Book Review - The Summer of Serendipity by Ali McNamara

Amazon UK

Title: The Summer of Serendipity

Author: Ali McNamara

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 13th July 2017

Rating: 4.5 Stars

One summer, property seeker, Serendipity Parker finds herself on the beautiful west coast of Ireland, hunting for a home for a wealthy Irish client. But when she finds the perfect house in the small town of Ballykiltara, there's a problem; nobody seems to know who owns it.

'The Welcome House' is a local legend. Its front door is always open for those in need of shelter, and there's always a plentiful supply of food in the cupboards for the hungry or poor.

While Ren desperately tries to find the owner to see if she can negotiate a sale, she begins to delve deeper into the history and legends that surround the old house and the town. But for a woman who has always been focussed on her work, she's remarkably distracted by Finn, the attractive manager of the local hotel.
But will she ever discover the real truth behind the mysterious 'Welcome House'? Or will the house cast its magical spell over Ren and help her to find true happiness?

There is something just a bit magical about this book, and the legends surrounding  the Welcome House in Ballykiltara. When Ren and Kiki first encounter the welcome house they are convinced they have found the property they are looking for, for their customer, so long as Ren can find the owner and persuade them to sell. 

Just one small snag local folklore believe the house is magic and that it has now owner, or caretaker or anyone in charge of it at all.  Then there are the legends that state that the search for the truth will result in your own downfall. Plus there are many other bits of Irish folklore that appear to have made it into the book. 

There is a couple of large mysteries as the heart of this book, and I was fascinated to see how they would resolve. Although not normally a fan of history, and there is a fair amount of ancient history in this story,  I couldn't help but be drawn in by the suggestive writing, that captured my imagination.

The setting of Ballykiltara is beautiful, and the area of Ireland will be familiar to fans of Ali McNamara, and those that have read Breakfast at Darcy's. Given I really can't remember the details of that book I wouldn't worry if I hadn't read it, as its not relevant to this new book, other than providing some updates to various characters. 

Kiki is an amusing and lovable character, especially with her ability to mix up words at time.  She is a great sidekick for Ren, who seems to be  Kiki's total opposite. There is definitely romance in the air in Ireland, and the place just weaves a spell over those that stay there, and in my case those that read the book! 

In my eyes this isn't the best or my favourite book by the author, but it is an incredibly enjoyable story that I did love a lot, even as a skeptic towards almost all mysticism. 

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

Book Review - The Darkest Secret by Alex Marwood

Amazon UK

Title: The Darkest Secret

Author: Alex Marwood

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 1st January 2016

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Apologies for the general email, but I desperately need your help.

My goddaughter, Coco Jackson, disappeared from her family's holiday home in Bournemouth on the night of Sunday/Monday August 29/30th, the bank holiday weekend just gone. Coco is three years old.

When identical twin Coco goes missing during a family celebration, there is a media frenzy. Her parents are rich and influential, as are the friends they were with at their holiday home by the sea.

But what really happened to Coco?

Over two intense weekends - the first when Coco goes missing and the second twelve years later at the funeral of her father - the darkest of secrets will gradually be revealed...

This may have been my first Alex Marwood book, but it certainly won't be my last, if The Darkest Secret is anything to go by. What a gripping and intense mystery, with a huge cast of characters, and the secrets and revelations kept on coming at a good pace.

However before you get to the business end of the book,  there is all the set up, and I found some of this quite confusing, as there are at least 4 sets of adults and many children all mentioned and introduced quite early on, and I found it hard to remember who belonged to who, who was related to who etc...

The Darkest Secret is set over two main weekends, set 12 years apart. 12 years ago, Coco Jackson went missing from where the family and friends were on holiday and she was only 3 years old. She had an identical twin, called Ruby who was still there, but had no idea what went on. 

And now Ruby's father has died, and all the people that were there that fateful night, are of course reconvening for the funeral. Ruby is reintroduced to her half sister Milly, who had never really been keen on the 3 year olds at the time, but is now discovering common thoughts about their father. 

With the exception of Ruby, Milly and perhaps Clare (Ruby's mother), I really disliked all the other characters in this book. Their behaviour was completely despicable and disgusting and I found myself rooting for  a different ending to the one provided. Although even that had some last minute surprises. 

Both weekends play out in alternating chapters, with in chapters in 2004 focusing on a different person each time, whereas the whole of the present day was focused on Milly. I loved the beginning of the book, with its various witness statements and the appeal for information about Coco. To me there were a lot of similarities between the appeal and what was announced about that night, and to a real life high profile case. I've no idea if that was deliberate, but did make the story feel even more real.

After a slightly slow start The Darkest Secret became harder and harder to put down, until I just sat engrossed and oblivious in it until I reached the end.  If this is the standard of thrillers being released in 2016, then we are in for a fabulous year. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Sphere for this review copy. This is my honest opinion. 

Book Review - The Cake Shop in the Garden by Carole Matthews

Amazon UK

Title: The Cake Shop in the Garden

Author: Carole Matthews

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Competition win from Carole Matthews

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 23rd April 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Fay Merryweather runs her cake shop from her beautiful garden. She whips up airy sponges and scrumptious scones, while her customers enjoy the lovely blossoms and gorgeous blooms. Looking after the cake shop, the garden and her cantankerous mother means Fay is always busy but she accepts her responsibilities because if she doesn't do all this, who will?

Then Danny Wilde walks into her life and makes Fay question every decision she's ever made.

When a sudden tragedy strikes, Fay's entire world is thrown off balance even further and she doesn't know which way to turn. Can Fay find the strength to make a life-changing decision - even if it means giving up the thing she loves the most? Life, love and family are about to collide in The Cake Shop in the Garden.

I was over the moon on Saturday morning to discover I had won a signed copy of The Cake Shop in the Garden, since I have been a Carole Matthew fan for probably 12 years at least now, and have read almost every book she has written. I was even more delighted to come home on Monday, to see it had arrived already, and since I was between books, I couldn't resist. I had to read this one.

Fay Merryweather, is running a teashop out of her garden, and also her narrowboat at the bottom of the garden on the canal. She gets a reasonable passing trade from people meandering up and down the canals near Milton Keynes, as well as people from the local village. While running this teashop, she also is sole carer to her bedridden mum Margaret, as well as a huge support to her sister in New York. 

Fay has a long term partner of 10 years, in Anthony, who seems more interested in golf and his handbell ringing group, than in Fay, and seems like he must have been old before his time, at least it felt that way. 

Lija is Fay's assistant in the cafe, and perhaps one of Fay's only real friends. I loved Lija's attitude towards everything, and she is a massive help to Fay. 

Danny Wilde, is young and incredibly handsome. He has recently packed in a job in The City, in order to have a more relaxed way of life, travelling around the UK on the canals. He moors his boat on Fay's mooring and helps out preparing the cafe for another summer. 

Fay is the sort of person that put literally everyone first, and as a result she initially seems a bit "woe is me", a  bit uninspiring and spineless. But when suddenly everything around her changes, she has to decide exactly what is most important in her life, and in doing so, I feel becomes a far more well rounded person. 

I loved the idea of a Cake Shop/Cafe being run out of a boat, and a garden, and in bad weather parts of the house. The cakes always sounded so nice, and regular customer Stan is a real ray of light. He is the perfect example of an elderly gentleman.

The bedridden mother, Margaret, and sister Edie are really hard to like. Both of them utterly selfish and take advantage of Fay. In fact although there quite a few characters I didn't like, they were the sort that I still enjoyed reading about regardless. 

The Cake Shop in the Garden is a novel with heart. It is a wonderful story about love, life, family and not to mention cake! As is always the case, it was an absolute pleasure to read, and I would love to see a short story sequel, as I feel I'd love to see how the story develops, after the book ended!

The Cake Shop in the Garden was published in paperback yesterday.