📖 Blog Tour ~ A Letter from Nana Rose by Kristin Harper

 

Thrilled to host one of today's concluding stops on this blog tour

Bookouture
25 October 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of the book
and to Sarah at Bookouture for the invitation to the blog tour

“My darling girls. You were once so happy in this house. Now I’m gone, all I ask is that you spend one last summer here together on Dune Island. And please forgive me, your Nana, for the secret I’m about to tell you…”

Arriving at the honeysuckle-covered beach house inherited from her beloved grandmother, recently heartbroken Jill hopes to convince her two feuding sisters not to sell a place so full of happy childhood memories. But the envelope waiting on the driftwood table changes everything. In her elegant handwriting, Nana Rose promises a new letter will arrive each day of the summer revealing a family secret she took to her grave.

Shaken, Jill anxiously awaits each letter filled with Nana’s bittersweet memories of her own sister who she loved more than anyone—and lost far too young. But why did Nana never speak of this tragic loss to her grandchildren?

Watching the sunset each night and wondering how well they really knew Nana Rose, Jill feels her family is closer than they’ve been in years. And after a chance encounter with blue-eyed tree surgeon Alex, she wonders if Nana believed being back on Dune Island would help Jill find love, too?

But when Nana’s final letter arrives, the revelation about how her sister died is more shocking than Jill ever imagined. Suddenly, despite the chance of happiness with Alex, selling the house seems the only way forward. Will Jill find a way to forge new bonds of sisterhood and save their inheritance, or will Nana Rose’s secret tear them all apart?

📖 My thoughts..

Grieving the loss of their beloved Nana Rose, Rachel, Brooke and Jill meet once again at Nana Rose's house on Dune Island, Massachusetts. Filled with happy memories of holidays, and family gatherings, the sisters have to make the momentous decision to either keep, or sell, the estate. It soon becomes obvious that each of the women have different viewpoints and during the ten days they spend at the cottage, Brooke, Rachel and Jill have some big decisions to make which is influenced by the arrival of a series of letters from Nana Rose.

The author takes us right into the heart and soul of the novel and with clever flashbacks we move forwards and backwards through time learning about the sisters, and Nana Rose, in the process. The sisters are a good mix of personalities, sometimes they're frosty towards each other and I smiled at the petty bickering which is so reminiscent of sibling rivalry. The touristy life on Dune Island is brought to life and I enjoyed how the author took us around the place, sampling food from The Clam Shack and delicious sounding almond croissants from the bakery. There's a warm hearted intimacy to the story which makes you feel close to the characters just as if you are settling in, with them, to watch the beauty of the bay and see sunset over Dune Island.

Finding the secrets of the past is the only way to go forwards and in this lovely story, we learn so much more about the sisters as they try to set aside their differences in order to come up with a decision which works for all of them, just as Nana Rose wanted them to do.

Beautifully written with a charming observational style, A Letter from Nana Rose is such a pleasure to read. 

About the Author

Ever since she was a young girl, there were few things Kristin liked more than creative writing and spending time on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with her family. Eventually (after a succession of jobs that bored her to tears), she found a way to combine those two passions by becoming a women’s fiction author whose stories occur in oceanside settings. While Kristin doesn’t live on the Cape year-round, she escapes to the beach whenever she can.

Twitter @KHarperAuthor #ALetterFromNanaRose

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Butterfly Garden by Sophie Anderson

 

Thrilled to host a stop on this Books on Tour Blog Tour

Bookouture
June 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and for the invitation to be part of the blog tour

I blamed my son for the death of my daughter…

When twenty-five-year-old Erin loses the man she loves, she flees London for Cornwall and takes a job at Hookes End, a huge house clinging precariously to the Cornish cliffs. The owner, frail reclusive novelist and butterfly enthusiast Maggie, has kept the curtains of her dusty house drawn for many years. But as she and Erin spend evenings together by the fireside, sharing stories of the past, Erin feels her shattered heart begin to heal. In return, Erin agrees to help Maggie find her long lost family before it is too late.

Years ago, Maggie’s son Lucas ran away to the other side of the world after the death of her daughter ripped the family apart. Maggie is desperate to see Lucas again – there is something she needs him to know.

Erin wants to help Maggie find peace so she vows to track down her lost son. But when at last she finds Lucas, in a far- away place of searing heat and pearly sands, it becomes clear that he is hiding something too.

As Erin grows closer to Lucas and unravels the webs of deceit entangling mother and son, she learns about the terrible tragedy that changed their lives forever: the night when a little girl in a fairy nightdress went missing. But with Maggie’s time fast running out, is it too late for them to find the forgiveness they need to move on?

📖 My thoughts..

After a relationship has gone wrong, Erin has returned to Cornwall to live with her parents but in need of money, Erin takes up employment with Maggie, a reclusive writer who lives in a remote house  on the edge of the cliffs. Maggie's health is fast deteriorating and she desperately needs Erin's help to finish a very poignant story about a family tragedy which has been hidden away for far too long. 

What then follows is an emotional story which looks, not only at uncovering secrets in Maggie's life but also starts to reveal snippets of information about Erin and her sometimes stifling relationship with her parents. The Butterfly Garden has a theme of forgiveness running through the narrative as not only does Maggie's story dwell on the sins of the past but also Erin's own family have kept things hidden and it is these poignant reminders which act as a focus for what is eventually revealed. 

The Butterfly Garden is a well written and poignant family drama which highlights the destructive nature of keeping secrets hidden for far too long and even though there are some quite emotional issues, the author handles these with compassion, and as the story concludes there is a definite sense of closure.

About the Author

Sophie Anderson enjoyed a career in TV production in London before working with her husband to set up an online software business where she wrote the marketing content. But neither scratched that creative itch to tell a story, so she enrolled on a writing course and wrote her first novel The Butterfly Garden. She lives in Sussex with her husband, four children, a cocker spaniel and two cats.

Twitter @MSophieanderson #TheButterflyGarden

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Edelweiss Sisters by Kate Hewitt

Delighted to host a stop on the blog tour today

BookOuture
June 2021

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
andthe invitation to be part of the blog tour

1938, Salzburg. A powerful story of hope, forbidden love, and incredible courage, about three sisters who will risk everything—even their own lives—as part of the resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Austria.

Johanna, Birgit and Lotte Eder have always lived a quiet life, working in their father’s clockmaking shop and helping their mother in the house. But like many other Austrians, they find it impossible to ignore the changes in the world around them.

At first Johanna finds it hard to believe the Nazis pose a real threat. But then her father hires Franz to help in his shop. He’s kind and soulful, with dark eyes that twinkle with intelligence. But he’s Jewish, and as Johanna falls for him, she realizes that loving him puts them all in danger.

Then comes the Anschluss—the reunification of Austria and Germany under Nazi rule. The three sisters’ lives have become ever more separate with Lotte joining the convent at Nonnberg Abbey and Birgit’s secret involvement with the Resistance. But as Johanna realizes how mistaken she was about the level of danger, she begins to see that it may be down to her to protect the man she loves.

She knows that she can’t do it alone though. She will have to turn to the people she trusts the most: her sisters.

The three of them work together to try to get Franz to the safety of Switzerland, and they soon prove invaluable to the Resistance. But they’re risking everything. Can three women who would die for each other, also be prepared to die for what is right?

The sisters’ subsequent journey from Nazi-occupied Salzburg to the devastating concentration camps of Ravensbruck and Mauthausen will show the strength of human spirit like never before. As, out of the darkness, a tiny seed of hope flowers…

A totally heartbreaking and impossibly powerful story about love, tragedy, and the power of humanity. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, The Lilac Girls and The Sound of Music.

📖 My thoughts...

In 1938, the Eder family are happily going about their daily lives, in the Austrian town of Salzburg. Johanna, the eldest daughter helps her mother around the house, Birgit helps her father in the family clock making business, and the baby of the family, Lotte, gifted with a lovely singing voice, attends a music academy. Life is simple for the Eders, honest toil and a willingness to help anyone is their mantra, that is until the first faint rumblings of war start to appear. The arrival of Franz, a new apprentice in the clock shop, disturbs the equilibrium of the family, especially around Johanna, but with his gentle nature and quiet intelligence, Franz is soon included as part of the family. However, trouble is looming and as war clouds start to gather over Austria, the Eder family are about to be tested in ways they could never have imagined.

There is much to endure for the Eder Sisters, each of them have their own role to play and I enjoyed how the author brought together all of their individual stories, blending each one with care and compassion and fine attention to even the smallest of detail. The situation in Austria, and more particularly, in Salzburg, is imaginatively described and this tumultuous time is brought to life with a keen eye for historical detail. I loved the lighter references, early in the story, where there is a bit of an acknowledgement towards the Von Trapp family, who of course we know, from the iconic Sound of Music movie. However, there are heartbreaking scenes too, especially towards the latter part of the novel when the story takes us into the horror of the concentration camps of Ravensbrück and Mauthausen.

The Edelweiss Sisters is a heart-breaking WW2 saga which tugs away at your heartstrings whilst at the same time revealing a story of bravery, hope, faith and love, all set against a background of indescribable hatred, bigotry and war.

About the Author

Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives.

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Amazon: https://bit.ly/3yUGFWM

Apple: https://apple.co/2OSaq8y

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3vMJw2x

Google: https://bit.ly/3lDNQwg

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📖 Blog Tour ~ Her Family Secret by Melissa Wiesner

  

📖 Delighted to host one of today's Blog Tour stops 📖 

Bookouture

17 May 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of
 the book and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

The father you never knew, has left behind a heartbreaking secret…

June Westwood is devastated by the news the father she never met has died. Now the truth about why Jasper abandoned her as a child will be buried forever. Escaping to the secluded beach house she’s inherited, June hopes to spend time bonding with her two little daughters, away from her hectic job and failing marriage.

On the wild shores of the Pacific Northwest, her father’s hideaway leaves June breathless. But it’s his oil paintings decorating every wall that surprise her most. How could someone paint other people so beautifully, but reject those closest to him? And why is every drawer in her father’s workshop locked? June hopes her new neighbor—her father’s apprentice Caleb—will provide the answers. But Caleb won’t talk about the past.

Then, hidden in her father’s workshop, June discovers a box of newspaper clippings that reveal the shocking reason why her father left years ago—and uncovers Caleb’s own devastating secret…

When her old life comes calling, June has an impossible decision to make. Unsure what’s best for her girls, and if she can trust Caleb, will digging deeper into her father’s dark past heal or destroy her precious family?

📖  My Thoughts..

After hearing the devastating news that the father she has never known has died and has left her, and her sisters, an amazing legacy, June Westwood leaves behind her husband, and taking her two daughters heads for her deceased father's property in Wishing Cove in the Pacific North West.  There she, and her two sisters, discover more about the family secret which has been hidden for so long, and as they learn to accept the reasons why their artist father abandoned them when they were children, so their own personal stories start to evolve.

Whilst Her Family Secret follows what is happening with June, and her tentative relationship with, Caleb Valencia, her father's protégé, we are also entrusted with an emotional roller coaster of a read as the story looks at the complicated bonds which bind people together. The story captures the indecision which June faces, especially as she has to make some momentous changes in her life, which the author writes about with empathy, and a natural awareness of picking up on the subtle nuances of people's complex behaviour.

Beautifully written from start to finish, Her Family Secret is an emotional and thought provoking story about how secrets long buried can have a devastating effect on those who have to pick up the pieces. It also covers a wide range of topics from marital infidelity, mental health issues around bi-polar disorder and the complicated ties of family but does so with a light touch and a fine eye for detail which makes reading Her Family Secret so enjoyable.

About the Author

Melissa Wiesner is a night-owl who began writing novels about five years ago when her early-to-bed family retired for the evening. In 2019, she won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award in the Mainstream Fiction Category for her first novel. Melissa holds two Master’s Degrees in Public Health and Community Agency Counseling. Her day job is in Social Work where she often encounters people knocked down by hard times but who pick themselves up and keep going, just like the characters of her novels. Melissa lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her charming husband and two adorable children.

Twitter @Melissa_Wiesner  #HerFamilySecret

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Girl at the Back of the Bus by Suzette D Harrison

 

📖Thrilled to be part of this blog tour today on Publication Day 📖

Bookouture
8 February 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and the invitation to the blog tour

"I watched in awe as Miz Rosa stopped those men on the bus with her clear, calm “no” and I thought about that word. What if I said no? What if I refused to follow the path these White folks wanted for us? What if I kept this precious baby?

Montgomery, Alabama, 1955

On a cold December evening, Mattie Banks packs a suitcase and leaves her family home. Sixteen years old and pregnant, she has already made the mistake that will ruin her life and disgrace her widowed mother. Boarding the 2857 bus, she sits with her case on her lap, hoping that the driver will take her away from disaster. Instead, Mattie witnesses an act of bravery by a woman named Rosa Parks that changes everything. But as Mattie strives to turn her life around, the dangers that first led her to run are never far away. Forging a new life in a harsh world at constant risk of exposure, Mattie will need to fight to keep her baby safe.

Atlanta, Georgia, present day

Ashlee Turner is going home. Her relationship in ruins, her career held back by prejudice, she is returning to the family who have always been her rock. But Ashlee’s home is not the safe haven she remembers. Her beloved grandmother is dying and is determined to share her story before she leaves…

When Ashlee finds a stack of yellowing letters hidden in her nana’s closet, she can’t help the curiosity that compels her to read, and she uncovers an old secret that could wreak havoc on her already grieving family. As she tries to make sense of what she has learned, Ashlee faces a devastating choice: to protect her loved ones from the revelations, or honor her grandmother’s wishes and follow the path to the truth, no matter where it may lead.

For readers of The Help, Orphan Train and Before We Were Yours comes a beautiful and heartbreaking novel about redemption, family secrets and the spirit of survival found at the hardest time.

📖 My thoughts..

It's 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama and sixteen year old Mattie Banks sits on the bus with her battered suitcase, her head full of troubles and her heart heavy with a momentous decision reached. Then, on the bus, she witnesses something extraordinary which will shape her destiny, and that of her family for generations to come.

In present day Georgia, corporate lawyer, Ashlee Turner is at her own crossroads, both in her career which seems to be stalling, and in her relationship with her boyfriend which seems to have reached an emotional impasse. When she is called home to see her beloved grandmother Ashlee discovers that the emotional bond she shares with her family, and especially her nana, will see her through this troubling time.

Told in alternate voices, that of Mattie and Ashlee, the author certainly knows how to brings a story alive and very quickly I became immersed in Mattie's eventful life in Montgomery and of the trials and prejudices she endured as a young woman of colour growing up in a segregated society. My heart ached with sorrow for her, and her mother, when they were subjected to such disdain by people who should have treated them better.. The author goes on to show that racism has not yet been confined to history, and successful though she is in her professional life Ashlee also finds that she too has to fight for recognition in a world where prejudice and sexism still flourish.

The Girl at the Back of the Bus is beautifully written by an author who has poured so much emotion into the story and paints such a realistic picture I felt as if I too travelled on the 2857 bus alongside Mattie. I laughed with Mattie when she was happy, felt her pain when she was sad, and admired her strength of spirit to succeed in a world which was just so difficult. Ashlee's modern day dilemmas are no less important, and the seamless transition between viewpoints allows both women to have a strong and powerful voice.

The Girl at the Back of the Bus is a multi-generational story which highlights the spirit of survival, the emotion of hidden secrets, and the overwhelming strength of powerful family values.

About the Author

Suzette D. Harrison, a native Californian and the middle of three daughters, grew up in a home where reading was required, not requested. Her literary "career" began in junior high school with the publishing of her poetry. While Suzette pays homage to Alex Haley, Gloria Naylor, Alice Walker, Langston Hughes, and Toni Morrison as legends who inspired her creativity, it was Dr. Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings that unleashed her writing. The award-winning author of Taffy is a wife and mother of two teens, and she holds a culinary degree in pastry and baking. Mrs. Harrison is currently cooking up her next novel...in between batches of cupcakes.

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