Monthly Archives: January 2025

Review Card & Book Review – In The Blink Of An Eye By Kate Hewitt

It only took a moment for everything to go wrong. In the blink of an eye, the birthday party became a nightmare when we heard the screams… How did this happen? And who is to blame?

I’m so happy as I walk to pick up my son from the party. It’s his first since we moved here, and I know he’s found it hard settling in. Just as I’ve found it hard to make friends among the mothers at the school gates. But as I turn the corner, my heart stops. Instead of the picture-perfect birthday party I left earlier, there’s an ambulance.

I start to run. My son, is all I can think. I have to find my son.

As I race into the garden, desperately searching for my child, a fellow parent turns to me, her finger pointed. The words out of her mouth make my blood run cold.

“Your son did this. This is your fault.”

Surely that can’t be true? My son can be difficult, but I’d know if he was capable of hurting someone… Wouldn’t I?

As a little girl is lifted onto a stretcher, I feel my world come crashing down. My heart cracks in two for this poor child, her devastated family. Because there’s no coming back from this. An innocent girl has been hurt. My son is being blamed. And although I don’t know what really happened, I do know that this moment will tear us all apart…

About The Author

My Review

This is a novel about three mothers dealing with significant life challenges. Joanna moves her family to Wetherby, Connecticut for a fresh start, but they struggle to fit in. Her husband battles depression, and her son, Kieran, has behavioral issues. When Kieran is invited to a birthday party for Bella, the seemingly perfect daughter of Eleanor, a tragic incident leaves Bella in a coma and Kieran blamed. Eleanor stays by her daughter’s side in the hospital, while Natalie, another supervising mother, is wracked with guilt and worry for her own daughter. As secrets unravel, the mothers’ relationships are tested. The story explores the perspectives of Joanna, Natalie, and Eleanor, as they navigate the fallout from the accident and face real-life issues.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Happy Publication Day – 2 January 2025

Forever Love At Wildflower lock By Hannah Lynn

It’s time to meet the family…

Daisy May thought she had everything figured out. After successfully establishing her coffee shop at the idyllic Wildflower Lock and with things going well with charming Theo, she was ready to embrace her happily ever after. But when Theo pops the question, the happiness is overtaken by worries.

Because meeting Theo’s family for the first time is not accompanied by the warm welcome she hoped for. Theo’s parents disapprove of her and they have no qualms in showing it. And when they reveal secrets about Theo’s past, Daisy is left in a spiral.

As insecurities creep in, and with even her own mother expressing her doubts, Daisy begins to question her future with Theo.

Will love conquer all, or will she give in to her fears and cancel the wedding?

Review Card & Book Review – Wedding Bells By The Creek By Janet Gover

Are there some things that can’t be forgiven?

Helen Walsh has never stopped searching for the daughter who ran away from home when she was just fifteen. Now Tia has found her. Helen longs for her daughter’s forgiveness. Will a Coorah Creek wedding help heal their rift?

Ed Collins has walked Helen’s path, and he knows that she needs more than her daughter’s forgiveness. Ed feels compelled to help her, as he is increasingly drawn to her kind and loving heart.

Then Ed’s wife Stephanie returns to the tiny outback town – thirteen years after she deserted Ed and their young son, Scott. Steph was his first and only love, and now Ed is being asked to forgive.

But how do you forgive what you will never forget?

About The Author

My Review

The story begins with Helen Walsh, whose teenage daughter Felicity ran away ten years ago. Helen has never stopped thinking about her, and out of the blue, she receives a letter from Felicity. Helen travels to a town where she knows no one except the daughter she lost, now a grown woman. Both mother and daughter are understandably anxious about their reunion. As the story progress we learn about the circumstances of Felicity’s disappearance and Helen’s struggles over the years. Helen soon understands why her daughter chose this remote town, appreciating its strong sense of community. Despite knowing the visit would be challenging, Helen finds support from a kind stranger, Ed Collins, a garage proprietor who has lived in the town all his life. Ed, dealing with his own emotional turmoil, feels a connection with Helen, who is hoping to reunite with her daughter. Overall it is a heartwarming read to me.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Review Card & Book Review – Resorting To Romance By Jennifer Shirk

It was supposed to be L.A. attorney Loni Wingate’s perfect day. Instead, she got only chaos and heartbreak. Her fiancé stole her promotion and ended their engagement, leaving her career and her future dangling by a thread. Then when Loni tries to go to her safe place, her family’s quaint North Carolina resort, she finds it’s up for sale.

But Loni didn’t get to where she is without a fight. So if a developer is coming by to assess the property, the place she feels most connected to her long-gone Mama…well, Loni and her sisters will serve up a taste of Southern hospitality he’ll neverforget.

Ian Hollowell hasn’t experienced “Southern hospitality” firsthand, but he’s pretty sure this is not it. Between the storage room accommodation, the all-sugar sweet tea, and a lethally hot pepper omelet, he’s getting the sense his welcome is anything but. Still, he didn’t get his ruthless reputation by quitting when the game gets interesting.

And Loni is one adversary Ian can’t resist… especially when family revelations start pushing Loni to question her loyalties.

Now a round of “keep your enemies close” might be flipped on its head in bestselling author Jennifer Shirk’s sparkling and stirring story about reconsidering the past in order to shape the future. Because sometimes it takes one last resort to find the place—and people—that truly feel like home.

About The Author

My Review

This is a heartfelt contemporary romance set in the charming family resort of Sunny Banks. The story follows Loni, an LA attorney whose life starts to unravel as her job and engagement to Blaze fall apart. She returns to Sunny Banks to save the family resort from being sold and unexpectedly develops feelings for Ian, the developer interested in buying the property. The novel explores themes of family strength, second chances, and forgiveness, with vivid descriptions of the resort. While the pacing is sometimes uneven and some secondary characters lack depth, the chemistry between Loni and Ian and the meaningful themes make it a comforting and enjoyable read.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Amazon
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Kobo

Review Card & Book Review – Old Girls On Deck By Maddie Please

It’s never too late to sail a new course…

When retired Jill Parker wins an all-expenses paid mediterranean cruise for two she is thrilled! At 63 life in retirement has got a little bit bland for Jill and this might be just the holiday she and husband Eddy need to get the sparks back in their marriage.

But when Eddy admits he would much prefer to build his patio and look through the latest DIY magazine, Jill is left with only one other option – her sister Diana.

Diana has become rather reclusive since her husband, Caspar died, but perhaps this is the push she needs to bring some excitement back into her life, too?

Could this trip be just what both sisters need to reconnect and chart a new path for their futures?

Excited to be exploring new horizons and catching up, the sisters soon discover that not everything is smooth sailing on board. And as they enjoy cocktails together at sundown, they discover that they are both actually a little all at sea…

About The Author

My Review

“Old Girls On Deck” by Maddie Please is a delightful contemporary novel centered on two sisters in their sixties who embark on a cruise, where they meet an octogenarian who shows them how to enjoy life. The story emphasizes that aging doesn’t mean settling and encourages living life to the fullest. One sister, a widow of five years, learns to step out of her late husband’s shadow and embrace her own identity, while the other sister, with her newly retired husband, discovers the joys of exploration beyond domestic routines. Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Mediterranean, the novel is filled with witty dialogue and vivid sensory descriptions.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo