Amazon UK
Title: House of Dreams
Author: Fanny Blake
Format reviewed: Paperback
Source: Publisher supplied review copy
Publisher: Orion
Publication Date: 5th November 2015
Rating: 5 Stars
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| Amazon UK |
Only a weekend in Spain - what could possibly go wrong?
At their family hilltop villa, Lucy awaits the arrival of her brother and sister for their mother's annual birthday party. Although this time, their mother won't be there.
Struggling at Malaga airport with her fractious four year old, Jo has already lost her case and is dreading arriving without its precious contents.
For Tom, returning to Casa de Sueños stirs up all sorts of memories - then a beautiful face from his past appears . . .
Over one long, hot weekend, past secrets will spill out as three siblings discover more about their family and each other in this gorgeous, warm and witty new novel from Fanny Blake.
At their family hilltop villa, Lucy awaits the arrival of her brother and sister for their mother's annual birthday party. Although this time, their mother won't be there.
Struggling at Malaga airport with her fractious four year old, Jo has already lost her case and is dreading arriving without its precious contents.
For Tom, returning to Casa de Sueños stirs up all sorts of memories - then a beautiful face from his past appears . . .
Over one long, hot weekend, past secrets will spill out as three siblings discover more about their family and each other in this gorgeous, warm and witty new novel from Fanny Blake.
House of Dreams was one of those books that called to me repeatedly until I picked it up to start reading it. The cover is gorgeous, and the setting of the Casa de Sueños is warm and lovely.
This is all about siblings Tom, Jo and Lucy, who have recently lost their mother, Hope. She was aware she was dieing, and made various plans for events after her death. The main one, which the book focuses on, is the party being held at the house, on her birthday, despite no longer being alive enough to attend.
What we soon discover is that all three of the siblings, have secrets in their pasts, some of which are more obviously revealed than others at first. Although the first half of the book is really good, I found the second half, from the pre-party dinner the night before, until the end to be incredibly gripping and compulsive reading.
I wanted to know what would happen next, and by the time some of the secrets start coming out, I really didn't want to stop reading at all.
I found I felt a whole range of emotions reading House of Dreams, from sadness, to laughing at some of the situations the extended family find themselves in, to adrenalin pumping at various points, when they feel their kids may have been in danger.
Fanny Blake shows herself to have a great sense of humour in House of Dreams, as there are some fabulous comedic moments, starting from Malaga airport and the loss of Jo's case (which was almost a complete disaster), to the stickering of possessions, to the dinner party in the restaurant and those are just some that stood out.
During the four days in the lead up to, and aftermath of the birthday party, all 3 of the siblings feel they are starting to understand Hope a lot better, and its great to see how their attitudes change towards her, throughout the book.
There is a great cast of secondary characters in addition to the siblings, with Daphne and Maria being ones to watch out for.
The House of Dreams is a heart warming and loving story, and brings Fanny Blake back to her best.
Thank you so much to Elaine Egan at Orion for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.
If you like the sound of this book, then this is the giveaway for you. I am giving the readers of Rachel's Random Reads a chance to win their own copy of House of Dreams in paperback.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This is all about siblings Tom, Jo and Lucy, who have recently lost their mother, Hope. She was aware she was dieing, and made various plans for events after her death. The main one, which the book focuses on, is the party being held at the house, on her birthday, despite no longer being alive enough to attend.
What we soon discover is that all three of the siblings, have secrets in their pasts, some of which are more obviously revealed than others at first. Although the first half of the book is really good, I found the second half, from the pre-party dinner the night before, until the end to be incredibly gripping and compulsive reading.
I wanted to know what would happen next, and by the time some of the secrets start coming out, I really didn't want to stop reading at all.
I found I felt a whole range of emotions reading House of Dreams, from sadness, to laughing at some of the situations the extended family find themselves in, to adrenalin pumping at various points, when they feel their kids may have been in danger.
Fanny Blake shows herself to have a great sense of humour in House of Dreams, as there are some fabulous comedic moments, starting from Malaga airport and the loss of Jo's case (which was almost a complete disaster), to the stickering of possessions, to the dinner party in the restaurant and those are just some that stood out.
During the four days in the lead up to, and aftermath of the birthday party, all 3 of the siblings feel they are starting to understand Hope a lot better, and its great to see how their attitudes change towards her, throughout the book.
There is a great cast of secondary characters in addition to the siblings, with Daphne and Maria being ones to watch out for.
The House of Dreams is a heart warming and loving story, and brings Fanny Blake back to her best.
Thank you so much to Elaine Egan at Orion for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.
Giveaway to win a paperback copy of House of Dreams (UK Only)
If you like the sound of this book, then this is the giveaway for you. I am giving the readers of Rachel's Random Reads a chance to win their own copy of House of Dreams in paperback.
Giveaway open residents of the UK only, due to postage costs (I will do more international giveaways soon), all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 15/11/2015. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner. Good luck everyone.
Hope to win
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