Book Review / Last Letter Home by Rachel Hore

 

On holiday with friends, young historian Briony Woods becomes fascinated with a wartime story of a ruined villa in the hills behind Naples. There is a family connection: her grandfather had been a British soldier during the Italian campaign of 1943 in that very area. Handed a bundle of letters that were found after the war, Briony sets off to trace the fate of their sender, Sarah Bailey.

In 1939, Sarah returns with her mother and sister from India, in mourning, to take up residence in the Norfolk village of Westbury. There she forms a firm friendship with Paul Franklin, a young German who has found sanctuary in the local manor house, Westbury Hall. With the outbreak of war, conflicts of loyalty in Westbury deepen. When, 70 years later, Briony begins to uncover Sarah and Paul’s story, she encounters resentments and secrets still tightly guarded. What happened long ago in the villa in the shadow of Vesuvius, she suspects, still has the power to give terrible pain …

Published:  22nd March 2018
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Goodreads :   Click Here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Bought
Genres:     Historical Fiction, Romance and Mystery
Pages:  576 pages, Paperback

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  I adored this story and although this book was nearly 600 pages I somehow managed to read this in one entire day.  I could not put this down.  Of course, we have the classic split narrative of 1939 and 2009 and is another wartime story.  For me the best part is the mystery.  Sarah investigating Westbury Hall and the story of what happened so long ago.  I needed to know what happened and would not stop reading until I found out.  

Would I recommend...  This is a perfect place to start if you are reading Rachel Hore for the first time or if you haven't got to this one yet you need to quickly!

Book Review / A Week in Paris by Rachel Hore

 

1961: Born on the day that WW2 broke out, 21-year-old Fay Knox cannot remember her early childhood in London, before she moved to a Norfolk village with her mother, Kitty. Though she has seen a photograph of her father, she does not recall him either. He died, she was told, in an air raid, and their house destroyed along with all their possessions. Why then, on a visit to Paris on tour with her orchestra, does a strange series of events suggest that she spent the war there instead? There is only one clue to follow, an address on the luggage label of an old canvas satchel. But will the truth hurt or heal?

1937: Eugene Knox, a young American doctor, catches sight of 19-year-old Kitty Travers on the day she arrives in Paris, and cannot get her out of his mind. She has come to study the piano at the famed Conservatoire, and lodges at a convent near Notre Dame. Eugene and Kitty will fall in love, marry and have a daughter, but France's humiliating defeat by Germany is not far behind, and the little family must suffer life under Nazi occupation. Some Parisians keep their heads down and survive, others collaborate with the enemy while others resist. The different actions of Eugene, Kitty and their friends will have devastating consequences that echo down the generations.

Published:  31st July 2014

Publisher:   Simon & Schuster

Goodreads :   Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Historical Fiction, Romance and Mystery

Pages:  481 pages, Kindle 

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  I am just so addicted to both this author and this type of story right now.  I can't get enough.  Historical fiction, split narrative and a mystery.  Give me all the stories!  This story we are split between 1961 and 1937 which is certainly different to her other novels that I have read because I've usually come across a past and a present day mix but to have both in the past, with one just slightly older than the other, was an intriguing and interesting mix.  Add in the backdrop of World War II and although for me it did get a bit complicated at times, I enjoyed following the characters as things escalated.  

What I disliked about this story...  I did find, in places, the story was a bit slow paced and complicated with a backdrop of World War II (a subject that I don't normally gravitate towards to be honest, so this may be a 'me issue' rather than an issue with the story).  

Would I recommend...  An interesting story and work reading, but if you are reading Rachel Hore for the first time I might be tempted to pick up some of her newer titles first.  

Book Review / The Memory Garden by Rachel Hore

 

From the Sunday Times  bestselling author of  Last Letter Home,  the 2018 Richard & Judy Book Club pick, comes a breathtaking story of family secrets and forbidden love.

Idyllic Cornwall, a lost garden, a love story from long ago . . .

A hundred years ago, Lamorna Cove, a tiny, picturesque bay in Cornwall, was the haunt of a colony of artists. Today, Mel Pentreath hopes it will be a place she can escape the pain of losing her mother and a broken love affair, and gradually put her life back together.

Renting a cottage in the enchanting grounds of Merryn Hall, Mel embraces her new surroundings and offers to help her landlord Patrick restore the overgrown garden. Soon she is daring to believe her life can be rebuilt. Then Patrick finds some old paintings in the attic, and as he and Mel investigate the identity of the artist, they are drawn into an extraordinary tale of illicit passion and thwarted ambition from a century ago, a tale that resonates in their own lives.

But how long can Mel's idyll last before reality breaks in and everything is threatened?

Published:  1st January 2007 

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster

Goodreads :  Click Here 

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Historical Fiction, Romance and Mystery

Pages:  432 pages, Paperback

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  Historical romance, split narrative and a mystery.  What more could I want.  I just can't get enough of these.  We follow two timelines, one from 100 years ago and the present day around Lamorna Cove in Cornwall.  A lot of weaving between the two timelines and at some point they pull together in an unexpected way.   A very laid back historical fiction.

What I didn't like about this story...  If I had to be picky I would have loved a few more surprises in the twists and turns.

Would I recommend...  Most definately.   A slow read which is worth picking up.  

Book Review / The Silent Tide by Rachel Hore

 

When Emily Gordon, editor at a London publishing house, commissions an account of great English novelist Hugh Morton, she finds herself steering a tricky path between Morton's formidable widow, Jacqueline, who's determined to protect his secrets, and the biographer, charming and ambitious Joel Richards. But someone is sending Emily mysterious missives about Hugh Morton's past and she discovers a buried story that simply has to be told…

One winter's day in 1948, nineteen year old Isabel Barber arrives at her Aunt Penelope's house in Earl's Court having run away from home to follow her star. A chance meeting with an East European refugee poet leads to a job with his publisher, McKinnon & Holt, and a fascinating career beckons. But when she develops a close editorial relationship with charismatic young debut novelist Hugh Morton and the professional becomes passionately personal, not only are all her plans put to flight, but she finds herself in a struggle for her very survival.

Rachel Hore's intriguing and suspenseful new novel magnificently evokes the milieux of London publishing past and present and connects the very different worlds of two young women, Emily and Isabel, who through their individual quests for truth, love and happiness become inextricably linked.

Published:  1st January 2013 

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster

Goodreads :   Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Historical Fiction, Romance and Mystery

Pages:  464 pages, Kindle 

MY REVIEW 

What I liked about this story...  Now this one really piqued my interest with the backdrop of starting off at a London Publishing House and following Emily while she is looking into the past of the author Hugh Morton.  She stumbles onto a mystery and investigates further.  You then have the split narrative story going back to 1948 where you follow Isobel who also works for a publishers.   Both worlds weave into each other at some point and, honestly, that is my favourite part. 

Would I recommend...  Absolutely! A great place to start from if you are wanting to try this author for the first time or for fans of historical fiction (including those fans of Kate Morton) should give this a go also!

Waiting on Wednesday / Framed by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey

 

Waiting on Wednesday was a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog that I really enjoyed blogging about in the post, so I thought I would bring it back!  Below is this week's pick!

 

 

 

 In his first work of nonfiction since The Innocent Man, #1 bestselling author John Grisham and Centurion Ministries Founder Jim McCloskey share ten harrowing true stories of wrongful convictions. Impeccably researched and grippingly told, Framed offers an inside look at the injustice faced by the victims of the United States criminal justice system.

A fundamental principle of our legal system is a presumption of innocence, but once someone has been found guilty there is very little room to prove doubt. Framed shares ten true stories of men who were innocent but found guilty and forced to sacrifice friends, families, wives, and decades of their lives to prison while the guilty parties remained free. In each of the stories, John Grisham and Jim McCloskey recount the dramatic hard-fought battles for exoneration. They take a close look at what leads to wrongful convictions in the first place, and the racism, misconduct, flawed testimony, and the corrupt court system that can make them so hard to reverse.

Told with page-turning suspense as only John Grisham can deliver, Framed is the story of overcoming adversity when the battle already seems lost, and the deck is stacked against you.

 

Expected Publication:  15th October 2024 

Publisher:   Doubleday

Goodreads Link:   Click Here

Series or Stand Alone:   Stand Alone

Genres:   Non Fiction and True Crime 

Waiting on Wednesday / Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks

 

Waiting on Wednesday was a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog that I really enjoyed blogging about in the post, so I thought I would bring it back!  Below is this week's pick!

 

 

 

 From the acclaimed author of The Longest Ride and The Notebook comes an emotional, powerful novel about wondering if we can change—or even make our peace with—the path we’ve taken.

Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather’s military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone . . . happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are: find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where he might be found.

Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He’s been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. For Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting—and possibly leaving in just a few weeks.

Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog Arlo for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers.

As these characters’ fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle . . . but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever.

 

Expected Publication:  24th September 2024

Publisher:   Random House 

Goodreads Link:   Click Here

Series or Stand Alone:   Stand Alone

Genres:   Romance, Drama and Contemporary

Book Review / The Dream House by Rachel Hore

 

Everyone has a dream of their perfect house - in the heart of the countryside, or perhaps a stately residence in the middle of a wonderful city? For Kate Hutchinson, the move to Suffolk from the tiny, noisy London terrace she shares with her husband Simon and their two young children was almost enough to make her dreams come true. Space, peace, a measured, rural pace of life have a far greater pull for Kate than the constantly overflowing in-tray on her desk at work. Moving in with her mother-in-law must surely be only a temporary measure before the estate agent's details of the perfect house fall through the letterbox. But when Kate, out walking one evening, stumbles upon the house of her dreams, a beautiful place, full of memories, it is tantalizingly out of her reach. Its owner is the frail elderly Agnes, whose story - as it unravels - echoes so much of Kate's own. And Kate comes to realize how uncertain and unsettling even a life built on dreams can be - wherever you are, at whatever time you are living and whoever you are with.

Published:  1st April 2006

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster

Goodreads :   Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Historical Fiction and Romance

Pages:  466 pages, Paperback

MY REVIEW

What I liked the most about this story...  A backlist novel by an author I am trying to catch up on, mainly because I adore her writing.  The best part for me was when Kate meets Agnes and we get to learn more about Agnes' past.  Of course, this is a Rachel Hore book so, of course, it does have a bit of weaving between the past and the present.  I really did enjoy and did not see the twist coming at the end. 

What I disliked about this story...  For me this story was really slow and there was a lot of the story that involved Kate's husband that I, honestly, did not care for.  Simon was a dislikable character (I think he was meant to be) and I really didn't wait to know more about him.  

Would I recommend...  Absolutely, but I would recommend reading more of her newer titles first to get a feel of her current writing style before vising her older backlist titles.  

Book Review / A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore

 

The night before it all begins, Jude has the dream again...

Can dreams be passed down through families? As a child Jude suffered a recurrent nightmare: running through a dark forest, crying for her mother. Now her six-year-old niece, Summer, is having the same dream, and Jude is frightened for her.

A successful auctioneer, Jude is struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband. When she's asked to value a collection of scientific instruments and manuscripts belonging to Anthony Wickham, a lonely 18th-century astronomer, she leaps at the chance to escape London for the untamed beauty of Norfolk, where she grew up.

As Jude untangles Wickham's tragic story, she discovers threatening links to the present. What have Summer's nightmares to do with Starbrough folly, the eerie crumbling tower in the woods from which Wickham and his adopted daughter Esther once viewed the night sky? With the help of Euan, a local naturalist, Jude searches for answers in the wild, haunting splendour of the Norfolk forests. Dare she leave behind the sadness in her own life and learn to love again?

Published:  2nd September 2010

Publisher:  Pocket Books

Goodreads :  Click here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Historical Fiction, Mystery and Romance 

Pages:  456 Pages, Paperback

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  It feels like I say this a lot but I really do love a good historical fiction story, especially one that links the past and the present together.  This is one of Rachel Hore's earlier novels that I wanted to pick up and I am glad that I did.  You have a mix of the creepy dreams that Jude both suffered as a child and her child now suffers from but you also have the investigation she undertakes into the tragic story of the Wickham's family.  I adored this novel from start to finish.

Would I recommend...  100%  Historical fiction fans and those who love a good mystery should give this a go.  

Book Review / The Glass Painter's Daughter by Rachel Hore

 

In a tiny stained-glass shop hidden in the backstreets of Westminster lies the cracked, sparkling image of an angel.

The owners of Minster Glass have also been broken: Fran Morrison's mother died when she was a baby; a painful event never mentioned by her difficult, secretive father Edward. Fran left home to pursue a career in foreign cities, as a classical musician. But now Edward is dangerously ill and it's time to return.

Taking her father's place in the shop, she and his craftsman Zac accept a beguiling commission - to restore a shattered glass picture of an exquisite angel belonging to a local church. As they reassemble the dazzling shards of coloured glass, they uncover an extraordinary love story from the Victorian past, sparked by the window's creation. Slowly, Fran begins to see her own reflection in its themes of passion, tragedy and redemption.

Fran's journey will lead her on a search for the truth about her mother, through mysteries of past times and the anguish of unrequited love, to reconciliation and renewal.

Published:  1st January 2009

Publisher:   Pocket Books

Goodreads : Click here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Historical Fiction, Romance and Mystery

Pages:  450 pages, Paperback

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  Working my way through the backlist novels by this author and this one was next on my list.  What I enjoyed the most was the story of the window that was being restoring and Fran investigating the story behind it.  I found it fascinating hearing about all the different characters and their backstories.

What I didn't like about this story...  For me, this story was very predictable.  I would have loved a few more twists and turns.

Would I recommend...  Absolutely but maybe start with some of her other works so you get a feel for her style of writing before picking up this one.  Still a good read though. 

Book Review / The Fury by Alex Michaelides

 

A masterfully paced thriller about a reclusive ex–movie star and her famous friends whose spontaneous trip to a private Greek island is upended by a murder ― from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient.

This is a tale of murder.

Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?

Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.

I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time ― it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.

We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.

But who am I?

My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.

Published:  16th January 2024  
Publisher:  Michael Joseph
Goodreads :   Click Here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Bought
Genres:     Mystery, Thriller and Suspense
Pages:  298 pages, Hardback

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...   The writing style of this author draws me in with every novel I have read of his so far.  Its just so easy to read and flows really well for a thriller novel.  I have mixed feelings about this book but what I liked about it was the build up at the beginning of the book, the introduction of the characters and the plan that laid ahead for them.  

What I didn't like about this story...  This is more of a 'me thing' but I really didn't enjoy the narrator talking to you throughout the story.  It threw me off the story and the it would take a while to get back into it again.  It was probably because of that that the second half of the book I found to be very confusing and really didn't really hold much interest in the ending.

Would I recommend...  I would recommend starting with The Silent Patent if you wanted to try this author out to get a feel for his writing (which I did like).  If you like the style of books where the narrator talks to you directly throughout then this would be a good one for you.  

Book Review / A Gathering Storm by Rachel Hore

 

From the million-copy  Sunday Times  bestseller comes a gripping story of family secrets, all-consuming love and the chaos of war.

2011. When Lucy ’s troubled father  Tom  passes away, she travels to Cornwall to visit his childhood home – the once-beautiful Carlyon Manor. Before he died, Tom had been researching an uncle she never knew he had. Determined to find out why, Lucy tracks down Beatrice Ashton , a local woman who seems to know more than she lets on, and has an extraordinary story to tell . . . 

1935. Growing up in Cornwall, Beatrice plays with the children of Carlyon Manor – especially pretty, blonde Angelina Wincanton . Then, one summer at the age of fifteen, she falls in love with a young visitor to the Rafe , whom she rescues from a storm-tossed sea.

On the surface, her life seems idyllic. But the dark clouds of war are gathering, and nobody, not even the Wincantons, will be left untouched.

A Gathering Storm is a powerful tale of courage and betrayal, spanning from Cornwall to London and Occupied France, in which friendship and love are tested, and the consequences span generations.

Published:  1st September 2011 

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster

Goodreads :  Click here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Historical Fiction and Romance

Pages:  480 pages, Paperback

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  What a beautifully written story.  There's nothing like a really good historical romance with a split narrative.  It gets me every single time!  We are in 1935 and 2011 with this story and, as usual, both timelines usually cross over at some point.  Its all about the journey that made this story great for me.  There's so many secrets that Lucy needs to uncover about the past and I just could not put this down until I found out more.  The only obstacle in my way was that it is 480 pages long so I had to do this in a couple of sittings but I did my best!

Would I recommend...  If you are a fan of historical fiction or want to give them a go, this is a great one to pick up.  Fans of Kate Morton would also enjoy.  

Waiting on Wednesday / Passions in Death by JD Robb

 

Waiting on Wednesday was a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog that I really enjoyed blogging about in the post, so I thought I would bring it back!  Below is this week's pick!

 

 

 

 Homicide Detective Eve Dallas hunts a killer who turns a wedding party into a murder scene in the latest novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author, J.D. Robb.

On a hot August night, Lt. Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke, speed through the streets of Manhattan to the Down and Dirty club, where a joyful, boisterous pre-wedding girls’ night out has turned into a murder scene. One of the brides lies in a pool of blood, garroted in a private room where she was preparing a surprise for her fiancée—two scrimped and saved-for tickets to Hawaii.

Despite the dozens of people present, useful witnesses are hard to come by. It all brings back some bad memories for Eve. In her uniform days, she’d suffered an assault in the very same room—but she’d been able to fight back and survive. She’d gotten justice. And now she needs to provide some for poor young Erin.

Eve knows that the level of violence and the apparent premeditation involved suggest a volatile mix of hidden, heated passion and ice-cold calculation. This is a crime that can be countered only by hard detective work and relentless dedication—and Eve will not stop until she finds the killer who destroyed this couple’s dreams before the honeymoon even began…

 

Expected Publication:  3rd September 2023 

Publisher:   St Martin's Press

Goodreads Link:   Click Here

Series or Stand Alone:   Series, Book No 59

Genres:   Mystery, Suspense, Romantic Suspense, Crime and Thriller 

Book Review / The Drift by C J Tudor

 

Three ordinary people risk everything for a chance at redemption in this audacious, utterly gripping novel of catastrophe and survival at the end of the world, from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man

Hannah awakens to carnage, all mangled metal and shattered glass. During a hasty escape from a secluded boarding school, her coach careened over a hillside road during one of the year's heaviest snowstorms, trapping her inside with a handful of survivors, a brewing virus, and no way to call for help. If she and the remaining few want to make it out alive, with their sanity--and secrets--intact, they'll need to work together or they'll be buried alive with the rest of the dead.

A former detective, Meg awakens to a gentle rocking. She is in a cable car suspended far above a snowstorm and surrounded by strangers in the same uniform as her, with no memory of how they got there. They are heading to a mysterious place known to them only as "The Retreat," but when they discover a dead man among their ranks and Meg spies a familiar face, she realizes that there is something far more insidious going on.

Carter is gazing out the window of the abandoned ski chalet that he and his ragtag compatriots call home. Together, they manage a precarious survival, manufacturing vaccines against a deadly virus in exchange for life's essentials. But as their generator begins to waver, the threat of something lurking in the chalet's depths looms larger, and their fragile bonds will be tested when the power finally fails--for good.

The imminent dangers faced by Hannah, Meg, and Carter are each one part of the puzzle. Lurking in their shadows is an even greater threat--one that threatens to consume all of humanity.

Published:  26th October 2023

Publisher:  Penguin

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:    Horror, Mystery and Thriller

Pages:  416 pages, Paperback

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  This story was so addicting.  Its action packed right from the moment the coach overturns.  After that there is a mix of twists and turns, some of which I really was not expecting.  I went into this book thinking that it would be more thriller than anything else, but its honestly more horror than anything else with the introduction of a plague that has turned some people into Whistlers which, to me, seem like zombies.  

What I disliked about this story...  Although I did enjoy this story, with it being more horror than anything else (I believe) I would have loved to have been a bit more creeped out and 'horrified'.

Would I recommend...  This was a really great action packed horrific read.  Honestly, if you haven't read a CJ Tudor book before I would recommend starting with The Chalk Man first but this is a close second.  

Book Review / The Dark Half by Stephen King

A “wondrously frightening” (Publishers Weekly) tale of terror and #1 national bestseller about a writer’s pseudonym that comes alive and destroys everyone on the path that leads to the man who created him.

Thad Beaumont is a writer, and for a dozen years he has secretly published violent bestsellers under the name of George Stark. But Thad is a healthier and happier man now, the father of infant twins, and starting to write as himself again. He no longer needs George Stark and so, with nationwide publicity, the pseudonym is retired. But George Stark won’t go willingly.

And now Thad would like to say he is innocent. He’d like to say he has nothing to do with the twisted imagination that produced his bestselling novels. He’d like to say he has nothing to do with the series of monstrous murders that keep coming closer to his home. But how can Thad deny the ultimate embodiment of evil that goes by the name he gave it—and signs its crimes with Thad’s bloody fingerprints?

Published:  1st January 1989

Publisher:  Hodder & Stoughton

Goodreads :  Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Horror, Thriller, Fantasy, Mystery and Supernatural

Pages:  460 pages, Paperback

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...   Now this story really creeped me out.  At first it might seem like a split personality type of story but then it takes another twist and turn and becomes something more horrifying.  The suspense in this novel is off the charts and I was truly creeped out for the majority of the novel, and loved it!

Would I recommend... For those who like classic Stephen King horror this is one not to miss.