May 2026 – My Sanctuary

Review Card & Book Review – A Fresh Start At The Cornish Country Hospital By Jo Bartlett

When life changes in an instant, how do you find the courage to begin again? ❤️‍🩹

A&E doctor, Eve Bellingham’s life changed forever the night her fiancé Max was the victim of a brutal attack. Now, two years later, she has moved her life to Cornwall and is working at St Piran’s Hospital, helping his family cope as Max struggles with his devastating injuries.

But though Eve’s loyalty has never wavered, the man she loved is gone. Annie – Max’s mother – still clings to the hope that one day everything will return to how it was, but Eve isn’t so sure it ever will. Torn between duty and despair, Eve feels trapped in a life that no longer fits.

Then she meets Felix Grainger, the dedicated occupational therapist helping Max towards independence. With kindness and quiet strength, he awakens feelings Eve thought she’d lost forever.

To seize her second chance, Eve must risk breaking the only family she’s ever known. Because sometimes, letting go is the bravest way to begin again.

About The Author

My Review

In this emotionally resonant sixth instalment of the Cornish Country Hospital series, Jo Bartlett crafts a tender, thoughtful story of resilience, loyalty, and new beginnings. The novel follows Eve, an A&E doctor whose life was irrevocably altered when her fiancé Max sustained a traumatic brain injury. Two years on, she relocates to Cornwall, balancing the demands of her career with her enduring commitment to Max and his family, while quietly confronting the uncertain future their circumstances impose.

Bartlett’s portrayal of loving someone with a life-altering injury is deeply compassionate and strikingly authentic. The novel explores the pain of navigating a life that no longer fits, alongside the hope found in reinvention and emotional courage. Eve’s evolving relationships with her colleagues and the warmth of the hospital community create a powerful sense of found family, one of the series’ most endearing qualities.

Though part of a continuing series, this book stands confidently alone, while longtime readers will appreciate the return of familiar characters. Like reconnecting with cherished friends, each visit to this series grows more rewarding — and Eve’s story proves one of its most moving yet.

Link To Purchase

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Happy Publication Day – 1 May 2026

Wake- Up Calls By Mariah Stewart

Kit Porterfield is coping with the upheaval of her personal life when another shock blindsides her. Maxine Meadows, an aunt she never knew existed, has bequeathed to her a rustic campground in Maine. With it comes a long-buried family secret that Kit’s late mother took great pains to hide for her entire life.

When Kit arrives to tenuously claim her inheritance, she learns the town’s history and finds the lakeside sporting camp and its beautiful wooded acres in need of restoration to their former glory. But it’s Kit’s own history that compels her to stay, and she’s not returning home until she uncovers the secrets that tore two sisters apart so many years ago.

Kit soon discovers clues in old photographs and in the tale of a tragic and enduring love story, but the most startling revelations are yet to come. For Kit, they could be the path to understanding the mystery that defined her mother’s life—and her own.

The Night Before The Wedding By Emma Robinson

Looking out at the crystal clear waters of Sorrento, my heart aches at the loss of the future I’d allowed myself to dream. But Tom’s lie is bigger than I could have imagined. How can we survive it? My decision will shatter more than just my own heart. Am I really ready to say the words that will change everything?

It was supposed to be a week of bliss leading to our dream wedding on the Italian coast. But it’s obvious our families are against it. My mother questions why Tom has controlled so much of the planning, twisting his generous surprise into something sinister. Tom’s daughter, Lily, makes it known she’ll never see me as her mother.

Trying to focus on our dream day, I can’t help but notice a woman who spends every day at the pool, alone. She seems fascinated by Lily in a way that worries me. When Tom finally locks eyes with her, he immediately pales.

This week should have been the best time of our lives but before our future can begin, Tom will confess a secret that could destroy everything. But he’s not the only one who kept a past lie hidden for the sake of happily-ever-after. By the end of the week with both our secrets laid bare, will we really say, ‘I do’?

Making Sparks Fly At The Highland Repair Shop By Kiley Dunbar

The Highland Repair Shop is a place where anything can be fixed… from vintage radios and rusting bikes to hearts and lives. 🫶

Euan Sparks is back in town, newly self-employed and newly mortified after a disastrous first job threatens his fledgling electrician business. Can he prove that he belongs in Cairn Dhu?

Peaches McDowell is a gifted fashion student on the brink of her Master’s showcase. She’s focused, ambitious and bound tightly within the expectations of her formidable mother. Romance is a distraction she can’t afford. But when a crisis throws Peaches and Euan together at the repair shop, a spark is ignited…

Meanwhile, repair shop founder’s wife Roz McIntyre is also facing a turning point: a marriage in need of attention, an empty nest and the worrying question of what comes next.

As Beltane approaches and the town prepares for its wild and wonderful spring celebrations, can Peaches, Euan, Roz – and her husband – find the courage to let sparks fly?

Review Card & Book Review – The Lie She Told By Emma Robinson

‘Natalie, it’s mum. You need to come home. It’s your father…’ Clutching the phone, my hands shaking, my entire world tilts. For years I’ve run from a family secret which threatened to devastate us all. But with my darling father’s life on the line, I have to face the truth, whatever the cost.

Bursting through the hospital doors, I see my mother and sister waiting in the corridor, worry etched on their faces. Over the years I’ve grown apart from my sister Victoria. She married young and started a family. I chose a different path. I had no choice but to leave so that the rest of my family could be happy.

Gathering at my father’s bedside, I clutch Victoria’s hand like we’re little again. As we start to share our memories of the fun and loving home he created, he leans towards us, uttering words which will turn our world upside down: ‘You mustn’t blame your mother. It was never her fault.’

Victoria reassures me that it must be the medication, that he doesn’t know what he is saying. But I do. Years ago, I thought our mother had betrayed us in the worst possible way. But looking at the stranger standing next to her, I know they are part of the lie my parents were so desperate to hide. The lie I ran from. But if I tell the truth of what I know, will it destroy our lives forever?

About The Author

My Review

This is a book about family, the love that binds it together, the secrets that threaten to tear it apart, and the fragile ties that must be rebuilt when the truth finally surfaces. In The Lie She Told, Emma Robinson delivers an emotionally rich and compelling family drama centered on the complicated relationship between sisters Victoria and Natalie.

When their father, Marcus, is rushed to hospital, the family is forced back under one roof. Victoria arrives immediately, while Natalie must make the long journey home from Munich, a physical distance that mirrors the emotional divide between them. As the family reunites, long-buried secrets begin to emerge, each revelation layered with tension and emotional weight.

The introduction of a mysterious stranger heightens the suspense, raising the stakes and deepening the sense that nothing is quite as it seems. Robinson excels at portraying the delicate balance between loyalty, resentment, and forgiveness within families, creating characters that feel authentic and deeply human.

Gripping, heartfelt, and expertly paced, The Lie She Told is a powerful exploration of family, truth, and the bonds that ultimately define us.

My Rating