Book Review: The Reunion by Polly Phillips

 The Reunion

by

Polly Phillips

A chance to connect.... A chance to get revenge

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: 1st June 2022

 

Genre: Mystery / Thriller

 

Pages: 352

 

RRP: $29.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via DMCPRMedia

 

My review

 

I love a great revenge story and The Reunion didn’t disappoint! This was a book I wanted to pick up every spare minute. I was pulled into the story right from the prologue.

Emily and husband Nick are gearing up for their university’s 15 year reunion. Now Emily has a perfect life; a doting husband and two gorgeous children but her past still haunts her. She has avoided her year’s cohort for 15 years and now she wants answers but mostly she wants revenge.

Polly Phillips slowly builds a mystery about Emily’s Uni days, alluding to something big happening, expertly teasing the story out keeping me glued to the pages.

 

The story is narrated by Emily in two timelines, with chapters headed in a countdown of hours leading up to the big reveal, interspersed with chapters set during Emily’s uni days with best friends Henry, Lyla and Will.

 

Phillips includes the toxic male culture in universities and how the privileged use family money to cover indiscretions.

You never really know the people closest to you is a major theme running through the novel.

 

I loved how Phillips included an older sister for Emily. Her sister, Helen, was her biggest supporter, always encouraging and concerned about Emily but never judging her. Emily’s sister, Helen, is my new hero.

 

The Reunion is a book you will want to pick up every spare minute. Tantalising, addictive and twisty; The Reunion should be on your must read list. 

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

 

About the author

 

Photo credit: Polly Phillips

Originally from London, Polly and her family currently live in Perth, Western Australia. After graduating from Cambridge University, Polly worked as a journalist, first writing about  soap operas and then as a news and features writer at the Daily Express. Expat assignments followed after Polly got married, in Copenhagen and Dubai, as well as a previous stint in Perth.

 

Polly's first novel My Best Friend's Murder (based on a toxic Teenage friendship) won the Montegrappa Novel prize at the Emirates Literature Festival in 2019, and was published in Australia at the beginning of 2021. The Reunion is her second novel. In her spare time, Polly is a fanatical runner, eater and drinker with one long-suffering husband, one highly-challenging 8-year-old daughter and a basset hound that she's totally obsessed by.

 

Stay tuned for your chance to win a paperback copy of The Reunion. Details will be posted Friday 10th June.

Book Review: The Wattle Seed Inn by Léonie Kelsall

The Wattle Seed Inn

by

Léonie Kelsall 

 

Bestselling author of The Farm at Peppertree Crossing

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Publication date: 5th July 2021

 

Genre: Rural Romance

 

Pages: 416

 

RRP: $29.99AUD

 

Format read: paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review

 

I absolutely loved this story and can't believe I let it sit on my shelf for this long!! 

Rich city girl meets and falls in love with country boy.

Told through the eyes of Gabrielle, a city girl with something to prove, Hayden, the country boy that has underlying demons and Ilse, family matriarch and original owner of The Wattle Seed Inn (formerly Wurruldi Hotel).

 

Gabrielle, having bought out her ex-fiance, is now the owner of the dilapidated Wurruldi Hotel. She has grand plans to turn it into a B & B and prove to her ex that she can do this on her own.

 

Hayden just wants to be left alone, he feels he can't be relied upon as he let the one person that means the most to him down. But the new girl in town as caught his eye.

 

Ilse loves the Wurruldi Hotel, it has been in her family for generations. She is hoping the new owner will take her advice with renovations. 

 

I thoroughly loved being back in the small country town of Wurruldi on the Murray River and I loved the casual banter between the friends and how they eagerly included Gabrielle into their lives.

Both Gabrielle and Hayden had hidden demons that they held close preventing them from opening up and starting a relationship. Strong themes of forgiving yourself and accepting yourself are explored through these two characters.

The mysteries that surround each character weave themselves throughout the story urging the reader on, looking for answers.

 

Léonie Kelsall explains, through Hayden, that PTSD is not only about nightmares and panic attacks. There is also the self loathing, paranoia and catastrophising. The inclusion of the aptly named companion dog, Trigger highlighted the work of companion dogs in situations I would not have normally thought of.

 

I found the encounters between Ilse and Gabrielle both endearing and heart-wrenching. Kelsall writes with real emotion.

 

I enjoyed revisiting characters from The Farm at Peppertree Crossing as they popped in and out of the story as Kelsall included many themes around country living.

 

Léonie Kelsall has written another winner; heart-wrenching, endearing and full of country charm. A story of forgiveness and moving on...

 

My rating 5 / 5   ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

 About the author

 

Raised initially in a tiny, no-horse town on South Australia's Fleurieu coast, then in the slightly more populated wheat and sheep farming land in the Murraylands, Léonie Kelsall is a country girl through and through. Growing up without a television, she developed a love of reading before she reached primary school, swiftly followed by a desire to write. Pity the poor teachers who received chapters of creative writing instead of a single page!

Léonie entertained a brief fantasy of moving to the big city (well, Adelaide), but within months the lure of the open spaces and big sky country summoned her home. Now she splits her time between the stark, arid beauty of the family farm at Pallamana and her home and counselling practice in the lush Adelaide Hills.

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mailbox Monday - May 30th

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week (or month). I post my new books on the last Monday of the month. Mailbox Monday now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday Blog

 

 

Happy Monday! Wednesday!

 

I'm late with my mailbox post this month! I was so invested with my current read on Monday that I couldn't put it down. Nothing else got done until I finished The Reunion by Polly Phillips. I love a good revenge story! My review will be posted on 6th June and I giveaway for the book on 10th June. 

During the last month my husband was diagnosed with a tumor in his neck so it has been busy with biopsies, CT scans, MRIs and specialist appointments. He was referred to a wonderful ENT, a specialist in head and neck cancer, who calmed us with his confidence that all will go well and the speed that he was booked into surgery. He is now three weeks post op and will start 6 weeks radiation therapy next week. 

Photos from the last month of hospitals, coffee and Mother's Day.

Books I received for review over the last month.

 

The Reunion by Polly Phillips

Paperbark Hill By Maya Linnell 

The Secret World of Connie Starr by Robbi Neal 

The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley 

The Brightest Star by Emma Harcourt 

Family Matters by Ellie O'Neill 

Out of Breath by Anna Snoekstra 

Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor
An A-List for Murder by Pamela Hart

The Bellbird River Country Choir by Sophie Green

Someone Else's Child by Kylie Orr

It looks like winter is shaping up to be a great season for reading.

 

My children's book reviews are now at Little Squirrel's Bookshelf

You can see them via the tab at the top of this page or the drop down menu if you are on a mobile device.

Book Review & Giveaway: Esther's Children by Caroline Beecham

Esther's Children

by

Caroline Beecham

 

An audacious story of love, bravery and self-sacrifice in World War Two

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Publication date: 3rd May 2022

 

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Pages: 376

 

RRP: $32.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

 Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Blurb

 

Austria, 1936: Esther 'Tess' Simpson works for a British organisation that rescues academics from the cruel Fascist and anti-Semitic regimes taking hold in Europe. On a dangerous trip to Vienna to help bring aid to Europe's threatened Jewish scholars, Esther meets Harry Singer, a young Jewish academic and musician - and they fall in love.

 

My review

 

Caroline Beecham has delivered another honourable novel with Esther's Children; a work of fiction inspired by the life of Esther Simpson (1903 - 1996).

 

I loved that this story was based on the life of a real person, Esther Simpson, who through her tireless work saved the lives of many German Jews in her work for The Society for the Protection of Science and Learning. The society endeavoured to secure grants and work, in Britain, for academic refugees.

"On our shoulders rests the future of many of Europe's finest minds...."

Caroline Beecham's writing is exquisite and I found it easy to picture Esther and her colleagues. However, I didn't quite connect with the story the way I did with her previous novels. I found myself wanting more of Harry's story, Esther's love interest and a refugee himself. I was interested in his life in Vienna, the changing face of the city, then in the internment camp where aliens who were classed as a risk to British security were held.

Esther Simpson was an amazing woman, risking her own life and foregoing a family of her own to help many men and women who went on to achieve greatness in their field and I feel Caroline Beecham has done her story proud in Esther's Children.

 My rating 3.5 stars  ⭐⭐⭐½

 

About the author

Caroline is a novelist, writer and producer. She is the author of four books: the bestselling novel, Maggie's Kitchen, Eleanor's Secret, Finding Eadie and Esther's Children, and has been published in the UK and the US. Her debut novel, Maggie's Kitchen, was shortlisted for Booktopia's Best Historical Fiction in 2016 and nominated as book of the year and Caroline as Best New Author by AusRom Today. She has worked in documentary, film and drama, and discovered that she loves to write fiction and to share lesser-known histories; particularly those of pioneering women whose lives speak to us now. Caroline studied the craft of novel writing at the Faber Academy in Sydney, with Curtis Brown Creative in London, and has a MA in Film & Television and a MA in Creative Writing. She currently lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and two teenage sons.

 

 

 

GIVEAWAY:

Thanks to the generosity of Allen & Unwin I have one paperback copy of Esther's Children to give away. (Australian postal addresses only). Entry is via the form below. Giveaway closes at midnight on 5th June 2022.

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced HERE

Winner of a copy of A Stone's Throw Away announced!!

 

A huge thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for a paperback copy of A Stone's Throw Away.   The giveaway closed on the 21st May and the winner was randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to........   Kerissa R

 

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

 Thank you to Allen & Unwin for sponsoring this giveaway. 

Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

Giveaways coming soon.....

 

 

Book Review: The Nurses' War by Victoria Purman

 The Nurses' War

by

Victoria Purman

 

Winning the battle will take more than guns...

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Imprint: HQ Fiction

 

Publication date: 30th March 2022

 

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

Pages: 608

 

RRP: $32.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

 

My review

 

I love reading stories about both WWI & WWII. Stories set during the battles from a soldier's point of view, those from a civilian's point of view and also those from front line workers, the doctors and nurses.

As the title depicts The Nurses' War is about Australian nurses who enlisted during WWI and travelled to England to treat and care for the Australian soldiers in a makeshift Australian hospital.

 

The Nurses' War is based on the true stories of real life experiences of the Australian women who served at Harefield Hospital in Middlesex, England. 

 

Purman writes of the anticipation and camaraderie of the nurses as the hospital prepares for its first patients and the anguish and fatigue as the wounded and maimed ariive day after day for years.

 

The Nurses' War is a story of women breaking the mold for their time and choosing career over marriage.

Told in the dual narrative of Cora, an Australian nurse who leaves her family to work in England, and Jessie, a young local girl living in the small country village of Harefield. Through Jessie we learn how everyday citizens were affected by the war and the changing face of society in work and fashion.

 

Purman writes about how the men coped with their injuries and the lose of their mates. The Nurses' War is a story filled with emotion, pride and a touch of Aussie larrickinism.  For me however the book was about 150 pages too long. I am not a lover of big books!

 

The added romance interests for the two protagonists added a heart-warming element to the story.

 

The Nurses' War is a story of love, grief and the sacrifices everyone made during the war.

 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Victoria Purman is an Australian top ten and USA Today bestselling fiction author. Her most recent book, The Women's Pages, was an Australian bestseller, as were her novels The Land Girls and The Last of the Bonegilla Girls. Her earlier novel The Three Miss Allens was a USA Today bestseller. She is a regular guest at writers festivals, a mentor and workshop presenter and was a judge in the fiction category for the 2018 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature.

 

Book Review: Dead Horse Gap by Lee Christine

 Dead Horse Gap

by

Lee Christine

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Publication date: 1st February 2022 

 

Series: Alpine #3

Genre: Crime / Mystery

 

Pages: 279

 

RRP: $29.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review

 

There wasn't as much tension in this book as the previous two novels, Charlotte Pass and Crackenback.

However the story still held my attention as it had a compelling mystery at its centre.

 

I enjoyed following along with the police investigation as it changes from undercover drug surveillance to murder investigation. The mystery was well played out and I had no idea how it would eventually pan out.

 

The Snowy Mountains in New South Wales is an amazing setting; cold, secluded and a bit eerie. Lee Christine transports her readers into the snow, sleet and below zero temperatures. You may want to read this book snuggled up with a heater nearby.

 

Mitch Flowers is given the lead in this case, as Ryder prepares for his move to uniform country cop. Flowers takes over with confidence but he has a little secret of his own going on after dark. Nerida Sterling, another up-and-coming young detective, has an undercover role sniffing out some information on a suspected drug ring in the area. Lee Christine highlights the danger of undercover work and the pressure it places on a persons well-being.  

 

The addition of a long held feud between two families makes for another interesting plot line.

 

Dead Horse Gap was an easy read and highly entertaining. A compelling addition to the series. 

 

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Photo: Goodreads

  In 2009, former corporate trainer Lee Christine decided to turn her writing hobby into a serious job.

 

Lee is the author of six romantic suspense novels. her first crime novel, Charlotte Pass, was published in 2020 and won the award for Favourite Romantic Suspense Novel in the 2020 Australian Romance Readers Awards. Her second crime novel, Crackenback, was published in2021 and Dead Horse Gap in 2022.