Book Review: The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel

"The North Star Bakery has been in Hope's family for generations, the secret recipes passed down from mother to daughter. But at thirty-six and recently divorced, with rebellious daughter Annie and elderly grandmother Rose to care for, Hope is less than enthusiastic about carrying on the family legacy. When the bakery runs into financial trouble and Rose takes a turn for the worse, Hope's delicate balancing act is in danger of crumbling entirely.

Then Rose reveals a shocking truth about her past and everything Hope thought she knew about her family and the bakery is turned upside down. At her grandmother's request, Hope travels to Paris, armed only with a mysterious list of names. What she uncovers there could be the key to saving the bakery and the fulfilment of a star-crossed romance, seventy years in the making."

Rating: 5/5

You can buy The Sweetness of Forgetting as a paperback or an eBook now.

I find it funny how sometimes you can never read about a book on a subject, then suddenly a few come along at once. This was the case with firstly Jodi Picoult's book The Storyteller, a superb novel based on the Holocaust and the tale of Sage's grandmother who was a Polish prisoner of war at Auschwitz. Almost by coincidence just 2 weeks after finishing that book, I was drawn to reading a new book I was sent by Quercus called The Sweetness of Forgetting by American author Kristen Harmel. I had no idea what it was about and decided to give it a try. I was then shocked as I read to find out it was another book on the Holocaust, and the similarities with Picoult's book were quite astounding once I had finished.

Hope has been running her family bakery The North Star Bakery for a while now, but she can't honestly say it's what she has always wanted to do. She fell into it after becoming a mother and then getting divorced from her ex-husband, and while she enjoys the work, she feels the pressure of running a business, being a mum, and making ends meet on all accounts. When her elderly grandmother Rose's Alzheimer's gets worse and she asks Hope for a special favour, Hope gets a shocking insight into Rose's past that she had no idea about before. She's sent to Paris, and starts to piece together the puzzle of Rose's past. Will she be able to help her grandmother before it's too late, and save her family bakery too?

I didn't really go into this book with any expectations as I hadn't read anything by the author before, and the synopsis didn't give too much away either. I loved the cover and I'll admit that it was really made me pick it up in the first place, so I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself completely absorbed in the book when I was just a few chapters in, and I was thoroughly enjoying it. The storyline wasn't too obvious at first, but as it progressed, I was surprised at the twists and turns, especially as the similarities to Picoult's book became more and more similar too. However, I found Harmel's writing to be quite different, leaning more towards the softer and emotional side of Rose's tale, and made it more of a love story than anything else which I loved.

I really liked the main character of Hope. She's a hassled woman, haunted by her past that she can't change, and let's hinder her. Her relationship with her ex-husband is strained, and the relationship she has with her teenage daughter Annie isn't great either, especially when her ex tries to be the "better" parent. I'm sure a lot of women will be able to resonate with Hope's situation, and as her grandmother's illness becomes more important in the story, it's quite emotional to read how it changes Hope and Annie's dynamic, and how important the older woman is in both of their lives. I liked Hope's initial reservations about going to Paris and the adventure, I expect many people would feel the same and it only made me warm more to Hope and sympathise with her.

The story that Rose is holding back is quite an emotional one, and I loved the way that things develop slowly and we are simply drip-fed the story rather than being given everything at once. I don't want to go into any detail about it because it's a story that has to be read and devoured to be appreciated, but I found it to be very enjoyable to read, and very emotional too, I quite often found myself welling up frequently as it progressed. Harmel writes the emotions of all of the characters involved so well, you certainly start feeling some of their emotions yourself, and I was hooked on the book by around halfway through, desperate to find out what was going to happen next and if Hope could really make the impossible possible for Rose. It really touches you and brings home the harsh realities of the situations of that time. It isn't graphic in the way Picoult's book is, but certainly touches on similar issues and topics within it.

I love when you start a new book not having many expectations but by the time you finish, you can't wait to read something else by that author. That is how I felt after finishing Kristin Harmel's book - I just wanted to read more. I found The Sweetness of Forgetting to be a very enjoyable book, and Harmel has researched her topic so well, and has really opened my eyes to a whole new side of what happened during World War Two and the Holocaust. I loved the characters in it, especially Rose, Hope and Annie - 3 very different females in the same family all dealing with their own futures in different ways and trying to not to be held back by their pasts. It was a wonderfully written and very emotive book, and I would definitely recommend it to those looking for something a bit different to read. I'm looking forward to reading more from Kristin Harmel, what a fantastic book.

Book News: Midsummer Magic by Julia Williams

Julia Williams is back this summer with a new book, and I'm already in love with the cover! Midsummer Magic is due out on 4th July, and it has such a magical look to the cover which ties in the idea of the novel so well, it sounds like it's going to be a great read, I can't wait.

You can pre-order Midsummer Magic as a paperback or an eBook now.

"Recently engaged Josie is visiting her parents in Cornwall with best friend Diane, fiancée Harry and his pal Ant. Josie can’t wait to start wedding planning, if only Harry was more interested, and Diane and Ant weren’t at war with each other.

As the four make amends over a drink in the local pub, they meet Freddie Puck, a well known TV hypnotist and find themselves agreeing to a dare – to stay out all night on the hills by the standing stones.

Local mythology says a young married couple will find true happiness if they can last a whole night there on Midsummer’s Eve. But as night time falls, not everyone seems to have remembered the boundaries of love…"

Book Review: The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen

"The girl he thinks he loves needs to disappear. I don't want tonight to be irreversible, so I pull away, breathing him in one last time.

Ella and Micha have been best friends since childhood, until one tragic night shatters their relationship and Ella decides to leave everything behind to start a new life at college, including Micha.

But now it's summer break and she has nowhere else to go but home. Ella fears everything she worked so hard to bury might resurface, especially with Micha living right next door. Micha is sexy, smart, confident, and can get under Ella's skin like no one else can. He knows everything about her, including her darkest secrets. And he's determined to win back the girl he lost, no matter what it takes."

Rating: 5/5

You can buy The Secret of Ella and Micha as a paperback or an eBook now.

I was sent a review copy of this new eBook sensation quite a few weeks ago now, but for some reason it didn't jump out at me and I wasn't sure it was my sort of thing. However, I kept reading things on Twitter about it, and in the end, curiosity got the better of me and I decided one night to start Jessica Sorensen's book. Sorensen has published many books under many different series, but this is the first of her books to be picked up by a British publisher (Little, Brown), and it's part of the 'New Adult' genre that is certainly becoming all the age at the moment. It seems quite a few authors who went down the self-publishing route are getting a big break, and now I've read The Secret of Ella and Micha, I can see why Sorensen is a New York Times bestselling author.

This is basically a love story. Ella and Micha have been best friends for years, but as they have grown, so have their feelings for each other. Ella is haunted by her past, and by what her mother has done, and a few months ago had a bad night with Micha and she ran away to Vegas, where she went to college, but she didn't tell anyone, especially Micha, where she had gone. Now it's summer and she has to return, knowing she will bump into Micha once more, but she doesn't want to reveal the old Ella as she's done such a good job of reinventing herself for the Vegas crowd. But as she's forced to spend more time with Micha when she gets home, feelings start to become stirred once more, and he's determined to get her to realise her feelings for him, and make her love him as he loves her. Will Micha be able to win back his beloved Ella for good?

The book's prologue hooks you in straight away - you are left wondering what on earth is going on to make Ella act in such a way, and you can also feel Micha's love for her. After that short prologue, the book suddenly jumps 8 months into the present day where we pick up the story and stay with it for the rest of the book. The book is told through two first person narratives, Ella's and then Micha's, and it continues this way up until the end, and I really enjoyed this. It allowed me to get really into the story of both of these people, and we're given different perspectives of what happens as well. Despite Ella's initial hesitance at getting close to Micha, you can tell she has deep feelings for him however she might appear, and I was left just waiting for her to finally give in to Micha and to her feelings. Ella was quite a closed book, and things are slowly revealed about her past which allow us to make sense of why she's such a introverted person and wanting to hide who she used to be.

Micha is a fabulous male lead, and he's everything you want to read about in a hot male lead! He sounds rather attractive, with his pierced lip, he's a musician (of course), and likes to drive cars - fast. He is deeply in love with Ella and wants her more than anything, and is hating the fact she is turning him down. Yes, he's a bad boy but he's so much more than that too, and Ella really brings out a different side of him. Micha has a bit of a back story with his family too, and I felt more sympathetic to him as the book went on. I especially liked his scenes when he's driving his fast cars - Sorensen writes the action and the excitement so well that you feel like you're in there with them, feeling the adrenaline pumping as Ella does. Sorensen writes the sexual tension  between Ella and Micha so well, you can really feel it as you're reading, and I was left wanting them just to get on with it because you can see how much they want each other, no matter how much Ella might try and deny it, and Micha's way of wooing her is pretty great lol, however did she resist?!

I was only around a 1/4 of the way through the book when I began reading it Sunday night, and I ended up staying awake until gone 2am to finish it, because I became so absorbed with their story that I couldn't put it down. I loved everything about this story, from the way Sorensen builds up the tension and the story between Ella and Micha, and also how she weaves in their pasts, especially Ella's to fully round off their tales. I liked the inclusion of Ella's college roommate Lila who is there to show us how different the Ella of now is compared to the one she was pretending to be at college, and I loved her shocked reactions to some of the things Ella does. It's a real love story that will draw you in and have you turning the pages until you reach the final one because you're desperately craving a happy ending for Ella and Micha. I'm thrilled to see that there is another book with Ella and Micha coming later this summer, and I can't wait to catch up with these two once again. Jessica Sorensen took me by complete surprise with this book, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Now where can I find me my own Micha?!

Book Cover: Step Back in Time by Ali McNamara

I'm really excited about the release of Ali McNamara's new book Step Back in Time which isn't due out until 7th November, but the cover has really got me wanting to read it right now! It's so brilliant, and I love all the iconic images on it that I'm sure many people will recognise. The story sounds amazing too, hope you're looking forward to this one as much as I am! Click the cover to see a bigger version.

You can pre-order Step Back in Time as a paperback or an eBook now.

"How many lifetimes would you travel to find a love that lasts for ever?

When single career girl Jo-Jo steps onto a zebra crossing and gets hit by a car, she awakes to find herself in 1963. The fashion, the music, her job, even her romantic life: everything is different. And then it happens three more times, and Jo-Jo finds herself living a completely new life in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. The only people she can rely on are Harry and Ellie, two companions from 2013, and George, the owner of a second-hand record store.

If she's ever to return from her travels, Jo-Jo must work out why she's jumping through time like this. And if she does make it back, will her old life ever be the same again?"

Book Review: Dear Thing by Julie Cohen

"Claire and Ben are the perfect couple. But behind the glossy façade, they've been desperately trying - and failing - to have a baby for years. Now, the stress and feelings of loss are taking their toll on their marriage. Claire's ready to give up hope and get on with her life, but Ben is not. And then Ben's best friend, Romily, offers to conceive via artificial insemination and carry the baby for them.

Romily acts in good faith, believing it will be easy to be a surrogate. She's already a single mother, and has no desire for any more children. Except that being pregnant with Ben's child stirs up all sorts of emotions in her, including one she's kept hidden for a very long time: Ben's the only man she's ever loved.

Two mothers-and one baby who belongs to both of them, and which only one of them can keep."

Rating: 5/5

You can buy Dear Thing as a hardback or an eBook now.

Every so often, there is a book that captures your attention and makes you so excited to read it that everything else goes out of the window once it arrives. That was certainly the case for me and Julie Cohen's brand new novel, Dear Thing. Yes, I had loved her 2012 release The Summer of Living Dangerously, but it wasn't even that which made me so keen to read this new book. I had just really loved the synopsis of this, and the idea of it really drew me in, because I couldn't fathom how one woman could offer to do such an amazing thing for another woman, then take it away again at the last minute. I had an idea this book wouldn't be an easy read, and I was right, but my God was it a truly great one.

Married couple Claire and Ben have it all - all except children that is. They've been trying for many years to have their own baby, but sadly things have never happened for them. After a final failed attempt at IVF, Claire decides she has had enough and accepts her life without children in it, despite her pain. When Ben's best friend Romily hears of this, she immediately offers to be a surrogate for them, carrying a baby to term for them and then handing it over once it's born. But Romily has secretly been in love with Ben for years and years. Being pregnant with Ben's baby suddenly brings all her feelings flooding back to the surface, and she's unsure she can go through with the plan. Claire is desperate to have this baby, sure it's only chance to raise her husband's child. What will happen to the baby with 2 mothers who are both desperate to have it?

As you can tell just from the synopsis of the book, it's a quite controversial topic and one that is sure to stir up a lot of emotion in people, both good and bad towards the characters, in particular Romily. Cohen opens the book with Claire and Ben, telling us a bit about their history and letting the reader straight away understand their pain in not being able to have children, and how it is affecting them as a couple. As a mum myself, it's hard to understand the pain of someone who can't have children, but you can't help but sympathise with Claire and Ben, and the extreme efforts they go to conceive themselves. In fact, this only makes what Romily does all the more worse I think! Claire is written so well, she has changed her life in order to be a mum, and I felt desperately sorry for her, and you can understand why she is ready to give up her hopes - she simply can't take the pain and sadness anymore. Cohen doesn't shy away from making Ben's pain and upset just as real too - often the dad-to-be can be forgotten in all the sadness, but he is just as sad as Claire that he can't be a father.

Romily is Ben's best friend, and I found her character very interesting to read about. She has her own daughter Posie, but the pair have a very peculiar relationship. Posie calls her Romily, not mum, and Romily admits she isn't overly maternal, preferring her insects to her daughter at times - she struggles with simply remembering to pay for her daughter's lunch. She seems to make the decision to have a baby for Claire and Ben seemingly too easily and follows it through without thinking of the real consequences of it, and I really did dislike her at points. You can understand her hurting because of her love for Ben, and her desperation to keep the baby is quite sad, you do feel sorry for her, but at the same time, knowing how much Claire wants and can't have a baby, I couldn't make peace with what Romily wanted.

I'm sure there are going to be so many different viewpoints about this book, and I can't wait to hear about what other people think once the book has been read and have had a chance to think the ideas through. Cohen's writing is brilliant - she is able to dive right into the mind's of the main three characters, and provoke such strong reaction from her readers about them. I, for example, liked Ben a lot but wished he would grow a backbone and see things from Claire's side about Romily. He does seem a bit naive but again it's understandable given the circumstances. You're left in limbo right up until the end wondering what decision Romily is going to make, and it did feel like an emotional rollercoaster of a read! The story jumps about between Romily and Claire's stories, but it's so easy to follow and just a joy to read and devour!

This is simply one of the best books I have read so far this year, and I am sure it is one which will stay with me for a long, long time, and I know I will be reading it again too. Dear Thing isn't afraid to dive into the harsh realities of surrogacy, and how everyone involved suffers through the pain of the decisions that can be made, and how nothing is ever as straight-forward as it seems. Despite the fact there is only a few characters through the whole book, it is so intrinsically focused on these characters you don't need anymore - you only want to read about Romily, Ben and Claire and to hope for a happy ending for everyone involved. Cohen's writing was simply brilliant and allowed me to devour the book at such a pace, I just couldn't put it down once I started reading. I hope everyone enjoys this book as much as I have, it's brilliant and I can't recommend it highly enough. Grab a copy of Dear Thing right now, you won't regret it!

Book News: One Night Only by Emma Heatherington

Irish author Emma Heatherington is back with a brand new book, and I love her new cover look too. The book's publication date was 28th March 2013, so it's a brand new release, and sounds like a great read. I've read several of Emma's books and really enjoyed them, so look forward to this one.

You can buy One Night Only as a paperback or an eBook now.

"Polly's marriage has gone off the boil big time. Her husband ignores her, her children take her for granted and she feels as glamorous as a dirty dishcloth. She needs a break and she needs one now. Gorgeous schoolteacher Tess is under pressure. Her husband wants a baby now. She wants one never. She needs a break and she needs one now. Mousey housewife Gina has had enough. Her life is a misery and she is living on the edge of her nerves with her bullyboy husband Trevor and his bit on the side. She needs a break and she needs one now. When blast from the past Ruth Monaghan comes back to live nearby, the ladies meet up and agree to arrange a girly night out. Just one night away from it all - one night to recharge their batteries, to let down their hair and to discover what it really is they want in life. But throw in a raucous stag party, a handsome policeman and a charming man called Marco and these four desperate housewives get a hangover and a whole lot more in a hilarious night out that they will never forget!""

Book Review: A Family Scandal by Zoe Miller

"The Rock Star

It is twenty years since rock musician Zach Anderson plunged to his death. When media interest in the incident is re-ignited, hidden tensions fracture the glamorous facade of the Morgan family, totally changing their lives.

The Sisters

Twenty years after this tragedy, the Morgan sisters Ellie, Miranda and their half-sister Lucy, Zach Anderson's love child, find themselves in the harsh glare of the media spotlight once more.

His Legacy

Beautiful fashion designer Ellie has spent her life trying to forget Zach Anderson so flees Dublin for the anonymity of New York.

Miranda, desperate to spread her wings, reclaims her life in the vibrant city of Hong Kong.

And in London, fashion model Lucy is full of unresolved questions about her father's death.

But what secrets are they all hiding? And will their love for one another hold them together or tear them apart?"

You can buy A Family Scandal as a paperback or an eBook now.

Rating: 5/5

I read my first of Zoe Miller's novel last year and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Rival Passions was a fun read, and I was surprised that after reading it that it had taken me so long to pick up one of Zoe's books! Therefore when I received a review copy of Zoe's latest book A Family Scandal (published in the UK by Piatkus), I immediately stuck it at the top of my to-read pile because I was so eager to get stuck and reading it as soon as I could! Luckily, it didn't disappoint, and I whizzed through the book in just a couple of evenings as I was so keen to get to the end and find out what was going to happen!

The book is about 3 sisters, who have very big life differences and don't always get on. There's eldest sister Ellie, a fashion designer who's in a relationship but isn't sure that it's forever; middle sister Miranda who has fled across the world to Hong Kong where she feels she isn't living the shadows of her sisters, and their younger half-sister Lucy, who is the daughter of tragic rock star Zach Anderson, and a fashion model in her own right. It's the 20th anniversary of Zach's death, and the sisters are more deeply affected than they will let on, and turn to each other at the tough time. But when things happen that threaten the relationship between the Morgan sisters, will they be pushed together or pulled further apart than ever?

This story dove straight in to the action, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The Morgan sisters are introduced to us one by one, and their life and story is roughly explained to the reader so we know who is who, and what is going on. It continues this way throughout the book actually, and it allows us to follow each of the sisters throughout the book and across the world without being too confusing as well. Miller's writing throughout is seamless, and I found it so easy to keep up despite the chopping and changing of who the book is following, and everything that is going on throughout. I liked the use of the third person narrative which was the perfect voice for the book, and Miller writes the three women in particular so well, that by the end of the book you really feel like you know the Morgan sisters.

While we see perhaps the least of Miranda in Hong Kong, I enjoyed her story and her "middle child" syndrome too, and you can see how being away from her family makes her a stronger person which is interesting. The book does mainly focus on the other sisters, Lucy and Ellie who were great characters. Lucy is a bit of a spoiled brat to be honest, used to getting what she wants thanks to her looks, and doesn't seem to appreciate a great deal. However, the death of her father when she was a baby clearly still affects her, and I liked how this brought out a softer side to her as the book progressed. She was the main part in another important part of the story involving a stranger called Ian who weaves himself into the lives of the Morgan family, and is a bit of a mystery... this part of the book was fantastic and it really helps with the tension and excitement towards the end of the story.

Ellie is perhaps the character I liked the most. She is the eldest of the sisters, and feels the responsibility of this all the time, especially towards Lucy. You do feel very sorry for her as the book goes on, but I liked how she took off to New York to try and get over the betrayal she suffered, and starts to try and make a new life and new friends over the pond. In the book, Miller highlights the delicate bond between sisters, and how even the smallest betrayal can tear them apart, and I was really hoping that the Morgan sisters could forgive each other by the end of the book. As I mentioned, the book flits from Ireland to London, Hong Kong and New York, and Miller writes the places so well you can clearly picture them all as you are reading. I especially loved the parts in Hong Kong, I felt they really stood out in my mind and were good to read.

This was a fantastic read that I enjoyed from start to finish. It's quite a detailed book in that you have to concentrate and follow what is going on with the characters, but once you are into it, it's a joy to read and there was plenty going on to keep you interested. The family dynamics were interesting, and you can see how the bonds between the sisters are stretched to breaking point. I liked the sinister overtones that lie throughout the book, and the inclusion of the mysterious Ian makes it all the more intriguing, you're desperate to keep reading to find out more about him! I loved this, and Miller's writing is a joy to read from beginning to end. I can't wait to read Miller's next book, she's certainly become an author I really want to read!