Emma's Review: The Wartime Chocolate Maker by Gosia Nealon

Reviewed by Emma Crowley 

Working in her father’s chocolate factory, Kasia risks her life every day hiding notes vital to the Polish resistance in the carefully packaged boxes. The information tucked beneath the truffles is crucial to freeing her country and her family from the Nazis. But each of her recipes is sent out under the watchful eyes of her boss, Sebastian—the man who broke her heart.

She has never been able to reconcile the kind, sweet boy she once adored with the man now allied with the Germans. Yet the more time she spends around him, the more he seems to hint at sympathizing with the resistance. And the risk of revealing everything to him seems to shrink day by day.

Until one coded message hidden among the rich chocolate makes her fear for her mother and brother’s lives. And though she’s on the factory floor with a group of fellow resistance women, she can’t let on what she knows. Because her network has been betrayed.

As she searches the faces of those closest to her for any sign of guilt, her eyes meet Sebastian’s, full of care and concern. With time running out, Kasia wonders if she can trust him with this deadly secret? Or are the soldiers already on their way to arrest her?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Emma's Review: The Dressmaker's Secret by Michelle Vernal

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Sabrina Flooks was lost as a little girl, then raised and trained by talented dressmaker Evelyn. The historic bridal shop on Bold Street is all Sabrina has ever known.

Since the kind shop owner took her in, Sabrina has followed in Evelyn’s footsteps, stitching and bejewelling gorgeous wedding dresses. She’s buried herself in the rich fabrics, closing off her heart rather than face the pain of what happened all those years ago…

Until the sparks that fly between her and handsome Adam Taylor take her completely by surprise. His quiet charm and kind smile encourage her to let her guard down. Just a little.

As love truly begins to bloom, the only way she can overcome the fear of being abandoned again and learn to feel safe in Adam’s warm embrace, is if she finally finds the truth about her identity and her past. And the way to unravelling it all may be closer than she ever thought possible…

Because the rails full of petticoats, veils and skirts hide a secret. One that could have her walking a path through the past.

Could the journey through history give her everything she ever dreamt of? And even if she uncovers the truth, will she make it back to Adam in the present day or will it take Sabrina away from everything she holds dear?

Book Link: Kindle

Emma's Review: Lost Memories of the Cottage by the Loch by Kennedy Kerr

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

When Lottie Fox escapes to the heather-strewn hills of Loch Cameron, she is still heart-sore after the man she thought she’d spend her life with upped and left. Visiting the elderly residents of the village care home to ask for their help tracing local history is the perfect distraction. And soon Lottie is drawn to the outspoken, twinkly-eyed Gretchen.

Senior in years but still young at heart, Gretchen’s outrageous stories bring Lottie out of her shell. And meeting Fred Mackenzie in the village bookstore, with his kind eyes and floppy hair, Lottie starts to think about the future again. She even brings Fred to meet her new friend, Gretchen, and is totally charmed by his care for the elderly lady.

But there’s one story Gretchen has never shared. When Lottie confides in her about how lonely she once was, she realises that Gretchen is desperate to share her own heartbreaking tale of a great love, and a devastating betrayal.

Then Gretchen is rushed to hospital. The last thing she whispers to grief-stricken Lottie is how she must take the blue leather-bound photo album tucked away on her bookshelf. The secrets Lottie and Fred find inside could upend everything Lottie thought she knew about Gretchen, and shatter the community Lottie has come to know and love in the village…

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Extract from The Weekenders by David F. Ross

When I was contacted about taking part in The Weekenders blog tour, I knew I wasn't in a position to read the latest from David F. Ross as my reading mojo is still very hit and miss but I still wanted to show my support for the author and his publisher. So today I have an extract which you can read below but first a little about the book. 

Glasgow, 1966: Stevie 'Minto' Milloy, former star footballer-turned-rookie reporter, finds himself trailing the story of a young Eastern European student whose body has been found on remote moorland outside the city. How did she get there from her hostel at the Sovereign Grace Mission, and why does Stevie find obstacles at every turn?

Italy, 1943: As the Allies fight Mussolini's troops, a group of young soldiers are separated from their platoon, and Glaswegian Jamesie Campbell, his newfound friend Michael McTavish at his side, finds himself free to make his own rules…

Glasgow, 1969: Courtroom sketch artist Donald 'Doodle' Malpas is shocked to discover that his new case involves the murder of a teenage Lithuanian girl he knows from the Sovereign Grace Mission. Why hasn't the girl's death been reported? And why is a young police constable suddenly so keen to join the mission?

No one seems willing to join the dots between the two cases, and how they link to Raskine House, the stately home in the Scottish countryside with a dark history and even darker present – the venue for the debauched parties held there by the rich and powerful of the city who call themselves 'The Weekenders'.

Emma's Review: The Wartime Mother by Lizzie Page

Reviewed by Emma Crowley 

After her husband died fighting for their country, Winnie is heartbroken, reeling, and suddenly solely responsible for the struggling family pub. With nothing else to focus on, she pours her heart and soul into her work, trying desperately to keep afloat.

When news arrives of a ten-year-old girl who lost her mother and siblings in the Blitz, Winnie is unsure if she can help. She knows little Francine is alone and in need of a home, but she doesn’t know how much love she has to offer. But there is nowhere else for Francine to go, and Winnie can’t bear to think of her without a family…

Caring for a little girl as the war rages and resources run low takes all of Winnie’s energy. But little Francine is full of ideas to help keep the pub open, and as her cheeky sense of humour and infectious giggle breathe life back into Winnie’s world, Winnie’s heart opens to the possibility of love. That is, until the Canadian pilot she’s fallen for has to return home, and asks Winnie to go with him – just as Francine’s relatives appear to try and claim her.

Winnie can’t bear the thought of losing the family she and Francine have become, but is it safer for Francine to let her go or hold her close? And can they leave the past behind and find the happy ending they both deserve?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback