My Review for The Lost Secret of Ireland (Starlight Cottages Book 2) by Susanne O'Leary

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Lost Secret of Ireland (Starlight Cottages Book 2), by Susanne O’Leary.

Ella is living in Sandy Cove, a small village nestled on the Irish coast, and has had a disastrous few weeks, breaking her pelvis whilst painting a mural and falling from a dodgy ladder! She is now relying on her friends and neighbours to help her, and they are rallying around, helping with her shopping and making meals for her, but she is finding it slightly overbearing. When her late mother’s best friend, Lucille, offers to come and stay to help Ella get back on her feet, she jumps at the chance. It soon becomes apparent that Lucille has other reasons for coming to Sandy Cove, though, and although she is Ella’s lifesaver, she is also continuing with her secret mission and keeping her reasons very much to herself. 

Each character brought their own ‘little bit of something’ to Sandy Cove and before long, you can see that they either are or will shortly become a part of village life. The Lost Secret of Ireland is very much a book about the importance of friends and family and how living in a small community automatically brings people closer together.

Although this is the second Starlight Cottages book, it can be read as a stand-alone novel, but I think it will definitely make you want to read the first!

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My Review for The Woman on the Beach by Julia Roberts

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Woman on the Beach by Julia Roberts.

Sophie, Liv, and Grace were friends from childhood, experiencing school, university, and the beginnings of their lives as young women together until a tragic event occurs, and things are never the same again. Who is the woman that Liv spots on the beach in Mexico, and why are they both there at the same time?

The Woman on the Beach is an emotional rollercoaster of a story, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, desperate to discover just what was going to happen next. The author leads us down so many different paths, with twists and turns along the way, each time with an unexpected outcome.

Roberts has created each and every one of her characters with great thought, love, and joy, delving deep into each one to enable us to know them intimately. I felt their pain and heartache, love and understanding, with each tear-jerking revelation. This book makes you realise that no one knows what goes on behind closed doors and makes you question whether we really know the people closest to us. 

Beach read, thriller and psychological drama, The Woman on the Beach has it all. Definitely worthy of 5 stars and I defy anyone not to read it in just a couple of days! Once you’ve started, you won’t stop!

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My Review for House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  OMG, this is awesome! I urge everyone who loves anything paranormal to read this. I have heard of Sarah J. Maas, an enormous amount in all the Facebook groups I am in, but I’ve read none of her books! Why not? I need more of her in my life! I actually listened to House of Earth and Blood as an Audiobook (narrated by Elizabeth Evans), and was transported into Crescent City as I walked my dog!

Bryce Quinlan is half-fae and half-human, working for a barely legal antiquities dealer in the City. She lives and parties with her best friend Danika Fendyr until a tragic event occurs, which changes Bryce’s life forever. 

I never like to give too much away in my brief synopsis of books (in fact I never read them before I read a book, as long as I know the genre then that’s enough for me), as I don’t like to include too many spoilers for readers.

The first part of House of Earth and Blood is really slow, as Maas sets the scene and explains the politics and hierarchy of Crescent City but as long as you can get through that part then I’m sure you’ll love the story as much as I did.

There are fae, sprites, angels, demons, and shifters in Crescent City with a lot of violence from the outset. The author is outstanding as she creates her characters. Some you will love and some you will wish dead, but they all have a part to play and the story is addictive. Bryce is a tough cookie on the outside, but underneath, she has had a difficult beginning in her life and you can see the vulnerability as the story progresses.

House of Earth and Blood is New Adult fiction, a developing genre with 18-30-year-old protagonists, and something I hadn’t heard of until today. Think Young Adult but with more ‘racy’ content! Go get it today, you won’t be disappointed.

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My Review for Greece Actually by Sue Roberts

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of Greece Actually by Sue Roberts.

Becky lives a quiet life in a small Lancashire town, running her own business where she makes soaps and sells them from a tiny shop down a side street in the small market town. Escaping from a traumatic episode a few years ago, Becky moved up north to begin again, where no one knows her and she was closely followed by her supportive parents. Upon being given the opportunity to escape for a couple of weeks to a villa in Greece, Becky and her two friends jump at the chance and so begins the holiday, which may change Becky’s life forever. 

I’m pretty sure this is the first Sue Roberts’ book I have read (although I can never be sure), but it’s definitely the first one since I’ve been reviewing books. This book was just so, so lovely, sheer escapism in an exquisite setting with Roberts describing everything in such great detail you can imagine that you were with Becky every step of the way. I wanted to be with her when she was reading her book on the harbour front, watching the world go by and I definitely fancy trying the aubergine dip! 

I love a book set anywhere, where the sun and the sea play a part, and this was no exception. Let yourself escape to Skiathos for a few hours with Becky and her friends and enjoy the relaxation that this story will bring you.

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My Review for A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings by Helen Jukes

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and Pantheon Books for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings by Helen Jukes.

I chose this book to read and review as I am fascinated by all bees, but in particular in learning more about the workings of a honeybee hive. Written as a memoir, Helen Jukes takes us through a year of her life in which she expresses an interest in bees, is gifted a swarm and then learns as much as she can before she collects them for her own hive. This book was extremely educational and informative and I enjoyed learning as much about the history of bees as Helen did, although I’m sure she only scratched the surface in what she shared with her reader.

Although predominantly about the author’s beekeeping, we learn a little of her life, her work and her friends at the same time and occasionally, I forgot I was reading a non-fiction book as I was transported into the bee world. The book is well-written and thoroughly immersive.

I would recommend A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings to anyone with an interest in wildlife, bees and how they keep the world turning.

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My Review for A Farmhouse in Tuscany by Victoria Springfield

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Dash for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of A Farmhouse in Tuscany by Victoria Springfield.

Harriet’s boss demands she take a break from her busy life in the City and suggests a yoga retreat in the Italian region of Tuscany. However, when Harriet arrives, yoga is no longer an option, and so she sets about learning to ride a horse! She meets a wide variety of characters throughout her stay, including Marco, the owner’s son, Alfredo, the stable hand and Jess, a fellow holidaymaker. 

A Farmhouse in Tuscany is a lovely, happy, easy-read and ideal to while away a few hours, whether reading on a beach in the sunshine or by the fire when there’s snow on the ground! The author takes us right into the heart of the Tuscan countryside and you can easily imagine yourself in amongst the trees on horseback or sipping a coffee in the local square with the Italians playing cards by the side of you. 

There were a lot of characters in the story and I enjoyed reading about them all and their adventures. My only thoughts are, is that a lot happened at the very end of the book to every one of them with little build-up throughout. This was the only thing that stopped me from giving this book 5 stars. For me, too much happened at the end and not enough during. That being said, it was pure escapism and if you need to switch off for a few hours, then I would thoroughly recommend A Farmhouse in Tuscany.

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My Review for In My Mother's Footsteps by Mona Hajjar Halaby, Narrated by Lameece Issaq

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you to NetGalley, Thread Books and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to, and review an ARC of In my Mother's Footsteps, written by Mona Hajjar Halaby and narrated by Lameece Issaq.

Halaby's mother had to leave her home in Palestine in 1948 during the Arab-Israeli war, firstly living in Egypt and then in Geneva, Switzerland.  Halaby herself then met her husband-to-be in Geneva and they moved to California where they made their life.  As their children left home and were leading their own lives, Mona jumped at an opportunity to spend a year in Ramallah, Palestine, teaching Conflict Resolution in a local school.  Throughout her time there, Mona kept a journal of her day-to-day life, her integration with the children and her travels through her mother's homeland, visiting places that her mother was telling her about in her regular letters to her daughter.  As the months go on, Mona's mother and father make the long journey from Geneva to visit her in Ramallah and undertake a journey of their own.

I have no knowledge or understanding of any of the issues in Israel or Palestine and whilst I appreciate this is only one person's story, it has made me keen to discover more.  Many of the stories of Mona's mother's early life was thought-provoking and at times. heart-breaking and does make you wonder what sort of a world we live in.

The author gave us such vivid descriptions of the places she visited throughout her year in Ramallah that it was easy to visualise in your mind as she travelled throughout the country.  Using her mother's letters in the book also brought the stories to life and it did make me feel sadness and despair at the things her mother experienced during her life.

Lameece Issaq as the narrator did the story justice and I forgot at times that it wasn't the author speaking.  She brought feelings and emotion into an already emotive subject.

I would recommend this story to anyone who has an interest in the Middle East and the history involved and although only a singular viewpoint it did tug at the heartstrings.

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