Review: Songs of Love and War by Santa Montefiore

Their lives were mapped out ahead of them. But love and war will change everything…

West Cork, Ireland, 1900. The year marks the start of a new century, and the birth of three very different women: Kitty Deverill, the flame-haired Anglo-Irish daughter of the castle, Bridie Doyle, the daughter of the Irish cook and Celia Deverill, Kitty's flamboyant English cousin.

Together they grow up in the dreamy grounds of the family's grand estate, Castle Deverill. Yet their peaceful way of life is threatened when Ireland's struggle for independence reaches their isolated part of the country.

A bastion of British supremacy, the castle itself is in danger of destruction as the war closes in around it, and Kitty, in love with the rebel Jack O'Leary and enflamed by her own sense of patriotism, is torn between loyalty to her Anglo-Irish family and her deep love of Ireland and Jack.

Wrenched apart by betrayal, their world turned to ash, the girls' friendship seems all but lost as they are swept to different parts of the globe. Yet, they have one thing in common: a fierce and unwavering longing for Castle Deverill and all the memories contained within it. 

Review: this was very different to my usual reading material. Although I have read a few of Santa Montefiore's books previously, none of them have been quite as 'historical' as this one and so I have to admit I struggled to get into this one a little initially. I think that the thing I struggled with the most was keeping track of who all the characters were and how they related together. The structure of the books was that it was divvied into 3 parts. There was also a prologue and a epilogue. I loved the structure of the book and my favourite part, the part that had me really gripped was the third part. I felt, by this point that I had got to knew the characters and really invested in them so from this pint onwards I couldn't stop listening to it! 

The characters were an interesting mix of English and Irish during the time when English weren't really welcome in Ireland and it was a fairly dangerous place to be. We also has a mix of the right families and their servants. These characters went through so much drama and created so much drama, I can't really single any one character out as a favourite. I really liked the journey that maid Bridie went on. I won't give away any spoilers but I'm sure you'll be championing her from the start! 

Of course the setting description in this one was beautiful. The description of the Irish landscape is just breathtaking. Some of the book is set in New York and I could totally picture the scenes as Monterfiore was describing them. There are also so bits set in England and I think that this author really captures the mood at the time in her descriptions. As I say, this book was quite different for me. I enjoyed it overall. I have it in paperback but actually listened to it in audiobook. I'd really quite like the chance to go back to beginning of the book and read the first couple of chapters because the epilogue takes the book full circle, if you read it I would really recommend flicking back to the beginning after you're done! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I'll be taking on vacation 28/6/16

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over there at The Broke and the Bookish. I'd love to share my lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Ok I feel like this is a bit of a naughty list because they're books that I SHOULD have read a while ago but didn't but I'm going to have 4 flights which involve several waits at the airport as well as the flights themselves. One of the flights is 13 hours so will involve some sleeping too but generally I feel optimistic about reading whilst travelling and then some bedtime reading too hopefully. I'm hoping to pop an audiobook when we're on in the car to so here goes...

1. The One we Fell In Love With by Paige Toon

2. Geek Girl: ahead Over Heels by Holly Smale

3. One Hot Summer by Kat French

4. The Haters by Jesse Andrews

5. Down Under by Bill Bryson (audiobook)

6. I followed The Rules by Joanna Boulari

7. The Shoemaker's Wife/All The Stars in The Heavens by Adriana Trigiani 

8. Sunshine Over Wildflower Cottage by Milly Johnson 

9. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

10. Wildflower Bay by Rachel Lucas

So there you have it, this is a mix of Ebooks, audiobooks and paperbacks so I should hopefully have plenty to read at any one time! 

Guest Review: The Canal Boat Cafe Part 4 by Cressida McLaughlin

Hilarious and touching, The Canal Boat Cafe series will appeal to fans of Game of Scones, Wickham Hall and The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe.

Summer Freeman has been trying to make a go of the Canal Boat Café, but her love life is in rough waters. Mason, the handsome photographer from the boat next door, has left Willowbeck, and Summer’s Bichon Frise, Latte, misses his Border Terrier, Pocket, almost as much as Summer misses Mason.
But the sunshine has arrived and with the help of the roving river folk who are in Willowbeck for a festival, Summer tracks him down. The course of true doesn’t run smoothly and when the unthinkable happens, Mason and Summer must face up to their past if they are to save Willowbeck and the community she has grown to love. Will Summer finally drop anchor and call Willowbeck her home?

Review: This is the 4th, and final, part of this e-serial revolving round the cafe housed in a canal boat and the experiences of its owner. The complete Canal Boat Cafe novel is to be published soon, along with some bonus material should you prefer to read it in its entirety.

In this instalment, the main characters are all there again - Summer, the owner of the cafe, the locals in the town of Willowbeck where her boat is moored, her neighbouring boat owners, and a group of traders based on other canal boats. The romance that was developing nicely between Summer, and her 'floating neighbour', Mason, seemed to have hit stormy water at the end of the last part of the serial, and we are left wondering if they can rekindle their relationship. There is plenty of other drama in this last part of the story as well. In fact, the tension is kept up right to the end.

I have really enjoyed this story right from the first part. There has been a strong and varied cast of characters in each instalment and a great deal of action too. I think it would make a great holiday read, and might well encourage a few of us to take to the water for our next break. 

Review: Who's That Girl by Mhairi McFarlane

When Edie is caught in a compromising position at her colleagues’ wedding, all the blame falls on her – turns out that personal popularity in the office is not that different from your schooldays. Shamed online and ostracised by everyone she knows, Edie’s forced to take an extended sabbatical – ghostwriting an autobiography for hot new acting talent, Elliot Owen. Easy, right?

Wrong. Banished back to her home town of Nottingham, Edie is not only dealing with a man who probably hasn’t heard the word ‘no’ in a decade, but also suffering an excruciating regression to her teenage years as she moves back in with her widowed father and judgy, layabout sister.

When the world is asking who you are, it’s hard not to question yourself. Who’s that girl? Edie is ready to find out.

Review: I listened to this book on audiobook and it was one of those that I would stay in the car to listen to the end of the chapter once I got home from work and even tried to sneak in some lunchtime listening if I could manage it too. I love Mhairi McFarlane's books because they just tell it how it is. Her writing is very honest and is therefore very funny! The start of this book in particular was extremely relatable to me because it began with a journey from the south of England to Harrogate and I started listening to this on the journey from the south of England to Harrogate. I have to say, as well, i was very pleased with the attention to detail in the section of the book set in Harrogate from the taxi firm to the fact that there are very few trains early in the morning, it was all spot on!

I wasn't entirely sure about Edie as a character to begin with because I was worried she would be a bit silly and annoy me, but in the end she really did seem to have her head screwed on right and so I felt i could let my guard down and warm to her. I think my worries were based on the fact that she does seem to regress to becoming a teenager again when she is forced to move back home. Her sister is involved in the story at this point and she is absolutely hilarious, she definitely provided a lot of the comedy in this novel! I really liked getting to know the character of Elliot as well. It was interesting to read about a fake celebrity, a bit like reading Billy and Me, and I think that he was very well-written as a character because I really did feel a bit starstruck whenever he came into a scene!

I really enjoyed the story line, everything that happened was totally plausible and yet it provided total escapism to me on a couple of very long journeys. I think that there were some elements of the storyline that were predictable but there were enough twists and turns to keep it real and keep you guessing. I liked the fact that it wasn't all set in London, I was able to picture places the characters went and the kind of reception that they received there. I would really recommend this book on audiobook but if you already have a hard copy then I'm sure you'll have a fun time too!

To order your copy now, click here!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten 2016 Releases so Far 21/6/16

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over there at The Broke and the Bookish. I'd love to share my lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

There have been so many good releases this year so far (mind you I can't wait for the second half of the year to see what that brings!) I haven't read all the releases I want to have read but hopefully you'll agree with some of the items on this list...

1. Summer Nights at The Moonlight Hotel by Jane Costello

2. Who's that Girl by Mhairi McFarlane

3. Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran

4. The Missing by CL Taylor

5. The Night that Changed Everything by Laura Tait and Jimmy Rice

6. These Days of Ours by Juliet Ashton

7. Making it up as I go Along by Marian Keyes

8. Our Song by Dani Atkins

9. The One with The Engagement Party by Erin Lawless

10. Match me If You Can by Michele Gorman

Guest Review: the Canal Boat Cafe Book 3 by Cressida McLaughlin

Summer Freeman, who runs the Canal Boat Café in the waterside village of Willowbeck, is having the time of her life. She’s navigated the café out of some stormy waters and her best friend is helping her try out some new recipes. Summer and her neighbour Mason, as well as their dogs Pocket and Latte, are spending more and more time together and after a romantic evening in together (which her nosy friends won’t stop interrupting), Summer is excited about where things are headed…Until things run adrift.

As seasons change and secrets are uncovered, Summer has to decide who she can trust, including Mason. Can she find love and make a new life for herself in Willowbeck? Or will she choose to keep her heart below deck? 

Review: This is the third and penultimate in a series of short stories about a cafe contained in a canal narrow boat and the adventures of its owner. All four parts will eventually be published as a complete story, although each part could feasibly be read in isolation. 

In this part, Summer Freeman, who has inherited the boat-cum-cafe from her mother, is once more settled in a permanent mooring on the canal in the peaceful town of Willowbeck. She has left behind some friends she made in a travelling group of canal boat traders and resumed acquaintance with her mum's old friend and fellow boat owner, Valerie, and other 'neighbours' in the town. Some of Summer's family also appear on the scene.  Finally, there are some interesting developments in the romantic relationship between Summer and the slightly mysterious Mason who lives in his rather smart sounding narrow boat in the next mooring. 

I very much enjoyed this instalment and am becoming more and more drawn into the plot with each part of the story. I think that Cressida has done a good job of building up the back stories of the various characters at the same time as moving the present time action along. I am waiting with anticipation for the final part to see how the whole affair plays out. I'm sure I won't be disappointed. 

Review: The Barn on Half Moon Hill by Milly Johnson

Cariad Williams has been writing to Franco Mezzaluna since they were kids. But he has never written back. And now he has become a famous film star. What's more, he is due to visit Winterworld, the Christmas theme park where Cariad works. The only problem is that she has boasted to her friends that he is her boyfriend and now everyone will find out about her lie...
An exclusive short story from Milly Johnson to raise funds for the Care for Claire charity. 

Review: This is a lovely short story from Milly Johnson that is easy to read and really quite charming. I read it in only a few hours, not really wanting to put it down. As usual, Milly has written with humour and an understanding of real people. 

The story revolves around Cariad Williams and her fascination with film actor Franco Mezzaluna. Although originally from Wales, Cariad moves to Yorkshire to work in Winterworld, the theme park that is central to Milly's novel, A Winter Flame. It was nice to revisit the theme park and some of the characters from the earlier story; there is also the hint that Milly may return to their story in future. The story of what happens with Cariad and Franco, and indeed the barn on Half Moon Hill, is quite magical and refreshing. I can't really say any more than that without giving it all away.

All profit from this ebook exclusive short story from Milly Johnson will go to help a lady who lives in the same community as Milly and who tragically lost her children, her home, indeed everything, in a fire started by her ex-husband. So, if you like the sound of the story, please buy it and contribute to the fund set up to help this brave lady.