Archive | January 2023

The Neighbour by Gemma Rogers

Jan14

A Compelling Read

The Neighbour by Gemma Rogers was a compulsive contemporary psychological suspense that gripped me from the start.

A cul de sac of six houses should be the ideal place to live – but no one expected the neighbour. Fresh from one nightmare situation and dropped into another. Can you guess what goes on behind closed doors?

We see the protective love of a mother for her daughter. They share a beautiful bond which extends to their little dog.

Other daughters, in contrast, have a more warped relationship with their mother.

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There’s No Place Like Home by Jane Lovering

Jan14

Wow – Heart Racing!

There’s No Place Like Home by Jane Lovering is a contemporary adventure novel that entertained me from the start.

The premise is a reality tv show shot in the wilds of the Yorkshire moors, with contestants on the hunt for evidence of a big cat. Financial reward beckons as the group of five and their leader channel their inner Bear Grylls! The bleak wet, winter landscape comes alive under the author’s masterful pen.

They are an eclectic mix of characters from various backgrounds who all want a share in the £250,000 prize money.

At first it is the money that binds them together but as they open up, friendships begin to form.

Everyone is hiding their true identities. As they spend time together, the shutters slowly begin to rise and the true identities shine through.

Everyone wants a place to call home. Sometimes home is not bricks and mortar but home is found in another person.

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The German Messenger by M J Hollows

Jan13

Rising From The Ruins

The German Messenger by M J Hollows is a mesmerizing historical novel that gripped me from the start.

The story is set in Liverpool 1940-1941 at the height of the blitz. M J Hollows writes of the horrors facing the brave people of the city. As the city burns, we witness brave firefighters running towards the flames. Comprehensive descriptions bring the landscape to life as we see a landscape right out of Dante’s inferno.

Ordinary citizens with German roots were viewed with suspicion. Some were interred in camps. It is heartbreaking to see the elderly wrenched from their homes to spend their last days incarcerated simply because of their roots.

There is a question of trust. Some, surprisingly, placed their loyalty with Hitler. These evil characters would prey on the vulnerable, using leverage to get classified information.

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Where The River Takes Us by Lesley Parr

Jan10

Friendship & Adventure

Where The River Takes Us by Lesley Parr is a very engaging children’s novel set in the Welsh valleys in 1974.

1974 was a time of unrest in Britain with three day working weeks and regular power cuts. Times were hard for many but even harder for the leading character and his brother who had been orphaned after a car crash.

The story is told in the first person and we become intimately acquainted with the young boy. He is kind and caring, wise beyond his years. We see the need for identity, to be seen as an individual and not just the village orphan. Labels are constrictive, not giving the full picture.

There is a beautiful bond between the brothers. The older brother is trying to keep the pair of them together. At nineteen, he was forced to grow up quickly, resulting in abandonment by his mates. In order to survive, he has made some bad choices. In contrast, the lead character’s friends have drawn closer to him and are very protective.

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