Daisy and James have their whole married life ahead of them and she has just discovered she is pregnant. But then she finds herself in prison for his murder and her daughter may be taken away fromher at birth. Could she be innocent and prove it in order to keep her daughter?
The Bride is a tense and emotional psychological thriller.
Daisy is facing life in prison for the murder of her husband. She reflects on their relationship from the start as teens in Wales, through to their return from honeymoon with a baby on the way. They stopped off at a petrol station but James vanished while she was inside. Now she is accused of his murder and wants to explain events to her child.
The book is written from Daisy’s first person perspective as she recalls her life and love with James before moving onto more recent events. Her confusion and emotion as well as her determination to set the record straight for her unborn daughter, are powerfully depicted.
The pace of the plot developments speeds up as we move from the past to the present. There are lots of twists and secrets which are hinted at in the first half of the book to build the tension and anticipation.
The Bride has plenty of mystery and cleverly builds the tension.
The Bride
She’s on trial for murder… Now it’s her turn to tell her story…
# The truth is that I loved James with my whole heart. We were soulmates: meant to be together forever. On the morning of our wedding, I had just found out I was carrying his child.
But it’s time to tell my side of the story. It’s time everyone knew what happened on that wedding day, on our honeymoon, and on that fateful last drive together. It’s time everyone found out about the secrets and about the threat that loomed over our marriage. It’s time everyone found out who really killed James.
And I need everyone to believe me. To believe I’m not a killer. Because if they don’t, then my baby won’t just have no father… she’ll have no mother.
Author Bio –
John Nicholl is the bestselling author of numerous psychological thrillers and detective series, previously published by Bloodhound, and inspired by his real-life experience as an ex-police officer and child protection social worker. Boldwood will be publishing the next title in his Galbraith series and a new psychological thriller in autumn 2022, and will be reissuing his bestselling backlist from May 2022.
Social Media Links –
Francesca’s personal life and career are disasterous so she jumps at the chance to travel to Italy to purchase some rare books. She has a competitor who also wants to secure the deal but they must work togther to find the hidden books.
The Bookseller’s Daughter is a dual timeline novel set in the present day and the 1930s-40s. I have previously reviewed The Lost Village by Daniela Sacerdoti.
Francesca has been dumped by her fiance but is still living with him (mostly sleeping on the couch and hoping for their love to reignite). Her career is in tatters due to unpleasant associations with fraud that she was innocent of. Both situations had me gnashing my teeth in rage at the unfairness! She has a chance to prove herself in Italy but finds herself on a quest rather than a simple transaction.
Helena has written a diary in 1944 to chart her experiences of being orphaned but also joining a convent. She has been through a lot of pain and grief due to the deaths of her family when she was younger before subverting the power of the Nazis.
The strength of women is a recurring theme in this book. There are also ghosts to add an extra dimension to the plot. I enjoyed the historical detail included in the book as well as the emotional and supernatural aspects. The writing style brings both timelines to life and the setting is described vividly to underpin the plot and characters.
The Bookseller’s Daughter is an engaging and often emotional book.
Book Description:
‘As the soldiers arrived on our sandy beaches, a brave young girl hid beautiful leather-bound books. She risked her life to protect the secrets of this island and save the man she loved. I want you to find the books, dear Francesca. Her diary holds the first clue, take it, and uncover her incredible story…’
As golden sunlight shimmers across the crystal-clear water, Francesca arrives on the tranquil Italian island of Santa Caterina in search of precious rare books. She quickly discovers she was invited by the island’s mysterious owner, alongside handsome local book collector Thiago, to unlock a secret spanning generations. Together, they learn the books were hidden during the Second World War by Helèna, the daughter of a bookseller, who sacrificed everything to save the island’s treasures from the Nazis.
With only Helèna’s diary to guide them, Francesca finds herself growing closer to Thiago, with his deep blue eyes and sun-kissed curls. As they curl up under the stars, piecing together clues in the gentle, rose-scented breeze and retracing Helèna’s steps on the quaint cobbled streets, Francesca begins to wonder if she can finally open her heart to a new beginning…
But when an unbelievable act of courage and a heart-breaking secret in the final pages of the diary shatters everything she and Thiago thought they knew about Helèna, Francesca realises the remarkable wartime story of love and sacrifice has the power to change both of their lives forever.
An unforgettable and emotional story of bravery, love and secrets from the author of Amazon No.1 bestseller The Italian Villa and million-copy bestseller, Watch Over Me. Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Victoria Hislop, and The Letter by Kathryn Hughes, readers will be absolutely hooked on The Bookseller’s Daughter.
Author Bio:
Daniela Sacerdoti is the author of the bestselling Glen Avich series which has sold over one million copies in ebook to date, Sacerdoti’s debut novel Watch Over Me was named the eighth bestselling Kindle book of all time in 2015, when she was also ranked as the eleventh top-selling Kindle author. She lives in a small village in the middle of nowhere, with her Scottish husband, two children, a Cocker spaniel and a foundling kitten (who was definitely a witch in a past life).
Buy Link:
You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo
If you had told me 20 years ago that I would ever voluntarily eat peas, I would have laughed in your face! But now I do! I had a craving for asparagus and thought I could do with some more green veg after a very busy few weeks with very little cooking. So I added the peas and it was yum!
Ingredients (serves 2)
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped or crushed
100g asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 handfuls of frozen peas frozen
175g rice
700 ml vegetable stock
salt and pepper, herbs, or spring onion to taste/serve
Instructions
Heat up the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Wash the rice then add to the pan with 400ml of the stock.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes then add the asparagus and 300ml stock. Season with salt, pepper and fresh herbs as desired.
Bring back to the boil and and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.
Add the peas and cook for 3 more minutes, adding the remaining 50ml stock if needed.
I served my asparagus and pea risotto with some chopped spring onion. I think this would be nice with a bit of vegan soft cheese mixed in to give it a creamy sticky texture.
Merryn is set for a huge inheritance but has always been underestimated and has few friends. She has to adapt to her new position in life as well as shifting family relationships. She even considers love for the first time!
Merryn is the 5th book in the Cousins of Pemberley series. Last week I reviewed Jane, the previous book in the series. Each book works as a stand alone novel but the romantic pairs from earlier books do feature.
Merryn’s Darcy/Bennet connection is a little further away in the family tree so the opening chapters include a lot of detail about the family relationships. I found myself a little confused at the start as there are several main characters whose names begin with ‘R’ so I wasn’t clear on their role and connection.
Few fans of the original Pride and Prejudice can forget the overbearing Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her poor frail daughter Anne. Merryn is Anne’s daughter and now set to inherit her grandmother’s fortune. She strikes a tragic figure as an orphan and rejected by her paternal grandfather.
Our sympathies are instantly aligned with Merryn as she strives to find a place in life and adapts to her new fortune. Her long standing friendship with Jacob is innocent but his brother Ryder is well educated and offers Merryn the chance to find an intellectual equal.
Merryn is an entertaining historical romance novel and essential reading for Jane Austen fans.
Merryn’s Book Links
Book Blurb
Many years have passed since the dramatic events of Pride and Prejudice. In The Cousins of Pemberley series we follow a new generation of heroines – cousins with lives as different and interesting as those enjoyed by their mothers.
Merryn :
When a young woman is the recipient of a great fortune, her life can become difficult.
Lady Merryn Bowyer has many problems – learning how to behave in society, dealing with relatives who hate her and men who wish to marry her!
Can she learn to trust, find a way to survive, to love?
Luckily Merryn has two advantages – strength of character, inherited from her formidable grandmother, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and a reckless, dare-devil cousin, Bennetta Darcy.
Author Bio
Fiction has always been my go-to world, a place of entertainment, excitement and imagination – I am told that I wrote my first story when I was four about a lady who had twenty children! Sadly it has been lost for posterity.
I have been writing all my life in the time I could spare from having a “proper job”, mostly for children under the name of Linda Blake, stories of ballet dancers, pony riding and talking animals! Not all in the same book!
But my love of romance, a great tendency to say “What if..?” and the endearing characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have now resulted in a series of books that will take the reader forward to the next generation of heroines.
I am retired, live in Kent and am a keen member of my local drama group. Directing and acting take up a lot of my time – I have been given the onerous task of writing the Christmas pantomimes – but I still need to cope with a large garden, doing daily battle with the heron who thinks my pond is his own breakfast buffet and keeping in touch with friends and family scattered all over the world.
Linda’s Links:
Lucy is a computer programmer who suffers from ill health and moves to the country for some peace and quiet. Except her cotttage has a llama, cockerel and donkey that shouldn’t be there…!
The Llama Farm on New Moon Lane is a light hearted book about a change of pace for a physical and emotional reset.
Lucy’s health takes a turn for the worse just as her career is set to take a new direction. Her new game sounds fab although the computer jargon was a bit above my head. However, the connection she makes with the animals is beautifully written. The animals’ characters are brought to life and I especially fell in love with Dimitri the donkey.
The book is written in the third person which allows some disance from the emotions that Lucy is feeling as she rethinks her life and priorities. There is a gentle humour and light hearted tone to the writing which makes this story so enjoyable. The villagers are very involved in every aspect of communiety life which adds another touch of exasperation and humour. The conclusion of the book is open ended and a little abrupt, setting the scene for the next book in the series. Overall, the book leaves a feel-good response to the plot and characters.
The Llama Farm on New Moon Lane is a warm and uplifting book about fresh starts and emotional healing.
The Llama Farm on New Moon Lane
Young and quiet, Lucy Granger leads an introverted life in Reading, living in a flat and working in design at a graphics company—until it is upended when she both sells her idea for a mobile game and suffers an unexpected medical diagnosis shortly afterwards.
Facing a mandated medical rest period, she decides to use her windfall earnings to take a year’s holiday, renting a farm on New Moon Lane in a country village in Yorkshire. As Lucy settles into her holiday home for some tranquility, she soon learns that she is not the only tenant, when a llama named Llarry strolls out of the farm’s supposedly-derelict barn. He is shortly followed by others in a menagerie of abandoned animals left behind—from a sickly donkey who likes eating crisps to a flirtatious cockerel sleeping in the back garden.
To Lucy’s consternation, no one is willing or able to take them on, leaving her with a strange mix of furry and feathered friends to find homes for. Reluctantly adapting to her circumstances in order to deal with this problem, Lucy will discover other surprises about the animals in her care, and the place she is temporarily calling home. About herself, as well.
Will her ordinary life ever be the same after her experience on New Moon Lane? More importantly, should she really want it to be?
Author Bio –
Laura Briggs is the author of several feel-good romance reads, including the Top 100 Amazon UK seller ‘A Wedding in Cornwall’. She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, caring for her pets, gardening, and seeing the occasional movie or play.
Social Media Links –
Author Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1JjeMoI
Author Twitter: http://bit.ly/1ME9ivJ
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Merryn is set for a huge inheritance but has always been underestimated and has few friends. She has to adapt to her new position in life as well as shifting family relationships. She even considers love for the first time!
