tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24870264943264235832024-03-18T15:17:13.005+00:00Shaz's Book BlogBook Chat with FriendsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3473125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-59468627806584124212024-03-18T07:00:00.014+00:002024-03-18T07:00:00.144+00:00Emma's Review: The Birthday Weekend by Zoe MillerReviewed by Emma CrowleyIt was a celebration to die for . . .What happened on holiday was supposed to stay on holiday - but that was before a body was found . . .Socialite Lucinda Oliver planned a lavish celebration for her fortieth birthday - a weekend escape at an Irish coastal town with her sister Stella and her closest friends. The weekend was to end with a blow-out party and a special Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-35298608225503816262024-03-09T09:30:00.005+00:002024-03-09T09:31:30.407+00:00Emma's Review: The War Orphan by Anna StuartReviewed by Emma CrowleySixteen-year-old Tasha Ancel turns to take one last look at the imposing place that stole her freedom and her childhood. She has no idea how she continued to live when so many others did not. For the first time in months, her heart beats with hope for her future and that of the smaller children who cling to her now.Tasha was torn from her mother’s arms by an SS guard days Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-76539365939494925872024-03-05T00:00:00.004+00:002024-03-05T00:00:00.266+00:00Emma's Review: Secrets of Malta by Cecily BlenchReviewed by Emma CrowleyMalta, 1943. The war in the air above Malta is over, but the battle for Europe is about to begin.Margarita, a young singer in a Valletta nightclub, has seen her former lover Henry Dunn only once since breaking off their affair. His wife Vera, an enigmatic archaeologist, arrives at the club to tell her that Henry has disappeared, presumed dead. While investigating, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-14155449357703831662024-03-01T08:00:00.000+00:002024-03-01T08:12:05.495+00:00Emma's Review: The Last Day in Paris by Suzanne KelmanReviewed by Emma Crowley Paris, 1940: All over Paris, families are being pulled from their beds in the middle of the night. And ever since her husband was shot in cold blood, Brigitte Goldstein has known she is running out of time. She and her daughter Sophie are Jewish, so it won’t be long until the Nazis bang on their door.But before she leaves, Brigitte must find her beloved husband’s Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-17625004497543948532024-02-29T00:00:00.031+00:002024-02-29T00:00:00.154+00:00Emma's Review: The Secret Beach by Veronica HenryReviewed by Emma CrowleyTwenty years. One secret. A promise never to tell...Nikki finally owns the little coastguard cottage of her dreams - and it's a few steps away from the hidden beach that means so much to her.But when a handwritten note lands on her doorstep, she realises it's only a matter of time before the heartbreaking truth of her past is uncovered.Twenty years ago, her wholeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-30335666404850896982024-02-28T08:00:00.017+00:002024-02-28T08:00:00.146+00:00Emma's Review: A Gift from the Cottage by the Loch by Kennedy KerrReviewed by Emma CrowleyWhen Bel Tipton catches her husband cheating on her, the devastating betrayal sends her running to her sister Sally in the beautiful village of Loch Cameron. Bel needs Sally’s warm laugh and sage advice now more than ever, and she knows curling up with her on the sofa and gossiping late into the night will make her feel whole again.Bel did not expect her rented cottage Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-81598011238763010992024-02-21T06:30:00.052+00:002024-02-21T06:30:00.130+00:00Emma's Review: The Only Light in London by Lily Graham Reviewed by Emma CrowleyLondon 1939. As war casts a dark shadow in his homeland Germany, journalist Sebastien wanders the grey fog-filled streets. His heart breaks as he remembers his hurried goodbye to his mother and sister. But even if everyone in London looks at him with suspicion in their eyes, he knows he made the right choice. It was the only way to keep his family safe from the Nazis Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-58461809869205691112024-02-20T00:00:00.017+00:002024-02-20T00:00:00.242+00:00Emma's Review: The Wartime Book Club by Kate ThompsonReviewed by Emma CrowleyJersey, 1943. Once a warm and neighbourly community, now German soldiers patrol the cobbled streets, imposing a harsh rule on the people of the island.Grace La Mottée, the island's only librarian, is ordered to destroy books which threaten the new regime. Instead, she hides the stories away in secret. Along with her headstrong best friend, postwoman Bea Rose, she wants to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-41049931899926303102024-02-10T10:00:00.002+00:002024-02-10T10:00:00.243+00:00Emma's Review: The Girl on the Boat by Kate HewittReviewed by Emma CrowleyWhen Sophie Weiss boards the SS St Louis, she has no reason to stay in Germany. The Nazis have taken everything from her, and her only hope is escape. But when she meets fellow Jewish refugees Rosa, Hannah and Rachel on board, the friendship they form gives Sophie hope that there can be happiness in her future, after all.But their worst fears are realized when the boat is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-5324668122318345652024-02-08T06:30:00.000+00:002024-02-08T06:30:00.251+00:00Emma's Review: The Paris Spy's Girl by Amanda LeesReviewed by Emma Crowley As war rages across France, English exile Christine has become the most deadly asset the British Secret Service has in occupied Paris. But when Suzanne, her best friend and the sole agent who knows the details of the top-secret D-Day landings, is betrayed to the Nazis by someone at the heart of their spy network, she is devastated. Going undercover with Charlie – a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-69790002783417495132024-02-02T07:00:00.026+00:002024-02-02T07:00:00.137+00:00Emma's Review: I Have to Save Them by Ellie MidwoodReviewed by Emma Crowley Betrayed by her own husband for being a German resistance fighter, Orli has no one left in the world as she stumbles from the cattle truck onto the frostbitten grounds of Auschwitz. She has arrived expecting to be sentenced to certain death. Instead, as a trained nurse, she is assigned to work in the infirmary to assist Dr Josef Mengele.Soon, Orli learns Mengele is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-49873471785042949172024-01-24T00:00:00.023+00:002024-01-24T00:00:00.138+00:00Emma's Review: The German Child by Catherine HokinReviewed by Emma Crowley She lies unmoving on the threadbare cot, her throat hoarse from long hours of screaming but her tears keep falling. Her heart has been cleaved in two, now the Nazis have taken the only thing she has left – her child. She is utterly powerless against them. But as Annaliese cries herself to sleep, she makes a vow - she will find her precious baby again. Whatever it Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-29297671087600182852024-01-23T00:00:00.036+00:002024-02-02T02:12:28.881+00:00Emma's Review: The Berlin Wife's Resistance by Marion Kummerow Reviewed by Emma Crowley1943. Fleeing Germany had been Edith Falkenstein and her Jewish husband Julius’s last hope, selling their remaining precious possessions to make the gruelling journey. But to their horror, they are turned away at the Swiss border. Devastated, they return to the tiny Berlin apartment they share with other Jewish families, with its peeling wallpaper and bare kitchen Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-28112892134042173632024-01-22T09:00:00.001+00:002024-01-22T09:00:00.129+00:00Books Read: The Search Party by Hannah RichellFive old friends. One glamping weekend. A storm that will change everything.Max and Annie Kingsley have left the London rat race to set up a glamping site in the wilds of Cornwall. They invite old university friends – TV star Dominic, doctor and new mum Kira, and free-spirited Jim and Suze – and their children for a trial weekend but the reunion quickly veers off-course.First, there’s The Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-34284591290552464632024-01-21T09:00:00.002+00:002024-01-22T17:12:11.739+00:00Birthday Giveaway: Win a Red & Black Bookbandz & £10 Book VoucherIt's my birthday today and although it's traditional on birthdays to receive gifts, and I can truly say I have been totally spoilt, I also wanted to share the love and give a little something back and thank you lovely followers for all your support over the last 12 years.So today I have a giveaway on the blog for this Red, Black & Silver bead Bookbandz (bought from Karen on FB, check out her Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-86397705689919988092024-01-18T07:30:00.002+00:002024-01-18T09:13:07.956+00:00Emma's Review: The Wedding of the Year by Jill MansellLove, friendship and secrets revealed as the sun beats down on dazzling blue Cornish seas . . .It's set to be a perfect day - until the chauffeur is asked to keep driving the bride around the church. This wedding definitely isn't going as planned.Lottie is a guest at the wedding when she sees Max. No kiss has ever matched the last one they shared fifteen years ago. They were on the brink of a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-54585562403308509642024-01-09T07:00:00.111+00:002024-01-09T14:02:40.483+00:00Books Read: Return to Half Moon Farm by Holly HepburnWhen Daisy’s mother falls ill she is forced to return home. With her twin sons in tow, she moves back to Half Moon Farm, her family’s ancient hop farm. But a new life in the Kent countryside isn’t necessarily as idyllic as it might seem. Daisy’s relationship with her mother is complicated and the tumbledown farm isn’t the only thing that needs rebuilding. Daisy and her sons must adjustUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-14779149881309165582024-01-05T14:30:00.002+00:002024-01-05T14:36:53.772+00:00Emma's Review: It Always Snows on Mistletoe Square by Ali McNamara Reviewed by Emma CrowleyWanted: experienced writer to record the history of one house and its family. Bed and board provided, the successful applicant must love Christmas.Elle is rudderless, jobless and she's soon to be homeless. When she spies an advert that looks like it could answer all her problems, she's devastated to see one huge catch: Elle definitely does not love Christmas.On Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-46323289386652632022024-01-03T07:00:00.022+00:002024-01-03T07:00:00.132+00:00Emma's Review: The Spice Maker's Secret by Renita D'Silva Reviewed by Emma CrowleyTrapped in an unhappy marriage, Bindu is desperately lonely. Before her wedding, she was a highly sought-after cook and although she is not allowed into the kitchen in her new house, she can still taste chilli on her tongue and remember the feel of ground turmeric on her fingers. She finds solace in writing recipes and creating new spice mixes, hoping to pass them down to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-78378165997978753942023-12-31T13:30:00.004+00:002023-12-31T13:31:02.196+00:00Emma's Review: The Perfect Christmas Village by Bella Osborne Reviewed by Emma Crowley Tis the season.... for a Christmas cynic to have his frozen heart melted by festive magic.When Christmas-hating Sam moves to Holly Cross, he thinks he's found the perfect home, until he discovers that, each year, Holly Cross transforms into the most Christmassy village in the whole country...Blythe is just one sale away from being Real Estate Agent of the Month, so Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-29473515227976998782023-12-30T10:30:00.014+00:002023-12-30T10:30:00.134+00:00Emma's Books of the Year 2023It’s hard to believe I am sitting down once again to write a books of the year post. It feels like only yesterday that I did my post for 2022 but yet 2023 is drawing to a close and it certainly was another very quick year. I reached my goal for my Goodreads Reading Challenge and read over 100 books although I would have loved to have read more. The last month of the year was extremely busy and I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-23053780567289577062023-12-27T06:30:00.023+00:002023-12-27T06:30:00.131+00:00Emma's Review: Countdown to Christmas by Jo ThomasReviewed by Emma CrowleyChloe can't wait for Christmas . . . to be over! Her son Ruben is staying with his dad and Chloe is planning to ignore the holidays altogether. Her only festive touch is her son's advent calendar, to help count down the days till he's home again.But a surprise call changes everything. Chloe might be the unexpected owner of some land in Canada! Surely, it's a scam. Or couldUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-41506387343976577672023-12-24T10:00:00.005+00:002023-12-24T10:00:49.094+00:00Emma's Review: A Winter to Remember by Roisin MeaneyReviewed by Emma CrowleyEmily Feeney has always loved the festive season, so when she invites some of her favourite people to Christmas dinner at her restaurant, she has an afternoon of delicious fare and seasonal fun in mind. But as the big day draws near, her plans start to look a bit uncertain . . .Her partner Bill is preoccupied by family worries, and both he and Emily have been skirting Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-44518547381520332522023-12-18T00:00:00.033+00:002023-12-18T00:00:00.131+00:00Emma's Review: A Winter Wedding at Starcross Manor by Christie BarlowReviewed by Emma CrowleyFashion designer Libby Carter has always loved weddings, so when her brother finds himself in a bind and asks her to step in and plan the perfect winter wonderland wedding for guests at his hotel, Starcross Manor, she happily takes on the challenge. But this is no ordinary Christmas wedding and when everything starts to go awry Libby asks gorgeous videographer Guy Hart forUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487026494326423583.post-22209830054240716232023-12-11T06:30:00.003+00:002023-12-11T06:30:00.128+00:00Emma's Review: Christmas Secrets in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft Reviewed by Emma Crowley Welcome to Christmas Resort, the festive retreat where the scent of cinnamon is in the air and chocolate yule log is eaten all year round! But with the resort in trouble, can Holliday Harrison save Christmas and find true love along the way?Thirty-year-old Holliday Harrison is throwing herself into the festive season to give her life some purpose after losing her Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0