Tag Archive | Boldwood Books

High Tides & Summer Skies by Jennifer Bohnet

Aug17

The Ties That Bind

High Tides And Summer Skies by Jennifer Bohnet is a very charming contemporary novel that will warm your heart.

Whilst being set in present day in the Dartmouth area, there are also ties to the past in the form of World War II and practicing for D-Day. This took place at Slapton Lees leading up to Torcross. The location was familiar to me as I had holidayed there as a teen. This helped to bring the novel to life for me, along with Jennifer Bohnet’s marvellous descriptions.

Tragedies in the past still touch lives in the present. A life has been blighted by guilt over circumstances she could not change as a child. Silence has been kept but lives only heal when mouths open.

The novel shows you are never too old to have a new beginning.

A wool shop for over sixty years is in need of a make-over. This is mirrored in lives too.

Continue reading →

The Widows Wine Club by Julia Jarman

Aug14

All For One

The Widow’s Wine Club by Julia Jarman is a delightful contemporary novel which I really enjoyed.

The novel follows three widows who meet as they are choosing their husband’s caskets. We see their journey through grief as they learn to live again.

Sometimes there are shocking discoveries made after death, which raise all kinds of emotions.

The three women band together offering love, support and encouragement as they journey through life.

There are the perils of online dating as one has to wade through the sludge in order to find the jewel.

All the characters were well drawn and realistic.

The Widow’s Wine Club was a charming light-hearted read that was amusing too – with some classic one-liners- “Janet hadn’t a clue how the non-rich lived.” I can highly recommend this book and will leave you with my favourite quote:

Continue reading →

Foul Play At Seal Bay by Judy Leigh

Aug13

Amateur Sleuthing At Its’ Finest

Foul Play At Seal Bay by Judy Leigh is a contemporary light-hearted crime novel that I really enjoyed. It is the first book in A Morwenna Mutton Mystery series which promises to be fabulous. I cannot wait for the subsequent books.

Judy Leigh has once more created an eclectic mix of characters who entertain the reader. The leading lady is sixty one and her mother is eighty. Both are a breath of fresh air with their energy, enthusiasm and unconventional ways. They refuse to be put in a box marked ‘old’. Both are bundles of energy. Growing old does not equal being staid.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is a delightful six year old girl, whose mannerisms have been perfectly captured by Judy Leigh. I loved her soft-toy doggy companions named Oggy 1 and Oggy 2 who had to accompany her wherever she went. Her innocence and zest for life were a pure delight.

After a crime is committed, Morwenna Mutton figuratively puts on her amateur sleuthing hat. She believes, and proves, herself to be far more competent at crime solving than the local bobby.

Continue reading →

The Nurse by Valerie Keogh

Aug1

Totally Immersive

The Nurse by Valerie Keogh is an absolutely marvellous contemporary psychological thriller that I just could not put down.

Valerie Keogh is a fantastic author who draws you into the world of The Nurse with her words. Whilst of questionable motives, the lead character is likable, realistic and elicits feelings of sympathy from the reader. I could recognize myself in her as a child, suffering at the hands of the school bully. We feel shock and horror at the event that left her alone at aged just sixteen.

The leading lady is a blend of vulnerable yet strong; empathetic and downright evil. She seems to have second sight into the character of people but at the crucial moment, it lets her down.

We see the devastation that loss leaves – a character is frozen in time; another sees his daughter everywhere he looks.

Our responses to characters are guided by Valerie Keogh’s marvellous pen. I found it surprising when I did a complete u-turn in my response to a character!

Continue reading →