Tag Archive | Rachels Random Resources

The Evacuee’s Secret by Deborah Klee

Jun7

Whispers From The Past

The Evacuee’s Secret by Deborah Klee is a powerful dual timeline novel that I loved. It is the first book in the Secrets Of A Sunken Village series which promises to be fabulous.

The action alternates between World War II and 1965, as we travel from London to a Yorkshire village.

Life in the capitol was difficult, smothering a life. In contrast, life in Yorkshire was freeing. The villagers all pulled together to fight Hitler, and then to fight for the future of the village against the developers.

A young teen in 1942 is evacuated to Yorkshire and spends her formative years here. Bonds made now, will remain. We witness young love, friendships, familial love and a terrible secret that will haunt her forever.

Land girls and a P.O.W. help out on a farm. Their opinions and practical lessons influence the young girl.

In 1965 the lead character is all grown up – and still running from life events. Yorkshire provides a sanctuary once more.

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The Woman Who Met Herself by Laura Pearson

May30

Decisions & Consequences

The Woman Who Met Herself by Laura Pearson is a most charming contemporary novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

This is a novel about families and life. Families can be complicated affairs. We meet a mother who has given her whole life to raising her twin boys but now they are in their thirties she is struggling to discover her own identity.

A chance doorstep encounter opens up a whole new life but also a can of worms as there are more questions than answers.

The other lead character is childless but struggling with the sudden loss of her husband. Now she needs to discover who she is as a newly single mother.

We see that some lives just attract others to them. Brief meetings can soon turn into new friendships.

The theme of motherhood is a major one. We see that motherhood is very different in the 1960’s. A young mother struggling with her mental health gets little support. “Back then [1960’s], mental illness was a shameful secret.” She makes a monumental decision that will still be impacting lives in present day. A secret in 1962 is finally unlocked in present day, to the shock of all concerned.

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Not My Valentine by Tony Bassett

May20

Gripping

Not My Valentine by Tony Bassett is a fabulous contemporary crime suspense that I just could not put down. It is the seventh book in the Detectives Roy & Roscoe series but can be read as a stand-alone.

I enjoyed meeting up with familiar faces. Easy banter flowed between the regular police officers. We see the tenacity of the law to solve the case as we drop in on the detectives.

Present day murder is investigated alongside a cold case. The law enforcement officers are relentless in their pursuit of justice and the reader applauds their commitment.

The action is set in the Midlands with a murder in Worcester, and chasing criminals around Birmingham and the Black Country. As a Black Country wench living in Worcestershire, the locations were incredibly familiar to me. This helped me to really bed down into the book.

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This Ruined Place by Michael Lawrence

May19

A Timeless Appeal

This Ruined Place by Michael Lawrence is a hauntingly beautiful novel that consumed me from the start.

It is a book where the past and present collide. Memories make the veil between very thin.

We witness that not everyone remembers the past in the same way. For some, the past was a rosy place, a place they long to return to. Rose tinted glasses paint a very favourable picture. For others, the past is a more hostile, unforgiving place. It was not always a good place to be. How the characters view the past gives us an insight into their individual natures.

A relationship between a sixteen-year-old granddaughter, her grandparents and a boyhood friend of the couple is complex. Her interactions between the three characters are very different. She actually relates more closely to the childhood friend than her grandparents.

We see that characters live in the old ruins. Memories produce some supernatural characteristics. Those who are more sensitive glimpse the past in the present.

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