Book Club Book Review: Dressing the Dearloves by Kelly Doust

Title: Dressing the Dearloves
Author: Kelly Doust
Publisher: Harper Collins 
Publication Date: 20th August 2018
RRP: $32.99
Pages: 416
Format Read: paperback
Source: Publisher via Beauty & Lace book club

One crumbling grand manor house, a family in decline, five generations of women, and an attic full of beautiful clothes with secrets and lies hidden in their folds. Kelly Doust, author of Precious Things, spins another warm, glamorous and romantic mystery of secrets, love, fashion, families - and how we have to trust in ourselves, even in our darkest of days. One for lovers of Kate Morton, Belinda Alexandra, Fiona McIntosh and Lucy Foley.


Failed fashion designer Sylvie Dearlove is coming home to England - broke, ashamed and in disgrace - only to be told her parents are finally selling their once-grand, now crumbling country house, Bledesford, the ancestral home of the Dearlove family for countless generations.

Sylvie has spent her whole life trying to escape being a Dearlove, and the pressure of belonging to a family of such headstrong, charismatic and successful women. Beset by self-doubt, she starts helping her parents prepare Bledesford for sale, when she finds in a forgotten attic a thrilling cache of old steamer trunks and tea chests full of elaborate dresses and accessories acquired from across the globe by five generations of fashionable Dearlove women. Sifting through the past, she also stumbles across a secret which has been hidden - in plain sight - for decades, a secret that will change the way she thinks about herself, her family, and her future.

Romantic, warm, and glamorous, moving from Edwardian England to the London Blitz to present day London, Dressing the Dearloves is a story of corrosiveness of family secrets, the insecurities that can sabotage our best efforts, and the seductive power of dressing up.

Kelly Doust has had much involvement in fashion and publishing so to write a fictional novel with fashion at its core seems like a natural progression.

Dressing the Dearloves is a rich multi-generational story that moves effortlessly from present-day to the late 1920’s through to the early 1940’s spanning five generations of Dearloves.

Sylvie Dearlove returns home to England, her life in New York in ruins. Her fashion label has crashed and she has been declared bankrupt. Haunted by failure and wracked by guilt she runs to the only place she feels safe, the family’s estate Bledesford, only to find it in rack and ruin her parents barely able to afford the upkeep. Doust highlights the dire straits some families found themselves in trying to keep up with mounting expenses on these rambling estates and the work of the National Trust in helping owners open their homes to the public for viewing, tea rooms and weddings.

The Dearlove women are all strong, outspoken women. They are all very arty and clothing and fashion is a passion passed down through the generations. All the beautiful gowns and day wear have been stored in the attic from the 1920’s through to the 1960’s. I loved how the items of clothing were tied to memorable moments in the Dearlove women’s lives and Doust seamlessly moved from an unearthed fashion piece to the relevant time and story concerning that piece.

Dressing the Dearloves is an engaging story of love and war and doing what’s expected in times where skeletons were pushed firmly to the back of the closet only to be released with a lot of poking and questions asked.

The story evolved with the unique addition of internet search items, newspaper excerpts and diary entries. I particularly liked the for sale advertisement for Bledesford which described the estate beautifully.

I was captivated by this story from beginning to end and my mind was reeling as the secrets just kept coming and coming.

My rating 5/5                🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

*This review is part of the Beauty & Lace Book Club.

Dressing the Dearloves is book #28 in the Australian Women Writers challenge

and part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge

Photo courtesy of Goodreads

Since 2009, Kelly Doust has published five non-fiction books about craft and fashion: THE CRAFTY MINX, THE CRAFTY KID, A LIFE IN FROCKS: A MEMOIR, MINXY VINTAGE (all Murdoch Books) THE CRAFTY MINX AT HOME (HarperCollins). She has a background in book publishing and publicity, and has worked in the UK, Hong Kong and Australia and freelanced for magazines such as Vogue, Australian Women’s Weekly and Sunday Life Magazine. She currently lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and daughter.

Book Review: Treasure Hunt at Pirate's Paradise by Mahima Kalla

Title: Treasure Hunt at Pirate's Paradise
Author: Mahima Kalla
Illustrator: Maria Titova
Series: The Audacious Adventure Series #1
Publisher: Self published
Publication Date: August 2018
Pages: 105
Format Read: Ebook
Source: Courtesy of author

Leia is a history teacher with a fascination for pirate history and culture. She is one of select few people who know about the existence of Pirate's Paradise - a tiny deceivingly beautiful island, tucked away in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The island’s picturesque beauty could easily mislead the untrained eye, for amid the stunning forests and colourful birds, lay many grave dangers. Legend has it, that hidden in the hinterland of Pirate’s Paradise, is ancient pirate treasure.

When Leia is given the opportunity to go treasure hunting at Pirate’s Paradise, she couldn’t think of a better travel companion than Krish. Krish is her 12-year old nephew with a passion for wildlife and adventure.

Together they make a great team. But, Pirate’s Paradise is not for the faint-hearted. Will Leia and Krish successfully navigate the many dangers of Pirate's Paradise and find the ancient pirate treasure?  

Treasure Hunt at Pirate’s Paradise is the first in the Audacious Adventure series and an excellent first chapter book. The print is large and well spaced and the illustrations are bright and captivating.

Pirate’s Paradise is an island tucked away in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Very few people know it exists. The island is picturesque but hidden amongst its beauty were a myriad of dangers.

Leia, who loves adventure and has a fascination for all things pirate, is given a map of Pirate Paradise. She had heard the island had hidden treasures and ancient magical items. Not wanting to go alone Leia asks Krish, her 12 year old nephew, to accompany her. She knew that Krish was smart as well as adventurous.

The story has themes of patience, working together and problem solving as they decipher the map and work out the riddle to follow the clues. As they navigate the mysteries and dangers of the island they deal with feelings of frustration and learn not to give up.

The magical elements are easy to visualise and the story is both atmospheric and suspense filled. It is filled with adventure and sparks a child’s imagination.

Dot really enjoyed this story because, just like Leia, she loves everything pirate. The story was a great length to read in one sitting and the beautiful colour illustrations dispersed throughout brought the story to life.

Dot’s favourite part was when the fire fairy appeared to light Leia and Krish’s way through the dark cave. She is happy for the story to be read over and over again.

This is a splendid first introduction to urban fantasy and magical elements.

Suitable for ages 3+ (read to me) or 5+ (read alone).

My Rating 5/5                          🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Booktastic Link it up Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Jo Linsdell where book bloggers can link up their latest book related post.

photo courtesy of Goodreads

Mahima was born in India, and moved to Australia after high school, to study at university. One day, while babysitting her nephew who was going through a ‘pirate-phase’ at the time, she made up an impromptu story starring him and herself. That night, she went home and wrote the story down. Few months later, the story had developed into the first book of the Audacious Adventurers Series, 'Treasure Hunt at Pirate's Paradise'.

She has always been passionate about storytelling, and believes that stories can have a big impact on people's lives. She has enjoyed writing ever since she was a child. Her first piece of writing was a poem she wrote when she was 7 years old. When she is not working or writing for children, she enjoys meditating, getting out in nature, and spending time with her family and friends.

 

 

Book Review: The Lost Valley by Jennifer Scoullar

Title: The Lost Valley
Author: Jennifer Scoullar
Series: The Tasmanian Tales #2
Publisher:  Pilyara Press
Publication Date; 27th August 2018
Pages: 361
Format Read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of author

Tasmania, 1929: Ten-year-old-twins, Tom and Harry Abbott, are orphaned by a tragedy that shocks Hobart society. They find sanctuary with their reclusive grandmother, growing up in the remote and rugged Binburra ranges – a place where kind-hearted Tom discovers a love of the wild, Harry nurses a growing resentment towards his brother and where the mountains hold secrets that will transform both their lives.

The chaos of World War II divides the brothers, and their passion for two very different women fuels a deadly rivalry. Can Tom and Harry survive to heal their rift? And what will happen when Binburra finally reveals its astonishing secrets?

From Tasmania’s highlands to the Battle of Britain, and all the way to the golden age of Hollywood, 'The Lost Valley' is a lush family saga about two brothers whose fates are entwined with the land and the women they love.

The Lost Valley is a sequel to Jennifer Scoullar’s Fortune’s Son. You can read my review of Fortune’s Son here

The Lost Valley opens in 1929 at the height of the Wall Street crash. Ten year old twins Tom and Harry Abbott are orphaned by a tragedy and are taken in by their estranged grandmother Isabelle Buchanon. The twins handle their parents’ death and the move to their grandmother’s country home, Binburra, in different ways. Tom, a quiet soul, connects with nature and finds comfort in his grandmother’s attention. Harry acts out his anger making life difficult and tumultuous for everyone. The once close brothers are now separated by a growing rift of resentment.

The Lost Valley is a sweeping tale spanning 25 years encompassing the great depression with crippling economies and rising unemployment leaving families destitute and highlighting the lengths people had to go to simply to keep a roof over their head and food on the table; many women turning to prostitution.

Scoullar adds historical events to place the story solidly in its time period.

From the Australian bush to war torn London and the horrors of war with a focus on the terrible toll on the families of men disfigured during war with many wives preferring to distance themselves from these men rather than live with the heartache.

Jennifer Scoullar has created an atmospheric story of unforgettable splendour, sibling rivalry at its worst and the effects of the war on all men and women.

As in Fortune’s Son conservation and endangered species are at the heart of the story.

The Lost Valley can be read alone however to get the full benefit from this story I would recommend reading Fortune’s Son first and fall in love with the characters and the Tasmanian wilderness.

My Rating 5/5        🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Best selling author Jennifer Scoullar writes page-turning fiction about the land, people and wildlife that she loves.

Scoullar is a lapsed lawyer who harbours a deep appreciation and respect for the natural world. She lives on a farm in Autsralia's southern Victorian ranges, and had riden and bred horses all her life.

Her passion for animals and the bush is the catalyst for her best-selling books, which are all inspired by different landscapes.

What's arrived in The Burgeoning Bookshelf's Mailbox in September

Books that have arrived in my mailbox during September and what I'm excited about reading next.

 Three Books in one.

Zane: The Wild One
Everything Julia Goodwin had ever wanted was in the quiet town of Plenty. At least, that was what she thought, until Zane O'Sullivan came home and rocked her peaceful world to its foundations...

Quade: The Irresistible One
Chantal Goodwin had always had an unsuspected weakness for Cameron Quade. And now that he was back in town, she discovered a single glance still made her ache like the lovesick schoolgirl she'd once been.
A Tempting Engagement
The last time Mitch Goodwin had seen Emily Warner, she was crawling out of his bed, and then out of his life. Six months later he was begging her to resume her job as his son's nanny.

 Back cover blurb
 Once upon a time there were 9 beastly bedtime stories.
Stories with vampires and bats, and a sleepover of doom;
of a pirate dance party and a zoo in a room.
There were bears who were scared,
and three bags of wool.
Kids who ate pasta till there tummies were full.

And if things go splat in the night.....hold tight.
The dreamo-machino will help you s l e e p  d e e p.

 Back cover blurb
Tasmania, 1929: Ten-year-old-twins, Tom and Harry Abbott, are orphaned by a tragedy that shocks Hobart society. They find sanctuary with their reclusive grandmother, growing up in the remote and rugged Binburra ranges – a place where kind-hearted Tom discovers a love of the wild, Harry nurses a growing resentment towards his brother and where the mountains hold secrets that will transform both their lives.

The chaos of World War II divides the brothers, and their passion for two very different women fuels a deadly rivalry. Can Tom and Harry survive to heal their rift? And what will happen when Binburra finally reveals its astonishing secrets?

From Tasmania’s highlands to the Battle of Britain, and all the way to the golden age of Hollywood, 'The Lost Valley' is a lush family saga about two brothers whose fates are entwined with the land and the women they love.  

 Back cover blurb
Failed fashion designer Sylvie Dearlove is coming home to England - broke, ashamed and in disgrace - only to be told her parents are finally selling their once-grand, now crumbling country house, Bledesford, the ancestral home of the Dearlove family for countless generations. Sylvie has spent her whole life trying to escape being a Dearlove, and the pressure of belonging to a family of such headstrong, charismatic and successful women. Beset by self-doubt, she starts helping her parents prepare Bledesford for sale, when she finds in a forgotten attic a thrilling cache of old steamer trunks and tea chests full of elaborate dresses and accessories acquired from across the globe by five generations of fashionable Dearlove women. Sifting through the past, she also stumbles across a secret which has been hidden - in plain sight - for decades, a secret that will change the way she thinks about herself, her family, and her future.Romantic, warm, and glamorous, moving from Edwardian England to the London Blitz to present day London, Dressing the Dearloves is a story of corrosiveness of family secrets, the insecurities that can sabotage our best efforts, and the seductive power of dressing up. 

 Back cover blurb
 Spirited Doctor Isla Fenwick is determined to work at the coalface of medicine in India before committing to life as a dutiful wife. With hopes of making a difference in the world, she sails to Calcutta to set up a midwifery clinic. There she will be forced to question her beliefs, her professionalism and her romantic loyalties.
On a desperate rescue mission to save the one person who needs her the most, she travels into the foothills of the Himalayas to a tea plantation outside Darjeeling, At the roof of the world, where heaven and earth collide, Isla will be asked to pay the ultimate price for her passions.  

 Back cover blurb
 Investigative reporter Ross Hunter nearly didn't answer the phone call that would change his life - and possibly the world - for ever.

"I'd just like to assure you I'm not a nutcase, Mr Hunter. My name is Dr Harry F. Cook. I know this is going to sound strange, but I've recently been given absolute proof of God's existence - and I've been advised there is a writer, a respected journalist called Ross Hunter, who could help me to get taken seriously."

What would it take to prove the existence of God? And what would be the consequences?

The false faith of a billionaire evangelist, the life's work of a famous atheist, and the credibility of each of the world's major religions are all under threat. If Ross Hunter can survive long enough to present the evidence... 

 Back cover blurb
When Caroline Sears receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970 and there seems to be little that can be done. But her brother-in-law, a physicist, tells her that perhaps there is. Hunter appeared in their lives just a few years before—and his appearance was as mysterious as his past. With no family, no friends, and a background shrouded in secrets, Hunter embraced the Sears family and never looked back.

Now, Hunter is telling her that something can be done about her baby's heart. Something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Caroline has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage that Caroline never knew existed. Something that will mean a mind-bending leap of faith on Caroline's part.

And all for the love of her unborn child....

 Back cover blurb
Vienna, 1914. Lucius is a twenty-two-year-old medical student when World War I explodes across Europe. Enraptured by romantic tales of battlefield surgery, he enlists, expecting a position at a well-organized field hospital. But when he arrives, at a commandeered church tucked away high in a remote valley of the Carpathian Mountains, he finds a freezing outpost ravaged by typhus. The other doctors have fled, and only a single, mysterious nurse named Sister Margarete remains.

But Lucius has never lifted a surgeon's scalpel. And as the war rages across the winter landscape, he finds himself falling in love with the woman from whom he must learn a brutal, makeshift medicine. Then one day, an unconscious soldier is brought in from the snow, his uniform stuffed with strange drawings. He seems beyond rescue until Lucius makes a fateful decision that will change the lives of doctor, patient, and nurse forever.

From the gilded ballrooms of Imperial Vienna to the frozen forests of the Eastern Front; from hardscrabble operating rooms to battlefields thundering with Cossack cavalry, The Winter Soldier is the story of war and medicine, of family, of finding love in the sweeping tides of history, and finally, of the mistakes we make, and the precious opportunities to atone. 

What's arrived in my inbox during September 

 Blurb
 Leia is a history teacher with a fascination for pirate history and culture. She is one of select few people who know about the existence of Pirate's Paradise - a tiny deceivingly beautiful island, tucked away in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The island’s picturesque beauty could easily mislead the untrained eye, for amid the stunning forests and colourful birds, lay many grave dangers. Legend has it, that hidden in the hinterland of Pirate’s Paradise, is ancient pirate treasure.

When Leia is given the opportunity to go treasure hunting at Pirate’s Paradise, she couldn’t think of a better travel companion than Krish. Krish is her 12-year old nephew with a passion for wildlife and adventure.

Together they make a great team. But, Pirate’s Paradise is not for the faint-hearted. Will Leia and Krish successfully navigate the many dangers of Pirate's Paradise and find the ancient pirate treasure? 

Blurb
At twelve years old, Guinevere is a typical girl except that she is a princess and, unknown to her at this time, slated to marry King Arthur. Like any preteen, she enjoys having a good time, but also is unable to refrain from getting into trouble and rebelling against her father's authority. And, even though Guinevere lives in the Middle Ages, she still has to deal with going to school. This includes being chastised by for not doing her homework. However, being a princess does create problems for her because at thirteen she is expected to leave childhood behind and assume the position of the Lady of the Castle. While she is sure that she is not ready to grow up, several adventures help guide her to accept her future and even to look forward to it.  

What am I really looking forward to reading? This is going to be a hard pick as I keeping myself down to three 'I can't wait to get my hands on it' books. 

I have already read The Lost Valley and Dot loved Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat & Treasure Hunt at Pirate's Paradise so those reviews will be featured soon.  

No Place Like Home - this would have to be the perfect beach read so that's going to be first on my list as the perfect long weekend read.

Absolute Proof  - as I've never read a Peter James novel (I know, where have I been) so I'm excited to get into this.

The Dream Daughter - I love the premise of this book and it is already getting rave reviews so I'm eager to get to this one.


Anything here that takes your fancy? I'd love to know what is on your must-read list for October.