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The Colour of Summer, by Victoria Connelly
Abigail and Edward are co-owners of Winfield Hall and are renting out apartments with varying degrees of success. Romance flutters in the air but secrets lurk in the shadows…
The Colour of Summer is the third and final book in Victoria Connelly’s series and I have reviewed the first book in the series The House in the Clouds.
Abi and Edward were thrown together by their ownership of the house. Their friendship teeters on romance with neither willing to make the first move. Harry and Aura are the other couple to feature in this book. Their relationship is ready to move to the next stage and a wedding is planned. This makes Abi and Edward consider their own relationship.
Things do not run smoothly for the couple even though I was eager to finally get them together. The pair are having trouble with one of their tenants and this really struck a chord with me as we have noisy neighbours. They also have secrets from the past and I wrote in my review of the first book that they were both haunted and vulnerable.
The tone of the book is gentle and the author treats her characters with warmth. I enjoyed the descriptons of the setting which supported the plot and characters.
The Colour of Summer is a warm and enjoyable romance novel.
The Colour of Summer
How long can you hide your past from the one you love?
When Abigail and Edward became co-owners of historic Winfield Hall in the beautiful Sussex countryside, they had little idea what the future held. But, as the days of summer lengthen, their feelings towards one another grow and love begins to blossom.
Harry and Aura have been a couple for a year now and, with the summer solstice approaching, Harry hatches a very special plan. He just hopes that the sun, moon and the stars are all in alignment.
But not everything is going to plan. Life has a way of catching up with you and it isn’t long before Abi discovers that Edward’s been lying about his past, and the family secrets he’s been hiding now threaten their future happiness. Can Edward make amends for his mistakes and will Abi ever be able to forgive and trust him again?
Heartwarming and uplifting, The Colour of Summer is the final book in The House in the Clouds trilogy by bestselling author Victoria Connelly.
Purchase Links
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Summer-House-Clouds-Book-ebook/dp/B09RPTDKN2
US – https://www.amazon.com/Colour-Summer-House-Clouds-Book-ebook/dp/B09RPTDKN2
Author Bio –
Victoria Connelly lives in a 500-year old thatched cottage in rural Suffolk with her artist husband, a springer spaniel and a flock of ex-battery hens. She is the million-selling author of two bestselling series, The Austen Addicts and The Book Lovers, as well as many other novels and novellas. Her first published novel, Flights of Angels, was made into a film in Germany. Victoria loves books, films, walking, historic buildings and animals. If she isn’t at her keyboard writing, she can usually be found in her garden either with a trowel in her hand or a hen on her lap.
Social Media Links –
www.victoriaconnelly.com
Instagram: @victoriaconnellyauthor
https://www.instagram.com/victoriaconnellyauthor/
Facebook: @victoriaconnellyauthor
https://www.facebook.com/victoriaconnellyauthor
Twitter: @VictoriaDarcy
https://www.twitter.com/victoriadarcy
Sister Agatha, by Domhnall O’Donoghue
Sister Agatha is 118 and the fifth oldest living person. She believes she only has a week left to live and it is her ambition to be the oldest in the world. She has a week to kill off the four people older than herself…
What a book! Sister Agatha is an absolutely fantastic novel, packed with adventure and humour . I had a smile on my face as I whizzed through the pages, enjoying every nuance of plot and character.
The depth and layers of plot are superb. Agatha was thwarted in love as a teenager and joined the convent where she has led an exemplary life. Now she has an ambition to be the oldest person in the world and is prepared to break her vows to commit murder. Agatha’s plans don’t work out quite the way she anticipates leading to wonderful plot twists.
The luck or coincidences were a joy to read. The style of writing is light hearted, full of funny commentary but also wise.
There are a number of peripheral characters whose lives are altered by Agatha’s journey. There are little mentions in passing of the other nuns which hint at the personality behind the veil. All of the characters were brought to life so well with very human foibles. However it is Agatha herself who truly shines, immersing us in her mission.
Sister Agatha is fun and quirky and I loved the escapades of the incredible nun.
Book blurb: Sister Agatha: The World’s Oldest Serial Killer
Sister Agatha is 118 years of age, whose vim and vigour would put the most robust athletes to shame. However, during a routine check-up, her doctor claims that she has just a week to live – inconvenient, seeing as the beloved sister once made an improbable vow: to be the oldest person in the world. At last count, she was the fifth.
Never one to admit defeat, Sister Agatha concocts a bold Plan B. Using her final days, she intends on travelling the world to meet the only four people whose birthday cakes boast more candles than hers.
And then, one by one, she will kill them.
Purchase Links
UK- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sister-Agatha-Worlds-Oldest-Serial-ebook/dp/B09X21ZNY2/
US – https://www.amazon.com/Sister-Agatha-Worlds-Oldest-Serial-ebook/dp/B09X21ZNY2/
Author Bio –
Hailing from Navan in the royal county of Meath, Domhnall is a graduate of the Bachelor in Acting Studies Programme, Trinity College Dublin, later completing a Master’s in Screenwriting at Dún Laoghaire IADT.
He now works as an actor and a journalist, dividing his time between Galway, where he films TG4’s award-winning series, Ros na Rún, Dublin and Venice, where he and his Italian lover continuously promise their well-worn livers that they will refrain from quaffing so much Prosecco. (Unfortunately, it seems some vows, just like nearby Rome, were not built in a day.)
Wine-drinking aside, for more than four years, Domhnall has also enjoyed the responsibility of being Assistant Editor at Irish Tatler Man, a title whose various awards includes Consumer Magazine of the Year. Thanks to this role, he interviewed a host of high-profile names such as Tommy Hilfiger, Chris Pine, Kevin Spacey, David Gandy, and Jacques Villeneuve.
Domhnall has written for the majority of Ireland’s leading newspapers and magazines, including the Irish Independent, The Irish Times and RTE. He also writes a monthly column in Woman’s Way, the country’s biggest-selling weekly magazine.
His first novel, Sister Agatha: the World’s Oldest Serial Killer, was released in 2016 to critical acclaim (Tirgearr Publishing). His second and third books, Colin and the Concubine and Crazy for You were published by Mercier Press, Ireland’s oldest publishing house.
Social Media Links –
FB – Domhnall O’Donoghue (facebook.com)
T – https://twitter.com/Domhnall1982
IG – https://instagram.com/domhnall82
Murder at the Country Club, by Helena Dixon
Kitty and her fiance Matthew are invoted to an exclusive country club. Their host Sir William Winspear wishes to have a secret meeting with Matthew but is murdered before the pair can meet. What did he want to tell Matthew and did it get him killed?
Murder at the Country Club is the 9th book to feature Kitty Underhay. She tries to get away for some rest and relaxation but death seems to follow her!
Kitty and Matthew are guests of Sir William but Kitty finds his body pierced by a broken arrow. There is a scrap of fabric which seems to implicate his wife but surely the case can’t be solved that easily?! Another murder makes the pair consider the suspects more carefully to establish motives and a connection between the deaths.
The book is set in 1934 and has a classical feel. I was reminded of an Agatha Christie mixed with Midsomer Murders. The death and body are not described in detail, making this a cosy murder mystery. The style of writing is easy to read and the plot twists maintain the puzzle of the culprit’s identity.
Murder at the Country Club is an enjoyable cosy historical murder mystery.
I have previously reviewed Murder at Enderley Hall, Murder at the Playhouse, Murder on the Dance Floor, Murder in the Belltower, Murder at Elm House, Murder at the Wedding, and Murder in First Class.