Emma's Review: The Forest Hideaway by Sharon Gosling

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Saskia is building a home for herself out of the ruins of an old castle. Surrounded by forest, hidden away from everyone and everything, the place is special - it’s the only connection she has left to her father and it’s a hard-won chance to escape from her difficult past and create a new future. She’s spent her whole life trying to find a way to make this project work and finding someone to help her realise her dream has been almost impossible. 

When local builder Owen finally signs up to manage the construction, things get off to a very bad start. But forced to find a way to work together, both realise that first impressions aren’t always the right ones, and when Owen discovers the forest is hiding a secret that could bring work to a halt, he realises he’s much more invested in the project – and Saskia – than he thought . . .

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Emma's Review: The Secret Orchard by Sharon Gosling

Reviewed by Emma Crowley  

Bette and Nina Crowdie have never been close – the ten-year age difference doesn’t help, and Bette’s rarely been home since she left for university at eighteen. When their father passes away and unexpectedly splits the family farm between them, Nina is furious and afraid. She’s been working at the farm for the past five years. It’s the only home her young son, Barnaby, has ever had, and she’s convinced that Bette will sell at the first chance she gets.

When they discover the huge debt their father has been hiding, Bette reluctantly agrees to help her sister. But that means they have to find a way to work together, and Bette must face up to the real reason she left all those years ago.

Could a long-forgotten diary and the discovery of a secret orchard on their land help save the farm – and the sisters’ relationship?

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Emma's Review: The Forgotten Garden by Sharon Gosling

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Budding landscape architect Luisa MacGregor is stuck in a rut - she hates her boss, she lives with her sister, and she is still mourning the loss of her husband many years ago. So when she is given the opportunity to take on a parcel of land in a deprived area, she sees the chance to build a garden that can make the area bloom. 

Arriving in the rundown seaside town of Collaton on the north-west coast of Cumbria, she realises that her work is going to be cut out for her. But, along with Cas, a local PE teacher, and Harper, a teen whose life has taken a wrong turn, she is determined to get the garden up and running. 

So when the community comes together and the garden starts to grow, she feels her luck might have changed. Can she grow good things on this rocky ground? And might love blossom along the way…?

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Emma's Books of the Year 2022

It’s hard to believe another year is over and despite it being a tough year for us all we have made it through. I managed to reach my Goodreads goal of reading 100 books with just a few extras read as well and now I’ve looked back on what has been another fabulous year for books. I’ve discovered a number of new authors and once again loved books from some of my all time favourites. It was hard to narrow my choice down to ten but I have managed it and below you will find my favourite books of 2022. I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Sharon for her continued friendship and for hosting my reviews on the blog. 

I’m looking forward to what 2023 brings in terms of books and I already have a number of blog tours lined up for the new year. I think I’ve even already read a book which will feature on my 2023 books of the year but as to what that is I’ll leave you to guess. Perhaps put your guesses in the comments section. So without further ado here are my top ten books of 2022.

Andrea Mara is a queen at the top of her game and just gets better and better with each book she publishes. I already have her 2023 book – No One Saw A Thing on my TBR pile and know it will be just as good as Hide and Seek. This was a sublime read full of tension, suspense and twists and turns right until the very last page. There was a whirlwind of characters to get to know with suspicion falling in every corner as to what happened to young Lily Murphy whilst playing a game of hide and seek so many years ago. There is a creepy and unsettling feeling throughout as Johanna moves into the estate years later and discovers her house is where Lily once lived. Johanna can’t let sleeping dogs lie and she becomes dogged in discovering the truth of what happened and as a reader you are with her every step of the way in what was an utterly brilliant book which was extremely well plotted leaving you guessing until the last possible moment. My full review can be read here. 

I’ve loved all the books Tracy Rees has written in the historical fiction genre and was delighted to see last year she turned her hand to women’s fiction writing for my favourite publisher Bookouture. The Little House by the Sea is the first in what I hope will be a long series set in the village of Pennystrand. This is a gorgeous, warm and inviting read following Kitty Roberts as she up sticks and moves from London to the small village of Pennystrand. She gets work in an estate agents and her life is transformed and what a journey of discovery she goes on. It was fabulous to read of what she goes through and how she transforms into someone more confident and capable and someone who starts to believe in herself and her abilities. An exciting story awaits you between the covers of this wonderful book and I was sad to finish it and that’s why I hope there will be more to come from these characters and the fabulous setting. It’s a rare author that can write in multiple genres but Tracy Rees nails it and I know will continue to do so. My full review can be read here.

Emma's Review: The Lighthouse Bookshop by Sharon Gosling

Reviewed by Emma Crowley 

At the heart of a tiny community in a remote village just inland from the Aberdeenshire coast stands an unexpected lighthouse. Built two centuries ago by an eccentric landowner, it has become home to the only bookshop for miles around. 

Rachel is an incomer to the village. She arrived five years ago and found a place she could call home. So when the owner of the Lighthouse Bookshop dies suddenly, she steps in to take care of the place, trying to help it survive the next stage of its life. 

But when she discovers a secret in the lighthouse, long kept hidden, she realises there is more to the history of the place than she could ever imagine. Can she uncover the truth about the lighthouse’s first owner? And can she protect the secret history of the place?

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