Book Review / The Wish by Nicholas Sparks

1996 was the year that changed everything for Maggie Dawes. Sent away at sixteen to live with an aunt she barely knew in Ocracoke, a remote village on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, she could think only of the friends and family she left behind . . . until she met Bryce Trickett, one of the few teenagers on the island. Handsome, genuine, and newly admitted to West Point, Bryce showed her how much there was to love about the wind-swept beach town—and introduced her to photography, a passion that would define the rest of her life.

By 2019, Maggie is a renowned travel photographer. She splits her time between running a successful gallery in New York and photographing remote locations around the world. But this year she is unexpectedly grounded over Christmas, struggling to come to terms with a sobering medical diagnosis. Increasingly dependent on a young assistant, she finds herself becoming close to him.

As they count down the last days of the season together, she begins to tell him the story of another Christmas, decades earlier—and the love that set her on a course she never could have imagined.

Published:  28th September 2021    
Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing / Sphere
Goodreads : Click Here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW 

There's a select few authors on my list who I will always pick up and read.  Those are the ones that 9 times out of 10 I know I am going to enjoy their book and just have a really good time.  Nicholas Sparks is one of those authors for me.  In fact, Nicholas Sparks is one of those authors on my list that have been there the longest, alongside John Grisham... 

What I loved about this story...  This book was exactly what I had been hoping it would be with a classic Nicholas Sparks story.  For me, this story was beautiful.  As with a lot of Nicholas Sparks novels, its not always going to be happy but if you stick around for all of that and the drama it becomes a beautiful story.  

What I did not like about this story...  If I had to be picky I would say that the story was a bit predictable but that didn't, in any way, change the fact that I loved this story.  Sometimes a little bit of predictability is good for you!

Would I recommend?  Most definitely yes!  Another beautiful dramatic romance to enjoy...

 

Book Review / The IT Girl by Ruth Ware

 April Coutts-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford.

Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the second, April was dead.

Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide… including a murder.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of One by One returns with an unputdownable mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend’s murder.

Published:  12th July 2022

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster

Goodreads : Click here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this book...  This was such a fun read.  I couldn't put it down.  I had to know what on earth was going on.  

What I didn't like about this book...  This is another one of those that has a lot of characters in it so it did take a bit of time to get to know each one to follow the story properly, so that did mean that the story ran a bit slow for at times but, honestly, that's just a me thing and not the story.  

Would I recommend...  Yes I would!  If you are looking for an easy read thriller that will keep you on your toes this is one to pick up.  The pacing may be slow in paces but its worth the effort!

Trilogy Review / Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I've gotten what I came for.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map―the key to a legendary treasure trove―seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

In Daughter of the Pirate King, author Tricia Levenseller blends action, adventure, romance, and a little bit of magic into a thrilling pirate tale.

Published:  28 Feb 2017 (Book 1)  

                    27 Feb 2018 (Book 2) and    

                    1 Nov 2023 (Book 3)
Publisher:  Pushkin
Goodreads : Click Here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Series
Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this trilogy...  This is a story that I would not normally have picked up, but was bought for me as a present.  This was such a fun trilogy to read.  This is young adult so, for me, I found it very predictable and easy to read.  However, I had a really fun time following the journey Alosa takes throughout this series.  I particularly liked how the story unfolded within each book, especially when you get to more the middle and last book in this trilogy where you learn a lot more about the hidden treasure.

What I did not like about this trilogy...  I would have loved to have been surprised a lot more and have a few twists that I never saw coming.  

Would I recommend?   I would but don't go into this story thinking that is is going to be anything deep or complicated.  This is a fun trilogy to read and enjoy.

 

Book Review / The Lake House by Kate Morton

An abandoned house...
June 1933, and sixteen-year-old Alice Edevane is preparing for her family's Midsummer Eve party at their country home, Loeanneth. But by the time midnight strikes and fireworks light up the night skies, the Edevane family will have suffered a loss so great that they leave Loeanneth forever.

A missing child...
Seventy years later, after a particularly troubling case, Detective Sadie Sparrow retreats to her beloved grandfather's cottage in Cornwall. Once there, she stumbles upon an abandoned house, and learns the story of a baby boy who disappeared without a trace.

An unsolved mystery...
Meanwhile, in her elegant Hampstead home, the formidable Alice Edevane, now an old lady, leads a life as neatly plotted as the bestselling detective novels she writes. Until a young police detective starts asking questions about her family's past, seeking to resurrect the complex tangle of secrets Alice has spent her life trying to escape...

Published:  20th October 2015   

Publisher:  Atria Books

Goodreads : Click here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

There's something about a good historical romance story that always sucks me in.  There's a good mix of mystery, intrigue, historical drama with a little bit of romance weaved into it.  This story definitely did not disappoint. 

What I liked about this story...  The best part of this story for me was the mystery element of the story from 1933.  You have this tragedy happen with the disappearance of the boy and finding out what happened to him...  The way this story is written, the mystery gets revealed bit by bit, which just made me not want to put the book down.  

What I didn't like about this story...  There were a lot of characters in this story and at times I did find it hard to keep up with who was who but, for me, that didn't affect how much I enjoyed this story.

Would I recommend?  Yes absolutely!    Its a historical drama with a split storyline, both in the past and the present, so if that's not a structure that you like this is probably not for you but if you haven't tried this style of story before I would highly recommend giving it a go.