Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for A SANTORINI SECRET by Rose Alexander on this Bookouture Books On Tour blog post.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Santorini, Greece, 1944. A village nestled in the mountains where children play together beneath the endless blue sky. A cottage once full of the laughter of family and the joy of a new baby. But when the Nazis arrive on the island, a devastating tragedy and an impossible choice will break this family apart…
Present day. Single mother Carrie arrives on the sun-drenched island of Santorini, her adored uncle Sol’s tattered sketchbook clutched to her chest. Heartbroken at his death, Carrie is certain Sol – who refused to speak about how he spent the war in occupied Greece – was hiding secrets all his life: and that the drawings he made of a striking young woman with wavy hair will hold the answers. Tucked away with the sketchbook was a beautiful diamond ring engraved in Greek, and Carrie cannot bear the thought that her uncle never had the chance to give it to his love.
Even as she explores the winding cobbled alleys Sol drew in his book, Carrie is filled with childhood memories. And asking around the close-knit locals, the elderly women Carrie meets speak of a brave young woman named Vassia, and a secret allied mission to rid their beautiful island of German troops. But when pressed, they refuse to say more…
Then she finds a letter written by Vassia herself. She’s shocked to read how Sol was left stranded, fighting for his life, and how Vassia risked everything to save him before a terrible betrayal tore them apart. When Carrie finally unravels the truth, the secrets will shatter the small community, and change the course of her life forever…
A Santorini Secret is an epic tale of love, loss and secrets in World War Two that will sweep you away to the hidden coves and sun-kissed beaches of Santorini.
A SANTORINI SECRET by Rose Alexander is an emotional dual timeline mash-up of historical fiction and women’s fiction with elements of mystery and romance. Both the past and present timelines kept me in a state of suspense and turning the pages.
A small village on Santorini is occupied by the Nazis in 1944. The daughter of the mayor, Vassia, assists as a guide in a SBS (Special Boat Service) raid to help hinder the Nazis and aid the British. One of the British soldiers is left behind and Vassia risks all to help him.
In the present, Carrie is having a tough time with her finances and her sixteen-year-old daughter. She gets the opportunity to return to Santorini and besides just enjoying the vacation and reuniting with an old friend, she is searching for information about her Uncle Sol’s mysterious time with the SBS on Santorini and the beautiful young woman in his sketchbook. Will Carrie find the answers she is searching for?
I was surprised by so many of the twists and turns this story took, not only in the past but also the present timelines. I enjoyed the descriptions of Santorini in both timelines and was happy for a change of pace location during a WWII setting. This new-to-me author did a great job of pulling me into the emotional decisions and consequences of both the female protagonists in each timeline. They were both heartwarming and heartbreaking. My only disappointment was with the secret that changed Carrie’s and her daughter’s lives. For sixteen years of emotional turmoil, it was a reason that was trivial and should have been discussed much sooner as mature adults and made me think less of her. Overall though, this book was emotionally more than what I was expecting, and I need to check out other books by this author.
I recommend setting aside some time to enjoy this poignant historical fiction/women’s fiction mash-up.
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Author Bio
Rose Alexander has had more careers than she cares to mention and is currently a secondary school English teacher. She writes in the holidays, weekends and evenings, whenever she has a chance, although with three children, a husband, a lodger and a cat, this isn’t always as often as she’d like. She’s a keen sewist and is on a mission to make all her own clothes.
In these three novels WWII plays an intricate role. Each delves with a different setting and emphasizes a different part of the war. The Umbrella Maker’s Son by Tod Lending shows the devastation brought upon to the Jewish community in Krakow after the Nazis invaded Poland. Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin takes reader on a journey with an emphasis on the MI5’s Double Cross Program that had German spies becoming double agents. The Librarians of Lisbon by Suzanne Nelson takes place in neutral Portugal having the allied spies trying to gain the upper hand on their German counterparts.
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Book Description
Born to a secure, middle-class Polish Jewish family, seventeen-year-old Reuven works alongside his father, an artisan businessman whose shop creates the finest handmade umbrellas in Poland. But the family’s peaceful life shatters when the Nazis invade their homeland, igniting World War II. With terrifying brutality, the Nazis confiscate their business, evict them from their home, and strip away their rights, threatening the lives of the city’s Jewish population, including Reuven and Zelda, the girl he loves.
Shortly after the Nazi occupation, Zelda and her family disappear, and Reuven and his father are forced into backbreaking physical labor that nearly kills them. For the young man and his family, the only chance to survive is escape—and some of them will die trying.
Fleeing a Nazi ambush through the surrounding forest, shot and wounded, Reuven is found by a local farmer who has never met a Jew—and agrees to help because he needs the boy to work the farm with him. The farmer’s wife, however, is not as kind. Her betrayal forces a desperate Reuven to escape. He embarks on a perilous journey through the Polish countryside, determined to reach the Kraków ghetto where he hopes to reunite with Zelda, whose life has also been forever changed by the horrors of occupation and war.
Elise’s Thoughts
The Umbrella Maker’s Son by Tod Lending has Reuven Berkovitz at the center of the story. Through his eyes, readers can see the brutality of the Nazis, as well as a local Polish farmer who has never met a Jew yet agrees to hide him because he needs help to work the farm. Unfortunately, the farmer’s wife is not as kind. Eventually Reuven must leave, embarking on a perilous journey through the Polish countryside, determined to reach the Kraków ghetto where he hopes to reunite with Zelda, whose life has also been forever changed by the horrors of the Nazi occupation and war.
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Book Description
In a time of war, danger lurks beneath the water–and in the depths of the human heart
As the German war machine devours the Netherlands, the only way Cilla van der Zee can survive the occupation is to do the unthinkable–train to become a spy for the Nazis. Once dispatched to Britain, she plans to abandon her mission and instead aid the Allies. But her scheme is thwarted when naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie finds her along the Scottish shore and turns her in to be executed.
Yet perhaps she is more useful alive than dead. British intelligence employs her to radio misleading messages to Germany from the lighthouse at Dunnet Head in Scotland–messages filled with naval intelligence Lachlan must provide. If the war is to be won, Lachlan and Cilla must work together. But how can he trust a woman who arrived on his shores as a tool of the enemy–a woman certain to betray both him and the Allied cause?
Elise’s Thoughts
Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin has a plot as a member of the Dutch resistance who infiltrates the local Nazi Party to gather intel. Because it is becoming more dangerous for her, she decides to escape the country by coming up with a plan. She agrees to be trained as a Nazi spy and sent to the U.K. Once dispatched to Britain, she plans to abandon her mission and instead aid the Allies. But her scheme is thwarted when naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie finds her along the Scottish shore and turns her in to be executed except that British intelligence decides she is more valuable as a double agent.
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Book Description
Lisbon 1943. As two American librarians are drawn into a city of dangerous subterfuge and unexpected love affairs, they are forced to choose between their missions and the men they love. Inspired by real historical figures, award-winning author Suzanne Nelson pens a captivating story of two remarkable women, their bravery and heartache, and a friendship that withstands the ravages of war.
WWII rages Europe. Lisbon stands alone as a glamorous city on the brink of chaos, harboring spies trading double-edged secrets. Among them are Selene Delmont and Beatrice Sullivan, Boston librarians turned Allied operatives. Officially enlisted to collect banned books, both women are undercover agents tasked with infiltrating the Axis spy network.
Victory is not guaranteed.
Soon, they’re caught up in games of deception with two of Lisbon’s most notorious men—the outcast Portuguese baron, Luca Caldeira, and the lethal spy, code name Gable. As Selene charms her way through lavish ballrooms with Luca, the more bookish Bea is plunged into Gable’s shadowy world of informants. But when a betrayal unravels a carefully spun web of lies, everything they’ve fought for is thrown into jeopardy. As Selene and Bea are pushed to their breaking points can their friendship, and their hearts, survive the cost of war?
Elise’s Thoughts
The Librarians of Lisbon by Suzanne Nelson is a fast-paced roller-coaster ride of deceit, espionage, and danger inspired by real historical figures. The setting of Lisbon plays a significant role because Portugal was a neutral country filled with espionage, romance, and friendship. The main characters are two Boston librarians, Selene Delmont and Beatrice Sullivan, who are trained by the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (precursor to CIA) and assigned to work in Lisbon. Their day jobs are librarians, but they are also assigned missions for which they are sworn to secrecy, unable to reveal even to each other.
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Tod Lending
Author Interviews
Elise Cooper: Does the setting play a role in the story?
Sarah Sundin: My husband and I are part Scottish. He has been bugging me to write a book set here for years. As I explored it more, I found things that fascinated me. Then my youngest son, a mythology buff, gave me some suggestions, the Scottish legends, especially the story of the Selkie. It has a woman who lives as a seal at sea, but as soon as she comes to shore, she sheds her seal skin, turning into a beautiful woman. I started to imagine a German female spy landing in Scotland and being captured by this Scottish man who traps her on land by hiding her seal skin. In this case the skin was her rubber raft.
Tod Lending: there were numerous ghettos all over Poland, not just in Warsaw. In this book the setting was in Krakow. I talked about how the Germans cut off the Jews’ beards and took over ownership of Jewish businesses and belongings. They beat them, abused them, humiliated them, and hunted them as animals. What happened is beyond horrific and is unimaginable. I did do a lot of research. What Reuven and the other characters had gone through really happened. I did take a little writers’ poetic license with Reuven’s emotional and psychological reactions. I also had a Jewish historian review the book facts.
Suzanne Nelson: Lisbon Portugal had bothAllied and Axis spies operating in the city simultaneously, plus, the city was a huge refuge for people fleeing occupied Europe. Unfortunately, they were stalled for weeks, months, and sometimes years because they did not have the correct exit papers. The refugees included exiled Royals who fled Europe, and famous writers and artists, including the Jewish co-authors Margaret and H. A. Rey, of the “Curious George series.” It was a surreal environment where refugees were gambling side by side with the Gestapo. Many times, no one knew who a friend or foe was. There was a real sense of loneliness, desperation, and danger among a lot of people.
Elise: Did you explore some historical significance in the book?
Tod: Reuven ponders the question of why some Jews survived. This thought came from the last documentary I made about two Holocaust survivors. They answered this question 1000 times and they always answered, ‘it was a miracle.’ I asked them was it luck, smarts, and willpower? One story after another was told how if they had crossed the street at a different moment, they would have been dead. There is a quote by Reuven, ‘Without rhyme or reason, chance had saved me once again.’
Sarah: The Double Cross Program was established in September 1940. The German military intelligence sent out spies to the United Kingdom. MI5, Britian’s intelligence group, caught every single one of the German agents. Germany never had an effective agent during the war. Of the Abwehr (German) Agents caught, sixteen were executed, but about three dozen were turned into double agents. Some were extremely effective including one agent that convinced the Germans that the D-day invasion was not going to Normandy but Pas de Calais. Regarding Cilla, I knew there were Dutch women agents who landed in Scotland, so I created my own character. She is much milder than the real spies.
Suzanne: In the book I explain about wolfram. It is a mineral that contains a metal, Tungsten. It is used in artillery manufacturing, creating impenetrable armor. Salazar, the Portuguese Prime Minister, allowed the trade to be with both the Axis and Allied countries until a few months prior to D-Day and suspended the trade for both. There was black marketing dealings and smuggling going on with the Portugal PM looking the other way. In the story Bea and Gable must discover who was selling large amounts of wolfram to the Nazis.
Elise: How would describe your main character(s)?
Suzanne: Selene ischarming, a thrill seeker, enthusiastic, brazen, estranged from her family, impatient, affluent upbringing, determined, and impetuous. She is also a reluctant seductress because she does not want to be known as a spy who only uses her looks and beauty to get information, but someone who can use her mind. Bea is reserved, quiet, has lost her parents, has a photographic memory, wants to be challenged, good instincts, and motivated. They were good friends, loyal, and Bea was Selene’s lifeline. Selene wanted adventure, to take the world by storm, and dragged Bea along for the ride. But at the end of the book Bea was the one who has found her bravery, while Selene went home wounded.
Sarah:Cilla is the double agent. She is fun loving, free spirited, and wants her freedom. She is confident, kind, respectful, lonely, isolated, determined, courageous, loyal, witty, and headstrong. She is trustworthy but no one sees her that way, so she needs to prove herself to them. Lachlan is the British naval officer who captures Cilla. He is determined, frustrated, honorable, ingenious, passionate, honest, vulnerable, dedicated, and protective. They are opposites that attract. At first, he only saw her as a German spy. They are forced to work together and the more they spend time together they see each other’s true character, willing to trust each other.
Tod:Reuven is a young Jewish man who persevered. Resilient with a spirit that carried on. He had an inner drive to live. He was protective, grief-stricken, terrified, fearful, lonely, felt hopeless and guilty. But he also was brave. At the beginning of the book, he was well adjusted and was trying to fulfill his dreams. As things fell apart as the Nazis took over, he became shameful and humiliated. Feelings like fear, grief, guilt, and insecurity began to emerge as a reaction to the traumas he suffered. There were times he was fearful, but also times where he was fearless, times he felt completely numb, and for a moment he felt suicidal. Zelda is the girl he wanted to marry and whom he searched for throughout the book. When he is reunited with her, he realizes she has built a wall and tried to avoid him even though she was lonely. She is very traumatized having feared her brothers dead and she was sexually abused. Zelda felt she was not worthy because of her shame. She crawls into her shell to protect herself. But as time goes by, she does show him how much she cares for him, yet he sees her as quiet, withdrawn, and distant.
Elise: Is there a secondary character(s) that is important to the story?
Tod: Kaja, the Polish farmer’s wife. At first, he was shocked and scared of her because she was profoundly antisemitic. What they both shared is loneliness. She did not want to be on the farm and fantasized in living in the city. She controlled him with Reuven terrified of her and feeling overpowered by her, while at the same time there were tender gentle moments because of the loneliness. He saw her as suspicious, unpredictable, angry, moody, distant, and seductive. The Polish farmer, Stanislaw saw Reuven as a son to him, while at other times he treated him like one of the farm animals. He was illiterate but had farm knowledge. They respected and trusted each other including giving Reuven a sense of pride. At times Stanislaw could be determined and reckless. Reuven saw him as a model of manhood because of his strength.
Sarah:Neil, Lachlan’s brother. Their backstory emphasizes a house divided with a long history of betrayal. Neil has hurt Lachlan deeply and Neil was hurt by Lachlan even though he did his duty. They hate each other. Neil was rude, unkind, treacherous, angry, and resentful. Lachlan is fighting for the allies while Neil has fallen in with a group of Scottish separatists. The real separatists were a fringe group before the war that continued during the early years of the war. They did not want to be a part of the allied war effort because they saw it as the “English War.” Neil was involved with this group and was imprisoned because he refused to register for conscription. He feels that Lachlan has portrayed Scotland by wearing an English uniform. I put in this book quote, ‘The Germans love to divide. That is how they conquer.’ If they saw a separatist group, they supported it.
Suzanne: Agent Gable was loosely based on Agent Garbo, a famous double agent with MI5 who had operated in Lisbon for about a year. I wanted to include a version of him in the story. He appears to be a narcissist. He is charming, a charlatan, double agent, has a temper, volatile, and blunt, with a lot of confidence. He is attracted to Bea but wants to control his feelings and wants to be the one in control. She enjoys putting him in his place. Luca was inspired by a historical figure, Aristides de Sousa Mendes. His nickname was the Oskar Schindler of Portugal. He was the consul general who worked in France and signed 1000s of visas to allow people into Portugal even though the Portuguese PM, Salazar, forbid it. He ignored the rule and disobeyed the orders. He was blacklisted in Portugal with a tragic ending. I wrote Luca with a conscience, someone vulnerable, has built walls, moody, determined, bitter, wounded, heroic, an outcast, and gruff. Selene gave him hope, redemption, and love.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE PROMISE SHE MADE by Julie Hartley on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog post.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
As our ship starts to sink, I see flares lighting up the midnight sky. ‘Hold on tight. I will keep you safe. I promise,’ I say to my terrified little sister as I hold back my tears. But I know I can’t hold on for much longer and as she slips away, my heart breaks. Will I ever see her again?
England, 1942. On a dark night of the Blitz, Ruby returns to her beloved hometown with her heart shattered. Tears sting her eyes as she remembers the Nazis sinking their ship, and her little sister Eliza drifting away from her on the dark sea. It was their one chance of escape and it cost Ruby so much to leave behind her fiancé Antoine. She’s devastated that she couldn’t keep the promise she made to her dying mother – to keep her little sister safe.
When Ruby finds her family home destroyed, she falls to her knees in tears. The Germans have taken everything from her – first her family, and now her home. Among the ruins of her life, she wonders if she has the strength to carry on. But then, she finds a mysterious note.
Eliza is alive. I’ve seen her. You must find her…
A flicker of hope is ignited in her heart, and Ruby vows to never give up looking for Eliza. But her newfound courage is put to the test when a message from Antoine reveals something about Eliza’s fate that changes everything. She must find him again to learn the truth, but with England at war, will they find their way back to each other? And will she ever see her little sister again?
THE PROMISE SHE MADE by Julie Hartley is a compelling WWII historical fiction story which follows a young English woman over several years of the war in England and the life-altering decisions she makes that not only effect herself but also those she loves.
Ruby promises her dying mother she will always keep her little sister, Eliza, safe.
From this promise forward in the story, Ruby attempts to keep this promise, but makes decisions that not only do not work out as she hoped but also hurt and alienate those who love her and Eliza. The story is divided into parts that cover a specific few months in Ruby’s entire life story and the consequences caused by either the war, her personal decisions, or both. Ruby is not an easy main character to like due to her temper and inability to listen to others who love her. She is led by guilt over uncontrollable situations and her inability to understand this.
While this is a story that pulled me in and kept me turning the pages, Ruby and the secondary characters around her felt more like a compilation of character stories with Ruby being an archetype of many women’s stories during the war, but that did not take away from my enjoyment of this story. Ruby and Antoine’s romance plotline is believable and had me on an emotional roller coaster throughout the story. The resolution of the story brings all the plotline threads together and left me satisfied.
I recommend this emotional WWII historical fiction read.
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About the Author
Born in Lincolnshire, England, Julie Hartley is a writer, storyteller, creative writing teacher and writing retreat host currently based in Toronto, Canada. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and she is the author of a middle grade novel, The Finding Place, published by Red Deer Press; a poetry collection, Deboning a Dragon, published by Mansfield Press, and a book on how to teach Shakespeare, published by Theatrefolk. Julie teaches creative writing to children, teens and adults in schools and universities, and at her own studio in Toronto. She is the instructor for annual creative writing retreats in Costa Rica, Mexico and England. Her next book – a historical novel set on the south coast of England in 1940, is forthcoming with Bookouture in September 2024.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for DREAMS OF THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS by F.L. Everett on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog post.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
As the castle comes into view beside the sun-dappled loch, Cat wonders if this magical place is where she will finally heal her heart…
In desperate need of a fresh start after a recent heartbreak, Cat Hardwick leaves her life in the city behind and travels to the remote Scottish Highlands. Arriving at her godfather’s estate, she hopes returning to the beautiful place she remembers from childhood will help mend her broken heart.
But as she steps into the grand hall, the castle isn’t as she expects. With a sagging roof and buckets to catch the leaks, Cat soon realizes the estate is in trouble. Determined to save the place that gave her such happy memories, she offers her expertise as an event planner as a way to breathe new life into the estate. Surely there must be a way to save this magical place?
The only person opposed to her plans is her godfather’s son, Logan McCaskill. He is just how Cat remembers from childhood – grumpy and irritating, but maddingly attractive with thick black hair and piercing dark brown eyes. Each time he rejects her ideas in his lilting Scottish accent, she feels her cheeks flush, caught between anger and desire.
Cat spends her days avoiding Logan. But when an unexpected storm forces them to seek shelter in an abandoned cottage on the estate, with nothing but a flickering fire and a flask of whiskey for company, it is a night that changes everything forever…
But then Logan starts acting distant, just as her old flame unexpectedly appears. Cat hoped this place could be her new home, but now she feels more lost than ever. Will Cat find the courage to face her past and embrace her future? Or is she destined to leave this magical place alone?
DREAMS OF THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS by F.L. Everett is an enchanting escape to the Scottish Highlands. This contemporary romance’s main character, Cat, has lost her London job and is looking for a new start helping her godfather find ways to save his run-down Scottish Highlands castle. This has a slow burn romance with a curmudgeonly son of the laird, but it also has a cast of family and friends that make this so much more than just a romance.
Catrina “Cat” Hardwick lost her job and the man she loves. When her mother tells her about an opportunity to help her godfather, Sir Alastair, in Scotland, she jumps at the chance to get out of London and return to the beautiful place she visited as a young girl. When she arrives, she discovers the disrepair of the castle and offers her assistance as an event planner to bring in revenue to repair and save the castle.
Logan McCaskill is the eldest son and just as attractive as Cat remembered. He is also still disagreeable and irritating. He is opposed to every suggestion Cat and her godfather suggest. While touring the estate a storm forces them to seek shelter and Cat wonders if this could be the new start she was looking for, but Logan’s old flame reappears in town and Cat feels she may have lost her new home and family forever.
I loved all the characters in this story, including all the various dogs. The humans are all fully developed, believable, and played important roles in changing Cat’s life and saving the castle. The dialogue between Cat and Logan is fun to read with their very different attitudes, but I felt there was a little too much at the beginning of the story spent on Cat’s inner dialogue and her self-negativity which slowed the pace and became a bit repetitive. I also wish Cat and Logan had just communicated more. I don’t enjoy romance plot problems based solely on not communicating. When the event to save the castle ends up being hilarious and does not go quite as planned, the author finds a brilliant solution plot twist to save the castle that was unexpectedly perfect.
I recommend this entertaining contemporary romance. Overall, this is an enjoyable read in a beautiful setting with a heartwarming romantic ending.
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About the Author
Flic Everett is a Mancunian writer who now lives in a cottage in the beautiful West Highlands with her patient husband and two deranged cocker spaniels. She still misses Manchester, and returns like a homing pigeon every month to see family and friends. She spends a lot of time writing on trains.
Flic has owned an award-winning vintage shop, guest-presented Woman’s Hour and was once a part-time tarot reader. She has a grown up son who makes her laugh more than anyone on earth, and she likes reading, painting, cooking, clothes, animals, Art Deco and rummaging in charity shops for bargains. Her greatest fear is being stranded without a book. She has spent many years as a freelance journalist and editor for national newspapers and magazines and can’t believe she’s finally allowed to make up stories from the comfort of her own home. Newsletter: https://bookouture.com/subscribe/f-l-everett/
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SECRETS OF FOXGLOVE COTTAGE by Rebecca Alexander on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog post.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
From her open window at Foxglove Cottage, she looks out at the garden full of wildflowers drenched in golden sunlight. Her fingers tremble as she turns the fragile page of the old diary and discovers a secret that will change her life forever…
When Zosia arrives at Foxglove Cottage holding her small son’s hand in hers, she is desperate for a new beginning. Her new job is to help seventy-year-old Hazel transform her tumbledown cottage and re-open the enchanting old café, steeped in folklore. Hazel is warm and welcoming, but Zosia can never share the truth about why she has left her own home.
When neighborly Leon, a bear of a man with deep brown eyes, arrives to help them restore the cafe, Zosia can’t help falling for his rugged charm. But her heart has been shattered before, so she distracts herself by translating an old diary that’s been in Hazel’s family for generations. She discovers an extraordinary love story hidden in the yellowing pages. It pulls her back into World War Two, as if the past is whispering through the garden’s tangled vines and the granite cottage walls. Could the old wartime romance help broken-hearted Zosia believe in soulmates again?
Zosia longs to open up to Hazel and Leon but if her past catches up with her it could ruin everything. When she uncovers the diary’s long buried secret, will it help her let go of her own past? Or, when she receives a letter that threatens everything she holds dear, will she be forced to leave Foxglove Cottage for good?
SECRETS OF FOXGLOVE COTTAGE by Rebecca Alexander is a beautifully written, emotional roller coaster ride dual timeline women’s fiction/historical fiction read. Both timelines, present day and WWII, are set in England with each having their own dangers, losses, triumphs, and loves that pulled me in and kept me turning the pages.
Foxglove Cottage has been Hazel Wojcik’s family home her entire life. Now, seventy and after hip surgery she is looking for help to restore her home and reopen the café portion of Foxglove Cottage. Zosia Armitage is a Polish immigrant fleeing an abusive marriage with her six-year-old son, Krys. Hazel hires Zosia not only to help with Foxglove Cottage, but to translate the papers left by her Polish born father. As Zosia begins to trust again, danger comes from and unknown source.
At the start of WWII, Casimir Wojcik, a Polish pilot, makes his way across Eastern Europe to escape the Nazi’s. He is able to fly a plane to the Moors of England where he crashes and is pulled from his burning plane by Rosie, Hazel’s mother. Their love grows as Casimir joins the English pilots facing peril everyday over England and Rosie faces her own danger working in an explosives plant. With pilots and planes lost every day and horrible accidents occurring in the munitions factories full of female workers, Casimir and Rosie cling to each other and pray to get through the war.
I am so glad I gave this new-to-me author a try. Both timelines evoke so many emotions and the author’s writing was able to put me right in the middle of the danger and action, which comes from different perils in each timeline. Each timeline has a suspense sub-plot and heartwarming love stories that kept me rivetted from start to finish. All the characters are believable, fully developed, and left me feeling fully invested in their lives. The historical timeline is especially descriptive with interesting facts and dangers.
I highly recommend this wonderful women’s fiction/historical fiction book and will be looking for more books from this author.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE LITTLE ISLAND FLOWER STALL by Tilly Tennant on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog post.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
Book Description
When Bella’s heart is broken by her cheating husband, she packs a bag and escapes to the little island of Jersey, to help her beloved great-aunt Celestine run her seaside flower stall.
With the sun on her cheeks, watching white-haired Celestine in her elegant patterned trouser suit beam at customers and arrange flowers in vases, Bella realizes that life is too short to feel sad. And when handsome, brooding Rory arrives at the rose-covered flower stall, and their eyes meet, she feels a sudden spark…
Inspired by Celestine’s lust for life, Bella agrees to get to know Rory better. As the two of them walk together under vast blue skies, Rory tells her of the family secret that has brought him to the island.
Bella wonders if Celestine might be able to help Rory with his quest, but Celestine warns her to be careful. Bella knows she should listen to her wise aunt, but she can’t fight her feelings. Yet when she tries to track Rory down days later, she is shocked to discover the secrets he has been keeping.
Is her hope of an island romance with a mysterious, handsome man simply too good to be true? Or can this beautiful place still bring her the bright new beginning that she so desperately needs?
THE LITTLE ISLAND FLOWER STALL by Tilly Tennant is a heartfelt women’s fiction story of healing and moving on from your past to discover what the future may hold for you. Set on the Island of Jersey with beautiful beaches and coastal cliffs, but also a tragic history of occupation during WWII. This story has an emotional journey from divorce to a friendship that becomes a slow burn romance, personal growth and discovery, familial reconnection, and an island historical mystery not revealed since WWII.
Bella discovers her husband has cheated again and she is done with their marriage. She takes off to the Island of Jersey to help her great-aunt, Celestine, who has taken a fall, with her beach front promenade flower stall. She is excited to try something new and to reconnect with Celestine who she has not seen since childhood vacations on the island.
While working at the flower stall, Bella has a run in with a handsome customer who is only visiting the island like herself. Bella is weary of any romantic entanglement and lets Rory know her circumstances, but Bella is also intrigued by Rory’s reason for being on the island and wishes to help. Rory is trying to discover information about his ancestry on the island which seems to be wrapped up in a mystery that occurred during the Nazi occupation of the island. As she helps Rory, she discovers Celestine may know more than she is willing to share.
This is a women’s fiction story with a little bit of everything that all comes together into an enjoyable read. Bella’s betrayal leads to a reconnection with family and a place she loved as a child, a hint of a second chance at romance that is all intertwined with a WWII mystery. I did find the pace a little slow when Bella first comes to the island, but as more of the island is explored, her relationship with Celestine grows, and more of the mystery elements were included, it pulled me deeper into the story.
Overall, a cozy women’s fiction that left me satisfied with Bella’s journey.
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About the Author
Tilly Tennant was born in Dorset, the oldest of four children, but now lives in Staffordshire with a family of her own. After years of dismal and disastrous jobs, including paper plate stacking, shop assistant, newspaper promotions and waitressing (she never could carry a bowl of soup without spilling a bit), she decided to indulge her passion for the written word by embarking on a degree in English and creative writing. She wrote a novel in 2007 during her first summer break at university and hasn’t stopped writing since. She also works as a freelance fiction editor and part-time lecturer.
Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was her debut novel; published in 2014 it was an Amazon bestseller in both the UK and Australia. In 2016 she signed to the hugely successful Bookouture and is currently working on her fifteenth Tilly Tennant novel. Christmas bestseller A Very Vintage Christmas has just been made into a movie for Lifetime Channel.
