Book Review: The Sugar Palace by Fiona McIntosh

 I thoroughly enjoyed this Historical Fiction, set in the 1920's, by prolific Australian author Fiona McIntosh.

I think that the setting of Sydney CBD enhanced the story for me and gave me an added connection to the characters, as being my home town, all scenes were easily imagined. 

 

Grace Fairweather works in her parents' grocery store however she has dreams of one day owning her own confectionery store.

When she meets the charismatic Alfie Sweeting she is immediately smitten. Alfie encourages her to reach for the stars and pushes her to realise her dreams but all is not easy going as Alfie has ties to the dark underbelly of Sydney and those ties are not easily broken.

 I loved all the mentions of the sweets that Grace was making and how they came up with names and marketed the business.

There is lots of tension as the seedier side of Sydney is prevalent in Alfie's life and McIntosh adds an element of reality by including some of the more infamous characters from that era.

 

I was barracking for Grace to succeed. She was strong and determined. She spoke her mind and didn't judge people less fortunate than herself.  

The Sugar Palace was an engaging tale of double crossing, crime, drug dealing and extortion wrapped around toffee apples, fairy floss and chocolates.

 

I am so glad that The Global Girls Online Book Club picked The Sugar Palace as their monthly read.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia 

Publication date: 10th October 2023

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 382

Source: Own Copy

 

 

 

 

Book Review: One Dark Night by Hannah Richell

 One Dark Night was my first read by English/Australian author Hannah Richell and I'm pleased that she has a great backlist that I can catch up on.

 

It's the night of Halloween and a group of teenagers meet in the woods near an area that is believed to be haunted by the ghost of a girl in a white dress. The next day one of the teens is found dead.

 

As the investigation gets underway we can see a lot of the teens are lying, and seem to be hiding something.

DS Ben Chase is leading the case and the story includes some of his tumultuous personal life.

 

Richell incorporates plenty of red herrings steering the reader this way and that. There was an ever growing list of suspects and I was sure I had picked the murderer many times. I love a thriller where I can't make up my mind whodunit, and it has me jumping to conclusions.

 

One Dark Night is a fabulously creepy and atmospheric thriller with the perfect setting that creates chills up your spine, a superb cast of characters and a final reveal that took me totally by surprise.

 

One Dark Night is a must-read for thriller fans, one that will keep you up late into the night.

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia

Publication date: 1st January 2025

Genre: Crime / Thriller

Pages: 432

RRP: AU$32.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

 

 

Book Review: Present Tense by Natalie Conyer

After reading and loving Shadow City I was delighted  to receive a copy of Present Tense, Natalie Conyer's debut novel.

 

Present Tense is the first book featuring South African Detective Schalk Lourens, named by his literary father after Oom Schalk Lourens, the main character in Herman Charles Bosman's novels. I loved that there was that tiny bit of humour as Schalk's namesake is mentioned by everyone he meets.

Present Tense is a dark and atmospheric political thriller set during the explosive time preceding an election.

Having read book 2, Shadow City, first I did know some outcomes but it didn't spoil the story for me.

 

Schalk is a flawed character, some of his decisions aren't the best, but he is trying to do the right thing in a country shrouded in corruption, cover ups and murderous acts of revenge.

 

Conyer expertly renders the civil unrest in South Africa but lightens it with the beauty and majesty of a beautiful land, showing how fiercely loyal South Africans are to their country. 

 

Keenly plotted with wonderful support characters, Present Tense will delight fans of hard-boiled police procedurals. 

 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 3rd December 2024

Series: A Schalk Lourens Mystery #1

Genre: Crime / Mystery

Pages: 296

RRP: AU$32.99 (trade paperback)

Source: courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of SHADOW CITY

 

 

  

Book Review: The Night on the Darling River by Darry Fraser

 The Night on the Darling River is a wonderfully immersive historical fiction set in 1894 Australia, during the rising tensions of the shearers' strikes.

 

Whilst most of the story is set in Echuca on the Murray River, it was the night Tess spent on the Darling River that changed her life forever.

 

Tess has finally summoned the courage to leave her abusive husband, stealing away in the dead of night, only to find herself hiding on the wrong boat. She is inadvertently caught up in the violence between union and non-union shearers and ends up wounded and stranded on the banks of the Darling River. Tess finds friendship in Ava, a young woman deserted by her husband.

Darry Fraser brings to life the tent cities on the banks of the Darling where women have the choice of following their husbands from town to town or staying put and praying they will return.

 

I was totally addicted to Tess's story and the action and danger never let up. Fraser has created some marvelous characters; strong women banding together, kind generous men and there are always those we want to see get their just deserts. 

I love Australian Historical Fiction and The Night on the Darling River did not disappoint. Darry Fraser has given her readers a story that is rich in danger with a light romance thread dispersed throughout. Fraser highlights the plight of women during this period of history and the devastating effects of flooding on the riverside towns and their residents.

 

I'm excited to read more of Darry's backlog!

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Content: domestic violence

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Publication date: 4th December 2024

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 416

RRP: AU$32.99 (paperback)

Source: courtesy of the publisher

 

Other books I've read by Darry Fraser:

The Milliner of Benigo

The Last Truehart 

 

Winner of a copy of My Name is Gucci announced!!

 

A huge thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for a paperback copy of My Name is Gucci by Sun Jung.  The giveaway closed on the 21st March 2025 and the winner was randomly selected (using Wheelofnames) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to........ 

 

 

The winner has been notified and has seven days to provide a mailing address.

 

Thank you to Transit Lounge Publishing for sending me an extra copy to give away.

 

Please check under the Giveaway tab for more great giveaways! 

Book Review: Ten Ways to Find Love ... and how to keep it by Dr Lisa Portolan

I'm probably not the best person to review Ten Ways to Find Love as I've been married for 40 years and the dating scene has changed a lot since I met my husband. However, the "How to Keep It" part may be of interest to those in relationships AND those looking for love. 

Dr Lisa Portolan has a PhD that relates to dating apps and how intimacy is navigated and negotiated through digital landscapes. This makes me think that Lisa is well equipped to write a thought provoking book on love. 

The book is written in two parts with part one being Ten Ways to Find Love.

1. Date like you're on holidays 

2. Turf the little white lies

3. Sharing

4. Kindness

5. Get rid of the shopping list

6. Accept yourself as perfectly flawed

7. Invest in yourself

8. Get beyond the chitchat

9. A delicate balance

10. Positivity

I agreed with Lisa's 10 key headings, they all seemed pretty straightforward. However when she gets into case studies it's all about hook-ups, fakeness online and unrealistic expectations. It's little wonder people can't find a real lasting relationship.

 

Part two is ten ways to keep love. Again with ten key headings.

1. Love as work

2. I choose you

3. Use your words

4. Once upon a time in love

5. Physical touch and passion

6. Create a relationship that's right for you

7. The individual and the team

8. Kindness

9. Breaking the rules

10. Fun

Part two also includes case studies and quotes from people who have been in long term relationships.

 

"Complicating the issue is our consumer culture's fixation on the disposable and the new. When it comes to finding love, many of us become stuck in a cycle of looking for the next, even better relationship. Ironically, while we are on this quest for romantic novelty, we may also be craving long-term partnerships, feeling like failures if we don't achieve them." 

Although I didn't really find anything to connect with in this thought provoking book I think it will be of interest to readers who enjoy self-help books.

 

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 4th February 2025 

Genre: Non Fiction / Self Help

Pages: 272

RRP: AU$29.99 (paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

 

 

Book Review: The Dressmaker's Secret by Michelle Vernal

I was pleasantly surprised by The Dressmaker's Secret as I had no idea it was a timeslip story. I do love a time travel trope!

 

The pull of a mystery had me intrigued right from the prologue when a woman loses her 3 year old daughter.

 

Eighteen years later it's 1981 and Sabrina is living with Evelyn who had found her outside her bridalwear shop and had brought her up as her own.

The story follows Sabrina and best friend Florence as they go about their daily lives. When Sabrina meets Adam she realises she still has unresolved abandonment issues and needs to find out why her mother left her before she can have a meaningful relationship.

 

The story moves to 1928 when Sabrina moves through a timeslip. The 1928 timeline is narrated through Jane's point of view. Jane is a young housemaid in the manor where Sabrina finds a job. The more outspoken Sabrina helps Jane with her fledgling romance.

Vernal compares the everyday life and societal expectations of young women in each era.

The Dressmaker’s Secret is a light, easy and enjoyable read. I read it in a day! Filled with likeable and engaging characters with an intriguing mystery at the centre of the story. This is the first book in a series so the key plotline is left unresolved.

 

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐ 

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication date: 18th March 2025

Series: Brides of Bold Street #1

Genre: Historical Fiction / Time Travel

Pages: 309

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley