Tag Archive | Harper Collins

A Mother’s Second Chance by Sarah Lefebve

Jan19

Heart-Wrenching & Beautiful

A Mother’s Second Chance by Sarah Lefebve is the most beautiful and heart-wrenching contemporary novel about love and loss; grief and guilt; faith and families. It is a novel that I savoured and was emotionally invested in. It was a book that I never wanted to end.

This is a book about loss and how it affects all those involved. A best friend, Lou, and her husband are tragically killed, leaving their two children to be looked after by Zoe, Lou’s best friend. Friends for over thirty years since meeting at secondary school, the grief is very raw, “I am angry at my friend… that she died.” Grief throws up many emotions. It is a question of wading through the grief journey. “One day you’ll wake up and though the pain will still be there, it will be a little duller. A little easier to bear.”

Loss never goes away. “It’s okay to cry… You don’t get a quota of tears.” Tears can come when we do, and when we don’t, expect them.

Guilt is the bedfellow of grief. “It’s okay to laugh… It doesn’t mean you don’t miss them.” We are allowed to smile and laugh again. “The start of spring. A beautiful but painful reminder that life does not stop. Even when your best friend dies.” We feel that life should stop turning when loved ones die, but the wheels just keep spinning.

The children left behind are five-year-old Phoebe and her baby brother Zack who is not one yet. Phoebe’s grief is hard to deal with as her pain cannot be taken away. “She [Phoebe] asks if it is possible to un-die once you have died.”

Love never dies. “They [Phoebe & Zack] will forever be the love that links me to the best friend I ever had.” Loving her children is the last act of love that Zoe can do for Lou. “We will make sure Phoebe and Zack remember Louise and Rich. They don’t need a house to do that. And we will help them make new memories.”

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Every Lifetime After by Jennifer Ross

Jan16

Love Remains

Every Lifetime After by Jennifer Ross is a very charming dual timeline novel that I loved.

The action is set in 2018 and 1943, and concerns the boys who flew from bomber command in Yorkshire. It is their story which is being filmed in 2018.

The leading actress has links to the area as it is where she was born and spent her first four years. Memories are awakened – some are her own, others are transcending time and space as she has a gift to ‘see’ past actions. Though their tale is already known, locations give her glimpses to the past. She is unsure what to do with her gift.

A character alive in 1943 is still alive and in a nursing home in 2018. He lives haunted by memories, grief and guilt. He grieves what he cannot change.

We see the pain of miscarriage. It affects the lives of the couple – until they share their grief, they are lone ships drifting along.

The reader ‘experiences’ the lives of the men and women of bomber command. Lives were uncertain – every time the boys left the base, they realised it could be their last.

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The Mysterious Affair Of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood

Jan14

All For One

The Mysterious Affair Of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood is a marvellous contemporary cosy crime novel and the perfect way to spend an afternoon. It is part of the Marlow Murder Club series but can be read as a stand-alone.

I enjoyed meeting up once more with the three amateur sleuths. They are all ladies of a certain age, reminding me of three Miss Marples! Plus, there is their side-kick, a female police officer.

When two local men end up dead, the three women spring into action, assuming there must be a link. They set about to investigate the crimes. There is a new male police officer in charge, whom they have to scheme against as he doesn’t want their help.

The past returns to bite Judith Potts. It is a time she does not wish to re-visit, but the ghosts must be laid to rest.

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The Shadow Carver by Nadine Matheson

Jan6

Gripping

The Shadow Carver by Nadine Matheson is a gripping contemporary psychological murder suspense that I just couldn’t put down. It is the fourth book in the Inspector Anjelica Henley series and can be read as a stand-alone. I, however, recommend reading the books in numerical order for character and storyline progression. Though each book deals with a new crime, there is one storyline that is running throughout the books. As this book ended, we are perfectly poised to pick up the thread in book five – and I cannot wait!

Once more we join inspector Anjelica Henley and her team as they chase a very gruesome serial killer or killers. It appears to be vigilante justice but who is the mastermind? Is there a mastermind?

The law enforcement team are relentless in their pursuit. We also witness personal relationships and office politics. There are personality clashes and jealousy over friendships. We see the back stories and families of some.

Family is important. Not just personal family but the police family too. They have each other’s backs. When one of their own is hurt, everyone picks up a piece of guilt.

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