Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I love a book that is set anywhere sunny or romantic and I'm a sucker for a love story somewhere along the way, so I was always going to love Going Greek by Sue Roberts and she didn't disappoint. Sam was a high-flying television presenter who had great plans for the future until a misplaced one-night-stand sent all that flying off the edge of a cliff! Next stop, Rhodes, Greece, where her sister and her family live and where she tries to hide from the media and get her life back on track.  Full of sunshine and laughter and lots of great Greek food and drink, Going Greek will keep you quiet for a few hours as you disappear into someone else's life. Perfect to read on the beach or by the pool with a cocktail in hand. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of Going Greek by Sue Roberts.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ It’s the middle of the Second World War and life in Cornwall may not be as difficult as in the big cities, but it has its moments. Lily, Eva and Rose are working in St Ives, in Cornwall, at Symmonds Hall Convalescent Home for injured officers, and preparing for Christmas. Lily is footloose and fancy-free. Eva has her heart set on an injured Flight Lieutenant who doesn’t; think he’s the man for her, and Rose is in love with her sister’s fiancee. What on earth could go wrong? Fun and laughter, sorrow and heartache, Christmas with the Cornish Girls has it all and Betty Walker brings the characters to life as we prepare for a wartime Christmas with them all. The nurses are compassionate and caring, and the injured men are brave and determined. In the uncertain and challenging times of war, we discover just how everyone works together to make the best of what they have. If you enjoy a wartime story with a bit of love and Cornwall thrown in, then you’ll enjoy this. Thank you to NetGalle...

⭐⭐⭐⭐ I listened to The Hidden Village, by Imogen Matthews as an Audiobook which was narrated by Antonia Whillans.  Set in Holland in 1943, The Hidden Village is a secret village that the Dutch people built to hide Jewish people and anyone else who needed protection from the Germans. We follow the variety of characters who are involved in the village, whether building it, living there or maintaining it and slowly we become immersed in their lives. Although rather slow, it kept me hooked, as I was desperate to find out how things ended for Sofie and her friends. Based on true events, I was curious how an entire village could remain hidden from the Germans for so long, and it was interesting to research this further once I’d finished the book. I have read many books set in World War II, and it’s eye-opening to read about it from another point of view, this time primarily from Dutch citizens. Everyone should know what happened in the war, and fiction books which are based on facts are ...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I wanted to read A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon because one of her other books, The Trouble With Goats and Sheep, was recommended to me by so many people. However, it’s still sitting on my shelf waiting to be read! Hopefully, I’ll get around to it soon! A Tidy Ending had me gripped from the beginning. Just who was this strange woman, Linda, and why did everyone think her odd? Linda is the protagonist in the story and I honestly couldn’t work out from beginning to end what I should be thinking of her. Is she the victim and a pawn in someone else’s life or is she the mainstay in the plot? She’s weird is what she is, but I definitely wanted to read more of her story. Linda is very insightful, having her own opinions on how she feels people behave in the way in which they do. She’s funny, but she has a sad past which she tries to remember differently than it was.  Joanna Cannon did a great job with all her characters, each has their own quirks and adds to the story, I can’t say t...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another outstanding book from one of my most favourite authors, Nicola May, but sadly, apparently the last in the Ferry Lane Market series. Rainbows End in Ferry Lane Market was brilliant from beginning to end. It was happy, sad, funny and thought-provoking and definitely something I would recommend to anyone who wants to switch off for a few hours and join someone else’s life. Glanna’s life has had ups and lots of downs until she moved to Hartmouth, but now she’s settling into her new life, making new friends and beginning to love life again. With her gorgeous whippet, Banksy, Glanna is immersing herself into Ferry Lane Market and gradually returning to becoming a local girl once again. She befriends local artist Isaac Benson and they help guide each other through things that have happened to them in the past, both discovering who they are now and how to move forward with their lives.  Nicola brings in characters that have been at the forefront of her other Ferry Lane Market...

⭐⭐⭐⭐  The description of 214 Palmer Street doesn’t do the actual story justice. A psychological thriller that raises more questions than it answers. I was annoyed and hooked in equal measures.  I enjoyed the plot and the way it played out, but Sarah and her husband Kirk annoyed the hell out of me. Sarah is just such a wet blanket. I just wanted to shout at her and tell her to stand up for herself, to do what she wants to do, not what anyone else wants her to do! Meanwhile, Kirk is just overbearing with his love, which borders on control. I know his heart is in the right place, but come on, give a girl some space!  That being said, if the author, Karen McQuestion, wanted her characters like that, then she has done an excellent job, that is exactly how they come across. I sort of worked out what was going to happen pretty early on, although I didn’t realise who ‘her’ was until quite close to the end! It was fun to discover how and why the ending played out as it did and the...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Margarete Rosenbaum is living as Annegret Huber following a bombing raid, from Jew to part of a German high-ranking family in the blink of an eye. I have read many war fiction novels, but I’m not sure I’ve ever read one which included so much detail of the inhumane behaviour of the German SS. It takes a lot to make me shudder when reading, but parts of The Girl in the Shadows did just that. Of course, I am aware of the gist of what happened during the war, but to have it written down and for the characters involved to be portrayed in such a way was eye-opening. Marion Kummerow is an exceptional author. There aren’t many who can skip between love and romance and hate and cruelty and ensure the reader is also feeling those emotions. Yes, I was left feeling very uncomfortable many times throughout the book, but actually, this was a good thing. It meant that the author was doing her job well!  The Girl in the Shadows is the third book in Margarete’s journey, but can certainly be ...