Books in my Month...

I had a really good reading, and reviewing month in February. I discovered new and promising authors and enjoyed reading the work of authors I had read before...



New Authors

Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
This suspenseful and creepy psychological thriller had me on the edge of my seat. Really cleverly written and utterly believable from start to finish. Highly recommended.
5 *****


The Book of Summers by Emylia Hall - Reviewed for Real Readers
Beautifully written, this story captures your imagination from the very beginning, it tugs on your heart strings and leaves you with the belief that good story telling is beyond price. Highly recommended.
5*****




New to Me Authors

The Curiosity Cabinet by Catherine Czerkawsa
I love dual time narratives set in Scotland, and this story set on the Hebridean Island of Garve was just so beautifully written - I didn't want it to end. I shall certainly read more by this talented author.
5*****




The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life by William Nicholson
We are never really sure what is going on in the lives of others, and this well written look at life in a Sussex village captures the ambiguity, heartache and dilemmas that people face behind closed doors.
4****


A Foreign Country By Charles Cumming  - Reviewed for Waterstones
A great espionage thriller, cleverly written by an established author whose love and passion for this genre shines through every word. Recommended read.
5*****


The Pools by Bethan Roberts
A rather dark coming of age novel is cleverly written with spellbinding characters, it's full of menace,and when the ultimate betrayal happens, the consequences are far reaching, and heart breaking.
4****



Jail Bird by Jessie Keane
Lily King spent twelve years in prison for a murder she did not commit. When she gets out of prison she is determined to find the real  murderer and seeks retribution.In the style of Martina Cole, fast and furious and pulls no punches.
4****


Across the Bridge by Morag Joss (aka Among the Missing)
When a  bridge across the river collapses a woman decides to use this as an excuse to disappear from her ordinary life and husband.This strange little story starts off well, but quickly loses momentum and is best read quickly.
2**


The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman - Reviewed by newbooks magazine
The Lost Wife begins in New York in 2000 with a family wedding, and a revelation. What then follows is a well written story set during WW2. This beautifully written tory will stay with me for a long time. Recommended read.
5*****



The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Even though I have read some great reviews of this one, I really can't see what all the fuss was about, and to be honest was quite bored throughout.Maybe I'm not enough of a Hemingway fan to appreciate the story behind his first marriage to Hadley Richardson.
2**


First Lady by Michael Dobbs
A quick and fascinating look into what may go on behind the political front door, and the skulduggery of life in the seamy world of politics.
3***



Old Friends

Velvet by Mary Hooper
This Victorian melodrama is primarily aimed at young adults but I think Mary Hooper's novels are equally enjoyed by adults.This is an atmospheric look at the Gothic gloom surrounding the lives of mediums and spiritualists in Victorian London.
3***


A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths
This talented writer of suspenseful thrillers continues to go from strength to strength. This book #4 in the Ruth Galloway series and is set as usual in the salt-marsh area of Norfolk.
4****


The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
Reading a Sarah Addison Allen novel is like indulging in your favourite ice cream, best savoured slowly over the course of an afternoon, it's quaint, charming and utterly delicious.
4****