book.

As for the miracles, well that is just some strange unexplained magic, and I liked it this way. Nothing was said, so I am gonna think it was Magic Elves who made this globe.

Recommendation and final thoughts:

I would recommend it, it's short, it's sweet and it's a cute little book to read before Christmas, or in the wintertime. I liked Kylie's story the best, but Suzanne's story made the biggest impact, because she learned what is the most important. Allison's story, I might have missed why she got happy there. But all in all, sweet, romantic, and fun.

Reason for reading:

'tis the season

Cover:

Sweet

Oh winners!

The Winter Sea

Velvet and Deborah

The Winter Hop giveaway

Nina

All winners have been emailed :)

Review: All that Mullarkey - Sue Moorcroft

Genre: Women's fiction
Pages: 336
Published: June 2010 Choc Lit


Revenge and love: it's a thin line...

The writing's on the wall for Cleo and Gav. The bedroom wall, to be precise. And it says 'This marriage is over.' Wounded and furious, Cleo embarks on a night out with the girls, which turns into a glorious one night stand with... Justin, centrefold material and irrepressibly irresponsible. He loves a little wildness in a woman and he's in the right place at the right time to enjoy Cleo's. But it s Cleo who has to pick up the pieces of a marriage based on a lie and the lasting repercussions of that night. Torn between laid-back Justin and control freak Gav, she s a free spirit that life is trying to tie down. But the rewards are worth it.

Moorcroft did again and delivered another honest and lovely book. And she also gives us another ass who breaks it off in such an evil way. This time our heroine comes home and in the bedroom her ass of a husband has written on the bedroom wall, the marriage is over.

That is how the book starts, and Cleo goes out. There she meets hottie Justin who takes her home, and she is loving it. But as the dust settles the next day she goes home to find a husband who regrets his outburst. She tries to save her marriage, but in the end, is it worth saving?

Let me start with saying that Gav was an ass, not just cos of his little message, but because of so many other things. He controls her, and as I read on I come to realise just as she does that this marriage is not as perfect as everyone thought.

Cleo is great, she tries to work things out with Gav. And she finds her own strength. She is honest. And then there is hottie Justin, such a hottie and he has it bad for her. He was a great guy, and I am sure most women will think so too.

An honest book about a real marriage that has cracks under the surface. A book about people making mistakes, people trying their best, and falling in love. And no 2 week romances here, no, they take their time to fall in love, and when they do you just lean back and smile, and think, this is the real deal.

There is a lovely romantic story evolving in this book, and they are so meant for each other, even if the road there is long. An honest, romantic story about a woman torn between two men. I liked it, and I especially like the second half cos there is gets kind of exciting, and it kept me wondering how that would end.

It's always nice to read about real people because it does make me think, what would I do?

Blodeuedd's Cover Corner: Nice and simple

Reason for reading: From choc lit

Final thoughts: Ratty was in this book, yay :D

3

Review: Starting Over - Sue Moorcroft

Genre: Women's fiction
Pages: 336
Published: 2009 Choc Lit

New home, new friends, new love. Can starting over be that simple? Tess Riddell reckons her beloved Freelander is more reliable than any man - especially her ex-fiance, Olly Gray. She's moving on from her old life and into the perfect cottage in the country. Miles Rattenbury's passions - Old cars and new women! Romance - He's into fun rather than commitment. When Tess crashes the Freelander into his breakdown truck, they find that they're nearly neighbours - yet worlds apart. Despite her overprotective parents and a suddenly attentive Olly, she discovers the joys of village life and even forms an unlikely friendship with Miles. Then, just as their relationship develops into something deeper, an old flame comes looking for him ...Is their love strong enough to overcome the past? Or will it take more than either of them is prepared to give

This was a nice book because it had this sort of honesty about it, and this natural flow of things.

It's about Tess who has been left at the altar; her fiancé broke up with her via email. The horror! What a bastard, she was angry, and she was ill. And now she is finally picking up the pieces of her life and has moved away to a small village somewhere in England. At once she meets Miles, or Ratty as he is called, and dislikes him. But there is something hidden beneath that surface, and he is so sweet to people he like. But it is not as easy, her ex is back (still an ass), but something is building up.

Of all the ways to break up, I disliked her ex Olly at once (email!!). And even more as I got to know Tess, because there are more things hidden, and one thing is for sure. She is so much better off without him. I really liked when Miles came and defended her at once time when Olly was being an ass.

Miles, oh he is a player, he enjoys his women, but there is still this sweet side to him when he is around his friends, and their kids. One has to like him, and he does want her, and as times go by, he understands how much he wants her.

There are no big things happening, there is just life. Tess trying to make a new living, getting new friends, trying to get away from her overprotective parents, and slowly trusting a man again. But like life, there is also hardship. She is still very vulnerable, and it shows.

It's a nice book about life, love and everything else. I know she has to be comfortable to let him in, and I wait for it to happen. They are such good friends, and I am sure they could be happy together. But I am never certain, Moorcroft does keep me on my edge, I do not know how she does it, but she does. She makes me doubt and then she makes me happy. I like that, because even if my soul knows that that HEA is coming, I still want to be surprised.

What I liked about this book was the honesty, the normal people living normal lives, and two people falling in love, slowly but with a certainty. People making mistakes, and in the end, true love. Sometimes you don't need more than that. No big gestures, no crazy anecdotes, just a great couple and their way, to love, or not to love. I can't go and spoil everything now can I.

Blodeuedd's Cover Corner: Nice, sweet, and simple.

Reason for Reading: From the Publisher. Oh and I do love their motto:

Choc Lit: Where heroes are like chocolate- irresistible

Final thoughts: I liked Ratty, Miles that is, and I want those drawings that Tess made.

3