The Secret Cove in Croatia

Description

Sail away to beautiful Croatia for summer sun, sparkling turquoise seas and a will-they-won’t-they romance you won’t be able to put down!

When no-nonsense, down-to-earth Maddie Wilcox is offered the chance to work on a luxury yacht for the summer, she can’t say no. Yes she’ll be waiting on the posh guests… But island-hopping around the Adriatic sea will more than make up for it – especially when Nick, her best friend Nina’s brother, is one of them.

Sparks fly when they meet on board and Maddie can’t believe self-entitled jerk Nick is really related to Nina. But in a secret, picture-perfect cove, away from the real world, Maddie and Nick discover they might have more in common than they realise…

Review

I just love this series of books by Julie Caplin, if you loved the previous ones, this won't let you down.

Julie's books always make me want to visit the places she sets the books in. Croatia is on my "to do list" and initially I was disappointed as it felt like there wasn't going to be much Croatian scene setting. But that all soon changed, as obviously they have to get on the chartered yacht and actually sail to Croatia!

I love that Julie's books mingle the characters. In this book we meet Maddie again who was in The Little Paris Patisserie. It won't matter if you haven't read that one as this is a stand alone book as all the ones in the series are. It adds to the enjoyment of reading for me though, as you recall the previous book and have a little more of a back story. It's just like meeting old friends.

Julie paints such a vivid picture of all the characters that I felt, as usual, that I had met them all in real life. There are some really quite different characters in this book and it's down to Julie's skill as a writer that they all seemed so believable. Maddie was a great character and it was lovely to get to know here more. She takes a crew job on a yacht and I loved the descriptions of her forays into the market to buy the foods. I also gave a little cheer every time she conquered one more task. There are two quite despicable characters who belittle her, but I was smiling so much when karma finally arrived for them.

A lovely light hearted read, although there was one scary part that had my heart racing. I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. 

The Most Difficult Thing - Charlotte Philby

Description

WHAT WOULD YOU SACRIFICE TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH?

On the surface, Anna Witherall personifies everything the aspirational magazine she works for represents. Married to her university boyfriend David, she has a beautiful home and gorgeous three-year-old twin daughters, Stella and Rose. But beneath the veneer of success and happiness, Anna is hiding a dark secret, one that threatens to unravel everything she has worked so hard to create.

As Anna finds herself drawn into the dark and highly controlled world of secret intelligence, she is forced to question her family’s safety, and her own. Only one thing is certain: in order to protect her children, she must leave them, forever. 

And someone is watching. Someone she thought she could trust. Someone who is determined to make them all pay.

Stylish and assured, The Most Difficult Thing is an irresistible combination of contemporary espionage and domestic suspense, and a compulsive, highly charged examination of betrayal.

Review

The book begins as Anna is meeting someone in subterfuge. The book then fast forwards three years. Without giving anything away this part of the book is then repeated at the end so it felt like some kind of deja vu when I got to the end of the book. It also slightly spoiled the book for me as when the tension was building I was aware of what was going to happen near the end of the book.

The book then reverts back to Anna's earlier life when she had just left Uni and has a sub heading of "Then". At this point I felt the book got a little too drawn out and I thought I was going to struggle to stay with it. Eventually the plot turned into more of a spy type thriller and at times I was on the edge of my seat, but then the beginning of the book would come back to me. It felt a little like an episode of Star Trek, when you know nothing will ever happen to the main characters just those who have a walk on part. 

Somewhere around part three of the book there was so much double, treble crossing that I got really confused about who was working for who and what was actually happening. Then came the ending - apart from the bit from the beginning of the book, there is a twist and then what felt like falling into a black hole. I have been trying to reconcile it in my mind - what did it mean? I've re read it and I'm no clearer with it, just wondering if there is a follow up book maybe?

It has taken me a while to be able to write this review because I have such mixed feelings about it. I was happy with the writing, but cared little for Anna or David. They were both so self absorbed in their own worlds and most of the supporting characters were too. 

I'm giving this book 4 out of stars. My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Perfect Wife - J P Delaney

Description

THE ENTHRALLING NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE GIRL BEFORE

"There's something I have to explain, my love," he says, taking your hand in his. "That wasn't a dream. It was an upload."

Abbie wakes in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. The man by her side explains that he's her husband. He's a titan of the tech world, the founder of one of Silicon Valley's most innovative startups. He tells Abbie she's a gifted artist, a doting mother to their young son, and the perfect wife.

Five years ago, she suffered a terrible accident. Her return from the abyss is a miracle of science, a breakthrough in artificial intelligence that has taken him half a decade to achieve.

But as Abbie pieces together memories of her marriage, she begins questioning her husband's motives - and his version of events. Can she trust him when he says he wants them to be together for ever? And what really happened to her, half a decade ago?

Review

This is the third book by J P Delaney that I've read and I think he is becoming my new favourite author. Just how he keeps coming up with these ingenious psychological thriller plots I do not know, but I hope he has lots more to come.

The book begins with Abbie waking up and she thinks maybe she's been in an accident, is she in a hospital? Very quickly her husband is by her side reassuring her, she's fine. She's not been dreaming just experiencing an upload! It's been six years since he last saw her alive.

I was hooked straightaway and proceeded to read the book in one day - I just couldn't put it down. I loved the mix of sci -fi, artificial intelligence and computer talk. 

Although we believe Abbie in the present day to be AI the author had me willing her to succeed in everything she did. At one point she makes bouillabaisse - fish stew. At first I couldn't understand the precision in which the stages she goes through to make this dish are set out. I understood perfectly later on as it made me feel her pain so much more. I began to form an attachment to her character as she began to grow and discover more about the "real" Abbie. She was beginning to make her own decisions, most unlike a Stepford Wife. 

Throughout the book we have flashbacks as to how Abbie came to be in Tim's life. These chapters aren't annotated to show they are a flashback, but I found it easy to realise that we were delving back into the past. The book also deals with autism, as Abbie's son Danny is autistic. I thought this was done very well and rang true. At the end of the book  the acknowledgements reveal that author has a son who is autistic and has obviously based those parts of the book on his own real life experiences.

There are plenty of twists and just when I thought there would be no more it all changed again - brilliantly. This is a real page turner of a book.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Seven Days of Us - Francesca Hornak

Description

The utterly brilliant, life-affirming Christmas story for fans of One Day. 

It's Christmas, and the Birch family is gathering for the first time in years.

Emma is elated at having everybody under one roof, but her oldest child, Olivia, is only home because she has nowhere else to go. She's just returned from treating an epidemic abroad and must stay in quarantine for a week - and so, too should her family.

For the next seven days, no one can leave the house and no one can enter.

It doesn't sound too hard. But a week with your nearest and dearest can feel like an eternity, especially when they're all harbouring secrets.

One of whom is about to come knocking at their door...

Review

After a slow start this book really reeled me in. To begin with I had no empathy with any of the characters and I felt like it was going to be a little cliched almost a farce, with all the ends being brought together in their seemingly inevitable fate. 

However, all that changed when the first of the cliches didn't come true, in fact all the little red herrings that had been running in my brain didn't play out in the book at all. I began to like the characters, getting to know them and becoming invested in what was going to happen to everyone. I did have to suspend a little disbelief that Olivia would be allowed to quarantine at home, even if it is in deepest remote Norfolk. Especially as the strictness of the quarantine seemed to wane very quickly.  

My perception of this book did change as I read it. I was expecting a little bit of a domestic cosy drama, but it was actually so much more than that. I did gasp a few times and raise my eyebrows - always the sign of a good story line.

So many secrets in this book. Some from the people themselves as they reconcile who they've become, with who they thought they were. Although it is set at Christmas I was fine reading it out of season. The Christmas element is not that strong, it's mainly a vehicle for the quarantine backstory which brings everyone together and it being easier to be separate from the world at that time of year.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

Queenie - Candice Carty-Williams

Description

Queenie Jenkins can't cut a break. Well, apart from one from her long-term boyfriend, Tom. That's definitely just a break, though. Definitely not a breakup. 

Stuck between a boss who doesn't seem to see her and a family who don't seem to listen (if it's not Jesus or water rates, they're not interested) and trying to fit in two worlds that don't really understand her, it's no wonder she's struggling.

She was named to be queen of everything. So why is she finding it so hard to rule her own life?

A darkly comic and bitingly subversive take on modern life, Queenie will have you nodding in recognition, crying in solidarity and rooting for this unforgettable character every step of the way.

Perfect for fans of Dolly Alderton, Bryony Gordon and Dawn O'Porter and anyone who loved Fleabag and Dear White People.

Review

I opted for the audio book for this one - what a fantastic reader. Just loved the accents and the patois which I fear would not have sounded one tenth as good in my own head!

In my opinion this is a novel for our time. It's being compared to Bridget Jones, but I would go out on a limb and say it compares slightly more to Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe for it's cultural significance and zeitgeist.

Queenie is a 25 year old black woman who has recently split from her white boyfriend leading her down a promiscuous path of one night stands. (you will need to be a little broad minded). A miscarriage, a career she is in danger of loosing and continually picking the wrong type of "guy" make her a vulnerable character. Her support group of friends has a group chat called "the Corgis" - just hilarious. Her friend Kyazike telling the rest of the uneducated group to refer to the urban dictionary to understand what she is saying.

This story had me entranced and at times yelling advice whilst cringing for Queenie as life slings everything it has at her. Until she at last she finds her voice.

This was from my own personal shelf. I'm giving this book five out of five stars.

Everything We Left Behind - Kerry Lonsdale

Description

An Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestseller.

From the bestselling author of Everything We Keep comes the highly anticipated sequel. Told from one man’s two perspectives, Everything We Left Behind effortlessly blends suspense, mystery, and romance in an exploration of loss, resilience, and the compelling need to protect the ones we love at all cost.

Two months before his wedding, financial executive James Donato chased his trade-laundering brother Phil to Mexico, only to be lost at sea and presumed dead. Six and a half years later, he emerges from a dissociative fugue state to find he’s been living in Oaxaca as artist Carlos Dominguez, widower and father of two sons, with his sister-in-law Natalya Hayes, a retired professional surfer, helping to keep his life afloat. But his fiancée, Aimee Tierney, the love of his life, has moved on. She’s married and has a child of her own.

Devastated, James and his sons return to California. But Phil is scheduled for release from prison, and he’s determined to find James, who witnessed something in Mexico that could land Phil back in confinement. Under mounting family pressure, James flees with his sons to Kauai, seeking refuge with Natalya. As James begins to unravel the mystery of his fractured identity, danger is never far behind, and Natalya may be the only person he can trust.

Review

I reviewed the first in this series here and I was keen for the sequel. However, I have been a little disappointed with it.

It was good to find out the story from the other side. In the first book we follow Aimee as she eventually tracks down James who is living as Carlos. In this book we get to find out the story from the perspective of Carlos.

The first half of the book I thought was very protracted, I understand there has to be some overlap with the first book but I felt like it laboured the point. I did wonder if this would have been better just added onto the end of the first book. I kept with it and then the twists and turns began and I was glad I had stuck with it. 

It certainly raised a lot of questions in my mind, especially around the children who know James as Carlos and now have a completely new Daddy!

You do need to read the first book before reading this one. For me this one was a little more romantic than the first, far too much for my taste. It also flipped back and forth so much that if I put it down and picked it up again I got confused as to which timeline I was in.

If you read the first book then for completeness you probably want to read this and find the full story. However, the end is left with another glimpse of more to come and there is a third book........

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I am I am I am - Maggie O'Farrell

Description

I AM, I AM, I AM is a memoir with a difference - the unputdownable story of an extraordinary woman's life in near-death experiences. Insightful, inspirational, gorgeously written, it is a book to be read at a sitting, a story you finish newly conscious of life's fragility, determined to make every heartbeat count.

A childhood illness she was not expected to survive. A teenage yearning to escape that nearly ended in disaster. A terrifying encounter on a remote path. A mismanaged labour in an understaffed hospital. Shocking, electric, unforgettable, this is the extraordinary memoir from Costa Novel-Award winner and Sunday Times bestselling author Maggie O'Farrell. It is a book to make you question yourself. What would you do if your life was in danger, and what would you stand to lose?

Review

I decided to get the audio version of this book, as I have so many books to read already. I'm so glad I did, as the lady reading the book has the most lovely annunciation and the way she reads just brought it to life, more than if I had read it from the pages myself. I've never read any of O'Farrell's fiction, and only wanted to read this as someone had described part of it to me, and I just knew I wanted to read it. I now want to read her fiction too. The seventeen chapters are all about brushes with death that the author has experienced. They are set within other anecdotes and that brings them to life as well a softening some of them. Others are very raw - especially the one about her daughter at the end. O'Farrell could have moaned about so many of the things that happened in her life, especially the many times it seems the health professionals let her down. Instead she poured it onto the page and it doesn't come across as a moan but as a rich open wound for others to experience and learn from. This was a title from my personal shelf.