Review: Island of Secrets

Title: Island of Secrets

Author: Rachel Rhys

Publisher: 25th June 2020 by Random House UK, Transworld Publishers Black Swan

Pages: 368 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction, women’s fiction, mystery

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

Set in the exotic city of Havana on the cusp of revolution, an English woman discovers mystery, romance and scandal in the atmospheric new novel by Rachel Rhys for fans of DINAH JEFFRIES, LUCINDA RILEY and SANTA MONTEFIORE

1957: Iris Bailey is bored to death of working in the typing pool and living with her parents in Hemel Hempstead. A gifted portraitist with a talent for sketching party guests, she dreams of becoming an artist. So she can’t believe her luck when socialite Nell Hardman invites her to Havana to draw at the wedding of her Hollywood director father.

Far from home, she quickly realizes the cocktails, tropical scents and azure skies mask a darker reality. As Cuba teeters on the edge of revolution and Iris’s heart melts for troubled photographer Joe, she discovers someone in the charismatic Hardman family is hiding a terrible secret. Can she uncover the ugly truth behind the glamour and the dazzle before all their lives are torn apart?

My Thoughts

Island of Secrets proved to be a most engaging read. Set in pre-Revolutionist Cuba in the 1950s, I was intrigued to see this time and place through the eyes of Iris, an English secretary. How would she view the American glamour in this playground for the rich and famous. Include a murder mystery and it proved a highly entertaining read. 

‘... if the Cuban government was overturned tomorrow - which it won’t be, by the way, the military will never allow it - and Fidel Castro swept in and declared himself President, nothing would change for people like us. Havana runs on American dollars. No one would be fool enough to mess around with that. Don’t you worry.’

Iris certainly walks in blind to this situation but is desperate to escape her lacklustre life in England. Firstly Rachel does a wonderful job of placing her readers in a lush and tropical environment - you get a feel for everything from the climate and humidity, to Cuban society  on the cusp of something big. 

‘She does not want to be the person she is in England. Here in Cuba, where the colours sing and the heat burns and there are tiny, perfectly formed birds that dazzle in the sunlight, and Hardmans who live as they please and go where they like in the knowledge there is nowhere in the world their money won’t admit them ...  here she sees for the first time how confined her life has been.’

It proved to be the perfect location for a suspenseful tale full of intrigue. There is so much simmering tension between the assortment of characters - who is friend and who is foe? Behind all the glitz and glamour lies scandal and corruption and a murder mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end. Rachel has done a superb job with her cast of characters who are all so complex with seemingly everyone having something to hide. 

Overall this is a tale with loads of atmosphere from its tropical location and a star studded cast in the glamour filled 1950s. Spend some time in the exotic location of Havana and watch the story and characters unravel to slowly reveal their secrets. 

‘If only , she thinks. If only I could capture this moment in a bottle and stopper up the top, and take it home with me like an exquisite perfume that I could dab on my wrists whenever life gets dull and gloomy.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Starcross Manor

Title: Starcross Manor

Author: Christie Barlow

Publisher: 14th August 2020 by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter

Pages: 306 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: women’s fiction, contemporary, romance, chick lit

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

Dying to know more about the brooding and mysterious Flynn Carter and the secrets behind his plans for Starcross Manor?

You won’t want to miss the next spellbinding chapter in the Love Heart Lane series – where friends are there for you no matter what.

When Julia Coleman meets Flynn Carter again in the cosy village of Heartcross it can only mean trouble. Flynn might be rich, brooding and sexy, but Julia knows first-hand he’s ruthless and she plans to watch his every move.

When Julia discovers Flynn’s plans for beautiful Starcross Manor her greatest fears come true. Because Flynn’s dreams of turning Starcross into a luxury hotel could ruin Julia’s dreams…and finish off the community of Heartcross for good.

Flynn makes it clear he doesn’t want trouble, and he’s not the man Julia thinks he is. As he sets about convincing the community he’s changed, he hopes he can convince Julia to give him another chance too…

My Thoughts

Starcross Manor is part of a series by Christie Barlow -  ‘Love Heart Lane Series’. That being said, it can still be read as a standalone as I have not read any of the previous instalments and did not suffer for it. I was looking for something light and easy and a trip to a small Scottish village sounded just the thing. It proved just that - light and enjoyable. 

Book four of the series concerns Julia Coleman, the local B & B owner and one of the best aspects about this character was her age and attitude. She turned 40 in the book and it was refreshing to read how comfortable she was about that. There are some wonderfully fun and supportive friendships and experiences that are heartening to read about. I particularly enjoyed her getting ready for a ‘date’ and the haircut and trying on clothes ‘wobbly bits’ inclusive. One surely has to appreciate the honesty in the writing and that will appeal to many. 

‘Julia relished her independence after one disastrous relationship after another, and often she was the envy of her friends, who indicated they’d love to be in her situation, with no ties. Julia loved her own company, she could do what she wanted when she wanted, but sometimes she missed that special someone to share the exciting things in life with.’

Heartcross sounds an idyllic place to visit, from the Scottish countryside to life in a small village. There are great moments of community spirit and it is wonderful to read how they all look out for each other. The plot is simple but that’s okay as this is a book all about the characters and their interactions. My one issue was with the leading man, Flynn. He was just too good to be true and I found his generous qualities too extreme and repeatedly unbelievable.

This was just the book I was looking for, light and refreshing, with just the right amount of miscommunications and family and friends rallying to the cause to get me invested. A sweet book to spend a few hours escapism with - something we are all in need of.

‘Sometimes you have to forgive and forget, and move on.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Inner Self: The joy of discovering who we really are

Title: The Inner Self: The joy of discovering who we really are

Author: Hugh Mackay

Publisher: 11th August 2020 by Pan Macmillan Australia

Pages: 320 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: nonfiction, self help

My Rating: 4.5 crowns

Synopsis:

The Inner Self is a book about the ways we hide from the truth about ourselves and the psychological freedom we enjoy when we finally face that most searching question of all: 'Who am I, really?'

Hugh Mackay explores our 'top 20' hiding places - from addiction to materialism, nostalgia to victimhood. He explains how it is our fear of love's demands that drive us into hiding.

He argues that love is our highest ideal, the richest source of life's meaning and purpose, and the key to our emotional security, personal serenity and confidence.

Yet Mackay exposes the great paradox of human nature, that while love brings out our best, we don't always want our best brought forward.

Powerfully written and drawing on a lifetime of research, The Inner Self is a work of extraordinary insight by one of Australia's most respected psychologists.

My Thoughts

‘Happiness seems such a natural goal of life; a no-brainer. Shouldn’t we all try to maximise our happiness? ‘

I first read a Hugh MacKay book in the 1990s and it has stayed with me over these many years. So I was thrilled to take a look into his new book, The Inner Self: The joy of discovering who we really are. Hugh is one of Australia’s most well respected social psychologists and bestselling authors. In this volume he takes all his years of social research to highlight how we are ‘hiding’ from our real self.

‘Spending too long in hiding increases the risk that we will live a half-life of inauthenticity, never reaching our full potential, and wondering why we feel permanently unsatisfied.’

Hugh delivers a rich explanation of how in presenting what is essentially our socially constructed identity, we hide from our real self. It is a fascinating investigation into the contrast between our inner self versus our social self. The masks we all put on to face everything from our fears to our everyday obligations.

‘Think of all those things as masks we wear – the faces we need to put on to play our various roles. If you’re a partner and a parent, then you know that you must act differently in those different roles. But you’re still you.’

Hugh presents research on what he considers to be our ‘Top 20’ hiding places including things such as addictions, busyness, social media and materialism just to name a few. What he wants his readers to question is, ‘Who am I?’  If you feel that how you are perceived is not the real you, then he hopes that this book will help shed some light on the discrepancy - an insight into the problems associated with pretending to be someone you are not. 

‘Almost always, the sense of a gap between who I am and who I want to be is a response to an opening up of our inner sense of self.’

Hugh wants his readers to appreciate the great relief to be had from reaching an understanding that there is real freedom to be gained from coming out of these hiding places and unveiling your authentic self. Many will appreciate that we need to listen more to our inner voice and less to the image we more often than not project to the world. Live the life we all really want, moving away from the life we are currently hiding behind. 

‘Nature has its seasons, and so does every life. To be attentive and responsive to them all is healthier than to yearn for one rather than another.’

This book is easy to read with little jargon and loads of real life examples for people to relate to. After all these years and all the many books Hugh has written in between, I am happy to have reflected upon some real gems of advice that are to be found within these pages. 

‘Wouldn’t you rather confront the things you don’t like about yourself, or that don’t ring true for you, and do some work on them? The alternative is to live in a permanently defensive state of mind.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Road to Ironbark

Title: The Road to Ironbark

Author: Kaye Dobbie

Publisher: 5th August 2020 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA

Pages: 320 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction, romance

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

A daring hold-up. Passion. Revenge. A mystery that will echo through the centuries. A compelling romantic adventure, perfect for readers who love Darry Fraser.

1874, The Victorian Goldfields.

In the town of Ironbark, Aurora Scott faces ruin as the railways supplant the Cobb & Co coach line, the lifeline of her hotel. Aurora is no stranger to adversity; the formidable publican has pulled herself from a murky past to build a respectable life in Ironbark. But when bushrangers storm the hotel, taking hostages as leverage for the Starburst Mine's payroll, Aurora has more trouble on her hands than she can handle.

This is no random act, but a complex scheme of revenge. The gang turn on each other. Shots ring out. And when the dust settles, the money has vanished, and so has Aurora Scott...

After 150 years, the mystery of the missing payroll has passed into folklore. And when journalist Melody Lawson helps her brother prepare for the town's annual Gold Hunt Weekend, she is just as drawn into the past as the tourists. But with a surprise inheritance her own family history becomes a puzzle, bound up with the fabled payroll - and as Melody follows the clues, danger mounts...

My Thoughts

I have read and enjoyed previous stories by Kaye and therefore was excited to read her latest tale. Here is another dual timeline narrative with dates ranging from 1855 to 2017. Kaye does a great job at moulding and interweaving all the pieces of the puzzle to build suspense and present a good mystery - providing an even blend between both the contemporary and historical tale. This is a story about family secrets and how their revelation will have a major impact on the present.

 

In the past we have Aurora who is facing ruin at her hotel if the Cobb & Co coaches transfer to rail. Then one day bushrangers storm her hotel when the last coach is present. The fallout from that incident will ripple out over the years to present day Ironbark and the annual Gold Hunt Weekend. Melody returning home suddenly finds herself at the centre of family secrets and far reaching revelations. Chapters alternate between Aurora and Melody and I found the present day events more engaging. There are many interesting secondary characters that help provide real depth to the storyline. There are some interesting twists that provide for entertaining reading. 

 

‘The stories about Aurora were more tantalising. On the surface, she was a respectable woman, a widow with business acumen, who ...  if you dug deeper, you found something a little murkier ... after the hold-up, her name became very well known. She was idolised, possibly because she had vanished and was presumed dead. I was of the opinion that dead people were often whitewashed by history ... however, not everyone at the time believed the official version of her life story. ’

 

At times, particularly in the hotel hold up, events moved somewhat slowly with not a great deal happening. Kaye has multiple puzzle pieces on her storyboard that she moves around, with the final few passages moving at a very fast rate. I was not really onboard with the ghost, it was on the periphery of the story and therefore had little to contribute. There were twice as many dates as needed - 1855, 1874, 1990, 2017 - and this was a little awkward in the narrative. 

 

If you enjoy some light historical fiction with a little romance, then The Road to Ironbark is sure to be the book for you. It is a solid story with Kaye doing a clever job of blending the two stories together to make for an enjoyable read with some great twists. 

‘Life could be cruel and there were regrets, but you had to make the most of it. You had to grasp your opportunities and hold on to them.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: My Life for Yours

Title: My Life for Yours

Author: Vanessa Carnevale

Publisher: 7th August 2020 by Bookouture

Pages: 350 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: women’s fiction, contemporary 

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

No parent should ever have to lose a child.

No husband should ever have to lose a wife.

No one should ever have to choose.

Paige and Nick are happy. They have a beautiful home, a loving family and, most importantly, they would do anything for each other. Now, they are having a baby and it feels like all their dreams are coming true.

But joy turns to despair when they discover that Paige has a rare, life-threatening heart condition and they lose their longed-for child. Heartbroken, the couple must accept the reality that they may not become parents after all.

Just as they begin to come to terms with their loss, Paige unexpectedly falls pregnant again. Paige’s heart is still weak, and to carry the baby to term puts them both at risk. The couple now face an impossible decision: Paige’s life or the life of their unborn child?

If Paige keeps the baby, she could lose her life and destroy the man she loves. If Nick tries to stop her, he may lose them both forever. It’s the most important decision they have ever had to make – and time is running out.

My Life for Yours is a heartbreaking, gripping and emotional story about love, loss and an impossible choice, perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Kelly Rimmer and Kate Hewitt.

My Thoughts

‘Our life, like the life of any couple, is filled with choices and decisions. Give here, take there. Surely we can find a way to agree on this one.’

I have read and enjoyed all Vanessa’s books (HERE) and was thrilled to read her third book,  My Life for Yours. This latest offering is an exceptionally moving tale of the lengths we go to for those we love. Shining the light on motherhood and birth, this story asks the serious, sometimes life changing questions when faced with the heart wrenching decisions of saving a life.  Yet scratch deeper and the real question revolves around acceptable sacrifice in the face of life threatening choices. 

With these kinds of decisions there are often no winners as the choices are impossible to make. Without going into details, Vanessa presents a well balanced account so that the reader places themselves in the shoes of both Paige and Nick in their quest to become parents. Whatever they decide will have far reaching consequences for not only themselves and their marriage but also the close knit family and friends that surround them. Bottom line here really involves a mother’s love, devotion and selflessness when it comes to their un/born child. 

‘I haven’t wanted to think about why Nick might be scared, because a decision needs to be made according to what is best, not what scares us. Best for whom, I wonder.’

The key to this story is relationships and interactions. That being said, Vanessa does an outstanding job of presenting alternating chapters from both Paige and Nick. The reader can see the emotionally charged scenarios for both the mother and father-to-be. Both so strong in their convictions that it could possibly tear apart and destroy their marriage. Then there are the viewpoints of other family members and friends who journeyed with the couple and what they were going through. I particularly appreciated the impact on Paige’s parents. 

Slightly different from Vanessa’s other books, she skilfully presents thought provoking questions on what is a very complex topic. There will be moments of joy and moments of heartbreak. If family dramas, and particularly those surrounding starting a family, interest you then this is the book for you. In the pursuit of a dream what impact will it have on those you love the most? 

‘Sometimes matters of the heart don’t necessarily always lead to the best decisions.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The German Midwife

Title: The German Midwife

Author: Mandy Robotham

Publisher: 5th August 2020 by HarperCollins Publishers Australia

Pages: 350 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction, world war II

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

An enthralling new tale of courage, betrayal and survival in the hardest of circumstances that readers of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Secret Orphan and The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz will love.

Germany, 1944. A prisoner in the camps, Anke Hoff is doing what she can to keep her pregnant campmates and their newborns alive.

But when Anke’s work is noticed, she is chosen for a task more dangerous than she could ever have imagined. Eva Braun is pregnant with the Führer’s child, and Anke is assigned as her midwife. 

Before long, Anke is faced with an impossible choice. Does she serve the Reich she loathes and keep the baby alive? Or does she sacrifice an innocent child for the good of a broken world?

My Thoughts

I am fast becoming a fan of Mandy Robotham. Having read her, ‘The Secret Messenger’ (HERE) and giving it five stars, I had high expectations for this read (she has another upcoming novel, ‘The Berlin Girl’ out in late October and believe me, after two five star reads for me, I will be eager to get my hands on that one as well!) This was a really good book. Really good! Quick to read as not that many pages, with short engaging chapters, writing that engages you from the start and a plausible plot line that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.

‘The house itself became more illuminated, and sounds of male laughter drifted out into the mountain air. Down there, across the world, thousands - millions - of people were sobbing, screaming and dying, and all I could hear was amusement. I went to bed and rammed the pillow against my ears, desperate to shut out all the wrong in this mad arena called life.’

Mandy places you so easily into the character of Anke that you often pause to ponder, ‘what would I have done’? A German political prisoner, she is strong and sensible, yet caught up in the madness of firstly concentration camp life and then Hitler’s mountain retreat to assist his mistress, Eva Braun. You cannot help but feel the inner turmoil for these well written characters and the daily decisions that confront them. But, how do you bring humanity into what is clearly an inhumane situation? 

‘Confusion draped again like a thick fog, twisting the moral threads in my brain. I was supposed to feel dislike towards this woman, hatred even. She had danced with the devil, created, and was now nurturing, his child. And yet she appeared like any woman with a proud bump and dreams of cradling her newborn. I wished there and then I was back in the camp, with Rosa by my side, where the world was ugly but at least black and white. Where I knew who to seethe against, and who the enemy was.’

Herein lies Mandy’s magic in this book - well thought out themes with some really strong and confronting scenes. Whether it be the violence of the Nazis, the graphic details of childbirthing to the horrifying immediate loss of life and the impact this must have had on those new mothers, this is a tale not for the faint hearted. Many an ethical moment is up for consideration and what Mandy brings to each of these events is what makes this book outstanding for her readers. 

‘... unfair as it seemed, this baby was more than mere flesh and blood, and I had been naive to    think we could treat this as just another birth among thousands. We might need more than midwifery skills to secure everyone's future.’

With impressive research evident for pregnancy, labour and delivery (Mandy was a midwife) to the horrors of life in the woman’s concentration camp, Ravensbruck, Mandy covers these difficult topics on morality and violence with care. She highlights the medical hierarchy of the time of doctors versus midwives with a strong case for women trusting their bodies in the birthing process (not to mention the Nazi view on any type of abnormality). Mandy showcases the strength of these women in supporting one another through times of both joy and grief. There is some romance - not enough to overshadow the key themes of this tale but just enough to add to the story in my opinion. 

This is clearly a clever piece of historical fiction, an excellent ‘imagine this’ scenario. It is evocative and emotional in presenting an atypical World War II narrative. Mandy is quickly becoming a ‘must buy’ author as both her content and writing style find me desperate to get to the end but fearful of what might befall. At times shocking and graphic but undeniably an incredible tale that I could not put down. 

‘Charged with bringing a live Aryan specimen into the world. The Aryan. The responsibility of life had never fazed me, in all my years working with mothers and babies, but this life ... this poor, unsuspecting child might prove to be something different. No less, no more precious than any I’d seen, but with the potential to create unrelenting shock waves throughout Europe and the world. Throughout history. I almost craved to be back in the camps, among my own kind,      where I could make a difference, save lives, instead of merely pandering to rich Nazi handmaidens.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.