She Never Left by C.M. Harris is a riveting contemporary novel that I devoured in just one sitting. It had me completely hooked until the jaw-dropping conclusion that I did not spot coming!
The lines between reality and illusion are blurred. As the reader I could not always spot which was which but clung on with heart racing to the end.
There are alternating voices and time periods as the story unfolds.
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Old Enough To Know Better by Jane Wenham-Jones is a contemporary novel about life and love, families and friendships.
The reader meets several families and couples who interact with each other. We see new loves and also older, more established relationships. We learn the importance of talking through things and putting an effort in, in order to make relationships work. We need to keep the channels of communication open.
Each day brings fresh challenges. We need to face them, deal with them wisely and responsibly. We see temptations placed along the way. If we are being tempted, we need to remove ourselves from the source. We also witness a deep love that lasts.
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The Dog Sitter by Zara Stoneley is a wonderful contemporary novel set in the heart of the Lake District.
The area comes alive under the author’s descriptive pen. The reader ‘experiences’ the richness of the open countryside. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty but with elements of danger as the weather can turn in an instant.
At the heart of the novel is Bella, a black cockerpoo who stole my heart. Zara Stoneley has brought her to life as she captures the essence of the bouncy, lovable. Loyal dog.
There is the theme of finding one’s true self. London and an old flame have squashed the life out of a character. Another character lost himself several years earlier during a traumatic tour of duty. The open air of the countryside, the love of Bella and the opportunity to relax means personalities can heal and become who they were created to be.
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The Night Train To Berlin by Melanie Hudson is a beautiful dual time-line love story that will lodge deep in your heart.
The stories are set in 1944 and present day. There were parallels in the two time periods between the two couples who meet on a night train to Cornwall. The two females are linked by a friendship thread from 1944. The chapters alternate the action as present day is aiming to recreate the war period. It is romanticized. The reader hears about the true horrors of war as we follow a war artist from Britain to mainland Europe.
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