The Dressmaker’s War by Michelle Vernal

May17

The Links From The Past

The Dressmaker’s War by Michelle Vernal is a timeslip novel that entertained me from the start. It is the third book in the Brides Of Bold Street but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action is set in 1982 and during World War II, particularly pivotal is 1945. We learn that for certain characters, Bold Street is a time portal, over which they have no control. For one young mother and her small daughter in 1963, there were life-changing consequences, resulting in a search that has never left hearts.

We see the value of good parents. Sometimes we are not brought up by our biological parents, but by others who love us and treat us with love. There are varying reasons as to why our biological parents have not brought us up, including social stigma on unmarried mothers in the past.

Young children are evacuated at the start of the phony war in September 1939. The young of Liverpool were sent to the countryside. Some were well treated but not all. Bonds were formed in adversity.

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The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James

May16

An Imagination’s Delight

The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James is the most delightful novel that will fire up your imagination.

This is a tale about three people and their new-found love of reading. “It doesn’t matter how much you read… as long as you attempt it.” Books are the doorway to brave new worlds. They offer possibilities and show you a new way of living. The Midnight Bookshop “is built on the imagination, mystery and magic.” As the reader sinks between its’ pages, we ‘feel’ the power of the story.

The leading three characters are all floundering. Life has not been kind to any of them. They all face different challenges.

A twenty-one-year-old has everything that money can buy but money cannot buy love. “I didn’t want their money… I wanted their love.” Everyone desires to be loved.

In contrast an eighteen-year-old is living in poverty and declares, “I feel trapped.” Caught between an ailing mother and a drug dealing older brother, his life is going nowhere and he cannot see a way out.

And finally, we have a young woman who has been trapped in an abusive marriage for ten years. “He wanted her to feel unattractive, worthless… a woman with no confidence is easier to control.” Day upon day, her husband has put her down, either with his words or with his fists. “She felt she was a non-person.” She feels invisible.

A flyer for the Midnight Bookshop brings the three to its’ doors. Each one finally finds a place of refuge from the world. “It’s as if she’s come home. A sense of belonging.”

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The Matchmaker’s Mare by Hywela Lyn

May12

Of Myths & Legends

The Matchmaker’s Mare by Hywela Lyn is a contemporary fantasy that I read in just one sitting.

It is set in West Wales, a wild and rugged landscape, a place of myths and legends. A matchmaker and her husband forever roam the landscape, still making matches in death as in life.

We see the weather mirroring the turmoil when a character has a dilemma and a disappointment.

There is the importance of family. Family is about love and care, not about money and possessions.

The characters were well drawn. Most were warm and welcoming; one was cold and calculating.

Animals make a house into a home. Horses were central to the novel.

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The Girls Who Dared To Love by Diney Costeloe

May12

Engaging

The Girls Who Dared To Love by Diney Costeloe is a powerful historical novel that I loved. It is the second book in the Girls Who Dared series but can be read as a stand-alone. I, however, recommend reading book one first as this book continues where the first book finished.

Now the first World War is beginning. There is a focus on the women folk as some of the men have gone to war.

We see that the leading ladies are very much modern misses as they take control of their lives. They know what they want and who they want, and are not afraid to pursue their desires. They grab life with both hands.

Love arrows fall where they will. Parents do not always agree with their off-spring’s choice of marriage partner. They can either accept it or reject their children. The heart wants what the heart wants.

As the years are passing, old traditions are breaking down. The hierarchy of the classes is breaking down. Women too, are stepping out of traditional roles in order to make their own paths in life.

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