Books Added
Books Read
This week saw the release of 2 books I’ve been eager for, Elsie Silver’s Wild Side and Lucy Score’s Story of My Life. The first completes her Rose Hill series, which I’ve collected in paperback and the latter is the first in a new series Story Lake. I also picked that copy up in paperback from The Works who were offering an exclusive sprayed edge edition – yes I’ve succumbed to collecting sprayed edges! My other excitement was a lovely, signed paperback prize win of The Leap Year Proposal from Susan Buchanan. But of course, I couldn’t be content with those could I, I had to add more. I picked up some great freebies, had a bit of an Irish themed binge and also reverted back to some hockey and baseball romances.
With my first purchase of the week being set in Dublin, I realised belatedly that this month was Reading Ireland Month (or as it’s also known The Begorrathon). It’s not something I’ve taken part in before and I’m a week too late to the party to formally adopt it. But, in honour of it being St Patrick’s Day soon and with my own Irish affiliations, I’ll keep it going for a while. So I started my reading this week with Worth a Shot by Amy Ewing. An easy read featuring a New York street photographer who loses her inspiration after the death of her father. In an attempt to escape everything that reminds her of him she takes up a job at the other side of the world on Inishmore, one of the Aran islands. Enter, grumpy heartbroken Niall and his Irish eyes – always works for me too! It had a nice cast of side characters to add humour to the story which had the anticipated outcome after a bumpy ride. I will remember this book for all the wrong reasons, but I can’t get out of my head that the book features sauteed mushrooms as part of a traditional Sunday roast. I’m sure my Irish mother in law would turn in her grave at the thought.
Next up, I finished listening to Scythe and Sparrow by Brynne Weaver which I started on its release day back in February. It’s the final book in the Ruinous Love trilogy, with each book featuring one of the Irish Kane brothers, now resident in the states. All the brothers, coincidentally find themselves falling in love with a female serial killers but it’s OK, they only kill for all the right reasons – think Dexter. This one features the youngest brother Fionn, a doctor who finds himself questioning his hippocratic oath with the actions he takes to protect and defend Rose. It’s a dark series, but also very funny. I make no bones about the fact that I came to this series for the narration of Eric Nolan and stayed. The first in the series is narrated by a VA who has had some serious sexual allegations made against him. Luckily for me Mr Nolan stepped in and I might be biased, but as a real Irishman he nails the narration. His co-narrator Samantha Brentmoor is also brilliant and between them they really bring the books to life.
In keeping with my intention to read at least one of the titles I’ve been buying in the week I read Every Shade of Love by Bernadette Jiwa. I absolutely loved this book, and it will certainly be one of my reads of the year. Set in 1980’s Dublin, it’s a story of stepping outside family expectations, and stepping into a world of racism and bigotry when love chooses what society deems the ‘wrong’ person. I was totally hooked from the beginning and my little romantic heart was hoping and praying that Helena and Omar would see the light and actually follow it. It was a joy to read and I can’t believe I actually picked this up for free. As it’s still only 99p now I can only urge you to take a look, you won’t be disappointed. On the back of that I did buy another book by the author, also set in Dublin.
The Last Call for Love by Rebekah Crane features another American woman on an impromptu summertime trip to an Irish island – bit of a theme emerging here this week. Maeve Kaminski has inherited a pub from her estranged father, a pub which has become legendary for being in competition with the other pub in the town run by the obviously drop dead gorgeous Briggs Murphy. They say there is a thin line between love and hate and it’s a line they more than cross. The question is, is this for the summer or for life. The question of life is rather pertinent here, as Briggs has a life limiting heart condition that he has refused to do anything about. Was I invested, I certainly was. Like the other book it has a great cast of secondary characters, plus the nasty Eion (boo!) I enjoyed this one more, it felt less like an advert for Ireland and a little more authentic – sorry, I’m thinking of those damned mushrooms again.
I’m cheating a bit with my last book, Time of the Child by Niall Williams not because it doesn’t fit the theme, but because as I write this I’m only 67% through. However, Friday night is rugby night (hurray), which means I can decamp to my reading chair. So, by the time you read this, it will be finished, As with the talented Mr Nolan, I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love the writing of Niall Williams. His first book, Four Letters of Love is one of my all time favourite books. Time of the Child sees a welcome return to Faha, the small Irish village we first visited in This is Happiness, and happily it has the same lyrical beauty that typifies his writing. He can capture the essence of a place or person in the mere turn of a phrase, where others need a paragraph. The village has moved on a few years, and we return in the run up to Christmas 1962. It’s a town that is still the same and yet beneath the surface, things are changing. Father Tom is showing signs of dementia and Jack Troy, the doctor, is starting to question his actions in thwarting his daughter Ronnie her chance of love with Noel Crowe. However, the secretive arrival of an abandoned baby proves to be a catalyst that will change everything. I’ll give you my final verdict next week!
Books Added
Every Shade of Love by Bernadette Jiwa (free)
YOU CAN LIVE YOUR LIFE DOING WHAT’S EXPECTED OF YOU, OR YOU CAN CHOOSE TO FOLLOW YOUR HEART.
It is the summer of 1987 in Dublin. Though they haven’t admitted it to themselves yet, friends Helena and Omar have more in common than they think. Both will be married within the year – Helena to her childhood sweetheart, Omar to the woman his Indian parents will choose for him.
Will they marry the wrong person and live the lives ordained for them, or will they face down the truth and the prejudice about their love for each other, even as their families come to terms with the realities of half-lived lives?
Or will they choose love over loyalty and freedom over duty, upending their families’ world?
Wild Side by Elsie Silver (4.99)
I’d always dreamed of my wedding day. But not like this. Not looking into the eyes of the man who betrayed me.
But when my nephew’s guardianship is contested, I decide I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him in Rose Hill. Even if it means marrying the enemy.
Rhys Dupris.
A man who is secretive, broody, and completely infuriating. A man whose work takes him away for weeks on end and brings him back covered in mysterious bruises-ones he won’t talk about. In fact, we barely talk at all.
Which would be fine, except when he’s not talking, he’s staring. And the way he looks at me is borderline indecent.
The tension between us has always been palpable. But living under the same roof is a dangerous temptation.
I swore I would never forgive him. But that was before I knew the man behind the mask. The one who’s fierce and protective. The one who’s gentle and patient. The one who shows up for us when we need him most.
He’s not at all who I thought he was.
And that makes hating my husband so much harder… and loving him just a little too easy.
The Making of Her by Bernadette Jiwa (99p)
‘People were forever telling her how lucky she was. But what did people know?’
Dublin 1966. When Joan Quinn, a factory girl from the Cranmore Estate, marries Martin Egan, it looks like her dreams have come true. But all is not as it seems.
Joan lives in the shadow of a secret – the couple’s decision to give up their first daughter for adoption only months before.
For the next three decades, Joan’s marriage and her relationship with her second child Carmel suffer as a consequence.
Then one day in 1996, a letter arrives from their eldest daughter. Emma needs her birth parents’ help; it’s a matter of life and death. And the fragile facade of Joan’s life finally begins to crack.
Last Call for Love by Rebekah Crane (99p)
For an American woman on an impromptu summertime trip to an Irish island, life changes in a heartbeat in a refreshing romance by the author of June, Reimagined.
The last thing Chicagoan Maeve Kaminski expects to inherit from her estranged biological father is a pub. Now thousands of miles from home, Maeve is on a remote Irish island and is the new owner of the Moorings. Charming? Yes. Practical? No. The bright side: Maeve is in debt, and off-loading a famous pub for a pretty penny could be the gift she’s been waiting for.
Briggs Murphy is suffering from a broken heart. Literally. Recently diagnosed with the same condition that killed his father, he’s not looking for love. But when Maeve shows up with her color-coordinated datebook and striking blue eyes, he falls hard. Too bad she’s off-limits. According to familial legend, they’re enemies. And for the sake of the island, they better stay that way.
Love was never the plan. But for Briggs and Maeve, it might just save them both. To make it work, they’ll have to rewrite history…before it’s too late.
The Story of My Life by Lucy Score (£6)
Hazel Hart was a successful romance novelist until a breakup drives her straight into writer’s block. Having failed (and failed some more) to deliver her new manuscript, she’s hiding from the world behind a wall of old takeout containers until her publisher lays down the law. If she misses her next deadline it’s The End.
Desperate for inspiration, Hazel impulse-buys a historic home online and flees Manhattan to tiny Story Lake, PA. Upon her dramatic arrival – involving an incident with a bald eagle – she discovers the charm of her new home may have been slightly exaggerated.
The house is a wreck and the town is struggling after their biggest employer shut down. Also, since her raccoon-infested home came with a seat on the town council our introverted heroine is stuck with a front row seat to all the small-town shenanigans.
But Hazel isn’t worried. Not since all six-feet-three inches of grouchy contractor Campbell Bishop slapped a bandage on her forehead and unintentionally inspired the heck out of her. There’s only one thing to do: Hire Cam and his equally gorgeous brothers to renovate her new spider museum … er … house.
Okay, two things. A fake date for ‘research purposes’ will really put her work-in-progress on track. Before Hazel knows it, she’s writing a romance novel and living one. At least until the drywall dust settles, the town she’s falling in love with faces bankruptcy and growly Cam remembers why he can’t live happily ever after.
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa (free)
Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse.
After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people who have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone . . .
Hard to Fake by Piper Lawson (free)
It’s not every day you ask your older brother’s teammate to be your fake boyfriend. But desperate times call for gorgeous, impulsive measures.
Miles Garrett is a pro basketball player with a heartstopping smile and infamous cocky charm.
But to me, he’s always been more than a celebrity. Miles is the guy who puts friends and family first…and my college crush.
When my sorority sister decides to bring my ex to our reunion, I need a plus-one who can have my back and save my pride. Asking Miles is the perfect solution.
Until he raises the stakes for both of us.
He says he’s only playing to win. He’ll be the best fake boyfriend I’ve ever had.
But his gaze hunts mine across a crowded room. He protects me with a fierceness that steals my breath. Our just-for-show kisses ignite a wildfire inside me.
I’m fighting feelings that have been simmering for years. Soon our pretend relationship starts feeling dangerously legit…
Because it’s hard to fake what’s always been real.
The Copper Valley Thrusters box set by Pippa Grant (99p)
A billionaire boss, a terror on the ice with ego to spare, and a hockey-playing prince are here to entertain you with their love stories in this box set introducing the Copper Valley Thrusters hockey team!
Mister McHottie is the hilariously sexy prequel to the Copper Valley Thrusters series, where you’ll first meet the twin tank hockey players who inspired the next books. It comes complete with an organic happy-ever-after (or seven), a Bratwurst Wagon, ill-advised office pranks between a billionaire boss and the woman he tormented as a child, and no cheating or cliffhangers.
The Thrusters: Book One is a standalone romantic comedy featuring a hockey player whose ego is the only thing bigger than his shoe size, a fierce lady-boss pilot, rubber chockey (don’t ask), and no cheating or cliffhangers.
The Thrusters: Book Two is a side-splittingly epic romance between a spare heir and the lady least likely to ever wear a princess crown, complete with dirty cookies, an emotional support monkey, and lots of messing around. This romantic comedy stands alone with no cheating, cliffhangers and ends happily with a family of…more than two.
The Leap Year Proposal by Susan Buchanan (Prize win)
Three women. One crazy hen weekend. A life-changing decision.
When three women meet at a mutual friend’s hen weekend on the Scottish island of Arran, they get more than they bargained for when one of them has the genius idea of proposing on 29 February, like the age-old Irish tradition.
High-flying businesswoman Anouska and boyfriend Zach are deliriously happy and madly in love. If only they had more time together. But now she’s pregnant and doesn’t know how to tell him, since having kids hadn’t featured in their plans.
Dog walker Jess lives with her childhood sweetheart, but they’re already like an old married couple, without the romance, or the wedding, or the ring. When Mark doesn’t propose on New Year’s Eve, Jess is gutted and decides to take matters into her own hands.
Ellie and Scott still live apart after six years, and his lack of commitment is a sore point. She’s up for a huge promotion which involves moving country. It’s make-or-break time. She needs to know he’s worth turning down the job for.
The women meet weekly, helping each other with decisions big and small, becoming each other’s support system in the run-up to ‘the big ask’.
Will love conquer all or will their hopes and dreams come crashing down around them?
The Fall Out by Jenni Bara
Let me tell the story of how I fell in love with a woman who had no idea that we were even dating. The ridiculousness started when she stole my beer, and trust me, my grumpy self doesn’t normally share. But somehow, Avery Wilson is the exception to every one of my many rules.
Unfortunately, I’m not hers.
Not only is she the daughter of the Rev’s coach who hates me, she’s also sworn off dating for the year.
Little does she know we’ve been doing just that.
Sure, she says I’m her friend when we watch romcoms or spend holidays together, but I’m just biding my time until the year is up.
With her father against me, and a line of men interested in dating her, once she finds out my true intentions, will we survive the fallout?
Frankie by Graham Norton (99p)
Always on the periphery, looking on, young Frankie Howe was never quite sure enough of herself to take centre stage – after all, life had already judged her harshly. Now old, Frankie finds it easier to forget the life that came before.
Then Damian, a young Irish carer, arrives at her London flat, there to keep an eye on her as she recovers from a fall. A memory is sparked, and the past crackles into life as Damian listens to the story Frankie has kept stored away all these years.
Travelling from post-war Ireland to 1960s New York – a city full of art, larger than life characters and turmoil – Frankie shares a world in which friendship and chance encounters collide. A place where, for a while, life blazes with an intensity that can’t last but will perhaps live on in other ways and in other people. But as Frankie’s past slowly emerges, her spirit and endurance are revealed as undeniable . . . and unforgettable.
Books Read
Worth a Shot by Amy Ewing
Cordelia James was once at the top of her game-a renowned street photographer with a massive social media following, gallery showings in Chelsea, and a lucrative book deal. But after the sudden death of her father, everything changed. Now, Cordelia can barely force herself to leave her apartment. That is, until she sees an ad for a summer gig at a cozy cottage on Ireland’s picturesque Inishmore island. Rent-free, plus a small stipend if willing to do some menial housework and look after an elderly neighbour. Cordelia is on a plane before she can talk herself out of it.
But practically the moment she steps off the boat, she crashes-literally-into Niall O’Connor, a grumpy local who’s just returned home to Inishmore from Dublin. Cordelia’s camera breaks, and Niall doesn’t give a horse’s arse about it. He’s nursing a broken heart and trying to patch up a broken life, and he has no time for posh American tourists or their thousand-dollar hobbies. The more Cordelia’s and Niall’s paths cross, the more they make each other’s lives hell. But as with all rivalries, their hatred is about to reach a tipping point-and it’s going to heat up their cool coastal nights.
Featuring a lovable band of quirky supporting characters, Worth a Shot is an emotionally gripping tale of love, passion, art, food, and finding your community-even if that community happens to be on a remote island thousands of miles from home.
Scythe and Sparrow by Brynne Weaver – narrated by Eric Nolan and Samantha Brentmoor
Murder.
Mayhem.
And spice.
Doctor Fionn Kane is running from a broken heart, one he hopes to mend in small-town Nebraska, far away from his almost-fiance and his derailed surgical career. It’s a simpler life: head down, hard work, and absolutely no romantic relationships. He wants none of the circus he left behind in Boston.
But then the real circus finds him.
Motorcycle performer Rose Evans has spent a decade on the road with the Silveria Circus, and it suits her just fine, especially when she has the urge to indulge in a little murder when she’s not in the spotlight. But when a kill goes awry and she ends up with an injured leg, Rose finds herself stuck in Nebraska, at the home of the adorably nerdy town doctor.
The problem is, not every broken heart can be sewn back together.
. . . And the longer you stay in one place, the more likely your ghosts are to catch up.
Every Shade of Love by Bernadette Jiwa
YOU CAN LIVE YOUR LIFE DOING WHAT’S EXPECTED OF YOU, OR YOU CAN CHOOSE TO FOLLOW YOUR HEART.
It is the summer of 1987 in Dublin. Though they haven’t admitted it to themselves yet, friends Helena and Omar have more in common than they think. Both will be married within the year – Helena to her childhood sweetheart, Omar to the woman his Indian parents will choose for him.
Will they marry the wrong person and live the lives ordained for them, or will they face down the truth and the prejudice about their love for each other, even as their families come to terms with the realities of half-lived lives?
Or will they choose love over loyalty and freedom over duty, upending their families’ world?
Last Call for Love by Rebekah Crane
For an American woman on an impromptu summertime trip to an Irish island, life changes in a heartbeat in a refreshing romance by the author of June, Reimagined.
The last thing Chicagoan Maeve Kaminski expects to inherit from her estranged biological father is a pub. Now thousands of miles from home, Maeve is on a remote Irish island and is the new owner of the Moorings. Charming? Yes. Practical? No. The bright side: Maeve is in debt, and off-loading a famous pub for a pretty penny could be the gift she’s been waiting for.
Briggs Murphy is suffering from a broken heart. Literally. Recently diagnosed with the same condition that killed his father, he’s not looking for love. But when Maeve shows up with her color-coordinated datebook and striking blue eyes, he falls hard. Too bad she’s off-limits. According to familial legend, they’re enemies. And for the sake of the island, they better stay that way.
Love was never the plan. But for Briggs and Maeve, it might just save them both. To make it work, they’ll have to rewrite history…before it’s too late.
Time of the Child by Niall Williams
Doctor Jack Troy was born and raised in the little town of Faha, but his responsibilities for the sick and his care for the dying mean he has always been set apart from his community. A visit from the doctor is always a sign of bad things to come.
His youngest daughter, Ronnie, has grown up in her father’s shadow, and remains there, having missed her chance at real love – and passed up an offer of marriage from an unsuitable man.
But in the advent season of 1962, as the town readies itself for Christmas, Ronnie and Doctor Troy’s lives are turned upside down when a baby is left in their care. As the winter passes, father and daughter’s lives, the understanding of their family, and their role in their community are changed forever.
The Verdict
| Books Purchased | 11 |
| Books Read | 5 |
| Debit | -6 |
| Balance brought forward | 10.06 |
| Weekly budget | 10.00 |
| Total Spent | 14.95 |
| Balance carried forward | 5.11 |
