July 19, 2025 – My Sanctuary

Review Card & Book Review – The Little Island Flower Stall By Tilly Tennant

When Bella’s heart is broken by her cheating husband, she runs towards those who love her and won’t let her down. Packing a bag, she escapes to Jersey, to help her beloved great-aunt Celestine run her seaside flower stall.

Soon Bella begins to find peace as she arranges wildflowers in vases and learns lessons about life from Celestine, who has loved and lost many times during her years on the island. But when charismatic, brooding Rory arrives at the flower stall, seeking answers about his own family’s past, could all that be about to change?

Bella can’t help but be drawn to Rory, with his aquamarine eyes, and as they walk together under vast blue skies, discussing his tragic family history, Bella wonders if her great-aunt might be able to help.

But when Bella shows Celestine a letter about Rory’s lost grandfather, hidden on the island during the war, her beloved aunt shuts her out. What does Celestine know and why won’t she open her heart? And when Bella discovers that Rory has been keeping something important from her, she fears she has trusted the wrong person once again…

Bella is determined to get to the bottom of the long-buried secret at the heart of this beautiful island. Can it bring her the new beginning that she desperately needs?

About The Author

My Review

Set on the idyllic island of Jersey, the novel follows Bella, a woman reeling from her husband’s betrayal, who seeks refuge with her fiercely independent 94-year-old great-aunt, Celestine. The charming flower stall becomes more than just a backdrop—it’s a symbol of resilience, renewal, and community.

As Bella helps Celestine and tries to rebuild her own life, she crosses paths with Rory, a man on a poignant quest to uncover the truth about his grandfather’s wartime origins. Their shared journey through local archives and long-held secrets gradually brings them closer, while also unearthing moving stories of courage and love from the past. Bella’s emotional growth is handled with sensitivity, and the budding romance with Rory feels genuine and grounded. Celestine, with her feisty personality and quiet wisdom, is a standout.

Overall, this is a lovely escape with emotional resonance and an uplifting message about starting over and embracing the unexpected.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Happy Publication Day – 19 July 2025

Living The Good Life By Celia Anderson

New beginnings. Old wounds. And a village with its own secret to happiness. . . ✨🦋

The peaceful village of Willowbrook seems to be the ideal place for a new lease of life – at least according to Nell’s husband, Barney. With an empty nest and coming towards retirement, he’s persuaded her to try country living. Their cottage even has an annexe that’s perfect for Barney’s widowed father, Frank.

Nell is less sure about this fresh start… and it’s not long before cracks in her thirty-year marriage begin to appear. Instead of spending more time together, she and Barney seem to be drifting apart. Frank, too, is unsettled.

A weekly community group exploring the secret of happiness provides a way for Nell and her father-in-law to navigate their new surroundings. Nell finds some friends, and Frank is quickly taken in hand by the neighbourhood matriarchs – the self-styled ‘Saga Louts’!

But will questioning what makes her happy push Nell even further away from Barney, especially when she discovers the secrets her husband has been keeping? Or can opening up to others help old wounds heal and bring them back together once more? What really is the secret to happiness?

Review Card & Book Review- Secrets Of Foxglove Cottage By Rebecca Alexander

From her open window at Foxglove Cottage, she looks out at the garden full of wildflowers drenched in golden sunlight. Her fingers tremble as she turns the fragile page of the old diary and discovers a secret that will change her life forever…

When Zosia arrives at Foxglove Cottage holding her small son’s hand in hers, she is desperate for a new beginning. Her new job is to help seventy-year-old Hazel transform her tumbledown cottage and re-open the enchanting old café, seeped in folklore. Hazel is warm and welcoming, but Zosia can never share the truth about why she has left her own home.

When neighbourly Leon, a bear of a man with deep brown eyes, arrives to help them restore the cafe, Zosia can’t help falling for his rugged charm. But her heart has been shattered before, so she distracts herself by translating an old diary that’s been in Hazel’s family for generations. She discovers an extraordinary love story hidden in the yellowing pages. It pulls her back into World War Two, as if the past is whispering through the garden’s tangled vines and the granite cottage walls. Could the old wartime romance help broken-hearted Zosia believe in soulmates again?

Zosia longs to open up to Hazel and Leon but if her past catches up with her it could ruin everything. When she uncovers the diary’s long buried secret, will it help her let go of her own past? Or, when she receives a letter that threatens everything she holds dear, will she be forced to leave Foxglove Cottage for good?

About The Author

My Review

This is an evocative and emotionally rich dual-timeline novel that beautifully blends historical fiction with contemporary women’s fiction. Set against the tranquil yet sometimes treacherous backdrop of the English countryside, the story explores the power of love, resilience, and healing across generations.

The present-day narrative follows Hazel Wojcik, a spirited 70-year-old recovering from surgery and determined to breathe new life into her beloved Foxglove Cottage. Enter Zosia Armitage, a Polish immigrant on the run from an abusive past, with her young son in tow. Their unexpected connection grows as Zosia not only helps Hazel restore the café but also begins translating wartime documents left behind by Hazel’s Polish father. As the women forge trust and purpose, danger unexpectedly creeps back into Zosia’s life, raising the emotional and suspenseful stakes.

The historical timeline is equally compelling. We’re transported to WWII, where Casimir Wojcik, a brave Polish pilot, crashes in the English Moors and is rescued by Rosie—Hazel’s mother. What unfolds is a poignant, high-stakes romance between two young people trying to survive the brutality of war. Rosie’s work in a munitions factory and Casimir’s perilous missions as a fighter pilot offer rich historical detail and constant tension, underscoring the human cost of conflict and the fierce hope that love brings.

The parallels between the two timelines are thoughtfully drawn, with themes of survival, trust, and new beginnings woven seamlessly throughout. Overall, it is a beautifully crafted story that delivers emotional depth, rich historical atmosphere, and strong female characters. With its blend of danger, romance, and healing, this book is a must-read for fans of dual-timeline fiction like The Nightingale or The Lost Girls of Paris.

My Rating

Link To Purchase

Amazon

Barnes & Noble