Tag Archives: women

The Summer of Love by Katie Fforde

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THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
Addition: Paperback
Genre: Chick-Lit
Rating: 4 out of 5
Synopsis:

Sian Bishop has only ever experienced one moment of recklessness – a moment that resulted in her beloved son Rory. So when dependable Richard suggests a move to the beautiful English countryside, she throws herself into the picture-postcard cottage garden and her furniture restoration business. Her good intentions are torpedoed with the arrival of Gus Berresford. One-time explorer and full-time heartbreaker, Gus is ridiculously exciting and a completely inappropriate love interest for a single mum. Sian has no use for a fling, she simply mustn’t fall in love with the most unlikely suitor ever to cross her path – even if he has now crossed her path twice. But who knows what can happen in a summer of love…

This was the perfect book to ease me into the Christmas break. It was light-hearted chick-lit which ticked all the right boxes for me. We saw confusion, heartache, family love, friendship and romantic love.

Sian has moved to the beautiful English countryside with her son Rory – the result of one night of passion. In her new home, she makes new friends, including Fiona, an older lady who takes Sian under her wing, and begins work on her furniture-restoration building. No one knows who Rory’s father is, as after their one night together he left to go travelling. Fiona’s son Angus has returned home and is everything Sian is not looking for in a man – but he will he melt her heart and win Rory’s? And will the identity of Rory’s father come out too?

I found this book just flowed. Once I started reading it, I didn’t want to put it down. I liked Sian. I liked her attitude towards life – she knew she had to love and support Rory, so that is what she did. Rory was a sweet child, which made him easy to like reading the book. I probably would have been put off the story if he had been a grumpy, moany little boy. My favourite character by far was Fiona! I laughed at some of the situations she ended up in – such as going on a date with a man she had met online, only to be taken to some deserted plant nursery where she thought she might die! As always, there were characters I didn’t like too. People like Melissa, who saw Sian as an imposter or thought she was competition when it came to Angus, so she did things like persuade Sian’s landlady to sell the cottage Sian and Rory were living in to her.

This book did have comedy in, as well as love and friendship. The book didn’t take me by surprise. I quickly worked out who Rory’s father was, and I enjoyed watching that unfold – even though it wasn’t always pleasant for any party involved. The description of the village Sian had moved to sounded beautiful and I enjoyed being taken there whenever I opened the book. This was an easy read, but enjoyable and one I would recommend if you are looking for a heart-warming romance to read.

4 star

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The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury

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THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
Addition: Review e-book from Netgalley
Genre: Christian chick-lit
Rating: 4 out of 5
Synopsis:

Molly Allen lives alone in Portland, but her heart is back in Franklin, Tennessee, where five years ago she walked away from a man she cannot forget, a rare sort of love she hasn’t found since.
Ryan Kelly lives in Franklin and spends plenty of time at The Bridge-the oldest bookstore in historic downtown Franklin-remembering the long hours he and Kelly once spent there.
Now, Ryan and Molly’s favorite bookstore is in trouble. For thirty years, Charlie and Donna Barton have run The Bridge, providing the people of middle Tennessee with coffee, conversation, and shelves of good books-even through dismal book sales and the rise of eBooks. Then in May a flood tore through Franklin and destroyed nearly every book in the store. By Christmastime, the bank threatens to pull the lease on The Bridge and is about to take the Bartons’ house as well. Despondent, Charlie considers ending his life. And in the face of tragedy, miracles begin to unfold.

I received this book from Netgalley to review. I love Karen Kingsbury books – I recently finished the Above the Line series and fell in love with Kingsbury and how she writes. I will definitely be reading more books by her!

The novel focuses around The Bridge bookshop. It is owned and lovingly run by Charlie & Donna, who named the place The Bridge because they saw books as a bridge to people and their problems. This is where many friends and couples spend many an hour hanging out and reading. This is true of Molly Allen and Ryan Kelly. When they were at college they would spend hours in The Bridge reading and falling in love. But it seems life has different plans for them and Molly ends up finishing college at home at her Father’s request; leaving them both heartbroken. Several years later a flood hits Nashville, destroying The Bridge. For 18 months Charlie & Donna try to find the funds to rebuild and restock but to no avail. In a desperate act, Charlie drives down country lanes in thick snow and straight into a tree. His accident brings Molly and Ryan back as they seek to help Charlie & Donna rebuild and as they pray for Charlie to survive.

This is chick-lit with a twist. The book is full of love, hearsay and misunderstandings. But the twist is this: the characters all believe in God and hear His voice during the book. When Charlie is in despair, he cries out to God. Unbeknownst to Charlie, as he is driving down that road, Donna is seeking God to keep him safe. Friends of the bookshop, Molly & Ryan all cry out for Charlie to come through the coma on Christmas Eve – and they see the miracle of that. God answers His children in this book, He speaks clearly sometimes and always is He there. I loved that element of the book.

This was a lovely read. It was a bit predictable – like all chick-lit really, but it was a quick and engaging read. This is one of those books I read in a matter of hours. It isn’t long but it is really enjoyable. I love reading storylines that involve books – no surprise there! – and I loved the idea of The Bridge. I really liked Charlie & Donna. Although they had faced many hardships they were still madly in love and cared for others over themselves. I really admired them and felt so bad for Charlie as he fought to save the bookshop, and thought that he had lost. All he wanted was to serve others, including Donna, and that was so touching.

The storyline between Molly and Ryan was fairly standard for a chick-lit novel. Molly wasn’t allowed to date at college and she certainly wasn’t allowed to bring them home, even as friends, so their friendship grew in the bookshop. They spent one magical evening at Molly’s, while her staff were out, but one of them was back in time to witness their first kiss. Molly assumed they weren’t spotted as she never heard anything of it, but in fact her Father called Ryan and made it clear she was in love with someone from home. Ryan backed right off, which helped Molly make the decision to go home. Years later, both assumed the other one was married due to what others had said yet they were still in love with each other. Charlie’s accident drew them back to Nashville and after a few awkward encounters, back into each other’s arms. I didn’t mind the predictability of this storyline, although I did roll my eyes in places! I liked them both and it was sad to see how other people can influence us when it comes to making decisions.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will read more Kingsbury novel. Thank you Netgalley for letting me review it! I am rating this 4 out of 5 because it was a bit predictable and it didn’t completely blow me away, yet I did enjoy it and will recommend it to others. This is a nice, fun read – a good novel to read in an afternoon.

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An Offer You Can’t Refuse by Jill Mansell

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THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Addition: Paperback
Genre: Chick-Lit
Rating: 3 out of 5
Synopsis:

Nothing could tear Lola and Dougie apart, except his mother Seventeen-year-old Lola has no intention of accepting when her boyfriend’s snobbish mother offers her a huge bribe to break up with him. Then Lola discovers a secret that makes her think again, and the only way she can help one of the people she loves most in the world is to take the money and break Dougie’s heart.

Ten years later, when Lola meets Dougie again, her feelings for him are as strong as ever. She’ll do almost anything to get him back, but she can never tell him the truth. Can she overcome his bitterness and win his heart? She’s attractive, persuasive, and endlessly optimistic, but even Lola’s got her work cut out for her this time.

I enjoy Jill Mansell’s books, she never lets me down! I have several of her novels on my bookcase waiting for me to read. I’ve had this one for a while, so it qualifies for the TBR Challenge :-)

This novel follows Lola, a girl of just 17 who is offered £10,000 to dump her boyfriend – by her boyfriend’s mother. She believes Lola isn’t good enough for her son Dougie. Lola shoots her down, but then discovers she needs the money to help her step-father get out of trouble. She promises to tell no-one about the money, or why she took it, so she dumps Dougie and leaves the country. Ten years later, back in the UK, she stops a mugging, only to later find out the lady who was being attacked was Dougie’s mother. Whilst she is round at the celebration meal, Dougie overhears her on the phone telling Gabe, her cute next-door neighbour about the money. When he hears this all he can feel is anger and hate. However, in her distress, Lola strikes up a friendship with Sally, Dougie’s older sister, who ends up living across the hall from her. Lola can’t believe how she feels for Dougie though when she sees him again and finds ways to keep seeing him – of course this is helped by her friendship with Sally. Yet Dougie is not interested at all…can his heart be changed?

I liked Lola. I felt sorry for her having to take that money to help out Alex, her step-father, after he lost everything gambling. I loved that she refused to tell anyone that was the reason why she took the money too. However, her persistant longing for Dougie was a bit annoying after a while – she seemed to pine for him all the time! I actually found Doug arrogant and a bit annoying! He was the injured party but he seemed to think he was better than Lola because he came from more money (like his mother in face – who I really didn’t like!) I did like Sally though! She seemed like she would be a fun person to hang out with! I liked Gabe too and felt sorry for him that the new job direction he was going down wasn’t going well!

This is an entertaining book, a chick-lit novel about first love, friendship and what we will do for those we love. If I’m completely honest, this isn’t my favourite Jill Mansell novel. It was a simple story with a predictable outcome – the only shock being that Lola’s biological father turned up out of the blue. I didn’t find myself desperate to know what was going to happen, but that said, I did read it to the end and I did enjoy it. This didn’t challenge me or move me in anyway, but I did enjoy it and it did entertain me.

This was a fairly quick read, even if it was over 400 pages long! The outcomes – the different romances – didn’t surprise me at all. I thought that there was an excessive amount of talking about sex – wondering if they were having it, why they weren’t etc. It didn’t add anything to the story and I was a bit fed up of it by the end. This is a light read though, entertaining and fun. This isn’t the best Mansell I’ve read but it hasn’t put me off her books. I’m glad I’ve finally read this book and I did enjoy it.

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Hannah’s List by Debbie Macomber

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Addition: Library book, paperback

Genre: Chick-lit

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

On the anniversary of his beloved wife’s death, Dr. Michael Everett receives a letter Hannah had written him.
In it she reminds him of her love and makes one final request. An impossible request — I want you to marry again. She tells him he shouldn’t spend the years he has left grieving her. And to that end she’s chosen three women she asks him to consider.
First on Hannah’s list is her cousin, Winter Adams, a trained chef who owns a café on Seattle’s Blossom Street. The second is Leanne Lancaster, Hannah’s oncology nurse. Michael knows them both. But the third name is one he’s not familiar with — Macy Roth.
Each of these three women has her own heartache, her own private grief. More than a year earlier, Winter broke off her relationship with another chef. Leanne is divorced from a man who defrauded the hospital for which she works. And Macy lacks family of her own, the family she craves, but she’s a rescuer of strays, human and animal. Macy is energetic, artistic, eccentric — and couldn’t be more different from Michael.
During the months that follow, he spends time with Winter, Leanne and Macy, learning more about each of them…and about himself. Learning what Hannah already knew. He’s a man who needs the completeness only love can offer. And Hannah’s list leads him to the woman who can help him find it.

This is number 7 in Debbie Macomber’s Blossom Street Series. I love this series – it is about friendship, love and knitting. These are fun, easy-to-read, heartwarming books that will appeal to most women.

This book follows Michael, a man who a year ago lost his wife to cancer. Hannah was the love of his life and her death devasted him. On the anniversary of Hannah’s death he goes out for dinner with her brother, who gives him a letter Hannah has written. In it she writes that she wants him to re-marry and has suggested three ladies who might be suitable. Michael hates the idea of this but to honour Hannah he meets all these woman – and one of them will change his life.

I was reading what Debbie Macomber had to say at the beginning of this book and I was touched to find out that this is based on a true story – she had a friend who did this and I thought that was lovely.

I love the Blossom Street books. I find I can’t put them down once I’ve started. Macomber has a way of drawing me into the story and adding in the characters from other books in the series to keep it all tied together. I felt for Michael – how hard must it be to lose your spouse and then to receive a letter they have written asking you to remarry? I felt his character was well written – sometimes he was sad, other times angry – at everything, including Hannah – and yet we watched him heal so often by the end he was happy – and of course he fell in love, which was so nice to read.

Honestly, the storyline is not a surprise. The ending isn’t hard to guess but I don’t mind that in Macomber’s books because I get very engaged in the story. I liked the characters – all had their own story and I loved reading about their lives and seeing the effect one person could have on them all. Hannah seemed so special and friends and family really were rooting were Michael to love again.

These books are enjoyable, lovely, engaging reads. I can easily read one straight after the other. Macomber is one of my favourite authors and I highly recommend her. I love the storyline, her books don’t contain bad language or graphic love scenes, her writing is easy to read and easy to follow and I love these books! It isn’t hard for me to give this book four out of five – maybe next time the ending will surprise me!

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My One and Only by Kristan Higgins

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Edition: E-book, review book from NetGalley

Genre: Chick-lit

Rating: 3 out of 5

Synopsis:

Just when she thought she had life and love all figured out…

Divorce attorney Harper James can’t catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister’s destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she’s being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. And her almost-fiancé back at home is not likely to be sympathetic.

Harper can’t help that Nick has come blazing back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick’s eyes, Harper’s always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting—just around the bend

I received this book from NetGalley – an online book review site.

The story follows Harper, a divorce attorney with a very cynical view of love. She married young to Nick and it didn’t take long for the marriage to break up. Since then she has been sceptical about relationships. She is currently dating a fireman, who is younger than her and doesn’t have equal intelligence. They have been together 2 years and she has decided to finally make the relationship serious by proposing. It doesn’t go well – he isn’t that interested. Then she gets a call – her sister is getting married again. She is unimpressed with her sister and the fact that she is mid-twenties and about to marry for the third time. And the man she is marrying is Nick’s brother. This means she has to see Nick again at the wedding – where he makes it clear that he believes Harper is still the only one for him. When flights get cancelled Harper realises the only way home is a road trip with Nick. Will this cause them to rethink their relationship? Is Nick right – are they made for each other?

To be honest, this isn’t the best book I’ve read recently. It is predictable and in places not that exciting. Harper is a woman who is scarred and hurting. She blames Nick for their break up – and of course he blames her. I found there was a lot of that taking place in the book. There were also some scenes which I just found really unrealistic – such as making up with Nick to then have Dennis propose and all his family come round. Would that really happen? This is typical chick-lit and an Ok book.

There was something about Harper that I liked – she was a determined woman and she fought for what she wanted. I liked that. I didn’t understand why she was with Dennis, other than he was an attractive man. He irritated me a little bit – not the type of man I want to have around! I liked Nick. He helped Harper do things she never thought she would do – such as finally going to see her Mum again after years of never seeing her or hearing from her.

I took two attempts to get into this book. It was alright once it got going. The storyline isn’t challenging and the outcome is predictable. This is an easy read with a nice ending. Not the best book I’ve read but not overly bad. If you want a light read, this book is for you.

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Recommended Authors: Wendy Virgo

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This is a new feature I will regularly do on my blog.

The author I am recommending is:

Wendy Virgo

Wendy is a gifted writer, a great theologian and a wonderful teacher. She has written many books over the years, most of which I have had the pleasure of reading. And yes, even though her books are full of Biblical truths, they are pleasurable reading. Her writing takes on many shapes: in books such as The Prophetess she is simply interpreting the Bible story of Deborah and retelling events in her own words; and yet Life Issues looks at Titus 2: 2-5 and examines how this passage of the Bible can practically help women today.

I never have a bad word to say about Wendy’s writing. She is easy to follow and understand, and she is engaging and interesting. I love reading her books and cannot wait until I pick up another by her. Her book Mary: The Mother of Jesus was the first theology book I read, at the mere age of 15 and loved it. She is an author I seek out and hope that she writes more! Her books are also books that I would happily read again because I have found her teaching so helpful to my walk with God. I don’t think I can recommend her highly enough – especially as I know she is a humble, loving person as well. If you can, investigate her books, and read them!

These are all the books she has written (links will take you to my review):

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The Queen of New Beginnings by Erica James

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Synopsis:

Clayton Miller’s promising media career and personal life are in tatters. To put it all behind him he retreats to a secluded country house. There he meets Alice, who goes to great lengths to avoid telling the truth about herself. When Alice and Clayton discover the truth about each other they form an unlikely friendship…

I love Erica James’ novels ♥ I have read them all, except one, which I have waiting to be read, and like the others, I was not let down by The Queen of New Beginnings. The story follows two characters: Alice and Clayton. The former is private and wants to keep her past hidden. She is a voice-over artist and makes her living reading stories for audiobooks or recording adverts. She has changed her name and lives in a quite, secluded village. Clayton, on the other hand, has had his life ruined in the media. He is a screen writer who has come to the same village to hide out. His girlfriend and best friend have shacked up and are blaming him for the loss of their unborn baby. It is all over the press and Clayton has been shamed. He meets Alice and eventually gets the truth of her past out; only to use it for his salvation…

This is a great story. Alice is a very likeable character – and she made me laugh at the beginning of the novel when she took the persona of  a woman called Katya, who was intimidating, even to Clayton. She has a sad story – a girl who lost her mother, then fell for her step-brother who used her and then broke her heart. She had lost contact with her father over the years and had been living a new life, albeit a fairly lonely one. I enjoyed reading her story and seeing her open up.

I liked Clayton too. He is in hiding, but as we learn more about him, I just felt so sorry for him. Barry, his ex-best friend and his old writing partner really betrayed him, and I felt more angry at him than Clayton’s ex-girlfriend. Clayton does make a monumental mistake – but I understood why he did it, and it had good consequences, which made good reading.

They are not the only two characters who make this book though. James writes some wonderful people, and my overall favourite was easily George, the mad old lady. When we first meet her she is pointing a gun at Clayton, and from there her eccentric ways continue. She even knew Alice as a girl, which was a lovely link to the past. She was wise, very good at reading people, and just a great personality.

There is a lot in this story, with a whole range of characters and events. James keeps you interested the whole way through and it did not take long to read this book. I really enjoyed it. It was realistic, and I found myself getting involved. James has done it again – written a cracking book! This is more mature chick-lit, and I loved it! James writes wonderful locations too, all of which I can still picture, even though I read the book a month ago! I remember the story clearly, and there are some shocks in the story line. The end was fairly predictable, but there were moments when I could have cried, and times when I laughed. And I liked how Clayton and Alice worked as a team and how everything worked out. Top marks from me!

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The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

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Synopsis:

After thirty years of marriage, Wilson Lewis, son-in-law of Allie and Noah Calhoun (of The Notebook), is forced to admit that the romance has gone out of his marriage. Desperate to win back his wife, Jane’s, heart, he must figure out how to make her fall in love with him… again. Despite the shining example of Allie and Noah’s marriage, Wilson is himself a man unable to easily express his emotions. A successful estate attorney, he has provided well for his family, but now, with his daughter’s upcoming wedding, he is forced to face the fact that he and Jane have grown apart and he wonders if she even loves him anymore. Wilson is sure of one thing–his love for his wife has only deepened and intensified over the years. Now, with the memories of his in-laws’ magnificent fifty-year love affair as his guide, Wilson struggles to find his way back into the heart of the woman he adores.

As the synopsis states, this is the follow up book to The Notebook. At first, when I saw that there was a sequel, I was unsure as to how that would work (if you have read The Notebook I’m sure you will understand my questioning) but I was satisfied with this book.

The story does not follow Allie and Noah, but their son-in-law Wilson. He is hard-working , to the point where he has seemingly neglected his family. He wanted to provide them with a great life, but that meant he missed parties and sporting events, and worked very late most days. This seemed fine until he forgot his wedding anniversary. This woke him up to the fact his marriage was strained and his wife was sad. This caused him to try and change his ways – and is helped by his daughter announcing that she is getting married. This gives him an opportunity to repair his marriage.

The more Nicholas Sparks novels I read, the more I love him as an author. However, this is not my favourite of his works. I found this book started slowly, and it took a while to get going. By halfway through though, I had warmed up to Wilson and I loved all he was doing for Jane. The surprise at the end was gorgeous, and I sat there with a warmed heart and a smile on my face.

I did like Jane, and felt sorry for her and felt her pain; although I did think that if she was unhappy she should have spoken out. I took some time to warm up to Wilson but I started to like him the more I read. I thought their relationship was sweet – especially in the beginning when Wilson was shy and sensible. This might be heresy to say, but I preferred Noah in this novel than I did in The Notebook. He was wise and loving in this novel, whereas I found him a bit desperate in The Notebook.

This is a lovely romance novel. It is not a long book and worth reading if you like a heart warming, satisfying story. Nicholas Sparks is a great writer and I will be reading more of his novels.

This is the first novel completed in my 2010 Summer Romance Challenge

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The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

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Synopsis:

On the outside, Macy Queen is cool and calm. On the inside, she’s breaking. Silently struggling with her Dad’s death, and spending the summer apart from her oh-so-perfect boyfriend, Macy is smiling her way through – she’s ‘fine’. It’s only when she meets a group of new friends – and artistic, sexy Wes catches her eye – she realizes she can wear her heart on her sleeve sometimes. Because life doesn’t stop when someone disappears – and even though she’s lost so much, can Macy see what she has to gain? Hugely engaging and with great emotional depth, Sarah Dessen’s rich, warm, atmospheric writing makes this the perfect summer read for teenage girls.

I loved this book! Dessen has become one of my favourite authors and I already have another of her novels lined up to read. She writes books for young adults that are engaging, lively, full of description and full of depth. In The Truth About Forever Dessen focuses on death. Macy has lost her Dad – not only that but she saw his last moments. She copes by shutting out how she feels and just getting on with life, but it is never the same again. That is, until she meets Wes. He took has had problems he has needed to deal with and he has found a way to express himself, and he helps Macy recover, and build relationships again with her Mum and sister.

This is a great story. I believed it and I was involved. I was sucked in from the first page and felt like I was there too, experiencing the same things as Macy. Dessen writes real life events, which range from catering parties to heart attacks, and she writes convincing characters and story lines. I could easily believe how Macy and Wes met, the friendship they formed and how they helped each other

I loved all the characters. Macy was so easy to like. She volunteered at the library to help her distant boyfriend, she helped out her Mum, she tried to find a way to heal and she was a lovely friend. Wes was a gorgeous character. He used art to help himself and he was sensitive and truthful. What I really liked was that even though they were the two main characters, we did learn about others in the book too. Adding in them and their personalities helped make the book real and even more enjoyable.

What I really like about Dessen is how she uses creativity to help on find themselves. In Just Listen she uses music and in this novel she uses art. The main male characters introduce the idea and the girls go on a route of discovery. This adds depth and an idea of how one can find themselves or heal.

There are many reasons why I like Sarah Dessen. She writes amazing stories, great characters and is engaging and realistic. This might be aimed at teenagers but I think adults will enjoy this book too. I read over 300 pages in one go, I was hooked and I was sad when the book ended. And I just have to say, I love the cover too. It jumps out and makes me want to pick up the book. Top marks from me.

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The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent

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Waterstones Synopsis:

Martha Carrier was hanged on August 19th 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, unyielding in her refusal to admit to being a witch, going to her death rather than joining the ranks of men and women who confessed and were thereby spared execution. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and wilful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live.In this startling novel, she narrates the story of her early life in Andover, near Salem. Her father is a farmer, English in origin, quietly stoical but with a secret history. Her mother is a herbalist, tough but loving, and above all a good mother. Often at odds with each other, Sarah and her mother have a close but also cold relationship, yet it is clear that Martha understands her daughter like no other. When Martha is accused of witchcraft, and the whisperings in the community escalate, she makes her daughter promise not to stand up for her if the case is taken to court. As Sarah and her brothers are hauled into the prison themselves, the vicious cruelty of the trials is apparent, as the Carrier family, along with other innocents, are starved and deprived of any decency, battling their way through the hysteria with the sheer willpower their mother has taught them.

This is the first Kathleen Kent novel I have read and the first book sent during the Salem Witch Trials – and I have to say I was pleased on both fronts. This book follows Sarah, a girl whose mother is hanged because people believe she is a witch. Girls in the town point and accuse and the citizens fates are decided. Her family face all sorts of hardships and find themselves cooped up in prison too. By using what their mother has taught them they have to learn how to depend on each other and survive.

I really enjoyed this book however I did find that it had a slow beginning. Once I got halfway through I started to really enjoy it and I felt the pace picked up. Kent was descriptive and I found the way she described the life, the fear and the horror of the prisons fascinating – although harrowing too. She lit my imagination and I felt I was there too, also experiencing the suffering.

I liked Kent’s characters. I admired Sarah’s mother Martha, who was strong until the end. She protected her family, even if that meant she faced death. I found Sarah an interesting read – it seemed she needed someone to cling onto, such as her cousin Margaret, but I liked how her character developed and the way her and her older brother joined together and survived.

I found this a harrowing read. I didn’t have any problems with the history – in fact this has opened the doors to this era for me and now I hope to read more from this genre. I think Kent dealt with the issues at hand well and I was fascinated to discover this is her family’s story – passed down through generations. Once I got past the slow start this story opened up and pulled me in and I really enjoyed it.

4/5

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