Where The Heart Is by Annie Groves

Blurb

The country is going forward together – but will the Campions?

Three years into the war and the country is facing its darkest days. Victory has never seemed so far away. The changes that war has brought are affecting everyone, not least the Campion family.

Eldest son Luke is fighting on the African Front. Emily is harbouring romantic thoughts about Wilhelm, the German POW. Bella still pines for her forbidden love. The war effort has steered twins Lou and Sasha on different paths, but has it driven a wedge between them?

The Campions, along with the rest of the nation, must face their fears and endure their darkest hour. All of their tomorrows depend on it.

My Perspective

This is the twelfth and last (finally!) book i chose to read from my post Third Lot – And It’s A Lot

Where The Heart is follows the Campion family three years into WWII and how it is affecting each one of them including cousin Bella, ex-billetee Katie, aunt Francine, Con and Emily.

Although it was a bit soppy in places, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting and well written and the many storylines of each person kept you on your toes. As I’ve mentioned before, I really like books with multiple main characters.

I liked most of the characters except I was annoyed at both Luke and Sasha for their attitudes – especially Sasha. She seemed like a selfish brat.

There were many love stories throughout, which at times I found myself rolling my eyes at. The way the men were portrayed was a bit…I’m not sure how to describe it. Over the top? Overall though it wasn’t too bad.

Overall I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to those who like romance and/or historical fiction.

NOTE: I didn’t realise that this book was the fourth in a series so it probably would have been better to start at the beginning! However I still enjoyed it and wasn’t really confused by anything so I suppose you could read it as a stand alone book.

Untangling The Knot by Deanne Wilsted

Blurb

“I did what?”

Twenty-eight-year-old Gabriella Bessu is St. Therese’s meticulous wedding ceremony coordinator. So the fact that she has mistakenly registered her newest couple for an annulment, rather than a wedding, sends her Catholic guilt into overdrive.

But who can blame her? The groom is gorgeous and his two kids tug at Gabriella’s heart in a way that overcomes all her best intentions. Before long, she’s in over her head, fixing her mixed-up plans and helping the children and dad come to terms with their haunting grief for the mother and wife they lost years earlier.

Can Gabriella untangle her own fears and accept the messy life that God has handed them?

My Perspective

This is the twelfth book I read from my post Credit Where Credit’s Due. I read about Untangling The Knot by Deanne Wilsted from Ionia at Readful Things Blog. You can read her thoughts on the book here.

Untangling The Knot follows Gabriella, the church planner for St Theresa, as she tries to plan the wedding of her late friend’s husband and his fiancée. However little does she realise how much her feelings are involved in the matter by the mix ups that keep occurring.

I’m kind of in two minds about this book. It wasn’t bad, I just found it slightly tiresome.

Gabriella is both easy and hard to like. She’s relatable with both strengths and weaknesses however i also found how she got herself into the situations that she did, really annoying and unrealistic. Ryan I found equally frustrating in that I liked him yet I didn’t and I thought him incredibly dense. And Mandy’s character was so cliche. I think the characters that i actually really liked were the children, Chloe and Peter, and Father O’Shea.

The story was interesting yet also seemed to drag on a bit. I found that it was all a bit too much in it’s predictability and cliches so I didn’t have a hard time putting it down.

The religious aspects in the story were quite subtle, however still giving the reader the message.

Overall I wouldn’t say I hugely enjoyed this book. The writing wasn’t terrible it was more that I didn’t love the characters enough to want them to succeed. If you’re into lighthearted romances that are predictable and cliched, you’d probably enjoy this. However for me, not really my cup of tea.

Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart

Blurb

When Kate Herrick’s grandmother asks her to travel down from Scotland to her childhood home in Todhall to retrieve some papers and family mementoes before Rose Cottage is sold, Kate is happy enough to go, but curious as to the changes she may find there. Widowed in the recent war – this is the summer of 1947 – and comfortably settled now in London, she is in some doubt as to how the village will receive her. Rose Cottage – a tiny thatched dwelling with fragrant roses in the garden – is unchanged, and the villagers seem friendly. But there is evidence of a break-in at the cottage, and then her nearest neighbours, three elderly ladies from what the villagers call ‘Witches’ Corner’, come with tales of night-time prowlers in the cottage garden, and even ghosts. In the process of solving the mystery, Kate finds romance.

My Perspective

This is the eleventh book I read from my post Credit Where Credit’s Due. I read about Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart from Penny at Life On The Cutoff. You can read her thoughts on the book here.

Rose Cottage is about Kate or Kathy, who at a request from her grandmother, travels down to the home of her childhood to collect the special items hidden in the safe there that her grandmother left behind. However her grandmother has forgotten where she has hidden the key.

I really enjoyed this story and although it was slightly predictable and happily ever after, it was still interesting and sweet with some good old mystery.

Kate (or Kathy) was very easy to like, as were most of the other characters.

There was a whimsical, kind of old world charm about the book and I can see why Penny loved it so much – there were some gorgeous descriptions of landscapes, gardens and flora.

Overall it was a lighthearted, short read with a bit of mystery and romance that I enjoyed and would definitely recommend.

One Day In Apple Grove by C.H. Admirand

Blurb

Welcome to Apple Grove, Ohio (pop. 597), a small town with a big heart.

Caitlin Mulcahy loves her family. She really does. But sometimes they can drive her to her last shred of sanity—from her dad (“I’m not meddling, I just want what’s best for you”) to her eight-months-pregnant older sister to her younger sister, who will do just about anything to avoid real work. Cait just needs to get away, even if for only an hour.

When she sees someone in need of help on the side of the road, of course she’s going to pull over. She might even be able to fix his engine—after all, the Mulcahy family is a handy bunch. She’s not expecting that former Navy medic Jack Gannon and a little black puppy named Jameson will be the ones who end up rescuing in her.

My Perspective

This is the tenth book I read from my post Credit Where Credit’s Due. I read about One Day In Apple Grove by C.H. Admirand from Ionia at Readful Things Blog. You can read her thoughts on the book here.

I really enjoyed the first chapter of this book and then it all went downhill from there.

Basically it became a load of romantic drivel that dragged on and on. I was torn between rolling my eyes and gagging.

As I never let a book beat me unless it has sex or gore, I actually skipped ahead to try and find a sex scene so I could justify not reading it anymore. And I found one so that’s my reason for not continuing – however really i don’t think I’ve ever been so thankful for a sex scene in my life.

If you’re into romantic passion and desire, and that’s really all, then I’m sure you’d love this book however I need a bit more substance and story to go with my romance novels.

I was actually quite disappointed as I thought this book was going to be really enjoyable and well written with a good story and it wasn’t. I don’t like being so harsh however there you have it.

A Sudden Change Of Heart by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Blurb

Laura Valiant is a successful art historian, running her own company. She and her husband, Doug, a Wall Street lawyer, share an idyllic marriage. But Laura’s trust in her husband is shaken when she discovers he has a secret life apart from her – a life which will rock their love.

Clare Benson is Laura’s childhood friend. They’ve been together through thick and thin, good and bad. When Clare asks Laura the biggest favour and greatest honour of all – to be guardian to her teenage daughter, Natasha – Laura discovers her personal and professional lives become dramatically intertwined. But in true Valiant style, Laura rises to the challenges ahead and, eventually, succeeds in achieving the happiness and fulfilment she craves.

My Perspective

This is the ninth book i chose to read from my post Third Lot – And It’s A Lot

Unfortunately i am unable to give my perspective on this book. About five chapters in, there was a descriptive sex scene, which as i have said before, is not to my taste. Therefore i have not continued reading this book in the chance that there will be more.

The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs

Blurb

Tess Delaney makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their rightful owners. People like Annelise Winther, who refuses to sell her long-gone mother’s beloved necklace — despite Tess’s advice. To Annelise, the jewel’s value is in its memories.

But Tess’s own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met and a mother who spent more time travelling than with her daughter. So Tess is shocked when she discovers the grandfather she never knew is in a coma. And that she has been named in his will to inherit half of Bella Vista, a hundred-acre apple orchard in the magical Sonoma town of Archangel.

The rest is willed to Isabel Johansen. A half-sister she’s never heard of.

Against the rich landscape of Bella Vista, Tess begins to discover a world filled with the simple pleasures of food and family, of the warm earth beneath her bare feet. A world where family comes first and the roots of history run deep.

My Perspective

This is the ninth book I read from my post Credit Where Credit’s Due. I read about The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs from Ionia at Readful Things Blog. You can read her thoughts on the book here.

The Apple Orchard is about Tess, a treasure hunter who’s life solely revolves around work and the occasional catch up with friends. However her world is ripped apart when one day a man turns up at her office telling her she’s inheriting half an estate from the grandfather she didn’t even know – the other half being inherited by the half sister she never knew about either.

I had mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed it however it was a bit too unbelievable.

At first I found Tess hard to relate to however the more she opened up about herself, the more I liked her. Dominic was extremely likeable however thinking back he was pretty much perfect, which is way too unrealistic. Everyone else had equal measures of strengths and weaknesses except for him.

The story was written well with a steady pace. It was a mix of family saga, romance, and mystery. The story wasn’t entirely predictable however the essence of it was, which is what I found so unrealistic about it.

One thing about this book is the cooking and baking, which makes you drool. I also really enjoyed the added recipes throughout.

Overall this was a pleasant and interesting read however it was a bit too escapist for me. I would definitely recommend it if you like a light family saga and romance that really takes you out of the believability realm.

The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer

Blurb

Stepping into the wrong carriage at a Sussex village, Elinor Rochdale is swept up in a thrilling and dangerous adventure. Overnight the would-be governess becomes mistress of a ruined estate and partner in a secret conspiracy to save a family’s name. By midnight she is a bride, by dawn a widow . . .

My Perspective

This is the second book i chose to read from my post Third Lot – And It’s A Lot

The Reluctant Widow is about Elinor Rochdale, a governess who gets in the wrong carriage and ends up marrying a man on his deathbed to prevent the man’s estate from being passed on. However soon her and the rest of the family realise that he may have been involved in a lot more than was thought. And Elinor is becoming more and more worried about her choice in marrying him.

The story was set in the Regency era and so had the feel of a Jane Austen novel. It was quite lengthy and wordy however I really enjoyed it and didn’t find my interest waned at all.

Elinor was easy to like, albeit being a bit tiresome occasionally, however for the era, she was quite witty and sensible. I really liked Lord Carlyon and his brothers – Nicky was a very loveable character. Really, the whole cast was excellently written and you got a feel for exactly what kind of person each of them were.

The book isn’t fast paced however there are a lot of incidents that happen throughout. I was surprised to realise after I had finished the book that only a week had passed in the timeline of the story! The book feels like it was a much bigger chunk of the character’s lives.

The story isn’t realistic or believable however I don’t really think it’s meant to be. It’s a light, enjoyable story that keeps you happily engaged.

Overall I really enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend it those who are looking for a light period fiction.

No More Lies by Susan Squires

Blurb

Dr. Holland Banks is head of the Century Psychiatric Hospital and president of the Schizophrenia Research Foundation . . . but is she going insane? The rest of the world seems to be. There’s a sniper on the loose, she’s being stalked, her father is conducting deadly experiments, and she’s begun to hear voices: other people’s thoughts. But a man was just admitted to her hospital—one who searched her out, whose touch can make her voices subside. Is he crazy, too, or a solution to her fears? A labyrinth of conspiracy is rising around her, and Holland’s life is about to change forever. Very soon there will be . . . No More Lies

My Perspective

This is the fourth book i chose to read from my post Second Lot

I only made it half way through No More Lies as I was confronted with quite a sex scene so chose not to continue. I will however admit that I was kind of relieved. Why? Well the book, quite frankly, was a little bit boring. Most people would put a book down if it they aren’t finding it interesting however I like to read the whole book before I decide what I think (unless there is sex or too much gore involved). So if there was no sexual content in this book then I would have read it to the end and who knows, it might have been worth it.

However I won’t know, and I don’t care all that much either.

I don’t like to review too much of a book I haven’t completed however i thought it was probably best to tell you why I thought it was a bit boring.

The story felt like there was a lot happening all the time however no one seemed to be really going anywhere. There was also a lot of scientific jargon that I found hard to follow. It was also very unrealistic. Not so much the concept or plot, you can think of that what you will, more how she got away acting like that at her place of work. Also the fact that they had to be constantly touching? I mean, COME ON. Also to be honest the book didn’t make me want to work out the mystery. I wasn’t turning the pages as fast as I could so I would know what the major twist was. It didn’t grab me.

Anyway I don’t want to slide into being mean so I will stop there however I hope the story improved however really it shouldn’t have to improve, it should be good from the start.

If anyone’s read the entire story, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Even if they contradict. I’m not against different opinions (unless you’re mean about it or just blatantly wrong).

The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

Blurb

In a mystical place where violets bloom out of season and the air is salt drenched, a heartbroken woman stumbles upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author.

In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after.

Nearly a decade later, the tide has turned on Emily’s good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life.

My Perspective

This is the seventh book I read from my post Credit Where Credit’s Due. I read about The Violets of March by Sarah Jio from Gina at GG’s World. You can read her thoughts on the book here.

The Violets of March is about Emily, a successful New York author who has been suffering from writer’s block for a number of years and is currently going through a divorce. Taking a break from life, she visits her Aunt Bee on Bainbridge Island, where growing up she spent her summers. However once there, hidden family secrets start to come to the surface and Emily starts to learn who her family really are.

I’m in two minds about this book. I really enjoyed the mystery and the family history. I felt the romance was actually quite tacky and unbelievable.

The story flowed well and the actual writing of the book was sound. It was a great premise and the two stories, Emily and Esther’s, interwoven throughout was really well done. You were constantly kept on your toes and the author did a good job in keeping you guessing – not until the very end though. I had an ‘AHA’ moment and realised I’d been barking up the wrong tree however I quickly figured it out and that was only two thirds to three quarters through the book so I read the rest without anymore mystery. There was a twist at the end however I suspected it due to the nature of the novel, and I was actually slightly disappointed in its predictability in that sense.

The characters were all likeable however I found them all a bit unrealistic and so I was unable to actually connect with them. And they were all so predictable.

I don’t want to give a spoiler so I won’t expand too much on my thoughts to do with the romance however if you read it you might understand what I mean. It’s not that Emily started dating straight away after her divorce or any of that…it was more just how it eventuated. Like I said, tacky and unbelievable.

Overall I did enjoy reading the story and I wanted to keep reading due to the mystery however I felt that the romance side of it really let it down. I would probably recommend it however not for the romance (unless that’s what you like!).