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When I’m With You by Rachel Hauck

Apr5

The Heart Of The Father

When I’m With You by Rachel Hauck is the most delightful Christian contemporary novel that I adored. It is the first book in the Home To Hearts Bend series which promises to be fabulous.

Hearts Bend is the place where everyone knows your name. “Friends take care of friends in this town.” Where there are needs, they are met. The location feels familiar to readers of Rachel Hauck’s previous books as characters and locations have been met previously.

All the characters are wonderfully warm and welcoming. The reader really feels wrapped up in the tale as we receive a hug in a book.

We learn about what is really important – family. Friends. God. Love. “She [Granny] loved well.” We all need people to love us. Characters feel drawn back to Hearts Bend as it is the place that they call home.

A character has suffered from Epstein Barr Virus. “Broken things always needed love.” Her spirit doesn’t feel like she can love anyone for fear of passing on the Epstein Barr Virus – but God does not want us to live in fear. He wants us to trust His guiding and to live and love in freedom.

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Secrets Of The Desert Rose by Marilyn Turk

Mar31

The Bonds We Form

Secrets Of The Desert Rose by Marilyn Turk is a powerful Christian dual timeline novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The novel is set in 2019 America and Algeria, and during World War II in Algeria. The time periods are linked by a great grandmother and her great granddaughter as the latter wants to step into her great grandmother’s wartime footsteps.

We see that friendships formed in the early 1930’s between English Audrey and French Monique have strong bonds. They both share a secret which they keep for many years.

The two women are more like sisters than friends. Audrey spent years searching for love from her cold-hearted parents. It is in Monique’s family that she finds love.

Audrey is the more adventurous of the two. Monique prefers to watch from the sidelines. Monique’s family are wealthy. During the 1930’s there were many parties with a common goal “to find a husband.” This changes with the advent of war. Both women fight two very different wars but both are very brave.

In both time periods we hear of the archaeological digs and the landscape of Algeria. It is vibrant and comes to life under the author’s descriptive pen.

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The Shadow Twins by Fiona Holloway

Mar18

Wow! Just Wow!

The Shadow Twins by Fiona Holloway is a totally gripping psychological suspense that I could not put down.

We see the effects on three lives after a dreadful tragedy saw a young twin sister drown (before the book opened). The marriage has fallen apart as the mother and remaining twin sister move houses and schools for a fresh start. “Was this what she had wanted? A town where no one knew her name, where no one asked questions?”

What starts out as anonymity soon warps into notoriety as the lives of both mother and daughter begin to unravel.

The mother is eaten up with grief, sorrow and guilt. She is denying the need for help, whilst nursing a dreadful secret.

The remaining twin appears to be communicating with her dead sister – but is she? Or is it grief and denial talking?

A fresh start in a new school brings some shocking results. The mother doesn’t believe they need help – when they clearly do.

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Carlos Sainz: A Legacy Of Champions by Carrera Publishing

Mar18

Getting To Know The Man Under The Helmet

Carlos Sainz: A Legacy Of Champions by Carrera Publishing is a great little book that looks at the life, both personal and professional, of the F1star. We glimpse the man under the helmet.

His father, Carlos Sainz senior, is a famous Spanish rally champion, meaning that Carlos Sainz junior grew up surrounded by cars and competitions. He began his own competitive journey in karts aged seven. “In karting, Carlos learned how to win without arrogance, and how to lose without drama.”

Progression into F1 came in 2015 with Torro Rosso.

Along the way, Carlos Sainz has had his father with him, analysing and supporting him, giving wise advice and lessons. “It doesn’t matter what’s happening around you. What matters is what you do with it.”

Moving to Maclaren, Carlos Sainz immediately bonded with the young Lando Norris. “CarLando. Their relationship, built on trust and mutual respect.” The pair knew how to support each other when driving, and also how to have fun.

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