Cathy Kelly - The Honey Queen
Cathy Kelly always writes a book to lose yourself in. Characters we long to know, family dilemmas, secrets from the past - they are all there. When Lillie travels from Australia to meet her half-brother Sean for the first time, she's mourning the loss of her dear husband Sam. In the Irish town of Redstone, her visit is a catalyst for change in the lives of several people, including her brother Sean who's struggling with redundancy, and his wife Francesca who wants to sympathise with him but feels overwhelmed now that she's the sole breadwinner. Then there's Peggy, opening her dream craft shop but hiding the troubles of her past and unable to open herself up to love. Also we meet fifteen-year-old Freya who lives with her uncle and aunt because her mother can't cope with life. People think Freya's an old head on young shoulders, but she's still hiding the fears and longings of a teenager while the lives of her older cousins hit highs and lows around her. Compelling reading.
Kate Furnivall - Betrayal
This author writes with authority in all the historical and geographical settings of her novels. Betrayal takes place in France in the years before the second World War. Twins Romy and Florence live in Paris, but lead totally different lives. While Florence is married to Nazi sympathiser Roland and moves in society circles, Romy is an aviator doing secret delivery runs into civil war-torn Spain from the airfield run by Leo Martel. But both young women are bound by a terrible secret that they have carried for many years. Life for both is on a knife edge as they fight to protect the men they love, while the past still has a devastating secret to reveal. Tense, exciting and with no punches held, this book grips the reader until the final pages.
Margaret Kaine – Ribbon of Moonlight
Polly has had a difficult childhood. Her father was lost in action in France during World War II, and her mother left her to be brought up by her grandfather. After her grandfather’s death in 1958, Polly is still under age, so her mother must live with her until she reaches her twenty first birthday. It’s a difficult situation, as Polly barely knows the woman who abandoned her, and she finds the succession of men visiting her mother shocking. The invitation of a holiday in Paris is a welcome escape, where events take an unexpected turn. Romantic attachments and family ties all take on a new meaning as she has to completely reassess her life. Intriguing and compelling, this novel is a good read.