Emma's Review: No. 17 Curiosity Lane by Christie Barlow

Reviewed by Emma Crowley 

We regret to inform you of the passing of your great-aunt, Matilda Hartley. As the sole beneficiary of her estate, you have inherited her business, No. 17 Curiosity Lane, Puffin Island…

Music journalist Fern Talbot has just inherited a dusty antique shop from a woman she never knew. Her plan is simple: get in, sell it, and get out.

But when she discovers that her charming lodger, Daniel, is her train ride meet-cute, and a tantalising mystery wrapped up in a vintage wedding dress demands to be solved, Puffin Island quickly captures this devoted city girl’s heart…

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Emma's Review: The War Orphan's Courage by Jenna Ness

Reviewed by Emma Crowley 

Paris, 1944. Stepping under the dim glow of the streetlamp, Jewish orphan Josette tightens her coat and adjusts her leather satchel. The German soldiers who patrol the streets see neat plaits and shined shoes, but she is no schoolgirl. For months she has been slipping unnoticed past the enemy carrying important messages for the Resistance inside hollowed-out textbooks.

Shouts echo down the twisty cobbled streets, but she takes a deep breath and checks her disguise. The man she lovesis waiting for her, desperate for the secret documents she’s carrying – she cannot let him down. Her heart skips as she thinks of Paul. The passion and devotion with which he leads their resistance group. The warmth in his voice when he talks about his beloved little sister Suzanne. The look in his brown eyes when he holds Josette close under starry skies each night and tells her he loves her…

But everything changes when Josette hears the terrible news. Suzanne has been captured by the Nazis, accused of treason. Fear gripping her, Josette knows that if she and Paul can find a way into the prison by morning, they might be able to save her, but it may cost them everything.

Can Josette and Paul rescue Suzanne before it’s too late? Or will they have to sacrifice everything to force their enemies to set her free?

Book Link: Kindle

Emma's Review: Family Ties for the Village Midwife by Tilly Tennant

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Zoe Padbury is a big believer in second chances. She’s been so happy since she started over in the village of Thimblebury. Especially now she’s moved into Hilltop Farm with her boyfriend Alex and can be on hand to help his daughter when her baby arrives.

All that changes when Zoe’s father arrives, arm in arm with his newly pregnant fiancée Chantal. Chantal is bowled over by Thimblebury’s picture-perfect charm, and before Zoe’s had a chance to draw breath, they’ve made plans to get married in the old stone church, make Zoe their future baby’s midwife and move into the cottage next door.

Worried about her mum’s broken heart and how Alex feels about having her family so close by, at first Zoe doesn’t notice that Chantal’s brother has also moved in and is determined to make trouble, ruining the lives of the people who have made her feel so welcome. With the villagers up in arms about his behaviour, Zoe is torn in two. Can she protect her new life and love without losing her family?

Book Link: Kindle

Emma's Review: The Girl with the List by Shari J. Ryan

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Day in, day out, servant Rosalie is forced to aid in the harrowing medical selections at Auschwitz, marking prisoners as “fit” or “unfit” with trembling hands. She once thought “unfit” meant they’d get the help they needed. Now she knows the devastating truth: “Fit” means they live another day, “unfit” means they don’t…

Every day, her heart breaks further as she hopelessly scans the crowds for the face of the man she loves, torn from her a year ago simply for being Jewish. Praying that he’s still alive, Rosalie desperately tries to save as many other men as she can—risking everything by marking them as fit and hoping her act of rebellion isn’t noticed.

Then one icy morning, she looks up from her list into the stunning green eyes of the man in her line—the man her heart beats for. And now the real fight begins, as Rosalie risks her life to save Stefan’s again and again. But then one morning, Stefan isn’t there. Rosalie frantically searches for him, blood turning to ice. He’s gone. But how far will she go to find him? And can he stay alive without her until she does…?

Book Links: Kindle 

Emma's Review: The Tuscan Sister's Promise by Daniela Sacerdoti

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Throughout her childhood, Mia has watched her beloved sisters leave their Tuscan villa and start their own families. Now it’s her turn and, having promised them that she will follow her heart, she hopes she will finally be brave enough fall in love herself…

Not long after she arrives in London, Mia meets Ben, a bookseller with warm hazel eyes and thick brown hair. As they spend more time together, Mia finds herself enchanted by his gentle smile. But just as she feels her affection for him growing, Ben tells her he can never leave London. Falling in love and building a life with him would mean saying goodbye to her home in the Tuscan hills forever.

As she thinks about her future, Mia finds a locket hidden in the house where she is staying, along with a long-forgotten love story that mirrors her own. As she uncovers diary entries from the eve of the First World War, she learns of a forbidden romance, and a woman who also once shared Mia’s desire to find her place in the world.

But will the story Mia unravels inspire her to keep her promise to embrace the future, and let Ben into her heart at last? Or will she return to Italy, leaving behind the only man she has ever truly loved? 

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback