Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐   This review is for The Hidden Beach by Karen Swan, which I listened to as an Audiobook through BorrowBox.  I love Karen Swan's novels and I don't think there is one that I haven't enjoyed.  I usually listen to a Karen Swan story rather than reading one - I'm not sure why, but I tend to download them and then become absorbed whilst pottering in the garden, doing housework or out walking with my dog, Freddie. The Hidden Beach is set in Sweden, initially in Stockholm, and later in the archipelagos of the Swedish Coast.  Bell (until I read the synopsis after I'd finished the book, I thought this would be written as Belle for some reason) is a nanny for a well-to-do family, looking after a young boy and twin girls.  One morning, Bell receives a telephone call from Hanna, the children's mother, and from that moment on, no one's life is the same again. The story takes place over the summer months,  written mainly from Bell's perspective with the occas...

⭐⭐⭐⭐ This review is for Gerta by Katerina Tuckova, which I received as an Amazon First Reads. I was a real slow-starter with this one, finding it difficult to get to grips with the characters.  I just didn't bond with them for at least the first quarter of the book, but not one to give up, I ploughed on, and I think I was pleased that I did. Throughout the book, the author described an important part of the history of World War II from the perspective of the Czechs and the Germans. I found very few errors and it was translated well. Gerta Schnirch is a young girl; who has a Czech mother and a German father, which proves to be somewhat difficult in post-war Moravia.  Despite her parentage, Gerta is seen as wholly German and banished from her home country in 1945. With a baby daughter, she takes to the road with only the clothes she stands up in. The story follows Gerta's life journey as she begins her new life more or less as a slave, trying to stay alive whilst raising her da...

⭐⭐⭐⭐ T his review is for Waves Break (on Unknown Shores) by Barry Litherland, which I reviewed in March 2021 for Online Book Club. I found it difficult to get into and remain involved with the story. I think the book was professionally edited, as I didn’t find any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors and just a few missed words. Waves Break is a novel in which the leading character, Phil Tyler, narrates his story about how a traumatic childhood event between three friends shapes his journey into adulthood.  One of these friends, Wayne, is Phil’s best friend and has never seemed to fit into Phil’s world, either in childhood or adulthood.  Phil gives the impression of being rather straitlaced and almost boring, whereas Wayne appears zany, oblivious to other people’s feelings and often selfish.  As we progress through the book, it is apparent that Wayne is like this as a defence mechanism against his sufferings as a child.  As the book develops, Wayne grows as a pers...

September 2018, my husband's 50th birthday and so we decided on a trip to San Francisco (first visit) and Las Vegas (tenth visit - I think)! Day 1 - We arrived at San Francisco International at around 4 pm on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London Heathrow, and after collecting our luggage we found our way to the Lyft pick-up and ordered ourselves a Lyft, which we had never done before. For those of you who have never used Lyft or Uber, it’s very simple and straightforward, just download the relevant app. After a 45 minute journey, we arrived at Argonaut Hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf, where we upgraded our room for one with a view of Alcatraz and wandered out to get our bearings. We went down to Pier 39, had a quick look at the seals, soaked up the atmosphere and ate some fries. One of the things we didn’t do much of on this trip was eating, so I am unable to comment on restaurants, etc. We had breakfast each morning, and that pretty much set us up for the day, other than that we j...

⭐⭐⭐⭐.  My first book review was for  The Dream Keepers  by Linda Keen which I reviewed in August 2020 for Online Book Club.   I found it quite difficult to grab my interest at the beginning and I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to finish it but how wrong I was! In essence, the book is about a young brother and sister who, together, learn to find their way in a world that isn’t always accepting or tolerating the people who live in it. The novel follows their lives as they develop from children into young adults and how they deal with various situations and other people along the way. From their families to their friends and from strangers both kind and not so kind, Star and Thatcher deal with whatever life throws at them as they continue on life’s journey, showing the true meaning of being there for each other. The book covers a multitude of life’s issues, from race and culture to suicide and near-death experiences and although it took me a few chapters ...

⭐⭐⭐    This review is for A Long Dark Rainbow by Michael Tappenden which I reviewed in September 2020 for Online Book Club. I was slightly wary before beginning this novel as some of the reviews were fairly negative but I did in fact love it. I think it may have helped that I’m from the UK, as was the author, so some of the quirky language that other reviewers mentioned, may have made more sense to me. The novel is labelled as ‘erotic’ on the front cover and in my opinion, the majority of the descriptions are beautiful and romantic rather than vulgar. There are very few profanity occurrences and it seems that the novel is professionally edited. There are two main characters in the story, Alex and Samantha, both in their 70s, who have found each other again after many years. The story follows their relationship as they get to know each other, learning what makes the other happy, both intimately and in their everyday lives. We also learn about what has brought them to this stage...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.  This review is for  Shifting Sands  by Barry Litherland, which I reviewed in November 2020 for Online Book Club.  I was thoroughly absorbed with the story, which kept me entertained throughout. I believe that this book has been professionally edited as I did not find any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. There is a mystery surrounding Westleigh Lodge, and local journalist, Phil Tyler, and his editor, Liz, are determined to find out what is going on behind the fortress-like walls. Between himself and Liz, and his madcap array of friends and colleagues they set out to unravel the mystery of the strange clinic which seems to have taken up residence in Westleigh Lodge. This book was impossible to put down. The story is gripping and extremely well-written, with humour, action, and intrigue throughout. Written in the first person, the author involves us with each journey he embarks on, taking us along as he fights thugs, investigates weird goings-o...

⭐⭐⭐⭐.  This review is for  The Prodigy Slave, Book One: Journey to Winter Garden  by Londyn Skye which I reviewed in December 2020 for Online Book Club.   I simply loved the story, and I can honestly say it has been one of the most compelling and spellbinding novels I have read in 2020.  I believe that this book has been professionally edited, as I did not find any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. The Prodigy Slave, Book One: Journey to Winter Garden  is the first book in a trilogy by Londyn Skye, and is an absolutely incredible novel. Lily is a nine-year-old girl who is sold into slavery, leaving her mother behind, not knowing whether she remains alive or dead. The beginning of the story focusses on Lily’s fourteen years with her new master, but we soon jump ahead as she is provided with an escape and a way out of the only life she has ever really known, as she becomes a musical prodigy. A number of characters are influential in the chang...

⭐⭐⭐.  This review is for  Honesty is Key: The Magic Ingredient  by Tayma Tameem, which I reviewed in  January 2021 for Online Book Club.  I enjoyed the story, which was very easy to read and would be a good beach read. I believe that this book has been professionally edited as I did not find any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. Honesty is Key: The Magic Ingredient  is the first book in a trilogy by Tayma Tameem. Atlas is an out-of-work actor who has previously claimed that he can cook, and has now been employed as a chef on a new television show. The only problem is; that he can’t cook! The story takes us through the first series of the television show, and how Atlas adapts his skills and his personality, which will be imperative as to whether the show succeeds or fails. Selina is Atlas’s producer on the show, and throughout the book, the reader is constantly wondering whether this is a love interest that will lead to anything more than an empl...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.     This review is for  The Trafficking Murders (Inspector Sheehan Mysteries #5)  by Brian O'Hare which I reviewed in  January 2021 for Online Book Club  The storyline gripped me and will open the reader’s eyes to the trafficking and modern slave trade in the 21st century. I think the book was professionally edited because I found very few grammatical or spelling mistakes. The Trafficking Murders  are essentially about two different forms of slavery/trafficking. One is a high-end business that has the girls settled into luxury apartments and provided with enough money to purchase fine clothes, but with a very grim side to what they have to carry out to benefit from this. The other is rather less glamorous with the men and women brought into Northern Ireland in container ships and dealt with brutally from the start. Chief Inspector Jim Sheehan and his Serious Crimes Unit find themselves embroiled in several murders which all seem t...