Tag Archive | Rachels Random Resources

The Nile Cruise by Caroline James

Aug3

A Simple Leap Of Faith

The Nile Cruise by Caroline James is a wonderful light-hearted contemporary novel that I adored from the start.

With the leading characters in their sixties, we see that you are never too old to have fun, nor to have a new beginning.

We see characters pretending to be someone else. One needs an escape from daily life. Another is trying to work out who he is, and how to tell his parents. “And what do you want, Ezra” she asked… “I want to be myself… The person I was meant to be.”

When he plucks up the courage, he finds that his parents love him for just who he is, and who he was created to be. Their love is unconditional. “Who you love isn’t as important as how you love.” Love with your whole heart.

We meet characters who have lost the loves of their lives. One has made a terrible rebound marriage but his eyes are opened to the gold-digger beside him.

Love strikes where it will. Characters have a good moral code and a deep friendship blossoms.

The leading lady exudes warmth and kindness. She sees the marginalised. “Hattie was so warm and friendly and turned every mishap into a reminder that life needn’t be taken too seriously.” When a down-trodden character sees her true nature, he describes her as feeling “the aching relief of being with someone who made the world gentle again, unlike the sharp, demanding world he knew now.” We all want someone to love us for who we are.

Continue reading →

Avalon Sky by Jill Todd

Jul29

Coming To Light

Avalon Sky by Jill Todd is a contemporary thriller and part of A Kit Pevensey Thriller series.

We see that actions in the past have a far-reaching effect as long held, and buried, secrets come to life.

A true nature has been hidden since before World War II. As a whole different personality emerges, the reader is shocked.

We witness the value of true friendships as opposed to false friends who are focused on hate and hiding.

Evil walks amongst the characters. Evil has been hiding in plain sight. The deeds of the night are being revealed in the light.

Continue reading →

House Of Twisted Shadows by J H Mann

Jul26

Secrets Both Uncovered & Buried

House Of Twisted Shadows by J H Mann is a mesmerising historical novel that held my attention rom the start. It is part of A Wild Cornwall series and can be read as a stand-alone.

The action takes place in 1962 in a coastal Cornish village. It is a farming community with an imposing house at its’ heart. Rumours say the house was built by a Nazi in the 1930’s.

The house holds its’ secrets as the walls and floors groan, refusing to divulge them.

Ten years before the novel opens, the leading lady’s father had been found dead in the hallway, his manuscripts about the house’s origins all missing.

By 1962 coastal erosion sees the house teetering on the edge of a cliff. There is a race to uncover secrets before the house plummets to a watering grave.

Continue reading →

The Freshman Parents by Ko Porteous

Jul18

Coming Home

The Freshman Parents by Ko Porteous is an entertaining contemporary novel that gripped me from the start. It is the first book in the Empty Nesters series.

The main topic is that of being an empty nester. “What’s her point if not to parent?” Having had four children, I found the characters easy to empathise with. The feelings of emptiness and loss are very raw.

We see that attitudes need to change. “This is not the end of an era; it is the beginning of a new phase.” We need to move from a position of loss, to one of opportunity.

An online group for freshman parents is a life-saver as new bonds are formed. There are different styles of parenting. Nothing is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, just ‘different.’

Continue reading →