Emma's Review: The Lost Story of Sofia Castello by Siobhan Curham

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Writer Lily Christie is at rock bottom when she’s tasked with the job of a lifetime writing the memoir of Sofia Castello – once world-famous in the war years for singing across Europe, until her tragic death in 1941. So Lily is shocked to hear Sofia is actually in her eighties, living in secret, in a blue-tiled cottage on the Portuguese coast.

Lily listens in fascination as the feisty woman spins an unbelievable tale of fear-filled days spent caring for a young orphaned German girl, and nights performing to crowds of Gestapo agents: until she risked it all, using her fame to help the Allies. Then a tragic betrayal changed the course of her life forever…

But as Lily starts to open up to Sofia about her own private heartache, she realises that Sofia is not being entirely honest with her. And when Sofia refuses to say why she really hired Lily, her fears start to grow. Sofia’s remote beach home, accessed only by a bumpy dirt track, is miles away from anyone. She is clearly still hiding from someone, but who? And could Lily now be in danger too?

What is the final secret haunting Sofia? And can Lily uncover the devastating truth, before her time with Sofia runs out?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Emma's Review: The Resistance Bakery by Siobhan Curham

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Paris, 1943. The scent of fresh baguettes hangs in the air as Coralie unbolts the door to her bakery with trembling fingers. She must get out of the city. Hiding her precious leather recipe book inside her coat, she promises never to let the secret locations of the people she worked tirelessly to save fall into German hands…

Present day. Raven is unhappy about being shipped off to the other side of the country for the summer to stay with the mysterious French grandmother she barely knows. And discovering a tattered, leather-bound book with yellowed pages full of handwritten recipes and coded numbers, she is stunned.

Her grandmother has never baked for her. And she refuses to talk about Paris, or the past. Flipping through the book, a faded photograph of a laughing couple falls out. As Raven scans the writing on the back she can scarcely believe her eyes…

What really happened in that tiny French bakery all those years ago? And could this forgotten recipe book finally bring healing to a woman still haunted by wartime secrets? Or has Raven’s discovery shattered any chance of bonding with her grandmother, before her time runs out? 

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Emma's Review: The Stars are Our Witness by Siobhan Curham

Reviewed by Emma Crowley 

Working in the camp’s munitions factory, Adela Rubenstein discovers the underground network fighting against the devastating cruelty all around them. Imprisoned for teaching Jewish orphans in secret for the resistance, she doesn’t hesitate to join the rebellion. Every night on the way back to her hut, she looks up at the stars, the only witness to their plan to blow up the crematoria buildings.

The women can only smuggle a teaspoonful of the gunpowder at a time. But Adela knows from her time in the Warsaw ghetto what incredible feats can be achieved with courage and patience. Thinking of home reminds her of her darling brother, Azriel, and Izabel, who was like a sister to her. She has no idea what happened to them when she was caught, if they are even still alive. But she must keep doing whatever she can to resist. She has to make them proud.

As the day of the attack draws near, Adela is utterly stunned when she comes face to face with her beloved brother. Pale and hunched, but alive. Her heart soars as she hugs him tightly. Maybe it’s a sign, and there is hope for them after all. But not if he is working in the very building they will soon destroy…

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Emma's Books of the Year 2023

It’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 couldn’t seem to concentrate for long periods of time. None the less I have read some brilliant books this year and I have picked ten of my favourites to share with you. Thanks again to Sharon for hosting my reviews on the blog and for her friendship and all the chats throughout the year. So without further ado and in no particular order here are my books of the year for 2023.

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent was published in March of this year but I had an early copy and couldn’t resist sneaking it in at the tail end of 2022. I’m sure this book will be on my readers books of the year because it was simple phenomenal ad Liz is certainly at the top of her game. With the killer opening line that she is famous for this book sucks you in from the very first word and it is impossible to leave out of your hands. It’s dark and twisted and just what we have all come to expect and love from this author and Sally Diamond has most definitely been a talking point this year earning widespread acclaim and critical success. 

Sally becomes the centre of attention for an act that is abhorrent to many but beneath it all there is a painful past to share as she steps out into the world for the first time making new friends. She is not a conventional character by any means and the further the story develops the more your mind is blown.I can’t really say much about it except to say that is a disturbing read packed full of fear, trauma, manipulation, damage and mistreatment with a central character who will affect you in so many ways. Its an outstanding read which if you haven’t already discovered make sure you get a copy as soon as possible. You can read my full review here. 

I’ve been a fan of Emma Davies since I first read her novella Merry Mistletoe many years ago. She took a break from her usual women’s fiction to write in the cosy murder mystery genre but this year made a welcome return with the first in the Clearwater series - Secrets of Clearwater Castle. This is a feel-good romantic tale with lots of trials and tribulations along the way and I adored every minute of it. It follows Lowri who is widowed with a young daughter as she has inherited some land that her husband had kept secret from her. The setting is just gorgeous and the plot wonderfully written with a wide variety of characters that capture a piece of your heart. It’s a real page turner of a book which reminded me just how much I love reading. It was an absolute pleasure to accompany Lowri on her journey as she tries to heal but she also has to try and save Clearwater. My full review can be found here. I hope it won’t be too long until book two in the series is published as this is one that has stayed on long in my mind since I finished reading it.

Emma's Review: The Secret Photograph by Siobhan Curham

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

With a fake name written on the papers in her pocket, American photographer Clarisse Alarie knows the dangers of Paris better than most. Haunted by the sight of children being dragged away and carrying a photograph of the brown-eyed little girl everywhere she goes, Clarisse is desperate to make a difference. Meeting handsome resistance fighter Louis is her chance…

Louis introduces Clarisse to Café Capoulade and his underground network of brave men and women fighting tirelessly to end the occupation. Soon, Clarisse is risking her life every day. Taking photographs of the terror that has overcome the beautiful city, Clarisse follows members of the Gestapo and hides in plain sight in order to gather evidence of their terrible crimes.

But Clarisse soon learns of the over-crowded cattle cars leaving Paris carrying even the smallest children, bound for an unspeakably terrible place… Is she already too late to rescue the little girl with the brown eyes? And when Louis himself is arrested, will Clarisse risk everything the network has worked so hard for to save them both? 

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Emma's Review: The Storyteller of Auschwitz by Siobhan Curham

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Auschwitz, 1942: The Nazis have already cut so many lives short, but can a person truly die if their story survives? I have to make it out. The world needs to know what’s happening here…

Stumbling through the terrifying wrought iron gates of Auschwitz, Jewish author Etty Weil longs for her apartment overlooking the Seine, where she used to laugh with friends, her shelves full of records and her beloved typewriter by the wide window.

Now she looks on in horror as a young girl, Danielle, is ruthlessly torn from her sobbing mother. Etty does the only thing she can to help: trapped inside the maze of barbed wire, she befriends fourteen-year-old Danielle and promises to cherish her like a sister.

Every evening, Etty tells Danielle stories, building a beautiful world of imagination and hope to escape into. Soon, Etty realises that the other women in their cramped hut are listening too. She encourages them to share their lives, to talk about their darling children, their love affairs and the beloved family they’ve already lost. Etty knows she must survive this terrible place: if only to keep her promise to these brave women that their stories will not be forgotten.

But the more hope Etty gives Danielle, the more chances the young girl begins to take, rebelling against the brutal SS guards. Etty tries to protect her, risking her own life and the stories she promised to save. But one day, Danielle goes too far… Will Etty stop her in time to save her? Or will Etty pay the ultimate price for the only thing truly worth dying for: love? 

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback 

Emma's Review: The Secret Keeper by Siobhan Curham

Reviewed by Emma Crowley 

Nazi-occupied Paris, 1942. “I want to create a world where we are free to be together, to be in love,” he whispered. I gulp down the sobs building in my throat. “I want that too. I’ll come back to you. I swear I’ll come back.”

Elena Garcia knows that the mission she has been tasked with is her most dangerous yet. With a tearful goodbye to the man she has grown to love, the dark-eyed and warm-hearted Santiago Lozano, she hurries to catch the train to the drop-off point, the coded maps she is delivering for the resistance concealed in a pack of playing cards in her purse.

As she leaves the underground meeting, she hears heavy footsteps closing in behind her. Her heart pounds, and a dark figure comes into her line of sight. Expertly fighting off her attacker, Elena races back to the station, barely making it onto the train. She is forced to confront the worst: her cover is blown and now nowhere will be safe. Somebody close to her is a traitor, but when you live in the shadows, how do you know who you can really trust?

To stay alive, Elena must flee the country – and that means leaving Santiago behind. But she refuses to abandon her mission while Europe is still in the clutches of the enemy, and she will not leave Santiago to face the wrath of the Gestapo alone.

But when Elena uncovers that the love of her life has been having meetings with high-ranking government officials and hears German officials greeting him by name in the street, it’s clear that Santiago has his own secrets.

Elena must now ask herself: should she risk everything to save Santiago… or was he the one who betrayed her to the enemy? And now, with millions of innocent lives across Europe at stake, how can she know what is the right choice?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Emma's Review: The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Paris, 1940: He pressed the tattered book into her hands. ‘You must go to the café and ask at the counter for Pierre Duras. Tell him that I sent you. Tell him you’re there to save the people of France.’

Sliding the coded message in between the crisp pages of the hardback novel, bookstore owner Laurence slips out into the cold night to meet her resistance contact, pulling her woollen beret down further over her face. The silence of the night is suddenly shattered by an Allied plane rushing overhead, its tail aflame, heading down towards the forest. Her every nerve stands on end. She must try to rescue the pilot.

But straying from her mission isn’t part of the plan, and if she is discovered it won’t only be her life at risk…

America, years later: when Jeanne uncovers a dusty old box in her father’s garage, her world as she knows it is turned upside down. She has inherited a bookstore in a tiny French village just outside of Paris from a mysterious woman named Laurence.

Travelling to France to search for answers about the woman her father has kept a secret for years, Jeanne finds the store tucked away in a corner of the cobbled main square. Boarded up, it is in complete disrepair. Inside, she finds a tiny silver pendant hidden beneath the blackened, scorched floorboards.

As Jeanne pieces together Laurence’s incredible story, she discovers a woman whose bravery knew no bounds. But will the truth about who Laurence really is shatter Jeanne’s heart, or change her future?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Emma's Review: Beyond This Broken Sky by Siobhan Curham

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

1940, London: An unforgettable novel about the strength of the human spirit in the face of war and the remarkable women who put themselves in danger on the front lines during the Battle of Britain.

As a volunteer for the ambulance service, Ruby has the dangerous task of driving along pitch-dark roads during the blackout. With each survivor she pulls from the rubble, she is helping to fight back against the enemy bombers, who leave nothing but destruction in their wake.

Assigned to her crew is Joseph, who is unable to fight but will stop at nothing to save innocent lives. Because he is not in uniform, people treat him with suspicion and Ruby becomes determined to protect this brave, compassionate man who has rescued so many, and captured her heart. Even if it means making an unthinkable choice between saving her own life and risking everything for his…

2019: Recently divorced Edi feels lost and alone when she moves to London to start a new life. Until she makes a discovery, hidden beneath a loose floorboard in her attic, that reveals a secret about the people who lived there in the 1940s. As she gradually uncovers a wartime love story full of danger and betrayal, Edi becomes inspired by the heroism of one incredible woman and the legacy that can be left behind by a single act of courage…

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback