Review: Heart of the River

Title: Heart of the River

Author: Cheryl Adnams

Publisher: 3rd January 2024 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA

Pages: 336 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction | Romance | Women's Fiction

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

As floodwaters rise, can their love bring a fractured community together?

Mildura, Northern Victoria - 1956

Isabel Hayward has ambitions of being a great chef. But cooking for the locals at the country pub she and her mother run doesn't really allow for experimenting with haute cuisine.

When she meets local Italian farmer Matteo Sorrenti, their connection is instant and intense - much to the displeasure of Ross Burrows, one of the region's wealthiest sons, who has been keen on Isabel since they were kids.

Isabel and Matteo's blossoming relationship has challenges to overcome: their cultural differences, prejudice, Ross's jealousy, and the worst flood in Australia's history.

As the Murray River rises to its peak, threatening the Sorrentis' farm and the Haywards' pub, secrets are revealed that show Matteo, Isabel and Ross are inextricably linked by their fathers' wartime experiences. Will the secrets their fathers kept threaten Isabel and Matteo's relationship? Or can their love break down the remnants of prejudice left behind by the war?

My Thoughts

I went into this book purely for the setting. I love the Murray River and was excited to have a tale centred around the famous flood of 1956. What I was most certainly pleasantly surprised by was the breadth and depth of this tale and how much I came to love it. I highly recommend Heart of the River. 

‘Abandoned livelihoods that stood as a reminder to the crowd of mourners just what the mighty Murray, usually a giver of life, could take away at the whim of Mother Nature.’

Cheryl has undertaken some incredible research into this period of Australian history from cuisine, to immigration, to the various idiosyncrasies of the day, to the huge task of preparing for an all time high flood of a mighty river. It’s powerful, it’s poignant and it is historical fiction writing at its best. Everything from the setting, to the plot, to the cast of characters is to be commended in this book. 

‘I don’t like people judging me, or anyone else, based on stupid things like culture or what someone does for a living. You’ve suffered with jabs about your culture, I’ve suffered with jabs about being a barman’s daughter.’

There are so many highly engaging themes in this story: life on the land and farming; running the local pub; the mighty Murray and living so close when floods threaten; internment camps in Australia during WWII; the life of immigrants in Australia inclusive of post war resentments and prejudices; cooking and following your passion; a romance between two wonderful characters; and to top it all off, a really solid mystery. 

‘While there is life, there is hope,’ Gia translated. ‘We have been through a lot. But you must always face what comes at you head on. Challenge gives life its flavour, and flavour is everything to Italians.’

You could not have a more appropriate title that truly sums up this book. Heart of the River truly encapsulates - literally and figuratively - how everyday life and indeed life during a natural disaster, brings community together demonstrating real heart. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Love, Just In

Title: Love, Just In

Author: Natalie Murray

Publisher: 3rd January 2024 by Allen & Unwin

Pages: 460 pages

Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Contemporary Romance 

Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

In the vein of Emily Henry's You and Me On Vacation , Love, Just In is a friends-to-lovers romance with all the tropes that romance readers love best.

Sydney TV news reporter Josephine "Josie" Larsen is approaching 30 and coming dangerously close to failing at life. Lost in a vortex of other people's career milestones, engagement parties, and baby showers, Josie is perennially single, abandoned by her globetrotting family, and invisible to her boss - except for the one time he tuned in while she was mid-panic attack on live TV. As a punishment, Josie is shipped off to cover another reporter's six-month leave at a regional bureau in Newcastle.

But Josie has more waiting for her in Newcastle than yawn-inducing stories about bicycle lane protests. The city is also the domain of Zac Jameson - her best friend since high school. This should be a happy turn of events, but Zac has barely spoken to Josie for the past two years. Not since his fiancee tragically died in his arms in a car accident and he left Sydney to try and cope with his grief.

Now thrown back into each other's lives, Josie and Zac have to navigate their neglected friendship and secret attraction to each other while struggling with their careers and mental health.

Hilarious, sexy and heart-warming, this is the perfect romcom to sit on the shelves alongside Emily Henry, Sally Thorne and Ali Hazelwood.

My Thoughts

Love, Just In by Natalie Murray (comes out 3rd January) is a wonderful contemporary romcom. In fact, there is much more to this tale than its bright cover and promise of friends-to-lovers trope. Of course one always appreciates some steamy romance but to have some real in-depth, realistic issues addressed was a real game changer in my appreciation of this book. 

‘It’s time to admit that my life isn’t made up of a series of adorable little ducks sitting in a perfect row. My ducks are injured and losing feathers, and one possibly has a bung eye, but that’s OK. That’s me, stumbling through life.’

Both Josie and Zac fit the bill as leading characters with the quick witted banter and fun encounters but it is balanced beautifully with some much heavier topics which bring a real credence to this book. Written from Josie’s point of view, readers are presented with the long term history of this friendship and how the feelings of both evolve over time. I really did like the ‘Colleen Hoover-esque’ epilogue from Zac’s POV which I thought was a winner. 

‘… anxiety can affect anyone, anywhere - even when you’re doing something you love.’

So apart from all the romcom elements both Josie and Zac bring individual trauma’s to this friendship. That brings depth to these emotional connections with both elements of joy and sadness. For many, these traumas could be triggers, however, I found the love and honesty to be refreshing and encouraging. Some of the issues covered include health and cancer scares, living with anxiety and grief.

‘I need to stop thinking about what I’ve lost and start thinking about what I’ve found.’

All up I found Natalie’s book to be a truly thoughtful and a well considered narrative - a perfect balance of friendship and love, anxiety and honesty. This is a contemporary romance you will want to try and find yourself happy that you did. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Phoenix Crown

Title: The Phoenix Crown

Author: Kate Quinn and Janie Chang

Publisher: 15th February 2024 by HarperCollins Publishers Australia

Pages: 384 pages

Genre: historical fiction, mystery

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

Versailles, 1912. At the height of an intoxicating Paris summer, a mysterious American millionaire attends a sumptuous costume ball with his bride, on whom he has bestowed the legendary Phoenix Crown—a priceless relic of Beijing’s fallen Summer Palace. The party of the century kicks off with three hundred guests, nine hundred bottles of champagne—and one quest for justice that spans two continents and six years.

San Francisco, 1906. In a bustling city of newly minted millionaires and hopeful upstarts, four very different women cross paths: a resourceful Chinatown embroideress desperately searching for her lost love, a silver-voiced soprano who performs alongside Enrico Caruso, a mysteriously disappeared artist, and an independent female botanist obsessed with collecting a rare flower that only blooms at night. One man seemingly holds the key to their questions: Henry Thornton, the charming railroad magnate whose extraordinary collection of Chinese antiques includes the Phoenix Crown.

The women’s lives are thrown into chaos when the San Francisco earthquake rips the city apart and Thornton disappears . . . leaving a mystery in his wake that reaches further than anyone could have imagined.

My Thoughts

Anything penned by Kate Quinn is worthy of your attention. On this occasion, The Phoenix Crown has a unique cast of female characters at its heart that is sure to draw readers in. There is an opera singer, a botanist, a painter and a Chinese seamstress who find their lives thrown together and must learn to overcome major obstacles to find justice.

‘Take four women as different as four women could be - an opera singer in her thirties, an emaciated artist from the Bronx, a capable middle-aged scientist, a Chinese seamstress not even twenty.’

This book is of course jointly written with Kate and Janie Chang and I am happy to report that their collaboration is seamless. Although not as rich as I have found Kate’s individual books to be, The Phoenix Crown flowed easily with complimentary writing styles that would make it difficult to pick individual contributions. The book is well researched with focus on topics including opera singing, San Francisco at the turn of the century with a particular focus on the earthquake of 1906. Perhaps the most powerful themes surrounded the treatment of Chinese immigrants and women. The Author’s Notes at the end provided great insight into both their inspiration for the tale and fact versus fiction. 

‘Phoenix Crown. Two words to spark a flurry of telegrams across oceans and continents. Two words to spark frenzied plans, hasty boat tickets, memory-fueled nightmares.’

The Phoenix Crown does a wonderful job of transporting readers to another place and time. It may at times lack the sophistication we have come to expect from Kate alone, however, it does a superb job highlighting a variety of topical issues. If stories of female friendship coming together and supporting one another to undergo self discovery appeals to you then certainly this book is most entertaining. 

“Oh, a phoenix crown … This must’ve belonged to an empress. Or a royal consort.” Only women from the royal family could’ve owned such a headdress. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Sunshine through the Rain

Title: Sunshine through the Rain

Author: Penelope Janu

Publisher: 29th November 2023 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA

Pages: 416 pages

Genre: romance, women’s fiction

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

For readers of Karly Lane, Fleur McDonald, Maya Linnell and Rachael Johns - a heartfelt and fresh rural romance about trust, hope and finding your place in life from an award winning and much loved author.

Country vet Primrose Cartwright knows more about heartache than most but in the close-knit community of Ballimore, she's found a place to call home. Prim has her work and the love of her sisters, and she doesn't need anything else - certainly not Blake Sinclair. The new vet in town, Scotsman Blake has a love-them-and-leave-them reputation. He is curiously protective of Prim, but his privileged upbringing and jet-set life are nothing like her own. Prim has tried - and failed - at the dating game. Even if there's a burning attraction between them, the last man she could ever trust is Blake. Blake finds Prim fiercely independent, vulnerable, and unlike any other woman he has ever known. But Prim won't tell him her secrets unless he tells her his own, and Blake's pain is buried deep. Will Prim's determination to unravel the mystery that threatens her career bring Prim and Blake together or tear them apart? As the storm clouds gather, can Prim and Blake confront their painful pasts and create a future together? Will they find the sunshine through the rain?

My Thoughts

Penelope always guarantees an engaging read with her books - I absolutely loved Shelter From the Storm, so I couldn’t wait to read this third book on the Cartwright sisters, Prim. This tale kept me engaged from beginning to end.

‘Phoebe on one side, Patience on the other. Just the three of us. They know me. I know them. I trust them.’

With much on offer, this really is more than your standard rural romance. Of course, there is a lovely relationship with a wonderful leading man but it is clearly evident the research that Penelope has gone into for this book. There is an engaging mystery with an environmental issue which I always fully appreciate about Peneolope’s books. The details concerning ethical farming and the use of hormones with a UN agent even getting involved was topical.

As always the Australian Outback is on display with life in a small rural town and the community that comes together in times of need. A special aspect that Penelope often includes is for all the animal lovers out there - on this occasion Prim being a vet, there is a range of animals and one cannot help but be moved by her advocacy for animal rights and welfare. Add onto that details on veterinary procedures and the life of animals kept in a zoo and there is much to appreciate and take on board.

‘I remember everything. The needing and wanting and craving. The finding and keeping and sharing. The sunshine through the rain.’

Yet for me I was captured by the themes concerning childhood trauma and facing/overcoming fears, especially with issues surrounding Prim’s stutter and the impact - past and present - of that. This was a wonderful novel about healing and being brave enough to go after your dreams. With tensions brewing, family dramas, animal welfare, Sunshine through the Rain is a highly engaging read.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Frozen River

Title: The Frozen River

Author: Ariel Lawhon

Publisher: 1st November 2023 by Simon & Schuster Australia

Pages: 432 pages

Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers

Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who investigates a shocking murder that unhinges her small community.

Maine, 1789: When a man is found entombed in the frozen Kennebec River, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As the local midwife and healer, Martha is good at keeping secrets. Her diary is a record of every birth, death and debacle that unfolds in the town of Hallowell. In that diary she has also documented the details of an alleged rape that occurred by one of the town’s most esteemed gentlemen – the same man who has now been found dead in the ice. 

While certain townspeople are eager to put both matters to rest, Martha suspects that the two crimes are linked, and that there is more to both cases than meets the eye. Over the course of one long, hard winter, whispers and prejudices mount, and Martha’s diary lands at the centre of the scandal, threatening to tear both her family and her community apart.   

In her newest offering, Ariel Lawhon brings to life a brave and compassionate unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice on behalf of those no one else would protect. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense and tender story of a remarkable woman who had the courage to take a stand, and in the process wrote herself into history.

My Thoughts

‘The frozen river alters every facet of life for those who live along it, yet the judges take the inconvenience as a personal slight.’

I first came across Ariel with her book, Flight of Dreams (about the Hindenburg disaster) in 2016 - it was brilliant. Then in 2020 I read, Code Name Hélène (about Nancy Wake) - once again, brilliant. It is therefore needless to say, I was filled with anticipation about her latest even though I knew nothing of a midwife from 1789 in post revolution America. I do now - and boy! I will not soon forget it. 

‘I cry. Mostly for Rebecca and the tiny, unwanted beating heart deep within her womb. But also for myself. And our daughters. And for every other woman who lives, suffers, and dies by the mercurial whims of men.’

The Frozen River is, in a nutshell, outstanding historical fiction. It is based on fact stemming from the diary of one midwife born in 1735, one Martha Ballard. Martha wrote a daily diary - short facts recording births, deaths, the weather etc. Let us be clear, Ariel states herself that this is her version of “what could have happened in this woman’s life. It is not a biography, nor do I claim to be an historian. I’m simply a storyteller, and I have felt, for fifteen years, that Martha’s story is worth telling.”  Let me tell you … it is!

“Memory is a wicked thing that warps and twists. But paper and ink receive the truth without emotion, and they read it back without partiality.”

Regaled here is one long, brutal winter in 1789 that marked a decidedly momentous time for the community of Hallowell. Yes, this is a tale of the everyday life of living in a small post-Revolution community with a definite focus on the plight of women. However, so so cleverly tied into this is a murder mystery of the highest calibre that will have you guessing to the very end. 

“I simply ask that Mr. Sewall record in the official court documents that there are contradicting views as to the cause of Mr. Burgess’s death. One that states accidental drowning.” I pause for effect. “And one that states murder.”

The detail and specifics that Ariel delivers to her readers is nothing short of spectacular. Be sure to take time to truly sink into Ariel’s, ‘Author Notes’ at the conclusion. Martha is such an extraordinary character and I have so much respect for her courage and the women she sought to care for and represent. I also reveled in the very special relationship she has with her husband, Ephraim. 

‘We are in the twilight years of a long love affair, and it has recently occurred to me that a day will come when one of us buries the other. But, I remind myself, that is the happy ending to a story like ours. It is a vow made and kept. Till death do us part. It is the only acceptable outcome to a long and happy marriage, and I am determined not to fear that day, whenever it arrives. I am equally determined to soak up all the days between.’

The Frozen River is a definite stand out book for me in 2023 and I highly recommend it to all as it ticks so many boxes. It is complex yet clear in regaling readers about a very special woman from history. If a tale rich in research of a time, place, people and intrigue. Sound inviting?  Do yourself a favour and read it. 

‘I cannot say why it is so important that I make this daily record. Perhaps because I have been doing so for years on end? Or maybe - if I am being honest - it is because these markings of ink and paper will one day be the only proof that I have existed in this world. That I lived and breathed. That I loved a man and the many children he gave me. It is not that I want to be remembered, per se. I have done nothing remarkable. Not by the standards of history, at least. But I am here.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.