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Happy Publication Day and Blog tour of The Secret Hotel in Berlin: An utterly gripping and heart-wrenching World War 2 novel

ABOUT THE BOOK

Berlin, 1944. ‘It is a great honour to have you here, Herr Hitler.’ Lili doesn’t stumble over the lie, her hand steady as she pours champagne. Everything must be perfect, no one can suspect a thing…

Lili Rodenberg and her husband Marius run the Edel, Berlin’s most glamorous hotel. For its wealthy guests, it is an escape from the destruction outside, with its elegant piano bar and fine amber brandy. But Lili is Jewish, a secret she is terrified will end in tragedy for her and their beloved little girl.

Lili’s only choice is to hide in plain sight, her heart racing each time uniformed officers step through the Edel’s grand entrance. As Berlin becomes a more frightening place, Lili pleads with her husband to help shelter those in danger but Marius is adamant: he will not risk the lives of his wife and daughter. Until the day he is called to the front – and goes missing in action.

Left in sole charge of the Edel, a heartbroken Lili fixes her smile as she serves men who would have her killed in an instant if they knew the truth. She decides she must fight back, hiding Jews in the hotel’s wine cellar before moving them to safety. Though she is seized with terror, it gives her the strength to carry on.

But her courage catches the attention of the Resistance. What they ask of her is impossible.

Lili has protected her daughter by living a life full of secrets. Can she risk it all now and put her child in danger for the sake of her country?

An absolutely unforgettable and heartbreaking story of bravery, love and sacrifice that will keep you turning the pages and reaching for the tissues. Fans of The Nightingale and The Book of Lost Names will be swept away by this stunning novel.

MY THOUGHTS

Oh, my heart!
The more I read of this book the more I knew I had to continue it. The characters are so realistic in this dual timeline book. Taking place during the turbulence of WWII and more modern times we see an emergence of some characters during both timelines.

I loved the grand elegance of the Edel Hotel in Berlin. I love books with hotels and this one was exciting: this hotel kept made me want to cry buckets and it’s new and improved resurgence was unexpected but welcome with visions of days gone by full of glamour linger in the corners of my mind. It was uplifting to see such strong female leads

The story has such a heartwarming ending, it’ll uplift your spirits. This is one you’ll not want to miss.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Buy Link

THE AUTHOR

I write historical fiction set primarily in Berlin, covering the period from the 1930s up to the fall of the Berlin Wall and dealing with the long shadows left by war. I’ve had nine novels published with Bookouture to date, including a series, and there are more to come. My books have also been translated into a number of languages including French, Danish and, most recently, German.

I spends as much time as I can in Berlin, where my son also lives, and can read German fluently, although I speak it more like a toddler. I’m from the North of England but now live in Glasgow with my American husband. I love to travel and am currently planning a trip next year to Japan. If I’m not at my desk, you’ll find me at the cinema or just follow the sound of very loud music but bear in mind that I’ve been told, more than once, that I have the musical tastes of a teenage boy…

I’d love to hear from you and there are lots of ways you can find me, so jump in via my website or at my Cat Hokin FB page, at Catherine Hokin Writer on Twitter or on my Cat Hokin Author page on Instagram. @cathokin catherinehokin.com

www.catherinehokin.com

WW2 fiction set in Berlin, published by Bookouture & Grand Central Publishing. Details of all books & purchase links at https://www.catherinehokin.com/

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Christmas in July reads with adorable dogs on the cover: Puppy Love at Mistletoe Junction and Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas

352 pages Avon publisher October 15, 2024 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

From the author of Dog Days Forever, a heartfelt, holiday contemporary romance perfect for fans of Jill Shalvis, Kristan Higgins, and Susan Mallery, in which a young woman returns to her small hometown and ends up fostering a pregnant dog with—of all people—the man she used to love.

Lucy Buchanan and Theo Taylor have never gotten along…like ever. Not when they were children, not when they were teenagers, and definitely not as adults…though that last part might be more Lucy’s doing than Theo’s. It was the summer after she graduated college when their antagonism towards each other boiled over into something… hot.

That is until Lucy left town in a flash, leaving everything behind for warm Los Angeles. But now she’s returned after seven years following a bad breakup, and a newfound disillusionment with La-La Land.

As for Theo, he doesn’t know and doesn’t care about whatever happened to make Lucy come back. His lingering resentment is enough to keep her at arm’s length until she inevitably leaves again. The problem is, being around each other has proven that their friction isn’t going anywhere, especially when it leads to some pretty intense heat.

The two have no idea what they’ve rekindled, but things get even more complicated when they rescue a pregnant dog together, taking on joint responsibility of caring for her.

Lucy and Theo must find a way to overcome their past, first for the sake of the dog and her litter, and for their own wounded hearts. 

MY THOUGHTS

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I loved it. It has zipped right up there as my favorite book of the holiday season this year and I read Christmas books all year so that’s really saying something. Okay, so it didn’t hurt that the cover is so darn appealing. After all who can resist a huge lug of a dog and her adorable puppies?


A second chance romance that everyone seems to know is going on except for the main players. Seven years ago, Lucy Buchanan and Theo Taylor were romantically involved. Keep in mind this couple doesn’t get along, never has from the time they met during childhood all the way through everything they’ve been through together.

From teasing to arguments, it’s not happening. But is this just a front for how they really feel for each other again. With Lucy back from LA with a bad breakup under her belt she can’t help noticing how Theo has matured but this doesn’t stop them from being on each other’s last nerves again. With smoldering looks and mistletoe kisses it may be cold outside but this couple doesn’t need a fireplace to keep themselves warm.

The star attraction of the show was Bear, a huge dog Lucy found that brings the couple together more than ever. It’s not all bows and ribbons in this one though as we have some angsty scenes. An exciting feel-good spicy romance perfect for holiday reading.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Shannon Richard lives in Tallahassee, FL with her adorable rescue dog Teddy—not that she’s biased or anything. She enjoys experimenting with a new recipe in the kitchen or perfecting an old one. It’s typically done with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc in hand. She has no shame for the amount of reality T.V. she indulges in, listens to entirely too many podcasts, and is now a plant lady.

293 pages September 19, 2023 publication date Crooked Lane Books publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK

It’s beginning to look a lot like murder in the sixth installment of this charming cozy mystery series, perfect for fans of Donna Andrews and Jacqueline Frost.It’s the beginning of December in Rudolph, New York, America’s Christmas Town, and business is brisk at Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, a gift and décor shop owned by Merry Wilkinson. The local amateur dramatic society is intensely preparing a special musical production of A Christmas Carol. But it’s not a happy set, as rivalries between cast and crew threaten the production.Tensions come to a head when a member of the group is found dead shortly after a shopping excursion to Mrs. Claus’s Treasures. Was someone looking to cut out the competition? Everyone in the cast and crew is a potential suspect, including Aline, Merry’s mother, and Merry’s shop assistant Jackie O’Reilly, who was desperate for a starring role.It could be curtains for Christmas—and for Merry—unless the killer can be ferreted out of the wings.

MY THOUGHTS

Rudolf, New York is full of Christmas cheer, or is it. This charming Christmas time cozy mystery has the local drama club preparing for the annual Christmas production.

When a member of the team is found dead, we find out some of the members are jealous of the roles others are playing and think they deserved the part. Is this enough to take the merry and bright out of the holiday season?

As the snow flies so do tempers in this cozy that kept me guessing as I flipped pages.


An author whose books I don’t miss has done it again with another satisfying cozy mystery presentation.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than forty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Year Round Christmas books for Crooked Lane, the Tea by the Sea mysteries for Kensington, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series for Crooked Lane Books, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates) for Crooked Lane.

Vicki is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It Crime Writing Festival. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards.

Vicki is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

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Christmas in July: A few short wintery reviews for you. A Winter Warmer at the Little Cornish Kitchen and Mistletoe and Mulled Wine at the Christmas Campervan

339 pages One More Chapter publisher September 30, 2022 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

St Aidan: a cosy Cornish village where friendships are made for life and it’s always cocktail hour somewhere…

A clean slate in the world’s cosiest cottage by the sea…

When Gwen Starkey and her best friend, Ella Simpson, arrive in St Aidan to take on a cottage renovation, it’s the fresh start they both so desperately need. But when their new adventure begins with them unintentionally breaking into their neighbour, Ollie Lancaster’s cottage – thinking it’s their new home – and Gwen accidentally flashing the gorgeous Ollie before they flee, the life-long friends realise that life in Cornwall is going to be anything but quiet!

They also quickly discover that they’re in over their heads and it’s going to take a village to turn their cottage’s narrow walls into the luxurious hideaway of their dreams. St Aidan is full of colourful characters just waiting to welcome them, if only Gwen and Ella can find the courage to start leaving the past behind them…

MY THOUGHTS

A Winter Warmer has all the good feels you need with characters from previous books in this series. It’s a true delight to do a catch up with the characters and I’m delighted that the characters have such heartwarming news to share.

This is Gwen Starkey and her best friend, Ella Simpson’s story. They need a reset; life has been rough recently. A trip to St Aidan is just what these best friends need. An awkward and embarrassing meeting with their neighbor Ollie Lancaster has Gwen sure she needs to avoid Ollie for life.

As I was reading this sweet and emotional rom com I was invested in the characters well-being. Gwen and Ollie both are hurting and broken though they may not always show it on the outside they’ve both gone through similar circumstances and need to heal.

As they start to heal will their relationship stay the same or fall part as they’re not the same people they were when they first met. A moving read, I felt empathy for the characters as they explore happiness for the first time in a while with each other.

Upbeat and inspiring!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR


I write fun, flirty fiction, with feisty heroines, and lots of heart.

Writing is fab, because I get to wear pretty shoes instead of wellies. I live in a cottage up a mountain road in Derbyshire, where my family and pets are kind enough to ignore the domestic chaos. Happily, we’re in walking distance of a supermarket. I love hearts, flowers, happy endings, all things vintage, most things french. When I’m not on facebook, and can’t find an excuse for shopping, I’ll be walking, or gardening. On days when I want to be really scared, I ride a tandem.

340 pages One More Chapter publisher October 13, 2022 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

The gorgeously romantic new novel in the ‘Cosy Campervan series’ – next stop: Christmas markets, mince pies and kisses under the mistletoe!

Christmas feels like a real gift for Lucy this year. Her cosy coastal cottage is starting to feel like home, her new pizza business is getting the locals ‘All Fired Up’, and she can’t wait to spend it with her new flame Jack, the charismatic owner of the Cocktail Campervan.

Winding along the snow-dusted Northumberland coast for a whirlwind of Christmas markets and celebrations, Lucy and Jack can’t resist stealing a few kisses under the mistletoe. But there’s a twist in their romantic tale when Lucy’s ex turns up in the village. As her past closes in, Jack becomes increasingly distant. And Lucy worries he’s holding back a few secrets of his own . . .

Will Christmas bring a cold spell for Lucy and Jack? Or could it really be the most wonderful time of the year?

MY THOUGHTS

The author writes such cozy and charming books. This rom com featured couple Lucy and Jack. Lucy has a new pizza business, and the locals are just gobbling it up. Business is booming. Jack is the owner of the new Cocktail Campervan.

As the snow falls, and the village gets that soft, glowing romantic look romance is also on the minds of Lucy and Jack as they steal a few kisses under the mistletoe.

What will Jack think when Luvy’s ex shows up and they seem to be spending time together? A gem of a Christmas feel good story. Hot chocolate with marshmallows and a cat to snuggle makes this a delightful day long read perfect for fireside reading.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.


THE AUTHOR


Family, friends, food, a glass of bubbly and, of course, a good book make me smile. I love writing emotional stories about love, loss, and family, that explore how complex and yet beautiful love can be. I also like to write romantic comedy, letting the characters have a bit of flirty fun too! I believe in following your dreams and working hard towards them, which led me to HarperImpulse (HarperCollins) and a publishing deal (woop!) after many years of writing. Stunning Northumberland is my home – sandy beaches, castles and gorgeous countryside that have inspired my writing.

Find me on Twitter: @_caroroberts

and Facebook: www/facebook.com/CarolineRobertsAuthor

I hope you’re having a marvelous day. Thank you for stopping in.

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Mary’s Calico Hope (The Heart of the Amish)

258 pages Barbour fiction June 1,2024 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Mary Yoder Is Content Despite Challenges Thrown Her Way
 
Full of faith, hope, and romance, this new series takes you into the Heart of Amish country.
 
If God wills it, Mary Yoder will do it, even if that means using crutches for the rest of her life. She was badly injured in a buggy accident as a child. Still, she is content living in the Dawdi Haus connected to her parents’ farmhouse and with her work weaving baskets and raising specialty roosters whose feathers she uses to make excellent trout lures. She is truly happy at twenty-nine, but. . .she wouldn’t mind finding a husband—if the Lord wills it. Along comes Reuben King, a Mennonite doctor. They are attracted to one another, but how could they ever be together? She’s a baptized Amish woman, so it seems impossible. Also, he wants her to have surgery to improve her mobility and lessen her day-to-day pain. She’s sick and tired of surgeries! But if God wills it, she’ll do it. And just maybe there will be a way for these two unlikely souls to connect.

The Heart of the Amish Series Also Includes:
The Flower Quilterby Mindy Steele
Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise by Anne Blackburne
The Quilt Room Secret by Lisa Jones Baker
Courting the Amish Bishop by Mindy Steele

MY THOUGHTS

Anne Blackburne is still a fairly new to me author as this is only the second book, I’ve read of hers. This is a sweet clean Amish romance.

Mary Yoder was injured in a buggy accident as a child and her father passed away in this accident. Despite having many surgeries, she still has limited mobility. Recovery from the surgeries takes a long time and despite the surgeries she still has a lot of pain.

She helps out on her family’s farm by raising specialty chickens and weaving baskets. Longing to be like the other women in her community and marry and have children she dares not to think about it too long, surely no one will want her as she is. As she and a Mennonite doctor in her community who’s taken over the retiring doctor’s office spend time together, she dares to dream of a future as a woman in love.

Dare she dream of better mobility when the doctor suggests a new surgical method that may improve her legs? Mary really has a lot of pros and cons to weigh and so many decisions to make. With the help of her mother and the community she’ll do what she feels is best for her.

This was a sweet and emotional book where Mary’s character just comes alive under the encouragement of the new doctor as we find he is interested in her for herself and not as a patient. An upbeat and uplifting story.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Anne Blackburne lives and works in Southeast Ohio as a newspaper editor and writer. She is the mother of five grown children, has one wonderful grandchild, and a spoiled poodle named Millie. For fun, when she isn’t working on Amish romance or sweet mysteries, Anne directs and acts in community theater productions and writes and directs original plays. She also enjoys reading, kayaking, swimming, searching for beach glass, and just sitting with a cup of coffee looking at large bodies of water. Her idea of the perfect vacation is cruising and seeing amazing new places with people she loves.

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Happy publication day and Blog tour for Blue Skies Over Wildflower Lock by Hannah Lynn

ABOUT THE BOOK

Blue Skies Over Wildflower Lock

There may be trouble ahead…

Just when Daisy thought she had canal life understood, Theo, her primary go-to for all of her boating questions has left Wildflower Lock, not to mention the budding romance that has been steadily growing.

Not one to sit and wallow, Daisy takes matters into her own hands. Who said long-distance relationships can’t work?

With the help of trusted friend Yvonne, Daisy takes the September Rose on a round trip to surprise her new boyfriend. The best thing about a home on the water? You can go anywhere!

But perhaps leaving the serenity of Wildflower Lock wasn’t the best idea. Daisy hates keeping secrets from Theo, and she’s not the only one…

Full of fun, friendship, laughter and sweet romance, Blue Skies over Wildflower Lock will delight readers who love Cressida McLaughlin, Heidi Swain and Holly Martin.

MY THOUGHTS

With such cute and stunning covers, I’m always drawn to this author’s books. The characters are so relatable, you feel like they could be friends and you’d love to share in their happiness.

The setting is so charming. I mean who wouldn’t want to frequent a coffee shop on a boat? Daisy’s home is a houseboat, and her coffee shop is there too. How lovely is that? Daisy is in a new relationship and really wants this to work out. Trouble is, it’s a long-distance relationship.

With Daisy putting in long hours in her coffee shop serving customers and baking goodies and her new man working his job them seeing each other frequently just isn’t happening. This is when Daisy gets the brilliant idea to travel on her boat, September Rose to visit him. She has her trusty guide, an elderly woman who’s navigated these waters many times and who was a friend of her mom to guide her.

Full of love, laughter, romance, fun chats, this is my favorite book this Summer. The adventures these ladies went on with this houseboat traveling coffee shop were marvelous.

The people they met, and the charming dog added so much fun to the story. Through this trip Daisy discovers so much about herself and her family she hadn’t know. A true gem that I highly recommend you zip right to the top of your summer reading list.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/blueskiessocial

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LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hannah Lynn is a multi award winning novelist. With over 20 publications spanning a number of genres and translated into half a dozen languages, Hannah has proven herself to be both an accomplished and prolific author. Now settled back in the UK with her husband, daughter and horde of cats, she spends her days writing romantic comedies and historical fiction.

Social Media Links –  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HannahLynnAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HMLynnauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahlynnwrites/

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/HannahLynnNews

Bookbub profile: Hannah Lynn Books – BookBub

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Can’t Wait Wednesday

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released.

I’ve read several books by the author and have enjoyed them. I’ve gotten into cozy mysteries in the past few years, now I can’t get enough of them.

Pub Date Aug 20 2024

The eighth installment in a charming cozy mystery series set on an island off the New England coast and featuring the cat cafe owner Maddie and her cat JJ.

Beware the cats of Christmas past…

It’s the holiday season on Daybreak Island, and Maddie James is looking forward to stepping out of the limelight, watching the island’s Christmas decoration competition from afar, spending time with her boyfriend and family, running tours for visitors as part of the festivities and spreading holiday cheer through cute cats in jingle bell collars.

But trouble hits close to home when word gets out that Donna Carey, the publisher of the island’s only daily newspaper where Maddie’s best friend Becky is editor, may be selling the business. Becky is a diehard journalist and to her, selling the only newspaper on the island is a fate worse than death. She publicly opposes the potential sale, wreaking havoc on her relationship with her big boss.

Maddie is sympathetic, but she has her own problems – like getting pulled into a role on the Christmas event committee despite her best efforts to stay far removed, and solving the case of a mysterious cat breeder trying to sell expensive designer cats as holiday gifts on the island. But then Donna winds up dead—electrocuted by her own Christmas decorations—and it appears to be more than an accident. To make matters worse, Becky becomes suspect number one. Maddie is thrown into another murder investigation in order to save her best friend from a Christmas behind bars.

Thank you for stopping in. I hope your day is great.

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Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl by Jana. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

The theme today is July 2: Books with My Favorite Color on the Cover

My favorite color is blue.

These are all form my NetGalley to read list. The majority have not released yet. Do you have any of these on your to read list as well? What do you recommend I read first?

Have a great Tuesday and thank you for stopping by.

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Happy Publication day and Blog tour for Happy Ever After at Puddleduck Farm by Della Galton

ABOUT THE BOOK

Happy Ever After at Puddleduck Farm

When life throws up the unexpected, can Phoebe hold strong?

In the idyllic setting of the New Forest, talented vet Phoebe Dashwood envisions a picturesque life alongside her beloved fiancé. However, the course of true love is fraught with unexpected hurdles.

Career wise, Phoebe encounters a goat who is seemingly experiencing a phantom pregnancy, and a highly-strung talking parrot who pushes her professionalism to the limits.

Things take an unexpected turn for the worse when Phoebe is confronted with a glamorous love rival, and a surprise Valentine’s Day ‘date’ to see a financial advisor! Can things get any worse?

When tragedy strikes Phoebe realises that nothing in life should be taken for granted and fears she will lose everything she holds dear.

Whilst her friends find their own happy endings, Phoebe is beset with doubts that she and Sam will ever find theirs. Is love enough to carry them into the future they deserve?

MY THOUGHTS

I am always so excited to see another installment in the Puddleduck Farm series and I’ve read them all plus other books by the author. I read some books that have a heavier subject matter, and this is always such a comfort read series.

After having read the other books in the series I can confidently say I feel as though the characters could be friends and we’d have a cozy chat and tea together. Having a catch up with the characters is great and I just love how realistic the situations and characters are.

And just like all of us the characters go through some rough spots but being surrounded by friends who are empathetic and will help out in any way they can means everything.

I love animals and growing up around a lot of them I thought I’d become a vet. Though things didn’t turn out that way I enjoy reading about the veterinarians in Puddleduck Farm. The antics the animals get up to, both farm animals and domesticated animals makes me chuckle.

This is an automatic read series for me, and I’ll be continuing to read it.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/happypuddleducksocial

VISIT OTHER BLOGS ON THE TOUR

ABOUT HE AIUTHOR

Della Galton is the bestselling author of several romantic comedies set around the Dorset beaches and the beautiful New Forest. Her stories feature strong female friendship, quirky characters and very often the animals she loves.

When she is not writing she enjoys walking her dogs around the beautiful Dorset countryside.

Find out more about Della Galton, her books, speaking engagements & workshops, on her website, dellagalton.co.uk.

Social Media Links –  

Facebook: @dailydella

Twitter: @DellaGalton

Instagram: dellagalton

Newsletter Sign Up: http://bit.ly/DellaGaltonNewsletter

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/della-galton

I hope you’re enjoying your weekend. Thanks for stopping in.

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Sisters Under the Rising Sun

400 pages St. Martin’s Press Publish date October 23, 2023

Pub Date Sep 28 2023 Bonnier Books UK/Jaffre publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK

From the New York Times bestselling author of the multi-million copy bestseller The Tattooist of Auschwitz comes a story of sisterhood and survival, inspired by a true story.

A phenomenal novel of resilience and survival from bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris.

In the midst of World War II, an English musician, Norah Chambers, places her eight-year-old daughter Sally on a ship leaving Singapore, desperate to keep her safe from the Japanese army as they move down through the Pacific. Norah remains to care for her husband and elderly parents, knowing she may never see her child again.

Sister Nesta James, a Welsh Australian nurse, has enlisted to tend to Allied troops. But as Singapore falls to the Japanese she joins the terrified cargo of people, including the heartbroken Norah, crammed aboard the Vyner Brooke merchant ship. Only two days later, they are bombarded from the air off the coast of Indonesia, and in a matter of hours, the Vyner Brooke lies broken on the seabed.

After surviving a brutal 24 hours in the sea, Nesta and Norah reach the beaches of a remote island, only to be captured by the Japanese and held in one of their notorious POW camps. The camps are places of starvation and brutality, where disease runs rampant. Sisters in arms, Norah and Nesta fight side by side every day, helping whoever they can, and discovering in themselves and each other extraordinary reserves of courage, resourcefulness and determination.

Sisters under the Rising Sun is a story of women in war: a novel of sisterhood, bravery and friendship in the darkest of circumstances, from the multimillion-copy bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Cilka’s Journey and Three Sisters.

MY THOUGHTS

One thing that gets to me when I read a Heather Morris book is how realistic they are. I love the fact that they are based on real people and situations and that I learn so much from them.


Her book, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is my absolute favorite historical fiction book of all time. It’s just an incredible book.
Sisters Under The rising Sun is an unputdownable book. It’s heartbreaking, yet full of courageous moments and actions.

The women displayed such bravery in the face of adversity time after time. This was a very well researched book, and I enjoyed the author’s notes in the back of the book. We learn more about the characters and their life after the events at the end of the book.


Brave women are struggling to survive in Japanese POW camps in WWII. Their lives were a living hell, faced with starvation, abuse, deprivation of the most basic needs. A novel of sisterhood, bound together by chance and the need to survive the dark circumstances that their life has become. Let us remember these women and the many sacrifices they have given.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Heather Morris is a native of New Zealand, now resident in Australia. For several years, while working in a large public hospital in Melbourne, she studied and wrote screenplays, one of which was optioned by an Academy Award-winning screenwriter in the US. In 2003, Heather was introduced to an elderly gentleman who ‘might just have a story worth telling’. The day she met Lale Sokolov changed both their lives. Their friendship grew and Lale embarked on a journey of self-scrutiny, entrusting the innermost details of his life during the Holocaust to her. Heather originally wrote Lale’s story as a screenplay – which ranked high in international competitions – before reshaping it into her debut novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz.

I hope you’re having a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping in.

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The Twilight Garden

389 pages William Morrow publisher April 9, 2024 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Two feuding neighbors unite to resurrect a neglected city garden in this uplifting and quietly joyful novel by Sara Nisha Adams, author of the beloved The Reading List.

In a small pocket of London, between the houses of No.77 and No.79 Eastbourne Road, lies a neglected community garden. It was a beautiful thing once, a little oasis in a bustling city for neighbors by day and the local foxes at twilight. Now it’s overgrown and neglected, an empty patch of greenery lost to time.

Once a sanctuary, the garden’s gate is now firmly closed. And that’s exactly how Winston at No.79 likes it – anything to avoid Bernice, who has moved in next door with her young son. Their houses may share the garden, but they’re not exactly neighborly.

But then a mysterious parcel drops on Winston’s doormat. It contains no note, only a bundle of photographs of the garden in bloom many years ago—vibrant with flowers, filled with people from every corner of the community. Is someone trying to tell them something? The seed of an idea is planted…

Somewhere out there, a secret gardener made a decades-old promise to keep the community’s spirit alive. Now it’s time for The Twilight Garden to come out of hibernation.

Photo by Dmitry Demidov on Pexels.com

MY THOUGHTS

A new family moves into the rowhouses on a busy street in London. It’s a mother and young son. They share a backyard garden that used to be a community garden enjoyed by generations past for its vegetables and many beautiful flowers.

Families would spend evenings visiting in the twilight reminiscing as the foxes played nearby. Living next door to the new family is a man with a broken love relationship, it’s run its course and now they have different dreams, and it doesn’t include each other. A young family next door isn’t what he was looking for and he tries to avoid them.

The dry earth and overgrown weed choked lot is an eyesore and best avoided. When he and the new neighbors start getting mail suggesting a garden and pictures and long-ago garden designs of the former beautiful garden, they both have the same idea to start beautifying it again.

Who is the mysterious person with the thoughts of brightening up the area again. As the work continues it brings the generations together again. The concept of the book is a great idea, and it was a warm feeling I had while reading it.

I was given a complimentary copy of the book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sara Nisha Adams is a writer and editor. She lives in London and was born in Hertfordshire to Indian and English parents. Her debut novel The Reading List was a finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards for Fiction 2021. Her second novel is The Twilight Garden.

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