Finding Hope at Hillside Farm by Rachel Lucas - A Great Read for Mother's Day

What better title could you want at the moment and what better book to cheer you up?
Finding Hope on Hillside Farm by Rachael Lucas certainly fits the bill.
Ella's Aunt Bron goes off to Australia for six months, leaving her to run Hillside Farm. She enlists the help of local girl, Charlotte with her ever-changing hair colour, to help her run her equine therapy business.
One day Ella sees a strange young girl peering through a hedge at her. She finds out her name is Hope and she has come with her grandparents, Jenny and Lou, to spend six months in Llanidaeron in a rented cottage. They, along with Hope's father, Harry, are all trying to come to terms with the death of Hope's mother, Sarah, five years ago.

Eventually, Hope comes to the stables as Ella's first child client, and learning to gain confidence with the horses helps her with confidence in her own life.
Through Hope, Ella finds that she comes to terms with her own past which means that she can now make the most of her own life as well.
Rachael Lucas describes life perfectly in this Welsh village with all its wonderful characters, and I found it such a joy to read.

Travelling by Book this Summer! Part One

Even if we may not be able to travel on an aeroplane or a cruise ship this summer, we can always travel by book!
2020 is a great year for new paperbacks by my favourite authors, so these are the books that I'm going to read and these are the places I'm going to travel to from the comfort of my own home.

The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris out already on Kindle, the paperback will be available on April 15th 2021 - Destination, France
As with probably everyone else, my first novel by Joanne Harris was Chocolat, the beautifully magical story thought to be set in Aquitaine. This eagerly awaited fourth book in the series finds Vianne back in Lasquenet-sous-Tannes running her chocolate shop with Rosette, but when Narcisse, the florist dies and leaves Rosestte some land, and a written confession to Reynaud, the priest, the cat is put amongst the pigeons.

The Secret Hours by Santa Montefiore out on July 9th - Destination, Ireland
The first novel I read by Santa Montefiore was The Swallow and The Hummingbird, the haunting love story of Rita and George, set in Devon and Argentina, and from that one I was hooked and I have read probably most of her nineteen books! This novel is set in Ballinakelly and sheds more light on the family who appeared in The Deverill Chronicles which told their story from 1910 to the 1960s.
This stand-alone story starts around 1885 and is about Bertie and Rupert's younger sister, Arethusa.
I really loved the Deverill trilogy and I'm looking forward to finding out more about this turbulent family.

The Giver of Stars by  Jojo Moyes out on May 14th - Destination, Kentucky
The first book I read by Jojo Moyes was The Ship of Brides, set after the Second World War when the Australian brides of British servicemen were brought back to England to be reunited with their husbands, and I was so captivated by the stories of the different girls and their relationships with each other and the crew, that I've read it several times.
This new book is also about a group of women who set out on a journey together, this time to spread the wonder of reading to the poor and lost. Based on a true story, it follows English girl, Alice, who has fallen into a controlling and loveless marriage to wealthy American, Bennett Van Cleve; and Margery O'Hare, a troublesome woman, and daughter of the local felon, who gathers a band of like-minded women together to trek through open skies and mountain forests and to discover freedom and friendship. I can't wait!

A Wedding at the Beach Hut by Veronica Henry out on May 28th - Destination, Good old British Seaside!
Looking back, the very first book I read by Veronica Henry was  . . . The Beach Hut! I have read several more since then because she is so good at weaving people's stories together. This is the fourth in her series about the beach huts at Everdene Sands. Robyn and Jake are planning their wedding, a small affair on the beach with their favourite people, but Robyn's thinking about her birth mother who gave her up for adoption and the box she left with her. Her adoptive parents are thinking about a new life for themselves and far away, Emily is thinking about the daughter she relinquished thirty years ago.
As always, I'm sure that their stories will be expertly woven together and I'm looking forward to losing myself on the beach in this one!

An Almost Perfect Holiday by  Lucy Diamond Also out on May 28th - Destination, Cornwall
This is the third book I've read by Lucy Diamond. She is excellent about writing about families, and relationships and I'm looking forward to being warmed by the Cornish sunshine as I read this one.
Lorna's holiday cottages are ready for new set of arrivals but will it be the perfect holiday they all yearn for?  Em is worried about how she will get on with George's seven-year-old daughter; Maggie wants to get on better with her daughter, Amelia, but then her ex turns up and she wonders if she can trust him again; Olivia has escaped the domestic grind, but what will happen when her past catches up with her?  With romance, trust, courage, wild teenagers and love in the air, the scene is set for an almost perfect holiday!

These are the first five novels I've chosen for my 'travel by book' summer.  I hope that I've inspired you to buy them and maybe try some of the other books by these wonderful writers.
Look out for the rest of my list, coming shortly!

The Telephone Box Library by Rachael Lucas - Make Yourself Comfy and Enjoy!

The Telephone Box Library is the first book I've read by Rachael Lucas and I really enjoyed it!
Lucy is taking a six month sabbatical from teaching in Brighton because all the stress has made her ill.
She finds an advert for a Cotswold cottage with reduced rent in exchange for keeping an eye on an elderly neighbour, and decides to take it.
Little Maudley is a beautiful village within reach of Milton Keynes and Oxford, and Bletchley Park; perfect for a history teacher to do some research on the Second World War. She is welcomed by Margaret who wants her to pop in regularly to see her feisty mother-in-law, Bunty, who is in her nineties.

Life is quiet in the Cotswolds, just what Lucy needs to get better in contrast with bustling Brighton, but conflict soon arises over the defunct telephone box on the village green which has played such an important part in village life. Walking her little dog, Hamish, she meets Mel, a dog walker amongst other things, whose daughter, Clemmie, is friends with Freya, the daughter of Mel's old schoolfriend, Sam, who's bringing up fourteen-year-old Freya on his own.
And as Lucy gradually become involved in the village, he takes her to see one of the specialist tree houses he's built for a couple who foster problem children, and soon, she begins to feel a flicker of attraction to him, but does he feel the same?
Will Lucy return to her teaching post in Brighton, or will she stay in Little Maudley?
Also, why is Bunty so determined the telephone box must stay, and what is the secret she has been hiding about the war?
A delightful novel, full of village life with wonderful characters from the spirited Bunty to the young teenagers, Freya and Clemmie, and fantastic scenery which makes you believe you are right there in the Cotswold countryside .
Don't hesitate, make yourself comfy and enjoy!

the man who didn't call - The Fantastic New Novel by Rosie Walsh

the man who didn't call is the fantastic new novel by Rosie Walsh who has previously written four under the pseudonym of Lucy Robinson.

Sarah met Eddie in Gloucestershire, on a village green, talking to a sheep, on the anniversary of her sister, Hannah's fatal accident.
They spend a perfect, glorious, romantic week together, but he has arranged to go on holiday to Spain with a friend, and she has to go to Leicester, where her grandfather is dangerously ill. They promise to keep in touch because this is something special for both of them.
But he never calls.
She tries to contact him in every way, but there is no reply.
Over the weeks, she does find Alan, the one Eddie was to go on holiday with, but he doesn't know, or won't say where he is, neither does Martin, another friend at his football club.
She begins to think that her obsession might be driving her over the edge, so she confides in her old school friends, Tommy and Jo, and Jenni, who works at Sarah's office in LA.
Who is Eddie? Where is he? What is his secret?
This is a gripping mystery, written in flashbacks to the magical time Sarah and Eddie spent together as her life goes on without him, and includes the letters letters that Sarah wrote to him and her sister, Hannah.
Rosie Walsh grew up in the Cotswolds and the descriptions her of this wonderful Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are amazing. The characters are believable too, and I found myself thinking about where Eddie was even when I was doing something else. Lastly this book evokes every emotion from laughter to tears. I loved it!

Coming Home to Winter Island by Jo Thomas - Beautiful, Sensitive and Romantic!

I was captivated right from the beginning of Coming Home to Winter Island,  Jo Thomas' latest novel. It is the story of Ruby Mac, a singer with a band just on the brink of stardom when she loses her voice. Planning to go to Tenerife for Christmas for some rest and recuperation on the advice of her doctor, she receives a phone call from a solicitor, as she's her grandfather's only living relative, asking her to go to a remote Scottish island to sign some papers so her grandfather, who she's never met, can sell his house and go into a care home on the  mainland.
Not letting Joe, her boyfriend and manager, or the rest of the band know what she is doing, she sets off to Scotland, thinking it will only be for a day or two and she can still get to the retreat in Tenerife by Christmas.
However, things turn out to be more complicated. She meets Lachlan, at her grandfather's house, Teach Mhor. He's been living in the attic and looking after Hector, her grandfather, whilst foraging for food over the island for them both and selling his dishes to the local pub.
Hector who is losing his memory spends his time looking in cupboards for something that is lost. This turns out to be the recipe for Teach Mhor's unique gin. Lachlan thinks that if they can find the recipe and distill the gin, they may be able to save Teach Mohr itself.
They have until Candlemas to find it and raise enough money for the care home or Hector's place will be given to someone else.
Will they find the recipe?
Will they raise the money?
Has Ruby found her home on the island?
Will she uncover the family secret that drove Hector and her father apart?
This book is beautifully written, capturing the wild winter on the island, the local community, and the world of Ruby, the singer. It sensitively shows Hector's mental frailty, and the rare moments when he can remember the past and romantically, it shows the growing relationship between Ruby and Lachlan as they fight for Teach Mohr.

Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella - An hilarious and touching novel, perfect for the Christmas holidays!

There's still time to share Becky Brandon (neé Bloomwood's) Christmas preparations, especially if you are sitting by the fire with a glass of wine, worn out by all your festivities!
In this very funny novel, Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, Becky, her hapless heroine, has a festive season where everything that can go wrong, really does, and that is enough to make anyone else's Christmas preparations seem like a sleigh-ride in the snow.
It all starts when her parents move to trendy Shoreditch and let Becky's sister, Jess, and her husband, Tom, who are hoping to adopt a child, stay in their house. This means that Becky will have to host Christmas for the first time at hers. As always, her husband, Luke is very supportive. I don't know how he puts up with her purchases and pandemonium. Though to be honest, she's very good at hiding all the things that she's bought!
Other characters also get involved in all the chaos, including Becky's old friend, Suze, who she works with at the Letherby Hall gift shop; Steph, who's got problems of her own; Janice, Tom's mum, and Becky's old flame, Craig and his girlfriend, Nadine.
Read it to see how she copes with purchasing the Christmas dinner, decorations and presents, keeping in mind that her sister is an eco-warrior, and find out what lengths she goes to to get Luke the perfect gift.
This is an hilarious and touching novel, perfect for the Christmas holidays!

One Winter Morning by Isabelle Broom is her Best Novel Yet!

One Winter Morning is Isabelle Broom's best novel yet! It is in turns brilliant, fabulous, engaging, emotional, heart-rending, and beautiful.
Set around Christmas, it's not a traditional Christmas story with turkey, tinsel and mistletoe, because this December, Genie sets off to New Zealand to find her birth mother, Bonnie, but ends up finding much, much more.
It's nearly a year since her adoptive mother, Anna, died on Christmas Eve in an accident on Genie's horse, Sukie. Genie blames herself for the death of the mother she loved so much, and the horse the meant so much to her.  She's spent the last year unable to forgive herself or forget that fateful day. However, when David, her adoptive father, tells Genie that her birth mother is living in New Zealand, she just has to go.
Isabelle Broom's beautiful description of this special country makes you feel that you are really there and adds a deep dimension to the story. Also, the characters are believable and you feel that you really know them and really care how things work out for them.
Apart from New Zealand, being an important background to the novel, there are also the stables both there, and in England, where the horses add another dimension to the storytelling.
This book reminds me of the earlier ones by JoJo Moyes, and Isabelle Broom is proving to be another such accomplished writer.