Book Review: The Bookshop on Jacaranda Street by Marlish Glorie

 The Bookshop on Jacaranda Street

by

Marlish Glorie

Publisher: Fremantle Press

Publication date: 2nd May 2023

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 304

RRP: $32.99AU (paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Beauty and Lace Book Club

 

My review of The Bookshop on Jacaranda Street

The Bookshop on Jacaranda Street was originally published in 2009 and has been re-released by Fremantle Press with a new, modern updated cover.

The book opens on quite a dramatic scene as Helen has  had enough of her husband's hoarding and living with dead people's belongings, she drags her bed outside and attacks it with an axe.

Helen, hoping to start a new life, eventually leaves her husband and with the help of her long-time neighbour, Astrid, she buys an old rundown bookshop. 

I quite enjoyed this quirky and poignant story about the messiness that is family. Glorie shows how serious hoarding can destroy relationships. Helen and Arnold's two sons had left home to get away from the mess and they very rarely saw them but when they heard their mother had actually left their father, both boys found their way home.

Marlish Glorie's writing is witty and candid. I felt this story was a bit of a tragi-comedy. It's a story of love, loss and grief, of second chances and doing the best you can. I loved the finely nuanced characters, all inexplicably tied to each other. The story is funny at times and at other times quite profound.

I'm a bit of a hoarder myself, not to the extent that Arnold hoards, but I love teacups and teapots. And of course books!

This quote in the book had me in stitches, because this is exactly what I tell my children. 🤣🤣

"One day, all this will be yours. And Vivian's. It's your inheritance. I've been thinking about your future."

 The Bookshop on Jacaranda Street may not be to everyone's liking, but I loved it!

5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Marlish Glorie is a novelist, short story writer, mentor and teacher of creative writing. Her short stories have been published in national anthologies. Marlish lives in Perth, Western Australia with her husband. She is currently working on another novel, and also volunteers at Trillion Trees.

 

Book Review: The Unbreakables by Lisa Barr

The Unbreakables

by

Lisa Barr

When your life falls apart.......  create a new one 

 

Publisher: Welbeck Publishing Group

Publication date: 2nd May 2023

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 352

RRP: $32.99AU (paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Review: The Unbreakables 

Who could ever forget the big Ashley Madison blow-up! Author Lisa Barr has used this as the inspiration behind her latest novel, The Unbreakables.

Three couples, best friends, all happily married until one couple finds the husband's infidelity splashed  all over the internet.

Sophie is shattered, her perfect life and perfect friendships all collapse in one devastating night. Sophie flees to Paris to be with her teenage daughter and to ponder what she really wants from life.

The Unbreakables is a wonderful story about finding yourself and rebuilding your life. Sophie had spent the last twenty years looking after her husband and daughter, neglecting herself and her own needs. She thought she was happy but when it all fell apart she could see that they were willing to take all of her and give nothing in return.

I loved the backdrop of Paris! If you are going to nurse a broken heart, Paris is the place to do it.

The "finding yourself threesome" may be a bit cliched but there are lots of gems of wisdom dispensed throughout the novel.

Barr highlights how easy it is for women to get lost in wifedom and motherhood, leaving their career, and often their true self is squashed, hidden under their duty to others.

The Unbreakables has all the ingredients of an on screen drama; conflict, setting, pace, drama, gas-lighting and eclectic characters.

I liked that the book was set in parts and each part focused on a portion of Sophie's journey from the betrayal, running away, the release, the awakening to acceptance and closure. 

4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Lisa Barr is the New York Times bestselling author of Woman on Fire, The Unbreakables and the award-winning historical thriller Fugitive Colours, which won the IPPY gold medal for Best Literary Fiction 2014 and first prize at The Hollywood Film Festival (Opus Magnum Discovery Award).

Lisa served as an editor for The Jerusalem Post, managing editor of Today's Chicago Woman, managing editor of Moment magazine, and as an editor/reporter for Chicago Sun-Times.

In breaking book news: Actress Sharon Stone is set to produce and star in the film adaptation of Woman on Fire.

Book Review: The Money Club by Fiona Lowe

 The Money Club

by

Fiona Lowe

Wealth. Trust. Betrayal. 

Publisher: Harlequin Australian

 

Publication date: 3rd May 2023 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 528

RRP: $32.99AU (Paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

My review of The Money Club

With The Money Club Fiona Lowe brings her readers right into a small country town devastated when a well respected member of their community goes missing, along with the money they invested with him.

Brad Quinn is charismatic and affable. He and his fiancée, Izzy, live a life of luxury and Brad is happy to share the secret to his success with his close friends and family. As the money rolls in everyone in Brad's Elite Club is able to buy luxury cars and overseas holidays, until Brad and their money disappear.

Fiona explores how easy it is for people to be caught up in these schemes when they are advised by a close friend, preying on the bonds between them.

I found it very hard to like any of the characters or find any sympathy for them. Many of the characters blamed everyone but themselves for their loss. I did however like the growth of the three main characters. Izzy, Lucy and Birdie showed great strength and fortitude by the closing of the book.

I enjoyed the mystery part of the plot and this had me hooked as the tension hung in the air and there was an unexpected turn of events that truly shocked me.

Fiona Lowe explores themes of community, family, home ownership, trust, friendship, financial stress and starting over.

Does the small town of Glingilly survive this devastating financial blow? You will have to read the book to find out!

My rating 3.5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐½

About the author

Fiona Lowe has been a midwife, a sexual health counsellor and a family support worker; an ideal career for an author who writes novels about family and relationships. She spent her early years in Papua New Guinea where, without television, reading was the entertainment and it set up a lifelong love of books. Although she often re-wrote the endings of books in her head, it was the birth of her  first child that prompted her to write her first novel. A recipient of the prestigious USA RITA award and the Australian RuBY award. Fiona writes books that are set in small country towns. They feature real people facing difficult choices and explore how family ties and relationships impact on their decisions.

When she is not writing stories, she's a distracted wife, mother of two 'ginger' sons, a volunteer in her community, guardian of eighty rose bushes, a slave to a cat, and is often found collapsed on the couch with wine.

 

Book Review: In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer

 In a New York Minute

by

Kate Spencer

Their love story has gone viral. But it hasn't even begun.... 

 

Publisher: Macmillan Australia

Publication date: 29th March 2022

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance / RomCom

 

Pages: 309

 

RRP: $26.99AU (paperback)

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of In a New York Minute

I really enjoyed this lighthearted romcom. A meet-cute with a backdrop of New York City.

Just when she thinks she is on the way up and due for a promotion Franny is put off her job. Her life goes from bad to worse when her dress is caught in the subway door and tears wide open. Hayes is on the same train and seeing Franny is now a blubbering mess gives her his jacket to cover up. Franny is mortified when she finds out their encounter was videoed and is now trending on Instagram as #subwayQTs.

"The world's worst meet-cute had been turned into an adorable romantic comedy that everyone was talking about'

Franny hopes to never see the Hot Suit guy again but the universe has a different idea when they keep bumping into each other.

 

In a New York Minute was such a fun read. A slow burn romance with just the right amount of angst. 

Franny is vivacious and outgoing although she harbours insecurity and self-doubt . Hayes is awkward, methodical and a workaholic. This was a perfect opposites attract story!

 

I loved Franny's friends and it's so nice to read about females supporting each other and genuinely happy about each other's successes. Everyone needs friends like Cleo and Lola.

 

New York shines bright in this novel and Kate Spencer's love for the city radiates throughout the book. 

 

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Kate Spencer is the co-host of the award-winning podcast Forever35 and author of the memoir The Dead Mom's Club. In a New York Minute is her first novel. She writes a bi-monthly column for In Style, and her written work has been published by the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, and numerous other places. Previously she worked as a senior editor and producer at VH1.

She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters.

 

 

Book Review: What is Left Over After by Natasha Lester

What is Left Over After

by

Natasha Lester

Publisher: Fremantle Press

 

Publication date: 15th November 2022 (re-release) 

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

 

Pages: 288

 

RRP: $32.99AUD (Paperback) 

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Beauty and Lace book club

 

This review first appeared on Beauty and Lace Book Club

 

My review of What is Left Over After

I was excited to hear of the re-release of Natasha Lester's debut novel What is Left Over After.

I’ve been a big fan of Natasha Lester’s books for years and her A Kiss for Mr Fitzgerald would have to be one of my favourite books ever. Her Historical Fiction novels have been published all over the world.

I have loved following Natasha’s strong female leads in her historical novels; trail blazers for women’s rights.
 

For me, What is Left Over After was a little different to Lester’s novels I am used to reading. This is contemporary fiction and the main character, Gaelle, is broken after suffering a life altering tragedy. Gaelle is filled with self-hate and quite unlikeable at the beginning of the novel.  She feels she can never be any different from her mother and she acts out on these feelings filling herself with more hate and self-doubt. She does the only thing she knows; she runs away from her life and husband.
 

As Gaelle hides in a small seaside town in Western Australia where no-one knows her past, she begins to open up to a vivacious thirteen-year-old girl. She tells the young girl the story of her life, growing up with a mostly absent mother and no father, continually moving from place to place. The pouring out of her life story comes as a strange fairytale her mother told her as a child.
 

What is Left Over After is a heart-breaking story of love and loss. Lester explores the concept of what makes us who we are and can you change your life after a dysfunctional childhood.

The story is emotional and the tragedy real. It has a strange story within a story with the inclusion of the fairytale.
 

Natasha Lester’s writing is engaging and even in this debut novel her potential shines through.  

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Natasha Lester worked as a marketing executive for L'Oreal before turning her hand to writing. She won the Hungerford Award for her first novel What is Left Over After. Since then She has become A New York Times - bestselling author of seven historical novels, including The French Photographer, The Paris Secret, The Riviera House, and The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre. Her books have been translated into many different languages and are published all around the world. When she's not writing, she loves collecting vintage fashion and practicing the art of fashion illustration. Natasha lives with her husband and three children in Perth, Western Australia.

Other books I've read by Natasha:

https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogspot.com/2020/10/book-review-paris-seamstress-by-natasha.html

https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogspot.com/2020/10/book-review-paris-seamstress-by-natasha.html

 

https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogspot.com/2021/08/book-review-riviera-house-by-natasha.html 

https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-kiss-from-mr-fitzgerald.html

 

 

 

Book Review: How to be Remembered by Michael Thompson

How to be Remembered

by

Michael Thompson

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Publication date: 28th February 2023

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

 

Pages: 352

 

RRP: $32.99AU (Paperback)

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of How to be Remembered

As soon as I heard about How to be Remembered I couldn't wait to read it, and Michael Thompson didn't disappoint.

 

Every year, on his birthday, Tommy's life is reset. Everything about him disappears and everyone forgets him. On his first birthday his parents awake to a strange baby in their house, the presents wrapped the night before gone, no baby toys or clothes. The police take Tommy to Milkwood House, a foster care home. 

 

Can you just imagine every year you are the new child at the foster care home, obviously dropped overnight by child services, there is no paperwork, nothing. Every year you have to start over as the new child at school, introducing yourself to your friends.

 

How to be Remembered is a beautiful and heart-wrenching story of belonging, leaving your mark, falling in love and the fear of being forgotten.

 

I love magical realism, you just have let go and believe in the unbelievable. Michael Thompson has cleverly plotted this imaginative debut and I just loved going along for the ride. 

You will fall in love with Tommy and ride his ups and downs wanting him to succeed and build a life. There may be tears, okay there will be tears. 😭

 

I'm excited to see what Michael Thompson comes up with next!

 

My rating 5 / 5 💖💖💖💖💖 

About the author

Michael Thompson has been a successful journalist, producer and media executive for the last fifteen years. He lives in Sydney with his wife and two young children. How to be Remembered is his first novel.

 

Book Review: The Way from Here by Jane Cockram

The Way from Here

by

Jane Cockram

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Publication date: 2nd March 2022

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

 

Pages: 320

 

RRP: $29.99AU (Paperback)

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of The Way from Here

The Way from Here is a twisty family saga that had me captivated from start to finish.

 

When Susie dies suddenly from a fall from a ladder her older sister Mills is grief-stricken. Then Mills receives a bundle of letters written by Susie to be opened after her death. Each states a place she would like Mills to spread her ashes.

 

I've read a few books with posthumous letters and I like that they have all had a different style to them and different connections between the letter writer and the recipient

 

The Way from Here is narrated through a dual time-line with present day Mills on her quest to retrace Susie's holiday and sprinkle her ashes in the places that somehow changed Susie's life forever and 1998 with 19 year old Susie on her summer holiday.

 

Jane Cockram's writing flows well and the story is easy to read I enjoyed both timelines with the evocative descriptions of the French coastal town of Ile de Clair and the mystery of Mills revisiting these areas and slowly uncovering deep and heart-breaking secrets. 

There were lots of red herrings which sent me running off at tangents and never guessing the real story until the very end.

If you enjoy twisty family sagas you will love The Way from Here.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Jane Cockram studied journalism at RMIT, majoring in Literature. After completing post-graduate studies in Publishing and Communication at Melbourne University, she worked in sales for Pan Macmillan Publishers and then as fiction buyer at Borders, fulfilling a childhood dream of reading for a living. Cockram spent a year living in the West Country of England, where the House of Brides is set, and still daydreams about returning. In the meantime, she resides in Melbourne with her husband and two children.

Book Review: The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital by Joanna Nell

 The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital

by

Joanna Nell

Publisher: Hachette Australia

 

Publication date: 29th September 2021

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

 

Pages: 352 (paperback)

 

Source: Own purchase

 

My review of The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital

The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital is the perfect read if you want something light and uplifting that also contains a bit of substance. 

Inevitably at some stage in your life, whether as visitor or patient, you will come across the wonderful women who volunteer their services at local hospitals, serving tea and providing a listening ear for patients and their families.

Hilary is the militant manageress of The Marjorie Marshall Memorial cafeteria situated in St Jude's Hospital. Hilary, now separated from her husband Jim and his lucrative income, is living in her sister's spare room. With Hilary it is all about keeping up appearances and she battles on with no idea how she will manage her future.

New recruit Joy is vivacious, colourful and full of life. She was encouraged by husband Len to take up some volunteer work outside the home.

Chloe is an anxious seventeen-year-old volunteering at the cafe to complete her Duke of Edinburgh Award. Chloe neglects her own wants in the aim to please her hard-working and ambitious parents.

I loved Joanna Nell's eclectic group of characters. I like the way Joanna uses older characters that are vibrant and break the stereo-typical role of older people. They all had problems they kept to themselves whilst putting on a brave front. When the very existence of the cafe is jeopardised in the name of progress the three unlikely friends band together to try and save the little cafe.

The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital is a heart-warming story, filled with humour and pathos, that celebrates unlikely friendships and standing up for yourself.

my rating 5 /5   ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Joanna Nell was born in the UK and studied medicine at Cambridge and Oxford universities. Her essays and short fiction have won multiple awards and been published in medical journals and literary anthologies. A former ship's doctor and now working as a GP, Joanna writes character-driven stories, creating young-at-heart characters who are not afraid to break rules and defy society's expectations of ageing.  Her first three novels were national bestsellers. Joanna lives on Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Other books I've read by Joanna Nell:

https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogspot.com/2018/10/book-review-single-ladies-of-jacaranda.html

Book Review: The House of Now and Then by Jo Dixon

 The House of Now and Then

by

Jo Dixon

A lonely house. A missing boy. A long-held secret.

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Publication date: 4th January 2023

 

Genre: Crime / Mystery

 

Pages: 432

 

RRP: $29.99AU (Paperback) 

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of The House of Now and Then

The House of Now and Then is a compelling mystery read, with plot twists that had me reeling.

 

Narrated in dual time-lines; the now being 2017 with Olivia living in Eloise's secluded house in the Tasmanian bush; then, is 30 years earlier in 1985 with friends Jeremy, Pippa and Rebecca house-sitting for Eloise in the same house.

Eloise's architecturally designed house is a central part of the story. For Olivia it is a secluded place to hide from a scandal that has destroyed her life. The three young friends are there to enjoy time together before Jeremy moves to England.

Jo Dixon builds empathy in her readers before disclosing Olivia's scandalous past so you can't help but be on her side. Jeremy, Pippa and Rebecca are fun loving and easy to like but tensions start to build between the three as the story progresses and Pippa meets Leo and brings him into the group.

The two plot-lines play out separately and I was intrigued as to how they would connect.

As Olivia is pulled into the mystery of Leo's disappearance she starts to open up to the people of the small rural town finding friendship and acceptance.

I love it when you open a book that is impossible to put down! The House of Now and Then has a mystery that is so thick there isn't a hint of what's going on. I felt a real compulsion to get to the end and find out the truth behind the disappearance and if Olivia could move on from her past mistakes and reclaim her life.

The House of Now and Then is an intriguing read with decades old secrets, compelling twists and a host of flawed, but real, characters.

This is a powerful debut by Jo Dixon and I'm looking forward to seeing what she delivers next!

My rating 5/5    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Over ten years ago, Jo moved from suburban Brisbane to rural Tasmania. Since then, she's been wrangling an ever-growing collection of animals, bringing up two sons, and attempting to transform blackberry-infested paddocks into beautiful gardens. Now, she also writes full-time, creating twisty, suspenseful stories. The House of Now and Then is her debut novel. She is now working on her second book.

Book Review & Giveaway: The Manuscript by Lucy Bloom

 The Manuscript

by

Lucy Bloom

A story of revenge

Publisher: Flamingo Publishing

Publication date: 1st March 2023

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 368 Paperback

RRP: $32.99AU

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via DMCPR Media

My review of The Manuscript

The Manuscript wasn't at all what I expected, although it was still an entertaining read.

Accomplished author Edith Scott, recently divorced, wishes to shake-up her life. She starts meeting men through dating apps and also decides to switch her writing genre from historical drama to thriller.

She goes on many dates, falling for some and simply befriending others. When some of the men in her life treat her badly she decides to kill them off through her characters, obtaining a literary revenge. Little does she know that karma is dealing with them in real life.

Bloom is an advocate for women and there is quite a feminist lean to the story but not all Edith's male interests are cads. There are those that simply make wrong decisions and one that is totally chivalrous.

Cleverly plotted with interweaving loops and connections that will leave you speechless. No character is safe from Bloom's authorial sword.

The Manuscript is candid, raw and intriguing; filled with laugh-out-loud moments it also has depth, with a lot of fact mixed in with the fiction.

I did however find it hard to connect with Edith, she came across as self-centred. Edith's best friend Rachel was a fabulous supporting character; married with children she lived vicariously through Edith's adventures.

There are some profanities but they are not gratuitous.

My rating 3/5    ⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Lucy Bloom was born in Africa. She is an international keynote speaker and consulting CEO with a background in advertising and international aid. She has three teenage children and is the author of two other books: a childbirth guide for men and her memoir, Get the Girls Out. The Manuscript is her debut novel. 

Giveaway

Thanks to The Publisher and DMCPR Media I have one paperback copy of The Manuscript to give away. Entry is via the form below. Entries closed at 6pm AEDT on 15th March 2023.

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced here:  https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogspot.com/2023/03/winner-of-copy-of-manuscript-announced.html

Book Review: Twenty-Six Letters by Charlotte Nash

Twenty-Six Letters

by

Charlotte Nash

A bundle of secrets.

A mother she never knew.

A future she never dreamed. 

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication date: 2nd August 2022

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

 

Pages: 424

 

RRP: $32.99AU Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

 

My review of Twenty-Six Letters

Twenty-Six Letters is a heartfelt mother/daughter relationship that plays out posthumously as Wilhelmina (Wil) gets to know her mother through letters she wrote before she died.

The story opens with a 30 year old Wil. She is a bit of a mess, partying too hard and unreliable. She always  seems to be in some sort of trouble and her father has had enough. He threatens to kick her out if she messes up one more time. Well you can guess what happens here.

I felt sorry for Will who had lost her mother at a young age and she felt that she didn't fit in with her family. But I could also understand her father's frustration.

When Wil comes into possession of the letters, which were supposed to be given to her one a year but somehow got misplaced, the story moves to her mother and her life growing up. 

I didn't really connect with the letters and how each year the mother presumed she would know how Wil felt and what she was going through. I really didn't like how the mother kept putting down Wil's father in the letters. This was the man that had brought her up since she was five and patiently put up with all her nonsense. It made me quite angry.

Wil follows her mother's letters back to a gorgeous little country town in England where her mother grew up. I loved this part of the story with the Lord of the area and all the country folk knowing exactly who was coming and going and what was happening. The ending was predictable, but I do love a happy ending!

 

my rating 3.5/5   ⭐⭐⭐½

 

About the author

 

Credit: Goodreads

 Charlotte Nash is the internationally published author of seven contemporary novels, most recently Saving You and On a Starlight Ocean. She has degrees in engineering and medicine and a PhD in creative writing, which used the neuroscience of reading to understand how cleverly-crafted technical fiction appeals to our narrative brains. As a firm believer in unlikely pairings, she is an engineer by day and writes smart, unusual love stories by night. She has taught writing through The University of Queensland, QUT, Queensland Writers Centre and the University of Technology Sydney.

 

Book Review: Broad River Station by Fleur McDonald

 Broad River Station

by

Fleur McDonald

Broad River Station is Fleur McDonald's 20th Novel and a ripper of a read! 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication date: 1st November 2022

Genre: Contemporary/Rural/Crime

Pages: 368 

RRP: $29.99 Paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

My review of Broad River Station

Broad River Station is another engrossing, rural set, police procedural from Fleur McDonald.

 

Wanting to be near her elderly grandmother, newly graduated police officer Mia Worth has moved to Broad River and is about to start at her first station as the only female with five male police officers.

Mia is treated as a liability, not only because she is a female but also a rookie.

I love how Fleur writes strong female characters in male dominated roles and we see them push ahead through prejudice and adversity.

 

A few different plot lines are introduced in Broad River Station, all relevant to rural communities; Mia's grandmother has dementia but in moments of lucidity she alludes to a mystery surrounding Mia's father, an organic farmer's crop is sabotaged and a young child goes missing.

 

I enjoyed getting to know Mia and how she fits into Broad River and nearby Burra. Det Dave Burrows is a secondary character but it was nice to have some familiar faces pop in with Dave and Kim, Jack and Zara. I love how Dave gives advice to both Jack and Mia and encourages them in their jobs, just like Bob did with Dave when he was younger.

 

Broad River Station is another fantastic read from Fleur McDonald. If you haven't yet gotten into Fleur's books, what are you waiting for!!!

 

Rural crime at its best. Fleur knows farming and the rural setting and it's evident in her stories.  

 

My rating 5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Fleur McDonald has lived and worked on farms for much of her life. After growing up in the small town of Orroroo in South Australia, she went jillarooing, eventually co-owning an 8000-acre property in regional Western Australia.

Fleur likes to write about strong women overcoming adversity, drawing inspiration from her own experience in rural Australia. She has two children and an energetic kelpie.

 

 Other books I've reviewed by Fleur McDonald

Without a Doubt 

Something to Hide 

The Shearer's Wife 

Rising Dust 

Red Dust 

Red Dirt Country 

Deception Creek 

 

Book Review: The Work Wives by Rachael Johns

The Work Wives

by

Rachael Johns

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Publication date: 3rd November 2022

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

 

Pages: 528

 

RRP: $32.99 Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of The Work Wives

The Work Wives is narrated through three very different, yet connected, women. Debra, a single mum in her early 40's, Quinn, a 27 year old dating app addict and Ramona, Debra's 15 year old daughter.

 

Debra and Quinn work together and are best friends. 

When the tall and handsome new Director of Sales is introduced Quinn is instantly keen to get to know him better, only Debra already knows him, they have history.

 

Being a SAHM for decades now I'd never heard the term 'work wives' but I enjoyed the pair's work antics with emails and meet-ups in the photocopy room. I liked that Johns included an age-gap friendship between Debra and Quinn and how they encouraged each other to do things differently. But it wasn't all plain sailing between them, there was also plenty of friction which kept the story interesting. I also enjoyed the generational friendship between Quinn and her elderly neighbour. Quinn really was an exceptional character, young and full of life but also caring and a little lost.

 

With themes of romance, misogyny, bullying, teenage dramas, cancel culture, gaslighting, friendship and social media Rachael Johns has packed a lot of drama into The Work Wives. It's a long book but it moves along at a fast pace.

It might come across as a little contrived but I loved it anyway and couldn't put it down, reading late into the night.

My only let down was the plot twist - I may have even groaned.

I loved that it was set in my home town of Sydney, with lots of local landmarks, and I think Rachael did a fabulous job of the setting. 

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Rachael Johns is an English teacher by trade, a mum 24/7, a Diet Coke addict, a cat lover and chronic arachnophobe. She is also the bestselling, ABIA-winning author of The Patterson Girls and a number of other romance and women's fiction books including The Art of Keeping Secrets, The Greatest Gift, Lost Without You, Just One Wish, Something to Talk About, Flying the Nest and How to Mend a Broken Heart. Rachael rarely sleeps, never irons and loves nothing more than sitting in bed with her laptop and imagining her own stories. She is currently Australia's leading writer of contemporary relationship stories around women's issues, a genre she has coined 'life-lit'. Rachael lives in the Swan Valley with her hyperactive husband, three mostly gorgeous heroes-in-training, two ravenous cats, a cantankerous bird and a very badly behaved dog.Rachael loves to hear from readers and can be contacted via her website rachaeljohns.com. She is also on Facebook and Instagram.

 

Book Review: Shelter From the Storm by Penelope Janu

 Shelter From the Storm

by

Penelope Janu

When Patience Cartwright is stranded in her home town, the last thing she expects is a second chance at love.... 

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Publication date: 4th January 2023

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Romance

 

Pages: 448

 

RRP: $29.99AUD paperback

 

Source: Better Reading Preview

 

My review of Shelter From the Storm 

Patience Cartwright’s life is the Navy, all she wants is to be at sea. A clash with her superiors sees her with the choice of either leaving the Navy forever or accepting a secondment to work with a group of environmentalists on a national project.

There is only one problem, Hugo Halstead, the man who broke her heart years ago is head biologist on the team.
 

I love how Penelope Janu has delivered a story about the environment and biodiversity that is wonderfully informative and blended it with a heartfelt romance. In Shelter From the Storm Janu effortlessly weaves vivid descriptions of the countryside and local bird-life into the narrative.
 

Patience is a delightful character, smart and stubborn but also vulnerable. She is a character you will warm to right from the beginning. Patience excels at all things mathematical and she uses maths as a coping mechanism to calm herself by counting and doing equations and calculations in her head. I enjoyed this side of Patience because calculus has always fascinated me and I love anything numbers.
 

In Shelter From the Storm Penelope Janu touches on subjects such as occupational sexism, child abuse, PTSD, environmental issues and biodiversity. I loved all the information on frogs and it’s easy to see this is a topic dear to the author.
 

I totally enjoyed Shelter From the Storm brimming with secrets, twists and a heartwarming romance. It is a captivating story about breaking down walls, overcoming past hurts and moving on with your life.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Penelope Janu lives on the coast in Northern Sydney with a distracting husband, a very large dog and, now they are fully grown, six delightful children who come and go. Penelope has a passion for creating stories that explore social and environmental issues, but her novels are fundamentally a celebration of Australian characters and communities. Penelope enjoys riding horses, exploring the Australian countryside and dreaming of challenging hiking adventures. Nothing makes her happier as a writer than readers falling in love with her clever, complex and adventurous heroines and heroes.

 

Other books I've read by Penelope Janu.

On the Same Page

 

Book Review: Becoming Beth by Meredith Appleyard

 Becoming Beth

by

Meredith Appleyard

 

She's remembered the truth about her own life... what happens now?

 

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

 

Publication date: 7th September 2022

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

 

Pages: 418

 

RRP: $32.99AUD Paperback

 

Source: Beauty & Lace Book Club

 

My review of Becoming Beth

 

This review first appeared on the Beauty & Lace Book Club 

 

Becoming Beth is a story about finding yourself after major life upheavals and moving on.

 

Beth is in her 50's and back at her childhood home after an unexpected marriage breakdown. She has left her job and needs time to mourn not only her marriage but also decades of old hurt and the loss of her mother after a severe stroke.

 

I loved that Meredith has given her readers an older character having to start over in life. Beth is living with her elderly father however he is not frail and is quite able to care for himself and Meredith Appleyard touches on the stigma of mature children living at home with their parents unless they are a carer.

 

Becoming Beth is set during the pandemic with mentions of lockdowns, social distancing and disinfectant spray. These were all a part of our lives for so long and I liked that it was included in the novel rather than setting it during a previous year. I think I am now ready to read books with covid restrictions affecting families with parents dying, no visitors, no funeral. I couldn't have done that a year ago.

In Becoming Beth Meredith Appleyard highlights problems faced by small country towns with fundraising to maintain community halls. I loved how the townsfolk all worked together and helped each other. The whole book had a lovely community feel with people of all ages working together for the good of the community. 

 

Meredith Appleyard portrays the heat of an Australian summer with ease. I breezed through this book, it was such an immersive story with just the right amount of drama and a couple of mysteries running through it.

The only thing I would have liked a bit more of was the romance element.

 

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

 

About the author

 

Meredith Appleyard lives in the Clare Valley wine-growing region of South Australia, two hours north of Adelaide. As a registered nurse and midwife, she has worked in a wide range of country health practice settings, including the Royal Flying Doctor Service. She has done agency nursing in London and volunteer work in Vietnam. After her first manuscript was rejected, she joined a writers' group, attended workshops and successfully completed an Advanced Diploma of Arts in Professional Writing with the Adelaide College of the Arts. And she kept working. When she isn't writing, Meredith is reading, helping organise the annual Clare Writers' Festival, or at home with her husband and her border collie, Daisy