1944, in the ruined wine cellar of a Tuscan villa, as the Allied troops advance and bombs fall around them, two strangers meet and share an extraordinary evening together.

Ulysses Temper is a young British soldier, Evelyn Skinner is a sexagenarian art historian and possible spy. She has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the wreckage and relive memories of the time she encountered EM Forster and had her heart stolen by an Italian maid in a particular Florentine room with a view.

These two unlikely people find kindred spirits in each other and Evelyn’s talk of truth and beauty plants a seed in Ulysses’ mind that will shape the trajectory of his life – and of those who love him – for the next four decades.

My Thoughts:

After reading this book I can’t wait to delve into more of Sarah’s books. I found this story fascinating and even more so by the way Sarah is a great storyteller. It is a moving and poignant story that explores love in it’s many forms. I wanted to cherish the words longer than I needed too just because it is such a rich story which is set in the 1940’s. A British Soldier and a art historian meet, will romance blossom? what will happen to both of them especially at this moment in time. A beautifully told story that you will just want to cherish.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Emma Patrick’s life is spiralling out of control. On the cusp of her 50th birthday, she suddenly realises that she doesn’t have many meaningful relationships in her life. She’s single, successful, living alone and thinks she’s loving it, but being so focussed on work and always online means she’s lost any real connection to people.

When Emma gets a call to say her ageing father is becoming increasingly confused, she decides that she should go back home to the countryside to spend some time with him. But returning to Little Bramble, the village she grew up in, after all these years, is filled with complications of its own and people she’d rather avoid.

As Emma starts to settle in to her childhood home, she finds herself loving village life – much to her surprise. When the opportunity to get involved in the running of the summer fete comes her way, before she knows it she’s embracing jam making, cake baking and bunting. And with romance brewing, Emma begins to doubt the glamorous life in London that she worked so hard to build . . .

My Thoughts:

This book made me dream of the warmer weather and being outside more with the sun on your face. Emma’s story is a relatable one whatever age you are. She thinks she is happy, she isn’t tied down to any one, she has a good job, but she is missing something. When her dad becomes unwell, she decides to go and spend time with him in the Village she grew up in. Can she find the missing part she desperately needs? there is a whole load of romance, cakes and a Village community coming together. Will Emma get her happy ever after? I really enjoyed reading Emma’s story, it is heartfelt and uplifting when we all need a bit of escapism.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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On the cruise ship circuit, Sebastian McKenzie is a star. A brilliant pianist and singer, he entertains the wealthy guests every night in the piano bars and restaurants of the world’s leading cruise liners. But he never stays with the same ship for long. And some of the other entertainers have nicknamed him the Grim Reaper, because whenever Sebastian is on board, people go missing.

After escaping from prison, Josef Werner is driven to a safe hideout in the Didim area of Turkey. He sets up his base in the beautiful bay of Akbuk, and buys two isolated villas high on a hill overlooking the bay. But Werner has been followed by a private eye named Cortez, and the premises are bugged.

Max Cutler is an All-American boy: tall, blond and handsome, with a sharp wit and a keen eye for female company. A stand-out student at law school, he is immediately recruited into the Secret Service, to protect America’s interests overseas. Max is in Europe, breaking up a violent counterfeiting ring in Germany, when he hears that his baby sister Elisa has disappeared from a cruise ship in Alaska.

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of the plot line for this book, it is set on a cruise ship, people start to go missing but what is happening to them? there is all these different characters some with shady pasts that you wouldn’t want to meet on a dark night and others that have secrets, you never really know anyone. It is about three different men who cross into different countries, but their stories are intertwined throughout the book. I liked how the book flowed through out, I was never really sure what was going to happen which I liked and I found the ending brought everything together nicely.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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For the past year, not a day had gone by when Evan hadn’t thought about this exact moment, the moment he and Ben would be reunited. It was frozen in his time and memory, much like this cabin by the sea – or so it seemed.

There was the possibility that what was about to happen one weekend in Janus was in fact a very bad idea, that the loving reunion he’d so hoped for, would be dashed by their divided realities.

Reunited by a love and longing that tethers them to one another, Ben and Evan must struggle with their history, in order to accept the present.

Can Evan ask the right questions and get the answers he needs to move forwards?

Or, is their history enough to save them both?

My Thoughts:

Evan and Ben have not seen each other for a long time, but what happened back then? can they reacquaint their love for each other or did what happened in the past reflect on where they are both now? Will they be able to move on with their lives and be happy? I think this is the first book where the main characters and the story is about same sex relationships and I haven’t read many books that centre on this but I feel as though it should be as everyone is equal and you can love whoever you want. It was a good read with hidden struggles and one that taught me a few things. I am glad I gave this book a read. A good read.

Jill’s three grown-up sons mean everything to her.

She would do anything for her boys – protect them, lie for them, even die for them.

Then one day she receives an email with the subject line: ‘You Need To Know’.

Jill doesn’t want to know. She leaves the warning unread.

But some truths you can’t hide from.

Soon Jill will start to wonder if she knows her sons at all . . .

How long will these secrets stay hidden?
And when they are revealed . . . can Jill’s family survive?

My Thoughts:

I found with this book there was a lot going on and for me it was hard to keep up with everything and everyone. It is a story about family secrets with each person there is a different story, some of the things happening in the past and some in the present. The second half was a little better and I raced through it, this was where we see all the secrets being revealed. I liked how some of the chapters were short which meant you would just have to read another one.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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When Gill and Gabe’s elder son drowns overseas, they decide they must hide the truth from their desperately unwell teenaged daughter. But as Gill begins to send letters from her dead son to his sister, the increasingly elaborate lie threatens to prove more dangerous than the truth.

My Thoughts:

I didn’t know what to expect from the book, but was pleasantly surprised how quick I devoured it. It is all about a family who have a lot of heart ache in their family. They have a very unwell daughter whose life in on the brink, their oldest son has just died and they need to keep it a secret from their daughter. The lie becomes very elaborate through out but can Gill keep up with it or will the secret come out? Also in the picture is their youngest son who is having a hard time trying to work out why his sister is so poorly. I could never imagine what the family must be going through and it is heart breaking to read and see. I don’t know what I would do in their situation, I think this story will stay with me for a while. I liked how the chapters are all split up into the members of the family as it seems more personal and we get to hear how everyone is coping through out the story. I wasn’t sure if this broken family could ever be mended, but I hope it would. A story about loss, love, grief, and family pulling together. I adored it.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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One Saturday morning, TJ McConnell wakes up to find his mother, Mary, gone. He doesn’t know where – or why – but he’s the only one who can help find her.

Mary grew up longing for information about the mother she never knew. Her brother could barely remember her, and their father numbed his pain with drink.

Now aged thirty-seven, Mary has lived in the same house her whole life. She’s never left Belfast. TJ, who’s about to turn eighteen, is itching to see more of the world.

But when his mother disappears, TJ begins to realise what he’s been taking for granted.

My Thoughts:

I couldn’t believe this was a debut novel, it was just so good. A well written and thought provoking read, one that when I wasn’t reading it, it made me think what would I do in Mary’s situation. The story goes from past to present, to really get a good idea of what Mary has been through in her life, I felt as though this really helped me to connect with Mary. In the present Mary is thirty seven with a son who is seventeen, he takes her for granted and when she disappears he has no clue what to do. He discovers that he hasn’t really ever learned to know his mum which I found quite sad and also that fact when she is there he takes her for granted. Whether you are a mother or not I found that you will understand Mary and where she is coming from. It is a sad and tragic story but one that stole my heart and one that I will keep in my heart for ever.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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You just boarded a flight to New York.

There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard.

What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped.

For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die.

The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane.

Enjoy the flight.

My Thoughts:

OMG. This was so good, I want to read it again and again. It is such a change from the usual thrillers as this one is set in the air in an airplane. All these passengers aboard don’t even realize what has happened, the pilot’s family has been kidnapped, but the only way his family will stay alive is for all the passengers to die, what a predicament he has. They want him to crash the plane but what does he decide to do? I really felt how tense the pilot was and how scared he was, I couldn’t believe what happened in the end. If you are after a nonstop thrilling ride then this is the book for you. I loved it. Wow.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Kathleen is eighty years old. After a run-in with an intruder, her daughter wants her to move into a residential home. She’s not having any of it. What she craves – needs – is adventure.

Liza is drowning under the daily stress of family life. The last thing she needs is her mother jetting off on a wild holiday, making Liza dream of a solo break of her own.

Martha is having a quarter-life crisis. Unemployed, unloved and uninspired, she just can’t get her life together. But she knows something has to change.

When Martha sees Kathleen’s advert for a driver and companion to take an epic road trip across America, she decides this job might be the answer to her prayers. Travelling with a stranger? No problem. She’s not the world’s best driver, but it couldn’t be worse than living with her parents again. And anyway, how much trouble can one eighty-year-old woman be?

As these women embark on the journey of a lifetime, they all discover it’s never too late for adventure…

My Thoughts:

I have not read about a really good road trip for a long time and Sarah’s story really hit the spot. It made me crave getting out on the open road with the sun high in the sky and to escape the everyday world. There are three stories that interweave and come together, Kathleen is eighty and is fed up with her life, she wants a big adventure before it is too late. Liza is her Kathleen’s daughter and is tired of being stressed all the time, and Martha is just what Kathleen needs, Martha has her own problems in life and when she see’s Kathleen is looking for a driver she goes for the job and gets it. They go on a trip of a life time together and find themselves. It was wonderful to see how they bonded but also it was lovely to see Kathleen doing something she has always wanted to do. It shows if you really want to do something, just go for it, don’t be scared. If an eighty year old lady can do it, then anyone can. A warm and uplifting story, that I truly loved.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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