Archive | July 2021

The Life We Almost Had by Amelia Henley

Jul7

Love Will Find A Way

The Life We Almost Had by Amelia Henley is the most beautiful contemporary story about love.

There are many types of love. We witness a romantic love between a couple. Life is not always plain sailing but we see that love goes deep. We see a marriage that is strained at times by life but the love never weakens. It is a love that will never die.

Long lasting friendships produce love. That is a love that will drop everything to offer support in an hour of need.

Parental love goes deep. No matter how old our children are, we always want to heal their hearts and make life better for them.

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After The Rain by Natalia Gomes

Jul7

Still Me

After The Rain by Natalia Gomes is a powerful, contemporary YA novel that will sink deep into your heart and soul.

The book follows two teens who are caught up in a terrorist bombing leaving both with deep-seated traumas. Sometimes the injury is to our physical body and sometimes it is a mental injury – invisible to others but very real.

PTSD is a major theme. Natalia Gomes has sensitively portrayed characters in deep emotional pain. We witness triggers that paralyze a character. Support groups, therapists, love and care are needed to heal. Those who were there offer huge support as they can empathise.

Fear has infected lives as characters no longer feel safe. “Where it’s safe… But nowhere’s safe. Not here and not in my mother’s arms. Not anymore.”  The after effects of the terror attack have far reaching arms.

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The Last Daughter by Nicola Cornick

Jul5

One True North

The Last Daughter by Nicola Cornick is a fabulous dual timeline novel that blends fact and fiction. The reader is educated about the period surrounding Richard III and Minster Lovell in Oxfordshire.

The action is set in the fifteenth century and present day in alternating chapters. There is an age-old mystery concerning the lost lodestar which is the source of legends and tales.

In present day a family is still reeling from the disappearance of a daughter eleven years earlier. “A part of her was still trapped in the moment of Caitlin’s disappearance.” Where there are no answers and no closure it is impossible to move forward.

An archeological dig makes a surprising discovery that throws up more questions than answers.

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Without Warning by Lynette Eason

Jul4

Totally Thrilling

Without Warning by Lynette Eason is an exciting contemporary suspense. It is the second book in the Elite Guardians series but can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed meeting up with familiar faces.

The Elite Guardians are a unit of female bodyguards who form a tight bond and have each other’s backs. Without Warning focuses on Katie.

When life is good – pray. When life is tough – pray. God always hears our prayers. “Would God listen to him?” Yes, absolutely. God celebrates when a prodigal returns to the fold. God always answers our prayers but not necessarily in ways we could have imagined.

Life has dealt blows. Sometimes we blame God. “Forgive God. It’s not His fault.” Hardships in life are not caused by God but He can turn situations around. As in Genesis 50, what others meant for harm, God used for good.

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