Archive | January 2023

The Flame Tree by Siobhan Daiko

Jan19

Extraordinary Bravery

The Flame Tree by Siobhan Daiko is a fascinating historical novel and part of the Hong Kong Collection.

The story is fictional but has its roots in fact. It is set in 1939 and into the World War II years in Hong Kong. I was educated as I read about the brave people of Hong Kong during the war.

Ordinary men and women were flung into war after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour in December 1941. As a British colony, the Hong Kong people fought against the Japanese.

Some young British men living in Hong Kong formed an elite group Z. They were fearless in their fight.

We see the difficulties facing a young British man and a Eurasian woman, the daughter of a prominent Hong Kong citizen. To be seen with the man would mean ruin for the young woman. Love must find a way.

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Your Place Or Mine? by Portia MacIntosh

Jan19

Delightfully Fun

Your Place Or Mine? by Portia MacIntosh is a delightful contemporary offering that made me smile from the start.

I always adore Portia MacIntosh’s novels. They are very charming and make me feel good. Your Place Or Mine? is wonderfully light-hearted and highly amusing. I found myself chortling out loud at times. It is a delicious rom-com that is highly entertaining and would make a marvelous movie.

The story is written in the first person enabling the reader to become intimately acquainted with the lead character. She has a kind heart and a generous spirit, and is a fun-filled character.

We see a beautiful bond that has been severed by death. Grief is raw. I loved this description: “Grief is how we keep loving people when they’re not here anymore.” We mourn deeply because we love deeply. We see the devastation in a heart that loss brings. In contrast we witness family squabbling over money and possessions left behind. This is ugly. The character with the pure heart and soul is very beautiful.

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Out For Revenge by Tony Bassett

Jan17

Fast Paced & Exciting

Out For Revenge by Tony Bassett is an exciting contemporary crime novel that intrigued me from the start. It is the fourth book in the DCI Roscoe and DS Roy series but can be read as a stand-alone.

This is a novel that requires you to remain on high alert as you read. The plotline is intricate and well thought out. As we read, we cling on to the action as it twists this way and that.

All the characters were well drawn. There were unscrupulous villains and hard working police officers who relentlessly pursue the bad guys, whether they are inside or outside the force.

A rumor of corruption means cards must be played close to the chest. The circle of the trustworthy is small. We witness the loyalty of some outside the police force who put their lives on the line.

All the action is set in the Midlands – mainly around Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and the Warwickshire and Worcestershire countryside. As a local girl, I was familiar with most of the locations which enhanced my reading experience.

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Sunrise With The Silver Surfers by Maddie Please

Jan16

Delightfully Fun

Sunrise With The Silver Surfers by Maddie Please is a delightfully fun contemporary novel that will make you smile as you read of sun-filled days.

The novel is set in Australia. Maddie Please has some wonderfully descriptive passages enabling the reader to ‘see’ the landscape and ‘feel’ the heat. As with life, it is not always sunny. The storms come but after the rain, the sun comes out. The weather mirrors the action.

I loved all the characters. It is so refreshing to have the lead characters approaching sixty. Maddie Please shows that growing old does not have to mean slowing down and wearing beige! Life is for living. We can be just as colourful and enjoy life at sixty as at twenty. Life is not just for the young, life is for everyone.

We witness a character coming to life again after years of being squashed down. New horizons enable her to expand and become the girl she used to be.

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