The Secret Dressmaker by Jenny O’Brien

Aug6

Entertaining

The Secret Dressmaker by Jenny O’Brien is a historical novel that entertains from the start. It is the second book in Threads Of Resistance series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The reader is treated to the landscape of occupied France, mainly Paris, as we join characters trying to disrupt the Nazi war effort and learn their secrets.

There are personal secrets to be unravelled too. A young woman has returned to France as part of the resistance, and also to search for her twin daughters who were taken from her eighteen years earlier – and what she discovers, is shocking.

We witness ugly events as a character is consumed by jealousy. There are no lengths to which she will not stoop.

Within families, members are on opposite sides of the war.

The walls of a house that nuns have provided in the past, continues to be a safe haven.

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House Of Thieves by Rachel Walkley

Aug5

Echoes Down The Centuries

House Of Thieves by Rachel Walkley is an enthralling dual timeline that entertained me from the start.

The action is set in 1812 and present day in a large old house with artefacts looked after by a trust.

As we read, the story unfolds in both periods by the same, single voice – alive in 1812 but walking the corridors, unable to rest, in present day, waiting for her story to be told.

In present day, a character searches for a diary, longing to hear the tale of her family long gone.

A gruesome discovery in the gardens throws up even more questions.

We see that the family’s old money was built up on the abomination that is slavery. They owned a plantation in Barbados.

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Five & The Forest Of Secrets by Chris Smith

Aug4

A Sense Of Fun & Adventure

Five & The Forest Of Secrets by Chris Smith is a wonderful children’s tale of adventure. It is the third book in The New Famous Five series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The new famous five includes an original member, George, who is now a famous scientist, just like her father. The three children and their dog are delivered to George by their Grandpa Dick, another original member.

In true famous five style the children, George and twelve-year-old Cici (whose parents are away for the summer) and Gilbert the dog, set off on a camping holiday – that is destined to become an adventure. As we know: “all the best adventures start… with a cup of tea” – and adventures end with a come-uppance for the villains.

Once more, the new famous five set out to save the day.

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The Children On The Train by Anna Stuart

Aug4

Brave Hearts

The Children On The Train by Anna Stuart is a powerful novel of World War II that grabbed my attention from the start.

The story surrounds the Jewish children and orphans who escaped Nazi Germany via the Kindertransport before the outbreak of war and closed borders in 1939. We witness the bravery of all those involved. Lives were put on hold; sacrifices made, in order to get the children to safety.

Along the way, good friends were made, and lost.

As the grip of the Nazis tightened on society, a gentile husband and his Jewish wife, make a painful decision, designed to keep the whole family safer – but will it? We see the cruelty inflicted by the Nazis via both physical and mental torture.

Huge hearts put the children first, above all else, including personal safety.

As the storm clouds darken over Europe, there are still pockets of goodness. Hope for a better future still lives in hearts.

All the characters were well drawn and believable. With her marvellous pen, the author has evoked the atmosphere of both love, and also terror, as the Nazis raged across Europe.

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