Category: Family drama

Recent Reads: The Case of the Reincarnated Client by Tarquin Hall

Posted on by Pam

 

My review: ????

The Case of the Reincarnated Client is the fifth book in the Vish Puri series, and whilst I’ve not read any of the other books, I didn’t feel I was missing out on too much!

The rest of the books are all crime novels as well, all set in India, and Vish Puri is a private investigator. 

In this book his mother brings him a case that she has decided he needs to take on, and that she’s going to investigate with him. It’s the case of a young girl claims to be a woman who was murdered during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, and Puri’s mother is determined he will help her, especially as his late father had investigated the murder.

Puri is not pleased as he’s dealing with another client who he did the background check on the groom, who is now snoring.  And the government is just making some of the paper money defunct.

I enjoyed this trip to to India, and the customs and insight it gave me.   I also enjoyed Puri’s family life, and his mother.

The Case of the Reincarnated Client by Tarquin Hall was published on 4th February 2020, and is available to buy on Amazon and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Tarquin Hall on his website. 

If you’re interested in cosy crime, then I’d suggest the following:

In the Crypt with the candlestick by Daisy Waugh

Pecan Pies and Dead Guys by Angie Fox – this is a series I’ve been enjoying.

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Severn House (the publishers) for this book.

 

Recent Reads: A Perfect Cornish Christmas by Phillipa Ashley

Posted on by Pam

 

My review:????

A Perfect Cornish Christmas is the second book in the series, but I didn’t feel like I was missing too much with the story.

 It’s Christmas in Porthmellow, and Scarlett takes a DNA test, which has unforeseen consequences for her family, tearing them apart.  

Scarlett feels like an outcast from her family for the next year, but starts to reconnect with her sister before the following Christmas, and moves to stay with her down in Porthmellow, where she hunts for someone she is related to, who she is sure is there.

It was a cosy, enjoyable read, perfect for a light Christmas read.

A Perfect Cornish Christmas was published on 31st October 2019, and is available on Amazon and Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Phillipa Ashley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or through her website.

If you’re interested in light family com, then other books that I’ve read and enjoyed are the Rachel’s pudding pantry by Caroline Roberts:

Rachel’s Pudding Pantry

Christmas at Rachels’ Pudding Pantry

Here are some other Christmas books I’ve read and reviewed!

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Avon Books (the publishers) for this book.

Recent Reads: How much of these hills is gold by C Pam Zhang

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

How much of these hills is gold is a novel set in the wild west of America, during the gold rush.  It looks at Chinese immigrants, who you’ll probably have seen in films set during these times, building rail roads.

We follow two siblings, who are trying to survive in this harsh world, and flash back to their earlier childhoods, and their parents.

This isn’t a light read, but was a very interesting look at a time that has been so documented from the white cowboys point of view.

I enjoyed this book.  It’s a overwhelming experience of a different time and place, but one that is well written, and takes out to the wild landscapes described.  It’s a tale of siblings, their love, their rivalry, and their commitment to family, all set within a world that we’ve seen often in films and books.  It gives a lot of insights and gives a glimpse of what life was like.

How Much of These Hills is Gold was published on 9th April 2020,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on  Waterstones.  The Waterstones link takes you to a signed edition!  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

If you’re interested in historical books from a different perspective, then I think you’d enjoy The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins.

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Little, Brown Book Group and Virago (the publishers) for this book.

 
Check out my GoodReads profile for more reviews.

 

Recent Reads: The Christmas Party by Karen Swan

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

The last knight in Ireland dies suddenly, and leaves  the castle to his youngest daughter (Willow), his eldest daughter (Ottie) gets a camp site and her cottage, and his middle daughter (Pip) gets the stables that she loves, and his wife (Serena) gets the dower house.

Willow has a hard decision to make as she can’t afford to do the repairs that the castle so desperately needs, and so decides to sell the castle, which none of her sisters or mother likes, if only for the fact that they don’t understand why Willow has inherited it, and not Serena, or Ottie.

Everyone has secrets in this book, and they are all going to come out at the Christmas party which is to be held at the castle.

I enjoyed the book, and found some of the secrets obvious, and others a surprise.  It did set the scene well, with the castle feeling like another character in the book!

The Christmas Party was published on 31st October 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Karen Swan on Twitter.

If you’re interested in family drama  books, then here’s some others I’ve reviewed:

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley ????

The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley ????

Those Who Are Loved by Victoria Hislop ????


The Confession by Jessie Burton ?????

The Perfect Dress by Louisa Leaman ???

Rachel’s Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts ????

Christmas at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts ????

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pan Macmillan (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: Christmas at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????


I adore Christmas, and so back in November, I had the idea that I could just write reviews of Christmas books in December!  So, welcome to the first Christmas book review!

Christmas at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts is a lovely, cosy book, with lots of recipes throughout, which set the atmosphere even more for me!

The book starts in October, after Jill and Rachel opened their Pudding Pantry over the summer, and Rachel and Tom got together.  The Pudding Pantry is starting to get quieter, and so Rachel and Jill start thinking about what could bring in more customers.

Rachel is busy with the farm, the Pudding Pantry, Maisy and so Tom feels a bit ignored.  Then his ex-wife starts being spotted around.

Jill has been a widow for two years, and now might be the time that she starts to think about more than just looking after Maisy and Rachel.

There were lots of ups and downs in this, but overall the feeling of a cosy winter wasn’t far away, and the book was very festive!

Christmas at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry was published on 31st October 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Caroline Roberts on Twitter, or through her blog.

Here’s my review of the first book in this series, Rachel’s Pudding Pantry.

If you’re interested in romance books, then here’s some others I’ve reviewed:
Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams ?????
One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan ????


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HarperCollins UK (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: Rachel’s Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

Rachel’s Pudding Pantry is about Rachel, her five year old daughter Maisy and Rachel’s mother, Jill, who all live together on a farm which is struggling to pay for itself!

Jill makes delicious bakes, and so they get the idea to sell her puddings and cakes in a local shop.

Tom is their nearest neighbour, and the person who has helped them the most since Jill’s husband and Rachel’s father died two years ago.  

This was a lovely book, with lots of delicious puddings and cakes mentioned throughout, and gives you a feeling of what it would be like to be a farmer.  

It was an enjoyable, sweet read, and Christmas at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry came out in October, so I’m off to read that!

Rachel’s Pudding Pantry was published on 18th April 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Caroline Roberts on Twitter, or through her blog.

If you’re interested in romance books, then here’s some others I’ve reviewed:
Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams ?????
One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan ????


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HarperCollins UK (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: The Perfect Dress by Louisa Leaman

Posted on by Pam

My review: ???

The Perfect Dress is about Fran, who has a wedding dress shop unlike any other.  It’s full of previously worn wedding dresses, and Fran  the experiences and wonderful lives of the previous owners will enhance the newly weds lives.

Fran does a lot of research on her dresses, and doesn’t like a dress from a bad relationship to go on to a new bride.  She wants to match the right dress with the right bride, and wants the dress to bring something out of them that they didn’t know they had.

Fran finds a wedding dress in a house clearance, and feels there is so much about it that she has to have it, even though she’s not convinced it’s a dress with a good history.  She clashes with Rafe, the son of the former bride, but she has to know more about the dress.

This was a romance with a touch of fantasy in that Fran sees visions of what the bride was feeling and going through.  I enjoyed it as a fast paced romp, with flawed characters that brought out the worst in each other.

The Perfect Dress was published on 17th October 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Louisa Leaman on Twitter, or through her website.

If you’re interested in romance and family drama, then here’s some others I’ve reviewed:
The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley ????
The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley ????
One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan ????
Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams ?????


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Random House, Transworld (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: The Confession by Jessie Burton

Posted on by Pam

My review: ?????

The Confession by Jessie Burton tells two stories.  One is set in 1980, where Elise meets Connie, a successful writer, and follows her to Los Angeles.  The other story is set in 2017, where we follow Rose, who is trying to find out why her mother abandoned her and her father.  

Rose’s journey in to the past leads her to take on a false name, with a false past, and start working for Connie as an assistant.

I really enjoyed The Confession, and wanted to find out the answers that Rose was searching for, and understand what happened.  It wraps up well, and I thought the characters were great!

Jessie Burton is the author of The Miniaturist, which had great success, and was turned into a TV series, and The Muse, which I think I need to read now!

The Confession was published on 19th September 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  Waterstones has signed editions!  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Jessie Burton on Instagram, or through her website.

If you’re interested in a self discovery book with the same kind of feel, then I’d suggest City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert.


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pan Macmillan (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: Those who are loved by Victoria Hislop

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

Those who are loved by Victoria Hislop has settings throughout Themis’s life, who is in her 90s in the modern day Greece.

It’s a family saga, as we see Themis growing up with siblings with very different political views.  Themis and her brother Panos support communism, and Margaretha and Thanassis support the right wing, which includes fascists.

The beginning has us meeting Themis telling her story to two of her grandchildren, and the majority of the rest of the book is going through her life, and the life of Greece as it roils under the Nazi’s, fascism and civil war.

This was such an education in what happened in Greece in the 20th century.  It put historical events into context, and as we could see both political sides, we could see more of the suffering, and the celebration.

Victoria Hislop also wrote The Island, about a family’s link to a leper colony, which I read in 2009 (hurrah for GoodReads!), and enjoyed!  

Those who are loved is published on 30th May 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Headline Review (the publishers) for this book.


Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley

Posted on by Pam

 My review: ????

The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley is about Posy Montague, and her family.  We start the book with Posy as a young girl, during the Second World War, with her father, the parent she adores, going off to war to fly planes again shortly, but in the meantime, they are loving playing together.

We switch between Posy’s younger life, and her life currently, a widow, with two sons, one of whom is just coming home after 10 years in Australia.  Her other son lives in the village, with his wife, and their two young children, and he is forever asking his mother for money for another venture. 

We go through the ups and downs of family problems, and family joys. I’ve read all of the books in the Seven Sisters series (and reviewed the first one here.), and I think Lucinda Riley is very good at creating a family atmosphere, and taking you on a journey.

The Butterfly Room was published on 2nd May 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Macmillan (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!