Summer Reading and Reviews
Hello everyone,
Whether you’re relaxing on holiday or enjoying quiet summer evenings at home, this is a perfect time to curl up with a great story.
I’ve recently revisited some of my favourite authors – Eva Glyn, Alexandra Weston and Sarah Bennett – and highly recommend them.
On an earlier blog, I reviewed Eva’s wonderful new book, The Santorini Writing Retreat. I’ve also been lucky enough to be sent review copies of Alexandra Weston’s stunning new novella, The Hollywood Runaway and the second part in Sarah Bennett’s wonderful new Halfmoon Quay series, called Everything Changes But You. My reviews for these are below; including my review for the first of the Halfmoon Quay books, Just The Beginning.
They all make great holiday reading.
If you’re looking for summer reads from my own bookshelf, these are my top three seasonal suggestions:
The Forgotten Palace – Set in Crete, this dual timeline mystery connects the lives of Alice Webster and Eloise De’Ath as both women face life-changing moments.
The Wind Chime – Set on the Pembrokeshire coast, Amelia Prentice investigates a photograph hidden among her mother’s possessions, uncovering long-buried family secrets.
The House of Echoes – Also set in Pembrokeshire, this novel follows Caroline Harvey as she explores the legacy of her grandfather, bestselling author Dexter Blake and a scandal tied to Anne Brandon, daughter of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk.
I’m also excited to announce that my new book, Daughter of the Stones, is now available to pre-order from Boldwood Books. I’ll be telling you more about this soon.
Thanks so much for reading – and for supporting my stories. I hope you’re having a wonderful summer.
Alexandra. xx
Reviews
The Hollywood Runaway by Alexandra Weston
Olivia Swift is embarking on a new life in America, as long as the old one doesn’t catch up with her first.
If you haven’t read any of Alexandra Weston’s books yet, then you’re in for a real treat. The novella, The Hollywood Runaway is set during the 1930s and brings to life a lost era of movie stars, glamour and all the darkness that lurks in the shadows behind the bright lights of stardom.
Olivia Swift is our heroine and when we first meet her, she has impulsively fled her own wedding and bought a one-way ticket to America, even though it means saying goodbye to her beloved parents. She is desperate and feels escape is her best option.
Riddled with guilt and self-loathing, Olivia is unsure if she has made the right decision until she makes two good friends onboard the ship, Frank and Nora, who make her realise she deserves a second chance.
Once again, Alexandra Weston creates a spellbinding group of believable, heart-warming characters who you desperately want to succeed. The Hollywood Runaway perfectly captures the excitement, and the fear, of beginning again. It’s a tale of friendship and forgiveness, not only of other people but of yourself too.
Treat yourself to this beautiful story and get lost in the glamour of a bygone era this summer.
Five stars: *****
Just the Beginning by Sarah Bennett
A new Sarah Bennett book is always a huge adventure because she doesn’t just write stories, she creates worlds. Just The Beginning is no exception as we are introduced to the families and communities within the seaside village of Halfmoon Quay. As the story unfolds so do the family tragedies, the secrets and the love that heals.
From the moment I began reading Anya’s story, I was hooked. When she moves to the picturesque Halfmoon Quay to stay with her aunt, uncle and cousin to rebuild her life after a terrible personal tragedy, a whole new world opens up.
She and her daughter Freya are helped by the vast Penrose family to whom she’s distantly connected through her cousin. The Penroses own and work in numerous local businesses all of which are at the heart of Halfmoon Quay. As Anya navigates her way through her new challenges, she is soon an integral part of village life.
Helping Anya to settle in is Rick Penrose, who has been in love with Anya since their teenage years. When their feelings begin to resurface, family secrets and difficult decisions threaten to tear them apart.
All Sarah’s characters are likeable, interesting and with enough flaws to feel real so that each page is brimming with people you care about. The unravelling of the story and the widening of the world of Halfmoon Quay is done with deftness and skill, drawing you into the sadness, love and confusion of life. This is a masterclass in family tangles and the ways in which they can be resolved.
I’m so delighted Just the Beginning is the first of new series because I can’t wait to return to Halfmoon Quay and discover what happens next.
Five stars: *****
Everything Changes But You by Sarah Bennett
We’re back in Halfmoon Quay for Everything Changes But You, the second part of the new series by Sarah Bennett. This time we follow the adventures of the eldest son in the Penrose family, Liam (short for Fitzwilliam).
At the end of the first book, Just The Beginning, Liam was given an unexpected present by his Uncle Davy, the deeds to the Penrose House Hotel, the family run business in the centre of Halfmoon Quay.
Liam’s relationship has recently ended. He’s had to move out of his flat in London and he is facing burnout at work. Could Uncle Davy’s gift be the answer to all his problems? Or is it another disaster waiting to happen?
Meanwhile, Issy Kernow, who runs the Cosy Coffee Pot a few doors away from the hotel, is less than delighted to see Liam. They have a chequered past and having suffered many losses in her life, she isn’t sure she can forgive Liam for his cruel behaviour. Then a mystery presents itself and both Liam and Issy realise they may have been wrong about the past.
Sarah Bennett is one of my favourite writers and Everything Changes But You is another exceptional tale. She has the ability to draw you into her world, to make you care about her characters and to be rooting for them – no matter what!
I loved every single page of this story and wanted it to keep going so I could stay in Halfmoon Quay with all its gossip, it’s family problems, the challenges of living in a small community and, of course, the huge Penrose family.
For a summer read that is funny, dramatic, heart-warming and original, treat yourself to a trip to Halfmoon Quay. You won’t be disappointed. A definite five-star story!
Five stars: *****