Tag Archives: Donna Douglas

A Daughter’s Hope by Donna Douglas

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A Daughter’s Hope is the conclusion to the Yorkshire Blitz trilogy by Donna Douglas. I do hope it’s not the last we see of the MacGuire family who are a fantastic bunch of characters – or are they real? They seem like it when you’re reading. It’s like peering into a window and watching as their lives unfold. Matriarch Big May MacGuire leaps from the page, a strong woman in charge of her noisy, squabbling, good-hearted brood.

It’s Autumn, 1942; the Blitz has come to an end and the residents of Jubilee Row begin to get their lives back on track. Twins Sybil and Maudie join the WAAF to do their bit for the war effort. The girls may be twins but each has their own personality, and they face their own struggles when it comes to adapting to force’s life and discipline.  Will they be able to thrive in this new environment?

Back in Hull, 42 year-old Florence, the eldest of May Maguire’s daughters, has a good job as supervisor of a typing-pool but feels thwarted when a new manager joins the staff and threatens to undermine her authority.

May understands Florence least of all her children and Florence’s strong independence keeps her hovering on the edge of family life. The love and awkwardness, the misunderstanding between the two women was gently revealed from the first chapter and I really enjoyed the complex relationship between Florence and her mum.

There is humour and warmth,  and a strong sense of making the best of things – there’s never a dull moment among the folks of Jubilee Row.

I have to say that having read the others in the trilogy this is my favourite. The plotlines are deftly interwoven and the skilled writing and storytelling draws the reader along until the very last page. I was sad when it came to an end.

I hope there’s more to come from the MacGuires, but if there isn’t I eagerly await the next book from Donna Douglas.

A Daughter’s hope by Donna Douglas is published by Orion and available from all independent bookstores, Amazon, and other online retailers from 28th April 2022 .

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A Nightingale Christmas Promise by Donna Douglas |

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A Nightingale Christmas Promise by Donna Douglas

This fun and comforting read is perfect for Christmas.

For the first time, a Nightingale nurses novel set during the First World War. Follow the senior staff as they overcome the trials of their training years. From Sunday Times top ten bestselling author, Donna Douglas.

East London, 1914: Britain is preparing for war. As young men queue up across the country to enlist, the Nightingale Hospital has its own set of new recruits…

Anna has had a happy upbringing in her parent’s bakery in Bethnal Green. But as war descends her family’s German roots will wrench them apart in ways Anna never could have imagined.

Kate dreams of following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a doctor. With female doctors virtually unheard of, it will take courage to face off the prejudice around her.

Sadie joins the Nightingale Hospital for a new life away from her mother’s interference. But the legacy of her family may not be so easy to escape…

As the shadow of war descends, will the promise of Christmas help to bring the students together?

Cosy Christmas Reading – Book Reviews

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A Nightingale Christmas Promise by Donna Douglas

A Nightingale Christmas Promise by Donna Douglas

East London, 1914: Britain is preparing for war. As young men queue up across the country to enlist, the Nightingale Hospital has its own set of new recruits…

Anna has had a happy upbringing in her parent’s bakery in Bethnal Green. But as war descends her family’s German roots will wrench them apart in ways Anna never could have imagined.

Kate dreams of following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a doctor. With female doctors virtually unheard of, it will take courage to face off the prejudice around her.

Sadie joins the Nightingale Hospital for a new life away from her mother’s interference. But the legacy of her family may not be so easy to escape…

As the shadow of war descends, will the promise of Christmas help to bring the students together?

 

I’ve enjoyed previous Nightingale Nurses books set in WW2 so was looking forward to reading A Nightingale Christmas Promise – which is the first one set during the First World War. It didn’t disappoint.

A Nightingale Christmas Promise follows the senior staff as they overcome the trials of their training years. Donna Douglas paints rich scenes in Anna’s family bakery, the training hospital and Sadie’s mother’s dwelling and weaves the threads together as the girls face their trials and tribulations as they go through their training. An absorbing and uplifting read.

A Nightingale Christmas Promise by Donna Douglas published by Arrow pb £6.99

Christmas at Tuppenny Corner by Katie Flynn

Christmas at Tuppenny Corner by Katie Flynn

Katie Flynn’s story follows fifteen year old Rosie O’ Leary as she comes to terms with change and upheaval in her life on the canals. Set in Liverpool in 1939, Rosie makes friend with fellow bargee, Tim Bradley who shows her the sights of Liverpool and it’s not too long before their friendship develops into something more.

But when Tim is called up to join the RAF, Rosie’s dreams of a future together is put on hold and she has to summon her inner strength to cope with changing events on the canals.

The world is full of uncertainty but Katie Flynn’s heroines are tough and resilient and Rosie finds hope that there really could be a miracle this Christmas. A heartwarming story full of richly rounded characters and vivid settings.

An absolutely perfect read for  Katie Flynn fans who will look forward to curling up and reading this on the run up to Christmas.

Christmas at Tuppenny Corner by Katie Flynn published by Arrow pb £6.99

Nightingales Under the Mistletoe by Donna Douglas Reviewed: Tracy Baines

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Christmas 1941 and the nurses at the Nightingale are facing their toughest winter yet.

With shortages everywhere, and every news bulletin announcing more defeats and losses, the British people are weary and demoralised and The Nightgale Hospital is suffering too.Millie is recently widowed and dealing with the demands of her family’s estate.  It’s not long before her old world of The Nightingale begins to beckon, along with a long lost love…

Jess is struggling with her move from East London to the quiet of the countryside.Effie finds herself exiled to a quiet village, but the quiet doesn’t last for long as she soon finds excitement in the shape of a smooth talking GI. As Christmas approaches, even the shelter of the countryside can’t protect the girls from heartache.

This is the first book I’ve read about the nurses at the Nightingale Hospital and it won’t be the last. Even though I came new to the series (this is book seven) it was easy to read as a stand alone and was at no point confusing.

It was a perfect winter read as I sat in front of a roaring fire, mug of tea and a box of choccies to hand. I was soon deep in the world of nurses and country living. The characters are likeable and realistic and the author strikes a perfect balance between the hard, grudging work that nurses do and the camaraderie that comes from pulling together. It doesn’t shy away from the awfulness of war but deals with it in a way that’s informative without being too upsetting and certainly made me wonder at the bravery of people during those trying times. That said there is humour and warmth on every page.

An absolutely perfect read for those who love Call the Midwife.

To be published 11th November by Cornerstone Publishing

 

 

Summer Book Special | What To Read

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summerbookreviewwhattoreadFive Days Later by Julie Lawson Timmer

This book was hard to put down. A beautiful and heart-breaking novel on love and lost, it is simply stunning. A must-read.

Mara is a successful lawyer, and devoted wife and mother. Struggling with a devastating illness, she has set herself five days to make the ultimate decision for her family.

Scott lives a thousand miles away, and is a foster parent to a troubled eight-year-old. Scott is facing his own five day countdown until his beloved foster son is returned to his biological mother.

The two connect through an online forum, and find a friendship to help guide them through the most difficult, and momentous, week of their lives.

Five Days Left is available here.

 

Some kind of wonderful by Sarah Morgan

A great, engaging, fun story. Sarah Morgan has a talent for writing great in-depth characters. This is the second book in the Puffin Island series. A good read that is hard to put down.

Her whole life, Puffin Islander Brittany Forrest has dreamed of adventure. And at the age of eighteen, she thought she’d found it in bad boy Zachary Flynn. But after just ten tempestuous, smouldering days, their whirlwind marriage went up in smoke, and Brittany resolved to put him out of her mind forever.
Zach knows he let Brittany down, but being back on Puffin Island and seeing Brittany again stirs up long-buried emotions. This daredevil pilot has never felt worthy of her, yet he can’t stay away—even when he knows the chemistry between them will only complicate his life.

As long, hot summer days on the beach dissolve into sultry, starry nights, Brittany and Zach find that the sparks between them are more powerful than ever. Could it be that the second time around, their dreams of a happy-ever-after will finally come true?

Fall in love with the all new Puffin Island series from Sarah Morgan, the bestselling author who brought you Sleigh Bells in the Snow:

Some Kind of Wonderful is available here.

 

A Meditation on Murder by Robert Thorogood

From the creator of BBC drama Death in Paradise, this great crime novel is riveting and full of twists that will keep you guessing. An enjoyable read, perfect for fans of crime novels.

 

An original story from the creator and writer of the hit BBC One TV series, Death in Paradise, featuring on-screen favourite detective, DI Richard Poole.
Enhance your enjoyment of the series as, for the first time, Robert Thorogood brings the characters to life on the page in an all-new locked-room mystery.

Aslan Kennedy has an idyllic life: leader of a spiritual retreat for wealthy holidaymakers on one of the Caribbean’s most unspoilt islands, Saint Marie. Until he’s murdered, that is. The case seems open and shut: when Aslan was killed he was inside a locked room with only five other people, one of whom has already confessed to the murder.

Detective Inspector Richard Poole is hot, bothered, and fed up with talking to witnesses who’d rather discuss his ‘aura’ than their whereabouts at the time of the murder. But he also knows that the facts of the case don’t quite stack up. In fact, he’s convinced that the person who’s just confessed to the murder is the one person who couldn’t have done it. Determined to track down the real killer, DI Poole is soon on the trail, and no stone will be left unturned.

A must read for fans of the TV series and Agatha Christie crime classics featuring Marple and Poirot.

A Meditation on Murder is available here.

 

A Summer Promise by Katie Flynn

This wartime novel is a heartwarming romance novel. Believable and engaging. 

From the bestselling author Katie Flynn. Growing up in the Yorkshire Dales, Maddy Hebditch can’t imagine the changes that war will bring when she joins the ATS.

1938: Maddy Hebditch has been living in poverty with her cantankerous grandmother since she was orphaned when she was just five, and it’s a constant struggle to stay out of the workhouse.

However, though life is hard, Maddy has her friends Alice, Marigold and Tom to help her. Together the four spend their summers exploring the Dales and making plans for the future.

Until war breaks out and everything changes.

As the four go their separate ways, Maddy joins the ATS, where she is recruited for one of the most dangerous jobs a woman could do in wartime: the Ack Ack sites.

All four face dangers as the war worsens, but when Tom is terribly injured, Maddy’s world falls apart…

A Summer Promise is available here.

 

Doris Day Vintage Club by Fiona Harper

A brilliant and unique novel. Hard to put down and lots of fun. Make sure you pack this amazing novel in your suitcase, it is the perfect holiday read and essential for fans of Doris Day. 

Claire Bixby grew up watching Doris Day films at her grandmother’s house and yearned to live in a world like the one on the screen – sunny, colourful and where happy endings were guaranteed. But recently Claire’s opportunities for a little ‘pillow talk’ have been thin on the ground.

Until she meets new client Nic who comes into her travel agency looking to book the perfect get away. Too bad it’s for two!

But as Nic and Claire get closer, the sparks start to fly, and Claire’s questioning everything Doris taught her about romance.

Can true love ever really be just like it is in the movies?

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps…

The Doris Day Vintage Film Club is available here.

 

Nightingales at War by Donna Douglas

The latest in the Nightingales series, this is a heart-warming tale of friendship and love. A great coming-of-age drama set in pre-war London. A touching novel which is perfect for fans of Call The Midwife. 

As the war takes its toll, the Nightingale nurses must do their bit for king and country…

Dora is the devoted mother of twin babies but, determined to help the war effort, she goes back to work at the Nightingale Hospital.

More used to nights out in the West End, Jennifer and Cissy volunteer in the hope of tending to handsome soldiers. They soon find out that nursing isn’t quite what they were expecting.

For shy and troubled Eve, the hospital provides an escape from the pressures of home, but the life of a nurse is never easy, especially at wartime.

Can the nurses rally together while war rages all around them? And will the Nightingale Hospital survive the Blitz?

Nightingales at War is available here.

 

Russian Tattoo by Elena Gorokhova

A stunning page-turner. This is the second memoir from Elena Gorokhova and it is a fascinating and beautiful tale on the mother-daughter bond, Candid and full of emotion, this book is a great read. 

The possibility of leaving Russia was never as thrilling as the prospect of leaving my mother.’

When Elena Gorokhova arrives in America, the only link back to her Russian past is a suitcase filled with twenty kilograms of what used to be her life. Navigating a country she had been taught to fear, Elena begins to carve out a new life in an unfamiliar world.

Before the birth of Elena’s daughter, her mother comes to visit and stays for twenty-four years. Elena, must struggle with the challenge of raising an American daughter whilst living with her controlling mother, a mirror image of her Motherland.

Russian Tattoo is the story of what it means to be an outsider, and what happens when the cultures of our past and present collide. Above all, it is an insightful portrait of mothers and daughters.

Russian Tattoo is available here.

 

The Umbrian Thursday Night Supper Club by Markena de Blasi

We loved this book. A wonderful novel about a group of women in Italy who meet up on Thursday night to talk and cook. Full of wonderful description and amazing recipes you can cook yourself, this book takes you into the heart of Italy. This is a true story that never stops entertaining. Full of emotion, it perfectly evokes Italy and the Italian people. Wonderful. You cannot wait to find out what happens to these women and what happens in their lives.

Pull up a chair for the true story of the Umbrian Thursday night supper club.

Every week on a Thursday evening, a group of four Italian rural women gather in a derelict stone house in the hills above Italy’s Orvieto. There – along with their friend, Marlena – they cook together, sit down to a beautiful supper, drink their beloved local wines, and talk.

Here, surrounded by candle light, good food and friendship, Miranda, Ninucia, Paolina and Gilda tell their life stories of loves lost and found, of ageing and abandonment, of mafia grudges and family feuds, and of cherished ingredients and recipes whose secrets have been passed down through the generations. Around this table, these five friends share their food and all that life has offered them – the good and the bad.

For fans of all things Italian, and the thousands of readers who loved Deborah Rodriquez’s The Kabul Beauty School; Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love and Deborah Moggach’s Best Exotic Marigold Hotel;

The Umbrian Thursday Night Supper Club is available here.

 

Villa America by Liza Klaussmann

One of the books of the moment, and rightly so. This book is a stunning and sophisticated page-turner. This tale of marriage set in the 1920s on the French Riviera is a glorious read. 

Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, Cole and Linda Porter, Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos – all are summer guests of Gerald and Sara Murphy. Visionary, misunderstood, and from vastly different backgrounds, the Murphys met and married young, and set forth to create a beautiful world. They alight on Villa America: their coastal oasis of artistic genius, debauched parties, impeccable style and flamboyant imagination. But before long, a stranger enters into their relationship, and their marriage must accommodate an intensity that neither had forseen. When tragedy strikes, their friends reach out to them, but the golden bowl is shattered, and neither Gerald nor Sara will ever be the same.

Ravishing, heart-breaking, and written with enviable poise, Villa America delivers on all the promise of Liza Klaussmann’s bestselling debut, Tigers in Red Weather. It is an overwhelming, unforgettable novel.

Villa America is available here.

 

Everyday Detox by Megan Gilmore

Too many diet books are based on deprivation. This book makes being healthy easy and delicious. Megan Gilmore has practical recipes that are easy to make and she focuses on simply daily changes. This great book will make you healthy and is so great and simple you won’t even notice it is happening. 

This no-nonsense approach to healthy detoxing by certified holistic health coach and blogger Megan Gilmore offers 100 delicious and properly combined recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including smoothies, snacks and desserts to help you lose weight and feel great. Each recipe is gluten- and sugar-free and include vegan, vegetarian and grain-free alternatives.

Whilst most diets and detoxes require all-or-nothing approaches which encourage unhealthy cycles of restriction followed by bingeing, Everyday Detox takes a realistic, sensible approach to healthy eating and weight loss. The simple, delicious recipes, such as Coconut Banana Muffins, Cauliflower Fried Rice, Baked Spaghetti and Double Chocolate Brownies, will help you to discover the benefits of using all-natural, wholefood ingredients that not only promote good health but stave off feelings of hunger and deprivation. And since each recipe has been designed to promote good gut health while gently removing toxins, you won’t feel bloated or uncomfortable after eating.

Packed with invaluable advice on how to stock a detox-friendly kitchen, and a handy food combination cheat sheet to help you to enjoy the benefits – and the results – of Everyday Detox without delay, this is an essential no-fuss approach to looking and feeling great!

Everyday Detox: 100 Easy Recipes to Remove Toxins, Promote Gut Health and Lose Weight Naturally is available here.

 

 

Christmas Gift List For Book Lovers

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Who doesn’t love a good book? Not many people and why the hell would you be friends with anyone who didn’t? Good question. Here are our picks.

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The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau

This book is perfect not only because it is a great idea brilliantly executed, but also because after Christmas comes New Year and we all need a little bit of help and motivation then. Written by Chris Guillebeau, the New York Times bestselling author of $100 Startup. The book helps you to find purpose in work and life by committing to a life-changing quest.

Chris himself has undertaken a successful quest of his own, having visited nearly every country in the world by age 35. The Happiness of Pursuit offers inspirational and practical advice to help you bridge the gap between ‘impossible dream’ and ‘everyday reality’. But a quest doesn’t need to involve travel at all; what’s needed is commitment and progressive accomplishment, losing oneself in a task – whether it be a physical journey, an artistic enterprise or a philanthropic feat. Chris has surveyed thousands who’ve undertaken such pursuits, (from going on 50 dates in all 50 states, becoming fluent in five languages, to cooking a meal from every country in the world), and has recorded 50 case studies in his new book. Excellent stuff.

The Happiness of Pursuit: Find the Quest that will Bring Purpose to Your Life

 

Dark Witch By Nora Roberts

Book one of the cousins of O’Dwyer trilogy. Bestselling writer Nora Roberts sold 1.2 million copies in 2013 alone. Very impressive. The author of over 200 novels and the third bestselling author of the 21st century, you can’t go wrong with a Nora Roberts book.

Iona Sheehan has always felt a powerful connection to Ireland. So when her beloved grandmother confesses an extraordinary family secret, she can’t resist visiting County Mayo to discover the truth for herself. Arriving at the atmospheric Castle Ashford, Iona is excited to meet her enigmatic cousins, Connor and Branna O’Dwyer. And when she lands a job at the local riding school she is soon drawn to its owner – the charismatic, fiercely independent Boyle McGrath. Perhaps she has found her true home at last…

But Iona’s arrival is no accident. The three cousins have each inherited a dangerous gift from an ancestor known as the Dark Witch. And they are about to discover that some old legends can return to haunt the present.

Dark Witch (The Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy Book 1)

 

Circle of Blood. A Witch Hunt Novel by Debbie Viguié

Grippin, intellectual and scary. Buffy The Vampire Slayer meets Charmed. Perfect for lovers of horror or thrillers.

Samantha Ryan—cop by choice, witch hunter by necessity—is about to confront the witch who has been secretly manipulating her life. But her search for the truth about her past may end in her death.…

All her life, Samantha Ryan has been haunted by a circle of blood, which she has tried to keep at bay—ever since she escaped a vicious Salem coven of witches as a child. But now her carefully constructed life has given way to the darkness she might have embraced, had she not run away.

Angry, focused, and more than willing to use her powers on anyone who gets in her way, Samantha travels to New Orleans to confront Lilit.

Circle of Blood: A Witch Hunt Novel (Witch Hunt Trilogy 3)

 

A Nightingale Christmas Wish By Donna Douglas

More from the bestselling Nightingale series. This time to put you in the festive spirit. Perfect for Call The Midwife fans.

As Christmas 1938 approaches, the staff at the Nightingale Hospital have their own wishes for the festive season.

Ward sister Frannie Wallace is hoping she won’t have to live through another war like the one that claimed her beloved fiance. But with bomb defences going up all around London, it seems as if her hopes are in vain.

Staff Nurse Helen Dawson wants to find happiness again after the death of her husband Charlie. A handsome stranger seems to offer the chance she wants. But is she looking for love in the wrong place?

Matron Kathleen Fox struggles to keep up morale amongst her nurses as the hospital faces the threat of evacuation. But while everyone else worries about the future of the Nightingale, it’s for her own future that Kathleen truly fears.

As the country prepares itself for war, one thing is for sure – by the time next Christmas comes, nothing at the Nightingale Hospital will be the same again…

A Nightingale Christmas Wish

 

Cat Out of Hell by Lynne Truss

Funny, entertaining and addictive. From the author of the brilliant Eats, Shoots & Leaves.

The mesmerising tale of a cat with nine lives, and a relationship as ancient as time itself and just as powerful.

The scene: a cottage on the coast on a windy evening. Inside, a room with curtains drawn. Tea has just been made. A kettle still steams.

Under a pool of yellow light, two figures face each other across a kitchen table. A man and a cat.

The story about to be related is so unusual yet so terrifyingly plausible that it demands to be told in a single sitting.

The man clears his throat, and leans forward, expectant.

‘Shall we begin?’ says the cat …

Cat out of Hell 

 

The Wolves of Midwinter By Anne Rice

Anne Rice is the bestselling author of The Vampire Chronicles. She has written over 30 best-selling books. This is a splendid and creepy read. A great present that will give hours of pleasure.

It is the beginning of December and it is cold and grey outside. In the stately flickering hearths of the grand mansion of Nideck Point, oak fires are burning. The Morphenkinder are busy getting ready for the ancient pagan feast of midwinter. Everyone is invited, including some of their own who do not wish them well…

Reuben Golding, the newest of the Morphenkinder, is struggling with his new existence as a Man Wolf, struggling to learn to control his desires and bloodthirsty urges. His pure, luminous girlfriend Laura seems all set to join him in this new way of life, but Reuben is not at all certain he will love her if she becomes as he is. Beyond the mansion, the forest echoes with howling winds, which carry with them tales of a strange nether world, and of spirits – centuries old – who possess their own fantastical ancient histories and taunt with their dark, magical powers.

As preparations for the feast gather pace, destiny continues to hound Reuben, not least in the form of a strange, tormented ghost who appears at the window, unable to speak. But he is not alone: before the festivities are over, choices must be made – choices which will decide the fate of the Morphenkinder for ever.

The Wolves of Midwinter (The Wolf Gift Chronicles)

 

Easterleigh Hall by Margaret Graham

easterleigh hall book review

An excellent book from best-selling author Margaret Graham. Reviewed here. Two more are on their way. Even more fun than Downton Abbey.

A compelling new series set in County Durham just before the First World War. Perfect for fans of Longbourn and Downton Abbey.

When Evie Forbes starts as an assistant cook at Easterleigh Hall, she goes against her family’s wishes. For ruthless Lord Brampton also owns the mine where Evie’s father and brothers work and there is animosity between the two families.

But Evie is determined to better herself. And her training at the hall offers her a way out of a life below stairs.

Evie works hard and gains a valued place in the household. And her dream of running a small hotel grows ever closer.

Then War is declared and all their lives are thrown into turmoil.

Easterleigh Hall

 

Last but not least:

How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur

How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur By Catherine Balavage

Our editors book is perfect for all of the actors or budding actors in your family. It has had good reviews and is selling well on both sides of the pond. We’re not being biased. Honest.

A book that cuts to the truth of the acting industry- written from an outsider’s point of view. Catherine Balavage grew up in a small Scottish town without either the proper training, or industry contacts prior to her career. The book includes advice from casting directors Amy Hubbard and Richard Evans, actor Andrew Tiernan and an exclusive interview with Spotlight amongst interviews with countless other industry professionals. It is an essential for anyone who wants to be an actor.

How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur

 

What will you choose?

 

 

Summer Books Special 2014 | Hot Summer Reads

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We have sourced some excellent holiday books to pack in your suitcase. Read on and let us know what you think.

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The White Russian By Vanora Bennett

From the author of Midnight in St Petersburg, a novel of love, art, music and family secrets set amongst the Russian émigré community of Paris in 1937.

Evie, a rebellious young American leaves New York in search of art and adventure in jazz-age Paris, where her grandmother lives. But on arrival, her grandmother’s sudden death leaves Evie compelled to carry out her dying wish: to find a man from her past called Zhenya.

The quest leads Evie deep into the heart of the Russian émigré community of Paris. With the world on the brink of war, she becomes embroiled in murder plots, conspiracies and illicit love affairs as White faces Red Russian and nothing is as it seems.

With Jean, a liberal Russian writer by her side, Evie finally seems to have found the passion and excitement she’s yearned for. But is she any nearer to discovering the identity of the mysterious Zhenya, or the heartbreak of her grandmother’s past?

This is a great, intriguing book that really grabs you. Perfect if you love historical novels.

The White Russian is available here.

 

Wilkie Collins A Life of Sensation By Andrew Lycett

1868, and bestselling author Wilkie Collins is hard at work on a new detective novel, The Moonstone. But he is weighed down by a mountain of problems – his own sickness, the death of his mother, and, most pressing, the announcement by his live-in mistress that she has tired of his relationship with another woman and intends to marry someone else. His solution is to increase his industrial intake of opium and knuckle down to writing the book T. S. Eliot called the ‘greatest’ English detective novel.

Of Wilkie’s domestic difficulties, not a word to the outside world: indeed, like his great friend Charles Dickens, he took pains to keep secret any detail of his ménage. There’s no doubt that the arrangement was unusual and, for Wilkie, precarious, particularly since his own books focused on uncovering such deeply held family secrets. Indeed, he was the master of the Victorian sensation novel, fiction that left readers on the edge of their seats as mysteries and revelations abounded.

In this colourful investigative portrait, Andrew Lycett draws Wilkie Collins out from the shadow of Charles Dickens. Wilkie is revealed as a brilliant, witty, friendly, contrary and sensual man, deeply committed to his work. Here he is given his rightful place at the centre of the literary, artistic and historical movements of his age.

Part biography, part history, part intimate family saga, Wilkie Collins brings to life one of England’s greatest writers against the backdrop of Victorian London and all its complexities. It is a truly sensational story.

This is a great informative book about the mid-Victorian age. Well researched.

Wilkie Collins: A Life of Sensation is available here.

 

The Quickening By Julie Myerson

Rachel and Dan want to go somewhere hot in January.

Recently married and expecting their first baby, they decide on an island in the Caribbean. Why not turn it into a honeymoon, Dan says?

A holiday in paradise. It ought to be perfect. Except that, for Rachel, it’s not.

Things take a sinister turn as soon as they arrive.

As furniture shifts and objects fly around, as a waitress begs her to leave and a fellow guest makes her increasingly uneasy, Rachel realises everything she holds most dear is at stake and nothing is quite as it seems…

A good, suspenseful and scary novel. Perfect holiday reading that can be read in one sitting.

The Quickening is available here.

 

Time To Say Goodbye By Katie Flynn

It’s 1939, and three ten-year-old girls meet on a station platform.

Imogen, Rita and Debby all missed the original evacuation and now the authorities are finding it difficult to place them. When Auntie and her niece, Jill, who run the Canary and Linnet Public House, offer to take them in, the billeting officer is greatly relieved.

The countryside is heaven to the three little townies, especially after they meet Woody and Josh, also evacuees. They find that by climbing to the top of the biggest tree in the beech wood they have a perfect bird’s-eye view of the nearest RAF station and are able to watch the comings and goings of the young fighter pilots as the Battle of Britain rages. Then they find an injured flier and the war becomes a stark reality.

As they grow up, love and rivalry enter their lives and, twenty years on, when the girls decide on a reunion, many surprises come to light…

This is a well written and engaging book about friendship and war. Very enjoyable.

Time to Say Goodbye is available here.

 

Midnight In St Petersburg By Vanora Bennett


From the author of The White Russian. Vanora has two books on this list. Her books are brilliant and engaging historical fiction.

St Petersburg,1911: Inna Feldman has fled the pogroms of the south to take refuge with distant relatives in Russia’s capital city.

Welcomed into the flamboyant Leman family, she is apprenticed into their violin-making workshop.

With her looks and talents, she feels instantly at home in their bohemian circle of friends. But revolution is in the air and, as society begins to fracture, she is forced to choose between her heart and her head.

She loves her brooding cousin, Yasha, but he is wild, destructive and bent on revolution; Horace Wallich, the Englishman who works for Fabergé, is older and promises security and respectability.

As the revolution descends into anarchy and blood-letting, a commission to repair a priceless Stradivarius violin offers Inna a means of escape. But which man will she choose to take with her? And is it already too late?

Midnight in St Petersburg is available here.

 

Nightingales On Call By Donna Douglas

Dora and her old enemy Lucy are paired up on the children’s ward for the final three months of their training. The two nurses couldn’t seem more different, but they may have more in common than they think, as each hides a secret heartache and new faces at the Nightingale

Jess is the feisty eldest daughter of a notorious East End family and determined to prove herself as a ward maid.

And new trainee nurse Effie can’t wait to escape her small Irish village, and make her way as a nurse in London. But Effie’s sister Katie soon begins to worry that Effie’s behaviour is out of control.

Nightingales on call and in crisis: have they got what it takes?

This is part of a series of books but the books can also be read alone. It is easy to read and entertaining. It is also interesting to find out how nursing has changed. Great book.

Nightingales on Call is available here.

 

After The Honeymoon By Janey Fraser

Two couples, one honeymoon destination, and enough secrets to end both marriages. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell

How can one honeymoon cause so much trouble?

Much as Emma loves Tom, she would never have got married if he hadn’t insisted. But with Tom sick for the whole week, shouldn’t she at least take advantage of the entertainment?

Winston married Melissa after a three-month whirlwind romance. As a breakfast TV fitness star, he’s anxious to keep things private. But the arrival of Melissa’s two children soon puts paid to that.

Rosie arrived at the Villa Rosa homeless and pregnant when she was just seventeen. Now, sixteen years later, she runs the place. However, the appearance of Winston throws her into confusion. He might not remember her, but she has never forgotten him.

By the end of the week, none of their lives will be the same. But how will they cope after the honeymoon is over?

This book is perfect holiday reading. It is fun but not fluff. It is easy to read but says a lot about relationships. Brilliant.

After the Honeymoon is available here.

 

The Wedding Gift By Marlen Suyapa Bodden

What if, on your sister’s wedding day, you were given to her – as her slave?

When wealthy plantation owner Cornelius Allen marries off his daughter Clarissa, he presents her with a wedding gift: a young slave woman called Sarah.

The two girls have grown up together but their lives could not have been more different. Clarissa is white and is used to a life of privilege and ease. Sarah is black and is used to a life of slavery and hard work.

Forbidden by law to leave the plantation, Sarah longs to be free – in mind and in body.

But when she decides her future lies away from Clarissa, she sets in motion a series of events that will have devastating consequences for them both.

This book is hard to put down. This is a great book which is well researched and has an unexpected ending. A great book with lots of substance.

The Wedding Gift is available here.

 

Closed Doors By Lisa O’Donnell

A powerful tale of love, the loss of innocence and the importance of family in difficult times by the acclaimed author of The Death of Bees, winner of the Commonwealth Book Prize 2013

‘There are no strangers in Rothesay, Michael. Everyone knows who you are and always will. It’s a blessing but it’s also a curse.’

Eleven-year-old Michael Murray is the best at two things: keepy-uppies and keeping secrets. His family think he’s too young to hear grown-up stuff, but he listens at doors; it’s the only way to find out anything. And Michael’s heard a secret, one that might explain the bruises on his mother’s face.

When the whispers at home and on the street become too loud to ignore, Michael begins to wonder if there is an even bigger secret he doesn’t know about. Scared of what might happen if anyone finds out, and desperate for life to return to normal, Michael sets out to piece together the truth. But he also has to prepare for the upcoming talent show, keep an eye out for Dirty Alice, his arch-nemesis from down the street, and avoid eating Granny’s watery stew.

Closed Doors is the startling new novel from the acclaimed author of The Death of Bees. It is a vivid evocation of the fears and freedoms of childhood in the 1980s and a powerful tale of love, the loss of innocence and the importance of family in difficult times.

This is an incredibly good story. It also captures the 1980s perfectly. A heartbreaking and touching novel. Very good read.

Closed Doors is available here.

 

What will you read?