THE KEEPER OF THE IRISH SECRET

MY THOUGHTS:

Lily is heading back to Dublin, Ireland to her family home.  She absolutely loved the time she would spend there, as a child,  at her grandmother Sylvia’s house.  She has fond memories of walks on the beach, and exploring Magnolia Manor, like it was yesterday.  When she arrives at Magnolia Manor, she sees how dilapidated it has become, with its overgrown gardens and unkept house in need of repair.  Sylvia is “well-to-do” so the condition of Magnolia Manor takes Lily by surprise.  Lily takes on some of the repairs but can’t seem to keep up with them all.  While rummaging through the gatehouse she discovers a trunk full of old letters.  After reading through the letters, she uncovers a devastating family secret that Sylvia has been hiding about the family home.  

The Keeper of the Irish Secret written by Susanne O’Leary is a heartwarming and beautifully written story.  O’Leary always pens wonderful and inspiring stories that literally plants your feet firmly on the Irish coast.  I felt the breeze in my face and heard the waves lapping the shore and was mesmerized by the beautiful water.  I forgot where I was, for a period of time. This book read like a movie in my mind.  I loved everything about this story as it hit all the feels.  I am so over the moon happy that this is the first book in a brand new series.  I loved every character in this story and I can’t wait for book two, Rose’s story.  If you want to be transported to Ireland and fall in love with an Irish family near and far, this is the book for you.  This is an absolutely unforgettable, captivating and unputdownable story that I highly recommend. Do yourself a favor and immediately put this book on top of your to be read pile. Ten stars for this one.

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

DESCRIPTION:

THE KEEPER OF THE IRISH SECRET
Author: Susanne O’Leary 
Publisher: Bookouture 
Publication Date: January 25, 2024
Pages: 299
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A mysterious old house, an unforgettable romance and a lost granddaughter escaping to the stunning Irish coast…

Lily Fleury used to love visiting her eccentric grandmother Sylvia in Ireland, taking long sunset walks on the beach and exploring the nooks and crannies of the family’s old home Magnolia Manor. But when she arrives from Dublin broken-hearted, hoping to heal in Sylvia’s warm embrace, she finds the once ornate Georgian house in disrepair and the gardens wildly overgrown. Sylvia has always been fiercely independent, but Lily can’t believe she hasn’t told anyone she’s been struggling.

Lily knows she can’t leave until she gets Sylvia back on her feet. Although mysterious local builder Dominic agrees to help, from the moment Lily looks into his fierce green eyes they clash over how to fix the sprawling estate. It’s only when she hears the soft Irish lilt of his voice as he sings in the local pub that their arguments ignite a spark of passion neither can ignore…

But when Lily finds a trunk of tattered letters in the gatehouse, she discovers a devastating secret Sylvia has been hiding about Magnolia Manor. And she soon learns the real reason Dominic agreed to help out. Lily wanted to save her family home, and could see a life here with Dominic, but will the truth force her to leave the man who has captured her heart and never return?

ABOUT SUSANNE O’LEARY

Susanne O’Leary is the bestselling author of more than twenty novels, mainly in the romantic fiction genre. She has also written three crime novels and two in the historical fiction genre. She has been the wife of a diplomat (still is), a fitness teacher and a translator. She now writes full-time from either of two locations, a ramshackle house in County Tipperary, Ireland or a little cottage overlooking the Atlantic in Dingle, County Kerry. When she is not scaling the mountains of said counties, or keeping fit in the local gym, she keeps writing, producing a book every six months.

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THE GERMAN CHILD

MY THOUGHTS:

Annaliese could barely speak as her face is soaked with her tears.  She is heartbroken after the Nazi’s have taken her child.  She makes it her mission in life to find her baby.  No matter what the cost, no matter how long, she will one day find her beautiful baby. Thirty-five years later Evie, a lawyer in Berlin, is investigating the stories of the children that were separated from their mothers during the war.  She soon meets Sebastian, and he desperately needs her help.  As she spends endless days and nights to find out anything she can about his case, she soon realizes that the face in the photo is oddly familiar to her.  

The German Child written by Catherine Hokin is an inspiring and phenomenal story.  This story literally broke my heart.  This is a dual time line novel, and let me just say that Hokin pulls you into the reality of 1944 in Berlin.  Then, she immediately propels you into present day.  This was an unputdownable book for me, even though it was a tough topic to read.  I was drawn into the story at the flip of the first page and I went through an entire box of Kleenex by the time I arrived at the last page.  I felt inspired by the story and the people in the book gave me hope.  I was cheering them on and I knew that the truth would prevail.  This masterpiece of a story is one that I highly recommend.

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

DESCRIPTION:

THE GERMAN CHILD

Author:  Catherine Hokin

Publisher: Bookouture 

Publication Date: January 24, 2024 

Pages: 376

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Berlin, 1944. ‘No! Not my child!’ Annaliese screams, her voice breaking as she pounds the window uselessly. But no-one looks up as the man in the SS uniform cradles her precious baby and strides away…

She lies unmoving on the threadbare cot, her throat hoarse from long hours of screaming but her tears keep falling. Her heart has been cleaved in two, now the Nazis have taken the only thing she has left – her child. She is utterly powerless against them. But as Annaliese cries herself to sleep, she makes a vow - she will find her precious baby again. Whatever it takes.

Berlin, 1979. Lawyer Evie has come to the city to investigate the horrifying stories of infants torn from their mothers during the war. One of the cases is Sebastian, whose yellowing birth certificate tells a heartbreaking tale. Evie is drawn to this lost man, and vows to do all that she can to help him.

But poring through old records, it is Evie who recognizes the faded photo in a newspaper article. Her heart stops as she realizes her whole life has been a devastating lie – and that her and Sebastian’s pasts are impossibly, unimaginably connected…

ABOUT CATHERINE HOKIN

I seem to have followed a rather meandering career, including marketing and teaching and politics (don't try and join the dots), to get where I have always wanted to be, which is writing historical fiction. I am a story lover as well as a story writer and nothing fascinates me more than a strong female protagonist and a quest. Hopefully those are what you will encounter when you pick up my books.

I am from the North of England but now live very happily in Glasgow with my American husband. Both my children have left home (one to London and one to Berlin) which may explain why I am finally writing. If I'm not at my desk you'll most probably find me in the cinema, or just follow the sound of very loud music.

I'd love to hear from you and there are lots of ways you can find me, so jump in via my website.

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THE BERLIN WIFE’S RESISTANCE

MY THOUGHTS:

Julius and Edith’s only hope of survival is to flee their beloved homeland of Germany. They decide to sell the last of their belongings and make the exhausting and demanding journey across the border into Switzerland.  But when they are turned away at the border they are devastated.  Their only option is to return Berlin.  They share an apartment with other Jewish families and they fear for their future.  When Julius is taken by the Nazi’s along with many other’s, heading to the prison camps, Edith is terrified and heartbroken. Edith joins the crowds of women gathering outside the camps in protest.  She draws strength from the women that she has something in common with.  But her heart still breaks for her husband Julius, wondering if she will ever see him again?

The Berlin Wife’s Resistance written by Marion Kummerow is a heartbreaking and amazingly written story.  Kummerow’s stories are never a disappointment and are always filled with courageous and inspiring people.  The emotions and fear that the people experience in the story are always conveyed so eloquently to the reader.  This story will definitely make the tears flow so make sure you keep the tissue box nearby.  This is book three of the German Wives series but it can be read as a standalone.  This phenomenal story is one that I highly recommend. I loved it!

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

DESCRIPTION:

THE BERLIN WIFE’S RESISTANCE
Author:  Marion Kummerow

Publisher:  Bookouture

Publication Date: January 22, 2024
Pages: 295 
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The soldier looks her dead in the eye, his weapon raised. “You must leave now,” he warns. But this is her last chance to save her husband, and she won’t be silenced…

1943. Fleeing Germany had been Edith Falkenstein and her Jewish husband Julius’s last hope, selling their remaining precious possessions to make the gruelling journey. But to their horror, they are turned away at the Swiss border. Devastated, they return to the tiny Berlin apartment they share with other Jewish families, with its peeling wallpaper and bare kitchen cupboards. It is a world away from the heady glamour of their lives before.

Edith’s worst fears come true when Julius is brutally arrested and imprisoned alongside thousands of other Jewish men, destined for the camps. When she hears the news, Edith feels her heart crack wide open with unbearable grief.

But then she hears of women gathering outside the prison in their hundreds—wives and mothers from every walk of life whose relatives have also been taken. They are united by a single, desperate wish. She links arms with the woman next to her and takes up the chant.

Standing among these brave women offers Edith a flicker of hope. But can they really save their loved ones? And as Edith faces the lines of German soldiers with cold savagery in their eyes, will she pay the ultimate price for this small act of courage?

ABOUT MARION KUMMEROW

Marion Kummerow is a USA Today Bestselling author of historical fiction.

She was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to “discover the world” and lived in various countries. After many years abroad she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she’s now living with her husband and two children.

After dipping her toes with non-fiction books, she finally tackled the project dear to her heart. UNRELENTING is the story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime. It’s a book about resilience, love and the courage to stand up and do the right thing. Since then she has started writing the War Girl Series. Intended as a trilogy, she grew so fond of the characters that she’s now plotting book 12 in the series.

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SECOND CHANCES AT THE COTTAGE BY THE SEA

MY THOUGHTS:

Eleanor Markham is still grieving the death of her mother.  So when she was asked to organize a festival on St. Brannock’s Island she immediately accepts the offer. She could use the distraction and knowing that her mother was from the remote island she saw it as an opportunity to find her family.  The locals welcome her with open arms, except for Bruno Roskelly.  With his help she discovers that she is staying the cottage that her mother was born in.  She soon finds out that grandmother was also a resident of the cottage.  As Eleanor continues to research her family history, she is completely enthralled with what she has uncovered, the ties of her American heritage, and the new family she has discovered from the island.  

Second Chances at the Cottage by the Sea authored by Rebecca Alexander is a wonderfully written novel.  This book was a completely engaging storyline that takes place in dual timelines.  This heartbreaking and inspiring story left me teary-eyed and unable to stop reading.  This was a rapid read for me because I absolutely loved the people and felt every emotion as I turned each page.  The story itself is beautifully written and I was pulled in from the very first page.  This is the fifth book in The Island Cottage series.  It can be read as a standalone, but my suggestion is to start this phenomenal series from the first book.  It a series that feels like home and family.  I highly recommend it.

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Rating: 4 out of 4.

DESCRIPTION:

SECOND CHANCES AT THE COTTAGE BY THE SEA

Author:  Rebecca Alexander 
Publisher:  Bookouture 
Publication Date: January 18, 2024
Pages: 337 
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As she watches the island come into view, Eleanor wonders if this remote place might hold the answers she’s spent her life searching for…

When Eleanor Markham is asked to run a festival on St Brannock’s Island, she instantly accepts. She needs something new to focus on after the death of her beloved mother, and she knows that her mother was adopted from the island. Is it possible Eleanor will find her lost family in this remote place?

When she arrives, Eleanor is welcomed by the islanders. All except rugged farmer Bruno Roskelly, who glares at her with his piercing dark-brown eyes. He doesn’t want the festival to take place on his land but, as Eleanor tries to persuade him, she realises his gruff exterior hides a kind heart that was broken many years ago.

With Bruno’s help, Eleanor discovers that she is staying in the very cottage where her mother was born. And as she gets closer to learning who her grandmother might be, she uncovers the story of a remarkable woman who lived in the cottage too, and who risked everything to protect the islanders during the Second World War, as well as to be with the man she loved…

As the fragments of history fall into place, Eleanor feels closer to her family than ever before. But can she take inspiration from her past and be brave once more? And if she does, might she mend Bruno’s broken heart, and perhaps even her own?

ABOUT REBECCA ALEXANDER

Rebecca Alexander was born in Malta and grew up on the south coast of England, becoming a psychologist. She escaped parenting six children to study writing in 2011, and the Secrets series of novels was published in 2013. A Baby’s Bones and sequel followed. Rebecca lives in a haunted 300-year-old cottage in Devon where she grows fruit, paints, and bakes. She reads and writes all sorts of genres, from women’s fiction to fantasy to crime. She is married with four chickens, two grandchildren and a cat. 

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THE GIRL FROM PROVENCE

MY THOUGHTS:

Lilou is a happy country girl, and at only twenty-one years old she loves her life. Her family owns the lavender farm in the South of France, that they live on. She loves the farm and its surroundings of beautiful streams and mountains.  She can’t imagine life anywhere else.  Her entire life is turned upside down when the Nazis arrive in her town with plans to take it over.  When the Nazi’s take her brother and force him into a labor camp in Germany, life as she knows it will never be the same. Lilou joins the French resistance and in no time she is hiding messages inside loaves of fresh-baked bread and meeting Allied pilots in the most remote fields.  She is then assigned to the most important and risky task of hiding Eliot, a frightened Jewish boy, in their farmhouse.  She soon discovers that the book Eliot refuses to let go of contains coded messages that could change the whole course of the war.  

The Girl from Provence by author Helen Fripp is a wonderfully written and heart-breaking novel.  The author immediately transports you to the South of France and leaves the you with the scent of lavender wafting through the air.  The storyline takes place in Provence France through World War II. This historical fiction is one that will remain in my heart for a very long time.  I loved everything about this story, from cover to cover and every page in between.  I enjoyed Lilou’s story so much, she was courages and completely relatable.  Even in the darkest hours of war, there is always a glimmer of hope and she never gave up.  Do not let another day go by without reading this phenomenal story.  Definitely worth ten stars.  This unputdownable book is one that I highly recommend.

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Rating: 5 out of 4.DESCRIPTION:

THE GIRL FROM PROVENCE

Author:  Helen Fripp
Publisher:  Bookouture 
Publication Date: January 15, 2024
Pages: 333 
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South of France, 1942. Twenty-one-year-old Lilou is selling lavender honey in the village square when the Nazis arrive in her beloved Provence. And when her best friend is dragged away simply for being Jewish, Lilou is horrified. As the village begins to take sides, Lilou secretly swears through angry sobs that she’ll sacrifice everything to fight for what’s right.

Drawn in to the French resistance, soon Lilou is smuggling hidden messages in fresh-baked loaves of bread and meeting Allied pilots in remote moonlit fields. She lives in fear that Kristian, a blue-eyed German soldier, knows about her work – but does he keep her secrets because he is undercover, too?

Everything changes when Lilou is given her most important task: to keep a frightened little boy, Eliot, hidden safe in her farmhouse. All alone in the world, Eliot refuses to speak as he clutches his treasured children’s book close to his chest. Inside is a beautiful story of stars, planets and the night sky. But why is this innocent child the one, among thousands, who Lilou must save?

When she is told Eliot’s book will help her decipher coded messages, Lilou knows he must have knowledge that could change the course of the war. But the day Kristian arrives at her farm searching for hidden Jewish families, Lilou is terrified that Eliot is in more danger than ever…

Can Lilou trust the one person who could tear her world apart? And will she ever help Eliot find his way home?

ABOUT HELEN FRIPP

I love delving into the past and uncovering new stories, and in my writing, the tiniest historical detail can spark an idea for a whole chapter. My female characters rail against the social constraints to which they are subject and often achieve great success, but they are of course flawed and human, like the rest of us. It’s the motivations, flaws, loves and every-day lives of my characters that I love to bring life, against sweeping historical backdrops – and I will find any excuse to take off and research a captivating location or person for my next story.

My first novel is set in the Champagne region in France, and I’m currently working on my next one, set in late eighteenth century Paris. I spent a lot of time in France as a child, have lived in Paris and spent a year with my family in a fishing village in South West France, so that’s where my books have ended up being set so far. Who knows where next!

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THE SPICE MAKER’S SECRET

MY THOUGHTS:

India 1939, Bindu is unhappily married and doesn’t see a way out.  She was a well sought-after cook before she got married and loved being in the kitchen.  She loved creating new recipes and spice mixes, but that all changed when she married.  Now she isn’t allowed in the kitchen.  And when Bindu tells her husband that they are expecting a baby he confines her to her room.  When she goes into labor she fears not only for her life but also for her baby’s life.  

London 1990, Eve’s adopted father passed away and left her an Indian recipe book.  With hand-written recipes of spices old and new.  She is grieves the loss of her father and she finds comfort in trying the recipes in the book.  She never knew anything about her birth mother but there is something about the spice recipes that makes her want to know about her birth mother and the family she was born into.  But in her search for answers is she ready for what she will discover?

The Spice Maker’s Secret by author Renita D’Silva was a wonderful time slip novel. D’Silva does a fantastic job of pulling the reader into the story and never letting go.  This story grabbed my heart from the very first page to the last.  What a wonderfully written story.  I felt personally connected to Bindu and Eve and through the tears I was able to finish this story in one sitting.  This unputdownable and unexpectedly heartbreaking story is one that I won’t forget.  I was inspired by the storyline and I highly recommend it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DESCRIPTION:

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

THE SPICE MAKER’S SECRET
Author:  Renita D’Silva 
Publisher:  Bookouture 
Publication Date: January 3, 2024
Pages: 462 
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1939, India. Gently kissing her child, Bindu reaches into her pot of powder and touches her finger to the baby’s forehead. She tries to hide her tears behind her sari as she hands her daughter into a stranger’s arms, wondering if she will ever see her again… 

Trapped in an unhappy marriage, Bindu is desperately lonely. Before her wedding, she was a highly sought-after cook and although she is not allowed into the kitchen in her new house, she can still taste chilli on her tongue and remember the feel of ground turmeric on her fingers. She finds solace in writing recipes and creating new spice mixes, hoping to pass them down to her unborn child. But when her jealous husband finds out, he confines Bindu to her room alone. As she goes into labour, Bindu is trapped and desperately afraid for her child’s life. Even a recipe cannot rescue her this time. Will she and her baby find a way to survive?

1990, London. Eve’s most treasured gift from her beloved adopted father was a hand-written Indian recipe book. Grieving his death, she begins to grind and mix the spices penned so carefully in the recipes. Do the crumbling pages hold the key to uncovering the secrets of her past?

Her father never spoke of her birth mother, finding it too painful to talk about his time in India. But now he’s gone, Eve is desperate to understand where she comes from. Will finding her birth family, lost for so long, help Eve to find her place in the world, or will it tear her apart?

ABOUT RENITA D’SILVA

Renita grew up in a picturesque coastal village in the South of India, the oldest of three children. Her father got her first story books when she was six and she fell in love with the world of stories. Even now she prefers that world, by far, to this.

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