April Taylor - Distant Shadows
Helen's time serving her country in France during World War 2 has left her fearing for her life. She's convinced that it was one of the operators in Britain that betrayed many of her fellow agents, sending them to their deaths. So after the War, she disappears and reinvents herself as Peggy, with a new job, to protect herself. But she can't prevent her agile brain identifying suspicious patterns in public matters. In sending an anonymous letter pointing out a possible fraud that is draining the country's resources, she suddenly finds that her cover is blown, and she has two of her former colleagues on her tail. Can she trust either of them? A novel full of exciting moments, emotional tension, hide and seek. I'm not an expert in the era, or in the special operations of World War 2, but the settings and the events felt very authentic. A great read.
Rosie Hendry - Love on a Scottish Island
I'm a sucker for books about Scottish islands, so the title of this novel immediately appealed to me. Laura returns to her home in the Orkney Islands while waiting to hear about a job as a children's illustrator, something she's always wanted to do. But she must face Matt, the young man she let down years ago when she wanted to travel the world. She's staying with her widowed grandmother, Ishbel, who is turning seventy. After the birthday party, Ishbel has ideas of her own, wanting to spread her wings and find someone from her past. As Laura begins a tentative friendship with Matt, her father and sister also have big changes in their lives that they need to face. A gentle novel of revisiting past relationships, and finding the courage to follow your dreams. Lovely setting, too.