Book Review - The Wedding Promise by Emma Hannigan - #HolidayReading Book 4

Book 4 of 30 that I read on my holiday to Fuerteventura in December 2017

Amazon UK

Title: The Wedding Promise

Author: Emma Hannigan

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Bookbridgr

Publisher: Headline

Publication Date: 29th June 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Restoring a Spanish villa brings Shelly back to the place she and her husband once loved, fulfilling the promise he made that they would return. But as plans to transform the villa into a romantic wedding venue take shape, Shelly discovers her children may need the move more than she does.

Her son Jake has begun to question the things he values most: his career as a pilot, his relationship with his girlfriend. Could Spain offer him the change he's seeking? Shelly's daughter Leila arrives with a new-born baby in tow, but then hears some startling news she wasn't expecting. As Casa Maria takes its first booking, will it turn out to be more than a romantic promise made all those years ago? Perhaps a second chance at new beginnings?

Loved this book focusing around all the members of one family, as they pick their lives up after a major incident. 

I loved all the scenes in Spain, and was really starting to feel a part of life there, was well as a member of the Dillon family. 

With each Emma Hannigan book that i read, I am becoming more and more impressed by her writing style and how she draws you into the story. 

This book had me feeling a whole range of emotions, and while I generally liked all the characters, I found Fee a bit harder to get on with. 

Pure escapism for any time of year, this is highly enjoyable and will give you a much needed break from your life while you are absorbed in a whole other families trials and triumphs. 

Thank you to Bookbridgr for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Perfect Gift by Emma Hannigan

Amazon UK

Title:  The Perfect Gift

Author: Emma Hannigan

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Headline Review

Publication Date: 18th February 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Happy Birthday, darling girl...

Ever since she can remember, Roisin has received a birthday card in the post. Signed with love from the birth mother she has never met.

Brought up by her adoptive parents, Keeley and Doug, Roisin has wanted for nothing. But on her thirtieth birthday a letter comes that shakes her world.

For Keeley, who's raised Roisin as her own, the letter reminds her of a secret she's been holding for thirty years.

And for Nell, keeping watch in the lighthouse, the past is a place she rarely goes. Until a young runaway arrives seeking shelter, and unwraps the gift of hope for them all...

I'm incredibly impressed by The Perfect Gift, it is one of those books that starts off quite well, and had me very interested, and I think it was about two fifths of the way in when I realised that the story was just getting better and better with every passing chapter. 

At all times I was drawn into the book, and was impressed with the depth of feelings and how relateable all the characters in the various threads really were. I felt as though I was living in their Irish town alongside them all. 

In fact Roisin's shop Nourriture sounds brilliant, it sells all sorts of of foods, both in a cafe style, but also as food items and ingredients that you can take home and use yourself. It was a real food emporium and seemed like a engaging place to work. 

Roisin always knew she was adopted, and each year on her birthday she gets a letter from her birth mother. It is the one that she received on her 30th birthday that really affected her and leads to a lot of what happens in the book. Liv her sister also read the letter, and it triggered changes in her too. 

Meanwhile Keeley, who raised Roisin, is feeling more and more like an unpaid slave of the family as the others are all taking advantage of her. She runs a B&B and feels guilty over something in her past that no one knows about. 

Then there is Nell, who lives in a lighthouse and is a virtual recluse. She takes in a runaway when Mouse shows up on her doorstep and between them, both of their lives changes. 

I loved Nell and Mouse's storylines, and they way they spoke to each other gave a load of interesting back story to both characters, which I was intrigued by. There were less chapters I think focusing on these characters than in Roisin's family, but I was always looking forward to the next installment from Nell. 

With a book that encompasses business struggles, struggles with parenting, illiteracy, adoption, loss, and all sorts of family themes, The Perfect gift is an emotional story that captivated me and captured my imagination, as some secrets come out, and the various generations of the family try and reach a better place in their lives. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Headline for this copy of the book. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - The Heart of Winter by Emma Hannigan

Amazon UK

Title: The Heart of Winter

Author: Emma Hannigan

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Headline

Publication Date: 22nd October 2015

Rating: 4 Stars

With the promise of December in the air and the hedgerows laced with frost, Huntersbrook House has never looked more beautiful.

Once the Craig family's beloved home, the house has been transformed into a magnificent countryside venue. And its first booking couldn't be more perfect - the Christmas wedding of a well-known film actress.

Yet, behind the scenes, the Craig children are feeling the chill. Pippa is skating on thin ice with her reckless personal life; Joey, preoccupied with the business, is blind to his fiancé's struggles. And Lainey's future is dealt a cruel blow.

As the wedding approaches, everyone hopes the house will weave its magic. But can the Craigs put their differences aside and pull together as a family once more?

The Heart of Winter sees us return to Huntersbrook House, setting of Driving Home for Christmas, and a return to the Craig family. Once again Huntersbrook House is the key to the book, but this time as a an events venue, and the book is set in the run up to Christmas. 

Although this is a sequel, that is set around 3 years after the original, it can definitely be read as a standalone. Enough relevant information is provided, but due to the huge range of character development between the two books, it may be recommended to read Driving Home For Christmas first, purely to really get a feel for the family.  

Almost everyone from the first book is back, with a couple of exceptions, 1 a lot more notable than the other (which isn't even referenced). My favourite character is still Pippa, the youngest sibling. She is unpredictable, fun loving and has a large amount of growing up to do. And this time she really does get herself into some sticky situations, which are tough for her to get out of. But at the bottom of it all she has a heart of gold, and even if she does need a bit of a wake up call, has her family's best interests at heart. 

Joey, who felt rather vulnerable and a bit of a fitness fanatic, has had what feels like a complete personality transplant and is more focused on his job and trying to become partner, and the growing of the Huntersbrook House business to pay attention to his girlfriend. It felt like a complete 180 degree turnaround and I felt I liked him less than I did as a result. 

Lainey is the oldest sibling and life has possibly changed more for her, than the others. She still has a rock relationship with her mother, Holly, but is now a mother of her own. However then a tragedy strikes Lainey and she has to learn to cope with a whole new reality. And its while Lainey is dealing with this, that leads to major changes in all manner of the relationships between Craig family members. 

Then there is Holly, the family matriarch, who just wants to spend more time with her grandson, and is as always excited about decorating for Christmas.

The perspective jumps around between Holly, Joey, Lainey and Pippa and occasionally some of the other characters but its always easy to know who we are focused on, as its the section heading. This allowed us to get up, close and personal with all of the Craig clan, and I love getting to know my characters really well, as it allows you to feel emotionally attached to them .

The Heart of Winter, was an excellent story and was highly enjoyable, I loved the setting in Ireland of Wicklow, and also Dublin, and Emma Hannigan is moving her way up my list of Irish Fiction writers that I love.  I am really hoping that this isn't the last we see of this fabulous family, or their handsome house. 

Thanks so much to Headline and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review & Giveaway - The Secrets We Share by Emma Hannigan

Amazon UK

Title: The Secrets We Share

Author: Emma Hannigan

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Bookbridgr

Publisher: Headline

Publication Date: 13th August 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Devastated after a tragedy, Nathalie Conway finds herself on a plane to Ireland. She is on her way to stay with her grandmother Clara. The grandmother up until now Nathalie had no idea existed...

As Clara awaits her granddaughter's arrival, she is filled with a new sense of hope. She has spent the last twenty years praying her son Max would come back into her life. Perhaps now her son can find a way to forgive her for the past. And her granddaughter may be the thread to stitch the pieces of her beloved family back together.

The Secrets We Share had me hooked from chapter 2, I was already hooked emotionally and throughout this book there has been elements of deep emotional connection with the characters. 

This is also a book where there are a lot of secrets hidden within a singular family, however due to the fact that they are secrets, I am no t at liberty to divulge what they are, but would recommend diving into The Secrets We Share instead, to find them out yourself. 

What I am willing to say is this is a beautiful piece of women's fiction, a story spanning four generations of one family, where part of it has been splintered for 20 years. 

There is the story of Max who moved to Ireland 20 years ago after a falling out with his family, and is now married and has 17 year old Nathalie. Nathalie suffers a tragedy very soon into the book, and then discovers that she has a grandmother, Clara, in Ireland. 

She is sent to Ireland in the hope this will help her cope with the tragedy she has suffered from, and Clara is a remarkable woman, who I like instantly. Clara is delighted to have discovered the existence of her grand-daughter and is in her own way really helping Nathalie get through this tough time. 

And then there is the story of Clara's parents, which is written in letters which is a heart wrenching and emotionally charged. I was shocked at the content of the letters which take place, during what most would agree is worst period of time in World history. 

There is a lot of ground covered in this book, for all the generations, and they all have unique and different stories to be told. I was desperate to know exactly what it was that causes Max to effectively disown his family for 20 years, just why Ava, his sister was so full of rage towards him, and what the outcome of the letters were. 

I read The Secrets We Share in one evening, and at no point did I want to put it down. It is a powerful book, that I think I will stay with me for a while. This may have been the first Emma Hannigan book that I have read, but I know it definitely won't be the last. I am so glad to have finally read one of her books, and astounded by just how brilliant it is. 

Thanks so much to Frances Gough and Bookbridgr for this review copy of the book. This was my honest opinion. 

Giveaway to win a paperback copy of The Secrets We Share (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  The Secrets We Share 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 29/9/2015. 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.

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