Friday, 4 June 2021
Review: The Getaway by Isabelle Broom
Sometimes it takes losing everything to find the person you need . . .
Most people travel to Croatia for its endless sunshine, pebbly beaches and crystal clear sea.
Kate goes there to disappear.
She needs to escape from a life that has fallen apart in spectacular and public fashion, and no one on the beautiful island of Hvar knows who she is or what she's running away from.
Until she meets another lonely soul.
Alex is different to any man Kate has ever known, yet the connection between them is undeniable. She soon begins to open up in ways she never has before - not even to herself. But Kate is not the only person in Hvar hiding secrets. And, as she is about to discover, it is always only a matter of time before the truth catches up with you . . .
Review: Ooo this book gives you all the classic features of an Isabelle Broom novel, a slightly broken main character you can relate to, exceptional travel that you can partake in without leaving the pages of a book and the kind of wonderful British humour I love in a book and then adds a mystery element. I didn't know I needed a bit of mystery added to my romcom but boy did I have fun working out the mysterious elements of this beauty!
I adored the Croatian setting of this book, I have never been to Croatia but I could picture the town and the ocean so vividly thanks to this authors brilliant descriptions. I travelled with Kate and enjoyed disappearing with her for a bit. Kate is a complex character and I feel like her situation is a little like the title of the Jon Ronson book 'So You've Been Publicly Shamed' only perhaps a little less drastic than some of those but I really felt for her in her situation at the start of this story. I've had similar things happen to me and so I could really empathize with her. But the whole when one door closes another one opens scenario is never truer here because I love when Kate finds her metaphorical voice and she does so in a way I have never read about before.
I also really loved the relationships in this book, they are also unique compared to anything else I have read. I loved that Kate had this close relationship with her brother and her best friend and those bonds only become closer throughout the novel. I also love that her brother is starting a new adventure with his partner and then there's the complication that is Alex. I loved getting to know him through Kate and trying to work him out. He really is a closed book when it comes to most things and I found him so intriguing I just had to find out more.
This was such a great escapist read. It was wonderful to get to travel somewhere new and meet these warm and welcoming characters. If this is your first Isabelle Broom novel or you're a seasoned reader like me-you're in for a treat!
Thursday, 3 June 2021
May 2021 Reading Wrap Up
Well it is safe to say that my aim to just have a better reading month than April was well and truly accomplished. This was partly due to the fact that Bout of Books was successful for me and then also the fact that a lot of audiobooks I'd had on hold came through. I did a couple of great buddy reads with Hayley and so I think that having a more prescriptive TBR was good for me this month.
As always I will divide my reading into eBooks, audiobooks and physical books and leave links to any reviews I have already posted. And can we just take a moment that my ebook category is so full this month and I have also linked more than just a couple of reviews?
eBooks
Physical Books
Audiobooks
This Month's Videos
Wednesday, 2 June 2021
Guest Review: Winter at Wishington Bay by Maxine Morrey
Part 2 of the Wishington Bay series, read our review of part 1 here!
Eighteen months ago, Sophia Jones finally walked out on her unhappy life.
With a tricky divorce ongoing, money is tight and so when friends offer her a housekeeping job while they’re away travelling, she accepts.
Nate McKinley is hesitant when his brother, Gabe, offers him the use of their home in the picturesque village of Wishington Bay. But he has a book to a write and an imploded marriage to recover from, so maybe a change of scene is exactly what he needs.
As Wishington Bay works its magic, friendship blossoms between Sophia and Nate. For Nate, finally feeling able to be himself with someone who is honest and down to earth is a revelation.
But Sophia has a secret and a jealous colleague is determined to blow her cover. Can she really keep her old life in the past or is it destined to destroy this new, happy one too?
Take a trip back to Wishington Bay this winter and find out…
Review: How nice to be returning to the seaside village of Wishington Bay. This book carries on from Coming Home to Wishington Bay, the first of Maxine Morrey’s works that I read. I love a story that takes me back into a world I have visited before with the promise of bumping into familiar characters and situations. Although that is the case with this book, it can still easily be read as a standalone. In common with the previous Wishington Bay story, I listened to the audiobook version and was interested to note that when the main character appeared in the first book she had a very different accent from her present one, not that this spoiled my enjoyment of the story in any way. I should mention that this book has the most gorgeous cover, skilfully conveying the feeling of a winter outing by the sea.
The central female character in this story is Sophia Jones, who works as a waitress in Wishington Bay’s highly successful restaurant. Always short of cash, she is pleased to be offered an additional job as housekeeper for a visiting Australian writer, Nate McKinley, brother of a character who was central to the previous book in the series. After a not so friendly start, Sophia and Nate, both with failed marriages behind them, begin to bond. However, Sophia is hiding a secret from Nate and everyone else in the village which may jeopardise their relationship when it gets out. Unfortunately, Sophia’s work colleague has her eyes on Nate as well and will do anything to break them apart.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this book and can highly recommend it. The seaside village is so well described that I felt I could just walk down the sand and dip my toes in the sea, even if it was winter. A lovely feel of community, particularly as the village prepares for Christmas, comes across in the writing as well. The characters and situations are completely believable, and just as I n real life, not everyone is likeable. I was pleased to find that amongst the returning characters was Bryan, the (partly) sausage dog; he is such an adorable chap, rightly taking pride of place on the book’s cover. I loved that there was a mystery going on regarding Sophia’s past. It was cleverly woven through the story until very near the end to keep the reader guessing. I hope there may be more from Wishington Bay and its inhabitants in the future.
Tuesday, 1 June 2021
June 2021 TBR New Release Recommendations and Other Books I Want To Read!
Ok so May worked a lot better with a more structured and strict TBR so I am going to attempt to put a tighter TBR together this month since May was a lot more successful in terms of reading than April was! HOWEVER I will be preparing to move in the month of June so we need to access books that are available on Audio on the most part.
So my plan is to list some July and later releases i.e. books I know I have for review that I would really like to read and review before I move but some of those might end up being ported over to July TBR too and I would be OK with that. Obviously my 'other books I want to get to' section is going to be books that are on my shelf that I would like to unload before paying to move them! I won't be reading anything specific for pride month because I feel like I read books with queer characters as much as possible anyway but there are a few on my list that totally work for June so let me know what you think!
June/July Releases
22nd June
24th June
1st June
9th June
23rd June
8th July
22nd July
August/September Releases
3rd August
5th August
2nd September
2nd September
Other Books I Want To Get To
I also have 2 quick reads to read that I didn't get to finish off in May so I will be reading those at the start of June.
Sunday, 30 May 2021
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