My Review for The Keeper of the Irish Secret by Susanne O'Leary

The Keeper of the Irish Secret is the first book in a new series - the Magnolia Manor series - and looks set to be just as much fun as Susanne’s previous books. Magnolia Manor, in Dingle, County Kerry, has been in the Fleury family for generations but has fallen into disrepair. The three granddaughters, Lily, Rose and Violet, have grand plans for the large Georgian house, but first, they need to persuade their grandmother that it’s a good idea!

I loved all the characters in Susanne’s new book. From the outset, both Lily and Dominic had a place in my heart and I was rooting for them the whole way through. In particular, I really want to go and live in Dominic’s house on the beach with its great view of the Atlantic Ocean! I enjoyed the quirky, eccentricity of Wolfie’s character and I think he’d be such a fun man to work for!

I love reading books set in Ireland and as I’m reading them; I try to do the accent in my head! I’m looking forward to the next book in the Magnolia Manor series, which will tell Rose’s story. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review The Keeper of the Irish Secret by Susanne O’Leary.

About the Book

A mysterious old house, an unforgettable romance and a lost granddaughter escaping to the stunning Irish coast…Lily Fleury used to love visiting her eccentric grandmother Sylvia in Ireland, taking long sunset walks on the beach and exploring the nooks and crannies of the family’s old home Magnolia Manor. But when she arrives from Dublin broken-hearted, hoping to heal in Sylvia’s warm embrace, she finds the once ornate Georgian house in disrepair and the gardens wildly overgrown. Sylvia has always been fiercely independent, but Lily can’t believe she hasn’t told anyone she’s been struggling.Lily knows she can’t leave until she gets Sylvia back on her feet. Although mysterious local builder Dominic agrees to help, from the moment Lily looks into his fierce green eyes they clash over how to fix the sprawling estate. It’s only when she hears the soft Irish lilt of his voice as he sings in the local pub that their arguments ignite a spark of passion neither can ignore…But when Lily finds a trunk of tattered letters in the gatehouse, she discovers a devastating secret Sylvia has been hiding about Magnolia Manor. And she soon learns the real reason Dominic agreed to help out.

About Susanne

Susanne O’Leary is the bestselling author of more than 20 novels, mainly in the romantic fiction genre. She has also written three crime novels and two in the historical fiction genre.

The wife of a former diplomat, she has also been a fitness teacher and a translator. She now writes full-time from either of two locations, a rambling house in County Tipperary, Ireland or a little cottage overlooking the Atlantic in Dingle, County Kerry. When she is not scaling the mountains of said counties, or doing yoga, she keeps writing, producing a book every six months.

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My Review for The Berlin Wife's Resistance by Marion Kummerow (German Wives Book 3)

I love this series from Marion Kummerow. The Berlin Wife’s Resistance is the third book in the German Wives series and we start this book as we finished off the second, where Julius and Edith are at the Swiss border hoping to escape Germany to begin a new life.

Once again, I had my heart in my mouth throughout the entire book. Just what was in store for the families that were simply trying to stay alive in the country of their birth? A country that no longer wants them and will go to the utmost atrocities to rid Germany of these people, by any means necessary.

Marion Kummerow always researches her books brilliantly, and this one was no exception. I always learn something new when reading one of her novels and as I closed the cover on this one I was blown away by the attitude of the women who tried to save their families.

I recommend that you read this series in order to enable yourself to get the full story, and if you enjoy historical fiction and in particular a war story, then I hope you’ll enjoy this one too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review The Berlin Wife’s Resistance by Marion Kummerow.

About the Book

The soldier looks her dead in the eye, his weapon raised. “You must leave now,” he warns. But this is her last chance to save her husband, and she won’t be silenced…

1943. Fleeing Germany had been Edith Falkenstein and her Jewish husband Julius’s last hope, selling their remaining precious possessions to make the gruelling journey. But to their horror, they are turned away at the Swiss border. Devastated, they return to the tiny Berlin apartment they share with other Jewish families, with its peeling wallpaper and bare kitchen cupboards. It is a world away from the heady glamour of their lives before.

Edith’s worst fears come true when Julius is brutally arrested and imprisoned alongside thousands of other Jewish men, destined for the camps. When she hears the news, Edith feels her heart crack wide open with unbearable grief.

But then she hears of women gathering outside the prison in their hundreds—wives and mothers from every walk of life whose relatives have also been taken. They are united by a single, desperate wish. She links arms with the woman next to her and takes up the chant.

Standing among these brave women offers Edith a flicker of hope. But can they really save their loved ones? And as Edith faces the lines of German soldiers with cold savagery in their eyes, will she pay the ultimate price for this small act of courage?

An absolutely unputdownable, heartbreaking and hopeful story of love and courage. Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, My Name is Eva and The Nightingale will be swept away by this book based on incredible true events.

About Marion

Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to “discover the world” and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she’s now living with her family.

Inspired by the true story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime, she started writing historical fiction, set during World War II. Her books are filled with raw emotions, fierce loyalty and resilience. She loves to put her characters through the mangle, making them reach deep within to find the strength to face moral dilemma, take difficult decisions or fight for what is right. And she never forgets to include humor and undying love in her books, because ultimately love is what makes the world go round.

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My Review for The T**t Files: A Life of Mistakes - No Regrets by Dawn French, Read by Dawn French

In one of my Instagram book clubs, we decided that January would be non-fiction month, and Dawn French’s The T**t Files was the overwhelming winner when we all voted. As soon as I discovered this was the choice, I thought what could be better than Dawn reading the book herself, in her own inimitable style. 

I found the book on Audible and settled down, just after Christmas, to begin listening. What a hilarious journey Dawn takes you on throughout the book as she travels through her illustrious career, sharing with the listener, the mistakes she’s made, the misunderstandings she’s encountered and basically, how she has made a champion t**t of herself (her words - not mine)!

I laughed out loud; I shared stories with my husband and I snorted into my tea as I was listening to Dawn’s ramblings. I resonated with so many of her stories, telling her that yes, I too had almost ridden a horse upside down! (Well, it was actually a fat pony - but same difference)!

The T**t Files is a perfect example of how not to take ourselves too seriously. To laugh at all the t**ty things we’ve done and, more importantly, to share them with others! 

I love these words that Dawn shares and agree with each and every line.

💜 Mistakes tell us about ourselves.

💜 Mistakes tell us about others.

💜 Mistakes are hilarious.

💜 Mistakes expose our flaws.

💜 Mistakes show us ourselves honestly.

💜 Mistakes are gloriously human

Thank you to the @bookstabrits Book Club for choosing The T**t Files by Dawn French as January's read.

About the Book

Discover the truth behind the many, many times Dawn French has been a complete twat over the last sixty years.

When I was younger I wanted to be an interesting, sophisticated, semi-heroic, multi-layered person.

BUT.

That kind of perfect is impossible. Being an actual twat is much more the real me. Sorry to boast, but I am a champion twat.

In The Twat Files I will tell you about all the times I've been a total and utter twat. The moments where I've misunderstood stuff and messed up. In my life these have been key 

Mistakes tell us about ourselves.

Mistakes tell us about others.

Mistakes are hilarious.

Mistakes expose our flaws.

Mistakes show us ourselves honestly.

Mistakes are gloriously human.

My hope is that these stories might fire up yer engines to remind you of just what a massive twat you also are.

Let's celebrate and revel in this most delightful of traits together.

That would be perfectly twatty.

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My Review for Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Read by Jeremy Irons

Lolita was January’s read for an online Classics Book Club. I began by listening to the audiobook, read by the amazing Jeremy Irons who narrated it brilliantly. I started just after Christmas while working on my Harry Potter diamond art. Talk about diverse! From fantasy witches and wizards to a classic from a Russian/American novelist.

To be completely honest, I rarely read a synopsis of a book before I dive in and I had zero idea what Lolita was about before I put those AirPods in. There were a lot of ‘what the hell am I listening to’ moments until I finally settled into the story. I switched towards the end and read the final third from my beautiful Penguin Clothbound copy. I know that people’s views and reviews of Lolita vary, and are sometimes contentious, but there can be no mistaking the beauty of the imagery which Nabokov portrays. 

Lolita, despite the difficult subject matter, was exquisitely written. There were many,

many words that I didn’t understand, but I was too invested to take the time to look them up and it absolutely didn’t matter and it didn’t detract from my thorough enjoyment of the story.

I can’t say that I actually liked any of the characters. Humbert Humbert is our protagonist who is telling the reader his story from inside a prison cell, although he hasn’t been convicted yet. Lolita/Dolores is Humbert’s nymphet, his twelve-year-old obsession. Did she seduce him, or was it the other way around? I think that depends on the reader and I’ll leave that for you to decide. Regardless, though, what Humbert did in kidnapping and having sex with the underage Lolita was ultimately a crime and I guess explains why the book was banned in several countries for a few years.

I recommend that if you are thinking of reading Lolita, then you check out the trigger warnings first.

Thank you to #classiclitbookclub for choosing Lolita as January’s read. It’s been a great start to 2024.

About the Book

Poet and pervert, Humbert Humbert becomes obsessed by twelve-year-old Lolita and seeks to possess her, first carnally and then artistically, out of love, 'to fix once for all the perilous magic of nymphets'. Is he in love or insane? A tortured soul or a monster? Humbert Humbert's seduction is one of many dimensions in Nabokov's dizzying masterpiece, which is suffused with a savage humour and rich, elaborate verbal textures.

About Vladimir

Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977), born in St Petersburg, exiled in Cambridge, Berlin, and Paris, became the greatest Russian writer of the first half of the twentieth century. Fleeing to the US with his family in 1940, he then became the greatest writer in English of the second half of the century, and even 'God's own novelist' (William Deresiewicz). He lived in Europe from 1959 onwards, and died in Montreux, Switzerland. All his major works - novels, stories, an autobiography, poems, plays, lectures, essays and reviews - are published in Penguin Modern Classics.

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My Review for An Enchanted Moment on Ever After Street by Jaimie Admans

Jaimie is fast becoming one of my must-read authors and I definitely need to start reading her back catalogue and soon!

An Enchanted Moment on  Ever After Street is just lovely and is set in a bookshop - what more could a book need? Jaimie has me as soon as I open one of her books and when the characters start talking about one of my favourite books from childhood (and still one of my favourites if I’m honest), The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton then I’ve called under Jaimie’s spell, hook, line and sinker.

Marnie and Darcy are just two wonderful main characters and I adore Marnie’s cat, Mrs Potts. So much of this book is based on Beauty and the Beast. There is nothing not to love.

I didn’t realise that this was part of a series, but no matter, it can absolutely be read as a standalone, but I can promise you that I will be going back and reading the rest.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review An Enchanted Moment on Ever After Street by Jaimie Admans.

About the Book

A brand new and utterly enchanting series by bestselling author Jaimie Admans. A picture-perfect town, a place where dreams come true. Welcome to Ever After Street...

A tale as old as time…

Since her mum’s death, Marnie Platt has shut herself away from everyone who cares about her. Worse, her beloved bookshop on Ever After Street is suffering too. With sales down and the shop’s garden falling into disrepair, Marnie risks losing the very last thing she loves. Until a chance encounter with her surly and reclusive neighbour….

Dark and brooding, Darcy O'Connell likes to keep himself to himself. But when he hears Marnie needs help, he can’t turn his back on her. Soon they are spending most evenings together in her enchanted garden and a friendship starts to bloom…

With the help of old and new friends on Ever After Street, Marnie's bookshop begins to thrive again, and with Darcy's kindness, she starts to get her sparkle back too. She just can't understand why Darcy continues to shut himself away - especially from her. Can she convince him it isn't too late to embrace life, and maybe love, again?

Because every story, even theirs, deserves a happy ending….

About Jaimie

Jaimie is a 36-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, watching horror movies, and drinking tea, although she’s seriously considering marrying her coffee machine. She loves autumn and winter, and singing songs from musicals despite the fact she’s got the voice of a dying hyena. She hates spiders, hot weather, and cheese & onion crisps. She spends far too much time on Twitter and owns too many pairs of boots.

She will never have time to read all the books she wants to read.

She is the author of several romantic comedies for HarperCollins – The Chateau of Happily Ever Afters, The Little Wedding Island, It’s a Wonderful Night, The Little Vintage Carousel by the Sea, Snowflakes at the Little Christmas Tree Farm, The Little Bookshop of Love Stories, The Wishing Tree Beside the Shore, The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane, and The Post Box at the North Pole.

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My Review for Over the Garden Fence by Karen Louise Hollis

Over the Garden Fence was just such a beautiful story. As well as being utterly hilarious, it was warm and happy, and by the end of it, I guarantee you will feel as though you are best friends with Molly and Janice.

The premise of the story is that these two elderly ladies got together during lockdown, each sitting in their own gardens, social distancing, but enjoying each other’s company at a time when they didn’t really have anyone else to talk to. Now lockdown is over and social distancing is no longer a thing, but Molly and Janice keep up their daily meet-ups. 

I loved that the whole story was like having a conversation with your best mates, just passing the time of day discussing the TV programmes you’ve watched and what’s happening in the news. Everything Molly and Janice talk about is real as well. Everything they discuss are things that have happened, whether it be a news item or who won Strictly Come Dancing. I’ve never experienced anything like this in a book before and I really enjoyed it. 

Thank you to Karen Louise Hollis and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review Over the Garden Fence.

About the Book

What can two elderly women do, when they want to live their best lives, but don’t know where to start?Next-door neighbours, Molly and Janice, are in their seventies and are both widowed and lonely. In lockdown, they had their garden fence removed so they could have socially-distanced chats outside. Now the pandemic is over, but the conversation continues. In fact, it has become a daily ritual - weather permitting.As their friendship develops, talk turns from news headlines, the Sewing Bee and the Royal family to their own long-lost hopes and dreams. Is it ever too late to contact a former boyfriend? Or to heal family rifts? Or to try new things? Of course not! Because growing older doesn’t mean giving up.

About Karen

Karen Louise Hollis was born in Lincoln in 1969 and is a full-time carer for her mother and a single mother to her son. 

She has had books published and self-published since 2003, including short stories and poetry, and non-fiction books on motherhood, gymnastics and Doctor Who. 

Her book Un-Conventional : 13 Years of Meeting the Stars of Doctor Who was published by Hirst Publishing in 2010 and her biography of actor Anthony Ainley - The Man Behind The Master was published by Fantom Publishing as a hardback in 2015, later as a paperback and audio CD. 

Her first novel Welcome to Whitlock Close was published in 2022 and her second novel Starting Again in Silver Sands Bay in 2023. 

Karen Louise usually writes books based in Lincolnshire and including characters of all ages. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and writes books in various genres including non-fiction, romance, recent historical fiction (1980s) and contemporary women’s fiction. 

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My Review for One Year After You by Shari Low

My first review of 2024, and I’ve started the year on a high! I loved this book, which was written from multiple points of view. We have Odette - a soap star nearing the end of her career, Keli - a nurse on an elderly care ward, Noah - a paediatric doctor, and Tress - a set designer on the soap that Odette stars in. They all live in Glasgow and are all linked in one way or another.

One Year After You is set over 24 hours and boy, a lot happens in those 24 hours. We have birthdays, scandals, break-ups and hook-ups. There are a few tear-jerking moments and a lot of comedy - mainly from Nancy and Val, two of the most delightful characters I’ve read about in a long time. They deserve their own story and if there was one, then I’m sure I’d be laughing out loud!

If you want a good old rom-com to start your year and block out the miserable January weather, then I’d recommend getting yourself a copy of One Year After You by Shari Low. She is fast becoming one of my must-buy authors.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review One Year After You by Shari Low.

About the Book

For forty years the fabulous Odette Devine has been a beloved matriarchal actress on Scotland’s longest-running TV show. Today she is broken, betrayed, and desperate to find out if this is her payback for a lie she told forty years ago.

A year ago today, Tress Walker’s husband was killed in a car accident, on the same day she gave birth to their baby. Reeling from the discovery that he was with his mistress, Tress has to choose whether to protect her fragile heart or open it to love again.

Noah Clark was devastated to discover his wife and his best friend were having an affair. Now the love of his life is asking for another chance to make their marriage work. But can there ever be a way back, once the trust is broken?

Noah’s sister Keli Clark has recently been ghosted by the man she loves. When a shocking message from a complete stranger reveals the reason why, Keli will have to decide whether to forgive, forget, or to make sure he pays.

Twenty-four hours. Four shocking secrets. One tumultuous tale of love, loss and second chances.

About Shari

Ok, so I’ll try to avoid that deluded state where I believe that everyone wants to hear my cute childhood stories, and keep to the important stuff.

I was born in a town near Glasgow, where I spent my teenage years dreaming of the day I’d follow in my beloved Jackie Collins’ footsteps all the way to a life of decadent glamour and a kidney shaped swimming pool in LA.

Alas, the combination of bills and a nocturnal predisposition changed my course, and I opted for a career in nightclub and hotel management in Scotland, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Sometime in the 90s, I was back in Glasgow, when a guy I hated on sight walked towards me. I changed my mind after thirty seconds. Seven days later, we moved in together and threw an engagement party. We’ve now been married for almost thirty years and thankfully he still hasn’t made a bid for escape.

I still harboured that dream of writing, and I eventually acted on it when I hit 30, had a mid-life crisis, and penned the first three chapters of my book What If?.

To my endless astonishment, more than thirty-five novels later, I’ve sold millions of books around the world, including translations in many countries including Italy, Poland, Indonesia, Estonia, Ukraine and Germany.

I’ve also released a non-fiction title, Because Mummy Said So, a collection of features I’ve written about all our family disasters, laughs and embarrassing moments over the years. I’m hoping my offspring don’t find out.

Oh, and my inner Jackie Collins still adores a bit of decadent glamour, so I also pen gritty, scandalous, Hollywood thrillers with TV presenter Ross King MBE, a pal since I was a teenager and still thought I’d marry George Michael.

So now we’re up to the present day. I still spend my days and nights writing in a very mature, professional manner which roughly translates to ‘type, panic, eat a biscuit, type, panic, eat a biscuit, type, panic…’, repeated for 90 000 words.

I’m beyond thrilled that three of my favourite people in publishing, the brilliant Caroline Ridding, Amanda Ridout and Nia Beynon, have founded Boldwood Books, and given my novels a home there.

As for my homelife, my two teenage sons have now flown the nest, so it’s just me, the husband, the labradoodle, my books and dozens of facetime calls to check my boys have done their washing.

Thanks for taking the time to read all this. I can’t believe I managed to fill a whole page and I haven’t even got around to those cute childhood stories yet…

Love,

Shari xx

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