Emma's Review: The Man She Had to Save by Catherine Hokin

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

When Vivi arrives in Madrid, she is captivated by its heat and colour, a world away from the grey of her life as a lonely newlywed back in Berlin. But her diplomat husband and beloved brother Christian are here for one reason only: to bring the Nazi regime to Spain, and to destroy everything that stands in their path.

When Vivi is caught in a bombing raid, she is thrown unexpectedly into the arms of Emilio, a member of the militia. As she gets to know him and his love for his country, his passion inspires her, and her world changes overnight. And as he stares at her with his warm brown eyes, her heart races in her chest, knowing she is truly being seen for the first time in years…

But falling in love with Emilio is dangerous. Franco and his Nazi allies are closing in on the resistance in Madrid, and it’s only a matter of time before Emilio is discovered. Vivi does everything she can to protect him, but she knows time is running out.

When her worst fears come true and Emilio captures her brother, Vivi must decide where her loyalty lies. Should she betray her lover to save her family? Or will she choose love above all else? And once the war is over, can she live with the consequences?

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Emma's Review: The Club for Rebellious Ladies by Siobhan Curham

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Provence, 1919. When Elodie Sinclair is sent from Boston to a glamorous finishing school for socialites in training, she is determined to do all she can to rebel. Setting up The Wildflowers Club with best friends Genevieve and Lucille, the women make secret plans to escape their insufferable conversation classes. But just weeks later, a terrible scandal leaves the women reeling. And Elodie Sinclair is presumed dead.

2025. Looking for a fresh start after her drawn-out divorce, Rae Morgan finds herself in a crumbling clifftop manor house in Provence. The mysterious elderly owner, Madame Devereaux, speaks of a glitzy charm school and the tragedy that closed its doors. Though she refuses to say any more… until Rae finds a slip of yellowed paper titled The Wildflowers Club Vows left with the keys. Intrigued, Rae knows there is more that Madame Devereaux wants her to uncover.

Elodie Sinclair’s diary is hidden somewhere within the walls of the tumbledown chateau. If Rae finds it, she’ll discover a devastating secret hidden for a generation, and a spirited woman desperate to escape… 

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Emma's Review: Storm Clouds Ahead for the Village Midwife by Tilly Tennant

 Reviewed by Emma Crowley

The villagers of Thimblebury know that midwife Zoe Padbury loves babies and now that she’s settled at Hilltop Farm with her boyfriend Alex, they can’t resist wondering when she’s going to start a family of her own. Yet it doesn’t feel like quite the right time. Alex is so busy and Zoe has her hands full with all her new mums to look after. Still, she has hopes for the future…

But what she doesn’t expect is to walk into her cosy kitchen and find Alex’s glamorous ex-girlfriend sitting at the scrubbed pine kitchen table. Virginia claims to be helping Alex with work but as she looks Zoe up and down and offers her a perfectly manicured hand to shake, Zoe can’t ignore a shiver of foreboding. What will this mean for her and Alex?

Zoe tries to quash the pangs of jealousy that wash over her, but with Virginia around what feels like all hours of the day, she and Alex end up in a devastating argument. And when she receives some news that changes everything, she doesn’t know if she can share her troubles… Can they find their way back to each other? Or will these storm clouds break their bond forever?

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Emma's Review: The Scottish Island Inn by Kennedy Kerr

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

The Balhennie family raised their six daughters on the Isle of Skye amongst early breakfast services and fully booked summers. Their inn is never short of gossip – and when eldest daughter Sorrel turns up for the first time in ten years, the island rumour mill begins.

Always the one left to corral her younger siblings, resourceful Sorrel now runs her own successful property business on the mainland. She throws herself into the repairs, praying her curious sisters will stop asking about the real reason she left home…

But Sorrell didn’t count on brooding, blue-eyed Tam Blackwood – the man she thought was her forever – supervising the works. Now they’re thrown together again, Sorrel realises just how much she’s missed him.

And with her secret in danger of tearing her family apart for good, only Tam has a plan to fix the inn and heal the rift between the Balhennie sisters. With his help, can Sorrel finally open up? Or will the inn close its doors forever?

Book Link: Kindle

Emma's Review: A New Home for the Irish Daughter by Kate Hewitt

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Chicago, 1892: Maggie O’Halloran knows she is lucky to have escaped New York City with her life, after a notorious gang threatened her and her brother. Now, twisting the wedding ring on her finger, she knows her friend Brendan O’Donoghue’s plan to pretend to be married is sensible. But can she really pretend to be his wife when she doesn’t love him with her whole heart?

Walking Chicago’s cobbled streets, Maggie is more resolved than ever to rebuild her life and when she secures a job at the famous department store, Marshall Field & Company, she is delighted. But when ghosts of her past appear in the millinery department, she knows her true identity could be revealed at any moment, and her dreams once more reduced to ash.

When a chance encounter leads to Maggie making hats for Chicago’s World’s Fair, her desire to become fully independent feels closer than ever. But as gossip swirls about her relationship with her benefactor, can Maggie keep her head held high in this city she now calls home?

When Brendan finds himself in a perilous situation, Maggie’s courage is tested more than ever before. With danger looming, can she and Brendan survive it together? Or will they once more need to flee their home to find safety, and a chance to begin again? 

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